The Misadventures of Hyperdimension Peashy
Episode 71
by Derald Snyder
*Leanbox Basilicom*
MAGES. bit her lip as she finished adjusting the grip of the test dummy's hands on her device. Stepping back, she moved one of the arms a little to ensure the device wouldn't clatter to the floor. Fortunately it stayed where it was. "Good. Let's start the test." Moving a little further back, the scientist took a breath, before clearly speaking, "Armor on!"
The device flashed as it activated, causing a pair of armored gauntlets to appear on the dummy's hands and forearms.
"So far so good..."
Then the upper arms were clad in armor...
"Good, good..."
Then the chest piece materialized...
"Yes..."
Then the helmet...
"Yes..."
Then the lower torso...
"YES..."
Then the upper legs...
"YES..."
And finally, the boots, completing the armor suit!
"YES! YES! OH YES!" The Mad Magician hopped up and down in joy... then a knock at the door cut into her euphoria.
"Uh, Miss MAGES., is everything OK in there?!" A young male voice said from the other side.
"Ah, ahem..." the bluenette quickly composed herself. "You may enter, the door is open."
Said door slowly creaked open, revealing a teenage girl with medium-length blue hair and glasses. "Okay, she's decent." The door opened the rest of the way, revealing a slightly red-faced A-Mac. "Told you she wasn't doing lewd stuff."
"Well, the way she was talking in there..." the older brother strode into the room, taking a breath to calm himself. "Uh, we didn't interrupt anything, did we?"
"Worry not. The test was a complete success!" MAGES. gestured at the completed armor suit. "All that is left to do is to scale up the speed at which the armor pieces materialize, and your request shall be fully realized! Fuahahaha!"
"Uh, okay," the young girl sweat-dropped. "You were right, Arthur, she is a Mad Magician."
"Just be glad she's on our side," A-Mac muttered. "But, uh, that's not why I'm here... I wanted to pick your super-brain about something. And I brought along my younger sister iPad to 'translate' for me if you go into techno-babble..."
"N-nice to meet you, ma'am," iPad did a nervous curtsey.
"The pleasure is all mine," MAGES. responded politely. "So then, what did you wish to ask me?"
"Well... it's about my half-sister Peach... White Gorilla," A-Mac clarified. "Our dad was pretty strong and buff back in the day, and I'm a pretty decent athlete myself. "But Peashy is... well, leagues above me! And her mom is about as average as you can get, so that doesn't explain it... And we've both been working out for most of our lives, though she is over a decade older..."
"Hmm... I see," the bluenette nodded. "Unfortunately, genetics is not exactly my cup of tea... that being said, I do have a theory as to why your sister is so much stronger than you are..."
"And what theory would that be?" iPad pressed.
"Simple, she likely possesses the rare Maker gene, which is exclusive to females only."
"Maker... gene?" Arthur scratched his head. "I mean, I kinda know what genes are, but..."
"Throughout the history of Gamindustri, there have been women who have exhibited abilities beyond what should be possible for a normal human... such that they can fight alongside the CPUs and not be completely useless or left behind. They are commonly known as the 'Makers'. Nowadays, it has been proposed that Makers actually possess a rare genetic mutation that is the source of these heightened abilities, though it has not been definitively proven yet."
"M-mutation?!" A-Mac sweat-dropped.
"Not like in the cartoons or comic books, big brother," iPad sighed. "They don't turn into half-animal monsters or anything like that, it just makes them stronger."
"I know that, iPad," Arthur groaned, "I'm more worried about stuff like cancer or something..."
"I highly doubt either of those things has ever occurred to a Maker," MAGES. mused.
"So, are you a Maker, Miss MAGES.?" iPad inquired.
"Without question, I am! As is my older cousin 5pb.!" the Mad Magician boasted. "After all, we both have enhanced magical aptitude, albeit she channels hers through her music. And I believe your girlfriend Nisa is one as well, Arthur!"
"Makes sense, she's way more agile than the average person," iPad nodded. "Although, she seemed a bit out of practice before she started going with Arthur to the gym..."
"Well, if you don't exercise your muscles, they shrivel up," A-Mac stated. "Even I know that, that's why I exercise every morning."
"Indeed, as I am constantly seeking to expand my knowledge of magic and dimensional travel!" MAGES. concurred. "Speaking of which, I must return to my work on this device that you requested, to eliminate the hassle of constantly putting on and taking off all those armor pieces!"
"One more question," iPad insisted. "My younger sister iPhone, she's a bona fide genius, even though she's only 10. I mean, I'm a pretty smart cookie myself, but she's on a level above me. Could that be due to the Maker gene?"
"That could very well be," the scientist concurred. "If she is so smart, perhaps you could send her my way. I wouldn't mind having an apprentice of sorts... Fufufufu... Fuahahahaha!"
"U-uhm, no, I don't think so," the younger bluenette sweat-dropped. "I don't really want your chunnibyou tendencies to corrupt my cute little sister..."
"I second that," Arthur grunted.
"Hmph... how disappointing. But, she's still young, so the offer stands should she decide otherwise, once she is of age."
"A-alright, well... w-we'll be going then," A-Mac said. "Just don't... blow up that armor device or something, OK?" With that, the two siblings left the room.
"M-my experiments do NOT blow up!" the Mad Magician muttered to herself. "They fail in more interesting ways than simple explosions! ...Though, that may not be something to brag about either..." Just then, her mobile device rang. "...Hello? Ah, 5pb.. It's good to hear from you, cousin... Excuse me, are you... crying? Whatever is the matter? ...oh dear, that is... not good. Perhaps you could call Nepgear to help you out? ...it was just a suggestion. Well, I'm afraid I'm somewhat busy at the moment, but perhaps I can inform Nisa of your plight..."
*To be continued...*