Author's Note: I think this is the first chapter I've written where all four of Devon's love interests get a little spotlight moment with her.

The first thing Leona noticed as he was pulled back to consciousness was that he was almost unbearably sore. Every muscle in his body was screaming at him even though he wasn't moving and his exhaustion was only amplified by the immense amount of magic he had used up. He was tempted to keep his eyes closed and try to sleep off the pain when his registered something warm against his cheek and forehead. He also noticed that something was wrapped around his shoulders, cradling him to something warm and soft. He slowly opened his eyes to figure out what was going on, only to be met with Devon's brown ones, her forehead pressed against his, her hand against his cheek, and her free arm holding him snug against her chest. His first instinct was to try to jerk away from her, but the pain in his body made that impossible. Devon pulled back just a bit so that their foreheads were no longer touching and moved her hand from his cheek to wrap around his torso. It was at this point that Leona noticed his tail was wrapped around her wrist and began subtly unwinding it, allowing it to fall back to the ground and rest against Devon's leg.

If Devon noticed what was going on with his tail, she didn't comment on it. Her eyes stayed locked with his and she smiled at him gently before whispering, "I'm glad you're back."

Leona didn't say anything in response; he wasn't entirely sure what to say. Instead, he opted to shift just slightly, and despite his body's protests, to move closer to her. He'd sooner have his teeth pulled with rusty pliers than admit it, but being held like this was… It was nice. Devon was soft, warm, and most importantly, not making any move to let go of him. He figured he could've done a lot worse for a pillow than her.

"Ah! You're finally awake!" Grim exclaimed, pulling Devon and Leona's attention away from each other. He scampered over to Devon and Leona as Ace, Deuce, Ruggie, and Jack followed. Riddle and Cater were nowhere to be seen and when Devon glanced around to look for them, she noticed that the sandstorm Leona had kicked up during his Overblot was gone, returning the Savanaclaw stadium to the way it was before. "We weren't sure what we were gonna do it you guys stayed passed out like that!" He focused his attention on Leona and frowned. "Now then, go ahead and confess that you were the one behind all the accidents!"

Leona gave Grim an irritated and confused look, still a little disoriented. "What're you on about, furball?"

"Do you not remember, Mr. Kingscholar?" asked Crowley as he stepped up behind the group, causing everyone to jump. None of them had heard him approach. "You went fell into Overblot and went on a rampage due to a combination of excessive blot accumulation and negative energy."

Leona blinked before looking up at Devon. "You were serious about the Overblot thing?"

Devon nodded. "'fraid so, my guy. I wouldn't joke about something that serious."

"Nevermind that, Dev! The Spelldrive tournament is about to start!" Grim reminded her. "If Leona doesn't confess, I can't play in the tournament!"

"Ugh," Leona groaned. "Say things that make sense."

"The headmaster promised Grim he'd be able to play in the Spelldrive tournament if we figured out who was behind the accidents," Devon explained.

"Are you kidding?!" Ruggie exclaimed. "You guys chased me down like a dog just so you could play in the interdorms?!"

"Excuse you! At least we weren't pushin' people down the stairs to improve our chances," Grim fired back.

Ruggie winced. "W-Well- I… I guess that's true…"

"Then it's safe to assume that the recent string of accidents around campus were all your dorms' doing?" Crowley asked Leona.

Leona sat up as straight as he could, though he still found himself leaning some of his weight against Devon. "Yeah. They were."

Crowley nodded. "I see. In that case, I have no choice but to disqualify Savanaclaw from this year's interdorm tournament. Any further punishment will be decided after I talk things over with the people you injured. Have I made myself clear?"

Leona closed his eyes and folded his arms. "…Crystal."

Ruggie and Jack both let out a breath, disappointed but resigned. Ruggie knew they were taking a big risk when they first sprung this plan. Now that they were caught, there was no way they were getting away with just a slap on the wrist. Hopefully, disqualification was all they got; they could easily be looking at expulsion for causing all those injuries, not to mention using magic on the general public to cause the stampede. For his part, Jack knew that while he wasn't directly involved in the plan and ended up helping to put a stop to it, the fact of the matter was that he'd been suspicious that something was amiss for a while, but didn't speak up until multiple people had already been injured. He was both ready and willing to accept whatever punishment the headmaster handed down.

