Conscious, Conscientious

“Aaaaaaaand we are BACK for another night of top-tier Consciousness fighting!! Welcome to Day Two of the Special League Event, brought to you by Hynes Stadium and Anime Boston!!”

Howard Buck’s announcement boomed across the bronze arena, met with applause even rowdier than last night’s. It seemed Day Two inspired an even bigger turnout than the first.

Lammy couldn’t see a single empty seat from where he stood in the Team Hiroko den, this time positioning himself off in the corner to attract as little trouble as possible.

After all, he’d taken part in the forbidden excursion that turned the whole agency livid. By the time Team Hiroko crept back, they had time for no more than a rushed outfit swap and makeup session with Volona before they had to rush off for the start of the fight. Lammy couldn’t imagine making the agency any more furious.

They all ignored him entirely now. But Lammy didn’t realize there were multiple levels to how deeply a person could be ignored until this moment, feeling it from the source of his primary concern.

Mr. Truj stood at the front of the den, his fingers tapping his crossed arms. A vein was bulging from his furrowed forehead.

If I’m not careful, Lammy knew, he really WILL ban me this time…

“Tonight we’re kicking things off with the two losing teams from last night! Only ONE will get a chance to even out their record before hitting the road for the next Event!” continued Howard.

“Great. Let’s watch a bunch of losers,” came Lune’s mumbling commentary.

“Uh…YEAH! First we have the Normal Country natives that came SO CLOSE to beating Team Super. Let’s hear it for the first of our hometown heroes: Normal Nate!!”

The cheers rang out to the sight of the fit copper-haired fighter in green and blue.

But despite their opponent’s grand entrance, Lammy’s interest remained on Mr. Truj.

It didn’t matter how strong these guys were. If Mr. Truj wasn’t willing to see Team Hiroko for what it was this time, Lammy feared nothing would change.

What are you planning this time, Truj…? he pondered.

“Science Fiction Sadie!!”

The applause continued. Mr. Truj didn’t shift an inch, not even to talk to his assistant coaches.

If he could’ve seen us on that rooftop earlier…Lammy contemplated. Maybe he’d finally get it: yesterday doesn’t matter now. We’ve got something special here.

“Horror Hector!!”

Finally, Lammy’s attention shook back to the commencement.

Wait—what kinds of weird names are these?! he finally noticed.

Oh, right. It’s these guys.

He vaguely recalled them from the list he’d reviewed on the way to this reality: the team Otogi referred to as ‘industry plants.’

“Fiction Fiona!!”

“Fantasy Frank!!”

Soon the whole group was on the platform, greeting their raving fans and pumping each other up. For a team of people from Normal Country, they certainly all dressed like they were from separate realities.

“Here they are. Brought to you by Milky Way Agency, Normal Country’s premier League agency that—wait a second, I had to read this yesterday too,” Lune complained. “They’re just known pros who got paid to take on new aliases and—”

“Well they MIGHT seem a LITTLE familiar…” Howard laughed off. “But let’s hear it for the team celebrating the Multiverse: Team Cosplay!!”

“We have a contract to uphold, Lune…” Lammy vaguely heard him caution underneath the applause.

Lammy analyzed the group, gathering little. If not for his adventures through the city earlier today, he would’ve had more time to do his research. Now, he was practically coming into this blind.

But he knew it was more than worth it.

He could already feel the electricity, the new life, before his friends had even entered the arena.

“And now, their competitors. First, let’s hear it for record-breaking champion, Ko—“

The crowd drowned him out before he could finish.

But it wasn’t just for Kotono: all five consciousnesses came bursting through the gate.

Team Hiroko powered forward into the stadium as one.

Arm in arm, Deon, Skrili, Phillip, Kotono, and Otogi marched up to the platform. Finally, the lighting caught on and shifted to a series of flashes and lasers featuring all of the fighters’ colors.

The beams illuminated the team’s faces, and Lammy immediately felt a chill.

