"Cardfight in Wonderland" - Zoo Branch

Just like the day of registration, people were flooding into the Zoo Nation Branch building, its vast interior accommodated for the mass of fighters participating in the event quest. It had been a few days from then after the announcements, and many used this chance to show off or hone their abilities to the fullest. All the staff shared a similar kind of excitement, happily greeting the participants as they were wearing animal costumes of varying sizes and species. Honestly, the festivities made it feel a bit like a mix of a zoo and a carnival of sorts. Even so, many rushed in to have the time of their lives, hearing of the special prize at the end of the road. Jessie Hakaisha was one of many that arrived some time before things kicked off, having not seen his dog companion before leaving the house this morning. There, he finds Aoi staring at the animals in childlike wonder, and approaches her. "Jessie! Do you think some of these animals are up for adoption?"

"No."

"I want the bunny."

"You can't take the rabbit home."

"But I wanna!"

"Stop acting like you're five! It's way too early for this anyway."

"Eheheeee~" Aoi smiled, bringing a hand to her cheek while knowing she was a bright moodmaker when undergoing her usual antics. Unfortunately, this came at the cost of Jessie's sanity, and he was about to get into it with her about trying to pluck animals from a zoo until-

"Could you kids be a quiet? Don't start shouting." Generation Rare's F Chopper Koga interrupted the brunette, getting their attention. "This event is important, you know." She added on. "So you ought to focus. You might get the chance to go at it with the branch director, and if you do good, you'll get the Grand Sanctuary's attention."

"Have we met before?" Aoi inquired, cutely tilting her head.

Jessie groaned, annoyed by his friend's stupidity. "For the love of- stop being dumb. Did you forget? This is Koga, she was a reaper drone- wait she was a reaper drone." He stopped at his realization, understandably concerned as he stared at the cabbage idol suspiciously. Thankfully, Koga laughed it off, giving a smirk.

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna do anything. I'm not like Chris, I won't ruin Link Joker's chance."

"Chance...?" The kids asked.

Koga held up her deck in their faces, revealing Ranunculus Flower Maiden, Ahsha - the emissary of Neo Nectar and the newest face of the G Era for the clan. "For the sake of helping my sister, I'm going to the attention of the association! I can do that if I beat branch directors and get people interested! You two should put in more work to get noticed, instead of squabbling like a buncha five-year-olds." Koga explained her goal, albeit a bit vaguely since they still didn't know about the chance of why she wanted the attention. She seemed pretty confident in it though, and prattled on in her usual arrogance to try and give them advice.

To this, Aoi responded: "I'm not five! Only mentally so!"

...

Jessie sighed and Koga snickered.

The gentle rays of the sun slowly lit up the establishment surrounded by the natural greenery. The sounds of the bird chirping stuck out, more than the people who had already arrived. It was mostly quiet except for a few chatters; probably because people were still exhausted - not used to waking up so early, while others were catching up with their breakfast in one hand and with either their decks or their FiCAs in the other hand. The day grew brighter each time the wind would slowly pass through, as though the clouds were being swept away. This was the Zoo Branch.

As the day grew more beautifully, the light from the sun rested atop the white hair of Seth Hyoshiro like water landing on a head of lettuce. He had approached the building, waiting alongside everyone else - all aiming for the same thing.

"The first quest." he said, checking his surroundings. He saw no one that he could recognize but this was expected considering he only knew of two people since he left home. "They look average, if their appearance is anything to go off of. I knew I should've googled them since they could be here and I wouldn't know."

Seth had recalled the advice from Umiruka - the people whom she mentioned to be on the look out for, to help aid him on his journey. Though, as far as Seth was concerned, he was more interested in knowing whether or not they were strong fighters. "If I do good, I might just stumble upon one of them and probably will have to fight them." He recalled yesterday's fight with his Branch Manager and how he was initially being overwhelmed and how he learned that he shouldn't take people lightly regardless of who they are and especially if they can help him become a better fighter for Mystozan. The white haired boy continues to wait in the dawn - with coffee in hand, for the event to begin.

Karin stared into the mirror of her compact, looking over her own face to make sure it was clear of blemishes. She'd never really needed to use the compact for its intended purpose before, but idol work necessitated that she look as perfect as possible before going on stage, meaning she was finding herself using it more and more, constantly checking her own appearance. She was seated on a couch in one of the Zoo branch's staff rooms; they'd set aside this room for the idols today, seeing as they lacked any sort of proper changing rooms. A small suitcase lay leaned against the couch's base, containing Karin's idol attire. She could change later, she figured, knowing that she wasn't needed onstage for a good while yet. It's not like the other group members had shown up yet, anyways.

Karin looked back into the compact mirror again, confirming that her face was, indeed, as perfect as she could make it, save for one tiny detail. She set the compact down for a moment and held her left eye open with one hand, gently slipping a contact lens over it. She blinked a few times to make sure it was properly in place, then checked herself in the mirror yet again. Now, both her eyes looked the same yellow color, her hollow orange one masked by the lens. Karin figured it was better if she kept it covered while onstage- It wasn't exactly an appealing trait to have.

With all of that taken care of, she shut the compact and leaned back, staring up at the ceiling. She was still feeling a bit nervous. This wasn't going to be her first time on a stage in front of the general public, but this was going to be her first time on stage as an idol. When she considered what exactly that meant, her mind flashed back to that terrible moment at Isle Jigen when Yukino had been forced on stage, wearing that far-too-revealing cheerleader uniform. The very thought of it made her shiver, wishing she could forget all about that particular day. It wasn't as though Karin felt she could match up to Yukino in that regard, either, but she'd always been proud of her healthy figure, and had been told a few times in the past that her thighs were killer. She'd never thought much of comments like those before, but now, they seemed a whole lot worse with the added context of her new career.

Karin let out a sigh. Being an idol was suffering.

Zoo employees were hard at work setting up the stage outside for the formal start of the event. The overall structure was in place but it was a matter of securing the wooden platform so it was safe to stand, or perform, on as well as setting up the sound system. The crowd would need to be able to hear what was going on. The petting zoo had been closed today in light of the near entirety of the staff being required to man the event in some capacity or another which was sure to be a disappointment to some of the kids.

Unlike registration day, Rikuto could be seen from time to time moving about the branch, always talking to some person or other to review plans. Guy seemed busy and stressed. But then the day sort of called for it. He tried to keep Varess nearby to keep from being swarmed by too many employees, fighters, or news people at once. That was proving to be a difficult task as it happened. But this was the first event of the association and Rikuto was not about to let everything start on a sour note.

