Three Is Company Chapter 9: Episode 9: Measures to be Taken, an elite beat agents fanfic

Episode 9: Measures to be Taken

"Are you nuts!?" Spin yelps, "I'd sooner put a bullet through my head than go back out there and get chewed up by Chieftain!"

"As long as he knows it's a mission, he won't be making such a big deal," Ryuta said as he sat in the large chair in the Command Room, facing the monitor which showed Momotaro skulking down the streets of Yuhi, "Since our obnoxious rivals decided to butt into our business rather than leave the situation to us, the chances of any of Ouen helping Momotaro has pretty much hit a brick wall." He turns the chair slightly to look at Spin, "Besides, if Noble has the same spirit seeking ability as we do, I'm sure they'll know you did this out of a favor rather than stab us in the back."

Spin sighs a bit in unwariness, "I suppose...but how can you be sure they'd understand us and keep their distance?"

"They may or may not take this as a message that you aren't wandering around Japan for the sole purpose of making people rely on you more than Ouendan. But if anything, it should get them to realize just how serious our methods are and decide for themselves whether they should continue to get in EBA's way or back off and focus on their own way of gaining trust."

Spin sighs again as he turns and heads out of the room.

"I guess I have no choice but to go for it..." Momotaro groans as he pulls a white bandana out and ties it around his forehead. He then shudders as he nears the courtyard of Yuhi Town Hall, "I don't know if I can even exterminate the Oni in my age!"

Seconds after finishing his sentence, he collides with someone, almost knocking him to the ground. Yelling in frustration, he gets up to lambast the person, freezing when he saw Spin stumble back in surprise, staring at him in shock and confusion. Momotaro keeps his pose a second before shoving his face into the BA-5 Agent's.

"There you are! Where have you been!? I've been calling you for five minutes!" he complains. The rookie Agent yelps in surprise, looking between him and the corner away from Yuhi Town Hall, "Are you Ouendan always this late!? Are you the only one who responded!? There should be three of you!"

"Whoa! Calm down, Oji-san!" Spin exclaims, backing away from Momotaro as he threw his hands up in defense, "I can't help you if you keep talking to me all at once!"

"Spin, wha'cha doin' here!?" exclaims another voice. Spin turns to see Morris and Derek rush over to them, panicking, "Chief'll kill ya if he finds out you snuck over here again!"

"That's what I told Ryu," Spin protests with a shrug, "But he kept pesterin' me to come down here and help some Peach Boy fight an Oni. So I came out here to find him and I get bombarded by an old man yellin' at me for bein' late!"

"Why are you three still babbling!?" Momotaro complains, "If you're the Ouendan I called for, then hurry up and do your dance of encouragement so I can fight the Oni and go home!"

"Are you blind!" exclaims yet another voice, "They aren't Ouendan! They're a bunch of nobodies who think they can be like us!"

Spin shoots a glance over to the new voice to see Tsuyoshi and Kenshin storm over to him with aggravated looks on their faces.

"Oh, not you guys again!" he groans in annoyance as Kenshin thrusts a finger towards his face.

"Your attempts at making people think you're Ouendan are about to be halted now that the real ones are here!" he spat.

"Really?" Morris asked with a raised eyebrow, "Well, they don't seem to be doin' a good job tryin' to stop us." Spin blinks in confusion before looking back over to the corner to see Ittetsu, Atsushi and Kai crowd around a mysteriously frightened Hajime. Kaoru stood a few distances from the group, glaring at his gruff-faced equal in annoyance.

The two Noble cohorts panic and rush back over to the scene they abandoned, leaving the three Agents to stare at the argument that ensued within the area.

"Are you done chatting among yourselves!?" Momotaro whines. The three look back over to the aging Peach Boy to find him pointing his cane at them in increased frustration, "Then stop wasting my time and do your dance of encouragement! I wanna finish this so I can take a nap at five!"

