Chapter 16 - Assault on Kaiser

...

The next morning, I arrive in the Abydos' Foreclosure Task Force Club room, to see the girls getting loaded up. Instead of walking, I drove the armored truck I stole when we saved Serika.

"That should do it. We're ready." Shiroko says.

"Startin' the party without me?" I ask, entering the room with a smile.

"Sensei!" Nonomi chirps.

"You gals done packing?" I ask.

"Yup! We've got lots of supplies and snacks!" The blonde says, smiling.

"We're well-rested and working on full stomachs, too!" Serika says.

"I also collected all the old maps of the Abydos Desert and updated them." Ayane explains. "According to our intel, Hoshino is in the center of Kaiser PMC District 51."

I chuckle. "So she's in Area 51? Figures."

"Area 51?" The wolf girl asks.

"A hidden lab in the desert back home." I explain. "People theorize there's aliens and other weird stuff bein' held there."

"All right. I'll guide you all through the safest route." Ayane explains.

"...Sensei?" Shiroko asks hesitantly.

"Yeah?" I ask.

"Why... did you get so angry at the CEO the other day?" She asks, causing my eyes to narrow.

"Y-Yeah, you got really mad." Serika admits. "I never thought you could get that mad."

"It was kinda scary." Nonomi admits. "You even scared the CEO guy!"

Unconsciously, I let out a sigh. This is what I wanted to avoid most.

"Sensei." Shiroko puts her hand on my shoulders. "You don't have to tell us if you don't want to."

"No, I..." I sit down. "I've only known you girls for a few days, but you all have come to trust me, and... I suppose you've earned my trust too. So... I'll tell you. Just a summary though, it's kind of a long story."

The girls stare intently, eager to listen to my story.

"Well, the reason I was so pissed was because he betrayed Hoshino. Now, where to begin...?" I say, sighing. "I was born an orphan, in a really shit neighborhood. Got into lost of fights back then." The girls' eyes soften. "Didn't have any friends, either. Was seen as either scary, or just a weirdo. At least until I was... twelve, I think. That's when I met Jane Simmons, a girl that'd end up bein' my best friend. Two years later, I met my other soon-to-be best friend, Rickert Galveston. Ricky we called him.

The area I lived in was a massive city, with a massive crime rate and lawless area. The police only cared about the high-end parts of the city, you see. I got into good schools due to my grades, so I got away from all of that in middle school. Or rather, I tried to, as I was constantly having guys try to fight me. It was just a part of my life, I suppose.

When I was fifteen, Jane and I started dating. We'd been friends for years, and this just seemed kinda... natural. Ricky, despite being the son of the richest man in the world, was a damn good friend to me and Jane. He never flaunted his money or screwed people over. He was a nice guy, even helped patch me up after fights, along with Jane."

"They sound like good friends!" Nonomi says, happily.

Hey Josh, let's go hang out!

"You'd think that, huh...?" I say, running my hand through my hair. "Anyway, Ricky and I stayed friends, and Jane and I kept dating throughout high school. Everything was good, until I got into a fight when I was nineteen, a month or so after graduating. These guys weren't normal thugs, they were organized. They were sent after me, specifically."

"After you? Why?" Serika asks.

"I found out after I interrogated them. Apparently, Ricky hired them."

"What?!" Ayane shouts.

"Why would your friend...?" Nonomi trails off.

"Because he's a piece of shit that hid his true self from Jane and I." I say, pissed just thinking about him. "So I ignore it. I couldn't believe Ricky would hire them, so I ignored it. I didn't call him, or talk to him, or anything. I just patched myself up and kept living. A week later, I went to Jane's house, to make good on a promise I made myself. I wanted to ask her to marry me after we finished highschool. Spent a long time savin' up for a ring, too."

"Aww, that's sweet." The blonde swoons.

"So I went to Jane's apartment one evening, unannounced, as usual. When I came in, Jane and Rick were in the process of fucking on the couch." I drop the bomb. The girls' faces light up, not only with crimson blushes, but also in shock.

"Wh-What?!" The cat girl shouts.

"Turns out Ricky was always an asshole. The cliche, wealthy guy who thinks he can get whatever he wants, and he wanted Jane. So he acted nice to us for literal years to get with her."

