| Legend of the Kokoro Episode 10-The Ronin Who Cried Wolf |
| Out somewhere in a dark creepy forest, a teenage girl was running frantically through the woods blanketed with fog. Her pale pink sundress was slightly tattered, her makeup was smeared, and her short curly brown hair was messed up, as though she had narrowly escaped from some sort of an attack. The girl stopped at a massive oak tree and leaned her back against it, taking in several deep breaths of air as she slumped down to the ground in exhaustion. Suddenly, a long howl broke the eerie silence. A terrified look spread over the teenage girl's face as she quickly got up and ran as fast as she could through the woods. "Almost there," the girl gasped when she saw a field in the distance bathed in moonlight. At the end of the field was a small house with a light left on. "I have to make it to that house before it's too late!" the young girl told herself as she tried desperately to pick up speed. Unfortunately, her foot got caught in a gnarled old tree root and she fell face first to the ground. As the teenage girl struggled to stand up, she heard another loud howl; only it was much closer this time. She turned her head towards the woods behind her, but there was nothing in sight other than trees and bushes. When the teenage girl looked back at the field, she gasped loudly when she saw a huge werewolf standing there. The creature's thick brown fur shimmered from the light of the full moon. He was wearing the severely torn remains of a pair of pants and a T-shirt. "Steve, listen to me!" the girl pleaded as she slowly crawled backwards away from the werewolf. "It's me, Amanda! Please, don't do this!" The werewolf ignored Amanda's pleas as he moved closer to her, with his mouth wide open and drool dripping from his long sharp teeth. "No, Steve, don't!" Amanda begged as she continued backing up until her back ran into a tree. Amanda let out a horrified scream as the huge werewolf pounced on top of her with his razor-sharp claws extended... "EWW! I cannot watch this anymore!" Clara whimpered out of fright as she buried her face into Cye's shoulder. "It's okay, Clara," Cye whispered reassuringly as he wrapped his arm around Clara's shoulders. "The movie is almost over with, all right?" Clara nodded her head slightly, her face still buried in Cye's shoulder. Cye looked to his right at Ryo, Rita, Sage, and Sandra. Rita was holding Ryo's hand tightly as she quickly turned her head away from the movie screen. Sage was slowly slipping his arm behind Sandra's chair, intending on wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Don't even think about it!" Sandra muttered sternly through clenched teeth. Surprised that he got caught in the act, Sage quickly moved his arm away. Cye then looked over to his left, where Rowen, Roxie, Kento, and Kim were sitting. By the looks on their faces, Rowen and Roxie were obviously disgusted by what they were watching. "Is this thing almost over, Rowen?" Roxie asked. "I sure hope so. I don't know how much more of this I can stomach," Rowen muttered out loud. Cye was surprised to see that Kento and Kim were not afraid or revolted by watching the werewolf mutilate the teenage girl. The two friends were munching away on their bags of popcorn as they watched the movie. "That's gotta hurt!" Kento remarked as the werewolf ripped off one of the girl's arms with his bare teeth. "Yup, I'll bet it does," Kim muttered out loud before stuffing a handful of popcorn in her mouth... "I don't know 'bout the rest of y'all, but I think there ain't nothin' like a good monster movie to get ya in the Halloween spirit," Kim announced. "No doubt about that, Kim," Kento agreed as he steered the gold van down the highway. "I don't know how you two can stand to watch that stuff! You didn't even flinch!" Cye remarked. "We must have a high tolerance for horror movies," Kim suggested. "Speaking of Halloween, do you guys think you can stop by my house tomorrow a few hours early?" Sage asked. "I need some help decorating the dojo for my Halloween party." "No problem, Sage. We'll help you out," Cye agreed. "How did you manage to talk your dad into letting you have a party in the dojo, Sage?" Ryo asked curiously. "Let me tell you, Ryo, it wasn't easy!" Sage confessed. "Mom helped me out a lot by saying that I'm a responsible young man and I'm smart and reliable enough not to let the party get out of hand." "Then you shouldn't have invited me and Kim, Sage!" Kento remarked jokingly with a big smirk on his face. "Kento!" Sage complained. "He's just messing with ya, Sage! Get a sense of humor, why don't ya?" Kim retorted loudly. "What time do you want us to come over?" Cye asked. "Around three o'clock is good," Sage replied. "With all of us working together, it'll only take about two or three hours to get the dojo ready." "Sounds good to me. You can count me in, Sage," Rowen agreed. "You can count me in, too," Roxie added. "We'll all help you out, Sage. Right, everyone?" Ryo asked. Rita, Sandra, Cye, Clara, and Kento all nodded their heads in approval. "I'll help out, too, but I gotta leave around five," Kim revealed. "What for?" Kento asked curiously. "Gotta take my little brother and sisters trick-or-treating tomorrow night," Kim announced. "But, Kim, you promised that you were going to DJ for my party," Sage complained. "Keep your shirt on, Don Juan! I'll be there! Look, the curfew for trick-or-treaters tomorrow night is seven and your party starts at eight," Kim explained. "Chill, I'll be there on time." "Okay, I'm sorry, Kim," Sage apologized. "Where are we going?" Clara asked as she looked out the window. "Unless you're taking a different route, Kento, I don't think we're heading back home yet." "We're making a quick stop at a costume store first, Clara," Cye explained. "Sage, Rowen, and I are picking up some costumes that we rented out for tomorrow night." "So, what are you three going to be?" Roxie asked curiously. "You'll see soon enough, Roxie. We're at the store now," Rowen revealed as Kento pulled into a parking lot in front of a warehouse. Hanging above the door was a sign that read YOSH'S COSTUME RENTAL. "This is the place," Sage announced as Kento parked the van. The ten friends got out of the van and entered the store. Inside the store were several long aisles with racks full of a variety of costumes, hats, masks, and other accessories. "Mr. Yosh?" Sage called out as he walked up to the empty counter. "Hold on a minute! I'll be right there!" a man's voice shouted from a small room located right behind the counter. A few moments later, an elderly man with gray hair, a gray moustache, and glasses came out from the small room and approached the counter. "Oh, hello, Sage," Mr. Yosh greeted. "You and your friends must be here to pick up your costumes." "Yes, we are, Mr. Yosh," Sage replied. "I have them stored in the back room. Just give me a few minutes to get them," Mr. Yosh revealed as he headed back to the small room behind the counter. "Take your time, Mr. Yosh. We're in no hurry," Rowen admitted. "Mr. Yosh has an awful lot of costumes," Sandra commented as she looked around the store. "Why does he have so many?" "Mr. Yosh gets most of his business from renting his costumes to local theater productions and to schools for school plays," Cye replied. "His store is the only costume rental place around here, so his business does pretty good." "I've got them, boys!" Mr. Yosh announced as he brought out six large packages from the small storage room. Three of the boxes were rectangular, while the other three were round hatboxes. "The