It wasn't every day that IF had the opportunity to ride in a luxurious limousine carrier. The vehicles were expensive enough as it is to rent for special occasions, yet Plutia owned one of the latest models. Not only that, but the amount of customization Plutia put into the interior would have burned a nice hole into IF's retirement savings. The inside of the limo resembled more of a house with a bed that the Oracle was currently sleeping in. IF had wanted to speak to Plutia more, but decided against waking her. From what IF was seeing on the news channel, the Oracle clearly had her work cut out for her the moment they reached the Basilicom.

"Two simultaneous attacks by monsters were fended off once again by Planeptune's military. Reports show zero civilian casualities and fewer properties destroyed as a result of these battles; a clear sign of efficiency thanks to our goddess Lady Purple Heart and her combined efforts with General Iris."

The reporter continued talking, but IF drowned out the man's voice as her eyes focused on the events happening behind him. Beyond the police barricade, IF could see hundreds of monster corpses of various sizes on the ground. Planeptune soldiers carried the smaller bodies and threw them into containers while the larger beasts had to be cut or broken down into smaller pieces with power tools. Several transport ships, both from the military and civilian companies were flying in and out of the battlefield. The camera zoomed in on Purple Heart who had just finished talking with Iris as they both shook hands and parted ways.

"Nepu!"

IF blinked, realizing the strange sound didn't come from the television. She glanced around the car until she spotted what might have been the culprit: Plutia's doll. IF got up from her seat and walked over to the doll, picking it up and giving the figurine a closer examination. The doll's seams were flawless, too high-quality to have been made in factories for mass production. This was definitely handmade and whoever created it put a lot of passion and care into it. IF turned the doll on its back and noticed a heart stitched into the back of the doll's parka. However, there was something written inside the heart; a declaration that piqued IF's interest.

"To the one I cherish the most..." IF read aloud, looking at the slumbering Oracle. That line ruled out the possibility of Plutia being the one who created the doll; Plutia was many things, most of them positive, but a narcissist wasn't one of them. IF turned it around so that the doll's face was looking at her. She gave the cute figure a squeeze and found her answer to the mysterious voice.

"Nepu!"

The doll squeaked out its phrase again, but this time, Plutia reacted to the sound by shuffling in her sleep and yawning. The Oracle opened her eyes, blinking a few times before looking up at IF with curious eyes. IF offered an apologetic smile and shrug; she hadn't meant to wake Plutia up from her sleep. IF held out the doll for Plutia to take and the Oracle took her possession back, giving it a hug, but without the force to activate its phrase again.

"Your doll fell off the bed." IF gave her excuse. "I picked it up and well...here we are."

"Ah..." Plutia nodded her head in understanding, easily accepting the story.

"Plutia, if you don't mind me asking; who made that doll for you?" IF decided to keep the conversation going since Plutia was awake now. "It's way too high-quality to have been mass-produced. A gift from a friend?"

"Iris made it for me." Plutia answered with a smile.

To say IF was surpised would have been an understatement. The current general of Planeptune, who inspired fear in monsters and even her own troops, made this cute doll? IF had explored underground ruins, uncharted lands, and fought beasts bigger than some of the tallest buildings in Planeptune; yet all those wonders couldn't compare to this surprise.

"Really? That's...unexpected." IF replied, unable to hide the disbelief in her own tone.

"It's true, though." Plutia pouted as she shook her head, looking disappointed that IF didn't believe her. "Iris makes a doll for me every year that she goes on furlough. It's a promise she made to me when I was a kid."

"A promise?" IF tilted her head, curious about what led to such a long-running pledge.

"Yup..." Plutia looked down at her doll and started patting its head. "I grew up with a weak immune system, so I always ended up staying at the hospital more than I did at home and school whenever I got sick...which was pretty frequent. It...got in the way of a lot of things."

IF grimaced at the way Plutia said that, letting IF figure out the implications on her own. The Oracle had been through her own hardships as well, no greater nor lesser than anyone else's struggles. Plutia must have been pretty lonely as a child and lacked friends due to her body's weakness. IF thought back to her own childhood and the group of friends she spent time with during school and out of it; an experience that Plutia lost as a kid.

"Iris started making these dolls for me when I was rushed into intensive care." Plutia looked back up at IF, squeezing the doll as it uttered its phrase again. "It's also when I met Ryuka who had been a nurse at the time. She took care of me during my stay at intensive care; we became fast friends."

