The Book starts off with Rei and Aria on their date, although their fun is briefly interrupted by some douche canoes from another academy that think it's "Pick on Rei"-day. Rei and Aria obviously clean the floor with them. We then learn that the whole team has done the very same with the best of Galen's ever since the break began. The other two teams get increasingly anxious and even team up to try (and fail) to beat the group. Then the break ends, and the team travel to the tournament. Some grand (pun intended) character development happens and they learn that a) their official team name is Firesong and b) that there's also douche canoes at the tournament. The resolution for b) is that Rei gets to punch the lead canoes lights out personally in quite the spectacular fashion which leads to the first major confrontation with the man, the myth, the legend(-ary a-hole) Major Reese.
But it turns out that Valera Dent has been granted field command, meaning she now is Riess' superior for the tournament and gets to