With both arms raised and both feet grounded, Amanda looked for an opening from the two opponents. In her stance, she waited, prepared to dodge an attack to find a weakness between the two.

  The blonde smirked. “Just make this easier for all of us and concede will ya? You can’t win this.”

  With a deep breath, Amanda said, “Just shut up and fight.”

  “Tsk. Suit yourself.” Not wanting to talk any longer, the blonde recklessly swung the pickaxe at Amanda with great malice. The swing itself was nothing special, if anything it was below average as the girl had swung with all her might, practically bringing her body with the pickaxe. Amanda easily sidestepped the attack and gave the girl a slight push to help her fall, resulting in the girl falling face-first on the concrete floor. Blood dripped from her nose as she groaned in pain.

  Seeing their assault had begun, the brunette charged at Amanda, the edge of the hoe over her head ready to be swung down.

  Amanda, already eyeing her up, charged forward, catching the girl off-guard. Slamming into her with full force, knocking her down. But not before the hoe slammed into her right leg.

  ‘Shit’ Looking down, the hoe had hit her knee, with swelling forming and blood running down her leg.

  But she couldn’t waste time.

  ‘Move, Amanda!’

  Taking this opportunity, Amanda, ignoring the pain, made a running start and kicked the girl in the face, spit and a tooth flying everywhere, forcing her to release the hoe.

  Picking up her new weapon, she turned to face the blonde who had recovered and balanced herself, holding the pickaxe firmer to avoid the same mistake. Visibly enraged, she charged Amanda, this time the pickaxe’s swing was more stable, but was blocked by Amanda by the handle, the hoe upside down and the tip set behind her.

  In one swift act, she brought the dull head of the hoe upwards, slamming the jaw of her opponent. With that, her opponent fell limp, blood leaking from her mouth and a few teeth falling out, dropping her pickaxe.

  With labored breaths, Amanda used the hoe to support herself, exhausted from what she just did. Normally she wouldn’t be tired from just this, but the journey beforehand had left her bruised and tired.

  ‘Alright, that should do it…’

  No.

  She remembered she had one person left.

  She glared at Leilah, the traitor, her body still resting on the hoe. With little to no strength left, she lifted her head and dragged the hoe as she limped towards the leech of a groupmate.

  “D-Don’t come any closer!” screamed Leilah.

  Trembling, her legs gave out, falling on her ass. She tried crawling away, but it was no use as Amanda approached ever closer, the metal scraping along the concrete floor.

  “Please!”

  Then a voice cut in.

  “Um, I hate to interrupt this…”

  It was the Lieutenant.

  “What?!” demanded Amanda.

  “Technically, she is still your groupmate. You sure you wanna get rid of her now?”

  Pausing, she saw the truth in his words. What if the next trial absolutely needed the groupmate?

  “Shit!” Throwing the hoe down in frustration, it scraped against the concrete, making an unpleasant sound.

  Sighing, she looked to the Lieutenant, “So, why aren’t you calling the end?”

  Wearing a blank expression, the Lieutenant tilted his head. “Well, the opponent hasn't conceded yet, have they?”

  “Oh ri-”

  Leilah suddenly got up and screamed. Charing towards Amanda. Caught off guard, she was pushed back, knocking into something behind.

  Feeling a sudden pain in her waist, she looked down to see the end of the pickaxe, lodged into her shoulder.

  ‘Shit!’

  Grunting, she swung at the assailant, backhanding her opponent on the cheek, causing her to stumble back and release the pickaxe. With the newly created distance, she scanned the surroundings.

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  The blonde was awake again, with the other rising up, groaning in pain. All the advantages she had created were gone with that one move. All she could blame was herself for this folly.

  Behind her, Leilah picked up the hoe in preparation.

  ‘Let’s go then.’

  Amanda took a step forward, or at least, she was supposed to, but her foot refused to move as if an invisible force was keeping it down.

  The brunette, still on the ground, groaned, “I can’t hold her for long, get her now!”

  ‘Shit, a Smogborn? A telekinetic from the looks of it’

  Realizing she couldn’t move her feet, Amanda raised her arms to block, but it was pointless as the hoe slammed into the back of her head.

  Falling down, she blacked out for a second, but that was enough for all the girls to restrain her to the ground, Leilah holding an arm and the brunette holding her good leg. The blonde observed the struggle, pickaxe in hand. Breathing heavily, she demanded, “Concede. It’s not worth your life…”

  But Amanda didn’t hear it. Instead, she was looking at a dandelion growing in the cracks of the concrete floor. Just looking at it dulled the pain, as if it were merely a dream. All she could think of was Chris’s wishes to create a flower garden just for her.