"Ah, that explains why she was familiar with you." IF crossed her arms. "So that hospital I was at?..."

"It's the very same one I spent most of my childhood at, yes." Plutia answered with a nod. "I make it a habit to visit her once every few weeks; just to catch up with Ryuka."

There was a moment of silence between the two with IF deep in thought about what she just learned about Plutia today. The Oracle had been born with a weak constitution, spending more time in the hospital than she did with family and friends. Despite such a setback, she grew up to become the Oracle of Planeptune; a clear sign that even though Plutia napped frequently, she clearly had a drive to be more than a sickly patient of her past self. There was also the revelation concerning Plutia's sister, Iris, who is often portrayed by the media as both a sadistic and bloodthirsty general. The fact that Iris could knit a doll and create one every year because of a promise she made to Plutia showed there was something there other than blood-lust and sadism.

"Do you normally talk this openly about your past?" IF asked.

"No..." Plutia shook her head before smiling at IF. "But it's not like we're complete strangers, IF."

"True." IF couldn't argue against that and reciprocated the smile. "Since we're sharing stories about our past, I suppose I can tell you about mine...that is, if you would be interested in hearing about me?"

"I'd love to."

Plutia patted the space beside her on the bed and IF took the invitation, sitting down next to the petite girl. IF couldn't help but notice how comfy the bed was that she was quite tempted to lie down on her back. Plutia watched with an inquisitive gaze as IF pulled out one of her phones from her coat and pressed a series of numbers.

"I wanted to share this history with Falcom when we got back from her first mission." IF said, her mind drifting back to the hospital room containing her friend on the bed. "...But she's busy trying to come back to us."

IF finally pressed the call button as the screen revealed a photo. It was a picture of a younger IF, Marvy, and MAGES. in the starting days of their time as rookie mercenaries in the Gamindustri Guild. However, there were two other faces; one was a girl with spiky blond hair and an outfit that resembled a cat. The last one was a redhead, whose clothing consisted of the same color as her hair, who clung onto an annoyed IF. Yet the IF of the present was staring fondly at the short girl clinging onto her younger self.

"The Gamindustri Guild, as you probably already know, was once formally called just the 'Guild' by the Basilicom." IF explained to Plutia, who nodded her head, knowing this information already. "However, there was a revolution within the Guild that called for change. The Guild did not want their groups divided because of the Console War going on between each nation, so each Guild from their respective nations worked against their governments to become an independent company. They had to prove to the Basilicom that each nation, despite their differences, could work together as a team for the sake of getting the job done."

"Individuals from each nation would form up together to create squads with the purpose of helping Gamindustri as a whole." Plutia said, knowing her own part of the history concerning the Gamindustri Guild. "That's the only way anyone can become an official Gamindustri Guild member. That, and be under tutelage of a squad."

"That's correct." IF then pointed her fingers at the kunoichi and blue-haired spell-caster. "Every one here is a member from each nation. We have MarvelousAQL, Marvy for short, who's from Lowee and MAGES. from Leanbox."

Then IF pointed at the spiky blond-haired girl with green eyes brighter than IF's.

"This is Cyberconnect2 from Lastation; we just call her CC2 or Cybercon. She would have been here in Planeptune, but she said she had some matters to deal with in her nation."

IF finally moved to the short redhead sticking to IF's past self like glue. For a moment, IF went silent; long enough that Plutia poked IF in the cheek. That seemed to bring IF back out of her trance, smiling sheepishly at Plutia for stopping so suddenly. Plutia shrugged in response, unable to comment on why IF became so quiet upon focusing on the redhead.

"And this is Red from Planeptune. She was my instructor..."

"IF, I've never seen you with her before." Plutia said, furrowing her eyebrows and thinking back on whether she ever saw such an energetic looking girl with IF in the past.

"You wouldn't have. This was before you came into power as Oracle." IF lowered her head, hiding her face from Plutia. "...And you will never have the opportunity to meet her."

Plutia immediately picked up the hint from IF's last words. The Oracle reached out to place a comforting hand on IF's shoulder. IF still didn't look up, but she lifted her own hand to place it on top of Plutia's.

"I wish you could have met the girl that changed my world."

