Chapter 5: Secrets in the Darkness...
YAY!!! I FINALLY UPDATED!!! Thx to Umeko Saito (thx for adding me onto your fav. Stories list), sponge-almighty (OO;)(that's one WEIRD name, but then again, mine's also weird! LOL), Little Rabbit, DayDreamer9, Inudog (thx anonymous person ), Jamfase (hope ur still reading my chaps!), Serena Tsunami winks, and Sana Jisushi (my 2nd signed reviewer!), and crovaxtheburnt (another anonymous user)
THANK U, THANK U, THANK U!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (-)
NOTE 1: Regarding the Layer Scanner, I made it so that it created the clothes, because I wanted the story to be somewhat far after the manga and show. Thus, I tried to make it so that Angelic Layer became such a big hit that the products evolved. (Look at the episode when Ichirou and his assistant tested out the new angel doll model against Hikaru and Misaki, or the one when the new, virtual arenas were introduced.)
NOTE 2: a meter about 3 feet
In case your not sure how long the measurements I state in this chapter are (I'm in Canada, so I use the metric system) Hope you will enjoy this chapter, and forgive me for not updating during March Break as I promised (had a whole bunch of projects and reading to finish for school.) Thanks to all my readers for your support and plz continue to do so!!! m( )m bows
BTW: This chapter focuses OTHER, NEW characters that will play a KEY role later on... (wink, wink, nudge, nudge ;) ). Also, IT'S THE FIRST BATTLE SCENE!!! YAY!!! 0
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11 p.m. – in a dark, underground stadium of Tokyo City...
A circular, Angelic Layer stadium is barely lit, thanks to the glow of the Layer. Hundreds of dark, secretive silhouettes surround the Layer, wearing suspicious clothing. They all watch the Layer with interest and amusement... creepily and emotionlessly. The audience watches the Layer so silently, that not even the shuffling of shoes was heard... There was only one possible reason...
A battle was about to begin...
Sitting on an official, pink Angelic Layer tournament seat directly in front of the Layer was a spiky, blue-haired boy, who was dressed like a punk. He had his ears and his nose pierced, and he had a confident, yet nervous expression on his grinning face. He was a deus, and he tightly gripped his angel doll. The angel doll had an appearance that was quite similar to its deus, except it had red hair and armor with spikes poking out of its shoulders. The teenager had sweat was running down both sides of his head, and he was breathing heavily... He was extremely nervous...
...for a VERY good reason... On the other side of the Layer was another deus, a person in a dark, hooded and caped outfit. He wore a metal mask which covered everything but his eyes, which was icy blue and gave off a very cool and mysterious aura that was able to surround his entire body. He sat in a similar chair as his opponent, except his was silver in colour, and had CHAMPION labeled on both of the armchairs in shiny, gold. He sat calmly, tapping his finger on an armchair, while holding his angel doll on the other hand. The angel doll didn't have any clothes... in fact; its inner parts were exposed, showing off its intricate mechanisms and wires. There was one big difference, however, if you were to compare it with any other angel doll... There were two sharp metal blades attached to its arms, and it had strange, electrical devices attached to its legs and back... What could the purpose of those add-ons possibly be?"Welcome to the 7th Unofficial and Underground Angelic Layer Championship Battle (U2AL CB for short)!!!" boomed a man's voice. In an instant, the entire audience was erupting with cheers of enthusiasm. It was the host of the match who was on a seat that descended from the ceiling of the stadium. He wore a striped, black and blue suit, and had sleek, black glasses on. He had short, spiky, and blond hair, and had a very anxious expression.
"To my left is the challenger of today's battle: he's ruthless, he's merciless, and he's EXTREMELY aggressive! His fighter, Voltaire, sports a heavily armored body, and spiky shoulders that'll deal extra damage whenever it BASHES his foes!!! Coming from Hiroshima, I give you all, EIZAN!!!"
The crowd booed the challenger loudly, and after several seconds, the challenger became extremely angry. He yelled at them to "shut the hell up", but his voice was deafened by the overwhelmingly loud audience, which booed him louder and louder by the second. Realizing it was hopeless to go against them, he remained mute with anxiety, until the host spoke again.
