Yahoo :3 Next chapter. This is probably going to be a three-parter, by the way. Hope no one minds :
Enjoy, I hope! ^_^
Episode 25:
Keroro Shotai:
Part 1
"We've been hit!" Fujuju called out.
"You THINK?!" Chunini snapped.
"Dororo…?" Lupapa muttered quietly as she looked out at the group. It didn't take long for her to take up her staff from her side and hurry to the back of the room. "I need one of the flight packs, I'm going out there."
"I'll go with you," Mahihi nodded, and clicked the pendant on his necklace. His surfboard appeared under his arm, and he looked over his should to Keroro. The dark green Keronian adjusted his helmet, then followed Lupapa out, toward the exit hatch.
"Hey, Roki," Mahihi nudged Rokiki on his way out. "If I do this guy in, I get to get another mark, don't I? You better make it so you can give it to me." He was then gone, and Chunini sighed and tilted her head to one side.
"Well, I better go with them, I'm the best at this hand-to-hand kind of thing. Koda-chan, look after everyone, all right? You'll do great, I know it!"
"A-All right, Nee-chan! I'll try my best," Kodada nodded, and Chunini was gone with Lupapa and Mahihi. "…I don't think I can watch!" she cried out, and turned away. As she did, the entire ship turned on its side, sending the remaining soldiers and everything that wasn't bolted down over to one side of the ship. Rokiki found his own face pushed against Fujuju's.
"You have… Two seconds… Before I start fighting you off," Rokiki said with a warning growl to the scientist Keronian.
"I can't say I like this much, either," Fujuju said plainly.
Kodada struggled back over to the pilot's controls, and had the ship righted back up quickly afterward. Keroro, Rokiki, and Fujuju all went rolling back. She circled around the other side of the ship, out of the sight of the fighting Keronians.
"Watch what you're doing, this is no time to be a chicken!" Rokiki snapped at her.
"I'm sorry!" she called out.
"….Kodada-chan…. I know this is a lot to ask you, but do you think you might be able to get closer to the ship?" Fujuju asked, stumbling over to the pilot's seat.
"Closer?" Kodada looked back at him.
"Rita… She's not there, and I know she must be somewhere on that ship," Fujuju answered. "I might be able to find her if I could get on."
"You could also get yourself killed," Rokiki snorted. "I'm sure if the Captain had any brains he'd tell you to stay put and wait to help out everyone else!"
Eyes were on Keroro, "….Um…. Well…."
"I don't think you understand," Fujuju's voice became more stressed.
"You'd just make yourself a liability," Rokiki snapped to him. Fujuju went toward the exit, and Rokiki blocked his path, his arms folded and dour look upon his face.
"I see," Fujuju said with a small smile and a nod. He walked back to Kodada and Keroro, and removed his scarf, placing it on the control panel. "Please take care of this for me, would you?"
"Of course, but why?" Kodada asked, and Fujuju walked back over to Rokiki, who continued to block his path. Fujuju stared at Rokiki a moment, same look on his face as ever, then delivered one punch to the unsuspecting red Keronian that knocked him out on the floor. Kodada and Keroro were both stunned, and watched this, wide-eyed and quiet.
"I won't be long. You know how to contact me," Fujuju called out cheerfully, taking one of the flight packs along with him.
"….I suppose a stressful situation brings out different sides in anyone…." Keroro muttered. Rokiki stirred on the ground, one hand over his face, and started laughing loudly. He stood up uneasily, still laughing.
"I never knew someone like him had it in him!" Rokiki shouted through the laughter.
"Rokiki Tai, please don't start a fight with him right now," Kodada begged.
"Start a fight?! Teicho, permission to follow him and fight with him!" Rokiki laughed.
"G-Granted, I suppose…." muttered the shaken Keroro.
"…..Rokiki-san's upbringing explains a lot of how he is," Kodada explained as Rokiki bounded out after Fujuju. "Eh? Keroro-san?"
Keroro was in a corner of the room, his head against the wall, murmuring, "Everyone is doomed. I can feel it in every bone in my body. So very doomed."
"Keroro-san?"
