Tale 3: Unity of Hearts! Trouble in Paradise!
Roughly two hours passed since Kaira was brought to the mysterious residence of Tamamo no Mae. Despite being a menacing yokai, she kept things quite classy and didn't fail on her promise of treating the young hanyo like royalty. He had been cleaned up from all the dirt and grime he had in prison, given nicer clothing, and was now going to have dinner with the other residents of the eerie mansion.
Even dinner wasn't a slouch, offering a wide array of the finest cuisines from across both the human and yokai worlds. Tamamo no Mae, Jami, and another yokai that took the form of a muscular, dragon crocodile-like being all sat comfortably across from Kaira.
"I'm surprised you didn't end up breaking the boy's back, Wani," Jami commented, ironically eyeing at some pork. The large dragon crocodile, Wani, tore into a leg of turkey and looked at the boar spirit.
"I'm surprised you, and I'm the guy who freed the yokai across the sea for lord Sei…" Wani tried to say, only to get a glare from Tamamo no Mae.
"You know the dinner rules and rules here in general is not to mention your former retainers, correct?" Tamamo no Mae scolded, making Wani somewhat nervous. "Don't mention such a thing again in front of the young prince, got it?"
"So I can just...go wherever?" Kaira asked, a bit confused. Tamamo no Mae adjusted her gaze to the blue haired half yokai.
"Oh no, my little prince, you first have to complete the task I have for you tomorrow before you can do any personal headhunting," Tamamo no Mae replied, keeping up an intimidating yet somehow motherly tone to her voice. "Think of it as training so you can defeat your foes in a single strike rather than multiple."
"A-are you sayin' I'm not strong enough!?" Kaira raised his voice, sounding a bit shocked. He looked ready to fight, only for Tamamo no Mae to give an even harsher glare.
"I'm not expecting you, the poor soul who got overthrown by his own people and locked up for being a 'freak', to be able to take revenge on your people right away," Tamamo no Mae explained. "At least not yet, but letting you take someone else out might help you hone your skills and anger."
Tamamo no Mae snapped her fingers, a blue and black blade with silver, wavy accents appearing in front of Kaira. "This is the Sword of the Snake King, get some rest first, and then I'll assign you to your first target, got it?"
Kaira eyed the sword, taking it into his hands. "Got it!"
Soon, the evening had ended for the malicious gang, Tamamo no Mae returning to her private quarters to look at the replica of the Yokai Sangokushi again.
"Now all I need is to figure out how to use that poor sap to find the real deal…" Tamamo no Mae whispered to himself. "He is the snake king, perhaps a relative might know it's location?"
Back in St. Peantusburg, a new morning had arisen, the events back home in Sakura New Town unfolding as Mai slept. Through several text based messages, the two had caught up on each others rather absurd shenanigans. Two legendary beast yokai from ancient times had awakened, bringing forth quite a bit of mystery to the group of friends.
The blonde's day had begun with her and her two feline friends being called to the table and to be dressed and ready for the day.
"Grandma, is something wrong?" Mai asked the elder relative of hers, quite concerned. The elder woman simply shook her head.
"No, no nothing's wrong here, in fact it's the total opposite," Mai's grandma responded with a warm smile as she got out an envelope. "Here, open this, I think you'll like what's inside,"
Being handed a normal looking large envelope, she slowly opened the beige paper enclosure. Reaching into it, there were a few papers and a small yet elegant piece of plastic. Reading the papers and looking at the card like object, Mai looked absolutely shocked.
"What!? Y-you got me a ticket to Max Ansley World? And reservations to one of the nicest resorts on property? For an entire week!?" Mai asked, shocked and absolutely stunned. "B-But how!? T-This is honestly hard to believe…"
"Simple my dear, a side job of gardening for the Hazeltine Mansion, you'd be shocked at how big that place is! It's almost like a dungeon of it's own!" Mai's grandma commented with a laugh at the end. "Oh how I loved that family…'s paychecks."
"Grandma...I...I honestly can't believe this…Why though?" Mai asked, still shocked and confused. "I'm sure the family you did gardening for paid well, but surely this wasn't cheap to get…" Mai responded, being completely flattered. Mai's grandma simply put her hand on the blonde's shoulder.
