Episode 3: Forbidden All Hard! 禁断のオールハード！
Outside of Sportsbrooke: The Golden Grain Fields
Daigo looked through an old scroll that had some of the letters of him and his family. He couldn't believe his eyes to realize that many years later, everything was going well for the family?
He lived in a different place…long ago…when it was him being the eldest of the three, Mamoru, and Toraichi. However, to think that Toraichi's son has come here to Olympia…what could this possibly be?
He's absolutely insane, thought Daigo, thinking that to reunite all the sports back together and allowing swimming to be accepted once more?
"Oi! Daigo!" shouted Katsunori, "What's the matter!?"
"Nothing!" he replied back, "I'll be right there!"
"Alexandra is going back to downtown to get some supplies! You want to join her?" asked Katsunori.
"…I guess I should," he answered, as he formed a plan inside his head.
Back on Aqua Duniya: Matsuoka Family Sector
Gou snuck her way back down the stairs as she was happy to find the piece of paper of the family tree. She discovered it long ago and wanted to give it to Rin but the elder brother was worried of getting caught.
However, she had a dream about Rin…and it wasn't a good one either. She had to start taking measures.
Mother, I wished you were around still with the other queens, she thought, how can I confront father-sama like this?
She arrived in the family hall and saw a few servants cleaning around. Making sure no one noticed her, she casually walked her way through while hiding the paper. She made her way back outside where Sousuke, Nitori, Awlida, Momotarou, and Seijuurou waited.
"I found it," she said, "Let's head down to the Jangwa Meadows."
"Are you sure about this?" asked Nitori.
"Maybe your father is trying to spare something?" asked Sousuke.
"I didn't like what I saw in my dream," said Gou, "I won't let onii-chan or the others die because of us not acting at least!"
Planet Olympia: The City of Sportsbrooke
Riko and Momoi arrived at the Miracle Palace in hopes to visit Kuroko. They both had a lot of questions to ask to the Goddess.
"Riko, are you sure this is a good idea?" asked Momoi.
"We have to," she answered, "We don't know what Kuroko's true plans are for this city. I still don't trust the Prime Minister here but talking to Kuroko will at least make things more comfortable."
The two girls walked up the steps and saw Murasakibara leading a red-hair and a dark-navy blue haired through the halls.
"Muk-kun!" she gasped.
"Oh it's you, Sa-chin…and Riko-chin," he replied while Rin and Haruka stared at the two girls.
"Are these guys visitors?" asked Momoi, amazed by their muscles already.
"Uhhh…um…H-hello?" blushed Rin as he tried to ignore their cleavage. Haruka turned his head to the side while Riko softly chuckled.
"They were summoned by the Princess Goddess and…" began Murasakibara.
"Don't be playing games with us!" snapped Riko, "We know the truth!"
"W-what?!" gasped the tall man.
"We know what's going on!" said Momoi, "We saw who the Goddess is…"
Murasakibara sighed and answered, "Look, we're trying to spare some pain for this city."
"You guys know Kuroko?" asked Rin.
"Well of course!" said Riko, "He's…well…our friend but we need to get over to him now!"
"I'm worried for Tetsu-kun!" agreed Momoi, "But I must admit he did a great job being mysterious as the princess."
"QUIET DOWN!" shouted Murasakibara, "Other people might hear this and they'll lose faith for this city!"
The two girls nodded and he led them along with Haruka and Rin back upstairs until they reached the room where Kuroko sat. Murasakibara apologized for the emergency visit and he departed with Haruka and Rin to show them walls around the palace.
"Kuroko, what were you thinking?" asked Riko, "This whole time?!"
"Tetsu-kun, don't worry, we'll keep this quiet," smiled Momoi.
Kuroko finally got up and said, "Like what Murasakibara said, it's to keep this town from having to suffer the uncensored truth that night when the curse struck the town. Both of you were not affected but I am sure you remembered."
"Well yes of course," said Riko, "I helped you find Kagami and the others."
"And I made sure that they were all nourished and ready," added Momoi.
"But what exactly did happen though?" asked Riko.
Kuroko closed his eyes for a moment and began the story, explaining how the city of Sportsbrooke was affected by a storm of dark clouds invading the city, turning the inhabitants against each other though the spell put the Generation of Miracles all against himself.
"They wanted a simple basketball game of them verses myself but we found some people that were surprisingly immune to the curse and we managed to make the team," explained Kuroko, "However, what you don't know is that Akashi began using the power of his scissors to create some bloodshed while Midorima unleashed a series of air attacks and the others using shadow-powers. Kagami had to unlock the gate while in the zone in order to dodge their attacks and was able to unlock his inner light; the Savoir."
The girls gasped as it was all beginning to make some sense. However, how and what did 'Princess Goddess' was coming into being?
"The Princess Goddess was actually a term that was used back in ancient history," said Kuroko, "When the rest of the miracles were healed we used the term to describe myself who gave 'birth' to the Savoir who then brought the light back to this town."
