Once again Deon hurried to catch up to Phillip, who had started leaving the preliminary arena without him. They stopped just outside the main entrance; Phillip had mumbled something earlier about Pang messaging him to meet them outside.

As they stood waiting, hundreds of disqualified contestants poured out of the building. Many of them dragged their feet in disappointment: they wouldn’t be participating in the Main Event at one of the biggest Conscious Competitions in the Multiverse. Others seemed in good spirits, patting their teammates on the back with optimistic smiles.

Soon Skrili and Pang emerged from the crowd. With a big smile, Pang ran over to Phillip and practically tackled him with a hug.

“We’re going to the Main Event, Phyllis! Yay!” she exclaimed.

“I knew you’d do it,” uttered Phillip with an embarrassed smile as he returned her hug.

Skrili walked up to Deon and looked away in awkward silence as Pang and Phillip shared their moment.

“Hey, you were incredible!” Deon told her. “Like, you just outdid 199 teams! That’s insane!”

Skrili returned eye contact, appearing a bit more comfortable. “Thanks,” she said. “Pang and I fought together for a long time.”

“I can tell,” replied Deon. “Though…I gotta admit, I missed the last part. How did you guys win so fast?”

“Seriously?” said Skrili, her eyebrow lifting slightly.

“Phillip distracted me!”

“I find that hard to believe,” she retorted, crossing her arms. “If you had been paying attention, you’d know. I guess now you’ll just have to wait for the Main Event to find out.”

“No fair!” cried Deon.

But he noticed a sly smile in Skrili’s eyes, and laughed.

“Hey, amazing fighting, you two!” a young consciousness said as he passed by them. His teammate gave a thumbs-up.

Deon and Skrili noticed practically every contestant’s eyes were on Skrili and Pang as they passed by. Several offered congratulations, while many just looked on in admiration.

Pang and Phillip were too immersed in their own conversation to take notice.

A smile spread on Deon’s face as he watched them all walk by. Then, he put his arm around Skrili. “Yeah, that’s right! Skrili’s the best!” he proclaimed loudly. “And you know what?! After she wins this whole freaking Conscious Competition, she’s gonna be my teammate! Yeah—jealous, much?!”

“Please stop…” Skrili mumbled, barely audibly.

Deon turned and realized she was looking down, hiding her face behind her bangs.

“Oh—you alright? Too much?” he asked.

“Why do you think I just bought a book called ‘A Survival Guide for Introverts,’ you buffoon?” she muttered.

Deon laughed apologetically. “Oh—I’m sorry…my cousin gets like that, too…”

“Very smooth,” Pang teased as she and Phillip joined them. “Hey, we have until tomorrow before the Main event starts. How about we ditch this place and grab some food to celebrate? Deon’s buying!”

“Wait what?!”

~

Deon still had a hard time accepting that he and Skrili were spending all of this downtime with the very people who had stolen Skrili’s belongings—and identity—fairly recently. He got that Skrili and Pang had to fight together, but it still didn’t feel right. Did Pang really think they were still friends?

Were they still friends?

His thoughts shifted from this to downright hunger as he sat with Skrili, Pang, and Phillip in a packed restaurant, waiting for their meals. The air was full of rich aromas and vigorous conversations. People sat along every dark wooden wall of the place, eager for the festivities to continue.

As Pang talked Phillip’s ear off about the first round of the Preliminaries, Skrili sat beside Deon in silence. She seemed uncomfortable—not with him, necessarily, but with the whole situation. Now that she didn’t have any updates for what their next move should be as a team, it seemed there wasn’t much else to talk about. Or perhaps it was the culmination of everything going on: fighting alongside her rival, preparing to fight some of the best in the Multiverse, trying to save Phillip…

Whatever it was, Deon wasn’t about to let her sit there trapped in her own thoughts. He wondered if he should he ask about where she was from, or maybe about her time with Pang.

No—those both seemed like sensitive topics. Anything about her past did.

“So, you think Gibblezgorv will buy a ticket?” he decided to ask. “He said if you make it to the Main Event, he might!”

