Chapter 3 Searching goes brrr

After 'Looked' long scream was over once his voice ran low from being over used, what followed after was the sounds of tears whelming up with the howl of someone letting out their pain.

Once my body when numb for the lack of adrenaline flowing through my body, my legs couldn't handle my own weight anymore; so fell face first onto the floor with my backpack staying safe from the fall thanks to my cushiony face.

"Ouch..." the impact could have been better for me, "I'll rate that fall a 4/10..heh..." seeing no point of having my backpack on me, I then let go of Jack from my grip; then rolled him off my back. Couldn't kept him on me anymore, after pushing my body to the limits, "Y'know? I should have listened to Liz and actually worked out during quarantine...haha..." I laughed at how ugly I was for being that lazy during quarantine.

After I gotten Jack off of me, a huge gust of air came into me now once I gotten the light weight off my back and could finally breathe right. Wanting more of that air, I then rolled onto my back after I gotten Jack off, "Hah..." I gave out a huge sigh, then followed next was me taking in huge breaths of fresh air; I was going to enjoy this moment to the fullest for actually surviving that whole deathtrap, till I heard 'Looked' getting up from his spot.

"w..-why..." he quietly said to me, while straggling towards me, "We couldn have save him." he said rubbing some tears away.

"Yet you abandoned him!" he shouted, now standing there in front waiting for me to say anything.

And not wanting to looked helpless in this moment, I tried my best to get up; and while I thought he was going to kick me down for trying to get up, but all he did was waited for me to respond to his question. But the only thing I did during that time was struggle to even lift myself up for the floor.

After multiple times in trying to stand up, but only to feel my muscles screaming at me to stay down in that moment; so the only thing that my body would muster up was putting me in a kneeling position in front of him.

"o-Okay..." huffing out those words towards him, "I think..I'm up..." I then face him eye to eye.

"Sup?"

After I said what I did. The whole hallway had this earring feeling while it went completely silent as well in this moment, "L...Legér..." he spoke quietly when he mentioned our failed attempt at a rescue; he then was overwhelmed by the regrets when he mentioned his name, throwing him into a mini breakdown; trying desperately to calm himself once he place his hands on his head. "It's all you're fault!!" he started yelling, "If you'd just given me more time! Legér!...Legér...."

"IT'S WAS YOUR FAULT!"

He then threw a punch at me as hard as he can, well tried to. But using everything I had again into my legs, I pushed all my might into getting up at the right time to perfectly head butting his chin.

After I headbutted him, 'Looked' was a bit staggered from the impact. And not letting up, I used the momentum to get up and rushed 'Looked' while I had the advantage. But 'Looked' wasn't going out just from that; once he stopped being staggered, he then rushed at me as well. Once we're close enough to do some damage to each others, I faked him out once I pretended to looked injured midway, seeing this he then threw another punch at me, but with how slow this punch was compared to others I seen; it was easy to dodge it, even with my sore body in play.

While I easily dodge his poor attempt at a punch, he looked shocked once I then moved up closer to follow through with my assault. And once I was in range, I quickly kneeled his guts with all the forces I could muster; while I heard him winded from the impact, I quickly followed it up with a hard elbow to his back for safe measurement if my body decided to give up on me again.

"c-Cheater.." was all he said now on the floor.

"You made me do that." I said to 'Looked' who was now on the floor winded by both attack. All you can hear was 'Looked' trying to regain his breathing, he tried a very desperate way into getting his breathing into order, by taking quick breath at a time, "It's more better if you'd take in deep breaths instead of small one, just some experience I gained after being winded a lot." I said giving him some advice.

Once I told him how to recover quickly, I then rolled him over to face the huge hole in the building, "'Looked'" I still didn't know his real name, so still using his nickname was kinda confusing for the both of us, "It's fine if you think Legér's death is on my hands." we both looked to our classroom that's now fallen in down and now just a huge pile of rubles outside of the building with the rest of our classmate's bodies with his, "But look outside." we both looked outwards towards the chaos that been happening still I woken up, "It's more of there fault then my." I told him the crushing truth about something anyone could have seen, "The first explosion was out of hand, then the second to the fifth explosions was by somebody else hand." I let that sink, "Out there." I pointed to the new outside world, that now only ruled by chaos.