"And those demons?" asked Momoi.
"They're left over survivors from the darkness," he answered, "They're still trying to take revenge to this town. However, we gained new allies based on a prophecy that was read in the Temple of Time."
"A prophecy?" asked Riko.
"A group of men who carry powers that are very dangerous…the forbidden magic of water…only they can cleanse and purify AND revitalize. Light itself can only cleanse and purify," he said.
"But the element of water though…" said Momoi, "It destroyed everything when this world was once beautiful!"
"Water is very powerful yes…" agreed Kuroko, "But we have all been misled by that falsehood. Though I do not know what triggered it but…I have foreseen a shadow that will definitely take vengeance to this world if we are not careful."
"You spend a lot of time praying don't you, Tetsu-kun?" asked Momoi.
"It's part of the duty as the Goddess," he chuckled.
"Well then, what do you want us to do?" asked Riko.
"Seeing that now the truth is armed on you, I think it's time you start learning your potential…and use that as your own power," he said, "Your powers may be scanning others but there's far more into you than you think."
"Who are these group of men that are here?" asked Momoi.
"The Magic Six…they are the Legend Suiei Gods," said Kuroko, "They are said in prophecy to hold greater power than all of our own put together."
"You mean those two men earlier…?" asked Riko.
"Yes, that was Haruka Nanase and Rin Matsuoka," replied Kuroko.
Midorima sat alone with the Takao!Bird as they were at one of the more secluded areas that overlooked the city. In his hand carried a set of circles and names on a piece of paper. He remembered the day when he first walked into the shop and the owner foreseen a prophecy from long ago. Desired to know the truth, Midorima took on a mission alone to find his origins.
But that was when things were getting nasty. His biological mother was missing all these years and ended up on a different world in a total unfamiliar yet familiar environment. On the list of names he had a red "x" marked to the ones who he wanted to take his vengeance to.
"I need you to go spy on him," said Midorima, "You are my only hope if I am going to take my revenge."
The bird screeched and soared off, heading back to the city.
Aomine led Makoto and Alexa through the Basketball courts where they watched some people play for fun while others practicing for competitions.
"Has everyone played basketball?" asked Alexa.
"Well we do welcome some other sports but they have their own laws," said Aomine.
"Laws?" asked Makoto.
"Akashi's political views are more for Basketball so we have more courts for them. Other sports do have their courts but they are not owned by us the government," he explained, "However we have set forth a set of laws in the last few months."
"Do the people agree with this?" asked Alexa.
"Most of them do; lots of others don't…" sighed Aomine, "But that's just how the way things work here."
"I see," said Makoto, "Then…do you think we'll find Kisumi?"
"I haven't met him…only Kuroko has. You would have to talk to him again and see if he can hand you some information," he replied, "Besides, I wouldn't bother him…he's probably happy the way things are."
Makoto felt a bit concerned but he shrugged it off and turned to Alexa, "Don't worry. I'm sure we'll find someone to help you."
He turned back to Aomine and asked, "Aomine, does this city have anything…in terms of medicine…or some sort of magic that can deal with dark curses?"
"Well there is a place," he said, "But I don't know if you'd want to go there. The man who owns this "mystic place" is a bit of a wild guess."
"A wild guess?" asked Makoto.
"…he's known for his well-round in sports but…he's also got some really strange powers," he explained, "His name was Theagenes."
Makoto and Alexa gasped as Aomine looked at them in a bit of a shock, "Y-you guys know him!?"
"I…it's a long story," said Makoto, turning back to the basketball court, "…he came to our world long ago and taught us how to swim competitively."
"Hmm, well that's interesting," replied Aomine, "He taught us basketball. However, we somehow knew what we were doing but his teachings helped us unify together."
"And that's when you were called the Generation of Miracles?" asked Alexa.
"Yeah," he smiled, "Something like that. However, not long after his teachings…before the curse struck this town, something happened to Kise and Akashi."
"Oh?" gasped Makoto and Alexa.
"They were beginning to talk about some strange nonsense about past lives…past incarnations…and how they had duties from the Generation of Marvels," he explained, "With a prognosis from Theagenes, he told us that we were all reincarnated from these past lives."
"Past lives?!" asked Alexa.
"We were born long ago before the world was destroyed and had a different set of names…I was Miori Kishimoto, an ancient basketball player from Toyotama," said Aomine.
"And the others?" asked Makoto, fascinated.
"Kise was Ryouta Miyagi, which is kinda funny how that name was used again…as Ryouta…not to mention that both of carnations had the number 7 on their jerseys…I had the number 5 both past and present."
"Quite a fate," chuckled Alexa, "That you'd carried the same number and similar names."
"Rei would be fascinated to discover this history," agreed Makoto, "Is there by chance a library we can go to?"
"Well it's no doubt that your megane-friend would be there," smirked Aomine, "But sure, I'll bring you guys."
