13… 14… 15 seconds.

Leon entered the observation deck, hoping Roxie hadn’t made it to the captains’ room, but knowing she probably did. Oh well. At least he had one victory today.

Sure enough, Roxie was already knocking on the captains’ door. He couldn’t help but wonder what the room inside looked like but didn’t follow her. She had already won.

So did he, in a way. While she stood high above the tiled floors, he got to look out the window, into an ocean of stars. In the middle sat that familiar blue marble he called home: Earth. They should land in a couple weeks. He couldn’t deny a part of him felt homesick, even though he was having the time of his life.

Leon floated toward the window for a closer look. There were so many things he wished he could return to, like the crisp winter air on his legs or his friends laughing as he wore shorts in the snow. Other things, he was glad to leave behind. Though could he really say he’d never turn his back on a friend when…? No. He shouldn’t worry about that.

“Yo, Rookie!” Emil’s voice echoed through the room.

Leon placed a foot on the floor, stopping on a dime. He turned around to see Roxie joined by the lieutenant captain at the top of the stairs.

“C’mon up here, we’re waiting on you~” Emil winked, pointing down at him.

“I’ll be right up!” Leon pushed himself off of the floor. He could’ve sworn the tile sunk beneath his foot, but he was too busy soaring into the air to pay it much mind.

Soaring a little too high, actually. He must’ve pumped the air jets a little too hard, because he flew straight past Roxie and Emil toward the ceiling. A hand grabbed his foot just in time.

“Got’cha!” Emil struck a stylish pose. “Uh-oh.” Unfortunately, he forgot to grab onto the stair railing, so he got swept up with Leon.

Roxie came to the rescue. With a mighty tug, she pulled him back to the ground in no time.

“Thanks Roxie, I don’t know where we’d be without ya.”

“On the ceiling!” she answered. “Celebratory hug?”

“Ah, what the heck?” Emil welcomed her with an open arm. The other slung around Leon’s shoulder, pulling him down.

“Thanks.” He laughed sheepishly. “You guys are lifesavers.”

The lieutenant let them go. “Come in, come in. I’ve been expecting you.”

Leon and Roxie followed him into a dim, red room. Leon remembered back to a month ago, how alarmed the captain was when Emil first mentioned this room existed. His goosebumps told him they probably shouldn’t be here, yet it didn’t stop his eyes from taking in every sight, from the golden beds in front of him, to the wooden desk on the other side.

Most eye-catching of all was the screen above the desk, which had to take up a good third of the wall. It displayed camera feeds from all over the Celestion-5.

“Woah… This is like every room in the ship.” Leon continued marveling. “Look, Mia’s still reading at the kitchen table. And there in the gym, Aiden’s talking to Jun!” He pointed to the top-leftmost section. “I can even see us right here!”

“Yep.” Emil nodded. “Pretty sweet, huh? Notice anything else?”

Roxie tilted her head. “Where’s the captain?”

“Ding, ding, ding!” He spun to face her. “That’s the million-dollar question of the day: Where the heck did he go?”

Leon shared a look with Roxie. “You don’t know?”

“Nope!”

“But he’s been gone the entire week!” Roxie followed up. “You haven’t seen him since??”

“Oh, I’ve seen him.” Emil tapped his forehead. “He still has to sleep. I just don’t know where he runs off to.” He placed his hands on the desk. “So I’ve been watchin’ these cameras all day. No luck.”

Leon thought for a moment. “Maybe he’s somewhere where the cameras can’t see him?”

“You guys hit every blind spot there is on the way up.” Emil’s eyes didn’t leave the cameras. “If he were hiding in ‘em, you woulda seen him. The only room without cameras is our bathroom,” he hopped over to a door on the very right and opened it up to reveal a toilet, “...and he’s not here!”

“What manner of vanishing magic does he possess?” pondered Roxie.

The lieutenant sighed. “That’s what I wanna know.”

Leon looked from him to Roxie. “Uhhhh, what do we do now?”

“Oh yeeeeah. You guys’ bet’ll have to be a draw, I guess.” Emil leaned on the bathroom door. “I gotta give you props for keeping me entertained. Shame it was all for nothing.”

“It was not all for naught!” Roxie pointed to the sky. “We still had another question, remember?”

Leon did not remember.

She continued anyway. “We still need to uncover the identity of the mysterious Lorie!”

“Right!” He finally remembered. “Yeah, who’s Lorie?”

“Tch.” Emil grimaced. “I was hoping you wouldn’t remember that.”

“You underestimate the strength of our memory!” Roxie overestimated the strength of Leon’s.

“I’d tell you guys if I could, but it’s kind of a secret.”

“Pleeease? Pretty pleeease?”

Emil shielded his face to protect himself from Roxie’s puppy dog eyes. “No.”

“Can you at least give us a hint?” asked Leon.

