This is a new fanfic I've conceived the idea for over the last month. The main story starts from NT3 onwards.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Toaruverse; because if I did, Kamikoto would have been a thing long ago. And there'd probably be more dragons.
Prologue: Unleash the Flames
As the sixth morning of November began, a redhead boy, dressed in a hospital gown, was waiting patiently in his room. He smiled mischievously as he heard the massive "GUTS!" shout coming from the hospital's entrance. Gunha had probably decided to take a leap to the entrance. Hopefully he hadn't damaged the spare change of clothing he was supposed to bring.
A minute later, the door opened, as the cheerful esper gave a bear hug to his fellow Level 5, as he said: "Finally, Dairoku-kun! Your recovery is finally over!" He then took a step back, handling a bag to the sixth.
"Thanks for bringing my clothes, Gunha-kun! I've tired of this plain hospital gown for so long!" Attack Crash laughed as he quickly said: "I'll wait outside." Dairoku quickly put on a black shirt with a red dragon printed on it, jeans, and reinforced-sole sneakers.
As the boy left the room, he said: "Thanks for sending me all the manga, anime and videogames, Gunha. I wouldn't have made it for so long without anything to distact me."
"Oh, you should thank Shokuhou-san for the anime. She managed to get the discs before the full season had even finished airing!"
"Really? I should go thank Misaki-oneechan for that later!" The esper then asked, curious: "So, given that the outside news block on me is finally over, what happened in these last six months?"
"Oh, there's a lot I need to tell you about that."
"Really? Sigh, the doctors really took the information block seriously."
"Dairoku, we both know that if word of any big fight had reached your ears, you would never have completed the recovery program after you recovered consciousness."
A few minutes later, the duo reached at the entrance of the hospital, where a frog-faced doctor was waiting. Heaven Canceler sighed, as he said: "Himizu-san, it's been six long months since you got brought in here. Try not to get hurt anytime soon, alright?"
"Alright, Gekota-sensei, I'll try not to lose any battles soon!"
"Well, with the way you recovered, you might as well be a Phoenix."
"Phoenix? I'm no flimsy bird! If any mythical being needs to be associated to me, it must be the Dragon!"
"By the way, you will not be losing a school year."
"Really!?" The level Five's eyes shone brightly for a moment.
"You have one week before having to return to classes, but for the remainder of the month, you'll have a private tutor for four hours every night from today onwards." The doctor handled a sealed letter to the redhead. "Here, there's your tutor's name and photo inside."
"What!? Why couldn't I have a tutor while I was recovering?"
"We could not afford any news to be accidentally leaked or for you to figure out something by accident."
Kumokawa Seria received a message as she enjoyed her breakfast. Shortly after, a scream of frustration was heard around the entire block. "Can't someone else handle this problem child?"
Somewhere else in Academy City, Tsukuyomi Komoe felt a slight shiver in her spine.
Last Order noticed Yomikawa Aiho suddenly stopping her motions, as if fearing something.
"Is everything fine? Misaka asks as Misaka wonders about her guardian's sudden reaction to an unknown factor."
As the two level Five espers left the hospital grounds, Heaven Canceler scratched the back of his head, as he commented: "The day that half the Board of Directors dreaded has come. We are unleashing Quantum Fire on the city once again."
Shokuhou Misaki was enjoying a cup of tea in the balcony of a fine restaurant, in complete calm. She then heard a shout coming from above: "Thirty-five!"
Moments later, a figure started falling, and a small explosion of flames could be seen beneath its feet, reducing the falling boy's momentum: "Thirty-six!"
The same cheerful voice then greeted: "Good morning, Misaki-chan! I'm finally done with my physical rehabilitation!"
"It is a pleasure to see you again, Himizu-kun." Misaki trusted the sixth, since the boy didn't need to have his mind read, as he expressed any thoughts he had openly and without holding back anything. "Yet, would it have hurt you to enter through the restaurant's door?"
