The time has arrived once again!
After being told of the crisis in Lowee, Nepgear, Excel and the rest of their party arrived to the cold nation to see what was going on.
"Man, I'm cold..." Excel said, shivering. "I've always wanted to visit Lowee, but I didn't expect it to be THIS cold. You've been here before, right Nepgear? Is this what it's normally like?"
"Yes. But don't worry, Excel. You'll get used to it. It's not so bad after a few minutes." Nepgear replied, trying to reassure him, although she was also shivering.
"Your mouth might be saying that, but your body appears to be saying something different, nyu." Broccoli said.
As the group continued walking, they found the Lowee Basilicom and headed inside it, the inside being much warmer than the outside.
"Ahh, that's much better!" Excel said in relief. He then proceeded to check the Basilicom out. "Wow, this place is cool! I'm posting this on my Chirper!"
While he did that, Nepgear searched for the Oracle.
"Hello?" She asked, before the Oracle, Mina Nishizawa revealed herself.
"Oh, if it isn't you girls." Mina said. "What brings you back to Lowee?"
"What's the deal? You look like crap, nyu." Said Broccoli, noticing something was amiss.
"I do? My apologies..." Mina replied. "I haven't been able to get much sleep these past few days..."
"Are things that bad?" Compa asked in a concerned tone.
"What about Rom and Ram?" Asked an equally concerned Nepgear. "Are they doing okay?"
"Yeah, they're not hurt, are they?" Asked an equally concerned Excel. "I really hope nothing bad has happened to them! Oh, I'm Leanbox's CPU Candidate Excel, by the way..."
"Yes, I know who you are." Mina replied. "Your Oracle, Chika has told me about you."
"Really!?" Excel responded surprised. "Awesome, man! What did she tell you?"
"She informed me that you're an obnoxious fanboy who's trying to take her darling Vert from her..." Mina admitted. Excel looked hurt by this.
"I may have to talk to Chika when this is over..." Excel responded.
"And to answer your questions..." Mina was about to say, before Ram showed up to answer for her.
"No... We're not, dummy..." She said. Excel looked happy to see her, although something about her looked...off.
"Oh, dear. She looks very sick..." 5pb. noticed.
"Oh no!" Excel exclaimed.
"Ram, where's your sister?" Nepgear asked.
"Sleeping." Ram explained. "She's asleep more than she's awake, ever since that day."
"That day? What day?" IF asked. "What's going on here, exactly."
"We're unsure, ourselves." Mina replied. "We only know that we suddenly lost a great deal of Shares, leading to this..."
"Got it." IF said, interrupting Mina. "We should investigate the cause first, and then..."
"Please slow down, IF." Nepgear responded. "Rom and Ram's health comes first."
"Huh?" Ram reacted in surprise.
"How can we help sick CPUs?" Red asked.
"By getting their Shares back." Nepgear answered. "If we do that, the two of them should get better, I think..."
"That's awesome!" Excel said, completely on board with Nepgear's plan. "You're so selfless, Nepgear! No wonder you're my hero!"
"Get ready to rinse and repeat if the Shares are stolen away again, nyu." Broccoli said.
"I know, but..." Nepgear said, before turning to Mina. "Hmm, Miss Mina? Do you have the equipment needed to craft Sharicite here?"
"Y-Yes, all Basilicoms do." Mina answered. "I know the method to make it, but why do you ask?"
"If we recover some Shares, can you make it into a Sharicite immediately?" Nepgear asked. "Is it possibly in small amounts?"
"Fine." IF sighed. "Not like you'd change your mind, anyway..."
"Can you really save Rom?" Ram asked.
"Yeah, can you?" Excel asked. "I really wanna get an autograph."
"Not just her. You too." Nepgear said to Ram in a determined tone. "We'll go get some Shares right away, okay?"
"W-Wait a minute, please!" Mina interjected. "I appreciate this, but we couldn't possibly ask for your help again..."
"Don't worry. We want to help." Nepgear said happily.
"Yeah, we're CPUs after all!" Excel said, backing his hero up. "Besides, Rom and Ram are my heroes and everything!"
"But someone not from Lowee helping in our affairs puts us at a global disadvantage, and..." Mina explained, before being cut off.
"Wait, what?" Excel asked, confused. "You mean you're not gonna let us help you out?"
"I am afraid that is correct." Mina admitted.
"So are you saying we should sit back and watch those two suffer!?" Nepgear added, somewhat angry.
"N-No, I'd love your help, but as an Oracle, I must consider the political implications, so..." Mina answered, before being interrupted by Broccoli.
"Don't force your kindness. Honor their decision, nyu." Broccoli said to Nepgear and Excel.
"Honor their decision? But then, what choice do we have left?" Nepgear asked worriedly.
"Yeah, I don't want Rom and Ram to suffer!" Excel added, before turning to Broccoli. "Do you have any ideas?"
"Actually, I do. You two should compromise and negotiate a deal that both parties can agree on, nyu." Broccoli answered.
"Wait, so you mean we should get political up in here?" Excel asked. "As if we're making a trade between nations?"
"Exactly." Broccoli answered. "As CPU Candidates, the both of you should be experienced in politics, nyu."
"Negotiate, huh? Okay, I get it!" Nepgear said, understanding the situation at hand. Excel turned to Nepgear, wanting to know of her strategy.
"What's the plan, Nepgear? I've never made decisions for Leanbox. Have you ever made any decisions for Planeptune before?"
"N-Not really..." Nepgear admitted. "But I have an idea. Follow my lead..."
"Got it!" Excel eagerly complied before the duo turned back to Mina.
"Miss Mina, we'd like to help Rom and Ram..." Nepgear stated.
"Yes, we are nothing if not loyal to our fellow CPU Candidates." Excel said, backing her up. "We will do our best to help them out, as I am a big fan of both of them, and would very much like them to get better sooner rather than later."
