Hollow: I’m not losing this fight to you!

  (Ethan realizes too late that Hollow has finished up his powerful energy beam, and he fires it midair from above Ethan, forcing him to stop it with his palms. The energy beam pushes him lower, and he forms two ice blocks to plant his feet in, an attempt to push back against the energy beam. However, those two ice blocks break, causing Ethan to plummet to the ground, the energy beam threatening to submerge him, but he pushes it back when he pulls an ice pillar out of the ground, submerging himself in it.)

  Hollow: (exclaiming) I knew you won’t go down so easily, Ice Surge!

  (Hollow grunts with all his effort as he continues amplifying his energy beam, while Ethan remains detached inside his ice pillar, amplifying his aura to strengthen the pillar. It keeps rising up, pushing back against Hollow’s energy beam and launching its own icy energy as well, and it turns into an intense beam struggle in the sky. The residents, Ethan’s parents, Shay, and even the masked shadow soldiers watch this beam struggle with baited breath, hearing Hollow’s echoing grunts and getting overwhelmed by the violent, cold winds. The beam struggle persists at full force, but then the ice pillar rises, piercing through Hollow’s energy beam and striking his gut.)

  Hollow: (internally) Not enough!

  (Hollow places both his palms on the pillar, which starts getting overwhelmed by the ever-amplifying energy of Hollow’s Overdrive Surge, adapting an electric neon red glow. The icy energy coming out of it interacts with Hollow’s energy, and the two cause a massive, blinding explosion that destroys the ice pillar. And so, everyone within the camp — including both Ethan and Hollow — get submerged in a flash of white light.)

  (Eventually, that flash of light fades away, and the area is clear once again. The destruction of the camp is still evident with all the rubble and torn tents, and the intense winds and tiny ice shards carried by it are still coming with full force. The residents peek out of their hiding spots and look around amid the rubble and the tense silence, with Mr and Mrs Carter hurrying to find Ethan.)

  Mrs. Carter: (running while looking around) Where’s Ethan?!

  (The couple eventually find Ethan standing on the ground while panting in exhaustion, but his Surge Beacon form is still apparent, his intense icy aura unwavering and his pupil-less eyes still glowing icy blue. Mrs. Carter rushes to her son in worry and cups his face, only to be further horrified when she sees his pupil-less, glowing eyes and the detached look on his face. He doesn’t react to her presence in any way; he just stares at her with that unchanging emotionless expression.)

  Mrs. Carter: (fearfully) Ethan?

  (Shockingly enough, Mrs. Carter gets knocked back when Ethan unleashes an energy shockwave, and she falls into the ground, glancing up at Ethan’s Surge Beacon form in shock, who slowly approaches with his cold demeanor unchanged. Mr. Carter steps in to shield his wife, equally horrified by Ethan’s apathy, seeing him extend his icy palm at the two of them and charge up an icy blast at them.)

  Mr. Carter: (muttering) Ethan… please.

  (Ethan doesn’t respond, and his detached expression remains unwavering. However, a nearby pile of rubble is blown away, and Hollow emerges once again, panting in exhaustion. Sensing his emergence, Ethan cancels his ice blast and turns away from Mr. and Mrs. Carter, switching his attention to Hollow instead. His parents remain still in shock, slowly reaching out to Ethan, but Shay arrives and gently pulls them out of the way and into a hiding spot.)

  Mr. Carter: (worried) Mr. Ghallagher! Where were you all along?

  Shay: (clutching his chest, grimacing in pain) I’m fine. Just stay outta the way, will ya? This battle’s gonna keep goin’, and Ethan’s not himself. I haven’t seen wha’ happened, but it was tough, I can tell ye that.

  (Mr and Mrs Carter react with concerned frowns and watch the continuation of this intense battle with unease alongside Shay. The residents too watch with bated breath, waiting for the fight to commence once again. Meanwhile, Hollow slowly approaches Ethan, with the masked shadow soldiers accompanying him re-emerging around the area, aiming their weapons at Ethan. However, Hollow raises his palm up, ordering them not to engage.)

  Hollow: Hold your fire. It’s needless.

  Masked Shadow Soldier 1A: (lowering his weapon) Understood, sir.

