*Back in the present, within the lava rock battle arena*
Riko's exhaustion had begun to take its toll, his resistance weakened as he was held up by the clutching claws of Felix.
"You'd be wasting your life away if vengeance is your only pursuit," stated Felix, his voice stern. Riko looked angered, but the look in his eyes betrayed him, exposing a saddened heart.
"Shut up! I don't care what you think! I'll beat you and become a Marked Mercenary!" he yelled.
Felix looked just about fed up with Riko as he slammed him into the rocky ground so hard it caused the surrounding lava to splash up, narrowly missing Riko as it touched the platform.
"On top of this stupid heat, I got a stupid kid to deal with now. You can't beat me with your current level; it's that simple. You're not cut out for this job either; you're after your own goals, you're driven by emotion, you'll fail to work under orders," Felix said, annoyed by Riko.
Riko wanted to stand and argue but was too defeated. His eyes were almost watery as he felt the scorching heat of the lava envelop him; if he weren't a superhuman thanks to his passion mark, he'd sustain minor burns. He glared around to see the other contestants looking down at him from the sidelines. Mr. Kran pushed up his glasses, his judgmental gaze obvious.
Albert's eyes grew teary as he recounted what Riko said about making his brother's dream his; he wondered if there was any merit to those words if Riko barely chased his own dreams.
Felix's furry coat and gold chains were clearly weighing him down; it didn't help the heat he felt from the lava either, so he wanted to finish the fight.
"Tell me, kid, what do you think your old man would've wanted, huh? Or are you that set on disrespecting him in the grave?" asked Felix, his expression neutral. He felt pity for Riko in his heart but had already concluded that he wouldn't let Riko have his way.
In that moment, Felix's words hit Riko like a truck. It was true—Zephyr wanted him to help people with his talent, build things to ease the pain of others, take down anyone who threatened others, to ensure no child would ever have the same childhood as Riko.
Riko smirked; he had almost forgotten his true goal. The intensity of getting his ass kicked by Felix had made him desperate, after all. Riko stood, his expression determined, not desperate.
"I'm still beating the ass of the bastard that took Zephyr away, but I ain't dying either! I have plans after that! I'll save people; I'll make things that can help the world one day!" Riko shouted, his resolve renewed.
His passion mark glowed a bright blue once again as his arm transformed. Mechanical gears, screws, and bolts generated and mixed as though alchemy was being performed as from his right arm grew a large energy cannon with a scope.
"Death Gun!" Riko shouted, naming his technique as his weapon charged, absorbing energy in the area. Felix lost strength in his legs and almost fell to his knees. He smiled with bloodlust as he stood, his fangs, claws, and rough skin becoming sharper.
"Bring it on, then!" he taunted.
Riko fired a lethal beam of golden energy that accelerated toward Felix with incredible force. Felix struck a defensive position, covering himself with his arms, attempting to block the attack. The stunt shocked everyone. Rennet was sweating in concern; Riko's beam seemed so fierce and hot, he thought it could even blast through his fire.
"That idiot—is he really planning on taking that shot full force?" Maddeline shouted as she prepared to run in and stop the attack.
Just then, Clara appeared, placing her hand on Maddeline's shoulder. "Calm yourself, Maddy. I wouldn't underestimate that rookie if I were you," she said.
In an instant, the beam of hot, burning energy smashed into Felix, who was pushed back but continued to hold his own. The intensity of the clash generated a shockwave that destroyed parts of the arena, causing lava to splash out, prompting Jerak to jump away.
Riko was frustrated but not surprised to see Felix withstand the beam as it dimmed down and the smoke cleared. Felix stood in the same defensive position, his breath heavy. A few burn marks and bruises had appeared on his arms and chest; the scaly, hard rock skin on his right arm had cracked as blood leaked and dripped. He was noticeably hurt—unsurprising after that fierce attack—however, the damage was nowhere near as high as anyone expected. Felix had withstood Riko's strongest offensive attack with minimal injury.
"He… tck… that hurt. Good job," Felix muttered as he lowered his arms. His hair turned back to its natural blond as his deadly fangs disappeared into a standard human jaw; his claws and muscles retracted as his mark lost its glow, returning to his base form.
What Riko said about his goal resonated in Felix's mind. He looked at Riko one last time, seeing his eyes that were noticeably just as bright as they were dark—a sight that couldn't be understood nor defined, but conveyed a sense of trust for whatever reason.
Felix spat a bit of blood on the ground as he turned away, waving his hand. "I forfeit," he declared as he jumped off the platform, over the lava outside of the arena.
The move was unexpected, not just by Riko, but by Mr. Kran too.
"But why? Get back here! I refuse to win like this!" Riko demanded as he stood. Jerak was so shook that he forgot to commentate at all; there was no need, after all—the result of the match was obvious.
"Listen, kid, I ain't listening to you 'cause you're weaker than me, got it? So no, I won't give you the fight you want. But… if you're really serious about your goal, I want you to work on it. Get stronger so you can protect others even against monsters like me, yeah? And maybe then we can have a fair fight," Felix said, his confidence unwavering as he walked toward the exit.
