Somewhere in the mountains of Sierra Nevada...
"How the heck did we end up like this?" Ethan complained as he climbs up a mountain in Sierra Nevada.
"Being a teen idol means that you have to train as a soldier nowadays due to threat of the DES and DGTO. If we want to entertain, we will also have to learn how to defend it." Daisuke explained.
"...Must keep...climbing." Ryan also finds himself out of breath.
"Where is Alan anyway? I haven't seen him ten minutes after we started climbing." Erik asked.
"I am up here!"
The boys then see Alan free running on the flat surface of the mountains at the top, effortlessly passing through many obstacles.
"Slow down Alan! We don't have the military training you obtained from your father! You are going to leave us behind!" Erik complained.
"Relax. I will go no further than our meeting point, but if you guys can't make it up this mountain, it will be difficult for you to reach your dreams."
"No way am I going to end this! The girls are waiting for us! Come on!" Ethan begins pushing himself up.
"Let's see how far I can go." Daisuke also pushes himself, but accidentally grabs a loose rock.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Daisuke loses his grip and falls, but his harness stops him.
"Come on Daisuke, we only have a couple of hours to climb up and start free running!" Erik yelled.
"Easy for you to say!" Daisuke yelled.
"I did it!" Ryan manages to reach the top.
"Great. After you rest, do some free running and practice shooting to finish off." Alan told Ryan.
"If only my father was in the military." Erik again complains.
"We are already almost to the weapons and gadgets so quit complaining." Ethan said.
Back in the hotel...
James and Cassie are currently monitoring NovaStars activities with surveillance they put on the mountains.
"Alan is actually making record time as a beginner." Cassie said.
"I heard that he received military training from his father at a young age. The others, however, have only started so they are having trouble keeping up. If they want to reach Akibastar, they will have to surpass AKB0048 in terms of skill considering that they have lived too peacefully in this planet."
"Think they will ever reach their radiance?"
"We'll see. Right now it is hard to tell since they just started."
"F-Finally, we are done." Ryan is lying down on a mountain's flat surface after a couple more hours of training next to the other exhausted NovaStar members.
"My arms and legs are so sore after all of that climbing, running, and jumping." Erik is holding his leg to relieve pressure.
"We can't give up yet. This is only the first day. Even Alan could still keep going." Ethan points to Alan, who is keeping his balance on the edge of a rock.
"I am not giving up, but right now I am very exhausted." Daisuke said.
"Rest up guys. In an hour, we will keep practicing our free running and do combat the next day." Alan reminded them.
"Combat training? Really?" Ethan complains.
"Yes. There is no avoiding the DES so we will have to learn how to fight and use weapons. We can't just keep on relying on our soldiers to protect us since AKB0048 often fight off the DES themselves."
"I already swore that I would give the DES a peace of my mind and I mean it. Let's see what is to come tomorrow." Erik becomes even more determined.
"That is great and all, but first you might want to deal with the ants that are crawling in your pants." Alan points at Francis' pants, where ants are crawling from behind.
"I must have accidentally laid on an ant hill!. Ouch! Ouch! Ouch Ouch Ouch! There are ants in my pants! Somebody get them off!" Erik starts running around trying to get rid of the ants biting him from behind.
"Hahahaha! Very smart lying down on an ant hill Erik!" Ethan laughed very loudly
Soon other NovaStar members begins laughing loudly at Erik as he goes to a small nearby lake to drown the ants.
"Why didn't any of you help me?" Erik got angry.
"Calm down Erik. We didn't expect a situation like this to occur so we didn't know what to do."
"So all of you just lie down and laughed while my behind was getting bitten by hundreds of ants!"
"It isn't our fault that you were sitting and lying on an ant hill. You only have yourself to blame." Daisuke made a small laugh.
"Okay, that's enough. Let's head back to the hotel to rest and get ready for the next day of training." Alan leads them back to the hotel after a long day of training.
The next day...
[Idols detected! Must eliminate!]
A dozen robots shooting paintballs are searching for members of NovaStar, all of whom have hidden themselves among the trees.
"First climbing mountains, then running through a rough terrain, and now killer robots? Oh this just keep getting better and better!" Ethan comes out of the tree and shoots the robot with his M4 Carbine, destroying one with a couple more following and shooting.
