Hey, guys! Here is the fifth chapter of Grand World Chronicles! The League test their mettle in a series of trials set up by their commanders. Hope you like it.
Chapter 5 - Tests of Combat: Part One
The Pub, Bel Air Rd, Los Angeles, California
In the first floor office room, Jimbei, Sabo, Yami, Levi, Hange, Erwin and Siegfried gathered to discuss the intel they've been gathering in the past week.
"As we found out, Nemesis already has the first Magical Orb, otherwise the Orb of Necromancy." Siegfried explained.
"That sounds like a letdown." Yami said.
"The Scouts have also gotten reports of our enemies across the world in disguise all over the world." Hange explained, revealing photos of Gecko Moriah and Bartholomew Kuma in Switzerland; the Third Eye in Sydney; Reiner Braun and Berthdolt Hoover along with a large black wolf in Russia; and Estelle and Lucas in the Bahamas.
"I can't believe that Nemesis is capable of such power to bring our enemies back to life." Sabo explained.
"Not exactly. Our sources believe Nemesis is only able to create real illusions of them once he's had eyes on them." Hange explained.
"Which means he's been traveling to our respective worlds for a very long time to find the individuals best suited for his army." Hange continued.
"What's more is that these copies appear to be physical with all their abilities and old memories intact." Hange finished.
"In other words, we're facing the toughest enemies from our pasts with the fear of them being a little stronger." Erwin explained.
"We also have to deal with the reduced power our young friends have. Luckily, Nemesis and his forces will be in the same boat." Jimbei explained.
"Let's hope we have something in mind to handle this." Levi said.
Jimbei, Sabo, Yami and Hange were in deep thought. But Erwin and Siegfried already have a plan in mind.
"There might be a way." Siegfried said.
XXX
Outside near the backyard basketball court, Aomine did a Formless Shot behind the backboard that easily made a score.
A team comprised of him, Kuroko and Eren were playing against Kagami, Kise and Murasakibara with the score being 10-10. The basketball 3-on-3 practice match is to reach 12 points to for the winner. It was Aomine's idea to give Eren something to do besides his Scout duties and thought basketball would be a good idea.
Watching from the sidelines were Luffy, Nami, Asta, Noelle, Mikasa, Momoi, Akashi, Midorima, Blizzard, Aika and Kumi.
"Aomine's so awesome! He just did some kind of limbo and made a shot from behind!" Asta hollered.
"He's unpredictable at best. That why he's the ace of the Generation of Miracles." Midorima explained, with his "lucky item" being a good luck clover charm held in his right palm.
"Only two more points for the winner to be declared." Momoi explained.
"Alright, boys. Let's win this." Aomine said, getting into a huddle with Eren and Kuroko.
"Yeah. But I really haven't done that much." Eren said.
"Wha? I'd say you did a damn good job as a point guard." Aomine commented.
"Heck, your stubbornness makes you an excellent point guard." Aomine continued.
Eren chuckled.
"Then let's take'em by surprise." Kuroko said.
Aomine and Eren nodded in agreement as the trio, now with the ball, prepared themselves to make this next score to win.
Kagami, Kise and Murasakibara stood their ground to not let them score.
"I'll take Aomine-cchi." Kise said.
"Like hell, I got him and you get Eren." Kagami said.
"Uh, not to brag but you don't have a winning record against him." Kise explained.
Kagami growled.
"Can you two shut up? Those three are coming." Murasakibara said, feeling bored.
Kagami and Kise turned to see Eren and Aomine charging, with Aomine dribbling the ball.
Kagami began to guard Aomine while Kise was able to maintain a tight guard on Eren. Aomine managed to use his streetball skills to drive past Kagami and head for the goal. But Murasakibara stood in his way.
Aomine came to a quick stop and passed the ball from behind, which gave Kuroko the opportunity to appear out of nowhere and perform a Phantom Shot before Murasakibara could react.
The ball was going in and unfortanetly missed, but that was actually all part of the plan.
