Hello everyone! This is the start of a new chapter! Chapter 4! I hope everyone will enjoy this chapter! Without further ado, let's start!
Normal POV
The first matchups had been decided and Aichi had been the first one to go up. It became a bad start for the team as both Aichi and Misaki lost their matches to Team Jurassic Army. As the other matches went on, Aichi checked the screen for the second match as he started to feel himself shivering slightly and panting.
" What...?"
" I never had a breakdown for so long, so why now...?!" He thought
He's weak...
They'll never be able to advance.
How did that wimpy kid even get into the Nationals?
Maybe he's just weak.
" I've been in control this entire time... For me to be having this now...!" Aichi thought
" Aichi-kun, we're going to have a team meeting soon!" Shin called
Aichi tried to calm himself down and walked over to them without staggering in his steps as he barely managed a small smile.
" I... I have to go to the toilet for a bit... Wash my face and come back..." Aichi said
" Sure."
Aichi quickly walked out of the room as Kai's gaze followed him.
" Was he nervous?" Shin wondered
" He looked really pale for a moment there." Misaki said
" Yeah..."
Meanwhile, Aichi found a secluded and quiet corner as he crouched down and held his head as the voices in his head continued on.
It would be better if he'd stayed home.
How weak.
He lost so easily, it's pathetic!
He'll never be able to fill the space of the missing teammate.
So pitiful!
Aichi squeezed his eyes shut as he held in his screams and whimpers while the voices continued to torment him.
" I need to do better... I have to... for Kamui-kun..." Aichi thought
He can never do it.
He'll always be like this for the rest of his life.
What a pushover.
Just as it started to become unbearable, familiar warmth covered his ears again as he slowly opened his eyes and looked up to see Kai.
" Huh...?"
" You okay?" Kai ask
The voices in Aichi's head disappeared after that as he pulled away from Kai's hands.
" ... What are you doing here?" Aichi ask
" You were taking a long time to return." Kai replied
" Oh... Then let's go back..." Aichi said
" You can't fight in that condition. Rest up." Kai said
" No, it doesn't matter... I have to win this elimination round..." Aichi said
" You're in no condition to. You're reaching your limit. If you don't relax, there'll be consequences." Kai said
" ... Why does it matter to you? Leave me alone." Aichi said
" I can't."
" Why? Because I'm just another fellow Shaman to you, that's why you don't care about the others, who are normal humans?" Aichi ask
" ... No, I..."
" Doesn't matter. I just want to get through this day and secure a place for Kamui-kun." Aichi said
" Wait, Aichi." Kai called
Aichi just stood up and started walking away as Kai sighed and took out the pin from his pocket. He then kept it again before walking back to their holding area and sat back down while Aichi started discussing with Misaki about their next match. Thankfully, Aichi had decided to go last so Kai and Misaki managed to win against their opponents. Their last opponents were announced to be Team AL4 before they were released for a lunch break before their final round.
" We'll have to win against the next team to ensure our spot in next week's finals tournament. That way, Kamui-kun will still have the team to return to." Aichi said as he glanced over to the bar counter with a black haired petite boy sitting there, " Then we can win the finals together."
" You talk like that but do you know who you're up against next, Aichi?!" Morikawa exclaimed
" Yeah. Team AL4. Last year's winning team..." Aichi said
" Do you really think you're gonna win?" Izaki ask
" ... Maybe not, but I want to." Aichi said
Now you're making me motivated just a little.
Aichi then glanced over to Kai as he had quickly turned his head away after realizing that he allowed his thoughts free. But then he sighed when he heard another voice in his head.
" Such vulgar thoughts..." Aichi muttered
" Huh?"
Aichi then looked in front as a boy's laughter rang out.
" You guys make me laugh." The boy laughed
" Yeah, really. You... beat us? Seriously?" The woman beside him added
" Your first time here and you think you can win against us, AL4? What nonsense!" The boy continued
" Who knows. We'll know when we fight." Aichi said
" Clam it, weakling!" The boy shouted
" Why, you!" Morikawa exclaimed, standing up
" It's okay, Morikawa-kun. Sit back down." Aichi said
Huh... So he really isn't here.
" Is it about the person that Tetsu-san mentioned before...?" Aichi thought
" I'll be waiting in the holding room later. I have some business to attend to. Save your breath for the fight." Aichi said
Aichi stood up to leave as the members of AL4 continued to tease and offend the others.