Tamotsu was no where to be seen in the entirety of the branch. He had left before Jessie woke up today which was unusual but not unexpected given how eager the pup had been to get ready for the event. The store trip had been something else as the dog ran up and down different aisles deciding what he did and didn't need three hundred different times. He hadn't come into Jessie's room that night like he was prone to to sleep before his boy had passed out either. Strange behavior to be certain. With the petting zoo closed one had to wonder what the pup could possibly be up to as he paws didn't exactly accommodate helping with the setting up of the outside structure.

Meanwhile a strange sight was moving amidst the crowd. A bright red parasol, kept closely over the holder's head despite being inside the branch building. It's owner kept to themselves and hummed softly as they meandered about the branch.

Hikari had woken up early, unable to properly contain her excitement for the event that was scheduled to happen today. As soon as she was able, she ran as fast as she could to the Zoo branch HQ. This was going to be a big day, after all. Unfortunately for her, she had arrived to early, and was forced to wait in absolute agony until the event began, and relegated herself to exploring the branch while she waited. Despite being from around here, the Zoo branch HQ wasn't a place she was too familiar with. The huge forest that encompassed the building was truly a sight to see, and all the animals inside were very cute, she had to admit. She regretted that she wouldn't be able to spend her time in the petting zoo before the event began.

As she walked around the branch, Hikari reviewed her deck. Her last two games had both been loses, but they had both been extremely close as well. A big event like this was the chance Hikari needed to make her deck truly shine. "Racing through the jungle, huh?" she thought, "Sounds like a piece of cake. If anyone's gonna claim that 'unique prize', it'll be me!" She took Victor out of her deck and looked at him, "And I'll do it with your help. Together, we'll grasp victory with our own hands!" Hikari was completely raring to go. She promised herself that she would put every last ounce of energy she had into this event, and come out on top. She wondered what kind of rivals she'd meet in this event. Newbies like her. Hardened veterans. Maybe Rin would show up again. Whoever it was, Hikari didn't plan on being outperformed.

Victoria walked reluctantly towards the entrance of the Zoo Branch. Passing through the greeting staff dressed as animals, the young girl tried to look for someone she at least knew from before. Once she noticed that Aoi and Jessie, she reacted to approach them... But stopped midway. 'Wait... Do I really want to meet with them? The one called Jessie actually acts like a normal human being if I recall correctly, but Aoi... She appears to be a 5 years old girl at mind, and thats problematic. She just asked me questions and I already felt dizzy'. She proceeded to turn back but again she stopped, thinking about what she talked with her brother that morning.

--------

'So, wanna do something fun today?' Carlos asked, serving her breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon and toast, as he ate a simple sandwich. 'Like going to the Zoo event?'. Victoria just stared at him. 'No' She then answered quite coldly. 'You have work and I don't really want to go out today'. The older sibling looked very frustrated at his sister's response. 'Come on, Vic! Ever since I gave you that FICA paperweight you haven't taken on any quest or even played the game!'.

'I have no interest in playing the game... And what's a quest?' Said Victoria as she took a sip from her juice. 'Also, stop calling me Vic. I don't want to play the game and that's final' She added with a firm tone. Carlos finished his sandwich, but he wasn't leaving his house until Victoria accepted to give the event a chance. 'Please Victoria' He said, using an uncharacteristically serious tone. 'You're very intelligent, more than I could aspire to be. You haven't even tried the game'. Carlos, for once in his life, had a point. And Victoria knew this as she stopped eating.

'I didn't skip work yesterday, or the day before. I won't do anything wrong today, so please, please, do me a favour and give Vanguard a chance' He asked seriously. 'Go to the event, spend time with my friends that are now your friends, and have lots of fun. Who knows? You might like it after all'. Carlos way of saying that made it difficult for Victoria to decline. 'Ok brother, I'll give it a try for you. Let me finish my breakfast and I'll get going'.

Carlos nearly jumped in glee after hearing her sister accept. Usually it wasn't that difficult to get her to try new things, but ever since she came to Japan she was behaving different from how Carlos remembered her. 'You just have to promise me that you'll stop neglecting your work' She said.  'For you, sis, I'll go to the end of the world and back again' Said Carlos. 'Also, you have to promise me to go there and try to have fun'. The younger sibling nodded.

'But wait!' He stopped his little celebration. 'You still need a deck! How can you participate if you don't have a deck?'. Victoria wasn't freaking out about it as much as his brother. 'We can fix that later. Can't I use yours for today?' She asked. Carlos was hesitant to give his deck to her. 'I don't know, sis. Why don't you try using something that suits you better? Like Bermuda Triangle, for example. I could give you money to buy a deck on your way there'. Victoria didn't take that well. 'Bermuda Triangle? That disgusting clan composed of mermaid strippers? Do you think that suits me?'. Carlos just stared at her in silence. '... Take my deck. I think you'll understand how it works'.

--------

Victoria rolled her eyes and took a deep sigh. 'Ok, let's do this'. She resumed her walk towards her brother's friends, who at this point could be called her friends. Sort of. She approached them and waved at them. 'Mister Jessie, miss Aoi. Good to see you here' She said to them. Victoria then noticed the green-haired girl alongside them, recalling something her brother told her before leaving. 'I'm sorry' She approached her. 'It's your name, by any chance, Koga?' She then asked the girl.

If speed had a sound, it was likely defined in something like the dictionary in a way that mimicked the pattern of footsteps made by Haruka when he was late to something. In this case, late to an event opening! He wasn't exactly late in that they had already performed but rather he had much less time than others per se to get themselves acquainted and go through hair and makeup. Luckily the latter was done on the car ride there, though as he stifled through the makeshift "dressing room" where Karin was, an assistant immediately hopped from one of the corner sofas and began perching a comb in his long locks and tearing knots.

"O-w, ow. Please be gentle... Okay, sorry about... that... Traffic was killer and I had something to take care of back at the office. Looking great as usual— Wait, where's Hana? Don't tell me I actually beat her on punctuality for once."

Haruka grinned a dark and malicious grin.

"I'm never letting this go."

As he did that, a second application of blush went over his way, covering the burns on his neck that he'd had ever since he was young, as well as the strange mark over his brow that trailed down his cheek. Comments on it were surprisingly low among his close circle of comrades but then again, there was little reason to ask anyone why they looked the way they did with the events that preceded them in the first place. He basked in the small glory of being ahead of Hana on timing, though still felt bad for Karin having had to arrive first and already be in costume. Awkwardly enough, there wasn't a second changing room like there usually was for Haruka to change separately.

