Chapter 17: Crossover Conundrum
Author's Disclaimer: The following contains lyrics/variation of lyrics from "Tokyo Bon". All rights belong to Namewee and Cool Japan TV. Check out the song on Youtube if you haven't.
A bump in the road and Neptune nearly flew from the seat that was strapped down inside the box truck bed, along with all of what remained of Ayame's merchandise. "WHOOOOAAA! I almost fell out of the truck! If I have to start over from the beginning of the fanfic with no continues, I'm gonna be nepping angry. Although, where did Puchiko go? Uh oh! She's so small! Don't tell me she fell off the truck!"
"Don't you remember that's why I put myself in here, nyu?" Broccoli's head popped out of a nearby chest, glancing an unamused frown towards Nep. "And how many times do I have to ask you to stop calling me Puchiko, nyu?"
"Um… well… Tekken, Ayame. Help me out, would ya?" Neptune sweatdropped, but found that Tekken was now busy trying to convince Ayame that they had come from another dimension. Ayame and Tekken were becoming fast friends, going off topic and talking about all sorts of stuff such as shopping and fighting styles.
"So much for keeping it under wraps, nyu." Broccoli sighed.
"Oh, it's fine, Puchiko. We helped her fight off that Galakryzer. So naturally, we'd come to understand and help each other and all be good buddies now, right?" Neptune smiled, turning towards Ayame and Tekken.
Tekken nodded a happy 'mhm' Nep's direction before Ayame gave her own reply. "Of course, I'd love to be friends with all of you. I'm still not sure about this whole dimension thing, but considering what's been going on, I don't have reason to believe you're lying. Though I have to ask, how did you know that machine was going to strike. it was obviously paralyzed."
"Yeah, it happened so fast that even I didn't see it." Tekken added, "Did something happen, Neptune?"
"I dunno. it was like some kinda weird flashback. but of the future. Like I saw that Galakryzer slicing you down the middle like an 80s action movie, Ayame. Maaaybe if I had a sword with a blue energy blade and stat changing symbols on the hilt, we would get more answers." Neptune grinned, pointing upwards.
"I can't believe I was almost snuck up on like that. Well, I thank you, Neptune but I don't think such a sword exists." Ayame sweatdropped, her tone shifting up a little, "speaking of which, you still owe me 55000 Yen for that broken sword, Neptune."
"Aw, but we're buddies now. And I used it to save your life. Can't ya just let it slide and... forget about it? Besides, I don't have any money. Least not the kind you use." Neptune whined.
"Well then, you'll just have to work your way back in my shop to pay off your debt then." Ayame winked.
"Nep-What?! You're… you're making me work?!" Neptune gulped.
"Yes, she said work, nyu. Is it really that foreign of a concept to you, nyu?" Broccoli said, giving Nep her usual flat face.
"Oh, I wouldn't dare to 'make you' at all, Neptune. We're friends now. A real friend would work to pay off their debt, no strings attached. Am I right?" Ayame giggled.
Neptune gave a grumbling pout as Tekken merely smiled, enjoying the company.
The sun was going down on the forest a couple of miles outside Hebijo. As Rin prepared to head out, her attention was caught by the glimpse of a gem which reflected the setting sun off in a glimmer. Approaching the object, Rin leaned down, seeing a strange set of rusty-looking, intersecting circles which formed into the shape of a sphere with dark gems at each intersecting spot.
A sudden flash of an unfamiliar world, four different kingdoms of purple, black, white, and green flashed before Rin's very eyes. Jerking her hand back, she squinted, staring closer at the object. "A little bit of energy…" Slowly she reached her hand back down towards the circular set of rusty-looking rings, the gems on each end of them, completely black and lifeless. The closer her hand drew, the more it shook, hesitating as though not wanting to touch the object again, but through the force of her arm, touched it once more.
Picking up the sphere, Rin's eyes reflected moonlight, analyzing it for a while. Whatever I saw just a moment ago… whatever this was… it's power is dying. I'll bring it back to Hebijo. Could provide some answers. Sensing someone's presence, Rin quickly turned to see someone approaching from the bushes. A woman in a black, gothic-like dress walked up wearing what appeared to be a witch's hat.
