SZ: well..people certainly liked the anniversary chapter and our new original arc so far.
GT: Eeyup. Mainly due to Ben turning into Stitch. Little blue guy is pretty famous.
SZ: Oh ho yeah. Anyway, let us keep the fun time train rolling...because who knows when we'll get back to it once the serious shit happens.
GT: Eeyup. Now then, we own nothing in this story. So please enjoy. Z0, destroy the stage in an outlandish way that freaks SZ out.
Z0: *Jumps into the air before landing in Guyver Gigantic Dark* I've always wanted to do this, *begins forcing open chest armor as blinding light forms from within* GIGA….SMASHER!
SZ: AH GEEZ!
"The students in the V3 class?" Kirigiri blinked as he looked at Tsubaki.
"Yes. From what…" Tsubaki paused, keeping a cautious eye out before whispering to him, "...From what I've gathered from looking them up, it seems a few of them went missing as well. Also...I fear whoever is behind these disappearances is already onto us."
"Soka…" Kirigiri noted, taking this information in, "I wasn't aware students were turning up missing from that class as well…"
"I had a feeling…" Tsubaki whispered with a frown, earning a look from him, "It could be that no one paid attention because they're considered the 'delinquent' class, which is admittedly confusing for most of the students in that class aren't all that bad."
"True. They may get into one form of trouble now and again, but they're all good kids deep down," Kirigiri stated, "...Though I feel something off about Korekiyo...Ahem! Anyways, if it is possible, keep a close eye out on them as well."
"Of course, s-" Tsubaki began before a loud crash was heard, "?! What was that?"
"Most likely...Akane getting into a fight with someone…" Kirigiri sighed before looking outside, "...and there's no blizzard so we can rule out Kisaragi Jin."
"Then who w...wait. The gym is open for PE, right?"
"Yes. Wh-"
"WHOA NELLY!" Makoto's voice yelped as another loud crash came from the gym.
"...Makoto," Tsubaki facepalmed.
"Okay...So one of the missing was last seen here…" Makoto noted to herself a few minutes earlier as she entered a large gymnasium.
Within was dozens of different kinds of exercising equipment, exercising guides, several indoor sports areas including a boxing ring, several kinds of gymnastic setups, a hockey/ice skating rink in its own private corner and walled off from everything else for temperature control, a swimming pool for the same reasons on the other side farthest from the ice rink, and-of course-several students using them for training up their talents.
"...Well damn. This school really has it all," Makoto blinked, "...still very conflicted on...n-no no. Focus Makoto...you are on a mission," she whispered to herself, shaking her head a bit as she continued to look around, "Okay. Just gotta find some clues t-"
"WHOO!" Makoto looked over to see Akane-wearing the school's gym attire- leaping off one of the platforms used for Gymnastics, seeing her do a few flips in the air before landing down hard on a mat, "Nailed it! Okay...who's up for a spar?!"
"?!" most of the other students tensed before running to find someplace safe, leaving a confused Makoto.
"The heck?" Makoto pondered, raising a brow.
"Aw come on…" Akane sighed, seeing their reactions, "Shoulda guessed. My two spar buddies are awol and no one wants to do it."
'I might be able to learn more about the missing students,' Makoto thought, "Hey, I'm up for it!"
"Hm? Really?! Great! I'm Owari Akane! Nice to meet ya!" Akane beamed before blinking twice, "Uh...What's with the…?"
"They're real," Makoto stated, her ears and tail twitching to prove it, "Name's Nanaya Makoto."
"Oh sweet!" Akane beamed, "You're the girl who fought off those space frogs earlier this year!"
"Eeyup," Makoto smirked as she pulled out an acorn, "Now excuse me so I can change into something appropriate.
"Hmm?" Akane raised a brow before Makoto let the acorn drop, causing a smoke cloud to engulf the Beastkin before it faded, revealing her to be wearing a black sports bra-like top, a pair of black and yellow gym shorts, and black running shoes with black fingerless gloves on her fists.
"Okay! I…" Makoto began before jumping up, hopping right into the ring over the others, "Am Ret-2-go!"
The other students tensed from behind their hiding spots, seeing the almost predatory look appear in Akanes eyes before she jumped high up, landing straight into the ring. One brave student, dressed as a referee, managed to be brave enough to sit at a table nearby with a bell.
"Okay Akane. Just to warn you…" Makoto began, pounding her fist together as she hopped in place a bit, "I don't know how to pull my punches."
"Fine with me. Coach Nekomaru never held back when we spared and neither did Sakura," Akane grinned, cracking her knuckles, "First one to be pinned for a count of ten loses?"
"Sure thing!" Makoto replied.
"Hajime!" the referee called, ringing the bell.
As if on cue, Akane shot out at Makoto, swinging a fist. Makoto moved to the side as Akane's fist hit the floor, denting it to the point of making a small crater.
"WHOA, NELLY!" Makoto yelped, 'She's pretty strong!'
"Come on now!" Akane shouted, attempting a rising kick at Makoto as the Beastkin quickly dodged, "If we're gonna spar, treat it like a realistic combat condition!"
"Reali-We're in a school!"
"So? That's how Coach Nekomaru always trained me!"
'Okay...Seems this Nekomaru guy considered spars like Max does…' Makoto thought before grinning as she caught Akane's punch, making a small shockwave come out of the impact, "Alright then…Just don't be mad if ya end up in the nurse's office later."
"Eh, not the first time," Akane grinned, "So let's go!"
"You got it!" Makoto replied as the two swung a fist, delivering a cross counter on one another.
"I swear I can't do anything without you and/or Makoto causing some form of havoc," Tsubaki sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as she headed towards the gym where the fight was taking place.
"Hey. We're not that bad…" Ben spoke as he ran alongside her, "...Well...not as much recently but still."
"I'll be keeping that in mind when you cause some havoc," Tsubaki muttered, "Speaking of which, let's stop your girlfriend before sh-"
"Halt!" the two skidded to a halt...seeing Kokichi standing in front of the door to the gym while dressed as a door valet, "Tickets please."
'Oh lord him again…' Tsubaki sighed.
"Wait. Tickets?" Ben blinked.
"Yup! All three of the big classes-including the one yours truly is in-is attending one heck of a fight...one that's as big as the three way one with Akane, Nekomaru, and Sakura, so…" Kokochi paused as he held a hand out, "Tickets please…"
"...This is a scam, isn't it?" Ben deadpanned.
"Oh no. Would I ever lie?" Kokochi asked in an 'innocent' tone.
"It's a talent just below your title of Ultimate Supreme Leader," Tsubaki stated.
"So...scam," Ben clarified before the two stepped past him.
"...Poo. She's no fun," Kokichi pouted.
"His title is Ultimate Supreme Leader?" Ben asked.
"Despite his lying habit, he's actually quite skilled in leadership," Tsubaki answered, "He was able to turn a ragtag bunch of orphans into a globe-trotting organization of pranksters."
