A few days later, Stefan invited Luna, Rody, Misaki, Cassie, and Vivian to his office to discuss his findings and plan. Luna entered the room alongside Rody, cheerfully greeting everyone. Her wave to Misaki, though, was a touch more timid, her smile faltering slightly. I wonder if she’s mad at me… Luna thought, her mind flickering with doubt. Across the room, Misaki’s gaze lingered on Luna, her thoughts mirroring Luna’s. I wonder if she’s mad at me…

  “I invited all the Neo Gladius tournament participants, so I thank those of you who showed up.” Stefan began his briefing and turned on the same screen he showed Misaki. “I have been tracking the various incidents around the city, including missing persons and wild animal sightings at night. From all the data I’ve gathered, I believe something is going on in the abandoned Teal refinery on the outskirts of town.”

  Luna raised her hand. “What makes you suspect the refinery, Stefan?”

  “We’re not in school anymore…” Misaki said under her breath.

  “Good question. First, most of the incidents are in the southern part of the city close to the refinery. Second, there is Teal wave activity that spikes in and around the refinery and some residual traces of Teal energy in most of the incident locations. Lastly, every drone I’ve sent to scout the refinery has been destroyed. Someone is behind this, and we need to stop them.”

  The Gladius took in the information and looked at each other for their reactions.

  Rody finally spoke up. “W-wait… does that mean this is dangerous? Should the police or military handle this…?”

  “I’m way ahead of you, bud. The police are dragging their feet, talking about jurisdictions and filing paperwork. As for the military, I asked my old man for help. But the military has been reduced to a minimum since the wars ended. And the bulk of our focus are exploring the newly discovered continent.”

  Cassie stepped forward. “Weeeell, we can gear up in our Tealon suits and do a little reconnaissance in force! We either find and beat whoever is behind this, or we get the military and police the evidence they need to get involved! I bet we can solve this ourselves! Am I right?”

  “That is precisely what I was thinking, Cassie,” Stefan admitted.

  Vivian hops excitedly. “We’d totes be heroes if we solve this mystery!”

  “Heroes?” Luna perked up. Maybe this is my chance to make up for losing the tournament! “W-when would we go, Stefan?”

  “Tomorrow night. There’s still a few things I need to get ready. Like the gunship we will fly in, and a few new toys you all will enjoy.” Stefan chuckled proudly.

  Luna’s enthusiasm faded. “Oh… I won’t be able to join you…”

  “Your music video, right?” Rody asked.

  “Yeah… we’re shooting the last part tomorrow night because there will be a full moon.”

  She seems so bummed out, maybe I should reassure her… Misaki thought. “Don’t worry about it, Luna. Do your music video, I’ll make sure everything goes smoothly.”

  “Yeah! Don’t sweat it!” Cassie pointed her thumb back at Vivian. “We got Big Tits McGee over here that can explode our way out of any trouble!”

  Vivian nervously covered herself. “Wha-”

  Cassie then draped her arm around Misaki. “Haha, we got the Flame Princess here, and yours truly!” Cassie flexed her bicep.

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  “Watch it, Cassie…” Misaki eyedher.

  “Funny, you don’t punch her when she calls you that,” Stefan teased.

  Misaki and Cassie stuck their tongues at him, and they all laughed.

  Maybe…I’m really not meant to be a Gladius after all… They don’t seem to need me. Luna’s doubts crept back in, seeing the others’ confidence. “Well, if things are all settled, I’ll be heading out for rehearsal!” She smiled.

  “Thanks for coming! Rody? Will you be able to join us?” Stefan asked.

  “N-no… I promised I would go with her to her video shoot. Sorry…”

  “We’d love to have you both join us, but I understand you can’t move your video shoot. We’ll keep you updated.” Stefan waved at them.

  “Thank you! Good luck!” Luna waved goodbye, her eyes briefly meeting Misaki’s as she left the room.

  ***

  The next night, the Sunshine Cadets, joined by Rody and the film crew, ventured to a nearby lake nestled in dense woods. They set up on a small hill overlooking the water, the moon casting a brilliant glow across it. Rody watched Luna with quiet awe as she sang and danced, effortlessly adjusting to the director’s critiques. How does she do that… shine brighter than the moon?

  Her movements were sharp yet fluid, her hair flowing gracefully with the night breeze.

  When Luna finished her part, she scanned the area for Azura, her brow furrowing slightly. I wonder why she didn’t show up? A pang of disappointment settled in as the film crew began dismantling their equipment. The group wrapped up soon after, preparing to leave.