The Agents watch as Momotaro and his dog storm past them towards the train station, then look towards each other before shrugging and following after him. As they reach the train station, J-Pop cues up on the speakers surrounding the roofs of the indoor waiting area. Using the music playing on there, the three Agents set off to do a form of Ouendan that copied Hajime's performance.

"Shourai no yume" no ran ni kaita ano goro no ore kara nannen datta?
Genjitsu to risou no hazama yuraida jounetsu no honoo mo kiekakatta
Chotto matta! Cho, chotto matta !!

Momotaro hung to a ring as he waits for the train to take him to his destination. He sighs anxiously as he glances around him, wondering if and how he was going to deal with the Oni once he arrives at the Island. His dog paces around him, his inanimate, droopy face hiding any feelings he might have for the upcoming battle.

Nearly half an hour into the train ride, Momotaro looks up at the rails used to hold the rings up. Figuring he had no other choice, he grabs the metal bar and uses it to do chin-ups to increase his speed and strength. His dog sits beside him rooting him on as he vigorously pulls his chin up and over the bars.

Shoubu wa korekara sa hatta! Hatta!
Akirameta jitende GAME OVER
Genjou wokono tede kiri hirakou ka

Momotaro sits down after a while and places two peach buns on his lap, glancing around as he wipes the sweat from his hands.

Oboete imasu ka? Mukashi wa tashika
Kasukana kibou ni zenryoku wo dashita

"Well now, time for lunch," he mutters. Before he could pick up the first bun, however, he notices two animals walk towards him; a brown furred monkey and a pheasant. They stare at the buns hungrily before holding a hand out.

"Can we have one?" they ask simultaneously. Momotaro jitters with anticipation as he holds the buns towards them.

"You're here!" he cries, "Help yourself!"

Ashita no tame ni ikiteimashita
Sono kimochi dokka wasurete nai ka?

The two took the buns and munched on them, savoring its juicy, peachy taste. After finishing their share, they threw their fists into the air.

"Going to exterminate the Oni!? Let's go!" they shout.

Seishun ni kigen nante nai tankyuushin ni to shi wa kankenai to omou yo
Datte sou daro?
We wanna make the dream come true
Tsumari...

They later embark onto the Oni Beach Hot Springs Resort deep in Yuhi Town. Momotaro glances around as he and his animal companions wander through the streets.

"Now then," he began, "We'll head to the ocean."

Glancing into the large, city like resort, Momotaro freaks out at how maze-like the paths were.

"Where's Onigashima!?" he cries, shoving his fingers into his mouth in pressured anxiety.

Saka sou saka sou saka sou jounetsu no hana wo saka sou
Saka sou saka sou saka sou...

Using his Saint Bernard as a horse, Momotaro, the monkey and the pheasant charged through the resort, doing what they can to locate the ocean and their destined battlefield. They stop and break several times to have tea and peach buns while the dog struggles to catch his breath, then continue onwards when he regains his stamina.

Kuchizusamu MELODY ga omoidasasete kureru
(Back in the Days)
MEMORY wa doremo kagayaite bakari iru (So)
You gotta remember ima mo yume no kakera wo te ni
Ano goro no you ni (Come on!)
Hikari hanatsu shounen no HAATO

After a long trek through the resort, the group finally reaches the ocean where Onigashima is supposedly at. Momotaro sticks his hand over his eyes as he glances out into the blue horizon.

"Itsuka kitto kitto kitto ore mo..." tte
BOOttoshiteru to kitto de owaruzo

"Now, which Island was it?" he mutters to himself. Pulling out a pair of binoculars, he gazes around the horizon until his spots his desired destination; a rocky Island several miles from the resort, shaped like a giant, hideous demon with its stalactite fangs wide open as though egging daredevils to walk into its dark entrance.

Mujaki na yuuki furishibotte doushin no netsu wo yobi okose
Shounen kara seinen to de chuunen ima da mokka nanika ni muchuu de

"There it is! Onigashima!!" Momotaro shouts as he pulls his sleeve up, "What fighting spirit I lost has swelled up within me!"

Kagayaite iru hou ga sou, kakkouii jan
like challenger da YEAH!!

