Riko gasped for air. The boss's messed-up jaw had a smile that changed everything. It wasn't winning, or hunger. It was like the thing knew Riko's punch finally got its attention. But instead of attacking, it did something worse. It turned away. Quietly, without warning, it faced the city past the junkyard fence. Its muscles tightened, and Riko felt the air move.
The boss took off! Not a slow trudge, but a full-on sprint, like it was half its size and ten times madder. Each step shook the ground, leaving holes. Scrap metal flew everywhere as it ran. Riko's mind froze. HEY! NO! Don't go to the city! That's—OFF LIMITS! His voice cracked as the monster charged. He stumbled after it, trying to catch up. Junk blurred past as he ran faster than he thought he could.
He had no plan to stop something the size of a truck that had already survived his best punch. But he chased it anyway because the city wasn't ready for this thing. People lived there. Even if Riko could barely control his own strength, he couldn't let a monster with a hurt ego run wild. The fence at the end of Junk Zone 88 got closer, shaking from that weird sky thing earlier. The boss didn't slow down. It smashed right through.
The chain-link fence ripped apart. Riko tried to jump through before it closed, but his shirt caught on a sharp piece of metal. He yanked it free, almost falling. The city road was ahead—cracked, faded, with storage units leading to the streets. The boss's path cut through the road. Riko breathed in and ran harder. His legs hurt, but he ignored it. Come on, he said, don't get too far.
But the distance grew fast. The monster knew this place, dodging streetlamps and jumping over cars. Riko had to swerve around stuff. Dust marked the boss's path. Up ahead was the tall wall that protected the city from the ruins. It could handle storms, riots, even robots. But not a boss with a bruised ego and anger that was out of control.
The boss didn't even slow down. It jumped, slamming its shoulder into the wall. The sound was like an explosion. The wall shook, concrete broke apart. Then it hit it again, claws digging in. Riko got there just as the creature ripped through the wall. Pieces of junk fell around him. He covered his head and pushed through the mess. A huge hole was in the wall now.
Beyond that—the city. Not the skyline in the distance, but the closer, human areas. Shops. Apartments. Streets where people walked and argued and got snacks after work. And now, scared faces. People who didn't know what had just broken through their wall. Riko heard screams as the boss stomped in, its huge shape a nightmare against the city. He forced his legs to move, slipping through the hole. His heart pounded, drowning everything but fear.
He chased the monster, dodging people who were freaking out. Some ran into alleys. Others just stared at the huge thing that didn't belong there. Cars stopped. Windows shook. Dust was everywhere. Riko ran past a fallen sign, jumping over broken ground. The boss was in the middle of an intersection, its shadow covering the crowd. Riko stopped, chest burning, vision blurry. Then the creature turned. Riko arrives and sees the boss towering over people—and it looks right at him.