"A former Underworld Detective, eh?" Yusuke asked, annoyed with the man sitting at the head of the dining table. Koenma sat quietly in his human body.
"How did it happen?" Kurama asked curiously. "Why did he turn against humanity?"
Koenma took a moment to gather his thoughts. "His sense of justice was coupled with stubbornness. Demons are evil incarnate. They should be utterly eradicated. Sensui was born with a powerful sixth sense. Demons and evil spirits had tried to eliminate him since he was a kid. Demons were his enemy – and thus humanity's enemy – for as long as he could remember. Then something happened that... changed his perspective. I'd sent him on a mission that turned out to be his last. The objective was to close a portal to the Demon Plane."
What? Sayomi's eyes widened at the unexpected coincidence. So, this has happened before?
Yusuke and Kuwabara also looked interested in the news. Kuwabara asked, "Same as now, huh?"
"But on a smaller scale," Koenma answered. "Just a summoning circle about 10 M across to invoke lesser demons. It was created by the Black Book Club... a massive smuggling organization trading in creatures of all kinds. The summoned demons were captured and sold for enormous sums of money. One man came to the forefront as a specialist in demon capture. His name... was Sakyo."
"Sakyo!" Kurama recalled the man.
"That guy in the suit from the finals?" Sayomi asked.
"He'd been at it since I was in kindergarten?" Yusuke asked in disbelief.
Koenma ignored their questions and continued with his recollection. "He came up with the idea of hiring demons as bodyguards and brokers for capturing other demons. He was 26 at the time. We received word of a pending transaction at a mountain villa and sent in Sensui and his partner, Itsuki. The demons in Sakyo's employ at the time were not nearly as powerful as the Toguro brothers. The raid was a success, and Sensui and Itsuki had the executives of the organization, including Sakyo, cornered. But then Sensui saw something unfortunate. Bitter truth, of a kind... nothing less than... an inhuman cesspool of evil."
A heavy silence fell over the room.
Koenma let his words sink in before he said, "Humans torturing demons to satisfy their heinous appetites. It was the total antithesis of Sensui's values."
Sayomi shivered as she tried to imagine such a scene. A time and place where demons were captured... then tortured by humans... I can't even imagine what he must've seen that made him crack.
Kuwabara made eye contact with Yusuke and said, "Sounds like when you, me, and Sayomi went to stop Tarukane, Yusuke."
Yusuke nodded in agreement.
"Yes, but with a stark difference," Koenma clarified. "Sensui went on a rampage, slaughtering everyone... He began to nurture an obsession with the Black Chapter... and to question humanity itself. In hindsight, his sense of justice may have been too strong. He could not let any evil he perceived go unpunished. He now sees evil in the entire human race and seeks to make it pay for its sins."
"That's the problem with guys like that," Yusuke pointed out, interrupting his boss. "They flit from one extreme to the other!"
"That's why my current detective is a delinquent," Koenma elaborated.
"Right!" Kurama perked up at the revelation. "Looser morals!"
"Yusuke has demonstrated ass-kicking equality. I've seen things I can never un-see," Sayomi confessed.
"Enough about that, guys," Yusuke growled.
"Why Sensui's doing this now, after ten years, I've no idea. I wish I did." Koenma looked at the faces in the room and said, "But I can say this... he won't stop until he's achieved his ambitions."
"Hmm..." Yusuke and Kurama mulled over Koenma's story.
Sayomi listened, trying to imagine what kind of enemy they were up against. If it's another detective like Yusuke, is it possible I chose the wrong human? But, Yusuke seems so much like the old man...
Suddenly, everyone got to their feet and turned to glare out the window. On the roof of the building across the street stood the devil himself. Standing beside him was another young human with a bright red jacket.
"Sensui!" Yusuke glared at the man who smirked down at him.
The boy next to him raised his hand to aim a bunch of dice at them. He raised his other hand, getting ready to flick his ammo. He adjusted his aim just slightly to the right.
"Shoot!" Kuwabara gasped and took off into the hallway. "They're after Mitarai!"
As soon as Kuwabara left, the Sniper fired off the dice at the next room. Sayomi fought the urge to check on them. It sounds like Kuwabara made it in time! When she saw Sensui's lips move, she raised an eyebrow. What?
