The meeting of the stragglers
Posted: Sun May 24, 2026 12:06 am
It was a relatively quiet night by Tokyo standards, if you can call it that. People were rushing back and forth nonstop through the streets of the capital of the Land of the Rising Sun. Whether they were workers heading to or returning from their jobs, young people looking to enjoy the night with all sorts of leisure activities, or mothers on their way to the supermarket to buy groceries for their families. Amid the crowd, a young blonde woman was looking for a meeting place, a restaurant, to be specific. The young blonde woman wasn’t Japanese; she was American. She was wearing a yellow shirt, blue denim shorts, black sneakers, and a yellow cap. She was none other than Sari, the Yellow Comet, who had a serious demeanor and seemed somewhat frustrated, a far cry from her usual big smiles, her energetic personality, and her fearlessness toward anything or anyone. She was on her way to a meeting of the wrestling faction she belonged to, known as “The Stragglers.” A few months ago, the faction joined the company known as L.A.W., one of the largest in the world, with relatively good results but not enough to stand out in a roster full of stars and talent; some members never even made their debut in the ring, and unfortunately, they didn’t secure any matches this May. This caused some uncertainty within the team, leading to arguments among its members, which is why their leader, Marceline, called a serious meeting at “La Parrilla,” an Argentine-themed restaurant where the gathering would take place. It was a place frequented by the members and was the stable leader’s favorite spot. The blonde thrill-seeker made her way through the sea of people on the main street until she reached a corner where she was about to turn; she walked a couple of blocks until she reached her destination, a restaurant decorated to look as if it were made of oak, with tables both inside and outside the building, the latter located in the courtyard. The girl known as “Sweet Girl” approached the restaurant’s reception desk to ask where the table her group had reserved was. The manager told her it was near one of the windows on the second floor. Sari made her way to the reserved table, and when she went upstairs, she saw that the table was already occupied by seven of her teammates, with three seats still open (one of them for her and the others for her leader and the group’s manager).
His friends were sitting there arguing as if they were at a mafia meeting. “... what I’m saying is, how is it possible that a movie star like me couldn’t get a match right away? You can tell the company hates making money,” said an arrogant Casval, dressed in a white shirt, a red jacket, a yellow tie, and blue leather pants and shoes. The former pilot was upset that he hadn’t secured a match in his first few months despite being a well-known Hollywood actor. This did nothing but elicit laughter from the rest of his stablemates. “Hehehe, you just have to wait for them to call you or cause a fight with your attitude, and then you’ll have an excuse to fight. Which won’t take long, knowing you,” replied the veteran Naomi in a comical tone, wearing a white short-sleeved Chanel suit; she was taking the situation in stride. “Of course you’re not worried. You’ve had two fights, and your ‘training’ was just hanging out with that sex addict.” replied Nya, the faction’s second-in-command, in a tone that was somewhere between annoyed and mocking. She was dressed in a full-length purple dress and dark brown heels, and she, too, was unhappy with the faction’s current state, given that two of its members hadn’t even made their debut yet. The Amazon could only say “Hey” in response to the martial artist, who stood with her arms crossed, looking annoyed. “Calm down, Nya. That’s progress, and we have to take advantage of their push. Besides, you also had two matches, and you’re the only one in the faction who’s had a match," said the outgoing Lev, who always tried to look on the bright side of things, wearing a completely white suit except for his black undershirt. "That’s true, plus Lev and I had clashes with veterans, so there’s no need to get so upset. We just have to wait,” added Millionaire’s best friend, Daigo, who was wearing a suit in colors opposite to his faction mate’s but much older and worn by time; the behemoth, though concerned about the group’s situation, still held out hope that things would improve.“Good for you guys. They sent me some jobber who could take more than his share of punishment, while you actually have real fights. that’s a huge step forward,” remarked a visibly grumpy Ash, wearing a sheer black fabric over her purple shirt, with gray pants and black boots, before pulling out her cell phone to check it, focusing more on it than on listening to her naive teammates. As this discussion unfolded in the stable, Sari greeted her teammates, though they were so engrossed in it that they didn’t even notice, and she sat in a corner next to her friend known as Mephistopheles in the ring, who, like his partner Ace of the Skies, hadn’t managed to secure any matches, mainly due to difficulties finding opponents because of his fighting style, which primarily involved heels. He was resting his legs on the table while leaning back in his chair, dressed in a black gangster-style suit and white shirt, with a fedora and a red scarf draped over his shoulders. “Hello, Mr. Clown, you seem a bit unconcerned about the discussion regarding your lack of matches,” said the Golden Girl in a sweet tone to her partner, known