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Fanfic / Fellowship

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A Chrono Cross fanfic written by Guile Mustang along with Legendary Biologist and DarkHorse26. It was first published in 2013, and is still an ongoing project. The story is set in the Alternate Universe of Shinjuku in 2020, and is based on Digimon Tamers.

Ari Yamamoto is an eleven-year-old boy who is a fan of the video game Chrono Cross. One day, after playing Battle Board game (which involves Chrono Cross characters and inserting element chips into the slots) with his friend, he finds an iridescent chip amidst the pile of his chips collection. Seeing that the chip fits to the slot of the board, he inserts it, and the board transforms into a gadget. At first, he thinks that this is a disaster, but it turns out that the gadget brings Draggy, a character from the game, to the real world.

But Ari is not the only one that goes through this problem. Yoshino Kobayashi, a thirteen-year-old girl who is known as the 'Psychic Girl' for her skills in Battle Board, also has Guile with her. Then, there is an eleven-year-old boy from Ari's neighboring class named Chikara Jikan, who has Starky with him.

Unfortunately, the three children are having issues with their partners. Ari always tries to hide Draggy because he's afraid that his parents will exaggerate things if they know about the dragon, which may result in him losing Draggy forever. Yoshino never likes Guile and only uses him as a tool to improve her skills in Battle Board, but she has disturbing memories of her deceased father, who is actually a huge fan of Guile. Chikara is always thinking of a way to save Starky from his little sister, Haruko Jikan, who treats Starky like a doll. And as they deal with their problems, a mysterious government organization led by Chisiki Takashi is monitoring the emergence of the characters in the real world and devising a plan to eliminate them once and for all.

With the Chrono Cross characters replacing the Mons from Digimon Tamers, this fanfic holds the main theme of Digimon series while it barely has the atmosphere of Chrono Cross. Also, starting from chapter 4, things start to get different from Digimon Tamers, making it more like a Transplanted Character Fic than a Fusion Fic.

The fanfic is divided into three arcs:

  • Introduction Arc (Chapter 1-11)
  • The Summons Saga (Chapter 12-?)
  • Virus Saga

Can be read at FFnet,dA, and AO3. Note that it has never been updated anymore at dA.

The update schedule is not regular, but it is usually once a month.

Provides examples of:

