Special thanks to Rare Kuma, for all his help with this story.
"Sis, what are you doing?"
The day of departure had come as Neptune, Nepgear, IF and Compa all boarded their plane for their big trip to the tournament. The four of them were seated, Compa typing something up on her laptop, Ify playing a handheld, and Neptune smushing her face directly up against the window, watching the land below go by in anticipation.
"I want to see the park in it's full, amazing gloriousness sis. I want it to be something to remember for ever" said Neptune, her voiced hushed in awe and anticipation. Nepgear sighed and looked towards Ify. "She's never going to want to leave, is she?"
"You know we'll have to make her leave in the end, Nep. We knew that from the beginning." Ify said, pausing her game to speak to Nepgear.
"I'll leave, sillies! I mean, I need a new amusement park after I got banned from Super Retro Land!" said Neptune, face still on the glass.
"Poor Monkey Kong..." said Nepgear, remembering that disastrous trip to Lowee.
"Does Monkey Kong still hold a grudge?" asked Ify, raising an eyebrow.
"I've heard some reports that people have seen a Gorilla outside our Basillicom... I don't wanna think about the implications..." Nepgear shuddered at the idea of Monkey Kong finding Neptune asleep...
"Hey, he started it!" rebuked Neptune. Nepgear decided to drop the issue, lest she bring up that moment of misery...
"Well, I'm going to be showing off my special live PSA demonstrations about proper safety during tournament fights!" chimed Compa. "With an audience that may not know the true dangers, my special advice will inspire a new generation of people to show that you can have safe fun while sparring!" she smiled happily as Ify groaned.
"Compa, you know these people will see that as preachy crud when all they want to do is see us fight." remarked Ify.
"I like to think my audience has a bit more tact than that!" Compa said, blissfully ignorant of Ify's words. "Besides, when they see my kind nature and amazing nurse skills (Ify snorted), they will be putty in my hands!
Neptune peeled herself off the window (quite literally, as she had a red mark on her face), and said to Compa, "Well, Compa, your matches will be a great chance to show off your presentation!" Neptune said cheerfully.
"Well, i'm getting all the chances I can to spread the wo-What." Compa's happy face started to fade, as her eyes because to show signs of concern. "But...Nep Nep...I'm not in the tournament..."
"Yes you are! We're Team Planeptune, and so we need our bestest to represent!" Neptune flashed a peace sign to Compa. Who had now gone into full on horror, as her happiness was replaced by sheer panic, as her eyes bugged out and her mouth started quivering.
"I-I-I'm-m...WHAT?! B-But...I'm a NURSE! Not a fighter! I'm gonna get creamed! I'm MADE of cream to them! AH! AH! AHHHH!" Compa began to furiously struggle at her seatbelts, sweat pouring down her face, as Ify grabbed her in an attempt to calm her down.
"But... Compa, you've always gone out with us on quests and to help out when me or sis got in trouble!" said Nepgear, scared and confused at Compa's freak out.
"That's because I was the medic! My weapon was for last resorts and I had you and everyone else trying to stop monsters from eating me! I'LL BE ALL ALONE HERE! THIS SYRINGE IS USELESS TO STOP PEOPLE WHO WILL PUNCH ME IN THE FACE! WHY NEP?! WHYYYYYYYYYY?!"
Neptune, still with a smile on her face, cheerfully replied, "Don't worry Compy, we'll be there giving you support! You got that Planeptune spirit in you!"
"PLANEPTUNE SPIRIT WILL GET ME KILLED! GET ME OUT OF THIS PLANE, I DON'T WANNA GO!" screamed Compa, Ify doing her best to keep her from breaking out of her seat and jumping out of the plane.
"Damnit Compa! If you keep carrying on like this when we get there, everyone's gonna be laughing their asses off at us!"
Nepgear had a look of sympathy toward's Compa's plight, but her and her sister's attention was caught by an announcement on the PA.
"Attention Lady Neptune and Nepgear, we have now reached the airspace above the tournament grounds. We shall be arriving soon."
"OOOOH!" Neptune immediately glued her face to the window, as she caught the magnificent sight below.
Even from the air, the park was a spectacular stream of sights. There was a fantastic Ferris Wheel that seemed to overlook the entire land, with Lastation in the horizon, and a tremendous rollercoaster that had a tremendous drop. Neptune imagined being in one of those cars right now, and smiled dopely at the thought of the wind rushing past her face and the thrill of the speed.
The colors were bright, with a color scheme of blue, yellow and black, yet there was a genuine vibrancy in the park. When they looked down, they could see many cosplayers dressed as strange and wonderful characters walking around in the park, and a monorail deporting what seemed to be many tourists. Of course, the cosplayers greeted them, and some even released balloons into the air.