"You could keep blaming me about Legér's death. Even though you know I couldn't do anything in that's moment." I moved back to his feets, "Or we could actually blame the ones who planned the attacks about our whole class." I then gave out my hand to him, wanting to get him up from my beating.

After a long silence between us, he reluctantly took my hand; and seeing there wasn't any hard feeling when I lifted him up without him saying or doing anything bad towards me, was a good start between us.

"..You're right.." once he gotten up from that's harmless beating I gave him. Once he gotten up from the floor, he then looked again at the rubles of our classroom, "...Funny huh..." I could tell he gonna to start his backstory from the way he sounded, "...I promised myself I'll save anyone in need..." he tried to keep himself standing when he let's those words out, but was overwhelmed again by regrets and by reality, "..My family...are terrible people..." he looked down in horror once he mentioned his family, "They hid behind their mask for the public-"

"Look. I didn't asked for your entire backstory." I stopped him in the middle of his story, "And besides." I looked back towards him, "You looked more terrified about speaking about your family instead of climbing out from your doom." I still see him shaking like a leaf once he started talking about his family.

Once I stopped him from speaking about his folks, 'Looked' just went back to his regular form; back to being sad and depressed about everything that spiral before while not terrified about his past.

"'Looked'" I then moved closer to him, "Just be proud at the ones you did save." I pointed at myself and then at Jack, "Like someone once said, 'Save those...." I tried to think of the saying, but all I thought came into a blank slate, "I guess it's wasn't important if I can't remember." laughing at how I was being cool a second ago, but now feeling old for having bad memory right now.

After having a important bro-moment between the both of us, Jack thought it was a important time to tell us that his poor wounds were more important then our bro-moment once he started coughing up blood. And now thinking about it, we just left Jack to bleed out for a good portion of time once we started fighting each others, well if you can even call that a fight if it was so one-sided. But not worrying about the details now, we both hurried towards him seeing if we just killed another person just by talking to each others again, while technically 'Looked' yelling at me while I just sit there in take it. But once we gotten a closer to Jack, we could already see how much have he been bleeding out just by looking at him; he accumulated enough blood to make a huge blood stain on him once 'Looked' lifted Jack up from his spot.

"w-We need to get him to the others!" he looked back towards me, probably waiting for me to pick him up and ran back.

"Can't." I reply to his look, "My arms and legs are too sore to hold him, and plus I think I sprained my ankle after I tried and landed with him on my back." I shook my head.

"t-then-" he didn't get to finish his sentence because of me cropping his head lightly.

"Was I wrong about you?!" I was kinda pissed he when tried to place everything onto me again, "It's you're dream to help others right?! And this is how you're going to act once the time come?" I started shouting at him, "Believe in yourself! Don't let the past hold you back!"

Once I said those words, 'Looked' then processed to shut up once again; now only focusing on Jack's safety instead of anything else. I was blown away once 'Looked' demonstration this uncanny strength once he lifted Jack onto his back with ease after everything that happened to him, "Where was this strength when fought?" I laughed at his new found strength. But I was met with silent as he didn't respond to my joke towards him, all he did was worried about Jack's condition and how far he needed to go to get him to someone who could help him; and just like that's.

He then started running towards the stair from the looks and distances he was heading, and just before I thought he was gone; he stopped midway while still looking at the stairs, "Lance." was all he said when he stopped, and laughing at his tsundere way of telling someone there name, "Grey!" I yelled back at him while he again started running towards the stair.

After Lance finally left the floor building by finally getting to the stairs, everything just went uncomfortably quiet afterward, "...Hah.." sighing once Lance was finally gone, "That was really cringe of me to actually be that corny." I sighed at how I basically stolen a line from some anime or tv shows that used those exact words for encouraging that one random person, "Luckily nobody hea-" I was cut of by the background. When I was in the middle of physically cringing in the silence hallway, there were still chaos happening outside the building that gotten my attention again once another big explosion happened in the city.

Now actually taking a look at the corrupted city I once ran through this morning now fully envelope in the seeping chaos that once been masked underneath this city.

"Da-" I was about to voice my amazement about how quickly the city became a complete disaster, "Amazing right? Human nature is something." said a certain species person whose has a special way greetings someone.

