Hey, sorry I haven't updated the story in a century. Anyway here's who the characters are in case you forgot:
Teri Hinata - forgetful and absentminded kid, has a crush on Hope, imprisoned Latata, Giroro and Natsumi's son
Girara Hinata - Teri's little sister, part of the Junior Pekopon Protection League (Junior PPL)
Yaoe and Sosuke - Unimportant background characters
Hope - Teri's tutor cause he's not so smart but she is. He has a crush on her. Her dad makes her hang out with Merion. She doesn't really like him
Merion - His mom owns the Hojo Dojo. He likes to draw and he also likes Hope. All the girls in school ship him and Teri. He doesn't like that so much.
Kohizou Azumaya - A nine-year-old ninja who likes to cook, Dororo and Koyuki's son, part of the Junior PPL
Himani and Hanayu - The Nishizawa twins trying to conquer the world
Yutoto - A dark blue Keronian working with the Nishizawa twins, genetically engineered to conquer the world
Neroko - Yutoto's younger sister, an adopted Pekoponian who thinks she's an alien, ironically part of the Junior PPL
Oblivion - Tech-savvy kid, also part of the Junior PPL
Staff Sergeant Zurere - Former space pirate, leader of the new platoon sent to conquer Earth, imprisoned by Kohizou
Senior Private Dokiki - Robot frog, tech officer, whereabouts unknown
Combat Medic Xuyiyi - Outsider, traditionalist, herbal specialist, whereabouts unknown
Recruit Pulala - Weapons specialist, youngest of the platoon, currently infiltrating Nishizawa Peach Group
Private First Class Latata - Deaf Keronian, currently imprisoned by Teri, kind of a nerd
Latata, I have to ask you something.
It was early morning. After getting ready for school, Teri remembered an important question he wanted to ask the blue Keronian. He wrote it down in their green notebook and tapped Latata on the shoulder.
Latata turned his head and read the message. He wrote his own in response. Yes?
What are the colors of the aliens in your platoon? wrote Teri.
Well, there's me. I'm a beautiful blue color, as you can clearly tell.
Teri rolled his eyes. Latata was such a gloater.
Staff Sergeant Zurere and New Recruit Pulala are both purple, the frog continued. Zurere's more of a dark violet, but Pulala's more of a softer purple.
Okay, thought Teri, as he read what Latata was writing. But who was the dark blue frog he had seen?
Senior Private Dokiki is pink. Pink as a potato.
What? That doesn't make any sense, Teri wrote.
Really? Keron has some versions of potatoes that look very pink. What colors are the potatoes on Pekopon? Geez! Pekopon sure is weird.
Our potatoes are usually gold or brown or red… Subconsciously, he shook his head to dismiss it. …but that doesn't really matter right now!
Okay, okay. Latata got back to the point. The last one in our platoon, Combat Medic Xuyiyi, is grey. Grey for boring. He thought a moment. Does Pekopon have grey potatoes, too?
No, Latata… that doesn't really matter right now, Teri wrote again. Then he paused. So, there aren't any Keronians in your guys' platoon who are dark blue?
No. Why?
Well, when I was at my cousins' mansion—he scribbled out the word "mansion" and wrote "house" next to it before showing Latata the message—I thought I saw a dark blue alien there.
It might have not been a Keronian, Latata pointed out. No… wait… come to think of it, I meant to ask YOU the same question! I think I saw the person you're talking about. How many Keronians ARE on Pekopon, anyway?
What? That's not possible, Teri wrote. How would Latata have seen anything? He thought again. Latata hadn't poked his head out of the backpack, had he? That would have been catastrophic…. Latata, how did you see an alien?
By peeking out of your backpack, of course, wrote Latata.
Teri grimaced. Anyway, Latata, we don't HAVE aliens on Earth. If we did then we wouldn't be calling guys like you aliens.
No, Latata corrected him. Pekopon has tons of aliens. You've heard of Alien Street, haven't you?
Do you EXPECT an ordinary Earthling like me to know about these things?
Latata scratched his head and wrote, No, I guess not. I'm not sure why I asked that.
Teri shrugged. I'm not sure why you asked that, either.
So you don't know how many Keronians are on Pekopon?
Probably just the rest of your platoon, he told him. You can't think of any reason why other Keronians would be on Earth, can you?
He watched Latata ponder this question, but there was no answer. Finally he wrote: I heard from Dokiki and Pulala once that there used to be another space invasion force that was sent to Pekopon. The Keroro Platoon.
The same struck Teri as vaguely familiar. He couldn't recall where he'd heard it before—maybe from Latata.
Nobody knows where that platoon went, Latata continued. I used to hear a bunch of rumors and theories myself, like the Pekoponians took them hostage, or they went on a separate mission and ended up missing. Or they DIED! Or one of them fell in love with a Pekoponian. Or they all went traitor. Oh—or they went into the hairstyling business and forgot about their invasion mission. Personally I think the last one is the most believable.
