Love During Robot Fighting Time: Chapter 31 (series finale)

Hello, all! Welcome to the final chapter of the main saga! Hope you enjoy, and thank you for coming on this crazy journey with me and the polycule! This isn’t quite the end, however: on July 1st, I’ll be releasing on ebook version of the whole novel on Amazon, which will include THREE EXLUSIVE EPILOGUE CHAPTERS! Check back here for updates soon!

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***

Kate

I sat across from Eric Gaines, a wall of glass between us, a two-way phone pressed to my ear as I took in the sight of my former sponsor clad in an orange jumpsuit. The atmosphere on my side of the lock-up was rancid, but on the other side… Gaines looked like he hadn’t slept or bathed in several days, and like he’d barely eaten a scrap during that time either. 

He looked like shit. 

I told him as much. Directly. 

“What do you want, Calloway?” he asked, barely hiding the contempt behind his barred teeth. 

“I want an explanation,” I said. 

He blinked. “What?”

“Did I stutter?” I asked, my eyes narrow and my tone flat. “I want to know why you did what you did. What’s complicated about that question?”

“... Are you serious?” he said, genuine confusion cracking in his voice.  

It was as if my mind were a kettle full of water and the heat from the stove just cranked up a number. “Yeah, Gaines, I’m serious. Why did you do what you did?”

“To make money, you idiot,” he said very slowly, as if he were talking to a small, severely concussed child. 

“I was making you money. Me. And you threw it away,” I said. “I was gonna win you a championship. You would have had a giant fucking gold trophy to display in your office.”

“Oh for- do you seriously not get it?” Gaines said. “You’re a liability. If you’d won, I’d suddenly have to hitch my wagon to political cause I don’t believe in for probably the rest of my life and alienate half my clients as a result. And if you’d lost- which, given who you’re going up against, you almost definitely will- I’d have to drop you as a client after sinking countless amounts of time and money into your faggoty ass. It would have been for NOTHING. Do you get it now, you stupid little shit? You weren’t a risk worth taking.”

The heat went up another one, two, three notches. “And this was?!” I said, gesturing to the literal prison around me. “Committing a crime was worth it? Potentially going to jail was worth it-”

“Eh, I’m not too worried about that,” Gaines shrugged. “I got a good lawyer. I’ll make bail. And if not, the sentence will be light. I’m a first-time offender and it was ultimately a victimless crime-”

The water began to bubble. “Victimless?! What about me?!” I bellowed, my voice dropping lower than it had in WEEKS.

“What about you?” he said blankly. 

The water reached a raging boil. “Oh fuck you, you lying sack of shit! Fuck you! FUCK YOU!” I screamed, standing up and kicking my chair back. 

I kept screaming those words even as the guards hauled me away and chucked me out of the police station. I kept muttering them under my breath the entirety of my drive home. I kept shouting them inside my head as I parked my car in the driveway at home and stormed up the stairs past both of my parents and slammed the door to my room. 

I flopped on my bed and buried my face in my pillow and just SCREAMED into it.

My voice went hoarse, and finally I stopped, but my face remained in my pillow, tears and makeup and snot tarnishing the pink casing I stayed there, face-down in my own disgusting misery for what felt like hours, ignoring the knocks on my door from my concerned parents, ignoring the dings and rings of my cell phone, ignoring everything but my anger and depression. 

I didn’t have much in the way of a savings account- paying for community college largely by myself had done a number on that, even with the added benefits of a part-time job and living with my parents rent-free. I had no sponsor, and a busted up robot that I only had six days to get into state of semi-functionality before I had a rematch with a bot I already knew was capable of kicking my ass. 

And that was before I took into account the still active question of ‘can I really bring myself to fight my partners?’

Truthfully, I had no idea. I’d changed a lot- like, A LOT. I looked different, I felt different, I acted different… 

… I USUALLY acted different. Today… Today, at the police station, I’d regressed. I’d slipped back into being a total jackass, and now that the adrenaline high and fleeting illusion of control were rapidly dissipating, all I had left was shame digging through me like mud wasps through my bare flesh. 

Fuck. 

FUCK!

I felt like the old me. Like Keith. And I hated that guy. 

If this was how I reacted when my sponsor dropped me… How would I react when I got humiliated by the same pair of incredibly sexy geniuses on national television for the second year in a row? Would I be able to contain myself? Would I be able to keep being me? Would they… Would they want ANYTHING to do with me? 

Faith used to spend hours complaining about how annoying Keith was. 