"Gero?! Oh, Kodada-chan! Just… Saying some words of encouragement, is all!"
"You look like you were crying…."
"Tears of a warrior!" Keroro explained, and hopped back in the Captain's chair in the middle of the cabin. "Now to-GERO!" he yelped as there was a loud blast, and the ship shook horribly. "What… Kodada-chan, who is that?!"
Kodada looked in the rear cameras, and her eyes widened. There was a stern-looking Angol glaring back at the camera, her spear in her hands. She went to hit the ship again, and again it shook violently.
"Mois-dono!?" Keroro yelped. "Kodada-chan, we've got to hurry back to help! Kodada-chan?!"
The orange Keronian was slumped over the controls. She had fainted from the stress, and the ship was starting to plummet. Keroro gave a yell, and took hold of the controls. "Now to just but this in hyper-Eh? WHAT?! A-All of the controls are written in ancient Keron!? I never paid attention to this in class, Zeroro always did my class work for me! GEROOOO!"
Fujuju panted as he ran down the hall of the ship, stopping briefly to lean against the side of the metal hallway. He winced as pressure of weight was applied to his hand; he had more than likely broken something punching Rokiki. He continued on, vanishing down a side as he heard footsteps behind him.
"It's just me!" Rokiki whispered, stopping in the same hall. "…How did you manage to make it in?"
"I saw a spot while everyone was fighting, and snuck in while no one was looking. And yourself?"
"I pried open one of the doors," Rokiki answered. "What are you looking at?"
"I really gave you a shiner…."
Rokiki nodded, then popped his head out and looked down either side of the hall. "Come on, it's all clear…. What's this daughter of yours look like, anyhow?"
"You'll know her when you see her…. I hope she's all right…" Fujuju muttered, and his smile fell. Clearly he was thinking about the latter.
"…Don't focus on the bad so much. It'll only make your weaknesses more prevalent," Rokiki snapped, and Fujuju was snapped out of his thoughts.
"She's probably fine. If she's anything like you, she's reading a book all while this is going on. Or maybe playing with matches."
Both stopped then. The sound of a long, trailing laugh. Rokiki tilted his head, and began to run in the direction of the laugh, Fujuju quickly following him.
"I know that creepy laugh!" Rokiki called out. "It's the same as yours!"
They then looked in at one of the opened rooms, Rokiki's head beneath Fujuju's. The room was dark, lit only by numerous screens. And in the middle of all of the screens sat a tiny figure, chuckling and typing away. She gave a giggle, and continued typing away.
"…That must be her…" Rokiki said with a sigh. "Eh?! Wait, you idiot!" he snapped as Fujuju went rushing forward toward her.
"Rita!" she spun around at the sound of her name, and Fujuju rushed to her. "Thank goodness you're all right!"
"What-How did you get on here?!" she barked, her smile fading to a frown.
"You… You have an American accent? Well… Your mother never mentioned that… Come on, it doesn't matter. We have to get you out of here!"
"Get away from me!" she snapped as he reached out to take her hands. "You'll ruin it all!"
"Fuju?"
"Where are you, you bastard?" Mahihi whispered as he looked out at the group of warriors in front of him. "There you are!" he caught sight of Nikolai, who turned just as Mahihi drew out his gun. "Now just stay-UGH!" he was caught off guard as he felt something hit against him, and he went flying off of his surfboard, grabbing hold of it with one hand. He cursed as he watched his gun fall back to earth, and after a bit of a struggle, he righted himself back up on to the board. "…The diet starts when I get back home…" he grumbled, and looked up. Giroro had gotten a flight pack of his own. Not only this, but he was staring directly at Mahihi. "…Of course you go for me first…" he muttered.
Mahihi awaited Giroro's move, while Lupapa dodged attacks from both Kirere and Tamama. She rushed away from them, landing on the side of the ship and running along the side, barely dodging the blasts from their attacks. These instead hit the side of the ship. She gave one large jump, and landed on the open area of the ship, where the Keroro platoon had first shown themselves.
