Chapter 1: The Dark Below

Alex vs Gamagori: Bleed it Out by Linkin Park

Alex and Venom's first Synchronization: Your Better Half by JT Music

A plane slowly descended onto the ground of a Japanese International Airport, where a boy– around eighteen years old or so–stepped off and began walking, his Filson brand carryon and duffle bags slung over his shoulder as he made his way away from the airport and towards his destination.

Said destination was Honnouji Academy.

The boy in question had most of his face obscured by the hood he was wearing, so all that was able to be made out was his caucasian skin, rough facial appearance and his unique sterling silver eyes.

Attire wise he was wearing plain blue jeans and black shoes; with a button-up white shirt that had a protruding collar that was kept partially buttoned, a plain gray hoodie, and a black leather jacket with red interior, two horizontal white lines on each sleeve, and with the words 'Empire or Bust' and an image of a Tessler Stick in between them in red on the back.

Lastly, he had a silver dog tag necklace around his neck that had a Koi fish engraved on it, as well as his name in Japanese characters and the kanji for Courage. As well as a silver ring that was fashioned around a silver Spanish doubloon.

After a long train ride inland, he finally reached the academy and wondered just where they got the materials to build a massive superstructure like it. Seriously, it looked like it was bigger than the Empire State Building, for fuck's sake!

"Jesus, talk about overkill." The young man muttered as he made his way towards the school, and found himself walking through some sort of slum. "Sheesh, this place makes Roanapur look like a 50s suburb." He mused, looking around as he plugged a pair of earplugs in and started listening to his phone's YouTube playlist.

Specifically he was listening to Numb by Linkin Park.

As he walked, he paid no heed to anyone who might've been giving him looks that said they wanted to rob him. He didn't stop walking until he reached the gates of the actual academy… Where some rando had been strung up with barbed wire above the entrance.

"Da fuck is this shit?" He questioned, looking up and seeing a sign hung on the boy's crotch. "This is a naked pig who tried to defy Honnouji Academy. Justice has been served." He read. "Jesus Fuckin' Christ, this is what they do to people who piss them off? Place must be full of fuckin' barbarians." He stated in clear distaste, combing through his hair with one hand.

This caused the hood of his hoodie to come off, revealing that he had blonde hair, which was styled similar to a faux hawk, with the sides buzzed and dyed black (think David Martinez from CP: Edgerunners).

Apparently someone was watching the entrance and not only saw him, but also heard his words. That person then decided to walk up to and address him.

"You there." A voice said, getting his attention as he turned and saw probably the tallest man he's ever met. He had blonde hair of a different shade, tanned skin and blue eyes. He was also wearing a uniform with spikes on it and three stars on the collar and chest.

The boy turned to face him, taking out his earphones. "... You talkin' to me?" He questioned, looking around. "I'm the only one here, so you must be talkin' to me." He added, facing the large blonde.

"Who else would I be talking to?" The man asked rhetorically. "I'm Ira Gamagori, the head of the Disciplinary Committee of Honnouji Academy, and you're trespassing. Leave, and maybe your punishment will be lighter." He warned.

"Okay, I'm gonna have to stop you right there, big guy." The blonde said, holding up his hand. "Now, Ira, was it? For your information, I'm not trespassing. I'm transferring here." The boy corrected, handing him some papers to look over. Gamagori took them and looked them over.

"Hm… A new student, age 18, transferring from North America…" He hummed as he read over everything. "But your name's redacted, why is that? Who are you?" The man questioned.

"Sorry, but that information's on a need-to-know basis." The blonde replied, arms folded.

"Smarmy little ant, aren't you?" The Discipline Committee head scoffed. "And don't think I didn't hear what you said about the thieving whelp I just punished. All who go against Honnouji Academy will be punished severely!" He declared. "With that established, a transfer student disrespecting the school he intends to join is not a good way to make a good first impression." He added.

"There's the pot calling the kettle black." The silver eyed teen retorted, jabbing a thumb at the hanging corpse to prove his point–not being intimidated by the size difference between them or Gamagori's booming voice. "It's hard to respect something that does nothing to warrant said respect." He added.

"YOU DARE?!" The large man boomed angrily, but the shorter blonde still wasn't intimidated.

"Pretty sure I do, shit for brains." The boy snarked, prompting Gamagori to grab and hoist him up by his collar, causing the one star clad students and any no stars and teachers to take notice from the school. "So, Ira Gamagori, Head of the Disciplinary Committee, you got a problem with guys who challenge authority, huh?" He stated, unphased.

"That is correct." Gamagori nodded, "And even if your Japanese is fluent, I can still tell you're American. Not only from your behavior, but also from the slightest accent you have. East coast, it sounds like." The man noted.

"Perceptive, for a meathead." The American smirked.

"So that begs the question: Where are you from? Boston, New York City? New Jersey, maybe?" Gamagori wondered, trying to figure out where the boy came from.

"Neither." The teen deflected. "Tell me something, Gamagori. You ever been to Empire City?" The silver eyed teen questioned.

"No. What about it?" The Discipline Head asked in reply.

Immediately, the blonde's skull had lightning crackling all over his body, causing his right eye to glow blue before he slammed his skull into Gamagori's face, sending him flying.

"GAH!" The man gasped as he recovered from the blow, letting go of the transfer student to clutch his head. After recovering, he looked at his attacker, who was now crackling with electricity.

"Because Empire City happens to my hometown, and back there, we handle our disputes the old fashioned way." The teen told him, cracking his knuckles.

"That so?" Gamagori grunted.