Zeke… Tolerated Keith, but barely. 

I couldn’t go back. 

But with no money and barely functional bot, what else did I have but my anger?

“Katie? Honey, please say something,” Mom’s sweet, gentle voice came through the door. 

I finally rolled over and looked up. The sun was setting, when it had been high in the sky upon my return home. Jesus Christ, I’d barely even noticed how much time had gone by. “Yeah, Mom?” I said, wincing with shame at my own low voice. I breathed in, held it in my chest, and spoke as I breathed out, “What is it?”

“There’s someone here to see you.”

Panic lanced my chest and damn-near disemboweled me. “I, uh, don’t think I can see Zeke or Faith right now.”

“It’s not either of them.”

“Hm? Who is it, then?”

“They said their name is Tom, but… I don’t think that will still be true in a few weeks.”

I blinked. Tom… Like Olivia’s teammate, Tom? “Gimme a sec to wash my face, and I’ll be right there.”

“Sounds good. They’re waiting for you downstairs.”

I cleaned the disaster area that was my face with makeup wipes and cold water, then slapped a quick layer of moisturizer onto my visage before I ambled down the stairs and found a familiar individual waiting for me at the bottom. It was definitely Olivia’s teammate, but he… They… Were wearing a long blue sundress and a full face of makeup. Their nails were manicured and lacquered silver, and they carried a beige tote bag over their shoulder. 

“Hi,” I said, approaching them slowly. 

“Hi,” they said. 

Silence sat between the two of us, heavy as an anvil, for a few agonizing minutes before I said,“So, uh… You’re like me?” I asked. 

“I think so, yeah,” the tall black girl answered, rubbing the back of her head nervously. “Still figuring it out- haven’t totally committed to any pronouns yet, but… I’m thinking Tamara, for my new name.”

“I like it,” I said, mustering up a smile. “Tamara. It suits you.”

“Thanks,” she smiled back. “Olivia… She, uh, didn’t react super well-”

“Of course she fucking didn’t,” I rolled my eyes. 

“Yeahhh, that girl’s got issues,” Tamara said. “Listen, I just wanted to apologize for… Well, for everything that she put you through.”

“It’s okay-”

“No, it’s not okay,” Tamara shook her head. “She was horrible to you. And to Faith, by the sound of it. And I think… Watching what she did, knowing the horrible reasons she did it… It made me start asking myself questions that I had previously been too scared to try to answer.”

“OH,” I said, taking a step forward.

“So I guess I also wanted to say thank you. I know you didn’t intend it- we barely know each other- but regardless, you helped me. So, thank you.”

“No problem,” I said, hoping my voice wasn’t cracking. 

“I also wanted to give you something,” Tamara said before gesturing to the door behind her. “Follow me? It’s right outside.”

I nodded, and I followed her outside to find… Boxes. Boxes full of machinery. Full of… Full of ROBOT PARTS HOLY SHIT!

“Funny story,” Tamara said. “Olivia helped us build Tooth Fairy, but the design was all mine and Winston’s. And we own the trademark on it, because it was built at my dad’s garage. I can afford to rebuild, but my season is over. Yours isn’t. Take it. Rebuild. Fight. Win.”

“I don’t know what to say,” I said, running my hands through my hair, blinking rapidly. 

“Just say ‘thanks,’” Tamara said. “That’s all I need to hear. Only asking price I need.”

“Thank you!” I beamed, bouncing up and down on the balls of my feet with excitement. “Wait- does Winston know you’re doing this?”

“He drove me,” Tamara said, hitching her thumb back at the silver minivan behind her, wherein the short, slender young man sat behind the driver’s seat, clad in a perfectly-tailored three-piece gray suit. “We’re going on our first date after this.”

“Oh!” I said. “Good for you two.”

“Yeah. Olivia bounced right after I came out, and as soon as she left, Winston confessed he’d been crushing on me for a while now.”

“Sounds like a solid guy,” I smiled. “Hold onto him.”

“I will,” Tamara nodded. “And you hold onto your people as well. 

I gave a deep nod. “I will.”

“And good luck in the finals!” Tamara said, heading back towards her and Winston’s minivan. “I’ll be in the crowd! See you there!”

“See you!” I said, waving good-bye to the young couple.

I watched the freshly-hatched trans girl drive away with her presumably soon-to-be boyfriend, then bent my knees and picked up the big box of parts. 

All that was left to do now was parse through what I had and get to work. 

