Tamayo: (rolls her eyes) Pst! (gets Bakacal's attention and makes a series of hand gestures, including some that would be too obscene to mention here)
Bakacal: Uh... (sweatdrops, nods, whispers) Yeah, right. (turns back to audience, normal voice) I would like to take this opportunity to wish Lina and Kurokoneko the best of luck in the Worlds! F33r the bl4ck kitt3n! (gets shot by Largo, Dom, and Ed from MegaTokyo) Owwww...Ogata...take charge...
Ogata: You know the drill, people.
Misaki: Bakacal doesn't own Angelic Layer or Magic Knight Rayearth.
Hatoko: He also doesn't own Sandra Cisneros or the Marines.
Kaede: Angelic Layer and Rayearth belong to CLAMP.
Sai: The Marines belong to the US Department of War.
Ritsuko: But Bakacal does own me and Naoki and Elizabeth.
Kana: He also owns me and Andrew and Jessica and-
Elizabeth(interrupting): Let's just say he owns all of his own characters. After all, he DID create us.
Andrew: Sis, that was pointless. Like anyone reads the disclaimers anyway.
Oujirou: Good point.
Icchan: Hey, get on with it!
Shouko: Yeah, get on with it!
Kotarou: Shut up!
Crowd at the Global Cup: GET ON WITH IT!
Shuuko: Naa? (faints)
Naoki: Let's just get on with it.
Everyone: Right!
Bakacal: I also don't own Monty Python or MegaTokyo.
Battle Three
Rematch
Over the Pacific Ocean
"Attention passengers. We are now begining our final approach into Honolulu International Airport. It is 6:15 PM local time. The weather is sunny with highs in the low to mid 90s. We hope you enjoy your stay in Hawaii, and thank you for flying on Trans Pacific Airlines." Within ten minutes, TPA flight 58 from Tokyo to Honolulu touched down at Honolulu International Airport.
Honolulu International Airport
Ritsuko was the first one off the plane. She had to blink to keep from being blinded by the Hawaiian sun. Suddenly she felt someone pummel her in the gut and heard shouting in slightly accented Japanese.
"Oh my god, you're really here! You really are here!" Shana Aloushi was a sixteen year old Saudi and the younger sister of Nahiyah Aloushi, Saudi Arabia's top Deus. Shana was skilled at repairing angels; she had worked her magic when Naoki's angel was badly damaged four years before in Hiroshima. Shana's face was almost obscured by her long black hair. Ritsuko sat down on the floor of the airport lobby. Shana was still hugging her middle. Nahiyah walked over to them. The twenty year old deus was walking hand in hand with two people, a boy and a woman wearing Marine dress uniforms. Ritsuko instantly recognised the woman.
"Green san!" she called, waving. The woman smiled and saluted. The boy did the same. Shana let go of Ritsuko and went bounding over to her sister. Nahiyah helped Ritsuko up.
"Sorry about that," she said in accented Japanese. "She's never had coffee before." Ritsuko smiled and dusted herself off. "Don't worry," she said, "I'm just glad you made it." Nahiyah nodded to Kana, Misaki, and Naoki, who had just gotten off the plane. "Would you mind introducing us?" she asked politely. Ritsuko looked confused for a moment, then her face lit up. "Oh yes," she said. "Kana, this is Nahiyah Aloushi. Nahiyah, this is Kana Muramoto, my friend and fellow member of the Japanese National Team. You already know Mom and Naoki, right?" Nahiyah nodded and shook Naoki's hand. "Long time no see," she said. Naoki smiled. "Good to see you again, Nahiyah," he answered. Elizabeth came forward.
"Come to think of it," she said, "it was rude of me not to introduce him." She put her hand on the boy's shoulder. "Everyone, this is my brother, Andrew Green. Andrew, this is Ritsuko Kobayashi, Japan's seventh ranked deus." She nodded towards Naoki. "That's Naoki Mihara. He's ninth in Japan." Misaki stepped forward. "She's Misaki Kobayashi, Ritsuko's mother and Japan's best deus." Andrew saluted. "Nice to meet you all," he said politely. Misaki nodded. "It's nice to meet you too, Green kun."
Honolulu Merrit Hotel (Not a real hotel)
The travelers checked in to their rooms. They were all assigned rooms facing the water on the ninth floor. Shana, Nahiyah, and their parents stayed in room 904. Misaki, Tamayo, Kotarou, Ritsuko, Kana, Naoki, and Oujirou were given adjoining rooms 906 and 908. Elizabeth and three other females from the American team stayed in room 910, and Andrew shared room 912 with America's only other male deus, tenth ranked New Yorker Robert Heverly. After checking in, the dueses went down to one of the hotel's practice layers.
There were quite a few practice layers on the hotel grounds. Most were in use by deuses from other countries. They could hear shouts and cheers in more than twenty languages as angels and deuses battled each other on the layers. Finally they came to an unused layer. Misaki inserted two quarters as she and Oujirou entered their Angels. A crowd began to gather as Japan's top two dueses smiled at each other.
