Chapter 11: Solo Time!
"Haaaaa!" Nepgear rushed forward, thrusting a fist towards Uni's chest. Ducking under the attack, Uni grabbed onto Nepgear's arm and flung him over her. Nepgear rolled onto his feet, turning around. As he was rolling, Uni ran over to Nepgear and lept up, pulling her legs back. Nepgear held up his arms, but was thrown back by Uni's drop kick.
Nepgear collapsed onto the ground, reeling from the impact as Uni fell onto her side. Fighting through the pain, Nepgear threw his legs up. The young man rolled back onto his neck and used his hands to push himself onto his feet. Meanwhile, Uni was getting to her knees. Nepgear took this chance to run over and kick Uni on the head, knocking her onto the ground. As the Candidate was dazed, Nepgear climbed on top of the girl. Pressing one of Uni's arms onto the floor, Nepgear raised a fist.
Eyes widened, Uni covered her face with her free arm.
"Okay! Okay! You win!" Nepgear slackened his fist. Nepgear sighed in relief and collapsed onto the floor next to Uni. The Incomplete Candidate attempted to raise his arms in triumph, but they fell flat against his face.
"Woohoo..." Nepgear rolled onto his side, facing Uni. "That was fun." Uni was rubbing her head.
"I don't think getting kicked in the head counts as fun, Nepgear." Nepgear giggled nervously.
"S-Sorry, are you okay?" Taking a deep breath, Uni hesitated before nodding. Sucking in air, the Candidate of Lastation pressed her fingers against her temples. Nepgear pushed himself to a sitting position.
"Do you want ice?" Nepgear held out a hand, which Uni took while squeezing her eyes shut.
"...Probably." Nepgear pulled Uni to her feet and led her to a nearby bench.
The two CPU Candidates were currently in a dojo-styled room in Nepgear's lab. On three of the walls were individual scrolls that read Determination, Strength, and Valor. In order for them to immerse themselves in the mood, Nepgear and Uni were wearing gis with the former having a purple sash and the latter having a gray sash. Both of them were barefoot, and Uni had tied her back into a bun. Sitting Uni down on the bench, Nepgear ran over to the door and grabbed his shoes and socks.
"Don't worry, I'll be back!" Nepgear rushed out of the door. Uni stared at the gi she borrowed from Nepgear.
"Why did we even wear this besides immersion?" Uni pressed her hand against the throbbing pain in her head. "...Come to think of hit, how did Nepgear get this in my size?" The sound of the door opening hurt the young girl's ears.
Nepgear rushed into the room, carrying a bag of ice. The Incomplete Candidate had changed out of his gi and into a t-shirt and shorts.
"Uni, here!" Uni took the ice.
"...How did you change…?" Nepgear glanced at his clothes.
"I have spare clothes in the garage." The young man began treating Uni's head injury. "I'm really sorry, Uni. I didn't think that would hurt you so much." Uni shook her head.
"I-It's fine. It just means you're getting stronger." Uni smiled. "This shouldn't last too long." Nepgear nodded.
"Maybe we should have Compa take a look at it. I think she's here today." Uni reached out for Nepgear, pressing the bag of ice against her head.
Nepgear helped Uni up to her feet and helped out of the dojo room. Taking Uni through his garage, Nepgear led Uni to his teleporter and stepped into his room. As they moved through Nepgear's room, Uni saw the U-Buster lying on the table with a black handkerchief wrapped around it.
"Uni, did you catch a fever?" Nepgear put his hand over Uni's forehead. "You're turning red." Uni furrowed her eyebrows and shook her head, causing Nepgear to catch the ice pack as it slipped from her fingers.
"I-I'm fine." Taking Uni into the living room, the duo found Compa and IF sitting on the couch. Compa was drinking some tea while IF was looking at one of her many phones while munching on a cookie.
"Uh… Compa?" The nurse stood up the moment she saw Uni.
"Ge-Ge? What happened to Uni-Uni?" The young girl flinched.
"Uni-Uni…?"
Nepgear explained what happened as Compa rushed over, taking Uni from him. Frowning, the nurse shook her head.
"Ge-Ge, you have to be more gentle with girls." Nepgear stared at his feet as Compa sat Uni onto the ground.
"Sorry…" Compa nodded at him.
"Uni-Uni, come here." Compa grabbed the edges of Uni's gi. The CPU Candidate felt the nurse tugging her gi open, grabbing Compa's wrists in retaliation.
"What are you doing?" Uni narrowed her eyes as she struggled against Compa's strength.
"I have to undress you to fix your wounds!" Uni turned to Nepgear, her face turning red.
"B-But Nepgear-" IF shook her head.
"Compa won't care." Uni turned to IF, who finished her cookie and reached for another one. "All she cares is that you're all healed up." Uni felt Compa pulled her gi open. The CPU Candidate of Lastation looked at her companion, who was staring his friend with complete obliviousness. Squeezing her eyes shut, Uni tried her best to combat Compa's nursing.
"Nepgear, could you please come here?" At that moment, Histoire's voice was Uni's saving grace, like a bell at the end of the school day.
"Coming!" Nepgear stepped into the other room, where Histoire's voice was coming from.
Uni sighed in relief.
And Compa promptly yanked Uni's gi off of her.
As Uni screamed, IF stood up and headed into Neptune's room.