Alan, who was standing on a branch of a tree, waits for one of the robots to separate from the rest and jumps onto one of them, using a green saber, which resembles more like a colored dagger than a micsaber used by AKB0048, to cut the robot's important circuits, rendering it useless.
"Charge!" Erik comes at the robot as if he was part of an army only to be knocked unconscious from one punch.
Daisuke then drags Erik away. "You really got to be smarter when dealing with these things."
A robot comes in front of them, only to be shot down by Ryan from behind.
"You guys really got to get better than this."
"Oh I am sorry for dragging an ally away from the battlefield while he is unconscious." Daisuke said sarcastically.
Another robot shows up from behind, but a dagger was thrown to its head.
"Never let your guard down. We are not an army so we can only rely on each other." Alan told Daisuke and Ryan.
"What happened?" Erik finally wakes up.
"Not very smart of you to go charging at an armed robot Erik. You got yourself knocked out."
"How many robots are left?" Erik asked.
"About six. Remember, since we all share the same dream of performing on Akibastar some day, we will have to follow the same rules as AKB0048 when it comes to combat, which means no lethal force during performing (Otherwise, you will scare the fans), watching each other's back, and to keep up with each other's abilities. In order to do that, we must endure this. I remember all of you making a promise that you will see through this to the end. Are you telling me that all of you had enough?" Alan asked.
"No!" All of them yelled simultaneously.
"Great! Now let's put on a great performance for our manager."
NovaStar decide to split up to separate the robots. Using stealth and the environment to their advantage, they slowly take down the robots one by one, impressing James, who was watching them from a higher level alongside Cassie.
"Looks like Alan shows true leadership skills among the rest of the boys. He doesn't complain like the rest of them and seems to adapt pretty easily."
"He is the only one among the five who did not have a relaxing childhood, considering that he is from Lancastar. Witnessing his parent's death at a young age created a struggle for him to adapt to a new family and lifestyle."
"Which he succeeded in doing so Cassie. True that he had faced some unfortunate events, but his life lessons are what makes him the most reliable of the group. I have high hopes that the others will follow his example."
After encouraging words from Alan, the others begin following orders without complaints despite the pain that the training has caused them. Through the following days, they had to learn how to fight in close combat, how to use different gadgetry and mechs, and later went to space for some antigravity training.
"It's amazing how AKB0048 trains. These kinds of things are usually for soldiers and astronauts." Ethan expressed his amazement.
"I CAN FLY!" Daisuke flies forward towards Ryan without paying attention.
"BONK!" The two heads collided together.
"Ouch! Hey, watch where you are going!" Ryan yelled as he is rubbing his head.
"Sorry." Daisuke does the same.
"I think this just gives me an idea. Let's use the anti-gravity field for combat training so we can adapt fighting in space." Alan suggested.
Erik is fond of the idea. "That is actually a good idea. Let's practice fight!"
The boys then used the anti-gravity field to maneuver and land their blows to each other, but softly so none would get hurt.
Cassie and James watches them through a window.
"Even in the most relaxing training, this boys continue to push themselves further." Cassie commented.
"They are boys after all and they always take pleasure in action. They are no different from average teens."
After a couple of weeks of intense training, the boys are finally allowed to rest in their new luxury apartment and they start by watching a classic horror movie, The Exorcist.
"Gross! Now she is spitting goop on him!" Ryan shows a look of disgust.
"Wow! That girl's head just spun 360 degrees." Erik screamed.
"Is it over yet?" Daisuke covered his face with a pillow.
"Now this is a horror movie!" Alan becomes very excited at the suspenseful moments.
"I can see why people would faint when this movie first came out. This is classic stuff right here." Ethan is also enjoying the movie.
As they continue watching the movie, their phone rang suddenly, scaring both Erik and Daisuke as they jumped.
"Relax, it's just the phone." Alan picks up the phone.
"Hello? Who is this?"
"Hey Alan, its me James. I am just calling to tell you that a couple of songs are already written and that we have to meet at the studio tomorrow to sing. I also hired a choreographer to teach you guys to dance to the songs for the next couple of days. See you tomorrow."
"Yeah. See you then." Alan hangs up.
