One Certain Magical Punch Volume 2

by SoulAzul

Touma Kamijou, your typical everyday high schooler. Saitama, aka Caped Baldy, super hero for fun. Underwhelming on the surface. Yet, beneath their exterior lies the power to prevent tragidies with one fist. These two unsung heroes once again find their paths crossing in order to combat the mysterious TROLL that threatens both their personal sanctuaries in this exciting sequel!

1. Prologue

The rapid tapping of a keyboard filled a dark room. The only lighting available were the LED screens from several old looking computers. Well, old relative to the rest of the world. This mysterious room was located within one of the darkest treads of Academy City. A city 30 years ahead of the world in scientific advancement.

With a populace consisted of 80% students, it was also home to the Esper Development Curriculum. It was a city wide school program dedicated to the development of psychic abilities in its young inhabitants. Depending on the range and versatility of the power, students are ranked from Levels 1 through 5. Such abilities could range from pretty much anything from pyrokinesis to vector manipulation. Through drugs, hypnosis, or even luck, one could bend the natural elements of the world to suit their own personal realities.

A city full of adolescent freaks with military grade powers of destruction. Naturally, due to the incongruous nature of man, this would do nothing to satiate the innate desire for conflict and conquer. The existence of such abilities only aided in the simultaneous struggle for supremacy every great nation faced. Yes, this was a city where science had such an omnipresent impact on society that it was indistinguishable from the fairy tales and magic of old age.

And yet, there remained outliers. Cogs thrown into the machine, rejects of society, or even otherwise underwhelming people thrown into extraordinary circumstances. People who simply refused to go with the flow of the world set up for them. At the center of this shounen manga premise stood one boy. One boy with the mysterious right hand that would dispel any supernatural ability, science or magic, with a single touch.

Several windows appeared and disappeared on the wide screen at the center in lightning fast intervals. It wasn't because of a maintenance program. That was simply the speed and efficiency that young man with the glasses operated under. Several plastic bags of unhealthy cheddar snacks were sprawled around his desk. He reached out and grabbed one near his foot.

Upon realizing it was empty, he groaned, squeezed it, and tossed it overhead. He looked around only to find more bags littered around his desk and chair. He pressed his right hand against the desk and ran it across then leant over and did the same on the space next to his foot. He gave up his search and picked up an empty bag next to his drive. He arched his head back, opened his mouth, and dangled the bag above him so that the remaining fragments and dust would fall out.

All the while, the tapping of the keyboard never stopped. The pace didn't slow down either, not one click. Then the screen made an odd sound. A final window appeared. Within it were some very peculiar phrases.

They sounded like something you may find in an action sci-fi video game. The same could be said about the other windows. He skimmed over the screen without any enthusiasm.

Misaka Mikoto.

Index Librorum Prohibitorum.

The Roman Catholic Church.

The English Puritan Church.

Tsukiyomi Kamoi.

Necessarius.

Stiyl Magnus.

Kaori Kanzaki.

Saints.

Esper Development Curriculum.

Personal Reality.

AIM Diffusion Fields.

RSPK Syndrome.

Deep Blood.

Himegami Aisa.

Aureolus Izzard.

Project 6 Shift.

Accelerator.

The Misaka Network.

Angel Fall.

Archangel Gabriel.

Tsuchimikado Motoharu.

Last Order.

Amai Ao.

Etzali.

Aztec Magic.

Yamisaka Ouma.

Imaginary Numbers District - Five Element Agency.

Hyouka Kazakiri.

Sherry Cromwell.

Lola Stuart.

Orsola Aquinas.

Agnese Sanctis.

The Amakusa Church.

Tatemiya Saiji.

Tree Diagram Remnants.

Kuroko Shirai.

Awaki Musujime.

The Daihasei Festival.

Croce di Pietro.

Orianna Thompson.

Lidvia Lorenzetti.

Sogiita Gunha.

La Regina del Mare Adriatico.

Biagio Busoni.

Ollerus.

Amata Kihara.

God's Right Seat.

Vento of the Front.

Skill-Out Uprising.

Komaba Ritoku.

Hamazura Shiage.

Document of Constantine.

Terra of the Left.

BLOCK.

ITEM.

GROUP.

MEMBER.

SCHOOL.

Aqua of the Back.

The British Royal Family.

Queen Elizard.

First Princess Riméa.

Second Princess Carissa.

Third Princess Villain.

The Knights of England.

Knight Leader.

Curtanna Original.

DRAGON.

Aiwass.

Fiamma of the Right.

Takitsubo Rikou.

