Origin Chapter: Rokku

On a warm early afternoon, the sun in the clear skies beamed brightly over Kairos City, one of many technologically advanced cities across the globe. The large and very clean city was bustling today due to a very exciting almost city-wide parade. Covering the streets were vehicles both wheeled and hovering, fancy decorated parade floats, a wide diverse crowd of people watching either from the sidewalks or engaged in the parade on the streets, fancy dressed people waving flags, decorated props and paper mâché animals, and of course, the live performance of a big band blaring loud but dance-worthy pieces of music.

Over by the edge of the city near the ocean waters was a large building with big garage doors, a workshop. Inside the workshop was a very large red and orange airship, about the size of a house with five bedrooms. From outside the airship were three individuals; two men and a young boy; all wearing big brown gloves that were covered in a mixture of dust, oil, and other assortments associated with the mechanic lifestyle.

"Well..." the man clad in green spoke up with a big sigh, taking off the gloves.

"Well?" the other man, clad in orange, repeated, in a tone that playfully demanded answers then and there. He watched as the man tossed the gloves to a nearby bin. "What's the 411, Sprocket?"

The man, Sprocket, wore a high collar dark green jumpsuit with two hankies (or pocket squares) and a unique, white-colored utility belt around his waist with a single tool, a wrench, attached to it. Underneath his jumpsuit was a navy-colored bodysuit, a bodysuit found on many people...though most of the time, what may appear to be a "bodysuit" is an individual's skin or the surface of their mechanical bodies. He was wearing brown gloves which he took off as mentioned earlier. He also wore big green and white boots. In addition, he wore a square-shaped green cap over his short dark blond hair and attached beneath the cap were unique goggles with red lenses. He took off that cap to wipe the sweat off his forehead which bore the Reploid mark, revealing his dark blue eyes.

He looked to be around the same age as the other man, appearing to be in his early-to-mid 30s. Just like the other man, he also appeared to be well-built muscle-wise.

"This was the most challenging job I've taken so far." Sprocket began. He then took a good long look at the airship, appearing to look brand new. "When you told me a few months ago that this ship was custom-made, you sure weren't kidding, Joseph."

Joseph, the other man, wore a short-sleeved and skintight black shirt that showed off the great muscles on his body. Over that shirt, he wore a short-sleeved orange shirt. He also wore a yellow belt to hold his gray pants, yellow, orange, and black colored boots, yellow bracelets, and white fingerless gloves that looked like a bunch of white sports tape wrapped around him. Definitely gave him a "street brawler" look... But you wouldn't know that detail since he still wore the big brown mechanic gloves. He also bore a wedding ring on his right hand's ring finger, something he held with high regard. He also had brown spiky, almost messy, hair; a style that the young boy appeared to imitate. His brown eyes followed Sprocket's gaze at the ship.

"And refresh my memory," Sprocket spoke up, looking at Joseph again. "Your wife's father made this ship?"

But before Joseph could say anything, the young boy spoke up in his stead. "That's right!"

This young boy was easily the shortest of the two men in this room. He wore a simple short-sleeved black shirt, and over that was a short-sleeved light blue hoodie. He also wore a light blue handkerchief on his neck. He wore dark blue shorts that barely went past his knees, and uniquely design blue and black shoes. Unlike Joseph next to him, this boy had light blue eyes.

"My Grandfather made this ship!" The boy added.

"Ha Ha, well he was pretty impressive," Sprocket replied. "But, although it was my greatest challenge so far, that doesn't mean that I, or rather we, couldn't get it done."

"And I can't thank ya enough for finishing things up today, even with the whole Selena Island anniversary parade going on," Joseph replied.

Sprocket clicked his tongue. "Tch, for you guys? I'm willing to provide exclusive services. Besides, this ship was too interesting for me to start slowing down now. I can miss some wacko parade, especially the first day of it."

The mechanic then looked down at the young boy, Rokku, "Honestly, I'm surprised YOU didn't check out the parade."

"What? Because he's a kid?" Joseph replied smugly. To that, Rokku's smile that he wore this whole time quickly dropped to a pouty frown. Well, actually... Less pouty and more annoyed.

"You don't have to call me that," Rokku complained, taking off his gloves to toss in the same bin Sprocket tossed. His excited smile returned afterward, though. "But my Grandfather left this airship for me. I had to go see it! The DVN-005 EVA!" And with that smile still plastered on his face, he followed up with, "...And that's still a weird name!"

The two men let out a laugh at Rokku's excitement and statement. Not even Joseph, the son-in-law to his wife's father, knew why that man named this airship the "DVN-005 Eva". It sounded less like an airship and more like a navy battleship... And this airship, whom Rokku has shortened to just "EVA", was not a combat airship.

