“Please, come in,” called the doctor.

Deon followed Phillip into the Gloat Stadium Healing Center. They walked down a bright hall for a moment before turning and entering a specific room with the same white walls and glowing orbs as the waiting area.

Phillip immediately veered to the left and approached the bed where Pang lay, sound asleep and snoring. He sat by her side.

“She’s a small one, so the treatment packed quite a punch,” explained the doctor. “She’s fully recovered and stable, but we’ll have to keep her here overnight. You’re welcome to accompany her.”

On the opposite side, Skrili sat in the other bed, finally awake again. Her long blue hair flowed down, falling around her still-frayed clothes. But thankfully, all the burn marks were totally gone. Deon gave her a smile as he walked over.

To his surprise, she gave a friendly, however drowsy, wave.

“Skrili is fully healed, as well. Ms. Inoue’s strange powers did most of the work,” the doctor added. “Ms. Inoue’s new healing abilities are evidently extremely potent—and we provided our own treatment to be extra safe—so for the time being, the effects have left Skrili a bit…”

“Whoa…I feel amazing…” Skrili slurred as her hazy eyes gazed around the room.

“…Out of it?” Deon finished.

The doctor nodded. “She may return to her hotel room, but only if you escort her closely. We’ll provide discrete transportation for her privacy.”

Deon returned his nod, relieved that these healing doctors were actually helping, unlike the green-robed healers during the championship. Kotono’s uncontrollable power had truly spooked them—and whoever was calling the shots. He was just glad it wasn’t too late.

He returned his attention to Skrili, and then tried not to laugh as he noticed her swaying back and forth blissfully.

“Well, you did it,” he said. “I know you guys lost, but technically you still saved Phillip. Heck—you saved all of us. That was seriously awesome.”

“I like soft socks,” replied Skrili.

“Uh…right…” uttered Deon. “Let’s get you back to the room.”

He offered his hand, but ultimately had to reach for Skrili’s when she wasn’t picking up on his cue. She loyally followed him to her feet but almost lost balance immediately, leaning against him for a moment.

She’s even worse than the last couple times, Deon noticed. Then again, she did almost die…

“Wuh-oh—that was close,” Skrili giggled after she regained her footing.

Deon laughed. He had to admit, this goofier side of her was kind of cute.

Still holding her hand with gentle caution, Deon decided to slowly guide her over to Pang’s bed before departing.

Phillip sat by Pang’s side, both hands placed over one of hers as he watched her. Deon couldn’t quite fathom the emotional depth in Phillip’s expression—especially with his long and spikey bangs masking most of it.

“Never thought I’d say this, but that’s one heck of a friend you have there,” Deon told him. “Make sure you keep her around.”

Phillip’s face reddened slightly as he smiled and managed a single, slow nod.

“And hey—I’m glad you’re gonna be able to get the treatment. Really,” added Deon. “It’s been fun watching all these fights together, man.”

“It was…bearable at times,” muttered Phillip.

Deon chuckled.

“Bye, teammate…” Skrili mumbled, waving to Pang. “See you tomorrow…”

Inadvertently, Deon’s chuckle deflated.

‘Teammate,’ huh? he repeated in his head.

He recalled Peter’s honest words from days before, after Skrili and Pang’s first round victory. With all the success and attention they were seeing, a bigger and better future was right before their feet.

I guess it only makes sense… why shouldn’t Skrili and Pang keep their team going? he contemplated. On top of that, they’re starting to be friends again. I guess there’s no reason not to.

Maybe…Skrili just hasn’t broken it to me yet.

His chest twisted a bit as he tried to force his smile to remain. Waving goodnight, he led Skrili towards the exit.

“Oh—I almost forgot,” called the doctor, approaching Deon and Skrili once more. For some reason, he carried a large, droopy sunhat and big circular sunglasses. “You’ll probably want to have her wear these.”

Deon observed the unfashionable accessories as the doctor handed them to him. “Uh…why?” he asked.