    open/close all folders 

    Tropes A To F 
  • A Boy and His Mons: The real world children are basically this. The mechanism of summoning a character is explained briefly in chapter 6.
  • Adaptation Expansion
  • Adaptation Decay
    • Draggy is about the size of a human child here, while in the game, Draggy is very small. The exact reason why this happens will also be revealed in later updates according to Word of God.
    • Starky's tech in the game involves summoning a robot to attack, but here, his tech is Raydiation instead, which he uses when you fight him as a boss. Starky himself says that he can't call his friend (the robot) when he's in the real world, which is why he can't use that tech.
  • Adaptation Distillation
    • In the game, the characters need to land a few physical attacks to charge their element grids so that they can cast a spell. Here, the characters can use cast a spell without needing to attack physically. This is highlighted by Yoshino in Guile's flashback.
    • Unlike the game, the characters have their Verbal Tic removed or modified for a reason, and it will be revealed in later updates according to Word of God.
  • Adaptive Ability: An injured being will grow tougher after recovering from the wounds.
  • A.I. Is a Crapshoot: The Summons is originally a group of good guys, but due to Chisiki's attempt to eliminate all the Foreign Beings, they are enraged and become ruthless.
    • This is averted by the character partners.
  • Annoying Younger Sibling: Chikara's little sister, Haruko. If Chikara doesn't let her play with Starky, she'll whine and bawl. This also annoys Starky. So. Much.
  • Ascended Fanboy: All of the main casts know and play Chrono Cross.
    • Played straight on Ari, who is a Draggy fanboy.
    • Chikara actually prefers Serge, but he accepts Starky anyway, and is quite friendly to him.
    • Yoshino actually wants powerful characters like Glenn, but ends up with Guile. Deeming Guile as just a normal character, she acts so selfishly that he finally leaves her. Unfortunately, she can't really abandon Guile because she's a Daddy's Girl. Finally, in chapter 12, she tries very hard to atone for what she has done.
    • Yoshino's dad, Jirou Kobayashi, is indirectly an Ascended Fanboy. When he was alive, he wished that Guile were real. And it came true, but Guile receives abusive treatment from Yoshino.
  • Author Appeal: Because all of the authors are fans of Shounen animes, the fanfic runs with shonen elements, such as fights, training to get stronger, friendship, etc. However, there are also character development, complex plotting, and Grey-and-Gray Morality, making it more like a Seinen.
  • Awesomeness by Analysis: Many characters are capable of this.
  • Beam-O-War: Guile's Lightning Blast vs The Tutanshaman Brothers' Fire Stream.
  • Big "SHUT UP!": Frequently given by Chikara to Starky.
    • Yoshino gives a BIG one to Ari for pushing her Berserk Button.
    • Skelly also gives Frog Prince one when Frog Prince complains about being called 'froggy'.
  • Blood from the Mouth: Mainly happens to Guile. Justified, because most of Guile's battles have him getting hit on his chest and stomach.
    • Happens to Genie in chapter 12. Justified, because she has her right side damaged by Guile's Tremor Fist.
  • Break the Cutie: This is how Skelly messes around with Draggy. He exploits Draggy's goofy nature and results in Ari scolding and hitting the dragon.
    • To a lesser extent, Ari often suffers the same thing. He's often forced to face his fears.
  • Breather Episode: Chapter 11. It's serious in the beginning, but gets into heartwarming and humorous mood by the end.
  • Calling Your Attacks: The game characters do this when attacking. However, Guile sometimes doesn't. Skelly never does this too.
  • Cerebus Syndrome: The first three chapters are lighthearted, but it gets more serious after that, and gets really dark during chapter 12, the introduction of The Summons.
  • Character Development: Word of God says that every character will undergo this.
    • This happens to Draggy. A childish and goofy dragon slowly grows into a Cool Big Bro after staying with Papa Wolf Guile for a while.
    • Yoshino gets this too. She starts off as a Jerkass, but gradually mellows especially after her grandma scolds and slaps her for treating Guile badly and being ill-mannered towards her juniors. By the time chapter 12 comes calling, she becomes The Atoner and desperately tries to fend off Genie just to save Guile and show him that she really regrets her acts.
      • She's still an occasional jerk though.
  • Character Focus: Due to having a large cast, the author employs something similar to Rotating Arcs.
    • The first three chapters are more about Draggy, with the first being more focused on Ari. Chapter 8 is also focused on Ari and Draggy.
    • Chapter 5 is more about Chikara and Starky.
    • Chapter 6 and 12 are entirely about Guile and Yoshino. Chapter 13 is more focused on Yoshino.
  • Chekhov's Gun: Guile's Domino Mask. It protects his face from being mangled by Genie's chainsaw and is destroyed as a result.
  • Cliffhanger: Let's see...
    • Chapter 1: Ends with Ari dreaming of characters from the Chrono Cross game fighting against each other in front of his house.
    • Chapter 3: Ends with Guile showing hesitation to attack Draggy despite Yoshino's insistence.
    • Chapter 4: Ends with Starky evolving in the middle of a How Much More Can He Take? fight against Guile.
    • Chapter 7: Ends with Skelly trying to assassinate an incapacitated Guile and Draggy evolving into a colossal dragon.
  • Cry into Chest: Played with. Due to Guile's height, Ari cries into his abdomen instead of chest.
  • Darker and Edgier: Even darker than Digimon Tamers and Chrono Cross. Gets really dark in chapter 12.
  • Deconstruction Fic: Unlike many Chrono Cross fanfics in FFnet archive that involve OC getting sucked into the video game, this inverts that concept. Also, this features how the emergence of the characters spawns conflicts to every character in the fanfic.
    • Many tropes are deconstructed. Naive people have to grow up. Kind people end up having their kindness exploited. Unstoppable Rage also harms allies.
  • Ear Ache: Draggy gets hit on his ear by Starky's Maximal Raydiation. Luckily, Diminish is in effect.
  • Family-Unfriendly Violence: Chapter 12.
  • Faux Flame: The way Yoshino's Guile board transforms into a gadget involves a number of fire jets. However, they don't burn anything in her bedroom.
  • Fire-Forged Friends / We Really Do Care: Yoshino's and Guile's case is more like an odd mixture of these. Just hoping to earn Guile's forgiveness and show how much she cares for him, Yoshino almost does a Heroic Sacrifice for Guile. By the end of chapter 12, Yoshino shows that she does care for him, while in chapter 13, Guile returns Yoshino's care by convincing people to give Yoshino a chance to repent.
  • Foreshadowing
    • Ari is afraid of Guile because he believes that a quiet person can be dangerous when angered, and it is eventually revealed that Guile is physically powerful when angered, despite being a mage.
    • Hachiro, after witnessing Starky's emergence, simply tells Chikara to take good care of Starky. Weird, isn't it? In chapter 9, he finally admits that he actually knows a lot about this bizarre incident.
      • He turns out to be the one who creates these artificial life forms.
  • Friendship Moment: This is very common throughout the fic.
  • Fusion Fic: With Digimon Tamers. Overlaps with Transplanted Character Fic because the plot differs from Digimon Tamers starting from chapter 4. It's done to simplify some concepts and give the Chrono Cross characters Back Story without going against the canon (mostly).

