Author's note: Hey guys, Hope you guys enjoy this chapter! I'm not sure when the next chapter will come out because of how busy I am...but I'll put it out ASAP!

Thanks for your understanding!

Chapter 41: A destined fight

"What do you MEAN we should go our separate ways again?!" Lucia screamed at the top of her lungs at Beatrice who stood in front of her. They stood among the crowd of people who were taking their leave upon seeing Lucian's revival.

"Well-" Beatrice chimed.

"We do everything together now!" Lucia interrupted, "we can literally do anything together!" Anastasia hurriedly approached Lucia from behind and joined her side. "We've beaten Gym leaders together; we've beaten a literal GOD-" Lucia spun her head to Anastasia. "Did I mention we beat a God?!"

"Yeah, you did," Anastasia said.

Lucia spun back to Beatrice.

"See!?" Lucia roared.

"Let me explai-"

"Do you have any idea-" Lucia interrupted Beatrice again, "How stupid you sound right now?!"

"Let-"

"I can't even think of a reason why you'd even want to-"

"LET ME EXPLAIN, YOU IDIOT!" Beatrice roared. Lucia's eyebrows rose- then she shot a glare.

"Why're you calling me an idiot when you're the idiot here!?" Lucia shouted.

"How dare you call me an idiot!?" Beatrice roared. "How rude can you be!? First you interrupt me, then you insult me!?"

"You're the one saying stupid things!"

"I'M the one saying stupid things!? Are you even listening to yourself!?"

"Are YOU?!"

Anastasia stared at Lucia like she was lovestruck. "She's so cute when she's angry…" She muttered.

Zennon and Marie approached the bickering girls as Anastasia sighed a happy sigh while watching Lucia. Marie placed a hand on her head and shook it.

"Some things just never change." The blonde moaned.

"They're best friends, yet they bicker like an old couple," Zennon groaned.

"Yeah..." Marie moaned. "Though, we're probably going to fight just as much when we grow old together."

"Yeah…" Zennon replied.

Zennon's eyes widened in realization of what Marie just said.

"WHAT?!" Zennon cried.

"What?" Marie said, raising her eyebrows. "I love you."

Zennon's entire face became red.

"Y-Y-YOU DIDN'T TELL ME THIS BEFORE!"

Anastasia blinked and shook out of her gaze on Lucia upon hearing Zennon's cries. Her eyes widened with curiosity as she turned and walked toward Zennon and Marie.

"You DO realize that I didn't HEAR you say that, right!?" Zennon cried.

"I thought you did! You reacted to it!" Marie shouted.

"Hypnosis can- there's science to explain that reaction! Just let me explain, and It'll make sense! I-" The blonde put both hands on her hips and moved her face close to Zennon, who backed up with a panicked face redder than a tomato. "Eh-!?" Zennon cried.

"Well, it doesn't matter if you didn't hear me." Marie said. "You still love me back, right?"

"I-I..!" Zennon gulped. "Y-Yes… Of-Of course I-.. I do."

The blonde smiled. "You're so cute."

Zennon turned his head away shyly and flinched once Marie kissed his cheek. The kissed man then lost balance and fell onto the ground, unconscious.

"Aaaand he's down for the count." Marie said. She shrugged and crouched down, immediately picking the man up bridal style.

"D'awww…" Anastasia said, finally approaching Marie. "I wish Lucia would kiss me and have me fall flat on my back like that. Or- OOOH! It could be the other way around! That'd be awesome!"

"Heh, well, I'm going to go say my goodbyes to Lucia and Beatrice before going home to take care of Zennon... Though once I explain that I want to live together with him, he's probably going to faint again… He'd probably be hungry by the time he wakes up, so I'd probably have to make food for him and have him eat it in bed- Oh jeez- wouldn't me serving him food make him faint a third time?"

"Wouldn't he faint a fourth time once he realizes he's at your house?" Anastasia asked.

"...Yeah, I think so," Marie said. "And then he'd faint again once I ask him if he's okay and check his head to see if he has a fever..."

"Marie- I think you're going to put Zennon in a 3-week coma," Anastasia said.

"W-Well...! it's going to be a bonding experience!" Marie said. "Eventually he'd have to stop fainting, right?"

"Heh," Anastasia chuckled. "I wouldn't mind if Lucia put me in a 3-week coma with a kiss alone- Wait. Why do I feel like I'm forgetting something...?"

"Well," Marie said, "While you remember what you're trying to remember, I'm going to go say goodbye to the girls." Marie left the thinking Anastasia behind as she went to Lucia and Beatrice, who were still bickering.

"You are LITERALLY going to be the END of me!" Beatrice roared.

