May 8th, 9 PM, City Center, Monte Restaurant
Elegant and well located, Monte Restaurant was one of the most refined places in the city. Wooden décor, Italian cuisine and a second floor for those who preferred a more intimate setting, it was the ideal place to impress on a first date.
The staff were all elegantly dressed, as was the receptionist, who checked the names and tables of the arriving customers.
"Good evening! Do you have a reservation?" she asked an elegant and tall couple arriving at the place.
"Yes, we do," replied a deep and smooth male voice. "Will and Megumi."
The receptionist led them to a table on the upper floor, located near the window. The place, quite reserved, allowed them to talk calmly while drinking the champagne he had ordered.
Megumi was elegant in a golden lace and satin dress, while Will wore a perfectly tailored suit. Now seated, facing each other, she could learn more about the man who had invited her to dinner.
"I was surprised you invited me out! And you even came to the city where I live," she said, looking at the texture of the drink through the crystal glass.
"Of course I came," he said, taking a few sips. "I would go anywhere a beautiful woman like you is."
"'Any beautiful woman?'" Megumi teased, showing that his words had not sounded very reliable.
Experienced, he smiled and looked straight into her eyes.
"'Like you,'" he replied, emphasizing his words, "I was enchanted when we met."
"Hmm, alright," she smiled, seeming satisfied. "I admit that the first time we met, you left me a little intimidated…"
Hearing Megumi's words, Will gently held her hand and brought it closer to him.
"Ah, yes. I apologize for my lack of tact. I was afraid of losing the opportunity to meet a beautiful lady like you."
Her face flushed at the gesture and she admired the firm hand that held hers so delicately.
The main course was served and the two talked for hours while eating and drinking. Later, when they were satisfied, he invited her to spend the night with him. For a moment she hesitated, but chose to accept.
The two went together to the hotel on the city's main avenue, where Will was staying. Megumi did not return home, she followed him to his room, where their lips met and they stayed together through the night.
Ayu's show, May 8th, 11:30 PM
Costume changes, theatrical acts and lots of music. The spectacle came to an end, giving space to the Encore. In it, Ayu took the opportunity to be closer to her fans, talking with them and wearing more casual clothes. Between conversations, she sang her hits together with the audience until it was time to present the team and close the show.
"Thank you all! This show was made with love by the entire team!" she said, mentioning each member one by one.
Dancers, backing vocals, keyboardist, guitarist, bassist, all being introduced.
"And on drums, YUUKI!" and with that Ayu finished introducing everyone.
Akiko quickly turned to Yukino and commented:
"Look, Yuki! The drummer's name is your nickname!"
Yukino was speechless, the only thing she managed to say was a "WHAT!?" involuntarily. She couldn't believe that the boy she had that awkward interaction with was Yuuki, Ayu's drummer. The girl felt joy, anger, indignation, admiration, everything at once. At the same time, she wanted to smile and cry, but held everything inside. The only thing that showed was her confused expression.
"Calm down, girl! To me you're the only Yuki!" Akiko said, thinking her friend was upset about not being unique.
In the audience, everyone was very excited with the singer's energy, applauding standing up the performance that had been incredible that night. By the time they left the show it was already past midnight and Guang came to give everyone a ride.
Serra, May 9th, midnight
Darkness had already taken over the entire mountain area. The light from the stars and the moon could not reach well through the dense trail, so the artificial light of a flashlight became the companion of those walking at night.
And so a couple walked deeper into the forest toward the waterfall. The man, with cyan hair, led the way. The woman, with purple hair, was dressed in an unusual way, a layered pink dress and high heels, an outfit no one from Earth would choose for a walk in the mountains.
"Itzel…" Rosália called. "What was that thing you used to bring us here?"
"You mean the car?" Itzel replied. "It's transportation from here. I'm still getting my license, but Ren already taught me a lot."
