Sector JP was always praised for their strong and realistic team dynamics. But Gameverse likes to get quirky with its realism~
Ichigo's Average Life
Ichigo Diego identified as a good boy. His parents raised him to be a respectable young man who was nice and helpful, and at 11 years old, he was good at upholding that role so far. He had just finished school for the day, visited the store to get groceries, and now he was in his room doing homework.
Ichigo's father was Spanish and his mom was Japanese, so he was a mix of both ethnicities. His black hair was trimly cut and nicely combed and his dark eyes were narrowed in focus. He had on a pair of comfy blue jeans and white socks. As one could tell by his red soccer jersey, he loved to play the sport. He was both strong and smart. He was a good team player, responsible, and made good grades. He was a well-rounded good boy, but at heart, he was still an average boy.
"ICHIGO! Did you leave the milk out?!"
A shrill, womanly voice ripped the air. Ichigo flinched, broken from his focus. He knew it as his mother's. Judging by her anger, it seems his good boy status was compromised. His heart beating anxiously, Ichigo pushed himself up and walked out to the kitchen.
His kitchen was as ordinary as any other… except, on one side, there was another, miniature kitchen. "Why was the normal milk sitting up here?!" Ichigo directed his gaze to the counter beside the fridge: there was a little black-haired woman in a white T-shirt and shorts, holding up a jug of milk.
Ichigo bit his lip. "I…I thought I put it away…"
"Well, now it's freaking spoiled. That's like 200 yen down the drain." Karin walked toward the giant sink and poured the milk in.
"I can pour you some milk from the big fridge."
"I ain't drinking from your giant glasses, that's way too much a pain! And by the way, I was in the laundry room, you used the wrong soap! My shirts look like the freakin' American flag now!"
"I-I'm sorry, Mom. I was just in a hurry to get this homework done. I'm actually gonna meet my friends at the skate park in 10 minutes. But, I'll go get more milk."
"You know what, forget it. I'll go get milk myself, just go do whatever you gotta do." Karin climbed down the counter and marched across the vast kitchen floor.
Ichigo sighed and returned to his room to finish his homework. His mother yelled at him from time to time, and he never liked it when it happened… but he understood why she was so mad all the time. While Ichigo was a normal boy at heart, he and his father were giants. He attended school, went shopping, and hung out with friends no different from fellow humans, but he was about 19 feet tall. In this era, however, people had become accustomed to aliens and strange people, and there were other giants in the world that lived with humans. Those towns usually made accommodations to fit people like Ichigo, and his town of Karakura was among them.
His family was built a giant house with a giant refrigerator, laundry machine, and other such things. Even his school printed giant paper for his homework. They lived out in the countryside where their everyday lifestyle wouldn't get in the way of normal humans too much.
Of course, Ichigo's mother would always recount the story of her awful pregnancy. It couldn't be helped that she fell in love with his father, a fellow soccer star with a strong set of legs. But she almost regretted it during the pregnancy. "My body was like a slow-swelling balloon that just wouldn't f***ing pop, and it kept hurting worse and worse! If I was any other woman, I woulda f***ing split in half and died! And forget about cleaning his messes, that's Sind's job, especially since I'm in a f***ing wheelchair."
She wasn't wheelchair-bound anymore, but Karin would occasionally slump and limp from time to time. Regardless, Ichigo knew it was his responsibility to be a good son and a good boy. His mom nearly gave her life to give birth to him, so he owed it to her. That's why he hated it when she was upset with him.
After finding a stopping point in his homework, Ichigo began to leave. He slipped on a pair of white sneakers by the door and stepped outside. Karin had already taken the car and left. "BOO!"
"AAH!" Ichigo jumped back when a person poofed out of nowhere. It was Joto Hanakari, a girl with red hair in pigtails, going perfectly with her Tiny Devil suit. She floated level with Ichigo's head using its bat wings. Her face was somewhat crinkled from always scowling and smirking. "Joto, what are you doing?!"
"I was just coming to get you, but I kinda walked in on your mom yelling at you. Heh, you forgot the milk?"
"Joto!" A blush grew on his tan-skinned cheeks.
