"I can't believe we're really on our way to the Olympics! That means we belong to the world's best skaters!" Reki jumped into Langa's arms, overjoyed and excited, while his eyes were sparkling golden with happiness. Langa, pure understatement, as always, just nodded and smiled softly at him.
Before passing the security check, they had said goodbye to their parents and were now killing time in the waiting area of their gate before boarding their plane to Tokyo.
"The only one surprised about that is you," Miya said in a bored tone while continuing one of his games on a Nintendo Switch. When no reaction came, he looked up at Reki from his seat and glared at him. Reki, however, still saw the excitement in his eyes even if he pretended otherwise.
"You should be more honest, you know? You're as excited as I am but try to hide it. It proves you're just a kid. And the mere fact that you have lost in your game for the third time in a row after only 30 seconds of playing says it all," Reki crossed his arms and smirked at him knowingly. Miya pouted and looked away from him.
"You wouldn't lose all the time if you weren't looking from the plane standing outside to the flight information written on the display above you all the time. Afraid to catch the wrong plane? A pro like you can't be nervous, right?" Reki couldn't help but tease Miya a little. He was as happy as Reki but was too stubborn to admit that.
"Whatever, slime. Still, I've also trained hard so I would receive an invitation to the Olympics. And Langa also knows he's skilled, so he probably expected to get an invitation, too. The only one who hasn't realized his own amazing talent is you."
"He's not wrong, Reki. We're all here because we've earned it. You, too," Langa said while looking serious.
"Yes, I know that!" Reki exclaimed a bit too harshly while he felt his cheeks flush with embarrassment. "But can't you be a little more excited?" He waved around with his arms to emphasize his excitement. That was an event they'd remember their whole lives, their 15 minutes of fame. Why didn't those two get that?
"This is the most life-changing flight of our lives! Tokyo and the Olympic village will be amazing! And we'll meet so many other athletes. I wonder what the skating venue looks like. And our accommodations. And the - "Reki's over-enthusiastic speech was interrupted by Langa.
"I hope the food is good. Do you think they have hamburgers?" Miya burst out laughing until tears streamed down his face. "Langa, you're just unbelievable sometimes."
Reki slapped a hand across his face in resignation.
"Ok, I give up."
Langa looked at him in confusion, then just shrugged before sitting down next to Miya. Reki sighed and let himself fall into a chair next to Langa.
"Now, we can finally go against each other. In the final event. That will be so much fun!"
"Yes, don't you dare go easy on me." Langa's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Same to you. I can't believe it. Can you remember your first beef?"
"Yes," Langa chuckled. "I pushed the board with my hands. If the IOC had known I taped my feet to the board using duct tape a year ago, they wouldn't have invited me for sure."
Reki grinned at that. "One year ago, you couldn't even stand on a board without falling off. That was really hilarious! And you told me that a skateboard wasn't made for people to stand on."
"I couldn't ollie, either. But I had an amazing teacher. Thank you, Reki."
Reki smiled happily at him.
"For switching out the boards at "S" before my first race."
Reki stared at him with wide eyes, then pouted.
"That's what you wanted to thank me for? " he asked incredulously.
Langa grinned. "Thanks for designing a new board for me just for the Olympics. With that one, I'll win for sure."
Reki's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "I didn't do much. I just added a gold medal and the Olympic Rings to your old design. And an infinity symbol to yours and mine."
"I don't know if that's bold, stupid or brilliant," Miya added. "It will draw the attention, at least."
And…?" Reki asked, stretching the word endlessly while staring at him intently.
Miya stared right back, then sighed. "Thank you for designing my skateboard, too. It's great. At least, I'll admit that you can draw cats really well."
Reki patted Miya's head and smiled happily.
"Hey, I told you to stop doing that! Don't treat me like a little kid!" Miya's eyes burnt dangerously, but Reki still saw that he enjoyed it because he couldn't hide his smile fast enough.
Miya wiggled out of his touch, then stood up. "Let's go; they called our seat numbers. It's boarding time." They went to the queue, handed over their tickets and passport, and quickly found their seats in a row of three seats right next to each other.
Reki sat down next to Langa and looked out of the window. "I still can't believe this is really happening. The Olympics. I've never taken part in any competition until a year ago. Apart from "S", that is. And now we're heading to the Olympic village. I still think I'm dreaming!"
"You're impossible." Miya rolled his eyes at him. "It's only natural that we'll go to Tokyo. Well, at least that I'd go was obvious. I'm on the national team, after all."
