Surprise Attack

Inside of what appeared to be a big lobby, a young man walked tiredly to a chair and sat down to rest. He wore a white sleeveless shirt with a zipper in the center, brown baggy shorts and sandals. He brushed some strands of his blue hair out of his eyes. He exhaled the breath that he held for moments.

"That last battle simulation was tough. Nothing I couldn't handle." He thought. Suddenly, a medium-sized plastic cup hovered near his face. He looked up to see a young girl with brown hair wearing a pool robe holding two drinks, offering one to him. "Whoa!" He exclaimed.

"Here you go." She said, handing the drink to the boy.

"Ah, hi, Sophia…" The boy sighed. "You startled me. I thought you were swimming down at the beach."

Sophia glared at the boy. "I was waiting for you, but you never came!" She sat down next to him. "You said you'd play a few games and then head right over…"

The boy sipped his drink. "Uh… I'm sorry! I didn't plan on staying so long, but I kinda got sucked in…" He replied sheepishly.

"All right, well, that's what I thought happened." Sophia frowned. "Didn't you say you had 'tons of homework to do' before we came to Hyda, anyway?" She asked and stood up again.

The young boy arose quickly as well. "But I was fighting so well today! And I leveled up a lot too, you know." He said. The boy quickly realized his mistake and mentally slapped himself in the face.

"Yeah, yeah. How nice of you," Sophia replied with an upset tone. The boy winced. "Hmm, someone's in a bad mood today."

Sophia glared at the boy. "What do you expect? You'd rather play games than hang out at the beach with me!" The boy asked, "Sophia?"

"Hmph!" Sophia replied, turning her head. The boy raised an eyebrow. "You aren't… mad are you?"

"I'm not mad!" She replied sarcastically. The boy smiled sheepishly. "Do you…wanna go to the beach?"

. "I swam enough. While somebody I know was having the time of his life, playing games all by himself!" Sophia answered sarcastically, glaring at her oblivious friend.

The boy sighed. He felt bad enough already. "So… Do you want to take a walk through the hotel?" Sophia shook her head.

"Aww, come on. I bet it'll be fun. What do you say?" He pleaded. "No thank you. I don't feel like it." Sophia replied, shaking her head.

The boy knelt to his knees and begged, "C'mon! Please! Pretty please?" Sophia seemed to consider this. "Hmm, well, if you want to hang out with me that badly, I guess it's all right.."

The boy grinned. "Great, let's go. Time's a wastin'!" Sophia nodded. "Okay!" As they left the room, Sophia heard a small groan nearby.

"Fayt, what was that?" Sophia asked nervously. Fayt looked to her left and saw a young man sleeping in a chair. He looked to be around his age with messy black hair. The stranger wore a white shirt, a brown jacket, dark-blue jeans and black sneakers. Right now, the young man shook violently in his sleep.

"I wonder what's wrong with him?" Fayt asked, walking closer to the stranger. Sophia gave the young man a meaningful glance. "I think he's having a nightmare."

Fayt shook the stranger. "Hey! Wake up!" Suddenly the young man woke up screaming, surprising Fayt and Sophia. He was breathing heavily and his eyes were drowsy.

"Where the hell am I?" Arthur asked himself mentally. "Last thing I remember, me and my sisters were arguing with each other. Next thing I know, a wormhole sucks us straight out of the living room to who knows where."

"Are you all right?" Fayt asked, concerned. Arthur waved his hand dismissively. "I'm fine. I'm used to it."

"Are you sure?" Sophia asked. Arthur nodded. "Those voices seem familiar. They look familiar as well. "

Arthur yawned. "Say, could you tell me where I am? I'm still too drowsy to remember."

Sophia nodded. "That's understandable. You're in the lobby of the Grantier Resort Hotel on Hyda IV." Arthur scratched his eyes and stared with a surprised look on his face. "Hyda IV! I'm in the Eternal Sphere in the game Star Ocean. Could that wormhole have taken me here?"

Fayt noticed Arthur's expression. "Is something wrong?" Arthur shook his head. "Oh, it's nothing. Thanks for waking me up."

Sophia frowned. "Are you sure? You seemed to be having a nightmare." Arthur sighed. "Don't worry. I'm fine now, miss-"

"Esteed! My name's Sophia Esteed." Sophia said, bowing at Arthur. Fayt stepped forward, bowing as well. "I'm Fayt Leingod. It's nice to meet you."

"Name's Arthur Black. Nice to meet both of you." Arthur replied, bowing to both of them. "It's those two, all right. Iris would never believe this."

