As Blaze stomped away, a low hum echoed in Tomi's mind. Liyah suddenly reappeared, her voice bubbling with excitement.
"Hey, Master," she chimed, a sly smile spreading across her face. "That guy, Zane... he's got the number one S-3 chip, Cosmos."
Tomi's eyes widened.
" Cosmos?" He thought of the power such a chip could hold. Liyah's grin only widened as she continued, clearly amused.
"I just had a little chat with his chip system—Cosmic, a young, mischievous holographic boy. Quite a character."
She giggled, impressed. "He's controlling it without damaging his body or brain. That's rare, Master."
Zane's voice cut through the air, pulling Tomi from his thoughts.
"Hey, aren't you coming?" Zane's tone was colder now, almost dismissive as he glanced over his shoulder.
"No," Tomi replied, his voice flat. He still hadn't shaken off the effects of his chip.
Blaze, ever the persistent one, turned back, his tone lightening despite his earlier frustration.
"Come on, man. At least give the gym a try with me." He stepped closer, extending a hand as if trying to bridge the gap between them.
Tomi glanced at Blaze's outstretched hand but felt the sting of unwanted memories flood his mind.
He hated being touched, hated the vulnerability it stirred. He pulled back, his voice low and tense. "I said no."
Zane watched the exchange with a gleam in his eye, sensing the undercurrent of tension that never quite left Tomi.
"Master, I suggest you tag along," Liyah's voice chimed in, her tone mischievous as she floated beside Tomi, her eyes twinkling with amusement.
"Shut it!" Tomi's reply rang through their mental link, his anger flaring up. His emotions lashed out, making Liyah feel the intensity of his frustration.
"Alright, suit yourself," she responded, her voice calm yet carrying a hint of indifference.
She hovered near him, her gaze drifting toward Zane, who cast Tomi a cold, calculating look.
"I'm just saying… working out with them might help you complete your tasks faster. You know, motivate you," she added with a faint, teasing smile.
Tomi clenched his fists, the tension between him and Zane simmering just beneath the surface.
Liyah floated alongside him, her eyes narrowing thoughtfully as she focused on Zane. What will his side effects be from using Cosmos? she wondered, studying him closely.
Then she frowned slightly, her thoughts spilling over into Tomi's mind. It might be wise if he doesn't use it too much.
Tomi gritted his teeth, the constant noise of Liyah's voice in his head starting to grate on him.
"This whole thing is pissing me off," he thought, knowing she could hear every word.
As they walked down the dimly lit corridor, the air thick with tension, they suddenly crossed paths with three members of Captain Archer's "baby crew, called Trix" a notorious trio led by Zafron. The three fighters stood blocking their way, their uniforms sharp, eyes gleaming with arrogance.
"Well, well, well... what do we have here?" Trix sneered, her voice dripping with mockery as she crossed her arms, her team flanking her on either side.
Blaze's jaw clenched, his earlier frustration now boiling into full-blown rage.
Zane's cold demeanor didn't waver as he stared down the trio, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Tomi, caught in the middle, felt his resentment deepen, the weight of his chip and the constant interference of Liyah pushing him further into his seething anger.
"Oh? The losers are finally heading to the gym," Caron smirked, his voice dripping with smug satisfaction.
His golden hair gleamed under the flickering lights, and his tan skin contrasted sharply against his golden eyes, which were fixed mockingly on Blaze.
"I know, right? At this point, they might even fail the MCFT," Gil chimed in, standing beside Caron.
His snowy white hair framed his face, and his pink pupils locked onto Zane's with a cold, mirrored intensity.
"For the potential next upcoming GF2, we might just take their spot before they even know it," Zafron added, his voice low and measured as he walked forward, the air thickening with tension.
His pale skin was almost ghostly under the dim lights, and his black hair fell messily over his scarlet eyes, which focused intently on Tomi as if searching for weakness.
Tomi stared back at the trio, his gaze meeting Zafron's dead-on. He could feel the weight of Zafron's stare—cold, calculating, and just beneath the surface, a simmering anger.
Caron's mocking laughter grated on Blaze's nerves, who clenched his fists, muttering curses under his breath.
Gil stood to the side, his light skin almost translucent, his pink pupils locked onto Zane in an unspoken challenge.
"So, you're the newcomer, huh?" Zafron asked, his voice calm, but the underlying hostility was unmistakable.
