Boom!

Nurarihyon's upper body was nearly obliterated, yet beams of light still emanated from his drooping eyes. Oka and Kyukon deftly evaded them, sliding to the sides to land further slashing blows. Despite once being sworn enemies, the two fought in flawless unison, never impeding each other's movements.

But even their coordination had its limits. Holes opened in Oka's feet, while the hand that had partially regenerated fired off stray beams. One by one, they fell.

Nurarihyon's remaining arm finished regrowing at an unsettling pace, the tattered fiend swiftly seizing Kyukon's face despite its grotesque appearance.

The bespectacled man watched, trembling, as multiple beams pierced through her. Nurarihyon then callously flung her limp body aside.

Now, none remained standing near the fiend. At least, until Reika's sniping blasted away its lower half.

"N-No way..."

Evidently, something was different this time. The beast's regeneration failed to initiate. Its boundless healing had finally reached its limit.

Spasming erratically, Nurarihyon's back contorted as wings sprouted forth. Flapping heavily, it began a slow, lumbering ascent.

"Huh...?"

This was no aggressive maneuver. Facing none of them directly, the fiend merely drifted further upwards and away at a sluggish yet steady pace.

No trace of pride governed its actions - turning its back on the enemy was simply another viable tactic. Likely, Nurarihyon's head remained uncompromised by any directives. Escaping the designated combat zone would incur no penalties under Gantz's rules.

Oka struggled upright, one foot entirely severed yet his furious glare fixed on the retreating foe.

"Don't you run away!"

Gasping for breath, he hurled the Gantz Sword gripped in his remaining hand. The blade arced straight towards Nurarihyon's back.

But Oka had reached his limit as well. With his suit's enhancements failing, his throw lacked the necessary force - momentum that would have easily carried in his enhanced state now falling pitifully short. The sword's trajectory faltered until someone caught it by the hilt.

To the bespectacled man, he was an unfamiliar blond figure in a standard suit who had leapt from a second story window, snatching the falling Gantz Sword.

"Push the button to extend it, huh?"

THe wielded two Gantz Swords, both blades instantly telescoping outward before crisscrossing in an X-shape that bit deep into Nurarihyon's form, severing its wings.

Beams lashed out, but the blond man had already landed, nimbly sidestepping.

"Drop."

Oka, crawling over to the gravely wounded Kato, charged the Z-Gun gripped in his remaining hand.

Nurarihyon seemed to realize its attempt at fleeing the designated coordinates had failed. But too late - a descending gravitational force slammed it back into the ground with crushing finality.

Boom!

The bespectacled man could only weep silently as Oka's soul-rending roar accompanied the Z-Gun's furious, sustained barrage - explosive impacts pockmarking the bridge as shockwaves rippled across the river below.

Oka continued firing until he could no longer press the trigger.

An eerie stillness followed, the lack of any regenerative stirs seeming to confirm it.

"How...why..."

The bespectacled man remained dumbfounded. Though new to these Gantz battles, he knew the protocol - they would be transferred once victorious. Yet nothing transpired despite Nurarihyon's clear obliteration.

Reika descended, crouching in baffled dismay. "Gantz! Hurry! Why won't you transfer us..."

"It's obvious, ain't it?" Kyukon's kimono rustled before the bespectacled man, her slight smile carrying grim finality.

Shaking his head in denial, he realized her implication. "No, that can't..."

"Master has commanded it."

"But you're coming with us, right? There has to be another way!"

"Til the bitter end, you just can't help being human, can you?" Kyukon ripped off one of her tails, letting the severed appendage disintegrate as she systematically deprived herself of her regenerative capabilities, steadily weakening. Crushing the final tail in her fist, she dropped to her knees.

The bespectacled man finally acknowledged the harrowing guilt welling up inside him, a lacerating remorse flooding over in waves.

"It's all my fault. If I hadn't captured you all with those balls..."

"We were enemies, yeah? So why make a face like that?"

