The day following the team exhibition Friendship Games was a calm one. With the intense opening event, it was clear there was to be some downtime. Mario was going about the school grounds as he picked up some trash that Vice-Prinicipal Luna had tasked him with for community service. The boy passed by some plants as he bent over to pick up trash when he noticed a potted plant near his feet.
"Whoops, sorry about that, Mario. Just repotting some plants for the garden club."
"No worries, Dahlia. Let me help," said the boy as he grabbed the pot and brought it to a bed of flowers that the girl had been working on.
"I appreciate it, Mario," smiled the girl as she bent down beside the boy and began to transfer some new plants into their new homes. She turned to look at the boy with a small bandage on his cheek. "It seems that Wargames match took a toll on you," she said.
"What this? This is nothing," said Mario as he pointed at his small bandage. He then grabbed it and ripped it off, letting out a slight jolt to his body, but he remained strong.
"How are the others holding up?" asked the girl, concerned for the boy's friends after the beating they all took.
"Eh, they'll be fine. Walk it off, I say."
"I see. Well, listen. Even though you guys didn't win, we're still rooting for you all. Kick Crystal Prep's butts for us, alright."
"Yeah, sure, whatever," said Mario as he dusted off his hands from the soil and stood up. "Do you need anything else?"
"No. The rest of the club will be here. Thanks, though."
"Anytime," said the boy, giving her a two-finger salute before he grabbed his bag and stick and left to pick up more trash.
Mario was by the playground as he finished tying up his latest bag and put the giant thing in a nearby dumpster for the actual garbagemen to come pick up. He dusted his hands off and wiped his forehead when he noticed a can being kicked near him. He looked, and low and behold, the person who kicked it was someone he'd figured would scout him out.
"Hey!" said Zipp.
"Sup!"
After last night's events, the heiress wanted to speak with her friend. But since she was in no state to move after the intense duel and Mario disappeared shortly after with Roll in his arms, she'd figured it was best to save their discussion for the next day. And here she was, tracking down her friend as the two stared each other down. The boy noticed Zipp's wrapped-up left wrist from last night's brutal fight.
"So…." started off Zipp, kicking the grass with her hands in her jean pockets.
"Yeah," responded Mario, waiting for what the girl would say.
"You… came through. You actually came through, huh?"
"Let me be clear. I didn't do it for you, Sunny, or anyone else. I couldn't care less. I only came through for my sister," Mario stated, as that was the only reason he showed up. "I love Roll. I love my little sister, and I'll be there to protect her when she needs me. So understand that if it weren't for my sister, my cousin would've whooped that trick!"
"There's something I never thought you'd say," said Zipp at Mario's cultural reference, which got the girl chuckling. "So… you in all the way then?"
"Like I said, I'm only doing this for my sister."
"Okay, then. Well, while on the subject of these games. I, uh… I… I want to say thanks personally. You know, I never got a chance to tell you that."
"For what?"
"You know. My sister. Getting her back. I know you had something to do with that. She… spilled the beans."
"Figures."
The heiress approached her friend as he picked up the can she kicked earlier and hugged him from behind. Mario was unprepared for the action by the girl as she released her hold and allowed him to stand up. He looked at Zipp with a raised eyebrow as the girl didn't fully look at him; the boy placed a hand on her shoulder as she felt his digits dig into her shoulder, feeling the muscles in his fingers. He moved upward to get Zipp to look at him as she stared into the boy's eyes. The heiress looked at her friend as her body moved on its own. She touched his arm as her face got close to his, the girl looking to close the distance between her lips and his.
Mario then felt something behind him as he felt a set of orbs pressing into his back. Zipp noticed it as she backed off and looked behind to see her sister coming up from behind Mario. She gave him a hug just as she did.
"Hey, handsome," greeted Pipp to her crush.
"Hey, chica. You can let go now?!" Mario said as he felt Pipp's grip squeeze him. He saw that, like her sister, she had a wrapped wrist, but it was her right one.
"Heh. Sorry," giggled Pipp as she released her hold on her crush. "Hey, sis."
"Hey, Pipp," responded the older sibling.
