Chapter 4: Got a Problem With That?

Alex and Delsin vs Tsumugu: No Hero by JT Music

Review Replies

Knightmare Lord: Sweet to see the Elite Four kicking some ass!

Dragon Emperor0: Yeah. It always felt like such a waste that we only saw them in action for only 3 or 4 times (8 in Sanageyama's case) before everyone retired. So we wanted to fix that.

ThermalsniperN7: Yeah, they needed more chances to shine.

Spyro fanboy: Sorry. I meant good sister and brother. They care for one another like family. Please don't let Senketsu die. I cried my heart out when that happened in the show.

ThermalsniperN7: Ooh, that's what you meant. Well, if things go according to plan, Senketsu might live to see the end of this story. No promises at this point since it's still too early.

Dragon Emperor0: Yeah. But don't feel sad. At that point in the show, Senketsu served his purpose. So he didn't need to survive, his job was done.

It was early in the morning and Alex was currently walking back up the way to the academy from Honnou town after getting Venom some french fries and chocolate to help him continue to recover from the shit show they went through that day prior.

Alex still couldn't believe that the Beast got control of his body and tormented his surrogate son like that. The way he saw it, he owed the Elite Four and Delsin some fruit baskets for exorcizing the bastard from his body.

'If I see the Beast again, it'll be too soon.' He sighed mentally.

As he entered school grounds, he then decided to go to his home room, pick the lock, and plop himself into his usual spot, feet propped on his desk.

The blonde let out a cavernous yawn as he took a sleeping cap from his bag and put it on, then slipped a night mask on, before he started snoring himself back to sleep.

(Later)

Alex let out a groan as he felt himself get shaken awake, prompting him to take off his sleep mask and see Gamagori standing over him with his arms folded.

"... The fuck you want, Gamagori? Can't you see I'm sleepin'?" The conduit groaned, pulling his mask back on.

"You're not supposed to be in class this early." The Discipline Chair told him firmly.

"Yet there are no rules against it." Alex rebuked.

"... I can't believe we never addressed that…" Gamagori spat. "Well I hope you realize that you'll still likely be getting after school detention for not participating in the required No Tardies Day." He stated.

This only managed to get a middle finger from Alex in response as he simply put on some earmuffs and went back to sleep.

Gamagori grunted in irritation at that before he left. "Smarmy little prick…" He grumbled, Venom blowing a raspberry at him behind his back.

(Elsewhere)

Meanwhile, Ryuko, Mako, Delsin and a classmate of theirs–Maiko–were participating in the No Tardies day. And from the looks of things, the power absorbing conduit was outpacing the girls pretty well.

"Oh come on! That's not fair!" Maiko complained as she watched Delsin start jumping from the rooftops.

"That's conduits for ya. They get all the tricks." Ryuko sighed as Delsin used his smoke transformation ability to get onto the roof of a cable car, waving down at them. "Show off…" She grumbled.

(Later)

Alex was still fast asleep in the classroom, as was Venom, when the race reached its apex–culminating in Ryuko crashing into their classroom in the cable car with Mako in tow–while Delsin orbital dropped in from above.

Both acts ended up sending poor Alex flying.

"GAH! WHAT THE ACTUAL MOTHERFUCK?!" He yelled in surprise as he took his mask off and saw what happened. "SERIOUSLY, I GOT WOKEN UP BY A FUCKING CABLE CAR AND A DIVEBOMB?! PISS OFF!" He yelled once more in complaint.

"Good morning to you too, asshole." Ryuko groaned as the trio sat down.

(Later)

Tsumugu Kinagase perched himself on the wall of Honnouji Academy and looked through his scope at Mikisugi's classroom, his sights on a few people in particular.

Those being Ryuko and Alex. They were his primary targets. Delsin was an ally, so he wasn't looking to strike him.

However, as he changed his view over to where Alex was–the man soon found himself looking directly eye to eye with the neutral party–and he was pointing a finger gun at him.

'Bang' The boy's lips read as a bolt of railgun electricity passed through the window, broke the sound barrier, and nailed Tsumugu through his own scope!

"GAH!" The guerilla fighter yelled as he held a hand to the left side of his face in pain, his eye damaged from the shot. He was lucky he wasn't dead.

Clearly, the kid was more perceptive than he gave him credit for.

(Later)

Hours passed as the mohawked warrior nursed his wounds, looking through a monocular, when his eye caught sight of Alex leaving class with everyone else, but splitting from the herd and heading in the opposite direction, towards the main tower.

"What're you doing, MacGrath…?" Tsumugu wondered as he watched the boy walk out into the main courtyard and enter the tower–heading up to the top floor where the man had to zoom in–and saw him being greeted by an expectant Satsuki.