boxes are labeled with your names so you know which ones belong to you," Mr. Yosh explained as he placed the boxes on top of the counter. Sage took the lid off of the rectangular box marked with his name and took out a long piece of green fabric. He held it up in front of him, revealing that the green fabric was actually a tunic decorated with silver trim along the edges and a fancy silver cross embroidered on the front, the back, and on the sleeves. "Oh, I see. That is the tunic of the Three Musketeers," Clara realized as Sage refolded the tunic and carefully put it back in the box. "That's right, Clara. The three of us are going as the Three Musketeers," Cye admitted. "Not all of the tunics are green, though. Mine is light blue, and Rowen's tunic for his costume is dark blue." "Looks like we got everything we need right here," Sage muttered out loud as he looked through his costume box. "We have the tunics, the boots, the pants, the shirts, the gloves, and the hats are in these boxes." Sage took off the lid to the hatbox labeled with his name, revealing a tan wide-brimmed hat with a long white feather tucked into it. "And to complete the costumes, here are the prop swords that you requested," Mr. Yosh announced as he reached underneath the counter and took out three realistic swords in sheaths with fancy gold-colored handles. "Thank you, Mr. Yosh," Sage replied. He turned around to face his nine friends. "While we're still here, does anyone need a costume for tomorrow night?" "No thanks, Sage," Roxie replied. "I'm all set," Kento replied. "Same here," Kim added. "What about you, Ryo?" Rita asked curiously. Ryo didn't answer right away. "I...don't have a costume yet," Ryo reluctantly admitted as he stared down at the floor. "You don't have a costume, Ryo?" Sage asked out of surprise. "You're cutting it pretty close!" "If you wish, you can look around here," Mr. Yosh suggested. "As you can see, I have plenty of costumes. Perhaps you'll find something that you'll like." "Sounds like a plan," Ryo admitted. "Do you mind if we leave our costumes here for now, Mr. Yosh?" Cye asked. "We'll get them after we're done looking around." "No problem, boys. Take your time," Mr. Yosh replied. "Thanks, Mr. Yosh," Sage replied as he and his friends walked further into the store. "Man, there are so many costumes here," Ryo muttered out loud as he walked down one of the several aisles of costumes. "It's gonna be hard to pick just one." "Don't worry, Ryo. We'll help you pick out something to wear for the party," Kento assured Ryo as he, Kim, Rita, Cye, Clara, Sage, Sandra, Rowen, and Roxie followed Ryo down the aisle. Kim stopped when she saw something sparkling in one of the racks. She parted some of the costumes and found an outfit consisting of a black sequined jacket, black pants, a black sequined hat, and a single white sequined glove. "Here's and idea for you, Ryo. How about going as the King of Pop?" Kim suggested as she took the costume off the rack to show it to Ryo. "King of Pop? You mean Michael Jackson?" Ryo asked as he turned around, along with the others. "And who else would I be talking about?" Kim retorted. "I recognize this outfit. It's from when Michael Jackson performed 'Billie Jean' live for the first time. And I gotta admit, Ryo, you kinda look like him...for a white boy. I think you can pull it off." Suddenly, Kento started to burst out laughing. "What's so funny, Kento?" Cye asked curiously. "I'm sorry. It's just that I'm trying to picture Ryo wearing something like that!" Kento barely got out in between his laughter. Ryo could feel his cheeks turning red from embarrassment. "I think I'll pass on that, Kim," Ryo replied. "Okay, fine," Kim muttered a bit angrily as she put the costume back on the rack. "Knock it off, Kento, or I'll give you something to laugh about!" Kento quickly stopped laughing when he heard Kim's threat. "What about this, Ryo?" Rita asked as she pulled out a long black cape with a high collar. "How about you go as a vampire? It's one of the classic movie monsters." "That sounds like a good idea, Rita," Ryo agreed as he looked at the vampire costume that Rita picked out... "Where is that good-for-nothing Hardrock at?" Wildfire asked Halo, Torrent, and Strata as he entered a dark room, where the other evil Ronin clones were resting. "Perhaps Hardrock is out doing something boneheaded, which wouldn't surprise me one little bit," Torrent suggested sarcastically. At that very moment, Hardrock teleported into the dark room. "At least I'm doing something, Torrent, instead of lying around here like a lazy slug!" Hardrock retorted. "What did you call me?" Torrent asked angrily as he stood up to face Hardrock. "You heard me!" Hardrock muttered out loud. which only made Torrent even angrier. "You better chill out, you two, unless you want Dulcea to intervene!" Halo warned Hardrock and Torrent. "If Dulcea sees you two at each other's throats, she'll know that she can no longer rely on you and destroy you both," Strata added. "I'm sure you two don't want that to happen, do you?" Torrent and Hardrock growled angrily to themselves as they reluctantly backed away from each other. "If you don't mind me asking, Hardrock, what have you been up to?" Wildfire asked. "I've been preparing for tomorrow night," Hardrock replied. "And what's so special about tomorrow night?" Halo asked curiously. "Tomorrow is the Festival of the Dead, All Hallows Eve, or as it's most commonly known on Earth: Halloween," Hardrock explained. "I see you've been doing your homework, Hardrock," Strata remarked. "I've heard about this Halloween that you speak of. Way back in this planet's history, Halloween used to be a celebration of the fall harvest and was supposedly the one day where the dead can walk among the living. Nowadays, it's just an excuse for humans of all ages to masquerade about in silly costumes for show. These humans also allow their children to walk along the dark streets on their own, collecting candy and treats from other humans that they don't even know. I honestly don't see the point of that. Humans can be so stupid with their ridiculous traditions." "What are you planning on doing tomorrow, Hardrock? Are you going to raise the dead?" Torrent asked with a sarcastic laugh. The other Ronin clones, except for Hardrock, snickered at Torrent's remark. "And if you can pull that off, see if you can bring back the Ronin Warriors' old enemy, Lord Talpa of the Nether World. He would make a powerful ally, that is if you can bring his spirit out of the Land of the Dead!" Halo retorted with a sinister chuckle. "Very funny," Hardrock muttered angrily under his breath. "I have something more important planned for tomorrow night." "And what is that, Hardrock?" Torrent asked sarcastically. "I've discovered that around this time of year, the fears of young children are the strongest when it comes to the supernatural," Hardrock explained. "I plan to tap into the children's fear and gather this dark energy for Lady Dulcea." "And how do you plan on doing that, Hardrock?" Wildfire asked curiously. "You'll have to scare them pretty badly in order to make their Black Chi more powerful so you can absorb it." Before Hardrock could answer Wildfire's question, Torrent interrupted by retorting, "That should be easy for Hardrock! With that ugly face, he can frighten even the bravest child!" "Don't start with me, Torrent!" Hardrock threatened Torrent as he held up his clenched fist in warning. "Back off, Torrent!" Wildfire warned Torrent. "Anyway, I plan on using one of these supernatural creatures to frighten the