In the center of the room, a 3D hologram showed Metropolis-H in all its splendor.  Around it sat the elites of Draconic: teams 1, 2, and 7. They were all solemnly staring at a man wearing a cheap suit in the middle. 

"Alright, everyone! Because of the sloth problem, we will be moving the rescue ahead of schedule. The MTA shows signs of wanting to send us all to Metropolis-D, and we obviously need to save Josh before that happens." Tallis explained. 

"How are we proceeding? I'm ready to go! Let's hurry this up!" Kasha could be seen rocking back and forth on her chair. Some gave a knowing smile.

There were two moods in the room. Some members were extremely relaxed: This included team 7, Ronan, Liam, and Lucas. The others were worried. This made for a very peculiar atmosphere. 

Some could be seen playing games casually or even surfing the Net while others treated this as a life and death situation. 

"Our target is the 'Forty Millenniums of Carnival' and is located on the periphery of the Grand Regional Academies. It's a costume shop with Gene Corp soldiers crawling inside in broad daylight." Tallis zoomed in on the map. 

"What if we disguise ourselves in order to get in? I want to be a werefox. Like in that video from that Stranded-Earthling guy, I'll go Ring-ding-ding-" Lucas happily rambled. 

"Enough! Can you stop joking for a damn second! Lives are at stake here!" Damien the Juggernaut interrupted abruptly, annoyed. 

"Sadly, low-key infiltration is impossible. Their security is uncrackable except with help from someone on the inside. Their soldiers are very loyal to the cause and tend to explode when mental magic is used on them." Tallis denied Lucas's suggestion. 

"How do we make our way in then?" 

"Regretfully, we'll have to destroy the front door directly. It's about a meter of thick metal. It won't be easy. This—"

"Hahaha, violence! The solution to everything in life! I'll melt whatever steel beams block our ways!" Serene laughed enthusiastically as the air next to her heated up. 

"Everything?! Violence isn't good for raising dragons! It requires gentle care and —" KAAR'TE was ignored. Honestly, he would have probably married his dragons already if he didn't consider himself their father. 

"We get it! Shut the hell up!" Friendly Terry gestured Tallis to continue. 

"As I was saying, as soon as we force our way inside, we'll have to be quick. The MTA and the local guilds will definitely be called as a backup. I'm confident in your strength, but it would be a problem even for us." Tallis explained. 

"We gotta be quick? I'll do it! I'll be the one running!" Usain Dash volunteered instantly with the excitement of an addict seeing its guilty pleasure. 

"Good. Anyway, our intrusion will activate their defense mechanisms. We will probably need to overcome many energy walls. For this—"

"You can count on me. I'll sacrifice myself even if I am normally a pacifist!" 'Peaceful' Joe sighed, with the allies showing cautious expressions. Chances were they'd have to be careful not to get hit by the shockwaves of his steel beam. 

"Then there will be countless Gene Corp members that will swarm us and—" Tallis raised the next issue. 

"Enemies? I got it! I'll remain true to my name. I'll shoot them all in the ass!" AIYA giggled, a few others turning white, remembering his prowess. Well, the issue was more where he always aimed. 

"Then, we'll need someone to delay the troops outside." 

"This is a job for my mighty babies, for they are the very best that. We will conquer the skies themselves and show them how amazing we are for —" KAAR'TE exclaimed in bragging mode. 

"I'll stick with him. I'll be able to heal his dragons, and I'm sure Josh is going to be fine either way. I got a message from him back before the D-23 battle. He seemed to want to bet on if he'd be fine. Hell no!" Ronan chimed in. 

"It would be best if the confusion increased. I want a team to start a fire all over the city. It doesn't matter where. Just make it extremely obvious but try to limit the actual damage. I want there to be smoke, I want screams, I want collective panic!"

"Guess this is a job for Team 2. It's a shame since I would have preferred fighting on the front line. Still, every role is vital." Liam sighed with his head held high. 

"Talk about you! I'm plenty satisfied just chilling here, you know. I really don't need the danger." Lucas lazily added. 

"As for the rest. Emsee, you're stronger in static warfare, so you'll join Ronan and KAAR'TE. Minor, your barrier-making skills are extremely mobile, so you're with the attacking team. Damien, you'll be the very first one in front as we breach the complex. Finally, Kasha—"

"I'm personally rescuing Josh myself. I'll kick the first one that tries to stop me in the balls so hard that it will shatter all nine generations of their descendants!" 

"Sure, no problem!" Tallis could only nod as he gulped audibly. He wasn't stupid enough to try and stand in her way. 

