RISE OF X-SHOCKER
Part 11: Bold and Beautiful
-Early April 1987-
Shinichi and Rena were looking at the bulletin boards, looking for clubs to join. It was after the freshman orientation.
"Hey, there's a good one," said Rena, pointing to a flyer for the Photography Club. "It looks right up your alley."
"Guess I could check it out," said Shinichi.
WHAP!
"Itai!" Shinichi cried out as he stumbled forward. He turned around and grumbled, "Oi…"
"Ohayo!" Mion greeted, grinning from ear-to-ear. "Whasup, freshman?"
"May I remind you, Mion that you're a freshman too?" Shinichi spoke up. Mion had taken a year off before entering college after graduating from school. She wanted to enter college at the same time as Keiichi.
"Even if we are in the same year, Shin-chan, I still outrank you!" Mion declared, pointing at him dramatically. "I will always be President of the Hinamizawa Gaming Club!"
"It's useless to argue with her, Shinichi. You know that," advised Keiichi.
"Hey, I heard you two were shacking up together," said Mion. Rena and Shinichi blushed.
"Mii-chan, that sounds so indecent!" Rena replied.
"Doesn't make it any less true. Can't believe you were able to convince your parents to let you live together," Mion said, amazed. "OK, I understand Shiori-san since she'd like more material for her next book and all."
Shinichi rolled her eyes. Actually, his mother did have a hand in it. She was able to persuade Rena's father to let them live in an apartment together. It wasn't too far from campus. It was a two-bedroom apartment, but they were only going to be using one since they were sharing a bed.
"That just means our parents trust us, Mion," Shinichi retorted. Mion looked over his shoulder at the notice board and scoffed. "What?"
"So, you're looking to join a club, huh?" Mion put a hand to her chest. "Well, don't look anywhere else! I'm going to start a new chapter of the Gaming Club right here!"
Shinichi shivered a bit. He really didn't want to end up paying another penalty for losing the game. Sure, the girls looked good and he had insane luck at games, but when he or the other boys lost, it just wasn't fun anymore.
"You'll need to make it official first," Shinichi argued.
"Just you wait. Right after summer, the Gaming Club will be an official organization right here in Shishibone University!"
"Can't wait to see that." Still, as humiliating as the penalties were, playing games with close friends was still very much enjoyable. It was the only time he really felt normal among his peers, plus it was relaxing.
"Well, see ya!" Mion waved, grabbing Keiichi. "Kei-chan and I got class. See ya two lovebirds later!" She then dragged her boyfriend off.
"You and Mii-chan seem very close," Rena observed. Truthfully, Shinichi and Mion were really good friends, best friends in fact.
"That's because Mion's my Bro!" Shinichi told him. Rena blinked, confused.
"Your 'Bro'?"
"Yeah, my Bro!"
"But she's a girl."
"No rules against girls being Bros."
"But then what about Keiichi-kun?" Rena asked. "Isn't he your Bro?"
"Keiichi's my Bro's Bro, which makes him a Bro in association but not my Bro, you know?"
Rena wasn't sure what to reply to that, so she just nodded.
"As for Satoshi, well he's like my Bro, but not a close Bro like Mion," he continued his explanation. "Let's put him in the category of 'Sub-Bro'."
"Sub-Bro?"
"Yeah, because I've known Keiichi and Mion way longer, so Satoshi's a Sub-Bro."
Rena decided to just stop him there. "Shouldn't you go and see if the Photography Club wants new members?" she asked. "You don't want to be late, right?"
"Oh, right!" Shinichi kissed her on the cheek. "Love you!" He then dashed off.
"A girl can be a Bro?" she asked herself. Rena then shrugged before heading off to class.
-Present Day-
Shinichi and GL-Alan were walking in the hallway. The Rider was dressed in a black leather double-breasted jacket with blue jeans and black boots. GL-Alan was dressed in a black t-shirt with a green jacket thrown over it, blue jeans and white tennis shoes.
The Green Lantern was glowering. "You know I have to kill you, right?" he said, glaring at Shinichi.
Shinichi replied, "Alan, it was an accident."
"Then I'll just accidentally kill you."
"Still upset, huh?"
"You turned me into a baby! A freakin baby!" he hissed.
"Sorry," Shinichi sincerely apologized. "Don't know how that happened. But at least now you're back to normal."