He quietly slipped out of his clothes and began changing, after making a subtle notion to Karin to not turn around. Or stare too closely at the mirror.

----------

Tobi and Mizumi walked side by side to the entrance of the building. They'd spoken few words to each other, causing Mizumi to pull Tobi by the sleeve over to people she knew. He knew none here, and she was a soft heart wanting to keep friends in the loop. How Tobi even accidentally got caught up with her conversational shenanigans was beyond his mental reach.

She located the main group up ahead, what with Jessie being quite distinguished to Mizumi now, and Aoi's personality practically creating a beacon over her head. She waved from the crowd, calling over the commotion in the main hub area. Mizumi rushed through the hubbub with Tobi in tow and greeted Aoi and Jessie graciously with a bow, as Tobi peered through the ends of his eyes. Mizumi didn't even get a word out before Tobi scoffed off into the distance, the embodiment of "Tch." saying it all.

Kao quickly ran in and looked around at all the diffrent stuff that was being done, and wagged his tail excitedly. "This event seems like fun, so many new faces." he said excitedly as Xat walked into the branch. He quickly looked at her before spotting Aoi amd running over to her. "Aoi!" he said in happyness at seeing a familar face as Xat followed him.

After introducing himself to the Dragon Empire branch and their lack of air conditioning, Neo made his way to the Zoo branch where the first G-quest was taking place. When he got there, he noticed all of the fighters preparing themselves for the event and saw the employees getting the event ready. Neo walked around and tried to see if he could spot anyone that he knew but he didn't notice anyone. He took in the wonderful sight that was in front of him, all of the green flowers and plants and the cool scenery the zoo branch had to offer.

On the other hand Neo was pumped up! It had been awhile since he had any meaningful cardfights so was hoping that this event and G quest would spark his passion for Cardfight Vanguard again

"Yeah, I'm Koga. You heard of Generation Rare? That's my sisters and I." The cabbage smirked, responding to the approaching Victoria. Aoi and Jessie would've greeted her as well, but three more people came their way. Xat, Mizumi, and... someone Jessie and Koga could only label as a blatant edgelord by the first thing that came out of his mouth. The cabbage wasn't fond of so many people coming over, but Aoi welcomed every last person with enthusiasm.

"Ni hao! Hello hello!" Aoi greeted Xat, Mizumi, Tobi, and Victoria. The gumball beamed radiantly, as excited as she was giddy. She started bouncing in place, enjoying the gathering before the brunette placed his hand on her shoulder, making her stop hopping as she usually would. "You guys came here to watch me start my journey to the Aqua Force clan leader! Or the Magallanica Branch Director! Or something! I'm gonna make it big, starting here!"

"How about you figure out what exactly it is you want first?!" Jessie responded with some awe in how much energy she was pouring in with no clear direction. She basically oozed battle fervor and triumph, despite how all over the place she was. Good grief... He ran a gloved hand through his hair, feeling exhausted way too early in the morning as he greeted everyone with waves. Then, with a sigh, he folded his arms knowing he would be sucked in his friend's gravitational pull of optimism, and wanted to stick close to someone he knew anyway. Though, speaking of people he knew... He was looking around for Tamotsu, wondering if he could spot him before the event got going. It was fruitless, but he couldn't help but be curious.

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

In the meantime, a slight gust of wind passed by several participants as a stream of navy blue hair fluttered in the wind. Hana was late - very late! In her excitement to watch over the new generation - Aoi's squad of friends specifically - she forgot her group was scheduled for Zoo's opening! The idol was a little disappointed in herself and kind of surprised at how caught up she was in her status as a member of the Legend Generation. It was so interesting to see what brand new faces could be on the rise very soon in the future... Even so, her desire to be a voice of hope remained after all these years as she rushed to the makeshift dressing room. Wanting to sneak in, she slightly cracked the door to see... Karin putting on makeup and Haruka in the middle of changing. The girl took a moment to raise her brow at the latter, remembering the bit of... "history" between them. Seems one of the employees of their brand company strolling by noticed and gasped quietly, which made Hana look back and whisper with a sly smirk. "Don't worry, I've seen this before, nothing new." She said with a wink, which left the worker baffled. Wasn't Haruka married? That aside, Hana also recalled her first... "encounter" with Karin in a rather awkwardly dressed state.

Really, making them play dressup was probably good to make them keep their clothes on.

Hana snuck in as quietly as she could, trying to get herself seated in front of her mirror and hastily preparing as she silently beckoned for someone to bring her pink, frilly costume over.

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

Varess, who was dressed up as a reverse-colored panda, strolled about with Rikuto who was scrambling to ensure everything was in order and prepared. The secretary kept his usual, cocky grin painted on while casually reassuring everything was set in place. A cute, normally colored panda and a rather attractive mothgirl in a skin-tight bodysuit with fake wings were part of the many preparations - they were the Oracle Think Tank and Megacolony Clan Leaders who would partake in the event.

"I think we're all good, tell the idols to get ready and Director, please, relax." Varess took a little bit of charge to let Rikuto know he was doing his best to help out. The man proceeded to the podium and taped the microphone, getting attention from the masses as the sound reverberated through the main lounge of Zoo. "Hello, ah, testing?" The man's smarmy tone of voice carried throughout, doing a sound check and getting satisfactory results. "Good day, Fighters. My name is Varess Yamata, the right hand of the Zoo Branch. I and everyone else here - especially our very out Director... are proud to welcome you to the very first event of the new era and the completely established Vanguard Association! We're poured a lot into making this as grand as possible, and as fun as it could possibly be. So enjoy yourselves! That, and give it your all. These games are all for you new gens, you know? It's the start of you usurping your senior veterans and legends - some which may actually be partaking in this - so take your chance to outdo them now." There was something... disgustingly smooth about his manner of speech, as if the slick gent had talked his way out of bad situations with a honed, silver tongue. He sounded kind enough, but so does any con artist with his kind of hairstyle concealed by the costume head. Even so, an oblivious gumball who didn't take note of any of that raised her hand. "Yes, you there - with the ponytail?"

"Can we adopt the animals after the event?" Aoi asked.

"Oh my god." Jessie facepalmed, standing next to Aoi. "Can't you ask this later?!"

"The bunny is a priority!! It's getting Fuwatan a friend!"

