[SS] Intensify

"Heh. Little brat… Little brat... thinks he can take us. What do you think, Electromaster?"

Mikoto glanced at Naoto, and even in the midst of pain, a mischievous smile spread as the woman’s words sunk in. She was glad they were on the same side now; the woman didn’t seem so bad and Mikoto felt they could make a good team if they worked together.

“Tch, I’ll SHOW him what I THINK!!”

With a roar unbefitting of a Tokiwadai lady, she ran forward, producing lightning strands from her forehead. Gathering the blue energy with a hand, she sent it hurtling towards Karl.

**

Karl’s face twisted into a grotesque expression of delight as the bodies of his enemies were scattered away like autumn leaves.

He let out a crazed, choking laugh but it was cut short as his eyes swiveled to face Touko running up to him with a yell. With a twisted grin Karl let loose two powerful kicks from where he stood. The forces “portalled” instantly to the space in front of Touko, condensing into lines that were capable of cutting through flesh painfully.

“Tch, I’ll SHOW him what I THINK!!”

With the grin plastered on his face, Karl spun to the sound of Railgun’s roar a little too late. A painful streak of blue zapped him and he yelped and stumbled back. He muttered a string of colourful curses for the sudden bright flash in the darkness had briefly robbed him of his sight.

“Tch, I’ll SHOW him what I THINK!!”

That response earnt a smirk of approval from the Skill Out. Perhaps under different circumstances they might have been friends, this Electromaster and her. But now was not the time for such thoughts and she turned her gaze towards Karl once again. Without her ability she was nothing but a target.

Naoto winced, knowing what had to be done.

"Cover me!" She yelled, straightening her back and lifting her head.

Trystan nodded in understanding and stepped forward. He would make himself a target in order to protect his comrades. He laced his Hansha tightly around his front in a protective barrier. It was time to see if Karl's attacks could be blocked.

A soft voice carried over the chaotic scene. Starting quietly at first, the lullaby rose into a heartfelt aria. Naoto's deep, husky voice rang out with a soulful melody that belied the violence in front of her.

This was her payment. The cost of her powers. A peculiar side effect of the drug that required its users to perform a remuneration for each use of their powers.

Why did it have to be singing? She thought, her cheeks flaring with a blush as she continued to perform her ballad.

***

Mai saw it. The sharp line of blinding light that cut Karl down.

"KARL!" She didn't even hear herself scream his name. In an instant the syringe was at her wrist.

Mai's eyes opened wide with a glassy stare as the light left them. She jolted upright, standing stock straight and stood, motionless as the shudder that wracked her subsided.

Slowly and with the precise, calculated motion of a hawk she scanned the scene in front of her. There was no hint of recognition in her eyes as they fell upon Mikoto and Karl.

She stood her ground as she felt her flesh sliced and cut by the invisible force. She could feel the warmth of her blood as it stained her shirt, running in thick streams down her side.

At this rate I'll be done for before I can get close to him, she thought. Clutching at the wounds she tried to ignore the pain. The blue flash of Mikoto's lightning was a welcome sight and Touko resumed her charge, determined to make the most of the opening the Electromaster had given her. She threw her fist at the young boy with all her remaining strength.

"KARL!" The scream snapped Touko's attention to Mai, who had been observing from afar.

In his momentary blindness something punched him hard on the cheek, sending him sprawling backwards. Karl fell to the ground, his body screaming with pain. But anger was pounding in his veins, and his fists clenched tightly as he pushed himself up into a sitting position.

"KARL!"

He turned his glowing eyes towards the scream, freezing at the sound of his name. His blurred vision found Mai standing afar, her eyes upon him with a syringe in hand. His eyes widened as she took a plunge, the glowing red dot appearing on her wrist. Light faded from her eyes, leaving them shrouded in shadows.

A grin spread his lips and he stumbled up, shoulders shaking in silent laughter. With Mai on his side now, they were definitely going to win this one.

With renewed energy Karl leapt forward, delivering a spinning kick in the air. The force spread out like a long whip, erupting like a wave to catch out the ones closest to him.

***

Mikoto looked on with satisfaction as Karl fell. She was concerned for Touko and knew they had to move fast while he was down.

“Alright! We’ve got him! Cover for me-… Eh?”

Realising Naoto was nowhere nearby, Mikoto swung around as the sound of singing filled the air. The Electromaster blinked, distracted and frustrated by Naoto’s strange actions... Or lack thereof. Her voice was surprisingly lovely, Mikoto found herself noting, but that was beside the point. Did the woman seriously think singing a song would finish this?! What, it would calm Karl’s anger or something?!

