Ch. 50 Fight for the Cosmos - Part 1
"Ra-aa-aah!" Joseph gripped the shaft and charged in at full force. The opponent stood watching Joseph swinging his scythe at him.
Swoosh!
The opponent simply bent back and watched the blade nearly graze his nose.
"…" The foe grinned. He ducked down and swiped Joseph with his leg.
Swish!
Joseph fell on his back.
Thud!
"Oof!" He lost his breath. The opponent grabbed the scythe falling from the sky. Joseph looked up at him.
Swoosh!
"!"Joseph's head tilted upward as the blade pressed upon his chin.
"…Hah…" The opponent sighed. "Still trying to charge in from a distance? I'd thought you'd learn by now, man." Zackary stepped over and offered him the scythe's staff.
"It's not easy when you can take me down if I get too close," Joseph argued. He grabbed the shaft and pulled himself up.
"Excuses, excuses..." Zack went to a nearby tree and kicked the trunk.
SWOOSH!
A small burst of wind escaped from the sudden impact. Two apples dropped from above. Zack caught both, but tossed one over to Joseph. "Break time." Joseph caught it in his hands. "Come on..." Zack ushered him as he climbed up the tree. Joseph followed until they made their way to a large branch with an open view of the sunset. "Check it out; dinner and a show." They settled down and started eating.
Sainan City
Darkness enclosed the city as the people awaited for Judgment Day. With everyone in their homes and watching the broadcast updates, not one person was out and about for the holiday. However, a small group of shadows scoured the old school building behind Sainan High. They traversed the rubble covering the area.
"What the crap…?" Kurumu complained. She picked up what looked to be a fractured piano key. "It's like a dump!"
"This part of the school was abandoned after construction for the new school building…" Risa explained.
"…You think they'd clean this place after what; years?" Oshizu lead the group through the debris.
"It should be nearby…" she informed. It didn't take long to reach a steel door erect in front of a mountain of damaged timber.
Whoosh!
The doors opened to a room of machines standing at attention. They each were aligned in different factions from left to right: red, blue, green, purple, yellow.
"…Wow," Rai scratched his head. "Lala made all these…?"
"She was ready to begin global domination a while back," Peke added.
"…" Rai cocked an eyebrow.
"…She cleared her fever afterwards…" Yami noted.
"I thought she just had too much free time," added Kurumu.
"…" Rai shrugged. "Either way, I'll take it!" After confirming the units' whereabouts, everyone regrouped back at the Yuuki household. They gathered in the living room with Laura in front of the new fighters.
"Let us go over our plans of operation," she ordered. "Phase One…" She pointed to Haruna.
"U-Um," Haruna stuttered. "Make sure the generals are located within their assigned areas…?" Laura pointed to Mio and Risa.
"Faze Two…"
"Defend the city from the ground…" Risa smiled.
"While the front lines take to the sky!" Mio added. Laura pointed to Kurumu.
"Faze Three…" Laura demanded.
"We go for the cocking bay, right?" Kurumu assumed.
"…" Everyone remained silent with their faces growing red.
"…Docking bay," Yami corrected. Laura regained her composure and pointed to Rito.
"…Faze Four!" Laura demanded.
"We find Lala and the others while taking out the guards," Rito replied.
"What about the fake king?" Yui asked. Rai stepped forward.
"Just make sure to keep your eyes open for him," he responded. "Right now, let's focus on bringing back the girls and their dad."
"Very good," Laura commented. "Everyone is up to speed. And now…" She turned to Rai. "…my wife will say a few words before tomorrow's mission."
"…I will?" Everyone looked to Rai.
"Go on!" Saruyama ushered him. "Give a speech!" Laura pulled Rai in front of the others.
"Pika!" Jolt patted his head.
"…Woo…" Rai exhaled. He pulled on his collar. "I'm not really one for speeches, to be honest..."
"Mau~!" Celine smiled. The kids waited to hear him say a few words.
"…Okay." Rai took a deep breath and gazed back to his army. "…Tomorrow …" Everyone listened. "…well, more like today, will be our greatest challenge yet. If you are wondering how this will play out…" He looked to them with a serious face. "…I don't have the answer…"
"..." The room fell silent.
"I can't guarantee everyone's safety in this fight..." Rai breathed in deeply. "Therefore, I will hold no grudges for those who want to leave now and return to the safety of their homes."
"..." Not one of them showed signs of retreat.
"…Alright then." Rai grinned. "At sunrise, we are going all out to save Lala, Momo, Nana, Gid Lucione Deviluke, and everyone on this planet!"
"Yeah!" Everyone cheered.
"This may be our one and only chance, so we can't afford any mistakes." Rai gripped his fist. "I need everyone to gather all the courage they have and be ready!"
"Pikapika!" Jolt chanted.
"Mau~!" Celine cheered.
"Together, we will look that spaceship straight on and say…"
Now
"…This…" Rai spoke. "…is gonna hurt…a lot."
"...FIRE!" Cyrus yelled.
PE-EE-EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWW!
The blue stream fired. Rai braced for the impact.
BASH!
The beam clashed against his shields and sent him backwards at extreme speed.
"RAIMUNDO!" Rito yelled. Everyone watched as Rai vanished into the light stream. The onslaught of enemies continued to storm around the heroes.
"…Keep moving!" Kurumu ordered. "We can't slow down now!" She charged full-throttle at the next wave of foes. …He won't stay down that easy…
The trajectory was forcing him all the way back into Earth's atmosphere. The rush burned at Rai's back. With all his strength, Rai pushed against the beam attack.
Crack!
A fissure extended from the edge of his right shield toward the center. He turned his head to see the city's surface coming into view.
"I…" Rai grunted. "...CAN'T…!" His eyes closed shut for the end.
"NOW HOUKI!" A voice yelled.
"I'M ON IT!" she shouted. Red disk-panels quickly flew in and formed a five-pointed star. They immediately sliced through and took the force of the beam. In a split second, the panels reflected the ray back towards the sky. Rai continued his course for Tokyo Tower.
WHOOSH!
A blue light zipped in and snatched Rai by the leg. However, the speed proved too fast; only slightly tilting their route.
BOOM!
The two slammed and forced themselves into the side of an office building. People were running out and evacuating as soon as they heard the crash. Rai slowly picked up his head while papers scattered everywhere.
"Ugh…" Rai muttered. "That wasn't part of the plan…" He rose up and rubbed his back. Rai recognized the young man in his IS unit climbing out of the wreckage. "Wait—Ichika!?"
[Vim and Vigor: Kingdom Hearts II Music Extended - Music OST]
BAM! BAM!
Haruna kept whacking the enemies ascending onto the school building. Once stationed on the roof, the soldiers pointed their javelins at Haruna. She slowly backed her way against the exit.
"Oh no…" Haruna trembled with her racket. The soldiers charged in. "KYA-AA-AAA!"
DOOSH!