"Anyway, does that mean we can fly it now?" Rokku asked with glee.

"Yeah," Joseph joined in. "When can we take this baby out for a test flight?"

Sprocket's face slowly grew grim, a look that worried the other two, Rokku the most. Sprocket scratched his hand with his right hand and place his left hand on his hip, staring at the ground, almost looking uncertain on his next words. "...See, here's the thing. This ship... It, uh...Hgnnn... Maybe it's better if I show ya..."

Rokku and Joseph exchanged glances, Joseph looking more confused while Rokku looked rather worried. And that look pained Joseph internally.

The two followed Sprocket as he led them to the back of the airship, opening the big cargo door that opened down like a ramp. He led the two throughout the airship, entering what could be assumed to be the "engine room". All things considered, this engine room didn't look too complicated compared to most engine rooms. Pipes, wires, all that stuff. But in the center, against the wall, was a big unique stand which looked...empty. It almost looked like a capsule of some kind, but something was certainly missing from it.

"The ship's custom-made, but when it comes to maintenance, it's not all that different from the airships you see from the Ruin Hunters or even the Guardians," Sprocket explained. "It's pretty strong too. Sure, it was kind of banged up when you guys brought it to me, but it wasn't anything I couldn't fix or reinforce. It's got next to no weaponry though, but it does have some kind of counter system. Something about pulse blasts? Iunno. I gotta look into that a little more, to be honest."

"Just give it to us straight, Sprocket," Joseph said, almost sounding impatient, but not out of rudeness, but out of concern. "Can this ship fly or not?"

Sprocket sighs. "Here's your problem." He points to that capsule-looking stand, which Rokku walks up towards to get a closer look. "It's missing a power source to, y'know, power the whole thing."

Joseph raised one brow while the other furrowed. "...Okay?" Joseph replied in a confused tone. "Then...pop in a power reactor or something."

"You'd think that, wouldn't ya?" Sprocket replied with a tinge of annoyance over Joseph's tone, but he didn't make a big deal of it given the circumstances. "Look, at a basic level, the ship looks good as new. Everything should be working, and it looks like it should fly, right? Well, without a power source, the engines can't run and this thing ain't flying. And adding 'fuel' to it isn't gonna cut it."

"So... No power reactor like Dad said?" Rokku asked worryingly, placing his hands on the glass of this capsule-looking stand. Sprocket shook his head silently.

"The big problem here is... I have no idea what the heck powers this thing." Sprocket told them. "I've consulted with other mechanics I know and even requested someone from the Guardians to check this out. None of 'em got a clue. It can't be powered by a reactor; it can't be powered by the C.I.E.L System... As of right now, I got nothing. So sorry to say, kiddo, but without a proper power source, your ship isn't going anywhere."

Those last words put a look of dread over the poor boy's face, something Joseph was quick to notice. It was all Rokku was able to hear as his hearing went deaf from the shock.

"Come on, Sprocket," Joseph folded his arms, walking to him. "You gotta have something that can deal with this."

"Hey, you think this was easy for me to say?" Sprocket replied. "I know this airship means a lot to Rokku. That was part of the reason I worked so hard on it, especially given HOW he got it. But I literally can't do anything... Not right now, anyway."

"'Not right now'?" Joseph repeated.

"The Guardians are a helpful bunch, and the one I consulted with gave me her contact info if she and her crew found any new info." Sprocket explained. "Info that I'll relay back to you guys ASAP. In the meantime, we'll just have to wait... And, as much as I hate to say it, who knows how long that'll be. But tell ya what, if you guys can find any new reliable info sooner than the Guardians can? I'm only a call away."

When the world tried re-establishing many nations old and new, the Mavericks came and interfered. This resulted in the Innerpeace and the Outlands areas. Innerpeace areas, often cities or towns, were usually surrounded by a big circular heavily reinforced border to keep the Mavericks out. Many Innerpeace areas had this kind of look. If one were on an airship and looked at the landscape below, you'd be forgiven if you thought all of these areas looked the same.

But places like Selena Island were different. They were islands, most of which were newly created as a result of the past wars. Because these islands weren't connected to any continents or large stretch of land, it made it difficult for Mavericks to come and attack. Therefore, places like Selena Isle were rather peaceful and had little to no Maverick activity. If there were any issues, it came more from criminals than the mechanical monsters. Of course, Selena Isle had its own police force to deal with such people promptly.

Given its quiet nature, there was also a tiny presence from Guardians and Ruin Hunters. Some Guardians from other Guardian Ground Bases found in the world would come to Selena Isle by request or otherwise, though if Ruin Hunters were coming for anything, it was for excavating on the island. Selena Isle is also known to have a Quarry, a digging site where authorized individuals go and dig up materials and artifacts. One must get permission from the Mayor to do such things and some places are completely off-limits or you risk arrest and criminal charges.

