What is a Game?

Chapter 33 - A Week of Preperation

AN: This chapter I move a few Cannon dates around because haha I think I have the right and the changes won't be immense. Just the date the Weasleys go on vacation and Harry goes to the Leaky. Don't get upset, folks.

Hopefully it doesn't post as raw code again. FFN. Please.

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It's a week before the main stage tournament - right now the qualifier bracket is happening, so everyone came down to Marseilles to prepare for it.

I have no idea how this city was picked, or where the other tournaments would be held in the future, but I was rather curious, I must admit. My questions are put on hold, though, because I need to meet and greet everyone, a couple of whom appear to be recovering from their international portkeys. I had no real issues with them, but some people...

Well, rank 15 - a Chinese-American who introduced himself as Hunter between coughs is propped against a wall nursing his stomach, and rank 33, Leone Araka of Norway, while not doubled over, is looking a bit nauseous.

Myself, Fluer and the rest - we all look fine. If a bit suspicious of the American. He's the only non-european in the room, and if anyone would leak our practice, it'll be him. Or at least that's the feeling I'm getting from the room with how they look at him.

Flitwick claps his hands, and steps forward to speak, seeing we can all at least listen and basic introductions are out of the way.

"Welcome to bootcamp! You've all been invited to this bootcamp because we, the masters who are your mentors, think you might stand a chance, and have decided to set this camp up! You will duel each person in this room at least once a day, probably more than that. We have two healers who we hired for the week, and we have permission to use restorative droughts to help you recover mana should your magical reserves run empty, but you're not fully into exhaustion." He pauses, then clarifies. "These will only help if you are not magically exhausted, so surrender a duel before then, please. I know some of you..." he glances at the American, then to me, before continuing "have vastly more mana than some of the others, but don't rely on this. In back-to-back duels like you will partake in, you must put in 100%, every duel, to get the most benefit." He concludes, before stepping back, and allowing a tall thin man to take over.

"Further, some of the masters have been concerned about security, so each duel will be one-on-one and in complete privacy, aside from the duelists and their masters. We have 13 dueling halls set up for this purpose, just down the hall. If you are caught spying on a duel, you will be expelled from here immediately." The man says, a thick German accent coming from him. He's the mentor of Gregory Aldurson - the German rank three. Internationally ranked 22. Everyone nods, and a man by Fluer steps up.

"I have your schedules here..." He begins, snapping his fingers and a sheaf of paper appearing in his hands. "So come forward when I call your name." He says, and then begins a role-call, in order of ranking.

I'm predictably the last one to be called, which earns me some sneers from the majority of those present. The other girls, and surprisingly the German third rank don't give me a look. The girls because they 'know better' or maybe they have more information.

The German I assume just has more information.

I quickly hit everyone with an Observe as they get their schedules, storing the information for later, but at a glance, I can see Flitwick was right.

Most of these people are about equal, some a bit lower level, some equal. One is massively ahead of everyone else.

Fluer Delacour is Level 52. Higher than the next highest in the room (rank 12, Sisu Heikkinen - The King of Eastern Europe) by eight levels. Higher than me by ten. Sisu and Hunter are the only two who are higher level than me, actually. Everyone else is either my level or lower. There's 16 of us, and it's 3 above, 3 equals and 10 below us.