Not long after Tendo finished his sentence, the screen suddenly went into reverse. People walked backward, waves flowed in reverse, and amidst the rapidly rewinding time, the anime's scene froze at a familiar deep-sea location that countless viewers were familiar with.
This was none other than the submerged Ember base. It was also the place where Tendo had last slept in the first season of Stars.
[Six years after the fall of Ember, six months before the start of Season Two: Glimmer]
[Deep Sea, Ember Ruins]
Thump, thump.
On the surface of the sea, a colossal creature over thirty meters in size was splashing vigorously. Its head was dragon-like, and its body was covered in magma-like, reddish-gold 'rock scales'. The serrated 'rock fins' on its back extended from its neck all the way to the end of its thick tail, which was constantly swaying in the water.
Its powerful and ferocious aura seemed to overflow from the screen. Of course, all of this was under the premise of ignoring its frantically paddling limbs in the water. After all, what kind of fire and rock-type star beast would swim using a doggy paddle in the sea? That's a huge blow to its reputation!
"Swim faster, Little Gold. What are you dawdling for?"
The short-haired woman in black standing on the giant beast's head frowned, her tone containing undisguised urgency. Her tight-fitting black top accentuated her curvy figure. The high-slit, cheongsam-like black skirt, paired with long leather boots and matte black stockings, gave her a powerful yet indescribably sexy look—a classic mature woman's attire.
But more than these, what truly caught the viewers' attention was the tear mole at the corner of her eye. They recognized the woman's identity instantly from her familiar facial features and the iconic tear mole.
This woman was none other than Yunmeng, the Ember drill instructor from Season One who had appeared multiple times.
!!! It's Instructor Yunmeng!
Since Sister Yun is back, can Tendo be far behind?
This is what I came to see!
Many viewers remembered that at the end of Season One, the Doctor had told Yunmeng not to worry. He would inform her when he sensed Tendo's awakening, and she could come here to bring Tendo back. Now that Yunmeng had reappeared, her purpose was self-evident.
Thinking of this, a large number of Tendo's fans immediately sat up straight in front of their screens. After a full nine episodes, was the former peak of Stars finally making his return?!
In the sea, hearing Yunmeng's urging from above, the "Earth Dragon Lizard," which had evolved into an "Infernal Sub-Dragon," pouted and blew two circles of bubbles. It responded to Yunmeng in a cowardly yet resentful tone.
Who's dawdling?
As an evolved Overlord-class star beast, it was already using the doggy paddle to its maximum potential! Despite its words, the Infernal Sub-Dragon's massive body honestly sped up its paddling. The majestic dragon head on the surface of the sea and the frantic "doggy paddle" underwater created a very comical contrast. It made viewers exclaim that this was still the familiar Earth Dragon Lizard, a "Husky" in the guise of a "dragon-type star beast."
But even with the Infernal Sub-Dragon's renewed effort, Yunmeng's nagging didn't stop. She gently stomped on its head with her leather boot and complained, "I'm telling you, Little Gold, most of the other Overlord-class dragon star beasts can already fly."
"But you? You not only failed to evolve wings, but you're swimming even slower than before. Did you secretly choose not to evolve wings just to mess with me?"
Infernal Sub-Dragon: ???
So you're mad that I didn't evolve wings? I apologize for being a dragon.
Despite her teasing, Yunmeng's gaze was constantly fixed on the sea ahead. She raised her hand to smooth her messy hair, a subtle smile gracing her lips. "The Doctor said the base had a reaction a few days ago. It looks like Little Tendo should be waking up soon."
As she spoke, she looked down at the aggrieved Infernal Sub-Dragon at her feet. "Little Gold, we'll be seeing Little Tendo in a bit. Aren't you happy?"
Happy?
The Infernal Sub-Dragon remembered how that silver-haired, blue-eyed kid had "schemed" against it when it was just a second-level star beast. So not only was it not happy, but it had been wanting to get its revenge! But considering the kid's terrifying growth rate, its chances of revenge seemed... slim.
After all, according to the Doctor, the kid's strength had undergone a monumental change during his six years of "sleep." Thinking of this, the Infernal Sub-Dragon let out two frustrated jets of hot white steam from its nostrils, and the seawater instantly sizzled with a large number of bubbles. This showed just how high the temperature of the steam was.
After swimming for a while, Yunmeng and the Infernal Sub-Dragon finally arrived at the submerged location of the Ember base. Although there was nothing on the surface of the sea and they were over a hundred meters away from the ruins buried at the bottom, Yunmeng wasn't worried at all.
She reached out and took out a quantum device the Doctor had given her. As Yunmeng pressed the button on the device, the calm sea surface began to churn. A moment later, a gigantic black cube slowly rose and appeared before Yunmeng and the viewers.
This black cube was the former Ember Base Quantum Control Center, the final resting place of Tendo in Season One.
Looking at the black cube, Yunmeng leaped easily from the Infernal Sub-Dragon's head onto the black cube in front of her. "Little Gold, wait here. I'm going to wake up Little Tendo."
"Roar!"
The Infernal Sub-Dragon roared, signaling that it had heard her. Yunmeng rubbed her ears and said unhappily, "Lower your voice next time. I just needed you to hear me, not to yell. Understand?"
Infernal Sub-Dragon: "..."
Seriously, I get yelled at if I respond, and I get yelled at if I don't. How about you just skip the pleasantries next time? I think you just want to yell at me anyway!
Ignoring the aggrieved Infernal Sub-Dragon that had buried half its head in the sea, Yunmeng squatted down and placed her hand on the black cube. After a flash of quantum data, the once-closed black cube opened.
Passing through a corridor filled with corpses and traces of a great battle, Yunmeng finally returned to the Quantum Control Center that countless fans had been longing for. Although they already knew the true identity of the mysterious masked man in the normal timeline through this plot point, seeing him with his mask off was a completely different story!
Clip, clip.Innate Strongman
Yunmeng's high heels echoed crisply in the confined space as she walked on the floor of the Quantum Control Center. Before long, she arrived at the advanced quantum computation pod where Tendo had last entered in Season One of Stars.
Different from Tendo in Season One six years ago, he was now much taller and had shed his youthful appearance, gaining the composure of a young man. Yunmeng reached out and gently tapped on the cold pod door in front of her.
"Little Tendo, you've slept for so long. It's time to wake up."
As she spoke, the pod door opened in response. A large amount of cool white mist poured out from inside, condensing into a thin layer of frost on the ground. The camera slowly zoomed in and focused completely on the pair of eyes covered with silvery-white eyelashes inside the pod. As countless viewers held their breath, those eyes opened.
At the same time, a familiar, somewhat arrogant, and clear voice echoed throughout the entire Quantum Control Center. "Yo, Sister Yun. Long time no see."
This meant that all their previous unease and speculation had finally been laid to rest. The arrogant guy who had dominated Stars and challenged the Association in Season One had officially returned in Season Two!
Thanks to the variable data-link suit that came with the advanced computation pod, Tendo didn't have the embarrassing scene of emerging bare-chested after six years in the pod. He looked down at Yunmeng and quipped, "Sister Yun, have you gotten shorter?"
Hearing this, Yunmeng smiled and patted his arm. Then, looking at Tendo, who was still half a head taller than her even in her high heels, she said with emotion, "It's not that I've gotten shorter. It's that you've gotten taller, Little Tendo."