Author's notes: This is it! While it's too late to commemorate the Japanese starting air date of Mon Colle Knights, this is the 10th anniversary of the U.S. air date of the anime, and what better way to celebrate it (just in time!) than by hosting the fic I've always wanted to write! (Admittedly, I didn't start watching the anime until mid-series, but whatever.)
This fic will assume that the anime begins in September 1996. Despite the age of the game that someone will be playing during the first scene, this (two-part) prologue will take place during the summer of 1997, directly after the events at Kharon. After that, the main part of the story will take place in 1999, two years after the events of the anime.
As far as names go, while some canon characters will be referred to exclusively by their Japanese names (such as Zaha and Count Collection, dubbed Gabriolis and Prince Eccentro respectively) or by their dub names (e.g. Kahimi, originally Utahime), others will be called both depending on who refers to them. For example, I will refer to Rokuna/Rockna as Rokuna because I personally think it sounds better, but most characters (with exceptions) will refer to her as Rockna because I would like to feel like I'm hearing the English dub voices rather than the original Japanese voices. Honorifics will be used minimally as I see fit.
And finally, there's Midori, Rokuna's mother. Her only canonical appearances were twice in the manga (only one panel each), and the name was given to her by the person who wrote the now deleted fic Whisper (which assumed she was dead. Btw, if anyone has a copy of that fic, I'll be glad to have it emailed to me). Given that the manga is (as would be expected) black and white, her hair color is likely ambiguous, though most fans would likely consider it green.
Special thanks to Yincira, for all the time she spent and still spends discussing this ficseries with me. No one will find a more hardcore, knowledgable fan of the anime or the franchise than you!
Disclaimer: Mon Colle Knights is property of Group SNE. However, I do own Katsuo, Kasumi, David McKnight, the supporting Knights, the Cult of McKnight, the gods, and any other characters or entities not canon to the franchise unless otherwise specified. Please ask for permission if you'd like to include them in your own fics.
Not too long ago had the events in Kharon come to a climax. The Mon Colle Knights and all their allies had successfully defeated Reda and Oroboros, and the Saint Star Dragon had left behind six new Monster Items to replace the ones that had shattered. The Knights had been excited about having a new adventure about to unfold, except that Shiru had advised them to return to their own world in order to let the gods restore the universe to order. Disappointing as it was, they wasted little time coming to terms with it, understanding that it wouldn't be worthwhile to attempt to connect their own world with one in shambles.
One night, not long after all this had taken place, Mondo was inside a bedroom at the Hiragi residence, lying down on a bed and reading some manga. On the edge of another bed sat a boy playing a video game. He somehow looked like Rokuna, with similar paleness and features. However, his eyes were brown, his hair was black, his outfit was far less innocent, and his demeanor was rather icy, showing no sign of happiness in anything he said or did.
This boy happened to be Katsuo, Rokuna's until-recently separated brother. For years, ever since their mother, Midori, had divorced Ichirobei when they were little, he and Midori had been living in New York City. For a period of time that he lost track of, he had been physically and emotionally abused by kids at the school he was going to, to the point where he snapped and got in trouble with the law.
"Gee! It sure is boring around here!" Mondo said, after Rokuna and Lovestar came into the room.
"Tell me about it," replied Rokuna, as she sat on the edge of the bed and kicked her feet into the air.
"I wonder what Count Collection's been up to! And our friends, too. Beginner, Luke, Kahimi, Pegasus... y'know, everyone!"
"Yeah. I hope the gods will be done soon, fixing up the damage."
"What are you talking about?" said Katsuo.
"You and Mom won't believe us," Rokuna said, "but, while you two were in New York, Dad always took me and Mondo to a place called Mon World."
"It was incredible!" said Mondo. "We would meet all kinds of cool creatures, learn various magic powers, enter sporting competitions, and all that stuff!"
"Yeah, right. Because that pink star you painted on that hamster is so convincing," he said without even looking up. "Maybe if I could go jump into game universes, I could get past these damn monsters by just poisoning the water."
"Say, what is that you're playing anyway?" the girl said.
"Castlevania."
"Oh?"
"The object's to explore this haunted castle and kill Count Dracula."
"Umm... Katsuo?" Mondo joined back in, calmly enough. "Haunted castle? Dracula?"
