Disclaimer: I don't own Kamen Rider Faiz or Monster High G1. They belong to their respective creators, namely Toei and Mattel. For those that will ask, this story takes inspiration from Ten-Faced Paladin's story, Knights of the Otherworld. I write this as a fan of both franchises, wanting to make something as awesome and awe-inspiring like their stories. Feel free to comment.
The Champions of Monster High
By Yutilov
Chapter 2: New School & Dodgeskull Game
Welcome back! I know you're all anxious for the ibento's that will happen today, but first let's do a quick recap! And... HAJIME!
After 15 years old student, Blake Wolfson, finds a strange book in the library and opens it, him and other four students of Saint Brahm Academy are transported in a world where the monsters they've only heard in legends and scary stories are real. To be more precise they are now residing in the town of New Salem.
Their gracious host, that's ore, has welcomed them like they're kamis descending from above, not giving them a scare with my fox fire, mind you! But before the all-wise master of sorcery greater than that silly Merlin could enlighten them about their purpose, the rebel of the group cough... Blake Wolfson, has decided to reject the calling of unmei and leave. But unfortunately for him, unmei, or fate had other plans, and pushed him into a fight against one of the otherworldly beings that began to mysteriously manifest in New Salem, the Orphenoch.
Thanks to me, obviously, the young Blake transformed into an armored eiyuu and defeated the vile creature, plus saving the life of a werewolf girl he encountered by fate.
Soon, he realized cough... even if he doesn't want to admit it, that he couldn't let others suffer a similar fate, and him and the others decided to remain in this world and fight the threat of the Orphenoch.
(*)
After the sweet dish, Seimei offered to give Blake and the others a tour of the place. Most likely to not answer their further questions about their next course of action. Only saying that the human side isn't that much different from their world, but refused to divulge about the monster side or answer some anticipated questions like the strange armor that protected him from the fish-creature, or how time runs in here and their world...
He then presented them the rooms, which were not that many, but this place was definetly bigger than it looks on the outside as it consists of the main room of the cafe, a regular kitchen, a storage room, and a room styled like a japanese dojo for combat training, plus next to it, a door that said garage. He didn't let any of them enter and said that he can't let them see the place yet. Finally, ending this short tour with the sleeping quarters. Blake soon wasn't happy to find out that there was just a simple and small room with five beds arranged to somehow fit.
He already couldn't stand the two-faced 'Mickey' or the loud adventure and party maniac Leon before in the Academy, and now he had to sleep in the same room as them?
This is a nightmare...
(*)
The next day, the morning sun of the human side peeks through the windows of the cafe where Blake and the others have awakend and gathered in their previous wardrobe to have a meal and start their very first day as 'the protectors of New Salem' as Seimei puts it. At least he made them breakfast consisting of the classic american eggs & bacon with orange juice.
"Good morning, gakis!" Seimei announced from his seat. "Come and have a bite!"
As he and the others take their seats around the table, Blake couldn't help but notice the food on the plates looks and smells delicious, and his stomach rumbles in anticipation. Well, he can't hate a good meal, even if it was made by a sketchy guy with fox ears.
He wasn't a morning person and just like the others, he didn't know what to expect from their so-called 'hero training', but at least one true good thing that came out of accepting to stay in this world, and that is...
"So, what's the plan for today?" Leon asked, all while shoveling a forkful of eggs into his mouth. "Sword fighting or kung fu lessons? Nah! Too soon! First we need to get each other some cool code names! I want to be The Lion, and not for whatever reason you're thinking."
Seimei chuckled and replied. "While, I admire your enthusiam, young Leon, I have first some great news." he announced, getting the teens attention. "I'm glad to tell you that I have made a call to an old friend of mine and sorta got you enrolled in a school!"
"School?" Blake repeats, catching all off guard with these news while he was trying to keep his temper in check. The only good thing that he had since coming here was the fact that he wouldn't have to go to school of any kind!
Seimei, noticing Blake's reaction, tries to hide his smile, "Yes, school. You see, even eiyuu's need to go to school and that goes double or five times more for young unprepared eiyuu's like you."
"No way..." uttered Leon in dissapointment.
"Unfortunately, I don't understand the logic behind such an action, Mr. Seimei," 'Mickey' stated, finishing his glass of orange juice. "Our current purpose is combating the lifeforms, namely Orphenoch without alerting humanity and even monsterkind of their existence. Sending us to an actual school, just like you stated in our cover story for the Academy in our home reality, while it will lessen the amount of lies we shall inevitably have to tell in order to not arouse further suspicions in possible future events, it could bring unnecesary complications."
"Wow... You catch on pretty quickly, shounen." uttered Seimei with a surprised smile. "Very few are able to do that when I'm involved, and I can't say I've been surprised that much in my long lifespan."
Blake rolled his eyes at the comment. "Yes, yes! We get it! You two are much alike! Now I hate the thought to even agree with Mr. Superior over here, but he's right! It's all bullzhit!" he said, as he blinked, very aware of what he said last. He then glared at Seimei. "What the duck did you do!?" he demanded, once again blinking in shock to what he said. Seimei just gave him a wide toothy smile.
"It's a hi-mi-tsu!"
Seimei's cryptic response only serves to further anger Blake, who scowls and crosses his arms while Leon is struggling to not explode in laughter.
"When I think I can't hate it anymore in here, you gave me more reasons to do."
"Don't be gloomy, young Blake!" Seimei reassured him, snapping his fingers as a cup of hot coffee appears next to the long-haired teen. "It's your first day at school, after all."
"But still man!" cried Leon, lowering his head. "I wanted some sweet action on my first day, not to go back to school!"
"That's where you are wrong, gaki!" Seimei began. "While I'm still very glad that you all accepted my request, I can't have you spend all your time in my cafe or in other tasks without socializing with others from this town! It's not, what was the ningen word, healthy! It's not healthy for you!"
"It could help us adapt better to this world and the surroundings," Ken added, much to Blake's dismay.
"Indeed, gaki. Now, finish your breakfast, and we'll meet outside to drive you for your first day, no objections!" He declared, snapping his fingers and dissapearing in a cloud of smoke.
Now, all are unsure of what to make of their host's latest announcement. Seems that other than him, Leon, and somehow even 'Mickey', Ken and Maximilian didn't object or seemed to affected, resuming their breakfast.
"It seems we don't have much of a choice regarding this topic," 'Mickey' said, almost sighing.
"You're telling me," uttered Blake, blowing on the hot coffee.
(*)
After finishing their breakfast, the five teens have now gathered outside in the sunny street of the cafe with Seimei waiting for them. When they got transported in here, other than their phones which don't have any signal and their actual school uniforms, or regular clothes in Blake's case, they didn't have anything like backpacks or notebooks, the basics for school. They'll have to do without them for today or their new school would likely supply them.
But this isn't the main concern, as while the teens didn't know enough about their host since he quickly evades questions, all thought that someone like him has more than enough money and the personality to own a spectacular vehicle to match it... Unfortunately they were very wrong.
"This is the first day in school again..." uttered Leon, losing all bravado as fear was obvious in his voice. "My parents drove me to school in the first day with their damaged car from a safari just to save money... I became the laughting stock of my prep school..." he uttered, all of them sharing now the somewhat similar feeling in spite of it. When they got out, all of them hoped to find something like a futuristic car that can fly, or a sports car banned in half the countries in this world, or something that matched Seimei prideful and questionable personality... Instead in front of them was a pitiful minivan damaged by rust and dust with flat tires.
"It's madness..." Blake started, staring at the rusty vehicle. "Is this some kind of joke? We can't go to whatever school you signed us for in this junk!"
