Vivi spun around to face the team, chest puffed out with dramatic pride. "My daddy go boosh-boosh and win the pizza trophy!"
There was a full moment of stunned silence.
"…The pizza trophy?" someone finally echoed, trying—and failing—not to smile.
Vivi nodded solemnly. "Yup. All games give pizza when you win. My mommy said this and would always give me pizza when I win."
The team exchanged glances—some amused, some baffled, most just trying not to laugh again.
"Right," Neville muttered under his breath, already pinching the bridge of his nose. "She means the championship."
From the side of the room, Theo—Neville's ever-reliable secretary—stepped forward at just the right moment, smooth and efficient. He offered a small, formal bow to the group. "Pleasure to meet you all. I'll be looking after Miss Vivi during the match."
Vivi perked up instantly and waved her juice box in greeting. "Uncle Teo! He gimme juice and turtle!"
Neville gave Theo a long, tired look. "Great," he said dryly. "She's already recruiting allies."
One of the team members crouched down to Vivi's level, a grin spreading across his face. "Well, Vivi, your daddy is the carry. He gets all the kills."
Vivi blinked up at him, wide-eyed. "He's the boosh-boosh guy?"
"Yep."
Her whole face lit up as she let out a delighted squeal. "Daddy the hero!!"
Neville cleared his throat sharply, cutting off the moment before it could snowball further.
"Alright, intros over," he said, flicking his wrist toward the rest of the room. "Go be tiny somewhere else, Vivi. I have to focus now."
Vivi's face fell. She tugged at his sleeve, a tiny frown puckering her lips. "But I wanna sit wif you…"
Without turning his head, Neville reached for a soft pink blanket Theo had packed earlier. He handed it off like a peace offering. "Blanket. Cartoons. Juice box. All the things you love. Now go be cute over there."
Vivi puffed out her cheeks in protest but didn't argue further. She let Theo gently guide her away, casting one last, deeply betrayed glance over her shoulder at Neville.
He didn't look back.
He was already in his seat, headset slipping on with practiced ease. And in that single motion, he changed.
The playful glint that had danced in his eyes just minutes before faded, replaced by something colder, sharper. A switch flipped. The sarcastic, half-distracted man was gone—replaced by someone focused, precise, deadly.
His hands moved with fluid certainty, each keystroke purposeful, every click clean. He became a machine, running on instinct and calculation.
But behind him, tucked into a pink blanket and sipping from her juice box, his biggest fan hadn't gone anywhere.
"Go Daddy Boosh-Boosh! Win the pizzzzzaaaa!"
Meanwhile, over on the plush couch tucked into the corner of the prep room, Vivi sat cross-legged like a tiny queen on her throne. She was completely wrapped up in her bright pink blanket, only her face and the end of a juice box peeking out. Her little hands clutched the drink tightly, and her wide eyes were fixed on the giant monitor in front of her.
The screen lit up with rapid bursts of color and motion, flashing with fast-paced action and characters zipping across the battlefield. Vivi's mouth hung open, awestruck, as she tried to make sense of the blur of movement.
After a long moment of silent observation, she leaned sideways toward Theo, tugging gently at his sleeve with juice-dampened fingers. "Uncle Teo…" she whispered, her voice full of wonder. "Which one is my daddy?"
Theo turned to her with a soft smile, then raised a hand and pointed toward a sleek, dark-armored figure gliding across the screen. The character moved like smoke in the wind, slipping through shadows, vanishing and reappearing behind the enemy lines with lightning-fast strikes.
"See that one?" Theo said gently. "The one jumping behind the bad guys and going bam-bam—that's your daddy."
Vivi's jaw dropped. She gasped, eyes growing even rounder. "Dat's Daddy?!"
"That's him," Theo confirmed with a nod. "He's the striker. Really strong. Super fast. He takes down the dangerous ones before anyone else can even blink."
Vivi leaned forward, squinting hard at the screen, trying to pick him out among all the flashing chaos. "He the one who go boosh-boosh real fast? Dat one with the red swooshy sword?"
"That's right."
She sat back in awe, her mouth forming a perfect 'O'. Then, dramatically, she exclaimed, "Woooow. Daddy's a ninja warrior hero!!"
Theo chuckled under his breath. "Something like that," he said, eyes still on the screen.
From his gaming chair on the other side of the room, Neville caught the chatter echoing softly through his private comm channel. A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth, though he never took his eyes off the match.
"Less talking, more cheering, dumpling," he muttered dryly.
Without missing a beat, Vivi shot up slightly from her seat, fists raised high above her blanket-covered lap. "GOOO DADDY GO!" she shouted, voice filled with unfiltered excitement. "You boosh-boosh dem all!"
And with his tiny cheerleader beaming behind him, wrapped in pink and powered by juice and belief, the real match began.
With Vivi's high-pitched cheers echoing behind him—half of which barely made sense, the other half just loud enough to rattle the comms—Neville dove straight into the heart of the match.
Onscreen, his striker character moved like a liquid shadow—smooth, fast, and impossible to catch. He danced through enemy fire with effortless agility, weaving between attacks with pinpoint precision. One blink, one slash—an enemy down. Another dodge, another knockout. He didn't need to speak. His silence said it all: I've got this. I'm in control.
On the couch, Theo glanced down at Vivi, who was now perched right at the edge of her seat, bright eyes locked on the screen. Her little fists were clenched tight, knuckles white with concentration. She was holding her breath like the outcome of the universe depended on her next cheer.
"He's doing good, huh?" Theo asked gently, amused by her intensity.
"Daddy is the fastest!" Vivi said proudly, almost bursting. "He go zoom-zoom, then bad guy go bonk!" She clapped her palms together hard and giggled. "And den he do da spinny move!"
Theo let out a chuckle. "That's his signature," he said, nodding toward the screen. "He waits until just the right moment, then—bam. Clears out half the enemy team before they even realize he's there."
Vivi tilted her head, eyes still laser-focused. "Is dat called da… da 'super-duper powah move?'" she asked seriously.
"Close enough," Theo said with a smile.