"Itou."
"Y, Yeah?!"
"You wouldn't happen to know the synergies between units, do you?"
"N, No?... There is?"
"Yup, just as I expected... Alright, I'll make this as simple as possible. You know Vanguard's rule that only grade 0 and 1 units can boost, right?"
"Of course. That's like basic knowledge to any player."
"Well, in our case there's actually more to it than that. It's best that I show you. Kuran, do you mind helping me out a little? Pick your units with 'low compatibility'."
"Sure!~ I wonder who I should call?~"
Ryuichi san placed his hand on the back of his belt. With the sound of a 'click' he now had a bright red deck case with golden dragon decorations in his hand. He opened the small case and after quickly going through his deck, he drew three cards and held it between his slender fingers.
Kuran also took out her deck case, a black one with several white fangs drawn on the side. She hummed happily and drew three cards just like Ryuichi san. And wouldn't you know it, the back side of all three cards were of black and gold design.
"Time to work, guys."
"Come on out everyone!~"
While saying in a carefree and energetic voice, each of Ryuichi san and Kuran's spiritual energy poured itself into their individual cards. The cards infused with spiritual energy illuminated a strong light, until they disappeared to take on a vastly different and bigger form. When the light faded, three figures of diverse size stood behind Ryuichi san, and another three behind Kuran.
"All right! What're we breaking this time?"
"Linchu, didn't ya hear what Ryuichi said? We're only here to demonstrate."
"Are you sure about that Demolition? We're not the only ones here."
The figures behind Ryuich san were Narukami units. One was Linchu, a small boy with light brown hair. He wore some sort of dragon styled light armor while carrying an oversized sword behind his back. Next was Demolition dragon, a four legged dragon covered in sharp scales of yellow and cobalt, with three even sharper horns on it's head. And the third was Thunderstorm dragoon, a tall blonde man in red armor carrying a silver lance. Unlike the other two he wasn't alone, riding a winged dragoon of his very own which he was now gently patting it's head.
"Now what do we have here? Some new faces and Narukami units!"
"Hello everyone! You guys aren't enemies right? Cause I'd hate to attack good folks!"
"I heard sir Chain blast had fought today. Would we have the honor of combat as well?"
The units Kuran called had more variety to them. First was Aermo, a small humanoid fire salamander wearing barbaric clothing. Every part of Aermo, including it's plentiful hair was all red and radiated heat as if it was living fire. Next was Red pulse dragokid, and it was the smallest unit here. Since it was undeveloped it's wings were tiny, and instead of scales it had fur which didn't seem to do anything for protection. It did wear armor and was equipped with two small cannons, but it looked more cute than threatening. The last unit was a completely different story. Berserk dragon was a two headed dragon that was covered in black hard scales and was easily the biggest unit among the six. It's claws were ready to rip anything apart, and their razor sharp teeth filled mouths was glowing red, just waiting for the moment to release deadly fire to it's foes.
At first I was blown away by their out of world appearance. They were truly a feast for my eyes. But then I realized the called units had something in common. Kuran and Ryuichi san called units that had the exact same grades. Zero, one, and two. The two of them didn't call a grade 3 and for good reason, since that use too much spiritual energy for just a simple explanation.
"Guys, this is Itou and Chihiri. From now on these two are one of us now, so try to treat them with respect, got it?"
"""Nice to meet you!"""
"Oh, and FYI, Itou san is a pioneer of Oracle think tank!~ Pretty cool huh?~ But uh, don't try to pick fights with their units, please?~"
"""We'll look forward to fighting beside you!"""
""H, Hi...""
Their welcome was loud and full of energy. The two of us got overwhelmed by their voices alone, that it took everything we had just to say hello to them.
When I first saw them I was going to run out and shake each of their hands. It was what I wanted to do, and was the perfect plan for my first impression, which got immediately shot down. I expected their clans to be energetic, but not to THIS degree. It felt like I was a mouse being greeted by cats. Nevertheless I was glad that the units were welcome with us. When they first appeared I was worried they'd see us as a threat. But then again, these are only three of Ryuichi san and Kuran's entire unit. Who knows what they'd all think of us?
"Don't be so afraid you two, they won't bite. I think."
"Afraid? N, No I'm not afraid! I'm actually happy to see new faces!"
"Then why are your legs shaking?"
Ryuichi san said as his eyes were on my cowardly legs. My poor attempt of bravado failed miserably in less then a second. My face grew red as I felt more embarrassed than I started out with.
"... Okay, maybe I got a bit startled. I'm not really comfortable with loud noises, and man do your units can shout."
"Hahaha! Unlike my weak minded friend over here, I'm standing completely fine! The great Chihiri prevails yet again!"
