World Trigger Collective

Shinako watched her mother, Chiho, who was currently asleep on the couch in the living room. She did this every time she came home. She would go to her job in the morning, then report to Border in the afternoon. When she came home, she was always so exhausted that she was on the verge of collapsing. She would eat the food Shinako had prepared, then pass out on the couch. Thirteen-year-old Shinako felt bad for her mother. She knew she was doing it so she could support the two of them. Without Shinako's father, there wasn't as much money. Chiho had to work much harder to make ends meet.

Shinako decided it was time to wake her mother up. Every night, she would do that and tell her mother to go to her bed. It was routine for them at this point. Yet, when she stepped towards the couch, something caught her eye. Her mother's Trigger holder was sitting on the table. Shinako creeped towards it, eying as if it would jump at her at any second. She carefully picked it up and looked at in her small hand. She was struck with an idea.

She glanced back at her mother. She was still fast asleep, and it was unlikely that she would wake up any time soon. Clutching the Trigger holder in her hand, Shinako tiptoed to the front door and slipped on her shoes. She opened the door and shuffled out as quietly as she could. After the door shut behind her, she looked around. Her eyes settled on the uninhabited area off in the distance. The Forbidden Zone. Her mother always warned her to stay away from it. There were Neighbors and Trion soldiers there, she said. That was exactly what Shinako was looking for, so that was where she would go.

She stepped off the porch, then turned to take one last look at her house before she departed. She half expected Chiho to burst through the door, but she didn't. Shinako took a deep breath and walked in the direction of the Forbidden Zone. She knew her mother would be furious with her once she found out what she was doing, but that wasn't going to stop her. She had to help her somehow. She figured the best way to do that would be to eliminate some of the things that caused her stress: Trion soldiers. Chiho had told her that the only way to beat them was to use a Trigger, but Shinako obviously didn't have one of her own. She figured it couldn't be too terribly hard to use.

It didn't take long for her to reach the Forbidden Zone. She knew she was there when she saw all the signs with warnings painted on them. One read, "FORBIDDEN ZONE. NO CIVILIAN ACCESS." She bit her lip and walked past. She could get in huge trouble for being here, but she was too far along to go back now. She had to be strong to help her mother, the woman who did so much for her. She had to give back somehow, and this was the only way she could think of.

She gazed at the abandoned buildings as she walked the empty streets. Some were in pretty rough shape, which she assumed was because of previous battles with Trion soldiers. She knew she was alone, but she couldn't help but feel like she was being watched. Perhaps it was her subconscious telling her to turn back. She ignored it and carried on.

She wandered around for a long time with nothing happened. She wondered if she should just go home. Right when she was thinking that, however, she heard a loud crackling sound near her. She looked up to see a purple colored portal opening above her head. A silver insect-looking machine emerged from the portal and dropped down in front of her, its back to her. Shinako froze in place, her eyes wide. The thing was ginormous. Each of its sharp talon-like appendages was easily taller than her, and she could tell its exoskeleton was made of sturdy material.

"Trion soldier…" she mumbled in terror.

"Gate activity detected," a voice sounded from somewhere in the Forbidden Zone.

As if it sensed her presence, the Trion soldier slowly swiveled around until it was facing her. It stared her down, and she began to quiver in fear. The Trigger holder! she remembered suddenly. She looked at the contraption in her hand and held it up. She didn't know how to use it! Her mother had told her about it, but she never told her how to use it. She felt idiotic.

She didn't have much time to dwell on her mistake, as the Trion soldier lifted one of its appendages to attack her. The Trigger holder slipped out of her hand as she leapt away. She glanced over her shoulder in time to see it get crushed under the Trion soldier as it stomped on the spot where she was moments before. She dashed around a corner, then turned around to locate the Trion soldier. It hadn't followed her, at least not yet.

"Shinako!"

She whirled around at the familiar voice. It was Chiho. She was standing further down the street. She was breathing heavily, meaning she must have ran here. Shinako had never been so happy to see her mother in her life. She sprinted to her and threw herself into her arms.

