CHAPTER 13: Bad Government
The next day, the sun rose gracefully, bathing the old house in golden light. The team woke one after another, stretching, yawning, and shaking off the sleep, today wasn't just another search, it felt different, the air carried a quiet thrill.
One by one, they gathered outside. Hiroshi stood in front, hands in his pockets, eyes calm but focused.
"Alright, everyone," he began, adjusting his glasses as the wind brushed through his short hair,
"Today we'll take our search further, let's spread out into the nearby towns, but if the aura compass still leads any of you here, don't hesitate to track it down",
Everyone nodded firmly.
Before anyone could say more, Mae suddenly wrapped both hands around Tall Boy's arm, smiling brightly, "It's my turn to go with him today!", she declared with sparkles in her eyes,
Tall Boy's face twisted, "What!? No way!", he shot back instantly, trying to pull his arm free,
Mae only held tighter, pouting, "You promised we'd all take turns! Besides, you went with Chimera yesterday!",
"Yeah, and it was already exhausting enough cause she only followed me around" he groaned, "No offense, but you talk way too much",
Mae gasped dramatically, "Rude! But I'll take it as a compliment!",
Hiroshi stepped in calmly before the argument could grow, "Listen, she's part of the team, Tall Boy, at some point, you'll have to go with her, so the sooner the better",
Tall Boy looked away, sighing heavily. "Tch! Fine, whatever",
Mae beamed victoriously, "Yay! You won't regret it, partner!",
He muttered under his breath, "Already am…",
Chimera smirked from the side, arms folded, "Serves you right, big guy",
Hiroshi ignored their chatter and continued, "Okay, the rest of the pairs are Chimera with Time Shifter, and I'll go with Skepter this time",
Skepter's lips curled into a sly grin, "Heh, so the great Hypno Boy finally partners up with me, huh? This should be fun",
Hiroshi gave him a side glance, "Just don't cause trouble",
"No promises," Skepter chuckled.
Their destinations were quickly decided each pair would head to nearby towns surrounding Kuroshima, it might take a while, but thanks to the phones they'd gotten yesterday, keeping in touch would be easy.
As they prepped their things, the team's energy was electric different personalities clashing and connecting, creating something strangely powerful.
For the first time, Hiroshi felt something he hadn't in a long while — a sense of unity.
He prepared fully then turned to Skepter, "Let's move",
Skepter slipped his hands into his pockets and followed, smirking, "Lead the way, Hypno Boy".
The sun climbed higher as they set out six souls walking different paths, yet tied by one fate.
Hiroshi and Skepter moved together along the quiet road, the breeze carrying the scent of morning dew. Unlike Hiroshi, who walked in silence, Skepter wasn't the type to keep his mouth shut.
He talked a lot about random things: the weather, food, even conspiracy theories, about how magic books might've fallen from the sky, Hiroshi didn't say much, just listened quietly, hands in his pockets and eyes on the path.
As they walked, the aura compass flickered faintly in Hiroshi's hand, it was guiding them forward, they were heading toward the nearest town, and since it wasn't too far, they decided to go on foot.
Everything was calm… until they bumped into someone.
"Ah! Huh?—" Hiroshi started, but froze when he saw who it was.
It was Emi-chan.
Her eyes widened in shock, and then relief flooded her face, "It's you!! It's been a long while since I saw you, I thought something happened to you!" she exclaimed, stepping closer.
Hiroshi blinked, slightly taken aback by her sudden concern, he sighed softly, adjusted his glasses, and replied, "Nothing happened, so there's no need to worry about me, I'm just… busy",
"Busy?" She repeated, tilting her head,
"Oh… okay, it's good to know you're doing fine, but, when will you come back to school?",
He hesitated for a moment, glancing down at the compass that was faintly in his palm, "…With the look of things, I won't be coming to school for a while", he said firmly, "I wish I could tell you why, but you wouldn't understand. Not yet",
Emi looked like she wanted to ask more, but the look in his eyes told her not to, she bit her lip, then nodded,
"Okay, I understand… I hope to see you soon, Hiroshi, take care, alright?",
She smiled warmly, the kind of smile that made even Skepter raise an eyebrow.
