I'm back! Here with another chapter! So, let's dive right in!
Disclaimer: I do not own Infinite Stratos.
The boy have made their decisions for Teammates in the Tag-Team Tournament, but the entire Student Body doesn't seem to care!
With mysterious incidents on all sides, the boys do their best to prepare for the trying battle ahead of them. Thomas seems to be acting strange, and Ichika won't take being second fiddle in his secret activities any longer!
Will they survive the Tournament? Or will the entire IS Academy prove too overwhelming for the boys?
Ichika walked into the dorm room with a hand-shaped welt on his face.
"How'd it go?" Said Thomas, not even bothering to look up from sitting at the desk. Currently, Thomas was looking through the Revive's data yet again, to make sure he didn't miss anything before.
"She...slapped my face hard." Answered Ichika.
"Anything else?"
"Not much."
"Well, nothing new there." Said Thomas.
"What's that mean?"
"You haven't been paying attention to literally almost every 15 minutes of the entire school year, have you? Literally everyone taken their licks on you, idiot. I'm amazed you still went through with everything."
"Seriously!" Snapped Ichika, "When'd you get so rude?!"
"What're you talkin' about?" Thomas wondered.
"You're acting weird lately...What's going on Thomas?"
Thomas stopped.
He inhaled and exhaled deeply.
"Phantom Task."
Ichika immediately stared in shock at Thomas.
"What happened?!"
"I...I'm just...tired."
Ichika took a closer look at Thomas's features.
The dark bags under his eyes had gotten deeper in color, his eyelids were open halfway, his was slightly pale, and his hair was shiny like oil. He hadn't actually showered in a long time, nor did he ever get a good night's rest.
"You haven't gotten much sleep lately, have you?" Inquired Ichika.
"Nana's gonna knock me out for a very long time if she finds out."
"Thomas...What's all this about Phantom Task?"
"I've met 3 of them now."
"3?!"
"Autumn, M, and some blonde woman." Said Thomas.
Thomas didn't know why, but he casually lied about Kana's membership in Phantom Task.
Perhaps it was because he wanted to know more himself before he went telling someone else.
"When did this happen?"
"The photoshoot, when no-one else was in the dressing room."
"Is that why you took so long?"
"Part of it."
"We need to tell Chifuyu-?!"
"We can't."
"Why not?!"
"As much as I want to tell her, I still have some questions I want answered. If Chifuyu figures out I know this information, she's gonna do everything she can to keep me from finding out the truth. Telling her is just gonna make things worse."
"This again?!" Ichika was getting angry at Thomas.
He just couldn't abide by Thomas's notion that Chifuyu would try to lie to him. Sure, it was quite obvious she was, but the woman had standards. That went for Thomas's father as well.
Even Chifuyu Orimura and Alexander Scott knew when they had to come clean and tell Thomas something.
Whether or not they actually would tell him was another matter.
Ichika didn't care.
Thomas was acting rude, refusing to let others help, and distrusting of everyone.
Ichika wanted to hit Thomas.
But it just wouldn't help anything.
Ichika growled, and turned to march back out the door.
"You're on your own." He snapped.
"What?" Inquired Thomas.
"I tried to stick with you on this whole 'Phantom Task-Mommy Issues' mystery thing, but that was before you started being such a massive dick about it! I'm not gonna stand and watch you do this anymore!"
"You realize we're in the same boat, right?"
"WE ARE NOT!" Ichika shouted, "Sure, Chifuyu and your dad may have been lying to us about the whole split-up, and it made sense to me then why you wanted to be hush-hush then, but now? Now you're not making any sense! You're not telling anyone what's wrong, so nobody can help you! You can do whatever you want-"
Ichika opened the door, looking back one last time before he left.
"-But don't think you can drag me down with you anymore."
He slammed the door, leaving Thomas to his lonesome.
Thomas sat in silence.
He zoned out.
The boy was so lost in himself that he didn't notice Tatenashi slinking away from the balcony.
Minutes later...
"Are you sure that's what happened?" Asked Chifuyu.
"Yes Ma'am." Replied Tatenashi.
Chifuyu closed her eyes and sighed.