"Oh man, I'm so psyched!" squealed Neptune.
But what caught all eyes was the spectacular arena in the far end of the land. It was a huge, sprawling dome that looked like it was more for an Olympic Games then a fighting tournament, with even a gigantic video screen visible, and a large ring, surrounded by aisles of seats. Neptune could even see visuals of the CPUs on the video screen, and grinned seeing herself.
Alongside that, there were several smaller areas, like the port, and an outside garage, as well as a nightclub. They also saw several spots covered in scaffolding and tarps.
Then they turned to see the middle. Their eyes widened at the tall, thin tower, and Neptune's eyes widened. "I gotta strange feeling... it's like... deja vu or something... whatever! Looks pretty cool!"
It was a tall, almost divine tower. There seemed to be two floors, or two rooftops, even. A lower slanted room, that was open air, yet held a security and focus that just screamed 'training', surrounded by Eastern plants, and a higher, closed in room, that looked more like a flashy penthouse, along with a balcony to look at the horizon above.
"Wish I had that kind of penthouse..." moaned Neptune.
Nepgear (who, since Neptune was covering the window, simply looked at the monitor in her seat displaying the plane's camera feed of the outside) turned to her sister in amazement. "This place is amazing sis!" she remarked.
Neptune peeled herself off the window as she turned around her face, still red on one side, and flashed her sister an expression of pure, unrefined glee. "This place is heaven. It's more beautiful than I ever imagined..."
"This is going to be a great time, isn't it sis?" said Nepgear in excitement. Her sister squeed in response. "We're going to have the most fun in our lives, we're going to kick ass for Planeptune, and it's going to make us all look awesome! You know what we need to do to get psyched for real sis?"
Nepgear nodded, as the two thrusted up their hands, Neptune holding out her ring finger, Nepgear with hers in a peace sign, and they touched their ring fingers together in mid air, creating an 'N' sign.
"GO TEAM NEPTUNE!"
The two held their pose, before retreating their arms back, smiling happily, and mostly oblivious to Ify trying to prevent a screaming Compa from gnawing her seatbelts off in terror. "You know, the Nep sign works better when you two get on it." Neptune absent mindedly remarked, not even looking back.
The plane finally touched down on the runway, as it opened a door and a staircase from the inside retracted out. Neptune immediately zoomed out of the plane, happily running about the open runway and taking in all the sights of the park on the horizon. "Even the air feels fun!" chimed Neptune
Nepgear exited next. "Wait up sis!" she said, dashing over to Neptune. She was followed by Ify, her arm around a very miserable and distressed Compa.
"This place will be my grave..." moaned Compa. Ify patted her.
"Don't sweat it Compa, these tourney fights aren't to the death. At the end of the day, you'll live." said Ify, smiling reassuringly to her friend.
"I've researched and memorized every single kind of danger that can come from tourney fights during my presentation! I know about all the things that can end me in them, and I KNOW U'm in danger of all of it, because I can't fight in these things!"
Ify sighed at her friend's words, and continued to lead her off the plane.
The rest of the crew started unloading the Planeptune Team's luggage onto trolleys to take them for transport to their rooms, as the four teamates all gathered together.
"Alright, we'll be waiting here for the shuttle to arrive and take all of us, along with the other CPU's when they get here," said Nepgear, looking at her phone.
Neptune groaned at the news. "Awww, why do they have to keep us waiting for us to get in?" Nepgear rolled her eyes, but then spotted a familiar face on the horizon.
"Hey Nepgear!" called out a black haired girl with flowing pigtails with standing with a newly arrived Noire, who was walking up the runway to meet up with Neptune's group.
"Uni! Good to see you!" cried out Nepgear, as the two met and shook hands. "This place looks pretty cool, huh?"
Uni looked to the horizon as she spoke, "This is an awesome place to have a tournament in, but you wouldn't know it from sis though. She's been kinda distant the whole ride here for some reason..." she looked towards her sister, who had a very uneasy look on her face. It stayed as Neptune bounced over towards Noire happily.
"HELLOOOO Noirey!" Nep suddenly took note of Noire's dour expression. "Noire? Why you acting all frowny and funless? In a place like this, that should be a crime!"
Noire's view became guided towards the cheerful Neptune, as she bitterly remarked: "... Because I knew you were going to be like this the whole trip." Neptune didn't break her expression though.
