A/N: Here is a two-chapter story before I activate 'Hardcore Exam Focused' Mode.
Based on a pretty funny and awesome Manga called 'Beelzebub'
Enjoy!
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~Unexpected Twist of Events~
Chapter 1: The search is on:
Within the school boundaries of Plegia High, it consists of the most unsociable, brattiest and violent delinquents the world has ever seen. Most of them came from similar backgrounds – Broken families, poverty, results of brutal child abuse and so on. No adult figures dared to step in to face them. As a result, there were no sight of teachers, counsellors, and even mere cleaners. The only adult keeping the infamous school from existing is the principal… who is also non-existent and rarely ever seen by the eyes of the students.
However, despite their similarities, they do not get along with each other well.
There will always be skirmishes happening every now and then in the school, from something as petty as bullying the weaker students to as serious as a brawl between two gangs. Thus, the creation of the Plegia high's motto…
'Only the strongest will survive!'
If you want respect from the other delinquents, you have to earn it.
If you want to climb to the top, you have to beat your way through the toughest and most violent of foes in the ranks.
If you want to keep your position, you have to live up everyone's expectations until the next challenger forcefully claims your hard earned title.
If you did not step up to claim your place, you will forever be their underling. It was a never ending vicious cycle that would never fade away. Most of them had learnt that motto the hard way.
Fortunately, Death is not common in the hellish prison. None of them had the guts to beat someone till they are dead. However, they are exceptions.
…Very, very unique exceptions.
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…
…
In the hallway of classrooms in the school, two large gangs, one dubbed 'The MK 5' and the other 'Cosa Nostra' are having a loud quarrel with each other. The gangsters from 'MK 5' gave glares of hatred and bloodlust towards the opposing gang, while their leader shouted insults at the top of his lungs.
The members of 'Cosa Nostra' are not ones who will stand back and take the beating. They have rightfully earned their position as the 100th deadliest and most brutal gang in Plegia High.
Soon, the gang of delinquents started to have a 'colourful' and lengthy war of vulgarity against each other.
"I bet you brats are just scared pussies! You can't even defend your own territory!"
"You piece of shit, take back those words!"
"Make us!"
"Oh? How about we make you eat those words… literally."
"HaHaha! Bring it, you trash!"
"Something tells me this is about to be bloody, come on boys! Let's beat them till they beg for mercy!"
Some of the members of their respective gangs pulled up their sleeves and popped their muscles out, while others pick up the nearest weapon they could find.
Suddenly, just as the fight was about to break out, they heard the sound of footsteps echoing across the hallway. Everyone halted in surprise and looked around for the source. At the corner of their eyes, they saw a purple-black silhouette in the distance.
The tapping of the footsteps grew louder and nearer to the two gangs, a sense of unease could be seen the faces of the gangsters. Oddly enough, it was accompanied by the soft and soothing chiming of a toy bell ringing in their ears.
Everyone turned and looked down the narrow corridor. The eyes of the delinquents widened in horror as they saw… a tall, mysterious figure. He wore a purplish-black jacket around his shoulders, exposing the front of the signature black and white uniform of Plegia high. He also wore a violet school pants with golden patches at the knees area. The hood from his jacket covered his head and hid his eyes, adding to the ominous nature of the entity.
Regardless of its shady and unknown appearance, the members of the two gangs knew him. He was the infamous head president of the Plegia High, the highest position any man in the school could dream of.
His name is… Robin.
He had crawled out of the pits of hell and stomped through his most brutal and violent competitors to gain his title. The horrifying teen was dubbed as the 'Devil's grandmaster' for his ruthless and cunning nature. He had since successfully defended his title as the top for years, crashing the strongest of foes and making them his slaves. Even the toughest, most stoics of men feared the mere utter of his name.
The gangsters of 'MK 5' and 'Costa Rostra' hold off their battle and stand aside, let Robin pass through. The intimating teen was seen waving a toy bell with his left hand and had a small humanoid creature was clinging onto his back. It had a large black cloak draped over its body and its body position seemed to indicate that it was sleeping.
None of the delinquents beside Robin dared to speak a word in his presence, despite the confusion and hatred on their faces. However, there was one who was the newly recruited member of "MK 5' was clueless and foolish enough to ask.
"Hey, you there! What's that thing on you?" He asked with a demanding and ferocious tone. As soon as he finished the sentence, his face was met with the metal outer covering of the toy bell that gave him a powerful whack. The idiotic teen fell to the ground with a loud thud as he knocked out of consciousness.
"Quiet… You will wake up Morgan." Robin warned with a sharp edge in his voice. He then proceeded to continue walking towards his destination without looking back. Some of them were horrified by the display, while others stared at the fallen delinquent and shaking their heads in disbelief towards his stupidity.
Once the tyrant had finally disappeared from view, the rest of the gangsters decided to hold off their battle to another day. They were discouraged and frightened badly by the mere presence of Robin.
If you listen very carefully, you could hear the soft snores of a sleeping baby on his back. The unknown little figure seemed to shift a little to move its body to a more comfortable position.
There were freshmen outside the corridor looking in the building and gossiping like fearful high school girls. They spoke quietly as they spied the ill-famed tyrant walking down the hallway.
"Hey? Isn't that the rumoured 'Devil's grandmaster' of this school?"
"Yeah… He looks scary as hell. I wouldn't want to be on his bad side."
