S.O.G Beginnings #1
The New Fighter

'In the coming times, an ancient darkness will rise and engulf the planets with the energy of dark-hearted people. This darkness will consume all life in the universe. Only the Hero of Light can stop the darkness, but he must accomplish this task before the entire universe becomes engulfed in complete and desolate darkness.'

This legend has been passed down from the beginning of time in which it was a warning for the future. This warning's prediction will come true, and the universe will be on the brink of destruction. Everything began with the one fateful encounter.

It began in a winter night underneath the star-filled sky. It was perfectly clear, but below twenty degrees Fahrenheit. The starts twinkled brightly on the snow, which seemed to twinkle back. It was beyond the sky in which the activity occurred. Just outside the atmosphere, lights flashed and zoomed around. A white light seemed to fly away from what seemed to be six purple lights. The purple lights were ships, and they were firing purple-colored lasers at the white light. It fired back a white orb. It impacted one of the ships and it exploded. 

"Scorpion Three-Dash-A has been shot down by this thing! Orders!" One of the pilots asked through a radio.

"Do everything in your power to capture this one. He will be a valuable addition to DarkTech. I'm sending out the WebStars. Distract this thing. That's an order!" The voice responded. 

"Copy that. Scorpions on pursuit of intruder." The pilots responded and flew in faster, still firing at the light. As they closed in, the light suddenly vanished instantly and reappeared on one of the ships.

"Ahh, it's on me!" The pilot screamed and fired out more lasers from the cannons, but the light somehow pointed it to the other ships as it shot its own comrades down. It vanished again and the ship exploded. The last ship flew around fast, looking for the light again. The pilot took off its mask, and it turned out to be a blue humanoid creature. Its skull was blue and so was its skin. It looked very angry. 

"Where are you?! Come on out here and face me!" It yelled. There was a thump on its window shield and there the light was; only he wasn't glowing. The light turned out to be a teenage human boy. The alien could make out his brown hair and neon blue markings on his arms and body. 

"Omega, the intruder is just a-"The alien pilot yelled in the radio before its ship exploded as well. The boy floated above the rubble he caused, and he looked pretty annoyed. His fists clenched and they glowed the same color as he did before. 

Suddenly, four ships came from behind the Earth and they carried with them a giant green laced net. The boy turned around and was caught in it. There was a short buzzing sound and the boy yelled in agony. He was being shocked by the net. The four ships carrying the net swerved around and the net captured him securely. 

"This is WebStar Gamma, and we have captured the target as planned. We are bringing the cargo back to the ship." One of those pilots reported. 

"Excellent job, now come back with our captive." The voice responded. 

The four ships hovered and shot off towards an enormous fortress. It was very big, possibly about five-thousand meters long. Cannons pointed in all different directions and continued to scan the area around them for any intruders. They took the boy into their ship's loading bay, which was on the main deck. The floors opened up and the ships that captured the boy lowered the nets and dropped him into the hole, which sealed instantly and glowed. A tall blue alien looked through a force field. He held a data pad, which emitted a red light. It scanned the boy as different colored holograms popped up. These were the boy's power levels and current strength. The alien scanning him was significantly impressed.

"The current strength of the target is low, but base power is magnificent, just like Master Omega predicted. He is of Aeros origin, a rare find indeed." The alien spoke, seeing the boy wake up, drowsy and stumbling about in his steel prison. He put his right arm against the wall to stop the stumbling and proceeded to shake his head. 

"Where am I this time?" He said to himself. His head sharply turned along with his body in a swift fighter move. The alien glared back into the boy's brown eyes. 

"You do not need to know where you are. All you have to know is that you will soon become one of our soldiers in the army of the DarkTech forces. Your power will be very useful in our combined strength." The alien told him. 

"Heh, you really think something like this can hold me?" The boy asked, cocking a grin across his face. Before the alien could answer back, the boy's skin shone in a bright light and energy exploded, causing the metal to bend and the entire hallway burst with smoke. A blaring alarm went off as the boy flew straight up and off the ship.

"Attention, the prisoner has escaped! All DarkTech troopers, battle stations!" A voice boomed over loudspeakers. The turrets on the massive cruiser all turned to face the boy as he zoomed along the bay. The floor a couple of miles ahead opened up to reveal a small forty robot army. Inside the robots were the same troopers from the space ships. The robots were made of spheres and cylinders that were not attached to the robot's main body. Magnetism seemed to be the robot's attachment methods. The cylinders revealed automatic machine guns, fists, and swords. The boy clashed his fists together and closed his eyes as he ran. His speed increased as his feet were running at a blur. From his hands all the way to his arms, a neon-blue marking appeared which was the same marking as before when he fought the ships. He vanished once again. The robots searched around until the turrets on the battleship began to fire right above them. The boy was there, flying to escape. This time, the robot army began firing at him. Luckily, they were terrible shots. Each energy blast missed him by inches though as the giant cannons started firing at him. 

One shot hit him and he yelled out in pain. Soon enough, the others fired onto him, injuring the boy greatly as the energy built up and exploded, sending him hurtling into the planet they were orbiting. 

"No! Send a squadron after him now!" The loudspeaker commanded. The troops saluted and took off thanks to their jetpacks on their backs. They took off after the boy, entering the planet's atmosphere itself. 

In the main cockpit of the battle cruiser, a gigantic alien figure sat on a huge seat modeled for his size. He was reading the levels of the boy that they recently captured. 

I must not let this boy fall into the S.O.G's hands. This Aeros is very powerful at such a young Earth year, but he will be a threat if he becomes one of their soldiers. I will not lose this chance of winning this blasted war! The creature thought. 

The boy was unconscious as he fell into the planet, appearing as a red comet in the night sky. He fell towards an incline and crashed into it, causing a small explosion of dust and dirt. The boy was halfway buried in the dirt, barely getting back up to see the squadron of alien troops, all with their guns pointed at him. 

"Stop. You are surrounded. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Which is it going to be, kid?" The head of the squadron asked. The boy grunted and clenched his fists tighter. 

"I prefer the hard way in taking you clowns out!" A voice yelled. In an instant, another man came out with something engulfed in fire. He yelled and brought a long sword straight down, slashing the alien in a perfect half. The robot equipment detonated afterward. The other soldiers aimed at the new face until a pulse was felt. All their robotic equipment was deactivated as another man held his palms out. They were cracking with electricity.

"Give up DarkTech soldiers. You're surrounded!" The second man exclaimed as lights flashed on them. Just as the second one threatened, different troops formed a perimeter around the squadron, all ready to fight. Red sight lasers were pointed at their heads. The boy looked at all the new faces, seeing that they were helping him instead of trying to capture the poor soul. 

"Attack!" One of the men yelled as the blasts were fired and they rushed at the soldiers, literally overpowering them in a matter of seconds. After the fight was over, the new group cheered for their victory. The fire swordsman looked at the boy. 

"Hey, get me a medic here! We have an innocent!" He yelled as he ran. Before Mikee could say anything, his body reached his limit and he collapsed onto the ground. The sounds of the concerned people were very far away now as everything faded into the darkness. 

What have I gotten myself into this time around? Something about all of this seems to be calling to me. Mikee thought as he finally woke up again. This time, he was in an infirmary sort room. His body wasn't injured to an extent. He was still sore in most places, but that was about it. No one was in the rooms except for a robot cyborg rolling to him. It had a white lab coat with a name tag labeled, "Medic". 

"You are awake. What is your body's current condition?" The robot asked.

"I'm fine. Where am I?" Mikee asked, sitting up despite the soreness. 

"You are in the infirmary of the Main Base of the Super Organization of Good." The Medic told him as a blue scanning ray went over Mikee, scanning his body.

"What now?" Mikee asked.

"Body at 98% capacity. Muscles in chest and arms are slightly swollen. It will recover within half an hour. As for your question, the S.O.G is an organization that defends the Earth from forces of evil that threaten to harm the planet. The S.O.G is headed by our leader, Izzy Gokudo, a warrior of pure Plasma. Our goal is to protect the lives of innocent people. You are to report to Izzy as soon as your body recovers fully." The Medic explained. It stepped away from the bed for the warrior to get up. He stretched, flinched from the soreness bugging him, and looked at the robot in the eyes. 

"I'll be fine. Just point me to this Izzy." Mikee said. As the robot explained the directions, he thought to himself once more. Well, an organization. I would rather leave, but then they'll be searching for me, and I'm not looking forward to a fight. I'll just find out what this place is and move on. I would not want these guys to get hurt by me. He thought, thanked the medic for everything and walked out, holding on the edge of the exit. Sure, his body was fully healed, but it felt like moving with a few pounds of lead all around his body. Oddly enough, his clothes were restored instead of being torn from the lasers. His clothes consisted of a regular red short-sleeve T-shirt with a black block bird stretching its wings, blue jeans, and black shoes. The base was a mix of hallways and rooms. Some other people ran past him in a rush. They seemed nice for soldiers as they continued to run. 

He arrived in a futuristic room. In this room, three warriors were about to walk out when they almost bump into each other. They took a look at him and gasped. Mikee looked at them too and remembered their faces from before. They were the ones who helped him before when the aliens attacked him before. 

"Hey, you're back to normal! The medics here really do a good job." One of the three told him. 

"I guess. Who are you guys anyway?" "Mikee asked them. 

"We're the S.O.G Elites, the strongest team in this organization. I'm Varil, one of the very few Light and Dark elements in the base." One of the guys introduced. He was a black haired individual with a white armor on. He had white eyes, which was pretty odd for someone. He was a rare person indeed. From Mikee's first impressions, he seemed fun-loving and relaxed, but inside was a very serious attitude.

"I'm Isaac, and don't forget it." Another black-haired male in yellow armor told him in a sort of harsh tone. He had black hair in a spikey fashion and blue eyes. Mikee didn't seem to like this guy. He had a very arrogant feeling around him, and the hairs on his arms felt tingly. Isaac was surrounded by an electromagnetic field. He must have been the one who knocked out the systems against the aliens.

"I'm the leader, Aaron Haruka. What is your name anyway?" The leader in the red armor asked. This one had brown hair that was combed out unlike the others. He had a serious expression on his face, and something about him seemed similar to himself. All their armor was similar to a slim battle suit. There was a mechanism on their chests which had three different buttons.

"I'm Michael Aeros, but call me Mikee. Where is this Izzy Gokudo?" Mikee asked them. 

"Izzy is up ahead. He has been expecting you." Varil told Mikee and moved out of his way. He nodded to the group and walked past them. It led to another big room that was detailed. There were several computer screens and a huge hologram map of different things. This one was a map of the floor plans of this base. Other computer screens has charts, but one took his eyes for a second. It seemed to be a ranking chart for the people. The Aaron fellow he met was on the top of the list, ranking first. Right behind him was Isaac, and at fifth was Varil. Next to the chart was another chart which had letters and numbers, such as G45 and F97. The title was, "Team Rankings". He was curious about all of this until he sensed the presence of someone powerful.

"So, are you the one my Elites rescued from the DarkTech Hunters?" A man asked from behind the holograms. He walked on through the hologram, and this guy was far different from the others. His look and aura felt powerful. He had pure white hair in a special spiky fashion, a strong build, red eyes, and silver-colored clothing.

"Yes, and you must be Izzy." Mikee asked. The leader nodded as he walked ahead to the computers. Mikee walked to the computers to follow him. 

"So, where in the world am I?" Mikee asked. 

"You're in a safe place from the DarkTech forces. I have a lot of explaining to do for you, so I might as well start now. First off, this is the S.O.G, an organization that protects humanity from the forces of evil that want to threaten the way of life. Currently, we're at war with the alien race you've encountered. They're known as DarkTech, a very advanced alien society that takes planets for their resources and for their own benefits. Our world-wide sensors picked up on your activity. I've sent my Elite team to investigate and there you were. Can you explain what happened?" Izzy asked. Mikee closed his eyes as he remembered what happened back up in space.

"I was flying near the asteroid field when there were about ten of their ships giving chase to me. I managed to destroy them, but then they sent that Hunter after me and I crashed on the ground here." Mikee explained. Izzy nodded and looked up the information on his computers and screens. 

"You have an ability to fly through space? Unique. You're not a normal fighter, are you?" Izzy asked. 

"No, I'm an Aeros. My name is Michael Aeros, but call me Mikee." He said. This got the leader's attention, as his eyebrows rose up. 

"An Aeros? I believed they were all gone." Izzy commented, sounded pretty interested in this. Mikee noticed a faint grin on his face, but it vanished the moment Mikee noticed. Sure, his race was a powerful fighting clan, but they were long gone. From what he knew, the Aeros Clan was one of the few powerful clans back in its day, until the catastrophic events occurred that wiped out the entire clan. He was lucky to make it out alive. Ever since then, the Aeros became a rumor, almost a legend. 

"Well," Mikee sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose, "Look, I still don't know what I'm doing here exactly. If you have no other business with me, then I'll get going and leave you to your work." Mikee said and turned around to leave.

"Will you join us, the S.O.G?" Izzy asked, which made Mikee stop in his tracks. He turned around to face at Izzy.

"Excuse me?" Mikee questioned.

"I'll explain again. The S.O.G is an organization built to protect the universe from the clutches of evil. You can join if you like, because I highly doubt you have a place to turn to." Izzy assumed, looking at Mikee in the eyes. The warrior's fists clenched as he jumbled all his thoughts. 

He's got me there, but if I leave, that Darktech force will pursue me again, and I don't think I can survive another encounter with those bastards. I could learn about this place and train even more than I usually have. On the bad side, they might know the beast within me, the beast that killed so many. What to decide… Mikee thought, closing his eyes. His heart made the decision.

"Very well, I'll stay." Mikee told the leader, who smiled at his remark. 

"Good decision. Now, I would explain much more, but instead, your team can show you. Your assigned team is A12, they are in need of powerful recruits since most of them left. Their base is just south of Light City, about five miles away from the southernmost border." Izzy told him as the door opened behind Mikee. 

"Wait, why did people leave their own team? It doesn't make any sense." Mikee asked.

"The reason is Team A12's actions in the S.O.G Battle Royale. Team A12 competed in the semi-finals and had a winning streak when the leader bet their wins on the match from a challenge. Unfortuantly, Team A12 lost the match and went down in rank badly. The members decided to leave the team and transfer to another team, leaving A12 with only four members in total. Adding you would increase their power as a team and giving them a good chance in next week's Battle Royale." Izzy explained. 

"Thanks." Mikee thanked and walked out, glad to leave the room. The guy's aura about him was intimidating and from what Mikee felt, was a very strong person. It was certainly the strongest he's seen in a long time. 

Izzy's power was stronger than his current state, even though Mikee was hiding most of his power. His fist clenched as the thought of someone stronger than him ran through his mind. This gave him a new goal to get stronger. Mikee didn't want the events of his clan being killed to repeat once more. 

Well, I guess I have to do this. Either way, I'm stuck here until this DarkTech race leaves the planet or they get killed. I might as well try to enjoy myself here. It could be fun, but still, there's something off about this whole S.O.G business. From what I got at, they're an organization that are willing to risk their lives to save innocent people from the forces of evil, like that DarkTech, but it's odd. All these people joining to fight like a private military, almost like a world power. Sure, people with powers are popping up all over the universe from what I've seen, but now controlling them in a single branching organization is pretty suspicious. I'll keep an eye on them, but for now, I'll join this A12 team and find out what's going on. Mikee thought and dashed off out the door. 

On top of the base watching the warrior dash off was Aaron with his arms crossed. His fists were clenched and he looked angry. A12's leader was a very important family member to him. Other than that, he came from space being hunted by DarkTech ships, so who knows if this guy can be trusted? Aaron had a bad feeling about this guy, but he couldn't judge off of that. It all depends on what his next move is. 

Still, it wouldn't hurt to keep an eye on Mikee. 

"Are you worried about that sister of yours?" Someone asked from behind the warrior. Aaron looked to see Varil without the armor. His casual attire was a black and white button-down shirt with black smooth pants. 

"Varil, what are you doing here?" Aaron asked in a stern tone. The Light and Dark Warrior shrugged and looked at the path in which Mikee walked. 

