Eight years ago, a man named Shinobi Shaw, the son of Mamon Shaw, a crime lord, soon took over after his passing. He was just as ruthless, as well as malicious. It wasn’t hard to guess the most illegal, criminal activities he performed. Capturing yokai for trafficking, forming underground fights, and the most obvious being murder. He is a crime lord so the number of victims was sickeningly high.

“Then why is he walking around the temple like an innocent individual?” Azula asked. Miya looked down for a few seconds, thinking of what to say carefully.

“Sensei made a deal with Shaw San, the elders think he is here to offer them the property of some of his fighters”.

“And you? What do you think?”

“I shouldn’t question Sensei, he usually knows what he is doing”.

“What is your role in this?”

“…I wasn’t supposed to tell you. I was sure you wouldn’t find out—”

“Surprisingly I did”, Azula cut off as she rolled her eyes. Miya was caught and tried making excuses to be spared. The princess wasn’t going to tattle tale to the elders anyway. She needed to know more about Shinobi Shaw and the Sensei.

It made sense why the elders allowed someone like Shaw, recalling the lack of recruits. He knew what to offer them, so they’d be too thrilled to notice his actual motives. Everyone here isn’t exactly good, Miya included. So maybe trapping her in blackmail could get her in on this scheming.

“How does Sensei benefit from this?”

“He is making a deal with Shaw San to meet someone. Someone after Aragami, well they BOTH want to see—”

“Miya! You are late for training!” A parrot called. Azula was startled by the colorful creature.

Since when do birds talk? Are they linked with humans somehow?

“What in Agni is that?”

“It’s a parrot. You didn’t have parrots in your dimension?”

“Come now or face punishment”, The parrot squawked. Miya scowled and Azula tried holding back her laughter.

“I should go since you are going to become a trainee for group seven”, Miya revealed casually.

“I am going to be in a group?”

“Uh…yeah? Trainees must be in groups before they learn to go on solo missions. And you’ll probably be paired with other dimension immigrants”.

Azula just stared in confusion. “This world treats victims of the purple slits as immigrants?”

“Well, technically it is illegal. At least to the laws of science. And you came into this world without a passport or I.D. as well as paying at the border”.

Azula thought of asking what in Agni was a passport or an eye-dee but just laughed at Miya as they walked to the training room. “A border? I may be from a past century but I know that you don’t float around and pay the purple rips. The ‘multiverse’ just randomly sent me without warning or time to prepare”, Azula said as if she were giving an obvious answer to a stupid question.

“Yeah but still, most of the victims stand out and unintentionally attract too much unwanted attention. Like you with the yama-uba”.

As they walked into the training room, half the room noticed the two girls. Some whistled and others eyed Azula with a judgmental expression. Azula shot back smugness, making the judgmental trainees even more annoyed.

“Ryoni-san, for once you were on time. I expect you to pass down your lessons of obedience to the newest member. Everyone, please welcome our newest recruit, Azula” " the trainer explained.

Some men were looking at the girl with hunger. Azula suspected this and even looked calm about it, and she knew she would need to train hard to defend herself. The new teams were assigned.

Azula was a bit suspicious of certain individuals, more specifically their appearances. They probably came from ridiculously bizarre worlds built on unnatural laws of nature. More than two eyes, or inhuman skin color, or having tails and actual wings and/or fish fins were making Azula understand what Miya meant by attracting unwanted attention.

“Now, I have decided on the teams, each of four”. As the trainer announced the teams, Azula looked at the students. Whoever she was assigned had to be useful, most preferably formidable but not strong enough to defy her leadership.

“Which group is assigned to me?”

Everyone just glared at Azula. Some snickered and others whispered rhetorical questions such as: Who died and made her queen? Or, who does she think she is?

As well as other statements with profanities. Some would say she was arrogant, truth was not because she grew up as a literal princess, but that she was smart enough to know who she could trust in this training temple. So acting in her usual self was the best way to identify possible traitors or liabilities.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Very humorous Azula, you will work with group seven. Over there”. The mentor snorted as he pointed at the three people in the corner.

Azula noticed a man in a black hoodie (she wasn’t sure if he was human as his face was completely concealed in the hood, a young man who seemed to have green hair and green eyes and another man who had an armor similar to that picture show called something Rangers.

Miya walked to another group, but Azula grabbed her by the elbow. “You are not in my group?”

She just laughed. “Hell no! I’m not even part of this class, I was just supposed to escort you. I’m going to the field lands where the other natives are training today—crap I’m late for that!” She ran out of the room. Azula just looked at the group she was assigned to, who gave her the same look of skepticism.

“Group seven! Since you got a new member, you will take the Hunger Games exam”.

“A test I presume?” Azula asked, but to herself out loud.

“Not a test you see on teen movies and high school comedies”, Hoodie boy grumbled.

“This is more like the movie this test is named after”, Green-Hair added.

“It’s about time, I can begin the training now that we finally have a fourth member”, Ranger Guy chuckled. Then he walked to Azula. “I get to see what you guys can do, especially how weak this little princess seems”.

“I can handle myself”.

“Save that self-prep talk for the first obstacle in the exam. Hope you can survive in the wild”.

