"Where is this goddamn island!!!" Ryoshi exclaimed, frustration evident in his voice.
"I don't know! Don't ask me," Toruri replied, his tone equally exasperated.
"Hey, kids!" Fuyu's voice called out, cutting through the tension.
"Huh?" Ryoshi and Toruri exchanged confused glances.
"Where is he...?" Toruri murmured, scanning the surroundings.
Suddenly, Ryoshi, Toruri, and Kuroshi turned around to find Fuyu and John seated on the beak of a giant bird.
"What the-" Ryoshi began, his words trailing off as he took in the surreal sight before him.
Flying backwards, Ryoshi landed on the beak of the bird, his mind struggling to comprehend the situation.
"What... is this?" he muttered, his eyes wide with disbelief.
"It's the Silver Dove Island, the island that is a giant flying bird," Kuroshi explained matter-of-factly, her gaze fixed on the horizon.
"I love birds, especially chickens, not because they're food or anything..." Toruri chimed in, his words trailing off awkwardly.
"When you say that, it makes me think that's exactly the reason why," Ryoshi teased, a smirk playing on his lips.
"Nnnnnnoo," Toruri protested, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment.
"We need to get to the back of the bird. That's where the arena is," Fuyu declared, her tone decisive.
"Cool, cool," Ryoshi nodded in agreement, his eyes lingering on the vast expanse of the bird's head, which loomed like a mountain before them.
"WOAH!" he exclaimed as he spotted the head of the bird, its size dwarfing everything around it.
"We need to get over that mountain to get to the island part of this... mountain. Yeah, did I mention that this place was a giant flying mountain bird?" Fuyu added, a hint of amusement coloring her voice.
"Kuroshi said it was," Ryoshi recalled, his mind racing to process the surreal reality of their surroundings.
"This place gives me memories," John remarked, a wistful expression crossing his features.
"Yeah... BYE," Fuyu announced suddenly, grabbing John and vanishing into thin air, leaving Ryoshi, Toruri, and Kuroshi to grapple with the bizarre circumstances on their own.
"Wha- FUYU!!!" Ryoshi exclaimed, his surprise evident as Fuyu suddenly appeared before them.
"I'm no longer tired, Ryoshi. I'll fly you up there if you want," Toruri offered, his fatigue seemingly forgotten in the face of the new challenge.
"Yeah, I'm too tired to use my Pegasus," Ryoshi admitted, his energy drained from their journey.
"I'm too tired to teleport," Kuroshi added, her exhaustion mirrored in Ryoshi's admission.
"...Geez," Toruri muttered under his breath, shaking his head in disbelief.
With a determined look, Toruri grew wings, effortlessly lifting both Ryoshi and Kuroshi into the air as he took flight towards the mountain's peak.
"If my eyes were right, I think we should be-" Toruri began, only to be interrupted as they all tumbled out of a tree and crashed onto the ground below.
"Hey there, guys! I knew you would make it to the arena!" Fuyu's voice called out cheerfully as they picked themselves up from the ground.
"Wait, huh?" Ryoshi blinked in confusion, his gaze scanning their surroundings.
As they looked around, they spotted three individuals standing before them. One had powder blue hair and wore a dark blue kimono adorned with blue waves, the second had brown hair and sported a blue shirt beneath a green coat, and the last was a girl with white hair dressed in a cyan kimono with white stripes.
"Oh hey," Ryoshi greeted casually as they joined the group.
"The spring season couldn't make it to the battle today, so I'll be the person in charge today!" Fuyu announced, taking on the role of authority.
"In charge of what?" Toruri inquired, his curiosity piqued.
"In charge of announcing the winner and loser, in charge of telling the rules, and much more-" Fuyu began before being interrupted.
"She's not here!? Aaaaw," John lamented, disappointment evident in his voice.
"Ok, so the rules are... I forgot the rules, but you guys know the rules, and I do by heart, I just... forgot how to say everything. THE SPRING SEASON STUDENTS, INTRODUCE YOURSELVES!!!" Fuyu declared, rallying the attention back to the task at hand.
"My name is Mizuma Fukaiumi, I am the assassin of this team," the person in the dark blue kimono introduced themselves.
"Assassin? I didn't know there was such a thing as an assassin role in the team," Ryoshi remarked, surprise coloring his tone.
"Oh, I didn't tell you guys! Only summer and winter seasons go by inheritor, trapper, and sniper," Fuyu explained, shedding light on the intricacies of their team dynamics.