"That guy has a certain aura about him. It feels good, and yet it's something that's going to affect all of us. Besides, Kari will be fine. Speaking of which, I better trail him. Team B24 is on the move again. They heard Izzy's conversation with Mikee and are going to try and get him. They've been doing that for the past week with other members. Their goal is to drive any new recruits away from potential teams that could be a threat to them." Varil explained. Aaron nodded and looked for himself. He wondered what would happen if Mikee was confronted with a team. This received Aaron's interest. 

"So, what did you hear from Izzy's conversation?" Aaron asked. 

"Well, Mikee there is an actual Aeros, you know, from all the rumors of the legendary Light-element race that went extinct. He actually came from space and supposedly flew around Darktech's sensors, resulting in Mikee crashing near the city. Can he do that?" Varil asked Aaron. 

"Aeros Warriors are able to channel their energies all around their bodies, making a sort of cloak. This cloak supplied them with enough oxygen to live by. It's why the Aeros Clan was in space, up until the clan somehow was destroyed one day. No one knows what in the world happened, so Mikee there must know something about what went on." Aaron said, seeing Mikee still walking on the dirt path. It was leading around the boundaries of Light City, the site where Mikee crashed. Ironic how he's touring around the place he landed in. Aaron sensed his energy, and it was tense. The warrior stopped as Aaron and Varil stopped as well. 

"You know, if you're looking for a fight," Mikee asked as he turned around, "Then go look somewhere else." Mikee threatened, stopping in his tracks. 

This guy seems really arrogant. Aaron thought, as he made a stance for battle, ready to take a strike. Even though it was against the rules, this could be his chance to see what Mikee was really made of.

"We're not. We were just on our way to the city. Don't mind us." Varil told Mikee in a calm and joking manner. The Light Warrior nodded and continued on, making Aaron steam a little. 

This Mikee really was something else.

Mikee made his way down the little path that directed him to the base of A12. As he walked down, he thought about the whole 'S.O.G' business again. The leader was something to look into. Mikee wasn't sure, but he hid the faintest grin and the look on his face right after Mikee mentioned he was an Aeros. It was certain that Izzy knew something, and Mikee didn't like it. 

Sure, Aeros were about to become legends because they suddenly disappeared off the map thousands of years ago. He was there, but from all the space travel, he hasn't aged much since. The Aeros Clan was one of many thousands of years ago, and it was a powerful clan of fighters. Why fighters exist, no one truly knew, but from the universal eight elements, the Aeros Clan took on the Light Element. 

The eight Universal Elements were the elements of Grass, Fire, Water, Thunder, Earth, Wind, Light, and Dark. Each of them had their own weaknesses and strengths against one another, but Light and Dark were only weak and strong against each other. There were so many clans that took on different elements for their fighters, and the people today were descendants of those fighters. Some could create fireballs from the air around them, some could communicate with plants, and some could even create static charges out of thin air, just as demonstrated today. 

Speaking of which, his mind alerted himself to three people. This was known as sensing. In his head, he saw three colors. Two were white and brown, while the one above them had a large light green color. These were their energies, and the light green one had a larger one. Mikee stopped, his heart began to race and his fists clenched. They were heading his direction, looking for a fight. 

"There he is! Let's get him!" A voice yelled. Mikee looked above his head to see a rocky platform. It was thrown forcefully down at Mikee and it seemed to crush him. Three figures jumped down to witness their damage. The brown color Mikee saw earlier was a male in his twenties. He wore a brown armor similar to those worn at the Main S.O.G. It was bulkier than the rest of them and seemed to be like the ground. 

The white energy was another male, but this one had blazing white hair and white eyes. He wore a white armor with the sharp edges on the shoulder blades and the wrists. This one was sleek and sharper than the brown one. 

Lastly, the light green one was a woman who was skinny, but didn't wear an armor. She wore jeans and a T-shirt, and looked determined. 

"Well, the new guy didn't seem like much! He was taken down already by your attack Bruce!" The woman told the brown guy. 

"It wasn't hard, but…" Bruce replied, looking at the ground. They were a few feet off the ground. The platform they stood on shook and shattered, sending the three on the ground except for the girl as she floated down. Mikee stood there with his fist in the air. 

"So, you're the new guy heading for Team A12's base, huh?" The girl asked. Bruce and the white-armored man made a stance for fighting. 

"What's it to you?" Mikee asked.

"Easy, you shouldn't be going down this path. You should be going to our base, Team B14. You know, we placed second place in the latest S.O.G Tourney! That team is weaker than us, so want to join a stronger team?" The girl asked. 

"Yes, they did the same to me. It's true." The white one spoke, making Mikee glare at them. They seemed to be rough people, aiming to get him on the whole team business. They wanted him to join their team of B14.

Whether he liked it or not.

"What if I don't want to?" Mikee asked, making his own stance. They were looking for a fight for sure. Bruce went down to his knees and punched into the ground, his arms completely went into the earth. He pulled them back up to show his arms and fists were covered in a thick layer of rock. The white-armored guy's wrists glowed as triangle-shaped blades were created, making his sabers. The girl's aura glowed as a breeze began to blow the small clearing. 

So, Earth, Light, and Wind Element users…this will be interesting. Mikee thought and concentrated by closing his eyes. 

"Ryko, Bruce, attack from the sides. I'll get him from all around. Got it?" The woman asked. 

"Got it Corina." The two men answered and made their move. Bruce fired a fist directly at Mikee's face. The warrior grabbed the rock fist and held it there, dodging Ryko's swings of his energy sabers. Mikee's fist made contact with Bruce's chest as he threw the Earth user into Ryko and he backed up to get a better angle. Bruce luckily dodged his comrade and focused, clasping his palms together. Two rock walls in perfect squares rose by Mikee's sides. As his hands clasped together, the rock walls moved to crush him, but Mikee leapt above it in time. His palm started to gather Light Energy as he threw it towards Ryko. He didn't see it coming at all as the energy exploded. 

As for Varil and Aaron, they were walking back towards the base when they heard the recent explosion in the distance. The two Elites looked back to see a smoke stake rising from the forest. There was a battle going on, and they had to go see who was winning the battle. 

Ryko was knocked into a tree from the explosion, knocking is wind out. Bruce charged again, only this time, he finally struck Mikee's face with his bulky fists. A grin came across the Earth user's face, as if he caused enough damage. 

"Heh, you call that a punch?" Mikee asked, not even moved by the attempt of an attack. Bruce gasped at this as he groaned out. The Light Warrior just struck Bruce in the gut, making him gasp out. Mikee struck again, only this time sent Bruce into another tree. As Mikee regained his ground, a wind blade slashed him in the cheek, cutting down a huge bushel of leaves, but bouncing off the tree. 

"So, you took care of my other teammates, not bad. We'll have to see how you fare against me, Corina, the Wind Dancer!" She declared, having wind cyclones wrap around her arms. She dived in at Mikee, flying like a diving jet. She fired a fist to Mikee's block, pushing him back slightly. He was surprised at this girl's power as she spun around and kicked Mikee across the face successfully, making Mikee groan out. She went from the spin kick back on the ground. Mikee looked back at the female warrior. He cracked his neck to get the sore muscles out. Corina seemed to be surprised herself. The wind intensified around her body as she leapt back up in the air. Mikee leapt up to join her in combat. 

"Not bad, taking hits like that and barely flinching. You're something else." Corina said as her energy began to rise again. Mikee gave her a glare as she vanished and appeared in front of Mikee. The both of them were swinging at each other as they blocked each other's attack. Both of them attacked at blurs like this, until she kicked Mikee into the ground. He rebounded and swung his fist at her, but she vanished before he could strike. Mikee searched for her quickly until he sensed her energy right above him. 

"FORCEFUL VORTEX!" Corina yelled and unleashed a powerful burst of wind, slamming Mikee onto the ground hard. The worst part was that it continued to push him back down. It felt like facing a hurricane head-on. His palm opened up as he tried to fire another energy blast, but it swerved away and hit the ground, becoming useless to break up the attack.

"Darn it…" Mikee said to himself as he clenched his fists. He was rising back up but slowly. Now, Corina was shocked at this and put more force, but it wasn't stopping the warrior from rising up. He was on his feet after a struggle and crossed his arms. He yelled out and unleashed an energy pulse, breaking the vortex. She flinched as Mikee shot towards her and kneed her in the gut hard. She groaned in pain as Mikee clasped his hands together and slammed her towards the ground. As she landed hard on the ground, Mikee floated back down, pleased, yet exhausted from resisting her attack. 

"No way, how can you be this strong?" Corina asked. Mikee remained silent as he calmed down. The warrior turned his back on Corina and her friends as he took a couple of steps. 

"I'll see you at this whole S.O.G Battle Royale business." Mikee said as he dashed off from them before any questions or demands were asked.

"Damn, that guy was an Aeros! They are as strong as expected! Great plan Corina!" Ryko complained, stumbling about from his injury. He continued on, "Oh, let's attack him from the sides. Great plan, you idiot!" He yelled. 

"Like you guys did any better! I got him breathing hard!" The leader of B14 snapped. 

"Still, once A12 gets him, they're going to be a really strong team. They'll defeat everyone this year!" Bruce worried. 

"Shut up! We're going to win! Remember, I wasn't using all my powers on the Aeros guy! When we meet, he's going to be in for a surprise." She said to herself as the three boarded one of Bruce's platforms and flew off. Corina looked back at the path and glared at the direction Mikee went in. 

Sure, I lost today, but wait until we battle! You're going down with my Hurricane Attack! She declared in her thoughts.

2: #2: Team A12: Mikee's First Battle!

S.O.G Beginnings #2
Team A12: Mikee's First Battle!
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  "Team A12, you have a new recruit coming your way. His name is Michael Aeros, but he prefers the nickname, Mikee. Defined from the medic bots, he's a Light element and from the injuries he's suffered, Mikee is a close-range fighter. He'll be arriving soon. After he arrives, I'll see if there's a mission for your team." Izzy spoke to a group of four people through a TV screen. It was in a steel grey room with other screens, but those were off. Izzy logged off the screen as it simply read, "LOST COMMUNICATION." The lights were turned on as the others were revealed.

"All right, we have a new member! It's about time!" A girl with navy blue hair cried out in joy. She seemed really happy. Her name was Dawn Raiga, an eighteen year old woman with her long navy blue hair reaching down her back, blue eyes, and an hourglass body-shape. Dawn wore a tight sleeveless black top with a pink ruffled skirt and pink shoes. 

"Well, it's about time too. We were down on the firepower." The next woman answered with her arms crossed. She was probably the most attractive person there. She had her brown hair in bangs, blue eyes, a pretty body, and a fiery look in her eyes. She wore a tight red collar shirt with tight black biker shorts. 

"There's going to be another male in the team. Finally, since I'm the only one." The male in the group stated. He was a sort of handsome teenager with reddish-brown hair, hazel eyes, and green clothing. He looked pretty tired from lack of sleep. The three looked in one direction to the brown-haired girl standing at the monitor. 

She was the leader of Team A12, and looked as old as her comrades, who were around the age of twenty. She wore a sleeveless pink top, tight beige shorts, and had long pink elbow-length gloves mainly used for handling weapons. For a girl of her age, she did look serious about this, but a look of joy spread across her face. 

"Finally, things are looking up for us. After what happened last time, our team was weakened, but now with this Mikee on our side, we'll finally be ready for the Tourney coming up." She told them. 

As soon as she finished her sentence, the doors slide open and all four of them turned their heads to look as Mikee walked into the base. He looked back at all their glances and glanced over to Kari. She gulped a bit; she didn't imagine for him to be good-looking, but there was a slash across his cheek and some slight injuries.

"Is this the A12 base, or the B14?" He asked, getting a weird look from the others. Maya realized it for a second and stepped up. "Let me guess, girl with regular clothes, and two or three people with the armor seen at HQ?" She asked. 

"Yeah, they weren't much trouble." Mikee told them. This got a surprised look on Kari's face as the Light Warrior wiped off some of the dry blood from his face. Wait a second, he stood up against Corina?! She's one of the top Wind Warriors in the S.O.G, and he left that battle with only a scratch?! He's a tough one for sure, if he isn't lying about it. For all we know, he could be sided with them. Kari thought as he looked at the others.

"Anyways, welcome to A12. I'm the leader of this base, Kari Hakura." Kari told him with a smile. He looked back at her, with a confident look. He seemed to really be the arrogant type.

"I'm Dawn, it's nice to meet you…uh, Mikee, right?" Dawn asked, giggling a little bit. 

"Yes, that's right. I'm glad to be here, I guess." He told them. Maya cracked her knuckles. Sparks flew out of her fists as she did this. The fighter girl walked towards Mikee, who shot off a glare to her, sensing that she might be trouble.

"I'm Maya, and I would like to challenge you to a fight in our Training Room, right now." She asked, holding her fist to him. It ignited and burned brightly, giving off a bright glow. Mikee's fists clenched as he glared at his challenger. His fists began glowing, as he seemed ready to do so.

"Well, it is tradition, you know. Whenever we get a new member of our team, they fight the last member to join A12. Maya here was the latest to join." Ritchie told Mikee, putting his hands in his pockets. It seemed they wanted this battle to happen. 

"Very well, I accept your challenge, Maya." Mikee said as his glowing ceased. Kari looked at the both of them glaring. It wasn't very long until Mikee was directed to a large spherical room. The ground was steel and there were bright beams along the ceiling that were connected to the walls by some electrical equipment. Kari, Ritchie, and Dawn were in a sort of safe-box near-by, able to watch the fight and be protected at the same time. 

"All right, welcome to our Virtual Simulation Room. This room is installed in all S.O.G outposts and bases. In these Simulation Rooms, we're able to convert simple spaces into virtual worlds. Basically, we can create training areas and situations perfectly suited for our needs. We're going to use the Basic Earth simulation for this match. The match rules are as follows: Anything goes, except don't kill your opponent, just knock him out this time Maya. Once the other person is unconscious, then we'll stop the battle. Now, are the both of you ready?" Ritchie explained, questioning the both of them. 

"Of course! Just so you know, new guy, I don't go easy on new guys!" Maya said, her fists flaring back up. Mikee was deep in thought for a second and then glared back at her. 

"Fine, I won't hold anything back!" Mikee declared back. 

The group of three watched as Ritchie was preparing the battlefield they were fighting on. The one paying the most attention to this battle was Kari. This tradition they had was important for them, especially her. In these matches, she measures the strength of the two fighters by using her special ability to read their energies. For sure, Mikee was a Light element, just like she was, but his power level matched against Maya's. Things seemed to be even. 

It began with Maya yelling out and held her palm back. A red flash appeared and an orange fireball was created. She threw this fireball at Mikee, who merely stepped out of the way. He didn't hear Maya rush in at him and swing her fist, in which he grabbed and pushed her back. Both of them entered a close-combat until Mikee slammed her back with his palms. She was sent back with enough force to begin skidding back.

Damn, that one hurt. He must be good at fighting up close. Perfect, my type of fighter! Maya thought and clenched her fists, both becoming engulfed in flames. Mikee wasn't surprised at this as the Fire Warrior rushed at him once again, but this time, her swings were missing. Mikee was avoiding them, almost flawlessly. After a couple more, he jumped back as Maya took a short break, her flames still burning. As the both of them glared at each other once more, they took off running. Maya tried to pepper Mikee with fireballs, but he was deflecting all the fire and responded while jumping in her way and slamming her hard with his palms. Continuing on with his assault, he continued to slam harder and faster until he finished it with a close-ranged blast, sending her sprawling away. She slammed on the ground to slow down her fall. It was close, but Maya managed to stop in time. 

"Damn, he's strong for sure! He's handling Maya as if she was completely nothing!" Ritchie exclaimed, amazed at this newfound warrior. Dawn was watching with amazement and even admiration. This guy was new, and yet he was surpassing one of the strongest people on their team. Kari focused on this as Maya stumbled back up. 

"Damn, you're not bad, hell, you're good. I've underestimated you for sure." Maya told Mikee, getting ready for the next attack. Mikee wasn't moved at her words as she began to glow. It was fiery red, and her eyes were the same color. Kari took notice of this. 

Maya was about to use a Signature Move. These techniques were known and very crucial for every fighter in S.O.G. This was their strongest move in their arsenal, and every fighter had one. Maya's flames burned out of her body and completely engulfed the warrior, creating an all-body cloak. Her eyes were still red, and her energy burned brightly. Mikee took a defensive stance, but he was hiding the faintest of smirks. Challenges like this were worthwhile to him. 

