Encountering HTT again right after defeating a Gym was not how Reina expected her day to go.

Staring at the crowd of people and Pokémon in front of her, Reina wasn't sure why she and Kumiko kept running into the band wherever they went. First at Termezzo Town, now right here. Reina suspected the band had some way of knowing their exact location, but she brushed that thought off upon realizing something which confused her even more.

"If the rest of HTT wanted to simply meet us, then why did you bring such a large amount of people and Pokémon here?" Reina asked Jun. Something clearly didn't add up about this entire situation. "You could've invited us to the headquarters of HTT's record label normally, without all the fuss you're creating right now. Are you expecting us to fight you off for some reason."

"Close, but not quite." Jun replied, her voice echoing through the loudspeaker she carried. "You see, it mostly stems from how you two treated Mio-senpai and Ritsu-senpai back at Termezzo Town. They were just trying to make sure our plan went smoothly, but you two had to mess around and cause them to nearly get caught by the League. After that fiasco, we couldn't bring ourselves to trust you at all."

"That's because if they actually encountered an Ultra Beast there, they would have gotten themselves killed!" Kumiko shouted, surprising Reina with her sudden display of intensity. "Termezzo Town was already half-destroyed by Ultra Beasts when we saw your friends, so they were literally walking into a warzone! Even Reina and myself wouldn't have survived if it wasn't for the help of other powerful Trainers!"

"Really? You think we don't know that?" Jun scoffed at Kumiko, who could only stare in disbelief at how lightly she was taking those words. "We certainly were aware of how dangerous it was to enter Termezzo Town with an Ultra Wormhole active, but we decided our plan was worth the risk of doing so. Now that I've finished making my point here, I'm going to ask you two again: are you going to willingly come with us or not?"

"With everything you've prepared for us here," Reina eyed the people and Pokémon assembled behind Jun. "It's clear you don't trust us at all, so we're respectfully declining your offer. Since you've already pushed our goodwill when you entered guns blazing, there's no way things will end smoothly. Besides, you still haven't told us what HTT wants from us. "

"Heh, that's not important. We've got the bigger stick here, so you're going to come with us one way or another." Jun replied, a smirk on her face. "Why don't I show you what I'm talking about? HOSHIMI, please use a Thousand Arrows. Don't aim directly at our targets, though. We're only scaring them for now, not commiting mass murder."

"Wait, isn't that the signature move of-" Before Reina could finish her sentence, a salvo of green projectiles rained down from above, fired from somewhere within Jun's entourage. As Ai was already out, Reina barely had enough time to have her block the incoming attack with a Pollen Puff. When a single arrow shredded through the clump of condensed pollen, Reina was left speechless.

Thankfully, neither she nor Kumiko had been hurt by that unprompted assault (Reina could care less about Shuichi's condition). As the dust began to settle, something began moving towards the three of them. Even with her view becoming clearer, Reina was still baffled by what walked out.

In front of them stood a metallic mannequin carrying a bow in its right hand and an arrow in its left, but what stood out was a purple wig fashioned into a ponytail on top of its 'head' and black-rimmed glasses in front of its 'eyes'. If Reina had to guess, it was some sort of advanced robot.

"Like our little toy here?" Jun asked, her face widening into a full-fledged grin. "This is the latest android from Kotobuki Industries, part of the conglomerate run by Mugi-senpai's family. I'm not sure about the details myself, but their battling styles are copied from various Trainers from Seisho using a special method, which gives them the ability to use Pokémon moves. Presenting: the Stage Dolls!"

"Sparkle, Thunderbolt!" Kumiko called out, having already sent out and Mega Evolved Sparkle while Jun was talking. Since robots definitely needed electricity to function properly, Kumiko reasoned she could take out the Stage Doll in front of her by overloading it with a powerful jolt from Sparkle. A bolt of electricity arced towards the Stage Doll, but it simply took the voltage while standing still, as if nothing had happened to it.

"You thought a simple attack would take out our best shot? Think again." With how things were unfolding, Jun was becoming more confident about this scenario's outcome. "We've only got nine of these Stage Dolls, but their combined strength is more than enough to defeat a member of the Elite Four. Why, they've already done that two days ago, so the sky's the limit now!"