"Yeah, so…" The blonde replied as he taunted the larger man. "Whatcha got?" He challenged as his music player started running another song and he started hopping along to the music like a boxer would.

Growling, Gamagori started lashing out at the shorter blonde with whips in an attempt to hit him, but he kept missing.

"Here we go for the hundredth time, hand grenade pins in every line, throw 'em up and let somethin' shine–goin' outta my fuckin' mind!" The teen jaunted as he started zipping around gamagori on electric waves on his feet before he started grappling the larger man and began punching, kneeing and kicking him with blows that were infused with powerful electricity.

"Are you listening to music while I try to discipline you?!" Gamagori barked in irritation, which grew when he was ignored.

"I bleed it out, diggin' deeper just to throw it away!" The blonde continued as he suddenly started absorbing electricity from anything within range and started firing off balls of lightning and shooting lightning from his fingers like Emperor Palpatine–said lightning even sounded like 'Superstition' by Stevie Wonder when it hit Gamagori's metal gauntlets.

"Rgh! Where did he get that lightning power from?!" The man growled as he kept trying to hit the transfer student.

"Hahahaha! Wooo! Here it comes Gamagori, one of my strongest combos!" The blonde called as he rose into the air in a T pose and started turning up a tornado as lightning crashed all around him, and then started sending bolts at the man in a manner similar to Sans from Undertale's bone attacks.

Now forced to go on the defensive, Gamagori had to flail his whips to intercept the lightning bolts as best he could. Sadly, since this is pure natural energy he was dealing with, it moved faster than he could and struck him several times over. Remarkably, he had enough grit to keep himself from falling over.

"So you're still standin'! Ha! Alright! Let's see you take this!" The boy said as he dropped to the ground and charged at Gamagori, his arms turning into lightning blades.

"Three-Star Goku Uniform: Shackle Regalia!" Gamagori as he transformed, causing his opponent to hit this new form–and was similarly taken aback by what he saw.

"Wut da fuck?" He questioned as his blades clashed with their target.

"Surprised?! Nothing can get through my Shackle Regalia! Your attacks are useless!" The man yelled in what sounded like triumph, as if his victory was guaranteed.

"No, I'm more concerned about the look o' this getup." The boy replied, leaping back as the suit suddenly bulged, allowing him to see what it looked like.

It honestly didn't look like much. In fact, it looked like Gamagori was wearing a bondage suit made of mummy wrappings that were probably whips in reality, complete with a ball gag.

"Jesus, and I thought the perverted Japanese guy was just a stereotype…" He muttered. Sighing, he popped his neck and powered up some more. "Well, okay then." He shrugged, before he was suddenly engulfed in flames. "Guess the kiddie gloves are comin' off." He added before he started blasting fire at Gamagori, like a 'nam style inferno fighter. "Oh yeaaaah! BURN BABY! BUUUUURN!" He yelled, eyes igniting.

"First lightning, now fire? What kind of outlandish Goku Uniform did you manufacture for such things?!" Gamagori could help but question, unable to figure out if the boy before him was using a Goku Uniform… Or if this was something else.

"Goku Uniform? The fuck is that?" The boy questioned, causing Gamagori to seem surprised.

"It is the uniform of this school, they grant incredible power. If your power doesn't come from that, what does it come from?" He questioned.

"So you don't know, huh? Alright little toad, I'll throw you a fly." The blonde smirked, snapping his fingers and causing sparks to fly, which created a fire in his palm. "You ever heard of something called a RaySphere?" He questioned, looking at the flame, almost contemplative.

"I only heard that it was supposed to be some kind of energy source, but that's about it." The larger man frowned in reply, wondering where this was going. "Why?" He asked.

"Oh you sweet summer child, you need to read up more." The boy chuckled. "When the RaySphere went off, it decimated Empire City, killed many, created a plague–and turned the rest into what I am." He continued as he charged up his fire–and then blasted Shackle Regalia again. "A Conduit!" He yelled as he cranked up the heat, causing the ground around and under him to melt–his fire soon turning blue.

"S-So… hot…!" The larger man growled as he felt himself sink a little into the melting ground, and he could feel a slight pain in his feet. 'Are all of these… Conduits like this?! He wondered, trying to keep himself standing.

"That's right Gamagori! BURN!" The blonde yelled, before something happened that he wasn't expecting.

It was…

KABOOM!

… An explosion, followed by a flurry of whip lashes. It was so strong that he was somehow blasted off school grounds entirely, and given that Honnouji was bigger than the empire state building… You get the idea.

Gamagori panted as his uniform revealed its second form, Scourge Regalia, which was now just recovering from what just occurred as he went back to normal, his body covered in scrapes and apparent burns as he breathed heavily.

"Okay… Now to–" He started to say before he noticed his quarry was gone, causing him to blink and look around. "Where'd he go?" He wondered.

(Elsewhere)

Meanwhile, with the boy in question…

"FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK MEEEEEEEEEEE!" He yelled in comical panic as he flailed his limbs midair as he fell toward the ground. "Ah Shit! Brace for impact!" He yelped as he braced himself and collided with the ground, creating a ditch in the surface as he dragged the dirt face first.

After laying there in a dazed state for a bit, the Conduit groaned as he got out and spat out a wasd of dirt.

"Ugh… Gonna need to grab some mouthwash for that one…" He gagged as he shook the cobwebs out of his head. Then a beeping came from his pocket, prompting him to take out a device and see that it was getting a reading.

A Conduit reading, specifically. That meant that there was an object or objects rich in RaySphere energy nearby, and it was close.

"Huh, lucky break." The boy mused as he got up, dusting himself off.

