Saikazo

Shiro had a nice night out. The food was alright, not really his thing, but edible. While everyone else slept in some sort of shelter, he slept outside in his frog form, letting the rain soak him and feel just absolutely perfect. Honestly, this was the best he had felt the whole trip, and he loved it. Still, all good things had to come to an end, he supposed. The day came, and they were off once more. Shiro was quiet as they headed back to the rope that was supposed to help them across the river. Without a word, he slipped into the river, waiting slightly downstream from the rope, keeping an eye on those that crossed, obviously preparing to catch anyone that slipped from the rope. He'd stay in the water until everyone crossed. Only then would he come to the other side with the others.

"What'd you need, Raynor?" Raynor turned around to see Ada walk up to him, causing the Draytter to grin. "Hey Ada. Nothin' too important, but there's two things I wanna talk to ya about," Raynor reached into his pocket and pulled out the charm he bought, lightly tossing it at Ada. "Just a token of my gratitude for helping Gojira back when the bandits took him," He said, waiting for her reaction. "It's supposed to help out in some way, something like... 'bestows a nimble grace unto its bearer,' or something like that," He hoped Ada didn't go running off to. If she did, that would be his signal he was in one strange group. "And now for that second thing," He reached into another pocket, pulling out the tome he bought. "So, um... as everyone knows, I bought a tome... and well... I was wondering if you could help me learn how to cast magic," He really hoped she didn't get the idea that he got the charm to butter her up for this. That wasn't his intent, but he really didn't know what other way to ask her about all this and give her the charm.

"Herc! I got my five! L-Let's get the hell outta dodge!" "Ya got it, man!" Herc ran over, scooping up Yuudai, throwing him on his back as he jumped against the wall and quickly began to scale it. "See ya at the gate, Firecracker!" He called back to Kess before quickening his pace. The moment he got to the top, he broke out into a full run, leaping from building to building. "So not only am I a taxi service and a mailman, but I'm an airline provider as well!" Herc joked as they kept going. "All this and more provided by your friendly neighborhood Beetle Man!" It didn't take too long for the two to make it across the city, and it took even less time to make it to the gate. "Hey, good teamwork, good teamwork. We should do this again sometime," Herc said as he held out a hand for a fist bump. Whether he got it or not, he scanned the area for the one he made the bet with. So far, he seemed to be good... wait... no, dammit, there was the guy. Seems like he lost. Hmm... but maybe... he hadn't been seen yet, so perhaps... he could have some fun before he accepted defeat. He hunched over, staying low and out of Suda's sight, his footsteps surprising light. Finally, he stood up when he was right next to Suda, clearing his throat. "Man, it's about time you got here," Herc said, acting like he was here the whole time. "I was afraid you wouldn't make it. Well, it's good thing you did though. But guess what this means?" He said with a wide grin.

"I'm Mac! K-Kazo's leader! He's done good work so far. Uh. Yeah!" "Well, I'm glad to hear that," She said with a smile and a soft laugh. "Keep an eye out on him, he might complain a lot, but he's too soft for his own good," His mother's words caused Kazo to groan a bit. Well, that was pouring oil into the raging inferno that was Mac, he just knew it," "And I'm Ari. I'm Kazo's f-friend! Nice to meet you, Mrs. Kazo!" he said. "Aw, aren't you the cutest little thing?" She asked, squatting down so she was a little closer to Ari's height. "And you don't have to call me 'Mrs. Kazo'. That's too formal. You can call me Trish... or Mrs. Trish if you gotta," she reached down to pat Ari's head. Ari let out a question that obviously made Trish and Kazo think. "A-are you gonna be staying here then, Kazo?" "I... w-well, th-that is to s-say," Kazo scratched his cheek. He didn't really have an answer right now, because he sure didn't think he'd actually get this far. Trish seemed to noticed, standing up and patting Kazo's head. "Well, you can decide later, right?" She asked with a grin before she looked over everyone. "So, what are you all doing here anyways?" "We were just passing through. They wanna go to a wedding," Kazo commented as he pointed to Mac and Ari. Trish's face scrunched up a little. "Ew, weddings," She said jokingly. She walked over to a bench, sitting down. "Well, come on you two," She said to Mac and Ari. "I wanna know a little more about the people my boy is traveling with. In exchange, you all can ask anything you want about Kaz. I'll answer the best I can," "You're free to explore my city at your leisure, as long as you cause no trouble, of course." Score. Denku bowed politely. "Thank you for your generosity, your Highness," was the reply the dark type gave. The king picked up Dora, as if to inspect her. "You're much bigger. In fact...you've grown strong. Have you been fighting?" He cast a glance at the group. "As you probably know yourself, Your Majesty, Dora can be a bit...stubborn. We have gotten in some spats on the way here, but I assure you, she was always out of harm's way...whether she wanted to be or not." "It was a headache and a half with how willing Dora was to throw herself headfirst into danger, but we did it," Denku added.