IF raised her head up and turned to Plutia with a smile, but anyone who wasn't blind could tell it was forced. IF sighed and scratched the back of her head, feeling at odds with herself that the mood in the car had gotten to this point. The day was bad enough as it is and here she was making it worse for herself.

"But all I can do is tell you. So here we go..."

Closing her eyes, IF pictured an event that happened in the past; a time when she had been in a forest hunting down a target that was harassing a farm. The young IF was brash, inexperienced, and a bit cocky; ready to take on Gamindustri's trouble and make a name for herself as a solo mercenary with no affiliations to any nation.

"You'd think that someone who changes a person's life would have a really great first impression." IF started as Plutia hung on to every word with fervent interest. "That they've done something awe-inspiring or gave you a memory you will never forget. What did Red do to me the first time we met that I'll never forget?"

IF intentionally paused for dramatic effect before deadpanning the next words out of her mouth.

"She fell on me and smothered her chest on my face, led a group of monsters to us, and we were blown off the edge of a cliff from the monsters we were running from. That's when we landed right in the middle of a Dogoo herd."

IF wanted to take a picture of the look on Plutia and mount the photo on her wall. It took a lot of willpower for IF not to burst out laughing right then and there.

"It was also mating season."

That's how priceless Plutia's face was.


On the streets of Planeptune, a girl in a sailor uniform was standing outside the front entrance of a musical instrument store. Her gaze was focused intently on the thin and flat handheld device in her hands. She appeared to be completely oblivious to her surroundings and the people around her. Otherwise, she would have seen the frantic man running down the sidewalk whose arm accidentally knocked against her gadget with enough force to send it flying from her hand. The girl gasped, her eyes widening as the device flew and bounced along the sidewalk, miraculously avoiding other people's feet.

"Sorry!" The man shouted an insincere apology as he continued moving, shoving his way through the crowd. "Excuse me! Coming through!"

"Oh no, my N-Gear!"

The schoolgirl ran after her gadget, her value for the device's safety overriding her ire at the man. Her eyes widened as the N-Gear reached a sewer grate and from there, everything seemed to slow down. The N-Gear was perfectly straight after one more bounce; it was going to slide right through the gaps on drain!

"Got it."

A hand reached out and grabbed the N-Gear right before the gadget could plummet to its watery grave, but it wasn't her own. The girl looked up to see who it belonged to and the eyes she looked into startled her, sending her falling on her rear. She winced when she hit the floor, rubbing her bottom before looking back up to see a hand held out to her. The stranger offering the hand to her was an intimidating girl with the darkest looking eyes she had ever seen; there was no vibrancy in them and that scared her.

"Um, thank you very much..." The schoolgirl took the hand and was hoisted back up on her feet. The person released her hand and then offered the N-Gear, which she happily took back. "I'm grateful, miss. I spent a lot of credits to make this and if it had fallen into the sewer...I might have chased after the man that made me drop it."

"If I hadn't caught it, what would you have done to the man then?" The stranger raised an eyebrow at her. "Break his legs?"

"W-what the goodness? No, of course not!"

The stranger smirked as the schoolgirl vehemently shook her head.

"Anyways, could I ask you for some directions?" The mysterious girl changed the topic of their conversation. "I'm looking for the school called 'Haneda's N.S. Academy'. No idea what the N.S. stands for, though."

"Oh! Are you an applicant too? I was just heading over there with a friend of mine." The schoolgirl replied. "The N.S. stands for 'Naturally Selected'. That comes from their motto which is 'Only the driven are naturally selected'. It's a school that accepts only the best and the competitive. Today's their opening day for new students to compete against each other in certain professions for a place in the school."

"No, I never applied." The stranger shook her head. "One of my friends signed up, so I'd like to be there to support her."

"Ah, then how about you come with me and my friend?" The student suggested with a smile before offering her hand to shake. "Oh right, my name's Nepgear. It's nice to meet you."

"Kurome."

Nepgear and Kurome shook hands before Nepgear looked over at the store she had been standing in front of minutes ago. A girl wearing a dress and head accessories resembling speakers walked out the front door with a woman dragging a hand truck behind her. On the two wheeler was a drum set individually stored in cases. The pair approached the other two as the woman unloaded the drum set off the hand truck before going back inside the store. The girl turned her attention to Kurome and Nepgear who approached her.

