A treat or a trick

Chella and her friends are escorted into the Reynaldo's spacecraft. They can't go against someone with a powerful ability, yet. There are no other choices for them but to accept the so-called invitation from the superior of their deceased enemies. Reynaldo himself isn't bothered by the gazes of doubts and suspicions behind him, he casually leads the way like someone housing a dinner and bringing their guesses over.

The hallway they're walking on looks neatly organized, or it's just that none of them have actually boarded a spacecraft before. Reynaldo is leading them into the door at the end of the hallway which is the door to the dinning room. He seems to be genuinely wanting to have a feast with them but the air could not afford to ease down. The situation is way too abnormal for his guesses.

"This way, everyone."

"..."

None of Chella's group utters any words, they calmly enters the dining room where lies a wide table with several seats neatly aligned. Reynaldo orders his personal cook to prepare for them something to have as lunch. The cook begins making lunch with his assistants. Reynaldo gestures them to sit down and wait for their food. Evaline wishes to break the ice but Gilbert stops her from saying anything at all.

Chella closes her eyes and focus on scanning the minds of the surrounding people only to find out they are just doing their job, there's no trick. She initiate a telepathic communication between the group. Ensuring that no one will eavesdrop.

[1,2,3. Can you guys hear me?]

[[[Loud and clear]]]

[So, do you find anything strange?]

[No, apparently. These people are just doing what they do as usual?]

[Which is...?]

[Serving V.I.P guesses, sometimes even using whines and women.]

[...]

[So he's...that kind of guy.]

[I don't get it. Why would he use his nobility and financial privileges for something like that?]

[How do I say this...The so-called nobility on the surface is broken.]

[I agree with my granddaughter.]

[Yeah, those types of people is everywhere in the comics I've read.]

Without their notice, the lunch prepare by Reynaldo's cook is ready. The group can see that the food on the table are classes better than what they usually eat despite seemingly made from the same materials. Yet, there's still distrust. Those who are familiar with the world of survival of the fittest will not be able to comprehend this anomaly of a treatment. The host of this feast is completely indifferent to the unwavering tension and casually sits down, eating like no days are hotter than the others. In summary, SUS.

"Why aren't you guys eating? Come on, they might get cold."

"..."

"Let me say this as an elder, we cannot afford to give in-"

"Wow! *munch munch* Delicious!"

"""..."""

"What's? It's gud."

"Haven't you had enough with those snacks earlier?"

"What happened to being wary?"

"It's fine. It's fine."

Reynaldo doesn't get what the group is talking among themselves, but glad to see his main focus enjoyingly eats her lunch. He continues eating on his own, leaving the other guesses in silence. Once again, he starts the conversation.

"So, have you reconsidered my offer yet? Señorita?"

"I won't change my mind. If you are the one who commanded those baddies then you're our enemy."

"But what else should I do with the burning fire within me? Without you, the fire that gave me life would die out."

Chella suddenly takes his food plate away from him, as if she has a blackhole of a stomach. Reynaldo is unsure of her intentions.

"From now on you should only eat coal."

""...""

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA!"

The room is filled with no sounds other than Nova's uncontrolled laughter. Again for Reynaldo, this is some metaphysical damage which literally pierces through his ego. He has ever faced a woman or girl that could genuinely reject him before aside from those of his rank. Yet, she's the one that he's interested in the most so far. He can't afford to lose his cool.

"I guess there's nothing to worry about."

"Well, if you say so Evaline."

"Boy, that was a good laugh."

The rest begin eating and to their surprise, the food is simply delicious, nothing more to it. Though they don't understand why an enemy would simply treat them a meal. At least, the urge to taste classy foods will distract them from any suspicion.

"Now that you all have accepted the meal, I will tell you what I forced you to come along for."

""""...""""

"There's this abandoned underground laboratory called ANIMA. I'd sent a few men to investigate but none of them came back. So the gist is...I'd like you to go there and retrieve specific documents."

"Why should we risk our lives for a bunch of papers?"