Arthur slapped his forehead. "Shit! My sisters must've went through the wormhole as well. I have to find them and fast." Unfortunately for him, Fayt noticed his reaction. "What's wrong?"

"Well, I kinda got into an argument with my sisters and they left our room in a rush," he sort of lied. "I tried to find them to apologize, but I got lost and ended up here. I must've fallen asleep while resting my legs."

Sophia frowned. "That's too bad. Tell you what; we'll help look for you sisters." The guys did a take. "But, Sophia, are you sure?" Fayt asked. Arthur held his hands up. "I don't want to impose."

Sophia nodded. "I insist. Besides, you might end up getting lost again." Arthur put his right hand behind his head sheepishly. "When you put it that way, how could I say no?"

Sophia grinned at Fayt. "We can also explore the hotel while were looking." Arthur turned to Fayt and asked, "Is that alright with you, Fayt?"

Fayt nodded. "Yeah. That sounds good." Sophia's smile brightened. "First, let's make a quick stop to my room."

"Sure. Let's go." Fayt said. Arthur narrowed his eyes. "Is it me or is Sophia too excited to simply explore the hotel?" He whispered.

"I think she's excited at meeting your sisters." Fayt whispered back. Arthur nodded. "Let's talk later." The three arrived at the transporter and went up the floors. Arthur had a lot in his mind and he wasn't looking forward to finding his sisters. But deep down, a part of him was actually enjoying this.

Both guys were waiting on both sides of Sophia's door. They seemed to be deep in thought. Arthur had his hand behind his head. "I still can't believe I'm here in the game. Which means my sisters should be here as well." However, Fayt tapped his foot impatiently. "Boy, she sure is taking forever! I bet she's making me wait on purpose!"

Sophia came out of her room, wearing a pink tank top and light-blue jeans. "Hi, Fayt! Hey, Arthur!"

"Yo," Arthur greeted. Fayt rolled his eyes. "Took you long enough! What were you doing all that time?" Sophia shrugged. "Just changing. I didn't take that long, did I?"

"Not that long. Just five minutes of our precious time." Arthur replied sarcastically. Fayt made a small chuckle. Sophia glared at Fayt. "Besides, you kept me waiting—how long was it?"

It was Arthur's turn to chuckle. Sophia smirked. "Serves you right!" Fayt sighed. "Right, right…" Sophia took Fayt's arm and tugged. "Shall we?"

"Okay, just don't yank my arm off!" Fayt replied. Arthur walked ahead of the two when he collided into someone. He was quick to regain balance, but the other person wasn't so lucky and fell on their butt to the floor.

"Sorry!" A feminine voice said. It turned out to be a little girl. Arthur helped her up. He took a good look at her and groaned. "Why am I not surprised?" Fayt and Sophia walked over to Arthur.

"Is she all right?" Sophia asked. Fayt noticed that the girl was younger with black hair tied in a low ponytail. She wore a white buttoned shirt, black shorts, black shoes, a strange, metallic wristband adorned with jewels of different colors and glasses that covered her dark-brown eyes. The girl smiled sheepishly. "Yeah. I'm fine."

Arthur shook his head. "Can't you be more careful, Lucia?" The girl, Lucia, frowned. "You're one to talk, Arthur." Arthur ignored her and turned to Fayt. "Fayt, Sophia. This is my youngest sister, Lucia."

Lucia's ears perked up at the word 'Fayt' and squealed. "Qh my god!" Arthur winced. "Don't do that! You know that hurts my ears." Sophia seemed worried. "What's wrong?"

Lucia pointed at Fayt. "His hair's blue. My favorite color." Arthur rolled his eyes. "Excuse me, but could I talk to you for a second?" He said, dragging Lucia farther down the hall, leaving Fayt and Sophia confused.

"What's wrong with you?" Arthur whispered. "Do you even know where we are?" Lucia stared at him. "Of course. We're in Star Ocean." Arthur quickly shushed her. "Not so loud. You don't want them listening, do you?"

Lucia looked back at Fayt and Sophia. "It's really them!" Arthur nodded. "Please, keep quiet of what you know of the game." Lucia grinned. "My lips are sealed, Bro!"

The siblings walked back to Fayt and Sophia. "Sorry about that! I was lecturing her." Fayt shrugged. "Don't worry about it." Lucia grinned. "Nice to meet you too, Fayt and Sophia."

"I see we've been introduced." Sophia noted. "So where do we go first?" Arthur asked. "Can we go to the beach?" Lucia asked excitedly. "Can we?"

"Yeah, I guess we could go there," Sophia replied and stared at Fayt, "I think you would need some air after playing all those games."