"I'm surprised your stupidity isn't going to be the end of you!" Lucia shouted. "You dumb jer-"

"Hey girls?" Marie said.

"WHAT!?" Beatrice and Lucia shouted angrily at Marie at the same time. The blonde wasn't even fazed. She'd dealt with this once before with Lucian and Rebecca, and if she could deal with them, she could deal with these two.

"Zennon and I are going to get going." Marie said. "Say bye to your parents for me, okay, Lucia?"

Lucia blinked. "Oh- uh- okay." She said, "Bye, Marie!"

"Goodbye, Marie," the redhead said. "Take care," Marie turned and walked away while still holding Zennon in her arms.

"Wait- is she carrying Zennon?" Beatrice continued. "What even-"

"You should be worrying about how stupid you sounded when you said you wanted to go separate ways!" Lucia cried.

"Well, you aren't letting me explain!"

"That's because when you explain it'll make sense, and when it makes sense, I'm going to agree with you! And when I agree with you, you're going to leave, and when you leave, I'm going to be sad...!"

"Lucia…"

"We were supposed to fight the gym leaders together- we were supposed to do everything together!"

"If we're both wanting to become Champion," Beatrice said, "Eventually we'd have to fight each other for the chance to fight Lucian. You know this. If we stayed together, the battle would undoubtedly end in a tie."

Beatrice's hands fell onto Lucia's shoulders as the purple-haired girl began to tear up.

"You and I both have an equal chance of winning the championship. We'd both be happy, regardless of who wins or loses. As we are now, we're both equally matched. But- if we separate, create strategies and become stronger on our own, one of us would be able to surpass the other. The stronger one between us would then be able to fight against Lucian and become the champion. You'd want that too, right?"

"...But I don't want you to go." Lucia said.

"...Honestly, you're sounding more like a younger sibling of mine by the second." Beatrice smiled gently and hugged Lucia, and Lucia hugged her back.

"I don't want you to go..!" Lucia said, crying more.

"Stop crying," Beatrice said, patting her back. " Stop crying or you're going to make me cry, too…" The redhead was already tearing up by the time she finished speaking. The two girls started crying quietly together as they held each other. After a while, the girls finally pulled away. Lucia sighed and pouted as she looked down.

"Are you finished, my dumb little sister?" Beatrice asked.

"...You're the dumb sister," Lucia said.

Roxxane, who was watching from a distance, nodded and smiled to herself before turning around to leave.

"LUCIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Anastasia cried. Both Lucia and Beatrice turned their heads to Anastasia, who was glaring in rage. She pointed a finger at Lucia as she stomped her way over to the girls as they slowly pulled from their embrace. "LUCIA- YOU REMEMBER WHAT YOU DID TO ME!? YOU OWE ME A KISS!"

"Huh?" Lucia's eyes widened in shock. "OH!" Lucia cried.

"YOU REMEMBER WHAT YOU DID TO ME LAST TIME BEFORE GOING OFF TO FIGHT!?" Anastasia roared, stepping in front of Lucia. "YOU LEFT ME WITHOUT KISSING ME! WELL GUESS WHAT!?" Anastasia's hands fell onto Lucia's shoulders. "YOU'RE GOING TO KISS ME, AND THAT'S FINAL-...MMM-!?" Lucia had wordlessly closed her eyes and kissed Anastasia's lips without hesitation. "MMMMMMMM...!" Anastasia's muffled cries of surprise came out as her lips remained locked with Lucia's, and slowly, those muffled cries became silent. Anastasia slowly closed her eyes as well.

"Wow," Beatrice said, widening her eyes in surprise.

Lucia then pulled away, and Anastasia stared at her with red cheeks.

"So- uh…" Lucia said. "H-How was that-"

Anastasia's legs became like jelly as she fell to the ground unconscious. Beatrice started clapping lightly. "Good job," she said. "I really didn't think you had it in you."

"I don't," Lucia said, smiling. "In fact, I'm literally going to faint in a few seconds. Should be aaaany minute now."

Beatrice's eyes widened in shock. "What-"

"Oh- there go my legs-!" Lucia fell unconscious and fell to her knees before falling to the ground.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?" Beatrice roared.

"So…" Rebecca said, still hugging Lucian as they stood together, alone. The crowd that came to attend Lucian and Quinton's funeral had all left already.. "How does it feel, being alive again?" Rebecca asked.

"It feels good," Lucian said. "I get to defend my championship against the winner of the upcoming invoker-battle tournament. Lucia and Beatrice are definitely going to be the ones fighting each other in the finals…No matter who wins, I'll be happy to have the chance to face them. Just like how I'm happy to have my arms around you all over again."

"You're so sweet…" Rebecca said. "I love you, my cotton-candy teddy bear."

"I love you too, my adorable cookie crumb."