for portraying the devil in clown robes in the ring, with the nickname she gave him: “Mr. Clown.” “Hi, Little Yellow Rock, the thing is, you usually have patience for this kind of thing. Don’t worry anymore; you’ve already proven yourself with two fights against established wrestlers,” he replied in his calm, soothing voice. The therapist’s personality was usually like that serious and and not very hopeful in contrast to his ring persona with his sarcastic, cruel jokes and his clownish attitude as a super-villain hunter. “It’s obvious who’s going to have the upper hand over whom in this misandric company,” said a furious Casval, fed up with being sidelined. “Upper hand? We’re all in the same situation. Sari can’t even join the Young Lions, and none of us have health insurance or medical coverage from the company,” Naomi replied, raising her voice, and Nya was quick to respond, “And you think that’s okay? We have to take desperate measures or we’re going to be buried,” and Lev added, “I consider those measures unnecessary; it’s just a matter of waiting for the right moment to succeed.” And so the discussion continued until, even among the members, a “Enough” was heard from the head of the table. causing everyone to stop their heated conversation. She was wearing a gray blouse, blue jeans, and white heels. It was Marceline, the faction’s leader and coach; she commanded respect simply by her presence, and she was accompanied by two other figures: a woman in an all-white suit with yellow trim, who was the team manager, Ana, and the other in a gray and green suit with a red scarf, who was Yuki, a company security agent and Marceline’s younger brother and Ana’s twin. He went to fetch a chair for himself since they were planning to have dinner together with the others today. “I’d like for us to have and enjoy a normal dinner before moving on to the formal discussion about the faction and its future,” she said in a calm yet firm and authoritative voice. Everyone at the table agreed to the leader’s request.
Dinner went smoothly; everyone ordered what they wanted to eat and paid for their own meal (Lev would help pay for Daigo’s meal), and the conversation was more pleasant. Naomi shared one of her stories from her past as a heel, like the time she chased someone with a golf cart; they managed to get Fausto to launch into another anti-heel rant, as was his custom, accusing them of projecting their own insecurities; and Ash began telling wrestling stories she found funny, like the one about the jury for backstage incidents. Ana did something similar but with some little-known facts about L.A.W., such as that any object destroyed in the matches is deducted from the wrestlers’ paychecks, and only a few people know this. Yuki will talk about her girlfriend, whom not even her own sisters have met in person, and other things as well. It was a conversation that the whole team enjoyed and that only they could have. After finishing their meal and while waiting for dessert, the stable leader adopted a firmer stance and cleared her throat. “I think it’s time to talk about our current situation.” A deathly silence fell over the faction members, and with that, her sister explained the situation: “The company doesn’t want us fighting. Because of my terrible track record, they don’t trust me again, nor do they trust you, and I’m sure that at the slightest opportunity, they’ll want to fire us…” Their expressions said it all; anguish and worry were etched on the faces of the stragglers. “Isn’t that illegal, now that I think about it? Shouldn’t we complain to human resources?” Daigo would say, worry evident in his words. “You’re so naive you actually think L.A.W. has anything resembling human resources,” Ash would reply in his pessimistic, mocking tone. And this wouldn’t improve with what Yuki was about to say next. “As an intern, I can assure you of one thing… None of the higher-ups are interested in supporting or promoting any of you.” “It’s normal. Just look at the team we’ve put together: a heel like me who hates the other heels for being a bunch of insecure people; the guy who claims he hates male-dom and female-dom, and who’s also less attractive and more honest than he should be; someone who looks for the artistry in this and doesn’t see it as just a business or a sport, a veteran who realized we can have a bad influence on other people, a rising athlete who doesn’t sell her body sexually, a person who treats wrestling as a hobby but wants to learn from it, a ghost who realized that many “heroes” are hypocrites, a movie star who says that idol wrestlers should be taken as real wrestlers, and the leader who prioritizes effectiveness over spectacle. With a manager who already has a long list of failures and disagrees with the company’s policies, what do we end up with? A group of wrestling outcasts that no writer wants to see us wrestle,” Fausto would say in a cynical and hopeless tone; even though he supported the team, he was also usually the pessimist about it, given his past of failed attempts to be a face. “We have to prove that we’re worth more than that; we have to show the other wrestlers and our superiors that we’re just as valuable as the rest of the performers in the ring,” The formidable veteran said that, despite her many years in the world of wrestling and having witnessed some of the most unfair situations, she knew there was a future for her team. “But how are we going to do it? I can’t train with the Young Lions; we have no medical or financial security, nor can we have a decent dorm room of our own. No one is going to give