Misaka Worst.

British Halloween aka World War 3.

Freshmen.

Dawn-Colored Sunlight.

Leivinia Birdway.

Mark Space.

Project Dark May.

Kuroyoru Umidori.

Hawaii Invasion.

Saronia A. Irivika.

Baggage City.

Kihara Byouri.

Kihara Enshuu.

Kihara Kagun.

Marian Slingeneyer.

Ichihanaranasai Festival

Thor.

GREMLIN.

Magic God Othinus.

Agitate Halation.

Yakumi Hasano.

Magic Gods.

Archetype Controller.

…

… …

… … ...

The nerdy college aged man sat up and stretched his arms and back for a few seconds.

"Hrrnnnnnnngnh…!"

He let his arms drop to his sides and they swung limply like a pair of fleshy pendulums. He put weight on his feet and was about to stand up, but a few soft and plump kilograms abruptly pinned down his lap.

"Ommff?"

In a daze, he arched his head down. The tip of his nose just barely made contact with that of a grinning purple haired, pig tailed, violet eyed midget with fishnet stockings, a purple two piece skirt, and dark purple leather boots going up to her thighs.

"All done with your homework, Onii-Chan?" she said innocently.

"Get the hell off my lap you fucking useless loli."

The faux jailbait fem-fatale puffed her cheeks and scowled.

"No bully."

"Sighhhhhh."

A cadenceless trail of footsteps grew closer and the nerdy boy dejectedly turned his head. A gruff, delinquent type was the first to speak.

"Akushi, dude," he said as swung his head side to side to crack his neck. "This room's a dump. How can you think straight with all this shit everywhere?"

"It actually helps with the creative process."

"Don't tell me you're buying into that too." He pointed behind himself to a figure about four heads shorter than him with his left thumb. "Jazz told me the same thing on the way up. I'm no scientist but I think y'all just lazy as fuck."

Jazz responded with a silky feminine voice.

"It's backed by science," it said. "And you had all that time to look it up on our way here. There's no excuse for doubt in the age of information and Wi-Fi hotspots."

"Look, I don't care how smart you two are. Laziness is still laziness and y'all are some of the biggest slobs I know. One day, you're gonna slip on a cum soaked napkin or something and you're gonna bust your nose like a retard because you didn't feel like getting your act together when you had the chance."

An arm wrapped around Yoga's shoulder from the right. The all too familiar sensation made every hair on his back stand up.

"Come now, Yoga-chan," a nonchalantly seductive man said. "Get the stick out your ass and leave the thinking to the ones who are good at it, m'kay?"

"Frbehajababhahabahababha-! Get your hands off me, Danjo!"

"Oh my? On a first name basis already? Did I unlock the relationship level where we get the private cutscene they can't show in-game?"

"Just because I got a boner one time when I walked in on you changing doesn't mean like guys!"

"That's gay as fuck but ooo~kaaaa~yyy~."

"Square up bitch."

"Heyheyhey," Akushi said. "Can you guys do me a solid and shut your dirty Satan worshipping mouths up? I've been awake for like 18 hours and I've got a throbbing headache."

"I can give you a throbbing 'head pat' if that's what you need Onii-Chan."

"Go fuck your mother. So, uhh...Why did I call you guys here again…?"

"Seriously?!" shouted the one called Yoga but Danjo perched his index finger on his lips to shut him up.

"Hey now. It's 4 AM. There's no need for that unless you're getting that ass tapped. In which case, scream away." His finger was swatted away as he turned to the nerdy man sitting down. "But that just begs the question."

"Because," a low baritone said. "It's about that time."

"What?" said Yoga. "Speak up Renji."

"Oh... right," said Akushi as he picked up his travel sized associate by the armpits and set her down at his left He slowly stood up and turned to his colleagues with a tired smile. He walked past Yoga. "You should do something about that posture. It'll catch up one day."

"Fuck off."

"You of all people," said Renji, uncharacteristically outspoken. "Have no right to criticize."

With no detectable emotion on his face, the tired young man slightly shifted his head and glanced at his peer for a few moments. Seconds later, he shot him a heartfelt smile and chuckled.

"I'll take that as a compliment," he said. "From the Noble Demon of Academy City's under belly."

Renji stoically stared back for a few seconds then looked to the side.

Continuing where he left off, Akushi walked past Danjo and patted him on the shoulder.

"And your assistance was very much appreciated Miyazawa-kun, however despondent I've been."

"Happy to be of service," the flamboyant man responded jubilantly.

