- Tari
Above a green landscape, a squadron of ships soared through the wind. Nepgear and the twins peered through the window of Astro's ship, and saw the clean grassy meadow below, adorn with industrialized settlements that they had been seeing throughout the flight.
Uni, in Estella's jet, was the first to see the majestic city in the distance, tinted in a blueish black hue, and the factories, power plants and buildings that stood tall against the skyline. Nepgear's jaw dropped as she recalled the sight of a very familiar city from her memories, which bore an uncanny resemblance to this one.
"Is this...?"
"Ladies, we're now approaching Tari's air space." Estella announced through the radio. "We'll land our jets in an open area, away from the populated sectors. Copy?"
"Roger that, Major Estella." Galaxa replied. "Astro, you better not mess up the landing again."
"What?" Astro whined. "Just give me a break! That accident is only a one-time thing!"
"Girls, enough." Zappa sighed. "We need to repair our ships as soon as possible. Your engines won't last long, with all the bullets and shrapnels lodged in them."
"Copy that, Lieutenant Zappa." Estella said. "Let's give these bad boys a break already."
"Phew..." Nepgear leaned back in her seat. "I'm so glad it's over."
Landing in the middle of a forest near the outskirts of the city, Nepgear, Uni, Rom, and Ram rushed out of their ships, and took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh air of the grassland, while the Rangers started inspecting their respective ships. Astro had crawled under her jet, checking on the circuitry below.
Galaxa was in front of her ship, sighing and shaking her head at the shredded hull, and Estella grimaced as she examined the turrets below her jet. Zappa's ship was the only one that did not suffer much damage, so she simply lay down beside a tree, relaxing in the gentle sunlight.
"I can't believe this is Tari..." Nepgear muttered.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Uni turned back to her.
"I only knew Tari as this…ruined and abandoned city. Was this how Tari used to be like, back in the old days? I'm wondering if we really did travel to another dimension..."
"It could be an alternate dimension." Uni answered. "But I can't really say for sure. For one, that steampunk nation doesn't exist in our home dimension."
"You mean Balarch?" Zappa propped herself up, and chimed in. "And what's with the whole 'dimensions' thing? You two were physicists back home?"
"Uh, no." Uni shook her head. "It's just...there's something odd about this world. It feels so different."
"Different? This is how it always is. A world engulfed by the Console War, leaving common folks to the mercy of monsters and criminals..."
"So, about the current Console War..." Nepgear raised a hand, intrigued by the statement. "How's it like?"
"Not that different from the previous one. The Goddesses fight against each other, hoping to become the sole ruler of Gamindustri, leaving their people to fend for themselves."
"Wait..." Uni noticed the unusual word choice. "Previous one?"
"Yes. The first Console War." Zappa said. "Of course you wouldn't know that. It happened a long time ago. When exactly? Way before the birth of most current CPUs, I think."
'So this dimension has two Console Wars...' Nepgear thought.
"It was the most chaotic period in Gamindustri's history. Too many CPUs—there were probably hundreds of them, all tangled in a world-wide war that ravaged the entire Gamindustri. It might have even spread to the other continents."
"Hundreds?!" The pair exclaimed.
"Yeah. With that many CPUs back in the days, battling each other for survival, it didn't end well for the people nor the land." Zappa sighed. "The war just raged on and on, and when it was over, only a few of the strongest CPUs were left standing."
"Woah..." Uni opened her mouth, awed by the world's history. "So that's how Gamindustri comes to be? And who're the CPUs that survive the war?"
"Pretty much." Zappa nodded. "Obviously, Odyssee is one of them. She's been around for ages. I'm not sure about the others, though."
"Odyssee?"
"I get it that you aren't familiar with the old history, but how could you not know her?" Zappa raised an eyebrow. "I'm pretty sure everyone knows her. Everyone that hasn't been living under a rock, that is."
"Well.. You could say that, hehe..." Nepgear let out a nervous laugh.
"Hmph, fine." She shrugged. "To put it simply, Odyssee is the ruling CPU of Magnabox—the only nation that reigned over Gamindustri for a long, long time."
"Huh?" Nepgear frowned. "Tari isn't the first nation?"
"Tari is kinda its rival. It appears a little later, but both of them come into existence in the same generation. Still, no other nations could challenge them, except for Magnabox. Not even Balarch."
"I-I see..."
Feeling a little exhausted from the long conversation, the pair sat down on the grassy ground beside Zappa, and stretched out their arms. The wind blew against their skin softly, ruffling their hair in a gentle rhythm. They moved into the tree's shadow, after a while—the heat of the sunlight was getting uncomfortable, despite the gentle weather.
While they were relaxing under the tree, the twins were cheerfully playing around the grass, chasing after each other in a circle.
"Hah! You can't outrun me!" Ram laughed, as she trampled her way through the tall grass.
"Augh!" Rom pouted a little, still struggling to shove the tall grasses aside. "There was so much grass here!"
"Girls! Be careful and don't stray too far!" Nepgear warned them.
"Got it!" Ram waved back at her.
"Yeah..." Her twin came to a halt behind her, panting. "It's so hot."
"The weather is a little warm right now. Don't play under the sunlight for too long, please?"
"Alright girls, come over here." Estella called out to the rest of the group, who quickly gathered around her in a circle, though the twins were left to continue their game of tag.
"What's up? Is everything okay?" Uni asked.
"It's a mixed bag." Estella shrugged. "During combat, most of our ships suffered heavy damage, especially from C-Grass's cannon..."
"The front of my ship was almost decimated by her bullets." Galaxa chuckled, as she scratched her head. "But Astro's surprise attack made up for it in the end, hehe..."
"My ship is still in good shape, though I have to deal with the torn circuits." Astro groaned.
"And my ship's underside got hit directly by a shrapnel firework..." Estella sighed. "Broken turrets with a damaged engine. That would take some time to fix."
"Hey, so far, Zappa's ship is in the best condition. Only has some dents on it." Astro glanced at the boomerang-shaped jet. "Why's that?"
"My ship's too fast for the slower artillery." Zappa calmly replied.
"Hehe, I guess so."
"This calls for an extended repair session." Estella announced. "We need to fix the damage, but it may take a while. Not only would it take a long time to repair the ships, but finding the materials we need..."
"Sheesh, that's gonna be a long walk." Astro glanced at her HUD watch, and started typing on it. "We can buy the parts in Tari, though only commercial-grade materials are available. The nearest shop is about several blocks away from us."
"We can't carry them all the way back, either." Galaxa winced. "We better call a delivery truck."
"Already got that covered." Astro gave her a thumbs-up. "I'll let them know, after we buy all the parts we need."
"Great." Estella smiled. "Hope the wait won't get too painful for your girls. Still gonna take a long time, before we're good to go."
"...Is this how long it usually takes? To repair your ships?" Nepgear sweatdropped. "It'll only take a few hours back home, with the help of my robots."
