3rd Person's POV
As Toman waited for their leaders to arrive at Musashi Shrine, they started to wonder what was going on as the battle with Tenjiku was approaching. Chifuyu couldn't get ahold of Baji or Mikey while Akkun on the other hand couldn't get ahold of Takemichi. Just then, Inupi pulled up in his motorcycle, informing them of Emma Sano's death.
And hearing the news, Chifuyu immediately went and met Takemichi outside the hospital, bringing him to the shrine where Toman was waiting. They announced that Emma had died in an accident, which meant that neither Mikey, Nana nor Draken would be able to fight and as both Nana and Mikey were still at the hospital with Emma's dead body, Baji also had to stay back to make sure wellbeing.
This info then started to create nervousness among the gang members as Toman was standing there without most of their captains already. Inupi agreed to this, pointing out that they would be unorganized and believing that they should not be fighting. Takemichi also acknowledged this as preparation would increase their chance of winning. However, he insisted that they would fight Tenjiku tonight no matter what, which angered Toman, causing them to turn their backs on him.
This didn't surprise Takemichi and Chifuyu at all as Takemichi believed that they were not going to be played around into Kisaki's hands. Having originally planned to fight alone, he told Chifuyu that he was fighting Tenjiku, even if he had to do so alone. Chifuyu offered to fight alongside him, though he expected both of them to die at Tenjiku's hands.
Just then, Akkun exclaimed to Takemichi that he was going with him as well, as Takemichi never ran away from a fight, prompting Yamagishi, Makoto, and Takuya to all agree to fight with them. Behind them, Smiley who snuck out of the hospital in a wheelchair remarked that Takemichi didn't start fights he knew he would win. Mitsuya who was also in the same condition as Smiley concurred, adding that Takemichi never ran away due to being an idiot. He then told Takemichi to bring Hakkai and Angry along to the fight, who reminded Takemichi not to carry Toman's burden alone.
Chifuyu then told the whole Toman gang that although the odds were against them, running away would ensure the end of Toman, leaving them with no choice but to fight. This riled up the Toman, as they began to chant in support while Takemichi told Chifuyu that he wanted to save Emma as well, believing nothing was impossible.
On the other side of the city, nearly two hours after the planned time of the battle, Izana Kurokawa had assembled the leaders of other top gangs, including Onzoku Kizoku from Shinjuku, SS from Kichijoji, Ikebukuro Criminal Black Members from Ikebukuro, and Night Dust from Ueno; easily defeated them, bringing them to their knees, while he remarked his disappointment in the ease of the fight.
Kakucho reminded him of the time, remarking that Toman had yet to arrive. Shion Madarame revealed he and Rindo attacked Mitsuya and Smiley while Mucho defeated the 1st Division and acquired Kokonoi. Shion then remarked to Kokonoi that he made a wise decision and on top of this, Kisaki defeated Mikey, Nana, and Draken's will to fight.
Hanma commented that Toman was essentially defeated, although Mocchi added that he didn't agree with the tactics used. Mucho then told Izana that he had made the dreams of the S-62 generation come true to which Izana agreed, believing Tenjiku would become a powerful criminal organization, taking over gangs and the underground world. Thinking to himself, Izana vowed to make Mikey suffer.
Shion remarked that Toman was powerless without Mikey and Nana's leadership and Mocchi was dismayed, as no one had come to fight. However, Kisaki disagreed, believing Takemichi would come. When Izana asked him what he meant by this, Kisaki simply shushed him, and not long after, footsteps and honks of motorbikes were heard from the distance, announcing Toman's arrival, led by Chifuyu and Takemichi which surprised the entirety of Tenjiku gang.
"Toman has arrived!!"
"Everyone gather around!!!" Chifuyu ordered his squads while Takemichi stared up at Kisaki with a frowning face.
"I have been waiting for you, hero..." Kisaki stated, standing on top of a cargo box while furrowing his eyebrows a bit.
"That bastard Kisaki... He's just standing there and watching." Chifuyu pointed out through his gritted teeth.
"He's that kind of guy..." Takemichi replied, frowning as well.
"It's as if we can't reach him unless we defeat Tenjiku. He has thought of this thoroughly, huh?" Chifuyu asked.
