Chapter Text
“Flowbermeow is unable to battle! Komory Bat wins! The winner of this battle is Champion Riku!”
Riku smiled fondly at the ruined battlefield in front of him, juxtaposed behind the delighted squeaking of his oldest friend, who was currently dancing in wild corkscrew loops in the air overhead. He sighed, shaking his head as the battlefield righted itself, paving a single path between the entrance and the Hall of Fame he guarded behind him. His challenger—a young man with fluffy silver hair—laughed tiredly, shaking his head as he brought his fainted Flowbermeow back into his heart, and he got up onto his feet, albeit a little shakily.
Riku strode forward, offering his hand for the challenger to shake as his Komory Bat landed on his head, trilling happily.
“You and your team fought well.” He said kindly. “Thank you for the battle.”
“Man, you’re really too tough, huh?” His challenger—Ephemer, the referee had said—grinned sheepishly at him. “And you’re still using your starter, too… now that’s a lesson in sticking to your guns until the end.” He shook Riku’s hand. “Thanks for the battle, too. I learned a lot.”
“My Komory Bat and I go way back.” Riku chuckled, reaching up to pet it, and it purred happily against his palm. “We’ve built a lot of trust in each other, so it’s natural that even after all these years, he’s my ace.”
“Yeah, I can see that.” Ephemer nodded. “Well, I’d better get going. I’ll get that Championship one day!”
“I’d love to see that day.” Riku gave him an easy wave as he hurried away with a mock salute at him. When the doors clicked shut, Riku sighed, his straight posture slumping down into a slouch. His Komory Bat crooned in worry atop his head, and he shrugged. “Sorry, Wingus. C’mon, back you go.”
He held his heart, and reached up to his Komory Bat, when it flew up above Riku’s reach, shaking its head and whining sadly.
“Oh, c’mon, what’s the matter?” He asked gently, and Wingus whined again. Riku shook his head, letting go of his heart, and Wingus finally flew down to let him touch its soft, fluffy belly. The sight of Riku watching dejectedly as his team easily took down Ephermer’s team filled his mind, and he gasped softly, letting his Komory Bat go. “Wingus…”
It cooed sadly, rubbing itself against Riku’s cheek.
“You were upset that I was… sad, huh?” He asked. There was no other way to put it, after all—he had been growing lonely, and there was no way that his team of Dream Eaters summoned from his heart, wouldn’t notice. Wingus continued to cuddle Riku, and he laughed softly, putting his Komory Bat back into his heart as he began to head out of the Champion’s Hall, only to be greeted by his Elite Four—or, well, two of his Elite Four.
“Well done again today.” Aqua said, patting his shoulder, and Riku gave her a tired little smile while Roxas inspected his nails, grunting his own little congratulations. “You’ve defended your title for yet another time. We won’t know when the next challenger will come along, but until then, it seems you’re still the strongest in the region.”
“Yeah, thanks.” Riku replied tiredly, and Aqua gave him a fond little smile. “I’ll, uh… head back home for today. There’s no one else coming, right?”
“Nope.” Roxas said, “Kairi took them out about half an hour ago.”
“Ah, I see.” Riku nodded, and Roxas sighed.
“Look, sorry if you’re getting bored or whatever,” He mumbled, and Riku blinked at him. “Can’t imagine it’d be easy being cucked of challengers all the time.”
“Roxas,” Aqua said exasperatedly, and Riku’s frown deepened. “Sorry, he’s upset that Kairi thinned out the challengers again. Maybe if we tried that other region’s style by letting the challengers choose which Elite Four member they would challenge first?”
“Let’s talk about it in the next League meeting; Kairi’s probably already gone off to catch her plane.” Riku said dismissively, and Aqua deflated, but she nodded, standing aside to let Riku walk by her. “I’m… I’m gonna go home.”
“Take care.” Aqua waved at him, and Roxas sighed exasperatedly, shaking his head.
“Hey, Riku,” He said, and Riku turned to look at him, blinking in surprise. “Have you ever tried a change of pace?”
“A change… of pace.” Riku echoed, and Roxas shrugged.
“Maybe that’s all you need.” He replied, “You, right now, the way you are—you’re not the guy that handed me my ass, that handed Champion Mickey his ass.”
Riku gaped at him, and Aqua smiled in relief.
“So figure yourself out.” Roxas huffed, “And get back to the League when you’re ready to be Champion again.”
A moment passed by between them, and the blond’s cheeks were growing progressively pinker.
“C’mon,” He grumbled, “Say something.”
“Roxas,” Riku said dazedly. “That’s the nicest thing you’ve said to me.”
“Well, it’s the last one too, at this rate!” The blond shot back. “So go do something other than battling for a change. Who knows what else you do aside from train all day to be crazy strong like that.”
“Alright, that’s enough, Roxas, thank you.” Aqua clapped her hands, and nodded at Riku. “I’ll tell you what, I’ll call you later, and I’ll drag you off somewhere as a change of pace. How’s that?”
“Uh,” Riku blinked, “Sure. I guess.”
Her smile widened into a grin. “I’ll see you later, then.”
Riku had been the Champion of his region’s Dream Eater League for the better part of a decade, now, having won the title at the tender age of 15. He was one of the youngest trainers to achieve such a feat, defeating another long-time Champion of the region, Mickey, right before he announced his retirement to focus instead on his upcoming marriage with his longtime sweetheart, Minnie.