"But it was like brainwashing! Using those balls to enslave you... I'm so sorry, you must have hated every second of it! Having to die like this in the end..."

Kyukon gently stroked his cheek before leaning in close, whispering in his ear. "Maybe I'll see you again in a dream, in the next life. Farewell."

Retrieving her blade, she flashed him one final, radiant smile before sweeping the sword in a decisive arc.

He forced himself to watch until the very end as her severed head hit the ground. Covering his mouth, his gaze drifted over to where Reika had already begun dissipating into thin air.

So this was the transfer process. The bespectacled man realized his own turn would come soon enough.

Heartrending wails reached his ears as Anzu desperately clung to Shirona and Lucario's lifeless forms, resisting the extraction until it became a futile struggle.

Beholding Shirona's final expression, he recalled her censorious words and grim acceptance of their grim responsibilities - obligations he had callously shirked by disregarding Onitengu and Kyukon's own feelings, dismissing them as mere thralls of the enslaving spheres.

"Shirona, you were right all along. I should have listened..."

Approaching Oka's battered form, the bespectacled man found the man barely conscious yet rousing slightly at his presence.

"Oka, I...I'll do it." His voice trembled with conviction despite the tears and runny nose.

"I'll revive Shirona, and all the others too. Every single one, no matter how many times it takes."

"Shut...up, four eyes..."

Whether Oka registered his words was unclear, as the transfer had already claimed the bespectacled man's upper torso. He stared numbly as the world dissolved around him.

***

A spherical form materialized - one of the black orbs, bearing an uncanny resemblance to the Monster Balls that had first brought such strife.

Awaiting the others' arrival, he simply sat in silence, uncertain what lay ahead.

Anzu appeared beside him, glancing sidelong before averting her reddened eyes.

Next came the half-dressed punk with dyed hair - the one whose arm had been blown off, now regenerated by Gantz's restorative capabilities.

"Huh? What's this..." Blinking groggily, he looked around before patting his jacket for his cigarettes, disappointment crossing his features as the reality set in. With a weary sigh, he slumped against the wall.

The transfers continued until only the bespectacled man felt some semblance of relief, reassured they would all be healed eventually.

Oka simply sat in grim silence after an initial flicker of his eyelids.

"Oi Oka, what happened here? Did we take the boss out?"

Silence answered the punk's query.

"Well? Is that it then? No one else is coming back?"

"Shut your mouth."

Anzu began sobbing in earnest, shaking her head in denial. "We're the only ones left...my sister, her Pokemon, everyone else is dead."

"Huh?"

The half-naked man leaned his head back, staring emptily at the ceiling.

An oppressive stillness lingered until the bespectacled man and Anzu cried out in stunned unison.

"Huh?"

"No way..."

The transfer was still ongoing, rays of light coalescing into a solidifying form.

They both rushed over, the bespectacled man in fresh tears.

"Kyuu?"

Togekiss found itself smothered by their embraces, letting out confused calls for Oka's aid that went ignored by the sullen man.

Somehow, the Pokemon had managed to cling to life despite its grevious wounds, its healing abilities keeping it alive if immobilized.

"Thanks goodness, at least you made it back..."

"Togekiss, you're okay!"

"Kyuukyu..."

They all seemed to understand the situation upon seeing the sparsely populated room. Glistening tears welled in Togekiss's expressive eyes as it quivered its wings, conveying pure sorrow.

Then a bell-like chime rang out.

Everyone's gaze turned towards the central sphere.

[Your Victory has Begun

Initializing New Scenario

Loading parameters...]

Something was clearly amiss with Gantz's garbled display text.

Kuwabara rose to his feet. "What's it saying? Hey! Get it together!"

The screen flickered to total blankness for a moment as the sphere fell ominously silent, its glossy black surface reflecting the room's dim lighting.

The bespectacled man started to rise as well, gripped by an inexplicable sense of dread - an irrational urge to simply flee taking root. Soon, however, new prompts scrolled into view:

[Virgin Nerd

0 points

Anzu Babe

0 points

Super Pervert

0 points

Oka

0 points]

Oka stood with an abrupt clang of his suit. "What's the meaning of this?"

