Kazutaka lay curled in a fetal position, his breath coming in pathetic, high-pitched wheezes as he clutched his groin. Viper, the gunman holding Hana's left arm, snarled in disbelief. He released Hana and stomped toward Yumi, his rifle gripped like a club.
"You think this is funny, you little brat?" Viper hissed, his face contorted in rage. Hana screamed for him to stop, struggling against the second guard, Bear, but she was pinned tight.
Yumi didn't scream. She took three slow, defensive steps backward, her eyes tracking something above Viper's head. Suddenly, a massive pile of heavy construction logs, precariously balanced on the rafters, shifted. With a deafening crack, the entire stack thundered down.
Viper didn't even have time to look up. The impact buried him instantly, a dark pool of crimson blood slowly seeping from beneath the timber. Everyone froze. A shaky voice echoed from the ceiling.
"I told you not to touch the support beam, you imbecile!" Arata hissed from the rafters, glaring at Takeshi. "What if those Logs would have hit Queen Mother or Yumi?"
Takeshi rubbed the back of his head, offering a nervous, toothy grin. "My bad! Total accident. I just bumped it... but hey, look on the bright side. We got one!"
Below them, Bear snarled. He threw Hana to the concrete floor with bone-breaking force and leveled his rifle at the ceiling. "You little bastards! I'll kill you!"
Before his finger could find the trigger, Yumi's hand blurred. She snatched Hana's discarded pepper spray from the floor and unleashed a continuous stream directly into Bear's eyes.
"AGHH! MY EYES!" Bear shrieked, dropping his weapon to claw at his face. Blind and desperate, he lunged forward, his massive hands catching Yumi's shoulders. "I'll snap your neck!"
"Get off!" Yumi grunted, struggling against his weight.
Hana didn't hesitate. She grabbed the heavy, metallic steel jack-in-the-box and swung it with every ounce of motherly rage she possessed. The heavy box connected with the back of Bear's skull with a sickening clack. His grip loosened, and he slumped into an unconscious heap.
Hana collapsed to her knees, pulling Yumi into a fierce, trembling hug. "Are You Okay, Did he hurt you" Hana said checking Yumi for marks while her own fingers bled.
Yumi pulled back, her gaze landing on Hana's wounds. "I'm fine. But I came here to save you, not the other way around. Stop worrying. You're the one who needs a doctor. Lucky for you, Takeshi's bag is basically a pharmacy."
"Thank you so much, all of you," Hana sobbed
"I promise to explain everything once we get out of here. I couldn't thank you enough."
The moment of relief was shattered. The two guards Hana had sprayed earlier—Ghost and Rhino—were back on their feet. Their eyes were bloodshot and weeping, but their vision had cleared enough to see the carnage.
"Hey! Get back here!" Ghost roared, stepping toward Hana.
He never saw Arata. The boy dropped from the rafters like a predator, landing squarely on Ghost's shoulders. Arata's thumbs dug deep into the man's already irritated eyes, his legs locking around the man's waist in a death grip.
"Don't thank us yet!" Arata shouted over the man's screams. "This isn't over!"
Ghost spun in circles, bucking like a wild animal, trying to reach behind his back to pull the boy off. "Get him off me! Rhino, take the shot!"
Rhino leveled his rifle, but his hands shook. Ghost was thrashing so violently that Arata was a moving target. "I can't!" Rhino yelled, squinting through the sting in his own eyes. "You're moving too much! If I fire, I'll put a bullet in your spine!"
"JUST TAKE THE SHOT!"
Ghost screamed as Rhino raised his weapon, lining up a clean shot, finger tightening on the trigger.
Then—
Something dropped from above.
A piranha.
It slipped straight into Rhino's tuxedo through the collar.
Rhino stiffened.
For one frozen second, nothing happened.
Then pain tore through him.
"AAAAAGHHHH!!"
The piranha thrashed violently beneath his clothes, its sharp teeth ripping into his flesh. Rhino flailed wildly, stumbling across the room, slamming into walls as he screamed and danced in pure agony, desperately clawing at his clothes.
From the rooftop, Takeshi burst into laughter.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he said proudly, "I present my special fish attack."
Yumi leaned over the edge, staring at him in disbelief and disgust.
"EW! Did you seriously carry a live fish in your bag?" she snapped. "And near my gadgets?!"
Takeshi tossed a rope down and began climbing down carefully, unfazed.
"Relax," he said. "It was in a waterproof bag. Piranhas are dangerous—figured one might come in handy."
Yumi shuddered. "That's horrifying."
"HEY—GUYS!!"
Arata's scream cut through the chaos.
He was still on top of Ghost, his arms shaking violently as his grip weakened.
"DO SOMETHING!" Arata yelled. "I can't hold on much longer!"
Ghost snarled, tightening his grip on Arata's back.
