Chapter 9- The New formed Team
The warm evening sun was beginning to set as the group finally arrived back at Hiroshi's grandfather's house. Their journey had been long and filled with tension, but everyone was here now, Hiroshi stepped forward, feeling an odd sense of relief, but that quickly turned to curiosity when he saw a new face standing by the door.
He blinked, the unfamiliar guy seemed out of place in the familiar surroundings of his grandfather's house, Hiroshi turned to Tall Boy for clarification, but before Tall Boy could even begin to explain, Mae interrupted him,
"Oh, that's right! You haven't met him yet!" she said excitedly, her eyes sparkling, "We met him just now, his powers are really cool, foreal! He's just like us, so lets make him part of the group right?"
Hiroshi couldn't help but feel a sense of small satisfaction and relief, He was okay with the fact they'd found him, the group was finally complete for him,
"So we've got everyone now, I think its...good" Hiroshi muttered, mostly to himself but loud enough for everyone to hear,
Mae smiled brightly and nodded, "Yep! I see you two found the other guy Chimera told you about, it's going really well, everyone's here!",
Hiroshi smiled faintly, he glanced back at the white-haired figure standing in the doorway, the guy had a serious but calm aura about him, the kind of presence that made Hiroshi feel like he was staring at someone who had lived far longer than anyone else, it was clear that he wasn't just any ordinary person like the rest of them,
Once inside, they all gathered around the table and sat down as well, Hiroshi's eyes lingered on the white-haired guy, who appeared perfectly composed, his expression unreadable, Hiroshi leaned forward, still curious,
"Is your book with you?" Hiroshi asked, his voice sharp but his eyes calculating behind his glasses,
The guy nodded slowly, a slight smile curling his lips,
"Always in my backpack" he replied calmly, "I take it everywhere",
Hiroshi nodded back, accepting the answer, then, his eyes scanned the rest of the group and a thought crossed his mind, now that they were a team, it was important for them to get to know each other, at least a little better, it would make working together easier,
"We should at least know each other's real names and powers as well" Hiroshi said, leaning back in his chair, "If we're going to be a team, it's better for us to understand each other a bit more, for the sake of the mission, if nothing else",
Chimera, who had been silent until now, narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms,
"You're serious about this, huh? Real names and all that?" Her voice sounded hesitant, though it was hard to tell if it was reluctance or something else, she wasn't one for formalities, that much was clear,
Mae, always the peacemaker, smiled gently and put a hand on Chimera's shoulder, "It'll be okay, besides, it's important for the team's sake, you'll see",
Chimera sighed but finally nodded, "Fine! But I don't like it",
Hiroshi nodded in understanding, then began,
"I'll start, my name's Hiroshi Hiroto, I'm 17, and my other name is Hypno Boy, I can hypnotize people and control their minds through my book of Hypnotism",
Tall Boy, was next, he looked a bit embarrassed as he scratched the back of his head but he didn't show it much, he didn't want to ruin his nonchalant aura,
"Uh, Tall Boy here also Takē Tachibana, I'm 19, I have the Book of Beastism, so… yeah, I have super strength and my left arm's a beast's hand, among other things, lastly I can enhance my beast-ness, still getting a hang of that...",
Time Shifter, the serious looking one, spoke up next,
"Souta Kuragami also Time shifter, I'm 21, I control time, I can slow it down, speed it up, and even stop it if I'm focused enough, at least for a little moment, still discovering other time controlls in my book of Time",
Skepter, always trying to act cool, was next, He grinned, his voice light but carrying a bit of an edge,
"Skepter here aka Shun Amagawa, 20, my power's hard to understand but I'm sure you'll see it in action soon enough", He winked at the group, not missing a beat,
Mae, who had been waiting patiently, flashed a sweet smile that looked innocent, too innocent,
"I'm Mae Kagami, 18, my power's are from the Book of Deceit and I am sweet on one part, the other part of me ohh boy, you do not want to meet her, trust me she's not as cute as you think...hehe", Her voice had a light, playful tone, especially as she gave Tall Boy a teasing glance, which made him roll his eyes,
