"Last round of friendlies! Bash Bros doubles is starting in five!"

Ian and Kaitlyn were already sitting at a setup when John's call sounded over the speakers. They'd long since finished exploring the rest of the venue and its various offerings and had claimed a PlaySphere of their own to warm up. Around them, a dense crowd of other Bash Bros players milled about, watching and playing games as they waited for the real event to start.

Most of them didn't react to the notification. Doubles wasn't nearly as popular as singles, meaning that most of these people weren't even entered. Still, Kaitlyn knew that a lot of them would wander over to check the games out once they started.

"Sounds like it's just about time to go," Ian noted, his thumbs flicking across his controller. "You nervous?"

"Me? Hmmm…" Kaitlyn thought about it. "I'm not sure. You?"

"Nah, not really." Ian leaned back in his seat as they finished up their last game. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm in it to win. But I'm also here to have fun with it. Especially in doubles."

He made a good point. Compared to singles, doubles really was more of a sideshow event. It was a way for the top players to take home a bit of extra prize money, and not much else. At least, that was the general consensus. Still, it felt far more important than that to Kaitlyn.

I still can't rule out the idea that winning is part of Ian's route. It would make sense. Even if it isn't, though… it really would be a nice cherry on top of this whole loop.

"You'd better be here to win," she chastised her teammate. "I don't want you slacking off on me. I can't be carrying you all the way to the top."

He stifled a chuckle, unplugging his controller and stuffing it into his mint hoodie's pocket. "Uh-huh. And who's the one that self-destructed twice last time? During finals, no less?"

"That's different. That's not being a slacker, that's just me being bad."

"How is that better?"

"I didn't say it was better, just different."

"All right! Attention all teams that signed up for Bash Bros doubles! Please listen up for your pairings and stations!"

John's announcement interrupted their budding argument, quieting them both. It was finally time to go.

"Kay and Indy! You're facing Burger Bob and Mummo, setup 4!"

The pair looked at each other, exchanging wordless nods. Then, they headed over.

***

From the very first game, they popped off.

CinnaBun and Corgo, both glowing a faint red to indicate their team, pummeled their opponents in opposite directions away from the stage. Corgo assaulted a blue-highlighted Lieutenant Sparrow with repeated kicks and lasers as he attempted to recover, while CinnaBun relentlessly grabbed the matching blue parrot and hurled him into the air. The parrot – a character similar to Corgo named Squawk – tried to escape and regroup with his teammate, angling in that direction as he fell.

Rather than bat Squawk away again though, CinnaBun changed tactics. The rabbit leapt into the air, aiming a meaty punch directly at his face. The impact sent the bird hurtling toward his teammate, the two falling through the air on a near-collision course. Then it was Kaitlyn's turn. Seeing what her teammate was setting up, she sent Corgo leaping upward, kicking them both back even further into the abyss before falling to grab the edge. Squawk and Sparrow struggled to make it back toward the stage, but between the attack, her guarding, and CinnaBun standing at the ready to defend further, they simply stood no chance. They both tumbled downward, losing their final lives.

Kaitlyn sighed with relief as she turned to her opponents, fist extended. "Good game."

The other team gave nods of disappointed acceptance before returning the gesture. The looks on people's faces whenever they lost made her feel a little bad about beating them. But not bad enough to go easy, of course.

I lived through more losses than any of these guys, guaranteed. I shouldn't feel bad about finally getting a few wins under my belt.

"Nice move at the end, there." Ian congratulated her as they unplugged their controllers and went to report their next win. They were 3-0 already, not even dropping a single game on their way through the bracket.

She snorted. "C'mon. You threw me such an easy setup that I would've been mad if I missed it!"

"Eh, still." He shrugged. "It's easy to miss that stuff in the moment. But really, you're playing pretty nice today. I haven't seen you move this well since… well, ever."

"Same with you. I guess all that practice is finally paying off for both of us, huh?"

"Seems like it. Here's hoping we can keep it up…"

Kaitlyn felt much the same. Despite what she'd initially told Ian, the nerves were definitely starting to creep in bit by bit. For now, she was managing to keep them at bay pretty well. But who knew how long that would last?

Some of it's general tournament nerves, definitely. But it's not all that. It's also what's at stake. It feels like winning actually matters this time.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"So. You ready?"

Ian's question snapped her back to the present. "Ready for what?"

"Next round, obviously." He held out his phone, the doubles bracket already displayed on its screen. The next round would have them facing Lelas and ZoggyWoggy. "It's time to get our faces kicked in?"

Kaitlyn rolled her eyes. "We're not going to. We can win this. I mean, you know you can beat Zog in a 1v1."

"Sometimes, yeah. And that's Zog, not Lelas. That guy's on another level. You saw them playing earlier."

"Sure they might be stronger singles players," she admitted with a shrug. "But unlike them, we practiced for doubles. There's a lot we can do as a team that's better than just two good players going at it."

Ian looked skeptical, but that was ok. She knew it was true. Even in the last loop, they'd almost managed to take the pair down. With how much better they were now, Kaitlyn truly believed they could pull it off. They just needed to play out of their minds.

"Indy and Kay, you're playing ZoggyWoggy and Lelas!" John's amplified voice crackled through the speakers again, confirming the match. "Setup 3!"

She saw Ian crack his neck. "Well, worst case scenario, we'll get some practice against them for singles. But I'd rather beat the tar out of them and absolutely get in their heads for the rest of the tournament. If that's really not too much to ask."