    Tropes G To L 

    Tropes M To R 
  • Monster of the Week: Zigzagged. Chapter 1 and 3 feature Guile vs Mama Dingo (in Ari's dream) and Guile vs Snibgoblin respectively. Chapter 6 features Guile vs Shadow Cat in Guile's flashback (also his first battle in the real world). Most of the time, the fights are major battles or sparring matches.
  • Mood Whiplash: The fanfic is usually serious, but may shift to lighthearted mood (usually brought by Draggy or Skelly or Starky). This usually happens before tackling a Darker and Edgier subject, according to Word of God.
  • Neck Lift: Yoshino gives Ari one as a result of pushing her Berserk Button.
  • Negated Moment of Awesome: Frequently.
    • Draggy has managed to bite Guile's arm and immobilize him with his weight, but when Yoshino swipes a Strengthen, Guile gains enough power to lift Draggy into the air before diving down rapidly to slam Draggy into the ground. Finally subverted because Guile is holding back.
    • Starky succeeds in casting Raydiation. He blasts Guile with a huge burst of light, which makes people (except Yoshino) think that Guile has lost or even died. It turns out that the said attack only scratches Guile. Cue Mass "Oh, Crap!".
    • Infuriated because of Skelly hurting Pip, Guile kicks Skelly's skull away from his skeleton. Is it over? Well, Skelly is a Dem Bones, and he can reattach his skull to his skeleton. After that, Skelly gives Guile a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown and knocks him out. This is justified because of Guile's lack of tactics when enraged, which leaves him defenseless.
    • Angered because of Genie threatening to kill the children after finishing Guile off, Guile overwhelms Genie with his fists and delivers a Megaton Punch that breaks her nose. This is again, justified because of Guile aiming only for the kill, which leads to him casting a very slow spell. This enables Genie to catch him off-guard and drive a chainsaw into his chest, weakening him severely.
  • No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Guile receives this frequently because he's Made of Iron and much tougher when compared to the rest of the casts.
  • Not a Game: This is often mentioned by the real world characters themselves.
    • When Guile shows that he can cast a tech skill without having to launch a few successful physical attacks, Yoshino is very annoyed because that is against the game's mechanics.
    • It's always implied that Yoshino still considers everything similar to the game, such as her hatred towards Guile for a lame character 'stealing' her chance to summon a badass character. This is her Freudian Excuse of mistreating Guile. She comes to realize this for a few reasons:
      • Her deceased dad's Fanboy influence.
      • Her grandma correcting her way of thinking harshly.
      • And lastly, what makes her extremely guilty is Guile's kindness and desire to be her friend (which is why he never complains even if Yoshino goes too far in abusing him). Guile's kindness is not present in the real game (though he's still a Nice Guy).
    • Akira mentions this when Kotaro wonders why Yoshino can't use Guile's versatility like in the board game. After that, Akira mentions it once again while looking at an evolved Draggy.
    • The reason why Chisiki wants to eliminate these characters because he believes that they aren't part of a game, and they may wreak havoc in the real world because of that.
  • Offing the Mouth: Chikara often gives Starky this for being a Talkative Mouthy Bratty Half-Pint.
  • Oh, Crap!: Many times.
    • From Ari when Draggy almost foils his plan to sneak him in by speaking up while hiding in the cardboard.
    • From Ari and Draggy when Starky's Raydiation barely hurts Guile. Chikara also shows a hint of this, making it more of a Mass "Oh, Crap!".
    • From Pip when Guile sends a column of dirt shooting into the sky by pounding the ground out of sheer rage. A rain of pebbles and soil follows.
    • From Ari when Draggy mentions that he joins Skelly stealing from a butcher.
    • From Ari when Draggy evolves for the first time.
    • From Draggy and Pip when Guile reveals that he has cut his own ankle to get some of his blood to feed a hungry Draggy.
    • From the Tutanshaman Brothers when Guile's power is on par with both of their powers combined.
      • The second one from them when Guile uses his Heroic Resolve to counter their Fire Stream.
      • The third one from them when Guile enters Unstoppable Rage and diffuses their Fire Stream with a furious roar.