  Rody loaded the girls’ belongings into his pickup truck while they snapped a few photos together, laughing. His attention shifted when he caught a rustling sound from the trees nearby. “What’s that?” he muttered to himself, squinting into the darkness, trying to pinpoint the source of the noise.

  “You good?” Luna asked, startling him. “You’re not still afraid of the dark, are you? Haha! Remember when we were kids and had sleepovers?! You used to always ask for a night light!” Luna urged Rody to take a seat on the tailgate. Rody was reeling from the thought of sleeping next to Luna.

  “I do recall some crying about the dark, but I believe that was you, Luna,” Raine said, walking up to them.

  “Yeah! It was you!” Morgan agreed..

  “Was not!”

  Wait, I used to have sleepovers with the girls? Why’s it so hard to talk to them now!? Rody noticed how beautiful all three of his friends were. “Oh, that’s why…” He said aloud accidentally.

  “Why wha-” Luna began to ask, but stopped and stared at the treeline. Raine and Morgan held each other and trembled, causing Rody to turn.

  Among the trees, dozens of green glowing dots flickered in the darkness.“Are those…”

  Rody recalled back to the night of Luna’s concert. “Eyes…” He shuddered as the glowing eyes crept forward. Dozens of reptile-like creatures, resembling prehistoric velociraptors, emerged from the trees. Their sharp claws and teeth gleamed in the moonlight as they emitted bird-like noises and clicks. Rody took a step back, his heart racing, while Raine and Morgan began to cry. “Girls… Get in the truck…”

  Luna saw the fear in her friends' eyes. I-I have to do something! She locked eyes with Rody, determination flaring, and wrapped her fists in shimmering Teal fire.

  “Rody… they could catch us if we run, we have to protect Raine and Morgan!”

  I have to protect Luna, but she’s not gonna let me convince her to run! Rody sighed and created Teal frost on his hands. “They’re coming!” The vicious creatures charged the group, their claws scraping the ground. Rody reacted instantly, conjuring a shimmering ice barrier around his truck, encasing Raine and Morgan, who screamed as the creatures surged closer.

  “We’ll protect you!” Luna promised. “Take this!” Luna snapped her fingers and shot flames at the oncoming creatures. Rody was in awe of Luna’s focus and readiness. He blinked, and she was already engaged in battle, her fists blazing with fire.

  C’mon, Rody! You have to help her! He scrambled to find a way to fight the creatures. I don’t have any Teal crystals, but maybe…

  Meanwhile, Luna was in the midst of a dozen creatures. “YAH!” she shouted, igniting her feet and unleashing a spinning kick that took down two of them. She continued to fight, striking with precision and fire, but before she realized it, she was surrounded. She shattered the jaw of one creature in front of her, completely unaware of the one leaping at her from behind.

  Luna turned to face the attack, but she wouldn’t be able to block or dodge in time. She winced, bracing for the hit, when a Phalanx spear sliced through the creature mid-air, sending it flying away from her.

  “Rody! Awesome job! Let’s finish this!” she called out, wrapping herself in flames once more. She launched into the remaining creatures, dodging their strikes and weaving around Rody’s Phalanx spears with practiced ease.

  The pair worked in tandem to cut down the enemy numbers. Out of desperation, the two final creatures charged towards the ice barrier. “Rody! Stop them!” Luna shouted.

  Rody missed with his last Phalanx spears, and Luna hesitated to send flames toward her friends. The creatures leapt at the barrier, but before they could begin clawing at it, two sharp ice pillars shot up and impaled them, leaving their bodies lifeless. Rody let out a breath of relief.

  “Let’s get out here…”

  “Right!” Luna melted the ice, and consoled Raine and Morgan as Rody drove them back to the city. Rody called Stefan on speaker in his truck. “Stefan! I think we discovered the creatures responsible for the missing people!” Luna blurted out as Stefan answered.

  From the background noise, it was clear he was flying his gunship. They could hear Vivian sobbing beside him. “Yeah… We did too…”

  “W-why is Vivian crying? What happened?!” Luna urged.

  Stefan hesitated. “I hate to tell you this, Luna, but it’s bad… And we’re in for a long night…”

  “Stefan… What are you saying?!”

  “Meet us at Boltus… Rody, listen, I need you to make a phone call.”

  “Me?” Rody asked as they exchanged worried glances.