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As Rex rose from the bench, he began to stretch his body, feeling the tension ease from his muscles. He and Baluka were both in Osaka, preparing for their mission. As Rex finished his stretches, he couldn't help but notice how small Baluka looked.

"Why is a kid in the Yeager force?" he asked, his tone laced with confusion.

"I'm not a kid, I'm 17 years old," Baluka retorted, her voice firm.

Rex was taken aback for a moment but quickly shrugged it off. "Never mind. Let's head to the coordinates."

The two of them began walking together through the bustling streets of Osaka. After a few moments of silence, Baluka spoke up.

"Sir, can I ask a question?"

"What is it?" Rex replied, his eyes focused on the path ahead.

"Is your mom Sally Jones?" she asked, a hint of excitement in her voice.

"Yeah, she is," he confirmed.

"Wow, really? That's so cool! She saved me back in Cairo. Actually, now that I think about it, I think she thought I was a child back then. I was 14, but I was really small for my height," Baluka said, a small smile tugging at her lips.

Rex glanced at her, his expression neutral. "Is that all you have to say?"

"Yeah... why?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Don’t tell me about your life or anything you’ve been through. You don’t want to know what anyone’s been through in this type of job unless you know how to get over it," Rex said, his voice cold but not unkind.

Baluka was taken aback by his words but understood the weight behind them. "Yes, sir," she responded, her tone more subdued.

"Tell me about the mission details," Rex requested, shifting the conversation back to their task.

"Yes, sir. We’ve received reports that Yeagers are operating underground, doing something we can't identify yet. We don’t know what it is, but they wanted you to check it out because there’s a lot of them," she explained.

"Who called me over?" Rex asked, his tone all business now.

"Uh, their name was Leon Ivanov. He’s currently waiting for us at the site," she said, trying to recall the details.

"Leon, huh? I haven’t heard that name in a while," Rex remarked, his voice carrying a hint of nostalgia.

"Do you know him?" Baluka asked, curiosity evident in her tone.

"You ask too many questions. Let’s just be quiet on the walk," Rex responded, his tone firm.

"Yes, sir," she replied, falling silent as they continued their walk. The journey was awkward and very quiet, with both of them lost in their own thoughts.

When they finally arrived at the location, it was beneath the Osaka bridge, where several Yeager force members, along with Leon, were waiting. As Leon turned and saw Rex and Baluka approaching, a smirk appeared on his face.

"It’s been a while, Rex," he greeted.

"Yes, it has, Leon," Rex replied, nodding slightly in acknowledgment.

"So, what’s the situation?" Rex inquired, his focus shifting to the task at hand.

"We found the door to the underground, but it won’t open. It’s submerged under the water over there, and every attempt we’ve made to open it has failed. That’s why I called you and Baluka here," Leon explained, gesturing towards the water.

"Why her?" Rex questioned, his gaze shifting to Baluka.

"Because of her abilities. Baluka, you’re up," Leon instructed.

"Understood, sir," Baluka responded, stepping forward. She placed her hands together, focusing her energy. "Sand Style, Sand Explosion," she thought to herself.

The door was obliterated by the sand, reduced to rubble in an instant. Rex watched, impressed. "She controls sand," he noted.

"After Cairo, she’s been connected to flux energy. Ever since, she’s been able to control sand at an atomic level. One grain of it, she can make the sharpest object ever—sharp enough to cut through pure tungsten like it’s paper," Leon explained, a hint of pride in his voice.

"So, you want me to head down there by myself?" Rex asked, assessing the situation.

"No, I’ll come with you. I need to do my research down there," Leon replied, determination in his eyes.

Rex nodded in agreement, and the two of them prepared to enter the newly opened passage. As they walked towards the door, Leon turned to Baluka. "Baluka, you stay back and watch out for any Yeagers," he ordered.

"Yes, sir," Baluka responded, taking her position as Rex and Leon descended into the unknown.

As Rex and Leon walked deeper into the darkness, the air around them grew colder, and the sound of their footsteps echoed off the stone walls. Breaking the silence, Leon glanced over at Rex. "So, how have you been?" he asked, trying to strike up a conversation.

"We're not supposed to know about each other's lives," Rex replied flatly, his gaze fixed ahead.

"Really? After everything we've been through together over the past three years?" Leon pressed, his tone a mix of disbelief and frustration.

Rex sighed, giving in slightly. "I've been training in Malin, Italy, for the past three years," he admitted.

"Italy? But wasn’t all of Europe destroyed by Luna?" Leon asked, his confusion evident.

"Yes, it was. It's just a wasteland now—a place filled with the screams of the dead," Rex said, his voice heavy with the weight of the memories.

