Hikaru, Haruto, and Moriya stood firm on the golden sands of Tottori, facing the hooded figure ahead.
The stranger stood with arms crossed, a smile slowly spreading across his face.
Hikaru gritted his teeth.
"Let me ask you again… Who are you?"
The figure's grin widened. Slowly, he reached up and pulled back his hood – revealing navy-coloured hair that shimmered slightly under the sun.
CHARACTER INTRODUCTION
Name: Molecule
Age: Unknown
Hair Colour: Navy
Eye Colour: Turquoise
Height: Unknown
Weight: Unknown
Occupation: Unknown
"Call me Molecule," he said, his voice calm but laced with menace.
Hikaru narrowed his eyes.
"Molecule, huh? What do you want from us?"
Behind them, Ikazuchi and Reito, who had been unexpectedly ambushed earlier, slowly got back to their feet and rejoined the formation.
Molecule tilted his head, arms still crossed.
"What do I want from you?" he chuckled darkly.
"You've fought Ghost, Smokewraith, and the other mutants, haven't you? Isn't it obvious what I'm after?"
Hikaru clenched his fists tighter. Light began to radiate from his body.
Haruto slowly opened the seal of his water pouch, the air around him beginning to shift.
Crack!
Electricity sparked around Ikazuchi, his eyes flaring.
Reito's arms began to ice over, forming small frost crystals up to his wrists.
But–
Moriya?
He looked down at the sand, frowning.
"Um… guys? How am I supposed to fight too? There are no trees around, and I'm assuming there aren't any vines under the sand…"
Hikaru turned to him.
Damn it!
Of course – Moriya's ability relied on plant life. In this barren stretch of shifting dunes, he was nearly powerless.
"You'll have to sit this one out," Hikaru said firmly. "Let us handle this."
Moriya gritted his teeth, frustrated he couldn't help. But he nodded.
"…Fine."
Ikazuchi clicked his tongue.
"Tch. I should've expected this."
Reito glanced at him.
"What do you mean?"
"A mutant showing up every single time we're searching for an Element," Ikazuchi said, narrowing his eyes. "At this point… this isn't just coincidence."
Hikaru turned to look at him, stunned.
He's right!
But… how?
How do these mutants keep showing up like they already know our mission?
Then–
Haruto raised both hands, and the water from his pouch surged upward like a tidal beast. A towering wall of water rose behind him, stretching high until it blocked out the sun.
It condensed.
The wall twisted, forming into a massive blade. Its edge curved like a scythe, shimmering with blue energy that pulsed with the power of the sea.
The roar of water echoed across the dunes – the air itself thickening from the force of it.
And then–
"TSUNAMI GUILLOTINE!"
Haruto swung his arm downward.
The blade of water came crashing forward like a falling executioner's blade, aiming straight for Molecule.
But Molecule didn't move.
He stood there calmly, arms crossed, watching the wave descend with unblinking confidence.
Then–
He raised a single hand toward the oncoming torrent.
Fwoooosh!
The moment his hand touched the wave–
The towering mass of water shrunk.
In an instant, the devastating tsunami reduced to a splash, barely enough to soak his boots.
Haruto's eyes widened in disbelief.
"What?!"
"What just happened?!" Ikazuchi growled, confused.
Molecule chuckled, his eyes closed and expression smug.
"You Elements… are so oblivious."
The team gritted their teeth in frustration, the tension mounting.
Then – Molecule opened his turquoise eyes, sharp and gleaming with power.
"Well then… let me tell you about my ability."
He raised his hand slowly.
"My ability is… Size Manipulation."
"Size… Manipulation?" Hikaru repeated.
Molecule smiled – darkly, confidently.
"Yeah. Size Manipulation allows me to shrink or enlarge any physical object by touch. With a single tap, I can turn a pebble into a boulder… or reduce a truck to the size of a toy car."
Reito narrowed his eyes, taking in the explanation carefully.
"So… you can shrink or enlarge things just by touching them, huh?"
He smirked.
"Then try shrinking this!"
A glowing orb of frost formed in Reito's palm, pulsing with icy energy.
"FROZEN ORB!"
He hurled the orb oward Molecule.
The frosty sphere surged forward, spinning violently through the air.
But Molecule didn't flinch.
Instead – he smirked… and charged toward it.
Reito's eyes widened.
"What's he doing?!"
Just as the orb neared him–
Molecule jumped.
"He jumped?!" Moriya said, startled.
Molecule flipped in the air, landing smoothly on the golden sand – now behind the Frozen Orb – and sprinted straight toward Reito.
Reito gritted his teeth, frost forming around his clenched fist. He pulled back and stepped forward, thrusting his frozen punch with full force.
Then–
Fwoooosh!
Molecule's body shrank in an instant, dodging the punch as if he were a bug slipping past a gust of wind.
He sprinted up Reito's arm, then suddenly enlarged mid-air–
BAM!
His foot crashed into Reito's face like a wrecking ball.
WHUDD!
Reito hit the sand hard, clutching his right cheek in pain.
"Damn it!"
Molecule stood over him, calm, composed, and smiling.
Then – he spoke.
"Oh, right… I forgot to mention something."
That sinister grin returned.
"I can also shrink or enlarge myself at will."
Then–
"ILLUMINATE BLITZ!"
"Huh?" Molecule turned just in time to see a blazing beam of light surging toward him.
He reacted instantly – shrinking his body and narrowly dodging the beam of energy.
"REITO!" Hikaru called out.
Reito sat upright on the sand, blinking as he saw Hikaru and the others running toward him.
"Are you okay?" Hikaru asked, offering his hand.
Reito took it, and Hikaru helped him back to his feet.
"Yeah… I'm good."
Ikazuchi stepped forward, arms crossed and frowning.
