Standard Disclamer Procedure

I, Vincent Voltaire... You know the rest.
Some butt kicking action is here as well.


Chapter 4 – An Awakeing

"Hello, Alice. It seriously has been a while? Has it not?"

Alice looked at Spike, still detained by the guards. Already the stage has been emptied as a result of the chaos started by the lighting system. Suzue was still traumatized by this entire event, standing motionless and silent, Remi and Emi were speechless and scared for their lives. Inoue felt scared, but not as much as the other two, and I was standing there asking myself what is going on. "Spike, why have you come looking for me?" Alice said, demanding a response.

Spike was stunned. "I can't believe it. You don't remember the time you defeated me in Tokyo? The time in which you trashed everyone, including myself; the time in which you rigged the judges to vote for you instead of me?

"Look, Spike, the whole incident with the tournament was not rigged. The events of that incident were just rumors. I swear I did not bribe the judges and…"

"I'm sick of this. Everyone knows that the contest was rigged so that you would easily have that singing career. Deep inside, you have absolutely no singing or dancing talent whatsoever, you tripped out, uncoordinated, doll-like reject."

"WHAT ARE YOU SAYING!?!?" Suzue woke up from her incapacitated state in a fury. Her face, virtually in tears, screamed right in front of Spike. "I cannot believe that you would defame her that way. I know all about last year's tournament, and everything else involving that controversy, and I know one thing that is true; she deserves to win. Yes, I know there are people all across Tokyo that would bash her in a second for the competition, but she really has talent. She isn't a trashy idol singer like…"

"You shut up, you obsessive banshee." Spike yelled out

Suzue stepped back a bit in shock. Alice took the floor. "Ok. What are you going to do now, Spike, after bashing Suzue and causing a mass hysteria in the stadium?"

"What else? Expose you for the fraud that you are." He took out an envelope. "If you look at this document inside here, it proves once and for all that the contest was rigged to your favor. Inside are the confessions of each and every judge being bribed, and I know it was you who did this Alice, and I will make you pay."

"That will not be necessary, Spike!" A mysterious voice was heard from the back of the stage.

"Who said that?" I looked around and I've noticed a girl dressed up like she's some spooky Halloween get up. She had purple pants a black top that looked partially like a corset was attached. On top of that, she had on a jack-o-lantern and a plow with her. "Who are you?" I said to her.

"Who am I you ask? That is an interesting question, considering that I am charmed by the presence of such brilliant people around me. Forgive me if I switch the first and last names around, but let me take a look at everyone: Scott G. Parke, alias Spike, British dance club owner and runner-up of last year's Becamite championship Alice Ip, regional superstar and winner of said championship; Suzue Monotami, the winner of the singing contest; Toshiba Emi, daughter of the Konsento technician Yuriko Emi; and Emily Zukin…" She looked at me with a much focused eye. "A lot of people know a lot about you Zukin, more than you even know."

"What do you want?"

"The name is Mimi Seilost, and I am your replacement, Zukin. The princess told me all about you, and you declined to join the revolution."

"Declined? She never even gave me the offer."

"What is going on? This is my turn to shine!" Spike spoke out to Mimi. "We had a deal. You were not to interfere with my plans."

"We had no deal. We only hired you so that we could evaluate the singing potential of Alice Ip. Anything else you had planned is none of our concern."

"Screw you! I'm going to finish this." Spike charged at Alice, but was pushed aside by a scarecrow that just appeared out of nowhere. "Who the…?"

"Mimi, what do you want me to do?" The scarecrow replied.

"Leave him alone. We got what we came for." She took out a tape that was attached to one of the speakers. "Robbi, smoke the field."

"Wait, what do you know about me?" I screamed out to Mimi.

"You'll find soon enough, when the Oni revolution begins."

Robbi let out an intense puff of smoke that encased the entire stadium, clouding out eyesight. I kept calling out for Emi and the rest of the group, but visually I could not see anything.

When the smoke cleared, I saw Alice, Emi, Suzue, Inoue, Remi, and everyone else that was in the stage originally. However, Spike disappeared and so did Mimi.




