Prodigy

A blade? So, turning the lights on and off is a power he or someone they work with has.

Kasugo swung his baseball bat, striking the girl in the stomach and knocking her down. She writhed in pain as Kasugo didn't hold back. The young man was now furious. Kasugo, Iroko and the guy himself were forced to look directly at the light on the ceiling.

I can't turn my head around!

"I didn't want to use my power, but you left me no choice," the young man said. "You'll pay for hurting my sister!"

Iroko pretended to be asleep to catch them by surprise. But what can I do? he thought. If I shoot with my rifle, our hideout will be doomed!

The light was burning Kasugo's eyes, so he closed them.

If I had to guess, I'd say they're going to turn off the lights and take advantage of my constricted pupils.

The man picked up the phone and called someone.

"Off, now!" he shouted, and the lights went out again.

If I had to guess, I'd say the girl is aiming for my neck.

Kasugo quickly painted his head. The girl brandished her blade against his neck, barely scratching it. He made his metal bat disappear and grabbed her neck, squeezing it with all his might. Her brother started running towards Kasugo, grabbing a pocketknife and striking him on the head.

Kasugo dodged, as he could clearly hear his footsteps. Then, he grabbed the enemy's hand and punched him in the head as hard as he could, knocking him unconscious. The lights came back on. Kasugo and Iroko could now look around.

"What's the point of turning the lights on and off if all I can look at is the ceiling?" Kasugo commented sarcastically. "You just forced me to use my other senses."

"Thank you, Kasugo," Iroko said as he stood up. "I'm sorry I couldn't be of help."

"So you were awake. Worry not, that means you trusted me to take care of them, right? They were just common thugs."

"But this means they know our hideout, right?"

"Yeah, unfortunately. The lock is broken now, so we have to block the door somehow.

"I can stay awake and keep watch."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, don't worry!"

"Let me finish these two off," Kasugo said as he approached the unconscious players and repeatedly struck them on the head with his metal bat until their skulls were fractured.

You need to turn your emotions off for this game... is it as easy as it looks? Well, I have to admit it looks kind of fun.

Tracy was outside, calling her team.

Why are they not picking up? You gotta be shitting me...

She was biting her nails in frustration.

Whatever, I just have to wait for someone else to come and steal their kill.

Hours went by and no one showed up.

Why is no one coming?! Am I the only one who knows their location? Why is Sparky so interested in them?

She was now tired of waiting.

If I tell her that her subordinates failed under my supervision, my image will be ruined... I must accomplish this mission alone. But first...

She fell asleep.

It was already noon. Iroko and Kasugo were tired after taking turns, but suddenly they felt a surge of energy.

What? Is this adrenaline?

"It's Kuroki," Kasugo said. "He replenished our energy temporarily."

"Wait, he can do that?"

"Yeah, he always finds new ways to use his power. And he's no low-level either."

"But now he can also heal, right? Does that mean our energy will be fully restored after a while?"

"Good point, I hadn't thought of that. He'll be pushing his body for now, but he'll have a chance to rest later."

"So, since there aren't any civilians now, do you think we should go to another building?"

"Your rifle will reveal our location anyway. I'm here to protect your back."

Tracy woke up, still feeling tired.

I'm still alive... Wait, are they still there?

Iroko placed his rifle on the windowsill. Tracy saw it.

They haven't moved... Well, I'll wait and see if anyone shows up. If not, I'll have to inform Sparky. She's quite impatient...

Iroko aimed with the scope. "Can you see her?" Kuroki asked.

"Yeah, Minako's in sight," Iroko replied confidently. "She's very far away, but I can now zoom in infinitely with my scope."

"Wait, seriously?" Kasugo asked, surprised.

"I recently unlocked it, but it's difficult to use since the bullet still takes a while to arrive."

"So Minako just needs to make her target stand still, right?"

"She doesn't seem like the type of fighter who would do that..."

Minako walked down a long corridor that could be seen through the glass wall. She chewed gum nonchalantly. Someone stopped a few meters ahead of her. It was a sheriff with two revolvers holstered. He had a cowboy hat and a nlack mask that covered only around his eyes. He had a generic, yet menacing appearance, typical of the far west.

He grabbed his two pistols and twirled them dramatically. Minako watched his movements without showing any reaction.

"Should I shoot, Kasugo?" Iroko muttered, conflicted.

"Didn't you just say that Minako doesn't like to stand still? She can handle it, don't worry. If she gets hurt, Kuroki can heal her."

"You're right... but I will keep watching in case anything happens."

Minako was essentially a prodigy. As a child, she couldn't do anything on her own. She was fragile, small, and dependent on others, mainly because she couldn't speak. When she finally became interested in martial arts, everything changed. Well, not instantly.

Her early years were difficult and full of pain. She could only beat students much younger than herself. Her judo teacher, however, never gave up on her. "Can you stand up?" she asked, extending her hand to the defeated girl.

This made Minako admire her master. She frequented the dojo whenever she could, in an attempt to hone her skills. But she wasn't content to train with other students; she wanted her master.

Her master never denied her a fight. She was kind, determined, and loyal. She would do anything for her students. Until Minako started to improve, she had to hold back. But then... her growth, not only in skill but also in size, increased unexpectedly.

Now she could easily defeat all her classmates. This was partly due to her physical stature, but her effort was even more important. If she were smaller, for example, she would have other strategies to face her opponents. Being big didn't necessarily mean she would beat anyone in any kind of fight.

Of course, some fights needed their rules adjusted to be fair, but Minako was still a worthy opponent in any fighting style. Her master encouraged her to attend other dojos and learn more martial arts, as her potential was astounding.

She learned karate and surprised everyone, then jiu-jitsu, aikido, boxing, and much more, reaching the highest levels in the shortest time possible. She challenged herself to become strong in every way to protect those she loved.

But one thing was still missing: social skills. She wasn't awkward, shy, or angry. She was incapable of expressing emotions naturally, just like Iroko. Most people saw her as threatening, imposing, and didn't want to risk getting close to her.

This didn't necessarily mean she hated the people around her. She understood; after all, as a child, she wasn't exceptional at anything, but now she was too extraordinary. People liked balance. Others preferred extremes, perhaps that's why Iroko was interested in her. Mediocrity bored them both.

That being said, the sheriff seemed mediocre to her. As soon as she started running toward him, he fired several times with his revolvers. But the bullets didn't pierce her; instead, they lodged in her clothing for a few seconds and then exploded in powerful shockwaves that caused considerable damage to her internal organs and bones.

As the sheriff was about to reload his weapons, Minako ran to a nearby bathroom. The sheriff was confused, as this would leave her trapped.

She's trying a surprise attack... I'm not good at close range. But I can't leave now, she'll come after me if I let her live.

He cautiously entered the bathroom, pointing his weapons in all directions. She was inside a stall, waiting for the right moment, and then summoned a shadow of him into the stall. Next, she punched the replica and broke down the door to close the distance.

How did she hit me?

Even with the shadow's damage, he managed to hit her with all his shots. She grabbed some of the small white balls and threw them at the ceiling lights, shattering them and plunging the room into darkness. The other bullets exploded inside her body, but she managed to summon his shadow clone and beat him to death.