"Pretty sure Nep won't notice a missing piece of clothing…"
(ↀ Д ↀ) (ↀ Д ↀ) (ↀ Д ↀ)
Uni eventually found out that she slightly too big for Neptune's clothing, giving the Candidate some relief. At the same time, Compa had put her clothes into the wash and now they were in the drying. Since Compa and IF didn't bring any extra clothes to sleep in, Uni had to wear one of Nepgear's button-up shirts and one of his shorts.
"These… are…"
Nepgear's shoulders were slightly broader than Uni's. As a result, Uni's collarbone and shoulders were slightly revealed even though the Candidate buttoned up all the buttons. Luckily for her, Nepgear's shorts had an elastic waistband, allowing it to be a snug fit.
"Sorry, Uni." The young girl in question was startled as Histoire floated in front of her. "We didn't expect you to finish your sparring session so early." Uni wanted to nod her head in assurance, but the bag of ice sitting on her head stopped her.
"It's alright. Nepgear's strength has been growing as of late." IF smirked.
"Is that so?" IF pulled out a small disc from her pocket. "That's good to hear." Nepgear suddenly dashed into the living room. The Incomplete Candidate's eyes were sparkling as he held his phone.
"Uni, look!" Nepgear showed the screen to his companion.
Quest:
There's too many monsters in the forest, I can't reach my grandmother's place at this rate! - A Girl in a Rwby Hood
Location:
Virtua Forest
Clear Condition:
Defeat Fenrir
Enemies:
Dogoo
Tulip
Boxer-X
Fenrir
"A quest, huh." Uni moved the phone out of her face. "Sorry, I wish I could go…" The Candidate held onto the ice pack. "Is Neptune going with you?"
Nepgear shook his head.
"Sis has some kind of meeting she has to go to." Uni turned to IF and Compa. IF shook her head, holding up the disk. Compa grabbed onto Uni.
"Sorry Ge-Ge, I have to take care of Uni-Uni!" The nurse suddenly pulled the Candidate close to her.
"Yeah, I've got some intel I need to sift through Gear. I'll have to sit this one out." Nepgear stared at his phone, a little upset.
"So that means…" Compa and IF looked at each other. IF smirked.
"It means you'll have to solo this Gear." Planeptune's CPU Candidate gasped.
"Y-You mean… by myself?" Uni's eyes widened.
"B-But…" Nepgear rushed off.
"I won't let you down!" Uni reached out as Compa held her down.
"Nepgear, wait!" IF patted the Lastation Candidate on the back.
"We should have some faith in Nepgear." Uni turned to IF, worried.
"But…" IF placed the disk on the table in front of them. Uni's eyes followed the disc as the Guild Agent slid it towards the center of the table. "Isn't that your intel?" IF raised her eyebrows, smirking.
"Yeah, just take a look." IF reached over and tapped the center of the disc. The circular piece of plastic lit up and created a hologram. The hologram created a large screen that revealed a video of an elevator. IF looked over her shoulder. "Nep, it's ready!"
"Coming!" Loud footsteps caught Uni's ears as she saw Compa scoot to the side. "Here I am!" Suddenly, Neptune landed in between the space between Uni and Compa, holding a giant bowl of popcorn. Grabbing a handful and stuffing her mouth, Neptune's eyes were fixated on the screen.
As Neptune landed on the couch, Uni caught a glimpse of two arms covered in long white sleeves. The hands' fingers intertwined with each other as they slowly moved up. A familiar voice emitted grunts as the elevator continued to move down. The person let out a relaxed sigh.
"I'm so excited…"
Uni leaned forward, whipping her head from side to side. There was no doubt in her mind now.
"Wait- That's Nepgear!" Neptune giggled, stuffing another handful into her mouth. Popcorn, crumbs and kernels, scattered across Neptune's lap and landed on Uni's and Compa's.
"Mhm." Neptune grinned. Uni could see pieces of popcorn stuck in the CPU's teeth. "Histy said we should see how Nep Jr.'s been growin'~." Uni narrowed her eyes. "It kinda helped that he put you out of commission~." Uni decided to ignore that. "But seriously, I'm kinda excit-"
As Neptune was swapping between eating and talking, Nepgear stepped out of the elevator, entering his lab and rushing towards his garage. As the sounds of Neptune munching breached Uni's ear, the young girl wondered why he didn't take his teleporter.
"What if Nepgear gets in trouble?" Neptune's hand froze as she tossed popcorn into her mouth. The popcorn missed and bounced off the CPU's cheek, falling back into the bowl. Neptune slowly turned blue as Compa stood up.
"I'll get some drinks~." Neptune began to shake as Uni began to feel guilty.
"Gear will be fine…" IF put her arms behind her head and leaned against the back of the couch. Neptune let out a sigh of relief. "Probably."
Neptune suddenly shoved the bowl onto Uni's lap, standing up straighter than a board. Uni heard an audible gulp coming from Neptune.
"I'll go check on him." As Neptune began to dash towards Nepgear's room, Compa walked out of the kitchen and swiftly caught Neptune by the hood while balancing the tray with juice and some glasses.
"Nep-Nep, we can't spoil Ge-Ge's excitement~." Neptune tried her hardest to break out of Compa's grasp, but the CPU was effortlessly dragged back to her seat. Uni placed the bowl onto the table as Compa sat Neptune down. The nurse place a glass filled with juice in Neptune's hands as she sat down.