"He what now?"
"Do you recall Bellwood's 'Pudding Incident' of 2007?" Tsubaki asked.
"Do I ever…" Ben shuddered, "I couldn't even look at pudding for two years..." he paused, "That was him?"
"More or…" Tsubaki began just as the two stepped into the gym, only to stop when Makoto was sent flying over her and Ben, "..."
"Okay...lucky shot…" Makoto muttered, wiping some blood from her lip before shooting up and rushing back towards the ring, "Won't get me that easily! Next time, Akane!"
"...Her lip is busted," Ben noted, "Man, whoever she's fighting must be pretty strong if they managed to make Makoto bleed."
"...It's Owari-san," Tsubaki sighed, seeing who the Beastkin was duking it out with.
"The girl who made Jin make an early winter?" Ben asked.
"The very same..." the two looked over, seeing Jin sitting down at the bleachers with a few of their classmates from Classes 77 and 78,and a few students from-what Tsubaki could tell from what she read-class 79, "...Before you ask, I was dragged here by Mioda."
"Ibuki was pumped! Haven't seen Akane so excited since Neko went MIA," Ibuki grinned.
"How did this even happen?" Ben asked.
"Akane-sempai likes to challenge people she has a gut feeling on them being strong," Hina noted, sitting beside a tall, tan-skinned boy with long, unkempt brown/sap green hair wearing glasses, "It's how Sakura and I met her and how we ended up meeting Gonta here."
"Gonta was terrified when sempai attacked like an angry mother bear…" the teen shuddered.
'Seeing how wild that Akane girl is...I can see why a big guy like him would be scared,' Ben thought, seeing Makoto throw a punch at Akane before she ended up missing when the gymnast jumped out of the way.
"Also don't let them drink the water bottles...the brat slipped something into them," Jin stated, earning a stink eye from Fuyuhiko, "...I meant the other brat. Saionji."
"Gotcha," Ben nodded.
'Just as many missing as the other classes,' Tsubaki thought, looking at the students of Class 79, 'Four missing students for each class...there's a pattern here.'
"...Wait. Did Jin say something about Hiyoko slipping something into their waters?" Kazuichi spoke, paling a bit before shooting behind Gonta, "Don't let them get to 100 percent of a 100 percent!"
"Beg pardon?" Tsubaki raised a brow.
"Last time Akane spared with Nekomaru, she ended up drinking one of Teruteru's special corn syrups and she went Super Saiyan buff!" Ibuki exclaimed, "Next thing we knew, our class was a giant battlefield!" she laughed, "Oh man! Ibuki's song that she wrote about it was so epic!"
'...Out of all the classes we could've been assigned, me and Tsubaki just had to be paired with the crazy ones,' Jin mentally facepalmed.
"...I honestly feel your pain," Byakuya spoke, earning Jin's attention, "Being surrounded by people who irritate you to no end…"
"...You have no idea," Jin sighed as the bell rang.
"Okay...break time…" Makoto heavily panted, sweat and a few bruises covering her and Akane's bodies, 'Whoo boy! Seriously this gal...she is a beast in a fight!'
"Man...I haven't felt this bruised in a long while," Akane noted, panting just as hard, yet still had a smile on her face, "I'm really liking this!"
"...heh. Honestly same here," Makot chuckled, going over to a corner as she prepared to grab a water bottle, only for Ben to pick it up, "Wh-oh hey, Ben. Came to watch?"
"Kinda, and to warn ya not to drink the waters," Ben warned, "One of Tsubaki and Jin's classmates slipped something into them. Some corn syrup or something."
"Eh?" Makoto blinked before she noticed Akane drinking from her own water bottle, "Ahh wait! Don't drink that…"
"Hmm? Why n-?" Akane began before she tensed, feeling something 'awaken' in her body. Her skin began to redden as her muscles began to grow out, steaming starting to rise from her skin.
"Oh not again…" Fuyuhiko groaned.
"Whoa! Was that magic water?" a short, red-haired girl wearing a witch's hat and a black cap gawked, sitting beside Hiyoko.
"Close, Himiko. It's a special elixir Teruteru made," she explained, mentally giving a prankish grin as Akane gave a loud roar, more steam coming straight off her body.
"She's done it! She's hit 100 percent of 100 percent!" Kazuichi freaked, "She's in her final form!"
"I bet if Kibo and Miu were here, we'd be in bigger trouble," a lanky teen with spiky purple hair with his jacket set over his shoulders with his arms not in the sleeves noted.
"Not the time to joke, Kaito," Hina noted.
"Whoa…" Makoto gawked, "Did...Did she just go Gear Second?"
"Mmm…" Akane muttered as she flexed her hand, her hair long and flowing as she stood there, "...Oh now it's gonna be fun."
"...Ishimaru, shouldn't you step in?" Naegi whispered to his classmate, unaware of a large butterfly net about to snatch him.
"I would…" Ishimaru replied, "But the last time I did, I woke up two days later and had to spend six hours assuring Mikan-sempai it was alright that she couldn't wake me up for two days."
"I can attest to that," Mondo added, "Tried to step in...got KOed fast from a double punch from Nekomaru-sempai and Sakura."
"May need to step in then," Jin sighed as he stood up, the sudden movement causing Naegi to yelp since he had been bumped into and fell off his seat and landed on Nagito, causing him to fall out of his seat and made both fall off the bleacher completely.
"Ah! You two alright?" a girl with long blond hair, a cowlick, and a musical note hairclip asked, looking over the seats to the two in concern.
"We're okay…" both groaned, swirls replacing their eyes, as no one noticed the net go away.
"It's like a coin flip when it comes to their luck…" Fuyuhiko groaned, facepalming.
"Up for round two?" Akane asked, cracking her knuckles.
'Oh I am getting so many flashbacks to my first days of working with Sector Seven and having the big guy training me on dealing with guys like him…' Makoto thought, her tail sticking up straight, "...Uh, Ben? Mind passing me that w-"
*WHAP WHAP!*
"No...no chaos or havoc," Tsubaki stated, tapping her paper fan in her hand as she stood over a downed Makoto and Akane with multiple steaming bumps on their heads, "And don't even think about drinking that, Makoto."
"Ahh~" Makoto groaned, her eyes replaced with swirls.
"She took down the 100 percent of 100 percent with a paper fan!" Kazuichi gawked.
"She's used to dealing with stuff like this," Jin snorted, "Back in Bellwood, the moment that paper fan comes out, everyone a rank lower than her becomes terrified that they're the target."
"Now then…" Tsubaki paused, tapping her paper fan in her hand as nearly everyone tensed up from the sound alone, "Everyone back into class...now."
"...such powerful authority," Ishimaru whispered before Mondo picked him up and booked it to class.
"Not you," Tsubaki stated, making Mikan yelp in fright when she pointed at her and then to the downed Makoto and Akane, "Two students are in need of medical assistance."