Then he went deeper into the cave to see what the source of the reading was, hoping it was what he was looking for. After a short while, he found a meteorite, a fairly old one, at that.

"A meteor? Da fuck's a meteor doin' in a cave?" He mused to himself as he reached into the bag and pulled something out.

It was a spear, specifically a bident that was a crimson color that seemed to be almost spiral-like in appearance.

Poising himself to pierce the space rock, he thrusted the tool forward, and upon breaching the material, a black ooze came out.

"Urgh, what ever lovin' hell is that?" The teen gagged as the substance oozed out, before it started rising up–and looked right back at him with two milk white, almond shaped eyes. "... Huh?" The silver eyed teen uttered dumbly.

Then the ooze slithered toward him, inquisitively–almost innocently–and, upon getting close to him, started nuzzling his face–its eyes closing in a sort of eye smile as it seemed to purr at him.

It was acting like a cat, almost.

"Okay… This is a little odd…" The Conduit muttered as he awkwardly patted the creature on the head… Or, what he assumed was its head. "Hey there, little goop alien." He said softly as not to scare it as it looked at him almost like a baby would a parent or an older sibling. "My name's Alex, what's yours?" He asked.

It opened its mouth and the now named Alex assumed it tried to say something, but whatever it said was not understood by him. Frustrated, the creature then started to cling and fuse itself to Alex's body–momentarily freaking the boy out, but stopping when he realized that the creature meant him no harm.

"I… Am… Venom." The creature's voice replied, said voice sounding rather small and young, even timid. Alex assumed it had to be a juvenile member of its species.

"Venom… Okay." Alex nodded slowly. "Why are you on Earth?" He asked gently.

"Cast… Out… Abandoned…" The small symbiotic organism responded, tightening under Alex's skin, like a child clinging to its mother or father after being left alone for an hour for the first time. "Please… Don't… Leave me…" It begged.

The poor thing clearly had abandonment issues.

"... Fuse with me. Fully." Alex told the symbiote. "I refuse to leave you here." He added firmly.

"Thank… You…" The juvenile alien sighed in relief before fully fusing with the teen. "F-Fire… Bad." It whimpered as it felt the leftover heat coming from Alex's body due to his fight with Gamagori.

"So, your kind doesn't like fire, huh?" Alex asked as he started investigating the cave further.

"Sound too." Venom nodded, its verbiage becoming more coherent as it bonded with him more fully.

"Can't say I blame you when it comes to sound. I prefer peaceful silence myself." Alex said sympathetically. "Ironic, considering that I like loud music." He mused to himself. "But don't worry, little guy, you're safe with me. I won't let anyone hurt you." He added.

"Promise?" Venom questioned with a whimper, stretching its goopy head out to look Alex in the eye and holding out a pinky sized tendril–all while giving the teen what looked like puppy eyes.

"Promise." Alex smiled as he wrapped his own pinky with the tendril.

(Elsewhere)

Meanwhile, back at Honnouji Academy, Gamagori was currently getting his wounds treated while the rest of his comrades, the Elite Four, were watching. They'd seen the entire fight, and just how much damage the man took, despite his Goku Uniform seemingly taking the brunt of it.

"Wow, the new kid put up a fight! And you're sure he had no Goku Uniform?" Nonon Jukuzere, the president of the music club, questioned in amazement.

"No. According to the kid himself, he's what's called a 'Conduit'." Gamagori retored, hissing as gause were rapped over the burn ointment on his chest.

This caused Hauka Inumuta, the Information Chairman, to stop typing.

"Gamagori, where did you say this new boy said he was from?" He questioned.

"North America, someplace called Empire City." The man replied.

This tidbit of information caused the Sports Chairman, Uzu Sanageyama, to spit out and choke on his drink.

"SERIOUSLY?!" The teen questioned. "And you didn't lead with that, why?!" He questioned.

"I didn't think much of it." Gamagori replied simply. "Why? Is that somehow relevant?" He questioned, which caused everyone to facepalm.

"Jeez, Gamagori, I knew you were thick, but I didn't realize you were that stupid." Nonon groaned.

"Ignorant is the more accurate term." Inumuta corrected, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"If this guy really is a Conduit, then fighting him is gonna be the best experience ever!" Uzu exclaimed in excitement at the prospect.

"Hold on." Nonon said. "I thought all the conduits died out? Ya know. After Cole MacGrath sacrificed himself." She added.

"That's a common misconception." Inumuta told her. "According to these files I keep around for rainy day reading, only a third ended up dying. The remaining two thirds either lived on without their powers, or–in the case of the remaining third–still retained them." He explained.

"I think we can deduce which portion our transfer student comes from. The music club president commented, getting a nod in return.

"Correct." The information junkie replied. "But for some reason, his name is redacted, so we'll have to wait for him to drop his name and hope we hear it, or convince him to tell us." He added with a sigh.

"Well what I don't get is why he was able to beat the crap outta Gamagori in his dormant uniform and in Shackle Regalia, but ended up getting pimp slapped by Scourge Regalia." Sanageyama mused, arms folded. "Doesn't make a damn lick o' sense!" He added.

"He probably didn't expect it." Inumuta shrugged. "Mix that with the explosion from the fight, I think it's logical that he'd get blindsided." He added.

"Look at it this way: His powers likely make it where he's able to go toe to toe with a Three-Star in its dormant state. But his mileage will vary on how well he does when it's active." Nonon deduced. "Sure he could dish out plenty to send the shackles packing, but once the whip came out, it was a little too much for him to handle." She added.