Finally, Chimera, still reluctant, sighed again but gave in,
"Ugh...jeez, I'm Nori Tsukimi but prefare Chimera, I'm 19, my powers...are illusions there Ive said it", She spoke softly, as though admitting her name was a personal burden but she said it clearly enough for everyone to hear, her expression tightened and she glanced away giving the 'I don't care look' but she was clearly embarrassed,
Skepter, not one to miss an opportunity for mischief, couldn't help himself, he burst out laughing,
"Nori? As in seaweed? Hahahaha, that's hilarious!" he cackled, leaning back in his chair, "Seaweed, Nori—get it?",
Chimera's eyes twitched in irritation, "Shut up dude!!!",
Mae quickly placed a hand on Chimera's shoulder, trying to calm her, "It's okay, Chimera, don't let him get to you",
Hiroshi cut in before the situation escalated further,
"That's enough, we'll call each other by our other names, we need to focus on the mission, we need to stop the Magician from recreating the Orbiculum, that's what matters right now",
Skepter and Time Shifter looked kind of confused, so Hiroshi took a deep breath and explained,
"The Orbiculum, the powerful object the Magician is trying to recreate, is an artifact with the power to rewrite reality itself" Hiroshi continued, "If we don't stop him, everything we know could be destroyed",
The seriousness of the situation seemed to hit the group, Time Shifter, still slightly skeptical, raised an eyebrow,
"And what if one of us wants something dark? Something… dangerous? What if our wishes, the ones we make after we get the crystal shards, aren't as noble as you think?",
Hiroshi's gaze turned steely as he met Time Shifter's eyes, "Then I'll do what needs to be done", he said firmly, "I'll stop whoever is going down that dark path, even if it means taking them down myself",
"So how are you gonna destroy it, after everything huh? Smarty pants",
Hiroshi did'nt look at her but he was going to give her an answer she was waiting to hear,
"We find the shards, put them together then after you've all gotten your desires, I'll destroy it so that no one else can ever find it again, I'll figure out a way to destroy the orbuculum but for now, let's find it's pieces first",
The room fell silent for a moment, the weight of Hiroshi's words sinking in.
Hiroshi broke the silence again, his tone a little softer now we all need to be well-rested, we leave tomorrow, as soon as possible",
Time Shifter, not quite satisfied, kept questioning, "What if—?"
"Shut up and listen for once", Tall Boy snapped, frustrated, "You don't have to keep asking questions! Just follow the plan, dummy",
Time Shifter frowned, already not liking Tall Boy's remark towards him,
"Apologize for that right now!", he demanded,
"Sorry-",
"Good!", Time shifter folded his arm
"Sorry that you're so stupid" Tall Boy smirked at him with a satisfied gesture,
Time Shifter bristled, looking clearly upset and stood up as if ready to retort but before he could get any further, Chimera pushed him back down into his seat with surprising strength,
"Just drop it", she said firmly, "It's not worth it to waste your energy on him, let it go",
Time Shifter glared at Tall Boy, but he didn't argue further, instead, he continued to cross his arms and glared in silence.
Hiroshi looked around at the group, feeling an unexpected sense of camaraderie, He stood up and addressed them,
"Listen, everyone, you're all part of my team now, getting along is the second most important thing, the most important thing is stopping the Magician and saving this world from unveiling destruction, we all have a role to play, so let's focus on that, and learn how to tolerate each other",
The group nodded in agreement, some reluctantly, others more enthusiastically, but deep down, they all knew the stakes, they each had something they wanted something they truly desired and if working together meant that wish could be granted, then they'd do whatever it took.
After the introductions, the tension in the room finally began to settle,
Hiroshi leaned back in his chair, examining one teammate to another, for the first time since this whole mess began, he felt… complete, the team was official now each of them had a role, a code name and a reason to fight.
