Part One
Garumon Battle Communications: Reido Academy Mass Transition Special Edition
- The Reido Academy Mass Transition Incident
Since last year, a certain phenomenon had been the talk of this world.
The Reido Academy Mass Otherworld Transition Phenomenon.
The otherworld transition phenomenon refers to a phenomenon in which Garumon cross the dimensional walls and arrive in this world.
About ten cases occur worldwide each year, and the vast majority come from the otherworld known as Earth.
Since the otherworld Garumon who appear via this phenomenon are almost all excellent specimens of SR-Class rarity or above, it is generally considered a fortunate event for Masters, who can obtain superb Garumon for free.
However, in May of Earth Year XX, the entire student body and faculty of Japan's Reido Academy, an estimated 472 people, transitioned to this world all at once.
Large-scale transitions of this kind had occurred in the past, but rarely drew much attention.
Such was the laziness of the media at the time.
This issue, our magazine has decided to pursue the Reido Academy Mass Transition Incident.
Because the number of transitioned people was so vast, it has been confirmed that they arrived in six waves at irregular intervals of about three to five months apart.
The first wave, December of year 297. Eighty people transitioned all at once together with the Reido Academy schoolhouse itself.
Among them were the famous S-Class rank 17 Masters Eclair Feradria and Sario Shard, along with their party members Kanna Hizaki and Nami Himuro.
Also included were A-Class rank 34 Master Shogo Shiraki and Yumi Tsuchiya, along with his Seven Knights and their core members.
The second wave, February of year 298. The next eighty transitioned all at once into the Reido Academy schoolhouse.
Among these transitioners were B-Class rank 69 Master Kensei Yamagata and his party member Sawako Aozawa.
The third wave, June to July of year 298. The transition method from this point on differed from that of the first and second waves. About eighty people, over the course of several days, transitioned in pairs of one Master and one Garumon to scattered locations across the world. The transition sites were not consistent: some inside towns, others on grasslands.
Unlike the Masters of the first and second waves, who could establish a foundation for living through cooperation, many of the Masters and Garumon who transitioned at this time are believed to have lost their lives amid the chaos.
However, some emerged as figures of distinction, B-Class rank 508 Yuma Ishiguro chief among them. C-Class Master Masayuki Nezu may also be counted among those who rose to prominence.
The fourth wave, October to November of year 298. The transition method was scattered, as in the third wave. Likewise, many Masters are believed to have died amid the chaos.
Notable transitioners included Haru Midoriya, who reached C-Class Master and is currently a B-Class Sub-Master, and Setsuna Akai.
The fifth wave, January to February of year 299. The transition method was the same as the third wave.
Notable transitioners included B-Class Sub-Master Masaomi Noda and Maika Yukishiro, currently a B-Class Garumon.
And finally, the sixth wave, April to May of year 299. The transition method was the same as the third wave.
The notable transitioner was Naoto Akai, currently (October 299) a B-Class rank 501 Master, along with his partner Garumon, Kanan Kazami.
No further Reido Academy transitions have been confirmed since.
(Several otherworld transition phenomena have been confirmed in the interim, but they have been determined to be the usual sort and unrelated to Reido Academy.)
- Past Mass Transition Incidents
Since the dawn of recorded history, mass transition incidents on the scale of the present phenomenon had occurred twice before.
- The Winland Castle Mass Transition Incident, which occurred around year 100.
In Earth year 18XX, from Winland Castle of the Kingdom of Labroua, Princess Charlotte and the Royal Guard knights and ladies-in-waiting protecting her, around eighty people in all, accomplished a mass transition together with the castle itself.
The many Earth-grown livestock, plants, and animals brought over at this time still grace our tables today. (Wheat, grapes, potatoes, cattle, horses, sheep… and more.)
Most of the Garumon who transitioned at this time were exceptionally excellent, and the Masters of that era flushed with excitement and moved to secure them.
Bloody struggles are said to have erupted at times.
Princess Charlotte in particular was called the greatest Garumon in history, the one for whom one would trade all the wealth of the world.
However, together with the legendary Master Kaiser, who obtained her, she went missing, and her whereabouts remain unknown to this day.
Whether otherworld Masters transitioned together with them at the time was not preserved in the records. Even if there had been any, they would have been a tiny minority and are presumed to have vanished into the waves of history.
- The Queen Titania Mass Transition Incident, which occurred around year 200.
In Earth year 19XX, the luxury liner Queen Titania, belonging to the Kingdom of Fauria, accomplished a mass transition together with the ship and her approximately 160 crew and passengers.
This time, too, the transition is believed to have taken place in two stages over the course of several months. (The records of the time are vague; this is inferred from various Masters' memoirs and diaries.)
