Kaitlyn's route through the Bash Bros bracket took a few different turns compared to the usual. Ian's absence shook up the pairings a bit more than she expected, meaning she found herself facing a mixed bag of fresh faces and old acquaintances on the climb upward. Not that any of them really gave her trouble.

This is a pretty big tournament. I already knew that. But still, I can't believe there are this many people I never even knew about.

Her Corgo sent a rather tenacious Lieutenant Sparrow player off the stage with a well-placed kick. The guy swore softly under his breath as the victory screen appeared, his expression tightening with barely-restrained frustration.

"Good games," she tried, offering a fistbump.

After a moment, the other guy returned the gesture. It felt a little stiff, and he immediately stood and left without another word.

Kaitlyn couldn't help but sympathize. Yeah. Kinda sucks to get knocked to losers so early. Especially when he was pretty good… But sorry, man. I've got bigger fish to fry.

And so she climbed, sending opponent after opponent down as she went. At this point, it was barely a challenge. There were only a few people who could truly give her anything close to a problem, not unless she really started dropping the ball.

The quickness of her games meant Kaitlyn ended up with a lot of downtime. At first, she considered hanging around Ian's booth between rounds, running back and forth to help out whenever she could. But even that felt a bit unnecessary. Just looking over made it clear that the guy really did have things under control.

I'm totally hovering. Besides, just hopping in and out constantly might do more harm than good… Nope, I gotta find something else to do.

She glanced around the crowded event hall. There were plenty of things to do here, but nothing she hadn't seen before. Loops upon loops of attending Bara Bash had long since eroded the novelty of the other demos and exhibits on display. It was all been there, done that.

Almost absentmindedly, Kaitlyn found herself wandering amongst the merchandise booths. Wire racks decked out with colorful keychains, adorable plushies, and beautifully illustrated posters hung to either side, each vying to grab the attention of passerby. The people manning each stand seemed to be taking a break from actively pitching their wares, most of them sitting back and enjoying food from a bag or a styrofoam takeout container. Their eyes lit up as she approached, only to settle back down to their food as she passed.

That's right. It's lunchtime. I should really pick something up… No way Ian's going to step away and grab something himself. Cappy's is too far, but maybe I can get a pizza from Manny's? After next round, of course. John will kill me if I'm late.

Just as she neared the end of the row, something caught her eye. It was a hand-drawn poster of three anime-style characters: a mage, a warrior, and a shield bearer. Each stood back-to-back in battle-ready stances, splashes of watercolor filling out the outlines and accenting the poses.

She stopped, stepping a little closer. Now that she'd beat the game, it was trivial to recognize the Kingdom Spades characters displayed before her. But that wasn't the only reason the piece stood out.

I remember this. Ian pointed it out the first time we came here, so long ago.

The memory drifted through her mind, its details fuzzy at the edges. With how long ago it had been, she couldn't remember the exact words they'd said. But she could remember his face. The look of enthusiasm that even then peeked through when he talked about game design. Compared to his normal self, it had been like a beacon flashing in the woods.

She shook her head. It really was so obvious, wasn't it? Looking back on it now, I can't believe I missed the signs for so long. But… at least we got there. Eventually.

"Excuse me?" She pointed to the poster. "How much is this?"

"Mmmph!" The rather mousy-looking girl behind the table straightened, setting her hamburger aside. After a few long moments of furious chewing, she brushed the dark hair out of her face and swallowed. "I-it's eighty. At least, for the big one. I-I have smaller ones, too, if you'd like!"

Eighty? Kaitlyn squinted at the vivid colors of the poster. I sure hope that's a print and not an original. Otherwise, this girl needs to start charging a lot more.

"No, eighty is fine," she reassured the girl, reaching for her wallet. "I don't have cash on me, but—"

"Th-that's fine!" The girl squeaked hastily. "I-I can take pretty much anything. No worries at all."

The mousy artist bobbed her head agreeably as Kaitlyn checked out. With her new acquisition safely rolled into a cardboard tube, she headed back to the Bash Bros setups just in time to hear John's voice shout above the noise.

"Listen up for your next round pairings! ZoggyWoggy and Orororo, Setup 1! ZoggyWoggy and Orororo, Setup 1…"

Alright. After this round, I've gotta grab food. So let's see how fast I can make it happen.

As her name was called, Kaitlyn hurried toward her setup and rolled her shoulders. It was time to put her training into practice.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

***

The bracket flew by in a flash.

The matches blurred together, with only a few games standing out as questionable victories. Even top eight didn't feel as tense as it had last time. Zog managed to take a game off of her during their match, but she ultimately came out on top—only to be dropped down to losers' bracket by Lelas once again. One that was far, far closer than last time.

But after a fight back up the bracket, Kaitlyn found herself climbing the stage steps to fight against Lelas. The moody Corgo player was the final opponent standing in her path to total victory.

Alright. Focus, Kaitlyn. You've already lost once, but it was a close set. You just have to learn from it, pick the right stages, watch out for grabs…

She settled into the chair and began unwinding the cord from her controller as Lelas approached. However, before she could plug in, her pocket buzzed. The unexpected sensation nearly made her jump in surprise.

