"So you witnessed another proximity transmission link?" Gerald asked Kevin, noticing his slight uneasiness due to what the boy had said before his disappearance. "He was talking about how I would be the one to save him from a specific nightmare, then he rambled on about some impending crisis and how it's guaranteed to shake the world of entities to its core."
Both of them observed the aftermath of Pyron's fight from one of the many cliffs that overlooked the entire Winding Forest, noticing the ash and burning smell that lingered throughout the air. "Until we encounter Pyron again, we're going to have to document all the attacks he used on us in battle and find a way to counter them perfectly in the future,"
Gerald suggested, noticing the Great Armor driving right towards them. Forrest rolled down the window, sticking his head out and glancing at the cloudless, blue sky. "Hop on in, guys!" he said enthusiastically, trying his best not to break down into tears. "Even… if we… didn't… take him down this time…THEN WE'LL GET STRONGER UNTIL IT'S THE NEXT TIME TO MEET HIM!"
Forrest's statement brought a smile to both Kevin and Gerald's face, but it failed to drown out the vibe of mystery that held within Team Pyron - what was the "impending crisis" about, and how could they save the child that was trapped within?
Volume 13, Chapter 31 - A New Threat
The outside world had not the slightest clue of what had gone down in the first Pyron encounter, causing everyday life to proceed like normal. Some people held growing suspicion due to Pyron's sudden disappearance that posed an effect of the battle, but not enough paranoia within society granted them the authority to prove it.
Gerald splashed into the water of the hot springs right beside Kevin, Forrest, Kaelan, and Xavier, who let out a laugh of delight in response. "Nothing beats hitting the hot springs right after a hard-fought battle!" Forrest claimed, lighting up the faces in the room yet again. In the lower portion of the city was Stephanie and Itama, who were slowly pacing across the lively streets full of people, games, and food. "After a month of work, we finally get to have quality time together!" she celebrated, waving two colorful flags she had bought from a shop about 500 feet back through the air. "Even if we weren't able to neutralize Pyron on the first try, I say we use yesterday's experiences as practice for the final standoff!"
Itama smiled at her claim and turned his head right in her direction. "Despite all the danger in the mission, I'm happy you decided to come along, Stephanie," he said, noticing her expanding smile. "What would you do without me, Itama?" she boldly responded, giving him a flashback of every mission he had succeeded in without her aid. "Nothing," he lied, trying his best to maintain the current vibe between them - even if Itama wasn't the brightest guy, he tended to be nice to Stephanie every once in a while. "Even if the paranoia caused by Pyron still looms through the air, it doesn't mean we can't have fun!"
Thirty minutes had already passed, and Itama was already stumbling across the ground due to the drinks he had consumed. "Itama, you had a little too much fun…" she said, grunting while she continued to carry Itama's deadweight body through the streets. Taking a second to wipe the sweat off her forehead, she noticed a masked man staring straight at her, turning away as soon as they locked eyes. Her pupils followed him as he urgently rushed towards the door of the bar and disappeared into the night, but her mini-investigation was interrupted by Itama, who was still lying on her shoulder. "That guy doesn't have any manners," a drunken Itama insulted, followed by a muffled laugh. "I saw a plasma gun similar to that redhead's, so he's probably from Damage Control!"
Stephanie converted her curiosity to energy that helped her carry the deadweight and drank Itama straight out of the bar and back towards the Great Armor, which stood on the outskirts of the city.
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"That was a good bath!" Kaelan said, pushing the door to the hot springs open. The other boys of Team Pyron stood beside him, each wearing matching white robes with towels around their necks. "I told you nothing beats a post-battle hot springs trip, Gerald!" Forrest intimidated, slightly chuckling from his aggravated reaction. That was the moment the boys' noticed Stephanie trudging up the mountain, taking a few breaks in between. "Itama just had to get drunk while we were here!" she complained, her muscles finally giving out and causing her to drop onto the floor. "Let's just be on our way to Damage Control already!"
On the top of the hot springs, the same masked man that examined Stephanie's movements stared straight at Team Pyron beside the Great Armor. "It seems that Team Pyron has made contact with their target for the first time, but they failed in defeating him the first time," he said into a microphone that was lodged inside his ear. "Next time, however, they'll witness the Fire Sovereign's iconic power that shows his towering strength over any normal entity! For the first time in many years, Pyron has officially been awakened!"