Pathetic losers!
At that, he stopped walking and breathed out.
" Hey, I don't mind if you called me names or whatever. But leave my friends alone." Aichi said
He continued walking away and entered the toilet to wash his face to calm himself down. He looked up into the mirror and saw the boy in kimono behind him.
" It's pretty rude to stare at someone behind them." Aichi said
" No one can see me anyway, and neither is anyone inside here." The boy said
" You did the same thing back at the park, disappearing when Kai-kun appeared. Just who are you?" Aichi ask
" Hm... Good question. I guess I'm someone with vast knowledge. I know everything, your power and potential." The boy said
" Potential? I don't understand." Aichi said
" This power of yours will never leave you. I'm sure you know that. But it'll be useful to you once you gain full control of it. You won't need to listen to thoughts that you don't want to listen to and you can summon powerful Onis to aid you." The boy said
" You're telling me to become a Shaman." Aichi confirmed
" That's right. But I promised your Mother to not say anything more, so I'll let you take over from here on. Whether you want to accept my suggestion or not will depend on you. But I should warn you to make it quick, lest you lose control over yourself." The boy warned
He then disappeared as Aichi sighed and dried his face with paper towels before heading to their holding room. Soon after, Misaki, Shin and Kai entered the room as they decided to go with the same strategy where Kai went first to secure a win before Misaki goes up with Aichi going on last. However, despite managing to clinch a win against Kyou Yahagi, the boy that had insulted them, Aichi and Misaki lost their own matches and they were now unable to progress to the next stage.
" In the end... I couldn't secure a place for Kamui-kun..." Aichi thought
To make matters worse, Ren had shown up after the results had been announced and further insulted the entire team while also trying to lure Kai to his team. Kai immediately refused and walked away as Ren came up close to Aichi to take him down further with his venomous words as Aichi sighed a little, taking in the insults and left the stadium.
Over the next week, Aichi had continued to blame himself for the loss, even when Kamui had assured him that it was never his fault and even blamed himself for running away. Watching Aichi's match with Tetsu had helped him to open his eyes to what he'd done wrong and that he should've been with the team when they needed him. He was sitting by the pond with Morikawa and Izaki when they suddenly started to drag him to Card Capital to watch the final match of Team AL4 vs Team Caesar.
" This is the first time I've ever heard of Shadow Paladins and that black Blaster Blade... Ren Suzugamori-san is truly on another level..." Aichi thought
As his eyes steeled, Aichi stood up to request for more training in Vanguard in order to become stronger and with that, Shin took out a poster and declared a Team Q4 Summer Training Camp to begin the next day. Back at home, Aichi announced this to his family as he started packing his baggage to bring to the camp.
" This is the first time he'll ever be going out with friends... I'm so excited!" Shizuka grinned
" Aichi, can I go too?" Emi ask
" Oh, yeah. Manager said that anyone could join us too." Aichi replied
" Yay!"
Emi then rushed up to her room to pack her own baggage as Shizuka giggled. The home phone started ringing as she answered it.
" Hello? ... Why are you calling? I've said it clearly that I want no contact with your family anymore." Shizuka said as she listened to the other line, " ... No, I won't allow it. Didn't you disown my family first? I won't let you hurt him again."
" Mother, is something the matter?" Aichi ask
Shizuka quickly covered the microphone and shook her head.
" No! It's nothing! Go on and continue packing!" Shizuka assured
" ... Okay..."
Shizuka turned back to the call again as she continued listening to the caller, sighing.
" Fine. We'll meet, just this once. But no more than that. I'll arrange a date and time soon. Goodbye." Shizuka said and hung the call
" Mother, may I take some cooking ingredients that we don't need at home for now?" Aichi ask, coming down the stairs
" S-Sure, I'll go get them."
Shizuka hastily walked into the kitchen as Aichi blinked in confusion. A few minutes later, Shizuka laid out some cooking ingredients on the dining table as Aichi packed a few into another bag, thanked Shizuka and left to take a shower. At night after their dinner, Shizuka knocked on Aichi's door as he opened it.
" Mother?"
" May I talk to you for a bit?" Shizuka ask
" Sure..."