The door to the roof burst open.
"Haruna-san!" The nurse's assistant yelled out. She raised her finger at the enemies.
*STOP!*
The soldiers froze in mid-attack surrounded in a blue aura. She levitated them off the roof.
WHOOSH!
The enemies dropped to the ground below.
Poof! Poof! Poof! Poof!
The soldiers hit the pavement and vanished. Haruna wiped away the sweat and turned to her savior.
"Oshizu-chan!" she cried. The assistant saluted the general.
"Yes, ma'am!" Oshizu replied. Haruna sweated.
"When did you get here?"
"I went to request more assistance…!" On the ground below, Ms. Mikado was down on her knee unable to continue.
*Huff*…*Huff*… Sweat dripped down all over her body. Only two robot allies remained to guard Ms. Mikado. The battalion of Devilukian soldiers marched forward.
*Pierce!*
The first robot was penetrated in the torso and tossed aside.
*Grab!*
The second machine fought off against the squad of twenty. One soldier moved around the mech and approached the doctor. As Ms. Mikado gazed up, the soldier had its lance ready to strike.
…SLICE!
A blade carved right through the soldier.
…Clunk!
The upper torso fell to the ground. Both body parts then vanished in a black smoke. Ms. Mikado slowly gazed up to a teacher standing in her formal wear with a katana in her right hand.
"Honestly..." she spoke. "As if handling my unruly students wasn't hard enough..." She looked over to the nurse. "…How are your injuries?"
"I'm fine…" Ms. Mikado replied. She went back to standing. "A little rest was all I needed."
"Seeing as you've already wiped out more than half of the enemy by yourself, I can't blame you for being exhausted." She raised her sword over her face and prepared a ready stance. "You should go help the others." The soldiers quickly formed a ring surrounding the two teachers in the center. "…I can handle these clowns myself."
"My, how noble~." Ms. Mikado answered. "However, my students are capable of taking care of themselves." A soldier charged at the teacher.
*Grab!*
Ms. Mikado grasped the pursuer.
Kick!
She launched a full-roundhouse kick sending it into a trio on the edge of the ring.
"Of course, I'm not as submissive as you might think~." The teacher was surprised by her strength.
"…I see that now." She smiled. "And you are…?"
"Ryoko Mikado, school nurse and practitioner. And you…?" They stood back-to-back.
"Chifuyu Orimura, instructor and academic advisor…" Haruna and Oshizu watched from the rooftop. They witnessed the teachers fighting the oncoming wave of enemies.
"Wow..." Haruna said astonished. "She's amazing!"
"Yes, she is!" Oshizu replied.
"Where did you find her?"
"…Eh?" Oshizu didn't follow.
"Don't you know her?"
"I thought you did…!" Three soldiers pounced on the girls from behind.
Poomb! Poomb!
Shots were fired eliminating the soldiers. Oshizu and Haruna turned to the source of the strike.
"You cannot afford to get careless now…" The girl declared in her IS unit.
"W-Who are you?" Haruna asked.
"I am a friend of Raimundo!" The pilot smiled. "As are you, n'est-ce pas…?"
...
The machines drew closer as Saruyama backed against the wall.
*Grasp!*
The soldier clutched Saruyama by his throat.
"Kh…!" Saruyama gasped for air.
"Rawr!" The mini T-Rex jumped at the soldier's arm.
Chomp!
It bit away trying to release the boy.
Whack!
The soldier slapped the toy away with its free arm. The mini T-Rex fell to the ground and was stepped on by the other soldiers to prevent it from moving.
"GHH…!" His consciousness began to fade. "…Ri…ko…"
RATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATAT!
Bullets flew across the area. They punctured the enemies' armor and splattered through their bodies. The soldier released its hold on Saruyama and vanished into smoke. The boy fell to the ground next to his mini T-Rex.
*Cough* *Cough* Saruyama took in air and rubbed his throat.
"…How did…?"
"OHOHOHO!" A rich voice laughed discreetly. "I suppose it's time for me to provide some support!"
"…Eh!?" Saruyama blinked in surprise. "Tenjouin-senpai!?" Standing behind her were Ayako Fujisaki with an AK-47 in her hands and Rin Kujou wielding a samurai sword. "Kujo-senpai!? Fujisaki-senpai!?"
"We saw the news about the attack!" Rin declared. "We've come to lend our aid." She pulled out her blade and rushed at the group of soldiers.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Rin stood in the center. "..." The soldiers didn't move.
Ka-chink! Ka-chink! Ka-chink!
Their top-halves fell to the floor before they evaporated.
"Leave it to us, Saki-senpai!" Aya offered. She locked and loaded her weapon. Saki tossed Saruyama a grenade belt.
"Make yourself useful and start throwing!" She ordered. Saruyama stumbled with the belt in his hand.
"Eh!?" He panicked. "What do I do with this?" A small army advanced behind Saruyama. The mini-Rex snatched a grenade and whacked it with his small tail. The device flew inside the helmet of the soldier in the middle of the group.
BOO-OO-OOOOOM!
A massive explosion blew apart the crowded enemies leaving nothing but a cloud of dirt. Saki brought out her whip and went to town attacking.
"Ohohoho!" She laughed. "You will all kneel before Saki-Tenjouin!" Saki, Aya, and Rin all charged into the fray. Hurrying behind was Saruyama and the mini T-Rex armed with more grenades.
...
Risa fought off the remaining enemies with her bat.
BAM!
Her attack sent the enemy flying across the sky. The rest were charging at her with no restraint. Risa held her bat above her.
"Just try and get past me!" She yelled at them. The leader reached out for her.
Pew! Pew! Pew! Pew! Pew! Pew! Pew! Pew!
A stream of blue bullets flooded downward at the fleet of soldiers.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
A cloud of dust and black smoke filled the streets.
"What the…?" Risa blinked. The next swarm attacked from the back. "Eh!?"
Whish!
A pink blur zipped by.
Slice! Slice! Slice!
The blade struck right through the crowd.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
They fell apart and vanished into shadow fragments.
"Well done, Sweet & Sour Pork Girl," Cecilia commented. Her flying disks retracted back to her suit.
"Right back at ya, Blondie!" Rin answered back. Rin started cartwheeling into the center of the group and swinging outward.
SLASH! SLASH!
She removed all soldiers within her perimeter.
PEW! PEW! PEW!
With her sniper, Cecilia flew overhead and guarded Risa against enemies from the back.
"Wow," Risa watched amazed. "I can't believe you two just wiped them out!"
"There's no need for such gratitude," Cecilia boasted. "It was a mere trifle to…"
"Hey, Cecilia," Rin interrupted. She pointed out to the next battalion approaching from a distance. "When you're done patting yourself on the back, you mind finishing these guys off?" Cecilia snapped out of her self-indulgence.
"O-Oh! But, of course!" Risa sweated.
...