"How is she so strong?" Compa began pouring more glasses. In the screen, Nepgear was climbing into the Gear-Wing. "Those nurse training programs must be something else…"
In the screen, Nepgear was prepping up the Gear-Wing. The Incomplete Candidate was breathing heavily and his hands were slightly shaking, but Uni couldn't tell if it was from his nervousness or the Gear-Wing's engine.
Suddenly, something hit Uni.
"How did we get a camera on Nepgear?" Looking around, Neptune was shaking just as much as Nepgear was. Compa was smiling, as if watching her own child go off on their first errand. Turning to IF, the Guild Agent smirked and pointed to her collarbone. Furrowing her eyebrows, Uni stared at her own collar. "...Wait." Uni's eyes widened. "The pudding pin!" IF snapped her fingers.
"Right on the money." IF leaned forward, point at the screen. Nepgear was currently grasping onto the Gear-Wing's control stick. "Remember how Nepgear was kidnapped?" Uni nodded. "Yeah, well we got the excuse to put a very tiny camera on that pin Nepgear always wears."
"Yup. Yup. Yup! Nep Jr. doesn't even have a clue!" Neptune snapped out of her worry and gave Uni the peace sign. A droplet of sweat began to form on Uni's head.
"Isn't that illegal?" The sound of the Gear-Wing taking off erupted from the screen and from outside. Compa giggled.
"Nep-Nep will do aaaaaanyyyything for Ge-Ge." IF put a hand on Uni.
"Just letting you know, only Neptune was in on the idea." The sweatdrop rolled down Uni's face. "Anyways, Virtua Forest's Village is about thirty minutes away by ground vehicles, so it shouldn't take long." IF grabbed her glass and pulled out her phone. "Now to actually look at that intel." IF leaned closer so that Uni couldn't see the screen. Compa and Neptune were relishing in their refreshments as Uni watched Nepgear chant to himself as he flew towards his Quest.
"I can do this… I can do this…"
"I hope you can, Nepgear." Uni turned to the bowl of popcorn that was quickly being finished. "Hey, give me some!"
(ↀ Д ↀ) (ↀ Д ↀ) (ↀ Д ↀ)
The Gear-Wing hovered over the village near Vitrua Forest, aptly named Virtua Village. Descending near the entrance of the village, Nepgear climbed out of the jet and stretched his limbs. Snapping his fingers, the Gear-Wing vanished in a blue light.
"Hmm… I don't see any monsters here…" Nepgear cupped his hands over his mouth. "Hey! Monsters! I'm here to beat you!" Standing up straight, Nepgear pressed his lips together and waited for the enemies to come.
…
…
…
…
After a couple of minutes, Nepgear looked at the time on his phone.
…
…
…
After half an hour standing still, Nepgear scratched his head and tugged at his collar. Letting out a sigh, Nepgear looked around the entrance. The Incomplete Candidate didn't see a monster in sight. Pursing his lips, the young man looked towards the village.
"I guess I should ask around."
Wandering through the village, Nepgear turned his head side to side. The young man watched as two young ladies talked in front of a shop. Smiling, the Incomplete Candidate waved at them.
"Um… excuse me?"The two women gasped upon seeing him. "Have you seen any of the monsters in the area?" They looked and whispered to each other as Nepgear asked for any intel about the monsters. "I'm here to exterimine-" The women glared at him, causing the young man to step back in confusion. "Uh…them?" Scoffing, the women turned away and left. "Huh."
Blinking his eyes, Nepgear turned around to see the person who owned the shop. "Oh, um…" Upon meeting eyes with the young man, the shop owner panicked and immediately ran inside. "Ah…"
Scratching his head, Nepgear shrugged his shoulders and headed towards the heart of the village.
"Maybe someone else can help me out."
As Nepgear walked through the village, people began glaring at him. Most of them would intentionally step away from him. Others wouldn't respond to them, some of them yelled at him to go away.
As an elderly man screeched at Nepgear, a couple of small girls stared at Nepgear. The old man chucked a partially eaten apple at Nepgear and stomped away. Sighing, Nepgear turned around to see the girls. After a moment of staring, Nepgear tried smiling and waving at them. The two were startled and ran away into a house, holding hands.
"Oh, goodness…" Nepgear let his head droop and slowly turned around, heading back towards the entrance.
(｀°Δ°) (｀°Δ°) (｀°Δ°)
"Geez, can they get any worse?" Uni crossed her arm as Compa handed her a bottle of soda. IF was munching on Compa's cookies.
"Well, at least they aren't trying to kill him."
(｀°Δ°) (｀°Δ°) (｀°Δ°)
"Now what?" Nepgear left the village and crossed his arms, tilting his head to the side. After standing still for a moment, the young man shrugged his shoulders and wandered down the dirt road.
As he continued walking, Nepgear pulled out his phone and opened up the Quest.
Quest Log:
Fenrir still on the loose
Ancient Dragon still on the loose
"I thought this would have been easier…" Sighing again, the young man shook his head and put his phone away. "I can't give up now!" Slapping himself in the face, the Incomplete Candidate clenched his fist and began running forward. "I'll find them somehow!"
Nepgear eventually wandered to the edge of the forest. To the Candidate's right was the forest itself and to the left were miniature plateaus that made an archway. Curious, Nepgear turned away from the forest and headed over to the natural archway.
"Wow, this looks amazing!" Walking under the archway, Nepgear saw that the land dipped down into a small grassy valley. Amazed by the sight, Nepgear sat down and scanned the area. "Huh, wait…" The young man stood upon seeing a large blob of cyan near the edge of the valley.
