Conscious, Conscientious

“…Skrili?” Deon muttered.

Kotono cradled the motionless Skrili closely, her lip quivering. “No…oh, no…” she whispered breathlessly.

Skrili’s skin was blotched with gold-tinged burn marks and black ash all over, her clothes frayed. Her eyes were closed peacefully.

Across the platform, Hiroko and Pang finally returned to their feet. Hiroko stared on with a ghostly, knowing expression.

Aside from Kotono’s forlorn whimpers, nobody made a sound.

But after a moment, laughter broke the silence.

Hiroko turned to find Pang snickering to herself. “You’re kidding, right? You’re kidding…Come on, Skrili,” she said. But immediately, her laughs grew hollow.

She stopped when Hiroko approached her softly, and wrapped her firm, comforting arm around her.

“No…she’s fine, just wait…” Pang insisted shakily. When Hiroko didn’t reply, she shook her head again and again, before finally tensing. “SKRILI!!!” she screamed.

Hiroko held her closer.

“W—what’s going on…?” Deon asked. “She isn’t…is she?”

“You were right: she protected us,” Phillip replied monotonously. But when he turned and met Deon’s eyes, his face was full of sorrow. “I’m sorry.”

Deon felt weightless.

In the upper balcony, Lammy and Zayza stood unharmed, the forcefield Lammy conjured still guarding them.

Zayza suddenly clutched Lammy’s arm.

“That poor girl…” she uttered.

Lammy’s mind filled with thoughts of Ryan, and how he sacrificed himself for their escape. Now this girl he’d never met, Skrili, had done the same.

Tears returned to Kotono’s eyes after she felt for a pulse.

“Her heart…it’s not…”

Pang gasped, while Hiroko still maintained her composure.

“Okay…Kotono, take deep breaths, alright?” she instructed calmly. “Just keep taking deep breaths. I’m right here, okay?”

Kotono tried to nod.

“Are there any healers left in here?” Hiroko called out. “Healers?!”

Eventually, three green-robed workers emerged from behind a broken wall they had been using for shelter. They cautiously approached the arena, like it could explode at any instant.

But abruptly, they all stopped, as if obeying a voice in their heads.

“W—what are you all doing?!” Kotono shot, hugging Skrili tenderly. A red and gold light awoke around her.

Hiroko cursed under her breath. “Kotono—I’m here,” she reminded softly. “Breathe.”

The light weakened to a faint glow.

“What’s the meaning of this?” Hiroko demanded to the healers, her tone stern.

The three robed workers looked at each other uneasily, clearly just as afraid of Hiroko as her teammate’s unstable powers.

“Um…Ms. Kay is still…technically…” one began.

“…an eligible opponent,” explained another. “Her teammate hasn’t dismissed her.”

Again Hiroko cursed, this time loud enough for everyone to hear, as she threw up her hands in disbelief.

“Are you freaking kidding me?!?!” Pang shouted fiercely. “She obviously can’t fight, you morons!!”

“Y—you still haven’t—” noted one of the healers.

“FINE!!! I DISMISS SKRILI!!! THIS IS IDIOTIC!!!” Pang roared.

“We don’t have time!” exclaimed Kotono. “She’s not breathing! You have to do something now!”

The three workers all looked at each other again. After one shrugged nervously, they all began approaching the platform again.

But once more, they came to a halt.

“PLEASE HURRY!” Kotono cried.

“We…just received word,” shared one healer, “that we can’t enter an ongoing fight when there’s a life-threatening hazard on the platform.”

“No one’s fighting!” Pang yelled. “Where’s the hazard?!”

The healers all looked at Kotono, who averted her eyes in distraught guilt.

“Then…then lift Skrili away if you’re that scared,” Hiroko pressed.

“Our Imaginers fled.”

Deon shot to his feet. “Screw this,” he spat.

Though it was farther away than he’d ever tried to imagine, Deon focused his attention on the space below Skrili. He envisioned a wooden platform under her, and tried his best to place it into existence.

But nothing happened.

“Huh?! Why can’t I imagine?!” he exclaimed.

“The League hires Dampeners for every Conscious Competition,” Phillip explained morosely. “They use their powers to effectively make a barrier around the arena, which cancels out any outside consciousness powers, to keep people from interfering. I would have thought when they called on an evacuation, they’d let the Dampeners go, too…so why did they instruct them to stay…?”

“They couldn’t have used the Dampeners or whatever to stop Kotono?!” Deon challenged.

