"KUMIKO!"
Her mind trapped in a state of shock, the events which transpired during the next few moments played through in slow-motion from Reina's perspective.
The last thing she remembered before going into this trance was Kumiko smiling at her as they prepared to jump from the roof of Houkago Records' headquarters. After being locked up there for about a day, Reina was pleasantly surprised when Kumiko turned up to rescue her, having somehow managed to sneak into the building completely undetected.
Braving through swarm after swarm of Ultra Beasts as they made their way out, the couple had made it to the roof after countless altercations with those extra-dimensional Pokémon. Since Psychic jammers prevented them from directly Teleporting out of the building and most exits were sealed by mounds of debris, jumping off the building was the only way Kumiko and Reina could feasibly escape.
While the distance between the roof and the ground was quite short, Reina knew she couldn't muster up the will to jump if it wasn't for Kumiko reassuring her everything would be alright. Once her fettered nerves returned to normal, Reina then prepared to jump as she held her beloved's hand. With this being the last obstacle separating her from her freedom, Reina was just relieved that Kumiko was back by her side again.
That was when all hell broke loose.
Before Reina could realize what happened, she suddenly felt Kumiko push her away towards the floor. Shocked and confused as to what her beloved just did, Reina prepared to pick herself up when she saw Kumiko being knocked back by something, causing her to fall over the building's edge.
Without a moment's hesitation, Reina instinctively reached out and grabbed onto Kumiko's wrist with her hand, not wanting her beloved to be torn away from her for the second time. However, Reina wasn't used to carrying such heavy loads, especially one the weight of a person, so she felt herself quickly slip towards the building's edge as Kumiko dragged her down.
After those few frantic seconds of trying to prevent herself from falling had passed, Reina managed to stabilize herself, only to discover she was now hanging from the building's edge with one arm. Deathly afraid of the consequences which awaited her and Kumiko if she let go, Reina clung onto the edge for dear life, her grip tightening itself as she clenched hard with all her might.
Attempting to pull herself and Kumiko back up, Reina soon discovered she was not up to the task. As she was already exhausted from holding Kumiko's entire weight with one hand, Reina's already fragile grip soon faltered the first moment she tried to put more effort into it. Barely managing to hang on once her fingers naturally loosened, that sensation of nearly falling was enough to convince Reina to never try that again.
Now that hoisting herself up wasn't a viable option anymore, Reina then began to desperately scan the rooftop from her limited field-of-view. The fact that someone would appear up here was already unlikely, but the building being the headquarters of a group which had pursued her and Kumiko made Reina doubt their chances of finding help even more. Still, that was better than the alternative.
"Oh-ho, who do we have here?" a voice questioned out of nowhere. Tilting her head upwards to see who was speaking, Reina immediately saw a glasses-wearing woman with brown hair looking down on her. Those spectacles glinting from the sun's glare, Reina knew that nothing good would happen as she remembered where she had seen the woman before.
A few weeks ago, Kumiko's friend and Elite Four member Aoi Saitou revealed to the two of them that HTT was somehow involved with the Double Battle tournament they had just participated in. One piece of proof Aoi showed was the raffle store attendant who gave them their passes meeting up with the woman, and that evidence was further confirmed when Kumiko and Reina saw her at HTT's concert a week later.
With that woman now appearing on the roof of Houkago Records' headquarters, there was nothing which could deny her connection with the rock band anymore. Unsure of the woman's true identity, all Reina could do in her presence was continue holding on to both Kumiko and the building's edge. However, it was clear to Reina the woman had no intention of leaving until she got what she wanted.
"Who… are you?" Summoning the strength she needed to move her mouth, Reina felt her parched lips impact against each other as she spoke out loud. The toll of hanging onto a building for so long was beginning to show its effects on Reina, but the woman seemed glad she asked that question. As if sensing an opportunity, the woman pounced to answer.