  Hollow: (calmly walking towards Ethan) You’ve proven your worth, Ice Surge. You deserve to stand by my master’s side. However, as much as I would want to cease this unnecessary battle, it appears that your Beacon power needs to be tamed first. (the neon red symbol on his mask glowing with energy) We shall carry on.

  (Hollow charges up his electric neon red aura, and Ethan responds by charging up his own icy aura with that unchanging scowl, the two of them far from finished. The masked shadow soldiers step back, allowing the fight to resume, and after a while, Ethan lunges at Hollow once again, forming several ice crystals around himself. Hollow destroys the ice crystals with a cluster of blasts, only for Ethan to reform the fragments into an ice baton and swing it at the former. He breaks the baton with an energized chop then jumps back out of Ethan’s range, rapidly blowing away a cluster of ice crystals forming around him.)

  Hollow: You’ve still got enough in you, huh? So do I.

  (Hollow acrobatically skips past Ethan’s ice crystals midair while firing a cluster of blasts at close proximity to him, knocking him off balance. He then gets in behind Ethan and fires a powerful blast at him, but it gets blocked with an ice block, only for Hollow to lunge at Ethan immediately afterwards for a blow, forcing him to turn back quickly and block the punch, getting sent sliding regardless. Hollow dashes after him, and he controls his sliding with his icy feet, but when Hollow gets close, he unleashes an energy shockwave that knocks Ethan off balance, now unable to control his sliding. He moves in to land the punch, with Ethan now vulnerable to attack.)

  Hollow: Right where I want you.

  (Before Hollow gets to land the punch on Ethan, a fire blast is launched at him from his right side, and he’s forced to block it with the back of his hand, losing momentum and getting knocked back laterally. Before he fully regains his balance, Focus rapidly lunges at him and lands a drop kick at his chest, knocking him back further. The residents are surprised by the duo’s intervention, especially Shay and Ethan’s parents.)

  Mr. Carter: (surprised) It’s those two!

  Shay: (muttering) They’re ’ere.

  Mrs. Carter: (faintly relieved yet concerned) They can sort things out now. Right?

  (Shay keeps watching with a grim expression, waiting to see what happens next, and Ethan’s parents watch as well. Meanwhile, Hollow regains his footing and sees Flare and Focus in front of him, who arrived at the scene just now. Flare is cockily grinning while cracking her knuckles, while Focus is as firm as ever, and the neon red symbol on Hollow’s mask narrows in reaction.)

  Hollow: (with a tinge of discontent) So it’s you two.

  Flare: (excitedly grinning) Another masked menace, huh? Surely you don’t sprout as much nonsense as your boss now, do you?

  Focus: (passing her a side-eye, deadpan) He kinda does.

  Flare: (muttering in disappointment) Bummer.

  (Hollow gets ready to lunge at them, only for a cluster of grenades to be launched around him, and all of them explode close to him and disorient him. It’s Jackpot, who has appeared as well into the scene behind Hollow and launched those grenades out of his Creation pot, and the Boltix lunges at Hollow from his right side at high speed, amplifying his fist using his Kinetic Surge. Hollow quickly blocks the punch, getting launched through the air regardless, and then Jackpot and Boltix go after him for another blow. However, he regains his balance midair and unleashes an energy shockwave to drive them back, and then he plants his foot on the ground.)

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  Boltix: (with a crooked grin) You’re another one of the masked moron’s cronies, aren’t you? You even look like one of the higher ranked ones. (letting out a low chuckle, cracking his knuckles) I’ll let you off with only a few broken bones if you cooperate nicely. (his smirk wavering, replaced by gritted teeth) I’m here to ask about Stone. You recognize the name?

  (Hollow clenches his fists, the neon red symbol on his mask dimming for a moment, but it quickly glows with energy once again as he charges up his electric neon red aura, placing Boltix and Jackpot on high alert. Afterwards, the small battalion of masked shadow soldiers accompanying him surround the duo, and they look around through gritted teeth.)

  Boltix: (glaring at Hollow, sternly) We’re not gonna do this the easy way after all. Fine by me. (with a faint, smug smirk) I’ve always preferred the fun way, and right now, the urge to beat the crap out of you is overwhelming.

