Episode 10: All Means Necessary
The next morning, Goro skulks into the park, his master walking along side him.
"Get a hold of yourself, Ikemen!" the short, bald man shouts, slapping Goro on the back, "You'll never be able to make your commitment if you keep drooping like a blood-hound!"
Goro whimpers before catching sight of someone standing near the center of the path, sighing contently as she stares at the beams of light seeping through the gaps in the trees. It only took a second for the two to recognize her as the girl Goro had been wanting to date for the longest time.
The master moans as a drop of saliva escapes the corner of his mouth, "How I envy you..." Goro gulps nervously as he gaits over to the girl, pressing his index fingers together.
The girl hears his footsteps and glances over to him, smiling warmly as she brings her bag in front of her.
"Hello, Goro-san," she giggles, "I made you a bento."
Steam shot out of Goro's ears as he jitters anxiously.
"I have to make this date successful!" he whimpers again.
Hey DJ kamase
Yeah Yeah Yeah
kibun joujou no
Hari otose oto nara se PAARINAI
Nomo urai-rai-rai
minna de odore!
Hip-Pop PIIPOO
Kakete yo MIRAKURU Number
From the bushes pops the Noble Cheer Girls, shouting "GO" in place of Noble's traditional shout, "OSU". Upon hearing their call, Goro howls in lust, taking one of Kumi's arms into his.
"Let's go!" he says excitedly, "I wanna find a nice place to sit and enjoy the lunch you made me!" Kumi giggles sheepishly as they stroll along the stone path of the park. The Noble Girls keep their positions, performing a cheer similar to that of the Ouen Cheer Girls.
Yo! Konna jidai ni wakachi au MUSIC
Sagashitakute mawasu chikyuugi
Gura tsuku fuantei seikatsu
Sore dakara BARANSU juushi
Yoi koto bakari ja nai kara "Ganbareru!"
Saiaku na hi ni kikku
Saikidou no botan kurikku!
DJ kakete!! Ima TRIP
While strolling through the park, the two notice some bubbles floating around the area. While Kumi stares at them in wonder and interest, Goro fidgets uncomfortably, trying desperately to avoid gazing into the perfectly round suds. His master hides in the bushes, watching in annoyance as his underling was paying more attention to hiding his true identity than he is putting his arms around the girl he loves.
After what seemed like hours, the bubbles slowly stopped blocking their paths. Goro sighs with relief as he scurries over to Kumi and continues to stand by her side, the two pressing their fingers together as hearts flew from around them. The master, happy to see Goro finally suppress his fuzzy identity and continuing his devotion to Kumi, roots quietly from his place behind the wall of bushes.
Shareteru BIITO ni notte
Finding a spot deep within the park, Goro sits down and wipes the sweat from his face. Kumi sits beside him as she opens the bento and sticks it on his lap.
"Eat it quickly," she suggests. Goro glances down at the oval-shaped bento, seeing a divider down the center, the left full of vegetables and the right full of steamed rice. His eyes suddenly fix onto a hard-boiled egg, it's yolk round and mesmerizing.
Kanjiru karada yurasou yo
He cries out in fright as the yolk began giving off hypnotic waves. Fur slowly began to break through his skin as his face turns into a dog-like figure. He quickly grabs the chopsticks beside the bento and attacks the yolk, cramming it into his mouth, eventually retaining his human form.
"Delicious! It's delicious, Kumi-chan!" he shouts as he devours more of the food.
"I'm so happy you're enjoying it, Goro-san!" Kumi giggles happily.
"Nice going, Ikemen!" the master shouts from behind the bushes.
The Cheer Girls watch from a distance, smiling at their first accomplishment. Honoka, on the other hand, stares at Kumi's gesture towards Goro, her cheeks flushing as her eyes sparkled. She literally imagined her presenting a bento to Derek, seeing him smile handsomely while taking a bit out of one of the servings.
"Dreamy..." she mutters to herself.
Goro looks over to Kumi after finishing the lunch she made him, "So, where to now, Kumi-chan?"
Kumi immediately throws a baseball cap on and holds up a pamphlet, "Let's go to the baseball stadium!" Goro mentally flinches upon hearing Kumi's request. The last thing he needed was to take her somewhere that could bring out the beast within him faster than an umpire shouts "out".