"Now let's get moving to the Onigashima!" Momotaro shouts again, raising his fist towards the uncovered Island. He then noticed how frail his muscles were and jitters anxiously, "But...with the body I have...!"

Sagasou sagasou sagasou yume no kakera wo sagasou
Sagasou sagasou sagasou

Renting a boat from a nearby dock, the small group of man and animal cross the treacherous seas towards Onigashima. Momotaro remained antsy about his lack of strength, rowing ever so slowly through the ocean. The situation only seemed to drown his courage as he stares at the scary appearance of the cave sitting upon the small Island, leering at him as though it were going to lunge out and swallow them whole.

He quickly shakes his head and reflex back to his youth when he was able to defeat the Oni so easily. How strong he was and how daring he became saving the world from a demon that could pull them under with so much as a death threat. Shouting in determination, the aging Peach Boy swings his oar into the ocean, pushing the boat along the path towards the cave.

After what seemed like an even longer trek through the oceans, they finally reach the shores of Onigashima.

"We finally made it!" Momotaro sighs with relief as he and the animals disembark onto its rocky, pre-historic cliff. Standing several miles up, however, is his arch-nemesis, a red skinned Oni with two horns a shaggy beard and a loincloth made of tiger skin.

"We meet again, Momotaro!" he shouts as he slams his spiked club onto the ground in front of him, using it as a cane to lean on.

"Ha! Finally showed yourself, eh!?" Momotaro yells. He immediately leaps into the air and dives towards the Oni, raising his cane high into the air, "DORYAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"

The Oni stares in stunned shock as his aging nemesis comes down at him and clocks him square on his fuzzy cheek, sending him crumbling to his stomach.

"I'm back!" Momotaro shouts with joy over his victory. Angered, the Oni jumps to his feet and stands at the mouth of the cave, which starts to vomit an army of different colored Oni, all of which have a youthful appearance.

"GET HIM!!" he roars. Momotaro panics at the large army of young Oni flood out of the cave towards him.

"There's too many!!" he yelps in fright as he and the animals scramble away from the flood.

Nani wo shitara ii? Nani ga dekiru kono boku ni?
Yaritai koto ga wakara nai
I believe there's never too late
Hajimeru no ni kitto osoi wa nai
Kanousei wa sousa mugendai
Ashita wo kaeteku chikara wa sou kimi shidai
Dakara sagasou saka sou jounetsu no hana wo saka sou

The group tries to make a run for it only to be stopped by the large, scruff Oni, who's slapping his club on his hand in eagerness. Momotaro stares in shock before gritting his teeth and taking arms with his walking cane. The two charge each other and clash wood on spiked stone, going into a show of strength. The dog, pheasant and monkey press their paws onto Momotaro's back, giving all their strength to help him combat the evil demon.

With great effort, the Oni is overpowered, allowing the elderly Peach Boy to thrust his cane into his mid-section and knock the wind out of him. They then turn their focus to the group of Oni, who shuddered nervously at their leaders misfortunate fall.

Shouting a battle cry, the small group of man and animal charged after the remaining Oni, sending them screaming around the cave, trying to avoid getting clocked, pecked, scratched and bitten all at once.

After a long winded battle, Momotaro and his companion of dog, pheasant and monkey found themselves surrounded by an even larger and tougher group of Oni. The leader confronts him, snickering as he rubs the bruise he received earlier on his cheek.

"Ready for your final battle, Momotaro?" he chortles as he imagines what he'll do to the aging Peach Boy.

The group shudder in fright at the new group of Oni before Momotaro steps forward.

"I...I-I have a proclamation!" he shouts, pointing to each of the Oni surrounding him, "Young lads! Let's not continue this life of misery! Let's combine our forces and redevelop the Island!" The Oni awed in wonder as they gather around the idea Momotaro threw out.

And so, on the third of February, Onigashima Land opens its doors. Spectators, who were once terrified of its demonic nature now flock to the Island to experience the rides and attractions of the now good-hearted Oni. Momotaro and his animal companions watch with amazement at how well his idea had gotten off the ground and throws his fist into the air with determination.

