Years ago…
A younger Tsugumi was in the backyard of the Izanagi house. At the same time, her older brother, Tsubasa, prepared to spar with her.
"Did you call me down this way just to challenge me?" Tsubasa demanded. "Your ego has gotten too big."
Tsugumi ignored him. "Just fight me."
Tsubasa scoffed and moved in a blur, attacking Tsugumi with speed so fast she had to use her magic to counter. When she prepared to strike him, he lifted a hand, which glowed blue.
"Watch it, now. I wouldn't want to destroy that pretty face of yours."
She ignored him again and lunged to attack. Still, he unleashed a powerful blast of blue energy which exploded and caused flames all over the backyard.
"Oops," he scoffed.
They clashed in a frenzy of attacks, with Tsugumi using her own magic to increase her raw strength. As she tried to throw jabs and punches at his face, he touched her chest, causing her to go flying into a tree, which split it in half.
"You might be strong, sister," he noted. "But not as strong as me."
In a fit of rage, she ripped the bottom of the tree out of the ground and swung it at him, causing him to collide with one of the pillars of the house and destroy it.
As the house shook, Tetsuya came outside. "Woah! Guys, what the hell is going on?"
Tsubasa used his magic to destroy the rubble trapping him, wiping the blood off his face as he glared at his sister.
"We'll settle this later. Don't think you've won."
He brushed past Tetsuya, not even giving him the time of day. Tsugumi did the same, her face still red from frustration. While Tetsuya wasn't looking, she coughed blood into her hand.
"Damn, I can't even get a silver of respect from them? Am I forever destined to be the laughingstock?" Tetsuya wondered.
At dinner that night, Tsubasa and Tsugumi were served first, their cook laying the food before them. Their parents walked in, fresh off a meeting.
"Hello, hello!" their dad greeted. "We're home, kids!"
"Tsugumi, Tsubasa!" their mom worried. "You two look a mess! Is everything alright?"
"It's nothing, Mother," Tsubasa confirmed. "The fruits of a healthy sibling rivalry, that's all."
Their father noticed the mess that was made outside. "What a mess you've children made! Tetsuya, go and clean that up!"
"But—-!"
"Now!"
Tetsuya sulked outside, picking up the pieces of the carnage his siblings caused. Inside, he saw the rest of his family eating food and conversing with each other as Tetsuya watched.
"It's not fair. What have I done to deserve this?"
After hours of hard work, he took a break, only to hear the opening of a door behind him.
"Ahh!"
But instead of his parents, he found Tsubasa standing behind him, a look of disgust and disappointment on his face.
"Idiot. Why do you sit here and let them treat you like this? Why do you break so easily? What loyalty do you have to a family that doesn't want you?"
"What…what do you mean?" Tetsuya asked.
"Why are you still so weak?" Tsubasa asked. "I don't get it. You let your parents push you around. You let your sister push you around, and her friends. You let everyone control and take advantage of you. It makes this family weak."
"But how do I—-?"
"Stop it? It's simple. Become stronger."
Tsugumi came outside, but before she could open her mouth, Tsubasa bumped into her on his way out, turning back ever so slightly to glare at his little brother.
A few months ago…
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?"
Tsubasa stormed into the kitchen to find Tsugumi baking a cake with the words "GET WELL SOON" on it.
"It's for a friend. Don't bother me about it," she insisted.
"What friend is this? I've never known you to bake!"
"It's none of your business," she remarked. "Go away."
She began to put icing on the cake as Tsubasa looked on in disgust. As he looked around, he noticed Tetsuya wasn't inside.
"Where is Tetsuya? He's been missing for a week now!"
"Out. He's been training with Himeka for a while now," she stated.
"Hmph," he grumbled. "Seems he's taking my advice. Yet he's still so weak. And you, you're in here baking cakes like it's kindergarten. What has this family come to?"
She rolled her eyes and put the cake in a box. "Don't know. I'm going to take this to my friend. Goodbye."
Tsubasa watched as she took the cake and left, silently staring at the door. "Pathetic."
A couple hours later, Tetsuya walked into the house, his shirt off and his body soaked with sweat.
"Look who's back!" Tsubasa mocked. "Haven't killed yourself yet."
Tetsuya wiped the sweat off his face. "Oh. It's you. Come to lecture me about my weakness?"
"Not today. Why has Tsugumi gotten so soft? Baking cakes, writing letters, she seems so…out of it!"
Tetsuya scratched his head. "I think it has to do with our friend, Dachii. You know, the boy everyone's been raving over? The one who helped us in that Arena?"
"…What?"