About a few days later, most people in the city forgot what happened, and everyone was living their lives again. This was due in part because investigators concluded it was a mechanical malfunction, and not someone who rigged the set up. I was still working in the shop, and the three girls are still alive… except for Suzue. The entire incident not only exhausted her, but now she has never been able to feel happy. Every time I see her come into work, all she just does is stand inside the storage room and sit down. In an entire day, she would have logged more time standing in the back room than Inoue.

Inoue hasn't been feeling the same either. The time out didn't make her feel less depressed than before. Even after all the excitement that we went through, she was still Inoue the depressed.

The constant depression of the two girls has made Remi, the innocent flower girl, start withering. (Pun intended, of course.) And because of this, I felt lousy too, so much that I could not stand feeling this way anymore.



Emi and Yuriko walked in to the shop one day and went up to the counter where I was standing "Emily, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, Yuriko." I told her.

"When exactly did we meet again?"

"It was September 30. Why?"

Remi and Suzue got the signal, but not Inoue. Emi, Yuriko, and I went to the back room. About a few minutes later, we summoned Inoue to come in. "Inoue, can you come here? We have an issue to discuss about last weeks income." She followed in, unsuspecting what we were going to plan.

She walked into the back room. "What is it, Emily?" Emi went to the door and locked it. Inoue turned around. "What is going on here?" She was on the defensive, as her body became tight and she clenched her fists.

"Inoue, can we talk among sisters?" I told her.

"I don't understand what is going on."

"I do, Inoue, and it has me concerned. I've noticed that, among all of us, you have been depressed more times than I can count. I see you wandering around the back room feeling this way, and I'm just asking as your friend. Is there something wrong with you? I mean, seriously, I need to know."

"I have to agree with Emily on this one." Emi said. "When I saw you at the concert, you were just standing there, without feeling one bit excited. Hell, you didn't react when Suzue collided with the Alice poster."

"I feel fine, just blue."

"Why Inoue? Can we know?" Emi said.

Suzue realized that she would not be able to get out of this situation. She slowly sat down. "It's my parents. Ever since they got a divorce, I just never felt the same. I'll be honest, I have been depressed, but I was never this way at all. I used to be just like Remi, having a jovial face and a happy disposition, but after the divorce, well... it's been hard for me to have a nice face on. In reality, I just feel like I'm alone."

"Emi, Yuriko, and Emily, I want all of you to take a look at yourselves, and see where the four of you have been throughout your entire lives. You probably have good relationships with everyone and you care about each other. I did feel that way, but that was before they broke up." She got up and wandered around the room. "Emily, do you have a good father?"

"I believe so. My dad Haru did treat me well, but what does your father have anything to do with this? Did anything happen to your father?"

"…It's not that. I just… when my parents broke up after so many years of marriage, I felt like I was the one suffering. I did something wrong to upset them. In fact, the truth is that I didn't do anything wrong. I… just wish they didn't separate." She broke down in tears. Yuriko comforted her while I got the tissues. She continued on with her story. "I just wished that they would stay together."

"How long have you felt this feeling for?" I told her.

"One year."

This surprised us all. "You've been depressed for one year?"

"Not really. These feelings of depression and happiness come and go as they please, but it still doesn't change anything. They have been gone for one year, and now I can't do anything…" She cried some more. "It's like I'm living a curse. I just want to be happy again…"She was whining at this point, which I addressed quickly. "You are here now. The divorce is over and you are here with us."

"Where are you staying now, Inoue?" Yuriko said.

"With my grandparents. I plan to have my own place soon."

I realized that I had a spare room in my place that I hardly use. "Inoue, if you want, you can room with me."

"You're sure, Emily?" Yuriko said, feeling concerned.

"It's ok, Emily." Inoue said. "I appreciate it, but for now I'll stay where I am. She stood up. "Thank you for helping me. I just felt like no one would understand me after so long, but I must ask you something."

"Go ahead."

"What about Suzue? She's been feeling upset over the concert."

