Chapter 605 Wisdom
"The rules are simple!" Gabriel continued. "You must fly through the course, passing through every hoop, touching every streamer, and ringing every bell. The first one to reach the golden flag at the end WINS!"
A boy from Class B raised his hand. "Can we use magic?"
"Only flying magic!" Gabriel declared. "No pushing, no pulling, no turning other flyers into frogs!"
The boy muttered, "That was one time."
Boo gasped loudly. "Someone was turned into a frog?!"
"It was a misunderstanding," the boy said quickly.
Boo’s eyes went wide. "I NEED DETAILS AFTER THIS!"
Gabriel pointed to the start line, a chalk mark on the grass below. "Flyers, take your positions!"
Drake dropped lower, hovering just above the chalk. His wings beat fast, his tail swayed for balance, and his eyes were fixed on the first hoop.
Boo floated beside him. "Drake, we are rivals now."
Drake blinked. "We are teammates."
"We are rivals who are teammates," Boo explained seriously. "It is complicated."
Drake thought for a second. "Agreed."
The butterfly girl took her position nearby. "Good luck, everyone," she said softly.
The insect boy snorted. "Luck is for the unprepared."
Boo smiled sweetly. "Then I hope you are very prepared."
The insect boy glared. Boo just kept smiling.
Gabriel raised his hand.
"ON YOUR MARKS..." Gabriel called.
Drake crouched in the air, his wings tensed.
"GET SET..."
Boo stopped floating and started hovering with intention.
"GO!" Gabriel shouted.
The flyers exploded forward.
Drake shot through the air like an arrow, his new wings cutting through the wind with power he hadn’t had before his shedding. He passed through the first hoop easily, his tail just grazing the edge.
"FIRST HOOP!" Gabriel announced.
Boo floated through the hoop sideways, because he was dramatic. "SECOND HOOP!" he corrected.
"That was the first hoop," Gabriel said.
"I am counting differently," Boo replied.
The butterfly girl fluttered through the hoop gracefully, her wings catching the light. The insect boy zoomed past her, not even bothering to slow down. He went straight through without pausing.
The course twisted through the air. The next challenge was a series of streamers hanging from a rope. Flyers had to touch each one as they passed.
Drake reached the streamers first. He reached out with his claws and tapped them one by one. Tap, tap, tap. His movements were quick and precise.
"STREAMERS COMPLETE!" Gabriel announced.
Boo reached the streamers and tried to touch them, but his ghostly hands went right through the fabric. "I CANNOT TOUCH THEM!" he cried.
"You have to touch them!" Gabriel called.
"I AM TOUCHING! THEY ARE NOT TOUCHING BACK!" Boo shouted.
"You need physical contact!" Gabriel said.
"I AM PHYSICAL! SPIRITUALLY PHYSICAL!" Boo insisted.
The butterfly girl fluttered past Boo, tapped the streamers easily, and moved ahead.
Boo stared at his hands. "This is ghost discrimination," he muttered.
He solved the problem by floating through the streamers with his whole body, letting the fabric pass through him.
"STREAMERS COMPLETE... CREATIVELY," Gabriel decided.
****
Ahead, Drake had reached the bells.
They hung from ribbons at different heights, and flyers had to ring each one by bumping into them. Drake used his head, his tail, his wingtips. Ding, ding, ding. Each bell chimed as he passed.
"BELLS COMPLETE!" Gabriel called.
The insect boy caught up, ringing bells with his feet. The butterfly girl used her hands, each touch gentle and precise.
Boo reached the bells and bumped them with his nose. Ding. Then his forehead. Ding. Then his knee, which was difficult because he was floating. Ding.
"BELLS COMPLETE... UNCONVENTIONALLY," Gabriel announced.
The final stretch was the hardest. Flyers had to weave between tall poles set in a zigzag pattern, then dive under a low rope, then shoot up to grab the golden flag.
Drake entered the poles first. He zigged. He zagged. His wings folded slightly to fit through tight spaces. He was fast. He was focused.
He was tangled.
His tail caught on a pole.
"NO!" Drake shouted, twisting to free himself.
The insect boy zoomed past him. "Slow dragon," he teased.
"I AM NOT SLOW! I AM STUCK!" Drake yelled.
The butterfly girl fluttered past, then the fairy from Class C, then two other flyers Boo didn’t know.
Drake finally yanked his tail free and kept going, but he had lost his lead.
Boo floated through the poles easily because he had no body to tangle. "Being a ghost has advantages!" he called out.
"THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR ADVANTAGES!" Drake shouted back.
"THERE IS ALWAYS TIME FOR ADVANTAGES!" Boo replied.
They reached the low rope.
Flyers had to dive under it without touching. The insect boy went first, folding his wings and sliding under like a missile. The butterfly girl tucked her wings and glided under gracefully.
Drake folded his wings and dove.
He made it.
But his tail scraped the rope.
"PENALTY!" Gabriel called. "Five seconds added!"
"MY TAIL BETRAYED ME!" Drake wailed.
Boo floated under the rope without issue. "No tail, no problem!" he sang.
"GHOSTS ARE CHEATING!" Drake shouted.
"We are not cheating! We are existing differently!" Boo replied.
Finally, the golden flag.
The insect boy reached it first. He grabbed the flag and held it high, his face triumphant.
"WINNER! CLASS B!" Gabriel announced.
The butterfly girl reached it second, her face soft with a smile. "That was fun," she said.
The fairy from Class C reached it third, doing a victory flip in the air.
Drake reached it fourth. He grabbed the flag a moment after the fairy, his chest heaving, his wings drooping.
"I DIDN’T WIN," Drake said, his voice flat with disappointment.
Boo floated up beside him. "Neither did I," he said.
"You didn’t even try to grab it," Drake pointed out.
"I was enjoying the scenery," Boo replied.
Drake looked at him. "You didn’t care about winning?"
"I cared about flying," Boo said simply. "Winning is extra."
Drake stared at him for a moment. Then his wings lifted slightly. "That is... actually wise," he admitted.
"I am full of wisdom," Boo declared.
"You are full of something," Drake muttered.
Boo nodded happily. "Yes. Wisdom."