"Yeah. Okay, let's go." Fayt said. Arthur sighed. "Maybe I'll find my other sister there." The group took the transporters on the west side of the hall. They arrived on the lower floors and walked to the other side of the facility.

They met with a Tetrageniot staff employee standing beside the transporters. "Welcome to the Grantier Resort Hotel," She said. "Please come relax inside the hotel if you get tired out in the severe yet perfectly natural heat of this planet."

Arthur nodded his thanks and proceeded to the transporters with the others. They met with a blonde, human employee. Welcome to Hyda IV's natural beach, the pride of the galaxy," She said. "There are nothing but natural living organisms here, from the small creatures living on the seashore, to the fish swimming in the sea. Absolutely no holography, robotics, or artificial organisms are used."

"Thanks," Lucia replied with a smile. The group went outside and found themselves at the beach. Arthur found it to be more beautiful than in the game. As they walked and enjoyed the view, the group ran into a girl with fox tails. "The whole idea of coming to a resort planet is to stretch out your tail and relax," She said to herself. The girl turned and found the group in front of her.

"Oops," The girl said sheepishly. Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Is something wrong?" She shook her head. "It's nothing."

The fox girl started to leave, but she turned back. "You two be careful. My friend has got her mind set on hooking up with a hot guy. I can't figure out why she had to come all the way to Hyda just to do that."

"Thanks for the heads up," Fayt said. "We'll keep that in mind." The group resumed the walk until they reached the shore.

Lucia walked closer to the water. "Look, Sophia. The water's pretty up close." Sophia stood next to Lucia. "Yes, you can see various schools of fish here."

While the girls enjoyed looking at fish, the guys walked a bit farther until they ran into another girl. "Well, hello there! What can I do for you?" She said, looking at the guys. Arthur and Fayt couldn't help but feel uncomfortable near this girl.

"Say, you two are kind of cute. And kinda single, hmm?" She said. She kept staring at Fayt and Arthur with a flirty smile. The girl fanned herself with her hand. "You know, hanging out on this beach has got me as dry as a dog... How'd you two like to come up to my room for a little drinky?"

Fayt scratched his head. "Um, uh... drinky?" Fayt said in a surprised tone. Arthur just groaned. "This is just great."

"So this is where you two are?" A voice said. Arthur turned and saw Lucia and Sophia walking in their direction. Sophia showed up beside Fayt. "Fayt! You can't go around talking to just anybody! Gee!" She scolded, stomping her foot.

"Oh, Sophia." Fayt said startled. Sophia glared at him. "Oh, Sophia? Where's your brain, Fayt?" Arthur sighed. "This is going to end badly."

"Who're they? Your sisters?" The girl asked. Fayt had an idea. "The tall one is my girlfriend," He answered, turning to face the girl. "She's pretty cute, huh?"

Sophia stared at Fayt in shock. "Wha-? I... who? What was that? Whaaat?" Fayt calmed her down and whispered back. "Just play along." Sophia nodded. "Y-yeah. Okay." Lucia stood there, grinning. She was enjoying this.

"Well, anyway… Thanks for asking, but I'll have to pass." Fayt said. "Yeah, its fine. I understand." The girl said and turned to Arthur. "Hey, what about you? Would you like to come?"

Arthur shook his head. "No thanks." The girl walked closer to him. "Are you sure?" Arthur sighed. He hated people who couldn't get a hint. "I'm sure." She inched closer. "C'mon! We'll have the time of our lives."

"For the last time! No means no!" Arthur insisted, bluntly. The girl backed off and sighed. "Uhh, what a waste... Here I thought if I went to this EXPENSIVE resort I'd run into hot guys..." She glared at the two guys. "And when I finally find a guy or two who's my type, one's taken and the other one isn't even interested! Why do I always get the bad luck?"

The girl starts to walk in between Fayt and Sophia. "Excuse me?" she yelled. Fayt winced and moved back. "Thanks," She said and kept walking.

"Er, sorry, Sophia." Fayt said, embarrassed. "We didn't mean to drag you into this." Arthur replied. Sophia looked confused. "A-about what?"

"I mean… I know I just made up on the spur of the moment, but I shouldn't have said that" Fayt explained. "Ah, but if I hadn't said that, she wouldn't have backed off. Right? So…"

Arthur nodded. "He's right. Besides, she came to us." Lucia rolled her eyes. "Really? Cause it sure doesn't look like it."

"You surprise me. I mean, you, my boyfriend?" Sophia said, flustered. "Sorry." Fayt replied. "Don't worry, I don't mind. After all... It's not like I totally despise you, or anything." Sophia assured him.