"Shinako, my little rose, are you hurt?" Chiho asked, scanning her daughter for injuries.

"No, but the Neighbor…!"

"I'll take care of it," she said. "Where is my Trigger holder? I know you took it."

"I-I had it, but I dropped it and it broke!"

"It broke?!"

"I'm sorry! I didn't—"

She was interrupted by the Trion soldier, which had finally located her again. It began charging towards them.

Chiho shoved Shinako into motion. "It doesn't matter! Run!"

They ran as fast as they could, but the Trion soldier was faster. It was quickly gaining on them. Shinako looked over her shoulder. When she saw how close it was, she froze. She wanted to run, but her legs wouldn't move anymore. All she could do was watch as the Trion soldier closed in on her.

"Shinako, what are you doing?!" her mother yelled. "Move!"

Move, legs! she mentally shouted. No matter what she did, her body wouldn't listen to her. She was paralyzed. The Trion soldier lifted its talon, preparing to take a swipe at her. She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the impact.

"Shinako!"

She opened her eyes when she heard her mother's voice next to her. Her mother was standing in front of her, arms outstretched. Shinako's eyes widened as the Trion soldier's leg swung down. It slammed into Chiho, sending her flying as if she weighed nothing. She crashed into the wall of a house, the impact crushing the brick exterior.

"Okāsan!" Shinako screamed.

She ran to her mother. Her body was scratched up, and there was blood dribbling from the corner of her mouth and from a deep gash on her head. Shinako knelt next to her. She reached for her, her hands trembling.

"Okāsan," she breathed. "Why did you…"

Chiho reached up and weakly clutched her daughter's arm. "Shinako, I need you to listen to me."

"But…"

"Listen to what I say. This Trigger that I'm about to give you… it's very special." Her voice was getting weaker with every word.

"Trigger?" Shinako questioned. "What Trigger? Okāsan, you're not making sense…" She felt tears brimming in her eyes.

"When I give this to you… use it to protect yourself," she explained. "To use it… say… 'Trigger on'…"

"Give what to me? Okāsan!"

Chiho looked at Shinako, her eyes dim. She offered a small smile, as much as she could muster. "I love you… little rose…"

There was a blinding light that surrounded them. Shinako shielded her eyes. When it subsided, she felt something latch onto her neck. She reached up and touched it. It was a necklace of sorts, made from a smooth material. She looked down at her mother, hoping for an explanation. Instead of giving one, Chiho crumbled to dust. Shinako couldn't believe her eyes. She couldn't hold back her tears anymore. They flowed freely, dripping onto her mother's ashes.

"A-ah…! Okāsan!" she shrieked. "Wh-what…?! Okāsan!!"

Shinako didn't have time to think about what happened, as she felt the ground rumble. She felt a presence creeping up on her. She stood and whipped around to see the Trion soldier approaching her. She felt fury building up inside her. This thing had just taken her mother from her. She planted her feet firmly.

"You…!" she growled. "You will pay for this!"

The Trion soldier just looked at her. She knew it probably couldn't understand her, but she didn't care. The anger inside her was spilling out, clouding her judgement. She remembered what her mother told her. This Trigger is special, she thought. It's mine now.

"Trigger on!"

Black tendrils grew from the necklace around her neck. They crossed around her back and began wrapping around her arms. They extended past her hands, ending in long blades. She looked down at the tendrils. They had a deep red aura about them, and there seemed to be small thorns covering them. She heard a faint voice, a voice that sounded like her mother's. It whispered one word to her. Baratoge.

"Baratoge…" Shinako repeated.

She looked back to the Trion soldier, fierceness in her eyes. She had to avenge her mother. She had to if it was the last thing she ever did.

