Idolmaster 2 x AKB0048 x Love Live: He who fights Monsters.
Chapter 1: Alcom's worry - Julian's Corruption!
AN: Please Read Ophidiophobia and the AKB0048 Saga to get a better understanding of what's going on. More info will be diverged in the story itself, but it is most recommended to read the aforementioned material if you want more understanding.
AN 2: A request by Shiranai Atsune :3
"He who fights monsters must take care that he not become one himself. And if he stares deep into the abyss, the abyss will stare back at him..." - Fredrich Nietzsche
What is wrong with me?
Why did I lose?
I was supposed to win but how...
How in Tsukuyomi's entire name can I lose?
To lose against...that...that thing.
It was three days after Takane's defeat by the hands of Alcom 'Sol' Scliff, whom many car enthusiasts hailed as 'One of the best women drivers' alongside fellow friends Sabine, Chris 'Quattro' Fuschia, and Alito 'Ventus' Gnade.
The humiliating defeat, especially the last few seconds, etched upon the Silver Queen's mind, as raw as a viper's bite...
And there she is, Alcom makes a brilliant high-speed drift at 340 KM/H down the streets of Fairhaven in one fine high-speed corner! The Silver Queen Takane Shijou has absolutely no chance in catching up in this exciting final mile to the finish!
AND TAKANE'S HAD IT! The once indomitable Silver Queen's Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4, defeated by an underdog, but thoroughbred extreme racer driven by Alcom 'Sol' Scilf! What a magnificent display from the underdogs! Pure, visceral, and unadulterated speed, torque and gravity mixed into one exquisite display of driving from beginning to end! Oh my word can't you believe it?! The American Muscle Car Lover, Alcom 'Sol' Sclif, who was the wife of the Leader of Genocides Vikrant 'Loik' Arora, has done what many thought to be 'virtually impossible' - defeating the Silver Queen high-performance exotic in her own game!
News were all over it...
AKB0048 and SKB0048 had even made it their 'Poster Exotic of 2011'...
Every car magazine, critic, and even fans heaped praises as the car that 'restored order into the Automotive Industry'
All over the very car that shattered, her once snobbish pride.
The white-colored exotic with black -engine cover, black and red highlighted strips around its body, doors, and body works.
The exotic that brought forth a huge chill down Takane's spine ever since.
The exotic that brought forth a new fear inside her that she had never once felt before.
The exotic that proved that fear...was the most powerful weapon.
You are now ours...Our venom...everything. You have nowhere to run...
Your pride ends, here and now!
It'ssssss terrrrific, is it?
Our eyes...they see you...hahahaha!
How does it feel; crushed by an exotic that on paper is technically weaker than your Aventador, must have hurt that once fragile, yet prideful heart of yours, eh? Ssssssss...
You will always be under our wheels...Silver Queen. You will always be weak, and be oblivious to other people around. You will forever be the last in society because in the end...
No one can hear you scream...drowning in your own VENOM.
Fall, Silver Queen, fall...like Icarus burning his wings as he gets too high...FALL, AND BE CRUSHED AS WE MOCK YOUR FAILURES!
WE ARE YOUR FEAR! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
The Silver Queen shot up from her bed, cold sweat pouring down her cheeks, forehead, and drenched her nightgown.
Her eyes were bloodshot, her iris pupils shrivelling with intense, yet indescribable fear...
Her lips were dry as her once beautiful face was a shadow of her past.
The echoes of the insults thrown upon her...was it really Alcom's insult?
Is it really Alcom's insult, or were it just Takane's delusions that she encountered in her nightmare?
As the truth of her defeat sunk in yet again, the Silver Queen huddled her face close to her knees, tears slowly flowing out of her eyes, sparkling under the moonlight as she cried aloud.
Meanwhile, back on the Genocides Mansion...
"Ya ready for the next round?"
"I will be faster than you this time!"
"Have at chee!"
"Nonononono! TOO MANY BALLS!"
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
The team members were having a great time playing Crash Bash's Ballistix mini game. Every round, four out of the forty-eight members would take turn to play Ballistix and have laughs now and then.
Only two members did not seem to join in on the action - Vikrant and Alcom.
Both husband and wife of eight years were worried when they found out that someone from the Genocide Team was missing. The 80th Generation idols of AKB0048, upon noticing that their mentors' worries, decided to join them and have a chat. Both Alcom and Vikrant had been the 80th Generation's mentors; acting as their mother figure and father figure in the world of the idol industry ever since its misconceptions were virtually eliminated. It had been four years since the mentorship, and it had been going on smoothly since.
