(A/N):
Drop a meme here that you find funny. Or reflects your mood.
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Staff Room...
Smoke continued leaking from the vents,
Curling along the ceiling of the staff room like pink fog.
Papers flew everywhere as Sky High jolted violently in mid-air,
Metal groaning like a dying beast.
Desks slid.
Chairs toppled.
The school was falling.
Rudra stood in the center of the chaos—
Steady, unmoving—
His boots anchored to the floor with Brahmastra energy.
His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked across the room.
Gwen Grayson stood there,
But not as the cheerful top student anymore.
"...."
"...."
Her hair was messy,
Villain suit partially revealed beneath her school uniform,
And her eyes—
Dark, sharp—
Held a mixture of anger and disbelief.
Royal Pain.
"...."
She had expected him to be on the floor unconscious.
Instead, he looked completely fine.
The shock on her face deepened.
Her voice trembled slightly, not with fear,
But frustration.
"That gas… should've knocked out elephants for a week… you—why are you still standing?"
Rudra only tilted his head.
"...."
The room lurched again as Sky High dropped another fifty meters.
The windows shattered.
Wind tore inside like a storm.
But Rudra simply said in a calm tone.
"Your gas isn't enough to take me down, Gwen."
Her eyes widened.
"...."
Her jaw tightened.
For a moment,
She didn't know whether to scream, run, or shoot him.
He took a few steps toward her,
The floor vibrating with every drop in altitude.
Gwen instinctively raised the large futuristic gun she had hidden under her jacket.
The barrel hummed with unstable energy.
Sparks danced along its length.
"Don't come closer!"
She snapped.
Her voice cracked slightly.
"Jump out. Now. If you stay here you'll ruin EVERYTHING!"
Rudra let out a slow breath.
"Do you really think I'm an idiot? Why would I jump to my death?"
Gwen gritted her teeth hard and yelled again—
This time louder, more desperate.
"Because I'm telling you to leave! My dad is about to kill everyone upstairs—just GO!"
She aimed the gun past him and fired.
BOOM—!
The wall to Rudra's right exploded outward,
Leaving a giant hole.
Wind blasted in violently, sucking papers and furniture out into open sky.
The floor tilted even more.
But Rudra didn't move.
He simply looked at her, expression calm but eyes sharp.
"I already knew who you were,"
He said.
A pin-drop silence followed—
"...."
"...."
"...."
Even though everything around them was collapsing.
Gwen's breath faltered.
Her pupils shrank.
She stiffened like someone who had just heard a death sentence.
Rudra continued, voice steady.
"Royal Pain. Sue Tenny. The girl who should be dead was still alive. I knew from the second week."
Her chest rose sharply.
She swallowed hard.
"…When?"
She whispered.
He shrugged lightly.
"Your technopathy leaves digital fingerprints everywhere. And your behavior never matched a normal girl."
For the first time since revealing herself,
Gwen looked… shaken.
Then the school dropped again—
Hard.
Lights flickered.
Books flew into the air.
The cupboards along the wall detached and smashed to the ground.
Gwen stumbled.
Rudra reached out on instinct and caught her wrist before she fell.
For a second...
The two froze—
"...."
"...."
His grip firm, her eyes wide.
The villain mask cracked just a little.
But the moment passed.
Gwen ripped her hand back and aimed the gun again,
Shouting with renewed fury.
"I WON'T BETRAY MY FATHER! I'LL DESTROY THIS PLACE TOGETHER WITH HIM!SO YOU EITHER GET OUT OR I'LL SHOOT YOU FOR REAL!"
Rudra let out a sigh.
Sigh~
"...."
Wind whipped past his hair.
The ceiling above them groaned under the pressure.
And he answered, quietly:
"If you really wanted to kill me, you would've aimed properly the first time."
Her eyes widened again—
Caught.
His voice lowered, firm.
"I'm not going to let the school fall.And I'm not letting you go down this path either."
Gwen's breathing hitched.
For a moment her hands trembled.
But then she screamed in frustration and fired again—
KA-BOOM!
Another explosion tore through the side of the building as the school kept plummeting toward the city below.
Rudra stepped forward, golden aura rising.
AUDITORIUM...
The auditorium was complete chaos.
Parents screamed.
Teachers—
Now tiny kids in oversized clothing—
Ran around in panic.
Chairs tipped.
Decorations collapsed.
The entire room tilted as Sky High dropped sharply in altitude.
