" Ahh man, I'm exhausted!! Can we take a break we've been doing this for hours?" Harper complained

" Ok, but we don't have a lot of time, we have so many things we have to do, plus we have to prepare for our debate practice as well so there's not a lot of free time. I hope you understand how much of a strain we are facing." Explain Ritsu

" Anyway, since we're on break what do you like to do during your free time?" Asked Mio

" Well, I like to eat and laze around the couch-"

" Not you Ritsu, I was talking about Harper."

"In my free time? Hmm, let me think. I like reading books and sometimes I would walk my dog. I don't get a lot of free time since I get called to do some freelancing modeling."

" Woah!! You do modeling?! That's so amazing!! Have I seen you in any magazine?" Ritsu exclaimed

" I don't think so. I'm not that famous they just call me whenever they are in need. Though I was one of the models that were chosen for this magazine about the spring selection."

" WAIT!! THATS RIGHT!! I REMEMBER YOU NOW! I SAW YOU. YOU WERE ON THE COVER PAGE OF TEEN-STYLE MAGAZINE IN JUNE EDITION!!! YOU WERE SOOO PRETTY!! YOU DID THE SPRING ONE TOO?! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!! THATS YOU!! THAT'S WHY YOU LOOK SO FAMILIAR!!!" Yelled Mio

" Oh yeah, I forgot about that I wasn't supposed to be the person modeling for that cover but the model who was supposed to do it fell ill on the day, so they called me to take over in her place." She explains

" That is truly amazing Harper I guess you do fit into this fashionista kind of business with the way you look and your tall slender body must be really hard to maintain your figure. Life sure is hard to live this way isn't it." Spoke Ritsu

" No, I don't really feel any kind of pressure in maintaining my figure. I just love doing modeling since it's really fun and it's always something new whenever they call me which makes it thrilling and exciting to go into this business."

" How about you guys? What do you guys do during your free time?"

" I love staying in bed, eating, lying, and eating in bed and I absolutely love sleeping." Ritsu responded

" Don't mind her she's a lazy person though we both love going to new places to eat, like the shop that we went to yesterday that shop just opened not too long ago, we both love exploring places that serve delicious food and dessert. That's why I'm always broke whenever we go somewhere new." Complain Mio

" Shall we go back to practice?" Ritsu spoke up

" Yeah come on Harper we don't have a lot of time to waste." Encouraged Mio

" Oh fine. I still don't like doing debate I have you know."

" It's fine sooner or later you'll come to like it. We need you and we’ll teach you everything."

Days went by, they continue to train and practice teaching Harper everything they know. They managed to plan ahead of time before the regional debate competition.

The day finally came after 2 whole months of practicing. It was all coming up to this event and things were about to become more intense, even the slightest mistake might cause them a chance to be able to compete in the finals.

" HELLO, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN AND WELCOME TO THE REGIONAL DEBATE

COMPETITION!!" The emcee spoke with gusto and enthusiasm in his voice

" Please be seated, we are about to begin in a few minutes."

" This is it, you guys!! The day you have been waiting for!! Go kick some asses out there, all of you!! I'm so proud of how far each and every one of you has come thus far give it your all and leave no regrets out there!" Miss Wendy pumped them up as they headed to the waiting room for their turn to start

A few hours went by, and their group was called they were filled with anxiety and nervousness with each step they took it felt like the time slowed down and the distance to the stage felt longer than it usually is.

" This is it!! Let's go out there and give our all." Mio spoke up

" Yeah!!" The three of them agreed

They got into their seats and waited for the chairman to introduce the judges presiding over the competition as well as the competitors.

" It's time for the fourth round of the elimination in the regional debate competition. Let me introduce to you the judges! We have Ryan Jonhson, Melisa Richard, and last, but not the least Michael Rease." Show some love to these wonderful judges

" Next up, will be the competitors. On the right, we have the debate team called MHR. On your left, we have Rapture Executioner."

" Hello, everyone I am Mio Takanashi from MHR. I am from the debate club from Madson Ville I am excited to be here again competing for the regional debate championship." Mio introduces herself

" Hello, Im Ritsu Tokomatsu and Im from MHR. I'm from Madson Ville and I am glad to be here today to compete for the regional championship and to see how come I have come."

