Distress: The Mission uncalled for

Chapter 1

Distress:

The Mission uncalled for

"Wait for me! Come back!"

Alistor runs through the pitch darkness as Rena's light is illuminated from a distance. Shadows from the past begin to materialize in his path.

"Missed us?"

"Not you guys…."

Emperor Vilevelious and the Baronia King appeared right before him as he readied his blade. The King swings his cane to the floor as he rolled to the side. Then, he dashes right around Vilevelious.

"I have no time for this."

Rena's image was still focused on his mind as he rushed after her. Her body continues to fade into the distance. He picked up on the speed to get closer.

"I'm almost there."

Her hand begins to reach out for him as he raised his. A dark wave hits from the side forcing her body to dissipate completely.

"Hoo…You think it will be that easy?"

"Moon? No…It can't be possible."

Alistor makes the first move readying a Star Breaker. His attack impacts successfully as the figure dissipates into gas.

"I finally did it."

Evil laughter commenced all around.

"I told you. It won't be that easy."

The gas materializes into a bunch of past monsters. They begin to surround Alistor as he got to his knees, exhausted. The feeling of hopelessness as the demons mocked him. A voice suddenly echoes into the distance.

"The Neon Prism….Seek the Neon Prism."

Auroa's human form appeared through the darkness. Then, with one whip, the monsters fade back into the gas. Alistor got back up to confront him.

"Thanks, I guess…."

The wind channeler turns away.

"You're not supposed to be here."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Alistor asked. "What is this place?"

He begins to follow but gets swept away by the wind. Alistor continues to struggle against the currents.

"Wait up! You didn't answer my question. What am I supposed to do?"

Auroa makes one final glance back as a force pushed. Then, he gets swept away from the darkness.

"Stop procrastinating and get the Neon Prism!"

An alarming sound commenced as Alistor finds himself falling out of his bed. A broken alarm clock lies flat on the floor as he rubs the back of his head.

"Sigh…not again."

"Someone's finally awake."

Katty leans on the opposite end of the chair with both his legs spread. Alistor makes his way downstairs to the living room.

"I see you're finally awake. Morning!" Katty greeted.

Maigashi was by the doors as the rest gathered by the table. Kabuki and Havok waited for a command.

"So, are we ready to begin searching for the prism?" Havok asked.

Just when Alistor was about to decide, an unexpected knock came at the doors. Maigashi goes to open it. A messenger hands a letter to them as Katty takes a look.

"It's an urgent message from the region of Korola. Someone needs assistance."

"Sigh… Can't someone else handle this?" Maigashi yawned.

"Due to the attacks from the Crystal Vortex, they're still recovering. Therefore, no one else will take this Mission." Katty mentioned.

Katty then noticed something on the back sheet of the paper. Captain Steffbird's image is noted below on the wanted list.

"Is that really Steffbird? No, it can't be?" Alistor nodded.

Katty continues to read on.

"This could be the first lead we have. Apparently, from the file provided, Steffbird was the one who stole the Prism in the first place."

The party turned their attention to Havok and Kabuki.

"Yes…It was stolen." Kabuki admitted. "Our force obtained it through an illegal auction."

A flashback shows Steffbird presenting the Prism to a bunch of dark forces.

"The auction was high, but we came out on top in the end." Havok closed.

Alistor begins to take an interest in the request.

"This is something I might want to look into. So we'll take this Mission."

The rest stumbled back for a brief second, not saying a word.

"You can't be serious? This looks like a complete side mission. Plus, we don't have any beef with Steffbird." Maigashi reasoned.

"Hmph! We have nothing to gain going after the seller." Havok nods. "I would suggest another course of action.

Alistor begins to have a gut feeling.

"True…But I can't just let this go." He said. "It's been years since I last saw Steffbird. He was an ally, and I must know the truth. I just can't imagine him being wanted."

Alistor picked up his bags and began walking to the door.

"So what do you say, guys?"

"If you think I'm gonna help procrastinate, it's a no," Havok answered. "We'll be waiting till then."

The rest were not motivated as Kabuki lets off a nod. Not a single member of the team stood up.

"Aw, come on! I can't do this all alone!" Alistor begged.

Maigashi quickly got up from his chair.

