Yes! This fic is still alive! To anyone who has followed me, i'm really sorry. It's been a combination of holidays, games, writers block, laziness and even my laptop's hard drive crashing that's kept this chapter so long. I am thankful that I started late, since the aforementioned crash wiped everything before Christmas Eve, and did wipe a few scenes of the original draft, but I think the replacements are better than ever! I really hope you enjoy this returning chapter!
Noire lay there on the ground twitching, as the mummified CPU lay all over her body.
"Grrrrrr..."
The heap that was the two CPU's began to shake, steam rising from it...
"GRAAAAAHHHHHH!"
With a might push, Noire burst up to her feet, sending the bandaged Neptune up into the sky twirling into the air. She stood there, smoke blasting out of her nostrils as she fumed with rage, before instinctively holding out her hand and grabbing the descending mummy by the throat.
"Neptune you... YOU... DUMB STUPID BRAINDEAD MORON IDIOT... DUNCE!" she roared out, shaking the figure violently. "Nobody crashes into me like that and makes me look like an ass! Especially in front of my sister! You better have a good excuse you-"
Noire stopped her rant as she suddenly took a close look at the exposed bits of the face of the person she held. It looked like Neptune but it looked... off. It's mouth hung open in a derpy, mindless look, and it's eyes were wide eyed white circles without anything resembling emotion. It was even more empty and mindless than Neptune at her laziest, and instead of filling Noire with annoyance or rage, it gave her a chill.
"N-Neptune... don't give me that look... I don't like your dumb f-face games..." Noire stuttered out, becoming more and more unsettled. And then it spoke.
"Weeeeeeeerrreeeeee cooooooommmmmiiiiinnngggggg~" The mummy droned in a mindless, robotic tone. Noire tried to ask further, but she was drawn to the sky. A sky filled with hundreds and thousands of white specks. Specks that looked like Neptune did as she hurled towards her.
Realizing what was about to happen, Noire let out a scream as a sky full of Mummy Neptunes headed full speed towards her.
"AHH-" the Lastation CPU was cut off as they crashed into her, piling up and covering her body in seconds, as they flooded the landscape, covering every visible point, filling it up with more and more Neptunes.
Deep down at the bottom, Noire couldn't move an inch. Everything was impossibly cramped, smelly, and hot as she struggled and strained underneath the pile. All she could here was Neptune's echoing giggling...
"I've... had ENOUGH!"
Noire opened her eyes, her iris' replaced by the glowing power symbol of her HDD form, as a pillar of light shot through the Neptune sea. She blasted upwards, using her rapier to cut a swath through the mummies in her way, slicing and shredding until she saw light again, looking up at the sky and down to the sea of mummies in her goddess form floating above the mass, her black armor and flowing white hair highlighted by the full moon.
She felt another hand cling to her from down below, but she pulled it up with a kick from her foot and caught it by a loose bandage from it's head. "Neptune, this is the last-"
She looked at it properly. It wasn't Neptune.
It's bandaged scalp was littered with little tufts of shining golden hair, it's eyes were a glittering yellow with a power symbol for an iris. But it's skin... It's skin looked like a rotted brown, as it mumbled something from it's withered, leathery lips, every word sending a jolt of fear down the Goddess' spine.
"... Why, Black Heart?"
It's voice was a fragile moan, filled with misery as flames lit all over it's head, the fire burning it all away and spreading-
"NOOOOOOOOO!" Noire screamed as she shot up from her bed, white and shaking.
"S-Sis?" Said Uni, sitting down on her bed and playing her handheld. "Sis, are you okay?" She went over to her sister, concerned, seeing her panting in fear, before she calmed a bit and wiped the sweat from her brow.
"It... It was just a crazy dream." Noire stuttered out, still in a bit of shock. "D-Don't worry, it was just some crazy nonsense!" She laughed out trying to look tough as Uni raised her eyebrow. "I mean, after everything that happened yesterday with the ride, and the... Wait, how did I get to sleep again?"
"Yeah... You didn't quite get to sleep on your own..." Uni mumbled, looking somewhat awkward.
"Last thing I remember was... Neptune." Noire said, the realization making her say the name with a dash of rage.
"She... knocked you out cold." Uni said nervously. "But it wasn't her fault! Nepgear told me it was an accident and that it was as much her fault. I mean, she was apologizing like crazy! I kinda let her have it at first, but s-she apologized enough!" Uni said as Noire fumed. "She was just trying to get on a rollercoaster by pretending to be a toy!"
Noire's eye began twitching at the explanation. "Of course she would do that. OF COURSE NEPTUNE WOULD."
"So... Last night when you were talking about Neptune, you said she was a real something? What were you going to say?" Uni asked her sister with a sly smile.
"A REAL PAIN IN THE BUTT, THAT'S WHAT!" Noire snapped, as Uni rolled her eyes. "Why is it that every time she pulls off one of her crazy schemes it's always ME getting hurt or embarrassed as well?! I swear first you had-"
Uni, deciding to tune out her sister's rampage, pulled out her handheld, and put her headphones on as she began to play, Noire continuing to rant all the while.
*Beep* *Beep*
"Ooooh..."
Nepgear let out a yawn as she got out from under her bed sheets, the first light seeping through the blinds, and also the bathroom as she heard the running of the bathroom sink, and someone brushing their teeth inside while singing.
