Endless Evolution: Last Star

Half an hour later, their last game, bowling, came to an end.

Alexia made the last throw as they all looked at the scoreboard, waiting to find out who came in first.

Top 4 – Alexia, 120 points.

Top 3 – Adam, 149 points.

Top 2 – Louis, 166 points.

Top 1 – Silvana, 171 points.

As soon as the points appeared, a satisfied smile formed on Silvana's face. Sure, her result was pretty mediocre compared to a professional, but she was just an ordinary person who had only bowled a few times before.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

Adam clapped his hands. "Good job, Silvana. Damn, you scored almost one and a half times more than Alexia."

Tick.

Alexia's eyebrow twitched as she turned sharply with a great frown.

"Next time I'll get at least 200 points, you'll see! The first few times, I was just unlucky, and then it was too late to catch up with you in points!"

Louis nodded.

"True, Silvana, that was a good result. If you had gotten one or two more strikes, it would have been almost professional level."

Silvana blushed slightly as she looked away.

"Yeah, thanks, I have to admit it was fun. Not just bowling, but the whole casino as well."

Alexia's eyes widened as she seemed to remember something important.

"Louis! We have a lot of money again! Let's go play roulette!"

A shiver ran through Louis as he shook his head and headed straight for the exit.

Alexia rushed forward and grabbed his arm, trying to change his mind.

"Please! Let's play one more time! This time I'll definitely get lucky! I'll bet on black and double our money!" She exclaimed, pulling on his sleeve like a child.

Louis completely ignored her. He knew that in this situation, it was his only salvation. If he agreed, he would fall into another trap, and they would leave the casino only a few hours later, most likely without any money.

"Are you coming?" He turned to Silvana and Adam. "I think it's time to finish with the gamblers. Agh, at least for today."

Adam and Silvana exchanged glances, smiled, and followed him.

All the way to the exit, and even while Louis was exchanging their chips for credits, Alexia tried to change Louis's mind. She even resorted to such desperate measures as seduction, but... Louis was not the type to fall for that.

After all, he chose Alexia not because of her beauty, so even though this was an effective strategy for many women, it didn't work on Louis.

Step. Step. Step.

Soon, they left the casino. As soon as they were in the main hall of the skyscraper, Alexia stepped aside and sighed heavily.

"Shit..." She slowly turned to Louis. "I want pancakes! Let's find a cozy place."

As soon as Alexia realized that they were done with the casino for the day, she admitted defeat and didn't mention it again. Although if it weren't for Louis's influence, she would hardly have stopped until she had lost all her money at the casino, or at least ten million.

"Sure, I'm hungry too, but before that, we have something to do."

Louis turned to Adam and Silvana.

"I'm glad we met. I hope we can work together in the future."

Adam nodded. "Sure, it's nice to know that a Phantom I fought monsters with is still working and is at the same level as me. It motivates me."

Step.

Alexia stepped forward as she leaned in.

"By the way, when are you going back to the Dead Lands? I'd like to see what you're capable of. Last time was incredible, but you've gotten much stronger since then, haven't you?"

She smirked.

"I've seen some videos of your battles. You've become even more reckless than before. That's good."

Louis frowned. "Actually, it's not. You both have the same problem. Although... Considering what I've heard about the other K4-Phantoms, it's a common situation. You just don't understand what the consequences could be."

"Pffft!" Alexia snorted.

Then, she approached Louis from the side and playfully nudged him in the side with her elbow.

"Come on, don't you like watching me defeat powerful monsters? If I worried about safety and plans as you do, I would have reached the K2-Level at best with that speed.

In response, Louis crossed his arms over his chest.

"Whatever. Silvana, you have my contact information. Don't forget that we can always contact each other."

"Sure." Silvana smiled. "I don't know yet how long Adam will stay in the Citadel before returning to the Dead Lands, but if we have common goals, we can definitely come up with something."

"Great."

Louis turned to Alexia and waved his hand.

"Alright, let's go find some delicious pancakes."

"Yay!" Alexia exclaimed as she followed Louis.

Before they had a chance to walk far, Alexia turned around and stuck her tongue out at Adam.

"You'll see, Adam, I'll reach the Second Rank faster than you and—!"

Before she could continue, Louis pulled her by the ear, leading her away from the scene like a naughty child.

"Hahahahaha!" Silvana laughed, unable to ignore their comical duo any longer. "Just imagine if we behaved like that!"

"Well..." Adam shrugged, watching their backs as they walked away. "We're kind of like them, although we're not that bad."

"Come on, they're a great couple." She poked him in the shoulder.

"Hah, I know. I'm just kidding. In fact, they're the only Phantom & Operator couple who became partners in the process. I mean, when we first met them, they were in the same situation as us. Just a Phantom and Operator, nothing more."

Silvana sighed and smiled as she looked at the moon in the distance. It was already late in the evening.

"Just a Phantom and Operator? It's only the first step, sure, but it's a damn important one."

"So..." Adam turned to her. "What are we going to do next? Look for a place that serves something delicious, too?"

Silvana smiled slyly. She had no intention of saying goodbye to Adam anytime soon. She hadn't seen him in so long!

"Maybe."