A Rodent Madness

In a deserted playground on the city's edge, 

A blur of motion burst forth. "Wildfire Nova Burst!" a voice shouted, unleashing a fiery explosion that spread like a raging inferno.

A rodent Spec, its fur-covered body a blur of gray and brown, darted out of the flames.

Ryujin cursed, his eyes blazing with frustration. "Damn! I missed!"

Kuro sneered, "Lame! Watch this!" He leaped into the air,

"Quack Stomp" He shouted and landed on the ground sending a shockwave that hurtled toward the rodent.

But the Spec dodged the attack with a hair's breadth escape. Kuro's eyes widened in disbelief. "What!??"

Ryujin burst into laughter, his eyes shining with amusement. "Lame!"

Kaito sprinted alongside them. "Guys, it's getting away!"

Ryujin's grin faltered, his eyes snapping back into focus. "That's right!" He took off in a sprint, Kuro hot on his heels.

"Wanna make it a race?" Kuro taunted.

Ryujin's response was a fierce grin. "Bring it!"

The three of them tore across the playground, the Spec darted between trees.

"There it is!" Kaito shouted, his eyes locked on the Spec.

Ryujin and Kuro their voices shouting in unison. "Coming through!"

Kaito spun around, his eyes widening in shock. "Huh???!"

Ryujin rode a fiery bird, its wings beating fiercely as it soared across the ground.

Kuro stood on a wave of earth, his feet planted firmly as the ground trembled beneath him.

 "What?!" Kaito exclaimed and leaped out of the way, dodging the two of them as they hurtled towards the rodent Spec.

Ryujin grinned fiercely, his eyes locked on the Spec. "You ain't gonna pass me!" he shouted, urging his phoenix to fly faster.

Kuro snarled. "The earth is my domain!" he bellowed, sending earthy fists flying toward the Spec.

The rodent dodged and weaved them.

Ryujin and Kuro pursued it relentlessly, the Spec vanished into a hole in the ground.

Ryujin and Kuro crashed into each other, their momentum sending them tumbling to the ground.

Kaito walked up to them, a wry smile on his face. "You let it go, huh?" he said, shaking his head. "Akari's gonna kill you..."

With a chuckle, he turned and walked away, 

Back at base,

Kuro grumbled, "Well, this is nice..."

Ryujin nodded in agreement, "Yeah... so nice..."

Kuro and Ryujin were tied upside down from the ceiling.

But then his eyes narrowed, "But the quick question... Why isn't Kaito up here?!"

"Maybe it's because he wanted to catch that rodent and you guys didn't take it seriously!" Akari said, her tone firm but amused

Kuro protested, "We did!"

Akari raised an eyebrow, "Did you forget I was over all of you?"

Ryujin's eyes widened, "So you saw us?!"

Yukiko chimed in, "Yep! We all saw you!"

"From where?" Kuro yelled,

"We were also in the area" Misuki added, 

Kuro and Ryujin exchanged a sheepish glance before Kuro pointed at Ryujin, "He forced me to do it!"

Ryujin rolled his eyes, "It was our idea to begin with!"

The two of them bickered back and forth 

Akari intervened, her voice firm, "Hmm, hey! Here's what we're gonna do... if you don't want to stay there for the whole day, get that rodent or sleep outside!"

Kuro and Ryujin exchanged a determined glance, before Kuro declared, "Well, I could get it!"

Ryujin smirked, "I could get it faster!"

Akari's response was a stern, "You two get it together, or not at all!"

The door slammed shut behind them, leaving them outside.

Ryujin sighed, "Let's just get this over with!"

Kuro nodded in agreement, "Right!"

As nightfall descended upon the city, casting a dark shadow over the streets, Ryujin and Kuro made their way toward the playground, their footsteps echoing off the pavement.

"We need to think of a plan," Ryujin said, his eyes scanning the darkness.

Kuro's face set in a fierce grin. "I have one - we just head there and destroy that place!"

Ryujin rolled his eyes. "Stupid! We can't break it! It's small, it'd still get away!"

