Chapter 10: Preparations for War Begin; Tohko's Struggle

Several days have passed since the fall of Gamindustri. The day after the invasion, enlistment for joining the AFG had begun in earnest. The AFG is now well over 200,000 strong, and still rapidly growing. Histoire, upon getting the intel she needed from the other CPUs, had secluded herself in a locked room so she could ponder a strategy.

At the same time, the CPUs and CPU Candidates, having fully recovered from their injuries, have been training extensively in preparation for the coming battles. Meanwhile, Nanashi and Shizuku were also training, and the CPUs and CPU Candidates volunteered to rotate between one-another assisting their training, until the time came for them to depart for the upcoming battles.

So far, both have proven to be talented learners, and though their power has increased, they'd yet to develop any significant abilities at this time. Meanwhile, back on Earth, Tohko struggled with her own training…

Earth…

Tohko was smarting and aching after spending several days surviving Arfoire's grueling training regimen. "Come now, Tohko Sagisaka!" Arfoire said with authority. "Surely you can do better than this? You've done well so far in surviving, but you've yet to land a single hit on me. If all you're capable of is dodging my attacks, you won't get very far when the real battle begins!"

"Fight me like you did during our first encounter! Though you lost, you fought much better then than you are now! At this moment, I guarantee Nanashi and Shizuku are training rigorously to get stronger, and that their strength is already far greater now than it was when you last saw them only five days ago! You disgrace them with your ineptitude!"

"SHUT UP!" Tohko screamed, as something inside her snapped, and for a brief moment, she thought she felt a surge of power welling up inside her. "Hmm?!" Arfoire asked, a shocked expression on her face, as she noticed a faint aura of power surrounding Tohko, which quickly vanished.

"Hmph!" Arfoire said suddenly, as her lance suddenly vanished. "We're done for today! Take some time to rest and recover your injuries. You're training will resume at 10AM, so prepare yourself! It seems, however, that you do indeed possess some latent power after all…"

This shocked Tohko, as she looked up in confusion and said, "…I-I do?"

"You do indeed. It was brief, and seems to have been connected to your sudden spike of anger, but just moments ago, a faint aura of power manifested itself when you snapped at me in retaliation for my comments. But it vanished almost as quickly as it appeared…"

Tohko indeed remembered feeling that sudden surge of power when she was riled by Arfoire's comments. "Unfortunately for you," Arfoire continued. "That means your training is going to be much more difficult from this point forward. I don't know why a human such as yourself possesses such latent power…such a thing shouldn't be possible, especially given your young age."

"However, now that I know you possess latent, albeit dormant, powers, I will hereby be adjusting your training accordingly. Your goal is no longer just to land a blow against me, but to do so while manifesting that power! I am going to push you hard, Tohko Sagisaka. And I will keep pushing you, again and again, until you learn how to manifest that power at will! After that, you will learn how to fight using that power. Afterwards, I will be sending you to Ultra Dimension, where you will be reunited with your friends…assuming you survive!" With that Arfoire walked away.

"Indeed, such a phenomenon should be impossible for such a young, human girl." Arfoire thought to herself. "Yet the power she briefly displayed was such that it easily rivaled that of Gamindustri's CPU Candidates. That being said, I can think of only one possibility: the blood of a CPU runs in her veins. Yet, that hypothesis presents its own problems, as all surviving CPUs are in Gamindustri, and do not have children, and as far as I'm aware, none of the previous CPUs had children either, much less are even alive today.

I will have to do some research into Tohko's family background if I am to make sense of it all.

However, this sudden turn of events is of great concern to me. If there is indeed an ex-CPU of Gamindustri living here on Earth, even with the lack of Share energy, she could represent a threat to me…! Even I am hesitant now to assist Tohko in awakening her powers, but my hatred and desire for revenge against my former employer is far stronger right now than my concerns over her potential to become a threat in her own right!"

