Alex slowly opened his eyes, greeted by the softness of clean hospital sheets. His body ached, wrapped in bandages from head to toe. He sat up straight with a quiet grunt, gazing out the window at the sunlight streaming through.
"…Why does my head hurt so much?" he muttered.
Turning his head, he noticed someone sitting in the chair beside him—Kazuki, arms crossed, staring at him quietly.
"You've been out for three days," Kazuki said, his voice calm but tinged with relief. "I honestly thought you were dead for a second."
Alex blinked. "Wait, what's going on?"
"I heard you were in the hospital, so I came to check up on you," Kazuki explained with a slight shrug.
Before Alex could respond, the door swung open. Serena rushed in, her face lighting up with excitement. She held a basket filled with neatly wrapped sandwiches.
"Alex!" she grinned. "You're awake! Are you hungry? I brought food!"
Alex's stomach growled in response. "I'm starving gimme." Kazuki said with a funny smirk "That sure was fast."
As he eagerly devoured the sandwiches, he looked between Serena and Kazuki. "You know... it's kinda unusual for either of you to check up on me."
Serena pouted. "Well, we didn't see you at home for days. I figured something had happened, and the hospital was my best guess."
Kazuki nodded. "I just got curious too. I wanted to train with you, but you weren't available."
After finishing the last bite, Alex let out a deep sigh of satisfaction. "Man... I feel energized."
Kazuki chuckled under his breath. "He never fails to surprise me…"
Serena clasped Kazuki's hand suddenly. "You know... I think I'd like to go on a date with you one day."
Kazuki blinked, slightly taken aback. "Uh… I don't really have time for that kind of thing... but I'll think about it." "Why the stutter buddy? You sure you don't want to go on the date now?", alex teased Kazuki. Kazuki replied while slightly annoyed "Don't push it."
Alex climbed off the bed and stretched, putting on his shirt. "Well whatever, I'm going for a walk."
"I'm coming too," Kazuki offered.
"I've got something to do at home," Serena said as she waved goodbye while walking out the hospital door. Alex and Kazuki watched her from the hospital room as she left the hospital residence.
Later…
Alex and Kazuki strolled down the road, quiet for a while before Alex glanced sideways. "You okay? You seem a bit off."
"I'm fine," Kazuki replied. "Just wanted to hang around a little."
There was a pause, then Kazuki spoke again. "Remember what Diablo said about us being able to accomplish anything together?"
"You mean that time we sparred with him?" Alex asked.
Kazuki nodded. "Yeah. We should start working together more often. To grow stronger."
Alex grinned. "Couldn't agree more. But lately, you've been feeling rushed, like you're in a hurry for something." Kazuki looked up in the sky "You see alex? I am in a hurry. I'm in a hurry for strenght. I want to become way stronger than i am now. I want to be as strong as possible. Gain strength, use that strength to overcome obstacles, then gain more strength with the strength I already have. That's all I want."
Alex was quiet for a moment "Hm, I feel you. I actually understand what you're saying." "Sure, we'll get stronger.", he says with a smile. Kazuki replied with a smile as well "Yeah, thanks."
Alex smirked. "How are things with you anyway?"
"Same old things," Kazuki said. "Stay inside. Eat. Train. Repeat."
Alex laughed lightly. "I do something similar."
Kazuki checked the time on his phone. "I should get going."
"Alright. See you later," Alex waved.
A Little Later…
As Alex wandered the neighborhood, he passed by Raquel's house. She was in her yard, training hard. Curious, Alex stopped and sat quietly by her fence, watching her movements. Her movements were sharp and well displayed, it was a mix of dance and skillfully strikes at the same time.
Raquel noticed and jumped slightly. "Alex?! What are you doing spying on me?"
"I wasn't spying," Alex said, confused. "I'm just bored. Didn't have anything else to do."
Raquel relaxed and smiled. "You can stay a bit if you'd like."
"Nah, I don't want to distract you while you're training," he said, getting up to leave.
She watched him go and whispered, "Hope I didn't hurt him… More over, I hope he's okay. He smelled like he was in a hospital."
Still Wandering…
"I'm so bored," Alex groaned as he walked the streets aimlessly. "Don't even feel like training…"
He found himself at Kinto's house and knocked. Moments later, Kinto opened the door surrounded by smoke and tools.
"Hey Kinto. Can I hang around for a while?"
Kinto scratched his head. "I would, but I'm too busy working on new explosives."
"I can help?" Alex offered.
Kinto grinned. "Sure—be my test dummy."
"Yeah, I'll pass." Alex changed his mind immediately.
Another Visit…
At Baraka's place, Alex found him carrying a giant boulder in his backyard.
"Hey," Alex said. "Can I hang with you for a bit baraka?"
Baraka grunted. "Sorry, can't. Got training. Im trying to lift this 50 ton boulder around", baraka said with difficulty.
Evening…
Later that day, Alex stood on a quiet bridge, watching the river flow beneath him. A gentle breeze passed by, ruffling his hair.
"This is so boring…" he muttered. "Something interesting better happen soon."
A hand tapped his shoulder.
"Thinking about something?" Diablo's familiar voice said.
Alex jumped. "Whoa! How long have you been there?"
"Long enough to know you're dying from boredom," Diablo smirked.
Alex sighed. "I don't even know what to do anymore."
"Why not just go home and relax?" Diablo asked.
"I don't feel like it," Alex replied. "I enjoy being alone sometimes... but still, having friends around is nice too."
Diablo smiled faintly. "You remind me of an old friend I had once."
"Who?" Alex asked.
"His name was Ichika. We were the same age once. Teammates."
"What happened to him?"
"He died," Diablo said calmly.
Alex looked down. "Sorry to hear that."
"I'm over it," Diablo said. "Ichika always dreamed of becoming the strongest. And he worked hard for it too. He ended up being in the top three strongest soliders in our city when we were kids."
"Who were first and second?"
Diablo smirked. "Not telling."
He looked out at the river. "Alex… try to enjoy life. Be chill with things too."
Alex nodded with a smile. "I'll try my best. This nostalgic feeling wont last for long now."
Diablo turned to leave. "Just don't lose focus on your dreams. Even small efforts matter."
Alex watched him walk away and murmured, "He must've been through a lot…"
Meanwhile…
As Diablo walked alone, he looked up at the sky.
"These kids don't need more extreme training or missions," he said to himself. "What they need is encouragement… A generation that's strong on their own—not just relying on one person. That's the future I believe in."
END OF EPISODE