"Sorry Noire, but in a place like this, you'd bet I'd be this Neppy 24/7," Noire grumbled at her fellow CPU's response. Neptune saw the three figures behind Noire though, two of them familiar, but one of them different... "BTW, whose' your crew there?" she asked.
Noire got a smirk on her face as she stood tall, "I'd like to introduce you to my pick for Maker representatives for Lastation. I think you already know these two," she pointed towards the familiar two. A long haired, shy looking girl, with flaming pants, frayed at one side, red spiked gloves on her hands, and a chain with her name hanging around her neck. She was alongside a fiery blue haired girl sporting goggles, decked out in a zipped open jumpsuit and a red scarf around her neck.
"Tekken! Nisa! Good to see you two!" said Neptune.
"This tournament was the perfect opportunity for the hero of justice herself to join the fray! All of Gamindustri will get to be inspired by my spectacular skills!" Nisa bombastically declared, striking a pose.
"When Noire informed us about the tournament, I couldn't wait to go!" said Tekken proudly, with a bit of frailty in her voice. "I don't expect to go far, but it's times like this that I live for!"
"So who's the newbie, Noire?" asked Neptune, looking at the final, unfamiliar figure as she stepped forth.
Her hair was long and blonde, but very spiky and unkempt, especially at the front. She wore a very heavy duty looking headband, obscuring her eyes in shadows. Her clothes were a short, yet thick vest ending before her navel, colored blue with white highlights, and a kind of mini cape ending just below her shoulders, tied around her with a belt. She wore thick white gloves, with metal braces on the back Her pants only went down to the beginning of her knees, but were tied to her waist by two belts. And at her hilt, was a heavy looking blade, it's hilt resembling a shotgun butt, with a visible barrel running through the top, but the bottom part was taken up by a thick blade ending in a blunt curve at the end, metal braces covering the sides.
"I'd like to introduce you to Arc. She's been a bounty hunter that's done work for Lastation for a while now, and she's one of the best. She works on her own usually, but I decided to contact her for the tournament." Noire elaborated, as Arc extended a hand to Neptune, who took it immediately.
"Nice meeting you Arc! That's some radical looking blade you got there!" chimed Neptune. Arc lifted her head up a bit, to show her determined looking blue eyes, as she reached down and started patting the weapon at her side.
"CPU Neptune. We finally meet. I see you have your eyes on Gunflame." Her voice was stern, yet cocky. "I've been waiting a long time for something like this... I'm finally going to get my chance to go up against a CPU..." she looked away from Neptune and then looked over to Ify, the two eying each other.
Compa broke out of her funk, and saw the two's gaze meet. "Ify? Why is that Maker looking at you that way?"
"...I know that kind of gaze. I think she's seeing me as a new opponent... and I gotta say... she looks pretty intense..."
Nisa meanwhile, grunted in disapproval.
"Nisa, are you going to continue this little grudge for the whole tournament?" asked Noire, shooting Nisa an angry look. Nisa crossed her arms and closed her eyes. "I'm not a fan of bounty hunters like her who just fight for their own amusement and profit... as a Hero of Justice, I don't find that very just at all..."
Noire responded: "Well, maybe if you go up against each other then you will get to resolve your little feud, but for now, keep it to yourself!" Nisa grunted, as Noire decided to drop the issue for the moment.
"Your Maker reps are cool Uni!" said Nepgear, looking at the Lastation Team with Uni.
"Sis did do a good job with them, huh?" Uni responded before looking towards her friend. "And I think you're gonna have to prepare yourself, cause in this tournament, i'm aiming for number 1," ahe flashed a determined look at Nepgear, who flashed one back.
"You're going to have to get past me and sis, Uni. And we aren't going down without a figh-YAH!"
"Nepgear, what was with tha-AHH!"
The two felt prodding sensations in their backs, as they both turned around in surprise to find a pair of twins in snowsuits and hats, one wearing pink clothes and long brown hair, and another with blue clothes and short brown hair, both of them rubbing handhelds against the two other Candidate's bodies.
"WALKPASS!" the two replied cheerfully.
"Ram! Rom! What are you two doing?" asked Nepgear in surprise, as Rom started rubbing it against her stomach and sides.
"What's with the Game Girl massage?" said Uni, annoyed with Ram rubbing her handheld against her face.
"It's Walkpass!" replied Ram. "The brand new Lowee social system! Our devices simply connect to others that have Wi-Fi, and their avatars get sent to ours to do fun stuff, and play games that can only be accessed through Walkpass!"
"It's a great new way to get outdoors and make new friends!" replied Rom.
"Then why are you rubbing us with them?" inquired Uni, shooing off Ram's Walkpass testing, who dusted herself off and stood alongside her twin sister.