"Here we go/Here we go/Let's go Neptune~"
"You're really proud of that song, aren't you sis?" Nepgear muttered to herself. She was distracted by her sister's muffled singing when she realized her handheld was buzzing. Leaning over to it, she pulled it out of it's charger dock and answered the call.
She was greeted with an all too familiar face of her Oracle, Histoire, looking back at her in the Sharicite chamber, and for once she had a cheerful expression on her face. "Good morning Nepgear!" She said. "How are you doing?"
"H-Histoire!" Nepgear exclaimed. "I didn't expect you to call us so early... You... You've been watching the tournament?"
"Indeed I have!" The Oracle said in response. "Everyone's been watching it. I wanted to call you after your matches yesterday. I must say, I was very impressed by you and your sister's matches!"
"Oh really? Well, I had an awfully close fight myself... I didn't think I was going to win..." Nepgear said wistfully, remembering her fight with Tekken. "Histoire... Did you see anything... Off with Tekken near the end?
"Hm? No, I didn't see anything. People did love how you managed to win that fight though! And your sister was absolutely fantastic! She's managed to get more share energy through that single fight than any of her attempted reforms or stunts for Planeptune!" Histoire said, her voice laced with joy.
"That's a bit harsh Histoire... Sis has been talking about how the musical she's planning is going to make Gamindustry see us and Planeptune like we've never seen it before!" Said Nepgear.
"Oh i'm sure it will." Said Histoire in a flat tone, predicting what the critical response to the musical would be... "But i'm truly impressed in your sister for once! I've never been this happy before! Not only did she impress everyone, but I haven't heard a single incident from the park that may make people think less of her!"
Nepgear's expression froze for a second, as she felt a deep chill run through her veins. "Y-Yes! Nothing bad at all has happened! Yep everything's been fine in this super duper fun park!" Nepgear said, her voice and face straining to hide her panic.
"Nepgear? Why are you looking funny?" Asked Histoire. The fairy's eyes began to narrow at the Candidate's look. "What do you know that I don't?"
"N-Nothing! Hahaha! I mean, Neptune hasn't done anything that would make you really made and not happy anymore an-"
Nepgear was cut off as her sister walked out of the bathroom, still brushing her teeth in her PJ's. When she saw her sister and the person on her handheld screen, she paused and spoke up. "Heya Histy!" Neptune said with a mouth full of toothpaste studs. "What's shakin'?!"
"Ah, Neptune!" Histoire said with a slightly suspicious smile. "I was just telling Nepgear how impressed I was with your fight! Tell me, what have you gotten up to at the park?"
"Yes sis!" Nepgear said in a happy falsetto. "Why don't you tell Histoire about how you haven't done anything disruptive or scandalous at the park!" She said, turned to her sister and furiously winking at her.
"Huh?" Neptune said confused by her sister's rapid fire winking. And then it hit her. "Ooooooh!" She exclaimed as she went up close to the handheld screen. "Histy, you got nothin' to worry about! All me and Nep Jr have been having is fun and friendship! We've just been enjoying the sights sounds and games!"
"Oh? Nothing... unusual has happened?" Said Histoire, curiously.
"Nope! We've just all been chillin' out together!" Neptune happily said.
"See Histoire? Nothing to worry about!" said Nepgear.
"Well... Neptune, I'm impressed..." Histoire said in surprise.
"Yeah, Noire didn't even mind when I landed on her!" Neptune happily said.
The entire room seemed to freeze in time, as Neptune's words sank into the other two members of the conversation.
"I'm sorry what?" Histoire said in her eerily unchanged happy tone.
"Ha! Sis, you make the best jokes!" Nepgear, said, her blood turning to ice as her mind went into full damage control mode.
"Yeah, I mean, it is pretty funny that I just keep landing on Noire! It's like she has Nep Magnetism! Or people magnetism! I think other people fall on her, right? Anyways, it was lucky she was there, otherwise my rollercoaster ride may have had a messy end!"
"Rollercoaster... ride?" Histoire said, her voice crackling as she was beginning to take in what was being said.
"Yep! Rollercoaster ride!" Neptune continued, oblivious to her sister furiously waving to her and making hand signs to stop talking. "I thought the night would have ended on a lame climax when I got mummified, but it turned out to be just what I needed to get on that coaster! Shame I flew off..."
"Mumm... ified... Roller... Coaster... Flew... Off... Noire... Landed... Landed..." Histoire droned, her mind processed the words... "You... YOU..." The Oracle's voice began to boil with rage.
"Sure Uni got kinda upset, but you know those little sisters! Am I right Nep Jr?" Neptune obliviously said, nudging her terrified sister.
"Oh no." Nepgear squeaked out.
"NEPTUNE YO-"
"Well Histoire that's all the time we have!" Nepgear said as fast as possible. "Me and Neptune need to do hotel the stuff okay bye!"
"YOU IRRISPONSI-" *Click*
Nepgear stood there, still, pale and sweating, still holding the handheld in her shaking hands, as she turned to her sister, still innocently smiling.
"Oh wait..." Said Neptune, as she started to think. "That was the stuff she gets mad at right? Ooooooohhhh... My bad~" The CPU said as she gave an apologetic shrug.
"We'll be burned to a crisp by her scolding when we get back..." Nepgear moaned in dread.
