Jason waved his hand and changed the terrain at Tori's request. The serene, open hills vanished—replaced by a vast, dimly lit cavern. Jagged stone walls loomed around them, casting eerie shadows.
Zora stepped to one side, Tori sauntered to the other.
"Sorry, Nexus. I can't use you here," Zora muttered.
Nexus growled, her glow pulsing with frustration. "I know, I know. If you use me, you'll end up burning the whole cavern down."
Tori's voice echoed across the cavern. "Nowhere to run this time, Zora! Hope you're ready!"
Zora rolled her eyes. "Aegis, you're up first. We're going one at a time."
Aegis floated into her chest. Zora pictured herself wearing sleek white biker gear.
Hmmm... that'll work, Aegis mused. Double reinforcement?
"Yeah. Add shock absorption, sense enhancement, and low-light vision to the helmet."
On it.
The gear formed tightly around her body. The helmet sealed itself over her head, darkening her vision—then, with a pulse of light, the cavern lit up as clear as day through her visor. She could hear every breath Tori took and even smell the cheap perfume she wore.
Zora flexed her fingers in her gloves. "Alright. Enchantments done?"
Complete.
"Aegis out. Ricochet, you're in. No cane this time."
Aegis zipped out. Ricochet zipped in.
*No medium? You sure, dear? That'll make it hard to release the energy.*
Zora shrugged. "Best time to practice is when I can't die, right?"
She threw a thumbs-up toward Jason. Tori, noticing, mirrored the gesture and dropped into a low stance.
Jason's voice crackled over the radio. "3... 2... 1... Go!"
Tori vanished in a blink—then reappeared a second later, already mid-charge. Before Zora could react, Tori slammed into her chest, sending her flying into the cavern wall.
Zora grunted, hitting hard—but thanks to Aegis's enchantments, she barely felt it. She peeled herself off the wall and stepped back into the ring.
"Ouch! That must've hurt! You sure you don't wanna give up?"
Zora scoffed, dropping into a stance. "Let's do this, Ricochet."
A layer of invisible energy wrapped around her.
Careful, Ricochet warned. No medium means you've gotta offload that energy fast or it'll tear you apart.
Tori's brow twitched as she saw Zora ready herself again. "Fine. I'll beat you down so hard you'll beg for a rematch."
She vanished again, bouncing off the cavern walls—left, right, up, down—each movement faster and harder to track.
Zora stood still, focusing.
The helmet's enhancements kicked in. Every breath, every footfall—it all became sound and data.
One, two, three... one, two, three... she counted in her head.
Then—disruption. A sharp inhale from her left.
Zora pivoted instantly.
BOOM.
Tori appeared right in front of her, driving a fist into Zora's abdomen.
But this time, Zora didn't budge.
The impact transferred entirely into Ricochet's buffer—doubling the energy inside her.
Zora grabbed Tori by the collar.
Tori's eyes widened. "W-Wait, I sur—"
Zora drove her fist into Tori's nose, returning the built-up force twofold.
Tori flew across the cavern, crashing into the stone wall hard enough to shake the ceiling. Dust and debris filled the air.
For a long moment, there was silence.
Then:
"I-I give up," came Tori's voice, weak but audible.
Zora exhaled and let the armor fade. Ricochet floated out of her.
Nexus zipped down, her glow bright with amusement. "Ohohohoho! That was so satisfying. If only the damage were real."
The dust cleared. Jason and the others stood at the edge of the massive crater.
"Damn," Paul muttered. "Glad that wasn't me."
Tori stumbled out of the wreckage, clutching her nose and gasping for breath.
"Quit being so dramatic!" Jason laughed.
"You try taking a hit like that and see how you feel," she growled.
Jason clapped his hands. "Round two winner—Zora!"
He turned dramatically toward Tori. "You know what that means... out with it."
Tori groaned. "Fine, fine..."
She looked at Zora, then away. "Tori Kane. First Eidolon lets me warp short distances—off surfaces, air, whatever. Second one builds up kinetic energy the more I move. I can release it however I want."
Lena gasped. "You're a double Eidolon!?"
"Don't interrupt!" Jason snapped. "She's getting to the good part."
Tori sighed. "Most embarrassing moment... My dad once rented a truck shaped like a hive, dressed up as a bee, and picked me up from school shouting 'Buzz buzz buzz!'"
The group broke into laughter. Even Zora cracked a smile.
She walked over and offered Tori a hand.
Tori took it, and Zora pulled her to her feet.
"Alright," Jason grinned. "Next up—Tori versus Ivory."
Ivory raised her hand and sighed.
"If it's alright with you... I think I'll bow out of fighting her. I know a loss when I see one."
Jason raised an eyebrow.
"Our first surrender, huh? What about you, Lena?"
Lena nodded quickly, avoiding eye contact.
"Yeah. I'm good."
"NOOOOOOO!" Nexus shrieked from above.
Jason rolled his eyes.
"Alright then. Out with it, you two. Ivory, you're up first."
Ivory stepped forward with a dramatic flourish.
"Ivory Marx. My Eidolon allows me to perceive kinetic motion as physical chains. I can grab them, redirect them—change the outcome of movement."
To demonstrate, she reached toward Paul and mimed grabbing something.
Paul didn't have time to react.
"Wait, what are y—"
WHUMP!
He flew backward like a ragdoll, sailing into the cavern wall and vanishing from sight.
"Like so," Ivory said, brushing imaginary dust off her hands.
"For my most embarrassing moment…" she paused and pulled a photo from her jacket pocket, "…I present Exhibit A."
Everyone crowded around.
The picture showed a young Ivory at an amusement park, proudly wearing a full clown costume — bright wig, painted face, oversized shoes and all.
"I had... a clown phase," she muttered.
Jason immediately raised his phone. Snap!
"STOP IT! DELETE THAT RIGHT NOW!" Ivory lunged at him.
Just as she tackled him, Paul returned — dirt-covered and seething.
"Ivory, I swear if you—" He blinked, saw the chaos, then sighed and slunk back to his seat. "Not worth it."
After a few deep breaths and some laughter from the group, Jason turned to Lena.
"Alright, Lena. Let's hear it."
Lena groaned but stood up.
"Lena Carter. My Eidolon lets me manipulate sound — pitch, frequency, amplitude."
She gestured subtly.
Suddenly, Zora's ears rang with silence. The world spun sideways. Then, a pulse of sound exploded in her skull, so loud it made her knees buckle.
Then it stopped.
Lena smirked.
"I can induce vertigo, emotional suggestion, or rupture equilibrium — all by adjusting how people perceive sound."
She tapped her chin thoughtfully.
"As for my most embarrassing moment... I played Hamlet in high school, and during the climax of 'Walsingham,' my voice cracked so hard it blew out the entire stereo system."
Tori leaned forward, grinning.
"Sing it for us."
"Absolutely not," Lena muttered, face burning red.
Jason clapped his hands, drawing attention back to the front.
"Alright. Losers have all gone. Now we hear from the winner."
He turned to Zora, nodding.
"You don't have to share your embarrassing moment," he said. "Just tell us about your Eidolon."