"Yes. But in turn, as the CPU Candidates of Planeptune and Leanbox respectively, we ask that you have both CPU Candidates assist us on our journey." Nepgear added.
"Yeah! As the CPU Candidate and probably acting CPU of Leanbox, I can't tell you what an honor this is!" Excel added excitedly. "If you allow us to bring our fellow CPU Candidates on our journey to rescue our sisters, I will be forever grateful."
"Is that really a good deal for you?" Mina asked. "It sounds like I'd be the only one to benefit from that."
"Accept it!" Ram interjected. "C'mon, stop talking and save Rom! Please!"
"Ram, you mustn't agree on something that us adults need to discuss!" Mina replied.
"Hold up, m'am!" Excel said. "Surely, Ram's an adult too! She wouldn't be a total cool and badass CPU if she wasn't."
"See?" Ram said to Mina. "What's-His-Name over there gets it!"
"It's Excel..." Excel said, correcting the rambunctious young girl.
"All right, it's a deal, then." Nepgear said happily. "Excel and I will go get some Shares, we promise!"
"We doubly promise!" Excel added. "Ciao!"
The two headed off, leaving Mina on her own.
"They really muscled their way through that deal, didn't they?" Mina said, feeling ashamed. "Perhaps I'm not fit to be an Oracle..."
The rest of Nepgear's party followed her and Excel out of the Basilicom as well, as IF soon spoke up.
"Gotta say, I'm impressed with Gear. She's definitely gotten stronger, and she knows it." She said. "Acting a bit too big for her britches, if you ask me."
"Heehee! That's pretty common for a growing girl, Iffy." Compa added.
The group left the Basilicom, and gathered some Shares for Rom and Ram. After this, the group decided to regroup in the city.
"We got some Shares back. I just hope it's enough..." Nepgear said hopefully.
"Hard to say, but we should go back and make it to the Sharicite before we lose them again, nyu." Broccoli suggested.
"Yeah, I agree with... Who are you again?" Excel asked.
"Broccoli, nyu." She replied.
"Speaking of losing them again, we have no idea what caused this yet, do we?" 5pb. added.
"Behind something bad like this could only be...someone bad!" Red replied.
"So basically, ASIC?" Excel asked.
"That is correct." Cave answered. "We must locate their whereabouts before it's too late."
"Hmm?" Compa said, noticing something was amiss, and that's when she noticed Warechu.
"Ch-Chu, chu, chiggity-chu..." He said to himself.
"Mister Mouse? What's he doing out here?" Compa asked.
"I knew I'd smelled a rat." IF said. "I just didn't think we'd find one in the literal sense."
The group secretly followed Warechu to his next destination, which appeared to be some alley, where he appeared to be dealing stuff to several Lowee citizens.
"Thanks for the wait, bub! Here's the uber-popular, surpreme, amulator chip you wanted, chu!" He said, as he introduced various customers to his wares.
"Oh no he didn't! Gimme three!" Said a customer.
"Sweet! Now I can play that one game online without all that stupid DRM crap holding me back!" Said another customer.
"So sick, bro! I don't wanna be left out, so I'm getting one to fit in with the hip crowd." Said ANOTHER customer.
"Hey, hey. No pushing. We got plenty for everyone, chu. " Warechu said. "And make sure you tell your friends who don't have one yet that they should come get one from me, chu!"
"Ah-ha. That explains it." Said IF, her and the rest of the group having watched the deal go down.
"Those emulation chips must have been spread far and wide here..." 5 pb. added.
"Let's bust 'em before they can take any more Shares away!" Red declared.
The group ran up to Warechu, interrupting the deal to confront him.
"Stop right there! Bad Mister Mouse!" Compa said sternly.
"Huh? Whoooooa, my sweet Compa!" Said Warechu, completely starstruck over seeing his crush. "Am I dreaming? Has my angelic Compa come to buy a chip from little ol' me...?"
"Absotively, posolutely not!" Compa said angrily. "I'm gonna stomp them and break them and stuff!"
"Y-You'll what!?" Warechu reacted in shock. "I can't let that happen! B-But if it makes my sweet Compa happy, then...maybe...chu..."
He looked like he was about ready to comply, before he snapped out of it.
"N-No, no way! These are a real bitch to manufacture." He said. "I can't let that happen, not even for you, chu!"
With that, Warechu quickly darted out of the scene.
"Hey! Get back here!" Red shouted. "C'mon, stop doing this already!"
"Aw, nuts! What do we do now, Nepgear?" Excel asked.
"We'll chase him down." Nepgear answered. "We definitely cannot allow him to distribute any more of those!"
"Yeah! Good idea! You're always so helpful!" Excel replied, sucking up to Nepgear yet again.
The group went to a nearby field, where they managed to catch up to Warechu.
"P-Persistent broads chasing me all the way here..." He said, catching his breath.
"Please give us those chips, Mister Mouse!" Asked Compa.
"I'm so sorry, my dear..." Warechu replied. "I cannot do that, chu."
"Then I'm going to have to poke you with my syringe and take them by force!" Compa declared.
"I'd rather not raise a hand against my beloved angel, but my work is my life, chu..." Warechu said. "If my angelic Compa won't love me, then...I'll love my work more than anything and anyone else, chu!"
Warechu looked like he was just about to attack the team, only to be immediately subdued by Compa and her gigantic syringe, just as the nurse threatened to do.
"Whoa, that thing is MASSIVE!" Excel said in surprise.
"I tried to warn you, Mister Mouse." Compa said in a somewhat sad tone. After this, IF approached her.
"Y'know Compa, if you acted a bit more seductive, you probably could've had the rat change teams."
"Huh? You want me to be more sexy?" Compa asked. "Does that mean I should make lots of kissy faces, or...?"
