"Ohhh, I see…" Zack replied.
Scout: "Where can we find him?"
Zack: "He is everywhere! And you can't just take him. You have to go through his army—that is, if you have good intentions. You can stick around until you find him."
"First thing," Zack continued, "you need to find a place to stay. Somewhere safe. And most importantly—don't draw attention to yourselves. Lay low. This is not your nation. You don't know how things are done here. And if you need anything… you call me."
Scout: "How can we find you?"
Zack: "You don't. I will find you."
He turned—and suddenly vanished into the crowd.
-
John: "We have to go find out ourselves. We are stronger together. No one can take us out — only if they have a death wish."
Kido: "They want death."
Anna: "We have all that it takes to take anyone down. We are among the most feared. Although some of us are stupid, I really—"
Kay: "What is that supposed to mean? Who are you talking to?"
Anna: "I didn't call any name. And even if I do, I'm pretty sure you can't do anything about it."
Mary: "The prophecy is messed up."
Anna: "Why do you think so?"
Mary: "Ever since I found out that some people who are not supposed to be here are in this mission… someone that's as good as dead — how is he supposed to save the world? How can someone who can't save himself save the world?"
Anna backed her: "You're right. Although it's clear there are fools, I never thought about it that way."
Mary: "You really have the nerve to say it."
They both laughed, and the boys stood there speechless, not knowing what to say or do. They were not expecting it. The words hit them hard. They were trying to wrap their heads around it. The atmosphere suddenly became uncomfortable for them.
John: "Guys, the ladies are just joking. Don't take it personal. Look at the look on your faces — it's really intimidating and intense. You should get over it."
Kido walked out on them, and Kay was still standing there like a tree.
Anna called after him: "Kido! Where are you going? Please come back. I'm joking. I didn't mean it that way. It's all a joke!"
John: "That's really harsh. It's too expensive to be a joke. You know Kido is not really good with words."
Mary: "John, what were you saying earlier?"
John: "It doesn't matter. We have to do it together. We're a team. We wait till Kido returns, then we move forward with the plan."
Kay: "Plan?"
John: "Yeah."
Anna: "It's been a while since we talked about something like that. I miss it. I wanna kick some ass."
Mary: "Hmmmm… I really like the sound of that."
Many hours later
Kido was nowhere to be found. The others were worried about him.
Kay: "Where could he be? It's getting late. He has never been out this late. I hope nothing has happened to him. I pray he's not in trouble. If anything happens to him, that's on you."
He looked at Anna with a killing instinct.
Anna: "I'm sorry! I said already — it was a joke."
Kay: "Okay, sorry. That's it. But you can't take back what's been said."
Anna: "Besides, he's old enough to take care of himself. He has all it takes."
John stayed quiet, thinking. In the blink of an eye, something flashed through his mind.
I can connect to whoever I want to…?
He focused his energy, trying to connect to Kido and find his location.
Suddenly, he found his way into Kido's mind.
Kido was fighting it. He didn't want John in his head, but unfortunately for him, John was stronger.
John: "Hey! Stop fighting."
Kido: "What do you want?"
John: "Where are you?"
Kido: "Why do you care?"
John used his ability to track him. He suddenly felt the strange, uncomfortable atmosphere around Kido. The energy there was dark.
John: "Kido, you are in danger. The energy there is not good. You have to run or take cover so you won't be noticed."
Kido: "Nothing can harm me here. This is where I've been going since I was a kid. I feel safe here. Whenever I'm lonely or feel wronged, I come here to get my mind straight."
Kido heard movement around him and shouted: "Who is there?!"
John disconnected, returning to himself.
"We have to find him. He's in danger," John said to the others.
Kay: "Where are we going to start looking?"
John: "Somewhere that makes him feel safe."
Anna: "I have an idea!"
They all ran out to find Kido.
The Fearless — Kido
"Who is there?! Come out before you end up with your head in your hands! You really don't know who you're dealing with!" he shouted.
No one said a word.
But the movement didn't stop.
It kept coming closer.
Sweat dripped down his face.
The atmosphere around him became uncomfortable…
and he struggled to breathe.
"Kido, show yourself now. Don't say I didn't ask you!" Zack said, lifting his face.
A voice from the shadows finally spoke.
"Who are you?" he asked, revealing himself as he stepped forward. He approached Kido. "And how did you find this place?" he demanded.
They didn't answer. Instead, they launched into combat immediately—fighting like warriors born for this moment.
They clashed for what felt like hours, their movements fast and deadly. Then Kido raised his sword for a final strike. The stranger was vulnerable.
The fight didn't stop. A few minutes later, Zack looked at Kido, and suddenly he remembered him. He whispered to himself, This is Kido… my best friend I've been looking for.
"I know you," Zack finally said.
Kido smirked. "Yeah? Who on earth doesn't know me?" he replied. "What a killer eye."
"Is this really you? Kido… is that you?"
Kido nodded. "Yeah."!
"It's me—Zack."
"Kido, you really don't remember me anymore? I never stopped looking for you since the last time I saw you. I made a promise to find you and bring you back home. And here you are, all grown up."
Zack was in disbelief—his best friend, the one who was like a brother, stood right in front of him. He felt bad for never searching for Kido, even though Kido had left for the greater good of the nation.