At the time, Riku hadn’t really realised what it meant to be Champion—he had stars in his eyes, and a burning passion that few could match, and more found difficult to overcome. With his team of endlessly loyal companions, no Dream Eater—Spirit or Nightmare—could ever beat the strength of the Dream Eater League Champion, setting him in the running for the strongest trainer in the world—once World Championships came rolling about again, anyway.
But that wasn’t in a few months, and Riku was starting to lose his motivation to even enter.
In the years he had been Champion, Riku had faced his own ups and downs. As a new Champion, he felt like he was on top of the world—as the strongest trainer in his region, he felt like he could do anything, and with each challenger he defeated, Riku felt like he could only grow stronger, invincible and powerful and reaching new heights with every battle won.
When he hit his 20s, however, Riku realised that that was probably just stupid teenager hubris.
With every battle that went by, with every match he had, defending his title from those who tried to take it, he could see repeating patterns. Weak points and exploits he dug into and took advantage of at every turn, turning an engaging match into a draggy, mindless routine that was over before it started.
It wasn’t that he was bored, though—a job was a job, and Riku prided himself on being a hard worker, but it was definitely not enjoyable.
He walked through the gorgeous, orchard-like Victory Road, covered with gentle violet willows and smelling of blooming flowers, and he watched as the wind carried away tiny blooms from the willows without any difficulty.
He was probably falling out of love with it, he thought. Battling, the League—everything was lonely, up there. Always the same. A routine that only Riku learned, and intrigued the rest of the world. The way things were now, Riku’s stagnation was the foundation of the League’s sheer strength, and he couldn’t deny that it was effective—
He’d been Champion for so long, but at what cost?
Was it worth it?
He shook his head, shutting his eyes as he summoned his Halbird from his heart. It cawed proudly, spreading its wings as it flew into the air, and he laughed fondly, waving at it to come down.
“C’mon, we’re going home.” he said, and it nodded, taking hold of Riku’s hands with its claws, carrying him as it flew off into the sky.
The ‘change of pace’ that Aqua had thought of was apparently a Contest Spectacular.
Riku had never really paid attention to Contests—during his first journey as a trainer, he’d never really had the attention span—nor the interest, really—for Dream Eater Contests. He’d heard they were essentially beauty pageants, though over time, it had grown its own competitive scene, producing wildly famous celebrity idols that the region seemed to completely lose its head over whenever they came to guest on TV shows, or hold performances in the city.
Aqua, it seemed, was the type to be into that sort of thing, too, and Riku was surprised he still had much to learn about his League coworkers.
He’d dressed down for the evening, throwing on a beanie that hid his hair and a pair of large aviator sunglasses to mostly hide his face. While he wasn’t quite the celebrity himself, the region still knew who their Champion was, and he was sure to get swamped with attention if he was ever spotted in public like this. Aqua, too, and she had showed up in a blonde wig that was up in a long, elegant ponytail, and hid most of her features behind a cloth face mask. She gave Riku a cordial wave when he approached her at a cafe near the Contest Hall, and he gave an awkward little wave back.
“So this is the Champion, incognito.” She chuckled, and Riku gave her a little grin. “Nice and simple. I like that. Besides, people don’t see you out often, anyway, so it works out.”
“You, on the other hand, look like a pro.” Riku replied, “I don’t think I would’ve recognised you if you didn’t send me a selfie before I came here.”
“Well, one must adjust to their hobbies, I’d say.” Aqua huffed, and she took Riku’s arm, pulling him along with her towards the Contest Hall. “Oh, when I was younger, I wanted to try out entering a Contest, just once. I won a ribbon, actually!”
“Oh?” Riku blinked, and Aqua nodded as they entered the Contest Hall, Aqua handing over two tickets to the receptionist at the front desk. “How come you didn’t continue?”
“I had to make a choice, Riku,” She laughed sadly, “Battling, or performing in contests. You can’t have both.” Riku deflated at that as they strode into the Hall itself, taking their seats. “That’s just how it is. You choose what field you excel in, and you focus on that, right?”
“I suppose.” Riku mumbled, “I can’t imagine what level of dedication goes into Contest Performances, though, I’ve… only ever been battling.”
“Oh, a lot.” Aqua replied. “In fact, it’s a little bit like professional battling, come to think of it.”
“Really?” Riku blinked.
“Yeah, you still have to train a lot, and come up with routines, a concept, a way to be yourself in a way unlike anyone’s ever seen before…” She hummed. “Sometimes, I think it’s far harder than battling, y’know? Performers don’t just focus on their Dream Eaters, they focus on themselves, too.”
“Huh.” Riku hummed, and they looked at the stage as the lights dimmed down. “Oh, it’s starting.”
“Here we go.” Aqua nodded, and the host began the show. Riku watched in mild interest as the man introduced the concept of Contests—this, Riku knew—and then the theme for the evening, which focused on heavenly bodies.
So far, so standard, Riku thought. It was a nice change in pace, indeed, but it was more like a night of self-care and relaxation, more than anything. Aqua truly did try her best, sharing her interest with Riku to try and get him to broaden his horizons, but he truly didn’t have that much interest in Contests. Hell, Kairi may have more investment in this endeavour than he did.
“And now, to welcome us to tonight’s Contest Spectacular and whet our appetite for the performances in store, is our very own Contest Idol Superstar, Sora!”
Riku blinked. Why did that name sound familiar?