"No, no!" Seimei replied from the driver's seat, waving his hands dismissively. "This is not gomi. It's a perfectly good and stylish vehicle!"
The five teenagers looked at each other in disbelief as they slowly approached the minivan. Leon tried to open one of the doors, but it was jammed shut because of the rust. Blake kicked one tire, causing dust to flake off and for more air to escape the tire.
"What the heck are we going to do, guys?!" Leon asked, looking around desperately. "In a new school, first impressions matter the most! And this!" he pointed to the minivan. "This one will ruin us!"
"I must agree," 'Mickey' confirmed. "First impression matter not just in an educational institution, but also in other areas like employement or social meetings." he then turned to face Seimei from his seat. "Unfortunately Mr. Seimei, this vehicle does not help with our current ordeal to adapt at a new school without attracting unnecesary attention unto ourselves and our guise."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk... You gakis are really pretentious," Seimei chided them. "This car may not look like much now, but once you give it a little ai and care, it'll be as good as new! Trust me, I know what I'm saying."
"I seriously doubt that," Blake remarked, but he kept his doubts to himself. After all, it wasn't like they had any other choice but to trust their eccentric host. With a sigh, he and the others reluctantly climbed into the minivan, some wincing at the rusty metal scraping against their clothes.
As they all piled in the back, it became clear that the interior was just as bad as the exterior. The seats were torn and stained, and the dashboard was covered in a thick layer of dust. Maximilian couldn't help but wrinkle his nose at the musty smell that filled the air.
Now that all are settled into their respective seats, Seimei started up the minivan with a triumphant smile on his face.
"See shounens? This car already runs like smooth!" he exclaimed proudly. The engine sputtered and coughed before finally catching, but it managed to get them moving.
As the minivan pulled out of the parking lot, the five teenagers couldn't help but exchange awkward glances. They were all thinking the same thing: how are they going to a new school in this eyesore of a vehicle? Just as they were about to voice their concerns, Seimei spoke up cheerfully.
"Are you ready for the ride of your lives, gakis?"
The teenagers looked at each other, not sure what to expect. As Seimei drove down the road, the minivan began to pick up speed. Suddenly, he snapped his fingers, and with a loud roar, the minivan transformed before their eyes. The rusty exterior fell away and contorted right before their faces as every horrible detail that defined this car changed and became new.
The wheels grew bigger, the body became sleek and shiny, and the seats transformed into plush, comfortable red leather. Even the dashboard was replaced with a high-tech digital display. The teens jaws dropped as they stared in disbelief at the new vehicle they were sitting in. This wasn't even a minivan now. It was...
"A frickin limousine?!" exclaimed Leon with a wide grateful smile to Seimei. "I'm sorry for ever doubting you, dude!
Seimei just chuckled and waved his hand dismissively. "Don't mention it, don't mention it. I just have a knack for finding the hidden kanonseo in things, that's all." He grinned widely as he looked at the limousine's new exterior in the rearview mirror. "Probably my best work so far."
The others still couldn't believe their eyes. They had gone from a rusty old minivan to a sleek, high-tech limousine in a matter of seconds. They all glanced at each remade corner before turning back to Seimei.
"This is very amazing," said Ken in wonder. "How did you do this, Mr Seimei?"
"It's just a bit of knowing how to add and replace certain details, shounen," he said with a prideful smile. "A simple magic trick of mine that's quite helpful when you want to save a few greens."
"Alright. I admit this is awesome," Blake said with hesistation. "But still, to what school are we going? This is still a small town, and it can't have that many to begin with."
"Ah, now that's a secret," Seimei replied with a wink. "But trust me, it's a gakkou that you won't want to miss out on. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride to the most clawsome school ever. Oh, and don't forget to stick to the cover story for your academy in there." With that, he pulled back onto the road and sped off towards their destination. Right into the monster side of New Salem.
(*)
New Salem - Monster High
Monster High, a place located far away in the monster side of New Salem that most likely started off as a mansion at some point before it was converted into a place of learning. Even so, like most building in this side of New Salem, it still retained its awe-inspiring atmosphere meant to bring fear into a human heart. Every detail from its blistered walls that reject cleaniness, to its towers that reached upon the gloomy sky itself and even the glass pane windows that allowed a faint view into the dim hallways where faint shapes could be seen moving about in the hallways. At the front of the main steps where a pair of lifeless, stone gargoyles with giant books in their hands and the courtyard with students of various monster species lurking about their everyday business with a green swamp water fountain placed at the center. Truly every inch of Monster High screamed creepy and spooky, which made it the perfect place for the numerous monster teens who attended it.
There, standing outside in the courtyard was the wolf-eared girl from yesterday with a group of other girls, each having different monster features.
They were seen chatting, as the wolf girl is silently growling, and her other friends have looks that range from disbelief and raised eyebrows, to even ouright laughter.
"But I'm telling you ghouls! That's what happened!" the wolf girl shouted, as the other girls expressions became worried towards their friend.
"Uh, Clawdeen... Are you sure it wasn't a just a tiny cuckoo dream that you had?" asked a short girl with pink skin, dressed in pink with black hair done in pigtails, as fangs can be seen potruding from her mouth.
"Of course not!" growled the wolf girl. "I'm telling you, ghouls, it all happened!"
"Of course it all happened, dear. You expect us to believe you bumped into a normie after you forgot the sketches for Fear Fashion at your house, then chased after him at the border and got attacked by some sort of sea creature, right?" mocked a tan girl with pale-blue eyes, covered in bandages and jewels, her wardrobe consisting of a cocktail blue minidress and lace skirt.
"She's right, mate. It seems all too hard to swallow, especially the sea creature part. I've never seen or heard of such a monster back in my home ocean," added a girl with long blonde hair and cyan skin like a fish, and true to description she has fin-shaped ears, webbed-hands and fins on her arms and lower legs - all of them colored in a shade of cyan. Her outfit most distinctive trait being that she wears a black jacket and black sport shorts.
"Uuuggh!" uttered a girl with pale gray skin and light blue hair. Her outfit consisting of a white tank top with a pattern of cherries printed all over it and polka-dotted red capri trousers with black straps around the thighs and dawning black calf-high, high-heeled sneaker boots.
"Yeah, I guess Ghoulia is right. That fight scene between the sea creature and the robot actually sounded clawsome, mate," the fish-girl agreed. "It could make a spooktacular comic book."
"And don't forget the part where the robot saved Clawdeen by taking the hit meant for her! It's very romantic!" added the vampire girl.
"It wasn't clawsome or romantic at all!" the wolf girl snapped with a small blush. "And thanks to those peskin crows, I couldn't even see what happened, and suddenly they all vanished!"
"By vanished you mean?" the mummy girl asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Poof! Gone!" the wolf girl replied, receiving worries stares from her friends. "It's all crazy but those crows and that robot or whatever it was vanished, ghouls!"
"Story doesn't make sense. Like yak who doesn't like cold," replied a girl with light blue skin and long white hair as snowflakes seem to radiate from it, wearing a crystalline-like dress blending of various cold colours with white fur trims and two small tusks protruding from her mouth.
"Uh, I guess so, Abbey. But I don't think Clawdeen would have told us about this and insist it happened if it was just a dream," added a girl with pale green skin and stiches marks around her body with bolts around her neck, having black and white streaked hair and heterochromatic eyes, namely blue and green. Her attire consisting of a black and white school girl uniform with turquoise-green and black plaid collared minidress and striped platform heels with straps.
As the conversation continued, the wolf girl, Clawdeen, began to feel more and more frustrated. She knew what she had seen, but her friends were having a hard time believing her. She hasn't thankfully told them about the part where she's gone into the human side, but still! She'd seen a fish-like monster crawl out of the shadows of a tree and fighting what looked like a robot in the human side without anyone noticing! It doesn't make any sense, but she knew what she saw!