Akushi finally stopped in front of Jazz. Standing, three heads taller, he looked down at the purple haired, feminine looking munchkin.

"But once again," he said. "I cannot stress enough my gratitude for the young Jazz. Without you, none of this could have happened." He patted them on the head. "Good job kiddo. Papa's proud. But I should have expected as much from a member of the most distinguished-"

But the young Jazz stepped back.

"...You're not my father…" they mumbled.

"Ooooffff course not. Anyway," Akushi walked over to edge of the cramped room. "The gang's all here. I'm assuming you all brought your 'books'?"

"Buddy," Yoga said turning slightly to the side. "You see these backpacks on our backs, right?"

"I suppose I do…" Akushi yawned.

"Anyway…Oina, come." The midget jubilantly skipped over to her caller's side.

"Coming papa~~" she said.

"Wait," said Yoga. "Let me get some eatums."

"Seriously?" said Danjo. "You fucking freeloader."

"Baby's gotta eat."

"Ugh…"

"Meh," said Akushi. "Why not. In fact, let's all take a trip. My treat."

Minutes later, Danjo looked utterly defeated. "Now when you said "Let's take a trip,"," he said. "I didn't think you meant to your dusty ass fridge…"

Yoga held a donut towards him but Danjo waved his hand and smiled.

"More for me," he said as he pillaged the fridge of mostly condiments and sugar.

The dirty ass kitchen was dirty as fuck. Conveniently, it was only lit by the open refrigerator. Meaning I don't gotta say shit about what it looks like.

Flies buzzed around here and there. As she stood on his feet held up by his hands, Oino arced her head up to her sensei.

"How come I didn't get a head pat?" she asked with a pout.

And with a most sincere smile, he said...

"Because you were born by accident."

"Waaaaaahh~~~"

Jazz observed from the counter slightly disturbed.

"... You two need medical help," they said.

Akushi responded without looking back.

"Look who's talking…"

He trailed off. His head bobbed in a few directions and turned towards the fridge.

"Come on, Yoga. We don't have time for you to cook a meal. Hurry up so we can leave. And turn the gas off. That's a serious safety hazard."

With dried toast in his mouth and several plastic bags of donuts in his arms, Yoga turned around.

"Hmf?" he "said."

Acting as a translator, Danjo spoke up.

"Yoga says he was at the fridge the whole time and I can attest."

"Hmm," said Jazz. "And me and Renji were at the exit the entire time. Perhaps you simply left it on and forgot about it?"

"This is literally my third time in here," said Akushi. "And I haven't been here all day."

The humming of flies filled the room for what seemed to be hours. The hooded Renji broke the silence as he walked over to the stove. Slowly, cautiously, he extended his arm towards the gas switch. However, something peculiar came to his attention. The black translucent window on the stove's door was filled with what appeared to be several napkins.

He flicked the switch off and grabbed the handle. While stepping back, he slowly pulled down the door. And then... All over the interior. Several of them overlapped with each other but a strange symbol was the only other thing consistently visible.

"What's this…?" said Danjo as he leaned towards the stove. "Are those...playing cards?"

"Okay," said Yoga as he returned to the refrigerator. "I'm confiscating all your beer and you can't stop me."

At the center of the oven was a smart phone. Renji slowly picked it up observed it. With his thumb, he held down the power button. Even though the screen was still black, it became lit, adding a whole new corner of light. However, instead of being greeted by a typical welcoming jingle, the screen remained black for longer than usual.

"Wait," said Jazz. "Wait, wait... I've seen those before…" The androgynous adolescent turned around. "Akushi…!"

Despite Oino squeezing his lower thigh and looming sense of dread caving in on him, Akushi still managed to smile.

"Heh…" he chuckled. "Heh, heh, heh…Guys…"

With the smell of gas strongly penetrating the room and the sound of flies filling the air, all of the college boy's peers turned to him with uncertainty written across their faces. The phone's screen finally showed something else. But it was only one item. A message written in white text. "B-) 3 T.M." At the same time, Akushi broke out in a cold sweat.

And with a most sincere smile, he said…

"...We fucked up…"

Renji must have caught on too because he dropped the phone and tackled Jazz onto the floor. However, that could not save him or the others from the hellish explosion that splashed upon them.

On a rooftop far from the burning abandoned apartment, the blonde, sunglasses wearing Tsuchimikado Motoharu held a smart phone with a static filled screen. He dropped it and then aggressively stomped on it. With a single hand, he pushed a pair of binoculars to his eyes and titlef his sunglasses up to his forehead. He saw the pitiful building engulfed in what appeared to be a skinny giant made of flames from a tenth story window up. An inconsistent torso spilled out from it and slowly spread up and down, which melted the framework as easily as a block of cheese thrown in a microwave.