"No she won't!" Neptune said. "Cause when we get back, she'll be looking at the champions of the tournament! Nobody in Planeptune could get mad at us then!"
"But-"
"Well, it's breakfast time Nep Jr! Catch ya downstairs!" Nepgear tried to say something (that Neptune was still wearing her PJ's for one) but her sister was already walking out the door.
"... One of us needs to win that tournament if we want to survive Histoire's wrath..." Nepgear said as she shuddered.
The day rolled on as eventually, the competitors and civilians alike gathered at the stadium for the third day of the tournament. In the competitor stands, the Planeptune siblings were the first CPU's to get there. As IF and Compa were looking at the Makers beginning to move into their seats, the two spotted a familiar face.
"Hey Arc!" Compa cried out to the blonde haired bounty hunter. She took a glance at them before lowering her headband and silently sitting in her seat. Compa frowned at the response. "Ify, you think Arc took that comment you made yesterday badly?" The Nurse whispered to her friend.
"Well, that's obvious." IF whispered back, peering at the Maker. "Compa… I think Arc may not be the unflappable cold hunter she presents herself as…"
"A-Are you sure Ify?" Compa whispered back. "Just because she looks at some dolls and knows stuff from old arcade games? I mean… Everyone knows stuff about games…"
"I know, but there's something else about her…" IF whispered.
"Tell me about it!" Whispered a third voice. "I can still make out a sense of dark secrecy around that bounty hunter…"
IF and Compa did a double take as they saw Nisa sitting above them. "Nisa!" Compa loudly whispered.
"Me and Compa were doing a thing!" IF whispered back.
Meanwhile, the other CPU's were starting to enter the area, the first two being Noire and Uni. "Hey Noire and Jr! Are you ready to get pumped for the fights?"
Noire simply turned around, looking right at Neptune and shooting her a look with eyes filled with pure, burning wrath. Neptune however, just looked at her with the same happy smile. "I know! I'm fired up as well!" Noire made an enraged grumble as she plonked herself on her seat, Uni following suit with a sigh.
"Still bitter?" Nepgear asked her friend.
Uni looked over at Noire grinding her teeth and then looked back to her fellow Candidate. "Still bitter." She responded, as Nepgear frowned.
"Heya Blanc! Heya Ram! Rommy! Thanks for the assist yesterday!" Neptune said as the Lowee CPU's came in, the twins holding Ice Creams. Blanc gave a quick glance towards Neptune as she walked by, as did Ram, but Rom gave her a friendly wave as they got into their seats.
"Little Rom seems to be happy to see you." Said Vert, as she entered the area holding a Hot Dog tray.
"Huh? You didn't know what happened last night?" Asked Neptune, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh, well… I went right back to my room after that wild mummy house ordeal so I could get back to my games… Next thing I knew it was morning and my laptop was getting hot…"
"Well, after a super special roller coast ride…"
Blanc and her sisters walked back towards the hotel. Reaching the entrance, they saw the sight of Noire, out cold with the mummified Neptune on top of her, and Uni alternating between ranting and apologising to a very distressed looking Nepgear.
"Oh well." She muttered before she walked towards the entrance. "Girls?" Blanc called out, as she saw the twins poking and prodding the mummy CPU, who started giggling in response.
"Girls, don't prod Planeptune's CPU." Blanc said.
"But she's so soft and squishy~" Ram said, as she kept poking.
"She has a status ailment. It's not healthy to touch her." Blanc responded.
"Status ailment? I can fix that!" Rom said, as she raised her staff, bathing Neptune in a green pillar of light.
"Mmmmrfff…" mumbled Neptune in comfort, as she was veiled in the glow.
"Rom?" asked Nepgear, peeling herself away from Uni's angush/rage. "What are you-"
"Heya everyone!" Playmore said as ran in on the scene. "So Nepgear told me about what happened, and I just wanted to say that we should be able to get another cure in-Huh?"
As the light faded however, Neptune had become bandage free.
"Whoa! I'm un-mummied and back to normal Nep!" The CPU cried out happily.
"You mean… That was all it took?!" Nepgear cried out in surprise and confusion.
"Huh… I guess it was just a status effect…" Playmore said, eyes wide open. "So, guess there's no harm done!"
"Yeah, I got to ride the Rollercoaster, I rescued Verty Poo from her chest betraying her, and I got to ride that super cool roller coaster! Everybody wins! Right Noire?"
Neptune looked down happily at Noire… Who was still out cold on the ground. "Noire? Noireeeee~"
"YOU KNOCKED OUT MY SISTERRRRR!" Uni cried out. Ram started giggling at the sight.
"Oh dear." Blanc flatly said as she turned and started walking towards the Hotel entrance. "Ram, Rom, come along. Healing isn't going to work."
Ram, holding her staff over Noire, turned to her sister. "Awww, but I want more Staff Experience!"
"She's out of Stamina. Not health." Blanc said.
"Awww…" Ram moaned as she and her sister walked back into the hotel room.
"Hehe…" Playmore giggled. "Oh! I mean… So Neptune, should we do something about Lastation's CPU?"
"Awww, don't worry! Noire's already a walking air target! She just needs some snoozies and she'll be back to her lonely self in no time! Speaking of which, I think I need some snoozes myself! Night night!" Neptune said as she walked into the hotel entrance, ignoring the protests from the two Candidates remaining.
"And that's how I became Neptune again!"