The student council president embraced the boy as he kissed her, before she then led him into the tower and out of sight. As much as Tsumugu wanted to follow them, he couldn't since the tower's security was too high for him to get around.

Though this did confirm his original suspicion. Alex may have claimed to be neutral and seemed to be sticking to it–but he was still in pretty deep with the Kiryuins–in multiple ways. That made him a liability from his view.

He'd have to deal with Alex somehow, but he wasn't sure how to go about it yet.

(Elsewhere)

Ryuko and Delsin were currently in the process of saving Mako from the Biology club, who wanted to use her as a guinea pig.

"Who gave these idiots consent to use people as test subjects?!" The Conduit snapped in irritation as he decked a Biology club member in the face, sending them flying.

"Who the fuck knows?! Cuz last I checked, dissecting people isn't in the curriculum!" Ryuko yelled as she swung her Decapitation mode sword.

That ended with the leader getting taken down and their uniform's life fiber absorbed. After that, the trio took a breather.

"I vote we go somewhere else before some other bullshit happens. Any objections?" Delsin proposed.

"Nope. I'm actually hungry right now anyway." Ryuko shrugged as the three sat down to lunch.

"Say, where's Alex?" Mako wondered, looking around.

"No idea. Probably with Satsuki or some other thing." The Conduit shrugged in reply.

"Now that doesn't surprise me." The punk girl remarked as she opened up her bento. "Tch, I swear. Ever since he hooked up with her he's been hanging out with her more than us. Really pisses me off." She sighed.

"Or he could just still be salty about this morning." Delsin pointed out as the girl ate a crochet.

"Speaking of salt." Senketsu hummed, causing Ryuko and Delisn to look at him–the latter hearing him because of Riot now having eaten enough Life Fibers to gain improved versions of Venom's One Star adaptations–the better to hunt his natural prey. "Your blood's been very salty lately. It matches your cocky attitude." He stated.

"Bite me, Senketsu." Ryuko huffed as she ate a crochet. "Besides, how can you tell that from how my blood tastes?" She questioned.

"I can sense any change to your physiology. Everything from your weight to your BMI." The Kamui stated, causing Delsin to look down at Riot's One Star resting form.

"If you're going to ask if I can do that, the answer is yes and no. I can sense changes in a host's body, but not in so many specifics." The Symbiote stated.

"Hm, alright then." Delsin hummed.

(Elsewhere)

With Satsuki and Alex, the two simply enjoyed their lunch along with each other's company, both taking their own chances to feed Venom whatever Klyntar friendly food they had on hand at the moment. Their surrogate son didn't even complain a bit.

"Saw one of Nudist Beach's operatives again." The blonde said as he started his meal by eating on a hamburger he got. "He was eyeing me and Ryuko." He added, causing Satsuki to freeze.

"Did he hurt you?" She questioned, her tone now serious.

"No, but I hurt him enough to drive him off." The conduit/host replied, holding up a finger gun for emphasis.

"So that's what that explosion was." The girl nodded. "Such power and finesse, your abilities are truly marvelous." She hummed.

"Learning how to wield it isn't easy. If you saw how Conduits were trained, you'd call it a display of sadism." The transfer student shivered, recalling the nightmare that was Conduit training.

So many times his ranged attacks literally blew up in his face…

Satsuki seemed to take this information in before she eyed the scar that now stretched diagonally across Alex's chest due to All Black slicing him in half.

This observation went unnoticed by the boy as he ate and fed his symbiote, before he felt Satsuki lay her head on his chest, stroking said scar.

"I'm glad that monster is gone…" She sighed softly.

"You're telling me. I still gotta get fruit baskets for you, the Elite Four and Delsin for getting rid of him." The blonde told her as he held her close.

"I doubt that'll be necessary. The others have their own ways of seeking gratitude." Satsuki told him with a chuckle, crawling into the boy's lap as he finished eating and started nuzzling into the nape of his neck. "Your safety and affection is enough for me." She whispered in his ear, before she started kissing his neck.

Alex smiled as he held her close, letting her kiss his neck before she moved on to making out with him. As they did, things became progressively more heated as the Kiriyuin girl pinned her boyfriend to the couch.

"... You wanna take this to the bedroom?" He questioned as the two separated, both out of breath.

"Oh yes." Satsuki breathed before letting out a squeak as Alex picked her up bridal style and carried her to the bedroom.

We all know what happened from there.

(Elsewhere)

Back with the others, Delsin and Ryuko reacted in horror as Mako was gunned down right in front of them. She was covered in fucking needles now!

"What the hell?!" Ryuko gasped as she took a step back in surprise.