"Look, my brother is already enough of a 'friend' to him."

"Answer question, sir!"

"Ah..." Varess watched them squabble, then pointed them toward a sign reading 'Do not Disturb the animals'. Aoi quietly screeched with upset while Jessie shook his head. "Hahaha... alright. With that out of the way, please give a rousing applause for the man behind the event, the conception, and the branch's everything: Director Rikuto!" The suave gent introduced his superior, getting a large amount of clapping for him to take the stand, and urging everyone to direct any further questions to him as he stepped down to talk with the panda and moth.

Amidst the crowd that had gathered for the Zoo event stood two black-haired girls, neither of them paying much attention to the rest of the attendees. One looked up to the stage with determination, set to redeem herself in her own eyes after a miserably display several days earlier. The other was fairly uninterested in what was happening but was present for the event nonetheless.

Sieg was incredibly nervous. She held her Blau deck in her hand, her defeat still fresh in her mind. But, this was a better chance than any to redeem herself. Defeat absolutely wasn't an option today. The only choice was to win this event first place and challenge the Branch Director himself.

Meanwhile, Alysson had only shown up because her boss had pushed her to. The bar had been having a slow time recently, and with the announcement of the event, it almost certainly wasn't going to pick up. Alysson didn't even get the pleasure of being informed before-hand. When she showed up, the boss was waiting to push her to go to the Zoo event in person. And so, here she was, still in her uniform.

Elsewhere, two other girls with similar hair colour, this time silver, were late to the event. Fubuki walked in, feeling exhausted after trying to keep up with a hyper Aoi for the 3 days leading up to the event. Awkwardly, she approached her already surrounded friend, muttering noises of greetings. Rin, however, was sprinting in after having overslept by a very very significant margin, making a very loud "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEH" sound as she entered mid-speech, easily gaining the attention of a large portion of the audience.

"E-eh...?" She went as her face turned completely red at her very, very embarrassing introduction to many people here.

One final spectator was watching the beginning of the event, relaxing out of sight in a nearby tree. Wordlessly, they watched and waited for the event to finally start.

Rikuto had to appreciate his right hand's assistance in the affairs of the event. Varess had handled things rather well, particularly when he was feeling the most stressed. As the start drew closer, Varess insisted he relax which gave him opportunity to gather this thoughts for the opening speech as well as get into costume himself.

Upon Varess' introduction, the Zoo Branch Director stood at the podium amidst applause. He seemed to be dressed up but not as an animal. Instead it seemed to be his usual attired but in wildly vibrant and clashing colors. A top hat rested upon his head with an odd statement stitched into one side that read "In this style 10/6". It would seem that if this was Cardfight in Wonderland, Rikuto was the resident Mad Hatter while the rest of the staff were the various talking animals Alice, or the participants, met along her journey. Eventually the applause subsided as Rikuto waved to the crowd and cleared his throat.

"Thank you everyone for the support and enthusiasm. On a note for the eager young girl: while the branch's animals are not up for adoption I have friends in the veterinary world that tell me there are always animals in shelters across Japan in need of good homes." he said with a chuckle. that prompted the crowd to laugh along with him.

"Welcome, one and all, to the first Zoo Branch Event: "Cardfight in Wonderland". As you've no doubt already seen, many of the branch staff members are dressed up today for you. For you all will be making your own way through Wonderland today. It is my purpose today to explain the operation and procedures of the event so that you may make the best of it. Behind this building lies a vast nature preserve with five different zones. As I continue speaking, you all will be provided with a map that will give you a general idea of the general layout. You will notice first of all that the preserve is divided into roughly five different zones or ecosystems. Staff members will be scattered throughout the different areas, each holding a card that displays the zone you beat them in on the front. Each of these you can gather will be a small boon to your FICA score.

However, you should know that in areas other than the meadow there is one particularly strong fighter you can challenge once you've collected at least one card for that zone. These fighters hold a limited number of a special gold card that will both grant a large FICA score as well as give you a chance to participate in a special event at the end. But more on that later. Know that you will need one of these gold cards, or at least one of each zone card, to complete the event but each gold card you manage to collect will be worth more than the last.

You each can make your own plan of attack; whether amassing FICA points or trying for the special event is your goal you can move about accordingly. The four head fighters are three clan leaders and Yamata-san himself so know that going for the gold cards will be no easy task. You will only be permitted one attempt at each gold card and if they are already out of them you will not be able to earn one but can still challenge them for a small number of zone cards. Your strategy will be key in how well you perform today. In any case, return to the pavilion just outside the branch building when you're done and your FICA scores will be tallied." the bulk of the speech concluded. Rikuto hoped most people could follow along but in the event they didn't the back of their maps summarized the event rules anyway.

"Now as I mentioned, there is a special event available today. You will have to be fast to even attempt it as only one participant will be given the opportunity. If you can secure a gold card and return to the pavilion before any of the other fighters, you can challenge the Mad Hatter himself to a cardfight." he said tipping his hat to indicate this referenced himself. Excited whispers could be heard from everywhere in the crowd at the prospect of fighting a Branch Manager. "Yes, that individual will be able to challenge me to a fight. The FICA reward for winning will dwarf anything one could hope to obtain in the event otherwise and even a loss will be rewarded handsomely. So there you have it. Do you risk it all for the fight of a lifetime? Will you be slow and methodical and gather all the safe points you can? What new friends will meet along the way? What fights will you win and what will you lose? All of these questions and more will be answered today!" he said concluding his speech.

"While we take the time to make sure everyone is prepared and advised of how to safely traverse the preserve we have a special treat for you all. Performing for you live: Cyan Sea ☆!!!" wooooooooooo. Applause, idols, stuff. The Branch director stepped down from the stage and called for the staff to continue overseeing the distribution of maps and directions while the podium was cleared away to make room for the stars.

Karin had intended to keep her head turned away from Haruka the entire time he was changing, but the sound of a door cracking open made her instinctively look over, spying Hana peering in from the other side. She wondered for a brief moment why Hana wasn't coming in... Then she realized exactly what was standing between both of them. Karin immediately snapped back around, trying her best not to accidentally catch a peek at Haruka mid-costume change. Given that she saw Haruka like a brother, she felt incredibly awkward over what she'd just done.

