[Scene 1: The Dash to Save Dice]
The terror of Dice Morelli's impending execution—the theft of his entire past—galvanized Team Sloth out of their exhaustion. The knowledge that a valuable asset and an innocent soul were minutes away from being psychically erased was a far stronger motivator than any prophecy.
"The target is Dice Morelli, asset Spiral Keychain," Astrid barked, her voice sharp with tactical urgency. She was coordinating the jump using Petra's remote data. "Reggie's flight plan leads to the Starlit Diner, but the shortest path goes through the Obsidian Skatepark. We intercept Fox there—he needs a clue from the park to finalize the psychic transfer!"
Leo, his eyes burning with renewed Consciousness, was ready. He had failed to save the Lumina Seed (Chapter 30), but he would not fail to save a teammate's Regrets. "Let me nap on it later, Laura. Right now, we out-trick the Fox."
They plunged through the portal, landing on the cold, black stone of the Obsidian Skatepark. The air smelled of neon graffiti and ozone. The massive ramps and bowls were silent, but Leo felt the subtle psychic tension: the ramps shifted layout based on the observer's doubt.
[Scene 2: The Fox's Ambush]
Their presence was immediately detected. Dmitri Fox materialized on the highest ramp, his red fox mask catching the dim light. He held a shimmering, crystalline scroll—the Lumina clue he was trying to secure.
"Welcome to the obstacle course, Sloth King. And my dear Spreadsheet Queen," Fox greeted, his voice laced with mocking superiority. "A fox finds every gate, and I find every shortcut. I need this Lumina Clue to finalize the psychic contract. It tells the Whisper General how to extract Dice's memory."
Fox threw a handful of spectral playing cards. They sliced the air, targeting Leo's Echo Boots and Astrid's tablet.
"Data is primary target!" Astrid shrieked, ducking low. "He knows your weaknesses, Vance! He's using calculated deception!"
Fox didn't rely on illusions; he relied on psychological pressure. He performed a sharp jump, and the ramp beneath Leo immediately shifted layout, threatening to drop Leo into a deep, shadow-filled bowl.
Leo reacted not with force, but with Inertia. He achieved a rapid, localized pulse, stabilizing the ramp beneath his feet into absolute Zeroness (perfect stillness). The ramp held firm, defying the park's chaotic logic.
[Scene 3: Duel of Wits and Motion]
The confrontation became a high-velocity duel of wits versus cunning. Fox moved with deceptive grace, turning the very terrain into a weapon by exploiting their doubt.
Astrid, however, was prepared. She had studied Fox's patterns since their first encounter (Chapter 8). "His chaos is a ruse! His movement is statistically predictable! He relies on three steps of misdirection before a jump! Track his footfall, Vance!"
Leo activated his Echo Boots. As Fox moved, Leo deliberately planted a series of silent steps around the arena, creating an array of confusing, delayed 'echoes' that replicated Fox's previous jumps.
"Inefficiency!" Fox yelled, momentarily confused by the excess of false data. "You're ruining my trajectory!"
"That's the point, Fox! I specialize in data pollution!" Leo countered, a rare, genuine smile touching his lips. Their synchronized strategy—Leo's Inertia creating the passive defense, Astrid's Logic directing the active confusion—was their greatest weapon.
Fox, growing frustrated, released a cloud of gas that amplified the team's self-doubt, causing the ramps around Tank and Lulu to warp dangerously.
Tank, remembering the lesson from Chapter 13, closed his eyes and pushed courage into his Featherblade. He didn't smash the gas; he created a rhythmic pattern of protection with the sword, keeping the corruption at bay.
[Scene 4: Annabelle's Competitive Intervention]
The duel was interrupted by a familiar blur of purple-streaked hair and the sound of polyurethane wheels. Annabelle "AB" Cruz entered the Skatepark on her Obsidian Skateboard.
She was not here to fight the Coalition. She was here for competitive leverage.
"Fox! You violated the non-contact clause of the competitive contract! The Lumina Clue is mine!" Annabelle yelled, skating at dizzying speed toward Fox. She performed a complex grind maneuver on a shifting rail, using her agility to confuse the park's logic.
Fox sneered. "The amateur is back. I don't negotiate with competitive liabilities!"
But Annabelle's intervention was strategic. She knew Fox was focused on Leo and Astrid. She used her speed to perform a strategic swipe of Fox's own gear: a small, critical stabilization crystal required to download the Lumina Clue onto the scroll.
The swipe disrupted Fox's field. He lost his balance, his focus shattered by the competitive insult.
"You ruin the elegance of my plan, AB!" Fox roared, abandoning the Lumina Clue for a moment to pursue the skater.
[Scene 5: Securing the Clue and the Park's Collapse]
The intervention was the window Leo and Astrid needed.
"Go! Get the Lumina Clue!" Astrid ordered, pointing to the crystalline scroll. "Now!"
Leo used a final burst of Zeroness to anchor the main ramp leading to the clue. He raced forward, grabbing the scroll just as the park's logic completely dissolved from the conflicting inputs.
The scroll contained the data: the final location and time of Dice's memory theft.
Fox, recovering his gear and realizing the prize was gone, knew he had failed the immediate capture. He focused his remaining rage on destruction. He threw one final, massive spectral card—a Void Whisper General manifestation—at the Skatepark's central pillar.
The General manifestation didn't destroy the park. It exploited its vulnerability to doubt. The central pillar, now infused with pure despair, began to violently shatter the park's logic.
"The environment is collapsing, Vance! He destabilized the anchor point!" Astrid shrieked, seeing the ramps around them dissolving into pure, black void.
CLIFFHANGER:
The entire Obsidian Skatepark began to spiral into a high-velocity black hole. Escape was the only option.
Leo grabbed Astrid, Tank grabbed Lulu and Lys, and they hurtled toward the nearest unstable portal.
"Where are we going?" Tank yelled over the roaring collapse.
"The Starlit Diner!" Astrid screamed, clutching the Lumina Clue. "We have to jump blindly and hope we beat Fox there! We have the key, but we just lost our strategic foundation!"
As they plunged into the chaotic jump, Leo realized the terror of their situation. Fox had not won the fight, but he had ensured their next move was born of desperation and lack of preparation. They were racing into a hostile zone with the stolen clue, relying entirely on chaotic luck.
The final image Leo saw before the dark void consumed them was the chilling smile of Zhao Ming, the Compliance agent (Chapter 30), standing patiently at the Diner's entrance in the astral distance, waiting for their inevitable crash landing.