***

The rest of the night was a blur. I didn’t leave the garage until it was time for my opening shift at the shop, and once that was done, it was right back to the garage. 

A day passed like that, then two, three. I wasn’t checking my phone, I was barely paying attention at dinner. I was sleeping three hours a night and then waking up and showering and getting right to work. 

My parents weren’t too concerned- I’d been much the same going into the finals last year. Still, they shared those Looks every once and a while, and if I had to guess, they meant ‘I was hoping she’d outgrown this kind of behavior.’

I was hoping I had as well. But times were desperate. 

I didn’t know if I’d be able to beat Zeke and Faith. But I did know that if I didn’t try my absolute hardest, I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself. I wouldn’t be able to respect myself ever again. 

That’s what I was telling myself, anyway. I told myself that right up until I climbed out of bed on Thursday night and scrambled to the garage and found my boyfriend and girlfriend both waiting for me there. Zeke had his arms folded together, while Faith’s hands were planted firmly on her hips. 

“Ah!” I yelped, walking backwards until I found myself against the closed door. “Uh… Hey, cuties. How’s it going?”

“Oh you know, it’s going,” Zeke said in monotone. 

“Katie, what the hell?” Faith said incredulously. 

“Whatever do you mean?” I chuckled nervously. 

“You don’t call, you don’t text-”

“I’ve been busy!”

“You’ve been avoiding us,” Faith said, eyebrows scrunched. 

“No I haven’t!”

“Kate,” Zeke said, taking a step forward. “You’ve been avoiding us. Very obviously.”

“...”

“Kate.”

“...”

“KATE.”

“... Okay, maybe I have,” I said, looking down at the floor, shame and disgust rising from my core to my mind and flooding out all other feelings. “I’m sorry… I just… Just…”

“Just what?” Faith said, relaxing her posture, taking a step forward herself. 

“I’m scared, okay!” I said, closing my eyes and shaking my head back and forth rapidly. 

“Scared of what?” Faith said as I heard her inching ever closer. 

“Of what comes next,” I said, ceasing to shake my head but still not opening my eyes. The array of colors behind my eyelids, the lights from outside filtered in through a solid screen of skin, were harsh and disparate, while the surrounding soundscape was eerily quiet but for the forward footsteps of the people I loved. “What if… What if I win, and I turn into a jerk again? Will you still love me? What if the person I am now is just something I’ve tricked myself into being, and once it gets too hard, I won’t be that person anymore? What if success goes to my head and I become someone you both hate? What if-”

Suddenly, two sets of arms wrapped around me, two bodies intertwined around my slender frame, holding me up when everything in me was telling me to fall down. 

I opened my eyes, and I was surrounded by love. 

“Katherine Miranda Calloway, you are the only person I know who would worry this much about being too successful,” Faith said. 

“I’m sorry-”

“Don’t be sorry,” Faith smiled. “It’s one of the things I love about you.”

“L-love?” I said. “You love me?”

“Hell yeah I love you,” Faith said, kissing me on the cheek. 

“Same here,” Zeke said, replicating the gesture. 

“Okay, but if I lose, and I turn into a jerk again?” I said. 

“Then don’t turn into a jerk,” Zeke said. 

“But-”

“It’s not nearly as complicated as you’re making it out to be, babe,” Zeke said. 

“Yeah seriously, babe, babe is right. Listen to babe,” Faith said. 

“I love you both,” I whispered. “So damn much.”

They both pressed their foreheads against my temples, one on each side, their lips right in front of one of my ears. “We know.”

“What do you need?” Faith said. 

“I… I need to try my hardest,” I said. “I don’t know if I need to win. But I need to know that I did everything I could to win.”

“Makes sense,” Zeke said.

“And I need the both of you to do the same,” I said. “Don’t hold back. Give me everything you’ve got. The whole scope of all three of us and all that we’re capable of- I wanna leave it all out in the battle box.”

Faith grinned. “I think we can arrange that.”

Zeke’s smile was softer, subtler. “There’s, uh, something we wanted to discuss with you, though. About next season-”

“Not yet,” I said with a deep gulp. “I think I can guess what you’re about to say, but… Not until after the last match. Okay?”

From my peripheral vision, I saw them both nod. “Sounds good,” they said in tandem.

I kissed them both on the mouth, ladies first, then a bit of tongue for the gentleman. 

“Is there anything else you need?” Zeke said. 

“Anything at all?” Faith asked. 

