Leanbox. The barrier that surrounded the city isolated its people from the rest of Gamindustri. It was presumed that nothing could get in or out of the city thanks to the firewall. It was different for the robot invaders. The firewall did not damage their frames whenever they passed through. In addition, as part of their current efforts, their kidnapping of individuals to bring back for captivity, the robots could activate a small gap in the barrier to allow safe passage for their cargo.

Such was the case for Thomas, who was captured earlier and taken by a Dragon Bot through the barrier. It stopped briefly close to the barrier, sending out a signal with the rudimentary beeps and bloops their speakers were equipped with. This allowed a small opening in the barrier to allow the Dragon Bot through without hurting its prize. Perhaps, if one could find out more about this signal, someone could sneak through the barriers. This was only speculation on my part, though.

What I can say was that, for whatever reason, the robots have taken Thomas into custody, likely to whatever prison they have under their control. Even moreso than Lastation, it appeared that the invaders have taken the city under their grip, isolating their citizens and taking over key buildings, including the Basilicom itself.

This did not mean that the city was completely subdued. Despite the numbers the invaders had, Leanbox was a massive city. Despite the uncertain fate of their CPU, their citizens have been resistant. Graffiti detailing their disdain for the new regime and call for resistance could be seen on many buildings, and the sound of gunfire and fighting were commonplace.

That said, the invaders had a clear advantage, thanks to all the robots that fled from the mainland. Oh, and I guess that giant robot dragon in the sky might have something to do with it. Seriously, these guys must have tremendous resources. Styled after the eastern "long" dragon, this giant creature floats above the city, a symbol of air supremacy that the robot invaders have.

Like the Carrier that haunted the capital city of Lastation, this one also carried and deployed robots. What made it even more dangerous was that each 'scale' on this creature was an attached Dragon Bot that could separate itself for deployment, or stay and contribute to the dragon's overwhelming firepower. This, in addition to the few hangars along its long body, allowed it to easily dominate the skies above Leanbox. The CPUs were likely going to have a difficult task ahead of them, it they plan on liberating Leanbox in this current state.

Everything was a bit hazy.

Thomas stood in what appeared to be a Basilicom. At least, that's what it looked like. He'd seen this main room in every Basilicom he visited. He wasn't sure which Basilicom at first, since he was having quite a headache. He wasn't sure how he got here, or what he was doing prior. Wasn't there something he had to do? Seriously, Thomas, snap out of it.

Although he wasn't paying attention to what this humble narrator had to say, Thomas moved around the lobby, trying to get his bearings. As far as he could tell initially, he was the only person in the room. This was rather strange, considering that the room looked to be in good shape, with the lights working and everything.

"Uh, h-hello?" A woozy Thomas slowly mumbled, barely able to keeping his head up. He wasn't all there, and it showed throughout his time here, stumbling a bit while walking.

Thomas tried once more, calling out, "Is anyone here? Hello?" No response came back. Thomas rubbed his forehead, confused, "Did I come here on a holiday? Where'd everyone go?" He groggily stumbled around, checking a few of the doors. It slowly dawned on him that this was Planeptune's Basilicom, opening the doors to see familiar offices and rooms that he worked in for some years. Just like the lobby, however, these rooms were also devoid of people. Not a CPU, no Histoire, not even a visitor or staff member. On the plus side, everything looked like it was in pristine condition. Plus side? Wasn't the Basilicom still having some repair work? Maybe it was all fixed by now?

Frowning, Thomas turned back to the center of the lobby, "Not a single person. Where could they be? Maybe they're all outside? A festival or event happening? If only I could remember..." It was getting a little frustrating, as his headache wasn't going away, nor was this feeling that something else was off.

Nonetheless, he continued, walking over towards the exit. He finally went outside, stopping almost immediately at what he saw.

The firewall. It was still there, with electricity still coursing through the high sky. In fact, it looked like the barriers that were disabled earlier had returned.

Thomas blinked, "The firewall? It's still here? Wait, what happened?" He was starting to become more aware of what was around him. He could vaguely remember that he was in Leanbox. How did he get back here? And why did the barriers reset? Was that even possible?

"I wasn't here... I shouldn't be here..." Thomas had a pained expression on his face. This didn't make any sense to him, and he had more questions barely forming in his mind.

He stumbled closer to Planeptune's downtown area. Unlike the Basilicom, however, there were actually people moving about. He squinted a bit to get a good focus, but was unable to see much on any of them.

"There's people here, at least," Thomas commented, "But what are they gathering for?"

"Ah. There you are. I was wondering where you had gone to this time."

Thomas flinched, leaping to his side and turning to see a calm Uzume Tennouboshi hanging out, somehow standing beside him. "What the? Uzume? Just what in Gamindustri is going on right now?" Thomas asked in confusion.

