Rika was right: Iris seemed to have no intention of fighting. Even after she saw Adah and Rika had swapped roles, she continued weaving her way around obstacles with no real destination in mind. She’d fly high then low, toward her own pillar then toward Sunbright’s, making of all these decisions seemingly at random. All the while, a yellow trail followed in her wake, alerting Adah of every change in direction. Luckily, Iris had no teleportation tricks she could pull.

  Adah fired off a [Sparkling Strike] whenever she had a good shot at Iris, but her opponent’s erratic path led to most of them missing. The one star that did explode in a burst of light against Iris’s back didn’t slow her down. She was ready for the hit, and merely let it knock the momentum of her flight in a different angle much like a boxer would roll with a punch. She seemed used to this kind of magical dogfight—maybe it was something she’d practiced while helping to train other girls at her old agency.

  So, Adah adjusted her approach. Trying to hit Iris from afar was a waste of time and only fed into her goal of causing a distraction. When Adah focused on just catching up to Iris, she started to close the gap between them. Maybe that was her flying practice paying off. She put all her energy into chasing the other girl down, using her tracking to preempt any movements, and soon closed within ten feet of Iris. A few more efficient turns and Adah would be close enough to hit Iris with some attacks she couldn’t shrug off.

  Maybe Iris sensed that impending outcome, as she suddenly flew down at a sharp angle, as if she’d dropped through a trapdoor. She was aiming for one of the tunnel obstacles on the ground, so Adah arced her own flightpath to cut Iris off at the other end. However, Iris never exited the tunnel, perhaps trying to juke Adah out. Her yellow trail stalled near the middle of the pipe. With how far Adah had already flown, she had no choice but to commit to finishing the arc and flying into the far end of the tunnel.

  If Iris made to leave from the side Adah approached, she would read that ahead of time and prepare to catch the girl. If Iris tried to juke out the other end, Adah would also be able to recognize that before she laid eyes on the girl. In the end, this move through the tunnel was just another chance for Adah to close the gap.

  She rushed through the opening opposite where Iris had entered, ready to tackle her if she had lingered long enough inside. Once inside, the bright lights of the arena were pushed aside by shadow. While the tunnels were tall enough to comfortably stand inside, they were also long enough that outside light struggled to reach their midpoint. In those shadows, the only indication of Iris’s position was her lingering trail of yellow. Adah noticed a moment too late that the trail didn’t lead to either end of the tunnel. It stayed still, waiting in the middle of the tunnel with a purpose.

  Iris stepped into Adah’s flightpath with a stomp, the sound of her boots clacking against the floor echoing infinitely. She swung her hips and shoulders, and thrust an elbow directly into Adah’s face as she flew. The strike knocked Adah right out of the air as though she’d been clotheslined, dropping her flat on the tunnel floor. She’d taken Iris’s elbow straight to the nose, and her face felt like a vase that been shattered into countless pieces. Blood splattered from her nose down over her lips and chin.

  Iris stood over her and asked, “Why didn’t you shoot some stars through the tunnel first? Are you really as dumb as the rest of your team?”

  Unlike the slam she’d taken from Ekki, this pain didn’t disorient Adah, it only stoked the flames of her frustration.

  “Because,” she said through the needling of all the nerve endings in her face, “when I hurt you, I want to feel it with my own hands.”

  Adah kicked her leg, sweeping behind Iris’s ankle and knocking her own leg out from under her. When the girl toppled to the ground, Adah pounced on top of her and pinned one of her shoulders down with an outstretched arm. She pulled her free arm back, balled her hand into a fist, then rocketed it toward Iris’s face. The punch connected with the most satisfying thud Adah had ever heard. The strike broke Iris’s lip open, leaving a smear of blood on Adah’s knuckles.

  Adah readied her arm for a second punch, but Iris wasn’t about to let herself become a punching bag. She reached up with the arm Adah hadn’t pinned and wrapped it around Adah’s neck. She forced Adah’s head down, removing any balance and force from the second punch. Then, as if suddenly remembering they were magical girls, Iris flew upward. Since she was mounted atop Iris and locked into her grapple, Adah was flown up as well, and eventually slammed back-first into the top of the tunnel. The impact broke each girl’s hold on the other and they fell to the floor in a tangle.

  From there, what little artistry had graced their fight until that point completely vanished. They simply brawled.

  They rolled across the tunnel floor, shoved each other against the walls, and threw wild punches with no sense of whether they were making contact with each other or the tunnel itself. Any time they managed to find their footing, it was only a matter of seconds before they tumbled to the ground again. Which one of them ended up on top, and which one of them took the worst beating, was entirely up to chance. Their strategies amounted to this: any moment they weren’t striking each other was a wasted one.

  “This is what happens when a bunch of fools don’t get their way,” Iris said once she wound up the one on top of Adah. “They throw hysteric tantrums. Like children.”

  She emphasized her point by driving her knee into Adah’s side, just below the ribcage. This new kind of attack, along with the new kind of pain it brought, subdued Adah for a moment, and allowed Iris to stand and collect herself. Adah’s body yelped as she tried to get up and continue the fight, so she laid back to wait and recover.

