Chapter Sixteen: The Triple Axel Showdown “Okay, good job. Let‘s call it a day, Yume,” Merle called out. In the middle of the rink, Yume skated to a stop, hunched over as she attempted to catch her breath. She had been practicing the triple axel for almost two hours straight, without even a bathroom break, but her intense training with Merle over the last few days was finally beginning to pay off. Her accuracy on the jump had nearly tripled in percentage. Not even working with Mikhail had produced such remarkable results. Still, would it be enough to defeat Dominique in the showdown? “One more hour,” Yume said, holding up her pointer finger as she straightened back up. “Let’s work on it for one more hour.” “While I’m impressed by your dedication, you need your rest, Yume,” Merle said, frowning at the boards. “The Triple Axel Showdown is tomorrow afternoon. The best thing for you to do is eat, take a relaxing bath, then go straight to bed. There is such a thing as over-training.” “B-But --” “No ‘buts’ about it. I’m not about to let you waste all the work we’ve put into this because you’re reckless and want to risk injuring yourself the night before a competition. Now, get off the ice, Yume.” Having no other choice in the matter, Yume left the ice, accepting the towel and water bottle Merle offered her. “Do you really think I’ve done enough to win the showdown?” she asked the older woman, wiping the sweat off her face. “Well, you’ve certainly improved at an amazing rate since the day you first came to me,” Merle said. “You rose to the challenge and did everything I asked of you without complaint. No matter the results tomorrow, you should be proud of yourself.” “But will I win?” Merle shook her head. “That, I cannot say. If you skate the way you did today, I think you have a more-than-decent shot, but you’re not at a hundred percent accuracy. That means this other girl has a shot.” Yume sighed. Granted, no skater landed his or her jumps every single time -- not even Mikhail, although falls from him were certainly a rare occurrence -- but she would have felt better if she had at least managed one perfect series of triple axels during her training. “Anyway, you should get back to Kaleido Stage, kiddo. It’s getting late,” Merle said, patting Yume’s shoulder. “Have a good dinner, and get some rest. You deserve it.” “I will.” By the time Yume returned to Kaleido Stage about twenty minutes later, the cafeteria was closing for the night, although the cook was nice enough to warm up some leftovers for her to eat. When she finished the meal, she headed up to her dorm room, running into Pilar and Clarissa along the way. “Hey, Yume,” Clarissa said. “We missed you at dinner. Did you just get back from training at the rink?” “Yeah.” “How did it go? Have you mastered the axel yet?” “Almost. I still haven’t managed to land ten in a row yet, but Coach Palmer thinks I have a decent chance of winning tomorrow. I don’t have to be perfect, after all. As long as I land just one more jump than Dominique, I'll win the showdown. I can do that,” Yume said, hoping she sounded more confident than she felt. “How did she do today, by the way?” She made a point of steering clear of Dominique and Mikhail when they were practicing, but her friends kept her up-to-date on Dominique’s progress. Pilar and Clarissa shared a look that Yume didn‘t like, causing a small knot to build in her stomach as she flashbacked to All-Japan, asking her mother if Miyako Kazama had landed the quad toe in her free skate. “What? Come on, guys, you can tell me.” “You know, you shouldn’t worry so much about Dominique,” Clarissa said. “Just because she did well today doesn’t mean she’ll be able to do it again tomorrow.” “Clarissa’s right,” Pilar agreed. “It could have just been a lucky fluke. Besides, you still have more experience when it comes to the triple axel.” “Just how lucky was she, Pilar?” Yume asked, dreading to hear the answer but needing to know anyway. “Just spit it out.” “Dominique did it,” she reluctantly admitted. “She landed ten axels in a row today at practice.” “Twice.” Pilar poked Clarissa in the ribs. “She didn’t need to know that much!” “Sorry.” “So she’s progressed that much, in such a short period of time…” Yume murmured, hugging herself. “Dominique really is a strong jumper.” “Oh, Yume, don’t let it get to you,” Clarissa said. “This is why we didn’t want to tell you in the first place.” “No, I’m glad I know. Really.” “You’re lying.” Yume sighed, unable to deny that a part of her wished she hadn’t