A great many Earth-grown plants and animals were brought over on this occasion as well. (Rice, soybeans, chickens, pigs… and more.)
The Garumon who transitioned this time were likewise exceptionally excellent… and so on, the same pattern as before.
There were excellent Garumon still spoken of today, such as Mille-Feuille and Margaret, but most of them have now been lost.
Garumon from this transition still active today include Salvia (held by S-Class number 6, Duras Heidrich), among others.
The vast majority of those who transitioned are said to have been Garumon, though a small number of otherworld Masters were reportedly included.
However, they left no particular mark and faded into the waves of history.
And now, around year 300, the Reido Academy Mass Transition Incident. From the above, it is clear that mass transition incidents occur on a hundred-year cycle. A once-in-a-century grand event.
- Characteristics of the Current Mass Transition Incident
In the two past mass transition incidents, only Garumon transitioned over, and in great numbers.
It was a grab-bag sort of event: the Master who reached the spot first got to scoop up large numbers of excellent otherworld Garumon on a first come, first served basis.
The ruins of Winland Castle and the wreck of the Queen Titania can still be confirmed today.
The plants and animals brought over on those occasions had a greater impact on history.
The unprecedented characteristics of the current mass transition incident include the larger-than-ever number of people, and the inclusion of a great many otherworld Masters.
The ratio is roughly 1:1. In other words, about 236 otherworld Masters are believed to have transitioned over.
Cases of Masters transitioning from another world had not been preserved in any record up to now.
There are records that, during the Queen Titania incident, otherworld Masters were captured and enslaved, and it is highly likely they had existed in earlier cases as well.
However, unlike Garumon, who can demonstrate their power under a Master, Masters who hold no power of their own are presumed to have rarely risen to prominence.
Therefore, the mass transition of large numbers of otherworld Masters this time, and the rise of several of them to prominence and renown as Masters, is the first such occurrence in history.
- Notable Masters
(1) S-Class rank 17, Eclair Feradria and Sario Shard
The most attention-grabbing figures in the current otherworld transition phenomenon are surely the current S-Class rank 17 Masters Eclair Feradria and Sario Shard.
Sario Shard won the A-Class Tournament last year and was promoted to S-Class within roughly a year, the very Master who brought the Reido Academy otherworld transition phenomenon to the world's attention.
After his promotion to S-Class, Sario Shard ceded the Master's seat, and Eclair Feradria became one of the few beings who, despite being a Garumon, became a Master.
In her original world, she was the Third Princess of the Kingdom of Feradria, of the highest possible standing.
Sario Shard had been her slave.
(In the otherworld, since Garumon and Masters are equals, an inverted arrangement can occur in which the Garumon is master and the Master is slave.)
(2) A-Class rank 34, Shogo Shiraki
Shogo Shiraki was among those who transitioned in the first wave alongside Eclair Feradria.
After Eclair's departure, he organized the many students who remained behind and steadily built up his strength.
He reached B-Class promotion at the same time as Eclair, and his recent promotion to A-Class became a topic of discussion.
His ace Garumon, Yumi Tsuchiya, was a renowned aristocrat in her original world; alongside the later-mentioned Kanan Kazami, she was second only to Eclair Feradria.
Shogo Shiraki had been her slave.
He held a total of eight slaves, including the seven below, currently C-Class Masters and known as Shogo Shiraki's Seven Knights.
C-Class rank 1 Kazuo Wanda, rank 2 Souji Tsushima, rank 3 Ryouzou Sasaya, rank 4 Koji Furuya, rank 5 Goro Haida, rank 6 Riku Shikura, rank 7 Youshichirou Sebu
(3) B-Class rank 69, Kensei Yamagata
Among those who transitioned in the second wave were Kensei Yamagata and his comrade, Sawako Aozawa.
By the time they transitioned, the Reido Academy schoolhouse was already an unmanned ruin, and they happened upon a Master who had come to explore. Combat broke out, and amid the great chaos most of the transitioned Masters scattered in all directions.
The one who drove off that Master was Kensei Yamagata, who had contracted with Sawako Aozawa.
Kensei and Sawako fought their way through this world in search of their mistress Kanan Kazami, and rose to B-Class rank 69.
In their original world, Kensei Yamagata and Sawako Aozawa were both slaves of the later-mentioned Kanan Kazami.
Kensei Yamagata was a combatant who protected Kanan Kazami from danger. Sawako Aozawa was a former aristocrat.
(4) B-Class rank 501, Naoto Akai
The one believed to have transitioned in the final stage of the sixth wave was Naoto Akai, along with his partner Kanan Kazami.
