Kaitlyn came out of the gate firing on all cylinders, hoping to catch her opponent off guard. Two Corgos faced each other down—her own in red and Zog's in blue. The pair hopped around the screen like caffeinated Australian shepherds, flinging out lasers and punches and kicks every which way.

Her plan was simple. She didn't need to waste any time feeling out Zog and his tactics—they'd played enough that it would only serve to give him more info. She also knew that Zog tended to play a pretty aggressive game, one that kept people on the back foot and dancing to his tune. But if she could outdo him on that front, then he'd be much easier to handle.

I just have to beat him at his own game. Easy. That, and make sure I don't get punished for it at every single turn. Or overextend. Or make a mistake. What can possibly go wrong?

Fortunately, Ian had been right in his initial assessment of her playstyle – aggression really did fit Kaitlyn like a glove.

She dashed forward, giving her opponent no quarter from her assault. Where most would have shielded, she traded blows. Where others might have retreated, she instead repositioned for another attack. Where some might have taken the safe edgeguard, she went deep to completely flatten her opponent. Kaitlyn fought as though she were desperate to take each and every life, as though every little bit of damage was a battle she couldn't afford to lose.

It felt a little strange to play this way in such a high-stakes situation. But at this point, it was practically second nature to Kaitlyn. It was what she'd practiced every loop thus far. Why hesitate when she'd get another try? Why not go for the cool combo when she had the chance? Win or lose, none of it would carry over to the next loop anyway. So it only made sense to go all out every time. At least then she'd be improving through practice.

She could feel the surprise and hesitation in Zog's character as she made a particularly risky approach. They hadn't played against each other in bracket since fairly early in the loop. Generally, she fell just short of facing him due to some mistake or loss that she really should've avoided. But now, the lack of prior matches worked to her advantage.

I can do this. I really can.

The rest of the world fell away as she lost herself in the game, the flow of hit after hit stringing together like notes of music. Even the dropped combos and counterattacks Zog mounted didn't manage to knock her out of the trancelike state as she worked them into her plan. The crowd fell away, some of her fire from earlier returning. It felt as though she could finally play the way she always had wanted to. Finally, the barrier between what she could do and what she wanted to do wasn't even there. Her red Corgo moved in perfect unison with her will.

The victory screen flashed up for one final time, breaking her from the trance. For a moment, she simply stared and blinked in surprise.

I… did it.

She continued to stare at the words. Her red Corgo stared back, posing triumphantly. It felt so unreal that she didn't think to celebrate.

Her gaze slid over to her opponent. Zog slumped back in his chair with a grimace of defeat, his hunch even more exaggerated now.

After taking a moment to collect herself, she extended a fist to him. "Good game."

He looked at it, then at her. Obligingly, he reached his own fist out. "Yeah. Good luck."

With that, he stood and left, shoulders drooping a little more than usual.

She felt a little bad about it. Knocking someone out never exactly felt great. But as she saw Zog walk away, realization and sheer ecstasy over the win began to rush through her.

I did it! I… I beat Zog!

As she descended the stairs, Ian met her with a wide grin. "Dang, Kay! You got over those nerves pretty quick, huh?"

"Y-yeah!" Her hands were still shaking slightly from the adrenaline of the match. But no one needed to know that. "I… I really did it! I've been trying to beat that guy for ages!"

It was true, both literally and figuratively. That alone was a triumph worthy enough to make this loop worth it.

"Yeah, I know. You looked good up there." Ian stepped past her. "I gotta go. My turn to take on the final boss. Wish me luck."

"Watch out for grabs!" She called out in warning. "And remember not to let him pick a small stage!"

With a final wave, the chestnut-haired boy climbed on the stage to face his own opponent: Lelas.

Kaitlyn settled back in a chair, watching the match as it began. Her own victory still rang fresh in her mind, distracting her somewhat from the action.

I made it to losers' finals. Just one more win until grand finals. I could actually do this.

A little more thought showed her just how outlandish that hope was, though. She'd be facing the loser of this match—either Lelas or Ian. Neither would be easy opponents. Especially with how they were playing right now.

As expected, both guys were on fire. CinnaBun leapt across the screen, throwing out shurikens and punches to deny her opponent's advance and limit his options. Corgo flitted about effortlessly, dodging and getting in an occasional hit to begin a merciless combo. CinnaBun managed to escape most of them, sometimes even turning the situation around with a flurry of her own.

The set was a nail biter from start to finish. Each game took both players down to their last life and one combo away from sheer disaster. The display fed Kaitlyn's blossoming hope that Ian could actually win. Yet one after another, Ian lost each game. CinnaBun just couldn't manage to finish her opponent off. For the third game in a row, the rabbit fell one last time, Lelas hardly waiting for the victory screen before slinking off stage with a self-satisfied smirk on his face.

