The days after the new incident were anything but calm.
Everything moved fast.
On one side, the police launched a full investigation. Raiden was questioned multiple times—long sessions where they asked him to describe every detail he could remember: appearances, movements, quirks, even tone of voice. Anything that could help identify the enemy.
On the other side, the media did what they always did—but this time, they did it well.
They elevated him.
They portrayed Raiden—Mewtwo—as a rising pillar, a new symbol in the making.
The footage of the encounter spread everywhere.
Not just the fight itself, but the way he had protected the reporters, how he moved them out of danger in an instant, how he handled the situation without hesitation.
That was what truly caught attention.
From that day onward, moving around in his transformed state became… complicated.
At first, he had to admit—it felt good.
People asking for autographs, calling his name, looking at him with admiration.
It was new.
It was… satisfying.
But only for a few days.
After that, it became exhausting.
Every step turned into a stop.
Every street into a crowd.
So he adapted.
He always made sure to leave U.A. flying, far enough to avoid attention, and only then return to his human form on a nearby rooftop.
It was the only way to move freely.
The only time he stayed as Mewtwo now was during patrols.
"…This sucks," Raiden muttered under his breath as he walked through the city streets.
His hands were in his pockets, his posture relaxed—but his mind wasn't.
"Lately I feel more comfortable transformed…"
He glanced at his own hand.
"It feels safer."
A small pause.
"My power is way lower like this."
He exhaled slowly, then shook his head.
"Whatever."
A different thought crossed his mind.
"I should grab some fries… it's been a while."
With that, he turned toward a small food stand nearby and ordered something quick.
Nothing fancy.
Just enough.
A few minutes later, as he walked again, something else caught his attention.
An old movie theater.
Not the modern kind—no bright lights or flashy screens.
This one felt… different.
Vintage.
Almost like a mix between a cinema and a stage theater.
Raiden stopped for a moment, looking at it.
"…Why not."
He didn't really have anything else to do.
After buying a ticket, he stepped inside.
The interior matched the outside perfectly.
Dim lights.
Elegant details.
A quiet atmosphere.
He walked in, found a seat, and leaned back, waiting for the movie to start.
The film began.
An old exorcism story.
A woman suspected of being possessed.
Classic.
Slow pacing.
Heavy tension.
About ten minutes in—
Someone sat down beside him.
The movement was subtle, but enough to catch his attention.
Raiden turned his head slightly.
And paused.
For a second longer than he expected.
Because the woman next to him…
Was striking.
Golden eyes.
Deep red hair that fell naturally over her shoulders.
Pale skin, dotted with soft freckles that somehow made her stand out even more.
She wore a red sweater that matched her hair almost perfectly, and a delicate golden necklace rested just above her collarbone.
There was something… oddly fitting about her presence in that place.
Almost like she belonged to a different scene.
Raiden looked at her for a brief moment—
Then turned his gaze back to the screen.
But not without noticing one thing.
Her eyes hadn't moved toward the movie.
They were… in him.
"Excuse me… is there something you need?" Raiden said quietly, turning slightly toward her.
"I don't want to be rude, but… I'm starting to feel a little uncomfortable."
The woman didn't seem offended.
If anything, she looked… relieved.
"Well… actually," she said softly, "I've been looking for you."
"For me?" Raiden repeated, a bit confused.
"Yes," she nodded.
"Don't you remember me?"
At that, Raiden frowned slightly.
There was something familiar.
A vague feeling, like a memory just out of reach.
"…Not really—"
Then it hit him.
Mid-sentence.
His eyes widened slightly.
"…You."
The image snapped into place.
The chaos. The store. The first day.
"—You're the woman from the store… from the day of the attack."
She smiled, a small but genuine expression.
"Yes. That was me."
There was a short pause before she continued.
"I tried to find you for a while… but it's a long story."
She glanced at the screen for a second, then back at him.
"How about this—after the movie, I invite you for a coffee. Then I can explain everything properly. What do you say?"
Raiden hesitated for a moment.
Then nodded.
"…Sure."
The rest of the movie passed in silence.
An uncomfortable one.
Not tense… but distracting.
Raiden couldn't focus on the film anymore.
His mind kept drifting back to her presence beside him.
To the way she had said she was looking for him.
After the movie ended, they walked out together and headed to a nearby café.
It was quiet.
Warm.
A good place to talk.
Strangely enough, she didn't say a single word on the way there.
Not until they both had ordered and sat down.
Only then did she finally speak.
"Sorry," she said, lowering her gaze slightly.
"I was nervous."
She let out a small breath.
"The truth is… all this time, I already knew you were a U.A. student."
Raiden blinked.
"But I couldn't bring myself to talk to you."
A pause.
"Because I felt guilty."
She looked up at him again.
"I mean it. You saved me… and I just disappeared."
Raiden opened his mouth to respond—
But she raised her hand gently.
Not yet.
"But I couldn't keep running from that forever," she continued.
"So I started looking for you again."
Her voice softened.
"I wanted to thank you. Properly."
"You didn't just save my life… you saved my dignity."
That word lingered.
"And when I found out you were training to become a hero…"
A faint smile.
"I was really happy."
Another pause.
"But even then, I still couldn't approach you."
She let out a small, almost embarrassed laugh.
"It wasn't until the priest at my church encouraged me… that I finally gathered the courage."
Raiden listened quietly.