"That does sound reasonable." Inumuta mused. "Gamagori, you were the one fighting him. What elements did he have?" He questioned.

"LIghtning was what he used first, but as the fight progressed, he started using fire." Gamagori replied. "It turned blue when I fought him, so that's going to be dangerous to fight against." He added.

"Hmmm, It seems like he uses electromagnetism, rather than strictly electricity." The blue haired teen hummed. "Very interesting. Replace the fire powers with Ice and you'd mistake him for–." He continued as someone walked in.

"Cole MacGrath himself." A voice interjected.

"Lady Satsuki!" The group gasped in surprise.

Said girl had fair–almost porcelain-like skin, long raven black hair that had an almost blue shine and reached her waist and a slim yet strong figure. She was wearing a uniform that conveyed her status as the Student Body President of Honnouji Academy.

She was also carrying a sword in its sheath as if it were a cane of sorts.

"This boy, how is it you are not to ascertain his identity Inumuta?" She asked.

"It's encrypted behind a particularly belligerent firewall, milady, it's proving to be more difficult than I'd anticipated." The teen mused in reply as he continued to work.

"Well, based on his appearance, he may have a probable relation to Cole himself." Satsuki noted. "It may be more productive to simply ask him." She added.

"I tried that, but he said that it's on a 'need-to-know basis'. Smarmy little brat…" Gamagori interjected, grumbling that last part to himself.

"Heh! I like him already!" Nonon chuckled.

"Sounds like he's my kinda guy." Sanageyama grinned.

Satsuki, meanwhile, looked at images of the boy and examined him closely as she sipped her tea, his build, features, and that cocky, yet unmistakably confident smirk–the expression whose mouth could write check his ass could and would cash. It all… Intrigued her.

Then there was his eye color. Ordinarily, Satsuki wouldn't give much thought to something so small, but silver eyes were unseen in Japan, so it certainly had a bit of her interest. There was also something… interesting, in his gaze that she couldn't figure out.

'Yes, I would very much like to see you up close.' She mused mentally.

(Elsewhere)

Meanwhile, back with Alex and Venom, the two were busy trying to follow the boy's RaySphere detector to find the source of the signal. The search was leading them further and further into the cave, and so far, nothing was showing up.

"Aw man, was this a dead end?" He groaned in exasperation.

"Did whoever's making that RaySphere thing plant the readings here as a decoy?" Venom wondered, having gone through his host/adopted father's memories to get caught up to speed.

"That could be, little buddy, but I doubt it." The teen mused. "Reading's too spotty, if it were placed here deliberately it'd be clearer, crisper, sharper." He noted, tapping his device. "No, this just looks like something was here, but was hastily moved." He added.

"It doesn't look like we have a clear direction in where it got moved." Venom noted. "But it does tell us one thing…" He trailed off.

"There's definitely a RaySphere being built here in Japan." Alex finished.

(Later)

Alex sighed as he made his way back to Honnouji again, but stopped short of the climb up when a trolley stopped beside him, and a girl fell out of it onto the ground.

"Uh…" Alex trailed off with a blink of confusion as he got a good look at who fell out.

She looked to be about a year younger than him, with black hair that had a red streak in it, fair skin, a very enticing figure for a girl her age, and was dressed in punk-like attire. Additionally she seemed to have been beaten to hell and back.

"I think we should help her." Venom commented.

"Agreed." Alex nodded as he hefted the girl up into a fireman carry.

As the two carried the girl, Alex noticed a name on the tag of her jacket. "Ryuko Matoi… Not much to go on, but I think I saw a house with that name on the front door… Worth a shot, at least." He mused.

Then they doubled back, and they managed to find a back alley clinic of all things. Deciding that it would do the girl some good to get checked out, he went inside.

"Hey, anyone here?" He called, but received only silence. "... They out for lunch?" He questioned, stepping outside. "Okay, let's get you home, at least." He sighed, walking to where he saw the house.

He took one look at the place and had only one thing to say as he put Ryuko on a couch.

"Jesus, this place is a fuckin' disaster zone." The blonde mused as he looked around at the crumbling, burned and overgrown building. "It's like it burned down or something." He added.

"Probably because it did." Venom pointed out, right when the girl on the couch groaned.

"Urgh, what?" Ryuko groaned as she looked around, her head throbbing in pain.

"Welcome back." Alex quipped, getting her attention.

"What the-?! Who are you?!" Ryuko exclaimed, looking around. "And how'd you get me here?" She added.

"Isn't it obvious? I carried you." Alex replied. "And as for who I am, that information's on a strict need-to-know basis." He added.

"Oh haha, really fucking funny." Ryuko snarked. "Do I look like I give a shit?" She asked flatly.

"That attitude's not gonna get you much sympathy from me." The boy retorted as Ryuko glared at him, and noticed his necklace.

"So your name's Alex?" The girl questioned, causing the boy to realize that his necklace was visible.

"Ah fuck…" The blonde muttered, a bit miffed that a small mistake let Ryuko know his name. "Yeah, my name's Alex, but I'm not telling you my last name." He told her.

"What's the big deal about that?" Ryuko questioned.

"Don't push it." The boy warned, arms folded. "Listen, you good enough to stand? I got somewhere I need to be." He told her.

"I'll live." Ryuko replied, wincing a bit as a bruise throbbed.

"Good." The blonde nodded. "Well, if you ever find yourself in need of a rescue, just scream so I can find your body." He told her as he walked away.

"Ha ha, very funny." Ryuko called back sarcastically.

(Later)

After a lengthy ride back to the academy, Alex was going to walk in when he was met by Gamagori and Sanageyama (though he didn't know the latter yet).