Kirere and Tamama stopped, then backed away, turning their attention to Mahihi, who was fighting his own struggle with Giroro. Lupapa could feel something in the shadows, and felt a swift breeze at her blind spot. She went to swing at it, only to be knocked down by a loud boom. Both she and her attacker went flying back, Chunini standing over them both.
"Dororo?" Lupapa now recognized her attacker, and the ninja was quick to recover, and swipe at her with his sword again. Chunini rushed in between him and Lupapa, holding her mace out to block his sword.
"Now… Lupa-chan… You know you won't be able to fight him to your full ability, so let me," Chunini grunted, and smiled as she was able to push the ninja back a bit.
"Chunini, don't hurt him," Lupapa snapped. "If you do, I-UGH!" she grunted, and dug her nails into the metal. Something had gripped her by the feet and was pulling her back into the shadows. She pulled out a bowie knife from her cap and with a swiping motion cut the wires; out of the shadows, dressed in an all-black scientist's outfit, stepped Kururu. The wires slithered back into his headphones, only to emerge again, waiting for Lupapa, as if daring her to move again.
"I was wondering where my mischief partner went!" Chunini said cheerfully, backing away from Dororo. At this same time, Lupapa backed away from Kururu, her knife still drawn. Both Keronian women eventually backed into one another, and glanced back over their shoulders to one another.
"I won't harm him, Lupa-chan, don't worry."
"Don't get your feelings hurt when I say I don't trust you, Chunini…. Plus, how do you know I won't hurt your friend in the process?"
"Because you're too nice… And you can't, anyway. Kuru-chan owes me money," Chunini answered.
"So we won't hurt either of them."
"Agreed," Chunini nodded, then after a moment of silence, both women went into attack mode again.
"Damn it!" Mahihi grumbled, and flipped his board up quickly, dodging another shot from Giroro. He then surfed up higher, attempting to dodge another attack of Tamama's. This still caught him enough to be caught in the after blast, and caused him for a few moments to fly uncontrollably. He was stopped, however, by a pair of hands. He felt a sense of dread, until he looked upward, and saw a pair of familiar red pigtails flying in the breeze. "…Hehe, you're not one to give up just like that, are you?"
"You're right I'm not! Like I'd let Stupid Frog out of my sight for a second!" Natsumi snapped. "Now what's going on?"
Mahihi cringed at the sound of a loud explosion, and smoke poured out from behind the ship. "…Complete chaos," he answered with a sigh. "We're trying to hold them back, but that's not that easily done." As he spoke, he raised his board, blocking another shot; this one from Kirere.
"You've never seen me with them. Complete chaos… Is normal!" she answered, flying right into the fight, and right towards Giroro.
"R-Ruin it?" Fujuju repeated, and looked at the screens. It was all videos that had played out on the televisions, airing again… He took a step back, and took this all in for a moment.
"So you were working with… Whatever it is," Rokiki said with a nod, and looked at her. "You don't have one of those stupid pieces of jewelry on, so I'm assuming there's some other reason you're doing this?"
She answered by throwing a camcorder at him. Rokiki growled and began to storm over toward her, his teeth bared. Fujuju stepped in between them, though, and looked down at Rita, pained. "That isn't it. I know it isn't. There is no way my daughter would-"
"Don't call me your daughter!" she snapped and stood. "And don't think I can't face off against that shorty, either!"
"Shorty?!" Rokiki snarled. "Let me just give this kid one-"
"Rita, I don't understand what's gotten into you, but-"
"Gotten into me. This is the first time you've met me. How would you know if I was always like this?"
"Because it would have disappointed your mother. And that's something neither of us wanted, or want now," he answered. This only seemed to make her angrier, and she paced about the room, first grabbing a backpack, then picking up pieces of camera equipment stern all over the room.
"If you two have family issues to work out, do it while we're not under the threat of death!" Rokiki barked to them.
"He won't kill us. He wouldn't do that," she muttered with a shake of the head.
"Who's that, love?" Fujuju asked, and Rita looked up at Fujuju, incensed.
"Don't take that "love" personally," Rokiki suggested. "He called me that once. More Pekoponian slang of his. I don't understand any of it, personally."
