Ch. 4 EX4: Islands of 8 - Sekibanki
Player 9
Remilia
What?! I can't believe this!
Remilia
Are we seriously backtracking?! Who thought this was OK?
Remilia
Crossing the sea like this is practically torture for vampires. For humans, it'd be like flying over an ocean of boiling stew!
Flandre
Now that you mention it... I think I can smell a yummy stew!
Remilia
That's 'cause the tip of your wing is burning!
Flandre
Uh-oh! I'm gonna turn into Remilia! I'm gonna be the older sister!
Remilia
Good! You might learn something!
Flandre
Oh, what's wrong, my dear little sister, Remilia? Can't you sleep? Shall I read you a bedtime story?
Flandre
The Grand Adventure of Remilia, the Vampire Hero. Book 2000, chapter 2, Remilia's Charismatic Magical Girl Debut...
Flandre
"Oh no! That giant meteorite's gonna hit the Scarlet Devil Mansion! Someone, please, alter fate!"
Flandre
BOOM! Big Explosion!
Flandre
Flandre didn't "squeeze" first, so the meteorite fragments smashed into the ground and leveled the mansion! THE END!
Remilia
Don't blend truth with fiction!
Remilia
Someone might actually believe that's how it happened!
Remilia
Also, how come I didn't appear in my own story?!
Flandre
Does that make you sad?
Remilia
Yes! I think I'm gonna cry.
Flandre
Aww.
Flandre
You're really cute when you're sad!
Remilia
Don't kick me when I'm down!
Remilia
Youkai are weak to psychological attacks!
The sisters are getting on swimmingly again today.
So, what's our mission, Drill Sergeant?!
Red Marisa
Something has happened on the first island.
Red Marisa
So we're going back. Briefing, over.
Remilia
Are you just making this up as you go along?! How many times are you gonna make us fly over the ocean?!
Flandre
Yeah, what she said! You should really plan ahead a little! And I'm not just saying this 'cause you're taller than me!
Remilia
But you are pretty strong and cool! And you also like the color red, so I suppose you might deserve my respect!
Flandre
I could be as tall as you if I wanted to be―
Flandre
Where'd that single-target Spell Card come from?!
Flandre
Who'd do something so cruel?! Don't they know those kinds of laser attacks are imbued with lots of sunlight?!
Remilia
It scorched my heart, leaving nothing but scarlet darkness... I've had enough. I'm going home.
Flandre
You're back to being the Scorched Devil again...
Red Marisa
There's a hit on my new Swimsuit Sensor!
Red Marisa
Kourin made it for me!
Remilia & Flandre
Give us a break already!
Red Marisa
Haha, if you want a break, you're gonna have to ask her, not me.
Sekibanki
Um, sorry! Did you see a ball come flying this way?
Sekibanki
Wait... aren't you the vampires from the Scarlet Devil Mansion?
Flandre
Oh! I think I know her! She's that mysterious youkai who watches the mermaid and werewolf play together from afar.
Flandre
Right, now I remember! She's the drone youkai! Wait, doesn't that make her, like, the latest model of youkai?!
Flandre
Wow! Hey, Remilia, buy her for me! C'mon, you know you want to! Please?
Remilia
She's not a thing, you know. Can you promise to take care of her?
Flandre
What? No way. That sounds like a pain. Can't we just shove her in with the hobgoblins and the chupacabra?
Remilia
Well, whatever. I like her red hair, so I'll take care of her for you.
Flandre
Woohoo! You're the best, Remilia!
Flandre
Let's try and nab the other grassroots youkai, too!
Sekibanki
...
Sekibanki
...
Sekibanki
(She did not just say that!)
Sekibanki
You can say what you want about me. Actually, no, I'd rather you didn't...
Sekibanki
But you crossed the line when you threatened Wakasagihime and Kagerou.
Remilia
Oh, really? And what is a weak youkai like you gonna do about it?