"So you actually came back." The Discipline Committee head commented. "Just in time for your Disciplinary Trial by Combat." He added.

"I'm sorry, a what?" The blonde questioned, clearly confused.

"I don't like the sound of that…" Venom whispered.

"In simple terms, if you want to remain in Honnouji Academy after your–incident, you need to win the fight. Failure to do so will result in you being expelled immediately." Gamagori explained, causing Alex to curse silently.

'Crap, now I've got no choice but to fight. If I'm kicked out, my investigation is fucked!' He thought. "Alright, fine. Who the fuck am I supposed to fight, anyway?" He questioned.

"That would be one of the sports club presidents." Sanageyama replied. "Right now you have the choice of the Tennis, Baseball, or Kendo club presidents." He added.

"Well, since I have options…" The silver eyed conduit trailed off before shrugging. "Let's go with the Kendo club president." He responded.

"Alright, your opponent will be Morimoto Hanzo." The Sports Chair nodded. "Your match will be at high noon, but first…" He continued before a bright light interrupted him. "Someone would like a word with you." He added, shielding his eyes along with Gamagori.

Then a collapsible staircase unfolded and down stepped Satsuki herself, and Alex felt somewhat on edge around her since he could tell she meant business.

"You, transfer student from Empire City, I trust you know who I am?" She questioned, walking towards him with her clicking heels.

"You're the one in charge, that much is obvious." Alex replied, his stance slightly guarded. "Though if you're asking if I know your name, no, I don't." He continued.

"I am Satsuki Kiryuin, commit this name to your memory." The girl told him, clicking her heel firmly as she stood nose to nose with him in terms of height. "Likewise, I would expect that you would tell me your name." She added.

"She's scary…" Venom gulped.

"That's on a need-to-know basis, but given your position…" The Conduit trailed off before looking her in the eye. "My full name is Alexander Cole MacGrath." He revealed. "Nephew of Cole MacGrath, Saint of Empire City." He added, shocking Sanageyama, Gamagori and Satsuki.

"You're his nephew?!" Sanageyama shouted with wide eyes.

"That certainly explains a lot." Gamagori mused.

Satsuki, meanwhile, was still shocked at what she just heard. However, as that feeling passed, she then began to examine Alex more closely, grabbing his chin in her hand and turning him every so direction so she could commit anything of note to memory.

'A strong chin, chiseled jaw, facial features with a sharpness comparable to Julius Caesar, and a similarly formed neck.' She listed as she looked at him. 'Add his hair and eyes, and the combination is quite… Interesting.' She mused.

Alex, meanwhile, had no idea how to respond to this. He'd never really garnered much attention from women his age in the states. And here was this Japanese teen vixen, looking him over like he was a marble statue sculpted by Michaelangelo. He would also be remiss if he didn't note how unbelievably soft the girl's hands were.

'A smooth face, long black hair, a facial structure almost comparable to Aphrodite, and a deceptively strong body.' He listed mentally, doing his own inspection. 'She's definitely interesting.' He mused.

Satsuki then stepped back and looked at the blonde with a serious glare.

"Very well, Alex MacGrath. If you wish to continue with your tenure here I shall allow you to take this battle at noon." She told him. "Should you win, you will of course be allowed to stay here." She continued. "But beyond that, you have managed to impress me." She added. "So, as a reward for your victory–should you achieve it–I will grant you any one wish." She elaborated. "All you would need is to name it." She concluded.

"I'll be sure to think over what I want then." Alex nodded in reply.

"Then I await your triumph, Alexander." Satsuki said as she began walking up the stairs again, before looking over her shoulder. "After all, you share a name with one of the greatest conquerors in history." She continued before sauntering away, her hips swaying. "It would be a shame if you did not live up to those expectations." She added as she disappeared into the blinding light from whence she came.

"We're gonna win… Right?" Venom asked nervously.

"Yeah… But don't get involved, if you can help it." He whispered in reply as he left, unwilling to put the alien he was bonded to in harm's way.

Gamagori and Sanageyama, meanwhile, watched Alex and Satsuki leave respectively, and both seemed both confused and like they were missing something here.

"Is it just me, or did Lady Satsuki seem to really like looking at that Alex kid?" The green haired teen questioned.

"It's not just you." Gamagori replied. "Alex seemed to have a fair bit of interest in Lady Satsuki as well." He added.

"Think that interest's academic or something else?" Sanageyama questioned.

"I don't presume to know what Lady Satsuki is thinking, but I'm willing to say it's purely academic at present." The man replied. "But anything beyond that is too early to tell at this stage." He mused, stroking his chin.

"Then we'd be better off leaving it at that for now." The boken user stated, getting a nod of agreement in return.

(Later)

Alex popped his neck as he stood in some sort of ring where a group of one star students in kendo uniforms were doing drills while his opponent approached him.

The figure in question was a young japanese man dressed in what looked like an augmented Kendo Uniform that had two stars on it. He had his hair in a top knot and seemed to carry himself with dignity, rather than bluster like a lot of the other students Alex had encountered.

'Hm… He might actually be a good fighter.' He mused internally.

"I take it you're my opponent?" The one Alex assumed was Hanzo questioned, resting his bamboo blade on his shoulder.

"Apparently I am." The Conduit shrugged in reply. "So, are we doing this or what?" He asked.

"Well then, let's begin." Hanzo replied, sword at the ready.

"Sure." Alex nodded before his eyes went red right as his music player started playing 'Burn MF' by FFDP, and he started cranking up the heat. "NOW BURN, MOTHERFUCKER!" He roared as he started blasting Hanzo with fire blasts.