"Please wait a moment, headmaster!" called a voice from the entrance to the field. Everyone turned to see Riddle and Cater making their way over, along with Trey, Jamil, and several other students.

"Mr. Rosehearts? And all of you are…," Crowley trailed off.

"This is everyone who was injured by the accidents Savanaclaw caused," Riddle explained.

"We'd like to make a request of you, headmaster," Trey said as he stepped forward. "Could you please refrain from disqualifying Savanaclaw and allow them to play in the tournament?"

"What's this now?" Crowley asked incredulously, looking equal parts shocked, relieved, and delighted. "Are you saying…you want me to let them off?"

"You guys…," Ruggie said softly.

"Don't mistake this request as a token of forgiveness," Jamil interject, glaring harshly at the Savanaclaw students. "We have no intention of letting any of you off the hook."

"If the Savanaclaw team is disqualified, how are we supposed to get our payback?" Trey asked rhetorically.

Ruggie blinked. "Wait, what?"

"Payback?!" Jack repeated.

"You know that using magic to settle personal disputes is prohibited on campus," Riddle reminded them.

"Spelldrive's a well-respected sport though, right?" Trey reasoned with a vengeful smirk. "It just happens to be a sport that encourages the players to make full use of their magic."

"Yeah. I don't think I'll be able to let it go if I don't get at least one hit on you guys," agreed the Heartslabyul student Devon and Grim had spoken to in the infirmary.

"We challenge you!" declared the Pomefiore student they'd interrogated as well. He took out a white glove from his pocket and threw it on the ground in front of Ruggie and Jack. "Pick up the glove!"

"Besides," Jamil began, eyeing the Savanaclaw players with a smirk. ", I'm not sure what happened here but Savanaclaw looks to be in worse shape than all of us combined."

"Now that we know who the culprit is, I think hashing things out on the playing field would be way more constructive than letting our grudge fester. Probably better for student morale, too," Trey reasoned.

"What was it you said before, Leona?" Cater asked with a dangerous smile. "I think it was something about being able to use as much magic as you want and it's all above board so long as it's in the name of the game."

Riddle sighed. "Normally, I would have their heads for sullying one of our proudest traditions with their personal grudges. But if this what Trey and the others want… I suppose I can turn a blind eye this one time."

Crowley nodded. "I understand how you all must be feeling. Even so, I have to wonder if the Savanaclaw students are even capable of playing in the state they're in. Mr. Kingscholar has only just regained consciousness, after all!" He turned his gaze toward Leona, who was still cradled against Devon's chest. "Be honest with me; can you even stand right now?"

The corners of Leona's lips quirked upward as he sat up, causing Devon to let go of him. "Heh… Hahahahaha! Oh please, don't underestimate me, Crowley!" He stood up without help, Devon following suit and dusting herself off as she tried to keep her legs from wobbling. "I could take on this pack of wounded herbivores in my sleep."

"Wow. Now that is audacious," Jamil commented, crossing his arms with an almost amused smile on his face.

"I got no intention of apologizin'," Leona said, his usual arrogant smirk back on his face. "If that's what you want, you'll have to force one outta me on the field."

"So? Will you grant our request, headmaster?" Trey asked.

"Dear me," Crowley replied with a sigh. "I suppose I'm the fool here for thinking you wanted to talk things out." He nodded. "Very well, then. Savanaclaw will play in the tournament as originally planned." He lowered his voice as he began muttering to himself, though Devon was still able to hear him. "And as headmaster, I very much appreciate that this will keep our little scandal under wraps seeing as the whole world is watching."

"Yep, just sweep it under the rug," Devon said, giving the headmaster a flat look as he whipped around to face her. "A-plus adulting, headmaster. A-plus."

Crowley cleared his throat loudly, clearly not anticipating anyone hearing him. "Well now, surely the spectators are tired of waiting for the players to present themselves. Let us make haste to the coliseum!"

"Yeah, yeah, fine. We're goin-" Leona stumbled a bit as he tried to step forward, his body still worn from his Overblot. "Ow… Dammit, that hurts…"

"Hey," Ruggie said as he stepped toward Leona with his eyes narrowed. "Just so you know, I haven't forgiven you or anything."

