Conscious, Conscientious

“WE’RE GONNA MISS IT AGAIN!!!” Deon bellowed.

“Keep it down, will ya?” retorted Pang irritably.

“The fight is about to commence,” Phillip calmly pointed out.

Skrili sighed, half paying attention.

The four consciousness fighters walked down the long Gloat Stadium hall, which bridged the way to an exclusive balcony for competing Consciousness teams. Originally Skrili and Pang figured other guests weren’t allowed, but they had recently noticed teams invite a friend or two to join them with no issue.

“I hope you’re ready for perhaps the biggest fight yet!!!” they all heard Soot’s voice bounce against the walls.

Deon hurried his pace from a fast walk to a jog, doing his best to skirt other attendees and workers along the way. He’d managed to miss both of Kotono and Hiroko’s fights so far, and he wasn’t about to let it happen again. They were the best in Fantasy Country, and one of the best in the entire Multiverse: he needed to see them in action.

Not only that, but if they won, they were Skrili and Pang’s next opponents.

“Come on, guys!” he called back.

“Why don’t you try fighting Alex and Ving, getting healed, and then instantly having to be on the move? Good grief,” Pang grumbled. “We’re a little tired, here.”

Thankfully, since body fatigue was their worst injury, the process at the healing center didn’t take as long as last time or put them out of commission.

But it sure made them cranky.

“Who will it be?! Normal Country powerhouses John Brown and Matt Jones, or our beloved homegrown champions, Kotono and Hiroko?!”

“GUYS HURRY!!”

Phillip was right behind Deon, and he could only hope Pang and Skrili had picked up the pace.

“THREE!! TWO!! ONE!! FIGHT!!!!” the crowed cheered.

By now, Deon could see the end of the hallway, where the arena began. He sighed: they were going to make it.

“Let’s take careful notes,” Phillip decided.

“Right,” agreed Deon.

“And don’t get foolishly distracted with food or women this time.”

“But—okay, fair enough.”

“And Pang: wait—what?” Phillip stammered, abruptly coming to a stop.

Reluctantly, Deon spun around to join him.

Pang was lying stomach-down on the floor down the hall, like she had been trudging in a desert for days. Skrili sat leaning against the wall with her head in her hands dizzily.

“GUYS!!!!” Deon exclaimed.

“I can’t go on…just leave my poor soul behind…” Pang moaned dramatically, her cheek against the floor.

“Just watch it without us…” mumbled Skrili slowly.

“DO YOU HEAR YOURSELVES?!?!”

They all winced as a red light flashed, blinding them for an instant. A ground-shaking explosion immediately followed. Then, similarly, the crowd exploded into ecstatic applause.

“IT’S ALREADY OVER!!!” Soot squealed. “THEY’RE GOING TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP!!! THEY’RE GOING TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP!!!!”

“It seems the stronger their opponents, somehow the faster they win! Astounding,” added Talonvorp. “So the Fantasy Country Championship is set: Kotono Inoue and Hiroko Hamasaki versus Pang Pereo and Skrili Kay!”

“It’s so poetic!” Soot noted. “I see a lot of Kotono and Hiroko in Pang and Skrili’s fighting. This is gonna be one for the records in an already history-making Conscious Competition!”

Deon’s head dropped. “Dangit…” he cursed.

After finally convincing Skrili and Pang to get up, the quartet made their way to the balcony to catch whatever was left to see, which as Deon figured, was basically nothing.

The defeated team sat, seemingly in shock, at the corner of the arena while green-robed workers healed them from behind. Kotono and Hiroko were already floating away on a platform towards one of the gates, as the massive audience flooded them with affection.

Hiroko was leaning close to Kotono with an arm around her, as if to comfort her, while Kotono kept her head down, nodding repeatedly. It looked almost as if they had lost, as well.

“Oh, hey guys!” a friendly voice greeted. Deon and the rest turned to see Alex and Ving approaching them, smiling as always. “Did you miss it?”

Deon shrugged. “Yep.”

“Aw, man—it was crazy! I’m jealous! That championship’s gonna be the challenge of a lifetime,” said Alex.

Ving nodded. “Friends, congratulations on your hard-earned v—”

“Alex and Ving! Alex and Ving! A quick question for you!!” someone interrupted, stepping right into the middle of the group of fighters. Several other people with silver badges dangling from their necks rudely stepped between them, bumping Deon, Phillip, Skrili, and Pang out of the way. They all held floating circular lights in their hands, which they vigorously shoved in Alex and Ving’s faces.