As she waved goodbye, Skepter grinned and waved back, adding a playful brow raise that caught her completely off guard, she blinked, cheeks tinting faintly before quickly walking off. Still, she turned back once, watching Hiroshi's retreating figure with quiet wonder.
When she was out of sight, Skepter couldn't resist,
"So… was that your girlfriend?", he asked, smirking, "Cause she doesn't seem that bad at all",
Hiroshi's eyes widened slightly, then he turned away sharply, "What!? No!! She's just my classmate",
"Aww, too bad, bro", Skepter teased, hands behind his head, "She looked worried about you, I'm telling you, that's not just classmate energy",
Hiroshi's mind flickered back for a second , flashes of Emi's kindness at school, the times she'd tried to reach out when no one else would, he quickly shook it off,
"Forget it, let's just focus on the mission", he said flatly, "We're heading to Shirakawa next",
Skepter smirked again but didn't argue, "Sure thing, boss",
And with that, the two continued their walk down the sunlit path, their silhouettes stretching long across the road.
The compass pulsed again, brighter this time.
Something ahead was waiting.
After the long walk and trails, Hiroshi and Skepter finally made it to Shirakawa.
It was a quiet town, simple like Kuroshima not too crowded, not too empty either, the air felt calm, almost too calm,
"Looks kinda peaceful, huh?" Skepter said, hands behind his head,
"Yeah", Hiroshi replied, glancing down at the compass in his hand, "Let's check around, the signal might be somewhere here",
They searched all morning, and by the time the sun started lowering, the town had barely revealed anything. Still, neither of them was ready to give up.
When they reached the midtown area, they noticed a crowd forming. The noise drew them closer until they found the reason, a campaign event was being held by the town's governor,
Jirou Tanaka.
The man was in his late forties, wearing a black suit with a perfect smile plastered on his face, he waved like a celebrity, and the people screamed his name as if he were a god,
"Who's this guy....with the look of things he must be popular here right?", Skepter asked, raising a brow,
Hiroshi didn't answer because just then, the aura compass started flickering hard,
"Skepter…", Hiroshi muttered,
"Yeah, I see it," Skepter said, leaning close,
The compass flickered sharply the longer they looked at the governor,
Whatever that thing was reacting to it was coming from him.
Governor Jirou began his speech, his voice smooth and confident,
"My beautiful people of Shirakawa!" he announced, "You've seen what I've done, better roads, clean water, safety for your families! Re-elect me, and I'll give you even more!"
The crowd erupted in wild cheers. They screamed his name again and again, like they were under a spell.
Hiroshi frowned slightly, "Something's off...", Skepter folded his arms, "You're telling me, they're cheering so hard...for him? Nah it's weird",
When the speech ended, Governor Jirou waved to his "beloved citizens" one last time and walked toward his luxury limousine.
As soon as the car drove off, the compass stopped flickering.
Hiroshi stared at it, "It stopped…the moment he left", Skepter scratched his head, "Yeah, that's way too fishy, dude, maybe we should follow him",
"Not yet", Hiroshi said calmly, "Let's confirm something first",
He turned to a man beside him in the crowd, "Excuse me", Hiroshi said, "What's so special about your governor anyway? Has he really done all those things he just said?",
The man blinked, then frowned sharply, "Hey, watch your mouth, kid, our governor is amazing! He's given us good roads, clean and good water, everything he promised! Don't talk bad about him again",
Hiroshi looked at him closely, his eyes were dull, his smile stiff,
"Right… I see, sorry to bother you", Hiroshi said, stepping back slowly,
As they walked off, Skepter whispered, "Okay, that was creepy, did you see how weird his eyes looked?"
"Yeah, something's controlling them… I can feel it", Hiroshi muttered, "Let's check those 'roads' and 'water' he bragged about, if he's lying, then there's something deeper going on",
Skepter nodded, cracking his knuckles, "Alright, detective, lead the way",
The two walked away from the cheering crowd, whatever was happening in Shirakawa…wasn't normal.
