“Initiating Program: Ion,” Watabe said as she extended his hand and shot a bolt of electricity toward Devin. Devin extended his hand and swiped the electricity away.

“The fundamental use of this Program is the discharge and control of electricity. There is so much more you can do with it.” Devin spoke. 

“I know, manipulating charged particles, I understand the power I could wield. However, I’m going to university for a degree in business, not particle physics.” Watabe sounded annoyed. 

“Then maybe you should change major. I’m not kidding.” Devin spoke seriously. 

Watabe reluctantly nodded his head in understanding. This was going to be his future; if he could learn to better control his Program by going to class, there was no downside. Outside of attending particle physics courses. 

“Right now, you should just focus on the feeling. Don’t worry too much about fooling around with particles you don’t understand; just focus on being able to feel them and sparking their electrical properties. Your Program is highly complex but equally as powerful. Don’t rush.” Devin instructed Watabe. 

“Have you fought someone with this Program before?” Watabe asked. 

“I have; my old mentor had it. The strongest person I’ve ever fought, and second deadliest.” Devin said with a smile on his face. 

“What happened to him?” 

“Long story short, I became ‘The Renegade’, and with the help of his daughter, we killed him. Almost died in the process. That was about 5 years ago. Hopefully, our relationship won’t end the same.” Devin spoke with a tinge of remorse layered in his tone. 

Watabe didn’t ask any more questions. He just nodded his head and began to focus as Devin had instructed. If Devin needed assistance to deal with his old mentor, that meant even Zero Chasers weren’t unbeatable. Kenji had become a Zero, as he had feared. However, that did not mean he would fall behind. In fact, he could eclipse him. Watabe smiled as electricity arched off his fingertips. He looked towards Devin’s feet. Devin then instinctively jumped away as electricity sparked in the spot where Devin was standing. 

“Are you going to use your Program, Sensei?” 

“My Program wouldn’t allow you to practice thoroughly. You’re not at a level of understanding, where you can resist my Boot-Up.” Devin said placidly. 

Watabe’s eyes squinted. Was Devin Boot-Up enough to take out Chasers? From how he spoke, Program: Ion had ways to counter it. Watabe took a deep breath; there was much for him to learn, but he was thankful he had a Program that could keep his interest. Watabe’s eyes flared with lightning, and the air around Devin became charged as lightning struck him from all sides. 

“Not bad.” Devin smiled as he waved his hand, dispersing the electricity. 

Kenji and Franky stood in a large barren room. There was a steel floor and ceiling, with about 300 square meters of space. Franky had a worried look on his face, 

“Before we talk about your Boot-Up. I heard they told you about your parents yesterday.” 

“Yeah, so?” Kenji's smile faded from his face. 

“You wanna talk about it? It is one of my jobs as your mentor, you know?” 

“Not really.” Kenji responded curtly. 

“Come on kid. It’s not something you should bottle up, it can affect your performance.  Did your mom ever tell you anything? About your dad? Anything at all?” 

“Dad left before I was old enough to understand that he was even there. Everytime I brought him up, mom got visibly depressed. So I stopped bringing him up.” Kenji responded. 

The anger towards his father had begun to subside, now he was more empathetic to his existence. 

“Well at least you know that he never really left you guys. He was always around.” Franky tried to comfort him.

“Yeah, around but out of reach; that somehow makes it worse. So can we drop it? You suck at this.” Kenji chuckled as he looked at Franky’s flustered face. 

“Yeah, yeah I know. Anyway, you’re telling me your Boot-Up, can not only scan and copy the Programs of other Chasers but also enhance them? What did you name it again?” 

“Replica, and yeah, more or less. Although I didn’t get to copy Ume’s before she left.” Kenji said with a slight chuckle. 

“That means you copied my Program just now?” 

“Yes.” 

“Then show me,” Franky commanded. 

“Alright. Cycle, Program: Full Arsenal.” Kenji called out, and his body twitched. He then stood there with an embarrassed look on his face. It wasn’t that it didn’t work; he just couldn’t physically use the Program as things were. 

“Thought so. So you’re enhancing doesn’t push the Programs beyond their original scope. Let’s test it out. Initiating Program: Full Arsenal. Assimilate this.” Franky’s body twitched, and then his skin wiggled. Mist was released from his pores and manifested into a gun. He then tossed it at Kenji. After Kenji caught the weapon, it shattered into mist and entered his body. Kenji flexed his fingers, and then the gun reformed in his palm. 

“Fire at the wall over there,” Franky commanded. 

Kenji did as instructed; the gun sounded and blasted into the metal wall. There was no sign of a bullet, just a burn mark at the point of impact. Franky nodded, manifested a gun of his own, and fired at the wall. Franky’s shot left a burn mark about twice the size of Kenji’s. Kenji’s eyes widened; his Boot-Up should have enchanted the ability.