"Actually, you're fine just the way you are." IF said, reassuring the cute nurse. "Let's just smash these chips, okay?"
"Yay! Dibs on smashing!" Red cheered.
"Crunch, nyu." Broccoli said.
And the team proceeded to destroy all of the chips, leaving nothing left.
"That should prevent any more loss of Shares in Lowee." Nepgear stated.
"I really hope so!" Excel added. "Now maybe we can get Rom and Ram on board?"
"Yeah. Let's have the Oracle make some Sharicite next." IF agreed.
The group returned to the Lowee Basilicom to tell Mina of their success.
"A new Arfoire chip?" Mina asked, realizing the reason behind Lowee's decline in Shares. "So that was the cause..."
"Don't sweat it!" Red said. "Me and my wifeys stomped on them until they were nothing more than electronic dust piles!"
"I stomped on them too." Excel pointed out.
"Oh, and so did my non-wifey over there." Red added, pointing to Excel.
"We think your Shares are same for now." Compa said.
"Yeah, okay, but what about Rom?" Asked an impatient Ram. "What's gonna happen to her?"
"Calm down, Ram." Mina said. "Albeit small, I can make a piece of Sharicite to treat her with these Shares."
"So...she's gonna get better?" Ram asked, hopeful.
"I hope so!" Excel answered. "I've always wanted to fight alongside the both of you! This is a once in a lifetime oppurtunity!"
"Yes. Excel's correct." Nepgear added. "I'm sure she'll be fine."
"Oh... Man, what a relief..." Ram said happy and relieved.
"Great! So are we cool?" Excel asked, offering a handshake to Ram, hoping that she'll accept it.
"Uh... I don't really do handshakes." Ram said.
"Oh...? Then what do you do?" Excel asked.
"Wanna high-five?" Ram offered. "You're a weirdo, but you seem nice enough. Plus, you did just save Rom."
This caused Excel to squeal like a kid in a candy store as he eagerly gave Ram a high-five.
Meanwhile, Rom was still asleep in bed, moaning softly. Just then, her room became invaded by Underling, who broke into the Basilicom unnoticed.
"Tactical espionage entrance, success! All clear inside, boss." She declared.
"Good!" Her boss in question, known as CFW Trick replied.
He also tried to get into the Basilicom too, but was having difficulty doing so. Possibly due to his heavy weight.
"H-Hrrm? Wait... My body seems to be stuck. I...don't think...I can fit..." He admitted, struggling to get inside.
"Oh, yeah, I forgot that you're a big dude." Underling replied. "Why'd you want to come along this time, anyway?"
"Bwahahaha..." Trick replied, laughing creepily. "It's obvious, no?"
"I heard the quiet snores of a gorgeous young lady asleep in this very room!" He added, pointing to the sleeping Rom.
"Uh, okay." Underling replied, a bit confused. "Well, there is a kid sleeping, but..."
"Oooh! I simply must see her!" Trick declared. "Stare at her sleeping face! Why must I get stuck now!?"
He tried to get in again, but continued to struggle.
"This probably isn't your type of job, boss..." Underling admitted.
"Agggh, it's this foolish ceiling!" Trick complained. "I shall dole out an appropriate punishment for this!"
"Wh-Whoa! Boss, you're making way too much noise!" Underling said, trying to quiten down Trick.
Meanwhile, the others remained downstairs, patiently waiting for Mina to create the Sharicite. Well... mostly everyone was patiently waiting.
"C'mon, hurry it up, Mina!" Said an impatient Ram. "You're slow like a grandma!"
"Now, now. This process cannot be rushed..." Mina replied, as she applied the finishing touches. "It's nearly ready... Aaaaand, there we go. Done."
With that, the Sharicite was created, resulting in Lowee earning their Shares back.
"Yay! Finally!" Ram cheered happily.
"Awesome!" Excel added. "So, what happens now? Will Rom and Ram get better?"
"Whew. While it's small, I feel it should have enough power to help them both recover." Mina explained.
"Yes! Beautiful!" Excel cheered. "This is gonna be so awesome, man! Can we go see if she's alright now?"
"Yes. Let's hurry to Rom's side, and-" Nepgear was about to say before she was interrupted...
What interrupted Nepgear was the sound of what seemed like an explosion going off.
"What was that?" Ram asked. "It sounded like something happened in me and Rom's bedroom..."
"I know that sound." 5pb. said, having a feeling what it was. "That's what a falling ceiling sounds like!"
"Why would the ceiling fall, nyu?" Broccoli asked, confused by what the idol just said.
"Oh no! Rom was in there!" Ram panicked.
The group ran upstairs to where Rom and Ram's bedroom was. Meanwhile, Underling chastized Trick for being too loud.
"Wh-What the hell, boss?" She said. "Those broads are gonna know we're here!"
"A small price to pay for me to be able to leer at this beautiful young fruit..." Trick replied, staring at Rom like a weirdo. "My, so lovely...! Can I be the one to carry her out of here? Maybe gently massage the cowlick from her bedhead...?"
"Stoppit, boss! This is no time for you to live out your fantasies." Underling replied. "We gotta do our thing and bounce!"
"Ah, yes, true. How rude of me." Trick said, finally snapping out of it. "I will tend to her adorably messy hair later."
However, just after he said that, Rom woke up, having probably been awaken due to Trick's excessive yelling.
"H-Huh...? A stranger..." The adorable shy little girl said.
"Heeheehee... Don't be scared, my sleeping beauty." Trick replied. "Look deep into my eyes. Ever...so...deep..."
"Your...eyes...? N-No... Waaaaaaah!" Rom cried out as she was forced to stare into Trick's eyes against her will.