"Relax, I forget the milk sometimes, too!" Joto flew up and poked his big, but scrawny nose. "I guess having a big head isn't good for holding more memory~"
Ichigo grit his teeth and tried to grab her, but Joto shrank and breezed out of his grasp. He could barely see his friend while she was the size of a fly, making her a nuisance to track. Joto resized by his ear and yelled, "ON YOUR LEFT-!"
He reacted quickly to clap her between his hands. "Joto, you shouldn't eavesdrop on other peoples' business."
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry! Your hand smells like pencil!"
"And I'll bet you haven't done your homework, yet."
"Yeah, well don't butt in on my business. We going to the park or not?"
"Fine, but take the suit off."
"Geez." Joto was set down, and she used a mechanical pocket mirror to scan herself. Her Tiny Devil swapped for a white T-shirt, blue shorts, and white running shoes. "But you mind carrying me? I'm kinda beat from my walk here."
"You didn't even have to come…" Ichigo sighed and bent down with a hand open. Joto climbed on, sitting herself down as the giant carried her across the countryside.
Because of how he was raised, Ichigo was mature and somewhat strict for his age. He made sure his classmates were keeping out of trouble, and as Sector JP's leader, he made sure his teammates were always ready, well-trained, well-fed, well-rested, well-prepared. Joto tended to be the wildcard, often not listening to Ichigo's orders and acting nonchalantly, and he found himself attempting to discipline her occasionally. However, Ichigo's teammates were probably the only kids in school who respected and trusted him, and Joto was one of them.
Other classmates would call him a fathead or a tyrant, claiming that he thought himself the boss of everyone because he was giant, and Joto would sometimes make quips like that, but he knew she meant it in good spirits and not spiteful. Joto was a strong-willed girl in her own right and she saw a good rival in Ichigo, but she also admired and respected his strength. That was the very reason she was relaxing so casually in her friend's hand. Well, perhaps she was simply taking advantage of having a giant as a friend, and since he felt compelled to be a good boy, he couldn't bring himself to say 'no' if someone wanted a lift.
When they made it to town, Ichigo stayed clear of the normal humans. He remarkably stood out from the crowd, but most people were used to seeing him out and about with a couple of friends. In fact, some found it rather cute with how he was kindly giving the spunky red-haired girl a free ride.
Still, even Ichigo felt small in the vastness of the skate park. There was a great number of ramps, rails, craters, and a complex tunnel system that led underground. "Ichi-kun, Joto-chan, we were waiting for ya!" A boy wearing a fireworks robe, kabuki makeup, and sandals rushed up, his black hair a mess. Kodachi Ramsey was sporting an ecstatic grin with eyes burning with conviction. "Sector H just showed up! We can't let these Americans outskate us on our own turf!"
"Aren't you half-American?" Ichigo asked.
"That's more American than you!" Joto retorted. "Let's get going, buddy!" She kicked off her friend's hand and ran alongside Koda. Ichigo jogged after them.
They made their way up the stairs of a giant bowl, where a group of kids were looking into it. One of them was Otto Rocket, a boy with orange dreads and shades, wearing a yellow T-shirt with red shorts. His purple-haired sister was Reggie Rocket, wearing a magenta T-shirt with a rocket design and green camouflage pants. There was a Latino boy named Twister Rodriguez, wearing a backwards cap, a blue shirt, and green khaki shorts, using a camera to record the skaters in the bowl.
"Oh, heads up, Otto." Reggie cautioned. "It's the only kid with a bigger head than you."
"Try looking in a mirror, Princess Waikikamukau. So, what took you guys so long?" Otto asked.
"Ichigo was doing CHORES~" Joto snorted.
"Just because we're KND, we shouldn't act like schoolwork doesn't matter to us." Ichigo argued. "Besides, I'm here right on schedule. You're the ones who are early."
"Yeah, well you've been missing your cousin in action, Mr. Honor Student." Twister remarked. "And Squid ain't doing half-bad either."
