Arc III

Chapter 11

Bane of my existence

The area that was well known to this particular family had been filled with various gadgets and trinkets that archived victories of each Clandestine that undertook the mantle. Since it had been common practice for their successor to learn from their predecessor and their particular set of skills, along with the critical mind, each young heir had been conditioned to find these rare moments with their elder family member as something to look forward to.

To Vasilis Bruce Pioneeri... it was not.

"Fratello... I'm scared."

The elder brother of Vasilis was far more sensitive than he would appear when first meeting him. Since he had and was the general commander of the Kairne Armies, he had developed a shell based on intimidation and mysticism. The manner in which he was revered with such grandeur and wariness made a lot of men shudder when the naked gaze of the 28 year old's stare drilled into them. However, that was merely a small defensive mechanism he used to keep people from scamming his family and the nation. Thomas V. Pioneeri was a subtly sensitive soul, and one whom Vasilis had come to know as his only family left in the world.

"Hmm? Then that's good, Bruce. Fear, when recognized, serves as a goal when you strive to overcome its obstacles." Said the 28 year old while in the signature uniform that struck fear into the hearts of evildoers; even the common civilian was vulnerable after noticing the glowing blood-red eyes look their way. The only exception to this was Vasilis, who associated his brother's frightening appearance as that of a guardian angel looking after him from the shadows. To him—it was reassuring.

"But I don't want you to do this. What about Veji—?"

"Bruce. I know how you feel, and I know that you wish that I don't risk my life as father and mother have been absent in yours." Said Thomas as he had with him the small infant with a fuzzy complexion of black hair that made him look like a cub. Either that or similar to Vasilis' appearance, making them seem directly related unless actually knowing that the child was born between him and a gypsy woman.

"Then... must you do this? Must you fight against them when it's clear that Pyrastre and Sagratia aren't going to continue their cold war much longer?"

"It wouldn't make a difference to allow what they do when no one watches, Bruce. The mantle of Clandestine is built on the Creed of assassins—meaning that we work in the dark to serve the light. If I refrain from this, then there would be no resolution. Not this year, nor 73, 74, and certainly not seventeen years after that."

He wanted to keep him from going, but his elder brother was certain and devoted to having things done correctly. Then, having a thought that would solve the issue, he informed his little brother of a great way to keep hia mind off of things.

"Say. Why don't you practice learning how to be a great uncle? If you learn and work at keeping Vejita from a ruined childhood, then I would most appreciate it. For now, just promise me you'll never try to abandon your nephew, just as I have not abandoned you."

"You're going off to that mission, Victor?" Began Alfredo—Thomas' friend and most trusted employee. The man had known the family since Thomas was twelve, so it was natural that he remained employed.

"Yeah, Alfred," Thomas started, teasing him with his Eikoko heritage. "But I'll return. So don't worry about me so much."

It was a lie which Vasilis had come to accept as a basic premise of his daily life. He threw everything he had of trinkets and gadgets onto the floor, knowing that they weren't crucially needed. These were his victories, and they were only possible with the assistance of his "son".

'Why? Why am I so useless to my family lineage?' His angst had been stored for decades, and he wished to live a normal life, not a constant reminder that he was inferior and only added frustration. 'Vejita does not need me. He never needed me when he was younger—plus his detective skills and combat experience...' He cracked the cavern wall with his fist, a feat that showed he was capable of going on par with Sedrick and Baddack, but not with his late brother.

"Master Bruce, is something wrong?"

Hearing the words coming from his brother's old friend, Vasilis decided he could confide in the 65 year old. That man had taught him and recommended him everything he needed to reach the point where he could be successful—yet he never said anything about Vejita's success. The kid had been a prodigy in growing as a fighter, so Vasilis Pioneeri had projected his view of his late brother onto Vejita, and became frustrated that he couldn't do anything correctly—other than cause others frustration.

