Camera-Man

The sun blasts its rays of light like an energy beam through a hole in the clouds, warming the city of Tokyo. Thousands upon thousands of people walk through the streets of Akihabara, covering every maid cafe, every Anime store, and every corner. There are tons of people here. 

A breeze brushes through a bridge with sakura trees on both end; it gently caresses the long brown hair of a beautiful girl in Japan as she’s showing off her most brightest smile to her blushing, head scratching, and looking away protagonist. The wind dances through and pulls the sakura petals off of trees to its trance; they dance and flutter playfully, adding a more romantic and wholesome atmosphere to the young couple staring into each other’s eyes. Their reflections sparkling in both of their irises. They scooch closer together. Hand in hand, the boy and the girl blush brightly red. Their hands tighten on each other. Then they lean forward with their eyes slowly closing. 

Then the dancing sakura petals get sucked into a nearby man’s mouth. “Pleck!” The man spits the pink petals onto the ground and swats the incoming sakura flowers zooming toward him like they’re bugs. “My gosh, there’s so many! They’re ruining the shot and covering the lens of my camera!” The man shakes the pink petals off of his huge cinema film camera. Then he puts it back on his shoulder and meets the young couple’s gaze. Their face are more red than before like they’re about to burst, especially the girl. “Oh sorry about that. Continue on with the kiss.” 

“We weren’t kissing or anything like that!” The girl drags her protagonist by the arm and dashes off into the distance. 

“Aw man, but it was such a good shot though.” The man pushes the red button on his camera and sighs. “So that’s what they call a 'Tsudere' here in Japan. We don’t have anything like that in America.’”  

Another breeze brushes through. A white cape flutters behind the man, stereos boom as he tests the sound on his hips and elbows, and the lens of a large cinema camera mounted on his shoulder like a canon dazzles in the sunlight. A black camera symbol is etched on the chest of the man’s black and white tight jumpsuit. Camera-Man! He grins brightly at the sun then leaps high into the air, kicking up a draft that sends out a wave of dirt and sakura petals. 

Into the sky, Tokyo shines brightly beneath him. Camera-Man presses the record button on his camera and starts filming the city. Zooming in and capturing every detail from the smiles of citizens in the streets to the bugs on trees. Until he spots someone he knows. 

"The director!" Camera-Man smiles then kicks the air, erupting a sonic boom. His cape flaps violently in the wind as he closes in to the streets. "Hey, Mr. Director!" 

As Camera-Man closes in, he can see the Director fixing his glasses and pinching his eyes at him. Probably the sun is glaring at him and can only see a silhouette coming down at him. 

Camera-Man pounds into the ground, kicking up a draft; the people around him shriek. His tall stature and muscular build stands over the Japanese people; he smiles brightly with his hands on his hips posing like he saved the day. "We finally meet, Mr. Director!"

"Ah, you must be Mr. Camera-Man."

"Oh please, just call me Camera-Man!"

"Alright then, Camera-Man. I've heard about the success of your film, The Arachnid Man 4." 

"Ah yes, it was a magnificent fight New York has ever witnessed since, Beginninggame, with all those heroes walking out of the wormholes to claim the Infinite Hat."

"Yes, I've also seen that film and loved it. Please tell me all about your experience with those heroes." 

Camera-Man laughs. "Of course. But as you know, I am here to film the types of battles Japan faces. I've heard the battles here are also magnificent, especially the one series I've watched called, Two Kick Man."

"Yes, that one was great especially his fight with the alien, Horos. Now, follow me to my office and we can discuss all about Japan's battles over some tea." 

Camera-Man shakes the eager director's hand and follows him to the studio. Inside he passes by rooms full of people editing shots taken from previous battles of Japan. Another room full of musicians and singers, making songs and music. A long glass window hallway showcasing a meeting that is going on inside with directors and important looking people in black suits over a wide oval shaped table. 

Finally, Camera-Man follows the director into his office. Inside there are posters lined on the wall of Japanese superheroes that are either in a pose or facing head on to a dastardly smiling villain. Camera-Man smiles as he nods his head in admiration at them.

"Come, sit down," says the director.

Camera-Man pulls up a chair in front of the wooden desk. "So, what hero will I be covering today?"

The director smirks and shuffles through some files in his desk. "I love your work on the Arachnid Man, movies. Your camera work is phenomenal." He pulls out a file and opens to a photo of a sixteen year old boy with black spiky hair in a white high school uniform. 

Camera-Man's smile flips into a frown. He tilts his head and scratches his blond hair. "But he's just a kid."

"Yes. He has super natural strength and speed, he can channel multiple magic runes and fi-"

"But this is just a sixteen year old kid in a high school uniform. There's nothing cool about this guy." 

"But the Arachnid-Man, was also a high-schooler."

"Yeah, but it's THE Arachnid-Man, everyone in the west knows who that is, but this kid? He looks like he gets bullied by his own harem." 

"Trust me, Camera-Man, this kid is the real deal."

