But don't stop with the last chapter, let's keep things moving with speed! If there was any deep stuff to think about last chapter, then ignore it, we've got other things to be getting on with! Liu Wei has run a-Wei, we've got to transfer Onihime back; things can only continue on from there! Anyway, let's go!
Super hero time!
Shuujin: Next assignment, without hesitation!
Issei: Well, this doesn't look right... It's like I've seen it before...
Shuujin: Just be careful, otherwise you'll be making your last call.
Issei: Already been there, done that.
S + I: Break the chains! Phone up the future!
"What!? Is this some sort of punishment!?"
"Well I'm afraid miss Starway Rider, that we are unable to do much else apart from end her life, and seeing as we're somewhat unwilling to do that for someone who was doing a job they were tasked with that rarely required any personal input, the main aspects of the containment controlled by her superiors, I believe this to be the best result."
It was a rather strange concept, but one Issei could start to understand as he looked to the great Kitsune's smiling face. Surely the best prison would be the one where the warden's perfectly willing to shove the prisoner into a fourth dimension as soon as they placed a single foot out of line after all. Onihime would most likely love the idea of tormenting Rider, but at least now, the gambler would be careful about her actions. With the choice in her hands, the pink haired technomancer had been unwilling to remove the handcuffs from Onihime's hands, but to be frank, the black haired girl didn't exactly look too bothered.
"Well, looks like that's another success. Our first ever proper assignment…" the boy breathed, Ophis nodding at his side. She had found a surprising amount of time lost to the milkshake in her hand, quiet sips making the drink seem near endless ever since she had to bring the injured boy to the vehicle.
"Yes, but now we have to deal with the major issue here, that second boy…" Yasaka declared, a hand to her chin as her tails whipped back and forth lazily. "You say he called upon the power of a creature called Genbu?"
A sudden cracking had Kunou calling out in surprise, Ophis' dress painted with white as she clutched the shards without a single complaint, a sudden flame entering her eyes that was rarely found elsewhere.
"He, will die. He, hurt father." The others were different; Issei had been able to deal with those people easily. The boy in blue however… the power he called upon was too much, at this point at least. She knew how the phone worked, with the limits put in place to prevent the spontaneous combustion of its user, meaning that unless Issei could get stronger through some other way, there was no clear solution to defeating him.
"Well considering who he called upon, that may prove to be difficult." The yokai leader remarked, Issei subconsciously rubbing his arm. "With the power of one Taoist symbol under his control, there is no clear answer as to whether he would be able to call upon the others…"
"But if they're just copies, there must be a way to get them away from his grip." Rider reasoned, but the small wince from the leader was enough of a sign for her. "Really?"
"They had been missing for a long time and various people have attempted to find where they had fled to. Even in their weakened states, it was believed that there was no chance that they were kidnapped as all of those more powerful than them had no reason to kidnap them." Yasaka explained, her gently stroking fingers quick to curl up into a more aggressive form. "This could be alarming if he's with the wrong people."
"But how would we track him down? Unless Rider has something which we could use…" the boy turned his head, met by a shake. "Then it's not exactly as if we could do something like just ask."
"We'll simply have to postpone while keeping our guards up." The leader declared with a sigh. "As much as I don't like to leave it like this, from what you've told me, he didn't plan on attacking you purposely, instead just wanting someone to test his abilities upon. Well in that case, I have your next assignment. You should be familiar with the one who issued it."
"Rias Gremory?" Kunou read, Issei giving a small wince as the girl crawled upon his back, the flesh still somewhat tender. "Isn't that the girl who you were with before?"
"Yes, she was in Kuoh." Issei confirmed, flashing his eyes across the paper. "Why does she want us to fight with her though?"
"Ah, that'll be my fault. When she sent the missive, she asked for one of our people to train her team to be more properly prepared for an upcoming battle, so I thought she would appreciate someone closer to her age that she would know." Yasaka announced with a small grin tickling the side of her mouth.
"But I don't know a thing about teaching to fight." The boy stated, a protest with little motivation. It would be nice to see Rias once more; she certainly wouldn't be a hard person to look at after all, working hard as she built up a sweat, possibly drenching a whit- no, that's far enough!
"But that doesn't mean you can't help in combat. Act as a sparring partner and give advice as to how you were able to break through their defences. That would allow them to tighten their protections while naturally boosting their battle experience and they'll already be doing things to boost their pure strength. You can only truly refine these things through combat." The blonde woman countered. "Take the others with you. They'll have their own things to add as well."
"And I'm coming too!" the younger Kitsune proudly declared, hands on her hips as she gave her mother a challenging glare. "I can fight too and they'll really want to be better to get the chance to beat someone as super strong as me!"
A small laugh was disguised by the sigh that escaped the mother. There was no stopping Kunou when she got in this mood and she had already seen far more than she would've gotten to experience if she remained within the walls. It wasn't as if Issei and Ophis weren't up to the task either, though naturally, Rider would have her hands fall with the gambler girl.