"Yeah? And?" came Leona's flippant reply.

"It's just… I can't really tell you why, but somethin' about that pathetic, hopeless look you had on your face before made my skin crawl," Ruggie said. "Your usual smug, sneerin' grin suits you much better." He smirked as an idea came to him. "Kinda like this." He narrowed his eyes in concentration and Leona immediately went rigid, his eyes widening as he realized what was happening. "C'mon, now! [Laugh With Me]!"

A flash of light erupted as Ruggie grinned at Leona. Slowly and despite Leona's best efforts to stop it, his mouth stretched into a similar grin, despite the anger and embarrassment in his every other part of his expression. "Owowow! Wah dah- Raffie!"

"Shishishi!" Ruggie laughed as he stretched out his arm. His amusement only grew as Leona was forced to move his the same way. "Awayz whated to traye dis ohn ya!"

"Stahp eh!" Leona shouted, helpless to do more than protest.

Devon couldn't help but laugh. "Ya know, I'm kind of surprised you're still able to use your Unique Magic after all that. Pretty impressive, Ruggiford." Ruggie's (and Leona's) grin widened and he winked at Devon in response, causing her to start laughing again when Leona was forced to do the same.

"You guys are bunch of idiots," Jack said as he stepped up next to Devon and crossed his arms. A small "Heh" escaped his lips as he smiled.

Devon let out a dramatic gasp at the sight. "Oh my goodness! Was that an actual smile?"

"Wha? No! I wasn't smiling or anything!" Jack denied, turning his eyes away from Devon's knowing smirk.

"No way, man. I saw you!" Devon pressed as she poked his arm. "You smiled! You're happy~!"

"Shut up, you weirdo," Jack said as he gently pushed her hand away. Despite his denials, he smiled at her again. "You guys really came through for us. I can give my all in the tournament now, thanks to you."

"We'll be rivals from this point forward," Riddle reminded Jack, though he was smiling as well. "I hope you aren't expecting us to pull any punches."

Jack's grin only grew wider. "I wouldn't want it any other way."

"Hey, hey, headmaster!" Grim said as he tugged on the wing-like tails of Crowley's coat. "We caught the culprits just like you asked! That means I get to play in the tournament, right?"

"Huh?" Crowley looked confused for a moment before his eyes widened in realization. "A-Aahhh… I suppose I did promise you that, didn't I?" He cleared his throat and looked away, refusing to make eye contact with the little monster. "That's most certainly impossible now, seeing as we've already announced the tournament roster." He tapped his chin in thought, now trying to avoid both Grim's glare and Devon's flat 'are you kidding me' look. "Quite the pickle, indeed. What should we do about this?"

"Wha-? So all that talk was just a lie to get us to do your job for you?!" Grim exclaimed. "You… You're nothin' but a rip-off artist!"

"Kick him in the shins, Grim!" Devon suggested.

"Oh, I'll do better than that! I'mma light his lyin' ass on fire!" Grim threatened, pulling in a breath to get ready to unleash his magic.

"N-Now hold on just a moment! Please pause your lighting of things on fire!" Crowley beseeched, holding up his hands in a placating gesture. "I'll come up with a solution. Don't you worry! Hmmmmmm…" He let out an exaggerated hum before snapping his fingers. "Ah! I've got it! How would you feel about playing in a special exhibition match? It would be like an opening act before the main event, so you'll definitely be able to show off."

Grim let out the breath he had pulled in. "Really?"

"But of course!" replied Crowley with a smile, relieved that Grim seemed to be taking the bait. He looked over at Devon, who still didn't look entirely convinced. "And since it won't be an official match, you can utilize your Wisp friends to compete if you'd like, hatchling."

Devon looked at her staff as it floated next to her courtesy of Zephyr's magic. "You guys good with that?" A series of colors danced inside the orb at the top of the staff along with a few excited pulses. "Seems like they like the idea." She paused as the orb began to glow pink; a sign Aloe was communicating with her from inside the staff. "So long as the Wisps don't have to physically show themselves, we're in." She caught Jack and Ruggie's confused looks. "Most of the Wisps aren't comfortable being outside the staff unless we're at Ramshackle. Zephyr's the exception."

