Chapter 2: Team-Up
Armor Spirits. Spirits created from the power and lore of the mythologies of the world, as well as the spiritual ideologies in general. Whether they were created by the gods, or their existence created the legends of the gods, is unclear. No one is sure at this point. But, it is well known that they all possess combat capabilities of some kind.
"So...Zeus, Icarus, all of that?" Shinku asked as he and Yuuto walked down the street. On Yuuto's shoulder was a small white dragon, while on Shinku's was occupied by a small red fox.
"Iv actually met the Icarus one...the battle was not exactly pleasant. But yes. However, most are animal spirits. For example, yours is Akamaru right? Isn't that one of the six Japanese Maru Fox Spirits?"
At these words, the red fox perked up.
"You have met my siblings?!"
"I have met Kimaru and Aoimaru. Midorimaru I think also lives in the area. But I have not met them all".
"Midorimaru and Aoimaru? Those two buzzkills?"
Shinku sighed as he heard this.
"So in other words, there is an entire secret magical world...and you never told me this before?!"
"Its not something you are supposed to just share with people!"
Shinku glared at his friend, but Yuuto waved his hands around vehemontly in a panic, looking rather flustered. The two boys had already wandered far away from the building, but it was fairly chaotic so class had been dismissed outright. It wouldn't be too odd for them to be gone anyways, since Yuuto had a tendency to disappear, and Shinku always went looking for him.
"Wait wait...so this past year, all the times you disappeared...were you having supernatural battles?"
"Ah...yeah. They are more common then one might think".
"Wow....and I am always told I am a hard worker".
"You are" Lumius mentioned. "So, have any other questions?"
"What exactly happened back there when my clothes burned away and then that new outfit materialized?"
"That was actually the process of storing you biological body in a safe space, while a spirit body is generated for combat. However, be careful. A spirit body can only prevent a certain amount of damage, anything past that has a risk, though not a guarentee, of affecting your real body".
"I see...the spirit body however, it felt like..."
"Yes, it has superhuman strength, agility, and reflexes. Oh, also the transformation sequence slows time to a near halt as it occurs, due to the spiritual transfer. Incidentally, that makes the initial transformation useful for observing a battlefield and seeing all the key players".
"I see...what was the robot that was trying to kill me?"
Yuuto tilted his head with confusion.
"...not sure...it definently wasn't a Gobli".
"What is a Gobli?"
"Ah, well aside from likely being the source of the word Goblin, maybe, its a creature that spawns from the world sometime. Its a spiritual creature, born of greed, jealousy, and sometimes malice. It especially dislikes Armor Spirit users, or perhaps they covet our connections and stability. Since Armor Spirits rarely if ever can manifest on their own, they need a human partner to operate and be in the world after all" Lumios explained, sounding very wise and intellectual. "It should also be noted that as Spirits, we are very whimsical and very different from what you people might consider 'normal', although such a silly concept was a purely human and rediculous thing in the first place".
"...right" Shinku said. "By the way, iv been meaning to ask but..."
"Only those with enough magical or spiritual energy can see us" Lumius mentioned. "ANd if you are wondering about me, my legend is based off of a very old myth, the Dragon of Light....although in truth, I think most people were just confused with lightning bolts in the sky and thought that was the Dragon of Light. Unfortunately, for a short time after our creation, we don't really have any memories...I guess the same way human newborns dont, so most Armor Spirit origins are terribly unclear. We also dont have infinite memories either".
As they kept walking, Yuuto looked down a bit. Shinku raised his eyes a bit, curious and a bit concerned as Yuuto seemed a bit down.
"...you know, its not exactly easy right?"
"What isn't?"
"Being in this world...people will attack you a lot".
"Well, I was kind of falling from several stories up, so it couldn't be helped. Besides, if you can manage it, I definently can".
"Hey...although thats probably true".
The two friends smiled at each other, and then they looked around.
"So what should we do? I am hungry".