Although forced to debut in the disadvantageous month of May, he steadily built up his strength and fought his way upward, recently defeating Lagas, who bore the byname of "C-Class Hunter" and was said to possess the strength of mid- to upper-tier B-Class, achieving B-Class promotion. The matter remains fresh in memory.
He is the most noteworthy newcomer at present.
In his original world, his partner Kanan Kazami was a leading great heiress, and stood in rivalry with the aforementioned Yumi Tsuchiya.
Naoto Akai had been one of her slaves.
Kensei Yamagata, Sawako Aozawa, Haru Midoriya, Yuma Ishiguro, Masayuki Nezu, Masaomi Noda, Akira Ichinose
She had held a total of eight slaves, the above seven plus Naoto.
Naoto Akai was skilled at games and had cleared many high-difficulty titles such as DoDonpa○i Daiou○jou.
(5) B-prime-Class rank 501, Haru Midoriya
Among those who transitioned in the fourth wave were Haru Midoriya and Setsuna Akai.
In this world, this extraordinarily beautiful boy drank the Yin-Yang Divine Elixir and became a Garumon.
He joined up with Naoto Akai and, together with Setsuna Akai, became his Garumon.
In his original world, Haru was, alongside Naoto Akai, one of Kanan Kazami's slaves.
Setsuna Akai is a renowned violinist, winner of the National Junior Championship and third place in the World Championship.
(6) B-Class rank 508, Yuma Ishiguro
Among those who transitioned in the third wave were Yuma Ishiguro and his slave Shizuno Mita.
Yuma Ishiguro adapted to this world and steadily built up his strength; as he encountered his confused classmates, he took them in one after another, reinforcing his fighting power.
Last year, he achieved B-Class promotion.
In his original world, he was wealthy and had been one of Kanan Kazami's slaves.
Shizuno Mita was famous as a beautiful Japanese-language teacher.
(7) B-prime-Class rank 508, Masaomi Noda
Among those who transitioned in the fifth wave were Masaomi Noda and Maika Yukishiro.
Noda, an excellent gamer in his original world, swiftly adapted to this one as well.
He became the Eora Champion at D-Class.
However, he was defeated by Naoto Akai.
Disheartened though he was, Noda met his sworn friend Ishiguro, was selected as a Sub-Master, and bounced back.
Noda had been Kanan Kazami's slave in his original world.
A renowned gamer, Noda has many awards to his name from his original world. WMOG number 1, WOX National Tournament number 1, BFF World Tournament representative, FFO Universe winner, and so on.
Maika Yukishiro was a model student who held both class president and discipline committee chair posts.
C-Class
C-Class rank 48 Kazuki Higuchi, C-Class rank 159 Shogo Mimura, C-Class rank 165 Morio Iwate, C-Class rank 277 Haruki Yoshimoto, C-Class rank 332 Kousuke Iida, C-Class rank 360 Shinsaku Sudou, C-Class rank 390 Taiyou Hatta, C-Class rank 414 Julio Oomori, C-Class rank 422 Kouhei Iimura
Plus Shiraki's Seven Knights, for a total of 16 C-Class.
- Earth's Slave Battles
Here, we would like to introduce the slave battles that took place on Earth.
On Earth, the inverted arrangement had been the norm, with Garumon as masters and Masters as slaves.
Ordered by their Garumon, Masters fought one another in what were called slave battles.
Eclair Feradria and her slave Master Sario Shard reigned at the apex,
with eight slave Masters under Kanan Kazami,
and eight slave Masters under Yumi Tsuchiya.
These two sides contended for supremacy.
On the Yumi Tsuchiya side, Shogo Shiraki stood at the top; the seven Masters under him cooperated, banding together to push Shogo Shiraki up to A-Class Master.
However, the Kanan Kazami side splintered, since the transition of its core figure Kanan Kazami was delayed.
In essence, Kensei Yamagata has been the central figure organizing that camp.
- The Footsteps of B-Class Rank 501 Naoto Akai
Among the 236 otherworld Masters, we have given particular attention to B-Class rank 501 Master Naoto Akai and have been pursuing close-coverage reporting.
That is because his performance might be called that of the protagonist of this mass otherworld transition incident.
Naoto Akai transitioned to this world together with Kanan Kazami on May 1st of this year.
The transition phenomenon at Reido Academy also occurred on May 1st of year XX.
The number of people who can transition to this world at one time is limited, but it is presumed that the transition phenomenon was made to occur in six stages so that all of the transitions could be completed by May 1st.
In that respect too, he, believed to have been the last to transition, may well be called the central figure of this otherworld transition phenomenon.
Due to the timing of his transfer, he was forced to debut in May. Whereas Masters who graduate from ordinary schools complete their debuts during March and April, May debuts are conspicuously late. We asked Mr. Roiden, an authority on Garumon Battle, just how much this affects matters.