Kuro's grin faltered. "Then we'd run after it!!". He toward the playground

Ryujin groaned and ran after him.

As they approached the playground, the swings creaked in the wind.

Kuro's eyes scanned the ground. "Where did this stupid rodent go?!"

Ryujin's eyes flashed with anger. "We wouldn't be in this mess if you didn't challenge me into everything!"

Kuro's face reddened. "Me?! You're the one who changed from responsible to flame idiot!"

Ryujin's hands ignited with flames. "You want to go!"

Kuro growled. "Bring it!"

The ground began to rumble, and the earth split open, revealing the rodent Spec.

It had transformed into a colossal and fearsome monster. Its eyes glowed with an eerie crimson light, and its razor-sharp teeth seemed capable of crushing steel.

Ryujin's eyes widened in shock. "Whoa?! Is that the Spec?"

Kuro said with sarcasm. "Well, it had a makeover!"

The Rodent Spec let out a loud sonic screech, disorienting them both. They stumbled back, crashing on the ground.

Kuro groaned, rubbing his head. "Well, a pretty strong makeover..."

The creature charged towards them.

Ryujin and Kuro charged toward the monstrous rodent, and their artifacts materialized. 

On a nearby rooftop,

The others were engrossed in a card game.

Akari sipped her tea, her eyes fixed on her cards. 'I had a feeling something changed in that Spec's climax out put so I made sure we stayed close to the boys but that's a strong one...' she thought

She glanced up, her gaze piercing the darkness. "Why don't you guys check on the boys?"

Kaito grinned, leaping off the roof without hesitation. "Yeah, they've been out for a long time, sure why not!"

Misuki followed suit. "Those boys better be working!"

Yukiko trailed behind, her face set in a worried expression. "Hmm..."

As they approached the playground, Kaito called out, "Are you guys there?"

Misuki chimed in, "I hope you two didn't die..."

Yukiko's voice was laced with concern. "Uhh..."

Akari watched from afar, her eyes fixed on the creature. "Will they be able to stop it? If they can't, I'll step in..." she murmured, her tea forgotten. 

The group froze, their eyes fixed on the battle unfolding before them.

Ryujin and Kuro clashed with the monstrous rodent,

"Scorching Dual Strike!" Ryujin yelled,

Ryujin unleashed a Scorching Dual Strike, his sabers slicing through the air, emitting a burst of flames slash trail that zoomed toward the Spec but the rodent's fur was too thick and couldn't burn it.

It slapped Ryujin away with its massive tail, sending him flying across the playground. Ryujin crashed to the ground, his sabers skidding across the earth.

Kuro charged forward holding his Kurisagama.

"Crumbling Strike!" Kuro bellowed, 

He struck the ground with the blade, causing the ground to give way beneath the rodent's feet. The creature plummeted into a pit, its paws scrabbling at the air as it fell. He smirked 

The ground began to rumble

"Huh? Don't tell me it can..."

The rodent burst out of the pit, its massive body barreling towards Kuro. It slammed into him, sending him crashing into the swing with a loud thud.

Kuro's eyes glazed over, his body limp.

Ryujin rushed to his side, helping him up. "You ok??!" he shouted over the creature's deafening screeches.

Kuro groaned, rubbing his head. "Probably??!" he muttered, his eyes dazed.

The rodent unleashed a deafening sonic scream, sending them both flying out of the playground. They crashed to the ground, dazed and disoriented, in front of Kaito.

"How did it get that strong?!" Kaito exclaimed, his eyes wide with shock.

Kuro struggled to his feet, his face grim. "I don't know! Like it mutated?!" he shouted back, his eyes fixed on the rodent.

Kaito's eyes narrowed. "Feels familiar, like that time..." he trailed off, his gaze fixed on the rodent. "The shadow creature!"

Ryujin stood up. "We have to take this thing down!!" he shouted.

The others materialized their weapons, and together they charged back into the playground.

Kaito dashed towards it at lightning speed, reaching the rodent's front.

His Tonfa Blades flashed in the moonlight.