Author's Note:
SockPuppetA: StoryPointA, it's been-
Me: Yeah, I know.
I'm excited to write this one! Especially since I'm probably going to be taking inspiration from my daily life a lot for some of the characters here! Also, the Japanese chemistry curriculum is WHATEVER I SAY IT IS!
Disclaimer: I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero, that honour solely belongs to Aneko Yusagi
—
Melromarc Café
OST
"Ren, hey-" Itsuki grinned as he swivelled through the doorway to Ren's last class. However, his jovial mood quickly denatured into muddled confusion. The final bell of the day had rung nearly thirty minutes ago. Yet nearly every single student in Ren's class - including the boy in question - was still at their tables, bags on the floor as if class hadn't ended. "Um… Why is everyone still here?" The blond slowly pried while scanning the room. Each table had various glassware atop, with beakers of chemicals near the back. The students themselves appeared to have a collective storm cloud over their heads, brows crunched in irritation and lips pursed.
Suffice it to say, the tiniest of setbacks would be… explosive.
"It's a titration." Ren deadpanned as his eye twitched.
"Ah…" Itsuki gulped, understanding swirling in his eyes. "Yeah… those suck alright. I'm so glad I dropped chemistry this year…" He mildly chuckled, which was instantly met by glares from half the class.
"Rub it in, don't you?" A boy with long white hair streaked with black growled from his table in the back.
"I-" Itsuki frantically attempted to defend himself, raising his hands in a mollifying gesture. It didn't work. Oh look… he provided a tiny setback!
"TWENTY-THREE *! #%!& TRIALS AND WE STILL DON'T HAVE THREE VALID ONES! $%&* TITRATIONS!" What seemed to be the boy's sister with the same hair scheme cursed, slamming her palms on the table. She narrowed her eyes at the buret as it had personally offended her. Though, in all fairness, it kind of was with its refusal to be within the acceptable margin of error.
"Oi, Fayon! Keep it down over there! You're causing Kiki to add too many drops to our samples!" Another girl hollered at them, causing an ear-shattering back and forth. Fortunately, the glass wasn't at the point where it was cracking… yet. Where was the teacher one might ask? Well… their instructor for the day - a balding old man with foggy, prehistoric spectacles - was fast asleep in a faded recliner in the corner. Though, the screaming match awoke him for a brief moment.
"Be careful…ngh…" He mumbled before promptly collapsing back into his chair with a slight drool.
"Okay…" Itsuki sweat dropped, taking a cautious step back. "Well, sorry for interrupting! I just wanted to tell you that I'm going to be at band…" He inwardly winced at the murderous rage in Ren's eyes. "Actually, I'll just text you and err… leave you to it!" The blond rapidly terminated and began walking off. In the distance, he felt a faint rumble and stumbled on the floor.
"AMAKI! IT'S FREAKING STARCH! HOW DO YOU MAKE STARCH, STARCH, EXPLODE?!"
"WE DON'T HAVE TO DO THE LAB ANYMORE! HE'S A HERO!"
Itsuki fastened his pace and booked it toward the music room.
—
The school band was composed of forty students from every year. About a quarter of them actually wanted to be there, which translated to just under a quarter of the band being made of trumpet players. The other thirty were being forced to attend by their parents or had nothing else to do. Hence, the first fifteen minutes of band practice were usually spent on their phones while waiting for everyone to show up. That day was by no means an exception.
"Rishia! Hey!" A chipper Itsuki greeted his green-haired friend who so happened to be a girl. Itsuki and Rishia were two out of the three other students who were willingly in the band.
"I-Itsuki! H-Hi…" She stuttered, nearly dropping her sparkling flute in the process.
"How's your day going so far?" The blond asked with a small smile and warm eyes. As he spoke Itsuki jostled a Baritone Horn in his arms. The band struggled to find students to play low brass instruments. Hence, Itsuki was usually directed to substitute the missing key. Not that he minded.
