September 8th, 2030

It was past midnight. Tokyo was still shaken from the reports of the previous murders. Increased surveillance from the Buddy Police and Tokyo Police Forces patrolled assigned streets and alleyways. In order to keep things easier for the police, places that were deemed 'close' or 'relevant' to the locations of the last victims were what determined patrolling areas. Unfortunately for them, the culprits managed to sneak their way in.

In a desolate, lonely alleyway, thirty blocks south from the previous murder, remained a man tossed to the wall. Demios and Liam would've heard the man's scream if he wasn't gagged and tied into submission. The man, weakly, fell to the ground and rolled to the side. Liam observed the carrying bag the man was delivering. Demios continued to stare at the gagged transporter. To the man's right was a subdued monster. It was a giant hound of a beast. Looked like a creature straight from Danger world due to the intense armor plating. Unfortunately, the transporter's buddy monster was no match for Demios.

Liam reached into the bag and pulled out a Dark Core Deck Case. "Hell yeah. There's plenty more in there too, plenty of replacements. Looks like this guy was their transporter." Immediately, the gagged man started pleading through his gag. It was impossible to make out the words, but Demios and Liam could tell that he was pleading for his life. Liam approached the man and lowered himself down. "Demios has told me what you've done to other monsters, and people too. Finding you was murder, so if you want a chance to get out of here, then keep your voice down. Say what you want."

Demios motioned forward to try and stop the act. However, Liam had already pulled the gag off the man's face. He started gasping for air, coughing like a madman as he swayed and forced his body back in forth from the pain. "I need to tell you this, please, do not hurt my buddy. He was right to want out. Please, don't hurt him!"

"What are ye on about?"

"We- we were told that this would make us extra money. I didn't know we were transporting Dark Cores! We didn't know! We were told that, if we opened it up, then we'd get it for sure!"

"So… you just found the opportunity to make money, and ye didn't know about-"

Before Liam could finish understanding the situation, Demios rushed past him and grasped the collar of the tied man's shirt. He let out a cough as Demis pulled on the shirt tightly. "You're a fucking liar. What kind of degenerate would fall for something like that? And why should I leave your buddy alone? Once he degenerates back to his card form, I'm going to annihilate him!"

"No! Please don't! He doesn't deserve this!"

"You're a part of the Will of Kyoya! You know this!"

"Please! I didn't know about them! Don't hurt my friend!"

Liam quickly turned to Demios. "Yo, calm it down. Take a look at him for a moment." Demios looked past Liam, seeing the cowering man. However, he was not only cowering. As Liam tried to defend the transporter, Demios noticed that he was, albeit slowly, inching his body towards his injured buddy monster. "Don't be thick about this Demios…. Demios?"

It was too late. He saw his buddy fuming with intense anger and rage. Whatever Demios felt towards anyone related to Kyoya Gaen… the intense feelings were palpable. Liam saw Demios turn his body to face the tied up man. He pulled out his sword. Demios continued panting with extreme ferocity as he began to pull out his massive sword. Liam knew that words weren't going to get to him now.

He didn't want to do it, but he had to in order to protect an innocent man.

Demios pulled his sword back. The man shivered as he attempted to embrace his buddy monster one last time. The momentum in Demios's body increased the power of his swing.

A voice was heard from a Dark Core Deck Case. "Disaster Force, Unleash!"

"Demios!"

The loud clang brought Demios back to his senses. What he saw nearly brought him to his knees. His buddy, Liam, was using the Disaster Force. Standing between himself, Liam and his blade were an identical one. However, this blade was not his own. Demios saw the dark energies from the Dark Core Deck Case envelop Liam's body, giving him new strength. Demios recognized the sword Liam was carrying as his own. It carried the same claymore-esque appearance as his own blade. That was when he realized that Liam used the Disaster Force to materialize an item card; The Sword of Purgatory Knights Leader, Demios Sword. Liam had used the power of the Disaster Force to make the card real.

Demios had raised a blade against his buddy in a fit of rage. He stared at his buddy weakly, watching as Liam stared back at him with contempt. The edges of both swords slid against each other, creating sparks that flew in front of their faces. Even with the power of the Disaster Force, Liam was struggling to hold Demios's attack back. Finally, realizing his horrific error, he retracted his attack. He dropped the blade, soon falling to his knees. He kneeled forward as he took a position of submission. To him, he was pleading for Liam's forgiveness.

