Lammy stared at the floating screen in the corner of the room as audio of applause buzzed from it. He could also hear the muffled, real-life applause in the distance.

In the magical moving picture, two fighters stood victorious on a fighting platform, as their defeated opponents stood off to the side, clapping respectfully. The massive crowd around the arena went wild. Lights flashed everywhere. Music blasted. He could feel the reverberations against the floor under his feet.

“And we have our winners of the opening fight: fresh faces Pang Pereo and Skrili Kay! What a show!” an energetic voice declared.

“Indeed it was, Soot. I can’t wait to see who they’ll face next,” another agreed.

Lammy was simply amazed. The Multiverse had an established, massively popular fighting league for consciousnesses. This was like the after-school showdowns he would watch back in Tailpiece, times a million—only here, they fought in teams of two.

He loved it—the potential for different power combinations, special techniques, creativity…his mind spun at the possibilities. He wondered if they had coaches and trainers out here like he had always been for Deon. Coaching in a league like this would be absolutely incredible.

Lammy smiled to himself, hoping Deon had found this league, too. This was Deon’s dream come true.

“Oh—Lammy! Careful, lad!” Rob exclaimed.

Lammy jolted back to what he was doing—or, supposed to be doing. Realizing the meat patties he was grilling had almost burned, he frantically scooped them off the grill and placed them in bread buns to the side.

He was in the back kitchen with Rob, cooking up orders. After he and Zayza helped Rob and Pete pack up the night before, they set out early in the morning for the Fantasy Country Conscious Competition. They traveled in a giant magical carriage with many other restaurants and exhibitors, and once they arrived at Gloat Stadium, they rushed to find their rented space and set up their gear. It was a lot of lifting, so Lammy was glad all he needed to do now was help Rob cook.

So far, working here was much less terrifying than working in Food Town—actually, he found it pretty relaxing. Rob projected the ongoing tournament on the screen in their kitchen, so they were even able to follow the first fight.

“Good for them!” Rob exclaimed, raising a fist to the screen as he simultaneously helped Lammy top off the burgers. “Love those two kids.”

“You know them?” Lammy asked.

“Used to serve ‘em salads all the time!” said Rob. “They used to come by whenever they were in Conscious City. I had no idea they got back together! Last I saw Blue, she was with another lad.”

Lammy looked back at the screen, which had panned closer to the victors. The two girls appeared close to Deon’s age. After watching what he could of their fight, he realized they’d even be a challenge for Deon. Their speed and cohesion was downright impressive.

Skrili and Pang, huh? he noted, reading the names on the bottom of the screen.

As another hour passed, Lammy continued to make food with Rob while they awaited the next round of the tournament.

Occasionally Zayza would drop by to pick up food and place it in a heated box. It was her responsibility to walk around in the seating and sell food and drinks to the spectators. Initially, Lammy tried to switch places with her, but she assured him that the Ancient Sage’s earrings were working—nobody knew who she was.

Noticing tiny bits of her cheerful personality had returned every time she came to pick up food, Lammy decided to leave her be.

While Lammy and Rob worked, Pete entered from the front of the restaurant space.

“Can I get two Rebirth Salads working?” he asked his father. “It’s for Skrili’s friend—I told him it’s on us.”

“What was that lad’s name again…?” Rob tried to recall.

“I don’t remember, to be honest,” admitted Pete. “I was scared to ask again.” He glanced at Lammy. “Actually, he looks a little bit like you.”

“Really?” Lammy asked hopefully. He wondered if it could be Deon, but quickly brushed it off with a chuckle—there was no way Deon would order salads, especially meatless ones. Not even in a fantasy world.

“Well anyway, we’ll make it!” approved Rob.

As Lammy grabbed ingredients from the back refrigerator and began putting the salads together, he thought about Deon once more.

Wherever you are, Deon, I hope it’s at a place like this…he thought.

~

Deon waited outside the Phoenix setup in Gloat Stadium’s large, round hall. He figured now would be the best time to grab food; he didn’t want to miss Alex and Ving’s first fight.

Soon Pete reemerged, carrying two of the same salad Deon and Skrili had ordered weeks ago in Conscious City.

“Two Rebirth Salads, on the house!” said Pete cheerfully.