  “You’re so arrogant for someone who got handed everything in this contest,” she said to Iris, though the words came out more like a series of groans.

  Iris laughed as she adjusted her clothes back into place. The floor of the tunnel was littered with tiny flowers that had fallen from her costume, and all the tails of her skirt were either torn or missing. Likewise, Adah had lost her shawl and horn ornaments during the brawl.

  “Do you really think that mattered?” Iris said. “Blame whomever or whatever you want, if it makes you feel better. I told you from the beginning, you were never going to represent this region.”

  “Because you knew the Secretary would rig it—”

  “Because I knew we were better,” Iris declared. “Better than you. That’s why Roland pushed so hard for us, and that’s why it doesn’t matter if we play this silly game or not. Whether it’s in the eyes of the government, or the votes from the fans, or this desperate duel—you were bound to lose. You got lucky for a while, but now you’re hitting the wall.”

  The pain in Adah’s side began to numb. She managed to lift herself into a sitting position, leaning against the tunnel wall. After another short breather, she’d be able to stand again. Magic wouldn’t keep the girls from getting bruised and bloodied, but it would prevent any serious internal damage. At least until they ran out of stamina or magic essence.

  “There you go again,” Adah said. “We haven’t lost anything yet.”

  Iris looked down at Adah and smiled. Shadows obscured most of her face, but her teeth caught enough of the light to reveal the bloodstains that marked them. Adah would’ve preferred to knock a few of them out, but that would have to wait until they undid their transformations.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  “Not yet,” Iris said. “But you’re about to.”

  The world went quiet again, as if Adah had pressed her hands to her ears, like it had on the night their two teams fought together. This must have been Clair’s magic at work, but for what purpose? Not to give anyone her vision this time, surely. She’d be preoccupied defending against Emi. In which case…

  A faint voice whispered to Adah or, judging by how Iris also reacted, to everyone battling in this duel. The sound was so soft at first, Adah couldn’t make out the words, only that they came from Clair’s voice.

  “Any trouble up there?” Iris said. These words were sent clearly along a magic channel to Adah and everyone else.

  “Her door… wide open… like… wanted to talk to me.”

  Clair’s voice grew louder now, but something was off about it. Voices sent into your mind via magic channels took on a certain quality of the sender. It was nothing as clear cut as a telephone number, but there was a unique feeling to each speaker’s magic. Adah would be able to sense when Rika was speaking, for example, even if her voice had somehow changed.

  Strangely, Clair’s voice carried the signature of Emi’s magic.

  “… talk, but you’re… or inside?”

  A second voice reached Adah, this one distinctly Emi’s. Hers was still quiet like Clair’s, but Adah began to piece together what was happening. The talk of a “door” confirmed it—this was the result of whatever spell Ekki had asked Clair about on that K-Rank mission. The specifics of Clair’s magic were still a mystery to Adah, but Ekki had mentioned putting Cruelties to sleep before. If she could get inside Rika’s mind to share her vision, then she could just as likely get inside Emi’s and control her in a different way.

  In fact, putting Emi to sleep would be the only way to keep someone with her speed from getting past Clair.

  Seeing Adah struggle to climb to her feet, Iris spat a glob of blood from her mouth and said, “The best thing you can do for your team right now is take a nap. Join whichever ‘Droplet’ that is out there and enjoy some sweet dreams.”

  By now, Adah had lost any desire for a proper fistfight. She thrust her arm forward and cast [Sparkling Strike], firing a white star at Iris’s head. Her movements were so sluggish, her muscles so shaky from the pain, that Iris easily evaded the shot and flew out of the tunnel in a flash. Adah grit her teeth and forced herself upright, using her magic to hover. She already felt close to her limit physically, but if that was true for her then it was also true for Iris. They’d both gotten plenty of good hits in.

  There would be time to worry about the pain and exhaustion after the duel. When her normal body paid the price after her magic wore off, she’d much rather be a bloodied winner than loser.

  Adah gave chase and flew out of the tunnel. Her eyes had grown so used to the shadows—and her head been so rattled by fists and elbows—that the bright lights of the arena pierced through her eyes like needles into her brain. Squinting beyond the blinding light, she saw Iris’s figure land atop a blue square hanging from the ceiling, likely a vantage point for whatever was happening between Emi and Clair. Adah flew in that direction, a renewed burst of adrenaline surging her forward. She couldn’t let DreamRise take Emi out of the fight.

  Outside the tunnel, the voices of Emi and Clair grew louder and sharper. They spoke to each other as if they were the only ones in the arena, which made it all the stranger that their voices were broadcasted to every other magic user. Was that just a necessity of Clair’s magic, or another theatric?

  “You’ve watched me a lot,” Clair said. “At the photoshoot. On our mission.”

  “I’ve been trying to understand,” Emi said.

  “My magic?”

  “You.”