"Glad you asked, Ms. Kousaka. You know, I've been wanting to meet you for quite a while. Now that I've finally got the chance here, allow me to properly introduce myself." With her casual tone of voice, it seemed the woman paid no heed to Reina's current condition. "The name's Yamanaka, Sawako Yamanaka, CEO of Houkago Records and unofficial mentor to HTT."
"So you're the puppet master, am I correct?" Despite how much her body was currently being put through, Reina still found the strength in her to continue pressing Yamanaka for answers. No matter how slim it was, the chance of Yamanaka helping her back up still existed. Right now, that hope was all Reina had. "And why would someone as important as you suddenly choose to be here? There must be a reason."
"Excellent questions, though I'm obliged to keep myself mum on some details. After all, can't spoil all the juicy bits to you here." From how she responded, Yamanaka clearly took great joy in teasing Reina. "It's true I've known all the girls in HTT for quite a long time, but I wouldn't go as far to say I'm controlling them. That's just low. As for why I'm on the roof? Nothing much. Just needed to deal with a bit of… unfinished business, shall we say?"
"Low? I'm afraid you've already passed that point quite a while ago." Hearing Yamanaka make remarks about HTT caused Reina to realize how much she was responsible for their current situation. "Because of your band sponsoring that Double Battle tournament in Edian City a while back, tickets to their concert were available as part of the grand prize. After meeting HTT there, they began to be interested in us."
"Somehow, we ran into three of their band members when we were in Termezzo Town." Reina continued, forgetting the situation she was in while being consumed by her anger. "They got angry at us when we tried to save them from danger, and because of that, the way we were invited here in the first place was by robots trying to kidnap us! Forget being underhanded, that was downright illegal!"
"If you hadn't refused the invitation back then, nothing of this sort would've happened. Unfortunately, your stubborn self refused to take the easy way out, which meant we had no choice by that point." Yamanaka pointed out. "Thankfully for you, your girlfriend broke into our headquarters by force, and nearly demolished half of it while rescuing you. After all that property damage, we couldn't let both of you go just like that. Too bad you didn't thank your girlfriend for what she did."
Thinking that Yamanaka was simply pushing her buttons, Reina paid no attention to what she just said, but her other arm swayed from carrying Kumiko's weight. With that reminding her she hadn't been able to check on Kumiko's condition this whole time, Reina's eyes then gazed at the true meaning of Yamanaka's words as she looked down at her beloved.
Though Kumiko's arm was suspiciously limp this whole time, Reina initially assumed that was because she had also grown tired from hanging on for so long. Only when she finally paid attention to her beloved did Reina realize what really happened back then. If it wasn't for how much energy that would take, what she saw would have made her scream on the spot.
Fortunately, Kumiko's body remained unharmed, but the same could not be said of her current condition. Whatever Yamanaka threw her way had rendered Kumiko unconscious, with a trail of saliva streaming out of her gaping mouth. What made this entire situation even more mortifying was how Kumiko's face and body contorted and twisted around, as if she was in a great deal of pain.
"You… what did you do to her?" Reina angrily questioned Yamanaka, confused as to whether or not that was a Pokémon move or something else. She had seen nothing like this before, and didn't know how to react. If Kumiko was now placed in grave danger because of Yamanaka, then Reina would never forgive her or HTT.
"I'm surprised you took this long to notice your girlfriend's condition. Are you really sure you're that connected to her as her lover?" Yamanaka pressed down on Reina from above. "You spent all this time talking to me about how you've been wronged by us, but never once did you worry about your girlfriend after you got a stable grip on her. Some hell of a couple you are."
"That's not…" Reina tried to retort, but any reply she could think of fell flat on its face. Blinded by her desire to hold HTT and Yamanaka responsible for all they did, Reina completely ignored Kumiko at her most vulnerable moment, even though her beloved was yet another victim of the band's machinations. With Reina unable to speak, Yamanaka took this as an opportunity to taunt her even more.