Flandre
Maybe you should just give up now before you get hurt. I don't wanna brag, but we're actually pretty strong, you know?
Sekibanki
...
Sekibanki
Pfft!
Sekibanki
Hahahahahahahahaha!
Remilia
(Uh-oh.)
Remilia
(She's preparing a really nasty comeback, isn't she? Like, "I've always hated your pretentious attitude!")
Flandre
(I get the feeling she's gonna make us look like fools for underestimating her all this time!)
Sekibanki
You're in One-Eighth Island territory now, and the tournament qualifiers have already started.
Sekibanki
Surprised? I'm sure you know what this means, don't you?
Sekibanki
Exactly!
We haven't said anything yet...
Sekibanki
The rules of the One-Eight Island tournament state that all battles must be decided with ball sports!
Sekibanki
In these battles, techniques that can't help you throw, catch, dodge, hit, or kick balls are practically worthless!
Sekibanki
Vampires are supposedly one of the strongest types of youkai!
Sekibanki
But have you got the ball skills to back that up?!
Remilia & Flandre
Why are we only hearing about this now?!
Remilia
Uh oh, I don't seem to have any ball skills! Perhaps I focused too much on my rockets! Also, this terrain is really bad for us!
Flandre
I should've known that skin-care products couldn't solve everything. This is your time to shine, PLAYER!
Koggers vs Banki
Reimu
...
Reimu
Hrmm, this is way too complicated for me.
Reimu
I can't think of any way to bring our memories back home with us. I'm not good at analyzing these kinds of problems.
Marisa
Isn't it fine like this? We have all our memories while we're here in this world, so it's not really a problem.
Marisa
Why don't we just leave all the complicated stuff to Yukari and the other sages? Isn't that what we usually do, anyway?
Marisa
Whenever something happens in Gensokyo, we interpret the events as we please, and then we forget about it.
Marisa
It's always those special non-humans that fuss over the little stuff.
Marisa
You know I'm right. This is pretty much business as usual for us.
Reimu
But if what you're saying is true... that means all the shady youkai are acting shady again.
Marisa
Yeah, that's what I was getting at.
Reimu
Then we can't just let this slide!
Reimu
Our doppelgangers or whatever are going on adventures in all kinds of worlds, and their experiences gather here...
Reimu
I kinda understand that, but this just feels wrong to me.
Reimu
It's like memories are being implanted in my brain without me doing any of the physical work. It's weird.
Marisa
Wow, really?! So that's what it feels like to you, huh?
Reimu
What do you mean? Doesn't it feel weird to you?
Marisa
They feel like my own experiences. And sometimes, I don't even realize when I get new memories that aren't my own.
Marisa
I don't notice any contradictions between my new and old memories unless I consciously think back and analyze them.
Reimu
Yikes... That sounds kinda scary.
Marisa
Nah, the inconsistencies get sealed away automatically when we return to our world, so there's no problem.
Marisa
In fact... I think it would be a lot more taxing to clearly remember everything as something another you experienced.
Marisa
There's way more than just one or two extra memories you've gotta keep track of. My way's easier and more efficient.
Reimu
Hmm, you might have a point. I'm the one who feels all weirded out by this, after all.
Marisa
(There's already a major difference between how Reimu and I perceive parallel worlds.)
Marisa
(This is really interesting. Perhaps we can use this to learn more about PLAYER.)
Marisa
(There are a number of paths open to us now...)
Marisa
(First, we could try and find a way to follow PLAYER to the Capital.)
Marisa
(It's too early to abandon that idea without really trying. There's gotta be some way for us to go there too.)
Marisa
(We might be able to learn new info if we can meet up with her.)
Marisa
(Also, it sounds like a lot of fun. But Reimu would have to come with me cause I really don't wanna get lost on the way.)
Marisa
(Second, we could bring more people from our world here.)