Hiroshi and Skepter hurried through Shirakawa, heading straight toward the town's water supply facility,if the governor's claims were all lies, this place would prove it.
Everything looked normal at first glance, pipes humming, clear water flowing, workers moving around like everything was fine, nothing seemed odd, nothing seemed dangerous.
They were about to leave
until they spotted two security guards entering the inner water-supply unit.
Hiroshi grabbed Skepter's sleeve,
"Hide",
Both of them slipped behind the giant water tank, staying completely out of sight as they listened,
One guard sighed heavily,
"It's been two years now and we don't have a proper water supply, it's so strange how we're surviving…",
"You're so right", the second guard replied, "And the roads? They're still undone, yet people move happily like nothing's wrong",
"Oh well, c'mon buddy, let's go get some chicken", the first guard said, rubbing his tummy,
"Now you're speaking my language, I'm starving", the other laughed as the two walked away.
Hiroshi and Skepter remained silent for a moment, letting the truth settle in.
The people…weren't living well.
The governor's promises were lies, yet the citizens believed everything,
It was exactly what Hiroshi feared,
"So it's true", Hiroshi murmured. "The governor must be blinding everyone with a shard's effect, nothing he claimed is real, yet no one complains",
He adjusted his glasses, expression hardening.
"This is serious, these people shouldn't live like this, they shouldn't be tricked into believing they have a better life when they don't, we need to get that shard, that's how we save them from a bad government",
Skepter nodded, jaw tight,
"Yeah, dude! But how are we gonna get close to him? Bodyguards are all around that punk!",
"Then we'll just have to be one" Hiroshi said, cracking his knuckles, "We'll ask for directions to where that inhuman lives, then, after blending in… we strike",
"I love it!", Skepter grinned, "That plan is action-packed, my kind of style, man, okay let's go do this",
They spent the next hour gathering information, never asking too much at once, never acting suspicious. Slowly, piece by piece, they pieced together the correct path.
Finally, they stood at the edge of a hill, overlooking Governor Jirou's mansion.
It was enormously more like a fortress than a home, men in suits patrolled every inch of the property.
Luxury cars kept arriving, each one carrying important, wealthy guests.
Skepter whistled, "Dude… how are we gonna get in?",
Hiroshi studied the mansion carefully,
"We'll sneak in through the vent, looks like he's hosting some sort of celebration party",
He touched his chin thoughtfully,
"When we're inside, we disguise ourselves to blend in, once we get him alone…we strike",
Skepter smirked, "Okay, okay! Not a bad plan, but since it's a party, we should disguise ourselves",
Hiroshi nodded, "That'll work".
Both of them stared at the glowing mansion its lights bright, its guards alert, its lies stretching over the town like a thick shadow.
They were ready to tear that shadow apart.
They were ready to take down a fraudulent governor.
They moved like shadows.
Hiroshi and Skepter slipped past guards with practiced ease, blending into the sea of wealthy guests flooding the mansion, every corner sparkled with luxury, every hallway crawling with security, but the two boys kept moving silent, sharp, determined.
Like ninjas, they climbed into an exterior vent, crawling through the metal tunnel in darkness, their hands echoed quietly against the steel as they searched for a place to drop in.
Finally, they found it.
A narrow changing closet sat beneath the vent, Skepter used a screw to loosen the grate, and together they lowered themselves into the room.
"Find outfits", Hiroshi whispered.
They searched fast but carefully, after a few minutes, they found exactly what they needed perfect servant uniforms that matched tonight's celebration theme, clean, neat, and completely unnoticeable,
One final touch, trays of drinks.
They hurried out of the closet and slipped into the kitchen, they each grabbed a tray, then exchanged a subtle nod.
They split up, moving separately but never too far from each other, their eyes stayed sharp, scanning every face in the golden-lit hall,
And then they saw him,
Governor Jirou Tanaka.
Surrounded by guards, wearing an arrogant smile like he owned the entire planet, not just this mansion. He spoke as if he was a divine hero who saved Shirakawa himself,
But Hiroshi knew the truth.
Hiroshi's eye twitched in anger as he clenched the tray tighter.