With the bow-wielding Stage Doll retreating back into the crowd, Jun issued her ultimatum. "After seeing our little demonstration there, I'm going to give you two one last chance: are you going to come with us of your own free will, or are we going to make you come with us?"

"That's obvious, isn't it?" Reina bluntly replied, her signature iciness going into overdrive. "With all the stops you've pulled out to convince us, you've overstayed your welcome here. If you're that willing to show us how determined you are to the extent of threatening us, then you clearly don't mean well. I'm sorry, but we're not going with you. Not now, not ever."

"And there goes your final opportunity to surrender." Jun announced, cracking her knuckles. The current situation was exactly what Sawa-chan-sensei told her to initially expect. With Kumiko and Reina now dead-set on fighting her, Jun could proceed as planned. "Fine by me. Now that you've flat-out refused our offer, we've got no choice but to take you by force. Bomber Squad, on my mark."

"We're not playing around with you any longer. Kumiko, let's go." Grabbing her fiancee by the hand, Reina proceeded to head in the opposite direction with Kumiko. However, they soon found the road there being guarded by two more Stage Dolls, which were carrying swords this time. As the two metallic mannequins blocked their most immediate path out, Reina was thankful she had an ace up her sleeve.

While Eurydice had previously helped with levitating the ice block Shuichi was trapped in, Reina had recalled her when she began the process of defrosting him just a few moments before. Sending Eurydice out again, Reina latched onto Eurydice's arm along with Kumiko.

Preparing to feel the familiar sensation of Teleportation, Reina was surprised when Eurydice's body simply flickered in and out of existence before quickly returning to normal. As Reina's eyes widened in confusion at what just happened, Jun decided to twist the knife even further.

"Since we know you've got Pokémon who can Teleport, Sawa-chan-sensei took the liberty of giving us some Pokémon with the Ability Arena Trap." Jun informed them from a distance. "When we said we wanted you to come with us, we meant it. Guess there's no way out for you two now! Bomber Squad, let's get this show on the road!"

Hanging back, Jun watched as her personal hit team sprang into action, closing the distance separating them from Kumiko and Reina. While Jun would have loved to send out the Stage Dolls first, her opponents would definitely overwhelm them through strength of numbers and force their way out.

Yui, Azusa, Mio, and Ritsu had all told her to expect a challenge when facing off against the couple, so Jun had brought along enough people and Pokémon to vastly outnumber them. With the advantage of quantity firmly on her side, Jun had maximized her chances of succeeding.

Surveying all the Pokémon heading towards her and Kumiko, Reina estimated there were about a hundred in total. While Reina didn't know how strong they actually were, the abundance of mid-stage Pokémon implied their opponents were at least slightly weaker. If both her and Kumiko's Pokémon could take down ten each, then the only thing left to worry about would be the Stage Dolls.

Taking one last look at Kumiko to make sure they were thinking the same thing, Reina smiled at her before sending out the rest of her Pokémon. Despite having challenged a Gym only several minutes before, all of them were still in good shape and able to battle at full strength. After Mega Evolving Eurydice, Reina saw that everyone on Kumiko's team was also out as well.

"Psyshock!" Reina ordered, telling Eurydice to send Psychic projectiles at their opponents. This was normally a powerful attack, but the sheer number of Pokémon on their opponents' side meant its effectiveness was significantly diluted. With only a few shots striking each Pokémon in the initial vanguard, its total damage was divided between them.

"Hurricane!" Hearing Kumiko's command, Mitsuke whipped up a gale-force whirlwind and fired it out. Despite managing to ensnare more than a few Pokémon heading towards them, Kumiko was surprised when the Hurricane didn't manage to fling their opponents away. Wondering why that was the case, Kumiko then realized all their opponents' Pokémon were at least part Rock-type, so they would naturally be heavier.

"Hey, let me go! I can help, you know!" Shuichi protested, yelling from inside his ice block. After being abandoned by Reina in front of the Gym, Shuichi was surprised he had been completely ignored by everyone, even the people trying to take Kumiko and Reina away. Shuichi couldn't sit by and do nothing when his friend was in danger, but his current circumstances left him in that exact position.

