It's Boom Time

Training Chamber Two — 8:36 PM

The chamber hummed with power, its walls glowing faintly as Kira and Decibolt circled each other. The floor vibrated under Decibolt's velocity; each step left a brief shimmer of sonic distortion. Kira's aura burned bright around her, rippling like heat off metal.

"You can't defeat me," Decibolt taunted, skidding past her in a streak of silver-blue. "My Supersonic Decibolt is leagues above your aura mode."

Kira lunched Kinetic Punch Barrage. He slipped past her strikes, swatting one aside, ducking another. A faint sting opened across his cheek as one near-hit grazed him, leaving a thin red line he ignored.

"I told you I was going to surpass you," she said, breath tight but determined. "I've been working on a new attack. I'm this close to perfecting it."

She gathered aura around her hand — but the energy detonated prematurely. A sharp crack echoed, and she slammed into the ground, sliding across the polished floor. A small cut opened at her eyebrow, a warm trickle sliding down her temple.

Decibolt smirked. "Face it. You'll never surpass me."

Kira pushed herself up, brushing dust from her arms. "It just needs a little more work. Anyway—shard hunting. We're done with Mexico. How about California? Los Angeles to start?"

"Sure," Decibolt replied.

They shot up the tubes and stepped into the portal's whirl of color.

California — Los Angeles — 8:43 PM

They emerged into warm night air, neon glow sliding across their suits.

"Pretty sure I can finish my side before you," Kira said.

"If you want to lose twice today," Decibolt shot back, "be my guest."

They hopped onto their bikes, engines roaring as they split off in opposite directions.

Kira's Side

She skidded to a stop beside a metal drain, nose wrinkling. "Don't tell me it's in the sewers... ugh. The things I do to prove myself."

She pried open the manhole and climbed down. The smell hit her like a slap, stinging her eyes.

"Saying this place reeks is an understatement," she muttered.

Up ahead, across a sluggish river of sewage, several shards glimmered faintly.

"Great. Through the river it is."

She lifted her hand, molecular kinesis slicing a thin, stable path across the sludge.

"This is still disgusting," she whispered as she crossed, boots splashing occasionally, spraying tiny flecks of filth onto her suit.

She snatched the shards and turned to leave — then froze.

A deep rumbling echoed.

"No... the system's flushing out!"

A tidal surge of sewage roared toward her.

"I hate this."

Her aura burst outward. She activated Full Body Repulsion, bracing as the wave slammed into the invisible barrier. Her nose bled from the strain, a thin line sliding over her lip, but she held her ground.

"Thank everything... I didn;t think I would be able to hold it that long" she gasped as the flow settled. "Kid, you're going to pay for this."

She scrambled up and out of the sewer, taking a huge breath of clean air.

Decibolt's Side

"She thinks she's better than me," he muttered, racing across uneven farmland. "I'll show her what a level-13 Crystal Cadet can do."

He stopped at a towering maze of maize.

"The shard is in there. Trivial."

He walked in. The scanners glitched on the organic walls, leaving only a vague location marker.

Forks. Turns. Dead ends. More turns. He ended up lost enough that even he grew annoyed.

"Fine. Deci-locate."

He focused.

"Left... right... right... left... right."

He followed the pattern — and found nothing. His scanner beeped as the shard moved again.

"Let's try that again."

Another pulse.

"...It's on a four-legged creature? Seriously? Forget the maze."

He rblasted upward. A cow grazed peacefully below, shards sparkling on its back.

He landed lightly on the animal.

"What a peculiar creature," he said, tilting his head. "Its brain capacity is so low."

He plucked the shard and shot back into the sky.

The Center

Kira and Decibolt rolled in at the same time.

"I knew I'd win," she said.

"What? You still have one shard left."

"It's in your zone, hoodie boy."

"It's in yours."

They both checked their scanners.

"LA Warehousing," Decibolt read aloud. "Best Warehousing at the Center of the City."

"So both zones," Kira said. "Let's just get it."

Inside — Second Floor

Kira peered around. "It's moving."

"Of course it is," Decibolt muttered.

They reached the catwalk. A female figure stood there — ash-blonde hair streaked with scorch-red, black combat gear, red-tinted goggles glowing faintly.

A summon.

"We almost have everything Professor E asked for," the man said. "We just need—"

"Your butts kicked," Kira snapped. "Because that's what you're gonna get."

The summoner blinked. "I thought you fools were still in Mexico. No matter. Agent boom."

The woman stepped forward, palm brightening into a crimson sphere.

"It's boom time."

She lobbed it. Decibolt opened his mouth to comment — but the blast hurled both heroes through the window. They crashed onto the pavement below, skidding until they came to a dusty stop. Kira scraped her arm, a thin cut trailing blood as she got back up.

