"It has been two weeks since the start of the journey many of these warriors have undertook. As they grow and fight, the event that kick started their journey has stirred up the world. Rumors and gossip about the attack on Rio continue to be spread as it has been discovered that the robots were created by none other than the Domovoi Mechanica, Inc., resulting in an uproar around the world."
"This has also caused even more issues in Japan with the Annual Japanese Championship being around the corner with suspiciously similar robots appearing in the Hokkaido Prefecture. While some nomads have been drawn once more to the allure of the tournament, others see merit in tracking down the robots up north..."
"What ever the case may be, it is best to gather new blood as there might be more to these two missions than it seems."
"And only the strong shall survive it."
The Annual Japanese Championship was a roaring tournament.
Unlike the tournament in Rio, the stadium was much less accommodating in size for nomads, as well as the spectators who lined the stands that were elevated above the mix of marble, safety carpets, and a slew of other materials. The crowds were in an uproar, with a mixture of cheering and booing with a match currently going underway; it was between a young man garbed in black with a rather humongous and menacing blade versus another dressed in light blue gear and a scarf who gave the impression of a super sentai hero.
Crowds of other people were gathered around the platform of differing shapes and sizes, watching the fight with awe, cheering alongside the crowd as the masked hero dive kicked at the man who stumbled a bit to deflect the assault. Despite this all, a few were rather unnerved by another presence that lined the stadium - MAVERICK.
There were agents seen patrolling about in their black gear, lined with all the kelvar they could possibly strap onto their body, or standing stationary, mostly stone-faced. The weapons they had were not uniform as them, consisting of shotguns, carbines, and even shock batons and turrets that either were attached to an extremity of theirs or followed close by them like a small dog.
Along with that, there was an opening above them all, the weather being rather crisp with a bright blue sky; only one or two clouds could be spotted, with a plane soaring over above.
That sound was quickly drowned out by the hysteria as the hero smashed his leg into his opponents gut, causing him to fly back. The hero quickly back flipped away, twirling in midair before sticking the landing and posing... before getting kicked in the face from the young man who was soaring straight at him. A large imprint was left in the floor behind the duo as they continued to clash as the young man gave a cocky wink and smirk before blocking the hero's ki infused strike.
As the fight continued onward, Aldous stood near the fight, taking time to jotted away at a notebook before looking up. He elicited no grunts when someone accidentally bumped him when fist bumping, instead opting to take note of the way the crowds reacted when a certain move was thrown out by each of the contenders. Jotting away at his notes, it looked as if the hero was going to win this first match...
"Popular choice, as well as sustaining little to no damage," he murmured to himself as the red orbs squinted at the fight as the young man with the large sword was sent back, followed by a pose which sent the crowd into a frenzy; figured that it peaked him in popularity, but left him open to a couple of attacks.
And the crowd was left in awe once the hero was sent flying upwards. Of course his red orbs followed too, dilating to take it all in... before he noticed something rather off. In the span of a few minutes the whether outside had taken a complete u-turn as the sky above was starting to gray. Along with that, the sound of a droplet ticked against his skull, as well as a page of the notebook.
How peculiar... he was certain the weather forecast today was supposed to be sunny with little to no clouds in sight. He tapped at his teeth for a moment before returning his attention back to the fight where he saw the boy with the sword taking a hold of the scarf the hero had on him and began yanking, as well as choking his opponent.
And with that, the fight came to an end as the young man quickly launched his sword at the opponent, slashing at their neck, causing them to fly out of the arena and into a crowd of nomads, who either managed to get out of the way... or were unfortunate to be crashed into by the fighter. Aldous was one of the few who managed to dodge the impending doom, clutching his crown as he ducked to the side and looked back at the injured fellows.
The safety here was impeccable as always...
"And with that, Ketsuiki astonishingly makes a comeback, taking his opponent out of the arena, as well as causing collateral damage to the other fighters," the announcer shouted with a hint of disappointment under his breath, which nevertheless managed to stir up the crowd. "Regardless, looks like that's it for the seventh round folks! Our next fight will begin very shortly, so stay tuned!" And with that said, the man tuned out, with the arena staff quickly setting to work, gathering and checking up on any injured nomads, as well as tending to the opponent the boy managed to knock out of the ring. Along with that, they also swiftly went to work, cleaning up the arena and any sort of... alterations made to it.
At least they were still efficient.
Tapping his chin with a pencil, Aldous turned to the person by him, lightly tapping them on the shoulder with his bony finger. "Quite the exhilarating fight, wouldn't you say," he clamored excitedly, semi-attached from this all as he questioned the other nomad beside him, sizing them up as well with his red orbs.
