A/N: The first part is once again directly inspired by the Remember the Name animatic. Honestly Gen's animatics are sooooo life-changing. (There's one to How Far We've Come which introduced me to that song. And if you love Dogwarts, Pale White Horse / Where is Your Rider is compulsory lmao).

It throws me off my balance to write Pearl as a non-hermit because she IS a hermit and has been one long enough that part of my brain is convinced she's always been a hermit. Even though I was literally around when she was just hermit adjacent. I think part of Pearl's characterisation here depends on the fact that she is not a hermit (yet), but a good portion of that is already shown in the 8th Championship arc.

There's also a slight sprinkling of Treebark references even though Ren and Martyn literally do not interact in this chapter :)

-

And now it all unfolds, the skill of an artist

-

This was the third round of Dodgebolt. Green had two wins so far, and Blue had none. If Green won one more round, it would be game over.

The Blue Bats had each come so far. They weren't stopping now. They would fight tooth and nail for their victory.

And besides, this was the perfect time to strike, right? Whenever they felt defeated, they would pop off. It happened for Survival Games; it could happen here.

The Blue Bats exchanged grim but determined looks. The harsh spotlight casted sharp shadows on their faces.

The Blue Bats were the underdogs. They were predicted 6th, and now they were 0-2 in Dodgebolt. When it came to the audience poll, only 21% of voters believed Blue Bats would take the crown. Green had the support of the majority.

The Blue Bats had everything to gain, and nothing to lose.

-

He doesn't need his name up in lights

He just wants to be heard whether it's the beat or the mic

He feels so unlike everybody else, alone

-

Rendog. The self-proclaimed "weakest" player of the team.

He hasn't picked up a bullet yet, and he chose to duck behind his teammates. It wasn't because he didn't want to participate in Dodgebolt. It was because he felt like the bullets would be better off in his teammates' hands.

Ren had spent the first two rounds on the sidelines. That was what he was used to, even back on Hermitcraft. When playing casual minigames in the 3-H building, Ren kept on saying that he'd "never won anything before". And within the Hermitcraft sphere, his friend False was way more mechanically skilled than he was anyway.

But of course, despite his "derpiness" (or maybe it was because of it), Ren wanted to be useful. To be strong. To be significant to his friends in some way. And that was what he did in team based games like Survival Games of Sands of Time. He genuinely enjoyed being in charge of time and resources.

And now Dodgebolt.

While it was true that Ren was just grateful to be able to play Dodgebolt, he wanted to win too. He wanted to contribute to his team. He wanted to win as a whole.

Maybe there would be an opportunity for Ren in Dodgebolt. And maybe he would have the courage to take it, hold it tight in his hands, and let the bullet fly.

-

Who the hell is she anyway? She never really talks much

Never concerned with status but still leaving them star struck

-

False Symmetry. The so-called PvP queen of Hermitcraft. While she was greatly respected by her hermits, it was a different world outside. But she was surprised by how many people supported her during her failed 1v3.

Sometimes it felt like people regarded her team as "H, Fruit, and the others". And now "H, Fruit, and the hermits". Even within the hermit group, she was always with Ren, and hence people viewed them as a two in one package (which would make Herman Blur lose his tiny little mind when the so-called divorce arc happened, but that happened much later).

But when the conditions for a potential 1v3 emerged, people were cheering for her specifically.

Of course she had friends from other teams. The Pink Parrots. Pearl. Pete. Even people she knew vaguely like Kara and Quig. But she garnered support from people she never knew about, people she'd never spoken to. Heck, even Technoblade wanted her to 1v3. It was a little scary to take the centerstage, but at least people were seriously considering her as a Dodgebolt player.

She wasn't just False the hermit, False a member of 3-H, False the Championship player whose teams always placed in the bottom half. She was False, a member of the Blue Bats. She was False, a Dodgebolt player. Even folks who had never heard of her would know her now.

Sure, she might've failed the 1v3. 1v3s were never easy to achieve— even Fruit couldn't do it. But False was now exposed to the cheering crowd of the spectators. People could look her in the eye, acknowledge her efforts, and support her in Dodgebolt.

And to False, that was already part of her victory.

-

Who would've thought that he'd be the one to set the west in flames

Then heard him wreckin' with The Crystal Method, Name Of The Game

-

Fruitberries. One of the Green Gods, one of Technoblade's teachers, but not a S-tier yet.

Fruit was nervous. He couldn't help it.

He'd won in the 6th Championship, but didn't get a very good rank afterwards, he skipped one MCC, and now suddenly he was in Dodgebolt. And he was expected to "carry" his team.

Maybe his performance in Dodgebolt wasn't the best. Yes, he did get some kills, but he died in a stupid way and he made a stupid shot. And the Blue Bats hadn't even won one round of Dodgebolt yet. Surely this wouldn't eventually lead to some sort of Fruitninja curse in which they were fated to lose their Dodgebolts!

Fruit knew he was mechanically skilled, was good at PvP, and was good at trapping. The extent of his strength was only made more obvious by his insane amount of kills in Survival Games and the fact that he'd gotten first individual. Surely people would acknowledge him now. And really, was his dominance really that unexpected? He had ranked 5th, then 14th, and now 1st. An admirable trajectory for someone who'd only been in three Championships.

Fruit thought his performance this time was pretty sweet, and a lot of his friends were impressed as well. Even if the Blue Bats didn't win Dodgebolt, at least he would have that.

But of course, Fruit didn't want to lose Dodgebolt.

What happened earlier was a fluke. A warm up. Fruit knew he could do better.

And so he would.

-

Nobody really knows how or why he works so hard

It seems like he's never got time

Because he writes every note and he writes every line

And I've seen him at work when that light goes on in his mind

-

HBomb. One of the kings at Dodgebolt, famous for consistently bringing his teams to Dodgebolt, and in general an important pillar of the Championship community. People knew him as a motivator, a hard worker, a leader, a team player, an optimist, and perhaps an idealist.

Which was why despite the dire situation, HBomb did not allow himself to panic.

Alright, he would admit maybe he put a bit too much pressure on False. H seriously believed in the False Prophecy, and he knew if it didn't happen today, it would happen eventually. Like perhaps two weeks later, or in the far, far, future in which he ended up teaming with her again. But regardless, False was a newcomer hermit, and that solo 1v3 must be pretty stressful for her. H didn't want to push her too far.

Yet, H trusted his team. He trusted the narrative. He remembered tweeting, "It's kinda crazy how 86% of people sleep on their belly, I sleep on my side and the entire MCC community sleep on the Blue Bats". Even when his own teammates doubted him, H had faith in them from the very start.

He'd reviewed their VODs. He put in hard work to understand them, saw their potential, and knew it only took a nudge to bring them out.

Fruit of course had wicked skills on his own, but good strategy and comms could elevate him to a whole new level. Even as Fruit dominated Survival Games, he knew it would be harder to achieve if he didn't get good gear from the rest of his teammates. And with H's little slip up in Survival Games, Fruit learned to take charge, paving the way for him to become a S-tier leader.

Ren, cheerful and optimistic like H himself was, was always willing to sacrifice himself for the others. With his natural charisma, communication skills, and attentiveness to resources, Ren made the perfect sandkeeper, and it only took a few pointers from H to get him going.

And False! He'd noticed her back in the 8th Championship, and before that during practice. Like Ren, she was good with comms, and her spatial awareness was almost terrifying. He knew she was good with a bow. In his mind's eye, he could envision her popping off.

Maybe some found him crazy for believing in the two hermits. Or perhaps foolish for reviewing their VODs to spot their strengths, to coax the potential out of them.

But H believed that hard work would pay off.

He could see the puzzle pieces falling together, and they spelled out a path to victory. Some called him a prophet. Perhaps H just willed his prophecies into existence simply by supporting his team.

Was H insane for being so confident about the Blue Bats? Maybe.

But he ended up being right, didn't he?

-

It's like a design is written in his head every time

Before he even touches a key or speaks in a rhyme

And those motherfuckers he runs with, the kids that he signed

Ridiculous, without even trying, how do they do it?

-

Joel was screaming "COMEBACK!" along with many other members of the audience. Grian was practically pleading. Pearl's gaze remained determined. Noxite joked about randomly killing players off, but underneath the lighthearted facade, he too knew he was witnessing a historical moment.