"I haven't seen much of what goes on between the two of you, but it doesn't look healthy to me." Yamanaka continued to press on. "No matter how much your girlfriend tries to do things on her own, you just have to step in and give her a helping hand. If you continue to mollycoddle her like that, then eventually she'll be overly dependent on you for everything. When she always needs you, what'll happen when you're gone?"
"I…" Though Reina knew Kumiko sometimes helped her, such as when she couldn't walk on coals or had been kidnapped by HTT, it was the other way around in the vast majority of circumstances. Never wanting to see her beloved struggle, Reina had provided a saving grace to Kumiko time and time again, but how Yamanaka framed those deeds made Reina rethink whether she actually helped Kumiko in the long run.
"And that's without getting into how you don't regard her as an equal." Yamanaka's blunt remarks were relentless as Reina tried and failed to weather them. "When you two battle as a team, it's you who tells her what to do, rather than your communication being a two-way dialogue. Can't you see she's got as much potential as you do? Stop underestimating her!"
"Kumiko's…" Reina held back the tears of sorrow starting to form as she realized how right Yamanaka was. In all their battles together, Kumiko rarely suggested anything, instead relying on the strategies she thought up when facing their opponents. Reina also had occasional vague feelings that Kumiko was stronger than she initially suspected, but hearing Yamanaka say it to her face crushed her self-confidence.
"All this about how much you love your girlfriend, and yet you don't realize how much you mean to her!" Yamanaka finally drove her point home. "You're so caught up in being special that you don't see how special you already are in her eyes! Forget challenging the League and gaining the Champion's approval! Your girlfriend's already going to be there for you no matter what! She really doesn't deserve someone as selfish as you."
"No…" Reina was left speechless at how quickly Yamanaka dissected everything about her relationship with Kumiko. With how everyone else seemed to find their romance completely pure and flawless, Reina had unconsciously adopted that viewpoint as well, never noticing the cracks Yamanaka had pointed out. As long as nothing rocked the boat, everything would remain the same for them.
Still refusing to let go of her beloved even after everything, Reina continued to feel Kumiko's warmth through her hand as tears rampantly streamed down her face. The wall of ice she put up around herself had now melted from the heat Yamanaka put on it, leaving Reina wallowing in the mess of emotions she previously kept restrained. With her work here completed, Yamanaka was free to leave.
"Anyways, catch you later! I've got my girls to take care of. Oh, and don't forget to check up on your girlfriend!" After those oddly cheerful parting words, Yamanaka walked away from the ledge Reina was holding on to. Tilting her head up as far as it could go, Reina then saw the five girls of HTT join Yamanaka before the six of them abruptly vanished, leaving the surrounding area completely empty.
Despite holding hands with her beloved, Reina never felt more alone.
"Fairy Lock!"
Out of nowhere, pink chains materialized and wrapped themselves around Haruka, swiftly restraining her in midair. As her Pokémon looked on in confusion, they were suddenly met by new opponents, with the Ultra Beasts acting as their vanguard already defeated. In those mere seconds, all that happening left everyone hanging.
"What's… going on?" Yuuko wondered, but a part of her knew the answer upon recognizing some of the Pokémon which had appeared. Looking on at how the tide was turning in their favour, Yuuko then felt someone place their hand on her shoulder. She nearly squealed with delight when she turned around to see who it was.
"Kaori-senpai!" As her mentor's warm and caring eyes met her own, Yuuko's mood immediately brightened. Of course it would be Kaori-senpai who came to rescue her! Now that she had arrived, Kaori-senpai would definitely take care of everything. After all, Yuuko couldn't think of any challenge that could faze an Elite Four member like her. That was just how good Kaori-senpai was. "Thank goodness you're here!"
"I'm happy to see you're alright as well, Yuuko. To be honest, I was a bit worried about how you would handle yourself after everything you've gone through." Kaori replied. "When Asuka told me about what was going on, I decided to drop everything and hurry over here along with her, especially with your opponent being Haruka and all."