Neither Hikaru nor Wizard had any equipment attached. They had both made the top two slots on Japan's team without using special attachments, and as a result had generated quite a bit of press. Kaede, Sai, and Hatoko had all equipped their angels with parts to enhance their strengths. During the competition, Shirahime had blown almost everyone away to take the third slot with strong armor attachments, and Suzuka was even faster if at all possible thanks to a jet booster, winning fourth place. The two deuses put on their visors and began to battle.
Rather, they would have. At that moment, what appeared to be a gold streak of light beared down on the layer and wrapped itself around Kotarou. He fell to the ground with a thud to reveal...
"Hey! Misakichi!" Misaki's face lit up at once.
"Tamayo chan!" The two women embraced each other as Oujirou stood up.
"Tamayo," he said. "I thought you were in Washington covering the president's news conference. Tamayo smiled.
"President, Schmesident," she scoffed. "I've got more important things to do." She put Kotarou in a headlock. "Like making sure this sucker treats Misakichi right!" She smiled at Kotarou. "You didn't try anything sneaky while I was gone, did you?" She asked. Kotarou gurgled.
"Um, Tamayo?" asked Misaki, "I think he's suffocating." Tamayo's eyes opened wide.
"Oops," she grinned, sheepishly, as she let go of Kotarou's neck. Kotarou gasped for air as Tamayo took out her tape recorder.
"I'm working for KJPN 99.5 FM," she said proudly. "This should be good. Japan's top deues in a little pre Cup duel."
Hikaru launched the first attack, charging at Wizard with full force. Wizard charged at Hikaru, and the two angels began exchanging blows and blocks in the middle of the layer. Neither side took any damage as the two angels kept up this routine for almost fifteen seconds. Then, Hikaru broke away and pummeled Wizard with a side kick to the chest. Wizard took 15 damage and fell back, dodging Hikaru's jabs. Wizard did a handstand, jumped up, and pounded Hikaru with an airborne kick that inflicted 20 damage and sent the pink haired speed type flying.
Hikaru recovered quickly. It landed on its feet and charged, connecting with a series of jabs that inflicted 10 damage and stunned Wizard momentarily. Hikaru pressed on, finishing with a kick for 10 damage and sending Wizard towards the edge of the layer. The crowd held its collective breath as Wizard came close to the edge. It skidded to a stop and stood up. Wizard then charged Hikaru, landing a sliding side kick to inflict 25 damage and force Hikaru to the edge. Hikaru was able to dodge a second attack from Wizard and jabbed for 10 damage. Hikaru then went on the offensive, furiously piston punching Wizard so fast that it had trouble reacting. The punches inflicted little damage but pushed Wizard closer and closer to the edge of the layer. Hikaru then edged Wizard off the layer with a well placed elbow.
The crowd burst into applause as Hikaru bowed and jumped up into Misaki's outstretched hands. Oujirou picked Wizard up off the ground and checked it, making sure nothing was damaged. The two deuses shook hands as Elizabeth and Ritsuko sat down at the layer. The crowd held its breath as the last finalists from four years ago began to fight.
"Go for it, Ritsukotchi!" shouted Tamayo. Ritsuko blushed, then nodded.
"Dispell the shadow! Guide me and Hikari to a bright future! Hikari, fall in!"
"Wasp! Prove your worth to the world with your sting! Wasp, fall in!"
Ritsuko had equipped Hikari with blunted shoutou and tachi, the two swords of a samurai. Wasp attacked first with its scimitar. Hikari blocked the attack with the shoutou and struck back with the tachi. Wasp dodged and quickly landed a hit with the scimitar, inflicting 10 damage. Hikari stepped out of the way of Wasp's next strike and slashed with the tachi. Wasp took 5 damage from the strike and hit back with the M16. Hikari was caught offguard and took 20 damage on a blow to the chest.
Wasp handled the M16 like a pro, pummeling Hikari with a devastating flurry of attacks. Hikari's damage meter steadily clicked downward to 40 HP left. Hikari then got a blow in with the shoutou, inflicting 10 damge and stopping the flurry of strikes. Hikari then went on the warpath, bashing Wasp with the swords and whittling its HP down to 15 within a minute. Hikari then launched Wasp into the air with a vertical strike that inflicted 10 damage. Hikari jumped up to inflict the finishing blow and did so with the shoutou, just as Wasp slammed the M16 into the back of Hikari's head. The two angels fell to the layer in a heap as their health meters dropped to zero at the same time. They landed with a thud and struggled to stand but collapsed onto each other like two battered rag dolls.
Elizabeth and Ritsuko sat still for a moment. Then the crowd began to cheer. Several of the deuses at the other layers congratulated the two fighters. Ritsuko recognized Thuy Nguyen and Mei Ling Wen from four years ago. Someone slapped her back and said something in Italian.
Ritsuko picked up Hikari and examined her. There were some scuffs and scratches but no serious damage. Elizabeth did the same with Wasp. The two rivals stood and looked at each other for a moment. They then nodded and shook hands. Flashbulbs went off.
Tamayo: (hugs Ritsuko) You did it, Ritsukotchi!
Ritsuko: Naa?
Kotarou: Tamayo, let go of her! C'mon! We have to ask for reviews again!
Tamayo: Fine.
All three: R&R please!