Mamimi pulled her pet robot through an alley. She had been up walking all night. Her small pet had grown into a dog shaped robot the size of a small van.
“That’s almost everyone on my list Takkun, I think I can forgive everyone now.”
Naota and Haruko flew past on the vespa. The large robot saw them and burst forwards pulling on its leash. It dragged mamimi out of the alley but couldn’t keep up with Haruko’s Vespa.
Gaku and Masashi stepped out of a corner store and saw the girl and her robot.
“Hey is that Naota’s wife?” Gaku asked.
“The one he dumped?” Masashi asked.
Mamimi lost control of the robot as it charged forwards to eat a pickup truck.
“No! Takkun! You can be doing things like this!” She yelled.
“That’s my dad’s truck.” Masashi said indifferently.
-
“What’s going on?” Amarao asked.
“Seems like an accident.” Kitsurubami said.
They were stuck in traffic.
“We don’t have time for this we have to stop Raharu! She’s getting away!”
Amarao leaned out of his window to yell at the drivers.
He ducked back inside the car in time to avoid a tire flying past. A giant robot dog pounced on the car in front of them.
“Takkun! Don’t be a bad boy!” Mamimmi cried.
“You know what that is? It’s the terminal core! She’s been feeding it!” Amarao shouted.
The robot swallowed the car and doubled in size, knocking cars over each other. One of the falling cars crashed onto their fiat and the agents jumped clear.
Kitsurubami spotted Canti directing pedestrian traffic away from the scene. The giant robot dog consumed him and grew larger again.
“That’s it! He’s a component! He’s part of the Terminal Core!” Amarao shouted. He grabbed onto the robot before it launched itself into the air.
The Medical Mechanica plant spewed out more steam and the sirens kicked up a notch.
-
A phone rang repeatedly. Amarao picked himself up, holding his broken arm. He reached across his body into his coat pocket to answer the phone.
“Is the plant going to activate?” Kitsurubami asked.
“Not yet,” He replied. He stared at the terminal core as it leaned anxiously over the edge of the hand. “It’s still missing something.”
Haruko and Naota flew by on their vespa. Amarao shot them until they fell out of the sky in a cloud of smoke. The Vespa bounced and fell off the top of the Iron.
As the smoke dissipated Amarao struck a cool pose. Naota stood there without his eyebrows.
“Where are your eyebrows? Why did you take them off? I told you not to trust her.” He said.
You don’t know anything. Just a stupid adult that’s head doesn’t even work.
“She’s only thinking of herself. She doesn’t care about you, she doesn’t care about anyone.” He said.
Haruko watched Amarao monologue with a smug look on her face.
She cares about me. I can swing the bat. My head is the only one that works.
“You have family. And friends that live here.”
That’s kid stuff, I won’t stay here in this boring town breathing steam.
“And that highschool girl. You want to save her don’t you? Of course you do. That’s normal. You are thinking like an adult.”
I’m going to get out of here, get away from this boring town where nothing ever happens.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
“Come over here! Don’t let her manipulate you.”
Naota turned and walked over to Haruko. She wrapped her arms around him, holding him close.
“What are you doing? How much more pain will you endure before you realize? Are you out of your mind?”
I’m here. Right here with Haruko. We are going to knock this stupid town right out of the park.
“Takun. It’s time to get what I want but I need your help okay?” She said quietly.
Naota nodded and pealed back the bandaid on his forehead. A red bump pulsed with light where a third eye would be.
Yes.
Haruko slambed him into the air with her guitar and he flew into the terminal core’s mouth.
“Lunchtime!” Haruko cheered.
-
Naota stared into a vacant expanse. The world was entirely composed of blue glass. There was no wind.
Where am I?
It was quiet and cold. The ground rumbled, and a line of giant irons, appeared across the horizon. They slid over the glass, making it even more smooth.
Amaro’s voice echoed in his head.
“They’re flattening planets all over the galaxy, smoothing out the wrinkles so you can’t think! Even the Pirate King has been captured!”
Atomsk? He’s old news. I’m the pirate king now.
-
“Commander!” Kitsurubami Yelled into her phone.
She was the last person standing in the street downtown. All of the citizens had disappeared into the buildings nearby.
“Commander Amarao!” She shouted again.
She watched as the hand stooped over the iron shaped Medical Mechanica building. Just as it seemed like it had grasped it, a red light erupted beneath the hand.
-
Harkuo hovered on her Rickenbacker over the Medical Mechanica plant with a grin on her face.
“Here he is!” She said gleefully.
Canti stood there between the hand and the iron, holding it back. But he was not red.
“Huh?” Haruko gasped.
“That kid... did he do it?” Amarao asked.
A glowing hand, as bright as the sun burst from Canti’s screen. Naota climbed out of Canti and looked directly at Haruko.