"Let's go! Burning Blaze!" Maya yelled and dashed straight at Mikee, leaving a trail of fire. He guarded as she rammed straight into him, tearing him through rocks and hills. She proceeded to pound onto him at an amazing speed and finished it with a double-kick. This sent Mikee through more rocks and into a hill, which nearly exploded with force. Smoke covered the entire hill from the fire that she left behind as Maya powered down from exhaustion. She collapsed down to one knee, but Maya was sastified with her accomplishment. 

"Heh, that was easy. Guess you couldn't take that, huh?" Maya said between breaths. Using Burning Blaze wore her out quickly. Ritchie and Dawn sat back, surprised at this match's outcome. It was until a light was beginning to shine from the cracks of the smoke. A force was exerting and clearing the smoke, making it clear. 

"What the hell?!" Maya yelled, guarding and holding her ground from the shockwaves. The hill exploded in energy as Mikee stood there, injured from Maya's attack, but furious. His arms were covered in a neon-blue marking, covering his arms, chest, and legs. All their eyes widen as he took an offensive stance this time. 

"Aeros Dash!" Mikee declared as he vanished in a mere instant, slamming Maya at a very fast speed. It was fast enough to not be seen by anyone. After his combo, Mikee appeared in front of Maya, as the impacts hit hard, slamming her around the air and finished up with the warrior being slammed into the ground. The female Fire Warrior was out cold from that as Mikee's signs powered down. He didn't fall to one knee, but he held his left arm. It was crackling with residual energy. Kari, Dawn, and Ritchie all rushed to them, only the mechanic pushed in a hovering stretcher. As they helped Maya out, Mikee left from all the commotion, almost ignoring them and still holding his arm.

The Light Warrior stood up at the rooftop of A12's establishment, staring into the sky. His arm stung from him using too much energy and from Maya's attack. His Aeros Dash was unique to him only. Mikee channels internal energy throughout his body evenly during fights, but when using his Aeros Dash, he can focus on attack and speed, but this left him wide open if he were to get hit. Also, while in an Aeros Dash, he cannot fire off beams. Opening a point would flush out all his energy instantly. During the fight, he accidently put too much into his left arm, overloading it slightly. 

"Maya's condition is not serious. She will recover within the night." A medic robot told Kari and Ritchie as they were waiting for her news. The leader sighed in relief as Ritchie stood up. 

"What about the battle analytics? How strong is this Mikee? That guy just withstood Maya's complete onslaught and walked away!" Ritchie reminded, remembering his strength. The medic robot made some bleeping sounds as it nodded. It went to the near-by monitors as it displayed the match. It was all recorded as data from both Smashers was displayed. Their energy levels, the amount of damage both took, and all their movements were taken in and calculated. Ritchie searched through this data as Kari looked in the infirmary room at Maya. She was still out cold, but breathing at least. She had an angry expression on her face, still remembering the fight Mikee won. 

"Hey, where'd Dawn go?" Ritchie asked. 

Mikee closed his eyes and felt another power appear, but this one was weaker than the others. He assumed it was the Ritchie member, but whoever it was hung around the trees. Something called him to check it out as he leaped over to the tops of the trees, where he looked into a forest clearing. It was full of grass and Dawn was swinging her fists around, fired off a couple of quick kicks, but they were easy to predict. It seems like she was training with close combat. Mikee was going to turn away and get back to the base, but something compelled him to observe. She tried to kick the air, but Dawn turned a bit too fast and fell backward, falling on her butt. With that, she looked up and saw Mikee from the tops of the trees. Red with embarrassment, Dawn looked down to the grass as the Light Warrior jumped down, landing softly.

"H-how long were you watching?" Dawn asked, getting back up, dusting off her skirt.

"I was there for only a minute or so. I came here after sensing you." Mikee said, looking at the clearing. Dawn noticed and smiled a bit, her face still flushed with embarrassment. 

"I come here to train by myself. I'd train at the room you fought in earlier, but I prefer real things, not computer generated." Dawn said, going to one of the trees. She felt its rough bark and looked up at the swaying leaves. "This little area is where I spend most of my time when we're not on a mission. The others know about it, but they don't come. Kari is too busy with making sure the base is kept clean and that everyone is all right. Ritchie is always in the garage either fixing things or working on his project. Maya is usually training in the Simulator Room, always trying to make herself stronger to face against Team B14." Dawn explained to Mikee, who was listening. 

"And, what about you, Dawn? Aren't you training against that team?" Mikee asked. That was when she sighed and looked down to the roots of the tree. 

"I'm not strong enough. I'm not much of a fighter. I don't compare in strength to Maya or Kari. So, I train on my own, but it doesn't seem to be enough." She told him. 

"Well, if you're not a fighter, then why join A12?" Mikee asked, wondering about that, if Dawn's story held true. 

"It's because…I want to help people, and joining the S.O.G was my best chance." She said and shook her head. She was already telling him a lot, and this was their first meeting. She laughed a bit after it, making Mikee have a confused look. 

"It's…kind of silly coming from me, huh? I don't compare to you in strength though. You'd probably beat me in a minute or less." She told him, laughing a bit. Mikee shook his head and turned around. 

"Strength isn't everything in a fight, you know. It's all about knowing what to do in certain situations. Just like everything has their strength, it has its crucial weaknesses. When you exploit that weakness, the opponent will fall apart." He told her, looking towards the base. 

"So, you're an Aeros, a warrior, AND a philosopher. Is there anything you're not good at?" Dawn asked, giggling. Mikee stopped and looked back to her. Dawn smiled back, slightly embarrassed at what she just said to him. Mikee thought about his answer, standing there and feeling the slight breeze. He turned around again and headed in, not saying anything else. She was a nice girl at least. Dawn didn't treat him like someone extremely different from the other fighters. It would be interesting to see how good at fighting she really was. As he walked into the base through the doors, he heard Dawn run to him. 

"W-well, do you know where you're going? I can show you around the base if you like." Dawn offered. Mikee thought about it for a moment, still not knowing much about the base itself. He just got into a fight with Maya, and that was pretty much it for him. 

"Sure, I'll take you up on that." Mikee replied, not noticing that he was smiling. Dawn smiled back and led him down the halls. They soon passed the infirmary, where Kari came out and saw them coming.

"Dawn, there you are! We've been looking for you! Where have you been?" Kari asked her. 

"I've just been at my usual place training. How's Maya doing?" Dawn asked. 

"She'll be fine." Kari answered, looking to Mikee. "You really put her down with your signature move. What was that?" The leader asked him. That was when his right arm crackled with residual energy. Both women looked at it as he held onto it. 

"My signature move is the Aeros Dash. I channel all my energy from all parts of my body to only my feet and fists, where my speed and strength is multiplied five times over. The only backlash is that I can't fire any energy or else all my power will flood out in a blast and I'll be wiped out and weakened, and if I overload my body with too much…" Mikee said as his arm crackled again, "This happens."

"So, it's an Aeros-only technique. I gotta say though, I'm glad we have you on our side. See, about every other month, the entire organization has a Tourney, where the different teams compete against each other in matches for fame, higher pay rates, and better missions for us to do. If we get enough fame or win a couple of Tourneys, we can get promoted to the Elite Ranks. It's a pretty cool system, but it's tough. There are so many other stronger teams, and we're not exactly top ranks either. See, we're kind of at the bottom of the rankings." Kari told him as the both of them went over to a cafeteria. The food there was already cooked, and prepared by machines. She brought the three of them burgers, 

"It explains why that Corina woman is always trying to attack your base. Let me guess, she's one of the tops." Mikee asked. Kari nodded and looked at the table.

"It was because of me. The recent Tourney we've had was a big one for us. We were among some of the tops until we battled against her team, and we won, but in order to try and show off to her face, I risked our win on our battle, and she overpowered me quickly. We lost and came all the way down the ranks while she went up." Kari told him, depression present in her voice. 

"Kari, it wasn't your fault. You couldn't help it at the time either." Dawn reassured her leader and friend. 

"It was. I could have just said no, but I still went through with it because I wanted to show Aaron I'm no longer just his little sister, but then it just went downhill from there and I ended up disappointing him and everyone else." Kari told her. Mikee just sat there, listening for a bit. "But, that just makes me happy. If you survived and really beat Corina up, then we might have a chance this." Kari said, sounding confident in her faith. Mikee just showed a slight smile from this statement. They were really depending on him to do this.

-----------------------------------------

Izzy was in a darkly lit room pulling up different hologram monitors. They were profiles on the different soldiers of the S.O.G that were within his control. His screen was focused on the small outpost of A12 on the new profile created on Michael Aeros. It read clearly that his element was light, and that current recorded power level was at 10,200. It was matching Kari's power level, which was exactly at 10,150. All other record on him was still a mystery. He lied back on his chair, figuring things out. Only one report was written about him, and that was that he crashed from the atmosphere with severe injuries not to mention DarkTech Hunters straight after him. 

Something about Mikee was special, and he wanted to know more. 

"Izzy, we found something you might want to see. It's about the Eon Project, and we found something deep in Reind." Aaron's voice spoke through a communication's channel. Izzy looked to it as it seemed to be on the background some dark ruins. Elite Troopers were patrolling with lights and weapons as Isaac and Varil were leading the groups. 

"I will be there shortly. ETA is five minutes." Izzy said as the screens closed down on him. An entire section of the wall opened up as he charged up a green sort of energy and launched straight out of the building. After taking to the sky, he bolted straight into the distance, to where he was needed.

3: #3 Low Rank Respect

MESSAGE RECEIVED. Mission #A3YY67. A DARKTECH Outpost has been discovered a few miles from your outpost. Your mission, Team A12, is to investigate and pull back once you retrieve their data on their objectives. This is a Rank 10* Mission. Only objectives are to investigate and observe, then pull back and report to the H.Q.

(Side Note: *Missions are in ranks from 10 being the lowest to 1 being the highest. The higher the ranking, the more dangerous it is.)

This message was flashing on Kari’s monitor in her room as a new morning rose for her, getting up in an evening gown as she rubbed her eyes. The message was a hologram blinking with a simple beep noise. A sigh escaped her lips as she used her hand and pushed on the message. Two other holograms appeared which were buttons that clearly displayed, “ACCEPT” and “DECLINE”. She shook her head and pushed the accept option as the message vanished. A new mission, we finally got one, the day after we got Aeros… At least we can see what he can do. Kari positively thought as she went to her closet, changing into her usual clothes of: a sleeveless pink top, beige shorts, but didn’t wear her weapon gloves. It was morning still. Their mission could wait a little longer.

There was a couple knocks on her door as Ritchie’s voice came up. “Kari, we got a mission?” He asked. She knew from the garage, he also got the missions too, mainly the details once she accepted them. He could make more use of it than she can. It was mainly details such as floor plans, number of possible soldiers and other information. “Yeah, I got it first thing as I woke up,” She said as she opened the door, seeing Ritchie’s concentrated face, “I figured we could use a new mission.” She said as the both of them were going down the hallways. Ritchie had a pad in his hand as he was more focused on that than Kari. “Well, lucky us, it’s just a scouting mission. It’ll be easy enough for you and Dawn to handle. All we have to do is see what DarkTech is up to. Too bad it isn’t a clearing mission. Could have liked to see the new guy in action.” Ritchie admitted, pulling up data on his pad, which came out as little holograms. 

“I know, but those missions are still a bit higher up than we are. Besides, I’m hoping this mission doesn’t end up like last time.” The leader reminded Ritchie, her expression sort of cross. 

“Oh, you mean where Dawn and that Ryko guy were sent to infiltrate the base outside Lacruz city? Geez, that mission was screwy because of Ryko not obeying orders and leaving Dawn stuck in the air vents. Poor girl, I’d be claustrophobic too if it wasn’t for you and Maya cleaning up.” Ritchie said, reminding himself of what happened. He was the one who wrote the reports up. Their mission in the end was a success, but Ryko was knocked out by DarkTech troops. The both of them went to their main computer as Ritchie pulled up more data. 

“Well, before we head off for this mission, we need to put in a request for Headquarters to send us a supply drop. We’re low on gas for the vehicles and other stuff too.” Ritchie stated, which made Kari flinch a bit as a look of worry came across her face. “Go to Headquarters? We really have to?” She asked. 

“Yeah, we have to. The vehicles we have won’t be able to make it to our destination if we don’t, and unless you know how to fly, we can’t get to the area.” Ritchie told her. She looked unsure at his suggestion as he shrugged. Out of the team, only Mikee and Maya could fly, but Maya uses her fire as her source. She couldn’t even leave bed yet from yesterday’s battle. 

“Hey, we can at least send Dawn and Mikee. She could at least show him around Headquarters. We can stay here and get things ready when the drop comes.” He asked, getting her thinking. 

In only a short time over the span of half an hour, Mikee and Dawn were already heading for the HQ, only they were walking just like Mikee did. Dawn seemed a little tired, letting out a yawn as she went with the uniform of their base. She wore a black collared shirt that had the SOG logo of three triangles forming a herald with the letters S, O, and G in the three triangles while in the middle of it had their base name, A12. Along with the shirt, she wore slim black pants as well, which looked kind of tight on her, but she didn’t seem to mind as her blue hair was still reaching down her shoulders not in any sort of knots or ponytails. She seemed happy at least despite waking up not even half an hour ago. As for Mikee, he was already up at the time. He had this habit of standing up and watching sunrises. 

“So, what are we doing again?” Mikee had to ask, looking around as his senses were up. Last time he walked down this path, he was ambushed by Corina’s team. Even though he beat them successfully, they could ambush Dawn. “We’re going to Headquarters and requesting a Supply Drop so we could do this mission. I don’t know what it is, but it’s something at least. We haven’t done a mission since…the last one.” Dawn told Mikee, her face turning a bit red. 

“Wait, why couldn’t you guys just send a message to the HQ? Wouldn’t that save a lot more time than just walking back and forth?” Mikee asked. 

“Well, we don’t use messages. Sure, it would be super convenient, but DarkTech started to intercept our messages and destroy our ships. Izzy really took it up a step for teams to come in and personally request the supplies. Besides, it gives us a reason to check in at HQ and see if there are any open missions. The more missions we accomplish, the more money we get and our rank goes up.” Dawn explained, beaming at the idea. That was what threw Mikee off a bit. “Wait, so you do these missions for spending?” Mikee asked, sounding confused. Dawn did a little spin and a giggle, still happy. “No, I like doing missions because it lets us work together and help out the SOG more.” She told him. 

“You always want people to work together.” Mikee commented, looking at her as she stopped and walked alongside him. 

“Of course! You can’t always do everything by yourself. When you have a team behind you, there’s nothing you can’t accomplish!” She told him with confidence in her voice. This sort of surprised Mikee as he had a slight smirk on his face. Dawn seemed to be a really nice girl. Sure, a little frail here and there, but at the very least, she didn’t treat him any different than the others. Kari, Maya, and even Ritchie seemed to back away from him since the fight against Maya. He hasn’t really spoken with them either. He was only connecting with Dawn here. 

“I…uh…want to ask a question first.” Dawn asked, blushing a bit as Mikee looked to the Dark fighter. She cleared her throat and looked to him. “Um…the Aeros Clan was thought to be wiped out, from what I heard. T-There was some sort of event that cleared the planet, but how…how does it explain you?” She asked, messing up on her words. 

“That’s a story for another day. Besides, we’re here.” Mikee told her and looked ahead. The Headquarters was in front of them, only it was a different scene this time. Ships were flying in and out of the gigantic base as ground troops were performing daily exercises and training sessions. His eyes also saw people in the same uniform as Dawn coming in and out, some even flying themselves. It truly was a busy place. Dawn’s face brightened this time as she took Mikee’s wrist to lead him. “Come on, I’ll show you around!” She told him and literally pulled the Light Warrior inside past guards. What the both of them saw on the inside was bustling with crowds of people. Soldiers and people were all moving around and chatting with each other. Her grip tightened on his wrist as Dawn pushed past the crowds gently saying “Excuse me,” or “Pardon us.” 