Anger quickly grew over her bewilderment. There was only one explanation, the woman was out of her mind.

“What the heck are you doing?!” Mikoto yelled furiously, “This is no time to be singing stupid so-!”

"KARL!"

Mikoto froze at the scream, and whipped her head around to see Mai holding the syringe.

“No!” she yelled, but it was too late. The drug already had her junior in its clutches.

A warning flashed in her senses that something was approaching from the back, but she had no time to dodge. A force lashed onto her back, sending her flying to the ground again. As she landed painfully on the ground she realised only too late how careless she had been to turn her back on Karl.

‘Damn it, I let her singing distract me..!’

Cursing, she somehow stood up again, the thoughts of her junior whirling wildly in her mind. Why had Mai taken that drug? Why did she even have it in the first place? It didn’t make sense… Nothing did…

No, Mikoto gritted her teeth, none of that really mattered, hadn’t she gone through this already?
If Mai needed saving, that was what Mikoto was going to do.

“What the heck are you doing?!This is no time to be singing stupid so-!”

Naoto continued despite the interruptions around her, though it took all her willpower.

Karl's next attack hit unexpected resistance against Trystan's apparently unarmored body. So the strength of their abilities was matched, the young man surmised. For the time being at least. defending would put him at a disadvantage and it was unlikely he would be able to resist that level of strength for too much longer.

Mai's dull eyes continued to flit slowly between the figures before her, appearing almost curious by what was unfolding. She made no move to come to either side's aid, retaining her rigid posture. Though when her unyielding stare met Mikoto's a primal thought emerged in her mind.

This one is a threat.

Mai's eyes ignited with red points of light and with a stiff and deliberate motion she raised her arm. The ground about Mikoto started to tremble. Tarmac and concrete twisted and crumbled as it rose upwards, peeling from the ground like an mammoth fist.

Mai lowered her hand just as Naoto's song faded. The heavy mass swung down like a hammer at the Electromaster.

There was a heavy crack as the monstrous limb shattered above her unexpectedly.

"Hey Tokiwadai!" Naoto announced herself, now standing behind Mikoto, her fist held skywards. "You wanted to know why I was singing? I'll show you why." Twin pinpricks of red light could be seen in her eyes as she took her place beside her newfound ally. She sighed. "What an inconvenient price..." She muttered to herself. Covering herembarrassment with bravado did little to disguise her reddened face.

Out of sheer instinct, Touko's right hand leapt up to shield her from Karl's kick and the invisible force scattered against her 'Imagine Breaker'. The impact only forced her backwards, her heels scraping against the ground.

So his ability allowed him to strike from a distance. That much was obvious. But the problem was telling where the blow would land. Without being able to see it Touko could only lash out blindly with her one defense.

"Karl." She called out to him.
"Listen to us! We aren't here to fight you!" She tried again to reason with him.
"I get it..." She lowered her hands to stand passively before him. To show that she was no threat.
"You're afraid of being powerless. Of not being able to protect the people you care about." She stared him in the eye.
"But can't you see that you're only causing them more pain by fighting?" Both Naoto, who he had once looked up to, and now Mai, who before today had never raised a hand in anger, were engaged in mortal combat in front of him.
"Their happiness can't be earnt through bloodshed, no matter who it belongs to." She hoped her words would reach him.

As the ground below her rose up in twisted masses, Mikoto tensed, realising this was Mai’s new power. The sight was impressive, but deadly. The Electromaster quickly reached for the coins in her pocket, knowing it was too late. The fist-like hammer was already striking down and there was no escape. Electricity flared around her body in defense but before the blue energy had a chance to be released, a heavy crack resounded in her ears and a shower of small rocks pelted down from above. Mikoto shieled her head with her arms and they bounced harmlessly away; at the very worst, they would only cause minor buising later.

"Hey Tokiwadai!"

Mikoto turned to Naoto’s voice, finding the woman with her fist raised high into the air.

"You wanted to know why I was singing? I'll show you why."

Twin pinpricks of red light glowed from her eyes as Naoto came to stand next to Mikoto.

"What an inconvenient price..."

The Electromaster grinned despite herself. It was pretty obvious that the woman was embarrassed and she couldn’t just let such a good opportunity pass, even in the heat of battle.

“I owe you one I suppose. But I sure hope your fighting skills are still on par with your singing ability, Diva-san!”

She turned towards Mai, her face hardening into a grim expression.

“Alright… This has to stop. But she’s my junior and I don’t want her hurt…”

She took cautious steps forward, trying not to loose eye contact with Mai.

