1. I apologize for the long wait. I was kind of occupied with school and everything, including the release of "Candy Crush." which hopefully will only last three chapters.
2. For the disclamer, see the last four chapters.
3. (Extra Stage Siren is being heard!) For this chapter, and for ONLY this chapter, Betty and Mr. Spanky. will make their only appearance. (Zukin:AHHH!!!)Before you start flaming me, there is a reason why they are here.
When I first though up Project:Konsento, I made a vow to include almost all of the characters in every single DDR Mix. (With the exception of a few that I have not seen pictures of i.e. Mameo, Space Man, Takamo, and Cow-ko. I found U1 and 2MB in the offical DDR 5th Mix PSX website, by the way.)
Likewise, with the release of the DDRPC characters, each character was proving to be a greater challenege to put into the story. When Betty and Mr. Spanky was released, I had to carefully think about where they were going to be placed. So now that they are here, I might as well give them their 10 seconds of infamy.
4. I got part of the fighting scenes to be in sequence with the songs from DDR, so if you want to follow the the fight scene with music, the second fight scene uses the song iNSERTION by Naoki UNDERGROUND. The first you can figure out for yourself.
5. Lastly, I tried hard to make the fight scenes descriptive. That is probably one of the reasons why it took so long to finish. So try to go easy on me, but if you want to, flame me.
Enough Chit-chat. Time to start the Chapter. I'm already behind as it is...
Chapter 6: The Revolution Has Begun!
Stuck between fears, courage, and teetering on the edge of a void that has trouble being filled, I, Zukin Emily, stood on the edge of that road. Mimi was persuading Guy and Valencia to play the song, and I stood scared on the dance floor while the two opened the CD case and…
Wait a second? What the hell am I doing? I am the heroine of this story, am I not?
"Zukin, what are you standing there for? Get that damn CD out!"
"Ok, U1!" After getting a wake up call from Ume, I ran up to the DJ booth and attempted to get to the player. Upon arrival, however, it was too late. The CD was already in. "What were you two thinking?" I yelled to the two
"We had no choice." Guy addressed to me. "You saw her do that with the two bouncers. What were we suppose to do?" He was right, I soon realized.
"Zukin, must you always interrupt in my plans?" Mimi yelled out to me. "It doesn't matter… you are already in position."
"What are you talking about?"
"Try getting the CD out."
I did. Not only was it not working, but it was automatically setting itself for the hidden track… "Wait a second… the DJ booth is…"
"Zukin, we have an update." U1 yelled in the headset. "There is no bomb in the building. It is a hoax."
"Then that must mean…"
I looked directly at Mimi as she opened her mouth with a sinister grin on her face. "Hahahaha…" She then shook her head, extended her arm out to the booth, and as if it was in complete sync with the song, she said the following words…
"Sorry, but I don't like the music around here…"
"Get down!" I threw the two DJ's and I away from the DJ booth just moments before the booth exploded. A hoard of screaming dancers exiting the club soon followed.
Over in the headset, I heard U1 send out the assault team to the club, while I assessed the situation with the two DJ's. "You two ok?"
Valencia was feeling very well and very pissed. "Fuck, this is not what Scotty Dolph meant when he wrote that song!"
"Damn it, Valencia! That is not our problem right now." Guy yelled. "There is a crazy psycho bitch messing up our groove. Now how the hell are we going to get out?"
"You think you can stop the revolution now, Zukin?" Mimi told me in the chaos. "I think we have a fight to finish. I was not so pleased in how you treated me two weeks ago, with the demise of my precious Robbi, and I want retribution."
"Not on your life, Mimi." I yelled to her. "I am not going to let that happen." Jumping out of the booth and its remains, I went back to the dance floor arriving a foot from Mimi's spot on the floor. "You want a fight. I'm ready."
"At last, the great Zukin awakens!" She jovially addressed. "And so has her army."
Looking to the back of me, I see the assault team that U1 sent out guiding the civilians out and locking their rifles on Mimi. "Those guys have nothing to do with this."
Rage, who was until now only observing everything from a distance, spoke up. "Zukin, I'm willing to help you on this one. I figured that with you around, Mimi may show up again, so I've did a little training while I was gone."
"The same here." Spike added, who was also being observant. "I still haven't forgotten what you did to me back at the concert."
Looking around for Emi, Izam, Ni-Na, Yuni and the three girls, I came to the conclusion that they ran out before things got chaotic.
Mimi was ever so pleased at this. "I figured there would be back up, so I have come prepared… Primary force, descend!"
All of the glass panels not broken from Mimi's first decent were broken now, as a troop of black soldiers went down the glass and landed on the dance floor. One of the soldiers had a strange hedonistic face which included red lipstick and a blue Mohawk.