“Kamen, I doubt she knows what she’ll be up against. I won’t be surprised if she slows us down”, Green Hair laughed.

“Gamma! Don’t make her more scared than she already is, remember she is the freshest realm victim. Azula, I’ll protect you”.

Azula narrowed her eyes in annoyance, “This ego, guess we’re all princesses, but I’m the princess who isn’t a damsel in distress. And just so you know, I’m from an era where people could travel instead of being coddled in a temple like a certain someone…”

“You have a death wish girlie!” Kamen hissed.

Gama just looked at Hoodie, “Reanimateh, you need to stop the chivalry”.

----------------------------------------

“Why are we here?”

“We’re here because our little vixen knows where Azula is right now”.

“I thought Azula was at the temple. Nobody has been here since the whole purple crack disaster started”.

“Nobody comes here because of the rumors about this place being haunted by Kapas, they, like every yokai, are ‘triggered’ by the victims of purple sky rips”.

“I know this…but I thought only a few would expose themselves to harm the victims”.

Aragami and Tamamo froze. They both sensed people nearby. “People in a Yokai area?”

“It’s either tourists from western countries or…”.

“And notice the lack of animal noises right now”.

“We have to check, either way, it could jeopardize our search for Azula if dangerous yokai are in our way”.

----------------------------------------

“It’s about damn time we got some fresh air”, Gamma chirped with excitement. “I finally get to bash some yokai scum”.

“We’re here to kill Yokai? Is that what we are here in this forest to battle?” Azula asked with a nonchalant expression.

“Don’t be scared Princess, I’ll make sure no Yokai comes near you”.

“Reanimateh, don’t waste your time coddling her”, Gamma made a short chuckle.

“Ree-Ahni-Mah-tey? A Japanese pronunciation for the English word ‘reanimation’? Why would your parents name you that?”

“It’s his code name. We get them after admission testing. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you get a codename more mocking than ‘Princess’ when we save you from upcoming danger”. Kamen chuckled. Then he raised his hand, to stop Azula from making a making a snarky comeback AND to listen to the first obstacle approaching them. “We’re in luck, my scanner says there is yokai nearby”.

Gamma cracked his knuckles, “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s squash some supernatural vermin!”

Reanimateh looked left and right, “I don’t think we should go to them. I have a very ‘void’ feeling. Like there’s an opening to the after—”

“Do you even know what kind of Yokai we’ll be facing? We need to wait and observe”, Azula suggested.

Gamma scoffed, “What’s there to know? It’s a supernatural freak of nature. Every single one of—”

“All of you, shut up and get ready to fight”, Kamen spoke, taking a stance. The other two did the same. This was foolish to Azula, the reason was that these boys had no idea what their opponents were capable of.

“This is foolish! We need to have a plan be strategic—”

Two frog-like creatures that were the size of tall human beings leaped before them. They had short beak mouths and turtle shells. The most bizarre thing was that the top of their heads were shaped like bowls, carrying water.

Azula noticed that they had a look of interest…perverted interest. The yokai started talking.

“More annoying otherworldly freaks are disturbing our sacred grounds!”

“Let’s see how they’ll fight Kappas!”

Gamma charged at beings who were squawking like penguin seals. The buff tall green guy didn’t threaten them. Instead, they were furious. As Gamma was about to smash his fists onto them, they parted. One pounced from behind him from behind, penetrating his shoulders with its beak.

“Oh, s***! Those things have no problem taking on Gamma!”, Reanimateh panicked.

“Let’s see how well they can handle smaller but faster opponents, " Kamen smirked under that helmet. He pulled out three cards and made sign movements with his arms. “Henshin”, He called, smacking his cards onto his belt buckle. He started running at supernatural speed and kicking all in the face.

Reanimateh raised his hand to summon a scythe. That was when Azula smelt a stench found only on lifeless soldiers on a battlefield. The boy charged at them, slicing off one arm. The others screeched with terror as the Kappa was engulfed in flames. It disappeared into nothingness.

“That being is working for Death! Retreat!” The Kappas howled. Running away, Gamma cheered with victory.

“Ah, man! I was about to eliminate the one I was fighting”, Kamen Rider groaned.

“Reaun! Bro, you are a frickin’ Grim Reaper?!” Gamma exclaimed.

“It’s more complicated than that—”

“Princess was as annoyingly useless as we all assumed. Hey, Sugar Queen! I look forward to your new embarrassing codename—wait…where’s Princess?” Kamen realized Azula was nowhere around them.

----------------------------------------

“What do you want from me?” Azula angrily demanded as she finally caught up to a shadow ninja who successfully lured her away from her team.

As she walked closer, Aragami turned to her as the sky was dark with stars. “Azula”, he stared at her directly six feet away. She should ask how he knew her name but she remembered that there were yokai who already knew who she was. It wouldn’t be surprising if one of them told Ryo after she was kidnapped.

“You need to come back. You are not safe with The Hand. It’ll only be a matter of time before they find out you are powerless”.

Azula just scoffed. “Oh, and I’m sure you are a much better mentor?”

“Yes, I am”.

Azula looked at him in disbelief before turning to walk away. “I can handle myself without you coddling me”.

“I can give you powers”.

She paused her walking and turned her head a little.

“Go on…”