The group sat around Sora's cluttered workbench, the frozen bounty hunters still visible through the workshop's cracked window. Kenji leaned against a pile of scrap metal, balancing a screwdriver on his finger.
"So," he began, breaking the silence. "What's the plan? Do we hide the shard, use it as bait, or sell it to fund my snack addiction?"
Rei sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "We can't sell it, Kenji."
Sora smirked. "Technically, you could. The black market would pay a fortune for something like this. But then, you'd probably be hunted by every shard enthusiast from here to the other side of the world."
Kenji's eyes lit up. "Ooh, sounds exciting! Think of the adventure!"
Ryo clapped a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Kenji, you're already adventure-prone. You don't need to add 'target of international criminals' to your résumé."
---
The Shard's Secret
Sora tinkered with a small device connected to the shard, their goggles glowing faintly as they studied its energy signature.
"This shard is more than just a power source," they muttered. "It's… encoded."
"Encoded?" Rei asked, leaning over their shoulder.
"Yeah," Sora replied, typing furiously on a battered keyboard. "It's not just raw power. It's like it's storing data. Maybe instructions, maybe something else."
Kenji tilted his head. "So, it's like a magical USB drive?"
Sora shot him a grin. "Pretty much."
Ryo crossed his arms, frowning. "Okay, so what happens if Kurogami collects all the shards? Does he get the ultimate instruction manual for world domination?"
"Something like that," Sora admitted. "But whatever's in here, it's dangerous. We need to decode it before he does."
---
Trouble Knocks (Literally)
Before they could strategize further, the frozen bounty hunters outside began to stir. The ice cracked and hissed, shards falling to the ground as one of them let out a groan.
"Uh, guys?" Kenji said, pointing. "I think your ice beam wore off."
The hammer-wielding brute stood first, shaking off the remaining frost. His eyes locked onto the workshop with a murderous glare.
Sora grabbed a wrench. "Oh, come on! That was supposed to last at least an hour!"
"Guess they don't make gadgets like they used to," Ryo quipped, rolling his shoulders. "Time for round two."
The bounty hunters stormed toward the building, their weapons at the ready. The plasma rifle-wielding one aimed a glowing barrel at the door.
"Everyone, move!" Rei shouted, diving behind a pile of crates.
A bolt of energy blasted through the wall, sending tools and debris flying. Ryo shielded Kenji, then grinned. "These guys are persistent. I kind of respect that."
"Focus!" Rei snapped, already summoning her shard energy.
---
Fight in the Workshop
The cramped space turned into a battlefield as the group engaged the bounty hunters.
Ryo charged at the hammer-wielding brute, ducking under a swing that narrowly missed a rack of tools. "Hey! Watch it! You almost broke Sora's antique wrench collection!"
"It's not antique!" Sora shouted, hurling a screwdriver at the plasma rifle wielder.
Kenji, meanwhile, zigzagged between shelves, tossing random objects at their enemies. "Here! Have a wrench! And a flashlight! And—oh, is this a stapler?!"
The rifle wielder ducked, growling in frustration. "Hold still, you little pest!"
Rei faced off against the dual-bladed hunter, parrying their attacks with swift precision. Sparks flew as their energy blades clashed. "You're outnumbered," Rei said through gritted teeth.
The hunter smirked. "But you're outclassed."
Akira joined the fray, throwing a series of precise strikes at the brute. "Keep him distracted!" they called to Ryo.
"Distracted? I'm practically his dance partner!" Ryo retorted, dodging another swing.
Sora, ducking under a falling shelf, suddenly shouted, "Everyone, get down!"
They pressed a button on a small device, and the workshop was flooded with a blinding flash of light. The bounty hunters staggered, clutching their eyes.
"Time to finish this!" Ryo yelled, landing a solid punch on the brute's jaw, sending him crashing into a pile of scrap.
Rei disarmed the blade wielder with a swift kick, while Kenji, armed with a frying pan he'd found, whacked the rifle wielder over the head.
"Kenji!" Ryo exclaimed, laughing. "Where did you get that?"
Kenji grinned. "It was in the kitchen. Improvisation, baby!"
---
Aftermath
The bounty hunters lay groaning on the ground as the group regrouped.
"We need to get out of here," Sora said, stuffing the shard and their decoding device into a bag. "They'll be back with reinforcements."
Ryo nodded, helping Kenji up. "Agreed. Let's move before this place turns into a battlefield again."
As they hurried out, Sora locked the door and muttered, "There goes my security deposit."
Rei smirked. "You're worried about the deposit? Your entire workshop is trashed."
Sora shrugged. "Eh, it was like that before. Mostly."
Kenji snickered, brandishing his frying pan. "Well, at least we know who the MVP of this fight was."
Ryo rolled his eyes. "Yes, Kenji. You and your trusty frying pan saved the day."
The group disappeared into the city as the bounty hunters slowly picked themselves up, vowing revenge.
---
To Be Continued
With the shard secured and a new lead on decoding its secrets, the group prepared for the next leg of their journey. Unbeknownst to them, Kurogami was already setting his next plan into motion, his shadowy forces growing stronger with every passing moment.
And somewhere, deep within the shard, a faint glow pulsed, as if waiting for the right moment to reveal its true purpose.