Inside a safehouse...
A group of goons carried The Baron into a safehouse, setting him down on the couch. Inside, Serratine was waiting for him.
"Well, well, well," she remarked. "You look terrible."
"Don't give me that crap, Akane," he replied. "Debt collection went to hell today."
Akane took off her mask.
"Hmm?" she questioned. "Someone refused to pay up?"
"Even worse. Three weird kids claiming to be members tried to snoop around, and when I tried to feed them to the sharks, some weirdo came out and saved them!"
Akane sat down. "Weird how?"
"Dunno," The Baron admitted. "But when I was running away, I caught a glimpse. Some freak in a white costume. Uses chains."
"That's interesting," Akane stated. "A third party, perhaps?"
"A dead man," The Baron promised. "But enough about that. How's the process going?"
Akane smirked. "I would say it's going well. Phase One is complete. Now we just need to tackle Phase Two. And I believe that won't take long at all."
Meanwhile, inside the arcade...
"Kiran?"
Mykhail stared in shock as his old friend stood there, waving casually. "Sup? What year is it? 2023? 2024? 2031?"
"2025?" Mykahil corrected.
"Darn!" Koran admitted. "So I've been snoozing away for three straight years? That's...rough."
Mykhail walked up and hugged him. "Don't worry about the year, man! It's good to see you!"
Kiran returned it, laughing. "Good to see you too, dude."
Kiran stepped back, noticing Yasuda. "And who's this little guy?"
"A friend," Mykhail answered. "His name's Yasuda."
Yasuda waved. "Hi! Yasuda Yamagichi! Reporting for duty!"
"Heh, I like him. Reminds me of me when I was younger."
He extended his hand to Yasuda. "I'm Kiran."
Yasuda shook it. "Okay!"
The vendor set the pizza on the table, before grumbling and turning away. Kiran took it and handed it to Mykhail. "I believe this is yours."
"Thanks."
He looked around the arcade. "Where are the others? Takehiro, Kurumi, and Kumiko?"
Mykhail pointed to the racing games. "Kumiko's here too. She's racing one of her friends."
"Really?" Kiran chuckled. "Yeah, that I gotta see."
In the corner, Kumiko and Kaori were busy racing against each other on bikes, bumping and arguing with each other.
"Move!" Kumiko demanded.
"Nope," Kaori replied. "Eat dust."
After a bit more back and forth, Kumiko eventually zoomed forward and took first place, crossing the finish line. "Yes! I did it! I won!"
Kaori growled under her breath. "Whatever."
As both girls got up, they heard the sound of clapping behind them, and when they turned around, they saw Mykhail, Kiran, and Yasuda standing there.
"Nice, Kumiko!" Kiran complemented. "Never knew you were so much of a gamer!"
As soon as Kumiko saw him, she covered her mouth and tears began to well up. "It's...it's you! Kiran!"
Before he could even react, she pulled him into a tight hug, nearly crushing his ribs. "Aww, did you miss me? Well, don't kill me now!"
To his surprise, she lifted him into the air accidentally. "Oops! I'm sorry!"
She set him down. "You've gotten a lot stronger since I last saw you. You been working out?"
She nervously laughed. "Hehe, yeah!"
Kaori lifted an eyebrow. "Who the hell is this?"
Kiran shifted his attention to her. "You're a new face. Nice to meet ya! I'm Kiran. Mykhail and Kumiko's friend."
Kaori looked him up and down. "Uh-huh. Kaori."
"That's a nice name."
"I know."
She walked away, and Kiran scratched his head. "She's not very nice, is she?"
"No," Mykhail confirmed. "No she is not."
"Well," Kiran shrugged. "Can't win 'em all!"
Kumiko put her hands on his shoulders. "I thought you were sick! Are you okay? When did you wake up? Tell me everything! Now!"
"Okay, okay," he agreed. "How about we sit down and down this pizza first?"
