False Error (Arc 3 Science Side)

That relaxed Sunday morning office atmosphere of pure silence, loneliness and working spirit was blown to dust. His ability to focus had followed.
The second he had realised that they were alone in the empty office filled with little working opportunities had been one of the most painful ones in his life. High pace beatings coming from his chest were trying to kill him. He was at loss for everything, was he running out of methods to calm himself over a longer stretch of time. ”Ro-ro-rog..er…!” This was an insult to the art stuttering.

Just when he hit the print button he felt something.

The touch of her soft delicate fingers. All he had ever dreamed of in his life.

Well technically he wasn’t able too feel much of it; her hand was only touching his cloth covered shoulder only for a miniscule moment, yet that alone was all it took to send him to the seven heavens.

A shock ran through his body, an unknown sensation, from head to toes. Gou heard an angels’ choir sing in the distance, accompanied by the drum that was his heart. This was the ideal form of happiness, but extremely tormenting at the same time. Raising all his force, he gave all to hide what had to stay hidden!

Even though he didn’t dare to, he was forced to turn upon noticing a familiar sound of something being placed on the table.

Two cups. Only the two of them here. He gulped.

For a short second he had taken a look at her, absorbed all her beauty’s magic with his eyes, turning away immediately after.

This was the moment he had been waiting for, for so long. He had been longing for this chance. He had been preparing himself for this chance for months. All those magazines and articles he had read had brought him towards this point.
This very moment had finally come.

What was he to do? What should he say? What…!?

”Uaha Buarga Gnaahii!”

Was there even a human language like that?

Failure.

Everything faded to black.

It was just another normal day in Academy City. The streets were filled with students milling about on their way to various appointments. Meeting up with friends for lunch at a family restaurant. Going out on a date. Heading off to a part time job. Shopping. Some were even just aimlessly wandering around the city, looking for something to do.

But even on such a peaceful day, there was bound to be trouble somewhere.

---

“I can't find her…! I can't find her, I can't find her, I can't find her, I can't find her, I can't find her, I can't find her, I can't find her…”

A young boy who seemed to be in the later years of middle school was slumped against a wall, obviously unwell. His eyes were dilated, his face a feverish red, and his clothes looked like they hadn't been washed in days. Breathing heavily, without seeming to take any note of his surroundings, he stumbled forward step by step, relying on the wall’s support to stay upright. It was clear to anyone who saw that he would have fallen to the ground and collapsed long ago without it.

As he stumbled forward, continuing to repeat that same phrase over and over again incessantly like some kind of mantra, a small crowd of people began to form with him at its center. They were all passerby who had seen the boy fighting to stay upright, and due to either curiosity or concern, had approached him, but were then paralyzed by indecision and failed to take any further action. The boy, in his stupor, didn't even notice as the crowd grew and people began bickering, attempting to convince someone, anyone, to do something.

“Is he okay?” “He looks sick.” “Shouldn't someone help him?” “Oi, is he on drugs or something?” “Um, should we call the hospital? Anti-Skill?" “What do you mean, we?” “What's he saying? I can't hear.” “Hey, is it safe to be so close to him?” “Does anyone know this guy?”

The crowd was still growing, and the quiet bickering slowly grew into a dull roar. There was a palpable tension in the air. There was no logic to it, but all present could tell that something was wrong with the boy. He seemed off kilter somehow. Volatile. It was what had caused the crowd to aggregate in the first place, what stopped people from just passing him off as some delinquent recovering from a particularly nasty beating.

It was why nobody had done anything yet. The boy felt reminiscent of a peg of gunpowder. Even the slightest stimulus would set him off, disrupt the fragile equilibrium he currently maintained. Nevertheless, it was only a matter of time before someone dropped the straw that'd break the camel’s back.

With work over and no plans for the rest of the day, Iori was stuck with what she should do with the rest of her day. Perhaps taking the morning shift was not the best of ideas. She could visit a store and buy something; what that store or what that something is, she'd have to figure out on the way. Better to do something fun--maybe the arcade isn't crowded today? Actually it might be best to go home and call it a day, and mess with people online.

Iori was caught in her thoughts, and nearly missed the large crowd gathering around something or somebody. Nearly, as in she accidently bumped into someone gathered around whatever it is. "Hey watch it!"

"A-ah, sorry."

She quickly apologized to the man, then turned to the crowd. What were they circling around anyways? The air was abuzz with whispering and chatter, but there was tension too. An ominous feeling gripped her; should she really head into the crowd to see what they were so agitated over?

Curiosity overtook her, and Iori found herself nudging people over so she could get closer to the center of the flock of people. What she saw was... A young boy. Unwell would be an understatement for how he appeared. The boy was very dependant on the wall to keep him upright, as if his legs might give any second. It also seemed like he was ready to explode, like a shaken bottle of soda. Perhaps that was why everyone was nervous to do anything to help him.

Iori was nearly caught in the same indecision as the rest of the crowd, but something needed to be done. There was no harm in calling a hospital, right? There had to be something wrong with his health, considering the state he was in. Iori took out her cellphone, and began dialing for emergency services.

A few minutes had passed since the incident.
It had been terrible, humiliating and the greatest disgrace in all of his life. He really didn’t wish to remember what had happened there. But upon closing his eyes he’d always see Konori Mii’s worried face when he had come to himself again...after collapsing just like that. Not even the good part of it could be enjoyed, was the after taste just too bad.
He simply would have to erase this from his memories.
Breathing in and out heavily he had tried to lead his focus back to reality; he was on duty after all.
Right now he was on the way to meet up with the Judgement member that had called the office earlier.
Both Furuhashi and Konori had agreed that another pair of helping hands wouldn’t be a waste in an investigation like the one at hand. Well Konori had also believed that her subordinate needed some fresh air after that sudden…he didn’t wish to remember, remember!?