heard of Dominique’s success. “I’ll be okay,” she said. “It’s like you guys said. Even if she managed to pull it off in practice, there’s no guarantee she’ll be able to do it when the pressure is on. I still have a chance.” “That’s the spirit!” Pilar said. “It’s not over until it’s over, as I always like to say.” “Anyway, I should probably try get some sleep. It’s a big day tomorrow. See you at breakfast.” Leaving them, Yume entered her dorm room and plopped down on the bed. Fool hovered above her, frowning. “I take it that practice didn’t go well today?” “No, practice went great,” she said. “Or at least I thought it did until I heard that Dominique did even better.” Yume rolled over on her side, crushing a pillow to her chest. “Fool, can I ask you something?” “What is it? Would you like me to read your future?” She partially sat back up, staring up at the Spirit of the Stage. “Can you? Do you know who will win the showdown?” “I can tell you that even without reading your tea leaves. Dominique will, if you don’t stop doubting yourself like this all the time.” “Well, sorry if I feel a little insecure when I hear my rival is doing better than I am,” Yume groused, laying back down and curling into a ball. “Just forget about it.” “No, what is it you wanted to ask me about?” She hesitated for a moment before finally asking the question she had been contemplating for the past few days. “Am I really ‘destined for the stage’ like you say? Are you certain you didn’t make some sort of mistake in picking me?” “There is no mistake, and I didn’t ’pick’ you for anything. I told you the first day we met, only those who can see me have been chosen by the stage. As long as you can still see me, you are one of the destined.” “Wait, *still* see you?” She rose back up. “Does that mean I can actually lose the ability to see you?” “It’s happened before. Even your sister stopped seeing me for a short period of time,” Fool said. “And, I have to say, the same may just happen to you if you don’t start believing in yourself a little more.” “You’re right.” Yume stood up and began gathering up her things. “Why am I sitting around, feeling sorry for myself when I still have --” She glanced over at her alarm clock. “-- fifteen hours until the showdown? I still have time to put in a little more practice.” “You’re going back out on the ice at this hour? Don‘t you think it would be better for you to get some rest? You‘ve been practicing almost all day.” She shook her head. “I’m not going to be able to sleep until I know I can do it, anyway. I’m not giving up, not when I’m so close to winning Mikhail back. I can’t let things end like this. Thanks, Fool!” ***** *So close…* Yume picked herself up from the ice. If only she had nailed the last jump, it would have been a perfect series. She glanced down at her watch and frowned. It was close to midnight, and she was getting tired; it was a struggle to even keep her eyes opened. She knew she needed to get some sleep and let her body rest for the showdown, but she refused to stop until she managed to land all ten jumps. She couldn’t let Dominique win. “Okay, one more time, Yume,” she said to herself, grabbing a tissue from the always-present box on the boards -- the cold had a tendency to play havoc on a skater’s sinuses -- and blowing her nose before starting again. “You can do this. You *can* do this. Just keep focused.” Once again, she threw herself into the series, landing nine clean triple axels. When it came to the last one, she took her time, not wanting to make yet another careless mistake when she was so close to perfection. However, her body refused to cooperate, popping the jump without even getting in a single revolution. Yume swore in frustration, breathing heavily and fighting back the sudden dizzy spell that had come over her. Maybe it was time to call it a day, after all. Her energy was officially spent. To keep going in such a condition would only make her prone to making more mistakes like the pop. The Triple Axel Showdown wasn’t until noon; if she woke up early enough, she could probably squeeze in a couple more hours of practice before it was time for the real thing. Reluctantly, Yume exited the ice and took off her skates. She then headed back to her dorm room, where she took a quick shower and crawled into bed, immediately falling asleep. When morning came, Fool was the one to wake her up, his tiny arms doing their best to shake her shoulder. “Hey, Yume. Yume. Yume. Yume. Yume. Yu--” “Go away, Fool,” she mumbled, turning over and pulling