"I heard that he had beaten down Tojou last week, the one who is one of the members of the 10th deadliest gang 'The 34th pillar'. He was beaten so badly that he had to be sent to the hospital to treat his injuries."
"What? …Really? Damn, that guy is inhuman."
As the group of students continued to look at Robin in both awe and terror, another group of gossiping-loving students questioned the object on his back.
"Hey, what's that thing on his back?"
"I don't know… I had never seen it on him before. I thought he was always a lone wolf?"
"You think it is a baby? It sure as hell it looks like one."
"Huh…? …Really? He has a kid?"
"I don't know…"
Just then, the mysterious little figure on Robin's back seemed to stir awake. The cloak around its body fell off a little to reveal its chubby round face, purple round eyes and short black hair that reached down to its neck. It was indeed a baby, a female baby.
The baby girl looked around its surroundings for a moment, before spotting the group of delinquents looking at her.
"What…? That is a baby riding on its back. What's with its clothes?"
"Huh…? I think it is looking at us."
True to his words, the toddler was staring directly into their eyes with a soul-piecing glare. A murderous aura could be seen emitting from the child. A message could be clearly seen in the eyes of the little devil.
'I'm watching you, pathetic mortal.'
That intimating glare alone was enough to scare the weaker freshmen far away from her.
Robin seemed to take notice of her awakening and stopped playing with the toy bell. As the tyrant put away the toy bell, his hooded head tilted slightly towards the baby and began to greet
"Oh, Morgan… You have awoken from your nap?" Robin asked nonchalantly.
"Da! Dabuu!" Morgan cried in acknowledgement.
"Oh… I see. What you want to do today?" Robin questioned the toddler as he passed by the surprised faces of the other delinquents. A million questions raced through their mind, all questioning the existence of the little baby on his back, their relationship and their conversation that they were having. However, none of them would be answered anytime soon.
"Ah…" The black-haired baby seemed to ponder the question of today's activity for a moment. She shut her eyes tightly and as many thoughts slowly formed her small, round head. Soon, an idea that sounds logical to a mind of a baby came to her.
"Ah! Buuu wa?" Morgan asked in desperation, nudging her parent's head several times.
"Huh? No, not yet. Why?" Robin replied curiously as he interpreted what his child was saying.
"Da, Da! Dabuu!" Morgan waved her arms in exasperation, trying to send her point across. She beat the head of the teen with her small, little fist, with her face frowning in anger.
"For the last time, you little brat… I have no leads yet! The last group of candidates we examined the past week were the last few existing ones in the area. I mean, I know why you would have such high standards, but come on!" Robin complained as he flicked the forehead of the little baby girl.
"Daaa…." Morgan rubbed her forehead with both her hands and groaned in pain. She then tugged the fabric of his jacket and pulled it hard, forcing Robin to stop.
"Morgan, what are you doing?" Robin turned to face the toddler on his shoulder. His voice had a sharp edge on it, showing that he was losing his patience.
"Dabuu…" Morgan made a desperate plead and begged with her big round, adorable eyes. Those eyes would possibly steal the hearts of an army of weak minded adults and teenagers. Unfortunately, it had zero effect on her parent as he refused to give in to her cuteness.
In an instant, Robin halted in his tracks and stood motionlessly. The furious delinquent lifted his head up slightly, revealing one of his glowing red evil-looking eyes under his cowl. The raging ambience of the baby's parent could be clearly seen in the eyes of the many. The flaming anger inside seemed like it was hot enough to spark an unstoppable wildfire in a large forest.
"Morgan…" Robin spoke her name in a voice full of bitterness and burning hatred towards the toddler on his shoulder. His patience was at its peak and soon to be breaking the limit.
The thug then began to speak in a strangely and disturbingly calm manner, but his tone betrayed his true feelings behind his voice.
"If you made ever remind me of your idiotic, ass-cringing, back-breaking request again, I will not hesitate to break you. Even when you cry so loud that the heavens can hear you, I would not hold back a single moment. Do you understand?"
Once he made his point across, the top man of Plegia High turned away from her and walked towards his classroom which was a few metres away.
The sign of the class 4-A, his homeroom, was broken and on the verge of falling off. The white and black paint on the sign had long since faded away. Broken window planes of the classroom remained even after several years had passed. Lumps of litter and leftover food were scattered all over the hallway beside it, along with random pieces of weaponry like wooden baseball bats and boxing gloves.
The corridor leading to his classroom was empty, due to the fact that none dared to step a single inch towards the place where the 'Devil's Grandmaster' occupies. The only students who would visit the head president are the ones who knew him personally or were ordered to meet him to carry out his dirty biddings.
Seeing that her request was delayed once again, she threw her little hood over her tiny head and crossed her arms across her chest with a cute, puffy pout on her face.
"Au…"
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…
Yilsse High was the polar opposite of Plegia High, both metaphorically and literally. Instead of a broken mess of a school, the rich high school was like a beautiful and mighty grand palace. It had the cleanest and most advanced facilities and classrooms within. It also had the best education systems within the country of Japan, producing the brightest graduates who will move on to lead on the most successful careers.
The principal works closely with the teachers and staff members within the school, giving the best learning environment they could afford to the students. They were so well-loved and respected by the community that they were often called as 'The Shepherds', tending to their 'sheep' and raising them to become the best that they can be.
However, nothing in this world is perfect. Ylisse High had many unseen flaws in the systems and in its students. One of the flaws is that they could not be bothered with personal matters.
One example of this is...
