The party is bopping, considering that it was almost boozeless.
The party this time are again at the front yard of the Hakurei Shrine. A large red mat was placed on the ground for the girls to sit down and enjoy their pizzas and Pepsi. Instead of a bonfire cooking fresh meat, we have a large tray full of different type of fast food there is. One has several boxes of Pepperoni Pizzas from Domino's, another has several buckets of chicken from KFC and Kenny Roger's Roaster. There are also two large iron barrels that wafted with cool mists, its content was only Pepsi and Coca-Cola.
At the north side of the mat sits a large wooden table. On it is a 12-inch Plasma TV and a what appears to be a sleek black box with several buttons on the surface. The black box is a PC, newest in line. Beside it is a small projector which projected the second image to a large canvas wall behind the table. Surrounding the picnic area stood several surround audio speakers which for now stood silently. Alex expected them to make it sound like they were in a room despite being in the outdoor.
"I expected Smash"
Alex turned around to see a tall blonde woman with a bewitching smile standing behind him. She wore a strange white dress which was painfully Victorian with a long purple tabard decorating the front and backside of the dress itself. She fanned herself gently with an exquisite hand fan decorated with strange Japanese symbols Alex have a hard time understanding.
"I want us to have fun, not start a civil war"
The blonde woman giggled softly at his reply. "Smart man. What are you planning instead?"
Alex then pulls out several small black stick from the box beside the PC. "We're gonna do some Karaoke"
The blonde woman raised an eyebrow at this statement. "Ho? Why karaoke?"
"Because it's rooted in Japanese culture so I assume that it's much easier for the girls to get accustomed to" Alex replied as he sets the wireless microphone onto the table. "Besides, I need to find a way to distract the girls from the fact that they weren't drunk at the moment. You people really love your fucking sake"
"I see" the girl said. "may I have a look?"
"Sure"
The blonde girl then walked toward the PC and booted it up. She smiled as she manoeuvred the mouse over the screen, noting the dated yet effective Windows 7 operative system running smooth like butter. It appears to be a new computer as there are no other applications except a single karaoke application called Karafun.
She opened the program and scrolled through the song list. Her expression was unreadable, so Alex felt a little bit apprehended by her lack of response. "Well?" Alex asked cautiously, wondering if everything is alright.
"For something rooted in Japanese culture, the list is almost exclusively English"
Alex lowered his head in slight embarrassment. "Sorry, I don't know any good Japanese songs"
The blonde woman smirked and placed her hand on the black box. The box then was enveloped in a purple glow, sending the monitor into a haywire. "The fuck Yukari?!" Alex shouted as he pulls out a small silver Colt Officer's ACP from him holster and aimed it at the PC monitor.
It only lasted for a minute, then the screen returned to normal like nothing have changed. The blonde woman, whom we shall call as Yukari for now smiled at him and petted his head like he's a dog. "You're welcome"
Alex was bewildered by her actions but didn't protest. He knew that he's powerless against Yukari, so he decided to instead check on the computer. To his surprise, the list has completely changed. He didn't recognize a single song on the Japanese list and the English choices have been rearranged as well. Thankfully, his favourite English songs are still on the list.
Alex looked at his back and saw many of the girls watching him. With the distraction of booze long gone, they were fully aware of what just happened. Alex sighed softly as he picked up a microphone.
However, it acted very differently from what he expected. He has a speech prepared beforehand, an essay that will explain the true purpose of why he chose karaoke over the more popular party games. Yet it all flew away as his hand made contact with the microphone.
His mind was filled with images, no, memories to be exact. He remembered the perils he has before reaching Gensokyo, the blood he spilled trying to claw his way out of the underbelly of crime just to fall in again because he cannot live without leaching off the powers of others. He remembered the faces of the men under him, the men whom believed him to be their brothers yet never knew how far Alex have used them.
Alex gritted his teeth in pain and rage as the image grows darker. He could remember the hopelessness he felt when he first reached Gensokyo, a fucking dumb tourist who nearly got his head blown off by the local Youkais.
He remembered the utter hopelessness he felt when he received his burden in Gensokyo straight from the gods. He remembered roaring back in rage as they ordered him to fulfil a Herculean task, a singular ant tasked to kill an elephant. Even now, he felt that it was a big fucking joke among the celestials and all of them were having a kick seeing this outsider flailing around with guns and blueprints trying to renovate Gensokyo as a whole.
Suddenly, his vision cleared. He didn't hear the mocking voice of the gods as they gave him his orders. Now, he hears the cheers of his men as they take on their respective task and succeeded with great efforts. He remembered the grudging respect he earned from his own ward, the fearsome Scarlet Devil Family as he personally kickstart the entire literature preservation program.
He remembered it all, and for the first time in his life, he felt pride in himself. Not on his work, nor his men, but to himself.
Behind him, the screen suddenly shows a large picture of his grinning face slap dash in the middle of the screen. Some of the girls suddenly laughed at this inclusion of his goofy ass fool without his hood and his goggles. But some, like Patchouli appreciated his original look. He isn't much of a looker, but he ain't ugly either.
None of them were prepared for the prideful yell that came afterward.
"This shitty fucking life! My shitty fucking self! Boys and Girls, live desperately in despair again and again! Now stand the hell up! Since hopelessness weighs down on your shoulder, then show them your pride! LET'S GO! PRIDE FROM DESPAIR!"
