Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Two: Ayana

In the Nation of Voltiana…

Word quickly got around about the Masquerade, with many Voltian citizens, both high-class and regular, discussing it. A group of young Voltians were sitting in a food shop, reading the news on their watches.

"Cool! This year's Masquerade is gonna be even bigger than ever before!"

"Did you know they're inviting other races to attend? So odd, but I wonder how it will play out. Could be dangerous."

"Meh, I'm sure the King and Queen can handle any drama or discord. What I'm curious about, is Squad S-1. Think they'll be good mascots?"

"Questionable. We all love General Fujii, but that Dachii kid is a HUGE target! Is it safe to bring him here, especially after his grandfather was killed?"

"Time will tell."

Meanwhile, inside of a meeting room…

Yonemura, Kamenashi, Ohashi Yakamochi, Shiroma Hachiro, and Nakano Ryuu were all sitting around a table.

"Who requested this meeting?" Hachiro asked. "It was very abrupt."

"You can say that again," Kamenashi remarked. "The Masquerade is in less than two days. I thought we had this all planned by now."

"It's always good to confirm our standings," Yonemura recommended. "Is everything in order? Have all the invitations been sent?"

Ryuu checked his watch. "Of course. The humans, dwarves, and orcs have received their invites per the Royal Family's request. Squad S-1 has finished delivering the last one to the leader of the monsters."

"Good," Yonemura said. "Speaking of Squad S-1, they will attend the event as requested, yes?"

"That's the plan," Yakamochi replied. "The Jones kid is a different case, however. He hasn't been the same since the events in Batango. And we ALL saw what happened in Batango."

"Yes," Yonemura recalled. "I remember."

Six months ago…

Dachii burst into a hospital lobby, where Yonemura and Yakamochi were overseeing the treatment of numerous Voltians injured by Ravos's rampage.

"Huh?" Yakamochi wondered, turning to look at the entrance. "What are you doing here?"

"One of you! You have to have something that can help my grandfather! You have to! Use your tech or something!"

They both turned to face him, and the entire hospital stopped what they were doing.

"There is nothing more to be done," Yonemura answered. "Once death has occurred, we aren't able to bring them back. Hikari could tell you, she's unable to heal a man back from the dead, isn't she?"

"Yeah, that's why in asking you guys! You can build robots and moving roads and flying machines but nothing to save my grandfather—-YOUR general?"

They both looked at each other.

"Sorry, kid. We're unable to assist. All we can do is make preparations for the funeral. You should reunite with your Squad. It's too dangerous for you to be wandering alone," Yakamochi suggested.

"NO!"

Just then, Kia walked in behind Dachii, grabbing his shoulders. "Come on, son, we should go."

"Mom, make them help Morino!"

Kia glared at the two government officials, a hint of disgust in her eye. "They won't. Your grandfather is merely a casualty to their country. He's not important enough to try to save. He's just a human, good for them under certain circumstances, expendable like the rest."

A tear fell from her eye. "I wish…I wish I had gotten him to leave with me, back then. It's all…my fault…"

"Mom…?"

"Come on, son," she insisted, leading him away. "Let's go."

Yonemura and Yakamochi watched them leave, before turning amongst themselves.

"A General, one of our strongest, has fallen today," Yonemura stated. "We can't suffer any more losses."

"We won't," Yakamochi assured. "This 'Obsidian Order,' may have the upper hand for now, but our researchers are studying them as we speak. We will find out the truth, and we WILL stop them."

They glanced a final look at Dachii. "Before they get their hands on their target."

Present Day…

Yonemura tapped the table, thinking. "Well, we'll figure a way to make it work. The Queen has insisted we place a guard around him and the others at all times. She doesn't want him leaving the premises under any conditions until the event has ended."

"Easier said than done," Kamenashi groaned. "Human kids aren't easy to control, and this one was a bit of a wildcard before. How are we going to keep him on the leash now, especially with his new reckless mindset?"

Ryuu clicked his pen. "We will get it done. We always do. Start inviting the higher-ups, the wealthy, and all the nobles. When the Queen says she wants perfection, she means UTTER perfection. And that INCLUDES her daughter."

"What about her daughter?" Kamenashi asked.

"She plans for Akari to host the event this year. She and her brother."

Meanwhile, inside the S-1 Mansion…

"Let me get this straight. So you're one of Dachii's human friends, but you're NOT from Estrium, and you've been invited to attend the Masquerade as a human representative? And now you're here to see him?"