Eren managed to split from Kise and gave chase to the ball. Kise attempted to stop him, but Aomine did a screen to block Kise.
"Get it in there!" Aomine hollered.
Without hesitation and feeling a little bit of pressure, Eren managed to grab the ball and did a layup that managed to get the ball in despite Kagami and Murasakibara attempted to stop the ball.
Momoi blew the whistle as Kuroko's team won the practice match; the score 12-10.
"Hell yeah!" Aomine and Eren hollered in unison.
Kuroko smiled.
Mikasa quickly bolted to Eren, which quickly made Murasakibara get out of the way. But Kagami wasn't so lucky as she accidentally sent him crashing to the ground.
"Eren! That was close! You could've been hurt!" Mikasa hollered, getting the "wrong idea".
"W-What do you mean?! I fought Titans before! So tall guys don't intimidate me!" Eren exclaimed.
"You did nearly got blocked if it weren't for Kuroko." Akashi commented.
"Hey! It was my plan!" Aomine hollered.
"And what plan would you allow Eren to try to go up for a layup if Murasakibara blocked him?" Nami asked, raising an eyebrow.
Aomine couldn't think of an answer, while Kuroko wasn't even questioned since Luffy, Aika, Asta and Momoi were too busy congratulating him.
"You don't have to worry, Mikasa. I managed to pull a layup off." Eren explained, trying to reassure Mikasa.
Mikasa sighed while her cheeks were getting a little pink.
"Get a room, lovebirds." Murasakibara said, making Eren and Mikasa blush hard.
"You try minding your own business, Murasakibara." Akashi said.
Murasakibara easily nodded and didn't argue back.
A portal opened, revealing Finral's head which made Luffy, Aika, Kumi, Blizzard, Eren, Mikasa, Momoi, Kagami (who managed to get up) and Kise jump.
"Excuse me… but we're ordered to meet in the Battle Simulator in a few minutes." Finral explained.
XXX
The League gathered at the Battle Simulator down in the basement to prepare for their training.
Aika, Kumi, Vivi and Karoo headed to the waiting room and watch all the action on the big screen TV alongside Lucky, Koala, Hange and Erwin.
"Wonder what we were called here for?" Zora asked.
"Well, we were called here to help us prepare for the battles to come." Robin replied.
"Okay, everyone. The first test you must pass…" Hange explained, over the microphone.
The Battle Simulator changed the arena to an American forest, where holograms of almost 10-11 foot leopards, buffalos, crocodiles, spiders and vultures with levels of high aggression and bloodlust, appeared in front of them.
"Hold your own against these gigantic creatures for at least 2 hours!" Hange hollered.
Nami, Noelle, Momoi, Usopp, Chopper, Brook, Finral, Vanessa, Charmy, Mimosa, Armin, Jean, Conny, Sasha, Kise and Takao screamed in fright.
"THIS IS SERIOUS OVERKILL!" Magna and Aomine exclaimed in unison.
"THIS IS AWESOME!" Luffy shouted, showing star-shaped eyes.
"I'm so excited to fight these things!" Luck hollered, getting ready to fight.
"Fine with me. I wanted to test out the new ODM Gear Franky and Usopp were working on." Eren explained, revealing a new version of the Omni-Directional Maneuverability Gear.
"Let's rock, everyone!" Luffy hollered.
XXX
In the waiting room, Aika, Kumi, Vivi, Karoo, Lucky, Koala, Hange and Erwin were watching the battle that just started.
"You can do it, nii-san!" Aika hollered.
"This does seem a little excessive." Vivi said.
"Maybe so. But they'll need this to face whatever comes their way." Erwin explained.
"Because against the impossible, that's when those kids can go beyond their limits." Erwin continued.
"Or so Captain Yami would say." Erwin finished.
"He would say that." Vivi said, having a sweat drop on her forehead.
XXX
Luffy dodged an attack from a giant crocodile by jumping into the air, before delivering a Gum-Gum Battle Axe with him slamming his foot downward on the crocodile's skull extremely hard and crashing to the ground.