Walking forward casually, the stranger engaged conversation, "Lovely evening, isn't it?" Rin gave her a casual response in agreement before holding the unusual sphere behind her back. Asking if she was lost, the woman replied, "Oh not hardly, though this forest looks all the damn same when you've lost something of your own."
Her timing is too suspicious. And I sense much power from her. "What did you lose, if I may?" Rin glanced the woman a suspicious set of eyes.
"I've been searching for my medallion for hours now. It's an important family heirloom to me, and I can't believe I dropped it."
"Well I hope you find it out here. Good luck." Rin began backing up when the woman walked closer, Rin now barely making out a lavender-purple skin tone and a thorny necklace adorning her collarbone.
"Wait, miss. You seem to be a… very resourceful woman. You haven't seen anything… have you?" the woman's words began to slow as she started circling Rin in careful, nonchalant steps. Rin making sure to not turn her back as her eyes locked into the stranger's red eyes. She's onto me.
"No. I'm afraid I haven't seen anything of the sorts except for this rusty old sphere." Rin said, shrugging and showing the sphere in her hand.
"Ah, I can't thank you enough miss. You found my medallion."
"Awfully large for a medallion, isn't it?" Rin asked, slightly raising her eyebrows.
"It's a cultural thing. Again, I cannot thank you enough. Now if you were to be so kind, I will take back my medallion, please." The mysterious woman held out her hand, but Rin only felt her grip around the object tightening more hearing the woman's tone.
"And what proof have you that this is yours? For an important family heirloom that you recently lost, it seems to be quite battered and old, wouldn't you say?" Rin asked, seeing how the woman would react.
The woman's eye twitched of irritation for just a second, before she smiled. "Are you truly implying that because the object is different than what you're used to that I am lying? Unless of course your skepticism is simply not wanting to feel cheated out of things. You want something in return for finding it. What do you want? Money? Name your price for the Sphere."
"I thought you called it a Medallion. Now it's a sphere, is it? Tell me, what happens if I refuse to give it to you?" Rin asked, hearing a frustrated grunt from the other party.
"Where I am from, we call that theft." The woman's voice trembled, irritation oozing with her next words, "And you don't want to know what I do with thieves! Now perhaps I didn't make myself clear. As the rightful owner of the object in question, I demand that you hand it over!"
"I merely asked what would happen IF I didn't hand it over. But now that I have my answer, I don't think I'll be giving you anything." Rin began walking away. Suddenly the woman appeared in front of her in a black cloud.
"Last chance, girl. I'm not going to ask again! Hand over the sphere before I pry it from your cold, dead hands!" the woman flared up, a black aura resonating from her as she gripped a large, white lance with hooked blades for the tip.
"So, your true nature reveals itself. Very well, miss." Rin took a few steps back, gripping her Fuuma Shurikens from the sides. "But I should warn you. Do not judge the flower bud until it is in full bloom. Now, shall we begin?"
Falcom yelled as she fell from the sky into a pond. Flailing wildly, adrenaline rushed through her body. Eyes tightly shut, she swam fiercely to the top, if you could call her flailed attempts at swimming actually swimming. "Help, not again! I don't wanna drown!"
"Um… Falcom." Came a familiar voice. Opening her eyes, Falcom looked up to see Cyberconnect2 staring down at her, "You're sitting in like 4 feet/2.1 meters of water."
"OH! Ah… Cybercon." Falcom began laughing nervously, scratching the back of her head as she realized she had psyched herself out in a small pond. Holding out her hand, Cybercon pulled her friend up and out. "Thanks, Cyber. I was losing it for a moment."
"Tell me about it." Cybercon let out a small sigh. Both girls looked around as they stood upon a large hill, seeing swathes of forest and trees below them. "Where are we, Falcom?"
"I-I don't know, why ya askin' me? What about you?"