"Fine! I'll volunteer for now. Been a while since I had a good vacation, but don't expect me to babysit you."

A sense of relief was in his eyes.

"The ship will be leaving soon. If you want to catch a ride to Korola, then it's best to leave now." Katty suggested.

"What will you be doing in the meantime?" Alistor wondered.

"I got myself booked to help rebuild Mathias. But don't worry, we won't be left empty-handed. These guys will help as well."

He turned his attention towards Havok and Kabuki as they felt awkward.

"Us?" Pointed Kabuki.

"Yeah, you guys! I'll help you reform and start a new leaf."

He gave them a thumbs-up as Alistor and Maigashi took their leave. Kabuki's eyes leered to the side.

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"

"Nothing more we can do." Havok shrugged.

Maigashi makes one final wave goodbye at the doors.

"We'll be back before you know it."

And so, the two departs to the region of Korola. They board the ship within a matter of time and sets off. But, unfortunately, the quest for the Prism will have to wait a while.

Hours later…

Maigahsi is seen lying back on a chair at the front of the ship. An umbrella covers him with a small drink over his table.

"It feels so good to be away from home. This vacation was what I need."

Alistor is seen in the background training. An announcement is made on the ship.

"We'll be arriving at our destination soon. We hope you enjoy your stay on the S.S Lavi and come back soon."

The ship eventually docks at the bay as Maigashi takes his time leaving. Alistor rushes to get off, dashing.

"Someone's in a hurry. Sigh…More time for me then."

Maigashi casually walks his way to the information booth by the beach, flocked by many souvenirs stands.

"Hmm, a map might prove useful."

Meanwhile, Alistor rushed down the path across the shoreline. He crosses paths with a familiar face by a row of palm trees.

"Steffbird….Is that really you?"

He comes to a halt as the captain strolls past him.

"The tides of time are changing har har har."

Before he had the chance to turn back, the captain was already gone. Then, on a warm sunny day, he begins to feel the summer heat.

"He's gone…. Do I see things? No, it's just too hot. I better just press on forward."

Alistor makes his way to the shore gates. A castle with a set of stairs right in place as he looks over at the address on the letter one last time.

"Time to meet our client."

Before he had the chance to take another step, an electrical blast impacts the ground. Slime and explosions rained from above as he backs away.

"Show yourselves!" Alistor demanded.

From the smoke, three figures appeared before his very eyes. At the center, the female is channeling lightning. A helmet covers her head, leaving Alistor unable to see her face.

"Who are we? We're team Halteese! A team unlike any you've ever seen."

Lightning impacts by Alistor one last time. The more prominent figure takes a step forward.

"I'll shoot you!"

"Not much for introductions, I guess."

Gunfire begins spreading across the sands as Alistor makes a run. A glob of slime crashes behind him.

"The names Guzuma! Heh heh heh."

The monster attempts to close in, but Alistor slashed him back with his Silver Shrapnel technique. He then feels a shock coming down from behind. The female pounced on him from above. A blade of lightning materializes from her arm.

"You can call me Yamata."

She aggressively knocks him back as he stumbles across the sands. Then, she begins blasting away as he pulled back.

"There's no use in running! You'll be dying right here." She snickered.

As Alistor struggled to gain grounds, Yamata prepares for the finishing blow. A wave of lightning suddenly rained above, pushing the other monsters back. Maigashi appeared before her very eyes. The summer light quickly blinds everyone.

"Who the heck are you?"

"Just some guy… on vacation."

He knocks her back from the force of his dagger. Alistor got right back up as Guzumo starts making a charge towards him. The more prominent figure focuses on Alistor as Yamata squares off with Maigashi in the blinding light.

"Go home, outsider! Leave your nose out of other's affairs. This region belongs to Halteese."

"You guys seem like rejects that came out from some convention."

The two blindly clashed across the shores.

"You freshman's are gonna get outclassed."

"Man! You sound as corny as hell." Maigashi stated.

Yamata comes to a brief halt.

"Corny? I'll show you! Now I'm mad. Really mad!"

She begins channeling all her energy in one place. Then, without hesitation, she fires it at Maigahsi, point-blank. Smoke erupted out from the sands.

"Heh! Now it's over…."

The smoke cleared within moments as Maigashi emerged unfazed with lightning absorbing into his body. Yamata lets off a sweat.

