Struggles

A deafening roar echoed through the forest, the leaves to quiver. Kaito, Kuro, and Ryujin stood back-to-back, their eyes scanning the surroundings as they were encircled by the eerie, glowing plant specs. 

"The forest... is the spec?" Kaito whispered, his voice trembling with fear.

Ryujin's gaze narrowed, "Seems like it," he growled, his hand instinctively reaching for the flames that danced at his fingertips.

Just then, a long, sinewy vine dropped down from above, its tendrils snaking towards Ryujin.

Immediately he engulfed his hand in flames, burning the vine to a crisp.

"We have to destroy the main body!" Kuro bellowed, Two plant specs hurled razor-sharp seeds at Kuro,

Kuro raised his hands to the ground. the soil gathered up together "Molded Wall!" He screamed, and then it formed a sturdy wall that rose to protect them, the seeds stuck fast in the earthen barrier.

Kaito's gaze was fixed on the scene before him, "The girls... they need help!" he exclaimed, his voice laced with urgency.

Ryujin's eyes snapped towards him, his brow furrowed in concern. "They're alone?" he asked, his tone gruff.

Kaito nodded, his eyes wide with fear. "Yeah, and I have to get back there... fast!"

"But how do I get there..." Kaito trailed off,

"I think I have an idea!" Kuro declared, 

Kaito and Ryujin exchanged a look, they nodded in unison

Meanwhile,

Misuki stood with her hands spread out, a dome of water encasing them. "What is that thing?" she asked, her eyes fixed on the plant specs outside. They shot seeds at the water, trying to penetrate, but got bounced off.

"It's probably a plant spec," Yukiko said softly, "but something is off."

Misuki turned to her and smiled. "Don't worry about Kaito, he can't be killed by something like that!"

But as she spoke, the water dome began to crack. Misuki grunted, her face strained as she tried to hold it up. "They keep shooting, and I can't attack them! Protecting us at the same time isn't going to be easy..."

Yukiko's eyes widened, and then voices began to echo in her head. "You'll always need protecting!" "Useless" "You can't do anything by yourself" "A princess locked up in her room" "Worthless!"

She fell to the ground, hyperventilating. "Please, I can... I can help... I can..."

Misuki turned, concern etched on her face. "Yukiko, relax! What's wro...?"

But before she could finish, she gazed at the ground and exclaimed and kicked Yukiko out of the dome.

"Huh?!" she exclaimed, as vines rose from the ground, engulfing the dome and smashing it to pieces. Water fell to the ground, and Yukiko screamed, "Misuki!!!"

Yukiko's body crumpled to the ground, she gazed up at the dome. Misuki's form was suspended in mid-air, her arms pierced by vines that slowly lifted her upwards.

"Misuki!!" Yukiko's voice was a desperate cry, but her body refused to move as she tried to stand.

Voices echoed in her mind, "You'll let her die!!" "You caused her death!" "Your useless being will get her dead!"

Yukiko's breathing quickened, her chest heaving with panic. Tears streamed down her face as she collapsed

Misuki's eyes flickered open, her gaze weak. "Yukiko..." she whispered, her voice barely audible. Her eyes shifted, and she spotted the vine hurtling towards Yukiko. "Oh no... Yukiko... Get out of there!!" she tried to scream, but her voice was too weak.

Yukiko's thoughts were a jumble of despair. 'Can't I do anything?!' she thought.

Kaito descended from the sky, "Plasma Edge!!" he bellowed, slicing the vine in two.

Meanwhile, back at Group B,

Ryujin's face contorted in anger. "I can't believe you threw him!"

He shouted, his arms spreading wide as he unleashed a burst of flames. "Nova Burst!!" he bellowed, the fire spreading through the forest like wildfire.

Kuro's wicked grin spread across his face. "Yeah!! I needed payback for that fall he did on me!!"

Ryujin's expression turned concerned "That's a scary smile..." he muttered.

