"I fail to see why I can't accompany you, my lord."

Yuha resisted the urge to growl, although his eye twitched a bit.

"First off, I'm not your King yet, and second, I am planning to visit a close ally of mine."

A muffled snort caught his ears, and he sent a tiny glare towards the form of the old man resting with his back against one of the Dojo's walls, presenting to the world the image of the wise old master.

And yet, the twitching of his mustache and the creasing of his eyes spoke the truth.

Damn you, old man! Stop amusing yourself at my expense and lend me a hand!

But Bang remained silent. And as for his 'senpai'? Well, a quick glance towards the love-struck form of Charanko showed that the youth would be of little help.

Yuha resisted the urge to sigh.

He would have to get through this ordeal on his own, it would seem.

Kisha, visage aloof, merely blinked at him.

"Maybe not yet, but your defeat against my mother is all but assured."

Wow. Thanks for the vote of confidence there, kid.

"And as for your second point, any ally of yours is to become an ally of our whole people in time, and so…"

Well, much as he didn't like it, the white-haired princess had him there. And—

He blinked, and a smile threatened to spread.

For within the young woman's words lay his answer.

Time for my bullshit to save the day once more! Or, at least…I hope it does.

Yuha let out a theatric sigh and leaned backwards a tad, staring at the Dojo's ceiling.

"Very well, the truth then," he said and could sense three pairs of eyes focus on him. "I did not wish to reveal this as it relates to my match with your mother and my past both, but, the man I'm visiting, the one you might know as 'King' is not merely an ally and acquaintance both, but he also served for a short time as my teacher. And thus, I seek his wisdom once more."

Charanko let out a gasp and even Bang seemed startled, but his focus remained upon Kisha.

"And so, unless I've misjudged your people, you wouldn't wish to gain an unfair advantage by spying in my conversation with my old teacher, now would you?"

Kisha's eyes widened, and she bowed.

"F-forgive me, my lord! I was not aware of your true intentions and how my actions would reflect upon my people as a whole!"

"Not a problem," Yuha said magnanimously and turned towards the door. "And again, not your lord!"

And I'll do my best to ensure it remains so!

Seeing no further objections coming from the woman, he made his way to the door but just as he set foot outside.

"My lord."

He groaned.

"Didn't I just tell you—"

"What should I do until you return?"

He shrugged.

"Mmh, I don't know, princess. I'm not your keeper and you're a grown woman. Do as you wish. Maybe explore the nearby town or visit your sister?" and with that he shrugged and power-walked out of the Dojo.

Charanko. For once prove useful and woo the woman and get her out of my hair!

And as for the new bullshit he spun and the repercussions no doubt to follow from said act?

That was a problem for future Yuha!

Present Yuha was happy enough to have escaped from Kisha's clingy grasp.

Now, onwards to King!

The 'strongest man's' apartment held little of the splendor one would expect it to.

In fact, as Yuha took it in, from the bare white ceiling and its cheap lightbulbs, to the living room's single large window from which light pink curtains off all things swayed and to the austere decorations covering the rest of the room, he found it remarkably similar to what his own had looked in another universe.

…Well, except for the pink curtains. King was even braver than him, it seemed. And besides, why pink? As a fellow gamer, King should know that black was the superior color for those who wanted to avoid the sun's eyes and game during the day!

'Ba-dump!'

And of course, who could forget the owner of the house?

The tall yakuza looking man, currently sitting on a beige cough flush against the wall and staring, or at least pretending to do so, at the flat-screen on the other side of the room on which some tekken clone was playing.

But judging by how the man's hands were merely gripping the controller and not actively pressing any buttons and the fact that King's drink remained untouched in its glass on the table in front of the man, next to Yuha's own?

Yeah. Yuha sighed. I need to somehow set him at ease. Yuha leaned back in his plastic chair.

But how to do so was the question. Especially when this situation was more or less his fault entirely.

He glanced for an instant at the two shelves surrounding the tv. The shelves lined with consoles, video games, and…was that? No, surely not.

Focusing his vision and directing his ki in an unfamiliar way as directed by his vi. Yuha's vision shifted and for a short instant he experienced an approximation of how some versions of the man of steel saw the world.

It would seem that his new body's improved senses had been right after all and there was, in fact, a false wall.

King, you naughty boy~

Yuha sighed dramatically, going as far as to close his eyes and cover half his face with a hand and shake his head.

"King…"

The man all but jumped in his seat, the controlled tumbling to the carpet lining the floor.

Internally, Yuha winced.

Sorry buddy, I'll replace it for you if it breaks.

'Ba-dump! Ba-dump!'

"Y-yes?"

"You disappoint me."

'Ba-dump! Ba-dump! Ba-dump!'

"I mean, you've done an adequate job of hiding them, so props for that, but still. You have such…refined tastes so as to enjoy the likes of Discipline, Residence, and Kuroinu to name a few from what I've seen."

King stared at him with his mouth open. Whatever the man had been thinking, forgotten as he no doubt struggled to adjust and follow along, the conversation charting unfamiliar grounds.