  Adah landed atop the blue square Iris had stood on a moment ago before zipping off again when she saw Adah approach. From here, she could see most of DreamRise’s half of the arena. Emi and Clair hovered a few feet apart and only a short distance away from the blue pillar that held the cat Iosk. Although she remained flying, Emi’s body appeared lifeless. Her arms dangled at her side limp and her head was rolled to the side. Whether she was asleep or not, she was clearly under the influence of one of Clair’s spells.

  Iris had retreated behind Clair, landing on top of their pillar around the same time Adah made it to the top of the blue square. Rika and Ekki appeared simultaneously on either side of a hanging sphere on the opposite side of the arena from Adah, drawn in this direction by Clair’s magic as well. For the first time in this match, all six of them could see each other and therefore attack each other.

  “Rika!” Adah called out. “Throw everything at Clair!”

  It was a plan with no real thought behind it, but they had to take action quickly. Allowing DreamRise to take Emi out of this match would even the playing field and compromise their whole strategy. Blasting Clair with every spell they had was the first counterattack that popped into Adah’s head.

  Naturally, it was the first counter Iris prepared for as well. From her defensive position, she easily preempted Adah and Rika’s shots with her [Bulwark Bud], the protective petals surrounding Clair before either girl fired their first projectile. Both Adah’s star and Rika’s laser struck the shield without leaving a mark. As long as Iris could maintain her spell, Clair and her hold on Emi’s mind were untouchable.

  Though that may not have been such a bad thing. Not at first, anyway. For however long Clair remained inside the bud, Adah’s team still held their numbers advantage. The only difference was that they were fighting three against two instead of four against three. Their win conditions remained the same, or perhaps even stronger. Neither Iris or Ekki could possibly get past Ami alone, and if they went together then they’d leave their own pillar undefended. In that case, Adah and Rika should keep up the pressure and force DreamRise to defend their mascot until they ran out of energy.

  Rika understood this, too, and zigzagged her way toward DreamRise’s pillar. However, she lacked the level of speed and agility the twins possessed, and Ekki read her movements without much difficulty. He knew how to maximize the strength of his [Vanishing Vapor], placing portals in such a way that he was essentially in two places at once—at least in relation to Rika. His portals traveled both ways, meaning he could use them to either threaten getting closer to Rika himself or bringing Rika closer to him. A portal that opened up directly in Rika’s path could trap her into traveling straight to Ekki on the other side, should she fail to avoid it. Yet, if she slowed down to avoid being tricked Ekki might pop through the portal himself. She was forced to take wide arcs away from any portal, then disperse them with her own magic shots. In the end, she was effectively cornered despite flying through open air.

  As Rika and Ekki battled for control of that airspace, the conversation between Emi and Clair continued, transmitted to the minds of their teammates.

  “Why be a magical girl?” Emi asked.

  “It lets me be myself,” Clair said. “What about you?”

  “I wanted to have fun. To be with my sister. But now I don’t know.”

  “Do you think we’re the same? Is that why you asked me a question you can’t answer for yourself?”

  “I don’t know,” Emi said. “I think… you’re the only one who isn’t so different from me. We’re both quiet, for magical girls.”

  “I wonder,” Clair said. “Some people get loud when they’re scared. Others clam up. Some brag and boast when they’re feeling confident. Others stay calm and collected. Is someone who is scared so similar to someone who is not, just because they’re both quiet?”

  “But I’m not scared…”

  Adah didn’t know how much she could do for either of her teammates at this point. She was too exhausted to go head-to-head with Ekki, and there seemed to be no way to break through the shield around Clair. The best play she could make was to head straight for the prize.

  She smothered enough of her pain to leap into the air again, beelining for the top of DreamRise’s pillar. Iris’s figure blocked the view of Iosk for now, but even if Adah had to endure another beatdown, she’d get her hands on that damn cat. All she had to do was get Iosk off that pillar. That would force DreamRise to either focus on her or make a run for Izzy. If it meant she’d win, she’d happily accept whatever pain Iris and Ekki wanted to inflict on her after she got their mascot.

  Adah was prepared for a physical beating. What she saw upon reaching the top of the pillar, however, was more of a mental sucker punch. Where Iosk should have been—where he probably was—awaited another one of Iris’s bud shields.

  Adah glanced back toward Clair. She was still protected by Iris’s magic as well.

  “Come on, now,” Iris said as she hovered above Iosk’s shield. “Did you really think I could only handle one? You should have hit me a bit harder back there, princess. I can keep this up all day.”

  Iris took off once more, leaving Adah alone on the pillar. Her objective was right in front of her, unobtainable. The fool in her, the weakness, wanted to stay here and look for some way through the shield. Some trick to save her from giving chase to Iris again. But she knew there was no easy way out. She couldn’t afford the delusion, even if waiting here offered her muscles a sweet release from their torture. They had to win this duel.

  She had to defeat Iris. She had to.

  “We both know you’re terrified,” Clair spoke again.

  The words shocked Adah. Was Clair talking to her now?

  No, that wasn’t it.

  “I’m not—” Emi tried to respond.

  “You’re scared of your own team,” Clair insisted. “Even your own sister.”

  “That’s not true!”

  “And because of that fear, you’ll be the reason they lose today.”