Unfortunately for Shuichi, Kumiko and Reina were far too busy fending off the horde of people and Pokémon to hear what he just said. Sending barrage after barrage of powerful attacks at their opponents, Reina wondered how long it would be before their defenses broke, or if they would even break at all.

Her eyes scanning for a possible gap in the approaching offensive, Reina was shocked when she couldn't find a single flaw in their opponents' formation. Despite how efficiently her and Kumiko's Pokémon were keeping HTT's forces at bay, there always seemed to be even more reinforcements pouring in from all sides, creating the illusion of an impenetrable wall.

When it was put up against wave after wave of opponents, even the top-notch coordination between Kumiko and Reina's Pokémon was starting to reach its limits. One side effect of having a large numerical advantage was the ability to pull exhausted forces from the front and replace them with fresh faces, which HTT used to their utmost advantage against Kumiko and Reina.

While their Pokémon were certainly stronger compared to what HTT could throw at them, the relentless grinding of Kumiko and Reina's teams over time was starting to take its toll. A Close Combat from Orpheus which could previously strike 20 times per second was now only able to hit 18 times in that same period, and the same reduction in move frequency was apparent in all of Kumiko and Reina's Pokémon.

This gradual exhaustion was inevitable when fighting a prolonged battle, which Reina was realizing they were getting trapped in. As the number of Pokémon Kumiko and Reina had couldn't hold a candle compared to how much Pokémon HTT brought to the fight, they didn't have the luxury of being able to recuperate their strength before continuing to battle.

Knowing this war of attrition would eventually result in victory for HTT, Reina needed some way to even the odds in their favour. With little other options for assistance given their current circumstances, Reina was forced to finish what she started just a few moments before.

"Hey you. Help us out here." Telling Ai to use a Sunny Day again, Reina decided to complete the process of defrosting Shuichi, and moved closer to him as Kumiko fended off HTT's Pokémon with her own. While she would have preferred to keep him sealed away in that block of ice for eternity, Reina knew she would need some extra help to successfully fight off everything Jun was throwing at her and Kumiko. Right now, Shuichi was the only person who could do that.

The heat from Ai's passive Fire-type move rapidly melting Shuichi's icy prison, Reina kept one eye on his condition while monitoring how Kumiko was doing with the other. Seeing that her fiancee was barely managing to handle fighting off all of HTT's Pokémon by herself, Reina told the rest of her Pokémon to help Kumiko out. She would have liked to assist Kumiko on the battlefield, but what Reina was doing prevented her from taking a more direct role.

Since he bore witness to everything which had unfolded over these past few minutes, Shuichi was already familiar with the situation at hand. While he wanted to help Kumiko right from the beginning, being involuntarily trapped in a block of ice meant that all Shuichi could do was sit and watch. Now that he was free, Shuichi was about to straighten himself up and go assist his friend when the inevitable happened.

"AAAGGGGHHHHH!" He cried out in pain. Due to his entire body being frozen for the better part of a day, Shuichi's muscles and joints became tense as he tried to move them normally. His sense of touch returning, the aftereffects of remaining still in a cold environment were becoming apparent to Shuichi. As the shock raced all over his body, not even Reina shouting at Shuichi was enough to snap him out of it.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing? We need your help! Get up!" Reina barked, frustrated the first thing Shuichi did upon being freed was cry like a baby. A chill rushing through every fiber of his body, Shuichi collapsed to the ground as the only thing he felt was everything going limp. To make matters worse, a sudden jolt burst through his back, courtesy of Reina kicking him away.

"Pathetic." Reina spat at him. At the very least, she expected Shuichi to put on a show of false bravado and immediately begin fighting against HTT to impress them. Even if all his Pokémon would quickly faint in that effort (which Reina guessed was the most likely outcome), Shuichi would still serve as a distraction for their opponents, buying Kumiko and her several precious moments they could use to regroup.