Ayana nodded, while Fujii handed her a cup. "Here, have some tea. The Masquerade isn't for a few more days. Are you sure now is the best time to see him? I don't know if you've heard, but he's not exactly…peaches and cream."

"I know," Ayana said. "My friend Haruto told me what happened to his grandfather, Morino Masato. It's a tragic loss, I'd heard of the stories, the legendary feats he'd accomplished. Haruto's a big fan."

"Those stories are true," Fujii confirmed. "Mostly."

Ayana clapped her hands together. "Anyway, where's Dachii? I've missed him a lot since our last interaction!"

"He and his squad went on a mission to invite the Monster King to the Masquerade. Judging by the text Akari sent me, they've done it. They should be here any moment now."

BOOM.

"Ow! Aoki, why would you stab it in the neck, you idiot!"

"Quiet. It didn't want to land, so I MADE IT LAND."

"That's not how you treat flying animals!"

"Okay, okay, you two! Can we get inside? Dachii's already about to collapse!"

"The world's…an evil…place…"

"And there they go." Fujii realized. "Back and beautiful."

A few minutes later, they walked inside, with Akari and Hikari pulling Dachii along like a child.

"You guys are back!" Saori greeted. "Did you bring me anything?"

"Maybe next time, sweetie," Hikari answered. "It was a little more intense than we thought."

"Aww."

Fujii gave them a proud clap. "Nice job! You guys worked as a team and got the mission done, without killing each other or dying in the process! A win-win in my book! Also, Dachii, you have a visitor."

He stepped out of the way, allowing the squad to see Ayana.

"AYANA?" Akari, Hikari, and Aoki blurted out at once.

Dachii's eyes briefly widened.

"Uh, who is this again?" Marachii asked.

"Beats me," Luca remarked. "New stuff happens and I'm late to catch up."

Ayana stepped forward, locking eyes with Dachii, and the entire room began to feel still as everyone watched the two look at each other. And then…

"What do you want…"

"Well, damn," Ayana said, embarrassed. "I thought you'd be more excited to see me."

"Do you need something…or can I go to my room…"

"Okay, he's MUCH worse than Haruto described to me. I thought I'd be dealing with a simple down-in-the-dumps kinda thing, but THIS?"

"Yep," Akari sighed. "He's been like this for months. No trace of our old, lovable Dachii. But that's beside the point. Why are you here?"

"For reasons she probably shouldn't be," Aoki remarked. "This is the S-1 Mansion, not the Everyone Mansion."

"She looks human," Marachii pointed out.

"She is," Hikari said. "I think? She definitely doesn't fight like one, and that Haruto kid she hangs with, he definitely picked up a thing or two from her."

Ayana was about to turn red. "Heh, I'm just a driven individual. I've been overlooked for so long, the only way I can make a name for myself is hard work!"

"I like her!" Fujii said. "She seems like a nice companion for you guys! How about you stay with us until after the Masquerade?"

"WHAT?" the girls exclaimed.

"That sounds amazing! I accept." Ayana agreed.

"Awesome!" Fujii said, excited. "Maybe you can help with our Dachii dilemma! Let's hit the training room and see what you're made of, Ayana!"

"Right now?" she asked.

"Yep!"

He led her into the training room as the others watched. Luca coughed, breaking the silence. "What a lively young woman. I wonder if she likes beef."

Akari, Aoki, and Hikari glared at him.

"She does!" Saori said. "Me and Fujii cooked her some for dinner!"

Marachii simply just shook his head. "She reminds me of an old friend. It's scary how similar they are."

Akari rolled her eyes. "Let's just see what our leader has in store for us today."

Once they were all in the training room, Fujii centered Ayana in the middle of the room. "Do you consider yourself a fighter?"

"On my best days, yeah."

He walked back and forth in front of her, his hands behind his back. "I see. But words alone are not enough to convince a man such as me. Aoki! Step forward!"

"Hmph."

She walked up to them, and Fujii stopped in place. "As you probably know, this here is Aoki. She's great with all things…blades."

"I've seen," Ayana replied.

"How about you? Any weapon of choice you'd prefer?"

"Just a sword, please."

"One sword, coming right up!"

