Chapter 7: City of the Sun
06:16 AM (Bangkok Time), Monday July the 4th…
"… Hum. So you citizens have gathered."
"I want to expose my plan and get permit for a sortie!"
"Then expose. Citizen Desert Man."
"With your permission, "Ghost" – sama!"
"Do any of you hold any objections?"
"No, "Ghost" – sama."
"Excellent. Let us begin."
The 7 members of "Jet – Black Phoenix" (Desert Man being the 7th one) had gathered beneath a gray stone dome with eight thick arches stretching from it: the surroundings were rather unlit but all of the Navis' shapes could be spotted and they could be seen forming a circle around them: some metallic cubical pedestals with red, green and blank buttons were set in front of each.
Set beneath its center was a cubicle formed by golden curtains which fluttered by the wind: a sitting person's shape could be vaguely recognized inside of it and their voice was but a whisper.
"Ahem! My plan consists of creating advantageous terrain and optical effects to disable and confuse the opponent… Followed by serial attacks from split-offs of myself… I'll also camouflage as part of the terrain and form a clone which will be the focus of all attacks and will keep on rebuilding the whole time… Like this… I can tire out the opponent and when they're weak I can finish them off! The details and the simulation are already uploaded in the computer." He explained while forming a grin at the end.
"Good. Begin the reviewing. 5 minutes." "Ghost" softly ordered in a formal and polite manner.
"Acknowledged."
The other Navis brought up holographic screens and began to look at some images, video and text: a counter floating above the lower edge of the screen displayed the remaining time for them to execute the reviewing: they then began to steadily close down the screens: the buttons on the terminals ignited.
"Voting time. Remember: only with an approval of 50% or above you shall be allowed to execute this operation. Citizen."
"I know our rules: I abide by them!" Desert Man announced.
"Good. 5 minutes to decide your vote. System: on."
The Navis began to seemingly think of what they should vote: Magic Man and Drill Man glanced at each other and Drill Man nodded in agreement so Magic Man shrugged his shoulders: Elec Man grumbled under his breath as he side-glanced at them: Laser Man was silent and had folded his arms: Flame Man was mumbling something under his breath and Flash Man was leaning both hands on the sides of his body as if trying to pose as confident.
"2 minutes left." "Ghost" reminded them.
The Navis merely nodded to acknowledge: they then began to press the button signaling their votes: a new screen displayed a graph with the fields "Approved", "Rejected" and "Blank": there were 3 "Approved", 2 "Rejected" and 1 "Blank".
"50%. Approved." "Ghost" calmly announced.
"Thank you, my fellow citizens! I shall do my best!" Desert Man grinned and sounded eager.
"To make a fool of yourself." Flash Man taunted.
"E~h! I'm your CO!"
"Not anymore. Gramps."
"Oh yeah?"
"Ahem, ahem." "Ghost" calmly called for their attention.
"Yikes!" Both gasped.
"It would seem that… someone would like to spend 30 days in a shut-down state. Am I wrong?" "Ghost" icily questioned.
Desert Man quickly warped out while Flash Man kneeled in front of the cubicle: the others remained silent.
"I shall offer no excuses." He calmly announced.
"I hope so. It gets tiresome. And annoying."
"Eh… I know, sir." He gulped and dared to look up.
"I am afraid that you have exceeded yourself with this display. You are to be quarantined for 5 days. Or would you rather prefer to be shut down for 30 days instead?" "Ghost" announced.
"N-no, my Lord! I abide." He gasped.
"Then get to your quarters… immediately."
Flash Man gasped and quickly warped out while the other Navis remained on their places as if fearing they would be scolded next.
"Whether you succeed or not… Is of no importance. The point of your sorties is to display how you have researched on yourselves and have found how to steadily improve yourselves. Trial and error. Such is the pathway of Net Navis." "Ghost" calmly reminded them all.
"We know!" They all acknowledged.
"You may leave… save for Citizen Laser Man. There is some talk which we must do. If you do not mind."
"O-of course not, "Ghost" – sama." Laser Man quickly replied.
The other 4 left the room and Laser Man remained there: the sound of fingers tapping against wooden armrests rang out as if it was a way for "Ghost" to state that they weren't in a good mood: Laser Man gulped and seemed to expect some punishment.
"So. Regarding your pointless obsession…"
"Eh… Yes?"
"Kuroban Howsad was right in one thing: Styx is not to blame. He just did what YOU told him to do. That is: to fight to the end. Like a "Darkloid". And so he did. So?"
"B-but… "Ghost" – sama… Didn't you say you were interested in my hatred and grudge when you "recruited" me?"
"I was not being truthful. It was what would tempt you the most: I was interested in your battle potential."
"I see…"
"So? And what if he then went and absorbed you? He just thought that, together, you could win. You could not. But the point is that you triggered that yourself because you showed cowardice and weakness. Which a "Darkloid" was not supposed to have."
"Hum… Yes… When exposed like this…" He was seemingly trying to avoid the topic altogether.
"I do not care if it shatters your illusion that you were right. Facts are facts and they cannot be changed. I saw it with my own eyes: how you built Styx and how you told him what he was supposed to do and how he was supposed to fight like. I could play it back for you in case some of your memory files are missing. Which I think not. Because, then again, I am the one who picked the remains of you and Styx and re-assembled them to then store them in MY server. Which I offered to Kuboran Howsad and he acquired the data to "revive" you two…" "Ghost" insisted.
"Yes, I understand…"
"I do not think so!" Their voice began to increase as if to show increasing annoyance.
Laser Man gulped and remained firm on the place.
"Styx IS NOT to blame. YOU are to blame. Because YOU tried to RUN like a COWARD. Did other "Darkloids" do it? Shade Man did not. Cloud Man did not. Cosmo Man did not. Styx did not." "Ghost" listed.
Laser Man seemingly knew he was out of possible arguments and he merely remained there.
