Our victory quarters feel different after the match against Team Sentinel, the energy unmistakable, a quiet confidence replacing the desperate relief we felt after beating Nova. Eli lounges on one of the couches, casually manipulating a small gravity field where a water bottle orbits his extended finger. Desta sits cross-legged on the floor, data patterns occasionally flickering behind her eyes as she processes information from the facility's systems. Ember paces near the window, flames dancing with controlled excitement around her hair.

  "Let's break it down," I say, pulling up the match footage on the main display. "What worked, what didn't, what we can improve for next time."

  "What didn't work?" Eli snorts, the gravity field around his finger pulsing with his amusement. "Dude, we fucking steamrolled them. Their whole 'elite security team' bullshit fell apart in minutes."

  "Precision," Desta observes, eyes focused on the footage of our combination attacks. "Previous engagement against Team Nova characterized by improvisation and chaos adaptation. Today's victory achieved through synchronized enhancement application with 87% increased efficiency."

  "Basically, we stopped fighting like four separate people and started fighting like one organism with four different abilities," Ember translates, flames pulsing thoughtfully around her hair. "The combination sequences made all the difference."

  She's right. The intensive training during our recovery period transformed how we function in combat. Each ability now amplifies the others instead of merely coexisting alongside them. My telekinesis enhances Eli's gravity fields, which concentrate the effect of Ember's flames, all coordinated through Desta's tactical awareness and system manipulation.

  "Your approach has changed significantly," Desta notes, looking directly at me. "Integration of telekinesis with physical combat represents 142% efficiency improvement over previous methodology."

  "My solo matches forced me to adapt," I explain, recalling the brutal fights against Avalanche, Vortex, and especially Cinder. "Can't just rely on one aspect of my abilities anymore. Everything has to work together."

  "Like how you took down Bastion," Eli says, eyes widening as the display shows my combined telekinetic-physical strike shattering the force barrier. "That wasn't just a punch or just telekinesis, it was both at the molecular level. Fucking insane."

  "And Eli's control is night and day compared to our first match," Ember adds, gesturing toward the footage showing his precisely maintained gravity fields. "No more random shit floating around or suddenly dropping when you get distracted."

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  Eli grins, the water bottle now executing a perfect figure-eight pattern around two fingers. "Still got plenty of room for improvement, but at least I'm not accidentally sending shit flying across the room every time I sneeze."

  "The rhombus formation provided optimal defensive configuration," Desta observes. "Unlike previous engagement where my position was immediately compromised, today's approach maintained tactical support functionality throughout combat duration."

  "They couldn't get to you because we finally figured out how to protect our support," I agree. "Next time we'll—"

  A notification chimes on the main display, interrupting our debriefing. The facility logo pulses briefly before text appears:

  TEAM COMBAT SCHEDULED

  Team: EXODUS (Victory Streak: 2)

  Opponent: VANGUARD (Victory Streak: 2)

  Combat Time: 1400 Hours, Three Days Hence

  Arena Configuration: Asymmetrical Combat Zones

  Special Conditions: Variable gravity sectors active

  Status: ACTIVE VICTORY STREAK (2)

  Options: [ACCEPT] [WITHDRAW - 0/3 USED]

  "Vanguard?" Eli reads, leaning forward with sudden interest. "Weren't they supposed to be our first opponents before they switched us to Nova?"

  "Affirmative," Desta confirms, eyes briefly flickering with code patterns as she accesses system records. "Team Vanguard originally scheduled as our initial opponents. Achieved consecutive victories against Teams Bastion and Crucible following administrative rescheduling."

  "So they're 2-0 like us," Ember notes, flames intensifying slightly around her fingers. "This is where the real competition starts. Teams with proven victory records facing each other."

  Desta's eyes flash more intensely as she dives deeper into facility records. "Team Vanguard classification: offensive specialists. Roster includes Bulwark, Ricochet, Fathom, and Static as previously identified. Combat approach characterized by aggressive engagement patterns and synchronized attack sequences."

  "Variable gravity sectors," I read from the arena configuration. "That's either really good or really bad for us depending on how it's implemented."

  "Actually works in our favor," Eli notes, his gravity field expanding slightly with his excitement. "I can manipulate those sectors, maybe even override the facility's settings. Gives me more to work with than just generating fields from scratch."

  "Vanguard's approach prioritizes overwhelming offensive pressure," Desta continues her analysis. "Previous victories achieved through coordinated attack patterns that prevent defensive repositioning. Similar to our combination sequences but focused on continuous assault rather than synchronized enhancement."

  "So they hit hard and don't let up," Ember translates, flames dancing around her hands as she considers tactical implications. "We'll need to absorb that initial pressure without breaking formation, then counter when they've committed to their assault pattern."