The bespectacled man registered the anomaly as well. His zero score was understandable given his lack of solo victories against the aliens. But Oka and surely the half-naked man had each defeated at least one of the higher-point fiends in the past. Yet they had been unceremoniously reset along with him. More disconcerting, their lifetime totals from prior battles had been wiped clean too.

The bespectacled man realized that aside from himself, the others were likely veteran Gantz fighters with overall scores potentially exceeding 100 points already - enough for an immediate revival under normal circumstances. That possibility had now been invalidated.

"Hey Gantz! Cut the crap! Gimme back my points - I took down a 100-pointer, dammit. Add that shit up!"

The be exact Nurarihyon was an alien with over 300 points, but the result remained static regardless.

Oka proceeded to kick the sphere repeatedly in a frightening rage, an intensity the bespectacled man sensed was highly uncharacteristic based on the others' stunned reactions.

Yet Gantz offered no response, its dark surface impassively absorbing the violence. In that moment, they realized the finality of it all. This mission was over, no arguments remaining.

Even after the transfer prompt activated, allowing their departure, none of them moved at first.

Oka leaned against the sphere catching his breath before finally rising with a huff. "Whatever. We'll just rack up points again. Take down a new 100-pointer next round."

"Um, please wait..." The bespectacled man's words gave the departing man pause as their gazes met.

"I'll earn points too."

"Huh?"

"If we work together gathering 100 points, we can revive everyone all at once. It'll be easier in a group."

"Ahhh..." Oka seemed to take notice of Togekiss for the first time, gesturing dismissively. "You, c'mere."

"Kyuukyuu?" The Pokemon shrank back behind Anzu, peering out warily.

"Don't just stand there gawking. From today on, you're my tool - gonna have to teach you some tricks for the next fight."

Togekiss hid further, drawing an exasperated sigh from the bespectacled man. "That's not what I meant. We should all cooperate together from now on. We'll probably face more opponents soon that we can't overcome alone."

"Don't care. Do what you want." Oka turned to leave with a derisive snort.

The bespectacled man searched for the words to give his disheartened retreat pause, but Anzu spoke up first.

"You sure about this?"

Oka glanced back, his stern countenance met with Anzu's unwavering stare.

"We'll just revive my sister Shirona ourselves then, without you. And I'll make sure to badmouth you to her real good - really give your reputation a thrashing. That what you want?"

Looking thoroughly fed up, Oka faced forward again yet remained rooted for several tense seconds as Anzu's smug look intensified, daring him to dismiss her threats.

Finally, he let out a resigned sigh. "Just don't get in my way. I might toss you guys some scraps if I'm feeling generous."

Unclear whether she had truly swayed him or not, Anzu seemed satisfied enough to let him go, exchanging a meaningful glance with Togekiss.

"Say, mind if I join your little group?"

The bespectacled man startled at the unexpected voice and towering frame of the half-naked man, suddenly more wary as Anzu and Togekiss recoiled visibly.

Following his gut instincts about this dubious character, the bespectacled man replied carefully, "I guess that's fine, but..."

"Good. I'll get my 100 points first though. And I ain't reviving that Shirona chick - just bringing back one of her lackey Pokemon is my price."

Anzu looked about to protest, but the bespectacled man cut her off. "If that's what it takes for your cooperation, I can agree to those terms."

Though put off by the crass demand, he sensed negotiating with this unsavory figure could prove difficult. Refusing outright may jeopardize their fragile alliance before it began.

With that tentative arrangement in place, they all departed back to their separate lives.

The bespectacled man still felt utterly drained from the life-or-death battle, the psychological toll likely to hit him harder once he returned home and the adrenaline faded.

Yet some semblance of hope remained, images of the tengu and kitsune flashing through his mind as he made his way down streets lined with wailing sirens and flashing lights.

***

Such temporary bravado can be a fragile thing.

"Ahh..."

