[DREAMWORLD PARADOX CHAPTER 07: HELP WITH ROMANCE]
EnriksD8's A/N: What's changed:
01 (2022-05-02 A.D.) – Fixed a few spelling and grammatical errors.
02 (2022-05-02 A.D.) – Fixed some formatting errors as well.
03 (2022-05-02 A.D.) – Highlighted Beo's speech to be in both BOLD and ITALIC since that was how he spoke in Chapter 06.
04 (2022-05-02 A.D.) – Added a moment where Beo and Razgriz notice each other's presence but can't pinpoint each other down.
05 (2022-05-02 A.D.) – Also added extra little scenes such as in Beo's and Razgriz's scenes.
06 (2022-05-03 A.D.) – Changed "Monster Duelist Tournament" to "Yu-Gi-Oh Tournament" since apparently the original name sounds like a bad dub name.
It was just a normal day at Azeasany Institute... well, as normal as it can get anyway. The members of the Shady & Most Likely Dangerous Books Club, a branch of the Literature Club which currently consisted of Twilight, Sunset, Rainbow, Fluttershy, Crydius, Crona, Marshall Lee, Ed, Double-D, Ben, Enrico, Rolf, and Dipper Pines, were having a meeting.
"Hey, when is Twilight gonna get here?" Marshall asked while skimming through the Necronomicon Ex Mortis without a care in the world.
"Speak of the Devil and he shall appear," Enrico said, looking through multiple schematics of vehicles and weaponry from the Stone Age to the Modern Age.
As if right on cue, Twilight showed up. "Um, Sunset, do you have a minute? We need to talk."
"T-Talk? You want to talk? We can talk. I like talking. Talking is cool." Sunset said, turning to Twilight with a nervous smile. "What do you want to talk about?"
"Y-You see, there's something... I should tell you. Something very personal, but also very important. T-To me." Twilight began nervously, grabbing the attention of everyone. "I've... been avoiding this because... Well, it's kind of embarrassing. But... I think you may already suspect."
Sunset's cheeks began to turn pink as she began to feel where Twilight was going with her words. Double-D covered his mouth silently along with Crona, both of them blushing at the sight.
Crydius grinned excitedly. "Hey, hey, are they finally gonna-?"
"Seriously?" Rainbow said, only for Rolf to smash her over the head with an ornate wooden meat tenderizer.
"SILENCE, SHE-WHO-IS-CLEARLY-ATTRACTED-TO-SHY-FLUTTER-GIRL!"
"WHA?! I do not!" Rainbow squawked, an atomic blush on her cheeks.
Back with Twilight, she was still speaking her confession to Sunset. "If we don't... settle this now, maybe we never will. And I don't want that. I know I'll regret that. More than anything."
Sunset gulped as Twilight finally began mustering the courage. "So, I want you to hear this. The truth is... I... I-I..."
"SPEAK GIRL! LET YOUR HEART BE HEARD!" Ben shouted.
"I'M ACTUALLY NOT GOOD AT CELLULAR BIOLOGY!" Twilight confessed in embarrassment, holding out her biology test paper. "I got a B Minus on the last test! And I need you to help me study!"
The shattering of glass was heard as Sunset stared frozen in absolute disbelief, the girl going gray at being cockblocked in such a manner. Double-D sighed and shook his head in disappointment while Ben slammed his head into his desk and Crydius facepalmed so hard, that it echoed across the room.
"OH, COME ON!" Rarity's little sister Sweetie Belle complained as she popped in out of nowhere.
"Honestly, Twilight! You could have just asked me!" Double-D said in annoyance.
"I swear, you people are all idiots," Enrico muttered and shook his head, still nose-deep in the schematics and doing his best to ignore what was happening.
"This is why I stay away from romance," he thought as he continued working on his side project. "Too much bullshit to deal with. Besides, what kind of person would love a guy like me? They'd have to be crazy!"
Little did he know, it was not just Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer that would be getting the taste of Cupid's Arrow this day.
"Hey guys, have you seen Sunset? She hasn't been seen for a while now. I'm worried." Flash Sentry said as he was sitting in the cafeteria with the gang.
Flash was a member of the Light Music club. He had managed to befriend the gang through Twilight and Sunset.
As he said this, Eddy was casually balancing a spoon on his nose, Ben was nervously drumming his fingers while writing all sorts of fanfic ideas on paper, and Ed was wolfing down a huge helping of everything.
"She seems to be pretty upset that her relationship with Twilight isn't going anywhere..." Double-D said sadly.
"Jeez, can't Sunset just spit it out that she wants to bang her? Watching them dance around each other is painful." Eddy groaned.
"Word on that!" Ben said as he and Eddy bumped fists.
"Rolf! Your customs are crazy enough to work, what do you suggest?" Kojin asked the Son of a Shepard.
"Ah, yes! In Rolf's homeland, we have a very special means of making someone ours."
Rolf then smiled as he took out a handcrafted spear. "Take giant wooden spear made from your old grandma's teeth."
He then proceeded to tie a neat red ribbon to the handle. "Tie fancy red ribbon to wood."
He then turned to see Twilight getting her food with Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow, Pinkie, and Rarity beside her and aimed the spear to throw at Twilight's rear.
"Now throw the spear to-!"
"STRETCH, YOU COULD GET ARRESTED FOR THAT!" Eddy cried as he tackled the Son of a Shepard down to prevent him from doing something that would not work out the way he hoped.
"Ah, yes, in the Go-Go lands of the free, throwing spears at others is frowned upon," Rolf said, getting the gist of why he was stopped.
"I'm honestly surprised you have not been arrested yet," Enrico said, amazed at how Rolf's culture was so radically different from the rest of the world.
"Do you have any OTHER ideas?" Ben asked with his arms folded.
"Hmmm, Rolf has another idea, and it is much better appreciated among you fancy go-go freestyle players!"
"This better be a good one," Chris said, arms crossed.
As Rolf explained his plan, Double-D sighed sadly, Flash understanding his distress and nodding.
"Yeah, you have feelings for them too, huh?"