"And he never fails to remind us of that at least once a day," Reki added with a slight irritation resonating in his voice before rolling his eyes at Miya. "I think you should spend more time with Langa. He knows he's good but doesn't brag about it. You could learn something from the king of understatement."
"Langa doesn't brag about it because he sucks at communicating. And that's why he's underestimated all the time."
"I am?" Langa asked curiously.
"Yes, you are. But that doesn't matter because you always win in the end, and your talent renders people speechless," he assured him, ruffling his blue hair. Langa leaned closer and rested his head on his shoulder.
"You're just still sulking that I beat you in the last competition," Reki stated, still proud of that achievement. He couldn't help but tease Miya a little with that now and then.
Miya shot him a death glare, then continued the game he'd been playing.
"You were just lucky. I'll get my revenge at the Olympics," he muttered, making a face like Grumpy Cat.
Both he and Miya would participate in Street skating, so they'd go against each other in the tournament while Langa would participate in Park skating.
Reki wanted to do Park, too, because he wanted to be in the same competition as Langa. However, his skating parents, meaning Cherry and Joe, had convinced him that his talents were better suited for Street, his best skills being tricks, not high jumps, which was Langa's specialty.
Cherry had outright told him that he wasn't Langa and couldn't do such high jumps. Yet, at the same time, he had reminded him that he was much more skilled at tricks than Langa so that he would excel in Street.
When Langa had agreed with Joe and Cherry, reminding him that they had both won Gold when they were the same age and had, therefore, more experience, Reki had eventually, if reluctantly, agreed.
His dream had always been to compete against Langa at the Olympics. But he couldn't do that if they participated in different tournaments. Cherry and Joe had smirked ominously and had mysteriously pointed out that his dream could still come true…
Eventually, they had ended his misery and had told him that this year, there was a special crossover challenge at the end. It involved both skills from Park and Street, and only the best of the best could participate. Since then, Reki was even more hyped since he wanted to make sure he'd qualify.
The flight was short, and a shuttle bus of the Olympic village picked them up with their luggage and skateboards, then drove them to the entrance. On their way there, Reki showed Langa some sights of Tokyo they could see from their windows. Like the Tokyo Tower and the Rainbow Bridge. Langa's eyes were glued to the window, looking at all the sights in awe. Reki thought it was endearing. He had probably never seen such a big city before.
Of course, Canada had large cities, too, but Tokyo was on a whole different level. Langa had told him that when first arriving here from Canada, he hadn't found the time to go sightseeing in Tokyo because he and his mom had barely caught their connecting flight to Okinawa.
"Why did Langa fly with us? He's not on the Japanese team. He starts for Canada. Shouldn't he fly together with the Canadian team?" Miya asked in a bored tone, not even bothering to look out of the window. He had probably been to Tokyo for official tournaments, so it wasn't anything special for him.
"Well, he lives in Japan now, not Canada. What was he supposed to do? Fly to Montreal, or wherever the Canadian athletes are meeting, to fly back to the country he came from? That's beyond stupid. It's much easier that way. And we can arrive together," Reki said, beaming at Langa and intertwining their fingers. Langa returned the smile. Miya practically gagged and looked away.
"I could have started for the Japanese team, but my dad participated in the Olympics, too, when he was young. And he was part of the Canadian team, so I wanted to be part of the same team as him to honor his memory," Langa explained quietly. "Even if he took part in the winter games."
Miya looked up at Langa in surprise when he heard that.
"Sorry, Langa, I didn't know that your dad took part in the Olympics, too," Miya said sincerely while sadness overwhelmed his eyes. "I'm sure your dad would be proud of you," he added to cheer him up. Miya was stubborn and a rude brat at times, but he cared for his friends.
"Thanks, Miya." Langa smiled at him.
"We set our eyes on the final Crossover Challenge. It's a combination of Park and Street so that we can go against each other."
Langa nodded, looking at him.
"You forgot that Langa has to win Park, and you have to win Street to enter the crossover event. Which means both of you have to win gold."
"So?" Langa asked, not seeing how that would be a problem. Reki grinned. He loved that about Langa. That he didn't even consider that he could lose. He wasn't arrogant or looked down on people. He just possessed a healthy confidence in his abilities.
"Of course, we'll win!" Reki said, although he wasn't as convinced as Langa, but he'd try his best. He gave him a winning smile. "We came for Gold."
"Faster, higher, stronger. Together," they said in unison before doing their usual dap.