It seemed that the strange girl had other thoughts as she flew through the air, like she spotted something. What the hell caught this firecracker's attention? The answer came to him pretty quickly as they were surrounded by other potential students. Seems like they wanted to beat them up and take their medals. Not very heroic in his opinion, but it was a competition here, not the real heroic world, so he supposed this was the way it should be. "The hell are you doing here, eh?" The angry girl called out. "You've all got something that belongs to me... And I'm takin' 'em NOW. I don't have time for you idiots! I'm gonna be a goddamn hero!" "Ya sure about that, Sunshine?" Herc asked as he cracked his knuckles. "You seem more like an antihero right now," He commented as he watched her manhandle all that came after her. "Still, your moves are pretty good, so I guess I shouldn't complain," Herc looked up as a student jumped at him, but he reached out, grabbing their face and slammed them into the ground. That was easy enough, and hey, easy badge for the teammate. He reached down, picking it up and flipping it at Yuudai. "There you go, partner. When you get enough medals, let me know and I'll get us outta here," He saw a few more people come at him, so his used his big arms to clothesline one that came a little too close, before spinning his large body around to gain some momentum as he spun and backhanded a different opponent. He then launched a punch at a third person... who managed to catch his fist. Even though Herc was holding back, the fact the person caught it without breaking a sweat both scared and excited Herc. The person in question threw their own punch, sending Herc flying back, skidding to a halt in front of a building. The beetle man barely had time to comprehend that the opponent was rushing up to him, however, he did manage to jump up, latching onto the wall, above the fist that buried itself into the building. "Man, this test is so stressful I'm climbing the walls," Herc commented as the person struggled to get their arm out of the building. With a grin, Herc simply dropped, using his heavy weight to body slam the person just as they freed their arm. Poor person barely stood a chance. Herc stood up, grabbing the medal in the person's pocket and smiling. "And that's five. Yuudai, you ready to go?"

After what felt like a warm forever, Kazo's hug was broken as his mom released him and patted his shoulder. "Gosh, you got so big. I think you're taller than Denku now," She said with a grin. Kazo smiled back before it hit him. "Oh yeah, is Denku here?" He asked, excitement filling his being. "I haven't seen him in forever!" His mother sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry kiddo, he left to well, go to Juyu a while ago," She admitted, causing Kazo to deflate slightly. "Knowing him... if he doesn't find you there, he'll go out looking. He doesn't write so... I have no clue where he might be," Kazo sighed, but smiled anyways. "Well, it's still great to see you...," His voice trailed off when he an all too familiar voice. Sighing, he turned around, calling out. "Alright you two. If you're gonna follow me, you might as well meet her to. Come on," His mother let a soft laugh before looking over Kazo's shoulder. "I guess you've formed your own little gang, eh Kaz?" "Now, you three, as I said I doubt that who you seek is here. If there is something I can do as reward for taking care of my daughter until now then you have but to ask. My kingdom is vast and rich there's much we can acquire if it is needed." "Hmm..." Easter hummed in thought. "I don't particularly have much I need unless you have TMs or candy. Otherwise I'm fine. Oh!" he exclaimed. "Do you have anything or anybody who knows about local legends or legendaries? It's one of my passions, you see." “Easter! Stop thinking about random legendaries for one second. Remember what we came here to do?” She hoped beyond hope that her companions played along. She was throwing all her chips into the pile. “We were sent by a legendary called MewTwo. He’s a powerful Psychic-type who claims he can see the future. He needs us to find someone for him; we don’t know who, but he told us that the one who would know was ‘the greatest sinner in Merm’. I don’t know enough about your city to make assumptions, but do you think that person could be Gigi?” "Oh, so we are bringing up Mewtwo," Denku commented. "Yeah, I'm not usually one to just trust random people, but he read my mind, and teleported us pretty close to here, not placing us in the city only because he was worried of the panic that would arise. So yeah, if he says who we're looking for is here, then I'm inclined to believe him," He shrugged. "And if this 'greatest sinner in Merm' in this 'Gigi', then being able to... interrogate him would be alright," He hoped the king liked that wording. "But honestly, just being able to look around the city and chase that lead would be reward enough. But if you really can't let the saviors of your daughter do something as simple as that, I'll settle for the legend and legendaries thing. Better than leaving empty handed,"

