Six Hours Ago, Konohagekure no Sato, Elemental Nations of Coredia"Good morning, Travis!" Said a cheerful, happy voice as lights streamed into a certain room at a certain vast mansion that hosts a powerful clan.
"Mmmrph. Five more minutes, please." Mumbled a voice still in a fine chocobo-lined bed. A small yellow mouse, a therapod-like lizard with a fire-tipped tail and a dog with tiger stripes all woke up from their sleep, then stretched themselves and looked to their still sleeping master.
"Well, you know what always happens. Don't blame me for your faults, Travis!" The other voice replied, sighing. "Nami, Thunderbolt!"
"Gladly!" The yellow mouse chirruped and lit up the boy in bed with a massive bolt of lightning that arced across the room.
"YEEEEEEEOOOOOOWWWWWW!" I yowled, running around like a headless chocobo with smoke steaming from my body. "INARI! NAMI!"
"When I said wake up, I meant wake up!" The other boy in question sternly replied, shaking a finger in my face. "As part of the Masaki Family Servant Force, I am entrusted with your well-being! That includes your moral standards! And Nami knows that you should be up too!"
"That's right, master!" Nami grinned cheekily.
I growled at the two. We're a very large clan, and we always have a lot to do as a clan, so like any large, well-to-do clan in the Elemental Nations, we have servants and retainers who work with us to conduct the day to day affairs, from running the massive territories and businesses we own to the rare times that the Masaki Clan gets called upon to descend upon some helpless planet and burn it to the bedrock.
Burn All Creation to Ash. That's our motto, and we live up to it as the premier firebending clan in the Elemental Nations, the one who teaches the rest of the Military Corps our style, should anyone desire to learn how to master the power of Fire Release, Plasma Release and our magnum opus, Solar Release.
Inari Masaki isn't a full-blooded clan member, but an orphan hanyou, half-demon, that was taken in by us and made my personal valet. Yeah, you still get the prejudice sometimes against half-and-halfs, but the large Hanyou Lobby in the Grand Assembly make sure that laws are in place to ensure their rights are secured. Still, even in these modern times, you still get the odd backwards clans that still...do things...as the rumor mills may say. If any clan is looked down upon by proper society, it's those, but I digress.
Inari's blond and wears fine clothes as befitting a servant. He's also a master firebender as good as any member, and he uses it to make sure that until I get my own powers back, all our enemies best stay away!
"Jeez. You do this almost every day, Nami. Be careful that you don't shock me!" The dog replied, finishing his stretching.
"Hmph. I suppose the day begins now, eh, Ronyx?""Don't ask me, mutt. I'm just the Charmeleon on the team. I could care less, so long as Master doesn't do anything stupid today." The red-scaled therapod replied haughtily.
"Aww, c'mon, Ronyx. I'm not stupid!" I complained as I shook off the last of the shock. "I just think in ways that nobody else thinks about. And it's not stupid if a plan works, right!"
"Suuuuure." The dog rolled his eyes and bounded out the door to wait for me.
"Don't be late for breakfast, now!""Not even Blitz believes me." I moaned. My Pokemon laughed at my antics.
"Well, go take your shower and I'll set out the clothes for you. The usual?" Inari asked.
"Hmm...I want to try something a little different today. Black tee, red vest. Everything else's the same."
"Alright. Will do." Inari said, then I headed into the shower.
I came back out and put on my fresh clothes as my Pokemon waited patiently. Black Tee, blue jean cargo pants, unzipped red vest, fingerless gloves, red socks with fire symbol and combat sneakers. All good to go! I brushed water out of my hair, combed it a little even though it went right back to its spiky ways and then put my red cap on, backwards of course. Nami hopped onto my shoulder and I headed out of my room just as a strange weirdness washed over me. It was so weird that I stumbled as I was heading down the stairs and managed to catch myself on the bottom floor.
Then I blinked. And blinked again.
"W-wait, Travis!" Inari yelled, waving my Go-Goggles. "You forgot your Go-Goggles! Huh? What's going on?"
"Yuki, is that you?" I blinked again.
"What was that weird sensation? Travis-kun?" The small youkai called Yuki is a fire sprite that's been around since the beginning of the Clan. He's an awesome storyteller and is good with the clan kids. "Travis-kun! You don't have your Go-Goggles on!"
"What!" Sure enough, I patted my hat and my body and realized I did forget my Go-Goggles...and yet, I can see Yuki! "I can't believe it! I can see you without my Go-Goggles! I can see everybody!"
"That's amazing!" Inari cheered. "Whatever that wave of weirdness was, it looks like you got some of your powers back!"
It was then I felt a warmth in my chest. A warmth that I haven't had since...almost by instinct, I moved my hands into a stance, pulled my right hand back as I took a deep breath, then punched...and astonishingly, a wave of fire rushed out. I stared at the flames quickly disappearing into thin air. Even my Pokemon were astonished. "O! M! G! It's not just my eyes. It's like my whole set of powers came back! I gotta tell Mom! And Ryu before he goes to school!"
---
The Masaki Clan wanted to celebrate the day I got my powers back, but Mom, Ryoko Masaki, dragged me to the Konoha Medical Center for a full on checkup, just to be sure. Sure as the sun rises, it was as if Camp 13 never happened! It wasn't just me, though. My teammates, Hunny and Reika were also reunited with their powers, although for Reika, it was more like she had a minor boost because her twins lent back some of their powers and she was partially restored only as an average Uchiha and not the massive pool of chakra the direct heirs have. But today, just like myself, she revealed that her powers were restored in full glorious Uchiha, complete with the hypnotizing spinning red and black eyes.
Well, you know, it's not like she scares me or anything when she does that. No way!
In fact, the entire team that was captured and depowered back at Midgard seems to have had their abilities restored and I managed to get everyone together to celebrate our powers returning with a big barbeque outfit at the ancient but venerable Akimichi Barbeque Pit.
In the middle of chowing down on Elicoorian Boarribs, Dornalian Sausages and loads of mashed potatoes, barbeque and salad, we chatted up a storm and then heard another crazy bout of news.