"Correct. You've told us that you and Sunset used to date before breaking up because she was in an… evil phase. Then you fell in love with Twilight's counterpart from a magical land of… ponies?"
Flash nodded. "Yup, that's the basic gist of it."
Enrico blinked once, then twice, before stopping at blink number three and exhaling.
"Ponies? Really? Did you take any drugs whatsoever?"
"No, man! I swear, she really was from that land of ponies!" Flash quickly answered. "I think it was called… Equestria?"
Enrico raised an eyebrow at that before shrugging it off. Given the shenanigans Ben and Chris get up to, he should not be giving Flash grief over this. He spotted Crydius's gang, the Hellraisers, just a few tables away from them. No doubt planning some mischief for some poor sod down the line.
Too bad, he's going to have to need one of them to help.
"I'll be back," he suddenly announced and stood from his seat. "Chris, you help Flash with this romance thing. I'm gonna go over to those troublemakers and recruit some experts."
Chris nodded and took over in helping Flash with his predicament.
"All right, talk to Chris. What's on your mind?"
Flash said nothing as he turned back to look at Twilight.
"Oh, right," Chris said, already getting the picture. "Well, don't worry Flash, Flash, hundred-yard-dash, because ol' C-Dawg here has got something planned that will guarantee you and Double-D get together with Sunset and Twilight.
Flash stared bewildered at Chris after hearing the nickname he was given. "Why did you make it sound like I ran track?"
"Eh, felt like making a Zootopia reference. Anyways, here's what I'm thinking..."
As Chris laid out his plan's details with Flash and Double-D, Enrico approached the table the Hellraisers were occupying and saw the person he needed for the situation.
"Dominator, you got a moment?" he asked loudly and clearly, making the group of troublemakers stop.
"Uh, Senpai?" Crona looked to their aforementioned senior, who simply had a look of bewilderment on her face. After all, nobody approaches the Hellraisers without a good reason, and rarely does that ever happen.
For someone to approach them, especially one of the newbies, is a startling change of pace.
"Yeah, I guess so," the alien replied and stood from her seat. "Got something in mind?"
"I'm sure it's no secret that the whole Sunset and Twilight situation has… inconvenienced you guys," Enrico began.
"Yeah, no kidding," Marshall Lee grimaced at the memory of Sunset and Twilight having adorably awkward PDA every now and then. Whenever possible, those two could not keep their hands off each other and whenever someone tries to stop them, Sunset goes ballistic on the poor individual.
"I'm assuming you wish to deal with them?" Crydius asked rhetorically just as Chara pulled out his knife. Crydius casually pushed the midget down to prevent his from getting too stabby in school.
"More or less," Enrico nodded. "It involves drinks of the strong variety. Lots and lots of drinks…"
Dominator had a predatory smile.
"Drinks and romance? Sign me the fuck up, Riks!"
He raised an eyebrow at that. Aside from his old barangay, nobody had even referred to him by that particular nickname.
"Let's get started then."
Rolf and Enrico had taken Sunset to the nearby pub run by Berry Punch along with Dominator.
"So, Riks here told me things are a little rocky between you and Egghead Number Two. And in a situation like that, there's only one thing that'll help: DRINKING!" Dominator said as she procured a table for herself, Sunset, Enrico, and Rolf.
"Wait, aren't we technically too young to drink?" Sunset asked nervously.
"You are, but I'm pretty sure Dominator and I aren't," Enrico said as he sat down on his seat.
"You want to get technical, or you want to get wasted?" Dominator retorted from her spot just as the waiter came with their drinks.
Sunset stared at her drink, in deep thought.
Then, without a moment's hesitation, she downed it all in one gulp.
*Later*
"And that... is why... I'm the only one in the group-*HIC*-who wears pants." Sunset said, starting to get a little tipsy.
"Huh... That explains so much and yet so little." Dominator said awkwardly.
"How the hell does that even make sense?" Enrico asked. Dominator simply shrugged, just as confused as him.
"Berry Punch, gimme one, too. I'm gonna need it."
The bartender nodded and handed both Enrico and Dominator some drinks of their own. In pure sync, the two downed their glasses in seconds as they watched Sunset go further and further away from cognitive thought and become even more buzzed.
Meanwhile, Rolf had grabbed some drinks as well, these ones of a more exotic blend.
"Rolf shall now partake in drinking to his ancestors and to the encouragement of Bacon-Haired Sunset!"
*Even More Later*
"And then she said... We said-*HIC*-'FIFTEEN'! *HIC* It was... so romantic..." Sunset said, now thoroughly drunk. A massive atomic blush was on her face as she swayed and danced in her seat.
"How does solving the fancy mathematic equations result in true love? I ask you!" Rolf asked with a shrug.
"Don't ask," Enrico replied, downing his fifteenth glass of beer. He was starting to feel buzzed himself. A quick glance at Dominator showed that she was in the same boat as him.
*Even MORE Later*
Sunset had her head buried in the table, sobbing. "Why won't she just (BEEP) me? Am I not (BEEP)able? I'd (BEEP) me if I were her-*HIC*"
"I'm starting to think this isn't exactly 'helping' as much as I thought it would..." Dominator thought with a frown.
"The naughty language is being covered by the fancy doo-hickey sounds that come from nowhere!" Rolf said in agreement.
"I… I'm not even gonna question this bullshit anymore," Enrico groused. By this point, he would take anything, ANYTHING, to get this over with.
Just then, Twilight Sparkle came into the pub, a look of worry on her fair face.
"Sunset! There you are! I've been looking all over for you! It feels like lately, you've been... avoiding me. Is something wrong?"
Sunset bolted from her seat and grabbed Twilight's shoulders, drunk tears running down her face.
"WHY WON'T YOU JUST (BEEP) ME?!" Sunset Shimmer screeched out, drunk as all hell with tears running down her cheek and some snot threatening to blow out of one of her nostrils.
Twilight was pale as a sheet at Sunset's drunken scream, unable to formulate a simple response. She was stuttering, words failing her and her mind was no better, as if she was a computer experiencing the dreaded blue screen of death.
"Check, please!" Dominator said to Berry Punch, who smirked.
