"What're you doing? Watch where you're going!" The little girl exclaimed. She merely fell when she bumped into Accelerator but otherwise wasn't hurt. If Accelerator still had his esper powers, there would be no girl left to fall down. The girl was lucky. She got up and then noticed something.
"...You have Puppets with you, don't you?" She saw the two bicone spools and the Puppet box hanging from Accelerator's belt. "Hm... Well, whatever. Come on, move, move! I'm busy. Pray we don't meet again!"
"Hah? Well same to you then." Accelerator glared down at the girl as small as a Puppet. He wasn't paying too much attention, but he thought he noticed doll joints at her wrists and elbows.
The girl hurried off, away from the Human Village.
Accelerator continued walking, and upon entering the gate, an average human welcomed him. It was apparently a calm and nice place. Accelerator asked the man where he could find someone named Akyuu, and was pointed to a small mansion to the north, called the Hieda Mansion.
No one greeted him when he arrived at the small mansion. There was only one maid running around, cleaning. The frail, purple-haired scholar girl named Akyuu was alone writing something down in her study room. Accelerator let himself in.
"Oh, you're the rumored..." It seemed Akyuu already recognized him. "Ahem! Please excuse me. Pleased to meet you. I serve as the master of this place. My name is Hieda no Akyuu. There was an article about you in the tengu's extra edition. How you're 'adpet' (sic) at controlling Puppets. I assumed they meant 'adept', so they have quite a favorable opinion on you."
Well, that was quick. Accelerator assumed the typo was also due to their speed.
"I heard you were responsible for the main Voidium Magic Crystal." He explained.
"I see. You came because the representative of the kappas, Nitori, told you about me. So you're investigating the Puppet incident and the relevance of Magic Crystal Shards to return to the outside world. Honestly, I don't understand it all myself. What I do know is that nothing affects the Puppets aside from a Puppet's power. Luckily, using the sealing method, the village has been able to protect itself, but... Could I ask you to wait and take a look around the village while I figure out something to tell you? We're just a nameless village, but there may be some things a person from the outside world might find unusual."
Fair enough. Accelerator wasn't keen on words either. He turned to leave.
"By the way!" She stopped him.
"Tch."
"Don't click your tongue. I heard a rumor that there are some tricksters around the area of the village. Be careful just in case."
"...Oh."
Upon exiting the mansion, he immediately came across a small humanoid with short green hair, two bug-like antennae, and a dark cape. It was a youkai firefly, but Accelerator didn't know that.
"Wawah! I've been discovered!"
"...You weren't hiding." Maybe it was trying to spy on him.
"Run away!" It ran through the bushes to the east.
Well, Akyuu did mention finding unusual things around this village. Accelerator cut through the bushes and sled down the cliffside with the help of AcceleratorN in pursuit of the bug youkai. When he landed in an open grassy field, he heard more voices.
"You were discovered?! What do we do?!"
"Hmhm. I, the strongest, will beat them black and blue!"
Were they a theater group? Or was that rhyme just coincidence?
"Alright Cirno! You're so cool!" (*shot*)
"...By the way, is that the human that discovered you Wriggle?" Cirno noticed.
The rest of the group of five was startled and turned to where Cirno was pointing.
"Wah! They're here already!"
"If it's come to this, it can't be helped! We'll leave this to Cirno. The rest of us will run!"
They scattered and only the blue-haired ice fairy was left. Accelerator stepped forward, not intending to ask who they were or what they were planning, but just because the ice fairy seemed itching for a battle.
"You there!" She called to him. "We are the Puppet Liberation Front! I, the strongest, can't just let someone that stands against our plan get away! Now, I declare war!"
"Heh, I don't have a clue about your plans, and honestly couldn't care less. But where I'm from, I'm also known as the strongest. Though while I'm in this world, I think that title rightfully belongs to my Puppet. So! Let's see who's really the strongest!"
The Puppet battle started. Cirno sent out her first in line:
"Go, Torquemada!" It was a Level 9 RumiaN, a Dark-type Puppet. A wave of darkness enveloped it as it emerged from its Thread.
Accelerator had experienced what breaks Dark barriers in this world. He sent out his Level 8 NazrinN. Four stones erupted from the ground where it landed. The mouse Puppet was faster and bopped the darkness Puppet's head with a hammer. It pierced the barrier and dealt massive damage! Torquemada retaliated by throwing a Dark Ball at its enemy. Although it was a neutral hit, NazrinN was almost taken out as well!
