[Time: 08:25 AM][Location: Forest Perimeter – 500 Meters from U.A. Sensor Boundary]
"Let's dance," Reiji had said.
But Gentle Criminal had no intention of dancing.
"I apologize, Kurobane-kun!" Gentle shouted, his voice vibrating with the surplus power of La Brava's love. "But the stage is waiting! I cannot waste my opening act on a skirmish!"
Gentle crouched. The pink aura around him flared.
BOING.
He didn't attack Reiji. He launched himself straight up into the air.
He moved like a bullet. The elasticized air propelled him forward at speeds that made the wind scream.
[Target Velocity: 300 km/h.][Trajectory: Direct line to U.A. West Gate.]
Reiji's eyes narrowed as he tracked the villain arcing over the trees.
"He's running," Reiji analyzed calmly. "Smart. He knows his win condition isn't defeating me; it's triggering the alarm."
If Gentle touched the school barrier, the sensors would trip. The lockdown would engage. The festival would be canceled.
[Quest Condition: Prevent Alarm Trigger.][Distance to Sensor Boundary: 450 meters.][Time to Impact: 6 seconds.]
"Too slow."
Reiji didn't run. He calculated the landing point.
[Skill: Teleport.]
ZAP.
Reiji vanished in a swirl of violet flame.
[Airspace – 30 meters above ground]
Gentle soared through the sky, his coat flapping wildly. La Brava clung to his back, her eyes squeezed shut.
"We did it, Gentle! We passed him!"
"Indeed!" Gentle laughed, adjusting his course by bouncing off a pocket of air. "That boy is strong, but he cannot catch a gentleman who has—"
FWISH.
A figure appeared in mid-air, directly in Gentle's flight path.
Reiji hovered there for a split second, gravity taking hold, but his momentum was zero. He was simply an obstacle placed in the way.
"Access Denied," Reiji stated.
[Style: Mortal Kombat.][Skill: Aerial Throw.]
Reiji grabbed Gentle's collar mid-flight. Using the villain's own forward momentum, Reiji spun his body and hurled Gentle downward.
"WHAT?!"
Gentle was spiked toward the earth like a volleyball.
CRASH.
Gentle slammed into the forest floor, creating a crater of dirt and pine needles.
Reiji landed gracefully on a tree branch above him.
[Distance to Sensor Boundary: 400 meters.]
"You are persistent!" Gentle groaned, standing up instantly thanks to his buffed defense. "La Brava, hold on tight! Gently... Super Trampoline!"
Gentle slapped the ground. The entire forest floor rippled.
BOING.
He ricocheted off the earth, launching himself horizontally through the trees like a pinball.
Ping. Pong. Ping.
He bounced off tree trunks, gaining speed with every impact, zigzagging toward the school.
"Mobility type," Reiji noted, his eyes tracking the blur. "Annoying."
Reiji jumped from the branch.
[Skill: Shadow Clone (Noob Saibot).]
A black, oily silhouette peeled away from Reiji's body.
"Cut him off."
The Shadow Clone sprinted through the trees, phasing through trunks, moving in a straight line while Gentle zigzagged.
Gentle was about to bounce off a large oak tree to propel himself toward the final clearing.
SWISH.
The Shadow Clone emerged from the oak tree's shadow, delivering a rising uppercut.
"Guuh!" Gentle was knocked off course, tumbling into a bush.
But he didn't stop. He turned the air into a cushion, bounced back up, and kept running.
[Distance to Sensor Boundary: 200 meters.]
Reiji teleported again, appearing in front of Gentle.
"Fireball!"
Reiji threw a condensed sphere of spirit fire.
Gentle didn't dodge. He created a wall of elastic air. The fireball bounced off it and exploded against a tree.
"Your attacks are blunt, Kurobane!" Gentle yelled, sprinting past him. "You cannot break my spirit!"
"I don't need to break your spirit," Reiji muttered, turning to chase. "I just need to break your legs."