"Ah yeah...Spirit form and battles take a lot of energy, a rediculous amount really. We should get something to eat".
"...before that though...we should get cleaned up. We are a mess" Yuuto pointed out, refering to their dusty clothes and the dirt and soot on them from the whole crisis. He then had an idea and smiled. "Oh I know, lets go there!"
"Th-there?! Hold on, Yuuto...thats kinda..."
"Come on, its fun and the soap and shampoo there is great for the skin! We always feel so refreshed!"
"Buuut...."
"Come on!" Yuuto pleaded with his eyes.
"Uhg...fine..."
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"Two spiritual trails confirmed" the green haired girl, Midorimaru, mentioned as she examined the scene. She then saw the spiritual footprints left by the two heading off to the west. She then looked back at what appeared to be a perfectly normal sidewalk in the real world, but in the spirit world, was some wreckage. "And an artificial spirit of unknown origins. Strange. I will have to investigate further".
Midorimaru saw there was some police pressence, as things had gotten chaotic in the real world. It seemed a number of people, and things, had been displaced weirdly. However, she could tell there was something further about this.
"So its the Maru Fox of the Earth Element, is it?" a voice said. She perked up to look over, and saw two police officers, with two children in tow behind them. Or at least, they looked like children, but one had a bow slung across their back, and the other had two daggers. And they were eminating a spirutal aura.
"Officer Rio Dale and Detective Torren Cello. I see you are handling the investigation here" Midorimaru said, bowing and speaking politely.
"Its not every day we have the guardian of the temple here. You know something about the case?" Cello asked, smiling nicely but with sharp eyes.
"An unknown signature was detected, so I was dispatched to investigate. As I can instantly recall to my master's side, it is easy for me to do this while not leaving the temple undefended. And how are you doing, Jakios Blade and Icari Mythos?"
"You dont have to be so formal, Mimi. Just call me Jack" the boy with the daggers mentioned.
"Just dont say his full name, Jack the Rippe....ahh! Sowwy!"
"Icarus, you just love flying right where you are not supposed to, don't you!"
"I swaid swowwy!"
"Jack, dont tease Icarus too much" Cello mentioned, and Jack stopped.
"Fine fine....so, Mimi, howsit going?"
"Everything is fine. Though it seems less peaceful lately".
"Ooooh....maybe we should spare then" Jack said, both of his daggers already out.
"...do you think you can beat me?" Midorimaru replied, as several pieces of earth levitated out of the ground and circled her.
"Guys! Stop fighting!" Icarus complained.
"Yes, please stop! We have work to do!"
"Fine...but, since we are the police, Midorimaru, you do have to tell us what you know".
Midorimaru sighed, and looked over at the group.
"Akamaru seems to have awakened".
"Seriously? Wasn't he sealed away for a few bad pranks?" Jack asked.
"...you call setting the city on fire and having gotten so drunk he didn't remember it all a bad prank?" Icarus questioned, looking concerned.
"In any case, it appears he may have already bonded with a human, which is even more problematic. He should have also been sealed at a shrine, but it appears his container was taken here".
Detective Torren Cello looked down at Midorimaru.
"If he has a human partner though, wont his power be properly under control".
"...still, this is Akamaru. I cant just leave him be".
"Cause you are his sister?" Rio asked.
"Exactly. So I will need to find him".
"Do you have any leads where he went though?"
"He is a recently awakened Armor Spirit....I will just follow the violence, as well as the trail they left upon the earth".
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Yuuto looked in amazement while Shinku had a beat red face. The two of them stood completely naked, in what appeared to be the cross between a bathhouse and a small water park, with a whole lot of bubbles. It was a place known as the Bubble Bath House. It was a mixed bath where everyone entered naked, but it was full of bubbles and helpful support, and had a lot of healthy and theraputic elements.
Yuuto started to run out ahead, only to slip, dropping his towel as he fell down, catching himself with his hands. However, he struggled to stay on his hands and knees a bit as it was quite slippery where they were, by one of the baths.