"So~ Should I hold on to your hand a bit longer, Chihiri san?~"
"Yes please..."
Chihiri was holding on to Kuran's hand and didn't seem to let go of her anytime soon. At least I didn't need someone to hold me!
"You got something to say, my weak minded friend?"
"...Never mind."
Currently I'm not in the mood to argue with Chihiri. But tomorrow, oh tomorrow's another story. I'll be sure to pay her back ten folds.
"Well, better turn those frowns upside down, cause this show's gonna be right up your alley."
Ryuichi said with a soft grin as he pressed one of the buttons on the console. Soon the sounds of machines came from the ground beneath us, as if something was moving down there. Me and Chihiri were both cautious but also a bit excited of what's going to happen. We didn't know what to expect, and when we least expected I sensed something appearing behind us, clearly something that wasn't there before. At that moment the two of us both swiftly turned around to take a look at this new presence.
What we saw were two aggressive looking robots, each being three times bigger than we are. They wore heavy and spiky armor on top of their metal body. They didn't have any weapons on them but their literal iron fists were enough. They looked ready to charge right at us and attack, that is if they were able to move.
[Prepared for combat practice.]
"They're... robots right?"
"But look Itou, they're not moving. Ryuichi san, what are they?"
"Isn't it obvious? They're test dummies, and don't worry they don't function at all. I had them made specifically for testing."
"Why? I thought you had VR for combat practice."
"Yeah, but sometimes VR lacks the experience you can have from real life. And-"
"It's true!~ Punching a real life object feels different than punching stuff made out of data, no matter how realistic the VR is!~ To put it short, real life experience is necessary to get stronger!~"
"I'll... keep that in mind."
"Kuran, no butting. So anyway, want to see some shit getting blown up?"
"Sure!"
"HELL YEAH!"
"""BEEN WAITIN FOR THAT!"""
It wasn't just us who got excited. The other units were absolutely thrilled to get some action, as if they were craving for blood, or in this case oil. It's like the Colosseum in ancient Greek, minus the killing and execution. We were all ready for some friendly violence.
"All right first, Thunderstorm you boost Linchu, and Demolition wait until they've done their attack."
"Oh yeah! I get first round!"
"Shucks! Linchu, Thunderstorm, you better leave some for me okay?"
"No promises, but we'll try."
"Hmmh~ If Ryuichi san's going like that~ Okay!~ Red pulse, you boost Aermo and Berserk can hold!~"
"Got it! Let's do our best, furball!"
"S, Some of these are scales too you know!"
"Concentrate young one, and try to focus your attacks."
Kuran and Ryuichi san each ordered two of their units. And in a heartbeat, Linchu and Thunderstorm, Red pulse and Aermo dashed towards the dummy bots with a happy grin on their faces.
"Hiyaa!"
With their massive weapons Linchu and Thunderstorm attacked one of the dummy bots. Linchu's blade was blunt yet heavy, and his powerful swings were more than enough to crush the bot's armor. The sounds of crushed metal rang every time Linchu's blade struck, and at the same time Thunderstorm's dragoon opened it's jaw and let out a stream of lightning, blasting off the weakened armor with ease.
"F, Firing away!"
Meanwhile Red pulse blasted the dummy bot with his twin cannons. Unlike Linchu he attacked the bot at long range. Red pulse was a dragon but he was a still a kid, and didn't have the physical strength to do any damage to the metal body. Still his cannons made up for his lack of strength, though even small the barrage of shells it fired exploded on contact and made short work of the bot's armor. Aermo flew around the bot in circles, laughing while shooting multiple fireballs from his hands, melting the sturdy parts of the armor Red pulse's shells couldn't break.
"Your move, thunderstorm!"
Once the armor was gone, Thunderstorm swiftly leaped off the dragoon's back. His body was sent flying in high speed and charged mid air towards the bot like a cannonball. Thunderstorm placed the spear close to his side, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
"It's all yours, Aermo!"
Aermo's flames began to burn like a raging furnace. The size and heat of his fire grew rapidly, and the mad movement of the flames was like an untamed beast struggling from it's leash. But soon the fire understood it's master and gathered into a giant sphere.
"It's melting time!"
"A single... thrust!"
With a quick thrust Thunderstorm's long spear penetrated the bot's thick body. The leftover force of Thunderstorm's thrust threw down the bot's heavy body, and with a loud thud it was shoved straight to the ground. Thunderstorm easily landed on the ground and looked at the gaping hole with satisfaction.
At the same time Aermo's threw his giant fireball with full force, which completely engulfed the bot's body. The bot's frame melted like ice cream from the overwhelming heat, and turned into something less. The fire quickly died out in seconds and the only thing left was molten junk that no longer resembled it's original self.