"You're an engineer and robotics student?" The major gave her a curious look. "I don't think robots are on par with hard labor and experience. None of the robots I've seen is smart enough for that."
"I guess it's just me then, hehe..." Nepgear chuckled awkwardly, and looked away from her.
"Hey Nepgear!" The twins, now done with their game, ran back to her. "Do you have any snacks? We're hungry."
"I don't think we have brought any." Uni sighed. "The CPU just barged in so quickly, before we could pack up our things."
"Oh yeah." Estella turned to Zappa. "Lieutenant, you should find us a place to stay, while we're working on our ships. Do you have any credits left?"
"Affirmative, Major Estella." Zappa fished a few bills out of her pocket, "It should also be enough to buy some snacks for the girls."
"Oh really?" Nepgear looked quite relieved at the news. "Thank goodness..."
"Yay!" the twin cheered.
"Here's some credits." Zappa put some into Nepgear's palms. "We should head out now. Unless you have a destination in mind, stick close to me."
"Alright then." Uni nodded. "Lead the way."
"Good luck out there, girls." Estella waved at them, before walking back to her ship.
Leaving the rest of the Rangers to their inspections, Zappa and the girls departed from the meadow, shoving the grasses and shrubs aside as they made their way through the trees, and headed towards the city of Tari.
Even though they had only arrived at the outskirts of the city, the girls were amazed by the grandeur that couldn't be further apart from the ruins in their memories. The towering buildings and factories around them only seemed to get taller and taller, as they walked along the clean, wide pavements, which divided the districts into neatly organized squares. Nearby pedestrians were walking in an orderly line, leaving plenty of space around them.
"Tari looks bigger than I expected." Nepgear mumbled. "How could it be so...well-organized?"
"Well, Tari's laws are pretty strict, compared to the rest of Gamindustri. One reason why I don't like living here." Zappa shrugged.
They continued to wander around the city sectors, until they entered a spacious area, with a giant steel fountain in its center. Streams of water flowed smoothly into the pool at its base, with barely a splash.
"Eh, looks like we're in the park." Zappa sighed. "I kinda regret not taking Galaxa along with us."
"Hey, Rom!" Ram patted her sister on the shoulder. "Wanna play tag? This place looks so huge!"
"U-Uh, not now, Ram..." Rom timidly shook her head. "We're looking for something important, right now, so—"
"Aughh!" She pouted, and started tugging on Rom's sleeves. "Come on! I don't wanna just sit there and watch them buy stuff!"
"R-Rom! Wait!"
"Hey, girls!" Nepgear stepped in front of them. "It's not the best time. Let's play together later, okay?"
"Don't worry, Nepgear." Uni intervened. "I'll stay here and watch over them. You and Zappa can go and buy what we need."
"A-Are you sure?"
"It's fine." Uni gave her an assuring smile. "See you later."
"Uh, sure..." Nepgear slowly nodded, before gesturing to Zappa. "Come on. Let's go buy the snacks."
"Got it." She replied, and the two began to walk away from the park.
The sectors were even more populated, now that they were further into the city, and many people were going in and out of the nearby shops, each selling a variety of items, from food to games to electronics. They barely managed to squeeze their way through the crowd, before stopping in front of a small convenience store.
"There it is." Zappa pointed at the glass door. "You should have enough credits to buy anything you want. You know how to walk back to the park, right?"
"Of course!" Nepgear smiled. "It would be a piece of cake!"
"Great. I'm off to search for a hotel . I'll let you and my fellow Rangers know, after I've found a nice place to stay."
"Alright! Good luck out there!"
Nepgear waved Zappa goodbye, and her yellow jumpsuit soon disappeared into the crowds. Taking a deep breath, Nepgear approached the store, and pushed the door open, with a determined look on her face.
'Alright..' She thought. 'Just buy some snacks and drinks, and that should be all!'
Uni sat down beside the fountain, keeping an eye on the twins, who were running around the large park. Glancing up at the clear blue sky, she stretched out her arms in a huge yawn, while cheerful chatters echoed in the distance.
"Haha! You can't catch me, Rom!" Ram briefly turned back, and stuck her tongue out at her twin.
"Look out!" Rom yelled.
"Huh? What do you mean—? Ack!"
Uni's eyes snapped open at the loud thump, just in time to see Ram falling to the ground, together with the person she bumped into. She rushed to their side, together with Rom. After they helped Ram to get up, their sight shifted towards the fallen figure.
"Oww..." The little girl with cyan hair groaned. She was on her knees, but she couldn't be much taller than the twins, even if she stood up.
"Are you alright?!" Uni put a hand to her shoulder, with a worried look on her face.
"W-We're really sorry!" Rom stuttered, as she reached out towards the girl, and pulled her up. Only then did Uni notice that the box of toys in her arms had tumbled onto the ground, spilling its content all over the place.
"Here, let me help you with those." Uni knelt down, and started picking up the toys. As she put them back into the box, she couldn't help but squint at the colorful, boxy form of those pieces.
"Are these some kind of puzzles?"
"Y-Yeah..." The little girl answered, still rubbing her forehead. "Oww..."
"I'm really sorry for what my sis did..." Rom made a deep bow.
"Y-Yeah, sorry 'bout that..." Ram also apologized, still wincing a little from the rough bump.
"I-It's okay..." The girl wiped the tears from her cyan-colored eyes."It's just an accident."
"That's great." Uni sighed in relief, before turning to chide Ram. "Next time, you should be more careful when running around!"
"I know that!" Ram retorted. "I just didn't see her!"
"At least she's okay..." Rom watched from the side, with a timid smile on her face.
"So uh, what kind of puzzle toys are these?" Uni picked a piece out of the box, and gazed at it curiously.
"These are called Klax." The girl stood back up, and shook off the dust on her formal, suit-like dress. "Can I have it back?"
"Sure." Uni handed the box back to the girl.
"Thanks!" She grinned, hugging the box of toys tightly to her chest. "I'm glad that nothing's broken!"
"Hmm..." Uni put a hand to her chin, as she eyed the girl. "Your dress looks kinda familiar..."
"Huh?"
"Hey, she even has these cute, little horns on her!" Ram noticed the mini white horns poking out of her hair, and reached out to touch one of them.
"U-Uwah! Don't poke them!" She ducked away, with a flustered look on her face.
"Lynxi!"
A loud voice boomed in the distance. When they turned back, they saw a woman with pale silver hair, her black suit and monochrome shoulder attachments glimmering under the sunlight. Below her loose white belt was a short skirt, and she was wearing black leggings and long white boots.
The mere sight of her sent the girls into stunned silence, as the little girl quickly ran up to her.
"Is t-that…Rei?!" Uni let out a terrified whisper.
"Big sis!" The girl—Lynxi—hopped towards the woman, and gave her a huge hug.
"Where have you been, Lynxi?" Rei bent down and hugged her back, with a gentle smile on her face. "I've been looking for you, ever since I finished today's work."
