So... what do you wanna be in the futūre? —a deep, rugged voice asked with a lazy cowboy drawl.
The sun dipped gently over the horizon, casting a golden hue across a small farmhouse. A wide field of wheat swayed in the breeze behind them. A man, face shadowed under a tilted hat, leaned against a fence, watching a younger boy, no older than thirteen, kick dust at the ground.
"An adventurer," the boy replied with a grin.
"You sure 'bout that, kid? That's a mighty dauntin' occupation," the man said, ruffling Frank's messy hair.
"I still wanna be it. It's a way to save lives... or somethin'. Plus, it sounds cool," Frank said, his voice filled with hope.
"Attaboy, Frank," the cowboy chuckled. "But before allat... I'm gonna teach ya the basics. Who knows what kinda skill you'll end up with."
Frank laughed. "Yeah, it's gotta be somethin' flashy, hehe."
"Sure it will," the man replied, his accent thick and comforting.
---
"Sir?"
Frank blinked back into reality as a demi-human girl gently tapped his shoulder. He turned his head slowly, still half-lost in the haze of the memory.
"Huh? Oh... how much?" he asked, holding up a worn book titled Chronicles of the Forgotten Eras.
"That'll be 13 Zeni," she replied.
"Here ya go," he said, tapping his card against the holographic reader. A glowing §13 appeared before vanishing into the transaction log.
Moments later, Frank stepped out of the store, the buzz of the sector humming around him. The streets were a mix of neon signs, steam-piping vents, and hovering ad-drones zipping by. Sector 7 wasn't the flashiest, but it had charm. High-rise buildings loomed with jagged metal balconies while street vendors peddled tech-embedded fruits.
"Damn... what was that? Some kinda daydream or somethin'?" he muttered. Inwardly, he added, Maybe one of this Frank's memory fragments? That guy... he sounded familiar. Maybe... Dad?
He shook his head. "So... what to do today..."
As he looked around, a trio of girls passed by—two fox demi-humans and one human. They gave him a flirtatious glance. He smirked, making brief eye contact before turning away.
Gotta say... glad this Frank had a nice face, he thought.
"Frank! You there?"
Elias's voice crackled through his earpiece.
"Elias... good to hear your voice," Frank replied.
"Where are you?"
"Uhh... bookstore. Sector 7. Not far from where we're bunked."
"Any suspicious activity?"
"Well... nobody 'cept me."
He chuckled, turning into a narrow alleyway. Mid-walk, he stopped.
"Can't take risks," he muttered.
"What was that?" Elias asked.
"Ohh, just talkin' to myself."
"Suit yourself. Just make it back before dusk. We leave early."
"Cool," Frank said, stepping out of the alley.
A guy, maybe a year older, struggled with a large box.
"Ohh... hey. Sorry, could you help me with this?" the guy asked, clearly winded.
"Sure. That's what I do."
"Heh. You're pretty strong for a champ. Name's Bill," he said, grabbing another box.
"Onclave. Where we droppin' these?"
Bill nodded toward a hovering sci-fi truck.
"Just there."
After a few seconds and grunts of effort, the two dropped their loads.
"Pretty strong for someone so lean," Bill chuckled.
"Heh. I get that a lot."
"Thanks, Frank."
Frank froze. "...What?"
"What?"
"How do you know my name?"
ZzRrRk! Electricity surged through him.
"Gaaarrggh!!" Frank cried, dropping to his knees as his body spasmed. Sparks danced along a disk on Bill's palm.
"Shit... I thought I had it in disguise," Bill muttered.
"You did well, Bill," a familiar feminine voice echoed.
Spike stepped from behind the truck, her scythe glinting in the fading light. Frank's body trembled, still suffering residual shocks.
"Before he does anything stupid!" Jarvis roared, dashing forward and slamming a brutal fist into Frank's chest.
THOOM! The impact echoed as Frank crashed through a wall, landing in a silent construction site. Buzzing worker drones hovered, but the place was eerily empty.
"YOU IDIOT!" Spike snapped at Jarvis. "You tryin' to attract attention?!"
"My bad... but damn, that punch was satisfying," Jarvis said.
"Sure was," Astrid added casually.
"Hey, what's up with him?" Roi asked, pointing at Frank—who was standing again.
"Did you think this'd be easy?" Spike said, eyes narrowing.
Five against one... not fair, Frank thought. At least Elias helped sharpen my reaction speed.
He looked down at his bruised arms, which had blocked the punch.
---
"Isn't Frank taking too long? It's almost evening," Tayla said, checking her holo-watch.
"He said he was nearby. Just a few blocks," Elias replied, cleaning his katana.
"Tayla's been really eyeing Frank, haven't you?" Joel teased while zipping up a briefcase.
"I could say the same," Raymond said, sipping coffee.
"Hey now—I'm not like that!"
"Of course you aren't," Raymond said with a smirk.
"Now you're bein' sarcastically annoying."
"Alright, alright—but you have been staring at Frank."
"And what if I am?" Tayla said, feigning ignorance.
"Haha, that's our girl!" Joel laughed.
"Isn't it weird Kaido's also out?" Elias asked.
"Probably killing off some teenagers who tried bullying him," Tayla joked.
"Right. I'll check on him," Raymond said, buckling his sword.
"Good. I just picked up Frank's heat signature," Doug said, slamming his fist into the table.
"Why not use cameras?" Grace asked while setting dishes.
"Area's a blind zone. I used my heat pods."
"Alright, where is he?"
"Just outside the city. Creek Lake. He's alone."
"Let's go get our prize," Grace said, strapping her gear.
"Hey now, no killing. We need him alive," Doug warned.
"Relax. I'll just poison the ends of my spikes," she said, a long spike protruding from her wrist.
"Attagirl."
"Jeez, someone's excited," she smirked. "You act like you know him or something."
"Ohh, well... let's just get this over with," Doug said, eyeing the screen.
"Don't worry, Frank," he whispered. "I'll save you... from them."
---
"So, mind tellin' me why you came back for revenge?" Frank asked, flexing his wrist.
"How the hell is he not unconscious?!" Jarvis exclaimed.
"Jarvis... did you activate your skill before the punch?" Spike asked.
"Yeah?"
"Idiot."
"It's gotta be that copy skill," Astrid said, drawing her massive blade.
Wait... they know about my skill?!
"I'll be in the back, calculating our target's movements," Bill said, dashing off.
They're confident... this ain't gonna be easy, Frank thought, eyes glowing faintly gold.
"Let's get this over with," Spike hissed, her chain-scythe uncoiling.
Roi's shadowy blades gleamed.
Five against one. This... might be fun, Frank thought, fists clenched, battle-ready.