(Back at Aegis Headquarters at night, specifically in the training camp, the Aegis operators start their training sessions, with Jax, Proxy, and Pulse among them. Pulse exerts her energy on a brick wall meant to test how much energy she can release; Proxy forms several weapons with surrounding pieces of tech, trying time and time again to do so at a faster and more efficient manner; and Jax enlarges the muscles in his arms and keeps punching a heavy punching bag to enhance his strength and endurance. As they go about their training, they side-eye the Ironclad Response Unit soldiers going around the area, obviously not taking their presence too well.)
Proxy: (to Jax) Don’t push yourself too hard. You’re still required to rest.
Jax: (sighing deeply) I’m fine, really.
Pulse: Honestly, I’m more worried about whatever’s happening. What’s the IRU doing here?
Proxy: (frowning) No idea. It’s like they’re waiting for something to happen, like they’re one order away from drawing their weapons at us.
Jax: If they’re around, then this could only mean that Aegis is in trouble. You do know about the bad blood between them, don’t you?
Proxy: So first, we’re ordered to return to headquarters, and immediately after we report to the commander, we’re asked to stay here? And with the IRU roaming around and keeping an eye on us? I’m starting to think that they’ve already taken matters into their own hands.
Pulse: If so, then I doubt their intentions to actually link up with Focus. It won’t be as simple as that.
Jax: (shrugging) Don’t mind them. If something happens, we’ll take it head on. Other than that, we just let the higher-ups handle it.
(Pulse and Proxy nod with grim expressions and simply proceed with their own training sessions, albeit uncomfortable with the IRU’s foreboding presence. Meanwhile, Commander Locke is still waiting in his office while twiddling his thumbs, a sharp yet subtly anxious expression on his face as he waits for the good news. Commander Cromwell is also in her office, crossing her arms with a grim expression as she too awaits further developments.)
Commander Cromwell: (thinking to herself, grimly) The Ironclad Response Unit has only sent its soldiers here for one thing and one thing only. The moment they get their job done and capture both Focus and the Surge Beacon, they’ll have the opportunity to seize us all. Even the secretary has authorized their presence. It’s only a matter of time before Aegis gets disbanded for good. Right now, our only hope is… him. You better handle it… Focus. Don’t let them get the better of you.
(Back at Larkspur, Flare and Focus notice Gauntlet’s gauntlets starting to cripple and form sparks, and just before they get to say anything, he aims his gauntlets at them. However, as he attempts to fire a pair of coil ropes at them, the gauntlets suddenly stop working, with the sparks developing into crimson flames, to his shock.)
Gauntlet: (shocked) What in the world?!
(And so, they erupt and release the crimson flames it priorly had stored. The trees catch those flames, and the fire quickly spreads out around the forest, to Flare and Focus’s shock, who get sent back by that massive burst of flames. As Mr. Gallagher and the other townspeople gather up to assess the damage to their town, they suddenly see the entire town getting caught in the wildfire, the relentless crimson flames devouring everything that the townspeople worked so hard to prepare for the festival.)
Mr. Gallagher: (shocked) Dear God.
(Flare and Focus glance around in shock, seeing the forest caught up in flames so quickly, while Gauntlet too is surprised. The duo lunge at him in an attempt to stop this, but he regains control of his gauntlets and strikes them with a fiery whip katar, sending them flying. They regain their footing and grit their teeth, seeing Gauntlet still standing as he glances at his crippling gauntlets.)
Flare: (gritting his teeth) This is bad. Really really bad, I’m telling you!
Focus: (grimacing) The townspeople can handle the fire if it reaches them. Right now, we need to deal with this guy, and fast.
Flare: You don’t get it! Those aren’t normal flames! (subtly horrified) Those are my flames!
(Focus understands what she’s talking about, reminiscing her brief appearance as Red Flare and the sheer power behind her crimson flames back then. Gauntlet slices off several burning trees with his whip katars and then uses his coils to throw them at the duo, all while finally propelling himself upwards to utilize his aerial mobility. The duo are forced to keep running around while dodging the projectiles, only for him to reappear above them and launch a blast right in front of them, sending the two skidding back. He then lands on the ground and launches his two gauntlets at them, striking them in the gut and sending them flying. He then acrobatically gets in behind them, his gauntlets returning to his hands, and launches several blasts at them, but Focus quickly steps in and shields Flare, canceling out the blasts before grabbing her hand and running off.)