"That's just what I said," Katsuo confirmed, while briefly showing the screen to Mondo.
Only a second after that line did Mondo spring up from the bed with a short shriek and dash out the door, only to crash into a certain scientist who himself was dashing towards the room.
"Mondo, I've got some great news!" Ichirobei shouted while still knocked over with Mondo on top of him. "Rockna, Katsuo, where are you?"
"I'll bet it has something to do with Mon World!" Rokuna said. Katsuo paused the game and followed her out the door, thinking they might just as well get it over with. Plus, he was curious to hear just how insane his dad was on this "Monster Collection is real" deal.
Outside the two colliders had scrambled up and Ichirobei promptly had run off again, yelling for his wife to come and gather with everyone.
The three children went to the living room and sat down on the couch. It didn't take long before Ichirobei came in, supporting a busty brunette on wobbly legs. Despite the tight, sleeveless cocktail dress, she hadn't come from a party, but from the liquor cabinet. Her long brown hair was even puffier than usual, with strands sticking out at random, indicating she might have been there for a while already.
And indeed, when Ichirobei let her go, she plumped down on the sofa and burst into a fit of giggles. Her rectangular glasses had dropped to the ground, and Rokuna reached down to hand them back.
"Zank you, ur a good daughtur," Midori squeaked as she put the glasses back on.
"Why do you bother picking up her crap, Rockna? Just let her be," Katsuo said.
"Tomorrow night," Ichirobei began, "we'll be going to a very special place! Mondo,
Rockna, did you know that there are actually other Mon Colle Knights?"
"Huh?" said Mondo.
"What?" said Rokuna at the same time.
"How could there be other Knights besides us?" said Mondo.
"What the hell are you talking about?" said Katsuo. "Were you in some way associated with that Mon Colle cult?"
"Oh, them? All 'ese years we been abard, an' ye still ha'en't janged uh bit." said the brunette woman.
"Katsuo, Midori, you two just hit the nail on the head!" said Ichirobei. "Mondo, Rockna, I forgot to say this, but I'm a proud friend and colleague of its leader."
"Hold it!" said Katsuo. "I'm damn well aware of that Jonestown and Branch Davidian crap, you think I'm gonna be an idiot and ask them for trouble?"
"Actually," Rokuna assured her brother, "those two cults are just two of the most notorious ones in history because of the way they treated their members. Most cults are nothing like that. In fact, most religions of the world started out as cults, from Judaism and Christianity to Buddhism."
"Yeah," Mondo continued for her. "Me and Rockna have too important a role in the worlds to ever engage in any suicide ceremonies or whatnot."
"Zo, le'ss 'ear wha'ever delusional 'rap yur dad 'asta zay an' ge' it o'ur with," said Midori.
"Right!" continued Ichirobei, "From what I gather, the leader has appointed nine more children, including his daughter, to fight alongside you two from now on, and he has something really special to give you once we get there. Katsuo, we have made arrangements for you to also participate as one of the new Mon Colle Knights."
"Err, what?" replied Katsuo. "You're saying that I've been drafted as some kind of child soldier? What if I refuse!"
"Even if you don't participate, you're still a kid," said Rokuna. "We can't leave you here all by yourself."
"You do realize I came here cause I'm gonna be arrested in New York, right?"
"Oh, don't worry about that. My brilliant mind has thought of everything! We won't be using any public transport that requires showing your passport at all!"
"Yeah, we have a private airplane!" Mondo added.
"And who said Mom's gonna come along?"
"I wunna zee 'a airupleen!" Midori said as she jumped up and nearly toppled over. Ichirobei barely caught her.
The other two also stood up, and Mondo said, "Just give it a try, okay?"
"Where did Mondo and Rockna just end up?" Katsuo asked, after they already dropped down the trapdoor.
"By now, they should already be inside the Stove Dragon," Ichirobei responded, while holding Midori in his arms.
"Stove Dragon?"
"It's the vessel that we use to go from here to Mon World. Now just take a leap of faith and you'll be inside the ship in no time!"
"Are you kidding? Couldn't you have built a staircase?"
"It's alright, just grab the trapeze once you come down!" Rokuna called up.
Katsuo rolled his eyes and decided to just go along. He jumped in, went down one of the chutes and managed to grab onto the trapeze, to which he clung almost desperately. There was a pretty big drop to the floor.
