Mischievous Function

Topping from the Bottom

"In third place, with a score of 62, all the way from Davidland: Compass Rose!"

The members of the metal group all let out hearty cheers and bellows, and some of them even headbutted each other in triumph as the confused staff member nevertheless handed them the bronze trophy and medals. Dot and Mic glanced at each other suddenly with wide, shocked eyes. Their breaths caught as they realized what S☆TOP being disqualified meant.

"In second place, with a score of 68, from the Hell-Port District: the Devilish Divas!"

The HPD girls all screamed in excitement and held each other as they jumped up and down and watched with burning anticipation as a staff member approached them with the silver trophy and medals—the same ones that the Power Bottoms had proudly donned mere minutes earlier.

"This isn't real, right?" Microphone breathed, a wide smile spreading across her face as she let out a breathless laugh. "Is—is this real? Is this actually happening?!"

"I think it is!" Dot laughed, equally stunned.

"Oh...oh, my God..."

"And finally, with a score of 69—hey, come on up here, girls!"

The girls all looked at each other in shock as staff members approached them and beckoned them toward the podium. One by one, they managed to shuffle over to the announcer, still in disbelief but now laughing in joy.

Mic was the last one to move. Dot glanced back at her and held out her hand. "Come on, Mic," she said with a soft smile. "You earned it."

She looked up at Dot and took a hesitant step toward the podium. Eventually, she took Dot's hand, and the two of them joined the rest of their group next to the announcer.

"Ladies, gents, and enby friends, here are your 10–12 Annual Summit Showdown winners! Hailing from both the Battle Forest District and the Island Union District, in first place: the Power Bottoms!"

The audience gave them their due applause, but the B.F.D. High–I. High section was absolutely flipping out and losing its mind, even more so than earlier. They could hear the overjoyed bellows of delight from Tennis Ball, Coiny, and Clock, among others. Balloon had hopped onto Paintbrush's back and was pumping his fist up in victory, and, in a rare show of approval, Paintbrush themselves had joined in. Fan had climbed up on top of his chair and was whistling loudly, to Test Tube's delight and amusement. She knew that if he tried to yell like the others, his voice would die.

Within the group, the girls were cheering as well, and some of them were even crying tears of joy. The staff members handing out their golden medals only watched with a smile as each of them accepted their award with repeated blubbering fits of gratitude. The girls all squealed and embraced each other after they had gotten their medals, and even Dot seemed to partake in the mini-celebration a bit by hugging each of them.

And Mic? Well, Mic was frozen solid, and not because of the cold. The bright spotlights shone in her face and the innumerable camera flashes from the audience blinded her, and yet she could see clear as day. Her jaw was hanging open, and she barely even responded to the cheers and embraces the other girls were giving her. But gradually, slowly, she started to smile as the reality of her feat began to dawn on her. Soon enough, she blinked a couple of times and noticed that a staff member was holding the golden first-place trophy out to her and that her teammates were watching her expectantly.

"Congratulations, captain," Dot told her with a smile. "Take that trophy. You earned it."

Mic glanced to her side at Dot and only stared at her for a few seconds. After a while, though, she slowly shook her head, her smile persisting.

"No," she whispered. "I didn't earn it."

Dot looked at her with a confused expression, but before she could object, she saw Mic's hands reach out for the trophy. Instead of gripping the award, however, her hands then drifted away to grab the hands of the two girls on the ends of the mini-circle that had formed around her: Ice Cube's and Suitcase's. She lifted their hands up and rested them on the trophy. Then, she took Needle's hand in one of hers and Test Tube's in the other and placed them on the trophy as well. When everyone finally got what she was getting at, she smiled at all of them and nodded.

"We earned it."

One by one, each of the girls put their hand on the trophy and found someplace to get a grip on it. Eventually, Mic was the last one left. She nodded at each of the girls and said with a slightly broken voice and a tear in her eye, "I'm so grateful for all of you. Every single one of you. Thank you—so, so much. All of you."

Then, she shot her hand forward to grip the trophy. The staff member let go and stepped aside. With hearty laughs and elated hearts, the girls all raised the trophy into the air with a vibrant cheer. They all looked out on the audience, who, during their heartfelt moment, had found it fitting to give them a standing ovation as their applause continued. Mic hadn't even noticed the announcer sneak behind them and hold the mic near their mouths as they had said their pieces.

The next few moments were a blur, but she vaguely recalled posing for a picture with the other four captains, and then all five teams posing together for another picture. Some of the boys in their section were jokingly chanting for her to give a speech, but she was thankful that the announcer had seen that she was about to pass out and had decided to shoot down that idea.

Eventually, she found herself stumbling off the stage with the rest of the group and rejoining the party in the dining area. When she finally came to her senses, she glanced down at the trophy she was holding before looking back up and around at the rest of her friends.

"We...we did it," she thought to herself as she smiled. "We won."