us a boost. What do we have left?” Sari would say, genuinely without hope; she didn’t believe the team had a chance to shine in the company. “We have each other,” the words spoken by the General would cause everyone present at that dinner to turn their eyes toward the faction’s leader, who maintained an unshakable composure. “I’ve learned everything I could about wrestling and about countless betrayals in the sport: teammates against teammates, friends against friends, even family against family. Entire factions have fallen because of these backstabbing attacks. That’s why, when Ana introduced me to all of you and while I trained you for those six months, I had one goal in mind: to ensure that you would form an unbreakable bond. A bond that neither the glory of being No. 1, the ultimate gold, individual victories, internal disputes, pride, greed, nor lust could break.” Every member of the faction and the General’s brothers listened intently to everything Marceline said, with her inspiring words: “I’m sorry that my sister’s history and the fact that the company doesn’t like our personalities and ways of thinking in the ring mean we don’t have the luxuries that others do… but that is also one of my motivations to lead you to greatness, and that is why I know that no matter if the top brass isn’t interested in you, if no other wrestler takes you into account, or if the audience turns their backs on us, we will continue to support one another despite everything as a team. And if one of us manages to get the momentum we need, I know the others will be able to do it too, and that no one will be left behind,” the general concluded. Her emotional words left a silence in the room until…
"What we need are ideas to get that momentum you're talking about. You could try courting one of the many women in the company. I mean, I've got charisma, and a celebrity relationship always works to attract attention," Casval said, his usual confidence now fueled by his boss; suggesting that idea and capitalizing on his star status wouldn't be difficult for him. "It wouldn't be a bad idea, I thought I could take advantage of the fact that some people find me ‘adorable’ and get more attention from others,” Sari continued, adding another suggestion to her colleague’s with her characteristic cheerful tone.
"I've got an idea: I could go after some faces who deserve punishment for being the biggest bunch of phonies around," Ash replied, jumping on the brainstorming session to suggest ways to torture the ring's "heroes." "And if you do that, I’ll have to punish a lot of heels around here; the title of ‘Heel Kaiser’ isn’t just handed out,” Fausto added, basing his idea on his personal feud with all the heels. “Heel Kaiser?” asked the terrifying ghost at the mention of that made-up title. “It’s complicated to explain.”
"Setting that aside, I think I can use my physical assets to my advantage in some matches. I mean, two big names in the business have already fallen for my butt and backside, that could come in handy, especially if I’m facing another veteran,” Naomi mentioned, feeling proud of her natural assets. “You won’t be the only one, friend. People also love seeing me in a bikini and in situations of a sexual nature, and that’s already entertaining enough for me,” Nya would say, already imagining what exciting matches she might experience.
"I could capitalize on my looks in more risqué matches or leverage my status as the son of wealthy parents to team up with other powerful wrestlers. We could also venture into tag team divisions, since we haven't competed in that type of match yet." Lev kept coming up with ideas to get the team back on track and achieve stardom. “I support that last idea, and I also think I should get into the hardcore matches, considering that’s my specialty,” Daigo assured, offering his input and ready for what was to come.
Ana couldn't contain her excitement at seeing everyone offering ideas on how to move the team forward
and stand out from the rest to establish themselves in the world of wrestling despite the lack of support they would receive from their superiors. “Screw the entire board of directors. We don’t need their luxuries to stand out, and even though we’re the underdogs, we won’t be left behind. We’re going to achieve the glory we deserve. We are who we are, and no one will make us give up or fade into obscurity.” The manager let loose with those words; she cared about nothing else but succeeding for once in her role as manager of these gladiators. “That’s the spirit, sister. Even though I’m not a member of the team, I’ll do everything I can to make you known.” Yuki wasn’t lying; he was going to help them from the outside if necessary so they could reach the top. Marceline smiled with happiness as she saw how the hope of moving forward remained in each of them; expressing her plans to continue their careers, she stood up from her chair, held her hand out, and said, “No one gets left behind, no matter what.” And before long, the members of their group began stacking their hands one on top of the other, repeating the same words: “No one gets left behind.” When all their hands were joined, they raised them high into the air and shouted in unison, “To the top of the world!” to strengthen their bond. Then they sat down, laughed at the situation, and continued discussing their plans to make their mark. From them, all the stragglers learned something: no matter how badly things went, they still had reason to trust one another, and they wouldn’t give up on their path to greatness. It was a new dawn for the stragglers.
