SPECIAL STAR

Weeks passed within Robo Mall, nestled deep within the forest, while Stella convalesced in the daycare. Barbra paid her regular visits, and during one of these encounters, Stella confided in her. Stella affirmed her will to continue living and said that she was surprise that her actions had inspired so many. It was at this moment that Rex entered the room, proclaiming Stella as the Captain of the Berry combat team.

Emerging from the room, Stella was met with warm congratulations from Agustin and many others. Grateful for her recovery, Stella acknowledged that she had battled her inner demons and commended Barbra for her pivotal role in the process. Stella then noticed Nhia among the well-wishers and embraced him. Xai also greeted Stella, informing her of his role as the resource manager in the mall and their plans for collaboration.

They ventured out of the daycare area, where the mall's walls seemed to be magically shifting and repairing themselves. Stella expressed her gratitude to Nhia for saving her, but she sensed that something was amiss. She inquired about it, and Nhia revealed his lingering concern for his girlfriend, vowing to find her at any cost. With that, Nhia abruptly departed to his room. Alone in his quarters, Nhia gazed at a radio box on the table, took a deep breath, and switched it on, hoping to hear his girlfriend's voice once more, no matter how faint or distant.

Xai and Stella rendezvous with Michael, and Xai reveals that Michael will also be joining the combat team. He commends Michael's determination to change himself, Michael openly admits to his past cowardice and expresses his desire for redemption. With rigorous training, he hopes to become a valuable ally. Stella smiles warmly at Michael, offering words of encouragement and advising him to stay determined. Meanwhile, Rune pays a visit to the Dojo area of the mall, where he finds Simbad training a young boy and girl, named Jean and Kayla, whom Simbad had rescued during the initial outbreak. Rune exchanges greetings with them and observes as Simbad continues their training.

In a separate part of the mall in her room, Mai is engrossed in reviewing footage of the outbreak. She notices instances where she miraculously survived, but upon closer examination, she comes to a startling realization – her newfound powers are not entirely her own. As she zooms in on the screen, a shadowy figure becomes visible, appearing to come to her rescue. Later that night, Will ventures into the forest to scout the area. Through his rifle scope, he spots Cameda, now a zombie, commanding other police zombies. Will takes a deep breath, readying himself for what lies ahead.

A year passed, bringing us to the present moment. In Mai's room, Mai and Ezzy lay side by side. Ezzy expressed amazement at how long it had taken Mai to complete the origins of Old Berry Town. Mai agreed, acknowledging that they had been preoccupied with rigorous training and the ongoing task of clearing the town of zombies.

Ezzy rose from her resting position and stretched her arms. She decided that her story wouldn't be as lengthy as Mai's, opting for a more concise version. Ezzy began recounting her childhood, revealing that she was born into a wealthy family and had a passion for parkour, which she had learned from experts. She also mentioned that she and Mikey had started their parkour training at the same time, under the guidance of a renowned parkour instructor whom she had admired.

Mai, taken aback, expressed her astonishment that Ezzy knew the famous Mikey. Intrigued, Mai asked if Ezzy wanted to learn how Mikey had become one of their insiders among the Riders. Although interrupted mid-story, Ezzy responded with a yawn and agreed to hear more about Mikey's involvement, despite her initial intentions to keep her own tale brief.

Mai continued, explaining that after several more conversations with Michael following the outbreak, they made a decision to embark on a mission to find the last known whereabouts of Mikey. Their search was extensive, and they eventually encountered the Riders, although their initial interactions were far from friendly. However, Mai and Michael managed to discreetly attach Mai's new invention, a tiny bug-like camera, to one of the Riders.

This diminutive camera roamed the Rider ship, providing valuable insights, including locating Mikey. Initially, Mikey attempted to destroy the bug-like camera, but eventually, Mai succeeded in conveying a message, leading to an ongoing exchange of information. Mai then revealed the small bug-like camera to Ezzy, who was taken aback by the surprising turn of events.

Ezzy rose to her feet and stretched her waist, expressing her impatience with Mai's interjections of side stories. She demanded that Mai allow her to continue her own narrative. Recognizing her oversight, Mai retrieved a pen and paper and began jotting down Ezzy's story.

Ezzy then resumed her tale, detailing her lack of connections with other family members, such as cousins or grandparents. She emphasized that her parents were the only family she had ever known. Despite her affluent upbringing, Ezzy often escaped her privileged life to explore Old Berry Town with her parkour team. She recounted her affection for the much older parkour instructor, whom she deeply admired. One rainy night, he called her, mentioning that he was near her residence on the island.