"You seem more attentive than usual," Uzume continued to speak in this calm tone, though Thomas was unable to notice this shift. The CPU closed her eyes in thought, commenting on what she saw, "Everyone is gathering to save Gamindustri. I am sure you recognize them."

Thomas blinked, "I-is that so?" He wasn't really sure what was going on, considering he stood around the Basilicom for who knows how long. Strangely enough, just as Uzume told him so, he started to recognize a few of the people congregating. Indeed, just like that, he could make out the CPUs of Planeptune, Lowee, and Lastation speaking with some familiar faces.

"Alllllrighty!" Neptune remained as cheerful as ever, despite the situation. She pointed to her latest hire, proclaiming, "I want you to join the Nep Army! I need about twenty or so people for this job. Actually, however many it takes. We're throwing people in like there's no tomorrow, which might be a possibility, so all the reason you're coming with! Um, your name is Steve, right?"

The confused man corrected her, "Gary, miss Goddess. Hey, I'm not knockin' yer plan and all, but I was wonderin' why we gotta mass a bunch of people. How's that going aboot beating them bad guys?"

"Well, looking back at our last go or whatever," Neptune said in a serious tone, in spite of what she might be saying, "We spread ourselves too thin last time. So, this time, we're gonna do what the great strategists of old did. Throw a bunch of people at a thing! We'll Nep Rush those robots back to their main base and finish 'em off!"

Gary, the lone guard from Narita Village, visibly sweatdropped, "Sounds good, eh? But, uh, isn't that, like, dangerous?"

"Oh, definitely!" Neptune agreed, "But we can do anything if we all work together!" Gary smiled, though he wasn't too thrilled with the idea. Neptune noticed this and laughed a bit, "I don't mean everyone, obviously! A lot of people, though. It's gonna be the biggest party ever!"

As Neptune pursued having a very large party even by TRPG standards, Thomas looked over to see Blanc talking with Gabriel, the man they met during their trip through Lastation.

"In times of crisis," Blanc stated, in an attempt to be diplomatic, "it's important to rely on our allies. You, Mister Gabriel, are associated with Lastation, correct?"

"Indeed," Gabriel replied, clenching a fist, "What's more important, however, is relying on all our strengths. With your nation's magic users and hardened adventurers, and my nation's industrial capacity and tough soldiers, we shall truly show these invaders our peerless might!"

"Uh, sure," Blanc said with her eyes glancing behind her, "Neptune's idea of numbers is fine and all, but we really need to make up for last time."

"Leave it to all of us!" Gabriel exclaimed, "I'll get in contact with some of Lastation's strongest warriors, and you'll bring out Lowee's best. We'll form an elite group of true superheroes capable of taking down a giant threat! Er, alongside the goddesses, of course."

Blanc hummed a bit in the affirmative, though she didn't look too thrilled about having to deal with another group of strong adventurers. She then murmured, "Perhaps I should get the Gold Third in on this as well."

"Excellent idea, Lady Blanc!" Gabriel overheard, grinning widely, "I cannot wait to match up my own skills in action against such strength."

"We're fighting with each other..." Blanc grimaced.

Thomas slowly turned his head away from Blanc looking for the strongest of Gamindustri to see Noire speaking with the 'Admiral' who captained the LSS Noirina. Larry seemed fairly relaxed and confident speaking to Noire, "Fair Lady Noire, I think someone such as yourself can agree that numbers and strength are nothing without the proper equipment! My connections will supply our people with plenty of good weapons."

"Good equipment is essential for our survival, regardless of how our party is set up," Noire sighed a bit.

"Precisely, hahaha," Larry slapped his belly during his chortling, "We'll have people trained and comfortable with the best equipment we can come up with and dismantle all these antiques."

"I guess so," Noire said with a small nod, "We can't afford to go easy on this."

"Yeah, well, see, that was your last mistake," Larry explained as he raised a hand, "All of us were holding back, sneaking around and looking for other ways to stop all this. If we had pushed on this hard from the start, we would undoubtedly overwhelm the invaders."

Noire frowned, "We tried to figure out ways not to bring everyone involved into this fighting, but it can not be helped."

Something broke inside Thomas' head hearing all this, even with the current headache. It was bad enough to see Neptune and Blanc bringing in almost everyone in to deal with the threat. It was bad enough for Noire to agree - with not even a single argument - to fight them all directly, but to have Larry go on about this from the start after telling him to look back and try figuring out how this all started in the first place? They had to take their time before, but now it's rush to the goal?

"Are you kidding me?" Thomas exclaimed aloud, though his voice was too far for them to hear, "Are we really doing all this? We're going into a full-scale assault? Is this even possible now with these barriers? Do we even know where we're going? Why are we going along with all this?"

