“Hey, do you know how to imagine explosions?” Pang asked Deon, nudging him on the shoulder.

“Explosions? Uh—no, not really.”

“How about energy beams?”

Deon wasn’t even sure what that meant. “Um…probably not…”

“Really? Lame.”

“What?!”

They stepped into the cool-aired training room with the silent Skrili and Phillip. After yesterday’s round against Alex and Ving, Deon assumed Pang and Skrili would continue like they had been: disappearing to practice endlessly on their own. But to his surprise, they asked Deon and Phillip for help.

The Conscious Competition provided an entire break day in between the rest of the tournament and the championship fight, so both teams had plenty of time to recuperate and prepare. Pang and Skrili planned on wasting none of this, inviting Deon and Phillip to the training rooms first thing in the morning.

“Unlike Deon, I can create explosions and energy beams,” Phillip offered confidently. He placed his and Pang’s packs by the wall on the blue cushioned floor.

“How?!” challenged Deon. “You’re an Illusionist!”

“I can create the illusion of explosions.”

“That doesn’t count, or help!” denied Deon as the four of them began stretching. “Anyway, why do we even need explosions for this practice? That seems super risky.”

“Because that’s what we’ll be fighting tomorrow,” Skrili responded simply, sliding into a full split.

“Man, you were right Skrili—Deon’s clueless,” Pang noticed. “Kotono Inoue is an Emovert, which means she can convert all of her emotions into raw energy. So she can literally blow us up if she feels strongly about anything.”

“Oh, how nice,” Deon commented.

“She’s also the strongest Emovert, but nobody—besides probably Hiroko—really knows what emotion she draws from,” added Skrili. “That’s what makes her so dangerous.”

Deon stretched forward to touch his toes. “Well, do you guys have a good guess? Seems like you’re pretty huge fans.”

“Determination,” Skrili and Pang both answered quickly.

Pang signaled to let Skrili elaborate. “It was your idea,” she insisted.

“She’s more motivated than most,” Skrili continued. “That’s why our first strategy is to pit Pang against her. Pang can manipulate her powers and stand a chance.”

Deon couldn’t help but recall how easily Kotono and Hiroko won their fights up to now. When he tried watching the broadcast of their second round on his TeamTrack, their power knocked out the signal. Then, they defeated their semi-finals opponents before Deon could even get to the balcony to watch.

“You sure that strategy’s enough?” he asked.

“It is,” Pang said flatly. “Her determination fuels her powers, but…” she looked over to Phillip, who was listening intently. “I’m more determined. So when I use her powers, my energy will be stronger.”

Pang and Phillip’s eyes stayed locked on each other for a moment. Eventually, a confident smile overtook Pang’s serious expression.

“We’ll win, Phyllis,” she promised.

Phillip nodded.

Deon stood, completing his stretch. “Well, what about Hiroko? What’s her type and everything?”

“Predictor,” Phillip replied. “She can see multiple outcomes of any given action moments before they happen, and can plan accordingly.”

“She’s a master at close-range fighting,” said Skrili. “I’ll face off against her to start. Pang and I modeled our entire fighting style around Hiroko, so I know exactly how she moves.”

Deon chuckled. “Skrili, you act like you don’t care that much about the League, but it sounds like you’re her biggest fan.”

“Well—” Skrili started quickly, but she blushed and looked away. “She’s…she’s just incredible, that’s all…”

“And Kotono’s powers are the best—not to mention her gorgeous fighting outfits!” Pang added, springing up from the mat. She skipped over to Skrili and pulled her to her feet, hopping up and down. “Skrili, we’re really about to fight our heroes! This is a dream come true!”

“I can’t wait…” Skrili muttered, finally cracking a smile.

Is now really the time to be star-struck? wondered Deon. But he couldn’t help absorbing their enthusiasm. On top of that, he’d never seen Pang and Skrili get along so well; something really did change between them since their last fight.

For some reason, though, it made his heart heavy.

~

The first couple hours of training mostly involved Skrili and Pang sparring head-to-head. Since they both fought like Hiroko in close-combat, this was their surefire approach for preparing to face her.

Meanwhile, Deon and Phillip broke off to another corner of the large room. Pang and Skrili instructed them to work together and find some sort of way to emulate Kotono’s energy attacks.

For a while, it went about as well as Deon expected.

“A rat’s fart would produce a stronger gust than your attack,” Phillip muttered.

“Well—your fake explosions just look like clouds and fire!” Deon retorted.

“That’s…what an explosion is.”

“Oh,” Deon muttered.

Due to the complexity, their plan was for Deon to create the explosion’s physical effects, while Phillip would place an image representation of it in the same spot to give the full experience. But Deon had never seen Kotono actually fight, so he was left to guess blindly.

“Well I’m no Alex, so imagining wind isn’t exactly my specialty,” admitted Deon.