However, when Demios raised his head, he realized that Liam had fallen to his knees. After using the Disaster Force, as well as using everything he had to hold back Demios's attack, Liam was beyond exhausted. He was heaving hard, breaking into a sweat. Demios, still submitting, practically crawled close to Liam to check if he was alright. Liam looked up at him with a grin. "You fucking wally."

Demios stared in confusion for a moment but soon broke into a small fit of chuckling. He shook his head as he brought himself back to his feet. With Demios's aid, Liam was brought back to his feet. The two of them looked over to the spared man as he and his buddy happily looked each other in the eyes. Demios sighed. "… I got carried away again."

"After what you told me, I don't blame ya," Liam replied back as he stuck his hands in his sweatshirt pockets. "Ye told me that Kyoya abused your connection to him. He treated your comrades like garbage, using them like fodder."

"I just… I owe too much to my comrades," Demios stated somberly. His wings sagged as he looked into his right hand. He curled it into a fist. "… Thank you for stopping me. You are right… this man wasn't a part of the cruelty that my comrades fell victim to."

"Again, not a problem." The two of them turned to face the injured man and his buddy. The three of them appeared to speak through unspoken words. The man nodded quickly, begging to be released. He wouldn't tell anyone, especially due to how this involved him with Kyoya. The last thing he wanted to do was be investigated for a crime.

"… Liam, what's keeping you with me?" Demios asked curiously. "… I… I raised a blade to you. I raised a blade to my own buddy. How could you forgive me for that? How could you forgive me after I act like such a burden to you?"

"It's because you're my friend, Demios. And I know you have my back."

Demios shook his head. He couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous his buddy sounded. "I doubt that's enough."

"Well," Liam began as he gave off a soft smile. "CJ taught me that it is."

September 8th, 2030 – 10 AM

POV: First

It was about 4 o'clock in the morning when I was told to report to the airport. I wasn't given enough time to be told why I had to do such a thing, but it was a direct order from my boss. There's one thing I know about my boss; if she simply demands that you do something then it's alright to be sloppy, but if she pleads for you to go then you know that something was up. When she told me to go, she didn't have all the details herself. She could only tell me, based on the small bits of information given to her, that it had something to do with a monster-related murder that happened on Saturday night in Japan.

Fortunately, there was no line at the airport, so I managed to get on the plane in no time at all. There was no way the average individual would actually get on a plane this early unless it was business related like my own. When I got on the plane the first thing I did was go to sleep. My ticket told me that it was a thirteen-hour plane ride. Since I barely got any sleep, mostly because I was impatiently waiting for Arkaid to return, the plane's chairs were equivalent to the feeling of sleeping on the clouds.

I couldn't help but think about Arkaid's return. She promised that she would see me again on Monday, but work demanded that I go to the airport. Still, my anxiety was not enough to keep me awake much longer. It wasn't before long until I went completely to sleep.

What woke me up were the sounds of idle chatter amongst familiar voices. Drearily, I turned my head to face the window. The introduction to such a bright light nearly blinded me. I was about to groan in annoyance from the light when I overheard Arkaid's voice say "He's waking up!"

That immediately woke me up.

My body jerked, tensing my body up as my head jerked forward. My head was quickly scrolling the area in search for her. I didn't know how much energy had rushed through me in that instant. All I knew was, supposedly, it took the combined strength of Alvis and Sitri to keep me down. "Easy dude," I heard in Alvin's familiar French accent. My heart was pounding in my chest. I felt like I was brought into a completely different location during my sleep. Regardless, Sitri, in his Super Deformed, or SD form, was using his weight to try and hold me down. He was practically up to my waist in terms of height, so I doubt his weight contributed much. "Rise and shine, CJ."

"A-Alvis? Sitri?!"

Another bundle of voices called out an aisle away. "And us!" When I looked ahead, I saw Abigail and her buddy monster, Demon Dog Lord, Borzoi Cobolt Lord—otherwise, and affectionately, known as Bozo—sitting in a few seats in front of me. Bozo, who was also in his SD form, was relaxing in his seat. It was odd seeing the normally intimidating dog acting like he was a recently adopted corgi. "And her too!"

"Hm?"

I looked right to the seat to my left. Arkaid, or a being that looked like Arkaid, was sitting next to me. At first I was forced to question if it was her because of her height. Not only did she lose half of her height, but her features were completely chibified. It was like she transformed from a regal scholar to a cinnamon roll of a student who looks like she loves showing her parents her elementary school report card when she gets great grades. Too specific, I know, but that was the feeling I got when I looked at someone who went from regal to downright adorable. "Um… hello."