The rest of him was covered in a black trench coat.
"Mimi B. Seliost, what should I do with the loyal minions?"
"Mr. S, take care of the British guy and his friend beside him. All others, attack the assault force. I will handle Ms. Zukin."
"As you command, Mimi."
In a flash, Mimi's soldiers began to attack U1's troops with quickness and agility. Spike and Rage stoically confront Mr. S, and I had Mimi to deal with.
"So how shall we start this?" I told Mimi.
"This. Think fast!" In one rapid moment, she threw a jab directly into my face. I moved a few steps back from the arm to avoid it, but most of the punch came into contact as I stuttered back. When I stood up again, she was in the air, landing yet another swift kick in the chest area and pushing me to the ground.
Regaining myself from the floor, Mimi initiated another kick, which I quickly moved away while propelling myself off from the floor. Once the feet were locked in the floor, Mimi threw yet another punch at me. Seeing an open shot directly at Mimi's face, I charged right into it with a clenched fist. Her right arm was switched from attack to defense as she held off my blow.
The two of us pushed back as we both circled around each other waiting for the next person to strike. I took the call, and went after her with a spinning kick. She took that same kick and stopped my motion. She then threw the leg to the other side, causing me to spin. When I saw her again, she again threw a punch right to my face. I used my available right arm to guide the punch away from my face and out of my way while she fell, not to mention placing a quick elbow to her back.
Noticing that Rage and Spike were having trouble with Mr. S and getting beaten up by him, I went to their aid, only to be stopped by Mimi's hand as she tripped me down to the floor. I shook her hand off and kept hitting it with my foot before I freed it.
Running up to Mr. S, I had a clear shot of his chest. Taking advantage of this, I placed a strong kick right toward his abdomen. However, it seemed to do more damage to my foot as I stepped back while wildly shaking my foot in pain. "Thanks for trying, Zukin." Spike said sarcastically.
"Come on. At least I tried saving your behind instead of…"
Mimi charged right in front of me while I was not looking and placed all of her weight on me, knocking me back to the floor. But this time, the force threw me almost to the wall of the club.
Every time I got knocked down, it was getting harder and harder to get back up, and everyone who was there was either engaged in combat or already heading for the exit. As I got up for a fourth time, Mimi was at a considerable distance from me. Looking up right at me, she extended her arm as if it was reaching out for something. Unfortunately, it was reaching for energy, and as she stood there, a bright glow was coming from her hand… now I was scared.
"I can't believe that you forced me to do this… oh well." A bright force of energy threw out from her hand and was aimed for me, and as the scared person that I was, I covered my face from suffering the blow…
The energy came in contact in my arms, but instead of exploding in front of me, it was deflected right up into the wall behind me. The resulting explosion created a small gaping hole in the club that shook everyone in the club, including U1, who was yelling in my headset like the roar of the ocean wave. "What the hell is going on there?"
"U1, I think this lady is more powerful than we though."
Again, Mimi placed another energy shot directed at me, but I used my arm to attempt another deflection. It worked, as the energy ball went right to a group of Revolution members.
The next three shots were fired in quick succession; the first I sided stepped away from the blast. The second shot zoomed right passed my shoulder and I came into contact with it, pushing me back. The third one was a mixed blessing, as it came in contact with my arm that flew from the last blast. On the plus side, it did hit the back of Mr. S, forcing a knockdown.
When he stood up, everyone began to look with stunned eyes, for you see, the trench coat that Mr. S was wearing was blown off him to reveal this really weird red belt suit that was strapped around his entire body. At least he had on shorts.
"Whoa!" cried Spike, still stunned at the clothes he wore. "What the hell does the S stand for anyway? Mr. Spanky?"
"Yes." His reply made our mouths drop to the ground in complete amazement, and I did not want to continue on with that discussion.
"What does it matter?" said Mimi, standing at the other end of the floor. "Don't you see that this fight is futile? I must admit that you have quite some serious connections when it comes to getting help. Alas, it will not help you in the end."
Standing from the defensive line and Mimi on the offensive, the two of us were in deadlock with each other. "Zukin, I must admit, you have quite a good skill in fighting, and I think I may have just met my rival, but I am not going to sacrifice my life while you have back up. I want to fight you, alone." Mimi said. Immediately, she ran out the back door.
Thinking that the two guys could deal with "Mr. Spanky," I followed her out the main door and right to the back, where I can already hear U1 and her backup forces dealing with Mimi, and it was not pretty.
When I came out to the back, there were 12 people lying on the ground, with U1 being one of them. "Zukin, this woman is awful. Never in my life have I seen someone knock out our forces so fast. You have got to get her."