Teri nodded as he read Latata's response. Maybe the alien they both saw had something to do with the missing platoon. That would have made sense. Then he paused, and re-read the message. He squinted his eyes. There was something about the way Latata had phrased his message that confused Teri. "I heard from Dokiki and Pulala." "I used to hear a bunch of rumors and theories." However, Latata was deaf. But… maybe it was just his weird way of phrasing things. Teri wasn't so sure.
"Teriii!" he heard his mom call from downstairs.
"Oh!" Teri stood up. Latata looked up at him with curiosity, and Teri picked up their notebook to quickly scribble something down. My mom just called. It's time for me to go to school. I have to leave now, okay? Hope's coming after school again today to tutor me, so keep yourself hidden!
Can I go to school with you? Latata scribbled back.
Teri didn't need to write a response. His expression that clearly said "no" was quite enough.
"Teri! You're going to be late!" his mom called again.
"Coming, mom!" He grabbed his school bag and slung it over his shoulder, then headed to the door of his bedroom. "Bye, Lata—" Teri stopped himself from finishing the sentence, reminding himself that Latata was Deaf. Reluctantly, he shut the door, Latata's eyes still trailing on him as the small crack showing the pink-haired Pekoponian grew smaller and smaller.
"How many tickets do you have?"
"I bought three."
"No way… will you please sell me one?"
"Hahaha… only if you beg for it."
"You're awful!"
When Teri walked into his homeroom class, he was surprised to see how much chatter there was. It wasn't normal for them to be so lively on a Tuesday. Everyone knew Tuesdays were evil.
"So… what happened?" Teri asked Sosuke as he slid into his seat, putting his school bag beside him.
"You seriously can't—" Sosuke shook his head. "Teri, you were here yesterday, too. Don't tell me you've forgotten already."
"Forgotten…. Forgotten what?" Teri scratched his cheek with his index finger as he tried to remember.
"The concert that everyone's been talking about. EternalForseVizard."
"The what now?"
He gave him a look. "The idol group?"
Teri blinked, then smacked his fist into his palm. "Oh, of cooouuurse. They're the… uh… people that… uh…." He bit his lip.
Sosuke put his hand on his face. "Can someone explain to Teri what's been happening this past week?"
"I'll do it!" a girl volunteered. She stepped forth and seated herself at a desk in front of Teri. "EternalForseVizard is the idol group that's having a concert this Thursday. Just two days away!"
"I seriously don't remember hearing about this."
"Hush up and let me explain." She put her hand down on his desk fiercely. "It would make sense that you wouldn't remember them. Their concert last year was amazing! They became super popular." She glared at him slightly. "But you're a boy, so of course they wouldn't have made a lasting impression on you."
Oh. So, it was just some boy's band then. That made sense why most girls were talking about it. Teri nodded to show that he understood, but Aika continued explaining.
"There's Uncertainty—he's had way more concerts than the other two since he's switched bands so many times—and there's Abstrusity…." Aika put her hands to her cheeks and squealed. "Ah, he's the one who gets all the ladies! He's so mysterious and alluring with that mask he wears.~ He's single, too. And then there's Eternity. He's the one who writes all the music for their group, I think."
"Suuuure." Teri didn't look like he believed her.
"Why only 'sure?' "
"Well, they're an idol group. Someone else probably writes their music for them. That's all I'm saying."
She pouted, as if taking personal offense at this comment. "That is so not true! He's a masterful composer and lyricist."
"We can prove it, too," said one of the girl's friends. "He was a radio host for, like, half a year or so before he joined the idol group, wasn't he?"
"That was him?" asked the first girl.
"That was him." It was Merion who confirmed this; he had a bit of a frown as he leaned back in his desk by the window.
"Ahh… that's really cool!" she said. "But it's too bad that My Radio ended…. He has such a cool voice! Ah!" She clasped her hands together. "I'm so excited for the concert!"
"Where is it?" Teri asked curiously.
"Well, if you've been to the big concert venue in Tokyo's—Hey, wait." The girl slipped him a glower. "I know you may be interested in going, but the tickets sell was wild! And the few that are left are rather pricey."
"I'm not interested in going." Teri leaned back and tucked his hands behind his head. "I don't particularly like idol groups. They're all fake, anyway. They don't write their own music and they probably mouth the music when they're onstage. They're just pretty faces basically that—"
"Hey, I heard that Hope's a fan," said Sosuke off-handedly.
Teri stood up. "Where can I buy tickets?"
The girl practically scoffed at him, and shut her eyes in annoyance. "You can't. Unless you're amazingly rich, which I highly doubt you are. The concert's in two days, anyway. So, if you really want to go that badly, then you better hope that a miracle is coming your way."
"Hey! Did I hear someone mention tickets to the EternalForseVizard concert?"
Speaking of things to hope for….
"Eh?" The girl turned to the person beside her—Hope was the name—who was holding up some tickets in her hand. "Where did you get those?"