children tomorrow." "What do you plan on using, Hardrock?" Halo asked. "The legendary werewolf," Hardrock announced. The other Ronin clones laughed aloud at Hardrock's suggestion. "You must be joking, Hardrock. Werewolves don't really exist," Strata pointed out. "I know that, Strata, but I'll take care of that. I recently captured the most vicious wolf I could find up in the mountains," Hardrock revealed. "Devaki has the wolf in his lab right now. He's going to alter the wolf's DNA to make him into a werewolf that I'll be able to control." "Good luck, Hardrock. You're gonna need it!" Torrent retorted. "Gee, thanks, Torrent," Hardrock retorted under his breath as he left the dark room... "There, that should do it," Ryo announced as he unfolded another table. As soon as Ryo finished setting it up, Rita covered the table with a black paper tablecloth. "Put it over here, Ryo," Cye instructed, pointing at a space next to three more tables, also covered with black tablecloths, that were pushed against the wall. Ryo nodded as he pushed the table in the empty space. While Ryo, Cye, and Rita were setting up the tables for the party, Sage and Rowen were busy near the entrance of the dojo. Sage was propping a large dark gray coffin against the wall by the entrance, while Rowen was crouched down, plugging in a small black box on the other side. Rowen pressed a red button on the box, and instantly, the box projected a narrow blue laser beam across the floor in front of the entrance. "The motion detector is up and running, Sage," Rowen announced as he looked up at Sage. "We just need to test it out to make sure it's working properly." Sage looked outside the open entrance and could see Sandra and Clara approaching the dojo. Sandra was carrying a large cardboard box with bowls and platters, while Clara was carrying two paper bags filled with an assortment of snacks. "Looks like it's about to be taken care of, Rowen," Sage whispered as he quickly crept over to the other side of the entrance, so the two girls wouldn't see him. "What are you talking about, Sage?" Rowen asked curiously. "Shh!" Sage whispered as he kept his violet-gray eyes fixed on the entrance. "Hey, guys! We're back!" Sandra announced as she and Clara entered the dojo, unknowingly passing through the laser beam for the motion detector. Suddenly, to the girls' surprise, the coffin next to the entrance popped open, and a skeleton jumped out at them, letting out a spooky evil cackle. "Ahh!" Sandra and Clara screamed out of fright as the skeleton reached for them with its thin bony fingers. "It definitely works, Rowen!" Sage remarked with a laugh as he stood up. Rowen turned off the motion detector, which caused the fake skeleton to stop screaming and moving. "Relax, girls. It's just a prop we're using for the party," Sage told Sandra and Clara as he approached the fake skeleton, pushed it back into the coffin, and closed the coffin door. "Here, Clara. I'll take those bags for you," Cye offered as he and Ryo approached Sage, Rowen, Sandra, and Clara. "Thanks, Cye," Clara replied as she handed the bags to Cye. "Ryo, can you hold this for me?" Sandra asked. "Sure, Sandra," Ryo agreed as Sandra handed him the box. "Thank you," Sandra replied. She turned around and smacked Sage upside the head. "Ow! What was that for, Sandra?" Sage asked as he rubbed the side of his head. "That's for not warning us about that little booby trap you had set for the door!" Sandra shouted angrily. "Okay, I'm sorry, Sandra!" Sage apologized. "That's better," Sandra replied. "Come on, Sandra. Help us set the tables, okay?" Ryo asked. "All right, I'm coming," Sandra replied as she followed Ryo, Cye, and Clara to the tables. "Sage, what do you want us to do with this last table?" Cye asked, pointing at a folded table propped against the wall. "Put that one against the back wall next to the wall socket," Sage instructed. "Kim said she needed a table near a wall socket for her DJ setup." "I'll take care of it," Ryo announced as he took the folded table to the back of the dojo and unfolded it. "Could someone help me with this, por favor?" Roxie asked as she struggled to carry a large heavy box into the dojo. "I got it, Roxie," Rowen announced as he took the box from Roxie. "Muchas gracias, Rowen," Roxie admitted. "Did you get everything we need from the shed, Roxie?" Sage asked as Rowen carried the box to the center of the dojo and placed it down on the floor. "I checked over all the items in the box, and it looks like everything you asked for is in there," Roxie replied as she and Sage joined Rowen. "We have the black lights, the strobe lights, artificial cobwebs, latex tarantulas, and artificial dismembered body parts." "Yuck! Thanks for warning me, Roxie," Rowen remarked as he pulled out a bloody rubber hand from the box. "Put the fake body parts aside, Rowen. We can use them to decorate the tables before the guests arrive," Sage replied. "What do you want done with the rest of this stuff?" Rowen asked curiously. "We can put the cobwebs and tarantulas in the corners and on the walls. And the lights, well...we can hang them from the ceiling," Sage suggested as he looked up at the ceiling. "We're going to need a ladder for that part." "If you want, I can get you the ladder I saw in the shed when I was getting the decorations," Roxie suggested as she started to head back outside. "I'll help you with the ladder, Roxie," Rowen announced as he followed Roxie outside. "Where are Kim and Kento?" Clara asked as she and Cye removed some bags of potato chips and pretzels from the paper bags. "They should have been here by now." "We're right here, Clara," Kim announced as she and Kento slowly entered the dojo, carrying a large spin table in between them. "Coming through! Watch your backs!" Kento shouted as they carefully made their way to the back of the dojo. "All right, Kento. Let it down nice and easy," Kim instructed Kento as they carefully rested the spin table on top of the table. "Do you need any help, guys?" Cye asked curiously. "Ryo and I are finished setting up the tables." "Sure, Cye. We need some help getting the speakers and my records out of Kento's van," Kim replied. "Records? I hope you're joking, Kim. Our parents used to listen to records," Sage remarked. "My spin table only works with records, Sage," Kim explained. "CDs scratch up too easily. Besides, these ain't them old records that our parents used to listen to way back when dinosaurs roamed the Earth! These records have music that we listen to." "Okay, if you say so, Kim," Sage replied as Kim left the dojo, followed by Kento, Ryo, and Cye. A few minutes later, Ryo and Cye came back in the dojo, each carrying a large speaker. They were soon followed by Kento and Kim, who were both carrying a large cardboard box full of records. "Cye, that speaker you got goes on the left, and Ryo, yours goes on the right," Kim instructed. "Sure thing, Kim," Ryo replied as he and Cye set up the speakers on either side of the spin table. Kim set down the box she was carrying on the floor and took out a pair of cables that were resting on top of the records. She took one cable, attached one end into the back of the left speaker, and connected the other end of the cable to the spin table. Kim grabbed the second cable and used it to hook up the right speaker to her sin table. "That oughta do it," Kim muttered out loud as she stood behind the setup and flipped a switch on the spin table. Instantly, the speakers let out a loud screeching noise. Ryo, Rita, Kento, Cye, Clara, Sage, and Sandra quickly covered their ears to block out the