"If I'm not overstepping," Asked Tatenashi, "What reason would Scott have to feel like he needs to hide this subject from you? I've done some digging on the subject, but I don't understand why any information is being withheld from Scott."
"I'd rather not say."
"I see..."
"But on another topic," Chifuyu changed subjects, "Scott and Orimura are on bad terms?"
"Yes ma'am, Orimura stormed out angrily. I suspect we could be looking at a grudge match between them. What should we do?"
"Nothing. An opportunity to remedy the situation will eventually present itself. Those two are far better friends than to let something like this tear them apart for long. Boys will be boys, and sometimes that means they have to figure things out on their own, whether that be with theirs brains or their fists."
"Very well then, Ma'am. But, Can I state an observation?"
"Go ahead."
"The only people I've ever heard say 'boys will be boys' are women." Chuckled Tatenashi.
"Well," Concluded Chifuyu, "From what I understand, boys will be boys, and girls are an enigma."
The Next Day...
The atmosphere was a lot more unnerving for Ichika.
Every time he approached one of the Representative Candidates, they'd always shut him down with a glint and a sinister look on their faces.
Neither Thomas nor Ichika were willing to talk things out just yet.
They'd do that eventually, but not now.
Everyone could tell something had gone horribly wrong between the two, as they didn't greet, or even so much as offer up a glance to each other. They didn't even exchange remarks, or interact in the slightest.
"What's going on with those two?"
"Maybe they fought?"
"Well, celebrities do like to have a bit of drama..."
Ichika left for Class 3, attempting to once again recruit Kanzashi. Thomas yawned, and passed out with his arms folded on his desk to serve as his pillow. He quickly closed his eyes and went off to dreamland.
The boy'd been neglecting a full night's rest, and proper hygiene for a few days.
It was obvious to everyone that he was not mentally sound.
Nana had entered the classroom to get Thomas so they could practice.
After several choice words, Nana picked up Thomas in a piggyback, and carried him back to his dorm room.
She was saying many more choice words along the way.
In the Arena...
"Elias!" Called Cecelia.
Elias quickly fired a round from his rifle, only to find his was was aim was off-center of the target.
"Bollocks." He muttered under his breath.
"Deary me," Observed Cecelia, "You need more help with weaponry than I thought. Did Thomas not properly teach you?"
"Nay, he spent most of the two weeks helping me perfect everything you saw from my rematch with Lady Dunois."
"Here," Cecelia said as she approached, "Let me help..."
She reached around Elias, helping him aim his rifle.
Elias blushed, very anxious from Cecelia's advance.
Cecelia was also blushing, but had more control since she was secretly trying to put the moves on Elias. It was very distracting for Elias, making the rifle shake in his hands and confusing his line of fire.
Elias fired again, his shot completely missing the target.
Elias froze with humiliation.
"No no Elias..." Cooed Cecelia, "You need to relax your shoulders, like this~!"
She began to ease his arms, purposely pushing her breasts into his back.
Elias made a small yelp in surprise from Cecelia's bold tactics.
Cecelia did her best to ignore the bloodthirsty glares from other students watching them.
"Now," She whispered, "Steady your breathing. You're beginning to wheeze like a vacuum."
"M-Mhm." Squeaked Elias.
"Sssh..." Hushed Cecelia, "Focus on the shot."
Elias closed his eyes as he took a very long breath of air.
His eyes shot open.
He looked down the viewscope, held his breath, and pulled the trigger.
The shot had struck a bulls-eye right through the target.
Elias allowed himself to exhale.
"Well done!" Praised Cecelia, pulling Elias in for a hug, making sure to press her chest against him even deeper.
"M-Milady! You're too close!" Elias's voice cracked.
"I'll spoil you rotten like this!" Said Cecelia, "We ought to begin more in-depth combat training for you!"
"Yes ma'am!" Elias snapped with renewed vigor.
In the Pit...
Lingyin was doing a systems-check on the Shenlong, trying to find any means she could use to put the hurt on Ichika for not teaming up with her.
She was going to be the one to pulverize Ichika.
