The Multiversal Tournament was the start of many things. It was the very first event of its kind; a contest where the participants were gathered from across the multiverse. It had made history by crowning the first ever multiversal champion, even if that title was more a source of pride than anything. And thanks to said champion's wish, it was the start of many extraordinary relationships among its 16 contestants. But life must go on, even for them. Just with a few new interdimensional friends by their side. That's where this story begins: On a small weathered spaceship hovering just outside an asteroid field, alongside its deeply thinking Tiefling pilot.

To the denizens of the galaxy, the Magniventris system wasn't really anything to write home about. Other than the lush Hoffmannii - its sole habitable planet - the only sight widely considered worth seeing was the asteroid belt wedged between it and the unremarkable gas giant known only as Sanjuanensis. All in all there were much better tourist destinations across Universe 3 than this outback. And yet, a sleek but clearly well-used spacecraft was overlooking the cluster of asteroids at a safe enough distance. Even more notable was that this universe's representative in the Multiversal Tournament was sitting slumped back in the pilot's seat.

John was off in his own little world. It wouldn't have mattered if the view outside the reinforced front window had been the most beautiful lightshow in the galaxy - he would still miss it in favour of the beauty he was currently imagining. As he vacantly stared out across the pilot compartment behind him, all that was on his mind was the Drow he had met during the tournament. To John, everything about Pulse Cadwalader was absolutely enchanting. With a deep sigh, his thoughts went over to these things once more; that unyielding drive to reach her goals, her striking deep red hair, her sheer passion for what she loved and believed in, those piercing yellow eyes… not to mention those giant b-

"AHEM. What exactly are you staring at, mate?"

The stern callout successfully snapped John back to reality. As he stuttered some improvised excuse, the surprised pilot's eyes quickly darted upwards to face the very real Pulse's somewhat annoyed expression. It appeared that actually having her here in the flesh had left the young Tiefling too entranced to react; Pulse had been trying to make him answer her question for quite a few seconds now.

"Let's try that again: I said, could you maybe tell me what this thing here is? It appears to be built into the wall itself, but it has its own engine powering it. And from what I can tell, that's a really powerful generator for something so small and seemingly insignificant. Like this thing is about four times as efficient as my own engine design, all condensed into such a small contraption! What kind of marvel even is this?" Pulse questioned, her tone quickly switching from annoyance to sheer curiosity.

John simply let out a small laugh. Pulse might have been a supergenius, but she still came from a much less technologically advanced universe than his. The Tiefling flashed a suave smile - he seemed to have a golden opportunity to impress her here.

"Oh, that? That's a soda stream. It's just meant to spice up regular water by churning down pieces of carbon into it; this old thing is commonplace. I can make you a drink and show you how it works, but I think if you want to see something REALLY impressive you should see this ship's main engine. Now that's certainly something that would kick your brain into high gear" John explained smoothly.

For a few seconds, John felt really confident about himself. He was well aware of how much Pulse loved learning about new technology, so by explaining extremely advanced - to her, at least - scientific wonders he was sure to earn some admiration. However, that smile quickly dropped. Because as it turned out, there was no way he could out-science Pulse.

"...mixing pieces of raw carbon and water. You sure that you don't mean carbonic acid and water? Because that's about a hundred times more likely than what you're making it sound like" Pulse bluntly clarified.

The oh-so confident Tiefling visibly cringed as his plan to impress his crush fell apart. He might've been the craft's pilot, but just because he could steer it through a meteor swarm didn't mean he knew how its inner mechanisms worked. His mood didn't improve much from Pulse's follow-up statement, either.

"Also, if you remember I've already taken a clear look at the main engine. I analysed pretty much every nook and cranny of it a couple hours ago - as a matter of fact, it was the very first thing I did when I got here. You were the one who pointed me there, for the hells' sake!" Pulse explained.

With a sigh born from a not-so-hidden sense of exasperation, the Drow began to turn around to go back to what she'd been doing.

"Look, I accepted your invitation to 'swing over' mainly for the chance to see the wonders of outer space and the unbelievable technology that can traverse it. And I don't exactly have all the time in the world. So if you want anything else I advise that you'll say it quickly" she finished.