"Who is that, Nepgear?" The girl asked, looking at Kurome. Her voice was monotonous, resembling the way a robot would speak. "I don't remember seeing her before I went in to pick up my drum set."

"Ah, we just met." Nepgear answered before motioning to Kurome. "Tsunemi, this is Kurome. She saved my N-Gear from drowning in sewer water. One of her friends is going to the same school we're applying for, so I decided she could tag along with us. Is that all right with you, Tsunemi?"

"I do not have an issue with that."

Kurome and Tsunemi looked at each other and exchanged a greeting nod. Nepgear turned her attention to the other bags on the floor and picked up two of her own. There was still another pair on the ground left, but before Nepgear could even say anything, Kurome already picked them up.

"Thank you, Kurome." Tsunemi said.

"It's the least I can do for being a third wheel." Kurome shrugged her arms.

"Huh!? B-but Tsunemi and I aren't a c-couple..." Nepgear sputtered out as a blush bloomed on her cheeks. "We're just friends!"

"Nepgear..." Tsunemi frowned as she looked at Nepgear with disappointment. "Are you saying...I'm not good enough to be your girlfriend? Even after all the years we've known each other?"

"Wha-"

"Wow, Nepgear, what a thing to say." Kurome added before looking at Tsunemi. "You have my sympathies, Tsunemi."

"It is appreciated, Kurome." Tsunemi solemnly nodded her head.

"Hey! S-stop teasing me, guys!"

Nepgear puffed her cheeks indignantly while Tsunemi giggled and Kurome just smirked. The light purple haired girl stomped on ahead while Tsunemi quickly jogged to catch back up with her friend. Kurome started walking after them with drum bags in hand, keeping some distance away from the pair. Uzume appeared beside Kurome as Uzume smiled at the backs of Tsunemi and Nepgear.

"Looks like your friend is just a normal human in this world." Kurome spoke quietly to avoid the attention that came with talking to one's self. "At least she's not alone."

"Who's this Tsunemi girl? I've never seen her in our dimension..." Uzume blinked several times as she turned to Kurome. "And I don't think Gearsy ever mentioned someone like her either. This world is so...weird."

"Anyways, are you satisfied seeing her here? Even if it's not the Nepgear you know?" Kurome asked. "I'll just drop these bags off with them at the school and we'll be on our way to Lastation."

"Aw, but aren't you going to support your friend?" Uzume grinned impishly as she flew around Kurome. "Supporting them means cheering for their success or comforting them when they fail, you know."

"I don't do cheering or comforting." Kurome sighed as she rolled her eyes. "And you should know that was a lie, Uzume."

"It doesn't have to be a lie." Uzume wagged her index finger at Kurome and stuck her tongue out. "You just made a friend, didn't you? Two of them, in fact!"

"We just met. As far as I'm concerned, we're complete strangers." Kurome retorted and glared at Uzume. "I did this for you at your request."

"So that you can do this for yourself." Uzume quipped before her expression turned serious. "Remember what you said before, Kurome. This isn't the world that was out to get you...So make some friends! This is not the Gearsy I know, but she could be something to you. It would be nice to trust someone other than yourself, Kurome."

Silence loomed over as Uzume stared at Kurome in anticipation for her answer. When Kurome started shaking her head, Uzume smiled and gave Kurome a peace sign when Kurome looked her way before disappearing. Kurome increased her pace, now walking by Nepgear's right side. Tsunemi and Nepgear looked at Kurome and gave her a smile. Kurome didn't return the gesture, but she at least gave them a nod.

"Tsunemi, I can tell from these drums we're carrying that you want to become a musician." Kurome initiated the conversation. "What about you, Nepgear?"

"I'm looking to become an engineer. I've always loved tinkering with stuff and finding out what makes them work together in harmony." Nepgear replied eagerly. "My dream is to help Planeptune develop mechs and power-suits that can make lives a little safer and easier for people. We're the land of progress, so I believe the next step is robots!"

"I can attest to her obsession." Tsunemi nodded her head, turning to Nepgear with a mischievous smile. "The principal brought his high-tech bike to school once and found it completely dismantled by lunch break. She was lucky he was a nice guy; anyone else would have probably expelled her on the spot."