excruciating high-pitched noise. "Sorry 'bout that," Kim apologized as she flipped the switch again, which turned off the speakers and stopped the high-pitched noise coming from them. "These old speakers always do that when I first turn them on. At least I know I connected them right!" "Those speakers aren't going to be doing that all night, are they?" Sage asked curiously. "Chill out, Sage. It only happens when I first turn them on," Kim explained. "When I save up enough money, I'm gonna get new ones. Does anyone have the time?" "It's 4:45, Kim," Kento revealed after checking his watch. "Oh, shit! I gotta go!" Kim announced as she got up and ran to the door. "See y'all later!" "See ya, Kim!" Kento shouted as he, Sage, Sandra, Ryo, Rita, Cye, and Clara watched Kim leave the dojo... "Let's see..." Devaki muttered thoughtfully as he picked up a vial containing a clear turquoise liquid. "All I need is a few drops of this." Devaki took a medicine dropper and filled it with the turquoise liquid. He held out the medicine dropper and gently squeezed it, allowing a few drops of the liquid to fall into a large beaker filled with a thick yellow gel. As soon as the drops landed in the beaker, the gel started to bubble as it changed from yellow to olive green in color. "Excellent! The mutagen is finished," Devaki admitted proudly. He picked up a syringe from the counter and filled it up with the thick bubbling liquid. Devaki glanced over at a cage on the other side of his laboratory, which held a large chocolate brown wolf that was continually pacing back and forth. "Now, take it easy," Devaki whispered as he slowly walked over to the cage with the syringe filled with mutagen. "I promise you that this won't hurt...much." Devaki tried to stick the needle into the wolf's backside, but before he could, the wolf quickly turned around and snapped at his hand with his sharp teeth. "Stupid beast! He almost bit my hand off!" Devaki muttered angrily. "Hardrock sure picked a lively one!" "What's taking you so long, Devaki?" Hardrock asked as he entered Devaki's laboratory. "It's not my fault that this stupid wolf of yours isn't cooperating!" Devaki shouted. "I have an idea. You distract the wolf for me, Hardrock. That'll give me the opportunity to inject this mutagen into his body, which will mutate his body into a werewolf, like you asked for." "Fine, Devaki," Hardrock hesitantly agreed as he approached the cage. "Come on, you stupid beast! Just try and get me!" Hardrock taunted as he intentionally rattled the steel bars to get the wolf's attention focused on him. The wolf turned around to face Hardrock and growled angrily from deep within his throat, baring his long white fangs threateningly. Suddenly, the wolf let out a painful howl before he collapsed in the cage. "What are you trying to do, Devaki? Kill it?" Hardrock asked as he looked up at Devaki, who was removing the empty syringe from the wolf's back. "Relax, Hardrock. It's just a natural reaction from the mutagen," Devaki assured Hardrock. "Are you sure this stuff is gonna work, Devaki?" Hardrock asked. "It will work, Hardrock," Devaki told him. "The mutagen I created has certain components in it that will insure the desired results. This special mutagen contains human DNA, since werewolves have the stature of human beings, growth hormones and steroids to ensure that he develops the necessary muscular build, and a touch of concentrated Black Chi energy. Open the cage and take the wolf out, Hardrock." "What for?" Hardrock asked curiously. "When the mutation starts the wolf's size will increase dramatically. This cage won't be able to hold him once that happens," Devaki explained. "Fine," Hardrock reluctantly agreed as he opened the cage and dragged the unconscious wolf out of the cage. As soon as Hardrock took the wolf out of his cage, the wolf suddenly expanded in height and build, with his four legs developing into slightly humanoid arms and legs. "Just one more thing, Hardrock," Devaki announced as he handed Hardrock a large black collar. "What is this collar for, Devaki?" Hardrock asked. "This collar has a special transmitter in it in case your new pet gets out of line," Devaki explained as Hardrock attached the collar around the werewolf's neck. "You'll be able to control the creature with this remote control." As Devaki handed the small black remote control to Hardrock, the newly mutated wolf growled weakly as he slowly opened his eyes. "It's coming to!" Devaki gasped as the werewolf slowly stood up on his two feet. The werewolf lifted his head up and growled angrily as his golden yellow eyes glared at Devaki and Hardrock. "Quickly, Hardrock! Use the remote now!" Devaki shouted when he saw the werewolf crouch down, getting ready to attack them. Hardrock quickly pressed the button on the small remote control just as the werewolf leapt towards them. The werewolf let out a painful wail as he fell to the ground. "What just happened?" Hardrock asked. "The transmitter in the collar just gave that mutated wolf a slight electric shock," Devaki explained. "That'll teach that beast who's boss, don't you agree, Hardrock?" "Definitely," Hardrock admitted with a sinister chuckle as he stared at the werewolf... "Kento, could you get the door for me?" Mrs. Fuan asked, who was busy washing dishes in the kitchen. "All right, Mom!" Kento shouted as he got up from the living room couch, turned off the television, and headed to the front door. He opened the door, and standing there was Kim with her brother and sisters. The twin girls were both dressed as identical witches in black dresses and hats, except for the fact that one of the girls' costumes was decorated with green trim and the other girl's costume had purple trim. Kim's little brother, Derrick, was wearing a white baseball uniform with thin blue pinstripes and a blue baseball cap. "Trick or treat!" Jasmine, Janice, and Derrick chorused simultaneously as they held out their bags. "That all depends. What kind of trick do you three have planned?" Kento asked curiously. Jasmine, Janice, and Derrick looked at each other with puzzled looks on their faces. "Hey! I'm just kidding!" Kento confessed with a quick chuckle. "Come on in!" "We're not supposed to go into strangers' houses," the girl in the green-and-black costume pointed out. "Kento's no stranger. Y'all met him before, remember?" Kim reminded her sister. "She's right," the other girl in the purple-and-black costume admitted. "First thing's first. I gotta know, who's who?" Kento asked, pointing at the twin witches. The two girls looked at each other and smirked a little bit. "I'm Jasmine, and this is Janice," the girl in the purple-and-black costume replied. "No, you're not! I'm Jasmine, and you're Janice!" the girl in the green-and-black costume argued. "No, I'm Jasmine!" the other girl shouted. "Kim, help me out here!" Kento pleaded. "Girls, knock it off!" Kim shouted. The twin girls instantly stopped their arguing. "Okay, let's set the record straight. The one in the green is Jasmine, and the one in the purple is Janice," Kim revealed. "And I'm sure you'll have no problem figuring out which one's Derrick, Kento." "That's an easy one. How are you doing, buddy?" Kento asked. "I-I'm okay," Derrick whispered bashfully as he hid behind Kim. "It's okay, Derrick. You don't have to be scared of Kento," Kim reassured her little brother. "Kento, what's going on?" Mrs. Fuan asked as she approached the front door. "Hey, Mom. These are our new neighbors that moved here a couple months ago," Kento explained. "That's Kim, Jasmine, Janice, and Derrick Ashe." "Oh, what