Someone reported that some guys that looked like junior versions of Hashirama, Tobirama, Madara and a brother Uchiha of his showed up at a lake just outside of Konoha. With our newfound powers back, the whole team was asked by the bigwigs to assess their truth and bring them to the Hokage if they were true.
Turns out...
---
"Whooooooaaaaa! This is Konoha?!" A young man of sixteen or so with bowl-cut hair, a short-sleeved white kimono with black trimmings and a pair of black pants named Hashirama Senju gasped in awe at the magnificent skyscrapers and flying cars and spaceships zooming here and there, and the two hundred and twelve heads on the Hokage Mountain showed even more how far in the future they've come. "This is our legacy! And look, flying ships, Madara! We, the founders, are in a future beyond our wildest dreams!"
"I know. I can see it all. Now please stop hugging me. It's demeaning to my reputation!" Madara groused. He's wearing a long black kimono that reached down to his ankles and white pants. "Last I checked, I was the Lord of the Dead, and now I'm right back alive! Whoever did that will pay!"
"You had a reputation?" A younger boy with white hair grumbled, glaring at Madara. Two other boys simply glared at the Uchiha with nasty looks that the younger brother of Madara, Izuna gave as good as he got.
"Now, now. Behave, Tobirama and set an example for Kawarama and Itama. Our hosts will not enjoy our ill hospitality." Hashirama said, forestalling an argument brewing between his younger brothers and the Uchiha brothers.
"Still, I can't believe I'm alive like this, brother." The equally younger brother of Madara, a boy named Izuna, shook his head.
"Neither could I. And this is your doing? All this?" Kawarama, a Senju boy with light brown hair, asked skeptically.
"Well, not quite this far, but yes. Years after you and Itama were killed in the final years of the Warring States Era, Madara and I managed to make peace and found Konohagekure. I only wish you could have seen the Founding." Hashirama sighed. "But at least now I have you two back."
"Same here. It's weird, though. One minute, I've got a dozen swords in my gut, no thanks to Uchiha members catching me in the dead of night, the next I was at that little pond with you guys, no wounds anywhere. Just too weird for me. Hold up, I sense someone coming." The youngest Senju brother Itama, having hair that's half black and half white, looked up as he was speaking.
Surrounding the six youths were another bunch of youths, with powerful looking creatures by their side and even stranger abilities. Madara's and Izuna's Sharingans were blazing, but even they did not quite understand the energies coursing through the bodies of several of them. He was sure the Uchiha and Senju brothers could still take them on if they acted together, but he needed information...
He noticed a girl, slightly younger than himself and Hashirama, who had on a flak jacket. If he remembered his revival in the Fourth Great Shinobi World War right, she must be a Chuunin or Jounin. And stranger still, he sensed chakra a lot like himself. A direct descendant?
"I am Jounin Uchiha Reika. Please allow us to ensure that you are who you said you were when you met our patrol." The young woman said, a Cerberus-like dog with curved horns and a devil's tail giving them the stink eye, but doing nothing unless his mistress commanded.
"I understand. Good security." Hashirama nodded.
Reika closed her eyes and reopened them. Madara frowned as he realized she possessed the Eternal Mangekyou Sharigan eyes, the highest form of eye technique an Uchiha normally possessed. What was this future, that even children can master his family secrets so easily? Just how far in the future have they come?
He noticed that a brown-haired boy in a blue cap, matching set of blue-and-white striped T-shirt and matching brown khaki vest and pants gathered a strange energy that looked like a silver form of chakra to cast some kind of non-ninjutsu spell on them. He noticed a third boy with oddly shaped ears (like an Inuzuka dog's!) in a more familiar blue sleeveless kimono and pants gather another strange form of greenish-blue chakra from his mind. He figured in this future, they were using sensor powers of some sort. Clearly, the world of ninjutsu has advanced greatly since his time. He would have to be wary in case of a fight. And those creatures...even the mouse on the black-haired boy with red clothes was filled with ridiculous amounts of power!
"According to my scan, they are who indeed they say they are. Hashirama and Tobirama Senju, First and Second Hokages and their brothers who fell before the Founding. Madara and Izuna Uchiha, Head and Second of the Uchiha Clan. Hashirama and Madara are the oldest at biologically sixteen and eighteen ("Hah! I'm still older than you!" Madara exclaimed to Hashirama's chagrin), Tobirama and Izuna are fourteen and twelve, but the three seem to have the power of their Kage-level selves with Izuna at the power of a Jounin, and the younger two are eight and seven, respectively, but have the power and skill of Senior Chuunin." The boy in the blue cap replied. "Magic doesn't lie."
"I concur with Yukinomaru. Their chakra is older, less refined than our own, and strictly optimized for the battlefield. But the First and Second Hokages and Madara are powerful enough to make even the current Hokage have to break a sweat." The other boy nodded.
"My eyes tell the truth as well." Jounin Uchiha said. "They are Konohagekure's Founders and their brothers."
With the truth out, hushed voices sounded across the crowd and we relaxed slightly. Really, the ancient Founders? And shouldn't they look like old people, not kids like themselves? What the hell is going on?
"Wow. I can't believe it!" I gushed. "How the heck did the Founders get here?! It's like, what, four thousand years since their time?"
"Wait, four thousand years?" Hashirama gasped.
"To be exact...the founding of Konoha was AS 530. The Fourth War was fifty three years later..." Jounin Uchiha said.
"And after the time of the legendary Naruto, came an era of advancement unmatched until our time. It was interrupted at AS 999 and sort of reset back to your era thanks to the Great Yokai War." Takashi continued. "And then advancement resumed at around AS 1512, which was reset as Year Zero of the founding of our Elemental Nations of Coredia. Our current time, then, is Year After Founding 3012, meaning Travis there was only off by about five hundred years."
"Hey!" I protested, making Hashirama laugh.
"Oh, dear. You remind me of myself, kid!" Hashirama laughed. I wasn't sure if I should take that as a compliment. Wait a minute, it's the Founder of Konoha! Of course it's a compliment!