Stan Twitt was already celebrating. If Green won one more round, they would win the Championship. Fans of the Dream Team were begging for a good result for George and Sapnap after Dream's experience with Grian and the iron door. Somewhere in the stands, Illumina was watching Fruit. Herman Blur and Cherry Twitt were both reduced to screaming messes. On the other side, the hermits were tense. Cub couldn't tear his eyes off the team. "Come on, man," he whispered.

It was under this backdrop that the third round of Dodgebolt began.

Almost immediately, H noticed that Green hadn't taken their bullet, and called out, "Fruit, you're free reign." But that barely lasted for a second as Krtzyy from the other side snatched the bullet.

"Oh." Fruit, with his gun raised, moved around to get a better view. "I'll shoot eventually."

"Don't sit still for too long. That's how you died the first time. Keep an eye on Dave." After all, Krtzyy was the one who eliminated Fruit in the first round.

The Blue Bats bounced around. Fruit took a deep breath, aimed, and pressed the trigger. His eyes followed the trajectory of the bullet, and—

"The_Eret was shot by fruitberries!"

"Nice, big hit!" H called out. "Dave's still got it! It looks like he's targeting you."

They were silent for a few moments. (The audience was screaming about "Gogy", but Joel's "let's go!" rang loud and clear.)  "Bullet in the middle!" Ren piped up, referring to the bullet that had been dispensed on their side. Players instinctively avoided it because moving towards the bullet would be predictable.

"Dave still has the bullet," H reported. "He's focusing on... actually I don't know."

Fruit chuckled. H cautiously moved, his eyes occasionally flitting to Krtzyy to see what was his deal. H inched closer to the bullet, and—

"Falsesymmetry was shot by Krtzyy!"

"Okay, he got False." As people were distracted, H picked up the bullet. The Blue Bats now had two on their side. Interestingly enough, after False's failed 1v3 in the first round, she'd been the first member of Blue Bats to be eliminated ever since. Maybe it was a coincidence. Or maybe Green felt genuinely threatened by her.

"Let's do it!"

H and Fruit resumed their usual shooting position. Fruit raised his gun. "I'm ready."

"Come on, boys!" Ren's voice sounded from behind them, hopeful and encouraging.

"You good to go whenever?" H asked Fruit.

"Yup."

"Alright, sounds good." H's eyes narrowed, and he shot.

"Sapnap was shot by HBomb94!"

"Got Sapnap!" Pleased, H bounced back a few steps. Fruit was still aiming, and H noted the dispensed bullet on Green's side. "They don't have a bullet, take your time."

H stopped moving to get a better view of Fruit's shot. Meanwhile, Ren was still jumping around almost nervously. Fruit steadied his hand, shot, but he missed.

"Good try!" The words were almost instinctive to H now.

Fruit groaned. Knowing Green had two bullets, he started jumping. "Awww, shi—"

"Good try!" H interrupted him. "And no poopy words. We don't need those."

Despite the tension, Fruit managed to shoot H a glare. The hermits were PG, or at least mostly PG (ignoring whatever the heck Ren was constantly doing). In response to that, H simply grinned.

"You made a good shot! It just didn't go the way you wanted!" (Ignoring the irony of H's statements.)

Fruit was still silent. H couldn't see Fruit's face because they were all bouncing around, but he figured out Fruit needed a quick pep talk.

"It's okay, boss! You still dominated Survival Games in a legendary performance!"

From the bleachers, False laughed. "Yeah!"

The Dodgebolt music caused their heartbeats to quicken. Green was taking their sweet time to aim. Not that Blue could blame them when they did the exact same (and probably took longer to aim). Meanwhile, the audience was once again making jokes about the length of this Dodgebolt, with CPK saying, "Good thing the music is a bop".

"Watch out!" Fruit cried out.

H felt a sense of foreboding, but he continued to twist and turn his body, sweat forming in his palms—

"HBomb94 was shot by GeorgeNotFound!"

Green paint dripped off on the spot directly above H's heart. "Ah, I got taken out." But H quickly switched to being motivating, and hollered, "ALRIGHT BOYS, WIN THIS FOR ME! LET'S GO!"

A bullet popped up from the ground, and Ren took it. Another one came through the dispenser, and this time Fruit picked it up. Fruit glanced at Ren. It was them versus George and Krtzyy. This was a 2v2, and the odds were significantly better than the 1v3s from earlier. "Hey Ren, you wanna— you got this?"

"Yup!" Ren was nervous, but he still managed to smile. This was his first time with a bullet. He lifted his gun and began to aim.

"Yeah, you both got this!" H cheered. "Take your time, Ren!"

"Okay." Fruit took a deep breath and wiped his sweaty hands on his pants. His stupid nerves were back again.

"Don't shoot yet, Fruit needs a second," H called from the bleachers.

"Okay." A moment later, Fruit shifted so he stood next to Ren.

"He's got them sweaty hands!" H laughed. "He feels alive more than ever!"

Despite the tension, Fruit chuckled. Later, his fans would joke that he sounded fairly "awake" in the 9th Championship compared to other events.

"Say who you're targeting too, so you don't both shoot the same person."

"Umm, I'm going for Dave here."

"Okay."

Ren was silent. Neither him nor False had said a word for a good twenty seconds. But Ren was focused and paying attention. Knowing that Fruit was going for Krtzyy, that left Ren with George. Ren concentrated with all his might, tried to predict George's moves, and pressed the trigger—

"GeorgeNotFound was shot by Renthedog!"

"Gottem!" Ren declared gleefully. Almost instinctively, he began to bounce around. Fruit was still aiming, and while he was happy, he couldn't afford to lose concentration. Not when Ren had gotten one kill and Blue still had one more bullet.

The seconds passed by almost agonizingly. Then H called out, "Ren?"

He was speaking in that specific tone, friendly yet incredulous, encouraging and thrilled. But before Ren could ask what H wanted to say, a sudden movement caught their attention.

"Krtzyy was shot by fruitberries!"

Green Guardians was eliminated! The Blue Bats had finally won one round! "YES BABY!" Ren immediately screamed. Fruit grinned as False cried out, "Yeahh!!" Ren instinctively moved over to give Fruit a fist bump. They could survive for a bit longer. Their journey wouldn't end that easily.

And of course, the audience instantly exploded. CPK and GizzyGazza screamed "LET'S GO!" in unison while Technoblade shouted out, "SENSEI!"

H was vigorously clapping. With how much he'd screamed, it was a miracle that his voice wasn't hoarse yet. "What's up with you guys LET'S GO!!"

"LET'S GO!" Ren echoed H's words.

"Gimme that!" Fruit cheered.

"LET'S MAKE THINGS INTERESTING!" H thundered. "REVERSE SWEEP! Let's go!!"

False pumped her fist in the air. "Let's bring it back!"

The audience realised it too, with CPK saying "No 3-0" and Mefs declaring, "The comeback!". Pearl was screaming "NICE!" while Pete called out, "NO SWEEP!". Meeks and Joel backed up Mefs by also screaming about a comeback.

With their morale freshly boosted, H and False returned to the arena with huge smiles on their faces. No matter what happened, at least a clean sweep wasn't happening. The Blue Bats shared determined looks, then once again faced their opponents.

And H was absolutely correct: they wanted to make things interesting. And so they would.

-

Picture yourself in the living room

Your pipe and slippers set out for you

I know you think that it ain't too far

-

It was the beginning of the real finale. Blue Bats, the classic underdogs, were striking back. Their story was emerging, different threads twisting together, and it became so tangible in the air that they could almost taste it.

"God," Fruit marvelled, but sobered up quickly. He set down his water bottle with a definite thud. "Okay, we got this."

"The reverse sweep!" H whooped, but like Fruit, he returned to business almost immediately. His smile vanished and was replaced by a serious expression. "Okay, I want the first bullet. Sorry, I'm taking it."

Ren was happy with H's confidence. "Go for it!"

With that, the fourth round of Dodgebolt began. Green had won twice, and Blue had won once, breaking Green's dream of a clean sweep. Once again, H was making his callouts. "Dave's got it!"

Fruit jumped to narrowly avoid a paintball bullet. It crashed into the wall behind him. "He missed!" Fruit called out. "He tried to shoot me!"

"Huge!"

Fruit glanced at H. If Krtzyy had just missed, and Blue hadn't made a shot yet...

"Wait, do you still have your bullet?"

"Yup!"

Fruit scooted closer to H, both of their guns raised. Another opportunity for them, the two top fraggers, to shoot at the same time. "I'm ready!" he told H.