The trees began to burn rapidly and flames engulfed the scene

Back at Group A, 

Kaito stood up slowly and moved his gaze toward Yukiko, his eyes snapped toward Yukiko on the floor

Then, his gaze moved upwards, and he spotted Misuki suspended in mid-air, her arms pierced by the vines. "Misuki!" he bellowed, sprinting towards her.

As he ran, lightning crackled across his body, and vines rose up from all directions and dashed towards him, he was surrounded and about to get pierced "Jinrenjo" He uttered and his body blurred, creating multiple afterimages that scattered in different directions. The vines targeted the afterimages, leaving Kaito unscathed. 

He leaped into the air and his hand outstretched "Misuki!" He yelled, but a water tendril grabbed his leg, yanking him into a nearby tree with a thud.

"What?!" Misuki exclaimed, her voice laced with shock.

"What just happened...?" Kaito asked, as he tried to stand up, immediately vines tied him up and began dragging him down into the mud

Misuki's eyes widened as she gazed at Kaito, her voice barely above a whisper. "My...Climax energy..." she trailed off, her eyes fixed on Kaito as the vines dragged him down into the mud.

"Kaito..." she faintly whispered

The vines tightened around her, cutting off her air supply, and she was dragged away into the forest

Kaito's muffled voice echoed through the mud, "Misuki..." Then he gets dragged down

"Cyclone!!" he bellowed, he erupted from the mud, spinning like a tornado and he landed gracefully on one knee.

Kaito stood up panting heavily, his eyes scanning the surrounding area with a desperate intensity.

His gaze darted back and forth, His expression turned grim, his jaw clenched. "She's gone..." he muttered.

"Yukiko," Kaito shouted and ran towards her "It took her!"

"We have to go after her! Let's go! Yukiko?"

"She's going to die because of me" Yukiko continued panicking while holding her head, tears fell from her face, 

Yukiko's eyes welled up with tears as she berated herself, her voice barely above a whisper. "It's my fault... Why did I even exist? Why did I...?!" She covered her face with her hands, her body shaking with sobs.

"I only cause trouble everywhere... I only..."

Kaito stood in front of her, his eyes fixed on the sky. "I think it's around there..." He pointed to the left. "Yukiko, you could send us flying, right?" He asked.

Yukiko didn't respond, her panting heavy and labored.

Kaito's eyes narrowed, his voice rising. "Yukiko?!" He shook her shoulder, his grip firm. "Hey! I don't know what's wrong with you, and I'm not ready to find out!" Yukiko's eyes widened, her face pale, as she stared at Kaito.

"I don't even care what happened to you in the past!"

"But I need you right now! We need you! So snap out of it!!" Yukiko's eyes flashed with a mix of shock, her face reddening.

Kaito pointed to the sky, his arm outstretched. "Now, how can you send us over in that direction?" He asked, his eyes locked on Yukiko's.

She looked at him confused then she slammed her hand into the ground, "Hyōketsu" she said softly, 

Instantly, a massive pillar of ice erupted from the earth beneath them, lifting them into the air. The pillar rose swiftly, then stopped abruptly, sending Kaito and Yukiko flying through the air.

Kaito swiftly wrapped his arm around Yukiko's waist, and her face flushed bright red. "Hold on!" he shouted as they descended towards the forest floor.

As they landed, Kaito released Yukiko, and she stumbled slightly, her face still flushed. "To get Misuki back, we're going to need backup!"

As they looked around, they saw that the terrain was scarred, with several trees charred and blackened. "Where are they?!" Kaito exclaimed, his eyes scanning the area.

Yukiko turned around, her eyes widening as she spotted Ryujin lying unconscious on the ground. She tapped Kaito's arm, and he spun around, rushing towards Ryujin. "Ryujin!" he shouted, dropping to his knees.

Ryujin's eyes flickered open, and he gazed up at Kaito. "What happened...?" Kaito muttered.

"It took Kuro..." Ryujin's voice trailed off, Kaito's eyes widened. "And it used earth against me..."