"I'll be happy as long as I can show off!" Grim chirped, scampering around excitedly. "Just you watch, Dev! I'm gonna have scouts swarmin' me once the whole world gets a look at my slick moves!"

"Not to rain on your parade, but don't we need a team of seven players for a Spelldrive match, even if it's unofficial?" Devon pointed out.

Crowley nodded. "That's true. And we'll need a team for you to play against as well." He tapped his chin in thought. "Hmm… What to do? I suppose I could cobble together a team of staff members…"

"You really just pulled this plan outta your rear, huh?" Devon deadpanned.

An arm slid around Devon's shoulders and pulled her against someone's chest. She looked up to see Ace smiling down at her with Deuce standing nearby. "Hey, so, we heard everything."

"If you need extra players, we'd be happy to volunteer," Deuce offered eagerly.

"What are you doing? Both of you are Heartslabyul residents," Riddle said.

"Yeah, but neither of us made Heartslabyul's team for the interdorms this year and there's no rule that says we can't join another dorm's team in that case," Ace pointed out.

"Hahahaha! You know what? He's absolutely right," Trey agreed, amused. "I never thought about it before, but there's no rule against them playing for Team Ramshackle."

"Aww, that sounds like fun~!" Cater chirped. "I wanna join Dev-Dev's team too!"

"Cater, you actually are on Heartslabyul's interdorm team," Riddle reminded him.

Cater snapped his fingers. "Tch. Crud."

"Just cheering on our dormmates from the sidelines would be boring. I'll do whatever it takes to get out in front of those cameras!" Ace declared.

"I-I'm not like him!" Deuce stammered. "I honestly just want to help out my dear friends."

"Dude, I couldn't care less what your motivations are," Devon replied. "I'm just grateful y'all volunteered so I won't have to listen to Grim complain about not bein' able to play."

"You'll still need an opponent team, though," Jack reminded her. "Savanaclaw'd be glad to take you on if you're interested."

"You'll play us? For real?" Grim asked.

"Would you rather play against the teachers?" Jack countered.

"Huh. So you're actually a cool guy underneath all that 'I'm above all this' junk," Ace commented.

"D-Don't get the wrong idea, okay! I just don't want to owe you guys anything, is all!" Jack stammered, looking away from Devon and Ace's knowing smirks and facing his dorm members. "You guys are okay with playing them, right?"

"Uughh," Ruggie groaned. "We're all about to keel over but sure, what's one more game?" He shook his head. "You're a monster, Jack."

"Man, this is a pain," Leona complained. "Whatever. Just come at us with everything ya got, herbivores." He caught Devon's gaze and smirked. "A match is a match, even if it's unofficial. You'd better be prepared."

Crowley heaved a sigh. "Oh, Sevens me, that's a relief. I was preparing myself to face another three hour lecture from Professor Trein." He cleared his throat and refocused on Devon and Grim. "Now then, your team has four players. You'll need three more to play."

"Fgnya! You mean it's still not enough?!" Grim exclaimed. "And that's after people from a whole 'nother dorm joined up with us!" He crossed his arms, pouting. "Man, this bites! Why're there only two people in our dorm?!"

"Hang on a sec," Devon spoke up as a thought struck her. "Speaking of people who live in the dorm…"

"Hmm?" Grim looked over at Devon, staring at her for a moment before his eyes widened as he caught on to what she was thinking. "Ah! That's right! Anyone who lives in the dorm technically counts as a resident, right?"

"I mean, yeah, that's basically what it boils down to," Ace replied, curious about where his friends were going with this.

Grim smiled. "In that case, Ramshackle does have more residents than just us and the Wisps!"

"Time to call in the ghosts!" Devon agreed.

"Wait, what? You mean to tell me you plan on entering the ghosts as players?" Crowley asked.

"Why not? They told us they were great players back in the day and they helped us get a handle on the game before," Grim replied. "I'll go get 'em now!" He began running in circles. "Oooh, this is gonna be great! I'm gonna be on TV!"

"I guess anything goes if it's an unofficial match," Jack muttered as Grim ran off toward the mirror portal to the main campus. "But will the ghosts even be able to play properly?"