"Okay!"

"I'm gonna get closer, hold on." Fruit shifted and frowned. He stretched his aching fingers before holding onto the gun again. "I'm gonna go for Sap, I think. Or whoever I can easily hit."

"Alright, I'm going on the right side, so I'll take Dave." With one Bat on each side, they aimed. Then H spoke up.

"You ready for me to shoot whenever?"

"Yeah, I'm ready."

"Okay. Let's do it."

H had the gift of sounding assured no matter the situation. He was a constant and unwavering figure of encouragement. With H's words ringing in his ears and supporting him, Fruit made his shot.

"Sapnap was shot by fruitberries!"

"Gottem!" Fruit declared.

"Nice," Ren cried out at the same time H said, "Huge!"

The three Blue Bats shifted behind H and anticipated his shot, both nervous and thrilled. H raised his gun slightly, pressed the trigger, and—

"The_Eret was shot by HBomb94!"

"Gottem!" Fruit's tone was a tad more gleeful.

"HUGE!" Ren shouted. "Massive!" Green was two down, and Blue still had a full team alive.

When the Blue Bats jumped around, it was half in celebration, half to avoid the two shots from Green. False hurried towards the rest of the Bats. "I almost got stuck on the red bit, it shrunk down twice!" she exclaimed.

The air was filled with tension. Even breathing felt like a luxury now.  "They both have one," H panted.

"Yup." Fruit's voice was strained. His eyes followed the trajectory of the bullet. He knew he was their target. "Missed one! And—"

"Fruitberries was shot by Krtzyy!"

Fruit paused and caught his breath. Green paint slid down his shirt. "Ah, Dave hit me."

"Alright."

It was so tense that nobody could afford to give out reassurances. Everybody knew what they had to do. Fruit silently stepped out of the court and made his way up to the bleachers. But even with Fruit out of the game, Green had two players out, so Blue technically still had the advantage.

"The reverse sweep is on," CPK declared.

Fruit cupped his hands and shouted, "You guys got this!" Yet, his encouragement was lost in the quick words his teammates were exchanging.

"I'm targeting Dave!" H announced. "Who's got the other bullet?"

"I-I have." False, jittery but still holding herself together, had picked it up. She scooted right next to H. "I'll go for George then."

Ren had retreated to a corner to watch his friends shoot. The rapid beats of the Dodgebolt music did nothing to calm their nerves. "We got this," Fruit announced again, almost to act as background noise for False and H's period of concentration.

"Yeah, we do," H replied instinctively.

False made the first shot, but alas. "I missed," she panted.

"Krtzyy was shot by HBomb94!"

"I got Dave."

"NICE!" Fruit cheered. Only George was left on the court. "3v1!"

It appeared that 1v3s were inescapable for the 9th Championship's Dodgebolt. Dream immediately declared, "3v1!", as did Technoblade, Joel and Quig screaming, "GEORGE 1V3!". Krinios called out "GOGY!". 3v1s always attracted attention, and it was especially the case here considering George was one of the most famous students at the school. One could practically hear the mass screaming from the audience stands.

H was laughing. "GOGY!" he squealed. "The bachelor himself!"

"DO IT FOR THE STANS!" Quig was saying.

"YEAH, DO IT FOR ME!" Stan Twitt demanded. "UWU MY BRITISH BAG OF FLOUR! MY UNBUTTERED WHITE BREAD! MY PLAIN OAT MILK! MY PATHETIC MEOW MEOW! LET'S GO GOGY!"

In the midst of this chaos, False turned her focus to her more important pathetic meow meow— Ren. Amidst the screams of "GOGY YOU CAN DO IT" and "ALL THE STANS ARE WATCHING" from Dang and Mefs, George made his shot.

"Renthedog was shot by GeorgeNotFound!"

"Ohh, he got Ren!?" False exclaimed, almost scandalised. She turned to look at the green splotch on Ren's uniform, then at the bullet now in her hands. Ren gave her a reassuring smile before he slipped away into the bleachers. False returned to staring at the Dodgebolt field. Two against one. The odds were still in their favour.

The audience erupted over George's successful kill on Ren. Techno was yelling "JUST THINK ABOUT THE MANHUNTS AND THEN DO THE OPPOSITE" and Tommy was screaming "POP OFF".

"Okay, okay, take your time, it's just me and you," H told False. False met H's steady blue eyes and nodded, half to convince him, half to convince herself. They could do it. They had to do it.

Ren popped up next to Fruit. "Come on, guys," he mumbled.

H asked, "You ready to shoot whenever?"

"Yeah, whenever." False remained tense, but she sounded more confident compared to the first round.

"Alright, pull the trigger when you're ready. No earlier."

H and False had their guns raised towards George. George was prancing about. George might have taken Ren out, but he still had to go through both H and False. Green might be currently ahead in Dodgebolt, but Blue had a huge chance winning this round, which would bring the overall score up to 2-2. H bit his lip, prayed his aim was accurate, and shot—

"GeorgeNotFound was shot by HBomb94!"

H let out a breath of relief. The round was over, and elated screams filled in the area. The Blue Bats had fought their way into winning the fourth round! Both Green and Blue had won two rounds each, and the last round would be the deciding round. It was truly anyone's game. The crowd wailed and screamed, more invested than ever. The first few rounds might be considered slow from an audience's perspective, but the build up was worth it. It was totally worth it.

"NICEEEE!" Fruit immediately screamed. Next to him, Ren flung his hands up in victory. "Yeah!!"

"WOOHOOO!" Fruit certainly looked and sounded wide awake, and the same could not be said for a lot of his other Championships.

"COMEBACK!" Joel screamed at the same time CPK demanded, "REVERSE SWEEP COMING!". An impressed Kara went "WOW!". Even the game makers were on Blue's side now, with a "Noctis loves you right now, Blue!".

"LET'S GO!" HBomb barked out. "WE GOT THIS!" If anything, the tension and theatrics from Dodgebolt provided more fuel for H.

Ren looked dazed, but there was no hiding the beam on his face. "Oh my goodness," he stuttered.

"WE GOT THIS!" H yelled again, practically demanding it from the universe.

Revitalised by winning the round, Fruit and Ren hurried onto the court with big smiles plastered on their faces. "We got this!" Fruit echoed H. They were so close to victory that they could almost taste it. Fruit and H exchanged determined looks.

Meanwhile, similar to Ren, False looked dazed. "This is ridiculous," she burst out.

"This is ridiculous," Ren agreed. He was standing right next to False, both of them still firmly in their comfort zones, physical or not. It was a natural habit to stick together, the two of them perpetually in each other's orbit.

False chuckled. "Actually ridiculous."

As for H, he'd never been more excited. "WE GOT THIS!" he continued to scream. His fans, sensing his enthusiasm, reflected his screams back to him. H pumped his fists in the air. "THIS IS THE MOST FUN I'VE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE! LET'S GO BOYS! And False," he hastily added.

And people used to believe H was crazy for thinking his team was good? And that he and Fruit had to "carry" the hermits? No way! They got there because everyone had popped off!

H was genuinely having so much fun. He knew he had a reputation for getting people to Dodgebolt, he knew he had a reputation of being a winner, and all of that placed stress on his shoulders. But when he was with the Bats, H recalled why he liked the Championships so much in the first place. The slick teamwork, the fun minigames, the sheer joy of being able to play, connecting with different people, linking different communities together, winning as a team and not on his own... it was sublime.

This was the night in which everything would change.

And they would have so much fun doing it.

-

But I

I hear the call of a lifetime ring

Felt the need to get up for it

Oh, you cut out the middleman

Get free from the middleman

-

The audience was hyped. The teams had reached the match point, and the audience was treated to a fifth round of Dodgebolt. A reverse sweep could very well be happening, which was certainly thrilling regardless of which team you supported.

Orange in particular always had faith in Blue. During the previous rounds, Orange had talked about Blue doing some crazy clutch and slamming their way through Dodgebolt. As the Blue Bats dodged the bullets and made their shots, Pearl grew increasingly excited. "They're going to bring it back!"

"They're actually doing it!" Tapl chimed in. "It's like, the prophecy!"

Immediately after the Blue Bats clutched their fourth round, the Orange Ocelots let out exhales of relief. Pearl couldn't tear her eyes away from the two hermits, and solemnly declared, "This is it. This is the game."

