No Matter The Odds
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Chapter 1: The Girl's Arrival
My name is Kido Takenara, age 14. 14 years of life… and absolutely nothing good has happened. I'd get up in the mornings, go to school, come home and do my homework, and then I'd try to Lift on the few sucky waves that would go there to Bell Forest.
'Course, the Waves were better to me than anyone else in Bell Forest, and I'm grateful at least for that, but it was still tough.
Sucky town, Sucky life, Sucky waves and school and even a Sucky house are all I had ever known.
However, there's one thing I know…..
When she showed up and destroyed my house, everything changed.
"So, how much more effort are you gonna waste trying to improve your cutback dropturns, Kido? You've already perfected it, so why try to improve what you've already perfected?" The Ref Board vendor asked Kido.
"As much effort as it takes to effortlessly do a Reverse Cutback Dropturn, that's how much. Holland can't manage it, even at half-speed. I want to break another record." Kido responded. The vendor shook his head.
"You've already bested him on one thing, Kido. You managed to get the hang of the Cutback two years faster than he did." The vendor pointed out. "Why bother trying to beat him again? And besides, he's a genius, ya know? Born up in the North Shore where the waves are good. Just give it up, man. You're fine as-is. You'll hurt yourself if you keep trying so hard." He said. Kido chuckled and smiled at the man.
"Thanks for the praise, but I'm not perfect yet. Hell, I may never be." Kido replied. "But it's a personal goal I've got, and you know me. Once I set my mind to doing something, I give it my all. That's just who I am."
"I swear, you're just like that Naruto character you used to talk about all the time. Well, I'll stop trying to talk you out of it now. Just be careful, alright buddy? Oh, and… Here. It's all on the house." The vendor took a set of Ref Board parts out of the back of his van and handed them to Kido. Kido looked blankly at them, then up at the vendor.
"What's this for?" Kido asked.
"A going-away present. I'm going into a bigger city. I'm getting no business here. You're my only customer, and honestly… I really like your spunk, man, but spunk don't put food on the table." He patted Kido on the shoulder, then got into his van. "You should probably get going so that you're not late for school. I'll see you around, Kido." Kido watched him drive away, then sighed, got on his bike, and drove off towards the school.
"I guess he's right. Man, this town really SUCKS!" Kido moaned as he drove away.
Several Hours Later, History class
Kido snoozed at his desk, pretending to be paying attention to the teacher as he lectured the class on a time period called the 'Summer of Love' or whatever. Kido's attention was suddenly brought back to the present when he heard the teacher mention his father's name.
"…And many of you know Mr. Asube Takenara's son, your classmate Kido Takenara."
Kido half-waved when he heard his name, giving what appeared to most as a bored yawn, slurring as he said, "Yo." Suddenly, just outside the window, an explosion erupted. The teacher dashed out of the classroom, calling to the students as he left.
"Quiet study! The teachers will deal with the Scubs!"
"So, Mr. Takenara," One of Kido's classmates said mockingly. "Tell us, did anyone actually see your dad save the world?"
"Yeah!" another chimed in. "I heard that your sister ran away from home to try to prove it, too! So, tell us all about it!" The two laughed mockingly at Kido until he responded.
"You're going to stop mocking me right now… Right?" Kido said dangerously. The two boys looked at him, slight discomfort showing in their faces, then put their cocky smirks back on.
"What happens if we don't, huh?" Kido responded with a swift punch to the skinny one's gut, then whipped around his left fist, breaking the fat one's nose with a satisfying crunch. He turned back to the skinny one, who was on his knees.
"Get up." Kido commanded. "Quit being a wuss, Get Up." When the boy gasped, Kido snarled. "You mocked my family; you will face your punishment! Get Up!" Kido grabbed the boy by his hair, lifting him up to eye level, then slamming the boy's face on the nearest desk. "That feel good? Huh?" Kido growled, slamming his face on the desk again. The boy's face met the desk several more times before a teacher ran in, hearing the noise, just as Kido hurled the boy into a wall.
"KIDO TAKENARA! JUST WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"
"Get in my way and you're next!" Kido snapped. "I'll never let anyone mock my family, no matter who they are! I don't give a damn if it's the Three Sages! They will face their punishment if they mock my friends or family!"
"What about poking fun at you?" One idiot asked. Moments later, he was on the ground, screaming in pain and cradling his broken arm.
"My family includes me, Dumbass. So don't mock anyone who bears the name of my grandfather!"
