The light barely breached the blinds of the guest room.
Tsuranuki groaned as he slowly opened his eyes, feeling a sense of relief.
Like last night, he had slept in his shinkansen form, allowing him to get some much needed sleep. He sat up, stretching as he slid his legs out from under the covers.
He got out of bed and arched his back, throwing his arms over his head. He grunted before he stood up straight and rubbed his hair, trying to even it out.
"Man... How come that song has to keep playing?" he muttered. He rubbed his eyes to try and remove any sleep from them.
Of course, he had no idea as to what he was going to get into...
(Shows a gleaming light as a hand reaches for it before the screen goes dark)
What are you waiting for? (Two optics flash online as the camera pans to the left, showing Esebu standing atop a cliff)
What are you waiting for? (Shows the city of Townsville, a huge estate overlooking it with a shadowy shape just above it before the movie title appears below Esebu)
GRIMMFALL: THE CASTLE AND THE KAGAYAKI
Are you waiting on a lightning strike? (A flash of lightning cuts across the screen, showing Tsuranuki as he's standing in the guest bedroom of the Utonium house, rain pouring down the window)
Are you waiting for the perfect night? (The camera pans out to the right, showing Princess Morbucks gazing down at the city from her balcony, hands clenching the balcony railing, tears in her eyes)
Are you waiting 'til the time is right? (The camera moves out to show the estate in the background, Esebu in shinkansen form observing the building as a steam train heads away from it)
What are you waiting for? (The steam train rounds the corner as Esebu follows behind)
Don't you wanna learn to deal with fear? (Shows Esebu facing Elmer Sglue, backing up in terror)
Don't you wanna take the wheel and steer? (The Powerpuff Girls are shown trying to control a runaway bus)
Don't you wait another minute here? (Esebu is shown grabbing onto the bus and pushes hard with his treads digging into the ground)
What are you waiting for? (The vehicle comes to a stop as smoke fills the area)
What are you waiting for? (An explosion suddenly erupts from the ground, smoke covering the screen before it vanishes, showing a Kaiju attacking Townsville)
You gotta go and reach for the top (Esebu is shown lunging forward at the Kaiju, his drill revving up as in his optics he sees Princess crying out for help from her estate balcony)
Believe in every dream that you got (Esebu charges at the Kaiju Grimm, his Aura streaming off his frame as behind him a peaceful vision of Earth appears)
You're only living once so tell me (The Kaiju fires off a blast of red energy that strikes the incoming Shinkalion, creating an explosion before Esebu comes out of the smoke)
What are you, what are you waiting for? (The Kaiju retaliates, the two colliding with a flash of light before the light fades)
You know you gotta give it your all (The light vanishes to show Princess scrambling up a cliff, only to lose her grip and fall)
And don't you be afraid if you fall (A shadowy hand reaches out and catches her, causing her to look back at two green optics, relief on her face)
You're only living once so tell me (Princess smiles as the figure sets her down)
What are you, what are you waiting for? (The figure transforms into a train before heading off, two headlights flaring brightly)
Are you waiting for the right excuse? (The light fades to show Tsuranuki glancing back at the manor of Princess with a concerned look on his face)
Are you waiting for a sign to choose? (The camera pans to the right to show Princess behind a door, tears running down her face)
While you're waiting it's the time you lose (The two are shown back to back, the door between them)
What are you waiting for? (Princess and Tsuranuki are engulfed by two streaks of light, one pink and one blue, before it shows the Powerpuff Girls flying overhead)
Don't you wanna spread your wings and fly? (Princess is shown falling before two mechanical wings spread behind her and a metallic hand grasps hers)
Don't you really wanna live your life? (The two hands fade to show Princess and Esebu standing before one another, their alter egos in the background transparent)
Don't you wanna love before you die? (Blossom and Bubbles are shown looking at an image of Buttercup, tears in their eyes)
What are you waiting for? (Tsuranuki places his hand on both their shoulders, his eyes in shadow)
What are you waiting for? (An explosion suddenly erupts from the ground, smoke covering the screen before it vanishes, showing an avian Kaiju Grimm attacking Townsville)
You gotta go and reach for the top (Esebu is shown lunging forward at the Kaiju, his drill revving up as in his optics he sees Princess crying out for help from her estate balcony)
Believe in every dream that you got (Esebu charges at the Kaiju Grimm, his Aura streaming off his frame as behind him a peaceful vision of Earth appears)
You're only living once so tell me (The Kaiju fires off a blast of red energy that strikes the incoming Shinkalion, creating an explosion before Esebu comes out of the smoke)
What are you, what are you waiting for? (The Kaiju retaliates, the two colliding with a flash of light before the light fades)
You know you gotta give it your all (The light vanishes to show Princess scrambling up a cliff, only to lose her grip and fall)
And don't you be afraid if you fall (A shadowy hand reaches out and catches her, causing her to look back at two green optics, relief on her face)
You're only living once so tell me (Princess smiles as the figure sets her down)
What are you, what are you waiting for? (The figure transforms into a train before heading off, two headlights flaring brightly)
Tell me what you're waiting for (The light vanishes to show Princess in her family's estate, gazing at Townsville)
Show me what you're aiming for (Tsuranuki is shown atop a cliff, gazing at the estate in the distance)
Whatcha going to save it for? (Princess turns and walks off, grasping her gown and tiara)