“Kashiwagi-san?” she said warily, “Mai? Can you hear me?”

***

"…Their happiness can't be earnt through bloodshed, no matter who it belongs to."

Touko’s speech fell on deaf ears as Karl’s attention was drawn away by Mai’s attack on Mikoto. His wide grin almost split his face, exposing his canines as he expressed his delight at the unexpected turn of events. The red eyes swung back around, focusing on Touko and Trystan. The spikey-haired one was talking way too much for his liking- she would have to be eliminated first.

With great agility, Karl suddenly ran forward, charging head on towards Touko. Within range, he threw a punch, but directed the force so that it would actually come from the side of her head.

The wide grin on Karl's face made Touko's heart sink and she stepped back, steadying herself as he charged for her. She knew that his ability allowed him to strike from a distance, and so as he drew back his arm to punch she threw her Imagine Breaker up in front of her body where she predicted the strike would land.

But what she didn't know was that he could change the angle of his attack as well. The hit landed perfectly across her skull, sending her tumbling sideways to the floor with a wide eyed expression of surprise. Skidding to a halt several feet away she held her throbbing head and rose to her feet. The world seemed dim and hazy and she groaned.

“I owe you one I suppose. But I sure hope your fighting skills are still on par with your singing ability, Diva-san!”

Naoto sputtered a nonsensical reply before muttering something about making Mikoto pay later.

“Alright… This has to stop. But she’s my junior and I don’t want her hurt…”

“Kashiwagi-san? Mai? Can you hear me?”

Mai's face didn't move. If she understood what Mikoto was saying she didn't show it. The light in her eyes flared up abruptly. The road between them was torn up, erupting with pointed shards of concrete and torn pipes that snaked towards Mikoto and Naoto in a long, jagged path.

"That's great and all, but I dont think she feels the same way!" Naoto yelled, twisting aside from the path of the vicious spears.

Footsteps brought Karl closer to the groaning girl and he leered down at her with a twisted smile.

“Is that all you’re capable of?” He cackled, “then I suggest you get ready to- DIE!”

With the last word, he stomped his foot viciously. The force angled away steeply, producing power that would send Touko soaring metres away into the wall.

***
"That's great and all, but I dont think she feels the same way!"

Mikoto gritted her teeth in frustration as Mai sent another attack at them. She quickly changed the magnetic field around them, repelling the metallic pipe pieces harmlessly away as she twisted away in sync with Naoto.

“Just don’t hurt her if you can help it, got that?!” the Electromaster yelled back at Naoto. Without waiting for a reply she made another desperate attempt to get through to her junior,

“Mai! Stop this right now! This isn’t you, it’s the drug controlling you!!”

“Just don’t hurt her if you can help it, got that?!”

"Whatever you say." Naoto replied, her fists snapping out to bat aside the chunks of debris that made it through Mikoto's magnetic field.

“Mai! Stop this right now!..."

"Why?" Mai asked with a distant voice. Her voice was biting cold, lacking any hint of emotion. Her open hand closed into a fist and the ground around Mikoto rose up like fingers to surround her, mimicking the movements of the younger girl's hand.

“Is that all you’re capable of?”
“Then I suggest you get ready to- DIE!”

Karl's foot swung towards Touko's lowered head and she flinched instinctively, her Imagine Breaker lifting into the path of the kick. Something was negated. She could feel its force disintegrate on impact. Rising upwards she twisted hard into a powerful uppercut, her fist swinging up towards Karl's jaw as she propelled herself towards him in a wild lunge.

"Why?"

Mikoto’s heart sank as Mai’s question rang coldly, lacking in emotion or empathy. Before she could even form an answer, the ground around her rose up, surrounding her like a cage. With a yell of frustration, the electromaster let loose a storm of electricity, the blue energy blasting the concrete away into tiny pieces.

‘She’s not listening… So I guess we’ll just have to knock her out until the drug stops being effective…’

With a determined frown, Mikoto let loose a lightning bolt towards Mai, with a carefully calculated combination of current and voltage that would stun her, but not injure her too much.

***

Karl’s eyes widened as his portalled force was suddenly negated. He did not have time to move away as Touko twisted into a fierce uppercut, catchin him by complete surprise. The punch landed on his jaw, sending Karl flying and landing on his back. Swearing, he stumbled to quickly stand up, spitting blood on the ground.

“You’ll pay for that!” With a low growl, Karl pounced forward with a kick and punches, twirling into another roundhouse as he reached a range he could hit Touko physically. The previous forces disappeared, only to spread out around Touko and assault her from all sides.