"I'm on it." Immediately, I followed the path she took, which lead to a fire escape. Climbing the fire escape, I felt the air slowly cool the sweat around me. A part of me, however, felt that it was not a good sign.
As I stood on top of the roof, the surrounding region began to feel silent. Even with the whaling sirens from the police and the fire department marching in, the only thing that I was focused on was Mimi.
Her back was in front of me as she spoke with her attempt to be persuasive. "Zukin Emily, you want to defeat me, but why?"
"What else? The fact that you terrorized me at the concert, the middle of the street and now is a good enough excuse."
"Maybe, but I think there is an ulterior motive. You are only taught what is good and what is bad. What if you are after something that you cannot figure out? Maybe it is that you cannot figure out the power within you." She turned around and faced me. "No ordinary person would have ever blocked those energy shots without some knowledge or training… much like the members of the Oni Revolution…"
"Are you saying that I am an unconscious member?" I told her.
"Perhaps you are a "sleeper" member of the Revolution and you don't even know it. Alas, you have sided with those that say that they are good and I cannot abide by that… I, Mimi Betty Seliost, rarely show anyone this form, but in this case, people like you need to be exterminated."
She took her jack-o-lantern helmet off her head and began to float in the air. In a strange metamorphosis, her entire outfit changed from the Halloween corset she wore into this strange, semi-demonic form with longer gloves, two black horns in her head, and an unusual blue suit that reveals her belly button and a little too much of her legs. It makes me wonder what was going on when she though of dressing up like that.
Looking up at the sky though, I felt a strange negative aura around her. This aura told me only one thing; she wanted me dead, and it was either going to be me or her. "Mimi, this ends now! I have had enough of your games and I want to finish this once and for all."
"I though you would never ask."
Without a moment to rest, I felt the full weight of her foot on my chest. Landing on the ground, she used her other foot to propel herself against me, pushing me back even farther.
When I regained my footing, I did not see her in front of me. Turning around, she surprised me with a barrage of fists to my body, followed by a swift kick that pushed me to the very edge of the building.
Coming very close to me, she picked me up like a rag doll on the verge of ripping apart. "I honestly thought that you would be worth this challenge, but you are turning out to be no more than a waste of my time." She spat at me.
Seeing her body wide open, I used my left leg to attack at that spot, using the right one to add another blow to her once I was freed.
The next attack came from Mimi. As she used her left arm to attack, I used my left to block her, but she took my arm and threw me across the building. Attempting another aerial kick, I quickly side stepped away from Mimi and she missed her target. Noticing another open opportunity, I ran up to her with my right arm, hoping for another hit. She used her left arm to push it aside and connected her right arm with my body, using her right leg to finish the combo.
Lying on the ground, and suffering from a bruised body, my vision of Mimi was beginning to cloud. In those six seconds on the ground though, I saw her body turning the other way. I had another open shot toward her and as before, I took advantage of this. Mimi knew I was going to go in, and in one complete sweeping motion, pushed my fists away, threw her knee into my stomach, and used both her arms to knock my shoulders to the ground.
At that point, I was weakening. My whole body was becoming drained of energy and the sight of Mimi began to weaken. "Zukin, you had your chance." She said standing in front of me, barely hearing her now apologetic voice. "I mean. Why fight us? As we, the members of the Oni Revolution, we stand the hope of freeing society from the shackles of trouble."
Struggling to get a couple of words out, I said to her, "Mimi, why do this? If you want to start a revolution, why resort to violence?"
She then spoke in a manner that almost seemed sympathetic. "Because we know that sooner or later, it will result to this… a sad fate indeed. We are not terrorists. We don't want to be. If fact, we are so willing to face up to our deeds that we show ourselves to the mercy of the poplars. If we were a terrorist organization, would I have shown myself, along with my forces, to this location? Perhaps you may think that we are one, but maybe we are just trying to start change in the world… and maybe you are just in our way."
Holding her left hand beside her heart, she placed her energy into it as it started to glow brightly. "Zukin Emily, in order for us to succeed, you have to die, and I am the executioner, and this is the guillotine."
Throwing her arm at me, the energy accumulated in the arm was thrown out toward me, and I though, for that moment, I would become the real Angel-Zukin… but something awoke inside me again.
It was just like the first encounter with Mimi: uncontrolled and unpredicted. Placing all my energy on my hands, and with only instinct guiding me, I deflected all the energy toward the sky, where it exploded harmlessly. Of course it attracted a lot of attention in the surrounding area, but with this sudden rebirth of life inside me, I did not pay attention to it.
