The ocean was just as breathtaking as ever. An endless expanse of blue stretched out in every direction, its waves rising and falling in a calm, rhythmic dance. Sunlight sparkled across the water's surface, turning it into a living mirror of silver and sapphire. Beneath the surface, marine life swam gracefully – schools of fish, gliding stingrays, and the occasional shadow of something larger disappearing into the depths.
VRRRMMM!
A sleek, silver motorboat roared across the water, jolting forward like a bullet from a gun. It sliced through the sea with a smooth, predatory elegance, sending twin fans of white spray arching behind it. The engine's deep growl reverberated across the waves, a mechanical heartbeat amidst nature's calm.
There were two people aboard.
Yami Utsuro–
–standing at the front of the boat, scanning the horizon with narrowed eyes.
And behind him–
–the mysterious man known only as The Magician, hands on the wheel, calmly steering their course.
Yami's gaze swept the endless ocean, expecting – something. A sign. A landmark. Anything.
But there was nothing. Just sea and sky.
Frustrated, Yami turned toward the driver.
"Hey!" he called over the wind.
"What is it?" the magician replied, not looking away from the helm.
"Where exactly are you taking us?" Yami demanded, his voice edged with suspicion.
Then–
SPLASH!
A dolphin burst out of the water beside them, arching high into the air. Its slick, grey body caught the sunlight, casting droplets like flying diamonds as it twisted playfully mid-jump.
Eee-eee!
The dolphin chirped cheerfully before vanishing back into the sea with a graceful splash.
PLUNK!
The magician chuckled, amused not by the dolphin, but by Yami's tone. His grip stayed firm on the wheel, but his attention flicked toward the younger man.
"You'll see soon enough, Yami."
Yami clenched his jaw, clearly irritated. The magician grinned wider, clearly enjoying the reaction.
Then–
His expression changed. His eyes widened slightly as something came into view on the horizon.
He turned his attention forward.
"Looks like 'soon' is almost here," he said.
"Huh?" Yami turned, his brows knitting together as he followed the magician's gaze.
And then – he saw it.
In the distance, rising from the heart of the ocean like a secret summoned by the waves–
An island.
Lush. Remote. Mysterious.
Yami stared at it, suspicion returning to his eyes.
An island?
The magician smirked knowingly, already reading Yami's thoughts.
"Yeah," he nodded.
"That's the island where you'll meet our leader."
Back to the Elements vs Chameleon
The wind had grown stronger, surging wildly across the open field. Hikaru, Reito, and Chameleon found themselves being pushed back by the gusts, struggling to stay grounded.
And Sora?
He was in the sky, lifted effortlessly by the wind itself, his expression calm and focused as he gazed down upon the shapeshifting mutant.
Meanwhile, Haruto, Moriya, Ikazuchi, and Daichi – who had all been knocked out by Chameleon, or by accident in the chaos – began to stir. Haruto blinked, slowly pushing himself upright, his blue hair flailing in the gusts.
"W-What happened?" Haruto muttered, squinting against the wind.
"Why has it gotten so windy all of a sudden?" Ikazuchi asked, brushing dirt from his arms as he staggered back into the arena after being sent flying by Chameleon.
All of them looked skyward – and froze.
Their eyes widened in disbelief.
"Is… is that Sora up there?" Ikazuchi asked, pointing.
"Yeah," Hikaru nodded, his voice nearly lost to the roaring wind.
Then he narrowed his eyes and noticed something strange.
Chameleon, struggling to stay upright, was the only one truly affected by the wind.
Moriya noticed it too. He furrowed his brow and glanced around at the others, noticing how still the wind was around them.
"Wait," he said. "Why aren't we being pushed back like Chameleon?"
There was silence. Then–
Hikaru's eyes widened as realization dawned on him.
"C-Could it be…" he muttered. "…Sora is focusing the wind directly at Chameleon?"
He quickly turned to the others.
"Guys! Attack Chameleon – now!"
Without hesitation, the team sprang into action.
"ILLUMINATE BLITZ!" Hikaru shouted, a radiant beam of light bursting from his fist and racing toward Chameleon.
"HYDRO VORTEX!" Haruto commanded, as a roaring cyclone of water erupted from his pouch, spiralling forward with tremendous force.
"TURF ASSAULT!" Moriya declared, slamming his hand to the ground. The grass rose and twisted into a writhing assault, surging toward their enemy.
Ikazuchi lifted his fingers, crackling with electricity.
"LIGHTNING GUNSHOT!"
A searing bolt of electricity shot from his fingertips, darting like a snake across the field.
"BLIZZARD BLAST!" Reito added, unleashing a furious storm of snow and frost from his palm.