Neither the three CPUs, nor the three people with them, said anything in response, much to Thomas' anger. Thomas was going to head over there and give them a piece of his mind.

"You failed."

Thomas' fuming dissipated fast, and he turned his head a little towards Uzume, who was still standing at her spot, unmoved, keeping her arms crossed, and her eyes closed. Thomas had to reel his mind back in, as Uzume's words were clear. "Failed? What?" Thomas blinked some more, his memory starting to return. Something did happen prior to all this, he was certain.

"You failed," Uzume once more spoke plainly about the matter, certain of the outcome, "As expected, you were too weak to handle what was laid in front of you."

"What do you mean, as expected?" Thomas frowned, still trying to recall this failure, "What made you so certain of that?"

Uzume paused a moment, her eyes still closed, thinking. She then stated calmly, "Because I know much about you. You eventually fail. Whether it is messing up a phone or making pudding, your luck is terrible. When it comes to major events, however, it gets much worse. Disaster follows you."

"How would you know any of that?" Thomas grew weary, as Uzume brought up the time he messed up IF's cellphone, as well as his screwing up on that dessert for Neptune the other day. Unless those two talked, he doubted Uzume knew of this.

"I have done enough research," Uzume said with a light shrug, "Enough to know that eventually, whenever you are involved, disaster will strike. It is inevitable. You failed here, just as you failed before. It is just as with Ultradimension, or when you sailed too close to the Gamindustri Graveyard..."

There was an odd pause, as Thomas grew tense at the mention of those two events. It was getting a little to him. However, the next sentence was worse.

"... or what happened to your father."

This was it. This was the moment Thomas swiveled his entire body around to face Uzume in a clearly guarded position. He instinctively reached back for where his scabbard would be, but he soon realized that it's not there. Stuck with no weapon, he held up his fists.

The next thing that shocked him was immediately after saying that. Uzume opened her eyes, and the entire scenery changed. Thomas was no longer at Planeptune's Basilicom. Instead, as he looked around, Thomas recognized the place. He was inside the Colosseum. More specifically, he was in the arena, where people would fight one another to test their skill and potentially get some rewards. Many adventurers would come to this place, which sat around the former Gamindustri Graveyard, now a part of the newly-minted Azure Coast.

The place was strangely empty, with only Uzume and Thomas in the center of the arena. Despite what he's seen, Thomas kept up his guard, speaking aloud, "Alright, just who are you, exactly? You can't seriously be Uzume!"

Ignoring the question briefly, Uzume, or whoever this was, tilted her head at the man, "Huh. You are a lot more lucid this time around. Usually you would zone out before I got to this part."

"Lucid?" Thomas murmured softly to himself, as his mind was still trying to process what was happening, but with the headache and all, it was difficult. At that moment, though, more of his memory returned, and he came to a realization, "This is a dream!"

"Took you long enough to notice, detective," the figure of Uzume said dryly, "Unfortunately, it appears my message was too late for you."

"I'll ask again," Thomas returned his focus to the figure, "Who are you?"

"No one important," the figure stated simply.

"Nonsense," Thomas exclaimed, pointing a finger in her direction, "I never told anyone about... that!" He said in reference to the remark on his father, "If you know anything about that, then-"

"Then what, exactly?" The figure with Uzume's body and voice spoke, raising an eyebrow, "Even if this were real, I doubt you have the means to do anything."

"You still haven't answered my original question," Thomas seethed, "Who. Are. You?"

The figure cracked a smile, letting out a small laugh, "Haha, I do not have to tell you anything. No, Thomas, you are here to listen to me." The figure turned a little to one side, and began walking, circling around Thomas, "At least, so long as you are dreaming, I suppose. I suppose that last fight sent you unwittingly into dreamland."

Thomas' eyes widened, though he still kept his guard up against the figure. The figure reacted with a small tap of a finger to her temple, "Ah, you are just now remembering your ass getting kicked? Good, glad we are caught up. In case, however, you feel you need a refresher, I can summarize once more..."

Thomas glared at the figure, trying to cope with everything, from the headache to the memories returning to the figure circling around him.

The figure sighed, "Silent now, are we? Fine. It does not matter. I know who I am, and I know who you are. I was trying to warn you away from all of this. But, it seems you could not help yourself."

"Warn me?" Thomas muttered, easing up a little, but still keep his distance away from the figure.

The figure once more sighed, "I have been trying to warn you for quite some time. Those recurring dreams did not get through to your thick skull. The message was simple. Stop what you were doing or face disaster."

