Leo jolted with excitement upon hearing Vincent's confirmation. "This is it.....Asahi's goal is about to come into fruition.",He thought to himself. "Perfect...",Kazumi quipped,"Let's head to camp. We'll go over everything there." "Right!", The group responded in unison.
●●●●●●●"LATER THAT DAY "●●●●●●
Beneath the cover of night, Howling's base sat in an eerie silence. Aside the tapestry of stars in the sky, minute flaming lanterns burned a warm amber all across the camp. The air was thick with the smell of damp wood and pine as Leo snuck out of his Cabin and headed towards the gate. He used his "Blink" and teleported out of the camp. Holding up a lantern was Rae, the dancing flame illuminating her figure. "Let's go, Leo...",She beckoned. Leo nodded as they headed out.
"Do you really think it's possible? For my ability to be able to isolated God particles?", Leo broke the reigning silence. "In theory, yes....but we'll never know unless we try...." "I see...." They soon arrived at a clearing in the forest. "I found this place out scouting once. I don't know who made it but it's going to be perfect for out training." "Right-" Leo's response was interrupted by a loud booming sound. "What...was that?",Leo asked anxiously. "I....don't know...." The duo inched closer and noticed another duo making use of the clearing. "What are they doing-?" "It's a sparring match..", Rae answered. "Wait a minute....Those guys are-!!" "Do you know who they are Leo?" "That's right..." He grabbed her hand as they hid in a nearby bush.
As dust settled from their clash, their profiles were illuminated by the moonlight. On the left side of the clearing was a tall, burly man. His lengthy dark hair had golden edges, and his eyes were as opaque as the sky. He was breathing heavily as sweat slithered from his brow. The other was a middle aged man with dark hair. His scruffy beard had grey strands running through it randomly. He was also quite tall and muscular but not as much as the first. There was a smoking pipe in his mouth. He also seemed to be panting heavily. "It's Kenji and Vincent..."
The moon cast a dim light through the thick canopy, illuminating the clearing where Kenji and Vincent faced off. Kenji's muscles tensed as he uttered in a raspy voice,"Gear Force". Golden gears materialized, spinning around his legs. Vincent smirked, and called out his ability in a deep tone,"Smog...." A cloud of smoke beclouded his figure almost immediately.
With a swift motion, Kenji launched himself forward, his leg trailing a comet of golden sparks as he aimed a powerful kick at Vincent's midsection. But Vincent was already weaving through the smog, disappearing from sight just as Kenji's foot connected with empty air.
Suddenly, from the mist emerged Vincent, his hand wreathed in dark smoke. He began to assault Kenji in a flurry of punches seemingly from all directions within the smoke, however his true body stood outside the smoke, looking on as Kenji was being attacked. He unsheathed a dagger by his side and made a cut in his palm, letting the blood ooze for a second. It was then that he threw the droplets of blood into the smoke.
●●●●●●"SMOG; IGNITION "●●●●●●
The moment the bloody made contact with the smoke, it combusted in a torrent of flames. A bright, burning scarlet inferno encompassed Kenji, causing him to perspire even more. Kenji elevated his leg, bending his knee. The golden gears began to spin even more violently, sending sparks flying into the nearby flames.
○○○○"GEAR FORCE: PULSE."○○○○
In a second,he slammed his foot into the ground, sending a potent, golden energy wave through the ground that extinguished the burning flames instantly. "That was incredible....." Leo admired their feats from afar. "Come out, Leo...!! I know you're around.", Kenji called out to Leo from his hiding. "How...did you even know that?" "I know when someone is watching me, Leo, and you didn't do a good job of masking your presence." Rae and Leo lept out of the bushes and hurried towards them nervously. "Rae? What is a lieutenant of the Pink Ponies doing around here at the this hour?", Vincent asked in a monotone voice. "You're...a lieutenant?" "I guess I forgot to mention it..." "Why are the two of you sparring in the middle of the night?", Leo asked in curiosity. "Training..." "For what? I don't think you guys are fighting in the Showdown." "We aren't." ,Vincent intruded. "Just because we aren't fighting in the Showdown, doesn't mean we can't get stronger. In Valhalla, our lives are constantly endangered. We must be ready...for anything....." "Right..." "What about you, Leo, what are YOU doing here, with a lieutenant from the Ponies?" Kenji's question struck Leo hard. He gulped, pondering on what his next action should be.