"Everyone..." the host spoke, and the crowd became dead silent once again, "I am now pleased to announce the current champion, who, as usual, goes by his codename, and needs no introduction... the one who has defended his title five times in a row..." The crowd slowly became louder and louder, with cheers this time around... "Coming from our very own, Tokyo City," the host continued, "I present to you all today, the cool, the mysterious, the undefeated, and the most talented deus ever to have fought in this very stadium,' The Crimson Seraph', and his MIGHTY angel, Zeus!!!" The crowd erupted into tumultuous applause and cheered harder than ever. Some whistled and hooted, while others waved signs showing: "THE CRIMSON SERAPH IS THE TRUE CHAMPION OF ANGELIC LAYER" or "THE DEUS AND HIS ZEUS WILL CREAM Y'ALL!!!" The cheers for the champion went on for several minutes, and the challenger was curling into a ball to hide himself from this dark audience, who were showing their one-way support. The cheering didn't die off until the host spoke once again.
"Now that everyone's all excited, I shall explain the rules to you all. There are NO RULES!!! The Layer has a radius of 5 meters, and the battle shall be fought in the mountain map! The mountain will be located at the center of the arena, which will be surrounded by a forest... LET THE ENTRIES BEGIN!!!" the host yelled, as a desert
"My pal, Voltaire, BEAT THE HELL OUTTA YOUR NEWEST FOE! GO, VOLTAIRE! " Eizan hollered, as he threw his angel into the Layer. Voltaire became activated and did a back flip, and then twist around to do two somersaults before landing with a small shockwave that slightly bent a few trees around it. Eizan glared at the Crimson Seraph, and smirked proudly, "How's THAT for show?"
"..." the Crimson Seraph replied. Having been silent for the whole time when Eizan did his angel's entry, he effortlessly threw Zeus into the Layer. When Zeus entered the Layer, its eyes snapped open instantly, and the angel did several spins, twists, somersaults, and flips in the air at an outrageously quick pace. When Zeus landed, it created a MASSIVE shockwave that literally FLATTENED a meter's worth of trees in the Layer.
At that very moment, Eizan finally understood why he felt so nervous before the match...
He was going to lose... badly...
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NOTE: Whenever I write about a battle from now on, I'll be changing the dialogue format to SCRIPT style until the battle ends. HERE ARE SOME USEFUL THINGS TO KNOW WHEN I WRITE BATTLE SCENES:
1. When angels communicate (I know it wasn't really done in the show, but hey, it's just a fanfic!), I will use italics when they speak, for example:
Hikaru: Impossible!!!
2. When the deus' speak, I'll use the normal font style. Example:
Person (sweat drop): Uh oh...
3. Lastly, when the deus and his/her angel communicate telepathically with EACH OTHER, I'll use a before and after the dialogue to show that they're not speaking to the other angel or deus. Sort of like a private conversation that no one else but them can hear. For example:
Misakichii: dodge it quickly, Hikaru!
Hikaru: Hai!
If a dialogue during a battle has no before and after, then the angels and the deus' can hear each other. The way it works in my fanfic, deus' have the ability to hear all the angels fighting in the layer. The only time they can't hear a conversation, would be if a deus and his/her angel were communicating telepathically (refer to 3rd rule). In that case, no opponents (deus and angel) can hear what they say. This type of dialogue is used when they plan out a strategy.
4. I'll use he/she for the angels (even though they're actually it), since it gets too confusing if I constantly use IT. For instance:
Anita smashed Terra. It tried to retaliate against it, but it was too fast for it! : P SEE? It's confusing!
5. Paragraphs describing the action scenes of the ANGELS will be typed in italic during "Layer Battles". Other paragraphs describing the deus' or the host's actions will be in normal style. For example:
The two angels eyed each other with pity and disgust. The instant the host hollered "FIGHT!", the two blasted forward towards each other. Once they came within range of one another, they fought with a flurry of punches.
Aurora glanced at the screening ever so often, ensuring that her angel's HP was stable.
PS. Also, paragraphs in the "Layer Battles" will be INDENTED, so as to not confuse it with the dialogues.
TERMS TO KNOW: Jap. – Eng.
Faito – Fight (Well, at least that's one way of saying it in Japanese )
That's all the changes for now, hope y'all review and tell me which format you lot prefer ;) Enjoy the first battle scene! Please review easily, since it's my first time describing a battle.
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In the Layer...Voltaire and Zeus stared at each other, with Voltaire anxiously waiting for the first strike the moment the battle began. Zeus, however, merely stared back at Voltaire without even the slightest bit of emotion...
On four big screens facing in four different directions, the names of the deus' and angels lit up. Furthermore, the hit points of the two angels were shown with full bars:
Angel: VOLTAIRE -------- 342 HP/ 342 HP
Angel: ZEUS --------------- 200 HP 200 HP
Eizan glanced up at the screens and did a double-take. He looked back at the Crimson Seraph, but with no sense of fear this time.
