Encounter

A year passed and humanity had already become accustomed to the return of the Spirits. From now on, the new powers were part of everydays circumstances. The crime rate increased significantly. Gradually, a new unit was formed, who could stop the crime with their superpowers. They called themselves the "Freedom Hunter" and were officially recognized by the government.

The Freedom Hunter were an association of trained forces who lowered the crime rate and fought evil.

Takeru has trained with Hope every day since he first met her. After more than a year, the teenager's body still showed no reaction to his Spirit. Takeru got a bit muscular again, but his Spirit could not be awakened. It was the thirteenth of April, a rainy day. Sarugaki finished his daily training. He trained with his teacher Hope in an old, abandoned factory. He was out of breath on the floor. The boy looked at his master, who was sitting on a container and mumbled to her: "We have been training for over a year now, and my ability has still not awakened. It can't go on like this. At some point I'll ... " "You have to be patient, Takeru! I don't know how long it will take for all of that. However, I haven't given up hope yet! How about we take a break and go for a drink?" "You know, I don't drink alcohol." "I know I would never have expected you to do that either. There's a glass of cola for you!" "I'm more into fruity things, like lemonade." "Okay, then just lemonade, whatever you want..."

The two went to a local cafe. Once there, they talked about Takeru and his possible Spirit. The afternoon passed very quickly. It had been two hours. Takeru was about to get up when he suddenly heard breaking news on television: "A man in his early twenties is rioting on Sakuranbo Square. Emergency services try to calm him down, but it doesn't work. The Freedom Hunter are already on their way. Please stay away from this place if possible and avoid it, thank you very much!" "Hey Takeru, Sakuranbo Square is just around the corner." "Didn't you hear what the woman said on the news? The Freedom Hunter are already on their way. It must be a confused criminal. Let's give him his few minutes until he's finally arrested." "You may be right. But we are heroes, and as a hero you have to take action whenever you can! By the way, that can be a real practical experience for you!"

After Hope and Takeru paid for their drinks, they walked to Sakuranbo Square. Once there, a man in a green outfit was standing in the middle of it. He called: "What do you want to do? You can't stop it! They will come. It will come. The world is going to end because evil is catching up with you to destroy you all!" Hope walked up to one of the police officers and asked: "Is this the man the news are talking about? "Yes ma'am, but please keep your distance, it could be dangerous!" "Don't worry, we'll take care of that, won't we Takeru?" Sarugaki could not follow his master. "But we can't just step in now. We are not the police, and certainly not a Freedom Hunter. We're not allowed to!" "So what? Sure, there are rules that you have to follow too. But, if you ask me, this guy has an oddly suspicious aura. At first glance, he looks like a crazy bandit, but on closer inspection it triggers a queasy feeling inside me."

Shortly afterwards the Freedom Hunter arrived. They were a group of eight heroes at the top. These were the eight strongest heroes of Japan, and were officially included in a ranking system. The point system was divided into missions, strengths and popularity. In addition, there were normal soldiers who were subordinate to the executive committee. The penultimate board, Number 7, came to the affected area with a few soldiers. "My name is Metalman. I'm Number 7 of the Freedom Hunter. And I'll put an end to the horror!" People around him applauded enthusiastically. "There's Metalman, one of the board members of Freedom Hunter. He can create metallic objects that are the size of a car. He's well armed with his spirit, and has arrested 30 villains within his activity. His brown hair and green eyes make him a handsome young man. You don't even see that he is 25 years old. It should definitely be clear why he's so popular..."

Metalman, real name Kinzu Matsumoto, was one of the top heroes in Japan. With his superpower, he was able to react well to individual enemys and usually had the upper hand. With his hands he created a large spear and iron shield and he threatened the villain: "Not even number 1 can stop me now!"

Metalman scratched his head and decided to immobilize the villain. "Do you see Takeru, as a hero you have to do that too." "Create metal objects?" "No, you have to be able to calm down yourself and the people around the situation. Otherwise panic breaks out, like back then at the train station, remember?" "Yes, how could I ever forget that day...?"

"You there, boy with the red top." Takeru was shocked, Metalman had spoken to him. "I saw you recently. You were the one who wanted to steal the nice old lady's fruit!" "What? But I would never steal fruit..." "I saw it exactly. I was going to buy melons for my wife when I suddenly saw a child with a red top who had stolen a few apples from the lady." "I beg you..." said Hope in an energetic tone. "It could have been any boy, so please stop accusing this boy." "Young woman, have you forgotten that I am serving as an authority figure here? My gut feeling, no, my eyes never deceive me! This boy has gone a crime."

Hope whispered softly: "It was clear to me. This Number 7 has a mess. He is usually known to be calm and reserved. Something's wrong here... "Takeru's teacher had doubts. She replied, "If you want to take the boy with you, you have to pass me first. You don't just accuse children of doing something for no reason!" "You have nothing to say to me, young lady! So please, don't drag on the scenario any further." The two stared at each other intensely. Metalman suddenly pulled a baseball bat out of his hands: "If you can't clear this conversation up with words and act like adults, I'm going to have to arrest you as well. Because you violate the rules of the heroes' association!" "You are not Number 7. You are not the real Metalman. So show your real face! "

"So you want it the hard way? Then fight, young lady! Fight and I'll show you my real face! "