Finally finding his backpack among the luggage loaded in the hoverbus, Ryuzio pulled it out and slung it onto his shoulders. He rounded the back of the hoverbus, walking toward Benji. "Found it!"
Benji rose from the ground, wiping his forehead. "I'm done too." Near his feet lay Codix and Edden, both having their hands tied behind them, back against one another.
"I don't think that's gonna be enough," Ryuzio said, picking the pole Codix had used before. He flared the Ether around his arms after flowing it throughout his body, tightening his grip on the pole, before bending it. He walked over to the two men, wrapping the metal pole around their torsos.
Benji gulped. "Whoa…"
Ryuzio stood straight, dusting off his hands. "Okay, then, let's go."
Benji nodded. "Y-Yeah…"
After Ryuzio's fight, Benji had made sure to put everyone back inside the hoverbus with all of their belongings, leaving only Codix and Edden outside. He had then used their own cloaks to restrain their limbs, making sure after they got up, they wouldn't be able to move easily.
Ryuzio concluded that Benji was a good person.
He made his way to the broad road, but unable to find Benji by his side, he turned. "What're you waiting for? Let's go!" he shouted at Benji, who stood still with his head lowered.
"Why…?" Benji said softly. "Why did you help me?"
Ryuzio looked sideways in thought. He then nodded to himself, Benji looking apprehensive. "It doesn't matter," he said with a shrug.
Benji leaned forward. "Do you call yourself a Volant?"
Ryuzio nodded. "Of course. A tough one."
"Then why would you help someone who wants to become a skyguard?"
"Hey…" Ryuzio said, pointing with a frown at the blue-haired boy. "Are you saying I shouldn't have helped you?"
"Not at all!" Benji said, waving his hands to the front, sweat forming on his forehead. "I'm really grateful that you helped me, but I'm just confused, that's all. Volants and skyguards are supposed to be enemies, you know. They're supposed to stop each other, not help."
"Okay, then," Ryuzio said flatly. "Try to stop me."
Benji stepped back, holding his hands to the front, sweat trailing down his the sides of his face. "Hold on, how'd you get to that conclusion? I just wanted to know your reasons for helping me. Please don't take it any other way—"
Ryuzio put his right fist forward. "If you can't stop me, you're no skyguard."
Benji's hands lowered slowly, expression softening.
"Besides," Ryuzio said with a smile. "I helped you so that you could help me. So let's get going to Sonas already."
Benji nodded slightly, standing upright. "You're…right…" With that, he followed Ryuzio to the broad road and they started walking away from the hoverbus stop.
Benji had told Ryuzio that skyguards would soon appear due to the sudden connection loss from this hoverbus, so the Volants that they left behind wouldn't be able to harm any people. Benji had also told about the gas's effect. The pilot and the conductor would still be asleep an hour from now, so there was hardly any reason to wait.
Ryuzio had to get to Sonas as quickly as he could. A skyjet was just too exciting to wait for!
Ryuzio's gut rumbled as they got some distance away from the stop. He pulled out the mealbox from inside his backpack that Melga had packed for him this morning, taking off its lid.
Benji eyed the mealbox with hungry eyes from the side as Ryuzio took out one of the two bunmeats and started chomping away at it.
Ryuzio ate with delight as they walked down the road lined with lights and warning signs on either side of it.
Benji's stomach growled, making his face flush and look away from the mealbox.
"Heh?" Ryuzio said, taking another bite of his bunmeat. "You're hungry?"
Benji turned slowly, giving a slight nod. "And it's still at least half an hour before we get to Sonas on foot."
Ryuzio looked ahead, enjoying his meal. "That sucks."
Benji's jaw loosened, eyes fattening. "Huh? I thought…you were going to offer me the other…" he said softly before biting close his lips.
"Heh?" Ryuzio said, gobbling up his bunmeat, taking out the last one, throwing away the wooden mealbox to the side of the road. "I'd hate to be you right now. It's good that I have these."
Benji's head fell. "Right…"
"I have an idea!" Ryuzio said, turning to Benji. "You can tell me if they make better bunmeats than Melga in Sonas!"
