"Why is she here?" Ty asked, puzzled at the sight of JJ standing outside "Dine n' Masteries."
The lieutenant replied, "I believe it's only right to meet an early sponsor who's assisting with your equipment, food, and other necessities you'll receive while in the Arena."
Ty, curious, questioned, "Wait, just how much has she donated exactly?"
With a knowing smirk, the lieutenant suggested, "Why don't you go ask her yourself? This place is a bit removed from the main kingdom and its affairs, so you probably can go unnoticed as a demon as long as you keep those red eyes of yours off."
As they sat in the car, the lieutenant unlocked and removed Ty's stone cuffs. "Go on and be a sweetheart now. I know you both have feelings for each other anyway."
Ty, cheeks coloring slightly, protested, "I do not, actually. She's just someone I saw crying and wanted to do something nice for."
The lieutenant, undeterred, continued, "Even so, I believe she has feelings for you, as you somewhat avenged her parents. Whether you wanted that to be the case is irrelevant. So, see if you can benefit from every penny, as she comes from a wealthy family." His words, teasing yet pointed, nudged Ty towards a confrontation he seemed reluctant to face.
Ty sighed, his curiosity piqued about what his mentor would be doing during their meeting. "Well, what are you going to be doing this whole time?"
"I'll be around. I'm your mentor, not your dad. Remember, this is all to set you up for success on the 3rd continent. And, regardless of any feelings that might emerge, you need to stay focused on your end goal—and mine," the lieutenant reminded him, his tone firm yet supportive.
Ty nodded, understanding the weight of their shared ambitions. After a moment, he asked, "What do you even hope to gain if we win?"
"It's a secret, but I promise it's something that will surprise you. Now get going," the lieutenant replied with a mysterious smile.
"Ugh, fine," Ty muttered. Just then, a voice emerged from his front pocket. The fairy pushed out, teasing, "Ty has an afternoon date?"
"No, it's not... whatever," Ty brushed off the comment, a mix of annoyance and anticipation in his voice as he opened the car door and stepped out. JJ was still standing by the entrance, looking slightly more done up than usual, her attention on a food menu.
JJ, puzzled by the question, responded, "It's how they operate. Without it, they would just die. How else would it work?"
Ty, still trying to grasp the concept, ventured, "Idk, a battery?"
"A what?" JJ asked, her confusion evident.
Ty took a moment to explain, "A battery. It's a device we use where I'm from. It stores energy in a chemical form and releases it as electrical power. Pretty much powers everything portable back home."
JJ considered Ty's explanation with a mix of intrigue and skepticism. "That's a unique theory, but moving something from chemical to electrical seems a bit silly.
But staying on topic," she shifted her focus back to Ty's recent performance, "I was watching the video before you made it all fuzzy, and I think about 10 seconds into your 20-second attack, you could probably have released it a bit sooner."
She emphasized the importance of efficiency. "But you'll need to find a way to charge it up faster regardless. That will be a huge plus to your arsenal in fighting." Eager to change the subject, JJ began to share another discovery. "Anyways, moving on, I found this book and spent a lot of money on it to show—"
Her sentence abruptly ended as the doors of the establishment were violently flung open. A pair of men with bandanas obscuring their faces barged in, each brandishing a gun. With commanding hostility, they barked, "Everyone down!"
Ty felt a familiar surge of adrenaline as the situation unfolded, reminiscent of his days in New York. His mind raced, "They're using guns when everyone can use magic? Their skills are probably not fighting-oriented, so they use weapons to compensate." Around him, patrons began to duck for cover, and JJ tugged at his arm, urging, "Let's just get down, okay?"
"What? Of course not. I'm not going to let them—" Ty's protest was cut short as one of the assailants commanded more forcefully, "We said get down."
Lifting his gaze to meet the man's, Ty noticed a light scar under his eye and questioned the logic of their target. "What the hell are you even stealing from a restaurant?" His inquiry was met with an attempted blow as the man tried to swat Ty over the head with his gun.
Reacting swiftly, Ty caught the weapon with his forearm, absorbing the impact. In one fluid motion, he stood, closing the distance between them, and delivered a sharp blow to the man's chin with his elbow.
As the second robber aimed and fired, JJ's light scream echoed through the tension-filled room. Ty, acting on instinct rather than logic, raised his hand in an attempt to catch or deflect the bullet. Surprisingly, the bullet halted mid-air, stopped by an unseen force, sparing Ty from harm and leaving him bewildered.