A/N's: Chapter 9 here and wow am I happy to be back:D Now that we're ready for the ninth chapter…well…LET'S START THE NINTH CHAPTER!
Chapter Nine: More Important
"Finally, you guys come here AFTER school." Mai, Hiromi, Ayumi, Souichirou and Ryoko had decided to stop by Start Button after school that Monday. Taking a break from their usual morning meetings with Sota and Fuko, the group had just arrived through the glass door, slightly disappointed to see the place packed with school kids playing games and looking at toys. Sota waved to them from behind the counter, "Don't worry, I saved you guys your usual seats."
"Do you work here all day?" Ayumi asked as the five settled into their rolling stools.
"Me and Fuko work every shift, plus overtime!" Sota grinned. "Except on Sundays, Thursdays, and Fridays that is."
"That's when we've got class," Fuko sighed, coming from the employee's only room with a huge box in her arms. "At Tokyo U."
"TOKYO U!" Mai asked, the entire group was flabbergasted. "You guys got into Tokyo U!"
"I mean, I would expect someone like Fuko to get in…" Hiromi whispered to Souichirou. "But Sota?"
"I heard that!"
"Woah…Tokyo U," Mai sat in her stool, dreamy eyed. "That's my dream school…"
"One of the top Universities in the country," Fuko smiled. "But, I bet you can make it in easy Mai."
"Thanks, that means a lot," Mai smiled.
"Enough of this dumb talk about college!" Ryoko insisted, eager to get off the topic of school. "Got anything new in?"
"Not since last week," Sota grinned. "But, I hear we're getting in new plus packs this Saturday."
"Plus Packs?" Mai asked. "What are those?"
"They're programs that allow you to create more then one character on your "The World" program," Fuko explained.
"Hmmm…I like my character," Hiromi said.
"We all do," added Ayumi. "Pretty useless for us."
"Oh well," Mai shrugged and looked around at the store. "My God, it's so packed!"
"It's always like this right around 3:45," Sota shrugged. "We close at 4:30, so the kids always rush in here at the last minute."
"I don't see anyone from our school," Ayumi looked around.
"Me neither," Ryoko shook her head. "Mostly Junior High kids here."
"Excuse me?" The group looked over to see a girl with long blonde hair accompanied by another girl. They were both wearing Junior High uniforms. Sota turned to them. "Hey! I'm here to pick up my order that I filed online?"
"Oh! Uhh…name?"
"Ryo-oki."
The group paused. "WHAT!" All of them except Ryoko yelled, staring at the girl.
"Y-you can't be!" Mai asked, her eyes wide. "Ryo-oki?"
"Huh?" Ryo-oki asked, slightly flabbergasted by the reaction.
"Who's this guys?" Ryoko asked, looking at the girl.
"A friend of ours," Hiromi explained. "At least…I think."
"Do…I know you?" Ryo-oki asked.
"Are you Ryo-oki, the one online?" Mai asked. "The one whose character class changes?"
"Umm…yeah, that's me!" Ryo-oki nodded. "I just used my name for my character. I guess you guys read the boards too?"
"It's us!" Ayumi told her, pointing around at the four of them. "Mai here is Iam, Hiromi-sama is Orizo, Souichirou is Zaiten and I'm Chikoro!" She looked at Ryoko. "This is Ryoko, or Gabriella, the newest one in our group."
"Woah! You guys are the ones with the--" Ryo-oki started to speak, only to be cut off my Mai's hand over her mouth.
"Shhh! We don't want anyone to know…" she whispered to Ryo-oki.
"Oh, I see," Ryo-oki nodded. "Don't want to get in trouble with the system admin, eh? Well, I guess introductions on my side are needed. I'm Ryo-oki, and this is my friend Mia."
"Hey," the other girl smiled at the five and they nodded back to her.
"Mia plays too – her character's name is Mia…ironic eh?" Ryo-oki laughed lightly. "That we both just used our real names."
"Hey!" Ayumi pointed to the two girls' uniforms. "You guys go to the Junior High a couple blocks from us."
"Huh?" Ryo-oki looked at their uniforms, as did Mia.
"You guys go to Makuchei?" Mia asked, cocking an eyebrow. "Weird!"
"What's so weird about Makuchei High?" Hiromi asked.
"Not that," Mia shook her head and smiled at Ryo-oki. "Hey Ryo-chan, do you remember Achean?"
"Achean?" Ryo-oki asked, then paused for a bit, as if wanting to place the name to memory. Finally, her eyes widened and she smiled. "Oh yeah! He was that super high level Blade Master who helped you get that armor piece, right?"
"Yeah," Mia nodded and turned to the group. "Achean was a friend of mine over "The World". He helped me and Ryo-oki out when we went looking for some rare armor in a high level dungeon."
"Did you say Achean?" Sota asked, and Fuko joined him by the counter, obviously interested. "You couldn't mean Achean of the Golden Dawn? That Achean?"
"Yeah," Mia nodded to the two employees then returned to the confused ring-holders. "Achean was a super high level, and had beaten the "Bleak Night" Boss. He got rewarded with a load of GP and the title "Achean of the Golden Dawn"."