"Aw shit, there's only one guy I know who uses a needle gun…" Delsin cursed. "Look out!" He blurted as he grabbed Ryuko and pulled her into his arms before Riot allowed him to create a shield that caused the needles to fall to the ground. "Goddamn prick." He spat. "You have the worst people skills Tsumugu!" He yelled, still holding onto Ryuko.

"I don't need people skills to do my job, Delsin." The red mohawked guerilla fighter retorted, holding up a needle gun. "Now get out of the way. I'm here to kill that Kamui." He ordered.

"Go suck a cock, Kigase." The conduit spat.

"You two know each other?!" The punk girl questioned warily, blushing bright red from the way the boy was holding her.

"Long story, but we both work for the same organization." The boy told her as he made her get behind him while he twirled his chain, Riot's battle form giving him his mask that still included his beanie. "And he's not the biggest fan of Kamuis." He added–right before Tsumugu pinned Ryuko to the wall by shooting a clothing fork at her wrists. "Shit!" He cursed.

Tsumugu started walking towards Ryuko, but was kept from getting any further by the Conduit.

"Out of the way." He ordered.

"Make me." Delsin challenged, cracking his chain like a smoke covered whip, causing small explosions.

"There are two things you need to know." The mohawked man stated. "One, if you're not willing to listen to your superiors, then you're a liability." He continued. "Two, and if you're a liability, that means I have every right to kill you." He added, pointing his gun at the boy's face.

"Yeah, okay." The conduit scoffed. "Too bad I don't give a shit." He added as Riot suddenly did a Critical mass Spike Spring attack, causing Tsumugu to jump back to avoid being skewered.

There was a very tense staredown between the two men before Tsumugu scoffed and holstered his gun.

"I'll try again another time." He grunted before he turned to leave. "Also, your friend is fine. I just put her in a state of deep sleep." He added before walking away.

"Thanks, you can go piss off now." Delsin waved, turning to go to Ryuko. "Dick." He spat.

"You really don't see eye to eye with that assclown, do you?" The punk girl remarked as he helped her get free.

"No. He reminds me way too much of the assholes that gave Cole MacGrath trouble." Delsin huffed in reply. "The same jerks that are trying to hunt us conduits down." He added as he helped her up. "You okay?" He asked, looking her in the eyes.

It wasn't that big a deal, he just took her hand. But this small action seemed to cause Ryuko's heart to start pounding in her chest like a cherokee drum.

'What the fuck is going on?! Why am I reacting like this to him?!' She wondered, trying to fight off the blush threatening to overtake her face.

(Elsewhere)

Meanwhile, a bit later on, Mikisugi was sitting at a bar in Honnou Town when Tsumugu came up to him.

"I know what you're going to say, Tsumugu." The teacher stated as the man was alerted to his friend's presence by him dropping a pin the blue haired man had tossed at him to leave Delsin alone. "Never interrupt me, am I right?" He parroted.

"What do you want?" Tsumugu questioned, leaning against the bar as Mikisugi poured him some Sake.

"You not antagonizing Matoi. If you do something drastic, you might end up driving her to the Kiryuins." The informant told him.

"That uniform is too dangerous." Tsumugu stated firmly.

"That's why we have Delsin keeping an eye on her, remember?" Mikisugi responded. "He and Riot are our best chance at controlling Matoi and Senketsu should the worst case happen. One has powers able to rival a Kamui and the other is a Life Fiber's natural predator–It's a two fold state of protection." He continued.

"It's not enough, and you know it." Tsumugu rebuked.

"You're only saying that because you can't see the bigger picture." Mikisugi sighed.

"I can. I can see how that girl's relationship with Rowe will make it where he won't have the spine to act when it's time." The mohawked man retorted.

"You're such a pessimist." His friend sighed. "I bet if Kinoe heard that, she'd roll over in her grave." He stated.

"Leave her out of this!" The guerilla fighter growled angrily. "Look, I owe you, and I'll do anything you ask." He sighed. "Except when it comes to a Kamui." He added.

"Okay, but if HQ finds out, they'll take your gear." Mikisugi warned.

"Then I'll do it as a naked nudist. Doesn't change a damn thing." Tsumugu retorted as he started walking away.

As he was mid-walk, however, a scream of untold ecstasy tore through the air of the entire town causing Tsumugu to pause and look upwards in surprise along with Mikisugi.

"... The hell was that?" The mohawked man wondered in bewilderment.

"Judging by how that sounded, I think some girl just got sent to nirvana." The blue haired man replied with a blink.

(Elsewhere)

Meanwhile, at the Mankanshoku home, everyone was scarfing down food that Mako brought home.