"Once I get you off me," Ghost growled, "I'll break every bone in your body."
He suddenly charged backward and slammed Arata hard against the wall.
THUD.
"ARATA!" Hana screamed.
Arata coughed violently, blood spilling from his mouth, but he refused to let go. His fingers trembled, every breath burning as he struggled to stay conscious.
Takeshi frantically dug through his bag.
"Takeshi, do something!" Yumi shouted.
"I'm trying!" he replied, panic slipping into his voice.
His hand brushed against something round.
He pulled it out.
A small rubber ball—plain, except for a tiny red circle at its center.
He stared at it.
"This is the last thing?" Takeshi muttered. "What am I supposed to do with a ball?"
He bounced it once on the floor and caught it.
Yumi's eyes widened.
"You still have that?" she said. "Good."
Takeshi looked at her. "You know what this is?"
"That's not a normal ball," Yumi said quickly. "I designed it myself. It's called Impact Back."
"Hurry Please!" Hana cried, her voice shaking.
Yumi nodded and pointed. "See the red dot?"
Takeshi turned the ball. "Yeah."
"Tap it once."
He did.
The dot glowed red, and the ball slightly expanded, its surface tightening.
"…Okay," Takeshi said. "Now what?"
Yumi spoke fast. "The faster you throw it, the harder it gets. Impact multiplied by ten."
Takeshi's lips curled into a confident grin as he stepped back and raised his arm.
"Good," he said. "I never missed a day of baseball practice."
"JUST THROW THE DAMN BALL!!" Arata screamed as his grip finally began to slip.
Takeshi didn't hesitate.
He hurled the ball with everything he had.
It cut through the air like a bullet.
CRACK!
The ball smashed into Ghost's head.
Ghost's body went limp instantly, collapsing to the ground unconscious.
Silence.
Takeshi blinked, surprised.
"…Wow," he muttered. "That actually felt amazing."
He walked over and picked the ball up.
Arata dropped to the floor, gasping for air.
"Hey," Arata said weakly, pointing. "Can you… take care of Rhino too?"
Rhino had finally torn the piranha off him, blood soaking his clothes as rage burned in his eyes.
Takeshi pressed the red button again.
The ball glowed.
He threw.
THUD.
The ball struck Rhino square in the head. Rhino crumpled instantly, blood trickling down his forehead as he hit the floor.
The ball bounced back.
Takeshi caught it easily.
Everyone exhaled at once.
Hana rushed forward, pulling them into a tight embrace.
"I'm so glad you're safe," she whispered, her voice breaking.
She held Arata's face, tears spilling freely.
"Don't ever do that again," she said softly. "Promise me."
Before Arata could answer—
Engines roared.
Doors slammed.
They froze.
Cars surrounded the building.
Yumi peeked through a small opening, her face draining of color.
"…More men," she whispered. "Four vans Filled with Armed Men."
She stepped back, shaking.
"About twenty-four of them. They know we're here. We're trapped."
Arata clenched his fists.
"But how?" he asked. "How did they even find us?"
A slow, mocking laugh echoed behind them.
They turned.
Kazutaka's laughter echoed through the hideout, loud and ugly, a phone pressed to his ear.
"You will all die," he sneered. "Every single one of you. One by one. Then I'll sell your lungs for—"
Takeshi didn't let him finish.
His eyes narrowed.
"Shut up."
The Impact Back was already in his hand.
Takeshi stepped forward and threw.
The ball tore through the air faster than before, the red core blazing like a warning light.
Kazutaka barely had time to process.
CRACK.
The sound was sharp and brutal.
The ball slammed into Kazutaka's face with overwhelming force, snapping his head back as his body lifted off his feet. The phone flew from his hand, clattering uselessly across the floor.
Kazutaka crashed into the wall and dropped like a rag doll, completely unconscious before he even hit the ground.
Silence followed.
The ball rebounded cleanly, spinning back through the air.
Takeshi caught it with one hand.
"…Yeah," he muttered coldly. "I really hate that guy."
But there was no time to celebrate.
Hana rushed forward and slammed her body against the entrance, bracing the door with all her strength.
"We've got bigger problems!" she shouted. "Help me!"
The sound of boots and voices echoed from outside—metal clinking, guns being readied.
Yumi's legs gave out, and she collapsed to the floor.
"It's useless…" she whispered, staring blankly ahead. "There's no way out."
She looked up at Arata, her eyes filled with tears, her body shaking.
"Arata… are we really going to die?" she asked, her voice breaking. "I don't want to die."
Arata froze.
Sweat rolled down his face.
His heart pounded so loudly he could hear it.
He was scared—terrified—but he forced himself to breathe, forcing the fear down so Yumi wouldn't see it.
He clenched his fists and scanned the room, his mind racing.
(If I were Ren… what would I do?)