As Teshii continued to drive the black SUV through the snow-draped mountain roads, the vehicle carved quiet paths through the frozen landscape, the tires crunching beneath the weight of the snow.
Suddenly–
SKRRRRRRT!
The SUV skidded slightly as Teshii slammed the brakes, bringing the car to a stop.
"Alright! We're here!" he announced cheerfully.
Inside, Hikaru, Haruto, Moriya, and Ikazuchi all turned to look at him.
Hikaru raised an eyebrow. "We are?"
Teshii gave him a confident nod. "Yep! So… EVERYONE OUT OF THE CAR!"
They all stepped out into the chilly mountain air.
The wind whistled softly as snowflakes drifted around them like dancing feathers.
The sky above was a clear, icy blue, stretching endlessly above a rugged terrain of white slopes and rocky ledges.
And yet–
There was no Shaolin Temple in sight.
Just the vast snow-blanketed mountain ahead of them.
Haruto blinked, then turned to Teshii. "Um… where's the Shaolin Temple?"
Teshii rubbed the back of his head, grinning.
"Oh… well, we still have to walk up the mountain."
The others slowly turned to face him with blank stares.
Then–
"WWWHHHHHAAAAAAATTTTTTT?!" they all chorused in disbelief.
Hikaru spun toward him, voice rising. "Wait – Teshii! Why did you stop in the middle of nowhere? And couldn't you just drove us all the way up?!
Teshii calmly cleared his throat and pointed ahead.
"Well, if you guys look over there…"
Everyone followed the direction of his finger.
Andright in front of the SUV, just a few meters away…
Was a sign.
A bright orange ROAD CLOSED sign.
Hikaru's eye twitched violently.
"The… road… is closed."
Teshii smiled and nodded like a proud teacher.
"Yep! The road is closed." He turned to Hikaru, smirking. "I'm honestly surprised you didn't notice, Sunshine. You were sitting right in the front seat."
Hikaru just glared at him, completely unamused.
Then–
"ARE YOU SERIOUS???"
It was Ikazuchi.
He was already losing it.
"I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS!!!" he shouted as he stormed over to the sign.
And then–
BAM! He punched the sign.
CLANG! He kicked it.
THUD! He headbutted it.
The metal clanged with each blow as snow fell from its edge.
Teshii watched, completely unfazed. "Wow. Look at Zeus go. Channelling that anger issue like a true king of road rage."
As Ikazuchi continued his one-man battle against the poor road sign, Teshii turned back to the others, raising his fist with exaggerated determination.
"Alright, guys! Let's start hiking up the mountain!"
The others slowly, reluctantly raised their fists in response.
"…Yeah."
But there was no excitement in their voices – only dread.
The journey to the Shaolin Temple had begun.
And they were walking.
In the snow.
Uphill.
With Teshii leading the way.
Of course.
Meanwhile in the Safehouse…
Satoshi sat in front of a row of glowing monitors, scanning through the latest news reports from across Japan.
His eyes flicked between windows and tabs – surveillance footage, weather anomalies, archived satellite images – anything that might point to the appearance of another Element.
News on the Mountain.
News on the Village.
News on the Stadium.
News on the Island.
But nothing.
"Damn it," Satoshi muttered under his breath, frustration seeping into his tone.
Then–
"Here. Have this, darling."
He turned at the sound of the soft voice.
It was Reina, smiling gently as she approached with a fresh cup of coffee in hand.
Satoshi's shoulder eases a little as he accepted it.
"Thank you, honey."
He took a sip and sighed.
The warmth of the coffee didn't erase the weight in the room.
Together, they both stared at one of the central monitors – it displayed an overhead image of the Shaolin Temple, nestled among the serene, snow-draped peaks.
Satoshi tilted his head, voice low.
"I wonder how they're doing."
"Yeah…" Reina replied, her tone quiet – but her face said more than her voice did.
She looked worried.
Satoshi noticed immediately.
He turned toward her, frowning slightly.
"What's wrong, honey?"
Reina hesitated.