"You're supposed to be the world-famous adventurer here! And you know my sense of direction is terrible! I don't even remember where Fukoka is."
Falcom placed a hand above her eyes, shielding it from the sun as she looked out beyond the horizon to see a city in the distance. "Looks like uncharted territory. And if our enemies had something to do with this, then we better get moving quickly." Falcom went back towards the pond, grabbing the case with her sword, Dragon Slayer.
Just then they heard a feminine yell. Looking back, they saw Nepgear hanging upside down from a tree by a vine around her ankle. "Whoa! Nepgear? Where'd you come from? If I had a bucket I would have caught you." Cybercon said with a wide-open grin.
"Hey! Why a bucket?!" Nepgear sweatdropped.
Cybercon scratched her chin before pointing, "Well… cause you're like a falling fruit."
"What?! I will not be put in a bucket!... and… could you please cut me down. This vine is starting to hurt my ankle and I can't transform for some reason." Nepgear gritted her teeth, painfully. Cybercon nodded, quickly summoning her dagger and Nepgear landed on her head as the vine was sliced. "Ouchie." Nepgear pulled herself up, dusting off her dress as Cybercon and Falcom helped her up.
"Have fun hangin' up there, Gear?" Falcom asked.
Nepgear sweatdropped, "Oh come on. I don't even know why I ended up there in the first place. The last thing I remember… fighting those monsters. I was almost overpowered by this one dragon knight and then… a light. A blinding light."
"The same for both of us after we went after the enemy." Cybercon added, "In the middle of battle and suddenly, a blinding light and then boom! Here we are! In a vast, endless forest. But why can't you transform, Gear?"
"I… I don't know. My only guess is that we're in another world… lost in another world." Nepgear voice dropped a tone.
"Not entirely! There's a city all the way over there! Cyber's just got no sense of direction." Falcom chuckled to which CC2 gave a nervous giggle.
"But it… looks so far away. Will we make it before dark?"
"Oh, Nepgear. No need for all the downer kind of attitude. Ya gotta think more confidently." Falcom smiled.
"You're right… more confidently… like my sister." Suddenly a spontaneous lightbulb dinged above Nepgear's head, to which Cybercon wondered if lightbulbs were supposed to go 'ding' or not. "Hold up just one moment! I've got this!"
Cybercon and Falcom tilted their heads in confusion as Nepgear turned around, seemingly messing with her face. Suddenly her voice shifted to a stranger tone. "So here is my assessment." Falcom and Cybercon screamed as Nepgear's face revealed oval-shaped, white pupil eyes and a rectangular mouth. "I have reached beyond the fourth wall that my sister so casually destroys to discover that because we are in some type of crossover fanfiction we are in Japan and thus the residents speak Japanese, so the best thing we can do is speak Japanese to them."
"Um… Don't we already speak Japanese in our core games?" Falcom whispered, looking around nervously.
With her Gya face still on, Nepgear pointed a finger upward. "Indeed we do, dear Falcom, but since we are being written into a fanfiction by an English speaking fan, this is where we're at. Theoretically since we come from a different world we shouldn't even be able to speak English, let alone Japanese."
"Um… so then… what do we do?" Cybercon awkwardly asked. Nepgear put her arms around Falcom and Cyber's shoulders as the twangy sound of a shamisen could be heard playing.
"We'll need to find ways to communicate with the locals. Just follow my lead and we'll be good to go!" Keeping her gya face on, Nepgear began skipping down the hill along with Falcom and Cybercon as she began to sing a very strange but catchy song. "Ohayō Kyoto Konichiwa, Sumimasen I'm foreigner, I don't speak Japanese, but I love Aori Sora. When you say Wakarimashita, I say Hitachi Toyota. Kawasaki Nintendo, Canon Sony Honda! I'm losing my way, Obāsan where should I go?Ukyo so big, I need a Doraemon.You speak Japanglish, And show me body language. What can I do?Where should I go? Falcom! Cyber! Sing with me!"