"Hello, girls. I hope I am not interrupting anything," said a voice that made all of them turn and face a tall woman. She has light skin with silver eyes and black hair tied in a tight bun. Her choice of clothing resembles fashions of the late 1820s. She wears a purple frock coat, a white frilled shirt, a red cravat, black trousers and black knee-high, high-heeled riding boots.
She is Headmistress Nora Bloodgood, the principal of Monster High, and in spite of looking human, she isn't one. She is a headless horsewoman as can be seen that her head is holded in her left hand, looking anxious around the entrance to the school. Upon seeing her like this, Clawdeen and the others exchange worried glances amongst themselves.
"Headmistress Bloodgood? What happened?" the stiched girl asks, stepping forward to address her.
The Headmistress sighed before speaking. "It seems I am expecting a visit from an old acquaintance."
The vampire girl raises an eyebrow. "Old acquaintance? You mean like a friend or someone special from your past, Headmistress?"
Bloodgood shakes her head. "No, not exactly like that, Draculaura. This monster and I have a... complicated history. He is someone that helped the school a long time ago in my first years as principal, but also caused it's share of trouble."
The girls exchange worried looks amongst themselves.
"Do you think they'll cause trouble again, Headmistress?" asks the stiched girl, her eyes widening with concern.
Headmistress Bloodgood sighs heavily, her head bobbing slightly. "I don't know. This morning I received a call from him regarding a special project he claimed it could take Monster High to it's next level, but refused to share any of the details. Only saying that he will make his appearance soon and I will understand when I see it."
"What does he mean by that?" scoffed the mummy girl. "It sounds like a cheap riddle."
Bloodgood frowns deeply, her brow furrowing with frustration. "I wish I knew, Cleo. This individual has always been cryptic and secretive. He enjoys playing games and testing people's and monsters mettle." She pauses for a moment, looking thoughtful.
"But if he has helped the school in the past, we should still give him a chance," says the stiched girl. The other girls nod in agreement, but they can't help but feel uneasy about the whole situation.
As they stand there discussing, a sudden honking sound startles them all. They turn to see what caused it and are met with a sight that takes their breath away.
Entering the school courtyard was a snow white limousine with black windows and a golden fox ornament in the front.
The girls gape in awe at the luxurious vehicle, as the front window lowers, revealing Seimei with a wide smile.
"Good to see you again, Bloodgood-chan~!" Seimei greeted her. "I hope I didn't make you wait."
"No, you did not, Mr. Abe no Seimei." Bloodgood replied curtly. "I was just expecting you."
"You know there's no need for any Mister or my full namae," Seimei smiled then shrugged. "After all, we're best friends with common goals!"
The teen monsters exchange confused glances as they watch the interaction between the headmistress and the fox-eared man.
As Seimei steps out of the limo, he looks around at the group of girls and raises an eyebrow. "Ah, I see you've gathered quite the ghoulish audience. Well, let's not keep them in suspense any longer." He approaches the limousine backdoor and curtly opened it, allowing four human teens dressed in sleek black uniforms with yellow trims to emerge. As they step out, the girls couldn't help but gasp in surprise.
"T-This is..." uttered Maximilian, his eyes widening in fear.
"Indeed," 'Mickey' nodded, narrowing his eyes at the teen monsters.
"Humans!?" shrieked the mummy girl, but what was even more, was the fact that after, a fifth human teen got out, and unlike the others, he wears normal clothes and a black jacket.
"YOU!" shouted the werewolf girl. That was the normie from yesterday!
"You know him, mate?" asks the fish girl.
"That's the normie I've been telling you about, ghouls!" exclaimed Clawdeen, pointing at him.
"Him?" asks the stiched girl. "Then that means-"
"No way!" exclaimed Leon, cutting her off and gazing like a curious child at the building then the monster teens. "A school for monsters! So awesome!" he declared with a wide smile.
"A school for monsters? Why am I not surprised?" Blake repeated, glaring at Seimei, then back to the wolf girl. "Good to see you again, I guess."
"What are you doing here?!" Clawdeen demanded as Blake unfazed points at Seimei.
"Always pointing to the fox, I see. Can't blame you, shounen," Seimei says with a wide smile. "And I think you have a few questions of your own, Bloodgood-chan?"
"I do have questions," Bloodgood replied cooly, her eyes narrowing slightly. "You haven't been specific enough in our early phone conversation, although I already have a theory regarding the presence of five human teens in the grounds of the school."
"These kids are from a private school in the faraway normie side, one of the very best in the country!" he explained with a grin, gesturing towards the five teens. "So, I took upon myself the role of guardian in the quest of finding them a good gakkou. A school for a special exchange program, and I though why not Monster High!"
"WHAT!!!" exclaimed both the wolf and mummy teens. The headmistress, however, remained calm and collected.
"I see. That is quite the proposition," Bloodgood said, raising an eyebrow.
"Indeed it is," Seimei agreed, nodding. "And I believe it's a chance that could help both sides to learn from each other, don't you~?"
"We shall discuss this further, but nonetheless," Bloodgood replied, her voice steady. She turned to the group of monster teens.
"Cleo, I want you with Lagoona and Frankie to give them a short tour of the school to better familiarise with it."
"WHAT!!!" shouted Cleo and Clawdeen again.
"Now now, there's no need to shout," Seimei chuckled. "I'm sure the boys are just as curious about your side of the world as you are about theirs."
"But... they're humans!" Cleo protested. "We can't let a bunch of normies attend Monster High!"
"Say something that's not obvious," Blake rolled his eyes, glaring at Seimei.
"Let's not jump to conclusions," Bloodgood intervened. "This is a unique opportunity for us to learn and grow, both as individuals and as a community." she added with a stern look. "If you don't agree, Cleo, I shall find others for this task."
"Ugh! Fine!" snapped the mummy girl, then pointed to the five humans. "Follow me!"
"Uh, see you later, Cleo," said the vampire girl, as the rest monster teens still didn't know what to make of all of this. All except the wolf girl, giving Blake a glare, gesturing that she's not done with him.
"When I thought things can't get worse," Blake sighed, getting the message behind her look. This day started almost as crazy then yesterday when they arrived in this world, but decided to ignore the feeling of karma and follow the bandaged girl with the others on their way.
(*)
In spite of the current behaviour of the mummy girl towards the humans, she tried to be a somehwhat decent, if not haughty guide as she with her friends led the group of five teens through the spooky, if not well-kept halls of the school and explaining which classrooms were where, which teachers to avoid angering, and where to find the cafeteria or creepataria as called by monsters and among the many classes like clawculus, home ick, or biteology to name the few of them, plus extracurricular activities and clubs, having all the same monster slang.
And of course, as they hurriedly moved along the halls during this tour, many monsters students that saw Blake and the others had similar reactions to those in the Maul. Either in awe, frightened, or animosity by their human presence. Almost makes him wonder just what the people of this town did for the monsters to have such negative responses to the five of them (who aren't even from this world) or if that's how it's always been. He shrugged it off, deciding not to let it bother him. It's not like it's his problem anyway.
As the tour went on, the stiched girl stopped on her tracks, deciding to confront the humans.
"S-So, what do you think of our school so far?" she asked with an anxious smile.
"Frankie! Don't talk to them!" the mummy girl ordered. "We present them the school and that's all!"
"But they haven't even spoken a word, let alone a mean one at all, mate," the fish-girl remarked. "It's rude to not ask how they feel."
"Ugh! Fine!" the mummy girl grumbled. "Please, tell us what do you think of our school, normies. Happy?"