GL-Alan didn't want to remember how he'd changed back just as Lala was putting a diaper on him. That had to be humiliating. They even had pictures.
"And on the plus side, at least you know your girls can raise a child when given the chance," Shinichi added.
"I just want to forget the whole thing," GL-Alan pleaded, shaking his head. There was little chance of that happening because little did GL-Alan know, Shinichi managed to get some pictures from Lala. They were really cute and could be embarrassing from the young Green Lantern Corpsman and if GL-Alan ever found out…Shinichi hoped he didn't find out.
"Well, here it is. The Photography Club," Shinichi pointed to the door which was labeled 'Photography Club'. "I'll have to warn you, they're an interesting bunch."
"How so?" GL Alan asked.
-Early April 1987-
"Hello, sir. Are you thinking of joining the club?" a girl asked shyly. She had short dark blue hair with a beret on top of her head and light blue eyes. She wore a white sweater with a blue skirt that came down to just above her knees and wore black knee socks along with brown shoes.
"Yep, you guessed it," Shinichi said, smiling a bit "By the way, there's no need to call me 'sir'. The name's Shinji Banabara, but my friends call me Shinichi." He extended his hand in greeting.
"Nice to meet you, Banabara-san. My name is Fujiko Yadorigi," Fujiko said, shaking his hand.
"Just call me Shinichi. I mean, we're gonna be friends, right?" he said, smiling. She blushed a bit. He had such a charming smile.
"Shinji Banabara," a voice spoke, making both Shinichi and Fujiko turn to see a beady-eyed guy with black hair looking leering at Shinji suspiciously. "You wouldn't be the same Shinji Banabara that disappeared years ago but was miraculously discovered in the village of Hinamizawa by any chance, would you?" This made Fujiko look at Shinichi with a surprised expression.
Shinichi narrowed his eyes. "What if I am?"
"In case you are, I have but one question," the odd beady-eyed man said. He asked, "Was it aliens that had a hand in your disappearance or a secret government organization?"
"... Huh?" Shinichi blinked, confused. He suspected the guy to be some sort of spy, but that question just threw him out of the loop.
A girl got behind the beady-eyed guy and thwacked him on the back of the head with a book, knocking him down. "You have to excuse Araki, he a paranoid conspiracy nut," the girl said. She had her long red hair tied up in a ponytail and her eyes were green. She had the accent of someone who came from Osaka. Her clothing comprised of a single-piece green dress with a skirt that came down to mid-thigh with short elbow-length sleeves. She also wore a sleeveless vest with boots. She reminded Shinichi of Mion, only with red hair.
"Okay," Shinichi said, a bit disturbed as the girl extended her hand.
"My name is Ootori Hisamaki, the President of this club and we welcome anybody who wants to be part of this club. We will also not pry into your past until we know you better" As she smiled, she shot a small glare to Araki as he slowly got up.
"Sounds reasonable enough," Shinichi said with a smile as he shook her hand.
"HEY PREZ!" a guy shouted as he rushed into the room holding some photos. He had short black hair in a slicked back pompadour style, wearing a blue jacket over an orange t-shirt and blue jeans. "I got some hot pics you got to see! They're front page stuff!"
"Keima, for the last time, we are the PHOTOGRAPHY Club, NOT the Newspaper Club," Ootori replied, annoyed.
"Come on, Prez! I mean we could sell these to the Newspaper Club! They're a gold mine!"
Shinichi took a moment to glimpse at the photos Keima's hand. His eyes widened when he saw that they were pictures of him and the NEO-NUMBERS in Rider form. "How did you get these?" Shinichi asked.
"Oh, I've been collecting them for awhile now," Keima admitted. "By the way, I'm Keima Shiraishi. So, you're the new member?"
"I'm gonna be, I hope. Oh, and the name's Shinichi Banabara."
"You didn't realize he was taking pictures?" GL-Alan questioned, surprised.
"We were a little busy at the time," Shinichi replied defensively. "Anyway, I wouldn't be surprised if Keima had any pictures of you. He seems to have wicked luck with that."
Sure enough when they entered the room, Keima was grinning like a maniac holding some pictures. Most of them depicted GL-Alan's fight with the Big Spider Lizard. Though, one showed Showa in Higurashi form rushing to combat the giant threat as well.
"Hehehe! It was a good thing I was close to the amusement park to get these," Keima chuckled happily.