The bolt of electricity snapped towards Mai only to break upon the shield of tarmac that erected itself in front of her for a split second before crumbling again.

"Stay back." Mai's low voice gave her threat the air of a desperate plea. With Mikoto closing in on her, the girl's only conscious thought was to protect herself from the electromaster's onslaught. She planted her hand against the wall next to her and her eyes flared again as the brick and mortar started to crack and twist, crumbling and reforming around her body in a protective shell at least an inch thick.

The stone armour enveloped Mai totally, leaving behind a hulking goliath of twisted metal rebar and rock plates.

"What's the plan now?" Naoto tried to hide the uncertainty in her voice with sarcasm.

“You’ll pay for that!”

Touko stood, resolute as Karl made his counter attack. She could dispel his ability. That was all that mattered. But the flurry of punches and kicks was too much to keep up with. No matter how fast Touko was, she couldn't hope to cover every angle of attack.

The barrage of hits assaulted her from all sides as she bravely stood her ground. Wild swipes of her Imagine Breaker managed to deal with a handful of the dispersed forces, but the final roundhouse caught her along the upper arm and it hung, deadened at her side.

"What's the plan now?"

As Mikoto stared at the impressively armoured form of Mai, her expression softened.

“She’s just... frightened…” She murmured.

She sucked in a breath and turned to Naoto, “I’ll distract her; try and knock her out!”

Without waiting for a response, Mikoto ran forward, producing sparks from her bangs. She modified the magnetic field around them, attracting the metallic pieces of her junior’s makeshift armour and trying to tear them off.

**
Karl stared with widened eyes at the girl still standing before him. His red pupils shifted erratically between the deadened arm hanging limply on her side and the spikey-haired girl’s determined eyes.

“How?” he growled in frustration. “How are you doing that?!”

With a roar, he stamped on the ground. The force cut through the concrete, slicing rapidly to where Touko was standing. As the power forced its way through, bits of sharp rock flew violently outwards, like an explosion.

“How?”
“How are you doing that?!”

Touko forced a grimace despite the pain. The shockwave that ripped towards her wasn't something she could cancel with her Imagine Breaker. If she tried she'd only be torn to shreds by the debris. A split second decision saw the girl tumbling to the side and she rolled to her feet, immediately charging for Karl at the same time that Mikoto made a break for Mai.

Mai's armour started to groan and creak under the strain of Mikoto's magnetic force. Steel rebar twisted and snagged against concrete plates before wrenching free with a crack. The armour over Mai's left arms disintegrated and the right arm of the towering golem swung down like a hammer in a powerful blow that sent a nearby car flying at Mikoto.

The crumpled wreck bounced, sparking along the road towards the girl before coming to a halt in the air above her head. Naoto tossed the vehicle aside with a flick of her wrist, nodding in silent understanding to the electromaster.

Karl’s laugh froze as Touko charged at him, unable to believe the girl’s raw power and determined. For the first time since he took the drug, pure fear pierced through his heart and he took a step back, dilated pupils fixed on the fast approaching form.

A painfully throbbing headache was starting to build in the center of his forehead. His hands flew to his head, clutching and tearing at his hair as a guttural growl rumbled from his chest. Touko was quickly shortening the distance between them, but he stood unmoving, disoriented from the suddenly blooming pain that dulled all of his other senses.

***

The flying car suddenly halted in the air above her and Mikoto glanced around to find Naoto tossing the vehicle aside with a flick of her wrist. The electromaster gave her a small smile of gratitude which thinned out with determination when the older woman gave a silent nod.

“All right, let’s do this!”

The electromaster ran forward, blue sparks charging in her hair. Carefully calculating the voltage and current, she made sure that the power was exactly the right amount to just knock Mai out, and not cause her prolonged pain. With this, she shot a lightning spear straight at her junior, bright eyes hardened against the guilt she felt.

The stone skin of Mai's armoured fist reached up with surprising speed to block the lightning spear and the blue sparks crackled against it. She took a step forward to meet the older girl, and another. Slowly the hulking juggernaut was building speed, thundering towards Mikoto like a runaway train. The implacable red of Mai's eyes glared out from behind the faceless mask.

It stopped suddenly as though hitting a brick wall. The road beneath Mai's stone clad feet cracked. Behind Naoto and Mikoto Trystan frowned in concentration.

"Go! I'll stop her from moving!" He yelled and the golem staggered back in a cloud of dust as its right arm exploded under the power of the boy's Hansha. Mai's blank eyes met Mikotos for an instant from under the cracked mask.

