34 - The Stopped Time

I am a mad scientist.

I came here to stop that bastard from misusing my creation.

The mad scientist thought as he approached Yuuto's school, having followed his nemesis and his organization all the way from his lab in Germany.

On his head, he wore his newest invention, the TimeStop™ Resistor. With it, he could stay inside the "stopped time."

In truth, the watch doesn't really stop time. That would truly be a mad scientist's creation. But it does something not any less frightening. Upon activation, it sends a powerful EMP pulse in a 200-meter radius, stopping all electronics. The truly remarkable feature, however, is that it also halts everyone's perception.

A consciousness-stopping watch.

Everyone freezes in their places, still breathing and functioning, but blacked out for the duration of the clock's activation. This allows the user to do as they wish with them.

Truly, a fearsome creation. And right now, that fearsome creation is in the hands of the bastard who murdered my entire team...

And there's no one to stop him!

The mad scientist thought as he pulled out his pistol from its holster, looking at it.

I've never taken a life before... But I have to try this time.

I'll probably die. This bastard was very strong even without the clock and annihilated everyone I knew. But right now, I'm the only one who can stop him!

And I have to. I have to be brave! This is a school full of students! I can't let him use my creation in this manner...

For I am the mad scientist, Gyouma.

The only one who stands between the world's innocent civilians and the evil organization FERN.

He giggled as he lost himself in his thoughts and imagination, standing at the entrance of the school.

His smile then turned melancholic as he looked at the gun.

"I... I'm really going to die, aren't I?"

"Is this what imminent death feels like? How a reaper's scythe pressing on my throat feels?"

"Is it because I decided I'd stop him or die trying?" He thought, his arm shaking.

"No... I'm a mad scientist..!!" He resolved, stopping his hand from shaking.

"I'll madly think of how to stop him...!!" He thought as he looked ahead at the school.

Then he saw it. The effects of the TimeStop™ Watch being activated. The EMP field crossed the mad scientist, Gyouma.

Gyouma stayed in motion. His countermeasure creation seemed to work.

The school was now in the stopped time.

A minute passed. Two minutes passed.

Gyouma shook as he slowly entered the school grounds. He looked around; everyone was frozen in their place, their stares vacant.

He then held up his TimeStop™ Locator, carefully looking at it and listening to its beeping.

"The signal is getting stronger the more I climb... 3rd floor, is he?" Gyouma thought as he climbed the stairs, his gun at the ready.

He spotted a classroom with a recently opened door.

He was there. Gyarune and the TimeStop™ Watch.

Gyouma looked down, fear began claiming him once more.

"Be strong..!! All those children's fate could rest on your shoulders...!! Man up...!" He thought as he shook, clenching his eyes shut. His head tilted down, the grip on his locator and pistol hardened and tightened.

----------

"Lokharin..." She whispered as she bled in the lab.

"Kayuri...!!" Gyouma called as he kneeled beside her, holding her hand.

"I believe in you..." She whispered with her final breath, the strength from her palm disappearing. The light in her eyes fading.

"No...! I'm..."

I always saw her as a nuisance. Just a citizen... She... She was just someone there to bask in my glory as the mad scientist... Just some aloof character who was too pure for this world of conspiracy and mind games.

"You're just a normal civilian who didn't deserve getting caught up in my struggles." He continued as he cradled her pulse-less palm.

"But seriously, get up..." He whispered.

"If you're not there, there's no proof of my brilliance... There's no proof of anything I ever do."

"I'm nothing if you're not there to see it," He whispered.

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

She's in intensive care right now. I frankly don't know if she's alive or dead. That's all the more reason I should do this.

"That's right. I'm Gyouma, The Mad Scientist..!"

He resolved himself as he opened his eyes, looking up to see Yuuto standing casually with Gyarune beaten to a bloody pulp hoisted on his shoulder.

"Care to repeat that..?" Yuuto asked, his face and body spotless.

YUUTO'S POV, 2 MINUTES EARLIER...