the blanket over her head. “Trying to sleep.” “No time for sleep. It’s almost nine o‘clock. If you don’t hurry, you won‘t get any breakfast.” “Huh?” Still half-asleep, Yume felt around for the alarm clock on her nightstand and pulled it underneath the blanket. It took a few seconds for her eyes to focus enough to read the red numbers on the display -- 8:53. That woke her up. “How can it be so late!” she cried, sitting up so fast that she felt woozy. She placed a hand over her warm forehead. “Ugh.” “Are you okay, Yume?” Fool asked. “I’m fine, I’m fine.” To prove it, Yume set the alarm clock back on the table -- she must have forgotten to set it last night due to her exhaustion -- and tried to stand up. Tried, because the moment she did so, she felt light-headed again and had to sit back down on the bed. “No, you’re not.” Flying right in front of her face, Fool took off one of his white gloves and pressed his bare hand against her skin. “You’re burning up! I’m not a doctor, but you’re obviously sick.” Yume shook her head, refusing to believe it despite all proof to the contrary. “I can’t be sick. Today is the Triple Axel Showdown. I have to win.” “Do you honestly think you can beat Dominique when you can’t even stand up without feeling dizzy?” Fool asked. “How do you expect to jump in this condition? The showdown can always be rescheduled to a time when you’re feeling better. For now, why don’t you get back into bed, take off those pajamas, and let Dr. Fool give you a nice, soothing sponge ba--” “I can bathe by myself, thank you very much, you perv!” Yume stood back up -- slowly -- and went to the bathroom to check her medicine cabinet. She thought she had some cold medication, but the only things in the cabinet was her toothpaste, deodorant, and some aspirin. “Great,” she muttered. “What am I supposed to do now?” Marion, the dorm supervisor, would probably have some on hand, but if she found out Yume was sick, she would probably tell May and force a reschedule of the showdown. *I guess I’ll just have to go to the drugstore and buy some,* she thought just as she heard somebody knocking on the door. Groaning, she headed to the living room and answered it. “There you are, Yume!” Pilar said, breezing in without an invitation. “We were wondering why you didn’t come down for breakfast. Did you oversleep?” “Yeah.” Yume leaned back against the door after closing it, rubbing at her temple. “I guess I forgot to set my alarm or something.” “That’s not like you. Since today’s the big day, I thought you would be up bright and early, wanting to get in a little last minute practice.” Pilar frowned. “Hey, are you feeling okay? Don’t take this the wrong way, but you don’t look too good.” “I’m fine,” she insisted just before letting out a huge sneeze. “Allergies, that’s all.” “Yeah, right, allergies my foot! Come with me,” Pilar said, grabbing her by the wrist and leading Yume to her dorm room next door. “I have just the thing.” There, Yume took a seat at the kitchen table while Pilar started pulling out a variety of different ingredients. “What are you making?” she asked, resting her head on the table when she felt another dizzy spell coming on. “Don’t you have some pills?” Pilar grinned and began chopping up some carrots. “Trust me, my abuela’s homemade chicken soup will have you feeling better in no time. Whenever me or one of my sisters was sick, she would make us some of this, and we’d be as good as new.” “Pilar, I don’t need soup; I need drugs.” “What you need is rest,” Pilar said. “After you eat Abuela Santos’ Miracle Soup, you are going straight back to bed.” Yume sat back up. “But I can’t! Today is the showdown.” “I’m sure if you explained things, Mikhail and Dominique would be willing to postpone the challenge until you’re feeling better.” “I’ve skated sicker than this before,” Yume said, remembering the time a couple of years ago that she got food poisoning the night before her long program at the Grand Prix final. Somehow she had managed to win a bronze medal, despite feeling nauseous the entire time she was on the ice. “Besides, postponing will only give Dominique more time to improve. If I want to have any chance of beating her, it has to be today.” “Still…” “It’s only ten jumps. I’ll be fine.” Pilar pursed her lips, but didn’t say anything more about the Triple Axel Showdown, turning her attention back to preparing the soup. “Well, anyway, this will take a while to cook, so why don’t you go rest on the couch?” she suggested. “I’ll call you when it’s done.” That sounded