Just watch, Kisaki... I'll drag you down from there!!!
Izana then pointed out Toman's disadvantage in the battle, as Tenjiku outnumbered Toman, 400 to 50. He called up Shion as their "forerunner" while Yamagishi explained that this was part of the S-62 Generation's ritual, in which they would begin battles with a one-on-one fight.
Because he decided to continue with the battle, Takemichi volunteered as Shion's opponent, amusing Shion, who remarked that none of their strongest fighters (which included Mikey, Draken, Baji, Nana, Mitsuya, and Smiley) were present and in addition, they couldn't find a strong forerunner. And just at that moment, Peh-yan stepped up, telling Shion to face him while reminding Takemichi that he was acting as the Commander tonight.
As he introduced himself as the acting 3rd Division Captain, Shion interrupted Peh-yan, saying that he could defeat all of Toman alone. Chifuyu noted that the first fight was important, as it would give the winning side a morale boost. Unexpectedly, Peh-yan knocked out Shion with a single punch, shocking Tenjiku except for Izana who was smirking at this while Hakkai remembered something Mitsuya said about Peh-yan once a long time ago - Though he was unintelligent, he was stronger than him.
After knocking out Shion, Peh-yan called Takemichi to send the announcement to Tenjiku and start the war, causing the time leaper to look back at Kisaki once again.
"Kisaki!!!" Takemichi called out with a scowling face. "It's been a long battle!! Let's end it here and now!!!"
"Takemichi Hanagaki..." Kisaki called him back. "Tonight!! Let's settle this once and for all!!"
After this, with Takemichi acting as their leader, Toman charged Tenjiku to begin their fight. With Shion's defeat, Toman was at an advantage in terms of morale. As Takemichi rushed toward Kisaki, he headbutted a Tenjiku member, causing him to cry out in pain. Peh-yan leaped into action, clearing out the Tenjiku members surrounding Takemichi. As he watched, impressed, another Tenjiku member swung at Takemichi, but Hakkai saved him, punching the Tenjiku member into the ground. The rest of Takemichi's comrades attempted to create a pathway for him to reach Kisaki.
While running toward Kisaki at full speed, Takemichi began to recall the first time he ever time leaped back to the past to save Hinata's life with the adult Naoto's help.
Sano and Kisaki...
You have to stop them from meeting...
Back then I didn't even know what he looked like. But I have finally come this far. I'm gonna face you head-on and take you out! I know for sure you have been time leaping. Because no matter how many times I changed history, the future stayed the same in the end. The other time leaper, Kisaki... This time I'm gonna kick your ass and change the future!!
As Izana watched the battle, he remarked that he was impressed. While Peh-yan continued to fight, defeating numerous Tenjiku members, Izana stomped on Shion's unconscious face, remarking that the Black Dragons lost to Mikey because of Shion's weakness, telling Shion that he was useless, even in Tenjiku.
Although he said he didn't usually engage in revenge, Izana asked Peh-yan to fight him. When Peh-yan eagerly charged toward him, Izana kicked him in the face, knocking him out in a single blow. Staring at now-smirking Izana in shock, Takemichi and the rest of the Toman then began to realize the Kurokawa boy's true strength and power.
Izana then turned around to the remaining S-26 members, telling them that it was now their time to fight. Just as Takemichi neared Kisaki's base, Mocchi stepped out in front of him, telling him that they were now opponents. Just as Takemichi recognized Mocchi, Chifuyu leaped in, kicking Mocchi in the head and declaring himself as Mocchi's opponent.
On the other hand, Ran approached Hakkai to fight, taunting him with what happened to Mitsuya which pissed off Hakkai, meanwhile, his younger brother Rindo approached Angry to fight, remarking that they were both outshined by their older brothers.
Kakucho stood in front of Takemichi, telling him that they would be opponents while Inupi found himself in front of Mucho, remarking that they would be fighting as well. As he told Mucho that he would kill him and take back Kokonoi, Mucho told him they wouldn't be fighting, leaving Inupi all confused. Just then, a fist struck Inupi and in surprise, he turned to find Kokonoi standing who was now his opponent.
