Shy and Aggressive

by Johng117

Chapter 57: Conflicting Poetry

The late evening. Battra sighed tiredly as he opened a door. He found a hotel room before his eyes. The room was neat and smelled fresh. A soft orange light from the ceiling lit up the room, where two beds were present by each other's side. Battra entered the room as Maud carried her travel bag inside.

"Are you sure that it's alright for us to bunk in the same room?" asked Battra with an unsure look.

"Yes. I don't mind. Do you?" asked Maud as she glanced at the Transmutant. Battra cleared his throat as he looked away.

"W-Well, if it's alright with you..." said Battra as he placed his bag on the ground by the bed.

---

It was the early morning. Junior was currently standing by the wall of the living room in silence. His eyes were on his mother as his father stood by him.

"I don't know what's wrong. I just found her sobbing in the room last night," whispered Junior as Amber was sitting herself on his shoulder.

"I thought that something may have happened but she won't tell me. I was hoping you could help," whispered Junior as he looked to his father. Senior nodded in response.

"I'll talk to her. Don't worry," said Senior.

"Cool. Thanks Dad. Hey, I'm gonna go out and pick up some groceries. I'll be back," said Junior as he stepped out of the door. Amber snuggled herself under the boy's sweater against his chest. The two left the house, where Senior and Miwa were present. The Transmutant made his way over to his wife's side on the sofa.

"What troubles you, my cherry blossom?" asked Senior as he sat next to Miwa. The woman held her knees close to herself as she appeared to have not slept well. Bags were under her eyes and her aura was gloomy like a stormy day. Miwa sniffles as she held her knees tightly.

"I keep hearing him..." said Miwa.

"Who?" Asked Senior.

"That guy. The one I..." Miwa's voice trembled. Her form shook and her eyes listened from tears.

"I didn't want to do it. I had to! But I-" Miwa buried her face into her husband's shoulder. Senior rubbed her back as he held her close. His expression was soft, understanding the root of Miwa's distress.

"I understand, Miwa. Truly, I do," said Senior.

"I can still remember his screams. The fire. Oh God!" Sobbed Miwa. "I killed someone!"

"Miwa," called Senior.

"I didn't mean to kill him! I intended to wound him so he couldn't fight. But I hit that damn tank instead!" cried Miwa. Senior pulled her away as he looked at her with a hard expression. Miwa bore a startled look.

"Stop that. Stop blaming yourself for that," said Senior.

"Wha..." Miwa sniffles.

"You did not murder him. What you did was stop a murderer. You have no reason to feel guilt," said Senior.

"B-But... he was a person," said Miwa.

"He was a monster. He forfeited his humanity the day he became a Purist. They have no remorse for what they do," said Senior. He wiped the tears that stained Miwa's cheeks.

"But I understand. Taking another life... it affects you. It changes you. Believe me, I know," said Senior as he held Miwa's hand.

"H-How do you deal with it? How do you cope?" asked Miwa. Her tone was almost hesitant. Miwa understood that her husband didn't like to talk about his days in Imperial Neighpon's military. But she needed help. And Senior was the only one she knew who had taken a life.

"That's... complicated," sighed Senior. "My experience was that I was following the orders of a government hellbent on conquering the East. I carried out orders that I haven't forgiven myself for," said Senior. Miwa bore a disheartened look. The answer was far from satisfying.

"But, someone once told me that I shouldn't dwell on the past. I thought about that and realized that I can't change the past. But I can do things differently for the future," said Senior.

"You have to move on from it. You did what was necessary to protect our son. And that man does not deserve your guilt," said Senior. Miwa sniffled as she leaned her head against Senior's shoulder. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

"Are you expecting someone?" asked Senior. Miwa shook her head.

"No. It might be Junior," said Miwa.

"So soon?" asked Senior as he got up and answered the door. He was surprised to find that the Main Seven were standing at the door. The girls bore looks of surprise, as if not expecting to see the man.

"Wowzerz. You grow facial hair fast, Goji," said Pinkie in surprise.

"That's his dad," whispered Rainbow Dash. Senior bore a look of surprise.

"Oh. Good morning, children. If you're looking for my son, he left to the grocery store just a few minutes ago.

"Actually Mr. Takeshi, we were going to see if he could escort us to speak with you. It's important," said Twilight.

"Really? Well, why don't you all come inside? It's cold outside," said Senior.

"Thank you, sir," said Sunset graciously.

"Such a gentleman," said Rarity to herself as she followed the rest of the girls into the house. Miwa stood up as she tightened her night robe.

"Mornin' Mrs. T," greeted Rainbow along with the other girls.

"Good morning girls. Good to see you," said Miwa.

"Sorry about coming in unexpected," said Applejack as she removed her hat from her head. Miwa bore a warm smile.

"Ah don't be. I'm always happy to have you girls over. Anyone want tea? I make a mean batch," said Miwa.

"It's true, she does. Take it from someone who's lived for over 200 years," said Senior with a chuckle. The girls chuckled in response.

"I'd like some, please," said Twilight. Fluttering immediately shot up and rushed to Miwa.

"I-I'll help! If that's alright," said Fluttershy with a timid laugh. Miwa nodded as she led the girl into the kitchen.

"Please, have a seat," said Senior he sat on a recliner. The girls began to sit on the sofa and floor.

"Now, what was it that you wished to discuss with me?" asked Senior. The girls looked to each other with a slight look of hesitance.

"You know the other three girls? The famous ones?" asked Applejack.

"The singers? Yes," said Senior.

"Well, Amber said that we aren't supposed to abuse our powers. But one of them, Adagio, has been using hers on the students at our school," said Sunset. She began to grow nervous as she noticed Senior's expression slightly harden. This man gave an aura that made Junior seem friendly.

"I see. And what is she doing exactly?" asked Senior.

"She's... Essentially just making a lot of students fawn over her like it was her first day at our school. They're giving her massages, gifts, telling her how great she is. She even tried to take advantage of Gojira," said Sunset. The sudden sound of a mug dropping on the ground and shattering startled everyone in the room. In the kitchen, Miwa stood still as stone with wide eyes as Fluttershy quickly cleaned up the broken mug at her feet. Senior sighed as he rubbed his chin with a look of thought.

"I see. And that's all?" asked Senior.

"Yep. And it's pretty annoying," said Rainbow.

"We tried talking to her about it, but she won't listen," said Rarity.

"Often won't those who experience the pleasure of their desires," sighed Senior.

"If she hasn't drawn attention to herself, it should be fine for now. However, this is unacceptable behavior," said Senior in a low tone.

"Mr. Takeshi, I don't think she's doing this out of malice. She just... wants to have fun, as she said," said Twilight.

"I never assumed that was the case. However, it would be unwise to let her play around with her abilities. I'll consult with Amber on what to do when she returns with Junior. In the meantime, can I count on you girls on keeping an eye on her for me? Maybe even stop her from doing something really stupid?" asked Senior. The girls all gave verbal confirmation.

"You can count on us, Daddy G!" said Pinkie. Rainbow looked at her in confusion.

"What?" asked Rainbow. Senior smiled in satisfaction.

"Good," said Senior. Then, there was an awkward silence. The girls sat as they either looked around briefly, to each other, or at their phones.

"So... you said that you're over 200? That's cool," said Rainbow awkwardly.

"Does that mean you get senior discounts at the movie theater?" asked Pinkie curiously.

"Pinkie!" hissed Sunset with a glare.

"Heh. I haven't gone to see a movie in years. I wouldn't know," said Senior with a chuckle. He could tell that the girls were a bit tense around him. After all, they never really interacted with him and likely assumed that he was as standoffish as his son. His amused response seemed to have broken some of the tension in the room. The girls looked to have relaxed a bit. Fluttershy and Miwa entered the living room as they passed mugs filled with hot tea to everyone.

