“He is in trouble.” Rory mouthed. The words carried more weight than a scream. Everyone froze, watching as the black car carrying Kai disappeared into the stream of city traffic. They stood helpless, their breaths catching in unison. Then Clint emerged casually from the shop, holding a buffet of flowers, completely unaware of the storm brewing. “What?” he asked, confused by their pale faces. “Kai’s in trouble.” Ned’s voice sliced the air, sharp and urgent. “And we’re going to aid him.” Clint dropped his bag instantly. “What do we do?” Ned’s eyes darted around like a hawk searching for prey. His gaze fixed on the hill across the street. He pointed at it. “If only we could get there…” The hill was far, steep, and inconvenient—but Neil’s lips twisted into a grin. “Why are you grinning like that?” Sandy gagged, already regretting whatever Neil was about to do. “Neilllllll…” Before Sandy could shout him down, a sudden swoosh split the air. Neil clutched them all at once

Ned rushed to Kai’s side, following his gaze. His stomach sank — Kai was right. The abductors were stirring, pushing against Clint’s illusion. At the same time, Neil had collapsed completely. “Now this is fantastic,” Ned muttered bitterly. “The bad guys are up, Neil just went off… whatever boost you took, it’s gone. And I don’t see us beating these guys.” “What’s our percentage chance?” Clint asked calmly. “Zero.” Ned snapped without hesitation. “What do you mean zero?” Sandy barked. “Not everyone’s a knuckleheaded, fight-hungry mongrel like you,” Ned shot back. Sandy lunged for him, but Rory held him back, cursing as he struggled. “What do we do now?” Rory demanded. “I need a minute…” Ned said, fingers pressed to his temple. “We don’t have a minute!” Kai cut in, panic in his voice. “One of them has sensory—” “Meaning?” Clint asked sharply. “He’ll find us any second,” Kai finished. Clint’s throat went dry. Ned’s brain raced. His only plan had been Plan A — no backup, no s

Before Clint could protest, Neil hauled himself onto the roof. The van shook beneath his feet, wind slamming into him from every side, but he steadied himself, eyes locking on Sandy. Sandy stood at the edge of the roof, arms stretched skyward as if offering himself to the storm. Lightning flickered faintly in the heavy clouds, threads of light drawn to his call. His eyes were shut tight, jaw clenched, every muscle in his body straining with effort. “What are you doing, Sandy?” Neil shouted over the roar of the wind. “Neil!” Sandy grinned without opening his eyes. “You’re awake. Welcome back to the land of the living.” “Was I dead?” Neil asked dryly. “Kinda,” Sandy chuckled. “But not important right now. I’m trying to bring down something big.” “Yeah, I can see that.” Neil braced himself as the van swerved hard around a corner. His gaze narrowed. “Summoning thunder, huh? That’s a big deal.” “It is,” Sandy admitted, arms trembling. “Why not just use your god-mode card?” Neil pre

“Can't catch a break, huh.” Sandy laughed and winced, the sound sharp as broken glass. The abductors stood side by side, alert and whole again, the one Sandy had knocked out already sitting up and rubbing his jaw. The boys rose to their feet, muscles coiled, breaths shallow. They wanted to leave without bloodshed—wanted an exit that didn’t end in bodies—but the abductors showed no sign of mercy. Faces set like stone, they took formation: the only option left would be to fight. To kill them—or be killed. A scorch-gifted attacker sent another volley of flaming meteorites arcing toward them. This time the fiery rocks aimed for Ned, Clint, and Kai. Neil felt a surge of something fierce well up inside him; his eyes flared with that burning trigger, the familiar heat gnawing under his ribs. It wanted to take over, push him beyond his limits. “Guess my eyes seemed to have agreed with me,” he smirked, though the grin was thin and dangerous. “That’s a first.” Opportunity and panic co

Sandy, on the other hand, was getting handy with the puppets. His shadow clones were no match for them—the puppets slipped past with sharp, effortless maneuvers, their strings dancing to the rhythm of a skilled puppeteer. Clint faced his opposite, the one with the white makeup. Turns out, he was the solidizer Kai had warned them about. The two clashed in a thug war, Clint’s flower roots turning into hard, brittle wood each time they neared the man. They snapped to dust before making contact. The sight freaked Clint out. Ned battled the scorching guy with glowing matrixes, forming shapes to block the streams of heat. He burned through energy faster than he could calculate, and still—no impact. Scorchy grew more frustrated, realizing he was at a disadvantage against the academy’s most intelligent fool. And Kai... he was still running—from a fight, and from Browny, who turned out to be the sensory one. “How’d he even make Class A?” Rory muttered to himself. Neil, meanwhile, fac