"Jeez, there's almost nothing left."
"Nice teamwork!~ You totally melted Ryuichi san's bots!~"
"I'd say it was easy, but your bots were tougher than I thought Ryuichi. I swear I could've done more damage to it with my spear. Or maybe it's just my lack of training..."
"Gmrrr..."
"Hah... No, you did more than enough dragoon, so cheer up."
"I, I hope I got stronger... Or n, not..."
"What're you worried about, Red pulse? At least you blew away the bot's armor. I mean, most of it."
Ryuichi san and Kuran each complimented their units for a job well done, but some of them didn't seem to be satisfied even though they completely destroyed the dummy bots. One had a huge gaping hole on it's chest and is a breeze away from breaking apart, and the other one is a metal blob with burned legs. I'd say that's more than enough. Oh, and speaking of I...
"Holy shit that was cool! Hands down best action I've ever seen!"
"The sword and the fire and the cannon and the spear! I'm gonna say it right here! Better than porn!"
"I'd normally ignore you for saying that, but god damn it you're right!"
"Fuck yeah I'm right!"
Me and Chihiri were on our toes with excitement. This was THE first fantasy styled combat I've seen in my life, and it blew my mind like a nuclear bomb. Sure I saw some movie or anime with stellar combat, but they were just that, not real. Oh and most importantly, didn't have motherfreaking dragons and fire genies in real life! If I knew first hand that it'd be this awesome, I would've brought the best camera I could find and recorded every second of it. In fact, Chihiri was on her knees hitting the ground right now, regretting that she missed the opportunity to record any of the action, cause I know for a fact that she does have a good camera on her. Why she has that is a question I'd best not answer here.
"I guess you two liked what you saw?"
"Yeah! Definitely! Now I see why people like dragonic clans!"
"So that's how boosting looks like. I can't wait to see how Amaterasu will use this!"
"Now that's where you're wrong Itou."
"Huh? I, am?"
"The thing that our units did just now, that wasn't boosting. In fact not even the slightest."
"B, But that was totally boosting! Y, You're joking with us, right?"
Ryuichi san's words confused Chihiri and myself alike. Ryuichi san and Kuran called their units to show me how boosting works, and true to his words the called units fought hand in hand together. If I'm not wrong, boosting meant helping/aiding and that's exactly what we just saw, but now he's telling me it's not? It was like hearing one of those old riddles where there is no answer. Seeing that this was nothing like the actual game's rule, it made me beg the question. How DOES a proper boosting work?
"Okay, then what DID your units just do right now?"
"Simple, they just attacked a target together."
"...That definitely sounds like boosting to me!"
"But you see Chihiri san, that's only the rules from the game~ The maximum number of units you can put on the game are six, but you just saw me call over forty units to fix the damage Megacolony caused, remember?~ If the rules of the game applied here, then how could I've done that?~"
"T, That's true..."
"Makes sense, cause we were chased by at least a hundred Tail joes today."
"It's like that. There's no turns on who gets to attack, or which units get to attack. No six damage or decking out to win. The only rules are the same as real life combat. No limits but yourself. There IS a few rules resembling the game, like the one you have to call the units in order from their grades, but forbidding that is more of a penalty than rule breaking. It's not like you automatically lose if you call a grade 3 first. Instead you only feel the pain of almost dying. What you guys saw were units just attacking together, because there's no rules of attacking only once and alone."
"I, think I get it? But let's get back to the topic at hand. If units attacking together aren't considered boosting, than what IS?"
"That, I'm going to show you guys right now. Kuran, you too."
"Righto!~"
Even though the two haven't said anything yet, one of their three units stepped forward to their individual pioneer. Obviously enough, it was the ones who didn't get to participate.
"Alright! Now it's my time to shine! My claws have been aching just watching those guys having fun you know!"
"Aermo and Red pulse have done well. I shuddered the thought that they'd stain the Kagero name, but it seems they haven't skipped their training."
"Indeed, myself. But the time is now ours. Let us show the newcomers the strength of a flame dragon."
Berserk dragon and Demolition dragon was warming up as if they knew it was their time to shine. Demolition's blade like claws and Berserk's enormous jaw full of teeth were fully ready to smash something. Other than that they're huge dragons, I didn't see what made them different from the other two units who attacked. There must be a reason why Ryuichi san and Kuran didn't have them attack until now.
"Who do you want to pair up, Berserk?~"
"You already know, Kuran."
"Red pulse will aid me."
"Hahah, I guess it's obvious~"
"What about you, Demolition? You COULD aid Thunderstorm."