"It's the reverse sweep! We could be getting the first three-time winner right now!" CPK added. While CPK might have been torn between the teams earlier, he'd always had a soft spot for the Blue Bats. "I've got to give it to them. The morale shift must be crazy right now." He had his hands over his mouth in his excitement. "They're doing it! They're actually doing it! And everyone put them so far down the predictions!"

An almost vicious edge to her voice, Pearl exclaimed, "You should never underestimate the for fun players. Never. And yo, Blue Bats! I wasn't joking when I said this team would win." Pearl didn't bother to hide the smug underlying "I told you so".

Even though her own team was supportive of the Blue Bats, Pearl couldn't help but feel oddly defensive of her friends, of the hermits in 3-H. While Pearl technically wasn't a hermit, she was basically a close family friend to their whole community. She stood in solidarity with them. Literally a month ago, they were fighting for their dignity in the trenches of Battle Box.

If False and Ren won, Pearl would be absolutely ecstatic over it. She'd supported them from the very start, and being underestimated by both Reddit and Stan Twitt only made her more determined. She took joy in subverting expectations.

And now, as Pearl watched from the sidelines, excitement and savage glee bubbled up inside of her. Tapl, who'd been parroting H's declarations of the so-called prophecy, was right. The prophecy of the Blue Bats was real and inevitable. And she, along with countless others, had the privilege of watching it unfold right before her eyes.

Bring down Stan Twitt, Pearl hissed to herself. Bring them down for us.

-

Pink, as literally the only other hermit team in the 9th Championship, were practically begging for Blue to win the event. Even as Grian thanked his supporters for their gracious donations to the school in Ghana, he couldn't help but be distracted by the very exciting scene happening live in front of him.

Grian read out a dono. "Like what you're doing, killing Dream and funding schools." Grian chuckled. "Yeah!! That's what the 9th Championship is to me, guys. Oh, and of course, don't forget my friends in Blue Bats. Go clap and cheer for False and Ren or I'll blow up the entire Championship arena (or at least just the back of it)!"

Meanwhile, the three 3-G members were losing their minds. Martyn continued to narrate with gusto. Naturally, he added his own characteristic snarky comments, including one about how Ren hadn't hit anyone yet— right before he hit George in the third round. Martyn raised his eyebrows, impressed.

"First, you have my attention. Now, you have my interest."

Jimmy, who had either not noticed or chose to ignore whatever that was brewing between Martyn and Ren, paced anxiously. "Come on, Blue!" he whined.

During the fourth round, after two members of Green were eliminated, Pink cheered. "This is looking very good for a fifth round finish!" Martyn announced. Martyn ended up being correct, and once the score reached 2-2, the entire audience exploded with excitement.

"Uno reverse card! Right here!" Jimmy screamed.

Could they do it? Could the 3-H and 3-G alliance snatch another win after Fwhip in the 7th Championship? Could they do it? They had to do it!

The roar of cheers surprised Grian, who looked up just in time to see the scoreboard jump to 2-2. His heart leapt in his chest. This Championship had already been amazing for him due to the overwhelming amount of donations he received, and of course, his own performance in Survival Games, but the Blue Bats winning would be the cherry on top.

"OH MY GOODNESS! They brought it back! I was too busy looking at the donos!" Grian clapped, enthusiastic. "My boys, my hermits, they're bringing it back!"

The power of friendship was truly in play here. The underdogs surpassed the odds, the past, Reddit's predictions, the painstakingly collected data, the numbers and statistics and trends. They were defying it all.

Grian's eyes were shimmering, and for a few seconds he was overwhelmed into silence as he stared at his friends in the Dodgebolt arena. The words automatically slipped out of his mouth: "It turns out if you train for this, you're likely to go far."

While Grian had been doing chaotic road trips with Mumbo, his friends had spent hours training. They were a source of hope. If they could do it, then why couldn't any other hermit? And could Grian one day possibly be on the Dodgebolt stage as well?

Sometimes Grian was stunned that the hermits, his hermits were able to achieve the Blue Bats' feats. After all, they were seen as the nerds, artists, inventors, theatre kids, quiet but dedicated to their craft. They were unlike the crazy, hardworking, athletic students who pushed their physical boundaries to the limit, challenging themselves with higher speed, higher accuracy, becoming faster and stronger and faster and stronger.

But then again, the Championships were at its core centered on the teams. Individual skills were important, but what was more important was synergy between teammates. And the hermits, despite their namesake (or maybe because of it), knew exactly the significance of communication and mutual support. The Blue Bats were able to fly high because of the hermits.

So, was it surprising, then? Was this "hermit domination" unexpected?

When in a sense, it was always meant to be?

-

It can't all be wedding cake

It can't all be boiled away

I try but I can't let go of it

Can't let go of it, no

-

Boiling point. That was what they'd reached. The Blue Bats had blazed through the last two rounds of Dodgebolt, seemingly unstoppable. Their supporters believed the Blue Bats were practically guaranteed a victory due to their incredible momentum. However, Green's supporters clung onto that one last shred of hope.

The countdown to the fifth and final round of Dodgebolt blasted from the speakers, and the crowd found themselves vigorously chiming in, their shouts reverberating around the area. "Three, two, one—!"

"Okay, focus up!" Fruit cried out. The Blue Bats exchanged determined looks.

"Let's go!"

The countless cheers from the crowd hung in the air for a second, then dissipated and were replaced by the Dodgebolt music. The eight players bounced around the court. H picked up the first bullet. Fruit made his usual callouts.

"Sap's gonna shoot, yup—"

"He missed," Fruit and H announced at the same time. It was a relief, but one that didn't last long.

"I'll take it," Fruit said and he darted over to pick up the bullet.

"Let's make these ones work," False declared, determination evident in her tone.

"You guys ready?" H asked. "Who's got the other bullet—"

"I do," came Fruit's reply, swift and confident.

H announced he was targeting Krtzyy. In response, Fruit said, "Okay, I'll go for... someone."

"Make the call when you're ready to shoot," H reminded Fruit.

The four Green Guardians continued to bounce around the court. Both teams were familiar with the song and dance at this point. CPK was saying, "H for first three-time winner!". The crowd murmured at the reminder. HBomb, a frequent Dodgebolt player, could possibly break a record and be the first three-time winner. In response to that, Joel screamed, "C'MON HBOMB!".

"I think I'll go for... Sapnap," Fruit muttered. "If I can."

"Dave's across the map... I'm going to go for Sapnap, he's by me."

"Yeah, I'll switch," Fruit replied easily.

"Who are you targeting now?"

"Dave."

"Alright."

With their tense remarks exchanged, the two of them tracked their opponents, but they didn't have the confidence to shoot yet. After all, this was the most important Dodgebolt round. False was right: these shots had to count. Meanwhile, Mefs from the audience was giggling, "Look at H standing there... menacingly."

Fruit's heart stuttered, and he turned away. "I'm going to shoot, but not now—"

He was instantly interrupted by an announcement of, "Sapnap was shot by HBomb94!"

Fruit's eyes lit up. "Ohh, nice!" he cried out, appreciative.

"NICE! That's huge!" Ren declared.

"I'm ready to shoot." Fruit pondered for a few seconds, then let loose. It hit someone, and he leapt in joy. "Got one!"

"GeorgeNotFound was shot by fruitberries!"

Behind him, Ren squealed, "That's massive!"

"Let's go, boys." The pride was oozing out of H's voice. "Good shot, Fruit."

Fruit laughed. He and H had both successfully made their shots. Ohh, he needed this. He really felt alive. "Thanks," he said, almost bashful.

"Good shot, guys. Wow," Ren exclaimed.

"Dave and Eret both have one," H noted as the four Blue Bats jumped back and forth.

Meanwhile, Calvin yelled, "NO WAY!" while Joel was practically losing his voice screeching, "REVERSE SWEEP!!"

"Missed one." H's tone was tense. "It's Dave—"

"Falsesymmetry was shot by Krtzyy!"

"Got me," came False's voice, short and abrupt. She took a step back and wiped the sweat from her face.

"Okay." Fruit and H moved to take the bullet from the ground. Fruit took the one from the center, but another one popped up on the corner, which automatically came into Ren's possession.

"Hey Ren, can I get that?" H asked Ren. "I'm hot right now."

Who was Ren to refuse his leader? He tried to pass the bullet to H, but ended up accidentally raising his gun towards H, causing him to joke "shoot at me". But in the end, H received the bullet.