People like Jirou, people who lied, manipulated, controlled, they made his blood boil, no one deserved power less than a selfish man using a shard to enslave minds,
And Hiroshi had already planned how to expose everything.
The speech ended, people clapped loudly, praising Jirou like he was a saint, the sound made Hiroshi and Skepter grit their teeth.
After chatting with guests for a while, Governor Jirou finally separated himself from the crowd and began walking upstairs alone.
This was it, their chance,
They followed, silent, careful, invisible.
Jirou walked far from the party hall, his expensive staff tapping the ground rhythmically, he entered a massive office and sat down, laughing to himself.
Thankfully, he forgot to close the door all the way,
Hiroshi and Skepter peeked through the narrow gap.
"It's all thanks to you, staffy…", Jirou said, stroking the staff in a weird, creepy way,
Skepter made a disgusted face.
"Oh wait… I forgot it's not my staff", Jirou continued, "It's my beautiful crystal or whatever it is, it's bringing me so much riches, people can be gullible…but you, my dear, made them blind",
He opened the head of the staff.
Inside it had,
A glowing shard,
Bluish-green,
Bright,
Dangerous.
Hiroshi and Skepter gasped silently,
Governor Jirou admired it with the wickedest smirk, it was sickening.
After a few minutes, he closed the staff again and stood to return to the party,
This was the moment.
Hiroshi and Skepter looked at each other,
"NOW!!!!" Hiroshi gestured aloud,
They burst through the door.
Governor Jirou flinched, startled, then immediately glared with pure disgust,
"You two!! Who are you? What are you doing here? And how much of that did you hear!?" he barked,
"Enough to kick your butt, old punk!!" Skepter snapped, pointing at him,
"We don't want much trouble", Hiroshi said coldly, "Give us the shard, and you won't get hurt and you'll confess to the people of Shirakawa what a liar you are",
Jirou laughed,
Not nervous, not scared, just mocking.
"You two kids think you can stop me? I don't care who you are. What I know is that none of you or anyone will ruin this for me", his voice dropped dangerously, "You shouldn't have come here. Now you'll regret it",
He stepped back and slammed his hand on a red button on the desk.
Within seconds....
MEN IN BLACK SUITS STORMED THE ROOM.
There were dozens of them surrounding Hiroshi and Skepter from every corner.
Hiroshi and Skepter stood back- to-back as the circle of black-suited men tightened around them, Governor Jirou cackled like a madman, his grin sharp and twisted.
"Kids like you should never intervene in adult matters", he hissed, "Now look where it got you, I would give you a second chance… but I don't believe in that, Men.....attack!!",
At the snap of his fingers, the room erupted.
Skepter jumped in first, unleashing a spinning kick that sent two men crashing into a shelf. Hiroshi ducked low, sweeping another man's legs clean off the floor, more attackers rushed in from every direction,
The party downstairs continued unaware far too distant to hear the chaos.
The room shook with fists, grunts, and footsteps.
Half of the men were already down, but the rest kept coming,
Then.....
A wooden souvenir flew through the air and slammed hard against Hiroshi's head,
"Ah-!!!", Hiroshi let out in pain as blood trickled down his forehead as he staggered back.
He hadn't planned on using his powers, but now he had no choice.
Hiroshi grabbed his glasses and ripped them off, his eyes flared bright blue,
Telekinesis surged like a storm.
He lifted one of the attackers high into the air and hurled him straight into a cluster of men, knocking them down like bowling pins, Skepter responded by blasting several with flashes of sharp light, blinding them before punching them out cold.
Jirou's smirk vanished.
"These kids… aren_t normal…"
He slowly stepped forward away, thinking he wouldn't be seen by them, he was trying to slip toward the door,
But Hiroshi's glowing eyes twitched and in a burst of speed, he rushed forward, grabbed Jirou by the collar, and slammed him onto the desk so hard the wood split in two,
Jirou screamed as he crashed onto the broken table.
Still bleeding, Hiroshi advanced,
Jirou swung his staff wildly in panic, but Hiroshi caught it easily.
He yanked it away and forced it to Jirou's throat, both fought over the staff, Hiroshi's anger overpowering him, his eyes glowed brighter, burning with fury.
