"You've been found. You're coming with us," the two armored figures declared in a firm and authoritative voice as they stepped forward with calculated, resonant strides. Their imposing presence seemed to fill the space, radiating a mix of power and menace that left no room for argument.
Leonard glared at them defiantly, crossing his arms with an arrogant smirk.
"I'm not going anywhere, especially not with useless strangers who hide their faces," he replied coldly, his tone dripping with disdain as he locked eyes with the armored figures.
Without giving them time to respond, Leonard turned his head toward his friends, the twins, who were already prepared to act.
"Come on, let's kick these tin-can-wearing losers' butts," he said with a mocking half-smile, visibly confident in his superiority.
Meanwhile, Maria and Billy were searching for the little boy with the teddy bear when suddenly someone rushed past them at high speed. It was the boy, clearly nervous. Upon seeing the two teenagers, he exclaimed:
"I didn't have anything to do with it!" And without stopping, he continued running.
"Wait!" Maria shouted, trying to halt his escape to speak with him. But the boy seemed too frightened to stop. With a clever feint, he skillfully evaded her and kept running, clutching his teddy bear tightly in his hand.
Megumi, using her earth-based powers, attempted to intercept him based on the description Maria and Billy had provided. However, despite her efforts, the boy proved to be incredibly agile, dodging every obstacle she created. He sprinted past Marin and Lumi, who tried to catch him but ended up colliding with each other in the process.
The boy ran with impressive grace and speed, taking advantage of his small size to maneuver through tight spaces. His short hair, styled in a fade with shaved sides, was an uncommon cut that further accentuated his youthful appearance. As he zigzagged swiftly between students, his movements drew astonished stares. The contrast between his unique appearance and remarkable agility left many speechless, as if witnessing something extraordinary.
"Wait! We just want to talk!" Maria shouted as she chased after him, slightly out of breath from the effort. The boy had already reached the soccer and rugby field area, where he continued to escape with remarkable skill.
"Wow! I don't think I've ever seen someone so agile…" Lumi commented, trying to catch her breath after failing to grab him.
Suddenly, Diego decided to intervene. Several sharp structures emerged from the ground, surrounding the boy. When he touched one of them, he jumped back as if something had repelled him.
"Wow, I should've used this from the start," Diego said with a satisfied smile, proud of his strategy.
However, the boy didn't give up. Though trapped, he kept touching the electric tips repeatedly, as if searching for a way out. This caught Megumi's attention, and she frowned, concerned.
"Diego, I think you should deactivate your power. This seems risky…" Megumi warned, watching as the boy began to tremble slightly.
At that moment, something unexpected happened. When the boy touched one of the electric traps again, a dark entity emerged from the teddy bear he was carrying. The entity evaporated almost instantly, leaving the boy unconscious on the ground.
Marin and Lumi stepped back, frightened.
"What was that?" they asked in unison, staring at where the boy lay.
Megumi glared at Diego, her eyes reflecting a mix of frustration and concern.
"I think you overdid it with the kid," she said sternly, crossing her arms as she looked at the small figure lying on the ground. "Is he… alive?"
Her voice trembled slightly as she asked the last question, as if dreading the answer. Everyone present fell silent for a moment, focused on the boy's weak but steady breathing.
Fortunately, Billy and Maria arrived just in time. Though Maria hadn't fully mastered her healing magic yet, she managed to heal the boy without major issues.
"He's breathing normally. He's fine, just unconscious," Maria announced, sighing in relief as she examined the child.
After a while, the boy slowly opened his eyes. When he saw everyone around him, he grew slightly frightened and tried to sit up quickly.
"I told you, you went too far with your power," Lumi scolded Diego, crossing her arms.
Diego, however, pretended not to hear her and began whistling nonchalantly, looking away.
Maria tried to calm the boy, approaching gently.
"It's okay, we're not going to hurt you. Do you know where you are?" she asked kindly.
The boy looked at her, confused, as if he couldn't remember what had happened.
"No… I don't know… What happened?"
She smiled sweetly at him, trying to gain his trust.
"It's okay, don't worry. Just tell us your name."
The boy responded softly:
"Col…"
Billy, visibly irritated by everything that had happened with Aiden, interrupted impatiently:
"How do you not know what happened? Or are you pretending? We want answers!"
The boy shook his head, clearly scared.