His teammates all wore the exact same expression: calm, confident, and united.

“Oh. T—TEAM HIROKO!!” Howard proclaimed, the energy overflowing into him just as it had already captivated the crowd.

“Huh. Cool,” admitted Lune. “I guess we’ll see if they learned from last time.”

In place of the coronation Credo had provided, an official met both teams atop the Earth symbol in the center of the platform to review the rules. Once confirmed, the competitors jogged off to their respective dens.

Lammy’s chill subsided, making way for a rushing heart.

Here we go…

~

“Otogi. Phillip.”

Those were the first words Lammy heard Mr. Truj speak. And still, he didn’t even shift from his position, staring at the platform.

“We won’t lose this time. Got that?”

Ever-unbothered, Otogi loosened his shoulders while he and Phillip stood to approach the edge of the den.

“I wasn’t planning on it,” he promised.

“Understood,” agreed Phillip.

Lammy glanced back to the bench, where Deon and Skrili sat with Kotono. One of Volona’s assistants hovered over them, still tinkering with Kotono’s hair and makeup and blocking her from view.

But Deon glared forward, a hard focus taking the place of his earlier smile. Lammy didn’t realize how Skrili-like it was until he noticed her matching demeanor.

The three sat close, but none of them spoke.

At the front of the den, one of Mr. Truj’s assistants awaited the cue beside Phillip and Otogi. The official on the platform counted down to one, and the fighters marched forward.

“Let’s see our starters. From Team Hiroko: it’s Otogi and Phillip!!”

“They mixed it up this time,” noticed Lune. “Probably for the best, given Kotono’s performance last time. Or, lack of it.”

“And from Team Cosplay’s corner: it’s Horror Hector and Science Fiction Sadie!”

“They’re sticking with last night’s plan. That’s smart for this kind of fight,” Lune commented.

The two duos faced each other on the platform. The room’s many lights reflected harshly off of Science Fiction Sadie’s clothing: she wore a metallic, angular outfit, her eyes hidden behind single-lens sunglasses that faded between colors. The dotted wire that stuck straight out of her headband made Lammy wonder what kinds of odd technologies Science Fiction Country must harbor to be worth celebrating in another reality.

But Horror Hector made him feel the opposite of intrigue. Lammy could only hope his outfit was an exaggeration of Horror Country—Phillip was already eerie enough, but this was another level. Dried blood—fake, Lammy hoped—dripped from the corners of his grin and down to his deep red robe. His eyes looked dead the way his black makeup encircled them.

Phillip simply rolled his eyes.

“Horror Country otakus…” he sighed.

“Looks like everyone is ready to go!” announced Howard. “Let’s hear it, Normal Country:”

“THREE!”

“TWO!”

“ONE!”

“FIGHT!!!”

It began just as instantly as the first fight. But this time, the opening move what not at all what Lammy would’ve expected.

Phillip was making a break for it straight towards the end of the platform.

But his run was unnatural and didn’t nearly reach his full speed—as if he were fighting with himself.

“Welp, Horror Hector’s already putting his Controller powers to use,” muttered Lune.

“Mwahahahahaha!!!” came Hector’s taunt. “Succumb to my control!”

Crap…observed Lammy. So he’s sending Phillip straight out of bounds!

But Otogi merely crossed his arms. “Not to sound cliché, but two can play at that game.”

For nothing more than dramatic effect, he snapped.

“Phillip: you’re on!”

The quick Illusionist knew just what to do. With a confused yelp, Science Fiction Sadie sprung from her position, and she too, started sprinting towards the edge.

“A counterattack!” shouted Howard.

“Yep. Otogi just used his powers to give Horror Hector’s Controller abilities to Phillip,” Lune explained. “Not much Team Cosplay can do about that.”

Lammy had already pieced it together on his own. But it seemed another development was also underway:

Phillip had stopped running. Now, he simply stood in place.

