As Akira struck the creature, sending it crashing to the ground, it quickly regained its footing, poised to attack once more. Suddenly, a scream pierced the air.
Girl: (Terrified) AHHHHHHH!!!! IT'S A BOYEGA!
Guy: I THOUGHT THOSE CREATURES WERE EXTINCT!
The Boyega charged towards them, instigating a wave of panic throughout the city.
Guy: IT'S HEADING STRAIGHT FOR US, RUNNNN!!
Chaos erupted as citizens began to scream and flee for their lives, while the Boyega leaped into the streets, wreaking havoc in its wake.
Man: Dammit! It's in the city now!
Daru: Then we go after it.
The man turned to see Daru standing unharmed.
Man: (Astonished) Y-you're still ALIVE!! But how? I saw you get punched! I thought you died!
Daru: I'm fine, but we need to deal with this now! Akira, follow it and make sure it doesn't kill anyone.
Akira: Yeah, yeah, whatever.
Daru: Ohma, get the people on the ground somewhere safe, and Himitsu, go with him.
Himitsu: Understood!
Ohma: Yes, sir!
Daru: Kono, I need you on top of the buildings distracting it, keeping its focus on you.
Kono: Roger that!
Gram: And what about me!?
Daru: (Sighs) Just go hide.
Gram: Excellent plan! I'll just be over here!
Gram dashed into a house filled with people.
Girl: Hey! What are you doing?!
Gram: I'm hiding, can't you—
He glanced at the girl and noticed her beauty.
Gram: Say… What's your name, pretty lady?
The girl promptly slapped Gram across the face.
Gram: I should have seen that coming.
Daru: And Zodiac…
Zodiac met Daru's serious gaze.
Daru: Stay out of my way.
Zodiac: Whatever.
Daru began to walk away.
Ohma: Wait, Daru, what are you going to do?
Daru: I'm going to say hi to my little friend.
Ohma: Oh… okay.
Daru advanced toward the creature, with Zodiac following closely.
Daru: What the hell are you doing!?
Zodiac: Going to kill that thing.
Daru: I told you not to get in my way.
Zodiac: Don't worry, grumps, I'll finish it before you even get a hit in.
Daru: You really piss me off.
Zodiac: Same here.
Man: Who the hell are those guys? They're not even scared.
Ohma: Those guys are the strongest on our team! They may not have the best teamwork, but they know how to take something down quickly and decisively. By the way, what's your name?
Man: O-oh, my name is Carter!
Ohma: Nice to meet you, Carter. I'm Oh—
Himitsu: Ohma! Come on, we don't have all day.
Ohma: Sorry, I gotta go. I'll talk to you later!
Carter: Y-yeah, for sure! Be careful!
The boyega begins throwing the tops of houses and stomping on teepees.
Boyega: ROAHHHAHAHHHHHHO!!!!
The scene shifts to Froog, who is taking a bath, lying down and conversing with his guard.
Froog: (sniffles) I want to kill this stupid black—
Suddenly, Froog feels the entire tower shake.
Froog: Did you feel that?
Guard: I did…
The guard stands, looks out the window, and witnesses the boyega wreaking havoc on the city.
Guard: W-what in the world!
Froog: (sniffles) What is happening!?
Guard: It's a boyega! It's attacking the city!
Froog: What! (sniffles) Gather the other guards!
Guard: Yes, sir!
The boyega throws a teepee at a house, resulting in the roof collapsing as people scream below.
Boyega: ROAHHHHHHA!
Girl 1: We're dead!
Guy: I love you all!
The boyega reaches down to crush them, but just as it is about to strike, it is hit in the head with a fire blast, causing it to fall to the ground.
Guy 1: W-what was that!
Little girl: Daddy, look! Up there! (pointing).
The man looks up and sees Akira.
Akira: You ugly creature!
Akira shoots another fire blast at it, but the boyega grabs a large wooden stick from the ground and throws it at her, causing her to miss her shot.
Akira: You bastard!
Kono: I need some help! I gotcha!
Kono pulls out her gun and begins shooting sound waves as the boyega roars and holds its ears in pain.