"I'll have to settle that somehow. The reason I went up to you is because you've been the depressed the longest."

Emi checked her watch and addressed everyone in the room. "I got to get going. I have to pick up a bouquet at the flower shop downtown."

Yuriko stood up. "Is it that place where the "hippy" couple hangs out?"

"Uh… no."

Emi was not able to hide it from Yuriko. "You know what happens every time you go there! Your boyfriend dislikes that Izam fellow."

"I know, but this is the only place where the florist doesn't give me a cheap look."
"Ok. I'm not responsible if anything happens."

I wanted to know what was going on. "Yuriko, who is this Izam fellow?"

"Oh, his name is Izam. No one knows his real name, but last year, Emi's boyfriend Rage got in a quarrel over who could dance better. Apparently, he blames Izam for causing Emi to break her foot."

"I still think it was because I tripped... and isn't the reason they hate each other is because of something else?" Emi interrupted.

"I really don't know. For me, it doesn't matter. Every time Izam sees Rage, they start fighting like its no tomorrow."

"Well I'm going." Emi said as she was leaving the store.

I got to her before she left. "You know, maybe I should join you Emi. Who knows what's going to happen?" I told her.

"Ok." She said feeling a bit disgruntled.

I left Yuriko and the remaining girls behind, and went with Emi to this flower shop of trouble.




After arriving at the florist shop, which took about ten minutes on foot, I saw a black van parked near the florist. Inside I saw a familiar face. It was Akira, still dressed up in his tuxedo get up. I can not blame him. He is the bodyguard of Yuni Berth. "Hi, Akira. What are you doing here?"

"You know him?" Emi said.

"It's a long story."

"What are you doing here?" Akira replied.

"I have to pick up flowers for a big festival that the Berth's are holding."

"Really?" I told him.

"Is Yuni with you?" Emi added.

"Yuni? You mentioned her at the concert, right?" I told Emi

"Well, yes."

"Of course!" Akira said. "She insisted that she get out of the mansion, so she went with me. I think she's right behind me."

Walking behind Akira was this girl dressed in a typical Japanese school uniform. She had on a black shirt with the neck area white with a red border. Attached in the middle was a yellow bow. The bottom half was a plaid yellow and she had on black socks with tan shoes. Also she had a set of pigtails hanging down and…

Wait a second! With a simple color change and a restyling of her pigtails, she could just pass off as the Bishojo Senshi Sailor Moon. (That's "Pretty Soldier" for the Japanese illiterate.) "She's Yuni?" I told Emi.

"Yes. Did you think she was Tsukino Usagi?"

"No." I was definitely lying. I really though she looked like her.

Actually, I think I've seen too much anime to make such a quick conclusion.

I see Yuni, holding a potato chip bag, and munching on the chips inside. "Oh, these are good." She replied. "You can't find these anywhere." She noticed Emi and me beside Akira. "Emi! I didn't expect you to be here." She tossed the bag to a nearby trashcan.

"I know. I was able to get Rage off my back for once. He's been pestering me to train him for practice. I don't know if I can keep going on like this. I know the competition is in two weeks, but he just keeps pushing me to train. I swear I'm going to give him a one-two if I don't get some relaxation."

"I swear that guy has to relax." Yuni noticed me beside Emi. "Who's your friend?"

I told her my name, not to mention that I knew Akira.

"Oh. Well anyway, I'm going back to the store. You wanna come?"

"Sure." Emi and I said.

We came inside the florist. Looking around I did not find anything out of the ordinary, except for the way the girl at the counter was dressed. She was dressed up almost like a "hippie," with the sandals, bracelets, blue shirt that went down to her waist, and bandana around her head. "Hello, Emi. You came to pick up the flowers, right."

"Right." The florist noticed me. "Do you need any help?"

"No, I'm just with her." I point at Emi. The counter lady nodded as she went in the back.

Without paying attention, a guy dressed up in a red t-shirt with a rainbow style on the top walked in. He also had on a pair of kakis. "Say, is Ni-Na here?" he said, pointing his direction at me.