    • From Chikara when he finds out that Starky has been eating the sweets he carries in his bag while hiding inside his bag.
    • From Ari when he hears the recap of the injuries Guile has received in a day when taking care of Draggy.
    • From Chisiki when he finds out that his Data Cleaner Program is being hijacked by The Summons.
    • From Ari and Draggy when Guile manages to get up despite having been beaten up, ripped by a chainsaw once, and blown away by a tornado just to take Genie's chainsaw that is meant for Draggy. It gives them a Heroic BSoD.
  • Or Was It a Dream?: In chapter 2, Ari dreams of Guile in the real world and thinks that game characters can really appear in the real world. It turns out that his guess is right.
  • Out of Character: While this is sort of YMMV, it's worth noting that the characters from Chrono Cross are not behaving very similar to the canon. What makes this YMMV is that the Chrono Cross characters here are minor characters who have little to no screen time in the canon. This too, can be justified because the Fan Fic often emphasizes that this is Not a Game.
    • Draggy Hates Being Alone, which is related to what the fortuneteller speaks about him (asks Draggy to seek coexistence with other species) in the canon. However, he is now both The Ditz and The Klutz.
    • Guile remains as an introverted Nice Guy like in the canon, but he is much kinder here to the point he becomes an All-Loving Hero.
    • Starky is a brat, unlike in the canon (although the first time you meet him, he takes away the Star Fragment, taunts you, and runs around until you catch him; he's a tad bratty to say the least). However, he is actually nicer and more loyal than his exterior (which can be seen in the canon after he takes the Plasma Gun from a fisherman, in which he says thanks and shocks the fisherman).
    • With canon knowledge, it's already difficult to determine Skelly's exact attitude (except being just a cheerful skeleton clown). However, Skelly has a Hair-Trigger Temper here, and is creepily cheerful.
    • The canon knowledge issue also applies to Pip, who just appears to be a little critter with an interest to travel around the world. Pip here likes wandering around, but unlike in the canon (which is never shown), Pip is cheerful and pretty cowardly.
  • Power Glows: The way Ari's Draggy board and Chikara's Starky board transform into gadgets.
  • Power of Friendship: This is what that triggers evolution.
  • Pummel Duel: Guile vs Skelly (2nd bout) and Guile vs Genie feature this.
  • Real-World Episode: Takes place at Shinjuku, a city on Japan. It's an Alternate Universe, but many places are still there, such as Tokyo Metropolitan Building and Shinjuku Park.
  • Recursive Canon: The game Chrono Cross exists in the fanfic itself. Chapter 10 implies that Chrono Trigger also exists as a prequel to Chrono Cross.
    • Ari draws a lot of Draggy Fanart.
    • In chapter 6, it is revealed that Yoshino plays it in a computer via PS emulator.
    • The Battle Board is a fictional merchandise of the said video game.
    • Hachiro once created a Chrono Cross fan game.
    • Yoshino's father played it in a PS console and drew a Guile Fanart.
  • Red Herring: A few.
    • It's very convincing that Starky runs wild after evolving, but in chapter 10, Starky says that it's just an act because he understands Chikara's intend to injure Guile.
    • In chapter 5, Guile says that he wants power to end his rivalry issue, but in chapter 9, he reveals that it is just a lie. All he wants is just a family because he has never had it.
  • Reference Overdosed: It has its own Shout-Out page.
  • Rule of Cool
    • Draggy-riding. Instead of sitting on Draggy's back, Ari stands on Draggy's palm. He almost falls several times, but Draggy is fast enough to catch him with his hand. This looks like Draggy is juggling Ari all this long...
    • After evolving, Starky has a BFG with a Bayonet Ya molded on it. He likes smacking the foes with the BFG, and sometimes alternates his attacks with shooting.
    • Genie can manipulate the air around to transform her arm into a chainsaw and extinguish a Fireball with a gust of wind from a flick of her hand. And [[Spectacular Spinning spinning is spectacular for her.
  • Rule of Three
    • This is a Fusion Fic with Digimon Tamers, the third season of Digimon series.
    • Including Radical Dreamers, Chrono Cross is the third game of Chrono series.
    • There are three main children with three game characters as their partners.
    • There are three supernumerary children.