Yuha crossed his arms and sighed in disappointment.

"And yet. And yet!"

"What?" King asked, a hint of heat in his voice and inside, Yuha cracked a smirk, letting none of it show on the outside.

There's the spark of fire, of will I knew was there. After all, despite what you tell yourself, you must be at least somewhat brave and insane to walk into deadly combat, and fights which you have no chance of winning.

"You are a saber-fag? Truly?"

'Ba-dump!Ba-dump! Ba-dump!'

The King's Hell Engine blazed to life, only this time there was a hint of something else within it.

Yuha smirked.

"Oh? And what's wrong with saber?" King growled, leaning forward and glaring, glaring at Yuha!

And in response, he crossed his arms and tilted his head backwards a tad, letting his body's ingrained instincts guide him as he flashed King a smirk, a smirk the actual Cell was well known for followed by a deep chuckle, his shoulders shaking.

"Nothing," He said and King blinked and the tall man's wound up posture started to relax. "At least if you are content with being a boring 'normie' everyone knows that of the trio, and their derivatives, BB and Kama are best girls, followed by Eresh," he said and fury sparked in King's eyes. "But in truth, the true best girl in fate is none other than Shishou and then her imouto, Skadi."

King growled.

"You uncultured swine!" and then begun a tirade with Yuha quick to retort.

Inside, relief welled. For it would seem he'd managed to break the ice and bridge the gulf separating them, if for an instant. And he was also thankful that in this hellhole, probably as a result of this world being a hellhole now that he thought about it, Nasu didn't have to hold back and thus, this version of the nasuverse remained a full-blown eroge, if with great storytelling and shitty gameplay still.

…He'd already spent more than he would've liked on this world's fgo, but, Shishou titties! Plus, the kind people on the internet promised that her bond ten scene was a thing of legends!

"Off all the smooth-brained takes," King grumbled in response to one of Yuha's ripostes. "At least tell me you don't like Kiara as well. Please?"

Yuha blinked, closed his mouth and with a blush averted his eyes to the still lit screen.

"…No."

"Hey! She's a fine gal! If, a tad…misunderstood, yes."

"You horni motherfucker!"

And at last, the true 'King' was starting to come out, namely the shy shitposting gamer otaku in the company of his kin.

Minutes passed like this, and after a few hours spent debating various series and…'series'.

"No, just no, Dxd is not a good story."

"B-but, it has a deep plot and—"

"You just like Yasaka's and Akeno's boobs. Admit it."

"…"

"Sigh, dammit, King! Boobs alone a good story do not make!"

King started to truly relax and even smile, and to his surprise, Yuha found himself joining the man without having to feign it.

But still, he'd come here for a reason, and so.

He sighed.

"King?"

"Yeah?"

"It's been fine shooting the breeze with you, but I wanted to talk about something else as well."

'Ba-dump!'

The man's smile started to slip.

"Yeah…"

Yuha held up a hand. "No need to fear!" he hastened to add and flashed the man, who could become a true friend, an honest smile. "I meant what I said at the testing center. So, if you could just give me your hand…"

King, a smile full of trepidation on his face, extended one of his massive hands towards Yuha.

"Handholding? On the first date? How l-lewd."

And Yuha gagged.

"Don't make it weird, man!"

King giggled, and Yuha rolled his eyes.

Grasping the proffered limb, he closed his eyes and focused.

"Can you hear me?" he asked.

'Ba-dump!'

That infernal sound and his lack of familiarity with said technique making it all but impossible for Yuha to actually hear the man's thoughts.

"Speak out loud if you can, for this will take all my focus."

"Yes."

Laconic.

Good.

"Excellent! Now, as I said the other day, I have a way to, for lack of a better word, 'share' my power with you." A hitched breath reached his ears. "But, in truth, what I'm doing is slamming my power, my 'Ki' or Qi if you've heard the term—"

"Like my animus?"

He sighed, and much as it annoyed him, it was an apt comparison.

"Similar, yes. And as the 'animus' say, everyone has Qi, it's just that for most people its…locked? Yeah, I guess locked fits. And by smashing the lock with my own Ki, I can allow you to access said power."

"And in return—"

"Don't speak out-loud about it!" he sent with haste and, even if confused, King complied. "The reason I'm speaking to you through this technique about it is so that no-one will be able to overhear us and for there to be no risk to you…Well, aside from the technique's inherent risk."

King's arm in his grasp tensed.

"Worry not. As I said, I want nothing from you, but this is an inherent risk in unlocking your Ki. I've done it a few times, and for some it proved almost fatal and for others it felt like a strong punch in the gut. That's the risk and 'payment', if you will."

The blond man did not respond for a moment.

"Will…it be of use?" he asked at last. His words innocuous enough that even if someone was listening…physicaly listening, for the Hell King's Engine made it all but impossible to peek in their mental conversation, and coupled with their previous…discussion they wouldn't get much.