Smoke machines set off on stage, covering the floor with shimmering dust that sparkled in the harsh lights of the Contest Hall, and Riku’s eyes widened as a brunet young man came springing out from the back of the stage, launching into a forward flip off his hands with an energetic cheer as a Meow Wow emerged from his heart with a happy cry. It literally bounced off its belly on the stage, and Sora landed squarely on the Meow Wow’s back, grinning widely as he waved at the crowd.
“Goooood evening, Radiant Garden!” He greeted, “I hope you enjoy tonight!”
He blew the crowd a kiss with two hands, before touching his heart with one hand and drawing a wide circle with another, and Riku’s eyes widened.
“He’s summoning a rare Dream Eater.” He breathed, and Aqua grinned knowingly as a Meowjesty came springing out of the golden ring Sora drew. “No, that’s—that’s amazing, I thought—I thought only powerful trainers could do that.”
“Who ever said that Contest performers couldn’t be powerful?” Aqua cocked her head, and Riku continued to gape as Sora sprang from his Meow Wow’s back to land on the Meowjesty, who began to trot in an utterly charming manner as Sora nodded at his Meow Wow.
“Bumpis, Balloonra!” Sora called, and his tubby blue friend began hurrying after him and the Meowjesty, blowing large, rainbow bubbles that followed the Meowjesty as it trotted around the stage, carefully avoiding the sparkling balloons of magic that began to reflect gorgeous fractals of rainbow-coloured light. “Mozzarella, Horn Bounce!”
The Meowjesty leapt up high into the air, and Sora jumped off its back as it did a flip, landing on his feet as he picked up Bumpis, spinning it in the air along with his twirl as Mozzarella came down, popping all of the balloons on stage and sending a shower of sparkling magic over the crowd. That earned him cheers and gasps of awe, as Riku continued to stare at Sora, who straightened up with a cheeky wink.
“And that’s all for now, folks! I’m not going too hard on a contest night exhibit!” He gave the host a wink, who laughed fondly as Sora twirled on one foot again, his two Spirits doing the same with an utterly charming lack of grace. “Please enjoy the rest of the show!”
He gave the crowd a wave, putting his Dream Eaters back into his heart, and hurried backstage, as the host took over once again.
“And that was our Contest Idol Sora! Please look forward to what surprises he and the other competitors have for tonight!”
“So, what do you think?” Aqua hummed happily, as Riku couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face.
Oh, it had been a long time since he felt like this.
“I want to battle him.” He said, and Aqua’s smile slid off her face.
“What?”
“I want to battle him!” Riku looked up at her, his eyes aglow with wonder and delight, and she stopped, blinking in surprise for a moment, before sobering up, nodding with a fond little laugh.
“Let’s see if we can’t go see him after the show, then.” She said, and patted his shoulder. “I’m sure the Contest staff won’t say no to a little visit from Champion Riku himself.”
As he and Aqua walked together towards the backstage dressing rooms, Riku realised that this was probably very awful without context.
After all, when the Champion of the region, out of the blue, suddenly asks to see you, who wouldn’t get freaked out? And after winning yet a Contest Spectacular, too?
Maybe he should’ve worked a little better on his timing, but he earnestly hoped that Sora wouldn’t take this the wrong way—however little he could salvage the situation, anyway.
Ahead of them, Contest staff were talking excitedly among themselves, and Riku could catch murmurs of his name, and Sora’s name. He still didn’t know why this Sora person sounded familiar—he felt like it was a name he should remember, but with all his years of meeting people, he was bound to forget someone.
Hell, he couldn’t remember who he battled this morning.
They came to a stop at a door with a piece of paper taped to it. The paper had Sora’s name on it—and, much to Riku’s surprise, the rest of Sora’s schedule, too. His heart sank at the realisation that he would be eating at the sliver of empty space between the Contest he had just earlier and a late-night TV show interview, and Riku wondered if he should have just stayed quiet about the whole thing, and let the poor young man have his rest, if just for a little bit.
It was a bit too late to regret his decisions, though, when one of the staff members knocked on the door, and he heard Sora’s voice from inside.
“Come in!”
Aqua turned to look at Riku, and gestured at the door.
“All yours, Champion.” She said, with that little hint of cheekiness that made Riku’s cheeks burn, and he pushed past her with a flustered huff, ignoring her little snicker of amusement as he entered the dressing room—
Completely alone, he realised, when the door shut behind him.
“Oh, Champion Riku! It’s good to see you.”
Riku jumped, his heart leaping into his throat as his eyes shot forward to see Sora, dressed down in a hoodie and sweatpants, sitting at a vanity that had lightbulbs along the side of it. There was a giant bouquet of flowers on the table next to the vanity, almost as big as Sora’s Meow Wow, and Riku had to keep himself from gaping at the flowers, where delicately, Sora’s most recent Contest Ribbon perched on top.
Riku tore his gaze away from the flowers, feeling his cheeks burn when the idol beamed at him, and waved him over.
“N-nice to meet you.” Riku nodded awkwardly, forcing his legs to carry him forward towards the plastic chair that Sora had pulled up next to himself. Sora blinked at him for a moment, but the moment of confusion was immediately gone as he wiped it away with a bright smile.
“I never thought the Champion would want to meet me.” He chuckled, as Riku sat down gingerly. “I always thought this would go the other way around.”
Riku blinked at that, and he cocked his head. “How come?” He asked before he could stop himself, and Sora laughed, shaking his head.
“I’m a Contest Idol. You’re the Champion of the region.” Sora made a grand gesture, “You’re the strongest guy around, you’re probably the bigger celebrity.”