"Tsunemi! Please don't bring that up! That was only the third time I did something like that!" Nepgear whined, her face appalled that her friend would bring up such an embarrassing incident to a new person.

"Third time?" Kurome asked, smirking at Nepgear. "What happened the previous times?"

"It is a long story, but we have the time for it." Tsunemi started and took a deep breath. "It all started a long time ago when Nepgear found her first wrench and screwdriver..."

"Please stop, Tsunemi! Uncle, uncle!"


In the hospital room occupied by the sleeping Falcom, Marvy continued waiting for Falcom to awaken. MAGES. had left half an hour ago to buy food for the both of them since hospital food left a lot to be desired. When even the employees of the hospital recommend not eating their building's food, something was definitely wrong. It didn't matter if a hospital was from Planeptune, Lastation, Leanbox, or Lowee: hospital food shared the universal scorn from everyone.

Marvy yawned loudly, the silence starting to take its toll on her. The kunoichi stood up and stretched her arms and legs as she approached the window. She pulled the curtains wide enough to glance out at the city of Planeptune without having the sun's ray hit Falcom's sleeping face. A medical transport just flew overhead, no doubt bringing in wounded Planeptune soldiers from the last two battles. Marvy hoped that with IF's discovery, Planeptune can quickly resolve the monster problem they were having. The busty ninja reached into her pouch and pulled out a phone that was vibrating. She pressed the button on her earpiece and the lens on top of the phone projected a screen.

"Hey, Marvy! It's good to see you again. IF and MAGES. haven't been picking up, so you were my last hope."

On the screen was a girl with spiky blond hair, bright green eyes, and the fluffiest looking hat with lifelike cat ears on it.

"Likewise, Cybercon." Marvy gave her best smile. "IF is busy dealing with business at the Planeptune Basilicom and you should know by now that MAGES. rarely ever picks up her phone."

"So how was Falcom's first mission?" Cybercon grinned. "IF sent me a text a while ago saying she was taking Falcom out for a field test. How did the rookie do?"

Marvy's smile cracked briefly, but that was all Cybercon needed. That was enough for Cybercon's cheerful expression to drop, taking on a more concerned and serious manner.

"...What happened, Marvy?" Cybercon asked, her tone imploring for the truth.

"A girl died under her protection, Cybercon." Marvy answered softly, nearly a whisper, yet it was powerful enough for Cybercon's eyes to go wide. "She fought a Guard Vermin and won, climbed out a cave while carrying the girl's corpse with one arm before collapsing from exhaustion."

"A Guard Vermin? It's amazing she's still alive...Damn it!" Cybercon hissed, looking away from the screen briefly. "I wish I could have been there for Falcom."

"IF said the same thing. They split up to search for the girl, but both were placed under bad circumstances." Marvy replied, remembering the same guilty expression on IF's face. "IF almost died down there too."

"What? No way...I don't believe it." Cybercon shook her head. "IF is tough as nails; no way would she have been in that much danger."

"A woman hit IF in the back with some sort of paralysis spell." Marvy explained, thinking back to when IF told her side of the story when they were all making their way back to Planeptune. "If it wasn't for another stranger arriving in time to save IF, we would have had two people dead on Falcom's first quest."

"Just a bunch of bad circumstances, huh?" Cybercon's frustration started to show. "Was it all for nothing? All this suffering obtained for no gain?"

"We did get something out of it."

"Please don't say credits. I might just break something over here if you do." Cybercon scowled, eyes narrowing in anticipation for Marvy's next response. "Only Gust would say something like that."

"...We've found out where the monsters are coming from."

That was the second time in a short period where Cybercon's eyes looked like they were about to burst out from their sockets. Under better circumstances, Marvy would have laughed, but this was not one of those times.

"I'm guessing that's why IF is at the Basilicom, huh?" Cybercon scratched the back of her head. "Hey, tell me about it. Maybe I can pass it on to the Basilicom here in Lastation and somehow we can-"

"Hey, Cyberconnect2, I need your help over here with this gear! Could you give me a hand?" A voice shouted from Cybercon's side.

"I'll be right there!" Cybercon turned to the voice and shouted back before giving Marvy an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, I've gotta go. I'll talk to you soon, but tell Falcom this when she wakes up...I'm a failure as a friend for not being there for her."