Skrili gave a quick, soft smile. “That would be nice…” she said. “Maybe we should tell him—”

“Hey there, you two won the Preliminaries at Arena 14, correct?” came a rumbling voice.

The four consciousnesses turned from their conversations to find a man with a bull’s head greeting them. “Pang Pereo and Skrili Kay, was it?” he recalled.

“That’s us, pal,” confirmed Pang, flashing a quick peace sign.

“So sorry to bother you kids. I just wanted to say I’ve been to many, many tournaments—it’s a bit of a hobby of mine—and I’ve rarely seen such quality fighting before,” shared the bull-man. “You two are truly special. And not just individually—the way you fight as a unit was simply spectacular. The execution, that team combo…truly impressive.”

“Well thanks!” said Pang

The man waved a finger at them ponderingly. “Now…I don’t go around saying this to just any new teams…but the way you fight really reminds me of Kotono Inoue and Hiroko Hamasaki. I saw many of their first tournaments, and the similarity is impeccable—even down to that color scheme you’ve got going on!” He laughed heartily. “I assure you, coming from a former manager: you two younglings are about to get a lot of attention. No matter what happens at this tournament, you’re going places if you stick together.”

With a wave, the bull-man walked away and returned to his table.

If they stick together? Deon repeated in his mind. Skrili and I can go places, too, right? Besides, they’d never stay together after this…

…Right?

“Wow, Kotono Inoue and Hiroko Hamasaki, huh?” Pang uttered, tapping her chin. She caught Skrili’s eyes, and they appeared to share a mental connection Deon didn’t quite understand.

Deon shrugged and leaned back. “Well, if you need to keep that ‘color scheme’ going after our teams go back to normal, I guess Phillip and I better change our looks!” he joked.

Pang glanced at Phillip, and then suddenly burst out laughing. She fell over onto the table, giggling uncontrollably.

“…What?” wondered Phillip.

Pang wheezed, hardly able to control herself. “Sorry…I…I just…” she forced out. “I just pictured you in Skrili’s clothes and…” she fell back into a fit of laughter.

Deon joined in with Pang, and Skrili gave Phillip a sympathetic smile.

Then they all heard the chatter throughout the restaurant die down. Some people gasped or let out a cheer.

Looking towards the middle of the restaurant, they saw a large, holographic projection floating on display. It read: “Fantasy Country Conscious Competition: Main Event Contestants!”

The image changed, revealing a massive, colorful tourney chart. Sixteen teams’ names and photos flashed into place at the beginning rounds.

Deon scanned the chart and quickly found the names he was looking for: Alex and Ving had made it to the Main Event, as did Kotono and Hiroko. But they, along with Skrili and Pang, were all in separate brackets fighting teams he was unfamiliar with.

Skrili and Pang were pitted against contestants named Cauli Rhyme and Reginald Glass. From their profile images, they didn’t look too intimidating, both wearing calm smiles—but then again, Skrili didn’t seem very threatening either until Deon had to fight her.

“Reginald and Cauli…ever heard of ‘em, Skrili?” Pang asked.

“No.”

“Looks like we have homework tonight,” decided Pang. “Let’s do some research and get our practice in, after we move our stuff to our rooms.”

“‘Move our stuff?’” wondered Deon. “Oh yeah—the top sixteen get their own hotel rooms!” he remembered.

“Welcome to the high life, tunic-boy,” Pang said with a wink.

~

With stomachs now filled and bags on their backs, Deon and the gang floated in the cool air. After acquiring their things, they set off towards the hotel designated for the sixteen Main Event teams. The tournament had messaged Pang and Skrili directions, which they used to navigate.

They’d been flying for several minutes already, so Deon was grateful levitation bracelets didn’t lose their magical charge here—Skrili had explained that the center was designed to keep them powered. According to the map on Skrili’s TeamTrack, this hotel was on the very outskirts of Gloat Center.