As of right now, the island was going through the Selena Island Anniversary Parade, celebrating 50 years of prosperity since its official opening. The parade is to last the week, starting Sunday, with it being on its fifth day, Thursday.

The car ride from Sprocket's Workshop was an awkward one. Joseph had to drive his small car in a different route than normal due to the anniversary parade going on today. He and Rokku didn't live in Kairos City, but rather Luna Town, a quaint but lovely locale. It was reminiscent of the kind of towns you'd see in places like France or Germany or London. But as a result of the parade, the route Joseph was taking meant the trip was a little longer than normal and thus a little more awkward.

Joseph occasionally looked at the rear-view mirror to get a look at his son who hugged his black and gray backpack with a melancholy look on his face. Joseph couldn't help but hate seeing him look like this. The boy was usually chipper and optimistic. A little shy towards new people, sure, but very kind all the same. And the worst part was Joseph knew how much this meant to him.

That airship belonged to a man named Thaddeus, often going by his middle name Theodore or "Theo" for short. He is the father-in-law to Joseph, the actual father to Joseph's wife, and Rokku's grandfather. A few months ago, Joseph and his wife learned about the whereabouts of Thaddeus' old custom-made airship and went to retrieve it, finding a note inside that was for Rokku specifically:

To either Cassandra, Markos, or Joseph, I leave my airship, the culmination of my blood, sweat, and tears when I was a youngin', to my beloved grandson, 'Rokku'. I wish for EVA to continue her flight in the skies hand-in-hand with my successor. And to Rokku, handle her with care!

Joseph knew his son idolized Thaddeus. Aside from Joseph and Cassandra, his wife, Thaddeus is what shaped Rokku into the young boy that he was now; a boy with a burning passion...

"Hey, I know you're upset, but look at it this way," Joseph began, smiling a little. "We waited a long time anyway, what's a while longer, eh?"

"...But we don't know how long this time," Rokku countered in a sad tone.

Joseph gulped to that. "Ah, uh, well... True. But let's be real here, even if everything was re-to-go, would we be really flying it right now, anyway?" To that, Rokku had nothing to say, for he was uncertain.

And Joseph took that silence as an answer. "Exacty~" Joseph grinned. "Besiiides, this is definitely a blessing in disguise. You still don't got a real plan for your big journey anyway! This gives ya some time to really think about it. Your Mom thinks you should join the Guardians."

"...I knooow," Rokku replied, sinking his head into his backpack.

"Well, actually the Guardians idea was mine, but details, details," Joseph chuckled. "But she agreed that it might be a good idea. Plus, since you get homeschooled by your Mom anyway, she thinks this way you can still get lessons once Summer's over."

Rokku was silent once more.

"So chin up, guy!" Joseph shouted cheerily. "I bet we'll have somethin' in a month tops! And-And, if I'm wrong? I'll getcha, like, three boxes of pizza from Dirgie's Utopian Pizzeria! ...Just don't eat all three at once if I'm wrong because Cassie's gonna hate it."

Rokku slowly smiled at that, lifting his chin to place it on the top of his bag. "Alright, I'll hold ya to it, Dad."

"Atta boy!"

"...Also, it's Dirige, Dad."

"Huh?"

"It's Dirige. Not Dirgie." Rokku chuckled with a nervous smile.

"Is that right?" Joseph replied with a blank face. "Meh, it should be Dirgie. Rolls off the tongue better. At least I think so. Whoo! All this talk of pizza's getting me hungry! How about we order some over to our place, eh~? I'll get Cassie to order it. And hope that the parade isn't gonna be an issue."

"Dirige might just send Elliot or Anna over. They like us. At least, that's what he said anyway." Rokku replied, blushing a bit as he recalled just what the man said to him and his family last time they ate there. It felt nice to hear someone say that they like you.

"I'll hold ya to it, son," Joseph grinned, repeating almost one-for-one what Rokku said to him a minute ago.

As he drove, he went to contact his wife on his left earplate. While phones still existed and were just as popular as centuries ago, nowadays, people can also contact others via Communication Links, or Comm Links. How it works varies from person to person. But for people like Joseph, he pressed something on his earplate of circular design and a holographic image that only he could see briefly, and I mean briefly appeared over his vision, specifically on his left eye. The benefits of cybernetic implants meant that a person like Joseph could reasonably multi-task like this without endangering himself, his son, and/or others around them. He could process more things than before, but not too much. After all, it would still be unsafe to text and drive or even talk and drive depending on the kind of person you are. He practically had his wife on "speed dial", hence why the hologram came and went. Unlike phones which went by a "phone number", Comm Links went by "frequency numbers". The holographic image for Joseph's vision presented such frequency numbers.