Benji looked up at Ryuzio's face, eyes twinkling. "Yes, I could do that—"
"Never mind," Ryuzio said, returning his gaze forward. "It'll be more exciting if I do that myself."
Benji's head fell sideways, eyes almost crying out tears. "Yeah…it would be…"
"You don't like bunmeat, Ben?" Ryuzio asked, removing the paper wrapping of the bunmeat he had in his hands. "Man, if I saw someone eating a bunmeat in front of me while I was hungry, I'd definitely take it from them, no matter what!"
Benji gulped to contain his drool. "I could never do that…" He started breathing heavily as soon as Ryuzio threw away the wrapping of the bunmeat. He leaned closer, sweating profusely, as Ryuzio grabbed the bunmeat with both hands. Benji's mouth fell open, his heavy breaths escaping.
Ryuzio brought the bunmeat closer to his mouth—
"Can I please have a small piece?" Benji said, stopping and bowing. He gulped, looking up—
"I'm definitely hungrier than you," Ryuzio said, smiling. "But I also want you to try the best bunmeat under the Eight Skies!"
Tears started rolling down from Benji's eyes as soon as he saw Ryuzio offering the whole bunmeat with a smile. He accepted the snack with unsteady hands, crying continuously as he did so.
"Whoa!" Ryuzio said, eyebrows rising. "You haven't even taken a bite yet and the spice is already getting to you."
Benji dug his teeth into the buns, chomping off a bite, and then chewing delightfully, eyes still tearing up. "Thank you…Ryuzio… Thank…you…!" he said as he chewed.
Ryuzio smiled. "It's awesome, yeah?"
Benji nodded, snorting his running nose. "The best…"
"But for eating that, you'll have to take me to the best bunmeat place in Sonas, okay?"
Benji looked at Ryuzio's smile, snot leaking from one nostril. "Um… Sure…"
###
Benji's legs were tired from the 20 or so minutes of walking. But glancing to his side, he found Ryuzio stepping onward with just as much enthusiasm as he had back when they'd left the hoverbus stop.
"How about now?" asked the black-haired boy with a curious smile.
Benji sighed, a bead of sweat trailing down the side of his face. 'He just asked the same question ten steps ago…' "We're still 10 minutes away."
Why was this boy so keen on reaching Sonas? A very impatient one, he was. It wasn't as if Benji could just ASK the odd boy.
That was one of the things. This boy was very odd. He'd just fought two criminals not even too long ago, and he'd not only defeated them, he'd done it without even breaking a sweat.
The weirdest part about Ryuzio…was his smile. Just what kind of an easy life did this boy live for him to be smiling so effortlessly. He definitely had it easier than Benji.
But Ryuzio was strong, that much was undeniable. And the way he used Ether seemed very different from the way Benji had seen Codix and Edden use it. Could it be that he was stronger than even Baru—
Benji froze in place. He was so impressed by Ryuzio's strength that he forgot about the actual problem.
###
Ryuzio found Benji to be a very quiet guy. He only talked when asked a question, so Ryuzio kept asking to make him speak. But it seemed like he didn't find talking too exciting. Maybe he just didn't like it that much.
Ryuzio smiled to himself. "Awesome! I can't wait to get to Sonas!"
"Um… Ryuzio…" Benji said after freezing in his steps, twiddling his thumbs with a lowered face. "I may not be able to…take you…to Sonas…"
"Heh?" Ryuzio turned with a frown. "Why's that?"
Benji gulped. "If Baru finds out that I ran away from Codix and Edden…I think he's going to kill me!"
"Is that it?"
Benji met Ryuzio's unfazed expression. "You're strong, Ryuzio, I know that. But…Baru…he's so scary that the Regime put a bounty on his head."
"How much?" Ryuzio said with a fascinated smile.
Benji gulped, leaning away from him. "22 whole million splinters…"
"That's…" Ryuzio's eyes fattened. "A lot of bunmeats…"
"You're not getting it at all," Benji said, flailing his arms with concern. "In this skybranch, there's not a single Volant whose bounty exceeds Baru's, so you know he's really strong!"