"You haven't been paying attention?" Tetsuya asked. "He's a human, he's got this hairstyle that's called dreadlocks, he's of average height, maybe a little above average, and he uses an Element! I think he has two, actually."
Tsubasa stared at him, puzzled.
"Nevermind. You'll recognize him when you see him."
Tetsuya began to walk away, but Tsubasa put a firm hand on his shoulder. "So, we're frolicking with humans now?"
"Uh—-"
"No, no, no worries. But I promise you this. If I see him…"
His eyes began to glow blue.
"I'll DESTROY him."
Present Day…
Dachii woke up in the middle of a busy intersection, where cars were driving and people were working. As he sat up, people all over started to recognize him.
"It's that boy!"
"Why is he here?"
"HOW is he here?"
"The Hunt! Don't you guys watch the news?"
Dachii stood up, and he heard a voice calling out to him from somewhere in the distance.
"So you're Dachii."
A figure dropped from above, landing at the end of the street. "Tsubasa. I'm here to crush you and then drag you back in pieces."
"Okay," Dachii replied.
As he used his magic to form a blue mask and blue armor around his body, the bystanders started backing away and speaking in hushed whispers.
"Is that Lord Tsubasa?"
"It is! The heir to the Izanagi Clan!"
"He looks furious! We should go!"
Tsubasa methodically and deliberately moved down the highway, while Dachii stood in the same spot, not moving.
"My sister's been swooning over you for months," Tsubasa pointed out. "And my weakling of a brother admires you. I wonder why?"
He pulled a spear handle from his back, and pressed a button on the middle, causing the spear inside to emerge.
"Prove it to me."
With a powerful wave of energy, he burst forward toward Dachii. A powerful thrust of his spear followed, and Dachii parried with his gauntlet, which cracked on impact.
"Heads up," Tsubasa warned. "You're breaking."
He swung his spear in a powerful arc, breaking Dachii's right gauntlet and leaving his damaged one intact, which he used to punch Tsubasa in the face, briefly stunning him.
"You're not much for talking, are you?" Tsubasa noted. "Most of my opponents would've given me a full backstory by now, but you…you're an enigma."
Dachii remained silent, leading Tsubasa to stretch his arms. "Cool, so no idle chatter. Let me introduce myself a bit. Tsubasa Izanagi, oldest child of the Izanagi clan."
His eyes glowed a violent blue. "Supernova Magic. It's beautiful, and perfect for combat. Do you want a taste of what it can do? Well, here you go!"
He formed a ball of power in his hands, which shot straight at Dachii's chest. Dachii blocked the blow with a newly formed gauntlet, which shattered in the aftermath as the blast exploded.
Dachii looked at his hand, which was burnt. "Hmm…this is new."
Tsubasa struck the ground with his spear, causing a supernova that shook every building on the highway. Dachii jumped into the air to avoid it, landing on top of a flying car.
"Hey, boy!" the elderly female driver shouted. "I know you're famous and all, but that doesn't give you the right to use my car as a hoverboard!"
"Sorry," Dachii replied, as a spear flew over his head. "I should go."
Tsubasa tackled him off the car, and they both traded punches in the air as they spiraled down below.
BOOM.
Dachii landed painfully on the ground, while the butt of a spear came directly for his head, forcing him to roll away.
"This guy's a warrior," Dachii thought. "Ahh, crap."
His opponent spun his spear around in his hand before pointing it at Dachii. "Come on, prove to me you're worthy of breathing the same air as my clan!"
He threw the spear, but a hand caught it before it reached Dachii.
"How about I prove it to you?" Tetsuya interjected.
Tsubasa narrowed his eyes, clearly annoyed.
"Look alive, runt. This isn't exactly a daycare. You should have stayed at that arena where I left you."
Tetsuya broke the spear in half. "Well, that makes two of us."
Tsubasa growled and rushed at Tetsuya, and his brother did the same. Once their fists met, an enormous wave of energy erupted.
BOOM.
Tetsuya struggled to stay standing as his brother's magic glowed brighter.
"You can't even beat your sister! How do you expect to beat me?"
"I don't have to beat you," Tetsuya pointed out. "I just have to protect Dachii!"
Tsubasa smiled and pointed behind him. "Good luck with that."
A giant boomerang embedded itself in the ground next to Dachii, along with another. And another. And another.
"Shi—-!"
A giant ball of slime hit Dachii, pinning him to a wall.
"Hey, hey! Great work, Tsubasa! You're amazing! Super amazing!"
A familiar figure dropped down, patting Tsubasa on his head, which made him cringe.
"I'm older than you, get your hand off me!"