"It would be no exaggeration to say that a May debut is completely past its prime. Excellent Masters compete with one another during March and April, and excellent Garumon gather around the more excellent Masters.
"And the talented advance further. Those without talent remain at the lower tiers with worthless Garumon.
"Such struggles are basically settled by the end of April, so a May debut is far too late.
"Even if you win, you can't obtain powerful Garumon, and if you carelessly climb to higher tiers you'll be defeated by Masters who already have powerful Garumon ready.
"A May debut is permissible only when one is the son of an aristocrat equipped with powerful Garumon from the start.
"In that case, it's also valid to debut after taking time to level up.
"Even non-aristocrats, if they have powerful Garumon at hand and can train them up before challenging, can pull it off, but…"
However, Naoto, in the very first match he was challenged to, won splendidly, and fortunately set out with two UR-Class Garumon in hand from the start.
"Two UR-Class Garumon in hand? No, no, that can't be right. UR-Class Garumon actually hold you back. Listen well, UR-Class Garumon are extremely difficult to train. At the G-Class level, even ten wins might net you only one or two LV ups.
"Just winning with an LV1 UR-Class Garumon against an LV10 N-Class Garumon is exceedingly difficult, and winning with an LV2-3 UR-Class Garumon against an LV20 HN-Class Garumon is essentially impossible. The most efficient course is to sell off the Garumon you obtained and purchase high-level R-Class and HR-Class Garumon. With that, you'd be able to climb to E-Class and, if lucky, even D-Class."
So said Mr. Roiden.
You can see how difficult Naoto's footsteps had been. Yet undeterred by this disadvantage, Naoto effortlessly won his way to D-Class.
We asked one of the Masters who had fought Naoto for his account.
"Ah, of course I remember. A young Master leading two beautiful Garumon, Adelia and Kanan, right?
"His Garumon were just so beautiful… at first glance they looked tough, but their LVs were way lower than mine.
"This'll be an easy win, I thought, and started the fight.
"… I couldn't compete at all. I was made to feel the difference in caliber."
For all this talented Master Naoto's gifts, his road has not been a smooth one.
As already stated, on Earth he was of slave status. He had been made to fight as Kanan Kazami's slave.
By regaining the proper relationship between Master and Garumon in this world, his talent blossomed.
However, Kanan's other slaves did not just sit and watch.
The Masters who had been Kanan's slaves all sought revenge, and Naoto had to fight them.
The first assassin was Akira Ichinose. Having lost the partner who came over with him and wandering as a vagabond, he encountered Naoto.
With Ichinose's sanity gone, there was no means of negotiating, and Naoto distanced himself. He is currently missing.
In the town of Eora, Naoto was promoted to D-Class. The champion was Masaomi Noda, who held Maika Yukishiro as a slave.
After a fierce battle, he defeated Masaomi Noda and obtained Maika Yukishiro.
Noda subsequently became Yuma Ishiguro's slave Master.
Haru Midoriya wished to become a Garumon and Naoto Akai's slave.
Naoto confronted and defeated Masayuki Nezu, who had been targeting Haru Midoriya, driving him off.
Masayuki Nezu's whereabouts have been unknown thereafter.
Yuma Ishiguro now has Masaomi Noda in his service and is in a cooperative relationship with Kensei Yamagata.
Kensei Yamagata and Sawako Aozawa have together challenged Naoto Akai to a duel staking Kanan Kazami.
Thus, the struggle over Kanan Kazami has at present narrowed down to Kensei Yamagata and Naoto Akai.
By the time this magazine is published, the outcome will likely have become clear.
Our magazine intends to continue following his footsteps.
- Roster of the 472 Transitioners
S-Class 2 (Eclair, Sario)
A-Class 1 (Shiraki)
B-Class 5 (Yamagata, Naoto, Ishiguro, Noda, Haru)
C-Class 16
D-Class 13
E-Class 16
F-Class 23
G-Class 12
H-Class 39
Deceased 35
Missing 74
Garumon-ified 2 (Sario, Haru)
Garumon
S-Class 4 (Eclair, Sario, Kanna, Nami)
A-Class 14 (Yumi,
B-Class 21 (Kanan, Sawako, Maika, Haru, Setsuna)
C-Class 101
D-Class 43
E-Class 12
F-Class 3
G-Class 2
Missing 47
Master-ified 1 (Eclair)
B-Class
Rinko Kijima
Lenny Brown
Chris Brooks
Kasumi Morino
Koyuki Ihara
Kobeni Akashima
Shizuno Mita
C-Class
Riko Harada
Kazumi Iijima
Mari Yoshioka