Marisa
(That should be easy enough as long as Yukari isn't opposed to it. She'd surely allow the girls who investigate incidents...)
Marisa
(...like Sakuya, Youmu, Sanae, and Reisen. I also wanna hear from Reisen what the folks at Eientei think about all this.)
Marisa
(Honestly, I wanna bring Sumireko here, too, but I've got no idea where she is or what she's doing right now.)
Marisa
(I should look into that.)
Marisa
(There's a bunch of other people who might be able to help us, too.)
Marisa
(Since Miss Keine was brought here, it might be worth bringing humans with special abilities like Akyuu and Kosuzu.)
Marisa
(History and parallel worlds are connected. So what about Kaguya? ...Nah, she'd just make this more complicated.)
Marisa
(But on the topic of abilities... Reisen's and Sakuya's might be pretty useful. They could open new avenues of investigation.)
Marisa
(It seems folks from other parallel worlds have also been called here to investigate this world.)
Marisa
(I'd like to see what's happening on that front. There are just too many options that require serious consideration.)
Marisa
(Maybe I shouldn't take this seriously. I'm a genius magician, so it might be better to wait for a spark of inspiration...)
Reimu
Why are you mumbling to yourself?
Marisa
Huh? Sorry, I was just thinking about everything.
Marisa
This is just a hunch, but I think your ability might be to blame.
Reimu
What are you talking about?
Marisa
You've distanced yourself from the parallel world memories. Doesn't that sound like something your ability could do?
...So you two formed a team, huh?
Kogasa
That's right! Surprised?!
Sekibanki
Why would they be surprised? I think most people know that we get along pretty well.
Kogasa
Wait, Banki, did you just admit that we're friends?!
Sekibanki
Huh?! Umm, err...
Sekibanki
I just meant that we spend more time with each other than with other people. You know?
Kogasa
Hm? Yeah, you mean we're friends, right?
Sekibanki
Oh, um, err... Argh!
Kogasa
Why are you blushing...?
(Haha, they really do get along.)
Sekibanki
A-Anyway, I was telling you about the qualifiers! They've already started!
Sekibanki
We have to hurry up and get a full team together to play some matches, or we won't be able to participate in the main event!
Sekibanki
I have nine heads, but in official matches, we're only counted as a single player. We need to recruit more people.
Red Marisa
Even with PLAYER, there's still only six of us.
Flandre
Doesn't anyone else wanna be on their team?
Remilia
...Do we really have to practice?
Sekibanki
*sigh* I know I asked them to join us, but I'm really starting to worry if we'll be able to work together as a team...
Kogasa
I've got an idea, Banki. Why don't we try to attract more players by putting on a show?
Sekibanki
A show?
Kogasa
Yeah! We can show everyone how we practice!
Sekibanki
Why would we do that?
Kogasa
I don't think people will understand our passion and how serious we are about this with words alone!
Kogasa
So, we'll show them!
Sekibanki
That's... a great idea!
Kogasa
Gimme your best pitch, Banki!
Sekibanki
Coming right up, Koggers!
Sekibanki
(Will doing this really help us?)
Kogasa
Believe in yourself, Banki! Just go all out like you usually do, and I'll try and hit it as best I can!
Sekibanki
O-OK!
Destructive Shrine Maiden
Remilia
You'll never hit this.
Remilia
Burning with scarlet flames of fresh blood. Molded after the original myth.
Remilia
Heed my command. Fly straight through the center!
Remilia
Scarlet Changeup: Vampire Gungnirball!
Flandre
Forbidden Batting: Lame Name Break!
Red Marisa
So, what do you think? Do they show any promise?
Sekibanki
Honestly, I think they've still got a lot to learn. I'm not even sure what they're playing could be called baseball or not...
Kogasa
And they're the ones who tried to coach me...! I don't have the words to describe the sadness I'm feeling right now!
They look like they're having fun!
Red Marisa
Hmm...