Her timid voice didn't help either. I could tell that she felt that the situation was getting awkward fast. What was supposed to be a fun reintroduction turned into my friends trying to subdue a startled human being (me). "A-Arkaid? Guys? What are you all doing here?"

Arkaid took the initiative. "Joining you on your trip."

Sitri nodded as his whisker twitched. "The boss told us that we were all heading down there right after she called you. Guess you didn't pick up when she called you back."

"I actually went right to sleep when I got on the plane…."

Alvis grinned. "Figures."

Abigail joined in. "Besides, I always wanted to go to Tokyo. I feel like the experience is going to be rather nice."

I simply rolled my eyes. "Whatever floats your boat…." A part of me felt down for a moment. It was because, as soon as I was finishing my statement, I thought back to how, after the events of the great disaster, a universal language was developed. For a moment I thought "Thank goodness we don't have to learn Japanese like the old days," but that immediate thought made me realize that I was basically saying "Thank God the Disaster happened" or something along those lines. I felt angry at myself for a moment. When I explained the odd thought to the others just now, they couldn't help but chuckle back at me.

Arkaid placed her right hand on my shoulder. "I believe you're being too hard on yourself. The universal language is much more convenient. There's no harm in appreciating innovation during a rough period of our lives, especially when it happened when you were rather young."

"I see…." Although I didn't feel better, I appreciated the fact that Arkaid had tried. "By the way, how was your visit to Dragon World?"

"Oh! That reminds me!" Arkaid turned to Abigail. "Abigail, could you please?" Abigail nodded eagerly as she pulled out a small box from her pocketbook. She was practically trying so hard not to squeal in delight as she tossed the box into my lap.

Sitri and Alvis, in unison, exclaimed: "Drum roll, please!"

The both of them started slamming on their laps as I stared at them in complete disbelief. I had no idea what could possibly be within that box. I turned to Arkaid only to see her tense her hands in excitement. I smiled, but I continued to feel embarrassed by the amount of attention. "Goddamnit," I muttered under my breath. Being put in a spot where I was the center of attention made me feel so flustered. To get it over with, I opened the box and saw an assortment of buddyfight cards. "What are-"

Alvis nudged my shoulder. "So, Mr. Buddyless got a buddy, yes!"

"Y-You knew?"

Abigail joined in. "We all knew!"

Sitri nodded in return, tipping his white fedora. "Arkaid actually returned early from her visit in Dragon World. She told us everything, and she had the idea to get you some cards for a new deck; a deck in which she can fight alongside you in real action-packed buddyfights!"

Abigail giggled. "Yeah, so we all pitched in and got you playsets of all the Fifth Omni buddyfight cards that were printed after our reveal after the Yamigedo incident," she continued. "A lot of people don't really play them due to how their abilities trigger from life-loss, meaning that you'd have to manually sacrifice life points to pull off certain combos sometimes, but Arkaid told us that, if Gao Mikado, a kid, was able to make the most of them, then you'll do too."

My eyes focused back on Arkaid as she began to fiddle with her fingers. She pressed her fingers together as she looked nervously away. "Well, after I saw you use a deck that required a rather interesting requirement, I figured that you would be able to use a similar deck like the Fifth Omni Cavalry dragons. I hope that you like them."

"I… I-I do. Holy crap. Thank you!" I turned to everyone. "Thank you, guys!"

Arkaid smiled innocently. "I'm glad you do."

A few moments passed as I started going through the assortment of cards. Already I was planning how certain cards could play off others. I didn't even notice Alvis as he slowly leaned towards Arkaid. While that was happening I noticed that there was an item card that, even though it costs 1 life and 1 gauge to equip, I'm able to gain 1 life back when I take damage from anything but an attack. With that in mind, as long as have this card on the field, I'm able to actually nullify life-loss used for some of my effects due to this sword normally making up the difference at times.

I was eagerly seeking even more possible combos when I overheard Alvis ask "Aren't you gonna tell him?"

Acting coy, I decided to pretend I didn't hear that. However, I heard Arkaid muttering a response back. "He's so happy right now, I don't want to possibly ruin the mood."

It was then that I had no choice but to acknowledge what's going on. I simply turned to my left and, at that point, the two of them knew that I overheard everything. I didn't even need to ask what they were talking about; they both knew that I had overheard the key components of the conversation. Arkaid sighed, soon returning to a more reserved look. "… I need you to understand that being a buddy with me is not the same as Alvis and Sitri, or Abigail and Borzoi. With me, you are responsible with something much more important."