"Where'd you get the money to pay for all this?" Her dad questioned.

"I put it on your tab!" the girl replied.

This caused the man to lock up before Delsin patted his shoulder.

"Relax, Mr. M. I'll cover the bill." He told the back alley doc.

Then the scream from earlier tore through the air around them, causing them all to pause and look skyward.

"... Whoever just got sent to nirvana like that is one lucky bitch." Ryuko blinked after a beat passed before her features darkened again as she returned to her food.

"That voice sounds familiar for some reason, though…" The conduit mused.

(Elsewhere)

Meanwhile, in Honnouji Academy, with the Elite Four…

"So what's your plan for taking care of the Anti-Goku Uniform Guerrilla fighter?" Inumuta questioned Jakuzure.

"I plan on targeting him by veiling the attack as one aimed at wherever he strikes next." The girl replied. "And I plan on using the new girl as bait." She added.

"Ooh, Alex and that Rowe kid are not gonna like that." Sanageyama chuckled.

"If it works, it works." Gamagori shrugged.

It was then that the four heard the same scream from earlier, and Inumuta was quick to get a phone call from Iori.

"Inumuta, did you hear that?" The blonde questioned.

"The entire Elite Four heard it, Iori." The Information Chair replied. "It sounded strangely familiar, too." He added in bewilderment.

"It sounded like some girl just got her world rocked six ways from sunday." Sanageyama nodded. "But that voice, It sounded like… Nah, it couldn't be." He added, shaking his head.

"Why did that sound like Lady Satsuki?" Gamagori blinked in uncharacteristic surprise.

"That's cuz it was, numb nuts." Nonon stated curtly. "I'd know her voice anywhere, Satsuki totally just had a bed shaking orgasm just now." She added.

This got a few beats of silence before Uzu broke it.

"All in favor of not speaking of this ever again?" He proposed, putting his hand in the air.

"No argument here." Nonon nodded.

"Agreed." Gamagori huffed.

"Already done." Inumuta stated as he proceeded to clear the browsing data of his brain.

(Elsewhere)

Satsuki gasped, moaned and panted as she lost all feeling in her arms and legs before collapsing onto her bed in a heap, her body drenched in sweat, quaking in release and… well, showing clear signs of having been screwed, for lack of a better term.

Alex sighed as he laid down next to her and took her into his arms as he pulled something from the nightstand beside him and put it in his mouth.

It wasn't a cigarette like one would likely expect, but rather a Dum Dum lollipop. Apparently one he had for just such an occasion.

"That… Explains how you were able to work my breasts so well…" Satsuki gasped, head laid on his chest.

"It did help with that muscle memory." Alex breathed as he ran his hands through her hair. "I'm surprised that you were so inexperienced." He mused. "Ya know, given your family's reputation for being… Promiscuous." He added.

"I actually thought I was ready for you. I was wrong… But that's not a bad thing here." Satsuki admitted, nuzzling against him.

"Well, I guess it doesn't matter too much." The Conduit sighed as he kissed her. "The fact that I have you is all that matters to me, anyway." He smiled, continuing to kiss her.

"That makes two of us." The Kiryuin girl smiled as they continued cuddling together. "I look forward to the day when both of us truly get married." She sighed in bliss.

"Same here." Alex nodded in agreement.

(The next day)

"I've managed to gather data on the man who attacked the Gardening club this morning." Inumuta stated as Satsuki and the Elite Four gathered that next morning. "As expected, it's the same Anti Uniform Guerrilla we've been seeing." He added.

"What data did you manage to get?" Gamagori questioned.

"His weapon of choice fires needles composed of an alloy that suppresses a life fiber's powers." The Information chair explained. "But surprisingly, even if they absorbed Life Fibers themselves–the needles don't seem to have any effect on Symbiotes." He added.

"So we don't really have much to worry about if MacGrath and Rowe get targeted." Nonon noted.

"Yes, but he's likely not acting alone." Gamagori nodded.

"True on both counts, but it seems his new target appears to be Matoi." Inumuta mused as Satsuki took a sip of her tea.

"He must be after her Kamui." The student council president hummed. "This is a confrontation between a sandpiper and a clam, nothing more." She mused dismissively.

"You think Matoi can handle this herself?" Uzu asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I have a reasonable amount of faith in her abilities on this matter. If this fighter proves to be a challenge for her, then it will allow for more data gathering, at least." Satsuki stated.

"Tch." Alex scoffed as he laid across the back of the sanctum's couch. "That guy's got some nerve." He snarled. "Once I get my hands on him, he's gonna be begging me to kill him." He added, hands sparking–which got Satsuki's attention.