    Tropes S To Z 
  • Ship Tease
    • Chisiki and Ami. Ami often shows her concern towards Chisiki.
    • Ari and Yukari. Ari almost always listens to everything Yukari says.
  • Slice of Life: The real world characters are going through their daily lives, such as schools.
  • Super-Detailed Fight Narration: The choreography of a Signature Move is always present. Melee attacks too (albeit less descriptive). Depending on whose POV is being used, the pain from the injury a character has is frequently described, and what is in the character's head during a fight is often told to show each characters' fighting strategy. On occasion, adrenaline rush is also mentioned.
    • Don't forget occasional interventions of the fights, such as Element Swipe and evolution.
    • Most fights average about 1500 words long (some can be less than 1000), except chapter 12, which is over 3500 words long (more than half of the chapter itself).
  • Swirly Energy Thingy: The portal at Fossil Valley that leads to Shinjuku.
  • Tap on the Head: Chisiki gives one to Guile and knocks him out.
  • Taught by Experience: The characters learn many things from this.
  • The Kid with the Remote Control: The main theme of this fanfic. Also, the gadgets, which are only owned by the children with partner characters, look like remote controls.
  • The Little Detecto: The gadgets.
  • The Pollyanna: Yukari. She is always hopeful even in a bleak situation.
  • Transformation Sequence: When a gadget releases a web of threads, something is about to happen... Transformation Name Announcement is included.
    • Guile's evolution has the most detailed Transformation Sequence due to being a different kind of evolution compared to Draggy and Starky (gadget's difference issue). The reason has yet to be revealed.
  • Transplanted Character Fic: See Fusion Fic.
  • True Companions: Hence the title.
    • This is what Guile has been wishing for in his life, because he loses it over and over again.
  • Underestimating Badassery
    • Draggy is called a small fry by Genie. Draggy is actually pretty strong despite being just a child and has thick scales to give him Super-Toughness. And when he evolves... Oh, Crap!. He's a Mighty Glacier.
    • Poor Guile. He's a Determinator Papa Wolf who is Made of Iron, but because of his reluctance of hurting innocent children like Draggy and Starky, he is called a wimp by Yoshino.
      • Even Chisiki remarks that a mage-type Foreign Being like Guile is not a big problem. He doesn't know that Guile is actually holding back because Chisiki is a human from the real world.
      • Guile is frequently mistaken as a Squishy Wizard (mainly because of his kindness hindering him from fighting with full power), but in actuality... Oh, Crap!. Super-Strength? Check. Made of Iron? Check. For melee combat, after losing his rod, he can beat someone up with Good Old Fisticuffs. Unskilled, but Strong. Don't forget Unstoppable Rage and Yoshino's Element Swipe...
  • Water Wake Up: Yoshino sometimes gives this to Guile. She finally grows out of it.
  • Wizard Duel: Guile vs Riddel in the past. Has yet to be shown completely.
  • Wham Episode: Chapter 6, 10, and especially 12.

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