Part I: The Little Steam Engine that Couldn't

Location: Dock 1, Harumi Terminal, Tokyo, Japan

Time: 8:00 am

Something about this building that we were looking at gave me the chills… or maybe that was just the cold sea breeze that was coming off of the ocean that lapped at the shore like a cat would do water. My hands instinctively went up to my shoulders, trying to stop some warmth from escaping through my thin cardigan. I really should have brought myself a jacket, especially considering how early in the morning it was. Maybe I should have brought a coffee machine as part of my luggage - oh, shoot! I almost forgot to mention exactly what I'm doing out here so early.

You see… I'm what they call an Ultimate. An Ultimate is someone that is especially skilled in a certain field, so much so that they are the best of the best. They are scouted into one of multiple Ultimate schools across the world and trained up to be the best that they could be in their field. They retain their status throughout life, though if someone else comes around and has the same talent, their status is changed to Former Ultimate. Whether former or not, all Ultimates retain this sort of celebrity-like status, as much as some people don't want it. People have entire forums dedicated to this sort of stuff… which might be slightly creepy, especially with some people's forums that I know, but most of them are speculative more than anything else.

Some of those Ultimates were invited to this special around-the-world cruise deal by the school itself - hence why I'm here at this time, in the busiest port in Tokyo. This is where the cruise starts, after all… so with that said, when I got invited I quickly started to pack up all the things that I would need. My clothes, my writing tools, some things to do… that item… and my camera bag! I always try to carry a camera around with me. Despite not being the best shot, they always help in a pinch with writing!

I grabbed my bags before looking up at the looming building in front of me and realizing something. Someone was currently casting their shadow over my head, meaning that they were quite a bit taller than me - and broader, judging by the width of their shadow. With a rapid turnaround, I nearly staggered back onto the floor from shock - but was made steady with a relatively large hand on my shoulder. The man had a red beanie on his head, and was wearing what seems to be a jersey for a sports team on top of some more standard pants. Though he was big and definitely strong, his eyes looked more… rounded and softer than you would expect for someone their size. This must be… wait, oh my god! Before I could nerd out much about him, however, he started to speak in a slightly timid, stuttery voice.

"S-Sorry about that… I-I hope I didn't hurt you..." was what came out of his lips, with a soft, nervous sigh finishing those sentences. "Y-You must be, uh…" He then paused, stroking at his chin slightly before hanging his head. "...I-I'm sorry, I'm blanking on your… y-your name…" he admits, with his tone betraying a slight Russian accent. The international part of the talent system was really in full swing, wasn't it? However, with my confidence, I try to instill a newfound air to this scene, by giving this man a big smile and starting to speak in a tone that has an excitement lingering behind it. "No worries!" I reply, giving him a gentle wink before crossing my arms under my chest. "My name's Sousa Shinjitsu, but you can just call me Sousa! I'm the Ultimate Reporter… and you must be another Ultimate, no?"

The man gently pulled his beanie down to cover a little bit more of his eyes, the blue orbs gently shaking in their sockets for a second as he took a deep breath, before letting the air out of his lungs slowly. "Y-Yeah…" He simply comments, before hanging his head down. He seemed to be really out of it for whatever reason, but I try to bring smiles to the face of everyone! I must find a way to turn that frown upside down… but before I could think of a way to do so, I was interrupted by him introducing himself. "A-Adam Denisovich… I… I play hockey…" He nervously stated, fiddling with his fingers slightly after the sentence had finished. From what I remember about him (at least, what the forums and newspapers have covered), he had moved to the United States from Russia at the age of ten, and went on through his schooling to absolutely skyrocket in his hockey proficiency… enough for him to be given a talent, and to be drafted into the NHL first overall directly out of school! However… you would think that had installed some sort of confidence in him off the hockey rink. Goes to show what I know about human psychology!

I was in the middle of bringing out my pad to write down some questions out of sheer habit when my train of thought was interrupted by what could only be considered a true force of nature given a physical form. I didn't notice her until it was too late, but a blonde blur found itself cartwheeling towards me at breakneck speeds - until she ran face-first into me, sending me falling backwards onto the hard dock. With a slight gasp, I cover my mouth as I try to still my breathing… Luckily, nothing else seemed to come my way after, other than Adam from earlier offering a hand to help me back up. "Sorry-!" The blonde apologized, coming to pull me back to my feet as well. After the shaking in my legs had calmed down, I was able to stand on my own, but then my attention was focused on the woman who had failed to master physics… She wasn't a gymnast, that's for sure. However, she had finally gotten to introductions… and now everything made a lot more sense.