Blizzard and Asta joined Luffy's side as he regained his foothold on the ground.
"There's still several enemies left." Asta said.
Everyone else, even the supporting members, were holding their own against the giant fake beasts in a battle of numbers and ingenuity.
"Luffy, there's still an hour and thirty minutes left on the timer." Blizzard explained.
"Then we don't need to hold anything back!" Asta hollered.
"You guys hear that? Let's give this our very best!" Luffy hollered.
"Roger!" The League hollered in unison.
"Gum-Gum Bullet!" Luffy shouted.
"Twister Fang!" Blizzard shouted.
"Bull Thrust!" Asta shouted.
"Survey Slash!" Eren shouted.
"Ignite Strike!" Kuroko shouted.
The Acts of Courage made the first move, overpowering a large leopard and a large spider.
"Thunderbolt Tempo!" Nami shouted.
"Water Magic: Sea Dragon's Waterball!" Noelle shouted.
"Mana Sensory!" Secre shouted, transforming into Nero.
"Neck Slice!" Mikasa shouted.
"Savage Dash!" Spike shouted.
"Fire Blast!" Momoi shouted.
Nami, Noelle, Secre/Nero, Mikasa, Spike and Momoi combined their attacks on two giant buffalos.
"Three Sword Style… Oni Giri!" Zoro shouted.
"Mouton Shot!" Sanji shouted.
"Wind Magic: Towering Tornado!" Yuno shouted.
"Flame Magic: Spiral Flame!" Leopold shouted.
"Power Slash!" Armin shouted.
"Lock-On Shot!" Jean shouted.
"Tiger Blade!" Kagami shouted.
"Swallow Slash!" Akashi shouted.
Zoro, Sanji, Yuno, Leopold, Armin, Jean, Kagami and Akashi teamed up against 2 crocodiles and 2 vultures with great force.
"Special Attack… Green Star: Devil!" Usopp shouted.
"Heavy Gong!" Chopper shouted, transforming into Heavy Point.
"Dos Fleur: Clutch!" Robin shouted.
"Weapons Left!" Franky shouted.
"Aubade Coup Droit!" Brook shouted.
"Flame Magic: Exploding Fireball!" Magna shouted.
"Lightning Magic: Thunder Fiend!" Luck shouted.
"Spatial Magic: Fallen Angel's Wingbeat!" Finral shouted, using it to confuse the larger opponents and giving the others opportunity to attack more.
"Strand Rope!" Vanessa shouted.
"Cotton Creation Magic: Sleeping Sheep Strike!" Charmy shouted.
"Mirror Magic: Reflect Ray!" Gauche shouted.
"Trap Magic, activate!" Zora shouted.
"Plant Magic: Control Magic Grass!" Mimosa shouted, allowing the opponent's attack to backfire.
"Steel Magic: Blazing Spiral Lance!" Klaus shouted.
"Vertical Slash!" Conny shouted.
"Hunter's Shot!" Sasha shouted.
"Golden Fury!" Kise shouted.
"Sky Shot!" Midorima shouted.
"Hawk Thrust!" Takao shouted.
"Panther Slash!" Aomine shouted.
"Thor's Hammer!" Murasakibara shouted.
"Mirage Shot!" Himuro shouted.
"Sword Rain!" Konori shouted.
The rest of the League did a number on the rest of the enemies with great effect.
"Now that's what I call impact!" Magna hollered.
"Well… I didn't do much since I can't do any offensive spells." Finral explained, feeling useless with his current skillset.
"No way, man. I'd say your Magic will come in real handy." Takao commented.
"Thanks, Takao." Finral said.
"Hey, Franky! Usopp! The new ODM Gear is a blast!" Conny hollered.
"Super right, squirt! Took two all-nighters to work on those things with Hange!" Franky hollered, giving a thumbs up.
"Heck, it wasn't that hard with all the mechanics, details and to make them more sturdier and easier to use." Usopp explained.
"And Jean's rocking it with the new guns on his ODM Gear." Sasha commented.
