At the same time when Hao took down the three miscreants, Mentos picked himself up from where he had been thrown into a group of passengers, his eyes never leaving the bandit he had been fighting. The passengers around him were fearful, but Mentos was resolute, ready to face his opponent and protect the innocent lives onboard the Skyship. Unlike his friend, he had a warm and fuzzy heart for the innocent.

Mentos stared down his opponent, a burly bandit wielding a heavy, spiked mace and a sword. The bandit grinned maliciously with his eyes overpopulated with bloodlust. Mentos couldn't let this man harm the innocent passengers around him, so he gripped his Shark Skimmer tightly, ready to fight to the death if need be.

“Hmm?” The Bandit watched him carefully, “What are you trying to pull there?”

“You’ll soon find out.” With a quick flick of his wrist, Mentos unleashed the metallic tether of Shark Skimmer, allowing the jagged shark tooth-edged blade to whip ahead with impressive speed and agility.

“His sword can extend?” This came as a surprise to the bandit as he realized the unique nature of Mentos's weapon. “So what if you have a fancy sword that can stretch? I have a big mace and I’m going to use it to smash your skull in!”

“Shut the hell up and let’s fight!” Mentos urged.

“So eager to die, eh punk!”

The two fighters lunged at each other simultaneously, their weapons clashing in a shower of sparks and soft explosions. BOOM! BOOM! Mentos's Shark Skimmer crashed against the bandit's mace, the razor-sharp teeth of the blade bit hard into the iron spikes.

“Dammit, it won’t come off!” The bandit gritted his teeth, trying to overpower Mentos, but the skilled Scrap Diver held his ground. “Die!”

Mentos used Fight Reflex, a technique that allowed him to react quickly to his enemy's next move with heightened accuracy. With his instincts honed, Mentos quickly dodged a powerful swing from the bandit's sword and countered with a swift slash of his Shark Skimmer, the metallic tether granted him the reach to strike from a safe distance.

“Kyah! Bloody hell!” The bandit hollered in pain as the shark tooth-edged blade cut through his arm, blood staining his clothing and the floor. “This is nothing! Do you hear me, you boot licker!?”

Despite his injury, the bandit charged at Mentos again with his mace swinging wildly without any direct aim. Mentos's Fight Reflex skill alerted him to the incoming attack, which allowed him to sidestep the blow and strike once more with his Shark Skimmer.

This time, the blade wrapped around the bandit's legs and bit into his flesh with the jagged teeth. With a deft movement, Mentos then yanked the metallic tether, sending the bandit crashing to the floor with his leg barely clinging onto his body, he was losing blood rather quickly.

“Not so tough now are you?” Shark Skimmer hilt's ocean wave carvings glistened in the light peeking through the side as Mentos tightened his grip, preparing to deliver the final blow to his opponent.

Just as he was about to strike, the bandit raised his hands in surrender while his face portrayed pain and fear. “Please don’t kill me! I have a wife and kid back home. They won’t last long without their father. I was just looking out for my sis. Please show mercy.” The bandit, previously daunting and strong, was now a pathetic mess to look at, begging his enemy to spare his miserable life.

“Hmm?” Knowing that he had bested his opponent, Mentos lowered his Shark Skimmer, the metallic tether retracting the blade back to the hilt. The fearsome shark on the scabbard looked to grin in satisfaction as Mentos returned the blade to its resting place.

"Stay down," Mentos warned the defeated bandit. He then turned his attention to the frightened passengers around him, offering them words of reassurance and protection.

“It’s alright everyone, he won’t cause you any more harm.” With his opponent incapacitated, Mentos could now focus on aiding his friends and ensuring the safety of those onboard the Skyship.

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Elsewhere aboard the damaged vessel, Hao finally arrived at the cargo hold, he found the doors thrown open, revealing the chaos within. Crates lay smashed and broken on the floor, their contents scattered and trampled underfoot; also, workers were beaten to a bloody pulp. And at the back of the hold, he could see the bandits working to break into the Bastian cages, with Kiera herself directing them.

Hao yelled, "I won’t let you steal what’s mine!” A selfish thing to say coming from his mouth.

Kiera had staged this elaborate attack to reclaim her Bastians, yet he wasn't about to let her succeed. With a renewed sense of purpose, he prepared to confront Kiera once again.

***

"We're closing in on our target, Barkcode," Said Yoad with his eyes fixed on the Skyship looming closer. The portable hovercraft he rode in sped through the air as he and his Bastian prepared for their rescue mission. The Skyship's engines sputtered, spewing thick smoke that trailed behind the vessel. It was evident the ship was losing altitude, and fast.