Nana's POV (back at the hospital)
"I should've gone with Chifuyu and Takemitchy..." Keisuke spoke worriedly in a soft tone from beside me as we stood in front of a vending machine with coffee cans in our hands.
And in response, I looked up to face him and noticed his sharp bronze eyes were flooding with concern and uneasiness.
"I don't know if they'll be able to manage to do everything on their own..." he added before letting out a heavy sigh.
"You're right..." I trailed off, my eyes shifted away from him for a moment. "Even I should've tagged along as well. Not being there with them is just like burdening their shoulders with our problems even more... But then again, we also have to keep an eye on Manjiro. I don't want his dark impulse to take over his consciousness again."
"Me neither. That's the only reason I'm staying back, to be honest." Keisuke sighed again as we began to walk back to the visitor's corner.
Just as we reached there, we noticed Hinata standing in front of a depressed-looking Manjiro who was sitting on a bench in the visitor's corner with a nervous look on her face while Draken was leaning back against a wall just a few feet away from them, also looking depressed and lifeless.
"U-Umm... Could I talk to you for a minute?" Hinata muttered in a soft tone but Manjiro didn't say anything back in reply and just kept on looking down at the ground with vacant eyes. "Uh, you see... Takemichi-kun thought he could save Emma-chan..."
And hearing that ticked off Draken.
"Hey!! Don't fucking bring that up now!!" Draken yelled out in fury, moving away from the wall and now standing tall with a scowling face. "What's wrong with you?!!"
"Draken..." Keisuke called out in a warning tone, furrowing his eyebrows a bit. "Just calm down, man. Don't shout at Hina-chan like that."
Seeing me and Keisuke there caused Draken to calm down a bit while Hinata didn't say anything back to the tall Vice-Commander and kept quiet for a moment.
"It doesn't make sense." Draken groaned out in frustration, clenching his fists as his eyebrows furrowed ever more than before. "First Takemitchy and now you too, Hina-chan... Why would you say that now of all times? Just leave us alone."
"I-It's not just Emma-chan. There are lots of people Takemichi-kun says he has to save." Hinata spoke up again and her words made my eyes widen in surprise.
Don't tell me she's gonna reveal Takemichi's secret to Manjiro and Ken-chan?!?!
"Hinata, please don't-" I was about to warn Hinata to stop but Draken cut me off.
"So what?!" Draken snapped at the girl again. "What are you...!!"
"I died. 12 years in the future, I died." Hinata confessed, causing Draken to halt at his spot in complete shock, eyes widening open at the revelation. "Takemichi-kun came here from the future... to stop that from happening. It sounds like a lie I know... But it's true... He's desperate. He knows all our futures. He wants to help everyone. Starting from saving Draken-kun's life back on August 3rd of last year, followed by stopping Kazutora-kun from killing Baji-kun back at the Bloody Halloween, later stopping Shiba-kun and Yuzuha-chan from killing Taiju-kun and now stopping Izana Kurokawa and Tenjiku from destroying Toman; Takemichi-kun always knew what the future is going to be like and he knew Tetta Kisaki is the one who's creating all these messes every time from the very start... Takemichi-kun is trying to save me and everyone else, but I can't do anything to help him..."
Her words abruptly came to a stop as tears began to roll down her cheeks in pain and agony. On the other hand, Manjiro who was staring off at the ground with hollow eyes suddenly looked up at Hinata in shock and confusion as if he just realized something.
"What are you saying, Hina-chan? Is it true?" Manjiro asked.
"What in the...?!" Draken was about to say something again but Keisuke cut him off at this time.
"Hina-chan is telling the truth. She's not lying to you guys." Keisuke spoke up in a firm tone with a serious look on his face.
"Keisuke?!" I gasped out in shock. "Why are you-?!"
"Wait a sec...Nana, Baji... you guys knew about this?" Draken asked as he and Manjiro gave us a confused yet shocked look.
Staring at those two with widened eyes in nervousness, I didn't know what to say regarding this, so Keisuke took the lead and started to speak up on our behalf.