With his wife on the phone, he told her to order some pizza from Dirige's Utopian Pizzeria. She wanted to know how the maintenance on the airship went, but Joseph assured her that they'd talk 'later'.

Rokku hearing his Mother's voice on Joseph's left ear plate asking about EVA made him frown again. Despite the uplifting moments he just had with his father, he couldn't forget.

A few hours after arriving home and eating their delivered pizza; which was delivered by an older teen, the aforementioned Elliot; Rokku retreated to his room to be alone, having swapped his normal clothes for simple blue pajamas consisting of a long-sleeved high collar shirt and pants with white shoe-lace-like string to strap and tighten around his waist like a make-shift belt.

His room was decently sized. Not too big, but not too small either. He had his bed against the wall on the right side where the door was, he had a big closet right behind him with slider doors, he had a computer desk-drawer hybrid in an L-shape which had his flatscreen TV on one side and his laptop on the other. The windows which had thick curtains closed were also beside the TV. In addition, he had a circular mat in the center of his room, a poster of his favorite video game hero hanging on the bedside wall, some figurines stationed like display statues on his desk. His king-sized bed looked comfortable with thickly layered comforters stylized in a checkerboard pattern and two fluffy pillows stationed at the head of the bed.

Sitting on the edge of his bed, he sat there in silence, still upset and confused at the news that dropped on him at Sprocket's Workshop. Just how long would he have to wait until they found that "power source"? A week? A month like Joseph had bet? A year? 20 years? There was no answer and that uncertainty left Rokku overwhelmingly afraid. Afraid that he wouldn't be able to use the memento his late Grandfather left for him.

He took a glance at something by his laptop. A framed photograph of a much younger Rokku, specifically 5 years old, bouncing on the knee of his Grandfather, Thaddeus. It was a photo he always held close to him. It was the day he got to know Thaddeus since Rokku, now at that age, was capable of forming conversations and understanding words... to the best of his ability that is. Thaddeus had come back from a year-long expedition exploring the ruins of a locale found in Australia.

That day, Rokku learned how Thaddeus and his crew encountered giant scary-looking Mavericks that the likes he's never seen before, and how the ruins he uncovered were from the previous society before the wars that left the world a wasteland. He also told Rokku a story about how he learned of the existence of an Orbital Elevator and the possible existence of multiple Orbital Elevators and Thaddeus was interested to learn if the possibility was true. The young boy recalled how Thaddeus explained how he thought the idea of seeing the world was a 'magical feeling', seeing new, unfamiliar places, and meeting brand new people with their own lives that were likely vastly different from your own was exciting. Rokku, then and there, knew he wanted to be an "adventurer", just like his Grandfather.

He only wished he could be here now. Rokku's 13th Birthday was yesterday and he felt he was getting closer and closer to starting his own journey. But with his airship's fate being unknown at this time, he wished his Grandfather was here to give him the answers to his dilemma. He built the thing after all... But Rokku, albeit reluctantly, realized he couldn't do anything about it...

That is until he recalled Sprocket's words earlier...

"But tell ya what, if you guys can find any new reliable info sooner than the Guardians can? I'm only a call away."

Suddenly, Rokku's door slowly opened, causing Rokku to snap out of his trance. He jolted, looking to his right to see his mother, Cassandra, slowly sneaking in.

"Heeey, Rocky~" Cassandra greeted with a nervous smile... Really because she knew that Rokku didn't like that name she calls him and is now noticing his annoyed face.

Cassandra was a pretty young woman, appearing to be in her early-to-mid thirties like Joseph. Her black hair was very long, stylized into two twintails that started at the back of her neck and dangled at her feet. Her small long-sleeved blue dress was worn over her black bodysuit. She also wore blue heel boots with the tips and actual heels of her boots being completely white. Though she opened the door, she was quick to place her hands behind her back as she greeted her son.

"Mom," Rokku said with a slightly annoyed tone. He knew his mother meant well. She loved him dearly and he returned those feelings in kind. Even with what Rokku considered 'an embarrassing name', that didn't change how he felt about his parents.

"Sorry, sorry..." Cassandra apologized with a nervous chuckle. "I know this day didn't go as you planned, and I couldn't help notice that you weren't as talkative at the table while we're eating so I came to check on you~"

"...Mom?" Rokku began. "Have you ever been on it?"

"Huh?"

"EVA." Rokku clarified. "Grandpa's ship. Have you...ever been on it?"