GL-Alan blinked in surprise as Shinichi just turn to him stating, "Told you so."
"Hey, Shin!" Ootori greeted. "What's up?"
"Oh, same old. Same old," Shinichi replied. "Just came to use the dark room to develop some new photos."
"Say, who's your friend?" the President of the Photography Club inquired.
"He's a friend of mine visiting from the US," Shinichi introduced. "Alan Smith."
"Nice to meet you," GL-Alan greeted back, shaking hands with Ootori. He then sensed a pair of eyes staring at him and turned to see Araki. "What?"
Araki just stared at him for several more seconds before turning his attention back towards a book he was reading on conspiracy theories. GL-Alan cocked an eyebrow.
"Don't mind him," excused Ootori. "Araki's always been weird. You should see his photos."
"I'll take your word for it." GL-Alan then noticed a poster on the wall advertising for the next Campus Beauty Contest. "Hey, what's that?"
"Oh, that's just the annual Shishibone University Campus Beauty Contest," Ootori answered. "It's actually open to the public, as long as you're at least 18 years old."
"To be honest, you could win, Prez," Keima complimented.
"Suck up!" she scoffed.
"No, he's right," Shinichi agreed. "You've got the right proportions, and so does Fujiko-chan!"
"M-m-me?" the shy girl stammered.
"Hey, you're a cute girl," Shinichi complimented her. "Ask anybody who knows." Fujiko just blushed further.
"Don't let Rena hear you say that," GL-Alan warned. "She might get jealous."
"Say, where is that cute girlfriend of yours?" asked Ootori, grinning. Shinichi grimaced when he saw that grin, recalling the first time Rena had come over to the Photography Club room
It was one week after Shinichi joined the Photography Club. He managed to impress the members with his pictures. One of them was a picture of Hinamizawa during a sunset, taken from the overlook which allowed people to see the entire village.
There was a knock at the door and Shinichi opened it up. "Oh, Rena."
"I brought your lunch over," she said, smiling. "You forgot to take it with you."
"Oh, thanks," said Shinichi as he took his lunch box. He then turned to see Ootori wearing a Cheshire Cat grin.
"What a beautiful girl," Ootori said as she studied Rena's face. "You must be pretty lucky Shin. I'm surprised such a cute girl likes you enough to bring you lunch."
'What's that supposed to mean?' Shinichi thought in annoyance.
"So tell me, do you and Shin live together?" Ootori innocently asked.
Shinichi was making hand gestures and shaking his head in Rena, hoping she got the message to say 'no'. Unfortunately, Rena didn't see so she answered innocently, "Yes, I do."
"Ahh, that's so sweet," Ootori said as Shinichi slapped his forehead. He could already tell that she going to tease him about this for a long while.
"She's got class," Shinichi answered. "If you'll excuse me, I got some photos to develop. Alan, make yourself at home." He then entered the dark room.
GL-Alan once again felt eyes staring at the back of his head and turned to see Araki staring at him again. Was he going to keep doing that?
"Excuse me, Smith-san," spoke Fujiko. "How do you know Shinichi-san?"
"It's a long story," he answered.
"That armband you're wearing," Araki finally spoke, referring to Bazel. "It looks like the Bracelet of Bazel."
GL-Alan eyed him suspiciously, then he remembered what Shinichi had told him. Araki was some sort of conspiracy theorist. "Got it at the gift shop," GL-Alan answered simply, not wanting to get into deeper detail.
Araka spared GL-Alan another glance before returning to his book.
"If it makes you feel any better," spoke Keima. "He creeps us all out."
Dr. Hasuma reported, "It appears that Shinichi seems has discovered a new ability. After his mother and adopted sister were kidnapped by the android known as Spider Ninja, he was able to find their location by hacking into Spider Ninja's brain. All he did was place his hand upon Spider Ninja's head. I believe this is a sort of technopathic ability and if GL-Alan hadn't stopped him, he would've discovered more, such as the location of X-SHOCKER's headquarters."
"Technopathy, huh?" Warren nodded. "OK."
"I don't believe that this ability has anything to do with his cybernetic implants nor his genetic enhancements," Dr. Hasuma added. "They were simply performance enhancers meant to make him faster, stronger, smarter and more agile. His reflexes and senses were also enhanced by what happened to him. He doesn't have any genetic enhancements that would've given him abilities like technopathy. His time manipulation abilities weren't even given to him by Gebok but the cybernetics implants given to him allows him to control those abilities. I think that before Shinichi was taken and turned into a Kaizo Ningen, he was a meta-human."