One more quick Hammer Throw, and Accelerator's NazrinN won the first round. But Cirno still had one Puppet left:
"Grrn! Let's end this, Napoleon!" She sent out a Puppet of herself, accompanied by a splash of water. Accelerator realized when Puppets emerge from their Threads, they show a tell for their primary type.
Remembering how Diluvial Mere took out an enemy NazrinN, Accelerator recalled his NazrinN and, expecting a Water attack, sent out his main Puppet. A white field glowed around it, signifying its main Void type.
"So that's your ace, huh? But mine's still a higher Level!" By three levels to be precise. Cirno's confidence rose. "Use Frost Edge!" Three shards of ice shot toward AcceleratorN.
But the shards of ice vanished upon reaching their target. AcceleratorN's Frail Health protected it!
"What?!"
"Was that your strongest attack?"
"Yeah, it was!"
"Well, if it doesn't penetrate the barrier, it won't have any effect. Got any other attacks?"
"Try Apple Bomb!" The Puppet threw a fruit, but the Nature-type Skill also did nothing.
"Khaha! Looks like that one didn't work either!" He was feeling the adrenaline rush now. Napoleon still had potentially two other attacks that might pierce his barrier. "Hey, clench your teeth, strongest! My weakest attack... just might shake you up a bit! Heavenly Blessing!" Four small rays of light shot up and rained down on the enemy Puppet.
...It didn't do nearly enough. Cirno's Napoleon came out relatively unscathed. That was beyond embarrassing for Accelerator, both the quote, which he mentally proclaimed to be completely accidental, and the result, but he didn't let the blood flow rush to his face.
"...Might as well have just used my strongest in that case." He decided. "Go for Speedy Barrage next."
The changes to Cirno's confidence was giving her whiplash. "Yin Energy?!" She desperately shouted in confusion. But she realized too late that Dream-type Skills are not meant to penetrate any barriers.
The Speedy Barrage was too much for Napoleon, and the ice fairy Puppet went down to the final attack.
AcceleratorN grew to Level 14! A new Skill became available.
"Grnn... I never heard there was someone stronger than me, the strongest!"
"You don't read the tengu extra?"
"What, really? Man, they're quick. But even though I'm not strongest anymore, you can't chase everyone that fled into the village! You just can't!"
"Alright, I won't chase them. I'll just find them and beat up their Puppets for the experience."
"No, wait!"
"What is it now?" He was getting really irritated at every single person stopping him every ten minutes.
"You beat me, so at least tell me, what type was that Puppet? What beats it?"
"You're planning on telling your friends, aren't you?"
"Ack."
"But if you move now, I'll just follow you so I don't have to play their hide-and-seek game."
"...I'm staying here."
"Then I can tell you alone. It was Void/Dark. I don't know what beats Void, or what else beats Dark, but Steel seemed pretty effective. Any of your friends have Steel attacks on their Puppets?"
"I don't think so. I don't think they have anything to hit you with. Dark normally beats Void, but then you have a Dark barrier to resist that. They shouldn't battle you. Stay hidden, girls!"
Accelerator thought he heard a faint "Okay!" from the south.
Thus he began his hide-and-seek quest in search of lolis and their Puppets. They weren't hard to find at all. They were all hidden in the five open grassy fields around the village. The first to be found was a green-haired fairy with golden wings, nicknamed Dai by the rest of the group.
"So Cirno lost, huh? But next time won't be the same! Now play with me!"
Her Nature Skills did nothing.
"Aw, I lost."
Next, he found Wriggle, the firefly.
"I'll liberate your Puppets! If you don't want that, you better resist!"
Her Nature and Dark Skills did nothing.
"For me to lose... What could I have done to win? ...If I'd done that, would I have won? Augh! It's too hard! I don't know!"
Next was Mystia, the night sparrow.
"Alright, Puppet holding human. Listen to my song!"
Her Sound and Wind Skills did nothing.
"No good at all. If it was night, I'd be in better form."
Finally, Accelerator found the supposed leader of the quintet of tricksters, Rumia.
"Ugh, you're so persistent. But I can't let you muck up our strategy!"