"That's..." The elf girl trails off as the wolf girl just looks angry as hell.

...what is this? WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!

"So he gets up and starts taunting me."

Nothin' personal, Joshy boy.

"Bragging about how I was an idiot for never realizing his intentions and actions. He and Jane had been together behind my back for at least a year." My fists clench.

Ricky, stop!

"Jane tried to diffuse the situation, but Rick just hit her and knocked her out. I dropped the ring and pounced on the guy."

I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU RICK!

"Now Rick knew martial arts, but I'd been fighting for my life in the streets since day one and he'd never been in a real fight. So we fought. We fought all night long, destroying everything in our path. By the time he was knocked out, the sun was starting to come up." I let out a sigh, feeling my eyes welling up. "I followed our literal trail of destruction back to Jane's apartment. I picked up the ring and looked at her one last time before leavin'. That... that was the last time I ever saw her."

"Sensei..." Shiroko walks up and wipes a tear off of my eye.

"To think they would do something like that..." Ayane mutters.

"I guess there's people like that in every world, huh?" Serika asks.

"The main reason that CEO guy pisses me off is because he's a carbon copy of Rick. Does awful shit, so long as it's legal, and betrays people."

"Sensei." Nonomi walks over and hugs me. "You're been through a lot, huh?"

"...Yeah." I say with a somber chuckle.

"You've placed your trust in us, so..." The wolf girl begins. "...just know we won't ever betray you."

"Of course." The cat girl agrees. "You've done a lot for us... a lot for me..."

"Agreed! We'll always have your back, Sensei!" Nonomi says happily.

"You're a good person, Sensei." Ayane says with a sad smile. "You deserve to be happy, too."

My eyes widen at their words, tears threatening to spill out again. "...Thanks, girls." I say with a smile.

I still feel like shit, though. I only told them half of the story.

A week or so after I fought Rick. I had fallen into a deep depression.

I clicked through the news one morning, while eating my cereal.

The CEO of Galveston Enterprises was found dead this morning in his office.

So, the old man croaked, huh?

His son, and new CEO of Galveston Enterprises, Rickert Galveston, will now make a speech.

Rick steps up to the podium, placing papers on it with his one, non-broken, arm. His body is covered in bandages and casts. You can barely see any of 'him', just white bandages.

This morning, my father has passed away...

He begins to cry. Fake fuck, he probably died because of you.

...but he has left me his estate, his company. There are quite a few suspects, but one stands out the most. My dear friend, Joshua Birkin.

...What?

You all clearly can see my current state. This was a result of Joshua attacking me. We fought each other after he put his girlfriend, and my friend, Jane Simmons in a coma.

...What?! Jane's... in a coma...?

My brain struggles to process what's going on.

I tried to defend her, but he nearly killed me, and clearly has come for my father. Only he was successful this time.

...WHAT?! The fucker's pinning this on me?!

As such, it is with great sorrow, that I announce my first action as the CEO of Galveston Enterprises. I am hereby placing a ten-billion dollar bounty on the head of Joshua Birkin.

My mind blanks... I cannot move. Minutes pass as he continues to speak, but I don't listen to any of it...

He eventually gets off the podium.

You all have heard that correctly, folks. Just now, the new CEO of Galveston Enterprises has placed a ten-billion dollar bounty on the man who is the prime suspect in the murder of the former Galveston Enterprises CEO.

I rush. My body moves. I gather as many valuables and supplies as I can, and load up into my car. In under five minutes, my home is long gone.

I drive. To where? Galveston has connections all over the world!

I don't know where I'll go. And I don't care.

I have to survive.

I will.

I must.

By any means necessary.

Not the first time the world's been against me.

This time, though...

...it's not just the city,...

...it IS the whole world.

I would then spend the next five years running.

That is, until I ended up here...

...in Kivotos.

Sorry, girls. I trust you, just... not enough to tell you that.

If you knew about all of the people who's lives I've ruined...

Those I've killed, even before I met Jane...

You'd all probably hate me.

My thoughts are broken by the sound of footsteps, as I recompose myself. "Okay." I slap my cheeks. "Enough of bein' sad.

"You guys sure are livey this morning!" Mutsuki chimes in as she, and the rest of Problem Solver enter the room.

