I thought I knew exactly who I was
That I am different and unique as I can be
But this person in the mirror is not me
It can't be me
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Two days had passed since Kato was taken by Gaki and his men. Confined in a dark room, Kato had only seen light when food was brought to him. The thought of his mother's impending death weighed heavily on him, deepening his despair.
Kato: (to himself) How long have I been locked up? It feels like an eternity. I want to escape, but I don’t even know where I am. I have to find my mom and make sure she’s okay. (recalling Gaki's words) Of course she’s fine. There’s no proof that what he said is true.
The door creaked open, and Gaki stepped in.
Gaki: Get up, kid. Time to prove your worth.
Kato: Prove my worth?
Gaki: We’re going to have you fight someone to see if you have the power we’re looking for.
Kato: Power? What are you talking about?
Gaki: (annoyed, hits Kato on the head) You talk too much.
Kato: (to himself) I don’t understand any of this. But maybe I can find a way to escape.
Gaki led Kato to a large room the size of a basketball court, filled with spectators. Kato's heart sank as he realized he was expected to fight.
Kato: Wait, am I really going to fight someone?
Gaki: Didn’t I say that? Show us what you’ve got. Try not to get killed.
Kato: (shocked) KILLED?!?
Gaki left Kato in the arena and took a seat among the spectators. Kato’s opponent, Kenny Kentaro, approached with a confident smile.
Kenny: The name's Kenny and I'm gonna be your opponent in this fight!! What's your name?!
Kato: (nervously) Ummm...Kato Hamura
Kenny: Alright, Kato Hamura! I’ll try to go easy on you, so make sure to put up a good fight!
Kato:(still nervous) Wait a minute, I haven't been in a fight before so.....
Fear and uncertainty overwhelmed Kato. He was unprepared for combat and terrified of being seriously injured or killed. To make matters worse…
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Kenny: [ White: Body Reinforcement ]
Kato: (to himself) He’s a Lighter?! Shadows and Lighters don’t work together. So this group has both? Impossible!
Kenny: Confused about how a Lighter is part of this group? There are more of us, including humans.
Kato: (in shock) Humans????.....what are you....
Before Kato could finish, Kenny grabbed him and slammed him into the ground. Kato coughed up blood.
Kenny: Come on, kid! Fight back!
Struggling to get up, Kato tried to find an escape route. Kenny, however, was relentless, attacking with speed and power that Kato couldn’t match. Each punch was devastating.
Kato: (bleeding and in pain) His strength is overwhelming. I can’t keep up...
Kenny’s Lighter technique, Body Reinforcement, made him nearly unbeatable for Kato, who had no combat experience. Kenny continued to attack, and Kato was barely able to defend himself.
Kenny rushed to attack Kato again but luckily Kato is able to see him coming and manages to dodge and start running away from him.
Kenny: Running away isn't going to help you in this fight Kato!!! You have to fight back!!!!
Kenny then punched the ground and the damage on the ground spreads everywhere on the battleground and causes Kato to miss his step and fall down. Kato immediately stands up but by that time Kenny had already caught up to him and grabbed him by his shirt.
Kenny: (tsk) If this is the best you can do then I'm disappointed in you, Kato Hamura.
Kenny held Kato with his left hand and started punching Kato with his right hand. There was nothing Kato could do against those punches and he started blacking out bit by bit. All this time, everyone is still watching the fight (or beat down is more like it)
Gaki: (to Kenny) Hey Kenny. Make sure not to kill the kid. He may not awaken the power even if you beat him up like that.
Kenny: (stops hitting Kato whose face is completely bloody and swollen) Aren't people supposed to awaken their powers in situations like this? Damn it. What a way to spoil the fun, Gaki.
Gaki: Maybe we can try again another time. Just drop the kid man.
Kenny dropped Kato on the ground who is extremely weak and unable to stand up. Kenny expressed his disappointment and started walking away.
Kato, weak and beaten, was on the brink of unconsciousness. He thought about how different his life was supposed to be, imagining a future with Mira and his mother.
Kato: (to himself) It wasn’t supposed to be this way. I was supposed to have a normal life, go on a date with Mira, graduate, and protect my mother. How did it come to this?
Then he remembered Gaki's words.
Kato: (to himself) The world doesn’t align with our desires. I can’t let this break me. I have to escape, see my mother. I have to fight back! GET UP! GET UP!! GET UP!!!!
As Gaki checked his phone, he announced to everyone.
Gaki: The HFA are on their way. We need to move.
Suddenly, Kato’s shadow energy surged. His appearance and aura transformed—his yellow eyes turned scarlet red, and his shadow energy intensified.
Gaki: (surprised) His aura changed?! This is…
Kenny: (seeing the transformation) Has he awakened a perfect manifestation or is it a shadow technique? Looks like he’s ready to fight for real!
Kenny was caught off guard as Kato, now incredibly fast, grabbed him and slammed him to the ground. Kato then began landing powerful punches, knocking Kenny unconscious.
The other Shadows and Lighters rushed in to subdue Kato but were swiftly overpowered. In a frenzied state, Kato fought off everyone who approached him.
Gaki, seeing the situation escalating, decided to flee. Just then, HFA Hunters arrived, led by Jason Enderby (aka Jason Thunderbolt). They found the battleground littered with incapacitated bodies.
Jason: (sighs) This is a mess. (notices Kato) Did you do this?
Kato, still uncontrolled, charged at Jason.
Jason: (to his team) Step back.
Jason prepared his gauntlets, channeling Lighter energy into electricity.
Jason: [White: Striking Voltage]
Jason struck Kato with a lightning attack, electrocuting him and slamming him to the ground. Kato lost consciousness.
The other four hunters were amazed by Jason's strength as one of them wondered If this is what it's like to be a Level 1 hunter and the rest wondered why they were even there because Jason seemed fine on his own.
1st Person: Sir, what about the rest of them?
Jason: We'll take the rest of them into custody. (points at Kato) Take him too. And be careful, he might wake up again.
The group began arresting the rest of them. As they began to handcuff Kato, one of them recognised him.
2nd Person: Sir, this is Kato Hamura, the kid who was reported missing.
Jason: Kato Hamura? Reports said he was kidnapped by Shadows, but he’s one of them? This doesn’t make sense.
2nd Person: Hmmmmm
Jason: This case just got more complicated. I’ll need to report this. (to his team) Let’s go.
Before they could leave, a sword made of shadow energy fell from the sky, landing in front of Jason. A masked man and woman appeared, attacking the Hunters and rescuing Kato & disappeared into the evening sky.
As Kato was taken away by the masked figures, Jason looked on, puzzled and intrigued by the unexpected turn of events.
3rd person: I don't get it. He had allies and they took him??? Doesn't that mean that.....
Jason: That's he's one of them? Maybe he has been this whole time. I don't totally get it either so I'll have to report this. (to the 2nd person) What's his name again?
2nd person: Kato Hamura sir.
Jason: Kato Hamura huh? Interesting.