The loud and electrifying sound that came from the speakers shocked the listeners. But they were more surprised by the energetic roar that came from him. It was not a lyric as it wasn't sung at all, it was like a bold declaration of one's independence, a roar of defiance from the champion against demons and devils alike.
They watched in stupefied bewilderment as Alex vigorously headbangs to the song, the motion was followed with the same vigour alongside the Onis of course. They saw the screen behind him spells out the word in both kanji and simple Japanese script, the official writing language Gensokyo used.
"Let's go!"
Suddenly, he stopped jumping about and stood stock still. His legs wide apart, he gripped his microphone and his left hand moved along to the beat of the energetic sounds. His voice came out steady and smooth, a deep voice that somehow manages to not make the Youkais want to rip their eardrums out.
"Throughout the goddamn year, I'm in despair at myself,
At a complete loss, I'm a child lost in my youth.
9 times out of 10, the gods are disappointed,
the highway to my dreams are highly congested.
Even the maps are distorted by my myopia
always wandering off-course, and shit the month's almost over!
My worldly desire's growing stronger and stronger,
and my instinct's duller and duller!
I don't care if I've been wrong, so answer me dammit!"
At this point Alex then looked at the crowd and spoke to them with a serious tone.
"How do you want to live? How can you be proud of a life that's squandered moment by moment as it heads toward its end?"
"Hey boy! Think for a second with that empty skulls of yours! Show them right now! the pride you've received from despair!"
Reimu looked to her left and was surprised to see that not only Suika and Marisa is cheering him on, but Yuyuko and Youmu joins in as well. The 9ball team were at the front jumping like they were on cocaine just like what Alex did now. Alex then pointed his hand upward to the sky and sang the next line with the same gracefulness he has before.
Like a talking eagle piloting a blimp, except that eagle is the reincarnation of Ferdinand von Zeppelin himself.
"Burn it down! Burn it all down!
Rusted over and deprived of light,
Burn your dark past like a trash with the incinerator of your heart!
Accepting your despair allows you to look down on those fools
as you become a crane towering over the landfills
bedazzle them with the pride you received from despair!"
Alex then screeched again, adlibbing the freestyle part of the song with his own words from his heart in his contemporary taunting loud American accent.
"Every day is shit! My day to day life is shit! Boys and girls who succumbed to the pits of hopelessness, start fucking running! Floor that accelerator with vigour and show them what ya got! For that's the shape of your heavy despair!"
As easy as Alex switch his magazine in his gun for a fresh one, he returned to his usual black-chocolate-dipped-with-sugar vocal range.
"I'm still in the middle of bumbling around the goddamn dark
enamoured with my own rapture, the future has its tail between its legs.
9 times out of 10, the gods force its divine punishment down my throat,
The dirt road connected to my dreams are shrouded by thick fogs.
searching high and low for rice at the market,
I'm running out of cash and all the old lunch sets are stacked up
covered in clearance stickers.
The completely cold spicy soup have too much bean paste in it
give water to the man eating it dammit!"
Again, this part he adlibbed again, but he no longer roared in his previous taunting style, but a serious tone befitting a poet warrior instead.
"So, how do you want to think? Each day ends only once, so how can you let it end without any idea of what to achieve and accomplish? Hey boy, you better start running! Break the shackles of the darkness and your despair
show them right now the drive of your heavy despair!"
The song continues, but this time everybody cheered alongside him. Even Yukari bobbed alongside the tune Alex is roaring out right now.
"Run, run on through,
Through this shitty world
Start up the engine with your rusted over dreams in hands!
Pull the rug underneath those fools
with the pits of your hopelessness
and floor the accelerator with your passion
and show them the drive of your heavy despair!"
At this point Alex have started chanting again, and the whole crowd followed through. Even Reimu, who would need to be extremely smashed to even consider singing along, can't help but be swept along by the rebellious energy from the song itself.
"Despair! Despair! Heavy! Despair! Drive! Heavy despair drive! Pride! Pride receive despair!"
Suddenly, the usual loud electric guitar that accompanies the song dropped, leaving behind a gentle piano note in the background. Strangely, the girls stopped cheering at the right moment after the crescendo, leaving Alex the spotlight for the unusually quiet hook. And by god, what a hook it was! It sounded so smooth, almost unnaturally beautiful to the point that even Sakuya was shocked that Alex can produce such a dreamy, yet determined and powerful vocal.
"My potential is not determined by you bastards
I choose tomorrow and the future for myself!"
As Alex stretches the last syllable out, it was Marisa who fills in the gap with her own adlibbing.
"Stun them with your pride received from your despair!"
Alex roared back into the main chorus, and then Marisa returned to her role as his backup cheering squad leader.
"Burn it down! Burn it all down!
Rusted over and deprived of light,
Burn your dark past like a trash with the incinerator of your heart!
Accepting your despair allows you to look down on those fools
as you become a crane towering over the landfills
BEDAZZLE THEM WITH THE PRIDE YOUR RECEIVED FROM YOUR DESPAIR!"
Alex have never felt so free in his life, never felt so proud of himself. The answer that he was looking for was deep inside him, and he yells it out for all to hear; from the lowest of hell to the highest of heaven, he realised that his pride as a leader, as a man, is what got him to where he is now. His head tilted back and his mouth facing the heaven, Alex bellowed his revelation to the sky, releasing all the doubt inside him with rebellious pride.
"Did you see the answer bro? Did you see the answer sister? That answer is the very first thing that arises from inside myself! So stop shaking like a fucking leaf! Run, run, RUN GODDAMMIT!"