"Alcom-sempai...ya okay there?" Reiri Natsuraki, 16, and the seventh Takamina, asked softly.
Alcom looked at the Genocide members. "Just as i thought...only one person was missing among the many members present."
"Who?"
"My brother, Julian Sclif." Alcom sighed. Julian was Alcom's twenty-three years old brother and a lover of exotics.
"Does Julian have to drive his hatred that far?" she continued.
"What is it that made you worried? You are not the usual cheery self..." Fuyuki Hatsune, 14, and the 16th Acchan, wondered in concern.
Alcom sighed once more. "Takane's pride is smashed like a concrete wall crushed by a speeding bullet train. I fear that Takane will begin to fear me. It's not as if I wanna fuck her life upside-down like the Julian wanna do, I just wanna teach her that the Aventador isn't the beez-knees as she claimed it to be."
"Julian...Everyone of us is taking the experience positively, and yet Julian is thinking that revenge should be the only option..." Saori Kohana, 15, and the ninth Haruna Kojiharu, sighed.
"I fear that the Julian is gonna spit venom towards Takane and Hibiki...Coupled with the media constantly lauding at the Viper SRT10 ACR-X, it doesn't look too good on Takane's side."
"Alcom-sempai, the fact that you controlled what was possibly one of the world's hardest-to-control supercars already proves how sadistic you are! Not that it's a bad thing, mind you; I like that!" Haruhi Namikaze, 15, and currently the seventh Shizuka Oya, grinned.
"Haruhi!" Saki Koutetsu scolded. "Can't you see that Alcom and Vikrant-sempai are already having loads of trouble thinking about the aftermath?"
"My wife doesn't want to be known as a well-deserved winner with a sadistic personality, ain't she now?" Vikrant replied.
"Why should they care? We don't mean to offend, but now that Takane is gone, she would not bother us anymore, right?" Ranko Orimura wondered.
Alcom shook her head. "Takane will be inducted into 765 soon... She needs to be in 765 in order to maintain 765 statuses as 'The Voice of Balance' with the likes of AKB0048, SKB0048, and Team Muse. I also do not wish for her to be bashed left, right, and sideways because of her past 'sins'. Takane has had enough; she does not need any more bashing from my brother. It's a fresh new start for her and we might as well make her more comfortable, right?"
"Well, everyone of the Genocides members were happy that they managed to overcome the odds during Christmas Eve; just look at all their kick-ass powers and upgrades to their supercars they received from Yukiho's blessings as a result of being able to save Christmas, Santa, and proving Takane that the Christmas spirit did indeed exist!" Saki replied.
"Julian has Takane's Aventador. At first I thought that he will take care of it properly as he seemed to be a lover for exotics, but I am starting to regret it now; he's still not putting down his hate for Takane." Alcom frowned as she showed the team members a message.
"EH? One of the associates over at Underground Racing said that your brother is planning to get a twin-turbo set up for the Aventador soon?" Ami wondered. Alcom had connections with
"He promised me that he will never temper with the Aventador. Guess I shouldn't trust his hate..." Alcom sighed and shook her head.
"Aw c'mon...brighten up, Alcom-sempai. It ain't that bad, right? It's just a car that Takane lost! With the post-scarcity society we are having right now, she can get an Aventador anytime, anywhere!" Ami winked.
"The Aventador is only limited-edition. Lamborghini's head Director will refuse to create any more Aventadors even if the demand is high, as they want to keep up their status as exotic car dealers. Besides, have you any idea how Takane acquired her Aventador?" Alcom crossed her arms.
"Her...Her mom!" Hatsune replied.
"And you all say that it's just a car that Takane lost?" Alcom raised her eyebrows.
The idols looked one another once more and finally understood what Alcom meant.
Takane did not see her mother frequently as the latter often tend towards important matters in the Dimensional Adventurers' Guild. Despite that, both Takane and her mother still have a decent relationship, which was a huge relief for the former due to her fear of being alone.
The Aventador was more than just a materialistic object - it was meant to be an extension, a connection between Takane and her mother. Whenever Takane drove the Aventador, she was always carrying a part of her mother's love; when she showed it off, it was just a way to express her mother's love.
