Kato ran as fast as his legs could carry him through the dense forest. Questions raced through his mind like wildfire.

What is going on?

Why is he here?

Why go through all this just to find me?

How did he escape from the HFA?

None of that mattered now; the only thing that mattered was getting to safety and finding the others.

Then, suddenly, something clicked in his mind, and he skidded to a halt. He suddenly remembered Ervin explaining the barrier around the Hashido estate when he had taken him to see Takimo.

*******

Ervin had folded his arms, eyes scanning the glowing lines tracing the estate walls.

Ervin: The barrier doesn’t just keep people out. It reads energy. Everyone who belongs here has their signature registered.

Kato frowned.

Kato: Signature?

Ervin: Like a fingerprint, but for Shadow and light energy. The moment something unfamiliar crosses the boundary, the barrier senses it.

Kato’s eyes widened.

Kato: And then?

Ervin: Then it reacts. It tightens, alerts the estate, pins the intruder’s energy in place.

******

Kato’s thoughts returned to the present.

Kato: That’s right… Kenny is a Clarion. His energy should’ve triggered the barrier.

He looked up, scanning the sky where the invisible barrier should have been.

Kato: So why hasn’t anything happened yet?

He shook his head and tried to push forward. But the ground beneath him suddenly shuddered. Vibrations raced through the forest floor. Kato spun around, as his heart was hammering in his chest. It was coming from the direction of Kenny and Yamato’s fight.

Kato: Yamato’s still fighting… Will… will he be okay?

A memory of his first encounter with Kenny made his stomach drop.

Kato: No… Unlike with me, Kenny isn’t holding back. He’s going to kill Yamato!

Fear gripped Kato, threatening to freeze him as memories of Kenny’s attacks flashed before him. But then, his own words to Ervin echoed in his mind:

“I want to find the people who did this and stop them!”

That thought ignited something inside him.

Kato: No… not like this. 

The fear slowly loosened its grip and Kato’s knees steadied. He drew in a deep breath and he rose to his feet, finally taking the first step forward.

******

The fight was over before it had even begun. Giant cracks split the ground in every direction, trees had been leveled to stumps, and thick dust filled the air, mixing with the metallic stench of blood.

When the dust finally settled, it revealed Yamato with his back against a massive tree, unable to rise to his feet. Blood streamed down from his head, blurring his vision and making it hard for him to gather his thoughts.

Yamato: Damn it… I threw everything I had at him. But it’s like his body is made of solid rock. Nothing went through… What am I supposed to do now?

He looked up through his haze and saw Kenny approaching. He knew that if he didn’t run, he was going to die. He tried to stand, but the pain in his head and the rest of his body made it impossible.

Every step Kenny took felt like a death sentence. And in that moment, Yamato was ready to accept his fate.

Yamato: Damn it… In the end, I wasn’t able to do… anything… I’m sorry, big brother… Looks like I’m going to be joining Mom and Dad soon…

Just as Kenny drew closer, he suddenly sensed an attack coming from above. When he looked up, Kato came crashing down with a SHADOW RUSH, driving his fist straight into Kenny’s head.

But it didn’t work.

For two reasons.

The first was Kenny’s Body Reinforcement Technique, which made his body incredibly hard and durable.

The second was…

Kato: Damn it!! I didn’t compress enough Shadow Energy into my fists to make the attack land!

That single moment of failure was all Kenny needed. He grinned. Then he grabbed Kato out of the air and slammed him into the ground with such brutal force that it would have killed a normal person on the spot.

Yamato’s chest tightened, his breaths coming in shallow, ragged gasps. His eyes widened, and his hands trembled as he watched the scene unfold. Every brutal slam, every spray of blood, sent a jolt of panic through him. Then, like a flicker of impossible hope, he saw Kato, battered and bloodied, rising to his feet.

A surge of conflicting emotions hit Yamato all at once: relief, disbelief, and fear. His stomach churned, and a cold sweat ran down his back. He wanted to shout, to move, to help, but his legs felt like lead. His throat tightened, and the metallic taste of fear filled his mouth.

Kato staggered forward, pain etched into every line of his face, but his eyes burned with unyielding resolve. Yamato’s heart thudded painfully in his chest at the sight. For a moment, it was as if the world had narrowed to just the two of them, the cruel forest, the dust, and Kenny’s looming figure fading into the background.

And then, horror struck again: Kenny’s hands shot out, grabbing Kato by the collar, hoisting him into the air as he laughed, the sound tearing through Yamato like a blade. Yamato’s knees buckled, and he gripped the tree behind him, trying to anchor himself against the surge of helplessness and fear threatening to drown him.

Kenny: Man, you're making this easy for me! Now I won't have to run and find you anymore. You probably thought you could try and save your new friend here right? That good nature of yours ended up being your own undoing. 

Yamato looked at Kato’s bloody face in horror and then asked him…

Yamato: Why… (coughs blood) Why did you come back?

Kato looked at Yamato as he laid back against the tree and smiled despite the bloody and bruised face he had.

Kato: You're still alive… Thank Goodness. 

Yamato watched in horror and confusion but then it was short lived as Kenny then slammed Kato into the ground once more with more brute force than before. Yamato didn't even have the energy to scream out his name before he passed out. 

Kato too, was on the verge of passing out as blood began to trickle out of his head and his thoughts began to feel hazy and blurry.

A part of him began to feel that maybe it was okay to let things end this way and as he thought that, Gaki’s words flashed in his blurry mind…

“THE WORLD DOESN’T WORK ACCORDING TO HIS DESIRES” 

So it wouldn’t matter how much he trained. 

If he wasn’t strong enough to beat Kenny, he wouldn't be able to achieve the goal he had set out, no matter how hard he tried. 

But just when he was about to succumb to this notion, images of his mother and Takimo flashed in his mind.

Kato: (to himself) Since when was I ever the type to give up? Since when did I have such a naive and primitive mindset? YOU’RE BECOMING A FOOL KATO. I won’t let things continue like this. I WON’T LET EVERYONE’S EFFORT AND HELP BE IN VAIN!

Just then, in the haze of his mind, Kato noticed a lavender-colored orb of light hovering before him. Instinctively, his hand shot out and he grasped it.

In that instant, Kato rose to his feet, one knee still grazing the earth, the other foot firmly planted, leaving Kenny momentarily stunned.

Kenny: His Shadow energy… it’s spiking?! I need to take him down now!

Kenny’s fists swelled, larger and more menacing than before, and he brought them down toward Kato in a strike meant to end him for good. But something unexpected occurred.

Just before the blow could land, Kato’s left hand shot out, gripping Kenny’s wrist with unyielding force. Kenny recoiled, trying to pull back, but Kato’s grip held him fast.

Kenny: What…?! How did he get this strong so fast?!

The answer came swiftly. Kenny’s eyes flicked to Kato’s face, and froze. His shadow markings had surged across his right eye, which now glowed in a vivid lavender color.

Kenny: I see… so this is what Zero was after.

Distracted by the revelation, Kenny failed to notice the Shadow energy coalescing in Kato’s right fist and he only realized it the moment Kato fully rose to his feet.

Kato: [BLACK: SHADOW RUSH]

The strike slammed into Kenny’s torso with devastating force, hurling him through the forest. Trees splintered and debris tore through the underbrush as the impact carved a path of destruction behind him.