Barbatos hummed to himself as he began to cut bagels with his large katana, using a large claymore to spread the cream cheese on them. He was absorbed in his work, and listening to music so if they wanted to get his attention, they'd have to speak up. "I set 2 cards and end my turn!" Zirco drew his card quietly, looking at it before he started his play. Now it was time to shift into the next gear. "I Normal Summon X-Saber Anu Piranha onto the field!" A woman with long blond hair, red armor, and a whip appeared on the field. X-Saber Anu Piranha Level 4,1800 "And now that I have two X-Sabers on the field, I can Special Summon XX-Saber Faultroll from my hand!" As he slammed the card onto his disk, a large man in red futuristic armor flew onto the field, a red cape billowing in the wind. XX-Saber Faultroll Level 6,2400 "I activate his effect! Once per turn, I can revive one X-Saber Monster from the grave! Revive, Boggart Knight!" The goblin knight revived, sneering at Leiko. "And now, it's time for a Synchro Summon!" Zirco called out as he raised a fist into the air. "I tune my X-Saber Airbellum with my X-Saber Anu Piranha!" With a feral roar, Airbellum split into three green rings as Anu turned into four stars. "Warrior of the Crossed Blades, return these warriors to their makers! Synchro Summon! Level 7, X-Saber Urbellum!" X-Saber Urbellum Level 7, 2200 A tall warrior wearing a helmet fashioned after a bull and wield two large swords appeared on the field, its tattered red cape flowing in the wind. "Now, Battle! X-Saber Urbellum attacks Rush Rhino!" The large man dashed forward, swinging a sword down on Rush Rhino, before taking the other sword and slashing with it, making a large X with its attack. The Rhino exploded into dust after the attack, and Leiko's lifepoints went down. Leiko: 8000>7400 "And now, Faultroll attacks you directly!" Faultroll flew towards Leiko, raising its sword and slamming it down into the girl's back with a huge explosion, smoke shrouding Leiko's bike. But as it cleared, Faultroll rose from the billowing smoke to reveal a slowly spinning Trap card hovering over the hunched-over, wide-eyed Leiko. Her Life Point meter had not changed. "Defense Draw... It reduces Faultroll's damage to zero, and I draw a card to replace it," she said shakily. Zirco growled as he threw out his hand. "Then Boggart Knight attacks you directly!" The goblin ran forward, slashing Leiko swiftly before returning back to where it came from. Leiko: 7400 > 5500 "With that, I end my turn," Leiko breathed heavily as Zirco's turn finished. The onslaught of his attacks had been terrifying; He had swept away Rush Rhino like it was nothing, and reduced a huge chunk out of her Life Points. She looked wide-eyed over her shoulder at the horde of monsters he had rapidly assembled. And she had already destroyed one. For him to rebuild this quickly... Clearly he was skilled. Of course he is, she berated herself, looking back ahead just in time to avoid driving into the edge of the track, jerking her bike into the turn in a heart-stopping moment. He was brought here same as Houki. He's... He's maybe the same caliber. Her sister's visage loomed in her mind, towering over her with Duel Disk at the ready, only to slowly be replaced by Zirco and his horde of Saber monsters. He's someone they actually wanted. Her beeping D Wheel brought her from her stupor. She looked down at the screen to see an image of her Rush Rhino card blinking in and out upon it. She realized quickly what it was, placing a hand to the deck on her wrist. "Rush Rhino's effect activates in the End Phase... I add another Tech Genus monster to my hand. I add... Jet Falcon." Her frazzled brain picked the first card that came to mind, the monster ejecting from her deck and being placed into her hand. It took her a few moments to realize that it was even her own turn, she was so out of it. The full weight of this duel was on her mind now; She was fighting someone who was considered by the Project to be on the same tier as Houki. She couldn't beat somebody like that. "I... I draw." She looked to see her options, such as they were. She didn't know if they would matter against Zirco. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. 'At the very least I can try and make him less angry,' she thought wearily, remembering his words earlier. "Don't throw the duel." "I summon Tech Genus Catapult Dragon." A gray and red, swuat dragon with a long horn that looked like a launching platform appeared on her field, long wings to either side. Tech Genus Catapult Dragon Level 2, 900 "Each turn this card can summon a Level 3 or lower Tech Genus from my hand. I select Jet Falcon!" The dragon raised its head, a burst of fire issuing along the horn that flew up into the air, materializing into a blue-red feathered bird that let out a loud cry as it came to hover beside Leiko's bike. Tech Genus Jet Falcon Level 3, 1400 "A tuner monster, huh?" Zirco muttered to himself as he looked at the field. "Looks like we'll finally see what you got up your sleeve, Ms. Less-Than-A-Year," "I'm tuning my level 2 Catapult Dragon with my level 3 Jet Falcon." Jet Falcon let out a loud caw as it glowed brightly, splitting into three rings of green energy that surrounded Catapult Dragon as it split into two bright motes of light. "Limiter Removal, Level 5," Leiko listed off, seeing the contents of her Extra Deck appear before her in her computerized visor. "Defense Maneuver, go. Ground Support, OK, All Clear! Synchro Summon... Tech Genus, Max Tactician." With a bright flash of light Leiko's monster was revealed: A tall, thin-looking man with long blue robes, the sleeves tapering off to form thin shields, a large plate of steel raised to cover half his face as he took up a position next to Leiko. Tech Genus Max Tactician Level 5, 2000 The monster raised a hand, a glowing sphere of energy appearing within its grasp. "Jet Falcon's effect... I inflict 500 damage whenever I use it to Synchro Summon." With a kick, the orb flew out of his grip, blasting into Zirco's back and exploding, a plume of smoke appearing around him. Zirco growled to himself as he spun his D-Wheel around, driving backwards to starte down Leiko and see what her next move was. Zirco: 7900 > 7400 "I play Synchro Blast Wave next," Leiko continued, the Spell card placed in her Duel Disk as a wave of force emanated from the front of her D-Wheel, Faultroll shuddering in its wake as it was blown to shards. "It destroys any monster if I have a Synchro Monster. Now, battle!" She raised a hand, looking at Zirco's field... And catching sight of the man himself. For a split second it looked like her sister on the bike, looking back at her. Leiko's hand faltered as the arm she pointed with spasmed with pain, the mark on her arm searing. She gasped for breath as she pulled it back, then brought her hand back to her wrist dealer. "... I set a card." Her voice was muted, barely coming through Zirco's helmet speaker. Morodate scowled at the sight, drumming a finger on the arm of his chair. "She had a clear attack..." he commented irritably. "She was able to destroy Boggart Knight once before already. She knows the way is clear. Come on, Leiko, you're better than that." "Maybe she's just scared of Zirco," Yamata stated as she took a sip of tea. "The boy is a handful and has a powerful bark. She's probably under a lot of pressure right now," She sighed. "Granted, Zirco's not dueling much better. He probably could have summoned his signer dragon by now, but knowing him, he won't do it until his back is against the wall," Zirco's eyes narrowed as he saw Leiko didn't attack. It seemed like a cocky move, but she was insisting she was just scared. That almost angered him even more. "Feh, either you're too scared or too confident to attack, and I dunno which is worse! But guess what, that's gonna bite you in your ass!" Leiko lowered her head, unable to raise her vision. Unable to look at him. "... Turn end."