"M-Me?! I-uh-" The rest of Rishia's words were drowned out by a resounding thunder-like symphony. The two teenagers turned to see James, the remaining outlier of their band. He was a Canadian exchange student who was practically married to his piano. Itsuki opened his mouth in protest before it died in his throat. They'd tried and failed many, many, many times to silence James. But, there was no stopping the Canadian once he'd started.
"You know, it wouldn't be a problem for him to play this early if the room wasn't so small…" Itsuki grumbled as they moved to the far corner of the music room.
"Y-Yeah…But, I-I mean it could be worse…" Rishia hesitantly agreed.
"True, we could've had the freshmen play." The blond snorted, throwing his hands behind his head as he leaned on a plastic chair.
"T-They're not that bad…" The green-haired girl protested on their behalf.
"Rishia, I'd rather go deaf than listen to that guy play again." Itsuki candidly retorted while massaging his ears. It's not that the freshmen that year were bad. They were just... actually no, they were that bad.
"Itsuki! Don't be rude! They just need practice is all!" She defended, balling her hands together in her lap. In response, Itsuki simply stared at her with a flat expression. He leaned forward in his seat, resting a cheek against his knuckles. Slowly, Rishia's resolve flickered and she visibly slumped. "W-Well… a lot of practice. B-But, don't make fun of them!" The green-haired girl mumbled, looking away with an embarrassed flush.
Itsuki nodded… He was still going to make fun of the freshmen.
Coincidentally, the rest of the band finally began to trickle inside. Along with them came the band teacher, who'd long learned that practice wouldn't start on time. Usually, the band only had about twenty-five members attend the after-school practices. However, the teacher had made that day's session mandatory to practice for a concert the next day. Speaking off…
"So, how you feeling about tomorrow?" Itsuki casually asked as they made their way to their respective sessions.
"H-Honestly, a little nervous. A-At least I'm not freezing up in front of people anymore… I still cringe when thinking about our first assembly show." Rishia briefly closed her eyes and shuddered.
"Hey, I'm telling you no one noticed!" Itsuki swiftly encouraged with a dashing grin.
"W-Whatever you say, Itsuki…" She shrugged before they departed for their seats. The teacher coughed to get the forty-strong group's attention. They were set to perform the opening song of 'La La Landscape' for the concert. It was an incredibly easy song. Like tying someone's shoelaces easy in Itsuki's perspective. So, one would guess that the practice would just as smoothly!
The freshmen kept missing notes, which meant the teacher kept having to pause the practice to correct them… over fifty times… per song.
Itsuki sighed as he adjusted his posture; it was going to be a long day.
—
"I still think the school shouldn't have let freshmen join the band." Itsuki ranted to Rishia as they packed up for the day. And once most of said freshmen had left the music room. In turn, the green-haired girl shot him a disapproving but mostly sympathetic look. "We suck so bad…" He bemoaned, tugging on his hair as they started walking toward the front.
"We're not that bad!" Rishia countered before picking on one of her nails.
"Anyways…" The blond quickly pivoted topics. "I'm heading over to check out Motoyasu's new job with my friends. If you don't have anything to do right now… do you want to come with?" Itsuki discreetly patted his cheek. Why was he nervous?! It wasn't even going to be the first time Rishia met his other friends! Maybe he was paranoid about the teasing that would follow the encounter. Yes, yes, that must be it!
"U-Um… W-Where does he work?" She sputtered.
"Some pet store… 'Beloukas' Pet Store' actually. Very uncreative." Itsuki explained with a quiet laugh. "Here, I'll show you where it is." He followed, pulling out his phone.
"T-That's not too far…I'll come, yeah." Rishia smiled, causing Itsuki's heart to-DO NOTHING. NOTHING. He shared her smile as they exited the school and began strolling toward the shop. "S-So… how has studying for finals been going for you?" She asked antecedent to wiping hair off her face.
