Jirou Oriza was a twelve-year old boy, with a body fit for baseball, who lived somewhere near the Tobita Clubhouse. He, together with his teammates, was very good, especially in Gear Fighting.
His thirteenth birthday was approaching fast. He never thought that in a few days, he would be a teenager already --- and would be given a very unusual gift. A gift that not even you could ever think of.
It was the day of his birthday, the day that would give the starting signal of his amazing adventure from stuffed toys to girls to Gear Fighting. When he arrived in the Tobita Clubhouse, everybody greeted him.
Kouya Marino, their current leader, greeted him first with a big smile on his face, big enough for a crab --- Kouya's favorite food --- to fit in. "Happy Birthday Jirou! How's life when you're thirteen? Is it hard? Or is it good?"
"It's pretty fun for you can do more things now which you can't do before! Is that cool for you?"
Kouya just smiled and went on to train himself with new members of the Tobita Club. The next person who greeted him was Kaoru, the tomboyish girl who was considered the love team of Kouya. She greeted Jirou with a very shrill voice, shrill enough to be heard by the people in the clubhouse. "Happy birthday Jirou! Is there a party in your house tonight?"
"Yeah. You would come, won't you?"
"Of course! Me? Can I resist parties? NO WAY!" Kaoru laughed as she walked away from Jirou to help train the other members of the club.
Jirou continued to walk going to the direction of the office of the club, where Lilika was working there at the moment. He then encountered the two most popular members of the club, Kyousuke Jin and Kuroudo Marume. He was greeted by the two --- at the same time, they gave him the gift from his best friend Taki Hiroomi since his heart was in baseball, his favorite sport.
Kuroudo Marume was a very good gear fighter. Out of 48 fights, he had only five losses, very great indeed. He was also very good at kendo, a form of martial art, which uses wooden swords. He was a former team member of Team Griffon together with his Gear, which he got when he was still seven years of age, the Shooting Mirage.
Kyousuke Jin, on the other hand, was the best friend of Kuroudo. He was a genius in terms of the fixing Gears. He, together with Kuroudo, made up a very good team. They were together in Team Griffon. Though they had a fight when they were still in their former team, causing their fallout, they still showed a very good friendship.
"Happy birthday Jirou," Kuroudo greeted Jirou in a very tranquil voice, a soothing one that did not show a hint of fear --- or guilt.
"Thank you Kuroudo."
"Hey! Me too! Happy birthday Jirou!" Kyousuke greeted Jirou.
"Thank you!"
"Oh, before you go there," Kyousuke started, "here is something for you. It's from Taki…"
Taki Hiroomi was the best friend of Jirou since he was into baseball, which was about a year ago. He and Taki were unbeatable when they were together, but they had a fight like most best friends do. It was during the game that will earn them the title of Cup Champion when Jirou's arm was fractured and he wasn't able to pitch well anymore.
"He left this there on the doorstep. We saw this when we were on the way here," Kuroudo continued. "What's written there, Jirou?"
Jirou read the letter and this was the message:
Dear Jirou,
Hello! I never forgot your birthday as I promised. Well, here is something for you; I bought this when I was having my vacation from an old lady… She said that this is magical. Try to find out what it is.
Taki
"I wonder what he meant by magical… Hey! What's this?" Jirou removed the object from the paper bag it was in. "A stuffed toy?" Jirou had no idea why Taki gave him a stuffed toy. Was it truly magical--- or was Taki just making fun of him?
"The party was great Jirou! But we need to go. See you tomorrow!" Kouya bid goodbye to Jirou after his party.
Jirou went to his room afterwards to sleep the whole night away. When it was time to sleep, he saw the gift that Taki gave him --- the stuffed toy.
Are you really magical? I never knew bunnies could be magical --- especially stuffed bunnies.
Jirou went to sleep afterwards. After an hour, he woke up due to an unexplainable event, an event that he totally did not expect, and an event that happened at the famous Twelve Midnight. He saw something moving in the place where he placed the gift he received from Taki.
What is that moving thing? Should I go near it?
Not long after, the stuffed toy jumped on his bed and then greeted him. "Hewwo Mister! Who are you and what am I doing here?"
Jirou got surprised and jumped out of the bed, with the stuffed toy left on the bed.
"Hey! What are you?"
"Um… I was just about to ask that. What am I?"
"You're a stuffed toy!"
"I am? Really? I'm Clarit by the way."
"Nice to meet you… um… Clarit."
"Nice to meet you too. Well actually, I'm in search for something but I don't really know what it is. Could you help me?" Clarit requested Jirou.
"Sure."
"Really?"