“Are you kidding me?” Riku scoffed softly, “I hardly go out. I don’t go on TV like you do.”
“And that’s exactly why people are so interested in you.” Sora replied, and Riku blinked at him. “You’re like a rare Dream Eater, Champion. The less they get to see you, the more people will think about you.”
“Are you telling me something I should be digging for?” Riku replied, and it was Sora’s turn to blink at him in surprise. “Also, just call me Riku. The whole Champion thing’s a little… well…”
Sora simply stared at him in stunned silence, and Riku could feel embarrassment beginning to show through the burning skin of his cheeks. He sighed, shaking his head. “Sorry, this is an awful start to this conversation.”
“You don’t say.” Sora grinned slightly, and Riku couldn’t help but mirror his grin. “Let’s start over, then.” He held his hand out for Riku to shake. “I’m Sora. I’m a Contest performer.”
“Riku. Dream Eater trainer.” He shook Sora’s hand, and the brunet nodded at him as they let each other go.
“So, what did you come to see me for?” Sora asked, turning to the mirror in front of him, and Riku realised there were still some glitters around the corners of Sora’s eyes. He began to wipe them off with a pleasant hum. “I mean, I don’t think you’re here to ask me how to do Contest performances.”
He peered at Riku with a cheeky little grin.
“And you don’t look like you’re here to ask me out on a date.”
“Wh—” Riku jolted, and he spluttered as he grew flustered. “A-a-a date? I—I—uh—”
Sora burst out laughing, leaning over his vanity’s table as he shook his head, burying his face in his hands. Riku forced himself to calm down, his cheeks on fire and red like a tomato as Sora turned to him, still barely holding back his laughter behind his hand covering his mouth.
“Your face.” He snickered, “Oh, it’s priceless.” Sora sighed happily as he slumped over on the table, resting his head on his arms as Riku took an exasperated sigh, trying to force his heart to calm down. “Who’d’ve thought, huh? Champion Riku, World Champion hopeful, would be so easy to tease like this?”
“I—I’m more collected in other situations.” Riku mumbled, and Sora’s expression softened on him.
“You don’t have many friends, do you?” He asked softly, and Riku blinked at him. “Just… a little observation. I don’t mean to pry, if you don’t want me to.” He straightened up, and rolled his shoulders, getting back to removing his makeup. “Okay, I promise I’ll listen this time. What’re you here for?”
“I… well.” Riku laughed, shaking his head. “I’m sorry if this sounds stupid.”
“I’ve said some pretty dumb stuff before, Riku.” Sora grinned. “Hit me with it.”
“I want to battle you.”
At that, Sora stopped, and he set the wad of cotton he’d been using to clean himself off down. He turned to look at Riku, who met his gaze with a little more determination, now that he made it clear what he was here for.
“Battle… me.” Sora echoed, and Riku nodded eagerly.
“I saw you on that stage tonight, twice, and I knew somewhere that you’d been making the most of a competitive moveset.” He said, “Your Spirits are well-trained, and powerful. They control their moves exactly the way they need them to be, nothing more, nothing less.”
“Riku,” Sora began, and Riku’s heart began to sink as fast as Sora’s expression was falling. “Listen, I…” He sighed, and he shook his head. “I don’t know how to tell you this in any other way than… well…” He scratched the back of his neck, sighing. “Battling isn’t the only reason why you’d want to train your Dream Eaters.” Sora deadpanned, “I know battling is all you know, but—”
“You have a rare Dream Eater.” Riku continued, and Sora pursed his lips. “You’re telling me you need that to perform?”
“Riku, you still battle with your starter.” Sora sighed, and Riku shook his head.
“And you still perform with yours.”
“And?”
“Everyone else isn’t.” Riku shot back, and Sora pursed his lips. “I watched the competition. Took note of everyone’s Spirits. You’re the only person with a starter—that Meow Wow of yours.”
“Riku.” Sora said exasperatedly.
“Sora, c’mon. What I have doesn’t matter.” He replied, “Rare Dream Eaters are most useful to battlers, and you know that.” Riku reached out to grasp his wrist, out of some desperation to have Sora stay, he didn’t know, but he squeezed it gently, looking back at Sora eagerly. “Please.” He said, and Sora’s eyes widened at him slightly.
“I…”
It had been a long time since he last felt like this—
A long time since he loved battling.
“Please battle me, just once.” He said, and took hold of Sora’s hand with both of his, bowing his head deeply. “Come at me with all of your strength, and I’ll leave you alone after that.”
Sora looked down at him with a creased brow, and he sighed, shaking his head.
“You don’t have to go that far, you know.” He mumbled, and Riku looked up, letting go of Sora’s hand. The brunet rubbed his arm, and his shoulders sagged. “Okay, fine. Just this once.” He said, and Riku lit up. Sora couldn’t help but smile a little at that, and he nodded. “I don’t want you to leave me alone after that, though. That’d suck.”
“You… don’t want me to go?” Riku blinked, and Sora laughed.
“Listen, you’re awkward at times, but that isn’t grounds for me to like, not get to know you.” He replied. “Not… after last time.”
“After… last time?” Riku echoed, and Sora blinked at him, frowning for a moment, before he shook his head.
“Never mind.” He replied, and got up. “So, uh, when do you want to battle?”
“Now?” Riku blinked, and Sora dissolved into laughter, shaking his head.