"Interesting phrasing…" Muttered Vert. "So Rom helped you turn back to normal?"
"Yeppers!"
"She's such a sweet little girl isn't she~" Vert said happily, before sighing. She looked up and turned to Neptune. "Neptune, I just wanted to say, you saved me from an awful torture yesterday… And for that, i'll always welcome you and Nepgear into Leanbox."
"You would do that for us Vert?" Asked Nepgear, curious.
"That's right~" Vert said with a smile. "You know Nepgear, our new project is going to involve our new Titan Mecha!"
"M-Mecha?!" Nepgear cried out in surprise as she began to blush. "W-We can actually ride them? Get behind the cockpit and gets to operate them?!"
"Oh yes~ We've gotten their movement down to be mobile enough to be speedy, but still have weight behind them!" Vert proudly said.
"That… Sounds… Amazing…" The Candidate muttered in awe, her eyes beginning to water from the sheer thought.
"Hey Vert! You better keep your squishy paws off MY sister!" Neptune said indignantly.
"Now, now Neptune, what your sister does is all up to her! Isn't that right Nepgear?"
"Mecha… Mecha… Those beautiful refined hydraulics… Obeying my every command…" Nepgear droned on, completely euphoric about the idea.
"Nepgear noooo! Vert's promises of mecha have consumed your brain!" Neptune cried out in horror, as Vert giggled at the sight.
"GOOOD DAY TO YOU ALL!" Playmore roared out. "We're getting past the halfway point, and it's time that we get things fired up for today's fights! It's gonna be a wild rush to the finish, and we're going in full force! Let's get ready to see our first match!"
The monitor in the stadium lit up, cycling through the remaining contestants, before it finally stopped on the chosen two…
"We're getting more CPU action ladies and gents, cause it's time for CPU VERT VS MAKER NISA!"
"Ha! Looks like it's time for the hero of justice to make her big tourney debut!" Nisa said as he got to her feet.
"Good luck Nisa!" IF said.
"You can do it!" Compa cheered. Nisa smiled at her two friends, and then looked over to Arc, her eyes still shaded under her headband.
"Looking forward to the fight." Arc said, with a hint of a smirk. Nisa's eyes narrowed at her.
"Perhaps you'll see how a Hero of Justice fights, Bounty Hunter!" Nisa said defiantly as she threw a smoke bomb to the ground, engulfing the competitor box in smoke.
"Ah! You made it too big!" Coughed Compa.
"Why would you do this?!" Shouted IF.
The smoke subsided, and sure enough, Nisa was gone… Except for several shouts of shock from the audience as the Maker jumped though them.
Vert, waving away the smoke around her, got to her feet. "I better get-Oh dear!" She said. "I suppose my Hot Dogs will have to go to waste… Ah, Neptune, perhaps you and Nepgear woul-"
"AHHHH!" Neptune screamed out at the sight of the food. "EVIL!"
"Neptune? I don't understand…"
"EVILLLLLL!" Shrieked Neptune, pointing at the Hot Dogs accusingly.
"Why is she so afraid of Hot Dogs? I thought Neptune loved all fast food…" Said Vert in confusion.
"There was an… Incident…" Nepgear said sheepishly.
"Oh? May I ask what happen-"
"DON'T." Noire said, turning around and responding as sharply as she could, her eyes staring straight.
"If you do not know, you are a happier goddess because of it." Blanc muttered coldly.
Vert stared on in confusion, blinking, before deciding to drop the issue. "Well, I should get going soon anyway!"
"Well, I haven't had the same kind of… Experiences with Hot Dogs that Sis had… And I don't want your Hot Dogs to go to waste…"
"Can I have Hot Dogs too Miss Vert?" Asked Ram. "And for my sister?"
"Ummm… I'm not sure if I-"
"Everyone loves Hot Dogs!" Said Ram, cutting off her sister. She then looked over to Neptune, eying the food with a look of suspicion and loathing. "Everyone who isn't crazy loves Hot Dogs!"
"Help your selves girls!" Vert said happily as she passed the tray over. "Uni, would you like one?"
Uni looked back at Vert, looking somewhat flustered. "Oh? Well, I guess one wouldn't hur-Hey!" The Lastation Candidate cried out as Ram took the last Hot Dog along with the one she already picked up. Smirking at Uni's anger, she quickly took a bite out of both of them quickly, and slowly munched on them right in front of Uni's face.
"I notice that you didn't offer us any Hot Dogs…" Noire muttered bitterly.
"That's because we can't help her sister obsession…" Muttered Blanc.
"Well, I better get going now! Farewell girls! And you can get back to me whenever you want on our Mecha Games, Nepgear~" Vert kindly said as she patted the Planeptune Candidate on the head, who in turn blushed as Vert dashed off.
"Oh no! Nepgear's being seduced by Vert and her talk of mecha and her soft buns of evil!" Neptune said to herself. "What should I do Maker X?!"
"Maker X?" Asked Compa in confusion.
"Yes. Me."
Compa and IF immediately looked up… And saw the black, suited figure looming over them, arms crossed.
"EEEEEEK!" Compa shrieked in fear as IF gritted her teeth at the sight. "B-B-But, you've never been in the stands b-before…"
"The opening rounds are soon to end, and I wanted to observe how you CPU's and Makers react to such clashes. Who knows? Perhaps I will be able to give my victim some parting words before my match," Maker X boomed, looking right into Compa's eyes in particular. The Nurse proceeded to turn as white as a sheet.