“What is then?”

“Remember Twitchy, my squirrel monster?”

Phillip rolled his eyes.

Eventually, they had an attack ready (ridiculous as it was): Deon would imagine a small Twitchy that expanded and grew rapidly, while Phillip did his best to mask it in the illusion of an explosion. At least this way, Skrili and Pang would still have to avoid it or they’d get hit—though Deon figured Kotono’s explosions would probably feel much less furry.

Their replacement for Kotono’s energy blasts came more easily, though not without its share of bickering. Deon imagined his leather ball attacks, and Phillip covered them in the illusion of golden light, creating a beam.

After a brief break, Skrili and Pang were ready to begin their practice against Deon and Phillip’s “Kotono.”

The first ten minutes went to waste, as Pang spent most of it rolling on the mat, laughing uncontrollably at how goofy Deon and Phillip’s attempt at an explosion was. But soon after, the rigorous training resumed.

Deon did his best to imagine as many expanding Twitchy’s as possible. Thanks to all his recent training using Twitchy as a special move, he found he was able to give Skrili and Pang a real challenge—Phillip even had trouble keeping up forming his illusions over them.

When they switched over to shooting their faux energy blasts, Deon watched Skrili and Pang closely. Since yesterday, he never noticed Pang come across contrived or demeaning when she spoke to Skrili anymore. And Skrili never made herself small or tried to respond defiantly. Instead, they listened to each other.

A connection, one Deon figured they once had a long time ago, was reforming.

It reflected clearly in the training: they were totally in-sync. Their movements were identical, modeled after their shared idol and impending opponent. They both made sure the other was safe in their blind spots, and instead of assuming command like in their first few rounds, Pang allowed Skrili the chance to call some shots.

They really are the perfect team, Deon realized.

So why did this feel like sinking?

Miraculously, Skrili and Pang were finding a way forward. They were getting along. And the way this training was going, Deon was confident: they would take home this Conscious Competition victory.

But Alex’s warning played in his mind:

“When success comes your way in this career, it gets hard to pass it up. It’s a sweet deal.”

“…Pick someone you really gel with. Do you really gel with Skrili?”

Deon felt he did, or at least probably could. But even after all this time, he couldn’t determine if Skrili felt the same way. There was still so much to learn about her.

If anything, based on what he was witnessing before him, Skrili seemed to ‘really gel’ with Pang, now. He tried to get stronger to impress Skrili, but that only turned into a selfish—and dangerous—ambition. Now he knew the wiser approach was to be a friend, and stay supportive throughout this tournament.

But even in the mindset of a friend, he saw it plainly: if Skrili thrived with Pang, perhaps he should just let her run with it. If that’s what brought her joy, it only seemed right.

Maybe, like how Lammy learned to let him go when he wanted to leave Tailpiece, he would have to do the same for Skrili.

After a flip and duck away from a couple of Deon and Phillip’s ‘energy blasts,’ Skrili rebalanced, her eyes falling on Deon.

“Hey, nice aiming,” she uttered between heavy gasps, sweat trickling down her forehead.

Deon’s eyes widened at the unexpected compliment. “Oh…thanks!”

Then they all heard someone scream—Deon was certain it was a voice he’d never heard before.

But when he looked to his side, Phillip was crouched over on the floor, grasping his chest and neck. All of his veins were visible through his skin.

And they were all pitch-black.

“Phillip!” Pang shouted.

They all hurried over to him. While Deon and Skrili stood close, Pang practically dove to the floor and wrapped her arms around him, rubbing his back.

His shouts only continued.

“He’s having a flare-up!” Pang cried. “This one’s really bad…Skrili, please get his water bottle!”

Within an instant, Skrili retrieved it. Pang took it and set it aside.

“Hey bro, are you gonna be alright?” Deon asked carefully.

Phillip couldn’t reply, still groaning and shouting from the pain coursing throughout his body.

“It’s never lasted this long…” Pang uttered shakily, her breath growing shallow. “But…it’s gonna go away, just like the other times…okay, Phillip? You’re gonna be okay…”

“We don’t…know that…” Phillip managed to grunt between gritted teeth.

“What can we do?” Skrili pressed urgently.

Pang shook her head, tears building. “Nothing…he needs that medicine…we don’t have any…”

They all fell silent, hopeless, and helpless, watching this fit surge through Phillip’s pale body. He quivered as sweat dripped onto the mat.

“You’ll be okay…you’ll be okay…” Pang mumbled, unable to hold back a sob. Deon was certain she was trying to convince herself, too.

Hang in there, man…Deon thought. Come on…

Pang’s hand slipped atop Phillip’s, her head pressed against his shaky shoulder.

“The…the veins,” Deon noted after minutes of wordlessness. “That’s gotta be good, right?”