"Hmm... Honestly, aside from when we found that note for you, no..." Cassandra admitted. "I knew he had an airship he made himself, but I've only ever seen it from afar. I've never been on it. Then again, by that time, my adventuring days had long ended, haha. I had to take care of my adoptive son, after all~!"

"I see..." Rokku replied with a faint smile. "...I wonder if I'll ever get to see EVA fly..."

"Now stop that," Cassandra said with an authoritative tone; the motherly tone, you know the one. "Don't you start thinking like that." She then got closer and sat on her knees to look at him. "You remember Thaddeus' motto, right?"

"...When nothing goes right, go left?" Rokku asked.

Cassandra blinked and quickly replied, "Um, no, not that one."

"Don't think outside the box because you're establishing that there's a box in the first place?" Rokku asked again.

"No..."

"With great power, comes great res-"

"No, no, no...! Ha ha ha..." Cassandra had an exhausted look. She had forgotten that her father was...quite the eccentric man. "Haaa, no no~ 'If there's even the smallest chance of the best possible outcome, then that's reason enough to never give up hope'." She clarified. "Therefore, you shouldn't feel so melancholy. It doesn't suit you."

Cassandra then grinned. "Hear me~? It. Doesn't. Suit. You." With each pause, she tapped her son's nose which resulted in the two giggling. Cassandra then stood up. "But I know this day didn't go as planned, but I do have a nice surprise for you. Your 13th Birthday may have been yesterday, but there's no way you can turn down a surprise~"

"Oh?" Rokku's eyelids widened, looking up. He already had a nice 13th Birthday yesterday. What more could she have for him?

Cassandra finally revealed what was behind her: A small but thick brown hardcover book. It looked rather old and there was a bit of wear and tear in some places, but overall, it looked salvageable.

"Ta-daaa~" Cassandra cheered.

"Ohhhh, uh... What is it?" Rokku tried feigning excitement but... he genuinely had no idea what this was.

"I did some cleaning around today since the school didn't need me to work today and like a Ruin Hunter I found this collecting dust in our attic~ ...Except I'm not working for Legion~ ...Hm, wouldn't that make me a Raider then? Raiders are illegal Hunters... Ah, never mind!" She quickly shook her head from her short tangent to herself which confused Rokku a bit. "This here is your Grandpappy's Diary!"

"His...Diary?" Rokku asked in a starry-eyed whisper.

"That's right~" Cassandra replied cheerfully. "He told me how he liked to write about things that happened throughout his life in his Diary~"

"...Aren't Diaries a...girl thing, though?" Rokku asked innocently.

"Who told you that? Your father?" Cassandra asked with a pout. Though hearing Rokku say nothing but stare at her like a deer in the headlights made her let out an exasperated sigh. "Offf course he did, that Joseph. Well, contrary to popular belief, Diaries and Journals are the same things ~ Your Uncle had one too~ In our younger days, I stole it to sneak peeks at what he wrote in there. Found out he had a crush on this one girl, tee hee~"

Rokku frowned a bit though. "But... Isn't it... wrong to read another person's journal or diary or whatever?" At that, Cassandra let out an audible 'Hmm...' for she had no immediate answer for that. "Well... Usually, I think so. Especially without the consent of the 'author'. But I think we can make an exception here~ After all, Dad left the Diary in the attic in a box! Given how much he's left for you, I'd think he'd want you to have it. You already have his airship and you wear his scarf a lot, so why not his Diary? Besiiides, don't you wanna know what it's like reading the "Chronicles of Thaddeus Payne"?"

"...Is that what he calls his Diary?" Rokku asked, again with that starry-eyed look.

"No, but he might've~" Cassandra then placed the diary on the bed beside her adoptive son. "I think you are the single greatest thing to happen in my life, tied with me marrying Joseph. And I know that you know that I'm not...exactly keen on the idea of you going out there to adventure with the Maverick craze and all the other bad things but... I also know that this means a lot to you, so I want to support you in any way I can... But I also want to protect my baby boy, so I'll also do that any way I can~ In any case, I'll leave the diary in your hands, and you can decide whether or not you want to miss out on any more stories~ Who knows? Maybe you might find something in there about EVA?"

The very moment Cassandra said that an imaginary lightbulb lit up above Rokku's head, and although Cassandra only said that on the fly, she, upon looking at Rokku's face, realized that she did a crazy genius thing.

"Mom, you're a genius!" Rokku exclaimed.

"Ohhh, I'm not that smart~" Cassandra replied with a bit of blush on her cheeks as she held her left cheek with her left hand. "Well, good night, Rocky- Er, Rokku~"

With that, Cassandra left the room and closed the door slowly. While she prepared to sleep beside her husband, Rokku...turned on his nightlight by the door and opened the contents of Thaddeus' Diary then and there.

