7: The Moriya Shrine Conspiracy

"Done. I have to thank you, Renko. This Orb you gave me was quite interesting."

"What did you find out?" I asked.

"I'm not really qualified to answer that." Rikako frowned, "I'll send you to someone who is."

"Eh? What do you mean you're not qualified?"

Beep.

I stared at the Dolldex.

"I'm back." Maribel said, handing me a drink, "How is it?"

"Rikako finished researching this." I frowned, pulling out the blue orb that Sanae gave me, "But apparently she's not qualified to explain it to me. Why?"

CReimu walked over to the Dolldex. She stared at it. Then punched it.

"Ah, hey! That's sensitive equipment!" I cried.

The screen began to pick up something as the static began to clear. But this time it wasn't Rikako.

"R-Reimu?" I cried, "Since when did Shrine Maidens have communicators?"

"Normally we don't." Reimu said, sipping her tea.

"...Then how are you talking to us?"

"I'm using a communicator."

"But you just said-"

"It's attached to my refrigerator."

"Where'd you get a refrigerator?"

"Rikako."

"Rikako offered you a refrigerator?"

"It wasn't the refrigerator that convinced me to take it." Reimu shrugged, "It was the food inside."

"Yo." CReimu waved at herself.

"You seem well." Reimu smiled, "How strong have you gotten?"

"By now I'm Level 20." CReimu crossed her arms.

"Slow progress huh?"

"Yeah."

"Hey!"

"What's up? Oh hey, it's Reimu!"

"Hello, CMarisa." Reimu smiled, "How has the 2 of you been?"

"Generally fine." CReimu said.

"I've been keeping on eye on the 2 of them like you told us to." CMarisa waved.

"That's reassuring." Reimu said, "Then, Renko."

"What?"

"I heard you fought the Shrine Maiden of the Moriya Shrine."

"...Yeah."

"...Then you understand."

"I know." I said, "And I plan on fulfilling our promise. But in order for me to get stronger, I need to know what this is."

Reimu stared at the blue orb for a while before she sighed and placed down her tea,

"It's an Orb meant for capturing Dolls."

"Even I can see that." I frowned, "I'm asking if there's anything special between this and the normal Red variation."

"What you have to understand, Renko..." Reimu said taking a sip of tea, "Is that the orbs that you use...the red ones...originated from me. I enchanted them to capture the Dolls. The spell took me months to write and just as long to apply it to it's medium, the orb."

"..."

"The blue orb you hold..." Reimu frowned, "It's spell is much stronger than the one I crafted for the regular orbs. It's power to capture Dolls is almost twice as strong as my own. A spell like that is impossible for me right now. I may be able to reverse-engineer it, but that could take me a while."

"So this orb is stronger than yours?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"It was given to me by the Shrine Maiden of Moriya."

"I know." Reimu said, picking up her tea again, "It's a testament."

"Testament?"

"Renko."

"The fact that my creation is overshadowed by theirs. To weave a spell like that is quite a feat, especially considering that they just moved in."

"Renko..."

"Why did they give it to me?" I frowned, looking at the orb with new eyes.

"Perhaps they intend to convert you." Reimu smirked as she drank her tea.

"And if I do?" I smiled back.

"Then I might have to intervene." Reimu said.

"Renko!"

"What?" I looked up.

"Look." Maribel said, pointing to the store television.

"The next generation Doll capturing device is here! Broaden your boundaries! Any Doll can be yours with the all new Great Orb! Available at your nearest store! Sponsored by the Moriya Shrine. Comes in a snazzy blue color."

We watched as the advertisement ended and went into a Doll Talkshow. We stayed silent for a moment...

"Blue isn't snazzy." I frowned.

"I dunno..." Maribel smiled.

"Hey." Reimu frowned.

"Well they did one-up you and quite fairly." Maribel's Dolldex said.

"Shut up." Reimu scowled.

"It's true." Rikako said as she appeared on Maribel's Dolldex, "What are you going to do? Already the price of your Orbs are dwindling."

"..."

"Would your victory over the Moriya shrine mean anything if they're rich and you're not?"

"Fine, I get it." Reimu said, slamming down her cup, "I'll see what I can do!"

Rikako sat back with a smug look on her face.

"You're going to create an Orb?" Maribel asked, interested, "How?"

"I'm not telling." Reimu pouted.

"Aww..."

"By the way." Rikako said, "Maribel, you're banned from using Great Orbs."

"EH? Why?"

"Because you worship the Hakurei shrine."

"No I don't!"

Reimu coughed.

"N-Not to say that your shrine isn't great, but-"

"Maribel, the Great Orbs are irrelevant to your profession." Rikako said.

"B-But if I DO use them then I can capture Dolls easier!"

"So? Without them, you'd need to get stronger to capture Dolls. Didn't you want to get stronger? Wasn't that why you challenged FOUR Gyms?"

"B-But..."

"You can have mine." I suggested.

"No!" Rikako said at once.

"But Renko isn't even going to use it!" Maribel cried, "Right, Reimu?"

Reimu sipped her tea before answering, "Renko."