"Y-Yes, ma'am!" Mikan replied, quickly going over with the medical kit she had brought with her, "Oh, she just had to drink it again…She's going to be starving even more than usual after this wears off, too."
"Hm?" Tsubaki pondered.
"W-Well...The soup that causes this works by increasing the blood flow in order to provide them with more oxygen and nutrients, increasing her strength and speed," Mikan explained, "This increase leads to a higher metabolism, causing her to be hungrier than usual and could even cause temporary paralysis if she overdoes it like the first time she drank it. In all honesty, it's comparable to doping. Fortunately, you were able to stop her from doing anything too strenuous such as resuming a fight. A-As for Nanaya-san, this drink might not be good for her given her being, well…"
"A Beastkin," Tsubaki informed, "Think of it as she's human, but also mixed with animal DNA. In this case, a squirrel."
"O-Oh...I'll need to talk to T-Tanaka-san for some books on squirrel b-biology to better help her," Mikan noted before bowing, "I'm so sorry! Please don't hate me!"
"It's alright," Tsubaki assured, "This is new to you, so there's no reason to be upset. Think of it as a learning experience and a way to help improve your ability to help others."
"Oh...th-that does sound like a good point," Mikan whispered before bowing a bit, "Arigatou, Yayoi-san."
"Of course," Tsubaki nodded as Mikan hurried back to her other classmates, "...abuse."
"Hmm?" Ben raised a brow.
"Her posture for one," Tsubaki stated with a frown, "Notice how she flinches when someone makes physical contact with her. Furthermore, her outburst just now when she felt she couldn't fully assist Makoto. Remember what she said?"
"That she was sorry and begged you not to hate…" Ben began before it dawned on him, "...mental abuse."
"Who mentioned abuse?" Makoto spoke as she shot up, an instant frown on her face.
"Wow, that was fast," Ben noted.
"A blow like that only stuns me nowadays," Makoto snorted, "Still stings, though. Are you reinforcing that fan with something?"
"I'll explain later. For now, however, we're dealing with multiple issues we'll need to write a report on for the Headmaster," Tsubaki noted, "And first up is this...Why did you fight her?"
"Huh? Well, she seemed lonely for a moment," Makoto noted, "From what I've gathered from just being around her in here and that spar, Akane was good friends with two of the missing students and at times, she'd bring up how some hits I got in reminded her of spars she had with them and got more excited when I'd do something she hadn't seen before, like a little boxing with my tail. I also learned that while she's strong, the two she knows are way stronger to the point she has to drink that stuff to break even. So whoever took them took two heavy-hitters."
"I see," Tsubaki noted, "...At least you were able to focus on the task at hand."
"Uh, hello? Former NOL Intelligence Department member and spy for Sector Seven," Makoto reminded, "Plus…" she looked at the now-snoozing Akane, her body back to its original state before pulling the two a bit closer and whispered, "She's been assaulted. Sexually."
"?!" the two looked at her with wide eyes.
"She mentions it so casually like it's nothing, that I think she doesn't know how serious it is," Makoto frowned, "Heck, she actually offered me to fondle her chest if I won."
"...I might need to talk to Headmaster Kirigiri about the personal lives of my fellow classmates," Tsubaki stated, a scowl apparent on her face.
"You do that. We'll look after her until she wakes up," Ben stated, "...Huh. Sleeps like Makoto."
"Ye-HEY!" Makoto exclaimed, "I do not snore."
"You do," Tsubaki and Ben replied.
"Mmm~" Makoto puffed her cheeks at that.
"Still...I think we have a way to connect to some of the students," Tsubaki noted as she looked at Ben.
"...Why are you looking at me for?" Ben asked.
"For Class 77, we have a nurse that could use some experience with aliens and a breeder that'd be able to assist with animal-like aliens. For Class 78, we have a writer and a mangaka that'd be able to take notes and detailed drawings of aliens and experiences involving said aliens. And 79 has a student that could help said nurse with insect-based aliens," Tsubaki explained.
"...You gotta be kidding me," Ben deadpanned.
"...Actually that's not bad," Makoto noted, making him look at her, "Can think of it as bonding with more of our fellow students while also detecting any odd behaviors from one of them and possible info."
"Ahh...good idea," Ben grinned.
"And that's why I am the smart and pretty one out of the two of us," Makoto smirked.
"Hey!" Ben frowned.
"Ah, you know I'm kidding," Makoto giggled, "Though it doesn't count when you turn into certain aliens. Then you're either the smart one, the pretty one, or both."
"Damn right I am," Ben grinned.
"Any luck?" Rook asked, standing within the Japan Plumbers HQ.
"We've managed to recover it, but we've had to transfer it to a computer that can't connect to anything outside of a USB Drive," a technician, resembling a humanoid fox with three tails, spoke as she handed Rook a laptop along with his original, "When the Galvans were informed, all the computers are currently going through maintenance to update their firewall systems and other defenses."
"Good," Rook nodded, "Still...this is rather concerning. Someone was able to hack one of our computers...just because I was investigating who was behind that bombing."
"It is worrying," she agreed as a kappa-looing Plumber poked his head in.
"Magister Tennyson is on the line," the Kappa-like alien informed.
"Thank you," Rook thanked as he answered it, "Magister Tennyson."
=Rook, were you able to recover the data?=
"Yes, but it had to be transferred to an isolated computer," Rook answered, "Is everything okay, Magister?"
=Kajun was able to partially prevent a hacking attempt on our files= Max informed =While most of the files were prevented from getting accessed, they were able to access files on Ben and his alien forms along with several blueprints for Plumber tech=
"What?" Rook's eyes widened at that.
=That's not all…= Kajun spoke =I tried to search up some further information on Kibougamine...and just before I could dig deeper, we received a threat message...from the school itself=
"A threatening message from Kibougamine?" Rook asked.
=Yes...it said 'Do not dig any deeper. Kibougamine's secrets must remain hidden and the school's reputation must remain untarnished. Recall any forces you have in the school, or else swift action will be taken'= Kajun explained.
"That is worrying," Rook noted.
=Contact Ben and the others in the school as soon as you can= Max ordered =Update them on this situation=
"Of course, sir."
"Ahh...Geez, that test was boring," Makoto groaned as the second period was over with, the squirrel girl back in her school uniform.
"Yeah. My hand's sore from all that writing," Ben frowned, rubbing his wrist, "Really glad I took those classes on the different styles of Japanese writing so I could read the Sumo Slammers manga straight from Japan instead of waiting for the translations when I was thirteen."
"Fair point. Translations often screw up certain phrases," Makoto nodded, "But nevermind that. Least we were able to convince our classmates about the little get together later with the other two classes."
"True...least w-" Ben began before his Omnitrix and Makoto's badge went off, "Hmm?"
"Something must be up," Makoto muttered as she turned it on.
