Chapter 6 — Bridge Yard Beats

One month after starting to practice together, the couple Vy - Long had made great progress, enough for coach Kiet to decide to register them to attend the first international score accumulation tournament - a middleweight tournament held in a neighboring country, to test their strength before officially entering the regional Olympic qualifiers.

This is the first time Vy competed internationally in mixed doubles, and also the first time she and Long had to be away from home, living together in the same competition team for an entire week. The atmosphere of excitement mixed with nervousness permeated the entire flight, as the two sat next to each other, flipping through the list of potential opponents they could encounter.

"The number one seeded pair comes from the host," Long said, pointing to the opponent information board on the tablet. "They have played together for more than five years, their chemistry is almost perfect. If we meet them in the next round, we will face a big challenge."

"I'm not afraid," Vy replied, her eyes determined. "We have made a lot of progress in the past month. I believe we can create a surprise."

On the first day of competition, the couple Vy - Long passed the group stage convincingly, defeating two pairs of opponents with overwhelming scores. The combination of Vy's strong attack and Long's solid defense began to attract the attention of experts watching the tournament.

"Vietnam's new couple played really impressively," a commentator commented on the live broadcast of the tournament. "The styles are contrasting yet surprisingly complementary, rarely seen in a couple who have been together for such a short time."

In the quarterfinals, the couple Vy - Long faced another experienced pair, and the match was much more tense than they expected. In the first set, they lost by a narrow margin due to some coordination errors in high-pressure situations.

During the break between two sets, Long sat down on the chair, took a deep breath to regain composure, while Vy stood next to him, wiping sweat, her eyes still a little worried.

"We need to adjust our tactics," Long said, his voice serious but still maintaining the necessary calm. "The opponent is focusing on attacking the space between the two of us in quick phases. We need to communicate more, clearly determine who handles the ball right from the first second."

"I agree," Vy nodded, trying to regain focus. "I'll shout louder when I decide to handle the bridge, so you don't have to guess."

The second set, both applied continuous communication strategies, chants of "Mine!" or "Give in!" rings clearly after each ball, significantly reducing the gaps that opponents can exploit. The pair gradually regained their position, winning the second set with a convincing margin, bringing the match to the deciding set.

The third set was dramatic down to every point, with both sides chasing closely. At the most stressful moments, Vy clearly felt the pressure on her shoulders, but every time she glanced at Long, his steadfast eyes and absolute trust in her gave her the strength to continue fighting.

At the decisive point, Vy made a thunderous shot from the middle of the field, the ball crashed straight into the corner of the opponent's court without having time to react. The referee confirmed the score and declared victory for the Vietnamese couple.

The two hugged each other in the middle of the field in bursts of joy of victory, a completely natural gesture that neither of them had time to think before acting. Only when they let go of each other did they both realize the unexpected intimacy in that moment, and they couldn't help but feel confused and embarrassed.

"Sorry, I was a bit excited," Vy said, her cheeks blushing, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"It's okay," Long replied, unable to hide the same confusion. "It's a victory worth celebrating as such."

The semi-finals took place the next day, the main opponents were the number one seeded couple that Long had warned before. Despite their best efforts, the couple Vy - Long eventually lost to their opponents' superiority in experience and chemistry honed over many years. But the achievement of reaching the semi-finals in the first international tournament was a result that far exceeded initial expectations.

"You guys did very well," Coach Kiet said when meeting the team again after the match, his eyes filled with undisguised pride. "This result proves that our pairing decision was absolutely correct."

That evening, before returning to the hotel, the whole team decided to spend time walking around, enjoying the unfamiliar city atmosphere after days of intense competition. Vy and Long, accidentally separated from the large group, walked together along the brightly lit night street.

"Thank you, for believing in me during the most difficult moments of the match," Vy said, breaking the silence between the two.

"Thank you, for always fighting hard," Long replied, looking at her respectfully. "I think we have proven that, no matter how different our starting points are, as long as we have enough determination, we can absolutely create something special."

The two continued to walk in silence, but it was a comfortable silence, filled with new emotions that they were both slowly learning to accept and appreciate.

They stopped in front of a small stall selling souvenirs along the road, the red lanterns hanging above created a cozy scene in the middle of a strange street night. Vy stopped, her eyes were attracted by a small bracelet engraved with a stylized badminton.

"So beautiful," she exclaimed, picking up the bracelet to look at it.

"Buy it if you like it," Long said, smiling at her rarely shown childish excitement.

"No, I'm just looking," Vy shook her head, placing the bracelet back on the counter. "I plan to send the bonus money back to my mother this time, so that it will be a little less difficult for her."

Long was silent for a moment, his eyes looking at her with new respect. Without saying another word, he quietly bought the bracelet when Vy turned to look at another stall, hiding it in his coat pocket.

"We should find a place to eat dinner before it gets too late," he said, distracting himself when Vy turned around.

"Yeah, I'm hungry too," Vy smiled, unaware of the small gift that Long had just silently prepared.

The two found a small roadside restaurant and ordered some local dishes to enjoy. While waiting for food, Vy told Long about her childhood, about the difficult days when her mother had to raise her two sisters alone after her father passed away early in a work accident.

"My mother never complained even once," Vy said, her voice full of pride and emotion. "She always said, no matter how poor, you must let your children study and pursue their passions."

"That's why you always play with such fierce spirit," Long commented, his eyes full of understanding. "You're playing not only for yourself, but also for your mother, for your younger brother."

"That's right," Vy nodded, her eyes a little teary. "What about you? Does the pressure from family tradition make you feel heavy?"

Long pondered for a moment before answering, looking down at the dining table. "Yes, especially in the early years of my career. I always felt that I had to live up to the name Trinh Bao and was not allowed to fail. But gradually, I realized that pressure mostly came from myself rather than from my family."

"Does your father ever apply direct pressure?" Vy asked, curious.

"Actually, not as much as I imagined," Long admitted, smiling slightly. "Dad always said, he just wanted me to play hard and find joy in it, not necessarily become a copy of him or grandpa."

Dinner passed in a warm atmosphere, sincere shared stories helped both of them understand each other much more deeply than they ever knew about each other through intense training sessions on the field. When returning to the hotel, Long quietly left a small bracelet in front of Vy's door, along with a small note hastily written: "Congratulations on our first victory. Hope you will have many more victories in the future."

The next morning, when Vy opened the door to prepare to have breakfast with the group, she was stunned by the small gift placed right in front of the door. She picked it up and immediately recognized it as the bracelet she had been admiring last night. Her heart suddenly felt an indescribable warmth at that silent delicacy. She immediately put the bracelet on her wrist, smiled alone throughout breakfast without telling anyone the reason, just quietly glanced at Long at the opposite table with meaningful eyes.