"I just told you already, dammit!" Snarled Lingyin, "I need you to get me the Data Package for the new Widespread Impact Cannon for the Right Shoulder Unit on the Shenlong! AND I NEED IT YESTERDAY! You have 3 days to finish and I don't wanna hear that you can't do it!"
Lingyin shut off her comm as she continued working on the Shenlong.
"Beg for mercy all you want Ichika," She muttered, "You're getting none from me!"
She giggled like a maniac as she continued her work by herself.
Ichika was going to get what was coming to him.
At the tallest point of the IS Academy...
Charlotte stood with her back turned to the edge.
She wanted her best effort for when she beat Ichika down.
She closed her eyes as she began to focus.
She leaned back, and fell gracefully through the sky.
Holographic targets popped up around her.
Her Unit came with an AR Training Program, allowing her to perform live-combat scenarios at will. Whenever she was training alone, she'd always use the AR Program to help herself focus.
Without warning, she spun around as she rolled through the air, deploying her PDWs and opening fire upon the targets. She hit the bulls-eye each and every time. When a target was close enough, she'd deploy her Combat Knife and jab the center of the target in close-quarters.
She'd done all of this without even stopping.
The moment she hit the ground, she skated around to cancel out the inertia of the landing.
"I will be your worst nightmare, Ichika." She mumbled to herself with an evil smile on her face.
She then began to think about how she was going to show Ichika her superiority.
However, she also had to be on the lookout for the other two boys, should fate somehow intervene.
Both Elias and Thomas had proven they could hold their own, even lead a battle to victory.
With Elias, it would be a challenge since Thomas had trained him.
With Thomas, a mere sparring match would against him had the chance to land her in the Emergency Room.
Charlotte had been planning to modify her Revive, in the hopes to put in on par with Thomas's speed.
She'd be the one to outmatch Thomas, should the need ever arise.
In the Locker Room...
Laura was sharpening her best knife.
She was going to savor the look of terror on Ichika's face when she beat him.
She began to think of all the ways she'd torture the boy in their eventual match.
Another thought struck her.
What if Ichika didn't make it to fight her? Or what if instead, she had been beaten? Or if she had to face the other boys instead?
That didn't matter.
Elias was no threat to her.
Thomas, on the other hand...
Thomas had unnatural combat prowess. He supposedly never had any notable training, and yet she'd seen him perform jujitsu moves as though they were second nature. He was far more receptive and beyond the average boy.
But it seemed as though Thomas didn't even notice, let alone know.
She had to keep her guard up. He'd given her trouble with a mere Uchigane, she'd most likely be defeated now that he had a customized Personal Unit.
Laura would have to study Thomas later.
Right now...
...She had to plan on how she was going to properly punish her bride for not teaming up with her.
Laura looked into the flat of her knife.
She smiled, as the blade was shiny enough to be a perfect mirror.
"I vill show you vhat true terror looks like," She giggled, "In fact..."
She pointed out her knife at the lockers in front of her.
"...I vill engrave it into your very flesh, Ichika!"
Suddenly, in Laura's twisted delusion, she swore she saw Ichika's loving smile on a locker door. He looked lovely and handsome, his smile could melt the most frozen of hearts.
With a flick of her wrist, Laura threw the knife right into the image, embedding the blade into the locker door.
Realizing the weight of her actions, Laura gasped in horror.
Her knife! By throwing it and jamming it into a locker door, she dulled the blade after all that time she spent sharpening it!
She quickly opened the door, realizing it was her locker...
...And the knife had been jammed right through a photograph she took of Ichika and taped to the inside of the door.
Thankfully, the rest of her excessive amounts of knives cluttering the top shelf of the locker were untouched.
"I just spent all day trying to repair it!" She shrieked in horror.
Acting quickly, Laura began to frantically dig into her locker looking for the tools she could use to sharpen the knife.
However, her frivolous movements had done little more than create a bigger mess.
As she bumped around trying to find tools, all the knives on the top shelf had shaken loose, and began to fall out of the locker and onto the floor. Laura was bombarded with the leather holsters, and fell to her knees as she was pelted.
Laura quickly found herself covered in a pile of holstered knives.
"Medic!" She cried desperately, "I need a medic!"
There was no way the German Uber Soldier could be able to fix all of her knives on her own.