Focus: (gritting his teeth and letting go of Flare’s hand) His gauntlets have been weakened, specifically affecting their ability to accordingly absorb the Fire Surge. As a result, it burst out of control, and this happened. (turning to Flare) Does that mean you’ve regained control of your power?
Flare: (creating a small, weak flame with her palm, unamused) Enough to light a candle. Would that help?
Focus: (heading to a bushy area) That’s something, at least. So funnily enough, it takes something as simple as breaking his gauntlets to get your Surge back. If those flames can’t be extinguished so easily, then I’ll need you to put those flames down yourself.
Flare: (stunned) Wait, what?! But… I can’t put down flames! I only create them!
Focus: (reassuringly) But you can control fire regardless. It’s achievable, I promise.
(The duo find a tree thrown at them, and they quickly slide to dodge it. They find several more chunks of wood launched at them, and they sidestep past them without losing momentum, with Gauntlet emerging behind them and chasing after them by swinging across the trees.)
Flare: Alright, so now what? Do we just try to break his gauntlets or something?
Focus: I can guess that you can only absorb all those flames from a certain radius. If this is gonna work, you’ll need to position yourself exactly in the center of this wildfire to maximize your reach. I need you to head there now. I’ll deal with Gauntlet myself. The moment you regain your Surge, I’m certain you’ll feel it, and once you do, you’ve got this.
Flare: Okay, that’s one thing, but why leave you alone?!
Focus: (urgently) We can’t afford to get this whole mess sorted one at a time! Just listen! It’ll work! I’ve got enough knowledge regarding Surges and enough faith in you to say that for sure, so you gotta trust me on this, okay?!
(Flare is taken aback by the sheer urgency behind Focus’s words, and as Gauntlet catches up to them and launches a pair of whip katars at the duo, Focus steps up to shield Flare, the whip katars getting wrapped around his hands. He stands firm despite Gauntlet trying to pull him in and nods to Flare through gritted teeth, urging her one last time to trust him, and she nods as well, heading off to perform her role in Focus’s plan. Gauntlet notices Flare making a run for it and trying to get out of here, and he immediately uses one of the gauntlets to launch a fiery coil at her in an attempt to stop her advance, but Focus punches it away, allowing Flare to head off.)
Focus: (firmly) I’m your opponent, Gauntlet. Eyes on me.
Gauntlet: Taking me on by yourself? (unbothered) That’s a big gamble, don’t you think?
Focus: Hmph, I thought you know who I am.
Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
Gauntlet: (chuckling) I could say that same for you. Show me, Focus. Show me why you’re so valuable to Aegis.
(Gauntlet’s smirk wavers into a serious expression as he grapples into a tree and propels himself back upwards, to which Focus responds by jumping into a branch. The two meet each other in the air, Gauntlet preparing his fiery whip katars and Focus taking a firm fighting stance as the two face off amidst the sprawling, all-consuming crimson flames. Meanwhile, Flare continues running across the burning jungle with an anxious grimace, and after coming across this intense wildfire, she finally reaches Larkspur, seeing it getting devoured in flames as well.)
Flare: (muttering) There they are.)
(The flames are still ruthlessly burning every trace of the Lantern Jubilee, as if the townsfolk were never celebrating to begin with. The people of this town bring out numerous buckets of water and begin a desperate attempt to put down these flames, led by Mr. Gallagher, who pours the bucket into a bazaar to extinguish the fire, but it only takes a short while for them to notice that this fire can’t be stopped by normal means, which persists despite their efforts.)
Mr. Gallagher: (urgently) Them flames’ll gobble up everythin’ in the town. We’ve gotta put a stop to this!
(Mr. Gallagher grabs another bucket of water and pours it at the bazaar, still failing to put down the flames, and the rest of the townspeople experience a similar outcome with their own vain efforts. The children stand back, their hands on their mouths in fear as they see the adults struggling to extinguish the crimson flames. Flare too watches this from a distance in horror, her mind flashing back to that same fire she caused back at the small town she used to hide in and how futile the people’s attempts were.)