There were two kids skating around the bowl. One was Mazu Daimon, a boy with smooth, pasta-colored blonde hair, a white button-up shirt with 'Chef' written in gold and diagonally, black shorts that sparkled like a clean frying pan, and white shoes with gold soles and laces. Another was Sam, a blonde boy with glasses, an oversized yellow T-shirt with an "N", and saggy gray pants. Mazu was emitting firebending from his heels to speed on his skateboard while "Squid" was more decked in protective gear, using magnetic shoes to stay attached to his board.
"Now, let's add the condiments!" Mazu leapt in the air and thrusted fists down, shooting bursts of fire. "Salt! Pepper! Sugar! Spice! And this one is, 'Chop the Celery'!" He began cartwheeling his board along the bowl like a knife chopping celery. "Now, turn up the heat!" Mazu swirled into the center of the bowl, spun around, and willed the ground beneath his board to burst! Mazu launched above the ramp, like a temperature dial faced straight up. He flew at an arch, a clockwise angle from the others' view, landed in the side of the bowl, and slid straight down, passing the bottom, and going up the other end, just like turning the dial up.
"Come on, Squid, when's your soup gonna be ready?!" Otto shouted.
"Can't I just make pudding?!" Squid yelled back, attempting to leap from one side of the bowl to the next. "Whoooaa—oh, ow, ah!" He tumbled over as he and his magnetic board slid to the bottom.
Mazu skated down and sported a sportsmanly smile. "Want me to help you out?" he asked, extending a hand.
"Yes, please." Squid took his hand.
Mazu rocketed them up to the platform, reuniting with the others. "Hey, Cous! All done with homework?"
"I hope you weren't show boding too much, Mazu." Ichigo said.
"Relax, I was being a good sport."
"Squid just needs to step up his game." Otto inferred.
"Hey, he was using firebending! Shouldn't that be cheating?"
"At least it seemed like Sam was prepared." Ichigo said. "Why aren't you wearing your gear, Mazu? Heck, why aren't the rest of you?"
"Koda said we didn't need it." Mazu replied.
"Well, we don't!" Koda stated. "I mean, we never dress up on missions, anyway! We move faster and perform better in our casual gear."
"Yeah, and if they don't need it, neither do we." Twister said. "I don't see you wearing YOUR gear, big guy."
"Joto: hit me." Ichigo ordered.
"Sure thing, boss." Joto aimed the Compowder at Ichigo, scanning the giant as a helmet, kneepads, and elbow pads appeared to cover him. A giant skateboard appeared on his back as well.
"I like extreme sports as much as the next kid, but I don't wanna hurt myself doing them. You guys need to dress up, too, or no one's playing."
"Hey, don't get mad at me." Joto said, swapping into her gear. "I always wear the Tiny Devil, anyway. Mazu, Koda, you're next."
"I guess it is safe." Mazu figured, being scanned into the pads.
"Alright, I guess." Koda sighed, being dressed up as well, including rocket-powered roller blades.
"Yeah, well you worry about your team." Otto remarked. "I'm still going up the Grim Ramp and I ain't scared. You coming or what, Koda?"
"Darn right I am!" Both eagerly raced down the stairs.
The Grim Ramp was a towering, skyscraper ramp that was extremely steep, black, and had torches adorning the end with a skull symbol below it. "Some say that people climb up that ramp, they come down, but they never reach the bottom." Twister said.
"W-W-Where do they go?" Squid shuddered.
"Into space, of course." Koda said casually. "You build up so much momentum going down that when you go up at the end, you launch all the way to the stars."
"Hmm…on second thought, Otto, maybe you should dress up." Reggie suggested. "This feels pretty dangerous."
"Hey, helmets are for shoobies! I'll meet you at the top, Koda!" Otto quickly began climbing the ladder up the colossal ramp.
"Darn it, I can't lose the preliminary race!" Koda hurried to the other side and climbed up.
"Otto, you should listen to your sister!" Ichigo yelled.
"Yeah, well I thought Joto was your team girl!" Otto yelled back.
"What?" Joto asked simply. "You thought I was our team 'girl'? Is this, like, the 90s or something?"
"Otto is kind of outdated." Reggie replied. "He's basically implying that the 'girl' always has to be the bossy one."
"Pfft, well that ain't true over here." Joto chortled.