“Hey look, it’s Team A12. What are they doing here?” A group pointed out as some gazes became glares and centered on the pair. Mikee instantly felt the pressure and the intense dislike. “This place is for successful teams, not a bunch of idiots!” “Go back to your worthless base you waste of time!” Numerous insults were yelled as they were walking by, Dawn looking quite surprised, her once cheery mood now becoming quite nervous and down. Someone stepped in Dawn’s way as she bumped into them, falling into Mikee’s arms as three girls blocked her way. They all had the same uniform as she did, but they were green, blue and black. The nameplate on their chests was G31 and their names were Rose, Zach, and Dana respectively. Rose seemed to be the leader in looks and stature, having long brown hair and hazel eyes. Zach had short black hair and blue eyes while Dana had black hair as well, only it was mid-length and black eyes. “Oh look, girls, its Team A12’s failure, and the girl who doesn’t fight.” Rose told them, sounding really arrogant as her sneer was at Dawn. The other two laughed a bit as Dawn turned away, looking at Mikee’s chest. 

“Who the hell do you think you are?” Mikee told them back, getting in front of Dawn in defense, surprising the insulted Dark warrior. 

“Oh, look at this one! What a cutie! He’s better looking than Ryko at least.” Dana said as the three soldiers surrounded him, making Dawn seem inferior and out of the group as the crowd was starting to look at the commotion. They were all backing up, giving the teams some space. The three girls were looking at him flirt-like, their legs bent a bit and showing their curves to him, who didn’t look affected. 

“We’re Team G31, an all-female squad. We’re among the tops, unlike that Dark trash.” The woman called Zach said, giving Dawn a glare. Mikee noticed this as his fists clenched tightly. Rose put a hand on his chest in an attempt to seduce him. “You know…we can make an exception for someone of your looks.” Rose whispered to him, but she yelled as Mikee’s hand was on her wrist and he was holding tightly. 

“Not interested.” He said as she was trying to pull away, but he was quite strong. He even stood there, glaring right at her. “I’m not afraid to hit women. If you have a problem, you can take it up with me.” He told her in a dark voice as Rose broke free from him letting go. Looks of fright came from Dana and Zach as they backed up, Rose holding her wrist. 

Among the upper floor, Varil and Aaron were overlooking the scene before them. It wasn’t rare to see quarrels like this, especially from G31, but this involved the new guy. 

“Hey,” Varil asked, elbowing Aaron’s arm slightly, “I’ll put my money on the new guy. He’s either got guts to scare G31 or might be gay to not fall for them.”

“Varil, no. We don’t bet on the rookies. We’re SOG Elites, learn to grow up.” Aaron scolded him and looked back down to the scene. Even though he hid it, he would have to put money on this Mikee character. His fierce eyes told it all, his stance and his fists. He was a fighter for sure. Varil scoffed and looked back to the scene. “I’ll put my money on the women. They may be pretty to look at, but they’re highly underrated. It goes without saying, ‘Every Rose has its thorn.’” Isaac told them, coming to Aaron’s side to look at the scene himself. He wasn’t as interested as Varil and Aaron were. This was just simple entertainment for the Thunder Elite. 

Rose scornfully looked at Mikee as she held her wrist. A grin came across her face. “So, tough guy huh? Heh, if you have the guts to punch girls, how about a match? You fight me, if you’re man enough to punch a lady.” Rose said, putting a hand on her hip and looking right at him. As she said this, the entire room fell silent. Mikee lifted his fists to his chest as he cracked his knuckles, which were loud cracks as a smirk came across his face. 

“Fine by me.” He answered as the crowd watching cheered and roared out different comments. “Yeah, kick his ass Rose!” “Destroy this prick!” Rose mentioned to Mikee to follow her as he did so, the crowd and Dawn following right behind him. 

“Hey, Kari, you’re not going to believe this…” Ritchie called out to Kari back at their base as he was looking at a couple of holograms. The mention of her name got the leader running to him. The mechanic pointed at a current feed hologram as she saw a camera zoom in on a fighting field with Mikee and the leader of G31, Rose about to face off. A crowd watched from bleachers along with a frightened Dawn. What the hell is he doing?! Kari thought as she had to see this fight for herself. 

Rose made a battle stance, her left leg in front of her right as her arms were straight down, a green glow appearing on her eyes. He looked determined and interested as she looked like she knew how to fight at least. “Ladies first.” Mikee told his opponent as he stood forward, expecting anything from her. 

“All right, let’s see what this new guy can do!” Rose yelled as she lifted her palms up. Before he could even react, thick green vines rose up straight from the ground, whipping around as if they were alive and whipping for Mikee, who started dashing. Heh, a Grass user huh? Mikee thought as he avoided the first swing of vines by sliding on the ground, and jumping back from the vines hitting the ground in front of him. They lifted up and headed for him again as he got moving pretty fast. A manipulator too, using energy created vines. This is going to be quite interesting. Mikee thought again as he still moved, avoiding her swings. She did stay still as her focus was on him. She has to maintain a focus on me for her attack to work. Bad flaw though. He thought as he rushed for her. 

“Damn, he’s quick. I’m going to have to step it up!” Rose told herself as more vines broke from the ground in front of Mikee, attempting to block him. The Light Warrior’s fist glowed white as he fired his fist, tearing through the vines easily as he headed right for her. She kept trying to raise more vines, but he kept tearing right through, not even slowing him down. The crowd watched as he was right up there in her face. “Take this!” Mikee yelled and punched Rose right in the face, across the left cheek. She yelled out as Rose fell back, sliding on the ground from the force as Mikee’s fist stopped glowing. The crowd gasped as Rose didn’t move from the punch as the vines died down. Mikee sighed as his glance became a concentrated stare as Rose’s body wilted away into nothing but broken leaves. The hell? A clone? Mikee thought as a giant red rose burst from the ground away from him. Two smaller buds rose up attached to vines as they waved around, pointing right at Mikee. 

“This new guy is fast, but he’s going to need more than speed to beat our leader. Rose is a Grass user who’s able to not only use her own energy to make plants grow, but she can create plants out of her internal energy.” Zach said as a sweat drop came down the side of her face. She may have that ability, but this guy is pretty fast. Considering how strong he was, he’s going to be quite a challenge for her. She thought. The rose bloomed as she stood there, her eyes glowing pure green. The smaller buds opened up as Mikee guarded, the petals being fired right at him. The petals glowed green and struck at the Light Warrior rapidly. As he guarded, the Grass Warrior jumped out of the bud, holding in her left hand a staff made of roses as its base and a red rose at the tip. It glowed and became a long vine as she swung it at Mikee, who couldn’t see it as it wrapped him around his arms. With a smirk, she lifted the fighter off the ground, right over herself and slammed his body into the ground as the vine retracted and became her staff again. Mikee was face-first into the ground as he got up, his arms slightly scabbed from the vine. “This is my Thorn Staff. It’s my special weapon, which makes it easier for me to really attack people with. It helps me channel more energy into my attacks, like this!” Rose said as she struck the staff into the ground. As she did, other rose buds were being created, but they weren’t aimed at Mikee. Instead, they opened up to reveal green glowing people, Rose to be exact. “Let’s see if you can beat me outnumbered!” Rose declared as Mikee looked at all of them around him. He was counting about ten, maybe fifteen clones as the real Rose was still standing away, holding the glowing staff. This Grass user is creative, I’ll give her that much, but she talks too much. She’s also standing still as these clones are about to move. Assuming her recent attacks, Rose here needs to keep a constant focus on me. I can probably use my Shine Beam, but her clones are probably useful against ranged attacks. Guess I have to resort to that, huh? Mikee thought as clashed his fists together. Dawn’s eyes widened as Mikee’s arms were beginning to glow. He was using that Aeros Dash technique, the same he did to Maya, but he wasn’t glowing for a signature move. Rose looked intrigued as the clones moved in, their arms becoming vines as Mikee fully charged up. All the clones around him threw a vine in to hit him with.

“Enough!” Someone yelled as a powerful thunderbolt cracked onto the battlefield, breaking the ground and stopping both their attacks. Isaac floated down, cracking with yellow electricity all over his body as Rose’s clones faded away. Mikee’s arms had the white markings as they faded as well. “All right, break it up,” Aaron said as he jumped onto the battlefield as well. Dawn jumped over the railing as she ran over to Mikee, seeing his arms slightly bleeding a bit from Rose’s vines as the Grass fighter glared over to the both of them. Her team ran to her too as she swung the staff. “Why’d you break up the fight?! I was about to beat him!” Rose demanded to the Elites. 

“Your little tussle is holding up their mission. You need to get back to your mission and go guard Light City.” Isaac told the women as the crowd broke up. Among that crowd that no one saw was Corina as she snuck with the crowd. Rose scoffed as her staff vanished. Giving one last glare to Mikee and Dawn, she left with her team out of the room. Now the Thunder Elite looked to Mikee, as if he did something wrong. “Look, new guy, you can’t go around picking fights. It makes you look like an idiot.” He told him. 

“She insulted my friend, you think I’m going to take that?! I had no choice but to fight!” Mikee answered back sounding angry with the Elite. His fists clenched again as Isaac saw this. A smirk came across his face this time as he turned to face Mikee completely. “Here’s some advice for you, rookie: Shove that pride down your throat. Almost every team has the right to disrespect you and your team, regardless of what clan you come from. Until your team redeems itself in the upcoming tourney, then you can go pick fights but now, shut up and move on.” He told Mikee harshly as the Light Warrior’s fists glowed white. Dawn looked nervously at Mikee as his energy spiked a bit. “M-Mikee….don’t do it.” She whispered to Mikee, who did look pissed as he gritted his teeth. Isaac still had his stance, as if he was waiting for the fighter to make a move. 

“Go ahead, try it.” Isaac threatened. Dawn didn’t even catch Mikee’s lunge at Isaac, him yelling out as he swung his fist and held it to Isaac’s face, just a foot away. Aaron saw his movement, but he shook his head as Isaac had a palm to Mikee’s chest. The Light Warrior looked shocked as he looked to the confident Thunder Warrior. “Funny thing about the Thunder element. Our energy attacks are among the fastest in the universe. One blast at this range and it will leave anything stunned, even the Earth users. From here, I can follow up with lightning fast attacks and leave you unconscious so your girlfriend there can drag you back to A12. So, like I said,” Isaac explained as he leaned in close to Mikee’s ear as he didn’t move, “Go ahead. Try me.”

It was dead silent as Mikee pulled back, the light dimming down as he backed down. Isaac scoffed and turned away as Aaron looked at the Light warrior, his teeth gritted still and his fists shaking as the Fire user left with his friend. Mikee stood there defeated as his glare went to the ground. Dawn looked nervous as her hands fidgeted around, surprised at his power, but even his attack was predicted by Isaac, the best Thunder user here. He was fast too, as she couldn’t see him move; all Dawn caught was him standing here one second and then the next he was in Isaac’s face. 

Damn, even that Isaac is faster than me. He predicted my movement and was able to counter it perfectly. Now I can see why Kari sent us to come to this place. Everyone here treats her team like assholes. I might have to go full out on this tourney. Who knows, maybe one day, I’ll face Isaac. Mikee thought as he noticed Dawn was there the whole time. He was so caught up in the fights that he forgot she was there with him. Her face was slightly blushing as she looked at Mikee’s arms. He looked to see that they were a bit deeper than he thought. His Aeros Dash charge made it a bit worse. 

“Um..h-here…” Dawn studdered as she moved forward to Mikee, her hands over his wounds. It stung slightly, but all of a sudden, it stopped hurting. Her hands were glowing darkly as it was closing up his wound as if nothing hit. His eyes widened a bit as Dawn pulled her hands away. He looked to her again. “You’re a Healer?” He asked as she looked to the ground. 

“Y-yeah, b-but it’s all I can really d-do. I…I can’t restore energy or heal internal injuries…but for cuts and b-burns…y-yeah…” Dawn said nervously as she pushed her blue hair back again. A smile came across his face as he realized that’s why she’s not a fighter. 

“That’s…pretty cool, actually. I never knew a healer before.” He said, sounding honest as Dawn’s face turned red, embarrassed by the compliment. She seemed to be ashamed of the healing abilities. “B-but it’s not that much, compared to the others. I still can’t fight like you guys, and I’m no good with the things Ritchie could do.” She started saying until Mikee laughed a little, which caused her to turn red still.

“Dawn, you need to start worrying so much. You just need to focus on what you can do best. Now, come on. Didn’t we need to do something?” Mikee asked her. As she thought of his question, her blush went away as she realized they were supposed to request a drop. Dawn was so caught up in the fight that she completely forgot why they were in HQ. It was weird though, he seemed to be someone she could trust, despite the gap in strength. You know, he’s kind of dense and stubborn, but at least he’s nice and not arrogant like Ryko. Dawn thought as she looked to him. As they were walking among the crowds, the other people were having a careful eye on them. Mikee glared right at them and they seemed to back off when they saw, but Dawn gave off a giggle. “Mikee, relax. You don’t have to beat everyone up. Once the tourney comes around, we can prove to everyone how strong we are. For now, we can just complete missions.” Dawn told him as they were heading past crowds. The giant room they were in seemed to be like a giant warehouse full of stands and people as the pair headed toward a corner stand. This stood out because of the multiple electronic boards full of team names and code names. Inside the stand though was a robot clerk, which seemed more robot than human with steel instead of flesh. Dawn went to talk with the robot as Mikee looked at the boards. Mainly, there were different letter combinations, some of the recognizable combos were G31 and B21. Ironically, they were among the top 15 teams, but there was a different list of people’s names. At the top of the list was Aaron’s name.

“Oh, you found the charts?” Dawn asked, popping out of nowhere as he jumped a bit. She was sort of sneaky and quiet. He looked to the boards again as she looked with him. “Yeah, I’m guessing the actual names are these Elite teams.” Mikee said as his eyes scanned for A12, which was near the dead bottom. Just two other teams were below A12: Teams Z10 and H88. He had no idea who they were, but they were just a reference. 

“Huh, Aaron’s team is still at the top of the Elites. Geez, they’re almost unbeatable. Then again, they wouldn’t be Elites for nothing.” Dawn remarked as they were heading out of the base, still passing onlookers. 

“Sounds strong. He’s the brown haired guy with that Isaac asshole, right?” Mikee asked, remembering him. Dawn nodded and let out a sigh, pushing her hair back again. “Strong doesn’t begin to describe those guys. Aaron is a Hakura, just like Kari. Only thing is, his weapon is the Blazing Sun, a huge two-handed blade that’s strong enough to cleave an entire battleship in two. His teammates are almost as strong as he is too. Varil is-“

“The Light and Dark guy, yeah. I’ve seen him.” Mikee answered, accidently interrupting her. 

“Right, but he fights hard. Sure, if you see him, he’s bound to slack off and have an easy time, but when things get serious, he gets scary. Sarah is their Water user and the best Healer SOG has. Finally, there’s Isaac, the guy that you almost punched. He’s the brute force of their team. His electric attacks are powerful enough to punch holes through entire mountains. They’re supposedly adding a new member to their team soon, but it’s a rumor. But together, Aaron, Varil, Sarah, and Isaac are SOG’s pride. No one has been able to beat them or even come close to.” Dawn described as they were leaving the HQ and going home, to their base. Mikee looked down to the ground as he was picturing their ‘power’ and how Isaac was able to stop his punch cold. These guys are way stronger than I am. Then again, I haven’t seen how well they do against me. Isaac only stopped me because I was angry. I want to see if he could beat me if I go full-out. Mikee thought as his fists clenched again and then unclenched. Dawn noticed his determination and smiled. It was only yesterday that he joined A12, and already it feels like he’s a real part of the team. There was something about him though as Dawn felt though. She couldn’t shake it off, but there was something…unique. 

At the entrance of their base, Kari stood there with her arms crossed and a fumed expression. As Mikee walked in, she started yelling, “Are you OUT OF YOUR FREAKING MIND?! Why did you get into a fight with G31’s leader, Rose!?” Kari yelled as Mikee stopped to look at her, Dawn sulked out of the way. She didn’t want to get in the way when Kari was mad. “Why didn’t you tell me your team was the lowest of the low, or tell me that a rank matters?!” Mikee yelled back, which seemed to back off Kari as she softened up a bit and looked to the floor. “Well…it’s because I knew it would happen. Maya and I went before the week after our tourney mess-up, and they insulted and tried to fight us.” Kari told him honestly, holding her arm in shame. Mikee softened up a bit too, seeing the hurt in her eyes. She knew she messed up, and her team was paying the price. 