Arthur chuckled. "I'm impressed, Fayt. There are very few men capable of saying no to a girl like that." He complimented Fayt. "You've shown an intellect and maturity that are lacking in people your age. I respect that a lot."

"Thanks. You did, too, "Fayt replied. Sophia nodded. "Yes, but you could have been a bit less blunt about it." Lucia laughed. "The day that happens is the day it'd snow on Hyda IV."

"That's right." A voice said. Arthur turned around and groaned. "Figures you'd say that." Fayt looked behind Arthur and saw a girl around Sophia's age with black hair that was shorter than Lucia's, but longer than Arthur's. She wore nearly all black clothing from her shirt to her skirt and even her boots. Arthur sighed. "So this is where you were, Iris."

Iris frowned. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friends, Arthur?" Lucia groaned. "This is my big sister, Iris."

"Don't you mean the harpy, Luc?" Arthur remarked. Iris turned her head. "I'm sorry! What was that you said?"

"Nothing, Sis." Arthur insisted. Iris smiled. "Good." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Don't worry. I'll keep quiet about the game and its events as well."

"Hello! I'm Fayt Leingod!" Fayt said. Sophia stepped forward. "Nice to meet you. My name's Sophia Esteed."

"Nice to meet the both of you." Iris replied. "By the way, I happen to like your shirt, Sophia."

"Thank you." Sophia said. "And those boots look great on you." Iris grinned. "These old things?" Arthur rolled his eyes. "Figures they'd talk about clothes." Fayt nodded in agreement.

"Are you guys done?" Lucia asked, impatiently. Arthur sighed. He could tell that Lucia was more bored than impatient. Fayt shook his head and stared at a couple sitting under an umbrella near the seashore. His eyes widened in recognition. "Hey, look. It's mom and dad!"

The group ran to the couple. The woman, who was wearing a hat covering her blue hair, noticed Fayt. "Oh, Fayt! You finally decided to get some sun," She said. "You were playing that game, weren't you?"

"What if I was?" Fayt replied. "It's just something I like to do." The woman sighed. "I know, but… Couldn't you forget about the games for a while? At least while where on this trip?"

Fayt rolled his eyes. "Of course not! You don't see me telling you to forget your books!" Arthur resisted the urge to laugh. It was getting interesting. The woman groaned. "That's not the point. Don't you think it's unfair to Sophia, after she took the time to travel with us?"

Fayt sighed. "You don't have to lecture me like that. I'm not a kid anymore, you know."

The woman shook her head. "Sometimes I wonder... At least, I still think you're a child every time you get so defensive like this," She said. "Well, you should just be happy that I still take the time to talk to you about things like this. That just shows how much I really care about you."

"What's next? Tell you how to clean your room?" Arthur muttered sarcastically to Fayt and got elbowed in the stomach by Iris. The woman noticed the siblings besides Fayt and Sophia. "Fayt. Who are they, new friends of yours?"

Fayt laughed sheepishly. "Oh yeah. Arthur, Iris, Lucia, this is my mom, Ryoko Leingod." The siblings shook hands with Ryoko. "Nice to meet you." The siblings said at the same time.

Fayt pointed to the man besides Ryoko. "And over there is my dad, Robert Leingod. He's the leading authority in Symbological Genetics." He explained.

Arthur nodded. "Awesome!" Ryoko turned to Robert. "Dear! Say hello to Fayt's new friends!"

Robert turned his head and stared at the siblings. He looked at Arthur and his eyes widened in recognition. Robert got up from the chair and stood in front of Arthur, surprising everyone.

"Umm, do I have something in my face?" Arthur asked nervously, his right eye twitching.

Robert shook himself out of his daze. "I'm sorry! You just reminded me of an old friend." He commented with an apology. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Arthur."

"The pleasure is all mine." Arthur replied. Lucia stepped forward. "What now?" Sophia stood in thought. "Say, how about we go back inside?" She suggested.

Arthur scratched his head. "Sure, why not?" The group returned inside, using the transporters again.

The group walked through the hotel without any destination in mind. Arthur heard a groan from behind. He turned to see Iris frustrated. "Does anyone where we are or even where we're going?" She complained. Arthur rolled his eyes. "Relax! I know where we are."

"So, where are we?" Fayt asked. Arthur turned, looking at Fayt. "We're lost." He replied with a smirk. Lucia rolled her eyes. "Your jokes are as bad as ever."