However even though he had taken one of the quickest routes there was, destiny didn’t wish for him to arrive in time.

Upon heading through the city’s streets he had noticed some commotion. A large still growing group of bystanders had gathered circling around something; he could tell from experience that this was never a good sign.
There was no need to bring out his green indistinguishable Judgement armband, was it already pinned to his white shirt’s short sleeve. So he had settled on heading for the rabble, following the Judgement protocols in his typical exactness. There was no need to worry about this being a waste of time, those in need always held the greater importance.  
”Excuse me? What’s going on over here?” At first he had only tried to get answers out of the people present, yet none seemed to care about even giving an answer. They were too caught up by the events in front of them. All were facing into the same direction…
All were facing towards a middle school boy that seemed to be at the verge of mentally breaking. What a horrible sight. ”God damn it!”, he cursed. One could only develop a deep hatred towards society when faced with situations like these. Why would people never realise their mistakes? How could one simply stand there and watch another person suffer, not even bringing forth any helping spirit!? No, they were even making it worse!

Taking action immediately Gou forced his way through the human wall, straight for its centre, straight to save the one in need.

”I’m from Judgement! All of you that don’t have any intention of helping, please leave! There is nothing for you to see over here! So please leave!!” Standing in front of the helpless boy like barrier, Furuhashi Gou was facing all others with a strict voice while showing off his Judgement armband.
One was sure to tell: That boy would drive them away with full force if he had to.

”I said: LEAVE!!!”

The boy with an appearance reminding one of a typical delinquent had become a volcano himself, ready to explode out any second.

Next he would turn towards the victim in an attempt to calm them down. ”Hey you...I'm here to help you.”

The fragile balance was shattered, and the boy returned to the world at large. He looked up, and found himself gazing at a face laden with concern. A recollection surged forth, unbidden. He remembered her face, staring at him, obviously concerned. For a time, she simply stared, seeming like she was searching for something. Eventually she to gave up, and turned away. She spoke to someone, and a few moments passed. All he knew was that after that, he felt blinding pain the likes of which he had never known before.

Flinching, he tore his gaze away, and focused instead on the crowd of people beyond that face. As he scrutinized the mass of people, wondering what they were doing there, something caught his eye. A girl was holding a cell phone, dialing a number. He recalled yet another memory. A boy, strange instrument in one hand, phone in the other. He was speaking to someone, reporting his location to the girl who’d gazed at him with such a concerned expression, and caused him such pain.

That girl in the crowd, who was she calling? Was she, like the boy had been, speaking to that girl? Was she informing her of his whereabouts?

…

The boy lurched forward in the direction of the crowd, abandoning the wall’s stability. In his eyes, there was desperation, anger, and a feral something bordering on madness. Those eyes were wholeheartedly focused on the girl with the cell phone in her hands.

On the first step, his body shook like a leaf at the mercy of the winds, seemingly unable to bear its own weight. Regardless, he continued striding onward.

On the second step, the mania in his eyes crystallized into something sharper, and more stable. Something that would mercilessly shred all it came across. The change was reflected in his body, and he used that strength to rush toward the girl with new tenacity.

And on the third step, like the waves made in a body of still water when disturbed by a stone, the earth around his feet lurched upwards and outward, flinging all that rested upon it into the air.

Iori was busy calling emergency services to notice the Judgement member move into the crowd. It wasn't until he appeared in front of her and began hollering, ”I’m from Judgement! All of you that don’t have any intention of helping, please leave! There is nothing for you to see over here! So please leave!!” did she turn up to look at him. An odd-looking gray-haired boy stood in front of her. Not odd-looking in the sense that he wore extravagant clothing--in fact, quite the opposite. He appeared odd in the way that, even if he weren't wearing his Judgement armband, she could spot he was a member of the disciplinary committee a mile away.

”I said: LEAVE!!!” The boy reiterated, projecting his voice to the whole crowd. She knew she didn't want to be on his bad side.

Rather nervously, she spoke up, "Thank you for coming, I'm just calling a hospital in case he, uh, needed medical attention."

Then once again, she's distracted from her call. The boy who was dependant on the wall had taken a step forward. She herself took a step back. The look in his eyes stopped her from running forward to help the boy stand on his shaky legs. He just appeared... maniac. Like he was about to do something unpredictable.

Then suddenly he burst at her, finding strength somewhere in what used to appear as a frail body; his eyes glaring daggers towards her. "H-hold on! I'm not gonna hurt you!" She yelled out, however that didn't seem to stop his charge. Suddenly the ground started rippling as he gave another step towards her. She didn't know if it was her imagination at first, but she quickly found herself in the air. Whatever the boy did caused the ground to throw her into the air. The cellphone slipped out of her hands, and she could see the display showing she was in a call.

"...is your emergency?"

Ah, I forgot to answer.

"Thank you for coming, I'm just calling a hospital in case he, uh, needed medical attention."

Sadly there wasn’t any time for praise with the situation at hand consuming all attention the Judgement boy could give. He was filled with relief that at least someone was trying to help just like he did.

…even though it was pointless. None of the grey haired boy’s attempts would reach the one at the centre of the incident. All was simply ignored; the kid’s had never even wandered in his direction.
A change occurred. His expression, his whole body language, they became entirely different. The fragile appearance he had before had disappeared replaced by an atmosphere of imminent danger, insanity. Just like a predator in the wild he had set his eyes onto something…or rather someone.
This doesn’t look good…what’s going on…?

No time. He began to move.

As the middle school boy of unknown origin had placed his third step a phenomenon occurred.

Reminiscent of the waves spreading out around a stone that fell into still water, the ground became distorted.