"Good, good. Now then, be sure to treat her well while in your care." Trick told Underling. "She is my very special guest. Understood!? You're not to lay a single finger on my cutie pie, or you'll face my full wrath!"
And with that, Trick departed, leaving Underling alone with Rom.
"Dude, he'd be a real badass if he didn't have such...messed up tastes." Underling said.
Meanwhile, Nepgear's group were outside Rom and Ram's room, having heard Rom's cries for help just now.
"Oh no! Rom's in trouble!" Ram said worriedly.
"Oh no, Rom!" Excel said, trying to open the door, although he struggled to do so. "Stand back, I'm gonna break the door down!"
All of the girls watched as Excel did a running start towards the door to Rom and Ram's bedroom, then ran full force towards it, jumping high and slamming his entire body into the door. This obviously didn't work at all, and it only ended up causing Excel to hurt his own arm in the process. He ended up laying on the floor, clutching his arm in pain.
"Son of a bitch! Vert, help!" Excel said in pain, probably forgetting his sister was still holed up in the Gamindustri Graveyard.
"Maybe let one of us do it..." IF said, as she easily opened the door, allowing everyone entry.
"Rom! Are you okay?" Ram said towards her sister, hoping she was safe.
"Here comes the broad brigade, right on cue. Frickin' chore..." Underling complained.
"What are you doing here? Get away from Rom, now!" Nepgear angrily said to Underling. By this point, Excel had rejoined the group, having recovered from his brief injury, although he was still holding onto his arm.
"You again? Why do you exist!?" Excel complained. "Please go away, and give Rom to us!"
"Yeah, okay. Feel free to to convince her to leave my side, chumps." Underling said, revealing the now brainwashed Rom.
"Hug." Rom said, as she hugged Underling. She now had orange eyes, and was in a trance-like state.
"Rom, what're you doing!?" Ram said, trying to snap her sister out of her stupor. "Don't hug our enemy, dummy!"
"Enemy, huh? Let's test her out..." Underling said, turning to Rom. "Hey, brat. Everyone wants to see you beat the crap out of your enemy."
"'Kay..." Rom complied.
"Yeah, Rom! That's the enemy right there!" Excel said, pointing to Underling. "Go on, Rom! Kick her ass! Give her the business!"
Rom, however, completely ignored him, and attacked Ram instead.
"Ow! Stoppit Rom, don't hit me!" Ram complained.
"No, no no! THAT'S the enemy, Rom!" Excel added. "Don't beat Ram up! You're supposed to be two total badass CPUs!"
"Hahaha! Looks like the twerp sees you as her enemy now!" Underling responded.
"What'd you do this time?" IF said, demanding answers from Underling.
"Brainwashing, duh." Underling replied. "The brat was so weak without any Shares, it took hold right away."
"Brainwashing!? Corrupting the mind of a CPU is a captial offense!" Mina said in response.
"Hell if I care! Time for me to go and get the rest of your stupid nation's Shares." Underling declared, bringing Rom along with her. "C'mon, brat!"
"'Kay..." Rom said, as she left with Underling.
"Wait! Rom! Rooooom!" Ram shouted, calling out to Rom. She proceeded to run after her, but was stopped by IF.
"Whoa, don't run after them, kid." IF advised. "Nothing we can do by chasing them without a plan."
"Shut up! I gotta get Rom back!" Ram snapped, as she tried to break free from IF's hold. "Lemme go!"
As she tried to wriggle free, Nepgear and Excel tried to ask Mina what should be done.
"What should we do? How can we get her back?" Nepgear asked.
"How the heck do you brainwash a CPU anyway!? Excel added. "They're total baddasses who don't take crap from anybody! This type of stuff shouldn't be happening!"
"I'm not sure." Mina replied to both of them. "No records exist of a CPU being brainwashed..."
"So wait, is this the first time something like this has happened?" Excel asked. "That's not gonna happen to me, will it!?"
"Perhaps that will not happen." Mina answered. "Not unless Leanbox is low on shares."
"I think we're good for now." Excel replied. "Nothing's really happened since last time."
"Maybe good ol' Prince Red needs to give her young princess a kiss, like in all those stoires?" Red asked, interjecting into their conversation.
"No! If you try to do something icky like that, I'll kick you!" Ram snapped, threatening the red-haired lesbian.
"I'd probably not do it if I were you..." Excel said to Red. "Ram's a CPU. She could totally kick your ass."
"It's hard to express with words, but what if we tried to awaken her from the soul, outward...?" 5pb. asked, offering an idea.
"Underling said it was easy to do because of the lack of Shares, nyu." Broccoli added, backing 5pb. up.
"But what does that mean for us?" Compa asked.
"Think the opposite." Broccoli answered. "It'll be hard to keep her brainwashed if she gets a lot of Shares, nyu."
"Shares, huh? Do you think the Sharicite would work?" Nepgear asked.
"I hope so! I don't want a brainwashed Rom!" Excel replied.
"I wouldn't trust anything that idiot told us." IF said.
"It's just a hypothesis, nyu." Broccoli responded.
"We've no other options right now. It may be worth a shot." Mina said.
"Okay, then we're done talking! C'mon, let's hurry up and find her!" Ram said in a determined tone.
"Chill out, jeez." It's too late to give chase, and they'll make their move soon." IF said, trying to calm the girl down. "Let's gather info, okay?"
After a while of gathering info, the group regrouped back in the Basilicom's main room.
"I have information! Or, not really." Mina said. "But I did receive a request for aid to stop a rampaging CPU in town."
"Is it Rom?" Excel asked, somewhat hopeful and somewhat worried.
"I believe so, yes." Mina answered.
"They didn't wait at all, huh? Everyone ready?" IF said to the rest of the group.
"Yes, absolutely." Nepgear answered.
"Yeah, dude! We got the power of friendship and pudding on our side and all that." Excel added.