"Enough. Retire to your quarters. Take your time to come up with some new strategy. And that it does not involve petty tricks like invisible shields, that is." "Ghost" brusquely moved the right hand and arm towards the right as a dismissing gesture.
"R-roger."
"And you know that is impossible to attempt to escape from "Helios" without me knowing. For am I the administrator of this city, the City of the Sun… I am "XY"… And you are under the law of Helios. Not my law. The law of "Helios". The founder of the city. I, as the inheritor of their will, must make sure that their will and law are preserved. I shall not tolerate any idiocies: am I clear enough, Laser Man EXE? Be glad that I kept you here or else Kuroban would have deleted you out of annoyance and having run out of patience. I could have done that too but I have granted you a chance to try to prove you are not an imbecile." "XY" stood up and signaled Laser Man with the right index finger.
"O-of course, "XY" – sama… I obey, I obey… And I am grateful for this chance…"
"And! Remember! I will not tolerate any attempts to stain Styx's life! None! Nothing! Kuroban did the right thing when he rebuilt his personality and allowing him to live a noble life. I shall not let a fool who will not admit their cowardice ruin it because they are unable to win in a battle. Use the HEAD to battle, not the hatred. Dismissed!"
Laser Man warped out and "XY" sat back on the armchair inside of the cubicle while sighing.
"By Helios! "Darkloids"? Mere self-gloating! You are but a Net Navi who has too much ego for their own sake. Why must Net Navis be in need of such needles ego? Because it makes them feel "strong"? What foolishness: it only leads to self-destruction! Use your HEAD! Fools!"
By the will of Helios… I shall make you realize how to use the HEAD! HMPF!
07:33 AM (Philippines Time)…
"… Mugro~h… Come out, you punks! Desert Man – sama will bury you 100 feet under the great me's sands!"
"Hmpf… Desertification… The greatest enemy of nature, huh?"
"Huh? Show yourself!"
"Fine. I'm Ruthless Vine. And I'll teach you how we deal with trespassers into Shunoros' HQ Cyber World!"
"Mwah, hah, hah! Fool! Be buried forever!"
"We'll see about that."
Desert Man got inside of a Cyber World decorated with the logo of "Shunoros" in the background and one of their members jumped down from a platform higher in the air (which had a Warp Point on it) and into the sand-filled ground.
Ruthless Vine's design looked like it was heavily biased on that of Blue Wave's with some differences.
The helmet design used a patch of pale green as main coloring: the forehead had been extended forward to form a triangle: this triangle had a patch colored in a lush green color coupled with two small rectangular yellow-colored slits on the bottom edges close to the metallic edge circling the prolongation and which were largely reminiscent of eyes: the "kusa" or "grass" Kanji had been colored in a mud brown color on the very front of the helmet.
The rest of the helmet used that pale green coloring in a small patch above the lush green segment and in the parts near the rear: two small metallic extensions flanked the sides of the head.
These ended at the same level as the lower jaw: a brownish square with two triangle ends allowed for the fusion of the helmet's segment mid-way across the head and two metallic short-length lances aiming diagonally upwards extending past the head: A pair of transparent greenish shades covered his eyes the irises of which were emerald green too.
His chest armor was rather flat in contrast to Blue Wave's and the initials "RV" in a mud brown color had been set on the center.
A small additional lush green plaque with a trapeze-shaped indentation on its lower edge had been attached blow the chest armor by the use of two white hexagons which also were reminiscent of eyes.
A brownish edge surrounded the neck's base and travelled irregularly across half of the shoulder armor's upper edges: it turned metallic white and ended as spikes aiming outwards right on the outer edge of the shoulders' armor: their lower half was also colored lush green and the division was set as line forming two "V" shapes on its path.
His forearms' design and his boots' design were identical to Blue Wave's save for the different coloring.
"Mwah, hah, hah! Go! Lion Heads!"
Some lion-shaped heads made of sand sprouted out of 8 spots and headed for Ruthless Vine as Desert Man dived into the sand to hit: Ruthless Vine merely made his forearms glow and hit the floor with them: a patch of dry ground formed and a wall of bushes with thick branches formed: they effectively blocked up the incoming attacks and Ruthless Vine began to look around.
"Ant Holes! Heavy Sand!"
Some "ant holes" formed around the patch of ground followed by a cube of hard sand which fell from above: Ruthless Vine smirked and jumped upwards to touch it with both hands and make it become a cube of ground instead: he then threw it at a spot where Desert Man's crown could be seen and hit the guy before landing there and transforming the terrain to force him to emerge.
"I got inspired by the Lanel Desert in Skyward Sword and the Time-Space Stones… In the past it was green and bountiful but centuries of climate change turned it into a desert… So I'm going to turn you into bountiful prairie too!" He smirked.
"Damn you~… I had to find the worst possible opponent!"
"Yeah. And you're going to go back with the tail between the legs and beg for mercy! Mistletoe Seed!"
Ruthless Vine formed some seeds which latched into different spots of Desert Man and opened: they began to drain HP off the guy and transfer them to Ruthless Vine.
"And I know your weakness too. Battle Card, Wide Wave X!"
Ruthless Vine shot a wide wave of water at Desert Man, who began to absorb it but was unable to move in the meanwhile: Ruthless Vine then drew a greenish energy blade.
"Sword Fighter X! 5 serial cuts!"
Ruthless Vine delivered 5 cuts which broke Desert Man into pieces and he collapsed: he suddenly regenerated and appeared again.
"I am invincible~!"
"Fool." Someone grumbled.
"Oh! Prince, sir!"
"Who?"
A new warrior suddenly dropped down into the ground to the right of Ruthless Vine and he saluted.
The newcomer was about a meter and eighty tall or taller and he seemed to be on his 20s given what could be seen of his face: he wore armor and helmet over his body.