And just as he asked, the sky continued to darken even further as droplets of rain began to pick up an escalate as the wind started howling. There was no traces of the sunny day left as many nomads and civilians began bringing out their umbrellas, with some of the former using special techniques to keep themselves dry.
However, the sudden appearance of rain had resulted in some chatter amongst the MAVERICK agents, who were either dispersing to investigate or seemed tenser than usual.
Aldous briefly navigated his orbs to the shifting crowds, orbs squinting until they were a fine thin line before returning his attention back to the nomad he was trying to interact with. Even though his interest was primarily focused on the nomad, there was something nagging at him.
Why was there rain?
Verga didn't mind the easy money. That was to be expected at least as each round followed another, either a slog or something that ended really swiftly. Really, no one really distinct really made their debut yet, and that was disappointing since her sixth sense read a couple of rather strong signatures here and there, but it was difficult to tell since it had been a while... would of made her a little less disappointed if she could discover who they were.
Who knows, maybe they would be able to put up a decent fight.
She didn't cheer along with the crowd, sitting all the way back as far away as she could from the arena. The closest she could get to eliciting any reaction was when she cracked open a can of lemonade and began sipping at it. There were some entertaining moments, such as watching the one man perform all that ridiculous twirling backflip, only to be kicked in the face. Despite this all, she was emotionless; stony-face would be a good way to describe it as she continued downing the drink.
Even as she continued sipping, she peered upwards, still expressionless as the sky grayed above with a light drizzle. Choosing to focus on something more tantalizing, she continued staring upwards, even tilting her head a bit as if it would help her get a better idea of what was going on. As she continued staring, her vision was eventually obscured by a light blue blur in midair.
The fight continued, but she concentrated more on the graying above, becoming darker and darker. It was really without fanfare as blacker clouds obscured that once sunny sky. Following that came more droplets of rain as she sipped more and more. It was difficult to tell if there was anything wrong, aside from the way those faceless mavericks were acting, and trying to tell anything else was more of a chore.
Of course, the only thing that really brought her back to the fight and out of the clouds was the fact that there were nomads being quickly knocked over, no different than dominoes. This warranted her attention, at least for a few seconds before finishing up the rest of her can, and effortlessly crushing and tossing it into the nearest trashcan.
But even as "interesting" as that was, something was stirring in the air hanging above them. It was like the sensationless half second after stubbing your toe, followed by a few seconds of silence and waiting before the pain began to surge into your entire body.
Gotcha now you flighty sonofobitch!
Smiling wickedly with a fire in his eyes, the boy in black took his sweet time pulling the man in blue back... at least for a couple of seconds. He did want to drown out any sort of hope that his opponent might win, not that it was obvious anyways. He knew from the start that he had this in the bag after all. After choking the guy in blue out for like thirty seconds or so, he firmly grasped the scarf and yanked it back with all his might.
The scarf tore just a bit as he let go, swiftly grasping his sword, holding it like a baseball bat. The boy in black kept his eyes trained firmly on the neck of his of his opponent, squinting to get a better view of it. He grit his teeth for a moment before letting go.
Slamming his sword into their neck, Katsuo made sure to put all his strength into this, gripping the sword as he applied as much force as he could. The man in blue on the receiving end wasn't fortunate at all as the blow launched him back into the crowds of nomads. Of course, some managed to jump out of the way, but others took the full brunt of it all.
Standing there, he took in his handiwork, panting and sweating a bit, his smile still as wild and the flame in his eyes being unextinguished. Sure, he had a bruise here and there that he would wince at from time to time, and his gut hurt... just a bit, but this nomad stuff was pretty easy!
Blinking for a moment, his breaths became longer, more focused as he carefully grasped his sword and pulled it close to his body and began closing his eyes. In and out, this would all pass. Basking in his victory was a nice thought, but not if he had to deal with the urges of painting the blue blur red. "Breathe in and breathe out... remember Katsuo, remember..."
This remembrance drowned out any other sounds, even the announcement of his own victory. It took at least a minute before his eyes fluttered open once more. Blinking for a moment, his vision was a bit blurry, but not as red as before. His sword was slowly tipping over, threatening to take it's owner down with it as he scrambled a bit to keep balance, via taking a few stumbling steps forward.
Once he maintained himself, he raised his sword into the air, staring at the blade as he twirling it around with a large cocky grin plastered on his face. He then quickly sheathed it on his back, but not before snapping his fingers and winking to some of his audience, mostly the female nomads. Katsuo then nonchalantly walked off the stage, letting go of his blade so that it would rest in its holster.
