Academy Chronicles: Rise of the Skylanders
Chapter 23: Ultimate Luck
Descending on a desolate part of the Arkeyan Factory's island, me and Kyoko are dropped off by a hill side. Tails and Homura walk behind us to direct our next move.
Getting out a pair of technologically advanced binoculars, Tails focused at the rusty factory below us. Passing it over to Kyoko, who put it on, Tails told us the plan once more.
"Alright, we got a ferocious looking Monokuma down there. You guys need to take it out." Tails told us.
"But we can't have him alert the others. You gotta snipe it, which is why we're here."
Reaching into her shield, Homura got out a three guns. Two being standard shotguns, the kind that can be held in a single hand. The other one, longer and seemingly more powerful. That has to be a sniper rifle.
"Decide amongst yourselves on who uses the rifle. You need to shoot down the Monokuma that way." The raven-haired Magical Girl says. "We'll occupy the main forces; you enter the factory and destroy the Liberator production."
Kyoko then put her hand up as she removes the binoculars.
"One thing, the Liberators were near indestructible, correct? I was there during the Crisis. The only thing that could kill them are the weapons themselves, correct?" She asked.
"Probably. But there is one thing Monokuma got wrong. Alter-Ego's source code isn't… exactly a full Liberator. Notice how he could never leave a digital space?" Tails asked. "He's not optimized for the physical world, so neither are these Elemental Liberators according to my hypothesis. They can hit hard… but they're fragile. Shouldn't be too hard as long as you can stop their infinite spawning."
"…Right." Kyoko said.
Of course, me being me, I didn't get the more technical conversation Tails was giving. Luckily, Kyoko always had my back, evident by her leaning to me.
"They're glass cannons. As long as we can stop their production, victory is ours."
"Ah…" I said back in understanding.
"But yeah, you guys need to figure out who can take out that Monokuma. Y'all got one shot, so don't mess up! One wrong move, and the plan's ruined!" Tails enforced before turning around.
"…No pressure, now!"
"…Yeah, thanks…" I muttered, not intimidated at the slightest. No, sir.
As the Dreamcast lifted off to reach its rendezvous point with Spyro's team, me and Kyoko discuss who will man the sniper.
"Makoto, I trust you to use it." She told me.
"Why me? Are you sure about that?" I said in protest.
"Says the person who used guns earlier to take down massive elves." Kyoko said back.
"The thing is… why me, when you're there? You have the steadier hands, calmer outlook, you're the better shot!" Makoto said.
"It's not like I have the best aim." Kyoko said. "Besides…"
She then lays the rifle on my lap.
"You're the Ultimate Lucky Student, aren't you?"
I held onto the rifle. Pushing my doubt aside once more, I need to do what the Disciples trusted me to take on!
How hard can it be, right? After all, I always imagined shooting down people's arguments as if they were physical objects.
Setting it up, I put my eye to the scope, lining up the crosshairs to my target: A beast-like Monokuma on all fours. His fur is unkempt, slight foam coming out of his mouth, quivering in its instability. It looks like one of the enemies my sister Komaru had to take down.
I took her advice from one my talks with her…
"Their weak spot is the red eye! I always try to hit that for an instant kill!"
Aiming at the red, jagged eye, I put my hand to the trigger and pushed, firing a single bullet at the Monokuma. I couldn't bear to look, closing my eyes…
…And hearing an explosion.
Opening my eyes, I put down my rifle to see the ashes that used to be the Monokuma, leaving the back door to the factory open!
"I knew you were the perfect one to do it." Kyoko smiled as I turned to her.
Blushing, I smiled back.
"Y-Yeah! I did it!"
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go." Kyoko said, running down the hill with me following. Eventually, we arrived at the door. I put my hand to the knob and pulled.
…Yet nothing happened.
"Drat! Locked!" I growled.
Kyoko looked at the doorknob, noticing an important detail.
"There's no keyhole. It can't be locked, and there doesn't seem to be an equivalent locking mechanism nearby." She explained, looking across the factory wall, only seeing rock and steel walls that comprise the Arkeyan facility.
"Not locked…" I muttered. "Hang on!"
Holding on the knob, I wiggle slightly, pushing upward. With an extra kick, the door flew open.
"Guess the past does come back to you in weird ways." I said to Kyoko with a small chuckle. Opening that door does remind me all too much of a certain bathroom door from a long time ago…
"I suppose it does." Kyoko then gestured to me to follow her. We went inside.
This is the point of no return. We're the only ones who can save the multiverse, the Disciples, Skylanders and us.
…And my gun's locked and loaded to achieve victory. I have hope. We all do.