adorable costumes!" Mrs. Fuan exclaimed as she looked over the outfits that Jasmine, Janice, and Derrick were wearing. "Would you like to come inside and have some homemade candy apples?" "Can we, Kim, please?" Janice asked as she and her twin sister looked up at Kim. "Sure, why not? But we better be quick about it. You guys only have one and a half hours left of trick-or-treating," Kim reminded them. "Right this way," Mrs. Fuan instructed as she and Kento led Kim, Jasmine, Janice, and Derrick inside their house. "Have a seat," Mrs. Fuan insisted as the six of them entered the kitchen. Sitting on the kitchen table was a large platter with a dozen candy apples on it. "Thanks, Mrs. Fuan," Kim replied as she and her brother and sisters sat down at the table and took a candy apple from the platter, along with Kento. "Kento, I think you should take it easy with those candy apples. That's your third one tonight!" Mrs. Fuan pointed out. "Calm down, Mom!" Kento complained as Kim tried to suppress her snickers. "You know you always make too many candy apples for Halloween, and I end up eating the leftover ones anyway." "I guess you're right, Kento," Mrs. Fuan reluctantly agreed. She turned toward Kim, who was eating her candy apple. "Kim, could I ask you a favor?" "Sure, I guess. What is it?" Kim asked curiously. "When you go back home, could you ask your mother to call me when she gets the chance?" Mrs. Fuan asked. "I would like to invite your family over for dinner sometime, and I need to know when would be the best time to do this." "I'll pass the message on to my ma, Mrs. Fuan," Kim replied. "Thank you, Kim. Excuse me for a minute," Mrs. Fuan announced as she left the kitchen. "Your mom's pretty nice, Kento," Kim admitted. "Yeah, I know. Hey, Kim, are you gonna tell me what costume you're wearing for the party or what?" Kento asked curiously. "Well, what are you wearing, Kento?" Kim asked. "I'll tell if you will." "That's not fair, Kim! I asked you first!" Kento complained. "I ain't spilling nothin' about my costume until you tell me what you're going as," Kim remarked. "Fine, Kim! I'm going as a werewolf," Kento revealed. "Now it's your turn." "You ever watched 'In Living Color?' " Kim asked. "You kidding me? I watch that show every night! It's hilarious!" Kento openly confessed. "Why are you asking?" "You know that character that Damon Waynes plays: Homey D. Clown?" Kim asked. Kento nodded his head in approval. "That's what I'm going as: Homey D. Clown," Kim revealed. "That sounds pretty cool! I can't wait to see it!" Kento admitted. "Kim, we're done eating our candy apples," Janice announced as she, Jasmine, and Derrick showed Kim the empty wood sticks in their hands. "All right, kids. Let's move out," Kim told her brother and twin sisters as the four of them, along with Kento, stood up and threw away the sticks in the garbage can. "Tell your mom thanks for the candy apples, Kento." "You got it, Kim. I'll see you later at the party," Kento replied as he watched Kim, Jasmine, Janice, and Derrick leave the house. "Come on, pipsqueaks! On to the next house!" Kim announced as she, Jasmine, Janice, and Derrick walked down the street together. A few minutes later, Kim and her brother and sisters saw a little girl and a younger boy walking towards them. The girl had straight brown hair and brown eyes, and was wearing a pink princess costume with a gold-colored crown encrusted with fake colorful jewels. The little boy also had brown hair and brown eyes like his older sister. He was wearing an army green samurai costume made out of cardboard, with a toy sword tucked into his belt. "Hey, it's Britney!" Jasmine exclaimed. "Yeah, she's in our Math class," Janice told Kim. "And that's Grant. He's in some of my classes at school," Derrick confessed. "Hi, Britney!" Jasmine and Janice exclaimed simultaneously. "Hi, Jasmine! Hi, Janice!" Britney greeted happily as she and her little brother approached Kim, Jasmine, Janice, and Derrick. "Hi, Grant. That's a cool costume1" Derrick confessed. "Thanks, Derrick. My mom helped me make it," Grant admitted proudly as he adjusted his matching paper samurai helmet. "Come on, Grant. We should get going," Britney told her little brother. "Why do you have to go so soon?" Jasmine asked curiously. "Well, umm...we saw something back there...in the woods," Britney stuttered nervously. "What did you see?" Janice asked. "We saw a real live werewolf!" Grant whispered loudly. "A werewolf?" Derrick asked a bit nervously. Both Britney and Grant nodded their heads. "You sure you weren't seeing things?" Kim asked suspiciously. "No, we really saw it," Britney proclaimed. "The werewolf wasn't the only weird thing that happened to us," Grant revealed. "What else happened?" Jasmine and Janice asked simultaneously. "After the werewolf showed up, this strange black stuff came out of us," Britney explained. "And there was some strange man in the woods, too. He was wearing a metal suit that was orange and gray," Grant added. Kim raised an eyebrow when she heard Grant's description of the strange man he saw. She knew who Grant was talking about, but decided not to say anything that would scare the kids. "Well, we have to go now. It's getting late," Britney announced as she took Grant's hand and dragged him down the street. "Bye, Derrick! See you at school!" Grant shouted. "Bye, Grant!" Derrick shouted as he waved to Grant. "See you later, Britney!" Jasmine and Janice shouted simultaneously as they watched Britney and Grant disappear out of sight. "Come on. Let's move out," Kim announced. "Kim, do you think there's really a werewolf out there?" Derrick asked. "Look you know as well as I do that werewolves ain't real," Kim assured Derrick. "But, Kim, Britney and Grant said they saw a werewolf," Janice pointed out. "Look, your friends probably just ran into some nutcase in a werewolf costume, whose stupid idea of fun is scaring little kids like yourselves on Halloween," Kim replied. "Don't worry 'bout him. If he shows his ugly hide around here, I'll protect you." Suddenly, the group of four heard some rustling from a cluster of bushes alongside the road. "W-What was that?" Derrick asked out of fright as he cowered behind Kim. "It's probably just the wind, Derrick," Kim tried to convince her little brother. Just then, a large hairy creature with a long bushy tail jumped out from behind the bushes and landed in front of the group. "AHH!" Jasmine and Janice screamed loudly out of fright as they quickly joined Derrick behind Kim. "Relax, guys. It's just some bozo in a costume. I'll even prove it to you," Kim boasted as she approached the werewolf. "Listen up, buddy! I don't know what your game is, but you better knock it off or you're gonna regret meeting up with me!" The werewolf growled in response as he pushed Kim hard, knocking her to the ground. "Kim! Be careful!" Derrick shouted. "That does it! Now I'm pissed!" Kim shouted loudly as she quickly got up and punched the werewolf right in the nose. The werewolf whimpered loudly like an injured puppy as he covered his nose with his paws and retreated into the woods. "That takes care of him. Come on, let's get going before that creep comes back," Kim suggested as she, Jasmine, Janice, and Derrick approached the next house. Meanwhile, unknown to the four of them, the werewolf was still running through the woods. He soon stopped running when he reached a small clearing bathed in moonlight. The werewolf slowly raised his paw and gently touched the tip of his nose, which was starting to bleed and swell up. The werewolf whimpered slightly out of