"It would be going against my words if I didn't let you go and brush up on your own skills I suppose." Yasaka finally permitted. "I trust then, rider, that you'll be able to take them to the location as dictated upon the missive?"
"Understood! I'll have them there before they even know it!" the girl promised with a small salute, standing from her seat. "Now, let's go make sure that she didn't go and wreck the place while we were gone. Come on everyone!"
The garments definitely didn't belong to Rider for her own usage; the designs were far too masculine for the clearly feminine, bordering upon childish, clothing choices the girl took. Even the more female oriented pieces were too ragged, too uncared for even in their displays to have been used by the long ranger preferring girl, if she did utilise the guns she found within the weapon storage. She turned at the sound of the doors sliding apart, Rider's anguished cry being the first sound before the accusations flew.
"DON'T YOU EVEN LAY A SINGLE UPON THEM! How did you even get out of the handcuffs anyway?" Rider roared, a sudden primal energy to her actions that was absent in the cheerful girl's normal movements, only growing even more powerful as a small key was flicked from its hiding place within a pale palm. "Goddamn it, that's what I get for implementing a simple locking mechanism…"
"These outfits have met battle many times, far more than I would care to recount. Tell me Starway Rider, to whom did these clothes originally belong to?" Onihime asked, barely sparing a second glance towards the one she was speaking to as she gently ran a claw against the glass, pausing upon a particularly strange set. With a unique golden jumper resplendent with several different symbols in a pattern of a dark green across its entirety, paired with a cream safari style jacket, tartan scarf, a red necktie, panama hat, tweed trousers of a sand like tone and brogues, it definitely wasn't the most modern or stylish affair any of the current passengers had borne witness to.
"That is not something I want to speak about now. Perhaps I'll tell the others at a later date. As for you, the handcuffs, back on." She gruffly answered, the key snatched from Onihime's grip and the offending appendages reattached without a second word, Issei and Kunou sharing a glance as they looked to their chauffeur.
The other outfits on display were all a wild combination of things, what appeared to be a simple pullover paired with a battered war jacket standing proudly next to the most garishly coloured thing one could lay their eyes upon. It was clear from the rough demeanour that had overtaken Rider that she was loathe to speak of what had happened, most likely the remnants of a past that was better off forgotten , but Issei wasn't the sort to pry into things he didn't really belong in. instead, his hand traced the edges of the wooden console in the centre of the room, the vastly superior technology being far too beyond his understanding.
'If I use the abilities of the phone though, I could probably work out how the whole thing works in about a quarter of an hour.' Issei remarked in his head, the thought tickling his curiosity. There was still no explanation as to why he had been gifted this phone, but the possibilities it made available to the brunette was startling, near dangerous. Who was to say that the next person wouldn't grant him incredibly sensory abilities, the power to control the mind, bend it to his will like an origami crane? Or maybe he would gain the skill to manipulate metal to his every desire, forging fantastical designs for weapons that would be remembered all throughout history…
But there was no time to debate that, not when they were settled down with a small thud, the doors changing for what seemed to be… was that the house design again? With a proud smile, though tainted by the few remnants of well-hidden tears, Rider gave a comical bow to Issei, Kunou snickering as she followed on behind.
"Well then my good sir, after you and your lovely little ladies!" she flamboyantly declared, returned in equal measure by Issei. It was when Onihime exited the Starway Rider, Issei's hand transferred to the handcuffs, when the pink haired pilot made her way up to the clothing display, ascending the stairs with an almost reverent movement.
"Alice…Umber, Luna… Charlotte, Kanshou, Riley, Prima, Incen, King, I'm sorry." She muttered, a low whisper echoing in the chamber's silence as her eyes flashed between the clothes. "I'm working on it and I think this boy has the answer we need. Are you locked in there? Does your anguish continue? Then I can only ask that you continue, for your own sakes. Do not worry for me, for I have found solace, but hold faith…"
She could still hear the echo of their words, their complacencies and condolences. They knew there a chance for danger, but they were a team; they could fight anything that came their way, right? If only she hadn't have been a coward, strode forward where her friends had fallen. That organisation, it was the death of them, it was clear to the eye now. Those who entered their halls rarely escaped, unless like her, you had a device that could bypass their defences.
"It's the tower, it's all the fault of the tower…" there was a wetness to her cheeks, was she crying? A single finger wiped the weakness away pride forced onto the pink haired girl's face. "I have to go now, they're waiting for me. I'm working on getting you all out, just keep yourself going for as long as you can! I know you, you'll…"
"You'll survive… generation can't lose you."
"It's a pleasure to see you once Issei, though I do believe that you've made some new friends." Rias remarked as she glanced at the black dressed girl, receiving a venomously sugared counterpart in return, even with the sun beating down upon the lovely mansion she had took her peerage to as a training ground, there was just something about her that brought an air of darkness.