"So he was practically on par with Balmung of the Azure Sky and Orca of the Azure Sea?" Fuko asked and Mia turned to her.
"Well, he didn't get a rare character design, and he's not as famous. But definitely a recognizable player on "The World"." Mia's smile faded, "Until he quit about 6 months ago."
"Quit?" Ryoko asked loudly. "A guy that high in level, with all that money, and all that fame, just quitting like that!"
"Yeah…" Mia sighed. "Deleted his character and everything. He even sent everyone on his member address list an e-mail." She closed her eyes and gave a weary sigh, "It didn't say much, just: I'm leaving, don't ask me why, I probably won't see any of you again. Bye, Achean."
"Woah," Mai looked at Hiromi. "Strange, just quitting without telling anyone."
"I sent him a reply asking why, even though he told me not to," Mia frowned. "I got a "Did Not Connect" mail back. He really deleted his character."
"He was really bland too," Ryo-oki commented. "I didn't know him that well, but when Mia and I adventured with him, he didn't say much."
"So, what the heck does this have to do with the fact that we go to Makuchei High?" Ryoko asked, obviously annoyed with the long, seemingly pointless story.
"Well, that's just it," Mia smiled. "A few weeks ago, he started playing again! I saw him walking around Mac Anu and stopped him!"
"So he didn't quit after all!" Mai laughed. "Maybe that e-mail was a fluke."
"No, he was a low level," Mia shook her head. "He just started over again – refused to tell me the reason for the extended vacation."
"Still…what does this have to do with us?" Ryoko yawned.
"He's from America!" Mia told Ryoko, getting slightly annoyed. "And he's signed up for the Foreign Exchange program! He's starting tomorrow at Makuchei High!"
"Huh?" they all asked at once. "No way!"
"How ironic," Ryo-oki laughed. "Hey, maybe he can hang out with us too."
"What a coincidence," Souchriou commented. "Perhaps he can join us on "The World"."
"Hey, let's just wait until tomorrow!" Mai smiled. "Then we can meet him for ourselves!"
"You know…" Ayumi commented the next day as they all walked to school. "I still can't believe that Achean guy gave up all that!"
"All what?" Hiromi asked.
"The title, the armor, the weapons, the GP, the rare member addresses, everything!" Ayumi explained. "And now he's back! What's up with that?"
"Maybe he couldn't stay away," Mai chuckled.
"Sounds like a loser to me," Ryoko commented dryly. "And an American?"
"Yeah, but he'll have to speak Japanese to come to our school," Mai explained. "And I think Ryo-oki and Mia both speak English fluently."
"Unlike us…" Hiromi grumbled. "I can barely speak any. My junior high English lessons seem years away."
"I happen to be quite bilingual," Souchirou commented, his nose in the air. The others looked at him with raised eyebrows. "It's true! I speak Japanese, English, French, Spanish, Italian, and Chinese!"
"Woah!" Mai said, surprised. "How come you know all those languages?"
"Well, when my parents are as important as they are, I often find myself going to foreign countries on business trips with them," Souchirou explained. "Let me do the talking. I'm sure that the American boy will feel more comfortable with someone who knows his language."
The group finally arrived at the school gate, and decided to wait for the new student to arrive. "Do you think we'll have an assembly or something to welcome him?" Ayumi asked.
"I doubt it," Ryoko sighed. "If we do I'm going to puke. He's just a dumb foreigner."
"Well, if he doesn't hurry up he's going to be late," Mai pointed out, pointing to the school clock tower. "It's almost eight o' clock."
"I wonder…do you think he'll even show?" Hiromi asked. But the loud screeching of rubber on asphalt and the roar of an engine quickly answered him. Dust clouds, kicked up from the vehicle, filled the yard, and when the five of them opened their eyes and saw the dust clear, a black motorcycle stood in front of the school gate.
The driver was wearing the school uniform, a black jacket slung over his collared shirt. He turned off the ignition, stopping the roar of the cycle, and made a swift motion with his foot to lower the kickstand. He lazily got off the cycle and in a swift movement, removed his helmet and turned around.
The driver revealed himself to be very tall, about as tall as Ryoko, if not an inch higher. He had orange colored hair, a rare sight for the five teens, and a few freckles decorated his face. His hair was straight and swept just to the top of his ears. His eyes, colored a deep brown, were blank. Throwing off his jacket and depositing his helmet on the cycle's seat, he didn't bother to say hello to the group. After putting away his gear, he turned around and the group noticed black fingerless gloves on his hands. He stared blankly at them, grabbed his backpack from the back of the cycle, slung it over his shoulder, and walked straight past the five.
"Young man!" The yard dean called to the driver. "You can't park your motorcycle there! And I hope you're ready to pay for those skid marks!"
The young man looked at her blankly, and then cocked his head and sighed. "Me no speak Japanese."
The teacher blinked, then realized her error. "Oh my! I'm so sorry! I didn't know you were the new foreign exchange student! I'll get our translator right away! I apologize for snapping at you! Umm…you can't understand a word I'm saying, can you?" He looked at her blankly and she quickly ran off.