=Makoto, Ben, I...have some good news and bad. Good news...I was able to talk with Yukizome-sensei and Chiaki-the class representative- to help with the classroom get together and have it take place in the gym= Tsubaki spoke =Bad news….you need to hurry to the headmaster's office=
"...Okay whatever it is, we didn't do it," Ben argued.
=I will be questioning you both later on what you did that you're denying= Tsubaki deadpanned =But that's not the reason why. Just hurry to the headmaster's office at once=
"Got it," Makoto nodded as she turned her badge's communicator off, "...Really, hun? You had to say that?"
"Sorry, babe. Just...force of habit I used to do back in school," Ben admitted
"...eh. Fair point," Makoto shrugged, "Not that I blame ya...got in trouble for some stuff myself back in school."
"Like the infamous prank spree on April Fools day?"
"Eeyup."
"...I see...that is concerning," Tsubaki whispered once she and Jin were in Kirigiri's office, "And you're sure you weren't the one who sent it, correct?"
"Of course," Kirigiri replied, "I was actually checking in on the Reserve Course classes at the time the message was sent to check on Kerogin-sensei and how he's been adapting to his job."
"That's the Incursean, right?" Jin asked.
"Yes," Kirigiri replied before the intercom buzzed.
=Tennyson-san and Nanaya-san are here=
"Good. Send them in," Kirigiri replied.
"What's going on?" Ben asked once he and Makoto walked in a minute later.
"Plumbers HQ received a threat from the school and to have us head back home," Tsubaki explained.
"What?!" Makoto gawked.
"It didn't come from me considering that I was the one who asked for the Plumbers to assist in this," Kirigiri informed
"And we know the threat wasn't sent until Kajun began to dig into the school's history," Jin added, "So who could've sent it?"
"That I wish we knew...most likely it could be the same person behind the missing students and the coverups," Tsubaki surmised.
"...I have one theory if it isn't the kidnapper," Kirigiri noted with a scowl, "The Steering Committee."
"The who?"
"My bosses," Kirigiri replied.
"You have bosses?" Makoto asked.
"They're the highest authority in Hope's Peak," Kirigiri informed, "They can even override the decisions I make, such as allowing or denying people into the academy. The reason I was able to get you four in was because I went over their heads to request it from the Emperor himself in secret."
"...And now that they know about us and what we're trying to do, they're trying to get rid of us and keep the school's 'good image' untarnished, correct?" Jin asked with a frown.
"Correct."
"...So...world's most famous school is in truth one of the most corrupt places in the world," Ben noted, "...Makoto, I'm burning it down like I promised."
"I'll get th-" Makoto began before she and Ben received the paper fan to the head, "Owie!"
"No," Tsubaki frowned, "We are not burning down anything until there is no other option left."
"Aw come on…" Ben grumbled.
"Do you know where any member of the Steering Committee is right now, Headmaster?" Jin asked.
"No," Kirigiri replied, shaking his head, "Lately, they've only spoken through messages. It could be they're focused more on the campus being built in the US, but then again…" he took a quick look around before walking up to the window and grabbed the shades, "Promise me that what I'm about to tell you never leaves this room...ever."
"?" the four raised a brow at that before nodding.
"Good…" Kirigiri nodded before closing the shades. He then walked over to a nearby surveillance camera, shutting it off before locking the door, "...The Izuru Kamakura Project."
"The what now?" Ben blinked.
"Izuru Kamakura…" Tsubaki whispered, "...That's the name of the founder of Hope's Peak, right?"
"Yes...I've heard them talk about it once, but was ordered to remain silent on it," Kirigiri explained, "Also known as the Hope Cultivation Plan. From what I was able to overhear, the project is meant to give people who aren't Ultimates an artificial Ultimate Talent, hoping to create something known as the Ultimate Hope."
"Ultimate Hope?" Makoto repeated.
"If I guess right...most likely someone with every talent imaginable," Kirigiri guessed.
"Eh, that's kinda late for that," Makoto noted, "Ben's got that with all his alien forms."
"Yup," Ben added.
"No PDAs in my office," Kirigiri warned, rolling his eyes, "That's all I currently know about it. However, I have others also looking into the project, such as Yukizome-sensei."
"Yukizome-sensei?" Tsubaki asked in surprise.
Kirigiri nodded, "Two others are also looking into it with her and will be giving me a report tomorrow after classes are done. If it isn't any trouble, I'd like to invite all of you as well."
"While I'd be fine with it, I'm going to turn it down," Makoto shrugged.
"Same," Ben agreed.
"They're working on talking to all the students in all three classes to get a better idea on how people are getting kidnapped," Tsubaki explained.
"Ah...good idea," Kirigiri nodded.
"So long as I'm not part of that possible bed of chaos, I'll stay out and stick with Tsubaki," Jin stated.
"Eh. Your loss, Jinny," Ben and Makoto shrugged.
"...hate you. I hate you both so much," Jin frowned in annoyance.
"We know." both smiled, making him growl in anger.
"Does tormenting him make you two feel better?" Tsubaki asked.
"No...it's just fun." they both replied.
"How...do you do that so often?" Tsubaki blinked.
"Mmm-mm…" they shrugged.
"...just...just please leave," Tsubaki sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Mmkay," the two shrugged once more as they walked out.
"Those two are so in love, they are literally synched up perfectly…" Tsubaki sighed.
"It's annoying," Jin deadpanned.
"Maybe they can sense things through one another and that's why Ben always sees your attacks coming." Tsubaki muttered.
"Grr…" Jin's eye twitched at that.
"...I'll just drop it now," Tsubaki whispered.
"Please do."
"You know...for a school supposedly being the best in the world, it has some really dark secrets," Ben whispered to Makoto as the two walked down the halls, "I think Gwen might've dodged a bullet for not coming here."
"And if she did, she'd be on this case instantly," Makoto added, "...Though given this committee the headmaster works for overrules anything, they might try and make her 'disappear' too."
"They try and I'd introduce them to Grimlock or Rath personally," Ben stated, "I'm starting to think maybe some good old destruction and mayhem is what I'll need to do to this place."
"Same, but let's save it for after we find the missing students, the kidnapper, and expose this place's dark secrets," Makoto stated, "For now? Let's go meet up with our classmates and the other two classes."
"Right, " Ben nodded, "Shouldn't be that hard…"
"I feel like with this place...it both will and won't be." Makoto admitted, "Probably gonna hold some Q & A or something."
=GAME!=
"Ah come on!" Akane complained, dropping a control as she and Chiaki sat next to each other with everyone else watching and/or cheering on, "Rematch!"
"Or they could be doing a video game tournament or something," Makoto whispered in amazement.
"Chiaki-sempai was the one who thought of this," Naegi explained, "It's kinda nice. Nothing too crazy is going on outside of what's on the screen."
"Kazuichi-sempai even made a large 60FPS screen to play the games on!" Hina added.
"Not bad," Makoto noted.