Then shrugged slightly.
"You didn't have to go that far," he said.
"I just did what I could."
He tilted his head a bit, studying her.
"But… one question."
"You recognized me in my human form?"
He gestured toward himself with a small smirk.
"I've changed a bit since then."
And that was an understatement.
Back then, he had been thinner, less defined.
Now, his build was noticeably more muscular, his presence sharper.
"Fufu… yes, you did change," she said with a light laugh.
"But I made sure."
That answer made Raiden raise an eyebrow.
"I went to U.A. a few times and waited nearby," she explained.
"And after a while, I noticed something."
"You always landed around the same block before entering."
Raiden's eyebrow rose higher.
"So I waited there… and looked for someone with gray hair coming out of that building."
She met his eyes directly.
"That's how I confirmed it was you."
A small pause.
"And today… I followed you to the cinema."
Silence.
Raiden blinked once.
Then leaned back slightly in his chair.
"…Right."
Inside his head, a very different thought formed.
Yeah… I would not want to be her boyfriend.
A stalker.
Grateful… but still a stalker.
"So… well, that's why I wanted to thank you properly," Amelia said with a warm smile.
"And also… I wanted to at least invite you to eat something."
"Invite me, huh?" Raiden repeated, a bit amused.
Then something clicked.
"Wait… now that I think about it—what's your name?"
"Oh, right," she said, blinking once as if she had just realized.
"Well… I changed it."
She gave a slightly awkward smile.
"The media was a bit too… persistent after the incident at the store."
A small pause.
"So now… I go by Amelia."
"Amelia, huh," Raiden nodded.
"Well, nice to meet you—properly this time. I'm Raiden."
He let out a small laugh.
"Definitely better circumstances than before."
Then his expression softened a bit.
"So… how have you been after everything?"
Amelia's smile faded just slightly.
"Honestly… at first, it was really difficult."
She looked down at her cup for a moment.
"The nightmares were… bad."
A short pause.
"So I ended up going to church."
Her voice grew calmer as she continued.
"The priest there helped me a lot."
"And after a while… I started volunteering."
She looked back up, a bit brighter now.
"Little by little, things got better."
"Helping others… helped me too."
"Helping others?" Raiden asked, curious, taking a sip of his coffee.
"Yes," she nodded quickly.
"I work with kids—mostly those with fewer resources."
Her tone became more animated.
"I help them with school when they're struggling… sometimes we organize meals on weekends… things like that."
She smiled again.
"The church does a lot more than people think."
"That actually sounds really nice," Raiden said, genuinely interested.
He leaned back slightly, thinking.
"I'd like to see that sometime."
A small pause.
"Maybe I could even bring some students along."
He shrugged lightly.
"I probably couldn't convince pro heroes, but my classmates might be up for it."
Amelia's eyes lit up instantly.
"Really?! That would be amazing!"
Her excitement was almost immediate.
"The kids already know about you—well… I talk about you a lot."
She laughed a little, slightly embarrassed.
"So they already admire you."
Then, without missing a beat:
"Actually, today we have a study session."
She leaned forward slightly.
"Do you want to meet them?"
Raiden blinked.
Then chuckled.
She was… surprisingly expressive.
For someone around her age—mid twenties, maybe—she had the energy of a kid in a candy store.
"Hahaha… sure," he said, standing up.
"I've got time."
"Yeees! They're going to love this!" Amelia exclaimed, clearly excited.
After Raiden agreed, Amelia immediately stood up and paid the bill without hesitation.
"Let's go," she said, already moving.
Raiden followed her as they walked through the streets, side by side. After a few minutes, they arrived at the place she had mentioned.
A church.
Raiden paused for a second as he looked at it.
He had expected something closer to a Japanese temple.
Instead—
It looked like a European cathedral.
Gothic.
Tall structures, sharp arches, intricate details carved into the stone.
It stood out completely from the rest of the city.
It wasn't just big.
It was… imposing.
The place was well maintained—clean, almost spotless despite its age.
As Raiden stepped inside, the atmosphere changed immediately.
Cool air.
Soft light filtering through stained glass windows.
He stopped for a moment, looking around.
"I've never been inside this place…" he muttered.
"…it's incredible."
The windows depicted religious figures and events, painted in vibrant colors that came alive under the sunlight.
Despite its age, everything felt cared for.
Alive.
And calm.
But that calm didn't last long.
As soon as Amelia stepped inside—
Movement.
Voices.
Children.
A group of kids came running toward her almost instantly.
Different ages, from five to twelve, more or less.
All of them excited.
All of them smiling.
"Ameliaaa!"
They surrounded her in seconds.
She laughed, greeting them naturally, like she had done it a thousand times.
Then—
The kids noticed Raiden.
Their attention shifted immediately.
Curious eyes.
Quiet whispers.
Amelia looked at them with a playful smile.
"Guess who he is," she said.
"It's a surprise."
That was all it took.
The kids' expressions lit up instantly.
But instead of guessing seriously—
They grinned.
Mischievous.
"He's your boyfriend!"
The reaction was immediate.
Amelia froze for a split second—
Then turned completely red.
"W-What?! No—!"
Raiden blinked, caught off guard.
"…That escalated fast."
And then—
Laughter echoed through the church.
From the background, a priest stood watching the scene, holding his stomach as he laughed openly.
Clearly amused.
Very amused.