“Thanks, man! I appreciate it!” Deon said. “I’m glad I noticed you guys when I walked by.”

Pete nodded. “Anytime. Oh, and congrats to Skrili!” he added. “Um…you guys are still friends, right?”

“We are,” Deon affirmed.

“Good!” Pete said. “A lot of times former teammates don’t stay friends, you know?”

“Huh?” wondered Deon. “No—we’re still together.”

Panic struck over Pete’s face. “W—wait…like, you’re dating her…?”

“What? No!” Deon immediately answered. “I mean we’re still gonna be a team, right after this Conscious Competition. She’s just helping out a friend.”

Pete stared at him, trying to conceal his doubt. “Oh…after the Conscious Competition, sure,” he said awkwardly.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Deon pressed.

Pete took a step back in defense. “Oh, nothing, nothing! It’s just…I don’t know, they’re doing really well right now—it looks like their career is taking off. It would be weird for Skrili to leave that behind all the sudden and start over, that’s all…”

Deon glared at him.

“Um…I’m really sorry…that was pretty rude,” Pete realized, handing him the free salads.

Taking a second, Deon cooled down. After all, Pete was just a kid with a crush. “Don’t sweat it, really,” he said with a smile. “Thanks again for these salads! Skrili’s gonna love the surprise.”

Pete returned his smile. “Absolutely! Tell her I said hi!” he said with a blush. He was about to head to the back again, before pausing. “You know, my coworker kind of looks like you,” he added.

“Really?” said Deon. “Weird.”

With that, Pete went back to work, and Deon began walking down the busy hall. According to the schedule the second round fights didn’t start until tomorrow, so Deon figured he’d congratulate Skrili with her favorite salad from the Phoenix. Maybe she’d be willing to watch the rest of the first round fights with him—she would certainly be better company than Phillip.

Deon passed by countless people and placed the salads on a nearby bench, reaching for his TeamTrack to send her a message:

“Congrats on the big win! I wanna hear all about the strategy. Where are you? Let’s meet up and catch the next fight.”

It took him quite a while to navigate the touchpad, but he managed to get it down. He was grateful the written language was the same as Tailpiece’s.

Only moments later, Skrili’s response came:

“Sorry, Pang really wants to analyze the next fight together since we fight the winner. Then we need to go train. I’ll see you in the room tonight, though.”

Deon sulked. He sank onto the bench with a sigh. Fair enough…they’re trying to save Phillip’s life, after all, he thought.

At the same time, he couldn’t help but consider Pete’s words. Things were going extremely well for Skrili and Pang. Placing this far in the Competition was no small feat—hundreds of other pros could only dream of it. They hit it big.

So was she…avoiding him?

No…she’d never stay with Pang, Deon tried to tell himself.

“Man, you look like you’re at a Registration Center instead of a Conscious Competition,” a familiar voice commented nearby. Deon shook himself out of his inner-thoughts to see Alex Malachi approaching him from the crowd. Several fans stared at him in awe as he passed by.

“Oh, hey man!” greeted Deon.

“No offense, but you have a serious ‘I just got stood up’ vibe going on,” Alex shared. “You good?”

Deon shrugged. “Yeah…just overthinking some stuff.”

After watching Deon for a moment with his multiple irises, Alex sat beside him. “You bummed that Skrili won?”

“No—I’m happy for her, really!” Deon assured. “I’m just…”

“Scared she’ll ditch you for her current teammate?” Alex guessed. “I mean, let’s be real: there’s a good chance she will.”

“Thanks for the encouragement,” Deon said despondently.

Alex laughed. “Hey man, I’m just being honest. Take it from me—when success comes your way in this career, it gets hard to pass it up. It’s a sweet deal,” he said. “But I don’t really know Skrili, so who knows? I could be wrong.”

Deon shrugged. “Maybe.”

“The thing is, regardless of what Skrili does, you have to be ready. The League won’t wait up for you,” Alex continued. “I got lucky with my teammate—Ving and I have been buddies our whole lives. We always wanted to be a team together, since we were little. But that taught me how important it is to pick someone you really gel with. Do you really gel with Skrili?”

“I…think so…” Deon replied.