With Shuichi unable to even pick himself up from the ground, Reina swiftly decided keeping him around was more trouble than it was worth. Sighing to herself, she went over to his side and plucked the five Pokéballs hanging from his belt. Reina figured that if Shuichi couldn't contribute anything at all, then his Pokémon would be slightly more helpful in that regard.

Sending all of Shuichi's Pokémon out, the first thing all of them did was check on their Trainer's condition, worried about how he got himself into this situation. It wasn't until Reina cleared her throat that they even looked in her direction, immediately flinching upon seeing the icy glare in her eyes. Despite only a couple of them having seen her before, all of Shuichi's Pokémon were now completely terrified of Reina.

"Your Trainer is completely useless." Reina began, causing Shuichi's Pokémon to recoil in fear. "Not only is he a coward who won't stand up to defend his friend, but also a whiny brat who can't do what he's told. If you want to prove you're better than your Trainer, then help us. It's definitely much better than having a sorry excuse for a human being like him as your Trainer."

Once Reina finished speaking, Shuichi's Pokémon looked at each other and discussed amongst themselves for a few moments before making a decision. Straightening himself up, Freddy hoisted his Trainer's limp body onto Magnet before they departed along with the rest of their teammates, leaving Reina and Kumiko behind.

"Why, you little…" Reina cursed in their direction, furious at how Shuichi's Pokémon had pledged their loyalty to someone as worthless as him. About to give them a piece of her mind, Reina soon remembered the situation she was in when she saw Trip getting thrown back before rushing into the fray again. Despite her misgivings towards Shuichi, Reina's number-one priority right now was protecting Kumiko and winning.

However, she couldn't just ignore where Shuichi's Pokémon were heading. As they made their way out of the area, Reina was surprised to see that HTT wasn't attacking them at all, and even making way for them in some cases. About to burst a blood vessel at how Shuichi and his Pokémon were getting special treatment, Reina's explosive temper cooled down a bit upon realizing Shuichi wasn't one of HTT's targets, which meant they had no reason to target him.

Gritting her teeth as she watched Shuichi's Pokémon walk free, Reina then noticed a way out opening up behind the route they took. Deciding to seize this opportunity, Reina quickly called Kumiko and their Pokémon over, wanting to get away from HTT's madness as soon as possible. "There's a gap over here. If we're fast enough, we can potentially get away from here."

Nodding at her fiancee, Kumiko was about to recall her Pokémon and make a run for it when she saw a familiar shape making its way through the crowd. The bow-wielding Stage Doll suddenly reappearing in front of her, Kumiko was forced to have Marcato blast a Solar Beam towards it as a distraction. Though the powerful attack managed to hit its mark, the Stage Doll continued to lumber forward, leaving no choice for Kumiko but to engage the enemy.

Meanwhile, things weren't looking so good on Reina's end either. The clear path she had previously spotted had disappeared as quickly as it had been created, now guarded by two more Stage Dolls. Unlike the ones Reina saw earlier, these metallic mannequins were armed with a mace and a knife. With none of her Pokémon close by, Reina was now at the mercy of these two Stage Dolls.

As the mace-wielding Stage Doll leapt forward, Reina saw the murky Dark-type energy of Brutal Swing cloak the tip of its weapon. Bracing for the worst, Reina was saved when Orpheus blocked the attack with his arm-blades, having been sent by Kumiko to protect her. Despite being able to block the blow, it was immediately clear to Reina that Orpheus was struggling with the effort.

"Sparkle, rest for a bit!" Hearing Kumiko's voice ring from across the battlefield, Reina saw Kumiko disengaging Sparkle's Mega Evolution. Instinctively knowing what her fiancee would do next, Reina smiled as Orpheus glowed with the light of Mega Evolution, giving him the power he needed to knock the Stage Doll away.

Launching the metallic mannequin back, Orpheus' rescue of Reina gave Kumiko the time she needed to reach her fiancee along with the rest of their Pokémon. However, even Orpheus' strikes couldn't keep the Stage Doll down for long, and it soon returned with a vengeance. Twirling its mace with surprising dexterity, the Stage Doll was soon joined by all four of its compatriots, and they all began charging at Kumiko and Reina.