“Weeeelll, I suppoooose.” He tapped his chin. Suddenly, the lieutenant leapt from his place and snatched a pair of simulator glasses from the desk, brushing by the other two before landing on the opposite wall. “But you’ll hafta fight me for it first.” He wagged a finger. “If at least one of you wins, I’ll give you a hint on who Lorie is. Got it?”

“Okay!” Leon was ready.

“You’re on!” Roxie too.

“Alriiiight!” Emil winked, moving toward the middle of the room. “Let’s get this party started.”

Between the two beds, Emil started his first pattern ‘I Made This Again.’ A slow stream of projectiles fired from his hand, creating a line between his opponents. His hand swiveled in Roxie’s direction. The stream itself curved like a rope being swung around. She fled from it, only to trap herself in the back corner of the room. It looked like game over for her, but using her feet, she pushed herself off the floor, along the wall, and over the beds. Leon found himself impressed even though she was screaming the entire time.

“Waaaaaaaah!” Roxie continued cowering, making her way around the room and back.

The projectile rope detached from Emil’s hand, clumped up, and spread out toward them. Luckily, the gaps between each shot were so big, Leon and Roxie could just stand in place.

Emil stood there, a little befuddled. “Huh. Oh well, think of this as a warm up!”

He fired up another stream, this time turning in the other direction. Roxie took action first, circling back around the room the way she came. Leon followed her lead, but as he leapt over the beds, his foot caught the edge of one. He came out fine, though his heart hitched a little in his chest.

Emil, on the other hand, wheezed like he’d breathed his last breath. He sucked it back through his teeth, eyes bugging out. Quickly, he regained his cool.

“Ah, new rule, everyone!” With a smile, he rushed over to the bed. “Uhhhh, don’t go near this bed, okay?” He winked, then hurriedly began smoothing out where Leon had tripped.

“Okay!” Leon replied from the safety of the other side of the room. “Wait, how do we do that when your attack swings around the room?”

“I understand the answer to your troubles.” Roxie tapped him on the shoulder. The two stood still as the detached projectiles passed them by. “I’ll show you the next time around.”

But there was no next time around. Their opponent was too busy to start it again. He continued fixing the bed, muttering to himself.

“Looks good, looks good. Now to check. Where isss…?” Emil looked around before his eyes locked on to the desk on the other side of the bed. He ran up the wall over to the other side and grabbed a coin out of its drawer before launching it into the bed. It did not bounce. “Right. This doesn’t work without gravity. Aghh!” His hands squeezed his hair. “Now I messed it up even more!”

Leon glanced at Roxie. “Should we get his attention?”

“The longer he’s distracted, the better chance we’ll have at winning!” She whispered.

Leon felt a little bad for worrying him this much, even though the bed he tripped over looked just as neat as the other one, if not more so.

Emil smoothed it over some more before placing his hands on his hips. He pointed one at it, turning back to the others. “Does this look like anyone’s ever slept in it?”

“A little.” answered Roxie.

“Not good enough.” He raised his hands in defeat. “I did my best.”

Leon scratched the back of his neck. “Sorry about that.”

“It’s cool, it’s cool.” Emil waved his hands. “I can say I did it. Now back to–” he squinted, “Huh?? When did it move to the next pattern?”

“It moved to the next pattern?” Leon looked at his display, and sure enough, the pattern title changed to ‘The Ol’ Razzle Dazzle.’

“Yep!” Roxie smiled innocently.

Emil slumped his shoulders, pouting. “You coulda tooooold meeee.”

“Would you not have done the same in our position?”

He chuckled. “You’re right~ Guess I better make the most of this.”

The lieutenant placed one hand on top of the other, sliding the fingers of the top hand between the ones on the bottom. Thin rays of light spread out from where he was, some long enough to cut Leon and Roxie off from each other, others too short to reach the walls.

Leon pushed himself away from the rays as they spun quickly in his direction. Too quickly for him to get by with just floating away. He pumped his air jets to give him a speed boost. Unfortunately, he went too fast and found himself on a crash course with the ray in front of him.

“Remember the bed!”

“Oh! Uhh–” It didn’t even occur to Leon that he was getting dangerously close to the special bed. Without thinking, he jammed a foot down and came to a stop. Leon accepted his fate of getting hit. It never came. Instead, the rays passed over his head. That confused him until he noticed the world turning sideways. His face hit the carpet. He must’ve been going so fast that the momentum carried the rest of his body to the ground.

“Are you good down there?” Emil’s voice called from above.

“I’m fine!” Leon raised a thumbs up. “Actually, better than fine. I’m not getting hit!”

“Well that’s a design flaw…”

“What a clever technique!” From under the bed, Roxie’s feet could be seen hopping back and forth roughly in the same place she started.

“Thanks, but how are you surviving right now?”

“Did you pay attention to the lines?”

Leon looked up to see that not only were the rays of light spinning, but shrinking and growing as they did. “Ohhhhhhh, I get it! When they shrink, you can just go around it. Then you don’t have to move so much.”

“You got it!” answered Emil. “I wouldn’t’ve told you, but Roxie already caught on, so eh.”

