Chapter Ten - [World: Mob Psycho 100]

Pov - Lee

----------

"So, how much do you know about ghosts?" I asked, sticking close to Tsuyu as others went about their businesses. It was a bright, warm day- the perfect time to go for a walk. I took a nice breath and basked in the sun's comforting rays.

Tsuyu let out a soft hum as she slowed her pace, meeting my own with a smile.

"At first I thought they were projection-type targets."

...

"Targets?" I asked hesitantly.

"Ah, sorry," she replied with a small blush. "I meant psychics."

At times like these, she looked like just another woman. Her smile was bubbly and friendly. After what I saw, it looked more like a mask. Still, I couldn't help but feel there was a slice of truth in it. Could a little bit of hope really turn her around? Or was she just trying to play me for a sucker? Whatever the case, I'd be ready.

"Right. So I'm guessing they could project something?"

She nodded.

"Quite observant of you," she said with a shallow giggle. "They could create sort of ghostly bodies that could fight in their place. Usually, their real bodies were vulnerable and couldn't move too much."

It sounded like a major weakness, but with enough preparation, I could see them being incredibly difficult to fight.

"I figured that out after nearly getting killed by one," she mused, a sigh slipping from her lips. "When I eventually found out, It was as simple as finding their weak, tiny little bodies and shoving a knife in their throat."

"..."

I looked around, unsure if we really should be talking about this sort of stuff. Thankfully, it was still somewhat early in the morning and we were already walking away from the center of town.

"I really do like her style," Fim's voice echoed in my mind. "From the few 'movies' you've shown me, murder really does seem to solve a lot of problems."

He paused for a moment, purposely letting out a hum.

"Not yours, of course. I would really like it if you kept living."

I rolled my eyes. Last night he was asking why I didn't kill her and now he was complimenting her?

"I believe you're being rude."

I snickered and Tsuyu turned, brow raised questioningly.

"Was there something funny about my story?"

Oh. Shit.

"N-Nah. It was great."

She furrowed her brow and nodded.

"Good. For a second there, I thought you might have been completely ignoring what I was saying."

...

Yeah, nothing was getting past her.

"Anyways, the place is up ahead. I guess you'd like to know more about it?"

"I mean, yeah?" I'd have to be pretty stupid to go into it blind.

"It's an abandoned factory," she started. "They were supposed to demolish it a few years back, but there was some sort of land dispute, so it's been standing since."

Hmm.

"I think the 'ghost' is one from a serial killer or something. At least that's what the urban legends say."

"They kill your breakfast?" Fim asked, bewildered at the idea. It was enough to almost make me snicker.

"The Butcher, as they called him, used to kill his victims and chop them up. He'd spread their remains over the city and if it wasn't for his own confession, no one would have ever found the bodies."

...

Yeah, that didn't sound horrifying at all.

"The factory was where he was eventually caught, but not before chopping up a few police officers."

God, it sounds like some sort of horror movie. Granted, this world operates on different rules than my own.

"You said it was weak, right? Does that mean you've fought it before?"

She shrugged, giving me a small,  teasing smile.

"Probably," she said sheepishly. "If it were a strong ghost, a lot more people would be talking about it, right? The most I've heard about this place is a few disappearances a while ago."

Great.

"You do know that trying to get me killed won't buy you any favors, right?"

Seriously. Was she trying to make me want to leave her here?

"Don't worry," she said, the smile on her face falling away to reveal a neutral expression. "If anything goes wrong, I'll help."

Well, at least that was something. She was some elite assassin after all. Still, knowing that I beat her didn't exactly make me any more reassured about any possible trouble.

In the end, I'd just have to take it one step at a time.

-------------

The abandoned factory stunk of mold and rust. A cloud of dust clung to the air, making it incredibly uncomfortable to breathe.

I sneezed, rubbing my nose in discomfort.

"Should have brought masks if it was going to be this stuffy."

As I rubbed away at it, a thought came to mind. With a small smile on my lips and the prospect of something new in my mind, I used my powers to very gently push away the air around my nose. It worked at first, but then I started to cough as my lungs screamed for oxygen.

"Were you trying to asphyxiate yourself?" Fim asked with no small amount of concern in his voice. "I really recommend that you don't!"

Yeah, yeah. Whatever.

"So, how does this ghost show up?"

Tsuyu blinked and tilted her head in thought.

"I heard his favored targets were young women and girls, particularly those that looked very innocent."

I sighed.

"Well, we don't have any of those, so we'll have to find some other way."

"Rude!" she suddenly said with a huff. "I can be quite innocent If I put my mind to it."

Yeah, I already got a good look at her "innocent" side.

"Please don't," I said with a sigh. The last thing I wanted was to be reminded of that.

She rolled her eyes and then nodded.

"Fine. Then I guess we'll have to-"

"Could you keep it down!"

A voice suddenly echoed through the factory.

"You're all so fucking annoying! Shut the hell up and leave or I'll kill your punk asses!"

Tsuyu and I shared a look.