"Yeah right! I didn't wait for my turn just to stand back and boost someone else! I'm going to be the one in the offense!"
"I know, I know. I'm just messing with you."
"Linchu, get over here! You're gonna have my back!"
Berserk and Demolition each picked Red pulse and Linchu. Red pulse was noticeably tense as he carefully approached Berserk dragon like he was scared. Linchu on the other hand, grew a smile on his face and rushed out to Demolition, probably happy that he got to participate one more time.
"Whoo! I get to go again! I'm gonna make you extra strong, Demolition!"
"Y, You can count on me, sir! I, I hope I can do this right..."
"Hmmm, I guess I'll have to let out new dummy bots."
"Yes please! I don't want to fight an already broken junk!"
"We think the same."
"There's no honor of slaying a fallen enemy."
Ryuichi san pressed the button from the console again and two identically same dummy bots rose from the ground up. I couldn't see it the first time, but now I know where the first bots came from. That got me thinking, just what is beneath this hideout? The mirror room and the bots all came from the ground. Was there like an army of robots hidden down there? If that's the case, that'd be freaking awesome.
My imaginations aside, there was actually something different to the bots from the first two. The armor that they're wearing was sturdier, and now that I look at it it's slightly bigger too. These ones were definitely tougher than the first bots. It was going to take a lot to damage those hunk of metal.
"Alright guys, do your thing."
"Go wild!~"
Ryuichi san and Kuran gave their units the go. However unlike their thirst for combat, none of the units attacked the bots right from the start, and that included Berserk and Demolition who were dying for their turn to get some action. Linchu and Red pulse just stood close to their partners while Berserk and Demolition stood still as if they were waiting for something. But what? That was when Linchu pointed his sword towards Demolition, and Red pulse reaching his tiny claws out towards Berserk.
""Boost!""
Linchu and Red pulse both shouted the word, and that's when their spiritual energy flowed outside of their bodies and right into their partner's. It kinda resembled the way pioneers calls their units. It was definitely different from just attacking together.
"So that's how boosting works... Good to know."
"It certainly looks the part. But are they stronger now? I don't see the difference."
"Keep watching."
"You two are in for a surprise~"
""What surprise?""
What was there more to see? The unit that absorbed the boosting unit's energy gets stronger, it was a simple thing to understand. What I was about to see blew my expectations out of the water.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! W, What's happening?!"
"T, Their bodies are!..."
Absorbing spiritual energy wasn't the end for Berserk and Demolition. Right after they took in the boosting unit's energy, something was happening to the two units. Metallic shards of cobalt and gold kept sprouting out of Demolition's back and kept growing. Berserk's two claws turned into a dark boiling liquid, that quickly twisted and turned to take a new form.
When the changes were done, Berserk and Demolition let out a loud savage cry.
"Raaahhh!"
"Huuuaaaa!"
Demolition's back changed and now had a set of wings, every part of it made by sharp metal blades. The blade's color was the combination of gold and cobalt, which matched perfectly with Demolition's own scales. He flapped his new wings, and the ringing sounds of sharp metal bounced loudly around the hideout's walls. The sounds alone seemed sharp enough to give all of us a paper cut.
Berserk's claws were already dangerous, enough to rip metal apart. But now it turned into a mechanical claw that looked much more dangerous then before. Black and brutish metal parts covered the entirety of Berserk's claws, and soon I realized a brand new function for his claws. Two huge barrels had gotten fused with each of his claw, and a black red rocket was poking out from each of the holes. His arms were also a rocket launcher, a one that could fire a total of twelve rockets in one shot.
Their new weapons were brutal. I can't even begin to imagine what kind of destruction those two can unleash with them. But of course, that did not take very long for me to realize.
"Shard, wings!"
"Bomber, claws!"
Demolition flapped his wings with great force, as a strong gust of wind roared and charged right towards one of the bots, while Berserk launched a barrage of rockets from his arms, with every single one flying swiftly to the other bot.
KRAGAGAKKKKKKK!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
An orchestra of destruction bombarded our ears, as a war zone was happening right in front of our very eyes.
The gust of wind from Demolition's wings were extremely lethal, that all of the bot's thick armor were cut down to pieces in mere seconds. It was like the wind itself were thousands of invisible blades, endlessly slicing and dicing away at every part of the armor. When the armor was no more the bot's body was next as the lethal wind cut deeply into the metal, eventually being cut into tens of tiny pieces.
The first rocket exploded the second it touched the bot, blasting away it's front armor instantly. The other eleven rockets however came all at once, and with an enormous explosion of fire and destruction, the ground roared uncontrollably as if it was going to collapse. Inside the caved ground and fire, there was almost nothing left of the bot but small broken pieces of it.