"P-p-p-please! Don't be so loud...please." Yue looked around nervously. "You never know...who may be listening." "Well that's not fuckin' ominous...," Raynor muttered under his breath. The hell did that mean? He had no clue. "Dark Magic? But, Raynor...Do you know magic?" Rona had brought up a very good point, so Raynor decided to give her a very good answer. "Not a lick. Gonna see if Ada can teach me," Raynor confirmed to his fellow countrywoman. Speaking of Ada, the girl and Layne had ran over to the group, placing an injured girl on Gojira's back. "Ay, uh, so... Bad news? I'm bringing someone new with us when we head back. There was an injured woman... And I think it's for the best if I take care of her. I know I should've asked first, but... She won't get care here, and we've been getting a lot of weird stares today. I'm kinda freaked out and feel like we should get out of here." The group feeling freaked out in their own hometown... now that wasn't right. Was something going on...? "Definitely... It's been bad all day, since the inn. I don't know why things changed so suddenly, or why they're even suspicious of me... Though I would understand you two. You should probably not brag about your tome so openly, Raynor." "Awwww.... but it's sooo cool," Raynor whined, but didn't push the subject further, instead watching Gojira dig into the roll Ada provided, tail wagging happily. "Well, I agree it'd be troublesome to leave her alone here..." Ah, whoops. it was business time. "right, I'll fill you about what's happened." Well, as it turned out, this town didn't take kindly to dark magic or Jourans in general. So it wasn't his dashing looks after all. Raynor made a mental note to make sure he was extra heroic to this town, so they would realize he wasn't a bad guy. Well, it wasn't the worst thing, but he had to make sure he didn't make things harder on the group. As for the injured girl, well, Raynor had volunteered to watch over her, but it was quickly pointed out that watching over a girl all night long, especially with how he looked, would seem really creepy, and he didn't want to come off as a creep. So the compromise was that he would trade shifts with Rona. The two of them were becoming like watchdogs for the group, weren't they? After making sure the mounts were fed in the morning, he headed up towards the room where the girl was being kept. "Sorry I'm a little late," Raynor commented. "Feedin' a Kinshi was a new experience, lemme tell ya," He then realized Aleithe was about to enter the room. "Ah, damn, I musta misremembered my shift," He muttered as he scratched his cheek. Come to think of it, he barely knew Aleithe... did he actually ever participate in the same fights as Raynor? Well, if he wasn't needed... "Hey, anyone know where Ada is? It's not super important, but I've been wanting to talk to her,"

