Riley Ross

"They… legit took us to a hotel?"

"They told us it was to show us how the world works, Gray."

"We're literally like minors. And you're literally twelve, dude!"

Not all of Ohio was destroyed. There were parts that were left relatively untouched, and by untouched meant they were just outside the heatwave that was the aftermath of the Phoenix Wrath.

And right now, Riley and the others were stepping off the bus and heading to what seemed to be some sort of luxurious hotel. Gracey stared in awe at the scale and the design of the hotel—it was brutalist, almost as if imitating the flat land of what was left of most of Ohio.

The windows, if there actually were, were just holes far and few in between. Everything else, however, screamed of luxury.

"...And this is how the world works." Tomoe let out a tiny sigh beneath her robotic tone, "When the Phoenix Wrath happened, the zonal value of what's left of Ohio plummeted to almost zero. Even then, people didn't buy them as the memory and the tragedy the land held was too much—but of course, with the way the world works, tragedy turns into profit. Phoenix Wrath became a tourist destination."

"...Who would want to visit a cemetery?" Gracey raised an eyebrow, pulling back her blonde hair and checking her reflection in the metal of one of the bellman's carts to make sure her disguise was still intact.

"We are here. Are we not, Gracey?" Riley tilted his head before looking around, "Now, where is Sister?"

"Riley!"

And as soon as he mentioned her name, a loud scream came from above them. They looked up, only to see Hannah dropping from all the way to one of the highest floors of the hotel—her speed didn't stop at all, only until she landed on the ground with a small thud and steam seeping out from the edges of her clothes.

"Sister."

"Riley!" Hannah's eyes widened. She called for Riley before a deep gasp escaped her lips. She then rushed toward him… and then rolled her fist and swung it toward Riley's stomach. Riley, however, was able to dodge it by leaning and leaping back.

"Why the fuck would you do something like that?!" Hannah screamed—no. She roared at Riley before spinning into the air with her leg, threatening to split him in half. Riley used his arm to deflect her kick, but Hannah used this chance to hook his arm.

And like some sort of spider monkey, her arms slithered across Riley's body and completely locked his arms from behind. She quickly let go, however, not to free Riley but to place her arms around his neck instead to hold him in a choke.

"Shouldn't we… do something?" Gracey took in a small gulp as she slowly glanced at Tomoe.

"Do you truly wish to get in between that?"

"...Noted."

The two, however, could really only watch as Hannah tightened her hold around Riley's neck.

"What's it gonna be, bro?" Hannah's eyes twitched, "Are you still gonna do something that reckless? Huh?"

Riley did not seem to be in distress at all, however, and looked like he was completely used to being strangled like this by Hannah. Instead, he just calmly tapped her arm, and she quickly let go of him, lightly pushing him away before pulling him back into a hug.

"I'm really glad you're safe," she whispered. She then glanced at Gracey and Tomoe.

"You two, guys."

"I'm really glad I'm safe too," Gracey brushed her nose and sniffled, "Although I had no idea what happened."

"Thank you, Hannah Ross." Tomoe bowed.

"By the way… I heard Benjamin was there, too?" Hannah finally let go of Riley, "Where… is he?"

"Talking to a teacher of something," Gracey shrugged before looking around, "And where are the others?"

"I told them to go ahead and reserve us some seats at the buffet," Hannah looked Gracey in the eyes, "Because I'm fucking hungry waiting for you guys to fucking return. Fuck… Ack. I don't wanna cry. Fuck. Let's just eat, I know you guys are hungry too. And…

…I also wanna know what happened."

***

"Wait—some ninja got they head chopped off? Damn, that's straight savage."

"M-Megawoman came?"

"You fucking fought a supervillain one-on-one and won?"

"Are you… okay, Riley?"

Bella, Pauline, Hannah, and Victoria all had different reactions as they told them of everything that had happened on the ship. Surprisingly, it was Tomoe who recounted the events—Riley wasn't interested at all and was focusing on his food, and Gracey was as confused as the rest of the girls, as she was unconscious the entire time.

She did, however, have a serious expression on her face as she motioned for everyone to huddle up and lean over the table.

"But get this…" She whispered, "...Whiteking said there was a mole in the Academy."

"W-what?"

"He… revealed that in front of everyone?"

"A mole…? Why are there animals in the Academy?"

"No, she meant a fucking spy, B."

"Aw, hell no."

To the servers and staff who were walking around their table, the Baby Crew looked like a regular set of friends. Like normal teenagers. Their topic, however, was anything but normal.

"Who… do you think it could be?" Pauline slightly gasped, covering her mouth as she looked around, afraid that someone might hear them, "Whiteking wouldn't just reveal that if he didn't have some… some sort of plan, right?"

