Day 4 A.F.P

Dale stood in the breakfast queue in the mess hall inside the Seward Underground base. Rebecca stood in front of him as they slowly moved forwards to pick up empty metal food trays. Ahead of them is a buffet where food is served on the trays by several former residents of Rockville.

Rebecca. "Is everything alright with you, Dale?"

Dale."Why do you ask?"

Rebecca. "We couldn't find you in the base yesterday."

Dale. "Agni evolved, so I went to try out the new skills and got carried away while practicing my combat style."

Rebecca. "Oh, What combat style did you choose?"

Dale. "Equipment Transformation."

Rebecca. "Another Equipment transformer? Almost every Tamer in this place is either that or a Monster Transformer."

Dale. "Why does that bother you?"

Rebecca. "The other combat styles have Armor or muscle to protect them from getting hurt. Skill Transfer Tamers don't have any protections like that. So if a monster gets close to me, I'm done. The only other Skill-Transfer Tamer I know is Soma. At least he has some kind of Lightning Fiend form to dodge attacks."

Dale. "I saw you summon Wood Golem Ants to fight for you, aren't they enough protection?"

Rebecca. "Says the Tamer, who has a monster that resembles a Phoenix, which is the nemesis of Wood and Insects."

Dale. "Hold on! When did you see Agni's new form?"

Rebecca. "I didn't! The locals of Seward saw a very big black firebird flying over the town yesterday morning and panicked. They thought it was a monster attack and called me, but I told them it was probably one of the Tamers just letting his monster fly around. Then when they saw you petting it, they dropped the matter."

Dale. "I didn't think Agni flying around would cause people to panic."

Rebecca. "Normies who refuse to touch the Monster App are living in fear of a monster sighting and a possible attack."

Dale. "Oh! I still don't get why people still refuse to use it."

Rebecca. "Since the monster app came from the one who destroyed the five superpower nations, I think they have trust issues-"

Rebecca stops speaking as a commotion halts the progress of the buffet queue.

Carl Freeman."Soma, aren't you in charge of the Mess Hall? Why do we have Mushrooms for lunch again? Can't we have something different?"

Soma. "We had Mushroom Chilli Fry yesterday. Before that, we had Mushroom Korma and Parotta. Today, there are Potato & Mushroom Kebabs. I think that qualifies as something different?"

Soma Nathan and Carl Freeman are holding up the line as they argue about the food being served by the normies.

Carl. "Not everyone here is a Vegetarian! Can't we get some Wagyu steak? Don't you have a synthetic meat lab at that Tamer Union H.Q of yours?"

Soma. "If you are willing to fly on the Junkjet to go pick some synthetic meat from there every day, then be my guest."

Carl Freeman froze as memories of that cursed aircraft almost squishing him and the ride he experienced to get to Seward returned.

Carl. "What about the normies? I thought the council could demand anything from them. Don't they got their own synthetic meat labs?"

Rebecca suddenly walked in between them. She decided to get into their beef.

Rebecca. "Those synthetic meat labs are not the same ones you find in the major cities. They can only produce meat for a hundred people a day. As of now, there are around sixty Tamers in this base, but that number will keep increasing. So don't expect us to force the townsfolk of Seward and Rockville to give up the only source of meat they have because you are bored. They have already made a lot of sacrifices and commitments that we should respect and not abuse."

Soma. "And just a few days ago, she was willing to use force to kick them out of this place."

He murmured to Dale.

Carl. "Am I supposed to eat Mushrooms for breakfast, lunch, and dinner?"

Rebecca massages her forehead in irritation.

Rebecca. "Are you an ingrate? Nicole Raymond, the one we helped rescue along with you from Rockvillemall, is working hard with her monster to cultivate these edible and highly nutritious mushrooms to fill your fat belly."

Carl. "Hey, don't talk about my belly! Are you a Fatist? I could report you to the authorities for discriminating my body."

Rebecca. "I am literally the highest-ranking representative of the U.S government around here. If you want to eat meat so badly, hunt some deer in the woods nearby. Even though it is illegal by federal law, I will look the other way for you."

Carl. "What will I hunt with? All the weapons are stored in those heavy-duty vaults. If the government didn't take away our rights to guns, I wouldn't be complaining to the council, now would I?"

Rebecca. "Didn't your monster evolve already? Can't you use it for hunting?"

Carl. "Are you serious? Then let the hunt begin! Come out, my Precious!"

Carl summons his monster from the App. A pink unicorn that looks like a fusion between the 'Galar region Rapidash' from Pokemon and 'My Little Pony's Pinkie Pie' appears at his side. Precious's radiant spiral Purple Horn cotton candy-like rainbow mane attracts everyone's attention.

The Tamers who arrived at Seward over the last few days occupied two dozen tables in the mess hall. They all turned their heads and stared dumbfounded at what they were looking at. Even the Tamers standing further back in the queue line tilted their heads to get a better look at the Pink Cotton Candy Rainbow mane unicorn that belonged to a guy who looked like a Mafia enforcer.

Rebecca. "That's your monster? It is so... ADORABLE!"