"Yeah… Hey! Let's take a picture! Ok… 1… 2… 3!" A blinding light flashed all over the dark room, and only the light from the moon was making things visible to their sight. Suddenly, Clarit disappeared into thin air --- nowhere to be found! Jirou immediately got alarmed. He searched every corner of the room, hoping against hope that nothing bad happened to his precious talking stuffed toy.
After a few moments, he found somebody lying down on the floor, unconscious. He got curious and decided to go near the individual, wondering how in the world could someone have gotten into his room just like that. "Um… Are you ok?" He shook the body lightly back and forth until the stranger was brought back into the world.
"Who… Who are you?" She was a very beautiful young lady who made Jirou stop for a while in shock and admiration.
"Well… I'm Jirou."
"Oh good, I'm Ella. By the way, I heard about you."
"How?"
"From my twin, Clarit. Actually, she is not a stuffed toy. She was just turned into one."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. It's a very sad story, if you want to know. Anyway, I'm in search for something too. Actually, it is the cure for my sister's state. She looked like this before she was turned into a bunny --- I mean stuffed toy." Ella got something from her pocket. It was a picture of Clarit, but it was evident that Ella was the prettier one of the two.
"So this is what she looks like when she was still human."
"Yeah. She was so kind and good," she started in a very sarcastic way --- her jealousy towards Clarit was as bright as day. But she needed to hide it, and so she forced another topic into their conversation so her cover won't be blown. "Anyway, why don't we start finding?"
"Sure!"
Jirou and Ella decided to find for the cure right away. They started by getting more recruits --- more heads are better than one, right? They first went to the house of the almost famous Kouya. "We're here. Let's knock."
He knocked on the door of the Marino household, and after quite sometime, a sleepy Kouya appeared --- it was still 12:30 in the morning, and he could help but yawn loudly. "Jirou? Why are you still awake? Me? I'm still asleep." He was very sleepy, yes, but when he took a glance at the beautiful Ella, he was jumpstarted. "Who is that hot lady there, Jirou?"
"Oh her? This is Ella. I just met her a while ago. She just appeared in my room. Pretty cool, huh?"
"Yeah you're right. So, what are you guys up to? Me, I was just taking my midnight snack. I got hungry after the party so I decided to eat first. Oh sorry miss, I forgot. Nice meeting you!"
"Nice meeting you too."
"Anyway, she is in search of something to cure her sister."
"Sister?" Kouya asked Jirou. The latter then narrated the whole story, from the gift to the appearance of Ella. "Oh I see! So, what are you guys planning to do?"
"We're going to see Kuroudo. Maybe he could help."
"I'll go with you then!" Kouya exclaimed. His exclamation disturbed the beautiful sound of silence. They went to the house of Kuroudo and to their surprise; they saw nothing but darkness in the house --- of course. It was still an hour past midnight!
"Kuroudo's not awake yet?" Kouya wondered.
"Hello there. What do you need?" A voice of clarity spread all over the atmosphere --- a voice that was none other than Kuroudo's. "Hello. Do you think I'm asleep at this time? I can't sleep yet. I'm still appreciating the beauty of silence." He smiled by the time she saw Ella. "Hello there. May I know your name?"
"I'm Ella. I'm in search for something right now. Could you help me?" Ella moved closer and closer to Kuroudo. It seemed that Ella liked Kuroudo. Love at first sight was definitely what she felt at that time. After all, who could resist the charms of Kuroudo?
"Sure Ms. Ella. I would be glad to."
"Just Ella for you, my dear," she whispered seductively.
He raised an eyebrow. "So, what are you really looking for?"
"Well, I believe it's something that's used everyday… I think. Anyway…" As she spoke, dark clouds started to gather. It seemed it was going to rain. "Could you help me---" Just as soon as she finished speaking, rain poured all over the place. "Ahhh!" she shouted and suddenly, she disappeared into thin air. They did not see any sign of her --- they saw Clarit on the floor instead.
"Whew… I'm back."
"Is this the Clarit you spoke about?!" Both Kuroudo and Kouya asked Jirou at the same time.
"Yeah. Pretty cute for a bunny, huh?" Jirou replied and then they all laughed.
Those events repeated over and over again at numerous occasions. Every time Clarit saw a flash of light, she turned into Ella --- while Ella turned back into Clarit whenever she would be soaked wet with water! One day, while practicing for another Crush Gear tournament that was to take place in a matter of days, Jirou received a letter as he sat down to take a break. He saw the letter on the bench, with a beautiful flower. At first, he thought it was just nothing but thrash, yet his instincts told him to take a look at it. And so he did.