~Sportsbrooke Metro Library
Kise brought Nagisa and Rei to the massive library not far from the Miracle's Palace where the latter two were stunned at the endless books. Several scholars, students, and other members and visitors were in an endless joy of reading, observations and having some quiet casual conversations amongst one another.
"How many books are here?" asked Rei, stunned.
"Thousands and more," he smiled, "There is at least one book about every topic you want. For example, a zoology section to the left and on our right we have books about cooking."
Nagisa smiled and looked over to the zoology section, asking, "Are there any books about penguins?"
"Of course," smiled Kise, "Let's go and check them out, Nagisacchi!"
The two giggled silently together while Rei's eyes fixated at the History section. He got their attention and asked, "Mind if I go to the History section?"
"Of course! Have fun!" said Kise while Nagisa dragged the other blonde through the aisle.
"Ki-chan we're going to look for penguins!" chuckled Nagisa while the other blonde giggled while trying not to be too loud as Rei could see some people with annoyed looks.
Rei walked over to the history section, hoping to find more mythology in the city of Sportsbrooke. He was of course still suspicious about Midorima but had to push it to the side, knowing that after he learned from home, there had to be something...
Something that the city was hiding.
The megane picked up a few books but found nothing but weird translated languages. He looked over at another section and saw something that almost looked like the library back at home. He pulled it out and saw a book with a symbol of a planet on there with different images of the elements.
"This looks interesting," he muttered silently and he sat down at a table, reading through the pages.
His eye caught a familiar text as he slammed his hand to stop the pages with the words; "Prince Julius", "The Solar Crystal of Destiny", "Tragedy of the Water Gods".
Rei's eyes widened in shock as he began to read what was written.
I remember learning about this back at home, he thought, the others don't know much about this mission but father told me that we had to find something of his…
He flipped a few pages over and saw what looked like the power of the Solar Crystal glowing brightly, repelling the enemies away.
"That light…" he muttered as he remembered when Alexa used the power of his Dragon to summon that bright light against the Shadow Mafia back on the other reality.
Gaardus flew in next to Rei and looked at the book, asking, "You found anything?"
"I…I did," said Rei, "This text contains information about Prince Julius and what happened to Olympia long time ago. According to this, Julius wanted to take over the world with the Solar Crystal but he and his five guards were killed when an invasion struck their home. Since then no one has found the crystal nor their remains."
"So it is true," muttered Gaardus, "From what you learned back home...the royal families like many others are after the Solar Crystal."
"But why would they want it?" asked Rei, "What are they going to do?"
"No idea," replied the Phoenix, shaking its head, "Maybe they're worried it'll be in the wrong hands."
Rei's face grew a bit worried and answered, "But the power of the crystal is too great, having it into the wrong hands will…"
"Rei, I'm sure our families will never use it for evil intentions," replied Gaardus, "All of the families only want the best."
"I Know but…" began Rei.
"Hey Rei-chan!" said Nagisa as he and Kise arrived, "Did you find anything interesting?"
Kise saw the book and his eyes widened a little as he recognized that image. He also heard some parts of the conversation which grew his concern even more.
I should've known, he thought, that's why they're here…to get the Solar Crystal. But there's no way…the crystal hasn't been found for eons.
Gaardus screeched and said, "I think Makoto and Alexa are coming."
The trio turned to see them along with Aomine.
"Hey guys!" smiled Alexa.
"Looks like someone had his head in the books," said Makoto while Nagisa chuckled.
"Well someone had to do some research," replied Rei.
Aomine looked at Kise's mildly worried expression. The taller blonde whispered in his hear, "I need to tell you something…in private."
The two walked away from the group as they went to a different aisle of books.
"What's the matter?" asked Aomine.
"Rei found a historic book that details the past before the shattering," said Kise, "He somehow knows about Julius and the Solar Crystal. Their bird was also talking to him that their families are searching for it."
"The Crystal?" he asked.
"Yes," replied the blonde, "This may be dangerous for us and for the city."
"You think that those guys would have any connections to Julius?" shrugged Aomine.
"I have no idea," he answered, "Should we talk to Akashi?"
"Probably not a good idea," said Aomine, "After we know about his past…he's still on the road to redemption. Maybe Tetsu might know more and might have reasoning to allow them here."
"Right, we'll talk to him later," agreed Kise, "Let's get back to them before they start to suspect us."
The two returned to see Makoto chuckling at Nagisa's joke while Rei blushed red. The megane turned to the penguin to switch subjects and asked, "You found anything on penguins?"
"Yeah! Some were really great pictures! However, I'm kinda sad that they're critically endangered in this world," said Nagisa.
Alexa turned to see Aomine and Kise and for a moment, he sensed something about those two but pushed it the side and smiled, "Is something the matter?"
"Oh no! Everything's fine!" replied Kise as he grinned happily, "Aominecchi just missed me so much that he had to kiss me!"