"Me, Nana, and Chifuyu; the three of us found out about Takemitchy's secret after the whole Bloody Halloween incident happened. Takemitchy himself revealed his secrets to us... Nana always had her doubts from the very start when Takemitchy tried to stop the fight with Moebius and was desperate to save Draken's life. While I began to have my own suspicions when Takemichi warned me not to die and desperately begged me to stay alive before the Bloody Halloween war. Whether it was saving Draken's life from Kiyomasa or saving my life from Kazutora and Kisaki – Takemitchy was always desperate. And that was all because he knew what was going to happen to us all along..." Keisuke revealed and this made Manjiro look over at me in confusion.
"Nana-chin..." the Sano boy trailed off, asking me to say something, anything.
Looks like there's no turning back now...
I also noticed Keisuke and Hinata now looking at me, pleading me silently to say something with their eyes. And seeing this made me let out a heavy sigh in response before I began to speak up as well.
"They're telling the truth, Manjiro..." I stated in a firm yet gentle tone, reassuring him. "This Takemichi we've with us now is actually a 26-year-old Takemichi who came from 12 years in the future... His original mission was to save Hinata's life from the Tokyo Manji Gang because, in the original timeline from where Takemichi initially came from, Toman became the biggest criminal organization in the whole of Japan with you and Kisaki as the supreme leaders. Most of us were dead in that timeline and Kisaki took that as an advantage to do whatever he wanted, even ending up killing Hinata as well. And that's why Takemichi has been going back and forth all this time to save Hinata and everyone's life... First, it started with saving Ken-chan's life, then it followed by saving Keisuke's life and stopping you from killing Kazutora, then later stopping Hakkai and Yuzuha from killing Taiju, and now this - stopping Izana and Kisaki from taking over Toman..."
"Kisaki has been the mastermind behind everything from the start..." Keisuke spoke up again, crossing his arms over his chest. "He pushed Pah-chin to the edge which led Pah to stab Osanai. He used Kiyomasa's hatred toward Draken as an advantage and manipulated him to kill off Draken. Kisaki was the one who created Valhalla and made them clash with Toman. He even manipulated Kazatora and made him join Valhalla so that he could kill me off and take over Toman... but none of those plans ever worked because they got interrupted either by Takemitchy trying to save Draken's life or Nana taking the stabbing for me from Kazutora..."
"After Takemichi saved Ken-chan's life, he went back to the future and found out that nothing had changed even after he did everything on August 3rd." I continued. "He then met up with Ken-chan in the prison where Ken-chan revealed Kisaki's other plans which were forming Valhalla and merging it with Toman, killing off Keisuke by using Kazutora, and then later pressing Manjiro to kill Kazutora for murdering Keisuke. But that plan didn't work out because of me, so Takemichi thought that maybe things might have changed a bit in the future. When he did go back to the future, he found almost everyone was killed by Kisaki while Manjiro went missing and nobody knew where he was at. Kisaki also tried to kill Takemichi but Kazutora came in clutch and saved his life. Kazutora then revealed to Takemichi how Toman was merged with the Black Dragons and how Hakkai killed off Taiju to save Yuzuha's life. The money of the Black Dragons was the reason why Toman became corrupted in that alternative future timeline and that is why Takemichi came back to the past once again to stop Hakkai from killing Taiju and defeat the Black Dragons so that the gang would get disbanded. And that's why the Christmas Incident took place. Even after being successful at this mission and also throwing out Kisaki from Toman, Takemichi said he still couldn't save anyone because after going back to the next alternative future, he found out that everyone was still dead and this time it was Manjiro who killed off everyone with his own hands."
"M-Me...?!" Manjiro gasped out in shock, his eyes widening open and in response, I simply nodded my head at him.
"That's right..." Keisuke confirmed, nodding his head. "Mikey killed us off at that time and turned out it was Kisaki and Izana who made him do it... Takemitchy found out about Tenjiku and the Kanto Incident from the future and was working with Naoto to figure out more truth, but then..."
"But then what?" Draken asked, frowning.
