With Kayneth and Lancer no longer fighting, Waver, Rider, Saori, and Rika also stopped their fighting.

"Well, guys, I think we got 'em!" Rika cried proudly, hands on her hips, smiling confidently at her opponents.

Saori looked a little more nervous about potentially egging on their opponents, but even she couldn't stop cautiously optimistic smile.

Waver, meanwhile, wasn't even trying to hide his smirk.

"Got 'em?" Kayneth echoed, voice choked and smothered with rage. Rika couldn't help but snicker at hearing an angry, middle-aged man say, "got 'em", but that only incited Kayneth to more anger. How he hadn't popped a blood vessel yet was beyond anyone else.

"How?! HOW?!" His head whipped back and forth between the quartet. "And who even are—?!"

"Hype Detective, and my trusty "partner in crime", Watson!" Rika said quickly, throwing an arm around Saori's shoulders. There was no way in heck she was giving him their real names! "We're friends of these guys here, and we heard you were stirring up trouble!"

"Hype Detective?" For a second time, Kayneth echoed Rika, and for a second time, she snickered. This time, so did Saori. Ok, she had to admit, as scary as Kayneth was, it was kind of hilarious hearing him say "Hype Detective".

"How—?"

"Like any good magician, a good detective never reveals her tricks," Rika interrupted, waggling her finger. In her head, though, the answer was obvious. I just observed. You weren't very subtle or sneaky. Maybe YOU never went to that little corner store, but people that were obviously too high-brow for such a low establishment kept coming and going there all week! Who else except a Master would've put them up to it?

And because Rika was neither Rider nor Waver, she had the luxury of being able to observe them closely without being noticed. I also saw how little you cared about the people you worked with. That was your own undoing. It wasn't just the cliché "power of friendship". If nothing else, that night should've proven just how important strong bonds between comrades really were.

The way Kayneth saw his relationships with others, it was all only ever for an ulterior motive. Even his own Servant he saw as little more than a puppet, a weapon. Technically, that was a valid way to approach the Grail War, but so much was lost when a Master took such a shallow, narrow approach to his bond with his Servant. What made Rider and Waver truly powerful was that they didn't have such a simplistic relationship.

Sure, that meant there was more disagreement, but it also meant there were more ideas. Kayneth liked to be the brains of the operation, so if anything went wrong, or if there was ever a problem he couldn't solve, that was it. There was no one else to help him figure it out. But with Waver and Rider, if one of them couldn't figure it out, then the other always had something to offer in return.

And that applies to us as well, Rika thought. Because Rider and Waver treated her and Saori with more respect than Kayneth showed his hired help, they were able to add two more perspectives to their team. Kayneth, meanwhile, only had one, barely two. Lancer was not stupid, but Kayneth did not permit him to think or defy, and so, a lot of his intelligence was left to the wayside. Because Kayneth so devalued faith, trust, and teamwork, he missed out on what could've been his greatest asset.

And it's ironic that he would act so disgusted with Waver seeking outside help. Didn't he do exact the same thing? But hey, it worked in OUR favor!

No one else said a word, but from the look on Rider's face, his mind was running the same track as Rika's. She was the leader of a band, and he the leader of a kingdom. Maybe from the outside, there wasn't much in common, but on the inside… Both of them understood the importance not just of teamwork, but of truly seeing and valuing every member of the team for their unique, individual skill. Whether Rider was leading an army into battle, or Rika leading her unit into a concert, they both knew never to overlook the talents of each person. Could Kayneth say the same?

Even now, that was the true reason why Kayneth had no hope of winning the battle. He and Lancer did not share the same synchronization that Waver and Rider, and Rika and Saori, did. Without that unity, Lancer and Kayneth would never truly be on the same page. It was evident from the look on Lancer's face that he was itching to continue the battle, but Kayneth was far more cowardly now that his precious invention was no more. They could not enter the battle together if Kayneth was holding back, and Lancer could not win without his Master's support. This realization only made Kayneth even more reluctant to try picking another fight, and it became a vicious cycle.

"I think we're done here," Rider said at last, arms crossed and eyes cold, but there was a moment of compassion when he looked at Lancer. I am sorry your Master is unwilling to continue this fight. I hope we meet again someday that we might finish our battle as equals…

Lancer was a good man, an honorable and noble warrior. If there was anyone who deserved better, it was him. But of course, Rider could not say that, knowing that Lancer would never allow anyone to speak ill of his Master, no matter how poorly they got along. So, wishing to respect that, Rider only dipped his head and gestured again for Rika to take the reins.

"Heck yes!" Rika jumped into the chariot excitedly while Waver and Saori gave Rider jealous and confused looks respectively. He only gestured for them to get in the chariot as well while he brought up the rear. Then it was made clear why Rika was driving again. Lancer may have been a worthy opponent, but Kayneth was not. No doubt, he would've liked to attack them as soon as their backs were turned. Or he would command Lancer to. In order to prevent that, Rider decided to just never give them the opportunity.

While Rika, Saori, and Waver faced forward, Rider entered the chariot, but stayed facing Kayneth and Lancer, arms still crossed and eyes still cold. It was another contrast between the two Servants and Masters. Rider was willing to protect his comrades until the very end, and beyond. Kayneth wouldn't even protect his during a struggle. He could only stand there in defeat as the chariot was sent skyward once more.