like a good idea, so Yume headed to the living room and laid down on Pilar’s leather couch. On the coffee table in front of the couch was a box of tissues. Yume reached over to take one, accidentally causing a loose sheet of paper to flutter to the floor, facedown. Picking it back up, Yume was surprised to see a picture of Dominique and a man she assumed was Dominique’s former partner receiving matching gold metals, accompanied by a full page article. Though they were supposed to be siblings, they didn’t look very much alike. “Hey, Pilar, what’s this?” she asked, struggling to make out what the article was talking about. It was written in French, so Yume only recognized a handful of words. “What?” Pilar called from the kitchen. “This print-out. It’s about Dominique, isn’t it?” Pilar came out, looking rather sheepish as she scratched the side of her nose. “That? Um, I guess you might call it…ammunition?” “Ammunition?” “Well, you seemed so worried last night, I decided to do a little research on Mademoiselle Fontenot and found that article online. I had to get Clarissa to translate it for me, but it seems like Dominique was in the middle of a minor scandal about a year ago involving the president of the French skating federation.” Yume sat back up and shook her head, starting to understand exactly what Pilar meant by the word “ammunition”. “Pilar, no. Whatever you’re planning, forget it.” “You haven’t even heard what I have to say!” “I don’t care. I don’t want to win using underhanded tactics.” Sitting down beside Yume, Pilar sighed. “It’s not like I’m suggesting you whack her in the knee or something like that. It’s just a little harmless blackmail. Besides, don’t you want to know the reason why she has such a hatred of nepotism?” “Well…” Yume would be lying if she said she wasn’t at least a little interested in why Dominique seemed to take such offense to her and Zoe’s supposed “connections”. “See? You are curious about it. At least listen to the story. After that, what you decide to do with the information is up to you.” “You’re not going to spread the rumor on your own?” “Of course not!” Pilar exclaimed. “What kind of person do you take me for?” Yume arched an eyebrow. “The kind who Googles her enemies and uses the information against them?” “Point taken,” she said after a brief pause. “However, Dominique is your enemy, not mine. I don’t like the girl, true, but this is your battle to fight.” “Remind me never to get on your bad side,” Yume muttered. In a louder voice, she asked, “Okay, so what does the article say?” Pilar turned in her seat so that she was fully facing Yume and snatched the print-out out of her hands. “Well, it seems like this was printed in a tabloid magazine, so who know if it is even true or not, but you know Dominique’s former partner, her older brother? “What about him?” “According to the article, they’re only half-siblings,” Pilar said gleefully, having a little too much fun revealing Dominique’s private secrets. “About a year and a half ago, their parents divorced, and during the court proceedings, it came out that their mother -- a former skater herself -- had had an affair with Luc Durand, the current head of the French skating association, around the time that Dominique was born. Though her mother didn’t say straight out that he was Dominique’s biological father and Durand refused to confirm the affair even happened at all, that didn’t stop some in the skating community from raising suspicions that he used his influence to help Dominique and her brother win their national titles.” “The rumors pretty much ended their career,” she continued. “Her brother got tired of fighting all the gossip and decided to quit, leaving her without a partner, and though Dominique considered making the switch to singles skating, she feared the same thing would just happen again if she achieved any success. That’s when she made the decision to come to Kaleido Stage and tryout to become Mikhail’s new partner.” “How horrible that must have been for her…” Yume murmured. “What, you actually feel sorry for her? Even though she’s pretty much doing the same thing to you and Zoe?” “Wouldn’t you be angry if you learned that all the success you thought you had earned might be a lie? And not only that, you discovered that the man you thought was your father your entire life might not be?” “I guess that would really suck,” Pilar admitted. “Still, I think it’s pretty low of her to spread those kinds of rumors when she’s been the target of them herself. I can’t feel