“They probably tried. She’s too powerful.”

“Forget it—now what?!” Deon asked despairingly. “Skrili can’t…really be gone…”

Phillip found nothing more to say.

“PLEASE! You have to help her!” Kotono cried.

“We’ve been told we cannot intervene.”

“WHY?!”

Pang released Hiroko’s arms and stepped forward. “DO SOMETHING!!” she commanded. “You need to save her!! I still haven’t…I still have to…” she collapsed to her knees emptily.

“I NEVER GOT TO TELL HER I’M SORRY!!” she sobbed.

Instead of responding any further, the trio stoically ignored Pang’s cries, Kotono’s weak whimpers, and Hiroko’s glare. They took a few cautious steps backwards, turned, and hurried away.

“But…you have to…” muttered Kotono. “Someone has to…this is all because of me…”

Another glow sparked around Kotono.

But this was a different color: green.

“Um…Kotono…?” Hiroko called over, her confident composure dwindling a bit. “You…feeling okay?”

But Kotono didn’t listen, her eyes shut tightly as she held Skrili and cried.

“What does green mean?” Pang asked, her eyes widening.

“I…actually have no idea,” admitted Hiroko. “I’ve never seen her do this before.”

Kotono sheepishly opened her eyes and looked at Skrili once more, a green tinge in her irises. “I’m…I’m so sorry, Skrili,” she whispered.

The green energy evolved, bursting into a bright sparkle all around both of them. This energy looked nothing like her usual golden powers—it wasn’t fiery or unpredictable. Instead it floated lightly in the air, sparkles glistening all around beautifully.

Phillip abruptly leaned forward, peering closely.

“What?” Deon asked vainly.

“That green light…” Phillip started carefully. “It’s almost exactly like…”

“No freaking way…” Pang said slowly, her tears ceasing.

Now the green energy was shining even brighter around Skrili than Kotono. The golden burns all over Skrili’s skin began turning into white light, as the ash trickled off of her body like dark snowflakes.

Then, one by one, the burns began to vanish.

“Kotono, whatever you’re doing,” encouraged Hiroko, “keep doing it!”

“I…I don’t know what you…huh?” Kotono looked around more soberly, breaking out of her cloud of despair. She scanned Skrili, noticing her body’s many injuries gradually reversing themselves. “H—how is this happening?”

“It’s your emotions!” Hiroko exclaimed, a smile emerging. “You can heal people!”

“I can?”

“Kotono, don’t stop!” Pang shouted.

“Okay…I…I don’t even know how to stop…”

Deon shot out of his seat again, almost missing the floor when he stood.

“Her Emovert powers can heal?!” he exclaimed. “Kotono, keep feeling sad and guilty!!”

“I don’t think it’s that basic…” Phillip muttered.

All around them, for the first time in what felt like an era of somberness, the remaining crowd members began cheering Kotono on, just as Hiroko, Pang, and Deon were. After a roar resounded, Deon peered up to find Gibblezgorv still watching from above—the only dragon left in the stadium.

The green light flowing from Kotono to Skrili brightened, developing countless more shades. Many more wounds remained, but slowly, they were all reversing.

Kotono brought her ear against Skrili, checking for a pulse once more.

“Please…” Pang uttered softly.

Kotono raised her head, her eyes wider than ever as they met Hiroko’s.

“She…has a heartbeat again…” she stammered. “And she’s breathing!!”

“YES!” shouted Hiroko.

Pang laughed breathily, still on her knees. “Jeez…way to go scaring me half to death,” she said. “Skrili…everything’s always so dramatic with you, huh?”

Deon and Phillip simultaneously fell into their seats, both sighing with sheer relief.

“She’ll make it…” Phillip said.

Deon leaned back and crossed his arms with a big smirk. “Yeah…I knew she’d end up fine,” he said. “We have that true-teammate bond, you know? I could tell the whole time.”

“Stop making stuff up.”

All around, the much smaller audience voiced their relief, celebrating and embracing each other.

“Um…*ahem*…testing…” a voice suddenly projected across the stadium.

“I believe we’re back…” realized another.

“Well…it seems we’ve missed quite a lot!” Soot noticed. “Somehow, Kotono’s powers got under control…”

“And now it seems she’s healing an unconscious Skrili…with an ability we knew nothing about. I’m quite perplexed…” Talonvorp continued. “Though I’m now receiving word from the healers: Pang has indeed dismissed Skrili from the fight.”

“I guess it’s down to Kotono and Hiroko vs. Pang! Not great odds for the rookie!”

