Instead of celebrating, the team quickly gathers James’ parts. They breathe a sigh of relief after placing his undamaged head back onto his body. Noticing that Wyn is trembling, Mira moves to comfort him just as the nerds, the demons, and Janine’s team emerge from hiding to congratulate them.

  “You definitely would’ve lost if you didn’t start the battle with that much essence,” a nerd comments.

  “How do we collect essence as a team with him in this condition?” Wyn asks, gesturing to James.

  A demon licks James’ neck, while a couple of others help carry him as the team moves to collect the essence from the goose and the four goslings. Apparently, as long as the body is somewhat intact and the band on the wrist is still there, anyone can activate the band to absorb essence for that soul.

  “Suspiciously super convenient. Love it,” Wyn says.

  The gosling creature is known as the humungoose, and it can only be birthed by the goosebumps. Its sole purpose is to explode and scatter ice chunks at the goosebumps’ enemies. The demons then apply a sticker of the goosebumps’ face, the one with the protruding sword blades, on their shirts, including James’. As the team flashes all three stickers of the champions, they applaud the team for their victories.

  “You’ve done it! Wait for us, yah? We’ll see you down there!” Janine says.

  “You guys were the first to defeat the Legion and the few to conquer both the foxhydra and the goosebumps. I’m impressed,” a nerd comments.

  “It’s foxymoron, you mor…most people beautiful people!” Wyn says.

  The nerds and the others observed the battle through drones equipped with night vision. When asked why forming teams with strangers is permitted, under the conditions Wyn was told prior to the battle, the nerds explained that Hell encourages teamwork because it’s essential for souls when they eventually go to war with Heaven.

  “What’s next for us?” Mira asks.

  “We’ll rest first. Need to get this guy healed up, then we’ll visit Catito at the dojo,” Wyn replies.

  “You nerds, please give our regards to Marcus. Tell him, hello,” Yu says.

  “Oh yeah, Marcus! Tell him we don’t need over ninety thousand credits here and possibly where we’re going!” Wyn adds.

  The team returns to Cateto, with Yu excitedly showing off the stickers on his chest. Cateto is left speechless, his head swiveling between Yu’s chest and James’ neck.

  “What should I react to first?” he asks.

  Despite having been told that the demons in the park have already licked James' neck, Cateto jumps over to give it a lick himself. He then moves on to tend to the remaining members’ wounds, licking them with gentle care. Once he’s finished, he returns to his spot on the counter and gives them a silent, piercing stare.

  “What’s wrong Cateto?” Mira asks worriedly.

  “I will escort you to your tent,” Cateto says.

  After laying James down in a sleeping bag, Cateto jumps onto the table, settling next to the AI. Suddenly, tears begin to pour from his eyes. Without a word, the team gathers around Cateto, enveloping him in a group hug with him in the center. When he finally asks them to stop, he enlarges himself to human size, allowing for a more comfortable embrace. Mira pats Cateto on the chest patch.

  “You’ll always be my favorite cat, Cateto,” she says.

  “OUR favorite cat,” Yu echos.

  “I will miss you all. I never knew how much I missed Anish until he was gone,” Cateto sobs. “I know elites do not come here often, but come visit me when you can.”

  The cat then locks his gaze on Wyn, a big smile spreading across his face.

  “By the way, I have followed up on your request – it has been approved. From now on, you may keep the bands of your fallen comrades.”

  “Request?” Yu seems dazed, as much as Mira and Lisa.

  Wyn hugs Cateto in excitement, thanking him repeatedly for going through with the request.

  “Too bad, we will never get to keep Anish’s,” the cat says with a disappointing sigh.

  “You’ve done enough for a campsite cat, Cateto. At least, Anish’s death brings upon a sentimental change in Hell,” Wyn responds.

  “Make sure you come by the lobby before going back to the dojo!” Cateto demands.

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  On a bright, sunny day, Wyn finds himself resting under a large tree, glancing at his smartwatch repeatedly, growing frustrated that his friends are late to the gathering. Finally, Yu, Mira, James, and Lisa arrive, all smiles as they apologize for their tardiness. Despite his annoyance, Wyn struggles to stay upset in the face of their cheerful expressions.

  Once they take their seats in the restaurant, Wyn notices a familiar figure – a middle-aged man with a significant paunch and a bright smile – sitting alone at a table, gazing out the window. To Wyn's surprise, the waitstaff suddenly emerges, and together with his friends, they break into a birthday song for Wyn. Not accustomed to being the center of attention, Wyn instinctively slides down in his seat, trying to hide under the table. As the song concludes, Yu yanks Wyn out from his hiding place, just as the lone man stands next to Mira, admiring her physique.

  By some miracle, Mira invites the man to join their table while they wait for Wyn to cut the cake. Before Wyn hands out the man’s share, he catches a glimpse of him and sees the most genuine smile he’s ever encountered.

