Chapter Two: Buddy Up
A week had come and gone since Yoshiro had first Loaded-In, and already he was starting to get used to the unique changes in the game. Though he still wasn't ready to say he was particularly prepared to face a criminal fighter, he could probably manage if the need arose... Today, he was walking the urban streets of Hero World. One of the nicer things about the virtual world was, when there were no fighters around, he could literally fight the terrain for practice; the monsters of the world would make themselves known. In the shadows of the dark alleys, he could see the lurking Darkheroes, on rooftops and in the streets, the powerful Superheroes... Downtown, of course, looming overhead, the Brave Machines could be found. It was the world he fought for, the world his buddy card was from, and yet...
A card flew from his Core Deck Case, materializing into a monster he knew well: Gaigrander 02. "You seem down, my friend... What's wrong?" The voice of his brother-in-arms seemed to almost cut Yoshiro, and he turned his head away.
"I... Nothing's wrong. We have training to do, you know that. We should get to it." Gaigrander 02 frowned at Yoshiro, clearly upset that he was being lied to.
The blue-clad hero put a hand on the young man's shoulder. "Yoshiro... Come now. Tell me what's wro-"
"What was he like?" Yoshiro interrupted. "I mean, the real Gaigrander 01. What was he like?"
Gaigrander 02's helmeted head drooped slightly, before he looked back up and around at the scenery, motioning to it with his free hand. "He loved this place... He was dedicated to protecting it through whatever means necessary, no matter the cost... He would have been proud to have been your buddy... And you're not doing a bad job as his replacement, so don't even think that for a second."
Yoshiro nodded. "You know, Gai... This place... It makes me think of the days before we met..." He heaved a sigh, looking out at the scenery for a long moment, and turned to look at the hero beside him.
"You've never told me about those days, or about how you got his card... I figured that you would tell me when you were ready, but... You shouldn't push yourself if you don't think you're ready, Yoshiro."
Yoshiro shook his head fervently, pulling out the copy of Gaigrander 01 he kept in the inside pocket of his jacket, holding it out to stare for a moment before lifting it up above his head. "No, you deserve to know. Transform!" Engulfed in light, he felt the suit he had become so accustomed to forming around his flesh, and he jumped up onto the rooftops, staring out over the scenery as he recounted his tale to his close friend.
The alley was the fastest way back to the bridge, the one 16-year-old Yoshiro Hayashi called home. Though it was dimly lit, Yoshiro decided to take his chances with the alley rather than stay out after dark again. When he was halfway down the alley, a group of men came out of nowhere, surrounding him and summoning up monsters from the popular game, Buddyfight. The brawniest of the group punched his fists together, grinding the knuckles in a motion that made Yoshiro sick to his stomach. The thinnest, smartest looking member stepped forward, apparently the leader.
"If you know what's good for you, kid, you'll hand over all your rare cards." The apparent leader motioned to the men that were there with him. "You see, if my friends here don't get what they want, they get impatient, and they start beating up shrimp like you."
Yoshiro scoffed at the man, turning away as if to ignore him, which seemed to upset the thin man. As the leader went to speak again, Yoshiro cut him off, speaking without facing him. "You've got me all wrong. I'm a street kid, I don't have any cards... And even if I did, I wouldn't scare easily enough for you to get them out of me without you beating me in a fistfight. I'm not afraid of you, your monsters, or even your brawny enforcers. People like you hide behind muscle because you're weak. So excuse me, but I need to get home before it gets dark and starts to rain."
The group of men turned to look at their leader, unsure what had just happened to them, and he scowled at the teen and pointed. "Get 'im." As the brawny men came in to attack, Yoshiro turned to face them with a flying right hook, and the fight began.
It didn't matter to Yoshiro that he was outmatched and outnumbered. Standing up and fighting for himself was just who he was. All credit where credit is due, he put up one hell of a fight, but in the end, he was knocked around like a ragdoll. As they closed in on him, the last thing he heard was a voice calling out. "Halt! In the name of justice, I will take you down!"