too much sympathy for her.” She stood and handed the print-out back to Yume. “Anyway, I should probably get going. Sergei wanted to work on a new lift this morning. The soup should be ready to eat in about thirty minutes, so just keep an eye on it and help yourself. Bowls are in the cabinet, bottom shelf, spoons should be in the top left drawer, and I think there’s orange juice in the fridge if you want it. If you really feel the need for some medicine, there’s probably some cold medication in the bathroom, but I wouldn’t recommend it if you intend to skate today. That stuff usually knocks me out cold. Do you need anything else before I go?” “No, I’m fine for now, thanks. Just…don’t tell anybody else that I’m not feeling well, okay?” Pilar frowned. “I won’t, but I really wish you would reconsider skating in the showdown today. If you would just use that article for leverage…” “I’m not going to blackmail Dominique.” “You really are too nice for your own good, Yume,” she said, smiling as she walked to the door to leave. “But that’s probably why I like you so much. See you later, and try to get some rest.” ***** Twenty minutes before the start of the Triple Axel Showdown, Yume headed down to the rink. Unfortunately, Pilar’s grandmother’s chicken soup -- though delicious -- was not the miracle cure-all it had been touted as. She still felt woozy and feverish, but at least she wasn’t throwing up or anything like that. As long as she took it easy in the warm-up, Yume thought she would have enough energy to get through the actual competition. When she arrived, the Zamboni was out on the ice, smoothing the surface in preparation for the showdown, while Dominique stood at the boards, already in her skates and waiting for the chance to warm-up. Nobody else had arrived yet. “Hey, Dominique,” Yume said, walking over to her rival. “I guess today’s the big day, huh? Are you ready?” Dominique glanced over her shoulder, seemingly startled by Yume’s arrival. “Oh, it’s you,” she said before turning her attention back to the Zamboni. “Of course I’m ready. The question is, are you? I haven’t seen you practicing any.” “I’ve been working with Coach Wong’s former coach at the Cape Mary Skating Center. She‘s really helped me with my technique.” “Oh.” Yume took a seat on the bench behind Dominique, letting out a sneeze. Wordlessly, the French skater handed her the box of tissues sitting on the boards. “Thanks,” Yume said, surprised by her unexpected kindness. She snatched one of the tissues from the box and blew her nose. Dominique fully turned around, leaning her back against the boards. “Are you really going to be able to skate today when you’re so sick?” “I’m not sick. It’s just allergies.” She cocked a disbelieving eyebrow. “Your face is flushed, and you sound absolutely terrible,” she pointed out. “If you don’t have a cold, then I’m the Queen of France.” Yume began untying her shoelaces, avoiding looking the other girl in the eye. “Even if I do, I can still skate.” “But can you skate *well*?” Dominique crossed her arms and frowned. “I don’t want to win this thing on account of you not being able to jump to the best of your ability. That would just be another hollow victory.” “Another?” After slipping off her sneaker, Yume glanced back up. “What do you mean? Are you talking about the national titles you won with your brother?” She regretted asking the question the moment it left her mouth. Yume never intended to let Dominique know she was aware of the scandal that had led her to leaving France and coming to Kaleido Stage, but it had just slipped out without thought. Dominique’s face went pale, and her arms fell to her sides. “Y-You know?” “No, I don’t know anything, really,” Yume lied, waving her hands in front of chest. “I don’t even know why I said that. Um, I just thought --” Dominique grabbed Yume by the wrist, pulling her up so that they were standing eye-to-eye. “How did you find out about it?” she demanded to know in a harsh voice. “Find out about what? I don’t know what you’re talking a--” “Cut the crap, Yume. You knew exactly what you were saying when you asked me that question. Is this your way of psyching me out before the competition?” “No!” “Oh, I see. Then you want to use the information for leverage. If I drop out of the showdown and let you have Mikhail back, you won’t tell anybody else what you know? Is that how it goes?” “No,” Yume repeated. “I would never do something like that.” “Why not?” Her voice softening, Dominique released her hold on Yume’s arm. “I would have. If