Himeka waved to Tetsuya. "Hi there, Tetsuya! Just so you know, I'd have totally picked you to be on my team! But I'm proud of you, either way!"
"Thanks…?" Tetsuya remarked.
Then the ground beneath him began to vibrate, causing him to fall, and he too was soon trapped in a ball of slime.
"Ahh, hell."
Mina came over, kneeling down. "Sorry, guys! Just part of the game, no hard feelings, right?"
Dachii clenched a fist and used his strength to burst free of the slime, catching Himeka's team off guard. Kanai dropped next to Himeka, using her magic to keep Dachii at bay.
"How do you want to do this, Himeka?" Kanai asked. "It's just them two!"
"This should be easy!" Himeka reassured. "All we have to do is snatch Dachii in this cage, and we win!"
She showcased the mini-laser capsule in her hands, which Dachii knocked away using one of her own boomerangs.
"Aww, no fair!"
Tsubasa slapped his head. "Imbeciles."
Tetsuya struggled to break free of the slime. "Can't do anything unless someone hits me…I'm so useless like this, and they're ganging up on Dachii…!"
He looked over at Dachii, who remained as causal and impassive as ever. "How is he so calm?"
Dachii tried to help Tetsuya, but a hand grabbed his arm. "Not so fast, mate."
Dachii spun around, trying to backhand his opponent, but his hand merely bounced off her face. When he took a good look, he saw Vashka holding onto him, a firm grasp on his arm.
"My daughter shared some folktales about you, lad!" Vashka stated. "You're strong, but not strong enough!"
With a twist of her body, she flung him onto the next highway, where he landed on another car.
"HEY!"
"Sorry."
Vashka flipped the entire car over, but by then Dachii was long gone, jumping onto a highway below.
"Running?" she wondered. "What a cowardly strategy."
She tried to follow, but more and more cars blocked her path, enraging her. Down below, Dachii took a minute to breathe and sat down on a bench.
"This situation is bad," he noted. "Now what do I do?"
"You could give up," a girl next to him replied. "If it's bad now, it's only going to get worse."
"Who are you?" Dachii asked.
"My name is Reika," she answered. "I was supposed to be helping to capture you, but I got bored quick. Besides, my magic isn't really for combat anyway."
"Then why are you here?" Dachii asked, his face still a mask of coldness.
She shrugged. "I guess by chance. Say, if you want a ticket out of here, you can just say the word. My Displacement Magic is perfect for quick getaways. It can transport you and up to three other people."
"Okay," Dachii said.
"Catch is, if I do it, you'll owe me a favor."
"Okay," Dachii repeated.
"Cool? Cool. Good luck!"
She snapped her fingers, and soon enough, Dachii vanished without a trace. By the time Himeka and the others caught up, Reika was sitting there, hands in her lap.
"Reika, dear, did you see any sign of Dachii?" Himeka asked.
She shook her head. "Not a single trace."
Tsubasa ran up, out of breath. "My brother is gone! He must have been behind this! Damn it!"
Reika had to hide her sly smile as Himeka's team dispersed to look around. "Perfect."
Meanwhile, in the Kimura house…
Nishiyama suddenly found herself in her bed, almost as if waking up from a bad dream.
"What the hell? I was just fighting!"
Her dad walked into the room, completely stunned. "Nishi, dear, I thought you were at the Masquerade?"
"I was!"
"And you…left?"
"No! Excuse me, Dad! I have to go!"
She hurried downstairs, and when she did, she got the shock of her life. Dachii, Tetsuya, and Kiyota were all lying on her floor, just as puzzled as she was.
"Guys?" she questioned. "How—? Why?"
Dachii stood up. "It's a long story."
"Is this your house?" Tetsuya asked. "It's so…flashy."
"No wonder she's so entitled," Kiyota snarled. "Regardless, we don't have time to dwindle in this place. We need to keep on the move. I will not lose this game!"
Nishiyama's father walked downstairs, and his mouth hung open when he saw the kids gathered in his living room.
"Don't ask, Dad," Nishiyama insisted. "I have to go."
Kiyota opened the door, stepping out into the fresh air. "I think we're in the clear. Dachii, let's hide you somewhere secure, shall we?"
"ROAR!"
A noise that sounded like a dragon could be heard in the distance, and Dachii's team looked up in the sky, where an ice dragon was soaring around.
"Oh, no," Kiyota realized.
The dragon locked eyes into Dachii and flew down, landing in front of him. The moment it did, the dragon melted away to reveal General Fujii, whose body was fully coated in an armor of ice.
"Surprise, surprise, kids."
—-