Yuha shrugged.

"That's up to you, buddy. With enough time and training, there's little you can't achieve with Ki. But, it will certainly make you stronger, yes. Plus, with your superhuman reactions and reflexes, think of all the high-scores you'll be able to achieve in games and the noobs you'll be able to dunk on online!"

'Ba-dump! Ba-dump! Ba-dump!'

Again, the engine blazed. And again, it contained something more than raw fear.

"Very well!"

Yuha nodded slowly.

"As you wish, but, a word of warning," he said. "Even though my sample size is small, I suspect that the ease of unlocking and the chance of the subject surviving is related, in part, to the subject's own willpower and desire to be a hero. So, set your heart ablaze and tell me when!"

The other part he didn't say, the one that had little to do with the subject themselves, had more to do with the attention from that. For Tatsu's heart was filled with determination and yet, that thing's vigil over her had been strong as well.

After a few seconds, he could feel King nodding.

"Shoot."

Yuha took a deep breath and dived into King's soul.

Don't die on me now buddy…

For leaving aside of having to explain the death of the 'strongest man', there was also the fact of the disastrous results it would have on humanity's morale.

"Eep!"

Yuha blinked.

That…had been easier than he expected. Much, much easier.

Letting go of King's hand and opening his eyes, he found the blond scratching at his chest.

He did the gentleman thing and did not mention the girl like squeak King made.

But still.

Cracking the barrier had been easy, much easier than he expected it to be and the thing's attention had been all but nonexistent on King.

Meh. Its mistake, he thought with a shrug of his shoulders.

"You okay there?"

King blinked and flashed him a small smile.

"Mmh, yeah, this feels…"

"I know, buddy. I know," he said. "But, imma need that arm back."

Confused, King nonetheless did as asked and once again, Yuha spoke through the mental pathways.

"Ki is versatile, much more versatile than you believe. But, despite that being the case, it'll be a bitch to discover it all on your own, so I'll give you a quick lesson on the basics as well as some techniques to practice on your own. Just tell me if you can feel what I'm doing or receive the images I'm trying to send you and do your best to follow along, yes?"

"Ok."

Good. Now to start the man nice and slow. After all, King just had his Ki unlocked. How good could he be with it?

Yuha walked out of the train without conscious thought and made his way through Z-city in a daze.

How?! How the hell is King that good with Ki and with—he growled and resisted the urge to punch a nearby car, tear a sign post out, and rage in general. First Best Girl reveals herself to be a natural talent with the stuff and now King…What's up with this world's humans?!

Charanko and Bang did not count necessarily, for they were martial artists, and thus it was natural they'd be able to use the stuff with the same ease they breathed. But now, with the benefit of hindsight?

I need to unlock Metal-Bat's ki as well, see if the pattern continues…

The imprints of the martial artists within him all but raged at the idea. Especially the echoes of the Prince, for the man had trained all his life and sweated blood and tears to achieve his power and the humans of this world could, could…

He sighed and let it go. Pausing at an intersection and with cars rushing by, he tried to think about his next move.

I could go back to the Dojo, but, I doubt Tatsumaki is there yet, as she did say she'd be late today and while I could spar with Bang I'm not in the mood for it right now…nor do I want to witness Charanko's pathetic flirting but then—

Past the grumbling ape within his brain, deep in his soul and where a barrier was supposed to exist as it did in all of these world's humans, the fates swirled, and the lightest of brushes, akin to a woman's caress drew his attention towards something.

Blinking at the unexpected sensation, he nonetheless decided to heed it and closed his eyes, the sounds of the world fading as he brought up his nascent Ki-sense, and scanned Z-city.

Nothing of import popped up.

Yeap, Bang and Charanko are up there and no sign of Tatsumommy and Kisha is somewhere up ahead exploring the city, yeap as expected.

He made to stop, but a much more faded and worried caress accompanied the first and he frowned.

Wait…Kisha is not moving. The hell?

Now, he was probably worrying over nothing, and yet, in the case he wasn't?

Yuha's eyes snapped open, and he dashed through the streets, avoiding cars and the throngs of people alike, speeding towards where his senses had pointed until at last he came to a small forest and a tiny clearing within it where—

"See, I told you he would come."

"M-My king!" Kisha cried with hope. "F-forgive me!" the girl said with a relieved sob as she was held within the arms of a man.

Yuha's heart skipped a beat, and he frowned.

"Garou…"

The white-haired youth, clad in a black shirt and form fitting gray pants, sent a bloodthirsty grin his way as he continued to hold the Subterranean princess.

"Oho? The old man already told you about me?" he tittered and shook his head. "I don't know whether I should be flattered or annoyed at the old fart." he grinned. "Well, come on then, you are a 'hero' are you not? Come, save this girl, if you can, and let your senpai assess how your training's going…"

Shit. This ain't good.

Yuha stepped into the clearing.

'A wild 'senpai' appears! '

fight-bullshit
distract-run

run

'You can't run from this battle'

Cuha: "shit."