"Yes!" There was about thirty Dogoos- a regular slime monster with a dog motif- swarming the area, along with a handful of Tulips and a couple of Boxer-Xs. Nepgear zoomed in on the Tulips and Boxer-Xs. The former was a big tulip that had a stem with legs and the latter were large skeletons wearing a pink shirt, pink sunglasses and a white sunhat, while wearing their titular boxing gloves. "Hmm… I don't see any of the ones on the list…" Nepgear quickly looked back at the village for a second.
"I'd better take them out just to be safe." Patting his rear, Nepgear took a deep breath and checked his two pistols on his holsters. "Hmm, there's too many to take out by myself…" Nepgear attempted to swallow, but failed. "Oh, if I could just transform!" Biting his lip, Nepgear's eyes suddenly lit up. "But maybe…" The Candidate turned around to plateau behind him.
"This might work…" Nepgear pulled out his Gear-Buster and stared at it. "...Hopefully." Leaping up, Nepgear climbed up the plateau and pointed his gun at the monsters.
Closing one eye, the Candidate held down the trigger. Energy began to build up with the Gear-Buster, the weapon beginning to shake. "Guh… I still can't…" Using his other hand, Nepgear tried his best to stabilize the shaking. "Hold…" The young man gritted his teeth as both his arms shook. "Aw, forget it!" Nepgear let go of the trigger while pointing at the general direction of the horde.
The energy bullet blasted out of the Gear-Buster, knocking the young man onto his butt. The bullet was a giant green energy ball that whistled as it flew through the air. Nepgear's bullet hurtled towards the ignorant horde, and exploded upon contact.
Monsters flew in the air along with tufts of grass and dirt, making a cloud. About Dogoos, Tulips and a Boxer-X vanished into thin air as they flew away. When the cloud of dirt withered away, there were a handful of Dogoos, a few Tulips and one Boxer-X.
Sitting up, Nepgear made a fist bump. "Alright, it actually worked!" Standing up, Nepgear holstered the Gear-Buster and sprinted towards the edge of the plateau. "Let's do this!" Leaping off the edge, Nepgear activated his shoes and zipped through the air. When Nepgear stopped dashing through the air, he noticed that the Boxer-X had moved closer to him in a panic.
Grinning, Nepgear pulled out his Gear-Buster and turned it into the Gear-Saber. Falling towards the monster, Nepgear raising the weapon over his head. Swinging as hard as he could, Nepgear sliced through the Boxer-X as he landed. The monster couldn't even react as it split in half and disintegrated.
"Woo!" Pushing himself to his feet, Nepgear looked around to see the remaining Tulips and Dogoos rushing at him in anger. Switching back to the Gear-Buster, the young man pulled out his U-Buster and grinned. "Let's do this!"
Nepgear pointed his guns forward and strafed to the side, firing each gun alternatively. "Haaa!" Regular bullets shot out of the U-Buster and energy blasts from the Gear-Buster. Luckily for him, monsters moved in Nepgear's general direction and into his line of fire. A couple Dogoos and Tulips vanished before the rest got the idea to stay away.
"Alright!" Taking the chance, Nepgear dashed forward and knocks a Tulip into the air with a back flip kick. Upon landing on his feet, Nepgear quickly pointed up and fired a spread of bullets at the slime dog. "Take this!" A few shots pierced the Dogoo's body, causing to cry out in pain.
Suddenly, Tulip tackled Nepgear from behind while he was distracted by the airborne monster. "Gah!" Nepgear's Gear-Buster fell out his hands from the attack.
The attack knocked Nepgear onto the ground. Acting quickly, the Candidate rolled onto his feet. "Not y- Oof!" However, he was quickly assaulted by another Dogoo. Falling onto his back, Nepgear was dogpiled by more Dogoos and Tulips. "Aaa-Mmmgh!" The Dogoo in the air landed on the ground, whimpering as it vanished.
"Mngh! Mmm, MMM!" Nepgear was able to throw off a couple Dogoos as the slime dogs bit him and the flowers smacked him with their heads. Pushing himself to a sitting position, Nepgear punched one of the Tulips in the face and pistol whipped a Dogoo that pounced at him. Coughing, the Candidate jammed his pistol into another Tulip's face, pulling the trigger. The U-Buster let out flurry of bullets into the flower. The Tulip dropped onto the ground, its head full of holes. The remaining monsters pulled away from Nepgear, startled by the noise.
"Belgh… that didn't taste great at all…" Nepgear pushed himself to his feet and saw his Gear-Buster on the ground, knocked out of reach when he was dogpiled. The Candidate tried snapping his fingers, but nothing happened except the monsters were confused. Pursing his lips, Nepgear looked around. There were ten Dogoos and three Tulips left. "My Gear-Saber… I guess I have to try Plan B…"
Taking a deep breath, Nepgear holstered his gun. Holding out his arms in front of him, the young man closed his eyes. "Or was it C?"
(｀°Δ°) (｀°Δ°) (｀°Δ°)
"What's he doing!?" Uni stood up, nearly dropping her soda. "That idiot just put away his weapon in front of the enemy!" Compa giggled.
"That's just Ge-Ge being Ge-Ge." Uni turned to the nurse.
"Wha-" IF chuckled.
"Yeah, just like him." Neptune grinned.
