Campus Gossip

[January 19th]

The Elite Four had been called into Rockfield, and a representative from the police came to them before they deboarded. This had been a usual case of Revenant-related crime increasing, and the police in their usual mix of incompetency and ego-driven contempt for students had refused to call Urasaria until, well, now. Matoi usually ascribed such a tendency to the overwhelmingly male makeup of such departments, while Mia the institution generally.

But, while they waited for any alerts of a Revenant, the four had dinner at a local restaurant. Halfway through their meals, Matoi's phone vibrated. She held her hand out to the others as she took it.

"Hello. … No, we were eating. What do you need?" She gestured to Mia to reassure her Serena was alright. "…yes. Genesis and Mint Condition... Alright." She hung up. "Kate and Serena ran into a strong Revenant, though they're alright. Kate had called Yuruko and Julia and wanted to let me know."

"Good." nodded Mia. "Er, were they able to deal with it?"

"They were - though another ambushed them while they were injured, and they were forced to flee."

"Probably had to go through Kate's bumpy ride." said Samuel. "Good they were able to get one down, at least."

"Yeah, I'm sure they'll be fine, Matoi." said Marisa.

Matoi nodded, though she did not need reassurance. Some assumed that the recent line of student deaths had given her guilt, but this was not so; she cared for students only in a general sort of representative sense, and could not fake concern well for the ones she did not know. In notifying families she thought it better to deliver it normally rather than put on an awkward affectation.

"At least Serena will have her girlfriend with her, right?" said Marisa.

"She has a girlfriend?" said Samuel.

"Samuel, she's been dating Yuruko for over a year." said Mia.

"Who?"

"You don't remember her?"

"Yeah, like, she dyes her hair?"

Samuel frowned. "On a campus of fifty lesbians, do you have any idea how little that narrows it down?"

"She doesn't wear makeup?"

"She dresses a little weird?"

"She's nerdy?"

"The stereotypes are right." frowned Mia. "…she was on the artifact trip with us?"

"Now I remember. No, I was just a bit surprised."

"Well, Serena and Yuruko *are* very similar. People tend to end up with their equivalents."

"What about you and Aimee?" said Marisa.

"…er, I suppose that's more a mental equivalent." she smiled. "But I just love how short she is."

"And I get with nobody." muttered Marisa.

The front wall burst open in a cloud of rubble & concrete; the four shot up -

" - Urasaria!" shouted Matoi, four slamming their badges on as the smoke cleared -

- to see their foe on the other end, giant crab as tall as the building, hundred feet separating them & it, six legs & two enormous pincers. Marisa threw her hand out -

" - civilians - grab this!" she shouted; a rope erupted from her palm -

- and she yanked every civilian back just in time to avoid its pincers sweep, non-hosts fleeing out of the back as the three stepped ahead, eyes on their crustacean foe still. Pincers sweeping aside, it caught up a dozen chairs and hurled them forward -

- but ghastly hands threw them back in to the beast; wood smashing against its shell, a hundred brown eggs burst out of it and hit the ground, carpet of larva starting to grow as it covered the floor. The four started their rush forward with Revenants readied, carpet of eggs growing and starting to crack as they came fifty feet within range. Their mother's right pincer swept down -

" - Boudoir!" shouted Marisa, strand erupting from her palm and yanking a section of the ceiling down -

- and the chunk of concrete crushed down the beast's pincers, pain staggering it back as they came thirty feet within, carpet of brown eggs separating them & their foe, Mia&Matoi nodding as they stepped together.

"Wedding!" "Worldwide!"

- and the next scene was instant. An explosive barrage erupted from Wedding's shoulders -

- and a cloud of scarabs turned them burning blue as they flew in to the larva, hundreds & hundreds of young disintegrating ahead, but in the next instant -

- three tumors burst out of the ground, and as the hellfire missiles hit one -

- a cloud of gas burst instantly outward; the four started hacking & coughing, foul vapors slashing their lungs -

" - Outcast!"

- but a swift set of ghastly hands guided the gas away, four standing straight as they grunted & gagged again just in time to dodge underneath another pincer's sweep. The crab screeched as it staggered back; a geyser of larva burst out of its shell -

- and replenished the carpet anew, more tumors sprouting out of the eggs and miniscule pincers starting to peer out -

- but the next scene was instant. A line of missiles erupted from Wedding's shoulders, fire&ice scarabs following alongside them -

" - now!" shouted Matoi; Mia's scarabs burst in to water -

- and the shockwaves blasted the mist straight in to the eggs; another set of scarabs froze the field of liquid, icicles piercing through every last larva&egg, sharp ends slashing and clearing the field ahead. The beast started to back in to the plaza beyond, four chasing but keeping their distance as they started to run after it. Ahead, its claws tore in to what roof was left -

- and brought the entire building down on the four; accustomed to the rain of rubble by then, the four swept together -

" - Wedding."

- and one enormous beam obliterated the roof, scorching beam turning the concrete to Ash as the four kept their rush going outside, parking lot ahead & road beyond, beast fifty feet away & running between cars now.