“... Just a little more time,” I said gently. “Polyphemus is almost ready. And the fight is tomorrow. I’ve got some surprises in store, and I need the rest of the next twenty-four hours to put the finishing touches together. So just… A little more time. And then after the fight… Well, we walk all together, hands in hands, towards the future. Sound good?”

“Sounds great,” Faith whispered.

“Agreed,” Zeke said. 

They held me tight for a little while longer, silent and steady as they kept me propped up. I loved them for it, but I knew… I knew I couldn’t always rely on them to hold me together. It wasn’t fair to them, or to me. I loved them, and I… I wanted to prove to myself that I could hold my own. It wasn’t about proving to them that I was worthy of their love. It was about proving to myself that I deserved to be happy, and that I could make myself happy. 

I wanted to be the person they saw me as. And no matter what happened, if I kept pushing forward… Then maybe I’d finally see myself the way the people I love saw me.

***

“Mom? Dad? Are you proud of me?” I asked. 

I sat in front of my vanity mirror doing my makeup, going for a look with extra pop tonight for the finals. I was clad in the nicest dress I had, a pink sequin gown with light blue opera gloves, applying dark eyeshadow and heavy mascara while Mom used a curling iron on my platinum tresses. Poly was loaded up into the truck, and Dad stood in the doorway of my room leaning against the frame with his arms folded. 

“What kinda question is that?” Dad asked. “Of course we’re proud of you. You’ve made it to the championships two years in a row out of two years in the pros. And you’ve got two fantastic partners. And frankly, you’re our daughter. Of course we’re proud of you.”

I smiled. “Thanks.”

“Why do you ask, anyway?” Mom said. 

“... Nerves, I guess. Part of me worries you won’t be proud of me if I lose tonight.”

“Katherine-”

“I know, I know,” I said with a chuckle, setting down the eyeshadow brush and grabbing the tube of red lipstick. “I’m projecting. I do that.”

“So then you just need to stay proud of yourself, no matter what happens tonight,” Dad said. “Simple as that.”

“Yeah,” I said with a slight smile. I popped my lips as I did my lipstick. 

“And you should be,” Mom said. “You’ve come so far and changed so much in a short time. Kate… We are both so damn proud of the woman you’ve grown into. And you should be too.”

“Thanks,” I said, putting the lipstick down while Mom put the finishing touches on my hair. I turned to face them both. “How do I look?”

“Absolutely beautiful,” Mom said. 

Dad flinched, his jaw dropping. 

“What?” I asked, furrowing my brow as the embers of my nerves were stoked.

“N-nothing,” Dad said. “You just… You look so much like your mother. It’s uncanny.”

Pure willpower was the only thing holding back a river of tears threatening to ruin the hard work I’d done on my makeup. Instead I breathed in a sharp breath through my nose and sighed wistfully, then smiled as wide as I could. “Thank you. I love you guys- you’re the best parents ever.”

“Heh, I wouldn’t go that far,” Dad said, rubbing the back of his head. “But we try. And we love you too, kiddo.”

“So damn much,” Mom said. “Now c’mon. You’ve got a date with destiny.”

I nodded. “Let’s go.”

***

By the time we arrived, the third place bout was already done. Team Tooth Fairy had declined the invitation due to the massive repairs they needed and the fact that they were down their main pilot (good riddance), so it left Ansible fighting Pendulum for the proverbial bronze metal. 

Gregson was already giving his post-victory interview when I wheeled Poly out on a sledge. Good for him. Couldn’t wait to fight him again next season. 

As the battle box was cleared and everyone got into position, I made my way over to the red square. I spotted Faith and Zeke across from me, both looking absolutely gorgeous in the same outfits they’d worn for the season opener. God, that felt like a lifetime ago, not three months ago. They both waved to me, and I waved back, and the roar of the crowd died away as the three of us made eye contact and just… Drank it in. Here we were, back where we began, as our truest selves. 

Goddammit, even with my nerves, it felt amazing. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

I heard Marty and Derek finishing up their pre-fight monologues and sending the cue over to the big guy. 

And that was that. 

It was time. 

It was, in point of fact-

“-ROBOT FIGHTING TIME!”

The swell of noise from the cheering crowd washed over me like a gentle wave. I was ready. Whatever happened, I was ready. 

“IN THE RED SQUARE: this bot ALWAYS gets right to the point. It pierces right to the heart of the issue, and leaves nothing but holes in you and your argument! It’ll leave you punctured, and then get you with a GIGA! DRILL! BREAKER! IT’S… DAI GURREN!”