The sun had already begun dipping beneath the horizon, painting the walls in shades of amber and violet, a quiet hum of the evening breeze seeped through the cracks of the old wooden house.
Hiroshi sat at the table, quietly calculating their next move in his head, the tapping of his pen the only sound, that was when he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye , Tall Boy slipping on his shoes.
"Where are you going?", Hiroshi asked without looking up.
Tall Boy paused at the door and gave a small shrug, "Just going for a walk",
Hiroshi said nothing more, he only watched the door swing shut behind him, the faint creak of its hinges echoing in the dim light.
---
The streets were quieter than usual, with the sky slowly fading into a deep indigo, streetlamps flickered awake, casting long shadows along the pavement, Tall Boy walked with his hands in his pockets, his towering figure drawing a few glances from passersby,
Then he heard it, muffled shouting from an alley near the local park,
Tall Boy's steps slowed.
Turning the corner, he saw them, three taller kids shoving around a smaller boy, no older than ten or eleven, the boy was clutching a football to his chest like a lifeline, his eyes red and wet, one of the bigger kids yanked it from him with ease, laughing as they tossed it between themselves,
"Hey no, give it back!", the short boy shouted, but his voice trembled,
The tallest bully smirked, "Make us, shorty", With a hard shove, the small boy stumbled backward and hit the ground,
Before the boy could fully process it, a large shadow fell over him, he looked up…and froze,
Tall Boy stood there, broad shoulders blotting out the light above, his face unreadable, he extended a hand toward the boy,
The boy hesitated, then reached out but just as his fingertips were about to touch Tall Boy's palm, the hand pulled back,
The boy blinked, loking confused.
Tall Boy crouched down to meet his eyes,
"Do you think I'm actually gonna help you up? That'd be pathetic, you're just gonna let them take what's yours?",
The boy's lip quivered with teary eyes, "What can I do? They're taller… stronger than me...",
Tall Boy's gaze sharpened, his voice lowered into something almost like a growl, "If you let them intimidate you because of your height, you'll keep living in fear and you'll lose everything you find precious, Look at them...they're having fun with something that doesn't belong to them, that's your ball, kid, now…" He leaned in closer, "…what are you gonna do about it?",
The boy stared at him for a moment, eyes wide, then he wiped his tears with his sleeve and slowly stood, Tall Boy's words echoed in his head, pushing away the fear,
The bigger kids were still laughing and tossing the ball, but when one of them went for a kick, the small boy darted forward, blocking the ball with his leg and snatching it back,
"This is mine!" the boy said, his voice steadier than before. "You have no right to take it",
The bullies exchanged surprised looks before one of them sneered, "Ohh, so now you've got guts? We'll make it hurt this time",
They started closing in.
But then a massive presence appeared behind the boy, Tall Boy's shadow stretched long and dark across the pavement as he stood there, eyes narrowed, every inch of him radiating quiet menace,
"You heard him loud and clear", Tall Boy said, his voice deep and unshaking, "Unless you really want things to get weird… you're gonna leave him alone, now and you're never gonna mess with him again",
The three bullies froze, their bravado melting instantly, one glance at Tall Boy's towering frame and dangerous glare was all it took they turned tail and ran,
The short boy turned, clutching his ball tightly, "Thank you..."
Tall Boy shook his head, "Don't thank me, stand up for yourself next time, never let anyone take what's yours",
The boy nodded with new determination and ran off towards home.
Tall Boy stood there for a moment, the streetlamps humming softly above him, watching that boy had stirred something deep inside, a memory he thought he'd buried long ago,
He saw himself, years younger, smaller, and weaker, shoved into the dirt by bigger kids, the sneers of strangers… the mocking laughter of his much taller stepbrother that made him feel unwanted, that made him ranaway...
Back then, he'd been powerless,
Until the day he found it, The Book of Beastism.
The day he changed, the day he gained the height and strength to tower over anyone who dared look down on him,
From that moment on, Tall Boy swore to himself,
'Never again, Never again would anyone intimidate me, ever!'
And today, he had passed that lesson on.