"Yeah, maybe then you can see some actual fighting!" IF shouted at the enigmatic Maker. "Cause I don't seem to have seen you doing much of that? I mean, you were the only Maker who didn't come to the training hall!"
IF saw Maker X's fist clench, shaking, before she pulled it back under her cloak. As she narrowed her eyes, the masked Maker spoke up again. "My abilities are beyond your imagination. The fact that you fools need training is simply a sign of my superiority."
"Or maybe a certain someone is being a massive blowhard!" IF said angrily. "What makes you so strong?!"
"Trust me fool. You will soon see…" Boomed Maker X, as IF rolled her eyes, and decided to look towards the match.
"From the Lastation Team, we have the great hero of Gamindustri herself! The blazing maiden of justice! The mad vigilante psycho!-"
"I really wish she didn't note that bit…" Muttered IF.
"… MAKER NISAAAAAA!"
The exit of Nisa's side of the stadium burst into a cloud of smoke, followed by a chain of explosions streaking down the road right to the center of the area. As they stopped just before the centre, a figure rocketed out of the cloud, as she struck a pose in midair.
"GAMINDUSTRI, YOUR HERO OF JUSTICE HAS TAKEN THE STAGE AT LAST!" Nisa bellowed out, fist outstretched in the air, to the roar of applause from the stadium. As she began to descend, she took out one last smoke bomb and threw it right down to the ground, exploding in a plume of deep blue smoke. She tucked her arms to her sides and shot down into the center of it. With a thud, she landed with her fist planted into the ground as the smoke blew away from her, surrounding her in a circle of blue smog.
Up in the stands, Platinum was watching the spectacle with a big grin on her face. "Trying to outdo me, eh? Well played Nisa. Well played…"
"And her opponent, the Queen of Leanbox, the Lean Green Fighting Machine herself, let's give it up for, CPU VERT!"
The ring of smoke was suddenly swept away as Nisa instinctively braced herself. Standing in front of her, twirling her lance around her body, was Vert. The CPU slammed the lance to the ground with one hand, and stroking her chest with the other.
"So… Nisa was it? I do hope you'll be able to impress me~" Vert said with a smirk.
"Hey, just cause you're a Big Shot CPU doesn't mean that a little hero like me won't be able to stand up to you! No opponent is too strong for me to back away from! You'd better hope that you can fight as a human as well as the Planpetune Sisters!"
"Hm? Oh that's right! You've helped them both! You were the one who helped dear Nepgear and the Candiates save us from ASIC!" Vert said with a warm smile. And then suddenly, she pointed her spear right at the Maker. "But i'm afraid if you think i'm in the same league as Neptune, you may be in for a rough surprise…"
"Hey Vert!" Neptune cried out. "I have something you'll never have! And it's right down here!" She pointed her fingers at the bottom of her seat.
"Nobody cares about that Neptune!" Noire snapped. "Plusmineisbetteranyway" She quickly muttered as she looked away.
"Looks like our fighters are fired up!" Playmore shouted over the stadium. "Alright gals, BATTLE, TILL YOU DROP! FIGHT!"
As Playmore gave the signal, Nisa seemingly vanished in the blink of an eye. The audience gasped in surprise, but Vert showed no shock. She gave a light smile, waiting in place. All of the sudden, Nisa appeared behind her, blade gripped as she delivered an underhanded swing at Vert's back.
"Ha!" She cried out. But Vert immediately sung around, blocking the slash with the blade of her spear.
"Attacking from the back? Tsk tsk… That doesn't seem like a move a Hero of Justice would perform…" Vert said, waving a finger at her opponent, as she pushed her lance forwards.
"Just making sure you're good enough not to fall for such a trick!" Said Nisa as she pressed the blade clash for a bit, before breaking away to deliver a sideways kick to Vert's flank. Vert calmly stepped back from the attack and trusted her spear right at the Maker, which Nisa jumped back from, pulling out her kunai in the process. "Got you now! She shouted as she hurled them at the CPU.
Vert however, deflected them all with a spin of her lance. "Impressive speed!" Vert chimed. "But i'm afraid that being faster than me will only get you so far if you can't lay a single hit…" The Goddess taunted, twirling her spear around her body.
"She's good…" Nisa said to herself. "She isn't the Goddess of Leanbox for nothing…" As she focused on her opponent, she cracked a smile. "But no defence is perfect!" She declared, dashing towards the CPU again, and slashing towards her, which Vert effortlessly blocked. She broke away, strafed to Vert's flank to attack again, but it was blocked again. Breaking off once more, Nisa quickly jumped over Vert, and hurled some kunai at her from above. Vert once again deflected them with a lance spin, as Nisa landed, kicking towards Vert.
It was almost too fast for the goddess, as she took the hit with her arms, crossed against her chest. She grunted from the impact as Nisa smiled at her. "You thought you could beat me by blocking forever?" Nisa said with a smirk. But Vert smiled back.
"It seems you're right. I'll have to get a bit more aggressive…" Said Vert, as she quickly lashed out with her lance, Nisa barely jumping back from the stab, as Vert suddenly closed the distance, much to Nisa's shock. "RAINY RATNAPURA!" She shouted as she started rapidly stabbing at Nisa. The Maker hastily ducked and weaved around the the stabs, tensed up, before Vert performed one last big thrust, which Nisa barely ducked under.