The Noble Girls spring up from behind the bushes near the master, shouting "GO" again. Goro immediately jumps up and pulls Kumi into his arms.
"Baseball it is!" he shouts joyously, "Maybe we'll catch a ball and get it autographed by your favorite player!"
Hey DJ kamase
Yeah Yeah Yeah
kibun joujou no
Hari otose oto nara se PAARINAI
Goro began to regret agreeing to Kumi's decision to go to the baseball field. Not only were the balls a deathtrap towards his maintaining his date, but most of the kids attending the event were passing by him with perfectly round balloons. He spent most of the time covering his eyes to avoid giving signs that he was more than just a human.
Kumi, meanwhile, remains oblivious to Goro's dilemma, tapping her megaphone on her hand as she watches the first half of the game take off. Goro's master, on the other hand, continues to watch him nervously, wondering what's going to happen that will further botch up his chances of making a commitment to his girlfriend.
Nomo urai-rai-rai
minna de odore!
Hip-Pop PIIPOO
Kakete yo MIRAKURU Number
In an attempt to get his mind off the whole sight of round objects, Goro places his arm around Kumi and pulls her into a warming hug. Blushing slightly, the two glance towards each other, paying little attention to the game and more on themselves.
The moment didn't last long, however, as a crack suddenly grabs their attention. One of the batters has hit a foul ball, sending it careening towards them at breakneck speed.
"A foul ball is heading towards the guest seats!" the announcer shouts.
The flying ball began giving off hypnotic waves, causing Goro to undergo another bout of keeping his inner beast from breaking free.
"Watch out!" he quickly shouts, shoving Kumi's head down and grabbing the baseball within his slowly sharpening fangs. Kumi gasps in shock before glancing over to Goro, seeing him twitching on his back as he holds the ball in his mouth.
"Goro-san!" she cries before smiling with relief, "Thank you!"
Honoka mentally squeals as she watches the save unfold. She pictures her and Derek at a baseball game, too busy staring lovingly at each other to pay attention. Suddenly, a foul ball is hit, flying towards her. Derek bravely places his hand on her shoulder and pulls her towards him, using his other hand to catch the ball before it hit her.
"So brave..." she mutters to herself again.
Kumi pulls Goro back onto the bench, pulls the ball out of his mouth and dusts him off as he was slowly regaining his senses.
"Let's go for a walk after the game," she says sheepishly.
"Er...okay..." Goro mutters, half-dazed, half-nervous.
Honoka, once again, mentally squeals at Kumi's suggestion, picturing her and Derek walking along a beautiful park full of cherry blossoms and the golden glow of the setting sun. Invigorated by the thought, she jumps up with the rest of the Noble Girls, shouting "GO" to rekindle Goro's ambition; Honoka's being the loudest and most enthusiastic.
Hip Hop, R&B, Pops Techno, House, Rock...
Hip Pop!!
ORIJINARU sagasu KIIPOINTO
Sorezore no iro kasane awasu REINBOO
Kimi ni kikasetai ga tame
Kurushimu ageku no hate
Juu ji katame
Ima wo tanoshimitain da ne
Let's Hip Pop!!
Here we, Here we Go!!
The two strolled through the same park they met up in for a couple of hours before sitting down on one of the benches in the area and taking a break to watch the setting sun. Because the sun had already sunk halfway into the horizon, Goro wasn't worried about undergoing a transformation from staring at it for long hours.
Hashagu FUROA no ue
Ataman naka yusa yusaburu
Kumi then turns her attention to a couple of cats that had strolled towards her with curious looks on their faces. Giggling, she leans over and places her hand in front of them, allowing them to sniff her fingers. Goro turns to look at her only to see a young girl walk by him with three perfectly round balloons, reenacting the fiasco back at the baseball field.
He panics and threw his hands over his eyes to avoid being pulled into their hypnotic trance and tempting his beastly side to break free from its confinement within his body. Kumi eventually lets the two cats cuddle with each other as she turns her attention back to Goro, seeing him drop his hands and sigh with relief.
Giggling, Kumi places her arms around him, causing his heart to race with passion rather than fear. Sighing with love, he glances over to her and places his arm around her shoulders, the two once again staring longingly into each other's eyes.