"What? You can channel lightning too?" She backed.

"Yeah…and thanks for the juice up. Now it's my turn."

Maigashi lets off a smirk as he begins an offense. Yamata starts jumping back, avoiding all the strikes he makes. She begins to stumble around as he got her back to the walls. He makes another swing, breaking a hole through the wall.

"Gah!"

A part of her helmet begins to break from the bottom. Maigashi grabs hold of her arm as she gets pressed to the wall. He prepares for the strike without hesitation as she lost her balance.

"Now it's over!

Her helmet immediately falls off as the blinding sunlight gets covered by a cloud. As Maigashi pressed closer, his fist comes to a sudden stop. Yamata had her eyes closed as he was caught off by her appearance. He stopped in mid-action, taking a moment to examine his opponent.

"Wait a minute… .you're a chick?"

Her eyes glanced into Maigashi. Breathing close by the neck, the two awkwardly stared at one another. Maigashi's other hand was pressed hard against her breast as she looked down. He took a moment to squeeze it. A slight blush followed through as he quickly let go and backed away.

"I'm so sorry. Gomen nasai! Gomen nasai!"

Maigashi bowed over to apologize as she covered herself in shame. She quickly kicked him back to Alistor. The sound of an army approached from the distance.

"Reinforcements on the double," Guzumo noted.

Help arrived on the scene as the battle comes to a stop. A surrounding army comes in to intercept the enemies. A purple-haired girl points down at them.

"Freeze right there! In the name of justice."

The more prominent figure was not amused as he begins firing at the army, taking cover.

"I'll shoot you!!!"

Yamata and Maigashi continue to stare at one another awkwardly in the corner. At the same time, Alistor and the slime monster duke it out.

"What's the matter, Yamata?" Guzumo wondered.

"Reinforcements already? This is no fun. We'll have to settle the score later." She nodded.

The prominent figure stops his round of fire as the team begins to fall back.

"The name is Murasuma, by the way. If you dare get in my way, I won't hesitate to shoot you."

"Our monster Suga will take things from here." She pointed.

Team Halteese teleported away from the scene as the purple-haired girl rushes down to their side. A monster materialized from the liquid in place.

"No time to celebrate just yet. Here it comes." Maigashi pointed.

The shoreline begins to flood over as the army falls back. Then, finally, Suga emerged, spraying a gush of water.

"To the higher grounds!" A soldier directed.

Alistor and the Maigashi followed them up the stairs as the monster seeps its way through the moat. Maigashi attempts to fire at the creature, popping the demon to pieces with his electrical blast.

"Is it over yet?" Alistor wondered.

The monster quickly reformed itself.

"The valve! Drain the valve!" The girl ordered.

The army begins to pull the valves. Alistor rushed to assist as the pool of water drained within moments. The monster was left out in the open as Maigashi readied his attack once more.

"Surging Thunder!"

The lightning strikes Suga at the core, finishing it off in one blow. Then, the monster dissipates into thin air.

"Darn, they got away again. Well, are you guys alright?" The girl asked. "You must be the ones Mathias sent to aid us."

"So you're the one who sent the letter," Alistor asked.

"The name's Nephena. We can talk more about the situation back in the castle."

She turned away, leading her army back to the castle. Alistor and Maigashi follow them from right behind.

"What could be possibly going on?" Maigashi wondered. "Guess we'll soon find out."

Somewhere back above in some Domino-shaped ship…

"Reporting back, captain."

Team Halteese arrives in the middle of a control room. None other than Captain Steffbird piloting the ship.

"That fickle girl made a desperate call for outside reinforcements," Murasuma reported.

"This delays things in our plans." Guzuma nodded

Captain Steffbird takes a look over at the viewing screen, spotting Maigashi and Alistor among the crowd.

"Aye, I see…So the time has finally arrived. I knew one day it would come down to this. But not to worry! They are of no threat."

"I'll be sure to shoot them!" Murasuma laughed.

As the rest begins planning their next move, Yamata makes her way out the door. In another room, she leaned against the porch of a balcony, thinking to herself.

"Never has a man pressed me so hard against the wall."

The thought of Maigashi pressing against her breast resonates through her mind.

"Just who the hell does he think he is? I'll be watching you…."