"Hell." Itsuki plainly answered. "It doesn't help that Ren keeps showboating that he doesn't have to do it yet. Though, he's in for it when it's his turn to start cramming for University applications." The blond darkly chuckled, throwing his fist against an open palm. "Speaking of University, do you know where you're going after high school ends?" He quizzed.
"I-I've applied to a few places… But, still no word on Aichi…" Rishia replied with a thoughtful expression. Aichi University located in Kariya, Japan was one of the top universities for music. Hence, for someone - like Rishia - who wanted to pursue music, Aichi would be a gold-standard education opportunity. "What about you, Itsuki?" She parried.
"… Honestly, I haven't really been thinking about it much. I probably should though…" He explained, tugging on his hair once more. "Maybe I should drop out? Become a professional crane game merchant and make my living off selling prizes." Itsuki pondered, mentally weighing his options.
"A-Aren't you banned from most a-arcades in Tokyo?" Rishia squinted her eyes at him.
"Well… 'most' is subjective! It's more like forty-one percent of arcades. And most of those are just the ones close to where we live. In conclusion, I could probably make it work." Itsuki waived as Rishia shook her head.
—
Itsuki almost died when they entered the shop.
He almost died because the moment they opened the door a parrot decided to assault him.
"GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!" Itsuki screeched as the beast of bloody feathers tried to claw out his eyes. The parrot's talons were charcoal black and cold to the touch. He felt the ends of its wings stab into his skull and tossle his hair. And the parrot's beak tried to pull individual strands from their roots, causing Itsuki to yelp and trip backwards. This was followed by the sound of metal crashing.
"Itsuki!" Rishia cried out, although he couldn't see anything since he'd long glued his eyelids together. His heart practically leapt out of his chest. Eventually, the unyielding pressure around his skull was gently relieved.
"Easy, girl. Easy!" Motoyasu's voice mollified the spawn of hell. Gradually, Itsuki pried his eyes open to meet Rishia's concerned irises.
"Are you okay?!" She fired at him while helping the frenzied boy to his feet.
"I'm alive!" Was his breathless response. As Itsuki collected his bearings, he took a moment to analyze his surroundings.
Colour exploded from most of the surfaces, mainly from the various creatures in their areas. Metallic spaghetti composed of bird cages remained from where he'd previously fallen. Close to them was a decently sized complex with a myriad of birds. In the room's centre, a large circular wall of various tanks was filled with aquatic creatures. It was set up so customers could enter between the cages and view the pets from the circle's centre. The second floor was decorated with hamster cages and dog pens.
There was a large counter in the back where another employee was napping. Nearby her was a small wooden stand with animal care pamphlets. For example, how to find ant queens and start an art farm, the different types of care needed for different breeds of dogs, etc.
"Why me…?" Itsuki finally groaned once his heart stopped racing.
"Sorry, man." Motoyasu winced after settling the parrot down. The older male pointed at Itsuki's slightly open backpack where a leafy stem was sticking out from his lunch. "She wanted your lunch. Should've warned you guys to keep your snacks away before coming. My bad…" He glumly nodded, awkwardly shuffling his feet.
"I thought it was common sense." Naofumi dryly commented from next to Motoyasu, his arms crossed.
"Good to see you too, Naofumi." Itsuki hissed, lightly touching a scratch on his forehead. "Can I get something for this?" He lightly requested, directing his gaze toward Motoyasu.
"Yeah, definitely. Follow me to the back, dude." The blond simp quickly nodded.
"I'll be right back!" Itsuki assured Rishia and the others before following along. "Well, this place suits you at least, Motoyasu… You're both crazy." He started after gaining some distance from the rest of the group.
"Thank you, thank you…" The older male faintly chuckled as they passed a short man in the hallways. "Hey, Beloukas, this is my friend I said would be coming over. Bridgette scratched him a bit so I'm just getting him fixed up. Nothing serious." Motoyasu explained with a slightly forced grin.