So whatcha really waiting for? (Tsuranuki closes his eyes before he leans back, falling into a tunnel of darkness)
Tell me what you're waiting for (Princess takes off her dress and tiara, tossing it aside)
Show me what you're aiming for (Esebu is shown running through the streets of Townsville)
Whatcha going to save it for? (Princess is shown sneaking out of the estate)
So whatcha really waiting for? (The two are shown heading along the train tracks towards one another before the camera pans up to the moon)
Everybody's gonna make mistakes (The camera pans down to show Princess crying under a tree as it rains)
But everybody's got a choice to make (Tsuranuki shows up, looking concerned as he places a rain coat over her)
Everybody needs a leap of faith (Princess looks up, her eyes widening as she sees Tsuranuki - with Esebu behind him transparent - holding out a hand)
When are you taking yours? (Princess slowly reaches a hand out to grasp his)
What are you waiting for? (An explosion suddenly erupts from the ground, smoke covering the screen before it vanishes, showing a Kaiju attacking Townsville)
You gotta go and reach for the top (Esebu is shown lunging forward at the Kaiju, his drill revving up as in his optics he sees Princess crying out for help from her estate balcony)
Believe in every dream that you got (Esebu charges at the Kaiju Grimm, his Aura streaming off his frame as behind him a peaceful vision of Earth appears)
You're only living once so tell me (The Kaiju fires off a blast of red energy that strikes the incoming Shinkalion, creating an explosion before Esebu comes out of the smoke)
What are you, what are you waiting for? (The Kaiju retaliates, the two colliding with a flash of light before the light fades)
You know you gotta give it your all (The light vanishes to show Princess scrambling up a cliff, only to lose her grip and fall)
And don't you be afraid if you fall (A mechanical hand reaches out and catches her, causing her to look back at two familiar green optics, relief on her face)
You're only living once so tell me (Princess smiles as the Shinkalion sets her down)
What are you, what are you waiting for? (Esebu transforms into shinkansen form before heading off, his headlights flaring brightly)
You gotta go and reach for the top (The light fades to show Esebu doing battle with HIM, his drill held at the ready)
What are you, what are you waiting for? (Princess is shown repairing some of Esebu's battle damage)
Believe in every dream that you got (The blue and white train slams his fist into Giant Sedusa's gut)
What are you, what are you waiting for? (The Powerpuff Girls clash with Fuzzy Lumpkins)
You know you gotta give it your all(Brass, Erika, and Rokusho confront the Gangreen Gang)
What are you, what are you waiting for? (The form of Sammael looks back, eyes flaring brightly)
You're only living once so tell me (Princess and Tsuranuki are shown facing one another before the E7)
What are you, what are you waiting for? (The sun sets behind the two as they slowly lean in)
What are you, what are you? (Shows the two Powerpuff Girls as they land before the two and they look back)
What are you, what are you waiting for? (Tsuranuki and Princess look back as they join the two heroines and then they turn to look in the direction opposite Townsville)
What are you, what are you? (The camera pans around to show them from the front, the city of Townsville in the background)
What are you, what are you waiting for? (Behind them Esebu appears transparent, the words of the movie title appearing below them)
GRIMMFALL: THE CASTLE AND THE KAGAYAKI
CHAPTER III: MIDNIGHT
The next day was rather uneventful, as Major Man had actually thwarted a recent attempt by Mojo to try and brainwash the Powerpuff Girls. It also gave him plenty of time to try and figure out just what he was even supposed to do here in the city.
Tsuranuki was completely left unsure of what his role was.
But thankfully, he was about to find out the hard way just what he was supposed to do.
Along with a more... personal... mission as well.
As the boy sat in his guest room going over his schoolwork, he could hear the two Powerpuffs flying off to do battle with another villain, or maybe even to assist Major Man. For what it was worth, the hero was actually doing some good, but there was also the issue of his theme song popping up every time he did battle and then for a few days after.
That time was when crime seemed to increase, he noted. Or at least there was a bit more irritability amongst the people.
As to what the cause was, he would have to debate it later.
Right now, there was something else he wanted to check up on.
He finished scribbling the answer to a math problem down and put the notebook aside, along with his textbook. His grades were good enough that he could afford to be a bit lax with his work; it also helped he was good with numbers in general, which contributed to him finishing his work a lot quicker than others did. He stood and stretched, making his way over to the bed and laying back on it, closing his eyes as he did so.
'Time to see what's going on in the city,' he thought as he let his mind go.
He was quick to find the tendril that linked him to the E7 Kagayaki.
That same metaphysical thread that, when he first started as a Shinkalion, had bound him and his unit together.
He grasped it with a figurative hand and gave a tug, feeling the familiar jerk as he was pulled free from his flesh and blood body and down the darkness of Oblivion.
Even now, he was still weirded out by the name Shinobu had come up with for it. But it did fit considering how it seemed like they were in Oblivion. Thankfully it had nothing to do with actually being trapped in limbo, which made Tsuranuki very grateful.
He forced the thoughts from his mind as he sensed the familiar energy surging around him, turning into electrical pulses that allowed his soul to slide into the metaphysical slot that granted his unit life.
Within mere seconds, his vision went dark.
Then, slowly he could feel sensation coming back to him.
Instinct told him what he already knew.
He had successfully transferred his soul into the E7.