“There’s probably a way you can get your pattern to tilt from side to side so people can’t just hide under it.”

“Or above!” Roxie’s feet were no longer on the ground.

Emil groaned. “You guys are lucky I don’t remember how to pause.”

“Neither do I!” Leon laid his head on its side. “Huh?” Underneath the special bed, Leon saw nothing, but he could see many things stashed under the bed farther away. One stood out to him in particular. “Is that a guitar??”

“Are you looking under my bed?” Emil laughed. “Wow Rookie, didn’t know you were that nosy. Give a guy some priva…” He never finished his sentence.

Leon gasped. “It’s yours?? Do you know how to play it?”

“Mm-hm!” Could Emil get any cooler? “My stepdad taught me. Maybe I could play for you guys sometime.”

“Wooow…” Leon continued staring at the electric guitar in awe.

“Ahh–! Yep, that’s the end of that one.” announced Emil. “Rookie, come over this way so you don’t give me a heart attack.”

Leon pushed himself up on his feet, and made his way past Emil and his bed over to Roxie. Wait. If the other bed was Emil’s, then the one he tripped over had to be the captain’s. He imagined the disapproving eyes of Captain Galhardo bearing down on him and felt dread. No wonder Emil panicked.

Emil spread his hands in front of and behind him, firing a stream of shots that Leon and Roxie sidestepped, and one in the opposite direction. He fired two more side to side, much like ‘I Made This 2.’ That’s probably why it was called ‘I Made This 2 Again.’

This time, he kept his arms held out and pivoted, sending all the streams turning with him. If this attack was anything like the last one, Leon figured he could just avoid it by going up. He did just that, and Roxie followed.

“Heh! You think you guys got it all figured out, don’t’cha? Check this!” Emil tilted his body, changing the trajectory of all his shots so that the others stood in the line of fire.

Leon desperately tried hand-walking on the ceiling to dodge one stream, only to find his leg being yanked down by Roxie as she scrambled down the wall.

She pulled him down just in time to avoid taking a hit. “It’ll be easier on the floor!”

“Thanks, Roxie!”

“Thanks.” Emil tilted himself upright. “I didn’t want to spend the whole pattern like this.”

“You’re welcome~” Roxie pushed her knuckles against her cheeks. “Now, behold!” She turned to the oncoming stream, watched it, then stepped through the gaps. “See? It’s easy! Kind of like jump roping.”

“Ohhhh!” That brought comfort to Leon, until it didn’t. “I was never good at jump rope.”

“No time to learn like the present.” At this point, Emil nearly faced the opposite wall.

He was right. It was time for Leon to step forward into a new challenge. So he did.

“W-Wait, stop!”

“Stop?” As he obeyed Roxie’s warning, a shot grazed Leon’s stomach.

“Go!”

“G–Oh!!” Another would’ve hit him in the side if he hadn’t reacted. “That was close!”

While waiting for the next stream, Leon’s mind wandered back to the captain’s bed. It seemed like its neatness was a big deal. Maybe he wouldn’t take it as bad if he thought Emil did it, but knowing the captain, he might not let him off so easily.

“Hey, Emil, you don’t have to take the blame for the bed thing. You can tell Captain Galhardo I messed it up.”

Emil tensed up. “Thanks, but that would let him know you guys were here. No can do.”

Roxie tilted her head. “We’re not permitted?”

“Not in the slightest!” He sounded as if he’d announced a prize. “I wasn’t really thinking.”

“Is it against the rules?” Leon saw the next stream pass the corner, heading toward him and Roxie.

“Not really, but— Actually, I think the handbook says if the captain isn’t present, the next in command gains their authority. That should cover me, right? I’d check, but uhh,” Emil’s voice quieted down, “I don’t exactly know where my copy is.”

“You can borrow mine!”

“You’re a lifesaver, Rookie!”

“I can get it from my duffle ba– No, it wasn’t in there. Is it on the desk? The shelf? Where did I last…? Oh, right, it’s on my bed!” Leon’s cheeks began to burn. “At home. Uhhhh, Roxie? You wouldn’t happen to have yours, would you?”

“Not right now!”

“Oh, of course not right now, I meant in your room or something.”

“No, ‘not right now’ as in ‘now is not the time for such things because w’–Waaaah!” She screamed as shots passed by her before realizing she didn’t take damage, “--you’re in danger!”

Leon didn’t have much time to think before his turn came. He stepped forward, letting gravity take him where it may. It took him right through a gap and to Roxie, where they gave each other a double high-five.

It took him a moment to remember what he asked before. “So do you have your handbook?”

“It’s fiiine.” Emil cut in before she could answer. “That’s just one more reason to find my bro! He always keeps two copies on him.”

“Wow, that’s thorough.”

“That seems too heavy for his cape.” remarked Roxie.

“That’s the–Ow!” Emil’s pattern ended. He tapped his head. “That’s the thing. He has one physical copy. The other’s in his mind.”