All close by were thrown away. The waves’ strength was not to be taken lightly. A short flight through the air then the sudden shock of smacking onto the pavement, many should have experienced that and so did Gou. He might have had the worst luck there, had he been the person closest to the epicentre.
His attempts at softening the fall weren’t all too successful as well. The pain couldn’t be avoided.

Damn it, what kind of ability was that? Terrakinesis? His mind didn’t allow for him to be stunned by the occurrence itself; there wasn’t absolutely any time for this.
He was used to seeing happenings like that. Supernatural phenomena were nothing rare in Academy City after all, so one was allowed to face them on a daily basis. And as he had such experience he was knowledgeable in the matter of dealing with it. The first step would be to analyse the Esper before him, focusing on the ability’s nature with the goal of figuring out possible countermeasures.
No! What matters isn’t his ability per se; it’s rather the fact that he has one that strong!

Realisation came over him. Thus he forced himself to get up immediately.

What was the boy’s intention? Was there even one? Many questions were rushing through Furuhashi’s head, but answers weren’t to be found logically. He noticed the kid moving, he noticed his gaze directed at someone among the crowd. Following it he had discovered a familiar red head; the girl that had been speaking up before, the one who called the emergency services.

Grinding his teeth he took quick action: He began to charge forward immediately, no plan, no strategy, pure improvisation. Leaping to close the distance quickly, he was aiming to execute an air tackle attack meant to knock the opponent party to the ground by relying on both his own weight and the jumping motion’s momentum.
Of course it was a dumb move, but the only thing he had come up with to avoid another wavy free flight experience.  

”Run! Run away!!!” Shouting out he would attempt to knock back some consciousness into those that were still present even though it had become way too dangerous to allow for a stay.

Though the way the ground rose into the air was reminiscent of the waves often found in polls of water, the fact remained that the concrete beneath Kings feet was not nearly so fluid. As a result, when it came crashing back down to earth, it did not rejoin the greater mass nearly as nearly as its marine counterpart did so often.

Chunks of concrete ranging in size from that of a fist to a human body rained down upon each other like building blocks, placed haphazardly by some small child. They formed dozens of piles of rubble, adorned with the groaning bodies of the students whose bodies had met not the flat road they had expected, but jagged spires of stone.

And at the epicenter of that disaster zone, the destruction’s progenitor stood, in the sole space that had retained its original appearance. He scanned the rubble, searching for the girl who had been attempting to make a call on her phone. If she really did work for that person, then something of this level would not have been sufficient to take her out. He had to hurry and find her, so he could deal the finishing blow!

It didn't take long. She was lying on the rubble in roughly the same place she had been standing earlier, though it was difficult to be sure, what with how thoroughly the landscape had been changed. He stepped forward, making his way to the nearest chunk of stone, but before he could make any significant progress, he heard a loud noise from the side, followed by a heavy impact from the same direction.

The blow knocked him off his feet and sent him flying into the rubble, reducing him to the same state as his victims. A quick glance was all it took to confirm the identity of his attacker. It was the boy from earlier, whose expression had been so like her’s.

…Dammit! How could he have missed it?! That expression, its similarity to hers was no coincidence. Like the girl, he too must be working for her. And that crowd from earlier, were they under her employ as well? There was no way to tell. It was impossible to be sure. So, for the sake of his and Iresia’s continued safety, he was going to have to eliminate them.

He grabbed a chunk of concrete that was, by all rights, far too large to be lifted with a single hand, and drove it into the grey-haired boy’s skull.

Iori's fall from the air reminded her of falling off a swing, except with the concrete turned rubble it wasn't like landing on a mound of sand or wood chips. She was breathless as her back hit the ground, but soon started to groan from the pain. The sound of her phone clattering across the rocks and exposed earth was picked up by her as it bounced past her. Why would that kid do this? She thought as she began to push herself away from the debris and onto her feet, picking up her phone on the way up. A quick glance telling her the screen was cracked. Not like she needed to see what was on the screen to know what her phone was doing.

”Run! Run away!!!”

She turned towards the judgement member, finding him on the ground with the boy who had attacked them. They both seemed to be recovering from what she assumed was the gray-haired boy tackling the other. Despite his warning, she found herself walking towards them. There's no way she could leave them alone and run away, not after what happened.

Fortunately, she was right about not running away. The sick boy started lifting a chunk of concrete--which certainly wasn't going to be used to make any friends. "O-oi!" Iori cried out; dashing towards the two to try and stop the kid from maiming the Judgement officer. By closing the distance, she grabbed the kids arm that was holding the rock aloft. Hopefully she put enough strength into it to pull his arm to the ground, away from the officer's head. She hoped it gave him the opportunity to escape for the moment.

"Why are you attacking us!?" She screamed, feeling adrenaline pumping through her body.

This disaster was devastating.
One person’s actions had caused all this. Many were injured, some even badly. Even though the damage hadn’t spread that far the many onlookers that had assembled in the small space had all fallen victim to it.
This was terrible, terrifying, frustrating. Why couldn’t he have been able to somehow prevent this…?

Right now he was struggling. His manoeuvre had worked out the way he had expected, knocking the boy from his feet. However that was obviously not enough to incapacitate someone completely. The only thing it would accomplish was time, time for those that were still able to flee.
But for the guy that had become the idiotic self-sacrificing hero…it had also been a grave mistake.

Gou noticed the boy’s movement immediately; a little stunned by the after effects of his own attack, his reaction had been slower than usual, which was really unlucky in such a life-threatening situation. When looking up he saw what that kid laying on the ground close to him was holding in their hand: The large chunk of concrete that couldn’t possibly be lifted one handed even by someone as trained as himself. This scene’s result was written in stone.
If it weren’t for a third party to interfere, this might have truly become another Judgement officer’s obituary.

