Chapter 40: Clash of Styles

Behind a large rock in the vast desert, a small girl stood quietly. Marianne, the supposed leader's subordinate, had recently been kissed on the cheek by him, a gesture that made her feel like a little girl. She glanced at the remaining tea in her cup, then turned and peeked around the rock.

In front of her, Josh and Mr. 2—one of the highest-ranking agents—were facing off, both taking their fighting stances. High above, Mikita floated in the air, her long legs exposed. The sight of Mikita's perfect form made Marianne bite her lip. Then, her eyes shifted to Melissa, lying beneath the rock with her large chest exposed. Josh had carried her like a princess, placing her in the shade. Marianne could deduce that by the way Gem was carelessly left facing the sun.

She glanced at her own flat chest and short stature, then looked forward. Josh seemed to be doing just fine.

"Since you treat them so nicely, I deserve to be waited on too," she muttered, gathering her paint and brush before taking a sip of the last of her tea. Her eyes were fixed on the impending clash between Josh and Mr. 2.

Josh moved first, dashing toward Mr. 2 with blinding speed. But as Josh stopped to punch, Mr. 2 twirled gracefully like a ballet dancer, dodging the attack.

"Got you!" Mr. 2 declared as he delivered a swift kick. Josh ducked, disappearing from view, only to reappear behind Mr. 2.

Mr. 2 danced, trying to evade Josh's attack without relying on sight, but Josh had already figured out his rhythm. Instead of punching, Josh crouched low, spread his arms wide, and grabbed Mr. 2's towering 230 cm frame from behind. Mr. 2 countered with an elbow to Josh's face, breaking his nose, but Josh didn't let go. Instead, he tightened his grip, jumped, and used his leg to leverage Mr. 2's back, flipping him and slamming him face-first into the ground.

Josh followed up with a knee strike to Mr. 2's back, causing him to crash with a strong impact. Rolling away, Mr. 2 quickly regained his feet.

"Ouch, that hurt my back," he remarked, bowing mockingly. "But hey, it's better than a broken face. Can you still see, hahaha..."

"To be honest, I did feel pain," Josh admitted, his broken nose and face visibly healing before Mr. 2's shocked eyes.

Josh's healing factor had kicked in, allowing him to take the hit for the opportunity to finish the fight quickly. Wiping the blood from his face, Josh grinned.

"Shall we continue? And stop messing around, or I'll stop and spank you once I'm done!" he yelled, visibly frustrated.

Marianne hadn't appeared yet, and Josh was growing impatient.

"What? Spanking me? Although tempting, I'm usually the one doing the spanking," Mr. 2 teased.

"I wasn't talking to you!" Josh snapped.

Marianne, startled by Josh's yell, dropped her tea. Imagining Josh spanking her in anger, she blushed and hurried toward the battlefield, sneaking quietly.

"Are you shy, tsundere-chan?" Mr. 2 mocked, but Josh had had enough.

"You son of a—"

Josh dashed toward Mr. 2, fists clenched. Though Mr. 2 tried to parry Josh's punch, his flexibility had been compromised by the earlier blow to his back. Josh, more experienced in combat, took a punch to his chest but retaliated with claw-like hands, slashing across Mr. 2's bare chest. Blood oozed from fresh wounds as Mr. 2 jumped back, glaring at Josh.

"You'll pay for that!" Mr. 2 shouted, unaware that Marianne had sneaked up behind him, brush in hand.

As Mr. 2 prepared to kick Josh, he suddenly felt a soothing sensation on his back, as if his pain was vanishing.

"I'm feeling so much better," he sighed, relaxing.

Marianne took a step back, her ability starting to take effect. Without warning, Josh grabbed Mr. 2's wrist, flipped in mid-air, and delivered a powerful kick to his arm. Mr. 2 flew through the air, crashing into the sand, clutching his arm.

"See? My patterns really are useful," Marianne said proudly, her hypnosis ability making Mr. 2 more susceptible to attacks.

Mr. 2, still defiant, staggered to his feet. "I won't give up!" he yelled, dashing toward them. Marianne swiftly drew a red pattern on the ground, and Mr. 2, aiming a kick at Josh, struck the red pattern instead.

"Huh?" Mr. 2 looked confused, realizing too late that the pattern had altered his perception. Josh seized the opportunity, delivering a solid punch to Mr. 2's jaw. The tall agent was lifted slightly off the ground, dazed.

Josh launched into a flurry of rapid punches. "Atatatata... Wata!" he yelled, matching each strike with precision. Mr. 2, overwhelmed and unable to defend, was pummeled relentlessly.

Finally, as Mr. 2's strength waned, Josh readied a finishing blow. He drew his fist back and delivered a devastating punch to Mr. 2's stomach, sending him flying backward. Mr. 2 hit the ground hard, blood spraying from his mouth. He tried to stand but collapsed, muttering, "Impossible," before losing consciousness.

"That was amazing!" Marianne cheered, jumping with excitement. She admired Josh's exposed abs but tried not to overreact.

Josh stretched and cracked his knuckles, catching his breath.

"No need to show off," Marianne teased. "You've already won."

Josh looked at her and smiled. "Good job. Thanks for not interfering earlier."

Mikita, meanwhile, stood atop a deep hole, grinning mischievously. "Just wanted to finish him off properly! Kyahahaha... but he kept rolling away each time he fell," she laughed, having buried Mr. 2 in the sand.

Josh chuckled, a bead of sweat forming on his brow. "Babe, control your sadistic side."

"Why should I?" Mikita teased. "You know you love it."

"I don't want the bed to break," Josh replied, smirking.

Mikita's eyes glinted with mischief. "Now you've given me naughty ideas. Kyahahaha!"

Meanwhile, Gem, who had been lying forgotten in the sun, groaned. "Are you two gonna help me, or just keep flirting?"

"Shut up," Josh replied with a glance.

Melissa, lounging in the shade, chimed in lazily, "Let them have their fun. They earned it."

Gem groaned. "Yeah, well, I'm the one stuck lying in the sun. No one gives a damn about me."

"You're only realizing that now?" Melissa quipped.

After helping the team get back on their feet, they headed into town to get drinks and buy new clothes.

As they shopped, Melissa complained, "Why do I always have to pay?"

Josh frowned. "I'll pay you back."

"I can pay," Marianne offered.

"No one asked you, kid." Melissa shot back

"I'm not a kid!" Marianne protested. "I'm 16!"

As the banter continued, Josh grabbed a shirt, not really caring who paid. Gem entered the shop, holding a Den Den Mushi snail phone. "

Soon after, Gem walked in, holding a Den Den Mushi snail. "Josh, your personal Den Den Mushi was ringing nonstop. I got curious and picked it up."

"And?" Josh raised an eyebrow.

"Robin wants to talk to you," Gem replied.

Without hesitation, Josh grabbed the snail and disappeared from the shop, reappearing on a nearby rooftop. Sitting on the edge, he answered the call, "Yes, Robin Ane-San," his voice dripping with sarcasm.

On the other end, Robin let out a small, amused cough, preparing to speak.