"Tell me girls, how has my son been at school? I don't see him often and he tends to avoid talking about school," said Senior.

"I say he's fine. I help him out with math homework sometimes," said Sunset.

"That's good. And I'm sure that you all keep him out of trouble?" asked Senior.

"Oh, Mr. Takeshi. He normally keeps to himself. He rarely gets into trouble," said Fluttershy.

"But on occasion, trouble finds him. And it's downhill from there," said Rainbow with a chuckle.

"Yes, he really is a chip off the old block," said Senior with a chuckle.

"Mr. Takeshi, what's it like being a Transmutant in your time?" asked Fluttershy. Some of the girls stiffened at her question, but were just as curious. Rarity cleared her throat.

"Da-Darling, I don't think that question is appropriate," said Rarity with a nervous smile.

"It's fine. I have no opposition in telling you," said Senior as he sipped his tea.

"Yay! Story time!" said Pinkie eagerly. The girls all focused their attention on the Transmutant.

"You see, I considered my era to have been a bit easier compared to today," said Senior.

"Transmutants were rarely approached by humans. They were too afraid. Weapons were still quite primitive and Transmutants lived in small communities with each other in Neighpon. To the people, we were like any other yokai," said Senior. Applejack bore a look of confusion.

"The heck is a yokai?" Asked Applejack.

"A supernatural creature of Neighponese lore," answered Twilight. Senior smiled.

"Ah. So you know a bit of Neighponese culture?" asked Senior. Twilight smiled with in embarrassment.

"A little. Plus I uh... I kinda watch a bit of anime," said Twilight.

"Nerd," said Rainbow with a short. Twilight glared at her in offense.

"Hey, I like Neighponese animation too. And Manga," said Fluttershy indignantly. Twilight brightened at this.

"Oh! What do you watch and read?" asked Twilight eagerly.

"I just got into it. So far I'm only watching Sailor Moon," said Fluttershy.

"Dubbed or subbed?" asked Twilight. Fluttershy raised a brow.

"Does it matter?" asked Fluttershy.

"Not really. I'm just curious. Just know that people can get very tribalistic about the two," said Twilight. Fluttershy bore a worried look.

"Oh my," said Fluttershy.

"Guys, can we get back to the story?" deadpanned Applejack. Fluttershy and Twilight immediately directed their attention at Senior.

"Yes. Yokai. I believe that ironically, Transmutants were what inspired the various Yokai in folklore. Though considering Amber, I wouldn't be surprised if they were real," said Senior. He sighed as he scratched his head.

"Another thing that made my earlier years easier compared to the 21st century is that it wasn't as easy to identify us. The only way would be that if we reveal ourselves one way or another or if we are somewhere that Transmutants were commonly found. These days, they can take a simple blood sample and mark us," said Senior. The girls bore solemn looks.

"The I.D. tags," said Twilight. Senior nodded as he pulled his sleeve back and revealed a tattoo that depicted 'T1954'.

"After the second world war, many Transmutants were sold off to Solgell Island in the pacific. Neighpon and the U.S.E. governments sold those who served off to a company for labor. They branded us to make identifying us quicker," said Senior. The girls bore shocked and sympathetic looks.

"You were a slave?" asked Rarity in shock.

"Wait a minute. Solgell," said Twilight as her eyes widened in realization.

"Huh?" asked Rainbow in confusion. Twilight's expression turned to unease as she sat in her seat. She looked as if she were about to shoot up to her feet.

"I just remembered. The founders of the first Transmutant nation. One of them I remembered was named Takeshi! That wouldn't-" Twilight stared at the man across from her. Her heart raced. Some of the girls looked at her in confusion.

"Twi?" called Applejack. Sunset looked to Senior as a realization dawned on her.

"You were there when it happened. No, you were a part of it," said Sunset. Senior bowed his head as his expression softened. Miwa deeply frowned, while the other girls bore confused looks.

"What's with everyone being so distant and mysterious?" Asked Pinkie.

"During my enslavement, I lived through harsh conditions and worked life threatening jobs. Transmutants were seen as nothing but animals," said Senior in a low tone, drawing everyone's attention.

"One day, I found myself reuniting with a comrade from during the war. Another Transmutant," said Senior.

"Aw. Well, that's nice," said Rarity with a smile.

"His name was Destoroyah," said Senior. Rarity immediately lost her smile. Fluttershy gasped as a memory from the night where she was nearly kidnapped by Transmutants but was saved by Junior rushed to her head. She remembered seeing a Transmutant appear in the news, his crustacean hide over his human flesh stuck to her mind. They mentioned that very name. Destoroyah.

"Wait, you mean the freakin’ leader of the Revolutionaries?!" exclaimed Rainbow.

"No way!" said Pinkie with a loud gasp. Twilight gulped as she sat in her seat.

"Yes. And unfortunately, it was a reunion that I regret to this day. Because I was filled with such anger and bitterness towards the humans who betrayed and enslaved us, I helped Destoroyah start an uprising against the governing body of Equestrian territory. Leading to bloodshed," said Senior. Miwa listened. This was the first time that she heard her husband openly talk about Solgell. It was one of the many topics he avoided. She could see and hear the regret that filled the Transmutant.

"Destoroyah, myself, and the slaves, we were the first Revolutionaries," said Senior. The girls bore shocked looks. Twilight slightly trembled. She remembered learning in her pre-teen years about the history of Solgell and the other islands that made up the chain and the story of a horrible war that occurred. And said war was led by two ruthless Transmutants. Now, one of them was sitting across from her and her friends.

"Geez. Now I see why people spread rumors about Goji's dad being a terrorist. I thought they were just being racist assholes!" said Rainbow. Senior kept his head lowered. He knew that he must have looked like a monster with this reveal.

"So... what happened after that?" asked Fluttershy with a soft expression. Senior looked to her in surprise. He noticed the girls were looking at him, wanting to know more, though Twilight appeared reluctant to know more. Senior sighed.

"We won. We managed to hold off the military long enough to make a treaty," said Senior.

"A treaty?" asked Applejack.

"We found civilians and a few surviving soldiers that were left on the islands. Destoroyah wanted to have them killed, but I convinced him to spare them. Instead, we used them as a bargaining chip and traded them for independence for Equestria. We figured that they had no choice unless they would rather continue to sacrifice valuable resources and soldiers," said Senior.

"You were the one who offered the survivors as a trade?" asked Twilight with a surprised look. Senior nodded.

"But... why? I mean after what humans put you through, why would you do that?" asked Twilight.

"I said that I thought they would be useful for leverage. But deep down, I didn't want to make innocent people suffer. Over time rather than having a clearer head, I had no peace. Instead, I felt pain and regret. And I helped cause the future generations of humans to fear Transmutants more," said Senior with a heavy sigh.

"I gave rise to a group that would later grow to become a threat today. And I abandoned them before the islands were bombed," said Senior. The girls bore soft expressions. Miwa made her way over to Senior and wrapped her arms around him as she ran her fingers through his hair in comfort.

"Have... Have you seen Destoroyah since then?" asked Twilight. Senior hardened his expression.

"No. And I do not plan on ever seeing him or anyone affiliated with him again," said Senior.

---

Junior sighed as he walked through the store aisle. He muttered to himself as he scanned the area that he was in and continued to move on. Amber was snug under his sweater, against his chest. Her little insect head was peeking out with her large blue eyes scanning their surroundings. Junior pressed his hand on her head and forced her back into hiding.

"Stay down. I can't have you getting seen," whispered Junior in annoyance. Amber groaned in disappointment as she attempted to peak out of the sweater.

