"Of course! Yes! We'll take all the vuls!"

"Great," Mr. Matoz said with a broad smile. "That will be 500 credits each."

eX-0281 and eX-0704 looked at each other. The vul kits were not very expensive, yet they still did not have the money.

"Actually, the GPC has a discretionary spending limit on its officials. The most we can pay you is 750 altogether after what 704 already reimbursed you for the helmet."

Though Mr. Matoz seemed confused for a moment, he quickly dismissed it. "Deal."

Their first barter at a pawn shop had been a breezy success, and eX-0281 and eX-0704 ended up with the fluffy vul kits in their arms. Holding only one, eX-0281 cradled it like a baby.

"Aw, you're so cute."

"This is the best choice of our life! Thanks 281." eX-0704 squeezed the other two vuls in his arms and then balanced them in one arm each.

They had to restrain themselves from doing their secret tail flick in front of an uninitiated stranger. Eventually, eX-0281 and eX-0704 should train their vuls to do tail flicks; then their life would be complete then.

"We seriously need to get going," eX-0281 announced. "Thanks, Mr. Matoz."

"No, no," he said with a kindly wave to the customers. "Thank you."

The bell tinkled once more as they left. A serious atmosphere settled over them once again, now that they had left the quirky shop.

When eX-0281 checked the Disco Menace's progress on the map, she had nearly arrived at the hangar already. They rushed out the door, wings beating hard to catch up. The blinking icon for eX-0704's location escaped his attention for the time being. Nothing could matter more than the vul kit in his arms.

"We really solved all our problems," eX-0704 chimed while they ran. "I've got my helmet back. We've got these adorable vuls…. To think! We were distracted by petting the el'vul back there, when the answer was in front of us all along. Pet some vuls while running." He spoke simply, yet the happiness was evident in every word.

"Absolutely. I agree on all counts." eX-0281 stroked its fur in one hand whilst he supported the vul in the other. Wings were far more important than arms when running anyway.

The tiny jaws split in a big yawn. The vul tucked its fox chin along his wrist, the fluffy sides of its cheeks hiding its paws. The large, adorable eyes became two pinched lines across the vul's face.

A warm sensation overcame eX-0281's heart, making him feel fuzzy inside despite the cold-blooded body of his sub-dragon form.

"What are we going to name our vuls?"

"I dunno." A new concept dawned on him. What are we going to name ourselves?

Apparently, their numbers were not names like he had been led to believe. Since they had abandoned the Grandesia Power Company, they should rid everything that had to do with their corporate life. eX-0281 and eX-0704 would need real names.

"Wait," eX-0704 continued. "If we're going to name them, we'll need to know if they're boys or girls. We should have asked Mr. Matoz that!"

"Yeah," eX-0281 gasped. "We didn't ask what their birthday was either." Nearly sobbing between his running breaths, he said, "We're terrible pet parents already!"

"It's going to turn out fine," eX-0704 insisted. "We'll just have to figure everything out. Any idea how to tell male and female vuls apart?"

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"The ones with the fluffier hair on their chests are probably girls."

"You think so?"

eX-0281 made a guess based on the observable differences between human men and women. Since the vuls did not have clothing or hairstyles in which to base the distinction, he assumed it had to be something physiological like that. It was the extent to which the sub-dragons understood basic biology.

"Yeah!" eX-0281 said with greater confidence. "The one I'm holding looks so pretty. She's probably a girl."

"Well, I think my vuls are really pretty too," eX-0704 said with a proud huff. "Except this one. I think he's more handsome."

The dragon duo talked about their vuls all the way to the airship hangar. When they neared the location, they quieted down and became more alert. Peering around the corner of a building, they tried to scope out the area and determine the best way to penetrate the facility.

"Come in Liz 1 and Liz 2," the Disco Menace's voice barked over the party chat. "Where are you?"

Rather than replying over the channel, eX-0704 mumbled to himself. "I never thought I would be so happy to hear her voice right in my ear! Everything works just as it did before." Some giddy energy washed over him. eX-0704 bounced with two vuls in his arms and the helmet on his head.

"I've secured a ship already!" the Disco Menace announced. "I'm taking off in five minutes or sooner if reinforcements arrive. You guys better get here!" She had made one tiny step of progress towards holding them in higher regard, actually waiting for them.

eX-0281 and eX-0704 looked at each other, beaming. "Which way did you come in? We're looking at Gate B."

"It's clear," the Disco Menace replied. "Everyone should be dead, incapacitated, or in rough shape."

"Roger." Without another second to waste, eX-0281 and eX-0704 dashed out into the open.

"Thanks for doing the talking," eX-0704 said between just the two of them. "I'm going to surprise the Disco Menace. I'm going to talk over the channel when I get right behind her. This is gonna be great!"

Around the gate to the security hangar, they passed some fallen sub-dragons. Others moaned and groaned whilst holding their guts. The fire element of the security administration sub-dragons did not enjoy elemental resistance to thunder like the eX series.

One brave sub-dragon did stagger up and tried to shoot as they passed by. With the vul tucked around in his arm in one hand, eX-0281 extended his claw and stiff-armed the enemy with the other. The sub-dragon fell back to the ground; eX-0281 and eX-0704 blew by him.

"She really did take care of things for us," eX-0281 said with a whistle.

The hangar opened up to its large interior. Several sizable hovercrafts were housed here, exactly the ones that were deployed to address criminal activity around the city. In particular, one of the hovercrafts idled with its hundreds of blinking lights.

A small squad of sub-dragons gathered around the vehicle that the Disco Menace had prepared for their escape. The numbers were quite close.

Target: fC-6702 [Sub-Dragon Shifter (Dragon Form)]

Target: fC-6780 [Sub-Dragon Shifter (Dragon Form)]

….

Target: fC-7241 [Sub-Dragon Shifter (Dragon Form)]

And so on. Altogether, there were twenty sub-dragons in the group of reinforcements.

Vitality: 100%

Discrete Parts: Left Wing (100%), Right Wing (100%), Tail (100%)

Mana Reserves: 10 Mu

Element: Fire

Notably, there were two trained mages who looked a little different from the rest.

Target: fC-6799

Mana Reserves: 500 Mu

The second one had even higher mana reserves.

Target: fC-7007

Mana Reserves: 750 Mu

"Fire elementals," eX-0281 whispered to make sure eX-0704 had caught that. "Two have actual spell capacity."

"I see that. I can actually see that now!" eX-0704 emphasized. Somehow, he managed to sound gleeful despite the appearance of their worst adversary. Fire and ice did not mix—both elements offensively strong against the other.

Those two sub-dragons, they highlighted with some special target markers. Meanwhile, the squad tried to figure out the puzzle of the hijacked hovercraft.

"We need to get the pilot to open the hatch," a sub-dragon said, "but he's being held hostage by those criminals."

"Stand to either side," the commander ordered. "We blow the door open and rush in."

One of the subordinates attached a bomb to the door. To the right and left, all the sub-dragons took cover around the edges of the hovercraft.

"We're outside," eX-0281 hissed over the party chat. "An enemy squad is ready to storm the ship. Disco, exit the hatch to your left. We've got the sub-dragons on the right." He made sure to give the directions in relation to her orientation. "Also, focus on those two guys if you can. If we're hit by fire spells, we're toast!"

"Copy," she said tersely for acknowledgement.

eX-0281 and eX-0704 had taken cover behind some crates of cargo and supplies. Carefully, they nestled the vuls on top of a tarp. "Stay here. Be good," he said with a scolding tone.

"We'll be right back," eX-0704 cooed softly. With the kits tucked safely away, they readied themselves to launch into the foray.