The helmet design was compact and thick: it included silver plating around the neck and its base, a main purple and black coloring, black shades and a green symbol which looked like a unicursal hexagram colored pale green and having some unknown runes written on its circular edge painted on the forehead.
He wore some curious armor over his body: it was colored with purple tones on the outer edges but black on the center: the same forehead emblem was set on the middle of his chest.
His shoulders were black ellipsoids with purple-colored outer edges and having some other green fluorescent runic symbols drawn over them: his arms "skin" was black in color and the armor over the forearms had an external golden rim from which three parallel golden lines extended until the fingertips.
The feet armor started at the knees and used a tint of purple for the outer edges but the main armor kept on using the black motif: silver-colored lines extended parallel to each other until the feet fingertips.
The unarmored body "skin" was also black in color and had intricate green fluorescent patterns running down its sides, front and rear.
"Kuroban Howsad. Leader of "Shunoros"… Come! Aristeros Shield, Dexia Sword!"
The Aristeros Shield formed and he gripped it with the left hand while the Dexia Sword (colored white, having a golden hilt and the "Boundary" emblem on the hilt's center) showed up next: he picked it with the right hand and grinned.
"Let's go! Surprise Attack!"
Kuroban ran forward and suddenly vanished out of sight to drop from above and make a cut across the height of Desert Man's back: he broke down and formed again.
"I'm INMORTAL!" He proclaimed.
"Hum! We'll see about that, by the High One… Ruthless! Grass Stage!"
"Roger, sir! Grass Stage!"
"Oh shit!"
A Grass Stage formed and another Desert Man was revealed, having been hiding SW of both fighters' current position.
"I knew it. That's the real body. This is a clone. I'll handle it, Ruthless, so go back and wait in the throne room."
"Roger, Prince."
"Alright. I'll have you for desserts today. Did Dullahan forget to tell you we have BRAINS?" Kuroban taunted.
"Damn you, Laser Man! I knew it!" Desert Man howled.
"Fight me."
"Great Lion Head! Ant Holes! Heavy Sand! Mwah, hah, hah!"
The Great Lion Head multiplied into 16 of them which came out of all corners and headed for Kuroban: 16 "ant holes" formed around the perimeter and the Heavy Sand fell from above: Kuroban smirked and merely aimed the Aristeros Shield upwards: the Heavy Sand broke upon impact and he jumped into the air to dodge the incoming Great Lion Heads which destroyed each other: Desert Man gasped and Kuroban landed in front of him while aiming his blade upwards.
"Power born from the jet-black Dark! Grant within my hands the power of fatality!"
The "Oreichalcos Boundary" formed on the terrain and Kuroban was surrounded by a blackish "aura" while he smirked: Desert Man gasped and seemed to feel some kind of "pressure".
"I'll bring out the lil cousin."
"HUH? Lil cousin?"
"Come! "Nendoll"!"
The PKMN "Nendoll" formed there and stared at Desert Man: it then began to hover into the air.
"Go! "Supernatural Power"!"
"Nendoll" formed an energy-based attack which hit Desert Man: he howled and tried to dive out of instinct but the Grass Stage and the "Boundary" stopped him from.
"Next! "Earth Power"!"
"Mugroh!"
"Nendoll" made the ground beneath Desert Man erupt with force and he got hit: Kuroban spotted a wound and plunged his "Dexia Sword" there before pulling back: some pieces of data had attached to it and he quickly had the sword absorb them.
"This will be interesting to study."
"Damn it! Great Lion…!"
"It's still my Turn! It's always my Turn! Heh, heh! Those Yu-Gi-Oh MAD videos are SO much fun. Zutto ore no taan! "Psyche Beam"!"
"Mugro~h!"
The next attack inflicted further wounds and the "Dexia Sword" began to absorb more data: "Nendoll" then began to glow so Kuroban smirked and placed the "Aristeros Shield" in front of his body to shield himself.
"Go! "Great Explosion"!"
"Nendo~ru~!"
The PKMN self-destructed and the brutal energy output hit Desert Man, breaking some parts of his body including his hands: the "Jet Black Phoenix" ensued and, instead of trying to crash against the "Boundary", it managed to warp inside and wrap Desert Man to then produce the classical effect and warp him away from there: the "Boundary" converged on Kuroban, flashed, and vanished: he then threw the weapons into the air and they vanished.
"Good. Let's go to the throne room."
Kuroban warped out of the Cyber World and into a real world room made of steel and illuminated by torches which had an elevated platform in the middle containing a black onyx throne: there were two armored doors at the south and north ends and a small door on the west wall.
"Kisei Mutt. You there?"
"Yes, Prince. I saw it. Splendid, sir."
"Of course."
Kisei Mutt was about the age and height of the other guys: his hair had been tinted green and it was neatly combed while his irises were emerald green.
His face had some marks of previous cuts and blows which had mainly faded by now.
His clothes consisted on a sleeveless leather jacket, a lush green sweater, a pair of slightly worn-down jeans and sneakers.
He had a greenish PET with Ruthless Vine's emblem on it.
"And by "lil cousin" you were making a joke out of the fact that the "Oreichalcos Shunoros" looks like "Nendoll" since both are based on the Joumon period "shakoukidoguu" clay figurines…"
"Correct. Oh well. Now only Gray is pending his debut of the season and I hope he behaves… Speaking of behaving, did you check that Sieg is still on the base and didn't try to sneak out with Urateido or the others in the joke club?" Kuroban asked Kisei.
"I did, sir. I don't think he'd do something so foolish but nevertheless it doesn't hurt to check."
"Good enough."
"I'll be going. I've got some errands to run in the city… By the way, Prince, does the Kyutora base still work?"
"Sure does. Ironic, huh? We bothered to enter cold sleep and travel across the Solar System for 4 months to reach it but in the end we changed our policy and it became rather meaningless… And being on a deserted planet wasn't good for morale, either, so we've relocated to here again… At least we did step into another world. And it wasn't Mars. Ironic!" He explained with some resignation before smirking.