Ryuzio placed a hand on Benji's head, the thumb of the other hand pointing to his headband. "Don't worry! I'll protect you from Baru!"
Benji winced with discomfort. "You don't understand the situation I'm in…"
"Is he super big or something?"
"Well…" Benji looked to the side, sweat trailing down his cheek as he scratched it idly. "To be honest…I've never seen him in person. Codix was the guy that'd forced me to work for him, and he's directly under Baru…"
"So you're saying I'm weaker than someone you don't even know?"
Benji waved his hands dismissively, panic on his face. "How do you jump to conclusions like that? I'm just saying that if we come across Baru, I just don't want any trouble to come your way, that's all. It'll be me who he'll be after. So…"
"Ben," Ryuzio said flatly. "You're not tough enough to worry about me."
Benji's lips formed a line, his concerned look growing. "I know that, Ryuzio, but—"
Ryuzio slammed his forehead into the blue-haired boy's, knocking him on the ground. "Why do you worry so much? Look around! There's no Baru here!"
Benji set his jaw, head falling. "Because I'm not like you!" he yelled. "I have to worry because I'm not strong! Not everyone had an easy life like you—" He shut his mouth as soon as he met Ryuzio's eyes.
"Do you hate that?"
Benji looked away, rubbing the tears underneath his glasses. "Of course I hate that… Who likes being weak—?"
"Then what're you gonna do about it?"
Benji's body fell still after he turned his head back to Ryuzio, wide eyes pouring out tears.
"Try," Ryuzio said, fixing his headband and turning away. "And keep trying. That's what I did anyway." He slid his hands into his pockets, continuing to walk onward.
###
Maybe Benji did misjudge Ryuzio, for what he saw in those black eyes was far from the person he thought the headband boy to really be.
Benji saw someone who truly knew what powerlessness feels like. But Ryuzio was so strong, it didn't make sense—
"Try," Ryuzio said before walking away. "And keep trying. That's what I did anyway."
Benji's eyes widened from the realization of the source of Ryuzio's strength. 'He's only strong now…because he hated being weak…'
Benji's mind fought with him for what he was trying to say to himself. His mind was so oppressed by Baru's men that a mere thought of empowerment created chaos inside his skull. Could he do it? Could he…?
'Maybe I really can become a grand skymaster…' With this thought in mind, Benji climbed onto his feet, dusted off his clothes, wiped away his tears, and moved onward.
He closed in on Ryuzio, face resolute.
Ryuzio glanced over his shoulder with a smile. "So you didn't run off after all, yeah?"
Benji's face flushed, eyes looking down. He walked nervously beside Ryuzio, making their way down the road to Sonas, grasslands to their either side. "Hey, Ryuzio…can I ask you something?"
Ryuzio nodded. "Yeah."
Benji joined his hands in front his stomach, interlocking his fingers. "Um… I just wanted to know why you never asked me how I ended up with those criminals…"
Ryuzio nodded to himself, not skipping a beat to answer. "Because I don't care."
"Wh—?" Benji said, eyes fattening. "Then…what is it that you…care about?"
"Food, mostly," Ryuzio said, looking thoughtful. "And my dream… Yours too, I guess… It's an exciting enough dream to care about, yeah?"
Benji fell quiet.
"Say, Ben," Ryuzio asked. "How old are you?"
"Um… 16."
Ryuzio thinned his eyes, comparing his height with Benji's. "You sure?"
Benji almost started crying again. "How can I get my age wrong?"
Ryuzio shrugged.
"And you?"
Ryuzio flexed both arms, puffing out his chest. "17! The perfect age to get my own Volant squad!"
"Own squad?" Benji said, brows rising. "You're saying you're not part of a Volant squad already, despite being so strong?"
"I am," Ryuzio said, nodding to himself, and then showing a single finger. "But I'm the only member right now."
Benji closed his mouth, looking ahead. "That's not how it… Anyways…"
"Whoa!" Ryuzio said, shading his eyes. "It's one of those gates!"
