Chapter 21: Finale
16:36 PM (Japan Time), Sunday May the 30th…
"… What a weekend, man! I now wanna go back to my "troll mode" and pull your ears, Bertie~!"
"Rock…! Don't copy Omega – san: it's hard enough for me to handle him and I dunno how I could handle another one like him!"
"Is that a plea~?"
"Whatever!"
"Heh, heh, heh. War Rock – sama's a genius…"
"Yeah, yeah…"
Subaru was sitting in the chair behind his desk built on his room and was rolling his eyes: War Rock was hovering around and looking like he was up to something.
"… By the way! Did Acid Disaster find Sparkling Sparker of Sparks?" War Rock asked with a grin.
"You mean Tsukasa – kun? No. He's starting to think he's been abducted by some gang or another so he transferred his notes to the national police given how they might have some hints of where he's at." Subaru sighed and looked worried.
"Oh. Eh… Well… Maybe we could try to look for him ourselves?" War Rock turned serious.
"I'd like to, but Akatsuki – san strongly discouraged me from trying: those people are not to be provoked. He told me to wait and have patience: he's sure that the national police will eventually "decapitate" them by striking from all flanks…" Subaru negated with the head.
"That sounds logical… Anyway… Beware of the souvenir which I placed beneath the pillow! Later!"
"Oi! Rock! Wait!"
Subaru turned around but War Rock was already gone: he sighed and climbed to the upper section to check his bed's pillow: a small plastic bag with sand set inside of it could be seen there: Subaru got a twitch above his right eyebrow.
"Rock…!" He muttered.
He picked the bag, ran outta the room, and into the living room: he put his boots on and came outside to toss the sand into the river before sighing and muttering something under his breath.
"I'm fed up with these." He grumbled.
"BURO~!" Ox suddenly roared from inside of Gonta's house.
"Gonta trapped him with the hyper-spicy ginger beef again?" Subaru wondered.
"Hah! Have at cha!" War Rock laughed as he ran out.
"War Rock! You jerk! Wait there! The great me won't be humiliated just like this!" Ox roared.
He ran after him and chased War Rock into the Wave Roads: Subaru rolled his eyes and looked like he couldn't endure it anymore.
"Why do they always have to be like that?" He asked to no – one in particular.
"Meitantei Kizamaro has the answer: when not busting Viruses, War Rock prefers to stir up old rivalries to get some excitement!" Kizamaro announced as he suddenly came out of his house and made his glasses shine.
"Kizamaro – kun…" Pedia muttered.
"Huff! Gonta is always thinking in food and you now wanna play the meitantei, Kizamaro?" Subaru asked.
"Yeah! My deductions are unrivaled!"
"But your "diet" deduction regarding Gonta was wrong."
"… My first and last error…" He sighed.
"Come on! It's not like the world will end because of that."
"I know that, Subaru – kun, yet…"
"Yet you keep on saying that, Kizamaro?"
"Yikes! I-iinchou!"
Luna had walked out of her apartment building and caught up to them along with Mode who was humming a tune and looking elsewhere: Subaru caught eye of it and frowned.
Is it or it looks like Mode has been up to something?
"I'm glad you came back in one piece after all, though, Subaru – kun! It had to be a hard expedition." Luna smiled at him.
"Obviously… I've walked more in this weekend than any other time before…" Subaru shrugged.
"Did Rock Man – sama get hurt?"
"How wouldn't he? Those "Darkloids" were not there to chat."
"Oh…! Obviously, obviously…!"
Mode began to blink with his right eye and Subaru caught wind of it: he seemed to be slightly surprised.
Oh! Iinchou is going to try to make another "confession" but I'm sure it's a fantasy inspired by some TV series or another…
"Can't you call Rock Man – sama, Subaru – kun?"
"Sorry. But Rock went to quarrel with Ox and I dunno when he'll be back…"
"Oh…! What bad timing, really!" Luna sounded exasperated.
I knew it! Subaru inwardly sighed.
"Well then… Later!"
"We meet tomorrow at school, iinchou." Kizamaro announced.
"Sure, sure."
"Bwah, hah, hah, hah, hah, ha~h! I've found the heroine for my script: it's time to put it into motion!" A voice rang out.
"That voice…!" Luna gasped.
"Phantom Black…!" Subaru cursed.
