“You’re supposed to entertain us, and though that was a nice appetizer, I feel we can do better during the next round,” the MasterMind said. “Of course, now the training wheels are off. I didn’t work my fingers to the bone for you guys to traipse around all sweetness and light and occasional tea breaks.”

“This was sweetness and light?” Winnie hollered indignantly.

The MasterMind put her hand on her hip and smirked. “Those Machi Men could have stood a few more kilos in the shins. You’re welcome.”

Winnie’s skin was starting to work its way toward an angry flush, so Ahmad stepped in front, crossing his arms in solidarity with his bedraggled classmate.

“If you’re going to give us a villain monologue, at least make it useful,” he said. “So we’ve finished this level. What’s next? Don’t we get a cool rundown of stats in the sky and things we’ve earned? A grumpy Moogle to haggle with over health potions and speed boosters?”

“I thought you’d never ask.” The MasterMind lifted her hand and snapped her fingers. Lightning crackled across the static sky and then, in large yellow letters, words flashed.

TUTORIAL COMPLETE!

BONUS TIME—0:05

“You may want to step out of the way for this one if you plan to keep going,” the MasterMind warned.

Ahmad puzzled over that, but Winnie’s eyes widened and she grasped his arm. “Duck!”

She tugged him out of the way moments before a large sack of coins nailed the spot he’d stood in moments before. It was only another second before other items followed: an oversized, jingling set of keys that flickered for a moment, exposing bright pixels and silver current, a snaking mess of cables, what looked to be a CD case that shattered as it hit the ground, and a large puzzle piece like the one Madame Nasirah had shown them before.

Ahmad and Winnie stared at the pile, as above it, the letters giddily spun and jostled each other to reveal:

REWARDS!

X1 KEYS

X1 CABLES

X1 DUFF DRUM COLLECTION CD

“What is all this?” Winnie asked. “Do we really need all this for the next challenge?”

The MasterMind gave another one of those irksome smirks. “I got bored with that CD. You’re welcome.”

Vijay Bhai knelt and gathered up the shattered jewel case. “That was a classic,” he muttered angrily. “Kids these days.”

Ahmad couldn’t pay attention, though. He grabbed Winnie by the arm as new holographic words flashed in the air before them: YOU’VE EARNED A PUZZLE PIECE! ONLY—the letters faded into static for a moment—TO GO!

For a moment, the MasterMind’s triumphant expression fell.

“It wasn’t supposed to do that,” she muttered. Her hoverboard lowered, and she waved a hand toward the letters so that they faded.