"What were you trying to do, attacking recklessly, idiot?"
Reito exhaled.
"When Molecule said he could shrink and enlarge anything by touch, I thought if I used Frozen Orb, he'd try to shrink it on contact. I figured if he touched it, I could at least freeze him… but instead… he dodged it… by just jumping."
Ikazuchi clicked his tongue.
"Well, if you were gonna try something like that, you could've at least told us. We might've been able to coordinate with it."
"…Ikazuchi," Reito muttered, surprised.
He turned to look at the others.
Hikaru, Haruto, and Moriya all nodded in agreement, backing up Ikazuchi's point.
Then–
FWOOOOSH!
Molecule enlarged himself a few meters away, his presence towering for a brief moment before settling.
He turned to Hikaru, smiling with an edge of admiration.
"You're good, Element of Light."
Hikaru gritted his teeth, tense and ready.
"I can see why Sini–" Molecule suddenly stopped, glancing upward. "–Huh?"
The Elements followed his gaze.
High above them in the sky, a massive bulk of golden sand was levitating – floating unnaturally in the air.
And then–
KRSSSHHH!
The sand came crashing down towards Molecule – slamming into him like a tidal force of earth.
"What the–?!" Molecule shouted before disappearing beneath the crushing weight.
FWRSSHHH!
A dust cloud burst outward as the sand engulfed him.
When it settled, Molecule was buried in the dunes, coughing as he slowly sat upright and wiped the sand from his face.
"What… was that?"
The Elements stood frozen, confused.
"W-Was that… sand?" Moriya asked, stunned.
Then–
TZZK!
A strange energy pulsed through their minds.
Hikaru's eyes widened as he felt it.
That sensation…
The presence of an Element
Slowly, Hikaru turned around–
And there, standing not far behind them… was a figure.
Still. Calm. Silent.
The figure raised one hand, brushing his fingers through his short brown hair.
Hikaru stared, stunned.
"Could… he be?" he whispered.
Molecule, now standing, sand falling from his shoulders, clenched his fists in fury.
"YOU B@#STARD!" he roared.
But the figure ahead simply stood still, calm, his red eyes watching both the Elements and Molecule.
Molecule gritted his teeth. "Who are you?"
The figure finally turned to face him fully and spoke with unwavering confidence.
"I am Daichi. Daichi Hagane."
CHARACTER INTRODUCTION
Name: Daichi Hagane
Age: 23
Hair Colour: Brown
Eye Colour: Red
Height: 6'0
Weigh: 169lbs
Occupation: Unknown
"Daichi?" Hikaru echoed.
Then–
"Judging from the levitating sand…" Molecule said with a twisted grin. "You're the Element of Earth.
Daichi raised an eyebrow.
"Element of Earth?"
Hikaru's eyes widened.
Wait… could it be t hat he only recently awakened his powers?
But no… Hikaru shook the thought away.
The way he controlled the sand earlier – so precise, so effortless… There's no way he just awakened. He must have awakened the Element of Earth for a long time.
Suddenly–
Molecule laughed. Loudly.
The Elements turned toward him, eyes narrowed.
"Isn't this great? Six Elements against little ol' me," he sneered.
But then, his laughter stopped.
The air grew tense.
Without warning–
Fwooosh!
Molecule shrunk and instantly vanished, disappearing beneath the sand.
All that remained…
…was silence.
"…Are you guys okay?" Daichi asked, breaking the stillness.
The Elements turned to him.
Daichi was tall and broad-shouldered, his posture solid and grounded. With his muscular frame and rugged features, he looked like he'd been carved from stone itself.
"Y-Yeah," Hikaru said, still catching his breath.
"I see," Daichi replied, crossing his arms. "Who was that guy, anyway?"
Haruto stepped forward.
"He was a mutant."
"Mutant?" Daichi raised an eyebrow.
"We'll explain later," Hikaru said, now studying Daichi more carefully. "So… you're the Element of Earth?"
Daichi looked at him.
"Element of Earth? That guy said that too. What is that supposed to mean?"
Hikaru took a deep breath.
"We're from the Order of the Elements."
"Order of the Elements?" Daichi repeated, puzzled.
"Yeah," Hikaru nodded. "It's a secret organization dedicated to finding ten elemental warriors. As you can see – there are five of us right now. And you…" Hikaru motion to him.
"You're the Element of Earth. You're the sixth one we've found."
Daichi glanced at his own hand.
"…Is that why I can control sand?"
Hikaru smiled and extended a hand.
"Yeah. By the way – I'm Hikaru, the Element of Light."
Daichi returned the smile and accepted the handshake.
"Daichi."
He looked to the others.
Hikaru gestured one by one.
"That's Haruto – the Element of Water."
Haruto gave a small wave.
"Moriya – the Element of Wood."
Moriya nodded respectfully.
"Ikazuchi – Element of Thunder."
"You," Ikazuchi greeted casually.
"And finally, Reito – Element of Ice."
Reito gave a respectful blow, like a true Shaolin monk.
Daichi nodded to all of them.
"It's nice to meet all of you."
Later…
A group of tourists walked around the Sand Dunes, enjoying the view.
And among them…
…was Molecule, who had hood back on, hands shoved to his pockets.
He managed to sneak in to the group, blending in with them.
Molecule gritted his teeth.
Damn it! I already hear from leader that the Element of Earth.
But…
My mission was to capture to the Element of Light. If only the Element of Earth didn't show up, I would've captured him.
Then – he smirked.
"No biggie!" Molecule looks at the sky. "I'll just have to capture him when the time is right."
Besides…
The leader has a saying…
No matter what obstacles stands in my way… I'll keep moving forward – even if I have to crawl through fire, bleed through stone, or rise through the ashes.
TO BE CONTINUED!!!