.

Kai looked at the cloaked man and extended his Big Dipper pistol forward. Energy surged through the gun, and a beam fired toward him. The beam resembled stars traversing the night sky as it arched forward. Still preoccupied with Rick, the cloaked man took the star beam, knocking him back with burns littering his cloak. Turning toward Kai, he spoke, "So reinforcements have arrived; it was just starting to get fun." The cloaked man raised his hand, and the trees in the area sprang to life, transforming into steel and firing toward Kai. In response, Kai raised the Little Dipper and fired, but instead of a beam, a portal opened. The portal's appearance matched the starry night sky, consistent with the beam from the Big Dipper.

The steel projectiles flew through the portal, and it promptly closed. Kai shot the Little Dipper again; this time, it traveled a considerable distance, whizzing past the cloaked man. His head turned to watch as the beam streaked by. Glancing back at Kai, his warped voice came through the mask. "You missed." As he finished his taunt, a portal opened directly behind him, and the steel projectiles fired from it with no lost momentum. The cloaked man was hammered at point-blank range by the high-speed projectiles, smashing to the ground and looking up with rage

"How dare you!" The cloaked man rose to his feet and outstretched his arms. Purple tendrils snaked toward Kai, but before they could reach him, Rick rushed in and grabbed the cloaked man. Rick threw him into the sky and immediately jumped after him. The eye in the center of Rick's hand changed into a mouth, and a pulse of black energy surged, propelling the cloaked man to the ground.

Rick landed on the ground and turned toward Kai. "What's going on with that?" Rick questioned, motioning toward the new mask and guns now adorning the boy. Kai looked at his uncle and tilted his head. "I don't really know. I was watching what was happening, and then I was in this black void, and a blue guy said he’d give me some power. And when I came back, I had this mask and these guns." Rick looked back toward the man he had thrown. "Well, follow-up questions can be saved for later. Right now, we need to stop Dagon," Rick cracked his neck and spoke once more, "just provide backup; I can’t counter his ability."

Rick leaped at Dagon, with Kai trailing behind on foot. Dagon ascended from the crater he had created in the ground, hovering in the air as he spoke. "Your struggle is pointless; one little helper isn’t going to make a difference. Today is the day you die, Rick. I'm going to end you." Trees and houses transformed into steel, swirling toward Dagon. The mass of steel structures slowly shaped into a hammer. "Daikokuten's Hammer!" The man's words dripped with hatred as the giant hammer hurtled toward the duo. Kai raised the Big Dipper and fired three times, but the bullets deflected off the giant hammer as it pressed on. Undeterred, the boy persevered, holding the gun forward again, this time allowing energy to build within it. The etching on the side emitted a powerful blue glow, and Kai released the shot.

The star beam sliced through the air, colliding with the hammer, and they clashed mid-air. The heat from the beam scorched the grass as it grappled with the hammer. Slowly, the hammer began to advance as the energy from the star beam dwindled. The beam dissipated, and the hammer was knocked to the ground, narrowly missing Kai and his uncle.

Rick moved forward towards Dagon, spear at the ready. Behind him, purple energy spears materialized, but Kai swiftly shot them out of the sky. "Nice try," Kai taunted as Rick closed the distance. With precise movements, Rick stabbed Dagon with his spear, sending him sprawling. Rick then pivoted towards Dagon and seemingly flew through the air toward him, grabbing Dagon's face Rick Spoke. "Grand Devour!" Black energy radiated from Rick's hand, and a black dragon head manifested, clamping onto Dagon's head. Energy pulsed in the dragon's mouth, engulfing Dagon's head.

His form shattered, leaving behind only the fragmented remains of a tree, roughly the size of Dagon. “I’m surprised you haven't figured it out yet, Rick,” a voice emerged from behind the duo. Dagon stood there with a gruesome stab wound through his abdomen. The man raised his hand from his side, and trees gathered behind him, shrinking to his size and undergoing a color transformation. The trees morphed into six flawless clones of the man. “I’m not typically a fan of this technique, but since it’s no longer a one-on-one fight, I suppose it’s fine.”

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Dagon and his clones ascended into the air, unleashing a barrage of energy spears at Kai and Rick. Kai swiftly fired the Little Dipper, and the spears soared through the portal created by the gun. Simultaneously, Rick leaped towards Dagon and his clones. At that moment, Kai found himself contemplating, gradually comprehending more about his newfound power. When the Blue Man bestowed upon him these abilities, he received a basic overview, but with each usage, a deeper understanding unfolded. Kai fired the Little Dipper three times, generating three portals in front of the clones. Despite the clones raising their guard, nothing occurred initially. Then, the once stationary portals surged forward, engulfing three of the clones.