The bots that is supposed to be more tougher, was now sliced like thin cheese while the other was literally a pile of nuts and bolts. This was only the one unit attacking it, and yet it did even more damage than two units attacking together.
"Now that's what you call boosting."
"What the hell... I, I don't know what I just saw! I mean it was definitely awesome, but... Wha?!"
"It IS kinda confusing if you see this for the first time~ I did and so did Ryuichi san~"
"No kidding! I mean, Berserk and Demolition's body... 'changed' into something! What can you say to that other than, 'What the fuck'?!"
Chihiri was thrilled, but that thrill was a little bit too much for her that she couldn't stop shaking. But to be fair, everyone would react like her, or even worse if they saw a literal war zone happen in front of them.
"Language, Chihiri. What do you think, Itou?"
Ryuichi san turned to me and asked about my thoughts. My legs were still shaking from all that destruction, that I felt like I could just fall over if I relax my muscles for even a second. Without biting my own tongue I told him what I was thinking.
"O, Other than I almost wet my pants? I think... it's not like changing. More like different features got added to parts of their bodies."
"Huh... That reminds me, the blades on Demolition's wing looked like Linchu's! A, And Berserk's arm rockets resembled Red pulse's weapon!"
"You're both correct. You see..."
"Uh, Ryuichi? Can I be the one to explain? I mean, I've just been standing here NOT blowing things up and by sweet Nuvelle vague, I'm bored off my ass!"
Descendant strongly insisted that she'd do the explaining to us. It seemed Descendant was going to lose it if she had to keep staying still doing nothing for one more second. I didn't understand why she couldn't just join in with Demolition and the others, but then it hit me, she was a grade three unit called in human form. If she uses her powers that'd mean serious trouble for Ryuichi san. So yeah, explaining actually was the only thing she was able to do in her state.
It's a good thing Chain blast went back to his card cause if he was here right now, I could see the two of them fighting over who gets the role. He definitely seemed the type who couldn't stand doing nothing.
"All right, why not? It's all yours."
"Thank you! Alright guys here's the thing. There exists certain compatibilities between units. Usually boosting works like you would think it'd go, that is to say lending one's spiritual energy into another to strengthen them. But if a certain unit boosts a certain other unit, the effects of the boost changes and gets much stronger. There are a number of these unique versions, but what you guys saw today is one of the version 'Link morphing', which one's power is literally morphed to the other unit's body. Linchu and Demolition has compatibility with each other, and with the effect of Link morphing Linchu's sword fused with Demolition's body to make a wing of blades."
"Link morphing... Does it hurt? I mean Demolition just grew hundreds of sharp metal from his back."
"Not at all! Linchu's spiritual energy, or in this case his blade completely fused with my body, so it feels and works as if it's a part of me! And FYI, I can even fly with these babies!"
Demolition flew straight up six stories off the ground with powerful wing claps, and after three seconds of flight he landed smoothly back to the ground. He more then proved his point with that stunt.
"Uh, I'm curious, so Linchu and Demolition is compatible with each other right? Does that mean Linchu is the only one who can do this 'Link morphing' thing with Demolition?"
"What? No! Do you know how much of a hassle it'll be if units are only compatible with just one? All the forces on Cray wouldn't have been HALF as strong if that was the case. Thankfully units are able to have several compatibility with other units. For instance, Linchu or even Demolition can boost me, Thunderstorm, and several others in Narukami. Of course, if they're compatible with them."
"Oh! I have one! I have one!"
"Whoa there, Chihiri! Calm down, no need to bounce up and everything. What is it?"
"Yeah so like, can Kagero units boost you or any other Narukami units? I just had this thought that it'd look super rad if a flame dragon can also breath lightning! If you're compatible with them is it possible?"
"I guess you thought of that because we're both dragonic clans, right? I hate to break it to you, but that's not how it works. Other units can't boost units from different clans. The frequency of our spiritual energy doesn't match well with clans that aren't us. All the other clans tried to make it work for generations, but nothing changed. I think it's good this way. We're all different from each other, and it's that what defines our powers, our clan, and ultimately ourselves."
"A good point. Still, that would've been frickin awesome if you were able to breath fire too!"
Chihiri sighed in disappointment but it didn't take long for her to get over it. What Descendant said was more than a simple explanation. It was her way of seeing the world around her, which all the other units including Kagero, nodded their heads and agreed with what she said. It made me appreciate that these fictional beings that came from a card game are really alive.
I was curious. What else do they think? What's their story? How did they live their lives on Cray and here? I was like a kid watching his first movie in theaters. I just wanted to know more about them.