Uni could only watch on, as the twins hid behind her, completely bewildered by Rei's uncharacteristic calmness. None of them was expecting to see Rei in this dimension, let alone having a little sister. The calmness did not last long, however, and Rei's smile soon vanished into a disdainful frown when she spotted the girls.
"Who are they?" She sneered. "Are they trying to hurt you?"
"W-What?!" Uni shook her head. "No! We're just—!"
"Back off!" Rei whipped her staff out and aimed it towards them, while holding her sister close to her with her free hand. "I swear, if you three have laid a finger on my sister, I'm blasting you to ashes, right here, right now!"
"Sis, stop!" Lynxi cried, and dragged her back by her sleeves. "Don't threaten them like that! They're just trying to help me!"
"We're telling you the truth..." Rom explained in a shaky voice. "My sister accidently bumped into her, and we're helping her pick up her toys..."
"Your sister?" Rei peered at Ram, looking even more disgruntled than before. "...What did you do?"
"U-Uh..." The twins stuttered, and slowly backed away from her.
"Hey!" Uni stepped in front of the twins, and jabbed a finger at Rei. "If you are going to bully my friends, then you'd better go through me first!"
"You sure have the guts, to be so insolent towards your Goddess." Rei narrowed her eyes. "No matter. Next time, leave my sister out of your stupid little games. Or else..."
"How's helping your little sister a stupid thing?! What kind of overprotective sister are you?!"
"You dare to question how I raise my own sister?!"
Without warning, an energy orb appeared on the tip of her staff, and she flung it at Uni. The projectile became a blur as it sped towards them, and Uni only had the time to shield the twins with her own body, before it could connect with them.
It would have hit its target, but right at that moment, a large, colorful block fell from the sky, and squashed the projectile underneath. The trio opened their eyes, and saw Lynxi standing in front of them, with multiple blocks hovering around her.
Even Rei looked surprised. For a moment, she just stared at the little girl in wordless silence, her mouth agape.
"W-What?!"
"Why can't you understand?!" Lynxi yelled. "I won't let you hurt them!"
Rei trembled a little at the words, like she had just been slapped in the face. Then, she took a deep breath, and glared at the trio, her eyes burning with an even more intense anger, before she dropped her staff, which dematerialized before it touched the ground.
"Fine. I'll let you go, for Lynxi's sake." She let out a deep sigh. "But, don't ever try to find her again. Come on, Lynxi. Let's head back home."
Rei walked right past them, without sparing a single glance, and signaled for her sister to follow. Lynxi trailed behind her, as they departed from the park, before she turned back to the trio, and whispered in a barely audible voice.
"I'm so sorry about my big sister..."
The pair soon vanished from their view. Uni sat back down on the edge of the fountain, and let out a deep sigh, followed by Rom and Ram. The twins, judging from their tired looks, didn't seem like they were in the mood for games anymore.
"This dimension's Rei doesn't look much different, except for being so…hostile, even in her human form." Uni muttered to herself. "And this Tari has a CPU Candidate? What's going on here?"
Right at that moment, another figure appeared on the horizon, holding two huge plastic bags in her arms. The twins perked up as they saw the familiar lilac hair, and they quickly ran up to her, shouting her name in an excited voice.
"Nepgear!"
"Hey girls, I'm back!" Nepgear put the bags down, revealing the colorful packets of snacks inside. "Phew, these sure are heavy! I didn't know that a small amount of credits could buy so much stuff..."
"Don't worry, Nepgear!" Ram assured her. "We'll carry them for you!"
"Really? Oh, thank goodness..." Nepgear heaved a sigh of relief, as the twins picked up the bags, and lifted them up. "How was it, Uni?"
"Nepgear." Uni grabbed her by the shoulders. "We need to talk."
"Huh?"
Uni was about to open her mouth, when something started ringing in Nepgear's pocket. She grabbed the vibrating radiophone, and pressed on the green button.
"Hello?"
"It's me, Nepgear," Zappa's voice came out of the device. "You done buying the snacks?"
"Uh, yeah," Nepgear answered. "I was about to give the snacks to them."
"Good," she said. "Maybe eat them later in the hotel room. I've found a place for us to stay."
"Oh, that's great! Where are you right now?"
"I'll ping you the location," she answered, and the radiophone vibrated again, after several seconds.
Nepgear looked down, and saw a map on the screen, with a bright red dot at its center. She almost forgot that this thing had a GPS function.
"There. I've sent it to my fellow Rangers, too." She said. "Zappa, out."
"Alright then, see you later!"
The call ended with a beep, and Nepgear gestured for the twins to follow her, before she suddenly stopped in her tracks, and turned back to Uni.
"O-Oh, sorry! I forget that you still want to talk to me, before Zappa called us, hehe.." Nepgear put a hand to her forehead.
"No, it's fine." Uni replied. "We can talk about it, on the way to our hotel."
"Are we leaving now?" Ram shook the bags impatiently, and behind her, Rom let out a small yawn.
"I wanna sleep..."
"Don't worry, girls!" Nepgear assured them. "We've found a room for us to relax!"
"Yay!" the twins cheered simultaneously, followed by a "Let's go, let's go!" from Ram.
"A-Alright, just calm down..." Nepgear sweatdropped.
The party soon departed from the park, led by Nepgear, who was looking down at the GPS of her radio. The crowd went from a stream to a swarm, as they wandered further into the city, and every sector they passed seemed to be as busy as the market that Nepgear visited.
"So yeah, about the talk..." Uni broke the silence.
"Oh sure, what is it?"
"While we were waiting for you, we happened to run into someone."
"Huh?" Nepgear shot her a curious glance. "Who is it?"
"...Rei Ryghts." Uni mumbled, after a pause, and Nepgear's jaw dropped at the mention.
"R-Rei?!" She stuttered, and stopped dead in her tracks.
"Yeah..." Rom chimed in. "Miss Rei has a little sister. She's really nice!"
"W-What?! She also has a little sister?!" Nepgear exclaimed, with a bewildered look on her face.
"Her name's Lynxi. She's a really sweet girl," Uni smiled. "Rei, though..."
"She's a big meanie!" Ram puffed up her cheeks. "We're just trying to help Lynxi, and Rei got really mad at us! She even tried to beat us up, but Lynxi stopped her."
"Yeah, Rei is a nasty person in this dimension, too..." Uni groaned. "She has a soft side for her little sister, but still, she belittled us like we were beneath her."
"Oh dear..." Nepgear looked a little pale. "If Rei is the CPU of Tari, and she has a younger sister..."
"That means Tari has a CPU Candidate." Uni shook her head in disbelief. "Man, this dimension is really off the wall."
"It sure is, hehe..." She nervously chuckled. "Come on, we shouldn't be that far away from Zappa, right now."
They continued their walk, making their way through the districts, guided by the GPS, until they found themselves in front of a long bridge, across the river that separated the outer and inner rings of the city.
