Apex of the World

Shining Loyalty

The shadow that loomed over him was damn near inescapable.

He wasn't sure how he was supposed to get out of it. He had looked up to their fearless leader from the very start, and he was meant to follow in his footsteps, but he hadn't the slightest clue how to do so. He was the second person to wear the goggles, but deep down, he knew that he would never be able to fully match up to the first.

He held them with pride, as they were a symbol of strength and resolve among their merry little band of twelve. However, some nights, he looked down to see his own reflection in them and wondered if he was really a leader that everyone would be proud of and look up to. He was unsure of the answer, and in some ways, it haunted him no matter how hard he tried to push the thoughts of negativity to the back of his mind.

For a long time, he only held the traits of older members of the group. He was not them, nor would he ever be, and he felt like a cheap imitation. If the traits of the previous two were blended together to form some sort of odd combination, it would create him. He did not hold any trait on his own, and he was not sure he would ever be able to say that there was a reason he was part of the team so long as he was merely a copy of the true leaders of their party.

However, he pressed on and didn't let anyone see his insecurities. He didn't want anyone to lose faith in him as a leader as his own belief in himself wavered. It was important that he hold up a tough front to get everyone to pay attention to him as a leader, to acknowledge that he was a figure to be followed and cared for.

There were some parts of him that he knew were not imitations of anyone else though. He was the only one of the group to reach out his hand to a fractured soul left as a pile of shattered glass by the forces of darkness. He smiled to the lost heart and invited him inside, adding another member to their family tied between two worlds. It was a choice he could never imagine going back on, and the others all appreciated it.

He mused over his lack of a solid trait for a long time, and eventually it came to him. The answer seemed perhaps a tad obvious, but he decided to listen to his instincts regardless.

The blend of Daisuke's two inherited traits, Courage and Friendship, could create something greater. Loyalty was what he internalized as his own power. It fit in with everything he had contributed since joining the party. He held unshakable faith in his companions that he somehow kept strong even in hopeless situations. He was loyal enough to the suffering kind spirit to invite him into a place where he would be loved.

A leader had to be loyal to all members of their party. If he doubted them, what reason did they have to believe in him? He knew he lacked the skills of the leader who had come before him, but he was still going to do his best to keep the group wrapped together. He refused to leave anyone behind, his Loyalty undying in the face of terror. It burned as a flickering golden flame inside him, and it would never be extinguished no matter what happened to him.

He had never been one for drawing, but after he came to this realization that his Loyalty made him who he was, he found himself designing the symbol of embodiment for himself. Once he finally found something he was proud of, he sketched it everywhere. When he caught sight of the golden outline, a small smile would cross his face, and he knew that was who he was. He was the personification of Loyalty, and that would never leave him no matter what happened, just like his family would never leave him.

He wasn't sure when the shift had taken place, but soon enough, he was positive that everyone in his found family loved him with all their hearts. They were aware that he was not the leader who had come before him, but they did not care in the slightest. Trust had been placed in him, and they were loyal to him just as he was to them.

As soon as he recognized the Loyalty others held for him, his doubts started to melt away. The mutual feeling of trust had sparked something inside him, something that allowed his fire to burn brighter and stronger than ever before. They knew Daisuke was not the previous leader, but he did not need to be. All that mattered was that he wore the goggles with pride and led them towards a brighter horizon, one lined in golden hope of the future.

When he caught sight of his reflection while taking off his goggles, he smiled to himself. He was not the person who had worn them before him, but he did not need to be. He was not a cheap imitation, and he never had been either. He was his own person, but that did not mean that he was worth any less than others.

He didn't know for sure if they had noticed the change in his personality, but he hoped that they caught onto it after a while. He was unable to keep the smile off his face when he thought of the golden light of Loyalty. He was not the bearer of Courage or Friendship, and he wasn't solely the heir of those traits either. There was something more to him. He was Loyalty, and that was all he needed to be.

Perhaps he didn't need to escape the shadow of the goggles. Maybe it hadn't even been there in the first place. 

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Daisuke Crest hours!

I gave all three 02 kids Crests to go along with Ken and the others. Loyalty is the choice I made for Daisuke. As for Miyako and Iori, you'll just have to see! I really like my choices though, and I hope you all agree with them. 

Next will be Miyako!

-Digital