I had some dirt on you, then I wouldn’t hesitate to use it against you if it meant winning Mikhail as my partner.” Yume shook her head. After learning about the scandal, she felt she was finally beginning to understand some of Dominique‘s feelings. “No, I don‘t think you would.” Dominique scoffed, flipping her ponytail over her shoulder. “Right. Like you have any idea how I would react if our situations were reversed.” “If all you cared about was being Mikhail’s partner, then you wouldn’t care if I had a cold or not,” Yume pointed out, pausing for a moment to let out another sneeze. “In fact, you should have been happy when you found out I was sick. Chances are, with me skating like this, you’ll easily win the showdown, yet you just said you didn’t want another hollow victory. What you really want is to be acknowledged, isn’t it?” “Oh, honestly, that’s the silliest thing I’ve ever --” “Is it so silly? You must have been proud of your national titles, but when the scandal broke out, you started to doubt that you had won them on your own merits. That’s why you decided to try out to be Mikhail’s partner. If the current Olympic gold medalist chose to skate with you, then you could be confident again that you were a great skater, that you really did deserve those titles without anybody‘s help.” “But he didn’t choose you,” Yume continued. “Instead, he chose me, a total newcomer to pairs and the sister of a Kaleido Star. Of course you were upset. You have the best jumping technique here, but the try-outs didn’t allow you to show off to the best of your ability. I don’t blame you for thinking I was only chosen due to my connections. If it had been a proper try-out, I never would have been picked, but you would have had a more than decent chance.” “Then you admit that Mikhail should have chosen me instead of you in the first place?” she asked. “No.” Yume moved to stand beside Dominique, resting her folded arms on the boards. “’Skating is not just about the jumps.’ That’s what my former coach told me right before my final competitive free skate. What she said was true, but that doesn’t mean jumps are unimportant. In a way, I’m grateful we made this bet. I want to be a strong partner for Mikhail -- not only artistically, but technically as well. I’ve worked hard this past week to master the triple axel, and I intend to do my best to win the showdown. I will prove to you and myself that I truly deserve to be Mikhail’s partner.” At that moment, Mikhail himself entered the rink and began walking toward them. Yume blushed and turned her head in the opposite direction, wondering just how much he had overheard of her speech. “Good, you’re already here,” he said to Dominique. He barely acknowledged Yume’s presence. “It looks like the Zamboni has finished resurfacing the ice, so you should begin your warm-up. Don’t push yourself too hard, though. Save most of your energy for when it really counts. For now, just focus on doing singles and doubles to get a feel for things.” “Right,” Dominique said, taking off her skate guards and handing them to Mikhail before stepping onto the ice. “I won’t let all our training go to waste.” As she skated off, Yume sat back down on the bench and resumed putting on her skates. Even out of earshot of Dominique, Mikhail didn’t say anything to her, his attention focused solely on the blonde jumping on the ice in front of him. Yume sighed, but tried not to let it bother her. He was Dominique’s coach, after all; he had no reason to offer her advice or words of encouragement. Just as she was stepping onto the ice to join Dominique in the warm -up, however, Mikhail reached for Yume’s elbow, taking her by surprise. She glanced back up at him. “Mikhail?” “Prove to me that I made the right choice.” He wasn’t even looking at her, still watching Dominique’s practice like a hawk, but his voice was low enough that only Yume could hear. “Show me how strong you can truly be.” In a louder voice, he called out, “Dominique, try to get some more height on those jumps. You’ll never pull off three-and-a-half revolutions when you’re that close to the ice.” He released Yume’s arm, letting her go, though she continued staring at him for a few moments longer, puzzled by his words. Didn’t he want Dominique to win? Mikhail was her coach, after all. Why else would he agree to train her, unless he wanted Dominique to be his new partner? *His behavior is as confusing as ever,* Yume thought with a shake of her head as she began her warm-up. Still, a smile flickered upon her