Ezzy recounted warning him about her strict parents, but their love was too strong to deter them from speaking. Their conversation, however, abruptly ended, as if he had been kidnapped mid-discourse. Ezzy confronted her maids and parents, seeking information about her lover's whereabouts, but no one had any answers. Despite her exhaustive search on the island surrounding her mansion, she found no trace of him. The incident prompted her to run away even more and spend more time with Mikey.

Together, they embarked on a quest to locate their teacher. Sneaking onto the island, they gained access through a secret passage into the mansion. Inside, they discovered a hidden room filled with various items and books. This room served as Ezzy's refuge when she needed to escape her parents. They spent the night there, but when Ezzy awoke, Mikey had vanished without a trace. Confused and frantic, Ezzy searched for him but found no sign of his whereabouts.

Ezzy proceeded to describe how she ventured into forbidden place, deep into the underground basement, determined to uncover the truth. She recounted reaching the end of a tunnel, where barred doors evoked memories of her childhood. Her parents had warned her never to venture to the other side, as it held a closely guarded family secret. Despite being an obedient child who typically acquiesced to her parents' wishes, she was now determined to go to great lengths to find her friend and lover.

With resolve, Ezzy began kicking the barred door, ultimately breaking through it, surprised by her own strength. She descended a flight of stairs, finding herself in a storage area filled with tanks containing red liquids. Proceeding through another door, she discovered a series of cells. To her shock, she saw numerous prisoners, including her lover and Mikey, confined together in a cell.

The sight of her emaciated lover left Ezzy devastated, realizing that he appeared drained and weakened. She pieced together the grisly truth - the red containers from the previous room held blood, which explained her lover's condition. However, before she could react, Mikey urgently warned her to be cautious. Ezzy turned around, only to be struck and knocked unconscious by one of the mansion's staff.

Ezzy went on to describe how she woke up in a room with her parents after regaining consciousness. She demanded answers from them, but her parents struggled to provide a clear response. Her father tried to rationalize their actions, stating that while everything may seem dire, they had no other choice. In her desperation, Ezzy raised her voice, prompting her mother's attempts to soothe her.

Unable to contain her turmoil, Ezzy sprinted out of the room, broke through a window, and escaped the island. She revisited all the places she and her parkour team had explored in Old Berry Town. Unable to return home, she contemplated going to the police station to inform the new sheriff, Cameda, of everything. However, upon her arrival, Cameda was absent, and that was when the outbreak occurred.

Ezzy managed to escape the police station and sought refuge on the rooftops, leaping from one building to another. Eventually, she found herself back on the island, where she encountered a colossal ship, leading her to meet the Riders. She navigated the island's forest and entered the hidden passage, spying on the situation in the mansion through small openings. As the Mansion has been overtaken by the Riders.

There, she witnessed Volk assaulting her father, a sight that filled her with mixed emotions and confusion. Memories of her lover and friend held captive tempered her urge to intervene. As Volk continued to beat her father, the Riders informed him of zombies emerging from the basement. Ezzy watched helplessly as her father, in his final moments, apologized to his wife and daughter. She observed Volk taking her father's life but couldn't bring herself to fight, understanding that her parents were also implicated in wrongdoing.

Overwhelmed and conflicted about the state of the world, Ezzy concealed herself in her hidden room for a week, surviving on the meager provisions stored there. Eventually, she mustered the courage to escape and narrowly eluded danger. That's when she encountered Adam and his group. With a final yawn, Ezzy concluded her story, prompting Mai to finish transcribing it. Ezzy questioned why Mai hadn't recorded her story instead, to which Mai explained it was a childhood habit, as she had always enjoyed writing personal narratives rather than recording them.

The following day, Mai paid a visit to Michael, who was in the electric power house in Old Berry Town. She opened the door and found Michael absorbing lightning. He halted his activities and turned to face her. Mai expressed her gratitude to Michael for his substantial contributions to clearing the town of zombies. Michael, still deeply in love with her, bowed in response. Mai chuckled, remarking that she had not anticipated such a transformation in Michael since their first meeting. She mentioned that when Xai had told her Michael was willing to change, she hadn't expected such a physical transformation.

A hint of a blush colored Michael's cheeks as he admitted that he hadn't had the opportunity to ask Mai about this since he had been preoccupied with harnessing his new powers. Curiosity prompted him to inquire about the nature of his existence. Mai clarified that Michael was distinct from A-Star zombies, explaining that he had managed to retain both his human and zombie aspects, essentially making him a half-human, half-zombie hybrid. Michael then pondered if he might also be a Special Star like Adam.

