Chapter 146

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> *Why didn't you tell me you knew who Joker was all along?*
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*- Remi*

This is the 146th episode of *unORDINARY*.

## Plot

Blyke is walking through the school courtyard between classes. He can't stop thinking about the conclusion his logic led him to the night before. The thought is so consuming that he fails to notice his friends sneaking up behind him. Remi playfully startles the Jack, then asks him why he didn't wait for her and Isen after class. Blyke claims to have forgotten, getting annoyed when Isen doubts him. Remi tried to diffuse the imminent argument by asking the two about the quiz they took earlier. She's disappointed to hear Isen copied answers off the guy sitting next to him. Remi notices that Blyke still seems aloof, and asks what's bothering him. After hesitating, Blyke tells his friends he might have determined the true identity of Joker.

They find an empty classroom to discuss the matter. Blyke explains that since Joker would be a cripple without an ability copied, it stands to reason that it's John under the mask. He admits that, after hearing it out loud, his hypothesis doesn't really make sense. Isen, on the other hand, is silently impressed with his friend's intuitive deduction, and ponders whether he should reveal that Blyke is spot on. Suddenly, Remi turns to him and asks if he knows anything about John. This question causes Blyke to remember that Isen had researched John recently, and that he wanted everyone to be nice to the jerk afterwards. He realized that not only was he correct, but Isen had known all along.

Blyke furiously asks whether Isen thought it was funny watching them struggle to find out the truth. Remi pleads that they calmly talk the matter out, but Blyke isn't willing to ignore such a deep betrayal of trust. Isen defends himself by saying that Blyke's impulsiveness making things worse is precisely why he hid the truth from them. Their squabbling ends after Remi shoots a bolt of Lightning between them. She asserts that the school was already divided enough, so they couldn't afford to fight amongst themselves. She decrees that there were to be no more secrets between them.

With that established, she turns to Isen and demands he explain himself immediately. Isen tells them that, after much thought, he believes that knowing who Joker would only distract them. Blyke argues that being able to publicly expose him in the school newspaper was a huge advantage. Isen shoots the idea down, pointing out that without proof, nobody would ever believe such an outrageous claim. He reminds the two that Blyke had come to the correct conclusion just moments before, and he *still* doubted it for a while. Remi then suggests that they corner John while he's weak and force him to admit his true power, which Blyke seconds. Isen tells them this won't work either, reminding that John's commitment to the act is such that he willingly suffers injuries every day just to keep up appearances. Going through with that course of action would only give the impression that they're wasting time ganging up on a powerless individual.

Blyke regrets ever trying to be friendly with John, while Remi just can't understand why he's doing this. Isen shares that John has a significant history of violent tendencies, and that they've worsened after Arlo provoked him and Seraphina lost her ability. The fact that Arlo knew about all of this catches Remi's attention, and she asks why he hasn't done anything. Reluctantly, Isen informs the two that John defeated Arlo ages ago. Horrified, Blyke panics at the thought of Remi fighting someone strong enough to beat Arlo. Remi realizes that the injuries Arlo tried to conceal came from Joker.

Meanwhile, Arlo is tormented by John's words. A King in name only, Arlo is powerless to stop John from making good on his threats to tear the hierarchy. He's so wrapped up in self-pity that he only notices Remi trying to get his attention when she kicks him. She demands to know why he never told her he knew all along who Joker was. Arlo dodges the question, and advises Remi to lose as quickly as she can when Joker challenges her. Remi is aghast that he's telling her to just surrender to the person responsible for hurting her friends and peers after just one loss. Arlo states that the best they could do against such power was to minimize the damage they take. As the strongest student, John's Kingship was imminent, so it was unnecessary for her to add to her suffering. Remi rejects this idea, and instead opts to do research on John in the hopes of finding a weakness. After she left, Arlo recalls that there exists one potential weakness: Seraphina.

## Appearing Characters

* Remi
* Blyke
* Isen
* John
* Arlo
* Seraphina (flashback)
* Claire (flashback, picture)
* Adrion (flashback, picture)