"It's best to be good and woken up, especially this morning." I say.

"Good thinking, Sensei." Aru praises.

"There you guys are!" A voice chimes in. After, in walks-

"Hifumi?!" Serika shouts.

The Trinity girl awkwardly chuckles. "Long time, no see everyone."

"What are you doing here?" Ayane asks.

"Well, we have a live practice for a piece of artillery scheduled. We were going to have it in the Trinity district, but Nagisa suggested it take place somewhere else. Like the Abydos desert." She explains.

I let out a bark of laughter. "And your live practice is gonna be where we're gonna attack, isn't it?"

"Yup!" Hifumi says, happily. "Though, Nagisa said that you owe her a favor for this."

"Naturally." I say. "I always repay my debts."

"We're here, Sensei." A tired voice calls out from the hall.

"Wh-Wh-What is the Prefect Team doing here?!" Aru shouts. Haruka cowers and Mutsuki's eyes widen. Kayoko's eyes just narrow...

"Extra backup." I say, gesturing to Hina, Iori and Chinatsu, who just walked in.

"What is Problem Solver doing here?" Iori asks.

"Extra backup." I say, with a smile.

"Hello again, Sensei." Chinatsu greets.

"Hiya, Chinatsu." I say.

"Sensei, who will be directing us?" Hina asks.

"Ayane over here-" I point to her. "-is gonna be guiding us."

"I see." She says. "I'll patch through our teammate Ako to assist."

"That would be much appreciated." Ayane says with a smile.

"All right!" I say, while clapping my hands. "These Kaiser assholes are out in the middle of the desert doing god knows what to Hoshino. They've effectively kidnapped a student of Abydos, as well as a member of its Student Council and Foreclosure Task Force. They've also performed many legal, yet unethical, actions, all in the name of getting some 'treasure' under Abydos, which may or may not exist.

None of that matters though. The only thing that does, is that they've taken a friend, an ally, and a good person by giving her false hope. So what we're gonna do, is go there and kick their teeth in until we get back our friend. WHO'S WITH ME?!" I shout at the end.

A resounding cheer from everyone, even Hina, is my answer.

"Then let's move out!" I say, as the girls file out of the school.

These assholes have lots of bad karma stored up.

And I'm comin' to deliver it!

The Abydos girls, Problem Solver and I speed through the desert in the armored truck. Up ahead, we see the Prefect Team and Hifumi clearing a path. The plan is for them to clear a path there, and let us infiltrate.

"How's it going, Hina?" I ask.

"Very well, Sensei." The Head Prefect says, over the comms. "They're no match for us."

"Of course they aren't, president." An unfamiliar voice says.

"Ako, right?" I ask.

"Correct, Sensei. We'll have to meet in person sometime." The secretary says, politely.

"Lookin' forward to it. Good luck out there." I say to Ako. Changing comms, I talk to Hifumi. "How's it going over there, Hifumi?"

"Oh, Sensei!" She says. "Ako and Ayane have given us good intel! Pretty much all of Kaiser's forces are ahead of the Prefect Team and I."

"Mowin' them down, huh?" I ask with a grin.

"That's mostly what the Head Prefect is doing. She's kind of scary up close." Hifumi awkwardly says.

"Maybe, but she's real nice when you get to know her." I say, causing the Trinity girl to chuckle. "Good luck."

"You too, Sensei!" She says, as I cut the connection.

"How much further, Ayane?"

"Not much, Sensei." Ayane relays over the comms. "The Prefect Team and Hifumi have cleared a path almost entirely through."

"What's stoppin' them?" I ask.

"Just a few squadrons of automatons, why?"

"Just needed a plan." I say, tightening my grip on the wheel and hitting the gas.

"Uh, Sensei?" Serika asks, behind me. "What are you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious? Speeding up." I explain, seeing the speedometer hit one hundred km/h.

"I think she means 'why are you speeding up?'." Kayoko says.

"Oh. Well there are only a few guys in between us and the base, so I'm gonna ram 'em." I say, simply, seeing us now hitting one twenty km/h.

"W-W-We're going to ram them?!" Haruka shouts. "But we'll die!"