Alex smiled. “It’s fine if you don’t know yet, you just need to know what you want,” he told Deon. “And like I said, you have to be ready: Think Skrili might ditch you? Go train right now, and become better than that Pang girl. Prove you’re the best choice. Think she’ll leave you anyway? Well, you’re at Gloat Stadium during one of the biggest Conscious Competitions in the Multiverse. You’re surrounded by other consciousnesses trying to join the League. Heck, if you want, I have a few names I could hit up.”

Deon smiled back. “Thanks man,” he said. He glanced up at one of the many floating screens, noting the updated tourney chart with Skrili and Pang advanced to the second round. He noticed Alex and Ving’s fight was the one after the next.

“Um…don’t you have a fight coming up?” Deon asked. “Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate it—but why are you spending all this time talking to me?”

Alex stood. “Well, Ving and I like to keep things chill before we fight,” he explained. “Also, you remind me of myself when I first went pro: bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, and ready to punch everyone in sight—in a consensual fight, of course.”

Deon laughed.

“You’re right, though—I really should go find Ving,” he said. “Go train or something!”

“No thanks—if I do, I’ll miss your first round!” Deon pointed out.

Alex’s energetic face morphed into a bittersweet expression. “I wouldn’t worry about that—no way we’re losing in the first round,” he said. “This is mine and Ving’s last Competition together.”

Deon hadn’t expected that. “Wait…really?”

“Yeah, but don’t tell the press yet,” Alex laughed. “Ving really wants to move on from the League. She keeps saying ‘something smells wrong,’ whatever that’s supposed to mean. So I guess you and I are in a similar boat.”

“Oh…I’m sorry to hear that,” said Deon.

Alex shrugged and waved. “That’s life. And I love her too much not to respect it. Anyways, see you around!”

As Alex headed off and quickly waved to dozens of awestruck fans, Deon looked over to the two salads resting beside him.

Well, I guess there’s someone else I can give this to, he thought.

~

“Salad?” Deon offered.

“Please get lost,” said Phillip.

Deon shrugged. But then he detected Phillip’s stomach rumbling even over the arena’s packed crowd.

“I think you want the salad.”

“Oh, shut up.”

Within the minute, Deon and Phillip were digging into their meals in their assigned stadium seats. As Phillip ate begrudgingly, Deon checked out the screen above the arena: it looked like the next round was about to start.

“Alllllright, ladies, gents, and friends!” Soot’s voice boomed. “It’s time for the second fight of the day!”

The crowd was as vigorous as before, if not even more so.

“Entering from the west end of the arena, please welcome the Fiction Country powerhouses—the ten-time qualifiers—the lovely couple: Darla and Benny Stewarts!!!”

Deon spat bits of lettuce and unknown fruits out of his mouth, almost sprinkling the audience member beneath him.

“WHAT?!” he exclaimed.

“You’re the only person surprised by this—did you not look at all the tourney charts?” Phillip grumbled.

“I did, but I didn’t realize…I know those two!”

Floating towards the fighting arena on a glowing platform, hand-in-hand, stood Darla and Benny: the married couple he got in trouble with back in No Man’s Land weeks ago. Benny looked smug and macho as ever in his overly tight red hoodie and shorts, while Darla had removed her glasses from her pink eyes for the fight.

“I uh…hit on Darla, so Benny and I got in a fight,” Deon explained uncomfortably.

Phillip nodded. “That sounds right. I took you for a player.”

“Hey—I didn’t know she was married!” insisted Deon. “But man…that Benny dude is tough…and a jerk. I hope their opponents put him in his place.”

By now, Soot and Talonvorp had announced the other team: a pair of cloaked individuals named Armoless and Gottem. According to Talonvorp, they were both Odorverts: a type that could convert their sense of smell into raw energy.

The two teams met on the platform, and bowed in the same manner Pang and Skrili had with Reginald and Cauli.

“Three! Two! One!”

“FIGHT!!!” the stadium boomed.

Immediately, Armoless and Gottem aggressively inhaled through their noses, giving it everything they had. Deon chuckled—it kind of looked ridiculous. Their eyes went wide, and they shifted, prepared to fight.

“The scents have fueled us. Companion, let us now conquereth our foes,” muttered Armoless.