Nisa was panting on the spot, eyes wide open… Just as Vert delivered a sweep kick to her, sending Nisa crashing to the ground with a thud. The Hero of Justice groaned as she focused her eyes, just in time to see Vert stabbing downwards towards her. "Yeep!" She cried out as she rolled out of the way, but not before she got scraped on the arm. Leaping to her feet, she got into fighting stance, as she faced the CPU.
"See how she can't even lay a hit? It just goes to show what a fool that so called hero is…" Maker X chuckled deeply, earning her angry looks from IF, Compa, Tekken and Platinum. The masked Maker growled as she slumped back to her seat… Which made Compa quickly turn back in fear.
"Okay… Looks like you've got a sharper edge than I thought…" Nisa remarked, panting.
"Oh, but it doesn't end there. If you thought you could stay back…" Vert grinned with her eyes closed as she summoned a glyph, floating to her side, as something started to form from it. "Then you'll need to stay on your toes! SLYHET SPEAR!"
As the words left her mouth, a gnarled javelin shot out of the glyph, heading full speed towards Nisa. The Maker shrieked out as she dodged under it, as it barely missed the edge of her face. As Nisa looked back up, she saw her opponent rushing up towards her. "Oh, and don't try to let your guard down~" Vert said cockily as she swung towards the Maker from the side. "PHOSPHORESCENCE!" The CPU cried out. Nisa tried to swing her blade to parry the strike but it came out too quickly, making her stumble as Vert followed up with a downwards strike, this time slashing across Nisa's body.
"GAH!" The Maker cried out, reeling back, as she made a desperate lunge towards Vert. But she was blocked as Vert once again twirled her spear around, before making a slash from the right. Nisa, gritting her teeth in stress, swung and clashed with the edge again. Her expression turned to horror however, as the air where the swing had gone crackled with energy and emitted a crescent wave of energy, crashing into her and breaking the clash, sending her painfully tumbling backwards.
"Aw man!" Cried out Neptune. "Nisa's tiny little edge can't get past Vert's big bad lance!"
"Don't be so sure Neptune. Small weapons have traits big ones can't hope to match…" IF said, analysing the fight.
"Even small people have special traits over the big ones!" Ram said smugly.
"I'm sure that Nisa's small features are wonderful!" Compa said determinedly. "I wish I had special small features…" She said, looking down.
"Oh come on Compa!" Said IF, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Your features are perfectly fine!" Compa smiled back.
In the middle of all this, Behemoth started looking around in confusion, stroking his chin (or the part of his face where you would expect a chin to be), as he wondered what was causing the strange feeling from their words…
"Urghhh…" Nisa grunted as she staggered to her feet. Vert began to walk to her slowly.
"Have you had enough? What happened to the fire in your eyes? Oh well, I suppose that you can't get by my defence after all…" Vert said, casually throwing up her arms, as she turned and began to walk away.
"WAIT!" She heard, as the CPU turned back with a smile, seeing Nisa breathing in and out, her head lowered. "I-I'm outmatched… Outmaneuvered… Faced with a situation with no apparent way to succeed… With my hope running out…" She muttered… As she lifted up her head, proudly showing off the fires in her eyes. "AND THAT'S JUST THE WAY I LIKE IT!" She bellowed to the cheer of the crowd, as she charged forth, hurling another swarm of Kunai in the process. "AFTER ALL, THIS IS WHERE A TRUE HERO SHINES!"
"Ha!" Vert said, twirling herself around to dodge the knives, making another hand gesture in the process. "I knew you had that fire in you somewhere! Let's see how it holds up!" After she spun, Vert released another javelin from a glyph. "SLYHET SPEAR!" This time, the Javelin scored a hit, blasting into Nisa's flank and breaking on impact. The heroine cried out as she fell to her knees.
"Is that it? How disappointing." Vert said, her voice laced with disappointment as she summoned another glyph. "SLYHET SPEAR!" She cried out as the projectile sped towards Nisa…
As she got right back up, and slashed against the tip as she dashed forward, breaking through the javelin, and sliced through the middle as she ran. She got up close to the surprised Vert, pulling her blade out of the javelin, as it split clean in half in mid air and broke to pieces.
"DARK X SLASH!" Nisa cried out as her blade grew in size, and she swung it right at Vert, who in turn brought her Lance forward in a stab to counter her. The first swing from Nisa parried the blade away. The second and third slashed right across Vert's stomach, making her yelp out from the pain. She was still focused, and span her blade at the moment before Nisa's final two slashes, blocking the impact. But it was a heavy one, and Vert stumbled back from the force. Nisa proceeded to leap up, and shoot right towards Vert, her leg outstretched. In the audience, Platinum looked on, her smile growing bigger and bigger.
"V-EXTREME" The heroine bellowed out as she kicked right into Vert's chest, flames shooting out of the impact, before Nisa bounced off, leaving Vert wobbling in place. She landed, her arms in a crossed pose, as she slowly unfolded them and thrusted out her right arm in a pose, as Vert went up in a massive fiery blast and came crashing to the ground.
"Now that's what I like to see, baby!" Platinum cried out, first pumping in the air.
"Wowie! Vert's buns got toasted!" Neptune said.
"Ah! Miss Vert!" Nepgear cried out.