Pang signaled for them to rise upward, so the rest followed. They ascended higher than any other platform at Gloat Center until they saw a floating, cloud-colored building not too far ahead. It was huge, with sixteen round towers rising high on the outer corners. The two back towers were much larger, overseeing the entire platform.

A long, green courtyard lay before the hotel, which featured two white bridges on either side. The left bridge led to a mostly empty platform, while the right led to a floating pond, encased in hovering ground filled with glowing lights.

As they neared, Deon noticed there weren’t many other contestants walking or floating about. Actually, there were only two: a team sat at a bench near the main entrance, talking to each other. One was sitting in the grass, while the other was upside-down on the bench.

“Where is everyone?” Deon wondered.

“Training for tomorrow, probably,” said Skrili as the four fighters touched down. “Pang and I will have to do the same. It’s best to work on techniques where other teams won’t be able to see you.”

Deon nodded his head in the direction of the two visible contestants. “What’s with them, then?” he asked.

“I don’t have all of the answers, you know,” Skrili told him.

They passed through the beautiful courtyard, admiring the statues of dragons, swords, and past champions. Pang danced her way down the path, nudging Phillip to join in (which he didn’t).

As they grew closer to the tall doors, the other team kept to their discussion, still not noticing them approaching. Soon, Deon was close enough to recognize them: it was the team Pang and Skrili were set to fight tomorrow, Cauli and Reginald.

Cauli sat in the grass, her wavy dark blonde hair shivering in the breeze. She seemed quite comfortable in her pale pink hooded sweatshirt and a long, baby blue skirt, as she held a pen and ponderingly stared at the notepad in her hand.

Reginald was still upside-down on the bench, fidgeting his feet back and forth in his green-blue shoes. He too, held a notepad and pen in his sleeve-covered hands. Reginald’s unzipped black hoodie drooped lazily around him, and his round hat pressed some of his curly brown hair against his face. He and Cauli both appeared around Kotono and Hiroko’s age: early to mid-twenties.

About to pass by, Deon found himself listening in on their conversation.

“Hmm…” thought Reginald aloud.

“Uh…” muttered Cauli.

“I don’t know, this is your forte,” acknowledged Reginald with an upside-down shrug. “I keep drawing a blank.”

“You should to try painting a blank, that might help,” said Cauli.

“OH!” Reginald exclaimed. “I really feel that one, write that one down!”

They both immediately scribbled onto their notepads with eager smiles.

“What else?” Reginald wondered. “There has to be something…maybe draw from something we went through recently?”

“Well, that camping trip we did was pretty intents,” Cauli shared.

“SO BAD!” exclaimed Reginald gleefully as they both jotted in their notepads once more. “We have to try these two out in the training room!” he decided.

“Definitely,” Cauli agreed with a laugh. “Oh, how about—oh.”

She stopped short, noticing Pang, Skrili, Deon, and Phillip walk by. Reginald saw them too, and awkwardly rolled himself upright.

“Hello,” he greeted pleasantly, though a bit shy.

Deon and Skrili both greeted back, while Pang slowed her walk to a stop. She looked both of them up and down, until Reginald and Cauli’s friendly smiles grew a bit crooked.

“I, uh…think we’re fighting each other tomorrow,” Reginald said, still trying to remain pleasant.

“What are you two doing?” pressed Pang.

“Oh—nothing…much…” stuttered Cauli. “Nice to meet you.”

“Good luck tomorrow! It’ll be fun,” added Reginald, a thumbs-up emerging from his overly long sleeve.

Pang kept her eyes on them for a couple more moments. Then, she shrugged. “Alright, well yeah, see you guys tomorrow,” she said, beginning to walk away. “I like your hat, Reginald,” she added in a kindlier tone.

“Th—thanks.”

Skrili gave them a quick wave, as if to make up for Pang’s attitude, and she, Deon, and Phillip followed Pang across the rest of the courtyard.

Weird…thought Deon. Whatever they’re up to, they obviously don’t want Pang and Skrili to know about it.

When they reached the massive, metallic doors of the hotel, the doors simply faded from existence. They stepped into the building, noticing the doors reappear behind them.