Boyega: RAHHHHHAHHAHAHHAAAA!
The boyega looks at Kono, who is positioned on top of a building. It manages to uncover its ears and charges directly at her.
Kono: Oh no!
The boyega crashes into the building, causing it to crumble. Kono attempts to escape, jumping and running, but she becomes ensnared in the chaos. She trips and falls just as a portion of the building is about to collapse on her.
Akira: SHIT!!
Daru: KONO!
Carter: Oh NO!
Just as the building was on the verge of collapsing, a large red ball appeared unexpectedly and exploded, saving Kono.
Akira: What the hell!
Everyone turned to identify the source and discovered Himitsu, breathing heavily.
Himitsu: I-I did it.
Carter: Holy crap! That was so cool!
Ohma rushed over to Himitsu.
Ohma: Himitsu, you just saved Kono!
Himitsu: Yeah… I did.
Ohma noticed three cuts on Himitsu's arm.
Ohma: Whoa, Himitsu, be more careful.
Himitsu: It was cool, right?
Ohma: Huh?
Himitsu: How I saved her.
Ohma: Uhh… I guess it was cool.
Himitsu: (smiling) Yeah… It definitely was cool.
Boyega: ROAHHHHAAAAAAA!!
Zodiac: I'm ending this now!
Daru: No, I will!
Zodiac: Try to stop me… Oh wait, you can't; you're too slow.
Zodiac uses sudoshi to sever both of its kneecaps from behind, causing it to fall to its knees. He then employs sudoshi again, appearing in front of it, ready to attack.
Zodiac: Goodbye, you filthy creature.
Just as he was about to strike, he noticed a rock heading in his direction.
Zodiac: What the—!
Zodiac uses sudoshi to evade the projectile, which crashes into Boyega, creating a large hole in its chest, leading it to collapse lifelessly. Zodiac turns to see where the rock originated and spots Daru dusting off his hands.
Daru: Looks like you were the slow one this time.
Zodiac advances toward Daru, visibly angry.
Zodiac: WHAT THE HELL!
Daru: What?
Zodiac: What the hell, man! I had it!
Daru: Well, if you had it, why didn't you finish it?
Daru begins to walk away.
Zodiac: You!
Zodiac raises his sword, preparing to attack.
Froog: HOLY CRAP! (sniffles).
Zodiac quickly sheaths his sword and turns to see Froog accompanied by a dozen guards.
Zodiac: Great, this dude again.
Carter: Crap, Froog's here!
Froog: (sniffles) D-did you guys take this thing down?
Daru: No, I—
Gram: Yes, we did!
Daru: Huh?
Gram walks towards Froog as everyone else does the same.
Gram: We definitely took it down! With might and strength! We came together as a team and defeated the beast!
Akira: This asshole.
Ohma assists Kono out of the building.
Kono: Thanks, Ohma.
Ohma: No worries! Anytime! (smiles).
Froog: Y-you saved the city from being (sniffles) destroyed!
Gram: I mean, we are the best fighters in Muddia City! (laughs awkwardly).
Carter: Muddia City?
Cliff: Well done.
Gram turns around to see Cliff behind him.
Gram: AHHHHH!!! (Holding his fist out) Oh my gosh! Cliff, I almost killed you!
Zodiac: Was he standing there the whole time?
Daru: I didn't notice him.
Froog: Cliff, my old friend! (Sniffles) It's so good to see you!
Cliff: You too, Froog.
Froog: (Sniffles) Can you believe these guys saved the city and its people?
Cliff: No, I can hardly believe it… but such an act deserves
recognition.
Froog: This is why I— (sniffles) love you, Cliff! I was thinking the same thing. How about dinner at the top of the tower!? (Sniffles).
Gram: Hell yeah!
Zodiac: Gram!
Gram: What? It's free food.
Froog: (Sniffles) He's right; free food is the best. You can't beat that.
Cliff: It would be discourteous to decline.
Zodiac: (Sighs) Fine, whatever!
Froog: Great! Let's meet at seven? (Sniffles).
Gram: Seven? I guess that works!
Froog: (Sniffles) Great! See you then.
He turns away, heading back to the tower but glances at the creature.