Jirou laughed, breath shaking,
"Go ahead… do it! End me now, kid! You've got guts, right!? DO IT!!",
For a split second....Hiroshi wanted to,
But then...
A voice echoed in his mind,
His grandfather,
"With great power comes great responsibility… do not ever let power control you, child, everything you do comes with a price",
Hiroshi froze.
His breathing steadied, his eyes dimmed back to normal,
He slowly pulled the staff away.
He opened it's headpiece, took the glowing bluish-green shard, then tossed the empty staff onto the floor beside the broken desk,
Jirou glared at him with hatred.
Skepter finished off the last guard and walked over with a proud smirk.
Jirou suddenly changed tone, desperate, "You got what you wanted, Now what? Will you use it to kill me or use it like I did? Listen...how about we keep things between us? What do you want? Money? Power? I can give you anything! Just give me the shard and I'll grant your desires!",
Skepter laughed, "Jeez! you're a pathetic old man",
Hiroshi knelt in front of the fallen governor, his forehead still bleeding, eyes cold,
"People like you only care about material things…not human lives", Hiroshi said slowly, "We are nothing like you and we never will be. Your trickery ends today",
His eyes began glowing again, this time with hypnotic light,
Jirou's pupils widened, he fell into the trance instantly.
"As of now", Hiroshi commanded, "you are under my control, you will tell everyone the truth and you will resign from your position",
Jirou nodded, emotionless, fully hypnotized.
He rose to his feet and walked out like nothing happened,
Hiroshi and Skepter followed silently.
Jirou went downstairs and abruptly announced, "The party is over",
Guests gasped in confusion and irritation at the same time.
He then ordered his men to escort everyone out, business deals collapsed instantly, people murmured in anger.
"Classic dumb rich people", Skepter muttered,
The mansion emptied quickly,
Still under hypnosis, Jirou instructed some of his guards to follow him back to the campaign grounds,
Word spread instantly, Governor Jirou had another announcement.
A large crowd gathered, buzzing with confusion, Jirou stepped onto the platform,
Hiroshi stood at the back with Skepter, eyes glowing faintly, controlling the governor's mind,
"Listen, my people…", Jirou began,
"I have not been a good leader, I lied about giving you good roads and water, I tricked you so I could get richer while you all suffered, I don't deserve to be your governor anymore, I hope you can understand…"
It felt like some kind of energy was lifted,
People blinked, their eyes clearing as if waking from a dream,
And then...absolute rage,
"What!?", You lied to us!?, "You greedy snake!!",
Someone grabbed rotten vegetables from a vendor's basket, one fruit flew splatting against Jirou's chest,
It started a chain reaction.
Soon, rotten fruits and vegetables pelted Jirou and his guards nonstop.
Jirou panicked as Hiroshi snapped his fingers and he was back to normal,
"STOP!! STOP!! WHAT ARE YOU ALL DOING!?",
He saw Hiroshi and Skepter standing calmly in the back as he was trying to dodge the throws at him,
Skepter smirked at him while stroking an invisible beard,
Hiroshi gave him a mysterious grin, just for one second,
Jirou's heart pounded in fear.
After several minutes, Hiroshi and Skepter finally turned away,
Their mission was successful, the shard was theirs and Shirakawa was free,
Skepter glanced at Hiroshi's forehead,
"Hey man… your wound, You okay?"
"Tsk, it'll heal, so don't worry", Hiroshi rubbed his forehead gently,
"Alright, tough guy", Skepter snorted, "I'm starving, I know a great dumpling place, let's go!",
Hiroshi didn't argue or disagree he only nodded at his idea,
They walked off proudly, two heroes leaving a freed town behind them.
Meanwhile....
Somewhere on the far side of Kuroshima…
Heavy breaths echoed in the air,
Chimera who was soaked knelt beside Time Shifter, his clothes also drenched, his face pale, his body lying unconscious near the edge of a massive river,
"Dude!! Wake up! Wake up!! You can't do this....not now!!", she cried, shaking him desperately,
But Time Shifter wasn't moving,
The river roared behind them,
Something had definitely happened...