Sayuri’s House, Saturday morning, March 13

Sayuri’s house was once again ready to welcome new people. The recent events involving the models had brought forth the appearance of new Potentia.
They had arranged to introduce themselves. For the inhabitants of Utopia, the concept of that kind of power was clear, but for the Earthlings, everything was still very abstract. Besides, it was better for the allies to meet each other and have the chance to ask questions.

Everyone was invited, but Aino decided not to reveal her powers, not even to Yukino, and therefore chose to remain anonymous, not showing up.

The doorbell rang and Sayuri greeted her guests, Hitomi, Nami, and Hana.

"Welcome! Make yourselves at home!"

 "Excuse us." said Hitomi as she entered the house. Noticing how many people were there, her eyes widened. "My God, so many people!"

"Let’s begin with introductions then!" Sayuri said with a smile. "My name is Sayuri Ishikawa, I’m a Virgo, my birthday is August 31st, and I’m 30 years old. My Potentia is Air. I’m from Utopia, but I’ve been living on Earth for some time. I studied here and today I work as a musician. Oh, and I’m married to Guang, whom I met right here!"

 "I’m Naoko Mizuno. A Scorpio. I was born on November 16th. I’m 17 years old, from Utopia, and this is my first time on Earth. My Potentia is Water." she said calmly. "I’m finishing high school… I like writing."

 "Akiko Yajima, nice to meet you!" she greeted, waving. "My birthday is February 14th. I’m an Aquarius, 15 years old. My Potentia is Crystal. I’m in the first year of high school… I really enjoy gaming. My dream is to one day work with games."

 "Megumi Hoshino." she said with an elegant posture. "I’m a classic Libra, born on October 10th. I’m 22 years old. I’m a Potentia of Light, and this is also my first time on Earth."

 "Hi, I’m Miyu Ikeda." she said politely. "A Taurus, born on May 18th, I’m 14 years old and my Potentia is Plants. I come from Utopia. I'm in the first year of high school. I really love science and botany!"

 "I’m Matsui Yajima, Akiko’s sister!" she said with a big smile. "My birthday is November 12th, I’m a Scorpio. I’m 7 years old, my Potentia is Flowers. I’m in the first grade and it’s my first time here too."

 "My name is Yukino Umi." she introduced herself, realizing it was her turn. "A Taurus, born on May 6th. I’m 14 years old, born here on Earth, studying in the first year of high school. My Potentia is Ice… I like drawing. I work with my mom at her office."

"I’m Hana Hikari!" she said cheerfully, looking at her mothers. "I’m a Gemini! Born on June 9th, I’m 6 years old and my power is Flowers. I live here on Earth and I’ve already moved cities a bunch of times! Now I’m in the first grade with Matsui!"

 "Hitomi Hikari." she said firmly. "A fiery Leo, born on July 24th. I’m 25 years old, and my Potentia is Fire. I work as a model in both the national and international markets. I was born here on Earth and have lived in many countries… but now I’m living here."

 "I’m Nami Hawk." she said with a discreet smile. "Also a Leo, but calmer. My birthday is July 26th, I’m 22 years old, and my Potentia is Air. I work with print design, and in my spare time, I paint. Some of my paintings even become fabric. I live with Hitomi, we’re married, and we travel a lot together. But something caught my attention… From what I’ve seen, the Potentia repeats. Is that normal?"

 "Yes, they do repeat, and there are two types of Potentia: those we generate ourselves and those that require an external medium." Sayuri explained, then sighed, placing her hand on her head and showing some concern. "It seems we’re all of the first type. Usually there are seven of them, but I’m not sure of anything anymore. This place is different."

 "And not all are friendly, right? We were violently attacked by Yesenia." pointed out Hitomi.

 "What we’ve noticed is that those who attack us seem to come from a distant planet!" Megumi replied.

 "FROM ANOTHER PLANET?" Nami was startled.