A little while later, Kido sat on the roof of the school, staring at his Compac Drive, lost in thought. He thought back to the last day he'd seen his sister, the promise he'd made.
Flashback
"Kido."
"Yeah, Sis?"
"Listen carefully. It may be a long time. I may never come back here, to our hometown… But promise me you'll believe in me… Believe with all your heart that you'll see me again. If you do, then no matter how long it takes, no matter how far we are from home, we will see each other again. Can you do that for me, Kido?"
"Of course, Sis. I'll always believe in you…"
Flashback End
"Sis…" Kido breathed, a smile on his lips. He heard a few muffled fangirlish squeals and turned around to see his three most avid admirers standing just a few feet away, and sighed. "Need something?"
"Well, umm…" The one who was usually the most outspoken struggled with her words. "We were… just wondering…" She stopped and flinched when Kido cried out.
"Dammit!" The girls cringed. "Stop doing that, dammit! The worst thing that could happen if you ask me for something is me saying 'No!' So just say it, already!" He took a deep breath and sighed, calming down. "Honestly… I just don't understand women at all…" Kido turned his head toward the girls and smiled. "Here, I'll start it for you. 'Kido, we were wondering if…'" Kido trailed off and gestured for her to continue.
"Maybe we could hang with you for awhile after school today?" she asked hopefully. Kido's grin grew.
"That's better! Now, my line is this: What time, and where?"
"Maybe we could hang out at your place?" the orange-haired girl asked.
"Well, that's dangerous territory you're treading on, but what the hell, why not. What time?" Kido asked.
"Well, we don't have any homework today, so we've just gotta stop at home and we'll be there in a couple of hours." Kido shrugged.
"Whatever. I didn't really have any plans outside of practicing my dropturns, so I'm free. Come by whenever." Several hours later, Kido threw himself back on his bed. "Good grief…" He grumbled. "Who knew that women were so exhaustingly difficult to entertain at the age of fourteen?" he said, looking at his Compac Drive again. "Well, Sis, another day has come and gone, and I've still gotten nowhere. Huh?" Kido watched in confusion as the word 'Eureka' spread across his Drive. "What the hell is this? This makes the third time this month! I wonder….." Kido started hitting buttons on his drive holder, then plugged it into his computer. When the computer booted up, he opened a folder that said 'Hack 'N Slash' and got to work.
A few minutes later, he sat back and smiled. "Got it…" he looked at the hatch that led up to his room, and once he was confident that his grandfather wasn't coming up, he bent over his computer and hacked even further into the military database, making sure to cover all of his tracks.
"Let's see… Eureka… Eureka… There we go." He skimmed through the files quickly, covering his mouth to keep from whistling or crying out when he found out that instead of being a top secret military weapon… Scratch that, the chick was the weapon- she was only fourteen, it looked like, and she was smokin'! "Holy fucking hell….. I hope I get to meet this girl- and that she's single, too!" His head snapped up and turned towards the hatch when he heard the door open downstairs, and Kido quickly exited the mainframe, severing any links that anyone could trace back to him, and started up a movie, leaning back and relaxing just as his grandfather poked his head through the hatch. Kido jumped, acting as if he hadn't been expecting his grandfather.
"What the hell, Gramps! Don't sneak up on me like that!" He cried out, pausing his movie and sitting up. Kido's grandfather climbed in and looked around Kido's room.
"Look at all this junk. You can't do anything with most of this stuff."
"Gramps, it's not junk! These are all one-of-a-kind collector's items!" Kido groused. "And besides, I'm not forcing you to look at it! It's none of your business anyway!"
"It is my business! Someone with no organizational skills will never be a good mechanic!" Kido's grandfather snapped back.
"Tesshu, when did I say I was gonna be a mechanic? Don't I get to choose?" Kido demanded. Axel narrowed his eyes at the boy.
"It was decided for you. And what other options can you choose from? All those people who go out chasing their dreams wind up working themselves into the grave. And you know what? Almost none of them succeed!" Kido bowed his head.
"Alright." Tesshu looked at him, surprised at his agreement. "I get it. You're more worried about what happens to you when you retire than you are about what I want from life. Well, don't worry," Kido said, looking up at his grandfather through his long, black hair, "I'll make sure to get so much money, that your retirement home will be like a dream to you!" Tesshu's surprise had morphed into anger at this point, and he started to snort, a sign that he was absolutely furious.