I looked at him. "I don't know who this Ni-Na is."

He noticed his mistake. "Oh, sorry. My bad."

The counter lady came back with the bouquet and noticed the guy. "Izam, what are you doing here?"

"I just thought I could visit you Ni-Na and… EMI!" She noticed her.

"Hi, Izam." She said quietly

"What are you doing here? Don't you know how much I hate Rage?"

"You hate Rage?!" I said. "But I thought it was the exact opposite. I thought Rage hated you for breaking Emi's foot."

"Breaking Emi's foot? I hate Rage for placing oil in my shoes and twisting my leg, during a dance off competition."

Now I was confused. First I though Rage hated him for breaking Emi's leg and now Izam hate Rage for twisting his leg. Or was it Emi's leg that broke…"Could someone please tell me what is going on around here?" I screamed out of frustration.

Yuni stormed inside in a flush of speed. "Emi, get everything and get out now! I noticed Rage coming, and he seems disgruntled."

With all of us going outside, I saw Rage coming running up the street to where we are. "Oh, great." Izam said. "Now that you showed up Emi, I have to deal with Rage going after me."

"Well, why did you show up, Izam-chan?" He felt really annoyed at Emi calling him that.

"Emi, of all the places that I would find you. I would never expect it to be here." Said Rage, wearing the same clothing I saw before. "Can you tell me why you are in Ni-Na's shop when Izam always hangs out there?

"Hello, Rage." Izam said. "It's funny you walked over here, seeing that you are not really all that welcomed around this part of the city."

"Shut up. I have my own reasons for coming here. If it wasn't for Emi, I wouldn't be here."

"You want to fight?"

"Bring it on, Izam."

I had to place a stop to this. Charging in front, I split the two before anyone threw a punch. "Hold it you two! I know you each hate each other for reasons involving broken appendences. (I don't know where that came from.) But there has got to be an easier way to resolve this conflict. I mean, come on, why you keep fight over something that lasted, what three years ago…?"

"Actually," Rage said. "That's not why were brawling."

"Oh…, then… why are you fighting?"

"Because of a practice competition about 4 months ago." Izam said.

I suddenly dropped down to the ground. I got so confused from what everyone was saying that I just physically collapsed. After getting myself back up, I spoke to the two. "O.K. I want to know anything and everything as to what is going on here. Emi, you said that you broke your foot in the Becamite prelims three years ago, correct?" She nodded. "But your mom said that was why Rage and Emi are fighting."

"My mom got that wrong. This fight has something to do with a different competition. Izam was telling the truth about the oil incident."

I looked at Izam, still poised and ready to attack Rage. "Yeah, he tricked my shoes by placing an oily substance on it. It was four months ago. Ni-Na and I were facing off against those two in a friendly competition. Before we were to go on, I changed my shoes, since I have these special lucky shoes that I dance with. When I went back to the stage, I slipped and twisted my leg five seconds into the song. As I looked back, I saw a bottle of oil on his right side, so I told myself that he was responsible.

"So, you assume that Rage rigged your downfall."

"Yes, and the issue with the Becamite tournament has nothing to do with this."

I turned back at Emi. "Then, how did you break your leg, Emi?"

"Well, that's a different story, but I don't think we have time to reminisce about the past. Right now, we have a fight to settle."

"If I may interrupt?" Yuni said, standing at the "I think I have a solution to both your problems." She took out some cd's from the van she rode in. "You see, you're both dancers, and you play pretty well, so why don't you dance for it?"

The two looked at each other, and then nodded. "Ok."

"I'll be judging. Akira, will you join?"

"Sure." He said without caring much.

"OK." I added. "I'll also act as judge, but which CD are we choosing?"

"Let's see." Yuni took out a bunch of CD's that were around the van. I asked her where she got all those CD's. She told me it was all Akira's. "O.K. Let's see: Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in C minor, Captain Jack, Aurora, BeForYou, Naoki Madea Platinum, Reven-G…"

"The Reven-G CD." Izam said.

