"Damn!"
The Lady Marvel gasped on hearing that strong voice, and then she turned to look up…before her jaw dropped. "Oh, gods…!" she gasped. "You!"
"When did the Wizard give YOU your powers?!" a well-built man appearing to be in his late twenties dressed virtually the same way as Lady Marvel — save for the fact that his uniform top was a wrap-around tunic with a button securing it on his right shoulder — then asked as he floated down to land in front of her. "Who are you anyway?!"
An embarrassed giggle. "Well, I supposed I could call myself 'Lady Marvel,' Captain," she said as she offered her hand to the World's Mightiest Mortal and one of the most powerful beings living on Earth today, Captain Marvel. "My real name is…!"
He shushed her. "Relax! We'll get to the real names soon," the Captain promised.
"Relax, Billy-kun," the Rhapsode then said. "My uniform and Claymore's uniform — thanks to a friend of ours called the Academician; her twin sister Rampage took out that typhoon that was about to swamp Indonesia four years back — automatically produces a local probability field that allows our conversations to be private." As the Captain blinked before he looked around — using the Wisdom of Solomon to pick out the slightly wavy bands of warped space around them — the gossip queen of Fūka then said, "Mai-chan, may I present Mister William Joseph Batson of Fawcett City, Minnesota. He prefers to be called 'Billy,' by the way. Currently — as well as being a home-taught high school student; despite his looks, he's actually our age — he serves as a part-time radio DJ and news anchorman for WHIZ-FM in Minneapolis. Billy-kun, my soon-to-be classmate, Tokiha Mai. Who — if what Mikoto-chan and Kuga nearby know of is true — might also be one of these 'HiMEs' that are gathering at Fūka as we speak."
"What does that mean, Harada?" Natsuki asked as she glared at her peer; they were in the same grade but different classes. "We're not princesses."
"'HiME' is an English-based acronym meaning Highly-advanced Materialising Equipment, Natsuki," Claymore answered. "Your guns and my sword are Elements that our bodies can produce once we come close to Fūka-jima for the first time. You're a student there?"
"Hai, she is, Mikoto-chan…but a bit of a truant at that," Rhapsode answered.
A nod. "That'd do it." She then turned to walk over and gaze intently at Lady Marvel for a moment before she sighed. "Well, this is good news at least."
"'Good news?'" Captain Marvel asked.
"I don't have to drag her to Yiziba to get a Gift," the transformed Mikoto stated.
Both Marvels and Natsuki blinked. "'Yiziba?'"
A smirk. "Bit of a long story."
But it is time for them to learn such things, Lady Claymore.
Both Marvels gasped. "Sire!"/"Ojii-san!"
"Who the hell was that?!" Natsuki demanded.
"The wizard Shazam, born as Jebediah of Canaan," the Rhapsode declared. "The original Champion of the Gods back in his day. In effect, Earth's first true superhero."
You flatter me, Madame Rhapsode.
"You deserve it," the woman born Harada Chie then stated. "I assume your giving Mai-chan the equivalent power of what Billy-kun and his friends possess was for a reason."
Indeed it was, the amused voice of a millennia-old wizard then stated. My son, please bring your spiritual sister to the Rock immediately. The Lady Claymore and Madame Rhapsode — as well as young Miss Kuga — may accompany you.
The Captain nodded…
Minutes later…
"Gods! What IS this place?!"
"The Nexus of All Realities, Natsuki-chan. The place where EVERY LOCATION in Existence can be accessed with ease," Rhapsode declared as the Marvels, accompanied by Claymore — who could fly herself; unlike other edged weapons experts from Yiziba, the Wild Swordswoman of the Polar Mountains was a FISS-type as well given the presence of very large beasts in her spiritual homeland which could overwhelm even un-Gifted Yizibajohei (who were as strong as the average Asgardian) — and Natsuki (riding Duran) passed through the space-warp the spirit of the original Champion of the Gods had created for his two heirs and their friends to transit through. "And at the very heart…!"
She pointed. Natsuki looked…and her jaw dropped. "Oh, ye gods…!"
