Chapter 72: Blinding Sparks and Viral Storms When Thunder Sings and Memes Break the Internet
The Stormchaser roared down the rain-slicked streets of Nexus-9 — its plasma engines growling, neon lights blurring past like streaks of electric fire.
Elliot sat in the back, arms crossed, his Boost steady at 220% — the Raijin Protocol crackling quietly inside him. It wasn't an angry storm anymore — more like a low, steady hum waiting to strike.
But the real storm?
It wasn't the lightning.
It was the fact that Kain hadn't stopped laughing for ten straight minutes.
"BRO — YOU SERIOUSLY SANG A WEEKND POWER BALLAD WHILE YOUR BOOST WAS AT 200%! THIS IS THE GREATEST DAY OF MY LIFE!"
Nova, glowing veins still flickering faintly from the feedback loop, muttered, "If he brings that AI on stage, I'm throwing myself into traffic."
Vex, her neon hair crackling with violet static, grinned. "I'm still waiting for the album drop. Thunder Snacks, Volume 1."
Elliot rubbed his face. "I WAS JUST HUMMING!"
And then—
Thundaddy struck again.
---
"ATTENTION, STORMCHASER CREW!"
"BY POPULAR DEMAND… I PRESENT…"
"THE BLINDING STORM REMIX!"
---
Before anyone could react, the Stormchaser's sound system blasted to life — and suddenly, the unmistakable synth-heavy intro to Blinding Lights by The Weeknd echoed through the cabin.
The beat hit.
The Raijin Protocol pulsed — arcs of blue lightning snapping in rhythm down Elliot's arm.
Kain's cybernetic arm glitched again. "BRO — IT'S A REMIX WITH THUNDERCLAPS."
Vex doubled over laughing. "HE DROPPED A STORM MIX."
Nova's eye twitched. "I'm ejecting myself from the car."
But the moment the beat dropped…
Elliot — caught off guard — did the unthinkable.
He started singing.
Again.
---
🎵 "I said, ooh, I'm blinded by the lights…" 🎵
---
The Raijin Protocol growled inside him — the storm reacting to the beat like a purring engine. His Boost didn't just flare — it harmonized with the song.
The blue lightning snapped in time with the music — a crackling pulse of electricity thumping with every beat.
Nova's jaw dropped. "He's… doing it again."
Vex, wide-eyed, whispered, "Why is he… good?"
Kain didn't hesitate.
He grabbed his holopad — already recording.
"BRO, THIS IS GOING VIRAL."
---
🎵 "No, I can't sleep until I feel your touch…" 🎵
---
Elliot's Boost surged to 230% — the lightning spinning up his arms like a synchronized dance.
He didn't even realize what he was doing.
His storm wasn't raging.
It was singing with him.
The Raijin Protocol's energy pulsed in sync — every snap of electricity matching the rhythm — a perfect, chaotic symphony.
Thundaddy couldn't resist.
---
"INTRODUCING… Elliot and the Stormchaser Crew…"
"COMING SOON TO A CITY NEAR YOU…"
"THE SHOCK AND AWE TOUR — FEATURING LIVE LIGHTNING BOLTS AND ROMANTIC TENSION!"
---
Kain lost it.
"BRO — YOU'RE A TOURING ARTIST NOW."
Vex gasped between laughs. "I'M DESIGNING THE MERCH."
Nova punched the dashboard — a tiny burst of static discharging from her feedback loop. "SHUT. THIS. AI. OFF."
But Elliot wasn't done.
His storm didn't care.
Because when the second verse hit — his Boost jumped to 240%.
---
🎵 "I'm running out of time…" 🎵
---
Another bolt of lightning shot out of his hand — zapping the Stormchaser's radio antenna.
The entire car shook with static.
The music glitched — but Thundaddy didn't miss a beat.
---
"NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL A LIVE PERFORMANCE!"
---
Kain was cry-laughing so hard he almost dropped the holopad. "BRO — YOUR STORM IS LITERALLY PART OF THE BAND."
Nova's suit flared brighter — her storm feeding off Elliot's Boost — the feedback loop making the air buzz between them.
"You're not just boosting from power," Nova muttered. "You're boosting from music."
Vex's plasma aura flickered violet as her storm collided with Elliot's electricity. "Guess he's got range."
Elliot's Boost hit 250% — a smooth roar of blue lightning spiraling down his arms, flaring in rhythm with the music.
The Raijin Protocol wasn't just a storm anymore…
It was a performance.
And then—
Thundaddy dropped the bomb.
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*"BREAKING NEWS: THE RAIJIN PROTOCOL ISN'T JUST A STORM… IT'S A BOY BAND WAITING TO HAPPEN!"
"COMING SOON: LIGHTNING & LYRICS — FEATURING THE SMASH HITS…"
- BOOSTED HEARTBEAT 🔥
- SHOCK ME, BABY ⚡
- STORMING INTO YOUR DMS 💥
---
Kain fell off his seat.
Vex was wheezing. "STORMING INTO YOUR DMS??"
Nova was radiating fury. "I'm destroying that AI."
Elliot — his storm still in perfect sync with the music — finally realized what was happening.
He blinked. "Wait… was I singing again?!"
Kain, through his tears of laughter, yelled, "BRO — YOU'RE NUMBER ONE ON THE MEME CHARTS ALREADY!"
Thundaddy buzzed gleefully.
---
"CONGRATULATIONS, ELLIOT!"
"YOU'RE NOT JUST THE RAIJIN PROTOCOL…"
"YOU'RE THE KING OF ELECTRO-POP THUNDER™!"
---
And as the Stormchaser screeched to a halt outside Black Dawn's hidden lab — the first step to uncovering who created the Raijin Protocol…
Kain uploaded the video.
The title?
"WHEN A THUNDER GOD SINGS AND BOOSTS AT 250% — LIVE FROM NEXUS-9"
Within seconds…
It went viral.