"Oh, hello," Mob greeted the twitching bodies of wood surrounding him. "Good morning. Um, I'm looking for my little brother, and apparently he's somewhere in this building…"

"Good job, Mob. Politeness is important when in these situations."

"Thank you, sensei."

"Found him!" A ginger haired little girl cheered. She had freckles across her cheeks and nose and a scar by the left side of her chin. "My dolls found an intruder!"

"... So that's a toddler."

"Yeah, that is an actual child."

One of the teachers, who had a child around the age of the girl, paled at the thought of a small girl going through the "initiation process."

"Claw" Upper Echelon: Mukai.

"Hey, Tsucchi. Can I do whatever I want with him?"

A woman with lilac lipstick and a scar under her right eye finished another sit-up, turning to tell her, "Yeah. He's your toy now."

"Claw" Upper Echelon: Tsuchiya.

"Yay!" Mukai kicked off from the wooden structure with a backflip. Skipping a few steps on the bench she landed on, she ran off. "I'm gonna go take a look! If I don't hurry, my dolls will break him in a jiffy."

"That poor kid!"

"Where are her parents!?"

The puppet master, Mukai, Tsuchiya thought to herself. Quite the ability she's got.

Tens of life-sized mannequins loomed around Mob, who stood in the middle.

She can remote control all of those wooden dolls, meaning she holds an immortal army in her arms. Look at her, so excited over finding a new toy.

Mukai ran along the corridors of the base, sporting a big grin. Tsuchiya smiled at the image of it.

I definitely don't want to get on her bad side.

"So no one, at any point, stood up and went, 'what are we doing?'"

Ritsu, Takeshi and Kurosaki watched Mukai from a corner. "They went past," Kurosaki pointed out.

"All right, let's go." Ritsu led them. "We have to find the exit quickly."

But before they could move, a voice drawled from the other end of the intersection, "Ah, found the escapees!" A young woman held her a finger towards them, expression as smug as the five guys she'd come with.

The bulkier one laughed. "That was easy!"

"I picked the wrong route," Kurosaki apologized.

"You did just fine," Ritsu told her, stepping up. "We're going to force our way through."

The group of lackeys charged forward. "Don't look down on us, brat! Fly away! Combination Super Psychokine—"

Ritsu stacked the pointer and middle fingers of his hands in front of himself. Psychic energy rushed at the lackeys, slamming pairs of their heads together, letting them fall in piles on the ground. The children of the Awakening Lab stood back in shock.

"Oh, ouch." One kid rubbed his head.

"Wow," Takeshi breathed.

"It looks like their espers aren't that strong. They're all on par with Hoshino-kun," Ritsu commented.

Takeshi tried to send him a dirty look. "What does that me—"

"They'd be scarier using their bare hands."

This got laughs. Reigen was still confused as to where those kid's parents were. Where were everyone's parents, actually?

I should email Mom when we're out of here, he thought. Thank her for not letting me get kidnapped by a psychic organization.

Someone started clapping. The group turned back again, now facing a boy just about their age, with fiery red hair, a green varsity jacket and blue jeans. "Not bad," he said, "It's true that those guys are still useless as soldiers."

A single word appeared on the screen. Sho.

"Boss fight."

"Yeah," Ritsu muttered. "He's the one that got us."

Ritsu thought of the men who had guarded their cell, wary. I don't see a scar like the trainers mentioned on him. He's not a part of the upper echelon. "Who are you?" he asked.

"Gee, I dunno. Who could I be?"

"And now we get to deal with someone annoying," Takeshi lamented.

"I love Takeshi. Can we get a show on these kids next?"

"We're in a bit of a hurry right now," Ritsu snarked. "You can quiz us some other time—"

Sho lifted his foot and stepped down, creating cracks along the floor and walls.

Ritsu sighed, slightly embarrassed at his defeat. "He was way stronger than me."

"Don't be so mean. I thought we could be friends," he said lowly.

"Th-This guy's dangerous."

"We're finished," Asahi agreed with Takeshi.

"All of you, go ahead," Ritsu instructed, once again walking towards the enemy, the force of his psychic energy swirling around him.

"Kageyama…"

"I'll take care of him."

"Wait! He's too much!" Takeshi argued.

"You can't beat me, no matter what you do," Sho told him.

"I don't believe that," Ritsu said. Sho's smile fell, replaced with an intrigued frown and raised eyebrow.

"Huh? Why? It's not like you're dumb, right?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's because I know someone stronger than you."

Several students grinned at this.

Sho smiled again, this time more mischievous. "I see. So he must be one of the intruders," he muttered, before declaring, his aura shining a burnt orange and pink around him, "Then, I guess I'll just have to use you as bait so I can meet him."