“I suppose you’re probably new to this, given Skrili is a rookie,” realized the doctor. “She just competed in a major championship, and made quite a name for herself. The media and fans will flock to her if she passes by undisguised, and she’s in no state to deal with that.”

“Rainbows,” said Skrili.

“Oh—she’s up there with the big names now,” realized Deon. “So these clothes must be magical like the levitation bracelets, right? Do they make her invisible or something?”

“No. They’re just a regular hat and sunglasses.”

“What?!”

“Every budget runs out eventually,” admitted the doctor with a shrug. “Your transport will meet you at the edge of the platform. We’ve added the location to your TeamTrack. Good luck!”

With that, the healing doctor walked away, leaving Deon to wonder how a goofy hat and sunglasses were supposed to disguise Skrili in the slightest.

He led Skrili out of the room, shaking his head. Doing his best to navigate the long, white hallways within this secluded area of Gloat Stadium, Deon slowly worked his way towards the location on his TeamTrack. After a while he reached the outer area of the colossal building, and found a small dark hallway that led to a back exit.

Deon followed this hall, adamant to avoid the annoying press people that pestered his friends last time. The door at the end wasn’t magical—he had to open it manually. As they stepped outside, Deon was surprised to find a dark evening sky. He’d lost track of how much time had passed since the championship fight had begun. A cool, moderate mist rained down gently.

The duo stood on a bare, remote part of the Gloat Stadium platform, far beneath the arched roof. Thankfully, nobody else was in sight. When Deon checked his TeamTrack, the transport was only a minute or two’s walk away.

Skrili shuddered beside him, and he looked to find her shivering intensely, hugging herself. Clearly, her light fighting outfit wouldn’t cut it for a nighttime walk in the rain.

“Oh—I guess it is pretty chilly now, huh?” Deon said. “Here; I’ll imagine you one of my tunics. Actually—take this one, it’s already warm. I promise it’s not sweaty.”

Deon took off his black tunic, feeling the crisp air against his skin. Stepping close, he lifted it over Skrili’s head to drape it around her shoulders.

Suddenly, a sensation made him freeze in place.

“Uh…Skrili, what are you…doing…?” he wondered.

Skrili had placed her hand on his chest softly. She stood even closer now, her sluggish eyes drifting up to his with an unreadable expression. There was a subtle pink hue on her cheeks.

“I dunno…I just wanted to…” she whispered.

Deon stiffened even further. He’d never gazed so closely into her deep purple eyes. Realizing how hard his heart had started pounding, Deon hastily finished wrapping his tunic around Skrili and backed away.

“Well—uh—oh—um—” Deon stammered, imagining a new tunic onto himself. “Why—why don’t we get going?”

He took Skrili’s hand again and continued leading their way towards the transport.

Whoa…Deon thought. What was that? I never get flustered. Man, this is gonna be awkward when she’s back to normal…

They only passed by a few people as they walked, and most were preoccupied employees. For Skrili’s dignity, Deon put off giving her the ‘disguise’ for now. He imagined a floating umbrella above them to protect them from the drizzle.

Soon, they neared the indicated destination. At the edge of the platform floated a horse carriage illuminated with levitation magic on the bottom. A fancily-dressed employee in a top hat sat in the outer front seat, holding the reigns for two white, winged horses. He gave a polite wave.

What single thing about this transport is discrete?! wondered Deon. Flying horses pulling a light-up carriage?!

Nonetheless, Deon waved back as he guided Skrili to the transport. The door opened on its own as they approached. After helping Skrili in, Deon crouched into the roofed carriage.

“Comfortable back there?” called the driver.

“We’re good, thanks.”

Deon felt the gentle inertia as the horses flapped their wings, carrying the carriage away from the Gloat Stadium platform. He was grateful it was a much more graceful takeoff than Gibblezgorv’s. Skrili hugged Deon’s tunic close as she looked out the window, the misty rain increasing outside.

Soon, Gloat Stadium was far beneath them in the distance.

For minutes, the soft hiss of the mist against the carriage was the only sound. Despite Deon’s attempts to focus on anything else, he couldn’t stop hearing Skrili call Pang her ‘teammate’ back in the Healing Center.