"No we won't." I reassure. One forty. "This truck's got some bullbars on it, we'll plow straight through them and the gate." One fifty-five.

Mutsuki giggles. "You're so wild, Sensei!"

"I never do anythin' with half-measures." I shrug. One seventy-two.

"Wow! We're going really fast now!" Nonomi says, cheerfully.

"One hundred and ninety kilometers per hour." Shiroko observes, the only one sitting next to me.

"Hold on." I warn, seeing us hit two hundred. Pulling up the comms, I alert the girls. "Girls? We're coming. Move out of the way of the gate."

"Why?" Iori asks over the comms.

"My truck's goin' two hundred right now, so move!" I say.

"Two hundred?!" Chinatsu shouts.

"Yeah, so move!" I say, cutting the channel, hitting the gas pedal even harder.

Two ten. Two twenty. Two twenty nine. Two thirty seven. Two forty three.

Damn, these Kivotos motors are tough, huh? The speedometer goes to three hundred.

"Buckled up, girls. And keep your hands inside the vehicle, please." I say, hitting two fifty.

"Sensei!" Aru shrieks. "We're getting close to the base!"

"I told you! RAMMING SPEED!!!!"

The girls release a chorus of worried shouts as we blur past the Prefects and Hifumi's tank. A manic grin comes to my face as I hit two seventy five. Robot soldiers notice us and begins shooting. This truck's tough, so they just bounce off, as do the robots, when we hit them. Then-

BAM

The metal gate shatters as we plow straight through it. It slows us all the way down to sixty five km/h.

I keep going, as I slam on the brakes, stopping us. As the truck relaxes, I turn around to the girls. "See? Easy." They're all in various states of panic. Most of them have wide eyes, but not the blonde and the imp.

"That was fun!" Nonomi cheers.

"Again!" Mutsuki cheers as well.

"Is everyone alright?!" Ayane shouts over the comms.

"Yeah." Shiroko admits.

"I'm fine..." Serika asks, still woozy.

"Yup, there's not a scratch on me!" Nonomi says.

"A-Am I dead?" Haruka asks, patting herself with eyes frantic.

"Of course not." Kayoko says with a sigh.

"A-All good here." Aru chimes in.

"Perfect!" Mutsuki says.

"All good here. All clear too, no enemies inside the compound." I say.

"It should be straight ahead according to our coordinates." The elf girl relays. "Hang in there, everyone."

Sure enough, more robots come from out of a building. The appear, as one, moving towards us.

"Don't worry, Sensei! I'll take care of them!" Hifumi shouts from her tank. Sure enough, the L118 Howitzer comes rolling through the smashed gate.

"Hifumi?" I ask.

"Don't worry, the Prefects can handle the ones outside! Just keep moving forward!" She shouts.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOM

The tank's cannon fires, taking down hordes of robots with ease.

"All right, then." I say. I then look back to the girls. "How good are you all at drive-by's?" I ask, with a grin. The girls get the message, as they all smile and nod. "Good! Let's go!" I shout, peeling off as we move further into the compound.

Plowing through more waves of robots, we eventually lose them, and reach our objective. A ruined school in the middle of the massive conplex. I pull the truck to a stop.

"You've arrived, everyone." Ayane confirms.

"Everyone out, get ready." I order, stepping out of the truck.

"Hoshino is being held somewhere around here. Please look around carefully. She must me..." Ayane stops speaking as she likely notices our surroundings.

"What is this place?" The blonde asks.

"Is it... a school?" The cat girl aka hesitant.

"Looks like it." The punk girl says.

"It's all destroyed, though." The imp girl observes.

"A school in the middle of the desert? This has to be-" The wolf girl begins, but is cut off.

"Correct. You're standing before what was once the main building of Abydos High School." The CEO's voice speaks, as he, and a squad of goons appear from behind a building.

"You...!" Serika growls.

"So you've finally arrived, Foreclosure Task Force." He says, sounding bored. More robots appear behind him.

"Enemy reinforcements." Ayane announces. "They've mobilized all of their forces from the looks of it."

I scoff. "Or what's left of 'em."

He looks around. "Here stand the ruins of the Abydos High School, abandoned due to desertification. This was once the heart of the entire Abydos district. Whether you're aware of its history or not, buried under this sand was once the largest and most influential a academy in Kivotos." My eyes widen at that info. I knew it was important, but to this degree? "And it just so happens to be where Gematria requested we set up a lab."