"Everyone's auras are different colors," Teru said. "Mob was the first one I met, so I assumed it was a power difference, but Ritsu's and Mob's auras are similar, so is it genetic or familial?"

"Dimple's was green, but he's green and he's a spirit," Ritsu added. "Maybe he was psychic when he was alive?"

"I don't know," Mob said quietly. "There was one that was red."

"Whose?"

A sandbag swayed by its chains on the ceiling. Mukai cried, "Tsucchi!"

"Oh, Mukai," Tsuchiya welcomed the little girl. "You're back already? I see you're as ruthless as ev—" Mukai threw herself into her arms, cutting her off. Splinters fell from their embrace. "Wood scraps? Mukai, what happened to your dolls?"

Mukai looked up with a sob, tears and snivel running down her face.

Parts of her puppets floated in the air, grey, limbs broken apart and shattered, Mob standing in the eye of this mess.

"He broke all of my dolls!"

"Yes! Those dolls were freaking me out so bad."

Teru was still looking at Mob, who blinked after a moment as if he had been spacing out.

"Mogami's was red."

Tsuchiya stared off, everything about her reflecting rage. "Leave this to me."

She kicked into the room he was in, Mukai hiding behind a steel shelf beside her, and saw him in a heap of wooden mannequins. "Hey, you. Are you the intruder?"

Mob turned to her.

He really is just a kid. A kid like this…

"Are you violent, too, old lady?" Mob asked bluntly.

"That's not very polite."

"Neither is kidnapping, shishou."

Tsuchiya choked. "Who are you calling old?!" she screamed, muscled arms glowing red. Just as she was going to attack, an invisible force pulled her back and into a pillar.

"Tsucchi!" Mukai worried.

"You're not going to stop me." Tsuchiya pushed, fighting against the force- "…with telekinesis like that!" She zipped towards Mob, rearing her right arm, and punched him square in the face—sending debris shooting in all directions and blood flowing from his nose and mouth.

Teru cringed. Next to him, Ritsu gritted his teeth.

"That grown woman really just socked a child in the face. All of these people are unstable."

"Her ability is hardening qigong, which she uses to divert all of her qi into her fists and knees to make her more powerful," Ishiguro explained, "In terms of pure fighting ability, she's top-class, even within the Scars. If she happens to lose, Takeuchi-kun, you might actually have to get serious."

A man with brown skin, long black hair, seemingly lidless eyes and a circular scar between them stood, watching the surveillance.

"Claw" Upper Echelon: Takeuchi.

Tsuchiya charged again. Mob wiped his chin, holding the same hand out towards her. She vanished and appeared behind him, kicking his side with little to no restraint. Another bout of red dirtied Mob's face.

It'll be troublesome if I let him use telekinesis.

She kept rushing around him, giving him a kick or punch whenever she brushed past. In a small moment of rest, Mob looked to the side, only to be hit from his blind spot.

"How much longer is this going to go on? It hurts to watch," someone commented, wincing as each hit landed.

Both Reigen and Ritsu were getting tenser with each hit. Teru, who had been around, looked a little less worried, but not by a lot.

It's not having much effect, she thought. Is his qi guard really thick?

Mob held his hand out once more, it shining a sky blue, and pushed her away with his powers.

Without any build-up?!

She dug her feet into the ground and jumped again, punching him into the wall behind him. He blocked her hits with his arms, his eyes shut tight, something beeping in the background.

"Hey! Your phone's ringing!" Tsuchiya shouted at him, continuing to punch and punch, before ending it with one right next to his head, splitting the wall in half. The red glow in her arms faded away.

"What a surprise," she said more calmly, pulling her fist to her side. "You came this far, so why are you crying?"

Mob lowered his hands enough to look up. Drying blood and fresh tears stuck to his face. "Why do I have to beat up a lady, too?" he asked quietly.

"Huh?" Mukai watched him.

"What did you say?"

"My master said that guys who hit women are the biggest losers in the world."

"So you do have some positive traits," Ritsu said, loud enough for Reigen to hear.

Tsuchiya's eyes glinted when she understood. She sighed. "You're quite the gentleman, but that's an insult. I want to fight you fair and square." She grinned, pointing a thumb at herself. "Don't hold back, and come at me!"

"Stay away!" Dimple hollered, running with all his might from the giant, multi-eyed frog spirit chasing him. It swung its arm and threw him in the air, then back down.

"Looks like I drew the short straw." He sweated. I've never even heard of this. This human actually made evil spirits his obedient pets.