Tsuchimikado stuffed the binoculars in the inner pocket of his black school uniform.

"Well," he casually said with a smile. "That takes care of that."

Next to him, a two meter tall, red haired boy with a barcode tattooed under his right eye reached inside the interior pocket of his black cloak. He pulled pulled out a pack of cigarettes.

"Just leave Innocentius on standby for a few more minutes and then we'll call it a night, Styl."

With his right index and middle finger, Styl Magnus stuck a cigarette in his mouth. He held a lighter close to it with the other. He hid it behind his palm and tried several times to light a fuse to no avail.

"You don't have to tell me twice," he said. "Innocentius is more than enough to decimate a few hacks who think they're top shit. No man can withstand its awesome might of 3000 degrees Celsius."

"Ohhh, I wouldn't be so sure."

Styl finally lit a fuse.

"Shut your face," he bitterly said.

A curvaceous, beautiful young woman who wore a vest with the jean jacket missing the right sleeve and a pair of jeans missing the left pant leg cut off up to her hip spoke up. Despite being tied in a bun, her black hair still ran down to her upper thighs.

"I might not be entirely versed in these matters," she said. "But I do believe that it would take proficient skill in order to extract the kind of information they gathered." .

"Well," Tsuchimikado said while reaching into his other pocket to pull out a walkie talkie. "You're not wrong. Most servers can't trace the origins of overlay network because of the abundance of networks layered on top of each other. But this is Academy City: the forefront of science. They didn't get this far only to be beaten by some schmuck who thinks they're Edward Snowden."

"Still," said a blonde haired, blue eyed, brown suited English man. "One would assume a resident of said city would know better than anyone the frivolity of undergoing this kind of mission. The Board of Directors, I assume, would stop at nothing to protect their secrets from potential threats. And that would be short of poisoning the water supply of a major country just to take attention away from themselves. Even without the outside help, Academy City is a top competitor for the weapon's market and has the armed forces of Anti-Skill and the esper powered Judgement. So...what on Earth possessed these young adults to take on such a Herculean task?"

Tsuchimikado spoke into a palm sized walkie talkie held in front of his mouth. He held down a button on the side with his thumb.

*BZZZSHHT!*

"Prepare for liftoff, lickity split. Over."

*BZZZSHHT!*

A girl nearing high school replied in a monotone.

*BZZZSHHT!*

"'Confirmed,' says Misaka dutifully. Misaka and the Misaka Brigade will maintain stationary for five more minutes before performing a routine sweep of the perimeter. 'Over,' says Misaka, always wanting to say that…"

With a concerned brow, Tsuchimikado arced his neck towards the sky.

"What was the point of using code if she was just going to bluntly say our plans?"

Kanzaki spoke into a pink turned off flip phone.

"Tatemiya. As soon as Innocentius disperses, motion Orwill to spray the area. Then lead the Amakusas on a manual search.

"Per your command," a man replied through the inert phone. "Most esteemed Priestess."

Kanzaki dropped her arm and sighed. Next, what seemed to be a blonde elementary school girl wearing a white gothic chic outfit spoke up.

"Age has nothing to do with it, but it's precisely the young that feel most tempted to prove themselves through outlandish displays of confidence, as a certain spiky haired teen aged dork can attest to. However, if you look down on someone for stupid reasons such as age or social standing, then you'll surely be defeated by a power you yourself have yet to prepare for. That being said, Knight Leader, allow me to offer a counter point. Judging by the fact that they acquired such top secret information weeks before detection, they're obviously far from the ordinary. It isn't necessary that to be stronger than your opponent defeat them. Rather you just have to be competent enough to compete. That is where you can begin to make bargains for victory.

"Paradoxically, at some point or another, they must have been made aware that they were under surveillance, and that's a definite according to the files they read I'm guessing. Academy City would undoubtedly have some sort of, I don't know, massive surveillance system operating at all hours of the day, at the bare minimum in order to add to their status as the leaders in the science industry. And Academy City residents aren't allowed to leave unless given permission by some authority. So it was a given that they were being monitored both physically and virtually. The amount of advanced weaponry, highly trained soldiers, living weapons, and even tactical minds in this have you ever considered that maybe they undertook such a dangerous mission because it falls under their skill set?

"These aren't your typical street thugs or one note movie villains. These individuals were collectively powerful enough to bargain with the leaders of the science side on their own. If you look at this cockeyed, you're going to put the entire eastern hemisphere in jeopardy."

