Awakenings Are Painful

The night I first encountered Magical Mai, I found myself curled up in my desk chair, nursing about nine beers before inevitably succumbing to sleep. Tonight, a similar incident seemed inevitable as well. It had only been roughly twenty-four hours since my last bender, yet here I was with a fresh six-pack of Asahi, sifting through various websites in search of a new camera.

"Ricoh Theta... Sony..."
I gently scrolled my mouse, taking long sips of my drink to calm my racing mind.

My vision seemed to blur momentarily, almost as if my first beer had gotten me drunk.

There's no way... how could I be drunk from one beer?

I rubbed my eyes frantically, sensing something was definitely off. As I brought my palms to my eye sockets, a bright light shrouded my vision momentarily.

The Mark of the Phantom on my right palm had begun glowing bright green. The vibrant colors seemed to spray from my palm and into the air surrounding me; yet they dissipated before coming into contact with my walls and furniture.

I jumped to my feet, clasping my wrist with my free hand as the colorful aura emitted from my warm palm.
"What the hell?!"

Inside my chest, I could feel a tightening sensation. Was I having a stroke; a heart attack? I stumbled forward to my window, gasping out into the night sky as I tried to call for help.

Right there, directly in my field of vision, was what I could only describe as a kaiju. Its vulgar proportions and teeth larger than my entire torso.

Déjà Vu

I stared into its eye, which had been peering into my window for who knows how long. The intricate patterns surrounding its pupil looked similar to a bouquet of flowers, with a void directly in the center. The longer I looked, the more my body betrayed me. I couldn't walk, shout, or even breathe.

Unexpectedly, the floor beneath my very feet began to crumble. The kaiju had used its tail to destroy half of my apartment complex without so much as moving from its position. To my surprise, my back never hit the ground. I was hovering, still and motionless in mid-air as the beast snarled before me.

My Mark of the Phantom began glowing even brighter, almost blindingly. The monster retreated a few steps back, letting out a pained whimper from having been temporarily blinded by my light.

"What's happening?! I can't control myself!"
I shouted into the sky, as if praying for some entity to save me from my dilemma.

My cries were answered. Swooping directly in front of me, a girl with bright, blue hair and an adorably revealing sailor uniform had appeared. Much like myself, she hovered in the air, her hair blowing freely in the wind as she chanted in an unknown language.

A goddess... a real, bona fide goddess. Wearing a sailor uniform.

I managed to straighten my posture mid-air, gazing up at the heroine who had come to save me from my inevitable doom.

"Are you alright, Kazuya?!"
The girl shouted in my direction without so much as turning her head.

I tilted my head to the side.
"Who the hell is Kazuya?"
Suddenly, I put the pieces together. This girl hovering in front of me, who was bad with names and claimed to me a magical girl, was Magical Mai.

"Magical Mai! You're... blue?"
I gripped my glowing hand tightly, trying to suppress the frantic beams of light.

"We've already been over this, Kakifly! I'm a magical girl!"
Magical Mai, calling me yet another bizarre name, launched an enormous frost gust toward the monster, temporarily freezing its feet to the road.
"Quickly, show me your Mark of the Phantom!"

I extended my hand toward her, studying every little detail of her outfit. The blue skirt, her thigh-high socks hugging her legs, the way her top showed off her abdomen. Yep, she was gorgeous.

"This is no good! You're about to have an awakening! Just... try to stay calm, okay?"
Magical Mai offered a somewhat sympathetic smile.

"Stay calm?"
I asked her,
"Is it going to hurt?"

She let out a sigh, nodding her head.
"It's going to sting a little."

My eyes began to glow. A bright green beam of light shot from my pupils. As I screamed in pure agony, I could feel a million thorns prickling against every pore on my body. My skin was growing rose bushes, enveloping my body with a dark, deep green. Buds and petals of beautiful flowers began to bloom on my joints, creating a gruesome, almost villainous armor made of pure vegetation and flora. A cape of grass emerged from my backside, cloaking over my body like a poncho of sturdy, sharp blades.

Magical Mai watched in pure fascination as I transformed. Her gaze naturally landed on my face, where the rose thorns had created a mask around my mouth, resembling sharpened teeth that you would see in a manga.

"Kazuo... you're a magical boy!"
She shouted without hesitation, calling me that ridiculous title.

"I can feel it! This sense of despair and tragedy... it's coming from that beast. It's a great sadness."
I pulled a blade of grass from my cape, holding it firmly in my grasp like a sword.

"Those beasts are the Mërks I mentioned at the coffee shop... and this isn't your first encounter with one."
She gazed down at its feet, taking note of the minimal time she had before it broke free from her ice prison.

"I see... I think I get it now. This power coursing through me, it feels blissfully heroic. Something is telling me to defeat this overwhelming sadness."
I charged forward without hesitation, slashing against its snout with my blade of grass.

Letting out a growl of anguish, the Mërk slashed at me with its claws, narrowly missing my head by just a hair.

A moment of opportunity presented itself in an instant. I had grappled the Mërk from behind, the thorns on my hand allowing me to grip its skin without slipping. I planted my feet into its back, using my newfound powers to sprint my way toward its head. The thrashes and cries of despair were for naught, as my blade found its way deep into the back of its skull with a deafening crunch.

Falling to the ground, the Mërk let out a whimper, crashing into the road and destroying the pavement below. Its body began to dissipate into ash, quickly spreading into the sky. I stepped down from the vanishing beast's back, watching as a glowing red orb emerged from its chest and hovered before me.

"That's the Nova I mentioned as well. You can use its power to reverse the damage caused by the Mërk."
Magical Mai let out an audible gulp, staring at my villainous appearance with wide eyes and shaky hands.
"I've never seen such brutality before. Are you still the same Kazuo I knew before?"

I could see her gripping her wand tightly, as if she were expecting me to retaliate.

"I'm still Kazuo. Though, this outfit makes me feel like some kind of supervillain."

Her grip loosened slightly, and an audible sigh of relief escaped her lips.
"I see... forgive me. Go ahead and tap that Nova with your blade. Time should start reversing as soon as you do."

Following Magical Mai's instructions, I gently tapped the Nova with my grass sword, watching as particles of light danced around us. Time had really begun to reverse, and the damaged city was repairing itself at mach speeds.

* * *

Upon opening my eyes, I was inside my apartment. I groaned loudly, wincing as I sat up.

A dream? There's no way something so vivid was just a dream.

I peeked out my window, watching the hustle and bustle of Tokyo outside my apartment. The morning sun had risen, and time marched forward as if nothing had ever happened.

Standing from my bed, I made my way toward the restroom. My mind racing, trying to wrap my head around the insane dream that had plagued my brain for an entire night.

I opened the door to the bathroom, yawning as I unzipped my pants to enjoy my morning bladder relief.

"Um, Kazuo? What are you doing?"

My eyes shot wide open. With a shaky breath, I gazed down at the person sitting on my toilet. It was none other than Magical Mai; panties around her ankles and a large shirt pulled down to her knees. Her frightened eyes gazed directly forward, staring at my lower body.

I looked down in horror. There it was in all of it's glory... Yes, that fleshy pole had been hanging directly in front of this innocent girl's face.

God, if you're real... please let me escape this situation with my member still intact.