Roxie gasped. “Mental storage!”

“That’s right~” He winked.

The lieutenant spread out his hands, creating arced green walls of light. Slowly, they expanded toward Leon and Roxie like a ‘Soundwave,’ the pattern’s name .

“Sometimes I wish my brain worked more like his.”

Neither ranger had to move to clear the first gap, but in its place came another wave.

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

Emil continued making more. “When he sets a goal, he devotes himself to it. Strict exercise regimen, eating really healthy, studying all night, he’d been training all his life to be a star ranger. Sure, we kinda got it drilled into us, but he took it to the next level!”

“Wow, he sounds really– Uhh, what’s the word?” Leon positioned himself between a gap by the computer desk. “It’s like single-minded, but not in a bad way.”

“Committed! Driven!” Roxie’s words were muffled by the wall she had to plaster herself against to avoid a wave. Emil’s bed being in the area gave her less wiggle room. “Dedicated!”

“That’s the one! Dedicated!” Leon motioned for Roxie to come over to his side.

“Yeah!” It was hard to see Emil through multiple walls, but Leon could hear his excitement. “Not only that, but he’s really practical, too. When we got older, Dad was usually busy or gone, so he’d handle a lotta the housework.”

“With all of his other routines?”

“I don’t know how he had the time. It takes a lot for me to focus on things I need to do!”

“Really? You were able to keep up with a lot a couple weeks ago.”

Emil chuckled. “And look where that got me. Flat chest hair and a flattened Rookie.”

“Almost flattened.” Leon corrected. “Wait, what was that about chest hair??”

“Hair of the heart!” Roxie finally made it to the desk. “His heart hair was suffering.”

Now Leon understood even less. “I didn’t know hearts had hair, but that sounds bad. Take care of yourself.”

“You don’t hafta tell me twice!” One of Emil’s next waves aimed directly at Leon and Roxie. The next free spot was back where she’d come from. With a tilt of his head, Leon led the way over. “I’m spoiled, so I’m only good for making people smile. My brother does the important stuff, like–Oh, I think he’s the one who fixed the TV!”

“Well it has to be either him or Lorie!” Roxie pulled Leon away from crashing into a wall. He gave her a thumbs up and pointed to the next opening.

“Y-Yeah, I guess so!”

It was easier to get around the waves before they expanded, Leon figured out, so he decided to move closer to Emil. He could finally see his face.

Emil’s eyes locked onto him. He smiled. “Hey there.”

“Hi.”

His smile turned to laughter as he created a wall right in front of Leon.

“Comrade, take my hand!” Behind him, Roxie reached out. Leon took her hand and she dragged him a safe distance. They continued floating back with the wave.

“Sorry Roxie, I keep thinking I have things figured out, and then it all goes wrong.”

“Nonsense! Your strategy was a smart one, you just got a teensy bit too close.” She pinched her hands together.

“ Wow, I’m not used to getting that.”

“Yeah, I’d say you were on the right track! I mean–!!” Emil cut himself off. “Don’t take my word for it, I’m not the brightest bulb in the shed.”

“You seem pretty smart to me.” Not that Emil was a genius, but Leon didn’t see him as less intelligent than anyone he knew.

Roxie guided Leon to the next opening. “And even if you’re not, it’s what’s in your heart that counts~”

Emil stopped creating waves. “Guys, I was just jo–”

“Like the blood keeping you alive!”

“...Thanks.”

The area cleared, allowing Leon and Roxie to move a little closer, but not too much. Emil smiled to himself, deep in thought. He looked calmer than usual, at least until he noticed the other two nearby. His arms moved to create more waves, but something startled him before he could. That something was named ‘I Made This ~More Special~’

“We should probably move back.” If this was anything like the original version, Leon had an idea what to expect.

Just as he expected, the pattern started off identically to ‘I Made This 2 Again.’ Four streams of projectiles, turning with him as he spun around. This time though, he pivoted twice to make himself go a little faster.

“If you really wanna talk about smart people,” Emil continued, “my brother was at the top of his class. I cheered all the way through his valedictorian speech!”

“Valedictorian?? Of IF Prep Academy?” Leon followed Roxie as she crossed a gap in the first stream, though again, it nearly hit him. He could never get the timing right.

“Isn’t it really competitive?” Even she was surprised.

“Maybe for the rest of us, but nobody came close to him.” Emil beamed with so much pride, he might as well have been talking about his own accomplishments.

Suddenly, he stopped and pulled his arms in. All four streams ejected from him, and he fired four more streams, this time diagonally. He pivoted himself in the opposite direction.

“That’s the reason he got scouted for the Celestion mission, actually. Our principal wouldn’t stop gushing about him and he knew somebody who knew somebody.”

“They didn’t hear anything from your dad first?” Roxie narrowly leapt through a gap. “Whew! My dad would advertise my triumphs more than he’d advertise cars!”

“Pshh! Like my dad would let people know we exist.”