"Wait, Miss Tanaka's here as well?" As Kaori nodded in confirmation, Yuuko then saw Asuka quickly step in to take control of a battle, before leaving once her Pokémon had gained the upper hand. Seeing Asuka gracefully turn the tide here, Kaori couldn't help but smile even as Yuuko asked another question in disbelief. "Then what about you? Shouldn't you be fighting too?"
"My Pokémon can handle themselves just fine in battles like these, so they don't need my help. I'm actually here to get something else done while Asuka's busy over there." Even though she had completely no idea as to what Kaori meant, Yuuko had complete confidence that her mentor could get any task done with ease. "In fact, I think it's the right time for me to do that now."
Calling her Aegislash over, Kaori then hopped onto its folded tassel-arms and rode away, leaving Yuuko gazing at her in awe. No matter the situation, Kaori always managed to look majestic in Yuuko's eyes. If Kaori hadn't appeared in her life when she did, Yuuko shuddered to think about how much everything would be different. Especially when her only refuge against Natsuki's constant ribbing would not exist.
Now that Asuka had opened up a path for her, Kaori could head to where Haruka was without any interruption. Riding on her Aegislash like a Segway, Kaori dodged various stray attacks as she made her way towards the gaping hole, offering her other Pokémon words of encouragement when she passed them. Finally reaching the chasm Haruka was hovering above, Kaori had her Aegislash stop on the spot and float upwards.
With her eyes level with where Haruka's were supposed to be, Kaori told her Aegislash to move forwards again, allowing her to close the distance between them. Once her head nearly touched Haruka's, Kaori came to a complete stop at last. Observing Haruka's current condition, Kaori remained silent until she heard some murmurs coming from her mouth.
"Help me… it hurts… My head hurts so bad." Despite how quiet they were, the words Haruka said were clear as day to Kaori. She couldn't feel the pain Haruka was going through herself, but Kaori could hear the agony coursing through her voice. Initially taken aback by how Haruka reacted, Kaori remained resolute as she tried her best to get a hold on the situation at hand. "I don't want to fight anymore!"
"You weren't doing all this willingly? Then what's stopping you from quitting?" Needing to know more about Haruka's condition to effectively help her, Kaori had no choice but to ask the bluntest questions possible. Though she wasn't sure what effects this would have on Haruka's mental condition, Kaori still saw this as being better than the alternative.
"I can't! The system…" Haruka's voice briefly drifted off before returning as an inaudible whisper, leaving Kaori in the dark about what she said next. Seeing as she didn't want to hurt Haruka any further by pushing her, Kaori decided to stop talking and start investigating the root cause of all this. As Haruka continued to motionlessly hover above the ground, Kaori noticed something strange while she looked around.
The visored helmet Haruka wore had a thick strip of material connecting it to the main bodysuit, with the outlines of several wires visible through the plastic and fiber. Realizing that strip of wire was most likely what controlled Haruka's actions through whatever went on in her helmet, Kaori attempted to take it off from her head, only to be met with unexpectedly fierce resistance.
"Don't!" Haruka exclaimed, this time quite loudly. As if being controlled by someone, her hands spasmed out to violently clutch the helmet and shove it back on. Shocked by Haruka's actions, Kaori nearly recoiled after seeing them, but that also proved the helmet was the key to all this. Now all she needed was a way to remove it without triggering an adverse reaction from Haruka.
Thinking about what she could do, Kaori hit on a solution after a few moments. Though Asuka would most likely freak out upon immediately seeing this, Kaori knew she most likely wouldn't mind, considering the three of them had done far more before. In fact, Asuka would most likely ask to join in as well.
Having her Klefki disengage its Fairy Lock, Kaori then wrapped her arms around Haruka as a replacement before she leaned in and planted a kiss right on her lips. With Haruka fully distracted by her sudden actions, Kaori used this as an opportunity to slowly inch her arms upwards. Once they reached Haruka's shoulders, Kaori then bent her elbows back and removed the helmet.