Tari bore an odd resemblance to the Planeptune of their home dimension, with rigid buildings that towered above the population below, their sharp tips piercing straight into the clouds.
The pathways around the bridge were getting quite compacted, to the point where it seemed like no vehicles could possibly squeeze through the narrow streets. The girls could see an elegant, dark blue monorail above them, snaking between the tall buildings like a giant vine.
Tari's capital city looked even more technically advanced than anything they had seen, because of the efficiency and cleaness of everything, unlike the messy, rough conglomerate of gears and wires that was Balarch's capital.
The streets around them were oozing with a delicate elegance, adorn by beautiful decorative lamps and tiles that were pleasing to the eyes. Below the bridge, the clear blue water flowed towards the distant horizon, carrying boats of various sizes—from simple tourist boats to cruise ships—with it.
"Woah..." Uni could only let out a single word of awe, as she leaned against the bridge railings.
'Tari is surprisingly beautiful. Very different from how I've seen it before..' Nepgear thought to herself.
Once they crossed the bridge, and entered the populated inner districts, the buildings only got taller and larger, with numerous billboards, fancy signs and neon lights hanging on their exterior. The roads were much wider, too, enough to accommodate waves and waves of heavy traffic.
After a few more twists and turns, the radiophone let out a small beep. Nepgear checked the screen, and the icon was right in front of the red dot that marked their destination. She glanced up, and saw a medium-sized hotel, squeezed between two giant buildings.
"You guys made it." Zappa walked out of the entrance, and gave them a small clap. "With our tight budget, this is the cheapest place I could find."
"That's great." Nepgear smiled. "How about the others?"
"They're on their way." The ranger answered. "Now, let's bring those bags into our room, shall we?"
"Sure!"
The girls made their way into the room. In front of them was a small window, and they could see the half-open door of a small bathroom at the corner. The place was sparsely furnished, with the only furniture being a cabinet, an empty wooden shelf, and a small CRT TV above the table. There was only a single bed.
Nepgear set the bags down on the floor, as Rom and Ram hopped onto the comfy bed. She wiped the sweat from her forehead, and sat down on the edge of the bed, enjoying the cool breeze from the air-conditioner.
"So soft..." Ram purred, and buried her face into the large, soft pillow.
"Here's your snack, Uni." Nepgear handed her a bag of chips from the plastic bag. "It looks a little bland, but these are the cheapest ones I could find in that store."
"It's alright, thanks." Uni gave her a small nod, before she grabbed the bag. "Say, we'll be staying here, until the ships are fixed, right?"
"That's right." Zappa replied. "Don't worry about the single bed. I asked them to bring over some futons for the rest of us."
"Them?"
"The waitresses, of course." She clarified. "They are generous enough to agree to my request."
"Oh, thank goodness..." Nepgear smiled. "I thought we'd have to go on another shopping trip."
Uni found a remote control on the cabinet, and examined it with a small frown—the design looked so outdated. She pointed it at the CRT TV, and with a buzz, its screen flickered to life.
Unlike the television they were familiar with, the graphics were grainy and annoyingly blurry—not surprising for this piece of vintage technology. They just squinted a little harder at the screen, and continued watching the news.
"After a brief respite, the Console War is back with a vengeance, as made evident by the fierce battle in the populated city center of Intellastion, several hours ago."
"They're at it…again," Zappa rolled her eyes, as she sat down on the floor.
"The current reports suggest that the battle took place within the inner districts of the city, and involved four CPUs, who began battling each other without any warnings, leading to widespread chaos and panic as the city government struggled to evacuate the citizens." The newscaster continued.
"The four CPUs are: Lady Sylvania, Lady Nakayama, Lady Odyssee, and an unknown CPU whose true identity is still under investigation."
"What a bad spot they'd chosen..." Zappa sighed.
"Isn't it risky to start fighting anywhere inside the city, even if there aren't many people around?" Uni commented. "Jeez..."
"Must've let the thrill of battle get to their heads. Not like I could speak for them or anything." Zappa shrugged.
"Also, an unidentified CPU?" Nepgear frowned. "Is it really possible for someone to not recognize a CPU?"
"That could be possible, if the CPU had just come into existence, and her people were purposely keeping her away from the spotlights. But…considering the climate of the current Console War, it's pretty unlikely." Zappa said, before she realized something.
"Wait, how's the twins doing? They've been so...quiet."
"Oh, them?" Nepgear replied. "I was about to give them these gummies, but they, uh..."
Zappa glanced towards the bed, and saw the twins snoozing below the messy bed sheet, with only their heads poking out of the cover. From their ruffled hair and the goofy grins on their face, they must be quite exhausted.
"Alright then, guess you should leave them to their sweet dreams." Zappa chuckled, and took a can of soda out of the bag. "So, my fellow rangers seemed to be having some troubles with the delivery guy, and they messaged me for help."
"What are we going to do, then?"
"Just stay here until I get back, possibly with my team." The Ranger stood up, and moved towards the door. "If anything happens, I'll notify you through the radio. Got it?"
"Got it." Uni smiled.
"Good. I'll see you girls later."
The door closed behind Zappa with a light thud. The pair, now left alone inside the room, opened a pack of snacks and started munching on them.
"These shows look really bland." Uni had a bored look on her face, as she switched back and forth between several channels, before finally settling on one of them. "Oh wait, how about this one? B-Team?"
"Woah..." Nepgear's eyes lit up, after she caught sight of the newspaper lying on the table, and started flipping through its pages. "I hope one of the channels will play this Exterminator movie!"
"They really aren't that bad!"
Lynxi had a sullen look on her face, as she followed Rei through the streets. Her sister had not made a single positive remark about the girls Lynxi encountered, ever since they left the city park.
"You've just met them, Lynxi." Rei lectured. "How could you trust these strangers?"
"Why do you think that everyone is out to hurt me?!" She pouted. "You always push me away from other people!"
"It's for your own good." Rei gently caressed her hair. "I'm afraid the world is getting more dangerous nowadays..."
"But they aren't even CPUs!" Lynxi retorted. "And I am a CPU Candidate, so I can defend myself!"
"I'm not sure if your powers are enough to defend yourself, though." Rei sighed. "Now, stop talking back to me, and let's head home."
"Talking back?!"
Before Lynxi could make more complaints, Rei grabbed her hands and started walking away. After pounding her fists on Rei's arm in a comically weak gesture of protest, Lynxi stopped struggling, and followed her sister.
They soon stumbled upon a group of police officers, wearing Tari's crest on their uniforms, who bowed down in unison at the sight of the two divine figures.
"Lady Rei Ryghts, and Lady Lynxi." The head of the group saluted them. "It is an honor to meet you."
"Of course." Rei smiled. "You have heard of what happened in Intellastion. I fear that such a menace might find its way into my nation, too."
"Huh?" Lynxi peeked out from behind her. "What do you mean?"
"Don't worry, milady." The man assured them. "After we were informed about the incident, we've already set up security checkpoints around the outskirts of Tari. No spies or unidentified CPUs can enter the nation undetected."