Gottem sniffed and nodded.

“Uh…nope—that’s not how this is gonna work,” Benny laughed confidently, stretching and flexing his muscles. He walked forward. “We have a dream honeymoon to plan. You wimps aren’t getting in the way of that. Take this: FIST FLINGER!!!”

“Such a dumb name…” Deon muttered.

Just like the time he used this attack on Deon, dozens and dozens of fists appeared around Benny, ready for him to launch.

“Oh! Benny’s jumping right into it with his famous ‘Fist Flinger’ attack!” Soot exclaimed.

The crowd cheered as Benny began punching the air. With each punch, a fist shot rapidly at Armoless and Gottem. They immediately went on the defense while Benny sped up. After each imagined fist either hit them or missed, it vanished. But Benny kept imagining more, never running out of ammunition.

Armoless and Gottem weren’t faring much better than Deon had against this attack. Soon, they were on the run.

“Yeah! That’s right, losers!” Benny taunted.

“Uh-oh! It looks like Armoless and Gottem are already overwhelmed! What an attack!” noted Soot.

“Babe, hey!” Darla called over to Benny. “Are you gonna let me fight this time?”

“Just step back and keep looking gorgeous, Darla! I don’t want them trying to mess up your cute face!” he called back.

Darla crossed her arms. “Oh, come on. I’m fighting next time, whether you like it or not.”

“I guess we still won’t be seeing any of Darla’s Power Rebound in this one—I don’t think she’s thrown a single punch in this Conscious Competition,” Talonvorp shared.

Soot laughed. “Hey, if my teammate was that good of an Imaginer, I’d take it easy, too,” he said. “Maybe next time—I’d love to see how their types work together. The Imaginer and a Power Rebound combo is quite the uncommon pair.”

“Please, they’re not that unique,” Deon remarked. “I bet Skrili and I could do better.”

But as Benny’s onslaught of imagined fists only intensified, he knew he was wrong.

Benny was leagues better than him.

Who am I kidding? If Benny’s what a certified-level Imaginer looks like, I have a lot of work to do, Deon realized. Sure, I beat Phillip, but I can’t stay comfortable. The only reason I beat Pang was by triggering that power up I don’t even know how to use…

And if Skrili’s already good enough for this Competition, I can’t fall behind. Not if I want to prove I’d be the better teammate.

He thought again about Alex’s advice.

He’s right—if I’m that worried Skrili might stay with Pang, why am I sitting here being lazy? I need to do something about it. I need to get better than Pang.

Deon nodded to himself decidedly, standing to his feet. This fight’s outcome was already clear, and he had a more important task at hand.

“See you later,” he said to Phillip. “I’m gonna go train.”

~

Deon splashed into the brisk water.

Not good enough, he thought. Imagining a ladder, Deon climbed his way out of the pond.

He was in the center of the floating body of water beside the Hotel of Champions. The water had grown chillier with each hour, especially now that the sky was dark.

It had been hours since he left Gloat Stadium to come train. Deon missed Alex and Ving’s first fight, and Kotono and Hiroko’s, as well. Earlier he had paused to check for updates on his TeamTrack, to find that they both advanced. By now, he figured the first day of the tournament was probably almost over.

But it felt like a fair trade: he needed the time to get better. Nobody had come back to the hotel besides him so far, giving him the privacy and focus to really push his limits.

Again…Deon commanded himself.

He imagined a wooden platform suspended high above the water, and stood on it. Focusing intensely, Deon began imagining the leather balls he normally used for his rapid-fire attacks. The wooden floor shifted slightly, so Deon tried to divide his focus better. Then, he continued to imagine more leather balls, until there were thirty hovering around him.

The more things I can Imagine at once, the stronger I’ll be, he thought. Now…

Taking a deep breath, Deon began commanding the leather balls to circle around him slowly. They rotated in a spiral, some faster and more easily than others. He tried hard to keep the floor beneath his feet in mind—one missing detail from it, and it would vanish.

Now, it was time to add the last phase of complexity. Staring ahead, Deon tried to place a miniature version of his squirrel monster, Twitchy, between him and the spiraling balls. Twitchy flickered, appearing inconsistently and with missing features.