They found themselves in standing in front of a door. "Maybe the people staying in the room could give us directions." Sophia suggested. Everyone agreed with her. As Fayt opened the door, Arthur couldn't help but smirk. He knew exactly what was going to happen.

The five went inside the room. However, it was unlike any hotel room they have ever seen in their lives. It appeared to be more like a dressing room filled with circus performers. One of them happened to be a lively girl with pigtails digging through a box of supplies.

That same girl turned around and 'greeted' the newcomers. "Whaaat? Who are you? This is the Rossettis' dressing room!" She stepped forward and looked at the group.

"Hmm? Oh, I know! You want my autograph, don't you!" The lively girl said, before staring at Fayt. "Ah well, gotta keep the fans happy… Usually, I'd be pretty mad if someone just came barging in like that, but you're so cute I'll make an exception this time."

The group just stood there, confused. "Ah… Umm… You said the Rossettis?" Fayt asked whimsically. The girl looked surprised. "What? You didn't know our troupe's name?" The group shook their heads. To their surprise, the girl just smiled. "Don't go forgetting it, now! Say, what's your name?"

"Fayt… But…" Fayt replied, reluctantly. Sophia stepped forward. "I'm Sophia." Arthur waved his hand. "Name's Arthur." Iris smiled. "My name is Iris." Lucia greeted the girl. "Hi, I'm Lucia."

"Right," the girl said. She skipped behind Fayt and pulled out a black marker. She starts to write and draw on his shirt. "To…my…darling…Fayt… From the Fairy of Illusions, Peppita Rossetti… All done!"

Arthur and the girls walked behind Fayt to see what happened. The girls stared in shock at the back of Fayt's shirt. "What the?" Sophia said. Iris and Lucia kept staring at the bad drawing of the girl herself with the words 'Peppita Rossetti' written in it. Arthur just laughed silently.

Fayt turned around and caught a glimpse of the drawing. "Ah… Hey! You can't just draw on somebody's shirt!" He said.

"I'm thinking she just did." Arthur sneered, only to get elbowed in the stomach by Iris. The girl was surprised. "Huh? What? I thought you wanted my autograph?"

Sophia shook her head. "Nobody said anything about wanting an autograph!"

The girlhad an expression of astonishment. "Huuuuh? But…I mean…wha? But I thought… Then…you want my mama's autograph? Or…my papa's?" She asked, narrowing her eyes lightly. "You can't want Gonnella the Clown's autograph, or Ursus the Strongman's…right?"

Fayt shook his head. "No, we're not really looking for anyone's autograph…" Iris nodded. "That's right."

The girl eyed the group suspiciously. "Huh! Well, what then…are you a salesman?" She said, eyeing Fayt. "Nah… Come to think of it, you look like the kinda guy who's never done an honest day's work in his life."

Arthur laughed. "And she said you were cute!" This earned him a glare from Sophia. Fayt was confused by the girl's statement.

"I know! You're to collect on a loan!" She remarked accusingly. "You're too early! That loan's good until the next month, they promised!"

"No… no! Who are the Rossetis, anyway?" Fayt asked. "And what's with this 'Fairy of Illusion' stuff?"

"Hmmmmmm…okay, soooo, umm… You three are just lost?" The girl said.

"Well, we're not really lost… We knew where we're going." Arthur lied quickly. His sisters glared at him, while Fayt and Sophia gave a meaningful glance.

"Oh no! You're robbers!" The girl said, worryingly.

"No, not that either." Iris replied. The girl stared at the group. "Then what are you? You're not one of my fans, you're not here to collect on our loan, you're not lost… So what do you think you're doing barging into our room like this?"

Arthur nudges Fayt for a response. "Um, I'm sorry for barging into your room. We were just taking a little walk, checking out the place… Isn't that right, guys?" Arthur stared at the girls, who knew how they should reply.

"Mmm-hmm," Sophia gestured. The other girls nodded. The girl stared, dumbfounded at the group. "A walk?" She asked. Arthur nodded. "Yeah, a walk. We were just looking around." He answered.

"Barging into people's room isn't called 'taking a WALK!' That's for burglars, or lost kids, or stalkers, or groupies…" The girl scolded. Arthur groaned. "Uh… okay. Then… We're lost." He admitted. "I lied. We came in here to ask for directions."

"Let's get out of here, Fayt," Sophia whispered. Fayt nodded. "Good idea." Iris stared at her brother and sister and nodded. "Let's leave now!"

"So you WERE lost. That explains it. And I thought you were my very first fan…" The girl said, making imaginary circles on the floor with her fingers. "Ah well, it's not like I've performed yet. So, it did seem a little strange."