In the empty narrow hallway of the streets, there was a small group of hulking teenage thugs surrounding a short high school green-haired girl. All of the boys had an amused grin on their faces, clearly having fun tormenting the innocent-looking little girl. They had various hair colours and hairstyles on each of the members of the gang. To the group named 'Raging Rainbow', the brighter the colour of their hair and the more complex the hairstyle, the higher their rank.
"Hohoho! Where are you going, little cutie pie?"
"Yeah, what's the hurry? Why don't we have some fun together?"
"Yeah, let's us bring you somewhere more… private, if you know I mean? Hahaha…!"
As the boys teased the little girl senselessly, she squatted down on the ground in fear and was on the verge of crying.
'Please… someone, anyone! Please come save me!' She pleaded in the back of her mind.
"Just what you doing to Tiki, you bunch of creeps?!" A male voice yelled in the distance. Everyone looked up and saw a blue-haired teenager with the signature white and blue school uniform of Yilsse High. He stood tall with the aura of justice and righteous emitting from him.
"Mar-Mar!" Tiki cried with joy and relief to see her dear friend coming to her rescue.
"…Mar-Mar?" The delinquents looked at each other in confusion and disgust. What kind of stupid, cringing sounding nickname is that?
The 'Mar-Mar' in question was actually Marth. He was a 4th year senior in his school and holds many titles in his school such as the vice-captain in the Kendo club, one of the many school leaders in the student counsel and more.
Marth picked up a convenient metal pole in the pile of rubbish and charged straight into the fray. He was lightning fast. He was blinked from his original spot to right next to the nearest thug. The one being attacked barely dodged the speeding lump of metal heading towards his head. When he thought he was safe, the delinquent turned to punch him the little brat in the gut.
…Or at least he tried.
Marth twisted his foot and made a sharp turn, dodging the oncoming blow. The blue-haired teen made use the forward momentum of his target to lead him to his inevitable doom. When the delinquent was thrown forward, his face was met with hard metal. Marth then increased the force behind the metal poke and sent his victim flying a few metres away.
The other members of the group were stunned as they stared at their fallen comrade. He lay unconscious on the ground, with stars dancing around his head. However, even though one of them has fallen, the group realised that their assailant was outnumbered four to one.
"You bastard! What makes you think that a rich kid like you has the right to stop our fun? You gonna pay for this!" The others nodded in agreement and they charged wildly at Marth.
Two of them tried to flank the expert swordsman, running past him and hitting him from behind, while the rest of them were rushed in with brute force
It would seem that there was no way out for any normal person, but… not for Marth.
He had other things to worry about.
The blue-haired teen raised his weapon and held out from his chest. A bright, powerful blue aura began to circulate around him and a bright red flare ignited in his eyes.
His body adjusted to the appropriate position, slightly leaning towards his enemies in front of him and his knees bending forward. His stronger right leg was at the front while his weaker left leg was at the back.
It was time…
"The grace of the 'Holy King', first style… Gentle Dancing Blade!"
In one swift movement, his muscular right leg pushed and twisted instantly. His left leg gave stability and allowed Marth to spin into a deadly circular slash.
The thick and uneven metal pole moved at the speed of sound, becoming a blink in the morning light. The blunt, hard surface smacked the faces of the raging delinquents and knocked them out of their trance.
Some of them were sent metres away from Marth, while the others had their backs crashed into the concrete wall of the alley. In the end, they were all groaning in pain.
Tiki rushed into the waiting arms of the blue-haired senior. She cried in relief and horror as she was finally safe from the members of the 'Raging Rainbow'.
"*sob* I thought I was done for." Tiki's grip on Marth became tighter as she sought comfort from him. She was haunted by the scary faces of the gangsters. The poor green-haired girl felt so helpless and vulnerable.
"Yeah, good thing I came here just in time." Marth returned her embrace while rubbing her back soothingly.
"Tsk… This is not what I anticipated. Damn, he is going to be so angry that I failed." Apparently, the thug, who was knocked out first, finally regained consciousness and was shocked by the unfavourable outcome. He muttered fearfully, feeling terrified for the harsh punishment that might be waiting for him.
"Huh?"
Suddenly, he felt an unusual weight within his closed fist. The member of the group opened his fist and saw the unknown object in his hand. He realised that he might not receive any punishment at all.
In fact, it was just what the doctor ordered. Fortunately, Lady Luck was by his side.
"Come on, Tiki. I'll walk you to school." Marth ushered Tiki as he began to walk away from the scene. However, the junior resisted and tugged his sleeve sharply, forcing the senior to turn around in confusion.
His eyes widened in surprise as he saw there were still tears streaming down from her emerald eyes.
"They… *Sob* they stole my pendant." Tiki pointed to the alley where the delinquents were, or at least used to be. The members of the 'Raging Rainbow' were nowhere to be seen as if they disappeared into thin air. In strange twists of events, Marth did not resolve the issue.
Instead, he became the pawn of an elaborate and twisted scheme.
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…
In Plegia High, the leader of the 20th deadliest gang, 'Raging Rainbow' walked into the classroom of 4-C. He searched around the messy and broken homeroom to find the man he was looking for.
The classroom looked like a madman's house. It had bells with cryptic notes attached to the ceiling. The piles of papers were scattered everywhere in the room, with almost unreadable words written in red ink… or was it?