"No. I'm simply tired of my responsibilities is all. Being the Leading general of Kairne's armies, my position puts me at odds with too much strain. I think its best now I return the authority over to Padrone Johannes. "

It would have worked, had Alfredo not been their butler for 40 years. That, and he also knew it was completely asinine to believe it possible to give responsibility of the armies to the Padrone while there was no declared war. "Yet Vejita's flip-flop of concern shows more honesty than your suggestions. I shall bring him over so that you two may speak."

"DON'T!" He shouted at first, then calmed himself after a silent self scolding. He knew he could not keep secrets from Alfredo, just as he had been his brother's friend, he was also his and a surrogate brother/mentor. "Just... I don't want Vejita to know what worries me. If he finds out all this time that I lied to him, then who's to know how he'll react? Oh, your father placed you in a cryogenic freezing chamber when you were barely several months old knowing he would be likely killed by a freakin' psychopathic schizophrenic serial murderer nihilist who dressed up as a jester and I happened to defrost you in 1989 because it was best to keep knowledge of your existence a secret until I could appear old enough to father a child? The boy knows things by the same manner my brother does; he's a natural born detective! I am—!"

"A sleuth who knows the sensitivity of a person's emotions. Master Bruce... you can degrade yourself, berate yourself, doubt yourself... but the fact is: you're a Pioneeri. Your brother solved crimes and defeated villains using logic and reasoning. You, on the otherhand, are gifted with Bejita Pioneeri's skill. Did you really think a polymath like him was logical? He was a romanticist, so he knew how to survive in Kairne during the political tension prior to the revolution, but he also learned how to survive in the wilderness. These days, we don't have those sort of sensitivities; people are blunt and broad of their feelings, placing masks to hide their persona—but you can easily see through them."

Vasilis stood there, awestruck at the wise words of Alfredo. He didn't want to ruin the moment, but he did wish to thank him for the confidence boost. However, the 65 year old had already known from experience that he succeeded.

"Rest, Master Bruce. I will be speaking with Vejita and ease his concern."

"No, wait Alfred. I'll do it. He... my son, denies his own feelings since he sees them as a weakness. They're part of him, the part that makes him human and what makes him differ from his father. I must have done something to have caused him such distress; even though he has accepted the training and lectures that my brother excelled in... I was denying him of a fatherly bond. He believes that to be a man, he should not show raw emotions. Thank you for showing me what I have been denying, Alfredo. Thank you."

He cracked a small smile in response to the younger Pioneeri of the previous generation, then watched him leave to meet up with his nephew.

There by the entrance of the gallery room, he saw the adolescent pacing in a set motion—ten steps to the gallery, and another ten away from where his mid point was to the general direction of the cellar. Meaning that Vejita was conflicted whether he should check what was wrong with his father.

"F-father!" Vejita stopped immediately all action as he knew pacing around without much regard would cause him to slip on the hiked up rug and ruin the tapestry. It had happened before, when Taritsu had visited, but Vasilis never found out as the boy had launched himself into a backflip thanks to the quick thinking of using his acrobatic ability and the powerful snapping motion of his muscles. Needless to say, Alfredo had caught the two, but promised not to say anything as he knew there had not been any actual harm done. "Is there anything I can do to ease your nerves?"

'This kid really amuses me.' Vasilis knew how volatile the child was early on: he felt rather independent at an early age, then quickly caught on to lessons of sarcasm and wit. Lately he had been much more interested in exerting authority with a reasonable cause, but his motives were all the same. 'He is indeed, Victor's son. A fine man Vejita has grown to be—and a rather wise leader to the men that follow. I just wish I could have done something to nurture his good intentions; there's seriously a bit of self doubt clouding his judgement.'

"No, Vejita. I—am fine. I am fine, and there is nothing that I had been worried of other than steering your companions away from entering a conspiracy that would forever mark them as targets to the eyes of the Illuminati."