It was now that Karin heard the announcement that they were due on stage any second, causing her to scramble to her feet. This hadn't been the time they'd said earlier! Popping open her suitcase, Karin pulled out her own idol outfit- Similar in design to Hana's, but with a deep blue color scheme instead of the pink one Hana's had. She didn't have time to change normally, so she'd have to improvise- Karin really hated how everything felt on the fly with this idol business. Glancing around to make sure everyone was looking in a direction away from her, Karin took the dress and spun in place with it, flames starting to rise up around her. The shell of fire that surrounded her obscured the vision of others, but after a few twirls, they dissipated, and Karin had seamlessly swapped out her standard outfit for her idol one, holding her old clothes in her hands.

...Or at least, the change had been almost seamless. The dress hadn't been made for this sort of changing, and the hem of her skirt had been seared by the fires during the switch. A skirt that had once qualified as relatively modest had been burned down to something that only barely kept Karin's dignity intact, despite the burn marks on the dress being almost unnoticeable, somehow managing to look at least reasonably stylish. Looking down and realizing what had just happened, Karin tugged her skirt down to try and cover up a little more, but to little avail. "Oh, god..." The initiate idol's face was beet red, awkwardly squirming in her newly "tailored" outfit. With the group needing to be onstage within seconds, there would be no time to fix this. Karin was going to get first hand experience of the utter despair Yukino must have felt at Isle Jigen.

Resigning to her fate, Karin tried her best to perk up and put on a smile. "A-Alright, guys, l-let's do our best out there...!"

---

Wading through the crowd, the Sakuya had finally managed to group up with Aoi and friends, waving to them as she made her way over. "Ah, Aoi, Jessie!" The shrine maiden called out when she reached them. She hadn't exactly arrived late, having made it in time to hear all the announcements, but she'd gotten lost in the crowd for a good hour prior. Having been away from Japan for five years was clearly taking its toll on the poor girl, especially since she hadn't come to the event with anyone. "There you are... I apologize for not finding you sooner! Oh, and I see a number of familiar faces found you first..." Sakuya glanced at each of them in turn, noticing many individuals she recognized from the war, including one of the ex-drones, who she simply smiled at. She was actually rather relieved to see that at least one of the drones had made it out okay.

Dressing room scandals aside, Haruka's perception was blindsided by the crinkling of fabric and attention to glitter on his face and shoulders for effect. Under his eyes was a slight seafoam sheen, very difficult to see under normal lights though were slightly more prominent under full-blown stage lighting. Additionally, the fringes of his long, alabaster locks were tightly knitted into a fishbone braid, laid neatly over the long ends of his hair behind his head, greatly accentuating his ears and jawline.

To follow, his outfit was a sequin tailcoat, colored in all shades of green, blue and even tinges of white on the ends. This was further intriciately detailed by the fingertips of his slim-fitting gloves being stained a turquoise ombre. His boots were black with laces that followed the general scheme of the rest of his outfit. It was only after lacing the last boot he heard the announcement as well, causing his head to turn in a split second reaction.

As the leader of the newly formed idol group, Haruka stood, straightened up and with little time to spare, put on a gleaming smile and marched toward the exit gate towards the main stage, facing the dressing room. He spared Hana much notice, other than a knowing raised eyebrow and a confirming nod that she had made it on time, thankfully. He would have a word with her after the show, but now was the ceremonial pep-talk before the show. It was brief and light but it went something along the lines of:

"Let's go out there and give it our best, like Karin said. We're still new at this and even if the names and the faces are recognizable, the passion here is on the music and the spirit of the game. Let's never forget that, okay!" His enthusiasm had a charismatic tone to it, likely a speech he'd practiced in front of a mirror enough times that it sounded like he really meant it.

He turned quickly, the braid of his hair whipping around as he took his first few steps out towards the stage, Hana and Karin following in tow as the sauntered to either side of him. They were adorning outfits made in likely a similar fashion and scheme but all with a unique twist and stitch to them, keeping each look fresh and different despite it all.

Haruka stepped forward to the mic with a large wave, accepting the cheers of the crowd and applause as they all finally caught the attention from the stage lights. As his gloved hand met the mic, his voice boomed through the speakers just beating over the general commotion of the crowd. Given it wasn't the biggest crowd anyone had ever seen and they were a new group, most of their fame was accrued as fighters of the past, though Hana had experience at some point in this business and Haruka had made a solo name for himself for some time. Karin's slowly built experience was going to really be tested today as Haruka approached the crowd.

"Heeeeello, everybody! Glad to see everyone who could make it out! Is everyone ready for the big event? Then first, allow us to introduce ourselves. We are—!"

As if with the most convenient timing, the lights of the area shut off entirely. The room had gone dark, and the sound went quiet with some slight tension in the air. And then, a bright light of blue gleamed from the stage. On a screen that was installed usually for large-scale information meetings now played a graphic of a rapidly spinning star that seemed to jut out at the audience. Behind were the words "CYAN SEA ☆" and a large cascade of water seeming to pour out of the screen as if made in three-dimensions. The stagelights shook on, and the song began.

Haruka, Karin, and Hana began in a harmony.


Between every line and note there seemed to be an intricate push of dance. Their bodies moved both in beautiful dissonance and with conviction, yet at other times with perfect unanimity and grace. It was almost inhuman how in sync they were able to pull together the performance after the first verse, the chorus seemingly transitioning into a lightshow of shadows in blue, green and seafoam glide across the stage with whites and yellows and hints of purple eating at their heels to compliment the schemes above. Even hints of red were seen at the stage base.

After the performance, a pose struck by each of the three idols with some distinct differences yet still in uniform shape as rehearsed, they were able to break into bows and be given a rowdy applause from some parts of the crowd whilst another part was quite lackluster or generally unimpressed. Can't please everyone, that's part of show biz.

As he bowed off the stage, collecting his water bottle that was definitely not there when he got ON stage, he paced over to one of the set producers, whispering a couple bits into his ear about the event timing being a bit off and trying to set the performances back a little so the performers had more time to prepare. He returned back to the front, giving another wave and blowing a kiss to the audience. It was likely that more people would respond better to Karin and Hana doing that but he'd trademarked doing that since his first tour so he kept doing it even now.

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

Mizumi and Tobi, on the other hand, were now in the capable hands of airhead and clothespin for said airhead. The conversation was on Aoi discussing her big plans to take on Magallanica and grab one of the positions as an executive in the branch. Mizumi started to sweat a bit, believing that if she was able to procure a spot before some of the older fighters out there then it'd be a stunningly cold day in the summer. But she knew not to count the chickens before they hatched; weirder things have happened.