A few of the female attendents sighed, probably because of the water and soap that they had already somehow gotten on their bodies just from entering making their skin look extra shiny. He just looked way too cute and innocent there, a few people were overloaded with moe.
"Sigh, please dont attract weird attention" Shinku said, reaching down to help him up when suddenly he stepped in a soapy puddle and fell down himself, falling on his rear into the puddle. One would think it would hurt more, but the material the floors were made with was softer then one would expect. Even if it looked tiled, it didn't hurt all that much. "This is why I hated this place".
Yuuto also tried to get up, but accidentally fell again, managing to place an arm right next to Shinku's head before he fell right on top of him and caught himself once more.
"Yuuto....why are you such a klutz?"
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Yuuto then rubbed some soap on him, as they got out of that awkward position and slowly slid themselves into the bath.
"But it feels so good!"
"...I will give you that. This does feel great".
"Raise arm please!"
Shinku looked at him, getting more red.
"Yuuto, we are not first graders anymore. I can wash myself".
"Come on...let me do it please?"
Yuuto looked at him with his big, open eyes.
"Uhg...fine" Shinku said, raising his arm as Yuuto soaped up and washed Shinku's body. Once he was done with one arm, Yuuto did the same and looked at Shinku expectently. Shinku gave up, and proceeded to wash him, and the two went through the motions of bathing each other.
Once they were done though, and they were just relaxedly sitting in the water, Shinku looked over at him.
"So, what is bothering you? What is eating away at you so much that you insisted on coming to such a public place, and having us embarrass ourselves like this just to get to this state of bliss?"
Yuuto looked down at the water.
"I guess I was kinda obvious huh?"
"You have been obvious since we were little. Also, even you wont go so far as to wash down around the sensitive areas normally, let alone asking me to get yours....seriously, dont do that...at least, if you want to confirm how close our friendship really is, can we do that in a private bath at home?"
"Sorry..."
"We are not first graders anymore. Its immature to play around like that".
"...we are still elementry schoolers though, nearly middle schoolers I guess, but I would say you are trying to mature too quickly" Yuuto said with a half smile. "In any case...the thing is...since you are a part of the world now...I was wondering if you would join my team".
"Team? What do you mean?"
"Well, there isn't just the battles with Goblis and...whatever that was. That was new, and new somtimes happens, but there are also regularly fights held between Armor Spirit users...honestly it can get quite competitive. And they dont always give you the option of saying No. Especially for the individual battles but....also, winning the tournament has rewards. And those rewards could really help us out. You can get supplies, resources, money..."
Shinku put his hand on Yuuto's shoulder, coming in front of him and looking right into his eyes.
"...you can get money?"
"Yeah..."
"Okay, I am in".
"Wait wait, you are doing this for friendship and not money right?"
"Eem...both?"
Yuuto pouted quite a bit.
"I double promise it's because we are friends".
"Yay!" Yuuto replied, jumping onto Shinku with a major hug. Shinku once again got very embarrassed.
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Once they were done, the next step was to get something to eat. And so naturally they went to a nearby diner, for some burgers, fries, and milkshakes.
"As expected, good food is good food" Shinku mentioned a bit teasingly.
"Muuu, you will never let me forget that moment, will you?"
"Nope, never!"
As they continued to eat, Akamaru store a few fries for himself in his fox form.
"So, can you go over this a bit more about teams and tournaments and cash prizes?"
"Right, well, the people who perform the best are given the best resources, since its deemed they would be able to use them the most effectively to fight the threats to humanity".
"Threats to humanity...feels like a really big deal".
"....yeah, you would think so, but its gotten so commonplace its more like pest extermination, except when lives are at stake. Honestly, hiding my own mindset was a really big pain...I think one's mindset gets twisted around getting involved in all this".
"Right. So?"