"A sound theory. Go on."
"I believe that his abilities are hereditary and that he inherited from someone, possibly from one of his parents. It's possibly from the sperm donor since Shiori Banabara used artificial insemination."
"So, what will you do now?" asked Warren.
"Until I get more information, nothing yet. I'll simply observe until he manifests more abilities," Dr. Hasuma finished. He saluted, "Good day, Director-san." He turned to leave when Warren spoke again.
"You know, you should come over to visit this weekend. The kids miss you. They want to see their Uncle Ryuki."
Dr. Hasuma looked over his shoulder and answered, "I'll think about it, Director-san."
"Hey, this is an order, Ryuki."
Dr. Hasuma smiled, amused. "Hai, Director."
All the girls were sitting with GL-Alan in their living room. Baby Alan was sitting on the table, being fussed over by Lala and Bishie, both of whom absolutely adored the baby version of their future lover. He was then left with his future self by his parents, who needed to take his adopted brother Harry to see Dr. Ryuki Hasuma for a checkup. Conda was simply sitting there and sipping tea, casting a glance towards the baby, who was laughing from all the attention he was getting. Yami and Amora were sitting on opposite sides of GL-Alan, sending sideways glares at each other. GL-Alan let out a sigh. He was used to it. Out of all the girls, Yami and Amora were the most antagonistic to each other. Both wanted the Green Lantern to themselves, and on occasion they would fight over him. This would lead to Bishie unleashing her Lust Dust attack, resulting in a very amazing, and exhausting, night for the young Smith.
"So, apparently Shinichi's college is having a beauty contest," said GL-Alan, hoping to break the tension between the two girls sitting next to him.
"Oh! I wanna do it!" chirped Bishie.
"Sorry Bishie, but only girls over 18 can enter…" A second after saying that, GL-Alan regretted it.
"Alright!" shouted Amora. "Yami! I challenge you to the beauty contest! Whoever wins get's Alan for a full 24 hours!"
"Don't I get a say in this?" asked GL-Alan, but Yami was already glaring at Amora.
"You're on," said Yami.
"Guess not…" moaned GL-Alan.
"Just give up," mocked Conda, head thrown back with a laugh. "You have no chance against yours truly!"
"We'll see about that, snake girl!" Amora shot back.
"Just don't cheat with magic." Conda added, addressing Yami, "That goes for you too, assassin girl."
Yami gave her a smile, accepting her challenge, "I doubt I would need to use my powers to win."
GL-Alan had a feeling that the beauty contest would be an interesting one.
Meanwhile, at his part-time job, Shinichi was receiving some surprising news from his boss, the owner of Topper's Pawnshop, Topper Liquer himself.
"Eh?" Shinichi was surprised as he was cleaning the display cases. "You're one of the sponsors for the contest, Boss?"
"That's right, Shinichi my boy," answered Topper. "I thought it would be good for business. I also have this feeling that this beauty contest will be very interesting. Very interesting indeed."
Shinichi cocked his eyebrow then shrugged. "Well, if you say so, Boss. If you say so."
"Hm, I'm in the mood for a spot of tea, actually," said Topper. "Shinichi, would you mind?"
"Hai, Boss." Shinichi stopped cleaning and went to make some tea.
Topper went back to appraising their new goods. He smirked. The pawn shop business was indeed a lucrative one. People just simply couldn't wait to get rid of their junk and get something out of it. Topper also enjoyed how he could purchase, trade and sell items according to the customer's wishes. He was after all a merchant. It was in his nature.
He looked to the door. He wondered what else he would be giving or taking. Nothing came for free. There was always a price. Always.
The Observers were overseeing the events while drinking tea.
"Hm, a beauty contest, huh?" smirked Lambdadelta. "Ne, Bern, why don't you join?"
"It'd be unfair," said Bernkanstel reasonably.
"Ladies, remember why you're all here," Lord Amakusa spoke seriously. "The game?"
"Ah, yes. Let's see what BLACK 13 will do now," said Lambdadelta.
"Oh, and speaking of him, it would appear that our dear Doctor Hasuma is about to find out a secret," said Lord Amakusa, staring at Balance Guardian Warren.