Ace shrugged. "Meh. I think it's fine." He gently poked Devon's side, smiling when she squirmed away. "New York's gonna be playing, after all, and she's got about as much magical power as a box of crayons if her blessing isn't activated."

"I-I just realized that I'm going to be on TV now… I can already feel the nerves building," Deuce muttered.

"Well, now that the matter is settled, let us head back to the coliseum," Crowley said. He turned in the direction of Savanaclaw's mirror portal only to pause. "Ah, but before we go… Has anyone seen a black rock somewhere in this area?"

"A black rock?" Ace repeated.

"Did you drop something, headmaster?" Deuce asked.

Crowley shook his head. "Nevermind. It's fine if you don't see one. Now then, we really must hurry back to campus."

"C'mon Dev," Jack urged. "Let's go."

'Holy poptarts, he just called me Dev!' Devon thought excitedly, bouncing in place a few times before following the group, her staff shrinking and falling back into her hand. She wanted to say something out loud, but didn't want to give Jack the chance to deny what he'd said. 'We're officially buds now!' "Yeah. Let's go play some Spelldrive!"

"Devon," called out a voice from behind her. She turned to see Jamil catch up and fall into step next to her.

Devon couldn't help but smile. "Hey, Jamil. How's your hand?"

"Much better now, thank you," Jamil replied. "I'll be able to play in the tournament without being wracked with pain." He glared in the direction of Leona and Ruggie who were walking a little ways ahead of them. "Believe me when I tell you that if Leona thinks this is all water under the bridge, he's got another thing coming. Fortunately for me, I'll get my shot at revenge in the tournament proper." He smiled at her. "I believe I have you to thank for that."

Devon shook her head. "You don't have to thank me for anything. The only reason Grim and I stuck our necks out the way we did was because the headmaster pretty much forced us to."

Jamil now turned his gaze toward Crowley. "I see… Quite the interesting relationship you have with him, it seems." Devon gave him a confused look. "I've never heard him refer to someone as "hatchling" before, nor have I seen him personally entrust such an important and sensitive matter to a student."

"I mean… You say it as if he chose us because of how trustworthy and capable we are or something, but personally, I think he just left Grim and me to deal with this because we're the easiest people to foist his responsibilities onto. As you just saw, Grim's easy enough to bribe, and I'm not really in a position to turn down the headmaster's requests." Now it was Jamil's turn to give Devon a confused look. "I'll spare you the details, but suffice to say not having anywhere to go outside of this school or any sort of legal identity in this world at all means my options are limited. Besides, the Dark Mirror brought me here for some reason, so it's my best chance at getting home at this point."

Jamil blinked. "That sounds…complicated. Still doesn't explain the hatchling thing, though."

"Yeah, I can't really explain that either," Devon said with a shrug. "I'm not sure if he's trying to take on the role of surrogate parent since I have no way of getting back to my own right now, but if he is…well, it's a good thing I'm more or less able to fend for myself."

"Mmm. Would that more people had that sense of self-sufficiency," Jamil commented.

Ace couldn't help but keep his eyes trained on Devon and Jamil as they walked a little ways ahead of him, Ace having opted to hang back with the rest of his fellow Heartslabyul residents. Thanks to Cater's big mouth, he was well aware that Jamil was the Scarabia boy Devon had found herself attracted to. He recalled the unpleasant feeling he got in his stomach when Devon confirmed Cater's statement-the easiest way to fact check something was to go directly to the supposed source, after all-because said feeling returned with a vengeance as he watched him talk amongst themselves, one occasionally smiling at something the other said.

'Okay, get it together, Trappola!' Ace scolded himself, shaking his head to try and will the feeling away. 'This is ridiculous! You and Devon are friends! You have no business getting all bent out of shape because she thinks another guy's good-lookin'. There's no sayin' anything's gonna happen between them anyway.' He sighed inwardly as he watched Leona hang back until he was walking on Devon's other side, apparently deciding to insert himself into her conversation with Jamil. 'Still…there's a part of me that can't help but wish she was still Heartslabyul's best-kept secret.'

"We're gonna get you back for makin' fools out of us last time!" Ace declared as the exhibition match was about to start.

"That's what I like to hear. There's no point in playin' if you're just gonna hold back. Give it everything you've got!" Jack replied.

