The Sweet One smirked as she dodged Asaya's plasma blade, her movements eerily swift and calculated. Brooke struggled to keep up, her enhanced reflexes barely allowing her to avoid the sharp edges of the sugary whips that lashed toward her. Axel gritted his teeth, frustration mounting as the battle raged on.
The Sweet One laughed, her voice dripping with confidence. "You're all so predictable. No strategy, no plan—just brute force and flashy tricks." She swung another deadly whip of crystallized sugar toward Axel, forcing him to backpedal.
In that moment, something inside Axel snapped.
He had been holding back, unsure of what was stirring inside him during the chaos. But now, as the Sweet One pressed harder, something clicked. He wasn't going to let them lose—not to someone like her.
As the sugar whip cracked toward him again, Axel instinctively reached out with his mind. He didn't just see the whip; he felt it—the weight, the pull, the gravitational force it exerted. In an instant, he tapped into his special manifestation, his mind unlocking the power within him.
The air around Axel grew heavier, the ground trembling slightly beneath his feet. The Sweet One's expression faltered, her smug smile disappearing as the force around her shifted.
"What the—" she started, but she never finished the sentence.
Axel thrust his hand forward, and the whip she had sent toward him suddenly veered off course, yanked to the ground by an unseen force. The Sweet One stumbled as her own attack was turned against her, the gravitational pull growing stronger around her.
Axel didn't stop. He focused harder, his power surging through him as he manipulated the gravity in the area. The ground beneath the Sweet One's feet began to warp, pulling her down as if the earth itself were swallowing her.
"Axel!" Brooke shouted, realization dawning on her face. "You're controlling the gravity!"
Asaya's plasma blade flickered in the distorted air, his eyes widening as he realized the extent of Axel's manifestation. "Whoa..."
The Sweet One struggled, but she was no longer in control of the fight. Every movement she made was countered by the shifting gravity Axel controlled, and soon, she was pinned to the ground, unable to escape the crushing force.
Axel, now fully aware of what he was doing, kept his hand raised, maintaining the gravity field. His breathing was labored, but his focus was unshakable.
"You...!" the Sweet One spat, her body trembling under the weight of Axel's power. "You'll regret this!"
Axel took a deep breath and with a final push, he slammed her into the ground, knocking her unconscious.
The tension in the air dissipated as the gravitational field Axel created slowly returned to normal. He lowered his hand, his body trembling slightly from the strain of using his powers for the first time in such a way.
Brooke and Asaya quickly moved in to secure the Sweet One. Asaya whistled in awe as he approached Axel. "That was insane, Axel. You just turned the whole fight around."
Brooke nodded, still catching her breath. "You've definitely unlocked your special manifestation. Gravity manipulation... that's huge."
Axel, still processing what had just happened, nodded. "Yeah, but... I barely know how to control it. It just happened."
Brooke gave him a reassuring smile. "We'll figure it out. You've got a lot of potential with that kind of power."
As they regrouped, Asaya glanced down at the unconscious Sweet One. "We need to get her back to base. This 'Code Zyro' is more dangerous than we thought. They're coming after us hard."
Axel, his mind still reeling from the battle, nodded. "Yeah... and this is just the beginning."
With the Sweet One subdued and questions still swirling in their minds, the group knew one thing for sure: things were escalating fast, and they would need to prepare for whatever came next.
Axel stood, trying to catch his breath, when a figure stepped out from the shadows—spiked hair and a skull mask covering his face. The air around him felt dangerous but strangely playful, his stance relaxed as if he wasn't concerned at all. His arms hung loosely by his sides, but there was an undeniable sharpness in his movements.
"Yo, Guys!" the masked man's voice was light and mocking. "You really think you had this in the bag, huh? Hate to break it to you, but playtime's just getting started."
Asaya flared up his plasma, creating weapons in each hand. "You talk too much," he muttered, launching forward with a fierce attack, plasma blades slicing through the air.