Aichi let her into his room as they sat on his bed.
" I won't keep you up for long since you need to wake up early tomorrow, so I'll make this quick. Aichi, I want you to become a Shaman." Shizuka said
" A Shaman? At this point of time?" Aichi ask
" ... I just received a call from your grandfather." Shizuka said
" ... From that call this afternoon?" Aichi ask
" Yeah. He said that a divination arrived and he wants to meet you again." Shizuka said
" I... don't want to have anything to do with him or the others..." Aichi said
" I know. But just this once, and we'll never go there again, okay?" Shizuka ask
" ... Alright. But that doesn't answer why you want me to become a Shaman." Aichi said
" I want you to be able to defend yourself if anything happens one day. You've grown up enough to know how. You've learned quite a bit when I taught you when you were young after all." Shizuka said
" You stopped after I started getting bullied, but yeah, I remember what you taught me." Aichi said
" Good. These spirits are for you." Shizuka said as three spirit balls floated to Aichi, " They were a gift from a certain someone."
" ... Is it... that boy in kimono?" Aichi ask
" Huh?"
" He had this really long hair and his kimono was sort of red." Aichi said
" You've met him?" Shizuka ask
" Yeah, twice. Once in the park, and the other was in the Nationals." Aichi replied
" ... Yes, these spirits were a gift from him. They acknowledge you as their Master so they'll become your Guardian Spirits. Train with them and become stronger, to protect yourself from now on." Shizuka said
" Thank you, Mother."
Shizuka nodded and stood up to open the door.
" I'll leave you for tonight then. Have fun during the training camp." Shizuka said
" I will."
Shizuka closed the door behind her as Aichi looked at the spirit balls in front of him.
" Wow... Such powerful spirits... But why me?" Aichi muttered
For the next hour before he went to bed, he interacted with the spirits and got to know them before falling asleep for the night. The next morning, Aichi and Emi got their baggages and said their goodbyes to Shizuka before setting off to Card Capital.
A few hours later, they arrived at the summer camp as they looked out at the beach stretched out in front of them. Aichi looked at the sea as his eyes started to sparkle a little.
" Your first time seeing this?" Miwa ask
" Uh, y-yeah..."
" It's a good experience, so look forward to it." Miwa grinned
" Okay..."
" Huh? You've never seen the sea or beach before, Brother Aichi?" Kamui ask, overhearing the conversation
" Y-Yeah..."
" Why?"
" Uh, well, I..." Aichi muttered, flustered by the question
" Mind your own business." Kai said
" What did you say?!" Kamui yelled
Aichi sighed silently in relief as Miwa grinned apologetically. That was when he noticed the three spirit balls floating around Aichi.
" ... Aichi? Why are there three spirits?" Miwa ask
" They're my Guardian Spirits." Aichi whispered
" H-Huh? So many of them...?" Miwa whispered
" Yeah. I just got them yesterday but they seem to be quite attached to me already." Aichi whispered
" ... I can tell..."
" I've never seen yours or Kai-kun's Guardian Spirits before though." Aichi whispered
" Ours just like to hide around. Don't mind them, they'll show up when they want to." Miwa whispered
" I see..."
From there, they met Team Caesar and went up to the cottage they were gonna stay in to have a few fights. Aichi got advice from Yuri after a fight with her as he tried to figure out what he could do for his deck to improve, a winning image for it.
" Everyone, let's put the cards away for awhile." Shin said
" We're finally going to the beach, huh?!" Morikawa ask
" No."
Shin brought them to boxes of ingredients laid out on the ground.
" You're all going to make dinner. Dinner made by team effort is delicious!" Shin said
Although everyone had whined about it at first, they all started making dinner. After peeling the potatoes, Aichi started frying the chopped onions and vegetables while the water for the curry boiled. He continued cooking and soon, the curry was prepared. Everyone soon finished eating their dinner, cleaned the dishes and tried to find something else to do. They arrived at the sandy beach and Shin allowed everyone to light up mini fireworks.