Mio sprayed the enemies as much as she could, but her bottle was already running on empty.
"Not good!" she noted. The soldiers climbed the stairway to the shrine.
Phew! Phew! Phew!
Her water gun puffed out air. She backed up beside the shrine's donation box. Two of the soldiers leapt out at the girl.
FWOO-OO-OOOOOOOSH!
A burst of flames engulfed the airborne enemies. Once they dropped to the ground, their scorched bodies evaporated. Mio was stunned by the sudden salvation.
"They're burnt?" She looked ahead to see a young woman in a red cape and witch hat standing underneath the shrine's arch.
"Hi Hi!" She announced herself. "It's Magical Girl Kyouko's time to join the fight!" Stepping behind her was a well-toned young man wearing a red hoodie with cut sleeves and gym shorts. Tape was wrapped around his fists.
"Let's show these posers what a real man is made of!" Ren declared. He cracked his knuckles and ran forward. "RA-AA-AAAAAARGHHHHH!"
Punch! Punch! Punch! Punch! Punch! Punch!
Any enemy that stood in his way was either bashed away by his fist or tossed aside into a larger crowd. Covering behind him, Kyouko blew her flame at any enemies that followed.
"Ren!" Mio called them over. "Kyouko!" The two turned and guarded her.
"You alright?" Ren asked.
"Yeah, but I'm out of ammo!" She showed her water gun to the two with the top cap being empty. Kyouko studied the container.
"…Do you think it might work without water?" Kyouko asked.
"What do you mean?" Ren noticed the enemies getting closer.
"They're coming this way!" He shouted.
"Hold on!" Kyouko removed the capsule from the gun. She took a deep breath and blew into the container.
FWOO-O-OOOOSH!
The enemy advanced quickly. Ren charged and threw his fists knocking back a few. After blowing for a minute, Kyouko quickly sealed the capsule back onto the gun.
"Now try!" Rin aimed her weapon at the enemies.
"Ren!" Mio shouted. She pumped her gun. "Get down!"
"Eh?" He turned.
FWOO-OO-OOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!
A fire stream made a straight path from the girls all the way to the shrine's archway. The courtyard was now cleared of any intruders. Ren poked his head out with a small flame on his head.
"…Whoa…" He blinked in astonishment. He turned back to the girls.
"…Tee-hee," Kyouko and Mio stuck their tongues out playfully.
...
Knock-knock!
The sound came from the front door. Laura left the laptop and peeked through the peephole.
"Laura," the woman ordered. "Requesting immediate entry!" Her other two soldiers armed themselves with machine guns and sniper rifles. They held off the bombarding enemies patrolling the alleyways.
"Ja vol!" Laura answered. She opened the door. The crew immediately ran inside the house. The last member slammed the door into a soldier's face. "Clarissa, thank goodness you've arrived!"
"Indeed," she responded. "Well done on providing the coordinates to your location." The little USB flash drive blinked a red light. "Without the tracker, our efforts would have been all for naught."
"Thank you, Clarrisa." Laura bowed.
"Now then," Clarrisa turned to her subordinates. "Have the doors barricaded and seal all exits."
"Yes ma'am!" The bunny brigade complied. They took most of the furniture and bashed them into pieces. They nailed the planks to the windows and blocked the front and sliding door with the larger lumber. Clarrisa checked the computer on the table.
"It appears everyone has safely transferred here without any difficulties."
"Clarissa!" the 1st member reported. "The enemy is beginning to rush the door!"
"It won't hold out much longer!" the 2nd member added.
"Nein!" Laura cried out. "We must seek shelter elsewhere!" Clarissa closed the laptop. She hurried toward the stairs.
"Everyone to the second floor!" she ordered. The girls made a dash to the top of the stairs. They scanned the rooms in hopes of shelter.
BAM!
The door flew open. The soldiers marched into the house one by one.
"There's nowhere to hide!" the brigade soldier cried. Clarrisa turned to the shadows marching upstairs.
"…Then so be it…" Clarrisa tossed the computer to Laura.
"C-Clarissa!" She panicked.
"I shall hold them off…" Clarissa lifted her skirt and pulled out a Rambo knife. "Find an escape route and retreat!" The soldiers reached the top. The leading shadow drove its lance straight at Clarrisa.
Swoosh!
She dodged to her left.
Stab!
Its arm lodged into the wooden flooring causing a tremor.
Bam!
The nightstand toppled over. The potted plant fell over and rolled across the floor. It bumped into the metallic crevice in the wall.
*Warp*
The plant disappeared.
"Unbelievable!" the brigade soldier noticed.
"It can't be…" Laura jumped into the metallic tube. She examined the crevice expanding to the roof. "...It's a teleporting pod! Quickly!" The bunny brigade looked at each other and nodded. They hurried inside vanishing one after another. As the second brigade member vanished, one soldier leapt forward.
*Warp!*
Crash!
Rito's bed blocked the entrance. The remaining soldiers glanced back.
"You shall not pass!" Clarissa declared.
"How did you guys find us?" Rai asked. The two discussed the situation on top of Tokyo Tower.
"Well…" Ichika explained. "After you guys left, Laura's friends showed up and helped us find you guys."
"But we're literally in another world! How the hell did you even get here?" Houki zoomed in close on the two.
"Laura had a tracking device with her when she left," she added. "With it, my sister managed to locate the signal and reopened the wormhole."
"…In just one day?"
"It was more like a week," mentioned Ichika. The three saw smoke rising from the next town over. "Now that we're here, the odds should be in our favor." He looked back to Rai. "You guys have a plan to stop this, right?"
"Yeah, but we need to get back to the ship." Rai pointed upward.
"Leave it to us!" Houki offered.
Galactic Battlefield
Jolt continued swaying around the enemy fire.
"Do you think Rai's okay?" Yui asked.
"I'm not sure…" Rito answered. "…but we have to keep going!"
"Pika!" Jolt agreed. An ambush suddenly sprang ahead of the group. "Pipipi!" Jolt swerved underneath the swarm, but they quickly gave chase. The enemy ships fired their lasers at the back bumper.
Pew! Pew! Pew! Pew!
Boom!
The trunk opened. Piles of clothes flew out the rear of the vehicle. Kurumu's swimsuits blocked the window while Rai's swim trunks clogged one of the cannons. The right ship clashed into the center ship.
BAM!
The left ship continued its pursuit. Yui pointed to the docking bay.
"It's just ahead!" she shouted.
"Go straight for the opening!" Rito ordered.
"Pika!" Jolt nodded. They charged forward.
FWOOSH! FWOOSH! FWOOSH!
Three more rows of ships left the deck and were going for the taxi.
"Here they come!" Rito warned. Jolt held the steering wheel tightly.
"Pika!" Jolt pulled the lever. The vehicle shot upward to escape the crowd of enemies. As they ascended, their speed decreased. The P-X-E swerved the outer funnel until it dove through the first ship.
BOOM!