Back in the arena, Vert was writhing out on the ground, smouldering from the explosion. "Arrrgghhhh…" She moaned as she slowly opened her eyes… And saw an object descending towards her. "What.. Th-HURF!" She croaked out as Nisa jumped right onto her chest, leaping back.
"Impressed now?" Nisa said, posing as she outstretched her arm to point. "This is the power of a true hero!"
"Hmm…" Vert mumbled on the ground… When all of the sudden, she quickly rose up, making a 360 swing and sending another energy crescent through the air, which Nisa barely jumped away from. "LUNA SLICE!" She cried out as she got to her feet, smoking, but very much standing and determined. "You should know to watch your opponent!" She said as she made another glyph. "SLYHET SPEAR!"
Nisa didn't flinch as she made a hand sign, making two smoke blasts at both her sides before jumping over the javelin. "Sorry, but I think it's time this show ended! JUSTICE KNIFE!" Nisa began to hurl a squall of knives right at the CPU, who began deflecting them with her lance spin.
"Knives again? You know that they can't get by my defence!" Vert declared, still spinning.
"Oh, they can't! They're just here to make you busy while my pals finish the job!" And then, from the twin smoke clouds, two penguin looking creatures with bat wings and stitches in their body charged towards Vert.
"WHAT?!" She cried out as the Penguins closed in on her.
"For the boss dood!"
"For justice dood!"
The two went into a belly slide just before they hit Vert, who shifted her stance… And both exploded in a massive fireball, the draft blowing over the stadium.
"So THAT's why Sir Bearington exploded!" IF cried out.
"SIR BEARINGTONNNNNN!" Behemoth cried out in grief, as the CPU's and Candidates all looked at him in bafflement.
"I'm not even going to ask." Noire said blankly.
As the explosion cleared away, Vert was nowhere to be seen as Nisa fell back to the ground. But as the Maker looked up, she found her, hurling upwards in the sky, showing no signs of consciousness. She smiled as she rushed to the spot. "It's time for the grand finale!" Nisa said as she jumped into the air, her fist outstretched as she prepared for impact with Vert.
"TASTE DEFEAT AT THE HANDS OF A HERO'S TRUE POWER!" Nisa roared out as she pulled her fist back, glowing with a burning aura. "ZETTAI… HERO… LEGE-"
And then, out of the blue, Vert began to decent, her lance pointed downwards, and glowing with a green aura. "WHAT?!" Nisa cried out in shock. "… Oh no!" She said, realising the source. "IT'S A-"
"DRAGOON CRASH!" Vert shouted as Nisa instinctively punched to counter the attack, fist and spear clashing in midair, orange and green auras colliding and fighting… Before one gave way.
The orange aura shattered and fizzled out.
Nisa cried out in horror as she was caught in the defending green spike, falling down to the ground and being blasted away in a green shockwave, and sent flailing in midair.
"NISA! NO!" Compa cried out in horror.
"I should have known Vert was super bouncy!" Neptune cried out.
Upon landing, Vert got up back to her feet and readied her lance, for the final attack.
"SPRIAL STRIKE!"
She rocked forwards, disappearing into a streak of light, slashing across the helpless Maker in a flurry of emerald cuts. Vert appeared back on the ground, and flew to the other side in the blink of an eye, causing a green burst in her wake, comsuming Nisa.
She crashed onto the ground, slashed, battered, and no longer able to stand. Vert looked back, and strolled to the twitching Nisa on the ground.
"Only a true hero could have given me a fight that good. You're the real deal Nisa." Vert happily said. On the ground, tears of happiness welled up in Nisa's eyes as her face cracked into a big smile.
"Thank… You… La..dy… Ver…t…"
She closed her eyes and fell into unconsciousness.
"K.O!" Playmore roared out to a cheering crowd. "I've never seen a battle like that! Our winner is… CPU VERT!"
Vert smiled and waved to the roaring crowd, before looking to the medics carrying Nisa away in a stretcher. Smiling, she walked back into the entrance of her end of the stadium.
Back in the competitor stands, IF and Compa drooped in their seats. "Poor Nisa… Compa said sadly. "It really looked like she had won…"
Suddenly, she heard a booming chuckle from the figure behind her. "And so you see how that foolish Maker was nothing against a CPU." Maker X taunted, her arms still crossed.
"B-But… Lady Vert said that she was a true hero…" Compa stuttered, defensively.
"Only to try and futilely protect her from the truth that she is nothing compared to a goddess."
"Oh really?!" IF said angrily. "If you're so smug about her losing because she was a Maker against a CPU, then what does that make you?"
Maker X was silent for a moment, as IF narrowed her eyes at her. And then she spoke up. "Above your league."
"Yeah, we'll see Maker X," said IF, her voice dripping with dismissive sarcasm.
"Alright folks! Just so you aren't waiting, our next match is coming up!" Playmore cried over the stadium as the screen lit up again, before it settled on the next two fighters.
"It's woman vs goddess again, cause we have CPU BLANC VERSUS MAKER CAPPY COMING UP NEXT!"
As Cappy got up out of her seat, she had a wicked grin on her face as she looked towards the goddess of Lowee. "I was hoping for a matchup like this…" She muttered in a smug tone as she walked down to get ready for the fight.
"Good luck sis!" Rom said to Blanc.
"Kick that jerk's butt for us!" Ram cried out as Blanc walked.