Tomi didn't bother responding. Instead, he stretched his arm, rolling his shoulder casually as if unfazed by Zafron's approach. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he began walking away, his back turned to the trio.
"You two coming, or what?" Tomi glanced back at Zane and Blaze, his tone flat as if daring them to leave the confrontation behind and join him at the gym.
Blaze, barely holding his rage in check, shot a murderous glare at Caron, but Zane's expression remained unreadable, eyes narrowing only slightly as he assessed the situation.
Liyah floated lazily beside Tomi, her carefree demeanor in stark contrast to the tension swirling around them.
"Master, that Zafron guy also seems to be a chip holder," she said nonchalantly, her voice light as if discussing the weather.
Tomi's eyes flickered with recognition at Liyah's words, but his expression remained stone-cold. Without another word, he turned and continued walking,
"I don't care about him," Tomi's thought cut sharply through the silence, aimed directly at Liyah, his tone cold and resolute.
"Alright, master," Liyah responded cheerfully, her smile unwavering. Despite her usual playfulness, she respected Tomi's indifference toward Zafron.
Unlike earlier with Zane, Tomi's lack of desire to learn about Zafron's chip kept her from digging deeper. In contrast, Tomi's curiosity about Zane had been so intense that it allowed her to access everything about his chip, leading to a strange conversation with Zane's holographic chip, which had materialized as a small boy named Cosmic.
Just then, Liyah was pulled from her thoughts by Blaze's fiery voice cutting through the tense atmosphere.
"Just you wait, clowns… we'll be the next GF2," Blaze snapped, his eyes locked on Caron with a burning intensity.
His steps were forceful as if he could shake off the tension between them with sheer determination.
Caron's lips curled into a sneer, his voice laced with mockery as he retorted,
"We shall see about that, clown." The words sliced through the air, filled with venom, lingering like a dark cloud of animosity.
Tomi, Zane, and Blaze continued toward the gym, the air thick with unspoken tension.
Zafron's gaze lingered on Tomi as he entered the gym, his scarlet eyes narrowing. Beneath his cold, unreadable facade, there was a flicker of something else—hurt. His mind swirled with thoughts he kept hidden behind his icy exterior.
"That kid seems… troubled," Zafron muttered, his voice barely above a whisper, almost as if he were speaking to himself.
Caron and Gil glanced over their shoulders, watching Tomi, Zane, and Blaze disappear into the gym. Caron raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.
"Really?" Caron asked, his voice dripping with skepticism. "He just looks like a weakling to me."
Gil chuckled, folding his arms across his chest. "Yeah, nothing special there," he added with a dismissive wave.
Zafron's lips curled into a smirk, but his eyes remained cold.
"It doesn't matter," he said, his voice hardening. "What matters is that we take their status away."
Caron's face lit up with anticipation.
"For sure. Especially with the WMC coming up," he said, his excitement barely contained as he thought of the World Military Competition, the event that brought glory to the strongest teams.
Zafron's smirk deepened as he looked ahead.
"That's certain," he replied coolly. Then, his voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "And leave that boy to me."
The three of them walked off, their footsteps fading into the distance, but the tension they left behind hung in the air, thick and suffocating, like a storm brewing just beneath the surface.
Meanwhile, As Tomi stepped into the gym, his breath caught in his throat. The space wasn't what he expected—it was massive, more like a sprawling stadium than a simple gym.
His eyes widened in shock, taking in the sheer scale of it all. Rows of advanced equipment stretched out endlessly, each station dedicated to a different form of combat or training.
Towering walls lined with digital displays glowed faintly, showing real-time stats of soldiers in training.
Above, large metal beams crisscrossed the ceiling, suspending monitors and robotic arms used for automated drills.
The air was thick with the sounds of clashing metal, grunts of effort, and the hum of high-tech machinery. It smelled faintly of sweat, leather, and something sterile—like a medical facility.
Tomi stood frozen for a moment, absorbing the scene before him. A row of holographic sparring dummies flickered to life in one corner, while in another, soldiers ran through simulated missions in VR pods.
The sheer energy of the place buzzed against his skin, a constant hum of focus and intensity. The clatter of weights and the thud of bodies hitting padded mats echoed from all directions.
Blaze, walking in behind him, gave a low whistle.
"Impressive, huh?" he said, a grin spreading across his face. "This is where the real training begins."
Zane, unfazed by the grandeur, walked past them both with a slight smirk.
"Better get used to it," he said coldly, his voice cutting through the noise. "This is where we'll either break or rise."