"Can I ask something to Thunderstorm next? How's his dragoon-"
"Yeah, I think this is enough for demonstrations. Thanks for your help Descendant, and all of you guys too."
"Take a quick break guys~ You all did great!~"
"What? B, But there's a lot I want to ask them about! Just a couple of questions, please?"
"I'll give you your chance next time. Right now, I just want to grab a bite outside."
"Come on Itou, chill for a bit. You're acting like a bad fanboy here. So why don't we leave Ryuichi san and Kuran's units alone, and let's eat some friendly free dinner together!"
"You're just saying that cause you're also hungry, right?"
"And you're not?"
"...Starving..."
Cooling my head for a second made me realize I was acting a bit rude back there. I was so amazed by their units that I forgot to think about anything else. Knowing that my face turned red like a tomato, while I covered my face with my hand in regret. I was literally begging Ryuichi san for permission. Even a ten year old would have more dignity than that. I apologized to Ryuichi san the second I had the chance, and thankfully he didn't seem to mind it very much.
While I was wishing to forget my stupid mistakes, Kuran and Ryuichi san were talking with their units respectively.
"How was my fireworks, Kuran? It was blasting wasn't it?"
"Yup!~ Sure did!~ Oh, and did you do something with your hair?~ It looks more red and hotter!~"
"I did actually! I put some high grade charcoal today and it works great!"
"K, Kuran! Look at my horns! I, I think they grew a bit bigger than last time!"
"Really?~ Let me see!~"
"It seems you've done well in combat, Kuran. Not even a scratch is on your body."
"For that, 'we' praise you."
"Heheh, thanks Berserk heads!~ Just you wait~ I'm gonna get even more stronger so you'll have to praise me a lot more!~"
"G, Good day mister Berserk dragon! Red pulse reporting for duty!"
"This is not the battlefield, young one."
"You may speak to me at ease."
"Y, Yes sirs!"
Kuran's units interacted with her very well. Even though they looked nothing alike, the units treated her like she was their own, and Kuran treated them back with kindness and joy. Kuran seemed truly happy to be with them, and the units felt the same as her.
"Hey guys! Looks like you guys had some fun!"
"Onee san?!"
""Descendant, sir!""
"Come on, at ease you three. That sword working out for you, Linchu? Your swing seemed a little off today for some reason."
"I, I don't know what you're t,talking about, n, nee san!"
"Really? I'd be happy to take a look if you want."
"N, No! I can d, do it myself!..."
"...Guys is it just me, or does it look like Linchu have feelings for Descendant?"
"That kid? Seriously Ryuichi? He's just shy because he respects her. Besides, she is WAY out of his league!"
"I dunno. I've seen that kind of face before too many times."
"Well obviously, they're like totally different species."
"That's not what I meant."
"I agree with Demolition. If Linchu was truly seeking affection for lady Descendant, he would've started with the 'mating call'."
"...Thunderstorm, how do you know about that?"
"I've done it before."
""To your dragoon?!""
"ARE YOU TWO INSANE?!"
Ryuichi san wasn't as close as Kuran and her units, but they were definitely close enough to throw jokes at each other. Instead of being like family they were more close to being friends, which isn't all that bad. It's true that sometimes friends could help more than family. Friend or family, the two of them looked happy with the relationship that they have with their units.
Then I wondered, what would my relationship be like with my own units? More specifically, with me and Amaterasu? It's obvious that we had a bumpy start, with me threatening her to burn her, and now things still aren't looking great with her staying dead silent.
I wish that could change, I truly do. I want us to be close, to talk to each other about trivial stuff, to have a great time and make memories, watch each other's backs when needed. If she doesn't want to then it's still fine. I admit that I don't deserve someone as great as her, I made her cry after all. Even if we couldn't be like Kuran or Ryuichi san, I just want her to be happy, that's all I...
"Master?"
"Wha?! A, Amaterasu! Y, You can talk again!"
Along with her sudden voice, Amaterasu's half transparent form appeared right next to me. She gave me a faint smile as she slightly lowered her head and bowed. The mere hours past seemed like weeks when I last saw her. If there weren't all these eyes focusing on us, I would've immediately jumped out to hug her.
"Y, Yes. I, It wasn't my intention to ignore you master, I wish you could understand that. I just... thought it would be better if I stayed mute."
"You should've at least said something, I was worried about you! I thought you were still hurt or something. By the way, are you? C, Cause if that's the case y, you don't have to! J, Just rest all you want!"
"N, No, I'm fine. Thank you for your concern master..."
"Hey! Amaterasu! Good to see you again! Damn, the hole on your chest is really gone!"
"So his unit really is Amaterasu. She looks better then on the card, so that's good."