Deuce glanced nervously toward the area reserved for the press. "D-Do you think the cameras are rolling already?"

"Shishishi! Is that really what you should be worried about right now?" Ruggie snarked.

"Don't worry, Deuce. The camera are all gonna be focused on me anyway once I start showin' 'em what I can do!" Grim boasted.

"You herbivores are lucky you get to face me. You'd better make this worth my while," Leona told them with a smirk.

The buzzer sounded to signal the start of the match and a Savanaclaw player immediately took possession of the disk, charging down the field toward Ramshackle's goal. He smirked confidently as he got within throwing range, but just as he was about to chuck the disk through the goal and score the first point, a murky oval-shaped void appeared on the ground directly in front of him. "Ah, crud," he muttered, recognizing it from Leona's Overblot rampage but left with no time to stop or skirt around it. He and the disk disappeared into the void and immediately popped back up from another oval-shaped opening right in front of Savanaclaw's goal and he used his magic to throw the disk without missing a beat. Unfortunately for him, the amount of power he put behind the throw wasn't enough to help him score now that he'd been moved back. As a result, the disk only made it about halfway down the field…and right into the Ramshackle team's possession as one of the ghosts swooped in to catch it.

"Looks like those lessons are really paying off, huh, Riddle?" Cater asked the dorm leader from their spot in the stands.

Riddle nodded. "Mmm. Devon's form is still a bit shaky, but she's much faster about casting now." He smiled proudly. "Seems she and the Wisps have been practicing quite a bit."

"Ace and Deuce are putting on a great showing too," Trey added as he watched Ace cover the ghost holding the disk by deflecting incoming magic attacks with wind spells. "With some more training, I bet they'd make great additions to the interdorm team next year."

"Spelldrive games are always so exciting!" Ortho gushed to Idia as they watched the match. "Makes me wish I was a student so I could play too!"

"I don't understand how you can get so jazzed up for these things," Idia muttered as Savanaclaw managed to steal the disk back from Ramshackle. "Just watching this is making me tired. I haven't even played yet and I'm already worn out." He sighed. "I'm ready to go back to my room…"

Over in the Pomefiore student section, Epel watched as Ruggie skidded to a stop, narrowly avoiding being crushed underneath a cauldron summoned by Deuce. "Ah yeah! These games always be mah blood a-pumpin'!" He cleared his throat and shot a quick, nervous glance at Rook sitting next to him. "I mean…this match sure is an invigorating one."

Rook chuckled, side-eying Epel with a knowing grin. "Indeed it is, Monsieur Crabapple. Roi de Leon's majesty is out in full force today." He held a hand to his chest dramatically. "Ah, tres bien! But what's this now?" He and Epel watched as Devon took advantage of the distraction Deuce caused to steal the disk away from Ruggie and pass it to Grim, only to warp herself away from Jack as he fired off a spell to stop her. "Hmm… It appears you're quite the little trickster, Devon Lopez. Quite the little trickster indeed."

"Nyahahaha! Are you seein' all these slick moves I'm pullin' off?" Grim bragged as both teams gathered in the center of the field for the start of another play. He was still as confident as ever despite Savanaclaw scoring the first point of the match.

"Yeesh. You guys really don't hold back against the injured, don't you?" Ruggie commented, rubbing his shoulder with a wince.

Devon rolled her eyes playfully. "Somehow, I think you'll manage to pull through."

Ruggie noticed Leona subtly wave him and Jack over. He walked in the direction of his dorm leader, wincing with every step. Once he got to Leona, though, any trace of pain vanished from his expression and body language. "What's up?"

"For this next play, I'm gonna need you to keep playin' up bein' injured like that, Ruggie. Make 'em underestimate you," Leona said. He nodded toward Devon, who was busy strategizing with her own team. "That one's pretty perceptive when she wants to be, but I'm not convinced her buddies are in the same boat."

"Shishishi! You got it," Ruggie agreed.

Leona turned to Jack next. "Alright Jack, I'll need you to hit 'em with a counterstrike once they rush in."

Jack nodded with a grin. "Right! Will do!"

The game resumed in earnest, the Savanaclaw players making sure that Ruggie was the one who got a hold of the disk.