Fujii pressed a button on the wall, and a weapon rack popped out. He grabbed a sword from it and tossed it to Ayana. "Don't disappoint now. I want you to prove your skills against her. You've both got 30 seconds to disarm the other opponent. If neither of you manage in time, we call a draw. Ready?"

"Ooh, this is gonna be good," Hikari whispered.

"As much as I hate her, is this even fair for Aoki?" Akari whispered back. "This isn't exactly Dachii we're talking about, no offense."

They both glanced at Dachii, who barely seemed concerned, simply twirling one of his dreadlocks.

"Is a human going up against one of you even a winnable matchup?" Marachii asked Luca.

Luca yawned. "Tomoko beat Nishiyama. He's a normal human."

"Yeah, but that's NISHIYAMA. Aoki looks like she drinks her own blood for fun."

"She does."

"Gross!"

"To answer your question, no. Not unless you have an Element, which you shouldn't, but you and Dachii exist, or unless you're really, really good."

Fujii tapped a button on his watch. "3…2…1, GO!"

"Wait! Aren't we supposed to bow before—-?"

Without warning, Aoki lunged right at her at impossible speed, but to the surprise of everyone, Ayana managed to block the attack with her own sword.

"Rude! I wasn't even ready!" Ayana complained.

"You seem ready to me," Aoki stated, swinging her blade again and again.

Surprisingly, Ayana blocked and countered each swing, moving in a precise and fluid manner.

"Woah, she's playing defense, but she's not getting overwhelmed at all!" Marachii noticed.

"Told ya," Luca said. "If you wanna win, you gotta be GOOD."

Aoki unleashed a flurry of attacks, but Ayana ducked, evaded, and side-stepped them all, finally swinging her sword at Aoki's legs, but she jumped over the blade.

"Am I missing something?" Aoki thought. "Why is this girl giving me so much trouble? Am I still weak from the Batango fight? Or is it something else?"

While Aoki was still in the air, Ayana turned her sword around and knocked her to the ground with the butt of it, but Aoki remained in possession of her blade, rolling backward and kicking up. She threw a yellow card at Ayana, but Ayana cut it into pieces.

"Magic? No fair! I can't use magic!"

"Then get better."

Aoki swung her sword the exact same time Ayana did, but then…

"Times up!"

Both girls stopped, and Fujii walked back to the middle. "A draw it is! But Ayana, I have to give credit where credit is due. You're pretty good in a fight! Maybe even better than most of my squad in terms of technique!"

"Sir, we're standing right here," Hikari said.

"Anyway!" Fujii continued. "Since you'll be here for a few days, maybe you can teach Dachii a thing or two? The stronger he gets in battle, the better!"

"I can try," Ayana acknowledged. "But we have different fighting styles, so it'll be hard to blend it in with his own."

"That's okay," Fujii said. "You never know when he might need it."

"Alright, I'll try. Dachii, should we begin now—-?"

They noticed that Dachii was nowhere to be found. Fujii slapped his forehead. "Saori. Please go find him."

"On it!"

While Saori left, Fujii tapped his chin, suddenly coming to an idea. "Hey, Marachii, you could use some training too! How about both you and your brother practice with Ayana?"

"Me? ME?"

Fujii nodded. "It'll be a bonding experience for you and your brother. You'll have fun."

"By getting our asses KICKED?"

"All fun things start with pain."

Ayana giggled. "You flatter me. I'm not THAT good."

Saori returned with Dachii's arm in her hand. "Here he is, Mister Fujii!"

"Great! Hop to it, kids! Your practice starts now!"

Meanwhile, in Titan's castle…

Mar watched as Eliza was treated in an infirmary room inside the castle, her unconscious body lying on a bed. A doctor in a black coat tended to her.

"How is she?" Mar asked.

"Stable," the doctor answered. "That ice attack by Fujii did a number to her body. If she wasn't one of us, she wouldn't have made it. She's still in a coma."

"Damn Voltians, always causing so much pain!" Mar yelled. "When will it end?"

The doctor put a hand on Mar's shoulder. "You don't need to worry. The Master has prepared a special surprise for them. One they aren't ready for, not at all."

"What are you implying?"

The doctor smiled, guiding Mar into a secret office room in the back. Once they were inside, Mar noticed a giant projection in the middle, which showed Dachii and Marachii reluctantly practicing with Ayana.

"Even if they don't see it, we do. Every move they make, every action they take, every breath they breathe, it's running on OUR time now."

—-