Mario dusted his shirt off when he turned to face Pipp; the girl wrapped her arms around his neck and nuzzled into his chest. She then pulled the boy in for a kiss. Mario was again taken off guard before he closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around the pop star. The pair held their kiss for quite a while as Zipp was just watching. Safe to say, seeing her sister kiss Mario right in front of her made her feel slightly jealous. The heiress tried to stow away her envy of her sister's actions, but it was hard. Eventually, Pipp released her lip hold of Mario as she looked at the boy. She giggled and ceased her embrace as Zipp managed not to let what she saw get to her. At that moment, all three's attention was grabbed as the rest of the crew approached them.
Apart from Sunny, who was currently absent, Mario's sister and the rest of their friends were now all near the playground. The group also had their fair share of battle wounds, for Hitch, under his shirt, had a long bandage across his chest. As for Izzy, she had a bandage wrapped around her forehead. And Roll, she had her left arm bicep area wrapped.
"So, what's the plan after last night?" asked Izzy as she made the end of her bandages into a nice bow.
"What plan?" asked Mario.
"You know, the plan for us to win."
"Us? Let me be clear. I'm only doing this for my sister. So as far as 'us' is concerned, it's 'y'all'!" stated the boy, as he wanted no part of being labeled with his friends in this competition.
"Come on, lover boy! You can't seriously still be saying that!" stated Zipp. "Look, you can say you ain't being grouped in with us. But you are, alright. You chose us. You're on our side. So we need to devise a plan to take down your cousin and her crew."
"And what makes you think I want to do that? Let me remind you, rich girl. You started this whole shit. And now your ass is paying for it. Your mouth was writing checks your ass couldn't cash in! And now you want to shift the blame to the entire group for your actions!" stated Mario.
"Look, do I admit I got a bit hotheaded? Yeah! Do I admit I wasn't thinking straight? Yeah! Do I admit that I was getting revenge for my little sister? Oh, hell yeah! But one thing I'm not going to stand for is you trying to act high and mighty about being right. You're in this whether you like it or not."
"I'm in this because of my sister! I will do anything for her because I love her!" shouted Mario as he got in Zipp's face, the two teens staring the other down. "Can you say the same for your own sister?"
The girl growled, not appreciating Mario's low blow. The two teens continued to size each other up, and the others got nervous. They could see that things were moments away from coming to blows. Roll was about to get in between her brother and friend to separate them when they heard some chuckling. The group all turned as approaching them was none other than Flurry's group of friends being led by Axiom. Like the CHS group, they, too, had similar bandages on their bodies as they had their fair share of battle scars from last night's brutal duel.
"Well, well. Look, guys. Take a look at these six clowns. They can't even look each other in the eye." JD stated as they noticed the small cracks within the team's foundation.
"And everybody wonders why they lost last night?" joked Shirai. "'Cause unlike us, they ain't a united team."
"Guys, let's be real," said Axiom as they stood before the six CHS students. "You're a group of randoms thrown together. This… This right here!" the boy pointed to him and his friends. "This is family."
"You guys really don't think you all realize what you're getting yourself into at the Friendship Games," stated Roxanne.
"Hey, Zipp! How's it feel knowing you got your ass kicked not only by our captain but by her cousin!" said Athena as she pointed at Mario, stating that Zipp suffered two losses to both family members.
"And speaking of Mario, Hey, Mario. How does it feel knowing you can beat everyone on your team singlehandedly?" Roxanne asked as the boy glanced over at his friends and sister to give them a stern look, which they looked back at. "Matter of fact, isn't it weird that Sunny is the captain and not you or your sister, given who you're related to? I mean, who's really the main character here, huh?"
"Here's a question for you four!" said Athena as she pointed at Zipp, Pipp, Izzy, and Hitch. "Can you trust those two when they didn't even want to fight against their cousin? Can you trust that they won't screw you over in the name of their bloodline?"
The four couldn't help but look at Roll and Mario as they were reminded of how, initially, neither of them wanted to join their team.
"Alright, you think we don't know what you're all doing right here? You're trying to pit us all against each other. That's not what this is about. We can put whatever individual issues we have to the side cuz let's be honest, these Friendship Games is about power, isn't it?" stated Roll. "Yeah, all you guys talk about is the power you have. The power you all hold. And I'll give you guys credit. You've all managed to get a lot of power. You've been able to get a lot of power when you've been able to help each other out and play the numbers game. But guess what? These Friendship Games, last night at Wargames. That was but a taste of what you're in for! Because last night was just the opening battle, and you all don't know the war you're in for! You'll find out that power you so graciously talk about… lies with the six of us you are looking at right now!"