Eizan (smirking at C. Seraph): Well, well, it seems as if the so called, "CHAMPION" is not as strong as I thought he was. At the very least, I thought the "Crimson Seraph" had an angel with AT LEAST 400 HP! HA, this is gonna be a joke, since your angel has no armor AND a smaller HP compared to mine! MWUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
Crimson Seraph (merely staring back at him silently): ...
Eizan (ticked off and murmuring to himself): Stupid kid thinks he's all good huh... I'll show him I ain't no pushover. I'll definitely win, especially to a kid like him...
Host (with a booming voice): EVERYONE, THE 7th U & U ANGELIC LAYER CHAMPIONSHIP BATTLE SHALL NOW COMMENCE!!! FAITO!!!
Voltaire immediately dashes towards Zeus, smashing down all the trees that cross its pass. Zeus merely looks at Voltaire expressionlessly, as if he was waiting...
Eizan (smirking): Hmm... giving up already? Aww, TOO BAD! MWUHAHAHA!!! VOLTAIRE! BASH HIM WITH YOUR SPIKES!!!
Voltaire (nodding in approval as it dashes towards Zeus still): No problem!
Host: Oh! Voltaire will be the FIRST one to strike!!!
In mere seconds Voltaire seemed to have collided with Zeus and a wall of sand and clouds surrounded them like a tornado.
Host (joyful and interested): A powerful head-on smash with our champion's angel Zeus! Will Zeus be alive and well when the clouds disappear??? Or will Voltaire and Eizan become the next champion???
After a few seconds, the sand and clouds vanished... Voltaire was still standing in a fighting stance and-
Zeus, too, was standing, as still as he was before Voltaire charged at him, expressionless as usual and, to Eizan and Voltaire's surprise, at 200 HP...
Voltaire (shocked): NANI??? (WHAT???)
Eizan (staring at C. Seraph nervously with LOTS of sweat drops): Impossible!!! How can that be?! I'm POSITIVE Voltaire collided with your angel DEAD ON!
Crimson Seraph (emotionlessly): ...
Eizan (REALLY ticked off): ARGHHH!!! DAMN IT, WHY WON'T YOU ANSWER ME??? DAMN YOU!!! VOLTAIRE, SHOW HIM NO MERCY!!!
Voltaire (focusing with some uneasiness): N-n-no problem!
Voltaire dashed up towards Zeus and threw multiple punches at Zeus at a LIGHTNING pace. However, to no avail, Voltaire was dealing absolutely ZERO damage to Zeus, although it looked as if Voltaire was actually hitting him.
Voltaire (nervous): How can this be? How could you possibly be dodging all my punches? How? HOW???
Voltaire continuously tries to land a single hit on Zeus, but constantly fails. Zeus was just too swift for Voltaire to punch him at all...
Eizan (overcome with insane with fear and terror): THAT'S IT VOLTAIRE! NO MORE MR. NICE GUY! USE EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT, AND YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!!!
Voltaire (reluctant): -but master, if I use that move so early in the battle, it'll permanently damage some of my mechanisms for the rest of the battle! I don't think-
Eizan (panicking and howling): I DON'T CARE IF IT DAMAGES YOU AFTERWARDS! AS LONG AS IT DAMAGES HIM, DO IT!!!
Voltaire (sweat drop): but sir-
Eizan (furious and nervous): YOU STUPID PIECE OF JUNK! DO AS I SAY OR ELSE I'LL THROW YOU ONTO THE STREETS TO BREAK APART!!! YOU GOT THAT??? SO-USE- THAT-MOVE BEFORE HE MOVES!!! N-O-W!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Voltaire (nervously trying to focus): Y-y-yes s-s-sir!!!
Voltaire positions himself in a low stance and goes into a deep meditation. A small, glowing ball of sparks slowly forms between his hands... Zeus merely stands calmly and expressionlessly...Eizan (calm and smirking once again): Heh, heh... Prepare to have your angel, Zeus, experience pain BEYOND pain. MWUHAHAHAHA!!!
Crimson Seraph (calmly tapping his fingers on the armchair): ... if there's one thing I hate...
Eizan (realizing that he spoke for the first time): Wha-?
Voltaire's ball of sparks became bigger. Sand and dirt began to float around him. Zeus was still standing still.
Crimson Seraph (slowly giving off an aura of anger): ...the thing I hate most...
Eizan (smirking): ... Is WHAT? "A deus threatening to harm his own angel?" HA!