"So, it is the Year of the Sage 4524. Hashirama, myself and our brothers were dead at least three thousand nine hundred and thirty years. Interesting. It is clear that we have much to catch up to before we are prepared for the activities of this era." Madara said. "Tell me one thing. Have there been Uchiha Hokages?"
"Many." Reika Uchiha smirked. "Fifteen of the two hundred and twelve Hokages were Uchiha and the current one is Uchiha as well. If you consider the Masaki Clan to be a derivation, that's a further ten. The first was a great-great-granddaughter of yours, Sarada. She became the Ninth. Another ancestor, my favorite, was Sango Uchiha. She became Hokage during our Great Yokai War. They, in turn serve the Shogun, the Emperor and the Avatar."
Madara smirked in return. "Interesting. I could return to my grave with that news, but alas, I wish to use this second life to learn all I can about this...Elemental Nations of Coredia, you say? I am most interested in this Great Yokai War of yours and the nature of your government...so you've united at last. I see you all are a team from all the Nations and then some."
"Yes, we have and we are. Now we shall escort you to the Hokage. He is Uchiha Kiyoshi, my grandfather." Madara nodded to begin the escort mission.
"Oh, yeah. And you'll be happy to know, Lord Hashirama, that the Senju Clan is back in business." Isamu Fujiwara said. "They came back during that big Yokai War and are a big help in the terraforming business."
"Ooh! I'd love to learn more about that!" Hashirama grinned. "Lead the way!"
----
NowDuring the long meeting with the Hokages, where we traded stories of our respective time periods and showed them how to handle the technology of our day ("A device that can contact people across a million stars! AMAZING!" Hashirama gushed.) the call came from the Shogun and through my brother.
"We are now at S-Rank Emergency War Alert." The Hokage Kiyoshi Uchiha said, having just received the missive from the Stealth and Intelligence Corps. A chill went down my spine. That meant that the Elemental Nations is about to go to a total war footing. It hasn't been done since the Eldritch War! Something really bad is going down! The legends and their brothers grew serious. They knew what S-ranked anything meant, even back then. "Jounin Uchiha, Senior Chuunins Miyamoto and Yukinomaru, Junior Chuunins Masaki, Tachibana, Fujiwara, Shigemori, Haninozuka, and Genins Honda, Namikaze and Saga. Effective immediately in light of your renewed capabilities, you are returned to active service and are to be reassigned to the Secret Corps' Lotus Squad. Your orders are to go to Vanguard and retrieve the Avatar out of the way of an approaching Tyranid hive fleet."
A Tyranid hive fleet?! Here? What the hell? They're big and massive, but we could shoot them down easy enough! I thought they wouldn't even get past our sensor net! Augh. More crazy shenanigans from this epic mess!
"How bad are these Tyranids?" Itama asked, whispering to me.
"Hmm...how should I put it...you know how there's giant bugs and clans who can wield them?" I asked back.
"Yeah?"
"Well, Tyranids are like that, but much, much worse..." I launched into a quick explanation based upon what I remember of those things and Itama's eyes grew wider and wider with every tale.
"And you fight those things? Amazing." Itama exclaimed.
"And a hell of a lot of other things." I grinned. "The Elemental Nations has a pretty big rogue's gallery."
"I see..." Itama mused.
"The Lotus Squad? That's been vacant since Avatar Ness passed away." Miyamoto mentioned. Hashirama, having given an explanation of the Avatar (he even wondered if there was one in the Warring States Era that never knew his or her power), was intrigued that we were placed in a squad that served that person.
"Yes. The Shogun has seen fit to reactivate it for the new Avatar. It's a bit earlier than expected, but he believes that now is the time for the Avatar to act. With this great catastrophe, time is of the essence to get him the resources he'll need to bring balance to the galaxy once more. And he will, of course, need protection."
The Secret Corps. We've been assigned to the Secret Corps. So far, since I've graduated as a Genin, I've been assigned to the Stealth Corps under my brother's watchful eye (which annoys me to no end) and never have I thought I would get assigned to the Secret Corps. Oh, sure, I dreamed of it. Every kid knows about the exploits of the Secret Corps, although it's probably not a secret if everyone knows what you do, eh? Though I hear it's the training that's secret, since you get some super special and tough training to prepare you for the job.
Among the Military Corps, we have several main branches that each Corps fall under. We have the original branches that are mostly drawn from the Shinobi Nations, we have branches that utilize the ground forces originally created by the Samurai, and we have the branches concerned with the mystical and eldritch nasties, drawn from the Maho side of the Military Corps. We also have the Aerospace Corps and the Naval Corps, two branches concerned with starfighter combat and naval combat and those report to the Admiral of the Fleet, Lord Admiral Makoto Minamoto.
And then, we have the branch that reports directly to the Shogun and the Emperor: the Elite Corps, the best of the best, divided into five sub-branches: Stealth and Intelligence (my brother's forces), Internal Security, Imperial Guard, Secret and Scout.
We have the scary Internal Security Corps. Rumors has it that they have the ability to block any of the supernatural powers we have to put down a rogue agent, and they've purchased stuff from other lands to make it stick even farther. I mentally shuddered, thinking about my year of gloom without powers.
We have the mighty Imperial Guard, and the legendary Squad Zero is the elite of that squad. It's said that those who get to join the Imperial Guard even as short-term rookies often go on to lead the nation as Captains and Kages and a lucky few even rise high enough to become the Chancellor or Shogun or even take the Throne itself!
My father, Danshiro Masaki, was once the Captain of the Imperial Guard, but when Yoshino Matsutani decided to step down last year after a ten year reign, he was immediately appointed as Daikage of the Shinobi, the most powerful position in the United Shinobi Nations and the Captain of the Secret Corps took the spot after him. That's how much prestige the Imperial Guard gets. Grandpa still outranks him as he possesses the title of Daimyo of our lands as well as General, Deputy Supreme Commander of the Military Corps, but only just. He's supposed to be on vacation, but he hasn't called back yet.
And then there are the Secret and Scout Corps, two corps that often travel together. It's said that there's special training those two get that no other corps get and that training often leads to immediately shooting up into the elite squads of the other Corps should you get reassigned. They're the only corps in the Military Corps where, while they have an official uniform of a sailor shirt or sailor jacket and either shorts or long pants, the dress code regs are more relaxed and you get to wear whatever the hell you like so long as your performance is up to scratch.
