Lloyd didn't expect Satoshi and Emma to feel strongly about going inside the Gate. Even Rachel, who already concluded that the teenagers will be staying in their Headquarters, stopped in her tracks and turned around, her face wearing a baffled expression.
There was a sudden shift in Rachel's expression but before she could say anything, Lloyd stepped in and stood between her and the teenagers. "You know what, it's gettin' cold here, no? Let's talk once we got back to the Headquarters."
Leader's orders, so Rachel just nodded and continued leading the way.
A few minutes later, the group arrived at a clearing where a huge tent-like structure was located. The color scheme of the place was definitely questionable since there were a few rough blotches of white paint here and there but Satoshi could tell that the structure was decent. Lloyd then explained that the harsh temperatures were what caused the cracks on the structure but they patched it up.
"Here we are, welcome to our humble abode."
Quite frankly, the interior of the structure was much more welcoming than its outside appearance. The interior was circular, with a few bookshelves and a common area in the middle of it. By the edge of it were pathways which then connected to other rooms, the toilet, dining, and kitchen area. There was a gaming console as well, much to Satoshi's surprise, and someone was playing Laser Fingers.
"This here is Caleb. He lazes around but you can depend on him during a fight. That girl over there stuffing herself with peanut butter and jelly sandwich is Vinny. She's not as strong as Rachel but she covers all the holes in our team." Lloyd introduced.
Vinny had black curly hair and a doll-like face, but her face was somewhat stretched since she was trying to fit a whole sandwich in one bite. As for Caleb, he had blond hair and he was much shorter than Satoshi. If they were to stand side by side, one would assume that Caleb is younger than Satoshi.
"New recruits? We weren't informed we'd have reinforcements for clearing the Gate." Caleb was the first one to speak up, putting his VR Headgear down and extending a hand towards Satoshi. Satoshi casually reached out his hand, thinking that Caleb was expecting a handshake.
Fwoosh! In an instant, Satoshi was lifted in the air and was about to get thrown to the floor. Before he felt the impact though, he tightened his core and decided to roll with it, hoping that the momentum would make Caleb hit the ground instead of him.
Caleb was surprised, but he didn't let such a sneak attack get the better of him. As the two of them almost hit the floor, he twisted his body so he'd land on his feet. Satoshi did the same, but he pulled at Caleb at the same time.
The momentum caused Caleb to lurch forward while Satoshi brought his knee up, aiming right at his diaphragm. In response, Caleb blocked the attack and did a leg sweep. Satoshi planted his right foot on the ground before kicking Caleb by the shin.
"Aghk~!" Caleb exclaimed, immediately shooting up while holding his shin. The pain shot straight to his head, causing him to react in an embarrassing manner. "You're good." He complimented, shaking his index finger at Satoshi.
"It was just luck." Satoshi scratched his head.
"Ooh, this kid's pretty good." Lloyd clapped his hands. "Is your superpower strength-based as well just like Caleb? No wonder you were confident in entering the Gate. From the looks of it, you're head to head with our little daredevil here." He continued, patting Caleb's head in the process.
"Nope, that guy's got a different superpower, something like a beast tamer?" Vinny pointed out. "That girl's pretty useful as well, she's got teleportation skills."
"Hoh~" Lloyd rubbed his chin. "You're a beast tamer? How come you can fight hand to hand? Did you train? Nice going kid. At least you know that you cannot rely wholly on your superpower alone."
"You read us?" Satoshi asked, confused.
"Yep, Clairvoyance. I have a psychic-type superpower. I can pretty much do anything psychic... except teleport though. That's something beyond my powers."
Emma just nodded. She had heard of Clairvoyance as a superpower, pretty powerful for reconnaissance or scouting out the enemy. On top of that, Vinny's got more gimmicks in her superpower. 'She's strong, all right' Emma said to herself.
"In any case, what are these teenagers doing here? It's not like they got lost stranded in the middle of nowhere." Vinny continued, finally swallowing the sandwich she stuffed in her mouth.
