Vell froze. She didn't know what to say. The weight of the revelation pressed against her chest.
She ran.
Without thinking, she sprinted toward the battlefield, weaving between warriors and falling debris, pushing past the chaos until she spotted Bob in the thick of it. He had just finished crushing a massive warrior Fade when she reached him, gasping for breath.
"Bob!" she shouted over the sounds of battle. "There's an urgent radio message about District 2-01!"
Bob's eyes narrowed as he immediately broke into a sprint toward the safe zone, his massive form barreling through the battlefield. His mind raced. His grandfather was in District 2-01, Hope City. The last time they spoke, Bob had assured him things were fine, that he would visit soon.
Now, an uneasy feeling clawed at his gut. District 2-01 was far, but if something happened there, his grandpa wouldn't stand a chance. He pushed the thought aside, focusing on getting to the radio. He needed to hear the news himself.
As soon as he reached the safe zone, his body shrank back to human form. Without stopping, he ran toward his pickup truck, where the radio was still beeping, his heart pounding with urgency.
Bob yanked the receiver. "This is Bob. What's going on?"
"Bob, it's Noah. Listen, I tried to warn you earlier, you need to reroute. Graves Safe Zone is under attack. A boss-level Fade is leading the swarm. If you're anywhere near, it's best to avoid unnecessary trouble."
Bob exhaled, rubbing his forehead. "Yeah, well, too late for that. I'm already here."
There was a brief silence before Noah's voice returned, more serious this time. "Wait… Bob, I remember you telling me your grandfather is in District 2-01, Hope City? We just confirmed another boss-level Fade near their safe zone. It's been watching them. That place is marked. It's only a matter of time before it makes its move."
Bob stiffened, his grip on the radio tightening. His mind raced as he processed the news.
His crew, the orphans, the elite guards, everyone was here, fighting to protect Graves Safe Zone. But his grandfather was out there, vulnerable, and if Bob didn't act fast, he wouldn't make it in time.
Vell watched Bob charge back toward the safe zone, dust and Fog swirling behind him. She exhaled, then turned on her heel and sprinted across the battlefield. The others needed to know.
Vell sprinted toward them, her boots pounding against the cracked ground. She skidded to a stop near the group, breath ragged.
Iris turned, eyes narrowing. "Vell?"
Sly spotted Bob in the distance, charging back toward the safe zone. "Why's he running?"
Gabe sliced through a Fade and looked over. "What happened?"
Vell didn't waste a second. "District 2-01's in trouble. A boss-level Fade is targeting their safe zone… the one with Bob's grandfather."
The three of them exchanged tense glances, realization sinking in. They looked around, people were still fighting, holding off the Fades with everything they had. Could they really leave now?
Bob would have to make a choice. Stay and fight here, risking his grandfather's life or leave now, and turn his back on the battle at Graves Safe Zone.
His crew waited for him back on the battlefield.
Bob stood just inside the safe zone, fists clenched. He had to decide.
He climbed into the pickup truck, slamming the door behind him. The radio hissed with static as he grabbed the mic, gripping it so tight his fingers shook. His grandfather was in danger. But so was everyone out there. The Hive Queen was still coming. If he left now, Graves Safe Zone might fall.
His heart pounded. He didn't move. Couldn't.
He stared at the fog-covered battlefield through the windshield, jaw tight, caught between two impossible choices.
Then, just as he opened his mouth, ready to speak, to make the call—
The radio crackled.
A new voice broke through.
"Bob, this is Marcus. You there?"
Bob straightened. "Yeah, I'm here."
"Listen, we got your back. Me, the Hayashi twins, and the hounds are already mobilizing. We're enroute to District 2-01 Hope City. We'll take care of the boss here, but you need to finish the job in Graves. That's hounds mission too."
Bob's grip loosened slightly. The relief hit him fast, but it didn't change what he had to face. He exhaled, eyes flicking toward the battlefield. "Copy. Do what you can to stop that Boss Fade. I'm trusting you with this."
"You just handle things at Graves," Marcus said. "We've got District 2-01 covered. Marcus out."
Bob placed the receiver back and stepped out of the truck. The weight on his shoulders hadn't vanished, but some of it had lifted, just enough to let him breathe. His eyes were different now, calmer, steady, resolved.