“You’re the one who’s asking.” He replied, and Riku couldn’t help but laugh. “But yeah, you’re right. I can’t exactly go running away with you for a quick little all-out battle.” Sora grinned, and Riku grinned back at him. “How about I’ll give you my number, and we can sort it out there?”
“Sure.” Riku nodded, and Sora pulled his phone out of his pocket, humming absentmindedly as suddenly, his Meow Wow—Bumpis, he’d called it—came squirming out of his heart from his back, meow-barking happily as it bounced its way to Riku.
“Bumpis, behave.” Sora said flatly, but he didn’t seem too concerned, grinning slightly as he scrolled through his phone. Riku pulled his phone out of his pocket, too, and he laughed when Wingus came out of his heart, too, cooing happily as it flew over to Bumpis.
“Wow, it’s like they’re old friends, or something.” He chuckled, and he watched as the two Spirits played with each other. “He isn’t usually like this around other people’s Spirits.”
“Yeah, Wingus has his own charm, it seems.” Sora said, and Riku laughed, nodding. “Well, here’s my contacts app. Put your number in there, and I’ll put mine in yours.”
“Right.” Riku handed Sora his phone, and they exchanged phone numbers while watching Bumpis and Wingus play together. When they were done, they handed their phones back to each other, and Sora tucked his back into his pocket.
“So, I’ll see you again, Champion?” Sora asked, a little grin on his lips, and Riku nodded.
“I can’t wait to hear from you, too.” Riku replied, and turned to Wingus. “C’mon, bud, we can’t hold Sora up too long.”
Wingus whined sadly, and Riku laughed, shaking his head as Sora held his hand up, palm-up, at Wingus. The Komory Bat squeaked in delight, and Riku watched in amazement as the bat perched on Sora’s palm, cooing as it rolled around in Sora’s hand.
“Oh wow.” Riku breathed. “Wingus, you really like Sora, huh?”
Wingus looked at him flatly, and Sora laughed fondly, shaking his head.
“C’mon, buddy, back you go.” He said gently, and it whined dejectedly, but did as it was told. Bumpis slinked against Riku’s leg with a little meow-bark, before leaping back into Sora’s heart, too.
“You’ll see Sora again.” Riku said, pressing his hand to his heart, and Sora smiled softly at that. Riku gave him a little smile, too, and got up. “Sorry for taking up so much of your time.”
“It’s no problem.” Sora shook his head. “It was nice to see you, Riku.”
“Thanks.” Riku laughed sheepishly, shaking his head. “I’m just… sorry for the weird request.”
“Well, they said you’ll get to know someone more by how they battle,” Sora hummed, “I’ll think of it like that—an opportunity to get to know you.”
“Yeah.” Riku lit up, and gave him a little wave. “I, uh, better get going. Get some rest before the TV special, okay?”
“Only if you go see it.” Sora gave him a wink, and Riku laughed, nodding.
“Okay, okay.” He said, “I’ll see you soon.”
“See you, Riku.”
Riku stepped out of the dressing room to see Aqua grinning at him. She cocked her head at him, and he felt self-conscious again as he shut the door behind himself.
“Did you get his number?” She asked, and Riku spluttered, making her burst out laughing. “The staff have been betting on it since you went in there. I didn’t let them listen in, but I’d really like to have some update, at least.”
“I… did.” Riku mumbled, and Aqua flashed the staff a thumbs-up. Riku jumped at the sound of delighted cheering, and he rolled his eyes at Aqua as she turned back to him.
“So, did he say yes to the battle?”
“Yeah.” Riku replied, “I’ll let you know the details some other time.” He pushed past her, and she huffed fondly, shaking her head.
“There aren’t any, are there?” She asked, and he felt his cheeks burn again. “After all, Sora has a TV appearance later, and we have a League meeting on Friday.”
“If you already knew, why are you asking?” Riku huffed, and Aqua chuckled.
“Just checking up on you to make sure.” She replied, patting his back. “Go on, get home and get some rest. I’ll see you tomorrow, Riku.”
“See you.” He sighed, and he strode on—and stopped. “And uh, Aqua?”
“Yeah?”
He looked at her over his shoulder, and gave her a little smile.
“Thanks. To you and Roxas, both.”
Aqua smiled back at him, and nodded.
“Good night, Riku.”
“Good night.”
“So, tell us about your partners!”
Riku didn’t know why he was still awake, but there he was, sitting on the couch in front of his TV at almost midnight, stuffing his face with microwave mac and cheese while Wingus and the rest of his team were cuddled to his side, watching alongside him.
“Well,” Sora laughed, “I, uh, have three…”
Riku knew that it was just a formality, or even just a courtesy, to tell Sora to get rest before the TV special he had tonight, but he didn’t know why he took Sora’s reply so seriously.
Only if you go see it, he’d said, and now Riku was here, ruining his sleep schedule to watch Sora get interviewed on late night TV—and for what? Keeping up his end of the promise?
On TV, Sora released his Dream Eaters—Bumpis the Meow Wow, Mozzarella the Meowjesty, and a tubby pink Flowbermeow Riku had heard him call Mochi during the Contest. Around Sora, the hosts squealed and cooed in delight as Sora’s very well-behaved Dream Eaters stood around politely while they received pets and praise from the people around them.
“They’re so cute!”
“Tell me, as a Contest Master, do you have something like Champions where they’re not allowed to use their partners’ nicknames?”
“That’s a thing?” One of the hosts gasped, and the other host nodded.