Running up to her in a fury, I threw my left fist directly into her. She blocked as always, attempting a counterattack with her right. I blocked that, using my right knee as the second weapon. That connected into her.
Next, I threw a roundhouse kick, pushing her back even more. The third kick she stepped back as she went for my back. Using my left arm, I flipped her over me and onto the ground. She looked at me and lifted her leg up vertically, hitting my face and stunning me. I stepped back as she propelled herself back up.
Attacking again, Mimi threw her right fist at me toward my head; I ducked and went in low, placing a barrage of fists into her torso.
Hopping back from that position, I went in and placed three short kicks into her chest. I could tell that she was already beginning to weaken as she began to stutter around the rooftop.
Feeling very desperate and scared, she started to throw energy shots at me just to slow my advances, but most of her shots missed me completely, and those that did were deflected back toward her.
Floating up with the energy she has left, she went high into the sky, attempting the same technique that she did during the street incident two weeks ago. Only this time, she disappeared from the sky, reappearing in front of me for an attack. She ended up being too slow, as I landed a punch directly into her stomach.
Mimi's movement began to limp as she went toward the glass ceiling overlooking the club. Taking a look at the club, I saw Rage and Spike fighting with Mr. S. with Mr. S on the verge of collapsing. Judging by the position of the floor, I had a clear shot to finish Mimi and Mr. S once and for all in one blow.
Gathering whatever energy was inside, I charged right into Mimi, threw my fists directly into her, landed an uppercut and used my knee to propel her high into the air and, with one swift kick, landed her through the ceiling and right onto Mr. S., knocking the two out, and ending the threat completely.
It was one in the morning, and as we picked up the remains of the trash and made sure everyone was safe, I went to U1. "Ume, I…"
"Emily, you don't need to say it. The operation was a success, and we have captured Mimi and Mr. S, although it appears that they are going to be in the hospital for quite a while. Whew! What did you do to her anyway? The report from the hospital was how I can say this gently… plentiful."
"That is what I'm worried about." I told her. "The two were products of the Oni Revolution and those witness reports about her throwing energy blasts were real. And yet I was able to counteract all these attacks with the power that was awakening within me, yet I was on the verge of death."
"It seems that every time I'm in a combat situation, once I am about to die, I gain this strange energy flowing through my body. It is as if all of my senses become enhanced and I become this… invincible solder. I wish I knew more about this."
I noticed Rage walk in front of me with Emi and the three girls. "You are all right, Zukin?" Rage asked.
"I'll be fine. How about you?"
"The emergency crew checked me out. All I just have are a few bruises and that's all. I should be better in a few days. How about you?"
"I don't know. Anyone has seen Yuni?"
"Akira took her home once the chaos began." Emi said. "I don't know what is going to happen now in what his dad is going to say."
"I guess we cannot change that… What about Spike?"
"He just suddenly disappeared out of nowhere. Once Mimi smashed through the ceiling and knocked out Mr. Spanky, (I chucked at that point) he just vanished like he was never there."
"Well, I was just asking… you should all go home and get some rest." I told the five.
Then all agreed as they each split to their separate ways. I stood around with U1 as we talked some more. "U1, tell me, I know that you requested my services for only tonight, but I want to ask you… is it possible that I could join your team, as say, a temporary agent?"
She knew what I was talking about. "You want to control your inner power, is that it?"
"Yes."
She sighed by this response. "Well, I don't know if we can help you. For all I know, this power could just be an increase in adrenaline. I would like for you to join, but right now, your judgment is clouded by the scars of battle. For all I know, you just went into battle without proper training, and you could have just died within the first ten seconds of battle. I think you need some rest for the time being. Think about it for the next few days, and when this is all over, contact us. I got a car waiting for you to take you back home. I'll come along with you, just for protection sake."
"Sure."
Mimi Betty Seilost told me that within me lies the power to stop the Oni Revolution. The Oni Revolution is an organization believing in the possibility of a paradise on earth. I know it sounds like a contradiction, but for all I know, it could be possible that the Revolution is just a dream, and that there is someone fueling that same dream to the masses.
It just seems that the way Mimi was talking was almost as if she was suffering inside. She too was also a mystery, wrapping herself in her speeches. What if she knew she was living a potential lie, and she could not escape it?
If I am the one who can stop it, maybe I have to find out what happened in my past. The answers may lie in what I did with Project: Konsento and quite possibly what was going on during the development of 01 and 02.
I did not think about that right now though… I just wanted to go home and sleep… too much has happened tonight, and I just wanted to forget everything and… live a dream.
(P.S. Any Mimi fans, I apologize for that transformation part. Don't worry, she will show up again in future chapters without the kinky suit.)