Camera-Man flits from the papers of the teenager and back at the director with an eyebrow raised. Then he sighs and lays back on his chair. "Alright, I guess."

The director smiles excitedly and shuffles through the paper, picking out the teenager's file. "His name's, Takaki Shunsho. He looks like a normal high school student..."

The director's words fade into noise; he nods every time the director ends his sentences just to show that he's engaged in the conversation. His thoughts blur out the sounds around him, thinking down about the job. 

Why can't it be a real superhero like the one who's hair turns blond when he's angry? Camera-Man thinks to himself. Why did they give me a random kid? Lets just get this job over with and go back home to-

Boom!

The building shakes like an earthquake. Camera-Man grabs a hold of his chair like it's going to save him. "What's going on?" he exclaims.

Outside the window, smoke rises up toward the skies like and erupting volcano. Then it instantly clears violently in an explosion of wind. Two figures in the sky above the city clash; their clash lighting up like fireworks. 

"That's him! Takaki Shunsho!" 

"What?" Camera-Man flits at the director then stares at the two figures fighting. 

"He's fighting with Ishida Satotsu! Camera-Man, you must record the fight and show me the results. I would like to see how your camera work is like with our battles here in Japan. And you would be surprised by our high-schoolers here. We have a lot of powerful teenagers."

"You've gotta be kidding me." Camera-Man slightly grins at the spectacle in front of him. The two figures zip around almost light speed with lights flashing all around them. Unlike the Arachnid-Man 4,  the fight that's going on outside looks like it's going to blow up the whole city. "Fine, I'll go and see what this kid can do. Mind if I use your window, Mr. Director?"

"It will be my pleasure." The director opens the window. Wind storms in, twirling all the papers in the room into a tornado.

Camera-Man shoots himself out of the room and presses record on the camera mounted on his shoulder. He zooms through the air, approaching the igniting battle. 

And there he is, Takaki Shunsho, in his plain white uniform shirt and plain black pants against some other guy wearing the same exact uniform as Takaki with shoulder length red hair and a long dark red scarf. Their fists clash, vibrating the air around and shattering the windows in its radius. 

"We're gonna need some music to go along with this fight too!" says Camera-Man. A screen pops out from the side of his camera; it beeps as his fingers touch the smooth surface to the music tab and presses play. The stereos on his hips and elbows begin to play. Drums roll like rumbling thunder. Cellos create tensions in the air with its repeated notes, then trumpets blow like a gust from an oncoming storm. 

Camera-Man closes in as he jumps on top of buildings and zooms his lens. Takaki and Ishida skirmishes across the sky with fists bashing into each other. Their expressions filled with determination through their gritted teeth and glares. 

Shaking with excitement, Camera-Man exclaims loudly, "Whoooooooo!" 

Takaki and Ishida both shout. A guitar rips through the air from Camera-Man's stereo. A blue and red sword of light clashes from both their hands. Lightning strikes across the sky as if it had been cracked by the blow. Then the two high-schoolers zip above the city, pounding the air. 

Wind rushes past Camera-Man as he jumps across the sky and kicking the air around him as if there's an invisible surface. Then he launches himself forward and flies between the high-schoolers, spinning. His camera snaps as he takes shots of their glaring faces. They pay no mind to him as they continue slashing at each others swords with ferocity, flipping, twirling, and shouting. 

This is incredible! What kind of kids are they birthing here in Japan?  Camera-Man flies around them, recording the fight from all angles as the two shout their lungs out; their movements picking up speed, becoming a blur to the naked eye. Light flashes over hundred times like a crowd of photographers. 

Then Ishida pushes Takaki off, finally breaking their infinite clash; his hand glows brightly red. A roar rips the air, sending chills running through Camera-Man as he positions himself below him, capturing Ishida, lighting the sky red like he's a force to be reckoned with. 

Camera-Man spins back to Takaki, filming the boy gritting his teeth and sweat dripping from his face. Then back to Ishida, he jumps and flies in a curve, capturing the moment Ishida swings his hand. Red stars sparkle in a crooked line, then red energy blasts, flying diagonally toward Takaki. 

"Ooooohhhh! What will he do now!" Camera-Man zooms in.

"Is that all you've got? This is nothing!" Takaki shouts. 

Camera-Man zooms out, making Takaki look small on his screen as the boy knocks all of the blasts out of his way. He zooms in again. Takaki gripping his sword with two hands rips out his own roar. Blue light paints all around him as his sword increases its length all the way to the horizon. Then he swings, splitting all of the clouds in two.

Switching back to Ishida, Camera-Man's heart seems to freeze to record what happens next then it pounds again as the red scarf boy simply swings his sword upwards and blocks the attack like it's nothing. 

"Pathetic! Someone as weak as you, Takaki, can never be the High School King!" Ishida shouts as he slides his magical blade against Takaki's sword like a zipline. 

The two clash once more; their swords shattering into a million embers, sparkling. Zooming in, Takaki looks flabbergasted at what just happened. 