"Game over. Winner: Captain Answer." Yoshiro's head pounded as he slowly pulled himself to his feet. The men had scattered now, having been defeated simultaneously in a single Buddyfight. The white-clad hero moved to Yoshiro, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Are you alright, young one?" The only response Answer got was a nod, so he continued. "I'm glad to see that you're safe. It was rather foolish of you to take these men on by yourself. You could have been hurt, you know..."
Yoshiro shook his head clear and looked up at Answer with determination. "What do you know about it? It was them or me, and they were going to do it anyways. At least my way, I stood a chance of walking away under my own power instead of in a body bag. Thanks for the assist, but if you're going to presume to know why I fight, next time, don't help me." Though Yoshiro didn't know it, Captain Answer was smiling under his helmet.
"I see. You fought against the odds. Then perhaps I was wrong. Perhaps you were being brave, not foolish. If I may ask, my young friend, why do you fight?"
Yoshiro frowned at Captain Answer. "Brave, foolish, what's the difference? And I have a name, you know. It's Yoshiro. If you must be so nosy, I fight for whatever I happen to think needs me to fight for it. Myself, others, the dog on the side of the road... I fight for those who can't fight for themselves." As Yoshiro started to walk away, Captain Answer placed his hand on the boy's shoulder once more.
"I... don't suppose I could give you a lift home, Yoshiro?" His voice was genuine, and it almost made Yoshiro's crack.
"I don't have a home to go to, so thanks, but I'll pass." He turned away, walking briskly until he reached the end of the alley.
Captain Answer sighed, and his shining white suit shattered and faded away, leaving him in a Buddy Police uniform with a biker helmet. Quickly, the man caught up to Yoshiro, and moved to his motorcycle which was just outside the alley. "Maybe, then, you'd prefer a place to stay?"
Yoshiro found himself caught so off-guard, he nearly fell on his face. He turned his head to look at the hero in confusion. "Why would a retired hero want to take in a homeless orphan?"
Answer nodded and motioned to Yoshiro. "Yes, that is the question, isn't it? You're homeless, an orphan... A brave fool. So why would a hero such as myself want to take you in? But somewhere, deep down, I think you know the answer to that question, and many more..."
Yoshiro paused, looking down at his hands, frowning slightly. His mind whirred through the possibilities. Taking into account this man was a hero cut out the majority of them. It could be just to be nice, but then, he'd have to invite every orphan he saved to live with him for that to work, and he doubted that greatly. Finally, something clicked in his mind, and his gaze returned to Answer. It was the only thing that made sense. "You see potential in me. You want me for something... To train me, right? Guessing by your retirement, it's not to be your sidekick... But your replacement."
Captain Answer remained silent, but was once again smiling under his helmet. With that, he started up his motorcycle. "Are you coming?"
Yoshiro, confused as could be, moved to get on the bike with him, and the engine's roar drowned out the world.
Gaigrander 02 looked over at Yoshiro, tipping his head in confusion. He understood why Yoshiro had transformed; to keep the stony face of his mask so that his expression couldn't be read. But what he didn't understand was how this story was going. Why had Yoshiro left a chance to be Captain Answer? And what did this have to do with him obtaining Gaigrander 01's card? "This is all well and good, Yoshiro, but what does it have to do with the card?"
Yoshiro looked down at his gauntleted hands before responding somberly. "Everything... Captain Answer trained me as a Buddyfighter, taught me to use his deck, even provided with with his Core Gadget, acting instead as my buddy... Taught me everything about how to be him. I was on-call with the Buddy Police, using his spot as an honorary member of the Buddy Police. I was good, too... But I realized that the Buddy Police's ideals... Even Cap's ideals... They didn't line up with mine..."