"I stole them," Hope joked. The look in her eyes said obviously. She looked at Teri. "Do you want one, Teri?"
"What? Uh…." Teri wasn't sure what to say. So much for getting tickets himself and offering one to Hope. "Um… sure?" he finally answered.
"Great!" Hope smiled and handed one to him. Their hands made contact briefly, and he blushed. "Do you want another? Maybe your sister wants to come."
"Sister?" He looked up at her. "How did you know I had a sister?"
"Uh… you told me, remember?"
"No…." Teri scratched the back of his head.
She paused and handed him the second ticket anyway. "Well, maybe you just forgot. I'm sure she'd like to come. Go ask her or something."
Merion walked up to her. "How many tickets do you happen to have? 'Cause I'd love to come, too."
"Sorry, I don't have any left," said Hope with much regret as she slipped the other tickets back into her pocket.
"Ah… that's a shame." Merion looked slightly disappointed. "I'm sure there'll be other chances to get some."
"Merion… you could always go with me," said a student shyly. She twiddled her index fingers together. "Or, ah, there's someone else I have in mind that you could go with…."
Please don't look at me. Please don't look at me, Teri wished.
She looked at him.
NOOOOOO!
Merion shook his head sternly at the girl, and then looked at Teri with dislike. Teri returned this expression.
"Believe it or not, but I have no intention of going anywhere with Merion. Ever," he clarified. The student's lips peeled into a frown of disappointment. "A-actually…" He blushed. "H-Hope, since you're the one who gave me these tickets… I'll g—I mean, can I, no, c-could we go together?"
"Hm?" Hope's eyes shifted to him. "I guess you can come with me, yeah. Kind of like carpooling?"
"Uh… in a sense…." He rubbed the back of his neck. He liked the response, but at the same time, he didn't. In his mind, he imagined it to be more like:
"Hope, come to the concert with me!"
"Oh, Teri! I'd love to!" she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and shoulders.
And then they would arrive at venue in some sort of romantic hot air balloon and would have a great time in each other's presence.
Sadly, that was just a fantasy. Even sadder, they wouldn't be alone. He would have to take his little sister with him.
When Teri got home, he asked Girara if she wanted to come to the concert, but apparently her friend Oblivion had already given her tickets. Ohh what a great shame. So he went up to his room. Now that Hope was gone, he could take Latata out of his hiding place. He opened the large closet that he kept the Keronian hidden in, and then picked up the green notebook beside him to write him a message.
Thanks for hiding away again today, Latata. He flashed him a half-grateful smile.
Latata scribbled down a response. You owe me for this, Pekoponian. I can't wait till we find the rest of my platoon. I would tell them all about the awful things you made me do when I was relying on you for assistance, if they knew Keronian Sign Language!
Right, Teri wrote. Well, at least you get free food.
I think I can now easily say that I will never touch another sweet potato dish again after I'm set free from your household.
Hey! There's nothing wrong with sweet potatoes! Teri defended.
So many sweet potatoes. A shiver ran through Latata.
Teri paused, and picked up the pen again. Look. I'll be gone on Thursday night, so I need you to promise me that you won't cause any trouble in my absence.
Instead, Latata asked him, Where will you be going?
Hesitantly, he gave him the answer. A concert. With Hope.
Man, I LOVE concerts! Is it a rock concert?
No, I think it's pop.
Oh. Well, pop's okay, too. Can I come?
Teri frowned. It's a concert, Latata.
I know! I LOVE concerts!
You're Deaf, he reminded him.
Latata did not write a response, nor even pick up the pen. For a very long moment he sat there. Unmoving. Thinking about what Teri said. Trying to figure out how what kind of reply to give. He could think of only nothing but that.
Begrudgingly, Teri wrote something down instead. Well, pop concerts usually have pretty good visuals. I guess you could always come if you hide in my bag or something as long as you make sure that no one sees you
He didn't finish writing his sentence, because Latata snatched the pen away.
Really? Latata asked. That's great! Maybe you're not as bad as I thought you were, Pekoponian!
Teri laughed nervously. That was probably supposed to be a compliment, most likely.
He really wanted to just stare Latata in the eye and tell him he owed him nothing, but he wasn't so sure about that anymore. Being an invader was just Latata's job that he was doing; it wasn't really his fault… not like he was coming close to succeeding, anyway. He and Teri had different views because of which side they were on, that was all.
Oddly enough, he really did feel that Latata was right: He did owe him a bit for imprisoning the guy and forcing him to hide all the time whenever anyone came into his room. It wouldn't hurt to let Latata out of the house every now and then to get some fresh air and to see new things… even if it meant having to sacrifice alone-time on a sort-of-date-though-not-really with the girl he liked.
He wondered why Latata hadn't just jumped through the window and walked away, if he really wanted to leave that badly.
He wondered this more than he wondered why he was so soft on the alien. He didn't really wonder that at all.