He didn't rush back into the battle. Instead, he veered toward a nearby wreckage site, scanning the debris with purpose. Whatever was going through his head, he had a plan, one no one else would understand until it was already in motion.
------
The battle was chaos. The bee-like Fades moved fast and attacked in groups, their sharp limbs tearing through defenses. The orphans and Dante's elite guards were still holding their ground, but people were getting killed. Bodies were everywhere, both human and Fade. Blood and shattered exoskeletons covered the ground.
Bob finally returned to the battlefield, his towering Goliath form now wrapped in something unexpected, a bulky protective suit, thick fabric covering his body with a mesh veil draped over his face.
Gabe, still airborne, caught sight of him, and froze. "Bob. No."
Bob adjusted the veil proudly. "I feel safer."
Sly dragged a blade across a Fade's chest, then muttered, "That does nothing, man. They're not even real bees."
Bob grinned, rolling his shoulders. "Psychological advantage."
And with that, he cracked his neck and charged straight back into the fight, now fully suited up in what was unmistakably a beekeeping outfit.
Before Gabe could argue further, Dante's voice rang out from behind them. "Warriors of the safe zone! Today, we—"
His dramatic speech was cut short when a massive Royal Guard bee Fade dive-bombed him. Its heavy, armored body slammed into him, knocking him straight into a wall with a loud crack. Dust and debris exploded from the impact as Dante hit the ground, coughing hard.
The Royal Guard Bee Fade hovered for a moment before turning its attention back to the battlefield, its stinger-like appendage twitching menacingly. Bob, dodging an incoming bee warrior's attack, barely glanced in Dante's direction.
"Tough break."
Dante groaned, staggering back to his feet, but his pride had taken the bigger hit. He barely had time to recover before another bee warrior lunged at him, forcing him to roll away, his breath ragged.
Nearby, Gabe was in his own battle. His strikes were precise as always, fog-formed projectiles slicing through the air like talons, tearing into the bee-like creatures. But the swarm was relentless. For every drone he put down, three more rushed in. Their sharp limbs swung in every direction, and the constant buzzing made it hard to think.
One of the larger workers lunged at him, mandibles snapping shut inches from his face. Gabe twisted mid-air to dodge, but the pressure was building.
"Too many," he thought. "I can't hold the sky like this."
He flapped higher, searching for an opening. Still nothing.
He growled under his breath. "I need more firepower."
Then, something clicked.
The Pink Fog around Gabe's wings pulsed, drawn inward like breath before a storm. He felt it… building, shifting, pulling into him.
"I can finally gather it in… my inner fog," he thought, wings adjusting mid-flight. "Like Sly said… it's not just around me. I can shape it."
"Let me try, arrowheads this time."
Before this, he had always used whatever he could find, broken spears, snapped-off gate bars, anything sharp enough to throw. One at a time. Heavy. Slow. Wasteful.
But now?
Fog-forged arrows formed in front of him, starting with the heads, then the shafts, each one shaped fully by his will. Clean, sharp, solid. He managed five, maybe six, but they felt real.
They hovered for a breath, then launched.
The first volley ripped through a pack of drones, piercing their armor with deadly precision. The next shredded a group of airborne workers, wings ripped off mid-flight, their bodies crashing to the ground.
A Royal Guard raised its stinger to strike.
Too late.
Gabe's next burst blasted a hole through its chest, dropping it in a heap as amber fluid poured from its shattered core.
Hovering above the field, Gabe steadied himself.
"This…"
His eyes widened. "Holy—"
Sly, slicing through a group nearby, barely caught sight of the devastation Gabe was unleashing.
His blades hesitated mid-swing as his eyes widened in disbelief. "What the—? When did you get that?!" he shouted, half-impressed, half-jealous.
Gabe smirked, but there was no time to celebrate.
The Hive Queen shrieked.
A loud, unified buzz followed, sharp and immediate, as the swarm responded. Glowing sacs on her body pulsed, releasing a thick mist that spread across the battlefield. The bee-like warriors around her changed instantly, faster, more aggressive, striking with reckless speed.
Her armor shifted, plates tightening into a harder shell. Venom dripped from her mandibles, and her wings beat faster, generating gusts that knocked fighters off balance.
The swarm closed in, moving like a single mind.
Sly gritted his teeth. "We need to take her down. Now."
And then he moved.