In the Kendo Club Room...
Houki held a real katana in its sheath as she focused her mind on the sole concept of crushing Ichika.
Her free hand caressed the hilt of her weapon.
"Showing you some mercy is the least of what I can do, Ichika. I'll make it quick so you won't suffer...much."
Without warning, she drew her blade in the blink of an eye, pointing it outward to gaze upon it.
She raised her arms into the air as she prepared to begin another training session.
That is, before Tatenashi appeared out of nowhere and groped her chest from behind.
"Gotcha Houki Pouki!" Cheered Tatenashi playfully.
"W-What're you doing, Tatenashi?!" Yelped Houki.
"So," Tatenashi observed as she let go, "I've noticed you're training with a live blade."
"Well," Houki answered, "Yeah, of course I have."
"Ooh!" Piped up Tatenashi, "Crazy idea; Let's hook up!"
"Huh?!"
"Y'know, for the tournament!"
"Oh...Right.
"Cmon!" Tatenashi grabbed Houki's hand, "Let's get started!"
Tatenashi guided Houki to register their partnership, and prepare for training.
Houki was taken aback, since Tatenashi had the same energy as her own sister Tabane.
In the Dorms...
Nana had finally reached Thomas's dorm room.
She'd been carrying the unconscious boy the entire way to the dorm room.
She opened the door, closed the door as she entered, walked over to Thomas's bedside, and dumped the boy on his bed. She straightened out the body and draped his blanket over him.
She sniffed the air around him, only to find he reeked badly.
"Gross..." She muttered, "What the hell were you up to?"
She'd make him take a shower when he woke up.
She'd heard all the gossip about Thomas and Ichika supposedly becoming rivals, and pulling publicity stunts to create hype for the Tag-Team Tournament.
However, something felt off.
She'd seen them, and not once did they bother to so much as look at each other.
Nana would also scold Thomas for whatever really happened later.
She smiled as she remembered Thomas telling her all about what happened during his stay at the IS Academy.
He seemed to have so much fun.
However, she couldn't help but feel a pang of envy as she remembered Thomas's stories.
It was obvious to Nana that both of she and Thomas had crushes on each other, but neither were steeled enough to actually admit it to each other. At first, it was Nana trying to stick up for Thomas, which turned to affections for him.
His dad accepted her with a warm welcome.
She really didn't know about how his mother would react.
Not that it really seemed to matter.
Nana had to wonder...Why was Thomas getting more sour to others? Was it the stress of the IS Academy?
Whatever the case, Thomas needed to get himself in order.
They'd lose the Tag-Team Tournament if he couldn't get his act together.
The Next Day...
"Kanzashi-San!" Cried Ichika, "Where are you?"
Ichika had been running around trying to find Kanzashi in the hopes of finally getting her to team-up with him.
The fight between him and Thomas was still too fresh for either of them to start conversing with each other yet. Ichika felt guilty for being so angry himself. After all, Thomas had been under a great deal of stress for a while now.
Even Thomas needed a time he could act for himself.
"But..." Thought Ichika, "There's something he's not telling me. And it doesn't completely excuse his behavior."
Ichika perished the thought as his focus returned to his main task.
He'd searched high and low, only to be received with murderous glares from his group of friends, or nothing at all.
The last place he was checking was the Arena.
"Where is she...?" Ichika muttered to himself.
The boy looked up into the sky.
"What the heck is that?" He mumbled as he squinted, trying to make out a dot in the sky.
And finally, Ichika found Kanzashi.
Currently, she looked to be testing her Custom Unit's flight controls. Her IS itself was quite impressive, despite being mostly constructed by Kanzashi alone. Without warning, pitch-black smoke began to trail from the Unit as it traveled.
It didn't take a genius to know what was going on.
Kanzashi began to plummet helplessly as her Unit sputtered and died.
Ichika only had seconds to act.
He leapt into the Arena from the stands, and quickly deployed the Byakushki.
Ichika knew that the only option he had was to catch Kanzashi just before she hit the ground. If he tried to meet her head-on, it would take them both out of flight and make a bigger situation.
Using the Ignition Boost, Ichika skated across the Arena and jumped.
