N.T: (Savage Energy)
The sound of shattering glass echoed through the room, shards scattering across the floor. Adonis and Miyu stared at the scene, he was more startled, she more tense.
"What did you do?!" Miyu accused without hesitation.
"I didn't do anything!" Adonis shot back, rushing to defend himself.
They glared at each other, arguing without realizing the teacher had just entered the lab. With a stern and disapproving expression, she fixed her eyes on them and asked in a firm, serious voice:
"What happened here?" Professor Mira demanded.
The two teenagers immediately stopped bickering and looked at her, both scrambling to explain themselves at the same time.
"Professor, it was…" Miyu began.
"Ah! Sorry!" Adonis interrupted her.
"I don't want excuses. Go straight to the principal's office." Mira cut them off sharply.
Adonis and Miyu left together, heading toward the principal's office. He was nervous about what would happen; she, with her head down, couldn't believe he had dragged her into that mess.
Downtown, 12:20 p.m.
After school, Adonis walked about forty minutes through the city center toward the video rental store where his friend worked. When he arrived, he pushed open the heavy glass door and stepped inside.
At that hour, business was slow. Dylan and Itzel were chatting casually at the counter, but quickly noticed him walk in.
"Adonis! Welcome! Here to rent a movie?" Itzel asked, smiling.
"Uh… not really…" Adonis replied hesitantly. He clasped his hands together, his face showing guilt and worry, his voice filled with nervousness.
"I broke some glass in the school lab! So I need someone responsible to sign a slip. And… I didn't want to show it to Koa."
"I see! Sure, I'll sign." Itzel agreed, amused by the boy's concern.
"Man, thanks! I knew you'd help! One more thing… Can you lend me money to buy another piece of glass?" Adonis asked, this time with a confident tone since he hadn't been scolded.
"What nerve…" Dylan muttered in the background.
Adonis's words made Itzel widen his eyes. Shock and frustration were written all over his face. He wasn't good at showing anger, but that look of disbelief alone made it clear he didn't like the boy's request one bit.
"Adonis… I think it's time you learned the value of work. My money doesn't just fall from the sky," Itzel said, staring straight into the boy's soul.
"S-sorry… but Koa doesn't work, right? I can't ask him!" Adonis stammered, his body rigid, his voice raised and trembling. He wasn't used to hearing Itzel speak that way.
"It's not like that. Maureen and I work during the day. Koa works at night." Itzel explained dryly, still staring at him.
"I thought Koa went out at night to date." Adonis shot back.
"No… that's Maureen." Itzel replied, folding his arms.
"Yeah." Dylan added quickly.
As soon as Dylan agreed, Itzel shot him a cold glare, as if he understood exactly what Dylan meant.
"Ah… I mean… I don't know!" Dylan stammered, embarrassed, wishing he could disappear after his slip.
Trying to cover it up, Dylan straightened up and gave Adonis a friendly look, making him an offer.
"Anyway, moving on! I've got the day off. Adonis, right? I can take you to check out a place. My buddy runs an ice cream shop, maybe it'll click!"
"Ah, sure! Let's go!" Adonis agreed cheerfully. His innocence kept him from noticing what had just happened.
But shortly after accepting, reality hit him like a shock:
Wait… I'm gonna have to work?! the question flashed through his head.
March 24, Itzel's apartment, noon.
Itzel was enjoying his day off, having lunch in peace. His friends usually ate out, so he liked to use this time alone to try out recipes he'd picked up from chatting with customers at the store.
That day, he was savoring a good steak with onions, the sweet-and-savory aroma of the sauce blending perfectly with the juicy meat. But his peace didn't last long, the intercom buzzed over and over again.
"So persistent…" he thought. With no choice, he got up and answered.
"Who is it?"
"Itzel, it's me. We need to talk." a firm, deep voice replied.
"I'll be right down." Itzel said, setting aside his meal. The urgency in that voice left him no choice.
He took the elevator down and stepped outside, where a dark-skinned man with white hair was waiting, surveying the area.
"Hey, Koa! Is everything alright?" Itzel asked, tension flickering in his voice.
"Alright? Lady Ayami summoned me. She's impatient." Koa said, turning to stare at him.
"But why? Everything's calm and under control. I'm handling things." Itzel replied, confused.