Now, as Esebu, he was free to explore the city a bit more.
The young train was quick to transform into robot mode and he rolled his shoulders before he turned and began to walk away from the station yard where he had been parked. As he headed off, he kept his sensors on high alert for any sign of possible villain attacks, primarily with Mojo Jojo, who seemed to be the main villain the girls did battle against.
Of course, there was also Elmer Sglue, who was currently in holding behind bars.
Or at least, last he had heard, anyway.
The only thing was no one knew what happened to the criminal after a riot broke out after the Crom Cruach incident. So he had to be extra careful in case the supervillain made an appearance in Townsville. He continued to walk, unaware of someone following him.
A man clad in a trench coat with thick gloves and boots covering his hands and feet looked up briefly, his hat concealing his features and Esebu just gave the man a salute before continuing on. The man looked away before turning and walking down an alley, ignoring the train's salute.
'Huh. Guess not everyone is too keen on my presence here,' he thought to himself.
The young train kept walking before he paused, hearing something behind him.
Esebu turned, his servos clenching into fists as he tensed his frame. He expanded his sensor and radar ranges, scanning the readouts as they flowed in his peripheral vision.
But nothing was present.
Or so it seemed...
The next thing he knew, there was a sudden surge of white as something burst out of a nearby manhole, unfurling into a slew of tentacles that lashed out, trying to wrap themselves around his frame in a white, sticky cocoon. The Shinkalion yelped and sprang back as the tendrils curled into a ball, forming a white sphere before the orb began to distend and extend its shape into a humanoid form.
The huge being was entirely made of glue, oozing from the hulking mass in small rivulets. The head had no distinguishable human features, but then two black orbs snapped open, with green pupils in the middle of them. The being's mouth opened and it growled, exposing nothing but a dark pit that made him shudder against his will. The massive glue creature had three fingers and a thumb on its huge hands, and it locked gazes with him, toxic green orbs meeting piercing yellow-green optical sensors.
Esebu gasped as he realized just who this creature was.
The memory files of the diary entry he read came rushing back to him, along with the description of the Powerpuff Girls regarding the tragic student.
'Elmer... Sglue?!' he thought, staggering back in shock. 'But... he's supposed to be in custody!'
"Oh great... Another hero-bully," the glue monster hissed, his green eyes narrowing dangerously.
"Hey! I'm not a bully!" Esebu snapped, glaring at Elmer as he stood up, clenching his fists tighter. "I'm just here to help protect Townsville until Buttercup is found!"
The mere mention of Buttercup's name seemed to have a negative effect, however, as Elmer suddenly threw his head back and roared before he thrust his arms forward and sent two gooey rockets right at the young train. Esebu let out a yelp and leapt back, relying on his strong hydraulics to land a good ten blocks away before he summoned his drill to his grasp in a flash of blue light. "Hey! What gives?!" he blurted.
"You... You work for the Powerpuff Girls!" Elmer snarled. "And they're bullies to me! Especially her!"
"If you mean Buttercup, then that's her problem!" Esebu retorted. "I wasn't even there when she did it!"
"You still are a bully for working alongside those bullies!" the glue monster roared, his body beginning to bubble and boil. Steam started to rise off his hulking frame and he roared, lashing out with one arm as his hand extended into a glue whip. He then swung it hard, the tip flying right for Esebu's leg joint. The Shinkalion leader didn't even hesitate to leap to the side, running to the left as Elmer started to drag the whip through the air after him. Esebu dove forward, landing flat on his chest as the glue whip severed a building close by and almost caused it to collapse if he didn't lash out his own servos and catch the building before straining to keep it from falling on the pedestrians below.
Elmer sneered as he began to approach the young train, his whip snapping as he flicked his arm. "Oh, looks like you got your servos full, don't you?" he chortled.
Esebu growled in anger as he realized he was right. There was no way he could attack unless he let the building go, and he was not about to let that happen. 'Crap...! Why'd I have to intervene?!' he thought.
He knew stopping the building from collapsing took top priority, but surely there could've been another way, right?
"HOLD, FAIR CITIZEN!" Major Man's voice bellowed.
'Crap... not him again!' Esebu thought as he felt the building's upper stories pushing into his servos. 'I so don't need this right now!'
A blur of white and blue flashed past his optical sensors and he saw the familiar shape of Major Man come up and place both hands on the building's upper half, pushing with all his might and lessening the burden on the Shinkalion. "Hate to admit it, but you saved my aft," Esebu remarked as he let go. Major Man gave a grin as he saluted.
"I shall handle this!" he boomed. "You leave it to me!"
"Right!" Esebu nodded as he turned back to face Elmer, only to find he was gone. "What...?!"
The train broke into a run, darting past Major Man as he continued to work at saving people. He glanced left and right, his optics searching for the white mass that was Elmer Sglue.
"The hell...?" Esebu was now concerned. "He couldn't just have vanished!"
The Shinkalion leader continued to make his way through the city, unaware of the fact that Elmer was leading him into a trap... as well as an eventual encounter with someone unexpected.
Esebu finally came to a halt in the middle of an intersection, noting how quiet it was. He clenched his servos into fists, hearing only the faint whirring of his servos, gears, and hydraulics as he moved. He slowly pivoted his helm around, searching for any sign of Elmer.
Beneath his pedes, however, something slimy and gooey oozed through the sewers, approaching one of the manholes...
