At the Academy

Eleven

Several days later, every single cadet at the Academy was called out to the main field in front of the G.O. Dome. The cadets came from far and wide all over the island and gathered around the required area.

When everybody was there, Ubercorn stood up on the main platform, all the Pillars standing in a single file behind him. He took a deep breath and started his speech.

"You may be wondering why I called you all here today," He announced, "But it is thanks to a very special occasion; the winner of the Academy Ace Flying Test has been selected."

When he said this, a huge gasp of delight spread amongst the cadets as they were told this, and excited whispers were heard here and there, wondering who had won.

"Before I can present the winner, there are a few words I have to say:

"Somebody amongst you has been training day and night, without breaks. She had taken the strain out of herself and often put herself on risk if she weren't stopped.

"Soon, the big day came, and all that training came into good use, as she aced one record after another. She was so close to winning them right away thanks to the skill she had earned over all the pain she had been suffering.

"Then, she was told horrible things by her enemy. She lost each bit of her confidence and became extremely unconfident of herself. And a terrible event that happened between her loved ones topped it off. She tried to kill herself, not once, but twice. The depression that had gotten the best of her seemed like it would never be cured.

"One day, she had heard a terrifying piece of news: her friends were in danger, and that she was the only person who could rescue them. She was a bit scared at first but after a bit of encouragement, she was racing to rescue them. The next thing she knew, she had brought all her friends to safety, and all her confidence had returned to her. And she broke her last record without even knowing it."

Then, something unusual happened; Ubercorn paused to wipe away a tear.

"This proves that the desire to protect and cherish loved ones always wins over insecure feelings and helps sort them out, no matter what they are," Said Ubercorn, smiling, "So now I'd like to call Xuli up to the platform so she can receive her trophy."

Cheers and loud applause echoed around the Academy as Xuli, face red, walked across the sea of crowds and got to the platform. She shook hands with each of the Pillars as they each gave her a slight movement of encouragement, then shook hands with Ubercorn, who patted her back as she lifted her trophy up into the air. There, it shone bright enough to light up the entire island.

Xuli held out her hand to Kyan, who took it and climbed up to the platform without hesitation. He pulled Xuli in for a passionate kiss between the loud cheers and yelling, now coming mostly from the fangirls and Dashi and Tweak, who were the loudest cheerers in the crowd at that shipping moments.

And Xuli wanted this moment to go on forever.

~*~

A big party was thrown on the beach just an hour later. Xuli insisted that the Vroomster -now that it was fully fixed- and Turbo Zoomster can join in. There were shouts and cries and much more sounds as more and more people joined the party, with its festivities and games.

The party was in full swing around sundown, as everyone was up to something. Either stuffing their faces into the large buffet set up, or surfing the waves or swimming in the water, or making sandcastles or sunbathing. In a way, everyone had something to do.

Xuli and Kyan knew none of this, however; they were minding their own business on the cliff high above the sandy shores. Xuli was snuggling onto Kyan's chest while he had his arm around her waist. Both their cheeks were pink as their eyes shimmered while looking at the beautiful sunset. The sky was filled up with delicate orange and pink, slowly turning into a dark indigo color as the sun went down, turning from lemon-yellow to orangey-gold. 

The couple sat together in silence for a few minutes. Both were purring like mad, listening to the sounds of the waves crash onto the jagged rocks far below, and the sounds of all their friends partying below.

"Xuli?" Kyan asked. 

"Yes?" Xuli said.

"I need to ask you a question."

"Shoot away."

Kyan paused, before asking, "What made you so fascinated in the Academy Ace anyway? No offense but I think you're a great pilot without it! What makes it so special to the Academy?"

Xuli looked down at the grassy bank under her feet, sighing.

"I was inspired by other Go Jet Academy pilots who came before me," Xuli answered, "and those who won the trophy won a big place and respect at the Academy. I'm sorry if it makes me look like a weakling..."

"It's okay, Xu..." Kyan whispered to her, before pulling Xuli into yet another kiss. This one stayed longer, however. She was quick to respond this time, immediately starting to play with his hair. And this one might've stayed all evening if they weren't interrupted.

Loud squeals and giggles were heard from behind the couple. They jumped and looked behind them. Tweak, Dashi and the Fangirls were there, watching them kiss and fangirling them. Dashi had her trusty camera with her, recording the whole thing. The fangirls were taking pictures with their phones.

"This is the ship of the century!!!" Candy squealed, laughing.

"What's gotten into you guys?!" Xuli yelled, face red, "Spying's rude, y' know!"

"That's right! And we're leaving right now..!" Said Skye, before mouthing 'Run' to her companions.

They all ran off, singing, "Kyan and Xuli, sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!!!" 

In a matter of seconds, they were gone.

"Sorry about them...they can be very childish about things like these." Xuli apologized.

"It's okay," Kyan said, before pulling Xuli into another kiss.

The sky around them started to turn a dark violet color as early stars started dotting the sky. The moon went up in the sky and its light made a shining, silvery path across the sea, it also made a ring of light surround the kissing couple.

If only this moment would go on forever, Xuli thought.

It felt like forever, and both of them liked that.