"If the situation demands it, intervene. I won't have needless slaughter on my campus." She told her lover seriously. But before he could respond, she grabbed his chin. "But if it seems like he's getting the upper hand, I am giving you explicit orders to retreat immediately." She added.

"... Roger that." Alex nodded in understanding after a moment passed. "I'll keep an eye on Ryuko for now, and get involved when she needs an emergency assist." He added.

"Good." Satsuki replied before returning to her seat.

(Later)

Alex did exactly what he set out to do and used the terrace as a perch for himself and Venom to watch out for Tsumugu while Ryuko seemed to be waiting for him.

"I wish this Tsumugu guy would just take a hint and get lost." Venom commented with a huff.

"Hmmm…" Alex hummed in reply. As he continued to wait, the smell of smoke hit his nose and someone sat beside him.

"You boy's always brood alone in high places?" Delsin questioned.

"Just keeping an eye out for the asshole that attacked Ryuko before." Alex told him in reply.

"You too, huh?" The conduit hummed.

"Yeah, and if I have to, I'll get involved to keep things from getting too destructive." The blonde nodded.

"You and me both." Deslin nodded back. "Riot here seems more than a little peeved that he's having to deal with fiascos every other half hour after what happened last week with that Beast close call." He added.

"Karma sucks, doesn't it?" The Saint of Empire City's nephew smirked at the symbiote's annoyance.

"Shut up!" Riot snapped from a tendril he made.

Alex just chuckled before he looked back at Ryuko… Only to find her gone.

"What the–?! Where'd Ryuko go?!" He gasped as he looked around.

It was then that they saw an explosion as rocket launcher turrets started firing on where the girl currently was–and Delsin was quick to notice where Tsumugu was in that commotion.

"Alex, look!" He exclaimed, prompting his fellow conduit to look where he was pointing and see the guerilla fighter.

"And that's my cue." The blonde nodded as he pointed his finger at the man's back shoulder. "Bang." He intoned as another railgun attack shot out–breaking the sound barrier again as the bolt of lightning shot out at blinding speed–before crashing on Tsumugu with a sound of thunder.

The distant scream of pain that came from him confirmed that he had successfully hit him yet again. Deslin smirked at that.

"Hell of a shot there." He commented.

"I used different objects in the California badlands to train, tightening my electricity stream to the point where I can simulate the effect of a railgun or an actual lightning strike." Alex stated as he started using his powers to absorb electricity from a nearby solar panel. "I can also do something similar with my fire powers." He added as his hands burst into flames and started forming an arrow out of fire–which he drew back and aimed at Tsumugu as the man turned towards them–heavy machine gun in hand.

"You just couldn't help yourselves, could you?!" The man growled, his tactical vest in tatters.

"Can you hear what he's saying?" Alex questioned as he aimed his arrow to strike true.

"No." Delsin stated, given they were several kilometers away. "Probably more jargon." He shrugged.

Then the blonde shot his arrow at Tsumugu, but the wind threw it off target, causing him to miss–but the mohawked man was still caught in the resulting explosion. That was a problem with taking shots from several kilometers away: It was easy for projectiles to go off course.

The two boy's hopped down from their high perch, creating craters as they landed and started walking towards Tsumugu, who was still fighting Ryuko… When three club presidents joined the party: The Rokujo Club three masters, Poetic Onobugasha club horde of one hundred, and the Backyard Gardening club.

"Well look who decided to drop in!" Ryuko barked, kicking Tsumugu away.

"Sorry about that, Satsuki's orders were to keep my distance." Alex chuckled as he decked a Gardening one star with a sledgehammer fist. "But she never said anything about keeping the confrontation from being unfair." He shrugged, using Death Claws to slash a Rokujo club member up the middle–Before attempting to swing down on Tsumugu with All Black–which the man caught in a laundry fork. "I love loopholes." He grinned as his face mask came out.

"Less chit chat, more dealing with morons!" Delsin exclaimed as he threw a Rokujo Club member through a wall.

"Ah, don't get your panties in a wad!" The blonde yelled as he sent Tsumugu flying with a powerful swing of his sword–which was almost identical to the strikes Ryuko and Satsuki's clash were capable of!

Ryuko growled as she finished off the Backyard Gardening club president before redirecting her attention to Tsumugu, seeing him getting back up.

"Damn you…" The man growled as he got back up. "Just as I suspected. You are our enemy." He said, turning to face Alex as the trio cornered him.

"Who? Nudist Beach?" The blonde questioned. "Now what would make you say that?" He asked.

"You're siding with the Kiryuins. That was a mistake." The mohawked man told him.

"Yeah, no. I'm actually neutral in all this shit. Got a problem with who I hang out with? Kiss my ass." The blonde Conduit shot back.