"But I want something from here!" whined Amber. Junior scowled.

"I swear. You're like a little kid sometimes," said Junior as he navigated through the store.

"What do you want?" asked Junior as he found himself in the snack aisle.

"Chocolate. A big chocolate bar!" said Amber eagerly. Junior sighed as he grabbed a 'king sized' chocolate bar.

"Why can't you just eat nectar or cloth or something?" asked Junior in annoyance.

"Only larvae eat cloth. Besides, I can always eat nectar some other day. I wanna try more man made stuff. It's not good for you, but man is it tasty!" said Amber with a happy sigh.

"Yeah, unfortunately. Such a shame that first world countries like this one has quite a bit of overweight and diabetic folks. But I guess luxury comes with personal responsibility," said Junior with a shrug as he placed the chocolate in a small basket that he carried. As he rounded to the milk aisle, he was surprised to have found Aria Blaze to be looking over a carton of almond milk. The girl noticed him out of the corner of her eye and looked his way.

"Uh... morning," greeted Junior. Aria placed the carton into the basket she carried.

"Sup'," replied Aria. She noticed the chocolate bar in the basket and snorted.

"Sweet tooth?" Asked Aria.

"Well, not me," said Junior as Amber peaked out of the sweater.

"Greetings, Aria," said Amber. Aria grimaced as she slightly stepped back.

"Geez. How can you deal with that? She's downright freaky!" said Aria.

"I know. But you get used to her with enough exposure," said Junior as he grabbed a gallon of milk.

"I guess..." said Aria uneasily. Junior scratched his head awkwardly.

"Hey, Aria. Mind if I ask a question?" asked Junior.

"Depends on the question," said Aria. Junior sighed.

"Any idea on why Adagio's been..."

"Bitchy?" asked Aria.

"I wouldn't say that..." Junior cleared his throat. "But she has been pretty... negative towards me," said Junior. Aria sighed.

"So stupid," said Aria.

"Me?" asked Junior with raised brows.

"No, just the whole drama," said Aria.

"Look, I just want to know what exactly is going on so I can be sure on how to approach this," said Junior. Aria sighed heavily.

"I rather not get involved. I'm not gonna give you advise since it's sure to backfire. But, I'll clue you in on what's up," said Aria.

"I'd appreciate that," said Junior.

"Listen, Adagio is going through a personal issue right now. She's been insecure lately since she's no longer the center of attention anymore at school. She's been using her powers to artificially stimulate that for herself," said Adagio.

"Is that why she flirts with me?" asked Junior.

"No, she does that with everyone for fun, especially if she likes you. My sister has a thing for strong guys that don't back down from a fight. I don't know if you've noticed, but there's a lot of pussies in the film industry that pretend to be tough," said Aria. Junior chuckled in response.

"Oh I don't doubt it. Last thing I need is to be lectured about guns by a bunch of pansies in Applewood Hills with their private security carrying guns themselves," said Junior. Aria gave a short laugh in response.

"But yeah. I guess there's some genuine attraction to you. She probably craved your attention too," said Aria as she adjusted her jacket. Junior sighed heavily.

"That so?" asked Junior.

"Yeah. Listen, Gojira. I know a lot of people in Applewood, especially our age. But I can't stand them and how fake they are. But you, you're alright man," said Aria with a small smile and nod. Junior looked at her in surprise.

"Really?" asked Junior.

"Yeah. However, I'm staying out of this drama between you and my sister. You two gotta work it out yourselves. See ya around," said Aria as she walked off, leaving Junior and Amber alone. Amber looked up to Junior.

"Junior?" called Amber. Junior bore a light frown as he stared at the ground. He shook his head.

"Alright. Guess I know what I have to do," said Junior as he began to walk out of the aisle. Soon, he and Amber were exiting the store. Junior carried a grocery bag filled with a gallon of milk, coffee powder, and cream. A second bag was in his free hand, holding a carton of eggs and Amber's chocolate.

"I kinda miss the old days," said Junior.

"Which old days?" asked Amber.

"The ones where I didn't have to deal with a bunch of drama. At most, it was just me being pissy at assholes picking a fight, annoyed at folks acting skittish around me, and struggling with math. Those were the days," said Junior.

"But you have friends now. Isn't a little drama worth it?" asked Amber.

"Normally that'd depend on what kind of drama and what kind of friends we're talking about," said Junior. Amber scoffed.

"That doesn't answer my question," deadpanned Amber.

"Sure. But a little less drama would be nice. Maybe now I can make that a reality. Now I know for sure on what to do about Adagio," said Junior. He then stopped as he heard shouting. It came from down the next street over in the area.

"Do you hear that?" asked Amber. Junior quickly made his way down the sidewalk, turning by the next street corner. He found a couple of teens to be shouting at each other as they shoved each other. A couple of bystanders noticed this and watched to see what the source of the conflict was. Junior began to turn and walk away.

"Aren't you going to step in and break it up?" asked Amber in confusion.

"No way. It's none of my business. One of them probably slept with the others' girlfriend or something," said Junior. "Best to stay out of it lest I wanna get mixed into trouble."

Junior then heard the sound of pained grunts. He immediately turned and found the two teenagers to be punching each other. A couple of people rushed in to break up the fight.

"See? I knew something like this was gonna happen," said Junior. The two teens then abruptly turned their attention on the people who attempted to break up their fight. They grabbed and flung them through the air and onto the ground. Amber gasped as Junior's eyes widened. The two teens snarled like beasts as they slammed into each other and began to beat each other with savage ferocity. One of the boy's skin grew leathery and his muscles grew. His face slightly morphed into a snout much like a water buffalo. He gave enraged cries as a buffalo call escaped his throat. One of his hands had restructured itself into a hoof, which he used to strike the other teen. The second teen snarled as his skin grew slimy and his face morphed to appear more amphibian-like. His mouth was covered in rows of small, sharp teeth and his arms and body swelled. They appeared to have taken on salamander-like traits, but still stuck with more humanoid traits. As the two beat each other, bystanders fled in panic.

"Ah, son of a bitch!" Said Junior as he quickly fled the scene, but found the buffalo-like Transmutant to have been flung his way, slamming into a car. Junior skidded to a halt as the barely transitioned Transmutant stood up in his grotesque state. Junior turned and found the salamander Transmutant rushing his way, having grown to be seven feet in height, trapped in an incomplete transition. Junior quickly side stepped and kicked the teen in the back, causing him to stumble and fall onto the other teen. Junior quickly set the groceries aside on the ground, in between two parked cars as he pulled Amber out of his sweater.

"OK, maybe breaking them up would have been a grave mistake," said Amber nervously.

"And it's the first thing in the morning. On the weekend!" said Junior as he wrapped his scarf around Amber's torso.

"Stay warm!" said Junior as he tossed the fairy into the air. Amber yelped as she opened her wings and flew to the roof of a close by short building. Junior dodged a strike from the buffalo's hoof and slammed him into the wall. Junior then shoved him aside and caught the salamander's jaws as they nearly clamped over his neck. Junior's human hand bled from the bottom teeth that punctured him but his reptilian hand remained intact. The teen grabbed Junior by the shoulders with his grubby hands and began to crush his shoulders. Junior groaned in agony and felt a great blow to his back. The buffalo Transmutant had rammed himself into Junior's back and caused them all to tumble to the ground from the force. Junior elbowed the buffalo while they were piled on each other and then he slammed his head on the other teen's salamander head. He then slugged the amphibian head with his reptilian fist, sending the teen into a daze. Junior kicked him away and stumbled up to his feet, panting as he flexed his bleeding human hand, which stung. Amber peeked over the roof in panic as she watched the scene.