"Your favorite friendly neighborhood Ultimate Kunoichi is here!" She exclaimed, giving Adam and myself a rather cheerful smile. "Pff.. hee-hee.. Let's be besties!" She continues, leaning over towards me - to which I lean back slightly. I was a little bit hesitant to get close again, given what happened last time when she got close to me. Adam wasn't able to keep his eyes focused on her or me, so they ended up dropping to view the floor, something being muttered in Russian that I sadly couldn't understand. Looks like it was up to me to not make this whole situation awkward… and so I put on one of my big smiles before chatting her up a little. "It's nice to see you too! Though, we just met… so besties aren't exactly in the cards just yet." I explain, hoping that will quell the force of nature that was standing in front of her. Hiromi seemed like she was about to burst with energy. Luckily for me, however, it seemed to be interrupted by the arrival of someone else - someone who has the aura of water flowing down across his head like a river. It must have taken ages to dye his hair like that… and I don't envy him one bit.

Considering everything that was planned, this man looks… serious, with his ocean eyes seemingly fixed on the terminal - where we would be boarding shortly. However, once I called out to him, he seemed to relax a little, a smile crossing his lips. Maybe he was just lost in his head? I can't blame him, honestly - it's a bit much to be staring at this massive building, which houses a ship that will take us around the world. Despite that, the man seemed pretty willing to talk to all of us. Though, there was one thing that stood out like a sore thumb - that Australian accent. Man, it was somewhat wild to know that someone from down under was among all these Ultimates on this cruise ship. Though… I don't know too much about him, strangely enough. I love keeping up to date on Ultimates… so maybe he's a bit older than I remember?

"What's your name~?" I asked him, to try and perhaps place a name on the unfamiliar face - and maybe then can I finally recognize the man in question! However, it seemed like his response gave me no help whatsoever… and honestly, it confused me just a little more. "Aye, the name's Pacific. Pacific Ocean." He replies, crossing his arms over each other like he expected that to be completely normal. Pacific… Ocean? That's the literal name of an ocean, not someone's first and last name - argh, I don't have time to be debating the validity of names! Instead, I swapped to asking about something else, which ended up being another brilliant mistake on my part.

"What's your Ultimate Talent?" I asked him, not knowing that his answer would probably cause just a little panic in the group at large. He… seemed to be a little bit disillusioned after hearing that question, before crossing his arms across his chest once more. What kind of reaction was that? He was just asked about his talent after all… but eventually, he started to speak. "Ultimate Assassin, but don'tcha get yerself into a knot just 'cause of that. I don't bite, and I'm honestly just here to have a little relaxation." Was his response, causing a small ripple in the group, with Adam wincing slightly and Hiromi looking over in slight admiration. As for me, I'm not concerned. His talent is his talent and that's okay! He's not going to be killing anyone on the cruise, after all. At least I hope not.

After that rather eventful introduction, it seemed like the terminal was finally being opened for people that arrived early, allowing them to board. As they were starting to allow us into the terminal, some more people arrived, but I was too busy making sure that I had all my belongings before I stepped on that cruise ship. After all, it would be hard to get extra stuff once the ship had set sail. I was so looking forward to heading back to England and France, as I enjoyed those countries the last time I was there - but this was the first break I've had in a long while, and I'm glad this was all laid out nicely for me. Once they started letting people on, I carried my luggage up the ramp and into the grand center hall of the ship. Something about this space was incredibly regal, with the ceiling of this space shooting up to seven floors above this fourth floor. The ship stood at a total of fifteen floors tall, with an observation deck on top that had a restaurant inside of it. It had two pools, hot tubs, and restaurants… shops, gaming lounges, and karaoke booths… even spas and hairdressers! This ship seemed to have all the amenities that someone could ever want and more!