"Nah, keep it on the tab. I think she's earned it with how much she put away."
"And Rolf has only had starters!" Rolf declared, having downed multiple glasses, and not the least bit even remotely buzzed to begin with.
"And that's… feh… enough for me…" Enrico groaned, on his thirtieth glass, and forked over some cash to Berry Punch.
"Keep it," the bartender said. "You look like you could use that for yourself."
"Thanks… fehack!" Enrico coughed into his fist and pocketed his money.
The mission was successful, somewhat, and now it was time to get out of the AO.
"Hey, brother~!" Ben playfully said as he sat down beside Crydius, who was sitting by himself in the club room.
"Please don't call me that even if we are brothers."
"Nope!" Ben retorted, popping the 'P'. "We're family, so we call each other as such."
"Whatever..." Crydius grumbled as he checked his phone. Ben leaned over his shoulder and saw he was texting someone.
"Oh, who's that? Your GIRLFRIEND~?"
"As a matter of fact; Yes. Don't get butthurt that you don't have any girls of your own."
"Thou hast WOUNDED me, brother dearest!" Ben said dramatically before perking up when he felt a powerful aura coming from nearby. He got up to go and inspect it, but Crydius grabbed his sleeve to stop him.
"Don't bother. It's all under control."
"Are you sure?"
"Relax. Chara has never failed me when I needed her to get the job done."
"Like what, killing people?" Ben asked flatly as Crydius put away his phone and gave his brother an annoyed look.
"In another universe, maybe. But not this one. I sent him to confront Sunset on how she's running from her feelings and all that."
"And you're SURE he won't just cut Sunset up into teeny-tiny chunks?" Ben asked as Crydius chuckled.
"Chara may seem demented but she has a lot of depth to her character. You just have to trust me on this."
"Alright..." Ben was justifiably and reasonably unsure of letting a murderous midget run around the campus unattended but if his estranged brother said it would be fine, then he supposed he had no reason to worry.
Right?
Soon, during class, Sunset came in with a determined look on her face despite her reddened cheeks.
"T-T-Twilight!"
Twilight jumped in her seat and turned around. "Geez, Sunset, you scared me! And where have you-?"
Sunset then stopped Twilight, grabbing her shoulders firmly as she finally spoke what needed to be said.
"I LOVE YOU!"
Twilight blushed as Sunset stuttered. "I-U-Um..."
Ben made a 'Just Breath' motion to Sunset while Double-D nodded proudly. Fluttershy covered her mouth with a blush at what was going on and Pinkie Pie and Rina's smiles threatened to tear their heads off.
"I'm not sure... how it happened... Or why... but... I've... been in love with you... For a while now."
"She's really doin' it!" Eddy whispered with a smirk.
"Awwww, how romantic!" Ed cooed.
"I was afraid to tell you... because I was afraid it would ruin our friendship... but... As much as I like having you as a friend... I can't pretend I don't want us to be more... So… I... decided to tell you..."
"And Rolf did not even need to use the Spear of Romance!" Rolf whispered to Kojin, who grinned with a nod.
"Every moment I'm with you makes me so happy. And... I want us to share as many of these moments as we can. I... Um... What I mean to ask is... um... Will you... be my girlfriend?"
Twilight blushed as she struggled to find the right words. "Sunset... I... Um... I'm... really happy you told me this... I didn't think... Um... Oh geez, I don't know what to say."
"How about 'CAN IT WAIT UNTIL AFTER CLASS?'" Rainbow darkly said to them.
"As much as I want to shoot the rainbow for interrupting," Enrico spoke up, his Para-Ordnance P14.45 pistol in his hand, making Rainbow Dash flinch. "I am in agreement with her. There is a time and place for everything."
"Come on, dude!" Chris exclaimed. "Just let them have their moment!"
"Dude, it's class!" Enrico exclaimed back. "As much as I support Sunset and Twilight finally tying the goddamn knot, there's a time and place for everything!"
"HOW THE HELL DOES HE HAVE A GUN IN SCHOOL?!"
"Students, please," The teacher, Bartholomew Oobleck, spoke up. "As happy as I am for the union of Miss Shimmer and Miss Sparkle, there is still a lesson going on! And Mister Azkalero, please keep that firearm away. We do not need another Locker Room Incident."
"What the teacher said!" Rainbow exclaimed.
"Okay, first of all, that guy had it coming!" Enrico exclaimed as he pocketed his handgun, making sure that the safety was on. "Second, he pushed me and that set the gun off!"
"Fine, but we will let those two lovebirds have their moment later. And nobody better interrupt, alright?" Chris said dangerously, making a slit-throat gesture as Rainbow gulped.
"G-got it…"
Enrico grumbled.
"I swear, you people are impossible…"
The sooner class ended, the sooner he can finish tuning up Alice Blue.
It was late at night and most of the Azeasany Institute of Magic had retired for the night. Students and faculty alike were turning in for the day to prepare for the next day of classes.
For some, however, the night was an opportunity to get busy.
In the Mech Laboratory, Enrico was busy working on his Mech once more. The Alice Blue had been given an upgrade over the weeks. Where it once stood at a measly 9.0 meters in height with a basic looking frame and arsenal, the Alice Blue had nearly doubled in height, standing at over 15.0 meters tall with an updated design and arsenal.
He had chosen to upgrade the parts and increase their size for a few reasons:
One, the size provides the mass needed for melee and ramming as well as provide more internal space for power supplies and external surface area for many hardpoints.
Two, the upcoming MechaTitan Tournament was approaching. While the Yu-Gi-Oh Tournament would be first, it does not hurt to prepare for the other tournament. He needed to prepare for it as much as possible.
Third, it helps him relax. It had been this way since he first set foot in that military base so many years ago.
He had chosen to stick to the aesthetics of the Armored Cores but had also opted to add bits and pieces from larger Mech types such as the venerable Battle Mechs used during the Syndicate Crisis a few decades prior. Specifically, he opted for the Phoenix Hawk 45-Ton Class Medium Mech as it provided the perfect balance in size, speed, energy capacity, and arsenal.