The six Crystal Prep teens all stared down Roll and her companions as it was clear the issue between the two sides was anything but over. If anything, last night at Wargames, they barely scratched the surface of these personal animosities.
"Hey, hey, speaking of power, I'm shocked that you guys figured out how to act on your own without my cousin pulling your leashes," Mario said as Flurry's friends all gave angry glares at him. "I mean, she is your leader, after all. Well, when my cousin is gone, I assume the orders will go to Phin since she's the Architect, right? So is she the leader?"
"Phin's not the leader because-" stated Axiom.
"If Phin's not the leader, I get it, I get it. Then JD's the leader!"
"JD's not the leader-" said Axiom once again before being cut off by Mario.
"Okay, Phin's not the leader, JD's not the leader, Roxy's not the leader, Shirai's not the leader, you're not the leader. I guess that makes… Athena, the leader-"
"Mario!" Axiom shouted, having had enough of the boy trying to stir the pot between them. He glared at Flurry's cousin, who was really getting on his nerves. "You want to know who the leader is? I'm the leader!"
As soon as Axiom said that, the others all turned to look at him with surprised and confused looks. Hearing Axiom proclaim himself their leader when Flurry wasn't around didn't sit right with them. Even Zipp and the others saw their resentment at Axiom naming himself in charge, as they could see small cracks in their foundation.
"Hey, Mario. I think you got him hot right now, yeet!" Zipp said, making the boy crack a small smile.
"Hey, listen. Friendship Games-"
"Hey, hey, shut up!" shouted Zipp as she interjected and cut off Axiom from speaking, getting their attention. "Everybody just shut the hell up! I'm sick of all this talking! I've had it! I'm ready for a fight! There's six of us here, and there's six of you! I'm ready to throw down! Izzy, I'I know you're ready to throw down!" The heiress approached her friend and slapped her chest to hype her up and get intense. "What do you say we slap the taste out of these six bozos? 'Cause we ain't got to wait for the Friendship Games to kick off; we can do this right now! Come on! Let's go! Come on!"
The heiress had enough as she wanted to get physical and taunted Flurry's friends to make a move.
"Hey, Zipp!" shouted Axiom as they all stepped forward in unison. "Game on, bitch!"
Zipp smiled as both sides looked ready to throw hands. Despite all having some battle scars from before, it was clear the cage last night was not enough to contain these twelve duelists. And it seemed like it was seconds away from having a repeat. Just as the Crystal Prep group was about to engage, they halted at the sound of a voice.
"Stand down!"
The six turned as there stood Flurry Heart. The girl arrived just as her crew was about to brawl with her cousins and friends.
"Cap."
"I said stand down!" repeated the girl as they all backed off and listened to their leader's orders.
Flurry glared at each of her friends for trying to engage her cousins when she told them not to. She turned her attention as she spotted her cousins and their friends, and it was clear who was trying to start the fight.
"You just don't know when to quit, princess," said Flurry, looking at Zipp, who glared back. "Primo, get this pendeja in check!"
"What did you call me?!" shouted Zipp as she looked to get her hands on Flurry when Mario put his arms around her waist and restrained the heiress as he knew Zipp was asking for a death wish to fight his cousin.
"Settle down, perra!" responded Flurry, inciting Zipp's anger even more. "If you thought that last slap was bad enough, then I'll give you something to really feel."
"Then why are you standing over there? Do it!" taunted Zipp, trying to break free from Mario's hands holding her back.
Flurry stared down the heiress, wanting nothing more than to put her in her place. The constant disrespect she was showing not just to her but also to her family and her bloodline couldn't go unpunished in the girl's mind. Zipp would get her justice for trying to mess with the head of the table as she couldn't wait to clip the girl's wings.
"Come on! I'm waiting! Mario, let me go!" said Zipp, his grip around her so strong that he barely broke a sweat holding her back.