With this exclamation, the mechanic turned her attention to scribbling down notes in her notebook while overlooking what she had surmised to be a storage unit. John slumped back in his seat while giving off a big sigh - that couldn't have gone much worse. He couldn't help but feel a bit disrespected too. On one hand it made sense; this was the first time he and Pulse had met since the tournament ended, and that was 3 whole months ago. To her, he was still just some bloke that happened to drive a spaceship. But still, did she have to be so blunt about it? He saw almost every part about her as absolutely stellar, but apparently even she had some rough edges. The lovestruck pilot shook it off - he supposed nobody was 100% perfect.

Bluntness aside, John wasn't about to admit defeat just yet. He simply had to try a different approach; maybe asking about her life would work better? It was worth a shot at least. Something had to catch her interest sooner or later.

"So, champion of the multiverse. How's life in Universe 1 going? With you around, I'm sure it's in good hands" the Tiefling asked in his most flattering tone.

Pulse froze up for a second. She'd been aware of John's feelings ever since the tournament, but it was almost laughable how badly he failed to hide them. If his flustered cheeks and nervous undertone wasn't enough to prove it, then his difficulty to look her in the eye without flinching away sure was. She really didn't want to break the news that she wasn't interested in him, but what else was she going to do? Just let the situation escalate, like she did when she reunited with her dad? For now, she settled for dissuading the situation - she wasn't ready to let him down just yet.

"It has its ups and downs, I guess. There have been quite a lot of downs lately, but it's nothing to think about" the Drow settled for.

In Pulse's mind life in Universe 1 was, in fact, something to think about. Traversing the planar system with something of an adventuring group, whose technical leader along with said leader's best friend were out to kill a demon lord all because they had beef with him, was certainly something that could be considered "a lot of ups and downs". But she couldn't tell that to a guy she barely knew, now could she?

"Right… if you say so…"

John had a knack for reading people himself. He might've been somewhat compromised on that front at the moment due to his attraction clouding his judgement, but even so it was obvious that Pulse was lying. There was clearly much more to her situation that she purposefully withheld, and even his high opinion of her couldn't fully disperse the pain of being dismissed like that. To the point that for just a second, he found himself wondering if this was even worth the effort.

"...so how's life in space? I'd imagine it's very different for a… local, I guess is the word?" Pulse eventually murmured as she turned back to face John.

Luckily for the latter, it appeared that the inventor had realised she'd gone too far. Sure, she didn't know the guy and most certainly didn't reciprocate his feelings, but on the other hand he hadn't done anything to wrong her. Other than being a liar and a burglar, but he'd done nothing to Pulse to deserve being ignored. So she figured the least she could do was return the attention and hold a conversation with him - she'd been a bad enough guest as it was. John deserved at least that much, crush or no crush. With a bit of luck, maybe she could even avoid that subject altogether.

"Oh! Uuh… (ahem), it's pretty cool, I guess. One day you're taking it slow on a bar thousands of lightyears from home, the next you're smuggling exotic wares right underneath the noses of whatever federation that's ruling this sector. It's one adventure after the next. So yeah, not too shabby" John answered as nonchalantly as he could.

He most certainly hadn't expected that question after Pulse had blown off his own, but he wasn't complaining in the slightest. The one he adored so much finally paid attention to him - that alone dispelled the hints of doubt he'd just felt. Thus it didn't take long for him to go right back to try and impress her with casual tales of adventure and wonder, despite the fact that it hadn't worked at all so far.

"Cruising the solar waves and seeing new sights every day… yeah, that's my life. Usually it's up to Jex to decide where to go next, but as long as there are new adventures to be had I'll gladly take this ship wherever" he continued.

"Wait, hold up. 'Jex'? Who in blazes is that? I thought you said this was your ship!" Pulse questioned in a mix of confusion and ire.

John froze in place as he realised he'd slipped up.