As Haruka's hair spilled out like a brown waterfall from being set free, the first thing Kaori noticed was that her eyes were red and puffy, as if she had been crying this whole time. The trails Haruka's tears were leaving behind confirmed this, and they multiplied in number while the orange highlights on her bodysuit lost their luster.
At the same time, the similarly-colored glow around Haruka's Pokémon disappeared as they became docile again, nearly keeling over from exhaustion after everything they went through. With the fighting now finally and truly over, everyone except Asuka looked up at Kaori and Haruka, wondering how the former pulled this off.
"It's OK, Haruka. You're alright now." Patting Haruka's back as she continued to sob uncontrollably, Kaori tried her best to give some reassuring words after breaking off the kiss. "No one's forcing you to fight anymore. You're back to normal again. Come on, Asuka and myself are waiting for you. Even your protégé Nozomi's down there too."
"But- but I hurt everyone around me!" Haruka cried out. That momentarily alarmed Kaori, but her sole response was to hug Haruka again, even more tightly this time around. "Even if I didn't want to do it, I still did it! How can I ever hope to gain everyone's forgiveness after what I've done to them?"
"Haruka, everyone down there knows you. They're the ones who told Asuka and I you were being controlled in the first place. Of course they'll easily forgive you. You don't have to worry about that." Kaori calmly smiled at Haruka. "Once we get you out of here, I'll make sure no one else hurts you because of what you've unwillingly done. As someone who loves you from the bottom of her heart, that's the least I can do for you."
"Yeah… that's right. No matter who hurts you, you'll still find a way to forgive them. That's the kind of person you are." As the last glow of orange faded from her bodysuit, Haruka returned the hug, her hands encircling Kaori's warm body. With the bodysuit now being completely deactivated, Haruka and Kaori slowly began to descend from midair, locked in a heartfelt embrace as they butted their heads together.
"I'm so grateful to have you by my side, Kaori."
"Someone, please! Anyone! Someone please help us here!"
Her voice sore from screaming for so long, Reina's hopes of being rescued were rapidly dwindling with each passing moment. Both of her arms numb due to the exertion she was putting them through, Reina still refused to let go of what she clung on to. If she let go of either Kumiko or the building's ledge, then she could never hold onto them again. That fear was the only thing preventing her from succumbing to exhaustion.
The wind whistling through her ears, each gust made Reina even more afraid of what awaited her if she ever faltered. With both Kumiko and her lightly swaying around as they dangled from the building, a particularly powerful breeze would definitely loosen Reina's grip, sending them tumbling down. No matter how she did it, Reina had to protect both Kumiko and herself from falling.
"My my, who do we have here?" Reina's ears perked up upon hearing a familiar voice suddenly echo from above. Initially assuming it was Mugi's, Reina nearly recoiled in shock before remembering the blonde had already left along with her bandmates. With that eliminating any possibility of it being yet another member of HTT, Reina looked up to see who this mysterious newcomer was.
"...Miss Asuka?" Seeing a bespectacled beauty gaze down on her from above for the second time threw Reina in for a loop. Just what was an Elite Four member doing here at Houkago Records' headquarters? Unsure of how to respond in such an unexpected scenario, Reina's hesitant silence only served as an invitation for Asuka to continue speaking.
"Yes, that's me. The one and only!" Asuka boldly announced, before leaning in closer. "Since I received news from an associate of an associate of an associate that you were kidnapped by some of HTT's goons for whatever reason, I suspected you'd be here. Imagine my surprise when I found you free as a Flying-type Pokémon, along with Oumae-chan also here to boot! I wonder how this came to be?"
"...It's a long story." Reina bluntly replied, not wanting to tell a relative stranger about how she ended up in this situation. Still reeling from Yamanaka's words, Reina wasn't in the best metal state right now for giving proper explanations, especially towards someone like Asuka. The wind still blowing in the absence of any dialogue, Asuka had no choice but to move the conversation forward.