Miya just shook his head in resignation and turned to his game again.
~ ~ ~
Before entering the Olympic village, they had to go through a security check and proceed to the TeamProcessing Center,where their luggage and equipment would be screened. Much to Langa's dismay, their boards had to be stored at the Equipment Storage Center so that they couldn't use them here except for practices and tournaments. Both were scheduled, so neither of them could skate freely like in Okinawa. When Langa learned he had to lock away his skateboard and that the practices had a fixed schedule and you couldn't just train wherever and whenever you wanted, his face fell. He looked as if the world had just ended.
Reki grinned. He had expected that reaction from Langa. Langa never bothered with rules or explanatory guides. He was only interested in skating. That's why he had memorized all the rules so that Langa wouldn't get in trouble. As long as they were together, it would be fine, right?
"They call this a village?" Langa asked in awe after they had left the Equipment Storage Center and headed in the direction of the village plaza. "I think people here have a different concept of the word village.", Langa muttered after he had gotten over the shock that he couldn't skate freely at all times here.
The village was more like a city within an even larger city. It looked like a vast college campus. There were flags on the apartment buildings, so it was apparent which country resided on which floors. There was a village plaza next to the entrance of the Olympic village, designed as a communication spot for athletes, team officials, guests and media. It also had retail outlets with Tokyo 2020 commodities, a café, a bank and other stores.
It was a temporary building made out of sustainable materials, primarily locally sourced timber. The materials would be used to build legacy facilities by several local governments. There was a residential center for any issues regarding accommodation, and it offered information services, internet access, a lounge and meeting facilities.
They had reached that plaza now. Reki opened a map and showed Langa an overview of the two major zones of the Olympics.
"The venue plan for the Olympic Games consists of two zones: one is the Heritage Zone. It houses several venues used in Tokyo in 1964 and displays its enduring legacy." Langa stood behind him, one arm around his waist, and looked over his shoulder.
"The other one is the Tokyo Bay Zone which serves as a model for innovation and symbolizes the city's future. That's where we are now." Langa slowly looked around with more interest.
"Langa, did you know that the two zones expand across the city and form an infinity symbol? Isn't that exciting? The Athletes' Village is positioned at the point where the two zones intersect, so it's the physical and spiritual heart of the Games."
"Really?" Langa's eyes instantly lit up and sparkled with excitement. "Then, if we have both the infinity symbols on our boards and in our dap, we'll win for sure!"
"Yes, that's fate!" He turned around to Langa and gave him a quick peck on his cheek. A faint blush spread across his face, and he tightened the arms around him.
Reki looked around with shining eyes and showed him some of the different buildings and places. He had researched everything, of course, and showed him instantly the direction where the Ariake Urban Sports Park was located, the training grounds for skating, both Park and Street.
"Skating is right next to the BMX racing grounds." He pointed to some terrain to the far left of them.
Langa looked in the direction in amazement with shining eyes, looking as if he was ready to skate there right now. Unfortunately, that wasn't possible, though, since they had to lock away their boards. Still, even without a skateboard, they could take a look at the skating grounds for Park and Street, right?
They were about to storm off when Miya gripped both their arms. "Stop, you two idiots. You really do share only one brain cell. We have a little welcoming ceremony later, a dinner to get to know each other and we'll get more info about the Parade of Nations tomorrow."
"But we still have time until then."
"Parade of what?" Langa interrupted. Reki couldn't hide his grin even though he knew Langa wasn't joking.
"Langa, we've received a Skateboarding Explanatory Guide with all the important facts about the Olympic village along with the schedule of our competitions months ago. The IOC also sent us a schedule that listed all the other events we're expected to attend and the rules we have to follow while competing and living here. Have you even read that? I told you that you should at least skim through the most important parts."
Langa remained silent, but that was an answer in itself. Reki shook his head in defeat. Really, it had been a rhetorical question. Langa had never cared for rules or social cues. So, Reki had expected that he wouldn't read it. But he had hoped that he would at least read the skateboard-related parts. Reki sighed and explained the essential details to him.
"There are some procedures and social events we have to participate in. All our practices have a schedule, too. We have check-ins before a competition that we have to attend to be able to participate. The Olympics are about different athletes connected by a common goal. We're also here to meet other skaters, to make friends and form bonds."
"I don't care about that. I have you. All I want is to skate. Do I have to attend?"