" Hi, my name is Harper and I am from the MHR. I am from Madson Ville this is my first time being in this competition and I'm gonna do my best to give everything I learn and get that championship."

" Looks like we have a newbie joining us today for MHR and from what I've researched she isn't someone who knows a lot about the debate world. Let's hope this isn't the downfall for the MHR." Spoke Mr henry the emcee for the debate

" Hello, I'm Arthur Hayes. I'm from Rapture Executioner(RE) for short from Howard Baylies. I am glad to be here and to see the audience here today."

"Hello, I'm Scott Palmer. I'm from RE from Howard Baylies. It's good to be here!"

" Hi, my name is Selina Lopez. From RE from Howard Baylies. I'm excited to compete."

" Now that everyone has introduced themselves. Here is some information about the competitors you might not know. The MHR has been on the top three finalists on the world debate championship for 4 straight years, with the new addition of Harper will they be able to get to the finals this year and take it all the way?"

" As for Rapture Executioner, they were the top ten best debitors back in 2019 and their skills and knowledge is not to be taken lightly, and the amount of fan they have is sure to be an intimidating factor coming in this competition. Both of these competitors have achieved major feats in their team." The emcee broke it down

" Let the round begin. The question is should Smoking or Buying Cigarettes be banned? Team MHR will be answering the Positive and Team RE will be opposing. You have 3 minutes to come up and present your team's arguments for this matter. Begin." Spoke the Chairman

Both teams discussed their own opinions and the facts that they have and come up with, as well as a good argument for the question that was given. After which, one representative will explain their own viewpoints on the question at hand.

"Time is up. Can the first representative from both opposing teams please introduce the topics and your views?"

" The topic is should Smoking or Buying Cigarettes be banned? All of us know about the harmful and the effects of smoking, some might say there are benefits to smoking. However, the effects of this situation may outweigh the pros as compared to the cons and we have been asked to give our opinions of the positive effects of banning cigarettes." Ritsu the first speaker gave her introduction to the topics

" Should selling of cigarettes be banned? That is something major, as many or all of you know how much harm it causes. However, what many of you do not know is how it impacts the economy. Statistically, the fact is selling cigarettes gave a rise in the country economy take for example, in the US statistically there was an increase in the government revenue tax it increased by $17.2 billion."

" Not only does it help to increase the economic growth, but it also gives chance for people to be employed and have a stable income." Selina gave her opposition

" Yes, it indeed gives a rise to the economic stability of the countries, but it is not the only way for the economy of the country to increase its revenue. The effects of smoking especially on younger or even children have a major impact on their lives. Which causes more people to develop respiratory effects such as asthma and maybe even die from the effects of smoking."

" As all of you know the percentage of people dying from lung cancer and other diseases just from smoking itself has been increasing. Based on the last few years, it has increased drastically and it outweighs the benefit of smoking even if it gives a rise to its economic boost." Harper gave her statement

" Based on the research from the UK, the benefits of smoking help improve the moods of each individual and it helps the productivity, as it acts as stimuli for the brain and it gives off a sensation of being in a better mood. It also acts as a way to destress from work, which adults have to face every day."

" Even though, it gives a rise to the number of healthcare services being increased and the number of people dying from related issues due to smoking. It also doesn't stop the fact that it helps keep people relaxed and acts as a way to escape the reality of hardship in life." Arthur gave his counterargument

" Smoking is the top ten killers in the world, the fact is, smoking harms everyone who smokes, not only that it also gave a rise to the next killer, which is second-hand smoke which is as deadly or even more deadly than first-hand smoke."

" Being exposed to it for a prolonged period will have the same effect as the person who smokes it. Causing so many problems in the future. A research was made and a total of 7,300 people died from lungs cancer due to secondhand smoke." Mio gave her statement

" Smoking does not only gives a rise to the negative effects, but it also shows that smoking has a relation to Parkinson's. A study has shown that active smokers have a 41% chance of not getting Parkinson's than those who have never smoked in their life."