Froog: Someone get rid of this creature, please!
Guards: YES, SIR!
Daru: Thinking about it now… we can get some clues from him.
Himitsu: Yeah, we can explore his room.
Akira: No, you idiot! He means talking to him and getting answers. He'll have dozens of guards making sure we don't go anywhere he says we can't.
Daru: Correct!
Little Girl: Excuse me, miss?
Akira looks down and sees a little girl.
Akira: Huh? What do you want?
Little Girl: Umm… I just wanted to say thank you for saving me! And my family as well.
Akira looks over at her family as they wave.
Guy: Thank you, miss!
Girl: Thank you so much.
Akira: (Nervous) Oh, um—
Little Girl: We don't make much of a living, but please take this!
The little girl hands Akira a wooden ring, and Akira takes it from her.
Carter: T-that's so sweet. Man, I wish I could be as brave as these guys.
Little Girl: It's from my dad's shop! My dad sells rings!
Akira: Uhhh— t-thank you, I love it.
Little Girl: I'm glad you do!
The people start emerging from their houses, clapping and cheering.
Guy 1: YEAHHHH!!! GREAT JOB!
Girl 1: You saved us, thank you!!
Girl 2: You're the best!
Guy 2: THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Guy 3: We've got your back! We're in your debt.
Gram: Thank you! Thank you!
Girl 4: That man didn't do a thing! He hid like a coward!
Akira looks at the wooden ring and smiles slightly. When she looks up, she sees Gram observing her with a cheeky grin.
Gram: (Shocked) Is that a smile!?
Akira: (Nervous) WHAT! N-no it's not!
She punches Gram into the ground, flattening him.
Gram: Ughhh… Yeah, I should have seen that coming.
Akira: Asshole.
Carter: These guys are insane!
Kono: Take care of yourself, Carter.
Daru: And don't lie next time.
Carter: I-I won't, I promise! Thank you all for everything!
Before Carter leaves, Ohma approaches him and bows his head.
Carter: What the?
Ohma: I apologize for raising my voice at you in the cave! I was wrong!
Carter: (Waving his hands) No, no! You don't need to apologize. You were right about me being a coward and abandoning my people. I need to do better. Thank you for opening my eyes.
Ohma: (Stops bowing) You're welcome, sir!
Carter turns and walks away from everyone. As he does, Gram's stomach growls, revealing his hunger.
Gram: Okay, now that that's over, can we please get something to eat?
Kono: What about the damages across the city? Shouldn't we help with the repairs?
Zodiac: No. We already helped by defeating that creature or whatever they call it.
Daru: Let's eat first and help out afterward.
Zodiac starts shaking his head.
Kono: Okay then! Sounds like a plan!
As they prepare to head to the tower, Himitsu looks around the city. A few seconds later, he spots Kana a few feet away, waving at him.
Himitsu: (To himself) Kana! I should definitely go see her!
Himitsu shouts to his crew to get their attention.
Himitsu: Wait!
They all turn back.
Gram: Huh? What is it?
Himitsu: You all go ahead and eat without me.
Ohma: Why aren't you coming with us?
Himitsu: I'm going to search for more clues.
Akira: Are you out of your mind? You can do that after we eat.
Kono: Yeah, Himitsu. Aren't you hungry?
Himitsu: Not really. I'll just wait for dinner.
Zodiac: Just leave him be. If that's what he wants, then fine. I couldn't care less.
Daru: (Confused) Well, alright then. But you better come back to us before dinner.
Himitsu: (Nodding) I will, trust me! I'll contact you on my Jump Watch if anything happens.
Daru: Good. Let's head back to the tower, everyone.
Daru and the others proceed towards the tower as Himitsu rushes to Kana.
Himitsu: Kana!
Kana: Himitsu!
He approaches her, standing face to face.
Himitsu: I'm glad to see you're okay.
Kana: Same here! I saw you fighting that Boyega with those other people.
Himitsu: Yeah, I'm just relieved that thing is finally dead. At least nobody lost their lives.
Kana: I'm happy about that too. Who are those people you're with?
Himitsu: Those are my friends. We all came from Muddia City; it's pretty far from here.