  (Boltix charges up his electric blue and yellow aura, and Jackpot jumps up, pulling a pair of roller skates out of his Creation pot and putting them on midair, then he pulls a pair of plasma guns out of the pot and opens fire. Meanwhile, Flare and Focus turn to Ethan, who stands in front of them in his Surge Beacon form.)

  Flare: That was close. You okay? (concerned) What happened here?

  (Ethan neither responds nor even acknowledges the duo’s presence, and he walks past them, looking ahead and then glancing around. Flare and Focus are surprised by this, and the unease starts to set in, then Ethan slowly turns back to them with his unchanging detached expression, his pupils still not visible and his eyes glowing icy blue, during which Focus senses something about to happen.)

  Focus: (urgently) Look out!

  (In the blink of an eye, Ethan fires a rapid ice blast at Flare, a blast too quick Flare couldn’t even see it coming. However, she finds herself getting pushed out of the way and into the ground, and in this split second, she sees Focus taking that blast right at his chest, specifically where his heart is. This moment leaves all of the residents horrified, especially Shay and Ethan’s parents; Flare too is horrified upon seeing this, her pupils narrowing.)

  Flare: Focus!

  (Focus gets knocked into a pile of rubble, his eyelids barely open, and Flare immediately gets up and rushes toward him. Her lips part in shock as she sees him surprisingly affected by the blast, his slow breath forming weak fogs, and she turns to Ethan while shielding Focus through gritted teeth. She sees Ethan slowly approaching with his traditional detached expression, his steps calm and measured as he energizes his palms. Flare clenches her fists as she stands between him and Focus, looking at Ethan with concern.)

  Flare: (grimacing with concern) What’s going on with you? Snap out of it.

  (Ethan extends his palm at Flare, charging up his palms for another icy blast, but Jax shows up from his left side, adapting a slightly more muscular form, and swings his fist for a punch, which Ethan rapidly blocks with his palm, sending Jax skidding back. However, Flare seizes the opportunity and lunges at him for a fiery punch, and Ethan gets sent sliding even after blocking it. As he regains his footing, he sees Flare standing in front of him, with Jax hurrying towards Focus.)

  Jax: Focus! (approaching him and sensing his cold skin) He’s getting colder. What happened?

  Flare: (gritting her teeth, stressfully) I don’t know for sure, okay?!

  (A worried frown forms on Jax’s lips as he glances at Focus’s barely open eyelids; his lips are trembling, but he can’t say anything. It’s then that Shay and the Carters arrive at the scene, the old man helping Focus up and carrying him out of the fight. He passes a nod to Jax, who nods back and lets him carry Focus out of the way then joins Flare, the two of them confronting Ethan in his Surge Beacon state.)

  Jax: (grimly) So he’s the Surge Beacon.

  Flare: (concerned) Is Focus gonna be okay?

  Jax: I hope so.

  (Ethan forms several ice crystals around Flare and Jax out of the tiny ice shards carried by the intense, cold winds, but Flare propels herself upwards with the flames underneath her legs, and Jax uses his muscular form to tank the crystals without damage. He lunges at Ethan for a punch, breaking through the ice blocks launched at him with his muscular might, while Flare prepares to launch a burst of flames right at Ethan midair, but as Ethan pulls an ice pillar out of the ground and lets Jax pierce through it, he destroys it, disorienting him, and in that same moment, Flare’s flames get snuffed out by the violent winds, much to her shock.)

  Flare: (shocked) Huh?!

  (Ethan then uses the ice fragments of the pillar and launches them all at Jax, and they explode upon intact, further disorienting him. In that same instant, he launches himself upwards at Flare while leaving an icy trail, reappearing above her. He forms an ice staff and swings it at Flare, who reacts quickly and propels herself away. However, Ethan elongates the staff by using more ice shards, and he strikes her regardless, sending her plummeting into the ground and at a pile of rubble. He rapidly drops down at her for another blow, but she jumps out of his way.)

  Flare: (internally, clenching her teeth) Was he really this much powerful all along?!

