The Tri-General Tournament

Wikia.com

The Goblet of Electiofire had spurt out the names of the two champions who would participate in the Tri-General tournament. The championship was meant to be contested by three but never had it thrown out more than two names in the previous fifty odd years. 

Champion no. 1 was Reggie from the School of Empowerment. Known for their good looks and charming personalities, Empowerment taught them the magic of words. A string of words that tackled every problem in the world.

Champion no. 2 was Ned from the School of Controversies. Characterized by boldness and aggression they considered themselves Empowerment’s (gulp, the school that is) no. 1 foe. Their forte lay in their magical charms which were all about jingles.

There were no surprises here; the two schools always competed against each other. So the students rose and began to celebrate but all went quiet when they saw the goblet fire up again. Much to their shock, it spat out another name. A third champion would compete for the first time in the history of the Tri-General tournament.

Champion no. 3 was Andy from the latest school on the block, the Muffler School of Magical Arts. Every student in this school was a commoner with nothing but their flying skills to boast about. While they did learn their spells and potions, their strength lay in their magical brooms.

Oh, Andy was an underdog alright, but his flying abilities held everyone in awe. After all he was the boy who lived despite the number of slaps that came his way. Reggie and Ned didn't really care, as far as they were concerned they were the heirs. 

The tournament was made of two tasks. The first being making the spectators dance to their tunes. While the second was to venture far across the Empire, tackling every monster and spell that was thrown at them. The contest was set to take place in two days and a large crowd was expected to turn up. Not only would there be students from all three schools but also folks from all across the Empire. It was going to be the moment of a lifetime for whoever would win.

The three champions had begun their practice.

Reggie didn't really have much to do as his school had one solution for all. “Empowerment and Youth!” that’s all he had to say. He had never questioned what it meant but he knew it sounded magical and well, that was about the only spell he had managed to learn. So he went about muttering the spell and doing little of anything else.

Ned was smug as he watched Reggie mutter around. He knew his school could win the cup this time. All he had to do was recite their latest magical jingle, the spectators would swoon all over him and he could tackle all dragons and monsters thrown his way. 

“Spells I may or may not cast, Ned’s laugh will be the last” he repeated to himself all through the 48 hours that lay in between him and the championship. He was quite confident that his jingle would work, he had already heard a lot of sniggering and chatter each time he recited the lines. Yes, people were already falling for its charm.

Andy practiced as well. He flew his broom around telling one and all that it was now time for the commoner to win. It was now time for spectators in the crowd who sent their children to schools like his to win. That was his secret weapon against the veterans, woo the spectators and wipe off the two old timers with his magical broom.

Finally the championship day dawned. All three stood smug, each convinced of their own win as they walked out into the stadium unprepared for the sight that met their eyes. The stands were full with a crowd like they had never seen before. Jeering and clapping all at once. Andy was overwhelmed to say the least. But Reggie and Ned felt a shiver go down their spine, for the first time they weren't sure who was being jeered and who was being cheered. But before they could react or wonder what to do, a sharp shot rang through the air. 

The Tri-General tournament had begun.