The Avatar's Lotus Squad is the Avatar's personal squad that goes everywhere with him. That's like an extra prestigious spot and I didn't even realize that I was good enough to get in that squad! Maybe it was because I still wanted to pull my weight in the Military Corps, so I was asking around to see if I could get into the Mon Corps, who rely on 'Mons like my Pokemon in battle.
"Also, considering that this is an S-rank emergency, I am also appointing all Academy Students at the senior level to the rank of Genin. Those of you in the Lotus Squad that have younger siblings at that level may bring them along with you to serve under you until we can formally reassign them."
Hashirama frowned in disapproval at the notion of sending the younger kids into combat so soon, but his brother, Madara and Izuna nodded in approval. Izuna commented, "We could have used that kind of academy training in our day."
"Indeed. As for you four who have come out of the past, I will ask for your assistance. It seems that not only have these Tyranids hordes started nibbling at our border worlds, but there's been reports of major pirate raids in several outlying areas and some of these pirates have been employing ninjutsu, so it's likely that there's nuke-nin and AWOLs among them." The Hokage said, waving another missive that just arrived. I frowned. Nuke-nin, ninjas who desert their posts for one reason or other, are always bad news. It means trouble, for sure. AWOLs are the more generic term for deserters, but they can mean samurai or Maho deserters too. "I would like you to take a division of Konoha Shinobi from the Elite Shinobi Corps and take down those pirates. You will be joined by your counterparts from the other Nations, who have also come out of the past."
"I see. You are also testing our operational capabilities, to see if they're still good for this day and age." Hashirama noted.
"Of course." The Hokage nodded. "You will need to adjust to the battlefield of today, so do take the time to familiarize yourselves with our advances in ninjutsu and weaponry, as well as the commands you will take. Once you do, you should be as effective as you were in your day."
Hashirama, Madara and their brothers shared looks, then nodded. Hashirama spoke once more. "Then Madara, Tobi, and I shall resume our old ranks of Jounin Commander. Before I created the Kage rank, that was the highest ranks of our day. Whether we were in the past of our time or in this bright and glorious future, we will defend the home we have created and the Elemental Nations that has been birthed from our dream, for that is our Will of Fire!"
"Well said." The current Hokage nodded.
I felt another electric jolt run down my spine, and it wasn't Nami this time. This was the First Hokage and I could feel his charisma from here. Even Madara, who even now was a villain used by parents to ensure children behave or else he will use his Kamui power and drag them to Hell, seemed to be more content with his lot this time around. Maybe it's that the Uchiha have their place now and he no longer has to fight for that place. I remembered his story, as reported by Reika when she returned with his memories in her head from that Animus device, the Tragic Tale of Madara the Youkai Shinobi.
Hero. Conqueror. Savior. Destroyer.
What will you be this time, Uchiha Madara?
----
The two youngest brothers of the First Hokage were sent to the Senju Clan to learn more about this world they're in now. Shodai was greatly relieved that we have strict laws against throwing someone as young (though skilled!) as them in wartime, even though we sometimes throw twelve-year-olds like Izuna into battle during S-ranked emergencies, and that he'd no longer have to suffer the early deaths of those far-off days. Izuna chose to examine the new battlefield alongside his brother, though the Uchiha Clan made a point of shoving books into his hands to make sure he starts learning the new ways. He wasn't too happy about that, but Madara made sure that he
will learn or else.
I returned home to my mom and the Family also suiting up for battle. Youkai and family servants tested their weapons, age-old swords and modern-day rifles alike and the human and half-human members readied their powers and weaponry as well. "What's going on, Mom? Is the whole clan being called up?"
"Yes. Your grandfather just ordered the Eighteenth Fleet into battle to join him at a place called Jurai. As you remember, dear, that's the Masaki Clan Fleet." Mom said, sporting her Jounin Commander battle suit. Man, I heard the stories of her and Dad...they're a scary battle couple when they get to join together!
"Grandpa came back?" I asked.
"Not quite, dear. It's a strange story. It seems there's another Coredia that just appeared into our plane of existence and Grandpa ran into those people while on vacation. You may remember the story of that prince who shares your name. The Eighteenth Fleet and two others from Konoha's fleet has been assigned to a mission in that Coredia."
"Oh, yeah. That Coredia. I thought it was dead too, but then the First Hokage showed up, so I guess it's like that famous prophecy, 'with strange aeons, even death may die'." I shook my head at all the weirdness coming down. Hold on, does that mean that there's two people named Travis Masaki in this universe? That would be so weeeeird! I don't think the universe could handle that much awesome!
Just then, my twelve year old brother came crashing in the front door with his Chimchar, breathing hard. It's clear he ran all the way home to tell the news. "Mom! Grandma! Big bro! I'm a Genin now! I don't know what's going on, but everybody in my class has been promoted right away! It's BIG news!"
"Understood, Genin Ryu!" Mom called back, disapproval of the necessity of our time in her face, but she didn't voice it. "Your first orders are to be attached to your brother until further notice!"
"'Kay!"
"That's right. Pack your bags, bro! We're going on a trip!" I called the kid, who immediately cheered and scampered upstairs to get packing. "Mom, guess I'd better get ready. I'm being assigned to the Lotus Squad."
"Oh, but that's wonderful!" Mom exclaimed. Then turned serious. "You understand what that means. It means the Avatar's life is in the hands of the Masaki Clan, through you and your brother, and in the hands of the Clans assigned to that Squad. You will be his guardian and his Sage when you master the Art of Fire. Where he goes, you go, even into Hell itself if need be and what he commands, you will do as well. And furthermore, Secret Corps training is no picnic. You must pass and gain prestige not just for the Clan, but for yourself as well."
"Yes, Mom." I nodded. "It's a big responsibility for me, I know. But I'll ace it all, because that's what Travis Masaki will be, the ace of aces!"