"Injured you say?! HMMMMMMMM!" The short man excitedly smirked, examining Itsuki like some kind of specimen through his spectacles. Itsuki glanced at Motoyasu with a perturbed face and gulped. He did not like the beady look in the other man's eyes. Beloukas leaned in closer to inspect his head and Itsuki finally spoke up.
"Hey! Personal space." The young blond chided with narrowed eyes.
"HMMMMMM!" Beloukas responded, jittering with elation and thoroughly creeping Itsuki out. Fortunately, Motoyasu saved him by pulling the younger male away.
"Okay, we'll be on our way then!" The older blond noted while casually dragging him away.
"Do let me know if he dies, my boy! The snakes are in dire need of feeding soon! HMMMMMM!" Beloukas excitedly waved with a devil-like smile.
"You're not dying." Motoyasu sharply denied with an eye roll. Itsuki hadn't thought he was either. They entered what appeared to be a barren staff room containing a single plastic chair and phone line. On the chair sat a medical kit which Motoyasu promptly snatched. "Here, wipe your scratches." The older male ordered after throwing a warm, soapy cloth at him.
"Your boss gives me the creeps." Itsuki twitched, taking the lone seat while Motoyasu leaned on the wall.
"He's just… excitable. You get used to it." The blond simp shrugged. "So, where's Ren? Weren't you two going to show up together, dude?" Motoyasu questioned after handing him a blue bandaid.
"Err… last I checked, his entire class was doing titrations. But, I don't think they should've lasted this long." Itsuki summarized while pulling out his phone. "I'l call him." He decided. Though, the blond chose to check his reflection with his camera first. "Okay, not too bad… No one will notice this during the concert at least…" Itsuki bopped his head.
"I'll be watching the stream tomorrow. I'll try and force Naofumi to log in too." Motoyasu amiably stated as they started walking back to the main room.
"Don't do that to yourselves. Seriously." Itsuki frowned.
"Mhm… I'm considering it… and I'm still going to." The blond simp sniggered as the younger of the two released another miserable groan. "Hey, if you hate the band so much why don't you just leave?" Motoyasu asked from the corner of his eye.
"I…" Itsuki paused, feeling his cheeks start to heat up. "… am not telling you!" He terminated, speed walking ahead before his friend could see his face.
—
Monday 7:30 PM
edgeboy: Sorry I didn't come today. I got suspended for blowing the science lab up.
Dense MC: WTF REN
—
Since Ren was suspended for property damage, Itsuki ate his lunch in the music room. Unfortunately, most of the other band members ate their lunch in the music room, which meant his ears were treated to some first-degree torture.
"Thanks for coming for moral support, Rishia." Itsuki carefully whispered to his green-haired companion.
"N-No problem, Itsuki…" She softly smiled in return. The two watched as James distributed shawarma to the band members. Something about one of the freshmen being curious about 'Canadian culture' and said Canadian having enough of being asked to make poutine. Itsuki and Rishia had been offered one of the delicacies; but, after a quick whiff, decided against it.
"You guys won't be peeved if this gets you sick, eh? I'm not a good cook." James rambled before chomping on a sandwich.
"H-Hey… Itsuki?" Rishia poked his shoulder.
"Yeah?" He replied, trying to tune out the background banshees.
"Why'd you join the band?" She curiously asked, causing him to jolt out of his seat.
"EH?!" Itsuki stared. In turn, the green-haired girl quickly began to backtrack.
"I-Um, Kitamura asked me to ask you yesterday while we were visiting! I didn't mean to pry-I-" Rishia babbled, raising her hands in a pacifying gesture. However, Itsuki simply pinched his nose and loudly sighed.
"It's fine, Rishia… just… Motoyasu…" He growled. "Anyways, I joined the band because…" Itsuki's voice trailed off as his mind ground to a messy halt. "I can't tell her the actual reason… Can I just say I like having access to the instruments? No, she won't believe that. She knows I already own most of these back home. And she won't believe me if I say I like the band because I've told her at least fifty times how I don't! AHHH!" His mind panicked.
