The second game didn't end up quite so well, with their opponents finding a weakness in Kaitlyn's slightly more defensive plays and taking her out early. She didn't lose hope, though. It was too much to expect a quick 2-0 against a team like this. Still, with their lead gone, the third game felt even more tense.

Bit by bit, each player battled on and lost their lives until each only had one left. Kaitlyn felt her palms begin to sweat as the game came down to the wire. It wasn't the end of the world if they lost. There was always a chance to come back in losers' bracket. But she had no desire to let her opponents get any momentum going.

If we're going to beat these guys in finals, we need every advantage we can get.

It wasn't overconfidence on her part to assume they'd make it all the way. With all of Kaitlyn's experience, she knew quite well that no other teams would stand a chance against her and Ian. Not without some serious luck on their side and mistakes on theirs, at least. So this game really had a lot of weight to it.

Kaitlyn got knocked offstage by Lelas. The Squawk player stayed near the edge, preparing to finish her off for good. Evaluating the situation quickly, her Corgo began charging up a fiery rocket jump angled at the edge. The Squawk reared back with a powerful kick to counter her, almost contemptuously. It was the right play. Now that she'd committed to a recovery option, he knew as well as she did that she couldn't avoid it.

Fortunately, she didn't have to.

A carrot shuriken glinted as it streaked through the air, slicing into Squawk's shoulder and interrupting him. In the brief instant of recoil that followed, Kaitlyn's Corgo raced toward the stage in a burst of flame, grabbing onto the ledge and hopping up with a punch. Lelas shielded the blow. As much as they'd caught him off-guard, he was still no slouch.

Thank you, Ian.

Sparing a quick glance to the other side of the field, she saw that the move hadn't been without consequence. Zog had taken advantage of the brief opening to get the upper hand on Ian, meaning she was on her own for the moment. She tried to make her way over to her teammate, but her new opponent stymied her approaches at every turn. They traded blows back and forth, but eventually, the pressure proved to be just too much. With an annoyingly insightful roll read and a well-placed slash, Lelas knocked her out of the game for good.

Dangit. Kaitlyn leaned back in her chair with a frustrated sigh. All that, and I still couldn't pull it back! Now it's all up to Ian…

As much as she mentally kicked herself, not all was lost. She'd managed to put a fair amount of damage on Lelas while she'd been alive, and Ian had done the same for Zog. But it was still two versus one – a situation that she certainly didn't envy.

Her eyes remained glued to the screen as she silently encouraged her friend. The two opponents converged on CinnaBun where she stood in the center of the stage, descending like starving piranhas from both sides. Her already-rapid pulse spiked with alarm at the incoming attacks.

But at the last moment, the rabbit leaped up and to the side. Zog's Corgo leapt up in an attempt to follow, only to be knocked down by Lelas's own attack. CinnaBun repositioned behind Lelas, tossing a few shuriken before rapidly dodging in another direction.

Kaitlyn watched the characters dart about the stage. CinnaBun continued leaping about, dodging and redirecting her opponents' attacks gracefully while only throwing out an occasional attack of her own. Meanwhile, the dog and parrot following her seemed to tumble over each other. Their dogged pursuit caused them to get in each others' way at every turn, clumping together or even hitting each other on accident. As the meticulous dance continued, she couldn't help but feel a little awed.

Ian's doing this intentionally.

Zog and Lelas weren't good at teamwork, but they weren't this terrible at it either. Not usually. But Ian was managing to pull their strings just right and get both in exactly the wrong place at the wrong times.

She spared a quick glance around. Their game had attracted quite the crowd, and she could see the anticipation and excitement building with every second Ian survived. The longer he lived, the more it felt like he had a chance.

Still, she felt a frown begin to crease her own brow. Despite the impressive display, he wasn't making it out of this completely unscathed. Time was not on his side. Eventually, they'd get enough hits in that any little impact would prove disastrous.

C'mon, Ian. C'mon.

The damage ticked up bit by bit. With each errant hit, Kaitlyn's grip tightened around her own controller where it sat useless in her lap, only loosening when Ian had weaseled his way out of dying once again. But eventually, it looked like his time had finally run out.

A taloned kick from Squawk sent CinnaBun off of the stage, falling through empty air. Squawk rushed forward to grab the ledge and guard it, while Corgo remained on the stage nearby to defend.

That's it, Kaitlyn's shoulders slumped. No way he makes it back from this. Shoot. I guess we'll have to fight through losers bracket–

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

The rabbit leapt above the hanging Squawk to land on the stage, dodging as she did. Corgo let loose with the meaty punch he'd charged up, aiming to bring the game to an end.

But he'd mistimed it.

The blow breezed by CinnaBun, just missing her at the tail end of her sidestep. Even worse, the punch hit Lelas as he leapt up with his own attack. The parrot sailed backward with a screech of pain. Ian, smelling blood in the water, bravely leapt back offstage to harry Lelas's character and keep him from coming back. The rabbit alternated between fighting the recovering bird in midair and trying to keep Zog off of his back. Fortunately, Zog had become pretty wary of his opponent. Evidently, Ian's tactics had made him think twice about getting caught in midair alongside his teammate.