And causing it to erupt, sending the cover flying. Esebu turned at the sound of the manhole cover clattering to the ground, and as his optics locked onto it, his attention was diverted from the sewer opening closest to his left pede. A small, white tendril began to ooze out, slithering towards his left ankle, coming to a halt and beginning to poke and prod before finding an opening...
...catching the attention of the young train.
His helm snapped down and he gasped as he wrenched his pede away, scrambling backwards as the ooze dripped from an opening in his armor. He shot a glance down at it and a shudder raced down his back struts. 'Crap...! Was he really trying to assimilate or possess my frame?!' he thought in a panic. He swiftly held up a servo and summoned his Wheel Set Drill to his grasp in a flash of light before he called forth his Aura, the tri-colored barrier engulfing his frame in mere seconds.
And just in time, too.
The next thing he knew, a slew of white tendrils made of glue exploded out of the sewers, wrapping themselves around his frame and lifting him up into the air with a yelp. The tendrils paused about fifty meters off the ground before they suddenly accelerated, slamming the train into the ground, leaving a crater in the middle of the intersection. Esebu was rattled from the impact, but his Aura had prevented him from being knocked out. He shook his helm as he forced himself to come to his senses, and just as he was drawn back into the air a second time.
But he was not about to let himself be hit against the pavement a second time.
The young train gripped his drill closely in his right servo and pressed the trigger twice, shifting it from electric Dust to ice Dust. The drill's chamber switched the cartridges around, locking the ice Dust into position. He pressed the trigger three more times and the Dust dispensers on the sides of the drill slid open, allowing ice Dust to drift out as light blue particles. The weapon began to spin, and he gripped it tightly as he felt it shudder in his grasp. He struggled to move his right arm, and he pushed hard against the glue wrapped around his arm. The tip of his drill just barely brushed against some of the glue tendrils, and they started to retreat, and that was all Esebu needed.
He gave a grunt as he wrenched his arm to the left, pulling his drill closer and brushing the rotating tip across the slimy glue tentacles holding him in place firmly.
The tip of his drill touched one of the glue tendrils and it began to ice over, freezing solid. The ice spread quickly, engulfing the other tendrils and making his systems start to grow cold. Within mere seconds, the glue was frozen solid and Esebu took the chance to channel his Aura into his hydraulics and systems, boosting his strength. He gave a loud cry and thrust his arms and legs to the side, shattering the tendrils as the ground began to shudder.
The young train glanced down in shock before he pushed off of one of the remains of the tendrils, flipping and landing atop one of the buildings close by, his optics locking onto the shaking ground as cracks began to form across it. His gaze briefly shot to where the rails were close by, and he gasped as he saw them beginning to shudder. "Scrap...!" he muttered.
A train was coming, and this glue monster was still present.
He had to stop Elmer before he hurt someone.
His optics flashed as he gripped his drill and looked to where the ground was now bulging upwards, as if about to erupt. His frame tensed as he drew his weapon close to his chest, and he summoned his Aura, allowing it to cover his frame in seconds. The pavement suddenly broke, and a pillar of glue shot up into the air, making Esebu wince as some dust flew up, temporarily blinding him visually, but not in terms of his sensors.
Within the dust, Elmer's body was undergoing a transformation.
The pillar of glue suddenly began to morph into a humanlike shape, with the arms forming first as tendrils of glue lashed out and snatched onto some of the larger pieces of rubble, drawing them close to the white limbs. The rubble latched onto the arms, forming makeshift arm guards and shoulder guards as legs emerged from the glue. More rubble was drawn in, including some pipes to form tubing on the boot and thigh armor. The chest was next to come out, several large slabs of pavement and thick piping melding into one to form a set of chest armor like that of a samurai. The head finally pushed itself out as more armor made of pavement and piping came together, turning into a helmet that reminded Esebu of the helm of Nobunaga from ancient days. The glue monster looked up, his eyes flashing reddish green as a mouthpiece came on and covered his mouth before he grabbed a piece of pipe and covered it in glue before swiping it, emerging from the white paste a katana burning red hot. He made a few swings of the blade and he landed, taking on an imposing stance.
Esebu lowered his arm from where he had shielded his optics and he gasped, staring in shock at the huge form of Elmer now ensconsed in armor made from pavement and piping.
The criminal looked to the young train and hefted his blade, brandishing it in an intimidating manner. But Esebu was not deterred.
He merely hefted his drill and swung it out to the side. "What? You trying to mimic the ancient human lord, Nobunaga?" he snarked. "Because if you are, you're doing a lousy job of it!"
Elmer didn't respond to the snark. Instead, he broke into a run, his blade held off to the side, charging right for the building on which Esebu stood.
The train tensed before he sprang into the air, his drill whirring to life in his grasp. He could already feel his Aura shifting from tri-colored to bright blue as he aimed his drill into the sky, ice Dust spilling from its dispensers as the glow of his Aura began to cover it. The weapon took on an icy sheen as he reached the apex of his climb and pointed his drill at Elmer.
"Let's see how you like this!" Esebu bellowed. "WHEELSET KORI DRIVER!"
He let gravity take over and he fell, becoming an icy-colored comet as he let out a battle cry as loud as he could go. His optics flashed brilliant neon green as Elmer glanced up, and his eyes narrowed. He held his blade in both hands, bringing it up off to the side as he prepared to swing.