"Dammit, dammit, dammit, ... " he growled.
Unlike Mondo and Rokuna, he hadn't been used to jumping straight down three whole meters, or performing any of the superhuman stunts that they were capable of, somewhere during which he saw his father, wife still in arms, smack against the wall and drop down into the ship was practised unease. When the trapeze was steady enough, Katsuo followed.
There were two extra chairs in the back, and Katsuo dropped down on the one not occupied by the giddy Midori. He grumbled something and sat back, at which point he noticed something wrong.
His clothes were different from what he was wearing upstairs. While he still had on a red baseball cap and a black leather bracelet with metal studs, he found himself wearing a sleeveless white shirt and black shorts, instead of a black shirt with a misogynistic picture and a pair of tan pants.
"Uhh, what? What happened to what I was wearing?" said Katsuo.
"You can't wear that shirt you had on just a minute ago," Rokuna replied. "Someone pointing a gun at a girl and yelling 'BITCH'? Seriously, you'll sell yourself right out!"
It took only a few hours for the gang to reach New York City and find a suitable place to park the ship. At this time, it was still broad daylight there, not a good time to be out in the open. Because of Rokuna's sixth sense, more people out on the streets would mean more strain for her. For Katsuo, being too noticeable would increase the odds of someone recognizing him and alerting authorities of his return. Traveling with three people whose hair colors or styles would have drawn attention would not have helped him blend in with the main population. Therefore, they had all taken the opportunity to rest up, let Midori sober up, and wait for nightfall.
"Unnnngggghhhh... Where are we? What are you wearing?" asked Midori when she woke up later in the day, now having a hangover.
"We're in the suburbs of New York City, and this is what I would wear whenever we went to Mon World," said Rokuna as she opened the door leading outside and lowered the staircase.
"Are you kidding me? Now people are gonna notice this thing we're inside—"
"Actually, Mondo used an invisibility spell to keep the ship hidden," said Rokuna, as she helped Midori get up off the floor. "That way, we wouldn't create an uproar upon entering foreign airspace. Now, let me help you outside before you throw up in here."
Mondo and Rokuna were able enough to lift someone their own weight up. A grown woman was a different story, but Midori did at least have enough strength to get up on her feet. Rokuna managed to prevent her from falling down either side of the stairs.
Come evening, the family had hitched a cab to their destination. The building in question was a massive conference center near the suburbs, a gray building with large glass windows and arches. They had the driver pass the main entrance and drop them off near a small exit to avoid Katsuo being seen. Energetic as always, Mondo was the first to reach the door.
Before he could ring, it was already opened. There stood a bald African-American man in a tuxedo, his eyes hidden by sunglasses.
"So, you must be Mondo Ohya?" the man said.
"You bet! And you a—" Just then, his eyes fell onto a black girl right behind the man. She was of about his age, with breasts only slightly smaller than Rokuna's, and her hair in two flat, crescent-moon-shaped pigtails that came down to her waist. She wore a white top that amounted to little more than a bikini top, and a tight pair of shorts that barely reached below her hips.
Mondo was sold. All of the universe ceased to exist. He darted forward, took the girl's hand and said, "For you, I'd become anything and everything you'd want me to be! Your beau-"
The universe came right back to him when Rokuna hit him with a bolt of Cartoon Physics powered lightning. Scorched, Mondo froze for a few seconds, but then returned to reality as if nothing had happened.
For a minute, this led Midori to wonder if she was still drunk.
"Ohh-kayyy," said Katsuo. "How does a thunderbolt appear when it's not even raining, how did it strike Mondo when we're in the middle of a city, and Mondo, how the hell did you survive it?"
"It's called cartoon physics," answered Mondo. "Let's keep it short and just say it works whenever it's funny, okay?"
A few seconds went by.
"Ichirobei, it's been a long time. Good to see you in person again."
"Great to see you again too!" said Ichirobei.
"Mondo, Rokuna, Katsuo, Midori, I'm David McKnight, and this is my daughter Kasumi.
"Heeey!" Kasumi said, complete with a single twirl, a flick of one of her pigtails and a wink, all in one fluid motion. Mondo almost ignited a second love bubble session, but Rokuna's growl kept him back.
It is an honor to meet you all." He continued his self-introduction with a nod.