Mai shook her head, denying that he was a Special Star, as Adam still faced attacks from zombies, whereas Michael did not, unless it was an encounter with an A-Star. So considering everything, Mai labels him as the first H-zombie(Half zombie). Michael nodded, comprehending the distinction. He then expressed another matter he wished to discuss, ready to confess his love and hoping that his newfound powers would make Mai fall for him even more deeply.

However, before he could proceed, Mai interrupted him, informing him that Xai had already shared everything with her. She cautioned Michael against uttering any reckless words and reminded him not to forget about her curse. Just as Mai was about to depart, Michael insisted that she accept his gift. He presented her with a small rubber-like lightning bolt and elaborated that, should she ever find herself in danger, all she had to do is press down firmly on the lightning bolt, and he would come to her aid with lightning speed. Mai expressed her gratitude and accepted the gift with thanks. Mai then leaves the power house, leaving Michael feeling disheartened.

Mai piloted her car to the location where Stella and her team were engaged in clearing out zombies. Upon her arrival, she waved at them, and they reciprocated with friendly waves of their own. A sense of contentment washed over Mai as she observed the town-clearing efforts making substantial headway. As Mai made her way back to Robo Mall, she encountered Duke, Jean, and Kayla relaxing in a nearby park. Concerned for their safety outside the mall, Mai exited her car and reminded them of the importance of having a combat guardian accompany them. Kayla playfully argued that Jean served as their combat guardian, showcasing his sword skills with overconfidence. Their banter led to laughter among the group.

Duke then brought up a sensitive topic, inquiring about when they would rescue his mother, Megan. Mai's expression shifted noticeably, and she assured him that they would save her mother soon. Duke expressed his frustration, recalling that they had said the same thing last year. Mai apologized but explained that they were not yet prepared to confront the Riders in a full-scale war. Duke shared his longing for his mother but also expressed gratitude for his friends, Jean and Kayla. Mai reminded them to return to Robo Mall and received a call from Xai. After the brief conversation, she headed back to the mall. Kayla suggested they return, but Jean and Duke decided to stay, continuing to play in the playground.

Upon reaching Robo Mall, Mai met up with Xai and Frank, who had brought a truck filled with food supplies. Xai greeted Frank with enthusiasm, and the two exchanged a special handshake. Mai was impressed by the abundance of food that Frank had acquired and expressed her gratitude with a bow. Frank, in turn, reciprocated the gesture and mentioned that Chef Spice would prepare something special with the new supplies. While helping Frank bandage a small wound on his elbow, Mai noticed a drop of blood. Frank assured her that it was just a minor injury and that there was no need to worry.

Mai responded with a smile, acknowledging that Frank often pushed himself too hard, considering he was just an ordinary man compared to the magical beings around them. Frank returned the smile and affirmed his commitment to working even harder, ensuring that no one would go hungry. He emphasized that, despite his perceived weakness, he would always prove himself worthy and useful to everyone. Mai smiled warmly, reflecting on the countless times Frank had come to her aid in the past.

Shortly afterward, Mai began reviewing the footage of Frank's expedition in Radiant City. She marveled at how vigorously he had fought against hordes of zombies and how he had managed to fill the trunk with food supplies. The footage showed Frank navigating through the city and getting trapped by swarming zombies. He then fled and set up a camp nearby, enduring days without food or water as he waited for a chance to retrieve the supplies.

Mai watched intently as Frank celebrated upon returning to the trunk, only to be confronted by an A-Star zombie. This creature surprised a frog-like zombie that appeared deformed from its previous encounter with Adam a year ago. The footage continued to reveal Frank's nimble dodging and evasive maneuvers to escape the tongue attacks of the A-Star zombie. He was pursued relentlessly for an entire day until he reached his old gas station.

There, Frank opened the basement door to encounter his zombified brother, who possessed drill-like arms. The Frog zombie managed to break through the roof using its elongated tongue. Frank hid as his brother confronted the intruder, armed with drill-like appendages. Swiftly and decisively, Frank's brother drove his drill into the heart of the Frog zombie. Frank applauded his brother's actions with a smile. The Frog zombie eventually leaped away, and Frank, driven by determination, decided to follow it.

Frank stepped forward and swiftly dispatched the Frog Zombie, taking aim and firing a one-handed shotgun blast directly into its head, effectively ending its threat. He celebrated his triumph with exuberant energy before returning to the trunk and making his way back to Old Berry Town.

Observing Frank's unwavering determination and commitment to being useful in even the direst of circumstances, Mai couldn't help but smile. She recognized Frank's admirable qualities and started to develop feelings for him based on his character. However, she promptly suppressed these emotions, fully aware of the curse that bound her.