The Running Man players managed to turn the tides of the game, thanks to Pala's potion and Invincible Lonky. They even managed to obtain the device which amplifies the power of the Dv8 after Lonky stole Elto and the penguin's emblem and tagged them out of the game. Liu skillfully remodels the device to use it against the DV8.

Number 6 and Number 7 out!

"Umm... Let's go see if the others are okay" Miyo suggested, feeling a bit awkward while they watch Liu work on the device like a mad scientist.

"Yeah sure. Come on" Lonky agreed but one step from Miyo immediately made her loose balance but luckily, Lonky caught her. "Woah are you alright?"

"I'm... I'm still a bit light headed after running so much..."

"Hmm... Oh! I know someone who can help you!" Lonky stated before assisting Miyo out of the area and leaving Liu with whatever it is he has in store.

Meanwhile, Pala and Mala continued their "intense" battle.

"Just give up already... Boy!" Dr. Mala suggested but the pain in his stomach prevented him from speaking much further than that.

"Haha. Why don't you be the one to surrender? You look like you might explode" Pala laughed mockingly at the bloated Mala.

Soon Lonky arrive, carrying Miyo around his back.

"Yo, Pala. I'm glad you're still here!" Said Lonky with a smile, slowly placing the exhausted Miyo on the ground.

"Oh, hey Lonky. If your here to help, don't bother. I pretty much have this idiot in the b~~" Pala could have continued to boast about his coming win but Lonky held him by the horns to stop him from further talking nonsense.

"That potion. I need more of it!"

Pala pushed Lonky's hand away before replying.

"I can't. There aren't any left. That was a month worth of potion..."

"What?!" Lonky shouted before looking at Miyo with concern. "I just needed more of it to help Miyo..."

Lonky sighed in disappointment before looking at something behind Pala, something that caught his attention. It was Mala, breathing heavily yet lightly at the same time due to his stomach. Lonky's eyes slowly widened before putting on a wicked, sinister smile across his smug looking face.

"What? What are you looking at?" Dr. Mala asked before his screams were heard across the room along with a bright, shimmering pink colored light that was seen lighting up the are.

Number 8 out! Number 8 out!

On the other side of the zone. Kuga faught off Rema and Spin but their speed and reflexes prevented for any of his attacks to hit their body. With Rema attacking Kuga from up front, Spin jumped from on top of them and landed on Kuga's back in an attempt to steal his Emblem but Kuga managed to catch his body with on hand. The tiger immediately dragged spin down and tired to slam his head on the ground, but the Monkey turned into smoke and appeared next to Rema to regroup.

Kuga was infuriated but he knew he couldn't defeat them. Not with their speed.

"Kuga!" Liu spoke though his watch. "I'm finished with my part. Meet me at the Zone Arena!"

"I can't..." Kuga replied. "I got two of them here"

"Oh no... Now what?" Liu asked before Lonky's voice was heard inside the portal next to Kuga.

"Leave it to us!!!" Lonky shouted as he exited the portal. His body glowing in pink which surprised Kuga.

"P... Pink?!" The tiger gawked.

"Yep! Now go. Run ahead and look for Liu"

Miyo then appeared out from the portal along with Pala. Having the same glowing pink skin as Lonky. She then rushed towards Spin and Rema with a speed that surprised them both. And with one slash of her claws, Spin and Rema were knocked back. Feeling the sting pain from her claws.

Having to see that Miyo injured both of them with one strike, Kuga placed all his trust onto the Feline and the Giraffe before leaving the area through the portal.

After some time, Kuga manages to find Liu and wass glad to see him, until the tiger saw a creepy smile on Liu's face.

"Umm.. what's going on?" Kuga asked but Liu still kept his creepy smile. Laughing sinisterly as he placed a red chip on his self modified watch which then became blue. "Wait... What is that...?"

"With everyone's hope and trust. I was able to make this for me. As well as this of course" Liu handed Kuga the device he was previously working on. "Wear it!"

Kuga gulped a bit in anxiousness before putting on the device. The moment it locked itself onto Kuga, he felt an abnormal surge of power and energy.

"Woah... My strength... I feel incredible... Like I can punch a whole through a mountain!"

"Yep. That armor will double your strength and power so you can finally take on Makhan. Let's win this game for real. Go!' Having to listen to what Liu said. Kuga smiled and nodded in agreement before leaving the area through the portal where he came out of. "Now... Let's assembly the others"

Meanwhile, Yuu and Hanabi continued their battle. Just like Kuga, her speed prevented from any of his attacks from reach her but Yuu still kept on attacking.

After analyzing her attack patters. Yuu readied himself and saw through Hanabi's next attack. Blocking her lighting quick kick and stepping on her other foot to prevent her from escaping. With Hanabi unable to get away. Yuu used his ability and copied her speed. His left eye flashed in red before he jumped backwards to gain some distance to her.