"Wow~ She's so pretty!~ I wanna try and touch her dress, it looks so silky~"
This was the first time Ryuichi san and Kuran saw Amaterasu, and aside a few their reactions were very normal. As simple as a person meeting someone new. Then again Ryuichi san and Kuran must've have seen hundreds of units for countless of times, so this probably won't be such a big deal for them unlike me and Chihiri.
It was good to see Amaterasu talking again. It felt like a magic spell being lifted. Although, why did she suddenly decide to end her silence? That was the question I was asking myself. But to tell the truth, it doesn't really matter. She had some time to think and got over it. Asking her would just surface her troubles again, and that was something I wanted to avoid.
"Master, I'm... I'm truly sorry... Because of my lack of knowledge, you were gravely wounded... I, I'm not sure if I'm even worthy of fighting side by side with you... Please, don't forgive me master..."
"Don't be like that Amaterasu. You and I are fine now and that's what matters. It's not your fault so don't worry about it anymore."
"'Don't worry?'... I, It is my fault! It was my responsibility to protect you and I've failed! H, How could you get over the fact that you've almost died?! Why aren't you taking this-"
"If you think about it, it's kind of my fault too."
"..What?..."
"I made you cry, right? What kind of man would I be, if I leave a beautiful girl like you in tears? Now that makes us even. Oh, good timing. I'd like you to meet Ryuichi san and Kuran."
I was looking forward to introducing her to our new allies. With her kind personality I'm certain that she would go along with every-
"AM I A JOKE TO YOU?!"
Amaterasu hollered with all her might. I stopped dead in my tracks and looked back at her in shock. It was a sound I've never expected to come from someone who was so determined and happy. Sadness, anger, disappointment and despair, those were what escaped from Amaterasu's mouth.
"A, Amaterasu? W, What's wrong?"
Cautiously I asked but she didn't answer. Amaterasu kept looking at the ground as she refused to make eye contact with me. Something was terribly wrong. It must've been something I've said, but what?
A joke? I've never treated or even thought of her as a joke. If there was anyone who IS a joke it's would be me, not Amaterasu. I've done nothing but screw up and get protected by her, and I made sure to remind Amaterasu that it isn't her fault. I honestly had no idea, and at the same time I couldn't ask her myself. I've never heard someone scream out with so much despair before, that it was almost frightening.
After a few seconds of silence Amaterasu let out a deep sigh. When it seemed she was going to raise her head, that was when I had a gut feeling. That something very wrong was going to happen. And unfortunately, I was right.
"It seems, I've made a mistake... I now know that... I'm not worthy of you, master... I was still not ready."
"W,, What?! W, What do you mean?! Why are you saying this?"
"It's all clear now. If I'm with you it'll only bring pain for both of us. I'm sorry... and goodbye."
Amaterasu smiled as if a burden was lifted from her. And yet she was crying. Tears dropped from her smiling eyes as it ran down her white cheeks. I didn't want to listen to her goodbye. I couldn't let her say farewell. I reached out my hand even when I knew I couldn't touch her.
"Amaterasu! Wait!"
When it seemed I could reach her she was gone. I immediately looked around all of my surroundings but Amaterasu was nowhere to be seen. Her spiritual form had disappeared without a trace, and the hand that I reached out was touching nothing but empty space. The bad feelings didn't go away and kept growing like live vines. I desperately took out Amaterasu's card, hoping I could change her mind. But it was too late.
"She's not here... She's not here!"
"What are you talking about? You're holding her card!"
"I know! But she's isn't on it anymore! Her portrait's gone!"
"What?! L, Let me see!"
Hearing my cries Chihiri quickly ran to see the card I was holding. When she did her shoulders flinched as she was almost as shocked as I was.
Amaterasu wasn't even on her own card. The space where there should be Amaterasu had turned pitch black and empty, as if there was nothing there in the first place. Kuran rushed in next to us and saw the empty card herself with surprise.
"Eek! She's really not there! Where did she go? Did any of you guys see where she went?"
"The goddess have disappeared? What's the reason?"
"We've not seen her. Wherever she went, we're at least sure she left THIS place. What of you, young one?"
"I, I haven't s, sirs! Sorry Kuran, I don't have a clue..."
"If you can't sense her spiritual energy that means she's really gone. Thank god that's not the cas.. Wait... Oh my god! She's really gone?!"
"Aermo..."
She asked three of her units but none of them had any idea about Amaterasu's whereabouts.
"What should I do.. What should I..."
"Did this ever happen to you, Kuran?"
"No. None of my units tried to leave me. This is actually the first I've seen it happen. Does this mean, she's really gone?"
"D, Don't say that!"