Next Chapter: The Journey of the Twelve Zukins.
2. For the disclamer, see the last four chapters.
3. (Extra Stage Siren is being heard!) For this chapter, and for ONLY this chapter, Betty and Mr. Spanky. will make their only appearance. (Zukin:AHHH!!!)Before you start flaming me, there is a reason why they are here.
When I first though up Project:Konsento, I made a vow to include almost all of the characters in every single DDR Mix. (With the exception of a few that I have not seen pictures of i.e. Mameo, Space Man, Takamo, and Cow-ko. I found U1 and 2MB in the offical DDR 5th Mix PSX website, by the way.)
Likewise, with the release of the DDRPC characters, each character was proving to be a greater challenege to put into the story. When Betty and Mr. Spanky was released, I had to carefully think about where they were going to be placed. So now that they are here, I might as well give them their 10 seconds of infamy.
4. I got part of the fighting scenes to be in sequence with the songs from DDR, so if you want to follow the the fight scene with music, the second fight scene uses the song iNSERTION by Naoki UNDERGROUND. The first you can figure out for yourself.
5. Lastly, I tried hard to make the fight scenes descriptive. That is probably one of the reasons why it took so long to finish. So try to go easy on me, but if you want to, flame me.
Enough Chit-chat. Time to start the Chapter. I'm already behind as it is...
Chapter 6: The Revolution Has Begun!
Stuck between fears, courage, and teetering on the edge of a void that has trouble being filled, I, Zukin Emily, stood on the edge of that road. Mimi was persuading Guy and Valencia to play the song, and I stood scared on the dance floor while the two opened the CD case and…
Wait a second? What the hell am I doing? I am the heroine of this story, am I not?
"Zukin, what are you standing there for? Get that damn CD out!"
"Ok, U1!" After getting a wake up call from Ume, I ran up to the DJ booth and attempted to get to the player. Upon arrival, however, it was too late. The CD was already in. "What were you two thinking?" I yelled to the two
"We had no choice." Guy addressed to me. "You saw her do that with the two bouncers. What were we suppose to do?" He was right, I soon realized.
"Zukin, must you always interrupt in my plans?" Mimi yelled out to me. "It doesn't matter… you are already in position."
"What are you talking about?"
"Try getting the CD out."
I did. Not only was it not working, but it was automatically setting itself for the hidden track… "Wait a second… the DJ booth is…"
"Zukin, we have an update." U1 yelled in the headset. "There is no bomb in the building. It is a hoax."
"Then that must mean…"
I looked directly at Mimi as she opened her mouth with a sinister grin on her face. "Hahahaha…" She then shook her head, extended her arm out to the booth, and as if it was in complete sync with the song, she said the following words…
"Sorry, but I don't like the music around here…"
"Get down!" I threw the two DJ's and I away from the DJ booth just moments before the booth exploded. A hoard of screaming dancers exiting the club soon followed.
Over in the headset, I heard U1 send out the assault team to the club, while I assessed the situation with the two DJ's. "You two ok?"
Valencia was feeling very well and very pissed. "Fuck, this is not what Scotty Dolph meant when he wrote that song!"
"Damn it, Valencia! That is not our problem right now." Guy yelled. "There is a crazy psycho bitch messing up our groove. Now how the hell are we going to get out?"
"You think you can stop the revolution now, Zukin?" Mimi told me in the chaos. "I think we have a fight to finish. I was not so pleased in how you treated me two weeks ago, with the demise of my precious Robbi, and I want retribution."
"Not on your life, Mimi." I yelled to her. "I am not going to let that happen." Jumping out of the booth and its remains, I went back to the dance floor arriving a foot from Mimi's spot on the floor. "You want a fight. I'm ready."
"At last, the great Zukin awakens!" She jovially addressed. "And so has her army."
Looking to the back of me, I see the assault team that U1 sent out guiding the civilians out and locking their rifles on Mimi. "Those guys have nothing to do with this."
Rage, who was until now only observing everything from a distance, spoke up. "Zukin, I'm willing to help you on this one. I figured that with you around, Mimi may show up again, so I've did a little training while I was gone."
"The same here." Spike added, who was also being observant. "I still haven't forgotten what you did to me back at the concert."
Looking around for Emi, Izam, Ni-Na, Yuni and the three girls, I came to the conclusion that they ran out before things got chaotic.
Mimi was ever so pleased at this. "I figured there would be back up, so I have come prepared… Primary force, descend!"
All of the glass panels not broken from Mimi's first decent were broken now, as a troop of black soldiers went down the glass and landed on the dance floor. One of the soldiers had a strange hedonistic face which included red lipstick and a blue Mohawk.
