“That's right…” Julien was finishing up a bag of potato chips before crumpling it up and pushing it deep into his pocket. As he did he took step after step towards Annabelle and I.

“If I'm being honest, I'm jealous of Crystal.”

“...Jealous?” This conversation was irritating me more and more by the second.

“I mean, she said it herself” Julien wrapped his bulky arms around Annabelle and I. “She wasn't in it for some grandstanding goals like not letting her culture die out or to fundamentally change how the system handles CTs. She was just in it for the love of the game. She found happiness in the mere act of being a counter terrorist. In simply living day to day.”

Right…she did say that. She probably didn't expect to go so soon but we're always told as CTs that death is always around the corner. I'm nothing like her, though. Some people may be able to find solace in the day to day, I won't blame them, but I have the weight of the Rosarians on my shoulders. I can't be satisfied until we've etched our names into his country's history for good.

“I have to say…I'm envious of her.” Julien muttered. Before I could press him any further though, Ori called him over from a separate aisle.

“Coming, my love!”

Between this conversation and whatever their relationship is, it feels like everyone’s going crazy…

Rono

“Well dad…I’m going out.”

In the hallway right outside of the Cross Zone Finals Arena, my father personally wanted to see me off. My usually bedridden father paid as much as he could to hire a caretaker to wheel him around as well as has an IV that is constantly providing him with the nutrients to keep him in good health. He took a huge risk just coming to this location with all of these people. The least I can do is everything I can to win this.

“Wish me luck!”

“HA! As if I’d call upon such a fickle mistress. Rono…” My father gave me a warm smile as he said “You’re a lot stronger than you think.”

No dad…I’m only this strong because I have a father like you right behind me…

That’s what I want to say, But he would just say I’m saying nonsense and laugh it off. Like he always does. But it’s the truth. I wouldn’t have made it this far if it wasn’t for that smile telling me to get back up and try again. Whether he did or didn’t believe in that smile, it still gave me just enough to keep pushing.

I turned around and began pressing forward. Waiting for me at the end of the hallway was Gollie Themis.

“You ready, partner?” Gollie said as he held his fist out.

“I’m living the dream, man! I’ve been ready.” I bumped his fist with my own.

We walked out of the exit and reddish brown hues of that sky were the first thing I noticed. I noticed the air had a slight breeze and looked at the crowd that was…barely there?! There’s waaaaay less people in here than I thought would be here. Where the hell are my…friends?

HUHHHHHHHHHHHH?!?!

They’re just sitting there!

Arno was picking his nose.

Ori was shining her stemata.

Jack was sleeping in an upright position now.

And Anna was chatting with one of the peanut vendors.

No way…

“In the right corner, we have the two CTs that hail from zone one! Both already have experience under their belt by being through multiple battles with multiple terrorists: Gollie Themis and Rono Ecluse!” With Nellie getting everyone’s attention, they began to focus on the arena itself and applauded the both of us.

“Fakers…I know you don’t really care…” I narrowed my eyes and muttered at the crowd.

“Could you calm down for more than five seconds?”

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“What, you irritated that your girlfriend ran off to chat with Jack during the break?”

“She’s not my girlfriend!” Gollie shouted and got close in my vicinity.

“Oh…sorry to hear that man…”

“And stop looking down on me for it too!”

“And in this corner, we have the most tenacious trainee in zone two! Sporting a pickaxe stemata with an interesting power behind it: Agathor Septimbre! And with him, a fallen angel from the Elizabeth itself! The adopted daughter of our very own, Dr. Archon as well as a future staff member of the Stemata development department of the BCT, Mikan Archon!

Certain parts of the crowd roared louder than any wild animal imaginable. Through each and every one of those people there was one commonality: they were the blue collar workers. Mikan earned the favor of the manufacturer’s zone and it shows through how excited these people were to see her fight.

She walked out alongside Bossman, both of them having very different looks. Bossman had a more serious look while Mikan had a more relaxed one as she waved to all of her admirers. As the two stepped next to Nellie, Mikan grabbed the microphone and looked directly at Dr. Archon, who was in the speaker’s booth.

