The city pulsed with life – loud, bright, and endless.
Skyscrapers pierced the sky like steel spears, their glass windows catching the sun like mirrors of ambition. Neon signs flickered even in daylight, advertising ramen shops, tech stores, and arcades stacked one above the other in chaotic harmony.
Below, the streets moved like arteries – cars weaving through traffic lights, crosswalks flooding with footsteps the instant the signal blinked green. The sound of engines, distant music, and conversation blended into a symphony of motion.
The scent of grilled yakitori drifted from the stalls, warm and smoky. Children laughed in school uniforms. A train rumbled overhead on its elevated tracks. Somewhere nearby, a street performer played soft jazz on a saxophone – unnoticed, but essential.
But for all its noise and colour, the city had shadows too.
Alleyways curled behind buildings like secrets. Rooftops loomed above everything, often silent, often watched. And far above, digital billboards played silently, unaware of the people who walked below them – carrying heavy hearts of chasing big dreams.
Among the people in the city…
STEP. STEP. STEP. STEP.
It was Yami, dressed in black from his hoodie to his jeans, who walked through the city with his hands in his pockets.
He walked past the food stalls that hissed with the scent of grilled yakitori. The aroma curled around him, but he paid it no mind. He also passed a couple wrapped in a warm embrace, their smiles easy, their voices soft.
"I love you, darling," the woman said, her hand resting on her partner's chest.
Yami didn't even glance at them. He kept walking, his expression blank.
He let out a quiet sigh.
Aoi…
Then–
His jaw tightened. His fists clenched in his pockets as a sharp memory cut through the noise of the street.
Teshii's words from yesterday.
"Because if you keep digging, you might lose everything. Your family. Your childhood pal, Hikari. And your precious girlfriend, Aoi."
Yami stopped in the middle of the footpath. Pedestrians flowed around him like a stream parting around a rock.
He clenched his fists tighter.
That damn b*stard… Who does he think he is? When I found out who he really is, I'll–
"You seem to be in trouble, my friend!"
Yami's thoughts shattered.
He snapped his head to the right.
"Huh?"
Standing there was a man with neatly styled blonde hair and sharp blue eyes. He wore a black suit and tie, polished shoes clicking softly on the pavement.
Yami narrowed his gaze at the stranger.
"…Who are you?"
The blonde man smiled and placed a hand on his chest.
"My name is ???," he said smoothly. "In a way, you could call me a magician… one who can read people's minds."
Yami stared at the man, eyes narrowing, scanning him from head to toe.
A magician who reads minds, huh?
He didn't look the part – dressed in a sharp black suit and tie, with an air more fitting for a corporate shark than a street performer.
Probably just a businessman trying to scam me.
Yami shook his head, unimpressed.
"Sorry, sir. I don't know what kind of trick you're trying to pull, but… I'm not interested."
The man leaned in slightly, grinning.
"Come now. What if I prove it to you? What if I read your mind, right here and now? Would that change your mind?"
Yami raised a hand, palm out toward the man.
"Like I said. Not interested."
He turned and began walking away, putting distance between him and the strange blonde man.
Then–
"Because if you keep digging, you might lose everything. Your family. Your childhood pal, Hikaru. And your precious girlfriend, Aoi."
Yami froze.
His entire body locked in place, rooted by the weight of those words.
His purple eyes widened in disbelief.
But…
It wasn't Teshii saying it.
It was the blonde man.
Slowly, mechanically, Yami turned back around.
The blonde man stood there, arms crossed, that same confident smile stretched across his face.
"H-How…?" Yami whispered, voice shaken.
"So…" the man said calmly, tilting his head. "Do you believe me now?"
Yami narrowed his eyes at the man.
"Seriously… who are you?"
The blonde man tilted his head, a mocking glint in his eye.
"Why are you asking me that? I literally told you who I was, Yami."
Yami's breath caught.
"…How do you know my name?"
The man's grin widened.
"Because I'm looking for people with gifts."
Yami frowned.
"Gifts? What do you mean, gifts?"
The blonde man raised a finger and pointe directly at Yami.
"You. Yami… have a hidden talent. A potential buried deep inside you – one we're interested in."
Yami crossed his arms, gaze sharp.
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
"I want you to join us," the man said, arms outstretched in invitation. "I'm confident our boss will be very impressed by you."
Yami stood firm, silent for a moment.
Is this guy serious? This sounds like total bullsh*t. A hidden talent? Gifts?
Then–
Wait.
If he can read minds… is he reading mine right now?
The blonde man chuckled knowingly.
"That's right, Yami. I'm reading your mind right now. And I can assure you… this isn't bullsh*t."
Yami gritted his teeth.
"Okay, fine. Let's say you're telling the truth. What makes you think I'd ever join you?"
The man raised two fingers to his temple with a dramatic flair, a confident smirk playing on his lips.
"What if I told you…" he said slowly, deliberately, "…that I have the answers you've been looking for?"
Yami's eyes widened.
"…What?"
"That's right," the man nodded. "I can tell you everything you want to know about… Teshii."
Yami's voice dropped.