Yuuto clutched his chest. A sensation of anger still lingered. Hiroki wasn't going to calm down.

'Alright, fine. I guess we'll have a lifetime to get along. We'll take it slow,' he thought...

...And then...

Silence.

Hiroki's presence seemed to vanish entirely. His emotions seemed to halt.

An intense feeling of calm washed over Yuuto.

'Oh goodness.... That feels good~... Haven't felt this relaxed ever since I came here. He finally shuts up...' Yuuto thought, then noticed a jarring silence around the classroom.

Everyone seemed to stop in their place. As if...

...Frozen in time.

Instinctively, Yuuto reached out his palm and placed it against the mouth of the student that sat behind him.

He could feel it. He was still breathing.

'What is this?' Yuuto thought as he carefully looked around, not moving from his seat.

Then he noticed the door to the classroom opening.

Intrigued, he pretended to also stop in place.

Gyarune waltzed in, confidently walking to the front of the classroom.

'Oh? Blonde hair, tan... Male Gyaru this time? But with time-stop abilities?' Yuuto wondered.

Gyarune spotted Yuuto. "So that's the guy...? Looks like a bitch to me," he said loudly as he casually strolled, scanning the girls.

"Damn, those chicks are fine..." Gyarune loudly called as he looked at the female students. He then kneeled next to one, lifting her chin up.

"Should I play around with you before I kill this bitch?" he said to her with a wicked smile on his face.

"AH-LOLICON!!-EHUM" Yuuto yelled while coughing.

"WAS ZUM TEUFEL!!? (What the fuck)" Gyarune called in perfect German, startled and jumping in place, landing on his butt.

He immediately rose up, scanning the classroom. Everyone seemed to be frozen, including Yuuto.

"It came from that bastard's direction... He had a violent cough or some shit!?" Gyarune said out loud, while Yuuto struggled to not burst out laughing.

Gyarune carefully walked over to Yuuto, examining him closely.

"I guess that piece of junk doesn't really stop time, so it makes sense someone would cough as a natural body instinct...?" he murmured as he ducked down to Yuuto, leaning on the table and examining him closely, a lecherous smile on his face.

"God knows I understand that, considering the wife I fucked earlier in front of her husband wet herself in the stopped time. Don't worry. For this little stunt, I'll do the same to your fami—"

SLAP.

Gyarune's face contorted, his eyes widening in disbelief as his head slammed against the glass window from the force of Yuuto's slap.

"Schiblurbhgg...!!" he blurted out, stumbling and falling to his knees awkwardly.

He immediately rose up, glaring at Yuuto. "DID YOU DO THAT!!? HUH?!!?" he yelled, his eyes burning with intensity.

Yuuto quickly returned to his frozen state, his arms back at the sides of the table, his stare vacant.

Confusion, awareness, and fear began stirring inside Gyarune.

'Was it an instinct..!!?? Is he a trained martial artist or something, trained to hit when threatened!!!?' Gyarune thought, his eyes locked on Yuuto.

"Nah, screw this. I'm gonna kill you right here!" Gyarune muttered, his hand reaching into his pocket to pull out a knife.

Just then, Yuuto kicked him in the nuts.

"Oooooooooooooooh..." Gyarune's breath was taken out of him.

He kneeled in agony as he bent.

Seizing the moment, Yuuto grabbed Gyarune's hair and slammed his face onto the desk as hard as he could, breaking his nose, all while still seated in his chair.

As blood began trickling down Gyarune's face, Yuuto decided to take no chances, recalling Satoshi's ordeal.

He slammed Gyarune's head against the desk again, taking advantage of his dazed state.

And then again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

"Uhhhhhgggh..." Gyarune groaned, his entire face twisted and riddled with blood smeared all over his face, his eyes rolled back a bit.

Yuuto then walked behind him and got him into a chokehold, knocking him out.

'Alright... You said some VERY suspicious things. I'll take you for questioning,' he thought, hoisting Gyarune onto his shoulder and walking out of the classroom.

Eventually, he met Gyouma.