There were books about alchemy and black magic arranged neatly on the teacher's desk. Numerous Sigel of various kinds were written on the walls and floors, possibly by chalk. The worn curtains drafted lightly every now and then, catching the smallest of breeze.
The leader of the 'Raging Rainbow', Shido was beginning to have second thoughts of being in this classroom in the first place. His spine shivered with terror as he waited for his host to come into light. His eyes darted around the classroom, looking for any signs of the man he was looking for.
Out of the sudden, there was a sudden gust of wind blowing into the horrid room. The curtains swished and swayed violently. The papers on the ground were lifted up by the unforeseen current of air. The exits were immediately slammed shut, trapping the poor visitor within the classroom.
"W-What is this? Stop joking around already! Come out, you son of a bitch!" Shido yelled angrily as he had put on a brave front against the horrors that were thrown at him. Unfortunately, the tough-looking man was screaming out of his mind internally.
As if on cue, a cloaked figure swooped in from the window and sneaked behind Shido. It slowly stood up, growing in size and seemed to tower over the delinquent. It's shining white eyes flared from within the darkness created by the hood over its head.
A soft, sinister voice was heard from the menacing figure, speaking into the ears of the leader of the 'Raging Rainbow'.
"Peek-a-boo… Who has found this fella?"
"…Me, not you. Oh, what should I do?"
"Cut you into pieces?"
"Burn you into crisps?"
"Poison you and watch you suffer?"
"Or… should I… say…?"
The shadowy figure grabbed Shido by the shoulders and gave it a tight squeeze. An unnaturally wide creepy formed on its face, as its glowing red eyes twinkled in the darkness. It leaned forwards and whispered into the thug's ear.
"Boo…"
Anyone could hear the terrified screams of the 'fearless' and 'ruthless' leader of the infamous gang in the classroom of 4-C. He had met his inevitable doom from the murderous intent of the residents of the horrid classroom.
...Or at least he thought so.
The shadowy figure was immediately stopped by a gloomy black-haired teenager girl as she smacked the top of its head with a very thick leather book. She had a thin scowl on her face, clearly showing displease and annoyance towards the prankster. The cloaked humanoid shadow fell onto its knees and groaned in pain, while it rubbed the bruise on its head with its hands.
"Henry, stop playing a fool! Can't you be serious for once?" The girl was revealed to be Tharja. She wore the black and white blouse of Plegia high with a purple scarf around her neck, and a silver skirt to complete the uniform set for female students in Plegia High. She had pale skin and short dark coloured hair that was held neatly by a golden hair band.
The hood on the cloaked prankster fell off, revealing the snowy white hair and round pale face of Henry. He had small eyes and a wide grin that seemed to be stapled onto his face for eternity. The joker laughed heartily while giving a friendly pat on Shido's back, reassuring that everything is fine.
"Nyhahaha! Oh come on, it is fun! You should try it too once in a while!" Henry exclaimed as he took off his cloak to show off his own uniform that was hidden underneath.
"…Besides, a good scare always starts off an important conversation. How, you ask? It is because then they will take me seriously. Nyhahaha!" The white-haired student reasoned as he brushed off the dust on his clothes.
"Y-Your L-Logic doesn't make any sense at all." Shido stuttered in fear, still haunted by the jump scare from Henry. On the other hand, Tharja just shook her head and sighed dejectedly.
"Nyhahaha! It doesn't need to, silly boy." Henry snickered while he walked in circles around his guest with his hands behind his back. His smile seemed to become more sinister as he finally began to focus the task at hand.
"So…? Did you… accomplish that task that I have assigned to you and your gang?" The white-haired student spoke softly and slowly, clearly expressing his anticipation for the results.
The terrified teen observed the facial features of Henry's face, realising that his expression was completely unreadable due to the deceiving grin. He had to choose his words wisely.
"I-I have… b-bad news." Shido reported his mission as he spoke nervously. "B-But… I-I also got good news!" He quickly added in. He just prayed that Henry would not be disappointed with the results.
The sadistic male stopped in his tracks and turned sharply, focusing all his attention on the fearful underling. A nightmarish smile stretched till the corner of his cheeks, adding to the unsettling atmosphere.
"Oh! Oh! Oh! Let us hear the bad news first! Save the best for last, am I right Tharja?" Henry exclaimed excitedly upon hearing the possible outcome of the skirmish.
"Whatever… Just get on with it." The gloomy teen just shrugged her shoulders to indicate that anything is fine, with her face giving a look of boredom.
"Haha! What a typical answer from our lovely Tharja! Okay, big boy… what's the bad news?" The enthusiastic teen demanded Shido, while he gave a pat on the shoulders of the muscular delinquent.
"T-The bad news is… Err… How do I say it…? Um… We never caught the girl that you were looking for." The transition was like day to night. The grin on Henry instantly turned into a deep frown. From under the sleeves of the now furiously mad teen, Henry unsheathed a penknife and extended the blade to the fullest length.
The sharp blade of the penknife was aimed at his throat, just centimetres from the fragile and delicate skin of Shido. Tharja smirked in amusement at the scene as the supposed leader of one of the most deadly gangs was panicking and begging for mercy.
"W-Wait a minute! P-Please, I-I… beg you! Give me a chance to redeem myself!" This was exactly what he fear that would happen to him. The fearsome and terrifying aura of the leader of the 2nd deadliest gang, 'The Grimleal' overwhelmed the pathetic and helpless thug whose life was on the line. This was the only band of gangsters that dared to cross the line and was fully willing to take a life of an underling away.