" This is... fireworks..." Aichi muttered
He managed a small smile as they played with the fireworks sticks before leaving the beach to take a shower and sleep for the night. The next morning, they had their leftover curry for breakfast and decided to the beach to digest the food. Having not bought a swimsuit before and is easily burnt, Aichi just wore a short-sleeved white hoodie and dark blue shorts. However, when they arrived near the beach, Aichi backed away a little after seeing the crowd at the beach. While the others were already having fun at the beach, Aichi tried to stay as far away as possible. Miwa, who was about to board the yacht with the girls, Shin and Gai, spotted him and dragged him up with them. Shin drove the yacht a little distance from the beach as Aichi watched the view of the beach from there. He was also able to spot Kamui, Morikawa and Izaki doing some sort of Vanguard workout.
" They came to the beach to do that?" Misaki sighed
" Really..."
" But, take a look. Over there, too..." Miwa said, directing his binoculars to Mitsusada and Kai, who were cardfighting under a beach umbrella, " They really don't change..."
" They could've just stayed in the cottage then..." Aichi muttered
After the yacht sailed a little while longer, it was time to return it to the rental shop as they descended from the yacht and moved on to some beach activities. Shin excused himself to get ready for lunch as Aichi stood up to talk to him.
" I have some somen noodles and sauce in my baggage, let me make lunch instead." Aichi said
" Thank you, Aichi-kun. But shouldn't you enjoy the beach too?" Shin ask
" No, I..."
" Since this is your first time in this place, then go and enjoy yourself as much as possible. I'll cook the noodles you brought, don't worry." Shin assured
" Okay... Thank you..."
Shin waved him off as Aichi returned to the beach to prod the sand before scooping some in his hand.
" What are you doing?" Miwa ask
" N-Nothing..."
" Come on, get some splash in the sea. It's pretty hot out." Miwa said
" Oh..."
Miwa led Aichi to the girls in the shallow seawater and went off again to retrieve Kai, who was trying to get another match from Mitsusada.
" Alright, let's stop here for now." Miwa announced
" Miwa?"
" Let's hurry and go! The others are playing in the sea!" Miwa said
" I don't want to." Kai said
" Jeez!" Miwa huffed and cupped his hand over Kai's ear to whisper, " You wanna apologize to him, don't you?! This is your chance!"
A squeak escaped from Aichi's mouth as he was splashed with some cold seawater by Emi.
" Oh, you okay, Aichi?" Emi ask
Aichi grinned a little while wiping the water off his bangs and returned a splash to Emi as she giggled.
" Now you've done it!" Emi exclaimed
As he got another splash, Aichi started giggling softly with a wide smile as Emi and Misaki blinked in surprise.
" This is the first time he smiled or laughed." Misaki said
" Huh?"
" He never made that expression before around everyone." Misaki said
" Huh? Not even once?" Yuri ask
" Not even once. I heard that he barely did that at home too." Misaki replied
" ... I guess it means that he finally feels relaxed enough to do it." Yuri said
" Yeah."
The two siblings continued their splashing about while Miwa still tried to persuade Kai, now pulling him over by the arm.
" Miwa!"
" If you want to make it up to someone, do it at the perfect time and now's a perfect time!" Miwa said
When they heard giggling, they turned to see Aichi having fun in the sea with Emi, a wide and broad smile on his face.
" ... He's smiling..." Miwa said
Kai stopped protesting against Miwa as he also stared at Aichi.
... Cute...
Aichi stopped after hearing the voice as he turned his head around to see Kai as he quickly turned his head away and released his arm from Miwa, hastily brisk walking back to the beach umbrella.
" Aichi?"
" Oh, i-it's nothing..." Aichi replied, a slight pink coloring his cheeks
That was when he realized that he had been laughing and smiling the entire time before he heard Kai's voice.
" I've never felt like this before... So this is 'fun'?" Aichi thought
" Everyone! It's lunchtime!" Shin called, interrupting his thoughts
They returned to their cottage to change and have their lunch as Shin soon pulled out a briefcase containing cards as he handed Aichi a stack of new Royal Paladin cards that he'd never seen before. Thanking Shin, he then made his way to work on his deck as he contemplated on how he could make the deck with the new cards. That was when he heard those voices again, the voices coming from the cards. Before he knew it, he was dragged into a vision and when he was out of it, a new deck was already made. With Yuri as his opponent, they had a quick match to determine whether his new deck was good and it was. Soon, time passed as their summer camp ended and they left to continue training for the next Regionals.
And that's the end of this chapter! Thank you for reading! I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and I'll see everyone in the next chapter!