The rest of him was covered in a black trench coat.
"Mimi B. Seliost, what should I do with the loyal minions?"
"Mr. S, take care of the British guy and his friend beside him. All others, attack the assault force. I will handle Ms. Zukin."
"As you command, Mimi."
In a flash, Mimi's soldiers began to attack U1's troops with quickness and agility. Spike and Rage stoically confront Mr. S, and I had Mimi to deal with.
"So how shall we start this?" I told Mimi.
"This. Think fast!" In one rapid moment, she threw a jab directly into my face. I moved a few steps back from the arm to avoid it, but most of the punch came into contact as I stuttered back. When I stood up again, she was in the air, landing yet another swift kick in the chest area and pushing me to the ground.
Regaining myself from the floor, Mimi initiated another kick, which I quickly moved away while propelling myself off from the floor. Once the feet were locked in the floor, Mimi threw yet another punch at me. Seeing an open shot directly at Mimi's face, I charged right into it with a clenched fist. Her right arm was switched from attack to defense as she held off my blow.
The two of us pushed back as we both circled around each other waiting for the next person to strike. I took the call, and went after her with a spinning kick. She took that same kick and stopped my motion. She then threw the leg to the other side, causing me to spin. When I saw her again, she again threw a punch right to my face. I used my available right arm to guide the punch away from my face and out of my way while she fell, not to mention placing a quick elbow to her back.
Noticing that Rage and Spike were having trouble with Mr. S and getting beaten up by him, I went to their aid, only to be stopped by Mimi's hand as she tripped me down to the floor. I shook her hand off and kept hitting it with my foot before I freed it.
Running up to Mr. S, I had a clear shot of his chest. Taking advantage of this, I placed a strong kick right toward his abdomen. However, it seemed to do more damage to my foot as I stepped back while wildly shaking my foot in pain. "Thanks for trying, Zukin." Spike said sarcastically.
"Come on. At least I tried saving your behind instead of…"
Mimi charged right in front of me while I was not looking and placed all of her weight on me, knocking me back to the floor. But this time, the force threw me almost to the wall of the club.
Every time I got knocked down, it was getting harder and harder to get back up, and everyone who was there was either engaged in combat or already heading for the exit. As I got up for a fourth time, Mimi was at a considerable distance from me. Looking up right at me, she extended her arm as if it was reaching out for something. Unfortunately, it was reaching for energy, and as she stood there, a bright glow was coming from her hand… now I was scared.
"I can't believe that you forced me to do this… oh well." A bright force of energy threw out from her hand and was aimed for me, and as the scared person that I was, I covered my face from suffering the blow…
The energy came in contact in my arms, but instead of exploding in front of me, it was deflected right up into the wall behind me. The resulting explosion created a small gaping hole in the club that shook everyone in the club, including U1, who was yelling in my headset like the roar of the ocean wave. "What the hell is going on there?"
"U1, I think this lady is more powerful than we though."
Again, Mimi placed another energy shot directed at me, but I used my arm to attempt another deflection. It worked, as the energy ball went right to a group of Revolution members.
The next three shots were fired in quick succession; the first I sided stepped away from the blast. The second shot zoomed right passed my shoulder and I came into contact with it, pushing me back. The third one was a mixed blessing, as it came in contact with my arm that flew from the last blast. On the plus side, it did hit the back of Mr. S, forcing a knockdown.
When he stood up, everyone began to look with stunned eyes, for you see, the trench coat that Mr. S was wearing was blown off him to reveal this really weird red belt suit that was strapped around his entire body. At least he had on shorts.
"Whoa!" cried Spike, still stunned at the clothes he wore. "What the hell does the S stand for anyway? Mr. Spanky?"
"Yes." His reply made our mouths drop to the ground in complete amazement, and I did not want to continue on with that discussion.
"What does it matter?" said Mimi, standing at the other end of the floor. "Don't you see that this fight is futile? I must admit that you have quite some serious connections when it comes to getting help. Alas, it will not help you in the end."
Standing from the defensive line and Mimi on the offensive, the two of us were in deadlock with each other. "Zukin, I must admit, you have quite a good skill in fighting, and I think I may have just met my rival, but I am not going to sacrifice my life while you have back up. I want to fight you, alone." Mimi said. Immediately, she ran out the back door.
Thinking that the two guys could deal with "Mr. Spanky," I followed her out the main door and right to the back, where I can already hear U1 and her backup forces dealing with Mimi, and it was not pretty.
When I came out to the back, there were 12 people lying on the ground, with U1 being one of them. "Zukin, this woman is awful. Never in my life have I seen someone knock out our forces so fast. You have got to get her."