"What if they do it by force?"
"If they were regular spies, we'd have no problem disarming them. But CPUs, well…"
"Ha, that won't be your concern." Rei chuckled. "I'll intervene, and teach them a lesson. If you've spotted any CPUs within Tari's border, let me know about it."
"Yes, milady." He said. "I'll inform our superior, the moment we get back."
"Thank you. Now, my sister and I have something to do. So long."
The group of officers waved them goodbye, as they departed and headed towards a populated sector in the distance. Most of the pedestrians were children and younger teens, flooding in and out of the large building at its center. Numerous arcade machines could be seen inside its gate, below the flashing neon sign that hung above the building.
"Bushnell Gaming Theatre..." Rei readed out the words on the sign. "Do you want to play around here for a while?"
"Yeah!" Lynxi gleefully nodded.
Eagerly tugging her sister's sleeves, they entered the gate. The space inside was a lot larger than it looked from the outside, even with the huge crowds that gathered around the arcade machines.
The lavish decoration made it feel more like a luxury palace for the upper-class folks than a gaming center, despite the usual features like racing game booths and light guns. The variety of games, however, far exceeded anything that a regular arcade could offer.
"Welcome to the Bushnell Gaming Theatre, Lady Rei." The clerk welcomed them in, with a smile on her face. "We have a lot of kids playing inside the arcade, since it is holiday season. I hope there'll still be enough slots left."
"No worries." Rei replied. "What are the available slots?"
"Let me see..." The clerk checked over her computer.
"Aha! We got several arcade machines available in the backrooms, Lady Rei. These games are: Dug Dig, ZAPA-280, Exterminator 2: Judgement Day, and Galaxy Invaders. All are ready to be played. But if these aren't too appealing, then we can set up a special reserve for you."
"Well, what do you think?"
"Hmm..." Lynxi lowered her head. "I don't like these games."
"I understand, Lady Lynxi." The clerk nodded, and handed a piece of paper to her. "Then I'll make a reserve for you. You can pick any of them on this list."
"U-Uhh..." Lynxi looked a little overwhelmed, as her eyes beetled across the long list, until she caught sight of a specific name, and perked up."Oh! I'll play Ms. Wac!"
"Ms. Wac? Sounds good." Rei commented.
"Alright, Lady Lynxi," the clerk smiled, and started typing on her keyboard. "One slot of Ms. Wac placed for you. There are currently two slots reserved for that game, though, so you may need to wait a few minutes."
"Okay!" Lynxi nodded, before she turned back to Rei. "Sis, what should we do next?"
"We—" Rei's reply was cut short when her cell phone started ringing. She let out a groan when she took the phone out of her pocket, and saw the caller's name. Seeing Lynxi's confusion, Rei sighed, and patted her on the head.
"I'm sorry. Something urgent just comes up." She apologized. "While I'm busy with the call, you can go watch what the other kids are playing. This clerk lady here will keep an eye on you, just in case. Alright?"
"Alright."
"My pleasure, Lady Rei." The clerk gave her a deep bow.
Her gaze now fixated on her phone screen, Rei exited the gaming center in a brisk walk. Stopping right outside of the gate, she finally pressed on the answer button, and started speaking in a serious, cold voice.
"Yes, what is it?"
Astro was pacing back and forth around her ship in a circle, sounding more and more exasperated as she kept talking into her radiophone.
"What do you mean you can't send them over here?!" Astro yelled. "We've already bought the parts! We need them, right now!"
"Ma'am, I understand your frustration. But Tari's laws state that we're not authorized to deliver the materials you need beyond the city borders, unfortunately. You can still come over and carry the parts to your destination, if you want."
"Carry them? Entire engines and turrets and hull pieces? By hand?!" She raised her voice. "You're kidding, right?! We don't have any transport vehicles!"
"AB. Astro. That's enough." Estella sighed, grabbed the radiophone, and started talking. "So, I'm her friend. I'm sure we'll figure out a way. Until then, goodbye."
She hung up the phone, and handed it back to Astro, who facepalmed in silence and sat down on the grass, huffing. Galaxa poked her head out from behind her ship, and raised an eyebrow at the sight.
"Hey." She waved her wrench at them. "Any news?"
"They say they can't deliver the parts here, after we've already bought them!" Astro threw her hands up in the air. "Can you believe it?"
"Sheesh..." Galaxa sighed. "Guess that's the bad news. Any good news, then?"
"Zappa has found a hotel for us." Estella answered. "Since we're having some troubles with the delivery, I asked her to come back here."
"A-Are you sure? You're okay with leaving the girls in their room?"
"Yeah. They survive C-Grass's rampage in the market. I'm sure they can take care of themselves just alright."
"Well, if you say so..."
"Say..." Astro frowned. "If our delivery guys can't get out of the city, we aren't really gonna carry the parts here on foot, are we?"
"No. I'll tell you the plan later, once Zappa came back." Estella said, crossing her arms. "Your stunt in Balarch kinda inspires this idea."
"Huh?" Astro's confusion was met with a wink, and a cryptic smile.
"Okay, so..." Galaxa put down the wrench, and walked towards them. "Once we're done fixing our ships, where are we going next?"
"Hmm..." Estella pondered. "Probably rebuilding our base of operations, since we can't go back to the old hideout."
"But where? Not Balarch, obviously. There's no way we can stay under the radars now."
"From what I've heard, Tari has a lot of empty sectors around the outskirts, full of old, abandoned factories." She stated. "Remember when we interrogated that criminal, and he told us about the gangs there?"
"Oh yeah, that guy." Galaxa nodded. "These streets are probably choked with goons and all kinds of hooligans. Don't think the cops would look too closely, since we're no better than criminals in their eyes, too."
"Yeah, but how about Nepgear and her friends?" Astro asked. "Surely they aren't gonna stay with us for long?"
"They won't." The major said. "Though I'm not sure when they'll leave for Planeptune."
"Yeah. Guess we really shouldn't drag them into our messes any further." Astro's comment was met with a long silence, followed by multiple nods.
"True."
"Well, it's been a rough day..." Estella sighed. "Anyway, once Zappa gets here, let's talk about our plan and be ready to get it going. Our shenanigans might rub the city authorities the wrong way, but hey, that's all we're about, aren't we?"
"Well, you're the boss." Astro shrugged.
"What's up?"
Zappa's voice came from behind them, and when they turned back, she was sauntering towards them, with arms crossed. She took a deep breath, and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
"Goodness gracious, that's a much longer walk than I remembered..."
"Hey Zappa! Where's our hotel?" Astro asked.
"I've sent the precise address to Estella already." She replied. "It's in the inner sectors of Tari. I almost forgot how crowded these districts are."
"But you just called me recently." The major looked a little puzzled, and took out her radiophone. "When did you-?"
"On my way here." Zappa replied. "I wanted to call you earlier, but it took awhile for us to settle down and sort things out."