Mom just laughed and shook her head. "Well, Ace of Aces, best get yourself ready. By the way, the Scout Ship
Sunflare has been assigned to your mission. You'll find it waiting at the main spaceport."
"Okay!" I scampered up to my own room and began gathering the things I need for the trip. Thank goodness for backpacks of holding! A couple pairs of black T-shirts and mesh undershirts. A couple pairs of dark blue tees with the Leaf symbol on their backs. A few pairs of red ones, and white ones. My cargo shorts and cargo pants. Because when you need to stuff every weapon under the sun into your pockets, there's no better gear! And of course, my variety of red jackets, shirts, vests, fingerless gloves and a few spare red caps. And finally, a few spare combat socks, shoes and boots. And last, but not least, my Go-Goggles and my Leaf band. The Go-Goggles still have useful features even if I don't need the spirit reveal part anymore, like examining enemies for weaknesses. That kind of thing is all the rage these days and most everyone sports them nowadays. And my Leaf band is the symbol of where I come from, so that I never forget what I'm fighting for.
All of my clothes looked ordinary, but they've been specially treated at sealing shops to resist the wide variety of battle conditions one could imagine, though they're best at resisting explosion and incendiary effects, even above the natural Masaki resistance to high-temperature attacks. Hell, even a civilian-class T-shirt can stop a bullet, and that's half of why it takes so much to kill a Coredian, the other half being our top-quality academies, where even washouts are taught to survive whatever's thrown at them.
Having selected my clothes and toiletries for the trip, I wrapped my Leaf band around my arm and tied it tight, then turned to my Pokemon. "Ready, guys?"
"Ready as I'll ever be!" Blitz wagged his tail in excitement.
"Of course. With luck, I will be a Charizard soon. Then the enemy will really fear the flames!" Ronyx grinned.
"Ready when you are, boss!" Nami said, clambering up my shoulder once more.
I nodded. "Then let's go!"
Down the hall, Ryu also came out of his room, alongside his Chimchar and a Chinchou. Ooh, that Chinchou's good thinking to cover our common Fire weakness to Water and Earth and Chimchar in turn will cover it's Grass weakness, though maybe I should get him a Fletchling or another Flying type to cover Ground type attacks. Eh, he's smart enough to figure it out and capture something. Ryu's wearing a yellow long-sleeved shirt, navy blue fingerless gloves and a red vest like mine, a pair of cargo shorts, combat sneakers and a red-and-blue cap atop hair that's wilder than mine and tied back like our brother's. Heh. Maybe I should grow out my hair a bit like that. That way, we'd have matching ponytails. "Ready, little bro?"
"I'm ready! We're gonna go down to the family armory, right?" Ryu asked.
"Yep. We need all the ammo we can get, because the enemy we might have to fight are big nasty bugs that'll eat you in one gulp!" I grinned at the frightened look on his face. I'm allowed to tease him. "But so long as you stick with me, everything's cool, alright!"
"Right!" Ryu nodded.
We headed down into the mansion basement, where it looks like a bunch of the family was also waiting to get their weapons. We Masakis specialize in armor-piercing incendiary weapons, meaning we can cook our enemies from the inside out. Everything about us revolve around flames and to a slightly lesser extent, lightning and plasma, so our powers and technology are optimized around dishing out the fire and lessening opponent's own dishing of fire. Like, the higher ups could sit in a lava bath all day and only feel like being in a sauna. For that reason, we have a close affinity with dragons and phoenixes and other fire-wielding mystical creatures and Youkai and we can open a wormhole to the elemental plane of fire if we needed extra firepower or to shove someone there we don't like to burn for all eternity.
At the highest levels, we can create 'Golden Fire'. Bona fide hydrogen-burning nuclear fireballs with a gold light that we can touch, control and manipulate with our bare hands is the highest level of what a Masaki is capable of. So far, Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, Mom and Shuichi, and various other relatives have mastered that Solar Release ability, and Ryu and I hope to follow in their footsteps soon enough.
Our weakness, of course, is Water and Earth, so we have frequent rivalries with the water-wielding Shigemori Clan and the Earth-manipulating Fujimora Clan, though I'm good friends with Shigeru and I argue too much with Isami to get along with the Fujiwara scion. Still, I hope to burn them both out at the next Grand Tournament!
As soon as the line recognized us, we were advanced to the front. It does pay to be in the main branch, the direct line all the way to Lord Kohaku himself. Ooh, I noticed a strange sensation, the common one that warned us that shoggoth security was active and we'd better not try any funny business. Shoggoths are likely to eat you first and ask questions later, after all and because of their gelatinous nature, they're one of the few creatures that are resistant to Konoha's firey techniques, so they make good guards around here. If they don't digest you, the local ANBU will do worst to you!
My brother and I passed through a biometric door into the vast armory of the Masaki Clan If we didn't have the emergency, intruders who managed to get past the shoggoth guards would have been sucked into a pocket dimension for punishment, and before today, my brother wouldn't have been allowed into the armory without an adult for that reason, so today's his lucky day.
"It's like a weird dream. I can't believe I'm allowed here at last." Ryu exclaimed, his eyes shining in awe. "Show me everything, big bro!"
"Hahaha! I can't show you everything. Not the nukes or the Creation torpedoes or the planck crackers, of course." Of course we have superweapons in our high-security vaults. Every family who can afford it does, tailored to their specific taste. Ours involve producing unholy amounts of energy to fry, vaporize or outright disintegrate our foes. After experiencing the Eldritch War and the near-annihilation of most of our clans, no Clan would take chances with our existence ever again. There's even more powerful weapons in the Apocalypse Vault at the Mobile City, but even I don't know what they are. "But I can show you the stuff you need to kill hive mind bugs dead."
"Yay!" Ryu cheered. He seems so happy, but I knew that battle will rub the innocence out of him and battles against swarms of gigantic monstrous Tyranids would be even more nasty. Sigh. What can you do?
"Okay..." I looked through the pistols first. "Take those. Masaki Specials. Ordinary pistols on the outside, armor-piercing plasma rounds on the inside. Excellent for piercing heavy armor like Tyranid bone. Has a replication mag, so you should be fine as long as you remember to duck and reload."