Kaitlyn closed her eyes briefly and took a breath. Standing, she went up once more to face her next opponent—the still figure of Ian, still seated at the monitor. He glanced over at her with a wry smile. "Well. So much for meeting in grand finals, huh?"

She gave him a sympathetic grimace back. "It's not too late. We could still do Pompuff mirror matches now."

"Nah. It's not the same."

She nodded, expecting the answer. Compared to just moments before, Ian seemed like he'd deflated somewhat. The intense fire of competition he'd shown against Lelas had been quenched.

I totally get it. A 3-0 loss would mess anyone up. I mean, it definitely has for me.

Still… looking over at her friend, she couldn't help but feel a bit sympathetic. It was one thing for her to lose to Lelas, but him? He'd been so close.

The game began. Just as she'd expected, Ian wasn't playing quite as well as he had moments before. He wasn't playing poorly, of course. The guy could give her a run for her money even on his worst day. But neither was he completely outclassing her. After a few brief exchanges, she realized that he was even getting predictable.

That's the third roll to the left he's done. We're barely into the game, and I can already tell he's completely off…

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As Ian finally managed to take her first life, she thought about the situation. Ian was completely tilted. Some part of her rejoiced at the idea. Though she'd managed to take him down in friendlies before, she'd never beaten him in tournament, either. This might be her chance to overcome another one of her biggest hurdles.

But… then what?

Whoever won this would have to play Lelas, and the guy had completely destroyed her. She was honest enough to know that, even playing her best, she had no chance against the guy right now. But Ian…

…He has a better chance of actually winning. But only if he gets his confidence back.

She hesitated, torn between a desire to win and wanting to see Ian triumph. The idea of holding herself back and effectively throwing the match rankled slightly. Kaitlyn simply wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do. But he really did have the better chance to take Lelas down. Lelas, who needed to be taken down a peg. Seeing him lose was a pretty worthy cause on its own. Besides, wouldn't having Ian win the tournament make sense for a good ending?

The thoughts distracted her from the game, and CinnaBun seized on a misspaced grab. The rabbit sent a flying kick into Corgo's face, launching him back across the stage and opening up an opportunity for a combo.

Kaitlyn made her decision. In the end, she wanted to see her friend do well and Lelas lose. And there was only one way to ensure those both happened.

Subtly, she began holding back. Not too obviously. A slight misstep here, a less optimal attack there. She played a little more passively, toning down her usual relentless aggression until she was right at Ian's current level.

Slowly, the tide of the game began to shift. Kaitlyn went from having a solid lead to losing as Ian began finding his footing once more. She could see his movements regain confidence as CinnaBun went for more and more risky and aggressive plays. Soon enough, she felt like she was playing the real Ian again.

She couldn't help but grin as he ruthlessly punished a whiffed punch of her own. Yes! It's working!

The ninja rabbit hurled the dog offstage, jumping after him and stomping him into oblivion. A moment later, the victory screen splashed up, congratulating CinnaBun on her win. Kaitlyn nodded. Only two more games, and then—

"Kay."

She started, then looked over. Ian was staring directly at her with a deep frown on his face. His brow furrowed in a mixture of confusion and disapproval.

Uh-oh.

"Are you… are you being serious?" He spoke softly, but there was a note of tension in his tone.

"...W-what do you mean?"

"No. Just… no. If I lose, it's my own fault."

Kaitlyn's mouth hung open in shock. Her mouth worked as she tried to formulate her explanation, but there was no time. He'd already turned back to the screen for the next game.

Well… shoot. I guess I wasn't being as subtle as I thought…

He's noticed. That was pretty clear. In a way, it made sense. They'd never been ones to go easy on each other, not since they'd become more equal in skill and certainly not when competing. But still, she hadn't thought he would get upset like that.

She bit her lip as Corgo loaded in. But I want him to win. I want him to be the one in grand finals. It's the least I can do, and I'm sure it's important for the ending. Besides, what is he going to do, stop me?

Corgo took off to face CinnaBun. Kaitlyn kept her movements a little more reasonable this time, trying to make her ploy a bit more hard to pick up on. There was no reason to rub it in Ian's face, after all. After a few exchanges, she charged up a punch that was just well telegraphed enough to dodge and—

—CinnaBun walked straight into it.

She nearly choked. Ian?! What the heck?! That was the easiest read known to man! You're not playing this badly!

The rabbit careened through the air, sailing helplessly over the edge. Corgo pursued her, trying for a halfhearted edgeguard to salvage the situation, only for CinnaBun to completely bork her recovery and lose a life in embarrassing fashion. It was the single worst play she'd ever seen from Ian.