Getting caught off guard again from Nicole's way of greeting, I flinched back, "Nice to see you're still alive Grey." she said while giving me a fake smile. Thinking we were going to talk by the edge, she hummed out to follow her.

"y-Yeah.." I felt that chilling feelings she was giving off with that fake smile pointed at me for some reason while following, "Lucky me right?" was all I could say in her frightening moment.

After we gotten away from the edge, she stopped in the middle of the hallway but at a safe distance from the huge hole, "I wasn't so sure you'd make it after that breather taking performance you do with the three of them." she said implying she know what I been through, "I'm glad you have what it takes." she started sharking me while she was nodding, "Mental and physical when the times comes." she said now coming up to me, only to start patting my shoulder while in the background from her was the city being destroyed.

After she explained how she basically sat there in the background while leaving me to do all the work on my own. With this new found information, all I felt in that moment was anger at her for just watching, but my fear was matched as well on how she could easily watch through all that with no hint of regret or discomfort when bringing it up to the person who survived that.

"Yeah, y'know my body kinda sore and-"

"I won't fall for the same trick you used on that simpletons." she said cutting me off.

After she said that. The whole hallway went almost quiet and any other sound that tried to break the silence between us just went unheard by us; the only source sound we did hear in this moment was her still patting my shoulder.

"Grey...Grey...Grey...Your tricks won't work on me." she said while still patting my shoulder.

"I guess not huh." I smiled at her, knowing what's going to happen next.

"I won't recommend we do that, but I understand if you so desires too. Then you're welcome to make the first move." she matched my smiled with one of her own once she was done talking. After she said that's, she stopped patting my shoulder; but now leaving her hand on my shoulder.

And just like that.

Tried of her hand being on shoulder, I flicked it off with the left arm when I raised it to get it off, and using the momentum I gathered from that move to throw a right hock at her face as fast as I could. And thinking I caugh her off guard with how quickly I did, but she as well used my flicked for momentum to spin downwards onto her knees, dodging my hit while retaliation with a hard elbow to my right side with the force from my flicked but multiple from her spinning and when she used her other arm to put more focus into it.

"Errg." tanking the hard hit from her.

Now that I had her in this position; I then kneeled her in the head, or I tried at least. She predicted I was going to do that after taking that elbow head on instead of trying to dodge it, she just placed her right arm in front of my incoming knee to stop my blow. And thinking my poor boys were going to be punished by her, she only smiled and palm punched the same side she elbowed me before with more force behind that blow.

After that blow connected, my body instantly curled down to hold my injured right side for her attack. Thinking her attack was over was a mistake on my part, she quickly gotten up from her kneeling position; to only rush towards up to me with a elegant kick to my chest.

With that blow knocking me off my stance and falling backwards to my back. After hitting my back hard on the floor, I used that momentum to roll more backwards from her. Now a good distance between once I rolled back a bit to make sure I had some room to breathe while staying on my knees to recover a bit.

"...Hah..hah..." breathing heavily thanks to the two devastating blow she infected on my side while my chest is a bit tight after that kick.

"I did told you you'd regret it." she said that while she started rubbing her arm that she used to block my blow with, "That'll leave a bruise." she said sounding impressive I managed to do that.

I tried to get up as well to match her, but my side made me stayed down from the excruciating pain when trying to move, "..Hah..hah.." I could only breathe heavily.

"You know." she now started moving slowly towards me, "I would have gone easy on you for disappearing on us for a day." she shrugged, "But my allies see your actions as a disrespect towards me after everything I done to convince them to let you in." she only sighed, "But seeing how your first action is to start this pointless fight after everything I done for you." she only kept on walking over slowly towards me with her boots making it sounds more menacingly when she came closer and closer.

Then after the clacking stopped once she was in front of me, "But I see you like to do it the hard way." I looked up to see she was about to end this whole fight with one axe kick to face.

With pure willpower, I managed to lifted my arm in time to stop her axle kick from connecting to my face, and seeing a opening while ignoring my now injured arm. I then swiped her other leg holding her up with the other free arm I had for my counter.

Thinking I bought some time for a breather to catch a breath, "And so do I." was all I heard from her, when I snapped my attention to her in the air; to only see she did some sort of spin mid-air. Now using the momentum to make another kick from that height with that speed.