"YIKES!" The kendo club president yelped as he dodged the fire as best he could, not using his boken to deflect the fireballs since it wouldn't do him much good.

Alex couldn't stop laughing as he kept hurling fire balls and firing streams of flame like a WWII flamethrower at his opponent. But unbeknownst to everyone save Alex himself, his starting off with his fire powers had a secondary purpose than just putting Hanzo on the back foot.

It also served to help build Venom's tolerance for fire by proxy to where he'd be basically immune.

"I can feel myself getting stronger." Venom told his host/surrogate father.

'Good. That's what I was hoping you'd say.' Alex thought back in reply.

By this point Hanzo was now backed towards the edge of the arena, and once he saw that his opponent was momentarily distracted, he decided to attack, rushing at Alex and striking him down to the ground with a blow to the head, causing Alex to bounce up with a gasp–right as he was sent flying with a blow to the stomach like a baseball bat.

Alex laid on the ground, dazed and in more than a little bit of pain. "Urgh, so that's what it feels like to get a full hit from a Goku Uniform… Ow." He groaned as he tried to stand up–and found that his arm was twisted six ways from sunday. "Huh…" Was all he could manage.

Venom, who was watching, decided he didn't like this and decided now was his time to step in.

As Hanzo approached and stood over the Conduit, he was about to deal the finishing blow when he was forced to stop as Alex's arm was corrected by an unknown force and a black ooze started covering his body!

"What the–?!" He started to gasp before a hand grabbed his throat, the ooze hardening into a strong looking suit of armor. On the face were a pair of jagged looking white eyes and a body that looked like a set of Blacklight Virus Armor.

"Surprise, motherfucker." The symbiote and host duo growled as their body glowed blue and red from fire and lightning–and Alex slammed his now armored skull into Hazo's, sending him flying and rolling across the ground.

"Oh fuck, that hurt…" Hanzo groaned as he got back up.

Alex then started to change the shape of his left arm into a giant blade, which then became engulfed in flames–superheating the blade as he drove it through Hanzo's abdomen. The heat kept the wound from opening, and allowed him to then start sending his electricity through it.

The kendo club president let out a scream of agony from the attacks, and when it was done, he mercifully passed out. After that, the armored Conduit dropped him and the armor receded back into his body.

"What. The hell. Was that?" Sanageyama questioned in light shock.

"I dunno." Alex shrugged as he looked down at his hand. "But I like it." He mused with a grin, clenching his fist.

"Of course you would." The green haired battle junkie quipped before a familiar light started to shine.

"Alexander MacGrath, it seems that you are victorious." Satsuki said as she stepped out onto her pedestal.

"Quite so. And I know exactly what I want, which is the honest answer to a question I have for you." Alex told her.

"And that question is…?" The girl pressed.

"Are you building a new RaySphere?" The Conduit questioned seriously, taking Satsuki aback.

"What would make you think so?" The woman questioned.

"I've been following RaySphere energy signatures the entire time I've been here, and found evidence of one being constructed on the sly." Alex responded. "And, let's be honest, Satsuki–you and I would both be remiss if I didn't bring up that the Kiryuin conglomerate has the resources and the means to do just that." He added.

"I see your point." The de facto ruler of Honnouji Academy conceded. "To answer your question, no, I am not building a RaySphere, but I cannot say the same for my mother." She added.

"So that adds one suspect and one lead to my list." The boy mused to himself, before the same staircase from before descended towards him.

"Come. It would seem we have much to discuss." The raven haired girl told him.

"That we do." Alex nodded as he walked up the staircase.

(Later)

Alex stepped into Satsuki's personal quarters and was seated by the girl's personal butler Saroi on a couch across from her, where he poured them both glasses of what looked like a black tea blend.

It had a scent that reminded Alex of Earl Grey, but had notes of things like cranberry, black and rasberry, lavender, snow bud, rose and hibiscus. All things that made him expect a tart and almost bitter to the point of sweet tea.

And as he took a sip, he found that he was correct.

"Geh! Sheesh, talk about strong!" The boy gasped.

"Too strong for your tastes, I take it?" Saroi deduced.

"That's the correct summary." The Conduit nodded in reply. "It's not bad, by any means. Just not what I'm used to." He amended, adjusting the tea with some sugar and cream. "That's better." He smiled as Satsuki sipped her own cup, before her gaze fell squarely on him.

"There's something I'm curious about. That black armor, what is it?" She inquired.

"That's… Something that requires a demonstration, I think." Alex replied, taking a moment to find the correct words. "But know this: It's actually an independent organism." He added.

"Independant?" Satsuki parroted in confusion. A moment later, Venom–after gathering the courage to do so–manifested himself as a tendril coming from his shoulder, his face on the end of it.

"H-Hi…" He uttered in a soft spoken tone, before quickly darting back into Alex's jacket.

"What was–?" She questioned.

"That was Venom, a symbiotic organism from outer space called a Klyntar." Alex replied. "Specifically a juvenile member of the species." He continued.

"A juvenile?" Satsuki blinked in surprise. "Why is he here and not with the rest of his kind?" She wondered.

"Because he was abandoned by them–specifically because he was a 'loser'–and that makes me very angry!" Alex growled in reply. A look of shock overtook the student body president's face before a look of outrage replaced it.

"How dare they!" She yelled angrily, sharing Alex's anger. "How dare they abandon a child for the most trivial of reasons! Unacceptable!" She continued voicing her displeasure.