"So THAT'S Achean, huh?" Ryoko asked, leaning against the gate. "He looks like a bit of an idiot, but he's got a sweet ride."
"Thanks." The group looked up to see the driver turned around and seemingly speaking to them. They blushed and stared at him. He didn't say another word.
"Was it him?" Mai whispered.
"No way," Hiromi shook his head. "He can't understand what we're saying."
"Let me handle this!" Souchirou stepped forward towards the young man and stuck out his hand. The other boy didn't move. "Hello, I'm Souchirou Hibiki of Hibiki Games! Perhaps you've heard of me? I'm here to help your transition into Makuchei much smoother! Please, feel free to ask any questions you'd like!" (The bold text is English.)
The driver looked at him, then raised his eyebrows. "No thanks, loser."
With that, he walked into the school, leaving a blank Souchirou (his jaw resting comfortably on the ground) behind.
"What the…?" Mai asked, her eyes wide. "That SNEAK! He speaks perfect Japanese!"
"Now this guy I like," Ryoko smirked. "C'mon, let's go after him!"
"Hey! HEY!" Ryoko called in the hall after the red-haired boy. He stopped and turned around to face her. She caught up with him and smiled. "Hey, I saw you back there! Making the dean think you were some dumb foreigner! Work of genius!" She held up her hand for the driver to slap, but he remained stoic. She finally lowered her hand, her eyebrow cocked. "What's your problem, Yankee?"
"None of your business," he answered.
"What homeroom are you in?" Mai asked pleasantly.
"None of your business."
"What's your name?" Hiromi asked, a little edgy.
"None of your business."
"Then what IS our business?" Ayumi shouted.
"Nothing," he said, and then started to turn and walk away.
"HEY, wait!" Mai called after him, but he refused to answer.
"Jerk…" Ryoko chewed the inside of her mouth. "C'mon, forget him. Let's go to class before we're late."
"Hello everyone!" greeted Kirisawa-sensei, teacher of Japanese History, the five's first class that morning. "We're all very lucky today."
"Oh goody, you're not teaching," Ryoko said sarcastically and the class laughed. Kirisawa-sensei looked at her disapprovingly.
"It's that kind of attitude that'll upset our guest," Kirisawa-sensei scowled. "Class, we are lucky enough to be having Makuchei's foreign exchange student with us today! He'll be in our class starting today and ending in early July. At Summer break, he'll be leaving to journey back to the United States." (Summer break is later at Makuchei then it is in America.)
"Oh no…" Mai whispered to Hiromi. "It can't be…"
"It is," Hiromi grumbled.
"Everyone, I'd like you to meet Sean McGuire."
And in walked the driver, wearing the same stoic frown as before. He still had his gloves on, and carried his backpack over his shoulder lazily. He stood in the front of class, staring at the many curious faces in the room. "Sean, would you like to say anything about yourself?" Kirisawa-sensei asked.
"No, can I sit down?" Sean asked. Kirisawa-sensei, taken aback, nodded and Sean sat down in an empty seat next to Ryoko.
"Umm…as I was saying…Sean will need a guide for the day. Would anyone like to accompany him?" The room was silent. Kirisawa-sensei looked around for an unwilling volunteer.
"Not us, not us, not us…" Mai whispered, her fingers crossed.
"Ahhh! Mai, how about your group of friends?"
"Why is it always us?" Ayumi asked bitterly.
"Because if it wasn't, the story wouldn't advance at all…" Mai grumbled and laid her head down on her desk.
"Anyway…" Mai grumbled. "This is the library."
"And this is the administrative office," Souchirou said.
"And over there's the gym," Ayumi explained.
"And the computer lab," Hiromi pointed.
"And the "Get away from us you jerk" room is right down here," Ryoko pointed down to the floor, staring at Sean with fierce eyes. She was obviously very annoyed with him, as he had been silent all day.
"Where do I eat my lunch?" He lifted a paper sack and the group looked at it oddly.
"What's that?" Mai asked.
"My lunch, I just said that," Sean said.
"Why isn't it in a box?" Ayumi asked.
"A box?" Sean asked. "That's dumb."
"Well sorry our lunch is dumb!" Ryoko snapped. "I guess you won't want to eat with us then."
"Not in particular."
"Well fine!" Ryoko snapped once more, grabbing her box lunch from her locker and slamming it violently. "I guess I'll just go and eat my "dumb box lunch" without you!" She stomped away, obviously loathing Sean.
"Sorry about Ryoko," Mai apologized. "She's…uhh…"
"It's okay," Sean shrugged. "I am being a jerk."
The group was silent for a moment, dumbstruck that Sean had just admitted his nasty behavior. "Then…why don't you apologize?" Hiromi suggested.
"I can't help it," Sean shrugged once more. "Can I eat lunch with you?"
"B-but you just said you didn't--" Mai started.
"I know, but I was being a jerk."
"Why are you being a jerk?" Ayumi asked.
"Tell you later," Sean said, and quickly started to walk out the door after Ryoko. "If you let me eat lunch with you, I'll share my chili dog."
"Huh?" Hiromi asked. "What's a chili dog?"
"If you don't let me eat lunch with you, you'll never find out." The others looked at each other, then ran outside to catch Sean and Ryoko.