"Damn it," said Junior as the buffalo Transmutant stood up as he snorted, and the salamander snarled as he shook off his disorientation. Junior felt his own skin on his arm beginning to itch and ache. He clutched his arm as he cursed under his breath.

"Not now," said Junior. Suddenly, a van screeched to a halt on the street, drawing the Transmutants' attention. Koizumi jumped from the back of the van with a rifle and rushed to the scene. He jumped off of a parked car and fired the rifle. From the barrel came tranquilizer darts that embedded themselves into the skin of the teens, excluding Junior. Koizumi dropped to the ground as Junior flinched for cover, having thought that he was gonna be struck by a hail of bullets. Koizumi rushed and kicked the buffalo teen in the gut and knocked him to the ground, with the tranquilizers taking affect. However, the salamander was rushing towards him with the darts in his skin, though he was slowing down. Koizumi quickly pumped a few more shots at the teen and dodged a clawed strike from the Transmutant. The teen groaned as he collapsed onto the ground. Koizumi sighed as he held his rifle over his shoulder.

"The hell?!" exclaimed Junuor.

"What? Is that how you say thanks?" asked Koizumi in annoyance.

"I thought you-" Junior stuttered as Inoue hopped out of the driver seat of the van and rushed to the scene.

"Relax. I only used tranquilizers. A lot," said Koizumi as he looked at the unconscious teens.

"Can't they die that way?" asked Junior normally.

"If they were normal humans. But them being Transmutants, and partially transformed, they might end up with headaches when they wake up," said Koizumi nonchalantly.

"Do you know them?" asked Inoue as she looked to Junior. The Transmutant found the teens to slowly be reverting to their human states. His eyes widened.

"Yeah. I've seen them around at my school. I didn't recognize them till now," said Junior in shock. Koizumi turned one of the teens over and his eyes widened.

"Ah shit," said Koizumi.

"What is it?" asked Inoue as she joined her superior officer's side. Her eyes widened as Junior joined them.

"Oh God," said Junior in shock. The teens back bore a patch and strips medical tape that was stained with blood. Koizumi pulled on the patch and revealed a ghastly wound. A chunk of muscle and flesh was gone and gave a foul stench.

"This kid is in bad shape," said Koizumi. His eyes narrowed as he focused on the area of where the wound is located. He then stood up and rushed to the other unconscious teen and turned him over. A bloody patch was on his lower back as well.

"Hey kid, you know if these two were affiliated with Revolutionaries?" Asked Koizumi.

"None that I can think of," said Junior. Inoue bit her lip.

"Then... Koizumi, we should get these two to a hospital," said Inoue.

"Yeah. Shit stinks. They could be infected. They're inhibitor chips were obviously removed. But this is amateur work. I've seen cleaner," said Koizumi as he dragged one of the teens to the van. Inoue grunted as she attempted to drag the other teen but Junior rushed to her side and helped her move the teen.

"You're saying a Revolutionary didn't do this?" asked Junior.

"No idea. But it's a good thing we followed you. We need to get to the bottom of this," said Koizumi as they placed the teens in the back.

"We can't have more chip-less Transmutants running around," said Koizumi with a smirk as he closed the doors. Junior looked through the back window worriedly as Koizumi got in the van. Inoue patted Junior's shoulder.

"Head on home, Gojira. We'll take care of them," said Inoue with a reassuring smile. Junior slightly nodded.

"Right," said Junior. With that, the two soldiers drove off in their van, leaving Junior on the sidewalk. Amber fluttered down and landed on Junior's shoulder. She dropped the scarf from her mouth and onto Junior.

"You OK?" asked Amber in concern.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Let's go home," said Junior as he made his way over to where he hid the groceries. He sighed in disappointment as he found the egg carton to be slightly crushed, with yolk in the bag.

"At least they were on sale..." said Junior. Later, the Transmutant found himself walking with the groceries as Amber was hidden in his sweater. Junior bore a pondering look as he walked home. He wasn't necessarily familiar with the Transmutants that were fighting, but he did see them around in a couple of classes. And they never really registered to him as kids that commonly got into trouble or even hold Revolutionary ideals. Unlike Spinner, who was both affiliated with a gang and had a racial superiority complex against humans. Junior didn't know much about Transmutants getting their inhibitor chips removed in secret, let alone in a way that would keep them from dying of infection from a shitty surgeon. But what he saw on those teens was something really sloppy.

Junior shook his head as he made his way down his neighborhood. He soon came to his front door and unlocked it with his house key. He held one of the bags on his arm as he twisted the door knob and opened the door.

"I'm home," called Junior with a sigh as he entered the house. His eyes slightly widened as he found the Main 7 to be in the living room with his parents.

"Welcome back! Your friends are here!" said Miwa.

"Morning!" greeted Sunset with a wave, as AJ, Pinkie, Twilight, Rarity, and Rainbow sheepishly waved as Fluttershy waved with a forced smile. Junior merely scowled, growing peeved. It was the last thing he needed right now. Company in his home during the weekend.

---

A heart monitor beeped steadily. From the emergency room, a one of the Transmutant teens that were caught in conflict earlier was lying on his belly. Surgeons were circling him as they had their tools prepped and ready for use. The gaping wound in the lower back was red around the intact flesh and puss that gave a pungent odor was present in the wound.

Outside of the emergency room, Koizumi and Inoue were standing next to each other near the lobby of the hospital. Standing before them was Aiko and a couple of other men that were dressed in casual clothes.

"So, that's what happened. Right now they're in the emergency room," said Koizumi.

"Excellent work at containing the situation," said Aiko with a nod.

"So what do you know so far? Any affiliation to Revolutionaries or gangs?" questioned one of the men.

"Not from what we could tell. But I feel that isn't the case, considering how the two were fighting each other and not attacking human civilians," interjected Inoue.

"But it's still a possibility," said one of the male soldiers. Inoue grimaced in response. Aiko cleared her throat.

"Either way, we don't have enough information. But I'm certain that we will once the two wake up," said Aiko.

"Good point," said one of the soldiers. Aiko turned to Koizumi.

"In the meantime, get back to keeping watch over the Takeshi boy. I dread to think of something going wrong again without at least one of us nearby," said Aiko.

"Sure, you got it. Come on, kid," said Koizumi as he and Inoue walked down the hall. Aiko then turned to the other disguised soldiers.

"Stay posted at this hospital and wait for further instructions. Make sure anyone not a doctor or nurse comes near the two Transmutants. I still have to call this in," ordered Aiko.

---

Junior was washing dishes. The sink was filled with used plates and a pan covered in bits of egg that was recently cooked. He overheard that his mother was conversing with the girls at the table. Amber was munching on the last of her chocolate and gave a satisfied sigh. Junior found his father to be leaning back in his recliner in the living room as the television played. After the boy finished washing the dishes, he made his way to his bedroom with a tired sigh. He plopped himself down on his bed.

"My parents made me cook and clean? For all of them? What kinda of bullshit is that?" asked Junior. He rolled onto his back and reached for his dresser and grabbed his remote to his medium sized TV in his room and the Xbox controller. Junior turned both the console and television on and found himself on the dashboard menu. He opened an application to a game on his console and waited patiently.

He later found himself playing as a war veteran with three other characters, a man in a leather jacket, a man in formal office attire, and a young woman in her early twenties. The premise of the game was a zombie apocalypse.

"Ugh. Goddamn Boomer," said Junior as his screen's point of view was blinded by green bile. To make matters worse, a horde of zombies came rushing towards his character. Junior cursed under his breath as his character fired wildly through the horde in attempt to kill off as many as possible. His health bar was halfway gone, turning from green to yellow.