Her Dark and Poison Skills also did nothing. Accelerator was starting to think Void/Dark was a near unbeatable typing.
"I-I lost! How can you be so strong?!"
AcceleratorN grew to Level 17! NazrinN grew to Level 13!
"Uh... What was I supposed to do now?"
"You're the leader and you forget your strategies?"
"That's right! I've gotta report first!" Apparently, the leader had a leader of her own. "I'll let you off with this today! Remember that!" She fled out of the village. The other four tricksters probably fled too.
Accelerator turned to head back to the Hieda Mansion and let Akyuu know that he had indeed come across something unusual, including the tricksters she mentioned. But he didn't have to walk that far.
"Haa...haa... So this is where you were." It was Akyuu. She looked out of breath. Who knew when last she walked from one end of the village to the other end? "I heard the Liberation Front had appeared in the village, but..."
"Ah, I beat them. Look how strong my Puppet is now."
"That's amazing! As I thought, you have a gift for using Puppets. How about it? How about looking into the Puppets yourself, Accelerator?"
"I guess I'm already doing that. Resolving the incident is also a prerequisite for me to get back home, anyway."
"I'll look into it myself, but I just don't have the time... And on that note, I'd like to entrust you with these."
Akyuu handed Accelerator two items: a small pocket book, and a tiny white crystal shard.
"The first item's a Puppet Book. It's an amazing item with the mysterious power to automatically record any of the Puppets you meet. The next item is a Voidium M Shard. You've probably heard a little from Nitori, but the M-Shards have the power to improve any Puppet Skill of the same type once per battle. There's a pose you have to do to activate it though. It goes like this."
Akyuu closed her eyes, put her index finger and thumb together on both hands, and squatted down, resting her right foot on her left knee. Thus she entered a one-footed yoga meditation pose. That looked tough. Nothing like the easy hand motions from the game back home. Accelerator recalled the pose Nitori made to activate the Waterium M and realized that it was something the average human male would not be able to do without years of practice. Akyuu stood back up.
"If you use the Voidium M for an attack, it becomes Law of Boundless Space, a high power Void attack. But if you use it for a status Skill, you'll discover an additional effect, on top of the original Skill. Try it out on different Void Skills. Strengthening yourself while recording the Puppets... Accelerator, I'm sure you can use them." She smiled with expectation.
"If you haven't decided where to go yet, I recommend you visit Kourindou. He gathers many useful items, and if you ask him, he may have something for your journey. Head due west from the Human Village, and you'll see the Forest of Magic. Kourindou is right before it. Be careful on your way." She then began slowly walking off back to her mansion.
Accelerator sighed. "Need a lift?" He raised his Puppet above his head, and the black whirlwinds emerged from its back, quite a bit larger than before, signifying its increase in Levels.
"No, no, I wouldn't bother you toー"
"Just hold on. Didn't you say you were short on time?"
"I... Thanks."
The trip was over in five seconds, but Akyuu would never forget it.
Xxxxx
...So who ships AccelxAkyuu now? I swear that wasn't planned.
A note on the nicknames I used: the CirnoN was named after a random-generated Alolan Ninetales, and the RumiaN was just named after the first Dark-type I generated, a Crawdaunt. I feel like Napoleon fits both Cirno and Alolan Ninetales if you consider the Napoleon from Monster Strike. Torquemada on the other hand... I didn't realize until later, but that one is also named after a historical European. Specifically, one of the first leaders of the Spanish Inquisition, lol. So Cirno has that theme going on now. Thanks, Pyro. He probably doesn't read this anyway.
Concerning the Voidium M attack name, that one's also a bit interesting. It's not the name of a skill card, but it is related tangentially to Akyuu. Her Book, Perfect Memento in Strict Sense, is called Touhou Gumon Shiki (東方求聞史紀) in Japanese. Along with her ability (求聞持, Gumonji), it's named after a prayer (虚空蔵求聞持法, Kokuuzou Gumonji Hou) from Shingon Buddhism for Ākāśagarbha to improve memory retention. Ākāśagarbha is one of the eight great bodhisattvas whose name can mean Boundless Space Treasury. The prayer in Japanese translates to Requested Law of the Boundless Space Treasury. So I condensed that to Law of Boundless Space.
If that was a bit to read, sorryーtough, but I hope it was at least as interesting as I felt it was.
Cheers!