"You're good at running away," Matsuo complimented, "But why don't you leave that body behind? Isn't it easier to run away in your spiritual form?" Dimple gritted his teeth. "Are you holding him hostage? He's not worth it," Matsuo said and attacked him with a small, winged spirit. It whisked over Dimple's shoulder as he leapt to the side, leaving a sharp cut in his ear and taking away.

Crap! Dimple cursed.

The frog spirit struck again. He crashed to the corner of the room.

This body won't hold up much longer, Dimple admitted, holding his bleeding nose. Only third-rate spirits would let the body they possessed be damaged. But I have even less of a chance beating him in spirit form. In that case… he put his hands on the ground.

"Huh. I guess Dimple has some stuff going for him, too."

"What are you trying to do?" Matsuo asked.

"Those things return to their master after they attack," Dimple observed, "I wonder why they're trained to do that. Maybe it's because the master can't protect himself!" Matsuo sucked in a breath. "I see right through you!" Dimple yelled, charging.

He's fast! "Cookie! Gum-chan!" his opponent summoned. Now he can't come any closer!

"Cookie and Gum-chan. Those things are horrendous-looking and he named them like they were teacup Pomeranians."

"Have you met any small dogs? Those names are perfect."

Dimple continued to run towards him.

What?!

Then he tripped over just before he could reach them, his face planting on the floor.

Matsuo and his winged spirit stared, dumbfounded.

He fell?..

No, wait! he realized, turning back.

Dimple grinned at him from the gates, "We can fight some other time. See ya," and slipped through the opening. "I'll crush you next time!" he said with a salute.

Matsuo's jaw tightened, his eyes wide with fury. He ordered, "A… After him! He will be mine!"

The spirits broke into the metal gates and got stuck inside the hole they created.

"I'm right above you, dumbass," Dimple called, phasing through the ceiling and re-possessing the guard's body. Matsuo gasped. "Man, I can't believe you fell for that."

"It's really worrying how smart he can be sometimes," Reigen muttered.

Crap! Matsuo yelled to his spirits, "Come back!" The spirits wiggled where they were trapped.

"Three seconds is plenty of time," Dimple boasted, pulling his arm back. "Better grit your teeth!"

A coat fell on him before he could bring it down. Matsuo capped off two bottles, the menacing smoke spreading in the room matching the look in his eyes.

"You're the one who underestimated me," he said, "Who said I only had two spirits?"

"Ah, well. He tried."

Dimple pulled the coat off and saw what Matsuo was doing, his belt decorated with numerous bottles. You mean all of those around his waist are…

Enormous evil spirits rose around him. Crap, there's nowhere to ru—

Tsuchiya lay in rubble and dust with Mukai leaning on her arm.

"Tsuchiya-san was defeated," Ishiguro stated. "Takeuchi-kun, I'm counting on you."

"Very well. No one is a match for my superior qigong." His face shifted from the inside as he activated his powers, chin and eyes becoming sharper, nose straightening. "I'll win, no matter what!"

"That happened to you, didn't it?" Reigen noted. "Back in episode three. Your face and eyes changed."

Mob nodded. "I'm not sure why it happens. Maybe it happens when I focus."

The image of Mob taking a math quiz, eyes like daggers, came his mind.

He walked off. "His face changes when he's in battle mode," Ishiguro commented.

"Takeuchi, the super qigong user… Even I can't completely read him. What do you think?"

Doors opened, and Takeuchi stepped out.

"I think you should all hurry up and run," Teru replied. Sakurai and Muraki stood guard.

Ishiguro turned to him. "Why?"

"Because I know Kageyama-kun."

"Oh?"

"Not to mention, it's impossible to take over the world with psychic powers. Why don't you use this opportunity to wake up from your dream?"

"You won against Miyagawa," Ishiguro pointed out, "What are you doing with the normals when you're so powerful?

Teru raised his eyebrows.

"We're special beings," Muraki said, "and that's reality, not a dream."

Teru looked down, then to the side. "As long as you believe that, you'll never be able to defeat him."

Takeuchi slammed into a wall, limbs sprawled. He lost hold of his powers and fell from the crater his impact had caused.

"I know you were trying to do something, but I'm really sorry," Mob told him, "I'm in a hurry right now."

He continued on his way, steps echoing in the halls.

He turned a corner, and stopped. Looked back with a gasp. Ritsu lay there, body and clothes littered in scratches.

Pretty much everyone in the room had an idea of how this was going to go.

"Y-You're kidding… Is that Ritsu?" Mob whispered, disbelieving. "Why?"