“So uh…you and Pang, huh?” he said, trying to hide any emotion.

Skrili lazily turned away from the window to face him with a sleepy smile. “We’re a pretty good team, aren’t we? I think we’re gonna be friends again…”

Heart sinking, Deon broke eye contact and stared at his hands. “Yeah…that’s really great.”

Silence befell the carriage once more.

Why…is it such a big deal? Deon thought. Like Alex told me, there are so many other consciousnesses looking for teammates. So who cares…right?

But…I still want it to be Skrili. I just do.

“Hey,” started Deon, his eyes still stuck to his hands. “Like…do you think you’ll stay with Pang, now? I mean, I get it, but I was hoping—”

Skrili suddenly slumped against him. Finally looking back, he found her fast asleep.

Deon sighed. Now wasn’t the time to seek an answer.

But he felt he didn’t need to hear it from her: it was obvious.

Skrili began drooping further when the carriage took a descending turn, so Deon placed his arm around her to keep her in place comfortably. Her warmth felt soothing.

He didn’t want the carriage to ever land.

He wanted to know her more. To see how her life would unfold after this tournament. To see her someday find contentment despite her past he still had so many questions about. He wanted to be a part of that.

This girl, who taught him everything he knew about this strange Multiverse, who constantly challenged him since the day they met, had just single-handedly saved him and thousands of people by risking her life. And now she rested soundly in his arms, her blue hair running along the tunic he gave to her.

Deon had always wanted to be the strongest. Now he wanted to get strong enough to protect her in the same way she’d done for him.

He’d never felt this way before.

But…if you’ll be happy with Pang instead, thought Deon, I guess I’ll just have to accept that.

He felt a subtle shake and rumble as the carriage touched down on a solid surface. Looking out the window, he saw the Hotel of Champions towering high in the misty air. They had landed at the edge of the platform, just before the long, elegant walkway.

But a much less appealing view immediately blocked his sight: countless press and media workers flocked the carriage like hungry flies. Immediately, their rabid questions filled the air—despite Skrili having not even set foot outside yet.

“Crap…” Deon muttered. “Well, we’re here. This will be fun,” he said, nudging Skrili. He shifted to open the door, but Skrili remained in place against the seat.

She lifted her head groggily. “I don’t feel very good…” she moaned.

Deon shrugged. “I got you. We’re gonna need to be quick to fight off all these crazies.”

Stepping outside, he helped Skrili to the edge of the seat. Instantly, the crowd pressed closer, spewing questions and comments endlessly. Deon was quick to stand in their way, blocking their view of Skrili.

“PANG?! Is that Pang Pereo?!”

“It might be Skrili Kay!! Skrili, tell me about…”

“No it’s probably Hiroko!! Ms. Hamasaki, how does it feel to win?!”

Deon rolled his eyes. “Sorry, but I guess you should wear these, after all,” he said to Skrili, breaking out the goofy hat and sunglasses. He placed them on her as Skrili clutched her stomach woozily. While they covered most of her face, it was still pretty obvious who she was.

“Here—let’s go,” Deon said, picking her up out of the carriage and into his arms.

Rapid lights flashed all around them, practically blinding Deon as he tried to move forward. Wincing, he prepared to hear endless questions about the championship loss.

But none of the reporters seemed remotely interested in that.

No—something was apparently far more intriguing:

“Ms. Kay!! Who is this man?!”

“Is this a boyfriend?! What’s his name?”

“Did you just meet at an afterparty?! Is this a hookup?!”

“Sir, did Skrili have too much to drink?”

“She’s definitely drunk! Look at her!”

“How long have you two—”

“DO YOU MIND?!?!?!?!?!” Deon bellowed. Pressing forward, he forced his way through the crowd.

Despite his aggression, the mob followed close behind as Deon hurried Skrili towards the hotel.

For frick’s sake…Deon thought. He imagined a thick, round wall around himself and Skrili, commanding it to follow them as they continued onward. At last, he’d warded them off, their voices muffled on the outside.