"Those dummies won't get away with what they did to Rom!" Ram also addded. "Never, ever!"
The group headed out to look for Underling and Rom, finding them in the middle of the street. Rom was in her White Sister form, and was currently wreaking havoc, using her goddess powers to try and destroy Lowee.
"Yeah, good girl! Destroy! Underling cheered, egging Rom on.
"Destroy...everything..." Rom replied in a hypnotic state, as she continued her rampage.
"Hahaha, this is awesome! Front row seat to watch a CPU blow up her own nation!" Underling said, loving the destruction Rom was causing. It was at this point Nepgear an co. found her.
"There you are!" Nepgear said, pointing to Underling.
"Ugh, it's the peanut gallery. Just when I was enjoying myself..." Underling complained. "Read the atmosphere, you idiots!"
"How could you say that you enjoy seeing this destruction?" 5pb. angrily asked.
"Yeah! Don't you have anything better to do than to constantly bother us?" Excel added. After this, Ram stepped up to confront her.
"Gimme back Rom, or else!" Ram said threateningly.
"Or else, what? You'll fight me?" Underling lauged. "Okay, do your worst, shortstack. Just know that this kid is gonna act as my shield as soon as you try anything!"
"Go, go, go! Kick her ass, Ram!" Excel cheered, wanting to see his hero in action. "But don't hurt Rom though..."
Ram however, hesitated to do anything.
"I'm all for smacking arond this dummy!" She said. "But I don't wanna risk hurting Rom either..."
With that, Red spoke up for her.
"You're cheating! Fight us like the underling you are, Underling!" She said angrily.
"Don't try to piss her off." IF replied, turning to Nepgear. "You ready, Gear?"
"Yes. Taaaaake thiiiis!"
Nepgear shouted out loud as a blinding light engulfed the area.
"Oh shit, that's bright!" Underling exclaimed, only to be joking. "Not. It was just a sparkle. Is that really all you got?"
Rom remained still, not doing anything aggressive for the time being. Nepgear, Ram and Excel tried to call out to her.
"Please come back, Rom!" Nepgear pleaded.
"Yeah! Come back to us! I want an autograph and everything!" Excel added.
"C'mon, Rom! Snap out of it, dummy!" Ram also added.
"Tch! That was a bluff? You idiots think you can reverse the brainwashing with a little pleading?" Underling asked.
"But with friendship, anything's possible!" Excel pointed out.
"Ow... Waaaaaaah!" Rom started screaming as if she was in pain. It seemed she was trying to go back to normal.
"Huh? Why're you screaming?" Underling asked, noticing Rom's pain. "Oh, come on. Don't tell me this is the "trying to come back" cliche!"
"It's working, but it needs one more push, nyu." Broccoli said, convincing the Candidates to keep going.
"Ram, talk to your sister!" Compa said, encouraging Ram to keep trying to bring Rom back to her senses.
"It's me, Rom! Your super awesome twin sister, Ram! Say my name!" Ram said, hoping her words would help save her.
"R-Ram...?" Rom said. The plan was working!
"It's working! Hallelujah, it's working!" Excel said in delight.
"C-Crap. If she snaps out of it, the boss is gonna have my head..." Underling said in worry before turning to Rom. "H-Hey, we're leaving brat! Hurry it up!"
"Urrgh... 'Kay..." Rom said, sadly back to her brainwashed state.
The two soon escaped, much to Ram's dismay.
"Noooo! Wait, Rom!" She shouted sadly.
"Aw, nuts! What do we do now? Should we go after them?" Excel asked, mostly looking to Nepgear and Ram for advice.
"Yeah, we've gotta do it. It's on the verge of wearing off." IF answered. "We can't back down now!"
The group tailed Underling and the brainwashed Rom to a nearby dungeon. Underling stopped for a bit to catch her breath.
"Damn. I didn't think they'd have a way to reverse it so quick..." Underling said, panting.
"Wahhh..." Rom groaned in pain again, trying to fight her own brainwashing.
"Stop with the crybaby antics! Good-for-nothing brat..." Underling complained, before coming up with an idea. "Oh, wait. I still have "that"... It's perfect for this scenario... I totally forgot about it thanks to all that commotion. Now, where'd I stick it...?"
Before she could get to it, she was confronted by Nepgear and her team.
"Don't move a muscle!" IF said.
"Jeez, already!?" Underling complained.
"Yeah, dum-dum!" Excel said. "So screw you, you're under arrest!"
"Under arrest?" Broccoli asked in confusion. "I'm pretty sure you're not a cop, nyu.
"I watch a lot of cop movies and played a lot of cop games. I'm very impressionable." Excel responded. Meanwhile, the other 2 Candidates tried to reason with Rom.
"Rom! Get a grip!" Ram pleaded.
"We're here to take you home." Nepgear added.
"Oh, right! Please snap out of it!" Excel said, joining in. "Please? I really want us to be buddies!"
"Ram... Miss Nepgear... Mr. Excel..." Rom said. She was snapping out of it!
"Yes! Yes! It's working!" Excel said in glee. "I'd prefer probably being called just Excel, but it's working!"
"Yeah, that's what you think!" Underling stated. "Brainwashing reinforcement, go! Check this thing out, twerp.
Underling then used an even more powerful version of the brainwashing effect on Rom, forcing her back into the brainwashed state.
"W-W-Waaaaaah!" Rom cried out in pain over the excruciating power of this new brainwashing.
"Rom!" Ram said in panic.
"What's going on? She looks like she's in pain!" Compa said concerned.
"No... It's that light...!" 5pb. said, pointing to the light in question.
"Listen. Those broads are your enemies. Okay? En-e-mies." Underling explained to the re-brainwashed Rom. "We kill our enemies. Got it?"
"Oh..." Rom said in response.
"Stop doing weird things to my sister!"