“Full Arsenal. It allows me to absorb any weaponry and fully understand it. I can then modify and manifest anything I have absorbed at any time. Using bioenergy, that I generate by burning my blood, I can create an energy source and energy-based ammunition for my Arsenal.” Franky explained as he looked at Kenji with a smile. 

“Your first shot was approximately 20% more powerful than my first shot when I acquired this Program. So, we can assume your enhancement is a flat 20% in destructive power. This probably applies to capacity when power enhancement is not applicable.” 

“Ok, but how is yours so much stronger than mine?” Kenji was still confused. 

“I have spent years increasing my efficiency. While the Nano-Machines can stimulate mass blood reproduction, it wouldn’t help me if I ‘burned out' in the middle of a mission. I have learned to produce more bioenergy with less blood. What I did just know was barely a drop. How much did you burn?” Franky asked curiously. 

“A lot more than a drop,” Kenji said in a defeated tone as he rubbed the back of his neck. 

“I thought so. That Boot-Up of yours is something wicked. You can have any known Program at your disposal, this makes you very flexible, but there are drawbacks. While you may initially have more potency than the original user, you’ll never be able to match their abilities over time. A Replica is still just an imitation.” Franky warned Kenji rather bluntly. 

“So I shouldn’t use the other Programs I’ve copied?” Kenji asked. 

“I wouldn’t say that. I’d just avoid the more complicated ones, like mine, for instance. I’ve also learned how to burn external biomass to use as bioenergy. Did that thought even cross your mind?” 

“No, it hadn’t.” 

“I bet, and there’s a lot of tricks of the trade that make using that Program several times more lethal. It’s a heavy time investment. Watabe’s Ion and Micheal’s Pulse Programs are much the same. If you’re going to use them, I’d suggest just using the basics when the situation calls for it. You’d be better off focusing on your actual Program and picking Programs you’ve copied that synergize with it as your main focus.” 

Kenji took mental notes of everything that Franky was telling him. He was glad about it. Kenji initially thought of going through and learning every single Program. Kenji had concerns that he wouldn’t be able to match the original users. Still, he figured the enhancing feature would mitigate the gaps that would form. He had underestimated the ingenuity of the human mind and the benefits of having a primary focus.

“So what can your Program do?” Franky asked.

All Zero Chasers had Programs that were specific to them alone, and they all were outside the scope of what was possible for most other Chasers. It was the reason why Franky was gobsmacked by Kenji’s Boot-Up. He already had a Program that would put most others to shame; did he need the ability to copy others? 

“Momentum Manipulation. I can control anything in motion that I can perceive.” Kenji replied.  

“Can you use your actual Program in conjunction with those you have copied?” 

“Yes. I can use up to 2 copied Programs in conjunction with my own,” Kenji clarified.

Franky started to chuckle as he listened to Kenji describe his Program. It was simple yet potent. Controlling anything in motion that he could perceive? What he could perceive could vary depending on the copied Programs in use. It was a perfect Program to accompany such a Boot-Up sequence. With that in mind, he smiled and said, 

“Kenji, I will teach you how to properly use Full Arsenal. We will combine that with your Program and the basics of Ion.” Franky began to explain what his idea was. 

He was going to turn Kenji into a monster. It had been a long time since Franky was excited about something. Full Arsenal allowed Franky to take on monstrous forms and do incredible things when used to its total capacity. However, he always felt that something was missing, that if he just had a little more, he could make this Program genuinely shine. Now Kenji, this glorious little Taboo Child, fell into his lap. The holes and flaws in his Program that he could not find answers to, the solutions to everything were given to him, through Kenji. It took everything in him to stop himself from laughing like a madman. 

Within his team, Franky came across as the most normal. Hachiman was a freak for his sword and its improvement; he lived to engage in battle and find worthy opponents to sharpen his blade against. His alias Hachiman, the Japanese God of War, was a testament to his mindset. Helena craved destruction and had a twisted sense of enjoyment in the pain of herself and others. Her alias is Helena, the namesake of Helen of Troy, a beauty responsible for the death and suffering of countless heroes. 

Zac, “The Anomaly." He was so inventive and cunning that even without a Program, he struck terror into the hearts of Monsters and Chasers alike. Devin, “The Renegade '', the person almost single-handedly maintaining the balance of power between the Chaser Organizations. Then there was Franky. Someone who was just a normal guy wishing he had a normal life, who found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. However, Franky is the embodiment of the phrase, “All it takes is one bad day,” and that day had long since passed. In many ways, he had more ingenuity than Zac and was more twisted than Helena. Alias, Franky aka Frankenstein.

“I’m going to make you something special, kid.”