"I'd say it was because you were honored by that Enma child for your efforts to bring yokai and humans together, but that really isn't it…" Mai's grandma responded with. "Truth is, it's more of a gift in saying how proud I am of you. From what your parents have told me, moving and starting high school was rough at first...but you ended up making friends and opening up more as time went on. You've truly changed a lot for the better, I hope you keep it up Mai."
Mai was silent for a moment, before a few small tears formed in her eyes and she hugged her grandma, utterly speechless for what to say other than a quiet yet sincere "thank you".
The elder looked over at the two feline yokai. "Now, you two make sure Mai doesn't get lost, it's a pretty big resort."
"We'll make certain of that, we promise," Nyanmajo responded with a sense of responsibility.
"Yeah, though we might be the ones who wind up lost first…" Sailornyan sheepishly added in.
"Well now, let's get you to the bus stop, thankfully it's all a one way, hour long bus trip," Mai's grandma said, getting her coat on as Mai grabbed her things.
"Alright, I'm ready!" Mai said, thankfully most of her things still in tact. She could feel her heart pumping, she was beyond excited to experience this grand resort. All the attractions, shows, food, it all seemed so magical!
In a short amount of time, Mai found herself on the motorcoach to the near legendary resort, quite shocked to see a familiar face on the bus.
"Mao?" Mai asked, noticing the black haired boy walking down the aisle of the bus. He was a bit startled by the blonde noticing him, Mai quickly saying "Sorry! Sorry!" before gesturing him to sit next to her.
"I didn't know you were going on a trip to this resort...Max Ansley World was it?" Mao asked, Mai nodding sheepishly and rubbing the back of her head.
"Well truth be told I didn't find out I was going until just this morning, it was quite the shock," Mai responded to the black haired boy, responding with a nod.
"I wasn't expecting to go either, but my mom said it was for my own safety, actually," Mao responded, Mai looking a bit confused.
"For your own safety? How come?" Mai asked, Mao giving a slight confused shrug.
"She said something about the amount of humans and yokai that go there is pretty large so I would be harder to spot," Mao answered for Mai. "Long story short...my mom really didn't take well to what happened the other day and said she could get me on a vacation…"
Goodness, it didn't even feel like it was yesterday that Mai and Mao not only had their encounter with the legendary beast of the south, Suzaku, but the malicious yokai Tamamo no Mae. Tamamo no Mae did seem pretty dangerous...so maybe going to a large resort destination would be trickier for her to spot?
"Well, even if you're going there for the sake of your own safety, that doesn't mean we can't have fun, right?" Mai responded with, trying to lighten up the mood a little. "We might be staying in different places but that doesn't mean we can't have fun together, right?"
Mao was quiet for a little bit, before smiling before speaking up. "I suppose...Sorry if I don't know much, I've never really had any friends…"
A moment of brief silence had passed the blonde. Goodness, he really was a lot like her nearly a year ago...and a little bit of how she still is now. Shy, a bit awkward, and didn't have many friends.
"It's okay, I don't have too many friends either," Mai responded with, trying to reassure the boy. "I don't mind being your friend, best we less sociable types stick together, you know?"
"Y-Yeah!" Mao finished with, seeming to be in a better mood.
The two kept talking on the bus, about their lives and how things have been. It was an odd feeling, even though Mai had only known Mao for about a day, he was pretty easy to talk to. She usually wasn't this open and sociable with her human peers, yet it felt like she had known Mao for a while.
The hour long bus drive seemed to have whizzed by almost instantly, the two getting off the bus and heading to their respective resort hotels. Ironically, they weren't all the far apart, just a jogging trail away from each other.
"I'll be at the Versailles Garden Resort if you need anything!" Mai said to Mao, Nyanmajo and Sailornyan standing by her side.
"Right, a-and I'll be right across in the Micronesia Island Resort!" Mao waved back, the two groups going their own ways but not technically all that far apart.
Upon entering, Mai and her feline companions were absolutely stunned by the beautiful french architecture both on the outside and interior.
"This looks like the setting for a romance," Nyanmajo commented, looking over at one of many intricate vases with neatly organized rose bushes.