"Then, why did you storm off in a hurry with all of the resources? You could have just limited what they could and couldn't look into without having to take everything away. I would have been responsible for the evidence as well."

Sighing, Vasilis decided to take a plunge in faith. If Vejita was really as perceptive as he thought, then the boy would instantly checkmate him by answering his most feared question as of lately. "Why do you think I took things away at the point Anthony Lance Sparks was speaking of Doctor Azerbaijani and his son?"

It was silent. Deadly silent and maddening not to receive a reply, but he knew that the young man was contemplating that question; the detail of his adam's apple bobbing as he gulp signified he had indeed been thrown a troubling situation to speak of. "Perhaps because like the old doctor, I am to you the only family left... ever since mother died."

'...and apparently he also jumps to conclusions before applying skepticism.' Vasilis smiled at Vejita's good-natured reasoning. Indeed, even now he had still believed the stories of his mother (or rather those of his grandmother which Victor had told young Bruce as he grew) were absolutely reliable to this day. Feeling relieved, he scuffled the lad's hair—much to the owner's dismay—and told him not to worry so much about how he was insulted by the similarities between them and the Pyrastrenean doctor.

"Come on. I'm certain your teammates are waiting for your assistance. Go and join them while you still can. Got that?"

"Yes, father." Vejita spat out as he finished up grooming his messy hair from getting in the way of his eyes. Then he remembered having received proper notice from Taritsu earlier about heading towards a rural town in Boruvia. Oragawa—or something along those lines. It really didn't make sense without the proper context of the clue pertaining to a nuclear power plant that had been commissioned in 1984. "May I... borrow the plane?"

As far as the new year had been lively for Boruvia, there really hadn't been much people to distract the group as they had set off immediately for the small town that Adrian had concluded was the location where they'd find the fabled person of interest.

"I still won't be convinced that de Folli figured out where the noun is."

"Noun?"

"Well it's not like I can exactly call it an android that replaced a human by mental cloning in public, can I!" Anthony scolded Taritsu as he had taken with him Henry and Charlotte. Both of them would assist in case he was in trouble, and while he did inform them of his stamina's limitations—they made sure to locate sources of food to consume...seeing as it was much safer to let his biology do its natural function.

Taritsu smiled hearing that. Oh how he wanted to tell Anthony to shut his trap, and thanks to the advice Henry provided to survive in the streets, he evaluated all that was available for this opportunity. 'Damn, that phrase feels too vulgar for my tastes. Plus it wouldn't faze someone like Anthony it its original form.' He hate to instead alter the phrase a tad bit. "Pacify thy bosom."

"Did you just insult me with that childish phrase? You may have used a stronger set of proper vocabulary, but the fail is strong in this one. Thou needs schooling, knave."

"He got you there," was all Henry provided to comfort him.

However, the two did not expect their final member of the group to add in her two cents. "You should have said, "Relax your sack," Taritsu."

"KAKAROTTO!"

"Bro, that is so uncool. Never talk about another guy's nether regions... unless you're consulting him as their doctor." Henry lectured on Charlotte's honest mistake.

Still, she was wondering why Taritsu was red in the face and avoided looking her in the eyes. Perhaps he was... jealous?

"Let's just get back on track, shall we? If what you told me is the consistent appearance, then we must look for a guy in a trench coat, sunglasses, and yellow scarf." Reminded Henry as they followed his lead.

After having spent their time looking for someone to have fit the description, Charlotte was the only one out of the group to have located such an individual, but denied success on her part as the person she found did not have glasses but seemed to wear a full facial mask. Taritsu, knowing that it is likely that someone once seen would change their appearance every so often, instead reassured that there was a slim chance they found him.

"We just have to see if his behavior lines up with what Bass told me."