More red spheres rained from above.

"Move!" Decibolt shouted.

They dove as explosions shook the street. Smoke swallowed them. A red glow formed within.

Agent boom emerged.

"Boom time is nowhere near over."

She fired a larger sphere — Kira smashed it down with molecular kinesis, the shockwave numbing her hands.

"Kinetic Punch Barrage!" she shouted.

Decibolt charged in. Agent boom leapt through the smoke, hurling five more spheres; the blasts shoved them across the cracked ground, bruising ribs and knocking the wind from them.

"What's your read?" Decibolt coughed, wiping a smear of blood from his nose.

"Specialist. Combat power: 520."

Agent boom smiled. "Only time for Kaboom."

Her next volley shattered their Molecular Deci Shield, slamming them to the floor.

"Close-range, then," Decibolt snarled. "Sonic Step!"

He streaked forward. Agent boom crafted another bomb mid-punch; the resulting blast sent Decibolt tumbling across concrete, elbow scraped raw.

Three more bombs flew at Kira — she sent them back with molecular kinesis. They exploded against Agent boom, who didn't even flinch.

"My bombs don't work on me," she said proudly. "But they sure work on you."

Red shards coated her fist. Each punch a miniature detonation. Kira and Decibolt were flung back repeatedly, uniforms singed, new scrapes forming on their arms and legs.

"I Remember when I used to be a hero," Agent boom said. "Now? I can destroy anything. No guilt at all."

She threw two spheres into houses.

"You better hurry."

Kira and Decibolt rushed in and evacuated the families seconds before the homes collapsed.

Agent boom laughed softly. "I would've done the same once. Now you're the ones who go boom."

More blasts shoved them into the ground. Kira's side ached, and another small cut opened on her cheek.

"She's the strongest summon we've faced," she grunted.

Agent boom hammered the ground; the explosions carved a massive crater. Dust clung to their skin.

"I could never have blown up an entire street as a hero," she said. "Being a villain is so easy."

"You said you were a hero," Kira said, panting. "Well — you still are. (Thinking) I'm going to sound so corny. Theo created you to be the hero of your world — protect the innocent. You can't let some random summoner turn you into a villain."

Agent boom hesitated. "I... I hurt innocent people."

"You destroyed their homes!"

"I'm just like Crimson Alchemist," Agent boom whispered. "The one I risked everything to stop."

The summoner snapped, "Agent boom! Destroy them!"

"You don't have to—" Kira started.

Agent boom cut her off. "Nice try. But I'm a villain now. To prove it — Explosive Moon!"

She launched upward, forming a gigantic glowing sphere and pressing it downward.

"I can stop her," Kira said. "I just need your sonic platforms. And your ripple blast to slow it."

"My ripple blast can do more than slow it," Decibolt said, bleeding lightly from a nostril. "Final Supersonic Ripple Blast!"

He unleashed it. The huge sphere slowed... but didn't stop.

"If you're done proving me right," Kira said breathlessly, "platforms, please."

He grumbled but shaped a rising path of sonic platforms.

Kira's aura blazed. She climbed upward, keeping balance despite her scraped palms and stinging cuts.

"The city depends on your attack!" Decibolt called.

"Focus," Kira whispered. "Control the flow."

She wrapped aura around her hand, climbed the last platform, and scaled the bomb. Agent boom hovered above, red light swirling.

"You want front-row seats to your demise?" Agent boom sneered. "Fine."

"I'm here to end this."

"You couldn't scratch me before."

"So you'll destroy your summoner too?"

"He has left to Professor E. Nothing stops me now."

"One law does," Kira said.

"And that is?"

"The good guys always win."

Her aura surged.

"And Molecular Girl surpasses all others."

She reeled back.

"Super Kinetic Punch!"

The impact roared like thunder. Aura trailed in a blazing arc as the strike sent Agent boom hurtling downward, crashing into the ground below.

Kira descended the sonic platforms as Decibolt obliterated the giant bomb with a final ripple blast.

Agent boom tried to rise. "This isn't over— I can still—"

Kira cut her off with two clean spin-kicks. Agent boom staggered.

"Full Body Repulsion!"

The force launched Agent boom skyward before Kira leaped up and hammered her back down, cracking the ground where Agent boom landed in a defeated heap.

Decibolt dusted himself off. "The summoner?"

"Gone," Kira said. "Headed to Professor E."

"Who is that?"

"V.S. general. We never fought him — he worked in Vegas."

"New V.L.?"

"Possible."

Decibolt smirked. "Even with that attack, I'm stronger."

Kira flexed her hand, aura dimming. "Super Kinetic Punch is just the beginning. More are coming."