MUGEN Voltage

Ch. 16: This Sinking Feeling

FRIDAY
-Kouya's Shed 10:15 AM-

Kouya and his guardian Osamu are currently planning to move out from the dinky little shed in the back of Yumekobo High School that they have been dwelling on for years, into a larger, much more cozy apartment, after having been offered a new home by Osamu's granddaughter, the kind-hearted and sweet aspiring artist Iro Harada, who plans to stay in Shin-Majima herself alongside the two.

Kouya and Iro were carrying around some of their heavier stuff from the shed, onto a logistics truck parked outside the school.

In keeping with the reputation of Shin-Majima as an eco-friendly and pollution-free town, the trucks in Shin-Majima, as with every other vehicle in the city, do not run on fossil fuels. Rather, they run on solar energy, gathering energy from the sun and converting it into a reusable power source. Extra power is then stored in a battery that can last for until 7 days of normal usage in a full charge.

Back in the shed, Osamu observes the two as he thinks about all the memories he in that shed for his 25 years of serving for Yumekobo High School. Kouya takes notice and checks on him.

"Um... Old Man Osamu?" Said Kouya. "We've carried most of the stuff out."

"Oh! Uhh... That's great, Kouya." Osamu replied.

"Well, looks like this is it. For all the 40 years I've served for this school, it's finally time to leave this little shed and move on to a real home." Osamu continued. "So many memories... most good, others bad... but they're memories that I'll always cherish."

"Same here. I'm gonna miss this shed." Said Kouya. "Well, at least I'll stick around in this place until I finish middle school... hopefully."

"Ahaha! Don't be so negative, Kouya." Osamu replied, patting Kouya in the back. "I'm sure you'll pass someday."

"Tell that to all my failed subjects last semester..." Said Kouya.

"Now, now..." Osamu replied.

Eventually, Iro calls out from outside.

"Kou-chan? Grampy? It's moving time." Said Iro. "I just called us a cab outside. Should we go now?"

Kouya and Osamu look at each other.

"Time to go." Said Osamu.

Kouya nods in agreement, as the two leave the shed and hop to the taxi cab that Iro had called, while the truck that's carrying around their stuff takes the lead. Eventually, the truck and the taxi cab both proceed to move on to their next destination: the apartment.

-Taxi Cab 10:32 AM-

The truck and the taxi cab were riding along smoothly along the traffic-free roads of Shin-Majima. During the trip, Iro decides to strike a conversation with Kouya.

"Say, Kou-chan. Anything else interesting that you've been up to recently?" Said Iro. "Other than, y'know, your friends."

"Not much, really. I managed to buy myself a Playcast-X just from my part-time jobs and the allowance you gave me." Kouya replied. "The grind was hard as hell, but hey, at least it was worth it."

"Oh, you have an Playcast-X?" Said Iro. "Say, what games do you have?"

"Umm, let's see... Fighting Champions IX, Monster Fantasy, War of Duty..." Kouya replied. "Y'know, the usual stuff."

"Oh, nice! Say, wanna challenge me for a couple of rounds in Fighting Champions once we get there?" Said Iro. "I've been maining Ling-Fang for a while myself."

"Hehe, sure! I can't wait to see how your Ling-Fang fares against my Ryuga!" Kouya replied.

"Again with the video games, I see." Osamu added.

"Oh, sorry about that, Old Man Osamu." Said Kouya.

"Oh, no, no, don't worry about me." Osamu replied. "I was just observing your discussions, that's all."

"I see." Said Kouya.

"Fufufu!" Iro added.

As the cab drives further, Iro continues to grow more and more weary.

"Umm... Kou-chan..." Said Iro.

"Yes?" Kouya replied.

"I'm... I'm getting this... sinking feeling." Said Iro. "Someone's coming..."

"What do you mean by-" Kouya replied.

Suddenly, the cab comes to a halt.

"Huh? What just happened?" Said Kouya. "Hey! Driver-san!"

"I don't know! I keep stepping on the gas, but we aren't movi-" The driver replied.

Suddenly, the cab began to seemingly sink into the asphalt. At that point, Kouya knew exactly what they're dealing with.

"No doubt about it... this is the work of an Irregular!" Said Kouya.

"An... Irregular?!" Iro replied.

"All of you, don't open the doors!" Said Kouya. "It'll be our end if we do!"

"But...!" Said Iro.

"I have a plan to break us out of here." Said Kouya. "Just trust me on it, OK?"

Iro, Osamu and the driver all nod in agreement as Kouya attempts to break them out of the car. Using his Shockmaster ability, Kouya breaks open the windows of the cab, and proceeds to climb up the roof of the car.

-Streets 10:36 AM-

Upon leaving the car, Kouya saw that the asphalt had turned into a sticky, quicksand-like substance. Kouya then reaches out his hand to help Iro and the others escape.

"Hold my hand! Hurry!" Said Kouya.

Iro takes Kouya's hand as she gets out of the car and goes up to the roof.

"Now, leap onto the sidewalk and run off." Said Kouya. "I'll take care of this."

"But, Kou-chan..." Iro replied.

"Relax, Iro-san." Said Kouya. "I got this."

"Kou-chan..." Iro replied.

Iro follows Kouya's orders and leaps to the sidewalks, narrowly avoiding the puddle of quicksand. Soon, Kouya rescues Osamu and the cab's driver in the same way.

"Kouya... are you sure you can handle this?" Said Osamu.

"Just trust me, Old Man." Kouya replied, as he makes a thumbs up.

Osamu, Iro and the driver nod in agreement. The three of them eventually run off to the nearest sidewalk, with Iro and Osamu staying behind and watching over Kouya, while the driver continued to run as far away as possible.

"Now that that's taken care of..." Said Kouya, as he leaps off the car. "Time to figure out who could have done this."

As Kouya walked around the sidewalk, he suddenly heard a voice coming out from behind him.

"It's about time you showed up..." Said a male voice. "Shockmaster."

"Who are you...?" Kouya replied.

TO BE CONTINUED