“What?! M—my powers!” gasped Hector. “My Control has failed?! Noooooo!”

“No, it’s Phillip!! It’s an illusion!!” Sadie figured out, panic rising as she neared the edge of the fighting area. “KEEP GOING!”

“Oh, that’s right!”

Hector continued his focus.

“Heh. Too slow.”

In a flash, Otogi appeared before him.

And his foot swung perfectly into the distracted fighter’s ghoulish chest.

Lammy’s eyes widened. Two things followed in unison: the force flung Hector straight out of bounds—but Sadie came to a sliding stop, her neon-covered toes halting just before the edge of the platform.

“YES! That’s one down!” rumbled Deon from the bench.

But as Lammy quickly found, his cousin had spoken too soon: bad news came entangled with the good.

“Horror Hector is defeated by ring-out!” declared Howard. “And so is Phillip!”

“Huh?!”

Lammy frowned. Phillip stood from outside the platform, finally regaining control over his body. They hadn’t defeated Hector in time to account for Phillip’s speed, even as he’d tried to hinder it.

“Still, I’ll admit: that was excellent work from Phillip,” commented Lune. “He thought quick enough to control Science Fiction Sadie, and even used his own powers to distract Horror Hector at the same time. He’s not so boring, after all.”

“Apologies,” Phillip sent to Otogi as he rushed his way back to the den.

“No need!” encouraged Otogi. “You just kept us in the fight!”

“The score is now tied at 1 to 1!”

Otogi and Sadie had both already sprung into action, charging forward and meeting in the center of the platform with expert kicks and dodges.

“Watch out: my Memorizer powers helped me master every combat style I’ve ever seen,” Sadie warned. “It’s time to calculate the win!”

“Heh. You’re a real nerd,” answered Otogi with a series of dodges. “I like that.”

Their exchange continued. Then, with a grandiose leap, another fighter erupted from Team Cosplay’s den.

“It’s Normal Nate!” bellowed Howard.

“They’re getting serious now, I guess.”

His fists rose high, and erratic green orbs lit around them.

“Remember,” he declared, “it’s Normal to FEEL!!”

Another Emovert, Lammy identified.

“Skrili. Go.”

Skrili’s blur left the den before Mr. Truj’s command had even finished. She zipped onto the arena to a wave of exploding cheers.

The new matchup was fierce from the start. Skrili attempted to close in on Nate, narrowly skirting the green orbs of energy he threw to slow her down. Otogi’s faceoff with Sadie raged on just as rapidly.

But after what must have been minutes of this passed, neither side gained the advantage.

“You know what I just realized?” started Lune with a casual yawn. “Where’s the Realistic Fiction Country representation on Team Cosplay?”

“Their coach is from Realistic Fiction,” said Howard.

“Oh. Seems like a copout.”

Inside the den, Lammy’s fists gradually tightened.

Skrili and Otogi haven’t fought as a duo like this long enough, he contemplated. They don’t have any techniques to get an edge.

Eventually the fighters traded targets, but the match continued just as evenly as before. Otogi even activated his abilities to share Nate’s powers with Skrili, but the added firepower wasn’t enough. Neither side slowed down.

Nonetheless, Mr. Truj didn’t waver.

Come on. We have to figure something out before Team Cosplay does first, Lammy stressed.

He glanced at the bench, where Deon sat watching with restless legs.

We need to get him in there. Deon and Skrili together could handle this, no problem.

We could use Tag or Summon. It would be easy.

His heart pounded harder. Trying to convince Truj might mean getting kicked out forever.

But the solution was right there.

“Um…M—Mr. Truj, sir…Deon could—”

“Don’t even, kid.”

Lammy shut up.

If Deon wasn’t so focused on following the fight, he might have snuck Lammy a wink of comfort. But for now, Lammy was alone in this.

At least, that was what he thought.

As soon as he returned his eyes to the platform, he caught Otogi in a lavish leap to dodge Nate’s Emovert blast.