Flurry gave a whistle to her crew as she gave a hand signal. They knew what that meant as they began to back off and turn around to walk away. The girl made sure her crew obeyed as she kept her eyes on them before she turned and looked to join them. Zipp growled as her chance to make Flurry pay slipped away because her cousin stopped her. The others all looked to leave when Zipp turned her face back forward, and out of nowhere, Flurry appeared and slapped the taste out of her mouth again as she was in prime position due to Mario holding her. The others all reacted to it, as Zipp tried to swing her legs to kick Flurry in the face, but she backed off in time. The heiress was full-blown pissed off as she tried to reach for the Crystal Prep girl, but Mario held strong.
"Prima," said Roll, backing her cousin from her friends.
"Let that be a lesson!" shouted Flurry, pointing at Zipp. "That's what happens when you fuck with the final boss!"
The others all looked at Flurry as Roll tried to protect her cousin by backing her away.
"Prima, primo. You might want to rethink the crowd you're running with?" stated Flurry, pointing at Zipp's hotheadedness to start trouble.
The two siblings looked at their cousin with a straight look before looking at Zipp and how she acted. Flurry then put her hands up as she left. Zipp tried hard to break free from Mario's grip but couldn't.
"Come on, guys. Let's go," suggested Hitch as they began to leave. Mario now lifted Zipp to sling her over his shoulder and carry her.
"Hey, put me down, Mario! Put me down! I didn't give you consent to carry me!" said the girl, kicking and screaming.
The group left, as above, was Principal Celestia. As she sighed, the woman had been watching everything go down from her office. Seeing how her own students were trying to start a fight didn't give a good impression of her as an educator. Not to mention the loss she suffered to Sombra after he let her pick whatever event she wanted and still win, it broke a few pillars of her confidence. She hoped that Sombra wasn't right and that she just threw a bunch of random students together just to have a team to compete. She hoped that the seven teens could learn to coexist and not let any personal issues get in the way of working together.
Flurry and her crew were walking across the campus grounds, and the girl was less than happy. She walked in front of her group, and they heard their captain mumbling.
"Who the hell does that bitch think she is? Pissing me off and talking shit about-" muttered Flurry as she had some choice words to describe Zipp.
"Hey, Axiom!" said JD as he got his friend's attention. "What the hell was that, man? Who named you the captain when Flurry isn't around?"
"What's up with that, bro? Huh!" Shirai said, as the rest also couldn't believe Axiom had self-appointed himself their leader.
"I've known Flurry the longest. I'm the first one she met. So I got seniority!" stated the boy.
"Seniority, my ass!" responded Athena.
"And what makes you think you deserve to be in charge?" countered Phin.
The six then began to get into it as they argued, setting off Flurry's ticking timer.
"Enough!" yelled the girl so her voice could be heard across campus.
The six looked at their captain as she slapped each one across the face. They were all taken aback by the girl's actions, as her expression was that of death.
"You all want to act like children? Then I'll treat you all like children!" threatened Flurry as she got their attention. "When I put this team together, I didn't put together some freaking daycare! I'm not here to babysit toddlers! I'm not here to be anybody's mama! You got issues? You got issues? Everybody has issues? Well, guess what? Settle them! Settle them as grown-ass adults instead of petty kids! I'm not gonna hold any of your hands; work out your issues. Duel them out, for all I care. I don't give a rat's ass! What I need is a united front! You claim my cousins and their friends have issues; look at you all! You're an embarrassment to me and Crystal Prep! I'm not there for five minutes, and you six clowns want to make the wheels fall off around here!
"Cap."
"I don't want to hear it, and I'm sick of the disrespect! It's time that we remind everybody just who the hell we are! We run Crystal Prep! I care about this! I care about this team! This right here, this is what I'm concerned myself with. Esto es importante para mi!" the girl barked at her crew. "So this is what's gonna happen, right? You six will put your personal egos aside and bury them for the sake of the team and me! You all are gonna work through these issues because if you don't… there's gonna be changes within this team. And if any of you have problems with that, then I dare you, I dare any of you to step forward to me!"
The group looked at each other after getting chewed out by their leader as they knew better. Instead, they just backed off and put their heads down.
"I didn't think so," responded Flurry.
She looked at her friends and gave each of them one more slap to ensure her point was heard.
"I'm not here to be Mami! Grow the hell up or leave!"
