Kevin, Gerald, and Itama opened the door to Raja's office, noticing Xavier, Forrest, and Kaelan, who were all sitting down behind Raja's desk. "KEVIN!" Xavier exclaimed, leaping straight out of his seat and appearing right in his face. "Long time no see, buddy! I heard about everything since you came to Death Desert, you finally made a name for yourself!"
Itama rolled his eyes, sitting down in his reserved spot. "Tell me, is this about Pyron's escape from the Nahatan High Security Facility?" Forrest asked, leaping straight to the point.
Raja nodded, holding up the newspaper to all of them. "Looks like you guys already know about it," he said in relief. "I want all of you to look everywhere across this country for Pyron," he ordered, swinging his chair right in Itama's direction. "A few months ago, Champion infiltrated the LUO base in Animare Ocean and battled Rashak of LUO, the same man who had broken Pyron out of the prison. Due to that infiltration, we now have Pyron's Core, which is attached to Itama's sword and makes it significantly stronger than it was before."
He handed the core right to Itama, who respectfully took it and pressed it against his sword. "You will also be able to sense Pyron's power within a 50 mile radius as long as you are in possession of it, so do not lose it under any circumstances!"
Itama nodded, watching as a red glow overtook his sword, putting slightly more strain on his muscles. "Team ENTITY," Raja continued, glancing straight at Kevin and Gerald, "this mission will determine whether you are professional entity hunters or not."
Volume 13, Chapter 2 - Team Pyron
Kevin continued to lie on the roof of the presidential palace, looking at the crowds that swarmed the streets of Embercliff. The term "professional entity hunters" lingered through his mind, giving him a sense of excitement and confidence. "If we win this, then only two pristine entities will remain in the world," he continued. "And that means Team ENTITY's dream is getting closer and closer."
Suddenly, he heard Gerald calling his name, causing him to rush down from the rooftop to the Presidential Garage, where the rest of Team Pyron was awaiting him. "Hop in, Kevin!" Forrest said enthusiastically, occupying the driver's seat of the van he was in. "This baby is named the Great Armor," Raja told everyone. "It's been used for a few raids throughout the history of this country, but I'm sure you guys are going to take great care of it to keep it's legacy going!"
Kevin and Gerald glanced at each other.
About a second later, the garage door opened, exposing the rays of the sun to the Great Armor for the first time in years. "It's time to head out!" Forrest said, smiling as he pressed on the gas and waved to Raja. Everyone except Kevin cheered happily as the citizens of Embercliff made way for the armored van. "That's the Great Armor!" a citizen exclaimed, followed by multiple cheers that came from half of the people in the city. "This is it," Kevin said to himself. "Either we die in the hands of Pyron, or we come back here with Pyron's head!"
---
About an hour after the Great Armor had been seen departing from Embercliff, a woman in the Ironhold province watched the van slowly approach the border shared by Death Desert and the Winding Forest, holding a picture of Itama up to her face. "You really think I'm going to let you go do something I've wanted to do my entire life alone, Ama?" she said angrily, the picture slowly fading away like sand within the grasp of her hand. "Funny how you think you'll be able to escape your training buddy after all we've been through together!"
Back inside the Great Armor, Kaelan glanced at the beautiful view of Ironhold alongside Gerald, who looked at the giant wall that bordered the province and the intermediate part of the desert. Their quiet viewing of the province was interrupted by a sudden burst of sand that propelled someone through the air, and she was heading straight for the Great Armor. "There's a woman coming straight towards us!" Gerald panicked, causing Itama to open the hatch of the vehicle that was stationed on the top of the van. "ITAMA, WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM!?" the woman lectured him, landing right on the roof in Itama's face. "Hi!" she said innocently, patting him right on the head and following him back into the hatch. "Before anyone asks, this is Stephanie, one of my childhood best friends and my personal trainer," he said. "I guess she's joining us now."
She had brown, long hair that was tied into a ponytail and a golden ring on her left ring finger, slowly patting Itama on the back after her introduction. "Ama, you're so sweet, introducing me to your friends without me asking!" she said in a baby voice.
"The first place we're going to go to is Noosa City, a city in the eastern portion of Nahata. It's in the direction that Pyron is going, as stated in the newspaper," Forrest notified everyone. Xavier suddenly remembered his motion sickness as soon as they were preparing to ride down the borderline of Death Desert, slowly tapping Forrest on the shoulder. "D-Do we really have to go down that way!?" he fearfully asked. Suddenly, Forrest jerked the wheel to the right, and they were now speeding down the cliff at full speed. "THIS ISN'T WHAT I REMEMBER BACK WHEN WE WERE GOING TO THE WORLD SUMMIT!" he screamed, grabbing everyone's attention as his mouth began to fill up.
"That's it," Kaelan said, opening the hatch on the roof and propping Xavier right on top of the van. "Now, we'll be completely safe if he gets motion sick!" he said to everyone. It was now 3:00 PM, and Team ENTITY had finally exited Death Desert, officially beginning their journey.