Episode 4: The Trap

Talent Reborn – Season 2

Episode 4: The Trap

Haruto and Renji stood at the edge of an abandoned industrial district on the outskirts of Tokyo.

The coordinates from the Project Genesis files had led them here—to a supposed research facility.

But all they saw was a row of decayed warehouses, long forgotten by the city.

Renji frowned. "Doesn't look like a high-tech lab to me."

Haruto felt uneasy.

"Maybe that's the point," he muttered.

Hidden in plain sight.

He took a step forward—

And the air shifted.

Something was wrong.

A sharp metallic click echoed through the empty street.

Renji's eyes widened. "Get down!"

Gunfire exploded from the rooftops.

Bullets rained down, shattering the concrete around them.

Haruto barely had time to dive behind an abandoned car as masked men in black tactical gear descended from the rooftops.

They had walked straight into a trap.

A deep voice crackled over a hidden speaker.

"We've been expecting you, Haruto Aizawa."

Haruto's heart pounded.

Whoever was behind this had let them find the files.

They had led them here—on purpose.

Renji gritted his teeth. "We fight our way out!"

Haruto scanned their enemies. The moment they moved, he copied their movements—calculating their next steps.

One of the attackers lunged—Haruto dodged in an instant, mirroring his footwork perfectly before delivering a knockout blow.

Renji took down another with a precise karate strike to the throat.

But the enemies kept coming.

For every one they knocked down, two more took their place.

Haruto's copied skills weren't enough.

They were outnumbered.

Outgunned.

And then—

"Stand down."

A new figure emerged from the shadows.

And Haruto froze.

Because standing before him was someone he never expected.

Someone he knew.

A Face from the Past

Dr. Ryunosuke Saito.

The man who had once been a respected doctor… now stood as a leader of the very organization hunting Haruto.

Saito smiled. "You've come so far, Haruto."

Haruto's fists clenched. "Why are you doing this?"

Saito stepped closer, eyes gleaming.

"Because your power doesn't belong to you."

Before Haruto could react, pain exploded in his head.

A blinding force crashed into his skull—like something inside him was breaking.

His vision blurred. His body trembled.

His ability…

It was being ripped away.

Haruto collapsed to his knees.

His mind felt like it was tearing apart.

Saito looked down at him.

"You really thought you were special?"

His voice was calm. Amused.

"You're just another experiment, Haruto."

Renji lunged—but before he could reach them, an electric pulse shot through the air.

A hidden device activated—sending a shockwave through Haruto's body.

And in an instant—

Everything went black.

To Be Continued…