"The Rock of Eternity," Captain Marvel explained. "It was created by the Wizard ages ago after he had been tricked by demon to help father two children when he was simply the Champion. The gods who were his patrons at the time were displeased by what happened — though it really wasn't his fault; fighting evil for thousands of years would wear anyone down! — and cursed his spirit to reside in this place after he died shortly after I was gifted with my powers. And there is his home…"
He pointed. Soon enough, everyone came down to a landing at the entrance of a long cave, lined on one wall by seven VERY ugly statues marked THE SEVEN DEADLY ENEMIES OF ALL. Gazing at them, Lady Marvel winced. "Are there real demons trapped in them, Billy-kun?" she asked the Captain as she pointed at the smug statue of Pride.
"Yeah, they're there," the elder of the current generation of Marvels said.
Natsuki was looking around; she had already deployed her Elements as she kept Duran — who was sniffing around this strange place and whining with both fear and concern at the cosmic levels of magic that were around him — close to her side. Beside her, the Rhapsode was taking pictures with her Atrix; the phone had been augmented by the Academician sometime before the memory-wipe had affected them through Moroboshi Ataru to ensure it could operate even in the most heavily magic-saturated areas. Claymore was walking with her sword at her shoulder, though she was alert; she didn't know anything about the World's Mightiest Mortal and his spiritual patron, but she DID know of the Nexus of All Realities and the guardian force of this cosmic interchange between all the dimensions of Existence. While not on Infinity's scale of power, the Phoenix Force was a dangerous thing…and the woman born Minagi Mikoto didn't want to deal with a fight scene against such an entity on a totally unfamiliar battlefield.
Like all Yizibajohei — even the modern generation of Terran-turned-Yizibajohei — Claymore knew that fight scenes weren't the least bit fun when you were LOSING!
"Be welcome here, young ones."
Immediately, Captain Marvel went to one knee and bowed his head to Shazam while Lady Marvel went to both knees and prostrated herself to the ancient wizard from Canaan. Claymore and Rhapsode both bowed respectfully to him while Natsuki remained neutral, though her weapons were at her side. "Rise, my children," Shazam then said as he gazed in amusement at Lady Marvel. "And how was your first flying lesson, my dear?"
The transformed Tokiha Mai giggled as she stood up. "Well, I would have appreciated some lessons, Ojii-san." She then gave him an annoyed look. "Not to mention a warning when it came to what you were actually GIVING me! How on Earth am I supposed to be a superhero when I'm still going through HIGH SCHOOL?! Not to mention my brother…!"
A sigh. "Kal-el posed that very same question to me when I gave young William his powers, Mai," Shazam stated. "And it is a legitimate question. The first time I sought a successor, he became Black Adam, a being of pure evil. I wished not to unleash such a horror on the Universe again, so I sought out a child the next time I sought a champion. Thanks very much to young William's late grandfather and father, I knew I had found my proper heir at the end of my long life. And thanks to William helping deal with my first heir with Kal-el's assistance, I was able to bestow the powers given to Teth-Adam unto William's sister Mary. And allow one more to become a Marvel before you yourself were approached by me, Mai. Will you join us, Tomoe?"
Lady Marvel gasped. "OKĀ-SAN?!"
"Hello, Mai…"
The others looked…and then they smiled as the ghostly figure of Tokiha Tomoe walked out of the shadows to embrace her transformed daughter. "Okā-san!" Lady Marvel called out before she moaned as she pulled her mother — who felt quite real to her — close to her. "But…who was that man who brought me here the first time…?"
"Dad?" Captain Marvel called out. "Was that you?"
"Naturally, son," the jovial voice of Clarence Charles Batson V stated as he walked out of the shadows behind his transformed son, and then he opened his arms to accept the younger man's embrace. "Hope you like the surprise, Billy."
"Hey, we NEED more Marvels here, Dad!" a new voice called out.
"Mary!" C.C. Batson said as a woman in a black short skirt with the lightning bolt of Shazam on her chest came up from the cave entrance, accompanied by a handsome young man in a blue version of Captain Marvel's uniform with a crimson cape. "Hello, Fred!"
"Good to see you again, Mister Batson," the transformed Frederick Christopher Freeman — known more popularly as "Captain Marvel III" or "CM3" as he was the third person in the current generation to be gifted by Shazam; he normally also answered to the term "Captain Marvel" (as did Billy's twin sister Mary…even if she was also sometimes called "Miss Marvel," "Captain Marvel II" or "Mary Marvel") as the Warlock altered the magic of his transformation two years ago, thus allowing Freddy the chance to use "Shazam" as the transformation phrase in lieu of "Captain Marvel" — answered.