"What about the west?" asked Tsuchimikado.

"Please, you lame surfer boy. We're not so weak that we need some egotistical nerds to coddle us. And we'd never let someone hijack our cookies."

In the distance, several explosions went off at various intervals, destroying windows and random sections of poor Abandoned Apartment-chan. They must have been ovens, radiators and the like. The group was showed in an orange light for several seconds but didn't seemed phases by the free light show.

"Vortex," Tsuchimikado said with a stoic face. "Which led to the Abicus incident a few weeks ago, which we still haven't recovered from."

"..."

"You honestly didn't know that, did you? Gee, for someone so sure of themselves, you got a knack for missing out on important details. That's gonna bite you in that flat ass one of these days."

Tsuchimikado chained his fingers behind his head and rested it against his palms. "And boy, he sure does hate arrogant people. Especially the ones who think they can say whatever they want. I can picture it now. 'Stop living your life wrong dumbass, I will shatter that illusion! Teriyaaaaahhh~~!' Ungf!"

Tsuchimikado was assaulted on the back of the skull by the tiny fist of the well dressed little girl.

"Friendly reminder," she said with a rightfully confident smile. "Some say I am every bit as powerful as a Saint. Give the word and I can send you flying towards the East Sea at mach speeds."

"You should be careful Birdway. I'm a sucker for the abusive types and I know you're saving yourself for a certain-blarrrrgh."

At the same time, Leivinia Birdway and Kanzaki dropped their fists atop of Tsuchmikado's swelled head. He fell back with a thud.

"That's enough," said Knight Leader. "This isn't playground time at the day center. And I'm not your babysitter Mark Space. This is a covert ops mission and a joint venture between a select few of the magic and science sides. Should word ever spread that top secret information was leaked, riots could break out across the city."

In the distance, the giant humanoid flame Innocentius closed its four eyes and slowly began to kneel so to speak. At the same time, it shrunk. The roaring of the sporadic flames got lower with every passing second. The already crummy abandoned apartment looked bumpy, distorted and discolored in several places much like an toy on the business end of a magnifying glass on a sadistic summer day. A stream of water spiraled above the apartment and shot into the origin of the first explosion.

One would think it was to cool the building from the 3000 degree Celsius bath it just took, but it was actually to make the bioelectronic scan easier for the Misakas since water is a conductor for electricity.

*BZZZSHHT!*

"'The Misakas will now begin the bioelectric scan across the designated perimeter,' says Misaka."

"Not only that," said Tsuchimikado as he rubbed the top of his head. "The scale of things could flood the security systems and spread Anti-Skill and Judgement so thin that we'd be left open to attack or exploitation from anybody seeking to profit off of or take control of the city's assets in its dwindling state. Hell, I can think of five nations that'd love to repeat another Hiroshima or Nagasaki just bring the world to a level of management that they could handle, like you blimey Brits and your lousy tea nyaah~~. It'd be a civil war inviting an invasion for a threesome with global domination and even nuclear warfare just to spice things up. But despite this being mostly a science side issue, you can't relax either, can you?"

"Of course not young man. This isn't just a science side issue. The ramifications of the decisions behind these neanderthals could irrevocably…"

Without warning, a lavender ish white light blinded the group. They all reflexively cried and shielded their eyes except for Tsuchimikado who pushed his sunglasses against his face. After the light died, he turned to face Birdway.

"And you said I was lame," he as he brought the walkie talkie back to his mouth.

*BZZZSHHT!*

"Ahem...what the fuck was that?"

*BZZZSHHT!* *BZZZSHHT!*

"'It would appear to be some sort of lavender ish white light,' says Misaka making a most astute observation."

*BZZZSHHT!*

"Did you get that from the No Shit Sherlock Shop? I meant what is it really."

*BZZZSHHT!*

"'Does Misaka sound like mother fucking Albert Einstein to you?' asks Misaka, disliking the pressure to know things she cannot possibly kno-"

The bright light made a comeback, shining stronger than before. This time Tsuchimikado was forced to cover his eyes as well. At the same time he felt a familiar sensation. It was an immense pressure, almost as if the gravity was suddenly increased a few gs.

"What on Earth was that?!" cried Kanzaki.

"Your cue," said Tsuchimikado as he pulled out a handgun. "Gear up and roll out."

Knight Leader extended right hand and what looked like a swarm of red clay crawled across his arm and formed a scaly sword. Kanzaki picked up Styl and held him bridal style and leapt several meters diagonally. At some point, a flower shaped wand appeared in Leivinia's hand and she pursued Kanzaki. Knight Leader tucked Tsuchimikado in his under his arm and carried him like luggage. He landed on top of the charred and jagged building and ran towards the edge before halting.