"I guess Black Suit has a poetic sense to him." I chuckle.

"A lab? Why here?!" The elf girl shouts.

"And where is Hoshino?" The blonde yells.

"The vice president is in the building over there, behind us." He nods his head back. "I would suspect the experiment has already begun by now." He says with a snicker. We all tense up. "If you intend to take her back, you'll have to go through us."

"...Sensei. Let us handle him." Aru says, surprising us all.

"What?!" The cat girl shouts.

"You have to go save your friend." The outlaw says. "She's being experimented on and won't be safe for long, so go. We'll handle them."

"Aru." I stare right at her. "Are you sure?"

"Fufufu~" She lets out a chuckle. "Of course, you know how strong we are, Sensei. And against these guys? There's no way we can lose." She readies her sniper. "Now go!"

Kayoko lets out a sight to the side.

Serika clicks her tongue. "You don't even want my thanks so you? So when this is all over..." Her face lights up crimson. "...let's just go get some ramen together or something!"

"Yup! We'll be sure to treat you!" Nonomi confirms.

"Yeah, thanks." Shiroko says.

"Aru." She looks at me for a moment. "That's a real badass thing to do." I say, smiling, as her face lights up. Recomposing herself, the outlaw quickly fires her sniper with a single arm, it's bullet hitting a goon in front. But it isn't a bullet, it's a sticky bomb, flashing red.

BOOOOOOM

It explodes, knocking the fools back, as we all make a mad dash forward.

As we run, I vaguely hear Mutsuki yell something about ripping and shreds.

Rip and tear, imp girl. Rip and tear.

Ayane stops our running as we near a small building. "I've confirmed Hoshino's location! She's in that bunker!"

"Let's move!" Nonomi yells as we run again.

Unfortunately, the CEO shows up again, right in front of us.

"So..." I begin. "You left your goons behind? Typical."

"Seriousy, how many more times are you going to get in the way?!" The cat girl yells.

"Please step aside, or else!" The blonde threatens.

"You've been a real thorn in my side, Foreclosure Task Force." He seethes. "No matter what I did to erase the remains of that school!" He shouts, stunning us. "No matter how much it decayed or how hopeless paying back that debt was! You refused to leave! I've tormented you in every conceivable way, yet you still spend your days laughing and smiling without a care in the world! It's because of you that my plans are...!" He stops ranting at Serika's vile glare.

"You were seriously trying to bully a bunch of girls into giving up their school..." She says lowly. "How low can a slimeball like you get?!"

"You've been manipulating us, all of us. Especially Hoshino." Shiroko says angrily. "That ends today."

"You said it!" Nonomi agrees. "We're not going to let someone like you have their way!"

"This is it, Sensei!" Ayane shouts.

"Time and time again, you stand in our way." I say with a chuckle. "Now, you're the last roadblock, pal." I drop my grin. "Now piss off."

Wordlessly, the CEO pulls out a remote and presses the button on it. The ground begins to shake, but we remain standing. To the side, a massive white and gold mech appears. It's four to five, even six times our height. It's arms are fitted with gatling guns. A massive cannon is where it's 'head' should be. The CEO walks up to it, as it lowers itself. Getting into its cockpit, it stands up, and my eyes widen.

"SCATTER!" I yell, as it's turrets begin to whir to life. We all suck behind various ruined buildings, as the machine gun arms fire at us.

"Do you have a plan, Sensei?" Ayane asks.

"Yeah. You all distract him, while I run up and rip him out of that thing." I explain.

"What?!" Serika shouts.

"It only moved when he pressed that remote. I just need to rip him out and crush the remote, simple" I shrug.

Nonomi chuckles. "It's always simple to you, Sensei!" Shiroko just nods resolutely.

"Oh, and don't let him hit the bunker." I warn. The other two nod, as I rush to the side, aiming to hide behind the mech.

The girls begin to fire at it, Shiroko sending up her drone to fire missiles at it. The mech is strong, as they have no effect. It's guns whir to life once more, as I hide behind another building behind the beast. I look around and see some barrels marked 'flammable' next to me. Over by the girls are more barrels, a bit away from them.