"THAT'S a chili dog?" Mai asked, looking at the hot dog with chili and cheese stuffed inside. "It looks revolting!"
"It tastes good," Sean shrugged. "Unlike your Japanese food."
"Uhh… "Jerk alarm"," Ayumi whispered. Ryoko was fuming in the corner.
Sean had remained stoic all day – everything he said was monotone and flat. He wasn't very interesting, but he was a curiosity that the four couldn't get enough of. After orange hair and chili dogs, what else might come out of Sean?
"What are those?" Ayumi asked, looking at Sean as he pulled out a bag with English writing on it.
"Pops," Sean said. "It's a sweet."
"Can I have some?" Ayumi asked, holding out her hand. Sean put a crystal into her hand and she popped it into her mouth. "Yum! It tastes so good! And it actually pops in your mouth!"
"No way!" Mai laughed. "Give me some!"
"And me!" Hiromi held out his hand.
"Anything that Ayumi-sama likes must be good," Souchirou also held out his hands for a piece. Sean passed out one to each of them, and they all sucked the sweet flavor until the candy popped in their mouth.
"Do you want some?" Sean asked Ryoko stoically.
"No!" Ryoko snapped. "I don't want any of your disgusting American candy!"
"Come on Ryoko, it's good!" Mai insisted, pushing her forward. "Have some!"
Ryoko looked at Sean with a grudgingly defeated look and put out her hand. "I'm just doing what Mai asked me to." He put a candy in her hand and she put it in her mouth. "Hey…this is actually pretty good…"
"I can bring more tomorrow…" Sean said, turning his face away and popping open a can of cola. "Here…you can have this." He passed Ryoko the rest of the package and began to drink.
"Huh, don't you want it?" Ryoko asked.
"No, I'm fine."
"Come on!" Ryoko turned him around and took a candy. "Say "ahhh"!"
Sean looked at her and opened his mouth slightly. She popped the candy in and he turned his face away once again. "See, it's good!"
"You can have the rest," Sean said briskly, still hiding his face and stuffing the package into Ryoko's hand. "I have more at home anyway."
"So…uhh…Sean," Mai smiled, and brought up the subject that she had wanted to bring up for a while now. "We met a friend of yours yesterday named Mia!"
Sean paused. "I don't know anyone named Mia…"
"An online friend!" Ayumi explained. "Remember her?"
Sean paused again, as if searching his memory, even though his eyes were blank. "Oh…her, yeah, we're friends…"
"She said that you play "The World", is that correct?" Souchirou asked.
"Uhh…yeah," Sean nodded.
"And she also said that your character's named Achean," Hiromi said.
"Yeah."
"Oh please!" Ryoko snapped, making everyone turn towards her. "Let's just get to the dang point! Mia said you used to be a super high level player and then you just quit for no reason! Why give up all that stuff?"
"Yeah!" Ayumi nodded. "It seems like a total waste!"
"I know that if I had a character that high level and that famous, I wouldn't want to just delete it," Hiromi reasoned.
"You had a title and everything!" Mai told him. "And you wouldn't tell anyone why you quit!"
"So, the point we're trying to make here," Souchirou said, putting his hand on Sean's shoulder. "Is…"
"Why in the world did you quit?" they all asked at once, backing Sean into the tree they were eating under.
"Umm…space?" Sean asked, and they all backed off. He sat up and sighed. "Look, it's really none of your business."
"But we play "The World" too!" Mai insisted. "And since you're our friend now, we really are interested in knowing!"
Sean paused, stared at them all, and then shook his head and stood up. "You wouldn't understand…"
"Hey, Sean! Wait up!" Ryoko called to him. He stopped and turned around.
"Look…let's play this afternoon at 4:30," Sean sighed. "Cool?"
"Uhh…okay," Mai nodded. "My username's Iam."
"I'm Orizo," Hiromi pointed to himself.
"Chikoro," Ayumi nodded.
"Zaiten," Souchirou said.
"And…and I'm Gabriella," Ryoko murmured. "Are you going to tell us why you quit?"
"Look, I said you wouldn't understand," Sean insisted, and the group was shocked to hear a slight bit of anger in his voice. "Just leave me alone." And with that, he walked swiftly away; the only remnants of him remaining with them was the small plastic bag of Pops candy sitting in Ryoko's hand.
Mai quickly got home and headed to her computer. When she got to her desktop, she noticed a few new e-mails. The first one was from Orizo, the next from Gabriella, and the next from Achean, who had neglected to put in a picture as his e-mail avatar.
Subject: About Sean
Sender: Orizo
Sean was kind of strange, don't you think? He was a jerk around Ryoko, but didn't say why. Weird, huh? Not only that, but he refused to tell us why he quit the game! I'm so curious, it's killing me!
Orizo
Subject: Re: About Sean
Sender: Iam
Hmm…I guess. Maybe there's something he's not telling us.
Iam
She quickly opened the next mail.
Subject: Pops…
Sender: Gabriella
Do you think they sell Pops in Japan? They were actually really good…
Gabriella
Subject: Re: Pops…
Sender: Iam
Heh! Let's see if they do! I bet you could order them from America too!