Daichi, eyes narrowed, struck the ground with his palm.
"ROCK SPIKE!"
The earth trembled, then erupted – sending a jagged spike of stone shooting up like a fang. He gritted his teeth and punched it with all his might, propelling it straight toward Chameleon.
As the six attacks from the Elements surged toward Chameleon, he couldn't do anything but watch as he was pushed back by the wind.
Sh*t!
I need to change form now!
A green aura surrounded Chameleon's body, beginning to shapeshift into something that might help him dodge the attacks.
Then–
"I WON'T LET YOU!" Sora shouted from the sky, clapping his hands together.
"EYE… OF THE STORM!"
The wind grew ever stronger – faster. The grassy terrain began to flail violently under the sheer force Sora was unleashing. Chameleon and the others Elements were all pushed back by the raging current.
"WHAT THE–?" Chameleon shouted as his feet were lifted off the ground. He held tightly to the grass for support – but he wouldn't be able to for long.
Chameleon looked up – and his eyes widened.
The Elements' attacks were already surging toward him.
BOOOOOMMMMM!
"Aaaaaaaaahhhhhh!" Chameleon screamed as the combined assault hit him head-on, ripping his grip from the terrain.
Now airborne, Chameleon was helpless – completely at the mercy of the winds.
Then–
"I'M NOT DONE YET!" Sora shouted mid-air.
"EYE OF THE STORM… HEAVEN PIERCER!"
The wind transformed into a cyclone, with Sora at its eye. Chameleon spun helplessly in the centre, caught in the twisting torrent.
FWOOOSH!
Sora suddenly vanished.
He shot upward like a wind-forged spear, riding a spiralling current – his entire body cloaked in compressed air, forming a bladed spiral around him. He broke the sound barrier mid-ascent, the world below reduced to a blur of clouds and velocity.
In a single, blinding instant – he pierced straight through Chameleon mid-air with a deafening, sonic blast of gale-force power.
"Gaaahh!" Chameleon cried out in pain.
And then–
The cyclone spat Chameleon from its vortex, sending him hurtling across the sky and out of the battlefield.
With Chameleon gone and defeated, the cyclone began to slow, then disappeared entirely. The tall grass stopped flailing, and the once-violent wind softened into a gentle breeze.
Sora landed softly on the grassy terrain, guided down by his wind. He let out a long sigh.
And then–
"SORA!"
He froze and glanced toward the voice.
It was Hikaru and the others, all running toward him.
"That was amazing," Moriya said, smiling.
"Yeah!" Haruto nodded in agreement.
"R-Really?" Sora asked, his eyes beginning to gleam.
"Yeah!" Hikaru grinned. "You're definitely our strongest Element here!"
Sora gasped and bowed deeply to Hikaru.
"Thank you very much, Hikaru!"
"WHAT?! Ikazuchi shouted. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE'S THE STRONGEST ONE HERE? I CAN DO SOMETHING BETTER THAN THAT CYCLONE!"
"Yeah right!" Reito shot back, mockingly.
Ikazuchi glared at him.
Then–
"YO!"
Everyone turned their heads toward the familiar voice.
It was Teshii, running toward the arena, waving.
"Hey guys! Sorry I'm late," he called out casually. He stopped and scanned the scene – his eyes behind the crimson shades flicking over the battle-worn arena, the scorched grass, and the bruised, exhausted group.
Teshii blinked.
"W-What happened to the arena that I worked so hard to make? And what happened to you guys?"
But the Elements didn't answer immediately. They all just stared at him – suspicion in their eyes.
Then Hikaru stepped forward.
"Teshii? Or should I say… Chameleon?"
"Huh?" Teshii frowned in confusion. "Chameleon was here?"
"Tell me…" Hikaru continued. "Tell me something only the real Teshii would know."
Teshii tapped a thoughtful hand against his chin.
"Something the real Teshii would know, huh?" he muttered. He smiled, eyes gleaming.
He looked directly at Hikaru.
"I slept with your sister, Sunshine!"
Silence.
The breeze gently stirred the grass.
And then…
"You called by my nickname. I guess you are the real Teshii," Hikaru said.
Then he blinked.
"WAIT?! WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!"
"Nothing!" Teshii grinned shamelessly, clearly proud of himself.
Daichi turned his head toward Teshii, arms crossed. There was something on his mind – something that tugged at his curiosity the moment Teshii spoke earlier.
"Hey, Teshii."
Teshii turned his head, curious what Daichi was about to say.
"What is it, Terra?"
"What did you mean about the arena you worked so hard to make?" Daichi asked, narrowing his eyes.
Teshii grinned as soon as the question left Daichi's mouth.
"Do you really want to know?"