Not wanting any of that, I rolled back again not wanting to have a taste of her ariel attack.

Just barely getting away from that attack when I felt the air near my back when I rolled. The only thing after that powerful attack was the sounds it made once it connected to the floor.

"Were you raised by ninja or something?" I asked once she landed her attack with perfection. She then started lifting her unlanded upward, showing off her flexibility, "Probably." was all she said.

'Probably she said...' I thought how annoying she was when she said that's. Once my legs were good enough to actually work and finally stand on my own, but still holding onto my injured side from the excruciating pain that still stinged me every time I tried to move

Clinching onto my side with my arm, while Nicole is shaking her arm that I kneeled in our exchange. Both of us taking some injuries in the few first exchange, but looking at Nicole's expression and how she still gave off the intimidating air when she arrived here in the beginning, the whole mood of the hallway right now was telling me that I won't be winning in this exchange.

Having no words to say in this moment, I slowly walked over to her cautiously and waiting for to make a some sort of movement to try and adapt to her fighting style or get any hint at what she'll do next. But she did something unorthodox, and went on a full on sprint towards me instead of being on the defense. And knowing if I tried to defend against that kind attack is pointless in my state, I just went an met her full on attack with my own and seeing if I could just dodge or stop something from her with the same speed.

When were in the middle of colliding with each others, she made a face that looked to be in pain for a second, and seeing a chance to do something for once; I recklessly punched at her face wanting to at least get one hit on her in this whole fight. Once I fired every ounce of strength into this punch hoping I could end this now, she only smiled at me when she dodged my attack by swiftly bobbing her head out of the way of my attack. The only thing I heard after was a soft giggle once she was out of sight from me, and having this feeling she was going to copy my attack like I did to Lance not even a hour ago.

So putting everything into my punch I threw while leaning into it, and by doing that; I turned my punch into a rolling dodge from her attack. But when I thought she was going for same attack that I did was a mistake, because all I heard once I dodged was a loud stomp from behind me.

All I thought in that moment was how she played me so easily, and how far I was in terms of strength and cunningness compared to her.

Once I was finished my thoughts, I felt her tackled me midair when I tried to dodge her. After that hard tackle from behind, I flew forward with the speed I gained from that sprinting battle we had and thanks to her tackled, I rolled through out the remaining end hallway.

"Arug!" was all I could voice, at my poor attempt at being sonic when rolling around at the speed of sound in that moment.

Tired of copying sonic, I then stopped my rolling by pulling out my arms from my rolling while twisting my body to my side to so slow my acceleration, and like the 'retard' my friends thought I was and I'm in this moment; I used the side that she injected to twisted my body out of my rolling.

Once I finally stopped rolling around, I hugged the injured side again once it started acting up from the rolling and my idiotic decision when choosing my right side to twist, I then tried to take a breather from that. But hearing the same clicking boots running at me had others plans.

Looking up to her and seeing how she'll attack, I was caught off guard when she when for a typical street fight kick to me, and seeing a chance. I brought my hands together to block her kick, I then take this opportunity by using her kick for the momentum to boost myself up from the floor when I grabbed her boot; while hoping she be at least surprised by this outcome, she only smiled then shoved her boot at my chest, knocking both of us back.

Staggered a bit from her kick, I quickly regained my standing now ready for next attack. But when I looked back to the position I thought she'd be in, she was nowhere to be seen, and looking upward to see her coming at me with another fancy kick from her fighting style. And out of everything in the fight, she only looked surprised at the rate I found her, and knowing I can't tank another devastating hit just so I counter it, I only swerved to left.

Once she landed her attack, I then aimed a sideways kick toward her head. But knowing who I tried to do it on won't actually work for that certain person; she demonstrate how flexible she was again by bending her head down further with her leg stretched out as far as they could go to dodge my kick.

Feeling frustrated by her nimbleness and how she easily dodged most of my attack to this point, I then followed that swapped kick with another swap kick to her whole front body with my other leg, but I wasn't even surprised that she easily stopped my kick with both of her arm shielding her from that weak attempt on my part. And expecting her to be at least knocked back from my kick or at least stunned from it's impacted; but once I connected to her quickly formed block, all I felt was me kicking into a brick wall again.