"I'll be fine you two. And Ram…" Blanc said, looking at her long haired sister with her eyes shadowed. "I'll knock her senseless."
"Yaaaaaay!" Ram happily chimed as Blanc walked off.
"Hmmm… I'll duck down as well." Said Platinum. "I have a certain someone I want to talk to…" As she walked away, IF looked through the seats, and noticed something.
"Arc?" She looked around for the bounty hunter, but she was nowhere to be seen.
"Ram and Blanc really seems to have it in for Cappy huh…" Uni remarked.
"Well, after Cappy screwed around with them during Ram and Rom's big 3rd Dimension party? I can't blame them…" Noire said bitterly. "That Maker gets more and more punchable by the year…"
"Hey sis, how do you think the fight will go?" Nepgear asked her sister.
"I don't know for sure, but I know that while she may not be as big as Vert, or as bouncy, and she may look tiny and flat looking on the outside, that only hides the beast within her!" Neptune chimed.
"… Oh I get it!" Behemoth said in realisation. "You were talking about her b-"
"… I understand. You can keep her company."
"I must say, it's quite nice of you…" Platinum said as she walked into Nisa's ward, as she saw her lying unconscious, her torso bandaged and a patch on her face.
"You seem trustworthy to me." Said Nurse Bliss. She caught Plat's look of concern as she spoke up. "Oh she'll be up and ready in no time. You don't need to worry about her health." Plat smiled as the nurse left the room.
"You know sunshine… You really do remind me of myself…" Said Platinum as she sat down, looking at the unconscious Nisa.
"ZZZZZZZZZzzzzz…I will… Defeat… BLAH!" Nisa cried out as she woke back up. Looking around, she saw Platinum sitting in a chair, and immediately got into a fighting position while on the bed. "GAH! DEMON HUNTER! Have you made a pact with the underworld?! Have you come to finish me off?!"
"Now why would I ever make a deal with a Demon? Well, the honourable ones are fine people. Mostly… But I just wanted to have a talk with you…"
"Oh." Nisa said, blinking. "Okay…"
Outside of the room, another person was standing right next to the door frame. A person with eyes hidden under her headband, looking blank.
"The real deal huh?…"
Back in the stadium, the fighters had gotten underway as Playmore called forth the match.
"On the Left, we've got the Empress of Ice, the Ancient Goddess from the Frozen North! You better watch out, cause winter is coming, and it's called CPU BLANC!"
The exit emitted a white burst of snow, spreading out, as a veiled figure slowly walked through it. As she reached the ring, the frost slowly subsided, revealing the figure of Blanc, standing stoically in place, as the crowd gasped and oohed.
"And to the right, we have one of the legendary Maker herself! She's gone from robotics to monster hunting, and even the legal system, but she's come to her true calling today! It's Legendary Gamindustri warrior back in the ring, MAKER CAPPY!"
Blanc looked ahead as a figure emerged from the passage, veiled in a cloak covering her body. Her head was still visible, and it carried the same twisted smirk Blanc knew from the Maker. She walked calmly to her side, as her smirk grew.
"Hello Blanc." The Maker's words were laced with venom. "I've been waiting for this chance."
"Is that so?" Blanc calmly said.
"You see, i'm going to show Gamindustri the truth. The truth about you, Goddess. You and your nation"
"And what would that be?" Blanc said, unimpressed.
"That Lowee's time is over. You're a pathetic hasbeen who is frozen to the past so rigidly, you can't even see that Gamindustry has no more place for people like you." Cappy remarked, her voice vicious and bitter. Blanc however, showed no sign of the Maker's speech getting to her. In fact, a small smile grew on her face.
"So you think that way about me Cappy?" Blanc muttered. "Then I think I want to teach Gamindustri something myself. That you're a puffed up egotist who ran out of good ideas years ago."
Cappy's smirk suddenly faded, her mouth twisting into a quivering cringe, as Blanc continued to speak. "You've always had an ego Cappy, but you were better than this. Look what you've become. I used to respect you. I enjoyed working with you! Now? All I wanna do is smash that smirk right off your face…" Blanc said, her voice full of anticipation.
Cappy clenched her teeth in anger. "A brute like you? Defeat me?" Cappy continued on. "You pretend to be a great fighter, but all you do is smash anything that moves! You think it makes you strong, but all it does is make you a clumsy swine who knows nothing!"
The Maker began to glow with a blue aura, as her arms began to move under her cloak. "As for me? I've mastered fighting! I've studied it backwards and forwards! I have true refinement and technique! Offence and Defence! Every style you know in the ring, i've made it what it is!"
Blue Flames burst out of Cappy's cloak, ripping holes through it, as she cast the burring cloth to the winds, and spread her arms out.
Gone was her business suit. In it's place was a shiny blue and gold outfit. The top was a gi made of glided silk, sleeveless, exposing her toned arms, covering her chest, stomach and down to her midriff, showing a teasing little bit of skin. The pants was form-fitting around her hips and legs, but cut off at the ankles, with a strap being the only fabric on her bare feet.
The Maker got into a fighting stance, her fists burning with a blue aura as Blanc readied her hammer.
"It's over CPU! It's time I brought you to your knees!"
I'm so happy to have this chapter finally done. Thankfully, Chapter 10 is already in production. I'm aiming for the end of the week... Although after this chapter you never know...