"Okay, guys," Grim said with a smirk. "I say we come at Ruggie as hard as we can. He's definitely the weak link right now."

"Yeah, he definitely looks like he's about to keel over any second now," Deuce agreed. "Let's get to him quick!"

"Guys, hold on!" Ace shouted as Grim and Deuce ran off. He sighed and looked at Devon. "Please tell me you're not buyin' Ruggie's injured act."

Devon shook her head. "Not even a little. Guy was able to use his Unique Magic right after that battle. He's probably a little sore, but I doubt it's anywhere near as bad as he's makin' it seem. Don't worry though." She shot Ace a mischievous grin and held up her staff, the orb at the top lit up with green and pink. "We've got an idea." With that, she charged down the field after her friends. Grim had managed to get the disk away from Ruggie, but he was too busy congratulating himself to notice Jack about to charge in until it was too late to dodge him. Devon urged herself forward as fast as she could and right as Jack was about to steal the disk back for Savanaclaw, she managed to maneuver herself between the two. The light at the top of her staff began to glow even brighter as she held it in front of her and toward Jack with both hands. A twister erupted from the staff, as well as a flurry of fragrant purple jacaranda flowers, knocking Jack back a few feet and causing him to lose focus on the spell he was about to cast. "Keep goin' while they're distracted, Grim!" Devon urged as the crowd erupted into cheers at the display, several people rushing forward to grab some of the never-before-seen (for them, at least) flowers as the twister carried them up toward the stands.

"Yeah! I'll get us that goal, henchman! Just you watch!" Grim promised.

"Whaaaa! Are you seeing this, Jamil?!" Kalim shouted as he watched the flowers float up into the air. "What are these? I've never seen anything like them before!" He leaned over the railing to grab some when they blew in his direction, only to nearly lose his balance and all in the process.

"Kalim!" Jamil grabbed the back of Kalim's shirt just in time and pulled him away from the railing. "Please be more careful! What would your father say if you got yourself hurt over some flowers?" 'And what would my parents say if they found out I failed to keep you from getting hurt while trying to grab them?!'

"You worry too much, Jamil. I wouldn't be hurt that bad," Kalim assured him with a smile. He held out his hand, showing Jamil the flowers he'd managed to catch. "Besides, I think my dad would understand if he could just see these!" He held one up to his nose and inhaled. "They smell amazing!"

"I agree that they're beautiful and I must admit that I'm curious about them too, but you could just as easily ask Devon to summon more of them if you wanted to see them up close," Jamil reasoned. "There's no need to pointlessly endanger yourself."

"You really think she would?" Kalim asked eagerly before shaking his head. "What am I saying? I bet you'd know better than most since you guys are buds and all!"

Jamil gave Kalim a confused look. "What are you talking about?"

"I saw you guys talking together when you walked into the coliseum," Kalim explained. "You seemed…I dunno…at ease when you were talking with her. More at ease than I think I've ever seen you, actually."

"I'll admit that she's quite easy to talk to, but I'm not sure one conversation qualifies us as "buds" just yet," Jamil replied.

"Oh. Well, in that case, why don't you spend more time with her so you can be buds for real?" Kalim suggested. He gasped as a thought struck him. "I know! We can throw a-mmurrph!"

Jamil slapped his hand over Kalim's mouth before he could finish the sentence. "A party will not be necessary. I will speak to her again when an opportunity presents itself naturally." 'If an opportunity presents itself naturally. Although…' He refocused his attention on Devon as she deflected one of Ruggie's spells. 'I suppose having the chance to talk to her again wouldn't be the worst fate to befall me.'

"Aw man, lookit all those Savanaclaw fry trip over themselves! Ahahaha~!" Floyd laughed. "And all cause'a some flowers!"

"They are quite lovely, though," Jade observed as he caught one floating through the air. "I've yet to see anything remotely resembling them here. I'd say this all but confirms the rumors we've heard that Devon hails from another world. Wouldn't you agree, Azul?"