Tobi on the other hand raised a brow, waving in dismissal of her comment and... actually spoke back to her.
"You've got way too much confidence I think, Miss Big Balloon..s." At first he was referencing the hot air in her head, then tacked on an "s" which was very inaudible due to the beginning of the idol performance on stage which then made his face flare a bit, causing him to hide into his hood a bit. Mizumi became quickly self conscious of her chest, looked at Jessie to confirm that what Tobi said was idiotic, then profusely apologized to Aoi for Tobi's strange behavior. Little did any of them know he was really just that kind of person; skeptical of high-aimed aspirations.

Mizumi enjoyed the performance as any fangirl of pop music might, but Tobi was still embodying his edge perfectly, leaning toward the back of the group trying to pin down features to remember each of these people by. Jessie was just a unique figure to behold, Xat and Aoi had very distinct features and figures... holding very different meanings for each of those people respectively, and Mizumi was rather plain but the first friendly face he'd seen today. He'd barely gotten more than a glance at Victoria before the show started, so he couldn't really pin her out in the near area again yet. As for the rest...

They'd stick.

Xat watched the preformance and smiled at how the crowed cheered as she took off her cloke and placing it away before picking up kao who snuggled into her arms. "Aoi has always been like that, ever sence i remeber." she said to tobi as her ears flickered back and forth. "Are you all entering the contest?" she asked the group

"..."

"W-..."

"What...?"

"Just. What was THAT?" The white hair frost boy sat with an immediate deadpan expression on his face watching the performance go on after being introduced to the event. It would be his first time participating in an event and well... seeing a live performance like this that caught him off guard, surprisingly.

"I... really hope that... people didn't come here for this only." He said while slowly sinking his head into the palm of his hand, shaking it like a pendulum. "It wasn't bad, fantastic even, but..." he ended his sentence with a groan and acknowledge that he had to expect the unexpected as there is a lot for him to learn while on his journey.

Hikari only got more and more pumped up for the event to begin as the announcements were made. The staff members all dressed up as animals caught her a bit off-guard, but she had to admit it was in theme, and she wasn't really sure what she was expecting. What she was really interested in, however, were the rules of the event. The branch director, dressed up like the Mad Hatter himself, seemed to have a great deal of enthusiasm explaining the rules, and it resonated with Hikari's own excitement. She studied the map she'd been given, plotting her course for the event. She knew what she had to do. All the small FICA rewards didn't mean much. It was that special event that really mattered. That would be the hardest challenge, and that would get her the most glory. She would take the fastest route the nab a gold card and get back to fight the Mad Hatter before anyone else. That was the only option. And this time, when everyone could see her, she knew she could do it. She had to.

Hikari was surprised and a bit confused by the sudden appearance of an idol group on the stage. She hadn't expected idols to show up and start singing so suddenly, but that wasn't the strangest part. What really surprised Hikari was the appearance of Karin, the woman she'd fought only a few days ago, among them, and wearing a shockingly short skirt, too. "That lady was an idol?!" Hikari thought, baffled, "There's no way! She seriously didn't seem like the type when we fought. The way she looked on TV was totally different, too." Though she was a bit taken aback by the shift the woman had seemed to go through, Hikari had to admit she looked good. Her idol partners looked good too.

She wasn't sure she could say the same about the performance, though. It wasn't... bad, by any means. But these kinds of idols and live performances weren't really Hikari's cup of tea. She just found herself awkwardly watching, barely able to make out much of the music over all the screaming and cheering around her. Maybe she'd have to buy a CD or something to really appreciate the music, without a bunch of screams drowning it out. Though, it might be missing something without the attractive, dancing idols accompanying it. Either way, she somehow felt she was going to be seeing a lot of this group at future events, so maybe they'd have time to change her mind.

Hikari was somewhat glad when the performance stopped and all the cheering died down, so she could give her poor ears a rest. She just hoped that this meant the actual event would be starting soon.

The green-haired girl turned out to be, in fact, the same Koga her brother mentioned. She didn't seem so bad, so Victoria couldn't understand why he referred to her as a 'insufferable kid'. Turns out, that girl was also an idol, and her group, composed of her and her sisters, was called Generation Rare. 'Eh, no. I haven't heard about them. Sorry' She answered to Koga's question, not feeling really sorry but saying it out of courtesy. Victoria thought for a second that she was related to miss Hana's group, but seeing her among other players proved that incorrect. Rumaging aroung in her pocket, the young girl proceeded to grab and give the idol a bag of candy. 'My brother asked me to give you this. He won't be able to go see as much as he wants, so he hopes you can wait for the rematch. I don't know what he means about that, but I'm sure you'll understand'.

Aoi greeted her, along with some newcomers that Victoria didn't knew. They looked a little strange, and one even made a 'Tch' sound. That was... Interesting, to say the least. She then noticed how Jessie tried to make sense of something the chinese champion said, though she ignored the specifics. Before she could said anything about the whole situation, not that she wanted to anyways, she noticed how a animal-dressed man approached the podium and presented himself as Varess Yamata, the 'right hand' of the Zoo branch. He proceeded to welcome the fighters to the event and encouraged the new generation to take the first step to overtake the veteran and legends. Ever since coming here, Victoria noticed how everywhere she went and Vanguard, someone would mention something about a 'new generation'. She hoped they didn't include her in that 'generation' of theirs.

Varess then went to answer questions from the fighters present, so Aoi took the opportunity to ask if she could adopt any of the animals. She felt bad for Jessie as he seemed to be the only willing to deal with her in a daily basis. And if the things his brother told her about his brother, now she was risking feeling even worse. That sentiment stopped as some crazy girl entered the building in the middle of the speech, making a lot of noise for everyone to notice her. Victoria remembered how she was advised to not pay any attention to crazy people on the streets, so she ignored her. Surely, security would take care of her if there was a problem in the end. Some time after that, Yamata answered Aoi quite kindly with the obvious response, and then left the stage to give room for the Branch Director Rikuto. Presenting the event with its name, 'Cardfight in Wonderland', and explained how the whole event would play out. Victoria managed to understand everything, noting quite impressed that the event was well planned, although a bit quirky for her taste. After the lengthy explanation, the director gave way for a 'special treat' - The performance of idol group know as Cyan Sea. With a ☆. It was at this time when the group was approached by Sakuya. 'Oh, hello miss Sakuya' Victoria greeted her. 'Good to see you today'.

