A mission from Raymond

Back in Tokyo, Okisato scowled as he exited the helicopter.

"Your ass is lucky gramps has some friends in TMPD, otherwise you'd be getting fines up your ass for getting stuck up there!" Otona fumed.

"How would I get in trouble? I was essentially kidnapped," Okisato groaned.

"Ngh, guess we could have gone at it from that angle... So the fog-"

"Desperados."

"Fuck. I'm the only one in the Kawaguchi force that can actually move the pieces right."

"Speaking of kidnapping, do you know if Inoue-senpai, Iori-chan, and that girl that was with them got kidnapped as well?"

"No reports, though thanks to having to save your ass, I have no clue if the reports were phoned into the office."

"Guess I'll just call them myself."

"No need, I'll inform you of the matter," a voice declared.

Okisato turned to notice none other than Raymond Redfield standing behind him. "Come. There's a chess center nearby. We'll discuss matters there."

...

"Inoue-senpai's been kidnapped and held hostage!? How?"

"Most likely she was snagged after winning her game by the Fairy League. She is unharmed, but that does not subside my anger towards those radicals," Raymond scowled.

"I'm not too familiar with the Fairy League, mind filling me in with some more context?"

"Very well. They're an underground league based in the UK and headed by it's queen, Heather Fairy. She herself is a grandmaster, and has used chess in the past to forcefully assume the throne."

"Does she have a DESPER?"

"No, though there are Desperados living within the UK. The Fairies, as there name implies, seek fairy chess supremacy for chess worldwide. Gothic chess is the primary push, though they're fine with any variant with fairy chess pieces so long as fairy chess is the norm."

"Why?"

"That we don't know. What we do know is that the Fairy League is a bigger headache to the WWCF than the Desperado League could ever hope to be. They'll constantly kidnap WWCF officials and demand for the implementation of fairy chess mandates worldwide in exchange for their return."

"And I assume you refuse?"

"Correct. And as a result, most hostages are often absorbed and radicalized into the Fairies' ranks. That being said, the Fairies do give chances via a city-wide chess game, known as the Fairy Gauntlet. Apparently they have a Desperado loyal to them, who is instructed to grant hostages the chance to escape should they beat either him or Heather in a Gothic chess match."

"And do you know who this Desperado is?"

Raymond flashed an image of a knight in gold armor on his WWCF card. "Grandmaster Baron von Borg."

"So is my mission to go to London and save Inoue-senpai?"

"You could, however, I'd prefer you assist the WWCF in taking down a more pressing matter; Maestro Xiao Lin."

"I was already in the process of planning out a trip before all this happened."

"In that case, I'll grant you a gift," Raymond nodded as he pulled out a case from his pocket. "Inside are the completed versions of the prototype you used to initiate a match with Michiko. We're officially referring to them as DESPER keys."

Okisato took the case and opened it to find four gold keys within.

"Do be warned, Maestro Xiao Lin's residence of Jade Shadow Mountain is considered a giant secret puzzle cafe, and thus, DESPERs won't activate within its boundaries. However, not every nook and cranny of the mountain is considered part of the cafe. Thus, should you find a spot the DESPER can activate in, you need only be 100 ft or closer to her person to forcefully activate her DESPER with the key. Now if you're lucky, she might activate it herself, saving you the trouble. Regardless, you are not to have her punishment for losing be death, or anything that would hinder her chess-playing abilities in the future. You will also require her to come to WWCF HQ and perform a DESPER sealing ritual."

"Sounds soft."

"Not at all. Any punishment that does not violate the restrictions I imposed will be permitted to be used against her as punishment for her stunt against Maestro Himitsu."

"So if she breaks her leg and can't walk properly again, or has her face covered in tattoos..."

"Permissible."

A malicious grin spread across Okisato's face. "Then I'll head to China."

That all being said, when Okisato arrived at the airport, he found Yuusuke, Utami, Rodeo, Yuzuha, and Numakawa all there waiting for him.

"Well you sure took your time. Inoue's been kidnapped," Yuusuke glared.

"I know."

"Then why the hell did you take so long to get here and not answer any of our calls!? We're gonna go save Inoue."

"Good luck."

"And you're coming with us!"

"Why?"

"Because in this instance, I assume the role of chess club president, and order you as a member of the club to help save Inoue!"

Okisato let out a sigh. "I guess I'm going to London after all."

"Yes, but just you, not the whole entourage," a voice growled. 

Okisato turned to notice Daria and Hagemi. 

"Yuusuke, I thought I told you we were gonna handle this," Hagemi glared.

"I'm not gonna sit and wait while Inoue's tied up n' crying for help!" Yuusuke retorted.

"Hmm? You've always been smitten with my little girl. That being said, these opponents are far above your level," Daria frowned.

"Okisato's the only one we'd even take with us, so the rest of you should head on home," Hagemi growled.

"Why are you two taking the plane? Couldn't you just warp to a secret puzzle cafe there?" Okisato asked.

"London doesn't have a secret puzzle cafe..."

"How is that?"

"With the rise of the Fairies, they ended up taking over the UK before a secret puzzle cafe could properly be set up in London. And with how hostile they are to the WWCF, there's no way they'd allow one to go up unless one of their own is appointed to manage it. And that means granting a Fairy the ability to warp freely to WWCF HQ, where they'd undoubtedly abuse that ability to undermine the WWCF from within. Unlike the Desperados, the Fairies' whole mission is to destroy the WWCF and standard chess as we know it. And now, they've got serious leverage for the first time by capturing Mimoko. Reports on the ground indicate Iori's the only one active in the game, but if she loses before reinforcements arrive..."

"We're at their mercy at the bargaining table."

As the group headed for security, they were confronted by a group of 5 girls.

"YOU! You'll pay for what you did to us!" one shouted.

Okisato groaned as he recognized the bunch. It was the 5 college girls from the beach.

"You're Svetlana's friends, is she nearby?" Okisato grumbled as he went on guard.

"Yes, in fact, she's currently going through security now. I bet she'd love to see you again," Jackie sneered as she adjusted her glasses.

"I doubt she'll get past security with that sledgehammer of hers. Anyway, we all have a flight to catch, so good bye."

As the chess club attempted to ram past the college girls, they were stopped by the sound of a loud yawn. "You girls are so loud. I already had my beach trip ruined by you all getting arrested. Don't ruin my layover nap."

Okisato's heart thumped as he recognized the voice. Veins beginning to bulge in his eyes, he turned to see a man lounging on the chairs nearby. With his spiky white hair, white lab coat, and goggles, he certainly looked like a mad scientist, and indeed he was. This was Prof Manfred von Skaberghast, one of the DESPER's original inventors.

"Well look who it is. Been a while since I last saw you. So, kan du forstå, hvad jeg siger nu [can you understand what I'm saying now]?" Skaberghast smirked as he slowly got up.