Her eyes didn't leave the screen.
Then – she spoke.
"I'm worried."
Satoshi leaned forward, curious but calm.
"About what?"
Reina took a deep breath.
"I'm worried about… Teshii."
Satoshi raised an eyebrow.
"Teshii? Why? You know better than anyone that he can handle himself."
Reina turned to him, her worry now visible in her eyes.
"No. It's not that. It's not about him being strong or capable." She paused. "Hikaru told me something. About what happened in the forest…"
Satoshi's attention sharpened.
"When Teshii fought that teleporting mutant, the one called Shifter… Hikaru said his hand got sliced off during the battle."
Satoshi's eyes widened.
"What?!"
Reina nodded, the tension in her voice growing.
"But when Hikaru and the others found him afterword, not only was he alive… his hand was completely intact. No wound. No blood. Nothing."
Silence fell.
Then–
Satoshi's eyes narrowed, like a puzzle piece had just snapped into place in his mind.
"You know what…?" he said slowly. "Hikaru told me something too."
Reina blinked. "He did?"
Satoshi nodded.
"Yeah. Right before Hikaru fought Moriya… he mentioned that Teshii go a call on his phone. Teshii told him it was from me–"
His voice dropped.
"But I never called him."
That silence again.
Heavy.
Lingering.
Satoshi and Reina stared at each other.
Thoughts spinning.
Questions brewing.
Just who was it…
…that had called Teshii that day?
And how the hell did he still have his hand… after facing Shiter?
There were no answers.
Only a growing, creeping mystery.
And Teshii…
Was right in the centre of it.
Back with the Elements
As the Elements and Teshii hiked through the snow-covered mountains on their way to the Shaolin Temple, the chill of the air became impossible to ignore.
Ikazuchi gritted his teeth.
But it wasn't because he was angry.
It was because he was cold.
"IT'S SO DAMN COLD OUT HERE!" he shouted, shivering violently.
"Hey!" Teshii sharply turned around. "You're lucky I brought my backup fleeces for this field trip. If it weren't for me, you'd all be frozen solid."
Ikazuchi just rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath.
And yes – everyone was now wearing Teshii's signature orange-red fleece, their bright colours standing out like fire in the icy white landscape.
As the group continued trekking uphill, Moriya caught up to Teshii, walking beside him in thoughtful silence. Then–
"Teshii."
Teshii glanced sideways. "What is it, Woody?"
Moriya's gaze was fixed ahead. "You know that sense of energy we feel when an Element is nearby…"
Teshii raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?"
"I was wondering… can mutants feel that energy too?"
Teshii slowed his pace slightly, now watching Moriya more closely. "What made you think that, Woody?"
Moriya kept his eyes on the trail ahead. "Because… when you found me in the forest, Shifter was already there. And… when we found Ikazuchi, Velocity was already there too."
Teshii's footsteps slowed even more. His expression darkened slightly. He stared at Moriya without a word.
"That's why… I was asking. If it's just the Elements who are supposed to feel this energy – then how are the mutants finding us before anyone else?"
Teshii let out a long sigh.
Then–
"Well, Woody… to answer your question: no. Only the Elements should be able to feel that energy."
Moriya turned his head, puzzled. "But… how–"
Teshii cuts him off. "Don't know. Can't say for sure. Maybe… it's just a coincidence."
Moriya studied him in silence for a moment. Something in Teshii's voice didn't sit right.
Still – he sighed and nodded.
"Okay, then."
But…
Little did they know…
Hikaru had been walking, just behind them – listening.
His eyes narrowed.
"So… only the Elements can feel that sense of energy…" he thought.
Then–
His eyes widened.
"Wait… if only the Elements can feel it, then how…"
His gaze slowly shifted–
To Teshii.
A flash of memory pierced his thoughts.
That first night.
Their first encounter in the alleyway when he was that masked man.
The moment Teshii had said he could sense it.
The moment he told Hikaru he was the Element of Light.
"How is Teshii able to feel that sense of energy… if he's not an Element?"
Hikaru's breath hitched.