The main foyer was actually fairly small, which seemed odd for such a massive building. A single, fancily dressed employee stood in the center of the red-carpeted room behind a single wooden desk. All along the walls, wavy blue lights shone up from the floor, and there were no doorways.

To Deon, if it weren’t for the receptionist’s smile, this place would seem a little creepy.

“Ms. Pereo and Ms. Kay—and your two guests,” greeted the receptionist. “Congratulations, and welcome to our Hotel of Champions. You may contact us on your TeamTrack with anything you need. Please enjoy your stay, and fight well.”

Another blue, wavy light rose from the floor underneath them. Deon felt like something was pulling him away from himself.

Then, the light blinded him.

With a blink, Deon looked around. He still stood with Skrili, Pang, and Phillip, but now they were in a different location: a small hallway between two rooms. Deon walked up to a circular window at the end of the short hall, looking outward to find they were in one of the sixteen towers; he could see their neighboring two towers, along with the rest of the building far below.

Even farther ahead, he could see countless floating, glowing platforms lower in the sky, beneath the minimal clouds. This hotel overlooked all of Gloat Center—it was a beautiful sight.

“Talk about fast service—good old Fantasy Country warp magic,” Pang said. “Well, let’s get our guys nice and cozy, and then meet me at the Training Rooms. The instructions said we can warp there from our rooms.”

Skrili nodded. She approached the door with floating letters reading: “Ms. Skrili Kay and her guest, Deon Stutter.” She held her TeamTrack up to the knob-less door, and it vanished, similar to the main door to the hotel.

“Come in,” she said to Deon.

This hotel room was much bigger, and nicer, than the one they had rented the night before (though Deon thought that one was pretty cool, too). Its walls formed a semicircle, with two beds on opposite sides. The beds curved with the shape of the walls, and were each large enough for two people, covered in pillows and extravagant blankets.

There was a black desk at the end of the room, with multiple notepads, ancient-looking books, and a floating green torch. To the right of this, a round opening in the wall led to a bathroom.

In the very center of the room, countless little Fantasy Country snacks and drinks sat atop a tiny table on display, decorated with blue ribbons. Several miniature white lights floated about along the ceiling, illuminating the room.

“This is a bit much,” said Skrili plainly.

“What? It’s awesome!” Deon exclaimed. He ran over to the bed on the left and dove into the mountain of pillows. “This is heaven…” he mumbled through the fluffiness.

He heard Skrili toss her bag onto the other bed. “Alright, I have to go train with Pang,” she said. “I’ll be back here later tonight.”

Deon rolled over to face her. “It’s cool. You think we’ll have any time to get some practice in while we’re here?” he asked.

Skrili looked away and shrugged. “I don’t know…I’m sorry.”

As much as Deon wished he could fight in this tournament, he tried to suppress his jealousy. “No, you’re right—that’s asking a bit too much,” he said.

“Oh, also…” Skrili recalled, opening her bag. “When I got my book, I also saw one that’s perfect for you. This could be a good time for it.”

She tossed him a thick, hardcover book. It must have contained almost a thousand pages.

Deon read the title. In fancy letters, it said: The Multiverse: A Complete Guide for Complete Idiots.

Okay, rude…Deon thought as he glared at the book. He looked back at Skrili. “Thanks…I think…”

Skrili was working hard to maintain her emotionless composure, but he could tell she was trying not to laugh.

“You punk,” Deon snickered.

“It’ll be a useful way to pass the time,” Skrili reasoned. She checked her TeamTrack, following its guide to a corner of the room. Then, a red glow rose from the floor underneath her.

“See you tonight,” she said.

“Good luck,” Deon told her.

