The Black Bulls base stood deep within a rocky forest valley outside the capital. The structure looked like a strange combination of towers, castles, and stone buildings stacked together over time.
Some walls leaned slightly.
A tower seemed to sit on top of another tower.
Parts of the building looked centuries old while others looked recently rebuilt.
David stared up at it.
"…This is the headquarters?"
Beside him, Yami Sukehiro shrugged casually.
"Yep."
David looked again.
"…It looks unstable."
Yami grinned.
"Only sometimes."
They stepped inside.
Immediately chaos greeted them.
An explosion shook the ceiling above.
Someone was yelling in the kitchen about stolen food.
Another voice shouted angrily about someone blowing up their room.
Yami didn't react at all.
Instead he simply yelled loudly.
"HEY! GET YOUR ASSES DOWN HERE!"
Within seconds people started appearing from different directions.
The Black Bulls.
---
The first to approach was a muscular man with spiky silver hair and flame-patterned clothing.
He grinned widely.
"Name's Magna Swing!"
He slapped David's shoulder like they had known each other for years.
"Welcome to the Black Bulls, man!"
Right behind him bounced a blond boy with wide eyes and a huge grin.
Lightning crackled faintly around his body.
"I'm Luck Voltia!"
He leaned forward excitedly.
"Wanna fight?!"
Before David could answer, a tall woman with messy hair and glasses walked forward holding a bottle.
"I'm Vanessa Enoteca."
She looked David up and down.
"Pretty cute recruit."
David blinked.
Next came a quiet pale man with dark circles under his eyes.
"I'm Gordon Agrippa," he whispered softly.
David leaned closer.
"…Sorry?"
"I said… Gordon…"
David nodded politely.
Nearby stood a girl with fluffy hair stuffing food into her mouth.
"Charmy Pappitson!"
She continued eating.
A shy girl in a witch hat waved nervously.
"I'm Grey…"
Then a tall skinny man with green hair stepped forward.
"Finral Roulacase."
He gave a friendly smile.
From the upper floor balcony a quiet boy with long hair looked down.
"Henry Legolant."
David nodded to everyone.
Magna crossed his arms proudly.
"Pretty awesome squad, right?"
Before David could answer, Yami added something.
"Oh yeah."
"One more guy joined recently."
Magna blinked.
"Oh yeah… him."
David looked confused.
"Who?"
Magna shrugged.
"Zora Ideale."
"He technically joined the Black Bulls recently."
"But…"
Magna scratched his head.
"…he hates working with squads."
"Guy never comes to the base."
Yami smirked.
"He'll show up when he feels like it."
"Or when he wants to mess with someone."
David nodded.
Interesting.
---
Magna cracked his knuckles.
"Alright."
"I usually fight every new recruit."
Yami shook his head.
"Nah."
Magna blinked.
"Huh?"
Yami pointed at Luck.
"Let him do it."
Luck's face exploded with excitement.
"YES!"
Magna groaned.
"Fine… next one is mine though."
---
They moved outside to a rocky clearing near the base.
Luck bounced on his feet.
Lightning sparked around him.
"This'll be fun!"
David calmly opened his grimoire.
"Ready when you are."
Luck vanished.
Lightning Magic: Thunder Dash!
He appeared behind David instantly and kicked.
David dodged.
Luck attacked again.
Lightning bolts blasted across the field.
David moved smoothly, dodging several attacks while studying Luck's movements.
Luck laughed wildly.
"You're fast!"
Magna crossed his arms.
"Kid's holding up well."
Vanessa watched carefully.
"David hasn't attacked once."
Luck rushed in again.
This time David moved.
His body blurred.
Luck's eyes widened—
But before he could react—
BAM
David's fist slammed into his stomach.
Luck flew backward across the clearing and crashed into the dirt.
Silence fell.
Luck slowly sat up.
He grinned widely.
"…I didn't even see that punch."
Magna whistled.
"Damn."
Yami burst out laughing.
"HAHAHA!"
"Those other captains must be pissed."
He grinned proudly.
"Two talented recruits joining my squad."
---
Later that evening, David was shown his room.
The door creaked open.
Dust exploded into the air.
The room clearly hadn't been used in years.
David sighed.
"…Alright."
He spent the next hour cleaning.
Eventually the room looked livable.
Bed.
Desk.
Window.
Simple.
David lay down and quickly fell asleep.
---
The next morning…
BANG BANG BANG
"HEY NEW GUY!"
David opened the door.
Magna stood there smiling.
"Time for the grand tour!"
They walked through the base.
Magna pointed proudly.
"That's the kitchen."
"That's Vanessa's room."
"That's the training hall."
They stepped outside to a steaming stone pool.
"And THIS… is the hot tub."
David raised an eyebrow.
"…Nice."
Magna nodded proudly.
Then he pointed to a nearby cage.
"And those are Captain Yami's pets."
David walked closer.
Inside were strange aggressive beasts with sharp teeth.
One lunged forward suddenly.
Its jaws snapped inches from David's hand.
David pulled back quickly.
Magna laughed.
"Yeah… don't pet those."
They continued walking.
Magna casually added something.
"Oh yeah."
"The base shifts randomly sometimes."
David stopped walking.
"…What?"
Magna shrugged.
"Yeah. Whole building moves around sometimes."
Suddenly—
A door nearby slammed open.
Yami walked out slowly.
Magna and David froze.
Yami looked extremely annoyed.
"…You idiots."
Magna whispered.
"…We're dead."
Yami pointed behind him.
"You two walked in while I was taking a dump."
Before either could react—
BAM
Yami slammed both of their heads into the wall.
From inside the base, the Black Bulls burst into laughter.