Five minutes later, Kiran was sitting with Mykhail and Kumiko in one of the booths, sharing the pizza with them.
"So, what have you guys been up to?" Kiran asked. "Everything's been so weird ever since I woke up. Can you imagine people claiming that 'superhumans' exist? Whatever that is."
Mykhail and Kumiko shared a look.
"We haven't really been doing much," Mykhail told him. "But yeah, rumors are true. Crazy guys with crazy powers are roaming the streets nowadays."
"Yep!" Kumiko added. "Super crazy!"
"I wonder how that happened," Kiran commented. "World's a helluva lot different than before."
He stretched. "So, where's Kurumi and Takehiro?"
"Doing the same things they usually do," Mykhail answered. "Homework, studying, going around the neighborhood. But much less often now."
"I'm sure they'll be glad you're back!" Kumiko assured.
"I hope so. I missed those little goons."
"You never answered how you cured your sickness," Mykhail recalled. "What happened?"
Kiran thought for a moment. "Well, I was resting, and my dad introduced a new form of treatment for me. It was surprisingly very effective! Now I can talk, move, and do most of the things I used to."
"And this treatment is…?"
"Experimental. Classified. I was told not to tell anyone."
A flash appeared in his mind, a memory of his dad talking to him.
"Kiran, you must not tell anyone about this, alright?"
Kiran shook himself out of it. "Anyway, I'm glad to be back."
"We're glad to have you back!" Kumiko said, cheerfully.
While they talked, Kiran grabbed his forehead, suddenly freezing in place. Kumiko immediately stood up. "Kiran! Are you alright?"
"Yeah, yeah! It was good seeing you guys. Really."
He got up. "Look at the time, I think I should get going."
"That quick?" Mykhail questioned.
"Yeah. I've gotta rest more than usual since I'm still fresh out of bed, but don't worry, I'll catch up with you guys more tomorrow," he promised. "See you."
He hugged Kumiko and gave Mykhail a handshake before leaving.
"Bye, Kiran!" Kumiko waved.
Once he left, Mykhail stared at the pizza box. "Three years since I saw him, and he hasn't changed a bit. What a guy."
To his surprise, Kaori and Yasuda were now sitting in the booth, making him jump back. "The hell, when did you two get here?"
"We've been here the whole time!" Yasuda admitted.
"Of course you have," Mykhail groaned.
"That guy seems suspicious," Kaori said. "And not just because he's weak."
"Here we go again."
"I'm just saying," Kaori warned. "He seems like he's hiding something."
"What could Kiran be hiding?" Kumiko replied. "He's nice, and sweet! You worry too much!"
"Or maybe you don't worry enough."
Mykhail cleared his throat. "I'm glad he's awake. As for us, I think we've arcaded enough. Everyone ready to call it a night?"
They nodded.
"Alright, let's pick this back up tomorrow."
With everyone leaving, no one noticed a goon watching from the bathroom.
Later on, at Mr. Kenta's house…
Mr. Kenta was busy humming and cleaning his yard when Justice landed beside him, causing him to jump back. "Mykhail? Kid, give a warning before you drop in!"
Mykhail took off his mask. "Sorry."
Mr. Kenta put his hose down. "Been a while since I've seen you. What made you stop by?"
Mykhail held his sword up, with visible strain. "It's this. It weighs a ton, more than a building!"
Mr. Kenta examined it. "Perplexing. When did this start?"
"Like, a day ago."
Mr. Kenta touched the sword, which repelled him back. "Gah! Yes, something is off indeed. Come inside. Someone will see you."
He led Mykhail into his house, where stuff was toppled and messy. Mykhail scratched his head. "Did you have a party here?"
"No," Mr. Kenta replied. "Some crooks broke in, looking for you."
"How would they know I came here?"
"I don't know. This Villain Syndicate might be more dangerous than we thought. And that's without knowing who their leader is."
"I think I saw the guy one time," Mykhail recalled. "When I snuck into their recruiting camp. He left quickly when stuff went south, and he was wearing a cloak."