“What about you?” Instead of trying his luck, Leon followed the streams until Emil dispersed them again. “Do you know why they selected you?”

“Someone else was supposed to go, but they couldn’t find anyone willing, so Dad was like,” Emil put on a deeper voice, “‘You. Go with him.’ I don’t get it. Like yeah, people don’t think much of us ‘cuzza our age, but it’s hard for me to look at my brother and not think everything’s gonna be alright. It’s like what can’t he do, you know?”

“Awww! How sweet! Huh?” Roxie was momentarily distracted by Leon waving at her. She picked up the hint and followed him. “You must look up to him a lot.”

“Of course~” Emil stopped once again and dispersed the streams, while Leon and Roxie crossed the larger gap it made. He watched them celebrate.

“I wish I had a little sibling. They could adore me, and I would smother them. But alas,” She held a hand to her forehead, “the stork has deprived me.”

Emil laughed. “I’m sure Rookie knows what I’m talking about,” He fired his next set of shots, “but me and my bro can get on each other’s nerves.”

“Hm.” Leon thought as he floated away from danger. “Actually, we never fight.”

“Never?? That must be great!”

“Yeah… I guess so.” He felt like he could say more, but didn’t know what. Emil pushing away the next streams saved him from having to think about it.

Roxie crossed through the next gap with Leon. “Emil, the captain is someone of many talents, yes?”

“Yes?”

“Then why is he using invisibility so much?”

“Huh? Oh! You mean why he’s hiding?” deciphered Emil. He sighed. “Wish I knew. …Is he that afraid of p–?” Emil twitched a little, and suddenly his pattern stopped. “Stun again.”

“Afraid of what?” Leon couldn’t imagine the captain having much to fear.

A chip-toothed grin crossed Emil’s face. “Wouldn’t you like to know? I’ve been ramblin’ about me and my bro for so long now, I think it’s high time you guys be ‘In The Spotlight.’”

As his finger lowered toward the two rangers, spotlights shined down on them. It trapped them in an area outlined by a circle on the ground. Outside, a grid of orange lights appeared one by one.

“Wooooah.” Leon looked around, too mesmerized to worry.

“Huh,” Emil tapped his chin, “I only had one person in mind when I was creating this, so you might have to squeeze in.”

Roxie pointed upward. “So is it bad if we step out?”

Emil coyly shrugged, which might as well have been a yes.

She pointed again, toward Leon’s side. “Behind you!”

“What? Ahh!” Leon noticed the edge of the spotlight creeping toward him just in time to jump away. Unfortunately, this left him drifting toward another edge.

“Wait wait wait, noooo!” Roxie grabbed his hand, but because she didn’t pull back, his momentum pulled her with him. Normally this wouldn’t be a big deal, but the cramped space made every move crucial.

She yanked his hand back, saving him from the edge, but now they were locked in a slow yet uncontrollable spin, tugging each others’ hands back and forth to save each other from disaster. The more he thought about it, Leon felt it was a little silly considering how well they’ve been doing. Then it hit him.

Roxie only had one hit left.

Emil crouched on top of a nearby computer chair, his eyes wide with excitement. “I’m on the edge of my seat!”

“I’m glad our suffering amuses–Eeyaaah!” Roxie couldn’t even finish her sarcasm before realizing her back was dangerously close to the wall.

“I’ve got you!” Leon raised his hands to pull her back. “Oops!” What he didn’t plan for was her rising as well.

“Put me down, put me down!” She squeaked.

“I don’t know how! Wait, duh!” If he could pull her up, he could pull her down.

With one tug, she lowered until she touched the floor. It took even less effort for her to get Leon grounded. They let go and took a bow.

Emil stood on his chair and clapped. “Bravo! Bravo! Great performance! Gotta say, I’ve been enjoying your teamwork so far. Some people could take notes.” He spoke through his teeth. “But now the real show begins. Here’s some flowers for your troubles.” Emil motioned tossing out flowers with a wink and a smile. Five pink ones appeared, flying toward Leon and Roxie at high speeds.

Both somehow avoided them by cowering, but just as they did, Emil threw out five more.

“It’s okay, we don’t need any flowers!” Leon pleaded.

“No, no, I insist.” Emil kept tossing them out like candy. “You’re doing such a good job right now! So in sync! I’m proud of you!”

“Your words are appreciated, your projectiles are not!” Roxie nearly backed into the wall by Emil’s bed dodging a flower.

Leon saw that the spotlight began backing toward the left wall. “It’s kinda hard to keep track of the spotlight and the flowers at the same time with so little room to move around in.”

“All jokes aside, you two have been doing really good despite me designing it for one. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” Emil’s warm encouragement gave Leon a boost in will power.

“Roxie!” A lightbulb went off in his head. “We don’t have to do both!”

“We do if we want to live!”

“No, I mean–”

“Look out!”

Leon backed away from a flower in time. “I mean we can each focus on a different thing.”