The three of them sang in unison, skipping simultaneously down the hill. "Makudonarudo, Guguru Toiletto,Kitto Katto, Dizunilando… Takushi go Hoteru, Sebun Elebun Miruku, Basu, Biru, Sutābakkusu!"
"See, you're doing it guys! Look, saying that we did it and not actually showing how we did it works every time! We're halfway to the town already!" Nepgear said enthusiastically.
"Um, Nepgear? Doesn't it hurt your face to keep that up?" Cybercon asked.
Nepgear ignored her, consistently keeping her Gya face. "Ooh, next verse coming up! Falcom, Me, and Cyber in that order! GO!"
"Uuuh, Ohayō Kyoto Konichiwa, Sumimasen I'm foreigner. I don't speak Japanese, but I love Ramen Tempura! When you say Sugoi Arigatō, I say Naoko Mizuno. Uniqlo, Toshiba… Casio Gojira!"
"I'm losing my way. Obāsan where should I go?Ukyo so big, I need a Doraemon.You speak Japanglish, And show me body language…"
"What can I do?Where should I gooo?Please take me hoooome."
"Now everyone together!" Nepgear shouted.
"Makudonarudo, Guguru Toiletto,Kitto Katto, Dizunilando… Takushi go Hoteru, Sebun Elebun Miruku, Basu, Biru, Sutābakkusu!" Sure enough, they kept singing until they reached the city of Kyoto, which defied all logic, which Falcom was worried at how immersion breaking it was.
But Nepgear took no notice. "Who cares? It got us here. Now let's ask around!"
"For what?" Said Falcom.
"FOOD!" Cybercon said, going around to the locals, "Sarada? Hanbāgā?Sandoitchi? Sōsēji?... Kohi, Kēki, Aisukurimu, Konbini?Furaido potato?Esukarētā, Arukoru?Bareboru BesuboruBasukettoboru Gorufu?"
"I'm pretty sure some of those aren't food!" Falcom sweatdropped.
"Mada mada, I mean not done yet. Let's finish strong, ladies!" Nepgear said in full Gya.
The three of them went around Kyoto, singing the chorus in unison before taking word by word turns with the final verse. "Makudonarudo, Guguru Toiletto,Kitto Katto, Dizunilando… Takushi go Hoteru, Sebun Elebun Miruku, Basu, Biru, Sutābakkusu! Sarada. Hanbāgā.Sandoitchi. Sōsēji. Kohi, Kēki, Aisukurimu, Konbini.Furaido potato.Esukarētā, Arukoru.Bareboru, Besuboru,Basukettoboru, Gorufu!"
Finally, Nepgear fell down out of breath, her face going back to normal. "Ow… my throat's all dry. What just happened anyways?"
"How should I know? We sang the day away… I think." Falcom replied.
"Still no food and my legs are killing me." Cybercon sighed, dropping on her knees.
"Come on, ladies! Is that really all you can take? I mean, yeah we defied a 5 hour walk in 5 minutes but where's your stamina?" Falcom placed her hands on her hips looking down at Nepgear and Cybercon.
"Come on, Falcom! We don't adventure all over the place like you do!" Nepgear whined. Falcom shook her head, when out of the corner of her eye, she caught someone running. A girl with short green hair and an orange jacket covering her black sweater. In her arms a small girl, with a white dress and red flowers adorning her hair, locked eyes with Falcom for just a moment as they ran past. Falcom soon saw a few monsters from their world pursuing the girls.
"Alright! Get your weapons ready, ladies! We got people needing saving!" Falcom pointed her sword as Nepgear and Cybercon groaned to get up.
"Guess our food'll have to wait." Cybercon moaned, "Just what did you see that was so important, Falcom?"
"Monsters… from our world. they were after a couple of girls." Falcom responded.
"From our world? Here? And now?" Nepgear's mind flashed back to the previous battle. "That light… whatever it was it must of transported us! And the monsters as well! We cannot let those creatures hurt any innocent people!"
"That's the spirit, Gear!" Falcom cheered, "Let's go, Cyber!"
"Tell that to my stomach." Cybercon groaned.