His frustration fizzled when they finally made it inside the hotel. The receptionist happily summoned the blue warp energy beneath them, sending them off to their tower.

Deon carried Skrili into their room and let out a big, long sigh.

“What a day,” he uttered with a smirk.

Skrili had gone silent once more, her eyes hidden behind the large sunglasses. Deon carefully lowered her into her bed, and within seconds, she was back to sleep.

Deon lifted off the hat and sunglasses, leaving his tunic to keep her warm. After bringing her blankets up to her shoulders, he turned away.

You and Pang, huh? he repeated in his head. The sinking feeling spread down to his gut.

Makes sense.

He wanted to look back one more time, but didn’t.

His next move felt obvious—he knew exactly what to do. Unlike in Tailpiece, out here in the Multiverse, things changed rapidly. Now he realized that meant people came and went rapidly, too.

Life wouldn’t slow down for him. Since he was too late to keep Skrili around, he needed to act now, before he’d miss another chance.

But he knew he’d need help.

Deon retrieved his TeamTrack from his pocket, and shot Alex a message.

~

The award ceremony was, as Deon had come to expect, grandiose. Already, the stadium was totally back to normal—thanks most likely to imaginers and magic users working for the event.

Similarly, the audience had recovered its usual numbers, the seats and balconies packed with cheering fans.

The fighting platform was no longer a place for heated, explosive battles. Today, for the past couple hours, it had been a performance stage: musical groups, dancers, and past consciousness celebrities took turns filling the stadium with celebration and life.

Now, however, it was mostly cleared off—save for a set of smaller platforms perfectly in the center. Here stood the four final teams. Ving and Alex stood on a lower, outer step, with the other semi-finalists John and Matt on the opposite end. Between them, raised higher, stood Skrili and Pang.

And of course in the center, highest of all, stood the champions.

“We are proud to declare, once again, Kotono Inoue and Hiroko Hamasaki as the winners of the Fantasy Country Conscious Competition!” Soot and Talonvorp said together.

Miniature, glistening stars burst into existence all around, slowly descending onto all the observers. Gloat Stadium shook with applause.

Much more magnificent versions of the stars appeared around Kotono and Hiroko’s necks, but they paid no attention, turning and embracing each other tightly.

Beside them, Skrili stood calmly, seemingly back to her senses. Pang looked off to the side in attempted indifference, though she clapped politely nonetheless. But when Hiroko and Kotono turned to them with endearing smiles, she couldn’t resist returning her admiration. The four fighters drew close, exchanging pleasantries and laughter, soon joined by Alex and Ving.

Deon wondered how Alex was so lively, especially after how late they’d stayed up hanging out last night.

“It’s beautiful,” uttered Phillip beside Deon, standing before his assigned seat.

Deon chuckled. “You’re weird when you’re in a good mood…or just always, honestly,” he teased. “But…you’re right.”

He watched on as Pang abruptly wrapped her arm around Skrili, practically toppling her with joy. Skrili finally cracked a big smile.

Deon lifted his TeamTrack, rereading the message he’d received from Skrili that morning, after he awoke late to find himself alone:

“Meet me on the small white bridge after the ceremony,” she’d said. “We should talk.”

Ignoring the flickering lights and endless elation all around, Deon sighed. He knew what this would be about.

At least I was able to figure things out with Alex, he thought. When she breaks it to me, I’ll be ready.

~

Deon was certain he’d located the smallest of the white bridges. At an outer section of the Gloat Stadium platform, there ran an icy blue river, floating magically in the sky evenly with the ground. Throughout the tournament he’d noticed some fans and fighters sitting by it to soak their feet, while most others passed over it on the several pearly white bridges along its path.

Looking into the crowds, Deon stood alone on the littlest bridge. He’d been waiting for quite a while, beginning to feel foolish. Most likely, Skrili had gotten held up with new fans and crazed reporters.

Or worse: she’d forgotten.

“Oh—oh look! It’s her…” a hushed voice said to their companion.