"It's-" uttered Blake, as 'Mickey', stepped forward addressing her.
"I think I can speak for the rest of my fellow schoolmates and say that we are honoured to stand in such a fascinating institution," 'Mickey' said, putting on a polite smile. "We can't wait to learn more about your unique curriculum and maybe even make new friendships among the student body of Monster High." he nodded respectfully.
"That's spooktacular! And what about the rest of you, mates?" asked the fish-girl with a smile, awaiting their responses.
"This place is already awesome since second one. I love it!" exclaimed Leon full of his usual enthusiasm.
"It's all very incredible, no doubt," said Ken with a thin but obvious smile.
"Y-Yes! I-It's all amazing..." uttered Maximilian in his stuttered voice, trying in vain to hide the fact that he's actually shaking in fear.
"...It's fine," muttered Blake.
"However, we must admit that we are a bit overwhelmed by the... uniqueness of it all." The other teens nodded in agreement, except Blake who just sighed at 'Mickey' words.
The stiched girl smiled, seeming somewhat relieved by their response. "I understand what you're going through," she said. "I've been through the same experience when I first came here. But fear not, at Monster High, you are free to be whoever you are and embrace your freaky flaws!"
"That doesn't apply to normies," the mummy girl snorted.
Blake gritted his teeth at her comment. "Look, we get it, you aren't exactly thrilled to have us here," he said. "But we don't have much of a choice either."
"Y-You don't?" the stiched girl asks, small electricity pulsing from her bolts.
Blake shakes his head. "Not really," he admits. "We were kind of... called here against our will. So, we're just trying to make the best of it." He glances around at the others. It was the truth, even though he almost blew their cover because of his temper. He may not admit it, but he's still worried that him and the other will not survive in such a place where they're the only humans, and as much as he hates it, they all need to stick together, 'Mickey' included.
"Hmm... I see," the stitched girl said with a sad smile. "Well, we do want you to feel welcome here, so if there's anything you need or want to know, feel free to ask."
"...Wait, we haven't introduced ourselves yet!" she gasped then recomposed herself. "I'm Frankie, Frankie Stein." she pointed to herself.
"Like in Frankenstein?!" uttered Leon in his awe-filled excitement. "The Frankenstein?!"
"Yes?" she answered. "Dad always said he was known among normies, but I always thought he exagerrated."
"No way!" Leon exclaimed, excitedly shaking her hand, only for it to detach from her body, but still move. "So awesome!"
"...T-Thanks!" Frankie said with a blush, grabbing back her arm and reattach it.
The fish-girl smiled brightly. "And I'm Lagoona Blue!" she said, waving her webbed-hands enthusiastically. "Nice to meet you, mates!"
"As in The Creature from the Black Lagoon?!" asked the enthusiastic Leon, once again in awe.
"Uh, I don't know the monster you're talking about, sorry," Lagoona replied confused, much to Leon disappointment.
"Eh, one out of two still works," he muttered, regaining his smile, then turned to the mummy girl.
"If I must... I'm Cleo de Nile! The greatest and most fabulous ghoul to ever attend Monster High!" the mummy girl pridefully declared, not hiding her disdain for the newcomers. "Must have heard of my father, Ramses de Nile?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Nope, sorry," Leon apologized as it only made the mummy girl fume.
"Well, you will now!" Cleo said haughtily.
The stitched girl, Frankie, smiled at the group, trying to ease the tension. "Don't worry about Cleo," she said. "She's just a bit... protective of her dad's legacy. Now, eh, should we continue the tour? There is much left of Monster High we can-"
POOF!*
Suddenly, pink smoke fills the halls, and in its place stands Seimei with a stack of books and papers in his hands.
"Hello again, gakis!" Seimei greeted, ignoring the dumbfounded stares of the monster teens at his sudden appearance. He moved to the five humans and gave them a part of the books with a paper on top, revealing to be a school schedule with a pair of random numbers.
"I'm sorry for cutting off your tour, but I forgot talking with Bloodgood-chan can be so tiring sometimes. She always thinks I have a himitsu plan somewhere that would turn the school upside-down more than usual," he said nonchalantly, before turning to the teen monsters. "Oh, and sumimasen, sorry for appearing so out of sudden."
"I-It's alright, no spook," responded Frankie, trying to hide her confusion.
"Anyways, gakis," Seimei continued, "These are your schedules with your locker numbers above. You'll be attending Monster High just like everyone else... with a small exception."
"Exception?" Blake glared at him, before turning to look at the paper detailing their school schedule and doing the same with the others. "We're all having different classes." he uttered as the others checked their own schedules, confirming Blake's words. Other than lunch, they all had different classes or courses at different time intervals.
"Gomen, but the sticking point is that Bloodgood-chan got to pick your courses, and because of your exchange program, well... it was a bit tricky, especially since one of you is actually a first-year... Anyway, other than lunch and class breaks, you're on your own," Seimei revealed with a bit of hesistation, as his announcement is met with wide looks and groans, especially from Blake and a gulp from Maximilian. So much for sticking together.
"Well, I guess that means we'll be seeing a lot of each other during lunch and breaks. Hope we don't get lost looking for our classes," Leon quipped, trying to make the best of the situation and to cheer the others.
The monster teens, Frankie and Lagoona, despite their initial confusion, couldn't help but chuckle at Leon's attempt at humor.
"You're not wrong on that one, mate. The school is quite big, especially if you get lost in the catacombs underground," Lagoona agreed. "But don't worry, I just have a feeling you'll fit right in even if you can't attend the same classes."
"Other than you two, the others in this school don't seem as friendly." Blake drily remarked.
"Not everyone is bad once you get to know them," Frankie assured him with a confident smile. "And it's natural to be a bit different, monster or normie aside. That's what makes Monster High so special."
Blake could only sigh, still unconvinced, but decided to remain silent.
"Thank you for the encouraging words. We better head to our first classes, then," 'Mickey' said, trying to change the subject. "I apologize, but we must end the tour and go to our separate schedules before the bell rings."
"Finally something we can agree on!" Cleo exclaimed with a smile and nodded in agreement as both groups began to split up, each heading towards their ways.
As they walked away, Seimei watched them go with a mischevious smile. "And so, it begins."
(*)
Gym - Monster High
After the loud and ear-piercing shrill of the bell that announced the break is over, Blake, going by his schedule managed to find himself in Physical Deaducation class. He didn't need a monster slang dictionary to know that this translated to a gym class.
It's not really the best or worst class he could've ended up with, but the problem is the same. When he entered the gym, which surprisingly looked quite average without counting the monster students that have the same startled, wide-eyed, reactions at the presence of a human.
Among the monster crowd he spotted Frankie and the shorter girl with gray skin and red glasses from before chatting. Once they saw him, Frankie waved enthusiastically and called out to him, "Hey! Over here!"
Blake sighed before slowly making his way over to them. He was still trying to adjust to the whole monster school thing, and wasn't really a sociable person, but at least Frankie seemed friendly enough. As he approached, he couldn't help but notice the pale girl staring intensly at him.
"What is it?" asked Blake, not trying to sound rude to her. "Do I have something or smell bad?"
"Uggh," she uttered, much to Blake's confusion.
"What?"
"You don't speak zombie?" Frankie asked.
"Zombie?" Blake asked in return. He wasn't surprised to see a real-life zombie in here, even though he pictured them more savage or brain-hungry like most of his generation due to media and horror shows, but they also have their own language? Well, that was unexpected.
"Zombie is just a language like any other. You don't have it at your school?" asked Frankie, receiving a deadpanned stare from Blake. Sparks got out from her bolts as her eyes widened.