lips. Maybe she could become his true partner after all. ***** A coin toss performed by May determined the skating order. Dominique won and chose to skate first, so about a minute before start time, Yume stepped off the ice and joined Merle, who had arrived halfway through practice, at the boards. Though she had tried to take it easy during the warm-up, Yume was breathing heavily through her mouth. “Here.” Merle handed her a tissue, frowning. “It’s just your luck that you had to come down with a cold today of all days.” Yume didn’t even try to deny it that time. “I’ll be okay. Depending on how well Dominique does, I might not even have to attempt all ten jumps.” Behind her glasses, Merle’s eyes narrowed as she watched Dominique skate around the rink. “I wouldn’t put my hopes on that girl doing badly, Yume. She’s a natural-born jumper, and she’s determined to prove herself.” “We both are,” Yume said in a soft voice, glancing behind her at the small crowd of spectators who had gathered in the stands to watch. Among them were her friends, who had taken it upon themselves to make a colorful banner proclaiming “Good luck, Yume!” They all sat in the back row, brandishing the banner high above their heads. Yume smiled and waved to them, reminded of her days in competitive skating when her fans would do the same. Sora, unfortunately, had been unable to make it due to a doctor’s appointment, but she had called earlier that morning to wish Yume luck. “Are you sure you want to watch?” Merle asked, snapping Yume back to attention. “It might be easier for you to wait outside until it’s your turn.” “No, I want to see how she does,” Yume said. She remembered how nerve-wracking it was to wait backstage while Miyako Kazama skated her free skate at All-Japan. Sometimes, it was better to know who you were up against. “I’m staying.” Merle shrugged. “Suit yourself.” By that time, Dominique had finished her warm-up and was receiving some last minute advice from Mikhail. May signaled the spectators to quiet down and began a short speech. “Welcome to today’s Triple Axel Showdown between Yume Naegino and Dominique Fontenot. The rules of the showdown are simple. The first skater will attempt ten triple axels. She may take as long as she likes between each jump, but she may not attempt any other type of jump. To count as a successful triple axel, the skater must rotate three-and-a-half times in the air and land on one foot. I will be the one to determine if the jump was completed in a satisfactory manner. The challenger will then try to beat the first skater’s record. If she does so, she will be declared the winner. Skaters, any questions about the rules?” Yume and Dominique both shook their heads. “Well, then, good luck to both of you. Dominique, you may begin whenever you are ready.” Dominique skated to the center of the ice and began her series of axels. She landed the first one beautifully, followed by three more which were possibly even bigger and more impressive. The landing on the fifth was a bit shaky, but May, who was standing at the boards keeping score, counted it as successful, adding another mark to the whiteboard she was using to keep track of the jumps. Dominique had no problems with the next two, but only managed a double on the eighth, her first major mistake. The mistake must have rattled her, for she spent the next minute and a half simply skating around the rink, composing herself. However, when she finally resumed jumping, her technique on the final two axels was impeccable. Dominique pumped her fist after landing the last jump, obviously satisfied with how she well had performed even with the one double. Nine out of ten. Only perfection would beat her. Perfection which Yume had yet to obtain. After Dominique exited the ice, it was Yume’s turn to take center stage. She should have been nervous after watching her rival do so well, yet she felt strangely excited instead. As much as she loved performing for an audience, a small part of her actually missed the competition she thought she had left behind when she turned professional. “Don’t rush things,” Merle advised her at the boards. “Take your time and let the jumps come to you. You aren’t skating a set program; if your body doesn’t feel ready to jump, stay on the ice. One pop, and it’s over. Also, don’t think about things too hard. Your body knows how to do this jump, Yume, so don’t try to fight against it. Shut off your brain and just do it, okay? I know you can.” “Right.” Yume blew her nose one last time, took a sip from