"Y-Yes?"

"Using the Great Orbs...is severely frowned upon."

"Eh?"

"Frowned upon." Rikako smirked, "But not forbidden. Is that what you wanted to say, Reimu?"

Reimu glared at Rikako.

"Heh. Well, that's that! Remember Maribel, Great Orbs are forbidden for you! In fact...anything made by the Moriya Shrine is forbidden!"

Maribel was sobbing by the time Rikako disconnected.

"...Are you sure you're okay?" I asked.

"Yes." Maibel sniffed.

"Think of it as a parental punishment." Reimu suggested, "Like how some kids aren't allowed to buy the latest Nitori brand toy."

"B-But I just challenged a few Gyms." Maribel said, "This is unfair isn't it?"

"I'm sure Rikako feels the same way." Reimu said, "Well...partially anyway. That's why she sent some help."

"Eh? Help?" Maribel looked up.

"In about...now."

"HEY!"

We jumped as someone quickly approached us from behind. Turning around we were shocked to find the school teacher from Roseus Town running towards us.

"How dare you kids run off before taking your final exam!"

"F-Final Exam?" Maribel cried, "B-But we never-"

"I don't want yer excuses." The teacher scowled, "You're taking it right now!"

We sighed.

"It's not that hard." The teacher said as he brought out a orb, "Come on, CWriggle."

A small anthropomorphic bug appeared and waved at us.

"Now. One of you inflict a Status Ailment on this little guy. Simple right?"

"I suppose." I frowned.

"Good. Then you start."

"Me? Fine. Come out you guys."

CReimu and CTokiko looked at CWriggle with confusion.

"A double team?" CReimu frowned.

"No. Do either of you know any status inflicting moves?"

"Status inflicting?" CReimu said.

She looked at CTokiko who shook her head.

"...Well...I have this."

CReimu took out an Ofuda and stuck it on CWriggle's head. CWriggle yelped as she was electrocuted. Afterward. She sunk to the ground, twitching.

"Good. Paralysis. Now your turn girly."

Maribel frowned as she brought out CMarisa, "Spore."

Just as CWriggle was recovering by eating a berry, small puffs floated towards him, making him sleepy. She fell asleep before she finished his berry.

"You both pass!" The teacher said, clapping his hands, "And with that, here's your prize."

The teacher gave me a small claw and a berry.

"What is this?" I frowned as I picked up the claw.

"It's a Quick Claw." The teacher explained, giving Maribel the same thing, "If yer Doll holds it, they just might move faster than your opponent."

"How does that work?"

"Ask yer professor friend if ya want specifics." The teacher shook his head, "Now, I gotta run. Lunch is almost over. And tell your professor friend that she owes me for coming all the way out here!"

"Quick Claw." I said, holding it up, "A held item?"

"You've never got one correct?" Reimu said, "A held item is an item with a magical connection. This magic affects Dolls when in close proximity to them. Unlike some items that loses their magic in one use, the Quick Claw doesn't."

"Loses their magic?"

"Some items have too little magic to be use repeatedly." Reimu explained, "Some are even consumed, like that Oran Berry of yours."

"Basically items improve the performance of your Dolls without needing too much training." Maribel said.

"I see. CReimu, you take the Oran Berry. CTokiko, take this Quick Claw."

CReimu stuffed the Berry into her sleeve and CTokiko grasped the Quick Claw as if it was a dagger.

"You're finally looking formidable." CMarisa smirked as she tossed her berry up and down.

"You gave CMarisa the Oran Berry too?"

"Huh? Oh, you found something again?" Maribel said, taking the berry from CMarisa, "You didn't steal it again did you?"

"Hey if it's on the ground and I pick it up, then it belongs to me."

"CMarisa can find stuff?" I frowned.

"Yeah. It's part of her ability, Pickup." Maribel said.

"Ability?"

"It's a Doll's natural skill. Ah, that's right you don't know."

"I think I get it though." I said, opening my Dolldex, "CReimu. Own Tempo. So you can't get confused?"

"Why would I?" CReimu frowned.

"Schrödinger's Cat is a thought experiment that explores the relationship between an event with outcomes that all have an equal chance of happening and nature. In and enclosed space, the subject interacts with or reacts to something that leads to a result. There are more than one outcomes, but all outcomes have an equal chance of happening, the problem being, since you cannot see the subject you therefore do not know what event the subject is subjected to and until you check on the subject itself, the outcome is unknown to anyone and that the subject is therefore in a state where anything can happen to him. Once the subject is checked upon, Nature collapses to one of the possible outcomes and-"

CReimu yawned.

"You're not even listening are you?"

"Of course not."

"Look like you really don't ever get confused." I smiled, "And CTokiko...Limber. You never get paralyzed huh?"

CTokiko backed away.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to experiment on you."

CTokiko chirped cautiously and flew up, settling on my head.

"So what's next?" Maribel asked.

"We head to the closest town with a Gym." I said.

"Eh? Are you sure? You still haven't caught a new Doll."

"10 dollars says he still won't even after you reach the next town." Reimu said.

"You're on!"

"Hey wh...sigh."