"Treating my daughter right, I hope," the elder Batson noted.
The third Captain Marvel chuckled as he squeezed the transformed Mary Willow Batson-Bromfield's hand. "Always, sir," he affirmed as the second Captain blushed.
By then, Lady Marvel had pulled away from her mother. "My, look at how much you've grown," Tomoe noted. "You're probably beating the boyfriends back with a stick!"
"I've been too busy caring for Takumi, Okā-san," the transformed Mai said. "That's part of the reason I accepted Ojii-san's offer." She then gave Shazam a look of mock-annoyance. "Even if Baka Ojii-chan here never TOLD me anything!"
"Sadly, Mai, I was forced by your own spiritual patrons to NOT reveal the true reason behind their bestowing you their power to become Lady Marvel until you took a 'leap of faith,' said my name and became the Lady for the first time. Which, thanks to young Natsuki here, you did this very evening en route to Fūka-jima," Shazam stated with an amused smile. "Speaking of which, allow me to show you who ARE your patrons."
He clapped his hand…as a bolt of lightning struck a rock nearby, it showing the name SHAZAM in a step-ladder format, each letter marked with a name and virtue:
Susano-o — Power
Hachiman-shin — Strength
Amaterasu — Stamina
Zhòngní — Wisdom
Ama-no-Uzume — Speed
Momotarō — Courage
"Holy Moley!" the first Captain gasped. "That's quite a mix!"
"Who is Zhòngní?" Rhapsode then asked.
"That is the style name of the man you know of as Master Kǒng Qiū, young Chie," Shazam explained. "Erroneously known in the West by the name 'Confucius.'"
"The wisest of all the great philosophers of the Orient," C.C. Batson noted.
"So why would they allow this, Ojii-san?" Lady Marvel asked.
A sigh. "Young Natsuki knows some things thanks to her late mother's association with District One, a government organisation in the Land of the Wa that has — throughout the years — studied those blessed by the portal leading into Master Duran's home realm." As the war hound howled in delight on being recognised by this great — though now disembodied — sorcerer, Shazam added, "And young Mikoto learned all thanks very much to the kind interference of Moroboshi Ataru two years ago in the wake of her being made to tragically kill her grandfather. Allow me to show you, Mai, what you might have faced had you not accepted the Gods' offer." He then clapped his hands.
"Behold: THE HISTORAMA!"
And the others gazed to Shazam's right as a mystical screen came alive…
Sometime later (in real-space time, a minute after their departure for the Rock)…
"Are you okay, Mai-chan?"
A de-transformed Tokiha Mai stood on the weather deck of the Fūka Dream as she gazed at the passing lights of Beppu off to the west. "I don't know, Chie-san…"
"Damn!" Natsuki snarled; she was standing right beside her sister HiME. After the Japanese natives were allowed to return to the ship from the Rock of Eternity with their new friends from America, the other Marvels had flown off back to the Watchtower after wishing their newest member luck and vowing to be there when required. "I never thought it was something like THIS! Did the people that killed Okā-san knew this?!"
"Probably," Mikoto stated as she relaxed in a chair. The only one still in fighting uniform was Harada Chie; she would teleport Natsuki back to where she left her Ducati DRIII sports motorcycle so she could ride into the Academy for the next day's classes…IF the notoriously truant high school freshman was going to class tomorrow, of course. "The Festival's been going on for thousands of years, ever since the first Childs transitioned into this dimension at Fūka-jima and the Obsidian Lord launched his rebellion against the Four Great Kings, thus forcing the first generation of HiME to appear. When Ojii-san found out the truth about what being a HiME meant…"
"You were separated from your brother and your parents," Natsuki finished for the younger woman. "In a way, I'm lucky; there's no one I would consider my 'most precious person.' Tokiha would've been totally screwed because of her brother."
"Have you found other HiMEs yet?" Mikoto asked.
A sigh. "Not yet…"
"There, I can help you, Natsuki-chan."
Everyone turned to the Rhapsode. "You've mind-scanned some people?" Mai asked.
A nod. "Yep. I know of two definite HiMEs: Fujino Shizuru and Kikukawa Yukino."
Natsuki gasped. "Shizuru?!"