Crimson Seraph (eyes snapping wide open under his mask): EXACTLY!!! Zeus, GO!!!
In the blink of an eye, Zeus vanished and floated over Voltaire.
Voltaire (looking around, but still charging up the spark ball): Where did he go?!
Eizan (gaping in disbelief): I-impossible! Such speed!
Voltaire (sweat drop): Sir! I can't find him!
Eizan: HE'S ABOVE YOU, YOU STUPID ANGEL!!!
Crimson Seraph (giving off a massive aura of fear and terror): ... that's it, I've had it... Zeus, finish him off quickly! Don't let Voltaire suffer much.
Zeus (swooping down on Voltaire, feet first): My apologies...
Zeus stomped the back of Voltaire's head who was still in confusion, and Voltaire smashed onto the ground. He fell over the ball of sparks and got electrocuted.
Voltaire: Arghhhh!!!!!
Host (yelling): Voltaire has been hit! Zeus has the first strike of the battle!!! Will Voltaire be able to fight back??? What will happen next?
Voltaire's dropped from 342 HP to 122 HP, and was on the twitching like mad on the ground with sparks flying out of him.Eizan (panicking): VOLTAIRE! WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU DOING?! GET THE HELL UP!!!
Voltaire, twitching at a rapid rate, tried to get up, but fell back down. Zeus merely stood there, watching his opponent silently.
Crimson Seraph (calmly): ... The battle has already been decided...
Eizan (yelling out loud with spit coming out of his mouth): NO! IT HAS NOT BEEN DECIDED YET! I CAN'T POSSIBLY LOSE TO A KID LIKE YOU! IMPOSSIBLE! I CAN STILL FIGHT!!! DAMN IT, GET UP AND FIGHT, VOLTAIRE!!! ARGHHH!!!
Voltaire (malfunctioning): Y-yyyee-ee-e-ss-s-sss-ii-irrrr-r mrglphx---........
Voltaire's HP dropped to zero and the sparks stopped flying out of him. He was no longer moving... He was just lying very still on the sandy terrain.
The outcome has been decided: ZEUS WINS and the Crimson Seraph successfully held his title as the CHAMPION of the U2AL League for the sixth consecutive time in a row. The crowd erupts into cheers and applause!
Host: And the winner is the Zeus and the Crimson Seraph ONCE AGAIN! CONGRATULATIONS!!! Eizan (the crowd boos) and Voltaire have, like the five previous challengers, failed to dethrone the champion of the U2AL League!!! Thank you all for attending this spectacular battle, and please come again! THANK YOU AND GOODBYE!!!
End of 7th U2AL Championship Battle: WINNER – Deus "The Crimson Seraph", Angel Zeus
LOSER – Deus Eizan, Angel Voltaire
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Right after the battle ends...
"Damn it! Useless Voltaire," cried Eizan, which did not suit his "punk-style" image. He was now standing beside the Layer and the stadium was dimly lit once again. Eizan glared at his inactive angel, "If you dare screw up again, it's the TRASH can for you, GOT IT?"
At that very moment, the Crimson Seraph walked up to Eizan with his angel, and tapped him on the shoulder. Eizan turned around and glared at him.
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT?" he bellowed, screwing up his face, "Come to laugh at my defeat, right? You're probably stifling a laugh under that damn mask of yours! Well, screw y-"
The Crimson Seraph punched Eizan so hard on the face that blood spat out of his lips and had a bloody nose. Eizan fell to the ground, lying there unconsciously. The Crimson Seraph looked down at him disdainfully.
"It's your loss... Don't take it out on your angel," the Crimson Seraph said pitifully yet calmly , "If you abuse your partner... then you don't deserve to play Angelic Layer..."
With that, he walked away from the centre of the stadium to the deus' exit. As he passed through the exit door and into the waiting room, he heard a voice in the shadows of a corner...
"Another victory once again... Shintaro-kun," said a cold, sly, female voice, "Too bad you didn't use your strongest angel though. It would've been over right after it started..."
"Who are you? Why do you stalk me after every battle I do?" he said calmly, "What do you want from me?"
"My, my, seems like you have a good sense of your surroundings," she said slightly cheerfully, coming out of the shadows. She had dark blue hair, sharp, black sunglasses on, and wore a sleek, pale blue, business dress. Her voice then became evil and forceful, "You KNOW what I want, and remember, I will go as far as possible to get what I want..."
"I will not join that team of yours, madam," Shintaro replied, "Besides, I'm currently preoccupied with something else at the moment..."