"Fair enough. Need a hand getting back here? You look like you're in a bit of trouble, having to carry Oumae-chan as well." Upon hearing Asuka's offer of help, Reina tensed up. This wasn't what she expected from the Elite Four member. Reina didn't like the direction their interactions were heading in, but she didn't have much choice left. Considering Asuka's behaviour towards Kumiko, she wondered if this was the best choice at all.
From the very beginning, Asuka had taken a special interest in Kumiko, and that fixation benefited Reina as well. With the Mega Stones Asuka gave them, she and Kumiko were able to conquer challenges they otherwise couldn't, forging forward at an even greater pace. Asuka's strength also gave Reina a metric she could measure herself up against, allowing her to glimpse the sheer power she needed to achieve her goals.
However, Asuka quickly nested a place inside Kumiko's heart in just a few short maneuvers, one that Reina feared would soon prove a challenge to her own. Despite them being inseparable for quite some time, Reina always had a lingering doubt that someone else would threaten her position as the most special person in Kumiko's life.
She once thought Mamiko would be this person, but seeing her give her blessing for them to date alleviated Reina's concerns. That was not the case for Asuka. Though her overly-affectionate behaviours towards Kumiko didn't concern Reina that much, it seemed Asuka had a direct route to Kumiko's heart at times, slashing past the facades she put up to jab at the core beneath.
This was what worried Reina the most. She didn't know whether Kumiko viewed Asuka more like a big sister figure or as a love interest, but both options deeply unsettled Reina. No matter how Kumiko's relationship with Asuka could be defined, Reina's worst fear was that it would exceed what they shared together.
If Asuka rescued them here, then Kumiko would naturally feel indebted to her, causing the bond between them to grow even deeper. Considering how much Kumiko already looked up to Asuka, the end result was a perfect storm to end the dominance Reina currently had over Kumiko's heart. Losing that special position was something Reina did not want, no matter the price.
Then she remembered the situation they were in.
Refusing Asuka's offer here would only mean even more suffering for both her and Kumiko. While Reina was adamant about retaining her place in Kumiko's life, that conviction would mean nothing if they couldn't make it out of here. No matter how much she claimed to love Kumiko, that love would mean nothing if Reina couldn't save the girl she was so desperately clinging to.
After everything Yamanaka said, Reina was still in doubt as to whether or not she truly deserved Kumiko's affection, but there was much more at stake than just their relationship. Her hand was the only thing protecting Kumiko from an even worse fate. And right now, the only route away from this situation Reina saw was Asuka's. Weighing everything once more in her mind, Reina made her decision.
"...Fine. Please help us." Barely composing herself, there was no emotion in Reina's voice as she made her request. With the emotional beatdown she had just received at Yamanaka's hands, Reina was tired of having her feelings manipulated by other people. As if expecting this straightforward response all along, Asuka produced a Pokéball out of nowhere.
"Alright then! Stay still for a sec!" Throwing her Pokéball up in the air to reveal her Tropius, Asuka hopped on as it took to the skies. Circling around the building as it descended, Asuka's Tropius was soon below where Kumiko was hanging, with its Trainer gesturing for Reina to let go. Hesitating for a moment, those few seconds were all Reina needed to assure herself this was the right decision.
Her hand separating itself from the building's ledge, Reina felt gravity take its toll as she and Kumiko fell straight down, only to be caught by the wide body of Asuka's Tropius. With all the pain from hanging on to both Kumiko and the building now setting in, Reina almost didn't catch what happened next when she succumbed to her exhaustion and passed out shortly after.
As her Tropius accelerated forwards and skywards, Asuka pried away Kumiko's body from Reina's lone arm, cradling the brown-haired girl in her arms like a precious little sister. Looking on with her half-open eyes, Reina could only watch in vain as Asuka lowered her lips and tenderly kissed Kumiko on the cheek. Unable to protest anything in her current state, Reina internally screamed even as she began to lose consciousness.