"I-I see.." Estella took one last look at the screen, and put it down. "Now that Zappa is here, let's talk about our plan."
"Since the delivery guys can't come to the outskirts, we'd have to go there and pick the parts up instead."
"And how are we supposed to get them back?"
"By air." Estella pointed at Zappa's ship. "Since Zappa's ship didn't take many hits in Balarch, we can use her ship to lift the parts up into the air. Galaxa, you still have the hooks and chains on your ship, right?"
"Right." Galaxa nodded, and disappeared into her ship.
"It's a delivery by air, then." Astro said. "But aren't we still breaking Tari's laws, flying our ships into the city without permission?"
"Yes. That's why we need to keep an eye on things, while we're at it." Estella answered. "But we can see their aerial patrol coming, with your handy gadget."
"So I'll have to stand guard?"
"Yup." She nodded. "Any questions, AB?"
"Nah, I think I got it," Astro gave her a thumbs-up. "Luckily, I still have enough spare electronic parts inside my ship. My ship's radar isn't strong enough to cover the entire city range, so I need some time to tinker with it."
"Copy that, Astro." Estella smiled. "Let's sort out the plans, while she's working."
"Galaxa will get the hooks ready, Astro is the watchman, and I'll be the pilot." Zappa mumbled.
"Exactly. Galaxa and I will attach the loads to the hook, before you lift them up and take off. I'm going to call our delivery guys, and tell them to start packing the parts into crates."
"I see, but what if we were caught?"
"Not happening." Estella shook her head. "I'm confident enough to say that us, the Rangers, will be able to pull this off."
"Doesn't really convince me, but alright." Zappa shrugged.
"I got the hook and the chains here!" Galaxa staggered out of the ship, holding a massive ball of metal chains in her arms. "Where do these go?"
"Under my ship's wings," Zappa gestured towards her jet. "It should be enough to support the packages' weight, if we balance them carefully."
"Alright then! But I don't know where to hook these..."
"Let me help you then." Zappa approached her. "It's my ship, after all."
"Thanks a bunch, Zappa."
The pair carried the giant ball towards Zappa's ship, the hooks on each end of the chains dangling behind them. Then, they crawled underneath the jet's oddly shaped wings, and started clamping the chains onto them.
"Huh, it's still early." Estella shifted her gaze away from her fellow Rangers, and glanced up at the sky. "While the gals are working, guess I need to call these guys again..."
The chirping of crickets could be heard, from inside the dark cave, now that the heavy rain had stopped. A girl with lilac hair peeked out of the cavern, and saw the clear blue sky above reflected in the puddles of water on the ground.
"Finally!" Neptune exclaimed, as she exited the cave, into the sunlight, with a smile. "That no-good rain is over!"
She looked down at the Hypercube in her arms. The tesseract's light was as dim as before, but it still let out a small chime when she gave it a gentle tap.
"Oh, you haven't gotten your shiny light back." Neptune frowned. "I thought a whole day would be enough to bring you back to normal..."
Behind her, Noire also walked out of the cavern, dragging a disgruntled Nakayama by the corner of her vest. She was no longer tied up in a cocoon of ropes, but her hands were still cuffed behind her back (thanks to Neptune's impressive collection of random items on her person).
"You know I can break out of these with ease, right." She shot Noire a dirty glare.
"Try that, and the Hypercube will pound you into the ground." Noire warned.
"Not while you are watching. I'll do it when I have the opportunity."
"Guys, can you please knock it off?" Neptune sighed. "You've been at this for the entire night!"
"As if I care..." Nakayama groaned.
"Now that I think about it, where are we? Are we just warped into a random forest?"
"If only little cubey was okay, it could've told us." Neptune pouted a little, as she looked up from the cube.
"Nakayama, do you know where we are?"
"No?" Nakayama shook her head. "And even if I knew, I wouldn't tell you! I've already given you information about Odyssee, so where's my reward?"
"Why, you—!" Noire was about to lunge towards her, before Neptune dragged her back.
"Stop, stop, stop!" Neptune put a hand to her shoulder. "Let's do this in a…friendly way, okay?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Of course she won't wanna help us. We haven't returned her favor, after she told us about that Odyssee girl."
"Yeah, like she didn't bring that up on her own..." Noire grumbled.
"Still," Neptune scratched her head, "in return, I think we should…uncuff her, and maybe she'll help us?"
"W-What?!" Noire gasped. "Are you crazy?!"
"Are you sure about that?" Even Nakayama raised an eyebrow at the suggestion.
"Yeah, totally, if you agree to help your new buddies out. Deal?"
"Pfft, sure, keep trying..." She rolled her eyes. "You forget that I've already promised not to help you out."
"Huh, what's this?" Noire noticed the pistol sticking out of her skirt pocket, and snatched it away.
"W-Wha—?!" Nakayama spluttered. "That's my Zillion Blaster! Give it back! It's worth more than my entire deck of cards!"
"Eh? Why would you even bother to carry it around, if you don't even use it half of the time?" Noire peered at it.
"J-Just in case..."
A mischievous smirk appeared on Noire's face, as she playfully waved the pistol in front of Nakayama's face in a teasing manner.
"Oh, really?" She wiggled her eyebrow. "It would be a real shame if something happened to it."
"D-Don't you dare touch it!" Nakayama warned, though she sounded more scared than threatening. "I'm warning you!"
"Hmm?" Noire grinned, grabbed its barrel with one hand, and made a smashing gesture with her free hand. "I wonder what would happen if I—"
"No! Please don't!" Nakayama shrieked. "Fine! I'll agree to your stupid deal! Just leave my gun alone!"
"You promise?"
"Grr..." She growled. "Okay! I promise! Happy now?"
"Woah, that was quick..." Neptune muttered.
After a few more desperate nods from Nakayama, Noire uncuffed her in a deliberately slow manner. Finally free from her binds, she sighed in humiliation, but heaved a sigh of relief when Noire gave the pistol to Neptune, who put it inside her jacket pocket.
"So, ready to help?"
"Just cut to the chase already..." Nakayama grumbled.
"Alright, alright, I get it." Neptune sweatdropped. "So, since little cubey has warped us to the middle of nowhere, we don't really know where we are right now..."
"And the Hypercube can't exactly help us in this state." Noire pointed to the cube. "We are wondering if you could fly into the sky, and help us out?"
"So you want me to use my HDD, just to be your scout?" Nakayama raised her eyebrow. "Dear god, what am I doing..."
Taking a step back from the pair, a bright beacon of light soon engulfed her body, causing them to cover their eyes. When the light faded away, Lilac Heart was hovering above the ground.
"You should be glad that you have the Hypercube with you..." Lilac Heart gave them a dirty look.
"And you should be grateful that we're going easy on you," Noire retorted.
"Ugh, whatever!" She sneered, and took off.
Her silhouette quickly faded into a small black dot in the sky. For a moment, it almost looked like she was not coming back. Still, after a few minutes, she descended from the sky and landed in front of the pair, before reverting to her human form.