Kai sensed their presence within the portal dimension. Concentrating on the energy of the spear he had previously seized, he honed in on the clone's energy. Once he detected the disappearance of the spear's energy, he reopened the portals. Chunks of wood riddled with holes were ejected from the portal. Although the clones were not as formidable as Dagon, they still posed a threat. Glancing at his uncle, Kai observed that he had already vanquished the other three clones and was advancing toward Dagon. Trees charged at Rick, drawing closer to Dagon. The projectiles closed in on Rick, but Kai's portals swiftly consumed them.

Rick seized Dagon and hurled him towards Kai. In response, Kai unleashed a portal, and the steel trees pummeled into Dagon. Before Dagon could regain his composure, Rick slashed him with his spear. As Dagon plummeted to the ground, Kai discharged a fully charged blast at him. Attempting to evade, Dagon's movements were intercepted by Rick's foot, sending him sprawling. Seizing the opportunity, as Dagon descended, Kai caught him with a portal and repositioned him in front of Rick. Rick impaled him with the Purple Dragon Spear and propelled him back through the portal.

Dagon fell to the ground The spear still embedded in his chest He tried to channel his kao energy but nothing happened, he dropped his hands in defeat and the Orb created by the man's full release disappeared, Dagon coughed up blood and spoke, “ Bested By a man who hasn’t fought in fifteen years and a child, I’m Pathetic.” Dagon Released a sigh “I searched for you for so long at first I just wanted you to come back, but after a while, it turned to anger, I looked up to you Rick, You were my hero then you just left, You didn't even stop in just to say hey, most of the gang died and those who didn’t, left. We needed you, Rick, and you weren't there” Rick Looked down at the man in silence, His eyes watered but he didn’t speak.

Dagon crumpled to the ground, the spear still embedded in his chest. Attempting to channel his kao energy, he found it unresponsive. In defeat, he dropped his hands, and the Orb generated by the man's full release vanished. Coughing up blood, Dagon uttered, "Bested by a man who hasn't fought in fifteen years and a child. I'm pathetic." He released a sigh, reflecting, "I searched for you for so long. Initially, I just wanted you to come back, but over time, it turned to anger. Rick, I looked up to you. You were my hero, and then you just left. You didn't even stop in to say hey. Most of the gang died, and those who didn't left. We needed you, Rick, and you weren't there." Rick gazed down at the man in silence, his eyes welling with emotion, but he remained speechless.

Observing the exchange, Kai understood that his uncle harbored a past he preferred not to discuss. However, the depth of it surprised him. Although Kai empathized with Dagon, he couldn't muster any sympathy for the individual who had recently pushed his uncle to the brink of death.

The whirring of an A.M.I Response Vehicle resonated from above, casting a blue light over the scene as the vehicle slowly descended. Stepping out of the vehicle, a man in a sleek black suit was accompanied by three guards clad in mechanical armor. The well-dressed man extended his hand towards Kai for a handshake and introduced himself, "Nathan Dark. How are you?" With jet-black hair, pupils matching the shade, extremely pale skin, and a prosthetic hand in the same dark hue, Nathan resembled a character from a black-and-white movie. Despite the unusual appearance, Kai accepted the handshake and replied, "Kai Mendoza, and I'm fine-ish."

Nathan smiled at Kai's response. "I assume you're responsible for this mess," he said, gesturing to the two men lying on the ground—one with a stab wound through his stomach and the other with a spear planted in his chest. Kai looked towards the two men, relieved to see his uncle still breathing. "Well, I'm partially responsible for the guy with the spear in his chest, but the other guy is my uncle. That's who the spear belongs to."

Nathan released Kai's hand. "Still, though, you're still on your feet after taking on a very infamous man. He's been making a mess of things for years now and has killed a lot of good men. You have some serious potential. I would love to see you in an A.M.I uniform.".

Kai smiled at the man's recruitment attempt and tried to deflect. "Well, I'm still only seventeen, so I appreciate it, but I'll have to decline." The man smirked, aware of the boy's attempt at deflection, and put his hand in his pocket. "No problem. Take my card. We have a summer training program for minors with potential. Take my card, please." Kai's smile faded as he took the card. "I'll think it over and get back to you." There was no way he was going to have a peaceful summer this year