Shoving his hands into his pockets, he looked around with a much more relaxed smile, but nevertheless had glimpses of overconfidence in them. Surely someone would want to talk to him about how well he performed in his fight... right? Retrieving a hand from his pocket, he waved off some of the workers who wished to treat him for any injuries, he could handle em' just fine himself.
Eventually he merged in with the crowds of nomads, rapping and tapping his sides, looking around at other people, sometimes thinking he caught their gaze, only for them to look the other way before he could even brandish a large, proud smile. Seriously, like ugh...
Looking around, he shifted through the crowds a bit, sifting through each individual with a watching eye, ignoring the rain crashing down around them... not that it wasn't refreshing in the slightest.
Eventually he found someone who might want to hive him the time he deserved. Sliding past another nomad, he nudged at the other person with his shoulder. Once he was certain he got their attention, he snapped a finger gun right out of his pocket, which was followed up by a humongous cocksure smile. "Sooooo, what didja think of my fight? Pretty damn, good right?"
The harbor city Otaru was rather benign at the moment, if you completely disregarded the MAVERICK agents stationed out around the southeastern portion of the city. There were less people walking and driving amongst the streets though as of late; possibly due to the fear looming around them, as well as one or two robots littering the streets. The sleek white and yellow workings that were once apparent on them were scratched out to a certain degree as they remained slumped down.
Their "eyes" that once glowed with blue, electronic life had gone silent. They were littered with dents and a few bullet holes here and there, with signs of them being there being all too apparent. Some buildings were looking to be repaired as the sides were covered up with wooden boards. Brick and shattered pieces of stone that would of looked to belong to certain builds crumbled down on the side walk.
Anyone looking to cannibalize the robots at this point would probably realize that more of the uncommon parts had been... removed. Confiscated by MAVERICK would of been a better word.
These were the "hot-spots" of MAVERICK patrols; it wouldn't be too out of place to see one of them walking down the streets, armed to the teeth with their array of weapons and cybernetic technology. They seemed to always be on guard, blinking and eyeing other civilians or a vehicle for a brief second before returning to observing the surroundings for any sign of trouble.
However, these spots usually would have little to no civilians walking amongst them. Homes were usually barren as they clustered about and the rivers that were once used for tourist entertainment was now one of the few temporary ways to transfer MAVERICK agents across the city. Most people didn't feel like going out of their way to get near those wretched automatons, whether it was to respect the duty of the soldiers or out of fear of what might happen.
You could easily spot a child or a few getting near the robots, touching them, and scurrying away.
Their current provisional base of operations there was the Asarigawa Hot Springs. While the days were slow for obvious reasons, the customers there were now made up of MAVERICK agents whenever they got the time off and a few other nomads who had managed to make it there.
"What is the status report on Squad Three," a stern voice spoke in the background as a few other agents relaxed... well, "relaxed" in their own way. Some were busy taking a part their guns, whistling to themselves as they went about cleaning their weapons. One person was busy tinkering away at their robot, raising an eyebrow before shrugging an attaching something onto it. The tv that was in the area was constantly changing channels to different stations, before eventually stopping at the Annual Japanese Tournament.
Some watched with an unerring eye, whilst others squinted, nervously tapping at something.
One agent opted to watch for a few minutes before returning back to his own device. Hitting the playback button, the item silently whizzed to life, with a rather colorful commercial being played. Squinting at it, he rapped his fingers on the table, studying it as if it held some enigmatic secret.
"Since the dawn of time, an invisible force has flowed through every being on this planet... PURE! FIGHTING! SPIRIT! Limits? For the true fighter, there are no limits! Not when you have ki on your side! With superhuman powers, these heroes, these adventurers, these nomads journey the world searching for showdowns , and this Friday, catch the showdown of the century: the BRAZILIAN! FIGHTING OPEN! Tickets are a click away, online! Can’t be there in person? Catch this historic brawl on Fox Sports and ESPN Live! Contact your cable provider today before you miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime event—
The man watching the ad on his device yelped as he was rudely interrupted, a finger interjecting in between him and the device, causing it to whir off. Seriously, who just does something like that other than... oh...
"Oy', it's time t'make our rounds boyo, so don't y'even think 'bout skipin'm," a rather large mountain of a woman spoke in a light voice. Her face was obscured my a mask, but it had certain customized tribal designs to it with the lens being a light blue color. She quickly jabbed her thumb behind her, listlessly staring at the man.