Hey DJ kamase
Yeah Yeah Yeah
kibun joujou no
Hari otose oto nara se PAARINAI
Nomo urai-rai-rai
minna de odore!
Hip-Pop PIIPOO
Kakete yo MIRAKURU Number
"It's almost time to go," Kumi sighs sorrowfully, "But..."
"Y-yeah?" Goro mutters, his heart throbbing loudly as he watches Kumi bashfully bring her hand towards her hair.
"It was fun..." Kumi asks, brushing her hair away to reveal a large, round pearl, "Wasn't it?"
Goro accidentally gazes into the pearl, causing him to almost transform into his werewolf form. He tries to hide his dilemma by shouting, "Kumi-chan, you're very beautiful!"
Kumi threw her hands onto her cheeks, covering her pearl earrings as she blushes sheepishly.
"Eh!? That's so sudden..." she gasps, "But thank you."
MIRAABOORU
SUMOOKU no nioi
Tokeru you na HAAMONII
Mi ni matotte odori akasu
Gamushara na mama de
Goro offers to escort Kumi home for the night. The path they crossed had little problem keeping the two separated. And as they drew closer to the end of the path, their love for each other became stronger than before. Goro's master continues to stay in the background, rooting the entire time.
Hey DJ shashare
Yeah yeah yeah
kibun joujou no
Nami ni notte hajike tobe FANKIINAI
Nomo urai-rai-rai
minna de odore!
Hip-Pop PIIPOO
Asa made MIRAKURU Number
Nearing the end of the park, Goro turns around and places his hands on Kumi's shoulders.
"Kumi-chan!" he shouts, preparing to admit his love for her.
"Goro-san..." Kumi says back, staring into his eyes. Goro was unaware of how round Kumi's eyes were until he looked straight into them. He howls in fright as his body began to transform.
"GUWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!" he howls, "Round! But I want to convey my feelings to her!"
Kumi watches in shock as Goro transforms into a werewolf, tearing his shirt to shreds.
"Kumi-chan! I'm a werewolf!" he exclaims, "But...I like you a lot!"
Kumi continues to stare at Goro in shock before her eyes well up in happiness.
"I love dogs!" she squeals as she kisses the now fuzzy Goro on the cheek.
"Everything has gone smoothly!" the master shouts with joy as he watches his pupil howl gracefully at the full moon.
Early the next morning, Honoka strolls along the half busy town of Yuhi, thinking about Goro's devotion towards the love of his life. She clutches her blue umbrella as the day had been cursed with an annoying downpour.
"So romantic," she mutters to herself. She then glances across the street, catching sight of Derek walking along the opposite sidewalk with Foxx, Kai, Atsushi, and Aoi. Her gaze immediately fixes on Derek, causing her to blush madly while bringing her knees together and placing her hands on her cheeks, "He's here! The handsome man who rescued me from impending doom! Oh, how I want to convey MY feelings to him!"
She then remembers the moment where Kumi hands Goro a bento as a show of affection, imagining her doing the same...except without the whole werewolf transformation fiasco. Her cheeks darken as she tightens the sandwiching pressure of her hands.
"I gotta find a bento and give it to him! To my love!" she squeals, rushing into a nearby food market. After searching for a minute, she comes across an aisle of bento, all labeled with different assortments.
Honoka hurriedly skips through the aisle, glancing at each box, "What to get, what to get!" she yells and flails her arms in frustration, "I don't know what my love likes! What'll I do!?"
She then spots some red bento further down the aisle with the words "Mystery Box" labeled below them. Honoka claps her hands together in excitement and relief before rushing over to the aisle and picking up one of the red boxes, "Yes! There has to be something in this box that will please my love!"
Not wasting a moment, she scrambles over to the checkout stand to pay for the bento.
"Ah, man! This sucks!" J grumbles as he skulks along the outskirts of Yuhi Town, carrying an open, black umbrella in one hand and a red bento in the other, "I was hoping to have a decent picnic out in Yuhi Park!"
"I wouldn't worry about it," Hajime said, carrying another black umbrella, "The weather report said it'll clear up by this afternoon."