“Yeah, according to interregional League regulations, Champions aren’t allowed to use their partners’ nicknames during active service.” She explained cheerfully, “Apparently the League decided that Champions were essentially walking billboards, so everything they did was closely monitored, including their partners.”
“Oh, is that why Champion Riku still calls his Dream Eaters by their species’ names?”
“Yeah! What I’d give to know what his Komory Bat is named… he’s had him since he was 15, right?”
“Yeah,” Sora laughed, “And for us Contest Masters, no, we don’t have that regulation. Everyone, meet Bumpis, Mozzarella, and Mochi.”
And it was back to cooing over the tubby trio of Dream Eaters, but Riku was far too distracted by the conversation they had.
A large portion of the region didn’t know his Komory Bat’s nickname, because Riku only ever became famous when he became Champion. That meant no one else had the time to learn Wingus’s name.
Riku blinked at the screen, and realised something.
He’d never told Sora Wingus’s nickname.
It took Sora and Riku over a week to plan their battle date out—not a date, Riku had said to his coworkers in the League, only to earn him mischievous smirks from his Elite Four—and to clear their schedules for the event. Riku knew that Sora rarely had days off, as a celebrity, and Riku felt awful for taking up his time—at least, probably until they actually battled in the Champion’s Hall. It wasn’t like the League was active right now, anyway—Kairi was still on her holiday, which meant any League challenger hopeful would just have to wait for her to come back.
His and Sora’s battle was an unofficial battle—Sora hadn’t earned a single Gym Badge, and he hadn’t gone through the Elite Four, after all, so there was nothing at stake—just two trainers, going at each other at full force.
Riku’s team consisted of five Dream Eaters. Sora, on the other hand, had only three, so Riku decided to give himself a handicap, enlisting only three of his Dream Eaters—Wingus, his Halbird, and an Aura Lion.
In the days leading up to the battle, Riku trained harder than he ever did before. He knew it was probably overkill, knowing Sora’s lack of a battling background, but at the same time, he knew that there was something about Sora that told him he could hold his own in battle. After all, his Dream Eaters were significantly bulkier than the ones Riku had—even his Halbird and Aura Lion had less bulk than Sora’s Meowjesty alone—and Sora’s Dream Eaters had a different kind of training. They were Contest Performers, meaning they would probably move differently to Dream Eaters accustomed to battle training.
That, and Riku needed a distraction from something niggling in the back of his mind—
Why did Sora’s name sound familiar? How did he know Wingus’s nickname? What did Sora mean by ‘last time’, had they met somewhere before?
Riku knew that his journey to become Champion was spent mostly alone. He battled people along routes, sure, and had people who fancied themselves his rival (though one-sidedly). The closest he ever had to an actual companion would be Kairi, who was a childhood friend from the same hometown. She managed to follow him into the League, taking over one of the Elite Four positions when she retired.
Other than that, though, Riku didn’t remember a Sora along his journey.
And he would remember Sora—he wouldn’t forget someone like Sora, who was so in tune with his Dream Eaters.
Would he?
“Hey, so, uh, I’ve got some bad news.”
Terra was the fourth member of the Elite Four, and one of Riku’s League coworkers. Right now, the tall man was standing sheepishly in the doorway of Riku’s office, trying to look small, and all it managed to do was lift Riku’s eyebrow suspiciously.
“What’s up?” He asked, getting up from his seat, and Terra sighed deeply.
“Someone leaked info about your and Sora’s battle to the press.”
“What?” Riku’s eyes widened, and Terra winced. “That—that was supposed to be private.”
“Yeah, well,” Terra made a helpless gesture, “People apparently saw you meet up with Sora that night of the Contest Spectacular, and started stalking the League offices. Some freak posted online that you and Sora are gonna have a battle here in a few days.”
“Damn it.” Riku hissed as Terra looked at him sympathetically. “We can’t reschedule, Sora’s schedule is packed.”
“Yeah, I figured you’d say that.” Terra sighed. “I don’t know what else to do, though. This was supposed to be a private battle, but… you know what the internet is like.”
“Don’t I.” Riku grumbled, running his hand down his face, and he stopped when he spotted Terra smiling at him. “Uh. Why are you smiling?”
“Sorry, I just…” Terra shook his head, chuckling softly. “It’s been a while since I saw you this passionate about a battle. I’m sorry it’s under pretty bad circumstances, but you normally wouldn’t fight this hard for a match.”
“I…” Riku blushed. “Really.”
“I mean,” Terra shrugged, “For what it’s worth, I’m glad you met Sora. It looks like he’s lit a fire in you that’s been gone for a while.”
Riku stared at Terra owlishly as Terra laughed self-consciously, looking away.
“A-anyway,” He said, scratching his cheek, “Mickey’s suggesting we might as well use this as a PR thing.”
“A… PR thing.”
“Yeah. The Dream Eater League and the Contest Association never really got along, so this might be a good olive branch, he said.” Terra explained, “But… that might mean you might have to do Contest performances in exchange. Dunno yet.”
“Yeah, no.” Riku deadpanned, making Terra laugh. “Do we really have to televise this?”
“I mean, if you’ve got problems, take it up to Mickey.” Terra shrugged. “You may wanna let Sora know about this, too.”
“Fine.” Riku sighed, “I’ll let him know.”
“Great.” Terra nodded. “I’m… gonna go now. Need anything?”
“Nah, not really,” Riku huffed. “See you later.”
Terra left his office, and Riku heaved a heavy sigh, looking down at his phone with a frown.