“Ohhhh! And we can hold hands to guide each other to safety!” Roxie made grabbing motions with her hands.

He put his in hers. “Good idea! It’ll be like prom, but in a bedroom with no music.”

“And the corsages are on the attack!”

“What’s a corsa–?”

“Leave room for jasmines!” called Emil.

Roxie pushed Leon away as a flower whizzed between them.

“Is that what those flowers are?” asked Leon.

Emil shrugged. “I dunno. Ask my uncle.”

Though stilted slow dancing, Leon and Roxie maneuvered their way through the flowers, all while staying in the spotlight. Emil’s throws got lazier over time. Leon glanced up to see him laying on his bed.

He propped his chin up with his hand. “I wish I got to go to prom, but my dad didn’t like us being out at night.”

“Mine either!” chimed Roxie. “He was afraid I’d get kidnapped.”

“Mine too!”

“Hm? They wouldn’t let you go to prom but they let you go to Neptune?” That sounded weird to Leon.

“Hey, don’t ask me how my dad’s mind works!”

“What’s it like? Tell us, tell us!” Roxie urged.

Leon thought for a moment. “Well, I went with my girlfriend at the time,” having to add ‘at the time’ made his heart sink, “we got dressed up. It was a lot of taking pictures. And dancing! There was dancing too. I kept stepping on her toes, so I guess I’m doing a little better now.” Leon sighed. “I miss her…”

“Awww. I know how it feels.” She related. “Sometimes, I still miss mine.”

Emil gasped. “Roxie, you had a girlfriend? Niiice!” His legs kicked back and forth. “A-And you having a girlfriend is cool too, Rookie–Ow!!”

The spotlights vanished. Leon and Roxie finally let go of each other and the need to stay in one place. Emil dove from his bed to the computer chair and crawled his way up to a crouch.

“I was kinda hoping one of you would make it this far.” He dragged a hand around himself. Beadlike orbs trailed behind it. “‘Cause like it says in the title, ‘I Made This For You~’”

“For us?” Leon watched him stand up, then point at the ceiling. Faint red lasers shot out from each orb, expanding into thicker, brighter ones. Those looked like trouble. What looked like even more trouble was Emil resting his foot on the side of the desk. Nonchalantly, he kicked it, sending the chair and himself and the lasers into a spin quicker than any before!

Leon and Roxie, caught between two, soared across the room to keep up with them. They soon found themselves sitting ducks, trapped against a wall. The lasers dimmed just before making contact.

“Rookie!” Roxie’s voice came from a distance.

“Hm?”

“Now is not the time to be idle!” She made it all the way back to the front door as Leon finally processed that the dim lasers weren’t dangerous.

And then they became bright again.

Bzzt!

“Ow!” Once again, Leon forgot to change his settings.

“Was that my first hit?” Emil’s chair continued to twirl. “I can’t see anything!”

He didn’t know how long his post-stun invincibility would last, but made the most of his time rushing back over to the door. The next thing he knew, a cloud of red curls blinded him.

“Gyahhh!”

“Sorry! Sorry!”

He and Roxie spiraled out of control, having crashed into each other on her way to the back wall. They drifted toward it, but the lasers looked like they could outpace them. Leon gave them an extra boost. It sent them crashing into the wall just as the lasers went dim.

He held his arm out to her. “We should probably stick together.”

“Agreed!” She hooked hers in his and sent them flying to the other side of the room.

They fled the lasers from one side, turned, then rushed back to the start. This back and forth kept them unscathed, and they really got into the rhythm of it!

Too much for Emil’s liking. “I’m not hearing any struggling, so I’m gonna guess you two got the hang of it. Let’s kick it up a notch!”

Out of the corner of his eye, Leon saw Emil flinging something bluish from his hands. He glanced behind him to see a big, star-shaped projectile hurtling toward Roxie like a shuriken.

“Roxie, behind you!”

“What?”

It was too late for either to escape. Leon spun them around to take the hit instead.

“A sacrifice?” A smile crept on Roxie’s face. “For meee? Thanks! I owe you my next life!”

“Your ne–Ahh!” A second blue star barely missed Leon’s head. It wouldn’t have been a problem if it didn’t, but it was still scary! Roxie dragged him back toward the door, where a third star bounced into the corner and out of their path. “Next life? Don’t you have one hit left?”

“I have two.”

“How?? You took two during our fight!”

“I dunno. Magic!” Roxie unhooked one arm from Leon, spun herself in the opposite direction, and hooked the other one in. “This is a more optimal formation. We don’t have to turn around, and we can keep a better lookout for the death stars.”

“Got it!” Leon stuck one leg out and pushed them over to avoid one.

“Ohhh, did you get that glitch?” asked Emil.

“What glitch? Eee!” A star barely cleared Roxie and Leon.

It smacked into Emil, but that didn’t phase him. “The glitch where if you get really close to enough shots,” he flung out another to take its place, “it gives you an extra chance to get hit.”

“Sounds like deceit!”