Shinichi returned home, exhausted. With a yawn, he opened the door. Rena was waiting for him with dinner ready. "Ah, Rena-chan. Konbanwa. Sorry if I kept you waiting."
She smiled at him, "It's OK. I was waiting for you to come back. I wanted to have dinner with you."
Shinichi looked to the clock. It was 10 pm. He frowned. "Dinner must be cold, then."
"I'll warm it up," she told him. "Oh, this came in the mail for you." She handed an envelope to him. He opened it and took out the letter inside. "Well?"
Shinichi grinned, "Guess who's gonna be one of the judges for the beauty contest?"
Letters had already been sent out to the chosen judges while students and anyone interested registered. The contest was open to any female between the ages of 18 and 24. They didn't have to be students. The contest also had several events in it. The first event was mainly an introduction and greeting by the contestants, followed by a cosplay event, then the talent event and finally the swimsuit event. A lot of men, and some women, looked forward to the final event.
The Next Day…
"Eh, you're a judge too, Mion?" Shinichi asked, surprised. He'd been having lunch with Rena when Mion came over to snatch up some of the food from his bento. She could've just gone and bought lunch at the student café, but Rena's cooking was delicious.
"Yeah, I sure am!" Mion answered, popping a breaded friend shrimp which she'd purloined from Shinichi's bento into her mouth. "I just got the letter in the mail. Guess they picked people at random to add some spice into the contest with all the different judges. "Personally, I feel they chose me because I've got great judging skills."
Shinichi remarked, "They sure didn't pick you for your modesty." In a flash, his bento was snatched out of his hands. "Hey, that's my lunch!" Mion stuck her tongue out at him before dashing off. "Get back here!" He gave chase.
Rena giggled. Those two were such good friends.
"Gimme back my lunch, Mion!"
"You gotta catch me first, Shin-chan!"
Keiichi moaned in disappointment, "How come I didn't get picked?" When Mion got the letter, he was happy for her. He was at his locker. When he opened it, an envelope fell out. He went and picked it up and opened it up. Reading the contents, he smirked. "OK, I guess I can live with not being a judge!"
The judges had to keep their identities a secret until the day of the pageant. Girls registering needed to provide a picture along with their entry forms. After the closing date, all the collected forms would be looked over by the judges. There were three of them and they met in secret in the back room of Topper's Pawn Shop.
"So, all we have to do is to pick 30 girls out of all these?" Mion questioned. There was a mountain of entry forms on the table in front of them. The third judge was none other than Topper Liquer himself.
"Pretty much, Mion," said Shinichi. "Thanks Boss, for letting us use the shop for this."
"Think nothing of it, Shinichi," said Topper. He offered, "Coffee, anyone?"
"Considering that it's going to be a long night, lay it on me,' Mion accepted the offer. The top hat wearing man filled a cup for her and then a cup for Shinichi.
"Hey, do you think these girls wrote down their real measurements?" Shinichi questioned as he looked at each form, one by one.
"Do they ever?" Mion snorted. "Say, did Rena want to enter?"
"I managed to convince her not to enter," Shinichi told his female 'Bro'. "It would be unfair with two of us judging, not to mention that I do not want horny men drooling all over her."
"Yeah, she'd cause a lot of nosebleeds for being cute in a swimsuit," Mion commented.
"Did Shion want to enter?" Shinichi asked.
"What do you think?" Mion was holding up Shion's entry form and then she put it in a shredder. Shinichi gawked at her. "What?"
"You just shredded your sister's entry form," Shinichi pointed out.
"If I didn't, then boys would be having wet dreams about her. I mean, you'd put her on the stage just so you could take pictures," she stated.
Shinichi shrugged. He wouldn't deny it. Shion was beautiful and sexy, not to mention looked hot in a swimsuit. Mion had good reason not to let her twin sister enter.
"My, my, my, such lovely ladies," Topper admired. "I just can't decide."
"Well, we better. We have to tell the organizers who we've chosen so they can send out letters," said Mion.
Shinichi wordlessly agreed as he looked at all the entry forms. The girls didn't send in a small headshot. A few even sent pictures of themselves in swimsuits just to let the judges know how worthy they were. There was a picture of a girl with pink hair in a one piece swimsuit that was decorated by colorful butterflies. She looked oddly familiar to Shinichi, but he just couldn't remember where he'd seen her.