Rebecca quickly sat next to Precious, rubbed her face into the cotton candy rainbow mane, and drooled.

Rebecca. "Why did I not get a monster like you? Instead, all I have is a stupid wooden golem Ant that gives me nightmares whenever I look at it."

When her hands touched the rest of the pink body, Rebecca noticed something strange.

Rebecca. "Huh? Is this unicorn a metal type?"

The female Tamers in the mess hall had jealous looks on their faces as they too wanted to run over and hug Precious, but the sinister look Carl was aiming at Rebecca made them hesitate.

Carl. "Hey, stop that! Precious is mine! Keep your filthy government hands off of him."

Soma. "Precious is a...he? But it looks like a-"

Carl. "That's Precious's preferred pronouns. He, Him, His!"

Soma. "Your monster told you that? I didn't know they could speak now."

Carl. "He doesn't need to speak, just look at those eyes and tell me you can't hear Precious's thoughts through them."

"Ting! Ting! Ting! Ting! Ting!"

All the Tamers in the Mess hall received a message simultaneously.

[Tamer Derek Rayerson: This is an emergency alert! A Tamer on the aircraft carrier U.S.S Destiny sent a video message of the Pacific fleet engaging against a swarm of Flying Ice Bugs, Ice Lobsters, and Ice Crabs in the Gulf of Alaska.

According to the Tamer, the Fleet engaged the giant crustaceans when they came out of the Pink Pillar that fell on Seattle. The Navy has lost many ships and sailors over two days of fighting and suffered heavy losses. Today morning their Admiral ordered a full retreat to the Gulf of Alaska, but the flying Ice Bugs and crustaceans are on their tail harassing them.

The Remenants of the Pacific Fleet are requesting aid as soon as possible. They will be passing through Ressurection bay in twenty minutes. The Navy needs every Tamer who can fight over water or air to get there and assist them immediately]

Carl. "Aren't Insect type monsters the only ones that came out of the pillars in the U.S? Why did Lobsters and Crabs appear."

A lot of Tamer were sharing the same confusion.

Markus. "Technically, Lobsters and Crabs belong to the invertebrate Phylum Arthropoda."

Markus answered from the table he was eating his breakfast. He had been watching the commotion between Carl and the council while eating.

Carl. "You mean I have been eating bugs for years without knowing it?"

Rebecca. "Biology lesson is over. Anyone who can fly or swim head out now."

Dale. "Guess I can skip breakfast."

Dale told Rebecca and walked out of the mess hall, but Soma and Carl followed behind him as he walked.

Dale. "You both can fly?"

Soma. "I can levitate, but I can't move over large distances quickly. I should at least try to reach the bay even if I get there late."

Dale. "And you, Carl?"

Carl. "I plan on borrowing a boat and getting there before activating my combat style."

Dale. "So, basically, you both just need to get there, and you will be able to help?"

Carl and Soma nodded.

Soma. "It will be my first battle, but I have been training during my free time all these days. I think I am ready to fight a monster."

Carl. "I have been in tons of fights before, but I need real opponents to learn how to use my Precious's skills."

Dale. "Find some ropes, and I will pull you both to Resurrection bay with me."

Soma. "Pull us? Can you really fly with both of us literally dragging you down?"

Dale. "You will find out soon. Let's hurry, or there might not be a fleet left to aid."

After finding some old ropes made of Russian Hemp, the Trio arrived at the Docks to find Zao waiting there along with a new face.

Zao. "Dale, are you able to fly now?"

Dale. "Ya, I evolved Agni yesterday. But I am a complete fire type, so I can't fight near the water."

Zao. "Will you be able to handle fighting in the air then?"

Dale. "I think so. I practiced flying the whole day yesterday. Anyways, Who is the new guy?"

Zao. "His name is Marco Rossi, he is an Italian tourist who got stranded in Alaska while recording a nature documentary. He is the only Tamer we have with an Amphibian monster as a partner. Is there anyone else coming behind you three?" Zao.

Dale. "No, it looks like the rest are land-based."

Zao. "Then we should do our best to take out as many monsters as we can with just the five of us. Dale and I will handle all aerial targets. The rest of you should stop the crustaceans that attack the ships... by the way, why are you both carrying those heavy ropes?"

Both Carl and Soma were fastening the ropes around their waists.

Soma. "Dale is going to pull us to the bay on his own."

Zao. "Dale, have you gone mad?"

Dale. "Just stand back and watch me!"

Agni materializes beside Dale. He then activates his combat style. The phone in Dale's right-hand flashes then creates an opaque sphere of light to surround his body.

The sphere shatters and reveals a Dale covered in Lightweight Obsidian armor with a winged helmet over his head. Agni's 7.7 feet (2.33 m) wings stretch out to absorb some of the sun's rays and convert it into Mana.

Dale. "You guys change too, now!"

Soma. "Showtime, Indra!"

[Summoning Monster: Lightning Core King Cobra (Indra)

Type: Mind, Sky, Dexterity, Reptile, Lightning

Mastery: Extra Skill Slot

Skills: Thunder Whip (Beginner), Magnetic levitation (Beginner), Static Step (Beginner), Generator Core (Beginner), Lightning Fiend (Beginner)

Skill Features:

Thunder Whip - The monster creates a whip of Lightning to strike opponents.