the water bottle Merle offered her, then skated to the middle of the rink to the encouraging cheers of Pilar and the others. “I can do this,” she said to herself, relaxing her shoulders. “I *will* prove to Mikhail that I am strong enough to be his partner.” She glanced back over to the boards. Mikhail, along with Dominique, was standing beside Merle, his attention finally focused solely on her. Yume’s cheeks burned under the intensity of his gaze, but she chalked it up to her fever flaring up. Remembering Merle’s advice, she cleared the both of them out of her mind and began to skate. The first four jumps came easily to her, but shortly after landing the fifth, Yume began to feel dizzy and lightheaded. She came to a stop at the boards and closed her eyes, trying to regain her bearings. *This is tougher than I thought it was going to be,* she thought, breathing heavily through her mouth. She refused to quit, however. She was halfway there. All she needed to do was land five more jumps, and victory would be hers. After a few moments, the dizzy spell passed. Yume resumed her skating, but her speed lessened as she became more cautious with her jumps. The next two jumps were successful, but just barely. Over at the boards, Merle waved her over. “Yume, where is your speed?” she demanded in a low voice so that Mikhail and Dominique wouldn‘t overhear. “You can’t skate that slowly if you expect to land a triple axel.” “I know. I just --” She closed her eyes again, her hands gripping the boards. Not another one... Merle frowned. “I knew I shouldn’t have let you skate in this condition. Get off the ice.” “No, I can do it. It’s only three more jumps.” “All it takes is one bad fall to seriously injure yourself. I’m all for taking risks, and you’ve been lucky so far, but in your condition, it’s just too dangerous.” “I can do it,” Yume repeated with more conviction, looking back up and staring Merle straight in the eye. “I have to, Coach. Please, let me keep going.” The coach sighed, then smiled. “Well, you’ve certainly got guts, I’ ll give you that,” she said. “Fine, if you insist on seeing this through to the end, I won’t try to stop you, but pick up the speed. I know you’re probably feeling fatigued, but you tend to make mistakes when you get too cautious. If you’re going to do it, don’t hold anything back. As counterintuitive as it may seem, it‘s probably safer for you not to worry so much about technique. Just…skate from your heart.” Yume nodded her understanding and skated off, picking up speed as she did so. Rather than put her brain on autopilot as she did for her few jumps, however, she thought back to her secret practices with Mikhail and how much she enjoyed them, no matter how tough he was on her. How he’d hide his amused smiles whenever she made mistakes, and how pleased she would be whenever he gave one of his rare compliments. It wasn’t until she heard a round of applause coming from the stands that Yume realized she had completed the last three triple axels without even knowing it. She spun around to face the whiteboard and brought her hand to her mouth when she saw the final score. Nine to ten, in her favor. “I…did it?” she gasped in disbelief. Thinking her eyes were playing tricks on her, she blinked and stared at the numbers once again. There was no mistake. “I did it!” Dominique, obviously upset with the results, stalked off without even congratulating Yume on her victory. When Yume skated back over to the gate, Mikhail was waiting there for her with one of those rare smiles on his normally expressionless face. “Congratulations, Yume,” he said, handing over her skate guards. “That was very impressive.” “T-Thank you,” she said, again feeling her cheeks grow hot in addition to the pounding of her heart in her chest. Experiencing a little bit of wooziness after all that jumping, Yume tripped as she stepped off the ice. Mikhail caught her before she hit the ground. “Hey, are you alright?” “I’m fine,” she mumbled almost incoherently. She rested up against him, her face buried in his shirt. “Just a little tired.” Holding her up with one arm, he pressed the back of his free hand against her forehead. “You’re burning up! You skated today, even though you weren’t feeling well?” “I wanted to be strong. Did I do it, Mikhail? Did I finally prove to you that I am good enough to be your partner?” “Yes,” he said, wrapping his arms around her in a surprisingly gentle embrace. “Yes, Yume, I want you to be my partner. I always did.” DISCLAIMER: Kaleido Star doesn't belong to me.