Shinichi finally made it home at around 2 am. When he opened the door, he saw Rena asleep on the couch. Again, she'd been waiting for him. Sighing, he took off his shoes and slipped on the house slippers before settling himself on the couch. She looked so cute while asleep. He just couldn't resist so he went and kissed her deeply on the lips.
Rena began to respond as she stirred in her sleep. He deepened the kiss, pushing his tongue between her lips and teeth. Rena's eyes shot open before relaxing as she recognized the sensation.
Shinichi pushed her over so she lay across the couch with him on top. "Didn't I tell you not to wait up?" he asked.
"Sorry," she apologized. "I couldn't help it." He nuzzled her neck and she sighed. "I prepared supper for you. It's a little cold, though."
"Actually, you've just served me supper and it's very hot," he growled, his indigo eyes staring at her blue ones. She blinked and then realized what he meant when he started to unbutton her blouse. "Shin…Shin-kun…"
"I just spent the last few hours looking at pictures of pretty girls, some in very little clothing. I'm turned on, I'm horny, and I want release. So, Rena-chan, do you mind…" He pulled her blouse open to reveal the blue lace bra she was wearing. Licking his lips, he started to rain kisses all over her face, neck and exposed body. She just lay there, relishing the feeling of him showering her with his love.
It was the day of the Beauty Contest and several days earlier, letters had been sent to notify the girls who'd qualified for it. The contest was taking place in the auditorium and qualifying 30 were all backstage with their numbered badges pinned onto them. They had prepared themselves for this.
The audience began to fill the seats. Up front between the spectator seats and the stage was the judges' table where Shinichi, Mion and Topper sat. The contest's MC was none other than the Magician of Words himself, Keiichi Maebara.
"Did you know about this?" Shinichi asked Mion. She simply shrugged while shaking her head. "Well, at least this makes up for when he wasn't able to become the judge."
"Ladies and gentleman!" Keiichi spoke into his microphone. "Thank you for attending the Shishibone University Beauty Contest 1987! I'm your host and master of ceremonies, Keiichi Maebara! I am also known by my friends as the Magician of Words due to my gift of gab!" He was wearing a suit for the role and he looked really smart in it. "Now, without further ado, let's get this show on the road!"
One by one the girls were introduced. Keiichi introduced them by name, their contestant number, age, height and measurements. The girls also made an impression as they smiled at the audience. This was mainly the appeal stage, as in how good they looked on stage. Among the contestants were Asmodeus, Amora, Conda and Yami. A pink-haired girl winked at the crowd and blew kisses, causing the men to erupt in loud cheers.
"I guess we made no mistake about our choices," said Shinichi, smiling.
"Alright, boys and girls. Now that you've been introduced to the girls, let me introduce our three judges!" Keiichi announced. "First we have Mion Sonozaki! Then we have our very own Shinichi Banabara! Finally we have Topper Liquer who just happens to be one of the sponsors for this contest!"
"Shin-kun!" Rena cheered loudly. Satoshi, Shion, Satoko, Hanyuu, Rika and Shiori came to watch the contest. GL-Alan and the rest of the girls were also in attendance. The only members of the NEO-NUMBERS who showed up were Shogo and Yokoshima. Asmodeus' sisters were also in the audience.
Michiru and Hana couldn't attend because they had classes at nursing school. Daichi just wasn't interested and he was apprenticing under Dr. Hasuma to be a veterinarian. Chiaki was also at ARMOR for some reason.
"Now then," Keiichi began again. "Even though these 30 girls made it to the qualifying round, we have another round set up that will cut the numbers down to one-third of what you see right now. That's right, ladies and gents! We have the Cosplay Round next! Our 30 beautiful contestants will put on costumes and the judges will then give them scores! The ten girls with the highest scores will move on to the next round! The Cosplay Round will start in half an hour, so please be patient!"
"I have a feeling I know what Amora, Conda and Yami are gonna wear," thought GL-Alan aloud.
"Why am I here?" Chiaki asked worriedly. He was strapped to a chair. "And why am I in these straps?"
"It's so you don't try to run off," answered Takada. "Now, let the experiment begin." He opened up a box which held the Orbs of Courage, Wisdom and Power inside.
"What are you doing with those?" Chiaki asked.