"Or a romantic tragedy," Sailornyan added in, still looking around. "Either way, this place sure is pretty…I'd like to live here!"
The group checked in, being handed the key card to the room and headed right in. It was probably the nicest hotel room Mai had seen, matching the overall high quality of the building with ornate gold details shimmering throughout. She had set her bags aside, she really needed to relax, even if it was just for a little bit.
As Mai rested, Nyanmajo and Sailornyan took a look around the room. It was pretty spacious and extremely fancy, even had an outdoor balcony. Pulling back the curtains to look out the balcony, they could see the large garden and pool area of the resort.
About an hour had passed, possibly even more, it was hard to tell when one was napping. But soon Mai had gotten up and went looking for Mao. It was a bit of a walk, but half way across the jogging trail she had encountered someone.
"Excuse me young miss," An elder voice said. Mai turned around to see who it was. She looked older than dirt, with slightly greyed black hair tied into a thick ponytail resting to her side. She carried around a large wooden walking stick, wearing black robes. It was hard to tell if she was human or yokai. "Are you headed to the Micronesia Island Resort?"
"Yes I am, ma'am!" Mai politely answered for the old woman.
"Do you mind taking me there? I was heading back from the Dreaming Country Park but accidentally got off the stop for the Versailles Garden Resort," The older woman asked, Mai nodding in response.
"Of course, I'm going to meet a friend there," Mai finished, taking the elder's hand and leading her to the Oceania themed resort. Despite the long walk there wasn't much exchange between Mai, the elder woman, or even any quipps from Nyanmajo or Sailornyan.
"Thank you very much dear," The elder thanked, before pausing for a moment to rest her hand on her lips. "If you don't mind, could you bring your friend here? I would like to meet him before we go our ways."
"S-Sure!" Mai responded, trying not to sound awkward. She headed up to the front desk, saying she was meeting with a friend and proceeded forward to the guest room Mao was staying in. Of course, she made sure to inform him beforehand.
"Don't you think this old lady is...you know...that crazy shapeshifting fox lady?" Sailornyan questioned, Mai stopping in her tracks.
"Oh…" Mai realized halfway, before Nyanmajo stepped in.
"Well, we did have to study Tamamo no Mae for a class," Nyanmajo informed. "I recall them clearly stating that she could turn into just about anything if she was given enough power except for a human form. Nobody's really sure why, but I know it was clearly stated…"
"They sure do teach a lot of weird things in magic school…" Mai responded, trying to keep her foot forward. She held onto her yokai watch, clutching it just in case there was going to be some fighting break out in the lobby.
They had made it up to Mao's room, knocking on the door before the rather shy boy stood cautiously in the hallway.
"Oh Mai, you're here," Mao answered shyly. "We're going now, r-right?"
"Yep, don't worry though, I'm prepared in case something bad happens," Mai reassured. "At least I think I am…"
The two walked down through the halls and back to the lobby, the elder woman waiting for them both. Mai clutched onto her watch just in case she had a suspicious agenda on hand.
"Oh so this is your friend then, Mai?" The elder woman asked. Thankfully on her way she had at least told the woman her name was Mai at the very least, so this didn't make her completely suspicious. So in response, Mai nodded.
"Very well, I'm sure he doesn't mind meeting your friends I've met the other day," The elder woman concluded, Mai really becoming suspicious. How did this old lady meet her friends all the way back in Sakura New Town!?
"W-Who are you?" Mai asked, trying to keep her calm. Usually she would be panicking in this kind of situation but something about the old lady's aura was so...calming? Made her at ease? It was odd…
The elder tapped her walking stick, the yokai Ungaikyo appearing by her side. Though, this one was different, having a gold color scheme with accents of red, blue, white, and black.
"I'll introduce myself when we're all together, but for now…" The old woman said, looking at the mirror yokai. "Would you mind taking these two where the others are so I can meet with them personally?"
"Of course!" The Ungaikyo finished, teleporting Mai and Mao to who knows where.
After a few brief moments, Mai could feel that they were in the yokai world, but in an ornate but secluded mansion somewhere…
"Mai!" Kokoro yelled, jumping off her position off of one of many sofas. Shinju and even Great King Enma were also there, quickly coming over to welcome back the girl and inquire about the strange new boy.