After landing and leaving the plane to return automatically, Vejita quickly headed towards the aircraft that he recognized as Taritsu's work. It seemed sleeker and custom-made to maneuver in tight positions, such as if someone were to get into a dogfight with him, so the young adult knew it wasn't the kid's design. Most likely it would have been Kakarotto—which meant that those two were already likely engaging in some sort of trouble.

'Why couldn't they have waited or kept me updated on this? Those two are idiots when it comes to staying out of enemy sights, especially since their target most likely doesn't want to be followed around.' He thought while passing through the town, crossing out all the possible locations that the group wouldn't be found at. Of course, the process of which he was doing things was slow, but he was more than determined and knowledgeable of fictional situations to have simply relied on calling the boy. Either that was his true, or he was simply justifying his pride with an excuse which made him seem far more capable than he initially thought. Fortunately, he had not needed to wait any longer than necessary to discover the three.

"You there. You're Rutabaski Taritsu?" The masked individual stated as he had finally been satisfied with the surroundings they were in. Not many innocent bystanders, and definitely no pesky witnesses to contact the authorities. He, however, was more intrigued by Taritsu than Taritsu was about him; it was definitely a red flag to have been recognized so easily (especially since it was the suspect) if Vejita ever saw one. "I knew someone was following me. I could tell by the breathing technique that you exhibited; amateur-like, but still recognizable as a practitioner of Hadou. Come on... I challenge you to a battle of warrior's honor!" Stated the masked man as he got into a modified stance which sort of resembled the one the three Kairnese adolescents had learn from Master Gouken.

"Sorry, but I didn't come here to fight. I'm looking for someone at the moment," the teen wisely did what he could to avoid unnecessary conflict. In all honesty, he may have found battling another as rather barbaric, but there were times when he engaged in such activities with Vejita; this was not those sort of times, and he definitely could not afford spending his time on an event like this. However, the challenger was unrelenting to give up on his demands, going off to even insulting his parents for raising a useless pansy. "Fine. Kakarotto; Henry. Both of you go on ahead without me and find our guy. I'll see to it I end this encounter to the best of my ability."

As the two left them alone, Taritsu began wondering what exactly had he done to deserve such an outcome. Nobody knew of his training, and it was far more plausible that the breathing techniques the stranger was speaking of was simply those which his grandfather knew of. The fact that his martial arts master had informed that he was one of the last few who taught hadou manipulation—made him wonder how this stranger could know anything of the art.

"Before I finalize my acceptance to this fight, tell me your name."

"You may call me Bane. We shall engage in combative sport. Let us see who trumps the other, Rutabaski: your basic training, or mine!"

The two started off their bout, with Bane taking his time in observing his movements. Seeing the boy speeding his way to counter his pivot jab, Bane slid a bit to the right and tanked the full force of the attack in the inside of his elbow. Strangely enough, he had not seemed to have been massively deterred by the blow, surprising Taritsu as he saw his opponent unfazed by the pain he should be feeling. In fact, considering his 6'4 frame, Bane simply disregarded the attack and slammed the boy with his right knee, causing him to succumb as his lungs suffered. It was unreal and rather refreshing, but while Taritsu knew that he shouldn't be playing around, he couldn't really do much to the challenger; not with the way he gave the boy a considerable safe distance by hopping 2.5 meters backwards. Taritsu was grateful for it too; Bane's attack had thrice as much force than what he had tolerated while sparring with his father, but it shouldn't have been much for the boy's concern of victory. He just had to take him seriously now.

'But he knew who I was and didn't seem much affected by my first attack, so that means that he's at least twice as capable of handling whatever I can dish out with Vejita, Padre, and even Madre. He should be ready to handle whatever I can throw at him. Guess that means I should render his arms useless before he could hit me. That blow he did to my gut looks like it was just a fraction of what he could do with his upper body muscles.' He concluded as he remembered how his mother would always emphasize on temporarily crippling the opponent during battle to render them completely incapacitated and nonlethal.

