Back to the present.
"Have you ever heard of the... Beast Dimension?"
Satoshi stopped short and stared at Emma for a good few seconds. Of course, he knew about the Beast Dimension. In fact, it's hard to find someone who doesn't know anything about the Beast Dimension. That's why Satoshi was confused as to why Emma asked the question. 'Oh, maybe it was a rhetorical question,' Satoshi said to himself but he responded nonetheless. It's like when someone asked if you did anything and you respond with a no, which typifies that you did something since you denied something you may or may not have done.
"Why do you ask?" Satoshi returned after nodding at Emma and responding to her.
Emma pursed her lips. "I actually managed to reserve a trip to the Beast Dimension. You can thank me later." She said, giving Satoshi a thumbs up. Somehow, she was back to her cheerful attitude, her mood swings much more drastic than usual.
Satoshi knew all too well how hard it was to reserver a trip to the Beast Dimension. He was actually impressed that someone like Emma managed to pull it off... and that's saying a lot since it's only been a few weeks since Emma came into their world.
"Where are we going, though? I'm assuming the trip to the Beast Dimension isn't today." Satoshi continued.
Once again, Emma's face darkened as her expression turned sour. Satoshi couldn't comprehend how Emma managed to shift her expression from cheerfulness to fury, all in an instant. Her expression then toned down, and now she wore a somber expression, her face shifting into an expression filled with sadness.
"You know... you've already done a lot for me, Satoshi." Emma began. "That's why I want to return the favor this time."
Without further ado, Emma extended her hands in front of her, or rather, in front of Satoshi, forming a purplish portal that glowed a sinister shade of black. The portal started getting larger, more prominent, as Emma imbued it with her energy. Black streaks of lightning began forming in and out of the portal as if to warn Satoshi of the danger that lurked within it. Any time now, he concluded that a formidable monster would come out of the portal.
"What are you daydreaming about, let's go," Emma motioned, putting one foot into the portal without a care in the world.
"I mean... doesn't that look dangero— " Satoshi shook his head and slapped both cheeks. Wincing, he stepped forward, fully trusting Emma with wherever it is they were going. While what Emma said about the Beast Dimension was all just words, Satoshi believed that she was saying the truth and so he decided to have faith in her.
Holding his breath, he stepped forward into the portal, not daring to take a peek. Satoshi wasn't a coward, but he figured out that a little surprise wouldn't hurt.
...
Meanwhile, at the foot of the Dungeon Spire.
Countless boats started docking by the entrance of the Dungeon Spire where a base was hastily set up. Tatsuki was the first one to arrive along with a team of reporters and SAO personnel. In a few minutes time, tents were set up and the media had already positioned themselves, interviewing SAO personnel while waiting for the other superheroes to come.
Every news channel in Japan covered the exploration. Tatsuki was used to the media, and even though they tend to invade his personal times every single time they could, he didn't mind.
It didn't take long before the other superheroes arrived and Tatsuki finally wasn't the only focus of attention. The media's attention was, at last, divided, and Tatsuki took a breather.
As he eased himself onto one of the chairs in the middle of the huge tent where the meeting will be held a few minutes from now, a brief smile formed on his face as he unlocked his phone for the umpteenth time and stared at the screen.
There it was, in bold letters, the name of his son, Midoriyama Satoshi, on the top of the list with the people who passed the Superhero Licensed Exam. Tatsuki couldn't help but shed a tear even though he had seen already seen the post a couple of times. He knew just how hard his son worked to achieve his dreams, how many times he'd thought of giving up but never did. Even those times when he'd go above and beyond his physical training— it's as if all those years were just yesterday for Tatsuki.
"You've come this far, son... when I get back, we'll get into even more training." He said to himself.
"How are you holding out? Nervous?" Someone spoke from behind the tent. Of course, there was no way Tatsuki would ever mistake Fury's voice for someone else.
"Fury! Come in, come in," Tatsuki called out, right before the tent was 'swished' open.
"I was going to anyway, are you ready?" Fury asked before he gave Tatsuki a fist bump.
"Of course I am, I was born ready," Tatsuki responded, obliging with the fist bump. "Just like old times, eh?"
"Just like old times."
.....
When Satoshi's eyes fluttered open, the first thing he noticed was the rocky barren land that seemed to stretch to the horizon. His mouth gaped open at the sight, so much so that Emma had to go to him and put his jaw back in place. "Stop acting so surprised, we're only in another world and all."
"Another world?! What are y— " Before Satoshi could continue his exclamation, Emma pressed her hands on Satoshi's mouth, prompting him to keep quiet.
"Sssh! The monsters might hear you!"
"MON— monsters?! What are you talking about?" Getting his act together, Satoshi whispered to Emma.
"Quick! Come this way!" Without a moment to lose, Emma grabbed Satoshi by the hand and dragged him into a nearby cave. "Tsk~! It was my fault for not telling you anything beforehand."
"Yeah, you should have told me you'll be bringing me to a dangerous place... is this the Boss, er I mean, the Beast Dimension?"
"No, this is our world."
This content is taken from fr(e)ewebn(o)vel.𝓬𝓸𝓶