"Truly, sir. Oh well. Maybe it'll do as a data backup center: we could keep important data there."
"Good thinking. Thanks to the "portal" machines we can instant-travel to Kyutora so… It's easy."
"What happened to the "Ark", the mobile space-station?"
"It's still orbiting Kyutora. It serves as a relay satellite as well so it can provide 3G signal and carrier signal to several spots near the base in case the main antenna failed."
"I see, sir. I apologize for taking up your time, sir."
"Oh no. Don't worry. Go on ahead."
"Roger, sir!"
Kisei left the room and Kuroban chuckled under his breath: a holographic screen popped out and it showed Slur standing in front of a firewall while folding her arms.
"Slur, huh? Took her time to decide to come over… Oh well. I guess I can share the info we have on the "Ghost" by now… Come in, Slur. I'm on the throne room."
"Alright."
Slur swung her right hand and formed a purplish spinning "gateway": she became a bolt of yellow lightning and jumped inside: the "gateway" formed in the room and she leapt out to reform there: she landed on the ground and Kuroban walked down the steps to be at ground level.
"You want info on the "ghost". We know their voice. And their title as well…"
"Oh?"
"… "XY"…"
"… "XY"… Hmmm…" Slur seemed to be thinking of something.
"Ring a bell?"
"I think so."
"Then, as we thought…?"
"Highly probable… I would need to do some research beforehand but…"
"Alright. As for the voice… Here's a recording we luckily got because Gray had set a spy camera on Laser Man as he was doing maintenance of the robot body… Look."
A holographic screen popped out and it showed Laser Man standing in a room: he was working on what seemed to be a tall headless robot shaped like an European knight's armor: it used purple as the main color but had some spots with yellow and white coloring: the robot also had a purple-reddish cape attached to the back.
"I need to improve the mobility." Laser Man muttered.
He'd lifted the chest plate to reveal some hydraulic systems to move the arms and legs plus the central miniature power core: he was wielding a wrench on the left hand and a lantern in the right on to provide better illumination given how the cover itself blocked most of the ceiling's fluorescent tubes' light.
"To think I was able to crush petty humans with this body's hands and create an atmosphere of terror…! Yet it all seems to have faded by now: the damned traitor must be to blame! One day I'll bury them in endless "Dark"…!"
"Du-lla-ha-n. Pissing me off AGAIN?"
"Huh! P-Prince, sir!"
Kuroban had suddenly stepped in behind Laser Man: he gasped and turned around while automatically saluting: he did remember to switch off the lantern.
"How MANY times do we need to go over THIS?" Kuroban was already annoyed.
"W-well, sir, I…" He trailed off.
"ARE YOU AN IDIOT?" Kuroban began to yell.
"N-no, sir…!"
"PROVE IT, BY THE HIGH ONE!"
"R-roger, sir…!"
"OR ELSE I'M SO GONNA FORMAT YOUR WHOLE MEMORIES AND TURN YOU INTO SOMEONE FAR MORE INTELLIGENT!"
"R-roger, sir…! I shall… prove my worth, sir!"
"YOU BETTER DO!"
"R-roger, sir…!"
"I'M HAL: I'M WATCHING YOU! LIKE I WAS A BABYSITTER! BY THE HIGH ONE: I, THE PRINCE, HAVING TO BABYSIT A DARKLOID! THIS WORLD HAS GONE MAD!" His foreign accent became accentuated.
SLAM!
Kuroban rushed out and slammed the door on the way out: Laser Man sighed and seemed to come to terms with the situation.
"No wonder." Slur wasn't surprised.
"Yeah. I know. Good riddance, even."
"Can't be helped… I guess my grudge clouds my judgment… I must prove my worth or I know what's in store for me…"
"Oh? Grudge, you say? That could be interesting." A voice rang out of nowhere.
"Who's there?" Laser Man demanded.
"10 seconds."
"10 seconds?"
"Do you want to unleash that "grudge" into the one you "grudge" and thus erase them? I can concede you that desire."
"B-but… I am loyal to the Prince…! He rebuilt me, after all!"
"But I was the one who gathered your data and then gave it to the Prince – dono so that you could be rebuilt… I am "XY"…" The newcomer's voice announced next.
"Hmmm… Soft, yet manly… It is a man, yes…"
"I didn't doubt that."
"2 seconds."
"… Yet…! If I could erase them, then…! Yes…! I'm fed up with being controlled…! We "Darkloids" are beings of the "Dark Cyber World": we don't need a human to control us! We should be the ones controlling the humans: damned Shade Man! I'll bury you too for your treason. I accept: I don't mind pledging loyalty to you." Laser Man sounded eager.
"Do not worry. I shall not stop you. I shall only provide you a refuge: you then decide what to do. But if I need you to run a mission then… You would accept it? A mission in which you would set the fear on society by proving that you have returned?" "XY" asked.
"Delighted!"
"Excellent. As they popularly say… Welcome onboard."
"Wait!"
"Too late, Kuroban Howsad! Mwah, hah, hah, hah!"
"Alas, it is too late. Warp Magic!"
"Wha!"
"My eyes!"
Kuroban and Eisei had rushed into the room but there was a blinding flash: when it vanished both Laser Man and the robot were gone and only the lantern and wrench were left in the room.
"Fuck. Too slow." Eisei cursed.
"By the High One! "XY", is it? They want war, huh? I'll give them war, by the High One!" Kuroban cursed.
"It must be some system based on "Dimensional Converter" warp but greatly improved… Or it could be a mere flash and they use a "portal" like the ones we own…!" Eisei deduced.
"Enough."
Kuroban shut down the screen and Slur rubbed her chin.
"I think that was bait."