"H-hey guys!" Mai responded, being a bit overwhelmed by the amount of people. "Anyways, long story short, this is my friend Mao! I mentioned him a few times yeah?"
Before the gang could really catch up, the elder woman had returned, revealing that in fact she was a yokai. "My apologies for holding back on my introduction. I'm Genbu, the Tortoise Queen of the North."
The elder yokai quickly got the attention of everyone in the room. "I believe I not only have some answers, but some questions to take in as well. Who wants to go first?"
Shinju was the first to step in. "Going off of all the crazy stuff that happened the other day, the biggest question is how can you keep at a small size without me having to use your emblem?"
"Simple really, by the power of your heart, you were able to awaken an art I thought I had lost long ago," Genbu answered, resting her hand on her chin. "I could freely go between a more traditional beast form and this one with ease, at least before The Great Cleave happened…"
"Great...Cleave?" Mao asked, catching Genbu's attention.
"Well...how do I explain this? Long ago, the human and yokai worlds lived harmoniously together...until there was a great calamity. It was too strong for even me and the other three holy beast yokai, so we took bits of our souls to give life to a yokai so powerful it didn't belong to the eight tribes…"
Genbu kept on with her story repositioning herself. "That yokai was the great Huang Long, with his help we were able to defeat and seal away the evil, but at a strong price. You see, Huang Long had to perform an action so powerful it not only split the evil, but split the worlds. Then after that, the Ten Sacred Jewels scattered across both the human and yokai worlds...to be collected if such an evil where to rise again..."
"So that's what all the jewels are for, to call a super powerful yokai if we find ourselves in such a danger we would need to call him?" Kokoro asked, Genbu nodding back.
"Yes, alas I don't recall the exact summoning ritual needed...nor the location of the sealed evils...They say Huang Long recorded all that, alongside all the other events up to that point in a book called the Yokai Sangokushi," Genbu stated. "But goodness, that thing has been hidden quite well for the past 6,000 years...Though I know a few parts…"
"What's that?" Shinju asked, Genbu adjusting her gaze.
"We need the Ten Sacred Jewels, four brave yet loving souls to have contracted with the holy beast yokai, and a son of Huang Long himself to call forth his ancestor himself…" Genbu stated, the room looking shocked.
"A-A son of Huang Long?" Mai responded, quite shocked. "H-He must be powerful...and hard to find, right?"
"I say he would be tricky to find, but we already have him right in here!" Genbu responded with a light laugh.
"What!?" Everyone in the room yelled in shock. Genbu merely pointed her stick at Great King Enma.
"This boy here...Was it Emma?" Genbu pondered for a bit, before getting back on track. "Anywho, the light of heaven and earth that Huang Long so possessed...it burns within you, I can see it in your eyes."
Great King Enma looked the most surprised. "It's Enma, actually. But seriously? I know some of my ancestors were dragons and even cats but really?"
"Yes child, it may be a bit much, but it's vital for you and your friends to get those jewels before the Yokai Sangokushi ends up in the wrong hands…" Genbu warned. "Otherwise not only will the human world be destroyed, but the yokai world as well."
Great King Enma stood up, startling the others somewhat. "Either way, I say we all go after the jewels! I don't even know where to start, but let's go!"
The Ungaikyo from earlier approached sheepishly. "I think I have a vague idea on where to start, or at least a place radiating a lot of yoki…"
"Do you mind taking us there?" Mao asked, the mirror yokai nodded.
"It's my duty, so please step forth when ready!" Ungaikyo finished, everyone filing up to jump through the mirror yokai's portal. First was Great King Enma, then Kokoro, Shinju, Mao…
But one seemed to stay behind…
"Mai?" Genbu asked concerned, approaching the blonde. She seemed a bit miffed, having pulled out the feather Suzaku left behind the other day.
"Mmm?" Mai answered, sounding quite out of it. Genbu seemed to recognize the feather.
"Oh...It seems you've encountered Suzaku, are you the one who bonded with her?" Genbu prompted, Mai rubbing the back of her head with her free hand.