"After we cross that Bridgegate," Benji said, pointing at the gigantic triangular structure ahead, "we'll be in District One of Sonas City."
"So that's called a Bridgegate, yeah?" Ryuzio said, smiling. "You sure know you're stuff, Ben."
Benji let out a nervous chuckle, scratching his cheek. "T-Thanks…"
"So what's a district?"
"You don't know?" Benji asked with surprise. "Basically, big cities like Sonas are divided into areas called districts. Each district has its own number. And the bigger the city, the more districts it generally has."
Ryuzio nodded. "Boring…"
'Should I ask a question now?' Benji thought as the silence stretched. 'I know he's nothing like Codix and Edden, but still… Wait, what am I worried for? He told me not to do it…'
"So…" Benji asked nervously. "What's your favorite movie?"
Ryuzio kept walking with that optimistic and innocent smile over his face. "Don't like them. Too many pictures."
Benji let out a chuckle due to his nervousness. "So you like reading then, I see—"
Ryuzio shook his head. "Don't like them either. Too many words."
Benji's head fell. "I see…"
"What about you, Ben?" Ryuzio asked, facing him with an interested smile.
"Um…" Benji said, gulping, unsure of how much he wanted to let out. "I really like the movie 'Luminary Sunrider', especially its ending. The hero is such a good guy that after helping another character, he doesn't even mention it, even to THAT character himself!
"In the end, he just rides off into the sunset, leaving the other character with nothing but a note. I've committed that entire note to memory, it's just that good! It tells so much about our hero. It goes like: A far—"
Ryuzio ran ahead. "Look, we made it!"
"W-What?" Benji cried internally. 'So was I just rambling to myself? Makes me think if telling to others what you passionately like is even worth it or not…'
Ryuzio stood just steps away from the Bridgegate, holding a hand toward it, trying to grab the multicolored light bursting out of it.
"A hoverbus is not necessary to exit a Skybridge," Benji said, stepping beside the black-haired boy, "though it IS very necessary to enter one. The skyguards on the other side will just think of us as a couple of ordinary tourists, so we'll be fine."
Ryuzio smiled. "What're we waiting for then? Sonas city, I'm here!" With that, he jumped inside the gigantic 100-foot portal, Benji following behind.
Soon they passed the light, the skyscrapers of District One coming into view.
Ryuzio shaded his eyes, looking along the height of the buildings ahead. "Whoa! Those houses are so tall!"
Benji snorted to the side. 'He's a small-towner, alright—'
"Hands up!" a stern voice said before a dozen or so skyguards surrounded them with weapons in hand. "And no sudden movement! This is Commander Myles Xavin of Legion 88 of the Skybridge Security Force. No defiance will be overlooked, and WILL be punishable."
Benji shot his sweaty palms to the clear sky, heart racing. 'What did we do? This was not supposed to happen! Their Subjugators are all pointing to us! Is this a misunderstanding—?" His jaw sunk as he glanced to his side, eyes almost popping out.
Ryuzio was smiling stupidly with a Subjugator pointed to his head. "I just wanted to touch it. Why're you poking it in my head?"
"Do you not understand the situation you're in, boy?" asked the tall and dark-skinned platoon commander with dark green hair, hands clasped behind his back. "We just got word from the other side that the two criminals that attacked hoverbus 55-B are loose and headed this way.
"We were supposed to intercept them. Moreover, my men succeeded in identifying both criminals as subordinates of the Volant called Payback Baru. However, I never thought that you two would look this small in person."
'Codix and Edden escaped?' Benji thought in horror. 'Forget getting killed by Baru, if THEY see me, I'm dead for sure!'
Ryuzio thumbed over his shoulder to the Bridgegate. "I beat both of them and left them tied where the hoverbus stopped."
"What?" Myles said, hands coming forward. "You are not only suggesting that you two are not the criminals we were supposed to intercept, but also that a kid like you successfully nullified Baru's men?"
"Heh?" Ryuzio picked his nose with a pinky. "Sure, something like that."
"You won't fool me," Myles said. "I can see right through you."