Yoshiro had come to enjoy fieldwork very much, looking forward to, even relishing, his chance to go out on assignment. Today, he was paired with the only person in the Buddy Police office he could truly relate to, the budding boy wonder: Tasuku Ryuenji. The thought was exciting to him. With their buddy skills on, the two flew in silence to the scene of the crime. They had a mutual respect for each other, although they hadn't said much more than "hello" to each other.
Arriving at the scene, they encountered a criminal fighter whose buddy, Raging Dragon, Zargus, was rampaging through the streets. Tasuku pulled a card from the front pocket of his uniform, raising it up. "Let's go to work, Jack!" The card glowed and vanished, releasing Tasuku's famous buddy, Jackknife Dragon.
Raising a card of his own in a similar manner, Yoshiro grinned. "You heard the man, Cap. Transform!" A ball of light engulfed Yoshiro as he transformed into Captain Answer, and dropped down to the ground. Captain Answer's voice came through inside Yoshiro's helmet.
"Now remember, Yoshiro, we have to focus on minimizing the damage first. Get him and his buddy into a Buddyfight where they can't do any further harm. This is just like every practice we've ever had."
"Yeah, Cap, I get it." Yoshiro let out a sigh and shook his head slightly. "I'm not that stupid or forgetful. I got this." Jackknife Dragon swooped in, getting in front of Zargus, as Tasuku came down in front of the criminal fighter.
"Halt! Buddy Police! You're under arrest for illegal activity in regards to your buddy monster." Tasuku's voice was powerful, but the criminal fighter wasn't going to give in.
"You'll have to do better than that, buddy cop! My pals won't letcha!" Tasuku nodded his understanding.
"Buddy Police Barrier!" A beam of light encircled them, trapping the fighter inside with Tasuku. "Inside the barrier, you have only two options. Either you come quietly... Or you accept my challenge to a Buddyfight, and the loser's Core Deck Case is destroyed."
"Alright, kid, you got a deal! Tremble before the crushing might of fear! Luminize! Raging Roar!" As the man luminized his deck, his Core Deck Case shifted into a Core Gadget, shaped like a mace.
Tasuku's Star Pulsar floated to his hand as he luminized his own deck. "Assemble, dragon army! Dragonic Force, Luminize!"
Yoshiro's attention was drawn away from the fight as he spotted another buddy monster nearby. Raging Dragon, Zald, to be precise. He and his human buddy were chasing a small group of children down the street, and he started running after. Before he got much further, a voice came through to his helmet; the leader of the Buddy Police, Commander I. "Yoshiro! Raging Dragon, Zagararis has been spotted near you, heading for a bank. It appears that Zargus was sent to rampage first to distract us. We need you to get to that bank!"
"No can do, Commander, there are children being chased by a third criminal... I won't let him hurt them." He began running after them again.
"Children? How many?!" Commander I seemed genuinely concerned.
Panting, Yoshiro got the best count he could see. "As best as I can tell, sir, four. They're scared, and Zald and his buddy are chasing them. I'm gonna stop him. You'll have to send someone else to the bank."
"Four?! Do you know how many potential lives could be lost in that bank? Ten times that many! We need you at the bank, Yoshiro! There's no time to send out someone else!"
But Yoshiro didn't change his course. Captain Answer spoke in his ear, now. "Yoshiro, you know the risks are greater at the bank. We need to get to the bank, protect the people there."
"Then you go. I already told you where my allegiance is. It's to the helpless, to those who can't defend themselves. The children need me more than the men and women at the bank. If you don't like that, then tough. Because that's who I am, and if you're going to be my buddy, then you're going to have to accept that!" With that, Yoshiro ran out in front of Zald, holding up his core gadget, the signature gun of Captain Answer. "Halt! If you intend to hurt these children, you'll have to go through me!"
The criminal snickered, obviously happy his job of distracting the hero was working out. "Sure thing, Almighty Hero..." The sarcasm dripped from his voice as he spoke. "Then I'll get through you with a Buddyfight! Cower before the overwhelming fear of pain! Luminize! Raging Howl!" The criminal drew his hand from his newly-revealed Core Gadget, a hammer.