It no longer resembled the skinny and feminine-looking AC that it was before. Now, the Alice Blue had some muscle, so to speak. Parts of the Phoenix Hawk had been added and given the Mech a more imposing profile. Combined with its height and its current arsenal, it was an eyecatcher for sure.
It was still predominantly colored in ice blue with a few accent pieces colored in a shiny lustrous silver now.
"It's no Karasawa, but it'll do," he spoke as he fine-tuned the laser rifle meant for his Mech. The Operating System would compensate for the lack of per-shot firepower and the laser rifle's cyclic rate was respectable enough to facilitate general purpose usage on the battlefield.
"Ah, Enrico!" He heard Emily Simmons's voice as she approached him. "Still working on your Mech?"
"Yeah, currently tuning the systems to see if I can optimize everything," Enrico replied, sending a small smile her way. "I know I can't prepare for every eventuality, but it never hurts to be prepared now, wouldn't it?"
She giggled and nodded in agreement with his words. She then looked over his work and hummed thoughtfully.
"Is something wrong?"
"Yes," she responded, placing a finger on the screen. "You seemed to have left this part unattended."
He blinked and looked at the aforementioned area before coughing in embarrassment when he realized that the structural integrity of the Mech, while solid, had left some of the systems and areas under heavy stress.
Such as the core joints of the Mech, which are now at risk of snapping in half if one was not careful.
"Whoops."
She softly shook her head at this before sitting down next to him.
"Here, let me help. Two heads are better than one, after all."
He had no objections to that and soon enough, the two began to work out the kinks of the upgraded Alice Blue Mech Unit. The robotic arms in the lab helped reinforce the joints as Emily and Enrico continued working into the night.
"Hmm," Emily suddenly hummed once more.
"Something on your mind?" Enrico asked with some nervousness in his voice. And how could he not be nervous? After all, one of the premier students and de-facto leaders of the Mech Laboratory was looking over his Mech's design. Any criticisms here were serious and would leave lasting impressions on him.
That, and Emily Simmons was beautiful. The way her golden hair seems to reflect the light at just the right angles, the way her drones cutely act like puppies around her, the way her emeralds for eyes seem to broadcast the purest form of light whenever he gazes into them, and the way that she moves-
"Okay…" He blinked, feeling his heart beating a little too fast for his liking. "Even though I try to stay away from romance, it looks like romance isn't through with me just yet."
He looked away in hopes of hiding the growing blush on his face. Of course, Emily's perceptive eyes caught his movement.
"Are you alright? Your face is heating up."
"N-no," he had hoped his voice did not crack too much there. "I… I'm just feeling a bit tired, that's all. I should probably get some rest."
Just as he stood up, something from up above fell. His eyes traced it and predicted its landing zone and, to his alarm, saw Emily at the epicenter.
"Get down!"
"KYA~!"
On pure instinct, he tackled her to the floor just as a loose piece of metal had crashed through the floor.
He turned his attention to where the piece of metal had landed.
"Okay… Luckily only the floor was damaged. Everything else… was… fine…" Enrico trailed off when he realized the position that he and Emily were in. He was on top of her, his larger frame seemingly shadowing her own as if they were newlyweds about to consummate their love for one another.
She looked absolutely radiant, her hair forming a halo around her as if she were a divine angel sent down from Heaven just for him. Her soft breathing made her chest lower and rise in the most captivating of ways. And that blush on her face made her so adorable, her emerald eyes being accented by her glasses as they stared into his own dark brown eyes.
And her lips, so plump and full of life, oh so tantalizingly close to his own rough set of lips. Their breathing can be felt on their faces. Time seemed to stop just for them.
Her lips were so close to his own. They were almost about to touch…
If anyone else were in Enrico's shoes, they'd capitalize on this moment. Unfortunately, Enrico backed away from Emily the moment the situation properly registered in his mind.
And just as their lips nearly made contact, too.
"Oh shit!" He quickly scrambled to get up and helped Emily to her feet as quickly as possible. "I am SO sorry about that! I don't know what came over me!"
"N-no, no, it's fine," Emily replied, a bright blush on her cheeks.
The two young adults looked away from one another, looking for something, ANYTHING, to look at other than them.
Enrico, after swallowing down that overwhelming feeling of embarrassment, took a moment to look upwards where that piece of metal had fallen.
"That piece of metal had been loosened… Someone had purposefully sabotaged it. But why? And for what purpose?" His mind raced, trying to find a likely answer as to why this happened. His thoughts were broken when Emily breathed sharply, making him turn to face her.
They were not alone.
Ben was there and he had a wide grin on his face.
"You guys look like you had fun."
"Ben…" Enrico began slowly, his face paling at the implications. "How long have you been lurking there like a gremlin?"
To his horror and embarrassment, Ben flourished out his smartphone, with the damning picture of Enrico and Emily in a rather intimate position, with that wide grin still on his face.
"Oh, you know~… Long enough to see you get lucky, bro!"
"BEN! FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY, DELETE THAT!" Enrico charged at Ben, who swiftly dodged and cackled in response.
"No way, bro! You need this moment of love in your life!"
"GET THAT THING OFF THE FACE OF THIS EARTH!" Enrico saw red and charged once more at Ben, this time successfully tackling the other man to the ground and soon both men began to wrestle over the phone.
So occupied were either male to grab or protect the phone that none of them noticed Emily laughing softly until a few seconds later, the melodious tone of her laughter disarming both of them.
"Oh my," a new voice grabbed their attention and they saw Penny Polendina, frozen in place as she saw the scene before her.
"Penny?!" Now it was Ben's turn to be heavily embarrassed considering the position that he and Enrico were in.
The gynoid did not respond to his cry, seemingly in a trance. Emily's sharp eyes noticed some liquid trailing down the corner of Penny's lips. And her ears picked up what seemed like sharp breathing.
"Is Penny… Oh dear," she could only giggle internally at the scene before her and took a step back, watching the chaos unfold. She knows that Penny was a curious girl, with her father Pietro providing her with the basics and encouraging her to learn beyond that, but this form of curiosity could be bad. Or good, especially with the potential shenanigans possible.