"Give me one reason why I should spare your life! You are a little lifeless brat that can't even accomplish such a simple task! Which of your mother's hole did you fucking spawn from, huh? Oh… I know the answer: her shitty, dirty asshole!" Henry's voiced turned demonic and vicious as he pressed the sharp edge of the penknife closer to the throat of Shido. The cutting edge pierced the thin skin of his body and drops of blood began to fall from the wound.
Tharja, the vice-leader of the 'Grimial' looked at her master in awe. She giggled evilly as she enjoyed the mental and physical torture of the 'tough' brute. Her black eyes searched the body of the frightened victim. It was at that moment… she saw it. There was a shiny object in the hands of Shido. It was dazzlingly bright and sparkles could be seen twinkling in the rays of the sun.
"Huh." Tharja raised her eyebrow in curiosity as she muttered softly. The vice leader walked towards the victim and snatched the mysterious object from his hand. She raised the trinket to her eye level and observed it. To her surprise, it was something unbelievable.
"Don't kill him." It was a simple statement, yet it effective enough to stop Henry's murderous aura. The white-haired man turned around and dropped his façade immediately. Shido fell to the ground as his knees as his legs became weak and his mental state was unstable with fear.
The smile on Henry returned as he switched his focus from the hopeless delinquent to his assistant. "Nyhahaha! I was just joking. I mean who would waste time killing someone as pathetic as him? A mad man will!"
He skipped happily towards the nearly black haired girl and saw the object she was holding. The grin dropped a little as he was intrigued at what it exactly was.
"That is…!"
"…A piece of Naga's dragon stone."
It was a small polished jade stone with various ancient-looking sigils on it. It was fashioned in a long piece of stainless steel chain. It seemed priceless to the eyes of the many, but to the leaders of the 'Grimleal'…it was a tool of deception.
"Nyahaha! This is great! This is good news!" Henry exclaimed enthusiastically, dancing around the classroom and tossing the papers everywhere in excitement. The expression on Tharja's face did not seem to change at all as she observed how beautiful it looked.
"What would we do now that we such a valuable item as this?" Tharja asked curiously as she put away the pendant. She looked up to see her boss had stopped celebrating and stood motionlessly.
A menacing aura emitted from the cunning student. He looked out towards the window and stared at the blue skies above. His eyes that always seemed to be close at all times opened just a fraction, revealing the red irises.
"We wait… They definitely come running for this item despite our reputation. The ones we are looking for will eventually arrive at our doorstep. We don't even need to move a finger! It is so easy… like taking candy from a baby. …Hahaha!"
Tharja smirked evilly while she listened to his masterful plan. Regardless of how insane it sounds, instincts told her that it would work. It was undoubtedly a flawless scheme. Although… one could say a woman would have her uncertainties.
"What makes you say that, Henry? Do you have your sources or is it just your crazy intuition?" Tharja questioned him as she walked to his side and stared at him with a hint of hesitation.
She wanted to interrogate her boss further but was interrupted when Henry looked at her mischievously with his glowing red eyes. He put a finger to her lips and silenced her.
"Shhh… Shush, my silly, little girl. Don't fret your pretty head over this simple matter."
He removed the finger from her lips and then leaned dangerously close to her. The malevolent teen whispered into her ears with an erringly soothing voice.
"A Magician never reveals his secrets."
…
…
In the teacher's meeting room of Ylisse High, Marth and his friends: Say'ri, Ike and Nyna were having an argument with their teachers and the counsellors. Marth slammed down on the table with his fist and shouted angrily, "What is this?! Are you telling us we should just stand aside and let it slide?"
Apparently, the situation was that the students were seeking help to retrieve Tiki's pendant back from the thieves. The problem was that the teachers refused harshly and ordered them not to step into the boundary of Plegia High. Fear could be seen in the most stoic of teachers.
"If it was any other school other than that wretched, dirty school, of course, we would gladly assist our dear students. However, this does not seem to be the case…"The English teacher, Maribelle voiced her opinion on the matter, staring at her students in disbelief.
"It is not something we and Gregor would like to be involved in. Gregor thinks this is a… very, very bad idea." The PE teacher, Gregor said dejectedly as he tried to discourage the enraged students before him.
"Gregor…I, don't have fond memories of that place." The muscular man closed his eyes, pushing the rotten memories that surfaced from the back of his mind.
The science teacher, Miriel just looked off to the side in silence, fixing her glasses and refused any sought of eye contact with Marth and his friends. Sumia, the school's counsellors made a considerable effort to calm them down.
"Everyone, please… I know you want to help your friend take back what was rightful hers. However, the issue is not going to be solved by yelling at each other."
Say'ri, a 3rd year senior of class 3-C, the captain of the Kendo club stepped forward and a close friend to Tiki, gently grip onto Marth's shoulder in attempt to conciliate him. She looked up and stared directly into the fearful eyes of her teachers, feeling confused to their reaction towards the matter.
"Fie, I agree that mindless shouting is not really productive, but I do want to know is why you are afraid of dealing with the students with Plegia High." The dark haired female student said firmly and expressed her feelings on the matter.
Ike, a 4th-year senior who is the same class as Marth and is the captain of the basketball team, stepped forward, pressed both of his hands on the teacher's table and leaned forward.
"Look all we ask is that you accompany us and help to deal with these sinful brats. We cannot do anything without all of your assistance." The navy-haired teen with a bandana around his forehead asked politely with a hint of sorrow.