Alex sighed. “I thought the press wasn’t allowed up here…”

“Are you two really splitting up?!”

“Why?! Is there inner conflict?!”

“Ving—is it true you’re retiring?!”

Deon watched on in annoyance. “Jeez, aggressive much?” he mumbled to Skrili.

“That’s the press for you,” she said, still holding her head.

Their questions raged on, until Alex lifted a hand.

“Alright, alright, one at a time, guys,” he said. “Yeah, our team is ending.”

“Why?! What about your fans? Your career?”

“I have decided to retire. Something just…doesn’t feel right,” Ving explained patiently.

“You’re really gonna just up and quit after such a disappointing loss against rookies?”

Alex’s eyebrows furrowed. For once, he seemed genuinely bothered. “Disappointing?” he repeated. “What about that fight was disappointing? That was one of the best fights we’ve ever had. Skrili and Pang won because they fought hard and worked together. Who cares if they’re newbies? They deserve the championship opportunity.”

“You really think they can beat Kotono and Hiroko, though? Really?”

Pang rolled her eyes. Deon figured if she was up to it, she would have spoken up for herself. Skrili remained expressionless, watching on.

“They have what it takes. They have our full support and respect,” Ving sang, her eyes falling to Skrili and Pang with a smile. “Thank you for your time,” she told the press gently.

Immediately, one of the reporters turned and approached Pang and Skrili, and the rest quickly swarmed them, as well.

“What’s your strategy for the championship?!”

“How did you two get so strong so young?”

“Why do you have a look and style so similar to Hiroko and Kotono? Are they your inspiration?”

“A statement for Kotono and Hiroko?!”

The reporter with that last request shoved their glowing circle directly in Skrili’s face. The rest of the press fell silent, eager to hear a response.

Skrili stared back at them unevenly for several seconds, still a bit out of it from the healing. Then she turned, located the nearest trash bin, and threw up into it.

With a start, Deon walked over to check on her.

The reporters all stared on in confusion. Then, they turned fully to Pang and continued their barrage.

They inundated her with countless overlapping questions until a nearby security guard finally closed in to shoo them away like houseflies. The obnoxious crowd unwillingly dispersed.

“Yeah keep walking, ya rabid animals!” Deon called after them, patting Skrili’s back as she hunched over.

Pang chuckled. “You finally get the chance to say something to the Kotono and Hiroko, and that’s gonna be their first impression of you. Nice.” She kept laughing.