Observing the battle from a safe distance, Jun was pleased everything was now proceeding smoothly again. If Kumiko and Reina successfully made an escape through that gap, there was no telling how much of a setback letting them get away would be to HTT. With everything on the line, they could very well be forced to start from scratch.

As Sawa-chan-sensei ordered her to give the Stage Dolls their first real fight today, Jun didn't bring any of her own Pokémon with her. She was confident enough the Stage Dolls were more than a match for what Kumiko and Reina could offer. Smirking to herself, Jun could see the first signs of exhaustion appearing on the couple's faces and bodies.

Fighting a prolonged battle against so many opponents had clearly taken both a physical and mental toll on Kumiko and Reina. If she kept up this pressure, Jun was sure she could definitely break them after a few more moments. The Stage Dolls' combined assault playing out in front of her, all Jun needed to do was kick back and wait for the couple to eventually give out.

While Reina had been trying to forcibly enlist Shuichi's help, Kumiko had been fighting against HTT all by herself, though with the assistance of her fiancee's Pokémon. Kumiko was able to handle the Pokémon HTT threw at her without much difficulty, but the Stage Dolls' constant intervention meant she was always kept on her toes, unable to catch a break due to their superior strength, durability, and speed.

With the help of Reina's Pokémon, Kumiko managed to fight the bow-wielding Stage Doll and its two sword-carrying accomplices to a stalemate when they appeared, allowing her to focus on dealing with the bulk of HTT's forces. However, the two Stage Dolls which had just cornered Reina now entered the fight as well, and their presence tipped the scales in favour of HTT.

Even with Reina coming back to help her, Kumiko could feel the pressure mounting up on them. The five Stage Dolls were all forces to be reckoned with, but what made them even more deadly was their ability to retreat back into the safety of numbers. This prevented Kumiko and Reina from getting in a solid hit on the Stage Dolls, as HTT's Pokémon stepped in to intercept any attacks heading in their direction.

"Kumiko, give me all your Z-Crystals!" Reina called out, currently being overwhelmed by five Alolan Graveler and the knife-wielding Stage Doll. Frantically digging around in her bag, Kumiko was confused at why Reina needed all of her Z-Crystals. Wasn't using a single Z-Crystal the limit of what someone could normally handle?

Shrugging those thoughts off, Kumiko reasoned to herself that Reina must have had a good reason for asking her, and finally fished out the three Z-Crystals she had. As she ran over to Reina's side, any of their opponents' Pokémon standing between them were quickly washed away by a Surf from Handel.

"Here!" Kumiko exclaimed as she handed her Z-Crystals over to Reina. Immediately slipping the Grassium Z into her Z-Power Ring, Reina thrust her hands out at Ai in desperation, having her use the Grass-type Z-Move. The powerful attack instantly sent the Alolan Graveler previously giving her trouble flying away, but the Stage Doll's metallic exterior had only been slightly scratched even after all that.

Thrusting its knife in the air, the Stage Doll soon rallied its companions around it for one final push, capitalizing on Reina's post Z-Move exhaustion to strike. Despite breathing heavily after having lent her energy to Ai, Reina inserted her Icium Z into her Z-Power Ring, preparing to have Idina use a Z-Move. With how dire the situation was getting, Reina had no choice but to strain herself even more. This was the only way she could see Kumiko and herself getting out of this.

As Kumiko looked on at Reina using her second Z-Move in a row against the Stage Dolls, her face was fraught with disbelief. Not only was her fiancee burning herself out with the amount of effort she was exerting, but Reina also seemed to be sacrificing her own well-being just to give them a chance of escaping. Seeing one of her worst worries playing out, Kumiko couldn't bear to see Reina throw everything away.

"Reina… please don't!" Kumiko cried out in anguish. Though Idina's Z-Move froze the Stage Dolls in their tracks, the metallic mannequins soon broke out with ease and continued attacking the couple's Pokémon. Keeling down in pain, Reina started to feel a throbbing pain emerge in her head once the sensation from using a Z-Move left her. This finally convinced her there was no way they could win here.