Leon hesitated, processing Rex’s words, before changing the subject. "How’s Amber?" he asked, his tone softening.

"She's fine. She joined the Yeager force, and she's really talented," Leon responded, a note of pride in his voice.

"Good to hear," Rex said quietly, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

As they continued walking through the cave, they suddenly stopped in their tracks, both sensing something off. "You feel that?" Rex asked, his voice low.

"Yup," Leon confirmed, reaching for a throwing knife. With precision, he threw it deeper into the cave. A faint, pained weep echoed back to them.

They cautiously approached the source of the sound and found two foxes huddled together. One of them had an injured leg, pierced by Leon's knife. Rex knelt down, and the uninjured fox growled protectively.

"She’s going to be fine, let me heal her," Rex said gently. The fox backed off, watching warily as Rex channeled his flux energy to heal the injured fox's leg. As soon as the wound closed, both foxes quickly darted away.

"How did two foxes get in here? …Interesting," Leon mused aloud, puzzled.

"Let’s keep moving," Rex urged.

They pressed on, finally reaching the end of the cave, which opened up into a large chamber filled with computers and other advanced equipment. "Whoa," Rex muttered, taking in the sight.

Leon immediately walked over to one of the computers, his fingers flying over the keyboard. "These are operations for Yeager sites… everywhere," he said, astonished.

He connected his cybernetics to the computer, quickly downloading all the information. "Finished," he announced, unplugging himself.

"Why would they set up a base here of all places?" Rex wondered aloud, frowning in thought.

"I don't know, but it doesn't matter now. Keep your guard up," Leon warned as they prepared to leave.

Just as they turned to go, a chilling voice echoed through the chamber. "Goodbye, demon." A massive explosion suddenly erupted around them. But before the flames could consume them, the two foxes reappeared, their eyes glowing with mysterious energy. In an instant, they teleported both Rex and Leon out of the cave and back to the surface, saving them from certain death.

Rex stood outside the cave, disoriented and confused. "How did we get outside?" he thought, struggling to piece together what had just happened.

"It was the foxes in front of us," Leon answered, his voice tinged with a mix of awe and wariness.

Both men turned their gaze toward the two foxes that had somehow saved them from the explosion. The foxes, now sitting calmly, were no longer ordinary animals. Rex and Leon could sense an ominous aura surrounding them, something far from natural.

Rex narrowed his eyes, pressing them for answers. "What are you, foxes?"

The foxes turned to face them, their eyes glowing with a mysterious light. The atmosphere grew even more tense as the aura around them intensified.

"We are foxes that were turned into Yeagers, experiments done by Luna," one of the foxes said, its voice clear and serious.

Rex and Leon were both taken aback. "Huh?" Rex muttered, unable to hide his surprise and confusion.

The fox who had spoken nodded. "Sorry about the confusion, demon. My name is Akira," he said, his tone serious and unwavering.

"And my name is Hanako," the other fox chimed in, her voice playful despite the grim situation.

Rex and Leon exchanged glances, both of them uneasy. The idea of these creatures, once animals, now turned into something more by the twisted experiments of Luna, was unsettling. And the fact that they had saved them only added to the mystery.

"Why did you save us?" Leon asked, suspicion lacing his words.

"Because I begged my brother to do so," Hanako said, her tone light, almost teasing.

Rex and Leon shared another look. They could sense there was more to this, and they didn’t like the feeling that they were being manipulated. Why would these former Yeagers help them?

"We can help you," Akira said, his voice cutting through their thoughts. "We know where the Yeager ranks are meeting up in two weeks from now."

Both men perked up at that information. This could be the breakthrough they needed. But trust was still an issue. "Show us, and we might consider sparing your lives," Rex said, his tone deadly serious.

"Deal," both foxes agreed without hesitation.

"Blood pact," Rex said, his voice low as he extended his hand.

"Confirmed," the foxes responded in unison. The air around them pulsed as their flux energies intertwined, sealing the pact. None of them could break it now.

At that moment, Baluka came running up to them, her face a mix of shock and concern. "Sir! How are you outside? An explosion just happened in there!" she yelled, her voice trembling.

"Calm down, Baluka," Rex said, trying to steady her.

With that, Rex and Leon turned their attention back to Hanako and Akira. "Tell us where they’re going to meet up," Rex demanded.

"Kushiro," Akira answered without hesitation.

"Open a portal, Baluka," Leon ordered.

Baluka complied, but as she attempted to open the portal, something went wrong. The portal fizzled out before it could fully form. Leon's expression darkened with confusion, but before he could speak, a notification beeped on his device. It was a message from the Prime Minister of Japan.

Both Rex and Leon exchanged a glance, realizing that whatever lay ahead would be more complicated than they had anticipated.