"...Why couldn't my school be this cool?" Ben whispered.
"Because they didn't have an awesome guy like Kazuichi-sempai," Hina replied with a giggle.
"Racing game next!" Ibuki called out, "Ibuki will win this time!"
"You think she will?" Makoto quietly asked Naegi.
"With Chiaki-sempai being the Ultimate Video Gamer, we tend to think of winning as coming in second when she plays," Naegi noted.
"Well that changes today!" Kaito called out, "Today is the day the Luminary of the Stars topples the reigning champ!"
"Oh yeah?! What makes you think you can beat me in a race, Momota?!" Mondo challenged, shooting up to give him a challenging glare.
"Just who the hell do you think I am, Owada!?" Kaito argued before striking a dramatic pose, pointing his finger high into the air as his jacket seemed to blow in the 'wind', revealing the 'galaxy' within it, "I am Kaito Momota, Luminary of the Stars!"
"...I'm betting on Mondo," Ben replied simply.
"Me too!" Makoto cheered.
"Okay. Ibuki's been practicing since last time," Ibuki spoke, she, Mondo, Kaito, and Chiaki having a controller each as the countdown started on screen, "No way is she gonna be left in the dust this time."
"...She's totally gonna lose," Hiyoko and Kokochi snickered.
The green light on the game went off as Chiaki, Mondo, and Kaito's characters rode off...with Ibuki's character not moving at all.
"Wh-?! Hey! Why isn't my controller working?!" Ibuki freaked, rapidly trying to press a button to get her racer going, "Ibuki's gettin' upset!"
"Nehehe…" Kokochi snickered with Hiyoko.
"Hmm?" Chiaki pondered, playing with one hand as she held the other to Ibuki, who gave it to her, "Hmm...Ah. Batteries must have died." she gave her controller to Ibuki as she took out two AA batteries, "Here."
"Thanks!"
"Poo…" the two pouted quietly.
"...I can already tell those two are gonna be a problem," Makoto noted, overhearing their snickering and pouting.
"Doesn't help one of them tried to pull the 'tickets please' bit back when you were sparring with Akane," Ben added.
"There were tickets being sold?" Makoto asked as Chiaki replaced the batteries and began to play as Ibuki's character and a lap behind.
"Think she'll win?" Ben asked.
"Yep," Naegi replied, no one seeing a looped rope coming out of the vent above him due to being more focused on the four playing, "This has happened before and she's won."
"Grr...eat my dust, Momota!" Mondo roared as his and Kaito's characters were neck in neck for second place, closing in on the person in first place.
"IKE, MONDO!" Ishimaru shouted, wearing a bandana with the kanji for 'motivate' on it as he waved a flag with Mondo's face on it.
"...did his hair just turn white and his eyes red for a moment?" Ben blinked.
"Yep," Naegi replied.
"It's quite an interesting thing," Nagito noted as he began to walk over, "It's like his talent wants to come out so bad, it takes on a change in looks for…" his foot slipped on a dropped can, "HIIIII!" he tripped into Naegi...before both ended up going out the window.
"BWAH!" both yelped before a flash of green light went off and bandages grabbed and pulled them back in, "Phew...Eh?"
"You're welcome," Snare-Oh chuckled, the bandages on them coming from him as the rope went back into the vent.
=GAME!=
"Gah!" Mondo and Kaito groaned.
"Yay! Ibuki got second!" Ibuki cheered as Chiaki giggled as she had gotten first, "Wait...Chichi used my character and I used hers. So does that mean Ibuki won both second and first with her? Oh, this is rocking!" she blinked twice, "...Why isn't there cheers?"
"Huh?" Mondo and Kaito realized the same before all four looked to see the others staring at Snare-Oh, "GAH! A MUMMY!"
"Be glad there's nothing creepy under the bandages. Oh boy was I glad to learn that one as a kid."
"How did you do this?" the blond gawked as a boy wearing a baseball hat beside her was staring at the alien with wide eyes.
"Well, I wouldn't be much of an Ultimate Hero if I didn't have a way to help others," Snare-Oh chuckled as he retracted his bandages fully, "I can transform into 'Heroes,' though really they are aliens!" he laughed, "Oh and if anyone thinks it's as easy as taking my watch...it's DNA locked, me and only me."
"A watch?" Gundahm repeated, "...hold…" an aura seemed to appear on his as one of his eyes flashed red for a moment, "Did you make a contract with the celestial demons of the seventh cosmos?!"
"Huh?"
"I think he's a Chunibyo, Ben-kun," Makoto whispered to Snare-Oh.
"Sorry, no demons...just a very cranky old alien," Snare-Oh responded, "Like really cranky...and oddly cryptic...unless I take too long then he just yells at me and tells me what to do. Normally he forces me to save the galaxy from falling apart...or fight annoyingly persistent tentacle faced jerks…"
"T-Tentacle-faced?" some of them repeated.
"Outside that, he usually deals with bad guys thinking they're all that and stuff," Makoto added.
"I've had to punch a lot of crazy old dudes who control mutants…" Snare-Oh responded with an annoyed look, "Quick question: Who here has heard of a Dr. Animo?"
"Do you refer to the father or the son?" Gundahm asked.
"...Uh...Son?"
"Yes. The man messes with forces he knows not," Gundham snorted, "Truly, he dishonors the divine work of his father with his mockeries of demons he attempts to weild."
"...Yeah. Doesn't help he has some weird fascination with me," Makoto added.
"He's locked in the basement at HQ…" Snare-Oh added.
"We give him stuffed dolls to help him keep his sorta-sanity in check," Makoto added before noticing Gundham staring right at her, "...uh...what?...I don't have anything on my face, do I?"
"You are the forest familiar that the healer spoke of, correct?" Gundham asked.
"You mean Mikan?" Makoto guessed.
"Hmm...I can see why she seems concerned," Gundham noted as his hamsters poked out of his scarf to sniff at her, "Don't move."
"Huh?" Makoto blinked before Gundham had a pair of tweezers out and his hand became a blur, "!" she tensed before Gundham held them up, revealing a tick, "Ah nuts...I thought my tail was itchy."
"Here is a list of ingredients for a potion to keep these vile spawns from infesting you with their taint," Gundham advised, writing something on a piece of paper and gave it to her, "Apply it to yourself when you bathe to make a protective field to keep them away."
"Did he just give you a shampoo?" Snare-Oh asked, his eyes wide in surprise from how quickly that all happened.
"Yep," Makoto replied, "Huh...All natural ingredients, too."
"Of course. What others see as 'convenience' is a mere illusion that gives a false sense of protection and swindle your earnings," Gundham snorted as one of his hamsters sniffed at Snare-Oh before ending up poking the Omnitrix, causing a flash of light and have Upgrade replace him.
=What the heck?= Upgrade pondered, looking at himself =Okay...Gotta remember that hamster noses can mess with it just as easily as hands do=
"What's this form?" Chiaki pondered.