"SO IT’S FULL OF ALIENS THEN?" Hitomi exclaimed in shock.

 "Look, we don’t like that term, even though it’s technically correct." Naoko replied, crossing her arms and legs, clearly irritated.

 "BUT THERE’S SOMETHING I STILL DON’T GET! HOW CAN YOU BE ETS BUT LOOK HUMAN LIKE US?" Hitomi asked.

The model was sharp, unwilling to leave without answers. But she showed no filter in her words.

"Hey, hey, humanity is an evolutionary stage of beings. It’s not exclusive to Earth. We are humans just like you." Miyu replied sharply, annoyed with this whole debate over who was or wasn’t human.

 "Things may seem very complex, I know. But let’s try to answer as much as we can." Sayuri explained, trying to keep tempers calm and prevent a heated discussion.

The morning went on with a series of questions. Hana and Matsui played together during that time. They explained more about their powers, told about the previous attacks, and shared about the planet Utopia and its end.

There were still no answers to all the questions, but they did their best so that Nami, and especially Hitomi, the most distrustful, could understand the scenario they were now part of as clearly as possible.

And so the morning continued until it was time for them to leave.

Ren’s Apartment, after lunch

It was a lively moment at Ren’s place. Everyone had eaten well and was now chatting and playing cards.

"A-HA! +2!" Maureen cheered excitedly.

Ren, Maureen, Dylan, and Kenta were playing cards at the kitchen table. The game was intense. Maureen was still learning the rules, almost losing, when a lucky move turned things around, beginner’s luck.

"Look, she flipped the game!" Dylan said, impressed, looking at her.

 "Ah, I was going to win…" Ren lamented, disappointed.

Kenta remained quiet and expressionless, while Maureen smiled at her lucky play. They kept playing until Itzel arrived and opened the door.

"Good afternoon, I’m back!" Itzel greeted.

 "Itzel, welcome!" Maureen replied.

 "Ah, Maureen, I have good news. They cleared the apartment across the hall. I already saw the contract, you’ll be moving in there starting Monday." Itzel informed.

 "What!? I won’t be your rent-friend anymore?" Maureen pouted.

 "Don’t be sad, Maureen, I can visit you every day." Dylan flirted, cutting into the conversation and intertwining his hand with Maureen’s, smiling.

 "Will you really?" Maureen teased, picking up on his intentions and intertwining her fingers with his, giving him a sly smile.

 "Man, at least try to hide it." Ren warned, already familiar with his friend’s flirtatious ways and feeling embarrassed by the situation.

Itzel watched the scene, clearly uncomfortable, but didn’t interfere. He already knew his friend’s flirty nature and that commenting wouldn’t help.

"Ah! It’s about to rain." Itzel said.

Maureen smiled, showing she understood the message.

Main Avenue, late afternoon

The sky was heavy with dark clouds, leaving the city gray. But that didn’t stop Nami and Hana from going shopping together at the market.

After a pleasant morning at Sayuri’s house, Hitomi had gone back to the apartment, and the two went out for some mother-daughter time.

"So? Did you have fun with Matsui today?" Nami asked.

"Yes! A lot! Can I invite her to our house another day?" Hana asked excitedly.

 "Of course! Our house will be so lively with you two!" Nami replied, smiling.

 "Yay! I’ll invite her on Saturday." Hana said happily.

They were walking home, chatting cheerfully and carefree, when suddenly raindrops began to fall from the sky. In no time, heavy rain poured down, catching people off guard.

"Ah, it’s raining now…" Nami crouched and turned her back to Hana. "Hop on!"

She signaled, and Hana quickly climbed onto her back as the cold drops fell harder. Nami quickened her pace toward the pharmacy’s awning to shield them from the downpour, at least until the rain eased.

Thunder rolled, followed by a nearby crash. It was lightning, and it frightened Hana, who clung to her mother in terror.