"In the future, Takemichi and Naoto went to Taiju to dig out some info, but then Kokonoi and Inui with the whole Toman gang showed up and started to attack them. Taiju helped the other two to escape but unfortunately, Izana and Kisaki caught them and killed off Naoto in the process. But before Naoto took his last breath, Takemichi shook his hand with him and jumped back to the past. After that, he couldn't go back to the future anymore which means in the future Naoto is dead now. It's been a couple of weeks since Takemichi came to the past but couldn't go back to the future anymore..." I explained before letting out a heavy sigh.
"I know it sounds crazy, but guys, think about it..." Keisuke stated, looking over at Manjiro and Draken who were quietly thinking about the info we just threw at them right now. "Whatever Takemitchy had been trying to do up until now... How desperate he always looked when he tried to save someone's life... His hatred towards Kisaki... Every time he told us to stay strong and united..."
Keisuke then turned his attention solely to Manjiro before speaking up again.
"Are you getting my point now, Mikey? Do you understand what I'm trying to say?" Keisuke asked and that's when Manjiro stood up from his seat with a firm, determined face, looking straight at the rest of us.
"Mikey?" Draken asked in concern.
"Let's go, guys." Manjiro stated in a serious tone, the lifelessness in his vacant eyes was all gone now.
My eyes widened a bit upon realizing what he just meant.
"Manjiro? Are you sure about this?" I asked, stepping closer to him to which Manjiro flashed a small smile at me in response.
"Takemitchy and the others are now fighting Tenjiku all alone. We need to go there right away. We can't burden Takemitchy anymore. He did a lot for us." Manjiro stated, his lips curling up into a smirk. "And besides... What kind of a leader would I be if I let my men fight my battles for me? After all, this fight isn't just about facing off Kisaki..."
"Mikey's right..." Draken sighed before smiling as well. "We can't just mope around and make Takemitchy do all the shit."
"Damn right! That's more like it!" Keisuke stated with a proud toothy grin causing me to smile as well.
Manjiro's right... This fight isn't just about taking down Kisaki... It's about Izana and defeating Tenjiku as well...
3rd Person's POV (back at the battlefield)
As the battle between Toman and Tenjiku went on and a bloodied, bruised-up Takemichi was facing off against his childhood friend Kakucho, the blonde time-leaper declared with all of his determination that Toman would not lose even when Tenjiku was overpowering them.
"Toman will not lose! As long as I'm here, Toman will not lose!!" Takemichi declared with blood and bruises all over his face, surprising everyone on the battlefield while Kakucho gave him a shocked look.
"What are you doing, Kakucho?" Izana asked in confusion. "Hurry up and end it already!"
"Kaku-chan will not win against me..." Takemichi stated and this confused Izana even more. "I just know it by looking at him. He looks like he does not have enough determination."
And just then someone walked over to the time-leaper and it was Kisaki.
"Move, Kakucho." Kisaki stated, gently pushing Kakucho away before pulling out a gun and pointing at Takemichi. "So you're saying you have it then, Takemitchy? I won't lose even if I die... That kind of determination, right?"
"A gun?!" Kokonoi and the others gasped in shock.
"Hey, what the hell!! What is this, a kid's fight?!" Kakucho snapped at Kisaki.
"Kisaki!!" Chifuyu called out in shock but Takemichi totally looked unfazed and simply declared straight at Kisaki.
Even in this situation... I don't know why but I'm not afraid...
And that's when Takemichi started to reflect on his lack of fear, as the encouragement and self-sacrifice of countless people, such as Naoto, Nana, Baji, and Chifuyu had given him courage. He recalled all the people he had encountered up until now, starting from Naoto asking for his help when they first met and his last words before he died.
Please work with me!!
You are my pride...
Naoto... Thank you for guiding me...
The time when Baji chose him as his successor for the 1st Division Captain.
Takemitchy, I didn't get to tell you this before but... the teamwork and compassion you showcased during the battle of Bloody Halloween reminded me of Shinichiro-kun a lot. 'Being weaker than others but never giving up' - Shinichiro-kun was just like that and you know very well how much we all admire Shinichiro-kun. You carry all the original wills and foundations within you; the same wills and foundations which were there when Toman was first created. You're the embodiment of Shinichiro-kun; our own crybaby hero. Before I resign, as the former 1st Division Captain, this is my final wish. I choose you, Takemichi Hanagaki!
Baji-kun... Thank you for believing in me...