The teachers at their desk almost gave into their plea. However, what stops them from accepting it was one simple fact. This fact created a large barrier between the problem and the solution.
Frederick, the discipline master of Ylisse High, spoke up with his deep and commanding voice.
"We will not get a single inch within those… murderous fiends. Ever since that school was built, its inhabitants cause nothing but trouble."
"…'Murderous Fiends'? What do you mean by that, Frederick-sensei?" Nyna, a second year Junior in Ylisse High and lead dancer of the Traditional Dance Club, voiced her concern over the claim of her teacher. The blonde haired student looked at the teachers with bewilderment as they hang their heads in shame and despair.
"It seems that… it is only viable if we let them know the truth." Miriel suggested, watching the reaction of the other teachers as they felt uncomfortable about it.
Frederick sighed painfully as it seemed that the result was inevitable. He stood up, walked towards the window panes of the room and gaze at the blue skies above.
"We… once attempted to solve a similar issue like this. Many years ago, one of our students approached us. His friends were beaten up by a group of thugs from Plegia High when he was walking home from school. He was dragged into their school and was forced to serve them as their 'underling'."
"We tried to settle it in a peaceful manner, sending a lender to the school's principal and informing him about the matter. However, the reply was not in our favour. Their principal, Mr. Validar claimed that the students would not listen to reason and his orders to release the poor students. He also voiced the possibility that it was our students that caused the issue."
Frederick closed his hands and clenched his fist tightly in frustration. Gregor continued the story, staring at the floor with heavy weight on his shoulders.
"Gregor and company decided to get into the school ourselves to rescue them. But… it turned out to be a bad idea. We were outnumbered 10 to 1… barely got through them, got very severe injuries. When reached into the school building, the students were the hostages."
Memories of blood, pain and suffering flooded into the mind of the PE teacher. It also had a distinct figure standing in the centre of it… the mastermind of the mess.
Maribelle gripped her shoulder tightly, remembering the countless patients her friend, Lissa had to treat. It was a horrifying thought that some of them might not have survived.
"There was a discrete faction of malefactors in the school. They identified themselves as the 'Grimleal'. They are the only ones within Plegia High that challenge the border of the humanity and inhumanity. They are only ones who would dare to kill a civilian or, in this case, our students."
"In the end, the students were not saved and brought back into our school. They were locked in there like a prison. The members of the 'Grimleal' almost killed the lectures that came to their aid. We had to pull back before we suffer any casualties."
Miriel finished the last part of the story, ending it with a grim note. Sumia was silent. She had nothing to say to comfort them. It would be useless to attempt to sugar-coat the matter. She felt utterly helpless as she saw the hopelessness on the faces of Marth and his friends.
"I'm sorry. We cannot help you. I asked of you… no beg of you to forget about it. As much as it pains me to say, there is no solution to this problem."
Frederick concluded as he stood by the doorway, signalling them to step out of the meeting room.
…
…
"Are you sure about this, Crazy pants?" Gaius, the scout of the 'Grimleal', asked Henry uncertainly. "I'm not sure Bubbles would be pleased to be visited at a time like this…"
Henry just laughed casually and gave the sweet fanatic a reassuring pat on the back and said, "Relax, candy man. In order for this plan to work, we must notify the big guy. Come on, we are almost there!"
True to his words, the classroom of 4-A was located just a few metres in front of them. It had an eerie and treacherous atmosphere as evidenced by the broken shards of the window panes on the floor and dried blood on the walls and doors. Gaius was creeped out by it, while Henry remained unfazed and still had the wide toothy grin attached on his face.
He skipped joyfully and hummed a happy tune as he skipped towards the door of the classroom. The white-haired male knocked on the wooden entrance several times and waited for a response. For a moment, the ginger-haired student thought the door would be busted open and swords would appear out of thin air to cut them into pieces.
Fortunately for them, none of that crazy shit happened. Instead, there was only a soft response from the other side.
"Who's there?" The voice had a hint of annoyance from within.
Henry's smile widened as he was delighted that the man he was looking for was there. He greeted with his loud and obnoxious voice. "HI~! IT IS YOUR OLD PAL HENRY! CAN I COME IN?"
For any normal and sane person, he or she would have the logical sense that doing anything stupid and insane would lead to trouble. They just had to wait for the owner of the 'house' to give them his permission to let them in. Everything would be fine if they just follow the rules, right?
…Right?
Hahaha… No. This is Henry we are talking about, the insane, blood-fetish delinquent who would come up the craziest of ideas to deal with a problematic situation. He would do what a normal, sane person would not do in any scenario.
In this case, Henry decided that it was a good idea to just walk in without Robin's permission, reasoning to himself that the door was unlocked and free for him to open. Unfortunately, for a hundred reasons that I had listed in my head, it was not a bright idea. It was horribly stupid one.
Without even waiting to hear his reply, Henry slide the door open and strolled in half-heartedly. Gaius tried to stop him, but it was to no avail, it was already too late. The crazy manic was crossing the thin lining between life and death, walking into a dangerous territory.
Inside the quiet and empty homeroom, the three of them found themselves in an awkward situation. Robin was in the middle of changing the diaper of Morgan, who was lying on her back with her black cloak underneath her. At the same time, the baby girl was completely naked, exposing her immature genitals. The 'Devil's Grandmaster' was looming over the baby and had the fresh, clean diaper in one of his hand and the filthy, messy diaper in the other.