The icy wind didn't matter anymore.
Not compared to the chill running down his spine.
As they continued their long hike up the snowy mountains – what felt like an eternity – Ikazuchi finally groaned aloud.
"…Are we there yet?"
Teshii didn't even turn around. "Nope."
Ikazuchi groaned, dragging his booths through the snow.
Another five minutes passed.
"Are we there yet?" Moriya asked hopefully.
"Nope."
Ten more minutes went by in cold, agonizing silence.
"Teshii," Haruto sighed, exasperated. "Are we even–"
"Nope."
An hour had passed.
They were still walking through the snow-covered mountain pass.
"Hey, Teshii," Hikaru called out.
Teshii didn't look back, but he responded in his usual tone. "What is it, Sunshine?"
"…Aren't you worried someone might steal your car?"
"Nope! I made sure nobody can even touch that thing. And besides… who the hell would come all the way out here?"
Hikaru blinked. "I… suppose you're right."
Suddenly, Ikazuchi stopped walking.
Hikaru, Haruto, and Moriya also halted and turned around to check on him.
Their eyes widened.
Ikazuchi looked like he was seconds away from losing his entire mind.
Then–
"DAMN IT, TESHII! FOR THE LAST TIME, ARE WE THERE YET? I'M FREEZING TO DEATH OUT HERE!"
Teshii finally came to a stop.
"We're here."
Everyone stared at him. "…Huh?"
And then they saw it–
The Shaolin Temple.
Crimson walls, aged by centuries of wind and war, still proud and unyielding. Stone lion statues flanked the entrance, their features smoothed by generations of prayer and time. The scent of incense drifted faintly through the air, blending with the distant echo of a monk's bell – soft and solemn, like a heartbeat in the hills.
Ikazuchi twitched violently.
"Are… you… SERIOUS?!"
Teshii, completely unbothered, pulled out his phone and started snapping pictures. "Look at that!"
Haruto stared at the temple entrance in awe. "This… this is the Shaolin Temple my brother always talked about."
Hikaru turned to him. "Oh right! Mamoru practice martial arts, didn't he?"
Haruto nodded. "Yeah. I'm hoping I can learn a thing or two here."
"Orrr," Teshii cut in mid-snapshot, "you could just learn from me."
Haruto looked away, arms crossed. "Hmph. I'd rather not."
Then–
TZZK.
Everyone froze.
That sensation – sharp, cold, and immediate – pressed into their minds.
The energy of an Element.
It was near.
Suddenly–
WHHRRRRM!
A glowing orb of condensed frost shot through the air – smooth, pale blue, swirling with icy mist.
CRK-CRK-KRRSHH!
It struck.
Hikaru, Haruto, Moriya, and Ikazuchi were instantly frozen solid in blocks of shimmering, crystalline ice.
And Teshii?
Not frozen.
Instead – he was steaming.
Literal stream curled off his shoulders, his body radiating heat.
Teshii blinked in confusion, looking around at his frozen teammates.
Clicking his tongue, he muttered, "Tch! I guess my signature fleece wasn't enough for you guys after all."
Then – he felt it.
A presence.
Slowly, he looked up – his eyes widening.
At the top of the temple entrance stood a lone figure.
A young monk.
White hair. Piercing blue eyes. His arms were encased in shimmering frost, yet he moved with eerie comfort, unfazed by the weight or cold.
He wore traditional Shaolin robes – layered with thick, woollen fabric in natural earthy tones, stitched over the iconic orange inner robe. A dark crimson sash was tied around his waist, and a heavy yak-wool cloak draped over his shoulders like a mantle. Subtle golden embroidery ran along its edge – symbols of balance, discipline, and endurance. A fur-lined hood rested behind his neck, untouched by the chill wind.
The monk's blue eyes locked directly onto Teshii's.
Then – his voice rang out, cold and commanding.
"Who are you?"
Teshii's grin slowly returned.
"Well," he said, cracking his knuckles with a smirk, "looks like… we found him, guys."
TO BE CONTINUED!!!