Voltiana

In the nation of Voltiana...

Akari, Hikari, and Saori began to open the strange book Fujii had left. As they turned open the cover, a massive plume of black smoke came out of the book.

"Ahh, it smells!" Saori cried.

Akari batted away the smoke, and the first page of the book was written in a language that she couldn't make out. The lines and symbols seemed old and dated.

"Can you tell what it says?" Hikari asked, watching from behind Akari.

"No, no clue," she replied.

Akari scanned the page, before flipping again. The writing on the next page seemed even more messy and unsettling.

"This isn't any Voltian language, at least that I know of," Akari commented.

"Could it be from one of...you know...? THEM?" Hikari asked.

"Maybe, but I can't say for sure unless we try to translate it. Maybe the watches can help?"

Akari activated her watch. "Pull up Translator."

The holographic display shifted to a scanner. Akari pointed it at the page, and it began to skim through, but could only translate certain pieces of the text.

"War...assault on Shonora...battle of dominance...rise of Elements over 1,500 years ago..."

"This dates back to the creation of Elements? Where did General Fujii find this book?" Hikari wondered.

"Ooh! Ooh! Read more, read more!" Saori exclaimed.

Akari continued to scan the text. "Battle...many casualties...Karnath..."

"Karnath? Who's that?" Hikari questioned.

"No clue," Akari said.

But the next piece of translated text made their jaws drop.

"Earliest known Element user: Kenshi Fujii. Time of acquisition: during the Ancient War."

"DURING the Ancient War? But if what it says is true, that means whatever event this is happened over a thousand and a half years ago..." Hikari stated, shock on her face.

"And...our leader is over 1,500 years old..." Akari realized.

"Wow! That's super cool! He's like an old, OLD man! I wonder what it's like! Let's ask him!" Saori remarked, smiling.

"Sweetheart, I'm sure that now is not the time to—-"

They stopped in place as they heard humming and footsteps outside the door.

"Nothing, again. Screw it."

The door began to click open. Hikari grabbed Saori and all three girls took off upstairs before the door opened. Fujii, standing behind it, walked inside.

"Squad! I brought some food! Who likes pizza?"

He looked around, but there was no response. "Hello? Dachii? Luca? Marachii? Akari? Hikari? Saori?"

Saori, to the annoyance of the other girls, ran down from upstairs. "Me! Me! I want pizza, sir!"

"There you are! Where's everyone else?"

"Us girls were hiding from you upstairs! And the boys——!"

Akari quickly swooped in and covered Saori's mouth, surprising Fujii.

"Hello, sir."

"Akari! The hell? You okay?"

Hikari walked down. "Yes, everything's fine, sir! Just early-morning activities, that's all!"

"Where are the guys at?" Fujii asked, suspicious.

"They're gone!" Saori blurted out.

Fujii dropped the pizza. "What?"

Meanwhile, back at Umego...

Inside the warehouse, Dachii and Marachii were seated in a corner, with both Generals in front of them.

"That was a reckless fight, so you'll have to participate in a...more controlled manner," Nakada said, in a stern tone.

"What does that mean?" Dachii asked.

Morino pointed to the giant hole in the wall caused by their fight. "It means you'll watch other pairs fight before you two are allowed to join in again."

They both groaned. Nakada went to address the other military members, who were standing in a line.

"That demonstration just now is NOT how you spar or fight. Always be aware of damage, both to yourselves and those around you."

A couple of them laughed, some rolled their eyes, and a few eyed the two brothers suspiciously. Yuri whispered to Luca.

"Do your friends always cause this much damage?"

"More or less."

Nakada cleared her throat. "So now you'll battle simultaneously. Three fights per round. We will pick a partner for you."

"Yeah, so, we've got the first ones already down. When your name is called, you and your opponent go pick a spot to battle in."

Nishiyama raised her hand. "Are you SURE we can't choose who we fight? Like 100% sure?"

"Don't worry, Nishi. We've got the perfect partner for you." Morino replied.

Nakada began to point into the crowd. "Kai. You'll fight Obara."

"Huh? Why?" Kai asked.

Obara snorted. "Another easy win."

Morino then pointed to Tomoko. "Tomoko. You're going up against Yuri. Do the best you can!"

Tomoko began jumping up and down. "Yes! Yes! Let's make this a good fight! Ahahahaha!"