"Well, with Walkpass, sometimes you need to make sure! And with that giant theme park, we're going to be in Walkpass paradise for this whole tournament!" chimed Ram.
"When we wanted to get cool stuff in Walkpass before, we had to slowly do it through me and sis Walkpassing each other! But when we go to a place like Super Retro Land, we get dozens!" said Rom.
"So therefore, this tournament will be a bonanza!" Ram and Rom hi-fived each other.
"That seems like unnecessary work just to get stuff that doesn't really do anything. And why should you have to pass by people just to play a game?" responded Uni, clearly not taken aback by Walkpass.
"I think Walkpass sounds fun..." said Nepgear.
"Oh Uni. You Lastation folks are too dreary to enjoy the true fun of Walkpass! You have better taste than I though Neppy! Good on you!" said Ram proudly, Uni scrunching up her face in frustration.
"So what do you two think of the park?" asked Nepgear, changing the subject.
"We've never gotten to stay for so long in a park..." said Rom, her voice brimming with excitement. Her sister crossed her arms and got a smug look on her face.
"Yeah, it was good of them to think ahead, because this place is gonna need some serious work to beat Super Retro Land in our eyes."
"I think they'll both be really fun..." Rom said to her sister.
"Rom, sometimes you need to pick favorites. Things like this there is no 'both really fun' when it comes to theme parks!" Ram said as she patted her sister on the head.
"I'm hoping sis won't have another Monkey Kong incident myself..." mutter Nepgear. Ram started giggling, as Rom sighed in sadness.
"Hey, she started it! That's what happens when you mess with Monkey Kong's banana horde... but more importantly, you two are gonna feel the amazing power of the Lowee Twins!"
Uni was unimpressed by Ram's boast, as she crossed her arms. "Um, you do realize that we're fighting one on one, right? You'll have to fight separately!"
Ram kept her look of smugness as she replied "I don't think so Uni, because we're aiming to fight as a doubles team!"
"Ummm... what if you aren't allowed to be a doubles team?" asked Nepgear. Rom got a scared look on her face at Nepgear's notion.
"B-But... I can't fight on my own..."
Ram grabbed Rom in reassurance. "Rom! Don't get those crazy thoughts! We will be a doubles team! Me and Blanc will make sure of that! There's no Ram without a Rom, and there's no Rom without a Ram!" Rom got her smile back, as she cuddled her sister in thanks. "C'mon Rom, let's go Walkpass the CPU's!"
"Yaaay!" Rom ran off to her sister as they went over to Neptune and Noire, and started prodding the two, to their surprise and annoyance respectively.
"Well, those two are certainly in their element..." remarked Nepgear, watching Noire chase around Ram.
"And they'll be in their element for the entire tournament... at least Rom's a sweet kid..." sighed Uni.
"I dunno... Ram can be fun to have around when she's in her nice and friendly mode." responded Nepgear.
"Yeah, if you can get her in friendly mode..." Uni snarked, as the two started laughing.
"Girls, Walkpass doesn't work that way. Please stop bothering the other CPU's," The voice came from Blanc, who had just arrived. Ram and Rom ran towards her laughing and gathered near.
"Heya Blanc! So who you got for your Maker reps? Gonna take some effort to beat our mad crews!" remarked Neptune.
"Neptune, your 'mad crew' are the same two you always hang out with. And your nurse looks like she's about to go on a suicide mission!" said Noire, gesturing to the very pale, shaking Compa, who blushed in embarrassment.
"Awww, Compy's just going through a phase! Once she gets into gear, she'll be kicking ALL the butts!" Noire rolled her eyes at Neptune's boast. "So who's with Blanc? Your mysterious captain gonna show up, but only from your perspective, so we'll think you're all crazy and such? At least that's how it usually goes..."
"Well... she couldn't make it. She has duties in Lowee..." muttered Blanc, her head lowered.
"Ooooh... it's happening alreadyyyy~" said Neptune in a faux scary voice.
"Shut up Neptune. Anyway, you have another person, right? Like that Retro girl that you're so fond of?" asked Noire, placing her hands on her hips.
"She... couldn't make it either... in fact almost all the native Lowee Makers were unavailable..." muttered Blanc, her head sinking even lower.
"Huh. So it's just you then? Sheesh, pretty poor showing from the CPU of Lowee! And people call ME a loner! Not that I am of course but-"
"I'M NOT A LONER!" roared Blanc at Noire's words, her eyes glowing red. "And I brought somebody..."
"Miss Blanc, you wound me! I've been waiting for this since we landed!"