"Itsuki? Itsuki-" Rishia waved her hand in front of his face.
"Oh, um-sorry! Zoned out!" Itsuki forced himself to chuckle and tugged at his hair. "I was just saying I liked being able to perform at places. Like the concert!" He hurriedly answered and prayed it sounded believable. Luckily, if he did seem phoney she remained silent.
Now he could focus on more important matters; like, brainstorming new methods to murder a certain blond simp he somehow called his friend…
—
Itsuki fiddled with his collar and surveyed the worryingly spacious waiting room. Rishia sat next to him wearing a long, sleeveless black dress. After all, it was a formal event. They were a hour from the starting time and only about half of the band had signed in. Surprise, surprise, it was mostly them two and the trumpet kids. Although, from the green hue on the trumpet kids' cheeks, Itsuki was starting to understand why they were low on manpower.
"James got everything sick with the shawarma, didn't he?" He rhetorically deadpanned, resting his forehead in his palm.
"I-I think so…" Rishia glumly agreed. That also explained why a certain Canadian was absent from the room.
Suddenly, the waiting room door was wrenched open and their flustered teacher made a beeline toward Itsuki. The blond sighed, already knowing and resigned to his fate.
"Kawasumi, we need-" Their teacher started. However, Itsuki held his hand up.
"I got it, sensei." A mutual disappointed nod passed between them. "On the bright side, I think we might actually sound good." He added and ignored the slight jab in his ribs from Rishia.
A long and stressful hour later, Itsuki was positioned in the centre of the band with nearly a dozen instruments on hand. It was impossible even for him to play twenty instruments all at once. So, they'd accepted that the performance would be quieter than it was supposed to be. At least Itsuki could play ten instruments simultaneously so the song would be passable.
The audience - the families of everyone who wasn't sick or didn't get the memo - quieted…
The teacher raised his baton…
Itsuki hit the first key on the piano…
He actually liked the song they were playing despite its simplicity. Besides, there was a reason it had been the teacher's first choice for the concert. And so the lyrics played inside his head as they performed.
"I think about that night…" Sweet.
"I left her at a coloured wheel…" Melancholic.
"East of Santa Fé…" Nostalgic.
As the song progressed, Itsuki closed his eyes and let his mind go. Something the other band members were oblivious to was that the teacher allowed Itsuki to help choose the song selection. Ultimately, Itsuki was forced to substitute for the others so often it was only fair he'd get a say. Hence, Itsuki wanted that specific song for a very specific reason.
In the mid-section the other instruments faded out to a background buzz and then to echoes. This allowed the woodwind group to steal the forefront when they were usually played over by drums and other groups. Specifically, the flutes had a solo. And seeing as Rishia was the only flute player to show up that day…
As Rishia released her first note, a distinct memory fought its way to Itsuki's attention…
—
*Flashback* Two years ago…
"Finally, a first day of the school year that didn't end with any drama!" Itsuki giddily celebrated in his mind once the final bell rang. He'd been concerned about starting High School without any friends since Ren was still in Middle School. But, it had gone alright. He'd even bonded with a few other music nerds in his year! The blond made his way toward the school's front and debated what to do. He could go bug Ren about how he got out earlier than him now…
"Kawasumi!" Someone shouted, and Itsuki suppressed a flinch. He was still working on completely moving forward from his Middle School trauma. However, when he turned he saw it was merely one of the other music nerds.
"Iida, hey! What's up?" Itsuki plastered a friendly smile upon his face.
"I was wondering if you were going to sign up for the band this year! The signup's near the music room! All of us are going right now!" Iida, a polite boy with a bowl cut notified. Ah, that explained it. The music room was in the opposite direction Itsuki was walking.