"Any time now, Rutabaski." Bane stated, just as he had decided to pass the time by ridding himself of his weighted trench coat. In the corner of his eye, he saw the boy from his kneeling position launch towards him at an alarming rate, but had fortunately trained his body to its limits so that he could react fast enough to sidestep what was the incredibly dangerous Runner's Stance attack. This led Taritsu to find himself caught inside the heavy material of the trench coat and tumbling along the ground as his ligaments were ripped and damaged to a life-threatening level... had he not been practiced emergency crashing skills.

"Come on. You should have known better not to place so much faith into one attack! Had you not been gifted in the basics of Hadou, then you really would have given me the victory with that recoil-risk attack!" Bane yelled out his wisdom of battle as he felt himself relieved of 200 kilograms that was the trench coat alone. He seriously almost didn't think he wouldn't have been able to dodge it at such a close distance, but he somehow managed avoiding the boy.

'He made a sonic boom. Just look at the ground underneath where he rested; it's cracked within a flash by his attack alone, and I'm certain that there's more to come. Master was right: the kid is a worthy opponent.' Bane thought as he raced towards the mangled form of the boy who landed eight miles into the surrounding mountain region. Overall, the boy had caused so much environmental devastation that was equivalent to a rocket engine propulsion, causing whatever was nearby to suffer from the shock waves and remain paralyzed for several moments... had they not reinforced themselves with hadou energy as Bane had.

Picking up the boy as he had been seeped of stamina, Taritsu could barely protest as the man had assisted him. "Come on. This can't be your limit, Rutabaski. Where's all that power you just used? Don't tell me you ran out of stamina already!" Bane yelled as he tossed the boy overhead, causing the teen to struggle in the air to free himself from the coat.

"There's more to you than you're allowing, Rutabaski. Where's that power of yours? The hadou energy you have doesn't lie—so do something and fight me!"

Taritsu continued to tolerate the slamming fists of Bane as he had jumped after him with hadou energy, and continuously rushed him with pummeling fists while he was in the air—then kicked him twelve feet away before landing. Grabbing the boy by the back of his neck, Bane began tormenting him once again. "You should either fight me seriously now, or I'll break more than just your bones. Pretending you don't have what it takes would get you killed in a real fight, but I'll leave you alive. I promise as it is the Saiyan's code of honor to never kill unless stating their intention from the beginning."

In response, Bane merely caught on to him grumbling a few words in pain. He didn't want to fight, not when it was obviously one-sided like this.

"What was that? Speak louder or I can't hear you!"

"Honor?" He began laughing while doing his best to covet the pain of doing so. "Such a concept doesn't interest me at all. Not the way which you present it to me."

Unfortunately Bane did not find it amusing. His beliefs being insulted by that line, he decided to crack the boy's arm with a chopping blow! "You can't deny your heritage Rutabaski. This pain you feel is temporary, as is your life, but I will not be the one to execute you. Since you reject accepting the Saiyan's code of honor, then there is no possible way you can survive in battle against someone else. I shall grant you one last offer: fight me seriously, or accept the embrace of death now—!"

Vejita was in shock as to the change in events as he observed from afar. While he did respect the fight as it was custom to do so during challenges of solo duels, he didn't accept the manner of which this stranger was mauling the younger male. It had gone off to the point of where he decided to interfere, but another had beat him to Bane first. Even worse—Bane found the strikes from the new challenger rather pitiful and annoying.

"Aiming for my vital points? Heh. Hahahaha—instant killing techniques are useless against me!" Bane stated as he tossed Taritsu away and grabbed Charlotte's fists with extraordinary precision. 'This girl... reminds me of someone weak, yet certainly stronger than I'd expect. Good.'

"Let go of me, bully!"