"Neutral? You're taking orders from Satsuki." Tsumugu retorted.

"Doesn't mean I'm working for her." Alex stated with an eye roll. "My connection to the academy is just a means to an end, nothing more. I'm honestly much more invested in my relationship with Satsuki than any of her personal plans." He added with a shrug. "Only reason I'm not helping you guys out is because I honestly just don't like you. It's that simple." He added.

"Means to an end, huh? And what would that 'end' be?" The mohawked warrior questioned.

"Finding out who the fuck's building a RaySphere, and snuffing that project out." Alex replied with a huff, crushing a Horde of one hundred's poem card in his fist with a crackle of lightning. "Which reminds me." He hummed as he pointed All Black at the man. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?" He questioned.

"There are two things you need to know." Tsumugu began, holding up his gun in defiance. "1. That's information I'm not disclosing. 2. You'll have to work your ass off to get me to talk." He added.

His only reply was for Ryuko to come out of nowhere and deck him in the face while he was distracted.

"Alright, that's it!" She yelled as she attacked again. "I've had it." She snarled as she went to attack Tsumugu, who kept dodging her. "I've had enough of your fucking weird, fucking rambling shit!" She added, punching and kicking at the man in an attempt to get him to back off. "You aren't getting Senketsu!" She roared.

"You think you–" The man started to say before Alex slugged him, forcing him back.

"Don't forget about us!" Alex jeered as the punch sent him skidding back and let Delsin leap over him and use Riot's shapeshifting to swing a mace down on the man, followed by tying him in his chain–and smoke explosion slinging him through the outside wall and into the school.

"I got him!" Delsin exclaimed as he went after the trigger happy man. However, when he arrived, he was nowhere in sight. "Fuck! He got away!" He cursed before rejoining the others.

"Eh. All that matters is that he didn't get Senketsu." Alex shrugged.

"Yeah…" Ryuko nodded as her Kamui went dormant, hugging her sentient uniform. "I'm sorry Senketsu. For treating you like crap." She told him "Can you forgive me?" She asked.

"Always." Senketsu nodded, the bad blood sliding off him like stains after a good wash.

"Come on, let's get you guys patched up." Delsin smiled as he and Alex hugged Ryuko's shoulders on both sides, much to her exasperation and amusement.

(Later)

"Well, this confirms one thing." Alex sighed as he sat down with the rest of the Elite Four and Satsuki.

"And what's that, my dear?" The girl asked.

"Nudist Beach, they either know who's crafting this new RaySphere, or has a scientist who's actively creating the damn thing." The blonde replied as he fell back on the couch, Nonon starting to teasingly mess with his hair and tickle Venom–making the symbiote giggle. "Tsumugu's reluctance to share was enough." He added.

"Both are things that require further data to confirm." Inumuta nodded in agreement.

"Which is all thanks to Jukuzere's weaker clubs drawing the fight out so you two could intervene." Satsuki nodded, which got a smug chuckle from Nonon as she ate some vanilla and caramel pudding.

"Should we be worried about the idea of Nudist Beach bringing the Beast back? Whether on purpose or by accident, both are bad for Japan." Gamagori stated.

"If that's the case, then it's an inevitability." Alex stated as he stole some of Nonon's pudding. "And it's not just Japan–the entire planet would be at stake, Gamagori." He added.

"Which means we gotta be ready to fight if it comes to that." Uzu stated as he twirled his bokken.

"Yeah, that's pretty clear." Alex nodded as he chuckled at a now pouting Nonon.

(Elsewhere)

"So MacGrath came to my place today." Mikisugi stated as he and Tsumugu were now at the same bar. "Said that he found out that you knew about the RaySphere he's looking for." He continued. "Care to elaborate on that?" He asked.

"There's not really much to elaborate on. He knows because I slipped up, but he doesn't know who's behind it." Tsumugu told him.

"True. But it won't take him long to figure it out." Mikisugi replied. "He's incredibly perceptive and deceptively intelligent. He'll figure it out, now that he's found a fresh trail." He added.

"You make it sound like he's an attack dog." The man noted.

"Wouldn't surprise me. He was the Beast's second coming." The informant nodded. "Which makes me wonder… If we should consider calling Project Conduction off." He mused.

"Are you kidding? We need that project." The mohawked man blinked in disbelief.

"And if that brings on Armageddon?" Mikisugi responded. "Are you sure you're willing to risk the entire world on a chance?" He asked.

Tsumugu went silent. It was true, what the informant said; if the Beast came back through their little project, then the Kiryuins wouldn't be their biggest problem. In fact, their reasons for fighting wouldn't matter if the Beast had its way.