She said nothing as Penny began to misinterpret the scene before her.
"Oh my, I did not realize you and Friend Enrico were in that kind of relationship," the gynoid spoke.
"NONONONONONO! IT'S NOT WHAT YOU THINK!" Ben exclaimed, quickly getting out of the entanglement.
"Ben, get back here! We're not through yet!" Enrico exclaimed, capitalizing on the moment, and made a grab for the phone only for Ben to intercept the hand.
"Such an intimate grasp!" Penny's eyes had stars in them as she continued to misinterpret the scene further and further.
"IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!" Ben exclaimed, face completely red. Turning to Enrico, he exclaimed.
"Help a brother out!"
"Nope, I've got what I came for," Enrico deadpanned as he deleted the picture. "Next time, we should be in a more private area for this, alright?"
It was clear that he was milking this for all that it's worth judging by the absolutely predatory look on his face.
"Oh, haha! Very funny," Ben grumbled.
Seeing that Ben had suffered enough, Emily stepped in.
"Penny, Enrico was just trying to delete something from Ben's phone that would have ruined his standing in the academy," she told the gynoid.
"Oh," Penny responded, and the most perceptive individual of the group (in this case, Emily Simmons) noted that there was a hint of disappointment in her voice.
"Has Blake been handing Penny those erotic literature books again?" She tilted her head at this before continuing to disarm the situation.
"Nothing romantic is occurring between them. They are more like brothers in how they act with one another."
Penny nodded at this with a look of disappointment on her face, her eyes slightly dulled out.
"Yep, looks like Blake had been lending her those books again," Emily sighed at this before ushering Penny out of the area.
"Hey, wait up!" Ben chased after the two ladies, leaving Enrico alone in his post.
And he still had Ben's phone in his hand. Quietly, he headed back to his personal laptop and began to transfer something from Ben's phone to his laptop. Once the transfer was complete, he had a soft smile on his face. He turned to see the terminal hosting Alice Blue's OS.
The way that the Mech was positioned, it looked as though it was judging him.
"Oh, don't give me that look. If you had the opportunity to do this, you'd take it in a heartbeat, too," he spoke without thinking before blinking, rather confused as to why he had spoken to a machine in the first place, especially a machine that was not sentient.
Shaking off those thoughts, Enrico will have to give Ben his smartphone back. Transferring the OS back into the Mech, he shut the terminal and his workplace down for the night and left the room, taking his personal belongings, such as his laptop and bag, with him.
As he stepped out, he caught the tail end of an important conversation between Ben and Penny.
"-and if you truly feel that way, then you will have to take me out on a date!" Penny exclaimed with a bright smile that gave Ben the metaphorical equivalent of diabetes. Ben stuttered and could not give a coherent response. Shaking his head, Enrico decided to bail him out of this one.
"He'd love to, Penny," he announced his presence to them as he handed an unresponsive Benjamin Shigura his smartphone by sliding it into his breast pocket.
"Lord knows this idiot needs some proper romance in his life."
He lightly chuckled and patted Ben on the back, snapping the bespectacled young man out of his trance and nodding.
"Yeah, I'll do whatever you want, Penny!"
Penny smiled and handed Ben a slip of paper.
"Berry Punch's Pub, tonight, two days from now, Eight O Clock Sharp. And do dress nicely for the occasion, Benjamin," she spoke in a surprisingly low purr that got Ben's motor running.
Both Enrico and Emily blinked in surprise at how forward Penny had gotten.
"Did she get a personality matrix upgrade?"
"Is she learning how to be romantic?"
Safe to say, Benjamin Shigura howled to the moon when he and Enrico had gotten back to their dorm in pure excitement at getting a date with Penny Polendina.
As for Enrico, he was excited for a different reason.
"Are you ready for the Tournament, Enrico?" Emily asked him as they walked to the dorms.
"Yeah, I'm ready," he said, so sure of himself and of his Mech. "Me and Alice Blue are gonna blow the competition out of the water!"
She smiled at this. The more he spoke about Alice Blue, the less he sounded like he was treating it as a tool.
He treated it as if Alice Blue was his very child. He was Alice Blue's father.
"I suppose that makes me Alice Blue's mother then, tee-hee~!" Emily thought before realizing what she had just said in her mind.
"What am I saying?!" A furious blush was on her cheeks when her own thoughts finally registered in her head.
"I can't fall in love that quickly! Could I!?" Emily pursed her lip and cupped her own chin in thought.
"Is something wrong?" Enrico asked her, noticing her current mood.
"Ah, no. I was just thinking about how the MechaTitan Tournament would go this year, haha…" Emily lied as they reached the dorm that hosted Enrico and his friends.
"Okay then," he noticed that something was amiss but did not choose to pursue it. He respected Emily's privacy and she respected his in turn.
"Well, good night, Emily. I'll see you tomorrow," he bid her farewell.
"Good night, Enrico," she sent a soft, angelic smile his way, making him pause for a moment before smiling back and closing the door.
Once she was sure he was heading upstairs, Emily whispered out her response to him.
"I'll be waiting…"
With that, she turned on her heel and headed back to her own dorm room with a soft smile on her face and a skip in her step.
All the while being observed by something lurking in the shadows.
Meanwhile with Enrico, as he approached his room, he saw Chris and Double-D waving Flash goodbye, with the former noticing Enrico and turning to face him.
"Oh hey, so how did your time at the Mech Lab go?" Chris asked.
"It went well, aside from Ben being a cheeky little gremlin though. I've made some good progress on Alice and I'm hoping to have her ready for the MechaTitan Tournament that's coming up."
"That sounds like fun." Double-D chimed in.
"Oh, believe me, it is, ESPECIALLY if you're a big fan of giant mechas like me. So, considering I saw Flash leave here I'm assuming you managed to come up with something, Chris?"
"Oh yeah, we just finalized everything by the time you and Ben came in. Speaking of him though, I didn't get the chance to ask him since he zoomed straight into his room and slammed the door but what's got him acting like an excited puppy?"