"That was James. He is telling us that a couple of songs are done and that we have to meet him tomorrow at the recording studio to sing and dance to them."
"I see. Let's continue the movie until it is over." Ethan unpaused the movie.
The next day...
"Hey James, we have arrived!" Ethan called out.
Their manager, however, notice that Daisuke and Ryan, are not acting so enthusiastic.
"What's the matter with you two? Why do you look half-dead?"
"Oh, we were watching a horror movie last night and the two screamed like little girls." Alan laughed.
"WE DID NOT!" THe two boys yelled.
"Yeah you did." Ethan sides with Alan.
"I hope that this movie does not affect today's schedule." James became worried.
"I am pretty sure it won't. At least I hope not." Erik is also troubled.
"Don't worry. We can still do it."
"That's right. As long as we don't watch anymore horror movies."
Daisuke and Ryan responded to his friends' worries.
"Good, cause after this, we have a special surprise for you. Look forward to it after you finish dancing and recording. Cassie is currently talking to the CEO about when you guys will have your stage debut so don't disturb her."
"YES!" All the boys responded.
As soon as they reach the dance studio, their instructor, a retired male dancer in his 30s, immediately notice the boys lack of connection with their dancing.
"It looks like we are going to need more practice. Remember to do exactly what I do."
"It's only the first day. Even for one dancer, it will take time before he or she could master the choreography completely." Alan points out.
"That's true, but I am actually working on your connectivity with the other boys first. I respect them for being obedient and serious when it comes to their careers, but in order for a boy band to succeed, they must work well together to compliment each other's abilities. If the five of you are going to be like this, you might as well have solo careers instead."
"No thanks, we have already accomplished a lot together. The connection we have will be severed even further if we split. Let's just keep doing it until we succeed."
"I like your determination Alan and based on the looks coming from the other boys, they seem to agree as well. Let's continue."
As time flew by, their dancing got better and better, much to the surprise of their instructor as they manage to succeed in a few hours on what could have taken an entire day for an average idol.
"They will definitely succeed." The Instructor said to himself.
After the boys finished, they went to the hallway for a break only to bump into Cassie, who was looking for them.
'I've heard from James that your dance lessons were a success. I do hope that you can keep this up."
"We will try." Daisuke responded.
"Good, cause after taking a 30 minute break, it will be time for you boys to sing. I will be looking forward to hear how you all sound together." Cassie then left the hallway.
"Here we go, the lyrics sheet are at the front so the rest will be up to you guys. Are you up for it?" James asked.
"One question; how do you want us to sing this song?"
"Anyway it matches the music. Let's start."
Before the boys could say anything else, they are already being recorded and began singing.
"Good harmony. That's right keep it up." James seem to approve with NovaStar's vocal abilities and soon enough, the boys began having fun as well.
James then turns to Cassie. "How do you think our boss will like this?"
"He said that as long as they can dance and sing well together, they already have potential to reach the top. What really matters is how they are going to reach there."
"And that is where we come in. We have to make sure to treat the boys right to make that dream a reality."
Once NovaStar reaches the middle of the song, both James and Cassie started enjoying their performance as they begin clapping their hands to the beat.
After the recording session is offer, James and Cassie applauded NovaStar for their quick progress, but questions how they were able to sing and dance well together in such a short time.
"We've been secretly practicing yesterday after work was done yesterday. We were worried how bad in might have been if we don't practice since you didn't let us know what we would be doing until the late evening." Ryan responded.
"That is actually the real reason why me and Ryan felt half dead when we arrived here." Daisuke added himself in.
"But you didn't get the lyrics for your own songs until today."
"We were doing cover songs of previous boy bands and some girl groups as practice. To see how well we can sing together." Ethan also added himself in.
James notice that Erik is missing. "Good to know, but where is your crazy friend, Erik?"
"GIVE ME BACK MY HAT!" Erik is seen chasing an Akita who grabbed his black baseball cap that he was wearing after the recording finished.
"I forgot that Hachiko likes to grab people's stuff so that people would play with him. It looks like he chose Erik and he wants to play by having him run around. Sorry about that."
Alan becomes surprised. "You named your dog after the one who waited for his late owner for nine years?"
"Yeah. It was a great story. No other name comes to mine when I adopted him. Sorry about his playful nature."