"But if we don't, then the Life Fibers will also bring on the same fate." The warrior noted. "And on top of that, even if their leader is on our side, I can't say I fully trust the idea of bringing more Symbiotes, either." He added.

"So what you're saying is that we're fucked either way?" Mikisugi surmised.

"That's the way things look in my eyes." Tsumugu confirmed.

"Well, guess it's a good thing we're drinking." The teacher nodded.

"Agreed." His friend hummed.

(Later)

Back at Honnouji, Sanageyama and Alex stood at the back gate as Iori was accepting a shipment of Life Fibers that was ordered from REVOCS HQ.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you get a lot of these." The blonde remarked as he looked over the shipment.

"Actually, we don't typically. But lady Satsuki decided to start mass producing Goku Uniforms." Iori told them as they entered the Vault.

"You see, that's weird." Sanageyama murmured.

"How so?" Alex asked.

"Cuz only certain people can get Goku Uniforms, like the Elite Four, club presidents and one stars. This looks like they're being handed out." The green haired teen explained. "And every time I suggested we ramp up production of two star uniforms? She shot the idea down." He added.

"That's because increasing the number will risk reducing the quality of the uniforms." Iori stated. "It's a concern I share with Lady Satsuki." He added.

"It makes one wonder what the deal is with all this, then." Alex commented, looking at the shipment again.

"It would seem she's changed her mind." Inumuta–who had also joined them–noted. "The arrival of Ryuko Matoi, you conduits and the Symbiotes changed everything in a big way." He added.

"You said it, and now we got that Anti-Uniform Knucklehead to deal with." Sanageyama spat.

"And to top it off Lady Satsuki has dawned a Kamui herself." Iori nodded.

"Talk about pressure extremes…" Alex muttered to himself.

"Tell me about it…" Venom commented in agreement.

"Two people who can wear Kamuis and survive. Two people who can wield that kind of power." Inumuta hummed. "Combine that with what we've learned about the Symbiotes and Conduits–I just still can't believe it's possible." He admitted.

"No way. I can't believe the information chair just admitted to having his mind blown!" The Sports chair laughed.

"Stranger things have happened." Alex shrugged.

"That's the thing about this place. Each day is more interesting than the last." The information chair nodded.

"You got that right." Sanageyama nodded. "Me? I came here so I could cut loose. And now that Matoi and Rowe are here? I got something to cut loose on." He grinned.

"My man." Alex smirked as the two fist bumped, before Venom hissed and went rigid. "But maybe don't cut too loose, yeah? You know how close Venom is with Ryuko and Senketsu." He added.

"Right, right." The Sports Chair nodded with a chuckle as he walked off.

"Easy does it, Sanageyama. Lady Satsuki said that the only thing that the Elite four were to do was watch." Inumuta told him.

"Oh, she did? Huh." The delinquent nodded as he walked away.

(Elsewhere)

Satsuki sighed as she stood in her shower, placing her hands on the tiled wall to lean against it to ebb her exhaustion.

"I wasn't prepared for that." She sighed as Junketsu struggled in its containment unit… Before she felt two arms wrap around her body, and a chin rest on her shoulder.

"Everything okay, my love?" The blonde questioned as he held her close.

"Just washing my fatigue away… And the lingering scent of our love making." The young woman replied, forcing herself off the wall so she could lean into him.

"It worries me how hungry Junketsu gets." Alex sighed, kissing her neck. "I can't help but fear… that if this keeps going on unchanged, I'll lose you." He whispered, breathing in her scent.

"I won't let it come to that." Satsuki told him assuringly as she faced him, taking his face in her hands. "You have my word on that, my Alexander." She promised, before kissing him, and letting him take hold of her waist while her leg held his–pressing her against the wall–and started moving–Eliciting a ecstasy filled moan from the club president as the shower continued to pour…

(Elsewhere)

At that very moment, a small, almost barely visible black and white blob could be seen, inching its way away from Honnouji Academy.

This, or rather, these were a pair of twin newborn symbiotes, and they were quickly trying to find hosts–relying on each other to stay alive for the time being.

As they went along, they heard an engine, causing them to turn and see Tsumugu speeding their way on his motorcycle. Seizing the chance, the two newborns latched onto the license plate of man's ride and hitch hiked all the way to Nudist Beach HQ.

The place was an underground facility in Osaka watched over by the Takarada Syndicate. Honnouji's biggest Western Rival in Japan.

"Tsumugu, glad you could join us." A man, who looked like a scientist who was possibly in his early to late forties.

"Doctor." The guerrilla warrior nodded. "How's things going?" He asked.

"Slowly. Unfortunately, given we had to move the last two test sites, getting our newly constructed OmegaSphere calibrated to safely usable levels has been… Less than ideal." The man explained.