The last words of Chifuyu before he was shot and killed by Kisaki before his own eyes.
I'll leave Toman to you, partner.
Chifuyu... Thank you for being my strength...
That one time when Nana expressed her gratitude towards him for his help.
Takemichi... Thank you for always being there by our side. From the day we met you, you helped us through thick and thin. You saved both Ken-chan and Keisuke's life once, you helped us to stop Manjiro from killing Kazutora, and also the time during our fight with Moebius... You did a lot for us, so thank you, Takemichi. I owe my whole life to you for everything you did up until now...
Nana-chan, thank you for helping me to grow stronger, both mentally and emotionally. Everyone's words have given me courage... Therefore, I'm not afraid.
Excluding Izana, everyone there was horrified at Kisaki's action but unexpectedly, Takemichi put his head closer to the barrel of the gun, much to Kisaki's confusion.
"Kisaki, what's holding you back?" Takemichi asked in a mocking tone with a smirk and this irritated Kisaki to no end.
After Takemichi asked that to Kisaki, a gunshot rang out through the air. However, Kisaki couldn't bring himself to kill Takemichi, so he ended up shooting him in the foot instead. Everyone (excluding Izana) gasped out in shock at what Kisaki had just done, but Takemichi stood firmly to his ground and looked up at Kisaki with a taunting smirk.
"What's wrong, Kisaki? I won't die if you are aiming at my foot." Takemichi mocked him.
Takemichi then thought of the futures of numerous people (including Akkun, Kazutora, Nana, Baji, Chifuyu, Draken, Mitsuya, Hakkai, Hinata, and Emma) that were relying on him as well as the pain he attributed to Kisaki, these people motivated to defeat.
How many reasons are there that convince me to not lose?
Takemichi thought back to the time when he met adult Mikey for the first time in the future in the Philippines.
Don't look at me with those eyes!
"I don't have charisma like Mikey-kun..." Takemichi started to speak up again.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Kisaki asked in confusion.
"I'm not smart like Nana-chan and Naoto. I'm not shrewd like Koko-kun. I'm not big and strong like Mucho-kun. I'm not good at fighting like Baji-kun or Draken-kun." Takemichi went on in a determined tone as he stood up straight with his wounded foot, glaring down at Kisaki. "So... There's only one thing I can do!! Never give up!! Even if it kills me, I'll never give up!!"
"I'll kill you." Kisaki threatened him again.
"Then do it!" Takemichi snapped back but Kisaki didn't do anything. "It'd be a cinch, right? As easy as killing Emma-chan."
In response, Kisaki pulled away his gun and punched Takemichi right in the face. Already exhausted from his previous fight with Kakucho, Takemichi struggled to regain his strength, unable to move. Just then, Akkun grabbed him and pulled him up, supporting him to stand straight.
"Akkun?!" Takemichi muttered out in surprise.
"What's wrong? Isn't being bad at giving up your only redeeming feature?" Akkun grinned in response. "Giving up doesn't exist in your dictionary, does it?"
"As long as I'm here, Toman won't lose, huh...?! You ain't strong enough on your own, numbnuts!!" Peh-yan added, walking up to Takemichi and Akkun.
"Even if you're not strong... I felt it here." Angry added, standing up from the ground.
"I can't just lie around!" Hakkai stated, through his gritted teeth.
"You have energized me!!" Inui stated, getting pumped up as well.
"Guys..." Takemichi trailed off, moved by their words.
"Takemitchy..." Chifuyu called out with a grinning face. "I'm glad you are the one who took over for Baji-san."
"Chifuyu..." Takemichi trailed off again as his Vice-Captain turned around and faced Kisaki.
"Kisaki, I wanna put you in the ground for trying to murder Baji-san and Nana-san!!" Chifuyu stated in a threatening tone while clenching his fists, glaring down at the said boy. "But... This is just a fight between kids. We are not here to kill each other. We just want to show off. Like we are king shit of badass mountain. We don't know where else to direct our power, so we take it out on each other. Fighting fist to fist. For what we believe in!! For the burden we bear!!"
