atp the club forming

CHAPTER ELEVEN — THE FIGURE IN THE LIGHT
(Option 5: The lights return… and it’s YOSHI — the beloved one who couldn’t make it — immediately body-slamming Devesto)

The darkness swallowed the corridor again.

The group stood frozen, breath held, the cat’s tiny growl vibrating from behind Toady’s ankles.

Then—

BZZZT—KLACK!

The emergency lights snapped back on, brighter than before, washing the hallway in blinding white.

The silhouette at the end of the corridor became clear.

And twelve jaws dropped at once.

“NO WAY—” Mewo shouted.
“Nuh-uh—IMPOSSIBLE—” Randomiser screeched.
Cornball blinked so hard it looked painful.
Goober started crying from sheer emotional overload.

Because standing there, perfectly tall, perfectly calm, backpack slung across one shoulder, hoodie slightly damp from melted snow, was—

YOSHI.

The Yoshi.

The beloved friend who hadn’t been able to come to the meetup because of a last-minute emergency.
The one everyone trusted.
The one everyone looked forward to seeing.
The one whose presence made the group feel whole.

Canadian.
Polite even when threatened.
Obsessed with voting-based party games to an almost spiritual degree.

And apparently now, survivor of a nuclear apocalypse.

Yoshi scanned the group calmly, nodding once—

Then his eyes fell on Devesto.

And his entire expression transformed into pure, righteous fury.

“…YOU.”

That was all the warning Devesto got.

Before he could even spit out something smug, before he could give one creepy smile—

YOSHI CHARGED LIKE A FULL-SPEED CANADIAN FREIGHT TRAIN.

“WAIT—WAIT—WAIT—!!” Devesto yelped.

Too late.

WHAM!!!

Yoshi tackled him so hard the speaker-cat jumped, Toady staggered, and Randomiser screamed like a kettle.

Corpse.Bride clapped a hand over her mouth.
“OH MY GOD—”

Shira blinked in awe.
“I’ve never seen Yoshi violent before.”

Norther pushed his glasses up.
“That was… highly efficient.”

Devesto lay flat on the metal floor, wheezing, eyes rolling.

Yoshi stood over him, breathing hard but steady.

Then, in the most Canadian voice possible, he snapped:

“Sorry for the force—BUT YOU DESERVED THAT.”

Devesto wheezed, “Wh—what did I even DO—”

“To exist around my friends, apparently,” Mewo muttered.

“To be yourself,” Cornball added.

“To breathe in our general direction,” Randomiser finished.

Yoshi pointed a stern finger down at Devesto.
“You stay on the ground for a minute.
I need to recalibrate my politeness.”

He turned to the rest of the group, his expression softening instantly.

“Hey guys,” Yoshi said, voice warm again.
“Sorry I’m late.”

Curator’s eyes filled with relief.
“We thought you were—”

“Gone?” Yoshi shrugged.
“Canada gets weird storms. I had to reroute through a subway tunnel.
Then the bombs hit.
And I ended up tracking signals down here.”

Nobleranger stepped forward.
“You saved us back there.”

Toady nodded. “Perfect timing.”

Randomiser ran up and hugged him, nearly knocking him off balance.
“NEVER LEAVE US AGAIN—THERE WAS A CAT—A CAT WITH A SPEAKER—”

As if on cue, the cat meowed proudly.

Yoshi blinked at it.
“…Why does it sound like a security system?”

“Long story,” Cornball said.

Shira exhaled.
“Yoshi… we’re really glad you’re here.”

Yoshi smiled—small, humble, but full of heart.

“Me too. But…”
His expression darkened.
“I didn’t find this bunker by chance.
I followed someone.”

The group fell silent.

Mewo stepped closer. “Followed who?”

Yoshi scanned the corridor behind him.

And the warmth faded from his voice.

“Someone else survived the bombs.
Someone dangerous.”

The cat hissed again.

The lights flickered.

And from the darkness behind Yoshi—

A second silhouette moved.