"Upgrade, a Galvanic-Mechamorph," Makoto answered, "As his name implies, he can pretty much upgrade any machines he melds with."
=Also hidden power is my face can shoot lasers= he admitted, =It's...not as reliable as you think=
"So it's more a situational form then…" Byakuya noted.
"Upgrades machines?" Kazuichi asked.
=Yep. Can even mess with game coding. But, uh...I don't take over video games when it's storming. Did that when I was 10 and it, uh...yeah, I just don't=
"You can upgrade video games?" Chiaki asked, stars in her eyes.
"Ooh~! You shouldn't have said that. Even Ibuki knows how crazy Chichi gets when someone does mods on games," Ibuki noted.
=Well I haven't done it since the time where I got literally sucked into the video game world…= Upgrade admitted =Again...no more doing that when there is a storm. How it even happened...not even the smart guy who made the watch knows=
"Eh heh...still that is interesting, right Nagito?" Naegi asked his fellow Lucky student..who seemed to have a neutral expression on his face as he looked at Upgrade, "...uh Nagito?"
=This is nothing...I got a new guy who's literally a Video game come to life!= Upgrade laughed, earning an excited squeak from Chiaki =Now that one I more or less know how to control. 'Cause...I spent like hours messing with his powers. I cheated at Street Fighter a lot against Makoto=
"I knew it!" Makoto snapped.
"You got a form that can rock?" Ibuki asked.
=Well, when I was ten, I used FourArms to play two guitars at once to deal with a rogue weather machine= Upgrade noted, tapping his emblem and turning into the mentioned Tetramand.
"Ooh~! This dude's buff!" Ibuki noted, "And hell yeah! Four arms for double guitar actions! Bet you could wreck a drum set with them, too!"
"Oh no that one goes to XLR8, super speed, epic beat!" he tapped the emblem again as he turned into his kineceleran form. He ran around before stopping as he constructed a drumset in the middle of the room, "If anyone asks...I borrowed it."
"Sweet! Let Ibuki grab her guitar and we can jam!" Ibuki beamed, making her classmates tense up.
"Probably best I put it back...that band looked like they were in the middle of a set," XLR8 stopped her as he dashed out and the drum set was gone, before he returned decked out in memorabilia from a concert, "I got it for a friend…" he spun around as it vanished.
"Remarkable," Gundham noted, "A shapeshifter that prefers to use their powers for others instead of performing trickery and befall misfortune upon innocents."
"Right...I do it to evil people," XLR8 laughed, "Ah...you should see the looks on the bad guys' faces when they no longer have weapons...or masks...or the loot...or pants."
"Don't do the trick…" Makoto sighed.
"I did the trick," XLR8 spoke as he had several pairs of mens pants slung over his shoulder which belonged to several of the male classmates around them.
"Ahh! My pants!" Hagakure freaked.
"Dude, the hell?!" Mondo snapped.
"Ahh! Fukawa's down!" Hina exclaimed, seeing a heavily blushing Toko on the ground, her glasses steamed over as she gave an almost slight perverted giggle.
"Did you really have to do that?" Byakuya demanded, an eye twitching.
"No more Kung Fu Panda," Makoto deadpanned.
"Ah come on. It's awesome and hilarious. You can't deny the awesomeness that is Jack Black as a panda," XLR8 argued.
"Can we have our pants back!?" Byakuya snapped.
"Sure," XLR8 spoke as he tossed them into the air, "Also dang man your wallet is heavy...felt like I smacked myself with a rock."
"I may have to retract my compliment to the shapeshifter," Gundham noted as he put his back on.
"Hey...no, yeah, that's fair…" he mumbled, "Who wants to see another one?!" he changed the subject as he slapped the Omnitrix while jumping up, "Huh...Ditto...not my first choice."
"Adorable!" almost half of the girls squealed.
"You'll never take us alive!" he declared, splitting into a dozen Ditto's as they began running about in panic.
"Just be careful not to hit one of them," Makoto advised, "If one feels pain, they all do."
"..."
"...Don't even think about it, you two," Makoto frowned, seeing the mischievous grins growing on Hiyoko and Kokichi's face.
"Aw…" both pouted.
"A project named after the founder of Hope's Peak?" Kyoko asked as she sat with Tsubaki and Jin sat in a small office.
"Yes," Tsubaki replied, "A project meant to create something called the Ultimate Hope."
"Hmm...That could correlate to a case I'm doing for one of my senpai," Kyoko noted.
"A case?" Jin asked.
"A missing persons case," Kyoko replied as she pulled out a photo, showing a teenager with brown hair and a cowlick, "Nanami Chiaki is the one who asked me to look for this student who's been missing for several months now starting a few days after the Incurseans left."
"One unrelated to the ones currently missing?"
"Yes. At first, it seemed he simply withdrew and his parents moved away," Kyoko replied, "But the facts don't add up. For one, the family's monetary issues had them barely earning enough to let him attend the Reserve Course yet they suddenly had enough to move away in just a day after their son withdrew? Furthermore, a few contacts I've made in several areas confirm that the son is not with them and seem to not even be aware they have a son."
"Someone altered their memories?" Tsubaki guessed.
"More than likely."
"...More than likely, it's the Steering Committee," Jin guessed with a frown, "They're trying to make it so the missing student never existed to begin with….maybe Tennyson had a point in burning this place down..."
"Please...don't start...at least not on this," Tsubaki sighed.
"...Fine," Jin muttered.
"So what's the kid's name and why is she wanting him found?"
"From what I was able to pick up on is that they're friends. To be more precise, the student, Hinata Hajime, is her first friend and spent an hour after classes at the fountain outside of the main campus playing two-player games together," Kyoko noted, "From the information I was able to garner from some of the Reserve Course students that were in his class, he was overly focused on talent, wanting to be able to become an Ultimate. Though he's not the only one. There's a rumor in the Reserve Course that the students there can develop an Ultimate Talent to become part of the Main Course. Even Fuyuhiko-sempai's sister is trying to become one. The 'Ultimate Little Sister' I believe."
'Considering how we act and how she acts, Noel is more worthy of that title…' Tsubaki thought, "Anything else you found out about the missing students?"
"A bit," Kyoko replied.
"Anything about one of them being able to hack into systems made by Galvans?" Jin asked.
"Galvans?"
"You've seen that 'watch' of Tennyson's? That was made by a Galvan who is known for being the smartest person in not just one, but three maybe five, galaxies," Jin informed.
"Hmm...There could be one person that went missing that has that potential," Kyoko noted, "My classmate, Fujisaki Chihiro the Ultimate Programmer. Why ask?"
"Our te…" Tsubaki began before Jin stopped her, confusing the redhead before motioning to a nearby camera, which seemed to focus on them, "...They've been listening in…"
"Tch. Of course they'd spy," Jin scowled, his eyes narrowing.