"You could bring some of us over yes." Penelope stated after Shiro’s offer. "But making this journey in the dark, in the rain, seems ill advised. Plus, for all we know there's a sea serpent in the water." “I don’t believe particularly big ones live in rivers...” Shiro commented, which the older princess seemed to agree with. The green one then spoke up. “Ahem. Your Highness? Can I make a suggestion? It has to do with what we discussed last night. Make camp for the night. Designate two or three people to gather supplies and build a shelter, while another group works on doing upkeep; cooking, drying out clothes, the usual. Allow Shiro and I to scout the river and find a better place to cross while all of you are working on that -- between the two of us, we can cover the land and water and have a way to cross set up before we break camp at sunrise.” It was a decent plan, but Shiro felt he could do this alone. Still, it wasn’t his place to speak up, not yet. After all, the princesses hadn’t even okayed the plan yet. She began to assign roles, before addressing Shiro. "Lastly, we need people to scout the area, specifically the river. Link has already volunteered for this, but we need one more. Shiro, do you wish to do this?" Well, scouting was his specialty. He bowed his large frog head. “I will get on that right away,” He lifted his head and turned to Link. “Are you going up or downstream?” Link shouldered his backpack then pointed forward with his head. “Upstream,” he said. “Are you going to stay in the river? If so, I can search the bank for a safe way across while you keep track of how strong the current is.” “That was the plan,” Shiro commented as he turned, hopping back into the water, keeping his head above the surface. “Lead the way.” “Right.” Link nodded, but he hadn’t made it two steps when a grey blur hurtled past him and into a puddle in front of him. It was Rohns--slathered with suck a thick layer of mud that even the rain was struggling to wash his fur clean. “...” Link pursed his lips and stared at the wolf cub, before eventually glancing at Shiro. “I hope you don’t mind if he tags along?” “I’d prefer it, actually,” Shiro stated, watching the dog. “I’m sure he’ll be a great help as well,” with that, he began to slowly swim upstream, fighting against the current, but being able to keep pace with a human walking. They covered ground quickly considering the environment. Link ghosted across the muddy banks with an unsettling ease, shallow footprints washed away by the rain within moments, but even he struggled to keep up with Shiro. The Frog Protean easily cut through the current pulling against him with his strong legs, his head just barely visible above the water, dark blue skin acting as a camouflage in the dark. They would have been an undetectable team, if it hadn’t been for their third member. Rohns stopped several times to pee on trees and bushes, chased after any wildlife he spotted, and nipped at Link’s heels everytime he thought the soldier was distracted. Link was certain they were on the right track though. “The trees are getting thicker,” he gestured above his head for Shiro to see. “They’re keeping the ground dry. My boots don’t sink at all here.” Shiro was now convinced that the one he was traveling with, Link, was an famed ‘assassin’ for the royal family. He had heard whispers of similar things during his years of... servitude… humans that could move so silently that even a cat couldn’t detect them and able to kill in a single strike. He thought humans like that were only myth, but perhaps he was wrong. “The water’s current is as swift as ever, but it seems it is gradually getting shallower… if we keep going, we might find a good crossing spot,” He reported. The frog was unsure of what to do now. The trip had been comfortably quiet, but he also had words he wanted to say to Link, things about Glenn, he wasn’t sure if it was a good idea. Maybe, he could ask about something else. “Are you an assassin for the royal family? With the way you move, it’s no wonder you were able to strike Glenn as you did… needless, true, but still very impressive,” Link stopped walking. He didn’t look towards Shiro when he responded, “An assassin? Heh, I’m not even a Knight. Just a soldier with a soft stride is all.” He shook his head, trying to physically rattle whatever thoughts had given him pause loose, but before long his eyes wandered over to Rohns. The wolf cub was sniffing the base of a tree so smothered in penny bun mushrooms it had begun to bow. Rohns sniffled a few more times then started to bark at it. Link pointed it out to Shiro. “I think our guide might be onto something. Check how deep it is over by that tree. If it’s shallow enough to wade, we can secure a rope to the trunk on this side.”