“But,” Dawn added in Mikee’s defense, “Mikee was doing great! He made Rose resort to that staff of hers! If Isaac didn’t interrupt the fight, he would have won because of that Signature Move!” 

“I’ve heard. The match was broadcasted. Some of the soldiers were putting the fight on the mainframe for the other bases to see. That’s how I knew.” Kari said, still a bit down. Mikee looked down to the ground as well, feeling sorry for yelling himself. It seems the only way to bring the team up was this tourney. Before he could ask anything, Ritchie came into the main room. “All right, the Supply Drop is here. Kari, we’re ready for the mission.” The mechanic told the leader as he looked to the other two. 

It wasn’t long before the four of them were in the garage. The four of them were gathered around a table with a hologram on it. Ritchie cleared his throat as Kari looked to him. “Maya won’t be joining us this mission due to the bed rest she needs. Now, our mission is simple. There’s a DarkTech outpost right outside our city sector. It’s been receiving a lot of activity lately and it has Izzy’s attention. We’re only going to investigate and find out what they’re up to. No confrontations are needed, no destruction, just a simple recon. This is a very easy mission. Kari, mind explaining the plan?” Ritchie explained as Kari brought up the building’s hologram. It seemed to be a multitude of small buildings and a bigger building. The big building was zoomed in as Kari pointed around it. “Dawn and I will have to sneak in and do the recon ourselves, since we’re pretty quick and nimble. We simply can’t jump in through the wall surrounding the complex, so we’re going to have to use the suits and cloak ourselves. Ritchie found a lot of activity in the center of the main building, but there are no entry points around there, Dawn. We’re going to have to enter the top of the building and make our way down. Mikee, you’re going to have to come with us, in case something happens. Ritchie will provide constant tech support and watch the soldiers. Once we get in, Dawn will plug in a device that lets Ritchie hack and then we can head to the big room that all the soldiers gather in. That’s all we need to do for this mission. Everyone got it?” Kari asked. The group nodded, even Mikee who seemed sort of determined for this mission. He didn’t exactly know who this DarkTech was or what exactly they do, but it was a chance to find out. 

The group of four went over to the rest of the garage where a vehicle rested in front of a door. It was a box-shaped vehicle with hover pads underneath the box as it was also the size of a small school bus. “This is the Hovercraft 2000, or as I like to call, ‘The Box.’ We use it as our main method of transportation for missions against DarkTech. It has basic stealth capabilities and I can add weapons based on the mission. I already made the adjustments when you and Dawn were at Headquarters. It’s simple enough, I’ll be operating from in here while the three of you enter the base. If you need help, you just radio me with these.” Ritchie said as he pulled from his right pocket several blue earpieces. They were pretty small, but able to be used at least. It only had a button on the side, possibly for communication. Kari nodded as she looked to Dawn, and then to Mikee. “Come on, we need to change for the mission. Once we’re done, the mission can begin.” Kari said as she and Dawn left to go into the base. Mikee watched them leave as Ritchie went to the vehicle. They were all unaware of the difficulty of the mission at hand.

4: #4 A Titan Battle!

S.O.G Beginnings #4

A Titan Battle!

______

“Anything on your end, Gamma 426?” A voice on a communicator asked as a blue alien trooper was standing on an outpost at the corner of the wall at their base. The alien sighed as it looked to the complex inside the walls. Today, their project was nearing completion and it was for testing soon, but keeping watch was possibly the worst way to celebrate a DarkTech success. “426? Report.” The voice asked again as the mentioned alien grabbed his communicator. It was the squad leader, an Alpha with the numbers 712. “No, nothing 712. No movement, no vehicles, it’s completely quiet.” It responded, sounding really bored. Out of all the things to be, and it had to be a Gamma trooper.

 

“Keep your sentry duty up, 426. Today is a glorious day, and if those damned SOG soldiers ruin the testing, then the Omega will not be pleased with our work. If this goes without any interruptions, then the war will finally be in our favor.” The Alpha reported as it stood in the massive foyer. Robot sentries were patrolling around as well with lights and miniguns as a separate arm. Other DarkTech troops were walking along their walls, making the fortress near impossible to break into.

______

“Gamma class soldiers are soldiers who were given the role of highly advanced weaponry and are also commonly used as sentries. Their normal color scheme is green and is commonly found wielding long ranged weapons or entering battle using robotic power suits. Beta class soldiers are physical based soldiers who do not need a weapon. Instead, their brute strength is very impressive with the power to punch away ships and even deflect some energy attacks. As well as their brute strength, they are very bulky and have high endurance. Their color class is blue. Alpha class soldiers are typically the leader of squads. Unlike Betas or Gammas, these Alphas are the pinnacle of their ranks as they are infused with one of the eight elements and have good control over said element. They specialize in close and mid-range combat and have very intelligent battle tactics. This class color is red. For their automated soldiers, most bases carry Patrols and Seekers. Patrols are human sized machines with a minigun for an arm and a hand in the other primarily for taking prisoners and/or activating doors. Their sentry range can sense anything within a 180 degree radius of where they are looking as well as different types can have different weapon attachments. Seekers are four legged sentry bots that guard the inside of the base. Their main build includes two small turrets on the back, 360 degree rotation for combat, and grapple hooks with taser attachments to capture any weak stragglers.” Mikee was reading up using one of the pads Ritchie always used. This pad contained all the notes Ritchie took on the enemies he’s seen so far, and they were very well detailed. They were drawn out as well, detailing what the different class types had and what Patrols and Seekers looked like. He was sitting in the Hovercraft along with Kari and Dawn, who were all dressed for the mission. Mikee was too, having to wear a black slim suit fit just for him as well as the girls. It wasn’t much, but Ritchie said it was for stealth. Mikee had to admit though in his thoughts that it looked tight on the two girls, especially around the hips area. It didn’t matter to him much, as this was his first mission.

 

“Okay, we’re here.” Ritchie said as the Hovercraft came to a slow stop. The three of them got up and looked out the opening doors as they were in the mountain areas. There were a lot of hills and their objective was in the distance. The complex they were infiltrating was a lot bigger than it was on the hologram. It was all on the base of a tall, craggy mountain. The breeze from the mountains felt great though, but foreboding at the same time. There were a lot of soldiers as the mission told.

 

“This is as far as I’ll go before the Gamma sentries detect me. Dawn, you have the device?” Ritchie asked as he got up from the pilot seat. Dawn nodded as she took out a small white device. He nodded as he pulled up a huge hologram of the base inside the Hovercraft. Multiple red dots were everywhere.

 

“Come on team, let’s go!” Kari said as she started dashing, which was pretty quick. Dawn started running too as Mikee joined them as the three of them ran around the hill as they kept their cover. For them, they were running fast as Mikee had to keep up. The group stopped as the base was in front of them. Guards were indeed patrolling around, robot and alien alike. A beep came from their communicators as Ritchie started speaking. “Okay, there’s a bit of a weak point in the rear of the complex, but the only problem is that it’s imbedded with the mountain. It won’t be easy to sneak in, unless you want to get down and dirty and start crawling through the vents again.” Ritchie said as Dawn flinched at the mention of vents.

 

“We just need to take out the sentry posts, it’s simple as that.” Kari said as she looked at the four corners of the wall. Looking back and forth, she was thinking of something as she clashed her palms together. “Okay, here’s the plan. We need to knock out at the very least the three sentries closest to the entry point. Once we take out the three posts, Mikee, I need you to take out the fourth post while Dawn and I get in. Try to avoid all detection, all right?” Kari asked him. Mikee nodded as he left them. Dawn nodded and she went for another post while Kari left for her own. She went to the closest post to her as the posts were wide-open and had a Gamma standing there. This alien held a long barrel rifle which was meant for long distance firing and it also had a scope attached. She hung right below the edge as she crafted a white staff by slamming her palms together and separating them quickly as it gave off a slight flash. The Gamma that stood on the outpost saw it as Kari lunged up an over, swinging and connecting with the alien’s neck which rendered it unconscious. The Hakura put the staff away and hid as she saw a black flash from the outpost Dawn was at. She succeeded in taking out that Gamma. The Dark user looked to Kari and nodded as Mikee took out the third post. She felt his energy flash for a second as he looked to the leader and gave her a nod as he looked to the final post. Both Kari and Dawn ran to each other along the wall quickly enough to meet up at the vent inside the big square building. Kari made a sword and pried open the square vent, which just seemed to lead down to nothing but darkness. Dawn seemed a bit anxious as both of them looked down it. Her hands were fidgeting a bit and she looked reluctant to jump in.

 

“Hey, it’ll be all right.” Kari reassured her as she touched her communicator. It beeped as she whispered, “Okay Ritchie, where do we go once we go down this shaft?”

 

“Kari, you might want to be careful when going down there. There are a handful of Patrols hanging around that area. They seem to have a pattern, but I don’t think you can avoid it. We can’t take out the Patrols either. They sent a ding to the security systems when they are functional. If one goes down, then the rest will be alerted. But, there seems to be a vent system leading away from them, but it’s a bit out of the way. It's kind of funny, they have most of our usual entry points guarded with Patrols.” Richard reported as he was still in the vehicle, handling the hologram like if he was the creator of it, zooming onto specified areas.

 

“T-the mission did say that we were to investigate. I-if we cause a commotion, then it’d be difficult.” Dawn added in, looking back as Mikee took out the last outpost.

 

“It’s odd though, there are a couple of Patrols, but I haven’t seen any Seekers yet. The main body of guards is actually Gammas, and they are all focused on a bigger room near the basement. Anyway, first and foremost, Dawn needs to get me to a computer and I can get into their systems and find out what they’re up to. It looks like you girls need to cloak.” Ritchie said as they looked to each other.

 

“All right, we’re going in then. Once we find that computer, we’re going to that room. Ritchie, be ready to direct us once we do.” Kari told him as she pressed something on her right wrist. Dawn did the same as both of them started to fade out. Mikee saw this from a distance as both girls were completely gone, but there was a slight shimmer, or an outline of them. It was barely visible. “Mikee,” Ritchie started talking on his communicator as the shimmers of Kari and Dawn jumped down the vent, “I need you to activate the cloaking function on your suit as well. The trigger is on your right hand and you need to put two fingers to turn it on. When it does, the suit projects a sort of shielding that bends the light around you to make you seem invisible. The only downside is that there’s about five minutes of power in these suits. Once it runs out, you can’t use it. That’s why we need to be quick about this. I need you to follow those two’s path.” Ritchie explained as Mikee ran ahead to the vent, activating it.

 

“All right, but how am I supposed to see them? They’re invisible.” Mikee told him as he jumped down the vent, slowing himself down with his hands and feet. His question was answered as the area around him had a slight blue hue to it. Below him, two red figures were going down the vent as well, this being Kari and Dawn.  “Easy, the cloak suits identify other suits of ours. Now, just follow them and don’t get caught. It’s simple. I’ll be directing the girls, so don’t worry about listening to me for long.” Ritchie said as he turned off the communication. He was fast along with the others as they were going along the walls and avoiding the troopers. To be quite honest, this part of the mission wasn’t as tough as he expected. Just as long as things didn’t involve fights or anything, then he didn’t have to fight. The more he fought, the more his true power could come out, and that was the last thing he wanted to do.

______

Meanwhile, back at HQ, Aaron looked at the mission boards, seeing one blinking that had the team name A12, and it was blinking. This just meant that the teams were on a mission at the current time. It was already about twenty minutes since they took the job. The job was a simple recon for them. He was just worried since the last mission things didn’t go well for them. Now that it was another recon mission, obviously the bigger brother was worried for his little sister.

 

“Geez, Aaron, you’re such a worrywart.” Varil told him as he was coming out of Izzy’s office. The Fire Hakura just looked at him as if it were old news. The Light-Dark warrior laughed it off as he walked on by, seeing the boards as well. “I can’t relax. But do you know why Izzy wants that base looked at anyway?” The Elite asked.

 

“Well, I looked into the area myself, and to be quite frank, I’m surprised Izzy noticed it. It’s near a mountain range that’s nowhere near any cities or crucial areas. It’s not that big of a base either. I don’t know why the boss is interested in it, so it’s just a really simple mission. Nothing too big, nothing too serious, just relax.” Varil explained to him as Aaron thought for a moment and nodded.

 

“All right, all right, fine. I’ll go see if there are any missions for us to do. I bet Isaac is getting bored by now.” Aaron said as he walked down the stairs with Varil.

___________

Back with Team A12, Ritchie was waiting as there were a couple of bleeps over the monitors. More holograms were popping up as they all had the same symbol as DarkTech. “It’s in, Ritchie. Go ahead and start your stuff. We’re going to head towards the room.” He heard Kari’s voice from the communicator. The tech genius glanced over to the hologram map and saw that one of the blips was separating from two. “Hey, who’s going from the group?” He asked.

 

“Mikee is, he’s going to cause a small distraction while we take a lift down to the room area. There are too many guards around to go down floors anyway.” Kari told him. Ritchie did see a lot of blips around the exits and entryways. “Are you sure? Once DarkTech finds a SOG member in their hallways, the alarms are going to go off. We need to be stealthy.” He reminded.

 

“I know, but we can’t get through that easily. Someone here is going to notice us, and when that happens, we’re screwed anyway. You just get to work on decoding their files, find out what these things are up to.” Kari reminded him as she cut off the communication. Ritchie sighed as he pulled up the DarkTech files. They were encrypted to protect from hackers like him and other SOG officials. It was easy, since he was literally in their mainframe instead of using an external source. All he had to get into was the password system. Basically, all the soldiers had a device used to access these files easily, and these devices let the computer know it was one of their own.

 

But for a race that solely makes its armies through technologies, they had easy password systems as Ritchie was opening up all kinds of data: graphs, logs, data entries, security cameras, and the alarm system, which he had to sabotage. As he was disabling the alarms from further use, one of the holograms caught his attention. Apart from all the small windows of text, this hologram file was the biggest, and along the top there were two words: Project Titan. Opening the file, all kinds of charts and graphs popped up. Power levels, experiment numbers, and all kinds of untranslated data. “What the hell?” Ritchie said.

 

Meanwhile, Kari and Dawn were back up to the vents, waiting for the right moment to get into the room as more Guards and even the robotic Seekers, their steps echoing in the halls and mechanical whirring. They were certainly scanning around for intruders and once the unconscious bodies are found, the base will be blaring and full of soldiers. From there, it’ll be inescapable. Kari was feeling a bit cramped in the vent and she could feel Dawn getting nervous in the space behind her. She could tell by her rapid breathing and shuffling around a bit. What’s taking Mikee so damn long? Come on already! Kari thought in her head.

 

The explosion took place as she could hear it coming from the vents further down as the soldiers were all in panic as the Seekers all activated a small alarm. They all started running away from their destination. “Come on, now’s our chance!” Kari told her as the both of them crawled out of the vents into empty hallways as both women ran over to the sealed doors. Dawn opened them slowly as the room was darkened and hardly visible. There was a very cold feeling in the room as Kari walked in further, leading the way. Dawn was reluctant to come and follow, and for good reason. The entire room was dark, and their only light source was the door. Kari immediately on reaction clasped her hands together and created a new weapon this time: two medium length one handed swords without a hilt, but handles. These were two katana-like swords as Kari dashed in the room.

______

Lights flashed on upon her entrance as something was standing at the end of the room. It was a Beta, but this one was far different than the other Betas. Unlike the others, this one had a black device on its back with several tubes lining across the alien’s shoulders. They were also just in a square room with nothing but steel floors and some monitors. Kari’s power kicked in as the Beta’s energy was sensed. It was strong as for all Betas, but this one felt…different. It's energy wasn't pure like other energies she sensed. Is this what the others were protecting?

 

“So, it is true, the SOG were onto us.” The Beta said as it turned to face Kari and Dawn who came in after her leader. Kari tightened her grip on her swords. There was still time to back out, but she wondered what this thing or this room was doing here. “K-Kari…maybe we should back off…” Dawn whispered to the Light Warrior. As Kari was considering it, the doors shut right behind them as bolts were snapping shut as they wouldn’t open anymore. The Beta was laughing as they looked to the alien, it turning to face the two girls.