“Shut up,” Skrili groaned.

~~~

Lammy flipped a row of burgers, the grill’s unrelenting heat pressing against his face. After hours of cooking, it was beginning to make him wonder if his head would catch fire.

He stepped back and glanced up at Rob’s floating screen in the corner. The two fights of the day had concluded hours ago, so the broadcast featured various experts and veteran pros discussing the impending championship.

“There they go!” Rob pointed out from the prep station. “To think, little Blue and Red making it all the way to the championship to face Kotono and Hiroko. What a world.”

Lammy smiled as images of Skrili Kay and Pang Pereo flashed on the screen. With Rob’s connection to them, he wondered if he’d ever get to meet this incredible duo.

Then the commentators transitioned to discussing Kotono Inoue and Hiroko Hamasaki once again. Much like them, Lammy’s mind had been on Kotono Inoue all day—but for entirely different reasons.

Ever since she had visited the Phoenix, he couldn’t stop thinking about it:

Did Kotono really recognize Zayza?

He couldn’t bring himself to mention the incident to Zayza yesterday. Ever since they arrived at Gloat Stadium with Rob and Pete, she’d been loving life again: she was back to the cheerful girl before Najinzu and Fewpar kidnapped them. Bringing this up would snatch away this brief reprieve from her reality.

But…the implications were impossible to ignore.

Their enchanted earrings were supposed to disguise them from anyone who had previously known them. According to the Ancient Sage, the only people it wouldn’t work on…

…Would be people who knew their ‘true selves.’

So…if I wasn’t just seeing things…Lammy pondered. …Then Kotono doesn’t just know Zayza…she knows her deeply.

This was either a ray of hope, or extremely dangerous.

He needed to tell her.

Hours later, Lammy heard Zayza greet Peter out front: she had returned to restock. His heart skipped a beat: it was time.

Zayza skipped into the back kitchen, humming all along.

“Hi Lammy!” she said, joy glistening all around her as she strolled by the grill.

“Uh-hey…” Lammy stuttered.

Zayza stopped, her head tilting to the side. “Is something wrong?”

“Actually,” began Lammy, “I need to tell you something.”

“Oh?”

Lammy swallowed. “Yesterday…someone came by to order…and when they saw you walk by, it really seemed like they knew—”

“Oh! That reminds me!” Zayza interrupted quickly with a nervous laugh.

Huh? thought Lammy. Zayza never interrupts me…

He noticed her subconsciously hide her marked arms behind the food box she carried as she clung to her bright expression intensely, like she was desperate to protect it.

Was she trying to avoid the problem?

“Do you know anyone named—” started Zayza.

The doorway to the front burst open, slamming against the wall. Peter stood there, his eyes shining like stars.

“GUYS!!!!” he shouted. “We just got an incredible delivery request!!”

“What? Pete, I thought I told you to turn off delivery orders. Between the store and balcony concessions, we just don’t have the people,” Rob explained soberly.

“But Dad: this delivery request,” insisted Peter, “is to the Hotel of Champions.”

Once again, Lammy’s heart skipped a beat. “Wait…isn’t that where all the Main Event fighters are staying?”

Peter nodded a million times. “Yes!! We have to take it!”

“The Hotel of Champions, huh?” repeated Rob. “What name’s it under?”

“It just said ‘guest,’ and the payment information wasn’t under any of the fighters’ names,” Peter elaborated. “But—that could just be someone’s manager or something! There’s a chance it’s for one of the teams!”

If that’s the case, it could be for Kotono Inoue, Lammy thought. To protect Zayza, I just have to make sure she isn’t the one to—

“I’d love to deliver it!” Zayza declared.

Crap.

“Well hold on now, I never said we’d take the order,” Rob said. “But…alright, fine. This is too special to pass up.”

“Actually, Zayza,” Peter said, “in the order notes, they specifically requested that the ‘green-eyed, brown haired girl’ deliver the food. Weird, right?”

I was right, then, Lammy noticed. This must be Kotono’s order—and she wants to talk to Zayza.

“Dad, can I go too?!” Peter begged. “Kotono Inoue already ordered from us once; what if it’s for her? I could meet her!”

Uh-oh, I’d better act now, Lammy realized.

“Actually Zayza, could we talk for a second?” he asked.

Zayza looked back at him, stunned for a moment. He could tell from her unsteady eyes: whatever it was Lammy had been trying to tell her, she was afraid to find out.

She was trying to maintain this fantasy, as if everything they were running from would never come back.

“Oh…of course, Lammy,” she said with a weakening smile.

~

Puffs of nervous air evaporated from Lammy and Zayza as they stepped into the walk-in fridge at the back of the rented restaurant space. The door closed behind them, leaving the two in silence.

Lammy looked at Zayza, fearing anything he’d say would destroy the peace she had finally found working here, away from all their troubles. He figured it best to just get straight to the point.

“I think Kotono Inoue knows you,” he revealed plainly.

Zayza’s eyes widened. “Huh? The famous girl in the championship?”

Lammy nodded. “She came by the store to order, and when you walked by it really seemed like she recognized you. She looked pretty surprised. I think she placed this order so she could talk to you in private.”

“But…considering our earrings…” Zayza pondered aloud, “she would only recognize me if she knew my true self.”

“Exactly.”

Zayza closed her eyes in thought, her face growing serious. For the first time in days, she was allowing real life to sink back in. Lammy glanced at her markings for an instant, but looked away so she wouldn’t notice.

He could hear Fewpar and Najinzu’s voices tormenting them.

When Zayza opened her eyes, they were focused on his. Whatever she was about to say, she was resolved in her decision to say it.