Kana: Muddia City? I've never heard of it.
Himitsu: It was a small city, so I doubt you would know it.
Kana: I see. Well, you definitely have some strong friends, including yourself.
Himitsu: (smiling) You bet we are! I couldn't have done it without them.
Kana: This is great news because I need your help.
Himitsu: (confused) You do?
Kana takes Himitsu's hand and leads him behind a house where they are out of sight.
Himitsu: H-hey! What's going on?
Kana: Since you know how to fight, I really need your help.
Himitsu: My help?
Kana: Remember those people who were banging on my door the other day?
Himitsu: Yes, I meant to ask you about that, but we got caught up in the hunting.
Kana: Right. Well, there's a reason they are after me.
Himitsu: Really? I thought they were just being jerks.
Kana: Well, yes and no. They're after me because I took something from them.
Himitsu: Wait, you did!?
Kana: Yeah. I took money and other things from them. I know what you're going to say, and yes, I understand it's wrong. But what you don't know is that these people are bad. They steal from others to make a profit.
Himitsu: I understand that, but it still doesn't make it right to steal. Why don't you talk to the guards about it?
Kana: I have, multiple times, but they rejected me and said it would be a waste of time.
Himitsu: That's ridiculous! They need to do something about it.
Kana: I know. That's why I'm getting payback for everything they stole by doing the same thing. And since you know how to fight, I'd like to ask for your help.
Himitsu: You want my help to confront them?
Kana: Yes and no. When I was at their base stealing from them, I found something really valuable, but it was guarded by too many people.
Himitsu: So you want me to help you get this thing?
Kana: (Nodding) Yes! I've witnessed your swordsmanship. It should be straightforward for you!
Himitsu: Uhhhh, I don't know about this. I know what they're doing is wrong, but that doesn't justify doing the same.
Kana's expression falls as she looks down.
Kana: So you're not going to help me? I should have known…
Himitsu feels a pang of guilt and reconsiders.
Himitsu: No, no! I'll help you get whatever it is!
Kana: (Lifting her head) Really?
Himitsu: Of course! I'm just worried about your safety, that's all.
Kana blushes and approaches Himitsu, giving him a hug.
Kana: Thank you so much! You're the best!
Himitsu: (Blushing) Y-your welcome.
Meanwhile, everyone else is back in the guest lounge, eating tuna sandwiches in the living room.
Gram: (Eating) Why do we have to eat this? I don't even like tuna.
Ohma: I think it tastes great!
Daru: You don't have to lie, Ohma.
Kono: I know it's not the best choice, but since we're having dinner with Froog, we shouldn't have a big lunch.
As Akira eats, she notices another sandwich on Gram's plate and quickly grabs it, shoving it into her mouth.
Gram: (Upset) Hey, what the heck! I was eating that!
Akira: (Wiping her mouth) Listen, I eat more than you. Besides, you said you didn't like tuna.
Zodiac: Yeah, we can see why, Akira.
Akira slowly turns her head toward Zodiac, giving him a fierce glare.
Akira: What did you say…?
Zodiac: You heard me. I'm not going to repea—
Before Zodiac can finish his sentence, Akira grabs a chair and throws it at him. Zodiac uses Sudoshi and vanishes, causing the chair to shatter.
Gram: Whoa!
Zodiac reappears beside Kono.
Zodiac: Looks like you missed.
Akira: (Angry) You're lucky you're near Kono, or I'd rip your head off.
Daru: (Annoyed) Can we calm down? I don't want to deal with both of you!
Akira: Tch! Like you can.
Daru: Don't test me. I already did, and I'll do it again.
Akira sits back down, folding her arms.
Kono: Hey guys, I know this is sudden, but I'm getting a strange feeling about Himitsu.
Ohma: Huh? What do you mean?
Kono: I don't know. He's been acting weird since we came to this city. He was late that one time, and now he's skipping lunch with us.
Daru: It seems like he just wants to find more clues about the person we're looking for.
Gram: Yeah, I'm sure he's just focused on his work.
Kono: I guess so. It just feels strange, that's all.
Zodiac: Yeah, definitely a strange feeling.