  (Ethan dashes at her once again and lands a punch right at her face, knocking her back laterally. He moves in for another blow, but Jax reappears from his right side and lands a punch at him instead in his muscular form, launching him through the air. He steadies himself and then launches several ice constructs at Flare and Jax, who lunge at him together. Meanwhile, Mr and Mrs Carter follow Shay as he leads them somewhere safe, who’s also carrying Focus with him. Focus is unresponsive, his eyelids barely open and his skin turning cold, but he’s still conscious enough to think.)

  Focus: (internally) That’s… some sort of cryogenic shock. (weakly clutching his chest) My chest is getting tighter. My breath’s foggy. Given his capabilities, the effect should’ve been more intense. I guess I could attribute that to my Surge. Not an immunity, but rather a stronger sort of resistance. So, if I want to keep going, I need to fight back against that effect, and that’s by keeping the Superhuman Surge active at all times. I’d have enough time to put down Ethan and possibly undo this effect.

  (As Shay arrives somewhere safe with Mr and Mrs Carter then gently sets Focus down, the latter’s eyelids start opening up, and his eyes start glowing with navy blue energy. His navy blue aura resurfaces as he slowly starts to get back up on his feet, albeit tiredly while clutching his chest, to Shay’s surprise.)

  Shay: (concerned) Oi, easy now, lad. Ye don’t seem too grand.

  Focus: (his breath coming foggy and ragged) I’m fine. I can fight off the effect if I just stay on the move. (sighing deeply) Ethan’s spiraling out of control. What happened?

  Shay: Some fella wearin’ a mask came here for Ethan. I reckon he’s one o’ yer enemies or somethin’.

  Focus: You mean Hollow? (grimacing) Infinity sent him after Ethan. What does he plan to do with him? And what happened next?

  Shay: I dunno, really. (clutching his chest with a wince) Missed a good bit of it, y’know?

  Focus: (subtly concerned, taking a step towards Shay) You okay?

  Shay: (coughing briefly) Nothin’ to be frettin’ about, I’m still kickin’.

  Focus: (reluctantly stepping back) If you say so. (turning to Mr. and Mrs. Carter) Did you see how it went? How did Ethan turn out this way?

  Mrs. Carter: (muttering) This man with the mask… he didn’t let Ethan go. He attacked the camp with his shadows. Lots of us were hurt. (her eyes starting to well up, covering her mouth) Some even died. He shouldn’t have gone through all this.

  (Focus’s lips part in shock upon hearing this, and he looks around at the residents in hiding, seeing their dejected expressions and palpable fear. Some are clutching their kids, others are sitting beside the injured and unconscious, and others are just watching with sorrow; Focus’s lips curl into a frown as he sees this, then he bows his head and turns back to the Carters, feeling speechless.)

  Mrs. Carter: (quickly shedding those tears, her voice still cracking) And then the masked person pulled out some green crystal and was using it on Ethan somehow. And then… he turned that way.

  Focus: Green crystal? And you say that… triggered him? (placing a hand on his chin) The energy shockwaves at the cavern… Stone’s outburst… this explains a lot. (sighing deeply, firmly) You stay here. I’ll handle this.

  Shay: Oi, are ye sure ye’re s’posed to take part in this?

  Focus: (clenching his jaw) I don’t have much of a choice. The only way to slow down the cryogenic effect is by continuously moving and utilizing my Surge, and the only way to end it permanently is by defeating Ethan.

  (Suddenly, Focus is forced on his knees, clutching his chest in pain as his body starts shivering, and a small, faint frost mark develops on his face. Shay and the Carters worriedly approach him, but he raises his palm at them, signaling them to stop.)

  Focus: (panting) I’m fine. I must get going now. Merely standing still is causing my chest to get tighter.

  (Shay and the Carters step back in concern as they see Focus charging up his navy blue aura once again to fight back the cryogenic effect and get back up on his feet. He then dashes off, leaving the three to hide somewhere safe with the other residents. He’s still clutching his chest, but after panting for a while, he lowers his hand and carries on running with a firm expression despite the frost mark on his face. Meanwhile, Flare and Jax are taking their fighting stances as Ethan charges up his icy aura once again and comes sliding at them. Can the berserk Ice Surge Beacon truly be stopped before he submerges everything in ice?)