Cassandra was right. This Diary was too important for Rokku to not look at. Thaddeus left it here for Rokku to have like with his other belongings, surely! The Diary of an Adventurer was practically a history book to Rokku. He could read up on his adventures, he could read up on his findings, learn new things about his Grandfather, and... and potentially find anything on what EVA's power source should be.

Upon being gifted with the diary of his late Grandfather, Rokku's eyes were practically glued to its contents, barely getting any sleep that night as a result. He woke up with only 5 hours of sleep, but he wasn't all that tired.

He went to the kitchen table to prepare to eat his breakfast, greeting his Mom and Dad in the kitchen. With this family, the Akihiros, rarely would they get the same breakfast as the previous day. Usually, bowls of cereal were a standard, but every once in and while, Cassandra would make pancakes, Joseph would make bacon and eggs (bacon being something Rokku doesn't really like very much), and even Rokku would contribute with basic toast. He had minimal cooking experience thanks to his Mother's teachings, but he was going to be making hand-made pizza any time soon despite pizza being his favorite food.

The kitchen and the dining room were connected, and the combined rooms left it quite big and even spacious, allowing for bigger tables if need be and other kitchen supplies. The kitchen table was circular and big enough to have about six people at the table, but there were only three chairs stationed at this time. The Akihiro family household only had 3 people living there, after all.

The young teenager came to the kitchen table and ate the breakfast his mother made for him, that being three stacks of pancakes with a cup of orange juice, his favorite kind of breakfast. Cassandra was easily the better cook out of the three, something that even Joseph wasn't afraid to admit despite not being a bad cook himself. Joseph was on his touch screen tablet reading any local news with his plate of pancakes and cup of orange juice on the side. As she greeted her son, Cassandra was making her own stack of pancakes over the kitchen stove, having made the stacks for her son and husband first. It was some kind of unspoken rule with the family where the cook has to cook for everyone else before they eat. Common courtesy, one could say.

Rokku, on the other hand, was quick to eat his breakfast and drink his juice, immediately rushing back to his room with a quick but grateful, "Thanks, Mom!"

Joseph, who took his eyes off his boy after the greeting to resume reading the news, then looked up at the chair his son was at...only to notice that his plate and glass mug was already empty. His confusion was shared with Cassandra as they exchanged glances. Cassandra, however, soon let out a nervous chuckle, having deduced just why Rokku was so quick to leave the table.

Since it was the Summer, Rokku was no longer in "school" until September. Even then, Rokku didn't go to school. Rather, he was homeschooled. While Cassandra had a part-time job as a teacher in Luna Town's local Elementary School, her forte being in Social Studies, she also taught her son at home most of the time. The benefits of the technologically advanced Earth came with an easier method of homeschooling via online learning, which is what Rokku often used by Cassandra's suggestion both when she was present and not. It was Cassandra's choice to have him homeschooled, although Joseph himself initially protested against this years ago. So far, it's worked out. If he were in public schools, Cassandra theorized that Rokku would get high grades... Although Rokku himself didn't have much interest in some of the subjects, he was a focused individual.

Joseph was the breadwinner of the family and worked full time as a Laborer. He had a hand in the preparations for the parade a week ago. In his spare time, he often kept Rokku in shape by enforcing exercising sessions. As a result of Rokku's desire to go on adventures like Thaddeus, Joseph has even taught him some ways to defend himself... sometimes, to the young teen's chagrin.

Back in his room, Rokku continued to explore the contents of Thaddeus' diary. This went on for hours, only leaving his room to use the bathroom and get himself a quick snack. He was attached to his diary, so attached that he had yet to change out of his pajamas. He almost endlessly read on the life Thaddeus had lived since he was 20 years old, meaning he's owned this diary for over 40 years. The book was almost filled to the brim with stories that recounted Thaddeus' life. Interestingly, he wrote in this book with a wide variety of writing utensils such as a basic lead pencil, black ink pens, purple ink pens, etc. It was more evident in the early pages, but some of the ink that he used bled through the other pages, making some of its contents hard to decipher.

He read numerous stories, including how Thaddeus got this diary from an old friend of his who gave it to him as a gift, how he traveled from North America to Europe to Japan for his studies on the world before the wars, and how he eventually became a Ruin Hunter for 24 years before swapping out to become a member of the Guardians. The latter detail was interesting. For all of her concerns about Rokku going to adventure out to the world, Cassandra was the one who started suggesting to him that he become a Guardian. Granted, the idea was Joseph's, but Cassandra was the one who suggested it to Rokku. Could she have agreed to that idea because of Thaddeus' experience as a Guardian?