Flurry then turned her back on her crew as she said her peace. The others took their captain's words to heart, as she was right. They were supposed to be a dominant faction and strike fear in the hearts of their opponents, but they weren't doing that. They were starting to lose their killer instincts and needed to be reminded just what exactly brought them to the dance and where they had come from when they first joined.
"Axiom!" stated Flurry as she halted and turned her head ever so slightly to address her friend. "You're the leader when I'm not around."
The boy just nodded as he didn't try to brag about it, knowing he had to put his pride aside for the team's sake.
"Am I clear?!" said Flurry to the rest of them.
"Crystal," responded the group.
"That's what I thought," responded the girl as she walked off, leaving her friends to work on their issues themselves.
Mario and Roll were in their dorm building; they had just returned after getting Zipp to calm down and leaving their friends for the day. Both siblings had two objects on the table in front of them as they were going over something.
"Well… it's your call, bro," said Roll, looking at her older sibling.
Mario leaned back on the other couch and sighed with crossed arms. The boy began to think about the topic he and his sister had been discussing for the past half hour. He looked at the two objects, and there was a photo between them—a family photo of them and their parents. The photo gave off different feelings to the boy as he wrestled with himself personally. Soon, the boy made his decision. Roll nodded as she pulled out her phone and began to put something in their group chat.
A knock on the door was heard as it was pulled back to reveal Izzy, Hitch, Pipp, and Zipp. The four teens stood in the doorway as Roll stood before them. The girl gestured for them to enter, and they followed her into the living room. Mario stood before the TV as all four teens sat on the main couch facing him; Roll stood beside her brother as the two nodded.
"Let's go to work," said the boy as all four exchanged looks with each other.
The doors to Roll and Mario's room opened, and a split screen was shown. Each sibling entered their room for Roll; she had Hitch and Izzy enter, and Mario took both sisters.
"You ready for a tune-up?" asked Roll.
"Your decks may be fine, but that's not gonna cut it," spoke Mario.
"If you want to beat Crystal Prep, we've got to rebuild your decks from the ground up," the girl said.
"It's back to basics," responded the boy. Both siblings turned on some music as they had a set of determined looks.
The two siblings presented their respective pairs with a tin box. They each pulled the lid off as it glowed and sparkled, catching the eye of their friends. Inside were more cards than they could ever have seen or thought as they didn't know how to put into words the massive collection between the two that they amassed during their lives.
"Here's the deal, Hitch," said Mario as he and Roll sat on the floor in the living room with their friend opposite them. His deck was in the middle as they both looked to improve it. "You got a solid deck, bud. Mainly Warriors."
"But you need more firepower to stand a chance against JD and his army of warriors," Roll said.
"So, what do I do?" asked Hitch.
The girl grabbed his deck and scattered the cards over the desk. Hitch watched his cards crumble and fall to the table, half being turned over.
"We start over from the ground up," stated Mario.
A montage began to play as both siblings were shown discussing and trading topics with their friend. Both siblings sometimes offered suggestions for Hitch as he nodded and understood what both said.
"This is gonna be a good addition to your deck," said Mario as he presented a card to his buddy.
Hitch grabbed the card as he flipped it over to look at it.
"Stardust Dragon?" questioned the boy after reading the card's name.
"It suits you," stated Roll. "Not to mention these other Stardust-related cards you'll need for your deck."
Hitch gasped as he saw the massive cards his friends were willing to gather and part with from their collection to give to him.
"You guys… I can't take these. They belong to you," said the boy.
"Take'em. You need them more than us. Plus… we could always ask our parents for more." She smiled as she was willing to do anything to improve her friend's deck, even give away her cards.
"Thanks. Both of you," smiled Hitch, glad to have friends such as them.
"We still have a lot of work to do, sheriff!" Mario said as they returned to reinventing Hitch's deck.
"Alright, Izzy. I need you to focus and be serious for once!" stated Mario as he walked around the girl.
"Focus on. Serious face, check!" saluted the girl as she put on a serious expression, showing she was ready.
"Your Scrap deck ain't bad. But let's add a few more 'Junk' cards for firepower," smiled Roll as she spread out a line of cards for the girl to see.
"Ooh, options," stated Izzy.
"Take your pick," smiled the girl.