"Nep Jr. likes to protect the stuff he gets," Uni smiled. Neptune smirked. "Especially from people he loves." Suddenly, Uni's face turned a bright pink. The Lastation Candidate, eyes wide, whipped her head to Neptune. Seeing Uni's face, Neptune's smirk turned into a grin.
"What." The CPU turned away, failing to whistle properly. "Hey!" Compa smiled and waved Uni down.
"Calm down, Uni-Uni." IF patted the Candidate on the back.
"Yeah, seriously. Just sit back and watch." Uni turned to the screen, where Nepgear was slowly being surrounded by the enemy forces.
"But…"
(｀°Δ°) (｀°Δ°) (｀°Δ°)
"Maybe it was ɑ?"Nepgear slowed his breathing as the Dogoos and Tulips got closer. "No… ?" A Dogoo grinned and prepared itself to pounce. "Oh I remember now!" The moment it leaped into the air, Nepgear opened his eyes and a long blue light shined in his palms. A sheathed katana appeared in Nepgear's hands. Yanking the cover off, Nepgear stepped back and brought the weapon close to his waist. Swinging upwards, Nepgear cut the ball of slime in half.
"It was Plan Katana!" Holding his katana up to his waist, Nepgear grinned. Running towards some of the monsters, the Candidate leaped up and swung downwards. "Alright, sis. Please help me out!" Cutting through a Tulip, Nepgear stepped forward and began swinging in random directions while the blade's weight carried him.
"Teh-yaaaa!" Nepgear sliced through two more Dogoos and another Tulip before the final Tulip knocked him off of his feet with a horizontal head swing. "Not again!" The Incomplete Candidate used his dash and slid on the ground, his katana nearly falling out of his hands. "Hup!" Cartwheeling onto his feet, Nepgear spun his katana in his hands as two Dogoos rushed towards him. "I don't think so!" Spinning around, Nepgear threw his katana like a boomerang.
The weapon jammed itself into the first Dogoo, leaving the second free to attack Nepgear. Nepgear stepped back, hold his hands over his arms. "Alright it's…" A war hammer with a long handle appeared in the Candidate's hands. "Hammer time!" With some effort, Nepgear swung the hammer over his shoulders and smashed the Dogoo into the ground. "Ha ha! Always wanted to say that." Yanking the hammer out of the ground, Nepgear looked forward to see the final Tulip and the five remaining Dogoos running towards him.
"Hmm… hammer's gonna be too slow for this…" Nepgear raised his weapon high. The katana, which was lying on the ground ever since it killed the Dogoo, vanished in a blue light. The same thing happened to the hammer in Nepgear's hands, but the light shone brighter. "Alright, time to show Master what I can do!" When the light died down, a spear with a cone-shaped tip replaced the hammer. "...Even though she's in Leanbox. Or Lowee."
Nepgear spun the weapon in his hands, Holding the weapon behind him, Nepgear held out his free hand and pointed at the monsters.
"Let's do this!"
(｀°Δ°) (｀°Δ°) (｀°Δ°)
"..." Uni stared at Nepgear's battle. "...WHAT?!" IF reached over Uni and grabbed a handful of popcorn because she ran out of cookies.
"Surprising, huh?" Uni looked at IF and pointed at the Nepgear as jabbed a Dogoo and swung it around like it was part of the weapon. Disbelief was written all over the Candidate's face. "Martial arts wasn't the only thing Nepgear learned from everyone." Histoire floated over the four girls, landing on Neptune's head.
"When CPUs are born, they already have knowledge of fighting and certain aspects of politics, which I am sure you already know." Uni nodded. "Nepgear, however, knew nothing when he was born." Neptune crossed her arms and nodded her head.
"I taught him almost everything he knows." IF narrowed her eyes.
"Explain the hammer, lance, martial arts and literally everything else that isn't the katana." Neptune pouted and turned away, forcing Histoire to keep her balance.
"Well, I taught him his common sense." Uni narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms. Compa took a sip of her tea as she watched Nepgear spin around and tornado roundhouse kick the last Tulip.
"You didn't do a good job, then." Neptune made a shocked face and whipped her head to Uni grabbing her by the shoulders. The CPU's sudden movements forced Histoire to fall into Compa's lap, who patted the Oracle on the head.
"What?! How could I fail in raising my adorable little brother?" Uni blinked twice, rolling her eyes.
"Where do you want me to start?" Uni began listing off each and every thing Nepgear did, which common sense would have stopped him. With each point, Neptune flinched and moaned. As Neptune and Uni continued, IF saw Nepgear stabbing his lance into the ground, vaulting himself over and slamming his heels into a Dogoo.
(｀°Δ°) (｀°Δ°) (｀°Δ°)
"Phew…" Nepgear recalled his lance and wiped his hands. Quickly pulling out his phone, Nepgear opened the Quest log.
Quest Log:
Fenrir still on the loose
"Still some kind of progress." Nodding, Nepgear put his phone.
"Where's… ah. There you are~." Walking over to the Gear-Buster, the young man bent over and picked up his pistol. Checking for damage, Nepgear sighed in relief and moved his gun towards his holster.
As Nepgear was about to put away his gun, the young man heard a shriek.
"Huh?!" Turning towards the sound, Nepgear pointed his gun. "That sounded like it came from the village!" Biting his lip, Nepgear turned the Gear-Buster into the Gear-Saber and rushed up the hill.