 

“Good, now you’re trapped in here while we test out our new weapon.” The Beta told them as Kari held her weapons tighter and made a stance. Dawn backed up a bit as she stared at the DarkTech troop. “We’ll see about that, you damn Beta!” Kari yelled and dashed forward, moving swiftly towards the alien soldier as she swung her swords.

________

“Project Titan. Our most successful experiment in DarkTech lore. After centuries of constant testing and sacrifices, we’ve accomplished it. Project Titan has been distributed to high-ranking Betas and all results have been extremely sufficient.” Ritchie started reading as Kari made contact as her swords hit the Beta’s hands, it not doing any effect as he pushed her off balance. She guarded quickly as the Beta swung its fist and sent Kari skidding back. It was strong enough to send her back into Dawn as both of them hit the floor. Thumping sounds were heard as both of them felt the DarkTech monster rush right at them. Kari saw the chance as she shoved Dawn out of the way and merged her swords into a long staff with a bladed tip. She slammed it into the ground and forced herself over the charging Beta as she twisted her body and swung her staff, hitting the Beta as it veered him into the ground. Dawn got back up too as she jumped back a few paces and held two fingers from her right hand up to her left shoulder. Dark electricity started to form right in her fingertips. “Dark…Devastator!” Dawn yelled out as she fired off a dark laser which exploded on the alien. It didn’t do anything as it got back up, not fazed by these attacks. Kari tightened her grip on her staff as she grunted. “Damn, why aren’t our attacks working?!” Kari wondered out loud as Dawn stepped back, charging up another blast.

 

“It’s futile. You can’t hurt me at your strength.” The Beta told them as Dawn fired off another attack, but it didn’t do anything, not even flinch. At this moment before Kari could even think of a strategy, the Beta rushed at them at an even faster speed as it was able to smash both girls off the ground and slamming them into the metal wall, causing both of them to yell out. It soon tossed them to the side as it had a big grin on its face. The machine on his back started to activate as both girls saw the DarkTech alien rushing at them again.

 

“Urg!” It yelled as there was a heavy impact and the Beta was knocked back hard. Kari and Dawn saw Mikee in the air as he landed on both his feet and at a battle stance, facing against the Beta. After it stopped, the alien monster looked at the Aeros fighter and growled. “Damn, I felt that. You’re a strong one, aren’t you?” The alien asked, moving its head as bones cracked. Mikee cracked his knuckles as he looked ready to fight as well, both of them about to let loose. “I’m….not done yet!” Kari told the both of them, getting back up and drawing her two swords. Mikee saw Dawn get back up after a struggle, seeing that she was okay. All three of them were ready to fight this alien menace as it looked at the three of them. The Beta rubbed its face as that was the impact point Mikee slammed at. It was bruised already as he coughed out a tooth.

 

“Tch, you actually hurt me. I felt that one.” The Beta boasted, its glare right at Mikee who wasn’t moved at all. Kari and Dawn both took a step back as Mikee started off the fight, rushing right in at the Beta.
“Mikee, wait!” Kari yelled as the Light fighter shone in a bright light for a second and rushed at the alien, dragging it through the walls.

 

“Kari, pull Mikee out of there, now! We have the data, we need to leave, now!” Ritchie told Kari in her communicator.

 

“But Mikee, he’s fighting against a really tough Beta-“

 

“Pull him back now! That Beta is unlike the others!” Ritchie explained before something cut off their communication as the monstrous alien was charging with Mikee as both of them were smashing through the walls of the room. Kari and Dawn both ducked as rubble was flying everywhere. Mikee was able to fight back as he jumped back swiftly to the girls as he fired off another Light blast, it exploding on the Beta’s face as it stumbled backwards.

 

“Mikee, come on, we need to go!” Dawn told their comrade as he stopped, looking to them. He gave them a nod. Before they could even turn around, the doors to the exits and the hole Mikee created sealed up almost instantly by what seemed to be a silver fluid. “No!” Kari yelled as they all went for the sealed up exits, but they were now as hard metal. Mikee even tried blasting it, but it wasn’t letting them escape. Their attention wasn’t on the Beta as he started to laugh.

 

“Good, now that you’ve decided to stick around, it’s time to test Project Titan.” It told them in a sinister voice as the alien activated something on its wrist device. The pack on its back responded as the tubes were filled with a black liquid as it went into the Beta’s back. It started yelling out as its body was…growing. The Beta fell to the ground, groaning out in pain as the changes to its body were getting worse. It was growing in size and power as Kari could see its initial energy growing faster and faster. She looked horrified and so did Dawn, both of them backing up to the wall. Mikee looked angry as he made a defensive stance. The Beta’s very armor was changing as well, becoming much sharper and more sleeker as it yelled out one last time. The Beta was now much bulkier than before as it looked very strong, its muscles pulsating with power and black veins all over its body. Kari and Dawn looked frightened at this as the Beta didn’t even have pupils in its eyes. It yelled out as the alien monster raised its fist into the air and punched the ground. This literally broke apart the metal floor and sent a shockwave all around the room. Mikee saw this as he took Kari and Dawn’s hands quickly and jumped up in time, but then as he got to the top of his jump, the Beta was already there in his face. The Light Warrior let go of both of his comrades as he couldn’t guard against the Beta’s incoming fist. The force from the single punch felt like being hit by a full-speed train as Mikee slammed into the ground hard, it cracking under the force.

 

“Mikee!” Dawn cried out as the alien looked right at them. Kari dashed in front of Dawn as both her swords were drawn. The leader yelled out as she leapt right at the monstrous alien, slashing all around as it kept trying to swing at her, but Kari was nimbly dodging and still kept landing un-effective attacks. Mikee jumped back up also, making a battle stance to get ready to fight as he rushed in as well while Kari was still attacking. The Beta swung its fist and knocked Kari off balance as her momentum slammed her right into the Light Warrior. Dawn jumped in front of them and provided support by blasting the giant with dark blasts. It resisted them easily as it rushed to the three of them. Mikee got back up and got the girls out of the way as the Beta slammed into the wall. He attacked the alien with quick punches and kicks as Kari joined in, taking her swords and slashing around. Their attacks were not even affecting the Beta Titan as it yelled out and unleashed a shockwave, pushing them back. Mikee took this chance as he jumped back farther, taking a couple of jumps back. He looked focused as he slammed his palms forward and then to his side. Light energy started to build up as the alien menace noticed this and started rushing at him.

 

“Mikee, get out of there!” Dawn cried out as Mikee stood his ground, charging up the Light energy he was gathering. Slamming his palms forward in a firing motion, he yelled out, “Shine Beam!” as white energy shot out in a straight blast, it hitting the Beta Titan head-on as it exploded and the alien groaned out, the blast pushing the DarkTech alien back. Kari and Dawn looked in surprise as Mikee was able to push the Beta back against the wall with his Shine Beam up until the titanic alien broke free and charged again. Mikee dodged out of the way in time before the brute’s fist crashed along the ground. Dawn blasted at the thing again as all this seemed to do was bug the alien. The Light Warrior jumped back to Kari and Dawn as they were regrouping for a plan.

 

“W-what can we do? None of our attacks seems to be working! This thing is too strong!” Dawn said as the Beta Titan rose back up, roaring right at them. Kari looked to Mikee as he was already breathing hard, but still raring to go. They needed to escape, that was the top priority. The only attack that seemed to do any damage was Mikee’s Shine Beam. Her current weapons weren’t doing anything to this thing. Dark attacks didn’t affect the Beta either.

 

“Girls, I have a plan.” Mikee brought up as the alien looked at them, roaring at them. Both of them looked to him as the Aeros fighter clashed his fists together. “I need you to try and hold him off for at least two minutes. By then, I should be able to fully charge my Aeros Dash to its limit. Once I finish charging, get back and stay down. I’m going to hit this thing with my strongest attack.” Mikee said, his Aeros Dash beginning to charge. Kari wasn’t about to argue as the titanic alien started rushing them again.

 

“Come on, Dawn, let’s go!” Kari told her blue haired friend as she rushed at the Beta, creating a new weapon in her hands, which was a hammer. She rushed in quickly and swung her weapon right into the alien’s leg as this had enough force to topple the alien. Dawn leaped up and started to fire right into the alien with numerous dark blasts as Kari looked at Mikee, his signs glowing all over his body. His sights were on Dawn as she kept herself afloat in the air firing right onto the Beta Titan. She kept it up until the Dark warrior stopped firing her dark blasts, smoke covering the area where she was aiming at. She landed next to Kari as both of them looked at the cloud of smoke. It cleared instantly as the alien was unharmed from her attacks as it slammed both of them away, both girls slamming hard in the wall with enough force to dent the solid steel.

 

“Kari! Dawn!” Mikee yelled out as his Aeros Dash was still charging. Both fighters collapsed onto the ground as the enemy turned to look at Mikee, seeing that he was the only one standing. The Light warrior looked furious as the alien was now targeting Mikee. “Damn, you’re going down, no matter how long it takes me, Beta!” Mikee yelled as his signs shone in response to his anger. The Beta yelled out and rushed right at Mikee as he took a step forward.

 

“Aeros Dash, MAX POWER!” Mikee yelled as his energy unleashed in a brilliant blue light, covering his body as he yelled out himself. The next moment, the ground cracked when he lunged right at the Beta, who was unable to see him move at that kind of speed, but it was fast enough to block a swing at its big blue face. Mikee pushed hard however as he jumped back and struck again at the same block, pushing the titan back with sheer force. This time, he jumped further back and made a beeline for the titan’s leg where Kari struck before as he landed a solid punch, strong enough to cause a crack. The Beta yelled out in pain as it fell down to its knee, now giving Mikee his only chance to deliver his attack. He put his palms to the side as he started charging up his Shine Beam again. The only difference this time was that it was radiating with blue and white energy, signaling that his Aeros Dash was still in effect.

 

“Super….Shine…Beam…” Mikee yelled out as his aura reached a new level, the Beta seeing this as Mikee screamed out and slammed his palms forward, firing off an enormous white blast. The Beta Titan responded with a black blast from its mouth as it clashed with Mikee’s blast in mid-air, both sides at equal power. This was until the Beta pushed Mikee back with enough energy, but the warrior stood his ground, grunting as he stopped himself from getting pushed back.

 

“YOU WON’T WIN!” Mikee screamed out as Kari woke to see what happened next. Mikee’s surrounding aura grew twice in size and his blast overpowered the Beta’s dark beam easily as it overran it and it made the entire room too bright to see anything.

 

Outside the base as Ritchie was getting ready to go into the base when the entire side of the building started to shine in a brilliant light. He had to close his eyes from the shine as something erupted from the building and exploded several times. The tech genius heard a painful yell as an explosion occurred in the air. When he opened his eyes, they widened. The entire building was torn apart from whatever caused the bright light. Even the mountain had a straight hole burned through it, the rock red and nearly melted from the blast. In the room which was lit up with the brand new hole in the ceiling, Mikee was breathing heavily. His arms and entire body was cracking with light blue energy as his eyes were closed and squinting at the pain. His body felt drained and on fire as he heard Kari’s voice before everything went black again.

 

The next thing he knew, as he started to regain consciousness, he was being rushed through a hallway with Aaron by his side and Kari, but he couldn’t hear them. Their mouths were moving, but all he could hear was utter silence. The Fire Hakura looked shocked however as his squad leader kept describing something to him, her eyes looking right at Mikee. He soon faded out of consciousness again as he was standing in darkness. There was nothing in front of him except that the Warrior could see his own hands and body.

 

There was a low growling behind him as he turned around and saw a red blur come right at him, roaring loudly in an otherworldly roar. Mikee woke up the next instant, gasping for air as he realized he was in the infirmary again. It wasn’t the Headquarter’s infirmary, but A12’s as he could see a single robot out of the room. His eyes scanned the room quickly as on the next bed, Dawn was lying there as well, unconscious. Before Mikee moved, his body ached to his attempt to get out of the bed as he grunted at his hurt body. “Oh, you’re awake!” Kari said from the doorway as he turned to look at her. The leader’s right arm was in a small cast, but at the very least she was okay. She ran over to him and sat down on a chair that was already next to the bed. “I was getting worried you weren’t going to wake up. Tam told me that you were on the verge of…well…” Kari said, which even though his mind was still fuzzy, Mikee got the idea.

 

“W-what happened?” He asked, sitting up, despite the sore body and drained energy.

 

“W-well, where do I start? You destroyed that Titan Beta! Because of what you did, we didn’t die! DarkTech expected us to be there and we fell for their trap based on the files Ritchie got, but you…I mean,” Kari said, sounding flustered and excited. She seemed really amazed at what Mikee did. There was even a slight blush on her face.

 

“It was my Aeros Dash. It’s…what happens when I unleash an energy attack. My body flushes out all of the remaining energy. If I focus it onto an attack like my Shine Beam…well, you saw the results.” Mikee explained after Kari was silent for a moment. She shook her head in disbelief as her body sulked on the chair. The leader seemed really distressed about everything that happened as she looked to the wall.

 

“That Titan Beta was something our team was too inexperienced for. If it was just Dawn and I…we would have died. Based on what Ritchie brought up, the Betas were changed into having a special form to transform into. Their entire bodies become highly resistant to elemental attacks, hence why Dawn’s blasts and my energy weapons didn’t do anything, but your Shine Beam was the only thing that did enough damage. Because of us and this…Project Titan, Izzy has all the Elite Squads scouting the bases for any traces of another Titan project. He’s paid us greatly, even though our mission stated that we were supposed to scout and not destroy the entire place. Just…wow. I didn’t know you had that kind of power within you!” Kari explained to him, his mind getting clearer. He didn’t say anything at that point, feeling a bit embarrassed and awkward that this was the squad leader thanking him. It was funny that he was feeling this way though. There was still a lot he didn’t understand about this organization, but at least he knew that this DarkTech was a threat. They were the ones who shot him down when flying near-by the planet. At the very least though, he was able to protect his new friends. His fuzzy memory remembered Aaron. “Oh, I was wondering something…what was your brother doing here?” He asked.

 

“Oh, we went to the Headquarters to get you treated. Your injuries were severe and we knew our outpost couldn’t treat you. Once we came there, Aaron was by our side the entire time. Ritchie went to de-brief the entire mission and to hand Izzy the data we collected. As for Dawn, well…” Kari said as her gaze went to the bed that had the Dark Warrior. The mentioned Dawn was sleeping with the covers over her shoulders as she was breathing. “She’s still knocked out. Tam, our medic robot said she suffered a bad concussion. Dawn will be out for a while.” Kari said, looking sad. Mikee looked a bit sad too at the unconscious female. At the very least, she was breathing. His mind wandered to the red monster he saw in his unconscious state as he looked a little grim. His fist clenched as he shuddered a bit, Kari not noticing as she was looking at her comrade. This thing…it’s the reason why I can’t stay. I thought I forgotten about the thing, but it’s coming back. All this activity seems to have awoken it. I either have to be careful next time I fight or I get the hell out of here. I can’t leave until this DarkTech leaves the planet’s orbit or else I’ll be captured again. Mikee thought, his body aching again as he flinched, Kari noticing this.

 

“Oh, I’ll…leave you to rest, all right? You deserve it, after all that you’ve done.” Kari said and got up, heading for the door to leave Mikee alone. She stopped at the door, thinking of something as she turned to look at the Light Warrior again. “And Mikee…thanks again for what you did. I’m glad you’re part of this team.” Kari thanked and left the room.

__________

“Lord Omega, scouts have shown that the SOG have uncovered Project Titan! They are aware of our weapon!” An Alpha reported to a giant looming figure as the scene was in a very dark room. The only light came from the glass windows viewing the stars and the planet of Earth. In the back of the room was a giant seat with few holograms, but what sat at the seat was a humongous figure. It looked at the Alpha with glowing blue eyes. More screens appeared around the room as they were footage of the fight. He watched as the other two members were failing in fighting the first Titan Beta, but the one who blasted his experiment through the base, that was the one he was interested in.

 

“Continue work on Project Titan and Project Berserker. Double up all security on the outposts that are restricted on the progress of the experiments. Before we attack, we must complete Berserker and Titan. Also, prepare a dispensable attack force. Send them to Light City once they report as ready.” Omega ordered, standing up as each step it took shook the entire room. It was walking toward the monitor which had the climax of the battle. The feed was paused as it showed Mikee completely different. It was far too bright to really see, but the only notable difference was Mikee’s hair was a slight bit longer.