Josie Stronghold—
Jetstream—
Grabbed Will by the collar, wrapped her arms tightly around him,
Landed but shocked to see what is happened to everyone.
She once again grabbed Will by collar zipped to the exit.
Wind tore past their faces.
"Hold on, Will!"
Josie shouted as she burst through a broken window,
Spiraling downward with her son.
But the moment they cleared the building—
ZAAAAAP!
A blinding streak of plasma slammed into her back.
Her scream tore through the air.
Will felt her grip vanish.
"MOM!?"
In the span of half a second,
Jetstream shimmered, shrank, and—
POP!
—turned into a five-year-old child mid-fall.
Little Josie flailed helplessly in open sky.
Will reached out for her, screaming—
"MOM!!"
He caught her tiny hand just in time,
Both of them plummeting downward.
Above them,
Stitches stood at the broken window,
Hahaha~
Laughing insanely while holding the Pecifier—
A de-aging weapon now glowing from overuse.
"HAHAHA! FALL ALL YOU WANT! THIS SCHOOL AND EVERYONE IN IT IS FINISHED!"
With a mocking salute,
Stitches dove backward out of the school,
Using his grappling gear to swing away toward safety.
Will looked downward—
"...."
And the whole world blurred.
The ground was rushing toward them.
His heart pounded.
His hands shook.
His mother—
Now a terrified child—
Clung to him, crying.
"Will… do something!"
"I—I'm trying—!"
The wind roared around him.
He felt helpless.
Useless.
Like every fear he ever had about being quirkless… was true.
But then—
A sound.
A strange humming.
His whole body began to vibrate.
Suddenly—
He stopped falling.
His legs steadied mid-air,
Suspended by an invisible force.
Slowly, shakily…
He rose.
Will blinked, breath hitching.
"...."
Then realization dawned.
He was flying.
"I… I'm flying!?"
Jetstream—
Now child-sized—
Gasped in awe even while clinging tightly to him.
Will looked down.
The city lights were directly below.
Sky High was dropping fast—
Its enormous shadow consuming the skyline.
If it hit the ground…
People below would die.
Everyone inside would die.
His friends.
His father.
Every student.
Will clenched his jaw.
"...."
A spark of determination flared in his chest.
He pulled his mother close and rocketed upward—
Straight toward the falling school.
The floating island-school was plummeting like a meteor.
Buildings were cracking.
Metal supports screamed.
Clouds whipped past at terrifying speed.
Will positioned himself directly under the huge structure,
Planting his feet against the air like they were solid ground.
He pushed upward with all his might.
"NRRRGGHHHHHH—!"
The school slowed—
Just a little.
Only a fraction.
Sweat poured down his face.
Every muscle in his body trembled.
It wasn't enough.
He couldn't lift the whole thing.
"Come on… COME ON!"
The school continued to fall,
Just slower than before.
Children and parents inside screamed as gravity tilted everything.
Will screamed too—
Ahhhh!
More from desperation than pain.
"I won't let them die! I WON'T LET ANYONE DIE!"
His mother—
Tiny arms wrapped around his neck—
Whispered shakily.
"I'm proud of you, Will… but we need help…"
And she was right.
Will's newfound strength and flight slowed the descent…
But could not stop it.
Sky High was still falling.
STAFF ROOM...
Papers spun through the air.
Desks slid across the floor.
Lights flickered wildly as the entire school groaned from the free-fall.
And in the center of that chaos—
Gwen Grayson
—no, Royal Pain—
Stood with her plasma rifle pointed at Rudra, her expression twisted between rage and… fear.
Her pink smoke trap had failed.
Her sedatives had failed.
And now, hearing the metal shriek as the school plummeted,
She looked more frantic, more unstable.
Rudra didn't move.
His boots remained anchored to the floor with thin threads of Brahmastra energy that sank into the tile like roots.
He looked straight into her eyes.
Not her gun.
Not her villain suit.
Her eyes.
"...."
"...."
Deep voice steady,
Cutting through the roaring wind outside—
"Being a villain was never your destiny, Gwen."
She flinched.
Her finger tightened on the trigger.
Rudra stepped forward anyway.
"Royal Pain died sixteen years ago. That story… that obsession… that vengeance—"
His hand gestured around the chaotic room,
"—all of it belonged to someone else."
Her lips trembled.
"L-Lies,"
She hissed.
"You don't know anything. My father—"
"Your father crafted a weapon, not a daughter."
Rudra's voice sharpened, firm but not cruel.