The idol group, the one miss Hana was part of, performed a pretty catchy song with some intricate dance moves. Opting to focus on the performance instead of the costumes, which she found pretty tasteless (Especially the blue one; that skirt was way to short and made the singer look like something Victoria promised her mother to never say in front of people), she was surprised to see she could somewhat enjoy it. 'So that was an idol group...' She thought. 'That was somewhat enjoyable. Miss Hana looked pretty happy over there. That's nice'. When one of the unknown people, a strange girl with... Fox ears. Realistic-looking fox ears. Moving and realistic-looking fox ears. Ok, whatever. Dogs can talk in Japan, deal with that little girl. Anyways, the... Fox girl asked some of them if they were entering the event. 'I... I suppose I am' Answered Victoria to the fox girl. 'My brother convinced me to do it'. In any other time, she wouldn't bother to answer the girl, but a part of her felt the need to because of the promise she made to he brother.

Aoi, being the stupid goof she was, deflected Tobi's words with a curious mewl and tilting of head. She understood the confidence part, but not the balloon part. Interestingly, despite being ever so slightly aware of the existence of her plush jubblies thanks to Bashiro, she seems to have remained dumb over the years, and the references that weren't exact flew right over her head. Jessie ended up reacting the exact way Mizumi expected, hearing that drowned out "s". The gumball didn't understand the apologizes, but Jessie had a expression of 'are you serious man' aimed at Tobi, which faded as he looked toward the idols who were beginning to perform. This gave Aoi a moment to welcome Fubuki to the group, along with Sakuya, just before she went on in her usual fashion, the group having not focused on the loud "EEEEHHHH"ing because the gumball soaked up so much of their attention.

"Oh, it's Haruka-sensei!" Aoi noticed, pointing out the leader of the group. "And yeah, Xat! We're all here for the event!"

"Sensei? Didn't you call him master?" Jessie inquired, looking toward her.

"Yeah, but back on Isle Jigen, Director Yukino told me to stop calling him that or she'd beat me senseless!"

"... How can you say that with your usual tone of voice?"

Meanwhile, Koga took the candy from Victoria, gifted by Carlos. "... I apologize about your brother being a doof when you were waiting at the airport." Nice, the blows just kept on comin'.

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

Hana began utilizing her skills as an idol that took the world by storm years ago, working well under the pressure of a time constraint. Her makeup was painted on with unnatural swiftness, quickly applying her eyeshadow and drawing up her eyelashes to emphasize her pretty look. Like a painter with a brush, her hand waved, patting on blush at her cheeks and coating her lips a light pink. Determined to be a voice of hope, she flaunted her talent by showing she could work with even hasty, badly scheduled times which she blamed Zoo's setup of the event for a bit. Though, not enough to hold a grudge over it. Her personal assistant helped her into her costume - her new trademark that was not at all the same blue dress she wore in ages past. Instead, she was adorned in a cute, sleeveless pink and white dress with a matching pink ribbon and ruffles at the bottom, coming to just above her knees. In addition, an intricate matching ribbon was set to decorate her hair, dressing her attractive, navy blue locks pleasingly to be topped off alongside white, knee-high boots. Pink bands were used to tie up her hair in split pigtails, clips of the same color settled into her bangs as small, white twinkles representing stars accessorized the final touches to her outfit.

"Isabella" had arrived, rather pleased with the results of her hasty preparing. She reserved her first performance of the new era to share it with Haruka and Karin, despite having performed some during years before with her return. It shocked many to hear she was rejecting all group offers for two people who had only just appeared after the Messiah Scramble, but she cared not for the disdain, enjoying time with her friends and clearing up the history between her and Haruka. Even so... with Haruka's speech, Hana reminded herself of her competitive nature, having no desire to fall behind and stand out as much as she could without being... obnoxious. The princess was aware of the "issues" in her personality from the past, and she was trying to work them out, but yearning to be in front was simply part of her nature. That's why being in a group and not being the lead would help her learn to control the urge... somewhat. Haruka was the leader and Karin was a rising star, and she planned to let neither of them usurp her legend.

So, as they all went out, Isabella wore a smile as she rushed to position, letting her pupils morph into shining stars as the sign with their group name appeared, winking to the audience with her special sight - her stargazing power.


Choking down her feelings to stand above the crowd - to stand higher than her peers, Isabella began to move with flawless motion as the music kicked in, letting her eyes remain empowered as she was in sync with her fellows. Undulating with the royal grace of a princess, her experience shined vibrantly, being sure to motion toward the spectators without breaking pace during commanding lines such as requesting responses from "Mister Wonderland", calling for fighters to let their souls howl, and expecting them to aim high. The bluenette even went out of her way to make eye contact several times through the song, continuously tapping her boots to the stage floor in a harmonious rhythm with her partners. Over time, her body, despite being trained, began to heat up from the extra energy she was putting out. Today was special - it was with her own group, not solo. Not only that, but it was the resurrection of her voice of hope as the dazzling, thrilling "Project Re:DIVA".

It was as enjoyable as it was tiring.

As the song continued, Varess looked toward the panda and moth, the latter of which wearing an evil grin. "Hey... you guys know to behave, right?" He asked, a bit scared of how the mothgirl could mess with the proceedings.

"Worry not, Varess." Chris responded, placing her hand atop her chest and wearing a smirk of responsibility. "I'm only playing Megacolony today."

"That... is exactly why I'm worried." Varess sighed, still keeping his trademark grin as he turned to the little panda. "Do your best today, alright? Do well, and we'll see about that new pudding supply."

"Pudding..." The little panda's voice was a little apathetic in tone, but drool poured from her mouth at the tantalizing thought of a sweet, delectable treat in stacks. Seeing the two were motivated and knowing the fourth employee was out there somewhere and the fifth was probably late from getting high... He played with the controls for the sign behind the performing idols, which spelled out words for the audience to pay attention to that didn't match the lyrics.


Not everyone caught onto the message, but Aoi, Jessie, and Koga did.

"Heh, get ready to eat my dust, Jessie." The gumball smiled, showing the spirit of competition. "I'm heading to the place with water first, that's my territory!"

"Haha, yeah yeah. Just watch out, I'll catch up to you in no time." The brunette smiled back, accepting her friendly gesture.

"The one who's going to be facing the branch director is me. For Link Joker's chance... You two can sit back and watch." Koga had a bit more of a serious demeanor while still retaining her playful arrogance. Even though the two didn't know Koga that well, Aoi could feel they were all on mostly the same wavelength, which was the spark of a potential bond - one of many.