"I dunno...I was able to transform using my watch, she could change forms too...But she took the jewel she dropped and Tamamo no Mae dropped as well…" Mai said quite puzzled. "Guess I was pretty distracted by the feather…"
Genbu closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "To be honest...Despite Suzaku being of fire, she takes a very long time to warm up to. Byakko and Seiryu were even scared of her for ages, she was mercilessly violent."
"I could tell that from how I saw her fought...She looked like she was out for blood!" Mai replied, Genbu looking in deep thought. The old turtle yokai got up and grabbed a very particular scroll off a shelf, being held within a vermillion casing.
"Mai, I feel you should come with me and give Suzaku this. Don't worry, I'll be behind you so she won't attack you," Genbu said, handing Mai the scroll.
"W-What's in it?" Mai asked, a bit confused. "And what about my friends?"
"We'll catch up to them if danger arises, Ungaikyo will let us know if there's trouble," Genbu answered, gently taking Mai by the hand. "Now, Ungaikyo, please take us to the most southern yomakai, the Suzaku Island."
"No problem, just be extra careful you two, alright?" Ungaikyo stated, opening up the way within him. The two went on through, going to the mysterious yomakai.
Upon the duo's arrival, they had arrived within a surprisingly beautiful, lush island that had been fertilized by eons of fertile, volcanic soil. There was a large volcano looming behind all the lush paradise, it's explosive fire being trapped under a thick, nearly unmeltable glacier of snow and ice. At the center was a mansion, neatly gardened and dyed a deep vermillion.
Mai approached the main door of the place, gently knocking on it. There wasn't an answer, but it soon came from a nearby tree.
"You again?" Suzaku said from the perch of a tree by the mansion, being in her more elegant yet intimidating bird form. She flew down, trying to tower over the young blonde with intimidation.
"Yes...I-I was j-just here to give you something," Mai nervously spoke up, motioning the scroll towards the fiery bird. Suzaku turned into her more humanoid form with a quick transformation. It was easier to grasp scrolls with thumbs, after all.
Without another word, Suzaku snagged away the scroll from Mai, giving nothing more than a glare before getting to work on opening it up...Mai being able to see the scroll contents from a distance.
The contents of the scroll seemed to be a memory from long ago, so detailed in visual and writing that it was just like being there.. It took place in the same yomakai, just many, if not thousands, of years in the past.
A familiar elder yokai was at the front door of the vermillion mansion, waiting for a response. She seemed to have brought a few things with her to visit the southern ruling Yokai. Opening the door was a pheasant cat Yokai, giving a small bow to the old Yokai.
"Ah Great Tortoise Queen Genbu!" Kijinyan greeted. "You're just in time, they've been expecting your arrival!"
Genbu gave a smile, following the bird cat through the main entrance, down through a few halls and up a few stairs. Several other Kijinyans as well as Yokai of the avian and feline varieties were about, greeting Genbu and tending to the needs of the mansion. The two finally approached a door, the bird cat making a "shh, be quiet" motion with their paws.
The tortoise queen gave a gentle knock, being greeted by yet another feline Yokai, this time more humanoid with more tiger like features. He had snow white hair tipped with a deep black and a look radiating with such confidence he wouldn't flinch if a knife were pointed at him.
"Genbu, goodness I wasn't expecting you to get here so soon," The tiger yokai answered, looking a bit shocked.
"I wasn't either, Byakko," Genbu shrugged, following Byakko further back into the bedroom, keeping herself absolutely quiet. The two had reached to the bed, Byakko laying next to Suzaku who looked...happy? Or at the very least, content? How odd...The vermillion bird seemed to have been looking over something before noticing the arrival of Genbu, a tired look pretty clear in the bird's eyes.
"...But the fact you two are now the proud parents of Yomakai's first twins is a true honor words cannot describe," Genbu finally finished her statement. Suzaku looked at the other beast, tired yet happy.
"Yeah...you said it," Suzaku responded. "They're cute, but goodness what a handful...wasn't expecting that from a singular egg."
"It was such a shock too, even I had to ask if you laid it while holding the egg," Byakko laughed a bit, rubbing the back of his head.