All I knew is that my room was on the eleventh floor, so I made a beeline for the elevator. However, I was nearly shoved out of the way by some sort of a metallic blur. Ah… why the fuck did they invite him here too? He's such an unappreciative little shit, especially with the way he has no regard for other people when he has a goal in mind. Though, now we're stuck together in an elevator, riding up to our respective floors, not even caring enough to look each other in the eye. Comet, the Ultimate Motocross Racer… What a total piece of shit he is. Even now, being given something which has an incredible amount of luxury oozing out of it, he acts and speaks like a punk that's stuck on the backstreets. Argh, that bastard just exudes an aura that makes people want to punch him directly across the room. However, as much as I want to do that - I can't. I'd rather not end up on national or international news, given my talent. Luckily, nothing seemed to happen during the ride, nor did anything occur when he got out on the ninth floor of the building. From there, I had a rather uneventful ride up to the eleventh floor, where I got out and dragged my bags to my room, passing by a rather tall blonde talking to who seems to be a familiar black-haired man… But that's not the goal right now. I was headed to my room, which if I recall correctly was… 1104. A rather nice number for sure, I made sure it was perfect when I finally had managed to get around to choosing my room. It was a rather grand room, themed in soft coral blues and greens, with a nice view of the ocean from where I stood at the window. The lapping of the waves at the side of the boat gave me quite a calm vibe, unlike the mess of stuff that was happening earlier. I made sure to unpack as best I could, for now, keeping my clothing and other special items in the closet, tucked away as neatly as possible. When that was done, I took a moment to lay back on my bed, staring up at the ceiling with a small sigh - it seemed like a whole new chapter of my life was beginning. But… why was I so nervous? This wasn't the first time anything like this had happened, with going places that I haven't been to before. This was more general, an overhanging sense of dread that I eventually shook out of my system.

I needed to do something. Lying down on my bed was doing me no favors, as that seemed to only make my mind wander around further. Pushing myself out of bed, I moved outwards towards the hallway. Maybe some food would help get my mind off of things… so I decided to head to one of the restaurants on the lower floors. I had heard rumors that they did buffet breakfasts of some kind, so I could pick and choose which things I wanted. During that little elevator ride down, however, I ran into two rather… odd figures. One was incredibly tall… he stood nearly a foot above me, and I honestly thought he was ready to deck me just by looking at him funny. However, luckily for me, his fists were busily noogieing a smaller woman in front of him. She kind of looks like me without my coffee in the morning - dead inside. Fortunately for her, as soon as the elevator door opened up, she pushed free of the man's grasp and stormed out with me. I took a look back, noting the smug expression on the man's face before the doors closed. Then, it was time to address the small woman in front of me. "Hey, uh… do you want to get some food? I'm going to get the buffet, which is just down here - my name is-" I'm interrupted by the woman, who seems to be having none of it today. "Sousa Shinjitsu, yes, I know. Food sounds great. Please just ignore my brother. The name's Krystal Boyd, Ultimate Matchmaker." She… doesn't seem to be in the most talkative of moods, considering she's a matchmaker of all things. However, she seems to be interested in getting food… though I can't shake the feeling of eyes on the back of my neck as we make our way to the food.

After we arrived at the buffet, it seemed like there was a bit of hustle and bustle as people on board got their food. That is, except for one familiar green figure dashing back and forth between tables that people just left with a little seafoam green cloth. Krystal was a little ways away from me, perusing the foodstuffs that lined the many tables set up to serve the guests. I took that moment to flag down the green bean that was currently scrubbing at tables, who pretty much nyoomed right over to me. He looked like he was about to hug me, to which I had to stop him momentarily. "Remember… Kappa, please be gentle." I ask, to which the TV-headed robot saluted slightly. "Yes, Miss Shinjitsu!" He exclaims, before gently wrapping his arms around the Reporter. "Kappa will do his best, as the Ultimate Butler!" As cute as he is, I didn't exactly feel comfortable with hugs that lasted too long… so after I embraced him for a moment, I gently let go, and he seemed to follow suit. "Sorry Miss, but Kappa just saw another table that needs to be cleaned!" He exclaimed, before saluting to her once more. "I'll see you again soon!" were his final words towards me, before the green blur dashed off once more. When I turned back to Krystal, however… it seemed like things were leaning slightly towards the worse for her. Even more saddening, however, I knew a little too much about how this girl acted. The pink-haired woman was from my class, and if she hadn't changed much from when I last saw her - which honestly, I don't think she'll ever change - she was certainly scheming some sort of elaborate setup with the smaller woman about some couples-related thing. When she noticed I was here too, however… she practically squealed, running up to me in heels that look pretty uncomfortable to run in, to begin with… skidding to a stop right in front of me.

