Rei Asakura, an unremarkable 14-year-old, stumbles onto a professional gaming livestream and is transfixed. Against his brother's skepticism, he quietly starts training at night — until his friend Yui hands him a real door to walk through.

Rei and Yui register as a duo for the rookie open qualifier. Practice reveals how far they have to go — especially after a scrimmage loss to a sharp, unbothered local player named Sora Ibuki. Haru catches Rei training and, for the first time, doesn't shut it down. The bracket goes live: their first opponent is Sora.