Genbu gently smiled, looking at the two twin yokai resting close to their parents. As mentioned, they were twins, one with black hair with the tiniest hue of blue and the other with very bright vermillion red hair. They had a few feline and avian features, but were fast asleep next to one another so it was hard to get the rest of their features. Even the red haired twin was softly nibbling on his brother's ear.
"They really are cute little things, what did you end up naming them?" Genbu asked, Suzaku preening a little at her wings.
"It was fairly last minute since I'm not good with names, but red one's older and is named Noruka, his younger brother is Soruka," Suzaku answered, Genbu gently picking up both of the twins.
"Noruka and Soruka huh? I like those names quite a bit…" Genbu said softly, Byakko positioning himself in such a manner that made him look quite proud.
"Heh, certainly better and cuter than anything related to that good for nothin' Seiryuu!" Byakko boasted, the feminine beasts silent.
"...Some things don't change, now do they?" Genbu stated, going back with Suzaku to look over the pair of yokai twins.
Once the scroll was closed up, the elder yokai approached the more fiery one, Mai staying behind in case things got bad.
"So you were the one who gave that girl the scroll," Suzaku concluded in a slightly aggressive manner. "Shoulda figured, do you really have faith that I can work with someone?"
"Yes, I do. This girl has a heart that wouldn't hurt a fly, just like your heart," Genbu responded, before pausing for a moment. "Err, at least Noruka and Soruka never got a scratch under your care."
Suzaku sighed, handing the old tortoise back the scroll. "Alright, I'll see if that girl is capable of fighting without my assistance, then I'll consider it. She got lucky for the simple fact that Tamamo no Mae is on par with me."
Suzaku spread open her wings, sending a gust of fiery wind into the lush paradise. "Oi, girl! Come out of hiding and confront me like a real warrior!"
Mai soon came out of hiding, a bit shaken but with a small sliver of hope in her. She had her watch, she had a few Yokai Jewels, she would be able to confront this beast...right? On the opposite end was this foreboding, dangerously powerful yokai, one greatly feared by many...Could she bear to fight such a thing?
Both took a few paces, ready for the right moment to start clashing and fight one another until one was victorious. Genbu watched peacefully from the sidelines, all seemed to be ready to go according to plan until…
"G-Genbu!" The Ungaikyo that brought Mai and her here yelped, in absolute fear. "I-It's an emergency! Something terrible is brewing at the location of the others!"
"Really now?" Genbu asked, even Suzaku coming in to see what all the fuss was.
"Yes! There's a lot of despair-infused yoki being dispelled where they are, and that can't be good!" The Ungaikyo answered hastily with a sense of full on panic.
"Despair yoki?!" Suzaku responded with a raised voice. She then took a stance. "If this is the work of who I think it is, I'll merely watch how the girl can handle her on her own."
"Her name is Mai, you know," Genbu corrected, Suzaku making an audible "tsk".
Soon enough, Mai and company made their way back to the human world. Hopefully she wouldn't fumble against Tamamo no Mae this time, even if she's a deadly yokai...She had friends to save and that was the most important thing.
The location was at Max Ansley World and one of it's many theme parks. This one, the Movie Magic Park, was one that was always changing and updating, keeping up with the latest and hottest films by the Max Ansley company, as well as celebrating the iconic shows. Naturally, many stage shows with high tech effects were the main event, alongside a few rides.
At one of the stage shows based on the hit adventure film Minnesota Sam, the others in Mai's group were observing the show. It was reaching the climax, were Minnesota Sam reached the treasure room of a lost temple, about to retrieve a priceless artifact…A tomb of ancient spells...
"You…" A strange voice said, keeping himself shrouded in the background. "Hand over the book of the ancients…"
Minnesota Sam, thinking this was merely part of the show, played it up a little. "It belongs in an art gallery!"
"...Fine, act that way!" The shrouded figure shouted, stabbing a sword like object that unleashed several colorful snakes made out of solid energy. There was a loud, astonishing shock among the audience.
"Honestly I don't think this was part of the show…" Mao whispered, quite disturbed by the sight.
Naturally, everyone started to flee from the terrifying sight, several of the energy snakes crashing into nearby structures. Even Minnesota Sam yelled in fear at the serpentine beings, the screams of the people radiating with some kind of energy.