Enrico simply patted Chris on the shoulder as he walked into his room. "You'll see, Chris. You'll see."
The next day, Chris saw Ben at the gym watching Mukuro lifting weights and noticed in his eyes how he wanted to talk to her.
"Hey Ben," Chris said, causing Ben to snap out of it and turn towards him. "I know what you're thinking, so let me give you some advice. Just go talk to her, dude. Introduce yourself and ask her if she wants to hang out later."
Ben turned to look at Mukuro again, before taking a deep breath as he walked toward her.
"Hi, Mukuro," Ben said, starting things off nicely with a simple hello. Mukuro put away the dumbbells she was lifting as she turned to Ben.
"Hello, Ben. It's nice to see you again. What brings you here?"
"Nice to see you too. Umm..." Ben cleared his throat before he continued. Don't screw this up, dawg. "I was wondering if you, and me, could hang out, together. Sometime. Soon."
Okay, pretty solid, pretty solid. Got a couple of things to work out, but we're making good progress.
"Ok. How does Berry Punch's Pub tomorrow night at Eight sound?" Mukuro asked. Ben happily shook his head yes in confirmation. "Alright, see you there."
As she walked away, Chris walked up to Ben, who had a doofy grin on his face. "Wow, that went better than expected. Nice job, Ben."
"Thanks. Honestly cannot wait until Eight comes around." After he said that though, his smile faltered as he started remembering something about the location and time. "Why am I getting the strangest sense of déjà vu right now?"
Ben's eyes widened in realization as he frowned heavily, remembering when and where he first heard that exact same setup, from Penny Polendina. You fucked up, dude...
"FUCK!"
…Which is what I WOULD say if you didn't have someone like Chris to help you out.
"Hey, don't start panicking on me now."
"How can I NOT panic, I already have a date with Penny, and like an idiot, I forgot about it and asked Mukuro out!"
"Huh, so that's why you were so giddy last night. Anyways, Ben, trust me, there's a silver lining to this. At least you don't have to worry about the dates happening at separate locations." Chris said, trying to calm his friend down.
"Honestly that's probably somehow worse. What am I gonna do, I'm screwed!" Ben yelled, before getting smacked by Chris, who then proceeded to hold his head in his hands.
"Ben, focus. Panicking is going to get you nowhere, so just take a deep breath and calm. down. Now, there's only one way to fix this and that involves a little something called polyamory."
Ben stared at Chris in confusion after he said that. "Huh?"
Chris shook his head at Ben's confusion.
"I... bruh, how do you, a bisexual, leaning on actually being a pansexual, not know what polyamory means? It means having the desire to have relationships with more than one partner. Once you get to Berry Punch's just tell Penny and Mukuro that you want to date them both. Simple."
Once Chris released his hold on Ben, he started thinking over what Chris told him, his eyes slowly expanding as the realization starts to hit him like a truck.
"Oh my god, you're right. How did I not notice this? Thanks, Chris."
"Anytime my guy, anytime."
With that, Ben ran off to go get himself suited up for his upcoming date, while Chris took his leave from the gym as well. As he wandered through the halls though, he heard someone telling another person to leave them alone.
He turned to see a woman getting harassed by quite possibly the ugliest motherfucker Chris had ever seen. Thinking quickly, he walked up to the bastard and tapped him on the shoulder, socking him in the jaw once the guy turned around.
Chris then blasted him back with his Duel Disk, causing the guy to fall flat on his back after he went flying. "The hell is your problem?!"
Chris then walked up and crouched down so that he could get a better look at the guy. "Man, you are ugly. I overheard what you were saying to that girl behind me, and I guess it's true what they say about how one's appearance is a reflection of their true self because frankly, you make Two-Face look TWICE as handsome compared to how he looked before he got hit with acid."
Chris then grabbed the bastard by his shirt and lifted him up so that he could glare directly into his eyes. "Now you listen well you son of a bitch… If I ever catch you trying to pull the same shit you tried to do to her, I'ma bring a whole new meaning to the term 'blowjob' by shoving this thing up your dick and firing."
"You wouldn't dare," the bastard said before Chris let go and quickly undid the guy's pants, planting his gun firmly against the bastard's crotch.
"Try me."
The guy immediately started to freak out as he promised to not act like a sleaze, even as he tripped and fell flat on his face due to his pants being down.
"Sheesh, what an asshole. You okay, miss?" Chris said as he turned to the guy's would-be victim.
The first thing that Chris noticed was she looked to be about the same age as him, she was rather skinny with fair skin and long, thick mousy brown hair with a side fringe across her forehead, and her eyes were grayish-blue. She also had a red and white headband with a bow that resembled rabbit ears on her head. Further down, she had on a scarlet tank top with a black undershirt, short white shorts with black lycra mini-leggings underneath, yellow and black ankle boots with orange soles, and short red and white socks. She also had a yellow and green fanny pack with a white bracelet that looked like it had a rainbow-colored marble embedded into it.
"Yeah, I'm ok. Thank you."
Chris holstered his Duel Disk as he smiled. "Ah, it was nothing. Had to do SOMETHING, otherwise, that guy was going to defile a pretty little rose such as yourself." As he said that, he whipped out a rose and handed it to her. "Also, may I ask, what's your name?"
The woman blushed as she took the rose. "My name's May. And you?"
"Chris. Chris Wright, but my friends tend to call me Caw." Chris then took out a pen and a piece of paper and wrote something down before handing it to May. "Here. There's my number, in case you want to chat, as well as the number of the dorm room that I'm staying at, in case you want to chat in person."
With that, Chris turned to walk away as May stared at the flower that he had given her before she too walked off.
Once they were a good distance away from each other though, Chris deflated like a balloon as his face turned red. "Hot damn she's cute!"
Flash smiled as he saw Sunset and Twilight walking home from school together, holding hands and looking at each other lovingly. The rocker boy then sighed, remembering the time he and Sunset were in a relationship, but that was when she was still 'evil' and 'power-hungry'.
"I'm just glad you could find your own happiness, Sunset. You and Twilight deserve each other."