Marvy didn't get to retort against that because Cybercon already hung up the phone. The kunoichi almost wanted to throw her phone at the wall, but resisted the urge. Everyone in their group felt the guilt weighing them down. For Marvy, it felt like she hadn't been able to do anything at all. From when Marvy entered the Virtua Forest with MAGES., Marvy didn't get to talk to Falcom before she collapsed; MAGES. needed Falcom's attention to locate IF. Marvy didn't get to see nor fight the mystery woman that could have ended IF's life. Overall, Marvy felt completely useless today.

"...She's not a failure..."

The ninja's eyes widened and her body went stiff. Slowly, Marvy turned around to see Falcom, whose eyes were no longer closed. However, in those opened eyes of Falcom was a void Marvy never wanted to see in the redhead. It reminded Marvy of how she felt a long time ago during her ninja academy years before she ever formed a Gamindustri Guild squad with MAGES., Red, and Cybercon.

"I'm the failure." Falcom uttered out, believing her own words completely.

"No, you're not." Marvy would not allow Falcom to fall into despair. IF wouldn't want it and if Red were still alive, she would agree.

"I am..." Falcom sat upright to look at Marvy. "...Tell IF I'm quitting."

"You're not." Marvy stayed firm in her response, bringing a chair beside Falcom's bed to sit down on. She grabbed Falcom's hand, encasing it in both of her hands. "IF wouldn't have accepted you in the first place if you were a lost cause."

"Compa's all the proof I need to disappear." Falcom looked away from Marvy. "She'd still be alive if it wasn't for me."

"And my friends before I met MAGES. and the others would be too if it wasn't for me."

That managed to silence Falcom's spiraling despair, who didn't ask, but Falcom wanted to hear more even if she didn't say it. Marvy didn't like dwelling on her failures; she acknowledged them, but refused to be swept in the negativity. Her friends would be turning in their graves right now if Marvy became what Falcom was trying to turn into.

"When I was a rookie at my ninja academy, I had two very close friends of mine with me. We were assigned to what we believed was a simple task." Marvy said, looking down at Falcom's hand. It wasn't clenched, which meant Falcom wasn't boiling with rage right now. "However...we were ambushed by the enemy. My friends were gravely injured and we were still being tailed by our attackers. I had to carry them, dress their wounds as much as I could while fending off our enemy as I tried to make it back to our ally's territory."

Marvy's eyes were still looking at the hand in her own, but her mind was flashing back to that faithful day. A time where Marvy was bloodied and covered in cuts, but burning with the determination to get her friends home safely. Yet it wasn't enough; her friends succumbed to their wounds and Marvy openly wept for them as their life faded before her and there was nothing she could do to save them. Marvy knew the helplessness Falcom was feeling right now; it was why Falcom wasn't shouting back at her otherwise.

"My friends never made it back to their home alive. I showed up at the doorsteps of my friend's families to apologize to them after the funeral services were over. Even when they shouted hateful words and shunned me, I still paid my respects to them." Marvy continued, feeling something in her eyes. She wouldn't cry, no matter how close she came to it; Marvy had already spent those tears years ago. "From that day forward, my life was no longer my own. I took the blades of my fallen comrades and parts of their names to create the code-name you all know me as...MarvelousAQL. Every time I fight, I'm not alone; I'm fighting with the friends of my past to help make Gamindustri a better place."

The kunoichi pulled Falcom close and the redhead didn't give Marvy a fight. Falcom's body was quivering and though she still refused to look Marvy in the eye, Marvy knew what Falcom was about to do next.

"If you give up on us now, you're acknowledging that Compa's loss was for nothing." Marvy kept going, hoping her words were reaching Falcom. "Accept her death as a failure, Falcom. But do not let it be in vain. Stay with us and become stronger not just for yourself, but for Compa's sake and other people like her who need someone to be their shield. Come back to us, Falcom...We need you."

Silence enveloped the room and Marvy felt her heart beat faster with every second that passed by. Marvy was worried her words didn't reach Falcom, that Falcom would reject them and the adventurer in herself. However, the worries vanished in an instant as Marvy felt a wetness on her chest following the sound of a soft whimper.

"I'm sorry..."

Like a mantra, Falcom repeated those words as her whimper turned from a few hiccups to a blown out wail. Marvy continued holding the redhead tightly to let Falcom know she was not alone in her grief.

Their lives were no longer their own.