"He's going to make it so everyone will be able to live together," Rita said to them, still stuffing her bag with equipment. "He's going to make it… So people like me will be normal."
"Great. She's crazy… Just like her dad…." Rokiki grumbled wearily, and took a seat on the floor. "…Don't mind me while I wait for death here." He then proceeded to pull out a silver metal flask and unscrew it, all while mumbling to himself.
"…People like you? I… I don't understand…." Fujuju said gently to her.
"Of course you wouldn't. You didn't have to hide like I did… I look like this… My whole life… And none of the humans can see me like this. I have to hide as one of them. Then… Everyone else is afraid of me because my mother's human. You don't know anything about that," Rita said bitterly. "But he's going to change all of that… He's going to make it so we'll finally be able to live together."
"Hehe…. Haha… HAHAHA…. He really told you that!?" Rokiki could barely contain his laughter. "That's the funniest thing I've heard sober in years!" his smile then faded, and he shook his head. "…You moron… I don't care who it is we're talking about, or how powerful they are… Things are never that simple for anyone. If you want a few examples, I'll give them to you when we have more time."
They lurched forward now; there had been another hit to the ship.
"Come on, we haven't much time!"
"Forget about it! I'm not going with either of you, there's nothing that can change that!"
There was another loud blast, but this was followed by a side of the room there were in tearing open, letting the daylight in with it and knocking out virtually all of the video screens. Fujuju pulled Rita out of the way, and the golden ship screeched to a halt inches away from Rokiki's face. The Keronian noted this, and shakily took another drink.
Keroro looked out the front window, surprised by all of the faces looking back at him, "Ehehe…. Well, I landed it…."
"You nitwit!" Rokiki snarled, and tossed the flask at the window.
"He…. But he was supposed to be an idiot…" Rita blinked.
"Tch. Don't get your hopes up about him yet," Rokiki snorted, and Keroro stumbled out of the cockpit, Kodada still passed out and leaning against him.
"….She's so small," Rita said quietly, noting the tiny Kodada in Keroro's arms.
"What's this now?" Keroro looked up from his struggle and saw him there, the Kezanstav imposter. He looked older now, though, although he still dressed in the same peasant clothes. At his side was a small, cloaked alien, with glowing yellow eyes.
"O-Ojiisama…." Keroro squeaked.
"….That's going to take a little bit of work to fix," he said with a sigh, and smiled as Rita hopped over to him joyfully, her backpack on her back. It seemed seeing him had led the Keronian-Pekoponian woman's spirits to a quick, full recovery. She took a place at his other side.
"I don't think it'll be a problem, we won't need it much longer anyway," Rita reassured him, and he nodded.
"You're right!" he said with a smile, "It won't, will it?"
"How much longer for what? And speak in small words, I'm not exactly sober right now," Rokiki demanded, and the Kezanstav-looking man looked up at them.
"Rita and I have been working hard for months and months to put our plan into action…. To make a planet where finally, all alien races can live together peacefully. But there was one little problem…. It would probably involve invasion, and there was already a group of aliens out there attempting invasion… A vicious little warlike race. At first we thought "destroy them". Then we had another, better idea. There was a young Russian boy and his Keronian friend I and some others of my race met years ago… The boy bought a special collar from us…. I'm sure you're familiar with it know, Sergeant. It will not only give me control of them, but allow them to show their full potential power… Something they weren't exactly able to do under your command. No offense, Sergeant-san."
"None taken?" Keroro replied, puzzled.
"Why not us, then?" Fujuju stepped forward. "We're also a platoon of Keronians."
"I only chose who I thought would be useful to me…. Those who hadn't become sedentary in family life…." he looked down at Fujuju, then looked over to Rokiki, "given in to their demons, become blinded by love or fame, or, like the Sergeant, been downright idiots to begin with."
"All right, perhaps now I'm becoming a bit offended," Keroro muttered.
"Can it, you idiot!" Rokiki hissed.
"I have to admit," he smirked a bit. "You put up more of a fight than I thought you would. Rita? Let's go. We have a lot of work to do yet, to help the people."
"What about them?"