"Guess I'm better suit with guns than with swords." Jean said, looking at his pistols that are far different from the Anti-ODM Gear Kenny Ackerman's squad used.
"Heads up. We're not done yet." Zoro said.
"Then let's get back to work." Luffy said, straightening his signature Straw Hat that is now on his head.
XXX
Once done with the 2 hour battle, the League headed to the waiting room for a breather.
"Damn… that was tough." Sanji said.
"Hange-san probably did that to ensure we put in some effort." Armin said.
"Has an answer everything, huh?" Jean thought.
"Congrats on the first part. But now you've got let's say… 1 hour to review all the notes you've taken in your classes before the 30 minute paper test." Hange explained, showing up in the waiting room.
"WHAT~?!" Luffy, Asta, Eren, Kagami, Magna, Charmy, Conny, Sasha, Kise and Aomine exclaimed in unison.
"ALL OF YOU PIPE DOWN!" Nami snapped, causing Luffy, Asta, Eren, Kagami, Magna, Charmy, Conny, Sasha, Kise and Aomine to relent.
"We can get this done in groups of people best suited to help study." Akashi explained.
"I'm going with Armin!" Sasha hollered, running off with Armin in hand, much to the blond's confusion.
Without warning, everyone gathered the partner's best suited for each person as they all quickly got started on studying for the upcoming test.
XXX
An hour later…
The gang started taking their 30 minute test in the third floor classroom, each member taking a different test based on their own universal knowledge.
Blizzard, Kumi Karoo and Spike were left out since they're animals and the test only required human minds.
Aika was only taking a kindergarten-level test.
"Focus… focus…!" Kagami grumbled, doing his best not to lose concentration.
"This is bad! Luffy's worst enemy!" Usopp thought.
Luffy, while now showing a terrible skill in academics after living up in the mountains most of his life, he didn't waver and wrote down the best he could think of.
"I'm not gonna lose!" Luffy thought.
XXX
After the test 30 minutes later, everyone handed their own tests to Hange.
"Not bad, guys." Hange commented.
"But tomorrow's challenge will be a lot harder than you may think." Hange continued.
"You mean today was just a warm-up?!" Eren, Spike, Nami, Usopp, Chopper, Magna, Gauche, Charmy, Jean, Conny, Sasha, Kagami, Kise, Aomine and Takao thought in unison.
"The next part will be around 10:15 AM tomorrow. Be sure you're all ready." Hange explained, before taking her leave.
Everyone in the room immediately began to ponder what will the next (and probably final part) of the tests will be tomorrow.
Preview Skit:
Magna: Today sure was crazy!
Luck: You getting scared, Magna?
Magna: Like hell!
Luck: Don't worry. I'm sure you're scared when you're acting tough.
Magna: Why you little…
Usopp entered the scene in a frantic state.
Usopp: Guys!
Magna: What's wrong?
Usopp: We've got a HUGE problem!
Magna & Luck read the paper in Usopp's hands, and became very surprised.
Magna: You're kidding me!
Usopp: It's not! WE'RE DOOMED!
Luck: Now I'm very amped up! I want to fight'em now!
Usopp: HOW CRAZY ARE YOU?!
Magna: That's just how he is, Usopp. Just go with it.
Magna: Next time: Chapter 6 - Tests of Combat: Part Two.
Luck: I want to fight right now!
Magna: How 'bout you relax!
Luck: Come and get me!
Luck left the scene.
Magna: Your ass is gonna be burned when I get my hands on you!
Magna left the scene.
Usopp became emotionally exhausted.
Usopp: I don't know whose group is crazier: my crew, or the Black Bulls.
Did you like it? Everyone in the League are well-balanced in offensive and defense, even with Finral and Mimosa being a big part to the team despite lacking offensive spells. Eren also got introduced to basketball and say he's best good as a point guard (in his own way) since his persistence can keep any opponent at bay and buy his teammates time to strike. Now, what does part 2 of these "Tests of Combat" have to offer?