"Oh, I see. Thanks for letting me. But, I'm still thinking about it…" The blond explained with an abashed half-grin. He'd tried joining the middle school band and… the experience had been anything but pleasant, to say the least. Itsuki wasn't eager for a repeat. Not until he had a better grip on who he was dealing with that year. Perhaps if the situation was ideal he'd sign up later in the month.
"Ah…" Iida nodded, a twinge of disappointment clear on his face. Oh well. "I'll catch you tomorrow then!" The other boy perked up before sprinting away, likely to the music room given his words. After a few seconds, Itsuki shrugged and continued toward the exit. Yes, he'd certainly join later. And if things soured Itsuki could always just leave. He scrolled through his playlist for a song to play during his walk.
However, a soft melody fluttered through the air and made him still.
"Huh…?" Itsuki looked up. Focusing, the blond determined that the sound was coming from inside the school. And with his curiosity piqued, Itsuki decided to isolate the source. After a few minutes of wandering empty hallways, Itsuki discovered an empty classroom. Slowly, he peeked his head inside the doorframe.
A singular girl with long, vibrant green hair sat on a desk. In her hands, she caressed a silver flute which she played with elegant ease. Her eyes were closed as a soft melody wrapped around her like a comforting blanket.
Itsuki found himself paralyzed. He could only stare until the song reached its natural end.
The girl opened her eyes and smiled, satisfied with her performance. However, her pupils quickly noticed Itsuki standing in the doorframe. She startled, nearly falling off the desk. In turn, stirring Itsuki from his previous stupor.
"I-" Both teenagers began only to pause and stare at each other. "Sorry-" It happened again. "You go first…" And again. Eventually, the awkward silence morphed into awkward laughing. At least the icy mood melted away.
"Okay, okay…" Itsuki started, putting his hands together. After making sure he was free to speak he continued. "I'm Kawasumi. Itsuki Kawasumi. I'm sorry for staring." The blond chuckled, tugging at his hair.
"I-It's a-a-a-lright! I-I w-was playing p-pretty loudly… S-So, I-I really s-should've expected s-someone t-to notice m-my p-practice!" The green-haired girl nervously stuttered. Her words spewed out faster than a gushing river and were barely comprehendible. "O-Oh, I-I'm, I-I-Ivyred! Rishia!" She quickly added before fiddling with her hands. Her face turned tomato red.
"You're an amazing player. That song you were playing was lovely." Itsuki smiled, pushing past the girl's obvious anxiety. "I've never heard it before. What was it called?" He asked.
"U-Um, 'L-Lonely M-M-Moon,' I-I wrote i-it…" Ivyred hesitantly answered.
"You wrote it? That's amazing!" The blond complimented, causing her face to flush deeper. "She must not be used to being complimented." Itsuki thought, feeling an ounce of sympathy for her as he recalled his life before meeting Ren. "You said you were practicing. Are you trying out for the band?" He asked before thinking.
"O-Oh, n-no… I-I'm not.." Ivyred denied, rapidly shaking her head.
"Really?" Itsuki blurted out before he realized how insensitive that must've sounded. "I'm not judging!" The blond rushed to say upon seeing her face scrunch up. "I'm just super surprised! Like I said, you're really good…" He muttered while continuing to tug at his hair.
"U-Um… Y-You r-really think s-so?" Ivyred blinked, genuine shock spilling from her. Itsuki caught himself staring again but quickly shook himself out of it. Although, it appeared that the green hared girl took it as a rejection as her face sunk into himself. So, he quickly moved to amend such an error!
"You're probably one of the best flutists I've ever heard… And I've met a lot of flutists!" Itsuki rambled on and on. Ivyred turned spent for a hard minute before something akin to bravery sparked in her eyes.
"I-I'll try out then… i-if you think I-I c-can do it…" She stated with a little less stutter than normal. Wait, as he pressuring her? Was this pressuring?! So lost in his sudden panic, Itsuki missed her next words. "A-Are you trying o-out?" Ivyred asked.