“Skrili…she’s so cool…” uttered another.

Skrili approached the bridge, offering an uncomfortable yet warm smile to her admirers as she passed them by. She stepped onto the bridge, facing Deon with an unclear, plain expression.

“Hey,” said Deon.

Skrili looked off to the side. “Hey,” she said.

Silence.

Skrili shifted, before finally returning eye contact. “Um—I’m—” she started.

“Look—I know where this is going, Skrili,” Deon said with a soft smile. “And, it’s okay. Really. Actually, if it’s okay with you, there’s something I want you to see.”

Skrili paused. Deon could practically see her mind trying to grasp where he was going with this. “Um…sure,” she said.

“So…there’s something I’ve been working on for a while now,” started Deon. “Like, since back in No Man’s Land, after we fought Pang and Phillip the second time. I made a lot of progress, but it wasn’t coming out quite right. But after last night, I realized I should really get it done. Since—you know—we probably won’t be seeing much of each other after this…”

Skrili’s eyebrows furrowed in further confusion.

“I know this mattered a lot to you,” said Deon. “I really wanted you to have this again.”

He reached into his tunic and pulled out a photograph.

Skrili looked as if she stopped breathing once she beheld the image.

Then finally, she let in a massive gasp. Tears built up right after as she brought her hands to her mouth.

“What…?” she asked chokingly. “Akri…?”

Deon smiled boomingly, holding the restored photo of Skrili and her little brother up for her to see. “I feel like it came out alright, what do you think?”

He stepped forward and placed the photograph in her now tear-filled hand. Skrili’s wide eyes stayed fixated on the image.

“H—how?” she stammered. “Pang tore it to shreds…”

“After that fight, I went to grab your things because it was starting to rain,” Deon explained. “I picked up as many ripped pieces as I could find off the ground—I think I got them all.”

“But…it looks totally new…” Skrili muttered.

“To be honest, I’ve been staying up or sneaking away most nights to work on recreating it ever since we decided to team up,” Deon shared. “It was really tough…I’m not good enough at imagining yet for that kind of detail. But since you’ll be moving on, I wanted to get this to you now. So I hit up Alex last night for help, and he was nice enough to meet with me. The dude’s an insane imaginer—I definitely couldn’t have done it without him. We worked on it for hours, and now it’s done!”

Skrili held the photo delicately, like it might vanish in the breeze.

“Keep it—it’s yours for good,” Deon said. “Alex helped me make sure it will stay in existence as a real object. It’s not going anywhere.”

Finally, Skrili looked back at him. For the first time ever, he felt like he could see into her soul.

“This is…the most special thing anyone’s ever done for me…” she said.

Deon blushed, despite himself, scratching his head. “Well…just remember me when you and Pang win all your tournaments, alright?”

Again, Skrili’s eyebrows furrowed. “Huh? What are you talking about?”

“I mean…last night, you kinda talked like you and Pang were gonna…” started Deon, but he fell short when Skrili’s look silenced him. “Wait—you’re not staying with Pang?”

“No. I literally never planned on that,” she said plainly.

“Wait—really?!”

“Yes…?”

“But…last night…”

“I don’t even remember last night,” said Skrili. “I wanted to pick up where you and I left off.”

Deon let out a massive sigh of relief, practically falling forward. “Man…I really shouldn’t read into things…” he realized. “So…we’re still a team then?”

“We’re still a team,” Skrili insisted. “I’d like to…” she glanced away. “I’d like to keep fighting with you…” she muttered practically inaudibly.

“ALRIGHT!” boomed Deon. “Wait, so…what was it you wanted to talk about, then?”

“Logistics.”

“JUST LOGISTICS?!?!”

“Yes,” said Skrili seriously. She crossed her arms, now in full get-to-work mode. “I assume you like these kinds of things, right? The Conscious Competition?” she inquired.

“Heck yeah—I’d die do fight in one of these with you!” exclaimed Deon. “Why?”

“Well…an opportunity came up,” she started. “We might be able to make that happen—a lot sooner than you’d think.”