"Hey, wait! What are you doing?! What about me!" Rennet yelled from the sidelines.
Jetore and Maddeline were focused purely on Felix, although Clara and Albert seemed to look toward Riko as if noticing something.
"Have fun in this organization, Rennet! I'm sure we'll see each other in a year or two," Felix nonchalantly said as he waved goodbye.
Mei was shocked at first before seemingly coming to an understanding in her head after looking at Riko. She jumped down and walked with Felix; she'd already lost anyway, after all. "At least now he can learn to not rely on us," Mei taunted, looking at Rennet for a moment, who seemed genuinely unhappy.
Felix's footsteps stopped as he looked ahead. Mr. Kran and Clara appeared, blocking the exit.
"Will you reconsider your choice, Felix Aerostar?" Kran asked, his expression still cold but seeming more cautious.
Felix smirked before speaking: "Nah, I'm good. I don't particularly agree with your organization's beliefs or ethics; I pursue my own justice," he said.
"That boy Riko is impressive indeed, but as you said, he isn't fit for our organization. Why did you give him to us? You could've beaten him and then quit," Kran asked, his black and white hair waving from the wind produced from the clash earlier.
"I'm choosing to bet on him, that's all. I don't usually buy into prophecies or any of that old-head crap, but I think he's destined for some great things in the future, that's all. If you don't move, I'll make you, Kran," Felix said.
Before Mr. Kran could reply, Felix unleashed a fierce kick from his left leg instantly. Kran retaliated by reacting in a split second to block it with a kick from his own left leg as they clashed. The ground beneath them cracked as the two of them jolted back. Felix smirked, seeing the golden chain covering on his leather boots rip, revealing a freshly made bleeding wound.
"Heh, looks like you're just as impressive as they say, Space Stealer Kran—that is your epithet, isn't it? A battle with you would be too drawn out, so I'm not interested," Felix said as he walked past the shaken Kran.
Mr. Kran was sweating with an expression of surprise that quickly returned to neutral as he pushed his glasses up and smirked.
"Sir, is everything alright?" Clara asked.
Kran looked down at his knee; the clothing was partially ripped, revealing a wounded leg. "He fractured my leg. What a fierce fighter," he remarked.
Suddenly he turned around. "Congratulations—from this day onward, all four of you are Marked Mercenaries. For the time being, make your way to the underground plaza and fill out a document before further instructions. That is all," Mr. Kran declared as he left the stadium, slightly limping as Maddeline and Clara followed him.
Rennet was uncharacteristically quiet; he wanted to shout "hell yeah" but didn't feel the motivation. He'd just been left to his own devices, after all, as he jumped down and walked past, offering a single glare at Riko before being led by some guards downstairs.
Riko looked down at his hands; a sense of shame washed over him. He'd achieved his first step not through his own strength—or at least, that's how he saw it.
Albert stepped down, placing his hand on Riko's shoulder—a surprise to Riko.
"What? Here to say how disappointed you are?" Riko asked, looking to the side.
Albert shook his head. "You taught me a very important lesson for which I'm eternally grateful. You even called me a friend; it helped me more than words can express. So allow me to help you this time, Riko," said Albert as he slowly offered a hand.
Jetore didn't smile; his expression was neutral. It was clear he was sick of everything and over this test. "You got your ass beat and ego shattered by one guy; it was pathetic. So why don't you get up and do shit about it instead of moping, huh? Where's the big talk from earlier?" Jetore mocked as he walked past the two. His tone didn't seem malicious, curiously enough; it even harbored a bit of respect despite the crude words.
Albert looked ready to kill Jetore, but Riko smiled as he grabbed a hold of his hand.
"Let's get goin', Al," Riko said with an optimistic smile, returning to his usual demeanor.
Albert was happy to see the old Riko return so much he completely missed his new nickname "Al" as he nodded.
*Moments later*
Mr. Kran sat on a sofa, sipping on tea as a green light shielded his leg—it was Maddeline, who'd been healing it using her Mark of the Doctor.
Lady Carmalitta walked into the underground office, having calmed down and gripped her emotions. She looked at Mr. Kran before bowing in shame. "I… I'm so sorry. It's my fault; I shouldn't have let Riko pass just out of pity. I should've been stronger and done my job! I should've—" Carmalitta was suddenly interrupted in her vent by Kran, who seemed rather calm and offered a slight smile.
"It's alright. I've grown an interest in that Riko boy, after all. I'm curious to see what the heir to the Aerostar family sees in him," he said.
Carmalitta stopped, looking confused. Her confusion would melt away as she looked outside the glass window behind, providing an aerial view of the underground stadium. She saw Albert and Riko making their way to the stairs. Riko's smile was noticeably different; it wasn't a mask of nonchalance that hid anything anymore. It looked as if it was genuine this time. She couldn't help but smile as she was put at ease.