"Okay I copied her speed but... I don't know how long this will last or how much I can keep using this power... My left eye is already starting to hurt a bit... I must use this chance to remove her mask!" Yuu said in his thoughts before moving towards Hanabi with a boost of speed. Once he appeared Infront of her, his hands automatically reacher for her mask to remove it. But before his fingers could even touch the mask, Hanabi dissappeared. Yuu was shocked. He didn't even saw her move, as if she just dissappeared out of thin air. Hanabi was then seen a few feet Infront of Yuu and aimed a kick to the side of his face. Her attack was successful as Yuu was knocked back near the edges of the platform. "No way... I should be able to see her move! What's happening...?" Hanabi then appeared behind Yuu. His eyes widening at how fast Hanabi became. She executed another kick from behind but Yuu evaded her attack by moving sideways. "Did she became faster?! No... No it's not that... It's my power... It became weaker!"

Yuu manages to figure out the problem. Due to his previous consequences his power has now weakened. He was only half the speed of Hanabi. Making him still at an uneven match in terms of speed and reaction timing.

He gritted his teeth in anger as all he could do was use the power he copied to try and take away the mask. But each attempts failed and resulted with him getting attacked by Hanabi.

"Dang it...!" Yuu muttered as he breathed heavily due to his injuries. "I have no other choice... STATUS PRO~" Yuu attempted to use his second ability but the moment he tried to activate Status Promotion. His heart suddenly felt like it stopped beating and was gripped by an unknown hand inside his body. A severe and intense pain was felt in his chest, the black veins were faintly seen appearing around his eyes once more. Yuu couldn't he breath, and the pain in his chest worsen to the extent where he knelt on the ground. His eyes shaking and sweat soaked his bandages before the pain was slowly relieving. "What the heck... I... I can't breathe!!!"

"Even with the book's power... You are still weak..." Hanabi spoke as she slowly approached the injured Yuu. "Look at you... Unable to pick yourself off the ground... Unable to stand... Unable to breathe.... This is where the path you chose leads you... to death" Hanabi removed the long, black needle that tied her pony tail. Letting her long hair roll down from her shoulders. "Without that power... You are nothing. And with that power... You are just a walking corpse covered in bandages. You don't deserve what you have. You are unworthy of wielding Serberus' former abilities... You deserve... Nothing..."

"Maybe... Maybe I don't deserve what I have now..." Yuu spoke, enduring the pain in his chest. "And maybe you're right.... Maybe I am just a walking corpse... But... I don't care... I've live my whole life in solitude. I didn't trust anyone but myself and the powers I have... But not anymore... I trust my friends and their abilities... All of them... So it doesn't matter whether I get killed by you or because of this stupid power of mine... Because I know... For a fact... That they will win in the end..." Hanabi stopped infront of Yuu. The lad raised his head and look at Hanabi dead I'm the eye. Clenching her black needle and raising it above her head to signal her coming strike. "So do it... End me. You have no idea how long I wanted to leave this world where I don't belong..."

Having to hear no response from Hanabi. Yuu closed his eyes and awaited for Hanabi to attack. The girl gripped her needle and plunges it at Yuu. But she stopped an inch away from in between his eyes. Yuu quickly opened his eyes and was surprised to see Hanabi struggling to continue. Yuu became silent for a moment, processing what is going on with her as Hanabi's hand started to shake. Her eyes squinted before she let out grunting sounds from behind her mask.

Once he realized everything that is happening. He quickly reached his hands forward and forcefully removed her mask by ripping it off and throwing it somewhere far away. Hanabi's eyes widened and her split colored eyes returned but she let out a painful scream that echoed around the area. She then kicked Yuu away from her. Injuring him even further as he stumbles on the ground.

The human watched as Hanabi gripped her head, screaming even louder in pain. Showing the same event as when Miyo removed Gai's mask. "Miyo told me that after she removed Gai's mask, Gai was sent in a tantrum... That means..." Yuu showed a look of determination in his eyes. He slowly stood up from the ground and calmly approached the raging Hanabi. Once he was near, the girl quickly tried to attack him but she paused when Yuu wrapped his arms around her waist and shoulder. The warmth of his body seemed as to calmed some of Hanabi's rage before he whispered in a soft voice.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry if I hurt you... If I made you feel like I abandoned you because of my choice..." His words widened Hanabi's eyes. "At first... You helped me believe... That I wasn't alone. That both of us are treated as outcasts... But you're wrong. You don't know what I've been through... Every single day. Unlike me... The smiles that the people showed you before were real... And I'm sure they are waiting for your return... They loved you... You were never alone Hanabi, so don't feel like you are... Charming Gold... That peacock.... He's only using you. He's using all of you... For a sinister plot. That's why I left. Because I knew what he was up to... And I didn't wanted to be a part of that... I didn't abandoned you, Hanabi... Nor anyone else... I come back for everyone... If you can hear me... I just hope that you accept my apology... And also.... This isn't a hug"
Yuu finished speaking his last sentence and at the same time, finished wrapping his bandages around Hanabi's waist. With a simple press on his logo, the blue light trailed his bandages once more and electrocuted Hanabi. Sending a surge of electricity around the girl's body and knocking her out of consciousness. Yuu slowly placed the unconscious Hanabi on the ground as he puffed out an exhausted breath before sitting on the platform.
"I'm lucky she didn't noticed that I was wrapping my bandages around her during my monologue. If only I had Miyo's ability then things would have turned out differently... I wonder what the others are doing... For now... I need to catch my breath..."