Chris then walked up and gently shook Flash by the shoulder. "Dawg, why you acting so mopey? We made a plan, remember?"
Flash's eyes widened as he remembered the night before when he talked with Chris and Double-D. "Oh, right."
"Exactly. Good luck and Godspeed you two… Godspeed."
Chris saluted the two as they walked up to Twilight and Sunset. Once they got the girl's attention, they looked at each other, then nodded.
"Sunset..." Flash said as he put his hand on Twilight's shoulder.
"Twilight..." Double-D said as he did the same after taking a deep breath to calm his nerves.
"I'm going to be honest here, I... I still have feelings for you. For both of you. And Twilight, I know that my feelings for you are technically towards an alternate counterpart of you, at the end of the day, as long as you're you, I don't care where you're from," Flash said.
"I may not be the best when it comes to expressing myself, but I'll at least try. Twilight, you and Sunset have quite possibly the greatest minds I have ever seen, possibly far greater than my own. On top of that, you're not just intelligent, you're also very beautiful," Double-D added.
"Basically, what we're trying to ask here is: Can we be your boyfriends? Please?" Flash asked worriedly.
Sunset and Twilight looked at each other for about a couple of seconds before Sunset spoke up first. "Sure, could be interesting if I'm being honest."
Flash and Double-D looked at each other in disbelief, before turning back to the girls. "You mean it?"
The girls smiled and nodded their heads yes, causing Flash to start hooting and hollering in excitement over his second chance at love while Double-D simply sighed in relief. Once Flash calmed down, they made plans to meet at Twilight and Sunset's dorm later that night.
Meanwhile, with Chris, he was smiling. "Knew you guys could do it."
Kojin was walking around the campus, thinking about certain things. His strategy as a Duelist was good, but it was clear that there was some form of improvement to be done. Still, he may need to consult with Chris and some others who are well versed in Yu-Gi-Oh.
So occupied was he in his thoughts that he did not notice someone on a collision course to him until it was too late.
"OOF!"
"WHOA!"
Both Kojin and the person he collided with fell to the ground, Kojin being knocked on his ass and the person stumbling back.
"Are you alright?" The person asked, clearly female by the sound of their voice.
"Yeah, I'm… okay?" Kojin stood up, rubbing his bum to alleviate the pain before turning to face one of the most beautiful women he had laid eyes upon.
She was, first and foremost, tall. Standing at well over 6'10"/2.10 meters and muscular, with voluminous white hair reaching down to her shoulders and upper back and blood-red eyes to go with her beautifully masculine face.
She was wearing a zipped-up dull blue tracksuit with the name "NOI" written in all caps on her left breast area, with her forearms covered in bandages and her hands covered completely by pitch-black gloves, and her feet being covered by a pair of dull blue sneakers.
Before he knew it, Kojin spoke with his filter broken.
"Well, hello, Mama."
"Excuse me?" She blinked, completely thrown off by how she was greeted. Everyone else was either intimidated by her or unsure of how to greet her. To be greeted in such a direct and flirtatious manner… It was a nice change, to be perfectly honest.
Realizing that he may have overstepped, Kojin quickly moved to fix it.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I just spoke my mind out without thinking. Whoops."
To his delight, she chuckled at this.
"It's fine. Most folks are either intimidated or unsure of how to greet me, so this was a nice change of pace for me," she said before holding out her hand.
"I'm Noi, pleased to meet ya!" Almost instantly, Kojin reciprocated the gesture and finalized the handshake.
"Kojin Shinigami, right back at ya!"
Kojin did not know for sure, but he had a feeling that this was the start of a beautiful friendship. And perhaps more if he plays his cards right.
With Rina, she was busy working on something in one of the many Chemistry Laboratories available in Azeasany. She was experimenting with some of her powers and seeing what kinds of reactions certain materials can provide.
Right now, she was testing out some fur taken from some animals from the Zoology Labs. While she was only limited to mimicking humans and anthropomorphic beings, she was testing to what extent her limits go to.
And to go beyond them, if at all possible.
She concentrated on her power, seeing if she can work it out. Slowly but surely, her left arm started to shift, and it morphed into the desired shape. Gone was a human left arm and in its place was a wolf's left front leg. She flexed the paws and extended and retracted the claws present.
The reason why she was in the Chem Lab was that she theorized that certain chemicals could provide boosts to her shapeshifting. Right now, she was testing out some basic silver and applying it to her new wolf limb. She winced in pain as the changes underwent but soon her pain was replaced with wonder as her furry limb was encased in beautiful silver armor. Even the claws were shining in the light.
"Pretty nifty power, Miss Corzin," a stern woman's voice grabbed her attention and made her turn to face whoever had spoken to her.
Her breath stilled. There she was, one of the most beautiful women she had personally laid eyes upon.
Flawless pale skin coupled with a slim and sensual body, her hair a long mane spun from darkness, and her eyes glowing an ethereal green glow. She was clad in her teaching outfit which did absolutely nothing to hide how drop-dead gorgeous she was.
Professor Shego was notorious throughout the Azeasany campus for being stern and talking down to those that cross her. She was also one of the most fantasized teachers around the school for both males and females alike. Rina herself had done so on more than one occasion.
Shego smirked and sashayed towards the awestruck student, cupping her chin and bringing her close.
"Your powers need a bit of work, but it is formidable even in its infantile state," she whispered into Rina's ear. The girl was too stunned and awestruck to speak. Steam rose from her ears as her face became an atomic tomato in color.
Shego was also notorious for being a serial flirt, especially to students who caught her fancy. Rumors upon rumors upon rumors had spread about her bedding students but none had been proven as either true or false. And right now, Rina was her fancy. Shego was the predator lurking through the jungle, stalking her prey for the sheer thrill of it.
Releasing Rina from her clutches, Shego sashayed out of the room, knowing full well that Rina's eyes were locked on her bakery.
"If you wish, I can give you a more… in-depth analysis of your powers, Miss Corzin~…" She winked at the awestruck student before walking down the hall, drawing the eyes of many a student as she passed them by.
Rina exhaled and dropped to her knees.
"Dios Mio… What a woman!"