Meanwhile, Tohko was left to her own devices, and as she nursed the cut on her shoulder, her mind flashed back to four days prior, when Arfoire revealed the shocking truth to her…

Flashback…

"Now that you're well rested and sufficiently nourished, as promised, I shall answer your questions." Arfoire said. "Before I can do that, however, you need to know the truth about the circumstances in which you and your world find yourself in."

"The world you live in, the one called Earth, is located at the heart of what I shall refer to as the Earth Dimension, itself just one of countless dimensions in this vast multiverse that encompasses all of interdimensional space. The world I come from is called Gamindustri, located at the heart of what is known as Hyper Dimension."

"Of course, there are numerous versions of the world of Gamindustri, each located in their own separate dimensions, which only serves to add to the confusion. One such version of Gamindustri is located in what is known as Ultra Dimension, and it is that Gamindustri where your friends and their newfound allies are currently located. Henceforth, I shall refer to Gamindustri by its respective dimension, rather than as Gamindustri, in order to avoid obvious confusion."

"In any case, the world of Gamindustri, depending on its respective dimension, may have certain aspects unique to that specific Gamindustri, but in general, the same basic rules apply to all versions of Gamindustri. Regardless of dimension, Gamindustri exists due to the continued protection of the CPUs. The CPUs are, in essence, Goddesses, borne of the people's faith, which manifests itself as Share Energy."

"It is this Share Energy, derived from the people's continued faith, which gives the CPUs their strength. Thus, a symbiant relationship is forged between the people and their Goddesses. In exchange for their continued faith, the CPUs in turn fight to protect their people from enemies both foreign and domestic, myself included."

"Yes, you heard that correctly, Tohko Sagisaka." Arfoire said, upon seeing the look Tohko gave her. "I am indeed an enemy of the CPUs, and the reverse is true as well. However, my desire to get back at my traitorous former employer is far greater than my aspirations to take control of Gamindustri. And so, even if it means aiding my sworn enemies, I will be working behind the scenes to sabotage my former employer's plans."

"So essentially, it's a classic case of the ancient proverb, 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend.'" Tohko said. "Indeed…" Arfoire said. "I'm glad to see you're not an idiot. It makes my job of explaining things easier." "In any case, within Hyper Dimension, there are four nations, each ruled by a CPU." At that moment, a hologram projection appeared, showing a quartet of girls, all of whom looked far too young to be divine protectors of an entire world.

"The girls in this image are merely the CPUs' avatars, going by the names of Neptune, Noire, Blanc and Vert. These are their Goddess, or HDD forms." Arfoire said as the image changed, now displaying the a quartet of young women, all with the same color scheme as before, before continuing with her explanation.

"CPU Purple Heart, Goddess of Planeptune; CPU Black Heart, Goddess of Lastation; CPU White Heart, Goddess of Lowee; and CPU Green Heart, Goddess of Leanbox." The image changed again, showing once again an image, very similar to the first, though there were a few differences. Three of the girls from the first image where present, albiet wearing noticeably different outfits or color schematics, though the same basic color scheme was the same. Noticeably absent, however, was the girl called Neptune, or Purple Heart. In her place was a young girl with fair-pale skin and bright pink eyes. Her hair was about waist length with very wild, messy bangs framing her face while her hair looked to be worn down, but in a very thick/big braid held with a pastel pink frilled ribbon.

She wore an odd outfit, consisting of a very loose powder blue top with a frilled neck segment with a bright pink-purple bow and a long white segment in the center held with a white multi-piece belt with a purple piece in the center. At the top on the sleeve sides were pink cloth segments with ruffled white lining and a single white stripe on each piece. Her dress had small sleeves with button-clasp, making it look like a shirt pair of overalls. On each sleeve was a peach and white line, while the sleeves cuff buttons to the upper segment of sleeve, most likely to keep them from being too long. She also wore an uneven length white skirt piece that looked longer in back, and opened in the middle. She also wore pink and white striped socks and pink bear shaped fuzzy slippers. All-in-all, she looked dressed for bedtime.