After some time, Yuu felt relieved and ready for his next battle. He puffed out a small breath and stood up from the ground. Staring at the distant portal at the lower grounds. But before he could walked towards, it. Hanabi spoke and made Yuu stop in his tracks.

"Why did you came back...?"

Yuu slowly turned around and face Hanabi. She was still lying on the ground, only staring at the clear blue sky.

"I already told you. I wanted to rescue all of you and beat up that Peacock"

"Why would you rescue me... After what I did to you? What... What we did to you in this very arena..."

"... I admit that all of you left me quite a scar back then... But I don't care about that anymore. None of you were doing it willingly anyways"

"That's not true..."

"What do you mean?"

"Back our battle... When it was you against all of us. I could have hesitated back then. I felt like I had enough strength to hesitate and struggled but... But I didn't do anything... I saw how we were attacking you... How you took all of our attacks and failed to strike back. I felt like I could have stop myself from doing it but... I didn't... Somewhere inside of me, I felt like you got what you deserved..." Hanabi's voice started to crack. Similar to a person who was about to cry but continued to talk with a clear tone. "I felt... Good watching you get badly hurt... And I was in control when I paralyzed your body so Rema could attack you with her claws... I know you didn't abandoned anyone... Because now I know what Charming Gold really is but... But I couldn't help but feel like you left me all alone... I'm scared of being alone, Yuu... So when you declined Charming Gold's offer... I was infuriated... I was upset and made a wrong choice... I feel so guilty for wanting to kill you... I'm sorry... I really am!" Hanabi hammer her fist on the ground, her right hand was wiping away her tears but she let out too much as she was now seen crying.

Yuu remained silent. Watching Hanabi wipe away her tears and hold back her whimpers. After taking in a long breath, he spoke.

"Like I said... I don't care about what happened back then. And... It's alright. You don't have to apologize. I should have expected more consequences for the decisions I made... So stop crying already. I'm pretty sure you were mostly being controlled that why you weren't able to hold yourself back so it's alright"

"No... I really could have stopped myself... But Rema on the other hand... What she did... Was something I could never do... She paused didn't she? She stopped in her attack and spoke to you... Why? What do the two of you hold to give her the strength to do that...?

"I don't know the reason myself... I was surprised as well when she stopped and saw her tears back then... I... I see Rema as more than an opponent... It's the same as how I see Liu and the others... That's why her last words were embedded in my thoughts which I couldn't remove... She told me to save all of you and that's what I intend to do. None of you deserve all of this... You deserve to leave a life without shackles... All of you"

"I see..." Hanabi replied as she stopped crying. She slowly arched forward and is now sitting on the ground. "I didn't realized that she actually got through to you... But besides that... I don't know what to do now... All my life, I lived up to Charming Gold's side and expectations. His words convinced me that the world is our enemy and we can only trust eachother... I thought Rema and the others were just like me... Lost souls who's just searching for a place to call home... But it turns out they were just abducted and turned into slaves by Charming Gold... Now... I'm lost of what to do next..."

"You can always choose to go back to the tribe you know? Who knows..?"

"I can't go back... I don't have any choices left. I'm stranded, Yuu...I don't know where to go or what to do... I... I no longer have a path..."

Yuu stared at Hanabi silently before letting out a quick chuckle as he turned his back around.

"There's always a choice, Hanabi Hattori... You just never had the guts to make the right one..." Hanabi's eyes slowly widened from Yuu's response. She was unsure of how to react but deep down, his words felt like it resonated with her. "So change... Okay? Changing is inevitable"

Yuu placed his hands inside the pocket of his jacket and walked away.

"Where are you going...?" Hanabi asked.

"Making the right choice... With my friends" And with that, Yuu jumped down from the High Ground and entered the portal where as Hanabi was left speechless on the platform. She stared at her four-fingered hands for a few second before clenching her fist. Looking as if she had decided something that could change her future.