Yuni took the CD out and placed it in a boom box that Ni-Na got out. "Ok. I'll just choose anything at random, and you have to dance to it, ready?"

The two nodded.

Without looking, Yuni messed around with the tracks, changing from one sort to another before Ni-Na told her that there was a "random selection" button, which she conveniently pressed.

The boom box started to play this tribal music that I have heard a while back ago. It was something that you would find if you were somewhere in Africa, but with a modern beat to it. "Afronova?" Izam said. "This I can do."

"We'll see." Rage said as he began to move.

"Begin." Yuni cried out, as the two began to, well… dance.

Rage started by moving his arms and feet in a rhythmic fashion. At one point he has his hand pointing down and steps back while slowly moving the hand up to his chest. Izam was moving his arms in a circular motion around his head and around his body, kind of like hula dancers.

About midway into the song, where the vocals are starting to chant, Rage grabbed one leg, pushed it away, spun around to the ground and pushed off the floor back up. Izam saw this and tried the same thing, only upon landing, pushing the floor up with his legs. "Impressive." I told the two.

"That is nothing." Rage told me. "Watch this." Rage jumped up into the air, prepared to perform a move.

Then the music stopped… abruptly.

Rage landed back on the ground. "Hey, what happened to the music?"

Yuni checked the boom box and found a bullet hole. We all looked around, but we did not see the shooter. All I saw was a mysterious girl standing on the roof of the florist that had a familiar Jack-o-Lantern on her head. "Mimi," I called out. "You did this didn't you?"

Everyone turned their attention to Mimi, Emi recognized her. "Mimi's back?"

"Mimi, what are you doing back here?" I told her.

"She casually smiled at me. "What? You don't think I want to toy with you?"

"This toying with me has gone far enough. I want to know exactly everything."

"Come on Emily, I've come to tell all that you want to know."

Finally! I was about to get some real answers. "All right then. Start explaining. What is the real purpose behind the Oni Revolution?"

Mimi started laughing. "The Oni Revolution? It's our freedom. Everyone will join the revolution, and there is no way to stop it. The world will be unified under one name, one group, and from this group, the world will finally be free."

"But what you are doing is recruiting zombies for your own evil scheme." Akira cried out. "This Oni Revolution is merely a cult trying to take over the world."

"Not really, all we are just doing is showing the world how painful life is, and giving it a second chance."

"Yes, Mimi." The familiar scarecrow that I saw in the concert reappeared. "Look at all the suffering in the world. Everyone in this world is trying to survive and live out their entire lives, and yet there are those that don't want to. Or those that cannot. Those few that cannot want to liberate themselves from the shackles of society. This is our mission. To free those same souls in a everlasting peace."

"I don't think you are." Said Emi. "Trying to blow out the speakers and set fire to Alice's stage is no way to start this Revolution."

"Why don't you prove it? Robbi, set me down."

"Right." The scarecrow grabbed Mimi and glided from the rooftop down to the ground. "Come right after me, and prove it to me face to face."

Emi went up to Mimi with a fist in her hand, but Mimi pushed the hand aside and went under her, hitting in the stomach and incapacitating Emi. "You…"

"Emi!" Rage went after Mimi, but blocked his shot, lifted him up, and threw him aside.

"Who is this woman?!" Akira said, trying to fire shots out of his gun. All of them were blocked by an energy field that, by the way he positioned his hand, were generated by the scarecrow.

"Child's play." Mimi said, merely looking at the two on the ground. "I have no interests for either of you. My interest is with the cosplayer."

This woman wants to face me?

"Emily Zukin, step forward! I want to fight you."

What was I to do? I had this psycho lady and her scarecrow friend block attacks from both Rage and Emi, resisted bullet shots from Akira's gun, and caused a pandemonium in Alice's concert, and all because of this revolution that I am in the center of that I don't even know about.

What's more is that, just by noticing the way she dealt with Emi and Rage, I was at a sore disadvantage. If I was to face up with her, who knows what abilities this girl has.

"Why do you want to fight me?"

"I am the one making the decisions here. You defeat me, and then I'll give you the answers."