Henry and Gaius were shocked. They came in the most inappropriate of times. It was a certain situation where they definitely did not want to be in. They saw a completely different side to Robin's usual violent and merciless nature. Instead of the cruel, ill-treating dictator, the two of them saw the soft-hearted and caring nature of a father. The two of them just stared at him in awe and bewilderment.
Robin was dumbfounded. He was staring uncomfortably at the unwanted visitors. The dreadful sound of nothingness hangs in the air of the classroom.
Morgan, on the other hand, was quite happy to have company. She finally broke the silence with a happy giggle.
"Ah, Au…!"
The ill-famed teen dropped the dirty diaper onto the floor and pressed his thumb over the joints of his left forefinger, making a loud, sickening 'crack' sound. The eyes were hidden under his hood suddenly grew demonically red and his voice became deep and thunderous.
"GET OUT YOU IMBECILES!" He boomed furiously, causing the duo to escape for their lives.
…Telling the head president of Plegia High the news could wait another day…
…
…
Back in Ylisse High, a band of friends gathered together after school to discuss the stolen pendant. No matter what the adults said to them, they just could not let go of it. Unfortunately, Marth and the others had to break the bad news to Tiki.
"I'm sorry, Tiki. The teachers had refused to help us. They said your pendant is impossible to receive." Marth said helplessly as he hung his head in shame.
Upon hearing the news, the green haired girl cried pitifully. "I-It can't be… Why? Why can't they help us? I…I can't face my mother like this! She gave it to me so that I can keep it safe. It can't end like this!"
Say'ri ran to her side and gave her a warm embrace, attempting to comfort her sorrow. Ike and Marth gritted their teeth in frustration, while Nyna looked at her friends helplessly.
Just then, Caeda, an azure long haired female senior and Marth's girlfriend, spotted them and noticed the dispirited atmosphere in the group. She walked towards them and voiced her concern.
"…Marth? …Ike? …Everyone? Why are all of you so sad? Did something happen?"
"Caeda? Oh… we are currently in a bad position." Marth tried to explain the situation to his girlfriend as briefly as possible, taking consideration of Tiki's sensitive emotions. Cadea's face became crestfallen as she saw the hopelessness of finding a solution to the problem.
"Why do they always target us…? Don't they realise they are in the wrong?" Cadea sighed furiously as she saw the injustice in the matter. She looked up to her boyfriend and held his hand gently to make an effort to soothe his sorrows.
"Is there really nothing we can do?" Ike let the question hang in the air, letting the members of the group bonder on the answer to this mess. Marth stared at the crying figure of his close friend. He once promised to himself that none of the people he had to protect will cry in fear and sadness. He vowed to make them smile and brightened their day.
The blue-haired male is not going to break that promise… not now, not ever.
He held his head up high and made his speech.
"I think it is the time we stop relying on the teachers. On times like these, we have to rely solely on ourselves." The confident and righteous voice immediately caught the attention of the others.
"Friends always help each other. That is our motto, right? Well, the time has to come to put what we have learnt in martial arts and swordsmanship to the test. We are going to Plegia High to get it back, on our own."
Marth looked back to his circle of friends and asked, "Who's with me?"
The speech seemed to spark a shining light in the grim, hopelessness darkness around the group of friends. The words from the level-headed and inspirational leader brought newfound aspiration into their hearts. It was truly a miracle.
"Fie! I will join in the fight!" Say'ri stood up with hope in her mind and soul.
"Yeah, that is what friends are for. We are not going to let anyone else bring us down." Ike also stood up optimistically and pumped his fist. He then tied his iconic bandana around his forehead and tightened it.
"Let's go Say'ri…We have to bring Tiki back home before planning the invasion into the school." At the end of the sentence, they escorted her back to her home, while promising her that everything will be fine.
"I will find the others. They should be able to help you in your cause. The more we have, the sooner we can get this done." Nyna then ran off with an objective in mind, searching for her other friends who would rebel against the cruel students in Plegia High.
Cadea, on the other hand, was not keen on the idea. She was worried for the safety of her loved one. The navy-haired female tried to protest but was immediately interrupted by her boyfriend.
"I know that you are worried for me. But… I can't let this slide past us. Promise me, Cadea: Don't interfere until I am truly in trouble. I am sure you know who to call for."
Marth then wrapped his arms around her slender body and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. He said to her with his soothing and loving voice, "But… Don't worry, I won't lose without a fight."
Cadea rested her head against his chest and embrace the warmth around her. She decided to trust him like she always did.
"Please come back safe."
"I will…"
…
Are you sure you made the right choice, naive mortal?
…
In the classroom of 4-A in Plegia High, the four of them, including Morgan, were standing around the now empty teacher's desk feeling a series of mixed emotions.
Henry's enthusiastic grin was dropped and was replaced with a smile of embarrassment. He played with his fingers and chuckled awkwardly, feeling sorry for walking in without permission.
Gaius was nervously chewing on his lollipop, fearful of the wrath of Robin. He really wanted to get out of the room he was currently standing in.
Robin leaned against the wall, holding a baby bottle filled with milk in his hand and carried Morgan in the other. He carefully and gently held the feeding bottle over the mouth of his 'child' to feed her. Morgan sucked the bottle happily as looked up to her parent lovingly.
There was silence hanging in the air once again until Robin finally opened his mouth to question their motives.
"So, before I kick you out of my room… Why are you-?"