"Oh, I guess humans don't really talk that much to zombies, let alone monsters, hehe..."
"Yeah," Blake sighed, seeing this is awkward for her, so he changed the subject. "What did she say anyway?"
"She just said that other than Jackson she never saw other normies at Monster High, and she's curious about why aren't you wearing in the same uniform like your friends."
Blake blinked, "She said that much in a single grunt?" he asked. "And who's Jackson?"
"D-Did someone call me?" asked a voice and Blake turned to see surprisingly another human teen with black hair and blond tipped bangs. He wears black framed glasses with a button up yellow shirt over a black and grey checkerboard sweater vest with black trim. He wears a blue bow-tie, blue and green sneakers, grey pants, and a black belt with a silver buckle.
"Ah, Jackson, this is uh..." she paused, looking at him.
"Blake," he replied with a sigh. It's not like they introduced themselves before them to begin with.
"Blake! He and his friends are transfer students. Today is their first day, although he's the only one in this class." Frankie introduced him.
"Nice to meet you, Blake," Jackson replied, reaching for a handshake. Blake just stared at him for a moment before accepting it.
"Yeah, nice to meet you too. So, are you also human?" he asked, not really sure how else to go about it. He thought the five of them were the only humans in here, so either he was wrong, or the nervous teen was more than meets the eye.
Jackson chuckled. "Yes, I am..." he paused for a moment. "Or a part of me is."
Blake raised an eyebrow at Jackson's response, but decided not to push it further for now.
"So, there's no teacher in here?" Blake asked, trying to break the ice.
"Of course it is, but Coach Igor had something else to do at the moment," Frankie replied.
Jackson shuddered, "Good thing you haven't met him or he'd put you to run a hundred thirty laps around the gym just because you're new."
The human teen couldn't help but laugh at the thought. "Well, I guess I'm lucky then," he said with a sarcastic smile. He looked around the gym, taking in the various monsters going about their workouts or whom have their sights on him since he entered. "So, do you guys know what we're supposed to do while we wait for the coach?" he asked.
"How about a game, new normie!" shouted a buffed-voice. The others turned to face an approaching muscular half-bull, half-man covered in tan fur with golden windswept hair and blue eyes. He has a nose ring and wears a red shirt with a labyrinth printed on it, blue jeans, and brown shoes.
"And who are you?" Blake asked, eyeing the muscular monster. It was his first day in here, but he could tell from a glance that he was most likely the school resident bully. And of course, he choose to pick on him of all people. Great...
"The name's Manny Taur, normie!" the bull-headed teen shouted, closing the distance between him and Blake. A classic intimidation act.
Blake raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms over his chest, "Well, Manny, I'm not really in the mood for a game right now."
The minotaur snorted. "Of course, you normie would be too afraid to face a monster without an angry mob behind you! Haha!"
Blake gritted his teeth, losing the short patience he had. "What's the game?" he demanded.
"We'll play Dodgeskull!" Manny declared.
The teen blinked, "Dodgeskull?" he asked. That's sound like dodgeball. "Fine."
The minotaur snorted, "Pick you team then! But who would want to team up with a normie anyway!" he laughted.
"I'll be on his team," said Jackson, stepping forward.
Blake looked at him, slightly surprised. "Thanks, but we need more than two," he said, looking around around the gym, "Alright, who else is with us?" he asked, receiving blank stares from the other monsters, obviously not wanting to get involved with him.
"I'm in too," said Frankie, followed by Ghoulia who nodded.
"Ha! You still need another one, and everybody knows zombies are terrible at dodgeball! See!" Manny laughted, tossing a ball to two zombie teens. They couldn't catch the ball and bumped their heads against it, prompting disappointed groans from the monster teens.
"Ughhuuu!" groaned Ghoulia in anger, grabbing Manny's nose ring, lowering his head to meet her face to face.
"You want to make a bet?" Manny asked with a smirk on his bovine face, as Blake eyes widened. "You with the normie and zombies versus us? You're on!" he exclaimed. "Winner gets to be permanent team captain, and that will be meee!"
"I didn't sign up for this," Blake sighed, seeing this is something personal now, or for zombies at least. He should back down, but still wanted to teach that annoying bull a lesson. He turned to Ghoulia. "But I'm still in."
"Uggh!" she exclaimed with a crooked smile.
"Ha! And I though you were supposed to be smart!" Manny mocked.
"Ug-" before the zombie girl could retort, she was pulled back by Blake in a corner as Frankie and Jackson soon followed after them.
"Alright, sticking for your fellow zombies is cool and all, but even I see we need a plan," he began. "I hate to agree with bull-head over there, but if zombies are that bad at this dodgeskull, then we're playing a losing game. We need to do something else to win this."
"Unfortunately, Blake is right," Jackson reluctantly agreed.
"Uh," uttered Ghoulia, her expression looking in thought. The human could tell that she didn't have an idea yet, and the same could be said for the others.
"You zombies stink!" called many from the other side, his hand on a metallic handle connecting to the air ducts. He switched the handle down. "I'm turning up the air! Fuuuull blast!"
The room suddenly filled with a cold gust of wind and Ghoulia's hair rose up. She looked down to see one of the air duct right next where she was standing then at the metallic handle. Suddenly she got an idea.
"Uugh," she uttered, and while Blake couldn't make sense of what she said, the others expressions brightened up.
"You're a genius!" Frankie exclaimed.
"It could truly work!" added Jackson.
"I don't know what you said, but I guess it's better than nothing," Blake said, curious about the zombie girl plan.
(*)
As the teams formed, Blake found himself on the opposing side of the gym together with Ghoulia and other three zombies with Manny Taur and other four of different monster species. He could only tell that one of them looked like a werewolf with gray fur covering his body and a brown leather jacket, while the others, not so much. Frankie translated Ghoulia's plan for him, and while it obviously sounds crazy, there's nothing else he could do. The other monsters present didn't bother to take seats or pay much attention to the game, most likely because all thought the zombies would lose.
"Ready to be on the same side as the loser zombies, normie!" Manny declared crossing his arms.
"Crash and burn!" exclaimed a monster with yellow-skin and hair that literally caught fire.
"We'll see about that," Blake replied, taking a deep breath. He braced himself and rushed at to the center of the gym taking the ball. Normally in dodgeball were supposed to be more than one, but didn't complain and as much as he wanted to slam the ball in the overconfident bull-teen, he passed it to Ghoulia.
"You're giving her the ball?! Hyahaaa!" laughted Manny, as Ghoulia is seen looking around the gym. While Blake and Manny's team didn't knew what she was doing, she knew perfectly well, she always does.
"What're you waiting for?!" shouted the minoatur, as Ghoulia soon tossed the ball. It didn't even reach someone, just a few feet to the air ducts direction. "Haha! You stink worse than I thought!" he laughted and while Blake wanted to sigh at this defeat, he saw Frankie and Jackson in their positions. The human teen removed the lid of the air duct and the bolts of the stiched girl began to pulse with electricity as she touched them. The ball was soon attracted by the static power and right into the air vents. Manny's expression turned into one of confusion, with the other monsters on his team not seeming to understand what was happening either.
Soon the ball got out of another air duct, at astounding speed, so much that Blake thought the ball screamed at them and hit the fire-haired and werewolf teens, knocking them down before hitting a wall. The rest didn't have time to process what was happening as the ball ricocheted and hit another monster, then another. And while Manny wanted to escape, the ball caught up to him, hitting him mercilessly until he hit the floor. The ball then rolled back to Ghoulia, dribbling it, before she let it land on her index finger, spinning it.
"Go Ghoulia!" Frankie and Jackson cheered for her, as the other zombies gave happy grunts.