Mr. Kenta turned toward Mykhail. "It's wonderful you've formed your own hero group, but be careful. I have a bad feeling about these eyes, and their plan."
Mykhail nodded. "Okay."
"Now, let's see what to do about this sword. Set it on the table there."
Mykhail dropped it on the living room table and it slammed down, breaking the table into pieces and causing the entire house to shake and tip over.
"You weren't kidding," Mr. Kenta gasped. "It shattered my expensive table!"
"Now do you see what I mean? The thing's become a hindrance to me. I lost a guy tryna escape because of it."
Mr. Kenta knelt next to the blade. "It still responds to you, but it's…rebelling. Changing."
"Can you fix it?" Mykhail asked.
"Nope."
"What?" Mykhail exclaimed. "But I thought you were the guardian of this sword!"
"I am," Mr. Kenta confirmed. "But I didn't make it. I don't know how it was created, just who it belonged to. There is someone who can help, however."
"Who?"
"A former colleague of mine. She's from the land of Fuyushima. It's a foreign nation, not under the control of the government."
"How can I get there?"
"You have to plan accordingly," Mr. Kenta explained. "You don't just 'get there.' It's a hard, grueling process."
"But I don't have time for that!" Mykhail protested. "These guys are making big moves, and if the wraith of Justice isn't here to stop them, who will?"
"Your team," Mr. Kenta answered. "That's why you recruited them, didn't you?"
"Eh, not really. One's my best friend, another kinda found out my identity in a few seconds, and the last one demanded to join after stalking me."
"They'll have to do," Mr. Kenta insisted. "You have two weeks to prepare. Then, I'll take you to Fuyushima. The Foreign Land."
"Okay. What do I do with this in the meantime?"
Mykhail pointed to his sword.
"Try your best to make it work," Mr. Kenta told him. "Erratic or not, this blade cannot reach the hands of the Syndicate."
Mykhail picked it up. "Right."
"Be careful with it in the meantime. It may get worse if you overuse it," Kenta warned. "Keep doing your hero thing, kid."
"Sure will! Thanks, Mr. Kenta."
As Mykhail left the house, Mr. Kenta watched for a moment before he closed his door.
Meanwhile, somewhere else…
Kiran opened the door to find himself in a living room, where a group of kids were watching TV and playing together. The moment he stepped inside, they all turned their attention to him.
"Brother!" one girl realized. "You're back!"
She and all the other kids got up, hugging Kiran, who smiled and returned it. "Yeah, glad to see you guys too! Where's Mom?"
His sister pointed to a bedroom. "Over there! She'll be so happy to see you!"
Kiran walked up to the door, taking a deep breath, and once he opened it, he found his mom, sitting on her bed, reading a newspaper. Once the door opened, she glanced up, and her eyes widened.
"…Son?"
"It's me, Mom," he announced.
She slowly got up, touching his face. "It's not a trick…? It really is you?"
He nodded, and she pulled him into a hug.
"My boy's finally awake! It's a miracle! A blessing! I thought I had lost you for good!"
He leaned into the hug. "Don't worry, Mom. Dad fixed me. He fixed the sickness."
"But how? Your cells were dying!" his mom pointed out.
"Dad fixed me," Kiran told her. "His treatment worked."
His mother looked him over, running a hand over his face. "Any side effects? No pain at all?"
Kiran shook his head. "I'm fine, Mom. Perfectly fine."
She cupped his face. "Well, we need to have a welcoming party for you to celebrate this recovery! I'll make sure all your friends and the entire neighborhood know! You deserve it, son!"
"Thanks, Mom," Kiran replied.
"Come, let's get you back into your room."
As she left, Kiran followed, but his head began to hurt for a moment, and his left eye started to glow yellow. By the time his mom turned back around, he had covered it, smiling at her.
"Are you okay, son?"
"…Yeah. Never better."
He removed his hand, his eye back to normal. "Never better."
—-