The man wasn't Japanese, but seemed to be American, and almost had an uncanny resemblance to an older Alex Mercer from the Prototype series.

"Any chance that there could be a way to speed up the process?" The man asked.

"That's unclear at this time, sadly." The scientist sighed in reply. He then turned to a table where an object sat.

It looked like the original RaySphere, but was gold in color with bronze cladding—and instead of blue, it glowed red.

"What's it doing?" Tsumugu questioned.

"Recharging, most likely." The scientist shrugged. "After the previous test run resulted in that." He added, pointing at something past the containment area.

It was an almost black hole-like singularity, only it was an almost hellish orange and it crackled with electricity and exuded so much heat that the metal around it started to bend and melt, and electronics shorted out.

Unseen to them, the two symbiotes from before slithered their way toward the two, hoping they would be ideal hosts. One went for Tsumugu and the other...

It went straight for the singularity.

If this seems pretty stupid for an infant symbiote, whose two weaknesses are sound and fire to do–you'd be right–but let's remember: Babies aren't exactly known for their common sense.

When the one heading for the singularity got sucked in, it didn't even have time to let out a screech before it vanished from the world.

And the other quickly got comfortable with its new host before it made its presence known.

"H-Hello?" A small, innocent, and almost child-like female voice asked, causing Tsumugu to look around.

"What…? Where…?" He uttered in confusion, failing to find the voice.

"You aren't going to hurt me… Are you?" The voice asked in response as her symbiote body began melding with Tsumugu's skin, causing him to notice.

"No, but you're a symbiote… Aren't you?" The mohawked man asked. If he was listening to the voice correctly, then this was a child he was dealing with–but he wasn't sure. It could just be playing a trick.

This got a purr in response, again, child-like and very clearly feminine.

"I am, but… I'm… Scared of everything…!" The voice whimpered, and it was then Tsumugu knew: This was not only a symbiote, this was indeed a child.

He wasn't too fond of symbiotes, but the way this infant-like symbiote acted… He just couldn't cross that line. It– No, she was innocent.

"What's your name?" Tsumugu asked.

"Cure." The female symbiote replied.

"Cure…" The man hummed. "Alright then Cure. If we're going to work together, then there are two things you need to know." He told her, getting a confused hum from the child-like alien.

"What are they?" She asked.

Tsumugu couldn't help but smile at her naivete. It honestly reminded him of his sister. "One, I still don't trust you symbiotes yet. So don't be surprised if we end up fighting them." He began. "Two, despite this case, I will do everything in my power to protect you. If you can do the same for me." He told her.

"I'll do what I can… Dad." Cure replied, imprinting on him as her father.

Tsumugu could only smile at this. He didn't share secrets with many people, only with Kinoe and Mikisugi, and they didn't know all of the same secrets–but there is one secret both of them knew.

It was that, deep down, he'd always wanted to have a daughter.

ThermalsniperN7: Huh. Tsumugu has a soft spot for kids. Who knew?

Dragon Emperor0: Of course he has a soft spot for kids. Despite how much of an asshole he is, Tsumugu's no monster. He's just a guy who's been hurt. Deeply hurt, and handles said feelings… Unskillfully. Huh, actually, he's got a lot in common with Kratos in that regard.

ThermalsniperN7: … He actually does. Huh. Anyway, apparently Alex made Satsuki basically broadcast her experience in bed to everyone in town… She has some powerful lungs, not gonna lie.

Dragon Emperor0: Either that or Alex's bedroom skills are just that good. But yeah, seems they've graduated from passively sleeping in the same bed together, to showing great amounts of affection both publicly and privately–to now fucking each other's brains out in an effort to get closer to each other. That's not bad for a couple that's only got about a month's worth of time under their belts.

ThermalsniperN7: Ain't that the truth. Also, apparently Nudist Beach is indeed building a new RaySphere… That produced a singularity that the other symbiote got sucked into. Should I be concerned?

Dragon Emperor0: Given the color of said singularity? Yeah, I'd say so. And one last tangent, can we just take a moment to appreciate the fact that even though Alex is making an effort to get along with everyone, he still manages to get people who just don't like him and vice versa? Case in point: His interactions with Gamagori and Tsumugu vs his interactions with basically most major characters.

ThermalsniperN7: Further proof that Alex is a smarmy little piece of work. And you know what? We enjoy it cuz it makes us laugh.

Dragon Emperor0: And it's fun to write. Anyway, see you guys next time for: Alex meets Ragyo, and Ryuko & Senketsu/Delsin & Riot vs Uzu Sanageyama Rounds 1 and 2!