 

You’re the little runt that escaped the Destroyer a few cycles back. You’ve peeked my interest, Aeros. I want to see more from you, much more. Omega thought as it turned off the screens, turning its head to stare at Earth. Its conquest was beginning to come close. The only things slowing the massive alien down are Project Titan and Berserker. Once those were out of the way, not even the entire SOG could withstand the full power of the DarkTech race. 

5: Chapter #5

S.O.G Beginnings

Chapter 5

An Elite’s Strength

 

“You wouldn’t believe it, brother, he was amazing! You should have seen him!” Kari’s voice cheered to Aaron as he was standing, looking out at the field below him. His team rested at the top of a skyscraper in a different town, the bright lights of the city they were assigned to look over. He was talking with his sister before she turned in for the night via hologram communicator. All she was talking about was Mikee for the past ten minutes. Even though he was a little annoyed, the older brother had to be grateful to the Light Warrior. If it wasn’t for his actions, Kari would have died.

 

“Yeah, I bet. Based on the damage reports, his attack burned right through the entire mountain and destroyed the majority of the base. It’s truly a strong power he has.” Aaron told her. Sure, it wasn’t an easy feat, but for someone as low rank as Mikee to show off that kind of power was out of the ordinary. The Aeros clans were known for their strong fighters, but ever since something wiped them out, there hasn’t been any information on them. His fists clenched tightly as he wanted to see what he could really do. “How has the rest of your team been the past two days?” Aaron asked.

 

“Everyone is a lot better! Dawn finally woke up yesterday but she’s still a bit frightened. Mikee is back to full strength. He’s even training as we speak, even though our training area isn’t anything like yours, brother. Everything else is good. Ritchie and Maya continue to maintain a defense perimeter around Light City and our own base. I mainly help with Ritchie on Light City since Mikee can back Maya up in case anything really happens.” Kari explained, sounding pleased and happy how things turned out. This made Aaron pleased to hear his little sister being okay. Things could have been much worse, but he was lucky things turned out the way they did.

 

“What are you going to do tomorrow, bro?” Kari asked with some curiosity in her voice. He cleared his throat as he looked back to the hologram. “The scout teams haven’t found anything as of yet, and Izzy has been keeping busy figuring out what Darktech’s next move is. They haven’t made any full-scale attacks as of late. They’re up to something, and I’m taking a guess, it is that Titan intel your group discovered.” Aaron suggested.

 

He had to clarify a bit with himself. The Hakura Warrior was with the SOG since he joined a few years back. When he came around, the place was frequently busy fending off attacks from DarkTech trying to attack the planet. It wasn’t just ordinary attack either. What DarkTech was really after were resources. Their planet was one of very few that had abundant sources such as water and even the trees, The lore they uncovered from their attacks was that they were gathering all these resources was to enhance their own race. It wouldn’t be much of a problem if they weren’t going to threaten the entire planet and wipe humanity off of it.

 

Luckily, his team is the strongest of the SOG in this area. They are mainly called upon to enter the tougher bases or the stronger enemy forces. Other than that, his team didn’t have too much to do besides overseeing training regiments of the other troops and their own sparring. Kari yawned a little, which broke Aaron’s concentration as he looked to the screen. “Well, Aaron, we’re coming over to HQ tomorrow to see if there are any new missions for us to pick up. We’re eager to do something.” Kari told Aaron as she stretched a bit.

 

“Are you sure your team is up for another mission? It’s only been two days. What about you sign up the team for a Training Simulation here at HQ? I’m sure your team could use a warm up before the Battle Royale next week.” Aaron reminded.

 

“Ew, not a Simulation. That’s where we just team up on some simulated mission based on fighting people. We’re fighting DarkTech, bro. Besides, I don’t want Mikee to embarrass the team again if he gets into another fight with others.” She said, laughing a bit.

 

“Well, at the very least, be warm tomorrow. It’s still the middle of Winter, and the weather is going to be really cold for a few days.” Aaron warned, sounding concerned.

 

“I’m going for a new look, mainly something new to wear instead of always wearing pants. Dawn has a couple of ideas too, so we’re both going with Mikee and see if we can’t change his look. All he ever wears are the clothes you guys found him in and the starting jumpsuit all members wear.” Kari started explaining as Aaron heard another earful about the warrior she kept talking about, which was just his clothes, on the guy’s clothes no less. His eyes took to a portrait on the wall across from him, which was actually a family portrait. Looking at it as Kari was talking about her plans again; it was of him, Kari, and their family.

 

Aaron, watch on your sister for us. She’s close to unleashing her full potential as a Hakura warrior like you. Once she realizes that, guide her toward the right path of a true swordswoman. We know you can do it, Aaron. The voice of his parents echoed in his mind as he looked to Kari again. It is what he promised. Hakuras weren’t realized as true warriors until they unlocked their true potential. This usually occurred when they came of age. Once they were ready, they all had a signature weapon to call their own.

 

“All right, brother. I’m going to call it a night. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Kari said farewell as she logged off, the hologram fading away as she did. Aaron nodded to himself as he looked to the side of his bed. Lying against the pillows was the hilt of his weapon. It had no blade, but that was the specialty of the Hakura. A message popped up as he was about to lie down on his bed, it signaling a new mission. It was from Headquarters or rather, Izzy himself.

 

Alert received. Mission R4C324. Our forces are going to deliver a strike to the DarkTech lead ship, the Destroyer. We will be deploying our main forces to strike hard and breach the ship to attack the leader. This mission will take place in two months to prepare the teams heading in. Note that preparations will occur after the S.O.G Battle Royale. All further details will be explained with Izzy. Meeting is tomorrow at noon. The message stated as Aaron’s eyes widened. This surprised him a little.

 

Izzy is planning a frontal attack to the Destroyer? We were talking about that yesterday too when we took that Mikee to the infirmary, but I didn’t think Izzy will go through with it. The forces are spread out as it is, plus DarkTech has that Titan project we just discovered. Knowing that much, I’m sure they’ll be on full guard. Aaron thought as he lied on his bed and thought about his argument against the leader’s decision before drifting off to sleep.

 

-

 

It was a brand new morning for the team of A12 as it was one of their days off since the mission. Kari stretched and shivered a bit, the base feeling chilly from the cold outside. Just as her older brother warned, it was going to be a freezing day. Regardless, she wasn’t going to let some cold ruin the day she had planned. Putting on some winter pants and a heavy winter jacket, Kari left her room. It was quiet in the base except for Dawn coming to join her, wearing her own winter coat, but it was the S.O.G’s black coat with white leggings. She also had a small pink knit hat on covering below her ears as well. She looked excited despite the cold. “Morning, Kari! Ready to go?” Dawn asked.

 

“Well, we need to find Mikee and see if he’s up. Do you know where he is?” Kari asked.

 

“He’s up on the roof.” Dawn answered as they began walking to the entrance to where he was.

 

“The roof? Doesn’t he know it’s freezing outside? He’s going to get himself sick. This is why we need to get him clothes today.” Kari pouted, looking up at the ceiling.

 

“Well, he says that it’s part of his, ‘training’, but I don’t see how it helps him. Training would be stuff like lifting weights or exercising under the intense gravity chambers like the Headquarters have, right?” Dawn asked, sounding confused. Kari wondered about that too, knowing that all he does is train. Why train out in the cold though? “Hmm… maybe it just toughens his body or something, or he just likes the cold. I don’t know, nor will I really understand him. He’s so secretive about everything.” Kari mentioned, thinking about it as they found the roof entrance. It was open and Mikee was up there as Kari and Dawn both climbed up, the cold air outside made them shiver. He was standing in the center of the roof, looking towards the sun as it was starting to become covered in clouds. He noticed their presence as he looked to them. “Kari? Dawn? Morning.” He said.

 

“Mikee, good morning! We were looking for you!” Dawn said. Kari was about to bring up something too when she noticed Mikee’s fists, which seemed worn down. Scratches and slight burns were not only on his hands, they reached up to his arms. “Mikee,” Kari brought up, “You’re hurt.”

Mikee looked at his arms as Kari pointed out, shrugging it off. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. What did you want?” He asked rather crudely.

 

“W-well, we want you to come with us. We’re going to Light City today, and we want you to be with us when we go.” Dawn told Mikee, putting a hand on her hip. He looked a little confused at this as Kari and Dawn smiled. Inevitably, the Aeros fighter was dragged along with them as the trio was walking along the path. They briefly just explained that they were going shopping at the city they were protecting, and both of them wanted to give Mikee a tour. “Before we head to Light City, we’re going to HQ first. I need to see if there are any new missions.” Kari told them. Dawn and Mikee nodded to this as he sensed something in the woods. It vanished the instant he looked at the direction, his fists clenching tightly. The girls noticed him stopping at the middle of the road.

 

“Mikee?” Dawn asked as he snapped out of it, looking at them.

 

“What? I thought I sensed something.” He told them.

 

“Someone, you mean.” Kari tried correcting as he looked to the woods again. The warrior didn’t want to argue about it as he agreed to just go along. Mikee didn’t get an accurate read on the energy source since it vanished the instant he started looking, but it felt…off. Mikee shook it off as he left with the girls, not seeing the shimmering light behind the trees.

 

“So, did you see the recent mission Izzy sent us?” Varil asked a blonde haired woman he was walking with. This was the one Dawn briefly mentioned before, Sarah. Although she had bright blonde hair, the woman wore a different type of armor compared to the other soldiers. In fact, it looked like an advanced type. It had sleek edges and seemed a bit bulkier than normal, not to mention it was all aqua blue. The white skinned girl also had crystal clear blue eyes.

 

“Yes, and I met with Izzy and some of the other heads of the entire S.O.G organization. He has been discussing a lot with the others about the plans too. Of course, I can’t really say too much, you know.” She told her comrade.

 

“Yeah, yeah. You being one of the special fighters from the other bases. You haven’t specified which though.” Varil said, stretching his arms up. He groaned from the stretch and he looked to her again, passing by soldiers. “Are you sure you can’t tell me anything? You know I can keep secrets.” He asked, nudging the Water mage. She laughed a bit and pushed him, lurching back from him. “No, you know I can’t talk about what we discuss. It’s confidential. I’ll get in trouble if I do. Besides, there’s nothing about the team ranks. It was just an exchange of DarkTech info. The info A12 picked up was extremely valuable, and it…“ She was saying until one of the soldiers bumped into her. Varil stopped the solider as he seemed to be in a rush.

 

“Soldier, what’s going on?” He asked, seeing as others were beginning to rush.

 

“Oh, uh….Isaac, Corina, and Rose are fighting Aaron in the Training Arena. I’m going to watch!” He told Varil as some of the other troops invited him. He ran off before the Elite could ask more. He looked to Sarah who was as surprised as he was. “A three on one?” She restated, it sounding unbelievable.

 

“This I have to see. Aaron, being the strongest in this base at least.” Varil told her as both of them started following the growing crowd.

 

At the Training Room, three fighters were all knocked back hard by Aaron as he was swinging around a staff with no sharp edges. The three fighters, Isaac, Corina, and Rose all held similar weapons, but were different colors that matched their elements. Isaac was the first to jump back up as he rushed back in, swinging the weapon, but Aaron blocked and swiftly knocked against the Thunder fighter’s side. Corina and Rose were attacking at the sides, but the Hakura dodged their attacks and countered with the weapon he had, knocking them right into Isaac. The crowd was gathering around the safety of the viewing area. These areas were surrounded by thick glass and what seemed to be some metal railing. Varil and Sarah just arrived on the scene, seeing the fighting. “What’s going on here? There wasn’t supposed to be a training session today.” Sarah mentioned, looking at the other soldiers and fighters all watching the rare spectacle of a 3v1.

 

“Actually, he wanted to.” One of the fighters told Sarah. This soldier that came to her wore a similar type of armor as hers. The only difference was that this guy just had ice blue hair. “Aaron requested this? For real?” Varil asked, coming to them. The fighter nodded, looking to the fight.

 

“So far, Aaron shows the greatest of potential in this backwater base. His skills in combat are far greater than most of those that I’ve seen.” The armored fighter said out loud, which got Varil’s curiosity. What was he talking about? Sarah saw the look Varil was giving to the other guy as she cleared her throat. “Varil, this is Bardo.” She introduced and was about to start explaining before the crowd groaned out as the fight continued on. Aaron slammed Isaac across the face with his staff. His movements and mastery of weapons was unmatched as Corina and Rose tried rushing in after he was finished with Isaac, but were slammed back hard. Before they even touched the ground, Aaron kicked up one of the girls and back flipped up to their level and slammed Rose back down hard enough to crack the battlefield. The field was resetting as the weapons in their possession was taken. “Battle Staff Round over. Victory to Aaron. Moving to the No Limits field.” The computer stated. All four fighters were ready, but the opposing challengers looked a bit worn out. Aaron, however, looked ready to fight. The fierce glare he gave to his opponents was proof enough that he was ready.

 

“Look, guys, we can’t just recklessly attack. We have to work together to do some sort of damage.” Rose told the other two.

 

“I don’t need you to tell me what to do!” Isaac yelled as he vanished and there was a flash. Aaron blocked the fast strike from his comrade, only Aaron was holding a huge sword. It wasn’t any type of normal sword, however. It was a huge two-handed blade, triangular shaped with sharpened edges. It was cracked along red lines, showing that this massive sword can open. Isaac jumped back as Rose summoned her vines and Corina dashed in from above. Aaron countered the both of them by spinning the sword with relative ease, cutting down the vines and blocking Corina’s attack. He then leaped up as the ground beneath him broke apart. Rose jumped up from a rising bud as her Rose Staff was visible. She let out as a whip and attacked towards Aaron. It wrapped around the warrior’s sword, but before anything could be done, the vines burned up instantly as the triangle weapon was now covered in red flames. This took the Grass fighter by surprise as the Hakura drove the sword down and a wave of fire unleashed, knocking back Corina and Rose at the same time. People were cheering from the viewing area as A12 made it to the scene. Kari gasped as she saw her brother easily take on an Elite and two other powerful fighters. Dawn and Mikee both caught up to the excited sister as they were watching the strongest Elite fighter. He was making easy work out of them.

 

“Damn it…” Isaac muttered as he stepped back from Aaron, who was still guarding Rose’s whip strikes and Corina’s wind blasts. The Hakura performed a couple of backflips to get back as his sword opened up. A steel barrel pointed out from it as the weapon shone and started to melt onto his arm until his hand was a sword-shaped cannon. Kari gasped at this as the Hakura Elite aimed it at the three fighters. “Blaze Buster!” He yelled out as he fired three rounds of fireballs. Corina was the one to intercept his shots as she whipped out a whirlwind. It didn’t stop the shots as the attack hit the ground and exploded with force, sending all three of them back. Mikee was watching intensely at the Elite as he rushed in once again, his left arm still embedded with his sword as Isaac clashed with him, an electrified fist pushing the warrior back. Is this what the Hakura clan are capable of? All I know about them is that they are a multi-elemental race that specialized in weapons. He thought and looked to Kari who was watching her older sibling combat against Isaac. His thoughts wondered about her skills, seeing that she was barely able to inflict damage to the Beta Titan.

 

“Winner, Aaron Hakura.” The speakers announced as Mikee looked to see Isaac on the ground already, the sword on Aaron’s arm now back to a wielding weapon. The crowds were cheering loudly as they began to dispurse, their source of entertainment over already in the matter of five minutes.

 

“That Aaron, he’s undefeatable! No one can beat him! I bet he can even beat Izzy!” Numerous comments were coming from the impressed crowd. Mikee watched them leave and not pay any attention to them. “That was incredible, don’t you think, Mikee?” Dawn asked him as Kari looked to her brother, not hearing her comrade’s comment. Mikee simply nodded as Aaron walked out. His gaze went to him and then Kari.

 

“Hey Kari. You’re looking for a mission today?” Aaron asked, looking un-phased by everything. He fought off three powerful soldiers and didn’t break a sweat. “Yeah, of course we are. We need to boost up our rankings, after all.” Kari said as she noticed Varil and the other two Elites coming to her brother with impressed looks on their faces. “Aaron, magnificent fight today. You never seem to amaze me with your skills.” Bardo said, taking a slight bow to him. Kari seemed a little nervous at the two blue armored fighters as Aaron bowed back to them.

