Game 37: Unsweet Sixteen

“Guys… I don't feel so good…” Aisha told the others. As Takeshi turned around, he noticed she was beginning to disappear. 

“This isn't possible!” Takeshi protested. “You still have all your Lives!”

“Hang on, Aisha!” Proteus told her. “We'll figure something out! Find some healing magic or something!”

“It’s not Game related. I remember everything now…” Aisha told them. “The accident… The machine… How long I've been here… I'm dying in the real world…”

“No, you're not!” Takeshi insisted. “We are getting you to that finish line as soon as possible!” He tried to grab her hand, but he couldn't. Her body was fading fast.

“It's okay, Takeshi…” Aisha told him. “If it has to be this way, I'm ready to accept it.”

“Aisha, we're not leaving you here!” Rita told her. “We've got to win this challenge together!”

“Don't leave us, Aisha!” Makoto told her. “We're a team. We need to stay as a team.”

“Aisha, how long have you really been here?” Takeshi asked her.

“Six years…” Aisha answered.

Nobody could say anything after that. They all knew what was happening, and that all of them were powerless to do anything about it.

“Just remember me when you make your wish…” Aisha told them. “Make it a good wish, everyone… Run fast, and remember me…”

And with that, Aisha was gone.

Mr. Set, who was watching everything happening inside the Tower of Power, witnessed this happening on screen.

He let out a loud, angry cry.

•

At the top of the Tower, Lazlo Cardona laughed at the agony of his former colleague.

“I knew this whole time what you had been planning, T. C., so this loss of yours makes my inevitable victory all the sweeter!”

“Mr. Cardona… You knew about my daughter?”

“Of course, I knew about your daughter,” Lazlo explained, “and your plans to heal her using the essential energy and the Creation Engines, your plan to make the world ‘perfect' in your eyes. I disagree with that plan. So I scheduled my Tower of Power event to take place right before Aisha's birthday. That way, I could conduct my plans at the expense of yours!”

“You killed her…”

“Au contraire, Set. That car accident killed her six years ago. You were just desperately clinging to a false hope, instead of sacrificing her for your own gain.”

“You're a monster…”

“I'm not the monster here, Set. You are. You and the rest of you pathetic idealists who think the world would be a better place if everyone could just care and share more. Disgusting.”

Enraged by the loss of his daughter and Lazlo's gloating, Mr. Set attacked his former colleague. He attempted to throw Lazlo off the top of the Tower of Power. However, Lazlo had a trick up his sleeve. Similarly to Sora, Lazlo could transform into a knight form by calling out the word “Henshin!”, revealing himself to be the Granter of Wishes.

Mr. Set equipped his tiger's claw gauntlet, ready to fight.

•

Takeshi and the rest of the gang were now quickly climbing up floors in the hopes they could reach Level 9 before too many players got ahead of them.

Level 9 was a large room with a giant opening in the middle. It appeared their run was at an end unless they could find a way across the gap. Rita tried to fly across the gap with her Mossy Sylvan cloak, but there was some sort of barrier preventing her from getting more than halfway across.

“The only way to get across is to use your knowledge of the people in the room with you,” the room told them. “The first question is: What is the special skill of Takeshi Ishida?”

Everyone answered that Takeshi was a swordsman. Nothing happened.

“What's the deal?” Takeshi asked. “That was the right answer!”

“Let's try another question,” the room told them. “Name an animal Proteus Rhade can transform into.”

“Ragbunny.” “Moth.” “Cat.” “Pigeon.” “Cat.”

Only the person who answered “Moth”, Sora, could see a plank extending in front of them.

“There's no way that's the only right answer,” Sora said.

“Actually, that is a wrong answer,” Proteus corrected him. “Moths are not cute. Butterflies? Yeah. Moths? No.”

“Must be a glitch. Next question: What do Heart Cookies taste like?”

Everyone answered, "They taste like dirt!” Nothing happened. Takeshi was starting to wonder what was really going on.

“Next question: How many denier are in one libra?”

“240!” “100!” “200?” “100!” “240…?”

Everyone who answered anything other than “240” saw their planks extend.

Takeshi figured it out. “Guys! It's only the wrong answers!”

“Next question: What was Makoto Sato's occupation before entering The Game?

“Delivery driver!” “Bus boy!” “Salaryman!” “Politician!” “Police officer!”

All wrong answers. All brought them closer to the other side of the gap.

“Next question: Does Rita have a crush on Takeshi?”

“Yes!” “Yes!” “No!” “Yes! “Yes!”

Rita, answering truthfully, saw her plank retract instead of moving forward like the others. The sudden shift almost knocked her off her feet.

“Rita! You're supposed to answer incorrectly!” Takeshi told her.

“Sorry… Wait… Why did all of you answer yes?” Rita asked.

“I actually thought the answer WAS yes!” Makoto said.

“I mean… it's kinda obvious that you and I are just friends,” Takeshi answered her. “Unless you're Makoto.”

“Next question: Does Takeshi Ishida know magic?”

Everyone answered “Yes!” which was the wrong answer.

•

Mr. Set and Lazlo continued their fight at the top of the Tower. Lazlo's knight form proved to be too much for Mr. Set to handle. He was being led by his opponent to the edge of the building, surrounded by a roughly three foot high wall of brick.

“I never really liked you, Set,” Lazlo finally admitted after so many years. “I was only using you and the others to get what I wanted! A small price to pay for my wish!”

“What even is your wish?” Mr. Set asked him as he was now partially dangling over the wall. “Why are you fighting?!”

“I and I alone deserve perfection, Mr. Set! Life is not just about winning, it's about domination! It's about you having everything and everyone else having nothing!”

As Mr. Set fought for his life at the top of the Tower, he smiled a little.

“What are you all happy about all of a sudden?” Lazlo asked him.

“There is something I need to tell you…”

“What…?”

“I am not left-handed.” Mr. Set revealed he was wearing his gauntlet on the wrong hand. Using some sleight of hand magic, he switched the gauntlet to his right hand, jamming the tiger claws into Lazlo's armor. Now weakened and unable to sustain his knight form, his armor shattered into a fine dust.

•

Level 10 was a large room filled with lava and rocky pillars of varying heights. As with Level 9, an anti-flying barrier prevented Rita or Proteus from simply flying across.

“What kind of room is this?” Takeshi asked.

“This is a platforming level,” Makoto explained. “You have to jump from one platform to the next while avoiding falling into the lava.”

And so they did. Thanks to their impeccable teamwork, the gang managed to complete this Level without much difficulty. The hardest part was finding pillars that they could actually reach with a normal jump. They eventually figured out that the pillars had a certain rhythm to them that they could learn in order to make the challenge much easier.

•

Back at the top of the Tower, Mr. Set and Lazlo had switched places; Mr. Set was now about to toss Lazlo over the edge.

“It's very unfortunate it had to be this way, Mr. Cardona. You were a good friend to me, and a good boss. But defeating you here and now… That will only make my wish stronger.”

“You wouldn't dare…” Lazlo tried to say through the pain.

“A philosopher you would have liked once said that optimism inhibits survival,” Mr. Set told Lazlo. “I disagree. Optimism is what has allowed the human race to flourish for thousands of years. Long may it be that way.”

Mr. Set let his grip on Lazlo go, sending him falling into thin air.