She sliced the exterior. She flew back around and charged at the second and third ships.
BOOM! BOOM!
The two sliced apart and exploded into scrap metal. As she drew the attention of the other fighters, she circled around and flew out into open space.
"Geez," Kurumu panted. Her breathing grew heavy as her aerial maneuvers began slowing down. "Don't these guys know when to quit?" She reached another ambush gaining and back flipped straight down. Some of the fleet crashed into each other. One managed to avoid the carnage and tail after her. The shadow locked its lasers at Kurumu from behind. It readied to fire. "!?"
Slice!
The ship split in two.
BOOM!
It burst into space junk. Kurumu stopped abruptly to examine the damage.
"How did he—?" Before she finished her thought, the Akatsubaki floated behind her.
"I thought the flying ace could take care of herself?" Houki commented. Kurumu turned to the IS pilot greeting her. Shortly after, Ichika and Rai flew in.
"Still not used to the warp drive, huh," Ichika asked.
"Nope…" Rai replied. He stuttered trying to keep his balance. "...Not yet."
"It's about time!" Kurumu spoke.
"I got fumbled and landed somewhere in Tokyo." He pointed to his allies. "I hitched a ride with these two…"
"We'll take it from here," Ichika offered. "You guys worry about getting inside!"
"Copy that," Kurumu replied. She and Rai chased after the taxi while Houki and Ichika scoped out the area.
"Ready, Houki?"
"You don't have to tell me," Houki replied. The two went into battle.
The taxi finally made its way into the docking bay. Once it penetrated through the permeable force field, it came to an abrupt halt on the deck. Rai and Kurumu passed through landing behind the vehicle with gravity taking effect. A swarm of enemies emerged from the next room and charged at the intruders.
"Oh no, you don't!" Kurumu ordered. She raised her palms and summoned a bright, green sphere.
Pew!
The sphere shot at the enemies.
BOOM!
The impact sent them flying in different directions and dissipating into smoke. The crew exited the taxi. Rai quickly rushed to the terminal near the doorway.
"Alright, Laura," Rai asked. "Which one shuts the door?"
"..." No response.
"…Laura?" Rai repeated. "...Laura!?"
Sainan City
CRASH!
The bunny brigade kept chucking whatever they could find at the soldier.
"This creature does not wish to stand down!" The 1st member cried.
"We shall not fail Ms. Clarrisa!" the 2nd member assured. They nodded together and stared back at the enemy. "We strike together on three!"
"Understood!" The two readied to tackle the soldier.
Bunny brigade: One…Two…
PEW!
An electric blast shot through the soldier.
THUD!
It fell on its back and vaporized into darkness. The two turned back to Laura who had her IS in partial deployment from her right arm.
"There's no time to waste!" Laura commanded. The two bunnies sweated. She placed the laptop on a round coffee table in the center of the room. Laura rebooted the computer until the menu screen opened. She clicked different folders until a window popped up with a red, reverberating line moving up and down.
"Laura?" The voice called out. "Where are you? Do you copy?"
"Why isn't she answering?" Yui asked.
"...Raimundo, is that you?" Laura hesitated.
"Yeah, I'm here," Rai answered. "Where were you?"
"We were…" the 1st member spoke.
"…a bit occupied…" the 2nd member added.
"…Huh?" Rai blinked. "Who is this…?"
"No time to explain!" Laura interrupted. "Where are your coordinates?"
"We're now aboard the mother ship, but there's too many getting out!" Laura quickly scanned the documents until she found the blueprints of the craft. "I need to close the docking bay before anymore try to call reinforcements! How do I shut it?" She found a file on managing the controls.
"Insert the command into the terminal: MANUAL OVERRIDE…" Rai punched it into the virtual keyboard.
[MANUAL OVERRIDE_]
"Thank god it's in English…" Kurumu glanced at the dock's opening. A fleet of ships were returning back to base. "…or Japanese…or alien speech I can—"
"Anytime now!" She hesitated. As Rai input the command, a screen appeared.
[INSERT SECURITY PASSCODE]
[_]
"Shit!" Rai swore.
"W-What's wrong?" Rito asked.
"It wants a password!" Laura checked the documents.
"...It doesn't mention any password!" she panicked. The fleet was about to land inside.
"Raimundo!" Yui cried.
"I'll get right on it!" Peke cried. She flew over to the terminal and typed. The fleet was ready to invade, until a ship in the back started firing.
PEW! PEW! PEW!
It attacked a hoard of its own crew. The enemies dispersed to avoid its range.
"Almost...!" Peke keyed the final sequence.
[*******_]
[ACCESS GRANTED]
[MANUAL OVERRIDE: ACTIVATED]
The doors to the docking bay were closing horizontally. Just before they sealed shut, the rebel airship flew past the membrane and landed near the taxi. Rai, Jolt and Kurumu stood ready for another fight.
"You want a piece of us?" Kurumu taunted the enemy.
Swoosh!
The window to the cockpit lifted open.
"...Pika?" Jolt's ears twitched. The driver stepped out of the ship.
"...Eh?" Yui spoke dumbfounded.
"Wah?!" Rito stuttered.
"...Shrimp?" Kurumu asked.
"There were more enemies than we anticipated..." Yami suggested as she approached the others.
"No kidding," Rai added.
*FLASH!*
He exited his IS and returned to his normal attire.
"Alright, people; stick to the plan. We need to find the REAL king."
"And Lala!" Rito announced. Everyone rushed through the door to the inner chamber of the ship. After a few minutes of running, they came to a corridor going three directions: left, right, or center.
"Which way do we go?" Yui asked. Peke floated ahead where the three corridors diverged.
"If I'm correct," Peke assumed, "the control room should be this way." She pointed to the left hall.
"Can you call the Deviluke army and have them returned to base?" Yami asked.
"It's possible..."
*Sniff* *Sniff*
Jolt sniffed the air.
"Pika!" Jolt pointed to the right.
"I think he's on to something," Yui concluded.
"Pika Pika!" Jolt hopped in place.
"What's up, buddy?" Rai asked. Jolt moved in front of the group. At first, he bent his ears behind his head. He raised his small hand.
"PIKA~!"
"Is that Lala?" Kurumu asked. Next, Jolt twirled once and stopped. He clasped his hands together and gave a small sigh.
"Cha~!"
"That must be Momo-sama..." Peke answered. Finally, Jolt brought his ears back up and pointed at Rito.
"PIKA PI!" He said in a scornful tone.
"...That's Nana." Rito knew too well.
"They must this way," Yui pointed to the right.
"This leaves…" Rai looked down the center. He turned to his party. "Everyone split up!" He looked to his first squad. "Rito, Jolt; save the girls, and don't get caught."
"Right!" Rito nodded.
"Pika!" Jolt lead the way as Rito tailed behind him. Rai turned to the girls.
"Kurumu; you, Peke, and Yui get to the control room."