Pang lifted her head to see, and Skrili leaned closer. Phillip’s veins were less visible now, and the sickly black color had faded. Finally, he had stopped screaming.

“It’s…going away,” Phillip gasped, his face drenched in sweat.

In a rush, Pang swiped Phillip’s water bottle. She shifted him into a sitting position and offered it to him. After a lengthy sip, Phillip grasped Pang’s hand back.

“Please breathe, Pang,” he muttered simply.

Pang smiled, her cheeks still wet, as she let herself exhale. “See…? That was no big deal…” she said softly.

“These attacks are getting worse,” said Phillip. “I probably don’t have much—”

“NO!” Pang exclaimed. “Don’t do that.”

Phillip looked away, but Pang pulled his face back to her.

“Listen: I’m gonna save you. We’re gonna win the Championship and buy that medicine, I swear,” she affirmed. Pang turned and caught Skrili’s eye, before returning her gaze to Phillip. “Skrili and I can do this. We can do this.”

Deon noticed Skrili’s fists clench, though her face remained unchanged.

“She’s right,” he said to her. “You can totally win.”

“I know,” Skrili declared flatly. “Phillip, you won’t die.”

Deon smirked at her tenacity.

She’s unstoppable now, he thought.

~

For the remainder of the day, Phillip mostly sat out of the training. He took on more of an observational role, offering suggestions and analysis. Deon was impressed with his overall knowledge of fighting.

Other than this, aside from a couple food runs for the group, he rested. Pang’s eyes turned to him often, but thankfully, no other flare-ups occurred.

In the final portion of the session, the championship competitors focused on their newfound, unprecedented technique: transferring Skrili’s Power Rebound to Pang. They were careful to avoid any serious injuries, assigning Deon to immediately heal Skrili with his TeamTrack.

As they discovered, Pang could manipulate Skrili’s powers whenever Skrili opened her mind to it. A few times, Skrili was even able to pull it off in the opposite way: by inviting Pang’s powers to automatically take the Power Rebound.

It was mysterious, unknown territory, but Deon was just glad to see it working. A new move long believed to be impossible only heightened their chances against the champions.

After a final cool-down stretch, the group gathered their things and prepared to leave for the night. As Skrili pointed out: adequate rest was just as important as proper training.

Pang used her TeamTrack to deactivate the door, and the foursome passed into the dimly-lit hallway.

“...So a messenger dragon is a no-go?” they all heard a delicate, hushed voice ask not far away.

Their footsteps approached from down the hall, alongside what sounded like a set of bare feet.

“Charms don’t affect dragons, so the earrings wouldn’t protect them,” replied another scratchier voice. “If the dragon recognizes her or the kid, it’s trouble. Plus, it needs to be untrace—”

The hushed conversation stopped short, as did the footsteps. Squinting a bit, Deon managed to make out who their company was.

Down the hall, Kotono and Hiroko stood staring right back at them. Kotono shifted back automatically, almost hiding behind Hiroko.

“Be more careful,” Hiroko whispered to Kotono.

“Me??” shot Kotono accusingly. “B—but look…it’s…”

“Skrili Kay and Pang Pereo, right?” Hiroko greeted with a calm smile, now calling down the hall. “I don’t think we’ve met yet.”

Deon glanced at Pang and Skrili, but they both stood frozen.

“Psst, Skrili. Say hi for us,” Pang whispered. “It’s them—don’t blow it.”

“What? I can’t…you…”

Deon sighed impatiently. “Hey guys!” he exclaimed. “I’m Deon, but yeah: these two are Skrili and Pang. Right now they’re too busy drooling over you—”

WHAM!!!!

Deon keeled over. He’d never wondered how much it would hurt if both Skrili and Pang nailed him in the stomach, but now he knew.

“Um…hi…big fan…” Pang stuttered.

“Same…” muttered Skrili.

Hiroko made her way over, so Kotono followed close behind, her eyes shifting between them and the floor. Kotono’s unease surprised Deon, especially after being force-fed ads starring a much more buoyant, assured version of her.

Once they were close and easier to see in the low light, Deon couldn’t help being caught up in their glow. They really did ooze charisma and splendor, even in their slightly ruffled training clothing. But they seemed oblivious to their own glory, standing casually before the group with inviting smiles.

“I guess it’s down to us, huh?” Hiroko said simply.

“Um…” Skrili replied, and Pang shrugged.

Hiroko’s eyebrows curled up as she let out a flattered laugh, and Kotono’s eyes returned to them gently. Despite himself, Deon wanted to bask in their charm like sunlight—no wonder everyone was so obsessed.

Hiroko continued nonchalantly, like she was speaking with equals instead of diehard fans.

“The press has this whole thing going lately about how much you guys are like us, or something,” she shared. “I think it’s silly. We’ve been following your fights, and I love what I’ve seen from you two. Sure, a lot of your moves are like mine, but you’ve got your own thing going on.”