"… Yeah, I figured that was the case. I remember you getting into it a bit when you were at my apartment," I began to reply. "So… tell me, is there anything I need to be afraid of?"

"Two things, actually, and I'm terribly sorry for what's happening when it comes to the latter," Arkaid began. She sighed deeply as Alvis, Abigail, and their budies returned to their respective seats. Stunned, I looked over to them, noticing that a strong sense of somberness enveloped the plane. "The first thing is the most important. You will be serving, along with me, as a member of the Fifth Omni Cavalry. We are serving to protect the Fifth Omni Dragon Lord, Tenbu. We need to keep him protected so that his abilities, as well as the other Omni Lords, are able to be kept safe so that, when they are needed again, they are able to utilize their power to protect the multiverse." Arkaid somberly turned her head to face me. "… My body does not truly show my age. I'm actually over 400 years old." My body tensed. "Yes…strangely, I've forgotten my own birthday. Regardless, the importance of this fact is that Fifth Omni Cavalry members, as long as they remain a part of the group, are affected by the Fifth Omni's power. At one's most prime age, your physical body will cease aging."

"…. W-….What?"

Alvis shook his head. "She's basically saying that, if you stick with her, you'll be ageless."

"Ageless?..."

"Yeah… but … really think about this, CJ," Alvis began to ponder. "Thousands of years can go by, and you'd still be buddies with Arkaid. However… what about us?"

"Alvis…."

"I'm really happy that you found a buddy, I really am. In fact, I think she's the perfect buddy for you." His voice was beginning to crack. My body knew what was going to happen. Tears fell from my eyes as Alvin tried desperately to hold his back to no avail. "But… if you do this… I … I don't want you to watch the rest of us…. Goddamnit." Alvis got up from his chair and darted for the restroom. I tried reaching out for him, but Arkaid stopped me. When I turned back to face her, she solemnly shook her head.

"… And… the second problem is… the current Fifth Omni Cavalry dragons don't exactly believe that you're a worthy candidate," Arkaid continued. "They think you're just some, according to their term usage 'corporate crony.' But I know that isn't who you are, and I believe that you can change their opinions on you. However… you're going to be ostracized going in."

I looked over to Abigail. She was shivering. Bozo went onto her lap and nudged her in hopes of cheering her up. Soft, canine whines were emitted from the pup. Abigail slowly stroked her buddy's back, thanking him for the support. After wiping away the tears, I placed my focus back on Arkaid. "Let me see if I heard you correctly. You're telling me that I will become ageless to protect a deity for, essentially, an eternity. In the process… not only will I have to live on knowing that my friends and family will… but I also will have to struggle to just be accepted within your group."

"Tenbu likes you, so you won't have a completely difficult time," Arkaid urged. "Look, I… I understand if you don't want to do this."

"A part of me wants time to think about this…." Arkaid's ears drooped morosely. "… But, on the other hand…." Arkaid's ears shot back up. She looked into my eyes with pure sincerity. "… If I need to be put in that sort of situation, then this has to be incredibly important. If I'm going to be your buddy, I need you to promise me one thing."

"I trust you."

"You need to have my back," I stated firmly. "I can't have someone leave me behind, or betray me. I can't have my friends leave me for dead. If I have to deal with people that hate my guts, I need to at least know that you'll be on my side through thick and thin. Can you promise me that?"

Arkaid's eyes maintained an extreme amount of focus. The intensity of her stare only reaffirmed to me that any word she states would be seen as nothing but sincere. Finally, she smiled back at me. "I want you to look at my card effect." I opened the box of cards once again. It took some time to find the playset of of her card but, once I did, I was able to read her ability. 'This card cannot be called to the center. When this card is destroyed, put the top card of you deck into your gauge, and you gain 1 life. When you are dealt damage, if you have no monsters in your center, you may move this monster to your center.' I looked over to her one more time. "When no one else is willing to protect you, I will make certain of it that you are kept safe, even if it could cost me my life. This is not just a promise; CJ, it will be our Buddy Contract."

That declaration hit me like nothing else. Her words shook me. The intensity of her words left me speechless. Not only did her declaration have her state that she would die for me, but her, as a buddyfight card, acts a representation of the promise she's made. She and I were stuck looking at each other for what felt like forever. In the end, I could only laugh at something else I just realized. "…Heh, you called me CJ."