“What—they’re still here?!” Deon exclaimed.

Hiroko crossed her arms and looked up in no particular direction. “What the heck are you guys doing?” she asked firmly.

“Um…just our jobs, Ms. Hamasaki,” replied Soot’s voice.

“Technically, the Championship still isn’t decided,” Talonvorp explained. “The officials haven’t called it off, and to our knowledge, neither team has forfeited.”

“Do you guys all quit?”

Pang, Hiroko, and Kotono fell silent. They all briefly glanced at each other.

“To be clear: if both teams forfeit, nobody wins the Championship,” elaborated Talonvorp. “This applies to the prize money and possibly any related agreements.”

“It’s a logistical nightmare,” muttered Soot. “But—your call!”

Again, the three remaining fighters exchanged glances.

Pang stood, rolling her shoulders. “Well, I know my answer,” she said confidently. “I need that prize money.”

“Hiroko, w—will Imagine Change still honor their partnership?” Kotono wondered.

“I don’t know…” said Hiroko seriously. “But my people are on the line. And our best friend.” She faced Pang, standing tall. “Looks like we have a Championship to finish.”

“WE’RE STILL IN THIS, FOLKS!!!!” Soot proclaimed, elated.

The audience didn’t respond immediately, clearly still confused. But after a moment, cheers swelled from the remaining patches of the balconies and seating.

“Hiroko, Skrili’s still not fully healed,” Kotono noticed, still handling Skrili with care. The green light around her remained, mostly lighter shades glistening now. “I’m gonna keep at it.”

“Don’t let her go. Those jerks won’t help her until after we finish,” Hiroko agreed. The intensity in her icy eyes increased. “Pang and I will decide this fight.”

Pang smiled menacingly. “Works for me,” she agreed.

“There must be a lot on the line for these teams, because even after everyone’s lives were in danger—and the stadium nearly destroyed—the championship continues,” Talonvorp said, returning to his narration.

“Well, we did kinda egg them on,” admitted Soot.

A trickle of sweat ran down Lammy’s forehead. Figuring it was finally safe enough, he commanded the forcefield to vanish.

“Goodness, I’m relieved that girl will be okay,” sighed Zayza.

“And Hiroko’s people still have a chance…” Lammy realized. “We still have a chance.”

“Hiroko will win,” Zayza said with certainty. “Lammy, soon we’ll have a safe haven. You won’t have to be afraid anymore. I may not have any solid memories of Hiroko and Kotono right now, but somehow…I believe in her.”

“Bro…” started Deon to Phillip, practically shaking with anticipation. “You know what this means, right?”

“I’m not your bro,” muttered Phillip.

Deon chuckled. “Pang can still do this,” he said. “No—she will do this. She’s gonna win, and get that medicine for you!”

A small smile curled on Phillip’s pale face, a subtle blush accompanying it. “I know,” he said. “I believe in her.”

“I guess the best way to get the ball rolling again is to kick it off one final time!” declared Soot. “Everyone left: count with me!”

“THREE!”

“TWO!!”

“ONE!!!”

“FIGHT!!!!”

Pang and Hiroko hopped away from each other in an instant, pouncing into identical fighting stances at opposite ends of the tattered platform.

“What the…” uttered Pang.

She threw a couple lightning-fast punches into the air, and then observed her hands in bewilderment.

Her menacing smile grew even wider.

“Man…full of all kinds of surprises today, huh, Skrili?” she said with a laugh. She looked over to her resting teammate. “Nice one.”

If Hiroko was puzzled, she hid it well, maintaining her ready-stance.

“Let’s do this,” said Pang.

The two fighters zipped straight at each other—but Pang moved far quicker than Hiroko—quicker than she could ever move naturally.

Taking her off guard, Pang sent a powerful kick into Hiroko’s side, nailing her perfectly. With a grunt, Hiroko rolled to the floor.

She stood up quickly. “What?” she wondered. “Is that a—”

“Yep: a Power Rebound,” Pang confirmed. “I guess Skrili really thought this one through. Turns out, she must’ve been sending me a portion of the Power Rebound energy she was getting while she tried to force her way through Kotono’s powers. That must have killed, because this feels great!”

“That impossible technique you two pulled off against Ving and Alex,” Hiroko recalled.

“That’s the one,” agreed Pang. “Good thing we worked out the kinks. I was too distracted to notice she’d transferred it to me until now. This is about to be fun.”