"You're a performer?" Sophia asked. Lucia groaned. "It's obvious with the way she's dressed."

"That's right. We're the Rosseti Troupe, and we bring you a fleeting vision of the future! I'm your fairy guide, Peppita Rosseti." The girl introduced herself, spinning around. "Well, if you want to hear it in plain Terra, we're a circus troupe, and I am sort of the host."

Fayt glanced at the drawing in the back of his shirt. "Oh… So this shirt with your signature's going to be worth something?" Peppita nodded. "Of course! It's the first autograph I ever signed!"

"The first?" Lucia asked excitedly. Peppita nodded. "Yep! Tomorrow's my first debut. In six months, why, you could buy a whole planet with that shirt!"

Arthur rolled his eyes. He thought Peppita was exaggerating. Arthur turned to Fayt, hoping he would be careful in his reply. "Oh yeah? Amazing. An entire planet. I guess I'll have to take good care of it." Fayt replied.

Arthur noticed that Fayt was humoring Peppita. She seemed to notice it as well. "Hey… You don't believe me?"

Fayt held his hands up defensively. "No, I believe you. I'm sure you'll be dynamite on the stage." Peppita giggled at his reply. "Teehee… Thanks! I'm in a good mood, so I'll give this present to you, my first fan!"

Peppita handed a ticket to Fayt. It looked like an ordinary ticket to Arthur, but the writing was unreadable to him or his sisters. However, Fayt and Sophia understood it well. "Huh… A ticket?" Fayt asked.

"Yeah, our show's tomorrow! You'd better not miss it!" Peppita said, excitement written in her face. "After you see us do our thing, you'll want to treasure that autograph for the rest of your life!"

Fayt smiled. "Gee, thanks. I'm looking forward to the show." He showed the ticket to Sophia, who passed to Lucia, then Iris. When she tried to give it to Arthur to see, Sophia found him near the back. Peppita looked flustered. "Hey! Don't go back there! That's where we keep the bears, lions and tigers."

Arthur walked back to the group, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry, guys. I was wondering what was back there." He explained. Peppita shrugged. "Anyway, I hope all of you come to see the show."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world." Arthur replied. Peppita's expression brightened. "Great! See you later, Fayt! And the rest of you as well!" The group left the troupe's room.

The group walked for thirty minutes until they reached the lobby. Arthur stared in shock at the place. They've been going in circles. He turned and saw Fayt talking with Sophia near a console. A plastic cup with a straw materialized in it and Fayt grabbed it. Iris and Lucia sat down behind Arthur.

Fayt walked back to the siblings, sipping his drink with Sophia in tow, smiling cheerfully. "Just remember that you promised to take me shopping." Arthur narrowed his eyes at Fayt, but didn't ask anything. As Fayt sat down beside Sophia, his eyes were glued to a door that was a few feet away. Arthur recognized the door as a new battle simulator. Fayt finished his drink and approached the combat simulator, the rest of the group behind him.

Sophia frowned when she realized what Fayt was up to. "Games again? But you were just playing!" She stated. "Keep playing games all the time like that and you'll turn into a brainless muscleman!" The girls giggled at the thought. Arthur groaned while Fayt rolled his eyes.

"Why don't you give it a try, Sophia? It's really fun." Fayt asked, persuasively. Sophia stared at Fayt worriedly. She didn't like these kind of simulations. "But isn't this one of those combat simulators? Don't you have to fight? No can do… I don't like these kind of games."

"Don't worry. I'll protect you." Fayt replied, assuring Sophia. She wasn't convinced. "But…"

Fayt rolled his eyes. "I'd never let you do anything dangerous. I promise. C'mon, try it!"

Sophia finally relented. "Well… Okay. If you say so… I guess I could give it a try." Arthur nodded. "I'd like to give it a try." Iris and Lucia agreed with more enthusiasm.

Fayt smiled. "Then it's settled. Let's start at an easy level since you're all beginners." He turned to Sophia. "You'd prefer a character that uses symbology from a distance rather than one that fights up front, right?"

"Yeah… Well… It won't hurt, will it?" Sophia asked nervously. Fayt shook his head. "Don't worry. Beginner's level doesn't hurt at all, really." Lucia didn't seemed convinced. "Are you sure?" Arthur sighed. "He knows what he's doing."

Sophia nodded. "Okay… I'll give it a try." Fayt turned to the siblings. "So, what kind of characters do you three prefer?" Arthur thought about it. "Hmm… I'm more of the swordsman type. But I also like well balanced characters." Iris nodded. "Me too. Except I like straight katana instead of normal swords and curved katanas." Lucia beamed. "I prefer characters that use a long staff as a weapon in a martial arts style."