Well, there was our ghost. His attitude definitely wasn't what I was expecting, but I wasn't complaining. Honestly, I thought it'd be another terrifying monster like the little girl...

"We're here to stop you from killing any more people," I said confidently, eyes scanning the dusty warehouse. Where was he?

"Perhaps the best way to find the invisible creature is not to use your eyes?"

Fim's voice boomed inside my head. He had a very good point. I could see the last ghost, but that didn't mean this one would be as easy. In that case-

I took a breath and focused on the alien energy flowing through my body.

"Again, please stop calling me that!"

Fim's protests didn't help, but still, I could feel his very being within me. It barely took me any effort to move a fragment of his energy into my eyes.

"Are you as dumb as you are ugly?" the ghost shouted with a laugh. "Stop killing folks? Yeah, sure!"

His laughter echoed around me and his form slowly started to take shape. Was this something all ghosts could do? If so, I would probably have to try and find a way to keep this sort of "Psychic Sight" up at all times if possible.

"I'll stop as soon as you bend over, take that idea, and shove it up your ass!"

...

He looked nothing like what I was expecting. Hell, I couldn't even see his face behind that mask. He wore a large cloak that covered his body. With every movement he made, I could see the glint of steel inside his cloak. There were at least a dozen different knives hanging inside!

Truth be told, he looked like a goddamned ninja!

As soon as he noticed my eyes on his form, the ghost cursed.

"Hey, want to hear a joke?" he said sarcastically.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.

"I'd rather not," I said, cautiously bringing up a layer of Fim's energy around me. The makeshift forcefield would be very finicky, but it was better than nothing.

"What did the guy about to get stabbed say to the one that stabbed him?" the ghost continued without so much as acknowledging me.

I subtly glanced at Tsuyu. She was casually looking at the two of us, an amused smile on her lip. It was almost like we weren't facing down the ghost of a serial killer.

There were many things she had me beat in, and a poker face was definitely one of them.

"He said- 'What are you going to do? Stab me?'"

The second he finished speaking, he blinked out of existence. Something cold and sharp brushed against my "barrier" and I acted out of instinct. The very ground and air exploded as a powerful pressure wave shot out from me.

I snapped around, facing the bastard who'd just tried to stab me in the back!

"Mother-" the ghost curse, but I didn't give him time to strike again. My ranged attacks were limited, and I didn't know if this would work on a ghost, but I was about to find out!

A small, thin spear of ice formed above the back of my hand. It came far quicker than I expected. I punched at the air, sending the icy javelin flying forward like an arrow.

"Shi-"

The ghost tried to dodge, but clearly, I'd caught him off-guard. The small missile struck his arm. Rather than go through as if there was nothing there, the frigid spear dug into his shoulder and stayed there.

He hissed, clutching his wound and dropping the small knife he was wielding. Mist started to roll off the affected area, slowly freezing his... skin? No, ghosts didn't have that. Would "soul" be a better way of saying it?

"I'm going to gut you and use your entrails as Christmas decorations!" the ghost roared, glaring murder at me and raising his good arm. He reached into his coat, pulling out a katana. A. God. Damned. Katana!

A small, amused snicker echoed through the warehouse. Behind me, Tsuyu started to giggle.

"How would you even do that?" she asked with a raised brow. "I know people have a lot of guts, but trying to keep them all together would be a nightmare!"

Just for a second, I turned around, prepared to send her a glare of my own. In that instant, the ghost vanished from my sight. He appeared behind Tsuyu like a murderous angel. She didn't seem the least bit bothered or even showed any sign of knowing he was there.

"Look o-"

I was too slow. His sword was already halfway to her neck. By the time I'd finish, her head would roll. At least, that was what I thought.

Tsuyu's hand snapped up, quick as lightning. A single one of her pressed against the blade's edge, causing a resounding "ding" to bounce off the abandoned building's walls. It was as if the weapon had just hit an immovable object.

I stared. The ghost stared. Tsuyu, on the other hand, spoke.

"Do keep me out of this," she said with a sweet smile. "Please return to the kiddy corner or you'll have to deal with the adults."

Her voice was soft and almost carried a hint of motherly care, but I could see it for what it truly was. The smile she wore was not of an angel, but a charming demon. The corners of her lips were angled upward like sharp knives and her eyes were cold as ice, but the fire burning behind them was all too real.

The ghost hesitated and then turned his attention back to me.

"I'll kill you later, bitch!"

He yelled and then disappeared once again. This time, I was ready.

He appeared behind me, just a bit above my position. His sword lashed out in a sharp thrust meant to pierce my skull. The barrier of kinetic force smashed into his weapon's tip, causing it to bounce off as if it had struck a metal wall. I spun on my feet, shaping Fim's energy into a whip, and sent it flying at the ghost.

"That's cheating!" the ghost shouted and prepared to teleport again.

Too slow.

My noose tightly wrapped around him and with a small thought, I brought all the force I could muster down on his head. He smashed into the floor, almost passing through it. Thankfully, I was smart enough to send him flying upward with an equal force. He hung in the air, tightly clutching his chest and head.

