It wasn't long before Kevin, Gerald and Grace received word about the Entity Hunter Academy's status.
"Gerald, Grace!" Kevin excitedly shouted, bursting through the wooden door and circulating around the scrappy couch where both Gerald and Grace sat. "The first step in becoming heroes is right here!"
Gerald squinted his eyes, leaning closer towards the pamphlet and whispering the words. "Guess you're dead set on that dream you were telling me about, huh?" he replied. Kevin snickered, his eyes shifting over towards Grace. "We've been practicing linking over the past three months, Kevin. That type of experience will get you relatively familiar with basic hunting."
Gerald's reaction towards everything consisted of a mix of happiness and confusion - he was delighted Kevin was going to sign up for the Entity Hunter Academy, but where would he go following his departure? This question lingered within his mind for the entirety of their friendship, but hadn't wielded the slightest clue on what to tell him regarding the matter. He finally burst, slamming both his hands across the coffee table and planting himself inches away from Kevin's face. "Let me come with you, Kevin!" he shouted.
Grace surprisingly glanced at Gerald, who seemed dead set on this decision and descended his head back towards the couch. "Despite society's negatives, you and Grace have taught me there are positives over the past few months I've resided here! There are some people who are bad, and some who are good - but I'll strive to protect humanity no matter the cost and achieve my dream of figuring out who I truly am! That said, I'll become an entity hunter alongside you too!"
Kevin froze, following many small trembles of shock from Gerald's speech. Over the past three months Kevin had helped Gerald through the depression, nearly washing him away entirely, but he hadn't expected him to offer to help achieve Kevin's dream while also working towards his own. "Gerald, I'm not forcing you to do anything…" he replied, turning over towards Grace. "Are you sure you want to assist me in my journey?"
Gerald emerged from the couch, holding his fist over towards Kevin with his own iconic bright smile. "You dream to assemble a team of fighting dreamers willing to give their lives to save humanity while also pursuing their own dreams. I'll be the second member of this rising team, your very own right-hand man."
Kevin dropped the pamphlet onto the coffee table, merging his fist with Gerald's. "You've developed from the moment we've met, Gerald Romanti," he thought to himself. The same boy who rushed away from him and forced himself to turn against humanity was now asking to become the second member of what would first be a reckless, happy friend group, but eventually evolve into Team ENTITY. His shock still lingering, a teary smile bloomed across Kevin's face. "We'll work together to make both our dreams come true!" they delightfully shouted in unison.
The next day, Crystal City Community Park
Against the damp, wood bench sat Samantha, quietly admiring the beautiful scenery mixed in with the birds' continuous chirping. "Guess I'll take a break today," Samantha whispered to herself, glancing at the rows of buildings divided by Crystal City's lively streets creating scattered paths into the park.
"Oh ghosts in the air, make your presence known to the caster!" Kevin's voice bloomed from the distance, instantly grabbing Samantha's attention. She glanced over towards the voice's origin, noticing both Kevin and Gerald sitting against the grass while each holding large sticks in their hands. "This ghost ritual was supposed to work," Kevin complained, repeatedly shaking the stick then slamming it against the ground. "I told you ghosts aren't real!" he teased, exposing his body to the sun's everlasting light. "If they were to be real, ghost hunting would be as big or even bigger than entity hunting right now!"
Samantha's eyes bulged, the mention of entity hunting further growing her interest. "Let me try!" she insisted, emerging from the bench and retrieving both of the sticks. She struck her hand towards the sky as if she was poking the sun, followed by a large inhale. "Oh ghosts in the air, make your presence known to the caster!"
A gust of wind blew the stick from her hand, gently placing it against the grass.
"YOU CAN SUMMON GHOSTS!?" they shouted in unison. Samantha wore a dumbfounded expression, blinking twice before responding to Kevin and Gerald's claim. "Nevermind that, I overheard you two talking about entity hunting! Let's focus our conversation towards that instead!"
---
Kevin and Gerald ruthlessly chowed down on the countless plates of food provided by Samantha, both boys completely forgetting the topic of their conversation. "Are you two usually this… disorganized?"
The duo halted for a moment, dropping their plates against the table. "WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN!?" Kevin shouted, his voice echoing across the quiet restaurant. Samantha broke a cold sweat, her voice hesitating for a moment. "Anyway, what do you guys think about entity hunting?"
Kevin and Gerald immediately halted their feast yet again, both boys' staring into Samantha's soul. "We're planning to attend the Crystal Entity Hunting Academy next week!" Gerald replied. "We've studied everything about entities there is to offer, so getting through the academy is going to be a breeze!"
Samantha crossed her arms across her waist, lifting her head towards the ceiling with a smile. "Seems like we've got something in common. Following in my sister Reza's footsteps is a dream I'm willing to do anything to achieve."
"Legendary Hunter Reza?" Kevin asked, his interest immediately piercing into the conversation. "Former #13 hunter in Crystal City, and #27 across the nation is your sister?" Samantha nodded, her smile fading into a frown of formality. "That's right. My parents were against the idea until a family friend stepped in."
That was the moment Le quietly stepped into the restaurant alongside a tall, red-haired woman also identified as a fellow Academy teacher who impulsively clinged to him. "Le and Fasal?" Samantha whispered, chuckling at Le's awkward expression. It had been years since Fasal developed a crush on Le, and she would do just about anything in order to take him on a date. "Victor's told me about them before!" Kevin interrupted, shifting Samantha's focus back onto the conversation.
"I see, the vice-captain of the EHC and former right-hand man of Team Cytron," she spoke up.
For the past few months, Kevin, Gerald, and Victor had begun hanging out daily. This bond stood as a main factor in their relationship, along with the development of Gerald's personality and communication.
---
The trio now stood outside the restaurant in a circle, bright smiles across each of their faces. "A team of future hunters?" she asked. "I mean, you do need someone on the team to keep you boys' in check, so count me in!" Kevin snickered in excitement, striking his fist towards the circle's center. "We'll achieve our dreams together and surpass Team Cytron!" he boldly stated. "Surpass Team Cytron?" Samantha thought. "He's rather bold, but something tells me I won't regret this decision…"
Kevin, Gerald, and Samantha's fists all collided under the warm afternoon sun. "For our dreams!"