"...We'll have to do this some other time then," Kyoko spoke as she stood up, "Hopefully some place where the walls don't have 'ears' or 'eyes'."
"With luck…" Jin sheathed his sword as the camera fell apart, the pieces covered in ice making them shatter upon impact with the floor, "Maybe next time we get Tennyson to draw in all of the attention." as if on cue, a Ditto opened the door and hid under the desk, "..."
"I picked the wrong form and girls in Japan are crazy about cute things," Ditto informed from under the desk.
"Be thankful you don't have...oh right you do have cuter forms..." Tsubaki muttered.
"Not helping!" he complained, "You don't know how difficult it is to be a cute little creature!?"
"No, but I know how difficult it is to be that alien werewolf of yours," Tsubaki noted.
"Right. Oh, speaking of, I think I've got a good name for him: Blitzwolfer," Ditto noted before gasping and gagging, "Ah...Ah...one got caught...can't breathe…"
"Didn't you and Makoto settle on that name back in Amity Park last year?"
"...oh y-ack! Seriously! Help!"
"What would I get out of helping you out of this mess you made?" Tsubaki smiled.
"You're despicable…"
Jin said nothing as he watched, hiding the small smirk on his face.
"Okay...hands...off already!" Makoto grunted, pulling one Ditto away from a dark-tan skinned girl in an open yellow shirt.
"Mmm...I was hoping to get a cute painting of him," the girl pouted, "Just for that? You can forget getting Atua's blessing."
"Air...sweet, sweet air…" Ditto panted, "And I am a taken Splixson! No unauthorized hugs unless you're the sexy fluffy gal that is my girlfriend here."
"Which one are you?" Makoto asked.
"Six, sexy."
"Ah...the flirty one," Makoto noted.
"Baby you know it."
"Is this how harem anime protags feel?!" one Ditto shouted, currently hiding behind some cover as Ibuki rapidly looked around, "...Don't think about it, Hifumi!"
"Hmm?"
"You know what you d-"
"Found you!" Ibuki's beamed, hopping up from behind the Ditto.
"Oh no!" he panicked, running away.
"I'm shocked you haven't thought of coming together and escaping as Big Chill again," Makoto noted.
"I blame Five," Six noted as he pointed over at where Five was snoozing, lying beside Chiaki as she played a handheld game.
"...Fair point," Makoto shrugged, "Still, better find the other yous before they get hugged to death...and I developed some jealousy towards my classmates."
"You're not gonna go crazy like ya did with Attea and Looma, are you?"
"Oh no...that was them clearly trying to take you. This...is too cute for any girl with confidence can't resist," Makoto explained, "I might bonk anyone who snuggles too hard though…"
"Least some of them are holding some restraint."
"No...must..resist…" Akane grunted, digging her fingers into her skin as she resisted chasing after one of the Dittos
"Restraint or pride…" that Ditto muttered, "Probably the latter."
"Mmm mm," another shrugged, currently eating some donuts with Hina.
"Makoto...I think this is yours…" Tsubaki walked in, holding the missing Ditto.
"I plead the fifth!" he panicked.
"Was wondering what happened to you," the Ditto in Makoto's arms pondered, "...wait. Was Jin watching us choking from a tight hug?"
"Eeyup."
"He sucks…" the Ditto's all responded.
"Seriously Tsubaki, what do you see in him?"
"Come on. He's not that bad," Tsubaki argued
"Yeah...cause you've worked on him. And Ben has kinda humbled him by challenging him so much…" Makoto muttered.
"He's yet to defeat me and break the tie," the Dittos smirked.
"I bet if he was here, he'd shout: Wait and see Tennyson!" Makoto laughed, trying to copy Jin's voice.
"Wah...that's so accurate…" Jin's classmates muttered.
"Honestly you two," Tsubaki sighed, "How many did you divide into?"
"Not that many, I think," the Ditto eating a donut noted, "You have Three. Five's over there snoozing on Chiaki. Two, stop teasing Akane otherwise we'll all be feeling the agony of a broken spine like that one time with Makoto and what we did three months ago to cheer her up after a stressful day. Four's over there with Mikan and Gundham talking about Splixsons and Seven, I swear that if you try to dump that bucket on them you will regret it by me grabbing a tub of ice cream and shoveling it down. Ice cream headache be darned."
"Phooey," Seven pouted as Hiyoko and Kokichi jumped back and turned to see he had a bucket of water he was going to dump on them, "Was totally gonna post it online to make fun of 'em, too...No good moral high ground…"
"How do you even keep track of them all?" Hina asked.
"Ever since I unlocked it again a while back due to an incident involving time travelling bad guy and a pair of hands, I've noticed that when I split, the others have their own personalities based off something in me depending on the number," he explained, "For this time: Two's a taunter, Five's lazy, Four's helpful, Six flirts, Seven's a prankster, and Three is terrified of everything."
"I am no-AH! HAMSTERS IN A SCARF!" Three panicked, jumping up back into Tsubaki's arms with wide eyes.
"So...the adorable one," Tsubaki responded simply.
"Hey~" the other Dittos complained.
"...it kinda is."
"Hmm?" Kaito blinked, looking over at a girl with her raven-black hair done into twin long ponytails, "You say something, Maki-roll?"
"No...and don't call me that."
"Y-"
"You wanna die today?" she threatened, the upper half of her face seemingly shadowed over as her eyes gave a menacing glare.
"No thank you," Kaito gulped, sweating heavily.
"Good…"
"...The heck was that?" Makoto whispered, her tail sticking straight up as all the Dittos hid behind her.
"Maki's the Ultimate Caregiver and that sometimes means you gotta be fierce," Hina informed, peeking out from behind Tsubaki with Naegi.
"Fierce nothing. It felt like the Nemean Lion was staring down at us!" one Ditto exclaimed, "Or in this case...the Nemean Lioness!"
"What did you say?"
"...Bye~" all the Ditto informed before pushing the Prime's emblem together, making him switch to Big Chill, who quickly phased through the floor.
"D-Did he just turn into a moth?" Gonta asked, eyes wide.
"Yep. There are also aliens that are like insects," Makoto replied, "That was Big Chill, a Necrofriggian."
"May Gonta ask how much you know?" Gonta asked.
"Oh, there's a lot," Makoto noted before grabbing Tsubaki and pushing her over to him, "And Tsubaki is the one who knows more than me since she studies the Alien Life Form Database daily. Gonta, Yayoi Tsubaki. Tsubaki, Gokuhara Gonta the Ultimate Entomologist."
"Gonta also want to become true gentleman," Gonta added before doing a gentleman's bow, "A pleasure to meet you, Yayoi Tsubaki….um, did Gonta do that right?"
"You did," Tsubaki replied.
"Ahh good," Gonta smiled
"Aww~ He's just a big ol' Tarzan teddy bear, ain't he, Kaede?" Makoto asked.