"How do you do?" said Rokuna, who bowed to them.
Katsuo simply grunted and crossed his arms. Midori didn't respond at all.
"For those of you who don't know," McKnight started to explain, "we are a cult devoted to the beliefs in Mon World and the worshipping of its six gods. Our religion is called Mon Colle, and we all call ourselves the Mon Colle Knights. Most of us, however, have not and will not see the other world until the bridge between the worlds is formed, but we still have faith in its existence.
"You must be one delusional lot," said Midori. "We all know those are nothing but kid fantasies."
"Dad tells me that he and you wanna make me one of your kid soldiers," said Katsuo. "That better be a joke!"
"Katsuo," McKnight began. "You are a member of the Hiragi family. To let you be a tagalong when they bring you to Mon World would not do any favors at all for your self-esteem. To be able to explore Mon World and fight for it is an honor and a privilege that only a literally select few people will ever get. We are not all about fighting, but if you refuse the responsibility that is due to you, it will be your decision to regret in life. Your father, your sister, and her boyfriend lead very dangerous lives. What if something happened to them, and you were unable to save them because you weren't there or didn't know how to do anything to defend them?"
He paused for a second, before continuing.
"It's your choice and opportunity. Or would you rather they dropped you off at a relative's house while they go on adventures? Please put some thought into it."
A few more seconds of silence passed, before Katsuo made up his mind.
"Well, the only relatives we have are my four cousins and their parents. I never knew my cousins, but I do understand that they're all female, and considering the problems I already had with girls in this part of the world, that might be for the better. So, yeah, maybe I will join you, assuming this other universe thing exists at all. Either way, I'm not gonna be trapped like some fucking animal, and if I end up that way, you will be a dead man. Got it?"
"Thank you. Now everyone, please follow me, and I'll introduce you all to our members after we eat dinner. Rokuna, you're more than welcome to step outside whenever you feel the need to."
"Thanks," said Rokuna, before they headed inside. She then faced Katsuo, sensing an intention from him to kick her in the butt for what she did to Mondo moments earlier.
"I'm not stupid. Let's just go," she said.
"Try anything like that again to Mondo, and I will kick your ass," he replied.
They were led into a huge, crowded room. There were a number of round tables throughout the room, most made of wood and stainless steel, but there was one in the very center of the chamber, made of pure silver with a golden Rokumon symbol bolted on the top and golden dishes and eating utensils laid out on it. This was the one reserved for the Knights and their family, to honor Mondo and Rokuna's status as the two and only Saint Star Children. It was also agreed upon in that they would be allowed to serve themselves before everyone else did so.
Having a buffet-style assortment was a nice break for the whole family from sushi, ramen, and other traditional Japanese foods. Mondo and Ichirobei were especially glad to have this instead of Rokuna's garlic-heavy recipes. Katsuo never had minded Rokuna's preparations, given that he had spent so many years eating TV dinners; Midori had usually been too drunk to cook for him. Pissed off as he constantly was, though, he was grateful to have this kind of meal for once, and it did lighten up his mood for the time being.
As much as having the center table made them feel honored, being right in the center of the emotional energy everyone was giving off did nothing short of watering the experience down for Rokuna. At least it was mostly positive energy, but the sheer amount of it made her feel drowsy. She did her best to enjoy it while it lasted, but had to take her time eating and then step outside to pull herself back together once she was done.
Mondo had gone to get seconds while Rokuna still muddled not even halfway through her first plate. He was a polite boy and would have waited patiently in line, but everyone else had recognized him and gave him permission to cut in front of them. At such a gesture, he couldn't help but blush, and hesitated before letting himself go ahead.
A whole hour passed, more than enough time even for those who went back for seconds to eat to their heart's content. Then came the big moment: Mondo, Rokuna, and Ichirobei knew that this was their time to come up on the stage. The girl had already gone outside to clear her head, and she was especially glad to now be in a part of the chamber with less concentrated energy.
"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! May I please have everyone's attention!" McKnight announced, "This is the moment we've all been waiting for! Here are my colleague, Ichirobei Hiragi, and the Children of the Saint Star Dragon, Mondo Ohya and Rokuna Hiragi!" He then stepped aside and let the trio take his place behind the mike as the room burst into cheers and applause.