“Believe what you want, but I’m tellin’ the truth.”

“You were kinda squeezed in by my last attack.” recalled Leon.

“Cool pattern, by the way.” Emil complimented.

“Haha, thanks!” Leon’s face tingled with pride. “By the way, I really like the stars, even if they are trying to kill us.”

Emil tried to look at him but spun too fast to stare in any one spot. “Figured you would.” He spread his arms out. “Anything to make my opponents comfortable!”

“Can you make them stop?” asked Roxie.

“No!”

Emil on his chair, pointing in the air, surrounded by red-white lasers and blue stars. [https://f2.toyhou.se/file/f2-toyhou-se/images/45261186_5Ki0vct0E4m2LzY.png?1644354220]

The lasers hardly registered as a threat anymore. Leon and Roxie flew back and forth like clockwork. The stars, on the other hand, were unpredictable, usually out of sight, but always on the mind. Leon and Roxie never got used to them, screaming every time one shot past.

Emil danced in his chair. “This is my favorite song!”

Leon couldn’t help but laugh. The lieutenant looked like nothing more than a blur. It almost distracted him from a blue streak speeding by.

“Roxie, push us–!”

“Uwaaaah!” It was too late for her.

To add insult to injury, the pattern stopped. The lieutenant launched himself upwards, majestically spinning with his arms outstretched. Leon clapped. Roxie joined in.

Emil placed a hand on the ceiling, stopping himself. “And now for the finale!” He winked before pushing himself down toward his bed. “I felt a little bad partying to your pain. So as a treat for making it this far,” From under it, he grabbed his guitar and pick, hooking up the former to a small box, “you can have some music!”

A performance from Emil? Leon felt like he’d already won.

Much like the last attack, the blond summoned beadlike orbs with his hands, creating dim lasers. This time they were fewer and unevenly spaced.

He stopped the chair with his foot. “Welcome, welcome, lady and gentleman! I hope you’re ready to experience thrills, chills, and maybe even a prize, ‘cause we’re about to play a game of ‘Rushin’ Roulette!’”

Instead of spinning himself, Emil pushed the orbs around like a roulette wheel. Then he launched into a sick guitar riff!

“Soooo cooool…! Roxie, isn’t this so cool?? He’s playing the guitar right in front of us!!” Leon’s voice reached heights he didn’t know were possible. Roxie moved around behind him, probably dancing. She may’ve said something, but he couldn’t hear her over his own joy.

She suddenly hooked an arm in his, pulling him along. “This is not a concert, this is war. Focus.”

Emil stopped playing. “You don’t hafta worry about the lasers, you’ll know when they’re coming. Save your breath for the next part.”

The lasers slowed to a stop, brightened shortly after, and transformed into see-through walls. This locked Leon and Roxie into the largest section of the ‘wheel.’

“Congratulations! Let’s see what our lucky contestants won! It looks like–” something pink emerged from the center, “--flowers!” Emil played happy jingle while alternating rows of flowers approached Leon and Roxie.

Stepping side to side, Leon did his best to weave through them. “These are beautiful!”

“And easy!” Roxie spoke for herself.

“Yeah, this one’s not so rough,” Emil sounded a little disappointed, “but check out the other ones if you wanna see a really bad time.”

“And risk my last life, no thank you!”

That reminded Leon that he was on his last too. He couldn’t afford to get distracted now, no matter how awesome Emil’s guitar playing was!

Finally, the pink flowers stopped coming, and the lasers dimmed down. Emil sent them into another spin. Leon took a breather, but Roxie still paced around, alert as ever.

“We don’t have to think about the lasers until they stop.” He reminded her.

“That’s what he wants you to think.” Roxie squinted at Emil, sitting in his chair sideways, continuing to perform. “But if I know about game shows, the best prizes are in the tiny slivers.”

“That is correeect!” The guitarist played another jingle. “But can you get there fast enough?” A more sinister tune played.

“I’ll show you!” Roxie pointed at him.

Leon spotted the smallest sliver of the wheel. It looked big enough for only one of them, maybe both if they stood in line. With the lasers so close together, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to take that risk. He figured he’d go with what he knew.

Upon slowing down, Roxie’s choice was clear. She soared up and over Emil into the back corner of the room where the lasers locked her into place. In the wrong section.

“Oooh, tough luck for Roxie.” Emil’s guitar whined for her. “Let’s see what’s in store for Leon!”

“Won’t it just be flowers again?” What emerged next answered Leon’s question. Stars shot from the edges of his section, bouncing around chaotically.

“Oh, lucky you! Stars! And a buncha them!”

“I don’t feel really lucky right now!” Leon ran for his life. He didn’t want to know how things could be even worse for Roxie, but he found out anyway.

Across the room, Roxie’s section filled with white projectiles. Tiny pellets in neat columns hid most of her from Leon’s view. She didn’t seem to have a chance.

Somehow she survived, even when they enveloped her. “Ha! This doesn’t seem too bad. Give me all your might!”