"Don't… worry… Kumiko..." Reina assured her fiancee through ragged breaths as she slipped her Farium Z into her Z-Power Ring. Thrusting it out at Demi, Reina knew this would only worsen her condition, but this was the only choice she could make in the moment. "There's… a way… you'll… get… out of… this…"

"Get out of this? But how?" Kumiko asked. Even with Reina using her third Z-Power Move, the Stage Dolls didn't seem to be heavily damaged by it. Once the Stage Dolls recovered, Kumiko could only watch as they began decisively taking out both her own and Reina's Pokémon. As Trip was crushed by a Rock Smash from the mace-wielding Stage Doll, Idina lost consciousness after directly taking a Flame Burst shot by its bow-carrying companion.

"Z… Move… Teleport…" Reina breathed out. At this point, her skin was turning even paler, and her silky black hair had now been tainted by the constant flow of greasy sweat. After seeing her fiancee in this state, Kumiko now knew the dark reason why using more than one Z Move in regular battle was prohibited. "Mega… Evolved… Eurydice… can break through... and push you... away."

"What?" Kumiko blinked, then did a double take at what Reina suggested. From how she worded it, Reina was most likely implying Eurydice could only take one person out of the Arena Trap. "But why me? Shouldn't it be you instead? You're the one who's more exhausted here! I can handle myself!"

"Kumiko, look at me." Having recovered enough strength, Reina stood up even as her knees shook from fatigue. "In a few moments, we're definitely going to get overrun here. There's no chance we can both escape, and Eurydice can only force one person out of the Arena Trap area even with a Mega Evolution-boosted Z-Move. This is the only choice I can make now."

Looking around, Kumiko saw that nearly all of their Pokémon had already fainted, lying on the ground as their remaining teammates futilely tried to defend them from the Stage Dolls. Reina was right, but Kumiko didn't want her to be. Though she knew for certain Reina had told her the truth up-front, Kumiko was hesitant about accepting it. Nothing made her more afraid than the possibility of losing her beloved.

"But Reina, I don't want to let you go!" Kumiko impulsively cried out, tears streaming from her eyes. Faced with the imminent possibility of being forced apart from her fiancee, Kumiko would have given anything to reject the destiny awaiting her. "You're the most special person in my life!"

"I know, Kumiko. Which is why I'm doing this." Reina reassured the girl of her dreams. Stepping forward to embrace her, one of Reina's hands deftly activated all of Kumiko's Pokéballs as she kissed her special one full on the lips, recalling her entire worn-out team. "If I'm really that special in your eyes, then have complete confidence in my ability. No matter what's in front of me, I'll be able to overcome it."

To Kumiko's shock, Reina shoved her back once their heartfelt moment ended, and she was then caught by Eurydice's outstretched palms. Her stream of tears now widening into a full-blown river, Kumiko could only watch through misty eyes as Reina slipped her Psychium Z into her Z-Power Ring. About to call out to her fiancee, Kumiko's words froze in her throat as she heard Reina speak.

"Be free, Kumiko. Now, and always, I love you."

With those nine words, the last thing Kumiko saw before everything in front of her disappeared was Reina collapsing onto the ground in utter exhaustion, now completely at the mercy of the Stage Dolls and HTT. As that sight etched itself into Kumiko's mind, she could only scream out one word into the void.

"RRRRRRRREEEEEEEEIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNAAAAAAAA!"


"Sawa-chan-sensei, why haven't Ui and Nodoka-chan come back yet? I thought you said they only needed an hour or two to finish up their jobs."

Lounging around in a comfy chair, Yui Hirasawa looked up at her mentor with a curious gaze. When Sawako had called them all to Houkago Records' headquarters for a band meeting earlier this morning, she had given them all their missions for the day. Yui's task was to rest up in anticipation for what would happen soon, which she was currently in the middle of doing when Sawako came in.

"I'm not sure, Yui-chan." Sawako answered. "But I really don't hope they've landed themselves in any hot water. We've already had to accelerate our plans ever since what happened two days ago, and it's already a minor miracle we've got everything we need to pull the next phase off. Aggh, can someone give me a break here?"