Iam
She finally opened the mail from Achean.
Subject: Explanation
Sender: Achean
Come toTheta Drifting Moving Hill Side. I've invited everyone except Gabriella.
Achean
"Except Ryoko?" Mai asked, her eyebrow quirked. "I wonder why… Hey!" She smiled. "Maybe he's going to tell us why he quit!"
She clicked on her "The World" icon and saw that there was a new board message. It was marked, "Another Protected Area".
Subject: Another Protected Area
Poster: Kiaku
OMG! My favorite area's been blocked! I can't believe it! I'm canceling my subscription if this doesn't stop right away!
The area wasTheta Handsome Firing Phoenix! Get it back online or else!
"A protected area?" Mai asked herself. "Crud! Better make the meeting with Achean short!"
She quickly logged into "The World".
Iam materialized to see Orizo, Chikoro, and Zaiten all waiting near the Chaos gate for her with grim looks on their faces. "Gabriella hasn't logged on yet," Orizo said. "Quick – let's get to that area fast! Then high tail it toTheta Handsome Firing Phoenix."
"Right," Iam nodded. "Quick! Let's head to Dun Loireag!"
Soon, the group arrived at the Highland City of Dun Loireag, courtesy of the Chaos Gate in Mac Anu. The group had never been outside the Delta server, and was quite impressed with the entire scope of the town. "Woah!" Chikoro gasped. "It's amazing! Look, a stray Grunty!"
"Chikoro!" Iam scolded. "There's no time for sight-seeing! We've got to go meet Achean!"
"R-right," Chikoro nodded. "What was the area again?"
"Theta Drifting Moving Hill Side!" Iam yelled, and the four were whisked away towards the area.
"Hey…you made it…" The group swiftly warped into the area only to hear a low voice speaking to them. They turned their heads, wondering where the voice had come from. "I'm over here." The group swiveled their heads to see a male blade master staring at them.
He had tan skin, long orange hair to his shoulders, an armored short piece on his legs, boots, and a blade sheath on his back. His chest was bare, and his body was decorated with orange sections. (Note: This is Bear's or Orca's character design, only with orange instead of blue and his hair has bangs.) He waved to them and shook his long hair.
"Hey, Achean, we've got to get out of here soon," Iam said. "We've…uh…got something to do!"
"I thought we were going to level…" Achean said. "I planned on getting Gabriella after I've said my piece."
"Umm…yeah, but…we've got to--"
"Look, I don't care whether you leave after or not," Achean said. "But I've got to tell you why I was being a jerk today…it's only fair." Achean sighed, and looked up at them, his face still stoic. "I…I was only a jerk around Gabriella."
"So…since Gabriella's not here, you're going to tell us why you quit?" Orizo asked hopefully.
"No…" Achean said, sweatdropping at their persistence. "Will you let me finish?"
"Uhh…sure…"
"Anyway," he continued. "I was only a jerk around Gabriella."
"Yeah, so?" Chikoro asked.
"The truth is…" Achean looked up. "I'm always a jerk around girls who I think are pretty."
"…" There was a silence. "YOU DRAGGED US ALL THE WAY HERE TO TELL US THAT!" Chikoro exclaimed, ready to blow her halo right off her head. "WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH YOU!"
"Sorry."
"SORRY DOESN'T CUT IT!"
"Sorry, sorry."
"SAYING IT AGAIN DOESN'T HELP!"
"I just thought you should know…" Achean shrugged.
"So…you have a crush on Gabriella?" Orizo asked.
"Yeah. But she hates me."
"I know the feeling my good man," Zaiten put his hand consolingly on Achean's shoulder.
"I don't think she does," Iam winked and Achean looked up. "She seems to like you more then she lets on. Why don't you ask her out?"
"…" Achean was silent. "I don't do "asking out"."
The group fell over. "You're so stubborn!" Chikoro snapped.
"Huh?" A small "ding" sounded above Iam's head. "Oh…I've got a message. I'll just read it right now…one sec…" She paused, then her eyes widened. "Guys! This is bad! Gabriella read the board message and went toTheta Handsome Firing Phoenix!"
"But that's impossible!" Zaiten exclaimed. "I'm the only one who can hack the gates!"
"She says that the gate was open!" Iam exclaimed. "And she assumed we had gone before her! She's fighting a Data Bug right now!"
"Damn," Orizo cursed. "The Prism Players must have opened the gate to lure her in! We've got to go save her!"
"But…what about…" Iam turned toward Achean.
"Achean, stay be--"
"I'll go," Achean shrugged.
"WHAT!" they all screamed.
"Look, I don't know about all this "Prism Player" and "Gate Hacking" crud…" he said. "But I do know that Gabriella's in trouble, so shouldn't we go and save her?"
"Achean…" Iam murmured, and then nodded. "Right, let's go!"
"Okay, Achean, don't get freaked out or anything, okay?" Chikoro asked, handing the necessary cores to Zaiten. "Zaiten's going to hack the gates."
"Him, get freaked out?" Orizo asked. "You're joking, right?"