With a flash, Skrili vanished from the hotel room.

~~~

A few hours earlier…

Lammy bumped into someone on the crowded walkway, and both apologized as they hurried by.

“Conscious City sure is busy,” Lammy commented, still amazed by all the diverse outfits, buildings, and especially the giant flying reptiles.

“It is,” Zayza agreed beside him. “I hope the Ancient Sage’s guidance was true.”

Lammy glanced at her, and noticed the darkness around her eyes had faded again since yesterday. By now, it was hardly noticeable, while the black markings all over her body were still vivid on her bare arms.

For days, they had followed Wobble’s lead through the forests and fields of Fantasy Country, before he saw them off at Conscious City. It was a rigorous journey, but Wobble’s evening light powers assured them a safe chance to rest each night.

Lammy had quickly gotten into the habit of joining Zayza in the Dream World to help ward off her nightmares. At first, his head needed to be touching hers, but after a couple nights he found he could sink into the Dream World from a distance, as long as he felt for her presence.

The only thing he still didn’t understand was why he was even able to do it.

Whenever he was there, it seemed Zayza’s sharp, aggressive memories would give up sooner and flee. On top of that, the farther they travelled in the Real World, the less they could hear Fewpar’s voice calling to Zayza in the Dream World distance.

It seemed like finally, things were going to get better.

“Have we tried that place yet?” Zayza asked, pointing to a store built out of the same yellowish cobblestone as the Conscious City walkways.

“Yeah…they’re not interested,” Lammy reminded her.

They had been popping into stores and inquiring about work for hours now, but it seemed nobody was hiring. At the very least, Lammy was grateful nobody had recognized Zayza or himself yet. He wondered if this was the Sage’s magic earrings doing their work, or if it was just because nobody here would recognize them in the first place.

“What about there?” tried Zayza.

Now she was pointing to a small, run-down looking building crammed between two elegant eateries.

“I think that place is a restaurant…I thought we were trying to avoid that at all costs,” Lammy pointed out, shivering at the memory of Food Town.

“At this point, perhaps we’ll need to make a compromise,” Zayza suggested.

“But…it looks a little sketchy…”

“Let’s just take a look,” insisted Zayza, already walking towards the place.

The cracked, wooden sign nailed to the top of the building was dangling a bit. It read “The Phoenix,” and in smaller letters, “Home of the famous Phoenix Float!”

Lammy took a long sigh as he followed Zayza. “Here we go again…” he mumbled.

As they stepped inside, Lammy immediately hoped they could earn a bite to eat from this place—its incredible scent was even richer than Food Town’s. The humble interior, however, looked like they hadn’t seen customers in weeks.

It seemed nobody was there, until a tall teenage boy, probably a couple years older than Lammy, rose up from behind the bar with a stack of menus. He noticed them with a jump.

“Oh! Hi, there,” his cracking voice greeted.

“Hello,” said Zayza. “I’m sorry to bother you…we were wondering if you might be hiring?”

The boy froze. Lammy thought it might have been out of fear, and his heart raced.

Oh no…is he one of them?! he thought.

But then, a huge smile grew on the boy’s face. “DAD!” he called, running to the back room. “Dad! We actually have a couple applicants!” he exclaimed.

“Peter, I took the sign down hours ago. We’re gonna have to make do with just us,” a deep, gruffly voice insisted.

“No—dad, I mean we have two applicants, right now!”

“WHAT?! WHO??”

The scrawny boy came rushing out of the back room, with a massive bearded man behind him.

“Oh, well hello there, lady and lad! Who do we have here?” the man asked cheerfully.

“I’m Zayza, and this is Lammy,” said Zayza, feeling for her earring for reassurance.

“The name’s Rob, and this is my son, Pete!” he greeted, patting Pete on the back so hard that he almost stumbled over. “Looking for a job, are ya?”

Zayza and Lammy nodded.

“Got any experience in food service?”

Lammy and Zayza glanced at each other, trying not to visibly cringe at the memory. They nodded again.

“Well I gotta say, this is a miracle!” Rob laughed. “We landed a spot at a huge event tomorrow, but we haven’t been able to find the help we’ll need! No interview necessary—we’ll take ya!”

“Wow—thank you so much,” said Zayza.

“Alright Pete, I’m gonna trust you to get our new friends Zayza and Lancy here trained up today,” Rob instructed, already hurrying to the back room again. “Tonight, we’re off to the Fantasy Country Conscious Competition!”