"Oh, about that," Lloyd heaved a sigh while scratching his head. "They wanted to accompany us inside the Gate."
"Why don't we let them? You saw how he fought against Caleb. I don't think they're that weak either." Vinny said a matter of factly. "We need all the hands we can get if we were to protect the city here. Mind you, there are a lot of superheroes over there but only the four of us volunteered to do this shit. If they're willing to come with us then let them. They'll be useful, I can attest to that."
"I don't mind either." Caleb raised his hand and coolly agreed with Vinny.
"I guess that's decided then. Pack your gears, we're going in." Lloyd called out.
"Wait, you haven't asked about my opin— " Rachel was about to complain when Lloyd cut her short.
"I agree with Vinny and Caleb, that puts the tally three to one. Surely the majority will overrule, right?" Lloyd said. "Come on, Rachel, you saw how the kid fought. In the least, they won't be additional baggage once we get in."
"If you say so," Rachel twiddled her thumb, surprised that Lloyd interrupted her. After all, he's never done it before. It definitely did make her heart skip a beat, for some odd reason.
"Right, let's head out!" Lloyd said a second time.
The harsh winds of the brewing snowstorm greeted the group of six as they got out of the structure. Emma shivered in the cold so Lloyd got back inside to get a pair of parkas for Satoshi and her.
"Treat that as souvenirs. You probably got here because of that lady's teleportation... what I mean to say is, welcome to Antarctica... although this is not that much of a welcome."
"Let's have hot chocolate after clearing this Gate," Caleb suggested. "That, and pizza."
"Sounds like a good deal to me," Vinny flashed a smile and a thumbs up towards Caleb before giving him a high five. Rachel's face also lit up upon hearing the word 'pizza'. There was no denying that she wanted to be part of the party.
"You and your tastes" Lloyd couldn't help but wear a grin upon seeing his team get along.
Once again, the Gate loomed in front of them, seemingly more gigantic than usual. Lloyd stared at it in awe. "Wahh, it's bigger than how I expected."
"That's what she sa— ahchoo~!" Caleb sneezed before he could say the joke.
"Going in," Lloyd continued.
"That's what he sa— ahchoo~!"
Fwooooosh!
Satoshi could feel the mass of energy sucking him in as soon as he stepped foot inside the Gate. Compared to the other Gates, the force of this one was more than double the intensity. It was easy to tell that this Gate contained more dangerous monsters. Satoshi braced himself, prepared to summon Gabriel as soon as they got inside.
"Everyone, don't let your guard down." Lloyd reminded them.
A split of a second later, the Gate behind them closed as if it was never there in the first place. Everyone was bewildered since that wasn't supposed to happen. Based on the previous reports, the other exploration teams from other continents still saw the Gate behind them while they were fighting the monsters. But right now, the Gate disappeared entirely. Whether it would spawn again or not after they cleared the Gate was a question left for later.
"That's that then, we're screwed." Caleb said, crestfallen.
"Well, let's put that behind us for now." Lloyd said.
As usual, Satoshi and Emma found themselves in a new environment. Every Gate had their own and this one was no different.
An Ice Cave.
Walls were lined with ice and crystals that shimmer at the slightest reflection of light. It had its unique and mesmerizing sheen of blue, which was pleasing to the eyes. If it was a regular tourist spot, Satoshi and Emma would've enjoyed the sights. But right now, enjoying the scenery was at the bottom of the list.
"We're already wearing parkas but it's still freezing cold in here." Rachel shivered.
"Lighter," Satoshi called out, summoning his fiery familiar. "This will keep us warm for now."
"What a neat trick," Vinny commented, admiring the wisp of flame that floated beside Satoshi, dancing around as if to show off. "Wait... gasp!"
"What is it, Vinny?"
"We... we have to go back." Vinny suddenly said. "That... we cannot defeat that..."
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