Fruit laughed. "I trust him."

"I've hit four in a row," H laughed. "I'm feeling like myself right now."

Ren, of course, was delighted. "Come on, Hmama! Take the wheel, baby! Take the wheel!"

As Ren cheered and clapped, Fruit and H once again focused on the Green Guardians. They exchanged who they wanted to target, Fruit said he would fake a shot, and then—

"The_Eret was shot by HBomb94!"

Fruit sharply inhaled. "Okay, nice!" It was only Krtzyy left. Only one player on Green, and only one player stopping the Bats' blazing path to glory. One single bullet could end the Championship.

And that bullet was currently in Fruit's possession.

The tension had reached an all time high. Fruit could barely think, and he just relied on the reflexes he'd built up over the years. His eyes followed Krtzyy's every move as he tried to predict his moves. He gripped his gun tightly. He could do it. He could make the final shot. He could win for them.

The bullet flew in the air—

(Or maybe not.)

It missed. The Blue Bats groaned simultaneously. "Aww, that was so good!" Fruit lamented.

"Good try!" H cried out, keeping the morale high. Instantaneously, cheers of "1v3!" once again erupted from the crowd. Mefs, Joel, Techno, and Quig were all cheering for Krtzyy. Everybody liked supporting the underdog.

The Dodgebolt music was at its quickest bit. The screams from the crowd overwhelmed their senses, and it didn't help that everyone on Blue was too tense to even speak. It washed over them and suffocated their pores. Even False, who was out of the court, couldn't find any words to say.

To add to the tension, Krtzyy was taking his sweet time to shoot. Understandable, considering he was the only member of his team left and was in dire need of support. Facing the very real situation of being reverse swept was rather tough on the psyche and the Green Guardians were going crazy over it. Yet, as Krtzyy sought encouragement from his teammates, the Bats knew they couldn't slip up. Not even for a second.

The audience sure was going wild. Mefs was screaming "DO IT FOR THE LADS" while Quig declared "USE THE SKI MASK TO YOUR ADVANTAGE, NO ONE KNOWS YOU'RE KILLING THEM!". Sylvee was cheering, "DAVE YOU'RE INSANE!"

The tense seconds stretched on. Their lungs burned with exertion. Then a quick check in from H:

"You guys breathing? You're still alive?"

A chorus of "yup"s replied to H. "I'm ready!" Fruit declared.

Despite it all, False couldn't stop the smile stretching on her face as she watched her three teammates. Her hands were clasped together. The scene before her eyes felt unimaginable. Two hermits in Dodgebolt! And it was her and Ren! She was genuinely so thankful to be there. Plus, it was a 3v1, and Fruit and H were still alive. They could very well win this. False could almost see it. She dared to dream of it.

"You got some hair on your chest?" H jested.

"Dude, I got hair in places that there shouldn't be hair on after this," Ren added very unnecessarily. False's face fell instantly and she wrinkled her nose in disgust. What a way to ruin her good mood.

A frantic wheeze. "That scares me," H laughed.

False coughed. Of course Ren was being vaguely inappropriate even in the last round of Dodgebolt. "TMI."

Chats of "DAVE! DAVE!" thundered from the audience, echoing in their eardrums. The hot air felt like it was compressing into itself. Fruit ignored the discussion on Ren's hair and his eyes zoomed in on Krtzyy. Krtzyy was currently talking with his teammates, his back turned to the Blue Bats. They were busy hyping him up, and Krtzyy was becoming more frenzied by the second.

"THIS IS FOR YEARS OF TRAINING!" Krtzyy proclaimed, almost hysterical, and his teammates screamed along with him. This was a battle cry. This was Krtzyy's last stand. And Fruit could sense it.

"Get ready! He's going to turn around and shoot! At some random moment probably."

As Krtzyy took a breather, the support from the audience intensified. Krtzyy had won the first ever Championship with Kara, Michael, and Burren on Purple, and he hadn't won since. Plus, he was currently facing HBomb and Fruit, two players with excellent reflexes. This only made Krtzyy more sympathetic. Who knew when he could win again? How painful would it be if he had to wait for two years and even more?

Right on cue, Krtzyy leaped in the air, did a spectacular 180 spin, and shot. It was beautiful and breathtaking, a move worthy of being in an action movie, but there was no time to gape at him. False and Fruit noticed it at the same time, with Fruit crying, "Watch out!"—

—but there was nothing they could do. The green bullet smacked into HBomb, instantly taking him out, and the audience exploded. The Green Guardians were positively going feral over Krtzyy's crazy shot. This was most certainly going into the "top 10 plays of the 9th Championship" compilations. Krtzyy's feverish war cry had worked. He had done the impossible.

"HBomb94 was shot by Krtzyy!"

"He got me!" H cried out. "Let's go!"

Krtzyy shot again, but thankfully it hit no one. HBomb was the only casualty.

"Missed!" Ren announced.

H went up the stairs and went to stand next to False. They were both sweaty and dishevelled, but still unbelievably pumped up. Their supporters clapped their backs and cheered vigorously.

Meanwhile, on the Dodgebolt court, two bullets popped up on the ground. "You got one each," False said. Fruit reached for a bullet.

"Take your time, guys!" H reminded them once again. H's voice rang over all the shouts from the audience, be it Krinios saying "PLAY THE ANIME MUSIC" or Kara's "OH SHI—" or CPK's "that was disrespectful!".

Throughout the chaoticness of Dodgebolt, False never lost track of Ren. It was kind of hard not to, considering they were friends and hermits, and she'd historically always kept an eye out on him because Ren was a self-proclaimed derp. False had taken shots before. Ren also did, but he was the type to stay on the sidelines— because that was what he was used to, even back in 3-Hermitcraft. Ren had hovered behind his teammates, gave bullets to them, acted as the best cheerleader, and even made unnecessary comments about his hair. But he never tried to take the spotlight. There was that age-old insecurity simmering inside him, something not even HBomb could completely wrestle out of him.

H was already on to give them his usual pep talk, but False noticed Ren was once again inching towards the corner. "Ren, take the bullet," she called out. Ren's head jerked towards her and they made eye contact. He was visibly nervous.

Reminded by False, H stopped his pep talk. "Ren, you're taking one," he demanded.

Ren remained hesitant. His eyes darted between Fruit and the bullet.

"Ren. Ren. You are taking one," H continued, almost forceful now.

"You both take one!" False continued, with Fruit chiming in.

Under his teammates' insistence, Ren swallowed and picked up the bullet. He shifted on his feet, anxious and unsure. All of his teammates were talking at the same time. The cheers from the crowd were swallowing him up. All of this attention and hope pinned on his team, pinned on him in particular, was completely staggering. This was the most crucial moment. Fruit should take those two shots to play it safe. He automatically opened his mouth.

"I don't wanna hear it!" H cried out. "I don't want to hear you're backing out!"

"Both aim at the same time!" False exclaimed.

Okay. Okay! Ren would shoot! He was used to being bossed around anyway! Ren was as quiet as a mouse as he turned to Green's side of the court. He felt quite small with everyone from the team suddenly focusing on him. Geez, Ren knew who he was compared to his teammates, and he definitely wasn't as good as they hoped for him to be!

Ren instinctively glanced at Fruit. Fruit was the better shot anyway. Ren had to follow his lead. Fruit noticed the way Ren was looking at him, his expression nervous and almost desperate, and stress bubbled up inside Fruit.

Ren was depending on Fruit. Fruit was depending on Ren. And H and False were depending on both of them. Fruit breathed. But unlike the past few rounds, Fruit now had experience. He was more confident. He could do it. "Alright."

"Fruit needs a second," H called out.

Fruit wiped his sweaty palms. "Yeah, I'm ready."

"He's feeling himself!" H declared with glee.

Fruit glanced at Ren again. Ren's face was indecipherable, but a thousand thoughts and emotions must be running through his brain at that moment. Fruit knew first-hand how stressful shooting could be, and the last thing he wanted was to give Ren more pressure. "I'm ready whenever, Ren," came Fruit's voice.

H, as steady as usual, gave out his instructions. "Don't quick shoot, just wait to see the moment. Wait for him to turn around and get that clean, sweet, quick kill on him."

The moments stretched on, long and awkward. Secretly, Ren had always wanted to be cool, and his teammates were practically forcing him to get his own moment. With his slow-ish reflexes, Ren possibly couldn't get the last shot of the Championship, could he? As impossible as it sounded, it was indeed a nice fantasy. Maybe Ren would get lucky. Maybe fate was on his side.