He caught Kanzashi in his arms, and the two of them tumbled to a stop as they crashed into the Arena wall. Ichika put himself between the wall and Kanzashi as he cradled her.
"O-Orimura?!" Cried Kanzashi, "Are you okay?!"
"This..." He grunted, "Hurts like hell."
"I-I'm so sorry!"
"It's fine. Are you okay?" Ichika turned the question on her.
"Y-Y...Yes, I'm fine." Kanzashi stuttered nervously.
"I'm glad to hear that." Ichika chuckled.
In the Pit...
Kanzashi and Ichika went to the pit, only to find Thomas doing maintenance on his Revive.
He offloaded a good portion of the weaponry, and began to modify it.
Thomas and Ichika saw each other, and with blank faces, quickly turned away from each other.
Kanzashi took notice.
"Weren't you two roommates?" She inquired, "And, on top of that, best friends?"
"We had an argument." Thomas deadpanned without looking up from his work.
"Yeah...Let's not focus on it. We're still trying to talk it out." Ichika deadpanned in agreement.
"We haven't 'talked it out' yet. Do your business, and I'll do mine."
Thomas began to take tools, and started modifying one of his Grenade Launchers.
Ichika and Kanzashi left the Pit to register their team-up, and went to get lunch.
Chifuyu walked into the pit to find Thomas working on his Unit.
"Thought you'd be training with Parker, Scott."
"She's on solo training right now, Ma'am. I'm going to start training with her in an hour."
"I see."
"Is this about me and Orimura, Ma'am?"
"No. I don't need to intervene on that matter. You can resolve it yourself."
"Yes, Ma'am."
"I'm here to talk about your mother with you."
Thomas completely froze.
"Ellen Scott."
He slowly began to turn and look Chifuyu directly in the eye.
"What?"
"That's her name. Ellen Scott."
"But...Why? Why this? Why now?"
Chifuyu took a breath as she prepared her little speech.
"Listen," She said, resting a hand on his shoulder, "I can't pretend I know what it's like for you-with the Phantom Task business, and everything else-but I feel like it's time you receive something of a reward for your efforts. Your mother's out there, and you're stuck here."
"What're you saying?"
"I'm saying...I'm saying it's time me and your father start telling you what's going on."
"That's right." Alex jumped in.
"Dad?!"
"Chifuyu's told me all about the incidents. The School Festival, the Mall-all of it. And...Due to recent events, I think it's time you get answers to your questions."
"Really?"
"Although..." Alex said the one word Thomas really didn't want to hear.
"What?" Thomas deadpanned, knowing full well what was coming next.
"We can't tell you right away."
"Oh..."
"It's...A very complicated matter. We did this so that you'd know that there's hope."
Thomas, despite the pain of knowing he wouldn't get to know the truth just yet, did his best to accept the wonderful gift he'd been given.
For the first time in 16 years, Thomas's soul suddenly began to feel a lot lighter.
"...Thanks." Said Thomas, hugging Alex tightly.
Thomas breathed in, and out.
"Well," He said, his jovial voice returning to normal, "If you don't mind, I gotta get to training with Nana."
The boy packed up his things, and ran off in search of his partner.
Chifuyu and Alex began to talk.
"This isn't going to make things a whole lot better." Said Chifuyu.
"I know," Said Alex, "But I think it's time my son got to learn about his family...His whole family."
In the Arena...
"Atta girl, Nana!" Cheered Thomas as Nana shot targets.
The duo had finally began acting like a team, as they practiced over and over.
It didn't really seem like practice to them.
To Nana and Thomas, it seemed much more like them growing into a couple in all but name.
The other Representative Candidates took notice of how much brighter Thomas seemed. His youthful vigor and energy had returned, his bright smile became even brighter, and he had a spring in his step that not even a rabbit could match.
Most of the girls couldn't help but feel envious of the how much the duo were enjoying themselves.
Elias and Cecelia doted on each other like a married couple.
Ichika and Kanzashi were in the Workshop as they worked on completed Kanzashi's Unit.
Thomas laughed like a child at an amusement park.
Now all he had to do was patch things up with Ichika.
Later that night...