"Hmm? I did not torment him for my own benefit. I consider this interaction as a type of mentoring—though it seems now that he does not deserve it. You—Kakarotto—will feel what would be considered the outcome of bullying, but I will leave you alive." Bane stated coldly. The thrill of having to do this was strangely overwhelming him with vengeful glee. It was not something Bane could explain so easily. Taritsu's passive refusal to fight was a disgrace to those who had fallen—and at the very least he had accepted his near-death experience with the knowledge that the boy could hold his own. "Stay down. Or I will make you stay down."

Charlotte spat at his mask, refusing to follow the command of someone as treacherous as him. Initially, she had been hoping to stall long enough for Taritsu to recover his stamina, but now she had began worrying whether or not he could stand on his own. By the corner of her eye, she could see that he was struggling to stand after having his ribs and left arm broken, and possibly even suffering from a punctured lung. There was definitely no way he could continue to fight; not if he tried doing so in his base form. "TARI! GET UP~!"

Cut off in mid-sentence, Charlotte cried as Bane had pressed at her chest cavity, leaving the girl to collapse from the pain. With tears welling in her eyes, she rolled away slowly to push herself back up, but found his foot keeping her from escaping.

"You stupid whore," Bane muttered. He had enough of the intrusive challenger, and enough of her ridiculous perception of the world. "You don't realize that your failure is inevitable? Relying on others in a fight isn't wise when your allies can't come to save you. What makes you think he will overcome all limi—tations!?"

Finding his tail grabbed by the teen he had grounded with massive amounts of punishment, he raged against the idea of Taritsu having committed a dishonorable act for their fight. With his mind made up, he violently kicked the boy in the gut, continuing to do so while the boy clenched Bane's tail with hands cupped together, but instead of wondering why he kept his hands together once it slipped out of them, he simply sneered while looming over the defeated teen.

"So you decided upon an early death? And committing to a prayer as well? I commend you for the bold, yet foolish decision, Rutabaski. You would have been left alive before this scuffle. Broken—but alive I assure you. What are you doing?"

"Has your master taught you this?!"

The energy Taritsu had used for his attack was not enough to actually harm Bane; he had lost most of it while keeping his pain from incapacitating it in order to stop Bane from harming Charlotte. Though it had been enough to ruin the mask and expose part of his face to reveal his hair and left onyx eye up to the gold earring, Bane was no more harmed than he had been temporarily paralyzed by the delayed effects of Taritsu's modified hadouken blast.

"NOW HENRY!"

The opportunity was perfect for both of the older boys once they found their enemy vulnerable. Rushing Bane by working together, they landed blows at all the spots typically recognized to disable physiological function—at least until Bane retaliated as he was largely unaffected once they realize that their attacks had done nothing more but simple bruises caused him to cackle madly.

'Just how strong... is this guy?'

"You're all weak." Bane stated as he propelled forwards, grabbed the two by the head, and bumped them together. Next he tripped Henry and threw Vejita on top of him, before taking the two and raking them along the ground. "How's that? Is it fun—or do I need to grant you some more? I'll take your silence as a 'go ahead'."

"Burn in hell." Vejita gasped out before Bane continued once again. Instead, he decided to teach Vejita a separate lesson.

"I could kill you, simple as the manner that I broken each of your bones. Notice, that the regent haired one does dish out a much stronger force behind his punches, far more assured of himself than either of the other two. You, however, are better than these lowly scum—so instead of killing you~" He grabbed Vejita by the collar bone and his waist, holding him up above his head as if to toss him overhead. "I SHALL TURN YOUR LIFE INTO A LIVING HELL!"

SNAAAAAP!

The loud crunch of his back confirmed what had been intended for Taritsu originally, but he instead decided to deliver it to Vejita as the gains of his lesson. Only then would the others know not to jump into a battle between two fighters.

Yet what kept Bane from continuing the onslaught... was the pitiful pebble throwing which Taritsu had been committing to. To Bane's perspective, it was a sign of a warrior's resolve—almost enough to make him reconsider ending the boy's life sentence. Almost.