Takada picked up the Orb of Wisdom and explained, "After both Shinichi and Daichi swallowed the Orb of Courage and the Orb of Power respectively, they gained access to new forms and powers due to the orbs' energies. Now, I just want to see if it'll work on you."
Chiaki's eyes widened. Prof. Takada was going to make him swallow the Orb of Wisdom! "Do you have permission to do this?"
"I kinda asked Warren if I could borrow the Orbs for a study," Takada answered. "Now, open wide."
Chiaki clamped his mouth shut. Takada frowned but then broke into a grin. He pinched Chiaki's nose. "You gotta breathe sooner or later!"
That was when Dr. Hasuma and Daichi decided to come in. Dr. Hasuma had been giving Daichi some practical veterinary training at the King's Terminal Zoo. "Takada-hakase, cease and desist!" Dr. Hasuma ordered.
"Oh, Ryuki!" Takada looked up at the entrance of the lab, smiling. "You're just in time to see history in the making!"
Dr. Hasuma rolled his eyes and with a single gesture yanked the Orb of Wisdom out of their resident mad scientist's hands with his telekinesis. He did the same with the box and pulled it into his grasp, putting the Orb of Wisdom inside before closing it and locking it. Takada frowned.
"Director-san has warned you about experimenting on members of ARMOR without their consent," Dr. Hasuma reminded. "Daichi, please release Chiaki."
"OK, Doc. Hasuma!" Daichi obeyed. He went and helped his fellow Kaizo Ningen out of his bindings by undoing the buckles on the straps. "What are these things made of anyway?"
"Oh, it's an unbreakable strap I made for personal reasons," said Takada. Something told Dr. Hasuma that he didn't want to know the details considering his friend's nature.
"Daichi, take a break. Go to the cafeteria with Chiaki. I need to have a word with Prof. Takada," Dr. Hasuma ordered. Daichi nodded before he and Chiaki exited the lab.
Dr. Hasuma approached Takada with a serious expression on his face. Takada gulped. He never thought he'd ever be scared of Ryuki like he was now.
Dr. Hasuma stopped with his face several inches away from Takada's. He fixed his narrowed green eyes upon Takada's. Takada gulped.
"I need to borrow your computer," Dr. Hasuma requested. "You don't mind, do you?" Takada's eyes went wide and his skin paled as a dragon manifested around Dr. Hasuma. It glared at him and snarled with flames spewing out of its nostrils.
"Sure! No problem!" Takada replied. The dragon faded away as Dr. Hasuma smiled. "Can I ask why?"
"I just want to confirm something," said Dr. Hasuma as he sat down in front of the computer and began typing on the keyboard. Takada looked over his shoulder. "This is private, Takada-hakase." The dragon manifested once more.
"Gotcha!" Takada jumped back. 'Man, he must've been learning from Ichijyo.' Takada then left the lab.
Dr. Hasuma began to access ARMOR's DNA records. The database and archives held a record of the DNA signature of every ARMOR member. He clicked on Shinichi's name and it showed next to his picture his DNA signature. He then typed in a command. He was requesting a match for Shinichi's DNA signature.
Shinichi was a meta-human before being converted into a Kaizo Ningen. Meta-human abilities were sometimes hereditary. Shiori was human as was her late husband, Shotaro Banabara. Dr. Hasuma knew that Shiori had used artificial insemination in order to conceive Shinichi. He was looking for the identity of Shinichi's biological father, the unnamed donor.
Dr. Hasuma wasn't 100 percent sure that Shinichi's biological father was even a member of ARMOR, but he had a hunch since they did have a lot of meta-humans as members. He was just following his gut instincts as a doctor.
Children would share some similarities in their DNA signatures with their parents so it was through this database that Dr. Hasuma would get some answers.
A name appeared and Dr. Hasuma's eyes widened. "So, that's it. Now it makes perfect sense."
The audience applauded one of the contestants who was dressed as Catwoman. After receiving her score, she exited the stage.
"OK, next we have the beautiful Asmo-chan!" announced Keiichi.
The lights went out and all of a sudden in a flash of gold Asmodeus appeared in her Stakes of Purgatory uniform with a flourish and bow. The spotlight shone on her. Smiling at the crowd, she spotted her boyfriend and blew him a kiss.
"YEAH!" Yokoshima cheered. "THAT'S MY GIRL!"
"What an entrance, ladies and gents!" spoke Keiichi. "Judges, your scores, if you please?" The three judges raised their score cards.