“He’s got the powers of the Pirate King!” Amarao shouted.
Enough of this.
Naota punched the hand and it was blasted up as if it weighed nothing. Amarao held onto the iron for dear life.
“She tricked you! I tried to tell you! You believe me now?” He shouted at Naota.
Naota flexed his grip on two guitars, he held his flying V in his right hand and Atamosk’s Gibson EB-0 in his left. Both were glowing with the same ferocity. Atamosk’s symbol pulsed quickly on his forehead.
I am the Pirate King.
“I said I don’t care about any of that! I just want Atomsk, that’s all.” Haruko shouted viscously. “Takkun! You can’t do that! That power is mine!”
Destroy Her.
The bracelet on Haruko’s wrist rattled frantically, pointing towards Naota.
She charged him, swinging her Rickenbacker bass with full force. Their guitars clashed, again and again, relentlyessly. Lightning flashed and shockwaves rippled out across the city with each impact.
She swung at him again. And again. Naota blocked each attack with one of his guitars. He burned brighter, his eyes burning white.
Was she always this slow?
“Don’t you dare get in my way, or you’ll regret it!” She hissed as they locked guitars.
“This is our chance! We can gather up the outsiders and get rid of them all at once!” Amarao said. “Is anyone even listening to me?
I’m done with adults telling me what to do. I get to say what happens now.
“I’m not gonna go easy on you, Takkun!” Haruko shouted. “Only one of us can eat him, and that’s gonna be me.”
This is my power. The power of the Pirate King.
Naota’s guitars fused together into one double-necked guitar.
She swung again, but this time Naota stopped it with one hand.
Destroy the Iron. Nobody can stop Me.
He ripped her guitar from her hands and threw it over the edge of the iron. Without the guitar to keep her aloft Haruko fell down onto the Medical Mechanica plant. She landed badly and rolled to a stop before she fell off the edge.
Yes. The power to change the world. To redefine freedom itself. To take what I want and nobody can stop me. The power of the Pirate King.
“That guitar!” Haruko gasped as she picked herself up. She limped forwards and glared at him. “Naota. You can’t do this! You were supposed to help me! After all we have been through. I saw you first Naota!”
“She’s just as bad as Medical Mechanica! You’re not gonna get what you want from her! Fight back! Take her out!” Amarao shouted.
No. Haruko.
Naota blazed down towards Harkuo at lightning speed. A shockwave rippled out as he landed in front of her. She grit her teeth waiting for the killing blow.
“I love you.” He whispered.
This power means nothing if she hates me.
Haruko was speachless and he kissed her.
-
Kitsurubami was watching through binoculars. She wiped away another nose bleed.
She was blinded as a giant pair of red wings erupted from Naota’s head.
Everything in Mabase was lifted up. Rubble, cars, purses and people floated into the sky. Atamosk grew from Naota’s head everything was drawn towards him. At first he looked like a winged man, but he took on the visage of a bird and grew to fill the entire sky.
Kitsurubami gripped a signpost to keep from floating away and watched as the giant hand and the very sky itself was sucked into the giant bird’s head.
-
“Noooooooo!” Amarao wailed as his eyebrows were pealed from his head.
“Atomsk…” Haruko said, she was frozen in place.
The Medical Mechanica plant was lifted off its foundation.
You set me free Naota. Thank you.
Atomsk blasted off into space as ball of light and disappeared.
For a moment everything was still. Then gravity took over and everything dropped back to earth.
Haruko and Naota were the only ones left standing on top of the iron as it resettled poorly on it’s foundations. They each held one of the necks of the fused guitar.
Haruko reached up with her other hand towards Atomsk. Her bracelet was pointing up into space.
“Stay.” Naota says but Haruko laughed under her breath.
“Naota you really did it this time.” Haruko said.
She placed her other hand on his and pushed his hand gently off the guitar.
“I lost him again because of you. We couldn’t pull it off.”
“I never wanted that power.” Naota said.
Haruko whistled for her vespa. It came quickly rolling up the side of the iron.
“I’ve got to go Naota. Wanna come along?” She asked. “You know what? Forget it. Cause you’re still a kid, Takkun. Save it for next time.”
Why won’t you stay?
Naota watched her go as she rode the vespa up into the sky.
-
Mamimi stumbled over the rubble, dragging Amarao by the arms.
“It’s okay Mister. We are almost out of this mess.”
A sound to her right caught her attention.
It’s got to be here somewhere.
Naota was digging in the rubble, throwing aside chunks of concrete. He started, spotting something. He ran over the top of the pile. He reappeared a moment later with Haruko’s blue bass in his hands.
She left.
Mamimmi took out her camera and snapped a photo of Naota. A boy with a guitar. Framed by the silhouette of the ruined downtown skyline. The sun glinted off the Medical Mechanica plant where it sat askew on its hill.