While Rokku was perfectly willing to read just about everything in this book, he was mostly focused on finding clues on his ship. To Rokku's excitement, he was getting close. One of Thaddeus' diary entries was during his 18th year as a Ruin Hunter when he started making plans to make his very own airship. The next couple of entries went further and further into the creation of the airship, including how he wished to have a large Transerver pad to allow for ease of transporting large items and how he wanted the airship to be able to hold large objects so that an object's weight didn't affect the airship's flight capabilities, and, interestingly, how Thaddeus decided to call the airship "EVA" after a girl he had fallen in love with for the first time... Still didn't explain where the "DVN-005" part came from though.

But the teen's eyes widened at one passage.

Joseph sat on the couch in the living room, still reading his tablet as the TV was on with commercials playing. Cassandra passed by behind the couch holding a small backpack in her arm.

"You've been staring at that tablet since breakfast," Cassandra said, propping her arms on the back of the couch. "What's going on it, hm?"

"Is that any different than Rokku looking at your old man's diary?" Joseph asked.

"Weeell, that's true," Cassandra agreed.

"But I've been looking at the news," Joseph explained. "It looks like it's gonna storm tonight. You see those clouds, right?"

"Hum. Now that you mention it, those clouds do look scary..." Cassandra muttered, looking out at the window to see the dark clouds looming in.

"I thought our boy was the one scared of lightning, not you?" Joseph joked.

"Hey now, you know why he's afraid of lightning. Is there going to be lightning tonight?" Cassandra asked.

"Not that I've noticed. Just some heavy rainfall and thunder." Joseph replied. "Nothin' too serious."

"Well, that bites. I was planning on going on my Tae Kwan Do training at the dojo in K2 City..." Cassandra pouted.

"They're canceling the parade today because of the storm. But on the bright side," Joseph said, holding up an index finger, reading off his tablet. "Mayor Radman's gonna add an extra day to the anniversary parade to make up for today. Honestly, I'm surprised the weather team at the news weren't on this in the first place."

"Maybe-"

"GUYS! GUYS!"

Joseph and Cassandra both looked to their right to see Rokku running to them, still in his pajamas and holding the diary. Joseph looked far less concerned than Cassandra, the latter thinking something bad had happened.

"Rocky! You almost gave me a heart attack!" Cassandra whined.

"Sorry, sorry!" Rokku apologized, not even bothering to negatively acknowledge the name he didn't like. "But I've been reading this a bunch and learned a lot!"

"Yeah, we noticed," Joseph said sarcastically with a chuckle.

"It turns out that just before he made EVA, Grandpa found some Energy Crystal somewhere in South America!" Rokku explained. He then opened the diary and looked at the entry that went into this detail. "He said that this Energy Crystal was different from the ones we used as a form of a currency and that he planned to use it for EVA."

"An Energy Crystal for an airship?" Joseph asked out loud. "That... sounds a little odd. I know Energy Crystals are pretty resourceful, but I don't think a single one can power up an entire airship."

"It can't," Cassandra confirmed. "An Energy Crystal can power a car or even a small boat, but an entire airship? That isn't very likely..."

Cassandra then tapped her chin. "Then again... There's the C.I.E.L. System."

"The C.I.E.L. System?" Rokku asked, tilting his head in confusion. He could've sworn he heard that name yesterday...

"Oh yeah, Thaddeus talked about that before, didn't he?" Joseph added.

"That's right," Cassandra confirmed again. "The C.I.E.L. System is a very powerful energy resource. I heard that it was used to solve the energy crises that the world's been experiencing. It for sure helped shape the world into what it is today. If I recall my research correctly, there are rumors that during the development of that system, the creator's research involved not only Cyber-Elves but Energy Crystals too."

"Hold on, a Cyber-Elf?" Rokku asked. "You told me about that. Something about beings of pure energy?"

"That's the simple way of defining them, yes. But these entities were involved in a very harsh war called "The Elf Wars". They were powerful enough to be used for benevolent or malicious intentions... But never mind that." Cassandra waved her hand to change out of that rather dark scenario. "The point is the energy system is powerful enough to run airships. I think Thaddeus himself mentioned that the Grand Nuage, you know, the Guardian Base's main HQ, has it as their core."

"Uh-huh," Joseph nodded his head. "That's where I heard Thaddy talk about it."

"So... Cyber-Elves were mostly used in the research, but Energy Crystals were...what, a way to make a bunch of energy?" Rokku inquired, trying to piece together everything that was told.

"Well, aren't you a little puzzle solver~?" Cassandra cheered.

The young teen blushed in response, but he was still confused, "But... Grandpa for sure used an Energy Crystal to power that ship..." He flipped through the entries in the diary. "I-It's gotta be. He said it was unlike the Energy Crystals we're used to seeing..."