"Alright, show yourself you serpentine punk!" Kokoro yelled, jumping on stage with her knuckles cracked. The other three, Shinju, Mao, and Great King Enma hesitantly followed.
Revealing himself out of the shadows was a young teen, blue hair, serpentine eyes, and a scowl gracing his face. "Name's Snake King Kaira, and I'm going to be the one worthy of ruling both the human and yokai worlds! First...I need to pay my rent!"
"That's what you open up with?" Great King Enma asked the snake king.
"Psh, figures you'd get some new friends, Jizou." Kaira scoffed, causing a wave of confusion among the group.
"Jizou…?" Shinju asked confused, only for Great King Enma to face this new foe face to face.
"Never change Kaira, never change," Great King Enma concluded with a shrug, only angering the snake king even more.
"Well, I'll show you who should be running things!" Kaira yelled, unleashing the energy snakes from the ground once more…
Once Mai, Genbu, and Suzaku arrived, things were in chaos. People running, structures falling, several announcements over speaker about an evacuation. Though three in particular stood out to Mai in the rubble.
"Kokoro! Shinju! Mao!" Mai yelled, rushing up to the trio, making sure they were okay to the best of her ability. They seemed a bit tattered, almost if they were thrown off quite the distance. "W-What on earth happened?"
"Some punk...he's taken over a stage show…" Kokoro scoffed.
"And then he threw us...or rather these snakes he summoned did…" Mao answered. "Pretty harshly too…"
"What's the guy's name and where's he at?" Mai asked, clutching her watch. "And where's Great King Enma?"
"Kaira...He's at the Minnesota Sam stage show, and well...Enma's got his hands full…" Shinju finished, Genbu gently approaching the trio as Suzaku seemed to have disappeared among the arrival of the group. The elder yokai simply waved her hand, restoring the three of any slight wounds.
"You three, come with me and help evacuate the park," Genbu stated, the three standing up. Shinju got out the black tortoise emblem she had.
"But before you go after and fight, let me show you this!" Shinju said, posing with the water sacred jewel and next to Genbu.
"Calm as a plain, the north blossoming with life! If you would please come forth, the Black Guardian...Genbu!" Shinju called forth with her emblem in hand, transforming into her combative outfit. Genbu, joining in the fun, decided to transform into her very daunting but still calm and gentle beast form.
"Oh wow, you look really nice Shinju!" Mai complimented, truly stunned that even her friends could pull of the same transformation techniques as she did. But, there was business for her to take care of, right here and right now.
Genbu's group went off to rescue civilians trapped in an otherwise happy and bustling park, helping evacuation go more smoothly.
Once Mai arrived, the fight between Great King Enma and Snake King Kaira was going pretty rough. They were throwing whatever magic they had at eachother, even now getting pretty fist to fist. They had very clearly been very rough to each other, even landing a few bruises and scratches onto one another. Didn't help the stage they were fighting on was full of many props and structures to slam one another into.
A bit struck on what to do, Mai grabbed into her bad, whatever was the first yokai jewel to plop out of the Great Yokai Dictionary would be her partner for the day. The blonde held the jewel, being cyan with trims of gold.
"...You have another gal pal?" Kaira asked in the midsts of the fist to fist brawling, noticing Mai in the back, shyly trying to make her way as she held the jewel.
"Mai!" Great King Enma shouted rather joyfully. "I never thought I'd see you!"
"I'm always here to help a friend in need!" Mai responded, getting ready in her stance. "Because I know something a whole lot bigger than a snake!"
"What?" Kaira questioned, Mai doing her pose and usual speech.
"My friend true of heart, I summon you! Heart to heart…" Mai began her speech, going through the usual motions. "Legendary Nyororon Nanda Ryuuoh!"
With a quick summoning call and snappy transformation sequence, she donned the threads worn way back when she summoned her first legendary yokai, Nanda Ryuuoh. It still gave her quite the adrenaline, ready to cure one's darkened heart.
Mai and Nanda Ryuu-oh quickly joined on the side of Great King Enma, all three ready to fight.