“Okay.” Emil warned.

“Wait! No! Not that much! Wait! Wait! Nooo!!”

“R-Roxie??” Leon saw nothing but a curtain of white. A star passed in front of his face. He didn’t have time to worry. Scrambling from the star storm, he had to hope Roxie was okay.

The stars and pellets vanished to reveal nothing where Roxie once stood. She was nowhere to be seen.

But she could be heard.

“Rookie…” Roxie drifted slowly across the ceiling. “It’s all up,” she coughed, “to you…!” Finally, she pretended to go limp.

“Roxie, no!” Leon reached out for her.

Emil played a bit of Ave Maria. “What a touching emotional moment. Really tugs at the heartstrings, don’t it?”

“Avenge meee…” For a dead person, Roxie sure did talk a lot.

“I-I’ll try!”

The lieutenant turned his chair toward Leon. “C’mooon, put a little more confidence in it!”

Leon didn’t know if he could. He was on his last hit and if the next ‘prize’ were any more hectic, he might not live to see the next spin. What could he do?

“Emil?” An idea started to come to mind. A ridiculous one, but maybe that was what he needed. “The sections next to the smallest one, do those stay the same?”

“Yep. Only the big one changes.” A sudden smirk crossed Emil’s face. “I see that look. What’s goin’ on in that head of yours?”

“I don’t know if I’ve decided on it yet.”

“Well you better do it soon! Things are slowing down.”

The dim lines became more visible as things came to a halt. It looked like the next sliver would appear over Emil’s bed, and next to it, a danger section to Leon’s left. He stepped into it.

Roxie gasped in horror. “Leon!! That’s certain death!”

“No! I’m going… to live!” The words left Leon’s mouth without thinking, and he found himself pointing at the distance. He felt his confidence building up after the fact.

“Oooooh! The drama, the spice!” Emil leaned forward, absolutely delighted. “The audience is gonna eat this up!”

“I am eating this up!” Roxie confirmed.

“Go for it, Rookie!” Emil strummed his guitar. “Show us whatcha got!”

He didn’t know if it was the fact that he couldn’t escape or Emil’s guitar playing, but Leon welled up with more courage than ever. “I’m ready!”

White pellets emerged slowly. All Leon needed to do was stand completely still between them and he should be fine. Which led to Problem #1: Leon was heavier than Roxie.

He got the idea to stand sideways, which gave the pellets enough space to pass by without hitting him. Hopefully, he was close enough for what he needed to do.

“It’s a tight fit, but not too bad.” He felt cold sweat on his temple, but all he had to do was stay like this, right?

Roxie hovered over him with extreme concern. She looked toward Emil. “Can he call a lifeline from beyond the grave?”

“Hmmm, I’ll allow it.” permitted Emil. “But only in rhyme. We need some more spectacle.”

Roxie put on her best ghost voice. “An unwelcome surprise awaits you ahead! Back up carefully, or you’ll be dead!”

True to her words, what Leon saw surprised him. Unwelcomely! The pellets shifted so that the next columns were directly in his path, but the second part confused him. “Where do I back up? Everywhere looks the same.”

“You may ask for advice when you don’t know how to avoid your fate, the time is now!”

It took Leon a second, but not one too soon, he backed up in time and felt over the moon!

“I did it! I did it!” If he could stand still just a little longer, he should be in the clear.

“Huzzah!” Roxie cheered for him, but something else caught her attention. “Emil! What’s that on the observation deck camera?”

”What the–? Is that a hole in the floor??”

“Wher–Ouch!!” Leon made the mistake of turning his body and took a hit. He came so far, but everything he worked for vanished in an instant.

That’s what he thought until he realized his plan worked. He gained a hit to spare! Using the split second of invincibility he had, he flew up through the pellets and through the boundary, emerging into the sliver without even tripping over Emil’s bed. It contained the best prize he could hope for: Absolutely nothing.

After some well-deserved relaxation, not only did the walls disappear, but the entire pattern too, revealing Emil and Roxie glued to the camera panel.

“Guys! I won!”

“All riiight!” Emil riffed a celebratory tune.

Roxie clapped. “You avenged me! Good job!” She leaned over Emil. “Now you have to tell us your hint.”

“Oh. Yeah, just a sec.” He waved Leon over. “Sorry to cut your celebration short, but do you know anything about this?”

Instead of 16 small camera feeds, Leon saw a large one. It showed a hole in the floor of the observation deck the size of a few tiles.

He thought for a moment. “Uhhhh, I remember stepping on a tile on the way over here. It sunk a little.” His pride in winning melted away to embarrassment. “...Did I break something?”

“Behold the stairs!” Roxie pointed out faint steps inside the hole.

So it wasn’t broken. “Where does it lead to?”

Emil’s brows furrowed. “Dunno. But I got a feeling we can find out.”

Leon and Roxie watched as he set down his guitar, stood up, and glided to the door. He looked back and winked.

“Let’s go get some answers.”