The Shinkalion tensed, preparing for the blow.
Just as Elmer swung.
The two weapons met, Esebu's drill slamming into the flat of the blade, ice starting to cover it as Elmer stood his ground. His feet were driving into the pavement close by, and he could already feel the young train's impact pushing him back.
But he didn't even budge further. He merely shifted his grip on his sword and slashed, shattering Esebu's Aura and throwing the train back as he skidded on his pedes, his treads stopping his slide as he revved them. He came to a stop and looked up, letting out a grunt of satisfaction at seeing Elmer's katana covered in ice. The glue monster looked at it before he swung it and smashed it against one of the buildings, shattering the ice and making him snarl in frustration.
"Nice try, Esebu!" Elmer growled. "But no matter what, I will not let you continue to bully others in this city!"
"As if!" Esebu shot back. "I'm just trying to protect them until Buttercup is found! I don't know what your beef with her is, but whatever it is, you're taking it out on the wrong train!"
He then snorted. "And besides, I've saved Tokyo far too many times to be considered a bully in their eyes!"
For what it was worth, it was true, but with the fact that those fake Shinkalions had framed his friends, there was no way he was going to let Elmer learn that fact.
"So what?" Elmer muttered. "It means little to me!"
"Geez! You got a stick in your aft or something?" Esebu asked, surprised by how little this guy cared.
Elmer's eyes narrowed as he crouched and sprang into action, leaping up and flipping to the side before he lashed out in a horizontal slash, forcing Esebu to block using his drill. He was pushed back by the impact, but he didn't even so much as utter a word, save for a grunt as he pushed forward, using his mechanical strength to counter Elmer's supernatural strength.
Both warriors were evenly matched in the strength department, but Elmer had a few other tricks at his disposal.
A tendril of glue suddenly whipped out, trying to smack the Shinkalion leader's drill and gum up the mechanisms. But Esebu saw the blur of white out of the corner of his optic and he reacted, breaking away from Elmer and landing, skidding as he shot a brief glance at the train tracks. The sound of a train was getting closer, and he could hear faint chuffing from it.
'Oh, fuck...!' he thought. 'Not her!'
But it was.
It was the train of Princess Morbucks.
Elmer seemed to sneer as he held up his sword. "It seems like another bully has entered..." he muttered. "And this one... will be the first to die!"
"WHAT!?" The young train felt his engine hitch inside his chest as he shouted in utter shock and horror. "You're insane!"
"No, Esebu! I am not insane," Elmer remarked, his eyes glowing as more glue began to ooze out from between his armor and covering his sword before hardening, glinting in the fading sunlight as he held it up. "I've never been more sane than now. Especially after what happened to me all those years ago!"
Esebu gripped his drill tightly as his shoulders tensed. "You're sick!" he growled. "And I'm not gonna let you kill innocents all because of a petty grudge!"
"Petty!?" Elmer roared. "You call being bullied petty?! I was called a paste eater by that witch, and her sisters did nothing to stop her! I was insulted, belittled, and all because I wanted to eat paste!"
"Eating paste is not healthy for humans!" the train countered. "I'm not going to deny that what she did was wrong, but what I am gonna do is get some sense knocked into you! And same with Buttercup when she comes back! I'm gonna make sure of that!" He brandished his drill as he said those words, his optics flashing as he prepared to attack.
The glue monster didn't even say another word as he lashed out with his sword, unleashing a devastating blow for the young train's chest.
Esebu sprang to the right, landing and dismissing his drill as he did so. Instead, he reached over and grabbed one of the pipes that had been dislodged by Elmer erupting from the ground. He pulled it free and held it in both servos before he spun it around, like a battle staff. He spun it to the left, then the right and over his head before he held brought the weapon horizontally, the end pointed forward towards Elmer.
Elmer narrowed his green orbs as he opened his mouthpiece, revealing his sneering face. "Oh? This is going to be interesting..." he purred.
Esebu didn't even answer. He merely lowered his helm a bit as if expecting his challenge to be accepted.
"Fine. Challenge... accepted!" Elmer roared, lunging for him. He swung his sword, but Esebu blocked with his staff, feeling the push of Elmer's inhuman strength.
The young train pushed to the left, causing Elmer's sword to fly off to the side, but not out of his grasp. He shifted his stance and spun the makeshift staff around to slam it into Elmer's pavement helm. The force of the blow sent the glue monster staggering back before he regained his balance and glared at Esebu. The young train took advantage of this and lunged, his weapon held in his servo as he thrust it forward, trying to drive the end into Elmer's exposed eye.
But Elmer sneered and whipped his sword up, glue suddenly covering the blade as he unleashed what could only be described as a gooey shockwave. Esebu dodged it with mere feet to spare and he landed on the ground, tensing as he drew back his arm, holding the makeshift staff tightly in his servo. He paused for the briefest of moments before he chucked the pipe right for Elmer, the sharp end glinting as it neared his face.
Elmer scowled as he leaned back, the pipe barely missing his eye as he glanced at Esebu.
Esebu backed up a bit, startled. "Scrap...!" he muttered.
"Nice try," the criminal sneered.