As they ate the desserts they’d each ordered, Sari had a question about her leader’s brother, so she asked, “Hey, Yuki… why did you come to dinner tonight?” Her leader’s brother, who was still eating the Neapolitan ice cream he’d ordered, said, “Well, I got suspended from L.A.W., and Ana mentioned they were having a dinner, so I asked her if I could come since I didn’t have anything else to do today, and she said yes.” “And why did they suspend you? Was it for refereeing your sister’s debut?” the young extreme sports enthusiast continued asking. “It wasn’t for that; it was because during my night watch shift, a guy dressed in black and wearing a mask broke into the L.A.W. headquarters and destroyed an entire shipment of the company’s merchandise and products. They suspended us guards from that night for 30 days, but they still haven’t caught him, and we don’t even know who it was.” For a moment, everyone was left in doubt by what the guard had said, but soon after, they went back to their dessert; tomorrow would be a new team for the stragglers
His friends were sitting there arguing as if they were at a mafia meeting. “... what I’m saying is, how is it possible that a movie star like me couldn’t get a match right away? You can tell the company hates making money,” said an arrogant Casval, dressed in a white shirt, a red jacket, a yellow tie, and blue leather pants and shoes. The former pilot was upset that he hadn’t secured a match in his first few months despite being a well-known Hollywood actor. This did nothing but elicit laughter from the rest of his stablemates. “Hehehe, you just have to wait for them to call you or cause a fight with your attitude, and then you’ll have an excuse to fight. Which won’t take long, knowing you,” replied the veteran Naomi in a comical tone, wearing a white short-sleeved Chanel suit; she was taking the situation in stride. “Of course you’re not worried. You’ve had two fights, and your ‘training’ was just hanging out with that sex addict.” replied Nya, the faction’s second-in-command, in a tone that was somewhere between annoyed and mocking. She was dressed in a full-length purple dress and dark brown heels, and she, too, was unhappy with the faction’s current state, given that two of its members hadn’t even made their debut yet. The Amazon could only say “Hey” in response to the martial artist, who stood with her arms crossed, looking annoyed. “Calm down, Nya. That’s progress, and we have to take advantage of their push. Besides, you also had two matches, and you’re the only one in the faction who’s had a match," said the outgoing Lev, who always tried to look on the bright side of things, wearing a completely white suit except for his black undershirt. "That’s true, plus Lev and I had clashes with veterans, so there’s no need to get so upset. We just have to wait,” added Millionaire’s best friend, Daigo, who was wearing a suit in colors opposite to his faction mate’s but much older and worn by time; the behemoth, though concerned about the group’s situation, still held out hope that things would improve.“Good for you guys. They sent me some jobber who could take more than his share of punishment, while you actually have real fights. that’s a huge step forward,” remarked a visibly grumpy Ash, wearing a sheer black fabric over her purple shirt, with gray pants and black boots, before pulling out her cell phone to check it, focusing more on it than on listening to her naive teammates. As this discussion unfolded in the stable, Sari greeted her teammates, though they were so engrossed in it that they didn’t even notice, and she sat in a corner next to her friend known as Mephistopheles in the ring, who, like his partner Ace of the Skies, hadn’t managed to secure any matches, mainly due to difficulties finding opponents because of his fighting style, which primarily involved heels. He was resting his legs on the table while leaning back in his chair, dressed in a black gangster-style suit and white shirt, with a fedora and a red scarf draped over his shoulders. “Hello, Mr. Clown, you seem a bit unconcerned about the discussion regarding your lack of matches,” said the Golden Girl in a sweet tone to her partner, known for portraying the devil in clown robes in the ring, with the nickname she gave him: “Mr. Clown.” “Hi, Little Yellow Rock, the thing is, you usually have patience for this kind of thing. Don’t worry anymore; you’ve already proven yourself with two fights against established wrestlers,” he replied in his calm, soothing voice. The therapist’s personality was usually like that serious and and not very hopeful in contrast to his ring persona with his sarcastic, cruel jokes and his clownish attitude as a super-villain hunter. “It’s obvious who’s going to have the upper hand over whom in this misandric company,” said a furious Casval, fed up with being sidelined. “Upper hand? We’re all in the same situation. Sari can’t even join the Young Lions, and none of us have health insurance or medical coverage from the company,” Naomi replied, raising her voice, and Nya was quick to respond, “And you think that’s okay? We have to take desperate measures or we’re going to be buried,” and Lev added, “I consider those measures unnecessary; it’s just a matter of waiting for the right moment to succeed.” And so the discussion continued until, even among the members, a “Enough” was heard from the head of the table. causing everyone to stop their heated conversation. She was wearing a gray blouse, blue jeans, and white heels. It was Marceline, the faction’s leader and coach; she commanded respect simply by her presence, and she was accompanied by two other figures: a woman in an all-white suit with yellow trim, who was the team manager, Ana, and the other in a gray and green suit with a red scarf, who was Yuki, a company security agent and Marceline’s younger brother and Ana’s twin. He went to fetch a chair for himself since they were planning to have dinner together with the others today. “I’d like for us to have and enjoy a normal dinner before moving on to the formal discussion about the faction and its future,” she said in a calm yet firm and authoritative voice. Everyone at the table agreed to the leader’s request.