Come on…Deon thought, sweat mixing with the drips of water on his forehead.

Abruptly, the wooden floor vanished. Deon tried to recover it and keep everything else in tact, but it was too much to imagine at once; he plummeted back into the icy water.

As he recovered, Deon sent a fist into the rippling waves.

No! This isn’t good enough! he told himself. I need something more…

…I need that power-up. But…how?

When he tried to summon it against Benny during their skirmish, he didn’t even know where to begin. It originally came to him on its own, for no reason.

No…there was a reason.

“Pang…”

It was the way she made him feel when they fought. That feeling of uselessness—that boiling anger took him over the edge. It was the way she mocked and toyed with him, the way she expected nothing…and more than that—the way she had treated Skrili.

She destroyed the only thing important to Skrili: her photo of her little brother.

Why does Skrili put up with her…? Deon wondered. He felt his heartbeat intensifying. Looking at his reflection in the water, he saw an orange glow in his eyes.

“Wait—it’s happening, this is it!” he exclaimed to himself.

But as soon as his excitement grew, the light in his eyes faded. His heartbeat began calming down.

Deon shook his head. “It wasn’t enough…I need to feel more,” he realized.

A tempting, but dangerous idea popped into his head, and he knew Skrili wouldn’t like it.

Pang was clearly the key to unlocking this power-up. And yesterday, she offered to let him ‘practice it on her.’ If he wanted to get strong enough to prove he was the better option than Pang, he knew one thing:

He needed Pang’s help.

~~~

The chilled air of the hotel bedroom replaced the steam from Phillip’s shower as he exited the bathroom. The room was peacefully silent, and a single magical lamp was still aglow.

Pang was fast asleep at the desk by the window, in her pajamas. Her head rested against the paper she had been writing on to map out fighting strategies. The lamp and moonlight illuminated her softly.

Phillip smiled. He walked over to her, but found himself pausing as he looked at her. There was something worth cherishing about those rare moments when she wasn’t putting up her larger-than-life front. He always found her attractive, but there was a special beauty to her now.

What am I doing? Phillip thought. She’ll be sore tomorrow sleeping like this. He nudged her shoulder gently, but she didn’t stir. After today’s fight and all the training afterwards, it didn’t surprise him she was this spent.

“Pang,” he uttered. She just grimaced and mumbled something unintelligible.

With a sigh, Phillip lifted her up from under her arms.

“Do I have to fight again already, Daddy?” Pang muttered in her sleep.

Phillip hesitated as a wave of grief struck him. It was the nightmare again. He carefully brought her to her feet, assuming this would wake her up, but her eyelids barely lifted. Taking her by the hand, he began guiding her to her bed. Her leg brushed against Phillip’s mattress, which was closer to the desk than hers, and she stopped walking.

“But I don’t want to fight right now…” moaned Pang.

Phillip faced her. “It’s okay, you don’t have to fight. You’re just going to bed,” he assured tenderly.

“Okay…” said Pang. Suddenly she fell back, and crawled into Phillip’s bed.

He blushed. I guess we can just trade for the night, he figured. He turned to head for Pang’s bed, but she grabbed his hand.

“No…don’t go, Mommy. Daddy will make me come after you…”

Phillip’s heart sunk for her. Heart pounding, he turned and sat on the bed. But Pang kept pulling at him, so he awkwardly gave in and lay down beside her.

“Don’t leave,” Pang said sleepily. She inched closer and snuggled up to him. Almost immediately, she sunk back into a deeper sleep.

To Phillip’s own surprise, his heartbeat gradually eased up. He placed his arm around Pang, and felt a peaceful comfort holding her. It soothed the constant, spiking pain coursing through his veins.

“I won’t leave you,” he whispered. He felt a bit silly still talking to her while she slept, but in a strange way, it gave him courage.

“You’ve done so much for my sake, even though I don’t deserve it,” he said softly. “You’re incredible…I wish everyone saw that side of you. Someday I want you to let yourself feel weak when you need to…and I’ll be strong for you.” He felt his heartbeat speed back up for a moment. “I love you.”

Phillip closed his eyes. He felt Pang lightly squeeze his arm.

“I love you too,” she whispered back.