He suddenly whipped his body around and delivered a nasty slash right at Esebu's chest, forcing the train to dance out of the way. He landed and skidded a few meters down another street before he turned and broke into a run as Elmer ran after, his armored feet pounding the pavement. As he ran, Esebu glanced around, trying to see where Elmer was. The height of the buildings made it difficult to see where he was.
That was also a downside as he spotted the tackily painted steam train of Princess coming down the tracks. His optics flashed as he desperately expanded his sensors and radar to full range. It was just as well he did it, too, because not even two minutes later, Elmer's armored form leapt over, the glue-hardened katana flashing as he swiped with it, bringing the blade down on the train's caboose...
"HEY! GET AWAY FROM THERE!"
He had no idea as to why he was even moving, nor why he was even so focused on saving her. But he found himself in motion due to his instincts, and his clenched servo punched forward, delivering what could only be described as a bone-shattering blow, cracking the concrete-and-pipe armor and breaking it off his head.
The train ride back to her estate was boring.
Princess sighed as she leaned back in the seat, her gaze drifting to the window as she watched a few birds flying overhead.
Oh, how she wished she could be free like those birds, flying and diving, feeling the breeze on her skin...
But alas, she could not, for she was forever trapped in this gilded cage of wealth and luxury.
It felt like there was no way out for her. All she wanted to do was be free. To be who she wanted to be instead of this impression she was forced to give off.
While she may have been arrogant and snobbish, only relying on her wealth to get what she wanted, she wasn't really like that. It was all a façade, a mask, to hide who she really was.
A lie.
A lie that had become a necessity.
And she was sick of it all.
She sighed heavily as she turned her gaze back from the window, unaware of the fight raging just before her train's route. She had heard some rumbling and faint explosions, which made her assume there had been an earthquake. Little Tokyo was known for them, after all. The island was positioned close to a tectonic fault line, so it made sense that it would be prone to earthquakes. Even minor ones were sometimes felt.
But what she did not expect was to see a huge shape that resembled an armored samurai leap into the air, a katana flashing as the beast roared, swinging it down towards her train's caboose... where she was currently seated!
A scream escaped her as she stared in shock and horror...
"HEY! GET AWAY FROM THERE!" a deep male voice suddenly bellowed, catching her attention. Was it Major Man?!
The next thing she knew, a blue and white blur came speeding out of nowhere, one fist lashing out and colliding with the brute's head, smashing the helm covering its head and exposing only a gooey white shape with green orbs and a gaping mouth that twisted into a snarl as the impact knocked it back. The katana lashed out in a swipe to try and nail her savior, only for them to dodge to the side and the blade drove itself deep into the engine, cutting into the boiler and mechanisms to make it move. The driver bolted in time to avoid getting impaled, but that did little to make her feel better as her train suddenly jolted and came to a halt with the screeching of its brakes.
The huge beast twisted and tore its sword free as it landed, only for that same blue and white blur to shoulder slam into the glue monster and shove it back from her now damaged train, making it skid back from the impact.
Princess heard something heavy land just before her train, and she wondered if it was Major Man. She slowly looked up...
And her mouth fell open in shock at the sight of her savior.
It was not Major Man.
It was something else entirely.
A huge robot stood in front of her train, its blue and white armor gleaming in the light of the sun, giving it a majestic appearance. Interestingly, it looked as if the robot could turn into a shinkansen, its upper body being comprised of the first car and the entire rear engine made up its lower half, with the shells of the rear engine acting as additional armor to protect its legs. She noticed that the robot possessed two pairs of caterpillar treads, one pair on each ankle. Its feet had what appeared to be pistons on their fronts, allowing the robot to boost its jumps she guessed. It had on its hands two guards that resembled an excavator shovel, and pistons on those allowed the robot to put more force into its blows.
The lower legs were completely blue with grey and gold accents, while the upper legs were white in color. The robot's chest was blue on the front with white on the sides, and golden outlines. Its arms were dark grey with white armor on the lower arms, and its hand guards were golden in color. The shoulders were broad with white on the bottom and the tops were blue with a golden line to separate the two colors. The helm was blue with a silver command fin, and those optics glowed a fierce green color. Its faceplate was pure white, and on either side of the robot's face was a vent. Two protrusions swept back from the thing's helm, adding a sort of streamlined look to its appearance. Its hands were dark gray, and in one hand it held a drill that looked partially like the wheel sets on a shinkansen.
The robot's back was facing her, and the machine turned, those brilliant green optics locking onto her and she stared at them, noticing the light of sentience and intelligence in them. "You better get to safety!" the robot said in that same deep, male voice she had heard prior. "It's too dangerous here!"
The girl stared for a moment before she nodded and scrambled to safety, running for the door that led out of the caboose. She threw it open and got out, turning and running in the opposite direction.
As she ran though, she looked back at the train as he charged forward, a shimmering tri-colored Aura beginning to seethe over his frame. He thrust his drill out in front as he pressed what looked like to be a trigger and slots on the side slid open, letting ice Dust spill out and cover the weapon. His Aura began to change from a tri-colored state into a brilliant blue shield, seething along his arm into the drill as it began to spin, becoming a blur of silver and blue with an icy sheen. A loud roar escaped his vocalizer as he increased his speed with the caterpillar tracks on the sides of his ankles.
"WHEELSET KORI DRIVER!" he bellowed.
The glue monster scowled as he brought up his katana, trying to intercept the blow.
Only the robot was not falling for it. He shifted his stance and jabbed the drill right for the monster's armored chest, striking it dead center.