"So?" Neptune said. "Where are we exactly?"
"We're still in Intellastion," Nakayama answered. "We're just a few miles away from the main city."
"Alright then, guess little cubey hasn't taken us too far." Neptune shrugged. "Still, without little cubey, we can't use our HDD and fly to Balarch."
"Balarch?" Nakayama frowned at the mention. "Why would you two even go there?"
"Because that's where our sisters are," Noire explained. "We got separated after…the whole time travel thing."
"I see.. So you're only using the Hypercube to find your sisters? Not for power or anything like that?"
"That's pretty much it," Neptune nodded. "That's why we are flying away from Planeptune in the first place."
Nakayama put a hand to her chin, looking quite puzzled by their response, before she finally broke the awkward silence with a cough.
"You know what?" She smiled. "If that's the case, then I'll help you. You girls don't seem like a huge threat to me."
"What? All of a sudden, you're willing to help us out?!" Noire frowned.
"Yeah, with the power of the Hypercube in your hands, you can achieve anything, yet you decided to use it for such an...insignificant, but good cause. Not for power, just for your sisters."
"W-Well, it's not like we're looking for powers in the first place, hehe..." Neptune chuckled, scratching her head.
"I still want it for Planeptune, but I guess it can't hurt to let you use the Hypercube for a while." She continued. "Let's go and find your sisters."
"Yeah!" Neptune raised her hand up, for a small fistbump.
"But the Hypercube hasn't recovered yet." Noire reminded them. "How are we supposed to get to Balarch? Are you going to carry us there, in your HDD form?"
"Hey, I don't like giving people free piggy-back rides." Nakayama gave a dismissive wave of her hand. "But there's a dockyard in the outskirts of Intellastion, usually filled with commercial cruises. We can make our way over there, sneak onto a ship, and sail to Balarch."
"So we would sail our way out of the nation, then?"
"Exactly. Even with my HDD, I can't carry both of you at the same time."
"But what if that CPU found us again?"
"You mean Sylvania?" Nakayama rubbed her temple. "I'm not sure about her. What even happened to her…after that friend of yours knocked me out?"
"Hey, I was just defending myself," Noire scoffed. "And you're the one who started this mess."
"Whatever. We should probably keep a low profile, before she finds us again."
"Got it!" Neptunia cheerfully replied. "Lead the way, CPU of Planeptune!"
Nakayama gestured for them to follow her, and they started making their way through the woods, following the shallow dirt path in front of them. With the knowledge of their current situation, the pair quickened their steps, eager to get back to their sisters and friends before anything bad could happen to them.
After wandering through a cluster of blossoming trees, the trio found themselves in front of the huge arch, which formed the entrance of Intellastion's capital city. As per usual, they were seeing a lot of pedestrians, but the number of security guards and police officers had also drastically increased.
Newsboys were handing out papers to nearby strangers, seemingly for free, and Noire grabbed one when the boys walked past them.
"Console War strikes the land of Intellastion." Noire read the newspaper to her teammates. "Mass panic ensues after the recent battle between four CPUs. With Lady Sylvania's approval, the government announces that Intellastion will enter a state of high alert, with increased security forces and mandatory curfew."
"No wonder there's so many guards standing around..." Neptune frowned, and fidgeted with the Hypercube in her sleeves. "We can't let them see little cubey."
"Wait, Nakayama?" Noire looked back at her. "Wouldn't the people still recognize you, even in your human form?"
"Oh yeah, I totally forgot that," She shook her head, and reached into her pocket. "I hope you haven't accidentally broken it during our battle."
"Huh?" Noire tilted her head. "What do you mean?"
Her eyes lit up in joy as she found what she was looking for, fished it out of her pocket, and put it on. It was a pair of glasses, coated in bright pink.
"Tada~" She smiled. "My disguise is ready!"
"Really?" Noire eyed it, with a deadpan expression. "You think that's going to work?"
"What? They say that wearing a pair of glasses will make you feel and look like a new person."
"Fine, whatever you believe..." Noire shrugged. "Anyway, we better find a way to hide the Hyper—Nakayama? What are you doing?"
They glanced across the street, and saw the CPU, with a bag of cinnamon rolls in her arms. After handing over a few bills to the vendor, she walked back to them, to their great confusion.
"Uh, why did you buy those?"
"What?" She gave them a funny look. "Not everyone can walk around all day on an empty stomach."
"I can attest to that, hehe..." Neptune chuckled. "Man, I really missed the taste of puddings..."
"Tough luck. I only have enough money for these." She handed over the cinnamon rolls to them.
"Thanks, but, uh, how do I eat without dropping little cubey?" Neptune shook the tesseract in her sleeves.
"Simple. Just put it in the bag." Nakayama held the plastic bag in front of her. "That way, nobody will notice the random teenager holding a godly weapon."
"Oh yeah! Great idea! But…is little cubey really alright with that?"
The Hypercube let out a weak, but vaguely delightful chime from inside her sleeves. Neptune grinned, and gently dropped it into the bag.
"Alright, little cubey!" Neptune gave it an encouraging pat. "You can count on us!"
With the Hypercube safely concealed, they marched through the crowded streets. Numerous wanted posters were plastered all over the building. Noire briefly stopped in front of a shop, full of old, bulky televisions broadcasting the same news, before shrugging and resuming her walk.
"Extra news! Extra news! Intellastion's authorities have just issued an official statement after Lady Sylvania's defeat!" Newspaper boys continued to hand out the papers around the crowd, many of which were dragging luggages behind them with a tired look on their faces.
"It's like Planeptune!" Neptune exclaimed. "During rush hours!"
"We must have destroyed most of the houses in that district, during our battle..." Nakayama sighed. "They are probably looking for a shelter to stay now. Guess I got a little carried away."
"Either ways, it would take a while for things to go back to normal..." Noire stated. "Anyway, is there a quick way to get through the crowds?"
"Of course." Nakayama pointed towards a shady alleyway between the buildings.
"Intellastion has a lot of alleyways, mostly to deal with the traffic during rush hours, and for emergency use. They are kinda… messy, though. Choked with garbage and trash. Gross, I know—so let's just make it quick."
"But is it safe?" Noire eyed the entrance suspiciously.
"I suppose so." She nodded. "If you're talking about random criminals lurking in the shadows, you still have me here."
"Hehe, guess we should take her word for it." Neptune said, scratching her back.
"Hmm, yeah." Noire agreed. "The less we show ourselves to the crowd, the better."
"That's right." Nakayama nodded. "Let's go."
Breaking into a short sprint, the trio ducked into the shadows of the buildings, and sneaked into the dark alleyway. Plastic wrappers and food scraps were lying all over the place, as they stepped over the puddles of water, taking great caution not to disturb the clothes hanging on the strings above them.
Neptune peeked into the nearby windows curiously, some lit by a dim light while others were concealed behind an opaque darkness. Everytime they emerged back into the streets, the surrounding seemed to resemble another city altogether.