"He rebuilt you into an idea he was obsessed with. An idea fueled by his failure, his hatred, his fear of heroes."
Gwen froze completely.
"...."
The plasma rifle shook in her hands.
"But you…"
Rudra continued, eyes softening,
"you laugh at jokes. You get embarrassed easily. You sneak snacks into class. You pretend to be cold, but you stay late to help your classmates with tech problems. You worry about Layla even though you act like rivals."
He stepped forward, now only a few feet away.
The school lurched sharply—
Gwen gasped, losing her footing—
Rudra grabbed her wrist,
Steadying her as gravity shifted sideways.
Their faces were close enough for her to see her reflection in his mask.
His voice dropped into a quiet, grounding calm.
"You're not a cold-blooded murderer, Gwen."
Her breathing hitched.
"...."
"Stop… don't—don't say that. I am Royal Pain. I have to be Royal Pain—"
"No. You chose to be Gwen Grayson. You chose to make friends. You chose to smile. You chose to care."
His words struck her harder than any punch.
The plasma rifle in her hands wavered.
Pieces of the ceiling fell around them.
The school kept dropping.
But in that swirling, falling world—
Gwen's mask cracked.
A tiny, barely audible whisper escaped her lips:
"...I didn't want to hurt you."
Rudra's eyes softened behind the mask.
"I know."
A long silence.
"...."
"...."
"...."
The gun slowly lowered.
Her shoulders trembled.
"...What do I do now?"
Rudra gently released her wrist,
Standing tall as Brahmastra energy hummed around him.
"You choose. For the first time in your life… you choose who you want to be. Not who Stitches built. Not who Royal Pain demanded."
His tone became firm again.
"But right now — the school is falling. Help me stop it."
Gwen swallowed,
Gulp~
"...."
Her internal war visible on her face.
For the first time…
She looked unsure of Royal Pain.
For the first time… she looked like Gwen.
She gave a shaky nod.
Nod~
"...Tell me what to do."
Rudra exhaled —
A long sigh of relief, breath misting in the collapsing room.
Sigh~
Gwen—
Shaken, eyes conflicted—
"...."
Still stood near the broken window, torn between identities.
Rudra turned his gaze away…
And activated the Artificer skill.
A golden sigil flashed behind his pupils.
The world shifted.
Every wall, pipe, vent, circuit, bolt, beam and supporting strut lit up in his vision like a glowing blue holographic blueprint.
The floor beneath him turned translucent.
His sight pierced downward—
"...."
Through desks, tiles, concrete, wiring—
Until it reached hundreds of feet below.
There it was.
The levitation motor—
Cracked, sparking, half-dead—
Barely clinging to life while the backup engine struggled to boot.
'Too slow.'
Sky High was still plummeting.
Rudra's jaw tightened.
"...."
He turned toward Gwen.
She blinked—
"...."
Caught off guard—
And gasped softly as Rudra stepped forward…
…and suddenly lifted her into a princess carry.
Gwen went stiff, eyes going wide, lips parting in shock.
"H-Hey—what are you—"
Rudra didn't answer.
He simply locked one arm under her knees,
The other around her back, holding her firmly yet gently.
Then he looked down at the blueprint glowing beneath his feet.
"Hold on."
Rudra bent his knees.
Divine Brahmastra energy shimmered around him,
Forming a sphere of golden-white aura.
Dust, papers, and debris lifted into the air as if gravity loosened around him.
The world slowed—
Threads of golden light coiled around his arms and legs—
His hair lifted in slow motion, rippling like it was underwater.
Gwen stared up at him, stunned, breathless.
"...."
Her cheeks warmed.
Her fingers curled unconsciously into his shirt.
For a moment, she forgot she was a villain.
She was just a girl in someone's arms—
And he looked like a warrior standing between destruction and salvation.
WHOOSH!
Rudra launched downward like a comet.
BOOOOOM!
His heels smashed through the floor—
Sending concrete flying like explosive shrapnel.
They fell—
Another floor.
BOOM!
The auditorium ceiling exploded open beneath them.
Hundreds of stunned students, kids, and even Steve Stronghold (now a child) stared upward—
As Rudra dropped through like a meteor, Gwen held safely in his arms.
"RA–ONE?!"
"Is that Professor Ra-One?!"
"HE'S CARRYING GWEN?!"
Their eyes followed him as he vanished through the next floor—
BOOM!
Then the next—
BOOOOM!
A vertical tunnel of destruction carved straight down through Sky High's heart.