Meanwhile, in a dark decrypt throne room, the tall shadowy figure that was Velhallen Beo chuckled as he saw Twilight and Sunset walking home together, holding hands. He then waved two clawed fingers and the scene changed to show Crydius texting his girlfriend on his phone.
"You're too soft, boy..." He then saw what Ben was doing. "Those blasted Heroes have made you ignore the destiny I made for you both!"
Crushing the ball of flames that he was using to peer into looking at everything, the tall dark figure stood from his throne and walked across the halls of his lair, his demons busy defiling and eating their hapless victims.
"This... WON'T... DO... Such pitiful little poppets," Velhallen Beo shook his head, putting two clawed fingers to his forehead in disappointment.
"Letting such worthless emotions like LOVE and FRIENDSHIP cloud what is truly important: POWER! CHAOS! DESTRUCTION!"
He then punched the wall beside him angrily, forming spiderweb cracks as a few nearby demons cowered in fear. The dark figure took a few deep breaths before smirking, his knife-like teeth glistening dangerously.
"Ah-Ha, I am furnished with a THOUGHT~." He then began making all sorts of exaggerated movements as he thought out his plan.
"For these irretrievably pathetically wretched excuses for children that I have spawned, I shall extend a personal fav... OR~!"
The dark figure broke out into an episode of laughter as his demons all began cackling alongside him, some even upping the tempo of their defilement of the men, women, and children they had enslaved.
He was about to continue relishing the moment when he began to feel something that he had not felt in eons.
Another instance of raw darkness, like him. But where Velhallen Beo desires to rule over all the universe…
This one was content with keeping the so-called Balance in check.
"Razgriz…" He snarled. "So, you've finally resurfaced, Old Friend, to keep your oh so precious Balance in check? You will fail, your Balance shall shatter, and I will personally enjoy your corpse hanging from my chandeliers!"
He could not properly pinpoint where the Razgriz was currently located, but he can sense him. He was more than certain that the feeling was mutual.
Well, no matter. That Traitor shall have his due. And once the Universe was in his grasp, he shall tear down everything the Razgriz holds dear.
A shame that their host could not properly court one of his many potential mates, but other opportunities shall arise, the Razgriz thought as it slithered across the school grounds. It had taken the form of a living shadow, darting through the school unseen by all.
When it had arrived in this schola, it had been greeted by a rather welcoming aroma of magic. It had not tasted such succulence in eons. But it had to control itself. This was not the time to indulge in personal vices.
This was the time to prepare.
Darting back to the large fortress housing the large metal titans that the humans have created recently, it searched and searched until it found what it was looking for. The looking glass its future host had used to nurture his child.
It was not fully aware yet but that was all about to change.
The Razgriz shapeshifted to a humanoid form of living shadows and with a single prick of their finger, the beginnings of True Life began to blossom in his future host's child. They can feel the beginnings of a soul manifesting in the artificial child.
The Razgriz smiled at this. While they can Destroy, they can also Create. And create, they did. That was one more potential warrior for the coming fight.
If the host reaches the proper stage and his child matures quick enough, then the Razgriz can consider their victory assured.
Now, it was time to slip back into the shadows once more and observe the comings and goings of the humans and their neighbors.
The time was fast approaching, and the Razgriz is making sure that they will be the victor.
They stilled for a moment, feeling something familiar calling out to him.
Ah, so that petulant child was just noticing him now. The Razgriz smirked. Velhallen Beo never did forgive them for denying him his conquest eons ago. Honestly, the fact that that child still believed himself to be superior to all just because of his mantle was the pinnacle of arrogance and utter stupidity.
It was one of the few times Razgriz undertook a personal mission beyond what they were destined to do.
Still, they will clash. Someday, when all the pieces are in place. And when that day comes…
Only one shall leave the battlefield alive.
"What…"
"The…"
"Hell…"
Ben, Chris, and Enrico respectively deadpanned when they saw the scene before them.
Sunset Shimmer, Twilight Sparkle, Flash Sentry, and Eddward Marion Skyrise were nervously standing before everyone as they revealed something from behind them.
It was a little girl, around a head or so shorter than Ruby, who was also here and just as bewildered as those who are present, with light pink skin and cybernetic lines going down from her azure blue eyes. She wore a typical student's outfit, tailored to her size, consisting of a dark jacket worn over a bright blue vest and aqua-colored button-up shirt for the upper and a plaid skirt consisting of her lower. Her hair starts off as a royal purplish-blue that slowly turns to fiery orange the further away from the base it gets, held back by a red headband. There is a tuft of fiery red hair with orange streaks on the left side of her face.
"Ladies and gentlemen…" Double-D began nervously. "Meet Gamma, our… daughter…"
Silence dominated the room. It was not until the clock finished its minute everyone broke the silence.
"WHAT?!"
Devil Dragon Stand Knight A/N:
This one took a little bit longer to set up due to miscommunications, mostly my own fault. But Enrico and Chris did an amazing job as per usual. I'm really glad to have guys like them in my corner.
Also yes, I simp for Penny Polendina and Mukuro Ikusaba. They are underappreciated in their respective fandoms.
Anyway, the next chapter will focus on someone I'm looking very forward to covering with my boys; Gamma, the daughter of Twilight and Sunset (and another OC rightfully owned by Crydius)
Enriks-Da-Writer A/N:
Yep, I think I can safely say that I went overboard in the scenes assigned to me, especially since it was supposed to be a Ben X Penny moment and I ended up doing an Enrico X Emily moment. Oh, and that Razgriz scene as well. Yep, the Razgriz is making sure their current host is gonna get laid one way or another.
And that little remark about the host's child? Wonder what that could mean…
Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed reading this as much as we enjoyed writing it because some areas had some real love and care poured into them.
See you guys later!
Caw-zrs6 A/N:
So, there you have it, folks, almost all of the main characters are going to be getting some love in their lives one way or another. Oh, and of course, can't forget the introduction of Gamma. Oh, and expect to see May pop up every now and again because aside from being Chris's love interest, she's going to be pretty pivotal to the plot at times.