Flare: (forcefully shutting her eyes) Not now, Flare! You can still stop this!
(Flare glances around and finds a plateau nearby, immediately taking an alternate route and heading for it. Upon reaching the plateau and standing on the top, she manages to get a decent glimpse of the extent of the wildfire, seeing how far beyond the town it reaches, and then she turns around, seeing the relatively limited reach of the flames behind her. With those estimates, she turns back ahead and runs forward, jumping off the plateau and making a solid landing before continuing her dash, gritting her teeth in urgency.)
Flare: (thinking to herself, gritting her teeth) That’s good enough a guess. You better get this done, Focus. Don’t make me regret trusting you now.
(Meanwhile, amidst the wildfire, Gauntlet uses his two gauntlets to swing backwards and then swings his fiery whip katars at Focus, who jumps from branch to branch while dodging the pair of whip katars. The branch he was just about to land on gets sliced off, making him lose his footing, and he gets struck by a whip katar and sent flying. However, he holds onto a branch and swings across it without losing much momentum, launching himself right back at Gauntlet. Before Focus reaches him, Gauntlet somehow manages to control the crimson flames with a swing of his gauntlet, striking him with a burst of fire and sending him skidding back. He still finds his footing on a branch and continues to jump across branches to chase him.)
Focus: (thinking to himself) His impressive mobility in the air makes it harder for me to close in on him, and don’t get me started on his wide array of options for ranged attacks. He’s vulnerable at close proximity, but how do I reach him?
(Gauntlet launches one of his gauntlets at Focus while using the other to continue swinging, and that launched gauntlet chases after the latter, who’s forced to jump out of the way and into another branch, still struggling to shake it off. He continuously blocks the gauntlet’s blasts and chops it away as it attempts a blow at him.)
Focus: (still thinking to himself) I can only think of one method in which those gauntlets may logically absorb Surge Energy. Perhaps they’re built to latch onto the loose ends of this energy, the bits that the body can’t hold inside and is forced to release as byproducts. It’s just like the loose strands on a piece of clothing, in which latching onto those strands and pulling them out with enough meticulously controlled force causes the entire cloth to unravel. The Fire Surge is unbelievably powerful in terms of sheer power, but lots of energy is released in the process, probably why absorbing it was quite easy for Gauntlet. I can’t think of any other way it could go, and if my assumption is correct, then this could be it.
(Gauntlet slices off a burning tree and throws it at Focus as he jumps up, but to his surprise, the latter eloquently twists his body to dodge that tree and then stands on it. The loose gauntlet is launched at him for a blow, but he punches it away and sends it skidding back as he develops a navy blue aura. Adding to Gauntlet’s shock, whose loose gauntlet returns to his free hand, Focus jumps backwards and acrobatically lands on a branch behind him, turning around and going the other way.)
Gauntlet: (thinking to himself, shocked) What’s he up to now?! He’s no longer chasing me, but instead… he’s tempting me to pursue him! (grimacing) Is this a trap? Is he baiting me?
(Gauntlet grits his teeth in annoyance and eventually decides to pursue Focus, using the grappling hooks coming from his gauntlets to swing after him. Upon glancing behind him and noticing Gauntlet hot on his heels, Focus — having been intentionally slowing himself down — amplifies his navy blue aura and goes even faster. Gauntlet slices off several chunks of wood and throws them at Focus, who doesn’t even need to turn back in order to dodge them. While continuing his run, he reminisces about a meeting with a person years ago back in an advanced training center, back when he was a child, a meeting with the person who trained him. He’s an adult man with shoulder-length black hair and black eyes, wearing a dark blazer over a black sleeved shirt, his expression firm and unwavering.)
??? (flashback): (firmly) As you’ve learned, Surges are inherently incapable of fully being held by the body. One will inevitably struggle to maintain this energy, and eventually, the fighter will wear out and tire. However, you’ve set yourself apart from the rest with your Surge. You’ve got incredible mastery and control over your power for someone of your age and experience. You… can become the strongest Surge user alive, even stronger than I am. Push yourself hard enough, and you’ll get there.