Hiroko shrugged. “Now that I know, my Predictor powers will correct for it.”

“That won’t matter,” Pang decided. “You won’t be able to keep up.”

Pang launched at her again, and Hiroko narrowly dodged. But with her enhanced strength, Pang easily caught back up and forced Hiroko onto the defense, unleashing swift, mighty punches and kicks.

A few direct hits sent Hiroko stumbling back, which offered only a brief reprieve before Pang was upon her again.

“Pang immediately takes control!” commentated Soot.

“Skrili wisely took advantage of their newfound ability, making Pang the only Manipulator to utilize Power Rebound! This could be what tips the scales!” said Talonvorp.

“Not quite,” disagreed Hiroko.

As another spinning kick came flying her way at an incomprehensible speed, Hiroko leaned forward into it. Twisting masterfully, she caught Pang’s leg, spun it further, and then jumped up. Leaning her shoulder in, she bashed Pang directly in the back.

Pang’s air puffed out all at once. Not wasting an instant, Hiroko jumped and whipped her own spinning kick into Pang’s side, sending her crashing against the floor.

“Sorry, that’s still not enough,” said Hiroko after landing flawlessly. “Besides, you’re still hurt from fighting Kotono.”

Pang climbed to her feet. “That doesn’t matter,” she spat. “I’m going to win this. I have to.”

“So do I,” Hiroko said calmly.

“I get that you’re trying to save your home and everything,” said Pang. “But if I don’t win, Phillip will die. He needs that medicine.”

A patient tenderness appeared in Hiroko’s eyes. Pang tried to look away, but she couldn’t. It was too understanding.

“I wish it didn’t have to come down to this, then,” Hiroko sighed. “But it does. So come at me with everything you have.”

Pang charged her, but abruptly cut to the side. Reading it perfectly, Hiroko turned and blocked Pang’s flank. They dove into an all-out duel.

But this time, Hiroko kept pace with Pang. Her normally unruffled expression tensed as she poured a more labored effort into her movements. Now, they were equally matched.

“No…how are you keeping up?!” grumbled Pang.

“Like I said,” started Hiroko. She dodged an onslaught of punches and hopped over a low kick. “The Power Rebound won’t be enough. I became one of the strongest because…” she sent her own punches, which Pang barely avoided. “…I needed to.”

“But…this is too strong!” Pang shouted after taking a hard hit to the side and turning as a fist breezed past her cheek. “I can’t lose to you!!”

Locking into a distinct prediction, Hiroko twisted and landed a perfect kick into Pang’s stomach. Pang fell back, but pushed off the ground and immediately returned the favor.

The opponents continued on. Darting all over the fighting platform, neither Pang nor Hiroko let up. The fight remained even as Hiroko used nothing but her natural strength and speed to match Pang’s Power Rebound-induced abilities.

Deon noticed Phillip wince as a black vein in his neck twitched briefly.

You can finish this, Pang, he thought.

Lammy felt Zayza grip his arm even harder.

“They’re both fighting to save someone,” she said softly. Then, she released Lammy’s arm and suddenly turned the other way. “Oh…I can’t watch!”

Lammy’s eyes stayed fixed. What’s about to happen…? he wondered.

After both landing devastating attacks on each other, Pang and Hiroko fled to opposite corners.

Voices around the stadium cheered them on evenly, now even more passionate than ever. Kotono watched closely, her eyes bouncing between them, as her glow continued working its effect on Skrili.

Hiroko gasped for air, wiping sweat from her face.

Opposite to her, Pang forced herself to catch her breath, her face red with heat. She clenched her fists so hard, streaks of blood emerged from them.

“That’s it,” she said. “Phillip needs me.”

Hiroko nodded. “But my people need me.”

“Folks, I think this could be—”

“I’M TAKING YOU DOWN!!!” Pang roared, her ferocity cutting Soot off entirely.

The two contenders charged at each other with equal speed, attacks ready. About to meet squarely in the center of the arena, they both shot forward into the air.

Their technique of choice was identical: hands stretched out straight, they both brought their arms back, and swung fierce chops into each other’s necks.

Pang and Hiroko both continued past each other in the air, now falling. They collided with the arena floor stomach-down.

Once more, the stadium fell totally silent.

Deon’s mouth dropped open.

Lammy held his breath.

Is…that it? they both thought.

After only a couple seconds, Kotono was the one to break the silence:

“It’s done,” she said simply.

Only one fighter stirred. She stood to her feet, still full of strength.