"Don’t worry! We’ll be home soon!" Nami said, trying to comfort her.

As she looked at the sky, she noticed the lightning bolts were converging above a building in a strange way.

"This looks like what Sayuri talked about… the different types of Potentia." Nami murmured.

She entered the pharmacy and set Hana down. Kneeling to her daughter’s height, she spoke gently:

"Hana, wait for Mommy here in the pharmacy."

"O-okay…" Hana answered, a little sad.

Nami left the pharmacy and ran toward where the lightning was gathering. Before crossing the avenue, she looked up at the building and saw the silhouette of a woman channeling the lightning into her own hands.

It… it really is! she confirmed.

The woman, focusing the lightning energy into her body, was fully absorbed in her mission. 

Almost enough, Maureen thought, preparing herself.

Already aware of the existence of an electricity rival, something mentioned that morning, Nami wasted no time. She unleashed her Air Potentia against the pink-haired woman.

Maureen was lifted and carried by the winds. But her battle experience kept her composed, and she grabbed onto the fire escape of the auto parts shop.

As expected! They showed up! Maureen thought. 

She didn’t seem shaken at all. In fact, while steadying herself, she was already seeking the source of the wind.

I lost sight of her. The Air Potentia ceased her attack and began searching for her rival.

It didn’t take long. Maureen soon appeared before her, and the two young women stood face-to-face. Nami felt a chill down her spine but didn’t run.

"Are you the Air Potentia Itzel spoke with?" Maureen asked.

Oh no, she’s with that group. Nami stepped back a few paces. She was about to flee but instead found the courage to attack with blades of wind.

Maureen turned her face, but still ended up with a cut on her cheek. It was shallow, but drops of blood trickled down.

"Apparently not." Maureen said, raising her index finger for no apparent reason.

From her finger, small sparks and lights began to appear. Nothing very threatening at first, but still enough to warrant caution.

Seeing that the woman was about to strike, Nami braced for a counterattack. But what she didn’t expect was that the blow wouldn’t come from her enemy’s finger.

A lightning bolt ripped through the sky, striking Nami directly. She fell to the ground, hurt and trembling. What Maureen had done was attract and redirect the lightning through her Potentia control.

"Don’t worry. It was mostly light, just a small shock. A Potentia can withstand it. So, shall we talk?" Maureen proposed.

What she said felt disproportionate to the damage Nami was feeling, as she still trembled on the ground. Maureen moved closer to talk.

But before she could get near, two fireballs were hurled at her. Perceiving the attack in time, Maureen leapt away, dodging the explosion and the flames.

The fire had been launched by Hitomi, who, after attacking the Lightning Potentia, rushed toward Nami, who was still trembling and unable to stand properly.

"NAMI! ARE YOU OKAY? Can you get up?" Hitomi asked, scared, almost desperate.

She crouched down but hesitated to touch the blue-haired girl, who still seemed to be under the effect of the electric shock.

"I’m trembling…" Nami replied weakly, struggling to speak.

Fire… only Yesenia mentioned one with this element… If it’s the same, she’s a more aggressive Potentia. Maureen analyzed, recalling her colleagues’ earlier reports.

Hitomi, enraged by her companion’s condition, launched a fiery attack against her enemy without thinking twice.

Maureen quickly defended herself, blocking it with lightning. The clash of the two powers filled the area with a dense cloud of smoke.

All three coughed heavily, vision blurred. But soon Maureen, locating the other two, once again hurled her lightning bolts at them. Hitomi, alert, countered and deflected the strikes.

Nami, realizing the shock’s effects were fading, began to stand. Looking up, she noticed the clouds dissipating and the rain stopping.

"THE RAIN IS STOPPING! SHE NEEDS THE LIGHTNING TO ATTACK!" Nami warned, still on the ground.

"NAMI, DON’T PUSH YOURSELF! YOU’RE HURT!" Hitomi shouted with all her strength, worried.