"Ready!" Zaiten nodded. "GATE HACKING!" Once again, the flurry of activity and flying codes, the gate was hacked. "JUMP THROUGH!" Zaiten commanded, and the group did as they were told, jumping through the light that the hack had made. Achean jumped last into the light, only to be followed by Zaiten as he closed the portal.
Soon, they arrived at the area, a hot one full of magma and discarded data. "Crud!" Iam bit her lip. "I bet Gabriella is already trying to fend off the Prism Players! We have to go and rescue her!"
"There's no way we can make it in time…" Orizo cursed under his breath.
"Oh, you can't, can you?" The group looked up to see none other then Kalen flying over them, eyes smiling through his black goggles. "'sup?"
"How'd you get here?" Iam asked.
"I jumped in after you," Kalen smiled. "I can hide my presence, remember?"
"Who's this guy?" Achean asked and Kalen looked down at him.
"Another ring holder?"
"No, just a friend," Iam told him.
"Well, I can transport you to where Miss Gabriella is fighting," Kalen told them, punching a few keys on his keyboard. "There! Bye guys, good luck!"
"H-hey, wait a minute, where are yo--" But Chikoro didn't get a chance to finish before all five were warped away.
They all landed swiftly upon a dungeon floor and looked up to the sounds of metal on metal. As their heads swiveled, they saw Gabriella, desperately slashing her ax against a green flaked Mu Guardian. Her health was low, and she looked as though she couldn't take much more. "Guys!" she called. "You came!"
"Of course we came! Repth!" Chikoro cast a quick spell, recovering Gabriella. "Quick, form parties you guys!"
Chikoro and Iam joined Ryoko's party while Achean, Orizo, and Zaiten formed another. "Achean, attack the monster!"
"All right." No questions asked, Achean lunged at the monster, slicing it with his blade. The others followed suit, working it down until finally the words "PROTECT BREAK" flashed across the screen.
"Okay, guys! Let's do it!" Iam commanded, and the five held out their rings.
"RED, BLUE, YELLOW, GREEN, VIOLET DATA DRAIN!" The lights flew from the rings, pelting the monster and destroying the green flakes. "Get it!"
The six lunged at the monster, quickly disposing of it with their magic and steel. It fell to the ground and the group exchanged hugs and high fives, except for Sean of course, who remained to himself. "I'm so relieve you're okay!" Chikoro said to Gabriella. "Luckily, that bug was pretty easy!"
"Oh…it was, was it?" a smooth male voice came from the corner of the room, and the group drew their weapons once again, ready to face some action. "I'm hurt… But, because I'm impressed that you were able to beat my bug, I guess I'll introduce myself."
A figure appeared from the shadows, once again levitating in the air. He was a wave master with a white hat, white colored hair that went to his shoulders, and white markings on his tan colored face. He was wearing white robes with long white sleeves and gloves. His boots matched the entire outfit's color scheme. Light grayish markings decorated his entire outfit, and he held a double pointed staff with a white orb in the middle. (This is Tsukasa's (Elk's) design modified.) He was smiling at them with a wide grin on his face.
"Another Prism Player I assume…" Iam growled.
"You assume correct, little lady," the young man smiled, giving a small bow with his hat. "My name is Tikairo, and I'm the seventh Prism Player. Pleased to meet you."
"Well, we've beaten your bug," Gabriella boasted. "Why don't you go and run off to your little friends?"
"But if I did that I would miss the whole show!" Tikairo laughed. "You really think this is over? Please!" He raised his staff and screamed, "SUMMON DATA BUGS!" Out from the shadows, two identical Mu Guardian Data Bugs flew at the six, stopping just in front of them.
"Two!" Chikoro backed away. "That's cheating!"
"Please!" Tikairo laughed. "Cheating my ass! You're the ones at fault! You underestimated me!" He smirked in their direction, his eyes shining with evil resolve. "You see, I'm not like the others you've fought. I'm not rash and hot-headed. I only go into a fight if I know that I can win!"
"So you don't like to take risks I assume…" Orizo growled.
"Risks? I don't know the meaning of the word!" Tikairo cackled. "It's called strategy little boy! I've studied your powers, and I know for a fact that you can't take down my double data bugs!"
"Oh yeah?" Iam asked, unsheathing her spear and pointing it at the first Mu Guardian. "WATCH US!"
"Orizo, your party, attack that one!" Gabriella pointed to the other Mu Guardian. "Iam, Chikoro, and I will handle this one!"
"Right!" Orizo nodded and the three rushed in against the Mu Guardian.
"C'mon girls!" Gabriella rallied. "Get it!" The girls started working on their own data bug, Chikoro healing both parties and throwing damage spells.
"With only three of us, this is no picnic!" Orizo screamed. "This bug is tough!"
"Struggle all you want!" Tikairo laughed. "It'll do you no good!"
"Hey…I've been meaning to ask," Achean brought up. "How come this thing's HP is all strange?"
"That guy up there is a hacker!" Iam explained. "Data Bugs can't be defeated until we protect break them and then Data Drain them with our rings!" She showed him her ring. "See?"
"Oh…I get it," he nodded and sliced at the Mu Guardian with his sword. The words "PROTECT BREAK" flashed above it. "Should you guys Data Drain it now?"