"Eh? Well… We'll let Romama handle then," he answered, and before Rita could protest, the doors slid shut behind them, blocking Keroro, Kodada, Fujuju, and Rokiki from an exit, and anyone from helping them.
"…You three get out of here. I'll hold him off," Rokiki called out, picking up a jagged piece of ship metal from the floor, all while keeping his eyes on Romama, who remained there, the hood drawn over his face.
"Rokiki-dono, are you-"
"Go!" Rokiki shouted, and lunged for Romama. Romama floated out of his way, and Rokiki slid on the ground, glaring up at Romama and baring his teeth, giving a growl as he lunged again. The hood fell off of Romama's head now as he went to counter the attack, and all could see it was Romama as he had been once before, in his adult for. "GO!" he barked, and Fujuju and Keroro scrambled into the ship. Fujuju pulled his scarf off of the console and wrapped it around his neck while Keroro seated Kodada in the pilot's chair, then while standing attempted to work the controls again.
"Eh?" Fujuju looked out the side window; he could hear more fighting. And now, although it was a little ways away from them, he could see it. It was Mois; she was in a stalemate with Botan.
Keroro gave a yell as Romama was thrown against the glass, cracking some of it, and in a panic he ran his hands across the control board; they went rushing out of the larger ship, leaving Romama behind them.
Mora sat in front of her television intently, watching the battle. She fidgeted with a tissue in her hands as she watched. It was on every channel; different newscasters and specialists, some in different languages, but it was all the same footage. Her eyes widened a bit as the cameraman closed up to a gaping hole in the larger of the two ships, and Rokiki was visible, fighting off against Romama still.
Karara sat beside Mora, watching this wide-eyed, "Roki-kun really is a good fighter, isn't he?... Don't worry Mora-san, he'll be all right!"
"Shouldn't you be the one worried?" Mora glanced at Karara. "I mean, Rokiki-kun and you…"
"Oh, I think we're just friends," Karara said with a bit of a smile. "He's a little too serious for me! I still hope he's all right, marrying him or not!"
"Chandi? Chandi, where are you going?" Mora demanded, floating up as her daughter rushed past them.
"I have to help out more, I just wanted to make sure you and Karara were safe," Chandi replied. "You should probably come with me to Fuyuki's, it'll be safer there."
"I don't think it's a good idea, I think it'd really be best if-"
"They're all the only friends I have… Mora, I… Even if you tell me no, I'm still going to sneak out," Chandi warned her quietly. Mora sighed and rose after a moment's thought.
"Let's go. We might be more use there anyway. I'm not sure how useful a matchmaker might be, but I might be able to still do something!"
Chandi gave a smile, and set down her backpack, allowing for Mora to climb in, followed by Karara.
"This is the most interesting trip to Pekopon I've had in a long time!" Karara chirped happily.
"….There was a little girl there…." Rita said quietly as she looked out at the fighting.
"Remember that the Keronians make even their children soldiers, Rita," he answered calmly, and bent down, placing a hand on her shoulder. "It's all for a greater good, I promise."
"…I trust you," she nodded, and looked up at him, and he returned the smile she gave him.
"Come on, we've got a lot to do still," he called to her, and walked away from the fight scene. For a few moments Rita watched by herself; both the green Keronian and a lone Pekoponian were fending off two of the younger Keroro Platoon members.
"Fuyuki? What's going on?" Chandi ran up to him as he stood outside of his home, Haruki on the other side of the motorcycle they stood on either side of. Most of the people were out of their homes, watching the aerial fight in the distant sky. The battle was visible to everyone. Some rushed panicked in the streets; a car zoomed past Chandi, just barely missing her.
Mora stuck her head out and began to curse at the driver, only to be pulled back in swiftly by Karara.
"Nee-chan, Nishizawa-san, Lee-san, and Azumaya-san have gone to help… Suzuyama-san is going to give me a ride so I can get closer, too," Fuyuki answered, pulling on a helmet as he spoke. "I know Gunso doesn't want me there, but… I have to go."
Chandi nodded, and smiled. "I'll see if I can get a ride to help out, too."