When she lost the Aventador, Takane not only lost a car that all car enthusiasts would go nuts for, but also lost one of the many ways that she could connect with her maternal figure.
Takane feared Alcom not because the latter won the former's pinkslip. The white hair maiden feared that it would only be a matter of time before Alcom would soon tear off the former's connections with her family - like a viper mercilessly eating down an entire family of animals.
"Okay...I mean Takane ain't that bad to begin with. Snobbish? Yeah, but we have dealt worst in our lives...I guess." Saki shrugged. "It isn't all worth it to dish out retribution disproportionately." Hatsune replied in concern.
"The only reason she would have become hostile towards us in the end was because the Aventador was losing status in the automobile industry as the 'bling-bling' car. Takane wanted to express her love for her mother through the Aventador and could not wish to see her mother's love desecrated through the lost of status." Alcom summarized.
"Emotional attachment..." Hatsune sighed.
"Wha?" the rest wondered.
"Takane must have been emotionally attached to her Aventador. In general, you would expect someone to be offended when someone is insulting the medium that you are invested into, right?" Hatsune explained.
"That's what Alcom-sempai is trying to tell us..." Reiri nodded. "When you have lost an extension of yourself, it hurts...a lot."
Alcom simpered and nodded softly. "I'm glad you can understand where Vikrant and I are coming from."
"Takane has suffered long enough. Sure, she might bring this upon herself...but if what you say is true, than perhaps the loss of Aventador might just be too great for her to ignore." Saori sighed. "After all...ain't the greatest and the most genuine love of all is a love of a mother to her child?"
The rest agreed.
"So is that why you are worried about Julian? You are worried that your brother might take his hatred way too far and decided to destroy Takane and Mrs Shijou's bond via destroying the 'purity' of the Aventador, ala tuning it via a major overhaul!" Ranko gasped.
Alcom nodded.
"I am also worried that Takane might fear me because I have shattered the aura of confidence around her, which will be integral to her survival in 765..." Alcom sighed.
Meanwhile on Chris's side...
"I never expect Julian decided to take it to this extent..." Kanata sighed.
"Hate is addictive, Kanata, like a medicine given to a patient to relive pain. A moderate amount is good, but too much of it is a no-no." Chris 'Quattro' Fuschia - the Maiden of Absolution - and known by many as the Protector of AKB0048 alongside Alito 'Ventus' Gnade, sighed. Eight years ago, Chris 'Quattro' Fuschia and Alito 'Ventus' Gnade helped out AKB0048 in bringing about the demise of the Destroy Entertainment Soldiers.
"Do you think it's going to be an easy task? Reiri just replied to me that they are planning to make Takane comfortable by singing a welcome song for her in two months time." Kanata wondered.
"Tis not gonna be easy, Kanata." Chris shook her head as she accessed Takane's psychological profile via her Project Tundra implanted upon her left eye. "Julian's hate can be dealt with, but Takane's fear is more insidious."
"As in?" Nagisa wondered.
"As in...Takane's fear is not your typical 'I am afraid of snakes because they are scary' or some such bull. Takane's butler contacted me and said that Takane is crying intensely and shivering, all while throwing things at wavy curtains upon her bedroom." Alito, Chris Fuschia's same gender wife frowned. Both the Maiden of Wind and the Maiden of Absolution managed to acquire the butler's contact as she wished to ensure Takane's mental health, without invading her privacy dishonourably, before her induction to 765.
"Wavy curtains...Wavy; Snakes...Vipers are of the snake family. You mean...?" Chieri raised her eyebrows.
Both Alito and Chris nodded.
"Ophidiophobia...Takane's defeat at the hand of Alcom's Viper SRT10 ACR-X induced psychological trauma upon the Moon Maiden. She never expects that she, a person of high status, could be brought down by someone driving one of the hardest cars to control in the world." Chris replied.
"Coupled with the fact that Takane's Aventador was given by her mom as a present when she turned 17, the fact that the Aventador was an extension of Mrs Shijou's love to Takane herself, AND the fact that the Dodge Viper crushed this bond alone...Well, darn..." Kanata shrugged.
"So basically she's scared that the Viper Maiden, or Alcom in general, will destroy the Shijous, is that it?" Cheri wondered in worry.
Chris nodded.
"This is serious indeed...but if Takane has to survive in the idol industry like every idol does, she will need support from friends; we couldn't just tell Alcom to be absent throughout and Takane shouldn't simply run away from her problems all the time..." Yuka frowned.