"I hope so," J waves the red bento in his hand, "I was really hoping to try this spicy rice and chicken bento Starr got from an online cooking site."
Hajime eyes J, grinning cockily, "Well, let's look at it this way. If it's too spicy, there'd be plenty of water for you to drink." J glares at him, half annoyed.
"Oh, har," he grumbled. He looks down at the bento again, "Then again, if it is as spicy as Starr claims it is, there'd better be some bread packed in this box somewhere. 'Cause I'm not spending the whole day with a flaming tongue."
As they were nearing an ally, Hajime notices Shinta standing in front of an open orange box, holding his blue umbrella over a shadowy figure. Upon closer inspection, he sees a yellow tabby sitting inside the box, glancing towards him in a curious manner.
Shinta chuckles a bit as he holds out his hand, letting the tabby sniff and place its paw into it. Hajime continues to glance as he passes by seconds before he hears two collisions and a pair of yelps. He snaps his head in front of him to see J and Honoka crumbled to a sitting position; their umbrellas and bento spilled around them.
Honoka quickly jumps to her feet, grabs one of the red bento and scrambles past J, "Gomen!" she nearly brushes past Hajime while continuing down the sidewalk.
The rookie Ouen glances another second before walking over to J and helping him up, "You okay?"
"I'm soaked," J grumbles, "But all right." He gathers his umbrella and red bento, "Luckily this bento didn't splatter all over the ground."
"I think you should eat that before someone else carelessly slams into you."
"No need to tell me twice," J pulls the red cloth off and opens the box, frowning as he looks inside, "What the...!? This isn't mine!"
Hajime blinks as he walks over to J and glances at the bento. It had a divider down the middle, separating some shrimp chow mien from a pile of sliced fish.
"We'd better stop her and tell her she took your bento by mistake," Hajime said. The two turned around to realize that Honoka had already disappeared through the maze of corners. J glances down at the bento he accidentally swapped.
"What kind of fish is this anyway?" he asked, picking up a piece of sliced fish between the chopsticks provided in the bento. Hajime looks back over to J, seeing him stick the fish in his mouth and chew on it.
"Are you sure you should be eating that?" he asked, "It's not even yours!"
"Don't worry, Haji. I doubt she'll know there'd be one less fish in this box." J chews a couple more seconds before swallowing, "Tastes bitter. It could use salt."
Hajime snatches the bento before he took another glance at it, "Save your culinary ideas for your own box." He sticks the lid back on and ties the red cloth around it, "The last thing she needs is someone tampering with her bento more than it shows." J pouts jokingly as the two turned and head towards Asahi Town, assuming Honoka was heading towards it.
As they cross the bridge and head into Asahi Town, Hajime heard labored breathing and looks over to see J skulking and shaking slightly.
"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked.
"I guess not..." J pants, "I don't know why...but my chest feels funny...like I'm about ready to lose my breakfast." Hajime looks down at the bento in his hand and pulls the cloth off, opening the box and looking at the sliced fish section again.
"This side of the bento looks like it's been filled with fugu," he mutters after a while.
"Fugu...?" J mutters, "Aren't those made from puffer fish?"
"This must be one of those mystery bento I heard about on TV. The kind where you won't know what's inside 'til you open the box."
"And fugu is one of those mystery bento? Is that even legal?"
"If it is, the manufacturer should start putting warning signs on these boxes incase someone does get a bento full of fugu." Hajime shuts the box and ties the red cloth back around it, "But let's worry about that later. You need to get to a hospital before you wind up dying from its poisoning chemicals."
"Hate to say 'you're too late', but I don't think I can move another step," J mutters. Hajime turns around to see him in a slumped sitting position against the wall of a nearby building with his umbrella rolling beside him, his breathing worsening.
"Jonouchi, what's wrong!?" Hajime yelps as he bends down towards J, holding the umbrella between them.
"I think the poison's already spreading through my systems," J mutters, "The entire area's starting to spin...and my body's gone completely numb."
Hajime compresses his lips as he takes J's arm and pulls it behind his neck, "We're almost to the hospital. Try to hang on a while longer." J didn't respond, most likely due to the paralyzing effects of the fugu. Straightening out the arm behind his neck, he trudges through the soaked sidewalk of Asahi, keeping the umbrella over him and the BA-2 Agent.