Aomine playfully hit him saying, "Oi! Don't tell them about that!"
Alexa and Makoto shared a nervous sweatdrop for a moment while Gaardus preened on its feathers
"Kise, by the way, they want to go see Theagenes," said Aomine.
"Ohhhh, yes, yes, yes. I know where to go…but I think Midorimacchi knows him better than I myself," replied the blonde, "But I guess we can take these guys there."
"So when can we see him?" asked Rei.
"Well he's usually open nearly 24/7 but he does tend to walk around in the neighborhood or go away for a while on some trips," said Kise, "Hopefully we'll find him."
"You guys wanna tag along then?" asked Makoto.
"Of course!" said Rei.
"If Rei-chan's going, then I'll go too!" smiled Nagisa.
Atsushi's Bakery & Bread Shop
Murasakibara brought Rin and Haruka to his family's business shop in one of the suburban areas of the city. The two were astonished by the large building and the factory inside while it was all connected to the smaller shop.
Inside the store were lines of sweets, bakeries, cakes, bread, some candy and other related gifted items.
"Wow! This looks great!" said Rin.
"Thanks," smiled Murasakibara, "It's been a family tradition."
"Hey Haru, you can make stuff too!" answered the red-hair, "You got some skills!"
"I-it's nothing too spectacular," said haruka, turning his head to the side.
Rin could only chuckle at this and he turned to Mura and said, "He's done lots of great cooking back home for the family and us as well. We all pitch in to help but he's got a phenomenal skill of his own."
"Well then, Haru-chin, if you want, my siblings could use some assistance," answered Murasakibara.
Haruka could only blush and was quite unsure. While it was true that he knew how to make stuff, this was like a bit over the top for him.
"Hey, I was just having some fun with you, okay?" asked Rin, wrapping his arm around him while whispering more silently, "Though this may bring us closer to win the trusts of these people."
Murasakibara went over to grab some Nerunerunerune candy and said, "These ones are my favorites. Try a taste."
The two took the samples and to their surprise, it was sweet but yet very tasty in flavor. Haru had like a fusion of blue-berry and raspberry while Rin had an apple-cherry flavor.
"It's great!" said Rin.
"I'm glad you liked them," replied Murasakibara.
Haruka nodded in agreement while Rin asked, "So um...Atsushi-san, how did you get into basketball?"
The taller man softly smirked and said, "Well because of my height, I was really bored of the other sports out here. I wanted something different originally but because this town is more into basketball, I gave it a try and I was instantly enjoying it. Now a days, I cannot imagine my life without it."
"And you are aware of our…?" asked Haru.
"Yes, I know what your talents are, the Princess Goddess has told us beforehand," he answered.
"You think we're gonna be in serious trouble?" asked Rin.
"Who knows?" shrugged Murasakibara.
Rin chuckled a little and said, "Well Nagsia for sure would love to eat these sweets!"
"Rei would be on strike of course," answered Haruka.
"We can take some of the cookies and cakes with us. I know Kagami will get angry if I don't get him any sweets from my shop. I think he would be able to eat everything we have baked today and still have some place for his humburgers," remarked Murasakibara with another soft smirk.
The trio bought some stuff with a discount of course and they began their way back towards Kagami's loft when an explosion struck nearby.
Rin and Haruka gasped while Mura narrowed his eyes.
"W-what was that?!" shouted Rin.
"It has to be a demon!" said Murasakibara, "But at a time like this?"
Haruka ran off to find the source of the mess with Rin trying to catch up to him. Murasakibara sighed and rushed down the hill as well.
"OI!" shouted Rin, "You might have your magic but I don't! WAAAIIITTT!"
Flashback: Aqua Duniya, 3 Years after the Purification Rite
Note: The boys are about 9 – 10 years old (The Purification was done when they were 6 – 7 years old)
Hawakoto Medley Pool Room #2
~Medley Relay Practice: Team Shark – Rin, Sousuke, Momotarou, and Nitori
Sousuke made his way through the butterfly as quickly as he possible. He could feel the strength of his arms and legs while Rin readied himself on the block. As soon as he touched the wall, Rin soared his way in as Sousuke was amazed as time slowed down.
Once it was over, the four saw their times and realized that it was still a very, very slow improvement.
"Well at least we're doing the best we can!" smiled Rin, "Soon we'll be able to show off the kingdom and…"
"Forget it," said Sousuke, "It's not for me."
"Eh?" asked Rin while Momo and Nitori looked at Sousuke.
"I don't like losing because of someone else's errors nor having to split the victory up," he answered, "I think it's kinda lame."
"EHHH!?" growled Rin as he grabbed Souske by the goggles while Momo, Nitori, and one of the female instructors separated the two.
"Y-you…" said Rin, "How could you say that?!"
Rin slammed the door to his room, crying along while he looked at the photos of himself, Momo, Nitori, Sousuke and Kisumi. He threw them to the side while he spilled some tears to his pillow. His room was filled with quotes and inspirations from when he studied the ancient history and mythology of this world and other realms.