pain as he quickly moved his paw away from his sensitive nose. "What are you doing back here?" Hardrock asked suspiciously as he stepped out of the surrounding shadows into the moonlight. "Don't tell me you're running away from a bunch of little kids!" The werewolf growled a little bit as he hung his head down. "You are such a wuss! It's hard to believe that you were the most vicious wolf that I could find!" Hardrock complained. He took out the small black remote and pressed the button. The werewolf howled loudly out of pain as he received yet another electric shock from his collar. "That's what you get for wussing out on me!" Hardrock remarked sternly with a sinister smirk. He then noticed the werewolf's swollen and bleeding nose. "What happened to your nose?" Hardrock asked. The werewolf growled a bit, as though he was trying to talk to Hardrock. "Some girl punched you? Show me who did this to you," Hardrock requested. The werewolf nodded as he ran back towards the road, followed by Hardrock. Once they reached the side of the road, the werewolf sniffed around a bit, trying to pick up the scent of the girl who punched him. As soon as he picked up the girl's scent, the werewolf ran down the side of the road, with Hardrock running after him. The werewolf stopped running when he reached a white house. "Where is this girl that punched you?" Hardrock whispered as soon as he rejoined the werewolf. The werewolf growled softly as he pointed at the lit front porch of the house. Hardrock looked up and gasped slightly when he recognized the teenage girl with the three kids. "It's that troublesome kokoro! Did she figure out my plan? Don't worry, we'll take care of her!" Hardrock remarked as he looked at the werewolf with a sinister smirk on his face... "See ya later, Ma!" Kim shouted before she left her house. She was carrying a large plastic shopping bag, which was holding her costume. "Kim, please don't go!" Derrick pleaded as he ran out onto the front porch, along with Jasmine and Janice. "I gotta go to the party, Derrick. I promised my friend, Sage, that I would be the DJ," Kim reminded her little brother. "Besides, my stuff's already there." "But what about the werewolf, Kim?" Jasmine asked. "Yeah, he's still out there," Janice added. "Don't worry about me. I can handle myself," Kim assured the three kids. "You saw me take care of that stupid werewolf before. If he ever tries to go after me again, I'm gonna give him more of the same, and you can count on that!" "Okay, Kim. We're sorry," Jasmine apologized, while Janice and Derrick nodded their heads in approval. "It's all right. I don't blame ya for being worried about me," Kim admitted. "I gotta go now. See ya later tonight, that is if you're still awake by then." "Bye, Kim!" Jasmine, Janice, and Derrick shouted as they waved goodbye to their older sister. Kim waved back to them as she walked down the road towards Sage's house. "I didn't want to say anything in front of them, but I'm starting to wonder if that thing I saw earlier was the real deal," Kim muttered thoughtfully to herself. "When I punched that so-called werewolf in the nose, it felt more like I was punching a dog in the snout instead of some jerk in a Halloween mask!" Kim stopped walking for a moment, thinking over what she had just said, and then shook her head in disbelief. "Nah, it couldn't be! Werewolves ain't real!" Kim told herself as she continued walking. "I wonder if maybe Kento was behind all this. He did fess up to having a werewolf costume. But, then again, there's no way Kento could have changed into his costume so quickly!" All of a sudden, Kim heard a loud howl coming from the woods in the distance. "Hell, no! There's no way I'm gonna end up like that wussy chick in that monster movie!" Kim retorted under her breath as she slightly quickened her pace... "That should do it," Rowen announced as he plugged in the last strobe light into the extension cord. "Thanks a lot, Rowen," Sage admitted as Rowen climbed down the ladder. "I'll put this ladder away, then I'm going to change into my costume," Rowen told Sage as he folded the ladder, picked it up, and carried it outside of the dojo. "All right, Rowen," Sage replied as he adjusted the collar of his long-sleeved white shirt. He was also wearing a pair of brown pants and old-fashioned tan leather boots that went up to his knees. Sage's green tunic, along with his prop sword, hat, and long tan leather gloves, were lying in a chair next to the snack table. Sage turned around and walked towards the snack table, where Cye and Ryo were waiting for him. Cye was wearing clothes identical to Sage, whereas Ryo was wearing a white dress shirt, black pants, and black shoes. "Ryo, can you pour the apple cider in the punch bowl?" Sage asked. "Sure thing, Sage," Ryo replied as he opened one of two containers full of apple cider and poured it into the large plastic punch bowl in front of him. "What's in the thermos, Cye?" Sage asked curiously when he noticed the large black thermos on the table. "This is a special drink I made just for your party, Sage," Cye revealed as he unscrewed the lid for the thermos. "What is that stuff?" Ryo asked as he and Sage watched Cye pour a thick red liquid into a small plastic cup. "I call this a blood elixir, for obvious reasons," Cye explained. "No kidding, Cye! It does look a lot like blood!" Sage remarked. "I know it does. Care to give it a taste?" Cye asked as he held out the cup to Sage. "No way!" Sage refused. "Do you seriously think I would have people drink real blood, Sage?" Cye asked curiously, trying to suppress his snickers. "I know it looks like blood, but that's the idea, since this is a Halloween party after all. It's just a concentrated cherry-flavored syrup, with some red food dye mixed in for color." "Okay, I trust you, Cye," Sage admitted as he took the cup from Cye and hesitantly took a small sip of the red liquid. "So, what do you think, Sage?" Cye asked curiously. "This actually tastes pretty good!" Sage admitted. "I'm sorry for doubting you, Cye." "What the hell is going on here?" Kim asked suspiciously as she entered the dojo, followed by Rowen. "What are you talking about, Kim?" Ryo asked curiously. "What kind of party are you throwing here, Sage? Is this a secret initiation for the occult?" Kim asked. Cye chuckle a bit when he realized what Kim was talking about. "Calm down, Kim. Sage is not drinking real blood! It's a cherry syrup I made for the party!" "Okay, if you say so," Kim replied. "I'm going to get changed into my costume, guys. I'll be back in a few minutes," Rowen announced as he headed for the men's room. "Later, Rowen," Kim replied. "Where's everyone else at?" "Rita, Sandra, Clara, and Roxie are still in the girls' room, getting changed in their costumes," Sage revealed. "What about Kento?" Kim asked curiously. "He hasn't arrived yet," Cye replied. "Well, he better show up soon. I need to talk to him about something," Kim muttered out loud. Suddenly, the four friends heard the door to the dojo squeaking open. Ryo, Sage, Cye, and Kim looked up and gasped when they saw a werewolf's head peering into the dojo, growling and snarling at them. "Oh, great!" Kim muttered under her breath. To Kim's surprise, the werewolf chuckled loudly in a familiar voice. "Nice one, Kento!" Cye remarked with a quick laugh as Kento took off his werewolf mask, revealing his grinning face. "I sure got you guys good!" Kento boasted as he walked into the dojo, carrying the mask in his hand. He was also wearing an orange T-shirt underneath a light tan sports jacket with dark brown