Another nod. "Yep. What's worse, Shizuru-sempai is hopelessly in love with you, Natsuki," the transformed Chie warned. "If you don't take Mikoto's offer and get a Gift, you're screwed if her Child — it's a squid-hydra called Kiyohime — is killed." She then hummed. "Well, that explains all the Orphans…"
"'Orphans?'" Mai asked.
The Rhapsode smirked. "They're little annoying demon-like beings that pop up and cause trouble all over campus; they've been showing up at the Academy ever since I started going to school there back when I was your brother's age, Mai-chan. If what Shazam-sama just revealed is true, they're seeking out girls to bond with and evolve into Childs. Though why on Earth they would do that, I don't understand. Orphans are totally organic. Childs are part-technological; you saw Duran, didn't you?"
"It's a halted evolution situation imposed by the Obsidian Lord," Mikoto stated. "It makes the Childs easy to kill in the long term. When I was Gifted and I shared my blood with Miroku, it enhanced his strength a million-fold and transformed him back into a pure-organic state; he also got the ability to transform into humanoid form. Once you get a Gift, Natsuki, you can do the same with Duran. Same with you, Mai."
"But would a Child want something to do with me?!" Mai asked. "I'm a chosen champion of some very powerful major kami! And they want the Festivals to stop; that's why Ojii-san contacted me to make me Lady Marvel! Would a Child still want me?!"
Mikoto sighed. "You'll find out soon enough, Mai. You have the HiME mark on your body, don't you?" She pulled up her right sleeve to show the mark on her bicep.
Mai blinked, and then she looked down at her cleavage; her own mark was on the inside of her right breast. "It's still there," she whispered.
"So even if that creepy old wizard gave you those powers, you're involved in this, Tokiha," Natsuki stated. "We just got to grin and bear it." She then gazed on Rhapsode. "So what the hell was this about Moroboshi and him taking you to this Yiziba planet to get superhuman powers? What would that have done in the end?"
"Well, being the Rhapsode makes me sleep easier at nights," the transformed Harada Chie stated. "Even before our memories got blocked thanks to whoever didn't want Ataru-kun to use his ninjutsu skills on Lum-chan when that Tag Race went down last year, the Orphans seem not to care that I'm a telepath and I can call on some pretty powerful friends if I have to like Mikoto-chan here. And now Mai-chan as well." She then sighed as she gazed ahead of the Fūka Dream at the distant lights in the distance marking their final destination. "But if this guy who wants to do pillow scenes with whichever one of you was supposed to win this 'festival' doesn't want outsiders butting in like Shazam-sama just did, things might get a little more dicey."
"Find the other HiMEs, Chie-chan," Mai then urged. "The sooner they're all clued into this, the better for all of us." She then sighed. "I better go look in on Takumi."
"I'll see you two at school tomorrow," the Rhapsode stated. "Kuga?"
Natsuki nodded as she moved to follow the metahuman bard off the ship…
Minutes later…
"At least he remembered his medication," Mai whispered.
Mikoto nodded as she gazed on the sleeping form of Tokiha Takumi in the shared cabin the siblings had rented for the voyage to Fūka-jima. "His ki's weak, but I know some good treatments to use to help him build his strength back up," she quietly stated.
A smile. "Arigatō, Mikoto. You don't have to do that."
A sigh. "When Ojii-san started training me, he wanted to make me the best fighter I could be so I could win the Festival. People like you were targets to me to be killed when things got underway in earnest." A smirk. "When Ani-ue found me and took me to Yiziba to get my Gift, I realised then that the other eleven HiMEs were girls just like me. Girls who ultimately wouldn't really understand what the Fates had in store for them. Girls who probably had a 'most precious one' they didn't want to see die. So I resolved to make myself the best — that didn't change when my memories got blanked — and help others be the best, too. When you meet your Child finally, Mai, you'll understand." Another sigh. "I'm going to bed. See you in the morning."
"Do you want to share a room together at the Academy?" Mai then asked.
Mikoto blinked, and then she smiled. "I'd like that." Her grin then turned saucy. "But just to warn you, Mai-chan: I sleep in the nude and will gladly want to do pillow scenes with a gorgeous girl like you. Hope you're ready for that."
She walked out of the room as Mai turned a very deep red. "'P-p-pillow scenes'…?"
And as the World's Mightiest Princess considered that, we now…
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(Posted Fri, 13 Apr 2012 02:50)
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