"Greetings, everyone!" started Ichirobei. "I'm Professor Hiragi, the scientist who discovered the gate to Mon World, and the proud father of one of the Knights!"
"Hey, everyone!" the boy announced. "The name's Mondo! It's so great to see you all here!"
"My name's Rokuna. It's an honor to be up here in front of all of you, but don't be surprised if I need to step outside."
"And without further ado, whoever's got questions, just fire away!" Ichirobei shouted into the mike.
"What were your first experiences in Mon World like?"
"The first place I ever took Mondo and Rockna was in a forest full of flaming trees," said Ichirobei. "They went off to do something, and then Count Collection found me and captured me. I called out to the kids, and they came to my rescue, and then Collection got control of a Chimera. We had to run like hell and thought we were done for when we ran to the edge of a lake, and then a Teppuou came for Mondo and Rockna to merge with. Off course, without my knowledge, none of this would even be possible."
"Yeah, sure, Dad," Rokuna muttered.
"Have you ever met the gods?"
"For whatever reason, we haven't yet," said Rokuna. "We were told about them before leaving Mon World for the last time, though, and I would be interested in meeting them."
"Actually," said Ichirobei, "my wife and I had met Sedra and Bhenq when Rockna and her twin brother Katsuo were born. I wouldn't be surprised if Mondo's parents were visited by two of the other gods upon his birth."
This had raised an eyebrow from both Mondo and Rokuna. Could the same have indeed been true with the boy involving Ceng and Ivedi?
"Do you people really believe in the card game?" Midori said in a really sharp tone.
"How does it feel to merge with a monster?"
"Nothing short of awesome!" said Mondo. "It's like, me and Rockna are the monster!"
"Merging with monsters?" Midori called out. "What the hell is going on? Ichirobei, explain yourself!"
"Please excuse me, I need to speak to my wife personally," said Ichirobei, as he began to walk off the stage and into the audience.
"Which elements do you feel most attuned to?"
"I'm good with fire and wind," answered Mondo.
"I specialize in water and earth magic," said Rokuna.
"How did you get such assets at such a young age?" someone asked Rokuna as a joke. She started growling in response, as if to summon a cartoon physics thunderbolt, but McKnight took the mike that Ichirobei had just left.
"Another question like that, and I will expel whoever asks!" McKnight shouted. "Next question."
"Thanks." said Rokuna.
"Where did you get that Seechee? What's its name?"
"We named her Lovestar," Rokuna answered. "Someone gave it to us as a gift on our second trip to Mon World."
"Speaking of which," said Mondo, "before anyone asks, she's the same girl who gave us that little monkey, which we then named Punch-Punch."
At this point, Ichirobei was on his way back onto the stage.
"What kinds of contests were held in Mon World?" the next person in the audience asked.
"Well let's see," began Ichirobei, who started to count with his fingers. "There was a race in the sky, a triathlon on the beach, a cooking contest, a wrestling tournament, a baseball game, and of course, at least several Monster battles. That makes SEVEN IN ALL!"
"Can you describe what it's like to have a sixth sense?"
"At first, I just felt the emotional energy of monsters that gave it off," said Rokuna. "However, at some point, it extended to humans as well. Around that time, I had to also control the mind of a monster that I got stuck inside, so that it wouldn't kill Mondo before he could save me, and that was also the first time I relayed a message to a human. And then the Time Realm was opened, and I experienced the fear that Mon World's entire population felt. Let me tell you, it's not all fun and games. I can't help but feel everyone's emotional energy around me and while it can feel good when you're around happy people, I have no way of shutting the world out. It wasn't always a problem, but while we were all eating just minutes ago, all your combined auras made me feel very tired and stressed, even though they were positive. Right now, it's not so bad because none of you are talking to one another, which means the energy you're all exchanging isn't so intense."
The questions went on for a while, but eventually came to an end. The Knights and Ichirobei left the mikes, and McKnight went back to the middle one to make further announcements.
"Well, now that we're all done with questioning, let me make it known that I have asked our guests to come here for a special occasion," said McKnight. "As of tonight, I have chosen ten more Knights who will fight directly alongside them once the gates reopen." He paused for a few moments, and then continued. "First thing's first, I'm sure most of you are already familiar with my daughter. Kasumi, please come up on the stage."
