2 weeks into Kevin's training, Crystal City
A small, hooded boy cloaked in a ragged blanket tirelessly dashed through Crystal City's rainy streets. The boy had multiple third-degree burns affecting both his legs, completely washed in the wrath of extreme pain. He splashed into a puddle of water, listening to the sound of the pouring rain dropping onto his blanket. "Have I finally gotten away?" he asked himself, closely examining his route up until this point. "If I pass out now, they're definitely going to catch up with me…"
Kevin stared up towards the ceiling from his bedroom, listening to the army of screaming crickets across the forest. "By training with Grace, I've become relatively stronger than I was before!" he reflected upon himself. "I won't carry myself with just determination - I'll work towards getting strong-"
A bright ember illuminated through the window, accompanied by a small shadow slowly moving across the forest. Kevin stared at the light, jumping out of bed and curiously walking towards the door.
With each step closer, the ember of fire gradually weakened, often disrupted by sudden grunts. Kevin lifted his hands towards the bush, carefully resting his fingers against the smooth branches. Forcing the bush open, he watched the flame of fire fade into the distance, quickly racing deeper into the forest.
The following morning
A miniature pyrocumulus cloud ascended towards the open, blue sky standing above the Winding Forest. From the smoke's base sat Kevin, lodging a stick straight through an entity's intestines and hanging it above the burning flames. "There are only a few edible entities," he thought to himself, quietly sitting down on a nearby log. His mind abruptly traced back to last night's events, drowning his emotions in constant curiosity. "If that was an entity, Grace's senses certainly would've picked it up… but if it wasn't, could it really be…"
Sudden rustles emerged from the site's perimeter, accompanied by two pale hands each holding entity heads. "You're up early, aren't you?" Grace chimed in, taking a sip of her alcohol and sitting beside Kevin. "I saw a rouge flame of fire through the bushes last night," Kevin replied. "After going outside and noticing its wielder fled, my curiosity restrained me from falling asleep." Grace glanced at the earth-type entity's well-done meat, lifting the stick holding it above the fire and plopping it between her and Kevin. "It isn't everyday you see someone lurking around Mystic Mountain, especially the part sitting closest to ENTITY." Her eyes turned towards the distant, rusty gates on the summit. "Dad and Victor have been talking about that place for as long as I can remember - if I may ask, what truly is ENTITY?"
Grace took another whiff of her alcohol, turning her face back towards Kevin. "About a decade ago, ENTITY, or Crystal Summit, stood as a residential place deep within the Mystic Mountain's unforgiving forests. About two years ago, entities and even ghosts were said to invade the area, leaving Crystal as our only territory. The only thing I've heard was a government official from Diamond sneaking in there, but they're long gone! Not to mention a mad scientist has inflicted a siege upon Diamond City…"
Kevin's head began to spin, attempting to embrace all of Grace's information. "Ghosts… are REAL!?" he screamed.
"I told you it's a rumor, not a true fact!"
He rapidly shook his head before focusing it back towards the rusty gates, replacing his confusion with a bold sense of happiness. "Once I become an entity hunter and assemble a group of friends, that'll be the first place I'll conquer!" Grace's face leaned into the palm of her hand, desperately restraining another loud outburst of laughter. "You're going to conquer ENTITY?" she teased. "Safe to say I'll be rooting you on."
---
"The old generation of hunters won't last forever!" a loud yet enthusiastic voice shouted. This individual was known as Harris - former professional entity hunter ranking #136 on country charts. Instead of hunting entities in this time period, he taught third years of the Crystal Entity Hunting Academy, where Kevin would later sign up in the winter. A few notable students such as now standard entity hunter William and now professional hunter Salah stood among this crowd, unaware what the future held in store for them.
"We've been exercising for hours on end!" William complained, slouching against the ground beside Harris and filling the dry dirt with his tears. "Can't we just go on patrol like actual hunters?"
Harris pierced the ground near William's body with his unusually long ruler, eyeing his student with a dark glare. "You really think I'm stupid enough to let newbies like you out into the wild? Give me a break!"
A scream even louder than Harris's booming voice emerged from the building, wiping almost all the third years straight off their feet. "The kids are fighting again…" Harris dreadfully whispered.
"I'LL BECOME THE CHIEF OF THE EHC!"
"NUH UH!"
A young Michael and Alex bashed heads in front of a classroom filled with first-year students. Their mentor Sora stood above them, using his body in order to push them apart while letting out small whimpers of fear. Since they could talk, the energetic duo seemed to never stop their quarreling - it was like an ongoing war with no end in sight. Slamming his ruler against the ground, Harris burst the door open with his leg, glaring towards Sora. "You were the one who took these kids in, why are you entertaining their behavior? They wouldn't even be here if Victor hadn't approved!"
Sora broke a cold sweat, forcing both his children to the ground and glancing back at the first-years. Their expressions unchanged, he let out a sigh of relief. "I believe their relationship should be maintained through the future," he calmly answered. "Even if it may be destructive at times, I believe their rivalry can encourage enhancements within their strength!" Both Michael and Alex lifted their backs off the ground, closely listening into Sora's conversation. "What the hell are you talking about, Sora!?" Alex screamed, impulsively pointing at Michael. "He thinks he can take my spot, so I'll put him in his place!"
Sora, professional entity hunter from Crystal City ranking #47 on regional charts, was also known to be a second guardian of Michael and Alex during their childhood. His job at the Crystal City Hunting Academy not only helped students learn, but also secured their spots as future academy students.