"Fortunately, from what I can tell, Takane's ophidiophobia is only at its initial state; formed three days earlier. We will need to lessen her emotional pain by two months time. She will still be scared when she's conversing with Alcom; a phobia is not easy to treat, but Takane can converse with Alcom at the very least." Chris explained.
"Alright...we will work with the 80th generation idols and visit Takane if possible to give her moral support. What about you, Icy-sensei?" Sonata wondered.
"Takane's fear stems as a result of her Aventador's loss. We will have to take the Aventador back and return it to Takane." Chris spoke calmly.
"But it is now under the hands of Julian, Alcom's twenty-three years old brother, after Alcom won the pinkslip. And to make things worse, Julian hates Takane too...so god knows what he will do to Takane's Aventador..." Suzuko shook her head in worry.
"Julian loves the Aventador. Even if he hates Takane, the most he will do to hurt her mentally is to overhaul the Aventador for twin-turbo duty." Alito frowned.
"That reminds me...Underground Racing Tuning! They are planning to offer a 1200 horsepower twin-turbo setup with major overhaul to the engine and interior system!" Orine gasped.
"If Takane must ever had a stable mentality upon entering 765, the Aventador must not be altered..." Chris and Alito's eyes then glanced upon their communicator as they saw Alcom on the screen.
"Chris...Alito...the 73rd cohort, you thinking what I am thinking?"
"Yeah, Alcom. We know it..." Chris replied.
"Just got a message from the Underground Racing Tuning Company, they are planning to jack up Julian's Aventador for TT duty."
"Twin-turbo...huh?" Alito wondered.
"I never thought my brother would be THAT hateful towards Takane...he promised me that he will never do anything spiteful towards the Silver Queen!"
"Hate is powerful, Alcom. Addictive and powerful...I guess Julian just could not overcome hate's addiction. Can't say that I blame him...Takane's claims that Santa is not real had kids all over the world who have heard the global Adventurers Guild Broadcast to depression, nearly resulting in an unhappy Christmas and Yukiho depressed. The amount of darkness created as a result from those negative emotions nearly consumed the world had we not intervene and save Santa and the Spirit of Christmas in time." Chris replied.
"Julian's parental love for young kids like all of us do made him go on a roaring rampage of revenge on the sins of just one girl, and we fear it might have twisted him into a monster that the kids themselves cannot recognize..." Kanata followed.
"But Takane has had enough! She had received enough punishment, or rather, WAY TOO MUCH punishment for just three days! THREE DAYS! Jesus..."
"What to do?" Kanata wondered.
Chris pondered for a moment and then a light bulb lit up upon her forehead, but sighed shortly after.
"What is it?" Chieri wondered.
Chris returned to replying Alcom via the communicator.
"We have to strike Julian where it hurts..."
"You mean...?"
"Yes..."
"...Alright...as his eldest sibling, it is my duty to knock some sense out of him!"
"The package will only arrive by the first week of April, days before Takane will be inducted. We only have two months left..." Orine replied.
"Shouldn't we just do some things to prevent it?" Alcom replied.
"No. When a person is filled with hate, the last thing you want to do is confront that person directly until the day of the challenge, less you want to inflame his hatred further. Remember, a person drunk with hate will always twist words around." Chris replied.
"What about AKB0048? And what about Team Muse?"
"Julian can take the 'Don't you dare pity me' approach. His pride is his double-edged sword; it can fuel him to get things done, but he will fail to take genuine opinions when hate lives inside him." Kanata shook her head. "We will deal with Takane's fears instead."
"Alright then...I will see what I can do. But..." Alcom looked at the idols of the 73rd Generation in concern.
"No worries, you can live Takane's fears to us! Just concentrate on getting her Aventador back. That way, we can have a foundation to start on!" Kanata nodded confidently. "We have experience of dealing things way worse than this, so pucker up, yes?"
"Why don't you try to sing a welcome song for Takane? That would at least make her feel comfortable when inducted into 765!" Alcom suggested. "I will do everything I can to wrestle the Aventador back from my brother's grasp."
"True...with Haruka Amami, I'm sure she will help us succeed no problemo!" Haruhi nodded.
"Then what about the Julian's possible hostile reception?" Ranko shivered.