As the song ended, Isabella basked in the glow of her performance, focusing only on those who cheered them on - those who cheered her on. With a pose, the unimpressed or lackluster responses were muted in her mind, reveling in the awe of those who applauded with energy. The passion the idols put into their performance was matched by those who enjoyed it. Breaking the stance, she waved to the crowd, especially to the few who were losing their minds over the legendary idol, and let her pupils return to normal. As she, Haruka, and Karin were getting their refreshments and preparing to leave the stage.


That single word was announced some moments after the song ended. The doors to the massive nature reserves opened, and it was then Aoi's head perked upward, blue eyes set on their course. As everyone began to run, the child of potential unintentionally left a booming ringing in the eardrums of those nearby as she took off at the speed of sound. Aqua Force players - as introduced by Haruka in particular - had an unnatural ability of super speed, and the gumball that caused ripples through the sound barrier was no different as she left behind a stream of blue light, almost blowing numerous people off their feet and knocking off Varess' panda-head from his costume. Hana had to get a grip on her skirt from the violent gale conjured up by one of the winds of the new generation. It was as jarring as it looked, and others began hollering and shouting war cries as they followed inside.

"Ha... haaaa.... oh dear." Varess sweat nervously, his expression not changing too much beyond his wide eyes. The other panda and the moth were shocked, but quickly shook their heads as they ran inside, the moth questioning the sanity of the girl who rushed in before any of the representatives were in place!

"T-That's Aoi...?" Hana's face contorted with awe, watching the jetstream of light head for the lake.

Xat laughed at them and walked over to the ones holding the event to see what happens, her tails wagging in excitment, just as her sword companion Tsurumaru appered. "This promises to be entertaing i hope i dotn get board." he sadi as kao rolled his eyes. "Good luck eveyone...your going to need it." Kao said feeling sorry for thoughs who are facing off agenst stronger fighters n this event.

At the very moment the word "Go" was uttered, Hikari was off like a flash. This was the moment she'd been waiting for, and all at once, all her pent up energy released itself in a great big burst. Despite her size, her short little legs carried her extremely quickly. She had her eyes set squarely on the rainforest. A place like that would be close by, have a gold card waiting, and would be easier for someone with her small frame to maneuver in compared to some of the larger competitors. Hikari didn't always like how small she was, in several aspects, but she felt grateful for it in this case. She thought that she could still do with longer legs, though. It was only due to her bottomless pool of energy and hot-blooded spirit that she was able to move with the speed she did.

Although Hikari may have been curious about where the other cardfighters had gone, and was slightly tempted to size up her competition, the time for that had passed. She was completely tunnel-visioning on the rainforest now, as if that were the only thing that mattered. The other competitors had nothing to do with her, and the only thing she had to worry about was getting a gold card before any of them. "Victory," Hikari said to herself, a hot fire burning in her eyes, "this time, you will be mine to take!"

"Now!"

After waiting for things to transition from the end of the concert into the start of the Zoo Branch's Event, Seth inhaled and exhaled some oxygen in the air - closing his eyes - and giving his mind some clarity. All of the other fighters took their specific pose, readying themselves, as the doors swung open.

Seth popped through the door at the word "Go!", feeling nothing but the wind pressing against his face. However, his place in first was a short lived moment, watching someone or something dash passed him. He tried to get a look but saw a stream of long dark hair ahead of him, running into the horizon.

"How did...?" Trying to form words from both his mind and from his mouth as he was running was proving to be difficult while surprised. Seth then bolted to catch up to them, as if he'd ever let his training jogging up to cold mountain tops go to waste by being beat by an unknown person. "Once I pass them, I'm going straight for the goal to get the most points and challenge the strongest fighters here!"

Even from the meadows, Satoshi could feel a breeze pass through, as if a supernatural force was carrying itself towards the lake. The light wind lightly caressed the sides of his beard as he sat dead center of the meadows, enjoying some fine green tea of his own creation. Soon, members of the New Generation, he hoped, would come by to visit and enjoy some for themselves. He took a soft sip from a small cup, holding a saucer beneath it as were the custom.

"Sir!" One of Neo Nectar Division's underlings dashed up the hill of the meadow upon which the clan leader sat, gasping for air when he reached the top. "T-the event is starting and you weren't there to get your---"

"Cards?" Satoshi quickly fanned out a set from under the sleeve of his robe, opening a single eye. "Believe you me, I am very prepared, contrary to what any of them may have told you." He closed the eye and resumed taking in the scent and taste of his brew, but it was not long before his underling spoke again:

"B-but sir! The doctor said that those are to be given out if---"

A force akin to the wind that had blown through the meadow emanated from beneath the Guardian's seat and pushed the grunt back a bit. He squeaked as he saw that the older man's eyes had both opened and narrowed, piercing in intensity as they focused upon him while the robe billowed underneath:

"I am perfectly aware of what Rikuto said, and I already went over my conditions of this event with him. He agreed to them, so if you would not mind, I will do my job my own way, thank you very much."

The force stopped, and Satoshi resumed his drink. "With time, everyone will understand why I conduct myself in this manner. Even the Grand Sanctuary."

The event was now underway.  

Fubuki wasn't caught off guard by Aoi's immediate burst of speed, and went off full sprint behind her.  Even though she wasn't nearly as fast as her friend, she was still well above average.  Her goal was her home territory, the water of the lake.  With Nightrose in hand, she moved forwards.  

Sieg was a bit taken aback by the gust of wind but she managed to force herself to stand tall against it.  She'd been up against worse.  Now was the time for action.  Her destination was the desert, running well ahead of the pack to what she figured would be the least populated of the four areas.  

Rin was absolutely shocked at Aoi's speed and the gust of wind accompanying it and completely knocked to the ground by it.  When she dragged herself to her feet, she saw Hikari running towards the rainforest.  "W-wait for me!" She shouted after her friend, stumbling towards her at a much, much slower pace.

Alysson was knocked to the ground by tAoi as well, more than a little irritated and very confused by what just happened.  Contrary to most people, Alysson casually walked towards the hills, not really being very interested in the special event and feeling no need to rush.

The figure in the trees slipped out to the ground with ease, revealing herself a young woman in an outfit of red, white, and black completed by long black hair and the presence of an ornate round shield.  She smirked as she looked out over the players, having taken an interest in a small number of the participants.  It was shame they were heading for different places.  As she chose her destination and set forth, two words were muttered from her mouth before seeming to disappear.