And as Otogi flipped midair, Lammy could’ve sworn his eyes were on him.

They were glimmering.

Knowing.

“What’s this?! Normal Nate has Otogi on his heels! He’s headed for the edge!!”

With every blast, Otogi twirled and hopped closer and closer to the corner of the platform.

Then, sneaking Lammy a wink, he avoided one last explosion—by hopping right out of bounds.

Everybody gasped.

“Ope. Bad dodge,” he said playfully. “Whoops.”

“WHAT IS HE THINKING?!?!?!” came Lune’s shriek, her voice feeding back.

“It’s 2 to 1 in Team Cosplay’s favor!”

What? spun Lammy’s mind.

“Uh…Otogi…?” wondered Deon behind him.

At last, Mr. Truj moved. Instead of tapping his crossed arms, his fingers clamped down on them.

Then, rapidly, he turned around.

Lammy learned what being a Thoughtreader must feel like: he could practically see what was going on in Mr. Truj’s head now.

Before the coach sat his two remaining options: to send in the ace who proved totally useless last time, or the rookie he didn’t trust.

With time ticking, Mr. Truj’s frown tightened.

“Deon,” he caved. “Go!”

Deon snickered, stretching his arms. “Listening to Lammy, huh? That’s the best choice you’ve ever made.”

“Just GO!”

Lammy couldn’t help but smile watching Deon launch into the stadium at last, his smile shining.

Finally, Otogi’s move made sense.

The Sharer arrived back in the den, receiving a quick high-five from Phillip. But their coach was far from considering such pleasantries.

“What was that?!” he demanded. “You threw away the point!”

Otogi evened out his pink hair, unfazed. “We were begging for another loss fighting like that. I just kept us in the fight, like Phillip.”

“WE’RE DOWN BY ONE!!”

“Are we?”

Fully confident in his wording, Otogi kept his back to the fight. He pointed a thumb at Lammy. “I believe the kid. And from what I’ve heard, you’re about to see why you should’ve believed him yesterday, too.”

“And here comes the rookie Deon from Team Hiro—WAIT WHAT THE?!?!”

“WHAT IS HAPPENING?!?!?!”

Everyone in the den twirled back to the fight.

Deon and Skrili’s strategy had already begun without the slightest hint of a word or sign. And though Lammy hadn’t seen their first moments, he knew it wasn’t because he missed their communication.

They didn’t need to preplan a thing. They were already locked in.

Deon’s orange-padded springs appeared all around the platform in a distinct pattern, and Skrili had already leapt into the air to start bouncing between them. She only zipped between the springs in a blurry zigzag for a moment before her kick met the unsuspecting Sadie.

In one clean blow the collision knocked her straight out of bounds, even bouncing her against the padded wall below the seating.

“WHOA! Science Fiction Sadie is defeated by ring-out?!?!” shouted Howard.

“WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!?!” repeated Lune.

“The Skrili and Deon Ultimate Team Attack happened!” Deon answered proudly, imagining a quick wall to block one of Nate’s blasts with ease.

“GUYS! HEEELP!”

The Emovert was now on the move, hands raised in defense. Deon repositioned his attack pads and Skrili once again took flight between them.

Back in the den, Lammy caught Mr. Truj raise a hand to his chin.

“Deon and Skrili, huh…?” he muttered. “Okay, not bad…Not bad at all.”

“The score is tied at 2 to 2! It’s sudden death!!”

“Here comes Fiction Fiona for Team Cosplay,” spotted Lune.

Just in time, the agile fighter in tight leather clothes flipped onto the platform. Once she was in bounds, a pearly wall appeared before Nate and shielded him from Skrili’s incoming kick.

Skrili spun back to the platform and neared Deon to regroup.

“Like Otogi said: two can play at that game!” Fiona exclaimed. “Alright! Let’s turn fiction into reality!!”

Bumping aside Deon’s floating pads, a series of furry creatures appeared in the air all around.