"Through me!" Ryuzio panicked, pulling on his jacket as he looked down at his chest.
Benji cried internally, hands up high. 'This fool will get us killed…'
A device on Myles's chest beeped, making him extend the antenna attached to it and bring its microphone closer to his mouth. "Receiving, Platoon Commander Myles Xavin, Legion 88." He nodded as he listened to the speaker. "I see…"
Myles put the device away, gesturing the skyguards to lower their weapons. "It seems we might have mistaken you two for the criminals on accident due to the sheer coincidence of you arriving here on foot."
Benji gulped, looking apprehensive as the skyguards lowered their Subjugators, but keeping his hands up high anyway.
"I just received the physical descriptions of both the criminals and they for sure don't match yours," Myles said with hands behind his back. "I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. Even skyguards make mistakes. But being lenient is not part of our duties, so I hope you understand that we meant no harm to either of you, now that it's confirmed that you aren't Baru's squadmates."
Benji brought his hands down slowly, glancing at Ryuzio who was still looking around in fascination—
"However," Myles said, stroking his beard. "I won't deny that it is quite odd that despite the only hoverbus to District One being hijacked, you two were still able to get here."
'Not good!' Benji looked at his feet. 'Not good at all! Just how long will it take them to link me with Codix and Edden? If they find that out, I'll definitely be captured. That would be the worst! Hopefully he doesn't stop us—"
"I have a few questions for the both of you," Myles said, gesturing toward a building to the side. "It would be in the best interest of all of us if you kindly followed me inside for a brief conversation. It won't be too long, I promise—"
Benji clenched his jaw the moment he heard this. "I'm done—!"
"No!" Ryuzio said loudly with resolution. "Now that I'm finally in Sonas, I'm not waiting anymore! You can't stop me from flying to the Skies!"
Myles revealed his hands. "I won't take this as defiance. However, if you keep this up, you'll only waste more time for the both of us—"
Ryuzio put a hand on Benji's shoulder. "Let's go!"
Benji's lips formed a crocked smile, nose running. "Wh—?"
Ryuzio picked him off the ground, putting him on his shoulders, before running away from the skyguards.
Myles turned toward them. "You think it will be that easy—?"
###
Ryuzio fired up his Ether, empowering his body and senses. He poured strength into his legs, running away from the Bridgegate as fast as he could.
Myles's eyes widened as he saw Ryuzio dart away. He brought the speaking device closer to his mouth, standing in the middle of his equally surprised men. "Master Nyku, this is Myles speaking. I think we just might have a bigger problem than Baru in Sonas—" His head sunk. "I'm sorry. I understand. Please don't yell, Master. I understand. I'll never interrupt your time with your daughter ever again. I apologize. I'm sorry."
Even though he was quite far from the skyguard, Ryuzio could still listen to the entire conversation. His ears and nose were just that good…somehow.
###
Ryuzio smiled at the horrified Benji, hiding in a dark alleyway.
"What did you just do!" Benji said loudly, pulling on his own hair. "They saw my face! Now I'm a criminal too!"
Ryuzio plugged his ears, sticking out his tongue.
Benji sighed, falling to the ground. "Now my plan won't ever work."
"Plan?" Ryuzio said, leaning toward him with interest. "What for?"
"For getting recruited into the Highplexian Aegis," Benji said, elbows on knees, head lowered between them. "That was the first step towards my dream of becoming a grand skymaster."
"What did I do, then?" Ryuzio asked, pointing to his face.
Benji stood up, face pale. "I was planning to somehow get noticed by a recruiter and beg them to take me into an Aegis Legion."
"Noticed?" Ryuzio asked in confusion.
Benji pointed at the building which had a giant screen on it that was advertising something. "Recruiters are fairly common in big brawls, and that match right there is probably going to be the biggest brawl of this decade."
Ryuzio inspected the screen carefully, noticing that it had a person on either side of it, a big "V/S" separating them. It was a "brawl"? Why was a fight being advertised? Did big cities broadcast fights? What was this…?
"Brandin Geraal versus…Hitryel Hystryk?"