When Theagenes arrived a couple years back, the class roster was reassigned and arranged in a strange order; Momo, Rin, Sousuke, and Nitori were one class while Haruka, Makoto, Nagisa and Rei were in another. Alexa, Aki, Seijuurou, and a few others were in their own sessions as well.
I want to swim with people who are motivated…he thought, I know I should've snuck into Haru and the others!
Wiping his tears away, Rin closed his eyes to focus on his Suiei magic. After he and the others completed the purification, they were now able to use some of their powers around.
"Waters of my feelings…send me to the place where Haru and the others are at…" he chanted.
He could feel his body dissolving into the mists, teleporting his way out from the room and heading back to the pool club.
Meanwhile, Haruka reached his hand to the wall as Makoto, Rei, and Nagisa looked at their timing practice and smiled.
"This is getting better and better!" smiled Nagisa, "Right Rei-chan?!"
"Yeah! Haruka-senpai, you're doing great!" he agreed.
Makoto reached down to grab Haru's hand and pulled him out from the pool with a smile. The four were about to go change when they saw a mist of water floating in front of them fusing together as Rin appeared.
"R-RIN?!" gasped Makoto.
"RIN-CHAN!" shouted Nagisa.
The red-haired chuckled and answered, "Well I finally master this spell! I've been practicing."
"Sounds like you did," nodded Rei.
"Is something the matter, Rin?" asked Makoto.
Rin nodded and replied, "Very. Our relay…well, more like um…"
"Sousuke quit."
"EHHH!?" gasped the others while Haruka kept silent.
"Sousuke didn't want to do this anymore. He says he'll keep swimming but prefers to keep into the individual medley," he explained, "Nitori and Momo were upset by this too but they're gonna focus on other strokes instead."
"But how about you?" asked Haruka, "What do you plan to do?"
Rin smiled and said, "I have an idea…but we'll need one more person for this."
"Who?" asked Makoto.
"Isn't it obvious?" smiled Rin, "It's kinda funny because mom once told me that my fate lies in the five of you guys…maybe this is what she's talking about."
"Alexa…" replied Rei, "You mean us as a team?"
"Yeah!" he answered, "I know it's against the rules but why not? Maybe we can prove everyone that it doesn't matter what the number of team members are, as long as you love what you're doing."
"But how are we going to convince the coaches about that?" asked Makoto.
"That's when Alexa comes in," said Rin, "He's got the voice of reason and…"
"I only swim freestyle," replied Haru.
"OKAY! I GET IT!" he shouted before talking more calmly, "But listen! If we can have Alexa be the voice of reason, I'm sure he'll have everyone understand!"
"Rin, I don't think they'll listen to us," said Makoto.
"But we have to give it a try! I'm sure they'll understand!" he replied, feeling almost saddened, "All I want is to be in a relay…with people that really do want to swim…"
Haru looked at Rin's expression and answered, "We will."
"H-Haru?!" gasped Makoto and Nagisa.
"Haruka-senpai?" asked Rei.
Rin finally spilled some tears and replied, "T-thank you!"
After practice was over, the five made their way back to the castle where they saw Toraichi and Akeno (the King and Queen Matsuoka) waiting.
"Rin! What happened to you?" asked Akeno, hugging him.
"Son, what happened earlier?" asked Toraichi, "Why didn't you go to your studies?"
"…I…I'm sorry," he answered, "I failed to be a good son but it's horrible! Sousuke doesn't want to take in the relay and the others are separating their own ways!"
He spilled a few silent tears as Akeno wiped them away and said, "There's no need to cry darling. You have the others right here standing with you."
"But our team isn't complete without Alexa," replied Rin, "Where is he anyway?"
"He's practicing the magic right now," answered King Magnus, walking out to see the group.
"M-Magnus!" gasped Akeno and Toraichi.
"It's alright, Alexa is doing fine," he smiled.
"Your honor," said Rin, "We need Alexa to…"
"I know what your heart desires," said Magnus, "We'll see what we can do. However…all of you must agree to your heart for this."
The five looked at each other with a nod before turning back to King Magnus as he concluded, "Then it has been decided."
Idaina looked at her sons Alexa and Sergi with a soft smile; her health was declining really badly but she did her best to not make it as terrifying. In the last several weeks, the queens were beginning to die along with a couple of the kings.
Nagisa's parents already passed away along with Makoto's mother, Haru's parents, and Rei's parents.
"My son…you'll become one with great power," she smiled, "Don't dwell for me…you have five other friends before you…and the rest of the kingdom."
"Mother!" said Alexa, holding her hand, "I don't want to lose you! If you go…all we have left is…"
"I know…A-Akeno…" she replied, "But it's our time…for us. We have given you the love and happiness."
Sergi sniffed out some tears, "Please mom! Brother and I…and everyone else…we need you!"