The chocolate-skinned, pigtailed girl made her way up and to the microphone.
"That's me!" she said. "Can't wait to see what Dad has in store for us!"
McKnight then continued.
"Thank you. Next, will Rokuna's brother Katsuo please come up!" A few moments went by as he and Midori set foot onto the stage, the latter of whom had a thoroughly irritated expression.
"All right, listen up!" the pale-skinned boy said. "As long as I'm being told to fight along with you assholes, nobody had better give me any shit! I'm talking to all of you, but especially you girls out there! Whatever tricks you got up your sleeves, either they stay there, or you can all suck my goddamn cock!"
For the next few moments, everyone was silent. And then McKnight broke the ice.
"Please excuse him," said the black man. "Will the following members please come up! Drake Bolak!"
A boy with messy black hair, thin muscles, and gray eyes came up as the entire audience gave a round of applause. He wore a sleeveless and legless gray one-piece outfit, complete with a set of white paddings on his arms and legs.
"Was that really called for?" said the boy to Katsuo, shooting a glare at him as he made his way onto the stage, before shaking McKnight's hand.
"Elena Hatch!" called McKnight.
Another burst of cheers and clapping ensued as a top-notched, green-eyed blonde girl came up from the audience. She wore a white tank top, a blue-jean skirt, and some gold bracelets and necklaces, one of the latter which was her first name in a script font. A tiny fang could also be spotted in the corner of her mouth when it was open.
No sooner had she come onto the stage did Mondo spew some words of infatuation. This made both her and Drake feel funny, while Rokuna growled his name and reeled her arm backwards to punch him. However, she never did get to land this one; Katsuo had wrapped his arms around her neck, holding her body close to his to prevent her from elbowing him in the stomach.
"All right, both of you stop!" said McKnight. "We do not need a scene up here, thank you."
"Derek Ledger!"
Up came a boy with glasses, braces, and short brown hair. His outfit consisted of blue jeans and a red shirt with a collar.
"Anneth Mackenzie!"
Came a blue-eyed girl who wore braces, a white t-shirt, and a pleated, light-blue mini-skirt. Her brown hair came down slightly below her shoulders in a curtain, but was kept behind her ears by a ribbon, which was tied in a huge bow spanning the top of her head.
"Kevin Mandery!"
A blonde-haired boy who wore glasses, a red shirt, and tan shorts walked up onto the stage.
"Attiya Muqsit!"
This one was an olive-skinned girl who wore a shoulder-length black ponytail, a white t-shirt, and black track shorts.
"Jamison Russell!"
A boy with light-brown skin and tidy, black hair, clad in a green t-shirt and brown shorts, came onto the stage.
"And Rachael Theune!"
This final candidate was a short-haired, blue-eyed blonde girl, wearing glasses, a thin plastic pink headband, a pink t-shirt, and blue-jean shorts. Anneth cheered along with the audience, and ran over to hug her friend in ecstasy the second she came up on stage.
"Thank you, everyone! Now if you'd all follow me, we will begin." All twelve children and the Hiragi parents followed him out of the room, and all manner of conversation ensued amongst one another. Katsuo kept as far away from any of the girls as possible.
"Mondo," said Drake. "Mind not flirting with anyone again? Some of us don't want to hear such lame crap like that."
"Don't mind him," Rokuna said to Drake. "He's lucky to have someone who will stand by him no matter how many times he steps out of line.
The boy blushed in embarrassment, unable to talk back to either of them.
"Come to think of it, though, I did sense Kasumi hitting up particularly on him when we got here." She then walked over to the pigtailed Negro. "Kasumi! Mondo is mine, and no one else's, unless you want a lightning strike too!"
"Gee, aren't you touchy!" said the black girl.
Elsewhere in the building was stone double door with a Rokumon symbol on it. McKnight stood in front of it, and the doors slid open.
Author's notes: If you haven't already, be sure to check out my userpage for links to stuff related to this. For those of you who've read any of my other fics, some stuff in BIG Date and With Them You Can Do It has been deemed non-canon (such as the group of 24 Knights and the war that was to take place in this fic). The events in Rockna and a Hard Place will likely not happen at all, but Takeshi might or might not still be involved in Part II of this ficseries. Playing this by ear once I discuss the overall plot of the ficseries with Yincira.