Until Rudra landed on the floor above the levitation chamber.
He twisted mid-air, protecting Gwen as rubble exploded upward from their landing.
He kicked the last floor apart—
KRRAAAAAAAM!!!
—landing directly beside the failing levitation engine.
The golden glow around him faded slowly like embers drifting off his body.
He set Gwen down gently.
She stumbled, dazed,
Staring at him like she was seeing him for the first time.
Her voice came out small.
"…What are you?"
Rudra didn't look back.
His eyes were fixed on the dying engine.
"Someone who won't let this school fall."
Metal groans.
Sparks~
Sparks shower like dying stars.
Rudra pointed to the backup engine mounted to the side,
Its coils glowing faintly.
It was slow.
Too slow.
"Gwen—start the secondary engine manually. Use your technopathy. Override the boot limiters."
Her eyes widened at the trust in his voice.
But she nodded sharply.
Nod~
"On it!"
She slapped her palm against the outer casing—
Her eyes glowing red as lines of data raced across the metal.
The motor hummed.
Then growled.
Then began to power up—
Still sluggish, still insufficient.
Rudra turned his attention to the main engine.
The world dimmed around him.
The damaged levitation core lit up like an X-ray diagram.
Every bolt.
Every turbine.
Every circuit.
Every cracked conduit.
65% of the engine was dead.
Any normal engineer would say.
"Impossible. Scrap it."
But Rudra was no normal man.
His palms lit up with golden Brahmastra light as he pressed them against the engine.
"Alright… let's begin."
With a low hum, the engine began breaking apart layer by layer:
– outer casing peeled away
– broken conduits slid out
– shattered coils detached
– warped anti-grav rings drifted in the air like floating debris
All suspended around Rudra in a slow-motion halo of machinery.
Gwen, still hacking the backup engine,
Paused for a moment—
Awestruck.
"…You're—rebuilding an engine in real time?"
Rudra didn't answer.
"...."
He was already constructing replacements.
Golden light shot from his arms, taking shape in mid-air.
A new anti-grav ring materialized—
Crafted from brahmastra energy.
Then a power conduit.
Then a stabilizer coil.
Then an entire turbine blade—
Glowing molten gold before hardening.
Piece after piece—
CLINK!
CLINK!
CLINK!
—snapped into place,
Replacing the damaged components precisely where they belonged.
The levitation engine thrummed louder… louder… louder—
"Come on…"
Rudra muttered.
WHOOM!
A shockwave blasted outward.
The chamber's lights flickered.
Gravity warped.
Loose objects danced in the air.
Sky High shuddered…
then…
STABILIZED.
The engine roared to life—
Blue thrusters spinning, rings spinning in counter-rotation,
Humming with restored power.
Above them…
OUTSIDE THE SCHOOL...
Will Stronghold, straining with every muscle,
Had managed to slow Sky High's descent—
Barely inches above a kissing couple who were screaming but frozen in panic.
"...."
"...."
Ahhhhhhh!!!
Then—
FWOOOOP!
Sky High yanked upward as the engine reengaged,
Shooting back into stable altitude.
Will blinked, panting.
"YES—YES!!"
He spread his arms and shot upward toward the auditorium.
"Mom! Dad! Everyone—hold on!"
SKY HIGH ENGINE ROOM...
Gwen stared at the stabilized engine, her mouth falling slightly open.
"You… you just fixed a levitation core at 65% damage… with your bare hands."
Rudra wiped a smear of soot from his cheek, exhaling.
"It'll hold. Now go help the other engine to start soon—"
A sudden tremor ran through the chamber.
Rudra's senses sharpened instantly.
Gwen turned—
Confused.
"What was—?"
A shadow dropped from the ventilation pipes above them.
Landing on all fours.
Metal claws scraping the floor.
A long stitched leather coat.
A twisted grin.
"...."
Stitches.
Royal Pain's right-hand.
The quirkless psychopath.
His voice was oily, mocking.
"Well now… seems the hero professor is full of surprises."
He stood upright, cracking his neck.
Crack~
"And little Gwen… betraying daddy already?"
Gwen stiffened—
But hid behind Rudra instinctively.
Rudra stepped forward, eyes narrowing.
Frown~
"Your plan ends here."
Stitches laughed, pulling out the pecifier ray from under his coat.
"Oh, I don't think so."
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(Author's POV)
(A/N):
Thanks for reading the chapter!
Please give a review!!! And power stone too!!!
Guys it will motivate me more?