News of the incident at Dotonbori had certainly caused a stir at school, dominating nearly every conversation. For the bespectacled man, who had been embroiled in the heart of that chaos, it could have been an opportunity to bask in the limelight.

Yet the thought of calmly recounting those harrowing memories felt unthinkable. Many acquaintances he may have discussed it with were gone now.

Sitting on a courtyard bench after classes let out, he gazed upwards at the clouds drifting across the open sky.

How had he managed to persevere through such an ordeal?

He certainly didn't feel any stronger for it. The prospect of potentially facing another threat on par with Nurarihyon sent a chill down his spine. Voicing determination before the others was one thing, but inwardly he knew his next encounter could just as likely be his last.

"Why did I have to go and say something so reckless? It's obviously impossible..."

Lifting his uniform, he eyed the Gantz suit beneath with trepidation.

Incredible as the technology seemed, effortlessly augmenting him into a superhuman juggernaut during gym class if he wished, the costs had been staggering.

The life-or-death battles would continue, unabated.

To the bespectacled man, the suit felt less like a guardian angel and more akin to the Grim Reaper itself - having witnessed its catastrophic breaches far too many times, helpless as it failed to protect loved ones from a gruesome demise.

"Oh man, I'm getting worked up again..."

His grim reverie hardened into startled focus upon glimpsing an approaching shape rapidly taking form, several bystanders excitedly filming with their phones amid cries of "Lucky!" and "No way!"

Togekiss alighted directly before him, unconcerned by the fanfare.

"What's going on all of a sudden?"

"Kyuuii!" Togekiss nudged his knee with its wing-tip in a playful gesture.

He couldn't help but smile at the mischievous display. So the Pokemon had come to check up on him, sensing his unease and aiming to bolster his resolve.

In that moment, he felt more at peace than he could recall in recent memory. Placing a hand atop Togekiss's head, he found himself somehow comforted by the pure innocence radiating from the cherubic former.

"Hey..."

"Kyuu?"

"Mind giving me a lift home?"

Togekiss responded with an exaggerated huff, feigning reluctance in a display sure to elicit squeals of delight from any nearby schoolgirls witnessing its adorable antics.

The bespectacled man clambered aboard without hesitation, eliciting a swell of murmurs and phone cameras. Gazing down at the sprawling cityscape gliding by, he found his eyes drawn to the back of Togekiss's head, an overwhelming sense of protectiveness welling up.

No matter what awaited them, no matter whether he survived their next deployment or not, he felt resolved to keep this precious companion out of harm's way.

Determined to be as prepared as possible, the bespectacled man decided to continue honing his skills with the X-Gun upon reaching home.

***

"To remake the world itself - such is the necessity before us."

The grandiose words rang with sinister undertones the likes of which Shirona found deeply unsettling in that fiery gaze. An unswerving drive to achieve that apocalyptic ambition at any cost.

Akagi's intensity echoed those sentiments, sharing an undeniable ideological overlap she could no longer deny. Not that it mattered much now, pondering such existential quandaries.

Shirona's eyes opened to a vast, featureless expanse of blinding white surrounding her. Yet it proved something more than mere colorless void bathing her senses.

Logically, this realm could only represent the afterlife itself - anything else defied rational explanation.

Looking down, she marveled at the ethereal forms of her beloved Pokemon clutching her, their amorphous shapes seeming to extrude from the pristine emptiness itself.

With Garchomp's spectral form supporting her, Shirona managed to struggle upright despite the overpowering melancholy weighing her down, eternally grateful for the strength of her family's bond.

One by one, she accounted for their presences - all except Togekiss, nowhere to be found for reasons unknown. Hopefully the courageous fairy was faring well back in their world.

Had the others managed to overcome that ultimate trial, she wondered, or paid the same tragic price?

"Many explanations are surely required."

The hauntingly familiar voice sparked no surprise, already permeating her awareness from its inception within this plane.

Reaching up, Shirona felt the warm tears streaming down her own cheeks - their steady, silent flow utterly dispassionate.

 

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