Red Marisa
You raise a good point. While this may be a competition, if you're gonna play sports, you're better off having fun.
Red Marisa
Do we still have time to train before the qualifiers finish?
Sekibanki
Yeah, but we'll have to split what time we have between training and looking for new team members.
Kogasa
Sounds good to me! That should be fun for us, too!
Sekibanki
I doubt we'll be able to win if all we worry about is having fun...
Sekibanki
...
Red Marisa
Well, I don't think we have to worry too much about that right now. We can think of a plan as we go.
Sekibanki
...Yeah, you're right.
Reimu
The qualifiers have started, haven't they?! I challenge you youkai to a match!
Reimu
This island's hosting a ball sports tournament, right? It was practically made for me!
Reimu
I'm gonna be the champion!
Red Marisa
The local Reimu?!
Remilia
The unfortunate maiden with the sunken shrine?!
Flandre
The indiscriminate destroyer?!
Kogasa
The living incarnation of violence?!
Sekibanki
...!
"It's not even worth fighting weak youkai like you."
"You just went wild 'cause of the incident, right? Scram."
"I don't have the time nor the patience to deal with the likes of you."
...
*sob*
"..."
"Seki..."
"Sekibanki..."
"Let's keep in touch, OK?"
"We might live far apart, but we're still friends."
"Yeah, we're friends."
"Besides, who cares if we're weak?"
"We don't have to be strong to be happy."
"Friends are much more important."
"It's fun chatting and being together with you both."
...That's not good enough.
It doesn't solve anything.
The same thing will just keep on happening if we don't get people to fear us.
I'll get hurt again.
"That's not true, Sekibanki."
"We may be weak individually, but we're strong together."
"You're not alone."
"Yeah, we're always connected."
"'Cause we're the Grassroots Youkai Network."
Sekibanki
Hakurei shrine maiden...
Sekibanki
Reimu!
Sekibanki
We challenge you to a match!
Reimu
Oh, you wanna go, huh? All right. I accept.
Sekibanki
Where's your team? You can't play against us all on your own?
Reimu
Oh? Haven't you heard?
Reimu
The matches don't have to be baseball. This is a festival for people to show off their ball skills.
Reimu
And I have enough ball skills to win any match by myself. Understand?
Kogasa
She's crazy...
Sekibanki
But...
Sekibanki & Kogasa
That's really good to know!
Reimu
Wow, not bad!
Reimu
You're worthy opponents!
Kogasa
Did you hear that?! The Hakurei shrine maiden just complimented us!
Sekibanki
We only managed to beat her with the two of us working together, but I guess that's still something to be proud of.
Kogasa
Huh?!
Kogasa
Of course, it is! We won!
Kogasa
We should be celebrating!
Sekibanki
...!
Sekibanki
Y-Yay.
Kogasa
You're so bad at this!
Red Marisa
What do you plan on doing now, Reimu?
Reimu
Hrmm...
Reimu
I guess I'll join this team whether you want me or not.
Reimu
That way, this won't count as a loss for me. Not to mention that those two might actually go all the way with my help.
Red Marisa
Makes sense.
Reimu
Also, it seems you guys still don't know about this tournament's terrifying secret.
Red Marisa
What are you talking about?
Reimu
This thing is played off as a fun ball sports tournament on the beach.
Reimu
But in truth, it's a battle royale with no rules except that all battles are decided with ball sports.
Reimu
Baseball, football, basketball, tennis, volleyball, dodgeball, croquet, golf, cricket, billiards, hockey, polo, sepak takraw...
Reimu
You can use skills from any sport as long as they can be played on a beach and involve a ball.
Reimu
You can even have battles where both sides use skills from different sports. The side that's more skilled is the victor.
Reimu
That's the truth behind this One-Eighth Island's ball sports tournament. It's a serious battle between serious competitors.
Reimu
And the official name for this ultimate ball sports bonanza is the Yin-Yang League!