"That. Was. AWESOME!" Rika cried as soon as they were out of earshot of Kayneth.

Rider finally turned around as well, beaming. "Well done, everyone! I'm so proud of all of you!" He picked them up in his arms for a group hug. He was using both, but he was large and strong enough that he could've easily picked up all of them in one arm and still had plenty of room to spare.

"Ooof!" Both Saori and Waver had the wind knocked out of them, but Rika laughed and hugged Rider back as best she could.

"Rika! Watch out!" Saori complained. They were fast approaching Fuyuki, and the last thing she wanted was for Rika to crash the chariot into a building, or something like that, just because she was trying to give Rider a one-armed hug. But Rika only shook her head and smiled cheerfully.

"It's like we said before, Saori, trust and teamwork are the names of the game tonight! And that includes them!" She pointed to the bulls pulling the chariot. It was not as if they could speak, but they were still living, breathing beings, and they could understand basic commands. When Rika and Rider talked about the importance of acknowledging every unique talent brought to the table, that included the bulls.

"That's another reason I was so confident in flying even though I've never done it before!" she cried as Rider finally set them all back down again. "I honestly was really only steering. They were the ones truly leading the way." She flashed an appreciative smile at the bulls while Saori and Waver only shook their heads in awe. Once again, the Hype Detective had truly surprised them. It seemed they still had a lot left to learn from her.

But she would say that it was just her being herself. She was the Hype Detective not because she had any special training, or skill in investigation, she was just naturally good at reading, understanding, and thinking like other people. As she said about Saori, it hadn't taken her long to sense a good partner in her. Rika empathetic, and good at putting herself in other people's shoes.

"And actually, speaking of natural talent…" She cast a twinkling eye over her shoulder at Waver. "Screw what Kayneth says about you! You just keep being your beautiful, wonderful, natural self! After all, it wasn't Waver the Student that helped us complete tonight's mission. It was Waver Velvet! Clever, bitter, a mage, and a man!"

Waver glared at Rika, unable to tell how much of her statement was a compliment, and how much was an insult. But one warm and playful smile from Saori calmed him back down. Of course, Rika meant well, she just wasn't the best at wording it…

"I've had crappy teachers in the past, too," she continued. "Oh, don't get me wrong, none of them were anywhere near as bad as Kayneth, but one I vividly remember constantly told me I was just… too much."

Waver smirked, but he held his tongue. Gee, I wonder why…

"And I mean, I get that," Rika admitted with a sigh. Her sudden seriousness caught him off guard and his smirk faded. "I know I can be a handful, but… that's just who I am! I mean, I tried to be accommodating, but… that teacher… really wanted me to just… stop. To make myself smaller, quieter, more subdued, and for a time, I believed it! I tried! I tried to make myself fit in and be everything they wanted me to be, but… in the end…"

The way she saw it, it was just her vitality, her spark for and of life! How could anybody tell her to tone that down, especially in a world as weary as theirs? Positive vibes and strong energy were so rare these days, and Rika couldn't help but feel like her teacher was just intimidated by her. She was too much, so it was easier to ask her to dumb herself down than to help her truly grow and shine. Luckily for her, she overcame that self-doubt and fear. Now her new motto was that life was too short not to enjoy!

"YOLO, you know?" she asked Waver. "And I mean that literally! This life, this Me, is the only one I'm ever gonna have, the only one I'm ever gonna be, so why shouldn't I embrace that to the fullest? Why don't I deserve that?"

They were all rhetorical questions, but they were designed to make Waver think, and think he did.

Why? Why DOES Kayneth hate me so much? On a surface level, he knew the answer. They could not agree on how much lineage mattered in defining the worth of a person. But even deeper than that, the fact that Kayneth couldn't comprehend worth without pedigree was exactly what truly set him and Waver apart. They were both mages, but Waver didn't care a whit about bloodlines.

And why? Why was that something to be ashamed of? When it was Waver's ability to work with others against Kayneth's stubborn refusal to, who between them had really come out on top? They were both fiercely independent, and for Kayneth, he liked to do everything himself because he liked to be in control. He liked to look as if he had everything all figured out! But Waver was willing to work with others when push came to shove. That difference didn't just define them as people, but it was exactly why Waver triumphed where Kayneth failed.

"Oh, but we should totally celebrate now! Who's up for some karaoke?!" Rika cried excitedly. "I feel kinda like Santa doing this, so we can totally sing Holy Worry! And, oh, we should totally stop at one of the bars, too! I'm sure I can find parking far enough away!" She steered the bulls over Fuyuki, peering down, scanning the nighttime city skyline.

"Aaaand she's off again," Saori sighed and slapped her forehead, but this time, Waver didn't even need to look at her to know that she was smiling.

Classic Rika, able to provide the most genuine, heartfelt conversations one second… And then immediately switch back to party mode the next.

"I'm not even old enough to get into bars!" Waver complained, but like Saori, despite his negative tone, he couldn't stop a small smile either. These girls were crazy, that was for sure, but… he had to admit… he was… grateful for them, and for all that they'd done for him that night. It wasn't just helping him out with Kayneth either, but everything else as well.

Waver smirked to himself. It seemed like the big oaf was right after all. Rika and Saori were good influences on him. And, for the first time in forever, he felt as though he was among kindred spirits, and heroic spirits, and even more importantly, he finally felt like one too.

AN: Written for my Waver/Saori: Penguin611!