Kaira didn't seem overwhelmed, merely just confused. "What did you even do?"
"What?" Nanda Ryuuoh began with. "I was just brought here, and I don't know anything about what's going on or who you are."
"Are you serious, I had a loud introduction, you should have heard it! I'm the snake king dang it!" Kaira aggressively gave a response to the dragon king.
"Snake king? What does a snake king do? What are your abilities? Are you actually a snake?" Nanda Ryuuoh asked, Mai and Great King Enma looking at each other.
"...He could be at this for hours...you think we should try and take care of this while Kaira's...frustratedly occupied?" Mai asked, the other nodding.
"Sure thing, we may have not worked together much, but there's a first for everything!" Great King Enma enthusatically finished with, Mai and him starting to take a pose.
"...And finally one of the Snake King's duty is to keep an eye on the Yokai Sangokushi, a powerful tomb possibly containing keys to the end of the world or something if it falls into the wrong hands," Kaira concluded, giving a hefty sigh to Nanda Ryuuoh. "Any more questions?"
"Yes actually!" Nanda Ryuuoh began enthused, Kaira beginning to groan. "If all known laws of aviation are true, how come a bee is still able to fl-"
Before the dragon king could finish his question, Mai grabbed a hold of his hand, Nanda Ryuuoh knowing exactly what to do, even with another yokai in the mix.
"Supreme Blizzard Inferno!" The heroic trio yelled, unleashing a twisting bind of fire and ice. It was not only powerful, but a delightful spectacle to see, two things so different combine in a way that was mesmerizing. It struck quite gracefully...and things seemed to go back to normal but…
"W-Where did Kaira go?" Mai asked, looking all across the stage for him. Alas, the angry teen couldn't be found anywhere.
"Seems he ran off just in time…" Great King Enma concluded as well, looking across the floor. "Didn't seem to leave anything behind either…"
Soon enough, the rest of the gang, minus Suzaku joined back up with Mai and the others.
"Good news!" Shinju stated, still in her combat garb as Genbu's large tortoise form followed behind her. "We've evacuated the whole park! I think we're all in the clear!"
"Well, we did defeat the one behind all this, bad news is he didn't seem to leave behind another sacred jewel…" Mai informed the rest of the group. Genbu craned her head down slightly, noticing someone.
"Perhaps the blonde's friend here knows more than just the location of a sacred jewel," Genbu informed, gently nudging Nanda Ryuuoh with one of her feet.
"What!?" Everyone else in the group yelled in shocked unison. Nanda Ryuuoh rubbed the back of his head a bit embarrassed.
"I uhh...Think my niece might know something or two? It's been ages since I've last visited her properly…" Nanda Ryuuoh started, coming across as a bit sheepish and very on the spot about his situation. Genbu focused her calming gaze at the others.
"Nanda here is actually the great Azure Dragon Seiryuu's younger brother," Genbu began, everyone still rather shocked. "And I do mean way younger, he and Seiryuu's daughter, Otohime, are actually around the same age!"
"So does that mean we're going to have to seek Otohime as soon as possible?" Mao asked.
"Nah we ain't...Of course we are!" Kokoro interjected. "I think it's best we all kinda rest up for tomorrow, things were kinda crazy today."
Soon, each member went off into their separate ways, they had to rest up for the long journey ahead.
Though from afar, Suzaku watched, remaining hidden upon a tall building yet could clearly see everyone.
"It's been a while since I've seen a good fire and ice dual technique…" Suzaku said to herself, getting ready to fly off. "Though, I still hope that girl improves her skills to even get more than a glance from me."
Mai returned back to her resort room, Nyanmajo and Sailornyan waiting for her.
"So how was today in the park?" Nyanmajo asked curiously. "I mean, you kinda went off your own way when you met with Mao…"
"It's gonna be a long trip, I can tell you that much," Mai sheepishly said.
"Do you want to get a spa treatment to relax yourself a little?" Sailornyan asked. "Me and Nyanmajo did a coup-I mean duo massage, it was so relaxing!"
The three chatted it up a bit more, talking about relaxing up and maybe getting a few snacks. A long, crazy ride was beginning, starting today in the west, and tomorrow would unfold in the east.