"Fuckin- Don't leave me, you assholes!" said Junior in frustration as the other players online fled through the hospital halls of the level, leaving Junior's character to be pounced on by a screeching zombie, who tore his characters flesh. Junior groaned as his character died, with the camera focusing on the remaining survivors.

"Thanks, dickwads," said Junior with a scowl. He then heard a knock at his door.

"Come in," said Junior. The door opened, revealing Fluttershy to be standing at the door.

"Oh, hey Shy," said Junior.

"Um... I was just wondering where you took off to," said Fluttershy as she awkwardly stood in the doorway. Junior scratched his head.

"Um... you can come inside if you'd like," said Junior. Fluttershy timidly nodded as she stepped inside. She sat at the edge of his bed as Junior sat up from his bed next to her.

"So... What are you playing?" asked Fluttershy awkwardly. Her face was flushed as she found herself alone with the boy in his bedroom. Junior on the other hand was indifferent about having a girl in his room. It wasn't like what Adagio pulled with him on Christmas.

"Left 4 Dead. I actually just recently died," said Junior as he held his controller on his lap. Fluttershy turned the screen and quickly went pale as she found the blood and gore that transpired as the remaining survivors shot down the infected.

"Isn't this a bit... too violent?" Asked Fluttershy. Junior shrugged.

"That's why it has an M rating," said Junior.

"It looks a bit too real. How can you stomach to play this?" Asked Fluttershy.

"I've seen more detailed gore in other games. But it's nothing compared to real life," said Junior. Fluttershy glanced at the boy and found him looking to the screen with a grimace. She had to agree. They saw horrific stuff before. Things that gives her nightmares sometimes.

"Either way... it's hard to watch," said Fluttershy, flinching as a survivor blasted a zombie's head off with a shotgun.

"I think years of exposure to violence in films and movies has desensitized me a bit," said Junior. He bore a worried look as he looked to the girl.

"If you want, I can turn it off," said Junior.

"No, it's fine. It's silly that I'm getting worked up over something that's not-" Fluttershy was interrupted as a loud screech came from the game. A zombie pounced on a survivor with a horrific screech, causing Fluttershy to scream in fright. She wrapped her arms around Junior and buried her face into his shoulder, having the daylights scared out of her. The boy flushed brightly in response. Suddenly, Junior's parents and the rest of the Main 7 burst into room.

"What's going on in here?!" demanded Rainbow, looking as though she was ready to fight. The rest gave Junior odd stares as Fluttershy was clinging to Junior.

"Just playing video games. She was just startled," answered Junior with his blush intensifying.

"Oh! I love this game!" said Pinkie as she flopped herself onto Junior's bed and kept her eyes on the screen. Senior began to relax as he walked back to the living room. Miwa was slightly grinning as she was following her husband. It was at this point that Junior noticed the girls looking over his room in curiosity.

"Hey Goji, you're out of the closet," said Pinkie. Junior looked at Pinkie in confusion and a half-offended look.

"What?" asked Junior. Pinkie pointed to the TV, prompting the Transmutant to find that his character had re-spawned in a closet as one of the other players had opened up the door.

"Oh I thought you- N-Never mind," said Junior as he picked his controller back up as Fluttershy released the boy, appearing to slightly be shaking.

"You were in a closet?" asked Sunset in confusion as she sat on floor by the bed.

"It's a game mechanic. When you die, you get a chance to re-spawn if the other player finds and lets you out," answered Junior as he made the character rush out of the closet with the other survivors. He suddenly found the other girls inside of his bedroom, sitting on the floor by the bed, with their eyes on the TV. Junior said nothing, and kept his focus on the game. Though Rarity and Fluttershy were cringing from whenever blood from the infected splattered.

"Hey, you did all of your homework, right?" asked Sunset.

"Of course I did. I have a rule to not touch this thing until all of my homework is finished," said Junior as he and the other players entered the elevator in the game.

"Is there anything... You didn't get and wanna ask help for?" asked Twilight as she glanced at Junior.

"No," answered Junior in a flat tone. Twilight slightly shrunk. Rainbow narrowed her eyes as she noticed this, as well as not liking Junior's tone.

"Dude, she's just offering help with your homework," said Rainbow. Junior sighed.

"I didn't mean to come off as a dick. I understood how to do the work, so I'm good. Plus I'm just a little annoyed right now. These assholes left me to die earlier, now I spawned with this shitty uzi," said Junior as he scowled, while one of the players annoyingly jumped around in the elevator. Twilight felt less bad for asking after this answer. She leaned against the bed as she brought her knees close to herself.

"Hey, who's your favorite character?" asked Pinkie in curiosity.

"I like Bill. He's a pretty cool character. How often do you see a War Vet take on a horde of zombies like a badass?" asked Junior as the elevator opened, allowing the players to rush out and mow down a few infected.

"The old Geezer? Man, it's all about Francis," said Rainbow with a scoff.

"Francis is alright. But certain parts of his character reminds me too much of myself," said Junior. Rainbow chuckled in response.

"Doesn't it get annoying when they announce that they're reloading their weapons every time?" asked Sunset, as the players' characters exclaimed 'Reloading!' as they reloaded their weapons while taking on a horde.

"Kinda," said Junior. He then tensed as echoed sobbing filled the air.

"Ah shit," said Junior as the players wandered through an unfinished floor of the hospital, where a storm raged outside.

"Yikes. What is that?" asked Applejack with an unnerved look.

"Witch," answered Junior, Rainbow and Pinkie in unison. The girls found Junior's character to be wandering through the area, while a pale woman was sitting on the ground, sobbing.

"Go save her!" exclaimed Fluttershy as she tugged at Junior's sweater.

"Save her? Shy, that's- Oh God, what is this asshole doing?!" asked Junior in alarm. One of the players in game was stalking close to the crying NPC, flashing a flashlight. The woman began to growl aggressively as she stood up, while raising her arms, exposing her long bloody claws on her fingers. Some of the girls bore alarmed looks, excluding Rainbow and Pinkie.

"Oh he's dead," said Rainbow with a chuckle. The woman suddenly shrieked as she stood up and chased after the player. A notification that read 'MilfHunter69 Startled The Witch' popped up on the screen.

"And that's why you don't approach crying women in this game," said Junior as he glanced at Fluttershy, who bore an unnerved look. The player that was chased by the Witch ran towards the edge of the exposed floor of the building, suddenly hanging from the ledge. The character cried out for help as the witch suddenly stopped at the ledge and began to slash her claws on the player, while the other players fired their weapons at the witch, who was able to withstand the hail of bullets.

"Why did he just go over the ledge like that?" asked Twilight in confusion.

"Idiot must have thought he could trick the A.I. into falling off the building while the game forced him to hang from the ledge, getting rid of the Witch while he still got to go on living," said Junior as the Witch was slayed, giving a shriek as she dropped dead on the ground. Suddenly, the music in the game began to pick up, as what sounded to be trumpets or something playing. A distant roar came, causing Junior to slump his shoulders. Suddenly, a creature with massive muscles came charging by. It gave roars as his small legs moved, but his massive fists did most of the walking.

"The heck is that?!" asked Applejack. One of the characters in game screamed, 'Taaaaank!!' as the creature came charging. With one punch, one of the players were knocked off of the building and fell to her death. Junior tensed as he quickly made his character run away from the player that still hung from the building edge and the player that fired at the disproportional musclebound infected.

"Welp. They're on their own," said Junior.

"Dude, go back for them!" said Rainbow.

"Hell no! These idiots have been ditching me the whole time and we're almost to the safe room. It's every man for himself," said Junior as his character mowed passed enemies and rounded passed corners. Suddenly, a fat zombie appeared from a corner, which Junior yelped.