"While you do that. I took the liberty of finding some potential Synchro monsters for your deck. Look them over and tell me which ones you'd like." said Mario as he presented a small stack to the girl; she took them and sifted through them.
The girl immediately hugged the boy and nuzzled her cheek against his.
"I knew you had a soft spot for me. All those name-calling weren't true," giggled the girl.
"Not really," muttered Mario as she was still an idiot, according to him.
"Oh, Mario. I love you too," said Izzy, patting his head while Roll giggled at seeing her brother just have to bear with Izzy's affection and not get his hints of annoyance.
"Alright, chica. Here's the deal. You want to get your win back, right?"
"Yeah."
"Then it's time to take your Fusion game to the next level," said Mario, handling Pipp by himself since he needed to do some extra things with the girl to get her ready.
"I'm willing to learn, no matter how hard or long it takes. I want to get better," said Pipp, who was serious about improving her skills as a duelist.
"That's what I like to hear," smiled Mario as he began to work with the stylish.
Watching from down the hall was Zipp. The girl peered from Roll's open door and saw Mario working hands-on with her sister. The envy she had before returned as she kinda wished Mario would tutor her one-on-one.
"Zipp. Zipp!" called out Roll, getting her friend's attention.
"Huh?" responded the heiress as she snapped out of her thoughts and turned to look at her friend.
"I said these cards might be good for your deck," stated Roll as she presented a series of 'Windwitch' cards in their titles. "Seeing as most of the cards in your deck are Wind-attribute type, I figured we'd expand on that. You played Windwitch - Diamond Bell in your duel with Shirai. So I figured, why not give you the rest of the archetype to support your Speedroids."
"Oh, yeah, that makes sense," said the heiress, just glancing at the cards without giving too much thought.
"Are you okay?" asked Roll.
"Huh, y-yeah."
"You sure? You seem… bit out of it," deducted Roll.
"Just… thinking about stuff," answered the athlete.
"Hey, try not to let my cousin get under your skin."
"Y-Yeah, I won't," said the girl with a fake smile. That's not the real reason.
As the reconstruction of her deck went swimmingly, Zipp excused herself to use the restroom. She closed Roll's door behind her as she went to the bathroom. She had her hand on the handle when she turned to Mario's room, as the door was slightly ajar. The girl's curiosity got the best of her, and she secretly approached the door and listened to the voices inside.
"Give me your hand, Pipp," said Mario as the heiress peeked.
The boy put his hands around Pipp's as she held a set of cards. He placed them on the table and spread them out so he could look at them fully. The teen began talking to Pipp about the plays she could make. She listened and nodded as their faces were near each other's.
"Remember, if you combo this card with this, you can create a strong defense," repeated Mario.
"I got it," said the stylish as she executed the play and placed the card on the table below her monster.
"Nice work, chica. You definitely improved."
"Well… I had a good teacher," smiled Pipp as she secretly placed her hand on Mario's.
The girl stared into her crush's eyes as Zipp watched them secretly. The stylish kept her eyes on the boy's as she leaned closer. She touched his lips as he brought a hand up to cusp her left cheek, and the pair closed their eyes. The heiress growled quietly as she just left to avoid being found out. She felt something inside of her as she just returned to Roll's room to avoid any suspicion.
Zipp exited the room as Roll finished putting together her new deck. Mario's door opened at that moment, and Pipp emerged with her new deck in her hand. The pop star also picked up some new tricks as she couldn't wait to use them. She thanked Mario as she couldn't help but give him one last kiss, but it was on his cheek. She winked and began to walk down the stairs to leave. Mario just watched Pipp leave as he then noticed Zipp standing there in the hallway.
"Seems you made my sister's day," said Zipp.
"I did my best. So… how'd it go with my sister?" asked Mario as he leaned in the doorway of his room with crossed arms.
"She did her best, and I'm glad she was able to help me," said the heiress, looking at her new deck in her hand. "Um, but… if it's not too much trouble, could you… maybe take a look at it? Please?"
Mario just shrugged coolly as he gestured for the girl to enter his room. Zipp popped a small smile as she followed the boy into her room. She handed him her deck as he walked toward his desk. Zipp closed the door and leaned against it. The boy was reviewing the new cards his sister added to Zipp's deck, which were solid additions. There wasn't much he could say, as Roll basically added what he would have suggested.
