As far back as anyone could remember, the rivalry between Anirudh and Vihaan had been the stuff of myth. From the day they had enrolled in the prestigious National Mathematics Academy, they had been waging a battle of wits, constantly trying to outwit each other in competitions, examinations, and problem-solving sessions. Their rivalry was so intense that the entire academy had been polarized into two factions—Team Anirudh and Team Vihaan.

Both were mathematical geniuses but with extremely different approaches. Anirudh was a master of combinatorics and number theory, renowned for his deep, original thinking. Vihaan was an algebra master, a logician and a perfectionist. Despite the difference in approach, the outcome was always approximately the same—one would arrive first, and the other second.

They despised one another's style. Anirudh believed that Vihaan was too methodical, too rigid. Vihaan believed that Anirudh was sloppy, too instinctive. Their rivalry was so intense that they would not even sit next to one another in the cafeteria, much less work together.

This changed on the eve of the International Mathematics Championship (IMC).

Forced to Work Together

The Academy had selected both of them to represent India, as well as two other talented team members, Aditi and Raj. When the team was selected, it appeared to be a joke. Anirudh and Vihaan did not get along. Their agendas were too different, their egos too big, and their past too riddled with unfinished battles.

“I refuse to be on the same team as him,” Vihaan had scoffed when the results were announced.

“Same here,” Anirudh had replied. “I’d rather go solo than work with him.”

But they had no choice. The IMC was one of the most prestigious competitions in the world, and personal grudges had to be set aside—for the sake of the country, if nothing else.

Their journey to Zurich, where the IMC was being held, was strained. Even during their Frankfurt stopover, Vihaan and Anirudh sat on opposite ends of the airport waiting lounge, not acknowledging each other. Aditi and Raj watched worriedly, not knowing how to step in.

Then, it went awry.

Their team mentor, Professor Mehta, suddenly fell ill at the airport. The doctors confirmed that he needed to be hospitalized immediately and would not be able to travel with them to Zurich. They did not have any coach, any guidance, and no official representative to handle team coordination without him.

For the first time, panic gripped them. The IMC was one day away, and already rebellion within the team had started to show signs. Without their guru, victory was a distant dream. But then Anirudh and Vihaan looked at each other and shared the same epiphany—if they contested separately, they were done for.

That night, in the airport lounge, they finally spoke—no longer adversaries, but friends.

The Breakthrough

We don't have time for this rubbish," Aditi snapped, slamming her laptop shut. "We have a competition to win, and we need to do it together. Now."

Raj nodded. "We have no coach. No backup. Either we make this happen, or we go home with nothing."

Anirudh let out a sigh and looked at Vihaan. "Truce?

Vihaan hesitated. All these years of rivalry had hardened his ego, but deep inside, he knew Aditi and Raj were right. They couldn't continue quarreling any longer. "Truce."

They shook hands, and for the first time in decades, they shared a meal and strategized together.

They started with the exploration of past IMC topics. To everyone's surprise, they supported each other's work habits. While Anirudh visualized solutions, Vihaan tweaked them with calculations. While Vihaan built robust algebraic proofs, Anirudh found shortcuts in number theory.

"We should have done this ages ago," Raj grouched as he watched them solve a problem in a record time.

By the time they boarded their next flight, they were no longer a hastily assembled team—they were an unbeatable force.

The Final Challenge

The IMC was fierce. The world's best young mathematicians competed ferociously, and each round not only tried their knowledge but their ability to perform under stress.

The previous round had an unsolved number theory question, one so difficult that no team had cracked it in over a decade.

"We have to think differently," Anirudh complained, scribbling equations wildly.

Vihaan, for once, didn't shoot him down. Instead, he examined the sequence Anirudh was writing. "Wait. If we translate this into a modular arithmetic framework, we can see something.".

Aditi and Raj gazed in awe as the former foes collaborated effortlessly, completing each other's sentences, refining each other's calculations.

With seconds remaining on the clock, they submitted their solution.

A silence fell over the room as the judges deliberated over their solution. Then—storm of applause.

They had done it. They had solved the problem.

Beyond Rivalry

The team took gold, and for the first time in their lives, Anirudh and Vihaan weren't rivals—were winning together.

Standing on the podium, Vihaan looked at Anirudh. "I hate to admit it, but we make a good team."

Anirudh grinned. "We always did. We just never knew it."

Their feud had driven them to excellence, yet ultimately it was their union that made them the champions.