"Bait? Sure looks like it by now. Seeing how he hasn't really inflicted any "fear"… Or maybe he was eager to try out those new moves on Alex and try to intimidate Styx…"
"I know. I shall go inform Solo as well.
"Burai, huh? Oh well. Do as you like. And I know we'll have another rematch one of these days but I don't mind it."
"I know. And do try to keep some control on Eisei or the mood will worsen… It is tense enough already…"
"Yeah, I know."
Slur headed back and Kuroban sat back on the throne: he then snapped his right hand's fingers and materialized the "Dexia Sword": the absorbed data got released and it formed the letters "XY" in the air before they self-deleted: he cursed as he violently stood up and looked around but was seemingly unable to recover them.
"Shit. There had to be some form of live monitoring and the data got swapped just as I was about to get it. This "XY" rascal sure is obsessed with leaving no traces behind. One day we'll figure out your true colors although Slur and I have got a pretty neat idea insofar. We'll see if you'll actually be a fan of "D"…"
"Is something the matter, Prince?" Ernst popped his head into the room but didn't seem to be too surprised.
"No. Just a lil setback… But it's of no consequence."
Ernst nodded and closed the door while Kuroban sat back on the armchair and distractedly looked at the "Dexia Sword".
"XY"… Been around for years, collecting Navi data and building that elusive "ghost server"… Maybe you're as ugly as one, even. HEH!
09:11 AM (Japan Time)…
"… Here I am. Kage and Andy… What's the catch?"
"Slur – sama got some info from Kuroban… Regarding the "Ghost"."
"And we were told to relay it to you, Solo."
"Good enough. Tell me."
Kage and Andy had been sitting in a bench in one pier of the port and looking at the sea when a guy approached them.
This guy, Solo, was a young man around twenty five years old.
His hair was white and unkempt given how it formed a bundle aiming for every direction downwards: there was no sense of order in there.
His irises' color was blood red and he currently rather serious.
Other traits on his face were red facial marking trailing down his right cheek starting from below his right eye and which was reminiscent of a thunderbolt: two golden earrings evoking some tradition or culture were clipped to his ears.
He wore one custom-made bodysuit the primary color of which was jet black and which was a combination of a sleeveless sweater, a normal sweater and baggy pants which also served as shoes.
The suit also had linear cyan patterns proceeding from around his stomach to the tips of his feet: the sleeves, however, were colored in a dust-like brown colored and ended in orange-colored cuffs.
Woven across the chest was a crest like colored yellow which could be described as two opposing halves of a square with a line climbing down from their SE and SW edges: this line connected with another heading towards the left and then ran diagonally towards the center of the chest.
A small square dot was set in the middle of the space between both parallel and mirrored drawings.
"The name's "XY" and they're a man. But that's all."
"It's something." Solo replied.
"Slur – sama seems to believe that the "Jet Black Phoenix" title is to distract and he doesn't really lead a criminal gang."
"Oh? That'd be a first." Solo lifted an eyebrow.
"Guess that. Want to spend a while and listen to M &F?"
"Why not… I've been training too much as of late. I need something to shake off the tension."
He sat on a nearby bench as Kage drew the Link PET and placed it to his right on the bench.
"Today, in V – B – N… The last chapter of "The Bombers"! Action! "Mortadelo! Filemón! We gotta shake that rascal that…!"… RLON! RLON! RLON! PLAC! BOUM! … "Super-strike, Boss! Heh, heh! You knocked 10 pins instead of 9!"… "M-Mr. Super…! Y-you're not offended, right? OWWW!"… "Man! Boss! Why didn't you shut the mouth when he tried to stuff the ball inside?"… "Enough fooling around! Our spies have discovered the hideout of the "Bombers" gang! It's an old gym where they store the explosives: this is the address! Go, catch the big boss there, and confiscate the bombs!"… "We'll have to be careful! Anything can be a camouflaged bomb…" … "Bah! Relax, Boss! I can smell one from miles away!"… "This is the gym: I'll try to open with the pick-lock…"… BANG! "Aha! I told you I could smell bombs, Boss… Sniff, sniff… There WAS one there! Man, Boss, relax! The good side of it is that it's already open!"…"
"Hmpf… You should say that before opening the door, fool…" Solo made a smug smile.
"… "Let's go! Brrr! As long as I don't hit a TNT barrel…!"… "Boss, just in case… Could you pay the 50 Z ya owe me? Well! If you couldn't then you only need to say it!"… "Hum! A hanging ladder which leads to the attic: I'll check it out!"… "It's odd that it bears your weight, Boss!"… "Don't say nonsense! I'm fed up with climbing rope ladders and not…!"… "Well, you mean normal ladders, yeah, but… these crossbars read "Gum 2 Caliber 28"…"… "A~h!"… "Boss! You got dizzy! When did you eat last?"..."
"Man. Gum 2 explosives disguised as crossbars." Andy muttered with some surprise.
"Heh, heh, heh. Guess it's a trap for Snake."
"Hmpf… Guess that."
"… "Not warning me before…! I'm gonna strangle you~!"… "Boss! Sorry, but you've got some brute "hobbies"! Gl, gl, gl!"… "Huff! What a fright I had! I'm gonna have some water. This water has an odd color!"… "Yeah, it looks like…"… WHRAM! "Ah, I know! It was NITROGLICERIN! Well, Boss, one can't remember it all on the spot!"… "Brrr! Let's split the searches: I don't want donkeys around me!"… "Hoh, hoh! You had a family fight again? What mood!"…"
"Sheesh. That of the Filemón is a donkey is overused. Don't they have something else?" Andy sighed.
"Maybe you'd preferred a snake?" Kage chuckled.
"Or a puma."
"I give up."