"In every heart that cries for justice... In every voice that shouts for help, you will always hear my call! Luminize! Resounding Answer!" Yoshiro luminized the deck he and Captain Answer had built for him, and pointed at his opponent. "This ends here!"
Yoshiro fired off a shot at the enemy, and his life point indicator lowered to 3. He'd just cleared the opponent's field with Einder and Dreider, and was looking to end it here. "Look out for my Double Attack!" He fired another shot at the enemy fighter, reducing his life to a single point. "Now, Hero Climax!" With one last shot, his opponent's life was reduced to 0, and the various cards they had called to the field shattered into light.
"Game over. Winner: Captain Answer."
Yoshiro moved over to the criminal fighter, taking away his core deck case and motioning to the kids that they could go. They cheered for a few moments before running off. Yoshiro hauled in the criminal fighter, back to Buddy Police HQ.
"Yoshiro!" It was Commander I approaching him, and he was not pleased. "Where were you?!"
"You know exactly where I was, Commander. I'm not a Buddy Cop. I'm a freelancer."
"We needed you! We were counting on you!" At this, Yoshiro's transformation faded as Captain Answer manifested beside him.
Captain Answer placed a hand on Yoshiro's shoulder, looking at Commander I. "You can't fault him for doing what he thinks is right, my friend..."
Yoshiro looked away, suddenly exposed. Behind the helmet, he'd felt safe. Now, he felt... Alone. Even Captain Answer didn't agree that he did the right thing, and he could tell. With a sudden outburst of fury, he turned to look back at Commander I. "Well, you know what? You won't have to worry about that anymore! We won't be working together after this. Clearly, the Buddy Police and I want two very different things. So I'll go my way, and you can go yours, you self-important pig!" With that, Yoshiro stormed out, leaving a confused group of Buddy Cops in his wake. Commander I sighed, looking up at Captain Answer reluctantly. "You'd better go after him..."
"I assume this is all leading to something, Yoshiro?" Gaigrander 02 seemed to be uneasy about something. In truth, it had to do with the personal nature of the story. It made sense now, though, why he had been adamant about doing as much as he could for himself. This also caused Gaigrander 02 to make a startling revelation as to why Yoshiro had chosen to buddy the late Gaigrander 01, rather than his actual Buddy Rare card, 02. It was because Yoshiro wanted to stand on his own two feet, and carve his own path...
"Yeah... Cap and I parted ways after that. But we had an interesting little conversation first..." Yoshiro stood up and jumped down off the building, 02 close behind him, still waiting to hear the rest of the story. As they began walking through the streets of Hero World again, Yoshiro sighed and resumed the story.
Yoshiro was sitting on a building, his knees drawn up to his chest, when Captain Answer found him. "Yoshiro... No one but you can decide your path. If you believe what you did was the right thing, then that's all that matters..."
Yoshiro sighed and stood up, turning slightly so he could look at the hero who had served for the past six months as his buddy. "You're right, Cap. I'm grateful to you for taking me in like you have. And I'll never forget what you've done for me. But I can't be what you want me to be. I can't be you. I won't. If the Buddy Police won't help the few because the many are more important, then that's where I'll be: protecting the few from the dangers the Buddy Police won't. This is the end of the line, Cap... It was a good ride, but now I go my way, and you yours."
"I figured you might say something like this, Yoshiro... And I have no intention of stopping you if this is truly the path you seek... But first, let me ask you something... Even knowing the dangers of being a hero, the risk to yourself and to those you care for... Even knowing that you will never be able to reveal your true identity, or unburden yourself of your secret... That you can never get close to anyone... Would you still swear to always stand for those who no one else stands for?"
Yoshiro turned to face his mentor properly now. His face hardened in determination, his fist clenching in something akin to a spirited cry. "Now, and forever. That much, I swear." He hadn't even hesitated, and the resolve in the young man convinced Captain Answer that no matter the ending, he had made the right call.