[System Warning: Mana at 60%.][Repeated Teleportation causing spatial fatigue.]
They were getting too close. The grey concrete wall of U.A. was visible through the trees. The invisible sensor field extended fifty meters out from that wall.
Gentle saw it.
"The finish line!" Gentle cheered. "La Brava! Camera on! This is the moment!"
He prepared for one final, massive jump. He compressed the air beneath his feet, building up enough potential energy to launch him clear over the wall.
"Gently... CLIMAX!"
Reiji calculated the distance.
'If he jumps, he crosses the line. I can't intercept him in the air fast enough.'
Reiji looked at the small woman clinging to Gentle's back.
'Identify Weakness. Target Support.'
It was dirty. It was unheroic. But Reiji wasn't playing a hero simulator. He was playing to win.
Reiji stopped running. He summoned his chain.
He didn't aim at Gentle.
He aimed at La Brava.
"Get over here."
CLINK.
The spear tip flew through the air. It snagged the back of La Brava's oversized dress.
"Eek?!" La Brava squeaked.
Reiji yanked the chain.
"Gentle!" she screamed as she was ripped from Gentle's back.
Gentle froze. He was mid-crouch, ready to launch. He looked back and saw La Brava flying backward toward the "Demon" student.
"LA BRAVA!"
Gentle canceled his jump. He didn't care about the school. He didn't care about the festival.
He turned around and launched himself back toward Reiji.
"LET HER GO!"
Gentle moved faster than he had all morning. He closed the distance in a blink, his fist cocked back.
"Lover Mode... SMASH!"
Reiji didn't dodge. He caught La Brava with one arm and held her like a hostage (gently, but firmly).
He watched Gentle charging at him.
'Aggro reset successfully. Target has returned to engagement range.'
Reiji dropped La Brava (gently) onto a pile of leaves and stepped forward to meet Gentle.
He didn't use fire. He didn't use ice.
He channeled every ounce of his "Dragon Style" strength into his right fist.
[Skill: Counter Hit.][Timing: Perfect.]
Gentle threw his punch. Reiji ducked under it by a millimeter.
And drove his fist into Gentle's stomach.
CRUNCH.
The impact was sickening. The "Love" defense buckled under the sheer precision of the counter-strike.
Gentle gasped, his eyes bulging. He hovered in the air for a second, suspended on Reiji's fist, before collapsing to his knees.
[Critical Hit.][Target Stunned.]
Reiji stood over him, breathing heavily.
"You failed, Danjuro," Reiji said coldly. "Not because you were weak. But because you cared more about your partner than the mission."
Reiji looked down at the sobbing La Brava, then back to the gasping Gentle.
"Which..." Reiji's expression softened, just a fraction. "...makes you a terrible villain. But a decent man."
Gentle looked up, tears streaming down his face. The pink aura faded.
"My... tea..." Gentle wheezed, passing out face-first into the dirt.
[Target Neutralized.][Quest Complete: The Silent Guardian.][Reward: Festival Secured.]
Reiji checked his watch.
09:15 AM.
"Fifteen minutes to sound check," Reiji sighed, dusting off his uniform. "I need a shower."
Suddenly, the bushes rustled.
"Who's there?!" A gruff voice barked.
Hound Dog and Ectoplasm burst into the clearing, alerted by the noise of the final impact.
They saw Reiji standing over two unconscious intruders.
"Kurobane?" Hound Dog growled, sniffing the air. "What happened here? Did you fight?"
Reiji looked at the teachers. He looked at Gentle.
If he told them Gentle was trying to invade, the festival might still be paused for an investigation.
Reiji kicked Gentle's unconscious body behind a log.
"No fight, sir," Reiji lied effortlessly. "I was just... practicing my stage dive. These two are... my fans. They fainted from excitement."
Hound Dog narrowed his eyes. "Fans?"
"We're a very popular band," Reiji deadpanned.
End of Chapter 129.
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