The Penultimate Showdown

The mansion was raided. Yuzuko caught a glimpse of the robots as they trashed the place. Planks of wood flying from all directions. Light bulbs shattered. Yuzuko slashed the curtains apart trying to tackle the robots down but still kept Lavender insight. Her gun still weighed her down, but she remained determined that she was not going to use it.

Despite her determination, each movement caused sudden pain. It was much more than stressed muscles and aching arms. She was close to killing her idol and model. Yuzuko used to dream about sharing coffees with her and snapping fun selfies under metropolitan lights with her. In her wildest fantasies, she considered trading Sakura for Lavender. How could one even fathom that her celebrity crush would be the one trying to kill her.

"Consider yourself lucky," Lavender hissed, squashing a robot's head with the sledgehammer. Beyond the broken interior, Lavender had never looked so hideous. Yuzuko could no longer stand the sight of her, for her true colours were anything but lavender.

"Why is that?" Yuzuko assumed Lavender was trying to catch her off guard.

"That the robots you love so much will be the ones to kill you." Lavender's voice echoed over the metallic chaos. "It's been nice knowing you, but I think this place shall be your grave. Don't worry, I'll make sure you and Sakura will be together."

Yuzuko couldn't contain herself. Had she have been so certain of Sakura’s safety, she would have died for her. “No!” Yuzuko screamed. “I have to live. For my son, mother and grandfather.” She pulled the gun out of her pocket and pulled the trigger at least a dozen times. The robots were quick to fall after the last bullet. She was alarmed by a high-pitched scream. Yuzuko gasped and placed the gun back in her pocket.

Lavender dropped the sledgehammer on her feet and placed her hands together, blood oozed from both of them.

"BITCH!" she yelled. "You shot my hand."

"I looked up to you." Yuzuko choked on her tears. It was Lavender's vlog that made her realise she was bisexual. Her positive videos pulled Yuzuko out of depression. None of this was easy for her.

"Fuck you... I don't need your bullshit."

"You don't have to kill anyone," Yuzuko said, pleading on her knees. "We can all still be winners. We can share the money."

Lavender rolled around the staircase howling in pain. "I DON'T WANT TO SHARE. I WANT IT ALL TO MYSELF."

"Lavender!" Yuzuko shot up and dashed to the bottom of the stairs. "Think of what Christian said."

"He never loved me anyway."

Yuzuko shook her head. "I think he did. Why did he keep coming back?"

"We just wanted to make the world and the people in it beautiful again," Lavender sobbed clawing onto her injuries.

"Come on," Yuzuko patted her back. "Let's go."

Lavender snatched Yuzuko's sword. "I'm not going anywhere." Screaming, Lavender waved the sword around.

"Sorry!" Yuzuko whipped her gun out and pulled the trigger. "You left me no choice."

Lavender slumped over. The blood was everywhere. Yuzuko retrieved the weapons, but stayed with Lavender and wept. How things could have been so different.

As the folds of her dress became painted with blood, she envisioned an alternate universe where Lavender was her best friend. Her YouTube channel made Yuzuko feel that Lavender was talking to her. Flashbacks of Lavender liking Yuzuko’s tweets, sending her fan mail, and would often refer her as her big sister. “It didn’t have to come to this!” Yuzuko sobbed as Lavender’s warmth evaporated. “I know we would have made a great team...”

A painful fact had been realised: Lavender was a stranger. The Idol she thought she knew and loved was a facade.

Lavender dead

Christian - 650 points

Sakura & Yuzuko - 800 points

98 robots remaining