" - really happens a lot." muttered Samuel, relevantly, beast throwing a dozen cars at them ahead -

" - I have it!" shouted Mia -

- and a pillar of blue flame disintegrated the typical projectiles, momentary flash of purple as she snuffed it out, four keeping their chase after the beast -

" - wait, there's another color?" said Marisa, relevantly; Mia laughed -

" - I'm not sure, yet, but -"

" - focus." laughed Matoi, seeing the beast stop at the lot's end ahead. It stomped, and in the next instant -

- two gigantic tendrils burst out of the ground behind, sharp ends seeking their necks and more tumors growing -

- but the next scene was instant. Marisa stomped down -

- and the tendrils stopped right in their tracks, Boudoir's cleats growing to burrow through the ground -

" - it's connected!" she shouted as she crouched down, placing her gloves on the ground; more strands started drilling in to the asphalt -

- and the four nodded as they saw the beast slam in to the ground ahead, two tendrils having been its overgrown legs, thrashing against its own limbs as Marisa started yanking -

- but a sweep of pincers sliced off two of its legs in a burst of blue blood&gore, freeing it as it staggered back, coming over the lot and in to the road ahead -

" - gas station." winced Mia, four starting their rush that felt eternal again, gas station on the other end as the beast skittered, new legs of asphalt regrowing from its old stumps.

"Absorbs material?" said Samuel as they ran out. As they reached the road, they saw it reach the gas station's lot with civilians inside the store -

" - Frozen Ray!" shouted Mia, sweeping her hands forward; a chilling beam erupted from her palms and hit the station's store -

- and encased it unmeltable ice, beast's pincers catching only frozen armor as it bashed against it. Grunting as it turned, its pincers dug underneath the asphalt, and in the next instant -

- tore an enormous tank of petrol out from underneath the ground; throwing it towards them, its hose spewed as it flew -

- but the next scene was instant. Samuel rushed to the front with armor readied & hands spread -

- and the keen end of the 24,000-gallon projectile hit him chest on as he caught it, grunting as he staggered back, boots digging in to the ground as ghastly hands held it tight; beside, Mia's scarabs & Matoi's missiles burrowed in to the tank -

" - now!" shouted Matoi; Samuel threw it back, enormous projectile readied to detonate as it came within range -

- and the explosion ripped the crab's shell & four legs in half, shockwaves scraping the carapace off its meat and smoke swallowing their sight of the lot ahead -

- but the four groaned once the wisps cleared, station's store cracked and beast still standing ahead. Its last two legs burrowed down -

- and four legs of mangled bodies grew anew, blood & entrails dripping as it staggered left, shell still cracked as another cloud of brown eggs burst out of it. No option left, the four ran in to the shattered lot as the beast fled up the road, Mia&Matoi's frozen missiles slaughtering another thousand eggs.

"It's using its... meat, whenever it does that." muttered Matoi, and the four started their rush up the road after it, beast still fleeing & power lines flanking them as they ran.

"Gotta - run out eventually, right?" winced Marisa, seeing its shell regrow ahead, pincers burrowing in to the ground -

- and the three women swept instantly around Samuel as it tore the power lines out of the ground, still beating electricity like crackling whips in its pincers -

" - sorry." he muttered, accustomed to being the only one not immune to electricity as the whips shot towards the four -

" - that's why you're #4." droned Matoi, Wedding's insulation keeping her safe, Boudoir's protecting Marisa, Mia's elemental immunity guarding her as they kept their rush going, beast stopped ahead with more whips slashing & sweeping -

- but the next scene was instant. It stomped; an electrical leg burst up beside Mia, hundreds of tumors on it -

- and even she shrieked in agony as every last burst open on her, trillions of volts entering her skin -

" - W-W-Worldwide -"

- and a pillar of blue burnt the leg to ash, beast staggering again as new electricity reformed its leg, coming up to another avenue of buildings now. Beast turning, its grip shot in to one of the building's foundations, claws tearing and ripping in to the ground -

" - Mia - front!" shouted Matoi; Mia swept to the front as the beast tore the building out of the ground, and as it threw it towards them -

- the next scene was instant. Mia's burning blue blade raised high -

- and disintegrated a clear section out of the building as it flew past & behind, Marisa turning and Boudoir's strands shooting out to catch it -

" - Boudoir!" she shouted and flicked it back -

- and the keen end of the 50-ton projectile tore the beast's left eyestalk clear off, gallons of blood & gore geysering out as it screeched & staggered back, building collapsing behind.

"Fuck." winced Marisa as it smashed through a building right -

- and they didn't look back at the dominoes of rubble as they rushed after it, more electrical legs bursting up as they came in to another avenue -

- but as a true hero might, Mia took every hit torso-on, panting and twitching as they ran in to another street, swift Boudoir bullets healing her Lichtenberg scars -

- to at last gain sight of the beast on the road a hundred feet away, six legs electrical and one building gripped tight in its pincers, and as it threw it towards them -

" - Worldwide!" winced Mia, taking up the front with burning blue again -

- and the keen end of another home smashed them from the side -

- just in time for an explosive barrage to disintegrate it as it smashed them against another building, grunting as they stood with chipped bones, beast still a hundred feet ahead and readying to stomp -

" - fucking - Solar Beam!" shouted Mia, sweeping her hands forward -

- a white beam erupted from her palms and pierced through the crab's shell, hundreds & hundreds of scars like Junpei&Akira's forming on it, more scarabs joining her scorching ray as her aim kept centered -

- and in to a thousand pieces burst the crustacean, gore disintegrating before it hit the ground, swift sweep of white turning the creature to not a single ash.

"F-Fuck." panted Marisa -

" - guess you win that argument!" panted Samuel -

- and their laughter dulled their tension as they came up to the mark that had been the beast, Marisa wincing as Boudoir healed their wounds. "…f-fuck."

"…g-god." grunted Matoi, Boudoir pushing one of her red ribs back in.

"And no identification." Matoi sighed. "Mia. If another one like that attacks, I'd like you to use your electrical ray to knock then unconscious."

"I think we should get some sleep." winced Marisa, and they nodded.