"Oh fuck no!" said Junior as he shot at the zombie, which suddenly exploded in a mess of blood and bile, blinding Junior's screen.

"Oh God, why did I do that?!" groaned Junior, chiding himself for killing this particular zombie. He then found himself surrounded by a horde of zombies, prompting him to shoot all around himself to fight them off, but there were too many. He then found himself tackled by a zombie that screeched as it tore at his characters flesh. Junior groaned as the other players' health bars were covered by red X's, informing him that they were dead. A losing theme played as Junior's screen darkened. Junior sighed.

"Told ya," deadpanned Rainbow. Junior then handed the controller to Pinkie.

"Here, I'm gonna head to the bathroom. There's another controller by the T.V. if you want to play split screen," said Junior as he got up from the bed and left the room. Pinkie quickly sat up eagerly as Applejack lunged for the controller on the entertainment center, much to Rainbow's dismay. As Pinkie helped Applejack set up the controller, Rarity looked around the room.

"It's surprisingly clean in here," said Rarity. Twilight nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. I never would've thought that he'd care," said Twilight in surprise. Rainbow Dash lied on her back on the bed sideways, hanging off of the edge.

"You know he probably leaves this place a mess all the time. He just cleaned it up as he once he realized a bunch of chicks were over," said Rainbow with a chuckle. She then got on the floor and raised the blanket up, exposing the underside of the bed.

"Watch, I bet he has dirty clothes stuffed under here," said Rainbow as she peeked under. "Nope."

"He's not you, Rainbow Dash," deadpanned Rarity. She then noticed the tomboy to be still looking under the boy's bed. Rarity raised a brow at Rainbow shuffling through under the bed.

"Why are you still under there?" asked Rarity.

"Lookin' for his stash," said Rainbow as she noticed scattered pieces of a figurine that appeared like a male superhero dressed in spandex that was decorated in black dots, appearing as a ladybug. Rarity bore a look of confusion.

"I'm sorry, his what?" asked Rarity, while drawing the other girls' attention.

"You know, his 'stash'?" said Rainbow. Rarity still looked clueless, while Sunset and Applejack narrowed their eyes at Rainbow in disapproval. Fluttershy bore a questioning look but her eyes widened with her cheeks heating up. Twilight was on her phone, searching the internet for the 'urban dictionary'. She then gasped in alarm. Rainbow sighed heavily.

"Rarity, I'm looking for his dirty magazines," said Rainbow. Rarity bore a shocked look.

"Wha- Huh?!" Rarity exclaimed.

"Rainbow, get out from under his bed," said Sunset in a low tone. Rainbow shrugged.

"What? Aren't you all a little curious?" asked Rainbow.

"No!" said the other girls in unison. Rainbow groaned.

"You're all no fun! What if he's into some freaky stuff? That could be up for some good laughs. Besides, it might give Flutters an idea or two," said Rainbow as she went back to digging under the bed. Fluttershy and Twilight both lunged for the tomboy and began to pull on her.

"Ah! Hey!" yelped Rainbow as she grabbed the carpet under the bed, keeping herself from being pulled away.

"Get from under there! We're his guests!" said Twilight.

"Whether he owns anything like that is none of our business!" said Fluttershy as she pulled on Rainbow's ankle.

"So you're OK with the possibility of him locking himself in his room with a porno mag?" asked Rainbow with a chuckle.

"Don't put words in my mouth!" said Fluttershy as she and Twilight yanked Rainbow from under the bed, but not before the tomboy grabbed something before being pulled out. Fluttershy and Twilight panted while Rainbow rolled onto her back, bringing the item that she had into her sight.

"Hellooo. What's this?" asked Rainbow in interest. What she held was a notebook. It was black, and bore a blank tag on the cover. The others noticed the item that Rainbow bore.

"Ugh! Rainbow, put that back!" said Twilight as she attempted to snatch the notebook out of her hands. However, Rainbow held her foot against her belly, keeping the petite girl back.

"Who keeps a notebook hidden under their bed? Seems awfully secretive," said Rainbow in a teasing tone. Twilight grew flustered. The fact that Rainbow was snooping around Junior's room was bad enough. She wasn't going to invoke anymore of his wrath because of Rainbow's nosy behavior.

"So what if he had it under his bed? He probably just keeps it there as a spare," said Sunset in annoyance.

"I don't know. The pages look a bit worn on the edges. Like he's used it," said Rainbow.

"He probably has some important information in there," said Rarity.

"Yeah, like maybe passwords or something," said Pinkie.

"Or... something more interesting. Like a list of people to kill or something," said Rainbow. Fluttershy looked at Rainbow incredulously.

"How could you say that?!" asked Fluttershy.

"I don't know. He just comes off as that kinda guy. I don't think he'd actually kill someone. Most angsty teens just have that crap to blow off steam, right?" said Rainbow. Sunset sighed heavily as she rubbed her brows.

"Something is wrong with you," said Sunset. Rainbow suddenly opened the notebook.

"You're going through it?!" exclaimed Twilight.

"Shut up," said Rainbow in annoyance. Her eyes scanned through the pages. Her expression turned to confusion. Then, her cheeks turned red as her cheeks puffed out. Her body trembled from stiffing her laughter. The girls looked at her, reluctant to question her. But, Applejack spoke first.

"What is it?" asked Applejack.

"Dude. So laaaame," said Rainbow with a snicker.

"What is it? Tell us!" said Pinkie, now growing curious. Rainbow snickered as she handed Pinkie the notebook. The hyperactive girl took it and began to read through the first page. Her expression turned to bemusement.

"Hihi!" giggled Pinkie. Now, the other girls were growing curious. Twilight was scowling, but even she was growing just as curious to know what was causing Rainbow's and Pinkie's reaction.

"He wrote poems in there," snickered Rainbow. The rest of the girls bore looks of surprise.

"Poems? Really?" asked Twilight in surprise.

"Yeah, but they're so lame and angsty!" laughed Rainbow. Sunset took the notebook from Rainbow Dash and read through it. The other girls began to look over her shoulder.

"Hmm. 'Things I hate'.’There is a lot I hate. For one, being late. To me, it's an inescapable fate. The teacher's an asshole. God, what a hassle. It feels like I'm bound by a lasso. I hate mondays. They're bitter like an old bag of Lays. I hate self-righteousness. What is with these prices? There's so much I have to say that I hate. But we'll be here all day'." Sunset brow raised as she read through it. The other girls bore odd looks.

"See? Angsty," said Rainbow.

"Classy. He rhymed a curse word with hassle," said Rarity in a sarcastic tone.

"So the theme is him complaining about things he hates? That sounds like him," said Applejack with a deadpanned look. Twilight nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. His simile. 'Bitter like an old bag of Lays?' Yeesh," said Twilight. Fluttershy had to agree, this poem wasn't particularly good, in her opinion. In fact, it seemed too negative. But, she was curious to see what else was there.

"Well, what else did he write?" asked Fluttershy. Rarity took the notebook and looked through it.

"Illusion. Some of the best things are illusions. Friendships, companionship, are merely delusions. False personalities and promises. This is my reality. Talks of peace and love are idealistic and naive. Human nature keeps these things from being. It's best to flee these delusional things," Rarity read. She groaned as her expression soured.

"So far, I'm not impressed," said Rarity.

"I don't know. It's kind of an interesting look in Junior's head," said Sunset as she bore a soft expression.

"He always was apprehensive with getting close to others. He obviously despises people that are 'fake'. Or two-faced," said Sunset.

