[January 29th]

While Kate slickened due process's wheels, the Elite Four had gone back to the Telco. Every phone had a unique serial number, and they'd traced it back to the store it was sold, the cashier who sold it, and another day with the police had identified one man who had bought two phones.

Marisa&Matoi&Samuel stepped up to his home. The light was on in his bedroom.

"Wonder what's gonna happen once her ice melts." muttered Samuel, and Matoi laughed.

"Another construction job."

They knocked at the door, and in the next instant -

- they heard him scream -

" - come in!" laughed Mia from his room a second later, and the three went inside & to her. The man was unconscious beside, her tunnel's exit disintegrated beside.

"Easy enough." laughed Samuel, scooping the unconscious cargo up. "Any idea if he had a Revenant?"

"He - tried to say something as soon as he saw me -" laughed Mia - " - but - we'll have to check."

"Nice and easy." chimed Marisa, and the four set out.

◆◆◆

They had found him to be a host, and once his Revenant was removed, Marisa & Mia had left while the former duo interrogated. His ability was spraying acid, the other phone wasn't with him, but four sat cold in their hotel after. Matoi had given him to the police, though they still had Peter's phone.

"…is there, like - anything else we could do with this?" said Marisa, and the rest sighed.

"…location. Who bought them…" muttered Matoi. "They can't track the other phone anymore, either. Someone must have destroyed it."

"…wait." murmured Mia. "Er - can I see it?"

Matoi handed it to her, and Mia nodded as she scrolled through it.

"This - still has the time these texts were sent." nodded Mia. "And - the man we just - he was part of attacking the Revenant facility, correct?"

"Correct." said Matoi.

Mia nodded again as she set her own phone down, tapping one name. "I'm - not sure, but…" She frowned. "It - may be something, at least -"

" - hello, Timepact - oh, you have me on speaker?" replied Charlotte's voice. "What's up?"

"Charlotte." said Mia. "Is - do you still have the Revenant facility videos?"

"Yep. Can keep them until the end of the month, then we gotta destroy them." she said. "Not like anyone'll actually check to make sure we did, though, so. Maybe post them online, monetize it."

"Can - is Aimee there?"

"Nope. Out in, uh, Mexico this time. You know how they say Revenant in Spanish?"

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"…how do they say Revenant in Spanish?"

"…I dunno. I was hoping you knew -"

- the four laughed -

" - such a - stupid fucking joke -" laughed Mia -

" - works every time." chimed Charlotte, relevantly. "But yeah. Did you - need to check something?"

"Yes."

"Allllright. Let me just… One second."

The sound of footsteps, a door opening, a muffled "Tory". The four waited, and Atori's voice came back.

"Yes. What is it?"

"I need you to - look at the Revenant facility videos." said Mia.

"Yet again." he muttered, and the four laughed as he went to another room and sat. "What is it?"

"Check…" She glanced down. "… December 29th. 4:30PM."

After a pause, he asked; "And?"

"Is there a secondary guard - besides Chimera?"

"Yes. I do not see Chimera. Outside of researchers, I see a man covered in green slime."

"Can't be that guy, then." said Samuel, slowly nodding. "Get what you're going for, though."

"Yes." nodded Mia. "When - can you find out when Chimera left, that day?"

"You will give me a minute." After a minute, he said; "He left at four PM that day."

"…shit." winced Marisa.

"January 5th - 6:30PM?" said Mia.

A minute. "He does not appear on that day until 8:45PM."

"January 11th - 8:40AM."

"… He stayed overnight, and left at 8:12AM."

"January 27th - 7:30PM."

"… He was at the facility at 7:30PM."

"Wait, that's the one where he said 'nevermind', right?" said Marisa and Mia nodded.

"Atori - can you look up his Revenant?"

Typing. "…here. Hayato Fujishita - threat level national."

Matoi didn't sigh, but started to wonder why she wasn't a national-level threat too.

"Revenant - Manticore. Allows its host to summon various animal parts, primarily reptilian. Extremely versatile. Supplemental information lists all observed uses. Full ability cannot be verified due to Hayato's Penxeno allergy."

"What's Penxeno?" said Marisa.

"I do not know."

"I'll look it up." nodded Samuel. "How do you spell it?"

"P-E-N-X-E-N-O." said Atori. "That is the end of his main profile. You will give me time to search through the supplementary information."

"Go ahead." said Mia, and Samuel's head rose as Atori's voice left.

"Says it's a type of anesthesia used for hosts. Not much information on it, though."

"For - wait, for surgery?" said Marisa and Samuel nodded.

"Seems like it."

"…he can't have his Revenant removed." muttered Matoi. "That's what they meant by - that his Revenant can't be verified."

"…right." murmured Mia. "It's - not Tamer, but…"

"…all matches up." nodded Samuel. "Right."

"… Samuel - Marisa." muttered Matoi. "Check the distance between the park and the Revenant facility. Don't use Boudoir."

"Got it." nodded Marisa. "Uh - just like - walking fast?"

"Powerwalking." laughed Samuel. "Did you want us to head out now?"

She nodded and they left. Eventually Atori's voice came up again.

"His Revenant awoke in January 2007 - presumably, a natural. He has worked at various Revenant storage facilities since graduating in 2011. The rest is information on his Revenant's uses."

"Can you send that to us?" said Matoi.

"I can, though I will need to copy it manually."

"… I believe that's everything, then." sighed Mia. "Thank you."

"Bye. I will call you when I have finished."

He hung up.

"…if it's close - it's possible." muttered Matoi. "I doubt he lives far from the facility. He likely walks to work."

"…still." sighed Mia. "I don't - understand how his Revenant could be behind this."

"If he's allergic to Penxeno, they couldn't have verified the ability." shrugged Matoi. "He could have lied about the name, as well."

"But, if he can't - if he's allergic to Penxeno…" Mia frowned. "...he would have needed Tamer transferred to him."

"Precisely. Tamer's current host would have had to transfer it to him. I doubt he would have ever been allowed to guard a Revenant facility if they knew he had a conversion Revenant."

"Then - if we're assuming that -"

" - we're assuming a lot." laughed Matoi, and Mia with her. "Still - continue."

"I - yes." laughed Mia. "But - if we're assuming that he has Tamer. Someone must have - transferred it to him, and - Chimera may have…" She frowned. "…er. Lied about… his Revenant, then - but - the video showed…"

"…it might have developed a new ability." muttered Matoi. "Remember - Wedding didn't initially have the ability to blind or its shockwaves. If Tamer has the ability to turn other - hosts in to beasts - it's not implausible it grew to be able to transform its own host."

"I - suppose." nodded Mia. "Still, it would… It would be something - something very drawn out."

"And nearly untraceable." Matoi yawned as her phone vibrated.