  “Why are you crying, Wyn?” Mira asks.

  Wyn touches his face and realizes he is, indeed, crying. Confused, he looks back at the man, but he has already vanished. Suddenly, the surroundings grow so bright that he can’t see anything. Then, in an instant, he wakes up, crying.

  Being the first to rise, Wyn quietly checks on James, noticing that his neck seems to be healing more than halfway. He then settles at the table next to the AI, his legs crossed as memories flood his mind. Glancing back at the sleeping Yu and the recovering James, he reflects on the recent events.

  “You’re awake already?” Mira calls out as she walks down from the second floor.

  “I thought you’d gotten used to the lights by now. I can close my eyes so you can go back to sleep,” he replies.

  “It’s okay. I want to stay awake with you.”

  However, Mira doesn’t manage to stay awake for more than five minutes before she dozes off on Wyn’s lap. Wyn, leaning back with his hands on the floor, chuckles softly at the sight. He glances over at the CATOTO AI, who is also sleeping, curled up into a ball of fur with his tail in his mouth. Then, he shifts his gaze to the ceiling, his mind going blank before he completely lies down on the floor. Soon after, he falls asleep.

  The alarm goes off, waking everyone, including James, from their slumber. The team gathers around him to find that while the healing of his neck wound is incomplete, he is regaining consciousness and functioning normally.

  “What happened? I assume we won?” James asks.

  “Of course! We even managed to share the essence with you while you were out cold, ‘eh’,” Wyn replies.

  Anticipating a retaliation, Wyn is taken aback when James’s eyes drop to the floor.

  “I’m the worst one here. My weapon hasn’t even evolved, and we’ve already defeated all three champions,” he sighs.

  “What are you even complaining about? You helped a lot, especially against the first two champions,” Wyn says.

  “Yeah! You kept the fox from moving, and then you froze the Legion!” Yu chimes in.

  “It could have been anyone of us, really. You just happened to be in the goose’s line of sight, Mister James,” Lisa adds.

  “I know how to cheer you up.” Mira places James’s hand on her chest, but he remains silent.

  “Thanks, eh. All of you,” he says, managing a tired but genuine smile.

  “So weird to see you being this nice…creepy,” Wyn remarks.

  Insisting that they get moving, James leads the team to the lobby. The team stops by to chat with Cateto for a while as promised.

  “Don’t forget to ask the nerds to update your language capability! Learn what ‘do the cat’ means for me!” Yu says.

  “Which is…?” Cateto asks.

  “Which is…what is it exactly?” Yu glances back at his team, only to be met with synchronized shrugs.

  The team bids a heartfelt goodbye to Cateto as they open portals back to the dojo. Upon arrival, they quickly make their way to Catito.

  “Welcome back! I see you have defeated three champions and that all of you have collected over ten thousand essence!” Catito greets them.

  “Wow…this is where it all began for the three of us!” Mira looks around the familiar dojo, feeling as if ages have passed since their first arrival.

  “If my weapon hasn’t evolved, can I still move on with the team?” James asks.

  “Of course! An evolved weapon is great in fierce battles, but if you can meet the requirements with its original form, that says something about you as a fighter!”

  “A lazy ass?” Wyn interrupts.

  “You fucking asshole!”

  “That’s more like it, Landon!”

  Catito leads the team to a secret door that requires him to scan both of his paws to open. The passage leads them down into an empty wooden room. As he places his paw on their chests, the stickers disappear, and their bands glow. To Wyn’s disappointment, the band colors remain the same, though they now sparkle when he looks at them from different angles. Catito scans both his paws again, and this time, a large portal opens in the wall.

  “There are changes to your bands. Talk to the elites for more information. Good job and good luck!”

  “This is it! We’re doing this, right?” Yu asks, shaking his hands and legs in excitement.

  “I wish I had a heart right now; it’d be pounding,” Mira adds.

  “We are a powerful five. Nothing will get in our way, right, Mister Wyn?” Lisa declares confidently, well, almost.

  “Whatever is down there, we’ll always look out for each other,” Wyn assures them.

  “Say you love me just as much as you love the rest, Wyn,” James demands.

  “Why do I have to? What does that have anything to do with this?” Wyn replies.

  “Yeah, Wyn! Say it!” Yu chimes in, echoed by Mira and Lisa.

  “Fine…I love you all, and...I love you too, Landon, you asshole.”

  “What was that? I didn’t hear it,” James responds.

  “You two should get married! Please don’t forget to invite me for a threesome!” Mira adds, looking dead serious.

  “Errr...Let’s just go already. All five of us at the same time!” Wyn says.

  And with that, the five hold hands firmly and count down together from five to one as they proceed to the portal. They arrive in the center of what appears to be a circle, where a crow shouts, “New arrivals!”