“Y—you’re v—very good,” Kotono added, blushing.

But Skrili and Pang’s entire faces were beat red. Deon smirked at their inability to reply. Their minds must have been spinning out of control.

“I…I guess we’ll see what happens,” Pang finally managed.

Hiroko shrugged unconcernedly. “Oh, I know what will happen,” she announced. “Kotono and I are gonna win, hands-down.”

If Deon hadn’t paid attention, he would have missed the gravity of her declaration. There was no ego, or even competitiveness, to her tone. It was just sheer confidence. She was certain.

“This is to save my village, so we have no choice. Sorry,” she said, still totally non-combative.

Kotono nodded vigorously, her strawberry-blonde hair bouncing up and down. “And it’s for our friends,” she added.

“Heh…”

Pang’s shoulder’s straightened out, and she stood tall. Now, she looked at them squarely, no longer drunk from the presence of her heroes.

“What, you think you’re the only ones fighting for someone else?” she asked, her voice deep, clear, and assertive once more.

Deon recognized her tone from their first few encounters in No Man’s Land: she was sizing up her opponents. It was borderline mockery.

She’s really doing this with these two?! he thought. But…they’re being so nice!

“I have someone to save, too,” Pang continued. “You’re not the only ones with a sob story. Right, Skrili?”

Don’t rope her into this…you sound like the bad guy…thought Deon uncomfortably.

But Skrili spoke up. “We’ve learned so much from you,” she said quietly. “And now, it looks like we’ll have to use that to beat you. We just…need this.”

Deon could feel the energy in the air between the two teams as they gazed at each other, wordless—but he couldn’t tell if it was tension, or some sort of mutual admiration. They were either about to pounce at each other and start the fight right here and now, or exchange high fives and go grab dinner together.

But there was time for neither, because echoes of rapid footsteps flooded the hall.

“Kotono! Hiroko! Get back here!!”

“How many times have we said not to sneak off?!”

A cluster of burly bodyguards turned the corner, and began racing their way towards the group of fighters.

Hiroko took a long sigh. “Ugh…well, I guess our time’s up,” she told the group, heading towards her disgruntled security team. “It was nice chatting.”

Kotono follow close behind, seeming eager to open up a bit more with her new acquaintances. “S—see you tomorrow!” she said with a wave.

Within seconds, their bodyguards encased them entirely, shielding them from view. They shuffled off as a unit in quite a hurry, disappearing around the corner.

Skrili and Pang watched on in silence, long after Hiroko, Kotono, and their bodyguards departed. Deon couldn’t fathom the amount of pressure they must have been feeling.

“Hey,” Deon started. “Don’t worry—”

“THEY ACTUALLY SPOKE TO US!!!!” Pang exclaimed, her arms shaking uncontrollably.

Huh?

“They were so nice,” added Skrili with stars in her eyes.

“Hiroko literally said she loves our fighting!!” shrieked Pang. “Oh my God…I can die now…”

And here I thought they were stressed…thought Deon.

Skrili and Pang’s giddy recount of their monumental interaction continued. Eventually Deon heard Phillip let out a chuckle. It morphed into a full laugh: the first Deon had ever heard from him. It was deep and inconsistent, like a rusty tool that hadn’t been used in a while.

Right, Deon realized. If that’s all they’re worked up about right now, they must be super confident.

He joined in with Phillip, watching their teammates practically explode with joy.

They know they’ll win this.

~

Deon jolted awake when someone shoved his shoulder. He opened his eyes groggily to find Skrili’s silhouette standing right beside his bed, under the darkness of their hotel room.

He wiped his eyes and sat up. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

She didn’t immediately reply.

“Nervous about tomorrow, and need some advice from your super-knowledgeable teammate?” he guessed.

“No. You were just snoring really loud,” said Skrili.

“Oh.”

Skrili turned and made her way back over to her bed. Deon shrugged and lay back down, as he heard Skrili do the same.

Man…imagine if Skrili and Pang really win it all…he thought. I hope they do, but…what will happen to us?

The sinking feeling from earlier returned. Deon tried to get it off his mind, focusing instead on all the incredible things he’d witnessed here at Gloat Center: the food, the magical devices, and especially their new friends, Alex and Ving. He hoped the rest of the Multiverse would prove to be just as vibrant.

Not to mention, his understanding of fighting had forever evolved: there was an entire other level of mastery to explore, and much more imagining to be learned. He pondered the possibilities for minutes, until finally he began drifting back off.

“Can…can I tell you something?” uttered Skrili. “I can’t stop thinking about it, and I just…need someone else to know.”

Deon’s eyes reopened. “Huh? Yeah, of course.”

Skrili struggled to speak, until finally, laboriously letting it out.

But her fragile words made Deon’s heart skip. Silence filled the air, tormenting them both, because he had no idea what to say.