"Sure." My brother and I took a utility belt with a pistol each. Feels good to have them on my waist after being inactive for so long.
That's our sidearm. Melee sidearms? Hmm...both of us grabbed the standard shuriken and kunai holsters with the replicator option. They're...not the best, but they are classic weapons of the shinobi and can be used for many things. On the next shelf came the longer-range melee options: lightsabers, chakra projector blades, power swords, axes and spears...so many to choose, so little time. Ehh, I'll take a chakra projector and a backup power sword. Chakra projectors are excellent for versatility, as you can make anything you've got the imagination and chakra for, but you need a good pool or else they won't last long. Lightsabers are a bit more finicky in the hands of someone who's not a swordsman and I have the chakra to spare, so I won't use any for this theater. Hmm...for Ryu, who's smaller than I, he'll need to have something with a bit of range, especially to handle Tyranids. "Try this. Wukong Power Staff. I know you and Chimchar are skilled in the Sarutobi Monkey Fist style, so this should be good for you."
"Thanks!" Ryu handled it like a pro, whirling the staff above his head and then slapping it down hard with a low stance. "It's in good shape! I like the feel of it!"
"Good. It'll grow and shrink to suit your needs, so make sure you make use of that option." I commented as I clasped the chakra projector onto my utility belt. Next, I went to the long-ranged guns section.
Let's see...none of the bullpups or shotguns will do much good. I'm going to need something with good range, ROF, and lethality. But which rifle? Hmm...maybe the standard-issue Material/Energy Rifle? It's an assault rifle that you can use to switch between a lasgun mode and a high-velocity slug mode. Has good range, ROF and the bullets are larger versions of the armor-piercing pistol rounds, but not as big as antimaterial rounds. It's no sniper, but even I can hit a target out to a kilometer on a good day with it. I selected one with a grenade launcher option. "Hey, Ryu. Take the rifles with the grenade option. It'll do you good if you take care of it."
"'Kay." Ryu replied, taking one of the rifles and aiming with it before nodding. "Good quality."
Next, we headed over to the bombs section. I immediately went to grab some Gemini Grenades. These are grenades made in Albion, designed to explode, replicate into two more for every explosion, then explode some more until the spellwork expends itself. Also, I grabbed several packs of Multi-Bottle Rockets, Pencil Rockets and Sprinting Bombs from Terra, which all have wide AOE. Excellent for cutting into wave attacks. I followed up with a stock of Konoha's patented Plasma Grenades, and a roll of classic explosive tags. Hmm...Dornalian Psyk-Out grenades? Expensive to procure, but...what do I remember about Tyranids? They're a psychic hive mind that use that weird Warp stuff that we Coredians never touch, right? So maybe grab a couple for emergencies?
Eh, better to have and not need, after all.
"Okay, because we're dealing with swarms of alien locusts, we should take explosives with high capability in taking out swarms of the things. That means plasmas, Gemini, Sprinting Bombs and whatever else we can think of and remember our Shadow Shuriken jutsu to stretch them even more. Now, let's see what we can get here..." I mused.
"I think we should go for Iga Cluster Munitions, Spiran Chaos Grenades, Hellfire mortars, and a mortar gun." Ryu said. "We'll need more area-clearing stuff than that, though."
"Yeah, good idea. Laser Beam Shredders. Disintegration bombs. Sealing bombs. Hey, why do they look like Pokeballs?" I frowned.
"Maybe because Pokeballs were originally a sealing device and they're easy to throw? But they can't be used to tame Tyranids, sadly."
"Mmm. Shame." Ryu and I took the aforementioned bombs and slid them into my backpack. Looking into the shelf, I saw a few really powerful bombs. "Mega-Sealing Bomb. Guaranteed to seal an army. Singularity Bomb. Void Bomb. Eldritch bomb?! Is it really a good idea to summon eldritch creatures against Tyranids or throw a singularity at things?"
"We're a really crazy people sometimes." Ryu shrugged. "The Mega-Sealer and Void bombs are safer, though."
"Not by much. If you're sucked in by those things, that's it for you." I said, taking a pair of the bombs. If a boss Tyranid shows up, maybe these will be good to use as a last resort if we can't kill them any other way.
"Is that it?" Ryu asked, looking down at the rather large collection of bombs in his backpack. "Think we need more?"
"If we need more, we could just ask the procurement shops. They give discounts in bulk. I don't want to raid too much of the Masaki Clan armory." I shrugged. "Finally, let's go to the last section. Accessories and Items."
"Oooh. We need Elixirs!" Ryu said, rushing over to raid the potions section. Yeah, that's a good idea. Don't want to run out of chakra in the middle of combat. That's bad!
While he raided the potions section, I took a look at the accessories. Terran Standard Shields are hexagonal shields that glow green when they block light and medium blows, but heavy blows can break them. Not much good against the melee hordes of Tyranids. We want something better than that. Bio-alien hordes, probably going to involve acid spitting, horrible teeth and claws, and maybe even weirder things like being digested alive for weeks. I want nothing of the sort! So that means...
I dug around for the right accessories for me and my brother. Let's see here...
Acids and bases confer the Poisoned status, so if you can prevent that, and it's like being splashed with water or breathing air. But if you get splashed in the eyes, you're Blinded and Crying Uncontrollably, so you have to get your eyes healed or even replaced. So I need something that prevents both. Go-Goggles can prevent Blindness and Uncontrollable Crying (and can prevent ordinary shrapnel from getting in there), so I'm good there. My brother will need...
I grabbed a Fairy Ring for Ryu and an Gaian Amulet for myself. "Here you go!"
"Thanks!" Ryu put on the Fairy Ring and I put on the Amulet.
That's one item for each of us. We need a second item, optimized towards protecting us from melee attacks. So that means...
Aha! Guardian Bracelets. Confers excellent protection against physical and magical attacks in the form of a silvery sphere of Protect and Shell energy around your body. In battle against the kind of hordes we expect, this is the best protection barring custom-made accessories. "Here. Put this on your arm, Ryu."
"Right. Oh, those are Guardian Bracelets. Very expensive stuff!" Ryu exclaimed as he put his on his right wrist. "Neat! I feel stronger already!"