"Look at you. Wasted and gasping for air, yet you reserve a will for battle. This is the warrior spirit you possess, Rutabaski, but I am curious: How would you react if they die on your terms?"

Huuerk!

The yearn to escape his pain was overwhelming the boy as he grasped the dirt beneath his palms, doing the best he could to pull away. Instead, he was yanked back in place by his tail, then crushed before beaten once again until he was a bloody pulp—all the while he was given an explanation of his punishment.

"The first rule of our code is to, in no way intentionally or unintentionally, bring shame to the family or those related to you—as it reflects who you are and what they are as well. The second is to engage in battle to test their strength; this means that your enemy must be in full strength at the start of the fight, and must be of equal or greater strength in order for it to be a solo bout. Third rule stems from the second, but if you are to run from or deny a fight, it is dishonorable—unless it is known that your life is in danger, then there is no qualms. That means the next time two saiyans meet, then they will have a rematch."

"You've crushed me, jabbed me, dragged me, all but killed me—heck, even decided to tortured me... but why are you making me suffer, knowing that they had nothing to do with this?" Taritsu gasped out immediately.

"You want to know. You honestly want to know?" Bane began chuckling madly, then started to pull off his torn mask and replaced it before Taritsu could get a good look of his identity. It didn't actually matter that he did that, since the boy was too disoriented to catch a proper glimpse of the details and he wouldn't be able to recognize his opponent. "Where is your fabled speed, Rutabaski? Where has your strength gone; the ability which has been associated with your feats? Is this all there is to the mighty Taritsu—the boy born of the night of the rare Sanguine-Sapphire Eclipse? You killed them... MERCILOUSLY. YOU MINDLESS BEAST!"

The boy was chucked once again, tumbling across the ground until he stopped and tried to stand on his feet, only to collapse as he did his best to keep the tears from welling. If there was anything he hated more, it was allowing his fears and weaknesses be shown to an opponent.

"It's simple, really. The reason I did this to you, is because I dislike you. You were really only an opponent I wanted to test my abilities against, but it seems time has weakened you. They got in the way, and suffered because they violated the fourth rule: no backstabbing, and if you are to kill someone, tell them that you intend to initially. I decided a long time ago, that I would use my second chance in life to see if you really were the strongest of the fittest, but it appears that you are a disgrace to all of the saiyans. Our forefathers of Ancient Kairne are shamed of your reluctance to fight. What I am doing is not of superstitious fear, but the duty to uphold our ancestor's values, just as my master upholds."

There was no feeling anymore. No sensations, no struggle. No fear. He gave in to defeat, accepting his loss and allowing himself to rest his tense muscles. Bane apparently noticed this, seeing as he had took the sight before him as a sign that the victory was his.

"Such a shame. And here I thought you were really going to come at me with one last attempt. When you return to full strength, I would like a rematch. Until then, get your friends some medical attention; they'll need it."

"GET AWAY FROM TARI, YOU BASTARD!" Charlotte yelled as she saw her friend grounded and struggling. What was the fervor of life in his eyes, a determination of protection for those incapable, had now slipped away as he was defeated. Slowly and painfully... she glared at the attacker, furious to the core with having threatened his life... but despite everything considered—there was still a small glimmer of hope!

Materializing like a phantasm by the boy's hand was another hand—of another being as indicative of the long gloves with studs on the back. Without warning to either party, he immediately propelled into the air and landed a surprising uppercut, causing Bane exclaiming in agony as he had not anticipated his competitive drive to flare with Charlotte's presence. Although it wasn't much to incapacitate him, it had been enough to push him over the edge and slam his arm against his exposed neck before choosing to escape as a travelling stranger had shot him afterwards, posing an actual threat with projectile blasts that scorched him. His weak stamina also contributed to that.

The last of what Taritsu heard before passing out from his strained, broken neck... was the muffled voice of a calming authority figure wearing the described trench coat with sunglasses and yellow scarf.