"These are the CPUs of Ultra Dimension. As you can plainly see, I do not need to tell you who three of the CPUs there are, even if the they are distinct from their Hyper Dimension counterparts. The only difference is that, though there is, apparently, a Neptune within Ultra Dimension, she is not a CPU. The CPU of Planeptune in Ultra Dimension, is Plutia, also known as CPU Iris Heart." The image changed again, once again showing their HDD forms, though Iris Heart's HDD form was the one that was truly shocking. Tohko couldn't help but notice the dominatrix vibe it gave off, and the thought she may indeed end up meeting her someday sent shivers down her spine."

The picture changed again, now showing yet another individual, a very young girl with yellow hair, wearing what looked like a bee costume. "Finally, there is this individual." Arfoire said. "Her name is Peashy, also known as Yellow Heart." The image changed again, displaying what was quite possibly the most shocking transformation of them all. A young girl, who looked like she was no older than 6 years of age, was now a gorgeous young woman with gold-hair, and quite possibly the largest bust among all the CPUs' transformations, including those of CPU Green Heart! Needless to say, Tohko couldn't help but feel just a hint of jealousy.

In any case, the CPUs of both Hyper Dimension and Ultra Dimension, have allied with your friends against a common enemy." The image changed again, this time showing a woman, who looked about age 25, with light, cyan-blue hair and icy blue eyes, and a sadistic smirk on her face. It was at this moment that Tohko suddenly realized she'd seen this woman before. Seconds later it dawned on her that this woman was the same person who'd attacked her friends, during the conquest of her world. "That's–?!"

"I see you recognize the woman in this image. Impressive, considering how much of her was shrouded in shadow during the events you recall. The name of this woman is Rei Ryghts. Remember that name well, Tohko Sagisaka, for she is your true enemy. Not only is she the one who attacked your friends, she is also the one who is solely responsible for everything that has transpired since that day. She is also my former employer, and the one who ordered your capture and torture. The truth of the matter is that, while I'm not above using torture against my sworn enemies, but in your case, I was simply following orders. Besides, with my ability to copy a person's appearance and their powers, torture is not even necessary for interrogating my foes."

"Rei Ryghts is in fact a CPU herself." This revelation shocked and horrified Tohko. "You mean that woman is a CPU?! But how does she possess so much power if a CPU needs Share Energy. Surely, a tyrant like her would have next to no shares, as only a small number of equally vile individuals who have allied with her would have any faith her?!"

"How perceptive you truly are. Indeed, that would normally be the case. Except that she has become an exception to the rule. Rei Ryghts is the former CPU of the ancient nation of Tari."

"Upon becoming a CPU, she became drunk with power, ruling Tari with an Iron Fist, and disciplining any who dissented against her tyranny. Her tyrannical rule over the people ultimately culminated in the death of said nation. The people of Tari lost faith in their CPU as a result of her actions, and in a fit of rage, the despotic CPU ended up killing all who lived there. To this day, Rei Ryghts, in her HDD form, is quite literally insane, even though, in her human form, Rei is a pathetic, scared little girl who apologized way too much, a fact which makes her even easier to control when her HDD form decides to go on a rampage. Over the millennia, the nation of Tari and it's tyrannical ruler gradually slid into historical obscurity, with Tari becoming viewed as a mere myth, and a warning to CPUs that they serve their people, not the other way around.

But then, approximately two years ago, the legacy of the fallen CPU returned to the forefront of Gamindustri's problems. From the shadows, Rei Ryghts led an assault on Gamindustri during what has become known as the Eden incident. Disguising herself as her meek human self, she manipulated my ex-comrade, Anonydeath, who has also left Rei's organization, into waging a war on Gamindustri. To that end, Anonydeath recruited Rei Ryghts herself as an underling, unaware that she was, in fact, the true mastermind of the Eden plot, and together, they kidnapped a young girl and turned her into a CPU, brainwashing her into believing that Anonydeath and Rei Ryghts were the young girls' parents.