Magnetic levitation - The monster's electric body creates a magnetic field that suspends it in the air.

Static step - The skill allows the user to teleport by transforming into an electric current. But the range is limited to five meters. The cooldown is five seconds.

Generator Core - The monster does not need Mana to create Lightning because the core implanted on its head constantly generates electricity.

Lightning Fiend - The monster cannot use offensive skills when activated. Any physical attacks from opponents will pass through without damaging the monster.

Indra materializes in the air above Soma. It looks like an Albino King Cobra made of white marble. Electricity arcs around its body like miniature snakes in electric form, trying to find a hole to escape into. They eventually gather into a blue crystal core located at the center of King Cobra's forehead.

Soma. "Skill-Transfer, Activate"

Indra's body turned into electricity and then jumped into Soma's mouth. Next, on Soma's forehead, the blue crystal core appeared, which then caused Soma's eyes to turn pure white. Finally, his feet lifted off the ground as the Magnetic Levitation skill activated.

Carl. "All right! Once you all see me in action, you guys will start treating me with the respect I deserve. So come back out, my Precious!"

[Summoning Monster: Gravity Unicorn (Precious)

Type: Mind, Sky, Mana, Beast, Metal

Mastery: Mana Regeneration

Skills: Mana Gravity Pull (Beginner), Increase Gravity (Beginner), Decrease Gravity (Beginner), Gyro-Telekinesis (Beginner)

Skill Features:

Mana Gravity Pull - The monster can pull Mana from opponents into the unicorn Horn. For this skill to activate, the opponent's Mana must be lesser than that Mana of the Monster using the skill.

Decrease Gravity - The monster can target an opponent with less Mana than itself and cause the opponent to float.

Increase Gravity - The monster can target an opponent with less Mana than itself and cause the opponent to be immobilized.

Gyro-Telekinesis - The monster can lift inanimate objects that weigh less than its weight and throw them as projectiles]

Precious remerges from the monster app on his phone.

Carl. "Equipment Transformation Activate"

The phone in Carl's right-hand flashes then creates an opaque sphere of light to surround his body.

The sphere shatters and reveals a Carl wearing Pink Armor. He is equipped with a Spartan-styled pink helmet with a Purple spiral horn on the top. A Rainbow Horse brush mane flows out behind the Purple spiral horn, which extends all the way to the lower half of his body like an extra-long ponytail.

The rest of the Armor on Carl's body is pretty much what you would expect from a heavily armored knight apart from the Pink color.

Carl activates the skill to decrease Gravity, which lifts his body off the ground like Soma.

Dale. "Grab the ropes, and don't let go!"

Dale leaps into the air, spreads his wings, and activates the Jet propulsion skill. A mini jet engine emerges under his two large wings under each metal wing. The engines begin pulling in the air in front of them through the turbines and then pushing it out through the back.

Carl. "Holy Shit! Are those jet engines?"

Soma. "Are those real Rubies?"

Zao."?"

Before anyone could say anything else, Dale's flying speed skyrocketed, which then pulled up Carl and Soma into the air. Finally, after a dozen seconds, Dale reached Mach 1 speed.

Carl and Soma grabbed onto their ropes for dear life as they broke the sound barrier.

Zao and Marco stood at the dock, too stunned by what they saw. Zao eventually regained his senses before summoning his monster and activating his own combat style.

The phone in Zao's right-hand flashes then creates an opaque sphere of light to surround his body.

The sphere shatters and reveals a Humanoid Bee Knight wielding two black metal conical Lance Swords. A Transformer style Bumble Bee Battle helmet covers its head. Most of the body is covered in Gold metal armor covered in black stripes. On his back is a pair of thrusters.

Mario. "Alright, it's my-"

Mario couldn't finish his sentence because Zao found a rope in the dockyard then used that rope to repeat the same thing that Dale did and carry Mario off the ground with the power of his thrusters.

Mario. "AAAAHHHH!"

Mario screamed as he got tossed around in the air, but Zao didn't care. He could not let Dale outperform him in speed and strength. So he activates his thruster's jet flames to catch up to Dale and the others. A few minutes pass, and Zao finally makes it to Dale's side.

Dale. "Glad you made it. Resurrection bay is just ahead."

Zao. "I am impressed by your skills, but will you have enough Mana for the battle?"

Dale ignored Zao's question as he noticed something ahead.

Dale. "Zao, Look there!"

Zao turned his attention back from Dale to what was ahead, and to his shock, he saw the Pacific fleet engaged in combat with over a few hundred flying Ice-bugs, hundreds of Ice lobsters, and Crabs. But at the center is a large creature from nightmares.

Giant Isopods, also known as the Sea Cockroach, feeds on the remnants of an aircraft carrier that was once the U.S.S Destiny.

Several Sentinel-class and a dozen Goliath class ships were still afloat, but they were throwing everything they had to make the Giant Isopod abandon its meal.