"Huh? What is this, a love letter for me? I wonder who is this from?" Jirou decided to take a closer look. And it read:
Dear Jirou,
I know I may not have a chance on you
The letter was incomplete; it seemed that his secret admirer was planning to send him the message piece by piece. He was puzzled --- who would send him a love letter? Lilika? He shook his head. It was impossible. She was either still in love with Yuhya, Kouya's deceased brother, or she had hidden feelings toward her former comrade, Takeshi. Kaoru? Definitely not. She was crazy over Kouya. And then his imagination got the best of him…
How I wish it was Ella who sent this! I really wish so!
The pieces of the letter continued to arrive day by day, always with a flower. And his fantasy that Ella was his secret admirer continued on --- to the extent that he would be filled with jealousy every time Ella and Kuroudo would be together.
The day of the tournament came, and everyone was so excited as to what was going to happen. Will the Tobita Club make it this time? Will victory be theirs?
The Tobita Club participants --- Kouya, Jirou, Kyousuke and Kuroudo --- were getting ready for their respective battles. The tournament was going to be in championship style. The winner will receive special packages that will be beneficial in terms of Gear maintenance.
Thirty-two teams were going to compete for the title of champion. The first stage started with the Tobita Club battling the Pink Lips team. Kuroudo was up first, against a girl named Mimi. Their match lasted for only three minutes --- exactly three minutes --- and the Tobita Club received their first victory. The next battle was between Kyousuke and yet another girl named Lily. He lost in the first round, but he swept the next two, earning yet another win for his team. The last match was between the captains of the two teams, Kouya for the Tobita Club and Momo for the Pink Lips. Kouya managed to win, and brought his team to the next stage of the competition.
And in luck, they made it to the finals --- versus the Mighty Gears.
"This is it guys! We must win this! Jirou, you're up first! You can do it!" Kouya encouraged them, which was something he did almost every time they'd compete in any tournament.
"Thanks Kouya! By the way, have you seen my Gear? I just left it here before the break," Jirou asked fearfully. He was going to be the first fighter in their line-up and his Gear was lost? Oh no.
"What?! Everybody, search the area for any sign of the Raging Bullet!"
The Tobita Club then began their desperate search for their comrade's missing Gear. Depressed that he might be the cause of a default loss for his team, Jirou went to the bench near the arena and sat down --- only to see his precious Raging Bullet along with a flower and a note.
By the way, I managed
This was the only content of the letter --- as usual, cut! He could not really figure out who was the mysterious sender. Suddenly, he saw Ella coming out from their private room, the room they were given so they could rest between their matches. Instantly, he ran towards Ella.
"Thank you, Ella!"
She looked puzzle. "For what?"
"Nothing." He decided not to tell her. Maybe she would stop if he would.
Ladies and gentlemen, for our final round, we have the Tobita Club versus the Mighty Gears! The first match would between Jirou Oriza and his Raging Bullet from the Tobita Club, while from the Mighty Gears…
Somebody skilled in skateboarding dashed towards the arena with a dramatic entrance. He had blue hair just like Jirou's best friend.
Taki Hiroomi, and his Aero!
Jirou's eyes widened in surprise; he could not believe that he was going to battle his best friend. "You! What are you doing there?" he shouted.
"Well, well, well. I'm here to fight you, of course! Aren't you happy?" Taki answered sarcastically. "Well, how's my gift? Did it work?"
"Indeed. Let's just finish this fight, shall we?"
Round One! Gear Fighters set up! Ready… GO!
Jirou hurled his Gear towards the arena, and almost at the same time, Taki released his as well. The former was not comfortable even one bit for he was fighting against his best friend. Wanting to win, he made his Gear ram the Aero. Taki, somehow reading his best friend's mind, managed to evade the Raging Bullet's attack.
It was then when Jirou decided to use his special attack, the Hurricane Crush. He prepared for the attack, ordering his Gear to take a fast trip around the arena and gain momentum, then shouted, "Go, Raging Bullet! Hurricane Crush!"
"Do you think you could make that move to my Aero? Take this! Double Spinning Corkscrew!" Taki's Gear made a blindingly fast spinning movement. And then --- a head-on crash! Due to the rapid spinning, the Aero, which was shaped like a skateboard, struck the Raging Bullet from its underside, causing it to tip over ---
Winner! Taki Hiromi!
The first round was a failure for the Tobita Club. Jirou had no idea Taki became very skilled in Gear Fighting. He did not know what to do anymore so he decided to ask help from their genius Gear Master, Kyousuke.
But when he turned his around, he saw Ella flirting with Kuroudo, and it only meant one thing: chaos. His heart was shattered into many pieces, and his chest suddenly felt very heavy, the burden coming from the girl he liked the most. He was about to rush to his comrade and punch the daylights out of him, but he remembered that despite his good looks, Kuroudo wasn't the girl-chasing type. So instead of letting his anger get the best of him, he put himself together, took a deep breath, and sat back down.