When Nepgear reached the forest's edge, he found the Fenrir in the middle of the road. The Fenrir was a giant wolf monster with cyan blue fur, piercing yellow eyes and fangs and claws that could rip steel into pieces. Nepgear saw the monster cornering two children against the plateau. Nepgear recognized them as the two girls he met in the village.
"Hey!" Screaming at the Fenrir, Nepgear dashed towards the girls put himself between them and the monster. Nepgear held out his hand out protectively and pointed his sword threateningly at the monster. The young man briefly turned to the two.
"Please, find somewhere safe to hide!" The girls nodded and ran back to the village. The Fenrir roared, its head following the two as they ran. "Oh no you- Slash Wave!" Nepgear swung his sword against the ground, grazing it. As the tip of the blade left the earth, a large shock wave formed from the ground and slammed into the monster. The Fenrir barely flinched, but the attack stopped it from moving. "Over here!"
The wolf monster slowly turned to Nepgear, growling. Drool began dripping out of its mouth. Nepgear held his Gear-Saber in both hands. The Candidate's hands made the sword tremble.
"...I really should have thought this out." The Fenrir rushed at Nepgear, baring its fangs. "Eep!" Nepgear swung the Gear-Saber around, the energy blade humming as it moved. "B-Back off! I've got an energy Saber a-a-and you wouldn't like if-" The Gear-Saber sparked, sending visible electricity through the blade. "Wha-!" Suddenly, the blade died down and left Nepgear with just the hilt. "Why did..." Nepgear glanced at the Fenrir, which began rearing its head. "Uh…"
Nepgear put the Gear-Buster behind his back and held out a trembling hand.
"N-N-Nice doggy?" The Fenrir began stepping closer. "Uh… Maybe I could pull out the U-Buster?" Nepgear pressed himself against archway, beads of sweat began rolling down his forehead. "No, I don't think I can… Maybe! I can summon a weapon?" Nepgear kept his eyes on the monster in front of him. "But, Neptune's sheath might take too long to take off… And Blanc and Master's weapons are too long for this kind of distance…" The Fenrir stalked closer and closer to Nepgear, lowering its head as it moved. "Alright… I think can unsheath Sis's katana, but I have to smack the Fenrir in the face before I ca-"
The Fenrir rushed at him. Teeth and claws bared at the Incomplete Candidate.
"Eek!Ican'tdoit!" The Fenrir leaped towards Nepgear, baring its claws. Eyes wide, Nepgear leaped into the air and spread out his legs. The monster's paws landed here Nepgear's legs were, while the upper part of its jaws were stopped by Nepgear catching its mouth. The lower part of the jaw was propped open by Nepgear's elbow bracing itself against the back of the wolf's teeth. Nepgear's feet caught onto parts of the plateau that were malformed and jutted out of the structure. The Fenrir's teeth pierced the skin of Nepgear's hand and arm, causing blood to slowly drip out. "...Rrgh…" Nepgear struggled against the monster's jaw strength, as the Fenrir slowly began closing its mouth. "Goodness, this hurts!" Tears forming at the corners of his eyes, Nepgear tightened his grip of the dead Gear-Saber in his hands. "Am I… really going to die here?"
Nepgear could feel his arm bending painfully against the Fenrir's jaw.
"Sis… IF… Compa… Uni…. A-Anyone!?" Nepgear's breathing began to pick up in speed. "I-I don't want to die!" The Candidate frantically looked around, but no one was in sight. "P-Please! I-I-I want to live! I want to become a CPU! I want to make tons of friends and be able to fly without help!" Nepgear closed his eyes, tears beginning to stream down his face.
"I… I could be your friend." Nepgear could feel those words ring in his ears like the did the first time.
"We're not friends. We're not buddies. And we're definitely not best friends." He remembered the sadness. "You. Are. My. Rival." At the same time, Nepgear remembered a rush of excitement. "And I'm yours. Got that?" Nepgear really liked her confidence.
"Wanna work together then? Go on Quests, train and all that." Nepgear thought she was really reliable and nice.
"N-No way, the N-Buster MK I… There are only two in existence. Well, one since one of them was destroyed by Neptune, but that doesn't matter! I have one! Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh m-" He remembered how funny she looked when she was spazzing out.
"Who cares if people don't accept you! Just don't care!" Nepgear was glad she said that. "They don't know you, we do!" He was relieved that she was the one to say that. "You're Nepgear, my best friend and rival! Nothing they say or do will change that! Okay?" Her words made him happy.
"W-Well, this is just a reminder to let you know that I'm here. To help you. As a… friend." Nepgear remembered that shy smile she gave when she handed him the U-Buster. Although, he thought she might have been a little warm then.
"Uni…" Nepgear felt his arm and dead Gear-Buster against his back. "N-No…" Prying his eyes open and causing tears to fling off of him, the Incomplete Candidate glanced at his weakening arm. The young man gritted his teeth and pressed against the Fenrir's mouth, ignoring the pain and prying its jaw open. "I can't die…" Nepgear raised the Gear-Saber's hilt high above his head. "I have a friend who's waiting for me!"
"Haaaaaaaaaaaa!" With all his might, Nepgear slammed the Gear-Saber's hilt into the Fenrir's skull. Nepgear was sure he heard a crack. The monster yelped as it pulled back, letting go of Nepgear's arm. The Gear-Saber was yanked from Nepgear's hand as the wolf jumped back, landing close to the Fenrir. The Incomplete Candidate slipped off the plateaus and dropped onto his knees with a grunt. Nepgear grabbed onto his limp left arm, feeling the blood gush from it. "..."