"You're not getting any closer to that!" Mora called out, poking her head out of the bag. Again, she was pulled back in by Karara.
Haruki climbed on the bike, followed by Fuyuki, and both sped off, leaving Chandi in the driveway. Haruki's past as a more reckless teenager came to light as he swerved in and out of the panicked traffic, Fuyuki clinging on for dear life.
"You looking for a ride? Well, I hear it's hard to get a taxi right now, but I might be able to help," Chandi looked up, and a pair of blue eyes looked back down at her, amused. Saburo stood upon a large paper airplane, more than likely of his own design, and it floated down to the ground. "You need a lift?"
"Oh! He's a cute one!" Mora said with an astonished whisper to Chandi.
Chandi clenched her teeth a bit and gently pushed Mora's head back down into the bag. The Indian girl then climbed onto the paper airplane, taking a seat on it cross legged while Saburo remained standing on it, and they took off, following after the others.
And in the back yard, in the red phone booth lodged in the earth, panic continued between the three Martin siblings. Maggie tried to make sense of the notes Fujuju had left, while Oliver and Frannie were tasked with finding the right supplies and tools to quickly reassemble Botan's staff. Baby Waikiki slept away, strapped to Frannie's back.
"And you're sure she came to you and said this, Mags?" Oliver panted, and Maggie nodded.
"Right before she was going to that fight," Maggie answered. "Is this a "b" or an "a"? Fran? Do you know what this means?!"
"I can't find a decent welding kit anywhere!" Frannie huffed. "Just this small one!"
"Well, when you're a pyro, you don't really keep those sorts of things laying around," Oliver answered absently.
"Eh? A what?" there was silence between the twins. "A pyromaniac? He's a pyromaniac? Is that why there are so many smoke alarms?"
"This… Really isn't a time for questions, Fran. Let me see that welder?" Maggie took it, and frowned. "Where's the flint for it?"
"I think I hid it from him a while back…" Oliver said thoughtfully.
"How'd you learn how to work one of those?" Frannie asked as Maggie rushed past her. "Someone's let you work a welding tool?"
"Really not the time for questions, Fran," Maggie muttered. Frannie slammed her hands down on the workbench, and both of the twins stopped what they had been doing to look up at her, wide-eyed. The baby squirmed and fussed a bit, then went back to his sound sleep.
"Maybe if I had you wouldn't have been flying around in a phone booth while I thought you were both safe in London!"
"It doesn't always fly, Fran, I-I'm going to go… Look for things over there…. I think I hid them under the floodboards," Oliver cleared his throat, and hurried away.
Frannie's voice fell, "….I'm sure he's lovely, but… Maggie, does has this sort of thing happen with you three a lot? I know I'm not the best example of a responsible adult, but I try to be. And that includes making sure you're both safe at all times."
"Fran… He's saved my life."
"But why was your life at risk in the first place?" Frannie asked quietly, and Maggie stopped working for a moment. "…I'll let you help, because I know he's important to you, and that these are your friends. But… After this, I don't think I want you two having any more of it."
"But Fran-"
"No arguments. You know I promised Mum and Dad I would take care of you both. As many jobs as I have, the most important one is taking care of you two."
"Hello?" all turned their heads as the front door opened. "I know I should have come in through the front, but the phone booth entrance looked like too much fun to pass up! Eh? Don't tell me I landed in a library! I hate reading… Boy…. Do you know if any of the Hinatas are in? My granddaughter's in trouble. And I brought snacks," the old man finished with, holding up a few white plastic bags.
"Who are you now?" Oliver asked, his eye twitching.
Haruo looked around a bit more, his eyes lighting up as he saw the staff laid out on the work bench, "That's Mobian work, isn't it?! Haha, I haven't seen that in years! I'm Haru-chan's father-Kirere-chan's Grandpa! Haruo Suzuyama!"
"L-Like the guy who made my motorcycle?" Frannie stuttered.
"Not all of them," Haruo admitted, setting down the bags and hopping over the books and to the work area. "I have a few factories for help…. My goodness. Just when I thought I'd never see this level of craftsmanship again. What happened to it? Looks like someone took a rock to it!"