"You know Teshii?"
The man's expression grew calm.
"Teshii and I go way back. We've known each other since we were younger."
Yami stared at him in stunned silence, his thoughts racing.
He knows Teshii…? Then he might actually know the truth about who he really is.
But… can I trust him?
"S-So…" Yami hesitated, "if I join you, you'll tell me everything about Teshii?"
The man shook his head.
"No," he said coolly. "You won't get answers just for joining."
Yami narrowed his eyes, guarded again.
"Then what do you want?"
The blonde man clasped his hands behind his back… and leaned in slightly.
And then–
…he opened his mouth.
Back with the Elements in the Open Field…
Teshii and Moriya stood face-to-face in the centre of the arena, slowly circling each other. The tension between them was subtle but sharp – Teshii wore his usual confident smile, while Moriya kept a serious, calculating expression.
The other Elements stood on the sidelines, eyes fixed on the impending battle.
Daichi stood with his arms crossed. Beside him, Haruto chatted quietly with Reito. Hikaru remained standing, while Ikazuchi sat cross-legged in the grass, his gaze locked onto the two combatants.
"I wonder who's going to win the battle," Reito said, curiosity in his tone.
"Knowing both of them," Haruto replied, "Teshii will probably win this by just standing there."
Daichi chuckled slightly.
"Who knows? Maybe… today will be different."
Hikaru turned toward Daichi, raising a brow.
"As if Teshii even knows the definition of different."
Daichi blinked, confused.
"What do you mean, Hikaru?"
Hikaru let out a quiet sigh.
"Teshii… even when the odds are against him, he finds a way to win. If he had come with us to Tottori during the fight with Molecule, I'm sure – even without the rest of us – he would've beaten Molecule easily."
"I see…" Daichi murmured, turning his eyes back to the field.
Ikazuchi, still sitting beside Hikaru, said nothing. He stared at Teshii and Moriya, silent, his thoughts clearly elsewhere.
Hikaru glanced over and noticed Ikazuchi's unusual quietness.
"Ikazuchi? You okay?" he asked.
At first, Ikazuchi didn't respond.
Then–
"Hikaru." Ikazuchi's voice was low, quiet. "Be honest with me… do you think Teshii has been acting strange?"
Hikaru tilted his head, puzzled.
"What do you mean?"
Ikazuchi exhaled deeply and rose to his feet.
"Ever since Teshii got here, I've felt… uneasy about him today."
"How come?" Hikaru asked.
Ikazuchi narrowed his eyes.
"He's been calling us by our real names."
Hikaru's eyes widened instantly.
"What?!"
But…
Hikaru wasn't the only one who heard it.
Moriya's ear twitched, clearly catching Ikazuchi's suspicions.
I guess… I wasn't the only one who thought the same thing.
"So… Moriya, are you ready for this?" Teshii asked, adjusting his crimson shades.
"Y-Yeah," Moriya muttered.
Then–
Teshii charged toward Moriya, fists clenched.
"Here he comes," Haruto said from the sidelines.
Moriya shifted into a more defensive stance.
Teshii stopped just in front of Moriya and lunged forward with a textbook jab – arm extended in a perfectly straight line, feet planted like he was posing for a martial arts manual from 1987.
Moriya's eyes widened.
Wait a minute!
His jab…
It looks so slow.
Moriya sidestepped, dodging it with ease.
Behind his shades, Teshii's eyes widened in shock.
Then – he pivoted slowly.
"Take this, Moriya," he said.
Teshii shifted his weight onto one leg – fluid, controlled. In a blink, his body twisted.
Momentum surged from his hips, up his spine, and out through his leg as it swept in a wide arc like a blade cut from wind itself.
Moriya narrowed his eyes, spotting the roundhouse kick just in time, and ducked underneath it.
Again! It's slow…
Is Teshii okay?
…Is his even Teshii?
His eyes widened.
Wait?!
Is this even Teshii?!
Could it be…
WHAM!
Moriya slammed his palm into the earth. The grass burst upward between them, forming a thick shield.
Teshii's eyes widened behind his shades, stumbling a step backward.
"Okay," Haruto said, stunned. "Teshii wouldn't normally step back from that. He'd tear right through the shield."
"Yeah," Ikazuchi nodded, narrowing his eyes. "Something is clearly off."
Then–
"Turf Assault!"
The grass surged upward in spiraling vines, wrapping tightly around Teshii's torso and flipping him upside down in midair.
"W-Woah!" Teshii shouted. "Moriya! What are you doing?!"
"Be quiet, impostor."
"…What?" Teshii muttered, voice much quieter now.
Ikazuchi clenched his fists.
"Tch! I knew something was off."
He dashed forward, the others following close behind.
"Moriya, what do you mean, 'impostor'?" Haruto called out.
Moriya turned his head toward Haruto.
"I'd explain, but…"
He looked back to the figure dangling upside down in a grip of coiled grass – gritting his teeth, no longer confident.
"…I think it's better if he explains it."
Moriya's gaze hardened.
"Chameleon!"
TO BE CONTINUED!!!