"… Boo~!"
"KYA~H!"
"Heh, heh, heh. Gotcha, Student Council President iinchou!"
"W-who…?"
"Omega – san…!"
"Yo! Bertie~! Did I interrupt the love confession?"
"Please…!"
"How rude!"
"My bad."
Omega had showed up in front of Luna and he looked rather amused: Subaru slapped his forehead in defeat, Kizamaro looked angst, Luna had turned pale but had now gotten annoyed.
"Rock Man – sama~! Remove this barbarian from my sight!"
"I can't… He's higher in rank and power than me and he's an ally."
"No way!"
"No way, oh wandering wanderer of ways…!" Omega chanted.
"That sounds sillier than Gonta – kun's attempts at playing cool." Kizamaro grimly muttered.
"Yo! Meitantei – sama~! Wanna crack the enigma of Horus' Chamber?"
"What "Horus' Chamber" do you mean, sir?"
"Don't be so dense! The Great Pyramid's Horus' Chamber!"
"Isn't that a myth?" Subaru asked.
"Well! They said the Mu Continent was a myth, so…"
"I get the point."
"Hmpf! I'm off. Come, Mode! I want to protest to the Satella Police!" Luna exclaimed.
"Heh, heh, heh! Oh! Protesting protester of protests… The road shall lead you to Prophet Jeremy's watery grave." Omega laughed in a hysterical manner and had to lean on the mailbox.
Luna played deaf and shut the foyer door with unusual violence: both Subaru and Kizamaro rolled their eyes.
"First thing she'll do tomorrow is turn me into a scapegoat." Subaru grimly predicted.
"Sure thing…" Kizamaro grimly confirmed.
"Yo! Bertie~! Run away! They're about to dynamite this place~!"
"Dynamite?"
"Destroy!"
"E~h! Whose work would this be?"
"Dynamo Man."
"Dynamo Man…? A surviving "Darkloid"…?"
"Wait a minute! According to my database, dynamite was type of powder explosive used in the in 19th and 20th centuries before being replaced by other types of explosives… And a "dynamo" is a device used in the generation of electricity! It's a pun on "dynamo"!" Pedia let out.
"Omega – san…!" Subaru looked like he couldn't bear it anymore as he slapped his forehead.
"Later, Bertie~! Make sure to lock the room when coming out or else Mr. Rabbit-in-the-hat is gonna come steal secret weapons!"
"Please go back to the HQ, sir! I cannot bear it anymore, sir! And when Boss finds out, sir, there'll be consequences, sir!" Subaru growled but without ignoring his manners.
"Sure, Bertie~!"
"OMEGA~!" Vadous roared over his radio.
"I wouldn't be surprised if they could hear in the middle of the Patagonia…" Omega looked amused.
"COME BACK HERE IMMEDIATELY~!"
"Sure, sure, Yell Man."
"Who?"
"Yell Man."
"That's so stupid, really…!"
Omega jumped atop the apartment building where Luna lived at and made a sarcastic reverence before jumping into the Wave Road and becoming out of sight: Subaru looked about to explode and take the tension out into something.
"… I need a cold shower." He finally muttered.
"Eh… See you tomorrow, Subaru – kun…" Kizamaro reminded him.
"Sure, sure…"
Subaru dragged his feet back at his home and got into his room: he began to accommodate his school stuff into the backpack in a methodical manner: he closed it and stretched before rummaging into a drawer and picking a new pair of pajamas.
"There. I'm gonna have a shower and I'll shake off the tension."
He headed towards the bathroom while humming a tune…
16:48 PM (Japan Time)…
"… Hmmm? Mail… From Akatsuki – san… It's gotta be something serious, so I'll check it out."
"Pororon… I just saw our two hyperactive men fighting each other above the Big Wave store~…"
"Uh-unh… Let's see… E~h? What the heck is this?"
Misora had been browsing menus with her Hunter – VG and barely listing to what Harp had to say: she suddenly stood up and looked terrified by something.
"What the heck is this photo?" She cursed.
The photo displayed Misora (having a straw hat and sunglasses on) walking down a street with Gonta plus a headline above it:
"IDOL HIBIKI MISORA'S NEW LOVE?"
"No way! This never happened!" She exclaimed.
"I doubt Akatsuki – san making such jokes."
