Chapter 13: The chemistry
> "It's not just the plays. It's the silence between them.
Kyo and Clix don't talk like teammates.
They talk like architects."
— AussieAntics, two days before FNCS Grand Finals
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KyoZ3ro didn't believe in superstition—but he believed in structure. With the FNCS Grand Finals less than two weeks away, the system he'd built around himself was nearly bulletproof.
6 a.m. — wake up
6:30 a.m. — light cardio with Clix
7:30 a.m. — protein smoothie, prepared by Horikita
8 a.m. to 2 p.m. — scrims and VOD reviews
2 to 4 p.m. — break, mobility stretches, sometimes gym IRL stream
5 p.m. to 9 p.m. — solo Arena or custom practice
9:30 p.m. — team meeting with Clix
10 p.m. — lights off, phone down, silence
Every hour had a purpose. Every second was accounted for.
What once was an enigma called "KyoZ3ro" had evolved into a living, breathing machine.
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The Gym Streams: Building Bodies and Buzz
"Yo, chat," Clix said one Thursday afternoon, adjusting his camera in the corner of a local gym. "We got the GOAT in the building today. And no—he's still not showing his face."
The cam tilted toward a hooded figure on the rowing machine, dead silent, mechanical in form.
KyoZ3ro.
Chat went wild.
> "HE'S BUILT???" "KYO GOING WHITE ROOM MODE LMAO" "Is that Horikita holding his water bottle? 💀"
The IRL streams were rare, but whenever they happened, the internet trembled. Clix handled the banter, the PR-friendly commentary. Kyo trained quietly, his heart rate barely fluctuating.
"Bro, he's not human," Clix laughed mid-rep. "Man just hit a full set and didn't even blink."
Horikita sat nearby, scrolling through Kyo's calendar, making a mental note to refill his post-workout supplements.
The stream peaked at 86,000 live viewers.
By evening, gym brands had flooded Clix's email, asking to sponsor the duo's next stream.
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A Home That Became Headquarters
Back home, the air smelled faintly of grilled chicken, jasmine rice, and miso soup.
Horikita had taken over the kitchen—not just as a caretaker, but as an anchor in a world spinning faster every week. She cooked, managed his rest cycles, scheduled interviews, and even adjusted room lighting depending on the time of day.
"You need sunlight in the mornings," she said one day, opening the curtains despite his objections. "Melatonin regulation."
"I don't need sleep to win," Kyo replied coldly.
"You don't," she agreed, calmly placing a bowl beside him. "But your body does."
He didn't argue again after that.
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Inside the FNCS War Room
Their Discord was silent until it wasn't.
Clix, Kyo, and their dedicated coach—code-named 'Apex'—had been reviewing rotations for nearly three hours.
"Third zone pulls northeast. Everyone funnels through the ice slope," Apex pointed out on the replay. "What's the plan if Storm Surge tags are low?"
Clix leaned back. "I say we rotate early and box fight Eon."
Kyo's voice came through, calm and sharp.
"No. We bait them. Burn their mats. Then use the geyser on rotate three."
Apex blinked. "You thought of that on the first watch?"
"I thought of that last week," Kyo replied.
Every moment, every engagement, was pre-mapped. They weren't just reacting—they were orchestrating chaos.
Clix shook his head, smiling. "You're terrifying, bro."
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Reactions from the Outside World
By now, the Fortnite community was no longer skeptical. They were obsessed.
TSM Myth posted a tweet:
> "Watching KyoZ3ro is like watching Kasparov if he could also build and triple edit."
Bucky said during a stream:
> "Clix and Kyo are literally the final boss duo. Like how do you even counter them?"
SypherPK made a full YouTube breakdown titled:
> "The Genius of KyoZ3ro: How to Out-IQ the World" — 1.3M views in 48 hours.
And even Tfue, who rarely weighed in, quote tweeted a Kyo clip:
> "Kids these days are cracked AND smarter than me. GG."
But it wasn't just players.
Nike, Red Bull, AMD, and even Netflix Gaming had all inquired about potential partnerships with "the faceless prodigy."
KyoZ3ro was becoming more than a player.
He was becoming a myth—and everyone wanted a piece.
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Horikita's Private Observations
One night, after a full scrim session, Kyo sat alone on the balcony, overlooking the city skyline.
Horikita stepped out quietly, carrying two cups of tea.
"You didn't speak much today," she said, sitting beside him.
"I spoke when I needed to," he answered.
She nodded. "But you're carrying too much again."
He didn't respond, but the slight curl of his fingers around the cup said enough.
She looked over. "Do you think winning will silence the noise inside your head?"
Kyo looked out at the sky. "No. But it'll remind me I control it."
For a moment, there was no strategy, no schedule, no countdown to FNCS.
Just two people, watching the night settle in.
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FNCS Qualifiers: Day 1
It began with a whisper.
"Clix. Pad now."
Their first drop was clean. Split loot from Brutal Bastion. Kyo dictated mid-map rotates with eerie precision.
Game 1: 2nd place, 8 eliminations
Game 2: Victory Royale, 10 elims
Game 3: 6th place, 7 elims
Game 4: 3rd place, 9 elims
They qualified with the highest points of any team across all regions.
Reddit threads exploded.
> "This is the KyoZ3ro era." "Clix + Kyo = NA duo redemption arc."
Even Epic's official channel ran a highlight montage titled:
"The Machine Awakens"
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A Message from the White Room
While Kyo didn't know it, someone was watching.
Deep within a private facility somewhere in Japan, a monitor flickered. Footage of his gameplay played silently. A man in a lab coat scribbled notes.
"He's becoming... visible."
A voice behind him said, "And yet still unpredictable."
Another replied, "This wasn't the path we intended."
The man watching leaned forward.
> "No.
But he's carving his own."
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Fanfare and Fire
On a Tokyo subway, Sudo Ken from Advanced Nurturing High scrolled through his phone, eyes wide.
"Yo... KyoZ3ro just made Clix look like the support player," he mumbled. "Dude's cracked."
He turned to his friend.
"I don't care what the school says. That guy's my idol now."
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End of Chapter 13