"I… I don't remember anything…"
Megumi intervened before Billy could press him further.
"Calm down, guys. It's clear he's not faking it. Let him breathe."
The boy nervously asked about the teddy bear—not his teddy bear—his voice trembling and his hands fidgeting. It was evident that something deeply troubled him.
Marin seized the moment to ask a crucial question, her tone serious but careful:
"Col, what was that thing that came out of your teddy bear?"
The words hung in the air, heavy with curiosity and unease, as everyone present turned their attention to the boy, anxiously awaiting his response.
Hearing this, the boy turned pale and began to tremble.
"I—I don't know what it was… Please, don't ask me that…"
Lumi tried to calm him, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"It's okay, Col. You don't have to worry anymore. That thing… it's gone now."
Diego, ever arrogant, added with a smug half-smile:
"Yeah, I fried it. You're safe."
The boy looked at them with tear-filled eyes.
"Really? Is it really gone?"
Unable to hold back any longer, he broke into tears. The girls quickly moved to comfort him while Billy continued pressing, though now with less intensity.
"Why did you say 'I'm sorry' back then? What did you do?"
Col lowered his gaze, still confused.
"I don't know… I don't remember much of what happened… But I do know something about that dark thing in my teddy bear… Well, sort of."
The boy began recounting his story, but before they could respond to what he had shared, a loud rumble echoed in the distance. Everyone froze, startled by the sound. It seemed like someone was fighting. Without hesitation, they decided to head toward the source to investigate what was happening.
Meanwhile, the group inside the forbidden building also heard a noise. They left Benny behind again, who was now alone once more, grappling with his frustration as he tried to move forward undetected. The team accompanying Akira also heard the commotion and decided to investigate, temporarily setting aside their tasks.
The first to arrive at the scene were Aiden and his group. What they found left them stunned: the twins lay unconscious and injured on the ground, while two unknown armored figures stood tall. One of them had Leonard slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
"We've got what we came for. It's time to leave," said the shorter of the two figures as his companion effortlessly hoisted the unconscious Leonard onto his shoulder.
"Hey! What are you doing? Why are you taking him?" Aiden shouted, looking at them with disbelief and concern.
Without giving them time to respond, the team decided to act. Though Leonard had caused Aiden a great deal of harm, they couldn't allow him to be kidnapped without a fight. Riota was the first to approach, using her super strength to strike one of the figures. However, to her astonishment, she didn't even manage to scratch their armor.
The larger figure reacted swiftly, delivering a direct kick toward Riota. Fortunately, Piti arrived just in time, using her superhuman speed to pull Riota out of the way before the attack hit. The impact of the figure's foot left an enormous crater in the ground, showcasing the devastating power behind each movement.
"Thanks," Riota said, catching her breath as she stared wide-eyed at the crater.
Josh and Podbe joined the attack as well, but the other figure pulled out an advanced weapon and began firing bursts of energy at them. Meanwhile, Aiden worked with Timmy to drag the injured twins away from the battlefield, shielding them as best they could.
Marcus and Gat weren't far behind. Marcus created a protective shield to block the blasts, while Gat unleashed energy bursts from his fingertips, attempting to weaken the enemies. However, everything seemed futile: the figures' armor didn't have a single scratch, and their movements were precise and relentless.
"Who are they? They're way too powerful!" Timmy exclaimed, frustrated as he watched their attacks fail to make any impact.
Suddenly, reinforcements began to arrive. The two figures exchanged a glance and spoke in semi-robotic voices:
"We can't keep playing with you. We must leave."
Liam and Max arrived running, ready to use their machine-control abilities to deactivate the figures. They aimed confidently at them, but to their shock, their powers didn't work at all.
"What?! This doesn't make any sense!" Liam exclaimed, incredulous as he witnessed his abilities fail for the first time.
Without wasting another moment, the two enemies activated some kind of device on their suits and vanished in a flash of light, taking Leonard with them.
The group stood in silence, processing what had just happened.
"Why? Why would they take Leonard with them?" They asked each other, their voices filled with confusion and bewilderment.
And even more unsettling: Who were those silver-armored figures?
Questions lingered in the air as everyone's minds raced, trying to make sense of what they had just witnessed. Yet every answer seemed to raise even more questions, leaving them adrift in a sea of uncertainty.