"… O-Oh!" Arkaid's intense look left her; what remained was her normal, flustered self. "Well, I-I know you told me your friends call you CJ, but since I'm essentially your friend now I figured it would be fitting!"

A few hours later, the six of us left the plane and began to make our way through the airport. Because, on this side of the world, it was the middle of the day, the airport was mobbed with people and humanoid monsters alike. Any monster that was originally gigantic or non-humanoid had to return to their SD form. Because of Arkaid's title of Fifth Omni, she was allowed to return to her normal form without any drawbacks. Unfortunately, that was all she was able to do with a title like that.

She couldn't help but be reminded of that fact as we walked through the airport. Because the Yamigedo incident occurred right in the heart of Tokyo everyone knew who the Omni Lords and their cavalry monsters were, including the Fifth Omni Lord and his servants. As we were walking through the crowds, Arkaid couldn't help but shudder as she noticed other individuals, humans and monsters alike, staring at all. They all knew who she was and who she served. It was like wearing a gold and polished dunce cap.

Abigail snorted. "If only they knew," she began. "Don't worry, Arkaid. I believe that Yamigedo is a threat."

"It's not just that, Abigail," Arkaid returned as she nervously gulped. "Just looking at them… it reminds me of what they thought a short time after the incident occurred. We couldn't fight Yamigedo alone; we needed the help of Gao Mikado and his buddy at the time. After everyone knows that… I know many people think, if we were by ourselves, we would be useless to do anything."

Angrily, I stared at the onlookers. "The nerve of them."

"The last thing I want to think is that I'm useless," Arkaid muttered.

"Arkaid…."

Alvis interjected as Sitri leaped playfully onto his buddy's shoulder. Sitri looked down at his buddy to check if he was feeling better after what happened on the plane. Even though Alvis wasn't showing much of a shift in emotion, I had a feeling that he was having a hard time hiding his feelings. It is a guess, but it is a guess based on the fact that Sitri was purring whilst nudging his buddy. Such a similar thing happened with Abigail and Bozo on the plane. "So, changing the subject, what's the plan for right now?"

"Well, for starters, we need to meet up with the Buddy Police. After looking through the texts boss sent me, we've been assigned to get some details on the murders that have been taking place over the past few weeks. No investigating, just getting classified information and heading home. The few bits of information I do know is that three people have been murdered."

"Holy shit."

"To be honest, I don't really care," I replied. "Not to sound heartless, but these people were complete and total scum. The people murdered were illegal monster and human traffickers. In addition, they had records of sexual abuse, one guy committing rape and another guilty of committing murder."

Sitri chuckled. "So the guy is killing a bunch of dirtbags." The black-furred panther humanoid fiddled with the rim of his fedora as he continued to ponder. "If that's the case, then why should we even bother with him? If anything, he's doing a good job of cleaning up the streets."

"According to the report we should be getting, the guys are all connected; they have a history of working for the same guy. Normally, we wouldn't send anyone to look into this, especially since there's a DMW branch in Tokyo. Even so, the district back home cares a lot more about who these people are connected to. Kyoya Gaen. Sound familiar?"

Abigail's eyes widened. "Oh yeaaaah! I remember that punk! Can you believe he was only sent to juvy for what he did?"

Alvis nodded morosely. "From what I understand, it's solely because he was a child, and his lawyers argued that his buddy screwed his mind up. Normally, that sounds too dumb for me, but then we realized that his buddy was the Great Evil, Cataclysmic Dragon Azi Dahaka."

"And no one caught him for working with such a buddy because?..."

Alvis intervened. "Abigail, we didn't even know that until after the Yamigedo incident. Still, from some rumors, Gao Mikado fought Gaen as he used that particular monster as his buddy even before then, but those are just rumors. By the time we found out about his actions we only just found out about how he attempted to become a deity by fusing with his buddy."

"I see…."

I was certain of what we should do next. "It's because of Kyoya's influence that we're here. Let's just whatever classified documents we need and head back home. First things first; we need to head to the Buddy Police and-"

Before I could even finish my sentence, sirens blared through the airport. The sounds shook everyone to the core as a voice emitted from the megaphones. "ATTENTION! PLEASE EVACUATE TO THE SAFETY ZONES SPECIFIED BY OUR CREW! THE CRIMINAL BUDDYFIGHTERS ARE ATTACKING NEARBY! DO NOT LEAVE THE AIRPORT! I REPEAT! THEY ARE ATTACKING NEARBY! DO NOT LEAVE THE AIRPORT!