“I’m still going to deliver the order,” she told him. “I want to meet her.”

“Wait, but…what if…”

“If Kotono truly recognized me, then she must know something about my past,” Zayza shared. “Besides: you recognize my true self, and we’ve been nothing but friends. So maybe…she’s someone we can trust, too.”

“That’s…possible…” Lammy agreed reluctantly.

“And maybe,” continued Zayza, “She can prove I’m not the monster Fewpar and Najinzu say I am…”

Lammy watched her as she bit her quivering lip.

She deserves the truth…he thought. But is it worth the risk? What if Kotono’s not a friend? What if it’s a trap?

And what if the truth…hurts her?

“I’ll come with you,” Lammy decided. “I’m not letting you face this alone.”

After a moment, a sad smile grew on Zayza’s face. It was no longer the fake, defensive one from earlier to deflect her problems away. It was genuine.

“Very well,” she agreed.

~

Peter wasn’t quite as content with their proposition.

“Aw man…” he moaned. “I wanna meet a celebrity…”

“Sorry, but I insist on going,” Lammy said apologetically.

“We made an agreement,” explained Zayza, “to keep each other safe.”

“You’re just doing a delivery, I don’t really get it…” mumbled Peter. But he shrugged and gave an embarrassed smile. “But…alright. My heart belongs to Skrili, anyway,” he added quietly.

“Huh?”

“UH—NOTHING!!”

“It’s decided then,” confirmed Rob, analyzing the order on a floating ticket. “Sure looks like a lot of Phoenix Floats for just one team…these people are in for a feast!”

~

Lammy and Zayza carried two large delivery boxes in the chilly evening air. They passed by countless fans and festivities on the Gloat Stadium platform, delighted chatter and activities all around them. Even though the semi-finals fights had concluded hours ago, attendees were as lively as ever.

A couple young girls scurried past Lammy and Zayza, dressed up as Kotono Inoue and Hiroko Hamasaki. A third followed close behind in no particular costume.

Lammy sighed apprehensively. What are we doing? What if we’re being set up?

Perhaps Zayza had a point: if he was able to remember her with the earring on, and saw her as harmless, maybe Kotono did, too. But he couldn’t shake the fear that they were walking straight back into the peril they had narrowly escaped.

Eventually, the duo reached the edge of the floating platform. They activated the levitation bracelets Rob had supplied, which were linked to more levitation strands attached under their delivery boxes. Lammy was relieved as his box became weightless; he carried all the beverages, and they had already been bending his back out of shape.

They floated into the starry sky, following a magical navigation chart just before Zayza. After several minutes, the clamor of nightlife grew distant as they ascended forward, farther and farther away from the central platforms.

Lammy’s nerves grew while they flew in dark silence. This hotel was much higher and more secluded than the rest of Gloat Center.

This really could be a set up, he realized.

So far, Zayza said nothing the entire trip. Lammy knew she must have been nervous too, potentially this close to the truth…or something worse.

“It’s there,” Zayza called to Lammy, pointing ahead.

At the very least, this Hotel of Champions was well-lit, its many towers and walkways shining in the distance. That was reassuring, even if this place was rather far from all the activity.

Lammy and Zayza reached the Hotel of Champions’ platform within minutes. They stepped along its stone path, passing by its intricate statues and fanciful fountains. A couple teams chatted over drinks on a nearby bench: Main Event fighters who had been eliminated.

Other than this, it was peacefully quiet.

But still, the quiet worried Lammy.

They reached the towering door, which vanished before them and led to a surprisingly small, dim red room. A single hotel employee sat behind a desk.

This is a little creepy…Lammy noted, trying to estimate how many steps it would take to get back outside.

“Hello, can I help you?” the receptionist asked pleasantly.

“Um…we have a delivery for…” started Zayza, observing their floating guide. “Well, it’s under ‘Guest,’ but the payment was made by a Fenn Crashings.”

The receptionist’s eyes narrowed curiously. “Huh? Why would their bodyguards be ordering dinner right now?” he wondered. Then, a knowing and oddly sly smile curled on his lips. “Ah, I get it. I’ll warp you right there.”

This has to be a trap, Lammy decided. “Zayza—” he started.

But a blue light encompassed them from below, cutting him off.

“Be sure to avoid any team managers,” the receptionist advised with a smirk like he was hiding a joke.

“Why?” Lammy and Zayza asked.

“I don’t think you’re allowed to be where you’re going.”

The blue light blinded them. When it faded, they stood in a different space, just before the fancy wooden door of a hotel room. There were other doors along the round wall, but they were far apart—indicating these hotel rooms were quite large.

“Zayza…” Lammy whispered. “You sure about this? Because I am: sure that this was not a good idea.”

Zayza glanced at him, and then back at the door. “I have…a very strange feeling about this,” she admitted.

Then, she knocked.

The several seconds of waiting felt like an eternity of torture to Lammy. He braced himself, hoping his strange powers would return if things got messy—which he was fairly certain was about to be the case.

At last, the door opened.

The person standing before them wasn’t Kotono Inoue.

It was her teammate, Hiroko Hamasaki. Her icy blue eyes gazed back at them fixedly with a natural intensity against her stern, dark face.

But instantly, upon looking at Zayza, her eyes widened. Her mouth fell open in shock.

Then, her expression completely softened.

“Oh my Gods…” she whispered, tears building. “Zayza…it really is you.”