Up until now he'd managed to keep that detail completely under wraps, but one moment of dropping his guard had let the space hamster out of the bag. And now Pulse was staring daggers at him demanding an explanation. The Tiefling let out a dejected sigh - there was no use in pretending anymore. Time to tell the whole truth.

"Please don't get mad, but… yeah, this isn't my ship. It belongs to Jexica, a friend of mine from some backwater planet called 'Earth'. Me, her and her fellow earthling Kai form what I guess you could call a crew here, after I… might have tried to steal this ship while missing that they were both still onboard. Since then we've evened things out and stayed a group, but that's besides the point. I dropped them off at Hoffmannii about an hour before you arrived then promised I'd pick them back up tomorrow. So in short… I lied, I just got to borrow the ship for us tonight. I'm so sorry, I didn't want you to think I was a freeloader" John wearily explained.

The lies hadn't stopped. Sure, he'd gotten to borrow the ship for an evening, but only after begging on his knees for almost an hour and promising that he'd owe his captain a favour. He knew that he'd end up regretting that later. And to make things even worse, Pulse's frown only intensified. This explanation clearly hadn't been enough for her to instantly let him off the hook.

"That's what you're worried about? My guy, I don't give a single shit about whether or not you have your own ship or not. I would never storm off back home just because you don't have a legal deed to a spacecraft, that's absolutely no issue. What IS an issue is that you're consciously lying to my face about something this trivial! I don't exactly appreciate being lied to just so you can think you're cooler than you actually are!" Pulse argued somewhat angrily.

"Again, I'm really sorry, but I… I just wanted you to think I was someone. Just wanted to seem impressive. Because I… b-because I really l-" John tried to stutter. However, he never got to finish his declaration. Because Pulse, already well aware of what he was about to say, held up her hand as if to signify him to not finish that sentence. She had been dancing around this issue long enough - it appeared that she hadn't learned anything from the situation with Vuzrak 3 months ago. She was going to learn from her mistakes and face this problem head on before it got too out of hand. So after a deep breath and an even deeper sigh, the inventor began to address the one issue she had up until now hoped to avoid.

"Because you really like me, I know. John… please don't take what I'm about to say out of context. I'm fully aware that you've been crushing on me since the tournament, and honestly? I'm flattered that you think that highly of me, I really am. But I don't feel that way about you back. And if I'm being completely honest, I don't think you truly feel that way either. We have met a grand total of twice over the course of three months - that's hardly enough time to form a genuine romantic connection for either side" the Drow explained as thoughtfully as possible.

As she did her best to get the words out in spite of her reservations, Pulse slowly but steadily walked over to the suddenly stunned John. After putting her organic hand on his shoulder, she looked him dead in the eye to continue her speech.

"You might be a thief and a liar, but I think there's a really nice guy underneath all that. And I'll be the first to admit that I haven't really been a very good guest at all. So I'm sorry too. But if you can promise me to try to work on that honesty of yours, then I think I can at least give being a good friend a chance. Definitely nothing more, but nothing less either. Again, I'm sorry for brushing your feelings aside like that. I should've been honest from the beginning instead of trying to ignore them and, as a consequence, you. But that latter part goes for you too. So how about we'll both try our damndest to just be honest, and see if we can get along as simply friends?" the inventor finished, topped off by a quick exhale.

Saying all that without pausing had not been easy, but Pulse still felt mostly relief at just having it done with. A mix of exhilaration and hints of embarrassment of her eloquent choice of words as well, but mainly relief. The Drow had gone above and beyond what she'd thought herself capable of - she'd managed to face an issue head on instead of dancing around it until it blew up in her face. Now she only hoped that her words had gone through, and that John would accept her apology and proposition.

However, John didn't answer. He simply sat there in his pilot seat, all the while staring vacantly down onto the floor. It appeared that he was once again off in his own world, but this time seemingly as a result of processing Pulse's words. Being rejected, even in an as kindly manner as possible, was still something that'd always be hard to take. Especially when it came in the form of such an elaborate explanation. The Tiefling pilot was, in no uncertain terms, a bit wrecked. But beneath it all one thought slowly but surely came to the forefront. One prominent enough that he steadily turned the rotating seat around towards the window facing the asteroids outside.