Everyone whooped and applauded. Including me. 

“AND IN THE BLUE SQUARE: this bot brings terror to sailors everywhere. It’ll take you on an odyssey of pain and destruction! It’ll eat your crew alive and make you watch… Wow, that one got dark, didn’t it? IT’S… POLYPHEMUS!!!!”

The whole building, the whole city, the whole of the Los Angeles metropolitan area could have been cheering for me in that moment, but I wouldn’t have noticed. All that mattered to me was the two people across from me, cheering louder and harder for me than I’d ever thought possible. 

God, I loved those two goobers.

We both wheeled our robots into the battle box, got into our positions. Faith and Zeke exchanged a kiss, and then they both blew me one. 

“Making me blush, you two are,” I said. 

“Good,” Faith smirked. 

“That’s the idea, Calloway,” Zeke said, smile equally shit-eating. 

“Yeah, well,” I said, then blew them each a kiss, “Take that, you nerds.”

“Happily,” Faith said. 

“Very happily,” Zeke said. 

“Well then happy to be of service,” I said. 

“Here we go, here we go, here we go,” Marty said from the commentator’s booth. 

“One last time, let’s do this,” Derek said. 

“ROBOTS! ACTIVATE!”

I slammed my button. 

Faith did the same.

And away we went. 

I shot straight forward. 

DG did the same. 

I’d made some modifications going into this fight, chief among them being that I was armed to the teeth: my overhead ax was repositioned to swing down from my stern, while my katana was positioned at my bow. My side-knife was safely secured in secret, though given that DG almost certainly had theirs, it evened out. I’d opted to leave the flamethrowers at home as well- no point in all this if I weighed too much to move.

“Hope you’re ready for a trip to pound-town,” Faith grinned.

“Is that a threat?” I grinned back.

“Oh, it’s a promise, beautiful,” Faith winked. 

“Dreams really do come true,” Zeke chuckled.

Guren flanked me from one side, Dai Gurren from the other, as I reached the middle of the arena. Moving slower thanks to my heavy arsenal, I still managed to rotate forty-five degrees as they closed in. My back was DG, and I flipped one switch to bring down the ax. With another switch, I activated a modification I’d made to my katana: a simple, rapid chopping motion that clipped one of G’s tires and sent it careening towards its larger counterpart. 

“Gonna put y’all on the chopping block!” I said. 

“Just as long as it’s away from your terrible puns,” Faith said. 

“Oh, that’s just cold,” I said. 

“What can I say, I’m an ice queen.”

“If by that you mean your feet are painfully cold, then yeah,” I said. 

“Heh, babe’s got you there, babe,” Zeke said.

DG moved out of the way just in time to avoid the blow from my ax, veering left and away from the spiraling Guren, only for me to activate my side-knife and plunge it directly into DG’S faceplate. 

Unfortunately, the rotating drill tore through the arm holding the knife and sliced it clean off. It fell out of DG’s faceplate and landed on the floor with a complete lack of aplomb, at the same time DG’s own side-knife launched from its right-hand pocket and grazed my port. Sparks flew, and I plunged forward and went on the retreat. 

“What’s the matter, blondie, we got you on the run?” Faith said from across the way. 

“I would never run from you, Faithy,” I said with a half-smile. It was the truth. I didn’t know how to run away from Faith Watanabe or Zeke Underhill. Only towards them. 

I came to a sudden halt and swung my ax down, this time crushing DG’s faceplate and snapping off three of its drill heads. 

“OH! LOOK AT THAT! WE’VE GOT SOME DISARMAMENT HAPPENING HERE!” Weston bellowed. 

I veered left, turning myself around just in time for my katana to catch on another one of the drill-heads while swinging upwards. That left three drills, and I pressed forward into the center of the faceplate and plunged in. But the rotating faceplate wasn’t having it, and sparks shot out en masse. 

“Just the tip, right?” Faith said. 

“Oh, for God’s sake,” Zeke groaned. 

“I could stand a little more than just the tip,” I said. 

“Oh no, not you too,” Zeke said. 

“Always been like this, babe,” I said. 

That, however, was when we all collectively realized where we were: the exact middle of the battle box. Right as the kill-saws activated. 

“Oh, fuck!” I screamed, hoping the on-air censors caught that one. 

Poly and DG both jumped into the air as our undercarriages were serrated by the saws. 

I landed a few inches away on my wheels. 

DG landed on its side, immobile. 

“Oh, what’s this!?” Derek Benes said. “Could DG already be out of commission?”