So Ren shot— and missed. He laughed, a little embarrassed.

"Good try!" H exclaimed.

A bullet popped up on Green's side. Fruit barely noticed it because all of his attention was on his one remaining opponent. Fruit's eyes were narrowed and he willed that his aim would be accurate. Come on, come on, come on, he insisted to himself.

All of the noises enveloped him. The screams from the participants, and then from the massive crowd. A wailing Stan Twitt having a meltdown. Cheers and jeers and cries and laughs. From fans, opponents, rivals, and friends.

Dimly, Fruit remembered their dreams. The hermits stubbornly resisting against Stan's regime. Everyone's desire to prove themselves. Fruit was sure all of their motivations were brewing in their hearts, but the situation was too tense for him to recall them. He was moving based on instinct. He couldn't think. He could just feel.

When Fruit made his shot, he knew. In the split second before he hit his target, he already knew.

This was the shining conclusion to their arc.

This was the glorious end of the 9th Championship.

This was what really tied the legacy of the Blue Bats together.

This was it.

...

..

.

"Krtzyy was shot by fruitberries!"

And then, way more importantly,

"BLUE BATS WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP!"

There was barely a second to breathe. Because the world was exploding, shifting, new meta was being written, no, rewritten, some people's lives had just been fundamentally changed, new storylines burst out, the audience was roaring, cheering, wailing, celebrating—

"Blue Bats won the right to the Walk of Fame!"

Fruit dropped his gun in his fierce excitement. He was vaguely surprised it didn't break, but he absolutely did not care about that.

"YESSSSSS!" Fruit screamed. "LET'S GO! WE DID IT!"

"LET'S GO!" H thundered. He straight up jumped into the court to be with Fruit and Ren, False following suit.

"DUDE! What the HECK?!" False was shrieking.

"WE WON IT!" Ren screamed as he clapped.

The four of them crashed into each other in a messy but loving group hug. Around them, other teams cheered for them too. Techno boomed out "SENSEI!". "GG"s were called out by the participants. "Holy shit!" Pete hollered. "Let's go, Blue Bats!" Pearl cheered. Martyn called them "the biggest comeback in history". "REVERSE SWEEP!" Joel squealed in joy. Grian in particular was screaming and losing it.

"Yess! YESSS! MY TEAM! MY BOYS!" Grian flung his hands up in victory and clapped vigorously. His heart felt like it was about to explode. "What a comeback! Absolutely AMAZING!"

Everybody was happy for the Blue Bats. Everybody recognised what they just did.

Survival Games domination. The first reverse sweep. A hermit team. And to think they were the underdogs predicted at 6th. And they did it!

Ren, squished by his teammates, could not hide his shock. "What. What. WHAT—"

Fruit was still stunned. He felt like he wasn't in control of his limbs as H swept him into a hug then put him on his shoulders. "HOLY CRAP!" Fruit whooped as H paraded him around. The screams intensified in volume. This was Fruitberries, first individual, winner of the 9th Championship! He had to be considered a S-tier now!

A little behind them, Ren and False were giggling, both of them giddy with excitement. False was hugging Ren, which was probably not a great move considering Ren's frequent comments about sweating, but she let it slide for this special occasion.

"Oh my goodness!" Ren gasped, sheer disbelief in his eyes.

"That is insane!" False marvelled. "We-we've actually done it, Ren!"

"Yeah!" He turned to face her, the biggest grin on his face. "We got into Dodgebolt and we won! Somehow!"

"Stan Twitt's got nothing on us!" False cheered. "Look at us proving everyone wrong!"

Ren was still flabbergasted, but False knew he would probably give an emotional and touching speech once he regained his wits, because it was just a Ren thing to do.

She didn't say it out loud, but she was glad it was him. She was glad it was him with her. She was glad it was the Blue Bats that won, the Blue Bats that irrevocably changed the history of the Championships.

Fruit jumped down and the four Blue Bats stood in a line, arms over each other's shoulders. They were tired, sweaty, but so ridiculously happy. They would remember this precious moment and store it safe in the back of their minds, They'd crashed through walls and established their own legacy. Their hands might be shaking, but their voices sure weren't. The Blue Bats' infectious joy echoed around the arena. The crowds in the stands went wild, reflecting the joy back to them.

Tonight, the Blue Bats, the underdogs, became the heroes.

The 9th Championship may have come to an end, but this was sincerely just the beginning.

-

You got no time for the messenger

Got no regard for the thing that you don't understand

You got no fear of the underdog

That's why you will not survive!

-

"RENDOG AND FALSE, HOW DOES IT FEEL!"

H was currently screaming while the four Blue Bats strode on the Walk of Fame. They were awarded with beautiful golden crowns on their heads. The classic "Walk of Fame" track triumphantly blasted from the speakers. A Noxcrew member handed H a microphone. The participants below them cheered and clapped. In spite of the flurry of excitement, Grian returned to talking to his donos.

"This is the funnest Championship I've ever had! I'm so proud. I'm so proud of everything that's happened today." There was no wiping off the big grin on Grian's face. "My friends won the Championship, you guys have been funding a school, and I killed Dream. I mean, that's the triple whammy, isn't it?!"

Fruit, excited, sprinted to the front of the stage, False hot on his heels. Cameras were pointed at them to capture their joyous faces and broadcast it to the rest of the world.

"Ohh my goodness. Come forward!" False cheered as she gestured for her teammates. H and Ren dashed to the front, Ren happily bouncing on the soles of his feet. They were doing it! They had set foot on the legendary Walk of Fame!

"HBomb is literally a messiah!" Fruit whooped. "You predicted my individual first, you predicted our win, and he predicted our DOMINATION!"

H was flustered by Fruit's words, pink dotting his cheeks. Under the stage, Orange cheered for Blue, with Shubble crying out, "FIRST THREE TIME WINNER H!" and CPK screaming, "LET'S GO H!". HBomb's record-breaking feat did not go unnoticed, with Kara, Mefs, and Joel pointing it out among other participants. H was thankful for everyone's support, but he felt like there was something way more important going on.

H reached out, placed his hand on Fruit's shoulder, and shook him vigorously. "Okay," he laughed, "before we talk about me more—"

"Yeah?"

H dramatically turned around and passed the microphone to Ren. Well, more like he stuffed it in Ren's hands. "Ren! I wanna hear it! How does it feel to be a victor?"

Ren was flabbergasted. He blinked, then dumbly stared at the microphone. Everyone's focus quickly shifted from H to Ren. The cameras were ready to film his victory speech. "I-I don't even know what to tell you right now!" he confessed, his voice echoing across the arena. "Dude, I've never won anything in my life!"

"Aww, let's go! That's a LIE, and you KNOW IT!" H declared fiercely.

Underneath him, the participants whooped and clapped for Ren. "REN, YOU SAID YOU WOULD DO IT!" Jimmy screamed.

H then turned to False, who laughed, already knowing what he was about to do. Ren, smiling, passed the microphone back to H, who then gave it to False.

"I wanna hear from False now. False, how does it feel to be a victor?"

"Umm... pretty insane?" False was giggling. Ren was still jumping around. Fruit was still screaming. The audience was in a riot. "I can't stop laughing!" False shrieked.

"The training paid off!" Joel whooped.

"Well done kings! And queens!" Pete declared, much like H's "Let's go boys! And False!" from before. Cyan took the time to congratulate Blue Bats on their amazing domination, specifically considering half of Blue weren't PvPers.

Fruit leaned in and boomed in the microphone, "I AM ABSOLUTELY LOSING MY MIND."

"THAT'S MY SENSEI!!!" Technoblade proudly announced.

H boisterously clapped his hands. "Let's GO, guys!"

"Dude! This has been a roller-coaster, man," Ren stammered out.

"I'm freezing, I can't even feel the blood in my hands!" Fruit yelled. "That's awesome, let's go!"

"THAT'S WHAT I WANNA HEAR!" H screamed.

Ren cried out, "Dudes, we've gotta turn around for the crowd!" They'd gotten matching jackets which spelled out BATS on their backs (people were joking about them being team TABS). They had to let everybody see it. This would be the photo used in their victory announcement. (Fun fact: the Blue Bats were the first winning team who wore matching uniforms!)