Maybe Pulse was right. On one hand John did hold the utmost respect for her, particularly her intellect and drive. Maybe not her bluntness or occasional cynicism, but everything else he admired greatly. But on the other hand maybe it was just that - admiration. He looked up to her positive traits and personally considered her insanely hot as well; perhaps those feelings had been mixed up at some point. Slowly but surely, the pilot reached a realisation.

"...yeah. Yeah, I think I can do that. No hard feelings from this point on?" John eventually answered.

"Of course not, John. No more lying and whatnot, from either of us!" Pulse replied with a smile.

With this, the Drow sat down in the seat next to her hopefully new friend. Before she headed home later she would give John the full story of how life in Universe 1 was, but maybe they needed something more lighthearted to talk about first. Hopping between planes of existence to reach the Abyss and all its hellish layers to eventually try to kill Graz'zt himself, with only the world's most chaotic High Elf, the afterlife's most aggressive Triton and the Abyss' most peculiar Dragonborn to help with that, wasn't exactly the first thing to bring up when you want to break the ice. She was lucky that this makeshift band of adventurers were currently passing through a relatively uneventful plane; there was no way she would have had the opportunity to go along with John's invitation otherwise.

"So, do you have any hobbies? Like what do you do when you're not flying your friends around to new planets and whatnot?" Pulse asked curiously.

John still appeared a bit downtrodden, like he was still wrestling with his conflicted feelings. But despite this it didn't take long to answer, and when he did his voice appeared to turn more joyful the further into the sentence he got.

"Well, uh… I do like flying of course, even during our free time. I'm not gonna get away with trying to see how fast I can get through an asteroid field; Jex would kill me if I risked her ship like that. But sometimes I get a kick from trying to see how fast this old thing can take us from point A to point B, so I guess that's something! Other than that I sometimes dabble in figure painting, and I do like learning about bugs if that counts as a real hobby…" the Tiefling excitedly mumbled.

That last sentence was enough for Pulse to suddenly perk up and gain an excited glint in her eye of her own. Which was notably visible to John as the inventor had practically launched herself forward until her face was right next to his, seemingly as a pure reflexive action.

"For real? I love bugs! I used to catch them all the time when I was a kid! Oooh, which are your favourites? Mine are beetles, or maybe dragonflies - I dunno, I love them both!" the mechanic chattered giddily.

Since he now had an - at least to him - very attractive woman excitedly leaning in close to his face, John still found himself blushing somewhat intently. That was something he knew he'd have to learn to manage. But for now he managed to compose himself, even lightly motioning to Pulse to back away a bit; something she quickly did upon realising her action. But this slightly awkward moment was quickly replaced by a mutual excitement over somebody sharing his interest.

"I don't think I've ever heard of those, so I'm guessing that's what they're called on your home planet and/or universe. But I could open up the Insectopedia - basically a page on the Galactic Encyclopedia net - and see if they're a thing here! Oh, and while we're at it I gotta show you the Motobug. I think you'd love that one!" John responded almost as eagerly as Pulse.

The Drow couldn't stay for much longer since she still had an adventure to go back to, something she didn't look forward to that much given the constant life-threatening danger and all. It was too bad that the portal bracelet couldn't breach the planar borders within one singular universe - otherwise she and her group could've skipped to the end already. But for now she could just enjoy the moment with a fellow insect enjoyer and possibly new friend, with the prospect of unrequited crushes put behind them… of course, she had to admit she found John's wide-eyed excitement pretty cute. Charming, even.

Likewise, the Tiefling would have to go pick up his two buddies after Pulse had gone home. And while he certainly enjoyed having those two around, right now he wanted this happy moment to continue for as long as possible. This moment of Pulse letting out a long "wow" at the holographic sight of his favourite insect, with the awkward tension of misidentified feelings all in the past… of course, he still found Pulse's meticulous drive to learn new things pretty admirable. Enthralling, even.

The lives of the tournament's participants went on, all with new friends at their side. Friends from all corners of life who maybe, just maybe, could one day become something more.