The gym sounded like it was gasping. Every wall seemed to vibrate with fear. Loose panels rattled, and the lights flickered wildly, the ones that weren't already dead from too much static. The glitch giant's armor pulsed with colors, cutting through the dark like a spotlight from something unreal, something too big to be in a school gym. Riko wiped the dirt and sweat from his face, his chest aching. Kaze stood nearby, staring at the monster with that intense look he always had. He looked like a surgeon studying a patient, figuring out its weak spots while ignoring everything falling apart around them.
Riko noticed Kaze looking at him. They didn't talk, because they didn't have to. It wasn't respect, friendship, or even a simple hello. It was more fundamental than that. It was survival, and they needed each other whether they liked it or not. It wasn't about trust or agreement, but about being forced together despite them disliking each other.
Kaze slightly tilted his head, a silent order.
Riko rolled his eyes. "Okay, just don't act like you're leading this."
I am, Kaze snapped back, already getting into a fighting stance.
Dude, shut up.
They both charged the giant, but at the same time chaos broke loose. Kaze moved in a straight line, like a knife, while Riko went sideways with wild strength, as though he was going to break down the wall just to hit the giant from a weird angle. Their footwork was off, and their timing and plans didn't match. But somehow, when they hit the giant together, they hit hard enough to crack the floor.
Kaze hit first, a quick, focused strike to the giant's ribs. The hit sent a wave of force down the creature's side, making its armor flicker. Right away Riko came in with a reckless shoulder slam that somehow worked, pushing the giant's upper body back a bit. The gym groaned like the floor was about to break, dust falling from the ceiling like snow.
The giant wobbled, but not for long. It twisted its massive body. The armor plates clicked, adjusting like a machine fixing itself.
Kaze jumped back. "Quit aiming where I'm aiming!"
"Quit aiming where I'm aiming!"
"I was there first."
"Dude, you got to my school three days ago!"
While they argued, they kept moving, like it sped them up. Riko jumped high, swinging his leg to crush the creature's shoulder. Kaze slid under him, kicking the giant's ankle joint. Their actions didn't connect, but the force of the impact made the giant move sideways.
The floorboards cracked and split. Pieces broke off, floated with static, and then fell. The gym seemed stuck between falling apart and not existing.
The giant got its balance back quickly, turning its huge head toward them. Where its eyes should have been, there were glowing pits that burned. The core in its chest pulsed faster and brighter like it was collecting new data, like it was excited.
Riko landed hard next to Kaze. "Okay, new rule. When I jump, move out from under me!."
"Don't jump so slowly."
"Why are you like this?!"
Kaze didn't answer, ignoring Riko. He moved around the giant to its side and started hitting the gaps in its armor. Riko rushed in from the other side, punching the giant's hip. The combined hit sounded like a cannon going off. The gym bleachers shook hard, breaking apart with bolts and warped metal falling everywhere.
The giant seemed annoyed, but not hurt.
It stood up tall, like a building about to fall on them. Its armor glowed hotter, instead of pulsing it went on, and filled the air. Static rolled off its shoulders like steam.
Riko felt scared. "Uh… what did we just do to it?"
Kaze didn't speak, but he took a step back.
The giant lifted one arm, and then the other, carefully and slowly. The armor plates slid around, selecting a new formation. It bent its knees, lowering its huge body. Its shadow covered most of the gym.
Riko, getting ready tightened up, and started breathing fast. "Okay, okay, okay—Kaze, it is focusing, I think—"
He didn't get to finish.
The giant was upon them.
It was too fast. It moved so fast that glitch images followed behind it. Riko had just enough time to put his arms up. Kaze took one step back before the giant's shadow blocked out all light.
Then they were hit.
Its large hands grabbed both of them. One grabbed Riko's chest, and the other grabbed Kaze like they were toys being grabbed from a messy toybox. Riko was compressed, the air was driven from his lungs. Kaze supported the grip, muscles tense.
The ground broke open as the giant drove them back. Dust flew around them. Glitch squares hovered in the air for a moment, then faded. The giant grip tightened, pulling them closer.
The light from its chest got brighter, lighting up their faces.
Riko choked, "Kaze—what is it—?!"
Kaze's face remained the same, but his voice changed. "It will absorb us."
The core opened wider.
Its pull got stronger.
The giant pulled them forward, without stopping.
And then, The giant grabbed them and pulled them closer to the center.