A few audience members clapped. Then, after a collective gasp, the remaining crowd joined in, before ascending into full, hearty applause.

“THAT’S THE FIGHT!!!” Soot called.

“It’s over: they’ve done it again,” proclaimed Talonvorp. “Pang is defeated by knockout! Which means—once again—Hiroko Hamasaki and Kotono Inoue are the Fantasy Country Conscious Competition Champions!!”

“Man—that’s always a mouthful,” Soot added with a laugh.

Hiroko turned to her fallen opponent with a peaceful smile. Across from her, Pang lay unmoving on the arena floor, her eyelids closed. Her outstretched hand was lightly cupped in a fist, as if the fight was raging on in her mind.

“You missed by just a tiny bit,” Hiroko shared softly. “Like I told Skrili: the only difference between us is experience.”

Ignoring the adoration from the fans, Hiroko walked quietly over to Pang. She crouched down and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“You fought so well for your loved one,” she said. “Now you can rest—both of you.” She looked over to Skrili with the same kind gaze.

Kotono observed Skrili once more. “I…I think she’s gonna be okay, Hiroko,” she said, a smile finally forming.

“You’re amazing,” Hiroko told her.

In the seating, Deon and Phillip sat speechless.

Deon was too scared to look over at Phillip. At this rate, there was no way he and Pang would have time to scrounge up enough funding for the treatment.

Deon had never felt so stiff in his life.

“There you have it, ladies, gents, and friends,” Soot narrated, bouncing his voice and clearly savoring the moment. “Our beloved Kotono and Hiroko have secured another Championship.”

“And this one’s special, because it means the Imagine Change Foundation will fund the creation of a full lake in the Mainland Desert. They’ve saved so many lives,” continued Talonvorp. “Only time will tell what other incredible things this duo will—”

Hiroko raised her hand to the air. “Wait,” she said plainly, her face stern again.

“Huh?”

After watching Pang tranquilly for another moment, Hiroko stood back up. The crowd hushed out of respect.

“People sign up for these Conscious Competitions for all kinds of reasons—usually, selfish ones: money, fame, the need to prove themselves…” Hiroko started seriously. “Pang and Skrili are here because they wanted to save a sick loved one. These two girls—these rookies—worked hard, outdid all kinds of celebrated pros, and made it all the way to the championship in the hardest Conscious Competition. All for someone else.”

Everyone listened fixedly as Hiroko paused to find the words.

“Honestly, if there’s anything I’ve learned from our career so far, it’s that this League only cares about pitting consciousnesses against each other, and turning over a profit from that,” she shared. “I know management’s gonna hate me saying that, but I don’t care. Because when you’re wrapped up in the League, it makes it so easy to forget how important it is—how necessary it is—for consciousnesses to help each other.”

She took a sigh.

“Thank you, Skrili and Pang, for reminding me of that.”

Hiroko looked over to Kotono, seemingly requesting approval for whatever came next. Without hesitation, Kotono gave her a big nod and a beaming smile.

“And so…” started Hiroko, “Kotono and I are gonna set that example now. With the Imagine Change agreement, the Mainland Desert project is funded. So we don’t want the prize money. After fulfilling royalties to our management and staff, Kotono and I will be giving the rest of the prize money to Pang and Skrili, to help their sick friend.”

Deon shot his fists into the air, pouncing out of his seat.

“YES!!!” he barked. His head whipped to Phillip. “Did you hear that, man?! I guess they really did do it!”

Phillip still sat in the same position as he was the moment Pang was announced defeated. For a moment, Deon wondered if Phillip actually didn’t hear Hiroko.

“I…suppose they did…” he sniffed, hiding his face as a tear fell.

Deon couldn’t stop smiling as the rest of the audience joined in his enthusiasm, almost making up in volume for all the attendees who had evacuated.

He observed Kotono and Hiroko—the most powerful team he’d ever seen, and Skrili and Pang—simply the boldest two people he’d ever met. All four of them got to this point to stand up for someone, giving it everything. And even after the fight, the support continued. They didn’t simply use their strength: they lent it.

But above all, he admired his teammate the most. Skrili put her very life on the line for what she believed in, and in an unexpected way, met that goal tenfold. She saved an entire stadium with her sacrifice, as well as Phillip, through all her hard work.

A warm feeling filled his heart as he looked at the four fighters. For the first time since his encounter with Pang in the training rooms, he felt an unquenchable passion again.

If that’s what it looks like to be the best, he thought, then I want to be just like them.