"So anyways, the more resources one has, the easier things can be for you, even for normal life. There are both small and big tournaments, but what is especially annoying is the fight over people. The winners want to poach potential newbies, and the losers want to get stronger people to win. Very few people can handle staying solo...but the tournaments themselves also have an allure. Money for one things, but also other things. Sometimes relics that increase power, seals to help keep an area under control, information. Even increased magical power is sometimes a reward. All of it is valuable".
"So basically, win the tournaments, and its easier for you".
"In essence. You can also get favors from important people. Favors that will be upheld, no matter what, few exceptions or restrictions".
"I see...so then, do we need a team name?"
"Naturally, I have one already!"
"...is it a good one?"
"What do you mean!?"
"Its not Akashiro right?"
Yuuto immediately looked away.
"it is! it totally is! No, we are not naming ourselves that!"
As they argued this, the two of them suddenly felt a tremor vibrate through them.
"What was..."
"A spiritual zone has started to form" Yuuto said, quickly standing up. Shinku also stood up, as he noticed the people blending into the background, until they were all gone. The lighting also seemed different, and the various noises of nearby people sudden died out.
And then, the glass shattered near them as half the building got crushed.
"Well now, lookie here....two brats!" a man wearing a leather jacket mentioned as he revved up the motorcycle he was riding. It had a weird pumpkin sticker on the side, as well as various spikes.
Shinku and Yuuto meanwhile had somehow managed to dodge out of the way.
"Shinku!"
"Right!".
Shinku then looked towards Akamaru.
"Lets go, Akamaru!"
"Roar, Lumios!"
Suddenly, the two were both enveloped in bubbles of light, floating into the air a bit as Akamaru and Lumios turned into energy and merged with them.
Their clothes once again seemed to dematerialize, but in truth them and their physical bodies were stored away as spiritual bodies were generated. Except this time, Shinku had a better idea and understanding of what was going on. As such, not only did the clothes from before materialize, but a weapon also materialized in his hand. It appeared like a handled blade, like a sword, but instead was bent and curved, reaching his elbow as he held the hand in his right hand. The blade also extended a bit outward, creating a sort of hand guard.
And Yuuto had his Dragon's Fangs, those strange pod things that seemed to float and fire energy beams.
"Is that...Atyan and Pumpkos Chariot?"
"Pumpkos Chariot?"
"Yes. Most armor spirits are based off of legends, myths, and stories, as well as animals and famous individuals. Pumpkos Chariot is based off of Cinderella...its quite litterally the chariot she uses, only rather then becoming a chariot, for this guy it became a bike".
"You know this jerk?"
"Of course he should! I am the ruler of the streets in this city! And its my job to put down naughty boys who wont listen to reason".
"So Mary hired you then? Great..."
Shinku looked concerned.
"Who is Mary?"
"An absolute pervert and a shotacon...a boy lover. She keeps demanding I join her team, but I always say no. I want a team sure, but she would do things to me I would rather not say out loud...".
"....someone who can even make Yuuta embarrassed. Must be a hardcore pervert".
"...she once told me she wanted to strip me naked, put a collar on me, and walk me around the park...so yeah, avoid her at all costs".
"...I should kill her".
As much as seeing Yuuto embarrassed would be funny for him, that seemed way too weird. And if that was what she was willing to say in public, it would only get worse in private.
"So...what is with this guy?"
"Basically just some thug for hire. You can beat him up as much as you want while he is in that spirit body".
"Wow, Spirit Form and battles really does change you. I am a bit impressed you kept this hidden from me, but I am also mad and will be punishing you later for this".
"...understood".
"Hey, dont ignore me you brats!" he shouted as his bike charged at them at high speeds, easily surpassing normal acceleration of a motocycle. The two dodged again, rolling in different directions and then quickly getting back on their feet. "Just get destroyed by me properly!"
"Flame Arts: Burning Circle!"
"Light Arts: Fallen Swords!"
Suddenly, a circle of flames appeared underneath him, as several swords of light appeared from above to obliterate him.