Meanwhile Blake's jaw dropped as he watched the insane plan unfold right before his eyes. He couldn't help but feel a impressed with the zombie girl's creativity. How is that even possible? He could accept that he is in another world where monsters are real, sure. He could also accept that he's stuck in a school full of them, sure. But this...
"I think I'm starting to like this place," was all that Blake could say.
(*)
Monster High – Halls
After the humiliating defeat at the hands of Ghoulia and her fellow zombies, Manny and the others had to keep their end of the bargain. Till the end of high school, they would be the ones that would pick teams.
Blake knew that Manny and possibly others would carry a grudge for this which would extend to him, even though he contributed little to the zombie girl plans. Still reminescing of this short-lived event was worth all the future troubles that could come to him later, especially by how much the minotaur was beaten by a rubber ball. It was freakin hilarious!
Another thing is that when the school bell ringed, the zombies he met while passing the halls, practically swarmed him, giving happy grunts, seeming to be thankful to him. Word must've gotten out about the dodgeskull game and while Blake was never the attention-seeker, lending a hand, even if he only wanted to teach Manny a lesson, it made him uncomfortable.
"This is too weird," he simply murmured to himself.
After barely escaping the horde of thankful undeads, Blake headed towards his assigned locker to check what other class he has. He opened it, and took the schedule from among the pile of books given by Seimei.
"Dead Languages?" he asked, tilting his head. Like languages lost to time? Or is it just the monster puns he'll need to get used to? When he was about to reach for the book, a hand suddenly slammed the small metal door shut. Turning with a frown he was meet once again with the werewolf girl.
"We have unfinished business, normie," she said, flashing her sharp teeth.
Blake raised an eyebrow at the wolf girl's confrontational tone. He had hoped to avoid any further conflicts and stay unnoticed, but it seemed that wasn't going to be the case anymore, especially since he first bumped into her. He steeled himself for whatever was coming next. "And what would that be?" he asked, seeing her eye twitch.
"Only what happened yestereday," she growled. "We both saw that strange sea creature and it wanted to attack us, or rather you!"
"I know as much as you on that and I've never seen many monster in my life," Blake sighed, raising his hands in a defensive gesture. The werewolf narrowed her eyes at him, clearly not buying his innocent act. "It just appeared out of sudden and I acted on instinct I guess."
"And your instinct told you to act like a fool and led it to the human side?!" she exclaimed, as Blake opened his mouth to speak.
"If you-"
"I rushed into the other side and saw you were gone while that sea creature fight some kind of robot but no ghoul believes me! You must know something about it!" she said in a accusatory tone, catching Blake off guard. He knew what happened there, because he was that 'robot', as she fortunately thinks. Now he wished he could've read more comic books, because right now it would be the perfect time to come up with an excuse or alibi to prevent her from finding out he's the one that fought and actually destroyed the Orphenoch.
"Look," Blake began, trying to think of a plausible explanation, "I don't know anything about that creature, okay? It just suddenly appeared and attacked me, I thought it had something agains humans, just like the most, so I thought that if I led it there, someone could've helped me. The next moment, it just disappeared and I stood in an empty street." He winced inwardly as he realized how lame and stupid that sounded, but he hoped the she would buy it.
The wolf girl stared at Blake for a moment, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Fine, but I don't believe you at all," she finally said. "When I'll find out you're implied in this nonsense that no ghoul believed, then you're in for a world of trouble."
With that, she turned on her heel and stalked away down the hall. "... and thanks for helping Ghoulia by the way." she added, her tone sounding less threatening, but actually thankful, actually making him blink confused.
"And I thought human girls were complicated," Blake sighed, watching the wolf girl leave as he couldn't help but feel a mixture of relief and unease. He knew he had dodged a bullet this time, but the fact that she was convinced he was hiding something from her only added to his future problems. Thankfully, by her words, none of her friend seems to believe her and it drives her crazy, not like he could actually blame her on that. Maybe he should tell her the tru-
"Ouch! What the!" Blake's train of thought was interrupted when slight pain could be felt on his left wrist. He raised his hand, seeing it came from the cuff bracelet. Since yesterday he didn't remove the thing. It looked quite cool, so he decided to keep it and thought it was something Seimei put him to wear just to mess with him when he almost ended up as fish food. Folding his sleeve he saw the crimson gem emit a faint light, but curiously, when his hand moved to the direction of the gym, the stone began to glow brighter. "
Huh?" Blake said, raising an eyebrow in confusion. He doesn't even know what's the deal with this bracelet, but he feels it's trying to tell him something. Deciding to follow the strange pull of the gemstone like it was a compass, he made his way back towards the gym. Entering he saw it was empty, most likely there weren't any other classes going on.
Suddenly the bracelet began to glow brighter, followed by a stinging pain in Blake wrist. "Argh! Duck! What is with this thing!" he cursed under his breath, trying to take off the bracelet, but it was stuck to his wrist. The human teen didn't know what was happening, but the pain on his hand was the least of his worries.
Out of the corner of his eye, Blake noticed the shadow casted by a crate full different balls began to glow a dim-green as a creature slowly emerged from it. The creature was humanoid with the upper portion of it's face akin to that of a bull with glassy eyes and a pair of long horns that added to it's already imposing size. The monster was covered in thick robust armor with cracks around it's hands and a cracked emblem around the waist.
The human teen couldn't believe his eyes. Another Orphenoch and in here of all places.
Before Blake could even think about what to do, the Orphenoch let out a bovine-like roar that echoed throughout the gymnasium. The sound was deafening and Blake covered his ears, wincing in pain. The creature then charged like a raging bull towards him, its massive fists raised high above its head.
"Gaki!" shouted a voice as Blake was enveloped in pink light and vanished from the creature's sight, much to it's confusion. In another flash of light, Blake found himself in the opposite side of the gym. He soon looked and saw Seimei on the auditorium. The fox-eared man weaved a sigh, producing the familiar metallic briefcase and tossing it at Blake's feet. "You know what to do!"
"This thing again?" Blake grumbled, seeing the creature realized where he's reappeared, this time walking slowly towards him, as if it was unimpressed by his trick. Each of it's steps leaving holes into the wooden floor.
Knowing this is his only chance to survive, the teen chose to forget for now why Seimei is here and opened the briefcase. He took out the silver belt, quickly connecting it to his waist, then took the silver cellphone. Opening it, he inserted the code.
(5-5-5)
Then pressed the ENTER button.
[Standing By!]
The phone announced in a robotic male voice as it began beeping then raised the device above his head.
"Henshin!" Blake shouted, connecting the phone on the blank space, sliding it.
[Complete!]
A surge of energy pulses through the red bars, releasing laser-like projections around Blake's body. With another glow, the teen was clad once more in the strange futuristic armor of silver with red lines and yellow-round visor.
Cracking his fist, he rushed at the creature, landing a quick jab to it's face, but the Orphenoch armor was too tough, as it barely reacted at the strike.
The bull-like creature let out a bellowing roar and swung its massive fists at Blake in retaliation. The human teen narrowly dodged the first blow, but the sheer force of the second hit sent him flying across the gym and right into a wall, breaking it.
Blake grunted as he hit the wall, the armored suit managing to hold most of the impact, but that would definetly leave a few signs later.
"Ouch! Are you daijoubu?" winced Seimei from his place, getting no answer back. His voice made the Orphenoch notice him, as it turned and roared at the fox-man. It's arms were bathed into dim-green light as it's fist grew exponentially in size with chains attached to to the shoulder, giving the impression of wrecking balls. The armed Orphenoch slowly made his way towards him. "S-Shounen! Wake up, pretty please!" he gulped, seeing that he's next on the list to get smashed.