"… Omega! That guy! It has to be him!"
"Yo! Idol – sama~! Did ya like my Photoshop skills?" Omega's voice rang out through the Hunter – VG.
"Photo-what?" Misora questioned.
"OMEGA! What have you done now?" Vadous yelled.
"Ops. Shachou smelled my new cologne."
"You don't use cologne!"
"Cologne Man told me to."
"Shaddup! What's that over there? Huh? E~H? How can you do this, Omega! This is serious! Apologize to Hibiki NOW or I'm gonna shut you down and lock you in the capsule for 30 straight days!" Vadous roared over the line.
"Okay, okay… Sorry, Hibiki! I was inspired."
"Then ya better not be inspired again." Misora icily replied.
"Scary, scary… I'm off to say hi to Dragon!"
"Oi! Wait! Don't give him crazy ideas!"
"Don't worry! I'll only show him how he made it to the Guinness Book of World Records 2204!"
"That guy…!" Vadous cursed.
"Is impossible, yeah." Misora shrugged.
"Sorry for the scare…"
"Don't worry, Vadous – san… By the way… What's become of the other facilities and constructs scattered across Zenay III?"
"My orbital probe showed me that they also underwent a self-destruction process: all Wave Roads are gone, too, because there's nothing powering them up anymore, and so are all Viruses, too. It's now back to what it was… with the exception of the ruins… before Twilight turned it into his operation base. And that had to take several months." Vadous replied with a sigh.
"A planet filled with remains of constructs… What would a future exploration team who did not who what happened there say? They'd believe there was a civilization which was wiped out, maybe? Can you clearly tell a self-destruct from outside attacks, anyway?" Misora sounded inspired.
"You clearly can because they key structural points were the ones strapped with explosives… But if they don't have a clue about demolition, then they might end up believing it collapsed from intense shelling performed by an outside attacking party."
"Maybe I'll write a song about this adventure: there's so much material I could use…" Misora looked amused.
"Go ahead." He encouraged.
"Thanks! Later."
"Later."
Misora finished the communication and grinned as she picked a white paper sheet and a pencil: she began to write some lines and frowned as she reread them.
"Hmmm… In a far away planet there were trials and hardships: a barren world was turned into the operational base for a daimaou who ambitioned to gather an army of Denpa Bodies and strike Earth… Nah… That sounds more like a narration. No. Let's start anew." She decided.
She erased the writing and began again.
"… Let's see… Shining skies, shining planets… Planets filled with Denpa Bodies… Mines, caves, factories, ruins, canyons, valleys, rivers and squares… Shining skies, shining planets… Nine persons venture there to live an adventure… Deadly enemies, deadly weather, deadly landscapes… Shining skies, shining planets… Linked by bonds, they keep on fighting for the sake of their friends… The evil daimaou who rules the makai pits them against relentless enemies… Shining skies, shining planets… But "Bond Power" overcomes anything and they accumulate triumphs… They advance closer towards the daimou's palace… Shining skies, shining planets… An epic battle makes the palace shake as it defies gravity and floats in the skies… Fire and flame then consume the makai and only ruin is left… Shining skies, shining stars… The Nine Warriors save Earth from a greater danger… And they all gather under a shooting star to wish upon a safe future… Hmmm… Not bad, you know! I'll show it to Subaru – kun later on to see what he thinks." Misora grinned.
"Pororon! Status update: Blood Shadow came and split those two before they could try to bring the fight to Gonta's house."
"Really… Men will be, after all, men." She rolled her eyes.
"Pororon! True." Harp rolled her eyes as well.
Misora shrugged and then smiled while she looked at her completed new song…
16:54 PM (Japan Time)…
"… So?"
"Oi, oi…"
"So?"
"Leave me alone, will ya?"
"So?"
"Ya ain't my housewife!"
"So?"
"Stop playing stalker!"
"Who's playing stalker?"
"Ya are."
"Akatsuki…!"
"Shidou. Bad move."
"Yeah. Now you tell me, Mr. Perfect?"
"I thought it was obvious."
"Will you listen to me or play deaf, Akatsuki?"
"Queen Tia… Are ya gonna impose me a diet or what? I'm thinner than a lightning rod!"
"Akatsuki – kun! Queen Tia! Please stop fighting each other."