  He’d constantly drill it into her head that she’d get headaches just hearing it. But that didn’t matter, all that mattered was that it was his desire to make her happy that made her smile at such a thought.

  Faced with imminent death, all she could do was reach out to seek comfort in the flower that had survived despite all odds. The golden dandelion that reminded her of the great barrier Chris had made before his demise.

  With her vision fading, with the last bit of strength she had in her. She caressed the dandelion as if it were her lover’s face.

  “Pluck a petal.”

  ‘?’

  A voice was carried in a breeze, quiet, but heard.

  “Pluck a petal, now!”

  A mysterious voice sounded in the quiet world Amanda immersed herself in. But without the strength to argue, she did as it said and plucked a petal before her vision faded.

  As the fight seemingly concluded, the Lieutenant continued to make small critiques on the girls, specifically

  “Um, Lieutenant, she’s gone.” Pointed at the girl equipped with the pickaxe.

  “So she is, and it seems Leilah has conceded as well. As per the rules we wi-”

  Cutting the Lieutenant off, a tremor shook the arena. Alert, the Lieutenant took a stance, a hand over his katana to confront whatever danger was causing this disturbance. Looking down, he saw as a dandelion began to shine in a golden hue, seemingly growing larger. No, it was growing larger!

  Backing away, the Lieutenant watched as the flower grew to the size of an adult human. Its roots cracked through the floor, cradling Amanda’s unconscious body.

  He couldn’t help but smile. All he could think was:

  ‘Beautiful’

  Protecting its new master, the dandelion began to pollinate. A vibrant orange mist began to spread from the flower, filling the stage.

  The Lieutenant jumped out of its range, cautious of its effect. Luckily, he didn’t need to check its effects himself as the girls began to fall into a deep sleep, collapsing onto the floor with deep, calm breaths.

  ‘A Refraction with a 10 foot radius with pollen inducing a sleeping effect. Interesting…but not too-’

  Cutting his thoughts, he widened his eyes as he looked closer at Amanda, whose wounds began closing. The gaping hole in her shoulder vanished without a trace. Even the blood from her legs dissipated, seeping back into the cut before closing itself.

  Chuckling in surprise, the Lieutenant took his cap off and carefully approached the dandelion, stopping just outside the pollen’s range. He deemed this Refraction was too much to pass on.

  “I’m not too sure if you understand, flower. But the fight is over, your master has won. Please, rest and let us take care of her now.” the Lieutenant said softly, not wanting to provoke it.

  “I promise, on my name, Teddy Eicholtz, that no harm will come to her anymore. She’s done more than enough.”

  The dandelion, seemingly looking at the Lieutenant with a tilt, gently put Amanda on the ground, a root supporting her head.

  With what seemed like a nod, the flower slowly returned to its original form as a tiny dandelion, a miniscule part of nature in a miniscule world.

  The guards moved to retrieve Amanda, but were halted with a hand as the Lieutenant approached. “I’ll bring her to the Medbay for further inspection. You take those three sleepers to the reprocessing facility.”

  Saluting, the guards dragged the three away.

  The Lieutenant took a knee and picked Amanda up and slung her over his shoulder, her head facing his back.

  He turned to face the rest of the group and announced, “The first trial is over! Congratulations, you winners. What a great finale, right? Not one, but two Smogborn were in this fight! Maybe you lot still have more surprises?”

  Scanning the crowd, he looked to Leo and Anthony with a smile, remembering she had come with them. Then he turned to a black section of the wall and gave a small bow.

  “Before anything else, for those watching this trial. I, Teddy Eicholtz, will vouch for this woman in my arms.”

  Looking to where the Lieutenant bowed, all Leo saw was the wall. Who was he talking to? People were watching this?

  He whispered to Anthony, “It looks like we’re gonna be busy with that audience…Let’s see Amanda if we can later.”

  Anthony merely nodded with an oddly conflicted look, his tensed muscles relaxing seeing Amanda safe.

  Rising from the bow, the Lieutenant continued, “It’s been a long day, you all deserve a day’s rest. Follow the guards instructions and you will be led to your living quarters for now. Again, very well done!”

  With another quick bow, the Lieutenant departed to the side opposite of the reprocessing facility, to bring Amanda to the healing bay.

  All the attendants could do was stare, watching as the other dandelions living in the cracks and crevices of the destroyed floor, bloomed with petals flying in the chamber as if waving goodbye to their departing new friend.