“Not a chance,” I said. I ran over and slammed the back of my bot into the top-side of DG, knocking it back onto its treads and doing a quick lap to give it time to start back up. “No way I’m settling for that as my victory!”

“Oh, now look at that sportsmanship from Kate Calloway!” Marty said. 

“The girl’s come a long way, hasn’t she?” Derek said.

“Damn right she has,” I said.

“Amen,” Faith said. 

“Hell yeah,” Zeke said. 

“Only forty-five seconds left on the clock!” Marty screamed. 

“Ready for one last punch-up, babe?” Faith said. 

“I am if you are, babe,” Zeke said. “How about you, babe?”

“I think so,” I said. 

I wheeled myself to the far left-end of the box, while DG situated itself on the opposite end. 

“Thirty seconds!” Derek shouted. 

“Here we go,” Zeke said. 

“All or nothing,” Faith said. 

“Wouldn’t have it any other way,” I smiled. 

I charged once more, aiming straight down the middle, screaming my lungs out all the way. 

My partners did me the courtesy of going equally loud. 

We met in the middle, our bots flying into the air in opposite directions from the force of impact, the sheer volume of the collision deafening. My katana came flying off, but as I landed, I swung my ax down one last time, letting the recoil break my fall. 

I landed on my wheels.

Dai Gurren did the same. 

My heart thundering, I pushed the controls forward, desperate for movement. And Polyphemus moved, slowly but surely, inch by inch, towards DG. 

DG, meanwhile, was totally immobile. 

“Gonna need to see some movement,” the referee said. 

Faith worked the controls, but there was nothing. DG was entirely stationary.

And that was that.

“10! 9!”

I watched in silence as the countdown finished, as my champion status was solidified. Tears welled up behind my eyes and surged out, a river at the height of flood season. I expected to feel overjoyed, expected to feel strong and mighty and ecstatic, but all I felt… 

All I felt watching my robot moving while DG sat immobile was… Alone. Like I made it to the top of the mountain but left everyone behind to get there.

“May we have this dance?” came a familiar voice, whispered into my ear. 

The flood of tears was stymied, and my back shot up straight as I turned around and saw Zeke and Faith behind me, extending both of their hands. And all the pain was gone, all the loneliness was gone. Of course I wasn’t alone. Of course I hadn’t left anyone behind to get to the top. They’d climbed the mountain with me, encouraging me to rise up each inch, but letting me get there myself. They’d been waiting for me at the precipice the entire time. And I was there now, with them, looking out over the whole world below. I was a champion. And not just because I’d won the fight…

… Well, okay, a little bit because I’d won the fight. 

But there were other reasons. Two other reasons. 

Two reasons that were worth far more to me than any trophy. 

I wiped away my tears and took their hands, and the three of us interlocked and waltzed together as the crowd roared on all sides and the trophy was wheeled up to us on a wagon. Ostensibly, it was for me. 

But honestly? All three of us had gotten here together. We’d all earned it. 

“How do you feel, champ?” Faith said. 

“Amazing,” I choked out. “I love you both. So damn much.”

“Love you too,” they both said. 

“I guess we’ve got one of these trophies for each of our apartments now,” I said. 

“Yeah, we do,” Zeke said. “We’ll have to figure out who gets to house it next year, though.”

My eyebrows shot up. “How do you-”

“How do you think he means, blondie?” Faith said. “We shouldn’t keep fighting like this. So how about next year, we’re all on the same team? Both of our robots took some serious beatings, I’m sure we can find a way to make something new out of the remains of both. I was hoping maybe we call ourselves Team Poly Gurren? What do you think?”

The song of my heart screamed with joy in every fiber of my being, and I saw the future unfold with these two at my sides. The three of us, together, becoming more than we were apart. Each new year was another mountain for us to summit together, because together, we could rise to any occasion. It was what I wanted. It was all I wanted. “I think we’ll be a force to be reckoned with. Next year’s tournament won’t know what hit them.”

“Three champions, all working together, does sound like a winning combination,” Zeke said, warmth and strength pouring out of him.

“To us,” Faith said. “To Poly Gurren.”

“To the future,” I said. 

“And to Katie,” Zeke said. “For bringing us all together.”

As our dance ended, I knew we had to face the rest of the world. But there was still an important question to answer before I could do any of that: which one did I kiss first?

It was a tough one to answer when I loved them both just as much, and I knew it was the same for them. 

Needless to say, I kissed them both before walking off stage.