Kuran's words were like nails on a coffin. If this was something that even Kuran didn't know, then the possibility of finding her back seemed very thin. But then I heard a different answer.
"Relax. She ain't gone, not permanently at least."
Ryuichi san was the only one who didn't see the card. The second he heard Amaterasu was gone he sat down at his rolling chair and operated the console's controls. The huge screen turned to the map of Tokyo. With a few more clicks from his keyboard the map changed as loops of blue waves spread across the entirety of Tokyo. The waves spread out the map in a fixed rhythm as would a radar would do.
"A radar? Is she somewhere in the city?"
"From what I know, bonded units don't go too far from their pioneers. I mean, it could still be far but at least I know she won't be out of the city."
"Does that mean some of your unit ran away from you Ryuichi san?"
"...Let's just say Descendant and I had some... problems back then."
"With onee san?! This is the first time I'm hearing this!"
"Yeah, that being Ryuichi was a dick at that time."
"So there was a time you were a dick, huh. Kind of hard to imagine know."
"Well aren't you a snowflake, Thunderstorm. You're forgetting just how Ryuichi can be dickish sometimes."
"Shut it Demolition. Look, can we just focus on finding Amaterasu? Oh, wait. I think I got something."
"You found her?! Where is she?!"
Ryuichi san pressed one final button as something appeared on the map. A blinking red dot was glowing at a certain location. It was at a large building which stood out from all the other buildings around even when the size was minimized. A small box of text appeared at the dot. Along with numbers of the area's coordinates, it read 'Shinra department store'.
"Shinra department store? Hey that's Shibuya! That place is brand new, just opened last month!"
"Is the map sure Ryuichi san?"
"I'll bet my name it is."
"Alright, then that's where I'll go. Chihiri, you stay here with Ryuichi san and Kuran."
"Sure, leave it to the guy who's still clueless why she left? Trust me man, you're gonna need me."
As always Chihiri didn't know when to listen. To tell the truth, having her with me would be encouraging. But this was my problem to fix. I'd be embarrassed to call myself a pioneer if I couldn't solve this on my own.
But soon, I learned that she wasn't alone.
"I don't know about Chihiri, but I guess I could tag along."
"Wait, Ryuichi san too?!"
"Then I guess I'm going too!~"
"Kuran?! Okay guys, what the hell?"
For some reason Ryuichi san and Kuran also volunteered to join me. Two is already more than enough, four is basically a raid party. I'd be surprised if Amaterasu doesn't run away when we look like a hunting party.
"There's a chance that Amaterasu could run away if she sees you, and that means you're gonna have to chase her AGAIN. I'm going to make sure that doesn't happen."
"Why does that sound like you're going to plant a trap?! Is this actually a hunt?! Please! Don't make Amaterasu hate me more than she does!"
"She doesn't... Hey, I'm not saying I'm gonna hurt her, I won't. I just want to help. We're a team now, so give me a chance to help you as your senior, okay?"
"I want to help too!~ I'm not a senior or anything, but I don't want to leave someone who needs help!~ So count me in!~"
Now that I know their intentions are actually pure, it got harder to refuse their offer. There is a saying of more the merrier, but according to that logic that's also how forest fire starts.
"Okay, let's go to Amaterasu, I guess. Still, thanks you guys."
"What're bros for."
"No prob!~"
"You're welcome."
I decided to embrace the forest fire. I only hope Amaterasu doesn't pass out once she sees us all together.
"Oh, can we grab something while we're going? It won't take long."
"You must be really hungry, Ryuichi san."
"While we're on it, should we grab something for Amaterasu?"
"I hope she likes something mea-"
BEEP- BEEP- BEEP- BEEP- BEEP- BEEP- BEEP-
Suddenly the loud sound of sirens started to ring all over the place. The word 'CAUTION' appeared at the dead center of the screen which showed the map. It was like the place was going to blow itself up.
"What's going on?!"
"God that's loud! What is this alarm even for?!"
"Ugh!... Hang on. I'll turn it off."
Luckily that wasn't the case as Ryuichi san turned off the alarm manually. However, after the text on the screen faded there was something new. There was only one dot on the map, which that was Amaterasu.
"Oh."
But now there was another. A blue one. It wasn't close from here, but it wasn't too far either. Who, or what was this?
"What... is that?..."
But more importantly, was it our enemy? Ryuichi san who knew exactly what the alarm was, stared dead at the screen for a couple of seconds and sighed. He then answered in a very cautious tone.
"Trouble."
Aww... No reviews... Sad...
Current Pioneers:
Itou Akasaka- Oracle think tank
Kuran Shiina- Kagero
Ryuichi Akai- Narukami