"Just don't get cocky." I grinned as I equipped my own bracelet. "I think that's everything. Anything else we need, we can order later or buy from the field stores."
"Right. Let's go, then." Ryu replied.
Like cool heroes from a holofilm, we strode back upstairs to cheering Masaki Clan members as we headed up towards the front door. There, Inari and Ryu's retainer
Shinji were waiting for us.
"Take a good look. It's the last you'll see of the Masaki Mansion." Inari grinned.
"So take care of yourselves, don't get lost and don't get eaten by anything!" Shinji said, holding back tears as best he could. Ah, he's always been the most emotional of us.
I couldn't help it. Ryu and I hugged Inari and Shinji. Even though they're our servants, we've never treated them any less than brothers of the family. "You do the same. Crack some heads for Grandpa, okay?"
"Sure will." Inari grinned.
Ryu and I turned to see our mother grin, holding two thumbs up in support. We waved back and then rushed out the door towards the spaceport.
It's time to go!
-----
Sai-class Scout Frigate Sunflare
"Ah, there's the Masaki slowpokes!" Isami Fujiwara yelled loudly as we passed the gate to the Scout Ship's docking bay. "You're late and late!"
"Oh, shut up, idiot." I groused. Ryu stuck his tongue out at him. Isami's little brother Yuki stuck his tongue out back and they glared Avada Kedavras at each other. Even though they're brothers, the Fujiwara Clan does have a habit of turning into girls (or boys if they're female) whenever someone splashes cold water on them, so it's kinda like they're their own sisters at the same time. "It's still fifteen minutes before we launch, so I'm right on time!"
"Yeah, well, I've been ready since before you got up, slowpoke! In my book, that still makes you late!" Isami grinned nastily at me.
"Oh, yeah?" I yelled.
"Yeaaaah!!" Isami grinned.
Suddenly, we got drenched at the same time by Shigeru and his own little sister. I shuddered at the sudden cold and Isami turned into a girl, and we both glared at them.
"What the hell was that for?!" We yelled, then glared at each other, then turned away, folding our arms in disgust at each other.
"Best to spray the kittens every so often so that they behave." Shigeru grinned to his little sister Sushi, who giggled back.
"Of course, Shigeru-niisan." Sushi laughed.
Grumbling, we took out towels (never leave those at home) and shook the water off. Isami will need to get some hot water in order to change back, so she's stuck for a while.
"Can you two stop arguing for one minute?" Oh, Sasami Tachibana and her cousin Haruno Yamanaka, who happens to be in my brother's class! And yes, that's her Emolga on her hat. We've been dating on and off since I rescued her from the Quark bastards, and our families are negotiating certain details in case we really hit it off. We are in unison, of course, that clan politics just get in the way of things taking their course.
"Yeah. Rowlet and I are taking bets on how long before I have to use Silence on you two." Takashi Yukinomaru, the Shogun's grandson and the one voted most likely to reach that high, smiled mysteriously like the Mage he is. A Rowlet's on his head, chuckling at our chagrin. Nami looked like she wanted to give a jolt to the owl Pokemon, but I held her back. Takashi, unlike most of us, is an only child and doesn't have any close cousins younger than he is, so depending on who you ask, he's either lucky or unlucky.
"If you all are ready to go, let's take a head count, all right?" Yahiko called us together. He and Miyazaki Miyamoto, sons of the legendary canine youkai Miyamoto Clan, walked up to the rest of us, alongside their Riolu. Both of them are sporting katanas on their belts and rifles on their backs, as befitting a Samurai Clan and it turns out that Yahiko has a thing for me, too. Which is kinda awkward, since I don't know yet how I feel about him when I already have feelings for Sasami, but it's said that the legendary Kohaku and Musashi, our ancestors, spent their lives together, so I wonder if history's habit of repeating itself is coming back here. We'll see.
So besides those of us already introduced, there's the bouncy Mitsukuni "Hunny" Haninozuka and more stern and cultured Yasuchika Haninozuka, the Rabbit Style clan that manipulates wind like the Tachibana Clan clan. You wouldn't think it, but despite being shorter by like half a foot and having a kawaii complex, Hunny's the older one. "I'm ready, hehe!"
"Just don't embarrass the clan too much, bro." Chika sighed.
Next up is Yukie "Tracker" Honda, member of the powerful Sensor-nin Honda clan. They may not seem like much to other clans, but their ability to enhance their senses and detect things more deeply than any other clan make them a valuable asset to any team like ours. She is a Genin aiming to be a Chuunin, and she's watching over her twin siblings, Taichi and Chiyo. "Sup. I'm ready." "Yo!" "I'm ready too!"
The second Genin is Sumaru Namikaze, part of the Namikaze Clan, a side branch to the Uzumakis, since they share the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze as ancestor. They specialize in simply being
fast. Whether using speed or teleportation, they're one of the clans that can cut your head off before you can blink. Sumaru himself has been taken under the wing of a Samurai and it's actually a toss up on who's faster in the draw, Sumaru or Yahiko. Another valuable asset, considering our upcoming enemy. He's watching over his sister, Juno.
Finally, Jiro "Bomber" Saga, a loud and stout guy from the same Iwagakure no Sato as the Fujiwara Clan. The Saga Clan is a mixed clan of Shinobi and Mages that specializes in making explosives and explosive spells, like the kind I have in my bag. If I have a lot, then he's probably got a whole armory in his own backpack. He also wields the Explosion Release style and, yes, Explosion Symbology. His clan's Pokemon also specialize in...you guessed it, Self-Destruct and Explosion so the clan also invests in revival potions and Phoenix Downs. Yeah, like the Masaki Clan symbolizes fire and the sun, the Saga Clan symbolizes explosives. For the swarm of alien locusts we need to deal with, he's the best at the job at making sure they explode and explode good. Chances are, he'll become Chuunin too after this mission. He and his brother Shugo will be joining us as well.