Everyone's eyes were turned towards the figure walking gracefully towards them, putting one leg before the other in an elegant, catwalk-esque way. She was clad in a shiny, tight, silver jumpsuit, opened up where her chest started, and zipped open at the ends of her legs. She wore a belt with a buckle marked with a sigil, a P with a star next to it. She wore pure white gloves, and shades. Her hair was long and flowing, clean bangs going down past her ears, the rest falling behind her back, all of it shimmering. Finally, on her back was what looked like a sheathed katana, but in a large, technological looking sheath.
"You may call me Platinum. Plat for short. Has a nicer punch to it. Demon Slayer extraordinaire!" said the woman in a posh, refined voice.
"Wow! That's one snazzy maker you got there Blanc!" said Neptune, enamored by the shiny figure.
"Demon Slayer? Pshh. Looks more like a model to me," said Arc, dismissively.
"Now now dear, Demon Slaying doesn't fix you into rugged little looks. I like to play with my food before I eat it. It's all about style," responded Plat with a foxy grin.
"Hmpf! Style and fighting... this world needs an example from the Hero of Justice more than ever..." muttered Nisa, Noire rolling her fingers against her temple.
"Hmmm..." Platinum looked towards Nisa with interest. "You... that style..." she started walking around a confused Nisa. "I like what you have going here... it appeals to me... there's a word for you but I can't quite... remember..."
Nisa blinked, looking rather bewildered, "Ummm... well, thanks I... guess?"
"So how did you get a hold of this one Blanc?" asked Noire. "Can't say that I expected her to be your kind of choice..."
"She..."
"Hey! I know you!" shouted Ify, cutting off a now disgruntled Blanc. "You're that stylish fighter! The Queen of 'Stylish Combat'! I know that because you did work for Planeptune back in the day! Why are you with Lowee now?!"
"Wha? Yeah Platty, why'd you jump ships?!" said Neptune, despite not remembering Plat.
"Well, no offense Miss Neptune, but I wasn't feeling the right kind of vibe there. I slew, yes, but... I don't know how you would explain it, but I felt restricted, rushed, unappreciated. I wanted to seek out somewhere that spoke to my style... and then, I got a nostalgic feel for the icy plains of Lowee... a place of wonders and unknown terrors. I can't pinpoint why I got drawn to the place but... ah, maybe i'll figure it out eventually." Plat looked off into the distance with her arms crossed.
"Platinum came to the Basillicom after hearing about the tournament, and asked if she could come along. Since I didn't have anybody else, I accepted," said Blanc softly.
"So you got some random demon slayer? Pshhh. That's pretty sad Blanc. At least it's better than no one..." said Noire smugly, as Blanc gritted her teeth in anger.
"While we're at betrayals, I thought you were Planeptune too Tekken?!" asked Neptune, with a voice of disappointment.
"Oh, actually, i've been with Lastation for a while. I was there in the old days, and I was recently back there for Noire's big project tha-"
Noire blocked Tekken's mouth, looking tense. "Was top secret and not worth discussing, now anyway, where's Ver-"
"Lastation All Stars! That was it!" said Neptune happily, as Noire's expression got all the more madder. "Wow, did that show stink up the place!"
"Neptune..." growled Noire.
"Maybe if you're going to copy Ultra Bash Sisters next time, pay a bit more attention to it's cast choices..." smirked Blanc, enjoying the Lastation CPU's rage.
"We did the best we could with what we had..." gritted Noire, her eyes filled with rage and bitterness.
"See, there was your problem Noire, you should have had a few more Lastation All Stars!" laughed Neptune, unfazed by Noire's death glares.
"THEY. WERE. THE BEST. CHOICES. AT. THE TIME." said Noire, barely containing her intent to kill.
"Hey, why didn't you invite me then?" asked Arc bitterly.
"Yeah, or me?! A Hero of Justice shouldn't be snubbed!" added Nisa.
"That disgusting hobo of a Demon Hunter you brought was an insult to our very profession!" snapped Plat.
"SHUT UP. ALL OF YOU!" growled Noire. The other Makers shrugged and decided not to press further.
"See, even your own Makers think you screwed up Noire!" chimed Neptune, who was then tackled by a livid Noire, howling at her all the while, as Ram laughed at the two, with Blanc trying to restrain a giggle out of schadenfreude.
The two candidates looked on at the two, sighing. "I thought Lastation All Stars was good for what it was, Uni..."
Uni sighed, and smiled to Nepgear. "Just between you and me, it wasn't exactly well thought out..."
Blanc meanwhile, put aside her catharsis, and broke up the fight. "Now now, you two, this kind of thing is what the tournament is for. Besides, look whose arrived."