He faked a serious face, before answering:"Come on, Misaki-chan, no one can know about the two of us meeting this often, right?" Dairoku winked as they both let a short grin out, and he then quickly opened his back and pulled out a chocolate confection box, a ribbon tied around it. "I brought you this, and thanks for getting me the newer anime while in hospital!"
Misaki smiles, saying: "Oh, my favourite brand. Thank you!" She placed the box in the table, opening it carefully, as one of the waiters received the order to bring a cup of black tea for her fellow Level Five. The Queen of Tokiwadai grabbed one of the chocolates, and another hand followed.
Taking a sip from the cup of tea a waiter had just brought, Dairoku says: "Well, it's a shame I won't be able to have my rematch against Dark Matter. Well, I guess I can still spar against Gunha-kun or perhaps I can tease Shizuri-chan into having a fight as well!".
"How about Touma-kun?"
"Didn't he disappear during World War Three?" Dairoku asked, curious.
"Actually, last night I saw him in the city. Yet I could not have a private time with him, since a lot of other girls were there too. It seems we just can't get a moment alone…"
As Misaki sighed, Dairoku said: "But, my Queen, we both know Touma-kun is a wandering champion, not fit to truly become your King."
Mental Out laughed as she said: "Himizu-kun, you should stop trying to play being my knight. We both know you and the role won't ever fit at all together."
The sixth scratched his head, thinking: "Well, if I can't be your knight, how about your sworn sword?"
"But a sworn sword is just a kind of knight!"
"Oh, well, still it's fun to occasionally act like the knight!"
"And it's proper of you to attempt to behave more like a gentleman. However, I'd rather like you not to risk another visit to the hospital, at least for this week."
"Don't worry; I've been assigned a tutor to help me catch up with studying during the nights, so I won't be going out for fights."
"And who will be tutoring you?"
"I haven't opened the letter yet!" Dairoku took out a sealed letter from his bag, showing it to Misaki, who placed one of her hands on top of it. A mutual nod preceded the opening of the letter.
A folded paper came out, which the espers unfolded with a bit of expectation. Misaki, surprised, said: "She!?"
To the girl's reaction, the teenager then said: "A friend? A rival, perhaps for Touma-kun's heart?" Misaki's face proved the male esper correct, and he quickly placed another chocolate on his mouth, a quirky grin on his face. "Don't worry, she won't steal me from you. I have yet to see a girl more pretty than Misaki-chan in this city."
She let a little laugh as she commented: "You should watch your words, Himizu-kun, someone may think you are interested on me." His laughter followed. He saw pretty girls as attractive, and understood why men got attracted to them, but he just didn't really feel the need for a girlfriend himself, at least for now.
"Shokuhou-sama, who is this…boy?" A voice reached from behind them.
Misaki didn't notice her clique arriving while she was chatting with Himizu, but before she could do anything, the redhead said: "Don't worry; I was just about to leave. Later, Misaki-chan!" The male esper placed one hand on the table as the other grabbed his bag, before moving onto the balcony's ledge, followed by a jump into the air, a small explosion propulsing him higher into the skies.
A smile graced the girl's lips as she saw the bills alongside the half-full box of confections, more than enough to pay for the tea that both had been drinking. 'Well, even if he's far from being a gentleman, he at least tries.' She then quickly removed the memory of the redhead from her followers' memories.
Boxed outside of his apartment, Dairoku found a couple of sealed boxes; with all the things he had entertained himself with during his stay in the hospital. The male esper smiled as he noticed everything had been kept clean, even if it had probably been charged to his own savings. After checking his supplies of coal and firewood, the redhead headed towards the market, in order to restock his fridge.
As soon as he had stored all the food he had bought, the bell rang. Quickly moving the boxes from the table to the nearby couch, the boy opened the door.
"So you must be Kumokawa-senpai, huh?"
"Yes." The female seemed rather annoyed, prepared for whatever the male might try to pull off.
