The first stratum looked like a deserted city brought to ruin, which gave Chikasu some lingering flashbacks. As they battle the mechs, Chikasu strikes a few conversations with them.
"So, Yoko. Your ability is telepathy, right?" Chikasu asked.
"That's right. It allows me to communicate with people through their minds." Yoko said.
"I think it's a great ability. You could do wonders with that." Chikasu said.
"You...really think so?" Yoko asked.
"You seem unsure about it. Is something about it bothering you?" Chikasu asked.
"Not particularly. It's just...I'm aspiring to be an idol singer, but I don't want to use my ability to do it. I feel like I'm taking the easy way out in capturing people's hearts through my singing." Yoko said.
"I see. Well, don't let it discourage you too much. I still think that Telepathy is a great ability to have." Chikasu said.
"Thanks. I'll be sure to live up to your expectations." Yoko said.
In another part of the battlefield, Chikasu runs into Zenji.
"Huh? Oh, it's you." Zenji said.
"Hey there, Zenji. Your ability is Synchronization, correct?" Chikasu asked.
"Yeah, that's right." Zenji said. "I can copy any ability under the sun, no matter who it's from. However, that person has to be in range of the ability's use."
"Have you ever thought about creating your own fighting style?" Chikasu asked.
"Why would I bother with something like that? Copying other people's abilities takes the fun out of learning them for myself. Same goes for other aspects of life." Zenji said.
"I think I get what you're saying now. Since your ability allows you to copy those of others, you consider hard work completely pointless." Chikasu said.
"That's right. It's a pretty nifty ability too. Works well if the original user is in too much of a pinch to use it." Zenji said.
"Yep. Very useful. I can see some great feats happening with it." Chikasu said.
After a series of battles, Chikasu stood in front of a door.
"Is something wrong, Chikasu?" Sho asked.
"Kind of… In order to progress higher, we'll have to bump off our members. I'm a little worried about what The End has in store for us." Chikasu said.
"Don't be. Whatever happens, we're all your friends in this." Sho said.
"Thanks, Sho. No hard feeling, whatever happens, okay?" Chikasu asked.
"Got it. Let's go." Sho said as the group went inside.