"I am in full agreement!" Alex growled before he calmed his nerves. "Which is why I am–for all intents and purposes–adopting Venom as my son." He added. This caused the symbiote to nuzzle himself against his cheek as he cooed and purred happily, his milky white eyes forming an eye smile.

The Conduit's words and Venom's reaction to them actually brought a smile to Satsuki's face. When she looked at Venom, she decided to approach him. When she was close enough, she gently stroked the tendril serving as his head.

"You have nothing to fear from me, little one." She told him gently. "You will never have anything to fear from me. Ever." She added, her voice still gentle, almost like a mother's.

Venom's eyes seemed to almost water at this as he suddenly extended to reach her and nuzzled himself into her, purring a cooing happily. Satsuki's smile remained in place even as she giggled from the alien juvenile's affection, her hand gently rubbing his head.

This whole ordeal honestly felt great.

However, this moment was prematurely soured when Alex heard something from outside, prompting him and Satsuki to leave the room, and see that the Boxing club president Takuhada Fukuroda was currently holding one of his classmates, Mako Mankanshoku, hostage over a vat of boiling oil.

"What the fuck?! Are you gonna deep fry that chick?!" The boy questioned, casting an accusatory glance at Satsuki. "Did you order this?" He demanded.

"No, but the presidents of the various clubs tend to go overboard with these things." Satsuki sighed in reply, pinching the bridge of her nose. "That said, such tactics are necessary to ensure order." She continued. "Fear is freedom, subjugation is liberation, and contradiction is truth. These are the facts of this world–which the pigs in human clothing we call the masses must and will adhere to." She added.

"Okay, I'm not even going to begin to count the number of absurdities in that statement." Alex returned as the two stepped onto the balcony.

As they watched the proceedings, Alex was quick to note that Ryuko had rushed onto the scene in a cloak for some reason. This made him wonder what the deal was.

"What's Ryuko doing here?" The boy wondered.

"Ryuko, you know Matoi personally?" Satsuki questioned.

"We're just acquaintances. Said something about trying to find who killed her dad, which I can sympathize with." He shrugged. "But I told her to leave me out of it. I've got no horse in that race, so I'm pulling a Switzerland and staying neutral." He added.

"... Very well. As tempting as it would be to have you at my side, I won't impose for Venom's sake." Satsuki nodded in understanding.

"Thank you, Satsuki." The boy nodded. "But Venom seems to like you so, if you want to help me take care of him, I won't say no." He told her.

"That does sound nice." Satsuki nodded with a small smile. 'I think that little symbiote is already growing on me.' She noted mentally.

"Good…" The blonde nodded as he turned back to the fight. "What the fuck is she wearing?" He questioned in confusion and a bit of surprise as he saw just what exactly was under Ryuko's cloak.

It was probably the skimpiest sailor outfit he'd ever seen, given that it was showing a lot of skin. It literally consisted of a long sleeved top that showed some underboob that was connected to the lower half by suspenders. Said lower half looked like a thong with a skirt attached to it and she had some thigh high heels too.

"It looks like… It must be." Satsuki nodded. "A Kamui. A type of Goku uniform that's composed of one hundred percent Life Fibers." She nodded.

"Life Fibers?/?!" Alex and Venom said at the same time. "Wait, you know what those are?" He asked.

"Fiber-like parasitic organisms. We Symbiotes are their natural predators." Venom explained.

"Natural predators?" Satsuki asked in interest.

"That's right. How widespread are they?" Venom questioned.

"Globally, and they've been clinging to humanity for millions of years." The girl replied.

"Then I definitely can't handle them alone." The symbiote noted to himself.

"So, what? These Kamuis are like super rare?" Alex asked as Ryuko started retaliating against Fukuroda.

"Yes. That's because a human can only safely handle an outfit that is up to thirty percent life fibers, like a Three Star Goku uniform." The student council president nodded. "Except in a few cases where some with abnormally high Life Fiber tolerance could use an outfit up to forty percent for short periods." She added.

"So arcum's razor dictates that you keep the line at thirty. Gotcha." The blonde nodded.

"What does handling a Kamui say about a person, then?" Venom wondered.

"That they wield power above others." The girl told him in reply. "If they can properly use one." She added.

"Well it looks like Ryuko's using it fairly well." Alex mused as the fight progressed. "But something seems off." He added.

"I've noticed it as well." The Kiryuin girl nodded in agreement. "It looks as though she's only recently acquired it, and lacks the knowledge of how to use it." She noted.

"Or the mental acuity to do so…" Alex interjected before Ryuko started unleashing a barrage of attacks that allowed her to slice Fukuroda's uniform to ribbons. "You might wanna move back." He told the girl beside him as he made her back away, right as the punk girl sent the boxer flying towards them.

Immediately, a bunch of students formed a wall to catch the defeated boxer, allowing Alex and Satsuki to return to their original position.

"Impressive precognition skills." Satsuki noted.

"It's something my dad helped develop as I grew up." The silver eyed Conduit shrugged casually.

"What the-?! Alex?! What're you doing up there cuddling with that bitch?!" Ryuko shouted, finally noticing the two.

"It's strictly a business transaction, Ryuko. I told you already–I got my own shit to deal with–so whatever quarrels you and Satsuki got going on, I don't want anything to do with it." The boy deflected. "I'm neutral here, as far as I'm concerned, I got no skin in this game." He added.

"... Alright, fine." The punk girl sighed in reply. "As for you, Satsuki Kiryuin, I want to know if you're the one who has or knows who has the other half of my blade–do you know who killed my father?!" She shouted.

"You'll have to work harder to find that answer." Satsuki told her in reply.

