After fighting the afternoon crowd at the Pinat Bazaar, Drew and Sylvia successfully made it back to the station where Rider and Brix were waiting for them. 

"What took you guys so long?" Rider inquired as Drew and Sylvia tried catching their breaths. 

Drew heaved, his breathing a bit short from running. 

"We had to fight the traffic to get here. What was supposed to be a five-minute commute turned into fifteen. Where were you guys?" 

"Oh, we stayed right by the station," Brix replied, pointing to Rider. "Rider said it's typically not a good idea to venture into the Bazaar beyond a certain time." 

"Rider! Why didn't you tell us that?!" Sylvia shouted, nearly on the verge of strangling the silver-haired Unicron. 

"Well, you two just ran off without listening to what else I had to say." Rider explained hastily. 

"You're not getting your gifts from us!" Drew shouted. 

"Then I'm not letting you back into the dorm." Rider retorted. 

 Drew shrugged.

"I guess we're in quite the dilemma here." 

"Fine, give me Brix's and my gifts, and I'll not barricade the door." 

"Then you also have to give me mine and Sylvia's!" 

"Deal!" Rider hissed jokingly before chucking Drew and Sylvia's gifts into his face, which Drew caught with his fast reflexes. "Happy Friends Day!" 

"Same goes for you!"

Drew said before throwing his and Brix's gifts to his face, which Rider also managed to catch but fumbled a little. 

But before everyone could take a look at their gifts, the AirTrain arrived with punctual timing. The ride back to the post office was peaceful, contrary to the chaotic fight on the platform. Upon arriving back, the human-sized bear from the morning came out to greet them. The others had also arrived just a couple of minutes earlier.  

"Good job." The bear praised the group as they handed their bags. "All packages have been successfully delivered. As promised in the Request, you will each be given 500 Kalas for your work. If you want to meet your quotas again, don't hesitate to come by. We're always in need of Messengers." 

With a couple of taps on his holographic screen, 500 Kalas had been deposited into everyone's accounts.

"Also, there is a fireworks show at Pinat Bazaar tonight, so we'll throw in some front row tickets as a bonus. It's Friends Day, so you should take time to enjoy it."

At that moment, the group thought to themselves about how lucky they were to have such a nice boss for the day.

"Thank you so much!" 

>>>

It was eight PM at Pinat Bazaar. For the group in Mopteo Heights for the day, Pinat Bazaar felt like they were stepping into a new world. Unlike the morning, the bazaar was packed to the brim with people jammed into every nook and cranny of the district. Since it was also Friends Day, people activated their holographic mascot costumes or social media avatars. Some even wore actual costumes ranging from chubby animals to cosplays of their idols. However, the group decided not to do such things as to not get lost.  

"Dang, you guys delivered packages here!" Elias exclaimed, fascinated by the colorful scenery, narrow streets, and bustling shops while getting clobbered by traffic on all sides. "Mopteo Heights was literally just a hill with fancy marble homes." 

Wan nodded in agreement. 

"It was basically calling us poor in every possible language. Plus, half the people there were entitled snobs." 

"So what did you guys do in the end?" Brix asked.

"Well, Mr. Crossford here just gave them the 'death glare', made them sign quickly, and then we were on our merry way." 

Jay sighed. 

"Do I really look like a thug?" 

"If we didn't know you, then yes," Elias replied bluntly. “You kind of have that intimidating aura." 

"Well, to be honest, I have social anxiety so I'm more scared of socializing with others than they probably are with me." 

"So all this time when you didn't say anything, you were just nervous?!" 

Jay nodded. 

"Yup." 

Wan clapped her hands getting the group's attention. "Anywho, now that we're done, let's enjoy some fireworks!" 

"Alright Rider, you're the resident here so lead the way!" Brix announced patting Rider on the shoulder. 

"Fine, it feels like I've been the navigator all day-" 

In the midst of their conversation, Drew felt something was off. A tinge of apprehension tugged at his heart. From the corner of his eye, Drew spotted something. Multiple cloaked figures were standing in the alleyways not too far away from Drew and the gang. As the group walked farther and farther down the stone-paved roads of the Bazaar the cloaked figures emerged from their hiding spots, pushing their way through the crowd that was too busy to notice anything wrong. 

"Hey guys," Drew swallowed back his saliva and sent a text to the group chat. 

(A/N: Anything in brackets is a text message in the group chat)

Drew: [I think we're being followed.] 

The group continued walking not to arouse any suspicion but were staring anxiously at the text. 

Elias glanced up, his brows narrowing as he shot another text to the chat. 

Elias: [You mean the hooded figures that have been following us for a while now?] 

Drew: [Yes] 

Sylvia: [I noticed that too but I wasn't sure. I'm glad you mentioned that.] 

Jay: [Same here] 

Brix: [Agreed]

Wan: [How did you guys figure it out so fast?] 