"Now!" Trystan cried. Pinned to the spot without her armour Mai would be an easy target for Mikoto to stun.

Touko tackled Karl with her entire weight, throwing her arms around his waist as she dragged him to the floor. Kneeling on top of him she raised her fist to pummel him senseless. She frowned, noticing that Karl was more busy fighting himself than her. She hesitated for a second before making her decision.

Touko's fist swung down, crossing his jaw with a mighty right hook as she fell on top of him.

Touko’s punch landed its mark and Karl fell, bringing the spikey-haired girl on top of him. He hardly registered the impact, for there was too much pain eating away at him from inside his head. Clutching his face, he let out an awful scream and then became still. His eyes faced Mai, just a blurry yet still-familiar figure standing in the distance. He weakly reached out towards her with a shaky hand.

“Mai…”

Another sharp pain pierced through Karl’s skull and his eyes rolled up. His body suddenly became limp on the ground.

**
"Go! I'll stop her from moving!"

Mai’s lifeless crimson eyes met Mikoto’s momentarily, sending a chill down the electromaster’s spine. But the moment passed in a blink of an eye and she knew Trystan’s move would give her the best chance yet to finish this.

"Now!"

Instantly, blue sparks charged up once more, heading straight for the still girl.

‘Sorry…’ Mikoto whispered regretfully as she began to run towards Mai once more, electricity gathering in her hand as back up.

Mai's accusing stare remained fixed on Mikoto even as the flash of lightning raced towards her. There was no way to know what she was thinking as the sparks scythed through her body, lighting her nerves on fire and locking her muscles in agonised spasms. Her eyes flashed one final time with crimson light as she let out a ringing scream that shattered the quiet night air as easily as it shattered the glass of the surrounding buildings. Their walls burst outwards, twisting and tearing like sheets of paper. Like fingers curling in to crush them all in their titanic grip.

The pain was mercifully brief.

The concrete and steel golem crumbled to dust about Mai's frail form as the girl collapsed in a limp heap on the ground. About them the world stopped shaking and the walls, leaning precariously over the devastated street, ceased moving.

Mai's implacable gaze met Karl's for an instant as the boy lost consciousness. Did he notice a flicker of something behind her eyes? Or was it merely a trick of the light? If anything of Kashiwagi Mai remained then it was lost as the girl fell unconscious.

Naoto approached Mikoto, stopping behind her.

"Not bad, Electromaster." There was a hint of reluctant admiration in her sarcasm.

"Quite. Misaka-dono. Are you alright?" Trystan asked, lifting his hood about his ears as he joined the two girls.

Mikoto let her electricity fade as she quickly ran up to her junior, kneeling down beside her. Her eyes softened at the sight of Mai, so limp and frail in her unconsciousness.

"Not bad, Electromaster."
"Quite. Misaka-dono. Are you alright?"

“I…” Her voice was wobbly and she took a deep breath. “I’m fine. It’s Kashiwagi-san we should be worried about…” She twisted her neck to look up at them with a weak smile.

“And, you guys weren’t bad either.” The smile broadened into a cheeky grin directed at Naoto, “Really not bad for an opera singer.”

Her expression sobered when she turned back to Mai.

“We better take her to the hospital. I did restrain myself but…” Mikoto’s eyes briefly flickered over to Karl’s unconscious form with concern. “And him too.”

She tried to stand up, but as she did, the room suddenly spun rapidly. She staggered forwards, trying to gain balance and only just managing to do so.

“I’m fine.” Mikoto reiterated stubbornly before anyone could comment on her stumble.

Kuroko had been wandering for hours in search of the errant electromaster and that troublesome new recruit. She pouted, tapping her foot on the street corner as she puzzled over which way they might have gone. The question vanished from her mind as soon as she heard the rippling rumble some distance away. Turning to the source of the terrifying noise Kuroko's first instinct was to freeze in surprise.

***

“We better take her to the hospital. I did restrain myself but…And him too.”

Naoto was already by Karl's side.

"Oi." She tapped him on the cheek. "Wake up!" A couple more slaps failed to elicit a response. Naoto shook him by the shoulders.

"I'm fine." Just as sh had spoken those words she would feel someone supporting her.

"Onee-sama!" Kuroko clung to Mikoto, holding her up whether she required it or not. The teleporter's brow furrowed with concern that melted away quickly. "What do you think you're doing? I told you not to go rushing into things on your own, but you just don't listen!" She berated the older girl with her typical lectures.

"He's not waking up!" Naoto cried. "Someone get help!" She blinked back tears as she bellowed. "He won't wake up!"