He looked down to search for the most advantageous spot to land in case of a fight.

"...What the hell?" he whispered.

Tsuchimikado's eyes bulged behind his shades.

"It's gotta be a joke," he said. "This has to be some sort of sick joke…"

No less than ten seconds had past since Knight Leader landed. And yet. All over the pavement below, several bodies were sprawled all over the street and sidewalks. Knights, casually dressed teenagers, a middle aged spiky haired man in oversized clothes, and brown haired octuplets slept soundly on the cold pavement. Even the group just ahead of Tsuchimikado and Knight Leader were susceptible to this new sleeping bug, including the mighty William Orwell. Liters of blood and variously colored chunky fluids diverged from the heads of every single body.

And in the center of them all was a radiating lavender silhouette. It was shaped like a man but very skinny and tall, towering over Styl by about five heads. It had two triangular wings spanning about three meters. It appeared to be looking down onto its victims, basking in the moment of its overwhelming victory. But the moment after Knight Leader spoke, it turned its head towards their direction. Its white rectangular pixel eyes stared at them menacingly.

"Ug…!" Knight Leader hopped back several meters and released Tsuchimikado, who rolled across from him. Before the latter could even stand up, the "man" had floated atop the edge of the jagged apartment. Tsuchimikado and Knight Leader aimed their weapons at the "man" but it didn't do anything. It just floated in place, menacingly. Without delay, Tsuchimikado fired several rounds aimed at the target's head, sending rocking in several directions.

It slowly turned faced forward, revealing glowing holes in its face.

"So," the blonde teenager said with a smile. "Looks like he's not immune to a simple firearm."

"Indeed," said Knight Leader. "I can only imagine how he'd fare against my not so ordinary arms."

"Don't do puns."

"Fuck off, that was clever."

He swung his arm towards the floor, however it was sliced several times. A block of hardened concrete floated in front of him for about a second. Then, he held his sword with the flat end facing forward and swung it hard. With a loud thud, the slab of rock darted towards the lavender "man". Surprisingly, it spun its body at the last second.

But the concrete still penetrated part of its upper right shoulder and the side of its cheek. With the sound of glass shattering, a portion of its chest was obliterated along with its shoulder. It continued to spin in place as Knight Leader closed the gap between them in less than a second. Right before approaching it, he leapt and held his sword back. With blistering speed and precision, he effortlessly sliced through its left wing and towards the exposed neck.

Knight Leader gilded right the "man" and towards the building opposite. And he smashed into the edge of it face first, falling twelve stories towards the sidewalk. A loud thud made Tsuchimikado flinch. The young man couldn't even move. He was simply too baffled. He just stared at the spinning lavender silhouette with his eyes wide and his lips parted.

"What...the...fuck?" he said, asking the right kinds of questions. The purple "man" finally slowly stopped spinning. When it finally stopped, it faced Tsuchimikado with its head unnaturally titled down, as if its neck had to stretch to compensate. It slowly raised its head to eye its next prey.

"...I'm out."

Tsuchimikado squatted down in preparation to jump. However, he found his legs locked in place.

"The hell…?" he whispered as the world tilted diagonally. His chin slammed against the jagged pavement and a sharp pain shot up to his temple. In the fall, he pinned his left arm from the elbow facing up, bending his arm in the wrong direction with a painful crack. His right arm slammed against the floor, sending his gun bouncing just out of reach. All thoughts came to a halt. None of his self preservation instincts came into play. He just laid there like a toy carelessly discarded by a bored child. And the "child" was closing in on him. His vision grew hazy and he released a bloody cough and vomited. All he could do was watch as the purple "man" leisurely made his way. And in his failing vision, he saw something. It was an all to familiar site. Even in the most scientifically advanced city in the world, it should not have been possible. At least, not at this point in time. Something that shouldn't have existed spun around in that purple "man's" broken skull. And in a purple light, all of its wounds were healed. He could have reached his gun if he crawled, but instead with his only useful arm Tsuchimikado struggled to push himself onto his back. He exhaled several times. The lingering taste of iron and his liquified dinner along with the burning sensation of his lips made it hard for him to breathe, let alone talk. Despite this, he practically dragged his arm to the inside of his vest and pulled out the walkie talkie. With his thumb, he flicked the switch on its side to change the frequency. He exhaled and forced the incoming barf as tears slid down his cheek.