(Upon reminiscing those words, Focus’s belief in his plan strengthens, and the look on his face sharpens as he continues jumping from branch to branch, leaving Gauntlet unable to catch up. He attempts to strike him with a fiery whip katar, but it fails to reach him, the distance between them too great to allow for that, and he grits his teeth upon realizing that. Meanwhile, Flare continues running as fast as she can, going past the relentless fire swallowing up the town with a heavy heart, and she stands at what she hopes is the center of the flames’ reach.)
Flare: (thinking to herself) This has gotta be the center… or at least close. (gritting his teeth) Now I just gotta wait. He’ll pull it off. I mean, come on, that’s Focus I’m talking about. But… what about me? Can I do it?
(Flare distracts herself from the scene outside, ignoring the townspeople’s desperate attempts to put down the crimson flames by closing her eyes and standing on one knee with a firm expression, waiting to regain control of her Surge. The flames continue spreading, threatening to devour the entire town, but Mr. Gallagher and the townspeople persist, even the kids. Meanwhile, Focus continues switching between branches until he finally reaches an area with relatively less vegetation and no trees in sight.)
Focus: There.
(Seeing that, he jumps off a branch and somersaults into the ground, and as Gauntlet catches up, he immediately launches a barrage of blasts at Focus, who eloquently dodges the attacks. However, upon setting foot on the ground as well, Gauntlet swiftly swings his whip katar at Focus, who’s forced to block it and consequently lose his balance. Seizing the opportunity, Gauntlet launches one of his gauntlets at Focus, which successfully grabs him by the neck. The gauntlet finds its way back to his hand, and he tightens his grip on Focus’s neck.)
Gauntlet: (faintly smirking) How reckless of you.
(He proceeds to activate his Surge Erasure technique, his gauntlets glowing navy blue, but to his shock, those energy outlines promptly fade, showing an unsuccessful erasure. Before he gets to comprehend what happened, Focus wastes no time, landing a powerful kick at Gauntlet’s chin and knocking him off balance.)
Gauntlet: (thinking to himself, shocked) It… didn’t work?! But how?! The only way that could happen is if… if he releases little to no energy at all… if he’s capable of utilizing every ounce of power he’s got! But that’s impossible! No one has ever reached that level of mastery before!
(Gauntlet attempts to remain firm in his stance, but Focus keeps on coming with the close-ranged attacks, even while strangled, amplifying his aura even further to land several swift yet powerful blows at the former. This eventually forces Gauntlet to let go of Focus and get sent skidding back.)
Gauntlet: (thinking to himself) Even so, how did he take such a risk?! Did he lead me into this trap… knowing that?! I’ve got nowhere to escape!
(Immediately upon regaining his footing, Focus closes in on Gauntlet, firmly grabbing him just below the wrist then landing a powerful drop-kick at his chest, sending him flying while simultaneously managing to pull the gauntlets out of his hands. Gauntlet gets back up on his feet, only to find Focus standing on his feet as well, the gauntlets falling within his reach. He redirects the gauntlets to return to his hands, but Focus jumps high and intercepts the pair of gauntlets, grabbing them with his own two hands and firmly stopping them from reaching Gauntlet.)
Gauntlet: (shocked) No! You wouldn’t — !
(Gauntlet quickly pulls out his plasma gun and attempts to shoot Focus while he’s still midair, but the latter impressively manages to dodge regardless. The former then desperately jumps at him in an attempt to stop him, but Focus leans his body away and dodges his punch, then he lands a roundhouse kick at Gauntlet’s face, sending him back into the ground. He’s forced to watch as Focus lands on the ground, the two gauntlets in hand.)
Gauntlet: This guy… he’s unbelievable!
(The people of Larkspur desperately fight back against the crimson flames; Flare awaits her powers to return so that she can take action; and both Commander Cromwell and Locke grimly wait for news at their respective office desks, all while Focus gets ready to end this matter. He twists his body and swings his arms with a loud grunt, then he slams the two gauntlets against each other, and to Gauntlet’s shock, they break into pieces. Focus… has done it. He destroys the gauntlets, and another giant burst of fire is unleashed, one that finally awakens Flare’s powers, who opens her eyes at last, her pupils lighting up in flames.)