And it looks like Ishida notice the surprise look too and takes advantage of it and pummels Takaki then knocks him down toward the city with a thrust of both of his legs. 

With a loud yelp, Takaki crashes down to a street, sending waves of concrete flying like a tsunami. Camera-Man records the fallen hero of this story, lying in the dirt like a particular orange clothed wolf fang fighter in a crater. 

Ishida crashes down as well, kicking up a wave of dirt. The red hair boy grins dastardly on Camera-Man's screen as he crouches down and tilts the camera upwards, capturing Ishida's triumph. 

After a few beeps on the camera screen, Camera-Man changes the music to a more ominous tone with a eerie violin and slow drums pounding like a dying heartbeat. 

"Look at yourself, Takaki, weak, weak, weak." Ishida grins. "How can someone as pathetic as you become the High School King! A first year like you just need to lie on the floor like you are now and obey us second years. How could you possibly win against me?"

"Takaki!" A girl with long blue hair in a high-school uniform appears. 

"Aoi..." Takaki mumbles, trying to get back up on his feet.

"Oh ho. The cutie has arrived." Ishida instantly appears before the girl and grabs her by the throat. 

"Stop it! Let her go!" 

Camera-Man stands recording the ordeal, his heart aching for the girl struggling in the villain's grasp while the hero is left with fear of losing his girl. This is great! That's a good shot of the bad guy! Camera-Man lifts the camera and zooms in on the girl as Ishida lifts her up and tightens his grip. 

The camera switches down to the hero. "Stop!" yells Takaki. 

Then back up at Ishida as he sneers. Turning the camera to Aoi, drool gurgles out of her mouth as she struggles to breath; the girl kicks and presses her nails onto Ishida's skin but nothing works. Her eyes bulge out of her sockets, growing red along with tears streaming down her cheeks like waterfalls. 

Then Ishida drops Aoi. Her body looks lifeless on the ground.

"Damn..." Camera-Man mutters. He turns back to Takaki, the boy's eyes wide. Zooming in, Takaki grits his teeth.

"Ishida..." 

The air around begins to tremble; the ground shakes. Camera-Man stands before the young boy as he slowly rises up breathing like his chest is about to burst. 

"I... will never... forgive you!" 

The iconic Anime words! Camera-Man exclaims then jumps and pulls the girl out of the shot. Blue light radiates like an erupting volcano. Large circular runes appear behind Takaki as his roar echoes through the city. 

Camera-Man turns back to Ishida; the red scarf boy leaps up and instantly disappears. He follows the kid above the city and appears behind him with his heart pounding, recording Ishida cackling. Red lightning spreads across the sky with red runes glowing from Ishida's hands. 

Then instantly back to the ground with Takaki, Camera-Man crouches and slowly sways the camera as more blue runes appear before the high-school kid's hands extended out. Then a close up shot of Takaki; eyes glowing brightly blue, his expression pinched with determination. 

Camera-Man zooms into the air and in line of Ishida's final attack, capturing the moment.

"Now, you, die!"

A streak of red thunder as wide as a skyscraper descends toward Camera-Man as he exclaims. He quickly twists in the air, dodging the lightning bolt and as if he teleported, appears right before Takaki.

"MAGIC FURY!" Takaki roars. An egg size blue orb pops up before his hands then blasts into a stream of blue light; it grows as it passes through the runes, matching the red thunder's size. 

Camera-Man rushes, hopping on top of buildings and into the air, capturing the moment of impact. The blasts of red and blue collide. An explosion of air shatters every glass in its radius. The bolts of blue and red clash against each other like a war between swordsmen. 

Quickly, Camera-Man zooms into Takaki, he grunts then roars like he's giving everything he's got left. His blast of blue energy increases. The stream pushes the red lightning bolt up towards Ishida. Camera-Man jumps toward the red scarf boy, recording his reaction. Sweat raining down from the side of his face as he shakes his head. Then he is devoured by the stream of blue energy; Ishida howls in agony. The blast bores a hole through the clouds and beyond the blue sky, then it shrinks and disappears.

* * *

"This looks great!" says the director, smiling at the footage. 

Camera-man stands triumphantly and snorts. "It was such an amazing battle. We don't get fights like that in America." 

The director nods his head. "I'm glad the battles here in Japan are to your liking."

"Oh, yeah, they're great. I would love to capture more, especially that kid, Takaki. Are a superheroes here teenagers?"

"The majority of them, yes. We call them, Shonen." 

"Shonen..." The name has a nice ring to it in Camera-man's mind. 

"You're shots are great, Camera-Man, Would love to put you on a job and get us a nice Anime."

"I as well. It was a great experience." Camera-Man shakes the director's hand. "Perhaps once my schedule opens up, I can fly by and record these Anime. For now, I have to go back to America and ready to film, Confidential War."

"Of course. Just shoot me an email or call, and I'll find an Anime for you, sir."

"Thanks again, Mr. Director." Camera-Man bows then leaves the office, taking his steps back to America.