Just as they reach the wharf at the southern outskirts of Asahi Town, they almost run into Hayato walking along the soaked docks, holding a blue umbrella over his head. The Noble leader stares at Hajime, who returns the gesture with a slightly suspicious frown, then J, who doesn't even give any sign of acknowledgement.
Hajime's frown tightens slightly as he readjusts J's arm around the back of his neck, "Excuse me, we're in a hurry." He moves around Hayato only to feel his hand snag him by the throat and shove him back, forcing him to drop J, his umbrella and the bento they were attempting to return to Honoka. Hajime chokes as he grabs the wrist connected to the hand, struggling to pull free as he tries to breathe through his momentarily squeezed windpipe.
"It's ironic that a runt like you could take the full force of three enraged spirits and still have the dignity to boast about the experience," Hayato said, tightening his grip on Hajime's throat while forcing him to a kneeling position, watching as he shuts one eye from the pain and lack of air, "But when it comes to physical contact, you're nothing more than some inferior cub that should be put in his place."
"W...wait..." slurs a voice. Hayato snaps his head towards the source to see J laying in a twisted, sideways position, on the ground near Hajime, "I...I know...I'm the reason...you're upset... Please...let him go...and take me instead..."
"Jonouchi...!" Hajime wheezed.
"It's okay...Haji... As long...as they have me...they won't have a...a reason...to keep...pushing you around..."
"That so, is it?" Hayato snorts turning his gaze back to Hajime, "You really think that by willingly handing yourself over to the squad, this runt would be of little concern to us?" He then pulls his arm back and shoves Hajime, hard, off the docks and into the swelling ocean below.
Hajime's hat emerged on the surface seconds before he came up, struggling to breathe through the frigidness of the currents splashing against his face. He glares at Hayato standing near the edge of the docks and holding J under his arm like a throw rug. Hajime grits his teeth a minute before feeling the storm swelling current tremble from the sound of a loud, tooting horn. Before he could look to the source, the Asahi Sunrise III houseboat sped into his viewpoint, blocking out any activity on the docks.
It took another minute before Hayato appeared on the front deck of the houseboat, staring down at Hajime struggling to keep his head out of the frigid ocean, the effort worsened by the oncoming windstorm dropping the temperature even lower. Despite shivering from both tormenting environments, the rookie Ouen maintains his weary expression, watching the Noble leader twitch a snide frown before turning and heading deeper into the houseboat.
Moments after Hayato disappeared from sight, the window above Hajime flies open as a life ring jumps out and lands around him, sending more water into his face. While shaking off the water, the rope attached to the ring jolts, whacking him as it moves for the boat.
Hajime grunts, trying to pull the ring off him. But the frigid temperature of the water and wind left him with barely enough strength to stay afloat as he was forcefully pulled towards the boat, out of the storm driven ocean and into the window it was first thrown out of, landing flat on his side in a dark room.
Tsuyoshi and Kenshin stoop over his viewpoint, watching him just lay limp on his side, gasping and shivering violently, and almost seeming to be on the brink of death. The two bent down to Hajime, Tsuyoshi pulling the ring off while Kenshin pulls the rookie under his arms and carries him out of the room.
Honoka continues to race through the soaked streets of Yuhi Town, darting looks left and right before seeing the familiar group about to enter a fitness center. She squeals before scrambling towards them.
"TANSEI!!" she squeals, catching the groups attention as they turn to face her. She plows through Foxx and Aoi, almost knocking them to the floor, before stopping in front of Derek. Her eyes sparkled upon seeing his face as her own flushed, "I finally found you!"
Kai and Atsushi stare at each other on confusion as Honoka shoves the red bento towards Derek, blushing deeper, "Here! I buy for you!"
"Wow, thanks," Derek said, surprisingly calm as he takes the bento from Honoka's hand, "What is it?"
"Mystery bento," Honoka mutters, twiddling her fingers shyly, "Please excuse. I no-no what tansei like." Derek stares at the bento some more before pulling the cloth off and opening the box, seeing chicken wings drowned in wasabi and spicy honey sauce fill the inside.
"Wow, those look like the super spicy chicken wings Starr got off the internet," Foxx mutters.