As the Orphenoch slowly advanced towards the Seimei, Blake struggled to his feet, but that impact from earlier was too much from him, something noticed by the aforementioned.
"Use the other codes on the phone, gaki!" shouted Seimei in a desperate tone. "Try the second one!"
Blake could feel the pain in his body, but he knew he had to keep fighting. He slowly pulled out the phone from the belt and inserted the second code:
(1-0-3)
And pressed the ENTER button.
[Single Mode!]
The phone declared, as it's upper side flipped diagonally, giving it the look of a gun.
The armed teen immediatly knew what he had to do now. He pointed the phone at the creature and pressed a hidden switch from the side, releasing a crimson laser beam from the tip of the antenna headed towards the back of the Orphenoch.
The Orphenoch roared in pain as the energy beam hit its back, causing it to stumble. It seems its armored hide isn't meant against long-ranged strikes.
"That was a close one, thank you!" Seimei weaved a sigh, but that was short as the creature slowly got back up on it's huge feet. Thankfully to the fox-earred man, it ignored him, but turned to Blake and charged mindlessly at him.
"No, you don't!" shouted the armored teen, raising the turned phone at the Orphenoch and releasing another laser blast, this time in the abdomen. The attack was too much for the creature, knocking it down a second time.
"Try the next code!" Seimei encouraged the downed Blake. The armored teen abided, inserting the next code:
(1-0-6)
And pressed the ENTER button.
[Burst Mode!]
The device announced as Blake managed to got up slowly, feeling a bit dizzy. He aimed the phone at the Orphenoch and pressed the switch, this time releasing a rapid-fire burst of three energy beams that engulfed the creature.
The Orphenoch roared in pain and anger, dust seeping from the wounds caused by the blasts, barely holding on it's legs.
"You're the second most stubborn bull I've met today," said the armored teen with a sigh, turning to Seimei. "Hey sketchy fox! This armor got other tricks to finish this or I'll keep blasting it?"
Seimei winced, clearly hating the deserved nickname, but also complied. "Mou fine. Put the phone back and take out the camera."
Blake nodded, placing the phone back on the belt and reaching down to the briefcase, pulling out the silver camera. It was a simple old-style device, but in these short two days since meeting Seimei, he knew there's more to the simple device than just that.
"Now take out the mission memory and insert it over the lens!" he instructed next.
"The what now?" asked the armored teen.
The fox-eared man rolled his eyes. "The phone emblem! It's like those chip things."
"Fine," grumbled Blake. It's not like he told him or the others how the armor or devices works to begin with. He reached to the phone emblem, easily removing the piece in question and placing it over the lens of the camera.
[Ready!]
The camera announced, it's back side flipping, becoming a handle, giving the device an appearance akin to that of a knuckle duster.
"Now press ENTER again and aim the camera at the Orphenoch!" ordered Seimei, but just as he said those words, the monster in it's dying rage tried one last attempt. A final rush to impale the armored teen with it's giant horns.
"Hope its worth it!" shouted the teen, opening the phone and quickly pressing the said button.
[Exceed Charge!]
The device announced as the right bar sparked to life. Crimson energy traveling through the armor and into Blake's arm, right into the transformed camera and the memory with a golden glow.
With the gauntlet-like device on his arm, now, Blake began to charge to the monster, both about to collide.
The Orphenoch roared in return as the armored teen charged towards it. The creature swung its head low, attempting to gore Blake before he could close the distance.
"Now!" shouted Seimei. Right in the last moment, Blake managed to dodge the impaling horns and thrust the gauntlet into the creature's broken emblem. Upon contact, red energy began to engulf the Orphenoch as a round symbol with a diagonal line manifested on it's back. The monster was soon pushed back into the energy projection by the impact, smashing it, and tossed far away to the doors of the gym. Soon it exploded in a pile of dust and blue fire.
"Now that's over," confirmed Blake, turning to Seimei. "You! Need to answer some questions and don't think-" but before the armed teen could finish a sharp pain coursed through his body. Looking down, he saw that the belt was releasing a stream of red energy.
[Error!]
[Shutdown!]
The phone announced, beeping and the suit red lines glowed. The armor dissolved and the projections returned to the belt and Blake collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath. "What... what did you do?" he managed to ask, looking up at Seimei with a mix of anger and confusion.
"That's part of the shitsumon that I will answer after you and your friends finish school, young Blake," Seimei replied calmly, grabbing the teen and slowly guiding him to one of the benches, placing him. "And that includes your questions about the armor and other devices in the briefcase."
"You are a pain in the butt... you know that?" Blake snarled, clutching his abdomen where the belt had been. Seimei chuckled softly, shaking his head.
"Maybe, but I'm a pain you'll have to learn to deal with, gaki. Now take a breath and don't worry. The other pain, the one from the belt will go away in a few moments."
Blake grunted, still gritting his teeth. "That doesn't make it any less annoying," he muttered.
"True on that one!" Seimei chuckled, reaching over to the briefcase and taking back the belt and camera from Blake. "For now, enjoy the fact that you won't be the one who will search for a spell to undo the damage done by the Orphenoch and the gym is sound proofed with another spell, courtesy of moi.~"
The teen looked at Seimei, his eyes narrowing. "You're really annoying, you know that?" he muttered, rubbing his abdomen. "But it's not like I can't handle it." He paused, taking a deep breath. "So, what now?"
"Well, you rest for a few moments, and pray that you get to Dead Languages before the bell-" as Seimei said those words, the loud shrill of the school bell echoes through the school, not missing any class, including the gym.
Seimei smirked, a small flicker of amusement in his eyes. "And now, you are officially on Rotter-san list of students he'll never give an A no matter how much you work for, yikes. What a twist of luck, if you ask for my opinion."
"Just leave me be!" shouted the human teen, seeing Seimei eyes flicker in amusement.
"Your wish is my command, gaki. Ciao!~"
With that, Seimei disappeared in a flash of pink smoke, leaving Blake to stew in his frustration and pain. The teen took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. When he gets his hands on that sketchy fox after school, he'll... and he just got played like a complete amateur. Great, just great.
(*)
As Seimei predicted, the pain did subside after a few moments of his absence, leaving Blake feeling weak but otherwise fine to walk on his own. Of course, just as he expected, he was called to the office of the Headmistress to inquire about his absence.
Blake quickly lied, saying he was called by Seimei who wanted to congratulate him on his first achievement in Monster High, and took his sweet time talking about how great he is and didn't make a mistake when he chose them. Surprisingly, the Headmistress brought the lie, possibly because she was used to deal with Seimei's antics and let Blake out with a warning, but still would have to go to detention on the weekend and apologize to the teacher in question. Not the worst punishement, but this news and the battle with the Orphenoch certainly soured his mood for the rest of his new school day.
When their classes finally ended, Seimei came to pick them up in the limousine. During the whole road, the teen couldn't help but glare at the damned fox, his eyes narrowed in anger and frustration.
The rest of the road, the other four teens were discussing their classes with relatively positive words, but also facing the same reaction of the other students towards having humans in the same room as them. Seimei soon drived them back to the human side at the cafe, the first one to enter was Leon.
"Best school ever! I tell you guys, they loved me!" he exclaimed, with the others coming behind him.
'Mickey' narrowed his eyes, "Unfortunately I don't see how mixing the wrong chemicals substances and leading to the destruction of school property is considered being accepted by the student body."
"Some people just don't have the same sense of humour, my friend." Leon replied, rolling his eyes, taking a seat at a table. "Point is, the teacher actually loved my crazy combination and gave me an A, then cancelled the test he planned for today! This never happened at the Academy, I tell you that."
