"Really?" said Gata, looking around. "Look. Here's where my advice caps out: International circuit, short of HexXer. She's still up there, champion eight years running - and if you skip Moonchild's year, champion for two more years before [i]that[/i]." 

Unmentioned, not worth noting: Gata was a three-time champion before HexXer's unstoppable rise.

"And she's [i]only getting better[/i]. Her style relies on her mind and that's just getting sharper and sharper. I could barely match her when I was young and fast and it was only downhill from there. So - I can talk. Help. But my path's a dead end - least as far as I could solve it."