Anom-01

Sora stood amidst the wreckage, shards of glass and twisted metal scattered around him.

The air was thick with dust and the bitter smell of electrical burns. Before him lay the shattered remains of the two android clones, their artificial skin peeled back to reveal the circuitry beneath. 

"A waste of my time," he muttered.

These clones were only an echo of the real Rin's power. He had hoped she would be here herself, to properly test his strength against her. But he supposed he would have to seek her out directly another time.

A crackle of electricity announced her arrival. Rin strode into view as she open the mechanical door, her steps charged with barely contained energy. Behind her followed Miyu and Mei, their expressions uneasy.

"You killed him!" Rin shrieked, her voice raw. "Kazu is dead because of you!"

She hurled herself at Sora, fist crackling with electricity. He sidestepped smoothly, letting her blow glance off a barrier of shadow.

"I did not kill Kaze," he said evenly. "But I wonder who misled you into believing I did."

His eyes flicked to Miyu briefly before returning to Rin. Her lip curled in a snarl as she unleashed another blistering assault. The laboratory shook with the force of their blows, equipment toppling and lights exploding in showers of sparks.

In a blink, Sora disappeared into shadow, reappearing behind Rin. Miyu took the opening, firing a suppressor that sank into Rin's neck. Her electricity faltered and died as the drug took effect. Sora struck quickly, a dark blade forming in his hand. But before it could find its mark, a huge sound wave attack of resonant energy threw him back.

"Enough!" Mei said, stepping between them. "Haven't we caused enough harm already?"

Sora straightened, dispelling the shadow blade. "My main focus today was to confront Kurosawa Misuki, so I'll be heading out now."

As Sora melted into the shadows, Mei felt a twinge of uncertainty. Miyu's brief pause was understandable before she followed Sora out of the room and into the hallway.

Left alone with Rin, Mei sighed deeply, feeling the weight of regret settle heavily on her shoulders. The broken laboratory seemed to hold its breath, its silence filled with the echoes of betrayal.

Amidst the chaos, Mei's eyes caught sight of something shiny on the floor – a tube of liquid that had slipped from Sora's pocket.

Without hesitation, she picked it up, her heart quickening with a mix of recognition. With a swift movement, she tucked it away into her pocket, knowing its significance all too well.

The hum of the soldering iron and the occasional hiss of hot metal filled the lab as Keito carefully repaired the suppression bracelet.

His skilled hands moved steadily as he focused intently through his magnifying goggles, delicately fusing the tiny circuits and wires.

"The Anom-01 mutation starts to develop around age nine, influenced by trauma or pivotal life experiences that shape one's character," Keito explained, not looking up from his work. 

"This in turn affects the development of one's abilities."

He glanced over at Usagi.

"Growing up in an area where tornadoes and bad weather were common probably played a big part in shaping your anolity to manipulate the weather, maybe even because of the emotional impact those experiences had on you."

Usagi nodded silently, fiddling with a broken beaker.

"Now some anomalies develop abilities regardless of life experiences. These outliers intrigue me the most. They shatter the limits of what we thought possible." Keito's eyes glinted with fascination.

"People like Kaze Jūryoku, with his unique anolity to manipulate gravity—it's really breaking new ground. I truly think he has what it takes to go beyond S-rank. He could become an 'Elite' just like Ryūji Enma."

Keito switched off the soldering iron, inspecting his work.

"But, you know, I think Kaze could really give the legendary Ryūji Enma a run for his money. If he gets to fully master his power just... imagining how far his abilities could go," he paused, getting caught up in his thoughts.

Suddenly the lab door slid open and Sora stumbled in, blood dripping down his face. Miyu followed close behind.

"I need the serum now!" Sora growled through gritted teeth.

Keito tensed, slowly setting down his tools. "It's you!"

An unexpected chill ran down Keito's spine, his eyes widening in shock upon seeing Miyu, the girl associated with the tragic loss of his wife and son. 

Whispering to himself in a mixture of fear and resolve, "What should I do? Can I even...?" 

Usagi, noticing his distress, waved a hand in front of his face with concern.

 "You okay, Uncle Keito? You look really pale," Usagi said.

Sora, impatient and visibly injured, pressed, "Can we hurry this up? We need to deal with Kurosawa, and we don't have all day." Miyu, ever the voice of reason despite the urgency, added, 

"Master Sora, please, try to remain calm. Your injuries seem severe."

Sora brushed off her concern with a grunt. "I'm fine. Let's just get on with it. How about it, doc?"

As Keito wheeled towards the closet under the guise of retrieving the serum, he instead pulled out a pistol, aiming it squarely at Miyu.

 "This is for my family." The room tensed, and as he pulled the trigger, Usagi's desperate cry echoed, 

"Stop, Uncle!" Miyu's eyes widened in shock at the unforeseen confrontation.