The Fenrir shook its head violently before turning to Nepgear, growling heavily. Nepgear in turn glared back, forcing himself to stand.
"...I." Gritting his teeth, a dark surrounded Nepgear as he held out his healthy arm. "I!" Nepgear continued to glare at the monster as it reared its head.
(｀°Δ°) (｀°Δ°) (｀°Δ°)
"Oh, crap!" Uni stood up. IF caught Uni's drink before it could spill and Neptune stood up as well. "Nepgear's aura! Not again!" Uni turned to Neptune, nodding at each other.
"Let's go Mini-Noire!" Uni narrowed her eyes.
"Don't call me that!"
Before the two could leave, Histoire floated in front of the two.
"A moment." Histoire looked at the screen. "Please take a look first before you make any conclusion." Neptune and Uni looked at Nepgear, seeing the dark aura flashing a bright purple color.
Uni leaned forward, eyes widening.
"What is he…?"
(｀°Δ°) (｀°Δ°) (｀°Δ°)
"I…" The black and purple colors flashed back and forth between each other. The ground slowly began to shake and crack underneath Nepgear, causing the Fenrir to stumble. "May be weak…" Neptune's katana materialized in Nepgear's hand. Closing his eyes, Nepgear grabbed the sheath with his bleeding hand while holding onto the hilt with his clean one. "I can't transform…" The Candidate gritted his teeth to ignore the pain in his left hand. "But I won't give up just yet!" The aura continued flashing between the two colors as he moved into position.
"I'm not going to die!" When Nepgear opened his eyes, the aura burned a bright purple as the Candidate's violet eyes glared at the enemy.
"You die!" Nepgear unsheathed the blade and rushed at the monster at a terrifying speed. Appearing behind the monster, Nepgear held his blade out with his arm sticking outwards.
The Fenrir dropped to the ground, vanishing into the thin air.
Mission Complete!
Neptune's katana and sheath dematerialized from Nepgear's hands and the young man collapsed on the ground, next to his Gear-Saber.
(｀°Δ°) (｀°Δ°) (｀°Δ°)
"Oh my gosh, That was super awesome!" Neptune slapped her cheeks, pressing her palms against it. "While that was cool and all, my baby brother needs me!" Neptune turned to her side, seeing the window open. "...Did someone open the window?" IF and Compa shook their heads. "Histy?" Histoire smiled.
"Uni left moments ago." Neptune pursed her lips. "She's darted out of the window in her HDD form when she saw Nepgear collapse." Shrugging her shoulders, Neptune plopped back onto the couch.
"I guess Nepgear's gonna be fine." IF raised an eyebrow.
"Huh, I thought you would have busted through the window by now." Neptune grinned.
"I woulda if I coulda." Neptune slowly glanced at Histoire, who was hovering menacingly over her. "But Histy would turn Pissty real fast… and someone already beat me too it."
On the screen, the two children returned with a handful of adults. The adults were outfitted with bows, swords, and shields. One of them had a staff.
(｀°Δ°) (｀°Δ°) (｀°Δ°)
"Ah, there he is!" Nepgear struggled to raise his head as he heard some gasps. Slowly turning his head, the Candidate saw the two girls in front of him. One of the girls tried to touch him, but an adult yanked her away.
"Don't go near him!" The adult pointed a sword at Nepgear. The child grabbed onto the adult.
"He saved us!" The other child grabbed onto the adult's sword arm. "Please, help him Father!" Another adult looked over Nepgear, flinching upon seeing his injuries.
"Oh Lady Purple Heart, his arm!" The adult dropped his sword and shield and flipped Nepgear over.
"...Owwie…" The adult gently lifted Nepgear, seeing the busted Gear-Saber on the ground.
"Hold on, please." The adult reached over and placed the broken weapon on Nepgear's stomach. Lifting him up, the adult turned to the village. The first adult glared at his companion.
"What are you doing?" The angry adult pointed his sword at Nepgear again. "That thing is a disgrace to our CPU!" The kinder adult scoffed.
"Whatever you say, this young hero saved your daughter's life." The angry adult stepped back and glanced at his daughter, who was hanging onto the man's sword arm. Clicking his tongue, the man picked up his child and walked back into the village while the child's friend ran after them. The kind adult turned to the one with the staff. "Do you think you can treat his wounds?" The staff wielding adult nodded.
"Take him inside. We need to disinfect his arm before we cast any healing spells. The kind adult nodded.
Nepgear slowly reached for his Gear-Saber, weakly grasping it. A peaceful look on his face, the Candidate slowly closed his eyes.
"...Uni."
(ↀ Д ↀ) (ↀ Д ↀ) (ↀ Д ↀ)
Black Sister landed in front of the village, transforming back into Uni. The Candidate turns down the road.
"Hopefully, Nepgear's still there." Suddenly, Uni felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. The young girl clicked her tongue. "This better be- Wha!" Uni stared at the messages on her phone. "64 texts?! From who?" Uni opened the app. "Oh, from Neptune… IF… Comp- It's basically everyone from earlier."
"The villagers took Nepgear inside, so you don't need to look for him on the floor."
"Well…" Uni put her phone away and turned towards the village. "That's convenient."