Overcoming all prediction someone had tried to grab the boy’s arm in an attempt of pulling it backwards, straight to the ground, hoping to somehow stop the lethal motion he was about to execute. ”Are you crazy!?”, were the first words that shot out from Gou’s mouth upon seeing his saviour’s face. It instantly knocked all sense back into him, allowing for him to perform quick action. Her again…?!
No matter if the girl would be successful or not, Furuhashi Gou wouldn’t just leave it like that. He jumped up in a truly desperate attempt of grabbing the chunk of concrete. Both his hands grabbing it and pressing, he was not only attempting to stop its motion, but to destroy it.
Calculations were executed quickly, waves were channelled through the material and then only a few eye blinks later it would crumble apart. Just like that the solid block of doom – that all too dangerous weapon – would transform into nothing but tiny pieces of rubble, that shouldn’t pose a greater danger than a bucket full of sand and pebble.

”Please stop resisting and cooperate! We don’t plan on hurting you!”

He may have been shouting in order for his words to reach through, yet wouldn't stop him from preparing for his next move.

His arm was slammed into the ground. It was the girl, she'd slammed his arm into the ground! Even with his newfound tenacity, his physical strength hadn't increased any, so even the girl's strength was more than sufficient to overpower him.

And the boy, the boy had already destroyed his weapon, disarming him. This was bad. This was very, very, bad. At this rate, they would capture him. They'd take him back to that place.

No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! He can't go back, he won't, not ever! He'd finally escaped from there, and he'd even managed to take Iresia with him. They were free. He couldn't, he definitely wouldn't return. He couldn't give up. He had to find a way to get rid of them, for both her sake, and his own!

Luckily for him, everything he had everything he needed for a counter at hand. He was lying on the ground, atop those very same stones that had so eagerly responded to his will a few short moments ago. With a yell, the rubble surrounding him rose up and formed four uneven walls, shielding him on all sides. If all went well, then their formation should have thrown the girl off him.

And then, after a few second's delay, all four walls rushed forward simultaneously, like great battering rams. Floating about half a foot off the ground, one was sent directly at the boy, while the other three went in the remaining directions.

Though they flew hard and fast, they were of obviously shoddy construction, and as they flew, the openings created in the corners when they initially separated only grew wider. But even though the attack had its flaws, it should be enough to get the job done.

Luckily, the Judgement officer got away in time. She watched him pull away from the crazy student, and then destroy the rock that was in his hands with ease. That looks like a scary power, she thought.

Even luckier, rubble began to pile up around him, throwing her away from holding the boy's arm. It hurt to be hit by the rocks so suddenly, but there's no way she would've wanted to stay near him when he had an ability like that. Geokinesis? It had to be. She watched as the rocks began to form four rough walls surrounding the student. The back of her feet was kicking up dirt as she backed away from the growing barrier. When it was finished erecting, she couldn't help but think of a young kid playing with building blocks. A rather tame image compared to what was actually happening at the moment.

Then, the four walls rushed forward all at once. Appreciating the room she put between her and the walls, Iori found herself running towards the space between them. After seeing what the gray-haired teen could do to a large piece of rubble, she believed he could handle himself with the wall.

Now, with the lull in the fight, it should be a good enough time as any to call for help. She certainly couldn't help much in terms of fighting, and she would likely put herself in danger, forcing the Judgement officer to save her like she saved him. She took out her phone, and with the screen busted she tried to...

Her phone's dead.

...Nervously, she called out to the Judgement officer, "H-hey! What are we supposed to do if he doesn't want to talk?"

There was no time to breathe. The next calamity was on the way.

Shortly after that boy had lost his weapon the ground had begun to move. A large collection of rubble had gathered around him, forcing Gou to quickly skip backwards increasing the overall distance to a few metres, about 3 to 4.
Four walls were created in front of them, four walls floating above the ground, four walls that would pose imminent danger. Shit. This brat doesn’t want to give in! There was no need for experience to predict his next action.

Four walls shot out into four directions. Four directions were attacked simultaneously, making it impossible to stop all of them. Luckily, though, most of the bystanders that had been unable to leave were currently lying on the ground – well this couldn’t actually be treated as a positive aspect, could it?

Right before the large mass of stone arrived, Gou - copying the red haired girl's move - took a jump to the side, quickly and perfectly calculated, barely evading two of those walls. The one he had dodged with this move and the one that was right next to it, using the slight space between both walls to his advantage. A dumb move if one considered that there was only a hair’s breadth between secure evasion and a crushed skull.
This was all he could do. Destroying those walls wasn’t within his range of possibilities would it require him to actually touch them for a short moment, a moment much longer than the moment of the impact that might have been able to break his arms or knock him backwards.
However he didn’t stop there.

He ran, he ran with all he had, straight forward, straight for that merciless monster that didn’t wish to listen. Furuhashi Gou had to end this, somehow. ”Then we’ll have to stop him with all we can!”, was the reply he gave upon rushing for the target destination.
This was the only solution. Peaceful solutions were ineffective, as much as it pained him to admit. So what was left was the way he never ever would prefer to take.

Readying his right fist, Furuhashi would charge straight for the opponent. A punch thrown straight for the opponent’s face was what he put his hopes into. Going full force he hoped to end it in one single blow.

…his focus was slightly off. While he was aiming to throw a single punch, there were calculations occupying his mind. However they were meant for something entirely different.

Both his targets had evaded his attack, and one was moving onto the offensive. With his weakened body, just a single blow from the boy would likely be sufficient to incapacitate him. But even so, he stepped forward.

He'd kill them. All those who sought to drag them back into that hell would fall by his hand. That was his resolve. As he stared at the boy, he stepped forward once more.

