Given Time

As soon as the battle ended, the simulator shut down and we were back in a regular ring. I looked at the stands. Everyone was on their feet, stunned. Everyone except Chefe, who remained seated with one hand on his chin, staring at me intently.

What should I do? I’ve never gotten this far before… Where’s Inertia? Am I supposed to press some command to exit combat mode?

I searched the entire phone display for a quit option but found nothing.

Normally in games, when a fight ends, it just returns to the main menu on its own. No extra action required.

But this situation is different… there’s no way it could be the same.

I looked at Telo, and he had already raised his helmet.

I touched my face and, sure enough, there was no protection left. Inertia’s hair, in its red form, was almost completely out.

If I go back to the Live App, will Inertia revert to her human form and be affected by the haze here in the ring? I don’t know… I’d better confirm before doing anything.

“I think I’m going to need another protective outfit,” I said, looking up at them.

Alba rushed down to the ring access with the outfit already in hand.

Telo returned to his more human form before leaving the ring. He was a tall, strong man, still two meters even like that, with truly blond hair and yellow eyes.

“Inertia, you need to return to your human form before stepping out of the ring,” Alba said, holding the outfit out so I could take it from above.

“I don’t know how to get out of this form,” I answered quietly.

“What?!” she shot back.

I’d forgotten that everyone there could hear what was said inside the ring. It turned out to be an opportunity for Chefe to defend us from what was coming.

“You see? We had enough time for Inertia to fully recover, but not enough to study the combat system. How can you still want her in the Games? We don’t know what might happen. It isn’t safe,” he challenged the judges.

“That’s exactly why she should go to Nowy. She’ll definitely get the best support there,” Hazel replied. “But you’re right, even with her victory, we can’t allow her to participate. Not because of this minor detail, but because of what we witnessed during the battle.”

What? What did they witness? Do they know I’m not Inertia?

“What’s that item on the back of Inertia’s neck?” Oliver asked, pointing at me. “We know Inertia carries an Eterno. No human could take such forms without one. But what is that item?”

I froze, alarmed. What are they trying to say? They can’t find out about the phone. If they do, they’ll know Kera has a way to communicate with the past. So I stepped in.

“That’s a personal item of mine, and it poses no threat to anyone,” I said, placing my hand over the back of my neck to shield the phone.

And by accident, I deactivated combat mode. The Versus screen snapped back to the menu, and my connection with them was gone in an instant.

***

I was lying on the ground, half-naked, when I regained control of my body. It seemed Luna had anticipated the possibility of nudity after transformation and had designed a kind of undergarment made with elastic fabric and elastane, allowing it to shift into new shapes and then return to its original form.

Alba rushed into the ring with the outfit in hand while everyone watched.

Before I could even stand, someone activated the simulator.

“Hey, what are you hiding?” Oliver demanded.

It seemed Luna had switched the simulator on to block anyone from seeing what was happening inside the ring.

“Come on, I’ll help you get dressed,” Alba said as she pulled me to my feet, quickly snatching the phone from beneath me and slipping it into her pocket.

“How rude. We’re giving Inertia some privacy,” Luna remarked.

“There’s no solid reason for Inertia to enter the Games,” Chefe added.

“We’ll bring this up with the other judges. Everything we witnessed here will be reported to the representatives. If there’s anything you wish to retract, now is the time,” Oliver said as he prepared to leave.

As Alba helped me put on the helmet, the simulator powered down.

“I’ll take you to the exit,” Chefe said, motioning toward the door.

But they waited until I stepped down.

“Inertia, I don’t know why you chose to stay here, but you will always be welcome in Nowy. We’ll notify you of the result,” Hazel said. Then she and Oliver left with Chefe and Luna.

I waited until they were gone before asking what had happened. Telo said his goodbyes and left soon after.

“Am I safe? There’s no way they can summon me to the Games now, right?” I asked Dom and Alba.

“They manipulate things however they want,” Dom replied.

“From what I gathered, Telo was bought,” Alba explained. “Luna said his plan from the start was to lose to you, since his entry into Nowy was already guaranteed after winning the semifinals… and that’s exactly what happened. I don’t know what they’re planning, but I’m just glad you’re okay.”

It was true. This was the first time I had transformed without any aftereffects.

“Here’s your phone,” Alba said, pulling it from her pocket and handing it to me. “Luna sent a message saying they need to go to the council.”

“Thanks. Rei must be worried,” I said as I opened the app and started a call with him. But just as the call began, my stomach growled.

“Oh my—” I pressed a hand to my belly.

“Let’s head to the cafeteria. That unexpected fight must have drained you,” Dom said as we walked out.

“Inertia, are you okay?” Rei answered, and I asked before even saying hello.

“I’m completely fine. Looks like the risk of failure was only that first time,” I said as we rode the minicart to the cafeteria.

“Seems like to exit battle mode I just have to run a hand over the phone. We should test that later,” Rei said. “Telo’s skin is already available in the app. We can try it whenever you want.”

“Inertia, what about you? Can you keep up with everything that’s happening? Where did you go this time?” Dom asked.

I didn’t know either.

“I feel like I’m still there. I don’t know how to explain it… I don’t go anywhere, I just can’t move or speak. It’s like I’m paralyzed, trapped in my own body, just watching everything happen.”

“I think I know what that is. Your brother used a substance on me that made me feel the exact same way,” Rei said.

“We’re here,” Alba announced.

I should have suspected it. The cafeteria was inside one of those greenhouses. They still don’t have a sense of taste, so it doesn’t really make sense for them to have a dedicated dining space.

Inside, there was just a single cafeteria-style table in the middle of the greenhouse.

“Help yourself to whatever you want from here, except meat, we’re out of that. If you want, pack a meal to go; it’s getting late,” Dom said as he walked between the crops.

They had a little of everything you could grow in a place like this. Most likely, the other greenhouse held the fruits and vegetables that weren’t here.

I grabbed two items you can eat raw, since I didn’t know if there were pots or a stove back at the dorm, and I took what I could to get through the night. Alba handed me a vacuum-sealed bag for the food I was taking, and then we headed back to the dorms.

Dom and Alba dropped me off in front of my little house and then headed to theirs.

The plan was for Alba to stop by in the morning so we could run some tests in the simulator throughout the day.

The first thing I did when I got inside was collapse onto the couch. I was exhausted.

As soon as I lay down, the entire day replayed in my head. Thinking it over, more than a month had already passed since I arrived here. Today I learned I have a brother, and that he was the one who brought me here. The reason? So I could live.

So I’m going to make the most of all the time I’ve been given, by living.

End of Report 29