To her credit, Rei Ryghts's human form had, over the millennia, become an amnesiac, unware of her identity as a CPU, much less the true mastermind the events in question. The artificial CPU in question is, of course, Peashy, a.k.a. Yellow Heart, who became nigh invincible due to a machine that was supposedly creating artificial Share Energy.

However, after Eden's defeat, Rei Ryghts' body was hijacked by her HDD form, who then proceeded to attack Planeptune. Her power was so great that it took four CPUs and their CPU Candidate sisters to bring her down. During this confrontation, the true nature of Eden's device became known. It wasn't artificially creating Share Energy, it was, in fact, stealing the Share Energy of the current CPUs of each nation. Only after it's destruction were they able to defeat Rei Ryghts. But so intense was the insane CPU's hatred and desire to destroy Gamindustri that she attempted to take the CPUs with her. The CPUs survived, of course, though were knocked unconscious, and as Rei Ryghts prepared to use the last of her energy to wipe out her unconscious enemies, I arrived on the scene and depowered her by stealing away her remaining powers. I did this not to save the CPUs, who are to this day my sworn enemies, but to stop her senseless destruction of the world.

A year later, Rei Ryghts seemed to finally come to an understanding with the other CPUs, albiet while still in a prison cell, and vowed to do what she could to right the wrongs of her past once her sentence was over. But the poor sap never had an opportunity to fulfill her plans for redemption. Her HDD self, disgusted and angry with her human self for catering to her sworn enemies, and having somehow regained her power, hijacked her body once again.

Having essentially swallowed her human form completely, the mad CPU escaped Gamindustri, eventually arriving here in the Earth Dimension, where she began plotting her revenge against the CPUs of Gamindustri for not only her humiliating defeat, but also for, as she saw it, corrupting her human form to become their pet. In essence, the good person who was the human form of Rei Ryghts, was destroyed, taken over completely by the vengeful tyrant who now rules your world with an iron fist, all while waging a petty war of revenge against the people of both Hyper Dimension and Ultra Dimension.

It is unknown how she managed to regain her powers, but it seems as if she has somehow managed to gain power from negative emotions. There are rumors, too, of yet another individual, hiding in the shadows, giving advice and possibly even orders to Rei Ryghts, which, if true, could mean that someone even more powerful than Rei herself may be calling the shots."

Either way, Hyper Dimension and Ultra Dimension, have allied with your friends Nanashi and Shizuku, and formed the Allied Forces of Gamindustri, or AFG, to counter the threat by Rei's Coalition of Darkness. The CPUs have already suffered a blow, however, at the hands of Rei Ryghts' elite commanders, a group known as the Seven Swords of the Apocalypse. Hyper Dimension has fallen to the Coalition, and the AFG has been forced to retreat to Ultra Dimension, as they now prepare for the coming battles to retake their world from the enemy. As to whether they can win, however, remains to be seen."

End Flashback…

"I promise! I will become stronger!" Tohko thought to herself as she collapsed from sheer exhaustion.

Ruins of MOGRA…

A cloaked figure stood amidst the wreckage of Game Bar MOGRA. "It seems my worst fears have indeed come to pass." said the figure, as they approached the still unconscious and wounded forms of the Akiba Freedom Fighters.

"The majority of this world's people have either been captured or killed. My own precious daughter has been missing since this nightmare began. And yet, it seems that some have retained a small bit of fortune, even in these troubled times, as here you cling to life."

The figure now removed her hood, revealing a youthful-looking woman with fair skin, long, turquoise hair tied in a ponytail, and blue-green eyes. "Rest easy, Children. You're safe now. As long as I'm here, I will not allow you to die, much less become slaves to the enemy."

The woman suddenly reached into her pocket and retrieved a necklace with a dimly glowing crystal, a Sharicite, before lying it in the center of the ritual area.

"Now then, I just hope this works. I haven't used this for nearly 100 years…'