MUGEN Voltage

Ch. 3: Practically a Stranger

"I... won't... let... you..." Risa thought. "CHANGE... ME!!!"

After an encounter with a strange man clad in a trenchcoat and a bowler hat, Risa Himawari finds herself in a helpless situation. With the trenchcoat-clad man preparing to apply a Stabilizer around her neck, and two other men, both of which possessing a similar look as with the trenchcoat-clad man, restraining her with a tight grip on both her arms and legs, rendering her Firestarter powers useless in the process, all she can do now is expect the worst.

"Risa Himawari... the Firestarter." Said the trenchcoat-clad man. "Your neutralization begins now."

The trenchcoat-clad man slaps the Stabilizer around her neck. The collar-like apparatus them proceeds to wrap itself around his neck, before releasing a bunch of micro-needles that stab themselves around her neck and inject her body with a numbing agent that disables her movement while sending a painful shock running down her nerves.

Risa screams in sheer agony as the numbing agent is injected onto her body through the apparatus. The two men proceed to drop Risa onto the ground as she writhes in pain.

The effect of the agent lasted for about a minute, before the pain eventually subsided. Eventually, Risa was able to stand up and regain her footing.

"Tch, that hurt like hell..." Said Risa. "But hey... at least it's over now..."

"Hmph..." The trenchcoat-clad man replied, expressionless.

"My neutralization begins now, you say?" Said Risa. "Hehehe... you talk big... but let's see if you can back it up once I char you black!"

However, as soon as she tried to snap her fingers... there was no flame. She tried snapping her fingers once again... still no flame.

"What the..?!" Risa thought. "This has never happened before..."

Risa decides to snap her fingers one more time. This time, directly pointing at the trenchcoat-clad man, with her left hand holding her right hand in place, as she shouts the words...

"FIRESTARTER!" Shouted Risa.

Nary a sign of a flame in sight. Risa was shocked and devastated. It appears she has indeed lost her PSI.

"M-My... Firestarter..." Said Risa. "This... can't be..."

The trenchcoat-clad man then runs toward Risa and proceeds to hit her with a hard punch to the gut, knocking the air out of her and making her fall to the ground.

"You were a tough one to capture, Ms. Himawari." Said the trenchcoat-clad man. "But now that you've been neutralized, you no longer pose a threat to the-"

Suddenly, a horizontal bolt of lightning appears from behind the trenchcoat-clad man, aiming to strike the man. However, the man promptly avoids the incoming bolt just in time.

"I appreciate that you seek to maintain peace and neutralize rogue Irregulars." Said a familiar voice. "But isn't targeting innocent ones taking it a bit to far?"

Risa was surprised as she heard the sound of that all-too-familiar voice.

"That voice..." Said Risa. "Kouya?!"

It turns out that the voice was indeed Kouya's. Promptly, Kouya steps out from the shadows and appears.

"Oh, hey Risa!" Said Kouya.

"Kouya..." Risa replied.

Suddenly, the trenchcoat-clad man gets up from his downed position, as he proceeds to pick up another neutralizing collar from his coat, aiming to use it on Kouya.