"Oh Alexa…and Sergi…" she replied, with a single tear from her eye, "Don't cry…be happy…with the ones who still love you. We all love you and the others as well…live in peace…and happiness…with your future be filled with kindness and hope."
Idaina closed her eyes and the nurses took the two boys out of the room as they were both in tears. The others arrived to see them.
"Alexa!" gasped Makoto, hugging him.
"Mother…she's dying!" he cried.
The others grouped together in a hug as they could feel the hope and happiness they were born with in each other.
After a time of grief, they went outside in the courtyard while the tree was still blooming like always. The sight at the tree was at least warm and comforting. Haruka already climbed his way up a little while the others sat peacefully on the grass.
"My mother once told me," said Rei, "That when a person dies, their souls are up in the stars while their memories are one with the sea."
"So did my mother!" replied Nagisa, "However, she also said that those who die in battle give rise to a new generation of heroes."
Makoto looked at Alexa with great worry as the latter watched Haru up on the tree. Rin finally gave in and tried to climb again, much to the other's protest.
However, he finally made it and sat next to Haru while the latter kept silent.
"I knew you'd make it Rin-Rin!" smiled Nagisa.
"Haru, I'm sorry, for making it sound like I am demanding," he said.
"What makes you think you've done that?" asked Haruka.
"...All I want is to be happy while I swim…whether we win or lose a race, swimming with the ones I love is what matters to me the most," he answered.
Alexa could feel the emotions inside but wondered if he should bother to put his nose in or not. After a moment, he said, "Rin! Maybe you can try to reason with Sousuke?"
"…He won't listen, I know how he is," replied Rin, "He already made his decision…and I made mine."
After a moment of silence, Nagisa added, "No worries Rin-chan! I'm sure we'll find a way!"
"Thank you!" said the red-hair.
Present Day: Sportsbrooke
Haruka, Rin and Murasakibara raced through the streets where they saw a massive, gargoyle-like demon along with a gigantic worm monster smashing through the area.
The Gargoyle turned to see the trio and replied, "So you finally showed up…Suiei Gods."
"H-how the hell do you know us!?" shouted Rin.
T-this monster, it actually talks, thought Murasakibara.
"The same way that every villain knows their heroes," growled the Gargoyle, "The deaths of their beloved..."
"Oh please!" growled Rin, "Like you know anyone or anything!"
"Oh we do…" chanted three more Gargoyles, "We know all about this town…and its people. And yes, even you foreigners…"
"We have a duty!" said Rin, "And we'll see to it through!"
So he actually allows them to use their powers, thought Murasakibara.
"DOLPHIN POWERRRRR, MAAAAKEEEE UP!" shouted Haruka, undergoing his transformation.
His nails turned blue while the necklace exploded bright blue and white light as the world him turned into all shades and lights of blue. Haruka turned into a blend of water and stars spinning around and swirling across his transparent body. He could feel the coolness of the water from his magic and the strength of his freestyle swimming shimmering across his muscles.
He flipped his hair to the right, donning a black shirt, black pants, a white-blue head cover turban, and a blue-yellow scarf. Flipping his hair to the left, he donned some jewelry, a sword covered in a red sheath that attached to a golden belt, and a pair of shoe coverings.
His Suiei necklace was tucked beneath his clothing but the powers unleashed were echoing across the area.
The newly transformed Suiei God felt so streamline like a Dolphin swimming rapidly across the sea and jumping to splash. He opened his eyes and took his battle stance ready with his sword.
"Hehehe, a newcomer sounds like fun!" spoke the first Gargoyle, "Such magic…the forbidden power…hasn't been seen for eons!"
"Haru…" said Rin.
"Leave me to this," he answered, "DOLPHINNNNN, MAYHEEEMM BLAST!"
An explosion of water shaped into dolphin soared its way over to the demons but they dodged the attack. One of them charged up to Haru and combated in sword to sword fight.
J-Just where are the others, thought Rin.
The massive worm monster exploded from below behind Murasakibara and Rin as the rubble rained down towards them. Haru quickly turned and unleashed a water shield to protect them both but the demon took its chance to slash Haru across his torso as he faced an explosion of blood.
"HARUUUU!" screamed Rin while Murasakibara gasped.
Haruka fell to his knees before lying on the ground as the pain rippled across his body. Rin's eyes began to tear up as he remembered that fateful night…
Flashback Echo: Aqua Duniya – 5 Years Ago (Before departure)
"RIN! RIN!" shouted Haru as he stood on the shore of the island as the storm exploded its fierce waves.
He saw a hand that was stretching out of the water. Haruka took his chance to dive in as he saw Rin struggling. He grabbed him when another wave threw them around, blasting them towards a bed of rocks.
Rin woke up with his head bleeding a little but gasped to see Haruka's injuries as a larger pool of blood flooded.