"… "Hey! A trampoline! Heh, heh! It's been a while since I had fun with one!"… "Devil! They even have a submarine mine! I'll bring it to the Boss to see what he says… Why! The cart's handle broke off!"… "Heh, heh! Let's see if I beat my own height record!" BOING! TCHONC! BAOUMMM! "G-guess I did…"… "But, Boss… You're to blame! Who told you to act the kangaroo? Ah! Look, Boss, look!"… "It's Heriberto "Fuse", big boss of the "Bombers"!"… "Yeah! Ya found me but ya won't catch me alive! Another step and I hammer-hit the bomb! The whole city will blow up!"… There's a gigantic torpedo-shaped bomb behind him which does look like it could take out the whole city!"
"Whoa. So the big boss was in the hideout. Like Sakaki!" Kage whistled in surprise.
"Or Akagi." Solo smirked.
"Or G-Cis." Andy dully added.
"… "Hah, hah! You can't! It's got the safety on!"… "Safety? What safety…?"… TONC! "Heh, heh! The safety trick: it never fails!"… M throws a shoe of his: and it had an iron weight inside! "Well! The "TIA" guys will have ya confess… The rest of the gang will fall like a mature tomato!"… "Let's wait for Mr. Super to come and give him this present!"… "Don't hit it! If it exploded… We're all done for!"… BANG! "Heh, heh, heh, heh! What's the matter, you two? Heh, heh! It was a joke! It was a fritters bag! Ah! You waking up? Heh, heh! You've got a horrible face! T-that lost glare… T-that drooling mouth… Those twitched fingers… What?"…"
"Doom Dragon descended!" Kage laughed.
"How original."
"Heh."
"… "A~h! This is insubordination! You'll hear from me when I get to the ground!"… They tied him to a missile with the label "Neutron Bomb" and dropped him from a plane! "It's a joke, man! It doesn't have any of those neutrons! It only has dynamite, TNT and pellets equally distributed!"… The End of the "Bombers"!"
"And it ends with the usual vengeance on Mr. Super, huh? This time for giving them such a scare…" Andy muttered.
"And let us narrate the short-story "El Primavero"! Action! "Ah! Spring finally came… People begin their trips… The flowers blossom… And the happy birds…"… It's actually an irony because there's a funeral car which has a coffin and followed by a vulture! "Spring is beautiful, right, my fellow?"… PTCHOC! "Beautiful? With the irritation I got on the back of my neck…! GRFTJX!"… "Man! Some guys have no sense of poetry!"… "Boss! Did ya know? The "Primavero" has come in!"… "Don't be an analphabet, man! It's "primavera"! Spring has come in!"… "Well. I dunno how you call the guy at home but fact is that the "Primavero" has come in… And left the safe emptier than my gasoline tank at month's end!"…"
"I see. It's a male form of the word "spring", eh?" Kage chuckled.
"Ibañez and his male word obsession… Sireno, Primavero…"
"… "Devil! But… You didn't try to stop him?"… "Of course, Boss! I drew in a flash, like John Wayne and… BANG! BANG!"… "Thank goodness! And you brought him down?"… "Well, no, it's still standing, 'cause it's got four legs…"… "I-it's got four LEGS?"… "Yeah, see, see… You know my aiming is terrible so…"… "M-Mr. Super's TV! But you said "bang, bang"! And the other shot? It didn't…?"… "Don't bring it up, Boss! I haven't dared to open that door yet!"… "What d…? AH!"… Mr. Super's glass door!"
"Oho."
"… "Dear me, dear me! Ah! Thank goodness! He wasn't here!"… "Phew! What a relief! They could've denounced me for sacrificing pigs in closed season! Heh, heh!"… BLAM! "Don't worry, man! You only pierced the pig's ham!"… "AH!"… It had actually hit his right foot! "I'll end up unscathed myself! Nobody is sent to the dungeon for crushing a damned worm!"… "B-but don't gallop like that, man! You'll ruin your foot! Besides, you're to blame for spending the day snoring with the legs atop the desk! If you had the head as everyone has then it wouldn't have happened!"… "Why not?"…"
"Why indeed?"
"…"Of course! Boss always says your head's like a boulder… And bullets bounce on boulders!"… "It's a LIE! A LIE~!"… "I'll give you boulder! I'll give you yet!"… "I'll remember this, you rascal… I'll remember this!"… "A~GH! The safe! The safe's empty~! I had a package with something valuable inside of the safe! Something which allowed me to stand over mere mortals! Something to look at people from the top to the bottom! Something which turned me into a superior being! You must get that package back no matter what! Go hunt the trail of the "Primavero" and steal it back!" … Hum! It's gotta be Asterix's magic potion! One blow and they go flying!"
"Guess that." Kage laughed.
"I suspect it'll be something worthless in the end." Solo seemed to guess from the tone of it.
"Join the club." Andy ironically told him.
"Hmpf. If there's so much room…"
"… "Yeah! Bing, bang and done! And if we fail…?"… "Well, maybe you'd like to have a bath in the pool of Michelangelo, the man-eater?"… A small pool with an ominous shark fin circling inside of it! Maybe it's a Spanish cousin of Jaws?"
"Sheesh. It's not something to make fun of."
"… "No, man, it was a saying!"… "We don't bathe 'till the 42nd of August, anyway!"… GOR! GLO! GLO! GLOP! "Huh?"… "I'm going to cleanse the pool, Mr. Super, before tadpoles breed on it…" … It turned out to be a fake fin which used a mechanical arm and axis to spin! ... "So THAT's Michelangelo, eh? Hoh, hoh, hoh!"… "The man-eater! Hyah, hyah, hyah!"… "Well, eat doesn't eat, but I assure you that he bruises them a lot! Look, look!" … CLOC! CLOC! CLOC! "Man! Calm down! We're gonna hunt the "Primavero"!"…"
"I knew it. The "TIA" and their cheap devices…"
"…"I know the guy's hideout, Boss… It's right here, on turning the corner… There it is!"… "You know the guy. What kind of guy is it? That "Primavero" fella"… "Psche! A fella like you and me…"… "That for real? Then I'm gonna beat 'em myself! Heh, heh! Let's go!"… F gets in through the window and spots a gigantic foe! BAF! PATAPAF! CLOC! CRACK! "G-guess Boss is on a pinch…"… PLAF! "Ah! I see he managed to escape!"… "You moron! You told me it was "a fella like you and me"!"… "Of course, Boss… Like you and me… ONE ATOP THE OTHER!"…"
"Man! Couldn't he have said "giant" instead?" Andy groaned.