"Rider Arts: Rev Boom!"
But he suddenly revved up his motorcycle and blew all of the attacks away from him, and then drove at such a speed in a large circle around them, creating an afterimage of himself as he drove faster.
"Rider Arts: Rider Possy!"
And in addition, he multiplied, with the afterimages becoming real. There were now four of them. Both Shinku and Yuuto then suddenly found themselves cut off as they circled around them both, isolating them.
"Was he always this strong?"
"No, looks like he got stronger...probably the work of Mary".
Shinku jumped up, and caused explosive fire to errupted from his feet as he did, allowing him to jump repeatedly while in the air.
And Yuuto focused his own eyes.
"Dragon Arts: Revolving Dragon Fang!"
Suddenly, the Dragon's Fangs began spinning around Yuuto and firing off energy beams, decimating anything in their path. Because Shinku had ran up already, he was out of the line of fire, but Atyan meanwhile had more difficulties. However, his main body had jumped his cycle onto the wall of a nearby building, and was driving up it as he took out a shotgun and fired at Shinku. Shinku's Spiritual Barrier held against it, but it did enough damage to cause him pain.
"Ha! A fire user like you should join my group! We can be destructive together and win for sure!"
"What the hell did you say?" Shinku replied, annoyed. Suddenly, one of his feet became engulfed in flame completely.
"Flame Arts: Burning Roundhouse!"
And then, while in mid air, delivered a kick right at the man's direction. Of course, he dodged, and drove right into the air while spinning around, smashing his rear tire right into Shinku and sending him spiraling into the ground. However, Yuuto cushoned his fall through a light barrier that acted as a soft, rubbery surface.
"Yes! Feel the destructive power of my bike!"
"That's it!" Shinku yelled as he jumped back onto his feet. "I am sick and tired of you saying "Destruction this" or "Destruction that" or just outright destroying things. I will show you my flame now!"
Suddenly, a massive aura of red emerged from Shinku, overwhelming everything and everyone around.
"Flame Forge Arts..."
"...Forge?!"
A massive array of metal rings, revolving around some sort of molten core, appeared above Shinku. As it did, swords of all types began to appear around him and prepare for an attack. Even Atyan was shocked and worried by this.
"...Hundred Blade Assault!"
And all of those blades came right after him and Pumpkos Chariot.
"You have got to be kidding me, you damned brats! Rider Arts: Rev B..."
"Light Arts: Sealing Chain!"
Suddenly, the magic he was about to cast was interrupted by Yuuto's Sealing Chain. The chain glowed bright and absorbed the spiritual and magical energy of the magic, rendering it inert as the swords came and pierced through him and his bike.
And Yuuto, who had watched Shinku's battle earlier, had decided to use those chains for something else. He couldn't create explosions at his feet with light magic, and while he could probably opt for some level of Dragon Class Magic, it would be inefficient. So instead, he was using Sealing chain not only to seal the biker, but also as a grappling hook, allowing Yuuto to fling himself high into the air above the biker.
"Dragon Fangs...Dragon Breath!"
And then, all of the Dragon Fangs came together to create a cannon, and fired a powerful blast right at the enemy. Atyan who had been sealed, trapped, and dealt heavy damage, was met with such a force and his spiritual barrier broke, as he shot down into the ground and recieved heavy damage.
With all that said and done, his Spiritual Form broke right then and there, leaving him in a state of agony and pain.
"...will he be okay?"
"Its his own fault...and great, two fights in one day. I am starving. Our lunch got interrupted too...Lumios?"
"Right, got it" the dragon said, as he snapped his fingers.
"What are you doing?"
"Spending a bit of the spiritual power I have left to repair the area and set our real bodies back into their original spots in the real world".
As he said that though, the two boys heard something, and turned around to see a bunch of vehicles driving up and surrounding them, with a lot more grunts and guards. They had swords, guns, and other weapons.
"Now now, Cute Boy-chan. Dont you think any more fighting at this point is useless?"
