The Glow, Part 2

- The Next Day -

Your phone had received a message from Scott, and the second you saw it, you rushed to the location he had provided you with. It led you to a construction site in Queen & Bathurst, an old building being gutted and turned into something else.

And you walked in the middle of Scott getting his ass kicked by Kyle and Ken. "What's wrong with you?" Scott asked as he wiped off some saliva.

"Pick up the pace, Pilgrim." Kyle taunted.

"Doesn't matter. Now I have someone to make things fair 2 on 2." Scott retorted.

"Calvary's here!" You shouted, running down the wall using the neon you had absorbed from a sign on the way here.

"Rowe. What a pleasant surprise." Ken commented.

"You alright, Scott?" You asked, helping him up.

"Mostly. I feel like I'm coming down with something." Scott answered.

"It's the hangover from yesterday. All that tequila, remember?" You reminded.

"How are you not hungover?" Scott asked.

"Well, for one, I didn't drink nearly as much as you did, and second, Conduit genes." You shrugged.

"You show up to our battle hungover, Pilgrim?" Kyle, almost offended, scoffed. "Let us teach you some respect!"

He rushed over to Scott tying to dropkick him, which Scott blocked. Ken tried to dropkick Scott's other side, which was blocked by you.

"And how is Ramona this morning?" Ken, backing off, asked.

"She's fine, and you guys are cheating! I thought you were supposed to fight one at a time." Scott retorted.

"Well you have Rowe to even the odds now." Kyle smirked.

"Besides, cheating is why we joined the guild in the first place." Ken added.

"You mean the league?" Scott asked.

"Hm... mind elaborating on that?" You raised an eyebrow.

"We joined because Ramona cheated on us." Ken clarified.

"The two-timing slut." Kyle insulted.

"She cheated on you? Seriously?" Scott questioned.

"I'm guessing she played you both?" You inquired.

"That's correct. And since that day we discovered her treachery, we always vowed to work together!" Kyle declared, twin-linking with Ken and performing a Double Hurricane Kick.

Before it hit Scott, you managed to use your chain to wrap around their legs in such a way they lost balance and fell flat on the floor.

"But she- I mean, I cheated and she- Why's she..." Scott stammered.

"...a hypocrite?" Ken suggested.

"You guys are trying to bring me down! I just have to defeat you and Gideon and then everything will be perfect!" Scott exclaimed.

"Wait, hold on? Did you and Ramona have a fight?" You asked, noticing a certain tone in his voice.

"Of course not!" Scott denied.

"Did her head glow?" Ken asked, going in for a punch.

"No!" Scott shook his head as he dodged.

"You idiot!" Kyle laughed.

"What does it mean? That glow?" You asked, grabbing his arm and slamming him down.

"Can we talk about something else?" Scott asked, countering Ken.

"Scott, this could be very important." You reminded, Kyle managing to get out of your grasp. "We should really, really talk about this."

"No, Y/N, something else Ramona-related." Scott shook his head, and was punched by Ken, who was then neon-whipped by you.

"You know why Ramona came to this city, don't you?" Kyle asked, pushing Scott back. "She came here to escape."

"From what?" You inquired, pulling Kyle off Scott with your chain.

"Herself." Kyle replied, punching you away.

"Gideon." Ken added, kicking Scott.

"You guys are full of it." Scott retorted, standing back up.

"She's a runner, Pilgrim." Ken stated.

"Wait, she is?" You questioned, now genuinely curious.

"Yes, she is." Kyle nodded. "And it's what she does best."

"If you dicks know so much, what was her last job?" Scott inquired.

"She worked for Gideon, of course." Kyle answered.

"And her services are missed." Ken added.

"Hold on, I'm seeing a common theme here..." You realized, standing back up. "Throughout all, or most, of Ramona's relationships, there is one constant."

The Twins turned their attention toward you, and Scott was confused. "What's that, Rowe?" They both asked.

"Matthew, Lucas, Todd, Roxie, you two... Ramona never gave any of you proper closure, did she?" You theorized. "Or any talking to about wanting to break up, right?"

"That is correct." Kyle nodded.

"Where are you going with this?" Ken asked.

"Scott, these guys are right. Ramona is a runner." You informed.

"Oh, not you too." Scott frowned.

"No no, listen to me. Ramona seems to always run when things get rough. I've talked to the first four exes, and they all gave me different stories, but one common thing is, they're never the ones that end things. Ramona does. Even then, she just runs and doesn't look back." You continued. "This is her M.O."

"At least one of you got the hint." Kyle remarked.

"You're smarter than you look, Rowe. Pilgrim is simply too dumb and lovesick." Ken laughed.

"Look, Scott, I'm not trying to upset you, but the Twins are right." You sighed.

"Ramona only knows how to run, and leave people behind." Ken stated.

"So she can keep running and avoid the problems she creates." Kyle finished.

"Y/N, do you hear what they're saying?! Are you seriously gonna side with them?" Scott demanded, hurt.

"Scott, they're making good points." You tried to explain. "I really don't want to sound like I'm picking their side. But there's really not another way I can put this without it hurting you."

"You poor fool." Kyle mocked.

"Fighting for her." Ken taunted.

"Going through hell." Kyle chuckled.

"All for the wrong girl." Ken smiled. "You think she'd do this for you?"

"I wager she's packing her bags now." Kyle grinned.

- Motivational Speech

Scott needs the encouragement, and these things are usually effective in motivating a person. You were pretty good at them, having given many motivational speeches in the past. Maybe the Katayanagi Twins will also be swayed.

