"[b]C'mon, Ko-shit! Stop struggling! Just get flushed down already![/b]" Ryusuke chided as he shoved the bleach-haired boy into the toilet while Akira stood by and poured more water onto the back of his head. The lesser Akito, ever the coward, only stood back at the door and kept a lookout for anyone who would pass by the abandoned bathroom.

"[b]Shouldn't have gotten that home run, Ko-shit! Ryusuke's girl was watchin' the whole thing! He was 'sposed to be look god this practice, not you![/b]" Akira snided as he filled the bucket in his hands with more water.

Kogen, held onto the held the edges of the toilet tightly, doing his very best not to let his head get pushed in. Whatever was in that bowl, even after being mostly flushed away by now, was rancid. The smell, alone, was enough for him to keep his head cocked back almost instinctively. All he could think of not getting whatever was in the toilet on his face... or worse, in his mouth.

At the same time, Kogen told himself it would be over soon. He just needed to keep holding on, to keep his grip on the toilet's edges. It would all be over soon, anyway. The stale water in his hair could easily rinse out and dry, the shoeprint on the back of his uniform can be washed out, and even if his face did unfortunately hit the toilet bowl, a hot bath would be nice. He just needed to endure.

Enduring was all he really did, anyway. He knew standing up to them would get his ass kicked again, and Kogen knew the other students wouldn't dare try to cross them in order to help himself. Ratting to the teachers would also do harm than good. After all, Ryusuke was the star player! And Akira's dad seemed to be paying the school a fortune keeping it running. All Kogen could do was wait for the torment to be over, for them to get bored and tired.

He just really did not want to eat shit.

The present wasn't any different. Kogen's head was once again shoved in a pretty smelly place, and he did not want it to end up slipping in. Incidentally, his arm was what was holding him back from being grinded into minced meat by the bearlephant's teeth. He was strong, but he wasn't quite strong enough to pull himself out, nor was he smart enough to figure his way out of this mess. No, all Kogen could do was the same he did that same day. All Kogen could do was endure.

Surely, this time, his classmates would come to help him... right? At least one of them, gifted with the same powers he had, would swoop in and get him out of this situation. He had spent a good deal of time helping them out of pickles, so it'd only make sense if they returned the favor. Yes, this will be over soon. It could only be over soon.

Kogen needed to be strong. More importantly, Kogen needed to be tough. Even if no one was going to come, even if he was abandoned by his peers, even if he was the only one still alive in this whole mess, Kogen needed to be tougher than he had ever been before. He knew it, deep in his mind, as the memories of his bullying filled his head. The memories... they burned through Kogen's mind like the flame of a lighter. No, it was much hotter, like hot coals in his face. Searing, white-hot memories more painful than anything he has experienced. More painful than the sting of betrayal. More painful than the night he had lost his eye.

And yet, Kogen gritted his teeth and continued to endure. Yes, this pain was not something he was a stranger to. It had always lingered within him, even long after those beatings. And yet, rather than allowing the pain to creep up on him, to take over, Kogen instead chose to wear the pain like [i]armor.[/i] 

To stop himself from being hurt ever again, he wore his pain like armor in the shape of a demonic persona. It was a metaphorical sort of armor, not like the protective padding catchers would wear in baseball... almost like the invisible armor worn by the beasts they had fought. Yes, that's what Kogen needed! He needed that armor that protected him from the shame the bullies had left on him. He needed the skin of a demon.

And so, Kogen "accepted" the pain that would sear his head, almost as if he was allowing it to swallow him whole. Instead of the beast's teeth, the boy would instead find his body swallowed by a white glow.
[center][img]https://i.ibb.co/2ss01Xz/Kogen-Banner.png[/img][h3][color=ed1c24]Proving Ground, ???[/color][/h3][hr][sub]Mentions: [@Nakushita][/sub][/center]

The Demon spewed forth from the Bearlephant's gaping maw, body covered in bright steel. Kogen caught himself as he was spat out, quickly leaping to his feet as he did his best to get his bearing. His body still ached and his head was still frazzled, but Kogen knew that he was protected. How could he not? The lightborn armor that encased his body was quite obvious, after all. And it definitely was tough, too! Tough enough for that Bearlephant to spit him right out!

There wasn't much time to get a feel for his new look, however. Kogen knew that there were more pressing issues, namely these Bearlephants. Kogen also knew that he couldn't handle this single Bearlephant on his own. So instead, he elected to disengage from the fight, kicking up some dirt in the direction of the Bearlephant before running out of sight.

From here, Kogen could run away from this. He had armor, and enhanced physical and mental faculties. His safety wasn't assured, but it was definitely safer than where he was now. While he wasn't sure on his ability to survive, he would be in arguably better company. After all, everyone on that bus simply turned a blind eye from the suffering he had gone through. If anything, leaving everyone to die would just be returning the favor.

Kogen, however, was not the type to abandon his peers. On the day of his betrayal, on the day he lost his eye, Kogen had vowed to not leave another behind. He would not be like Ryusuke, Akira, or the rest of those fiends. He would not be like that rat, Akechi. And he definitely would not be like-

Well, that other guy isn't around now, is he?

Circling around the chaos, Kogen would once again rush into the frag, his eye centered on the Bearlephant trampling over Ayana. With a leap into the air, Kogen kicked his body back, allowing his legs to propel forward as if he was sliding in mid-air.

If the spears did not serve as suitable weapons, if his armor was hard enough to give a Bearlephant a hard time, then the only option Kogen had was to [i]be the spear.[/i] With a heroic shout, a release of his kiai, Kogen exclaimed his intent as he flew directly towards the Bearlephant's center of mass.
[center][h3][sub]Prelude to the Devil's Journey[/sub]
"[color=ed1c24][b]Demonic Entry![/b][/color]"[/h3][/center]