Everyone now looked at Teshii, curiosity flickering in their eyes.
"Well, if you insist…" Teshii raised one finger dramatically. "I mowed the field to create the arena."
"Huh?" Everyone said in unison, blinking at him with blank expressions.
"I came to this field the other day and thought it was the perfect place for a training ground. So, I mowed it. Shaped it into this arena." Teshii explained proudly.
"Wait. Wait. Wait." Hikaru squinted. "You made this arena?"
"Yep!" Teshii nodded enthusiastically.
"Did you get permission from the landowners?" Hikaru asked, concern rising in his voice.
"Nope!" Teshii said without a hint of shame.
"Teshii! You could seriously get in trouble for that! Like… a lawsuit from the landowners!" Hikaru exclaimed.
But Teshii simply waved it off, unconcerned.
"Ah, don't worry, Sunshine. Even if I did get sued, I'm sure I'd charm my way out of it."
"B-But…" Hikaru muttered, eyes twitching.
Then–
Teshii turned to Sora and walked over to him.
"So… Zephyr. How was fighting Chameleon?"
"U-Um…" Sora hesitated. "I-It was okay, I guess?"
"Teshii, you should've seen it," Haruto jumped in. "Sora was floating mid-air and created a cyclone that launched Chameleon."
"Floating? And a cyclone?" Teshii repeated, raising a brow.
"Yeah," Haruto nodded. "And the way he fought? It was like watching an adult battling inside a teenager's body."
Teshii turned his head to Haruto, intrigued.
"Well maybe it's because Sora lost his virg– I mean, never mind!" Teshii cut himself off, grinning awkwardly.
He turned back to Sora.
"Forget that. I just have one question for you, Sora."
Sora blinked, eyes curious.
"What is it, Mr. Teshii?"
Teshii makes a smirk on his face.
"Do you want to learn how to fly?"
Back with Yami and 'The Magician'…
Yami and the Magician had arrived at the island.
Yami scanned his surroundings. The island was shrouded in mist and silence, as if the Island of Mystery stood alone – untouched, uncharted, and unnerving.
His gaze rose to the looming mountain. Its jagged cliffs pierced the sky like broken teeth, while dense, shadowed jungles whispered with the rustle of unseen creatures, swaying like secrets just out of reach.
He turned to the Magician.
"Hey! Where are we?" Yami asked.
"We're on an island, Yami," the Magician replied cheekily.
"I know it's an island," Yami snapped. "But this island doesn't appear on any map."
The Magician smiled, clearly enjoying Yami's suspicion.
"That's because this is the… Island of Mystery."
Yami raised an eyebrow at the name.
"Island of Mystery?" he repeated, narrowing his eyes.
The Magician nodded without hesitation.
"If this is the Island of Mystery," Yami said, voice low with scepticism, "then how did you know about it?"
STEP. STEP. STEP.
"I didn't," the Magician replied casually.
"You didn't? Then who?"
The Magician's smile widened as he noticed someone approaching. He lifted a hand and pointed ahead.
"He did!"
"Huh?" Yami turned to look.
His eyes widened.
A man was walking toward them – tall and imposing, wearing a black trench coat over a white T-shirt, black jeans, and combat boots. The sleeves of his coat were rolled up, revealing arms covered in tattoos.
But the most striking detail… was the mask.
A dark, expressionless mask covered the man's face, etched with a deep purple X across its front. A dark cloth covered his hair, concealing every identifiable feature except for his intense presence.
Yami instinctively took a step back, a chill racing down his spine. He could feel it – raw power pulsing off this man in waves.
He turned to the Magician, confused and slightly shaken. The Magician, now kneeling with respect, showed none of his usual sarcasm.
"Who is that man?" Yami asked, voice low.
The Magician stood slowly and turned to Yami with a grin.
"Yami… meet our leader," he said, gesturing grandly toward the masked man. "…Sinister X!"
Yami's eyes locked onto the masked figure, his expression unreadable.
Sinister X?
Then – Sinister X finally spoke.
"You did well, Mind," he said, his voice smooth but cold as steel.
"Thank you, sir!" the Magician – revealed to be Mind – replied proudly.
Sinister X then turned to Yami.
Yami flinched as the leader's gaze pierced straight through him, despite the mask.
"So… Yami Utsuro," Sinister X said.
Yami tensed at the sound of his full name.
"Have you awakened it yet?"
Yami raised an eyebrow, caught off guard.
"Awakened what, exactly?" he asked.
Sinister X stared at Yami for a long moment. Though the mask concealed most of his face, Yami could still feel the weight of his stare – intense, probing, almost suffocating.
Then–
"The Element of Darkness."
TO BE CONTINUED!!!