"B-Bastard..." the ghost whimpered.

======BREAK=====

The ghost hung limply in the air, his limbs strewn about.

"B-Bastard…" he whimpered, trying his best to wiggle his fingers. Whatever crazy scheme he was going to try wasn't something I was about to let him do.

With a silent command, I let Fim know what to do. A creature like this- something that prayed upon unsuspecting people could not be allowed to live. I didn't fancy myself a smooth talker that could reform someone so evil. That left only one option.

I swallowed as Fim's tiny avatar appeared in front of me and nodded. His energy reached out like a boa constrictor. In an instant it snapped around the ghost, folding his limbs tight and flush to his body.

"W-What?" the spectral creature gasped. His head turned towards me. No, not [me] but Fim. The ghost started screaming.

"N-No! Help! W-What the hell is that?!"

"This one's really noisy," Fim mussed as he began pulling the ghost closer to me.

"N-No! Stay away!" Try as he might, his futile fumbling did nothing. Fim's energy just coiled tighter and tighter around him until only muffled screams could be heard. And then, with one final whimper, the ghost vanished.

"This one has a lot more to it," Fim whispered into my mind. "Unfortunately, each fragment is just too small to make anything useful. I'll have to burn the rest to feed a single one."

A small amount of pain hammered into my skull.

"Sorry about that! So, your choices. I'm sure you're excited, yes? Of course, you are."

…

He had me there. But first-

"Were you even going to help? If I couldn't beat him, I mean?"

I turned to Tsuyu. She raised a brow as a sweet smile crawled across her lips.

"Obviously!" she said with a giggle. "Even if you turned out to be weaker than I expected, I'd swoop in like the heroin and save you from the mean old ghost!"

…

"You're a lot sassier than you were yesterday…"

She laughed.

"I've proved my worth, right? With this, you'll trust me, yes?"

"I wouldn't say trust…"

She still tried to kill me. What kind of person would just throw their "trust" around like that? You'd basically be asking to be stabbed in the back.

"But yeah, you did lead me to a ghost," I said with a small smile and nod. "It was far from being harmless, but we finished it in the end."

She raised a brow.

"We? I didn't do anything, you know?"

Ah, crap. Maybe my lips were a bit too loose.

"Yeah, you didn't," I said with a huff. "Would sure have been a lot easier if you gave me a helping hand."

She was silent for a few seconds before laughing again and walking closer.

"But then you wouldn't have gotten as much experience. Anyways, I've done as you asked."

Her fingers found their way onto my shoulder. Just in case, I prepared to lash out with a telekinetic punch.

"That means you'll take me back, right? Right?" she whispered huskily into my ears.

She was like a damned succubus! But I'd already nearly had my neck sliced by this devil.

"So long as you keep yourself under control," I said and brushed her hand away. "Now, I think we should probably head back."

That fight had worn me out. It felt like my heart was about to explode!

"Fim, how's that power going?" I thought to myself.

"You still have to make a choice."

Ah, right. Damn it, Tsuyu!

"What were the choices again?"

Without waiting for her, I started walking out of the abandoned building. Maybe I could have used this place to test out any new powers, but I didn't know how to feel about showing those off to the deadly assassin. It never hurt to have a few hidden tricks, after all.

"Perhaps we could stop by a cafe on the way home?" Tsuyu suggested with a small smile. Unlike the sassy, teasing one from before, she actually looked genuine this time.

Yeah, sure.

"That might not be a bad idea," I told her with a nod. I'd been getting hungry, and quite frankly, I still didn't want to try out her food If I didn't need to. Sure, she was very unlikely to poison me now but there was always the chance that she changed her mind.

Compared to that, eating out was so much safer.

"What do they serve there?"

Tsuyu blew a hum and brought a finger to her lip.

"Mostly cakes and pastries, but they have a very nice sandwich menu. I'm sure you'll love it."

…

"I guess I could go for a sandwich."

Fim's voice assaulted my mind once more.

"Before you get distracted again, let me explain your choices."

Ah, right. Damn it Tsuyu!

"The first is fairly simple. The ability will allow you to teleport very short distances. The range is about the size of one of those car things."

A blink? That sounded like something I'd love!

"The next would allow you to turn parts of your body intangible. It requires a bit more finesse, but it could certainly save your life."

Not a bad choice either, but teleportation!

"Following that, another of his shards would let you fashion my energy into corporeal weapons. It might take practice, but I'm sure you'd be making swords easily enough."

Hmm.

"Lastly, you could always just use his energy to further increase the potency of any powers you already have."

A difficult choice. Though, honestly, it was either the Blink or making one of my other powers stronger. The two other choices were nice, but the Blink was just so much better!

"So, what do you think you'll have?"

Huh? Wait, when did we get to the cafe? Crap!

"You're easily distracted!" Fim teased.

"I'll have what you're having," I said with a shrug.

Tsuyu quirked a brow and gave me this shit-eating grin.

"Are you sure?"

Well, now I wasn't! What the hell did she order?!