“I can’t wait to be home,” said Luna, flopping down onto the bed in Aurin’s hotel room. She had finished packing while Aurin was hastily shoving clothes in his luggage. “You should have done most of this last night.”

“I should have, but I didn’t,” said Aurin without looking up. He pulled one of his summoning stones out of his bag and light filled the room for a moment before Shamtile emerged. “Shamtile, help me pack and I’ll get you a milkshake when we get back.”

Aurin felt the room rumble for a moment, and he was forced to stop Shamtile. Whatever his magic lizard was trying to do, it would doubtlessly increase the bill tenfold. “How about we use our hands for this one, bud?”

The two got back to it while Luna relaxed. “You’ve got your train ticket, right?” she asked after a while.

Aurin rummaged around. “Yes, right here,” he said holding it up.

“That’s completely bent out of shape.”

“It’ll still work.

“I guess that’s true.”

“What’s the first thing you’re going to do when we get back?” Aurin asked her.

“Hmm,” said Luna, staring at the ceiling and pondering. “I think I’ll spend some time with my parents and friends. Friends other than you.”

Aurin laughed while Luna stumbled over herself trying to explain what she meant. “Don’t worry,” he assured her. “I know that you have more friends than me. You’re welcome to bring them to the ranch, I’m sure Kyle wouldn’t care. In fact, you should bring some of them into the tower.”

“Only a couple of them have Minakai, but they’re not as interested as either of us.”

“What are they interested in?”

“All sorts of things,” said Luna, racking her brain for an answer. “Emily wants to be a vet and Hannah is a fashionista; she’s always sewing her own clothes.”

“Can she sew me new clothes and I’ll leave these ones here?”

“If you want her to make something, you could always ask.”

“I was just joking, but I’m pretty sure she doesn’t like me.”

Luna sat up and looked over at Aurin. “What makes you say that?”

“I’m always stealing you away and anytime we have met, she usually gives me one word answers or ignores me completely.”

“Then stop stealing me away,” giggled Luna.

Aurin’s face turned red, and he buried himself in the last of his suitcase which he had just finished packing while pretending to rearrange things.

Shamtile waddled over and started jumping up and down while waving his arms, celebrating their latest achievement. It was not quite as prestigious as a tournament win, but the little Minakai was content with the packing job.

“Come on,” said Luna, standing up and wheeling her case to the door.

The two departed and checked out of the hotel before heading onto the streets and making their way to Ludonia Central Station. It was noticeably less busy than a couple of days ago, but there were still a handful of remaining tourists making their own way home. Aurin took in the beautiful buildings, feeling as though he would both miss the city and couldn’t wait to be somewhere less hectic.

Shamtile insisted on pushing Luna’s case, but it wasn’t made easy by the fact that he was a foot shorter than it was. Every now and then, somebody ahead would mysteriously trip over a stone at precisely the right angle to be out of Shamtile’s way.

The group walked into the station and sat down outside a small café while they awaited their train. They still had an hour to go, so Shamtile tugged on Aurin’s sleeve relentlessly trying to cash in his owed milkshake early.

“They don’t do milkshakes here, Shamtile,” Aurin said, but the little Minakai ignored him and continued to pester him. “How about you try a hot chocolate instead.”

Left with no choice, Shamtile relented. When it arrived, he quickly scalded his mouth, not quite realising the name of the drink was quite literal. He bounced on his seat, much more upset by his mouth being burned than he would have been at being assaulted with a barrage of fireballs from Hunter’s Flambot.

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Luna passed Shamtile her bottle of water. “What will you miss most about Ludonia?” she asked Aurin.

“We met a few nice people here,” he replied. Martin, Elton, Professor Socrates, if you want to count him. Maybe we’ll visit again?”

“The folks in the Battle Underground too,” Luna reminded him.

Aurin didn’t know how it had slipped his mind. It had been one of his first experiences on the trip and it now seemed like such a long time ago. He suddenly had an idea and leapt to his feet. “I’ll be back as quick as I can,” he said to Luna, leaving Shamtile and his suitcase with her.

“But the train!” she called after him.

Aurin quickly rushed to grab a ticket for the underground and rode it a couple of stops along. He rushed outside and down the street, seeking the abandoned station that had become the home of the Battle Underground. He skipped down the steps, nearly breaking his neck in the process, and reached the platform. As expected, the tamers were already battling while Kev commentated over the top.