'Mickey' wanted to reprimand his fellow student, but soon turned his gaze towards Blake. "This is a discussion for another time, but now we must talk about the actions of Blake Wolfson regarding our guise at Monster High." he said, getting a heavy sigh from Blake and curious looks from the others, including Seimei.
"What do you mean, shounen?" asked Seimei. "Young Blake did actually a good deed today and helped the zombies, even if he hates to admit it."
"Involving himself in the hierarchy between monsterkind is the problem," replied 'Mickey'.
"That's bakana and I don-"
"Both of you are too annoying and alike," sighed Blake, taking a seat at the table with Leon. "I only did this to teach that minotaur a lesson, nothing more. And again... this isn't the true problem."
"It's not?" Ken asked in curiosity. "Did something else happened, Blake?"
"Care to elaborate why your actions today aren't posing a problem to attract unwanted attention towards ourselves?" asked 'Mickey' in a calm, judgemental tone.
"A damn Orphenoch appeared today during the break," Blake said. His words catching off the others, except Seimei.
"Do you have proof of such a claim?" asked 'Mickey' with furrowed eyebrows.
"It's actually true," added Seimei, pulling out from his pocket a crimson phone shaped like a coffin and playing a video of the armed Blake fighting the bull-like Orphenoch in the gym and destroying it with the gauntlet-like camera. "I was there myself and provided young Blake with instructions on using the belt true power, after all."
'Mickey' glared at Seimei, clearly not pleased with the revelation. He turned back to Blake, his expression stern. "How did this happened without anyone noticing?"
"That was on me," Seimei pridefully replied, snapping his fingers. Soon, the disguised robot crow flyed from an unknown corner next to his shoulder. "I was there just to congratulate young Blake, but I was noticed by my mechanical friend on strange energy readings."
"That's what this thing is for?" asked the teen, pointing to the cuff bracelet, but strangely the gem in the middle that should've been crimson was dyed a pale white "This things shined and pointed me there, but not before stinging me with the worst pain possible and that belt did the same later!"
"Yes and no, to be more precise." replied Seimei, snapping his fingers making a cup of tea appear on his other hand. He took a sip and continued. "The bracelet you wear was actually designed with the main purpose to make the henshin process possible and seemed to work quite well in spite of being a prototype."
"What?" asked the teen ticked off. "I was your ducking guinea pig!?" he shouted, slamming his fist on the table.
"Is that true?" asked Ken, not pleased.
'Mickey' let out a sigh, rubbing his forehead. "That's concerning indeed. Mr. Seimei, the day before you refused to answer our further question regarding our course of action, but after the incident of today you owe me and my fellow students from the Academy explications."
"Second time I had to agree with you, today, 'Mickey'," uttered Blake, not too pleased with this fact eiher.
Seimei simply nodded, taking a sip of his tea. "Alright then. Ask away, gakis!"
"Why did you enroll us to Monster High?" asked 'Mickey'. "Before, I thought there was simply no true rhyme or reason for it, but after witnessing the fights of Blake Wolfson, I have a theory that the invading Orphenoch can only manifest in the monster side of New Salem. That is why you send all of us in one school of the monster side, instead of dividing us across town.
"I-Is this true?" asked Maximilian frightened.
"That wasn't really a question, ya know, gaki!" exclaimed Seimei, crossing his arms, fox ears lowering down. "But you are right." he sighed and continued. "All the other Orphenoch I encountered have been in bashos belonging to the monster side. The first Orphenoch young Blake met was the closest one to appear to the human side yet."
"Which brings our second question-"
"What is with that weird armor?!" shouted Blake, cutting 'Mickey'.
Seimei smirked, obviously pleased with the question. "The suit of armor you used, gaki, is the top device of my former company from a few years ago." he snapped his fingers, making the silver briefcase appear on the table and opened it. "Shounens, I present to you, the belt of justice, the Faiz Gear!"
"Faiz... gear?" asked Maximilian confused, all while Seimei grinned wider.
"It's the name of the whole equipment as a whole. All are carefully designed pieces of super advanced technology disguised as common, nowadays vintage items meant to give the weared power, speed and resistance well-above that of a human, surpassing even many monsters species."
"...But the Faiz Gear possesses a flaw, being that it would normally drain the user life force in exchange."
"L-Life force!?" exclaimed Maximilian as all five teens shared worried glances among themselves upon receiving the news.
"That's where the bracelet young Blake had came in. With it, he safely transformed and only when using an 'Exceed Charge', the suit hisatsu, the gem would lose it's charge, but there's a safety device installed in the belt that cancels the henshin before anything would affect the wearer." Seimei added, hoping to ease the tension he's obviously guilty of creating.
"That wasn't the case for me!" Blake interjected. "That thing brought me a lot of pain the second time I used it!"
"And I'm terribly sorry for that and helped you get back on your feet, didn't I?" shot back Seimei.
"Anyways~ I've made further modifications and I present to you the 2.0 versions!" He then snapped his fingers again, as five other similar cuff bracelets with red gems appeared on the table.
The teens looked at the new bracelets, some with hesistation.
"What's the difference between these and the one I had?" asked Blake, taking one of the bangles in his hands.
"Other than the fact that they won't cause any pain when detecting an incoming Orphenoch and got a longer battery so the system will shut down without any side-effects, then there's not much," Seimei reassured him in a teasing tone.
As Blake examined the bracelet, 'Mickey' spoke up again. "If the device is that powerful, I assume there is more than one, based upon the fact that you have five bangles for each of us."
"Fufu! Not exactly," Seimei said, holding back a laugh. "For now, the Faiz Gear is the only one I have managed to get back in working state, plus those nifty hand-wears aren't that easy to make, you know. There are other gears, each one as special and powerful in various ways, but for now, you five will have to share this one along with carrying the name of the secret defender of the weak, Kamen Rider Faiz!" he then posed like Blake when he used the belt, earning a few odd looks and chuckle from Leon.
He soon recomposed himself. "Anywho, that's pretty much what you need to know about the belt and it's power. Any other questions?"
"I have one last question," said 'Mickey'. "We know more about our course of action, but still have no full awareness on how to use the named Faiz Gear and it's abilities."
Seimei chcukled once again and snapped his fingers. In a blast of pink smoke, five small manuals manifested on the table. Each one had the same emblem as the one on the phone."
"This thing had instructions all along!?" shouted Blake incredulously.
"Gomen!" Seimei quickly bowed before the five humans.
"These manuals should guide you on how to better use the Faiz Gear, but I though that live experience was better suited as a teaching method."
"You though wrong!" shouted Blake. "I'm still sore from that last fight!"
"For now, we shall focus on the written content of the manual," declared 'Mickey', taking one manual along with sliding one of the cuff bracelets on his right wrist. The others soon followed and did the same, except with Blake who switched them.
"Maybe I should excuse myself back to the kitchen and make you some snacks, nee?"
"Don't think you're out of the hook," Blake glared at him, still angry from not telling him about the belt.
"Kay..." uttered Seimei, slowly making his way towards the kitchen, his tail dragging down on the floor.
(*)
This marks the end of their first day in gakkou for our young eiyuu's. In my defense for those that though I was a cruel kitsune when I didn't told them enough, I thought they would've handled it.
They didn't have to be soo mean!
At least they didn't ask more about the Faiz Gear origins or why the bangle reacted like that, yikes. That is a mondai for future Seimei to deal with.
Next time, be prepared to see the shounen that will take up all of Monster High's challenges and conquer them without a sweat. Sounds like someone that breathes superiority and command?
Who can tell~?
To Be Continued...
A/N: I'm very grateful for all those that loved the first chapter of my story and I'm sorry it took so long to update. These long chapters are really something for me, but I can't say that I hate how it turned up.