Kazo laid in bed full of doubts. What was he going to do while he was in this town? Common sense told him not to miss out on this one chance, but fear told him to not even try to connect. They separated so many years ago, after all... "Oh my," Kazo turned to his head to see Ari sleeptalking. "I gotta save them...hrrngh...zzz..." With a small smile, he reached out and patted the young cub's head before curling up and trying to sleep himself. He'd figure this out in the morning. It didn't feel like an hour had passed before he felt himself being shaken awake. "Hey. Hey...You mentioned having important people here. You wanna go check that out? Before that, you know, wedding crap?" Kazo sighed and opened an eye, looking at Mac. She wasn't wrong... but... "Alright, alright, I'm up...," Kazo muttered as he stood up, groaning and stretching. "But if I gotta get up," He walked over to Ari, shaking him a little. "C'mon buddy, we gotta get some food," With a sleepy yawn, Kazo sat at the table and quietly ate his meal. With a full stomach, he had made up his mind. Today was the day he'd do it. He couldn't avoid this and have regrets. After he finished eating, he stood up and waved goodbye as he walked out. "Good luck you two. I'll be lookin' around town if you need me," The town itself was pretty small, and honestly, Kazo wasn't sure how he was going to find his mom and brother. He wasn't going to just knocking on doors until he found them. That was just asking to get kicked out. What could he do though...? He had wandered around for about fifteen minutes before he sighed to himself, rubbing his forehead. What was he even doing? There was no way this could end well... His thoughts were interrupted when he ran into a body. "S-sorry...," He muttered, before looking at the person he actually ran into. It was an older woman, not too elderly, but obviously not a spring chicken either. She was slightly taller than he was, which was a bit of a feat, and not something Kazo was used to. Taking a quick look, he could tell she was a... wait... a Tyranitar... no, no... that was too much of a coincidence, wasn't it? There was no way... "'Ey, don't worry about it, I was lost in my own thoughts to, kiddo," The voice... it felt too familiar... but no, it was over 10 years since he saw her. He could just be remembering her voice wrong in a desperate attempt to think he found them. He then noticed that the woman was looking at him, scanning him with her green eyes. "Say kiddo, you remind me of someone I used to know," What a strange thing to say to someone you just bumped into, right? "What's your name?" "Um... i-it's Kazo...," The Gabite muttered as he turned his head to look away. This was so weird and yet he didn't... really want to run? He just felt awkward for some reason. He felt a finger suddenly touch his cheek and force him to turn his head to look back at the Tyranitar. "Kazo? You're not fookin' with me, are you kid?" She asked. "Your name is Kazo? You from Juyu, have a mom named Carmilla?" Kazo saw the most serious look on the Tyranitar's face. "A-actually, her name is K-Kiara...," Kazo managed to say, slightly intimidated by this woman. A large grin spread across her face and the Tyranitar suddenly pulled Kazo into a hug. It was such a warm hug... it reminded him too much of his childhood... "I can't believe you're here...," she whispered into his ear. "I'm sorry, Kaz... I'm sorry we left all those years ago," Her embrace became tighter as Kazo stood there limply. "M-mom...?" he managed to get out before his vision started to blur a bit. Ah... he was crying... he wrapped his arms around her, clinging on for dear life. "I've missed you so much Mom...," the words managed to slip past his lips as he held on tightly. He found her.... Denku was starting to dislike the places royalty lived. It was pretty and awe inspiring and stuff, but it just all felt too big. He couldn't imagine a child growing up in a place like this. "And you have brought strangers into my land. You know how we feel about outsiders, Dora." Especially not with a father like that. "You have brought my daughter back and for that I thank you. But I must admit I suspect that is not why you came here. I can see it in your eyes. There's something you want. Is it a reward you seek?" "Your Majesty," Easter spoke first. "You are correct that bringing your daughter back is not the only reason we came here. There is, in fact, another reason. That is, we are looking for somebody." A good start, good indeed. “Excuse me,” Brooke was up next. “Sir, your highness. I don’t know the proper etiquette for your kingdom; until a week ago, I thought it was make believe. I’ve been Dora’s caretaker for awhile now. I rescued her from some less than kind folks, but her former caretaker was killed in the fight. She didn’t remember much at the time, so I took her in and did my best to raise her. Understandably, I’ve become rather attached to her, so I hope you don’t mind me asking. What happened? Was she kidnapped? Because she seemed fond of her guardian when I met her.” That was an important question, one they needed answered.... Denku didn't have anything to add, not really, so he kept his eyes on the surroundings. He still didn't trust people, and his last run in with royalty wasn't the most pleasant.

"So Herc, what areas around here have you currently scoured?" Yuudai asked, making Herc stroke his chin, thinking to himself. "I got about to the one crosswalk and down that alley back there...other than that, nothing huge on my e-" Before the sentence could be finished, a girl crashed into the car, exerting enough force to cause the machine to collapse. "Nothing personal, kid," she said, flying forward and connecting her foot into Yuudai's head, knocking the boy back, who to his credit, managed to stay up longer than one would expect from a semi-normal looking human with no super strength. It happened so fast Herc wasn't able to react to the kick at all. That didn't fare well, but he was also caught off guard... "N-Ngh!!! W-What the hell...?!" Herc's partner called out. "T-Tch...f-figures..." he grumbled, sitting up. "N-Not cool...not cool at all!" "Man, hope that taxi driver had insurance," Herc quipped before reaching down and grabbing the front edge of the broken car with both hands. "If not, well, I bet he'd flip out," With that, Herc threw his arms up, flipping the car upwards. Hey, it was self defense, right? Right.

"That's...rather impressive." The Miltank said, Kazo noticing she really didn't seem all here at the moment. "But it sounds so dangerous too. I don't know why you'd ever put yourself willingly in such danger." "Cause we're awesome that's why. Nothing's gonna stop us!" "There's also the fact that it seems like no matter what we do, danger finds us anyways," Kazo muttered. "Well, I'm sure you must be right." She started to back away. "I'm sure I'll see you around. If you decide you want to stay here I'm sure I could help you. Though maybe it's best you go if you're so intent on this adventure. Honestly unless you plan on staying here there's not much in this town." Mia left after that, which struck Kazo as odd. Was being a chaser that bad of a thing around here? "I'd be okay leaving honestly. Looks like the people here are mostly nosy old ladies and brats anyway. Otherwise we probably should find a place to sleep." "Well, I wanna stay for the wedding at least, but after that, I guess it's fine, but where are we gonna go next?" "... Probably best to find somewhere to sleep, yeah...," Kazo muttered. "I dunno, something kinda feels off around here... Maybe it would be best if we moved on...," Then again... "W-well, maybe not now...," He was too afraid to go looking, but... he also really wanted to see if he could find his mom and brother here... damn... why was he being so indecisive now of all times? Denku was in a bit of silent awe of the city. It was indeed the most beautiful one he had ever seen... granted, he was comparing to a swamp and a completely flat piece of land, so maybe it wasn't the fairest comparison. Still, it was beautiful, for sure. He watched as Dora ran ahead to greet everyone. She knew them all by name, but also remembered all of them? She needed more credit than he gave her.... "This is some place," he muttered. "Who'd have thought that Dora was a princess of an underwater kingdom? Not I, that's for sure." "It explains so much and yet so little," Denku commented. "But yeah, this was out of left field for me to," OOC