Both generals looked toward each other and nodded. "And Luca, you've got Nishiyama!"

"Okay," Luca said, flatly.

"W...What?" Nishiyama stammered out, eyes wide. "That crazy-ass wolf? Why?"

Morino and Nakada stepped back. "Alright fighters, each of you take your places in the warehouse," Nakada ordered.

The pairs all took their spots, facing each other with mixed looks. Dachii and Marachii looked between the groups.

"You think Luca will win?" Dachii asked.

"Well, I haven't seen how that girl fights, but I think he's got it."

Nishiyama eyed Luca with a mix of disgust and caution. "You keep your teeth away from me."

"Sure. Can't say the same about my claws."

Obara was watching Kai with a hint of amusement, not even looking at him. "The probability you lose this fight: 94%."

"Dude, you're just making numbers up!"

Yuri sized up Tomoko, walking around him. "I get the other humans, but why are YOU here? You're just a regular boy, no power or skill at all.

Tomoko ran in place. "Because! I'll be a great soldier! And defeat all my opponents!"

Yuri laughed, taking a fighting stance. "Well then, good luck."

Vice-General Mashimo stood in front of the pairs. "Ready? 3...2...1...FIGHT!"

Each opponent charged at the other.

Luca summoned an axe and tried to hit Nishiyama, but she used a swirl of white energy to touch him and his arm stopped in place, dropping to his side.

"Impressive, I didn't know your magic could paralyze only certain areas of the body as well."

She prepared another swirl of energy, but Luca used his right leg to kick her, sending her flying backward.

"OW!"

Kai looked around for something to grab, but Obara took a few metal balls out of his pocket.

"Kai, how foolish. Don't you know to bring an object if your power only AFFECTS objects?"

He leveled a metal ball at Kai's head. "Probability: 87%."

Obara threw it directly at Kai, but Kai dodged it.

"Missed me! I told you, you're just making those odds up!"

To his surprise, the ball bounced off the wall at just the right angle and hit him in the back of the head, knocking him to the ground.

"Ugh..."

Nakada stepped forward and examined him. "Kai, terrible effort. Obara wins."

"Easy."

Tomoko tried to punch Yuri, but she countered and elbowed him in the stomach.

"Haha! What magic do you have?"

"Nothing much. Just..."

She touched the ground, and immediately Tomoko began to sink into it. "Woah! What's this? I'm stuck!"

She continued to press, and his boots began to sink further into the ground. "Just Liquid Magic."

"Oh! Amazing!"

Without missing a beat, Tomoko jumped out of his boots and landed away from the rapidly changing ground. Yuri looked over at him.

"Wow. So resourceful."

She slid her foot across the ground, and the ground surrounding Tomoko began to turn to liquid as well, sinking him in it. In a few seconds, Tomoko was fully trapped up to his neck in the ground.

Yuri looked down at him with a hint of pride. "Hmph. Just like I thought."

Nakada walked over. "Great job, Yuri. Now you may release him."

"Do I HAVE to?"

"Yuri."

"Fine, fine." She touched the ground again, and it seemed to "spit" Tomoko up. Morino shook his head.

"Maybe I'll need to get him some special weapons. Can't have him make S-3 look bad," he wondered.

Nishiyama glanced over at them. "No fair! I should've been the one to beat him!"

Luca threw an axe at her, but she threw herself out of the way and evaded it. He tossed another one up into the air at the same time.

"Come on, Nishi! Don't get distracted!" Morino yelled.

Dachii and Marachii watched the fight, following every move, along with everyone else in the warehouse.

"That poor girl. Hope Luca doesn't beat her TOO bad." Dachii thought.

Luca turned into a wolf and tried to lunge at Nishiyama, but she touched his face just in time, and he found himself unable to move.

"Grrr..."

"Take that, you bad dog!" Nishiyama kicked him back, and just as she did, the axe Luca threw in the air grazed past her head, narrowly missing her.

"Wha—?"

Just then, Luca shifted into a gorilla and punched her hard enough to knock her across the room.

"AHH!"

Morino slapped his forehead. "And Luca wins. Your focus is TERRIBLE, Nishiyama."

She got up, visibly angry. "Not AGAIN! Why does this always happen to ME? Why? Why? Why? WHY?"