"Soon, we'll take advantage of the world!" he shouts to the eagerly excited Oni, gaining more awed wonder from his new companions.

The entire Noble Squad gathered around the living room of the houseboat. Kaoru, Shinta, Tsuyoshi and Kenshin sat on the couch pressed against the wall, while the Noble Girls sat around a reclining chair; Rin sitting in the chair while Reika stood beside it and Honoka sat on the footstool. Hayato stood near the corner of the living room, his back turned to the rest of the squad.

Aside from Honoka, who leisurely plays with her pink bunny keychain, the rest of the squad were antsy about what had been going on lately with EBA continuing their dominance over Japan, and Ouen doing nothing more than stopping Noble from brashly bullying them around.

"Are you certain that's what happened?" Hayato mutters after a while.

"We try to combat those Western Ouendan and put an end to their cynical tyranny," Rin exclaims, "But each time we confront them, the Ouendan living in Yuhi show up and tell us to go away! It's like they have absolutely no clue just how backstabbing these American dancers are!"

"That runt member of theirs is especially tenacious," Kaoru said barely showing any sign of stress or worry, "When we used our spirits to put two of the Western Ouendan in their places, he jumps in front of them and tackles our transferring souls, clinging to them with all his sanely might and refusing to return it until we left."

Hayato growls in frustration, slamming the side of his fist against the corner wall of the living room, "I can't believe how utterly stupid those Yuhi Ouendan are, letting those...imitators go about Tokyo like they have a right to be involved in our business!"

"It's just one side of the city," Shinta said, "The Agents wouldn't think about coming here after what happened the other day."

"Why do you keep defending them, Kikuchi-san!?" Reika exclaims, "Did you forget what they did to you during our first week here when they stole your chance of asserting yourself!?"

"What they did was an accident; they didn't even know we were still settling in Asahi Town until after Senpai threw his weight onto them. Besides, don't you think Ouen would've known what's going on and why everyone's upset about it?"

"They claim like they know everything, but they're just as oblivious as everyone else!" Rin protests, "They treat insults like compliments and act like they don't even care if they're crushed by the competition infesting their side of town."

"But what if they had a reason for not doing something about it? If we just talk to them instead of thinking they're as inobservant as the rest of the world, we would've known why they haven't pushed their weight around to stop the Agents from doing more than explore the sights of Yuhi."

Tsuyoshi and Kenshin glare at Shinta before turning their focus to Hayato.

"Kikuchi-sama has clearly been traumatized by those Western Ouendan ever since they took him overseas!" Tsuyoshi said.

"What!?" Shinta nearly cries, snapping a horrified glance at Tsuyoshi.

"That's right," Kenshin said, "Kikuchi-sama was weakened during that time. They could've taken advantage of him and forced him to treat them with respect regardless of what they did to push us to the brink of retirement!"

Shinta shoots a glance over to Hayato, "You know that's not true, Senpai! You saw what happened the other day! Even if I was scared out of my mind, they wouldn't push me around just so they can invite me to have lunch with them in their holodeck!"

"I don't care if they used a decent conversation to gain your trust!" Hayato growls, turning to face the squad, "Those Western Ouendan tangoed all over our squad and made us look like Average Joes! And our rivals are doing nothing but chase us away each time we try to break up their little parade!"

"Then we separate them," Kaoru said, "Tear them from Ouen's grasp and drag them someplace where we will have rein over them."

"That's easier said than done!" Tsuyoshi yelps, "Our rivals know both Yuhi and Asahi Town like the bones in their body. It'll take no more than a few minutes for them to come and stop us!"

"They may know their way around land," Hayato said, "But it's going to take more than just a range of spirit to find someone out in the middle of the ocean." He turns his back on the squad, "There's only one person that I want vengeance for. And I'm going to make sure he gets it next time he wanders into Asahi Town." He then walks away from the group, leaving them to meddle in their own thoughts.