The man sighed as he looked up at the senior officer and nodded. Like hell he was going to use this as an excuse to watch some ad over and over. Snatching up his device, he promptly pocketed it before grabbing his FAMAS, his eyes glazed over as he began loading the gun up with ki-laced bullets - a specialty of their organization.
As he trudged on out with the other soldiers, he and his squad acknowledged the others they were switching with a salute before heading off outside. "Two weeks ago, huh?"
Even though the field agents handled the situation well, there was still something bothering him about what occurred in Rio—why did those robots strike? The lack of any answers just left him with more questions that piled up each day, leaving him more frustrated than anything...
... but as paramount as these questions were, they were dismissed by the soldier once the squad was greeted by a bit of drizzle, light raindrops, and a semi-darkened sky.
Weird... Japan's forecast didn't say that there was a risk of rain today... but then again, what did he even know about meteorology? Marching in unison, the unit walked passed other agents outside. It looked like a hostile takeover with sturdy black trucks and small movable outposts being stationed out there, possibly filled with ammunition and other items.
Eventually, they began walking onto the road, not letting the slowly darkening atmosphere get to them as the rain slowly began to pick up. They were unwavering as they stared down the barren street, heading towards the outskirts of town.
Before Jonas even knew it, the two weeks since the tournament in Rio completely flew by with the snap of a finger as he kept his eyes on the road in this jeep. For the most part, there wasn't any problems between the jobs and hunting down those Massacre de Soldiers or whatever... most wanted for taking down an iconic Nomad monument, eh? And they even went as far as to pin the blame over on the small time gang, as well as another so called collaborator.
Hmph, something didn't really resonate with him there as he kept his eyes on the road with the thought of the attack being in unison was set in the back of his mind, furrowing his brows with a frown as he pushed the thoughts back.
Regardless, the doctor remained relaxed as his gaze would sometimes drift between each of his companions, all in their usual gear; it wasn't that cold, though he did feel a bit of a chill when he rolled down the window to take a look over Otsana and her motorcycle. One of the first few questions that ran through his mind was if she was cold due to her lack of clothing and how that small sidecar held up with all the guns she would of kept in there.
"So, robots, huh? Wonder how this place is holding up," he pondered, tilting his head to the side as he made another turn, rolling the window right back up. Making sure there were no vehicles on the road at the time, he peered to the back, expecting to see the wolfgirls weapons.
Well... he was right, for the most part, save that his eyes widened as he blinked before furrowing his brows and shaking his head. Good grief Brown... Jonas grit his teeth as he pursed his lips, averting his gaze from the litter that was scattered amongst the gun cases.
Moreover, how many of those sweet breads has she gone through already? The back was a mess! Shifting his head back to the road, he passed on by another vehicle before giving Brown his attention.
His face was pointed towards the road, but his eyes were focused on her... and he was fairly certain that... girl had already gone through over half of the bread. Jesus Brown, just... "Seriously Brown," he muttered to himself, removing his eyes from the younger girl. As they continued down the road, he noticed they were coming up on a few buildings, assumed to be a city. Taking a look at the GPS, a small smirk formed on his face.
They finally made it to Otaru.
Driving by each building, the group moved a lot slower, navigating through the mostly abandoned streets; Jonas deferred between Brown and his own interpretations of the signs in this city, passing by some people who shied away from the jeep.
No skin off his nose before he made another turn, and saw a singular robot that was resting on the corpses of now defunct buildings. The thing was about twenty feet, dwarfing the people in black who gathered around it, going between walking around the area to analyzing it.
"MAVERICK's," a singular word crossed his mind. That meant they were getting close at least. Humming one of Beethoven's compositions to himself for a few minutes. here on, he deferred to Otsana's lead, letting her guide the way.
As a few minutes went on by, Jonas ended his little symphony, sighing as he began rolling down the jeep window once more. Peering over at Otsana, he loudly clicked his tongue before saying "hey Otsy" to garner her attention.
"So we're lookin' for the... Asarigawa Hot Springs right," he questioned, raising an eyebrow, slightly smirking for the most part at the woman. "Hopefully you didn't just take this mission just so you could get a free 'bath' as well," he chuckled, rapping his fingers on wheel, but not before recoiling just a tad when he felt something wet brush by his face.
Peering up briefly, Jonas retreated back into the jeep, rolling up the window slightly a bit a the first bits of rain began to come down on them all. Swiftly flipping the switch, the doctor watched as the windshield wipers waved to life, brushing aside any sort of rain that pervaded their world.
"So, how long until we get there Otsana," he questioned with a businesslike tone in his voice, not even taking his focus off the road.
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