However, he was soon stopped by the duo bowing deeply and yelling an apology.
"WE ARE SORRY, BOSS! PLZ DON'T KILL US!"
Hidden under the hood, the king of the delinquent school raised his eyebrow upon hearing the words. He sighed in irritation and waved it off without a word. Luckily for Robin, it was someone he knew personally that interrupted their private moment.
"Enough of that nonsense, I am just glad that it was not some random brute that walked in. Let me ask again. Why did you come to visit me? I thought I ruled that no one is allowed to come to see me without reason? I never assigned a task for you guys."
Henry's smile widened at his friend's confusion and began to explain.
"Well… We have some news to tell you. Good news. We have a lead to your next candidate."
That statement instantly caught the head president's attention. He looked up to give a look of surprise at Henry and Gaius. Although it was good news, somewhere in the back of his mind, he doubted it.
"Is that so…?" Robin tried to sound uninterested as he switched focus to the baby in his arms. The milk in the bottle was half way done. He took a mental note to stop feeding her once it was finished.
"Yeah, we found a sweet lady that could help you, Bubbles. Henry and I had found a way to lure her to this school." Gaius added in.
Robin refused to look up as he was unconvinced by the news. He continued to pay attention to the bottle of milk and Morgan's eyes. It sounded like they were trying to bait him into believing it. He doubted that she was suitable as stated. The last few candidates had crushed his hope of ever finding one.
"May I know who she is and how are you planning to bring her here?" The hooded teen interrogated them with a distrusting tone.
"Oh that? Don't worry, pal. We had established a great plan that we will fill you in in a moment. They will definitely come here in the next day or so. As for the identity of the girl, why don't we keep it a surprise, hmm?"
Henry replied with a mischievous tone and he chuckled quietly. He loves to make unexpected surprise to his friends and foes. It was the only way to keep him entertained.
Robin sighed heavily and shook his head hopelessly. This was the umpteenth time the mad teen made this kind of promise. All of them had disappointed the child wearing delinquent and ended in a bad taste.
Morgan was finishing drinking all of the milk in the bottle, and looked up at her parent expectantly. She watched with curious eyes at hidden expressions behind the hood of his jacket.
"Why are you helping me? Didn't I tell you to stay out of my business? You know all of this will end if you keep giving me false promises." He raised his voice threateningly at the duo, watching them with a spiteful glare.
A surge of courage appeared out of thin air in the mind and soul of the ginger delinquent. He stepped forward and gave his own reasons to the matter. Giving one last suck on his lollipop, Gaius took it out of his mouth and said,
"We… kind of miss the old days Bubbles. We missed seeing your smile, you know? We also missed hearing your laughter too. Back when we just have each other: You, me, Henry and the others."
Robin was about to protest at that ridiculous reasoning. He was about to complain that that was all in the past… when they were weak and naïve, when they knew nothing about the world around them and how cruel it was.
He was about to yell at them that the 'Robin', their childhood friend, is gone forever.
However, at that moment, Morgan had finished feeding. She tapped the empty bottle with her little fingers to signal Robin to remove it from her mouth. Robin snapped out of his train of thought and grew silent. He carefully removed the bottle from the baby girl and placed it aside.
Morgan then belched loudly after her meal and laughed joyfully. She looked up at her parent and stretched out her arms towards him. A cute little pout formed on her face, demanding him to give her a hug.
"Ah!" She cried pleadingly.
A rare and unforeseen smile formed on the lips of the supposed ruthless and deadly thug, completely shattering anyone's initial impression of him. Robin used both of his arms and lifted Morgan up. He then gave her gentle and loving embrace of a father, which the child happily accepted.
Gaius and Henry watched intently as they found part of the friendly and kind 'Robin' still remained in the cold exterior of the 'Devil's Grandmaster'.
Henry then spoke up and made a statement that even Robin could not disagree.
"That baby… Ever since you found her in the slumps, she made you happy, am I right? Why don't you do her favour and pay her back by finding her a suitable mother? Won't that make her happy too?"
Gaius joined in and added his own comment to his boss.
"I agree with Crazy pants, Bubbles. We are your 'underlings', no? We are always there to help you in your simplest of tasks and this one is no different. We would do anything to keep you smiling, even for Bubbles Junior! Why don't you listen to what we have planned and consider giving it a shot, old pal?"
Robin looked at the cheerful face of his child and his childhood friends. His mind was temporary on hold as the decision was presented to him on the table. It was up to him whether he would do it.
The delinquent did not want to disappoint her if the end result was like the last few candidates… but he also wanted to catch the opportunity of finally fulfilling Morgan's long-awaited request.
All she wanted was a mother like all the other children.
Morgan was a little confused and worried as she noticed her 'father' was in a pitch. She tried calling out to him with the limited language that she had.
"DaDa? Au…?" She asked innocently with curious eyes watching him.
Robin sighed heavily and decided to give in. He gave a reassuring, warm smile to Morgan. He placed her on top of his head and approached Henry and Gaius.
This is for Morgan. He reasoned himself. This is for Morgan's sake.
Robin grabbed the shoulders of the two leading members of the 'Grimleal' firmly and leaned toward them.
"I'm all ears… What's the plan?"
This is for Morgan…
My child who saved me from the madness…
…
~To be continued~
…
A/N: In the next chapter, ~Finding the perfect Mother~. It is where the battle truly starts. Please let me know if you want this to be more than 2 chapters in the review!