"THIS THING!" Tesshu pointed at Kido's Ref Board. "It's got you living in a dream world!" Axel grabbed the board and jumped down the hatch, Kido following him with a scream, grabbing his Compac Drive and his black trench coat on the way out.
"What are you doing, you crazy old man? That's a replica of Holland's board! It's more expensive than half of Bell Forest because you can't buy them anymore!" The two Thurstons stopped in their tracks when an incredibly strong gust of wind hit them, kicking up dust and leaves around them. They looked up, watching as an LFO flew down towards them. It flew past and executed a Cutback Dropturn, causing Kido to gasp.
"Is that Holland?" He asked excitedly, then looked at it in concern when it started to move strangely. "Wait, that doesn't look good…" The LFO struggled to remain airborne for a few more seconds, then crashed, completely obliterating their house. Kido planted his feet and braced himself just before impact in a futile attempt to avoid being blown off his feet in the ensuing shockwave. When he recovered enough to move a few seconds later, he looked up at it, then gasped in shock, awe, and excitement. "Wow… what kind of LFO is that?"
"It's the Nirvash." Tesshu said. "The Type Zero… Never thought I'd ever get to see the real thing." Kido's eyes nearly doubled in size.
"The Legendary Type Zero belongs to Holland? Kickass!" Kido cheered, punching the air. However, Kido's expression changed to one of shock when the cockpit opened. A girl with light blue hair got out, looking at Kido and Axel through beautiful violet eyes. 'I think I'm in love…..' Kido thought just before the girl started to speak.
"Excuse me!" the girl called out. "This little one doesn't seem to be feeling too well. Could you maybe take a look at him for me?" she asked.
"Of course! But there's something you've gotta do for me in return." Kido called back, a sly smile on his face. The girl looked cautiously at him.
"And what would that be?" She asked.
"Tell me your name." Tesshu palmed his forehead as the girl blinked at him, confused, before replying.
"My name is Eureka." Kido blinked and pulled out his Compac Drive, which still said 'Eureka' on it.
"Weird… Your name's been appearing on my Compac drive a lot lately. Wonder why?" Kido said, showing the Drive to her. Taking her surprised expression as confirmation, he smiled, letting out a short laugh. "So you are her. Meet me in the repair garage when we can talk alone." Kido said, looking meaningfully at Tesshu. "There's something I want to ask you."
A few hours later, Kido walked into the repair hangar and set down the bag he was carrying. He stood tall, his arms crossed, and smiled.
"Well, Nirvash, it's an honor. To be of assistance to one as renowned as you is just amazing. But I'll need your help as much as you need mine, alright? If you don't tell me what's wrong, I can't very well fix it, can I?" Kido walked up and placed his palm on the Nirvash's shell. "Tell me what's wrong… Please?" Kido's eyes fell half-closed and glazed over as he delved deep into the consciousness of the Nirvash's Archetype to communicate, but he cried out in pain as he felt his head start to twist inside out.
"Such power… No one else has that much… You… truly are… one of a kind, eh Nirvash? Alright, I get it. You don't… like the intrusion… Let me go… and I won't intrude upon you again…" He felt the Nirvash relinquish its control over his mind, and quickly pulled out, collapsing as soon as he did so. "Shit…" Kido panted. "Okay… Let's try this again… My name is…" He stopped when he heard a voice that at the same time had no voice speak to him.
"You are Kido Takenara, Grandson to the great mechanic Tesshu Takenara, and Son to the great hero Asube Takenara, correct?" Kido smiled, still panting, and nodded.
"I am. Sorry about the intrusion… Nirvash."
"Apology accepted. However, I would appreciate you not interrupting my sleep so… forcefully. By refraining from doing so, you also protect yourself."
"I see." Kido said, having finally regained his breath. "So that was unintentional." He felt more than saw or heard the Nirvash's affirmation, and smiled. "You're the only one I've ever checked up on who sleeps. You're very interesting, Nirvash."
"Why, thank you. I find you intriguing as well. You are the only one other than Eureka who can speak to me this way. How are you so different from all of the rest of mankind?" Kido stopped and puzzled over this for a moment, then shrugged.
"Hmmm. That's a really good question. Maybe… I'm just chemically imbalanced? In a good way, of course." He heard the Nirvash laughing its head off, and laughed himself, climbing up into the cockpit. When he got there, he noticed that there was no Compac Drive, and sighed, crossing his arms in exasperation. "Nirvash, what am I gonna do with you?"