“Well, here goes nothing…” He mumbled, and sent Sora a text.
“Hello! I needed to bring my manager for this, sorry.”
“Uh, yeah.” Riku said faintly as he stared at the blond man standing next to Sora. “I mean… I don’t blame you.”
Did Roxas have a twin? He thought, panicked, as the man held his hand out for Riku to shake.
“I’m Ventus. Call me Ven.” The blond smiled as Riku shook his hand. “I’m Sora’s manager.”
“And big brother,” Sora chimed in, and Riku blinked at him. “Eldest of four.”
“Hey, hey, don’t make me sound like an old man.” Ventus laughed, shaking his head. “But yeah, I am. You’ve met our youngest, Roxas.”
Riku boggled at them. Roxas?
He really didn’t know a lot about his League coworkers, did he?
“Uh, sure.” Riku said intelligently as Ventus smiled at him indulgently. “Sorry, I… the schedule got leaked and we don’t know what else to do. Chairman Mickey has some suggestions, though…”
“Ah, Mickey.” Ventus sighed. “Always a step ahead, that guy.”
“You know him?” Riku blinked, and Ventus shrugged, but also nodded. “Huh.”
“C’mon, let’s talk to him.” Ventus said, and walked into Mickey’s office before Riku or Sora could protest. “Mickey!”
“Ven!” The man beamed as he got up from his seat accepting Ventus’s hug. “Oh, it’s been a while. It’s good to see you!”
“Great to see you too.” Ventus beamed. “So, what’s this about a leaked schedule?”
“Ugh, yeah,” Mickey sighed, “Unfortunately, Sora and Riku’s battle has been revealed to the public. I understand it’s supposed to be private?”
“Yep,” Ventus nodded, “Sora’s not a battler, after all.”
“Yeah, but unfortunately, people are looking forward to it.” Mickey shook his head. “As League Chairman, I have a suggestion to save this situation, though—if we take the leak in stride and publicise the battle, I feel like this will be good public relations for both the League and the Contest Association. It might encourage more trainers to join either, or both.”
“Well.” Ventus peered at Sora, hand to his chin. “I don’t speak on behalf of the Contest Association, and neither does Sora, but we both agree that it might be interesting, too.”
“Really?” Riku spluttered, and Sora looked at him, grinning slightly. “Y-you’re okay with it?”
“I mean, I’m used to the spotlight,” Sora shrugged, “And I see why people would be excited. After all, you’re the Champion—strongest trainer in the region, and I’m a Contest Master—strongest Contest performer in the region. Would be interesting, yeah?”
“I mean, when you put it that way…” Riku mumbled as Mickey lit up. Riku looked off to the side, trying to hide his frown as Mickey nodded.
“Well, I’m glad you agree!” He said cheerfully, “Shall we proceed with the battle, then? We’ll need to sort out licensing for advertising, too…”
“I can deal with that,” Ventus said cheerfully, waving his phone. “Let’s get it sorted out now, Mick. Sora, you and Riku can head out and leave this to us, yeah?”
“Sure.” Sora huffed, and Riku could only watch as Sora took him by his arm, pulling him out of Mickey’s office. Sora looked at him sympathetically as Riku finally caught up with the situation, walking alongside Sora comfortably as they made their way down to the League’s lobby.
“Wow.” Riku huffed, “I feel like I was just washed along by a storm.”
“Yeah, I could tell.” Sora chuckled, making Riku smile. “You’re not used to stuff like this, are you?”
“Not really,” Riku shrugged. “Being a Champion is really private. Battles occur between two trainers and a referee. I’ve never been filmed battling before.”
“Never been in front of a camera, huh.” Sora hummed. “Wanna practice?”
“Huh?” Riku blinked as Sora grinned at him, holding his phone up, wiggling it.
“Practice being in front of a camera. If we’re gonna publicise this battle, we might as well start talking about it on social media. Let’s get you used to the camera then!”
“I, uh,” Riku blushed. “I don’t really…”
“Leave it to me.” Sora laughed, elbowing him lightly. “One at a time, let’s do this!”
“You guys are so cute, you know that?” Aqua chuckled as she approached Riku, and the young man buried his face in his hands, dropping his head down on the table as she sat down next to him, her phone in her hand. “No, really! Sora looks like he’s been pulling you out of your comfort zone a lot, it’s really nice to see.”
“It’s for the battle, that’s all.” Riku grumbled, and Aqua smiled fondly at that. “What?”
“For the battle, huh. It’s nice to see you looking forward to it, for once.” She said, and Riku sighed, deflating next to her as she leaned on him with a happy sigh. “Whatever Sora is to you, Riku, it’s nothing but good. Keep him around, okay?”
“Yeah, I…” Riku shook his head. “Actually, there’s something that’s been bothering me.”
“Huh?” Aqua blinked as he sat up straight.
“Sora’s been dropping hints that we’ve known each other even before this.” Riku said, and her eyes widened. “He knows my Komory Bat’s nickname, for crying out loud. Even you don’t know that.”
“I don’t.” Aqua shook her head. “That’s interesting… I don’t think I’ve ever heard you mention him.”
“Yeah, I thought this was the first time we’ve met, but I guess not.” Riku frowned. “Which is why I need to battle him. I feel like if I saw the way he battled, I’d remember.”
“Leave it to you to make Dream Eater battles romantic.” Aqua snorted, rolling her eyes, and Riku looked at her witheringly. “Well, you’ve got time. What are you up to?”