"I lost…" Jirou announced to everybody but Ella remained very busy with what she was doing. It was an utterly annoying sight to his eyes, but due to his belief that she was just playing around, he did not mind them. He approached Kyousuke instead.
"Kyousuke, can you do anything to this gear?" he said as he slammed the Raging Bullet on the table --- angry due to the fact that he lost to Taki and the fact that the girl of his dreams was making a move on someone else.
"No, sorry. There isn't anything more I can add."
"Fine!" He got his Gearbox and saw something new --- a new set of wheels. They were for a spin type Gear with high-spin setting. He couldn't figure out who placed it there, but he was too angry to think about it. Instead, he took the new set of wheels, put it on his Gear, and adjusted the setting into high-dash. He stopped, however, asking himself, High dash or high spin?
"Jirou, what are you doing?!" Kyousuke asked.
"Just wait, Kyousuke. You'll see."
Round Two! Gear Fighters set up! Ready… GO!
Right after slipping into his initial stance, Jirou flung his Gear towards the arena. His opponent Taki threw his Gear into the arena as well. With burning eyes, he immediately used his Gear's special attack --- the Hurricane Crush!
"Do you expect me to be defeated right away? Well, take this! Spinning Corkscrew!"
"I'm not giving up just yet!" Jirou made his Gear charge towards the Aero, Taki's Gear, which was preparing for yet another special attack. Their Gears clashed, creating strong winds that made the battle even more exciting. With a flash of light, both Gears were falling from space towards the metal-plated arena… and managed to recover, to their owners' relief.
"Your cheap Hurricane Crush won't beat me! Take this instead! Double Spinning Corkscrew!"
Taki made his Gear spin rapidly, faster that ever so to make it hard to stop. Jirou, on the other hand, closed his eyes and waited for the right timing. After a few heart-stopping seconds, he opened his eyes and shouted, "Double Hurricane Crush!"
His Gear spun from the other side, using up much of its battery but going faster, nonetheless. Both Gears continued to clash against each other, and to everyone's surprise, the Raging Bullet began to fly out of the arena…
Winner, Taki Hiromi!
Jirou could not accept the fact that he lost to Taki. Without saying a word, he ran towards their private room, bumping into Ella.
"Are you okay Jirou? It's alright," Ella started. She then approached Jirou and hugged him, "We're always here."
A week had passed since the tournament --- the tournament they lost in. Jirou and Ella became even better friends, as well as with Clarit. The tendency of the human twin remained, however; her annoyance-causing tendency to flirt with Kuroudo. It was also sometime that week when Ella found the solution to their problem with Clarit. It was a potion that turned them back into two normal people.
One day, a conflict occurred in the Tobita Clubhouse. Clarit, being small and tiny, became the underdog of the group, the one being bossed around. Ella, on the other hand, was the beloved, being the sweet and beautiful girl. At one point, Clarit saw Jirou and Ella talking, and they looked so sweet that…
"What are you doing?! You are a snake, Ella! I hate you!" Clarit ran out of the Clubhouse and out of their sight.
"What was she talking about?" Jirou asked Ella.
"I don't know."
Clarit and the others did not talk for a week; the only person she talked to was Taki. One day, Taki sent a message over to Jirou, relaying the news about Clarit's departure.
"Jirou, Clarit's going back to her home. She's leaving this afternoon. Meet her in the airport. Please go. Thank you," Taki told Jirou through voice mailing, which was commonly used in most mobile phones.
"Why do you need to go there? She'll come back, I'm sure of that," Ella told Jirou and he believed her. He decided not to meet Clarit at the airport anymore. But when he turned around, he saw a note just above the side table drawer.
This must be the last piece… the revelation! If I put all the messages together, I'll be able to read the whole letter! I wonder who sent this, though?
Dear Jirou,
I know I may not have a chance on you… but I hope you will notice me, somehow. By the way, I am not what you think I am. I am different from the others. I may not be that beautiful on the physical aspect, but somewhere deep in me is beauty that you would really like if you would just give me the chance to show it to you. I like you, and I hope you would like me too. By the way I managed to reduce your chance of defeat. I fixed your Gear and bought a new set of wheels for it. Jirou, never forget… I'll always be here…
I think it's time to open the last note…
To Jirou's shock at what was written on the last note, he dropped the fancy-colored paper and sprinted out of the clubhouse, heading to the airport. Ella, curious, took a peek at the last note, which read:
Love, Clarit
The End
A/N: And there it goes! Thanks to my sister Kazie Solo and her classmates for allowing me to use their idea for some parts of this fic. I couldn't think of anything else anymore after our computer crashed and deleted the original version. Please review. Thank you.
~Riou Genkaku, formerly known as Wang Hu