Ram angrily lunged forward towards Underling, only to end up being blinded by the light that re-brainwashed Rom, causing her to become brainwashed as well.
"Gaaaaaaaah!" She cried out as she also got brainwashed.
"The hell!? Don't get between us, brat!" Underling said angrily, not realizing what exactly happened yet.
Due to Ram also getting brainwashed, the light ended up running out of energy.
"Oh crap!" Excel panicked. "Now they've both been brainwashed! What do we do now!?"
"Hey! Don't do anything rash!" IF said, restraining the blonde boy.
"Ram! Rom!" Nepgear said, trying to call out to the twins.
"Well, it ran out of energy... The hell happened?" Underling asked herself. "Don't tell me I used it for nothing..."
The possessed Rom and Ram just stared at her, both with blank expressions. Underling slowly realized what was up.
"Huh? Wait a sec... Maybe... Hey, brats. Call me "Boss Lady."" She said.
"Boss Lady..." Rom said.
"Give us a command, Boss Lady." Ram added.
"Uh-oh! Did it affect them both!?" Red asked in concern.
"That really sucks, nyu." Broccoli said.
"Yeah! I wanted their autograph!" Excel agreed.
"Hahahaha! This is comedy gold!" Underling laughed. "The idiot practically brainwashed herself! I couldn't have asked for a better result. Go and kill these broads!"
"Yes, Boss Lady." The twins said together, as Ram also transformed into her White Sister form.
"Wh-What do we do now?" Compa asked in worry.
"Forcing them into submission is our only choice now." IF said. "Scrubbing their brains clean comes later!"
"R-Right." Nepgear agreed. "It might hurt a little, but we promise this will help you in the end, Rom and Ram!"
"Hold up, is there another way?" Excel asked, not wanting to fight Rom and Ram. "I mean, I wouldn't dare disagree with you, Nepgear. But this is Rom and Ram we're talking about. They're awesome!"
The twins looked at the male CPU Candidate, then back at each other.
"Kill..." They both said in unison, as they both charged towards Excel.
"Ahh! Not the face!" Excel screamed while cowering, as he proceeded to get beaten up by the brainwashed Rom and Ram.
"Oh no! Excel!" Nepgear said in worry, as Excel started getting beaten up by the two little girls.
"Oh jeez, someone please help me! AHHHHHHH!" Excel shrieked in a high pitched voice as he continued getting attacked. Eventually, Nepgear and co. were forced to pry Rom and Ram off of him, resulting in them reluctantly having to defeat them in combat.
After they were weakened, Excel rushed over to Nepgear to hug her as thanks for saving him from when Rom and Ram beat him up.
"You saved me, Nepgear! You're my hero! You always have been!" Excel said, very grateful for Nepgear rescuing him.
"Hehe... D-Don't worry about it, Excel... A-Are you okay...?" She asked, a bit concerned for his wellbeing.
"Uh, yeah! I'm fine! I mean, it was kinda cool to get beaten up by Rom and Ram, but yeah, I'm totally fine!" He answered.
"Now's our chance! Sharicite! Now!" IF demanded.
"Got it. Come back to your senses!" Nepgear said, as she activated the Sharicite on Rom and Ram, restoring them to normal.
"Waaaah! Ooooof... Urrghh... Miss Nepgear...?" Rom said, recognizing Nepgear.
"Do you recognize us, Rom?" Nepgear asked. Excel was standing next to her.
"Yeah, do you remember me?" Excel asked. "We met at the concert in Lowee?"
"Uh huh... Excel...?" Rom responded, recognizing him as well. She also apparently listened to his request earlier.
"Owwy... I get that you had to stop us, but did you have to be such a bully about it...?" Ram complained.
"Well, to be fair, you girls did beat the crap out of Excel before we stepped in." IF said.
"Yeah, but then again... Rom and Ram beat me up! That was amazing!" Excel said, fanboying on the inside.
"Are you kidding?" IF asked. "You just kept screaming, crying, begging for help..."
"Sorry..." Rom said to Excel, feeling saddened for beating him up.
"Yeah, sorry." Ram added, not feeling as bad, but still seeming apologetic.
"What a relief." 5pb. said. "They both seem back to normal."
"Okay, this sucks all of a sudden." Underling complained. "Stay and get clawed to shreds, run and get clawed to pieces..."
"Who are you talking to? Get ready to feel our wrath!" Red said aggressively.
"You've made enough of a scene!" The familiar and hammy voice of CFW Trick was heard bellowing from somewhere, before he revealed himself, turning out to be a large fat robot looking weirdo.
"Whoa, here he comes! You broads are gonna answer to Sir CFW Trick now!" Underling declared.
"Great, another weirdo." IF said, before realizing something. "Or, wait... Isn't that...?"
"Yes, he was among the enemies we originally faced in the Gamindustri Graveyard..." Nepgear said, confirming IF's suspicions.
"Wait, you know this guy, Nepgear?" Excel asked. "What was he like?"
"I don't remember that much... But I remember him being a very powerful enemy." Nepgear nervously replied.
While they were talking, Underling spoke to Trick about her failure.
"U-Um, so hey, boss... What happened here was like, you know, not my fault, so..." She nervously said.
"I'll lap up your excused later. There are more pressing matters for me to deal with first." Trick replied.
"Y-Yeah, totally. You're gonna clobber these dumb broads, right?" Underling asked.
"Again. Not a girl." Excel interjected.
"Yeah, well, you act like one!" Underling retorted, not really caring what he had to say.
"Haggard fiends! How dare you raise your wrinkly hands against these poor, defenseless cutie-pies!" Trick angrily said to Nepgear's party, referring to their fight against Rom and Ram.
"It was self-defence, bro!" Excel said. "And I didn't even wanna do that!"
"You got your ass kicked, nyu." Broccoli said.