"Then before you leave, take this." The hero handed young Yoshiro a Hero World card, much like the ones he had become accustomed to. This one, however, was a monster he'd never seen before.
"Gaigrander... 01? What's this?" Yoshiro looked at his mentor in confusion, tipping his head. The look of confusion gave the hero a chuckle.
"Well, Yoshiro, if you're going to be a hero, you'll need your own suit... Gaigrander 01 was a beacon of hope for many citizens of Hero World. Much like you, he rushed in to defend the meek, and often with nothing but his own fists to aid him. He had a unique suit that changed to suit his needs at the moment... But sadly, his life was ended in battle with his nemesis, and the hope faded away for many who believed in him. It is my hope, Yoshiro, that you can re-kindle that hope by donning his former mantle..."
Yoshiro nodded in understanding, suddenly realizing something else. "But... the Core Deck Case. It's yours, right? I should give it back..." With that, he pulled out the Core Deck Case they had shared, offering it back to the hero, who took it graciously.
"Luckily for you, I've already thought of all that... I've arranged for an apartment for you. You'll need to find a way to keep up with it, but it's all yours... As is this." With that, he placed a Core Deck Case in the boy's still-outstretched hands. "You'll need it, if you're going to find the ones who need your light... Be safe, Yoshiro."
Looking down at the Core Deck Case, Yoshiro willed it to become a Core Gadget, and it shaped itself around his wrist in the form of a bracer. "My own Core Gadget..."
"The Grand Changer... It seems I chose well. Good luck, my friend. And should you ever change your mind, you know how to find me!" Captain Answer turned to walk away, and Yoshiro held up the new Gaigrander card.
"I won't, Cap, but thanks for the offer... Transform!"
Finally, Gaigrander 02 nodded in understanding. The story made sense now. "I see... So you trained to be Captain Answer, but chose to walk your own path... And then you were granted the card because he thought you fit the bill."
Yoshiro only nodded, letting his transformation fade away and readjusting himself. His Core Deck Case was still tucked firmly into his Core Loader, as expected. "Yeah... Then I found out about you, and didn't stop until I was able to find you... And you unlocked the Finish Forms and Analyze Forms. The rest you know... No offense to you, but this place has me down in the dumps... You mind?"
Shaking his head with a chuckle, 02 began to glow, returning to the deck. "Be my guest, my friend... Where ever you wish to go, I will follow."
Yoshiro placed his hand over the combined core gem of the Core Loader and the Core Deck Case, lowering his head in reverence. "Thank you... My friend." Looking up and ahead of him, his voice grew serious once more. "Load Zone: Dungeon World!" A rush to his head disoriented him, and Hero World shattered away from him. As the darkness engulfed him, he was left with no sense of direction for a time until suddenly, an open field surrounded by trees formed in his view, and he arrived on Dungeon World.
Yoshiro awed at the beauty of the location before turning to start walking, nearly impaling himself on a sword pointed at him in the process. Raising his hands into the air, he looked from the sword up to the face of its wielder, a beautiful young woman not much younger than himself. Her face was covered with determination. "You! Buddyfight me, now!"
Yoshiro backed up slowly, nodding as he reached for his deck case. "Alright, alright, easy... You don't have to impale me..." Pulling it from the Core Loader with a click, he brought it to his wrist as it shifted into the Grand Changer. "Feel the furious flames of justice burning in my fists! Luminize! Blazing Creed!"
The young woman responded in kind, pulling out her own Core Deck Case to luminize her deck. "Shining steel glinting as my sword slashes down, annihilate darkness! Luminize, White Knight Epic!"
Yoshiro was shocked at this girl. She acted more like a boy than the beautiful woman she was. Though that wasn't all that uncommon, it struck him particularly because there was something... odd, he guessed, about her. Something about the way she'd acted, as though she were striving to be a knight or something. He wasn't even sure what she intended for this battle... But there was one thing he was sure of. He was going to win.