sleeves, jeans, sneakers, and a pair of rubber gloves resembling hairy werewolf paws with long claws. "You didn't scare us, Kento! We were just a little startled, that's all," Sage pointed out. "Sure you were," Kento retorted under his breath as he laid the rubber werewolf mask on a chair by the door, along with the rubber gloves he took off. "Hey, Kento? I need to talk to you," Kim announced as she approached Kento. "Sure, Kim. What about?" Kento asked curiously. "Outside, Wolf Boy!" Kim muttered out loud as she pushed Kento outside of the dojo. "Kim, what's the big deal?" Kento asked as Kim closed the dojo door behind them. "Look, Kento, something very weird has been happening lately, and I need to talk to you about it," Kim revealed. "Well, spill it already, Kim! What's going on?" Kento asked curiously. "I ran into these two kids earlier when I took the twins and Derrick trick-or-treating," Kim explained. "They said they saw a werewolf, and we also saw that same werewolf ourselves." "You gotta be kidding, Kim! Werewolves aren't real, you know that. You and those kids probably just saw some joker in a werewolf costume," Kento suggested. "That's what I thought, Kento, that is until I remembered something that Britney and Grant said," Kim revealed. "What did they say?" Kento asked curiously. "Britney said that after the Big Bad Wolf scared her and Grant, some black stuff came out of their bodies," Kim explained. "And her little brother, Grant, said that he saw a strange man in the bushes wearing an orange and gray metal suit. Sound familiar?" "Definitely! That sounds like those kids saw my twisted twin, Hardrock!" Kento muttered out loud. And that 'black stuff' must have been Black Chi! That jerk has some nerves, picking on little kids. That's about as low as you can get!" "I definitely agree with that, Kento!" Kim muttered angrily. "If I wasn't there to protect my brother and sisters, Hardrock and his pet werewolf could've easily swiped some Black Chi from them." "Any idea where they're at, Kim?" Kento asked. "It wouldn't surprise me if they're watching us right now, Kento," Kim reluctantly admitted. "I think they followed me here. I did leave that werewolf a souvenir with my fist!" "We better find them, Kim, and fast!" Kento announced. "We gotta stop them before they go after any more kids!" "I hear ya. Let's do this!" Kim agreed. Together, Kento and Kim slowly walked away from the dojo, carefully looking around at the surrounding darkness for anything suspicious. "Huh?" Kim gasped. She could clearly see a pair of glowing yellow eyes staring at her from the forest bordering Sage's backyard. "Yo, Kento! Over there!" Kento turned around and saw the pair of glowing yellow eyes that Kim was pointing at before they disappeared into the darkness. "Come on, Kim! We better go check it out!" Kento suggested. "What are we waiting for? Let's move out!" Kim shouted as the two friends headed into the dark forest. "You scared, Kim?" Kento asked curiously as he looked over at Kim. "Hell, no!" Kim retorted loudly. "Maybe you should be scared!" a familiar voice remarked with a sinister laugh. "It's him!" Kim muttered out loud. "Where are you hiding, scumbag?" Kento shouted. "Much closer than you think, Kento of Hardrock!" Hardrock announced as he stepped out from behind a nearby tree, stepping into a patch of pale moonlight. "Why should we be afraid of you, Hardrock?" Kento retorted. "Haven't you two ever seen monster movies before?" Hardrock asked sarcastically. "The monster always ends up killing the innocent-looking couple." "Your armor must be on too tight! Monsters aren't real, especially movie monsters!" "And another thing, Hardrock, what makes you think we're a couple?" Kim asked, catching Kento a bit off-guard. "Whatever! It doesn't matter to me anyway. My werewolf will tear you both apart!" Hardrock boasted loudly as he snickered evilly. Kento and Kim were a bit startled when they heard a twig snap from somewhere behind them. The two friends turned around and gasped loudly when they saw the werewolf charging right at them. "Kim, get out of the way!" Kento shouted as he pushed Kim out of the path of the advancing werewolf. "Kento, what the hell are you doing?" Kim remarked as she landed on the ground. Her hazel eyes widened out of shock as she watched Kento jump high up in the air, barely avoiding the werewolf charging at him. "DAO GI!" Kento shouted as he transformed into his orange and white sub-armor. "Stupid werewolf! You missed him!" Hardrock shouted angrily at the werewolf as Kento landed on the ground. "You're mine!" Kento shouted as he charged towards Hardrock and the werewolf. "What are you waiting for? Get him!" Hardrock commanded as he clutched the remote in his hand. The werewolf reluctantly nodded his head as he ran towards Kento. The two collided with each other, falling to the ground. Kento tried to punch the werewolf, but the werewolf repeatedly rolled around on the ground, avoiding most of Kento's blows. "This is a very interesting match: man versus beast. My money's on the beast!" Hardrock retorted with a sinister chuckle. "You forgot about one thing, Hardhead: me!" Kim retorted. "It's Hardrock, kokoro!" Hardrock muttered angrily as he glared at Kim with his orange eyes. "There's only one Hardrock around here, and guess what? It sure as hell ain't you!" Kim shouted as she swung a fist at Hardrock's face. Hardrock managed to avoid Kim's flying fist, but she ended up hitting his hand, causing him to drop the remote. "NO!" Hardrock shouted as he helplessly watched the remote land on a rock, smashing it into pieces. Suddenly, the werewolf, who was right on top of Kento, stopped attacking him. "Huh?" Kento gasped, puzzling over why the werewolf stopped fighting him. The werewolf turned his head and growled angrily at Hardrock. "Don't even think about it!" Hardrock warned the werewolf, although he knew that he no longer had control over the mutated creature. To everyone's surprise, the werewolf got up and sped towards Hardrock. The werewolf snapped at Hardrock with his sharp fangs, which Hardrock barely avoided. "I don't get it. Why did that werewolf turn against Hardrock?" Kento asked curiously as Kim helped him get up. "I don't know, Kento. Probably had something to do with that remote I smashed," Kim revealed. The two friends looked up and watched as Hardrock kicked the werewolf in the stomach, pushing the creature away from him. The werewolf growled angrily as he crouched down in an attack position. "I don't think so, you stupid beast!" Hardrock retorted as he teleported away, just as the werewolf leapt at him. The werewolf ended up crashing into the ground where Hardrock once stood. "Aww, man! He got away...again!" Kento complained. "Forget about him, Kento! We got something more important to take care of," Kim remarked as she pointed at the werewolf, who was peering at them from behind a tree. All of a sudden, to Kento and Kim's surprise, the werewolf suddenly started to shrink, returning to his original form. The chocolate brown wolf looked up at Kento and Kim before he ran off into the night. "That was the weirdest thing I've ever seen," Kim muttered out loud. "Yeah, and I thought humans turned into werewolves, not the other way around!" Kento remarked. "Come on, Kento! That wasn't a real werewolf!" Kim shouted. "Then how do you explain what just happened, Kim?" Kento asked. "Look, I'm not positive about this, but if that little troll, Devaki, can make clones of you and your friends, armor and all, then who says he can't somehow make a werewolf?" Kim asked. "I guess you got a point