"It's solid. There's not really anything I can change or suggest."
"Y-You sure?" said Zipp, hoping maybe there was something for Mario to change to allow her to have more time with him alone.
"My sister knows her stuff. She couldn't have improved your deck any better than I could've. I trust Roll's instincts on what cards to add. Maybe even moreso than me." said Mario as he gathered up all the cards. "You're good to go, rich girl."
"I… okay," sighed the girl.
Mario approached her and handed the girl her deck. She hesitantly reached for it as their fingertips brushed lightly against each other. The heiress put her new deck in her pocket as she reached for the door handle when she halted. She turned to look at the boy, and he was confused, as he felt something was on the girl's mind. Before he could say anything, Zipp threw her arms around his neck and quickly pulled him in as she planted her lips on his.
The girl couldn't take it anymore, and her body acted independently. She lost all sense of control and just gave in to her emotions. Mario was shocked, but he soon wrapped his arms around Zipp's body as he pulled her closer. The teens were leaning against the boy's door as they fell into the kiss; at one point, Zipp removed her hands from Mario's neck and began to trail down his arms before going to his chest. While still lip-locking, the girl could feel his muscles through the boy's shirt as they sent chills down her spine. Mario soon had his hands move independently as he felt about Zipp's body, feeling all her curves and edges. The teens' little makeout session lasted for quite a while, and they soon broke apart for some air. Mario looked at the heiress, gently raising his hands to caress her cheeks with both thumbs. As much as she wasn't one for emotional and lovey-dovey things, Zipp couldn't deny that Mario's touch was just too unbearable.
The pair didn't know how long they stared at one another. Their faces were so close that they didn't need to lean in much for them to touch lips again. Eventually, reality sank in as Zipp figured she had overstayed her welcome. She used one of her hands to find the door handle, and she managed to locate it and turn it. Mario got off her to allow the girl to open the door; giving one final look at the boy, the heiress began to leave. The boy was left to process what had gone down as he brushed his fingers against his lips.
Nighttime had descended on the campus as nearly everybody was fast asleep. Both siblings were getting ready to turn in when they received a message. It was none other than Sunny, as the girl had asked the pair to come over to her place.
The girl was laid up in her bed from her wrist to her elbow, she was bandaged up from the beating of Wargames. Thankfully, all she needed was some rest, as she'd been stuck in bed all day, trying to let her body recover. While she may have been inactive for most of the day, she got word from Hitch that both siblings had been improving the other's decks to prepare for the Friendship Games. A knock on her door was heard as both came in and saw their friend.
"Hey."
"How you feeling, Sunny?" asked Roll.
"Just resting is all. My arm's almost ready," the girl said. "Listen, I want to say thanks. I know making your choices wasn't easy, but I'm glad you came through."
"We're friends. We have each other's backs. Right, bro?"
"Eh," said Mario with a shrug.
"So you've two been busy."
"Yeah. Speaking of which, where's your deck?" asked Roll.
Sunny reached over to her nightstand and opened the drawer. Inside was her deck, which she had given to her friends. Roll grabbed it as she reached into her skirt pocket and pulled out the stack of cards the pair had set aside for their friend. Roll combined the new cards with Sunny's deck, giving it a good shuffle before handing it to her friend.
"You're all set!"
"Thanks," Sunny smiled before looking at Mario. "Hey, uh, Mario. I think maybe you should be the captain."
"Hmm?"
"I think you'd be the better person for the job," Sunny said, willing to step aside and let the boy take over the team. "You're more qualified than me."
The boy looked at the girl as he lulled over what she was proposing.
"Nah. I'm good. You can keep it." the teen responded as he declined Sunny's offer.
Before the girl could protest, he was already leaving the room and heading back to their dorm. Roll smiled while Sunny was confused.
"Have a good night, Sunny," said Roll as she said goodbye to her friend.
"Night…" said the girl, still surprised that Mario rejected the offer.
Author's Note: Things continue to build up. And Flurry has shown she's not here to mess around or play games. She's not willing to jeopardize her team and everything they worked up for it to all fall apart now. And as for her cousins, it seems they've upped the decks of their friends to hopefully stand a better chance. Like Roll said, this war is far from over.