The two reached the top of the Grim Ramp. A couple Nimbi were sitting on the nearby clouds, watching the show. Otto and Koda mounted their boards on the edge of the ramp. Their path, straight and splayed beneath them, seemed to grow more narrow as it stretched into the distance. "You ain't scared, are you, Otto?" Koda grinned.
"N-No way! I'm ready when you are!"
"On three, then." Koda attached fireworks to his back. "One!" He lit them up. "Two!" The fuses reached the end. "THREE!" And Koda blasted down on his roller blades. Otto lit up the rockets on his board and shot down as well. The steepness of the ramp plus their rockets generated terrific speed. Otto could feel the wind blasting him through his shades, his lips flapping away from his teeth. Twister was excitedly recording the spectacle, while Ichigo and Reggie were biting their lips in worry.
"WHOOOOOOAAAA!" The two launched off the ramp and seemed to fly to the sky.
"Joto, come on!" Ichigo mounted his board and rolled across the park.
"Okay!" Joto slid after him, and the others followed.
A couple miles away, there was a balloon fortress specially designed to catch people who flew off the Grim Ramp. Ichigo expertly dodged around the smaller kids as he skated past the park and up the road leading to the fort. "Joto, grab my hand!" He squatted down and reached back. Joto caught up and allowed her leader to grab her. Once at the fort, Ichigo leapt off his board and bounced up the structure with great speed thanks to momentum. As he predicted, Otto and Koda were about to crash in the earth past the fort. "Joto, GO!" Ichigo hurled his teammate straight up.
The red-haired girl grabbed Koda from the air, breaking his fall. Ichigo sprung from the bounce fort with enough force to CLAP Otto in his hands. Ichigo bent his legs to land on his kneepads, feeling shaken from the impact. Joto landed on her pads as well, she and Koda tumbling apart.
"Phew…" Ichigo opened his hands. "Daijōbu?"
"Daijō-who?" Otto asked.
"It means 'Are you okay'?"
"Yeah, I'm good."
"You still think helmets are for shoobies?"
"Fine, you win. I'll dress up."
The group headed around the bounce fort just as the others had caught up. "Man, why'd you save me, Joto? You totally broke my technique!" Koda said.
"You almost broke your body." Ichigo stated.
"Either way, I think the score goes to our team for that save." Joto smirked.
"Yeah, we'll give you guys that one." Reggie agreed. "You're lucky Ichigo was there to save you, Otto."
"That's our leader for ya~" Joto praised. "He may have a big head, but he's got a big heart."
"You were a big help yourself, Joto." Ichigo smiled, holding his hand down and open.
"I'm happy to lend you a hand~" Joto's scrawny hand smacked his giant palm. Ichigo held it above her as she dealt a high-five, then he gently waved his hand as she smacked the middle finger. He thrusted a gentle punch, and Joto slammed her fist against his knuckle.
"Yeah, well they need to make that fort thingy wider!" Otto stated.
"Yeah, excuses." Koda teased. "So, Squid, you made these rocket boards, right? Show me your best one and let's race."
"Not against you…"
"Better watch your heels, Princess, I'll trip you right up!" Joto teased at Reggie.
"You're on!"
"Mazu, you said you would make your Tornadus Twister Tea, right?" Twister asked.
"A chef never goes back on their menu, Twister!"
"Then get yourselves geared and let's skate!" Ichigo clapped.
"You're gonna eat my dust, big boy!" Otto retorted.
For the rest of the day, both teams of four were the center of attention. Koda and Squid were ramming each other with barrier-projecting boards. Joto and Reggie were grinding down twin rails, the former shrinking herself to give herself a wider area to skate. Joto would even leap the great distance to Reggie's rail and use her enhanced strength to trip her board and make the Rocket fall. Mazu and Twister were skating up and down the same ramp on opposite sides, tossing food to each other's mouths when they were at the peak. Ichigo and Otto were chasing each other within the labyrinth of tunnels, the giant kicking his Super Soccerball toward the smaller boy, who was ready to kick back with a rocket-powered kick.
Rocket Power was one of those shows that was just really trendy, I feel like. But I did like the "New Zealand" special.