"Girl, we the ones supposed to be askin' you," Bella squinted at Pauline. "You the one out here readin' minds and shit. You peep anyone actin… sus?"

"I… it's rude to get into other people's minds," Pauline gasped at Bella. But after a few seconds, she once again looked around and leaned even closer to the others, causing them to also lean in. Even Tomoe, who found herself leaning on her arms as she lifted herself ever-so-slightly from her seat to listen in.

"But…" Pauline whispered, "I have to be honest. And this is not me admitting or saying that I've tried to tap into the instructors' minds, because I definitely haven't and didn't… but sometimes I accidentally do it—and most of the instructors actually have some sort of shield that prevents me from reading their minds."

"The hell—girl. So you really don't know nothin'."

"What about… Whiteking?" Gracey asked, and Hannah stopped herself from reacting as she just focused on Pauline's next words.

"Oh, no… Surprisingly… Whiteking doesn't have it? A shield."

"W-what?" Victoria's eyes widened as she glanced at Riley and Hannah, "Then… you and other telepaths are free to read his mind?"

"Yes…?"

"What is it? Why do you sound so confused?" Gracey narrowed her eyes at Pauline.

"I… accidentally read Whiteking's mind when he showed himself yesterday at the Phoenix Wrath," Pauline placed both her hands on her mouth to think, "But I couldn't understand any of his thoughts. It was as if… there were so many thoughts happening at once, but not really? It was so noisy that I couldn't really read anything. It was… it was the complete opposite of when I tried to read Riley's mind."

"Oh? Why…?" Victoria blinked, the tone of her voice turning slightly high-pitched as she glanced at Riley, "What… happened when you tried to read Riley's mind?"

"I saw… nothing," Pauline shrugged. "I just saw myself? What was he looking at at the moment? It was honestly scary. Sorry, Riley."

"I should be the one who is sorry, Pauline."

"N-no. It's—"

"Wait. What about the one who died?" Hannah cut off the conversation, and Pauline didn't seem to mind at all as she also focused her attention on Tomoe and Riley, "Did… they seriously behead her right in front of all of you?"

"Yes," Tomoe answered before Riley could say anything. "The student was choking at first, perhaps having a panic attack when one of them came and… tore his head off."

"What the fuck… and then what about Megawoman?"

Everyone's ears perked up when they heard that. But before Tomoe could start explaining, Gracey stood up.

"W-wait, you continue your story. I'm just gonna get some food. I'm… hungry," she muttered, "You guys want anything?"

"Lobsters, go get some lobsters!" Hannah pointed at her, "Before the other tables get it!"

"Fuck!" Gracey quickly rushed and ran away. And for a moment there, they truly did look like a normal set of friends.

But sadly, none of you will ever be normal while I am here. I should probably learn to distance myself. Away from you, Sister. If this event has made me realize anything, if this Dark Millennium organization has taught me anything…

…it is that I do not belong in Mega Academy. My urges and my thirst would only grow stronger, more uncontrollable. I can not do what I am meant to do enclosed inside a dome, with my only targets trapped with me—there is no fun in that.

So, Sister and her friends, I believe our time together from now on will be short. But for now, I suppose…

…I will finish this succulent roasted duck.

***

"No… no…" Somewhere on the outskirts of a certain city, deep in the dark alleys, Ricky was hiding in the shadows. There were others there, covered in all sorts of cloth, which they perhaps found in the dumpsters. They were like rats, hiding from the shadows.

Really, the only light there was the phone in Ricky's hands, which was showing the footage of Riley coming down from the sky.

He then switched to another tab, only for the official Hero Rankings to reflect in his eyes. Or more specifically, Sweet Snowy Little Baby Boy's name in the rankings… which was getting higher and higher in the list.

"No. No. No!" Ricky shook his head, and the air around him distorted as a clone shot out from his body.

"No…" And this clone, too, was saying the same thing as he was.

"Why… why are they praising him like he's a hero?!" Ricky immediately went to the forums, typing in all sorts of slurs in all caps before he tapped submit… only for him to find that his account had been banned.

"No! Why… why is my life so miserable?! All… all because of you. So, why… why do you—"

"Would you like revenge on him?"

And all of a sudden, a voice whispered from behind him. Ricky quickly stood up… and so did the other residents of the alley. Residents… who all held the same face as his.

And they were all now staring at the shadow that was suddenly within their midst.

"Who… are you?"

He saw the shadow's teeth as it smiled.

"Answer my question first. Would you like revenge on him? On the boy?"

"YES." Ricky and all of the clones who were there with him answered all at the same time.

"Very well. Take it," the shadow reached his hand out toward Ricky,

"And the Dark Millennium would welcome you, Replica Ricky."