"I'm on it." Immediately, I followed the path she took, which lead to a fire escape. Climbing the fire escape, I felt the air slowly cool the sweat around me. A part of me, however, felt that it was not a good sign.
As I stood on top of the roof, the surrounding region began to feel silent. Even with the whaling sirens from the police and the fire department marching in, the only thing that I was focused on was Mimi.
Her back was in front of me as she spoke with her attempt to be persuasive. "Zukin Emily, you want to defeat me, but why?"
"What else? The fact that you terrorized me at the concert, the middle of the street and now is a good enough excuse."
"Maybe, but I think there is an ulterior motive. You are only taught what is good and what is bad. What if you are after something that you cannot figure out? Maybe it is that you cannot figure out the power within you." She turned around and faced me. "No ordinary person would have ever blocked those energy shots without some knowledge or training… much like the members of the Oni Revolution…"
"Are you saying that I am an unconscious member?" I told her.
"Perhaps you are a "sleeper" member of the Revolution and you don't even know it. Alas, you have sided with those that say that they are good and I cannot abide by that… I, Mimi Betty Seliost, rarely show anyone this form, but in this case, people like you need to be exterminated."
She took her jack-o-lantern helmet off her head and began to float in the air. In a strange metamorphosis, her entire outfit changed from the Halloween corset she wore into this strange, semi-demonic form with longer gloves, two black horns in her head, and an unusual blue suit that reveals her belly button and a little too much of her legs. It makes me wonder what was going on when she though of dressing up like that.
Looking up at the sky though, I felt a strange negative aura around her. This aura told me only one thing; she wanted me dead, and it was either going to be me or her. "Mimi, this ends now! I have had enough of your games and I want to finish this once and for all."
"I though you would never ask."
Without a moment to rest, I felt the full weight of her foot on my chest. Landing on the ground, she used her other foot to propel herself against me, pushing me back even farther.
When I regained my footing, I did not see her in front of me. Turning around, she surprised me with a barrage of fists to my body, followed by a swift kick that pushed me to the very edge of the building.
Coming very close to me, she picked me up like a rag doll on the verge of ripping apart. "I honestly thought that you would be worth this challenge, but you are turning out to be no more than a waste of my time." She spat at me.
Seeing her body wide open, I used my left leg to attack at that spot, using the right one to add another blow to her once I was freed.
The next attack came from Mimi. As she used her left arm to attack, I used my left to block her, but she took my arm and threw me across the building. Attempting another aerial kick, I quickly side stepped away from Mimi and she missed her target. Noticing another open opportunity, I ran up to her with my right arm, hoping for another hit. She used her left arm to push it aside and connected her right arm with my body, using her right leg to finish the combo.
Lying on the ground, and suffering from a bruised body, my vision of Mimi was beginning to cloud. In those six seconds on the ground though, I saw her body turning the other way. I had another open shot toward her and as before, I took advantage of this. Mimi knew I was going to go in, and in one complete sweeping motion, pushed my fists away, threw her knee into my stomach, and used both her arms to knock my shoulders to the ground.
At that point, I was weakening. My whole body was becoming drained of energy and the sight of Mimi began to weaken. "Zukin, you had your chance." She said standing in front of me, barely hearing her now apologetic voice. "I mean. Why fight us? As we, the members of the Oni Revolution, we stand the hope of freeing society from the shackles of trouble."
Struggling to get a couple of words out, I said to her, "Mimi, why do this? If you want to start a revolution, why resort to violence?"
She then spoke in a manner that almost seemed sympathetic. "Because we know that sooner or later, it will result to this… a sad fate indeed. We are not terrorists. We don't want to be. If fact, we are so willing to face up to our deeds that we show ourselves to the mercy of the poplars. If we were a terrorist organization, would I have shown myself, along with my forces, to this location? Perhaps you may think that we are one, but maybe we are just trying to start change in the world… and maybe you are just in our way."
Holding her left hand beside her heart, she placed her energy into it as it started to glow brightly. "Zukin Emily, in order for us to succeed, you have to die, and I am the executioner, and this is the guillotine."
Throwing her arm at me, the energy accumulated in the arm was thrown out toward me, and I though, for that moment, I would become the real Angel-Zukin… but something awoke inside me again.
It was just like the first encounter with Mimi: uncontrolled and unpredicted. Placing all my energy on my hands, and with only instinct guiding me, I deflected all the energy toward the sky, where it exploded harmlessly. Of course it attracted a lot of attention in the surrounding area, but with this sudden rebirth of life inside me, I did not pay attention to it.
Running up to her in a fury, I threw my left fist directly into her. She blocked as always, attempting a counterattack with her right. I blocked that, using my right knee as the second weapon. That connected into her.