It meant that Ian had a golden opportunity in his hands. He scrambled about, struggling to push the advantage and keep his opponents from getting back on their feet. The little rabbit flew across the screen like Kaitlyn had never seen. Soon enough, the diligence paid off. Zog overextended just enough that Ian's next blow launched him, too, offstage. The bird and the dog fell through the air together, each struggling to recover without completely getting in the other's way. As they did, CinnaBun leapt out and gave them one final kick each.

"VICTORY" splashed across the screen in huge, vibrant letters. The tension and suspense that filled the air was all at once replaced with shouts of elation and disbelief. The crowd around them came alive as Ian finished off the game with a narrow 2-1 victory.

Kaitlyn couldn't help it. She whooped, pumping her fist into the air.

Ian seemed to slump backwards as she shook his shoulder. His tense expression turned into a broad grin. His gaze was still distant as though he didn't quite believe it himself. But before saying anything, he turned to the other team with an extended fist. "Good game."

Zog met it with his own, the guy's expression even more dead and emotionless than usual. Lelas didn't give them the same courtesy. The player simply gave a tch of disapproval and stood, unplugging his controller and walking off.

The rudeness of it did annoy Kaitlyn, but only a little. Even that couldn't dim her excitement over the victory.

"You did it!" She shouted. "Ian, you won!"

"I… I guess so, huh?" He chuckled nervously. "Dang. I'm still shaking. That was intense."

"I mean, yeah! You should've died about ten times over there!"

"Well that's a bit harsh," he gave her an affronted look. "I thought I was doing well!"

"You did! That's why you won!" She clarified. "You were moving like nothing I've ever seen!"

"Yeah… that was something." He scratched his head with one hand, taking deep breaths. "I swear, I've never been in that kind of a flow state before. I just kind of… went for it."

"Well, whatever it was, it worked." She grinned at him, giving his shoulder another shake. "Now we just gotta do that one more time, in grand finals."

"Well now you're just getting cocky," Ian gave her a look. "We've still got a few rounds before that, you know."

"You just took on the two best players in the building in a 2v1. I think we can handle anyone else."

"We could get unlucky."

She waved him off. "Pshh. Who needs luck when you have tech skill?"

Ian chuckled again, shaking his head. "Sure. Let's just hope we can keep this up. Thanks for the assist in game one, by the way."

"Of course! That's what teammates are for, right?"

"True. I mean…" He hesitated, looking away. "It's really nice to have someone to rely on. It's like I can trust you'll be watching my back, you know?"

Her smile slipped somewhat before she fixed it back in place. "Yeah. I… I know what you mean."

***

It felt like no time at all before Kaitlyn and Ian found themselves sitting in grand finals. Between their previous win and a bit of extra planning, she felt more confident than ever about the coming match.

We know how they play now, and what their weaknesses are. Well, I already did, but now Ian does too. We can take advantage of them way easier now. It won't be a breeze, but… her smile turned devious. We can really give them a hard time now.

Sure enough, she was right. Their second set of games went even easier than the first, with Kaitlyn and Ian took down Zog and Lelas 3-1. The games had still been close, of course. In fact, their one loss came from a two-on-one situation between Lelas and her team. That had been a pretty tough one to swallow. But in the end, they pulled it off.

"Ladies and gentlemen, your Bash Bros doubles winners!"

John announced the final results as they stood from the game – or rather, popped into the air from sheer excitement.

We did it!

After all those loops of practice, both with and without Ian, it had finally happened. She had won something at Bara Bash. Something she could share with Ian, no less. It was a monumental achievement.

Finally, one more thing that I've actually gotten good at. Not just pretty good, either – good enough to stand at the highest levels. Even if I can't stand there alone.

She hugged Ian, elation and the rush of victory filling her with a need to express her sheer joy. The guy stiffened suddenly in her arms.

"Ah– sorry!" She pulled back apologetically, clarity returning to her thoughts. "I–I, I just thought–"

"No! No, it's totally ok!" Ian's face had turned beet red. "Sorry! I was just, uh surprised! That's all!"

They awkwardly stared at each other for a moment longer, Ian's blue eyes flicking away. His cheeks darkened even further.

Er, whoops. Guess that it might be a bit much for him… Internally, she grimaced. Sorry, Ian. Guess he's never really been the affectionate type. Still, guess it's better to try than to not. But if he's this awkward about hugging…

The thought of the romance ending splashed a bucket of cold water on her mood. With an angry shake of her head, she banished the thoughts once more. Never mind that. I'm not thinking about it, not today. Right now, I should only be focusing on one thing – Bash Bros. This is my own space to get away from all that. Even if it is related to his endings…

With that final thought, she settled herself down. It was time for the singles bracket. And this time, she would see where she stood on her own two feet.