"By the way: is your pal healthy?"
"Huh? Ah! Hikari – kun? Yeah! As healthy as usual."
"Fortunately enough." Andy drily muttered.
"Oh come on! What's with the long face? You're not glad that Saito is healthy?"
"Of course I am. It was a fleeing mood."
"If it's just that…" Solo shrugged.
"Let's continue!"
"… "But, man, Boss… I'm to blame that you didn't get it? I'm not to blame that you're hick! I'll bring 'im down like how David beat Goliath, Boss! With a sling! Aha! The handkerchief will do! He's walking in front of the window! I'm going to hit them in the forehead!" … ZIP! CLOC! "W-why, Boss! I didn't know my handkerchief had a hole!"… "GRMBLF! You'll have the next one IN THE SKULL!"… "Forget about making holes, Boss! Don't be a moth!"… "Ah! The gun! How stupid! A couple shots and done! Get ready to eat lead, "Primavero"!"… It's a guy with an idiot-like face and has some muscle! "Why! Nice thimble! It fits!"… "Devil! Take the finger outta there, you idiot!"… "Like I will!"… "You asked for it! You'll have to poke your nose with the knee!"… CLICK! BANG! The chamber exploded! "Why, Boss! I didn't think that the spring sun made you so sun-burnt! Allow me: we're gonna beat the guy with THE HEAD!"… "Huh?"…"
"I foresee trouble."
"… He digs a hole! "Heh, heh! Now some man-eating crabs! Run out immediately! The house's burning!" … Both stand at the sides of the hole which has been made in front of the door! "What are these yells? Can't I cleanse the coal depot?"… "Primavero" opens a trapdoor beneath F and he plummets into the hole! "OUWA~H! I'll give you "head"! I'll give you crabs! I'll give you…!"… "It's your fault, Boss! You always have to get into everywhere!"… "I'll go with drastic solutions! A bomb and that's it! Heh, heh! No stone will remain on foot! Let's run, run! Ah! Devil! What's going on?"… He steps into a puddle of fresh concrete! "Well, Boss, I covered the hole with concrete. Since you disliked the idea…"… "T-the bomb's about to go ff! And I don't reach to put it off! Maybe… PTUF! There's a granny and Ikada will provide the voice!"… Ikada?"
"Hi~… Cool guys… "You dirty guy! Aren't you ashamed of spitting like that on this ball? Cleanse it, you vandal! Volando!"… BOOM! "W-why! It'd seem he literally did it…"… "Volando" can mean both "flying" and "ASAP"! And the joke is that the explosion sent him flying!" Ikada explained while laughing.
"Thank you! "I like this plane: it's so stable… Doesn't shudder, doesn't tilt and it doesn't…!"… PLOC! "HELP! HELP ME~! UWA~H!"… "Devil! Boss is falling down at top speed! Gotta do something!"…"
"He hit the plane and sent it spinning out of control, eh?" Kage seemingly guessed.
"No pain no gain." Solo chuckled.
"Lovely." Andy sighed.
"… "Ah! A water-filled barrel! I'll place it below: it'll help cushion the fall! He's here, he's here…!"… BONGG! He somehow bounces off! "What the devil are you doing with my cannon?"… "Cannon? What cannon?"… "The old Visigoth cannon which I was bathing to cleanse, man!"… "B-Boss! You alright? Yeah. I can see that. I've got a bright idea, Boss! I'll place this bear-trap below this window… and I toss a flaming grenade through the other window… When he tries to run off the inferno… CLAP! Trapped like a mouse! You'll see! These grenades cause cool flames!"… And it bounces off a cushioned chair! BOING! CLOPF!And lands on F's neck!"
"I knew it." Andy sighed.
"Marchando! WHAM! "UWA~H! I'M BURNIN'! I'M ROASTIN'! I'M INCINERATIN'! OUA~GH!" TCHAC! "OW! OW! O~W!"… "Calm down, Boss, I'll put it out! BFFF!"… M blows into a vessel and it lets out a meager doll of water while F's trapped in the bear-trap! "Come on! Get out! My trap's full of soot!"… "I'll… I'll give you trap… Ow! The navel is popping out through the kidneys!"… "Hey! You two! The "TIA" guys! Here's your safe's contents… It's but rubbish! Unpaid bills, penalty warnings, half of a sardine sandwich, old shoes… Heh! The Rockefellers' safe, even!"…"
"And it was in vain because the guy would've ended up giving it back to them… Sheesh. That's what's annoying. All of their suffering tends to end in vain…" Andy sighed.
"Cheer up, man!"
"… "Hey! This gotta be Mr. Super's package!"… "Let's go bring it! It's gotta be some genius invention, no?"… "Or some fantastic formula!"…"
"Doubt it. Really."
"… "Oh no! They're a couple shoes which have triple soil… I said it: with them I can stand above mere mortals, look at people from the top to the bottom and be above to others…"… Heh!"
"Sheesh. Turns out you were right. Maybe you should've tried to bet, Solo." Andy sighed.
"Guess that. But then again gambles are forbidden by our moral and legal code so…" Solo shrugged.
"Wise thinking." Andy muttered with some irony.
"Don't worry about the irony: I won't get annoyed at it."