With that, everyone's role was determined. How great of a commotion would they soon cause at Metropolis-H? It would be unbelievable. But why were some not taking this seriously? Lucas was probably the worst offender as he would chuckle watching videos on his UW. 

*Giggle* 

"What are you watching? It looks cool." Came a casual voice behind Lucas's back. 

"Oh, this? It's pretty damn cool! It's a streamer that faceslaps arrogant low-level Climbers in small villages that think they are hot shit. It's hilarious. You should give it a try, Josh." Lucas replied before freezing. 

He was so used to multitasking that he had instinctively replied at first. But then it hit him. He slowly raised his eyes as he could see the other shellshocked draconic members. They all seemed like they had seen a ghost. 

As he slowly turned, he found Josh just standing there as if his presence was not a big deal. He was wearing his usual grey suit, didn't seem injured in the least. Somehow, he even seemed even better than before. How?! 

"Josh!" Green energy shot out from a chair, heavily colliding with him before toppling him over. 

Josh couldn't help but be taken aback as Kasha straddled his body, burying her face in his chest while softly bawling. "You're fine. You're fine." 

Her usual brash and strong personality was nowhere to be seen. Hadn't Dario told her that this was all part of the plan?! Had she not believed it? This didn't matter right now. 

He slowly wrapped his arms around her back awkwardly, trying to reassure her. "Everything is going to be fine. I'm not so easy to kill, after all. Did you forget that I'm Josh Fucking Malum?!" 

That's when she slowly raised her head, a smile amidst the tears. "I thought I had lost you too. I thought I had killed someone else. I'm sorry, I should have been able to protect you, I—"

"Shhhh, it's fine." He softly murmured while the hug kept going.

Everyone slowly left the room, leaving them alone. Their expressions were a mix of complete shock that he was back and sympathy toward Kasha. That's when it hit Josh. What did he really know about her? 

Were they guildmates? Were they friends? He had his past to deal with, but so did she. He understood that this was an old wound that had plagued her heart. He had unknowingly reopened it. It had never been his intention at all. 

How should he approach the topic? His specialty leaned more toward breaking people's spirits. How was he supposed to—actually, it seems it wouldn't be necessary. 

The woman in his arm had fallen asleep. It seemed that seeing him alive had gotten rid of all the tension she had carried. Her beautiful face looked peaceful as she showed a slight smile while pressed against his body. 

Without moving an inch, he reached for his UW and entered the guild chat. 

- Josh MF Malum: Hey guys. What did I miss while I was away training?

- Just Damien: How?! How TF?! Seriously?! What do you mean training?! You were kidnapped! 

- Lucas the Lancer: HAHAHA Thank you, Josh! Many owe me credits now! 🤑

- Liam the Ultimate Samurai: Welcome back. You missed the sloths rampaging and invading part of Metropolis-D, but the situation is somehow under control. 

- Lily of the Frontline: Are you guys just going to gloss over this?! How did you escape?! 

- Friendly Terry: What if they brainwashed Josh and sent him back?!

- Josh MF Malum: ... You know I am still here, right? 

- Emsee Hammer: Welcome back from Team 7!! Oh yeah, Very Happy Farms was attacked, and we mobilized to take care of it. 

- Usain Dash: Well, if we aren't running to Metropolis-H, I'll train instead. Later all, glad to see you are alive, Josh. 

- Serene Brings the Heat: So much for our grand plan. Still, what happened to Gene Corp?

- Josh Malum: Stuff happened, and I had to leave quickly. Their leaders are dead, and lots of their soldiers are neutralized. 

- All: "?!?" 

- All: "F!!"

- All: WTF! 

- Lily of the Frontline: That's Gene Corp! X_X?! 

- Lucas the Lancer: In the future, whenever someone pisses us off, let's just let them kidnap Josh and wait for the good news. 

- The Analyst: Since you came back, I take it it's been a success?

- Josh MF Malum: Of course,^_^V! Now, what was it that you guys said about sloths and Metropolis-D? 

Very soon, they shared everything they knew about the topic. As for sharing the tale of how his kidnapping had ended, he could do that later. 

He had Lucas bring him some pillows and a blanket as he gently placed Kasha down. Alright, it was time to take care of the Sloth problem. 

He couldn't help but grin. This would actually give him negotiating power to take possession of D-23 truly. How was life going so well?!…

Creator's Thought

I almost felt bad for Gene Corp. There would at least have been some honor in getting beaten by Draconic. I alone causing so much damage was probably humiliating enough to make their ghosts dissipate in shame. Things really would have been easier had I just sat tight and patiently waited. My actions would soon cause...