" Not only that, but it has also proven that active smokers help the immune system prevent conditions such as celiac disease. it's a disorder that triggers when the small intestines get inflammations causing it to be damaged. Which disrupts the digestion which messes up your bowel movement." Scott presented his views

" How does smoking affect people? Smoking is something we or I guess the government is having trouble deciding on what they should do, many of you know the harmful effects of a pregnant person who smokes and what it can do to the mental well-being of the baby once it is born."

" The fact is, a woman who's pregnant and smokes has shown that the chances of them having difficulties while giving birth is a lot higher than the woman who does not smoke. It is alarming that 7.3 percent of woman smokes during pregnancy. If this continues to increase, it can be a concerning topic which can result in a downfall in birthrate as the chance of getting pregnant again is reduced." Ritsu gave the final statement

After the final argument has been given the chairman asked each judge to ask each team a question based on the points that were given to them. Each team must plan how to answer the judge's question as each team gave their views.

The debate continued, they exchange ideas with each team and try to see what can be given to improve on the other team's views, as well as taking questions from the audience about questions they might have according to what they had said.

Each team, you have this time to come up with your closing remark if there's anything you want to add. The Chairman explained

After a minute the bell rang and all of them were asked to finish up their conclusion and asked one of them to present their closing remarks.

" From the topic that was given, we have come up that, such health hazard or risk is not something to be taken lightly, and the problem of the rising of smoker across the globe is something major which can be easily decreased with the right actions to take and the direction." Mio gave the final remark

" The effect of what will happen if cigarettes are banned is something most people would disagree with. It is one of the most effective factors, and has become one of the most common stress relief that helps adult relax their minds, and prove that it is something necessary for people who are having difficulties with their jobs and life outside of work." Scott gave their statement

The judges then gave their comments on how each team performed during the debate and their answers to the judge's questions. The judges took their time to discuss which team should win and go on to the finals of the competition. Meanwhile, the chairman kept the audience busy by asking them which one should be the team to win the round.

The audience was loud as they started shouting and screaming for their favorite team. Jeering and catcalling were heard as the chairman calls out the team names. After some time, the judges made their decision. The room went silent you could hear nothing but the air conditioner blowing cold air out.

" It was a hard decision to make, both teams have presented very good arguments, and the fact that only one of you gets to go through is something hard for not only me but for all of us to come up with. The result was unanimous and it was a very close match between both teams." Ryan explained

" Each team has the potential to win the covenant debate championship with the skills and the knowledge all of you possess I won't be surprised if it came true." Melissa spoke

" But as you all know, how competitive this kind of competition is. Only the very best are chosen to go through to the final of the regional debate championship. We have come to a big decision that the winner of this round will be the MHR! Congratulations to the winning team. However, this is not the end for you RE you have fought well and all of us are sure you will be able to come back stronger next time so don't give up!!" She added

The audience cheered for MHR as they celebrated their victory over RE. they shake hands with the members of RE as a sign of sportsmanship. After which they headed back to the waiting room as they celebrated their win.

" Congratulations!! All your hard work seems to have paid off and I couldn't be more proud of all of you!" Miss Wendy congratulated them as she walks into the waiting room

" Thank you, Miss Wendy. We were all surprised about the win, especially with Harper." Ritsu spoke

" What does that suppose to mean?" Harper snark

" It's not what it seems, I was just surprised since this is your first time participating in a serious debate competition." Ritsu explain

" So Harper how was your very first debate competition experience?" Miss Wendy question

" It was something I have never done before. I have mixed feelings about it. It's a combination of anxiety, stress, and nervousness but after a while when I gave my statement it slowly felt normal. I was surprised that we won. Honestly, I was so happy that we won that round, now that we’re able to qualify for the finals I'm excited to give it my all." Harper Expressed herself

" That's good to hear!! I love your enthusiasm and for the both of you please rest up and get ready for the finals to start. I'll see you guys out there do your best and go for gold!"

" YES, MA'AM!!" Their voices echoed through the waiting room

[BZZZZ!!!!BZZZ!!] Harper's phone vibrated, as she took it out she saw a banner, it was a message from her father with the subject important. The expression on her face was something she could never forget to this day.