She stormed out of the warehouse, leaving a bunch of shocked eyes watching. Nakada whispered to Morino.

"Maybe we should...go after her?"

"Yes, I will. But not now, I'm too old for that."

Luca shifted back to normal, taking his place next to Dachii and Marachii.

"Nice win," Dachii stated.

"Yeah, I can't believe you sent that girl crying outside," Marachii remarked.

Luca scratched his neck. "She's a decent opponent. Her magic is very powerful."

"She's a child." Kia stood next to them, arms folded. "Just like the rest of you."

Morino and Nakada walked up to the center of the room again. "We'll continue three sparring matches per round until you all are finished. Then, you can go." Nakada said.

"Still no Atomu..." Morino thought to himself. "I fear something's up with him."

Yuri laid back against a nearby wall, still smiling. "Feels good to WIN." Tomoko ran up to her.

"Wanna rematch?"

She simply touched the ground, and he sank back into it. "I win. Again."

The members each began fighting each other, with one winner each time. But one match resulted in both opponents rendering each other unconscious, and Nakada made them run laps.

"If you can't even beat each other, there's no way you can defeat our enemies," she said.

Dachii and Marachii were forced to continue watching, still unable to participate. Dachii's eye began to twice again, and his head began to hurt.

"Grandfather, is there a bathroom nearby?"

Morino turned around. "Yeah, should be one just in the next building. Do you need to go?"

"Y...yeah. I feel like I'm about to throw up."

"Alright, well, be quick."

Dachii got up, and Kia patted him on the back. "Come RIGHT back, okay?"

"Okay, Mom."

Dachii headed outside the back door, and he found Nishiyama huddled up, crying.

"Why...why can I never WIN? A human....a commoner...what's next, will I lose to a DWARF?"

Dachii looked down at her. "Are you okay?"

She jumped up, startled. "What are you doing here?! Did you come to mock me?"

She immediately got into an aggressive stance. "Well, I'm not in the mood! So you just go back inside, human!"

"What? I just came to find the bathroom!" he answered back.

"Sure you did, I'm not that stu—-"

Her eyes widened, and she stopped in place. "—-pid."

Behind Dachii, there was a young man who appeared to be a Voltian, who had medium-length blonde hair and blue eyes, standing casually.

Dachii turned around. "Woah!"

"Hello. I'm Ray. I would appreciate it if you'd let me speak with you."

Both Dachii and Nishiyama stepped back. Ray simply sighed. "No need for concern. It's about Akira's invitation to you."

"Invitation? Who is this guy?" Nishiyama wondered. "Why does he seem, so...terrifying?"

His tone was flat and almost as if he was bored, and he was standing as if he didn't care at all. Dachii took note of this. "Creepy..."

Ray took a step forward, and Nishiyama got into a fighting stance. "Get back! Or I'll let the Generals know!"

But she was trembling, and Ray simply walked past her and gave Dachii a piece of paper.

"You're a priority guest. He'd love for you and your friends to be one of the first ones in attendance."

Dachii took it. "Huh, what's all this? Priority for the Expo, priority for dinner, priority to meet all the government officials in attendance...what?"

Nishiyama snatched the paper and ripped it up. Ray just sighed. "Whatever. Just consider attending—-"

A figure dropped from above, standing between Dachii and Ray. The Prince.

"He's not going anywhere, unless he's accompanied by ME."

Atomu stood firm, and Ray looked him over, almost with a mix of disgust. Ray stared into his eyes, and Atomu stared back.

"Fine. I guess we'll allow the Prince to make a guest appearance."

But he walked past Atomu and whispered loud enough for only him to hear.

"Though he's pushing his luck."

Last night...

Before entering Umego, Morino addressed the members of Squad S-3 as they drove along the way.

"I know you're all probably excited to visit one of the most prestigious areas on the planet, but take note we have two objectives."

He stood up. "One, to ensure the safety and security of Umego by clearing out the bandits...."

His voice got even more serious and stern as he continued.

"And two. To ensure the safety and security of Dachii Jones."

Everyone gasped and stayed silent. Morino sat back down. "He has an ability we know nothing about at this time, but what we do know is dangerous people are willing to do anything for it..."

"...so, if you see ANYTHING or ANYONE suspicious try to take him, you don't HESITATE to act."

—-