Chapter 14 – Doctor Overdrive

Homura blushed beet-red at my hug and kiss, but she nodded, her expression determined. Aoi, on the other hand, stiffened when I called her the strategist. My lewd threat made a shiver run down her spine, a flicker of something that was half fear, half thrill. "I... understand, Master," she said, her voice tight. "I will not fail you. And I will not require... disciplinary action." She took a deep breath, her indigo eyes scanning the plaza. As I melted back into the shadows of a nearby alley, she turned to Homura, her voice now crisp and commanding. "Homura. Our objective is clear. I'm taking the lead. You're on support and containment." "Use your gravity fields to lock him down and deflect anything he throws at the building. Do not use your plasma blasts unless I give the signal. Got it?" Homura looked at her new commander and nodded, her face a mask of focus. "Got it, Aoi." The stomping grew louder, and a massive, ten-meter-tall mech suit lumbered into the plaza. It was a brutish, ugly machine of gray metal, bristling with guns. Through a reinforced glass cockpit in its chest, we could see a man with wild gray hair and a crazed grin. "Bwahahaha!" Doctor Overdrive yelled, his voice booming from a speaker. "Fools! Did you think firing me would stop the march of progress?! Now you will all witness the magnificent power of Doctor Overdrive!" "I will take what is mine and wipe your pathetic corporation off the map!" He raised a Gatling gun arm, about to shred the building's entrance, when Aoi made her move. She didn't rush him. "Void Eater," her voice cool and clear. A small disk of pure blackness appeared right in front of the mech's gun. Overdrive pulled the trigger, and a stream of bullets spewed out, only to vanish silently into the void. The doctor's grin faltered. He stared at his weapon. "What? A malfunction? Impossible!" "Your rampage ends here, Doctor!" Aoi's voice cut through the night. "Surrender now, or we'll take you apart." "They've gotten so good", I thought, a proud smirk on my face as I watched. "Hey, Gemgem. Doesn't this feel like watching your kids at their first school play?". The Gem hummed annoyingly, "Slient, host! Don't interfere with my data collection." "Magical girls?!" Doctor Overdrive yelled. "Two of them! No matter! My genius will crush your pathetic hocus pocus!" He fired a volley of micro-missiles from a shoulder pod. They screamed through the air, heading straight for Aoi. Homura acted instantly. "Gravity Well." She stretched out her hand, and the air around the missiles warped. They were caught in a sudden, crushing gravity field, their paths bending wildly before they were smashed into tiny, harmless balls of metal that clattered onto the plaza floor. Overdrive stared, his jaw slack. "Impossible! How can they bend space ?! It's ignoring all physical laws!" Aoi saw her opening. "Now, Homura! His legs!" "Binding Mass," Homura said, her hands glowing with dark starlight. Two spheres of gravitational force slammed into the mech's knees. The massive robot lurched as its legs locked up, and it toppled forward with a tremendous crash, landing face-first on the plaza tiles, completely stuck. The doctor screamed in frustration inside his cockpit. "His main power conduit is on the back," Aoi stated. "A clean shot should disable the suit without an explosion. I'll draw his fire. Hit it on my mark." She dashed forward, an indigo blur, firing small, weak bolts of dark energy that pattered harmlessly off the mech's cockpit. "You'll pay for that, bitches!" Overdrive roared, flipping a switch. Blue lightning crackled over the mech's frame. Aoi just smirked. "A foolish move. Your energy will become my food." She placed a hand on the crackling hull. The electricity flowed into her, not harming her at all, but making her own dark aura flare brighter. She was getting supercharged. "Now, Homura!" Homura, poised and calm, flicked a single finger. A thin beam of silver plasma, no thicker than a pencil, shot out. It hit the exposed power conduit on the mech's back with surgical precision. There was no boom or explosion. All the lights on the mech suit just flickered and died. The machine was dead, defeated without a single scratch on the surrounding buildings. "Mission accomplished," Gemgem stated, its voice flat, but I could sense the deep satisfaction underneath. "The enemy is neutralized without any collateral damage. Their synergy is optimal. Your daughters have performed flawlessly." I stepped out of the alley as the girls powered down and waved them over. "Let's go get some dinner, my treat. You landed the finishing blow, so you can pick the place, Homura." My praise made them both relax. When I told Homura to choose, she froze, the familiar panic of making a decision returning. She looked at Aoi for help, but Aoi just gave her a small, encouraging nod. "...There's a place near my home," Homura said in a shy voice. "They make omurice. They... they draw little pictures on it with ketchup. I've always wanted to go, but... I was always alone." "Omurice sounds perfect after a mission," Aoi said, her quick approval saving Homura from her own awkwardness. Police sirens were getting closer. I quickly led the girls away, disappearing into the side streets. We found the small, cozy restaurant Homura mentioned. It was a warm, cheerful, family-run place. Soon enough, we were all sitting in front of plates of omurice. On Homura's, the chef had drawn a smiling cat face in ketchup. She stared at it for a full minute, her eyes wide, before finally taking a small, hesitant bite. A real, unguarded smile spread across her face. Watching her, I realized this win was about more than just beating a villain. It helped Homura learn she could be powerful without being destructive, and taught Aoi she could lead. It was about them learning to trust each other, as a team. "Hmm, the food was great," I said, paying for the meal and getting some takeout for Miki and Akane. "I've still got a tough fight waiting for me back home, though. You two are free to go, or you can come watch." I chuckled. Aoi raised a perfect eyebrow, a faint, knowing smirk on her lips. "While the offer sounds tempting, I think I'll head home. I have some new strategies to think about." "Thank you for the meal, Master." She gave me a crisp, respectful bow. Homura, however, just looked confused. "A tough fight? Is there another villain? Do you need my help, Master?" Before I could answer, Aoi placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "That won't be necessary, Homura." "The 'fight' Master is talking about is a different kind of... team-building exercise. One we're not scheduled for. We should go home." "Oh," Homura said. A flicker of understanding, followed by a faint blush, crossed her face. "I see. Then... good luck with your fight, Master." "And thank you for the omurice." She gave me a small, shy bow and walked off with Aoi, the two of them already looking like a deadly, competent pair.