"Yeah, but it just seems so overly cynical. Friendships and companionship are delusional? Peace and Love are naive? Who thinks that?" asked Rarity. Twilight bore a sad expression as she stared at the ground. This poem in particular just threw the fall out they had with the Transmutant back in her face. She felt that she could qualify for making Junior view friendship as 'delusional'.

"I'm afraid to go on," said Rarity.

"Here, lemme' see it," said Applejack as she took the notebook from Rarity. She cleared her throat.

"My favorite color has always been red. How bright and brash, but fundamental in the spectrum," read Applejack. Rarity bore an interested look.

"Hmm. Good start so far," said Rarity. The rest of the girls paid full attention to AJ's reading.

"In a flash, my eyes ached. When I saw you, My heart then raced," read Applejack. Pinkie gasped.

"Ooh. This sounds like a love poem," said Pinkie with an eager look. Rainbow merely stuck her tongue out with a gag sound.

"Like fire, the colors scorched the air. Like a phoenix, your colors flare," read Applejack. Fluttershy slumped her shoulders as she listened. If this was a love poem, it seemed to be romanticizing the color red a lot.

"The Rose is no match for your pigments. The blood that my heart pumps is no more precious than you," read Applejack.

"Oh!" Rarity placed a hand on her chest. Twilight began to hold a questioning look.

"These feelings, I've said are for chumps." Applejack softly chuckled with a small smile. "Call me a hypocrite."

"Heh. So cheesy," said Rainbow in a teasing tone. The other girls suddenly shushed her, much to her annoyance.

"Something in my heart has been lit. Hair like fire, burning bright like the sun. I hope she'll be my light," said Applejack as she gave soft chuckle.

"Aw," said AJ. Rarity sighed with a dreamy look in her eyes. Pinkie was giggling, while Fluttershy rubbed her arm awkwardly. Sunset bore an impressed look. Twilight was surprised, but also appeared to be pondering something.

"Wow. Who knew he could be a romantic at heart?" asked Applejack.

"So cool!" said Pinkie with her cheeks flushed.

"Talk about an improvement," said Rarity.

"He was associating someone with red hair..." said Twilight, drawing everyone's attention.

"Yeah, so?" asked Rainbow with a raised brow. Twilight looked her way.

"How many girls does Gojira know with red hair?" asked Twilight. Silence filled the air. Suddenly, all eyes fell on Sunset Shimmer. The girl bore a puzzled look.

"Why is..." Sunset looked at the girls in confusion.

"Hair like fire..." said Pinkie with wide eyes. It suddenly hit Sunset Shimmer with a pound of bricks. She grabbed a bit of her hair and brought it over her shoulder in her sight. Her cheeks began to grow hot.

"Y-You don't think..." Sunset stuttered. Rainbow was snorting.

"Oh my God! He's talking about you!" said Rainbow with a laugh. Fluttershy bore a dumbfounded look as she heard this. Her heart ached terribly. Sunset was frozen, unable to speak.

"I-I uh..."

"Take your time, sugarcube," chuckled Applejack with a teasing smile.

"Wow. This is... Kinda awkward," said Twilight with a bemused look. She then noticed Fluttershy holding her knees close to herself as she bore a dejected look.

"Fluttershy?" called Twilight. Rarity noticed the rose haired girl's mood and quickly nudged Rainbow, who was still laughing. An awkward silence filled the air. Suddenly, Junior walked back into the room. He noticed the crowd the girls had on the floor.

"What's going on?" asked Junior. The girls all stiffened at his voice. They all slowly turned to look at Junior nervously. Though Sunset was red as a cherry. Junior raised a brow at them. But, he then noticed that Applejack had a notebook in her hands. His eyes widened in horror.

"Give me that!" said Junior as he snatched the notebook from the girl's hand. His expression was a mix of anger and embarrassment.

"Where did you find this?!" demanded Junior.

"I-I found it. I was snooping under your bed. They had nothing to do with it," confessed Rainbow. "I'm sorry."

"You're so- Why are you going through my stuff?! You don't see me going through people's crap!" said Junior. He looked away as he looked at the book.

"God, I've never been this embarrassed," said Junior in dismay.

"Hey, don't be embarrassed. I think it's swell that you practice poetry," said Applejack.

"But the stuff in here is cringe-worthy. God, I hate my angsty self from years back," said Junior as he held a hand over his face.

"But you seemed to have been improving, darling. Do you still write in it?" asked Rarity with a curious look. Junior avoided eye contact with the girls.

"Yeah. Like, every now and then," said Junior as his cheeks grew hotter.

"So... Was the girl with the hair like fire supposed to be Sunset?" asked Pinkie in curiosity. Sunset buried her face into her lap as her blush deepened. Fluttershy clenched her fists as her eyes slightly watered. Junior still avoided eye contact as his blush deepened.

"I wrote that back in my freshmen year," said Junior in a small tone. Sunset slightly raised her head up.

"It... It was just a stupid crush that I had. It doesn't matter now," said Junior. He felt that he might as well have come clean. He doubted that they were going to let him off the hook.

"Wait... I thought you didn't know who I was," said Sunset, raising her head. Junior glanced at her.

"That time that Fluttershy, Mosura, and myself brought you your school work, you messed up my name. You weren't familiar with me," said Sunset in confusion. Junior sighed heavily.

"I was. I just did that to mess with you. Truthfully, I actually knew who you were. But eh... you had a boyfriend. So I just dropped the crush," said Junior with a shrug.

"That's... I don't know what to say about that," said Rarity.

"Say whatever you want. I honestly don't care. It was just a dumb crush by a dumb kid," said Junior as he went over to his drawer and dropped the notebook inside. Sunset looked at Junior with a soft expression, while Fluttershy was looking at Junior with a frown. The boy noticed that some of the other girls were looking at him the same way. He bore a look of annoyance.

"What?! Look, I've been over it for years, alright? A romantic relationship isn't a necessity for me. I can live without it," said Junior as he crossed his arms. "That's what we do, right? We grow up."

The doorbell rang. The teens turned their attention out of the bedroom door. Senior spoke, his voice filled with surprised and concern. Junior began to make his way out of the room and down the hall, with the girls following him. He found his father and his mother to be standing at the door. He noticed that they were talking to Baragon.

"What's going on?" asked Junior.

"Hey kid. Just telling your old man that the new Director of MONARCH wants to meet," said Baragon.

"What do you mean, 'he wants to meet'?" asked Senior.

"Exactly what it means. One of his guys showed up to me while I was at a bar. Apparently he needs help with something. It's about Xenjira," said Baragon. Senior's eyes slightly widened.

"What's wrong?" asked Senior.

"Apparently there was some disease from space that killed some prisoners. But he survived and escaped. Now they need help looking for him," said Baragon. Senior's brows raised while the girls and Miwa bore concerned looks. Junior looked at Baragon incredulously.

"He escaped?!" asked Junior.

"So, he wants me to help capture him?" questioned Senior.

"That's what I think," said Baragon. Senior sighed as he rubbed his brows.

"You said that an agent claimed that an extraterrestrial infection started in the Vault," said Twilight. Baragon nodded.

"Yeah. I don't know the exact details, but it must have been ugly," said Baragon. Twilight looked to Senior.

"If he was present during the infection it could get bad," said Twilight. Amber nodded.

"She is right, Gojira. A disease completely foreign to all indigenous life on Earth could be catastrophic. For everyone's safety, I recommend that you help MONARCH," said Amber as she sat on a couch. Senior nodded.

"Very well. Miwa, Son, take care," said Senior as he followed Baragon out of the door. Miwa bit her lip worriedly. Junior merely sighed heavily.

"Great. Rogue Transmutants, talking bugs, ancient artifacts that give magic powers to my schoolmates, a racist militant organization, and now my half-brother is infected by an alien disease. What has become of my goddamn life?" asked Junior in dismay.