The two other CPU's halted the fight to see a green jet land on the runway, as the door opened, and the well-endowed Leanbox CPU emerged yawning, a tired look still on her face. Nepgear and Uni also went over to the group, in anticipation for the shuttle now that the CPU's were together.
"Hello everyone. Good to see you could all make it." said Vert, her voice sleepy.
"So, the sleeping princess awakens. How was your Odin Sleep?" said Noire cheekily.
"It was relaxing." said Vert, putting a hand on her chin.
"Hey Vert! We were just talking about Lastation All Sta-"
"DROP IT NEP. So where's this Maker you were looking forward to showing us?" asked Noire, placing her shaking hands on her hips.
"Oh, he's with me-"
"He?" said Blanc, as the other goddess got looks of surprise on their faces.
"A 'he'? Oh Vert, did you get one of your dream bishie princes to come with you at last?" said Neptune.
"Not quite... though he is a bit of a gentleman..."
Neptune paused, then her eyes widened, then Noire spoke up, "Waiiiit... a male Maker... Vert... he's not from the Westerlands, is he?" asked the Lastation CPU.
"Why yes he is," said Vert in a manner of fact tone, as all the goddesses, as well as their sisters got looks of shock. They had all heard stories about the Westerlands. A mysterious foreign continent where Makers ruled as their own gods, in their own fashions, and things were different than in the Gamindustri the CPU's knew...
"The Westerlands? That strange, desolate place, where everything is made of brown, grey and factories?" said Blanc.
"I heard that they kill each other for tags, and use teabags as currency!" said Noire.
"I heard that there's a city made of Steam!" said Neptune.
"I heard they are lead by corporations who kidnap Makers, and turn them into zombies by sucking the energy out of them for blood Shares..." said Blanc.
"I've been kinda interested in seeing what the Westerlands are like myself..." said Nepgear.
"Wha? You can't do that sis! They'll like, chop off your arm and turn you into a robot to kill people!" said Neptune, as Nepgear's mouth quivered at the thought.
"You people shouldn't judge the Westerlands like that! I have roots there, and it's a unique and wonderful place! Ah! My rep is coming out now!"
The group all looked towards the plane door... as they were met with what could be the most bizarre thing that any of them, even Neptune, could have ever conceived.
It was a giant chicken.
That was the most immediate striking thing about him, but there was more. It was a giant, chicken wearing a brown, fancy blazer, opened to show what looked like a surcoat with four colors of red, blue, green and orange with a white cross in the middle. He wore a monocle, and on his head was a posh top hat, with alien-like antenna coming out of the sides. He looked almost... abnormal with the way he moved. Neptune thought she could see squiggly lines surrounding him. The CPU's were collectively a combination of confused, awestruck, and terrified.
"Greetings and salutations dear maidens!" he cried out, in a colorful, faux posh voice.
"I would like to formerly introduce you to Behemoth. A Maker from the Westerlands, and a loyal ambassador to Leanbox!"
"WHY," said Neptune, dumbfounded.
"Why? Well, one would normally assume that of my grand name! As a giant chicken myself, I am a great Behemoth to my own kind! If they are my kind that is... perhaps i'm only a chicken on the outside... wouldn't that be a twist, eh?"
"I... just... how did you even MEET him Vert?!" stuttered Noire, still trying to take in what was standing before her.
"Oh I've always had relations with the Westerlands, and I just ran into him one day, looking for work with a Gamindustri nation." said Vert lovingly.
"That's right! Lady Vert kindly took me into her warm milky cushions of love, and started me on a round trip of friendship and friendlyness! I've been bouncing with joy on her large tracts of care ever since! Squishing on her bean bags! Handling her clay balls of niceness!" Fondling her-"
"WE GET IT! You like her boobs!" shouted Uni, wanting an end to the innuendo.
"... What the doodie is a boob?" said Behemoth, with a look that seemed to indicate that he legitimately didn't know. Uni felt her brain starting to crack.
"Mister, you're like something that the world pooped out one day out of confusion!" said Ram, walking up to the giant chicken.
"You took the words right out of my mouth young girl!" he started patting her on the shoulder, and then suddenly... "BA-KAWK!" he screeched loudly at Ram, as if he had become like a chicken.
"AHHH!" Ram dashed behind her older sister as Behemoth eyed her as if she was prey, edging close, in an animalistic fashion, before immediately righting himself and dusting his clothes off.
"So sorry, sometimes the brain wires get bored of the normal mind, and just decide to hook up to the chicken brain! There's also a pants brain. I... I don't know what that does..."
