"What is Ben doing?"
"He's still at it, training to be a Plumber. Even though Grandpa and I keep telling him it wasn't his fault, he still blames himself. I just hope he doesn't get hurt. After all, he was the one who suffered the most from having that thing on his wrist," Gwen replied with a melancholic tone.
"Even so, he's a good kid," Kaito said calmly.
"He's just a naive fool," Charmcaster added, crossing her arms with a huff.
At that moment, Gwen's phone vibrated. Seeing who was calling, she quickly answered and put it on speaker.
"Hey, Kaito. Another one showed up. Can you come to Bellwood right now?" Max's voice came from the other side.
"Another one?" Kaito frowned, clearly annoyed by the frequency of the attacks. "Who is it this time?"
"He calls himself Rook. A space pirate from the Revonnahgander race. He's not very strong, but…"
"I see. If I don't deal with him myself, he'll just keep coming back," Kaito sighed, standing up.
"Wait, take me with you," Charmcaster said, grabbing his arm before he could leave.
Used to her whims, Kaito simply wrapped an arm around her waist, spread his wings, and flew into the sky.
...
In downtown Bellwood, an alien with feline features, blue skin, and black stripes sped through the streets on a space bike, firing wildly with amusement. His punk hairstyle made him stand out even more amidst the chaos.
Suddenly, a powerful gust of wind struck him head-on, making him lose control for a moment. Rook regained balance and looked up. Above him floated a man with bat-like wings, watching him with boredom.
"So, you're the one this time?" Kaito asked calmly.
"You must be the current owner of the Carnitrix," Rook replied with a grin.
"Yeah, that's me. Lately, a lot of you have been showing up… where are you getting this information?"
"If you beat me, maybe I'll tell you."
Rook smirked confidently and opened fire. But Kaito didn't even move. Charmcaster raised her hand, and a pink magical barrier stopped all the blasts.
Smoke filled the area, and Rook, unable to see, assumed his attack had worked. But when the air cleared, Kaito was already in front of him, holding him by the neck.
"I beat you. Now, will you tell me where you got the information?"
Rook surrendered instantly.
"It was Vilgax. He made the Carnitrix's information and its current location public."
"Vilgax? I thought in this universe he was a space cop."
"In this universe…?" Rook stared, confused.
"Doesn't matter," Kaito said, as a freezing chill spread from his hand, turning Rook's body to solid ice. A moment later, he shattered him effortlessly.
"That was fast," Charmcaster remarked without surprise.
"He wasn't very strong," Kaito replied indifferently before heading back home.
...
The sudden arrival startled Gwen, but what really left her speechless was seeing Kaito holding her phone.
"Hey, that's mine."
Kaito gestured for her to stay quiet and dialed a number.
"Gwen, what's going on?" Max's voice came through.
"It's not Gwen, it's me," Kaito replied.
"Oh, Kaito. What's up?"
"I found out why enemies keep showing up. Someone named Vilgax leaked the Carnitrix's information and its current location. What do you know about him?"
"Vilgax…" Max fell silent for a few seconds. "He's a Plumber, one of the best. But this changes things. I'll look into it and let you know as soon as I find something."
"Perfect. I trust you'll give me answers," Kaito said before hanging up.
He handed the phone back to Gwen.
"Here."
"You could just ask next time, you know?" she muttered with a sigh.
...
"I'm really sorry," Max said as soon as he arrived, his expression full of genuine concern.
Kaito looked at him, puzzled, but after hearing the explanation, he understood.
"So, it was the Plumbers who revealed that I have the Carnitrix?"
"That's right. Well, to be precise, it was the Root, a branch of the Plumbers that uses different methods from ours. They're not our direct superiors, but they are technically above us. It may sound strange, but they didn't mean any harm. Many already knew about the Carnitrix and its power, so instead of hiding it, they decided to make it public, trusting in your strength to fend off anyone after it. Over time, people will realize the Carnitrix can't be obtained. And if you defeat them without even using it, your reputation will only grow, which will mean less attention on the watch," Max explained with a guilty tone.
"That's fine."
"That's fine?" Max repeated, surprised.
"Yeah. If it's just beating up a few space criminals for the next few months, I guess that's fair in exchange for the tech you've lent me," Kaito replied calmly.
Max chuckled. "You're still a good kid. In that case, I'll take my leave. I don't want to bother you two any longer."
"You're not a bother. You can stay if you want," Kaito said with a kind smile.
Max shook his head. "I'm too old to hang around young people. Just…" he leaned closer to Kaito and whispered, "even if you have more than one partner, take good care of my granddaughter."
With that, he left.
"What did he say?" Gwen asked immediately.
"He said, 'even if you have many partners, take good care of my granddaughter.'"
"Typical nosy grandparent," Gwen huffed. "But wait… do you actually have more than one partner? I thought you were only dating Hope. Are you with Lala too?"
"Charmcaster," she corrected irritably.
"Your grandpa's pretty sharp," Kaito replied casually. "But no, neither Hope nor Lala are my girlfriends. Though… I do have three."
"There are four of us," Charmcaster interrupted.
"There are three," Kaito repeated.
Gwen didn't look too surprised by the number, but she was curious about why Charmcaster wasn't included.
Sitting on the couch, she crossed her legs and bit into an apple. "If you already have three, one more wouldn't hurt, right? So why not date Hope?"
"Charmcaster. And because she says she'll leave me if I do."
"Can't you just take her with you?" Gwen asked.
"I can't," Kaito replied, though he wasn't entirely sure. He didn't know if he'd even be able to summon Charmcaster again later. He needed a certain level of affection, at least sixty percent. Simply put, it meant she had to genuinely like him. But with her, it was complicated. Maybe her closeness came from years of loneliness, from him saving her and her world, or maybe something more psychological.
Besides, they weren't in Japan, where emotions hold more weight. In other places, people were freer with such things, which could work against him. There was also the low chance of ever getting another character summon card.
In short, the chances of finding a way to take her with him were slim, and even if he did, he wasn't sure it would work.
'Even so…' Kaito looked at her. She crossed her arms, emphasizing her chest, and winked at him with a teasing smile.
'If I can summon her again later, I'll make sure to punish her for acting like this.'
"See? He looks at me like I'm his prey, and yet he says he's not into me," Charmcaster said in an overly dramatic tone.
Before Kaito could respond, a voice came from down the hallway.
"I finally did it!"
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+15 chapters in advance on Patreon.
p-atreon.com/IAMME26
(just delete the hyphen)
80 power stones = 1 extra chapter (cumulative)