- Execute the Twins

These are bad guys. Why the heck not? They're annoying you, and you've grown tired of their shit. It's time they learn some respect. Run up, go for the kill, and only Gideon will be left. You can't wait to get this stupid game over with.

"Scott, I know I once said that the past defines and shapes us before, and that's true!" You sighed. "Sometimes, we're so defined by our past, it becomes our future. It's like a broken record."

"If you have a point, just say it, Y/N!" Scott glared.

"Right, sorry. But just because the past defines you doesn't mean you have to live there. You can grow past your history and become more than your experiences. It's called growing and maturing!" You explained. "But Ramona needs help to get past being a runner, because that's the only thing she knows. And you have to help her see that she doesn't have to be!"

The Twins stopped for a moment, looking at you. They were almost impressed by how well you were handling the situation. "Do you not want to give up on Ramona, Rowe?" Kyle asked.

"Of course not! Ramona is a great girl! But even she needs help. Scott, I'm not trying to make excuses for her, but she does need help, and if you want a healthy, loving relationship with her, she'll need you to help her. That's what love is." You stated.

Scott and the Twins all stared at you, in different ways. Scott, he was shocked by your words. You were right. He knew it, but hearing you say it made it clear.

And the Twins, they were surprised by your willingness to give Ramona a chance, despite everything.

"Scott, I know this sounds cliche, but what will you do for love? Will you let your love for Ramona control you? Will you let it define you and change you, or will you fight for her and let her see that she can get past the runner lifestyle, and learn how to be loved and give love back? That's the question." You finished.

"Y/N..." Scott murmured.

"That..." Kyle began.

"...was..." Ken continued.

"...beautiful." They both finished, in unison.

"It was?" You asked, caught off guard. "I really just meant that to get Scott motivated, I didn't-"

"We're not gonna fight you or Pilgrim anymore." They decided, walking over to you.

"You aren't? I mean, that's great! But why?" You questioned.

"You've shown us that there is another way." Kyle smiled. "A way of acceptance, and peace."

"A way to move on, to forgive, and let go." Ken finished.

"Uh... okay? I mean... okay! Yeah! You can be forgiving and accepting and stuff!" You smiled. You honestly didn't expect this would work, but it did. Let's roll with it and ask questions later. "So, do you have anything you want to say to Ramona, if you see her again?"

"Well, we guess that because of her, we are so close now." Kyle said.

"Admittedly, me and Kyle have been closer since the day we found out she'd cheated on us." Ken stated.

"See? Ramona brought you closer as sibling. Very much not in the preferable method, but still. The end result is the same. That's gotta count for something, right?" You suggested.

"Perhaps." Both twins agreed.

"Good. Now, Scott?" You walked over to him and helped him up. "Come on, you have a relationship to fight for."

And so, you killed 3 birds with one stone: Ramona's fifth and sixth evil exes, the Twins, and Scott's determination to get Ramona back.

Now, for the moment you've worked so hard to achieve...

+ Good Karma! (for motivating Scott)

+ Good Karma! (for helping Kyle get over the past)

+ Good Karma! (for helping Ken get over the past)

- RANK UP! -

Congratulations. After all you've done, every speech you've given, the minds you've changed, and the pasts you've mended, you have now become...

A True Hero

- To Ramona's apartment you rushed... -

"Ramona!" Scott and you panted, arriving at her room.

She was surprised, her hair being shorter than yesterday. She was holding a letter, but you couldn't quite see who it was from.

"Whoa, your... your hair..." Scott was taken aback.

"Are you alright, Ramona? We were worried sick about you." You asked.

"Hey, so, um, we took care of the twins! Y/N really helped, and they're good now, so, uh, they're cool with us. And they told us some things, which may be a little true..." Scott explained. "Ramona, I... I love you, okay? I love you here and now."

"We may know who you are, and where you're from. Or... what you did." You started. "But you can change to be better, to improve, and we want to help you change."

"I've done bad things." Ramona gean to get teary-eyed.

"We both have. Everyone has!" Scott assured her.

"It's true. There's no such thing as a perfect person." You stated.

"I'm a bad person." Ramona argued.

"People can change, Ramona." Scott insisted.

"And we want to help you do that." You added.

"Scott... Y/N..." Ramona smiled as he wiped off a tear. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Scott said.

"Wait, has the room always been this bright?" You questioned, just now noticing.

"I had a good time." Ramona smiled, beginning to get lost in the light.

"Wait... what?" Scott was confused.

"Ramona!" You exclaimed.

And before you knew it, Ramona had disappeared into the light, leaving the letter she held. And now, the room now had just you and Scott. And her cat, Gideon, simply plopped onto the bed.

Scott grabbed the letter, and it was from Gideon. The seventh evil ex, not the cat. He and you searched the entire room, house, and outside, but nothing. It seemed like Ramona had truly disappeared, and now the two of you were at an impasse.

- And then everything just seemed to spiral down to nothingness... -

For Scott, not for you. You were upset, sure, but not nearly as much as Scott. After all, he did have stronger feelings for her than you did. He's been in quite a state ever since she disappeared.

Crying at the job, though he claims this is because of the opinions he's chopping, going to sleep in different people's places to sleep, as he forgot the keys to Ramona's apartment. Though, he settled in the Virtual World, and now, he's just sitting on a bench, staring into space.

He's also been asking everyone about cats, trying to get Gideon, the cat, not the seventh evil ex, to come back home. And, he's quite keen in finding Gideon, as he confused Mobile, Wallace's boyfriend, for him.

You've done everything you can to cheer him up. Alas, he's still a wreck. You tried to help by running all around Toronto to try and find Ramona. Nothing. So, here you are, by his side, like the good friend you were.