"Come in." Dairoku guided her towards the table, taking a seat in one of the chairs around it.
Kumokawa sitted at a quarter-circumference away from him, as she placed the books she had brought on the table. A sudden question was then made: "So, you are part of Touma-kun's harem, right?" She blushed and he laughed in reaction to that.
'At least this is counting for my work hours.' Seria prepared herself for what she thought would be four long hours. She sighed as she opened one of the books and started explaining.
Four patience-defying hours later
The teenager closed the book she had in her hands, as she said: "Well, that will be it for today."
"Kumokawa-senpai, I was thinking of making some barbecue for dinner, want to stay?"
"Thank you, but I don't feel like having meat tonight."
"Oh well, see you tomorrow then, senpai!" Dairoku guided her to the door, and the female left. The male esper then commented to himself: "Oh well, that means I'll have twice as much for myself!"
Seria looked down at the stack of tied up papers in the which she would be recording Dairoku's information, and she quickly skimmed over the basic information already printed on the first page after the blank cover.
Subject: Himizu Dairoku
Age: 15
Designation: Number Six, Quantum Fire
Rank: Level 5
AIM Range: 15 meters
Precognition: B
Claivoyance: C
Psychometry: D
Telepathy: D
Psychokinesis: A
Retrocognition: A
The subject is able to set pseudo-matter on flames or make it explode. The capacity to control these is normally under average, yet the subject performs vastly better when creating temperatures (in Celsius degrees) that are an exponential value of six, at a halfway point between both when the temperature is of multiples of six. The subject displays millimetrical control of fire at 1296ºC, and considerable accuracy when using fire at 7776ºC. Based on experiments while at Level 4, the subject should be able to maintain some control over fire of 46656ºC, yet the very dangerous nature of such a high temperature has discouraged anyone from actually testing it. Quantum Fire may be classified as a subset or variance of the more common ability known as Pyrokinesis.
Additional Notes:
The subject will often go on the look for someone to engage in non-lethal combat with, sometimes helped by Number Five, Shokuhou Misaki. The subject prefers to spar with males, the only female esper he constantly engages in combat with being Number Four, Mugino Shizuri, whereas he has engaged in singular combat with male espers of both Level Four and Level Five (Multiple times with Number Seven, Sogiita Gunha, and once with Number Two, Kakine Teitoku). When facing a larger group, however, he doesn't bother figuring out their capabilities beforehand. Luckily, he has yet to meet Number Three, Misaka Mikoto. As a matter of fact, when looking for a sparring partner by himself, the subject will focus on male targets, asking their level before attempting to spar. It is not advised to ask the subject for help with experiments of any kind, as the subject is prone to acting on his own, often disregarding security measures and such. As a part of a mutual agreement with the Board of Directors, the subject abstains himself from appearing in public events, five other students having evidence redirected to them in order to show possibility of them being Number Six. To the public eye and in most records, Dairoku Himizu is a Level Four esper.
Under these notes, Kumokawa scribbled:
-As previous information reports, the subject did not attempt to know the researcher's esper level, given the biological sex of female, nor to engage in sparring.
-While the subject kept playing around with a small fireball during lessons, the subject retained the information almost perfectly at the first explanation; yet he is prone to asking random unrelated questions, without any tact about the matter.
Closing the notebook, Kumokawa sighed, hardening her will to last through the month.
As the coals in his barbeque grill started to cool down, Dairoku found himself stargazing from his balcony, as his mind fluttered to the encounter that had landed him into the hospital.
Six Months before
Kakine Teitoku hadn't had the greatest of nights, and as a matter of fact, he was looking for a way to let out his stored up anger. There were no experiments designed for him to possibly achieve Level 6, given that the project around Accelerator was proceeding so smoothly, and the fact that not even a backup plan had been designed pissed him off. Perhaps a group of trash that thought it was something more would try to assault him. He would show them their places.