"You sure you know where you're going?" Noire asked, which was met with a silent nod.
"Yes." Nakayama said. "I've been in Intellastion for a while now. Really took some time to familiarize myself with these routes."
"Really? But you're a CPU. How have they not recognized you yet?"
"Do you really need to ask?" She chuckled, and tapped her glasses.
"Of course, your disguise, hehe..." Neptune chimed in, looking a little awed by the surprising effectiveness of her gag joke of a disguise.
"Only a few more districts, and we should be at the docks."
"But how far do we have to walk, exactly?"
"Pretty far, I guess." She answered, and grabbed a cinnamon roll from the bag. "We should start eating, while we're at it."
"Okay then!" Neptune cheered, ready to munch on her cinnamon rolls.
While the girls continued to traverse around the narrow paths of the urban city, a group of officers in their grey uniform were having a casual conversation in a coffee shop nearby.
"You're not going to believe how I beat the devil out of it!" A cop laughed.
"Oh please, I can kick your butt single-handedly at that game." Another cop replied with a cocky grin.
"Hey, hey, fellas! Doesn't that little girl over there look a bit familiar?" One of them, leaning against the gate, turned back to the group, and pointed at the alleyway across the streets.
"The one in a parka jacket? Yeah, just like what the captain told us..." His teammates moved out of their seats, and gathered around him. "You! Call our captain, and we'll keep an eye on 'em, while you're at it!"
"Ay, ay, sire!"
"So, is Planeptune really that busy, compared to Intellastion?" Noire stopped looking at the crowd, and turned back to the team.
"Yeah." Nakayama answered. "Planeptune is a really busy nation, due to its influences. The nation has grown a lot in popularity, and I'm not really prepared to handle so many things at once."
"So you're still trying to take things under control, then."
"Exactly!" She frantically nodded. "When I founded Planeptune, I always thought it could never be as great as Tari and Magnabox, until suddenly, all these people are migrating into it, and it just grows larger and larger!"
"Oh yeah, it isn't easy being a CPU." Neptune gave her a sympathetic look. "Especially for a booming nation, with all these paperworks you have to work through..."
"That's because you are a lazy Goddess." Noire scoffed at her. "You're always slacking off, even though Histoire already does most of your paperwork for you."
"N-Nepu?! Hey! Why are you suddenly being so mean to me?!"
"I'm not." She shook her head. "I'm telling you the truth."
"Well, fine!" Neptune pouted. "No wonder you don't have that many friends, Lonely Heart!"
"W-What did you just say?!" Noire protested, and was about to give her a pinch on the cheek when Nakayama interrupted their bickering.
"Uh, guys? It's a bit of a weird question, but...how's your timeline like? As in, our future?"
"Eh?" Neptune tilted her head. "What do you mean?"
"What you two said back in the cave, it really bothers me..." She continued. "Neptune, you say you're the CPU of Planeptune, the same nation I rule over, right? How's it like in the future?"
"Oh, my Planeptune? Well, uh..." Neptune scratched her head. "I wouldn't really want to spoil the details about our future, because…a secret is a secret!"
"At least you can make a broad summary?"
"Yeah, so here's how it goes..." Neptune cleared her throat. "In our present, Planeptune is big and beautiful and advanced, everything is super organized, there's no more stupid traffic jams, and all the buildings are so much taller than the ones in this timeline! It's just a great place where people can hang around and have fun!"
"Woah..." Nakayama gasped. "So my…no, our Planeptune has grown a lot, in the years to come?"
"Judging on what I've seen in this Planeptune, yes!"
"I see.." She mumbled, before she suddenly remembered something. "Oh! And how's the Console War? Are we victorious in our battles against the opposing CPUs?"
"Well, just so you know, our Console War has stopped."
"Stopped?" Nakayama frowned. "As in, no one rules over the whole Gamindustri? After all these years of fighting between CPUs, it just suddenly…stops?"
"That's right." Noire nodded. "We've realized that maybe being the sole ruler of Gamindustri isn't worth the trouble, after all. You said that CPUs can't be friends with each other, but you're wrong. Neptune and I are both CPUs, yet we are also friends. All four of us are friends, really."
"So, that means…" She paused, seemingly at a loss for words. "Your Gamindustri is in a state of peace and tranquility, and the CPUs of each nation still stand on their own, but all of you are...friends?"
"Not so sure about the 'tranquil' part, but pretty much." Neptune chuckled. "That's how our world works."
"Woah..." She whispered, with a dream-like look in her eyes. "Man…I wish I can see that future for myself."
"Yeah, I hope you can, too!" Neptune cheered. "And once we manage to find our way back to the future, I wish the best of luck to you in running Planeptune."
A small smile appeared on Nakayama's face, and she fell silent, seemingly absorbed in her thoughts about the possibility of a such a different, yet fascinating future. Noire could not help but smile a little, too—she understood the struggle of a CPU in administering a busy, flourishing land, and the desire to work for the betterment of one's nation, despite the former animosity between them.
They soon reached the end of the alleyway, and were about to head into the new district in front of them when a group of officers in uniform appeared out of nowhere, and blocked their path forward.
"Hey!" Noire exclaimed. "Let us go! What's your deal?"
"You, girl with the parka dress." Their leader pointed at Neptune.
"Huh? Me?" Neptune squeezed out an awkward grin, as she pointed at herself.
"Yes. You and your associates—" they gestured to Noire and Nakayama, "—are coming with us, under the order of Lady Grey Sister."
"Grey Sister?"
"Lessa..." Nakayama narrowed her eyes.
"What if we don't want to?" Noire crossed her arms.
"There are no other options, lady..." One of them snickered, and the entire squad drew their black batons.
"Dang it..." Noire took a step back. "Is little cubey okay right now?"
"No, not yet..." Neptune frowned as she looked down into the bag. The light of the cube was still faint and barely visible.
"Then we better start running!"
Before they could do anything, another squad of officers appeared behind them, and they were pinned between the two groups, who were moving closer and closer.
"Surrender now!" They demanded in unison. "In the name of Lady Grey Heart!"
"I guess it's time for me to intervene, then." Nakayama sighed, before she took off her glasses.
"L-Lady Lilac Heart?!" The officers shrieked in surprise.
"Don't let her move an inch! Attack!"
Before they could strike her with their weapons, Nakayama summoned her deck of cards, creating two shields on both sides. While they were struggling to bash through the magical barriers, Nakayama flicked her wrist, and the barriers shot forth, knocking the officers down like a row of dominos.
"Come on!" She urged the pair. "Let's bail!"
"Got it!" They responded with a nod, and started sprinting, right before a third squad arrived at the scene. The trio made a run for it through the messy alleyways, the officers chasing after them in hot pursuit.
Author's Notes
Lynxi represents the handheld game console as Atari Lynx (1985-1995).
u/Ryin_silverfish — Proofreader & Editor