---

Battra was currently walking alongside Maud in the early noon. Fillydelphia's buildings were larger compared to Ponyville's. The air was cold during this winter season, as was the rest of the country. Snow piled on the streets and sidewalks and properties. Maud's cheeks were red from the blood that was pumped through her veins for warmth. The two entered a cafe, where they were suddenly bathed in warmth. They found themselves seated at a table, where they were facing each other. Battra sighed as he removed his jacket while Maud removed her coat.

"It feels nice in here," said Battra as he stretched. Maud nodded in agreement.

"Very warm," said Maud. The two were provided menus, where they immediately began to look through them. Maud glanced from over her menu and stared at the Transmutant as he read through his menu.

"Do you have an idea on what you want to order?" asked Battra. Maud quickly tore her eyes away as Battra lowered his menu to look her way.

"Maybe just a chicken salad," said Maud.

"I might get the cheese steak," said Battra as he looked through the menu. As the two placed their orders, their menus were taken by the waitress. They now had nothing to distract each other from their presence.

"Are you excited to see Matthew Kingston?" asked Maud. Battra nodded to her in response.

"Absolutely. That man is inspirational," said Battra with a nod. Maud smiled.

"I agree. He is what people need when it comes to human and Transmutant prejudice. He calls out both sides, and he approaches the issue with love," said Maud. Battra sighed.

"Yeah. Unlike some of these other Transmutants, who think that attacking innocent people is a justifiable action," said Battra. He shook his head.

"I tell you, my days in high school were scary. Not because of humans. I was afraid of what angry Transmutant teenagers that listen to their friends and relatives would do," said Battra.

"Like putting on a mask?" asked Maud. Battra gave a short, soft chuckle.

"Exactly. It certainly did me no favors," said Battra.

"No, but it did for me," said Maud as she smiled. She raised two fingers.

"Twice. Twice you saved my sister," said Maud.

"Ah. Technically I had a lot of help the second time," said Battra.

"But still, the fact that you risked your life for her says a lot. I don't know what I'd do if I lost her," said Maud as she took Battra's hand and held it firmly. The young man was blushing as the girl's eyes stared softly into his. Battra cleared his throat as he looked away.

"Hey, is it getting hot in here?" asked Battra as he tugged on his shirt. Maud lightly smiled in amusement.

Meanwhile outside, a white van drove passed the cafe. The van parked just by an alley. From the side came Adrian and Alexandra rushing out, suited up in their armor. Adrian took off into the air as she carried her ally up to the roof of a short building. The two dropped onto the roof and got low to the ground. Adrian pressed on the pad on her gauntlet, causing her drone to shoot out and hover in midair. The drone then flew away from the roof and ascended high above the streets.

"The drone will sweep the area for him. In the meantime, we search from up here, while they find any clues on his whereabouts through social media," said Adrian.

"Why don't we check for like credit card info being used on a hotel or something?" asked Alexandra.

"We tried, but he hasn't seem to have used it. Otherwise we'd be waiting for him at whatever hotel he's in," said Adrian. She sighed heavily.

"Damn, it's a big city," said Adrian.

---

Hayato was sitting in his office alone in silence. His eyes were glued on the words in a document he had out. Several envelopes were lying on his desk, containing names on them. From one open file was a set of documents that contained information of a Transmutant that had long since been detained in the Vault. His mugshot was clipped to his file. The other files were similar. They all were of Transmutant criminals. They ranged from drug lords like Pollo Escobar, the poultry-like Transmutant from Mexicolt. There was also Gabara The Shocker, the Transmutant that could harness electricity and was still at large, having recently robbed a bank. Terrorists, like Destoroyah, and bootleggers such as Kameobas. Some of these criminals were detained back when Onyx was still alive. Others were still out there, continuing their criminal deeds. Hayato thought that researching these criminals that they had on file may provide him and MONARCH some help in continuing to capture more dangerous rogues. That meant learning how they acted, how they thought, what tricks they had up their sleeves.

It could provide some insight on locating Xenjira as well. This was currently the most important thing that needed to be handled. A Transmutant that's loose while carrying a deadly infection of extraterrestrial origin was a lot more troubling at the moment.

As Hayato looked through another file, under the name 'Uchuujin M. Takegami', his brows slightly raised. He recognized this case. He opened the file and found a photo of a man. There was another photo clipped on the side, depicting heavy mining equipment to be lying destroyed. This case dated back twenty years ago.

The file read that Takegami was injured in a mining accident after an earth quake struck a pacific island. He miraculously survived and was quickly treated. However, his inhibitor chip, which was the predecessor of the inorganic chip that was utilized in Transmutants in the womb, was damaged. After he was treated, Takegami displayed aggressive behavior that led to hostility. Eventually, he was detained and locked in the Vault. To this day, he resides in the Vault. He was one of few examples of Transmutants being incarcerated not because of criminal acts, but because of losing self-control. This was one of the biggest drawbacks in having a Transmutant be free after being suppressed by an inhibitor chip from a younger age. They tended to display aggressive behavior, but they didn't often attack in a blind, primal rage unless their lives felt threatened.

As Hayato read on, he noticed that something didn't add up. Tamegami's file states that he was born in 1960, years before the first inhibitor chip was developed. Also, Yoshi learned that Transmutants that are no longer restrained by inhibitor chips weren't prone to aggression if they grew up and properly developed through puberty and such prior to being chipped. Takegami was already an adult during his mining accident. He shouldn't have displayed the kind of behavior that he did. Meaning what happened must have been caused by another source, though this was a hunch. The science behind what Hayato knew could really be wrong. As he read closer, he noticed a section of Takegami's health record during that time. He then saw that he was taking anti-depressants. They weren't anything that he recognized. No, that wasn't true. He was familiar with them. Hayato quickly rushed to the file cabinet and drew out Angirasu Riku's file. He opened it and read through the file. He came across his recent medical record that mentioned his surgery to have his inhibitor chip removed. He was also prescribed the same medication that Takegami was years ago. Yoshi reached for his laptop and booted it up. He came across an audio file that he recently saved. It was under a sub file called 'surveillance', with a number of audio files through the months. The most recent one was called, 'Aiko Report 15'. Hayato opened the file and played the audio.

"This is Lieutenant Aiko Riku, reporting on the 12th of January, 2008. The subject has been troublesome as of late." Aiko's voice came from the file that played. "After being suspended for fighting another student, he continues to act rebellious and disrespectful to higher authority. He claims that he still takes his depressants, but I have a suspicion that he doesn't. Currently, he is grounded," said Aiko. A sigh came from her voice.

"I don't know what's wrong. My sister and brother in law always said that he was well behaved ever since I sent him to live with them, meaning that his hostility and aggression was caused by me. I don't know how to solve this. But obviously, avoiding him all of these years was the wrong way to handle what happened. Aiko Riku, signing off." The audio file ended. Hayato's eyes slightly narrowed as he looked to both Angirasu's and Takegami's files. He stood up and placed a hand on a COMM.

"Get me the science division. I need someone to run an analysis on a regulated medicinal product," said Hayato.

Comments

[The Bloon-Man]

Things seem to be getting quite interesting

[Julian the Dreamer]

Well, I didn't see that possible twist coming.

By the way, you should remove the extra space between paragraphs.

[DualKitsune]

So it's the medicine is it? Makes sense not all humans react the same to medication, so transmutants certainly wouldn't!

[Louka the great]

We have a conformed year! *confetti starts flying all over the place* or wait have I not noticed the year and been a stoopid.

[Sidetrack]

"Does it matter?" asked Fluttershy.

Worms won't fit back into that can.