Aurin watched as a Cryopillar unleashed its tiny icy fury against a slippery Fishock. The pale blue caterpillar, Cryoth’s earliest form, fought hard against the greyish green fish, who secured a resounding win with a shocking strike from its taser-like head.

When the battle was finished, Kev told everyone to take five before approaching Aurin. “Fancy seeing a big-name tournament star here,” he said with a chuckle.

“Speaking of tournament stars, Kev, I was hoping you could do me a favour.”

“Let’s hear it, mate.”

“If Sir Mask is about, could I have a quick word with him?”

Kev scratched his head. “I dunno, mate. He’s in the back, but if people see him here, it kind of spoils the fun of him being the headliner today.”

“Please, Kev. I’m leaving today and it’s my last chance to speak to him for some time.”

Kev sighed. “Alright, alright. Come to the far end of the platform with me and I’ll bring him out. Maybe these’uns won’t notice,” he said, gesturing towards the people chattering.

Aurin waited while Kev hopped onto the train tracks and walked into the dark tunnel. A minute later he returned with Sir Mask who was quickly securing his disguise to his face.

“Aurin, Aurn,” he said pleasantly as Kev headed back to the crowd. “You come looking for me here and it so happens to be my first match here since our last battle. What a stroke of fate, eh? I wonder if a cosmic Minakai has intervened somewhere along the line.”

“That is lucky,” said Aurin, now not knowing what to say to the man he suspected to be the nation’s champion.

“I see you made it quite far in the tournament,” said Sir Mask, picking up on the awkward silence. “How did that feel?”

“I…” began Aurin but paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. “I’m disappointed, if I’m honest.”

“I thought as much.”

“You did?”

Sir Mask nodded. “You remind me a lot of myself at your age. You’re clearly talented and dedicated, but you’re a bit of an overthinker who puts a lot of pressure on himself while trying to give everyone else the impression that you’re not. Sometimes you may even fool yourself, but that makes a loss even harder to take. Am I wrong?”

“No, you’re right. I have so many goals that I want to achieve, such as ascending to the top of a monster tower, becoming a world-class tamer, collecting lots of Minakai and growing stronger alongside them. It’s starting to overwhelm me, to be honest.”

“You need to refocus,” said Sir Mask.

“How do I do that?”

“It’s something you figure out for yourself but let me tell you about some of the best tamers in Ludonia. Ones that are tougher that can defeat me, and I’m no pushover. They don’t seek prestige, they don’t seek fame. They just love to train and they love to fight. Have they cleared towers? You bet. Will they ever fight professionally? Not a chance. History probably won’t remember their feats of strength, skill and endurance, but that doesn’t mean their achievements are meaningless. It just means that they’ve found their truest passion and follow it. What are you most passionate about? What goal is your number one priority?”

“I want to reach the top of Harmony Tower,” said Aurin without hesitation. “I want to clear whatever lies on the fiftieth floor and I want to do it with a team I’ve raised with care by my side.

“Perhaps striving for that will help you refocus,” said Sir Mask.

“How many towers have you cleared in your time?”

“Does it matter?”

“No, I’m just curious.”

“One,” said Sir Mask bluntly, catching Aurin off guard.

“Only one?”

“Why does that surprise you?”

“You’re the national champion, I thought you would have toured the country clearing every spire you see lining the horizon.”

Sir Mask laughed. “National champion? That is a wild theory. I would imagine that the famous Tobias does indeed conquer the Bretonian Towers left right and centre, but that’s not my interest. Once I cleared one, I found what I was looking for.”

“And what was that?”

“That’s for each tamer to find out for himself. Some may never, but I suspect that one day you will.”

Aurin checked his watch and realised he was cutting it very fine for time. “I don’t mean to be rude, but I have to go and get my train. Thank you for taking the time to speak to me. It means more than you can imagine.”

“I hope some of my ramblings gave you a touch of clarity. The rest is up to you.”

“Thank you, Tobias.”

“You’re welcome, Aurin,” said Sir Mask, before hopping off the platform and returning to the dark tunnel.

Aurin ran as fast as he could back to the central station where Luna and Shamtile were already standing on the platform, ready to board the train.

“Where were you?” asked Luna, rolling Aurin’s luggage towards him.

“I’ll…explain…later…” he panted, moving to wipe his forehead with his sleeve, but was stopped by Shamtile tugging on his jacket and screeching at him.

“What?” asked Aurin.

“He’s had three hot chocolates,” said Luna, “and I suspect he’s going to ask for more. Whatever you do, don’t get Inno hooked on these when we get back, alright?”