"You got it!" Kurumu saluted.
"Understood!" Yui answered.
"Yes, sir!" Peke saluted. The two girls followed behind the machine. Rai looked to Yami.
"Make sure Rito doesn't slip up...literally."
"…And you?" Yami asked. Rai brought out his phone and summoned his scythe.
*Flash!*
After the bright light vanished, he raised his weapon over his shoulder.
"I'll go and bring his highness back for a family reunion." Rai sprinted down the final hallway. Yami turned to the two heading for the royal daughters.
"…" She looked behind her once more.
...
*Sniff* *Sniff*
As Jolt sniffed the area, Rito checked Rai's belt and pulled out a pair of blue, rectangular glasses with orange lenses. He turned the knob on the right-side of the frame until the walls ahead began to disappear. Some were chambers for weapon storage. Others had groups of soldiers either guarding the entrances from the inside or playing card games in a circle.
"There are guards everywhere!" Rito pointed out. His actions were more cautious now that he was aware of the surrounding enemies. "If they find us, they'll definitely turn us in." Jolt's ears twitched. He picked up his head and stared at the next door on the right.
"Pika…!" Jolt pointed. Two guards blocking the way. "Pi..." Jolt arched his body ready to strike. Rito looked past the wall and saw a girl standing by the window wrapped in bed sheets.
"…LALA!" Rito cried.
"!" The two guards looked to the source of the sound.
"Intruders!" The left guard yelled. They charged in with their swords.
"Apprehend them!" The right guard ordered. Rito looked with his glasses to see two fit men underneath the armor.
"T-They're the real soldiers!" Jolt jumped and avoided the left guard's swing. The other guard tried grabbing him, but Jolt climbed on his helmet and spun it in reverse. The left guard tried helping the other. Jolt leapt back over to Rito and jumped onto his leg.
"Pipipi!" He tapped Rito's hand.
"Eh!?" Rito panicked. "What am I supposed to do?!" The guard finally fixed his helmet.
"Come on!" He ordered. "We can't let them escape!" The two rushed at the boy.
"Wawawawah!" Rito panicked. He searched the belt for something to throw at them. In his left palm were two black cubes with white Deviluke symbols on the top surface. Rito chucked them at the guards.
Clank! Clank!
The guards swatted away the cubes.
"It'll take more than that to—"
Beep! Beep!
The guard was interrupted.
"Huh?" The guards looked at their swords. The cubes were now attached to the blades.
"What is this?" The other guard questioned.
Beep!
The cubes started to engulf the blades in a black casing.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
A pair of bat wings shot out and started flapping. Both the swords were flying above their heads.
"T-Their flying!" The left guard noted.
"It must be Lala's invention that lets her fly…!" Rito theorized. However, without any control, the swords were now bumping back and forth against the walls.
Clank! Clank! Clank! Clank!
Everyone did their best to avoid their flight path. With each bump, the swords would either grave their shoulder or cut off a piece of clothing.
"They won't stop coming!" The right guard yelled. Jolt jumped into range.
"Hey—Wait!" Rito warned him. Electricity sparked from Jolt's cheeks.
"Pika…CHU-UU-UUUUUU!"
BzZzZzZzZzZtTtTtTtTtTtT!
Jolt's Thunderbolt enveloped the two swords in a static frenzy. Once the electricity subsided, the swords immediately spun back to their owners.
"W-Wait—Hold on!" The left guard stepped back.
"They're coming for us!" The right guard cried. The two made a break for it as the swords continued chasing after them.
"Pika!" Jolt cheered.
"It worked…!" Rito said with surprise. He then turned to the door.
...
Lala stood by the window watching the battle ensue. The remaining airships were doing combat with the two IS pilots. No matter how much she searched, she couldn't find the taxi or the others.
"...Rito..." Lala whispered.
Whoosh!
The doors flew open. Lala turned to see her savior standing in the doorway.
"…" She covered her mouth. She ran to him with her eyes tearing. "RITO!"
Bump!
She pushed Rito to the floor and buried herself into his chest.
"Rito! Rito! Rito!" She sobbed.
"Lala…" he replied. Rito comforted the princess in his arms.
'Pikapika!" Jolt cheered. He jumped at Lala's shoulder.
"Jolt!" She greeted him. Jolt nestled along Lala's face using his tail to wipe her tears. "Hehe, that tickles!"
"Chaa!" As much as Rito wanted to enjoy this, there was still work to be done.
"Lala," Rito spoke.
"Hmm?" Lala looked back to him.
"Where are Nana and Momo?"
"Ah, they're just down the hall!" Lala pointed down the corridor. The sheets unfurled exposing her body.
"…LALA!" Lala looked down at herself.
"…Hehe~!" she giggled.
...
Kurumu and Yui approached the corner with Peke leading the way. A soldier had just walked into the control room.
"Do you think this is it?" Yui asked.
"After running into these has-beens on the way here, it better be," Kurumu groaned. "How many more do you think are there?"
"There might be a few of them," Peke informed them. "If they're in charge of sending alerts between the pilots, then it will take more than one person to—"
SWOOSH!
Yui noticed Kurumu exiting her IS into her regular clothes.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Using a woman's touch~." Kurumu grinned.
"I'm not following..." Peke replied.
…
The monitor on the wall displayed the battlefield. Six cadets checked their terminal while three soldiers stood on guard watching over.
Swish!
The metallic doors opened.
*Whistle~*
An alluring chirp entered the room. The three soldiers turned toward the entryway. Kurumu stretched her leg out as she arched her knee until her toes touched the floor.
"...?" The three soldiers watched in confusion as the leg just stood there. It retracted back behind the right side of the door. Two of the soldiers checked near the exit while the third remained at its post. The two searched both ends of the walkway to see where the leg vanished. Around the corner, an arm extended with something crinkled in its grip. It tossed the item into the air. The left soldier grabbed the object until it expanded on the tip of its lance. It revealed itself to be a white bra.
"...~" The creatures were mesmerized by the object. The guard on the left tried reaching over, but the other wanted it for itself. They started going at it with their free arms wanting to claim the prize.
"Kyaa!" A voice squealed. The two soldiers turned back to the corner. The arm extended out and waved a pair of panties in the air.
"..." The guards looked at one another. "…!" They shoved each other to dash in and grab it first.
Whip! Whip!
A long rope stretched out and ensnared the two guards together. No matter how much they tried, they couldn't break the bonds.
"I told you they'd fall for it!" Kurumu acknowledged her genius plan.
"Why did you have to use my underwear?!" Yui asked as she covered her chest with one arm and held her skirt down with the other.
"Well, I don't want someone else touching my favorite panties. Do you know how gross that is?" Yui was ready to yell at her, but her anger subsided while slipping back on her lingerie. The three rushed into the control room. The final guard turned around.
*STAB!*
Kurumu drove her extended nails into the creature's chest armor. The soldiers at the terminals turned around.