"Must you ruin every moment?" Tsubaki asked.
"Either me or Ben...it's the rule of our relationship." Makoto smiled.
"And you are sure I must do this?" Rook asked as he watched students leaving from a building near the main campus of Kibougamine.
=Yes. It may be connected to the missing students= Tsubaki replied =Considering we have to stay on campus to investigate, you're the only one who can interview the students that know the missing Reserve Course student=
"Thank goodness for the translator in my badge to make up for the things I do not yet grasp." Rook sighed.
=The one you're looking for is the only other student that knew him: Kuzuryu Natsumi=
"...Please tell me that…"
=No, she is Kuzuryu Fuyuhiko's younger sister...meaning that, yes, she is yakuza. No, you cannot arrest her=
"Is it wrong I feel ever so slightly disappointed?"
=Just focus on the task...and keep an eye out for anything suspicious. The Steering Committee will no doubt be keeping an eye on you=
"Earth road laws are so...inconsistent."
=No. I mean the people that control the school…=
"I have been out of the loop for a while now," he reminded, "And as I said...inconsistent…"
=I'll tell you more when you're able to speak in private=
"Understood, "Rook nodded as he cut communications,"Okay...which one is Kuzuryu Natsumi…?" he muttered, carefully searching though some of the students, "...I should have asked for a picture…Hmm...If she is Fuyuhiko's sister, then it could be they share similar traits." He looked around before spotting a girl around Noel's age with long hair the same color as Fuyuhiko's, the same eyes...even the same perma-blush on her cheeks, "I think I found her."
"Hm...wonder what happened to that Hajime boy?" she pondered to herself...before waving it off, "What am I worried about? He probably realized he'll never get a talent and hung himself."
"...Must I speak with her?" Rook muttered before getting out, "It is for a good cause…excuse me."
"Hmm?" Natsumi blinked as she stopped, looking over to see Rook staring at her, "...uh, yes?"
"I have some questions I'd like to ask you about a Hajime Hinata."
"...why?" she asked with an annoyed tone, "Isn't there something better you'd like to ask me rather than talk about that talentless loser?"
"It correlates with a danger your brother is in."
"...Talk fast," she ordered, eyes narrowed.
"When was the last time you have seen him, and have you noticed anything odd the day following his disappearance?"
"It was a few days after those frogs invaded," she replied, "He seemed...off. Way off, even for him. I don't blame him." she frowned, "That invasion was batshit crazy, even for my family and we're yakuza. My brother was stuck in the school for the entire time and I never heard from him at all during it."
Rook nodded, "You worry for your brother a lot?"
"Of course I do! As the Ultimate Little Sister, I'm always worried for him!" Natsumi replied, patting her chest, "I nearly got the entire clan to storm the school just to get him out of there until they retreated thanks to their leader being defeated and the new one ordering the retreat. The only good thing was getting Kerogin-sensei as a teacher since he also shows things he knows about different alien races in Cultural Studies."
Rook nodded, ignoring her calling herself an Ultimate, "That is quite interesting."
"Yep! Still...Back to Hajime," Natsumi spoke, "The day before he left, I managed to overhear him saying that he was going to do something for a 'her.'"
"Her?" Rook repeated, "Do you mean Nanami Chiaki?"
"She a girl who likes to play video games a lot?" Natsumi asked, earning a nod, "I think so. Fuyuhiko-Niisan talks about her a lot since she's their Class Representative. I'm not a fan of that, but I think that Fuyuhiko-Niisan lets her be it while he does the real work in the background."
'She's quite devoted to her brother…' Rook mentally noted, "Thank you for the information."
"Hey," Natsumi spoke as she adopted a worried expression once she looked to see no one looking, "Is...Is something going on? Is my Niisan okay?"
"At the moment, he is safe," Rook replied, "I cannot say much, but your brother along with several others are being protected on campus by four of the people who fought Milleous, the former leader of the Incurseans."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"That...honestly relieves me," she sighed in relief, "Though...they better be careful. I've heard those that go searching deep into the school...disappear off the face of the Earth."
"We have a contingency if that happens," Rook informed, "I believe my companions said it is called 'Burn The Place to the Ground.'"
"If my Niisan goes missing, that place better have that happen to it," Natsumi frowned, "Fuyuhiko Natsumi."
"Rook Blanko," Rook replied with a nod before going back to his truck and drove off to the Japan HQ.
'I'm going to have to talk with Niisan about this…' Natsumi thought.
"Tsubaki, I have made contact with your classmate's sister," Rook informed, "Are you aware that an Ultimate is in the Reserve Course?"
=Rook, she's not an Ultimate. From what I can tell, it's a coping mechanism for her since she doesn't see Fuyuhiko as often as she likes= Tsubaki informed =Did you find anything about the student?=
"Yes. She said that Hajime Hinata was acting stranger than usual a few days after the Incurseans left," Rook replied, "Apparently, his last words were that he was going to do something for Nanami Chiaki."
=I'll ask her about it later= Tsubaki assured =Have you found Hinata's parents?=
"Yes. They had moved to the northernmost part of the country. Agents have retrieved them and a specialist in memory modification has been called in from Paris HQ," Rook replied.
=Good. ...Wait. Memory modification?=
"Yes. Their memories of ever having a son are gone," Rook replied as he turned the truck down an alley, "Almost as if they never had him to begin with."
=This is troubling. Whoever took Hinata seems to have the ability to mess with one's memory= Tsubaki noted =We'll have to be careful to not end up alone on the campus then. Let us know when they recover and what you find out=
"Understood," Rook replied as he hung up before grunting as his driving turned bumpy and made him stop, "What was that?" he got out and looked before his eyes widened on seeing the tires of his truck were all popped, "My tires!" he looked back to see a strip of spikes had been set up, "What in the…?" he tensed before jumping back in time to avoid a fist and quickly deployed the shield mode of his ProtoTool to avoid a kick that made him skid back several feet, "Gh! What a fierce blow…" he looked at who was attacking and frowned as the lights of his truck were obscuring them in his own shadow and the lights, but he could see the red eyes with target-like markings in them and the long messy with with a cowlick in it, "Who are you?" he deployed his ProtoTool in its gun mode.
"Let's see if my Luck is better," the figure stated as Rook pulled the trigger...only for the gun to not fire.
"?! A jam?" Rook gasped before he pressed the trigger to change it only for the device to short out, "Gah!" the figure vanished before appearing beside him, "?!" the figure's hand was a blur and struck Rook in the back of the neck, "GRGH!" Rook collapsed right into the figure's arm.
"..." the red-eyed figure put Rook back into his truck and got into the driver's seat before easily driving it off.
GT: Oh no…
SZ: Oh no…
Monokuma; Ha! One down bitches!
GT: *throws Monokuma out the window* Seems Rook's been abducted.
SZ: Yup...not good.
GT: Guess we'll find out who took him next chapter. Till then, please Read and Review!