"Right!" Iam nodded. "Guys, GO!" They all ran over to the first guardian and readied their rings. "ONE, TWO, THREE!"
"RED, BLUE, YELLOW, GREEN, VIOLET DATA DRAIN!" The data flakes disappeared from the first Mu Guardian!
"Yes!" Gabriella cheered. "C'mon guys, let's get – what the hell?" The Mu Guardian, only a second after being Data Drained, grew its flakes back, and its HP was returned to the strange symbols!
"Is that bad?" Achean asked.
"Hahahaha!" The group looked up to see Tikairo rolling in the air from laughter. He was holding his sides and looked as though he was about to cry. "You're all so dumb! I told you before, you can't beat my double data bugs!"
"That's impossible!" Iam exclaimed. "How did that Mu Guardian become hacked again? We data drained it with the most powerful attack!"
"I've told you before!" Tikairo smirked. "It's called strategy! You can't Data Drain both at the same time! And if one becomes drained…" he smiled wickedly. "The other will modify its partner's data."
"How the heck are we supposed to beat it?" Iam screamed.
"What…are we going to do?" Chikoro bit her lip and scared at the two guardians. "There's no way we can Data Drain them both at the same time, and if we divide our drains, they might not be powerful enough!"
"There is no way we can win…" Zaiten admitted.
"Guys, wait!" Gabriella called, and the four looked up at her. She had extended he thumb in the "thumb's up position" and was showing her ring. "Don't give up! Remember, your rings all have a special power, right?"
"Right…" Iam nodded. "But none of them will help."
"But mine has the character for "More" in it!" Gabriella smirked. "Perhaps mine can Data Drain two bugs at the same time!"
"What?" Tikairo screamed and the six looked up at him. Gabriella gave a defiant smile.
"That's right buster! Seems your plan's gone down the drain!" She held out her thumb. "With this, your bugs are going down!"
"I…" Tikairo stopped, and then smiled widely. "You fool! You think that ONE ring is enough to beat my bugs! You're joking!"
"Crap…" Gabriella bit her lip. "He's right! There's no way that one ring alone could beat those bugs!"
"GABRIELLA, WATCH OUT!" Iam screamed as the two Mu Guardians flew at Gabriella. She had only a split second to look before the impact came.
WHAM! The next thing anyone knew, Achean had been knocked to the ground by the two Mu Guardian's force. He had lost more then half his HP and was bleeding in his abdomen.
"ACHEAN!" They all ran to him, Gabriella grabbing his head and holding him up.
"You idiot!" Gabriella cried. "You could've been killed!"
"It…doesn't hurt…" he breathed deeply. "A lot…"
"It must be affecting him in real life," Iam grimaced. "Just like if you lose all your HP you go into a coma…"
"Who are you?" Tikairo asked Achean, staring at him. "You don't have a ring – you have no business here."
"I'm…Achean," he panted and Tikairo's eyes widened.
"Achean! Achean of the Golden Dawn! You're one of the most powerful players in "The World"! You would have been easily able to break my Guardian's shields!"
"Actually…I'm not Achean of the Golden Dawn anymore…" Achean told him. "I deleted that character…this one's just Achean!"
Tikairo paused, a look of slight shock on his face. He stared at his shoes, his hair covering his eyes. And then…a low chuckle started to echo through the room. It grew louder, and louder, as if bouncing off the walls like you would bounce a ball off of the pavement. It echoed stronger and stronger, until it finally turned into a maniacal cackle. "FOOL!" he screamed and looked at Achean with a hateful stare. "You really are a fool! Deleting all that power? All that glory? You had "The World" in the palm of your hand and you threw it away! You make me sick!" Tikairo smirked again. "Remember my talk on strategy and how I don't go into a battle unless I know I can win? Well you could go into practically any battle and win if you still had Achean of the Golden Dawn! But instead, you deleted him and now are reduced to a weakling!"
Achean was on the floor, looking at the dark, red tinted ash that covered the ground. He wasn't saying a word. "HAH! You know it's true! You're a weakling and a fool!"
"Actually…" The group gasped to see Achean lift himself to his feet using his sword as a balance. He looked at Tikairo, and smirked defiantly. "You're the fool!"
"What?"
"There are things more important to me then power or glory!" Achean insisted. "I jumped in front of Gabriella because I realized that my safety was less important then hers! Power and stability on this game was never as important to me as my friends, family, or real life!" He clenched his left hand and held his wound with the other. "Only weaklings idolize power like that!"
"HOW DARE YOU!" Tikairo screamed. "KILL HIM GUARDIANS!"
"Achean…" Everything in the room froze as a serene and feeble voice rung through the chamber. They all swiveled their heads, looking for its speaker, and when their eyes rested at the very top of the room, they saw none other then Prisma standing in front of them, staring at the group of six. She lowered herself down until she was on level with Achean. "Achean, take this…" she pressed her hand to Achean's left thumb, causing a soft light to glow. When it faded, an orange ring with the character for "Enhance" was left on his finger. "You are the sixth Prism Hacker…use this ring to help what is most important to you."