“Probably train a little more.” Riku frowned. “I know it’s kinda overkill, but at the same time… I dunno.”
“Yeah, I get it.” Aqua smiled. “Want me to help you out?”
“Yeah.” Riku grinned a little, “Sure, why not?”
The day that Riku was going to battle Sora came far too quickly and far too slowly for Riku.
He found himself staring at his tired expression in the mirror, frowning deeply as Wingus cooed at him worriedly, cuddling his head from where it was perched on his shoulder.
“Wingus,” he said quietly, “This is it.”
The Komory Bat nodded.
“I wish you could tell me how you know Sora,” He sighed, shaking his head as he looked at the Dream Eater, and it looked back at him pleadingly. “That’s why you’re so affectionate, right? Here I thought it was the first time you met him, but apparently not.”
Wingus shook its head, and he sighed deeply.
“One way or another, I’m gonna figure it out.” He huffed, turning away from the mirror to get ready to leave. “C’mon, Wingus. Let’s do this for us.”
“Welcome one and all, to a very special treat brought to you by the Dream Eater League!”
Riku took a deep breath, standing where he always stood in the Champion’s Hall—right in front of the doorway to the Hall of Fame, waiting for a challenger to take him on.
“Today, we’ll get a rare glimpse into the Dream Eater League’s Champion’s Hall, a place where only very few trainers get a chance to see!”
Across from him, the challenger’s spot was still empty—Sora had yet to enter, but according to Aqua, he was already in the building.
“A match between two of the strongest trainers in the region—our very own Champion Riku has challenged our beloved Contest Master Sora! How very exciting!”
Riku could hear his heart thundering in his ears. Sora was coming.
“That’s right, it’s very exciting! As we all know, the skill sets for trainers in these two categories of professional Dream Eater training are very different, so we’ll be able to see a battle like never before. Oh, I wonder what’s gonna happen?”
The door across from Riku opened, and Riku took a sharp breath, his eyes shooting up from where he was staring at a pebble in the middle of the battlefield to look at the door.
“Oh, and there he is now! Sora is entering the Champion’s Hall!”
Sora slowly appeared from behind the door, dressed in his Contest Spectacular costume, and he strode forward, coming to a stop across from Riku with a little grin on his face.
Riku couldn’t help but grin back.
This is it.
“This is it!”
He straightened up, looking at Sora determinedly as he steeled himself.
“Contest Master Sora,” he said, and the crowd that had gathered and the floating drone came to a stop to listen. “Welcome to the Champion’s Hall.”
He’s said that thousands of times before, welcoming trainers that made it past the Elite Four, but only now did it make nerves thrum with anticipation under his skin.
“Great to be here,” Sora said, because of course he wouldn’t know the usual response trainers should give, but somehow, that just made Riku even more excited for what was about to happen next. “So, uh, how are we supposed to do this? I think I’m supposed to challenge you, but you’re the one who…”
“Sora,” Riku couldn’t help but laugh, and Sora grinned at him. “Just… just be yourself.”
Sora’s grin widened at him, and he nodded as Riku held his heart.
“Contest Master Sora, I challenge you to a Dream Eater battle!” He called, releasing Wingus from his heart, and Sora lit up as the Komory Bat flew into the air, squeaking triumphantly. The crowd cheered at the sight of it, and Sora nodded, releasing his own Dream Eater into the field.
“I accept!” He called back as Bumpis landed with an adorable boing on the ground, to raucous applause from the crowd too.
“Let’s go—use Supersonics!” Riku ordered, and Wingus reared up as Sora nodded.
“Bumpis, Vanish!” Sora shot back, and Riku couldn’t help but grin as Bumpis disappeared from view. “Now, Horn Bounce!”
Wingus stopped in the middle of its attack as it looked around for Bumpis, holding back as it listened out for the Meow Wow’s springy boinging bounces, and Riku nodded.
“Above you, now!” he called, and the two Dream Eater’s attacks clashed, throwing Wingus into the air as Bumpis audibly bounced back onto the ground, but it was still invisible.
“Ballonra!” Sora called, and Riku looked up at Wingus.
“Guard!” He called, and the Komory Bat nodded, shooting up higher into the air before it covered itself with its wings, shielding itself from the Balloonra, and Riku lit up when Wingus suddenly shone bright. “Use it! Dark Mist!”
Sora jolted, his eyes shooting up to Wingus as it released clouds of darkness around itself, staining Bumpis’s invisibility with shadows that marked its location.
“Oh!” He gasped as he looked at Riku, who grinned at him. “Well, what d'you know?”
“Let’s go, Vampire Strike!”
“Horn Dive!”
Suddenly an explosion shook the Champion’s Hall, and Riku jolted, calling Wingus back to himself immediately as smoke filled the room.
“What the—” He began, but he jumped when he felt a hand grab his wrist. Riku turned to see Sora holding his wrist, looking at him intently. “Sora! Are you—are you alright?”
“Yeah, I—” Sora cut himself off, his eyes widening. “Behind you!”
Riku immediately dove to the side, pulling Sora with him as they narrowly dodged a Woeflower charging at them. Riku looked at Sora in bewilderment as the brunet shook his head.
“Not now…” He said quietly, and Riku cocked his head at him.
“What now?”
“I—” Sora began, but Riku spotted a shadow moving behind him in the smoke, and he quickly pulled Sora aside, shielding him from what was coming at them—
And immediately, his world went black.