*BZZZSHHT!*

"Hey... Einstein," he choked out.

"P...plan...B…"

*BZZZSHHT!*

After that his arm went limp. It dropped and the walkie talkie slid away. A lavender light filled his vision. That thing had finally arrived. But despite the circumstances, Tsuchimikado smiled with all his heart. .

"Clench those teeth, l-lavender-nyan." That thing slowly knelt down, revealing two white eyes. "Your entire w-world is...about to shatter…"

And then, he saw something else. It was the absolute last thing he would have ever wanted to see. His eyes were forced open as he was thrown into a world of white.

A few flies still swarmed the destroyed apartment room. Or more specifically, they flew into it. A few flew around the unconscious bodies scattered on the pavement. Several loitered around Tsuchimikado's still body.

In a mountainous area, Akushi held a cellphone with multiple screens of the scene from several angles. He pressed the power button with his thumb and stuffed it into his pocket. He turned to his colleagues.

"Well shit," he said. "Looks like we're terrorists boys."

"Domestic terrorists technically," said Jazz.

"Chiiii~yah," said Yoga. "Let's skip town and change our names just like they do in the movies! Steal a getaway car and hit the road while getting into whacky and relatable hijinks until we realize that friendship is the real adventure!"

"Oooh, oooh!" said Danjo. "Can I do disguises? Too late, already called it."

"As if anybody else would have," said Renji from afar.

Oino squeezed Akushi's leg.

"I'm getting coooooold," she said puffing her cheeks and cutely frowning.

"Welp," said Akushi. "Ya shoulda brought a jacket ya stupid fucking bitch."

"HaaaaAAAAAAAA-"

"I'll deliver on that get away car though. Jazz, get out the keys."

From their pocket, Jazz pulled out an eight ball styled cube and pressed a few buttons on a side. They set it on the grass and stepped back. A rift opened up above it, leading to what appeared to be just another part of the city. But upon closer inspection, it was very low tech. Relatively speaking.

The group stepped into the wormhole one at a time. When they arrived, they were overwhelmed by how primitive this area was. Their gazes were ones of astonish and awe. Akushi took a deep breath and exhaled with accomplishment.

"Well gang," he said with a content grin. "Welcome to Z-City."

In the ruins of the abandoned apartment, the computer somehow survived, if barely. The monitor was bent several areas and the bottom right hand corner was in completely chipped off, discoloring a portion of the screen. However, it flickered. It gritted its teeth as it fought a clearly losing battle. A spark followed by a loud crackle came from the right hand corner. There was a window that was dragged part way to that corner.

The bottom was mostly missing, but the name of the window was clearly legible. The screen inconsistently blinked a more few times. Some flies surrounded the text. Like criminal masterminds, they rubbed the tips of their front legs together as they stood above the name.

And as clear as day, it said:

Kamijou Touma.

Then the screen faded into black.

In another time, in another place. The ruins of a once great...a once okay city casually dressed the landscape. There were random indistinguishable organs and splattered blood here and there but there was total stillness. No life, no sound. Just the ambience of desolation. It looked like the aftermath of a terrible tornado.

The sound of a massive building crumbling echoed across the city for miles. Followed by the howling of lightning. On one side of the city, a middle school girl with short brown hair, a beige blazer, and a gray skirt heavily panted. It didn't help that her brown dress shoes didn't provide the necessary foot support for running. But just about every part of her body, even down her black socks, was covered in red and purple scraps and gashes.

She jogged around the corner of a long empty business building, she stopped and groaned. She fell to the wall on her left and squeezed her lower abdomen, but that did nothing to stop the bleeding or the pain. She writhed while sweat spilled down her forehead. Despite this, the sound of something being ripped from the ground caught her attention. She swung her head around and saw an unrooted tree flying in a straight line at some 40 kilometers per hour.

The middle school girl whipped her right arm diagonally and a thick line of electricity altered its course. The upper half of tree was lit and spun several times as it crashed into another building. Blue sparks crackled around her bangs. She noticed a dark spot on the ground about three feet in front of her. Her pupils dilated for a moment and she swung her head up.

*FWISH!* *FWISH!* *FWISH!*

Several cars that were dyed a teal light dropped from the sky like meteors. All around her, they crashed into the street and lit the scene in an orange display of fireworks. Yet by the time the smoke cleared, she was already just over 700 meters away, wrapped in the arms of a petite pigtailed girl who wore the same uniform. They both panted for a few seconds but the next moment, they disappeared from sight before a billboard destroyed the top of the building they previously stood.