The monster froze, a strangled gasp escaping its throat as it staggered back, the robot's drill protruding from the center of its armor. The robot's optics flashed brightly as he pushed harder, his drill revving even faster. The crackling of ice forming reached her hearing and Princess watched in shock as the monster began to literally freeze right before her eyes. His eyes widened as he stared in shock, his arms shaking as he tried to reach for the robot, only to fail as he froze solid mid-reach, his fingers inches from the robot's helm.
The robot gave a grunt and ripped his drill out before snapping his arm out to the side, the Dust dispensers closing up. He stepped back and dismissed his drill before turning and gazing in her direction.
Princess felt her heart leap into her throat as she stared at those brilliant neon green optics, and for the briefest of moments her heart skipped in her chest. It was hard to tell what he was thinking, least of all how he was staring at her, but the way his frame was positioned indicated... dare she say it... concern for her.
He slowly began to walk in her direction, and she squeaked in shock as he drew closer. He came to a stop after just fifteen steps; his greater height meant he didn't need to walk far. He slowly knelt down, placing one servo on his knee, keeping those optics locked onto her eyes. "Are you all right?" he asked, his deep baritone voice softer than usual so as to not spook her.
"Y-Yes... I am..." she whispered, looking down at her dress and fiddling with it. "Thank you..."
"That's good." The robot gave a slight nod, his shoulders seeming to sag in relief. "I was worried that Elmer would have gotten to you had I not intervened."
"Wait. That was Elmer?!" Princess blurted, shock flooding her features.
The robot nodded. "Yes. And to answer your unasked question, I did my research before being deployed out this way," he explained.
Princess was surprised he had even anticipated her next question, but it was not as profound as her shock at learning that creature had once been Elmer Sglue, the Paste Eater.
"But...What happened to him?!" she cried. "How did he become that monstrosity?!"
Here the robot paused, looking down. His free servo clenched into a fist as he sighed heavily. "That... I have no clue on," he admitted. "I just know he somehow turned into a glue monster after an accident with toxic Dust and a fly. The information I studied didn't have very many details."
Princess scowled as she folded her arms. "Somehow I doubt that," she muttered.
The robot lifted his gaze up. "For what it's worth, I exactly didn't have very much time to find out more details," he deadpanned.
Both stared at one another for a moment before Princess finally sighed, rolling her eyes. "Okay, that does make sense," she said. "And now, how am I gonna get home since my train was wrecked?"
The robot stood up. "Unfortunately, I can't provide that," he told her. "I have to get going. And alert the authorities of Elmer's capture." He turned and proceeded to walk off, waving a servo as he did so.
"Hey! You save me and then you have the audacity to not introduce yourself?!" Princess exclaimed, her fist clenching.
The robot paused, looking back over his shoulder. "Well, since you put it that way..." He paused for a moment before giving a thumbs up, pointing at himself. "The name's Esebu. And don't forget it."
Elmer's eyes burned with hatred as he watched Esebu's back get smaller and smaller as he walked off.
Oh, how he hated this! He had just been trounced by a mere robot!
No.
Not a mere robot.
This robot was much more. He had heard of the news, yes, so he knew who he was dealing with.
A Shinkalion. And not just any Shinkalion either.
This was the leader of the group.
And he had just been beaten by him.
'Dammit...!' he thought. 'I thought I could beat him... but it seems he's far too strong for me to handle.'
Elmer had been confident he could gum up the train's joints and his weapon. But instead, he had proven to be far too cunning and swift to catch in his glue. He apparently had been trained well by the rest of his race if he had such skill and experience. Not to mention battling Kaiju helped in that regard.
Elmer needed to have a new plan in place if he was to deal with the leader of the Shinkalions and win.
But the only question was... how?
He had no idea that someone would soon provide the one answer he so desperately needed.
THAT EVENING
MORBUCKS ESTATE
"...and that's what happened, Father," Princess said.
The young heiress stood before her father's expansive oaken desk, the man himself sitting behind it, his fingers tented as he eyed his daughter critically. His eyes were narrowed as he pursed his lips. "So your train was damaged thanks to a glue monster formerly a human boy, and then you were saved by one of these Shinkalions," he mused.
The girl nodded. "Yes."
The man closed his eyes and sighed. "I do not like having to repair your train so much, Princess. But, seeing as how this Shinkalion saved your life, I guess I can let this go for now." He then opened his eyes, and the girl squeaked a bit at the intensity of his gaze. "But know this, my daughter. I only allow you this privilege as it is something you pleaded for for months. If you are in any danger again, I shall revoke this privilege of yours. Do you understand?"
Princess nodded and curtseyed. "Yes, Father," she said obediently. She turned and began to walk out of the study, ignoring the burning fire in the fireplace as she walked past it. The huge bookshelves around her seemed to act like a cage, their books like thick bars and the only way out being the immense doors she was now heading towards.
She hurried her pace along as her father went back to his work. She took only fifteen seconds to reach the door, but each one felt like an eternity to her.
An eternity encased in a gilded cage.
She made it out of the room and two servants closed the doors behind her. She raised a sleeve to her eyes and wiped at the tears as they pricked at her eyes.
One of the maids came up beside her. "Mistress Princess, your tea is prepared. Do you want it in your room?"