"Right." Kaitlyn nodded with a grin, joining her friend. They certainly would do more than put up a fight. This would be the loop where she finally beat those two.

It didn't take long to reach the setup. Lelas and Zog were already there, sitting and waiting. Kaitlyn took a moment to examine the opposing team. The pair of scrawny college-age boys looked remarkably pale, each with slightly greasy hair and bowed backs. Lelas even bore a little bit of wispy growth on his chin.

In any other setting, the pair of scrawny guys would have seemed like nothing more than shut-ins or far-too stereotypical caricatures of nerds. But here? They commanded respect. Here in their element, each seemed to exude a kind of presence, the kind of confidence that marked them as masters of this game. Others could feel it, too. She saw more than a few looks of awe or intimidation as people passed the team by. Even Kaitlyn found her palms going a little sweaty at the thought of the coming match.

Then again, I'm not the same as I was. I've come a long way. And I'm not alone.

Kaitlyn glanced to her side at Ian. Her chestnut-haired teammate leaned forward to plug in his controller, catching her eye and shooting her a determined smile and a nod. The expression stoked her own resolve further.

I've got some real firepower on my side, too.

Plugging her own controller in, she picked out her character and turned to their opponents to offer a customary pregame fistbump. ZoggyWoggy's dull eyes flicked up to meet hers, accepting the offer and bumping his own fist. Lelas, on the other hand, barely glanced up from the game.

Boy, that guy's a jerk. He's great at the game, sure, but geez… Her attention turned back to the screen. It'll just make it even better when we take him out.

Despite Lelas's obvious contempt, she noted that he was picking his main, at least. Either Zog had warned him about their team's skill, or it was simply too late in the bracket for him to take chances with less serious characters. She didn't care either way.

As they waited to load in, Kaitlyn felt her pulse quicken. Blood rushed through her ears as the long, platformless stage appeared before them.

Here we go.

Corgo and CinnaBun loaded in, their red-tinged forms facing down an opposing blue Corgo and Squawk. As soon as the game began, all four immediately burst into motion, racing toward their respective targets with a flurry of blows.

They had a general plan for the match. At a high level, Ian would focus on Lelas, while Kaitlyn would take on Zog where possible. She would focus on setting Ian up for combos and good opportunities, while a lot of the heavy-lifting would be left to him. That was the theory, at least. The game itself obviously wouldn't go so cleanly. But with their skills, having roles like this was a great way to keep them from doubling up and getting in each others' way.

Zog's blue Corgo knocked Kaitlyn's red one to the ground. She rolled backwards to evade the followup attack, popping up into a shield just in time to block the one after it. Her Corgo's hand flashed out in a grab, and for a moment, the two cyborg dogs faced each other as though standing in a mirror. Then, she hurled her opponent upward and into CinnaBun's waiting kick.

The blue Corgo sailed away, out of the fight for the moment. But there was no time to relax. Lelas's Squawk flashed through the air and sliced into her with one wing, sending her upward with the impact. It took both her and Ian working together to keep the menace from capitalizing on the combo.

Shoot… they're really not going easy here, are they?

It wasn't like she'd expected anything else. But compared to the team they'd just beat, this felt like going from a relaxing picnic straight into a cage fight. It took all of her focus to keep tabs on the pair of opponents and avoid getting swept up in their assault. At this rate, she could forget about putting together any team combos. It would be hard enough staying alive and keeping them off her back.

Don't think like that. I've gotta do it. I have to trust Ian to keep them off me, like I'll keep them off of him. Even if they do try to team up on one of us, they'll pay the price.

The tides of battle ebbed and flowed as each team gained and lost the advantage. Lelas and Zog were as formidable a pair as ever. It quickly became clear that the two hadn't really practiced any kind of doubles teamwork at all, just like Kaitlyn had suspected. But that was almost entirely offset by sheer skill. They reacted to incoming attacks and openings like machines, never stopping for a moment in their relentless onslaught.

By some miracle, they managed to eliminate Zog entirely. Kaitlyn sent him careening skyward and off the screen with a sharp uppercut. As he sailed into the background, she was left standing alongside Ian and facing down Lelas. All three of them had a single life remaining.

She gritted her teeth. It was two versus one, and they all had a lot of damage on them. They had to be careful here. As much as she wanted to race forward and go all-out on the guy, she knew better.

I can't. I'll just get in the way, or worse, get us both killed. Ian will have a better shot.

Instead, she stayed back, positioning herself to take advantage of any openings and making herself available for follow-ups. Even though they didn't say a word to each other, Ian seemed to read her intent. He dove in with a flurry of shurikens and punches to take on the blue parrot. It took a few moments to pierce through Lelas's considerable defenses, and Kaitlyn had to dive in and save the rabbit a few times. But soon enough, Ian managed it. He grabbed the bird, sending him into the air and kicking him sideways–

–right into Corgo's waiting fist.

The pair juggled the helpless bird back and forth like a tennis ball, racking up damage with each exchange. In a distant corner of her mind, she heard the crowd around her begin whipping themselves into a frenzy as the combo went on and on. After a few rounds of this, once Squawk had built up enough damage, CinnaBun finally lashed out with a spinning roundhouse that sent Lelas zooming off of the screen.

Kaitlyn relaxed slightly in her seat, turning to her teammate with a grin. Ian met her look with a proud nod of his own. They didn't have to say anything. They both already knew.

That was awesome.