"All right then, we're about ready." The door opened, allowing the group to enter it. The room was circular with ruby-shaped metal tiles carved in it. The room glowed as the computer system activated. "Welcome to the Battle Simulator. Please set Battle System parameters."

"What do you wanna do, Sophia?" Fayt asked. "Let's start from the beginning… You wanna take a look at the instructions?" Sophia looked confused. "I dunno… Should I?"

"You probably should. Otherwise it won't be much fun."

"C'mon! Forget reading and let's just play already!" Lucia complained. Arthur groaned at his baby sister's impatience. "If you don't read it, how will you know how to play?"

Sophia nodded, ignoring the sibling's argument. "Okay, I will." They began reading the instructions. It explained how to attack, defend, use your weapon, etc. Fayt also helped create their characters. When they were done, Fayt smiled. "All right, let's play. Computer, start."

"Player one: Fayt Leingod. Character: Sword Master Adonis Klein. User level: AAA." Fayt nodded.

"Player two: Sophia Esteed. Character: Flare Witch Cecilia Femina. User level: E." Sophia nodded as well.

"Player three: Arthur Black. Character: Sword Master Dyne Lightburst. User level: E." Arthur shivered with excitement.

"Player four: Iris Black. Character: Blade Dancer Akai Windurst. User level: E." Iris beamed at her character's name.

"Player five: Lucia Black. Character: Fist Warrior Linda Okane. User level: E." Lucia shrieked out of excitement.

"Battlefield: Remote City of Listia. Monster level: E. Setup complete. Continue?" The system asked. Fayt nodded. "Okay. We're ready."

"Preparing to commence. This Simulation System may abort a game if it detects that player safety is at risk." The computer warned. Fayt held back a groan. "I already know that. Just start."

"Confirmed. Commencing game." Digital clothing appeared around the group's bodies. Arthur found himself wearing a breastplate, metal gauntlets and greaves. In his hand was a sword, similar to Fayt's. Fayt and Sophia were wearing what would become their trademark clothing with the latter holding a rod in her hands. Iris wore strange leather armor that resembled the clothing used by the soldiers in the Federation with a straight katana in her hands. Lucia however wore a fusion between a karate gi and a robe with a bo staff in her hands.

Three figures appeared in front of the group. Two of those figures materialized into bird-like creatures with big beaks, walking on two legs with sharp claws. The third figure kept growing until it materialized into a giant creature made out of a bronze-like stone. Fayt smiled confidently. "Two Moa's and a Mythril Brute, huh."

Both Fayt and Arthur went after the Moa's while Iris and Lucia attacked the Mythril Brute, with Sophia providing support. The two swordsmen attacked the Moa's. The bird-like monsters screeched in pain and retaliated. Arthur dodged the attack while Fayt parried it, slashing at one of them. Arthur took advantage of Fayt's attack and stabbed it. The Moa broke into a mass of binary codes and vanished. The other Moa prepared to attack Arthur when it was hit by a pink beam. Arthur turned to see Sophia grinning. Nodding his thanks, Arthur helped Fayt finish off the remaining Moa.

Meanwhile, Iris and Lucia have been fighting the Mythril Brute, using their speed against the big, slow monster. Arthur and Fayt joined in the assault and helped distract it. Iris jumped on one of its arms, ran straight to its face and thrust her katana into its right eye. Arthur jumped to the monster's chest and kicked off to its face. He gave a hard thrust into its remaining eye, leaving his sword stuck in it. Iris jumped down, her katana still lodged where she left it. The monster shrieked in pain, attacking everything in its path. Sophia stood forward and charged her rod, blue light gathering around her weapon. The Mythril Brute pulled out both blades out of its eyes and noticed Sophia, who was alone and defenseless. It charged at Sophia, when it got it in the face by a staff. It looked around and found Lucia near its feet, spinning her staff around. Lucia ran around, distracting the monster with the help of Fayt. Arthur and Iris joined the battle, having recovered their weapons beforehand. Sophia finished charging her rod. She aimed at the monster and fired frozen icicles that stabbed it everywhere. Some hit its already injured eyes and shrieked in pain. The others took this chance to attack it with everything they had. Fayt, Arthur and Iris slashed it with their blades, Lucia bashed it with her staff and Sophia hit it with her rod. With one final scream, the Mythril Brute fell to the floor and vanished into a mass of binary codes.