"What's he saying?!" Yusuke asked through clenched teeth.
"Apparently Mitarai was a dupe," Kurama answered.
"Exactly," Genkai confirmed.
Yusuke turned to them in open shock. "You heard that?!"
"Well..." Kurama glanced at Yusuke briefly. "I read his lips."
"You can do that?" Sayomi asked in wonder. I wish I could pull that off!
"It takes practice," Genkai informed the girl.
"I can't take this anymore!" Yusuke growled. "I'm outta here!" He ran out the room and dashed out the front door. Sayomi and Kuwabara jumped out with him.
"Leave this to us!" Yusuke yelled at Kuwabara as they raced down the stairs. "You're hurt, and out of aura!"
"Heh! Didn't I tellya?" Kuwabara asked. "When I fought Mitarai, my powers came back! Big time! My aura sword looks different, too, so I must've hit a new level!"
"Hmph!" Yusuke smirked. "Hope you're right!"
A new aura sword?! Sayomi stared at Kuwabara with wide eyes. So, he beat Mitarai with his new weapon? I wonder what it looks like...
"There they are!" Yusuke yelled as they reached the bottom of the stairs. The former Underworld Detective and the Sniper were already waiting for them in the street. "Sensui!"
The ex-detective turned to them and raised two fingers. Sayomi and the boys watched him warily as he spoke. "The portal will be finished in two more days."
"What?!" Yusuke yelled.
"So you thought it would take longer?" Sensui asked. "I kinda figured you might need an update. Heh heh heh..."
Just two days? Sayomi's fingers twitched as she tried not to reach for her weapon too soon. They came all this way just to tell us that? But why?
Before long, they were joined by Genkai, Kurama, and Koenma. The prince locked eyes with his old detective. "Sensui."
"Ah, Koenma..." Sensui greeted his former boss.
"These guys your new foes?" Atsuko asked with a toothbrush in her mouth.
"What're you doing out here?!" Yusuke reeled at the sight of his mother outside in her nightgown.
"Stay back, Yusuke." The boy turned to Koenma curiously as he said, "Sensui can fire aura blasts, just like you. And who knows how much more powerful he's become since I last saw him?"
"Really?" Yusuke smirked. "Interesting..."
"Yusuke! No!" Koenma warned.
Yusuke ignored Koenma and calmly walked forward. "Hey, predecessor. I hear you went off your rocker."
"If that's what you call awakening to the truth," Sensui corrected.
"I'll stop you," Yusuke declared.
"You'll try," Sensui countered.
Sniper moved out of the way just as the two detectives began to emit aura.
"Hey!" Kuwabara yelled. "We're right in the middle of town!"
"Hah!" Yusuke immediately dashed forward, then quickly jumped to the right at the last second. He threw a right cross, but Sensui blocked it with his left arm and countered with a powerful right kick that knocked Yusuke off his feet.
"Unh! Arrgh!" Yusuke jumped back up and threw another right cross, faster than before. Sensui deflected it, shrugging it off to the side. "Wha...?" Sensui followed through with a left kick. "Gah!" Yusuke raised his leg in time to block, but the hit still sent him skidding back across the pavement. He glared up at Sensui, ignoring the blood in his eye and clutching his side in pain.
"Yusuke!" Sayomi yelled in worry. What's going on? He's blocking all of Yusuke's attacks! Just how strong is this guy?
"What's the deal?!" Kuwabara shouted. "You started this dustup! Finish it!"
"I think he's trying..." Sayomi muttered.
"Bad match for Yusuke," Kurama explained. "Sensui doesn't dodge or directly block attacks. He deflects and counters while maintaining his stance."
"Lightning Kickboxing!" Genkai recognized the style.
"What's that?" Sayomi asked in wonder.
"Correct," Sensui confirmed. "Lightning kickboxing: A martial art based on leg techniques. The upper body focuses on defense maneuvers (used as transitions to offensive techniques), while the opponent is subdued by destructive kicks. One is only allowed to learn this after mastering many other disciplines. It is thus considered the highest style of hand-to-hand combat... to a point!"
Sensui raised his hand and manifested a small bright orb of aura that began to emit static. "I've adapted it by adding the element of aura. Creating 'Aura Lightning Kickboxing'!" He dropped the orb and said, "Here's a sample."