"Tsk...so he was just mean to drain my energy...they must have realized I was in the fight from before" Yuuto realized, reflecting on his inability to realize the enemy's plan. He was so caught up with helping Shinku and explaining things to him, he hadn't noticed at all.
"And look, two cute boys for the price of one...our master will be pleased".
"Even you cant possibly think you can do something so public and get away with it" Yuuto pointed out, still on guard.
"The police are still quite distracted with the incident earlier. They wont come until we are safely inside our own territory for sure".
One of the women in charge took a step forward, licking her lips.
"Perhaps I should train some obedience into you four first".
She then took another step forward, taking out a whip, when suddenly her arm got twisted around and her body forced against the road. Everyone was surprised, as a girl wearing a priestess outfit and who had green fox ears on her head and a green fox tail appeared. Her bare feet were used to sweep the women's legs, and forcing her on the ground completely.
One of the nearby grunts reacted quickly and tried to attack her, but a stone spike came out of the ground and broke his spiritual barrier and spiritual form, causing him to land backwards unconscious.
"Midorimaru?!" Akamaru shouted in shock, materializing.
"Let me tell you scum one thing" she said, a cold anger coming from her voice. "Only a Maru Fox or their partner is allowed to teach and train another Maru Fox like that".
"Ah...she is still as scary as ever" Akamaru lamented, shivering.
"Its just one girl! Her partner is not even here, we can take her!"
A few more attacked, but the woman who was pinned realized the truth.
"No don't do it! Its Midorimaru!"
However, her words of warning came too late. She moved fast, faster then one could expect, as the green haired girl moved to the side of one and kicked him into the other grunts. Stone spikes errupted from the ground and knocked a few others away. And from the ground, a few stone golems appeared, knocking away anyone who tried to get away.
It was a one sided massacre.
"...so this is the power of the Guardian of the Shrine" Yuuto muttered, watching the scene before him unfold.
"The Guardian of the Shrine?"
"Midorimaru is the Earth Element Maru Fox, and seems to have a special connection out of all Maru foxes to the land of this island. She and her partner, whoever that is, have always been guardians of the land, dealing with people who threaten it or do dishonorable things to it or in it. They are not omnipotent, but its a force in the spirit side of the world that deters quite a bit of crime and harm".
"That sounds like my sister for sure. SHe was always considered the responsible one out of the six of us, and also the scary one...but she was also really loving and warm when it counted".
As he said that, Midorimaru had finished dispatching the thugs. There was a couple dozen, but not a single one had been able to put a scratch on her. That was the power Midorimaru possessed.
"Midori...Midori!" Akamaru shouted, the transformation on Shinku getting undone as he took a human form. His human form was completely naked though, but that didn't matter to spirits as much it seemed as Midorimaru caught him in a hug. "I was alone for so long, and now the world has changed, and things are scary! Did everyone forget about me?!"
"...it actually hasn't been as long as you think. The world has just been changing a lot faster in the past two hundred years...also, you need some clothes it seems. I suppose since you already awakened today, you haven't had the chance to get any".
"Hold on...as a spirit who can change form, can he make his own form have some?" Shinku questioned.
"No, because as spirits, clothes are not really a part of us".
"Hold on...why do I need clothes? They seem so silly and foolish..." Akamaru questioned.
"Yes yes, but it might be distracting to humans, and if you want to materialize to do things, you will need clothes to wear for your human form".
"Ehhh...but they feel so restrictive and silly...what is wrong with just being in one's own skin?"
"Humans are just foolish creatures like that. You will get used to it".
"Fiiinnneeee".
Midorimaru then looked at the three of them. Shinku, Yuuto, and Lumios.
"In any case, lets get back to the real world. We have a lot to talk about".
"Thats fine, but...do you mind if we eat while we talk? We are still hungry and our lunch got interrupted".
"Yes, that seems fair".
And so, the group returned to the real world to eat and talk, after fixing up the damage done once more.