Kamen Roder Hitomi 009 - The Seeds of Deceit part 1

Akira and Hitomi ride in the back seat. Kyuusuke is in the front seat and Hibiki drives.

"Try it again. Just think about what you are feeling and express it."

Hitomi nods. "Now we are going to war. I hope I can be of use. Use, use, use, use, useless is how I feel."

Hibiki giggles. "I wouldn't worry, Hitomi. I think most people feel that way the first time out."

Akira nods. "I know that I did."

"Well I didn't."

"Kyuusuke, haven't we been neglecting part of your training?"

"What?"

"Shouldn't you be singing to me as well?"

Kyuusuke turns white with fear.

"Well, you don't have to do that today. Maybe well find some other time to ease you into it?"

"Okay." Kyuusuke does not sound convincing.

...

Hibiki parks the car at the campsite. "Okay, Genkoki, why don't you and Hitomi set up camp and Kyuusuke and I will work with the disk animals."

"Roger."

Hitomi and Akira start taking the camping equipment out of the back of the station wagon.

"Hitomi, have you camped before?"

"Yes, back when my Mother and Father were still together, we would go camping in the summer. It was a lot of fun. However, they did most of the work."

"Most of the equipment here is pretty simple. It all standard camping stuff."

"So, what are they doing with the disk animals?"

"They are going to take a map of the region and assign each animal an area to patrol. Then Hibiki and I will use our transformation devices to animate the disks. The disks will patrol for some four hours before they start running low on power. They will then come back. Of course, if they find something interesting, they will come back at once."

"Wow, you guys are like Pokemon masters."

Akira giggles. "That's actually not too bad an analogy. We train them and maintain them and they support us. Before too long, you'll be given your first disk animal to train."

"Will I give it a name?"

"No one else ever has before. But, I'm sure it wouldn't hurt. Now, lift up that pole."

Akira and Hitomi raise the tent.

"Great, now we transfer the sleep stuff inside, and then we start the campfire."

"Hai!"

...

Kyuusuke studies Hibiki as he sets up the map. "So, Hibiki, how much longer do you think Hitomi is going to last? I'm thinking less than a month."

Hibiki doesn't stop looking at the map. "Kyuusuke, have you ever been a senpai before?"

"No, there has never been someone at my level so it wouldn't make sense."

"Being a senpai is a wonderful thing. Normally, we achieve things in life because we think that they are meaningful to achieve, right?"

"Okay."

"So, if it is meaningful to achieve, then we will want other people who come after us to achieve it as well."

"Why?"

"Think of your father. Was he the first fireman in Japan?"

"Of course not."

"He learned how to be one from the people who came before him. And, once he learned, he helped the people who came after him. That's the way it is all over. That way, if one of us can no longer do something, then someone else can take over."

"What are you driving at?"

"You're Hitomi's senpai. Shouldn't you be helping her achieve rather than trying to tear her down?"

"Why should I? She doesn't have the same passion for this as I do."

"Why? Because I am training you. Because you will eventually be expected to train others if you become an Oni."

"It is hard for me to even think in that way."

"It was hard for you to do a pull up. But, you did. And, even though it will be hard, you will change the way you think. Training isn't just physical."

"So, how should I think?"

"Instead of, 'I wonder how quickly she will fail' maybe you should be thinking, 'I wonder if there's something that I can do that could help her succeed?'."

"It's still hard for me to think that way."

"Good. Doing hard things helps our character grow."

Kyuusuke looks unconvinced.

"Okay! The map is ready. Genkoki?"

Akira looks up from the campfire. "Yes?"

"Let's release the disk animals."

Akira and Hitomi run over. Akira arranges in an "X" formation the sleeves that her disk animals are sleeping in. "Ready!"

Hibiki hits his transformation tuning fork and runs it over his disk animals as they sleep in their boxes.

Akira blows her transformation whistle.

The disk animals spring to life.

Hibiki smiles. "Please take care of us." Hibiki salutes them.

Akira salutes them as well. "Do your best."

The disk animals fly, crawl, slither, walk and hop off.

...

The four sit around their portable picnic table.

Kyuusuke rolls his eyes. "Is it always this boring?"

Hibiki chuckles. "I was just relaxing with some tea. After tea, Genkoki and I will be doing some body weight exercises to get warmed up for battle. You can join us if you want."

"Should I do them as well?"

Akira smiles. "Hitomi, you're not ready to keep up with Hibiki and me. But, you will be some day. As for today, calisthenics would be fine."

Kyuusuke stares intently at Hitomi. "This will be our challenge, rival. We'll see who can hang with them the longest."

...

"Three ninety nine, four hundred. Okay, now let's switch to pushups."

Akira nods. "Hitomi, you switch to squat thrusts."

Hitomi, after doing four hundred jumping jacks, looks like she's going to be sick. "Okay."

Kyuusuke is unable to respond, being bent over on all fours trying to catch his breath.

Suddenly a strange noise startles Hitomi.

Hibiki jumps up. "A hit! Kyuusuke, why don't you stay behind this time? The monsters have been pretty fierce."

Kyuusuke looks up and tries to put on a brave front. "But, who's going to protect you?"

Akira gives Kyuusuke a funny look. "I will, of course."

"Let's go!"

Hitomi grabs the two rocks from her purse and strikes them together, creating a spark. "Return soon!"

Hibiki salutes. "We're off. Oh, Kyuusuke, have Hitomi teach you that before we get back."

To be continued.