 

“Who are these guys?” Mikee asked, looking a bit confused. Kari took a little bow too as the two looked at him, almost as if the question was rude. “Mikee, this is Sarah and Bardo. They’re from the Aquarius Legion, a very powerful clan of the Water element. They’re supporters of the S.O.G and are personal friends to Izzy.” Kari explained to the Aeros as he didn’t look too comfortable around them. There was something about the both of them that he didn’t like.

 

“It’s nice to meet you, Kari Hakura. And this must be Dawn Raiga and the new member we’ve heard so much about.” Bardo said, his glance towards Mikee as well. He stared for a few seconds before walking off. “I’m going back to the ship. Sarah, I expect to see you soon. Finish the jobs here.” He said before leaving the group, giving off a very mean vibe.

 

“Sorry about Bardo. Like Aaron, he’s one of the stronger warriors of the clan. It’d be interesting to see those two fight each other. Fire against water, swords against swords.” Sarah was saying until she stopped herself, nodded to Aaron and left. Varil shook his head at her leaving as the Fire Warrior looked to his sister again. “I’ll call you later, Kari. Good luck with finding a mission.” Aaron said his good-byes and left them, Varil following his team’s leader as Mikee watched him go. He had that sense of power about Aaron, and he wanted to test his limits on the Hakura warrior.

 

Mikee was just itching for a good fight with Aaron.

 

“Well, come on. We have a mission to find, then let’s finish showing you around, Mikee!” Kari said, abruptly changing the subject as Dawn nodded to the suggestion, smiling as she did so. Mikee had to nod as well, being that Kari was the leader of this group. The group of three finally made it to the Missions Board as Mikee was idly standing outside, not understanding what they were talking about. He had some time to think to himself at least.

 

“I apologize, but at the current moment, there are no missions available to take. Izzy is currently away from the base and has commanded for no missions to be taken for all teams and Elites.” The one behind the desk said to the two girls.

 

“Really? Where did he go at a time like this?” Kari wondered out loud. Dawn shrugged as the person behind the counter had the same expression. The leader of A12 said thank you and left, looking rather disappointed. Mikee saw them come out as he joined with them, the trio leaving the base. Their next stop was Light City, the place A12 was assigned to protect.

 

“It sucks that we didn’t get find a new mission for us to take, but at least we can use the time to train. The Battle Royale is not for another month! Mikee, we have to show you where the entire thing is taking place!” Kari told Mikee.

 

“So, you’re basically fighting within your own turf? That’s kind of weird, isn’t it?” He asked.

 

“Last time, we were fighting at a completely different area. It was actually in the South, towards the more relaxed places. It changes every so often whenever it’s hosted, which is every four months.” Dawn told him as the city was in viewing range. It was an average city with skyscrapers and a stadium. Mikee assumed this was where the Royale took place. The entire city was bustling with people and cars which were flying out of the city. There were miniature ships coming out of the buildings as well. It seemed like a peaceful place at least. The team was running towards the city as he sensed that feeling from before. He stopped and looked as this time, it was a person; Corina to be exact as she was flying high above the group. He was barely able to sense her, but it seemed like she was following them. “Mikee? What’s wrong?” Kari asked him again, as he was looking in the air. She looked up too, but didn’t see anything except the clouds and the cold breeze.

 

“…Nothing. I keep thinking I sense something.” Mikee said. Kari put a hand to her hip as she looked up again, concentrating. There was nothing she could sense out of the ordinary, but it seemed like a snow storm was coming. The winds were beginning to pick up and the clouds were becoming darker. “Wow, the weather was getting bad. Maybe you’re just sensing the weather?” The leader asked. Luckily for her, she was wearing her winter outfit and so was Dawn. Mikee, however, remained to his regular clothes, but it didn’t seem like the cold weather affected him much. “Come on, I’m getting the chills just standing out here!” Dawn told the group, wrapping her arms around herself, trying to keep warm underneath a black heavy jacket. Kari nodded, pulling the hood of her pink winter jacket over her head as they continued on. “Mikee, how aren’t you cold? You d-didn’t want to borrow Ritchie’s jacket?” Kari asked, shivering a bit.

 

“Hm? Well, it isn’t that cold. I’m sort of used to these temperatures.” Mikee said, as if it wasn’t a surprise.

 

“It’s almost below fourty degrees out here! That’s…crazy. What did you do back then?” Dawn asked as they finally made it to the city border. There weren’t guards, but security cameras pointing at every direction. It must be the cameras that alerted their base in case something was up. Even though it was cold, people were still running around holding all kinds of packages. Was there a celebration going on? “The people of Light City are getting ready for the tournament. It’s a very popular event with the humans and other energy users here. They prepare for the entire city for the organization to fight. It’s a tradition for them now, and it’s broadcasted all over the world too. It’s something for all to see.” Kari explained, looking at the citizens. Some of them waved to the group as Kari and Dawn waved back. They were friendly at least as the team was on their way to the stadium. “Kari, think after we show Mikee the stadium; do you want to stop at a café at least? Grab a few hot chocolates or anything warm for Maya and Ritchie back at the base?” She asked.

 

“Of course! We’ll grab something for Maya and Ritchie after we get this guy some changes in clothes.” Kari said, looking back at Mikee who simply shrugged at what was going on. She sighed a little as the stadium was in view. The front doors were unlocked oddly enough as the three of them didn’t notice the small ship parked near-by. They entered into a vast area full of empty stands as a cold breeze seemed to blow through. Kari and Dawn were both leading him towards the center as they could imagine the place being packed again at least. The two girls opened more double doors as now the inner stadium was seen. It was similar to how the Virtual Simulation room was set up, only much bigger, possibly about the size of three football fields. The bleachers were all protected by several shielding devices which were positioned to the field. The one thing the two girls noticed that someone stood in the center, looking at the empty bleachers. It was Aaron as he turned to see them.

 

“Aaron? What are you doing here?” Kari asked.

 

“Well, I wanted to come here to remember my times here. You’re not the only ones who are on break.” He told his sister as his look went to Mikee. Kari looked back at the two of them as they were staring each other down. It seemed intense between the two of them as Aaron cleared his throat. “Kari, there’s something I want to ask from the both of you.” He started saying as the powerful warrior went to the other side of the battlefield.

 

“I want to fight the both of you, a two on one.” Aaron requested as he stopped to face the both of them, Kari gasping at his challenge.

 

“W-what? What for?” Kari asked, stepping back a bit in shock.

 

“I want to test and see if you can defend yourself, and I want to test his limits. No audience, just us and your friend. She can set up the field at least.” Aaron said, mentioning to Dawn as she nodded, looking back at her leader who was still a bit shocked at her brother’s request. Mikee only looked ready for a fight as the blue haired fighter ran up the bleachers to the monitors up above. Aaron turned to face his two opponents as the Fire Warrior looked up at Dawn as she jumped into the stand that controlled the field they fought on. Kari looked really nervous about this fight as the field started to change into a sort of gladiator-style pit. The leader of A12 shook a little bit as she watched Aaron take out a sword hilt. Mikee took a fighting stance from this as Kari stepped back further. The Light Warrior noticed this nervousness as the Fire Warrior in front of them flicked his wrist and the triangle-shaped blade appeared again. He was able to block Isaac’s high speed attacks with the sword, meaning he had a sort of sense about him. A timer for the match began to count down as Kari jumped at the thirty-second timer counting down. She clasped her hands together as the swords she used before appeared as pure energy. It was unlike Aaron’s weapon for sure as the three were all facing each other.

 

Dawn was watching from the safety of the viewing area as she put a hand to her chests. She could feel that this fight wasn’t going to be easy. Mikee couldn’t match against Isaac’s speed and seeing the Elite in front of him face up against the Thunder Fighter was overwhelming. She couldn’t sense energies as well as Kari could, but the pressure he gave off was tremendous.

 

The start of the match was sounded as the first to rush Aaron was Mikee as his shining fist clashed against the flat edge of the sword. The Aeros kept swinging his fists as Aaron was swiftly blocking. Mikee vanished as he reappeared behind Aaron, his fists still shining. Aaron jumped forward as he rushed at Kari, who took a defensive stance. Mikee landed on the ground and slammed his palms forward. He fired off a blast at Aaron as soon as he rushed right after his attack. The Fire Warrior jumped out of the way as the attack was heading towards Kari instead. She gasped and got out of the way as Mikee jumped up after Aaron, being frontal with his attacks. The Elite vanished in thin air as Mikee stopped himself, floating where Aaron stood. Damn, he’s fast! I have to keep up! Mikee thought as he didn’t sense Aaron reappear behind him with the sword at the ready. He hit Mikee down hard as the Light warrior crashed into the ground. Kari gasped as Mikee jumped back up and rushed at Aaron again, fists clashing against the sword. He was keeping up the pressure on him, but it wasn’t phasing the swordsman as he didn’t seem to have any difficulty fighting Mikee. Aaron swung hard this time as Mikee held onto the sword this time, but he was pushed back hard. He was trying to hold back Aaron’s strength, but it wasn’t working as he was able to shove off Mikee into the other side of the wall. “Mikee!” Kari cried out as Aaron turned to face Kari. She had no choice but to fight as the leader finally rushed right at Aaron with her energy swords. Her swords clashed against Aaron’s weapon as Mikee recovered and took his chance. He clashed his fists together as the signs were beginning to shine. Aaron noticed this as he blocked Kari’s jump attack and shoved her off. His sword quickly transformed into his cannon as he aimed at Mikee. “Blaze Buster!” Aaron yelled as he fired off a fiery blast at Mikee. He jumped up in the air as Kari noticed that his fists were still clashed and building up energy. Aaron vanished as he leapt up after Mikee, his cannon right in Mikee’s face. He couldn’t do anything at this point as the fire blast was at near point-blank range, crashing Mikee a couple of times on the ground. Kari saw this as Aaron landed again, seeing Mikee on the ground again. She grunted as she rushed at Aaron again, yelling out as she swung her sword as hard as she could against Aaron’s cannon. He promptly blocked it as he shoved her off to give them distance.

 

“You need to be fierce, little sis. You cannot hold anything back, or else your opponent will read on this and exploit it. If your skills don’t improve, you’ll never be able to create your Soul Weapon. As for you…” Aaron said as he looked at Mikee. The warrior was on his knee and breathing hard, but his fists were still clashed. His signs were fully charged, but Mikee wasn’t attacking. Dawn ran down to see them as Aaron’s blaster de-materialized back into the hilt that it was previously. He put it on a special thing in his pocket as Mikee clashed his fists again as the signs faded away. “You’re strong, but you’re far too reckless and make no communication to your comrades. It feels like you’re just doing things on your own. If you don’t stop making these reckless decisions, you’re never going to be strong.” Aaron scolded as Mikee seemed to twitch at that. The warrior’s fists clenched as Mikee glared at the Elite as if he still wanted to go. Aaron looked to Kari as he noticed she was still a little intimidated at the fight.

 

“Kari, look, why don’t you train with Mikee? The both of you could learn from each other. In fact, you should use the Headquarters facilities. The Training Rooms there can help you at least get warmed up for the tourney. All you have to do is talk to the receptionist, Ira. Tell her that I sent you and you’ll be able to get a room instantly.” Aaron told her as his sword shone and became a hilt once again as he put the weapon in its case and started to walk away. He took a last glance at Mikee before leaving the stadium completely.

 

Kari fell down to her knees as soon as his presence couldn’t be felt as she shuddered a bit. Dawn ran over to her as Mikee walked to the both of them, looking at their leader. The Hakura looked up at the both of them and got to her feet, still shaking. “Aaron, every time I fight him, I can sense his power…he’s too strong for me.” She told them.

 

“Your sense? Does Aaron have a sense too?” Mikee asked.

 

“Yes. High level Hakuras have a special ability where they are able to sense the energy levels of others. Sometimes, there are those who can use this sense to predict the movements of fast fighters in order to counter them, but even with this sense, their bodies have to be able to fight back. Aaron though, I think he’s mastered it by now if he can fight Isaac head-on.” Kari started saying.

 

“So, even if I used my Aeros Dash, he’d be able to stop it cold, right?” Mikee asked. She nodded at this and continued. “I learned from my parents back home talk about the sense. All Hakuras get it once they’re in the process of making a Soul Weapon.” She finished.

 

“Soul Weapons are the Hakura’s specialty. Aaron uses his all the time, which that triangle-sword thing is his weapon. Once a Hakura reaches a certain point in their training, their weapon is created from their own hands. I think even Ryko made his already.” Dawn explained to Mikee. The trio finally started leaving the stadium as Mikee looked back to the place that was going to hold this competition he was entering. It was here that Mikee was to unveil his hidden abilities.

 

“I’m nowhere close to making my Soul Weapon. I’m still nowhere near as strong as him to make it. He and my family are hoping the S.O.G would toughen me up with the constant battles and the variety of people here should make me stronger.” She admitted, looking at Mikee as he was listening to this intently.

 

She sounds like me. I’m training now to control this power of mine before it gets out of hand. Maybe staying with this team was a good idea after all. Who knows, maybe I can find out more about the ones I’m after. The Light Fighter thought to himself as he looked to his friends. Friends, as he thought the word over his mind as he walked with them out and into the city, the place still bustling with innocent people, cheerful and without worry. A smile came across his face as he looked to the sky.

 

-

 

During this time, in another city, Izzy stood within dark caverns of Reind. Lights were pointed at ancient descriptions written in a completely different language. There were some symbols apart from the text which one seemed to be a human figure with eight other symbols around it. A pair of footsteps echoed within the dark confines of the ruins as Izzy didn’t even turn to see that it was Bardo and Sarah that entered. They were all alone as there were no soldiers present.

 

“So, these are the ancient words you told us about, Gokudo?” Bardo asked seriously, looking at the leader who still didn’t glance at them. His eyes were set on the eight symbols surrounding the human figure. Sarah walked up to the wall, putting her finger on it as the rock felt old and brittle. It would collapse at any moment. She was moving her finger along the text as if she was reading it. “No, Bardo, this is new information. This isn’t another re-worded legend of the Hero of Light. These are about the origin of the elements.” She told him as Bardo’s eyes widened a bit in surprise. The Water Healer looked at the mural and started reading it.

 

“During the creation of the universe, the great creator, Eon, exhausted from his battle with the dark forces, gave all of life a fighting chance. By sealing the purest of the elements into spheres, he spread them across the universe to be a hidden weapon against the forces of darkness. On their own, these Power Orbs will bestow great power upon the user, but when all eight are gathered, the user will have control over all the elements granted by Eon.” She finished and stood back, looking back at her comrade. “The rest of it is all faded.”

 

“The Power Orbs? This is a first I’ve heard of these things. The only other legend I’ve heard about is the repeat of the Hero of Light story. How he’s this all powerful hero and he’ll be the only one to vanquish the darkness.” Bardo started saying as Izzy finally said something as he looked to the rest of the ruins.

 

“Apparently, Eon probably thought it was best to have another weapon in case we don’t find this Hero of Light. The other thing about the legend from what I’ve gathered on this planet was that this hero could transform and is a pure Light element.” Izzy stated, a glow emanating from him.

 

“Well, at least we discovered something about Eon. Who knows, if we could find one of these Power Orbs, we can prepare ourselves for this darkness. Have your teams investigate these ruins further, see if you can find any hints on locations.” Bardo told Izzy.

 

“Bardo, what do you think of the Aeros you saw today?” The leader of S.O.G asked the Water fighter. This stopped him for a second as he had to think about it. “The Aeros boy? He looked like a fighter, but not something to be concerned about. The Aeros clan was just a bunch of hyped up Light warriors who primarily focused on power and speed. They didn’t have reliable defenses, hence why they all suddenly disappeared.” He reminded Izzy.

 

“Anyway, we have to be on our way, Izzy. The Council at our planet is waiting for us. Once we tell them this intel, we have to start planning for our aid in your fight against DarkTech. I’ll be returning after the meeting to continue fighting for your Elites.” Sarah said and waved as the two Water fighters left the leader to his thoughts.

 

The Battle Royale is just around the corner. I wonder if he’ll decide to show his power then. This will be an interesting year for the S.O.G indeed. Izzy thought as he vanished instantly.