She dashed forward, astonished by her own speed. She felt lighter and more agile than she had ever been before. She figured it must have been the Trigger's power. She sprang into the air, high above the Trion soldier. She landed with her blades down, piercing its thick armor. The Trion soldier roared and flung her from its back. She landed squarely on her feet, then pushed back forward with her blades out. The Trion soldier intercepted with one of its arms. It pushed against her, causing her to stumble backwards. Seeing the opening, it lashed out at her. She jumped back, but not before its talon tore into her abdomen. She winced, preparing to watch her blood spill, but instead, green light sprayed out of the wound.

"What is this stuff?" she pondered aloud.

The Trion solder swung at her again, knocking her back. She slammed into a wall behind her. Another gash appeared on her side, and more of the green light spilled out. She rose to her feet and shook her head to regain her composure. She leapt into the air again, landing on its back. She thrusted her blades into its armor again, only for it to shake her off again.

It must have a weak spot, she thought. That's when she spotted it: a green orb where it's mouth would be. She lunged forward, aiming for that orb, but the Trion soldier blocked with its arms. It was protecting its weak spot. She had a strategy, though. If my blades can easily cut through its armor, then I'll go through its head! she thought.

She jumped up high, out of its sight. She came down with her blades held back, ready to strike. When she was right above its head, she swung down, slicing through the armor above the orb. Her blades cut cleanly, slicing through the orb. Green light sprayed from the cut, and the Trion soldier collapsed, defeated.

Shinako stepped back, panting. The shadowy tendrils retracted back into the necklace, and all was quiet again. She suddenly felt exhausted, like there was no strength left in her body. She collapsed to the ground, and everything around her spun. As her eyes closed, she caught a glimpse of her mother's ashes. Her mother's words resounded in her mind.

"I love you, little rose…"

---

Shinako woke in an unfamiliar place. It was a bright room with white walls. She was lying in a bed, and she was tucked in tightly with blankets. She wriggled around until she freed her arms.

"Oh, you're awake." She jumped at the voice beside her.  "Ah, sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

She looked over to see who had spoke. It was a boy that didn't look much older than her. He had light brown hair and light blue eyes. He was looking at her with an easygoing smile. She blinked at him.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"I'm Jin Yūichi. Nice to meet you."

"Okay, Jin Yūichi," she began, sitting up. She pointed an accusing finger at him. "Why were you watching me sleep? Huh?"

"Ah, you've got some fire in you still," he chuckled. "I'll admit, I was watching you sleep. But it wasn't in a creepy way, I swear."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Hm…"

"Okay, believe me or don't, it's fine," he said. "Either way, you should be thanking me. I was the one who found you passed out in the street and saved you."

Shinako was confused at first. Why was she passed out in the street? When she remembered, she fell silent. She remembered everything. Taking her mother's Trigger, being attacked, seeing her mother sacrifice herself and turn to dust… She didn't want to remember.

"It just hit you, huh?" the boy asked.

"My mother…" she said, still in disbelief. "She turned to dust right before my eyes…"

Jin nodded. "She gave her life force to leave you that Black Trigger."

"Black Trigger?"

"Yes, Black Trigger. You know what Triggers are, right? Well, a Black Trigger is a special Trigger that is made when someone gives their life force."

A special Trigger… she thought. That's what her mother had called it, too.

"For Ariyoshi-san to make a Black Trigger… Well, we were all surprised."

She looked at him in confusion. "You knew my mother? Then this place must be…"

Jin nodded. "You're in Border."

"Border…"

"I didn't know who you were when I brought you here," he confessed. "It was a lucky coincidence that you were a familiar face to the people here." He rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled awkwardly. "It seems like I was one of the only ones who didn't know Ariyoshi-san had a daughter."

She stared at him. How could he be so easygoing about this situation? Was he some kind of idiot?

"Ah, I remember when I found out that I would be bringing a cute girl back to Border… To think that it was Ariyoshi-san's daughter!"

She blushed fiercely. Did he just call me cute? she thought. He definitely said "when I found out that I would be bringing a cute girl…" Wait. Found out? What does that mean? She confronted him.