there, Kim," Kento reluctantly admitted. "Since there's nothing else we can do, we should head back," Kim suggested. "All right then. Let's get this party started!" Kento shouted as he changed out of his sub-armor back into his costume. As soon as he returned back into his regular clothes, Kento and Kim walked through the forest back to Sage's dojo... "Hardrock! I wasn't expecting you back so soon," Devaki admitted after Hardrock teleported into the Dark Crystal room. "Unfortunately, I had no choice," Hardrock muttered angrily as he handed Devaki the necklace with the Dark Crystal fragment. "Let's see what you collected from those annoying children so far," Devaki muttered out loud as he inserted the Dark Crystal fragment into his small black device and pressed the button. Instantly, the dark energy was released and became absorbed into five Dark Crystals. "Very impressive, Hardrock," Devaki admitted. "You have collected more Black Chi than either Wildfire or Halo. It's possible that since your targets were so young, they had more Black Chi than the older humans do." "Thank you, Devaki. I could have collected much more, but that stupid kokoro of earth somehow discovered my plan and even turned that werewolf against me!" Hardrock muttered angrily. "I assume that the remote for the werewolf's collar was destroyed," Devaki theorized. "Exactly. With that creature running free, he could still come after me, Devaki," Hardrock confessed. "I seriously doubt that, Hardrock," Devaki muttered out loud. "What do you mean?" Hardrock asked curiously. "That creature won't remain a werewolf for long, Hardrock. I intentionally formulated a temporary mutagen in case something like this happened," Devaki revealed. "Good thing you planned ahead!" Hardrock admitted. "Next time, Hardrock, be more careful!" Devaki warned Hardrock... "Hey, Little Mermaid! Can I have this dance?" Kento, who was in his full werewolf costume, asked a teenage girl with long strawberry blonde hair in a mermaid costume. "Dream on, Kento!" the girl retorted as she moved through the crowd of dancing teenagers, all dressed in a wide variety of costumes, to get away from Kento. "How did she know it was me?" Kento asked himself. "This stinks! Even with a disguise, I can't get a dance!" Through the eyeholes of his werewolf mask, Kento looked around at the crowd of people. His eyes focused on Kim, who seemed to be enjoying herself at her spin table setup. "Well, at least she's having more fun than me!" Kento retorted under his breath as he made his way through the crowd of people towards the spin table. "Excuse me! Coming through!" Kento shouted as he squeezed his way through the crowded dojo. "Hey, Kim!" Kento greeted as he stepped up to the spin table, pulling off his werewolf mask. "Hey, Kento! Whassup!" Kim replied. She was wearing a baggy clown costume that was half red, half yellow, with a huge white collar and cuffs with red trim, and three large puffballs attached to the front: one red, one blue, and one green. Kim was also wearing huge clown shoes that were red and blue, a wig with curly bright red hair and a large bald spot on top that matched her skin color, a red clown's nose, and red and white makeup around her mouth. "Kim, your costume looks so awesome!" Kento admitted. "Thanks, Kento," Kim replied. "You look so much like Homey D. Clown, or should I say Homey 'DJ' Clown?" Kento asked with a huge grin. "Very funny, Kento," Kim remarked. "I've seen you out on the dance floor. Not having much luck with the ladies, eh?" Kento felt his face turn red when he found out that Kim saw what happened. "Not at all, Kim," he reluctantly admitted. "How are you holding out, Kim?" "I gotta say, I love my job," Kim boasted as she selected a record from her collection and set it up on the second record player that wasn't in use. "There's three reasons why I prefer to be a DJ at a party: I don't need to mingle, I don't have to dance, and I'm also getting paid!" "Hold on! You're getting paid for this?" Kento asked out of shock. "Of course, I'm getting paid, Kento. I ain't doing this for free, unless it's for my folks or my brother and sisters," Kim revealed. "The money's going towards some new speakers. These things don't come cheap, Kento." "Okay, I get that. Would Miss Homey like some apple cider?" Kento asked teasingly. "Sure thing, Wolf Boy!" Kim retorted as she started to play the second record while stopping the first one simultaneously. Kento chuckled a little bit as he put on his werewolf mask and cut through the crowd of people once again, heading for the snack table. "Hey, Cye," Kento greeted as he passed Cye and Clara on the dance floor. "Hey, Kento," Cye replied, who was in his full Musketeer costume, while Clara was dressed in an elegant pale blue Victorian ball gown with a wide hoop skirt. "I must say, Cye, you look so handsome in that Musketeer costume," Clara whispered. "Clara..." Cye complained as his cheeks turned red out of embarrassment. Kento shook his head in disbelief as he finally reached the snack table. "Hey, Kento," Ryo greeted as he and Rita approached Kento. "What are you doing?" "Just getting some apple cider for Kim, since she's got her hands full," Kento explained as he poured some apple cider in a plastic cup. He glanced over at Rita, who was wearing a simple black peasant dress with red trim. "And who are you supposed to be, Rita?" Kento asked curiously. "I'm one of Ryo's victims," Rita revealed a bit jokingly as she pulled back her long black hair, showing Kento the rubber bite marks glued to the side of her neck with traces of fake blood. "Oh, I see. You guys have been necking!" Kento remarked teasingly. "Ryo must have really sunk his teeth into you, Rita!" Rita giggled a bit at Kento's joke. "Very funny, Kento," Ryo admitted with a quick chuckle. "Where is everyone?" Kento asked curiously. "I saw Cye and Clara on the floor, and it's obvious where Kim is." "Rowen and Roxie are standing over there, by the entrance," Rita revealed as she pointed at Rowen and Roxie. Rowen was in his full Musketeer costume as well, and Roxie was wearing a dark blue and white flamenco dress with an artificial white rose tucked into her hair. "And Sage is out on the dance floor," Ryo added. Kento turned his head and looked out at Sage, who was talking with some girls. "Being the center of attention, as always. Why doesn't that surprise me?" Kento asked sarcastically. "What about Sandra? Where is she?" "Right behind you, Kento," Sandra announced from behind him. Kento turned around and gasped a bit when he saw Sandra in her costume for the first time. She was wearing a long tattered white dress, which also matched her naturally pale skin, and a wig with long messy white hair. "What are you, Sandra? A ghost?" Kento asked curiously. "No, I'm a banshee, Kento," Sandra explained. "Banshees are spirits from Irish folklore that would appear at night and let out a terrible wail that killed anyone who heard it." "Yeah, I remember hearing about banshees before," Sandra," Kento admitted. "You know, I'm kinda surprised that Dulcea or any of her Ronin clones haven't tried anything," Ryo revealed. "It's been almost a month since Rita and I ran into Wildfire with that necrophidius." "Well, actually...Hardrock was up to no good tonight," Kento hesitantly confessed, catching Ryo, Rita, and Sandra by surprise. "Hardrock? What happened with him, Kento?" Ryo asked curiously. "I'll fill you guys in later. Right now, I gotta give this to Kim," Kento explained as he headed back onto the dance floor with the cup of apple cider in his hand...TO BE CONTINUED |