Seeing that no one could possibly defend me, I had to fight. "All right then, but when this is done, I want to know the truth behind Oni."

"Very well. Haaaaaaa!!!" She literally flew in; head first, into my torso, propelling me back a few feet and to the ground. I opened my eyes upon landing, seeing Mimi up in the sky. She went down, feet first, attempting to land another shot, but I pushed aside, missing her landing.

With the limited martial arts training I got as a kid, I jumped out of the ground and blocked one of Mimi's shots. She continued to attack me while I was on the defensive, trying to both run away and at the same time defeat her.

"Come on Emily. This is not what I expected from you." She taunted as she fought on trying to land a shot at me.

"What did you expect? I'm no fighter and I'll never wanted to be. What's the reason for…"

Without looking, Mimi landed a swift kick to my side, slamming me to the ground again "Why are you doing this Mimi? Why am I so important to you and the revolution?"

She grabbed me at my shirt and lifted me up from the ground. "Don't you see, Zukin?" She said right in front of my face. "You created the Konsentos from the very beginning."

"What?"

"You brought out the first steps of the revolution the day you created Konsento:01. When you showed us the design for the robot, we knew then that we had the ultimate plan to change the world. Everything that you created started right from you."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes." She threw me down and walked back to the scarecrow. "Why do you think we are after you? Only you know the secret behind stopping the revolution, and you don't even know what it is, Emily."

"The secret? What are you talking about?"

"The one thing that can stop the revolution is within your grasp. Why do you think that the Alice concert was rigged to explode? Did you really think that we just wanted Alice's singing?"

I couldn't believe it. They knew I was going to the concert, and they planned the entire event from the start. "You did that on purpose?" I said. "I can't believe it."

"Believe it, Emily, and to think I could just finish you off right here." She stopped walking halfway and turned around. "You know, I think I shall!" She flew back again in a charged fury to finish me off once and for all.

Then she stopped in mid air.

I looked around, but there was nothing protecting me. To be more precise, there was nothing around me that could have been a useful shield. It was hard to describe at the time, but it felt like there was some energy preventing Mimi from striking.

"What… is… this… power….?"

I didn't know what was going on, but I knew one thing; this energy had to be coming from inside me. Never have I seen this anything like this before, and I didn't have an understanding as to why this is happening to me either. With one push, I threw Mimi all the way back to where the scarecrow was.

Sirens were starting to wail from down the street. "The police! We've got to run, Mimi." The scarecrow replied.

"Not if I can help it." Izam went behind the scarecrow and pinned him down to the ground

'Mimi! Help me." Mimi didn't pay attention. She was more interested helping herself get away from the cops.




As soon as the cops arrived and Mimi disappeared, Akira, Yuni, Rage, Emi, Izam, Ni-Na, and I confronted the now-restrained scarecrow.

"All right you freak, what is going on here?" Izam yelled out to the scarecrow. "What is going on for trying to instigate a riot here?"

The scarecrow stood motionless.

"Tell us!"

"Emily must be stopped, before the revolution…" The scarecrow collapsed, as if it lost all energy. Izam checked around the body to find out something interesting. "This person isn't real." He ripped open the head. "This thing's a robot, all metal and fake."

Upon further inspection, he sees a digital counter on the back of his head that is counting down from 15. "Wait a second! This robot has a bomb! Everyone get out of the way." Izam dropped the head and ran with the rest of us as far way as possible before the scarecrow exploded.

"Izam, you ok?"

"I think so." He said, feeling much shaken.

A lot of things have happened in this one day alone. I may have found out why Inoue was so depressed, but now I realize that The Oni Revolution wants me dead. I never realized why would they want that, but today, I think I can draw something out.

I have begun to ask a lot of questions already. The two most important questions in my mind are what happened when I faced Mimi, and more importantly… why…



Emily has just gotten her rude awakeing, but was it really her that emitted the force blocking Mimi's attack? Next Chapter, we go to the Asian Qualifier, where all the dancers are going to see if they can make it to New York.