"What is the matter?"
"No Compac Drive. Have you and Eureka ever used one?" Kido heard footsteps walking up the scaffolding and turned to look at the person approaching him. "Ah, Eureka. Just in time." When she looked strangely at him, he pointed at the empty socket. "No Compac Drive. Lost it?" Eureka shook her head.
"There was never one there in the first place. I've never needed it." Eureka said. She looked at Kido and cocked her head to the side in confusion. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"I guess what I found in the military database wasn't too far off the mark, after all. You do have a rather strange bond with the Nirvash." Kido said, amused. "Of course, I didn't really need any more confirmation than the Nirvash just gave me."
"You can hear Nirvash?" Eureka said, her eyes widening. Kido nodded.
"Only after it tried to rip out my brains. Quite a start to a relationship. 'Hey there, let's talk. Oh, Ow, ow, owowowowow!'" Eureka giggled. "I swear, If Nirvash had stayed asleep for a few more seconds, my brains would've leaked out my ears." He looked at Eureka, who was smiling. "So, you ran away from the military, huh?" Kido asked her, hopping out and jumping down to the floor, falling the 30 feet to the floor and landing with just a soft thump.
"How did you know that?" she asked cautiously. Kido just smiled cheekily.
"Mah L33t H4x0r 5ki11z!*" When Eureka cocked her head and raised an eyebrow at him, he burst into laughter. "Have you ever heard of the Syber Fantum?" When she nodded, he smiled. "Well, you've met him, now." He said, grinning widely enough to make his eyes close in a comical gesture of amused happiness as he grabbed his tools and climbed on top of Nirvash's back. "Hey, Nirvash. Knock, knock! Open up for me, please." The Nirvash obediently popped open, and Kido sat down and got to work checking the Nirvash and tuning it up. "Alright, adjust the radiator coils… Narrow the Trapar turbine gaps… rotate the rocket nozzles a quarter inch… holy shit!" Eureka looked up in alarm. "The things I can do to make you operate better… I'll have your efficiency up to about… 135 percent, at least, by the time I'm done! And that's talking about without any reprogramming or hardware enhancements!"
"So… you're a hacker?" Eureka asked. Kido nodded, smiling, as he worked to tune up the Nirvash.
"Hey, I can't release my grip on this. Could you grab those pliers for me?" He said. "I'm, uh… geez, it's so hard to not sound like I'm bragging when I say this, but… I've been called the best hacker in the world. As far as I know, I'm the only person, at any age, who's been able to hack the military mainframe and not get caught before they're out." Kido explained as Eureka grabbed the pliers and came over. "Alright, now grab these wires here…" Kido said, lifting the wires up. Eureka looked at him in alarm.
"If those wires are crossed, Nirvash will be permanently disabled! What are you doing?" Eureka demanded. Kido just smiled.
"Relax. Alright, I've got it. Now, grab that black cloth there and wrap it around this part of these wires." Kido said, indicating with his thumb. Eureka complied, and Kido continued with his explanation and tune-up. "Anyone else who hacked into the military mainframe was caught either as soon as they started hacking, or sometime between when they hacked and when they exited. I'm the only one I know of who's never been caught. That said, now I'm out of challenges. I can't hack anything more difficult anymore, because there isn't anything. I've hit a wall." Kido looked up at Eureka again, and smiled. "And I'm proud of it." Eureka looked at him incredulously.
"You're proud of doing something that anyone else would be terrified of getting caught doing?" she asked. Kido smiled again.
"Hey, have you got any idea how difficult it was to find your files?" Kido asked. "They were buried under so many ghost folders and alert files that there was literally no room for error. One wrong keystroke and it all would've been over. So, to answer your question, no, I'm not proud of doing what anyone else would be terrified of getting caught doing." Kido smiled at her, pride radiating from his face.
"I'm proud of being able to do what nobody else can."
A/N: Yay for caffeine! Or… is it caffeine…? Whatever, I was up all night typing this up.
Too much dialogue? Not enough? Too confusing? Not confusing enough? Too long, too short, too many smart-guy words, too stupid, anything at all wrong? TELL ME! Review Review Review or I KILL YOU! BTW…
*This actually says: "Mah leet haxor skillz!"
…..
Wow…..
I have no life.
…..
YAY FOR |4/=/=31N3!
P.S. No random flaming assholes, or I flame you back. Got some criticism, make it sound constructive.
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