"I know..." Excel admitted.
"Cutie pies...?" Compa said in a confused way, not even listening to Excel and Broccoli's conversation.
"It's your fault for using that brain cleaner thing!" Red retorted towards Trick.
"Oooh..." Ram groaned, still feeling the effects of the beating she was reluctantly given at the hands of Nepgear and her team.
"Ram... It hurts..." Rom said, also feeling the effects of the beating she was given.
"Ahh, my poor little puppies..." Trick said in a sorrow voice. "Let me lick your wounds..."
Trick then proceeded to reveal his very long tongue. He then proceeded to...lick...Rom and Ram.
"Huh!? Eww, gross me out!" Ram whined as Trick began licking her.
"Yucky...! Don't...!" Rom also whined as Trick licked her too.
"What the hell are you doing, you psycho!?" IF asked in shock, most likely appalled at this too.
"Yeah, boss! That's really frickin' weird!" Underling said. Even SHE was weirded out by this.
"But this is how you clean and heal wounds, is it not?" Trick asked as he continued licking.
"No way, dude! You're meant to just give them band-aids or something!" Excel replied. "That's just so wrong on so many levels! And that's Rom and Ram you're doing that to, on top of all that!"
"S-Stoppit! Ugh. I'm gonna ralph..." Ram said in disgust as Trick kept licking her and Rom.
"Ew... It feels so gross..." Rom whined.
"Get that ridiculous large tongue away from them, nyu!" Broccoli demanded, trying to help Rom and Ram, while the others all looked disgusted by Trick's actions.
"Oh, another compact little cutie?" Trick said, looking towards Broccoli. "Alas, I'm not enough of a man to care for three of you at once..."
"I don't get what you're doing, but can you hurry up and beat the snot outta our enemies!?" Underling asked.
"Yes, yes. I know I should, but... As a refined gentleman, I cannot watch these cuties writhe in pain." Trick admitted.
Finally, and thankfully, Trick released both Rom and Ram. Excel rushed over to the twins, concerned for them.
"Rom! Ram! Are you girls okay? Oh man, you're not hurt, are you?" He asked.
"I...I'm fine! I'm totally cool!" Ram anwered. "I mean, pain is the least of my worries right now..."
"Slobber everywhere... My clothes are ruined..." Rom whined. She looked like she was about to cry, but instead... Her expression turned into a surprise look of anger. "I think I'm mad..."
"Boss, look! You actually DID recover their health!" Underling said in surprise.
"Yes, well, it's unfair to fight at a clear advantage." Trick replied. "But even at full strength, they are no match for me!"
"If you didn't introduce yourself as such a weirdo, that line would have made you seem chivalrous..." 5pb. admitted.
"Yeah. Acting like a massive perv cancels out any coolness, nyu." Broccoli added.
"P-Please stay on your guard." Nepgear said towards her team. "He is certainly unique and rather deluded, but he looks quite strong!"
"Wait, are we about to fight again?" Excel asked, not sure what to do.
The group looked ready to fight the perverted fiend. However, they were stopped by Rom and Ram.
"We got this!" Ram said, determined.
"What?" Nepgear asked, surprised.
"Me and Rom'll take this pervy dummy down!" Ram explained. "That pervert just licked us all over with that weird tongue of his! I'm not letting him do that to me again!"
"Yeah..." Rom said in agreement.
"Well, yeah, but that thing could probably do more than just lick you this time..." IF said, advising the twins that this probably isn't a good idea.
"I don't care!" Ram argued. "Besides, I kinda owe you one anyway! You saved Rom, and you saved me too! I wanna return the favor! What about you, Rom?"
"Me too... I wanna help Miss Nepgear and Excel..." Rom said, smiling softly.
"Rom... Ram... You don't have to do this alone." Nepgear said, not wanting to see them get hurt.
"Thank you very much, Rom and Ram. I appreciate that." Excel said, fully approving of Rom and Ram's courage, and wanting to see his heroes in action.
"You spineless..." IF muttered.
"Ready, Rom?" Ram asked her twin sister.
"Uh-huh..." Rom answered.
"Alright! Let's get this pervert!" Ram declared, as the twins transformed into their HDD forms, as everyone watched as they fought CFW Trick.
And the adorable lolis whipped his ass! Th e others watched as they gave him a very brutal beating, almost like something Blanc would do if she was super pissed off.
"Goodness... They're really hitting him hard..." Nepgear said.
"I'd probably do the same if I was them." IF added, referring to Trick's licking of them earlier.
"At least they weren't this aggressive against me..." Excel confessed. "Although I'd still be glad to get beat up by them."
"Get him! Strangle him with that ridiculous large tongue of his, nyu!" Broccoli cheered, wanting to see Rom and Ram destroy this perverted freak.
Eventually, the twins defeated Trick, finally relenting from smacking him around, as he lay on the ground defeated, as Rom and Ram switched back into their normal forms.
"Maidens are so delicioooooooous!" Trick exclaimed as he was defeated.
"No way! Boss, what gives?" Underling exclaimed, shocked over Trick's defeat.
"Rom and Ram still looked eager to kick Trick's ass some more. Ram seemed more eager to, as she was visibly pissed off, about as angry as Blanc almost, as she panted in rage.
"I'm gonna rip that tongue right outta your face, you pervert!" She snapped, threatening more extreme violence.
"No mercy..." Rom added. Even Rom wanted to hurt him some more.
Trick somehow managed to get up, even after that beating he received, as Rom and Ram prepared to engage again.
"Ahh, as I feared, I cannot do my worst against such cuties." He said, as he prepared to leave. "But...this was fun. Till next time!"
"Hey! Wait for me, boss!" Underling shouted as she followed Trick, as the two made their escape.
