Fast Boil

[ASG2: The Garden 2]

GV checked around the hall before walking across the hall to suite 6. Listening at the door he didn't hear anything, not even talking. Were they expecting him?

He tried the handle to check if the door was locked, it was but that wasn't a problem for him when this hotel used electronic locks. He took a breath and prepared one of his remaining knives.

This door would open inwards so he couldn't hide behind it as it opened. He would have to make his move as he was opening the door.

He was going against Espers with unknown abilities. He knew of the teleporter but other than that he would have to improvise.

He took a breath and opened the door with one hand. On his first sight of the room beyond he was confused. There wasn't a room, just an empty wall.

GV swore but that was cut off by the sound of a gun shot. He used prevasion and the bullet flew straight through him. If he hadn't reacted in time, the bullet would have pierced right through his head.

[ASG2: Vs. Zonda 1]

He pushed forward through what he now realised was an illusory wall and came face to face with four people. A woman pointing a pistol at him, a man looking out from the bathroom, a boy on the bed who was looking at him and holding some sort of small case in his hand and the teleporter from last night.

The woman shot him again and again he evaded right through it. She swore and began firing rapidly at different angles that would all pass through him.

"We weren't told he was an F***ing ghost!"

The man in the bathroom threw something towards Gunvolt. A grenade? That wouldn't get through Prevasion either but just to be sure he dodged towards the side where the bed and the boy were. Instead of exploding the 'Grenade' which in truth was a filled water bottle just fell to the floor.

The woman had to reload and GV took his chance and threw his knife, the connection made he sent enough electricity threw her to put her in a hospital. He rolled to grab his knife as the boy on the bed grunted and the room changed.

The room around him became as black as the darkest night. His own body was still visable but everyone else had vanished into the darkness. They were still around him though as he heard the man in the bathroom lob another water bottle towards him. He didn't know why but it was likely part of his ability.

They could aim at him because he wasn't hidden in the dark. It was a clever idea, the only problem being that he had more than normal sight to help him locate them. He could feel the electronics they carried on them, all of them had a phone and that was all he needed to target them.

He stayed low and charged forwards towards the back of the room where the teleporter was. Upon getting close he expanded his power into a flashfield that burnt the teleporter's skin.

Next he turned his attention on the likely illusionist, the boy on the bed. The boy panicked as he likely couldn't understand how GV was seeing them.

One swift kick was all it took to knock him out and restore normal light to the room. The sudden brightness blinded GV for a moment. That moment was all the man needed to land a water bottle right next to GV. The water bubbled for a moment before exploding. The water was boiling hot and it knocked him over with the force of the explosion.

GV wasn't fond of being wet and now he was soaked. If he tried to deploy his flashfield he would just end up shocking himself too. That and he now was lightly burned by the scalding water.

As he stood another bottle came towards him, with the knife he picked up earlier he batted the bottle away moments before it exploded. The man cursed and threw two more. GV ducked them both as he ran towards the bathroom door. As they exploded behind him he grabbed the man and tossed him to the floor.

The man coughed as the wind rushed out of his body as GV knelt down to interrogate him. Suddenly GV's skin burned as the water again grew to a boil.

GV yelled out in pain as he fell back and the man stood up and drew a gun of his own.

The man pointed the gun at GV but before he pulled the trigger he grinned and spoke "You're not even in the right place, the girl has already been moved."

A shot rang out and GV knew he couldn't use prevasion when wet. The bullet sunk into his leg and his eyes went wide.

"You've still hurt Aves though" *Bang* "And for that" *Bang* "I'm going to draw this out."

The first bullet caught GV in the hand as he raised them to defend himself, the second hit him in the shoulder.

This was his problem, he was invincible until that one trick came along to make him vulnerable again.

"You really just missed her, she was sent out the moment we knew you were coming. She's probably a long way away now."

Of course he still had a way out. He reached carefully forwards with his unharmed hand. The man was to busy picking his next target to see the meaning of the small lurching movements he made. His hand grabbed the man's leg. A direct connection.

Lightning shot through the man who collapsed suddenly. GV lurched again, this time to get up slightly and lean against a wall.

He might have won the fight but if the water grenade guy had been telling the truth, Joule had already been removed.

He took a quick breath before removing all the bullets he could and drying himself slightly. After that he muttered "Revive Volt."

Lightning shot through him, repairing the damage. It sent chills through him whenever it found drops of water still on his skin and gave him a shock.

Where now? Could he somehow track her down now?

Just then someone came into the room. GV turned and tossed one of his knives, as the person who came in caught it GV sent a massive charge through it, he couldn't have another fight now.

"Genki, calm down."

He turned to see Touma Kamijou standing there. The thrown knife in one hand.

"They haven't taken her yet, I saw them loading her into a van" He took something out of his pocket and showed it to GV " and I took their keys."

In his hand was a set of keys to a vehicle.

"She's in the basement."

That was all that he needed to say. GV jumped out through the window.

"Wait you madman!" He could hear Touma's voice behind him as he used his power to make his way down to the ground safely. He looked around for the underground garage and on seeing it he dashed down into it's shade. Behind him he could hear the cries of shocked pedestrians.

End of chapter

This chapter was rewritten quite a bit. In one draft I had Touma and GV team up for the fight but realised that Aves didn't have a strong enough team to need both of them. There were a couple of other versions too like one where a member of Aves blabbed where Joule was near the start of the fight and GV was able to get away with Touma tagging in as a distraction. That one wasn't chosen because Touma lacked an answer to gun, it would have had an excuse for Touma to say his catchphrase for an entirely literal meaning though.