“Hmm… those men?” Yoad shuddered when he noticed the Bastian Bandits outside, circling the vessel, attempting to destroy the remaining gun turrets that held them at bay.

The bandits' ferocious Bastians clawed and bit at the turrets while roaring through the sky. Sparks and metal debris flew in all directions as the turrets crumbled under their relentless assault. “That’s another one down!” they yelled.

"Hmm, they've got in already." Yoad's expression darkened as he spotted the shattered windows and battered doors of the Skyship. The panicked screams of passengers reached his ears from where he was hovering. "I need to hurry before Kiera's gang gets to Mr. Mentos and the blindy." With a swift tap on the controls, he urged the autonomous vehicle to pick up speed.

Whoosh!

"Here we go, prepare to fight, Barkcode," Yoad properly secured the Blade Tokens before hopping onto his Bastian's back. As they approached the Skyship, the bandits noticed their incoming assailant.

“Huh! We have company!” They initially mistook Yoad and Barkcode for the OSD (Optimum Security Division) but quickly realized their error. One of them commanded their Bastian to unleash a torrent of fire at the hovercraft. The vehicle exploded in a ball of flames just as Yoad and Barkcode leapt off.

“Spread your wings and glide!” With Barkcode's bat-like wings spread wide, the duo glided toward the Skyship, narrowly dodging another blast of fire from the bandit's Bastian.

"It's that damn pickpocket scum from the Hallows. What is he doing here?" One of the bandits shouted in surprise.

Another one responded, "I don't care, but I'm going to roast his ass," the fire-wielding bandit growled as he aimed another fiery attack at Yoad.

Whoosh!

"Stop pissing me off, you little shit!" The bandit's face contorted with fury when he saw how Yoad was continuously evading his attacks.

“This is getting troublesome.” When another torrent of fire surged towards him, Yoad trust his Bastian to act. With a burst of agility, Barkcode swerved through the air, barely avoiding the flames that licked at their heels. “Oh my God that was close! Good job dodging that one Barkode!”

“That little…!” Seeing Yoad smiling made the bandit more annoyed. He began staring his beast towards them while aiming to intercept them mid-air.

“Looks like we can’t avoid a physical confrontation.” Perceiving the incoming threat, Yoad clenched his recently purchased sword, his grip uncertain and untrained. After the distance between them shrunk drastically, he swung the sword wildly, hoping to fend off the bandit's advances.

Clang!

“Child’s play.” The bandit smirked, effortlessly parrying Yoad's clumsy strike with a well-timed swing of his own weapon. Yoad felt the impact reverberate through his arm, moreover, his sword slipped from his grasp. With a sinking feeling, he watched it spiral away into the sky, now utterly defenceless.

“No! Barkcode get us out here!” Yoad realized that he was no match and decided to try an alternative method of survival. His pet’s wings were beating frantically, struggling to stay airborne as the Bastian carrying the enraged bandit charged at them once more. Yoad knew they couldn't keep evading forever, and in a desperate bid to escape, he scanned the Skyship for a potential entry point.

“That’s it!” His eyes caught sight of a damaged cargo hatch on the Skyship's underbelly. Yoad knew it was a long shot, but it was their only chance. As the bandit's Bastian closed in for a final fiery attack, Yoad whispered a command into Barkcode's ear. With a powerful flap of its wings, Barkcode dove toward the hatch, narrowly evading the flames that scorched the sky in their wake.

“Faster Barkcode! Faster!”

“Get back here brat!” The bandit pronounced his voice to the heavens, but Yoad ignored him, focusing solely on their precarious approach to the Skyship. Barkcode's wings strained under the effort, it continued to flap desperately until they hurtled through the damaged hatch, landing with a heavy thud inside the cargo hold.

“Ahf! Ahf! We made it through.” Inside the Skyship, Yoad's breaths came in ragged gasps as he assessed the situation. "That was horrifying. But you got us through it Barkcode." He pet his Bastian’s hide while his tiny heart was still racing from their close escape.

Now that they were inside, Yoad’s goal was to locate Hao and Mentos. He didn't have to search long because only a few metres down the room from where he was, he witness a group of bandits surrounding Hao with their shiny swords. “The blindy is here.” He wanted to join in the fight and help out but he didn’t have his sword, nor the fighting experience, thus he hid behind a crate, waiting for an opportunity to act.