"What're you – ?"
Yusuke was cut off as Sensui kicked the orb. "Crimson Lightning Ball!"
"Watch out!" Yusuke warned.
The ball of aura zoomed over their heads and changed direction. It collided with the building behind them and there was a loud explosion.
"It went right into our apartment!" Atsuko cried.
"Hey! He's trashed my room!" Yusuke yelled.
"We weren't what he was aiming at!" Koenma realized.
"Botan and Mitarai are still in there!" Kuwabara panicked.
"Are you serious?!" Sayomi reeled.
Sensui jumped up into the air and Yusuke jumped in front of his friends. "Genkai, Sayomi, Koenma! Go help the others! Sensui's mine!"
"But – " Sayomi tried to protest but Genkai cut her off.
"Leave it to us! Just don't let Yusuke do anything too stupid!" With that, she and Koenma took off towards the apartment.
Sayomi watched them leave until she heard Sensui speak. "I am, eh? Nice to be wanted."
"Shut up! I'm serious!" Yusuke dashed forward and threw a right cross. Sensui raised his arm to deflect it, but Yusuke pulled back and stepped to Sensui's left. He threw a series of punches, but Sensui only needed to deflect one. "Huh..."
While Yusuke was caught off guard, Sensui kicked Yusuke hard in the stomach. Yusuke fell back, but immediately sat up again. His shirt was torn from the kick and his skin was red. "Koff! Nice one..."
Sensui stared down at Yusuke and said, "Your moves are quite perfunctory. You need to brush up on the basics."
"Then try me!" Kuwabara charged in from behind, his hand out and open. "I'm back! And I'm better than ever!" He manifested his aura and summoned his aura sword. "Huh?!" He held up his weapon in confusion. "This looks like my old sword! What gives?!"
"Kuwabara!" Sayomi growled. His old sword? I thought he unlocked a new power! Can he not use it willingly yet?!
"Never mind! Hyaah!" Kuwabara brought his sword down on Sensui. The ex-detective swiftly deflected the sword with his open palm. "What?!"
He can even block swords?! Sayomi watched with wide eyes until she saw a flash of red in her peripheral. Huh?
Sensui kicked Kuwabara down and Kurama ran in with his Rose Whip at the ready. Just as he was about to attack, a truck screeched into view from around a corner. A young boy was driving while a tall man hung outside the window.
"Rats!" Kurama cursed. "New trouble!"
"Nice timing, gents," Sensui smirked.
The kid accelerated and was driving straight towards Kuwabara who was still getting to his feet. The large man reached out and his fingers extended like snakes.
"Huh?!" Kuwabara panicked and froze.
The fingers constricted around Kuwabara and lifted him into the air. Sensui vaulted into the bed of the truck as the vehicle sped by.
"Kuwabara!" Yusuke shouted. "Hey! That's one of Older Toguro's tricks!"
"Damn, you're right!" Sayomi realized belatedly. How is that even possible?!
"Lemme go!" Kuwabara screamed.
"Hurf!"
"Raagh!"
Kurama cracked his whip while Sayomi threw her sickle. Both weapons fell short as the truck weaved about the road and out of reach.
"Too far away!" Kurama confessed.
"Not for me it ain't!" Yusuke aimed his Reigun on the speeding truck and fired off a large blast of aura. "Ack! What've I done?! That was a full-force blast!"
"Full-force?" Kurama gasped. "It'll destroy the truck and Kuwabara! Sorry to be blunt."
"What the hell, Yusuke?!" Sayomi yelled. "Are you trying to kill Kuwabara, too?!"
"Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!" Yusuke cursed at himself.
Just as the blast was closing in on the truck, Sensui conjured another ball of electric aura. He threw it straight into Yusuke's bullet, setting off another large explosion in the street. Sayomi looked through the smoke and could see Sensui standing with his arms crossed. He smiled and waved as they drove away.
Yusuke grinded his teeth in fury. He marched to a bike rack and broke one of the chains. "I'll show 'im!"
"Yusuke!" Sayomi ran after him and instinctively became shadow. She conformed to the bike's shadow on the pavement as Yusuke hopped on and chased after them.
"Yusuke, wait!" Kurama called out, too late. "Don't be a fool! Come back!"