"You think she wants calm? There may not be attacks, but Utopia's Potentia are out there." Koa shot back, clearly frustrated by Itzel's passivity.
"You're on reconnaissance. Maureen's on offense. Adonis was supposed to track down the Potentia. I'm here to support you all. But if none of you move, what am I supposed to do?!"
"But… Maureen got hurt in the last battle…" Itzel tried to excuse himself.
Koa stepped right up to him, pressing his hand against the glass wall behind Itzel, leaving him trapped.
"You call that scratch on her face an injury? Tell that to Lady Ayami and see if she cares. Someone needs to act, and fast!" Koa's voice was sharp, his glare piercing and aggressive.
Then he pulled back slightly and continued.
"You know what? I've had enough. I didn't come here to babysit teenagers." Koa turned and started walking toward the school, visibly irritated.
"Koa… what are you going to do?" Itzel asked, worried.
"I'm going to act." Koa replied.
Itzel froze at the building entrance, watching Koa's silhouette disappear into the distance. He didn't follow. He knew there wasn't much he could do once his partner was angry. Still, he couldn't shake his worry about what might happen next.
About twenty minutes later, Koa reached the school, but he kept walking. He knew the girls he was looking for would likely be about Adonis's age, so chances were they weren't in class at that hour.
Soon, he spotted older students walking ahead, along with several civilians, leading him to a busy avenue.
Just wandering around won't help much. Koa thought.
He knew causing trouble in commercial areas had worked to draw out the young Potentia before, and figured this was his best chance. So, he pointed his palm at the ground, releasing energy that caused a faint tremor down the avenue. He focused his power on a parked car.
Cracks began forming in the pavement, spreading until the road gave way, swallowing half the car into a crater.
The crowd erupted in panic, screaming and rushing to see if the driver was hurt. Nearby, three students from M High, collecting cardboard boxes for the school festival, started talking.
"What just happened?" asked one.
"I'm not crazy, right? It shook, did you feel it too?" another said.
"Yeah, it shook! Are you guys okay?" Naoko asked, worried.
Soon, another girl came running toward them, waving frantically.
"Girls! You won't believe it! A hole opened in the road and swallowed a car!"
"What?! The road maintenance is worse than ever! No wonder they say the city's built like the moon."
While her friends argued about potholes and city infrastructure, Naoko realized this was way too bizarre to be normal. She decided to act.
"Girls, I'm going to check it out." Naoko said.
"But Naoko, it could be dangerous!" one of her classmates warned.
"Ah, I'm just… curious!" she blurted, using the first excuse she could think of.
As she left, her friends whispered among themselves.
"Naoko's always so proper, but…"
"Sometimes she seems a bit off, doesn't she?"
"Oh, definitely."
The crash site was close by, but hard to see through the growing crowd. Dozens of people gathered, gossiping instead of leaving. Some blamed old coal mines dug in the area decades ago. Others blamed the city administration. Few were actually helping the driver out of the car.
Then the ground trembled again, lighter this time but still noticeable. People panicked, screaming that they were going to die, but none of them moved away.
Naoko scanned the area carefully, until her eyes locked onto a tall, dark-skinned man. Amid the chaos, he stood calm and steady, hand raised, energy radiating from him.
It's him, for sure… But if I'm careless, I'll hurt civilians. Naoko thought, already forming a plan.
She shaped a water bubble and launched it. The sphere floated toward Koa and burst against his cheek, drawing his attention.
He looked at her, instantly realizing she wanted to lure him away from the civilians. The two of them darted through the crowd, sparking wild rumors.
"Was that a criminal?"
"He's chasing her…"
"Couple's fight?"
"Maybe she cheated on him?"
Naoko ran toward a vacant lot. The open space had sparse grass and mostly dry dirt, with nowhere to hide. She felt confident it would give her the upper hand.
Koa followed, but before she could widen the gap, he stopped, raised his hand, and manipulated the ground beneath her. The earth opened suddenly under her feet. She fell awkwardly into the pit, scraping herself on the way down.
Damn it… a hole out of nowhere… I'm hurt… it stings… Naoko thought bitterly.
Koa approached, looming over her.
"We're far enough from the crowd now. No need to keep running." he said calmly.
His voice was confident, steady, he had come to fight or get answers, and he wasn't about to leave empty-handed.