The night before the finals settled over the arena like a held breath.
Ji-hu stood in the empty training field behind the medical tents, his body aching, his mind racing. Yuna joined him, her arm still bandaged from the semifinals.
Yuna: We just fought the hardest battle of our lives and we don't even get to sleep.
Ji-hu: We sleep after we win.
Ara: We're not losing.
She appeared from the shadows, holding a small piece of paper.
Ara: The singles tournament has been postponed. Individual matches are after the team finals now.
Yuna: That's actually good news.
Ara: It's news. What matters is what we do with tonight.
---
Minjun came running out with Soojin behind him, both carrying supplies.
Minjun: I BROUGHT SNACKS! Also water! Also moral support!
Soojin: Oppa, inside voice.
Minjun: THIS IS MY INSIDE VOICE!
Soojin: That's terrifying.
Minjun: THANK YOU!
He dropped everything and stood ready.
Minjun: OKAY! Who do we fight? What do we practice? I'M READY!
Yuna: You want to help us train?
Minjun: I WANT TO BE USEFUL! Soojin can watch!
Soojin: I'll be over here. Away from the crazy.
---
Ara turned to face them.
Ara: I need to tell you something. I've never teleported anyone but myself. Never tried to move someone else.
Yuna: That's risky.
Ara: Could fail. Could hurt. Could drop someone mid-teleport.
Ji-hu looked at her directly.
Ji-hu: We're fighting an S-rank ice master tomorrow. Everything is risky. I'm willing to bet on you.
Ara stared at him for a moment. Then nodded.
Ara: Fine. But if you die, I'm not carrying your body out.
Ji-hu: Deal.
---
They practiced through the night.
The first few attempts with Ji-hu were rough. They landed off balance, stumbled, fell. But they kept going. After an hour, they could teleport together smoothly.
Adding Yuna was harder. They crashed into each other, landed in heaps, nearly fell apart completely. But by midnight, Ara could take both of them at once and set them down ready to fight.
Minjun ran around them yelling commentary, throwing random objects, making himself light and bouncing off walls. He was chaos personified, and it was exactly what they needed.
Minjun: TOO SLOW! HESITATION! DEAD! ALL DEAD!
Soojin: Oppa, they're trying.
Minjun: TRYING ISN'T ENOUGH! WINNING IS ENOUGH!
He was right. They kept going.
---
By dawn, they had five reliable combos burned into muscle memory. Nothing fancy. Just movements that worked. Yuna lifting and throwing. Ara teleporting mid-flight. Ji-hu landing with ice and fire ready. They flowed together in ways that felt natural now.
Ara: The sun's coming up.
Ji-hu: I know.
Yuna: We should rest. An hour at least.
They sat in a circle, backs against each other, watching the sky lighten.
Ji-hu: Whatever happens today—
Ara: Don't get soft.
Ji-hu: I wasn't going to.
Yuna: He was totally going to.
Ara: I know.
Ji-hu almost smiled.
---
Minjun was asleep on the ground, Soojin using his stomach as a pillow.
Soojin: He talks in his sleep. Yells strategies. Once he told me to dodge left in my dream.
Ara: He's training even when unconscious.
Soojin: It's exhausting.
Yuna: But you love him.
Soojin: ...yeah. I do.
---
The sun broke over the arena.
Ara: The finals begin in two hours.
Ji-hu: We're ready.
Yuna: We better be.
They stood together, watching the light spread across the sand.
The finals were coming.
They were as ready as they'd ever be.
---
END OF CHAPTER 29