"Hey, Energy Crystals can do pretty much anything," Joseph waved his hand. "It's used as a form of currency, though I prefer Zenny personally, it can fix machines, power up machines, used for weapons... You name it, it can probably do it."

"Yeah but... Okay, how about this?" Rokku said stopping on a page. "Grandpa talked with one of his old friends, a, uh, scientist. They worked together and found out that when this Energy Crystal spun at high speeds, it generated a bunch of energy."

"...Okay, that, I've never heard of." Joseph lowered his hand with his cheeks puffed and his eyes a little wide.

"That does sound a little odd... But I suppose that wouldn't be any different than a CD Disc spinning to play music..." Cassandra added.

"You got any other info on this weird E-Crystal?" Joseph asked.

"Well... It wasn't small. It like 3 feet tall?" Rokku said.

"That sounds small to me," Joseph chuckled which caused Rokku to glare. "Sorry, sorry, go on."

"It was apparently dark blue and had an elongated hexagon shape..." Rokku continued.

"Honestly?" Joseph tapped his chin. "That sounds like it'd fit inside that capsule looking stand on the ship."

"You think so?" Rokku asked, almost excitedly. "Hey, wait, we got a Quarry right? That place where a bunch of Ruin Hunters go and dig up? There's an Energy Crystal mine there!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold your horses, man," Joseph said, holding out both of his hands to calm him down.

"But... We don't own horses, Dad." Rokku said innocently.

To that, Cassandra had to giggle. But Joseph continued, "You tell me more about this weird E-Crystal and I'll relay it to Sprocket. He'll probably ask that Guardian girl he talked to."

"B-But... That could take a while!" Rokku cried.

"What did we talk about yesterday?" Joseph reminded him. "If you waited this long, you can wait a little while longer. Besides, we're not professionals on this kinda stuff, especially you."

"Hmm, he's right." Cassandra agreed. "Besides, the Quarry is for experienced individuals only, not to mention that you require official authorization to even step foot on the site. We should leave things to the professionals who are experienced in these kinds of things."

"...Right." Rokku, albeit reluctantly, agreed.

Joseph got up from the couch and led his son to the kitchen table, hand on his back. "Alright then, let's go over those notes, huh?"

Rokku was eager to go over the notes with his father, but he still felt useless sitting around waiting. Having spent over 8 hours reading the contents of the diary, Rokku was certain about his passion,

"...Grandpa wouldn't sit around doing nothing when he could be doing something..." Rokku thought to himself in his mind. The thought gave Rokku some ideas on what he could do, however...

The darkened storm clouds completely covered the sky, giving the illusion that it was later in the day than it actually was. With the storm incoming, today's parade was canceled and postponed to have an additional day due to future days having better weather.

The Akihiro family have decided to sleep in early despite it merely being the start of the evening... Well. Cassandra and Joseph Akihiro were asleep in their shared bed in their room. Rokku Akihiro, on the other hand, was dressed in his casual clothes, this time with his backpack strapped on his back. He also replaced his unique tri-colored (light blue, white, and black) horizontal striped belt with a plain white utility belt with a holster. Into that holster, Rokku placed a standard Buster-Pistol in there.

Legally speaking, Rokku was not allowed to have that in his possession due to his young age, though an exception would be applied if he was affiliated with an organization like the Guardians or Ruin Hunters... But as of right now, he was neither. This Buster-Pistol was his father's and was kept in the attic next to Thaddeus' old things. Despite his young age, Rokku at least had some minimal training from his father who only taught him the usage of a Buster-Pistol because Rokku aspired to venture out in the world. Anyone with that aspiration needed to defend themselves from the Mavericks and punching and kicking them...likely isn't gonna cut it. This training, of course, had some kickback from Cassandra, but she too understood the necessity.

But the Buster-Pistol wasn't all he had. He also grabbed an unusually large silver-colored wrench. This one belonged to Rokku for certain. It was something his father bought him shortly after Rokku received EVA. He believed that Rokku might need the wrench to do maintenance on the airship... Though Rokku and Cassandra both doubted that the former would need a wrench this big to deal with an airship. Had to be a joke gift. But this thing was blunt enough to use as a weapon, so Rokku took it as a melee weapon. He honestly preferred having to swing something than...shooting something.

As Rokku snuck out through the front door, he took a quick look at the inside of his house, sighing. "...Sorry Mom and Dad, but I gotta check out the Quarry." He then silently shut the door and made a mad dash towards the Quarry. "...Aaand I better hurry before lightning tries to hit me...again." He muttered to himself...not knowing that his father mentioned that there were no planned lightning strikes.