He would win. His enemies hadn’t been so much as scratched by his attack just now, but that was to be expected. He hadn’t thought for a moment that such an attack would be enough to take those people down.

The wall of stone that had shot forward earlier was slowing down, as if it was attached to an elastic cord. He took his third step, and as did so, he pulled his left arm back, as if readying it for a punch.

And then, acting in concert, the stone slab that had already ceased its momentum rocketed back in the direction from which it came at nearly twice its earlier speed, straight for the boy’s unguarded back.

In but a moment, the boy would be sent flying by the wall of rubble, and he would be free to focus his attention on the others. He was going to win. He was going to retain their freedom.

“Iresia and I… Are not going back!” Those words were the first, last, and only things that those people would ever need to hear from him.

The door beside Iresia opened and the young man came to a skidding halt in front of the fallen girl. He yanked her up by the collar and bundled her under his arm. He took off running.

"Better luck next time, creep." He called out to Laetitia.

It was only as he ran that the absurdity, and familiarity, of his situation caught up with him. Without pause for thought or reason he had abducted a child off the streets. He could only hope this one didn't end up trashing a multi billion dollar satellite with a ridiculous death beam.

He found himself strangely dismayed that he could consider such a thing with a straight face. Most boys his age didn't need to deal with this sort of thing. Up ahead the walls were closing in. Literally. Coming to an abrupt halt as a chunk of debris whipped by his face he stopped to turn and face Laetitia. To face a marauding child snatcher or an improvised demolition? It wasn't a difficult decision to make.

He ran head first into the cloud of dust and powdered brickwork like a man possessed.

Laetitia gritted her teeth in frustration as Iresia was quickly getting out of her grasp, but she was cornered by the bored boy with the rather peculiar weapon. Her ears felt like they were constantly ringing from the high frequencies admitting from it. By the off chance, she could explain her way out of this and use words as her weapon, but she bit her lip to keep herself from talking. She had to stay quiet. Laetitia would be putting a lot more at risk if she told everything she knew.

She still had the water bottle in her hand, uncapped and ready. However Keima wasn't required to move all that much in order to put this girl into submission. All he has to do is let lose a high frequency and knock her out just like that. Perhaps losing her eardrums in the process, but at that point it'd be useless.

Laetitia kneeled there, panicked in her mind as her target was escaping and this boy holding her up. While this was all happening, bird of sorts watched from the distance, a tree branch looking through the windows of the dorms and analyzing the situation with it's dimly lit red eyes.


"Aaaaaw~...In a fickle already, huh?" A smooth voice is heard, as a red haired man sat on the edge of a rooftop, two crows standing beside him, as if waiting for some sort of stimuli to allow them to move. He was cloaked with a long brown coat, a hood over his head and some random casual clothes on him. Tomokota Renavin was watching the operation go, for the most part, as planned. However, it seems they've run into the obstacle in the hopes to capture all the children. "Haaaaa...Guess I can't leave a cute girl to do everything." He smirked as he decided to step into action, slowly getting up and turning to the fire escape, the crows suddenly flying off in different directions. He stretched his arms and pushed on his back, as if he was sitting there for quite some time, observing the progress of his mission.

Obviously he expected he'd need to actually step in at one point, but he was hoping that it'd be for a more 'exciting' reason. All the boy had was some fancy tool from what he gathered. Meaning he was most likely weak because he's depending on such a tool to get the upper hand on the situation. It was boring, and utterly disappointing for Renavin.

He jumped down into the alleyway and quickly ran toward the dorm's direction, being able to get there in at least ten minutes on foot. Hopefully she could hold out by then. However, he was more worried if someone else were to join in on the mix and make things even more complicated for the two.  
"Hang in there just a bit." He smiled rather ominously, as he hoped this would entertain him enough to bring him all the way out toward the dorm.

An hour and a half. That's all she had been away for, a mere ninety minutes, with a failed objective as she decided to return to the dorm.

(So, exactly what kind of trouble did they bring themselves?!) She thought, hidden in a corner as she saw Guy rushing out of the dorm towards a random destination, the way he was running clearly not suggesting he was only using Iresia as some kind of weight for training.

Quickly, whilst balancing her weight so as to not be heard in the commotion, she moved.

***

“Answer me!” Keima pressed, too distracted and angry to care about anyone other than Laetitia, Iresia's attempted kidnapper. It was a wonder why he wasn't pursuing Guy who ran off with his main target, but perhaps it was from a desire to get rid of the pests before that and over-confidence he'd find Iresia again?

Keima growled as he slowly pressed his index against the trigger, though it was not enough to actually attack, using it rather as a means of threat.  “Silent, aren't we? I'll leave you three seconds to talk.”

Three...

Two...

One...

As he tried to press on the trigger, two objects blindingly bright passed in his line of sight, and suddenly the weapon looking like a gun flew across the air, colliding with a nearby tree. Though why, Keima was unable to understand until his brain suddenly registered pain in his hand.

Burning pain.

“Gah! Kh..!!” He attempted to muffle his cries, cradling his burned hand to his chest as he realised he had been attacked, he turned around to see his aggressor, a young girl with a fireball calmly resting in her hand five metres away.

 (A fireball... Is she that girl's backup?! But wait...) It dawned on him that he saw two fireballs, and suddenly, he turned around again to see a water bottle and water scattered all over the ground though some already vaporised.

Though he had let his guard down, Natsumi's fireball disappeared and she quickly closed the gap between the two of them. She elbowed him in the back with a surprising strength for a teenage girl, robbing him of his breath so badly he had issues crying out in pain as he fell to his knees.

 “Gh! W-who are...”