As Jet pulled out a straw, Damien let out a sigh. "I'm sorry Jet, but... that's the short straw," he patted the boy on the shoulder. "Don't worry too much about it though... Mr. E might be odd, but he's a nice guy," "No...yes." The girl seemed confused. Not only that, but she was mumbling to herself again. Zirco just waited until she decided to spit out her business. "I think we should be roommates." She managed after some time. Zirco raised an eyebrow. That was odd... but he supposed it was better than getting stuck with Mr. E "You don't need to answer if you don't want to." She finished. "I'm fine with that," Zirco said. "Dunno why ya picked me, but hey, that's also none of my business," "Shannon, it... It's okay." Zirco looked up to see Leiko walking over. "Zirco, I... I'm sorry. I don't think I'm better than you. Why would I? I can't... I can't even do anything with the six months I lost to these experiments, can't even make myself stay... You SHOULD be mad at me. But..." She took a deep breath. "But that's how YOU'RE better. Than me. You're strong enough to fight, still, after all of this... I'm not. And if you have to beat me in a duel to know that, you have to beat me in a duel." She strapped on her helmet, getting on the D-Wheel she didn't seem used to. "I... I'm ready when you are," "You better not throw the duel," Zirco stated before he started his D-Wheel, the engine roaring to life. The two pulled up next to each other, their engines rumbling as they waited for a signal. "Ready? Set? Duel!" Gil shouted out as the two took off. The mechanic then ran over to a couch in the corner, leaping over the back of it and landed on the couch, turning on a large TV that showed the track, and the two duelists. "Hey, y'all wanna watch? Got popcorn to! It's nice and buttery," On the Racetracks of Signer Haven Zirco vs Leiko Turn 1 The two drove side by side at first, but it was obvious that Zirco was much more comfortable behind his D-Wheel, easily pulling ahead and going around the first turn of the oval track. "Alright, my turn!" Zirco stated before looking at his hand. "I Normal Summon X-Saber Boggart Knight!" In front of Zirco's D-Wheel appeared what looked like a goblin in armor, spinning its sword. (ATK:1900) "When he's Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a level 4 or lower X-Saber monster! I'll summon the tuner monster X-Saber Airbellum!" A short hairy man with claws appeared on the field, roaring and flying next to Boggart Knight. (ATK:1600) He looked down at his hand. "Now, I set two cards and end my turn!" He paused to focus on the turn they were coming up to, leaning down close to the ground as he zipped around the corner. "Alright, show me what you got!"

Shiro hadn't said much after the visions. Granted, he was never one much for talking, but those visions... they reminded him that humans had a light to them, an inherent kindness... one that was overshadowed and snuffed out by their cruelness. They'd turn on each other, slaughter each other for something as silly as beliefs. Still, despite knowing this in his head, his heart wasn't taking it so well. He couldn't imagine what life would be like if his clan of frogs were like that. He didn't sleep that well for the rest of the time. After another sleepless night, the group moved on. It was a quiet walk through the day, but something happened that Shiro appreciated. It began to rain... it wasn't a light rain either. The road began to turn to mud as the water swept across the ground. The others didn't seem to enjoy the rain, but Shiro loved it. It kept him cool, and his skin wet. It was lovely. Night fell as they came across a river. The bridge was out, and the river itself seemed to be overflowing due to all the rain. Shiro stood at the bank of the river, crouched over and staring at the rushing river. "What now?" The princess wondered. Without saying a word, Shiro turned into his frog form, leaping up and diving into the water, creating a huge splash as he did. He stayed under the water for a bit before he surfaced a little further down the river, making his way back to land and hopping back to the group. "Even at my full size, I could not touch the bottom," He stated, making sure the others noticed he was bigger as a frog than a human. "The water's current is also strong. I wouldn't advise you all to try swimming across. Maybe I could carry everyone across?" He then looked over the group. The horse would be an issue...

The True Mascot He'll Come Back Someday, I Swear It!!!

"Th-thank you!" she finally finished, face red. The sight put a small smile on Raynor's face. He went to say something, but before he could... she suddenly ran off. "What a strange girl," Raynor muttered before patting Gojira's side. Come to think of it, this was a strange town. Everyone was staring at him, and not in the way he'd imagine most would. Instead of admiration, it was... wariness and fear. Well, that'd be okay. he just needed to build up his legend more, and soon, they'd be glad they saw him! All he had to do was keep trucking forward. The Jouran turned his head when he heard footsteps coming back to him, seeing Yue approaching him. "So... did you enjoy your jog?" Raynor asked. "Raynor, Yue. Is um, is everything alright?" The boss came up, asking if everything was okay. Why would anything be wrong...? "Friend, I take it you've finished your shopping? Get anything good?" Rona approached, speaking loudly. How odd. Maybe she thought he couldn't hear her, or maybe she was just a bit hard of hearing. "Yeah, I got this kickass tome of Dark Magic!" He called out in an equally loud voice. "Just wait until I master this! Everyone will be surprised as hell when a Salamander charges at them, bolts of Dark Magic being fired from its back!" As Rona got closer, she whispered to him. "Raynor, I need to know, have you heard anything unusual from Jouruun?" Raynor just shook his head in reply. "Nothin' from there," He stated. "Why, somethin' goin' on?"