Dinner went smoothly; everyone ordered what they wanted to eat and paid for their own meal (Lev would help pay for Daigo’s meal), and the conversation was more pleasant. Naomi shared one of her stories from her past as a heel, like the time she chased someone with a golf cart; they managed to get Fausto to launch into another anti-heel rant, as was his custom, accusing them of projecting their own insecurities; and Ash began telling wrestling stories she found funny, like the one about the jury for backstage incidents. Ana did something similar but with some little-known facts about L.A.W., such as that any object destroyed in the matches is deducted from the wrestlers’ paychecks, and only a few people know this. Yuki will talk about her girlfriend, whom not even her own sisters have met in person, and other things as well. It was a conversation that the whole team enjoyed and that only they could have. After finishing their meal and while waiting for dessert, the stable leader adopted a firmer stance and cleared her throat. “I think it’s time to talk about our current situation.” A deathly silence fell over the faction members, and with that, her sister explained the situation: “The company doesn’t want us fighting. Because of my terrible track record, they don’t trust me again, nor do they trust you, and I’m sure that at the slightest opportunity, they’ll want to fire us…” Their expressions said it all; anguish and worry were etched on the faces of the stragglers. “Isn’t that illegal, now that I think about it? Shouldn’t we complain to human resources?” Daigo would say, worry evident in his words. “You’re so naive you actually think L.A.W. has anything resembling human resources,” Ash would reply in his pessimistic, mocking tone. And this wouldn’t improve with what Yuki was about to say next. “As an intern, I can assure you of one thing… None of the higher-ups are interested in supporting or promoting any of you.” “It’s normal. Just look at the team we’ve put together: a heel like me who hates the other heels for being a bunch of insecure people; the guy who claims he hates male-dom and female-dom, and who’s also less attractive and more honest than he should be; someone who looks for the artistry in this and doesn’t see it as just a business or a sport, a veteran who realized we can have a bad influence on other people, a rising athlete who doesn’t sell her body sexually, a person who treats wrestling as a hobby but wants to learn from it, a ghost who realized that many “heroes” are hypocrites, a movie star who says that idol wrestlers should be taken as real wrestlers, and the leader who prioritizes effectiveness over spectacle. With a manager who already has a long list of failures and disagrees with the company’s policies, what do we end up with? A group of wrestling outcasts that no writer wants to see us wrestle,” Fausto would say in a cynical and hopeless tone; even though he supported the team, he was also usually the pessimist about it, given his past of failed attempts to be a face. “We have to prove that we’re worth more than that; we have to show the other wrestlers and our superiors that we’re just as valuable as the rest of the performers in the ring,” The formidable veteran said that, despite her many years in the world of wrestling and having witnessed some of the most unfair situations, she knew there was a future for her team. “But how are we going to do it? I can’t train with the Young Lions; we have no medical or financial security, nor can we have a decent dorm room of our own. No one is going to give us a boost. What do we have left?” Sari would say, genuinely without hope; she didn’t believe the team had a chance to shine in the company. “We have each other,” the words spoken by the General would cause everyone present at that dinner to turn their eyes toward the faction’s leader, who maintained an unshakable composure. “I’ve learned everything I could about wrestling and about countless betrayals in the sport: teammates against teammates, friends against friends, even family against family. Entire factions have fallen because of these backstabbing attacks. That’s why, when Ana introduced me to all of you and while I trained you for those six months, I had one goal in mind: to ensure that you would form an unbreakable bond. A bond that neither the glory of being No. 1, the ultimate gold, individual victories, internal disputes, pride, greed, nor lust could break.” Every member of the faction and the General’s brothers listened intently to everything Marceline said, with her inspiring words: “I’m sorry that my sister’s history and the fact that the company doesn’t like our personalities and ways of thinking in the ring mean we don’t have the luxuries that others do… but that is also one of my motivations to lead you to greatness, and that is why I know that no matter if the top brass isn’t interested in you, if no other wrestler takes you into account, or if the audience turns their backs on us, we will continue to support one another despite everything as a team. And if one of us manages to get the momentum we need, I know the others will be able to do it too, and that no one will be left behind,” the general concluded. Her emotional words left a silence in the room until…
"What we need are ideas to get that momentum you're talking about. You could try courting one of the many women in the company. I mean, I've got charisma, and a celebrity relationship always works to attract attention," Casval said, his usual confidence now fueled by his boss; suggesting that idea and capitalizing on his star status wouldn't be difficult for him. "It wouldn't be a bad idea, I thought I could take advantage of the fact that some people find me ‘adorable’ and get more attention from others,” Sari continued, adding another suggestion to her colleague’s with her characteristic cheerful tone.