"Marvelous. Absolutely marvelous. And all that from one single Wisp," Azul muttered, causing the twins to look over at him. It was clear he hadn't heard a word either of them said, his eyes glued to Devon-or, more specifically, her staff-as she powered up Grim's fire magic. Indeed, his hadn't looked away from Devon once since the match began. "Using two types of magic at once is one thing, but now to see that it can power up living beings magic as well?! And there are even more of them inside of the Ramshackle dorm?" He chuckled to himself, lacing his fingers together. "I must have them. All of them."

A pair of unsettling smiles began creeping over the Leech brothers faces. "Are you sayin' what I think you're sayin'?" Floyd asked.

Azul met their grins with one of his own. "Indeed I am. We need to get that girl in our debt somehow. Whatever it takes."

Lilia chuckled with amusement as the jacarandas blew toward the Diasomnia seats. "Most impressive. I must admit that I wasn't quite sure what to think when the headmaster announced an exhibition match before the tournament proper, but this is turning out to be quite entertaining."

"AS IF THOSE ROOKIES COULD HOLD A CANDLE TO YOU OR LORD MALLEUS, MASTER LILIA!" Sebek shouted. "Some weak humans, a few ghosts, and a monster are hardly worth your attention!"

"Quiet down, Sebek," Silver chided, having been woken up by the half-fae's shout. "You're disturbing Lord Malleus."

"Ggh…!" Sebek cast a worried look toward Malleus, only to see the fae prince studying the flower that had fluttered into his palm.

Malleus trailed his finger along the flower's soft petals, a small, warm smile beginning to form on his lips. 'Yet again, you've shown me something new, child of man. I wonder if you'll continue to surprise me.' He looked down at the playing field again, this time catching Devon's eye right as Grim used his magic to throw the disk through Savanaclaw's goal. She smiled and gave him a quick wave as the rest of her team rushed over to celebrate their first goal of the game. Malleus' smile grew slightly and he returned her wave with one of his own. 'I sincerely hope you do.'

Sebek glowered in Devon's direction, but the girl had already turned her back to them. "What nerve! It's bad enough that girl has the gall to demand the young lord's attention and force him to spend time with her when she came to our dorm, but now she has the audacity to gander at him. And to wave at him so…so casually! Her ignorance of the proper protocol for interacting with royalty can no longer be excused! I must-"

"Easy now, Sebek," Lilia interjected. "I think it's clear by now that Devon means no offense. Besides," He nodded toward Malleus. ", I think our prince is doing quite a bit of gandering himself."

"Oh yeah! Score one point for us!" Ace cheered as both teams met back up in the center of the field for another play.

"Heh. Gotta admit, you guys are slightly better than I thought," Leona praised…kind of. "Enjoy that little victory while you can. We'll be takin' that point back soon enough."

"Oh yeah? Well, they don't call me the Great Grim for nothin'!" Grim boasted, still riding high after scoring their team's first point. "Wait till you see me score a goal from here!" He pulled his front paws back and began to aim. "I call this one the Great Grim Hurricane!" With that, he threw the disk…

…and a split second later, Devon felt something hard hit her right in the side of the head, followed by gasps from the spectators in the stands.

She felt herself falling, but didn't have time to register any pain.

She was unconscious before she hit the ground.

Ending Notes: Oh, Grim. What're we gonna do with you? He really radiates obnoxious younger brother energy, doesn't he? That's more or less how Devon sees him at this point (probably how DJ and Dominic would see him too).

I want to clear something up regarding the bit with the Octatrio. It'll come up in the Octavinelle arc but since we've got the Halloween arc first, I just want to clarify. Azul and the tweels are not aware that Devon has multiple Wisps with her inside the Ramshackle staff; they think Zephyr is casting all those different spells on their own. Not much is known about Wisps as it is, and most of the Ramshackle Wisps aside from Zephyr are iffy about being seen outside the dorm/around people they don't trust or know well; Zephyr is a unique case because their overprotectiveness overrides their desire to avoid being seen (which is why they were the one that first appeared to Devon to get her to kill the Spellsapper). Since Zephyr is the only one that's always visibly accompanying Devon, the fish mafia assumes that Zephyr has bound themself to Devon somehow while the other Wisps are bound to Ramshackle dorm, rendering them unable to leave the premises. I hope that clears up any confusion.

Thank you all so much for reading! As always, feedback and constructive criticism are always welcome. Geekinthepink, out!