"Of... course." Blanc said dumbfounded, making a mental note never to let her younger sisters near him ever. A mental note shared by said twins. Desperately trying to avoid thinking about Behemoth for too long, she tried to change the subject. "So... Vert... do you have any other reps?"
"There is another you would all be familiar with, but she wanted to make a personal entrance-Oh! That must be her!"
All of a sudden, a horn blasted through the area, and a crowd stepped aside to see a sleek limo drive past, rearing slowly towards the CPUs and their Makers. Vert turned her head, and Behemoth clucked, as the limo came to view.
It was a dark blue vehicle, with what looked to be a red gem on its bumper. There was light blue highlights on the doors, and indeed, it crawled to a stop.
Vert gave a small, confident smile, "Well, it seems like she's arrived... I was wondering when she'd show up."
"Eh? Who?" muttered Neptune. However, Noire and Blanc nodded, and seemed to recognize who the owner of the luxury car was.
When the door opened, a heeled foot came to view, before the young woman pulled up and revealed who she was.
A young, rather beautiful woman stood up and walked forward, closing the door behind her. She had her long brown hair in two buns, had a tall, sleek figure with long legs, and was wearing a corporate suit, her skirt exposing said long, slender legs. She had an arrogant smirk on her face, and brushed a hand past her rather elegant features. She didn't even look at anybody else, just Vert, who nodded to the woman.
"Hello, Cappy. I see this is the 'big splash' you talked about," a confident smile rose itself on the green-clad woman's face.
"Yes. You see, unlike the others, I wanted to show that we're equals, not just CPU and Maker," her voice dripped with superiority and suavity, and IF scowled.
Vert simply nodded, "Well, our collaborations have been rather successful..."
"Who does she think she is..." muttered IF.
Nepgear frowned, and backed up a bit, "Goodness, she is a bit harsh for a Maker..."
"Ughh. Every year she seems to become more of a bitch..." pouted Noire. Blanc just looked on at Cappy bitterly.
"So, I see Planeptune's brought their usual no names." said Cappy, gesturing towards an aggravated Ify, and a terrified Compa, thinking of the prospect of having to fight Cappy. Neptune got cross at somebody dissing her friends.
"Hey stuffy! Don't knock my two friends! My bestest buds here have been helping me kick ass for like, ever!" She grabbed Compa and Ify, and held them to her shoulders. Cappy snorted at the sight.
"Well, I see why i've been avoiding Planeptune then." Turning away from the fuming Neptune and co., she turned her sights towards Noire's ensemble. "Well, you seemed to have assembled a fine crew here. A bounty hunter from wherever, a woman child who wants to play hero and... well, well well... Tekken." Cappy's word's made the martial artist nervous.
"Cappy...You still remember the Xross Tournament..." said Tekken as Cappy glared at her, remembering the martial arts tournament they both hosted and attended, which wound up being seen as a disappointment.
"Yes, that debacle did teach me a few lessons on who I should have worked with, and what the right times are..." pondered Cappy dismissively. Tekken clenched her fists together in anger.
"That's because it was the fifth tournament you hosted during that period! You charged extra for fights after they had to pay to get in! You rushed the organization!" yelled Tekken. Cappy simply looked at her dismissively.
"Well, with that kind of attitude, maybe I should rethink letting you organize your part when the time comes..."
Tekken gritted her teeth before looking down.
"Hey you jerk! What's the big idea saying all that crap to her! And 'Woman Child'?! There's nothing childish about protecting the innocent!" declared an enraged Nisa.
"Oh, my mistake then. I'm sure when a cat gets stuck in a tree, i'll call upon the Hero of Justice to make a show for everyone." said Cappy, her voice dripping with a condescending tone.
Nisa prepared to make a move when Noire held onto her shoulder. "She's not worth it Nisa. Cool it off." Noire whispered. Nisa begrudgingly backed down.
"Hm. Some talk lady. Think you can back it up where it counts?" said Arc, unimpressed with Cappy's smack talk.
Immediately, a sharp wind broke against Arc's face. In the blink of an eye, Cappy's fist was right in front of Arc's face. Arc was tensed, her hands on Gunflame at her side. But when her eyes directed itself to Cappy's face... she saw that Cappy wasn't even looking at her.
Arc grunted and let go of Gunflame as Cappy walked away, to look at Blanc. "Well look at you. How the mighty have fallen... after all this time, all you have to have to show for your support is some delusional has-been..."
"Has-been?! What the hell would you know about me?!" yelled Platinum. Cappy simply smirked at the enraged Maker and simply walked away. Plat prepared to advance on Cappy, but Blanc stopped her.
