Unpredictable Beginnings

As they all impatiently waited under the bright lights of the Ferris wheel in the park, Sai, Rose, and little Richy saw four different silhouettes approaching. Once those silhouettes became more distinct, the three of them ran towards the CREDHOS who were coming from behind the barrier set up by the security agents.

The three arrived in front of Jaden and his team. When Rose saw the state of Jaden's clothes, she moved closer to him, carefully examining him before saying.

"Are you okay? Do you hurt anywhere? What happened?"

She looked so concerned that it was heartwarming. Seeing that Rose was already taking the lead for Jaden and Richy was on the same page, Sai walked over to Kenzo, leaving the latter somewhat shocked.

The two had known each other for only a short time, and Sai seemed genuinely worried about him.

'Have we become this close?' Kenzo wondered. He, more than anyone, knew how difficult it was to fit in. People did live in society, but they were quite selective.

They would reject you if you didn't belong to the same social class or if you didn't conform to their principles.

Therefore, it took time to adapt, time to analyze the new member, to see if they were worth it or if they should just be pushed aside—such is the workings of society.

However, this new friend didn't take the time they usually needed; they considered him a friend right after being introduced. They hadn't spent more than a day together, and now he was coming over all worried.

'These are probably the kind of people who are called "good."' Kenzo thought before Sai asked him how he was doing.

"So, how was it? You seem... in good shape?" Sai asked, hesitating for a moment until he was sure that Kenzo was indeed in good condition.

Kenzo just smiled at his question, and Sai added, a bit confused.

"Why are your clothes in such bad shape, though, and what about this blood?" The more he analyzed his new friend, the less sense he found.

Kenzo had almost no clothes left, and there was blood on him here and there. Jaden didn't want to be seen in this state either, but there was nothing he could do about it. He couldn't clean himself and then take the time to dry before arriving.

'Actually, yes, I could have used water and wind affinities.' Kenzo thought, wondering why the genius hadn't suggested this solution. It was Jaden's role to think about such things, not really his.

While Sai asked his questions and tried to answer them on his own, Kenzo came to a conclusion: 'From now on, I'll only walk around in the organization's uniform.' After this incident, he realized how important this clothing was. He then turned to Sai.

"Let's just say that the villain this time was strong enough to tear the hero's and his acolyte's clothes." Kenzo replied to Sai to prevent him from feeling ignored.

"You're not a hero!" Sai responded, looking at him strangely. For Sai, this guy was a new rival, so if he elevated himself to the rank of hero already, the bridge would be too wide.

"Yes, I am a hero, and I'll be the greatest of them all!" Kenzo retorted.

"Maybe, but for now, you're not a hero, just a guy I can easily beat." Sai replied with a bold and prideful air.

"What? Say that again?"

"You're not a hero, do you have wax in your ears, wimp?"

"I'll never come to your aid on time if you keep putting me in this state."

The two continued with this kind of banter while Jaden tried to reassure Rose that everything was fine. Once she had calmed down, he began to tell his exploits to his little brother, who regained some color.

Although he didn't look as worried as the others, Richy was still concerned, and seeing the state of his big brother's clothes heightened that feeling.

However, once Jaden started the story, omitting the "unimportant parts," Richy's worry was replaced by pride and joy.

Sera and Anna didn't introduce themselves to the others; they had left after Sera forcefully reminded Jaden of their deal. She also told them to go home and rest because they would have to arrive early at the CREDHOS HQ tomorrow.

Once each of them had finished their conversations, Sai switched over to Jaden while Richy and Rose went to Kenzo.

"So, you fought another HOUM, huh?" Sai asked, feeling jealous of this genius from the get-go, and now he was continuing to do extraordinary things. It was getting too much for him.

"Yeah, it wasn't easy, that's for sure." Jaden replied frankly to Sai, not seeming to hide anything. Sai had his rival moment, and then they continued on their way.

On the other side, Rose and Kenzo had one of the most awkward conversations.

"Are... are you okay?" Rose asked timidly.

Kenzo had never seen a girl care about him, especially one who was particularly beautiful, and her shyness added such charm that he didn't know how to respond.

"Uh." was all he managed to say.

The hero found himself in a situation he couldn't quite handle. Luckily, Richy was there to break the awkward atmosphere.

He asked for details about the battle, the hero's special abilities, but also those of the HOUM. After all, he planned to recreate the battle with his toys, so the more details, the better.

Jaden, Richy, and Kenzo headed in their direction while Sai and Rose went in theirs. It was quite late, but they had informed their parents that they would be slightly late, although "slightly" was an understatement for this delay.

Once they arrived home, Evelyne was still awake. She welcomed them and asked if they wanted to eat. Richy was so tired that he had fallen asleep in the car.

The two CREDHOS initially thought of declining the offer, but the nutrients had played a role in regenerating their elo, so they accepted Evelyne's offer, putting a smile on her face.

"Wow, I have to admit this is the first time I've eaten so much." Jaden said after feeling full. He had served himself so many times that he'd lost count.

"Dude, where do you put all that food?" Kenzo was shocked. While he had also filled his plate multiple times, Jaden had gone way overboard.

Both of them were CREDHOS, and they had faced the same opponent. It was true that due to the depletion of their elo, their bodies needed as many nutrients as possible, but Jaden had eaten at least twice as much as Kenzo.

"It must be because of the elo depletion; I've never eaten this much before." Jaden replied, not wanting to come across as a glutton. He wasn't one.

"That's not an excuse; my elo was depleted too." Kenzo said, but he hadn't taken into account the fact that Jaden didn't just have elo in him; he also had anti-HOUM energy.

'Anti-HOUM energy, I don't think I'll ever get used to that name.' Jaden thought.

The two engaged in the debate while Evelyne watched them, smiling. She was happy to see them having fun.

Once they were done, they went to bed in preparation for the big day. They didn't know what awaited them, but they knew it probably wouldn't be easy.

So the two CREDHOS let themselves drift into slumber.

The next morning, very early.

The alarm clock rang, waking up Jaden and Kenzo. They got ready, put on their uniforms, and headed to the headquarters.

Once at the headquarters, they went to the large training room where Sera and Anna were waiting for them.

The two CREDHOS stood in one of the circles, and although they could be seen moving their mouths from time to time, no sound could be heard.

The training room was very modern, as there were many people expected to train there. They needed to provide privacy for each of them, so they had created devices that blocked out all sound.

Upon arrival, Jaden and Kenzo were surprised to see that instead of just Anna, Sera was also there. Furthermore, she was...

'I thought Anna was going to train us, so why is Sera here?' Jaden wondered.

During their last meeting, Sera had told them that they would learn to fight without their senses, in a way that wouldn't make them predictable when facing opponents like Sera.