Neo-Lumina was trying to look normal again, but after days of pancake monsters, noodle battles, and shadow creatures, "normal" was relative.
Kael crouched on a rooftop, flexing his quantum glove. "Okay… I think it's learning new tricks. Or maybe it's just messing with me. Either way, we need to be ready."
Lira hovered above him, her hoverboard leaving trails of glowing digital code. "New tricks? Or new disasters? I vote for disasters—it's more fun."
Juno sneezed violently. A tiny lightning storm formed above him, zapping nearby trash bins. "I vote for not getting hit by said disasters!"
Suddenly, the central plaza shimmered. A portal twice the size of the last one opened, unstable and crackling with quantum energy. Sparks of reality bent around it, making hovercars glitch and billboards flicker.
From the portal spilled a team of mischievous shadow imps, small, fast, and armed with glowing energy daggers. They darted through the plaza, swiping at citizens' hover devices and leaving digital chaos in their wake.
Kael clenched his glove. "Alright team, time for plan… B? Or was it C?"
Lira smirked. "Plan B: confuse them. Plan C: stop them. Plan D: maybe drink coffee mid-fight. Let's do all three!" She summoned glowing chains of digital code, looping them around the imps.
Juno sneezed again, accidentally creating a mini lightning storm that electrocuted several imps and sent them flying into Lira's traps. "See! Tactical sneezes!" he yelled.
Kael's glove buzzed wildly. Suddenly, mini holographic Kaels popped out, mirroring his martial arts moves in chaotic synchronization. The imps were overwhelmed, tripping over multiple dojo walls and holographic fists.
Even a nearby street coffee machine, accidentally animated by Lira's code, joined the fight—spraying hot espresso at anyone trying to escape.
After a whirlwind of sneezes, holograms, and caffeinated chaos, the imps retreated back into the portal, which remained unstable, humming ominously.
Kael wiped his brow. "Okay… teamwork: nailed it. Coffee machine: maybe not so much."
Lira laughed. "We survived, and the plaza is mostly intact. I call that a win."
Juno sniffled, looking at the lingering sparks above him. "Mostly a win… mostly."
From a nearby rooftop, the shadowy figure watched with keen interest. "Interesting… their teamwork is improving. But the real challenge… is yet to come."