"So?! You ragged trash can stand up and give flowery speeches all you like. Doesn't change the fact that you have lost!!" Kisaki retorted before looking back at Takemichi with a crooked smirk. "Do you really want Toman to disappear, Takemitchy?"
"Don't use my nickname so casually. You're all such a pain in the ass." Takemichi growled out.
"Fine then. I'll give in. Let's compromise." Kisaki stated to the time-leaper. "We will merge Toman and Tenjiku!! Neither ranked higher than the other! It will be named the Tokyo Manji Gang!! And Mikey can be the leader! How about it?! Not a bad proposal, right?!"
But in response, Takemichi simply punched Kisaki straight in the face, causing the latter to fall to the ground because of the impact.
"Kisaki! I'm gonna beat your rotten brain back into shape!!" Takemichi snapped and Kisaki stared at the boy in pure shock. "Get up, Kisaki. I'm not in the mood for a compromise! I promised Nana-chan that I'll avenge Emma-chan's death! I'm not here to join forces with you!"
"Why the hell are you so stuck on me?" Kisaki asked.
"Did you really think I'll join forces with you knowing that you tried to kill Baji-kun?!" Takemichi snapped out again. "Baji-kun's the one who created Toman, not Mikey-kun. Toman follows the rules and ideals that Baji-kun had set ever since the time he created Toman. And as Baji-kun's trusted successor, I will never make compromises and join forces with you!!"
"Why you...?" Kisaki snarled out through his gritted teeth as he stood up from the ground.
"Why would someone like Draken-kun resort to murder...? I just couldn't understand." Takemichi went on, recalling the time he met up with adult Draken at the prison and hearing his words confused Kisaki.
If I could do my life over again...
There is just one thing I would absolutely have to do.
I would kill Kisaki!!
"That's what Draken-kun told me in the future." Takemichi stated.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Kisaki asked, still confused while Takemichi continued to think about adult Draken's words.
Kisaki wants to take away everything Mikey holds dear.
"Draken-kun..." Takemichi mumbled to himself before dashing forward to attack Kisaki again but this time, Izana showed up and stood in between him and Kisaki, blocking the punch. "Out of my way, Izana!!"
"Stand aside, Kisaki. I'm going to kill every last one of them." Izana stated with a wide toothy grin.
"No, you won't, you bastard!!" Takemichi yelled out, charging towards Izana with a punch but Izana easily counterattacked.
"Get bent, shit-stain." Izana stated mockingly at Takemichi.
As he tried to attack again, Takemichi realized that Draken ended up on death row for trying to avenge Emma's death.
I get it now, Draken-kun... Why you ended up on death row... It's because you went to avenge Emma-chan's death... You actually had a reason...
"Stay down, Takemichi!" Kakucho called out in concern.
And the way Mikey-kun turned out in the future... That absolutely happened for a reason...
Takemichi tried to land another attack on Izana but failed which resulted in him getting knocked down by Izana again. Laying on the ground, Takemichi tried to think of a reason as to why Mikey would turn evil and he concluded that Tenjiku's influence was the cause of Mikey's downfall.
"You don't know when to quit." Izana commented.
"You bastards drove Mikey-kun over the edge!! I'm gonna protect him!!" Takemichi cried tearfully while laying on the ground.
As he stood up again and was about to punch Izana, Takemichi suddenly stopped and stood on the ground, confusing everyone in the area.
"Took you long enough..." Takemichi stated, raising his fist in the air. "I didn't lose..."
"Huh? What are you saying?" Izana asked in confusion.
"Leader!!" Takemichi called out and lo and behold entered Manjiro Sano into the scene with a serious look on his face, shocking everyone including Izana.
"Thank you, Takemitchy." Mikey stated, walking up to the center of the crowd.
"No way!!" Chifuyu gasped in shock.
"For real?!!" Hakkai asked.
"Why?!" Angry added.
"Mikey?!" Mucho muttered, shocked as well.
"You're kidding me!! He just lost his little sister... Shouldn't he be wallowing in despair right now? There's no way he would come here!!" Kokonoi stated, his eyes wide open as Mikey walked passed through Izana and Kisaki.
"Let me speak with Takemitchy for a minute." Mikey stated as Takemichi stared at his Commander with teary eyes.