"I've got an idea: I could go after some faces who deserve punishment for being the biggest bunch of phonies around," Ash replied, jumping on the brainstorming session to suggest ways to torture the ring's "heroes." "And if you do that, I’ll have to punish a lot of heels around here; the title of ‘Heel Kaiser’ isn’t just handed out,” Fausto added, basing his idea on his personal feud with all the heels. “Heel Kaiser?” asked the terrifying ghost at the mention of that made-up title. “It’s complicated to explain.”
"Setting that aside, I think I can use my physical assets to my advantage in some matches. I mean, two big names in the business have already fallen for my butt and backside, that could come in handy, especially if I’m facing another veteran,” Naomi mentioned, feeling proud of her natural assets. “You won’t be the only one, friend. People also love seeing me in a bikini and in situations of a sexual nature, and that’s already entertaining enough for me,” Nya would say, already imagining what exciting matches she might experience.
"I could capitalize on my looks in more risqué matches or leverage my status as the son of wealthy parents to team up with other powerful wrestlers. We could also venture into tag team divisions, since we haven't competed in that type of match yet." Lev kept coming up with ideas to get the team back on track and achieve stardom. “I support that last idea, and I also think I should get into the hardcore matches, considering that’s my specialty,” Daigo assured, offering his input and ready for what was to come.
Ana couldn't contain her excitement at seeing everyone offering ideas on how to move the team forward
and stand out from the rest to establish themselves in the world of wrestling despite the lack of support they would receive from their superiors. “Screw the entire board of directors. We don’t need their luxuries to stand out, and even though we’re the underdogs, we won’t be left behind. We’re going to achieve the glory we deserve. We are who we are, and no one will make us give up or fade into obscurity.” The manager let loose with those words; she cared about nothing else but succeeding for once in her role as manager of these gladiators. “That’s the spirit, sister. Even though I’m not a member of the team, I’ll do everything I can to make you known.” Yuki wasn’t lying; he was going to help them from the outside if necessary so they could reach the top. Marceline smiled with happiness as she saw how the hope of moving forward remained in each of them; expressing her plans to continue their careers, she stood up from her chair, held her hand out, and said, “No one gets left behind, no matter what.” And before long, the members of their group began stacking their hands one on top of the other, repeating the same words: “No one gets left behind.” When all their hands were joined, they raised them high into the air and shouted in unison, “To the top of the world!” to strengthen their bond. Then they sat down, laughed at the situation, and continued discussing their plans to make their mark. From them, all the stragglers learned something: no matter how badly things went, they still had reason to trust one another, and they wouldn’t give up on their path to greatness. It was a new dawn for the stragglers.
As they ate the desserts they’d each ordered, Sari had a question about her leader’s brother, so she asked, “Hey, Yuki… why did you come to dinner tonight?” Her leader’s brother, who was still eating the Neapolitan ice cream he’d ordered, said, “Well, I got suspended from L.A.W., and Ana mentioned they were having a dinner, so I asked her if I could come since I didn’t have anything else to do today, and she said yes.” “And why did they suspend you? Was it for refereeing your sister’s debut?” the young extreme sports enthusiast continued asking. “It wasn’t for that; it was because during my night watch shift, a guy dressed in black and wearing a mask broke into the L.A.W. headquarters and destroyed an entire shipment of the company’s merchandise and products. They suspended us guards from that night for 30 days, but they still haven’t caught him, and we don’t even know who it was.” For a moment, everyone was left in doubt by what the guard had said, but soon after, they went back to their dessert; tomorrow would be a new team for the stragglers