"That's okay. He needs the exercise." All the boys said.
"Anyway, I promised you a surprise and here it is. The former members of AKB0048."
A girl with dark red hair in a style similar to Atsuko Maeda shows up in friend of them, followed by a girl with long wavy pink hair. Erik finally stopped chasing Hachiko after seeing the former AKB0048 members in front of him.
"Let me introduce you to the girls. This is Furea Hoshina, aka Acchan the 12th. Next to her is her childhood friend Noa Houjou. They recently immigrated to Earth and are interested in meeting you boys as well after they heard that you boys dream of performing in Akibastar."
James then introduces the boys to Furea and Noa. "Ladies, this is NovaStar, this is Ethan, Alan, Daisuke, Ryan, and the one who was chasing my dog earlier, Erik."
Erik becomes dismayed over his introduction. "Was that necessary to add?"
"I can't believe it, Acchan the 12th aka the former Center Nova is right here in front of us as well as the elegant member Noa."
"NovaStar, it is nice to finally meet you."
"Likewise."
Both Furea and Noa bow their heads out of respect and the boys do the same.
"I heard that you boys have dreams of performing in Akibastar. Do you really want to go that far?" Furea asked.
"Y-Y-Yes! We have admired the legacy that the original AKB48 left so it has been our dream to perform on their stage at least." Daisuke stammered a bit, but manages to regain his composure.
"It is very nice to finally meet some of the former members of AKB0048. Although I have many favorite music artists, AKB0048 is also one of them." Ryan also got excited.
"We want to help AKB0048 with their mission to bring entertainment into people's hearts. We want to let them know that they are not alone." Erik tries to remain calm.
Noa smiles at their words. "We are glad we actually have more people who have the same goals as us, but do you actually think you guys are ready for such things?"
"Indeed. We have been training hard to get to your level over the last couple of weeks. Though we argue from time to time, we remain dedicated to our goal to make sure nothing stops us, not even AKB0048." Alan, however, shows a more serious face compared to the other boys.
"Woah! Take it easy Alan. They are our guests here." Ethan tries to calm Alan.
"W-What is with him?" Furea suddenly becomes scared of Alan while Noa remains calm.
"Alan was formerly from Lancastar, but moved here when the DES conducted a violent raid that killed his parents. While he is happy to meet you, he is still suffering from the tragedy." James explained.
After realizing what he just said, Alan becomes apologetic. "I am sorry. I just haven't fully got over it yet. I am happy to meet you girls and being a singer is still my dream. I promised my new family and friends that I would succeed so that would also keep me motivated, but I still occasionally have flashbacks over what happened."
Furea shows sympathy towards Alan. "It's okay, I understand. It's kind of hard to get over something like that. I probably would have been the same if that happened to me."
"It's good that you would try to think about your friends and family over your desire for vengeance. I think all of you have potential to reach the top as long as you focus more on your loved ones than enemies." Noa also shows her support towards NovaStar.
James puts his hand on Alan's shoulder. "Just remember that we can help if you are still having problems Alan."
"Yes sir."
"There is also another surprise. Would you like to tell them?" James asked Furea.
"Ah yes! We are also interested in singing a song with NovaStar. Would all of you be interested?"
The boys became speechless after hearing Furea's offer, but knowing that it is a once in a lifetime opportunity, they could not refuse."
"Yes!" All the boys agreed to her offer after regaining their composure.
"Woof!" Hachiko barks behind Erik and then picks up his baseball cap once again before running away from him.
"There you are! Give me back my hat!" Erik begins chasing Hachiko again, causing everyone to laugh.
Another chapter finally done. I liked the movie Hachi: A Dog's Tale so I decided to reference him by name to a different Akita. This is your last chance to vote for an idol who will be paired up with Alan. Because of Alan's age, only the successors will be old enough to be paired up with him, since I can't see him falling in love with a girl quite a bit younger than him. Those who vote for an undergraduate will probably get another story with a younger OC. The reason for the limited amount of idols to vote for was because I only listed the ones that make the most impact in the anime. Mayu Watanabe is still questionable for me considering that she is a cyborg so I don't know what story I can come up if she is chosen. If no successor is chosen, I will close the polls by the time the next chapter is uploaded and choose one myself, because I really want to make another chapter of this story.