"W-What is the meaning of this!?" one of the workers asked.
"There isn't much time," Peke clarified. "We need to borrow your communicator!"
"And if we refuse...?" Kurumu raised her nails to the commander's neck.
"If you don't, you're looking at a one way ticket into deep space..." She leaned closer. "...without a spaceship~!"
...
Two soldiers stood in front of the king's cell. Zastin, Maul, and Smutts were arranged in a circle looking at one another trying to contemplate a plan of escape. Suddenly, the speaker echoed in the room.
[ATTENTION, MY CADETS!]
Cyrus spoke to his henchmen.
[THERE IS NO NEED FOR THE LATE-KING AND HIS FOLLOWERS! HAVE THEM ALL EXECUTED AND THROWN OUT WITH THE REST OF THE FILTH!]
The speakers cut off. The two soldiers looked at one another.
"…" They nodded in unison. The king looked up at the two soldiers opening the gate to their cell. Zastin tried breaking free of the red chains, but neither he nor his bodyguards could escape.
"Your highness!" Zastin cried.
Ka-Shink!
The soldier's arm became a lance.
"Tsk," Gid sneered. "You think a little cut is going to finish the job?" The guard readied to strike.
SLASH!
The guard froze.
"…"
Bam!
It dropped to its knees and fell forward. Everyone looked to the perpetrator who attacked.
"Actually," Rai stated, "...that's where I come in." Rai replaced his scythe with his sturdy hammer. "Think fast!"
BASH!
He slammed the soldier in the forehead dead-center. It stumbled back against the wall.
"Bulls-eye!" Rai hurried to the others.
"Raimundo-dono!" Zastin said with surprise. "You've infiltrated the ship?"
"I had a little help..." he grinned. Rai inspected the chains binding the king. They were like diamond-patterned links with an unsettling aura of nausea and despair. "...I could swear I've seen these before..." The shadow rose from the ground. It slowly inched its way closer.
"Look out!" Mutts shouted.
"Behind you!" Smuggs added.
"Huh?" Rai turned around. The creature drew its lance arm at Rai and attacked.
SWISH! SWISH! SLASH!
Cuts formed around the guard. In seconds, it shattered into pieces and sunk into a pool of shadows. The others looked to their other savior.
"You cannot let your guard down…" Yami advised.
"...Right..." Rai agreed. Yami prepared her blade strands.
"…Stand back." The crew closed their eyes.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!
Yami hacked away, but the blades couldn't break through.
"...Impossible." Yami was startled by how durable they were.
"They must be built with some reinforced material if it can withstand Golden Darkness's attack," Zastin admitted. Rai looked closely at the red chains.
"…Let me try," he suggested.
SHINE!
Rai's scythe glowed at the orb. Everyone stared at the radiant light given off by his weapon.
"Hold still..." Rai raised his scythe.
SWING!
KA-CHINK!
Rai's blade sliced through Zastin's chains with ease.
SWING!
SWING!
SWING!
KA-CHINK!
KA-CHINK!
KA-CHINK!
Rai carved through everyone's bonds. The king and his men massaged their wrists.
"That's more like it…" Gid stated. Maul and Smutts helped the king to his feet.
"It appears our king has lost his strength," Maul noted.
"Hehe…" Gid chuckled. "Looks like those bracelets took their toll on me..."
"We must retrieve our weapons immediately!" Zastin inquired.
"There's no time," Rai explained.
"We should move out before more arrive," Yami suggested. Everyone ran out of the prison hold. As the king rode on Smutts's back, he observed the scythe on Rai's back.
"…A reaper…" he whispered.
...
Rito and Jolt ran down the hall with the princesses' right behind them.
"Where are we going?" Nana asked.
"Back to the docking bay!" Rito explained. "We have to meet up with the others!"
"The others?" Momo questioned.
"Kurumu and Yui are looking for the control room, and Rai is looking for your father!"
"Pika!" Jolt stopped. Electricity sparked from his cheeks. A guard was coming down the hallway.
SWISH! SWISH! SLASH!
Ichika knocked away the enemy ships with his Yukihira Nigata.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
They immediately exploded.
"There goes another round," Ichika spoke. From behind, a row of ten ships targeted Ichika at the same time. "Crap!"
"Ichika!" Houki cried. She loaded her Kareware and Amazuki for an X strike. She swung as lasers stormed out and auto-targeted the ships.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The ships were destroyed in an instant. Ichika noticed her sluggish movements.
"You okay, Houki…?"
"Yeah, just a little exhausted." More ships were ready to strike.
Rai pulled out his cellphone and checked the clock.
"They should be ready…" He suggested. "Right about…"
BzZzZzZzZzZtTtTtTtTtTtTtT!
A frequency telegraphed its way into the ship and every pilot available.
"Attention all pilots!" The voice called out. "I need every one to return to the cocking bay immediately!"
"…" The vacuum of space remained frozen. Yui stood resting her head in her palm.
"…Oh my…" Peke sweated.
"Eh?" Nana sweated.
"Eh?" Momo pondered.
"Eh?" Lala questioned.
"…Eh?" Rito sweated.
"Pika?" Jolt tilted his head.
"…" Yami blinked.
"…" Rai lowered his head. Zastin, Maul, Smutts, and Gid cocked their eyebrows.
Everyone: …Kurumu.
"…What?" Kurumu asked Yui.
"FOOLS!" Cyrus announced. "REMAIN AT YOUR POSTS! ALL OTHER GUARDS, REPORT TO THE CONTROL ROOM AND OVERTAKE THE INTRUDERS!"
The red lights flailed within the ship. Sirens were going off as most of the remaining soldiers rushed to the control room. On the way, a few guards had the princesses surrounded. Rito and Jolt were outnumbered and outmatched.
"Rito!" Lala cried.
"This is it!" Rito shouted.
"IMBECILES!" Another voice broadcasted across the ship. "YOU DARE FOLLOW IN THE STEPS OF AN IMPOSTER!" The real king overtook the intercom. "I WANT ALL MY SOLDIERS TO DROP WHAT THEIR DOING AND REPORT TO THE COCKING BAY!"
"..." Everyone froze.
"…NOW!"
The king removed himself from the microphone.
"Great timing," Kurumu stated.
"Right?" Rai added. "We saw the guards heading to the control room and took them out."
"Now what do we do?" Yui asked.
"We rendezvous at the cocking bay."
"…" Everyone looked at Rai.
"…I mean docking bay! Docking bay!" Rai and the others left the room and backtracked to the hangar.
Cyrus growled as his plan was falling to pieces.
"Those…little…RUNTS!"
Rito followed Jolt as they made the next turn. When they reached the front of the doorway, everyone had gathered together.
"Raimundo!" said Rito.
"Lala!" Yui spoke.
"Papa!" said Lala.
"Your highness!" Maul and Smutts spoke.
"Nana!" Kurumu spoke.