Present:
I-it was all my fault back then, thought Rin, I wanted to compete with Haru because he was always so good and I pushed myself to the limit…nearly killing ourselves in the process! I wanted to beat him in a race but…
He stepped out towards the demons and growled with his shark teeth, "You FOOLS! Thinking you can take the man I love so easily!? I'LL SHOW YOU A SIGHT YOU'VE NEVER SEEN!"
A glow of crimson red light shimmered on his body as he could finally feel his Suiei power activating. His Suiei necklace glowed with fierce intensity.
"SHARK POWERRRRRRR, MAAAAAAKKEEEEE UP!" he shouted, raising his hand up as his nails turned red.
The background around him turned red and orange as he danced his way through the lights of power. Sensations of fire and heat activated his transparent body as he could feel the flames of the competition taking on with the streams of water flowing around.
As he twirled around, he could feel his Arabian clothes taking shape; a red turban with loose flaps that contained blue-yellow stripes while his cloak was black and red with a white vest undergarment beneath. He raised his hands up as golden cuffs and other jewelry appeared.
At the same moment the waters swirled around his lower half before revealing his white lose pants with a buckle that donned his Metallic Shark Sword in a green sheath. He opened his eyes with a smirk on his face as a pair of black shoes covered his feet.
Rin could feel the fusion of a warrior and a competitive swimmer as one entity ready to take on anything. He crossed his arms together in his badass pose at an angle with a wider smirk by showing his shark teeth.
The background turned back to reality as he readied his sword, saying;
"For swimming and happiness, I am the Suiei God of Medley and Unity, Suiei Matsuoka! For the team and for the future, your time is up!"
"Get him!" shouted one of the demons.
Rin dodged the attacks carefully and replied with his own blasts of water attacks. However, he could feel a stronger attack growing inside of his body. He checked to see Haru still on the ground. He had to end this NOW and save him!
"Monsters who continue to hurt people in this land…begone from this world!" chanted Rin as he twirled his sword, "EVIL SPIRITTTT…BEGONEEEE!"
He created a circle of water in the air before blasting his attack, finally drowning the Gargoyles away as they growled in anger before escaping.
As soon as the air was cleared, he turned to Haru and ran up to him, "HARU! HARU! HANG IN THERE! I WON'T LET YOU DIE!"
Murasakibara was only stunned to see what was happening to Haru as the blood flowed its way back into his body as if the injuries were reversing itself. Rin's eyes widened in shock as he saw the miracle happening.
"H-Haru…" he said softly.
Haruka got up on his bottom and said, "M-My Suiei powers…"
"Self-healing?!" asked Rin, "But how is that possible?!"
"Maybe this is a special power," he answered, looking at the scar before it blended back in to normal skin, "Maybe the Suiei Gods…"
"But they…they are a part of our souls," said Rin, "We never even met these 'gods' before. So how do you even know it's them?"
"Well how about you? Now that you've obtained your Suiei, haven't you feel anything different about yourself?" asked Haruka.
"…well now I'm starting to see things from all over," replied Rin, "It's like…as if I can see through walls or anything that's in the way."
He turned to a building and smirked, "Some people are having fun over there!"
"Oh that's the Sportsbrooke Party Center and Tavern," said Murasakibara, "However, the place can get kinda uhhhh…promiscuous."
"Something Nagisa would take Rei into," chuckled Rin.
"Come on," said Haru, "We have to find the others."
Flashback 2: Aomine's Arrival in Sportsbrooke – 6 years Ago…
Finally crossing the town line, Daiki was amazed to see the city before him. He was finally relieved to escape the danger back in his home city though it costed a life to his beloved friend.
My new life begins, he thought.
He walked his way down to the city where he saw a group of people playing various sports; basketball, volleyball, tennis, and other various land sports.
The city in this era was undergoing major developments and construction around the suburbs. Aomine had no idea what he was going to do from here on out since he only had whatever he took with him, the inheritance of his parents.
He saw the Sportsbrooke Eco-Park filled with trees and a couple of playgrounds. Deciding to go on the swings, he saw a sky-blue haired boy on the swing next to the empty one.
It was quite an awkward silence at first until the other kid said, "You just got here?"
"What makes you think that?" asked Aomine.
"I know what it feels…to lose someone…" he replied.
"Don't remind me," shrugged Aomine.
He turned to see the light blue eyes which for a moment he felt like a flash showed him of a man with dark hair and wore a red jersey with the number 11 on it.
Aomine shook his head and asked, "You know this town?"
"Pretty much," he answered, "My name is Kuroko…Kuroko Tetsuya."
"Aomine…Daiki Aomine," said the dark-blue haired boy, "So what do you do?"
"I make glass…and jewels…out of sand," he replied.
Aomine chuckled and asked, "Oh yeah? That sounds a bit an exaggeration."
"I got loads of money for you to settle in," answered Kuroko, "I can get you started here."