The skull-masked man easily dodged each swing, laughing as he danced around Asaya's attacks. "Ohoho, look at you! Trying so hard! Why So serious?!" He leaped back, hands casually in his pockets as he continued to tease, "Where's the fun in all that? Don't you know? Life's too short to waste on boring stuff like strategy."
Brooke hurled herself into the fight, enhancing her speed, trying to catch him off guard. But the skull-masked fighter only smirked, shifting on his feet just as easily. "Ooh, nice try, sweetheart! But nah, you're not quite fast enough for me."
Axel clenched his fists, his frustration growing. He hadn't discovered his special manifestation yet, but he couldn't stand by and let this guy toy with them. He rushed in to back up Brooke, but the masked man was quicker, effortlessly slipping between them and delivering a sharp kick to Axel's side.
Axel hit the ground hard, gasping for air as the man cackled above him. "Aww, come on! You can do better than that, right?" The masked man kicked up some dust with his boot, leaning over Axel. "What's the point of holding back, huh? Indulge a little. Enjoy yourself!" His voice oozed with mockery, his demeanor playful but somehow menacing.
Asaya rushed in again, plasma flaring even brighter, shaping into a spear. "Shut up!"
The skull-masked man didn't even flinch. He side-stepped the spear and slammed his elbow into Asaya's back, sending him sprawling. "Yawn. You're not listening! Gotta let loose, kid! Take it from me—strategy's for suckers. The strong do what they want, the weak deal with it!"
Brooke leaped toward him again, trying to catch him by surprise with a burst of speed. But he simply spun around her and tapped her shoulder as she passed. "Oops, missed me! Better luck next time."
Axel struggled to his feet, rage boiling inside him. "Stop playing with us!" He reached deep within, trying to find the strength to push past the pain.
The masked man watched him, amused. "Oh, this is getting good! Are you finally gonna give me something worth my time, huh? Come on, show me what you've got!"
In that moment, something inside Axel clicked. The air around him shifted as gravity itself seemed to respond to his will. A force he didn't understand surged through him. His special manifestation—gravity manipulation—unleashed without warning.
The skull-masked man stopped laughing for the first time, his posture stiffening. "Oh? What's this? Did I just strike a nerve?"
Axel, eyes wide with surprise, raised his hand. The masked man's feet were suddenly pulled to the ground with crushing force. His mocking grin faded as he struggled against the invisible weight holding him down. "Oh-ho! Well, well, well! Looks like you finally found your bite, huh?" He grimaced, still trying to maintain his composure. "I like it! But... you're still too slow!"
With a sudden burst of strength, he broke free from the gravity field and dashed toward Axel, throwing a sharp kick. But this time, Axel saw it coming and countered, using gravity to slow the man's movements.
The skull-masked man flipped back, clearly impressed. "Not bad! Not bad at all!" he shouted, spinning through the air before landing lightly on his feet. "Guess I'll have to take you seriously next time, huh?" He dusted off his clothes with a dramatic flair. "But for now, I'm outta here."
Before they could react, the skull-masked man vanished into the shadows, his taunting laughter echoing through the air. "Better keep training, kids! 'Cause next time, I won't be so nice!"
Asaya panted, leaning on his knees. "Who the hell was that guy?"
Brooke shook her head, still in shock. "I don't know... but he wasn't like any normal enemy. He didn't even use a special manifestation, just pure enhancement
---
Axel stood in the aftermath of the fight, his breathing heavy, his body still buzzing with the unfamiliar sensation of controlling gravity. The skull-masked man's taunts still echoed in his ears, but the shock of what he'd just done overpowered his anger.
Asaya clutched his side, wincing. "That guy... he wasn't like the others. He didn't even need a special manifestation, yet he toyed with us."
Brooke shook her head, clearly rattled. "We've never seen someone like that before. What was his deal?"
Axel remained silent, staring at his hands. Moments ago, he'd tapped into something deep inside—something he didn't fully understand. The air had shifted around him, gravity itself bending to his will. It was subtle, but he could feel the weight of it, like an invisible force surrounding him.
"He's gone," Axel muttered, glancing at where the skull-masked man had disappeared. "But next time... I won't let him mock us."