"Rito-dono!" Peke spoke.
"Momo!" Rai said.
"Pika!" Jolt cheered.
"Yami-chan!" said Momo.
"Young master!" Zastin declared.
"Jolt!" Nana spoke.
"Enough!" Gid halted their greetings. "We are supposed to be escaping, aren't we? Save the party after we've actually fled!" The team realized this and continued. Once passed the doorway, all the troops and ships were parked and lined up in order.
"Everyone's here," Yami noted.
"Which ones are on our side?" Kurumu asked.
"Hmm..." Rai thought. He turned to the king and whispered in his ear.
*whisper* *whisper*
"Interesting..." Gid nodded. "All soldiers! Remove your helmets at once!" The soldiers did what they were told. They took off their head armor and remained at attention. One soldier stood petrified as his comrade had only a blazing sphere for a head and glowing red eyes.
"J-Jeff?!" The soldier spoke.
"I-I'm over here..." Jeff replied to his right. The soldiers were baffled by the guards' portraying to be fellow combatants.
"There are your copycats," Rai distinguished.
"All Devilukian warriors," Gid declared. "GET THESE BASTARDS OFF OF MY SHIP!" The soldiers followed his order. They went to attacking the imposters. The entire hangar became another battlefield of Devilukians attacking shadow imposters of them.
"Everyone," Rai ordered, "Pick your ride and get out of here!" Gid heard this and called to his fellow soldiers.
"All troops, after defeating the enemy, secure an all-out retreat!" He announced. "Return to Sainan City for further orders!" The princesses hurried into the space taxi. Jolt jumped into the driver's side.
*Pluck*
Yui picked Jolt from the tail.
"Oh no, you don't!" She declared.
"Pi?"
"Your highness," Maul suggested. "I shall assist the princesses and the others."
"…Very well," Gid agreed. Maul hurried to the vehicle. Smutts led the king to the terminal and input the manual dock release. The hangar doors opened to outer space. As the taxi lifted into the air, it turned in the opposite direction and flew through the barrier. Kurumu watched as they vanished out into the cosmos.
"Well, there they go…" she noted.
"…Kurumu," Rai interrupted. "How much power do you have?"
"Huh?" Kurumu looked at her readings on the visor.
[SHEILD ENERGY]
[124]
"Crap! I'm almost out!"
"I knew it..." Rai turned to the escape pods located across the room. "Alright, let's head out." Each pod had two long lounge seats and a window to view outside. After wiping out a large number of creatures, the soldiers made their escape to the dozens of pods and ships accessible. Kurumu, Yami, Zastin, Smutts, Rai, and the king took their places.
"I'm inputting the coordinates," Zastin declared. He went to the small monitor by the pod's doorway.
"Looks like we won this round," Kurumu huffed with pride.
"Yeah," Rai explained. "But, we still need to take down the guy in charge of all this."
"We'll worry after we get everyone to safety," Yami suggested.
"If you're that serious," Gid spoke out, "You might as well take the soul while you're at it."
"...The what?" Rai blinked.
"The soul…" Rai forgot he was with Lala's father. "You are a Celestial Reaper, aren't you?" His eyes shifted back and forth trying to process this new information.
"…Where is it?"
"It's where the main engines are; just down the hall from the control room." Rai paused.
"…" He stood up. "Zastin, guide the others back." He exited the pod.
"Hold it," Kurumu rose from her seat. She grabbed Rai's arm and stopped him at the door. "I can already tell what you're up to."
"…" Rai remained silent.
"Huh?" Zastin blinked. "What does she mean?"
"Raimundo plans to grab the soul and stop the imposter on his own…" Yami deduced.
"EH!? By himself?" Zastin panicked. "That's a suicide mission!" Rai turned to the others.
"…If I'm not back by the time it's over, go with Ichika and find a way home."
"Stop it, Rai," Kurumu ordered. "Why are you trying to do everything yourself?"
"Because it's my job. If anything were to happen because I couldn't stop this…"
"It's not your problem!" Kurumu started yelling. "Stop trying to run away for once and trust us!" Rai grit his teeth.
*Pull*
Rai pulled Kurumu in and held her in a tight embrace. Everyone stared at the scene before them.
"R-Rai!?" Kurumu's face grew bright red.
"…I'm sorry…" Rai's grasp grew tighter.
Whoosh!
He tossed Kurumu at Yami. He reached his arm over to the monitor.
Thud!
He bashed his fist onto the keyboard and jumped away from the doors.
[-Access Approved-]
[-Preparing to Disembark-]
The pod closed its doors. It released pressure as it separated from the main ship.
"RAIMUNDO!" Kurumu yelled. She readied her claws to jab the door open. "That's it!"
*Grab!*
Yami's hair wrapped around Kurumu's arm.
"If you open the door, we'll be thrown into space," she explained. "It's too late…"
"…" Kurumu fell to the floor. Her body fidgeted unsure of what to do. "…You really are an idiot..."
"…" Gid looked through the window.
"Your highness," Zastin intervened. "We must do something…"
"…" He remained silent. ...If this boy really is a reaper, then there may be a chance…
"It appears the craft is now derived of enemies," Laura explained. "And the number of attacks in Sainan City have all ceased."
"Awesome!" Ichika replied. "So, we cleared them all out, right?"
"Affirmative. I will send a report out to the others to rendezvous at Ms. Orimura's location."
"Gotcha." Ichika signed out.
"What did Laura say?" Houki asked.
"We can head back now. We'll meet up with the others soon." They noticed a space taxi flying towards Earth.
Sainan City
"At last!" The 1st bunny brigade member cheered. "We are victorious!"
"Outstanding!" the 2nd bunny added. "I knew we could do it!"
...
Clarrisa rested on the couch in the living room. Her clothes were tattered and her knife was jabbed into the coffee table.
"…Hehe," she smiled. She relaxed her neck on the back of the couch. "We shall be celebrating with sake soon enough."
...
Ms. Mikado and Ms. Orimura both breathed heavily after finally executing the last of the soldiers. The teacher sheathed her blade as the nurse returned the pistols to their holsters. They were to the point where Chifuyu had only her white blouse and ripped black skirt, while Ms. Mikado had her torn pink blouse and messy hair over her face.
"I'm assuming it's safe to say that we're done here," Chifuyu stated.
"It looks that way…" Ms. Mikado replied. They both looked at one another. They smiled and started giggling.
"You know, the IS Academy could use someone with close-quarter combat and a Ph.D."
"I'm flattered, but I much prefer to be where I feel like home. Besides, someone has to look after my students~." Ms. Mikado winked. Chifuyu nodded.
"I understand what you mean." She looked to the sky above her. The clouds began dropping small snowflakes. "I have to be there to protect those close to me…" The two reached out and shook hands. When they turned to the school, the students and faculty had exited the building and cheered at Ms. Mikado's and Chifuyu's bravery. Charlotte lifted Haruna and Oshizu off the roof and flew toward the teachers. The locals had already started cheering and celebrating over the victory against the invasion. People gathered with families and held their loved ones close to welcome the start of the Christmas season.