“I would like to amend something that Nellie said…” The crowd died down to listen to every word Mikan said. “When I become a counter terrorist, I will be making a proposal to lead the Stemata development department of the BCT to Commander Milton, replacing Dr. Archon effective immediately. In the few years I found myself in the manufacturer’s zone of Holia, I accomplished more than he could even dream of. He doesn’t care about people whatsoever. He just cares about the data to make these weapons of war more efficient. And to prove it, I’ll be able to provide a completely new infrastructure for our country with stemata use within one year!” The crowd did a standing ovation with thunderous clapping that consumed the entire arena. Dr. Archon simply stared directly at her with nothing to say against her.

Mikan Archon…she really is something else. Wanting to get into the BCT to basically change the way the country works. Compared to me she’s—

“Alright man…” Gollie wrapped his arm around mine and pulled me in, as if to make a makeshift huddle. “We already discussed Agathor’s stemata: a stemata that seemingly lets out an explosive blow at random. However, there’s bound to be a way to figure out the randomness of it. As for Mikan, we’re going in with no information so tread carefully when interacting with her.”

Gollie’s in a way better state than me. He has a point though to focus on the upcoming fight. If I had to guess her stemata, it’d be something along the lines of vision? Because her goggles were in the shape of cogs and had that blue shimmer that stematas have.

“Regardless of any of it though, we have the advantage.”

Bossman is from zone two and Mikan is from zone three. Meaning they both were trained and operate under different conditions. Gollie and I on the other hand have fought in mock battles and actual battles together. Our synergy should be off the charts!

===

“Our synergy is awful!” I shouted as I dodged dozens of bullets and deflected another dozen. On a ship bobbing up and down on treacherous waters, I witnessed a giant attacking the very ship I was on. Hidden in crevices and in plain sight alike, turrets sent bullets flying at me. I utilized every part of the ship as I extended my stemata to reach the crow’s nest, jumped off as a giant fist was barreling down toward the ship, breaking it in half right behind me. I pointed my staff at the giant’s hand and used it to propel me towards the back half of the ship. With it now being slightly upright as it sank, I used my stemata to wedge my staff into the side of the building. I used all of my strength to hang onto my staff as I looked onward. The ship we’re on is called the S.S. Battle. It’s one of the arenas created by Gaia for us trainees to fight on during the Cross Zone Finals. The giant I’ve been talking about is my colleague Gollie. And right now, he’s going toe to toe with Bossman.

We ended up in this situation in a really interesting way. After scouring the ship for the bomb, we noticed that there was no sign of it. We did notice Bossman trying to keep our attention by attacking us and disappearing through makeshift trap doors. This is when we concluded that Mikan’s stemata has to deal with construction. Gollie was the one to suggest we “force the bomb to surface.” I imagined that meant forcing Mikan out of whatever hiding spot she’s in.

I had no idea this was how he planned on doing it.

“Your eyes are surprisingly better than everyone else in our division, Rono. I’m sure if I get rid of everything, you’ll be able to find her.” is what he told me.

He expects me to find Mikan in this mess?` I can’t even tell my left from my right in this warzone!

Bossman plummeted right past me and before he hit the water, he struck at a piece of debris, sending himself flying back into the air and toward the giant Gollie.

“Five minutes left on that bomb timer! It truly is down to the wire!” Nellie announced.

I have to look at every square inch of this arena! If I don’t find her in time, we’ll lose! Look for the slightest inconsistent detail in this entire arena and zero in on it immediately, Rono!

In that moment of frustration and desperation, I found my oasis. I let out a sigh of relief as I spotted exactly what I was looking for. I shortened my stemata, so I began falling toward the water. I swiftly pointed toward a section of the arena and extended my stemata until it broke through something. I shortened it on my end as I approached the part the end of the staff was at. I got submerged into the water and prepared my legs for a flying kick. I broke through the outer shell of the makeshift submarine Mikan Archon made. As I did, I shrank my stemata to the size of a baton and she immediately closed the hole rushing with water I created. Right behind her was a control panel as well as a slot with the bomb in it. She immediately put up her fists in a fighting stance and said “I knew you were experienced, but finding a submarine from such a distance is inhuman.”

“Yeah, I’m kind of a big deal!” I said as I readied my stemata.

This is it. This brawl in this cramped space will determine whether or not I become a CT. It’s time to kick it into full gear!