"Let's hope, for our sake, that it is true before it gets out of hand." Alcom nodded softly. "It's a good thing we still have two months before 765 start accepting new applications. Therefore, we still have time before then to curb the hatred. It might not be much to rid Takane's fear for me, but at least it will be a start for her to be accepted."
"Let us ensure a smooth entrance for Takane, yes?" Alcom nodded and simpered.
"We show her love and not despair, let's clear the fear upon her heart and her eyes! AKB0048 80th Generation, YES WE CAN!" the team shot out enthusiastically.
Alcom simpered. "Thanks, gals..."
*End of Line*
"First thing tomorrow, we will join the 80th Generation, Team Muse, and visit Takane." Alito nodded.
"Azrael can tag along!" Kanata nodded as she mentioned her husband of four years. The Angel of Death is from the Four Horsemen's dimension, which Chris and the Four Horsemen freed them from Lucifer's forces years ago during the Frozen Assets era. At some point, the Angel of Death became Kanata's romantic partner after assisting her into becoming the sixth Takamina and overcoming the misconception that angels and humans cannot be together. After Kanata's retirement, the redhead was engaged to Azreal and became the first NO NAME member to be engaged, before the likes of Yuka and Mamoru, and the same-sex marriage of Nagisa and Chieri arrived.
"That would be good. Azreal's sagely demeanour will bring forth a sense of calm to Takane at the least." Chris nodded. "I will also call in my sworn sister Uriel and bring some reinforcements along the way to protect Takane's parents."
"Why?" Yuka wondered.
"Even when Julian hates Takane, he's not going to do it alone. He will most likely enlist help from Takane's haters. To be specific, the few adventurers who were dead loyal towards Yukiho Hagiwara's singing; people can do strange things when they are afraid or hateful." Chris explained.
"Fans that take hatred to its logical extreme, jeez, and here I thought that Takane's personal hell was well enough." Kanata sighed, remembering the times when she herself felt intense hatred for DES before Chris and Alito appeared. "Then again...I sort of sympathize with Julian. But he must be stopped."
Chris sighed. "So...it has to come to this, huh? A possible fight between siblings and a possible parricide if one is not careful."
"Hey, we have dealt worse! Isn't that what you taught us, Chris-sempai?" Chieri smiled.
Chris closed her eyes, pondered about it for a moment, and smiled; Chieri was right. They had dealt worse...way worse.
The members of NO NAME, Chris, and Alito placed their palms together.
"As fellow mentoring idols and fellow human beings, let us give the best we can to Takane!" Kanata cheered on.
"NO NAME! YUSH!" the women cheered on in unison.
Meanwhile - Julian's secret base, somewhere far away from the Genocides...
"I don't care what the fuck you are doing! Just get the Underground Racing Twin Turbo kit fast!" Julian screamed.
"But two months is the maximum!" a worried voice replied through the system communicator in Julian's garage.
"FUCK YOU! I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU MEAN, JUST GET IT ON THE DOUBLE, OR I WILL TERMINATE YOUR CONTRACT WITH ME!"
"But..."
"NOW!" Julian's mouth was slightly agape, his voice ragged as he was breathing like beast finishing his roaring rampage upon a helpless village. Veins were seen bulging upon his fists, temple, and his eyes. His skin became red in anger as his eyes became bloodshot with rage and hatred.
"But..."
*SLAM!*
Julian slammed down the phone as his sight went back on the Aventador that was given to him by Alcom as a result of Takane's loss.
"Sis...I am sorry. But Takane is the bane of Humanity...I can't just simply let it go. This is for the young kids that we, the Genocides, have bonded with over the years. I hope you can understand..." Julian spoke slowly as tears started rolling across his cheeks.
"Takane...you will pay. You will pay for the amount of innocence you have shattered upon the kids' on the very day...I will pay back their pain towards you, and I will make sure that your pain...is eternal. Julian seethed as a huge dark aura soon flared out of his body in a fit of anger.
His eyes glowed red with hatred, his arms morphed into two pairs of flaming claws made of chaos, fury, and his desire for revenge.
Despite receiving Yukiho's blessings along with the Genocides, AKB0048, SKB0048, and Team Muse. While they used it to benefit the world and make it a better place for everyone after the Christmas aftermath, Julian's hatred for Takane had festered upon his heart and had long been tainted into weapons of chaos and hatred to fuel his desire for revenge...
"Takane...this is my vengeance, for I am, and forever will be, a thorn by your side!"
Next episode: We forgive you, Takane!