“Fighting isn't nice to begin with, so imagine how nasty it is, focusing on a single enemy so much you forget about your surroundings." She called forth two fireballs, one in each hand as she aimed for both Keima and Laetitia after returning to a straight position.

“I don't suggest moving even a millimetre. How about you tell me who you are, and what are you doing here, rather?” Natsumi smirked with a small laugh. “And, whether you're after that tall idiot or that small brat?”

Laetitia looked in between the trembling boy and the ominous brunette that hung over them both. At first when she saw her, it might've been a comrade from the organization she was sent by to aid her in her mission. However, this hope was smashed as she held flaming balls of fire in both her hands, threatening both of them to give out whatever information they had. This could mean one of two things, either the enemy organization after Iresia was hear to throw away evidence, or recapture her and send her back to the facility. The second, this was just some nosy bystander, most likely the latter since she was more than positive if she was the first, she wouldn't have hesitated to kill either of them.

"Kh...!" She let out her between her teeth, as her weapon was vaporized by the brunette's powers. Her weapon was gone. She doesn't know much self defense, but even if she did, her blonde hair could turn to a scorching black at any second now. Panic rushed through her head more as this scenario was utterly ridiculous. Why now of all times..!?

"My my, why are children so violent now-a-days." A young but mature sounding voice is heard from down the hall, as she would move her eyes, but never dared to move her head at the moment. The man with the brown cloak walked forward, his clothes didn't exactly match with the cloak, but it hardly mattered. Judging by his appearance he couldn't be more than twenty two. "Didn't your parent's ever teach you that violence never really solves anything?" He smiled as he stopped some fifteen meters away.

What now?! Laetitia didn't really understand what was happening, since she didn't recognize him at all. Though judging by what he's saying, the body language he has, and the confidence in his smile, he intends to stop whatever was happening. Something told her that he was on someone's side, rather than just some nosy individual. Her blue eyes quickly diverted to his right hand, which was slowly dripping blood from his finger tips, it looked painful yet he showed no sign of concern.

"Pardon the intrusion though, I'm just some random bystander who just so happen to be walking by." An obvious lie, as he waved a dismissive hands at the lingering eyes that stared at him. "However..." His eyes seemed to sharpen ever so slightly as he pointed his left hand toward the blonde. "I have some business with her, so would you kindly put your violent urges aside so we may be on our way?" An outrageous request, yet he still pushed politely for the release of the young blonde laying on the floor.

"..." Laetitia didn't speak another word, knowing that saying anything could easily turn this situation into a threshold that she might regret.

"I don't think it's too much to ask for, right?" Renavin stared at the brunette with confident eyes, however one might get the sense it wasn't about whether or not she'd had her over so easily.

Quite the silent enemy, she thought. At least, they couldn't be called back-stabbers in her opinion, but what was she supposed to do in this case? Burning their face off wouldn't bring her any more answers, and she even didn't know who was at fault or if both were, too.

Conflicted, Natsumi sighed whilst still keeping her precise aim towards both of them, until a sudden voice caused her to conjure another fireball, only showing slight signs of moving to be able to see the newcomer whilst not leaving a chance for the other two to escape.

“My my, why are children so violent now-a-days. Didn't your parent's ever teach you that violence never really solves anything?”

In the corner of her eye, there she saw a cloaked man that felt like he was really out of place despite how extravagant this city was. A man who gave off a different kind of confidence than Espers, someone whose aura clearly did not give a first good impression, especially when coupled with his tone dripping with arrogant confidence.

“It's a shame indeed, I'm an orphan.” Casually, she replied, her interest gradually growing at the apparition of the strange cloaked man.

"Pardon the intrusion though, I'm just some random bystander who just so happen to be walking by. However..." As she expected, he cut off for a request that confirmed her doubts that he was not the bystander he claimed to be. "I have some business with her, so would you kindly put your violent urges aside so we may be on our way?”

Natsumi silently observed the young man, he was most certainly also one of the persons that had caused the pair she had left this morning to escape, even if he had just appeared. That much was clear, now, would he give her the answers she's looking for?

"I don't think it's too much to ask for, right?"

A pause, silence still reigning over her as she listened to the man's comments until she settled on her course of actions. “Do you know the concept of equivalent exchange?” Natsumi started, with a slight smile. “They say you can't have something without giving in return, so...” But slowly, the smile disappeared to be replaced with a grave look

“How about you tell me who you're after? Surely, it isn't too much to ask for, right?”

"An Orphan you say...I see." His eyes showed sentiment a bit. He can relate after all since he himself has lost his parents, so he couldn't help himself for having just a brief moment of weakness. "It is regretful to hear that from such a lovely girl." Renavin sighed as he tilted his head a bit to the side, his eyes shifting to nothing in particular before giving a gaze back at her, back to it's sharp, keen senses.

“Do you know the concept of equivalent exchange?” Renavin smile widened a bit, that flame in his heart flickered ever so slightly.

"I can get an idea." He answered back, his tone never changing, his politeness never shifting as the girl on the ground finally turned her head toward him in slight fear and fascination. What could he do? His confidence in this situation was rather powerful. He must have the means to back such confidence.

“They say you can't have something without giving in return, so...” Renavin's excitement sparked again, feeling a challenge was coming on. He can easily guess what this girl wanted from him.  “How about you tell me who you're after? Surely, it isn't too much to ask for, right?”

Renavin started to laugh very subtly trying to hold in the excitement that was building from the wonderful girl. She's already demonstrated her power, and shown her own motivation. It warmed his heart to see such a thing. He started to wail out his laughter, getting slightly teary in his eyes. This girl knew she wasn't going to get this information so easily, such as him getting Laetitia from her flames.