Brooke frowned, noticing the odd tension in Axel's voice. "Axel... what was that back there? That force you used..."
"I... I don't know," Axel admitted. "I didn't know I could do that."
Asaya looked up, his eyes wide. "You mean you just discovered it? Right here, in the middle of the fight?"
Axel nodded slowly, still trying to wrap his head around it. "It felt like something snapped inside me when he taunted us... like I finally unlocked something."
Brooke crossed her arms, thinking. "So, you've got a special manifestation then. Gravity, from the looks of it. We've gotta figure out how to control that."
Axel clenched his fists. The surge of power had felt raw and uncontrolled, but it was there—gravity, bending to his will, even if only in a basic form. "I can do more than just enhance myself now. I can manipulate gravity... but it's still new. I can barely control it."
Brooke gave him a reassuring nod. "It's okay. You'll figure it out. We all had to start somewhere."
Asaya huffed, still wincing from his injuries. "Yeah, but we don't have time to figure this out slowly. That masked guy was from some kind of group. They aren't just random thugs."
"Whoever they are, they're dangerous," Brooke added. "And we're not ready to face them yet. We need to regroup, report this to the Lances, and train."
The three of them headed back toward the Swords of Symphony's base, bruised but not defeated. Axel could still feel the weight of the gravity manipulation around him, like an invisible force he could barely control. He'd have to master it, and soon, if they were going to stand a chance against enemies like the skull-masked man.
---
Back at base, Xavier and Kyro listened intently as the trio recounted their encounter. Axel explained his newfound ability, the gravity manipulation, and how it had activated for the first time during the fight.
Xavier, arms crossed, looked thoughtful. "A special manifestation of gravity. That's rare and powerful, Axel."
Kyro nodded in agreement. "If you can control it, it'll be a game-changer. But for now, don't push yourself too hard. These abilities take time to master."
Axel clenched his fists, determination burning in his eyes. "I'll get it under control. I have to. That masked guy... I don't think we've seen the last of him."
Kyro smirked. "No, I don't think we have. And when he comes back, we'll be ready."
Xavier leaned forward, his voice serious. "We don't know who they are or what their goals are yet. But this group—whoever they are—seems dangerous. We'll need to be on guard."
Brooke added, "We didn't stand a chance against him. He was using just basic enhancement, and he still took us all down."
"Which means," Xavier said, "we need to start training harder. No more underestimating our opponents."
As they left the debriefing room, Axel's mind was focused on one thing: mastering his gravity manipulation. It was his only edge in a fight against enemies like the skull-masked man. He couldn't afford to fall behind.
---
That night, as Axel lay in bed, he focused on the sensation of the gravity field around him. He tried to make it move, to pull at the objects in his room. His powers were still raw, but he could feel the potential there, just out of reach.
"I'll master this," he whispered to himself. "And next time, I won't let anyone mock us."
The image of the skull-masked man, his mocking laughter still fresh in Axel's mind, fueled his determination. Whoever this group was, whatever their goals, Axel knew one thing for certain: he would be ready for them when they came back.
---
In the shadows, far from the Alley, the skull-masked man regrouped with a few others, all wearing similar masks, though each uniquely designed.
"The kid's got potential," he said, stretching his arms lazily. "Gravity manipulation. How fun."
One of the others, a tall figure with a mask resembling a wolf's face, scoffed. "Fun? Don't get carried away. The Sweet Ones don't tolerate failure."
The skull-masked man laughed. "Relax. I wasn't trying to win. Just... playing. Besides, it's always more fun when they think they've got a chance."
The wolf-masked figure narrowed his eyes. "Code Zyro doesn't care about your games. We have a mission to complete."
The skull-masked man shrugged, his tone still carefree. "Yeah, yeah. But where's the fun if we can't indulge a little, huh? Besides isn't that the whole point of our organization? Lossen up a little!"
With that, they disappeared into the night, leaving behind only the faintest trace of their presence. The game had only just begun.
---
Axel had no idea who they were up against. But soon, Code Zyro would make their presence felt, and the real battle for freedom and indulgence would begin.