Walking into the village, Uni looked around. The villagers were whispering to each other as Uni passed by.
"Wow, she's so pretty…."
"She looks like Lady Black Heart!"
"Idiot, that's her little sister!"
Uni blinked her eyes and glanced to the side.
"I've heard this somewhere…" Shaking her head, Uni sighed. "I don't see Nepgear out the open. They must be taking care of him inside." Uni bumped into something.
"O-Oh, sorry!" Seeing no one in front of her, Uni looked down. The two children that Nepgear met were staring at her, one of them was sitting on the ground. "U-Uh…" "These kids are…" Uni scratched her cheek. Kneeling in front of the girls, the Candidate smiled at them. "Have you seen Nep- Lady Purple Heart's little brother? I'm here to pick him up."
The girls gasped and turned to each other. Smiling, the girl that was still standing up grabbed Uni's hand while her friend stood up.
"Over here! Over here!" The girl that wasn't pulling Uni ran into a nearby house. Uni was led into the one room house, where she found Nepgear lying on the bed. The Incomplete Candidate was still, surrounded by a green light. The mage healing Nepgear was surprised to see Uni, but nodded upon seeing her. Nepgear was slowly breathing.
"Nepgear!" Uni ran over to her friend-totally-not-love-interest-just-a-friend. The mage stepped aside. "You okay?" Nepgear struggled to open his eyes.
"Oh… hey Uni." Nepgear smiled. "I did it." Uni copied his smile, sitting near his head.
"Good job, Nepgear." The Candidate patted her friend's head. Nepgear felt the Gear-Saber in his hand.
"I think the Gear-Saber broke again…" Uni giggled.
"Just fixed it up again. You always do that." Nepgear chuckled.
"I guess." nepgear blinked. "Hey Uni?"
"How did you know I finished?" Uni flinched.
"I-I…" Uni turned to the side, looking at the mage and the children. The children turned their heads to the side while the mage looked at Uni with a confused look. "I should tell him I was basically stalking him…" Pressing her lips together, Uni smiled again. "H-Histoire got the notice that you finished it."
"Oh Okay." Uni pointed her back to Nepgear.
"Come on, I'll take you home. Just for your hard work, I'll give you piggyback ride home." Nepgear grinned.
"Hey, we haven't done that in a while…" With Uni's help, Nepgear climbed onto her back and Uni stood up. Uni bowed to the villagers in the room.
"Thanks for taking care of Nepgear." The children waved at Nepgear.
"Thanks for saving us Mr. Purple Brother!" Nepgear and Uni blinked before looking at each other. Smiling, Nepgear did his best to nod.
"I did my best." Uni carried Nepgear out of the house. Upon standing in the middle of the village, Uni transformed into Black Sister.
"Wait!" The duo turned around to see the angry adult village from before. The man walked over to Black Sister and Nepgear. "I have something to say to you." Black Sister stepped back. Suddenly, the man bowed. Nepgear blinked.
"Huh?" The man bowed deeper.
"Thank you saving my daughter!" A soft smile touched Nepgear's face.
"It's nothing. Thank you for saving me." The man stood up and nodded as his daughter ran into his arms. The adult nodded to Black Sister and left, carrying his daughter.
Black Sister looked over her shoulder to Nepgear.
"You ready to go?" Nepgear smiled.
"Yeah!" Black Sister lifted off the ground and blasted into the sky.
As they flew over Planeptune, Black Sister stared at Nepgear's left arm. She could barely see them, but there were still holes from the Fenrir's teeth.
"...Hey, Nepgear?" The Candidate in question leaned closer to his friend. Black Sister looked over her shoulder.
"Yeah?"
"Remember, we're friends." Nepgear stared at Black Sister, tilting his head to the side. Facing forward, Black Sister lowered her head to hide a small blush. "S-S0 you can rely on me whenever you can, alright?"
Nepgear's eyes slowly widened. The Incomplete Candidate's smile brightened.
"Yeah, thanks!" Black Sister smiled.
Black Sister and Nepgear could see Planeptower up ahead. Black Sister sped up her flight and flew towards the open window where Neptune, Compa and IF were waving from.
"I'm home!"
Nepgear and Uni's Lily Rank: 6 → 7 (Close)
Notice!
You've unlocked: Stance Change
Nepgear now feels confident enough to use Stances! After observing certain characters and loving them enough, Nepgear can replicate their fighting styles and create Stances in their form.
Notice!
You've unlocked the Stances Nepgear has learned!
-Gunslinger Stance
-Adapter Stance
-Nepgear Stance
-Neptune Stance
-Blanc Stance
-Vert Stance
-Compa Stance
-IF Stance
Hint: Nepgear can swap between Gunslinger and Adapter Stance as long as he using one of those Stances. Nepgear Stance is only usable as a separate Stance or by holding L, R and X when Nepgear is using the Adapter Stance.
Hint: Alongside Gunslinger and Adapter Stance, Nepgear can use thee other Stances while on the field. Summoning more than that will stress Nepgear's body and his muscle memory, so be sure to equip the three you want to bring into battle.
Hint: Raise Nepgear's Lily Rank with other characters, he might get a new Stance! Might.
Hint: Stances are Nepgear's biggest way of showing respect and affection. At the same time, they are his way showing his growth.
Hint: While Nepgear enjoys the freedom that his new Stances give him, he prefers the Gunslinger, the Adapter & the Nepgear Stance.