“I don’t understand how he keeps going when he loses so much,” Phoebe said. “That would really get to me.”

“You learn more from a loss,” Humphrey said. “I wouldn’t bother trying to understand Jason, though. I think Mother is the only one who sees through him.”

“He did manage a few unexpected victories,” Phoebe said. “When the mirage chamber throws out a complicated environment he gets tricky to deal with.”

“Oh?”

“He beat my brother.”

“He beat Rick?”

“Rick is like you,” she said. “Put the enemy in front of him and nothing at iron rank is going to survive. But the mirage arena put them in a ruined town. The post-surge, cleanout scenario, so monsters everywhere. He’d hit-and-run every time Rick was distracted.”

The illusion power of the mirage area could combine environments and enemies into many different scenarios. A post-surge cleanout was set in a town that had been overrun during a monster surge. It was a favourite of the Geller family trainers, due to the complex environment and constant threat of hidden monsters. Often it was used to train search-and-destroy missions, but it also made a dynamic arena for combat.

“I’m guessing Rick asked for a rematch,” Humphrey said.

“Straight away,” Phoebe said, “but your mother stepped in, took over and decided to make a demonstration of it. She must have been watching.”

“I think Jason fascinates her,” Humphrey said. “She likes to take people apart like puzzles, to see how they work. Jason is nothing if not puzzling.”

“She put out a notice for everyone on site to assemble in the viewing room in…”

She pulled out a pocket watch to check the time.

“…just under two hours. Enough time for you to take a shower first. You smell like swamp and dead monster. Why didn’t you use some crystal wash?”

“I ran out. It’s been hard to get a hold of lately,” Humphrey said.

“Actually, I noticed that too.”

* * *

The mirage area viewing room was laid out like a lecture theatre, and Geller family trainers would often use it as such. With tiered seats looking down on a large viewing window, trainers could talk while mirage arena images, live or recorded, were projected behind them. It was already half full when Humphrey arrived, with more people coming in behind him.

“Your mother tweaked the rematch,” Phoebe said as Humphrey took a seat next to her. “This time Rick will have his whole team.”

“All of them?” Humphrey asked. “Who does Jason have with him?”

“No one,” Phoebe said. “Although I suspect your mother’s hand will be firmly pressed down on the scale.”

“Rick has Claire on his team. She’ll just cleanse all of Jason’s afflictions.”

“Your mother set the conditions of the match. I’m not the one to complain to.”

“I’m going to go find her,” Humphrey said, standing up.