The girls teleported from apartment to street light to evade their predator. However, as soon as they stepped on top of a telephone pole, it suddenly rose, which sent the two in tailspin towards the sidewalk three meters below. As short haired one hugged her friend tightly with her right arm, she swung her left at the brick apartment in front of her. Blue sparks protruded from it and dragged it. She put a foot out to cushion the impact and bent her leg as she magnetically stuck to the wall.

She noticed an even larger shadow casted over her so she looked up. The bright blue sky and the brilliant sun were not covered by clouds. Instead, several cars, fragmented buildings, restaurant signs, and any and every piece of the city scenery dangled several miles overhead them, covered in a teal hue. She could barely make it out, but in the center was a tiny body in crucifix like position that immited the same color.

It swung an arm and launched a red car at speed so fast, it caused a shockwave. The school girls teleported to another building in front of them, then several meters into the air at a diagonal angle. They teleported to another rooftop and continued to move forward in random directions. During one interval, Short Hair cupped a silver game token between her thumb and index finger. She aimed her arm at the sky and flicked the coin.

Sparks surrounded her person as the worthless currency was engulfed in an orange light and propelled and five times the speed of sound. It ripped through the air and penetrated an orange sports car next to the short teal figure. It turned to the side and let out a light gasp before being surrounded by a black and orange cloud. That first explosion set off a chain reaction as every other car that floated nearby also exploded. In a fantastic and loud displayed, the sky roared several times with a nearby skyscraper caught in the crossfire.

The dynamic duo continued their irregular path.

"Kuroko," said Short Hair. "We can't keep this up. We're both at the end of our ropes. We have to regroup with the others and work out some sort of strategy."

"That's a negative Sissy," Kuroko replied. "They have their own battles to attend to. And if you of all people ended up this badly injured, bringing that monster over to them will surely end badly for all of us. We'd be lucky if-"

A car crashed just a few meters away from Kuroko and her aly. The shockwave from the explosion undid their grip and the two spun through the air in opposite directions. Kuroko landed somewhere covered by a thick cloud of dust. Her tiny body slammed against the street face first, which raised her lower abdomen and legs and put her in a shape similar to a scorpion's stinger in attack mode. She slid about two feet against the scratchy street and her knees hit the ground with a crack.

Despite that, through sheer will power, she steadily pushed herself up and used a nearby street light to help herself stand. She opened her mouth to scream but stopped herself. Instead Kuroko turned around and imagined the direction where her friend was launched.

*FWISH!* *FWISH!* *FWISH!*

She teleported to where she visualized where her dear friend landed and her eyes desperately darted in their sockets. Then finally, about 180 meters away, she spotted those familiar brown bangs slowly pushing herself up. Kuroko teleported once but upon the second interval between her second jump, she hear the shattering of stone from afar. She looked over to her right and saw the top of some sort of business building blown to bits. In the next interval, she noticed a massive skyscraper with a pointy tip raised into the air. She shifted her focus back to her struggling friend.

(A smokescreen?!) she thought.

Anticipating what to come, her heartbeat raised tenfold. With every jump, she teleported to the upper limits of her range. And just when she was within reach of her dear friend, she suddenly stopped. Something seemingly pulled her to the ground and she fell on her cheek.

"What the…?" she whispered to herself. She got up on her right foot but her left leg seemed to be stuck in place. "...No...nonononononononono…" As she repeated her chant, she turned around as much as she didn't want. She wanted desperately for it to not be true but that was simply beyond her power. From the ankle down, her foot was stuck inside the street.

She found herself unable to think properly. She tugged on her leg with both arms as the tears poured down her cheeks. Her nails dug so deep into her slender thigh, it bled a little. Once more she looked back at her dear friend. And at the same time, she returned the glance.

"Sissy!" Kuroko yelled.

She did not reply to the nickname she had affectionately accepted. All she did was smile. It was the sort of wholesome smile you gave someone who's done you many a favor and always stood by your side. It was the sort of smile you gave a dear friend you'd never see again.

The skyscraper parted the dust clouds.

Words were not needed.

With her face alone, the short haired girl said…

"...Thank you. For everything."

With a lump in her throat, Kuroko futility reached out her right hand, and blocked her own vision.

"MISAKAAAAAAA-"

But despite her cries, her friend disappeared in gray fog of destruction.

The roar of the explosion lasted about thirty seconds, but to Kuroko Shirai, lasted an eternity. Her hand went limp and fell.

"...No...nononono." Her voice cracked as she she fell to her palms. Her head hung low in utter defeat. "Nonononononononoooooooooo..."