The woman's hand flew straight back in place, her bright red eyes now focused on Forrest. "My boyfriend isn't going to be happy when he finds out what you did to me!" she complained, suddenly disappearing straight from her position on the battlefield and appearing right behind Yakasa and Forrest, who had very little time to keep up with what she had planned. "If you won't let me take him, I'll take him with for-"
Forrest's face scrunched, but not fast enough for the overwhelming force of gravity to pull him, the cult member, and Yakasa right into the sky. Right below them was Kevin and the mutated version of Pyron, who had created ferocious wind currents with just a single roar. "I knew I would find you guys here!" Kevin insisted, bursting out laughing at Forrest's priceless reaction. His expression shifted upon his notice of the child, becoming a concerned look rather than the startled look he had earlier. "Kevin, that's a child!" Forrest reminded him. "Be sure not to go all out on him, neutralizing the mutation inside him is your only mission!"
"Alright, got it!" Kevin agreed, pressing off one of the many rocks that were now floating freely in the air. "Ever since we returned from ART, I've been working out more and more to try and improve my attacks - now, let's see if it's had a positive effect on me!" he exclaimed. The force of his power blew nearby rocks away, and his armor provided by Blu and Blossom was now equipped on his left arm. "Gravitational…" he said under his breath, breaking the rock into four upon using it as a starting point. His armored arm collided with the rough, infernalized skin of Pyron, followed by an explosion that shook the entire grassfield. "PUNCH!" he finished, a wide smile now beaming on his face. The wind across the grassfield exploded into a ferocious current, landing everyone who was spectating back on the ground aggressively. They looked up at the cloud of dust that engulfed Kevin and the child, waiting for any signs of life to emerge. "That was a close one…" Kevin said under his breath, listening to the crackling parts of metal that fell from his hand. Right as he had punched, a fiery explosion came straight from the mutated child and would have blown both his arms off if it had not been for the coating from the armor. The air surrounding them now felt unusually thin, and the inability to effectively catch his breath was beginning to affect his performance. "That explosion…" Forrest thought to himself, his eyes focused on Kevin's armor that coated his hands.
"He just doesn't know when to quit, does he!?" the woman thought, her head turning in the direction of the enormous inferno that embraced the child. "If I'm not strong enough to defeat a weaker variant of Pyron, then HOW AM I GOING TO ACHIEVE MY DREAM!?"
Volume 13, Chapter 20 - Moving Forward
A week after Team ENTITY's return from ART
"I'm extremely impressed with your performance in ART," Victor complimented Kevin. They both stood in the windy grassfields that cornered Crystal City, splashing a wave of nostalgia straight on Kevin. "You brought me… back to the place where I told you my dream?"
Victor nodded, inhaling the damp air that blew in his face. "It's been a while since we've talked like this, no?" He pulled a box of cigarettes out of one pocket and a lighter out of the other, and the wispy smoke from his inhale ascended into the air. "Moving forward, your enemies are going to take a giant leap in strength. That said, you're going to have to train a lot more than usual if you want to keep Crystal City safe."
"You and the rest of the Crystal City entity hunters have the city under total control!" Kevin claimed. "I've gotten used to the effect the power of gravity has on my body, so I doubt I have to train mo-"
"I'm not always going to be here to accompany you, Kevin," Victor interrupted, placing his hand on Kevin's shoulder. "Something's going to happen in the near future, and I'm sure Team ENTITY is going to get to the bottom of it! But to do that, you have to train!"
Kevin sighed, looking back at the city. "What are you planning to do, Victor?" he asked, noticing the rapid change in his facial expression. Instead of receiving a response, Victor lifted his hand off Kevin's shoulder and took a few steps back, gently burrowing his knee in the damp grass. "Don't worry about me, Kevin - saving things often requires sacrifice. Now, I WANT TO SEE YOUR TRUE POTENTIAL!"
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Victor's words repeatedly echoed in Kevin's mind, draining out the sound created by the aggressive wind currents. "The job of an entity hunter is to protect people!" he shouted. "That said, I'm going to get stronger so I can continue to protect not only my friends, but the entire WORLD!"
A purple glow embraced Kevin's entire body, creating a cloud of dust that covered Forrest's view of the battle. "My true potential…" Kevin's words from that exact moment repeated yet again inside his mind. "If I want to save the world from what it has become, I'll reach my TRUE POTENTIAL AND EXTERMINATE ANYTHING THAT STANDS IN MY WAY!" The purple glow that had been harnessed into an orb exploded, the particles sparkling across the grassfield like rain. "A new fighting style!?" Forrest exclaimed, looking at his shadow through the smoke. A few seconds passed, and Kevin reappeared once again - this time, the glow circulated around his body in the form of clouds, and four rings containing ancient text appeared across the skyline surrounding them. A beam of light came straight from each ring, all tracing straight to Kevin's back. "I'm not only going to save Crystal City - I'M GOING TO SAVE THE ENTIRE WORLD! Wielder Of Gravity - Four Rings of Fate!"