The group took heavy breaths. That battle simulation was a hard one. The digital clothing and weapons vanished, returning them to what they wore previously. Sophia sighed. "That wore me out…" Fayt chuckled, glancing at Sophia. "But wasn't it fun?"

"Well, it wasn't too bad, I guess." Sophia shrugged. Arthur grinned. "If you ask me that was pretty amazing." Lucia beamed. "Did you guys see me? I took that thing out!"

However, Iris looked worried. Arthur couldn't blame her. He knew what was coming and hoped he wouldn't get separated from everyone. His thoughts were interrupted by his stomach growling. "Sorry. I guess I'm a bit hungry." He said, sheepishly.

Iris shook her head and Lucia rolled her eyes. Their brother was always hungry. Their stomachs started to growl as well. "Thanks a lot, bro! You made my stomach growl too!" Lucia replied sarcastically.

Fayt sighed. "What do you guys say we stop now and go get a bite to eat or something? All of you look pretty bushed."

"Yeah, I'm beat," Sophia added. "I agree," Arthur said. "While that was real fun, it got me tired."

"I dunno. I could keep going for another battle," Lucia replied. "What do you say, Iris?"

Iris sighed. She was still worried. "Actually, we should stop now. I feel exhausted."

"Ha hah, you three need more exercise!" Fayt taunted. "Lucia can keep going and she's younger than you three!"

"Excuse me? I happen to be very healthy for age," Arthur exclaimed seriously. But a smile forced its way to his face. However, Iris and Sophia looked pretty offended. "Quiet! I happen to be very attractive and exercise enough!"

"Hmph. Guess I'm just a fatty," Sophia replied, disappointed.

"No one's saying that. Sheesh…" Fayt explained. He decided to change the subject. "Hey! Let's go find my mom and dad."

Sophia nodded. "Right." As the group began leaving the room, a small rumble caught them by surprise. "What the?" Fayt yelped.

Suddenly, the simulation room's glow dimmed. The group looked around as the system was turning off the simulation. "Level two tremor detected. The system will be temporarily deactivated for your safety." The system responded. "We apologize for any inconvenience."

"An earthquake?" Fayt remarked. "But Hyda IV is a stable world with no tectonic activity! There shouldn't be any earthquakes."

A stronger tremor suddenly shook the ground. Fayt caught Sophia who landed on him, screeching. Fayt groaned out of frustration. Iris and Lucia lost their balance and grabbed the closest thing they could get their hands on for support. Unfortunately, that was Arthur who couldn't hold their combined weight and fell to the floor, his sisters on top of him.

Arthur grunted in pain, his back getting crushed. "Could you two get off of me?" His sisters got up from the ground and helped him stand up. An alarm sounded, surprising the group.

"This is an emergency alert. Hyda IV is currently under attack by unidentified spacecraft." The system explained. "All civilians should follow immediate evacuation instructions on the nearest console. I repeat: All civilians…"

"Computer! What's going on?" Fayt asked.

"Remote Station seven, Hyda III, and Hyda IV are currently under attack by unidentified ships." The system explained. "Remote Station seven has scrambled its own ships to mount a counterattack, but they are outnumbered and therefore unable to provide evacuation assistance to Hyda IV."

"An attack by unidentified ships?" Arthur asked. He glanced at Iris, realizing that the three of them here stuck with no way out. Lucia clung to Iris, seemingly scared.

"Standby for video display," The system mentioned, showing a video image of the outside. It was chaos shown of the outside with some large battleships hovering nearby. One of the ships fired at the city, leaving a plum of fire in its wake as a sign of destruction.

Everyone stared in shock at what they witnessed. Fayt shook his head in disbelief. "I don't believe it…" Arthur felt more worried than ever. He stared at Iris, who was also worried with Lucia clinging to her.

"As an emergency measure, all transporters have been directly linked to the Evacuation Terminal." The system explained. "Please commence evacuation by following the established route. I repeat: Please commence…"

"Fayt…" Sophia said, scared. Fayt placed his hands on her shoulders to calm her down. "Don't worry, Sophia. I'll stick with you." He assured her.

Sophia calmed down, her face being a bit red. "Th-thanks." Arthur couldn't help but smile at the little exchange. "Say, would you guys mind if we came along? There's safety in numbers."

"We would appreciate it. Thank you." Fayt replied. "But who could be attacking us? Never seen ships like those before… I wonder if Mom and Dad are all right? First things first. We gotta get out of here."

"Let's go everyone." Fayt said.

"Yeah," Sophia replied. The sibling nodded and the group left the simulator room. Arthur knew that the time will come when he and his sisters would be separated.