Rider: [Combat Positions like them are more sensitive to malicious intent than Support Positions.] 

Wan: [Then what should we do?] 

There was a long pause before Elias messaged something to the chat. After working with the Hunters for some time, Elias had become accustomed to situations like this. What surprised him was how calm everyone else was but that made things easier for him. 

Elias: [Pretend you don't notice them for now. Let's try racking our heads together to figure out something. Didn't our Professors say that whenever we encounter these kinds of scenarios, we need to stay composed and rational no matter how scary it is? Let's fake a conversation, it's loud enough so people won't notice even if we don’t talk.] 

Everyone nodded before faking a conversation amongst themselves. Discuss how lively the bazaar was. 

"It sure is busy." 

Drew typed furiously, making minimal motions with his fingers so that the suspicious individuals wouldn't notice. Elias had excellent judgment in this scenario. 

"I might become claustrophobic after this." Drew groaned as he felt his body being pushed around by the traffic flow. 

Drew: [Elias is right. From the looks of it, we have multiple people coming after us. If we stay in a large group as we are now, we'll only become an easy target for them to surround.] 

Sylvia: [So you are implying we split up?] 

Sylvia suggested playing off of Drew's conversation starter. "Maybe we should find an open area to rest?" 

"Agreed." Rider replied, brushing off the sweat that had built on his forehead. 

Rider: [I think so. Is there anything else you guys can pick up from their behavior?]

"Perhaps we can watch the fireworks from afar," Brix said, pointing to the open area right by a large concrete fountain. "It's better to be at a place where we can leave easily instead of getting caught in the crowd." 

Brix: [It doesn't seem like they know the area well. If we split into pairs with one group of three, we can run to the police station.] 

Rider: [I was going to say that was a good idea but I have some bad news. Pinat Bazaar is ruled by the 14th Princess, who is allied with Miranda Dutchfang. If anything, us potentially getting assaulted by these shady people would do Miranda a favor. Plus, not like the police who also support the 14th Princess would believe us either. Maybe we could head to the station or take two taxis. There's always a ton of them lined up not that far from the station.] 

"But that would be a waste of the tickets the manager gave us," Jay stated shielding his eyes from the bright lights strung across each building. 

Jay: [Also, we have about 15 people on our tail. Another 10 or so in front of us from what I can sense.]

Elias: [Things aren't lookin' so hot here.] 

Wan: [Then why not head back to the Academy? We're not too far from the station and at least we know that some Professors would be willing to protect us. It's a much safer bet than trying the police?] 

Elias: [OoO]

Drew: [:O] 

Sylvia: [OwO] 

Rider: [0w0] 

Brix: [ (:O)))))]

Jay: [owO] 

Wan was dumbfounded. 

Wan: [What?] 

Rider: [Wan used her brain?!] 

Sylvia: [Oml she did!] 

Elias: [That was brilliant.] 

Wan: [I don't know if I should accept these as praises or insults...]

Elias: [Hmm. All these ideas are great and I think I might just have a plan to get us out of here.] 

Drew smirked, he had complete faith in Elias's leadership skills after the Team Exam. Coupled with the fact he worked with the Hunters, he understood the importance of being a team leader and a member better than anyone else in the group. Entrusting everyone's safety to him would be the best choice but it would also be a gamble. Elias has worked with Drew and Wan so he understands the general scope of their abilities but when it came to Sylvia, Brix, Rider, and Jay he would have to make assumptions based on his limited knowledge.

Drew: [What do you got in mind, hotshot?]

Elias placed his fingers on his glabella, thinking of all the possibilities of getting out of their predicament. Then, his eyes widened. He didn't need to make assumptions. Everything he needed was here. 

Elias: [So this is the plan-] 

>>> 

About fifty meters away from the group was a cluster of hooded assailants. One of them, presumably the leader, wore a black hat under his hood. With the wave of his hand, the group split up, darting in and out of alleyways, keeping their smoky eyes fixated on the group of seven in their range who have appeared to drop their guard, enjoying a carefree Friends Day.  

“We’ve got eyes on the target.” 

The black cap figure spoke into his wristband, the concrete fountain at the center of the bazaar coming into view. The feathered wings carved into the concrete embracing those who pass through the vicinity. 

“Good, commence the attack.” 

A voice on the other end of the line responded. Causing the figuring wearing the black cap to jolt up. 

It was the first time he was praised and he would do more to receive those praises. The intoxicating words that he's wanted to hear all his life. He wanted more.

More.

More.

More.

More.

MORE. 

The figure licked his lips, savoring those sweet words that his savior had bestowed on him. He would do anything to keep them, forever.  

Yet, in the midst of his hysterical trance, something happened. 

Chaos ensued. 

"What's going on?" 

The voice on the other end demanded. 

"Our targets..." The black-capped figure mumbled, swallowing back a mouthful of saliva, "disappeared."  

"What?" 

"THEY DISAPPEARED!"