Neku knew that this week could very much be his last week in a mortal body. He wasn't so naive as to think that he had an advantage over Apollo. Not at this stage anyway. Yet the teen grit his teeth and dug his heels in, determined to at least give it everything he could give. He was going to win. Because if he didn't, his friend would suffer a fate worse than death.

Even as he gathered his strength and readied his pins, the Proxy kept an eye out for trouble. Therefore, when a hand gently rested on his shoulder, he didn't flinch or pull away because he knew instantly who it was, and smiled.

"I'm ok, Mister H."

The Barista sat down on the bench above the crouching teen, looking at his line-up with a hand on his chin. He smiled and rubbed Neku's back encouragingly, "Nice lineup you got there, kiddo. Some of J's favorites in there, too, I see."

"Yeah. Figured he'd like the irony. His pins kicking Apollo's ass."

"No doubt he would. Listen...about J, Phones...well, just...try to put him out of your mind during the Battle, ok? Apollo will use him to distract you. If he succeeds it will be fatal, so be careful."

Neku nodded "I figured. I'll watch it out there, count on it. To be honest though, that isn't what's bothering me."

"Oh?"

"Mister H...I'm playing alive, but he's a Higher Being. You know he'll go all out, and pins or no pins, I'm outmatched power wise. I'm not an idiot...I know my chances are slim to none in his favor." Neku sighed "At this point, I'll be lucky if I win by a technicality. I can't compete with his level of power. Don't get me wrong, I'm still going to try my hardest to wipe his ass out...but our power gap is just too big."

Sanae sighed and leaned back in his seat. "You know, I thought the same thing when J fought Apollo as GM. The guy had snapped his right leg five times and had knocked his partner unconscious. I thought it was all over. No way J could beat the GM alone and on one leg. It was impossible. But Josh? Josh didn't give a rat's ass about the pain he was in or the fact that he was alone against a monster bigger than the Cafe. He had a goal, and come hell or high water, he was going to achieve it. I watched as Josh, on one leg and hurting like hell, brought down ranged pins on the GM. Attack after attack after attack rained down on that pompous bastard. He gave no quarter, took no breaths, didn't even give Apollo a damn chance to get close! J didn't let up until Apollo had no choice but to scream at him to stop. Outmatched but not undone, Phones. Remember that, and you should do alright."

The Producer pat the Proxy on the shoulder twice, smiling his encouragement before clapping loudly once, making Neku look up at him.

"As for the power difference, well, I can force him to use only a quarter of his true abilities, but I'm afraid that won't help you much in the long run. He wants this fight to end quickly, and he's not going to give you much of a quick start, if any start at all."

Neku frowned "What aren't you telling me, Mister H."

Hanekoma sighed "Kiddo...You're entering the Final Level. The Game rules don't apply. Apollo can use physical and tactile psychs again, once the battle starts. You know what thast means."

Neku nodded slowly, "Yeah. I do. If I'm not careful, I could end up just as bad if not worse than Josh...right?"

"Bingo. But as long as you keep your distance, everything should be fine." Hanekoma reassured the teen, throwing him a grin. "Now, speaking of Josh...you'll be encouraged to know that on top of being connected to the Music again and having his wings restored, he's making steady progress mentally as well. Little Skulls even swore she saw his eyelids move."

"I sense a 'but'."

"Well, the 'but' I suppose, would be that despite all the healing he's doing mentally, his body is still being torn to shreds by whatever was racking his system before Apollo got his hooks into him. In addition to that, there's the injuries he sustained while 'training'. I'm sure ligaments, bones, and muscle have all been damaged by the tactile psychs that were used on him. These physical wounds wouldn't be such a big deal if the HP would just restore his healing abilities."

Neku cocked his head "Couldn't you heal him?"

"I've tried. They negate most of my healing as well. Part of the punishment I suppose." Hanekoma sounded bitter, and shook his head "He's on his own until They decide to restore him. Meanwhile, he's stuck in an RG body that could shut down any day because they won't give him just a little help!"

Neku nodded "Well, no point in raging now. They obviously want him to suffer, and that's exactly what he's doing. All we can be grateful for at this point is that they clearly stated that this wasn't an execution. They won't let him be erased."

"I suppose." Sanae sighed, "Meanwhile, you prepare, Phones. Prepare hard...because this fight will test your very soul."

The Proxy nodded, then put a hand on his chin in thought, an idea forming in his mind.

"Hey...Mister H… you think you can teach me how to use tactile psychs?"

The Producer narrowed his eyes, his hair standing on end as a storm brewed in his hidden eyes. When he next spoke, his voice was as close to a guttural growl as possible, his fists clenching dangerously.

"When I said prepare, that is the furthest from the meaning as you could get, Phones."

"Sooo...is that a 'no' you can't, or a 'no' you won't? It's not forbidden is it?" Neku asked, choosing his tone very carefully.

"It's a 'why the hell would you ask that of me?' type 'no.' Phones. No, it's not forbidden. But why the hell do you need to know tactile psychs for? I thought we agreed your best course of action would be to keep your distance."

"Well, yeah. But I was thinking that he might not be totally down for that. If he moves in close and I can't counter...it's over. At least if I knew some Tactile Psychs, I could defend myself, you know?"

Sanae nodded slowly "That's logical I suppose. It would even the playing field as well." He sighed heavily "It's a hard ask, Phones. It's not that I don't trust that you won't abuse the knowledge, it's that...well tactile psychs are HP exclusive for a reason. They aren't forbidden, but only we know how to employ them without stress on our own psyche. I could teach you the techniques, but if you strain your soul while using them, it'll hinder more than help."

Neku's eyes narrowed "If we don't do this...it won't matter if my soul is drained or not."

Sanae sighed deeply, giving up to the teen's fierce determination.

"Very well put. Alright...let's do this."