12 hours earlier

Toru was hunched over a tangle of mechanical parts and broken machinery, the remnants of his latest project scattered around him. His hands deftly worked on a turret, which, after a series of final adjustments, began to lift itself off the ground on eight spider-like mechanical legs. The turret moved with a peculiar tilt to the right, even when stationary.

“Not quite there yet,” Sozen remarked, his voice laced with a kind of casual observation.

Toru let out a sigh of frustration, looking at the malfunctioning turret. “Ugh, how’s yours coming along?” he asked, trying to shift his focus away from the frustration.

Sozen simply pointed toward one of his hounds, which was standing proudly in the corner of the workshop. The hound had undergone a significant transformation. Its right side extended, revealing a series of blue capsules that contained a fire extinguishing solution. The left side of the hound opened up, exposing a barrel that extended forward with a connected tube, functioning as a flamethrower.

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“Fire and water, my friend,” Sozen said with a hint of satisfaction in his voice.

“You really are crazy good,” Toru admitted, his frustration momentarily forgotten as he admired the ingenuity of Sozen’s work.

Sozen shifted his gaze, observing how his hound responded perfectly to his mental commands. “It just takes practice and having the right knowledge,” he said, his voice carrying a note of pride.

His thoughts drifted back to earlier days, when he used to spend countless hours in the workshop alongside Satoshi. Together, they worked tirelessly to perfect their creations. Satoshi had been an invaluable partner, handling the safety aspects of their experiments by modulating barriers to contain any dangerous mishaps.

Those memories weighed heavily on Sozen’s chest. He recalled how they had envisioned working as a team, no matter the number of failures or setbacks, until they achieved their shared dream. To Sozen, concepts like “winning” and “losing” had always been secondary to the pursuit of their goals. Yet, Satoshi’s perspective had diverged, placing different values on success and competition.

Sozen pushed those thoughts aside, unwilling to let them hinder his progress. Instead, he focused on the task at hand and the future that lay ahead.

“Join me, when this is over, I mean,” Sozen said, his tone earnest. The offer was more than just a simple invitation.