Mika's Leap of Faith

Part 2

"Starting in THREE... TWO... ONE... GO!" the announcer declares, and the competition begins.

Mika attempts to make a leap of faith on the glass panes. She almost slips to her death, although the ropes would catch her mid-air saving her from a deadly fall. She climbs quickly as the timer continues to beep every minute that passes. Joshua appears to be struggling after five minutes into the competition but Mika thinks that Joshua might be bluffing. She hesitates to help him, but does it anyway. As she tries to assist him, Mika is caught off guard when Joshua unexpectedly pushes her off, causing her to dangle on the edge of the tower. She feels overwhelmed with disbelief as Joshua passes her and leaves her to her own downfall. She side-eyes him, feeling frustrated with herself for trying to help him. Joshua notices her distress and begins to feel somewhat bad for his actions, but he remains focused on winning and doesn't look back. Mika gets back on her feet and takes a moment to recollect herself. She checks that her gear is secure and gathers the courage to make another leap on the glass pane. She successfully makes the jump and nearly catches up to Joshua. Joshua looks back one more time to see if Mika has finally given up and pressed the button to disqualify herself.

The audience is shocked as they witness the events unfolding in group one. While groups two, three, and four play fairly. Group one seems to be experiencing some difficulties. The announcer is not surprised to see Joshua once again using underhanded tactics to make it to the top, cheating his way through the competition.

The announcer announces that there are only five minutes left on the clock, and if no one reaches the top in time, the competition will end, and all participants will receive a fair share of the prize money. The competitors are shocked by this news and give it their all to reach the top of the tower. In the end, group four emerges as the winner, but they decline the scholarship and ask for the money instead. Group two finishes in second place, but they don't want any rewards, as they were just happy to compete. Group three finishes in third place, and they explain that they only competed to determine who was better between their group and group two, as they are all friends. Only group one remains, two minutes are left on the clock and 500 feet left to climb to reach the top.

Mika is starting to struggle as her limbs feel like they're about to give out on her. Her body is starting to feel exhausted and she's finding it hard to keep going. Meanwhile, Joshua seems to have an endless supply of energy and is still going strong. "I got this! I can't let him get the best of me!" she thinks to herself, feeling more confident than ever. Mika musters all the strength remaining in her body, determined to make one final push to reach the top. She tries to distance herself from Joshua, not wanting to be caught off guard by any more of his tricks, and with careful but quick movements, she climbs faster and faster, catching up to Joshua as he is just 200 feet away from the top. One minute left on the clock, the pressure is on for Mika to make a move. She hears screams, chanting, and cheers coming from the crowd below, she becomes even more confident than when she started the competition. She never imagined that Joshua would be so difficult to defeat, but she is ready to give it her all. That in mind, she runs across the glass pane, moving quickly and gracefully. The announcer exclaimed with excitement, as Mika approached the top of the tower, "she runs like pests that invade your walls, and she leaps like a frog. She is none other than Mika!!"

As Joshua sees Mika rapidly approaching him, he starts to feel concerned and even a bit scared. Now 20 seconds left on the timer, he knows that time is running out and he needs to make a move. He tries to speed up and get closer to the finish line, hoping to maintain his lead. Only 10 seconds left on the timer, there are still 20 feet left to climb, and the pressure is mounting for both competitors.

The woman announces again, feeling a sense of anxiety creeping up in her arms, causing her to shiver with excitement. "Wow, you guys are really going all out, aren't you? I'm going to add one more minute to the timer!" the woman announces with enthusiasm, trying to steady her shaky voice."
As the evening grows darker, the crowd begins to disperse slowly. It's currently 8:22pm, much later than when the competition was initially supposed to start. The announcement alone took twenty-seven minutes before the actual competition finally began at 7:12pm.

The clock resets to one minute and five seconds remaining, with just 15 feet left to climb. The tension and pressure is getting to the competitors as they are eager to finish the competition. Mika's mother cheers her on from the sidelines, giving her daughter a burst of encouragement. Meanwhile, Joshua is breathing heavily, feeling the weight of the competition on his shoulders. Who will win?!

Mika slows down and stays in position catching her breath as there is only 10 feet left of the glass tower. She then activates the button on her gecko pads, which reduces any pain in her feet or hands for 10 seconds. The host sees that they are now at equal distances. Joshua notices that she has stopped. He decides to use his special skill, pulling something out of his gecko pads. Suddenly a drone appears, being used as an extra set of eyes for the audience to see what's happening up close. As the drone zooms in closer, the audience sees a string attached to his gecko pads. The host of the competition is controlling the drone, and as Joshua tugs on the string, water spurts out of his gecko pads, catching Mika off guard. Although her gecko pads are waterproof, the water causes her to slip off the glass pane, and with her weight, she is dragged down less than 40 feet under. The audience and other competitors are shocked by Joshua's underhanded tactics, and some start to call for his disqualification.

The host manages to calm down the crowd and the other competitors, knowing that the competition has taken a dramatic turn. She announces that there are now only 8 feet left to climb, with just 20 seconds remaining on the clock. The tension in the air is obvious as everyone watches to see what will happen next. Mika refuses to give up, she presses the second button on her gecko pad, and with a burst of speed, she overtake Joshua by a little bit. Joshua is only 2 feet away from reaching the top, and with just five seconds left on the clock, he manages to make it to the finish line, winning the competition. Mika finishes in a close second place, but she knows that she gave it her all, even with Joshua, pulling haste tricks to claim victory.

As the competition comes to an end, the host reluctantly awards the top prize to Joshua, despite his use of underhanded tactics. Mika is given the silver medal and a cash prize of $500 for her valiant effort in the competition, as well as an additional $200 for demonstrating smart methods. Although disappointed, Mika accepts her prizes with grace and sportsmanship. The host pats her on the back and encourages her to go home and rest.

Mika packs her equipment into her duffel bag and sits down on a bench to catch her breath. She wipes herself down and leans her head back, looking up at the sky with a small smile on her face, even though she didn't win. Her mom decides to give her some space to cool off and sends her a message to go home after an hour. She's worried that Mika might have overworked herself, but as long as her daughter is happy, her mother will support her. Mika closes her eyes for a moment, taking deep breaths to calm herself down. After some time, she falls asleep from exhaustion.

Joshua comes across Mika while looking for a lost phone he heard ringing. He's hesitant to wake her but can't leave a girl alone on a bench at night. He gently shakes her awake and checks the time on his phone, realizing it's already 9:32 PM.

Mika groans softly. Joshua whispers, "I highly doubt you're comfortable," his tone filled with sarcasm as he looks at her. Despite his sarcastic comment, Joshua starts to feel guilty and decides to do the right thing. He places the trophy, scholarship, and certificate of winning on the bench next to Mika and waits for her to wake up. As he waits, he quickly scribbles his name and number on a piece of paper and leaves it next to the trophy.