What in the—

Her head whipped around to look at her opponent. The chestnut-haired guy had his eyes fixed on the screen, an all-too-innocent expression on his face as he respawned. He wasn't even flustered at the awful misplays he'd just executed.

No way… is he really…

Kaitlyn's mouth went dry. Apparently, there was something Ian could do. He could throw even harder than her.

With a growl of frustration, her attention returned to the game. Dangit, Ian. Why are you fighting me on this? You know as well as I do that this is a better outcome than me winning! Just take the W and go! For both of us!

But as the game went on, it became clear that he had no intention of doing that. Each time Kaitlyn even tried to give him an opening or an opportunity, however small, he would ruthlessly capitalize on it to make an absolute fool of himself. By the time he lost his second life, she was about ready to scream in frustration.

What am I supposed to do here?!

Everything was going downhill quickly. Their gameplay was beginning to look like a match between two amateurs rather than the best of the best that they were. She heard a few laughs in the audience that confirmed that much. She had to do something else.

But now that leaves a new question. What?

Inwardly, she let out a long sigh. There was only one other option: to do what he'd asked. She'd have to actually play her heart out and risk knocking Ian out of the whole tournament. It was the last thing she wanted, but the guy wasn't leaving her much to work with.

Rolling her neck, she made her decision. Kaitlyn had no desire whatsoever to face Lelas again. But if Ian was asking for it…

…Fine. I'll give you a fight.

As soon as the thought crossed her mind, her movement changed. Corgo began moving faster and more confidently, squashing those carefully laid openings. The dog mercilessly grabbed CinnaBun and flung her to the ground, hot on her heels with a follow-up kick as she rolled to her feet.

She heard Ian shift beside her as he sat up. His gameplay began picking up as well, though not enough to counteract the massive lead Kaitlyn had at that point. She ended up winning that second game pretty handily. By the time they made it to the third, Ian was starting to move like himself again. But it still wasn't enough to win.

Her expression turned into a slight grimace as she took home the third game as well. It was 2-1. If she won one more game, then Ian would be out for good. Maybe, if she just let herself get a little complacent…

Nope. She squashed the temptation mercilessly. He can tell when I'm holding back. All I can do is my best. And if I have to go against Lelas… well, then I'll just have to win for both of us.

With that, she allowed herself to try—really try. Corgo dashed across the screen, attacking and dodging as he went. But to her surprise, Ian wasn't taking this lying down. Despite two losses in a row, the guy wasn't giving up. Not even close.

CinnaBun began moving as smoothly as she'd ever seen. Kaitlyn struggled to keep up as the ostensibly slower character began to outclass her. It was as if the rabbit simply always appeared in the right place at the right time. Not to be outdone, she found herself focusing in and leaning forward in her seat. Corgo just barely stepped out of the way of a grab, flashing a kick out in return.

If it's my best he wants, then it's the best he'll get. Kaitlyn harried her opponent across the screen until her approach was stopped by a well-placed aerial attack. Even if I don't think it's the right move… it's all I can do.

It took her a while to really settle into that mindset. But before long, her fears about the loop and endings faded into the background. This wasn't about Lelas. This wasn't about anyone else. This was about one thing, and one thing only—winning.

And even then, it wasn't enough.

Ian pumped a fist in triumph, a grin flashing across his face as he hurled Corgo offscreen one last time. Kaitlyn slumped back in her chair, exhausted from the match.

That's it. It's over. I lost.

She smiled weakly at her victorious friend where he sat. "Good games."

She couldn't help but feel a bit conflicted about the loss. On one hand, she'd gotten the result she'd initially wanted. Ian had won—and not only that, but he'd done it in convincing fashion. He'd overcome whatever kind of slump the loss to Lelas had put him in, coming out the other side stronger than ever. On the other hand…

…I guess I did want to win, after all.

"Thanks," Ian's expression sobered somewhat at her own apparent disappointment. "And, uh… thanks for not throwing. Really."

Her cheeks reddened slightly. "...Yeah. Er… sorry for that. I just…"

His grin turned softer. "I get it. I do. But… it wouldn't feel right if we didn't really go at it, you know? I don't want to win because you feel bad for me. I want to earn it."

She grimaced slightly. Yeah. That makes sense. I mean… I might've said the same thing. I never would've learned anything if he just let me win, after all. It's only because he went hard whenever we played that I'm where I am now. And I guess it ended up for the better. But still…

"Are you… ok?" He asked hesitantly. "You're not mad, are you? I—"

"It's fine, really." She shook herself, returning his grin. "Just do me a favor. Make sure to kick Lelas's ass for me."