"Uh, yeah…" The blond dimly nodded, his mind not completely in it before he realized what he said. Though, before Itsuki could retract his statement the girl softly smiled and any thought he had at that moment utterly vanished. Ivyred proceeded to stuff her flute in her bag before slinging it over her shoulder. Afterwards, she shuffled toward the door next to Itsuki.
"B-Bye then! S-See you at t-try outs!" The green-haired girl stuttered. Itsuki could only nod again. It was only once Ivyred had gone completely did his brain finish processing the encounter and the impact of his message.
Well… he didn't have to go to tryouts.
But, Itsuki wanted to hear her play again.
*Flashback End*
—
He was here because of her.
—
Tuesday 8:23 PM
edgeboy: "We suck. It's going to be so bad, guys!" Lies.
blond simp: that was great, Itsuki!
Buzzkill: Yeah, I don't get why you said that would suck.
—
Author's Notes: I don't play any instruments personally. So, all the band references was an interpretation of everything my buddies who do go to band say and do. Which usually boils down to them saying the band sucks, and then I listen to the band and they sound GREAT! Anyways, this chapter ended up going way longer than I expected! I hope the flashback between Itsuki and Rishia wasn't cringe. It was one of the scenes that were shorter in my mind but on execution ended up getting extended to make sense.
Next chapter will be the final tragic backstory! Though, I don't know how long it'll take me to write, edit, and publish that so… Anyways, I hope you all have a great day! Please tell me your thoughts below and until next time!
—
*Bonus Scene*
"When I was in High School, I was attacked by a parrot! The encounter left me with this scar!" Dr. Itsuki dramatically pointed to his forehead, where the faintest of faint scars rested upon his already pale skin. In front of him was a raccoon wearing a small fedora. The raccoon was tied up in a metallic cage with lethal amounts of electricity buzzing along the bars. Yet the raccoon was both unperturbed by the danger and unimpressed with Dr. Itsuki's tragic backstory.
"Raph-chan." The raccoon deadpanned.
"Whatever Raph the Raccoon! You wouldn't understand!" Dr. Itsuki spat back, planting his hands on his hips. "Anyways, that brings me to my evil scheme! The Chocolate Rain-Inator!" He maniacally laughed. "With this Inator, I will shoot a beam into the sky and alter the clouds so that it rains chocolate upon the world! And exterminate every single parrot!" He laughed again, allowing the wind to reach into his oversized, white lab coat.
"Raph-chan." The raccoon retorted with a glare.
"Oh, I'd like to see you try and stop me, Raph the Raccoon!" Dr. Itsuki bragged, turning back to the machine to point it into the sky. "Victory. Is. Mine-" The blond scientist was interrupted by a punch to the gut, forcing him backwards. He looked up to find the raccoon in a fighting stance. "How did you escape?!" Dr. Itsuki angrily gasped.
"Raph-chan." The raccoon motioned and made a lifting gesture with her arms.
"The cage wasn't secured to the ground…? Darn, I knew I was forgetting something…" Dr. Itsuki mumbled thoughtfully. The raccoon quickly jumped on the controls and slapped a large red button marked 'Do Not Press'. "NO! The self-destruct button!" The blond screamed as a countdown started. Raph backflipped away to a nearby window in the villain's hideout as Dr. Itsuki raced to his Inator.
"Three." A mechanical voice coldly intoned.
"Wait, wait, wait! I can fix this!" Dr. Itsuki protested, fiddling with the controls.
"One." The voice continued.
"One? You're skipping numbers now!" Dr. Itsuki furiously retorted.
"Zero… and a half." The voice mocked.
"You can't even do half numbers-" The blond hissed-
"Zero. Actually this time. Self-destruction will now initiate." The voice interrupted him. And before the scientist could speak the Inator exploded in his face. Dr. Itsuki was blown to the other side of his room, covered in black soot. He coughed though. So, he didn't die. Although, the blond was conscious enough to witness Raph activate her hang glider and leap out of the window.
"CURSE YOU RAPH THE RACCOON!"