He took him in his arms and checked him over. "He's still breathing. Thank goodness…" Ritsu's head slumped back. Mob's hands shook. "But why… Why does Ritsu have to go through this?" he hissed. "My little brother…"

He looked up, eyes a deep, dark red, pupils shining white.

"Unforgivable."

80%—

85%—

89%—

92%.

Mob's eyes were sharp. As opposed to his fight with Teru and Dimple's cult, he didn't seem bothered by his power here.

Come to think of it, Reigen noted, he's only ever really bothered when someone else gets hurt, not himself.

Something about that thought didn't bode well- it felt... off. Like he had noticed something he shouldn't have.

Muto stepped around. "Oh? What's this situation?"

Mob kept his back turned to him. Muto walked towards them. "Have you already been defeated before I even used my powers, boy?" he asked.

"Did you do this?" Mob demanded back.

"You're not hiding your hostility at all. Then I'll show you even greater despair, free of charge." Muto reached for him.

Ritsu reached for Mob. When he had come to, the thugs were lying around in bloodied heaps. His own hand had been painted in streaks of red.

Mob grunted, as if he couldn't breathe, like it hurt.

One teacher had a hand pressed over her mouth. The students were in similar states of stress.

93%.

94%.

95%.

96%.

97%.

His little brother, small and in a hoodie and shorts, unconscious, blood leaking from his head. His little brother, bigger and in black gakuran, unconscious, blood leaking, pooling, pooling, pooling…

One student, unable to stand the sight of blood, looked away, feeling lightheaded.

Ritsu watched himself bleed silently, keeping a calming arm around his brother.

"No…"

98%.

99%.

98%.

99%.

98%.

Tick—tick—tick–tick-tick—

"This isn't real!" he choked out. Tears dropped from his eye. That monster he had become once again.

Ritsu's image popped up like a balloon and his pieces got lost in the blood.

Rejection.

100%.

Mob's powers exploded from within, he screamed. They tore apart the already ruined corridor, wrapped around their owner and his brother and fought against the threat, the very source of it, viciously until it was diminished.

Several people squeezed their eyes shut against the noise. Reigen's lips were pressed to a line, arms folded. A student was crying, pressing a handkerchief to her mouth.

Mob's arms were wrapped around his middle, hands tightening on his upper arms. He was biting his tongue hard enough that there was a dull metallic taste in his mouth.

Teru said nothing, but- in an oddly similar way- he was biting his lip.

Muto's body twitched and flung about from the sheer shock of the attack. With a weak cry, he fell. Mob collapsed on top of Ritsu.

A moment passed.

The room was silent. No one seemed to be breathing.

Sho separated himself from the wall. "Man, that was close," he said casually.

"He managed to amplify the illusion Muto showed him and reversed it. I'm not sure if that was planned, or just his natural instincts."

He laughed, shoulders shaking, before looking at Mob. "He's pretty interesting, too. It was totally worth using his brother as bait. They're great brothers."

Ritsu clenched his teeth, fury lancing through him. Even worse than the feeling of all he had done leading up to now was the feeling of being used as a tool. It was like a betrayal in itself.

He felt sick. Ashamed. He squeezed his eyes shut.

"Out of the eleven Scars, seven have been defeated. How should I explain that to the boss?" Ishiguro complained.

Mob and Ritsu were tied up and placed against the wall behind Teru. What's going on? he panicked, Kageyama-kun lost? It can't be. The guy who carried those two here…

Sho sat in a wooden chair, reading a book a few feet away from them. He noticed Teru's gaze and sent him a smile. "What's up? Don't be scared!" He waved.

Teru glared. There's no way he'd lose to someone like that!

"I don't like him," someone muttered, prompting a chorus of toned-down agreements. No one wanted to break the quiet the room had fallen into.

The doors opened. Matsuo walked in, stroking a colorful, porcelain container gently. "I'm back! Oh?" He looked up. "I see you captured the other intruders, too."

"You look happy," Sakurai commented.

"Yes. One of the intruders was an evil spirit with a very strong ego."

Dimple-kun, too? Teru gaped.

"This poison jar has hundreds of evil spirits thrown in," Matsuo told them, "The one who survives after they devour each other becomes the ultimate pet."

"What is this place?" Dimple searched the seemingly empty space with his eyes. His face scrunched up. "Wait, stop…"

Spirits of every color and shape appeared over him, salivating at their mouths.

"Can't wait to see that when I try to sleep tonight," someone said hoarsely.

"Hey, is he okay?" A student asked.

"Yeah, he's fine," Ritsu called back, forcing the words out. His throat felt dry.

"We can talk this out! W-Wait, even if you eat me, I have no nutritional value! Help me!" he cried in English, his voice reaching no ears.