"Ahahahahahaha! You...You really are something, aren't you?" He smiled in delight. This nervous feeling, the anxiety, the pressure, it was all just a rush for him. He was a bit worried at what this girl could do with her dancing sparks. And he intends to find out. His superiors won't mind if he got a little 'side tracked', would they? "Then I'll make you a deal.." His voice became more uplifting, yet dark at the same time.

Around the corner of the building, slight pitter-pattering sounds are heard scraping into the concrete. Fur covered animals, roughly standing as tall as the man's waist come running out. Eight of them to be exact. They all quickly surrounded them, including Renavin who was a bit closer to the boarder. Silver back wolves, stood their position, neither growling or letting their guard down. Their grey-yellow eyes bore down at the group who lay by Natsumi.

Renavin's bleeding hand wasn't exactly for show, it was for preparation. Summoning his familiars ahead of time, but keeping them hidden, was meant for the boy who might try to escape after doing whatever he wished with the young Hydro hand. Sadly, the situation might've escalated more than it had earlier.

Laetitia looked around frantically a bit, as the wolves stood their, hind legs crouching slightly, as if ready to come sprinting toward them at any moment. She wasn't sure to be relieved or scared since this man didn't confirm what exactly his affiliation is with. He wanted her but never said why. "...W..Wolves?" She muttered the animal's name. There is no way these sort of animals could just be running amok in Academy City, even if they were brought in for a lab experiment of some kind. And to top it all off they seemed highly trained and loyal to this man since they didn't even turn to look at him.

"It's a rather simple deal, considering your position right now." Renavin gave a smirk as he raised his hand up to examined the wound he had. Enough blood has been spilled to conjure up a decent weapon. He was prepared. "First: You must let her go. Even if you want an equivalent exchange, the information i have is more valuable than her life. I could just kill her myself if I wanted." He didn't feel comfortable being cold in this situation, since he didn't agree with killing children, but if he can't avoid it, he might have to. "However...If you defeat me here, I will gladly tell you what I know.~" He stepped forward a couple times, before coming to a halt before he might be pushing his own luck. "You are such a fascinating girl, and I wish to challenge you." Besides, the fact he's letting his own passion get in the way of his work, there was a possibility he encountered in his head that this girl knows more than she is letting on. Defeating her might be in their benefit and have her be questioned instead.

"Of course...These lovely pets of mine won't lay a finger on you unless you do something stupid. I like to keep things fair. And don't think flames will scare them either...They will follow me to the depths of hell if they wanted." He waved a hand over the surrounding wolves. There was no clear opening she can take, and it was guaranteed that they can sprint much faster than her. Given Renavin's threat to just be able to kill Laetitia, her hostage may possibly be useless, except for the man's desire to avoid bloodshed. "I could care less for the boy though...In fact he might be an enemy of mine.." The wolves suddenly growled in unison after hearing such a word. Who would dare attack their master?

"SO-!" The red haired man in his cloak, yelled triumphantly toward her as he put both his arms out. "What shall it be?"

“Particularly extravagant, aren't we?” Natsumi claimed with an amused smile, taking a good look at the pack of wolves surrounding her. She had made a mistake in revealing her ability whilst having no knowledge of the opponent's, although it was not a mistake that could've been avoided anyway.

With a sigh, Natsumi extinguished two of her fireballs, the one aiming for Laetitia and the one aiming for the cloaked man.

“In that case, as much as I'd love taking you up on the offer of ability-wrestling...” Natsumi said, the casualness most definitely having returned in her tone as she grabbed Laetitia who shrieked by the collar and pushed her in Renavin's direction. “I'm afraid I've not much time to waste here fighting, and who in their right mind would fight in a condition where they cannot give it their all? Sounds rather pointless.”

Keima attempted to move, but Natsumi returned her gaze towards him, clearly showing that even in this situation she'd incapacitate him should he attempt to run away as the fireball aiming towards him still shone brightly. The cloaked man had declared not caring about him, perhaps it'd work out in her favour, she thought.

“But may I request a deal change,” Natsumi declared with a smirk. “if you don't care about him? Surely there's nothing wrong with me getting back at him for the inconvenience he caused to people I know?”

"...Heheheheh...I suppose you are right. Perhaps we do think alike?" Renavin smiled kindly toward the girl, finding great interest in her. Though the tone of his voice sounded a bit disappointed since he was hoping for a fight. However, that doesn't essentially mean that they may never see each other again, and he will make sure of that.

While hearing the slight shriek of Laetitia who was roughly shoved in his direction, he was writing something on a check book he took out of his pocket, with the pen that came with it. He wrote something on the back, ripped it out and handed it to one of his lovely familiars, who'm took it in it's teeth as it slowly trotted over to the brunette, showing no sign of hostility.

"U...Uhh..." Laetitia confusedly looked around as the wolf trotted right by her, gesturing it's head before passing on, making her step back in fear ever so slightly.

"Come along, Mizu-chan, we have work to do~. You look thirsty. Let me buy you a water bottle.~" He greeted her in a cheery tone, giving her a fake name but also giving her a sign that he knows her. Mizu being Japanese for water, she hopefully understood the meaning behind him saying this. Renavin cocked his head back as the wolves retreated away along with him, one of his eyes trained happily onto the brunette. "May we cross paths again, where we can both glorify ourselves in battle..." He cooed smoothly, inviting her to come at him at any time, before turning around the corner and leaving.

Laetitia slowly followed behind him, still ever so hesitant but followed his kind orders. It seemed that he knew more about her than she did of him, so there was some comfort that he was an ally...or some creepy stalker. None the less, she followed four steps behind him, glancing around the wolves that followed the pair.

As for the one that jogged up to Natsumi, it simply walked up to her feet and presented the piece of paper rather cutely. Asking her to take it. Then promptly leaving with one bark, and a swift sprint into the dark road that laid before them.