Thomas strutted through the halls.
His grin never faltered, despite how sore his face was from smiling.
He just couldn't help himself.
Thomas walked through the building, and reached his dorm room.
"Ichika, I-?!"
Thomas watched as Ichika froze with a panicked look on his face.
Currently, Tatenashi was facedown on Ichika's bed as the boy massaged her back.
"I'll...Come back later. Don't get into the serious stuff while I'm gone~!" He teased.
"Ichika!" Commanded Tatenashi, "Rub my butt!"
"No, wait-!" Ichika called, only to be cut off by Thomas closing the door.
Thomas sighed.
He missed the feeling of true joy.
Thomas then heard a pair of footsteps thumping down the hall.
When he looked around the corner, he found none other than Kanzashi Sirashki crying in a ball on the floor.
"Aw..." He cooed, "There there..."
He helped the sobbing girl to her feet. As she stood up, he pulled her into a hug, and rubbed her back.
"What's wrong?" He whispered.
"O-Orimura...Big Sister!" Were the only two words Kanzashi was able to coherently pronounce.
"Oh..."
Thomas's smile finally sobered.
Thomas knew about Tatenashi putting Ichika up to teaming up with Kanzashi. However, it was only then that Thomas realized why Tatenashi herself didn't team up with Kanzashi instead, but rather used discretion with Ichika.
"Ssh...It'll be fine...Big Sis was just trying to look out for you."
Kanzashi paused her sniffling, and wiped her tears, "Huh?"
"From my understanding, she wanted nothing more than to team-up with you." Explained Thomas, "But it seems to me that you feel like you're upstaged by her, don't you?"
"Y...Yes..."
Thomas let go of the girl, and rested his hand on her shoulder.
"It might not help," He assured, "But Ichika would've teamed-up with you anyway."
"What?"
"Yeah. He heard all about the incident about your Unit being pushed aside for his, and wanted to make up for that. And-don't tell him I said this-but, the whole reason he and I were acting like jerks to each other was because...Because I sorta voiced my opinion on the whole thing."
"Really?"
"Yeah. He still pressed on, even after I told him not to."
Kanzashi looked down as she processed the information.
"I guess," Concluded Thomas, "I guess what I'm trying to say is to give Ichika a second chance. So...Whaddaya say?"
Kanzashi thought long and hard with a cute and blank look on her face.
"I-I'll...I'll try!" She answered with a smile and blush.
Thomas smiled.
"Glad to hear it. Now...Go get some rest, will ya? You look like you haven't sleep for a week!"
Thomas turned to leave, hearing Kanzashi shout a "Thank you!" as he walked off.
The boy began to finally focus on the Tag-Team Tournament.
The Tournament was tomorrow. And Thomas knew for a fact that he was going to have great trials before him.
He wasn't wrong.
However, he didn't know just what sort of danger tomorrow would bring.
A/N: Whew! Getting through this chapter took a lot more writer's block than I thought it would! But nevertheless, I've done it!
Now, someone might be asking why I said Yin is Thomas's mother but the mother's name is Ellen Scott. That's because it's quite obvious she changed it after disappearing.
Upon reflection, this chapter is a lot more disorganized in my opinion, but I feel that this is good enough to release.
In the coming chapters, I'll reveal Kana's Personal IS Unit soon enough! On top of that, another male pilot OC will debut soon! But before that, I have to get through the rest of the Tag-Team Tournament Arc, and the Halloween Special!
Hope you look forward to those things!
Anyway, as I said before, I didn't forget about the rematch between Thomas and Laura, and I feel like this is the perfect place for it!
I'll say this now, Thomas may be a remarkable IS Pilot, but that doesn't mean he won't have a serious challenge next chapter!
Next Time: Grudge Rematch!
The Tag-Team Tournament is underway, and Thomas is up in the very first match!
His opponent is none other than Laura!
However, despite Thomas's abilities, he's in for a very close fight! Laura's on a rampage, and she'll stop at nothing to make sure she can be the one to fight Ichika!
Can Thomas find a way to win? Or is he doomed to become an appetizer for Laura's hunger for vengeance?
Leave a review, they're much appreciated and show that you care!