That afternoon, in a construction sight deep within Asahi Town, a young man sits on one of the metal beams used to structure and fortify a building. He had wild, brown hair and wore a black vest over a red, long sleeve shirt, and black pants.

He sighs as he pulls out his cell phone and flips it open, revealing a young, beautiful girl with brown, straight hair, throwing up a peace sign.

"She's so cute..." Ookami Goro sighs again, "But..."

"What's wrong, Ikemen?" asks a voice. Goro turns to see an old man, wearing a hardhat and green jacket over a white shirt, pull a towel around his neck.

"Master!" Goro yelps.

"Fool! Why are you sighing?" Goro's master asks again as he pulls his hardhat off, revealing his bald, round head. Upon gazing into its shape, Goro freaks out.

"GYAAAH!!" he howls.

"Hey, hey!" the master mutters nervously, oblivious to his head giving off eerie, hypnotic waves, "What's with the loud voice!?"

"GYAAAAAAAH!! SO ROUND!!" Goro howls again, his eyes swirling as his body undergoes a transformation, "PERFECTLY ROUND!!"

"Ikemen!" the master shouts.

"WAAAAAAAAH!! Don't let go of me, Jonouchi!" Aoi squeals as she clutches tightly onto J's hands.

"Come on, Aoi, it's not that bad," J chuckles as he glides the young Cheer Girl along the ice of an indoor ice rink. Aoi whimpers as she stays crouched to the ground, her legs shaking from the slickness of the ice.

"You're such a crybaby, Aoi," Anna giggles as she skates past the two, "One fall and you're already scared of a little ice skating?" she giggles again before moving a few feet ahead of the two, bringing her right leg over her head and grabbing the blades with her hands. With one twist of her body, she spins like a top before sliding backwards with her raised leg stretched out behind her.

"You're so mean, Anna-chan!" Aoi cries, "Showing off like that when I can't even stand up!"

"I just thought I'd encourage you to move forward, Aoi," Anna laughs, "Don't feel bad if I hurt your feelings."

Hajime skates over to the conversation, a pair of red earmuffs, with the Ouen emblem on each cuff, replacing his hat.

"You want real encouragement," he asks, thumbing behind him, "Check out the fiasco going on the other side of the rink."

J, Aoi and Anna glance to where Hajime points, seeing Foxx struggling to pull an equally terrified Ittetsu across the makeshift slab of ice, his butt no more than a foot off the ground.

"Geez, you're worse than Aoi," Foxx grunts, "And you haven't even fallen over!"

"I never skate before!" Ittetsu whimpers.

"Well, it helps if you at least stand up when you're two feet from the wall!"

"Utterly pathetic," Kai snorts, sitting outside the rink with his back turned to the two cheerleaders, "You can withstand a lot worse than a scrape on the ice, and you are still shaking in your skates?"

Ittetsu shoots a glare over to Kai, "Oh yeah!? So why you not out here!?"

"Mind you, I think the rest of the people on this rink would be a lot happy if they had more than five seconds to play on the ice before Mr. Doumeki decides to step out." Morris mutters as he stands a few feet from Foxx and Ittetsu.

"I glance for a split second and I'm already feelin' sorry for those two," J chuckles.

"EEEEEEEE!! Jonouchi, watch out!" Aoi screams. J was about to ask why before he felt his back bumped into something that not only stopped him from gliding back, but also knocked it to the floor with a startled squeal.

Everyone clambers over to the accident, seeing Reika flat on her face with Tsuyoshi and Shinta standing beside her, all three bearing startled looks. J stares at his mistake with a bead of sweat sliding down the side of his face.

"Um...whoops..." he mutters. Foxx skates over to Reika and stoops over her, placing her hands on her knees.

"Hey! You okay?" She asked, extending her hand. Reika growls as she sits up and smacks Foxx's hand away.

"Do not play innocent with me!" she yells, "You did that on purpose just to make us look stupid!"

"Reika-chan!" Shinta exclaims.

"Don't yell at him, you meanie!" Aoi shouts, grappling J to keep from falling down, "He didn't mean to run into you like that!"