Aomine wasn't sure to whether believe in him or not but somehow this eerie presence was like as if he knew this boy all of his life…
Kuroko brought Aomine back to the Shop of the Mystics where Theagenes was busy talking to a customer. After the deal was made, he turned his attention to the two boys and smiled.
"Ahhhh, looks like you made a new friend, Kuroko," smiled Theagenes.
"He just came in town," he replied.
"Yes, I know…it seems that we'll need to get a place for him…and a school to attend and stuff," answered the elder man.
"I, I'm going to school?" asked Aomine.
"Well there's something that you might like to learn and to live for," suggested Theagenes, "Kuroko will bring you in first thing tomorrow morning."
1 Week Later:
"So you're going to stay?" asked Kuroko, shocked at the response.
"Yeah," said Aomine, "I thought it over…and honestly this town has a lot of opportunities…for you and me. I don't like the school that much except for the basketball club but who knows, maybe we'll get more players soon to make our team!"
"I hope so too," agreed Kuroko.
Their School, Teikou Junior was located not far from the Grand Palace that stood in the heart of the city. However, no one in the city knows who is actually operating the city from behind the scenes. People say that this town doesn't need a leader or a government system. Everyone trusted in each other.
"That makes two of them", muttered Theagenes, looking at the hologram through his silver orb, "4 of them remain to be known and one is yet to become the Savior."
He looked at the images of Midorima, Kise, Akashi, and Murasakibara, knowing that their time to arrive in Sportsbrooke was soon. Their lives back in their hometowns will come to an abrupt end and they will make their way to this city.
"Oi! Look at this vagabound!" shouted one of the random boys.
"Is he new to the school?" gossiped one of the others.
"I wanna know what he does to get girls!" said a third boy, "They love him!"
Aomine had ignored these guys for a while despite what they've done to him for bullying. Now that he was here permanently, he was ready to fight them down when all of a sudden the three boys heard strange noises.
"W-what was that?!" shouted one of the boys.
Before Aomine's eyes, the trio were tripping over the floor and being pulled away by something but none of them could see the source.
"RUN! THERE'S A GHOST!" shouted one of the boys.
Aomine was a bit frightened by this too but for some reason, it felt warm and welcoming. He turned to see Kuroko standing there with a smile.
"T-Tetsu," said Aomine.
"I took care of them," he answered, "Don't worry."
"E-EH!? You mean you were the one that…!?" gasped Aomine.
"Listen, the rumors you might have heard about the school…it's actually me," he revealed, "I am the Phantom."
"H-how did you…" began Aomine.
"It's something I learned when playing basketball," he explained, "My powers as a phantom are misdirection and invisible pass."
"Now I have to see this!" chuckled the other boy.
The two faced off at a practice between each other where Kuroko demonstrated his abilities.
"I can't really shoot hoops but, it's my invisibility that can help make the ball go across the court," he smiled.
"Amazing…" said Aomine, "I hope to find my powers too!"
The two smiled and shared a fist bump, knowing that this was going to be an era of friendship in the years to come.
Present Day:
Rin, Haruka, and Murasakibara returned to the Miracle Palace but the others have not yet returned. Akashi and Kuroko were unsure of where they went.
"I'm going to find them," said Rin, "It's getting late and I just hope Gaardus is at least with them!"
Haruka said nothing but left a nod while Rin shared a fist bump, "It's gonna be fine. I'm sure they're somewhere in the city."
He ran off, using his new powers to find his way through the city. He could see some people playing basketball in different areas as well as partying some more in other buildings. In a different area, he saw people eating out at fancy restaurants and having a great time.
But it didn't last for long. His x-ray vision showed someone not far from his radar but it was an unfamiliar shape. He quickly transformed to his Suiei power mode and waited for the source to get close to him.
"WHO'S THERE?!" he shouted, readying his sword.
The man stepped out from the shadows in his uniform-like outfit in the light-blue shirt and dark-red tie. Rin gently gasped as Daigo walked closer towards him.
"D-Daigo?!" asked Rin.
"So it's true…I'd never thought Toraichi had a son…and a daughter," he answered, "The same face…the same red eyes…though the redness of the hair must have been from the mother. Most of all…the same magic as the blue majestic seas…"
Rin gasped, "H-how do you know about us!? My father's name…?!"
Daigo smiled and said, "I know him the same way you and your sister are connected. He's my brother."
~The man who knows of basketball is the BROTHER of the King of Matsuoka Family!? ~
~Episode 3 END~
~Episode 4 PV~
Rin: Y-you can't be! How?! How can the man before me be the brother of my father!?
Nagisa: Are you sure you and Gou-chan didn't investigate about this?
Rin: Father-sama never told me anything!
Rei: It would seem that there's more to what meets the eye in Sportsbrooke.
Makoto: I'm afraid I discovered something too…
Haruka: What are you talking about?
Alexa: I don't like where this is going…
Midorima: Next time, Free! Darkness in the Hearts…I'm going to take everyone and everything from you…