No—it was an entire army of them. More and more popped into existence until there were dozens: all equally cutesy, but varying in color and shape.

Lammy had to admit, Fiona’s creativity was as diverse as it was cohesive.

“Hey Skrili, everyone on their team has a cool catchphrase!” Deon noticed, paying little mind to the impending attack. “We should—”

“No.”

Deon laughed, preparing his own fur-heavy technique. “Fine.”

A legion of Twitchy’s faded into reality, snarling and ready to pounce.

“Always fun to fight another Imaginer,” Deon commented.

Fiona concurred. “You took the words from my mouth.”

The many beings charged, forming their own battle between the consciousnesses. While Deon focused on an opening to get to Fiona, Skrili slipped into the chaos and tried to close in on Nate.

Even with Nate’s energy blasts taking out Twitchy’s one after the other, Deon was quick to reimagine more.

Once again, the struggle came to a standstill.

“Hey…this is actually proving to be a fun fight!” Lune said. “First one all weekend!”

“Or you’re just hard to please…” mumbled Howard.

Lammy could hardly stand still. Deon and Skrili had done precisely what he knew they could, but this Fiona proved more than formidable. Anything could happen.

He felt a hand on his shoulder.

Otogi.

“Thoughts?” the champion probed.

H—he’s asking ME? Lammy marveled.

Phillip approached, arms crossed. “Of course he has thoughts on this. He’s noticed it just as I,” he said. “Haven’t you, Lammy?”

Attempting to set aside his timidity, Lammy nodded.

“Yeah. Deon and Skrili can do this. But…we’re cutting it dangerously close. One bad step, and it’s over,” Lammy analyzed. “It’s risky fighting like this, and it doesn’t have to be. We have a surefire way to finish this off.”

He had more to say, but he cut himself short. If Lammy was being honest with himself, he wasn’t certain his next suggestion was the right call.

It’s probably too soon…he worried. She just got her mind in an okay place, at best. I don’t wanna undo that for her.

Otogi and Phillip stopped themselves from glancing back at the bench. Lammy could tell they’d thought it, too.

But then, Lammy felt a hand land on his other shoulder.

A feathery, gentle one.

“It’s okay,” came Kotono’s voice beside him.

Lammy turned to her. No longer hidden behind Volona’s assistant, she stood soft as a breeze—and yet, sharp as a sword.

“Kotono…you’re—you’re sure?” Lammy checked.

Ethereal white mixed into the red in her eyes.

“A—as far as fights go,” she said, “I’m more sure then I’ve ever been.”

“Sorry to interrupt, but I’M the coach here.”

Everybody faced Mr. Truj. Lammy expected to find his statue-like demeanor from before. But instead, his eyes darted between them and the fight repeatedly.

Uncertainly.

Breaking, Mr. Truj sighed. His stare landed on Lammy.

“You’re confident about this, kid?” he pressed. “No mishaps?”

Lammy and Kotono exchanged glances. Her resolve spread to him.

“I’m—”

“SUMMON: Fantasy Frank!!”

The arena lit green, and everybody in the den pounced.

“There it is, everyone: Team Cosplay has FINALLY used their Special Call!” boomed Howard.

“Fantasy Frank: their Prophet type,” Mr. Truj alerted. “They’re trying to fish for a final technique!”

A long, cloaked individual billowed from Team Cosplay’s den like a spiritual being. But then, by the waving of his arms as he walked, Lammy found it hard to take him seriously.

The crowd, on the other hand, ate it right up with anticipatory ‘oooh’s’ all around.

“Only the future knows the correct path…” he recited dramatically, his face hidden behind his green hood. “Now: I shall SEE BEYOND!”

After a moment of nothing, Fantasy Frank lifted his hood from his head.

But his beady eyes were full of discomfort.

“Well?!” Fiona pried from within the crowded quarrel. “What did you see?! What do we do?!”

