"So you brought company, huh, Jean Grey and Jack S. Michael. I hope the two of you are prepared to die." He muttered as smoke filled his vicinity. He extended his hands as his sinister smile extended all the way up to his ears. There was something unnerving about the way he posed himself as the villain but no one in the group was bothered by it since he looked like he was trying too hard.
"Who are you, where's my son?!" Jean Grey screamed. He still maintained his composure despite his raised voice but deep in his mind, he was afraid that something bad happened to his son. He didn't want to think about nor assume anything but seeing that his son wasn't there, then that could only mean that he was being kept somewhere private.
"Who are you? What do you want with us?" Star-Spangled muttered. Somehow, the person in front of him was familiar, but he couldn't quite put his finger around it. 'If only I could get a clear view of that man's face. I'm sure I met him somewhere. But what does he want with us? He even went as far as to kidnap Jean Grey's son... this is not going to end well.' Star Spangled said to himself
"What do I want? I do not want, I take." The man said as the smoke around him continued to grow and rise like a sentient being emerging from the ground. "Someone offer me money, I do their bidding. Hence, I take. I take the money, and I take the order and accomplish it. It is very simple."
"So you're here to me and my friend. Why? And on whose orders?" Jean Grey asked as he reached towards his back to pull out a Gren. He was going to summon Pheross soon, his trusty, tamed beast partner. "I mean, if we're going to die anyways and you're quite confident with your kills, then you should at least tell us who ordered you to kill. That way we can die in peace... or something like that... look, you do get what I'm saying right?"
Even though Jean Grey was pushing the man to let his guard down, he still didn't. That smile on his face never disappeared as he continued conversing with the group.
"Initially, I'd have told you who ordered the hit... but since you brought your friends along, I have no choice but to kill all of you without saying anything. I can't afford to have one of you escape... and even if one of you did, well... it's impossible for any of you to escape anyways but nevertheless, I'm not taking any chances, you see?"
"What do we do, Jean Grey? Your call." Star Spangled muttered under his breath as he stole a glance at his friend. "Honestly, I don't think we're a match for this guy. If he can show up in front of us without wavering, I think he's more powerful than we think. And also, he openly challenged me, the number one superhero in America, to a fight. That means he's confident he could defeat me and all of us here without breaking a sweat."
"He's in the face of two number-one superheroes and yet he still didn't run away, I do think that it's just a facade. We have to be careful." This time, it was Satoshi's dad, Tatsuki, who spoke.
'Dex, you're here, right? Can you tell what kind of superpower this guy has?' Satoshi said in his mind, hoping that Dex would at least be able to scan the mysterious man and tell them about his powers.
[He's a... He's a Beast Tamer, Satoshi... and a powerful one at that. At your current level, I don't think you'll be able to fight him. Judging from his aura, I can tell that he has at least more than a hundred tamed beasts in his possession... not to mention...]
'Not to mention what?' Satoshi repeated since Dex stopped midway through his words.
[He has a representative.] Dex continued
The last sentence that Dex said in Satoshi's mind sent chills up and down his spine. He knew what he meant by a representative. Dex is a representative, as well as the Statue of Captivity. If what Dex said was true, then that means the man is more powerful than him.
For the first time ever since Satoshi got his superpowers, he became nervous. Right in front of him was a man that posed a threat to everyone. He was supposed to be the strongest 'tamer' or 'upgrader' out there... but as it turned out, there was someone stronger. Dex specifically said that the man was stronger so Satoshi was inclined to believe such is the case.
Without missing a beat, Satoshi turned to his dad as well as to Jean and Jack. He wore a serious expression on his face as he pursed his lips in frustration. "Dad. Everyone. We have to go. This guy is strong." Satoshi said. "He's a tamer, and he's stronger than me." Satoshi continued.
"You mean..." Tatsuki's mouth gaped open as he realized what his son was saying. If he was really a tamer and what his son said was true, then all of them combined stood no chance against him.
"A tamer you say?" Jean Grey asked. "So he's a tamer, just like us, Satoshi?" Jean Grey asked a second time to confirm with Satoshi.
Satoshi nodded in confirmation.
"Eh, so he's a beast tamer huh," Jean Grey muttered to himself.
Suddenly, the aura that surrounded Jean Grey started to change and his expression somewhat relaxed a little bit. For some odd reason, he was feeling more confident than usual. Compared to how he was a minute ago, right now he was as calm as an undisturbed lake. "I guess you're challenging me then?"
"You are no match for me. I have a representative on my side." The man spoke.
This time, it was Satoshi who wore a smug look on his face. His eyes turned into slits as he rubbed his nose. With confidence emanating from him. "A representative, you say?"
Before the man could say anything, Satoshi summoned Dex and the Statue of Captivity. Everyone fell flat on their rear sides as the monumental Statue of Captivity appeared. "Well, I have two representatives." Satoshi pointed out.
Even though Dex had warned him that he stood no chance against him, he still took his chance to bluff since he had two representatives on his side.
There was a clear change in the man's expression as he stepped back a little bit. It was obvious in his body language that he was a tad bit nervous. He wasn't expecting anyone to have a representative, much less two of them. And that caught him by surprise.
"Two representatives, you say? That's impossible! You don't just obtain representatives as if they are normal beasts, you form a contract with them after a series of grueling tasks and difficult quests! You're bluffing, young man, this is preposterous!" The man continued.
"Then why don't you see for yourself?" Satoshi asked. "Your representative can speak, right? I'm sure it can recognize other representatives." Satoshi shrugged, really going all-in with his bluff. Of course, he spoke the truth when he mentioned that Dex and the Statue of Captivity are representatives. However, it's still true that the man is stronger than Satoshi.
'I'm sure the representative knows that as well, but if his representative is the cautious type just like Dex here, then there's no way he'd go through with this. Furthermore, dad, Emma, and I weren't even supposed to be here. I'm sure he'd retreat for now.' Satoshi said in his mind.
[Be careful, Satoshi, there's still a chance that he goes through with the attack... although, I don't think we need to worry about that.] Dex warned.
For a few seconds, the man paused. Satoshi could only conclude that the man was conversing with the representative in his mind, trying to confirm whether Satoshi was lying or not. His expression then shifted into a troubled one, indicating that the representative had already confirmed the fact. In response, Satoshi smiled as he brought back the Statue of Captivity inside the Orb Oboros once again and made Dex turn invisible. "I'm guessing you've already heard from your representative, right? What did it say?" Satoshi asked.
Slowly, the smoke around them disappeared. "I think... I may have underestimated you a little bit." He began, turning around as he brushed his hands on his cape. "I will retreat for now. Make sure you don't die before I kill you, Jean and Jack."
In a snap of a finger, the man created a portal and stepped inside it, vanishing before everyone could even make a move. Satoshi's bluff had worked, much to his relief, but the threat on Jean Grey and Jack Michael's life was still there.
And Ash Grey was still nowhere to be found.
(— Author here, I forgot to add a nice joke last chapter. Thank you for reaching this far into the novel! Cheers!—)
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