Wanting to recoiled my leg back from kicking this iron wall, but she had another plan in mind.

She then grabbed my leg with ease thanks to me trying to kick something that was made out of pure metal, she spin my leg; making me spiral out of control just by her.

"You put up a decent fight Grey." she started talking while my spinning was almost over. But not caring for what she saying because my motion sickness was flaring up after being spurned around from out of nowhere.

But seeing how she was getting closer to me, I then stuck out my arm from my spinning form to make a last attempt to do anything to her.

She didn't even bother dodging my attack or easily ducking underneath it, she only blocked it with the same arm that she blocked my knee with before, now stopping my spinning once we connected.

"Fighting till the bitter end, respectable." she only said.

"But you'd faced me." was alI I heard once she pushed me.

And not knowing I was close to the edge of broken hallway, I didn't see her plans on her yeeting me off the edge till she actually did once she pushed me over.

Thinking this was the end for me, just because I made her mad for searching for me. She then grabbed onto my arm with the same arm she used to block my blow.

"Truly admirable Grey." she smiled towards me, literally her being my life line in this situation, "You managed to surprised me in our little bout. So I'll give you that."

I couldn't talk, I couldn't move any part in my body in this moment, all I felt in this moment was immense fear from her pure power and boundless potential after I seen how she didn't even went all out, no. More like she didn't even tried in this fight, all she did was predict every moves I made while mixing up her own fighting style to mess me up.

"Well since you're gone quiet." she stopped to think about something, "When they invited me to partake in this 'privilege' program, I thought it was a waste of my valuable time in searching for that last person I needed for my team in this place. And children's only hiding behind their parents names and only clinging onto their ancestors's past glory wasn't a person I would want on my team, so I was pounding on if I should have listened to my mother." she stopped her monologue, "But now I see this was a absolute boon once we met." she nodded while grinning, "You who passed all my tests and exceeded my expectations once you'd finished them. And with you're potential; I believe our team could finally put my plan into action, thanks to another very welcoming outcome."

Confused by what she mostly said, I wasn't liking how this whole conversation was going, but still paralyze with fear from her, I kept quiet and let her finish her whole cool monologue about her waiting and stuff.

"Grey." she said.

"I want you to join my team."

"And in return, I'll give you anything your heart ever desires, wealth, fame, pleasure, even glory and honor it's self." she reached out her other hand towards me.

"That...That's some why to temp someone into joining you." I tried to make light in this situation, "Plus I kinda like to know what the whole goal of this team I'm probably joining?" throughout the whole time she mentioned her team and teammates, she didn't talked or touched on the subject of her goal.

When I asked the simple question, she looked complex on what to say next, "Dominant of the world." she said simply, "Well to give a small hint on how. We were going to control a selection few political parties in small countries to test our influential prowess, while we infiltrates the media by controlling a handful of content creators while using the media weakness on itself. Mob mentality to help us use idoits when attacking our competitors if they so desired to stand in our way, while that plan was to work in the old world." she explains this complex plan on how she'll implant her team and kinda rule the world.

"But now." she waved her free hand to the city in golfed in chaos.

"We could now take the world over by our force and our cunningness." she sounded more excited by the thought once she said it out loud.

"Grey." she stopped her excitement, and now when back to being serious.

"I can't let you leave here without you joining our team." she looked me dead in the eyes with her, "I can't let this information slip out to 'them' or another organization that still managed to slither in the darkness after that explosion."

"You kinda left out the whole part about-"

"Your choice Grey, and this time, I highly recommend you take my offer." she sighed at my unwillingness.

"Look, I kinda half-ass stuff-"

"It's no problematic, our other members pick up the slack that we can't handle." she was trying really hard for me to join her team at this point.

"You're really trying there, huh?"

"You have no idea. And looking for another person that matches your skillset and experience is going to be troubling to look for in this new world." she really trying to hard to win me off now.

"You kinda-"

"We both know if I came into the picture in that situation, the outcome would have been the same thing." she said, "I just let you vent out your frustration for his death when I let you fought me without any consequences afterwards."

"And if I don't live up to your expectations?"

"Don't worry, I know you'll do it." she said that with complete confidence in my abilities, 'huh this is the only complement I gotten in my skills.' now pounding how to feel about this, "But..."