Shiro raised an eyebrow as Cat felt with Link. It seemed they needed to talk about something... he could sneak up and find out what it was... he could rationalize it as part of his duties, keeping tabs on everyone and making sure that everyone was okay, but decided in the end against it. It wasn't right, the princess could have her own privacy. It seemed the divine smiter wanted to know more though. "I know, it's not often one sees such dazzling radiance as I. But I must ask you." She looked off to where Catriona and Link had gone. "Is that man her vassal? Or is it perhaps usual for men and women in your land to be so...close. Unless..." She gave a look of horror. "Is this a scandalous affair?" Shiro almost snorted. He hadn't been with the group for more than two days and he knew those two were the last people to look at another person in that way. One was focused on their mission... and the other was a man in green he still needed to hit as hard as he could. He still haven't forgiven him for what he did to Glenn. "Sir Knight shouldn't you have gone with your Princess? Unless that rather rough looking fellow was also a knight." It seemed Gunther was the next victim of this hurricane of a princess. "Link? Link is...well, he's not a knight. But he sort of is. I um...am not fully sure." "Goodness but people in this land are rather lackadaisical about protocol aren't they?" "Not much protocol out in the woods, your divine radianceness. Besides, it's fine. If you can guard a book you can guard a princess." Alois then asked a more important question. "what about you, 'Princess?' Not very keen on protocol yourself, or does a holy divine smiter of all evil in the world not need a vassal or knight or whatever." Looking to her steed he jokingly asked, "are you her guard?" "I'd trust that horse over most humans any day," Shiro commented from his corner of the area. Maybe that was a mistake. Damn, he was letting more emotions slip than usual to. This was Glenn's fault somehow, he knew it.

Zirco clicked his tongue as he looked over his D-Wheel. It was always a clunker, but he had to admit, this Gil really fixed up his bike. What was once a dull metal and rusted was fixed up and polished to a shining white. Green trimming was even added to it, giving it a futuristic sort of feel. Zirco had to take a moment to admire it before taking a seat on it. The padding on his seat was fixed up and everything. It was like it was a brand new bike. "So, whatcha think?" Gil asked as he wiped grease from his hands. "Not a bad job, if I do say so myself," "I mean... this is more than 'not a bad job'. We might as well call this the Sun Blazer Mark II," Zirco admitted, his anger melting away into admiration. "You did all this in only a few hours?" Gil let out a laugh. "I'm not a miracle worker," He said. "I actually had all your D Wheels since yesterday. Been working on them all day since then, ya know?" Zirco nodded. That made sense. He revved the engine as a test, it making a loud noise before quieting down to a quiet purr. Zirco grinned. This was the best he ever heard his D Wheel> Now there was no way he could--- "You said thirteen years? I've been in this project less than 4 years. You went in terrible conditions for 7 years? I had 3 months of it, and I had the run of the place after that. And, on top of all of that..." Zirco let out a groan. Was this woman, Shannon, going to be more trouble than it was worth? He turned over, to see what she was talking about. She was showing him her mark, the Head, grinning. "I'm the one who is the designated leader. So, would you rather beat up on a meek girl who barely knows what's happening... Or on someone who simply surpassed you in every regard?" He knew what was going on here. She was trying to rile him up, get him to forgot Leiko. He didn't know why she was bothering trying to help someone who was trying to ditch them, but he figured it had something to do with the fact he was a loud angry man challenging a woman a foot smaller than him into a duel. Yeah, that seemed right, actually. He'd probably do the same if it happened to anyone else. "Mr. Gil, is there a spare D-Wheel I can borrow?" "Don't bother," Zirco snapped. "I'm not going to duel you," He turned his head lazily to look at Shannon. "You seem to have a fundamental misunderstanding about my anger. While her being in the program for less than a year annoys the ever loving shit out of me, that's not something in her control. You know what is though? The decision to leave. Shockingly, the fact that despite being in the program for less than a year, she's just going to abandon the rest of us for her own convenience and ego pisses me off. Hell, you, for all your damn annoying squawking about being the leader are at least staying to fight with the rest of us," He leaned back in his D Wheel. "But hey, after I beat her, I'll be happy to duel you. I got a whole other set of issues with you," He did his best to tune out Shannon's answer, knowing it would either be anger or some more of her condescending nonsense, instead focusing on the duel ahead. Did Leiko deserved to be crushed under the absolute power of his Duel Dragon, or was she even worth that? He wasn't 100 percent sure yet... He then noticed that the really gloomy one... um... damn, he couldn't remember her name, but she was standing there, looking awkward. He sat up, tilting his head. "Yo. Somethin' I can help ya with, or you just admiring the Sun Blazer Mark II?" He hoped that didn't sound as snappy as he thought it did.