Catalyst

Chapter 23: Awkward...

Meanwhile...

Denton is taking a swig of water from a plastic water bottle.

Denton: "(sweating) Mowing lawns during the summer sucks."

Denton is mowing lawns for money. He's mowing his fifth lawn of the day.

Denton: "(sweating) Better wrap this up."

Denton gets up and heads for a nearby, red lawnmower.

Meanwhile...

Soldier 1: "Great, now were storming neighborhoods?"

Soldier 2: "Even I'll admit that the President is losing his mind."

Ten soldiers are strolling through a simple neighborhood.

Soldier 3: "Who thought it was a good idea to elect him?"

Soldier 4: "Not me."

They can see Denton finishing up mowing a lawn.

Soldier 5: "There he is."

They march towards Denton.

Meanwhile...

Denton: "Thank you."

Denton was just given $5 by the house owner.

Denton: "(sweating) At least it's good to know that no one wants to mow in the summer. That's already $70."

Denton turns around to face his worst nightmare.

Denton: "Are you freaking kidding me?!"

Denton summons his card and glove as the soldiers stand at the other side of the street.

Soldier 2: "You ready to join us, Catalyst?"

Denton performs his normal actions, putting him in a light blue karate gi with a black belt and arm and foot wraps with aquamarine stones on his knuckles and ankles.

Denton: "I don't think so. My fist is the fist that'll carve a new path in my destiny!"

Denton assumes a battle stance.

Meanwhile...

The girl with the anime merchandise and her counterpart are sweating up a storm strolling by a main road.

Gloved Girl: "(sweating) At least we've still got our anime."

Girl: "(sweating) Yeah, but I feel like a bowl of ramen."

Gloved Girl: "(daydreaming) Ramen..."

Meanwhile...

Denton: "Reach for the stars!"

Denton has grabbed one of the soldiers by the ankles and has tossed him into the sky, having him land perfectly in an open recycle bin.

Denton: "The ultimate toss!"

Nine soldiers remain.

Denton: "Who's next?"

Water swirls around Denton's fists.

Soldier 5: "The ultimate embarrassment..."

The water around Denton lowers the amount of force produced by the bullets, making it so no wounds are inflicted while he's defending.

Denton: "I could use a little cool off anyways."

Water wraps around Denton.

Meanwhile...

Gloved Girl: "Do you hear that Yukiko?"

The two can hear gunshots going off.

Yukiko: "Y-Yeah Risa."

They see a turn in to a neighborhood.

Risa: "Let's go check it out!"

They hurry down the turn.

Meanwhile...

Denton: "Anime!"

Denton has water swirling faster around his fists as he punches a soldier in the gut, busting a pit into his stomach.

Denton: "A for anime."

Denton gets a bullet in his right shoulder during his moment.

Denton: "Hey!"

Soldier 1: "There is no gloating until the battle is over."

Denton staggers a bit.

Denton: "Such a shame that you guys will never gloat."

Soldier 4: "(laughing) Looks like you're wrong!"

Another bullet gets Denton in the back of his shins.

Soldier 5: "(laughing) You can't walk with a leg like that!"

Meanwhile...

Risa: "That doesn't look like a good thing."

Risa and Yukiko perform the same actions as Micheal, Kyle, Zack, and Tori, equipping karate gis of their own.

Yukiko: "Those Players need help!"

They rush over.

Meanwhile...

Denton: "(spitting blood) Dammit..."

Guns are being pointed at Denton from all angles.

Soldier 1: "One more and you're finished!"

One of the triggers is about to be pulled.

Soldier 5: "Welcome to-"

A roundhouse kick from behind decapitates the soldier about to pull the trigger.

Yukiko: "You okay?"

Yukiko and Risa have come to the rescue.

Risa: "You two okay?"

Denton: "(in pain) More like, 'you one,' but I'm fine."

Yukiko: "Huh?"

A binary aura surrounds Risa and Yukiko.

Denton: "(in pain) Nevermind! Right now let's wrap this up and I can take you to some of the others!"

The two use the same water idea to block bullets.

Risa: "Better be telling the truth."

The aura glows bright.

Denton: "Don't worry, I am."

The soldiers open fire again.

Denton, Risa, and Yukiko: "Synergy Attack..."

All three get ready for a roundhouse kick.

Denton: "Torrential..."

Water blocks the bullets as they kick fast enough to hover for a split second.

Risa: "... Whirlpool..."

The water drops as they make one last spin before touching the ground.

Yukiko: "... Accelerator!"

Nothing happens for a moment.

Denton: "Drown in your own fear."

Suddenly, the Japanese kanji for water appears before a giant whirlpool forms around the three, sweeping the soldiers inside.

Risa: "The power of anime is too great!"

The soldiers are no more when the water soon evaporates.

Denton: "(changing back) It's a power very few can use properly."

Everyone changes back to their normal attire.

Yukiko: "You mentioned some of the others?"

Denton collapses onto his knee.

Denton: "(in pain) Yeah."

People can be heard cheering like it's a concert inside the houses.

Risa: "Whoa."

Yukiko helps Denton up...