"You all have no choice, I already treated you to compensate for my selfishness so accepting is the only way."

"Fine, I'll do it."

"Chella!"

"It's alright, just an abandoned facility is all. I am too familiar with the emptiness of those places."

With Chella accepting, the others could only follow along. Before leaving the dinning room with a maid guiding her group to the guess room, she could hear Reynaldo's thought. He considers this request a test that they must overcome in order to face more threats in the future, even himself.

Having arrived at the guess room, the gang sit down and take a deep breath. Gilbert suggests that they all should rest then they each sleep in a separate bed. In truth, he wants to have some time for himself to be in his thoughts as he thinks about the lab he once heard form an old colleague. Which happens to be the ANIMA Lab, abandoned for more than a decade. After a while he closes his eyes and sleeps.

On the next day, Reynaldo's spacecraft arrives on top of what looks like a building but the rusty wall and the dust clearly show its age. He takes them off the spacecraft then instructs them to come inside the building while he stays outside, not wanting any dirt on his tuxedo, he says. Chella, Nova, Gilbert, Evaline along with Bit venture inside the unverified environment.

As they walks inside they could see broken devices but the target of the mission isn't on here but lies deep below a secret pathway. Nova discovers a ladder leading downward and proceeds as the lead. There are some boxes lying around, doors broken. So far, nothing dangerous has appeared.

"This is lame. Why are we stuck here without some butts to kick? I need to vent all the unease I have for the fire guy."

"Isn't it better that there's nothing to fight? We don't want to face danger every time."

"But I miss using my powers so bad! In the last battle I couldn't be of any help to you guys."

"You did help with the laser though. Or else we wouldn't have the opportunity to finish the monster king."

"I never once forgot how energized my granddaughter could be."

"Grandpa, you're a killjoy!"

"Yeah yeah."

"Unfortunately for you, I detected no signs of life, yet."

"Which means there could be..."

"Enough with that, let's check the door labeled data room over there."

Chella opens the door and goes inside the room. She sees old documentations on the shelves. The other comes in as well, rummaging through the dusty books. Eventually, they find a well hidden book which is the database of test subjects with a QR code on the cover. Chella flips the first pages, she see that all of them were children diagnosed with infection. All of them had dust particles inside. After reading for a while she finds a test subject with familiar facial features.

"Guys, check this out."

"Let me see, subject B-18 has a noticeable striped hair...it's her."

"You knew?"

"I heard from my colleague that a child was missing in the incident happened in the very lab."

"She looks familiar though...Maybe I've seen her somewhere."

"She looks like a cute little panda. I've seen one in a comic weeks ago."

"!"

"Could it be her?"

"Grrrrr..."

"Wait, something's outside."

The gang gets out of the room and they see a horde of rotting corpses approaching. Gilbert realizes that they're related to the incident. Without hesitation, the girls engage the battle. The zombies also charge ahead. Evaline creates crystal pillars piercing through some zombies, Nova shocks some with a stomp on the ground, Chella fights like she was born to with the tonfas given to her by Panda. Gilbert doesn't even need to use his rifle thanks to the female combatants with the prior experience of fighting monsters.

In the end, the horde of corpses are now reduced to a pile of junk. Gilberts sighs in relief that they are able to fend of the danger. They walk in a hallway and finally see a huge door at the end. However, some giant arms made out of darkness spawn around and grab each of them.

"Wha- What is happening?"

"We have more enemies?"

"Are you the intruders of this sacred land?"

"?"

They look down and see an old man walking with a cane. He wears a torn lab coat and has long white hair. The giant arms are at his command, he takes another look at them and starts smiling.

"Haha, how long have I missed the female anatomy- AAAAHHHHHH!"

Nova throws a yoyo at him, allowing her to electrocute him which frees her and the others from the giant arms. Gilbert consciously sees this as a violation to an elder but if it's a creepy old man it's fine.

"Oh my, just how much attention do we have to draw."

"That was a nice massage though."

"Really Chella? Now you tell us who you are!"