are there any good examples of teamwork?

The novel opens with a strong emphasis on Wade’s friendship and teamwork with Aech. Since Wade's only family is an aunt who sells his possessions, this sense of friendship is important to him. It offers an outlet and is perhaps the only opportunity when Wade is allowed to act as a normal young man. His friendship with Aech begins to suffer when Art3mis enters the scene, yet there is a constant sense that they will reconcile. Perhaps the strangest part of this friendship is very easily overlooked: they only know each other’s avatars and have never met. It can be seen as a pivotal point in the novel when Wade meets Aech in reality and discovers he is not a white boy but an African-American girl. While there is much to say about this scene, Wade seems to gloss over its importance. He acknowledges that despite the difference in gender, Aech is still his friend. Therefore, while a sense of companionship is prevalent throughout the entire novel, its integral importance only becomes apparent at the end of the novel. All three Crystal Keys are needed to unlock the last gate, so Wade would have never prevailed in the contest without the explicit and implicit help of his friends.