"Hey friend! can you help me with these drones?" Terrence called out to a passing student, desperation creeping into his voice.
But as he turned to look at them, he noticed they were too busy staring at a nearby group, it was Kris' group
They were making swift progress through the chaos, swiftly avoiding the drones that seemed to have forgotten they existed. They were nearly at the exit.
"What did those students do?" one bewildered student asked, confusion etched across their faces.
"They went through that horde of drones," another replied, eyes wide with disbelief.
"I thought they were lost, but then they went to that wall over there, and after that, the drones just... ignored them!"
Terrence's frustration boiled over as he watched Kris and his group escape unharmed while he struggled with his own Data Beast.
"No way!" he exclaimed, incredulous.
"How did they manage that?"
His mind raced as he recalled what Sir Ahmed had said during the introduction of the second part of the course: "Use your Data Beast abilities to dodge and knock down switches to deactivate the drones."
The realization hit him like a bolt of lightning, he had been so caught up in his ego that he hadn't considered the tactical approach.
"Get off me, you stupid drones!" he yelled, trying to push them away as they pressed in closer. The reality of his situation sank in, his arrogance had led him astray, and now he was on the verge of being overwhelmed.
Terrence's hopes crumbled as more drones piled onto him, suffocating the last flickers of his Galeadillo's wind armor.
The realization that he had underestimated the course and how he overestimated his own abilities, everything sank in, heavy and unyielding. He let out a frustrated shout as the drones enveloped him, and the buzzing became a cacophony that drowned out all other thoughts.
Kris, witnessing Terrence's predicament, shook his head in pity.
"Sometimes, you learn the hard way," he muttered, reflecting on how easily pride could lead to downfall.
"Poor guy," Thursday chimed in, a smirk creeping onto his face.
"Good thinking, mate. I forgot that Sir Ahmed mentioned a switch back there."
The others nodded in agreement, recalling how they had been too focused on the challenge to fully absorb the instructions. When they flipped the switch they thought the drone would fall down one by one, and be deactivated but actually, the sensory on the drone got deactivated and after that they were being ignored. The tension dissipated slightly among Kris and his friends as they pressed forward.
As they approached, they saw a large monitor with different colored dots on it, they spotted a sign overhead reading "No Data Trainer at this point." Confusion flickered across their faces.
They saw a familiar figure, it was Chansey, a fellow student who had passed by them earlier, she caught their attention.
She looked frazzled, her hair a disheveled mess, and she was staring intently at the monitor.
"Ignis! Not there, you just missed your turn!" she exclaimed, frustration evident in her voice.
Kris and his group approached Chansey, Selina moved in closer and asked, "What happened with you?"
Chansey, looking exhausted and disheveled, sighed,
"My Data Beast isn't listening to my commands."
She turned around and, spotting Kris, quickly rushed over and grabbed his arm.
"Kris, huhuhu, can you help me? Aren't I your friend too?" she asked, her eyes wide with hope, almost sparkling as she pleaded with him.
Necho and Thursday exchanged glances, smirking at the scene.
"Our mate is really a chick magnet," Thursday muttered under his breath.
Necho nodded, crossing his arms with a knowing grin.
"He's a good-looking man, so I kinda knew this would happen sooner or later."
Kris gently pulled his arm away from Chansey, trying not to let the moment drag.
"Alright, alright. Let me take a look at the route first," he said, stepping up to the monitor.
He examined the screen, noting the three lights representing obstacles.
Nearby, he saw two other students who had passed by them earlier, both of whom were scratching their heads in confusion.
He turned back to his group.
"We'll let our Data Beasts lead the way," he announced. His gaze fell on his Pyro Cub.
"Pyro, you take the lead."
Pyro let out a confident
"Meow!" standing up straighter as it prepared for its task.
Kris knelt beside Pyro, giving him detailed instructions on how to guide the group and fetch Chansey's Data Beast along the way.
Pyro listened intently, its eyes focused, nodding at each of Kris's words.
Once the instructions were clear, Pyro puffed out its chest and called out to the other Data Beasts.
"Meow, meow, meow!" It meowed in a commanding tone, letting the other Data Beasts know that it would take the lead.
"Oooh oooh aah!" Bolt Ape jumped excitedly, ready to follow Pyro's lead.
"Woof woof!" Tide Hound barked, wagging its tail with enthusiasm.
The other Data Beasts also stirred, their movements showing eagerness to follow.
Pyro trotted ahead, its eyes focused and sharp, leading the way like a true leader.
The other Data Beasts followed closely, moving with purpose.
Kris watched them go, a small smile playing on his lips.
As they watched their Data Beasts move further inside, five new lights appeared on the monitor, indicating that they entered the routes.
The group stayed focused, keeping a close eye on the progress.
Selina, still standing beside Kris, broke the silence.
"You really trust your Data Beast that much? You're not even using the intercom to command him."
Kris, his eyes locked on the lights, answered calmly.
"Yeah. If I don't trust him, who will? I'm his trainer, and he's my Data Beast. That's all we need to know and we've got each other's backs."
Selina listened, her admiration for Kris growing even more.
She let out a soft laugh before saying,
"You know, I always thought you were faking your amnesia. I had all these wild conspiracy theories running through my mind... I imagined you were some secret agent pretending to have amnesia so the organization hunting you wouldn't suspect anything."
Kris turned his head, surprised by her imagination.
"You should write a book with a brain like that," he said, shaking his head in disbelief.
Selina looked down and fix her glasses as she muttered something under her breath, a little embarrassed.
Meanwhile, Belle had been watching their interaction from a distance, her thoughts racing.
'Why is Selina getting so close to Kris? Didn't she hate him? I need to do something...' she thought to herself.
Gathering her resolve, Belle stepped forward and spoke up.
"Uhm, Kris... thank you for helping us. If it weren't for you, we'd probably still be stuck in the second part of the course."
Kris turned to her and smiled. "No worries, Belle. We're classmates, after all."
Then, almost as if something had been weighing on him, Kris continued,
"Oh, and I just want to say... you don't have to worry about me chasing you anymore. Since my amnesia, I don't feel any romantic feelings towards you."
"So, I hope you'll stop calling me shameless. What happened yesterday, it was just an incident."
"I really didn't know where to sit, and if you still find me shameless, I can talk to the teacher about me transferring to another section so you won't feel uncomfortable."
Belle felt her world crumble as Kris's words sank in, and before she knew it, tears streamed down her face.
'Why does my heart hurt so much?' she clutched her chest, looking at Kris through her tears.
'Kris… you love me, right?'
Kris stopped mid-sentence, noticing Belle crying.
He was caught off guard by her reaction.
'Was the old Kris really this awful to her?' he thought, guilt gnawing at him.
'I should treat her better.'
Shaking his head, Kris sighed inwardly.
'Kris, you really were shameless,' he thought to himself.
Stepping closer, he pulled out an orange handkerchief and gently wiped the tears from her face.
"I'm sorry, Belle," he said softly, "If I was that horrible to you, I want to make things right."
Belle, still sniffling, suddenly firmed her resolve. "Then… date me!" she declared.
Kris blinked in disbelief. "What?"
"I want you to take me out on a date," Belle repeated, her determination clear in her voice.
Kris frowned in confusion. "But wasn't I terrible to you? Why would you want to date me?"
"Why not?" Belle countered, her eyes fierce despite the lingering tears. "If you don't, I'm not going to stop calling you shameless."
Kris stared at her, stunned.