Achean stared at Prisma, then nodded. "I will." Prisma smiled, felt his cheek, and then disappeared into a black and violet colored light.
"Another ring!" Tikairo screamed. "It will do you no good!"
"Gabriella…" Achean called to her and she stood up. "If my Japanese serves me right, my ring says "Enhance" on it. Perhaps it'll enhance the special power of your ring."
"Right!" Gabriella nodded. "Everyone! Break their shields, then Achean and I will do our thing!"
"Go!" The six rushed into battle once more, their confidence renewed and their hope restored. Finally, the two Guardians flashed the words, PROTECT BREAK, and the six jumped back.
"Ready, Gabriella, Achean?" Iam asked and the two nodded.
"Let's go Achean…" Gabriella gulped, holding out her ring.
"Right," he nodded, holding out his as well. The two looked at each other, nodded, and then faced the two guardians.
"VIOLET, ORANGE DATA DRAIN! DRAIN ARC ENHANCEMENT!" The lights shown from their rings, shining on the two guardians and melting away their flakes.
"Get 'em!" Gabriella commanded, and the two groups ran in against the monsters, easily destroying them. Tikairo flew at the top of the room, amazed to see that they had been able to defeat his full proof strategy.
"N-no…this…this is impossible!" Tikairo insisted, shaking his head. "My strategy was full proof!"
"Oh, Tikairo, shut up…" A familiar voice came from the shadows, and Iam and Orizo's ears perked up. From the back of the room, steps came and the six turned swiftly around to see none other then Moyotu walking into the room, her sword still balanced perfectly on her back, a bored expression on her face. "I told you this plan wouldn't work. It was only a matter of time before they received the ring of enhancement."
"B-but Moyotu!" Tikairo insisted.
"C'mon, the others are waiting," she snapped. "Now go." Tikairo lowered his head and disappeared in a shining of yellow rings.
Iam and Orizo faced Moyotu, grim expressions on their faces. She didn't leave, she only looked at them.
"Who's that?" Gabriella asked in a whispered tone.
"Moyotu…" Iam growled.
"What's with the expression?" Moyotu asked, sounding hurt. "I thought we were friends! You still have me on your member address list right?"
"Shut up!" Orizo screamed. "You betrayed us and have hurt innocent players!"
"Betrayal? Don't talk to me about betrayal," Moyotu snarled. "Look, I really don't want to hurt you. Stay out of our way, or else." She looked at Iam and smiled. "Hey, Iam! Same goes for you!" She waved, and with a flash of a few golden rings, she gated out of the area.
"Well…I guess another adventure's over," Iam sighed. "Didn't expect to see Moyotu again."
"Achean?" Gabriella spoke softly and he turned his head around to face her. "Thanks…for stepping in like that to save me."
"No problem," he said, blushing lightly.
"Hey, but you mentioned," Chikoro brought up, "how you quit because some things are more important!"
"Yes, that is true," Zaiten nodded. "What did you mean by that?"
"Well," Achean sighed. "I guess…I should tell you." He looked up at them and gave a heavy sigh. "I quit because my grandfather got cancer."
"What?" Gabriella asked, shocked.
"At first…" Achean continued, "I played the game and tried to take care of him. But I got so guilty…I felt I wasn't giving him my all, so I quit." He shrugged. "I did my absolute best to look after him. My grandma's dead, and my parents had to work so I was all he had…"
"Achean…" Iam whispered.
"Wh-what happened to your Grandpa?" Chikoro asked.
Achean paused, looking at his feet. He didn't speak; he just stood there, and finally, sheathed his blade. He threw his head up, and for the first time, the five of his companions saw a genuine smile from his lips and bright eyes shining. "He came through!" He laughed. "He actually came through! Everyone said he was going to die, but he didn't! That's why I don't regret my decision," Achean smiled at them. "A level is just a number, armor and weapons are just pixels! There are things more important."
"But you'd better not go quitting on us now!" Chikoro laughed.
"Of course not," Achean nodded. "This seems pretty important, so I'll definitely be sticking with you guys. After all," he shrugged. "I'm staying here for at least three more months."
"Good to have you Yankee!" Ryoko laughed, throwing her arm around Achean. He blushed lightly and looked at Iam and the others. Iam smiled brightly and gave him a wink.
"Gabriella," Achean pulled away and turned his back on Gabriella. His voice retained its coolness. "If you want, I can give you a ride on my motorcycle and we can go to a store that sells Pops."
"Really?" Gabriella asked. "Awesome!"
"Come on guys!" Iam laughed. "Maybe we can get some actual playing in before our next adventure comes along!"
End of Chapter 9
Did you all enjoy it? Do you like Sean/Achean? We need some American pride in this story! (laughs) Anyway! Everyone says I have colorful characters, and although Sean is rather stoic, I find that his bland personality and his other traits make him a colorful character as well. So now I have…
Mai: Heroine
Hiromi: Hero
Ayumi: Energy
Souchirou: Dramatic Comic Relief
Ryoko: Bad-Ass
Sean: Stoic Cold Personality
You won't believe the next people I've got in line! (laughs) They're quite a boat load!
Anyway! R&R!