"Yes, Sahaki," Princess said, her irritated tone being rather forced this time. If the maid picked up on it, then either she was keeping quiet, or she was not concerned. Well, given how she treated the servants, it made sense many of them were a bit terrified of her wrath. "Bring it when it is fully ready."
"As you wish," the deer Faunus acknowledged.
Princess made her way back to her room, which was located in the highest tower of the family estate. The trip there was more or less a journey which she hated. It always reminded her of her place in high society and of the burden it placed upon her shoulders. She had been born into the highest echelons of the upper crust of society, and it only reminded her of how low she felt.
It was strange to be surrounded by wealth and to not feel connected to anyone outside of her station. She knew of how people envied her and wanted to be like her. It did little to make her feel better, in all honesty. She despised the perception of wealth meaning happiness. In her case, it did nothing of the sort and only made her feel worse than she already did.
Everything she had, everything she could have wanted, everything she didn't even really need...
And it didn't make her happy one bit.
She finally reached her room and opened the door, exposing the interior space she had sparsely decorated in an attempt to remove herself from this gilded cage. But no matter how hard she tried to hide her position in society, the view was the only thing she could enjoy about this room. She quickly made a beeline for the balcony and threw open the glass doors, running out onto the wooden platform and breaking down into sobs. She placed her hands on the railing, leaning over and crying out loud.
Tears ran down her cheeks as she let her feelings come forth.
Oh, how she wanted to have someone to talk to... A real person who could see her for the broken, scared, and helpless girl she was.
Someone who would be her friend.
A real friend who didn't see the wealth, but the girl beneath the façade.
That was all she really wanted.
And she knew that it wouldn't happen.
But in some perverse way, she was glad that her steam train had been damaged.
Now she couldn't use the old thing, despite it being built to the safest specs that her father's engineers could provide. In some way, it was a reminder of her position in society, and of the things she could have at her fingertips. But it also reminded her of the fact she was trapped in a gilded cage. The train had a preset route that took it around only the more populated parts of the island, leaving the poorer, commoner segments alone. The driver had been paid handsomely to allow that to happen, and she wished it wasn't so.
The train itself was okay, but it was also an archaic reminder of a time when the highest families ran things.
In some way, she was a bit envious of Tokyo and the rest of Japan for having built a highly advanced and secure train system. She wanted to visit the city and even rise on the shinkansen, but her father never let her.
So she was stuck in this place, with only a privilege to travel via steam train in a preset route around the island.
All she wanted to do was be free...
And not like a trapped bird.
This was her castle, and she was the princess.
How she hated it.
UTONIUM HOUSEHOLD
Tsuranuki shoveled the last of his rice into his mouth before he finished eating and pushed the plate back. "Thanks for the dinner, Professor!" he chirped.
Professor Utonium smiled as he picked up his guest's plate. "No problem. I'm kind of surprised you have such an appetite!" he chuckled.
"Blame my mother," the boy remarked. "She always had a big one growing as a kid!"
The Powerpuff Girls giggled as he stood up. "So, whatcha gonna do now?" Bubbles asked.
"Probably get some extra homework done before bed," Tsuranuki explained. "I got a big project due in a month, so..." He shrugged.
Erika looked up from her own food and swallowed. "What kind of project?" she asked.
"A book report," the boy answered truthfully. "It's got to be a good-sized book, so it'll take me a month to read it."
Brass hummed thoughtfully as she picked up Bubbles' plate and handed it to the professor. "I wonder what book you'll pick," she mused.
Rokusho was silent as he observed the young Shinkalion as he prepared to head upstairs. "So I'll see ya guys in the morning if I don't see you before bed." He waved as he left, letting the aloof Medabot turn to his friends.
"Something wrong, Rokusho?" Blossom asked.
"No. I'm just impressed he's as studious as he is energetic," the Medabot noted.
"Well, he is a good student," Professor Utonium stated. "His grades show that to be the case."
As he left, Tsuranuki couldn't help but grimace a bit. Sure he was a good student, but he was not as studious as they thought. A lot of it was due to him getting as much work done as possible before he left school, usually in class or on a break. What homework he did get he finished as soon as he got home.
And right now he had something else to focus on instead of a mere book report.
He hurried into the bathroom and proceeded to swiftly take a shower and brush his teeth before he made his way back into his guest bedroom. Once he was in the room, he changed out of his school clothes and into a pair of pajamas. Now that he was ready for bed, he got under the covers and shut off the light, closing his eyes as he focused on the LinkNode in his back.
He could already feel the metaphysical tendril that linked him to his machine and he grasped it with his figurative hand. He gave it a tug, and then he felt that familiar jerking as his soul was pulled from his physical form and into the Tunnel of Oblivion.
MORBUCKS ESTATE PERIMETER
The moon barely poked through the trees as fireflies flew and dipped beneath their leaves, the branches rustling a bit with the wind.
The faint call of an owl was heard as the faint ruffling of feathers whispered in the evening air. The fierce predator descended to scoop up an unsuspecting mouse before it flew away, its prey caught within its deadly talons. As it soared up higher, it was fortunate to miss the sleek shape as it sped by underneath, headlights flashing as it barreled down the train line ahead of it.
The blue and white train wasn't even traveling at his full speed as he approached the estate.
Of course, he wasn't sure as to why he was even doing this, but...
Some part of him felt like he had to.
For her sake.