"Oh my god oh my god oh my GODDDD, eeeeeeeeeeeee-!" She practically squealed into my ears, considering how close she was, causing me to wince and take a step back. God, that voice never ceased to find new ways to cut into my eardrums. "Sooooooooooooooo~! How've you been!" She seemed to be more excited than cats after being given oodles of catnip to play with, and I've honestly not had enough coffee to deal with this right now. "...Uhhh-" I practically get zero time to formulate a question, when she interrupts me with another one of her own. "You have your special one yet~?!" Jesus, even when she's just meeting someone, that's all that is on her mind? "No, and I've been fine - please keep your voice down, everyone's looking at you." Truth be told, that spectacle has drawn eyes from all over the restaurant, to which Masa waves and gives them a rather cutesy peace sign. "Nothing to seeee here~! Go back to eating~!" She exclaimed, to which people kept going about their normal business - and she turned back to look at Sousa afterwards. "Well, whenever you meet that special one - Masa Kawakari is here to be your guide to the world of weddings~! All you need to do is ask, hehehe~!" God, I had hoped to forget how much her voice killed me inside. Talking about dead inside, Krystal seemed to garner that expression on her face like when she pulled herself away from her brother earlier… at least it went away when Masa ran up to someone blonde behind me that I would rather not make eye contact with right now. Onwards, to a table with Krystal! After I get my food, of course!

Once the food had been gathered, I sat down at a table for four just to have a bit more space - that is, until a couple of other people had arrived. Well, I said a couple - one was short enough to stand and not come over the top of the table, and the other person seemed to be a little bit more… What's the best way to describe her other than eccentric and maddening? Her brown hair went down to the middle of her back, looking almost regal despite the complete lack of focus in her green eyes. Almost like a juxtaposition though the person underneath the table hopped up on a chair, a determination across his entire expression. The very vertically challenged man's hair goes down to just behind his shoulders, and an eyepatch adorns his left eye. It didn't seem to impact the man's eyesight in his right eye, as he waved to a blonde-haired cowboy a few tables away before turning over to face me.

"Sousa Shinjitsu, right? I read your article on that impressionistic art museum in downtown Nagoya a few weeks back." His voice projected quite far, despite his arguably short stature. I was still pretty stunned that he quoted a specific article like that, which I had written and sourced the information from - most people don't exactly pay that much detail to news articles and their authors, so it was a pleasant surprise to hear that someone at least enjoyed that article other than me. "That's right, yeah-!" I exclaimed, before quieting down a little so I don't get any more people staring at me today like I'm fresh meat. "I'm a little surprised that you know about it though… especially that piece over most others. You must be quite into the art scene for that, no?". Just the question being poised like that seems to give the man a Cheshire Cat-like grin, as a small orange kitten climbs up on top of his left shoulder. After it let out a triumphant mew, it nuzzled up against his neck, to which the short man awarded it a few pats. "You can say that again." He replied with a soft chuckle afterwards, as the kitten on his shoulder started to wag its tail. So cute~! "My name is Karou Yukiko, and I'm the Ultimate Artist. This little cutie here is called Muku, and he says it's nice to meet you too!" Muku, as he was just introduced, let out a loud mew and tried to jump onto the table - which Karou stopped him from doing. However, it seemed like whatever he was about to say got cut short, after the lady next to him coughed politely.

"Ahem, may I please sequester a chance to greet thy lady and lord of thine ornate eating place, prior to any arrangements of consumption thy must have?" She asks in her oddly cryptic manner of speaking, with a slightly creepy head tilt to one side. Man, the more she stared at me, the less I felt like I was talking to a human. She gave off that energy that porcelain dolls have… cold, lifeless, and unnerving to be around for more time than ultimately necessary. Karou looked at me with that deer in the headlights kind of look, not wanting to be the person to initiate a conversation with this total stranger. Gulping down my nerves, I started to talk back to this honestly intimidating woman. "Uhm, I don't see why not? Considering we haven't started eating yet, I think it would be fine. Right, Karou?" I pass back the baton to the smaller man, who just nods and averts his eye to the floor. I also noticed the cowboy looking over, with some sort of odd intent in his eyes that was difficult to make out. "Well… a pleasure to make your acquaintances, Lady of the Emerald Gait and Lord of the Ochre Feline… I am the Lady of the Monstrous Scriptures, and the gatekeeper to the worlds beyond… but most of the common folk simply call me Miss Adelaide Walker, and I am graced by the skillset of the Lovecraftian Author." Yes, that was her talent… and it was no surprise that another writer of sorts would be on this cruise. However, her books are no small feat… each one has a spectacular reception, and massive lines out the door at any bookstore that has them… but as much as I wanted to ponder on that, our time here was drawing to a close.

A horn blasted through the air, and a voice came on over the intercom - it seemed like it was time to head out. With a rumble coming across the floor, and a hefty push from the engines, it was off to open water… to await our new vacation. For most of the people on the ship currently, however… it would soon turn to anything but a paradise. If anything, it would be better to get sunk into the ocean… but unbeknownst to ourselves, the destiny that was in our cards had our lives ticking down like a clock.