And finally, the recently promoted Jounin Reika Uchiha and her brother Riku, who's also in Ryu's class, have arrived precisely when they're meant to arrive back-to-back in a swirl of leaves. Besides the famous Sharingan, they specialize in fire and lightning like we Masakis do, but not quite to the same extent, preferring to advance to the Plasma or Blaze Release style. They also have a strong magical streak and sometimes focus on magic instead of chakra, but Reika's been training among the Black Mages for a while and is pretty eager to show that she can mix the Shinobi and Maho styles into one powerful force of nature. It's to my slight chagrin that she was the other one on my team with Hunny, and yet she managed to advance to Jounin in just three years. That's gotta be a record! But I'm used to it her being my immediate CO (even if I don't have to like it), and she better watch out, because I'm going to catch up quick!
"Whoa, bro. That's a big crowd!" Exclaimed a voice. Hey, that's Lucas! Member of Scout Team 327, he and his twin brother Claus are about a couple years older than I am and are experienced Senior Chuunin with their first command, that cool ship of theirs. If I remember right, Lucas specializes in wind and water techniques and his brother specialize in earth and fire techniques, including summoning lava on helpless enemies. They'll be a great help on the ground, but they prefer the Scout way of getting out of dodge when the heat's too intense.
"That's right! But don't worry! We've got enough room on our ship for all of ya. Get ready to board! We leave in five!" Claus yelled over the din of the crowds beyond the docking bay.
"Very well! This is it, boys and girls. We are off to form the Avatar's Lotus Squad. Let's get a move on!" Reika ordered.
Without further ado, we boarded the ship, where strange little creatures called Mr. Saturn went "Boing!" in excitement and showed us the passenger's quarters. The passenger space was clearly larger than the inner surface area normally required for a light frigate like the
Sunflare, a product of advanced space-time magitek, Coredia's bread and butter.
My brother and I took a room with two beds, a small dresser, a Pokeball case for our Pokemon to sleep in and a holocomputer deskstation in case we wanted to play games or chat online or something. "Well, on our way to meet Avatar Joshua."
"You know the Avatar? What's he like?" Ryu asked.
"Well, he's about your age and he's a nice kid with green hair. Very determined to surpass all the past Avatars. He's an orphan, you know, but he doesn't hold it against him. He's got this little Triple S gang that was with him back on Midgard and we packed them off to the Scout Corps so that ShinraCorp doesn't take them for their own, better that way and they do have some skill in pickpocketing that Captain Namikaze likes to have. I don't know if they've finished training yet, but if there's anyone else who can drop by for additional support, it's those people. Though by now, it'd be like a whole platoon all supporting the Avatar, heh. You'd like him."
"Really? I hope we get along."
"You will. He's not like, stuffy or anything. Like I said, he was an orphan who hasn't got much, so a bunch of friends all helping make sure he gets to his full power and authority is like the biggest present in the universe for him." I smiled, petting Nami and Blitz. "So...let's be his friends, his Nakama, okay? That's more important than being his guardians."
"Right." Ryu grinned back.
After a couple minutes, Lucas came onto the comms.
"This is your captain speaking. Please be welcome to Scout Corps Spacelines where we take you anywhere, anytime and no complaining about the flight!"I snorted in amusement as I rested on my bed.
"Wave your hand and you'll be able to open up a holoscreen of the area around us." I did just that and whoa, it's like our wall just disappeared and we could see everything, including the wings just below! So much better than a window seat!
I felt a sensation as the frigate started moving on its wheels. A small truck rolled the ship backwards out to the tarmac and we heard the hum of engines as the twins obviously made sure they're ok. Then we started rolling forwards towards a runway. It's like one of those old-school airplane flights that you sometimes see on Terra or Dornalia, except that we can obviously go into space.
There was intermittent talk on the intercom. Something about space monsters and space turbulence. Jeez I hope this trip doesn't go bad.
"This is your captain speaking. We will be heading towards Vanguard, a two thousand lightyear trip that will take about twelve hours. We apologize for the delay. We could do it less than half an hour, but we will be expecting major space turbulence and a high chance of space eldritch activity along all our hyper routes, so we'll be taking the long way around. We Scouts take the safety of our passengers seriously, but we don't expect a comfortable trip. Sorry!"
Well, that won't wash with a spaceliner company! Still, can't exactly get another ship. The Scout and Secret Corps have the fastest ships in the Elemental Nations. But man! I don't wanna be eaten by space cthulhus! I was eaten by one when I was four and I never quite overcame that experience! Granted, I think it was trying to say 'hello' or it thought I would make a quick snack, but still!
The frigate headed up to the takeoff tarmac and in moments, we were rolling down the tarmac with the piercing-roaring sound of modern-day jet fans. No matter that we've had VTOL craft for thousands of years, the rolling takeoff is still one of my favorite ways of leaving a planet. And suddenly, we were in the air, heading up vertically, with only the inertial plates underneath the floor keeping us from tumbling everywhere. The jet roar faded as the air got thin, another sensation occurred as we stopped accelerating for a second, then whooooosh!
We shot out out of the atmosphere as blue turned into black and stared out at the stars for the first time in months. The real stars of the galaxy and the artificial stars of the thousands of ships and space stations all came together to gleam the glory of the Elemental Nations.
"This is your captain speaking. We are on final approach to Hyperlane number 392. We will be entering Gravitic Warp with our Double FTL System. Please hold while we wait for a few ships in our path."
As we waited to head into Gravitic Warp, I could see the ships ahead of us accelerating, their bows releasing some kind of blue bubbles that surrounded the ships and then they were gone in streaks of blue light. Amazing technology! We are also capable of popping from one position to another without much fanfare with the Hiraishin Drive and also capable of sort of "sliding" several degrees in and out of reality with the Eldritch Drive, but that last one is restricted to military travel. For now, I got to enjoy what was coming in a few minutes.
"Captain speaking. We are on final approach to Gravitic Warp. Please prepare for warp turbulence immediately!"
Soon, it was our turn. We moved towards a certain spot in space. I could hear the whine of the engines accelerate and see a massive blue sphere build in front of the ship's bow...and suddenly...we were gone and nothing but blue streaks flew outside.
Gravitic Warp Activation(2:50-3:00)
Vanguard, here we come!