Thus, when he heard an explosion from above, he couldn't help but contain a smile. Was someone drawing his attention? And then the boy fell, a few meters away from him. Kakine observed him as he stood up, and said: "Red, wild hair, defiant attitude, savage smile, and perhaps most obvious of them all, a clear lust for battle. You must be Number Six, Quantum Fire, aren't you?"
The boy laughed as he said: "Finally someone that recognizes me at first glance! Shizuri-chan had to ask her AIM Stalker friend to figure out who I was! The name's Himizu Dairoku, and I guess you know what I am here for, Dark Matter."
"I was expecting some trash to come up and challenge me, but someone with a chance to give me some actual entertainment has arrived! Feel free to test your strongest flames against my Dark Matter if you want to."
"Very well, Kakine Teitoku! Here I come!" The redhead then squatted, his arms dropping as if he was exerting no force at all on them, the head lowered, the face hidden under the shadows. Kakine noticed, curious, as twelve long fires formed by the sides and back of Himizu. He could discern half looked like swords, the other half he presumed to be functionally spears.
And suddenly, leaving a small trail of flames, Dairoku moved, performing an arcing charge towards his opponent. Teitoku quickly formed orbs of explosive Dark Matter and sent them flying towards the redhead. Yet the fiery spears flew towards the orbs, mutually destroying each other, as more spears kept spawning from the same spots.
And the challenger was getting even closer to melee range. Kakine understood the situation and quickly created a barrier of heat-absorbing, impact-resistant Dark Matter, as he heard a shout: "FIRESTORM BARRAGE!"
Himizu was wielding one fiery blade in each hand, the other two pairs still floating by his sides. A quick slash with the right sword was followed by a kick from the left leg, the leg surrounded by a wall of fire. The very same moment of contact was taken profit from in order to spin around and land an arcing strike with the left sword, which left the 'shield' as strong as a sheathe of paper against a bullet.
The next kick would be effectively a direct hit, and Number Two wasn't resilient to contact damage. Hell, none of the higher leveled Espers tended to actually raise their resistance to normal fighting techniques, their powers being usually enough to shrug off such things. Teitoku himself was pretty convinced that if someone managed to get past Accelerator's passive vector reflection, a good fist would manage to knock him out. Thus, he quickly leaped backwards, and decided that he had to keep his opponent in the defensive, lest one direct hit open the path for a barrage from which he wouldn't be able to recover from.
Three hits had been more than what he'd expected his barrier would last against a Level Five, heck, he had seen Gunha destroy a rough equivalent with one fist. Yet this one, in compensation for pure power in a single strike, had a well-trained combat technique. Yet this was no trump card: not the Silicon Burn, not the Railgun, not his wings, not whatever the hell Accelerator was keeping hidden.
So he had to force him to use it. Subtly having a particular blob of a very explosive form of Dark Matter move around the location, he sent two massive spears towards Dairoku arcing towards each other, locking him down, a third one, blending in the shadows, close behind, to land the finisher blow. Of course, more of the former orbs kept surging, to keep the constantly spawning flaming spears occupied. The redhead then threw the two swords towards the spears, both destroying each other mutually, and smiled before noticing the trap. 'I got you now'.
Yet the smile quickly reformed, as Quantum Fire took his legs off the ground, rotating backwards. His two hands quickly spun, grabbing a sword each, before sticking them vertically into the ground. Had Kakine's mind been slower, he'd have missed what his opponent did. Using the two impaled swords as support, his body now almost perfectly horizontal in a position that nothing short of a really fit body could have sustained, he retracted his legs and pushed them forwards, a blast of flames surging from it in order to deflect the third lance.
Teitoku had to comment it: "Even as awesome as that looked, it's pretty impractical, don't you think? Now, how do you handle this?" Number Six's wild smile only lasted until the building to his right was pushed towards him by the explosion the blob he had created earlier had caused.