"Yes, you do unless you want to get disqualified before the Olympics even begin. If you had read the info, you'd have learned that the Olympics are based on the three values of excellence, friendship and respect. The foundation of the Olympics is based on promoting sport, culture and education to create a better world. As an athlete, people look up to you, so you and all of us serve as a good example to others."
Langa's face fell, and he looked as if he'd like to escape as quickly as possible.
"Yes, I know that much, but that's all so boring. And why do I have to attend an event with nearly 6000 other athletes that is broadcast worldwide? I had hoped that it was voluntary or something like that. Being around so many people is exhausting. And I'm terrible at small talk. And even worse at giving interviews."
Reki grinned and ruffled his hair. "Always remember that your mom will be watching the Parade of Nations since she, like my parents, couldn't come here due to the pandemic. We'll do it for them, ok?" Langa still didn't look happy about it, yet his face had relaxed again, and he nodded.
"Fine. I'll try my best.", Langa promised, sighing in resignation, standing there with slumped shoulders, looking as if he had just been told he had arrived a day late for the Olympics.
"We'll make sure of that!" a familiar voice announced cheerfully.
Joe stood behind them and put an arm around each of them, grinning mischievously. Meanwhile, Cherry had done the same with Miya, who tried to wriggle out of his grip.
"Joe and Cherry?" Reki exclaimed in surprise. "What are you two doing here?"
"Babysitting you, of course. We promised your parents, after all," Cherry said smugly while waving a fan in front of his face. Of course, he was meticulously dressed as always, wearing a plain navy blue yukata with a gray and yellow obi, as well white tabi socks and zori sandals on his feet. Joe, however, was casually dressed in some ripped jeans and a colorful shirt.
Reki and Langa looked at each other, then they both exchanged a glance with Miya before putting their heads together. "I should have known.", Reki muttered. "My mom was awfully easy to convince to let me fly to the Olympics on my own."
"Yes, my parents are usually much more worried. I wondered why they let me fly just with you without an adult joining us," Miya whispered back, then turned around to Joe and Cherry again.
"How did you convince them?"
"I gave them a voucher for my restaurant, and Cherry promised them to do a little calligraphy for them. I also mentioned I'm responsible for the food of the athletes here. I'm the culinary chef here at the Olympics."
"And they believed that?" Reki asked in disbelief, eyes widening.
"Unfortunately, it's the truth. He's really the chef here," Cherry said. "We're both working here, so we were allowed to come here. So, we promised your parents to watch over you while you're here."
"But please don't include me in your shenanigans, stupid gorilla.", Cherry added, looking at him in a high-and-mighty manner. He had the exceptional talent to look down on people even though they were larger than him. "I'm participating as an artist, so, unlike you, I'm busy."
"Excuse me? Is cooking or 18,000 athletes and team officials a joke to you? And why did you even join me, cheapskate four eyes?"
"I just ran into you. It was pure coincidence. I was hired to work here, so expect a surprise during the Parade of Nations." Cherry smiled mysteriously at them, then shoved his glasses up his nose.
"Don't flatter yourself. I'm the culinary chef for everyone here. Healthy nutrition is more important than your little scribblings with a damn machine." Joe crossed his arms and gave him a dirty look.
"Carla is not a machine! She's Carla and much more dependable and way smarter than you are! And if you call my calligraphy scribblings one more time, I will try my calligraphy on your face next. With permanent ink! But what do you expect from someone with muscles instead of a brain?"
"What did you say?" Joe asked, moving closer and positioning himself threateningly in front of Cherry. Cherry wasn't impressed in the least and just asked:
"Now your muscles have also affected your hearing?"
On and on it went. After a while, they finally remembered that they had originally planned to show them around. They gave them a quick tour of the Olympic village, showing them the MultifunctionComplex, housing a Polyclinic, a Multi-Faith Center, casual dining facilities, recreation rooms, a fitness center and a gymnasium. There was also an Electronic Games Room which made Miya's day.
They also walked by the many food services like the massive Main Dining Hall that had a wide selection of food of anything you could imagine. Even hamburgers and poutine, much to Langa's delight. They also suggested some grab-and-go stations if they didn't have much time and just wanted to grab a quick bite.
After that, they led them to the accommodations and showed them the lounge, their rooms, the shared living rooms, the bathrooms and the breathtaking view of the sea and the Rainbow Bridge. And the Olympic Rings attached to it.