In more ways than one, Kumiko had been snatched away from her.
"And a toast to our resounding success!"
With those words, Sawako, the five girls of HTT, and their friends triumphantly raised their champagne glasses in the air. As cheers from everyone else filled the room, a jubilant mood was in the air. Though HTT lost their record label's headquarters earlier that day, that minor shortcoming was significantly offset by what they achieved during that time.
"Sawa-chan-sensei, but now I don't have my fancy office anymore!" Of everyone present, it was Yui who was the most distraught at the news that the building had been rendered unusable in the scuffle against the League. Of course, that wasn't out of the ordinary for Yui at all, so Sawako decided to humor her.
"Don't worry, Yui-chan. Your office was just a small price to pay for salvation. Once our plan succeeds, then you'll definitely get a much bigger office. In fact, we'll have enough money to buy as many offices as we want!" Sawako exclaimed in joy, clutching Yui with one arm. As Yui merrily chuckled at the idea of having an entire building full of offices just for her, Sawako was snapped out of her reverie by Mio coming over.
"Um, Sawako-sensei. About what you did right before we escaped. Was it really necessary? We already accomplished everything we needed to do back there, so why go the extra length?" Initially confused as to what Mio meant, it took Sawako a few moments to recall the exact incident. Oh right, that. With a reassuring smile on her face, Sawako patted Mio on the back.
"Calm down, Mio-chan. I was just tying up the few loose ends we left hanging back there." While it was more of a last-minute decision, Sawako still thought it was a good one nonetheless. If that matter wasn't swiftly dealt with, who knew what HTT would have on their hands in the future? "Now that it's been done and dusted, we're basically untouchable now!"
"Yeah, Mio. Chill-out and relax! Everything's gone perfectly smooth on our end, so just sit back and bask in the glory!" Ritsu glomped Mio with a wide grin on her flushed face, slightly tipsy from drinking too much champagne. "Anyways, I can't wait 'til we start the final phase of our plan! If we can pull it off without a hitch, and I'm sure we can, then our path to worldwide stardom is totally assured!"
"But don't we have to wait a few more weeks before our custom equipment for that is finished?" Azusa stepped in, two champagne glasses in hand for her and Yui. "Since we completed this phase of our plan earlier than expected, there's pretty much nothing for us to do during this time. Are we just going to sit around here and wait, or do something else instead?"
"Good question, Azusa, and one whose answer I was about to tell you all." It was Mugi who last joined the core group of five and Sawako, having been discussing other details of their plan with the people in charge. "Before we actually get going with the final phase, there are still preparations we need to do in order to make sure we're fully prepared in case something goes wrong. All of us will be extremely busy with them going forwards."
"Well, now that's out of the way, let's party hard! To our success!" Hugging all five girls of HTT in her outstretched arms, Sawako couldn't be any happier. Despite how chaotic the day had been, everything HTT set out to do in the hours they had were now done and dusted. After this party ended and they finished nursing their hangovers, HTT would finally enter their plan's endgame.
Any way this situation could be sliced, things were looking up for the band.
"Hmm, looks like the Eigve City hospital is over capacity as well. Then I guess there's no choice but to head to the one in Dacap Town."
Drifting in and out of consciousness as Asuka's Tropius continued to fly through the skies, the only things Reina could hear aside from the rustling wind was the Elite Four member's ramblings. With her eyelids unwilling to freely open, those sounds were all Reina could sense as she struggled to stay awake. About to pass out again, Reina heard alarming words pass through Asuka's mouth, but failed to realize how serious they were in her stupor of fatigue.
"Wait, Oumae-chan's not actually unconscious, but Asleep?! With a capital A?! Tropius, full speed ahead! We've got a life-or-death emergency on our hands here! There's no time to waste!"
A/N: No chapter next week. To Be A Solister returns on December 16th.
And don't worry, Kumiko will continue to be a main character in future chapters. Though not in a way you might expect...