"Really???" Ryoshi's eyes widened in astonishment.
"Yeah, spring and fall seasons go by inheritor, mage, and assassin. Snipers fight assassins and trappers fight mages," Fuyu elaborated, providing insight into the strategy behind their battles.
"Now, I'm kinda scared to fight now. I was expecting to fight a fellow trapper, not a... mage. And look at Kuroshi's face, she doesn't want to fight an assassin," Toruri remarked, observing his teammate's apprehension.
"Shut it," Kuroshi muttered, her expression tight with unease.
"Yeah, sorry spring students, my students are a little too talkative," Fuyu apologized, acknowledging the banter among her own team.
"I'm fine with that! I love talking with opponents in the middle of battle," Mizuma chimed in, unfazed by the conversation.
"That's a sad thing to say, since you're fighting the quietest member on my team," Fuyu remarked, a hint of amusement in her voice.
"Who?" Mizuma inquired, curiosity gleaming in their eyes.
"Her," Fuyu pointed to Kuroshi, who met Mizuma's gaze with an intense stare, leaving the assassin momentarily speechless.
F L A S H B A C K (7 years ago)
Kuroshi sat on a quiet sidewalk, enjoying her ice cream treat when suddenly, Mizuma dashed past her, causing her to drop her dessert.
"Sorry about that-" Mizuma began, but before he could finish, a swift punch to the gut knocked him to his knees.
F L A S H B A C K O V E R
"It's you!" Mizuma exclaimed upon recognizing Kuroshi.
"Do I know you?" Kuroshi responded with a quizzical expression.
"N n n n n n n n n NO YOU DON'T," Mizuma stuttered nervously.
"That face... you're the person who knocked over my ice cream!" Kuroshi accused, her memory flooding back.
"How'd you remember that!" Mizuma exclaimed, surprised.
"That ice cream was the one my dad gave me before we went on a mission that injured him very badly," Kuroshi explained solemnly.
"I- I am sorry for your loss," Mizuma offered his sympathies.
"He didn't die," Kuroshi clarified.
"LOSS of ice cream," Mizuma corrected himself with a nervous chuckle.
"Yeah sure. This fist is coming back to your chest," Kuroshi threatened, her tone firm.
"AHAHAHA NOOOO," Mizuma protested, laughter mixed with panic in his voice.
"Huh," Blue Shirt Person interrupted, breaking the tension. "Can we get on with this?"
"My name is Enerida Ochigawai, I'm the mage of this team," the Blue Shirt Person introduced themselves.
"Wait, so I'm fighting this guy," Toruri remarked, addressing Enerida.
"Yep," Fuyu confirmed.
"Good. Hey, Enerida Ochigawai, I'm Toruri Doragane-" Toruri began, only to be interrupted as he noticed Enerida was sleeping while standing.
"The hell," Toruri muttered incredulously, baffled by the bizarre sight before him.
Enerida's sudden awakening startled the group, but her apology quickly eased the tension.
"Ah! Oh, oh sorry, I'm not energized yet. We can move on with the introductions," Enerida apologized sheepishly.
"My name is Nagarimu Mae, and I'm the inheritor," the girl in the cyan kimono introduced herself calmly.
"So she's my opponent..." Ryoshi whispered to himself, his focus narrowing on Nagarimu.
"Team, introduce yourselves," Fuyu instructed, prompting the members to reveal their roles.
"I'm Ryoshi Taisaku, the inheritor," Ryoshi announced confidently.
"Kuroshi Okyamasu, the sniper," Kuroshi stated tersely.
"I am Toruri Doragane, and I'm a trapper," Toruri declared proudly.
"Yes! Awesome, the rounds against fall and spring are going to be different. The battle will start with the sniper fighting the assassin, then the trapper fighting the mage, and finally the inheritor fighting the inheritor," Fuyu explained, outlining the sequence of the upcoming battles.
"Wait, seriously? I have to go first?" Mizuma exclaimed incredulously, his apprehension evident.
"That's the rules, kid," Fuyu confirmed, unwavering in her decision.
"Uh-" Mizuma began, his hesitation palpable.
Mizuma and Kuroshi exchanged a tense glance, each sizing up their opponent.
"Enter the arena!!!" Fuyu commanded, signaling the start of the round.
With a deep breath, Mizuma and Kuroshi stepped into the arena, their minds focused and their determination set.
"This round will start in, 3. 2. 1... GO!" Fuyu announced, setting the stage for the intense battle that was about to unfold.