Himizu then prepared his left hand, a dragon head-shaped flame forming around it, and moved it in front of the quickly approaching building. A roar of: "DRAGONBREATH!" was followed as the dragon's mouth opened, a massive burst of flames completely consuming the building, reducing it to smoke immediately. A burning sensation reached Kakine for an instant. Were those the 46656 Celsius degrees flames? Yet he had not stopped preparing more orbs, while the 'Dragonbreath' had probably required Quantum Fire's full concentration, the spears gone, only two fiery blades remaining. And then he sent them all out at once.
His target, after an instant of relief (the left hand had its skin visibly burned though), showed a minor panic, as he shouted: "Disperse!"
The two flaming blades dissolved, each birthing three dozen spears, as some more started to spawn from their usual location. Yet a couple of the orbs sled past, connecting on the target in an explosion. 'And that's it.'
Yet the boy that had issued the challenge was still on his feet. Visible burn holes were all over his clothing, as well as marks over his skin. His torso was bent forwards, as if he was having difficulty standing up. And he then stood again, turning his face towards the challenged. His eyes were unfocused, his mouth an almost psychotic grin. "What a great fight! There's no way I will lose this one! Let it all burn!"
And a subconscious urge takes over Teitoku, as he as fast as possible creates the largest, sturdiest barrier of Dark Matter he's ever created. A blast of flame propels the redhead forward, his burnt left hand in the front, torso rotated towards the right, his right hand in a fist. And the explosions begin. Around both of his arms, small explosions maximize the angular momentum of his upper torso. And his right arm is completely coated in deadly flames. One final explosion surges from behind the right elbow, as the arm stretches.
And the punch pierces through the barrier. The punch stops millimeters away from Kakine, the flames gone, revealing the roasted skin underneath. Yet the air transmits the remaining strength of the strike, as Kakine is forced backwards, his wings quickly expanding, in order to slow him, yet his back still crashes against the wall. He closes his eyes as his body reacts to the pain, yet he doesn't lose consciousness.
What he does is get back on his feet, and walks forwards towards the now fainted boy. His arms have the outer layer of his skin completely burned, similarly in the lower halves of his legs. The rest of his body has multiple burns, and he looks so frail now. He needs no effort to finish the one that had dared challenge him.
Yet the pure power, the fact that, had Himizu better control of his flames, or had not completely lost himself in the lust for battle and unleashed a nearly suicidal, yet deadly attack; he could have been the one tasting defeat instead. Hell, the very impractical move he had done just before the Dragon Breath costed him two swords, which would have probably sufficed to protect him from the dark matter orbs. Number Six has earned his respect, and therefore he is spared.
His hand moves towards his cellphone, and the screen flickers, a contact named: "Emergency-Heaven Canceller". An old voice quickly answers through the phone: "Dark Matter?"
"Yes. I need you to send up an ambulance to District Seventeen, the southeasternmost open space where they store the construction supplies. I had a battle against Quantum Fire, and he overdid himself."
"Are you sparing him?"
"This once, for he has earned my respect." And because that battle had actually felt good, in hindsight. And while the loser had substained severe damage, his life probably wasn't in danger. Kakine cut off the call before the doctor could say anything else, and as soon as he heard the ambulance approaching, left the location.
Author's Note: This fanfiction will be a side project until Fire Emblem: Wake up Already! is finished (the next chapter should be up in about a week), alongside a Code Geass fanfic that should be up by the end of August. Both this one and the CG one will have release speeds depending on the amount of attention they gather, so Read and Review, please!
Update: So, NT 11 and Railgun 71.2 happened. Given that at this point in the fanfiction I am more comfortable adapting to the current canon, I rewrote a couple part of this chapter to fit. Chapter 2 remains largely unaffected by this (as it will focus on the Gunha-Dairoku interactions) but Chapter 3 may need a little replanning. Will focus back on Wake up Already! as soon as I finish Chapter 2 (and my mind manages to reoutline chapter 3 and some other plot points further down the line).