Thomas was ready to curse this person out for suggesting such a thing, and perhaps even aligning with those invaders. As if to answer that, the figure scoffed, "I am not affiliated with those antiques, that I can tell you. I was going to say that you should have quit while you were ahead. Your task was done after Virtua Forest. You did not have to join Neptune's adventure, but you went anyway. Idiot."

Thomas stirred, frustrated to be stuck in this 'dream', unsure of what was happening to him in the meanwhile. He nonetheless tried to stand his ground, "Why in Gamindustri would I listen to your advice of all people?"

"Because I know you," the figure's tone grew slightly angry, but overall kept her calm demeanor. She took a step forward, jutting a finger accusingly, "You made a promise, long ago. You were not to fight. You were not cut out for it, no matter how much you leveled up. Your stats show this. Helping out in the initial stages, I could understand. Yet you continued this farce into Lowee and Lastation."

"I... I had to see it through," Thomas replied, irritated that this person has this advantage over him, "I can't let the past have me hiding in fear."

"A lot of good that did, you mindless Rabii," the figure countered, "What in Gamindustri were you thinking? Did you really think that magic or this 'resonance' was going to carry you through? For what?"

Thomas grimaced, not wanting to answer vocally. Not that it mattered, since the figure would know the answer.

The figure closed her eyes, leaving the two with a quiet pause. This pause quickly ended with 'Uzume' rolling her eyes back, "Are you kidding me? You wanted to..." The figure turned away and walked away briefly in frustration. After trying to keep herself composed, 'Uzume' turned back, saying angrily, "You really are a stubborn idiot!"

"Says the one who's been trying to warn me in my dreams?" Thomas said dryly, looking to at least have one shot of wit at the figure lecturing him.

The figure grumbled, "Honestly? I wonder why I should have bothered." She took a few steps forward closer to the guarded Thomas, "I can not believe your commitment to this. Does that debt to the goddesses mean that much to you? Why do you even bother?"

Thomas simply glared at the figure, who gave a mocking smirk, "Do you really like them that much? Can't resist a cute girl? Is it out of a new sense of love?" She paused, then let out a mocking laugh, "Not even? Is that what you think? You can make new friends after all this time? Do you really think they would accept you as one?"

"I fight for my friends," Thomas said in the driest of tones. He knew it was a cheesy line, but he said it anyway to further incense the figure.

"Is that so?" the figure mocked him, "Is that what you tell yourself now? When you started following the CPUs, you didn't do it out a sense that you can make friends with them. You didn't see people. You saw an opportunity, just as they do now with your 'resonance.'"

She got closer, the sounds of her feet echoing through the empty arena, "You didn't see people, or goddesses to be worshiped. You saw a means to an end. They're nothing but tools to you. If you could just help a little bit, you could get them to do the things you couldn't do... because you're weak." She sneered, "But no amount of effort is going to pay off that debt, to the living or the dead."

"Shut up!" Thomas had enough, and the figure was just close enough for him to attempt to punch her right in the face. Using Uzume's likeness was insulting enough to him, but after all this, he wanted to stop this by any means.

Unfortunately, his punch was telegraphed well in advance to the figure, who casually side-stepped Thomas' attempt, watching him fail to connect with anything but air. Thomas couldn't even react before finding his face connecting with Uzume's powerful fist.

The figure apparently had Uzume's strength, as well, and the punch sent him flying a few feet before he crashed and burned, rolling along the floor until stopping with his face on the cold floor. Even though this was a dream, he certainly felt that punch, and he was barely able to hold consciousness. Kinda strange in a dream, but there you go.

"Tch," the figure cracked her knuckles, as her mocking from earlier soured into a frown, "You can't even win a fight in your own dreams. That's the thing, isn't it? You know full well, those CPUs will find others with resonance that are much stronger, smarter, and overall better than you. And then, they'll drop you faster than any joke party member. Get rekt, fool."

Thomas struggled to stay up, and he could feel his vision grow even hazier. As he was starting to lose consciousness, the figure once began walking, and the echo of footsteps continued in his ears.

"You had your chance after Planeptune to leave," the figure said, "and what's worse, this failure won't be saved by the goddesses coming in at the last second this time. I can only imagine what those robots are doing right now... checking through your inventory."

The tome! Thomas' eyes mimicked my own as he realized the gravity of what was just said.

"Exactly, the tome," the figure said, "The very thing that allowed the CPUs to break those barriers. I imagine the robots are looking through it right now, discovering just what secrets it holds. Who knows what they'll do with that info? Find a counter, set a trap, or maybe even intensify the barriers to the point where no amount of Share Energy, or resonance, can break through it. A present from you to the enemy! How quaint."

Thomas' eyes watered, barely able to stay up any further, and all he could hear as he faded was the figure finishing off her lecture.

"In the end," the figure said in contempt, "Gamindustri will fall, and it will be-

all

your

fault..."