“The light will come to comfort all. It is born from pain, but brings hope. The city stirs with questions…” he interpreted. “Friends: I am afraid there’s nothing we CAN do.”

“WHAT?!”

Breaking character, Frank shrugged. “Yeah. We’re screwed.”

The arena filled with confusion.

“H—he’s calling the fight…?” wondered Lune.

But in Team Hiroko’s den, certainty only rang truer.

“Need more confirmation than that, Coach?” Otogi joked.

Lammy and Mr. Truj locked eyes. They both nodded.

“Tag out Skrili or Deon for Kotono,” Lammy insisted.

“Better yet…” started Mr. Truj.

He hurried over to his Special Call console and, confidently, slammed his hand down on a button.

Again, the stadium lit green.

“SUMMON: KOTONO!!” he roared.

Oh, of course: summoning her keeps them all in the fight! Lammy understood. Good thinking, Mr. Truj!

“Team Hiroko’s made their move!!”

“Kotono? They really trust her for this?” questioned Lune.

In stark contrast to the frenzy on the fighting platform, as well as the racket all throughout the stadium seating, Kotono merely stepped out from the den with steady grace.

The instant her feet reached the sidelines, a whiteness showered everything.

It was magnificent. Pure.

Sounds lulled to a gentle hum, like they were coming from far away.

It brought the fight to a total pause. Deon and Skrili turned to witness the spectacle, just as Nate and Fiona did. All of the imagined attacks vanished.

Wow…thought Lammy.

Kotono floated into the air, white light sparkling from her body.

For some reason, Lammy felt his throat tighten. Wetness rolled down his cheeks.

And yet, he felt…safe.

‘I’m still totally lost…I’m so lonely. But…I have friends who don’t want me to be. Friends who understand what I lost. What we lost. And…what she did for us.’

‘Maybe, for now, that’s enough.’

Kotono didn’t speak at all. But Lammy could feel her words from yesterday repeat in his heart.

And then, ever-so-gently, Nate and Fiona rose from the platform. They were oblivious, still transfixed on Kotono as they began floating.

Like a parent’s embrace, the white energy cradled them away from the platform until finally, soundlessly, it placed them out of bounds.

Kotono sighed.

Her body descended until she touched back down. And once she did, the white energy vanished.

In spite of himself, Lammy gasped. It was the only sound in the stadium for a brief moment.

Then finally, the room reawakened.

“That…that was…beautiful…” praised Lune at last.

“It’s over.” Howard’s forced intensity was gone. “That’s the fight, everyone. Team H…Team Hiroko wins, 4 to 2.”

The applause started slow. It was as if everybody here had felt exactly what Lammy did from Kotono’s powers, even without the shared experience.

But eventually, it swelled into a hearty celebration louder than ever before.

“TEAM HIROKO TAKES THE WIN!!!” Howard repeated much more powerfully than before.

On the platform, Deon swooped Skrili up into a swinging embrace.

“YEAH!! THAT’S OUR KOTONO!!”

Lammy found himself caught a whirlwind of high-fives with Phillip, Otogi, and even some of the trainers.

And across the den, Mr. Truj caught his eyes.

But this time, he winked.

Lights flickered everywhere and music blared. But even as the festivities raged to life in every corner, Kotono simply turned back around.

With a calm smile, she returned to the den in silence.

Lammy tried to break through the sea of partying to reach her. Too awkward to offer a hug, he figured she’d at least appreciate a quick congratulation.

But instead, all the jumping and dancing bumped him in the opposite direction.

Lammy stumbled, falling neatly onto the booth at the back.

Oh—Deon’s TeamTrack, he noticed resting beside him.

But the screen was on, and particularly bright. It vibrated, so Lammy jumped to catch it from shaking to the floor.

Deon had just gotten a message.

No—it looked like all of his teammates were recipients.

It was Credo:

“Everyone, this is not a drill. Do NOT read out loud. Do NOT react visibly.

Proscious has been detected here in Boston.”

Lammy went cold.