"Yes he did!" Tsuyoshi exclaims, pointing at J, "I heard you warn him and he didn't even bother turning around to see her! That just shows how selfish these Western Ouendan are!"

"You're anger is getting in the way of your judgment," Anna snorts, crossing her arms, "If you'd just stop and think for a moment, you'll know just how accidental that fiasco was."

"You be quiet, Ouen!" Reika exclaims, getting up, "You have absolutely no clue just how ruthless these Ouendan are! And rather than open your eyes and see the truth, you continue to stand by their side as though they were the most generous people on the planet!"

"Uh, guys..." Morris mutters, trying to break up the conversation.

"If you had been here four years earlier, you would've known why we trust the Agents so much!" Aoi exclaims.

"We don't need to meet them four years earlier to know just how backstabbing these Ouendan can be!" Tsuyoshi exclaims back, "You weren't even there when they stole both of our jobs and acted like it was nothing to them!"

"We already told you, it was an accident!" Foxx retorts, "Do you even know what that means in Japanese!?"

"What you did was no accident!" Reika snaps, "We know your only reason for coming here was to make the Japanese think you are more reliable than those who have saved them from depression for many years!"

The squabble comes to a screeching halt when they heard a loud cough echo throughout the rink. Turning to the stadium, they see Kai standing on the other side of the rails with his arms crossed.

"I hate to break up this catfight," he said, eyeing away from the group, "But if you do not stop your friend from colliding with the nearby wall, she will not be leaving this rink with ice shavings on her dress."

The familiar group stares at Kai before following his glance, catching sight of Honoka careening down the rink, screaming and flapping her arms in hysteria. The Noble had apparently been helping her get used to the ice before J's accidental intrusion.

"REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEIKAAAAAAAAAAA-CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!" she shrieks, spilling tears of fright. Reika panics, about to chase after her when she saw Honoka slam into a pair of hands.

"Whoa! Rough catch!" yelps a voice. Everyone looks past Honoka to see Derek pull her into an upright position, "You okay there, Missy?"

"Uh..." Honoka mutters, her cheek flushing a beet red. Reika and Shinta rush over to them, taking Honoka off Derek's hand and pulling her towards the exit of the rink. She continues to stare at Derek as he cocks his head to one side, then skates off.

Once outside the rink, the two sat Honoka on a nearby bench, Reika placing both hands on her shoulder. J, Morris and Hajime skate over to the walls to see what'll happen next.

"Honoka-chan! Are you okay?" she asks. Honoka remained still, staring ahead as though she were in shock.

"Ta..." she mutters before throwing her hands on her cheek, her eyes sparkling as her face turned a darker shade of red, "TANSEI!!"

"Tansei!?" Reika and Shinta squeaked in befuddlement.

"Did she call Derek handsome?" Morris cringes.

"Looks like Derek's got an admirer," Hajime said, placing his hands behind his back.

"I don't know whether I should be grateful or sorry that he's about to enter a Romeo and Juliet moment," J chuckles.

Goro skulks along the empty park that night with his boss and master walking beside him.

"I see...so you're a werewolf," the master said, crossing his arms in thought.

"That's right..." Goro mutters, "I'm finally going on a date with my darling, Kumi-chan." He begins to sulk, "But if she finds out I'm a werewolf..."

"BAKAYARO!!" the master yells, turning to face Goro, "You're still a man, just hairier!" he raises his head high, looking like a perfectly round sphere, "If you like Kumi-chan, you'll persevere!"

Hypnotic waves emitted from the master's head, causing Goro's eyes to swirl as fur began to well around his body.

"GUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!" He howls, "Round things...no good! But I wanna be with her! I wanna confess!"

As fur continues to grow around his body, he began uttering, "Ou...Ou..." until he finally transforms into a werewolf, howling ferociously.

OUENDRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOON!!

End Notes:

1. "Ikeman" is a rough translation for "cool man"
2. "Bakayaro" is an extended version of "baka", meaning "idiot" or "fool".