"Hmm... what's the best way to handle this...?"
Yugo stood with his arms crossed in the corner of the Luminous Academy courtyard that served as his home, lost in thought.
His gaze was fixed on the bracelet used to manifest his partner for the past month of fierce battles—the magic item known as Blaster.
Fee and Melt stood on either side of him, both wearing troubled expressions as they shared in his concern. Groaning as he stared at the device, Yugo picked it up once more and spoke, his face set in a serious scowl.
"Fee’s right. I need to grow stronger myself, but we also need to upgrade Blaster. The real question is how we're going to pull it off..."
"That Purple Armor appearing was practically a miracle, after all," Melt added with a nod. "If you’re going to keep using Blaster, Yugo, I agree that a power-up is non-negotiable."
Yugo nodded back. The source of their collective headache was the proposal to enhance his magic item.
Not long ago, Yugo had fought Rush after his transformation into a Magic Armor Beast. While Yugo had emerged the victor, it had been a desperate, narrow win—an outcome decided by a literal miracle. He didn't know what would have happened without the Purple Armor. Considering that, strengthening the gear felt mandatory.
"We still don't have a single lead on the mastermind who manipulated Rush. There's no telling when the next incident will strike. I have to make sure both Blaster and I are ready..."
Evil was still squirming in the shadows of this city. It wouldn't be surprising if the enemy moved at any moment; they might even be acting to create a second or third monster like Rush. Yugo knew he needed to become stronger to fulfill the promise he had made to Marcos, but he was at a loss for how to actually do it.
"Packing more Micro-particle Metal into the bracelet won't do much," Fee explained. "At best, it'll just speed up repair times or let you manifest the sword more often. It’s hardly a performance upgrade."
"Even Fee can't figure it out? Melt and I definitely aren't going to come up with an upgrade plan for a magic item, so what now...?"
Since even Fee, the most knowledgeable among them regarding technical improvements, couldn't find a solution, they were at a total dead end. Just as Yugo was about to give up, Melt clapped her hands together.
"Alright! In that case, let's consult the pros! We should head over to the Industrial Department and meet the students there!"
"The Industrial Department? Is there such a place?"
"Yeah. I was actually about to suggest the same thing," Fee said. "When it comes to the reinforcement and modification of magic items, the students in the Industrial Department are the real experts. They have a dedicated workshop and possess far more specialized knowledge than I do. If you ask them, Brother, I'm sure someone will be willing to help."
"A dedicated workshop... reinforcement and modification of magic items...?! What is this? A non-stop barrage of my favorite words...!?"
In Yugo’s mind, scenes of R&D labs developing transformation items, weapons, and specialized vehicles for tokusatsu heroes began to unfold. His eyes sparkled like a child’s, and he turned to the others with an expression that screamed he was dying of excitement.
"Hey! Do they build giant robots there?! Combining mecha are great and all, but personally, I've got a soft spot for the standalone transforming types too!"
"No, uh... I don't know what you're imagining, Brother, but I highly doubt they have anything like that..."
"I see... Well, even so, it sounds like there'll be plenty of vehicles, weapons, and awesome tech. Just hearing about it is getting me hyped! My heart is racing, Fee!"
Yugo spoke to his brother in a bouncy, energetic voice, all while wearing a rather sinister expression. Possessing a naturally villainous face, even the slightest scowl—or in this case, a grin—tended to look downright terrifying to an outsider.
Fee and Melt watched him with bewildered expressions, but Yugo was far too busy being fired up to notice their reactions.
"Alright! Let's head to the workshop right now! Where is it?"
"It's not in the General Department Area. It's in the adjacent district, so we'll have to walk a bit... is that okay?"
"Of course! Amazing items I haven't even dreamed of are waiting for me! I'm so excited I can't stand it!"
Bursting with energy, Yugo was fully committed to the trip. Since that had been the plan from the beginning, and they were glad to see him so motivated, Fee and Melt began guiding him toward the Industrial Department Workshop.
"Maybe if I'm lucky, they can build me a motorcycle...? Every hero needs a ride. I wonder if I'll need a license for it, though..."
As they walked, the two companions listened to Yugo’s muttered rambling and felt a growing sense of unease. They couldn't help but wonder if he had completely forgotten the original goal of upgrading Blaster.