"… "But, hey… What's with those looks? And those gestures…? And those rabid drools…? Stop! This will bring upon a file! And a money penalty! And one hell of a slap!"… "Full gas, Boss, he's running away!"… "GRFTJX! Take soils! Take! TAKE THIS!"… M put on spiked boots and rode in a cart while F pushed: they chased Mr. Super! And with this… THE END!"
"So it's finally ended, huh?" Andy wasn't impressed.
"We'll tease the title of the next album which will come in some days' time… We've still got to do some previous work… But the title is the following… "Court Witness"!"
"I guess it'll be about protecting a witness." Kage grinned.
"Guess that."
"Hi there, my folk enchanted by Uncle Moran!"
"Superintendent Oda?"
"Yo! Kage –kun. It's been a while. I invited someone and no – one as well, did you know, my chum?"
Superintendent Oda cheerily walked into the pier: Enzan came in, running, and so did Meijin and Obihiro.
"Huh? Where's the berserk crane?" Enzan wondered.
"Where's the knock-out ramen stand?" Meijin wondered.
"Where's Aoyama – sensei~?" Obihiro wondered.
"Huh… Guys…" Punk called out.
"… I see." Blues dully muttered while obviously trying to hold back some swearing of his own.
"Superintendent Oda…!" The 5 of them groaned.
"Uncle Merton's disciples: on the scene!"
"You tricked us! Sir!"
"All's fair in training!"
"THIS is TRAINING? For WHAT?"
"For emergency deployment?"
"Oh come on." Punk groaned.
"How did you know we'd be here?" Kage asked.
"A chum told me."
"Eisei…! The idiot!" Andy groaned.
"Sheesh." Solo grumbled.
"Ijuuin – kun would like to tell you, Kage – kun, that your radiance would illuminate the blackest of nights."
"W-WHAT?" Enzan gasped.
"Obihiro – kun would like to tell you, Andy – kun, that your silver would banish all the werewolves on Earth."
"Oh come on!" Andy groaned.
"Meijin – kun would like to tell you, Solo – kun, that your awesomeness would help you earn Shakira's admiration."
"… I'm SKEPTICAL." He drily replied.
"I never said THAT!" The 3 guys complained.
"The Synchro Triplets! On The Scene Of The Non Crime!"
"It's not funny!" Punk complained.
"The other day I got told about how they kept some grunts off the ship's canteen…"
"Oh yeah?" Andy skeptically asked.
"…by placing a pink curtain and making them think it was the corny guys' canteen!"
"Corny guys' canteen, sure thing…" Solo fumed.
"Where's that damned punk?" Enzan growled.
"I'd like to know that too!" Kage growled next.
"1, 2, 3… Hop." Obihiro whispered.
They all ran off at the same time thus leaving Oda alone: he merely chuckled and sat down on the bench while drawing his Samsung smart-phone from the chest pocket.
"My chum! The summer heat does cut their patience!"
"Told ya, Danna~…"
"Heh, heh, heh."
"… Madness!"
The group had managed to get some distance away from the pier and looked they were recovering their breaths.
"Hell. I knew mad things happened but to this extent…" Solo cursed while panting.
"You haven't been here too much: you're lucky. TRULY." Enzan replied while grumbling.
"Yeah… Was about to say the same thing…" Meijin grumbled.
"And it's that rascal's fault: as usual!" Punk fumed.
"Che." Blues grimaced.
"Hmmm? Enzan – sama: unknown number…"
"Maybe it's the "Ghost"."
"It's not encrypted. And it's not a public booth, either. Or an internal line: it's a standard cell-phone number, sir."
"Then who? Oh crap!"
"Enza~n… Found ya~…"
"Ayanokouji! Not you next." He groaned.
"Yeah! I heard it from Sieg – chan! That cha go off with some gal your old man stuck to ya!"
"W-what? Oh come on! Siegfried! You make things up as usual! There's no gal anywhere! The rascal just wanted to fuel your jealousy! And for the last time: I'm not gonna be your boyfriend! Ever!" Enzan growled and slapped his forehead in defeat.
"Oh yeah? Happens that I've got some sources!"
"What sources?"
"Well! Your secretary."
"I don't have any!"
"Huh? Then who was the lady of a while ago?"
"… Ikada – san or Tozukana – san although I suspect the first…" Andy deduced aloud.
"Oh come on. Not Ikada – san."
"Hi~… Cool guys!"
Ikada suddenly showed up there while giggling: everyone directed annoyed glares at her but she shrugged her shoulders.
"It's fun to tease lil girls."
"So cha fooled me! I'll have my daddy bring your company down!"
"I don't belong to any! My uncle's a left-winged politician, though."
"What! You totally look like the spoiled type!"
"Spoiled type? Me? Oh no! Tell that to Tesla Magnets if you manage to visit her in prison. Tee, heh, heh."
"Kya~h! I'm feeling disgusted!"
"Oh yes. "Because of her… I now feel… Rabidly! Overwhelmingly! Vehemently disgusted!"…" She quoted.
"Not Mazokuchou Ghirahim of Skyward Sword again." Andy groaned.
"Why not, Andy – chan? It's popular! It just came out last November, cha know!" She giggled.
"Ikada – san… When Ms. Secretary gets a hold of this mess then there's going to be CONSEQUENCES…" Kage whispered.
"Indeed there ARE!"
"YIKES!"
"Ikada Bertha! You will come with me: President Hades is very disappointed with your behavior. Maybe some days away will make you think things twice. Golden Star is not here to allow you to organize idiotic displays of ego!"
Ms. Secretary suddenly showed up behind Ikada and brusquely signaled a nearby car: Sandra was sitting on the passenger's seat and it was obvious she'd been the one who'd warned Ms. Secretary of what was going on: Ikada sighed in defeat and hung her head down as she followed Ms. Secretary into the car: both climbed in and the car left.
"About time… They need to be taught there's a red line which you can't cross over!" Kage muttered.
"See you, Kage. This is but beginning. The real deal is yet to come."