"It's not worth it, Plat." she said, placing a hand on the woman's shoulder.
"I won't have that haughty upstart insult me or you directly to our faces-"
"We are here for a fighting tournament. Picking a fight now is unnecessary. Do you understand!?" snapped Blanc, her voice stern and hard. Plat cringed in frustration, before she loosened up.
The newly bitter mood was then broken as a horn honked in the distance. The group all looked towards the sound, and saw a large, gaudy bus drive through the morning fog, emblazoned with a large, colorful 'Gamindustri Tournament' title on the sides, as the PA rang out.
"Attention all contestants! Your hotel rooms are ready! Please step on board to your destination. The opening ceremony will begin tomorrow, so it's advised you all get some rest! And to everyone of you, welcome to Negeos Land!"
"C'mon everyone! The park awaits!" cheered Neptune as the rest of them got into the waiting bus. Everyone except for one.
"Noire. Come on." said Blanc, looking at the Lastation CPU. She had suddenly turned white. She was shaking all over, speechless. Blanc looked at her with a look of concern and with some hints of understanding. "You don't want to be left behind," she said in a matter of fact tone.
"Y-Yeah...You're right." Noire walked up to the bus and boarded before looking back at the park in the distance as the fog cleared up and the bus doors closed, as her mind raced with horrified thoughts, "This is wrong...This whole place...Why..."
"I can't believe we have to share this stupid ship with this friggin' creep!" a young girl screamed.
The sun was only just rising on the park, but the waters at the port were still dim. Though the black waters, a single dingy sailed up to a large pipe opening.
"Don't blame me! This old hag couldn't get any of the others in time!" a screechy voice yelled back.
"Will you two shut up?! I'm trying to concentrate here!" a mature woman shouted out, quelling the two younger voices, "And for the last time, don't call me hag! As unfortunate as it is, we should be glad we have one member... that isn't you two, Pirachu and Underling."
"Geeheehee... I hope my little victims haven't gotten any older..." slurped a disgusting oaf, "would be a shame..."
On the deck of the old, broken ship, was four very suspicious looking people. They were the only members left of the once-powerful ASIC, now reduced to nothing after their defeat at the hands of the CPUs. The first, their leader, was a buxom grey-skinned witch named Arfoire.
The next was a devilish young girl known as Underling, real name Linda, further back on deck, who was looking behind her in fear of the two creatures at the back: the small mouse mascot named Pirachu, with a recognizable heart-shaped tail, and a large, round, yellow reptillian robotic blob named Trick, whose tongue was lolling with excitement.
Pirachu fumed, "Seriously, why couldn't we get Brave, or even Judge?!"
"Because, some stupid coincidence made it so only Trick was resurrected in time!" growled Arfoire.
Trick only slurped happily, "Hehe, luckily I was the one reborn... I'll get a second helping~"
Luckily for the three of them, they were almost at their destination: they drifted into a sheltered sewage pipe, and sailed to the edge of the walkways leading deeper into the system. They all stepped over the side onto solid ground as the boat creaked with every departure. Finally, Pirachu stepped off...
And the boat immediately sank into the murky sewage water.
"I remember that we could do better than this." Pirachu muttered, seeing the boat swallowed up into the gunge.
"I don't even care anymore," the witch sighed, clearly irritated.
Trick looked out at the park visible from the pipe opening, tongue lolling and rolling in excitement, "Ooooh... I hope those delicious twins will be here...~"
Completely ignoring Trick, Arfoire stood before her minions and cleared her throats. "Those idiot Goddesses think that they'll be spreading the message of 'peace' through this tournament...Ha!...All that they will spread is that Gamindustri belongs ASIC, and the Goddesses only deserve to rot in the graveyard... and we have our little package to make that happen... those fools will-Where's the package?"
The other members looked at each other with confusion before checking their clothes, their bags... and then they all looked to the patch where the boat was descending into the sludge. Arfoire could only slam her palm into her forehead at that.
"Well... I'm happy one of you idiots can go fish it out." She directed her gaze directly at Linda, who started sweating.
"Wait but... the water... I mean..." Another glare from Arfoire convinced her that arguing was futile, as she miserably walked down the stairs from the walkway, directly into the green waters below. Arfoire changed her view to the park.
"Either way... no matter what, ASIC is back in action, and this time, the CPUs will fall...HAHAHA!" her laughter echoed through the pipes as Linda burst out of the water holding a large, heavy steel case, glowing with red light across the seams...
I must say, i'm really happy how this chapter turned out while writing it. I'm really hope you all enjoy my OC's in the coming chapters!