A change?! God damn it! Judging from his opponent’s movements Gou was already sure that something was about to happen. Taking a random guess he figured that the arm’s motion was somehow linked to the wall he had just passed.
Glimpsing over his right shoulder quickly he realised that he hit it right on the mark. The wall began moving once again.

He wasn’t dumb enough to actually believe that his running speed would surpass the wall’s charge. There was no way for him to stop the sprint or move out of the way by jumping. He wouldn’t make it in time. Every single motion needed preparation and any kind of preparation would reduce the reaction time he had left to accomplish anything.

And then he tripped and fell over…

It wasn’t an accident, but his final move. Furuhashi Gou had been unable to defend himself in any other way than that. His ability was useless against objects that he wasn’t able to take a hold of, his physical ability too low to actually take a hit of such strength and the person supporting him shouldn’t be able to move as quick as to function as a saviour – plus he didn’t wish for them to be further involved than they already were. So only the option of taking an advantage of the wall’s weaknesses remained.
By forcing himself to trip he had found a way.
Hitting the ground in a rough manner, landing flatly, he went through a rather painful experience. Pieces of rubble were digging into his body here and there, some even causing slight bleedings. But the sudden event would serve its purpose. He could feel the stone wall rushing past above him, missing him by an even slimmer margin than before.

He was lucky, truly lucky…

Just a moment later he used his arms, he had used to dampen his fall before, to push his upper body back up again, readying himself to return to his legs immediately prepared to charge straight for the next attack.
Huh!? There was something off about what he saw. A young man apparently a few years older than Gou had appeared at the scene, carrying a small tucked between his arm and upper body, a girl with fuchsia coloured hair. He didn’t notice what he should have noticed, had his mind already raced in the most predictable direction. ”Hey, you!? What are you doing over here!?!? Get away!! It’s too dangerous to stay!!” Shouting towards the man in the red shirt Gou tried his most to prevent more innocent civilians from being drawn into this. He still knew that the red haired girl from before was also present, so those words were also directed at her as well. Their very presence and stupidity had triggered a new level of anger within Gou.


This time getting up from the ground had become a whole lot more difficult than before. His method of dodging had been the type to replace heavy damage by less heavy damage after all.

As the wolf got closer to her, Natsumi picked up the offered piece of paper, though decided to also try her luck and slowly pet the animal with a slight smile, showing that she did have a soft spot for animals. The animal left with a last bark, seemingly satisfied with finishing its assigned task.

Natsumi opened the piece of paper, containing a name and a number. Tomokota Renavin, seemed to be the man's name. An amusing fool, isn't he, to just leave his information to someone who might be an enemy.

(A piece of paper with a phone number, eh, I wonder what does that reminds me of...)

But now, it was time to get down to business, Natsumi crouched and stared at Keima straight in the eyes, conjuring another fireball aiming at him, in a way that seemed like she wanted to prove her dominance on the situation as she had confirmed he didn't seem to have backup.

“I don't know who you were after, but it's pathetic to endanger a child's life like that.”

Keima returned a glare, but nothing more, his lip trembling as a sign there was something he wanted to say but held himself back from saying it. It felt like mentioning Iresia had triggered that reaction, so Natsumi pushed a bit further.

“It's interesting how teenagers in this city don't mind the death of a child.”

“Like you can talk...”

Natsumi's expression stayed the same, not betraying the slight feeling of joy she had at the thought that she was gradually making him crack, although it still seemed like he wouldn't give her precise information unless he was really hot-headed.

“You might not be with them, just now, but what tells me you don't want to bring her harm?”

So they were after the little cat-loving kid, she frowned. It wasn't surprising though, Natsumi had a knack to attract the weirdos one way or another, so she had figured from yesterday alone that today would not be peaceful. “Who sent you?” He asked, but he could see on Natsumi's face that she wasn't going to answer that if he wouldn't talk first, and bit his lip as a result.

How would he get out of this predicament? Was there any way out or would he have to die before retrieving Iresia, who would be most likely done horrible things if she was captured by anyone else, even though in the back of his mind he was aware that if he brought her back then the same fate would await her?

It could be considered self-satisfaction of having Iresia in his care perhaps, the boy thought.

(...What do I do...?)

“I'm the one who made her temporarily take care of the kid, in a very honest fashion.”

At the familiar voice that both of them knew, although one not so well, they both suddenly turned around towards yet another newcomer, and quite an unexpected one at that.

Time stopped. He didn't notice the boy avoiding his attack. He didn't see the walls lose their momentum and crumble. He didn't hear the boy's desperate shouts.

None of that mattered. Not anymore. She was right there. Without rhyme or reason, she arrived on the battlefield tucked under the arm of an unknown man. It was too sudden. He had no time to ponder the man's identity, whether he was friend or foe, enemy or ally.

He had to get her back. She was right there, and they were surrounded by enemies. He had to retrieve her, he had to take her and run!

He rushed toward the man at full tilt, without any heed of his surroundings. He didn't even notice that no stone rushed up to meet as hand as held it out in expectation. There no plan, no forethought, no space in his mind for anything but the girl.

He would simply do everything in his power to get Iresia away from that man, and then from here. As he reached the man and readied a wild grab for the girl, he called out to her, desperation filling his voice.

"Iresia!"

---

It had been some time since his last report. The last she'd heard, the boy had located one of the two escapees, who was about to be captured by a third party. It was almost certainly the same group that had targeted her before, seeking to finish the job.

She needed an update. It was too dangerous to stay out of the loop. She'd have to call him. Even if there was no reply, that would be answer enough, as it would mean that he'd been incapacitated and the escapee lost, or caught up in a protracted conflict. Either way, her response would be the same.

She picked up a cell phone, and dialed the number.

"Status report."