Oh. It's just my phone.

Frowning, she pulled it out of her pocket to check. It wasn't often that people actually texted her. Not in this loop, at least. Maybe Heather needed something?

Ian: Good luck! :)

Looking over her shoulder, she scanned the area. As expected, she spotted Ian's mint hoodie still standing over at Grail's booth. However, rather than watching the pair of people playing on the laptops, he was facing in her direction. As their eyes met, he shot her a supportive thumbs-up.

Kaitlyn smiled at the sight, returning the gesture. Ian grinned and pulled out his phone, looking down as he typed something on it. Her pocket buzzed again.

Ian: Don't worry. If things start looking too bad, I'll call and bail you out.

She grinned, sticking her tongue out in his direction. The chestnut-haired student laughed, though the sound was lost in the crowd.

"Are you done?"

Her attention turned back to the opponent now sitting beside her. Lelas was already plugged in, tapping his fingers impatiently on his controller as he stared testily at Kaitlyn.

She smiled despite herself. "Yeah. Give me one second."

A feeling of calm overtook her as she plugged in and got ready to play. Her cursor highlighted Corgo, the cyborg dog's jacket flicking through different colors before settling on red.

Even if this doesn't go my way, it's ok. I've already gotten what I wanted out of Bara Bash. She glanced over at Lelas. …But that doesn't mean I'm giving up so easily. I'm going to do this. Ian believes in me, and I do too.

Imagining the look on her opponent's face afterward was just the cherry on top.

After a moment, the game began. A scattering of applause and cheers rose up from the watching crowd as the two Corgos leapt into action, each testing the other's limits with carefully spaced kicks and dodges.

Lelas was still no slouch, and for good reason. The time loop meant that Kaitlyn had ample opportunity to practice against practically every player she came across, learning their habits and strategies until they were pretty much second nature. It was one of the things that had given her a leg up against Zog, once her fundamentals were in order. Lelas, though? He only showed up once per loop.

Not to mention that he's stingy as hell with his friendlies. Especially if the other person's any good. Maybe he doesn't like letting the competition get more practice against him?

It felt like it wasn't entirely in the spirit of good sportsmanship, but that was only to be expected at this point. Either way, it meant that she really didn't have as much practice against him as she would have liked. But that wasn't to say she was completely at a loss.

Her red Corgo whirled around in place, reaching out to grab at the empty air where she knew Lelas would appear next. Sure enough, her fist grasped the opposing green dog just as he sprang up from a roll, the spacing just right to grab the edge of his coat.

With a grin, she threw her opponent skyward and followed it up with a quick combo of kicks. It was cut short by a few clever evasions on his part, and she ended up overextending a bit. But still. He wasn't completely wiping the floor with her.

After a grueling back and forth, Kaitlyn lost the first game. But she managed to take the next. And the next. By the time they entered the fourth, she could feel the frustration radiating off of Lelas where he sat.

I'm doing it. I'm really doing it.

Their first match had been a refresher, a warm-up to remind her of all the little tricks that she'd forgotten. Now, she was getting the hang of things. Loop after loop of getting destroyed by Lelas ran through her mind as she picked apart his patterns and dissected his habits. Her fingers danced across the controller with more sureness than she'd ever felt. The crowd and the stage retreated into a distant corner of her mind as she immersed herself in the game.

I wonder if this is how Ian feels when he plays. I've never been in the zone like this before.

The thought drifted by inconsequentially as she won again, resetting the bracket. Her opponent's sour mood only served to fuel her own excitement. He was tilted, more than she'd ever seen, and it was starting to show. His plays became riskier and more aggressive, the green Corgo overextending in an attempt to make up lost ground. But now, she had the momentum.

Kaitlyn took another two games in quick succession. Lelas rallied for the third, actually managing to throw her off and take the victory, but it wasn't enough to stop her. With a few adjustments, she picked apart his play and knocked the green Corgo out one last time.

She leaned back in seat as the victory screen appeared.

I… I did it. I won.

All at once, the sounds of the ballroom returned, crashing over her in a wave of cheers and shouted approval. Glancing behind her, she saw a surprising number of faces she recognized on their feet and celebrating. Celebrating her.

It all felt so… strange. Strange and unbelievable. She should have been elated, jumping up and down like the others. But all she could do was sit in disbelief.

Belatedly, she realized that she hadn't said anything to her opponent yet. She extended her fist with an almost mechanical motion. "Good games—"

Another buzz in her pocket distracted her. With a shake of her head, she dug her phone out and checked it.

Ian: CONGRATS!!!

Ian: I knew you could do it!

Ian: Talk later, things are getting busy here.

A glance over at the stand revealed Ian in the midst of fielding a rather impressive crowd for his game. He alternated between speaking to the people playing and those watching in line, looking the slightest bit frazzled as he did. Even better, Kaitlyn noted a respectable chunk of the Bash Bros crowd rising from their spectator seats and heading that way.

Oh, wow. He could probably use some help.

With a final grin, Kaitlyn quickly stood and unplugged her controller. The scowling Lelas hadn't returned her fistbump, but that was fine. The detail barely registered in her mind as she jogged down the steps and toward the crowd swarming her partner.