"What do you mean by 'found out?' Did you know that you would find me?"

"Ah, that," he said. "My Side Effect told me that I would bring you here."

"Side Effect…" she repeated. "I remember my mother saying something about that."

Jin nodded. "It's a special effect caused by Trion. You know what Trion is, right?" When she nodded, he continued. "My Side Effect allows me to see the future of whoever I meet."

She frowned. "That sounds a bit outrageous."

"It's true, though."

"No, I believe you," she told him. "My mother once said she suspected that I had a Side Effect."

"Oh, really? What is it?"

"I can sense things around me," she explained. "It's like, I know things are there without seeing them. Even things behind me. It's how I could get by so well even after I went blind in my one eye."

"What happened to your eye?"

"During the first invasion, I got hit with some falling debris."

"Ah, so you're like the One-Eyed Dragon!"

She cringed. "Please don't call me that."

"So your Side Effect makes up for your blind eye," he hummed.

She frowned. "It's still there, though. I still have this ugly scar. No one will ever think I'm pretty with this scar…"

"Really? I thought you were pretty cute."

She felt the blush returning. "Stop saying that. We just met."

"So?"

She turned her head away. "Could you go away now? I want to be alone."

He stood from his chair. "I'll leave for now, but some of the higher ups will be here to talk to you shortly."

Before she could ask him anything about what he meant, he exited the room. She laid back against her pillows again and sighed heavily. She closed her eyes, and she remembered everything that had happened so far. It had all happened so fast that she couldn't really process it. Her mother was dead. She knew that, but her brain wouldn't comprehend it. It didn't feel real. She thought that she could just go home, and her mother would still be sleeping on the couch. She desperately wanted that to be reality.

She reached up to touch her neck. The choker necklace was still there. That was proof that this was reality. Her mother really was dead, and her essence was in this necklace. She reached around the back of her neck and found a small button on the necklace. She pushed it, and the necklace unclasped. She removed it and looked at it for the first time. It was black with a simple red design going through the middle. The fluorescent light shined on its smooth surface. It didn't look like anything special, but she knew there was more to it. She witnessed its power firsthand. She fastened it around her neck again.

She suddenly felt a presence outside her door. No, there were two people. The door opened, and two men stepped in. She assumed they were the higher ups that Jin mentioned. One had a scar running along the left side of his face and wore a frown, and the other wore glasses and had a kind face. She sat up and watched them as they walked in. She felt intimidated at first, but then she was struck with realization as she looked close at the man with the scar.

"K-Kido-san...?" she stammered out. "Kido-san, it's you!" She began to tear up. "M-my mother... she...!"

Kido nodded solemnly, a shadow crossing his face. "I am aware. It's a great loss."

"So you're Ariyoshi Shinako?" the other man questioned. "Ariyoshi Chiho's daughter?"

She nodded slowly, but she didn't speak a word.

"I'm very sorry for you loss. I'm Rindō Takumi, by the way" he introduced himself.

"N-nice to meet you," she greeted, her voice shaking as she wiped her tears. "Um... Am I in trouble?"

Rindō offered her a smile. "No, you're not in trouble. There's no need to be nervous."

His words were reassuring, but she wasn't completely at ease yet. He could have been lying, or perhaps their definitions of "trouble" were different. She looked to Kido, waiting for him to say something.

"We've come to talk about that Black Trigger you have," he said, getting straight to the point. "What is it called?"

"Baratoge."

"Rose thorn, huh," Rindō hummed.

"We are going to have to take it from you," Kido told her. "Black Triggers are very powerful, as you've seen. It belongs in the hands of Border where it can be utilized by one of our agents."

Shinako touched her fingertips to the choker around her neck. "Kido-san, you're… you're taking it from me?"

"Think of how many lives someone could save with its power," Rindō reasoned.

"You don't have the skill to wield it," Kido added coldly. "It would be better in the hands of someone experienced."