"Oh yeah, everyone line up!" Fruit said. They shifted and aligned themselves. At first, the crowd was confused, but then started cheering when they realized what the Blue Bats were doing.

HBomb was the first, the B practically standing for the one in his name. Then came Fruit, the Ace, with his A. False was next with her T, which would lead to Ren jokingly calling her "Miss T" (but that was a story for another day). Finally, Ren made up the S, because Ren was absolutely S-tier support when it came to Sands of Time and Survival Games.

"There we go!" Ren declared proudly. "Beautiful!"

"Yess! Easy!"

Their excitement didn't dissipate one bit. If anything, the camera flashes only added to their giddiness and adrenaline. The shock was finally setting in. This was a dream come true. They basked in the afterglow of their victory. 

"IT FEELS GOOD TO BE ALIVE LET'S GO!" H hollered.

"Hooooly crap," Fruit marvelled.

"WE WON THE CHAMPIONSHIPS! WHAT!"

H gave Ren a fist bump. "YEAH we did!"

"We sure did!" Fruit gleefully exclaimed.

"That is OUTRAGEOUS! A-and this is one of the funnest things I've ever done in my life," Ren admitted.

"It's been an honour to be your teammate, Ren!" H declared.

"It's insane!" Ren was finally able to speak properly. The pure shock wore off and was replaced with joy. False glanced at him, knowing one of Ren's typical speeches was coming. "We were fourth, we weren't looking good, we came up, we came down—"

"We weren't looking good," H repeated in a jeering tone that proclaimed he'd never given up no matter their placement.

"That was a journey!" False cried out, nudging Ren. "That was a journey, dude!"

"I'll have you know I was looking good this whole time!" H burst out, agitated. "My hair's done perfectly! I'm looking good!"

Ren glanced at H. The golden crown was too big for him and it fell past his eyes. "Aww, you can't even see, it covers past your eyes."

Below the stage, Martyn sighed. Ren's golden crown was particularly blinding to the eyes and gave Martyn a vague sense of foreboding. "Look at those crowns, dude! Must be nice to wear one of those, huh?"

"Yeah, I know the feeling." Joel slumped his shoulders. "I was so close last time!"

Martyn looked around. Joel and Jimmy were standing right next to him, while Grian was away thanking donos and screaming and maybe doing some extra dreamslaying. "Yeah, all three of us have been in second place," Martyn said, referencing Joel in the 8th Championship and him and Jimmy in the 6th Championship. "None of us have ever claimed that sweet, sweet victory. But just look at the hermits! The alliance is going strong!"

"Yeah, maybe one of us will win next time," Jimmy said. "Wait, I just realized all three of us reached Dodgebolt when HBomb was on our team. He loves us crafters, man."

Joel laughed. "No wonder he's the first three-time winner. And no wonder Scott's benched him for the 10th Championship. It's happening like, two weeks later with viewer teams from the lower forms. And we're most likely going to get the classic Sapphire Simmers team from the neighbouring school. What a shame that our crafter Dodgebolt enabler won't be in the next Championship."

"He's too powerful for his own good," Martyn agreed. "By the way, are you guys joining the 10th Championship? It's a no for me, personally."

Jimmy grinned. "Actually, I want to join! And I want to try to team with some 3-A folks. Widening my horizons and all that."

Joel slapped Jimmy's back. "Aww, that's great, Tim! Lizzie's said she wants to come back for the 10th. But for the first time in our lives, we won't be teaming together." Joel waited for both Jimmy and Martyn to let out dramatic, mock-scandalised gasps. "That's right, we're going through a divorce arc, baby! Just kidding."

"The real divorce comes if you both get on opposite sides of Dodgebolt," Martyn quipped.

"Honestly, yeah," Joel chuckled. "But at least that means either one of us would win! Anyways, I'm not a hundred percent sure who I'm teaming with now that I'm not with Lizzie. Maybe I'll cling onto the hermit team since we always get at least two of them in a team. And since the hermits won this time, who knows, maybe they'll win next time too!"

Martyn studied Ren and False on the stage. "Yup, those hermits always operate in duos," he gave an offhand comment.

Joel noticed who Martyn was looking at, and smirked. "Oh yeah, False and Ren have great chemistry," he drawled nonchalantly.

Martyn picked up Joel's snark immediately, and retorted, "Huh, am I going to get jealous though? Just kidding."

"Sure, that's what you said," came Jimmy, his tone skeptical. "It's not like our good friend BigB is going to get paired with Ren in a project in the far future, and it's not like Ren will declare him and BigB best friends forever, and it's totally not like you'll get super jealous and claim Ren was replaced by an AI."

Martyn frowned. "Excuse you—"

"Give it two and a half years and you'll be reblogging fanart of Ren tenderly stroking your cheek on Tumblr," Joel interjected.

"And saying he permanently made you more selfish."

"And you're going to wrap Ren's scarf around you to symbolise how he's always close to your heart."

"And you'll be trailing after him like a lost puppy with your desperate cries of 'my liege!' and 'my lord!'—"

Martyn latched onto that last word. "Yeah, lord!" he burst out. "We're the Pink Lords, aren't we?? Ren's not a lord, we are!"

"Ren's the one with a shiny crown on his head though," Joel commented. "Which will totally not give him an ego boost and cause him to declare himself king multiple times, which will lead to disastrous consequences, one of which includes breaking Martyn's heart."

Martyn ignored him. "So about the Lords! We promised we would buy lordships if we got eight or above because Reddit unanimously predicted us in the bottom two. Grian is naturally Lord Grian Dreamslayer. I'll be Lord Martyn Moneymaker! Because I banked the most coins in Sands of Time."

"Going with alliteration, aren't we? I guess I'll be..." Joel thought for a moment. "Lord Joel Jumperman, because I got the furthest in Parkour Warrior."

"Hah! Look at you commoners clinging onto your top placements in a certain game!" Jimmy jeered. "Look at the leaderboard! I got 27th individual, the highest out of the team! I'll be Lord Timmy Top Placer!"

A familiar voice interrupted them. "Hi guys! Sorry for being away! I was busy thanking the donos and finding my hermits—"

Martyn gave an affectionate roll of his eyes. "Don't worry about it. We know you're famous, Lord Grian Dreamslayer."

Behind Grian was the entire 3-H class, complete with Herman Blur and Cherry Twitt. They were decked out in blue and pink merchandise. Their gongs, glowing neon signs, and confetti machines roused attention from others. The Championship was already a colourful event, the hermits took it up another notch. The crowd parted for them like the Red Sea and allowed them easy access to the stage.

"Aww, look at Grian go!" Jimmy cheered.

"Yeah, look at him abandoning us for the hermits," Martyn snarked. "But I'm giving him a pass this time. The hermits deserve their spotlight after being underestimated for so long."

Pink's Lord Grian Dreamslayer was absolutely ecstatic. The other three Pink Lords watched from a distance as Grian pushed his way to the front of the crowd. Joel was smiling at the scene when someone bumped into him.

"Sorry! Got a little overexcited."

"No problem..." Joel raised his eyes, "Cubfan. Oh yeah, you're not in this one."

Cub was carrying an intricate contraption made with suspiciously expensive-looking materials. Joel felt the sudden urge to move away lest he accidentally damaged something.

"I had to give my fellow hermits the spotlight for this Championship." Cub declared. "But don't worry, I'll be taking it back next time."

Joel lit up. "I'm in the next Championship too!"

At that moment, someone from the hermit group called for Cub. "I'm coming!" Cub yelled. He turned back to Joel. "That's great! I guess I'll see you on the court?"

Joel waved. "Yeah, see you there. It's a promise?"

Cub grinned. "It's a promise."

-

'Cause you don't talk to the water boy

And there's so much you could learn

But you don't wanna know

You will not back up an inch ever

That's why you will not survive!

-

The Blue Bats remained on stage, still flustered with their victory. "Now I have two coins!" Fruit declared. Coincidentally, both of his wins were on team Blue Bats.

H lit up. "I have three!" HBomb had won the race to be the first three-time winner, which was impressive because H had only been in nine Championships (which was every Championship so far).

At that reminder, False turned to Ren, her glee evident in her face. "Dude, we're gonna get a coin, Ren!"

"Ohhh man. Dudes, I-I don't even know what to say," Ren mumbled, the smile having not left his face for even a second.

Both the crowns and the coins were physical pieces of evidence that they had indeed won a Championship. And nothing could take that away from them.