Next, I threw a roundhouse kick, pushing her back even more. The third kick she stepped back as she went for my back. Using my left arm, I flipped her over me and onto the ground. She looked at me and lifted her leg up vertically, hitting my face and stunning me. I stepped back as she propelled herself back up.
Attacking again, Mimi threw her right fist at me toward my head; I ducked and went in low, placing a barrage of fists into her torso.
Hopping back from that position, I went in and placed three short kicks into her chest. I could tell that she was already beginning to weaken as she began to stutter around the rooftop.
Feeling very desperate and scared, she started to throw energy shots at me just to slow my advances, but most of her shots missed me completely, and those that did were deflected back toward her.
Floating up with the energy she has left, she went high into the sky, attempting the same technique that she did during the street incident two weeks ago. Only this time, she disappeared from the sky, reappearing in front of me for an attack. She ended up being too slow, as I landed a punch directly into her stomach.
Mimi's movement began to limp as she went toward the glass ceiling overlooking the club. Taking a look at the club, I saw Rage and Spike fighting with Mr. S. with Mr. S on the verge of collapsing. Judging by the position of the floor, I had a clear shot to finish Mimi and Mr. S once and for all in one blow.
Gathering whatever energy was inside, I charged right into Mimi, threw my fists directly into her, landed an uppercut and used my knee to propel her high into the air and, with one swift kick, landed her through the ceiling and right onto Mr. S., knocking the two out, and ending the threat completely.
It was one in the morning, and as we picked up the remains of the trash and made sure everyone was safe, I went to U1. "Ume, I…"
"Emily, you don't need to say it. The operation was a success, and we have captured Mimi and Mr. S, although it appears that they are going to be in the hospital for quite a while. Whew! What did you do to her anyway? The report from the hospital was how I can say this gently… plentiful."
"That is what I'm worried about." I told her. "The two were products of the Oni Revolution and those witness reports about her throwing energy blasts were real. And yet I was able to counteract all these attacks with the power that was awakening within me, yet I was on the verge of death."
"It seems that every time I'm in a combat situation, once I am about to die, I gain this strange energy flowing through my body. It is as if all of my senses become enhanced and I become this… invincible solder. I wish I knew more about this."
I noticed Rage walk in front of me with Emi and the three girls. "You are all right, Zukin?" Rage asked.
"I'll be fine. How about you?"
"The emergency crew checked me out. All I just have are a few bruises and that's all. I should be better in a few days. How about you?"
"I don't know. Anyone has seen Yuni?"
"Akira took her home once the chaos began." Emi said. "I don't know what is going to happen now in what his dad is going to say."
"I guess we cannot change that… What about Spike?"
"He just suddenly disappeared out of nowhere. Once Mimi smashed through the ceiling and knocked out Mr. Spanky, (I chucked at that point) he just vanished like he was never there."
"Well, I was just asking… you should all go home and get some rest." I told the five.
Then all agreed as they each split to their separate ways. I stood around with U1 as we talked some more. "U1, tell me, I know that you requested my services for only tonight, but I want to ask you… is it possible that I could join your team, as say, a temporary agent?"
She knew what I was talking about. "You want to control your inner power, is that it?"
"Yes."
She sighed by this response. "Well, I don't know if we can help you. For all I know, this power could just be an increase in adrenaline. I would like for you to join, but right now, your judgment is clouded by the scars of battle. For all I know, you just went into battle without proper training, and you could have just died within the first ten seconds of battle. I think you need some rest for the time being. Think about it for the next few days, and when this is all over, contact us. I got a car waiting for you to take you back home. I'll come along with you, just for protection sake."
"Sure."
Mimi Betty Seilost told me that within me lies the power to stop the Oni Revolution. The Oni Revolution is an organization believing in the possibility of a paradise on earth. I know it sounds like a contradiction, but for all I know, it could be possible that the Revolution is just a dream, and that there is someone fueling that same dream to the masses.
It just seems that the way Mimi was talking was almost as if she was suffering inside. She too was also a mystery, wrapping herself in her speeches. What if she knew she was living a potential lie, and she could not escape it?
If I am the one who can stop it, maybe I have to find out what happened in my past. The answers may lie in what I did with Project: Konsento and quite possibly what was going on during the development of 01 and 02.
I did not think about that right now though… I just wanted to go home and sleep… too much has happened tonight, and I just wanted to forget everything and… live a dream.
(P.S. Any Mimi fans, I apologize for that transformation part. Don't worry, she will show up again in future chapters without the kinky suit.)
Next Chapter: The Journey of the Twelve Zukins.