Shinichi: 10
Mion: 9
Topper: 9
Asmodeus giggled. That wasn't so bad. Giving another wink and blowing another kiss to the audience, she stepped off stage.
A few girls later, Keiichi announced. "Alright, and here we have the lovely Conda-chan!"
Conda strutted onto stage. She was dressed in a black cheongsam dress with slits so high that they revealed both her legs in all their glory. The dress was so tight that her curves were anything but hidden. There was a diamond cut out in front to reveal her cleavage. The cheongsam was decorated by a gold snake which wrapped around her like a constrictor.
"Is that a whip?" Keiichi asked himself as he saw said whip in her hand.
CRACK!
She put a hand to her hip with the whip now lying at her feet; the handle grasped tightly in her other hand.
"She sure knows how to make an entrance," stated GL-Alan honestly.
"Judges, your scores?" Keiichi asked.
Shinichi: 10
Mion: 9
Topper: 10
Conda glared at Mion as she fingered her whip and the green-haired girl gulped before hastily changing her score.
Mion: 10
Conda smiled and then strutted off stage.
"And next we have…" Keiichi continued.
The pink-haired girl was backstage, waiting her turn. She looked at her costume. It was a Brazilian Samba dancer costume, which meant it was very skimpy. It was a sparkling bikini with a feathered headdress and tail feathers attached to the bikini bottoms. It looked so sinfully illegal to be worn in public, but she wasn't about to lose to anyone.
"Hinagiku Katsura, show us your costume!" Keiichi called. She came on stage. The women all gasped and the men all whistled and howled while a few trying to hold in their nose bleeds. Even Shinichi gawked.
"Shin-chan, don't stare," Mion whispered. He was gaping. "Shin-chan!" She saw Keiichi staring at the girl's boobs. "Kei-chan!"
"Judges?" Keiichi asked.
Shinichi: 10
Topper: 10
Mion, not liking how Keiichi was just staring at the pinkette's body gave her honest (spiteful) score.
Mion: 5
The pink-haired girl glared at Mion and sparks flew as their eyes met. She then turned her eyes towards Shinichi and gave him a wink. He looked like he was about to melt. His face was all red and blood was dripping from his nostrils, which he immediately plugged up with tissue paper. Deciding her turn was done, Hinagiku exited the stage.
"OK, and next we have Ms. Amora!" Keiichi announced.
Amora's costume was a green tube top that went down to just above her naval. The top was tight and showed off her curves and plenty of cleavage. Her arms were decorated by elbow length black gloves with gold bracelets around the wrists. Around her waist was a gold belt with green fringes. She also wore tight black pants with thigh high green boots that had high heels and circular ring patterns on them. She wore a green M-shaped tiara on her head and hanging from her shoulders was a green cape that was pinned to the front by a golden brooch. She looked sexy and dangerous.
Keiichi could only stare at the blonde beauty while Mion scowled. As Shinichi and Topper gave their scores, Mion gave hers out of sheer spite and envy.
Shinichi: 10
Topper: 10
Mion: 5
Amora smiled when she saw the scores Topper and Shinichi gave her but frowned when she saw the score that Mion gave her. With a smirk and a wave of her hand, she magically pulled the chair right from under Mion, causing the green-haired girl to fall roughly on her rear.
"Mion!" Keiichi cried.
"I'm fine!" Mion insisted as Shinichi helped her up. She glared at Amora who returned it with a superior smirk.
"I should have a talk with her about this," murmured GL-Alan.
"And our final girl is none other than Yami-chan!" Keiichi called after Amora exited the stage.
In all her dark glory, the assassin known as Golden Darkness appeared in the garb that she was known for. She wore a short and tight black dress with a cross cut out of it, with a short skirt, detached sleeves, black leather straps around her waist and legs, and finally her black boots. She didn't pose. She just stood there.
"Judges, your scores, if you please?" Keiichi requested.
Shinichi: 9
Topper: 9
Mion: 9
Yami nodded, satisfied with the scores.
"And that's all 30 of our lovely ladies in costume!" said Keiichi. "If you all can add, as I know you can, you can already guess who our top ten are going to be! We'll be right back with you after this break!"
KR Chrome: And s begins the Shishibone University Beauty Contest. Cosplay girls are hot, aren't they? Well, stay tune when we get onto the talent round and the swimsuit round.