"Really? Let me try!" Aoi pipes up, grabbing one of the chicken wings and chomping down on it. The second she swallowed the bite, her entire body turns blood red with her pigtails wiggling like snakes after biting an electric fence. Foxx, Kai and Atsushi sweatdrop as they took one giant step back
"Hey!" Honoka screams, snatching the wing from a slowly boiling Aoi, "This for tansei! You no touch!"
"Too...late..." Aoi squeaks before stiffening up and screaming a breath of fire towards the bento in Derek's hand. The red afro Agent leans back a bit to avoid getting singed, feeling the box and wings turn to ash and melt off his hands.
Honoka screams in horror as she sees black soot pour into a pile at Derek's feet. Aoi stares in shock before placing a finger on her cheek.
"Eep! My bad!" she mutters nervously. Honoka trembles in sorrow before getting into the young Cheer Girl's face.
"Meanie! You pay for ruin tansei lunch!" she screams before turning around and running away from the group, crying fountains of agonizing tears. Everyone stared at what happened in surprise before focusing on the pile of soot in front of them.
"I suggest we do not make this bento again," Kai said.
"I second that suggestion," Foxx mutters with another sweatdrop on the side of her head.
Hajime laid in a sleeping futon with a blue, white-bordered blanket covering him from the neck down. He continues to shiver from the slowly oncoming hypothermia, but not as violent as before, and his breathing slowed to heavy breaths.
A few hours after being thrown to the mat and covered by a blanket, he heard the door slide open. Hajime opens his eyes halfway, turning them towards the source to see Hayato standing in the doorframe, still holding J under his arm. The BA-2 Agent paled worse than the Ouen rookie, almost thought to be dead if not for the low flickering spirit struggling to stay lit.
"So the runt still has some fight left," Hayato snorts, walking to a sleeping futon next to Hajime and dropping J in a sideways twist on top of it, "When Moriyama and Sugita told me you were shivering like a bag of jumping beans, I assumed you would be halfway to dead."
"You already got what you wanted..." Hajime mutters weakly, "Why all of a sudden drag me into your stupid vendetta..."
"Honestly; surrender himself just so you can go running back to those Western Ouendan's high-tech hideout, inform them of his location and send them to get him back? Does he really think I would be stupid enough to fall for a trick like that?"
"Keeping me here isn't going to make hiding him any easier..."
"I'm well aware of anything that could reveal his location," Hayato pulls out J's wallet and flips it open, revealing his license and badge, "His license; his microphone; you. I may not be well versed in what they use to run their business, but that doesn't mean I won't take whatever's viable to assure complete success in our goal of making a names for ourselves in this town."
He brought his foot over to a nightstand near the bed of the current occupant's room, drags a plastic barrel towards him, and drops J's license into it with a barely registered clang and rattle noise, indicating his microphone is already inside, "A smart runt like you should know what happens when a homing device is buried under a barrel of magnets." Hajime grits his teeth in frustration as Hayato reaches into his pocket and pulls out a Ziploc bag full of magnets, "It disorients its signal, weakening it and distracting all radars programmed to track its frequency."
Hayato pulls the bag open and pours the magnets into the barrel, creating a flood of rattling noises that lasted nearly three seconds before the last magnet landed into the near full interior, "It's sad, really. If you had just stayed out of our business, we wouldn't have to put up with your hot-blooded spirit burning up our boat. But you refused to understand why we want to get rid of those Western Ouendan, completely insistent on believing they've done nothing wrong and blaming us for trying to force our dominance over them. Now you left us with no choice but to use extreme measures to ensure the survival of our squadron."
"You know why we didn't stop EBA from getting involved in our affairs..." Hajime growled, "You're just denying because you're afraid you'll admit you're just as undependable as Ouen and EBA..."
Hayato wrinkles his nose as he kicks the barrel against the wall of the room, "I don't care what happens to that petty squad of yours! All I care about is putting our squad on the map and destroying any opposition that tries to tear it down!" He turns sharply and walks out of the room, shutting the door behind him.
End Notes:
Yes, I know there's an opening in the werewolf scenario where the Noble walked their dog in the middle of the night. I just couldn't find someway of fitting it into this episode.