"Oh, and what may that be?" the lady smiled unconvincingly with a hint of interest, "if you don't mind, of course."
Shintaro closed his eyes and pondered, "A deus and her angel..."
"...will rise among the ranks of Angelic Layer..."
"Go on, please..."
"...and become the strongest fighters the world will ever see..."
"What?" exclaimed the lady, surprised at what she just heard, "Even greater than you, Shuuko, and HER?"
Shintaro merely chuckled, "She hasn't played Angelic Layer yet..."
"Then, how can you determine that-" the lady was then interrupted by Shintaro.
"-the moment I set my eyes on her, I knew... She has something that very few people have, yet hers excels beyond all those other ones..." Shintaro said subconsciously, "Let me tell you something, madam..."
"What?" she asked, this time, with more curiosity.
"She's a girl who, like Shuuko, is unable to walk due to some unfortunate circumstances," he explained, "She also has the passion to play Angelic Layer like Shuuko and her daughter. However, there's something that separates her from them and so many others... She's half blind..."
"WHAT?" the lady blurted, "Wouldn't that be a DISADVANTAGE for this girl??? A person who can see with one eye... how can she detect the moves of her opponent's angel quickly enough?! It's outrageous! It's absurd! It's-"
"-wait, there's more," Shintaro interrupted once again, showing no feelings of agitation, "What shocked me the most when I saw her was (unless I'm mistaken) that she may not even realize that she's half-blind, which is interesting..."
"Hold on, how can she NOT realize that she's half-blind? Wouldn't she notice that she has a blurrier vision than whatever happened before?" she questioned.
"In fact, no," he answered, "after doing some research on her using a special internet source... I discovered something special about her ancestors... something that made me even more interested in her..."
"And what was it?"
Shintaro turned to stare at the lady.
"She's the sixth generation of the legendary samurai, Shokugate Arisawa, the 'One-Eyed Warrior of Japan!' He was a samurai that was born half-blind, yet had the eyesight and detection equal to that of a hundred men! He could already determine the action someone does before they could act it out."
There was a long pause, then the lady spoke, "Um, well, did you actually SEE her use that ability?"
"No, not yet," replied Shintaro, "Until she realizes her hidden potential, it will be impossible to witness the truly frightening powers that she may have inherited."
"But, you can't be too sure as to whether or not she even inherited it... right?"
For the first time, the lady saw him take off his mask, and noticed that he was grinning.
"That's why I'm so interested in her..." he said as he walked away, "I truly believe that if she plays Angelic Layer, she will uncover her greatest power... and if that doesn't happen, only then, will I ever join your team... Now stop bothering me..."
The lady stood there, speechless, as she watched him open the door and walk out of the barely lit, waiting room... She smiled mischievously.
"You can come out now, Isis," the lady spoke, "Did you hear our little conversation?"
"Yes, Norie-sama..." said a cold, dangerous, female voice. From the shadows, the outline of a silhouette became visible, and the figure SWOOSHED out of the shadows to reveal a person. She was a muscular and tall teenager, about 17 yrs. old. Her long, silvery hair dropped to her waist, and her eyes shone like dark rubies. She gave off a dangerous and cold aura around her, and she had a calm, obedient expression on her face.
"You know what I your task is," Norie, the lady, briefed, "Search for a person with the family name, Arisawa. Try to learn as much as possible about her – hobbies, school, home address, her angel, her fashion, her personality, her friends, family, relative, etc.- REMEMBER THEM WELL! Once you're done that, return to headquarters and I'll give you instructions to the next task after that."
"Yes, I understand, Norie-sama," acknowledged Isis in a calm, mysterious voice. With that, Isis left the waiting room and as she walked through the dark, silent door that led to the exit, Madame Norie no longer heard Isis' footsteps beyond the door.
Madame Norie grinned evilly, "Angelic Layer seems to have gotten even more interesting..."
Madame Norie laughed and left the waiting room too.
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Meanwhile, Yumiko Arisawa is about to wake up at 7 a.m., about 8 hours after this event occurred...
-End of Chapter 5- Plz R&R! I know, I know, this chapter didn't focus on the main character, and I'm SORRY that the battle scene was rather lame, but hey, it was my first time!
Since this chapter was QUITE different from the previous ones, I'd like you all to review this chapter and tell me if u want me to do chapters like THIS ONE, where it was focused on another character. Also, I want the readers to tell me whether or not they want more dialogue, action, etc. in the battle scenes!!!
Remember, YOUR reviews help me improve parts that will make it more satisfying for you! Plz look forward to my next chapter!