Chapter 26 — The Machine of Dreams

Part VI — The Machine of Dreams

The Exhibition Center where the national finals were held appeared before the team's eyes after nearly five hours of traveling by bus, a massive building with a capacity to accommodate thousands of people, completely different from the sports arena where the regional qualifiers took place. A giant banner printed with the words "School Robotics National Final" hangs brightly at the main entrance, along with flags of dozens of schools from all provinces and cities across the country.

"It's so overwhelming," Đức exclaimed, his eyes wide open as he looked at the majestic scene before him, completely different from his usual calmness. "I've never seen so many teams competing at the same time."

Bảo Châu also felt a similar overwhelm when entering the main lobby area, where hundreds of students from all over the country were busy preparing their robots, each team bringing a unique design style, from rustic industrial machines to sophisticated designs no less than her team's Đức robot.

"Lê Quý Đôn team, your work area is in row C, number twenty-seven," a volunteer staff member of the organizing committee instructed, pointing towards a neatly arranged area of tables and chairs, with the school's nameplate hanging above.

The whole team quickly settled down to work, carefully removing the protective cushion to check the condition of the Đức robot after a long trip. Luckily, everything remained intact, with no signs of damage during transportation.

"Hey, look!" Tấn Phát exclaimed, pointing to a table area not far away, where Bảo Long and his teammate Nguyễn Huệ were also preparing their robots. Bảo Long, recognizing the team, waved enthusiastically and flashed his familiar bright smile.

"I didn't expect to meet each other here!" he said, moving to shake hands with each member of Lê Quý Đôn's team. "Congratulations on reaching the national finals. Well deserved."

"Thank you, your team too," Hoàng Nam replied, shaking each other's hand with a friendlier, more open attitude than the first time they met. "I heard that you guys have significantly upgraded the control system after the last exchange?"

"That's right, let's wait and see how the competition goes," Bảo Long smiled confidently, his eyes sparkling with the excitement of someone who really loves this sport, not simply wanting to win at all costs. "Anyway, good luck to both teams. Hopefully we'll meet in the semi-finals."

The opening ceremony took place in the early afternoon, with the presence of representatives of the Department of Education, sponsors, and a large number of parents and teachers from all participating schools. Bảo Châu sat among the team members, looking around the large stood, clearly feeling the scale and importance of the competition that the whole team had worked tirelessly to be here.

Among the crowd of spectators, Bảo Châu suddenly recognized two familiar faces - Doctor Dinh Quang Hai and Doctor Tran Thi Ngoc Mai, Hoàng Nam's parents, were sitting in the parents' row, both wearing formal clothes, their eyes watching the stage with their usual seriousness.

"Your parents are really here," she whispered to Hoàng Nam, gently nudging his hand to point in that direction.

Hoàng Nam turned to look, and for a moment, Bảo Châu clearly saw a flash of emotion in his eyes when he met his mother's eyes from afar. She nodded slightly, a small gesture but enough to convey a message that both mother and son understood — she had kept her promise, had come here, was ready to witness with her own eyes what her son had been trying to explain for so many years.

"They're really here," Hoàng Nam muttered, his voice still a bit shocked, but his eyes filled with a new hope. "I don't think they'll really come."

"That's a good sign," Bảo Châu said, gently holding her hand under the chair, a discreet gesture of encouragement among the crowd. "Show them what you can do."

The opening ceremony ended with the drawing of lots, and Lê Quý Đôn's team was placed in Group D, along with five other teams from different provinces and cities, including a team that was considered a championship candidate from a famous specialized school in the capital, with impressive achievements over many years of appearing in the final round.

"That group is difficult," Mr. Vinh commented, looking thoughtfully at the list of teams in the same group. "But you have overcome many more difficult challenges than this. I believe you will do well."

That afternoon, the whole team spent the remaining time doing a final technical check, making sure the Đức robot was ready in the best condition for the official competition day the next morning. The atmosphere in the team's work area was filled with concentration but was no longer tense or stuffy like in previous weeks - instead there was a calm, steady determination, built from the difficulties that the team had overcome together.

That evening, when the team returned to the hotel to rest, Bảo Châu received an unexpected text message from an unfamiliar phone number. Opening it, she realized it was a message from Hoàng Nam's mother.

"Hello, I'm Hoàng Nam's mother. I'm sorry for suddenly texting you. I just want to thank you for being by my side and helping my son all the time. I've noticed a huge positive change in Hoàng Nam since you joined the Robotics Club with him. I hope you and the whole team will play well tomorrow."

Bảo Châu read that message over and over again, so moved that her eyes stung. She typed a few lines of sincere thanks, then put down the phone, looked out the hotel room window, where the strange city lights sparkled in the night, bringing with her a warm feeling of hope for the upcoming important competition day, not only for the robot Đức and the team, but also for the journey of family reconciliation that Hoàng Nam had bravely begun.

She couldn't help but call Hoàng Nam immediately to tell her about that unexpected message. "Your mom just texted me," she said, her voice still emotional. "She thanked me for being by your side, and she said she noticed a huge positive change in you."

The other end of the line was silent for a moment, then Hoàng Nam's voice rang out, a bit choked. "I didn't know Mom would do that," he said quietly. "This is probably the first time mom has proactively shown interest in her relationship in this way."

"That's a good sign," Bảo Châu said, smiling even though she couldn't see it through the phone. "Perhaps this trip will bring more good things than a medal."

"I hope so," Hoàng Nam replied, his voice filled with cautious optimism. "Thank you for telling me. Good night, tomorrow is an important day."

"Good night, Hoàng Nam," she replied, then hung up, her heart still warm from the conversation just now.

The next morning, the whole team woke up very early, had a quick breakfast at the hotel before moving to the fair center. The atmosphere in the bus was filled with both suspense and excitement, each member reviewed in their mind their roles and responsibilities for the important competition day ahead.

"Remember," Hoàng Nam reminded the team one last time before entering the competition area, his voice calm but full of determination. "We have prepared as much as possible. Regardless of the outcome, I am proud of everyone, of what we have built together throughout this school year."

The whole team held hands in a small circle, as a ritual that has become a habit before every important match, chanting the slogan that Tấn Phát came up with at the beginning of the season: "Lê Quý Đôn, Wings fly high!" The cheers rang out with enthusiasm, dispelling some of the tension that was creeping into everyone's hearts, and the whole team entered the competition area with a spirit of solidarity, ready to face any challenges that lay ahead on the first day of competition of the national finals.

The grandstand area began to fill with spectators, the cheering drums from the teams echoed loudly throughout the fair center. Bảo Châu glanced at the parents' row and saw that Hoàng Nam's parents had already sat down early. Doctor Ngoc Mai's eyes followed her son with an attentiveness that Bảo Châu had never seen before, no longer the stern and distant look like the first time they met in the regional qualifiers.

The organizers announced the morning match schedule through the loudspeaker system, and Lê Quý Đôn's team would have its first group-stage match in just half an hour. The whole team quickly settled into position around the control area, checking each technical detail one last time while waiting. The looked exchanged between members were filled with trust and determination forged through many ups and downs of a long journey.