"You really came..." Takemichi mumbled in happiness to which in response, Mikey wrapped an arm around the boy and pulled him into a hug.
"Thank you, Takemitchy." Mikey responded.
"Mikey-kun... but why...? You weren't exactly in the right state of mind to come here..." Takemichi trailed off and that's when the sound of motorbikes entering the scene caused everyone to turn and look around before finding two infamous motorbikes in their view – Baji's GSX 250E Suzuki Goki and Draken's Kawasaki Zephyr 400.
Nana's POV
"Yo, Takemichi!" I greeted the boy with a smile as I was on Keisuke's bike and the blonde time-leaper simply gawked at us with a dropped jaw in shock.
"Baji-kun and Nana-chan?!! Wait, even Draken-kun as well?!! Why all three of you are here?!" Takemichi squeaked out.
"Hop off, Hina-chan." Draken stated to the girl who was riding on his bike in the back and seeing her, caused Takemichi to gasp out in shock again.
Hopping off of Keisuke's bike, I looked over at Hinata and patted her shoulder reassuringly.
"You two take it easy, okay?" I stated with a smile to which she smiled back and nodded her head in response.
"Huh?!! Hina?!" Takemichi asked, walking up to her meanwhile Manjiro, Keisuke, Draken, and I walked toward Izana and the Tenjiku gang with serious looks on our faces.
"I'm sorry, Takemichi-kun. I came too." Hinata stated before revealing how she spilled out his secret to Manjiro and Draken.
"Huh?!! You talked about the time leap stuff?!! With those two?!" Takemichi gasped out again, this time in a whispered tone.
"Umm... Sorry, it just slipped out." Hinata smiled sheepishly at him.
"Slipped out...?" Takemichi repeated her words in a helpless tone.
"But Nana-chan and Baji-kun helped me to make them understand the situation better." Hinata added with a smile.
"Nana-chan and Baji-kun...?" Takemichi asked before looking over at us. "But all four of them were in total despair... There's no way they can fight now. I'm glad they're here, but..."
"Well, Mikey? Looks like half of Tenjiku can still fight." Keisuke pointed out with his hands on his hips.
"Half, huh? So that's 200 against 4..." Manjiro trailed off.
"Yeah." Draken confirmed, nodding his head.
"So, wanna take a handicap?" I asked the Tenjiku gang nonchalantly and this annoyed them to no end.
"A handicap?!"
"Get fucked, assholes!!"
"You making fun of us?!"
"That's our line, you bitch!!"
"Aren't you bastards the ones making fun of us? Who do you think we are, huh?!" Keisuke growled out with a frowning face.
"200 guys? Bring me 20,000!!" Manjiro yelled out loud and the Tenjiku gang gasped out in shock. "With Nana-chin, Baji, and Ken-chin by my side, I'll take you all down in no time!!"
"Mikey-kun..." Takemichi trailed off in happiness as we looked back at the Toman gang with encouraging smiles.
"C'mon, guys. What's the holdup?" Manjiro smiled.
"Stand up tall, boys!! It's showdown time!! That's what we are here for, right?!" Keisuke added with his signature grin.
"Hey, Toman!! Make some noise!! Yell out loud!!" Draken chimed in, smirking as well.
"You two are too loud, Ken-chin, Baji." Manjiro chuckled in amusement as everyone from Toman started to get all pumped up to fight back again.
"God... my ears are starting to ring..." Izana muttered in annoyance before looking over at Kisaki. "I don't know what kind of trick they pulled... but our plan has gone off the rails, Kisaki."
And with that, suddenly, Izana rushed towards Manjiro and landed a kick on his face. However, Manjiro blocked the kick with his arms but was propelled backward because of the impact.
"Mikey!!" Peh-yan gasped worriedly.
"Manjiro!!" I called out in concern.
"He's fast!!" Chifuyu commented on Izana's speed.
"You have lost Shinichiro. You have lost Emma. Well? How does it feel to become an empty shell, Manjiro?!" Izana asked mockingly with a big, taunting grin, his purple eyes looking unhinged while in response, Manjiro scoffed and stood up tall again to fight Izana.
"Let's settle this, Izana..."