"We think she used brick…" Maggie stepped away. "Do you know how to fix it?"
"You think I'd be this comfortable having an alien granddaughter without knowing my way around a piece of alien technology or two!?" Haruo laughed, and lifted up a piece of the staff. "I think I can have it done in a day or two."
"We've only got minutes!" Oliver said in a panic.
"Well, that's going to have to do!" Haruo laughed, and took a seat in front of the golden spear.
Giroro ducked out of the way right before Natsumi could grab him, and flew up, staring her down as she stopped and turned around, looking up at him. His dull glare was unwavering. He came flying back down toward her; Mahihi attempted to make his way over to help the redhead, but was continually held back by the tag team of Kirere and Tamama.
This wasn't for long, though. A blast blew both back, and giving Mahihi pause. He looked over, and saw Momoka, in a power suit of her own.
"It's for your own good, Tama-chan!" Momoka called out.
"…They're scared about American kids and guns… They give these ones super suits!" Mahihi said with a shake of the head, and then yelped; Kirere was making her presence known.
Kirere gave another shot of her gun, then went to fire once more. This missed, though. A piece of paper shooting by had distracted her. Several more of the papers went flying by, until a whirlwind encircled her. The disoriented pink Keronian looked about for an escape, while overhead Saburo continued to sketch more of the same planes at a steady pace. Even when she broke out, he looked up, only mildly surprised.
"Looks like that didn't work," he sighed. "Woah!" the plane served to the right accordingly as she flew to it.
"Something to weigh her down might work!" Chandi called out. "Like, like…."
"A big stone?" Mora asked, sticking her head out.
"How about a ball and chain? That way you could catch her, and she'd be safe, too," Karara piped up. "…Did I say something wrong?"
"That's perfect!" Saburo answered. "And something soft for her to land on, too… We don't want anything bad happening to her. Here we go! With this paper, I thy bind, so you can be free. 623."
She paper glowed, and took form of a chain and ball, with a Saburo touch, of course. It slithered directly toward Kirere, like a serpent, on end acting as a set of jaws, shutting open and close. The jaws clamped around Kirere, and she went sailing down; a ways below her, another drawing had taken the form of a catcher's mitt, awaiting her fall.
Natsumi's battle against Giroro raged on. Amid blocking his blows, she could sense something; he wasn't fighting at his full capacity. It didn't seem like any of them were, the more she looked around.
Giroro's eyes traveled from the redhead, down to the falling Kirere, and he left his battle with Natsumi to chase after the falling young Keronian.
"…He's still in there…." Natsumi whispered, and went trailing after Giroro.
"Red! What're you doing?!" Mahihi yelled out.
"He's still in there!" Natsumi repeated. A little closer, she gripped onto the collar on the back of his neck, and began to pull.
Waikiki still slept, all while now strapped to Maggie's back. She had piled out of the same car as Haruo and her brother and sister, and stopped where Haruki stood watching the fight, Fuyuki still seated on the back of the motorcycle.
"D-Dad!? What're you doing here?!" Haruki squeaked.
"I told Kyoko I was going to a business meeting… Then I snuck away to see if you needed any help. And it seems like you did," he held out the golden staff, now fully repaired but still rough-looking. "There's an alien up there that needs this."
"Let me guess, one of them can sprout wings and fly," Frannie sighed.
"No, but there's a girl like that. A very cute redhead," Oliver admitted, blushing a bit.
"How are we going to get that to her all the way up there, Dad?" Haruki asked.
"Eh? I know!" Fuyuki gasped. "The top of Nishizawa Tower!"
"That's right, it's about the same height as where they're flying," Maggie looked up to the tall tower.
"Now there's some thinkers! Haru, you could really learn a thing or two from them!" Haruo grinned and chuckled at Haruki's exhausted expression. "Now you get up there! Haru, you watch after him."
"What about you, Dad?"
"Oh, I'll stay here. The company's not so bad!" he laughed. "But remind me to tell you more about when I was your age when you get back, all right?"
"…That's assuming we make it," Haruki chuckled grimly, and placed his helmet back on his head. "Hold on, kid!"