"You're saying I shouldn't have it? You, who were friends with my mother, are trying to take away the thing my mother gave me with the last shred of her life?" Her voice was barely above a whisper. She looked up from her lap and looked at the two men with fire in her eyes. "My mother sacrificed herself so that I could live. She made this Black Trigger so that I could fight and protect myself. I watched her turn to dust right before my eyes, all so that I could have this Black Trigger. She made this for me specifically. Who is better to wield it than me, then?" Her voice steadily grew more firm as she went on. "You say I don't have to skill to wield it? Then teach me. I will join Border and pick up where my mother left off. I will fight for you. I'll fight as many of those wretched Neighbors as you want, and I'll kill them. And I'll do it using Baratoge."

The two men were shocked into silence. Where did this determination come from? Shinako knew she shouldn't have said all those things. She knew it was disrespectful to question their judgement. However, she couldn't sit back and let them take her mother's last memento. It was hers and hers only.

After a few moments, Rindō chuckled softly. "She's definitely Chiho's daughter. So, what do you think, Kido-san?"

Kido shook his head wistfully. "You're already so much like your mother..." He cleared his throat. "Very well. If you want to join Border with that Black Trigger, then I'll allow it. You'll be assigned someone to train you. I have high expectations for you, Shinako."

He turned around and walked out, and Rindō followed close behind. As soon as they were gone, she released the breath she didn't realize she was holding. Her whole body seemed to deflate, like a weight was lifted from her shoulders. She knew she couldn't relax yet, though. She had a lot of work to do.

It wasn't long after the two men left that her door opened again. This time, it was Jin that stepped in. He had that same easygoing grin on his face.

"How'd it go?" he asked, approaching her bed. "You still have your Black Trigger, so that must mean…"

"I'm a member of Border now," she told him.

He simply nodded. "I figured this would happen."

"Kido-san said that I would be assigned someone to train me," she added.

"They'll assign a Black Trigger user to train you," he replied. "Lucky for you, there's a strong Black Trigger user here."

Shinako looked into her lap. "I want to get revenge for my mother, so I need to get stronger, but…"

"But?"

"I'm scared," she finished. "What if I meet the same fate as my mother? I've never been that strong, so I'm not confident that I'll be any good at fighting."

Jin sat in the chair next to her bed. He was still smiling, but his expression was softer now. "Don't be scared. I'm going to look after you."

She met his gaze. "You are?"

He nodded. "I won't let any harm come of you. I promise."

She was speechless at first. She had just met this boy, and he was already promising to keep her safe. No one had ever said anything like that to her before. Just hearing it made her feel safer. Knowing that there was someone looking out for her was comforting. When she regained her composure, she nodded.

"Then it's a promise."

---

"Step one of fighting with a Black Trigger is to know your Trigger. You have to know what it can do before you can use it properly."

Shinako stared at Jin as he explained this to her. She wore a sour expression. How did I get stuck with him as a mentor? she wondered. She never would have thought he was a Black Trigger user. She expected Black Trigger users to be more serious. He was… not. She wondered who died to give him a Black Trigger, or if it was even made for him in the first place. So when he said there was a really strong Black Trigger user, she thought, he was talking about himself.

"Shinako, are you listening?"

"Yes," she responded.

He nodded. "So, do you know what Baratoge can do?"

She thought back to her fight with the Trion soldier. "Um… It formed blades at my hands… and the blades were really sharp."

"That's it?" he asked.

"That's all I know."

He grinned. "Then let's fix that." He grabbed his Fūjin. "We're going to fight until we know everything about Baratoge."

"W-wait!" she protested. "You want me to fight you?! But I've only fought once!"

"The best way to learn is by doing."

"B-but didn't you just tell me earlier that Border agents fight using Trion, and that it can run out?"

"Trion isn't consumed in these rooms. We can fight as much as we want. Now, do you want to get stronger or not?"

She swallowed hard and nodded. "Yes, I want to get stronger."

"Then let's go!"