"No running! Ugh!" Ram shouted in anger. She looked like she wanted to potentially kill Trick at that point.
"They're gone..." 5pb. said.
"Dude, that was totally awesome!" Excel said, sucking up to Rom and Ram. "Man, you girls are hard-core! I mean, sure, that weirdo licked you both all over at first, and it was all gross and stuff, but then, SPLAT! POW! BAM! You were hitting him, and then you were slamming, and on the ground, the punching and the kicking, and he was all dead and stuff and-"
"Calm yourself, Excel." Cave interrupted. "They did not go that far when dealing with that pervert. They still did very well in battle, however."
"Thank you, Excel..." Rom said, smiling at him.
"Yep! I know I'm super awesome!" Ram said, also smiling.
"Well, I'm glad that's over." IF said. "He was difficult to deal with in more ways than one."
"I just want to know if you two are okay, Rom and Ram." Nepgear said. "You did very well against that thing, but he looked very strong."
"Uh-huh... I can walk..." Rom answered.
"Goodie! The Sharicite worked." Compa cheered.
"Sorry... I caused a lot of trouble..." Rom said, saddened a bit over the bad things she did while brainwashed.
"You didn't do it." Ram interjected, consoling her sister. "It's all that pervert's fault!"
"Yeah, don't worry about a thing." Red said.
"With that over, let's go back to the Basilicom." IF suggested. "I bet the Oracle is beside herself with worry."
"Second!" Excel said, agreeing with IF's suggestion.
"I agree too. Let's go, everyone." Nepgear declared, as everyone returned to Lowee's Basilicom to greet Mina.
"You're safe! Oh, thank heavens!" Mina said, delighted to see Rom and Ram safe and sound.
"Sorry..." Rom said, apologizing for the worry.
"All's well that ends well. We're all done here." IF stated.
"Words cannot express my gratitude." Mina said.
"There's no need." Nepgear said politely. "Besides, Rom and Ram were the real heroes here. They took on CFW Trick all by themselves."
"Yeah! They were so cool and badass!" Excel added, backing Nepgear up. "Of course, Nepgear's so cool and badass too, but so are Rom and Ram!"
"Yes. But about that deal we made..." Nepgear said, reminding Mina.
"Oh, yeah! I forgot about that deal. So, are you gonna stick with the deal we made?" Excel asked.
"Will you let Rom and Ram come with us?" Nepgear added.
"Please?" Excel pleaded.
"About that... I'm hesitant. They are still quite young..." Mina admitted. "And they've proven to be nothing but a handful for all of you..."
"Meh! Not our fault!" Ram argued. "The bad guys were taking all our Shares! Besides, it's me and Rom's choice."
"Uh-huh..." Rom agreed.
"Your choice?" Excel asked. "So you're gonna come with us!?"
"Yep! We wanna make sure to beat up that gross perv again with our own two hands!" Ram answered. "He brainwashed Rom, and licked us like a doggy! We aren't gonna forgive that, ever!"
"L-Licked you...?" Mina asked, confused and probably disturbed.
"Please don't ask." 5pb. said. It's probably for the best.
"Miss Nepgear helped us again..." Rom said. "I wanna help her this time..."
"Aww, Rom..." Nepgear replied, touched by Rom's adorableness.
"What about me?" Excel asked. "Did I help you too? I did, right?"
"Uh-huh... I wanna help Excel too..." Rom added, before proceeding to hug him, causing Excel to squee like a fanboy.
"Uh, maybe I could help them a little." Ram said. "But just a teeny-tiny bit, though."
"I see. They you have both made up your minds about this." Mina said.
"Yeah!" Ram replied.
"Uh-huh..." Rom added.
"Then I can do nothing to stop you." Mina said, giving in to the adorable twin lolis. "Please take care of them as if they were your own, Nepgear."
"O-Okay, I will." Nepgear answered.
"YES! We have Rom and Ram with us now!?" Excel asked in glee. "This is so awesome! I can't wait to go on adventures with them! This is the best day of my life!"
"Hehe... I'm looking forward to going on this adventure with them too." Nepgear replied, giggling a bit over Excel's enthusiasm. "They'll be a huge help, I know it." Nepgear said sweetly.
"We can do more than help, duh!" Ram stated. "Leave the magic stuff to us, right, Rom?"
"I'll...do my best..." Rom answered.
"Alright!" Excel cheered in joy, glad that Rom and Ram had joined their group now. "Oh, by the way. Can I have an autograph?"
"Eh?" Ram asked, confused."
"Uh-huh..." Rom said happily, her pen already in her hand.
"YES!" Excel cheered, as Rom signed his paper, then proceeded to hug him again.
"Eh, fine. You're a weirdo, but if Rom likes you..." Ram said, as she also signed the paper. But she didn't hug Excel though.
"Okay. Are we all set?" Nepgear asked her team.
"Yep!" Excel answered. "Shall we go check out what else needs doing now?"
"Yes. Let's go, everyone!" Nepgear declared, as the group proceeded to leave the Lowee Basilicom, now flanked by Rom and Ram.
Another chapter is in the bag! I'd say this one was one of my faves to work on. This is probably my longest chapter so far too. I think I'm gonna take a break before I work on the next chapter, which will feature the return of Uni BTW, and all 5 CPU Candidates will be united as one team. Also as a bonus, try and see if you could recognize some of the references I threw into the fanfic. Be sure to let me know what you think via a review. Or maybe even a DM? :3
Also a quick note: Unlike Snakebit1995's version of Excel, my version of Excel is NOT going to have romantic feelings for Nepgear or Uni. They're just going to be good friends. Besides, I don't wanna dare tarnish the most iconic ship in the entire Nepiverse. And no, I'm not shipping him with Rom or Ram either, you weirdos. And I probably am not gonna ship him with Vert either.
Anyways, I'll see y'all around.