"I'M THE FIRST THREE TIME WINNER!" H hollered, and the crowd cheered with him. HBomb was popular and widely liked, and was considered one of the pillars of the Championship community. He was truly a legend.

"Oh my God," Fruit muttered appreciatively.

Ren pumped his fists in the air. "I wanna go run around outside and scream at the moon like a maniac!!" (This statement did nothing to quench the Rendog werewolf allegations.)

False shared Ren's adrenaline. "Dude, I'm not going to sleep later! For at least two hours. And that's fine!" In response to that, H cackled.

Ren took a deep breath, his heart trembling. "Like seriously dudes, this moment has literally been a dream for Falsie and I. Like, we had accepted that this would never happen. We're the hermits, we were like 'yeah, it's cool, we're hanging around at the bottom, it's all good!', y'know."

They'd wanted to prove Stan Twitt wrong, but after months and months of being in 9th place, it seemed almost pointless to wish for more. (But at least they were having fun with their friends.)

"And then you got teamed up with Fruitberries," H interjected. "And Survival Games happened."

"Yeah, you paved the way, man!" Ren gave Fruit's shoulder a few solid pats. "Thank you guys so much for everything you did for us, dudes."

"Yeah, a hundred percent I was about to say that!" False chimed in. "You guys are the MVPs, thank you so much."

The hermits had received continuous support from main campus students in their upward journey against Stan Twitt. And now, with them winning the 9th Championship, they had achieved the seemingly impossible task Stan Twitt set them up to do. More importantly, they did it themselves, they weren't carried, and they deserved to be winners.

H snorted. "We're the MVPs, get outta here! You guys practised your asses off!"

"You guys carried!" Fruit cheered.

"AND you motivated the hell outta me and Fruit! We wouldn't be practicing as hard if it weren't for you two!"

H was correct. He and Fruit exchanged grins. The fact that the two hermits had put in so much effort made the other two put in more effort than usual. Plus, H and Fruit gained more experience as coaches and instructors. The four of them were the sources of each other's motivation. None of them wanted to let down the other.

A familiar figure pushed his way to the front of the crowd. "Guys, hello, you did AMAZING!" came Scott's voice. Scott, as the homeroom of 3-H, looked incredibly proud. Even though wrangling Stan Twitter in place was a daunting task (especially with the iron doors induced Sands of Time meltdown), Scott didn't look tired at all.

False beamed. "Thanks, Scott!"

"You did so good! False, when it was you in that 3v1, I was like 'oh my God', like, that went so well!"

"Dude, that went on for like eight years," Fruit laughed.

"I knew you funky hermits could do it!" Scott exclaimed. "Never doubted you guys! You proved EVERYONE wrong!"

Scott was the one who'd pushed for the hermits to join the Championships and had staunchly defended them from Stan's negativity. As the hermits' teacher, he was gratified to see the success of his students.

Somewhere, a gong sounded. False and Ren perked up instantly. This was a sign that the hermits were near—

"LET'S GO BLUE BATS!"

"You guys did it! Woo!"

"Hermitcraft Supremacy!"

The entire 3-H class dashed to below the stage, panting but delirious with joy. "Oh my goodness, I'm so happy for you guys!" Scar shouted at them. "You guys are carrying team Hermitcraft on your backs!"

Ren reached out a hand for high fives from his friends. "Come on, a win for a hermit is a win for every hermit! We stick together, man!"

"That was friggin' awesome," Grian marvelled while Doc shouted, "THAT WAS FUCKING AWESOME!"

Grian looked up at Fruit and instantly began gushing. "Fruity B, you were so cool! You're the best player ever! I love you Fruity B! Can we team together next time?"

Fruit grinned. "I don't see why not!"

"YESSS!" Grian whooped, and literally fell down in his excitement. "Whoops, I've McFallen," he said from the ground.

"Congratulations!" came Cub's voice as he ran to the stage after his encounter with Joel. False and Ren instantly turned to smile at their longtime Championship buddy. "I'll write the best piece on the Hermiton Herald for you guys!"

"Dude, wait until you get a win!" False laughed. "If we can win, then why can't every other hermit win too?"

"Oh, of course we're gonna win!" Cub declared somewhat smugly.

"THIS IS THE CLOUT RESISTANCE! REMEMBER, IT'S ALL ABOUT PRINCIPAL STANLEY TWITT!" Grian boomed. "We're probably getting clout by winning, but whatever."

"THE REVOLUTION IS BEGINNING!" Ren declared. "Prepare for our HERMIT DOMINATION!" He rallied the hermits, and they screamed along with him.

They did it. The Blue Bats had won the 9th Championship, and the hermits had won for the first time ever. Reddit had their jaw dropped in awe.

It seemed very extravagant and grand, with the blue confetti raining from the sky and crowds screaming for them. The hermits had gone all out with their enormous neon "Blue Bats" sign, not to mention the matching blue headbands literally everyone was wearing, from Grian in the Pink team, to Etho who tended to avoid social events. The sobbing Blue Bats fans clutched each other and screamed "BLUE BATS SUPREMACY!" for the entire world to hear.

The four Bats stood on the stage, elevated above all, arms tightly wrapped around each other, grinning so much their cheeks hurt. Their eyes glittered with a mixture of sheer delight and joyful tears. Their golden trophy gleamed, and so did the four crowns on their heads.

And for that day, the Blue Bats ruled the world.

But in reality, behind the elaborate decorations and hollers and banners, it was just a simple story.

A simple story of four people, of friendship, of perseverance, and of hope.

Everybody had their own story, but it was just their luck that the universe had aligned and their story played out perfectly.

The cheers gradually died down when Stan Twitt walked on stage. Stan was visibly upset by the Green Guardians not winning (even though the Guardians themselves were cool with it because they knew the Bats practised hard), and had a forced smile on their face.

"Well, congratulations! You certainly surprised all of us, Blue Bats!"

"HELL YEAH!" H hollered, and the Championship participants screamed to show their support.

"But in all honesty, I'm impressed," Stan continued. Everyone had an inkling that even though Stan was livid, he was speaking the truth. "Jumping from the ninth to the first? Amazing improvement, even though the hermits were carried—"

Everybody booed Stan Twitt, and Ren had to stop H from knocking Stan off stage.

"Well fine, congrats to the hermits! You guys did well!" This time, when Stan smiled, it was less forced than before. "You've won the chance to return to main campus and leave the dingy hole that is 3-H! Welcome, welcome back! You will be the first two hermits to ever rejoin us! Aren't you proud?"

"You can be our success story!" Stan continued, beaming wider and wider. "To encourage the other hermits and the future generations to come!" Stan handed False and Ren a microphone. "So what do you say? Come back and rejoin our family?"

The hermits shared identical grins. False took the microphone and passed it to Ren, who leaned forward, blue eyes shining,

"No way."

Arms linked together, Ren and False leapt off the stage— and into the embrace of their fellow hermits.

-

But you won't hear from the messenger

Don't wanna know about something that you don't understand

You've got no fear of the underdog

That's why you will not survive!

-

A/N: YESS THEY FINALLY WON!! Woohoo!

I am still so ridiculously dramatic over the Blue Bats. Was basically quoting Long Live for a bit. That part when False and Ren leapt off the stage was something I had written for quite some time haha. It was how I'd always envisioned this arc ending, the defiance against Stan :DDD

By the way, irl Pearl was very passionate about the Blue Bats. Her and Grian were like "cheer and clap for my hermit friends or I'll blow up everyone in this arena". It's very sweet to see Pearl be so supportive even when she wasn't a hermit yet :D

There's a healthy sprinkling of MCC 10 crumbs. But technically, the Blue9 arc isn't over yet. There's still one more chapter to go to wrap things up :) (and more VOD transcribing)

In addition to Remember the Name, lyrics are naturally from The Underdog by Spoon, also known as the Blue Bats anthem.

I'm a little tired after this monster of a chapter, after all the VOD rewinding and transcribing, and I feel like I'm probably missing something but I don't care anymore (this chapter is like 12k words long). But yeah! Blue Bats Supremacy!! <3 <3

Thank you everyone so much for reading and supporting me throughout this fabulous journey! There was a time when I believed I would honestly never get to writing the Bats' victory, but here we are! It only took 2.5 years and 160k words :D

Votes and comments are lovely <3 and stan MCC9 Blue Bats! Their POV only gets better and better as the years pass I swear :D