"You bitch!" The girl snarled before her uniform puffed out steam and she suddenly coughed up blood. "Shit! I'll get the information I want, one way or another–count on that!" She yelled, retreating out of the school yard.

There was a moment of silence before Alex spoke up again.

"Ryuko definitely doesn't have a handle on that Kamui of hers if what we just saw is anything to go by." He commented as they left the pedestal. "Question is, why?" He muttered to himself, before he started to leave.

"You're leaving?" Satsuki questioned as he neared the door.

"Sorry, I gotta find a place to crash soon. I haven't really had a chance to do that since I got here." The blonde explained.

The student council president was about to say something when Venom suddenly extended his tendrils out towards her and dragged Alex into embracing her, holding the two together and purring as he nuzzled them both.

"... It would seem the little one has other ideas." The girl chuckled.

"Yes he does." Alex chuckled in agreement. "Would you happen to have any guest rooms available?" He asked. This caused Venom to huff indignantly as he hugged the two tighter together, as if to drive some kind of point across.

Satsuki picked up on it, and was considerably surprised.

"You actually want us together at all times?" She asked with a blink.

"Mommy…" The symbiote cooed, as his grip loosened, nudging her cheek softly.

That caused a large jolt of shock for Satsuki. It hadn't even been a day, and this alien child was already seeing her as his mother? Then again, Alex had said that the juvenile symbiote was extremely impressionable, so in hindsight it shouldn't have come to her as much of a shock.

Still, the knowledge that she'd managed to establish such a link warmed her heart greatly.

"Very well, Venom. You can both stay." The girl told him, patting him on the head.

"Yay!" The little symbiote cheered in a very child-like manner, causing the two humans to chuckle.

"Ya know, maybe this won't be so bad." Alex commented as they walked together.

"No, I don't think it will." Satsuki smiled as she went around a corner to get changed, while Alex did the same. After the two relieved themselves of their clothes and exchanged them for their nightwear, Satsuki laid on the bed and opened the covers to the young Conduit. "Well? Aren't you going to join me?" She questioned with a warm smile.

"This… Honestly, it feels like it's escalating faster than I'd like in a few ways…" Alex admitted even as he laid next to her. "Usually, this kind of thing never happens until after the third date. At least in America." He told her.

"Western ideals of decency and relationships are restrictive. There is always room for nuance." The girl told him as she held him. "Don't think of this as a romantic gesture if you do not wish to yet. Instead, think of it as a way to provide for your adopted son." She continued, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him close.

"That does make it easier, I will admit." Alex conceded as he heard Venom purring in content. "It's definitely worth it if it makes Venom happy, so that's the end goal." He added.

"Something I agree with wholeheartedly." Satsuki smiled as she rested her head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat.

"But I assume you wouldn't be opposed to taking things further in the future?" The boy asked, resting his chin on her head.

"No I won't." The girl replied. "If anything, I might welcome it." She added with a sigh of bliss at the thought.

With that, the two fell asleep together, with the young symbiote snoring happily as he was nestled in the warmth of the two.

It was definitely an improvement from the cold and lonely asteroid he was originally in.

Dragon Emperor0: Hey readers. Hope you don't mind, but I decided to redo my story Toxic Love through working on this one instead. So far, I'm liking it considerably better than the original.

ThermalsniperN7: Yeah, and this time, instead of the crazed and evil Venom we're all accustomed to–or the hilarious movie version, sorry movie fans–we have the innocent and child-like Venom that must be protected. ANYONE WHO HURTS HIM WILL FACE THE BRUTAL CONSEQUENCES!

Dragon Emperor0: Exhibit A, the fact that Satsuki has decided to take up the role of Venom's surrogate mother after the lil' guy imprinted himself onto her. Seems her decision to pick up her wedding dress in ep. 3 was well timed in this case. Also, apparently Klyntar are the Life Fiber's natural predators… Uh Oh.

ThermalsniperN7: Yeah, that's really gonna fuck over Ragyo's plans. And apparently our protagonist is in Japan cuz there are signs of a RaySphere that popped up on his radar. I wonder who it could be that's making it…

Dragon Emperor0: No idea, but my money's on either the rival schools or Nudist Beach. Also, meet Alexander Colson MacGrath, nephew of Cole MacGrath by his younger brother. He's a conduit like his uncle who's part of the ⅓ that survived and still has their powers. And apparently, he's a textbook example of an early 2000s kid. He likes rock and rap music, wears clothes straight out of a video game in that era, and is just a smarmy little piece of crap.

ThermalsniperN7: The early 2000s were literally some of the first years of my childhood, so I can't remember much of anything. Anyway, he isn't smarmy on a regular basis, since he went and adopted Venom, and is a total powerhouse.

Dragon Emperor0: I was born in the early 2000s so I can't remember either. But yeah, Alex won't be smarmy all the time with Venom around, he's gotta set a good fatherly example for his son. Also, here Alex will be a purely neutral entity here. He won't be trying to assert Honnouji supremacy, he won't be trying to destroy the school for the sake of revenge, and he won't be constantly running around shooting and blowing people up in order to stop life fibers. No, unlike Satsuki, Ryuko and Nudist Beach, he's able to play all sides because he's doing his own thing. He's got an investigation to conduct and a RaySphere to find–he ain't got time for all this other shit.

ThermalsniperN7: Yeah, fuck that noise– he has his own list of shit to do. In regards to Nudist Beach, Alex is liable to label them as terrorists after the first meeting with a certain mohawked idiot. But no deity he prays to will keep him safe if he targets Venom…

Dragon Emperor0: Nope. Anyway, see you all next time.