As if on cue, Ui Hirasawa appeared out of nowhere, having been Teleported back to headquarters by a Kadabra she borrowed. Dusting off her yellow kunoichi outfit, Ui looked at Sawako and her older sister. Despite seeing that she had rematerialized in the middle of their conversation, Ui proceeded to give them her report, knowing she had already captured their attention.

"Ms. Sawako, big sis. I'm back! Everything went smoothly on my end, so there's nothing to worry about." Ui announced with a smile, then looked around the room. "Wait, where's Nodoka? I'd thought she would've already been back by now, given that we both needed to hit up the same number of places. Do you two know what's happened to her?"

"That's what we were just discussing right now, Ui-chan." Sawako clarified. "If I remember correctly, Nodoka seems to have one less place on her list, so she should've been the first one to return. Wait, now that I think of it, wasn't one of her destinations-"

Whatever Sawako wanted to say next was immediately cut off by Nodoka Manabe Teleporting into a room, clutching onto her borrowed Xatu for dear life. Seeing that she was breathing heavily, the other three women were concerned with what Nodoka had been through, but it was Yui who spoke first.

"Nodoka-chan, are you alright?" Yui asked her childhood friend. She noticed that Nodoka's red kunoichi outfit had been slightly charred around the edges, giving the room a slight burnt smell. "Your glasses seem to have a bit of soot on their lenses. Here, let me give them a wipe."

As Yui plucked the spectacles off Nodoka's head and began to wipe them with the hem of her shirt, Nodoka smiled warmly at her friend before giving her report. "Yeah, but just barely. Right before I was about to leave my last stop at League headquarters, I got spotted by several people who recognized me as part of HTT. Fortunately, I managed to lead them away from the area I was assigned to, so our secret's still safe."

"Thank goodness. You nearly gave me a heart attack there." Sawako breathed a sigh of relief, happy everything was still on track. "If the League discovered what we were doing back there, then we'd have even more to deal with! And that's on top of everything we've got on our plate right now!"

"Don't worry about that, Ms. Sawako. It seems everything will be going as planned." Nodoka reassured her former teacher as she put her glasses back on. "From what I saw at the League, everyone there looked like they were in a hurry. Our capture of Ms. Ogasawara definitely got their attention. Other than another emergency we don't know about, there's nothing which could send the League into such a frenzy."

"Well, then I guess the jig's up. We're definitely going to get raided in the next few days or so. Possibly even tomorrow." Sawako mused. "But thanks to you and Ui-chan, we've already got our distractions in place. That should set them back by quite a while. Even if the League does manage to send some people here, we've already got a backup plan. Remind me to check on that Sygna Suit prototype we got from Pasio."

"But Sawa-chan-sensei, what about our special guests?" Yui asked. "You mentioned before everything would go wrong if they didn't arrive in time. With how you and everyone else are saying that we're getting closer to our deadline, I'm scared of our plan failing now! We're too close to succeeding for that to happen!"

"Don't worry, Yui-chan." Sawako comforted her protégé. "That's where Jun-chan's mission comes in. While there are many ways it could go wrong, I have complete confidence in her that she'll bring back who we need. After all, I did give her very specific orders…"


Her eyelids slowly fluttering open by themselves, Kumiko gradually regained consciousness as she recognized where she was currently laying down: in front of her home back at Relude Town. Wait, why was she back home in the first place? Wasn't she supposed to be somewhere else right now?

Rubbing her bloodshot corneas as she sat up, Kumiko noticed the sun was lower compared to when she last saw it, which was… oh no, OH NO, OH NO. Reina! Remembering everything that happened before she passed out, tears began streaming down Kumiko's face as she relived those painful memories of her beloved pushing her away at the last moment. Just why? Just why did that have to happen?

Howling to the sky in grief, Kumiko's expression of pure despair soon caught her mother's attention. Opening the door to find her youngest daughter bawling her eyes out, Akiko Oumae could do nothing but stroke Kumiko's hair as she ran over and collapsed into her arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

That warm embrace from her mother was now Kumiko's only protection against the cold, cruel world.

She was upset. She was so upset she could die.


A/N: No chapter next week. To Be A Solister returns on October 28th.