"Yeah, that's Onihime and the pink haired girl behind her is Rider." Issei greeted, the girl cheeky smile with her salute as her name was called, Onihime instead choosing to give a small bow. "We have Onihime on a form of detainment, so please remember that when you think about the handcuffs. It's good to see that everyone else is doing well."
Kiba gave a polite smile from his position behind his queen, Akeno just as happy to lavish praises onto a blushing Kunou and Ophis, though the second didn't show as much response as the blonde girl. Koneko had already happily placed herself at the middle table, sparing a small nod before returning to her dessert. If they were going to train, then she would just have to finish the ice cream at a faster speed. The odd one out though was the small girl shrunk into the furthest corner possible, blonde hair draping over her eyes to hide her face. A small frown escaped Rias as the redhead glanced upon her servant at Issei's questioning tilt.
"Ah yes, Asia… she's my bishop, a new addition to my group." The crimson princess of destruction explained. "She was taken in by the fallen angels, the group which held the one which killed you at the park. They were after the Twilight Healing, a sacred gear that would allow the holder to heal many wounds, even near fatal ones. Before, she had been a nun that was reviled by the church as a heretic when she healed a devil without knowing, but the fallen angels had promised to take her in, only to kill her for her power. She died alone, knowing she had been betrayed by all others that had been nice to her. "
Issei couldn't hide the sudden twitch that moved his hand, the other gently moving across to hold it.
'So there had been others that had been affected by the same people I was.' Issei mentally commented, looking to the shivering blonde with no small amount of sympathy. She absolutely refused to make eye contact with any of them, occasionally sneaking a glance before it turned away as soon as it landed upon his eyes, returning to her small prayer.
"I fear that she's simply waiting for us to betray her too." Rias whispered, hands grappling with one another. "But we should move to more friendly things. So, how was the move to Kyoto? I trust it was a fun experience?"
"It was certainly interesting. I've never been away from my parents for more than a night, so it was a big change." Issei replied, watching as Kunou began to run away from Akeno's giggling hands, her screams of 'Help Phis!' urging the gothic Lolita to follow after them. "Are Motohama and Matsuda doing alright?"
"It's nice to see that you're showing worries over your friends." Rias remarked with a small chuckle, checking over the various bags that had been packed together. "But their grades have fallen without you around. I guess without a distraction, they've been pushing each other to new heights, a shame considering the athletic capabilities and intelligence they ignore."
The time to arrange a training schedule could wait for a small bit. They did have ten days to utilise after all. Now, it was time for a senpai and kohai to talk.
The energies were growing fierce once more, a burning red escaping his sleeves to envelop his hands as Liu Wei tried in pain to force the growing power back down, the glow crawling up his neck. It would take the contact of both fists with the table before him before the whipping energies calmed themselves, deep pants escaping him.
"You… will… not… CONTROL ME!" he roared, a surprisingly deep tone bursting out of the young boy amidst the sweat that fell.
"So the vermillion bird gave it another attempt."
"You… you knew this would happen, didn't you?"
The man was in decked out in similar ware to his younger partner, though the dark purple with the golds were more appropriate for royalty then a simple elderly man. His face let little peek through the wrinkles, Liu Wei holding out the vambrace with the four crystals in the waiting hands. Beady eyes of green examined the metal, scanned over every piece until he gave a slow nod, dropping the hand like a vile excretion.
"It isn't to be unexpected from such a powerful creature, let alone four." He slowly explained, Liu Wei bristling under the condescending voice. "There are very few that have ever done the same things as you have tried and to take over the body another creature is unheard off in most circles, let alone to achieve the same thing on a much greater scale. It's only natural that anything you do is to be experimental and risk dangerous side effects."
"Regardless, I don't think they'll put much of fight up after the next few uses." Liu Wei stated, looking to his hands with a few experimental flexes. "They seem to be weakening with every attempt."
"Well, they are being constantly subjected to the submission of their souls, so feeling weak is to be expected." The man answered, a stern glare to the boy. "But you should also remember that the opposite can happen and has a high chance of happening. Who is to say that repeated exposure to the soul subjugation will not cause the four symbols to build up a tolerance?"
With a slam of the white door, the boy was left to store away the crystals once more, swearing once more to see the death of his 'superior' as he had done many times before. Lying back upon a bed of sky blue, he looked to the stars above, glittering even without their inhabitants.
The moon looked remarkably bright that night, the surrounding stars almost tears that fell from its craters.
Now who could Generation be? Well, You'll... maybe find out soon, or probably not. There's a lot of information here that may not be important, but has a fair chance, so try and think about what you should remember. There's also the moon, but Liu Wei is based of Chinese stories, what could the moon have to do with him? I won't be able to upload next week, so you'll have to wait for the one after that for the next chapter!
1 - Dragon (Ophis: scale slicer)
2 - Kitsune (Kunou: Kit o' nine tails)
3 - Technomancer (Starway Rider: .EXE(but!)cuter)
4 - ?
5 - ?
6 - ?
7 - ?
8 - ?
9 - ?
0 - ErRoR (woman: ErRoR)