The extraction zone hummed with activity. Cadets boarding shuttles. Medical personnel assessing injuries. Cameras still rolling, capturing every moment.
Juli found Javar near the loading ramp. Extended his fist.
Javar grinned, bumping it. "Good run, blonde yout'. We made a wicked team, zeen?"
"Best temporary alliance ever," Juli agreed. "See you in the finals?"
"Bet on it, mon. Me gonna fly circles 'round yuh."
"We'll see about that."
They both grinned. Then parted ways.
Across the zone, other temporary alliances did the same. Nods of respect. Promises of future battles. The camaraderie of shared survival giving way to the reality of upcoming competition.
Medical Bay, Transport Ship
Tessa lay on a medical bed, her face patched up. Bandages on her arms. A healing gel applied to the worst bruises. She looked small. Fragile. But her eyes were clear.
Team 9 surrounded her.
Juli stood closest, his fists clenched so tight his knuckles were white. "That bastard. That piece of shit half-family member. I'm gonna—"
"Juli," Pam warned.
"No! You saw what he did!" Juli's red eyes burned. "But Tessa..." His expression softened. "You were brave. So damn brave. You didn't back down. Not once."
Tessa smiled weakly. "I wasn't scared. Not at the end."
"I will destroy him," Kade said.
The tone was different. Not his usual competitive bluster. Not his philosophical posturing. This was cold. Final. Absolute.
"Polo Rossi is MY prey now. I will be the one to eliminate him."
Juli turned. "What? No. That's MY—"
"Yours?!" Kade's golden eyes flared. "He brutalized OUR teammate! She could barely stand! Do you understand what he DID?!"
"I know what he did! I was there in the hospital after he slandered—"
"This isn't about your grudge!" Kade stepped closer. "This is about TESSA!"
The air crackled. No comedy. No playful banter. Just raw, genuine anger.
Pam noticed something. The way Kade's tail lashed. The protective fury in his voice. The way his eyes kept glancing back at Tessa.
Oh.
This wasn't just about a teammate. Kade had feelings. Real ones.
"Both of you, stop," Pam commanded. "This isn't—"
The door opened.
Ruskovitz entered, antlers nearly scraping the ceiling. Vela followed, her arm still in a sling but moving better now.
"Well now," Ruskovitz said jovially. "Heard we got ourselves some finalists!"
The tension broke. Slightly.
"Unit Head. Instructor." The team straightened.
Ruskovitz approached Tessa's bed. "Young lady, I gotta tell ya. Watched your fight with that Rossi kid. You held your own longer than most veterans would've."
Tessa blinked. "I... I got eliminated."
"You got eliminated STANDING," Ruskovitz corrected. "Big difference. And word's already spread. Multiple squad members reached out. Said they were impressed with your grit. Your adaptability. Your refusal to quit." His scarred face softened. "Don't feel dispirited about the loss, kid. You showed 'em what you're made of."
Tessa's eyes watered slightly. Then she smiled. Genuinely. "Thank you. But... I'm okay now. I'm not scared anymore."
The words hung in the air.
Her teammates stared. That smile. That confidence. Something had changed in her during that fight. Something fundamental.
"Good," Vela said, stepping forward. Her yellow eyes swept across all of them. "Because the finals show no mercy. And here's the reality you need to accept—"
She paused, letting the weight settle.
"In the finals, it's every man or woman for themselves. Team or no team. You WILL face each other. You WILL fight. And only one can win."
Silence.
"Classic one-on-one fights," Vela continued. "Knockout or surrender. That means a tap-out, verbal submission, or complete incapacitation. Those are your only victory conditions."
"Mano a mano," Juli said quietly.
The phrase triggered something. A memory. A desert. Blood. Pain. A beast-like face and golden eyes.
"The glory and beauty of mano a mano combat."
Ragnar's words. That impossible fight. That respect between warriors.
The memory was vivid. Permanent. Etched into his soul.
Juli's hands clenched again. "Kade."
The Felinari looked at him.
"I don't know what you're feeling right now. I get that you want revenge for Tessa. I do." Juli's voice dropped. Dangerous. "But Polo is MINE. He insulted my father. He called my mother a whore. He labeled my father a MURDERER."
Wait.
Father.
The word hung there.
Vela's eyes widened. "Your... father?"
Ruskovitz's expression shifted. Confused. "Kid, I thought you said—"
"He saved me!" Juli's rage was bleeding through, uncontrolled. "He gave me everything! He's the reason I'm standing here! And that red-haired bastard dared to spit on his memory! Called him a piece of shit! A scumbag! Said he KILLED someone!"
"Juli," Pam cut in sharply. "Enough."
But it was too late. The words were out. The connection exposed.
Vela and Ruskovitz exchanged glances. Processing. Connecting dots.
The RED-haired hero. The emblem. Juli's protectiveness. The way Polo had reacted. Brothers.
"We should celebrate," Pam said loudly, desperately changing the subject. "One final party. Before we go our separate ways for the finals."
Juli blinked, his rage interrupted. "What?"
"A farewell party," Pam continued, her voice firm. "For Team 9. We've been through hell together. We deserve one night to just... be a team. Before everything changes."
The others caught on to what she was doing. Steering away from dangerous revelations.
Tessa nodded from her bed. "I'd like that."
Kade's tail swished. "A final gathering. To commemorate our... partnership."
"Yeah," Juli said, still breathing hard. "Yeah, okay. One last party."
Ruskovitz and Vela still looked confused, but they didn't press. Not here. Not now.
"We'll arrange something," Ruskovitz said carefully. "You kids deserve it."
Later, after the adults left, Team 9 sat in quiet contemplation.
Juli stared at his hands. Kade gazed out the viewport. Pam sat beside Tessa's bed. Tessa looked at each of them in turn.
"We're really going to fight each other, aren't we?" Tessa said softly.
"Yeah," Juli admitted. "We are."
"I might face you," Kade said to Pam.
"Or I might face you," Pam replied to Juli.
"Or all of us could meet in later rounds," Juli added.
Silence stretched.
They'd trained together. Bled together. Survived together. Laughed together. Cried together.
And in one week, they'd stand opposite each other in an arena. As opponents. As enemies.
Just for a little while.
Pam's memories flickered. Pulling Juli and Kade by their ears. That first day on Verdara when they were just four mismatched kids thrown together.
Kade remembered the bickering. The competitions. The way they'd somehow become... brothers. All of them.
Tessa thought about how scared she'd been. How they'd protected her. Given her courage. Made her strong.
Juli saw his team. His family. The people who'd stood by him through everything.
"One more night," he said. "One more night where we're just Team 9."
They all nodded.
One more night.
Then everything would change.
The finals were coming.
And only one could win.