"Girls, lure him over to those red barrels and stay clear of 'em." I order.

Wordlessly, they do so. Moving past the barrels and behind some more rubble. The mech moves forward, needing to see them to shoot them. Bad move, as it stands near the barrels. Resting my sniper on a broken wall, I fire at the barrels.

BOOOOOOOOOOOM

An explosion rocks the area, sending the titan stumbling back, one of its legs charred with bits of metal blown off. As it regains its balance, it turns around to face me. Feeling cheeky, I fire off a single shot at the cockpit, hitting the robot CEO's 'cheek'. I must've pissed him off as the cannon on top begins to glow.

"Oh... oh shit." I grab my sniper and run. Fast. Very fast.

"Sensei! The robot's cannon is warming up!" Ayane warns.

"I see that! I'm running, dammit!" I shout back.

FOOOOM

That sounded like a missile firing.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! FUCK!!!" I shout, hiding behind a building, after running past four or five. I don't stop though, I just stay behind the building, hoping they will cushion the blow.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

Heat appears behind me. Sound burns my ears. Pressure knocks me forward as the buildings behind me shatter. I slam into the ground, turning around, the buildings are flattened.

"Girls! I need a distraction!" I shout.

"On it." Shiroko says, as I see her drone appear in the sky. It fires at the mech's leg. As they impact, the wounded leg snaps in two, causing the titan to fall down. It lands on its knee and bends its other leg to remain stable. I make a mad dash right for the mech as I see it turn back to the Abydos girls, firing the gatling guns again.

An opportunity!

I run full speed, passing the ruined buildings, hopping over the rubble. I run up a ruined staircase from the inside of one of the buildings. I jump off, and land in a roll, continuing to run. I notice the barrels I was next to were out of the blast radius. I grab a barrel under one arm, and keep moving. The girls are swerving and such to avoid the guns.

"HEY, ASSHOLE!" I shout, nearing the mech.

It begins to turn around, as I stop and hold the barrel with both hands and spin. After a few spins, I let go, as it flies toward the cockpit. Pulling out my rifle quickly, I shoot it.

"AAAAGH!!!" The CEO shouts, as it explodes in his face.

Rushing forward once more, I climb onto the mech's bent leg. The CEO has been hit with shrapnel as his suit is destroyed in spots. His metal 'skin' has cracks and chips in it. He stills, seeing my rage-filled face mere feet from his.

His mech cannot save him.

His guns cannot teach me.

He's finished.

I jump off the leg, toward the mech's abdomen, where the cockpit is.

My fist slams into his face, caving it in somewhat. The mech has leaned over slightly, so I can 'stand' over him, as I rain punch after punch onto his face.

BAM BAM BAM BAM

I then slam my boot into the cockpit's safety bar, one similar to that of a roller coaster's. The bar bends with each stomp, as I alternate stepping on it and his face to keep him delirious.

BAM BAM BAM BAM

The metal creaks, and neatly brakes, as I reach down and grab the metal, pulling it with both hands. I rip it off the hinges with a mighty yell, causing a horrid screech sound from the metal. Grabbing the CEO by his suit, I pistol whip him, knocking him out, as he falls from the cockpit. He hits the ground with a thud, as I drop off the robot, landing next to him. I see the remote next to him, and promptly step on it. It crackles and fizzes out as the mech behind us go inert.

I grab some spare rope from my belt and tie his hands together.

I came well fucking prepared, yes sir-ee.

The three girls walk up to me.

"That was incredible, Sensei!" Nonomi happily praises.

"I'll admit, that was pretty cool." Serika says.

"Very effective." Shiroko adds.

I just let out a semi-tired chuckle. "Thanks, now c'mon, we got a friend to save."

Hang on Hoshino, we're coming.

AN

And so, we figure it out. His past... somewhat.

I might write a few intermission chapters showing some of his journeys during the five year hunt for him. I dunno.

Remember, I only had him tell what changed his life, not any of the other things that happened between then and now. That's a whole five years of experiences.

How was the mech fight? Was it good?

Next time, we finish the first volume of the story. Then, we'll get a long break of Down Time before continuing with the story.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and look forward to the next!