Queen Tia had cornered Akatsuki in a corner of WAXA's front yard and was discussing with him before the WAXA Chief happened to come out and stopped them.
"Chief! I'm being subjected to stalking!" Akatsuki protested.
"I don't think so. You just are fueling the old sense of rivalry."
"… Might be so." Queen Tia dully replied.
"Anyway! Stop the quarreling already."
"Roger…" Both muttered.
Queen Tia caught eye of Jack coming out of the building while toying with his Hunter – VG: Jack lifted his sight and gasped to then quickly switch the power off.
"What were you doing, Jack?" She questioned.
"N-neechan! Eh… It's not important… No big deal, really!"
"… That?" She questioned.
"Eh… No, no…!"
"I doubt that having success anytime soon."
"Huh… But one can always dream, right?"
"Sometimes dreams lead to ambition and disgrace."
"Eh… G-guess I'll be going back… L-later!"
Jack ran off while looking pale and scared, for once, and Akatsuki frowned: he didn't seem to have caught any of it.
"I dunno if ya were talking in code or what, but… I'd never seen Jack be scared of anything." Akatsuki muttered.
"I will be going back, too. Do enjoy your pyrrhic victory, Akatsuki."
"What pyrrhic victory? We came back in one piece and managed to totally defeat them, ya know!"
"It was an irony."
Queen Tia headed towards the Wave Liner station while Akatsuki took out a "Sweet Candy" bar which he started to munch.
"That Tia… I don't get her at all." He muttered.
"No good." Acid sentenced.
Akatsuki ignored him and kept on munching…
17:01 PM (Japan Time)…
"… Really… We got mobilized because there were reports of a battle over the Big Wave store and it was you two trying to tear each other to pieces yet again? When will you stop doing that?"
"Hmpf!"
"Hmpf!"
"Heh. Though guys!"
"Don't inspire them, Sigma: it gets worse."
"Hmpf!"
"Hmpf!"
Blood Shadow and Sigma were talking with Ox and War Rock after they'd stopped their fight: both looked offended, Sigma was amused and Blood Shadow was serious.
"Hmpf. You lowlifes keep on fooling around… When the next strong jerk appears they'll annihilate you in one blow…"
Everyone looked towards NE to see Burai standing there along with Laplace: he had his usual hostile face on.
"Eh… Looking for a rematch with Rock Man?" Blood Shadow asked.
"No. This lowlife over here has hidden my "Stealth Game" save data somewhere around here and I'm trying to find it. I'll then give this lowlife a lesson." Burai dully replied.
The four of them quickly ran out of the spot and towards and another to clear the way for Burai: he formed a smug smile and dashed past them.
"Scary, scary…" Sigma chuckled.
"Hmpf!" The two Wizards scoffed.
"You guys are impossible…" Blood Shadow sighed in defeat.
Sigma kept on chuckling, the two of them scoffed and Blood grumbled…
20:51 PM (Japan Time)…
"… Okay. All's ready for another week. What nerves! I'm drawing closer to the end of 6th grade… And I'll start middle school next!"
"Middling mid-field of middle~…"
"Oh. Sing it to the birds, Rock."
"To Corvus' ghost?"
"Hah, hah. I'm so impressed, really."
"Heh, heh, heh. Bloody Shadowy has been trying to turn ya skeptical but I know better, Bertie~! I've been reading your diary!"
"That's rude, Rock! It was my private diary!"
"I never cared for that: I'm an alien!"
"Always with the same excuse ready, huh?"
"Anyway… Beware of Clark Kent's ghost! I'm off to pulling a troll in Wolf and Juurou!"
"O-oi! Rock! Crap. This can't be good."
Subaru had changed into his pajamas and been about to climb into his bed when War Rock had begun another round of joking: he then ran off again and Subaru rolled his eyes.
"… Even if there'll be a new adventure… I'm sure it can wait a while. Time to hit the sack… Huh? E~h! What the heck is this?"
Subaru had lifted the covering and founds Omega's edited photo: he got a twitch over the right eye and suddenly tore into pieces before tossing it into the garbage bin: he fumed and exhaled.
"There's no end to this stuff? Anyway… Good night!"
He climbed into the bed and glanced at the starry skies above his head for a second before closing his eyes and forming a smile…
THE END