"That thing doesn't explode, does it?" she asked, looking seriously at the night landscape. "You trust Earth's tools too much."
Itzel did not continue the subject, and the two followed the path until they reached an open waterfall. Now the moon and the stars illuminated the place, making the flashlight unnecessary. He checked the surroundings carefully.
"This matches the description Heidi gave," Itzel said.
"It's weak, but the core's energy is here," Rosália confirmed.
The lake that formed there was crystal clear, and Itzel crouched down and stretched out his hand. Rosália remained standing behind him, watching his movements. All the water in the lake was drawn into the man's body, and he stood up again.
"Alright, it's dry. It will take time to fill again," he said.
"There's a glow… but I was right, this planet's Potentia core moves. It's already leaving," she explained.
"Then we need to be quick."
"Yes!"
Electric sparks began to form in Rosália's hands. The purplish glow grew, and with control, she directed everything toward where the core was. The isolated place, with no people nearby, made the mission easier, since the sound of lightning striking the ground was intense.
What they did not know was that it was common for people staying at inns to take night trails. The night climate provided rich and very different experiences from daytime. And in search of those experiences, a couple approached the place.
"Night trail… only you, Nami," Hitomi complained, walking ahead with the flashlight. Her quick steps showed she wanted to reach the destination and finish that activity.
"You spend too much time in big cities, buildings… you need contact with nature too," Nami said, walking behind her, appreciating every plant, flower and animal, as well as the smell of wet earth and natural vegetation.
"Yeah… but today I wanted to sleep…" Hitomi's eyes looked tired, unable to focus on the scenery.
"You can sleep later!" Nami, in contrast, kept her eyes wide open, but got distracted observing the surroundings.
Suddenly, Hitomi stopped completely, her gaze fixed at the end of the trail. Nami, walking behind, bumped into her. At first she found the sudden stop strange, but soon looked in the same direction and understood.
"Nami…"
"Yes… they match the descriptions the girls gave."
Without warning, Hitomi generated and launched her flames directly toward Itzel and Rosália. The fire quickly advanced, approaching them.
Rosália, focused on her mission, did not notice the attack coming. Her luck was Itzel, who was more attentive. He quickly extended his hand, passing close to Rosália's face.
He launched part of the water he had absorbed directly at the flames. Luck seemed to be on their side, as the fire was stopped less than a meter away. If it had hit them, both would have been seriously injured, and the contact with electricity would have made it worse.
In those seconds, Rosália was startled, her eyes widened as she realized the danger she had just been in. She did not expect to be found in such an isolated place.
"A… again?" she said, slowly turning her face toward where the attack had come from.
Appearing in the distance, behind the mist caused by the clash between fire and water, were two female silhouettes. They became clearer, and it was possible to see the anger in Hitomi's expression.
With her hands in flames, Hitomi ran toward them for close combat using Potentia. She approached quickly and now the two would have to think fast about a strategy.
Rosália, taken by fear and anger, began preparing her attack. Raising her hand, she gathered a large amount of electricity, clearly intending a lethal strike.
The electric sphere quickly took shape and was almost ready to be launched. But suddenly, all the energy dissipated, her wrist was grabbed by Itzel, who immediately began running in the opposite direction.
Surprised and confused, Rosália could do nothing but try to keep up, as Itzel held her firmly by the wrist.
Hitomi did not waste time, launching another attack of fire toward them and continuing to run to catch up. However, she was stopped by a wall of water created by Itzel, which quickly formed in front of her.
The two continued running without stopping. Itzel remained silent and focused. He pulled Rosália closer to him to protect her better.
It was Nami's turn to attack. She used her Air Potentia to swallow all the water from the wall and turn it into a fast, powerful gust directed at the couple.
Rosália grew more frightened, but Itzel did not lose control of himself or the situation. He held her tightly with his left arm. With his right, he used a jet of water to propel them upward. She clung to him, unable to understand whether they would be saved or fall into even greater danger.