After they had ended the tour, they were standing in front of the residential building for the Japanese team. Joe then mentioned that Langa had to use the accommodations for the Canadian team since he was officially part of the Canadian team. Reki noticed how Langa tensed up slightly and grabbed his hand. Langa didn't know anyone on the Canadian team, so he had hoped he could stay with Reki.
"Stop teasing him, dimwit, and tell him," Cherry said impatiently, crossing his arms.
"We managed to get a special permission, so Langa can also stay with the Japanese team."
He and Langa beamed at him. "Thank you! That's great!"
"You can thank us by winning gold," Cherry added, smirking.
"We will!" they both said in unison.
"You can't be worse than Joe. You won't believe what he did at his first tourna - "
Joe gripped Cherry's shoulder firmly and mentioned something to him in a low but menacing voice while smirking devilishly at him.
"If you don't take that info to your grave, I'll show them some pretty embarrassing pictures of you from our first tournament at the Olympics. The one where you cried because you couldn't use AI technology."
"But I still won gold, you dumbass! Fine," he said through gritted teeth. "Blackmail suits a muscle brain gorilla like you."
"What was that, robot maniac?"
"Should I speak more slowly, so you can keep up with my elaborated way of speaking?"
"And may I remind you that you only won because I convinced you to stay here? You wanted to throw in the towel and leave, Pinky."
"Use that name one more time, and I'll kill you!" Cherry grabbed the hem of his shirt while giving him a death glare.
Joe was just about to shout a response at Cherry when they heard another familiar voice.
"Like old times. Did you know that those two were several times close to getting disqualified for violating the Olympic rules? Their fights were legendary. They're both multiple gold winners, but they nearly got thrown out because of their quarrels. The Olympics are a symbol for unity and friendship, not arguments and fights."
"Those weren't fights but athletic discussions.", Cherry and Joe countered in unison. Then, they glared at each other before looking in opposite directions.
"You'll never change.", manager Oka chuckled, shaking his head. "But I remember when one of you was about to be disqualified, the other one said he would drop out as well. At the time, those two were the best skaters, so if the IOC had thrown out two top athletes who were also multiple medalist winners, that would have made the news for weeks, and the Olympics' stellar reputation would have been destroyed.
So, they decided to ignore it and just gave them a warning. They also had to share a room when they participated for the first time. The IOC didn't make that mistake again; I can assure you that."
"Why am I not surprised?" Miya muttered, and Cherry glared at him.
"M- Manager Oka? You're here, too?" Reki asked. "You haven't told Langa or me. That's mean."
"Sorry about that. But who do you think was responsible for the skating equipment and created some of the skaters' boards? If you had paid more attention while working at my shop, you could have noticed yourself. I also check all the boards for cheating or illegal additions and look for cracks to prevent accidents and to ensure all the equipment is safe to use."
"Makes sense. There aren't many good manufacturers for skateboards."
"So, what now?"
"I'm actually here on business. The problem is your skateboard, Langa. It's been modified by Reki, so you can't use it during the Olympics. It's against the competition rules set by the World Skateboarding Commission. I'm sorry."
"Huh? Are you fucking serious?" Reki exclaimed angrily, glaring at him in astonishment. "My board is just the same. So is Miya's." Miya nodded in agreement.
"No, Langa's skateboard is different, and you both know it. The tracks are spinning, which gives him an advantage in a tournament. At least, that's the commission's argument."
"You mean a skateboard that never goes straight gives Langa an advantage? I don't know about you, but I stood on Langa's skateboard once just for fun, and I was at a complete disadvantage because I couldn't go straight at all."
"Hey, don't get mad at me; I'm just the messenger. I don't make the rules. They just sent me to tell Langa because I know him personally."
"Well, who can we talk to, then?" Joe demanded, glaring at him.
"You have to talk to someone in CompetitionManagement. But you can't speak to them unless you're a team official and part of the National Olympic Committee.
Cherry and Joe grinned devilishly at Oka. "That shouldn't be a problem. Take us there."
After a while of discussing in more detail how they would proceed, they all stared at Langa, the only one who hadn't said anything yet.
Langa stood next to Reki, calm as ever. From the outside, at least. Yet, Reki saw a hint of panic flickering in his eyes and all color draining from his already pale face when he observed his reaction carefully. He seemed to be the only one to notice it, though. How Langa's eyes had tightened, and his hands had clenched into fists. How the color in his eyes had dimmed to a darker ocean blue while his body had tensed up. When Langa spoke, his voice was eerily calm.
"If I can't use Reki's board, I'll drop out."