"If you try to stand in my way, or try to betray me in the process." she loses her grip on me when she finished, "I won't hesitate to 'drop' our partnership any-"

I gripped her arm when she tried to intimate me, "And I won't hesitate to 'drag' each others 'down' if that's time comes as well."

After my theather to take both of us down, we both went still and waited for one of us to do something.

"Grey, this is illogically. You can't fight anymore, and if you do decide to drag each others down, I'll just use you as a meat shield to survive the fall." for once in our entire meeting, she sounded less confident.

"Well now. If the fall doesn't kill you, the people down there would, and if some god made it so you lived through all that; you're body would still be in bad shape. And I think a leader would need a working body if they are to rule the world." I wanted to grin at this moment, but putting your life on the line while the other one could still walk away with there life wasn't anything to be giddy about infecting fear on that someone.

"..."

"..."

Both of us shut up afterwards, not wanting either of us dead if either one of us decided to make a move.

"You know maybe you whole speech about team and teamwork sounds kinda enticing, but maybe we could come to in agreement? Like a middle ground so both us get what we want." I really didn't wanna die just because of my stupid pride right now.

"So I'll take that as a yes?"

"I'm going to tell you the truth, I have kinda a hard time believing in peoples from your background. So if you're not going to betray in the process then I'll join." trying to see if we could make my condition a possible when joining.

"Grey."

"I think of my teammates as family members. And if you join, I vow on my ancestors's honor that'll I'll never betray your trust that you place onto me." was all she said.

After that heartfelt reply to my problem, I couldn't process her way of thinking at all, "You know I'm just orphan with nothing to his name right?" I made her face reality on what she trying to win over.

"I don't care on your background, nor your history. I'm only interested in your potential." she reached out her free arm again.

Seeing how the flow of the situation was going, and not seeing any problems with her betraying me. I only sighed knowing she won our little psychology battle.

"Fine." I reach out to grab her hand.

Finally coming to in agreement with each others, she pull me from the edge with both arms, once I was finally free from the edge I thought the surprise were done but from out of nowhere; she pulled me into a hug, "Welcome to the family." and not knowing how to respond, I just patted her back.

"I'm glad my searching is finally over." she kept on hugging me, "Yeah, I guess my existence finally befits someone instead of the opposite lmao." I didn't know what to do when someone hugs you for a long period of time without making this feel awkward. Now finally being freed from that awkward moment with her, "Come we'll meet the others." she was going to lead us to the others members of our team till, "I can't, I need to find my friends first." I stopped her from trying to lead me.

Nicole only sighed at my comment, "You know I been going through a lot just for you join us Grey..." she started rubbing her temples at me being unwilling again, "I'll tell them I found you and you needed some medical help." I couldn't actually believe how willing she was to help me out, after everything she done to make me join, "We waited two years to find you, so waiting for another day won't hurt." she sighed while smiling.

"Thanks, I really appreciate your willingness to stand me." I ran to the stair that Lance used,

"You don't-"

"I don't know where I'm going..."

"..."

"..."

"I'll show you where everybody started gathering, you'll probably find them there." she started walking to the stair case.

"Cool, actually I wanna know if I had you at any time in that fight." I tried to make conversation with her, "Hmm, there were three times you surprised me in that fight." she hummed, "Only three? Nothing like 'Oh I was shocked how you did this or that' you know?" I tried to see if I actually shocked her at all, "Nope, you did well for someone self taught, so that was surprising." she answered, "Wow is that's the evolved form of 'surprised'?" I was confused by her use of word, "Look, all I'm saying is-"

"That's a joke." I bluntly said to her.

"Oohh." she said confused.

"Well I can see this is going to be a beautiful friendship." I wrap my arm her while she lead the way.

"Why do I only pick weirdos..." she sighed.

"Lead the way boss." I laughed at her joke? Probably?

Wasn't sure if she meant it as a joke or not, we only talked about what happened when I was knocked out, and what she'll expected from me when contributing to our little book club. And surprisingly, through out our conversation; Nicole only gave off this friendly and comfortable vibe once we stopped being enemy and actually start talking to each others like friends, well mostly allies that was on the same team.

'...Terrifying...'