The vessel now appeared vacant with no guards left; only red lights flashing through the halls and sirens echoing all around. Rai ran down the hallway and turned to the control room. He paused at the terminal checking the screen to witness a drastic decrease in combat ships. He tapped on his Bluetooth to call Laura.
"…Laura, you there?" Rai asked.
Laura returned to the laptop. She placed the speakers on high for the others to hear.
"Yes, Raimundo," Laura replied. "Is there a problem?"
"Well, no, not really. How are things on Earth?"
"Everything is faultless! The war seems to have come to a complete halt, und everyone is waiting for your return."
"Good; just as planned." There was a crack in Rai's voice. "Listen, I need to know if there is a major power supply being distributed to the heart of the ship."
"A main power supply?" Laura tapped on her computer. The girl next to her eyed the screen.
"It appears there is a generator nearby to the control room," the 1st bunny brigade member mentioned. Laura examined the blueprints. "According to the drafts, there shouldn't be any means of entry."
"How is that possible?" the 2nd bunny brigade member interrupted.
"Ladies," Rai adjusted his headset. "What I'm about to do is going to be... a little extreme. Whatever happens, make sure you girls get home safe." Rai looked to his left glove. With one tap, a visor appeared before his eyes displaying data.
[SHIELD ENERGY]
[123]
"Tell everyone they have been a big help. I couldn't have done this without their support."
"Raimundo…" Laura's voice grew louder after hearing Rai's request. "…Where are the others?"
"…I'm only getting one shot."
"What are you thinking of doing? This is no time to start playing jokes!" She tried typing on the computer to track his location.
"…Good-bye, Laura." Laura's eyes widened. Rai pulled out his Bluetooth and tossed on the ground.
Smash!
He stomped on it with his foot. He ran out of the room and hurried down the hall. "The main engine should be down here..."
PWOOSH!
A ray of light came from Rai's communicator. Once it vanished, the small robot appeared in front of him.
"…Peke…you were there the whole time…?"
"…Raimundo-dono," Peke answered. She folded her arms. "You're trying to complete the mission by defeating the imposter on your own…" Rai scratched his head.
"…Yeah, pretty much." Peke lowered her head and thought for a moment.
"Hmm…it appears I have no choice…" Peke raised her arms and transformed into a spinning orb of bright energy. In a matter of seconds, she enveloped Rai in a surrounding light to become his battle outfit. He had his pants turned to black shorts and his red baseball tee into a separate white shirt with an open black zipper-sweater with his sleeves rolled to his elbows. He now wore a black cap backwards with bat wings and a Deviluke symbol above his forehead. Peke's swirling eyes were placed on the hoodie lying behind his neck.
"…I'm guessing you want in on the action?"
"I won't allow this monster to harm Lala-sama and get away with it!" Peke raised her batwing in retaliation. Rai could tell she was serious…even if she was shaking as his shorts.
"…Yeah, just let me take it from here." Rai hurried to the next door leading to the engine room.
Swoosh!
He entered the chamber with a large tube erect in a single spotlight. Inside was filled with a green liquid and a blue sphere glowing in the center. Rai's scythe glowed a faint red.
"…This is it…"
"What do we do now…?"
"The only thing we can do…" Rai pulled out his weapon.
Sainan City
The IS pilots and generals regrouped at Sainan High School. They were full of cheer with the attack on Sainan concluded.
"Yahoo!" Saruyama jumped with joy. "We did it! We saved the city!"
"Well," Tenjouin intervened, "it was obviously my courageous act that provided the support needed in the line of duty!"
"That's our Senpai!" Aya cheered.
"Sure, hehe," Run smiled nervously. If you say so…
"Sairenji~!" Risa called to her ally.
Boing~!
She grabbed Haruna playfully.
"You were truly a brave commander, weren't you~!"
"R-Risa!" Haruna blushed trying to shake her off.
"Imagine if Yuuki saw this side of you~!" Charlotte stared at the girls goofing around.
"Is this some kind of custom in this world?" she asked.
"You could say that," Mio smiled.
"Very interesting…" Cecilia pondered. She turned to the Rins who were discussing their tactics during combat.
Plop~!
Cecilia tried to hold Rin's (Lingyin Huang) chest, but proved futile.
"H-Hey!" Rin flailed. "Where do you think your grabbing!?"
"How unfortunate. It seems to be only applicable under specific circumstances."
"How about we see if my weapon is applicable to your face!" Rin Kujou watched as the two got into an argument.
"…They appear to be a lively group," she noted looking to her classmates as well as the IS pilots. They appeared similar in the ways of their personality and their friendship. Kyouko detected something in the sky.
"Look!" she spoke. She pointed to the vehicle falling from above followed by two more IS pilots landing beside the others.
"It's Ichika!" Charlotte exclaimed. The taxi parked itself in front of the school. Houki and Ichika soon landed after.
"We're back!" Ichika greeted them.
"Ichika!" Rin cried out.
"You've made it back safely!" Cecilia added. From the taxi out came Maul, Rito, Yui, Lala, Momo, Nana, and Jolt.
"Yuuki-kun!" Haruna welcomed the heroes.
"Lala!" Risa cheered.
"Momo!" Mio added. "Nana!"
"Ahhh~!" Lala cried with joy. "Everyone is here!" The teachers walked over to the students.
"Glad to see that everyone is safe," Ms. Mikado smiled. Jolt jumped out from the car and into Nana's arms.
"Pika!" Jolt smiled.
"It's thanks to you, little guy!" Nana petted the small mouse.
SWOOSH!
Just then, the black spaceship descended down from the sky. It landed inside the courtyard of the school just barely fitting. As the exit lift lowered from below, Mikan, Celine, Smutts, Gid, Zastin, and Yami were seen leaving the ship.
"Mikan!" Rito waved to them.
"Rito!" Mikan ran to her brother with Celine in her arms.
"…" Yami remained silent. The girls ran to their father welcoming him with open arms.
"Papa!" Nana called out.
"Thank goodness you're not injured!" Momo sighed in relief.
"Everyone is unharmed," Zastin reported. "The royal family is secured."
"Excellent performance," Chifuyu applauded. "I'm proud to say that our mission was a success."
"I'm just glad that it's over…" Yui moaned.
"We are grateful to all of you," Momo bowed her head. With the royal family safe, the objective was complete. However…
"…?" Charlotte looked back to the empty taxi. "This is strange…" Ichika heard Charlotte speak.
"What's wrong, Charlotte?" he asked.
"I do not see Raimundo or Kurumu anywhere…" Ichika turned to the princesses.
"I thought they were with you guys…"
Crash! Bang! Slice!
Sparks flew about as the indents left scars and cuts on the metal bars. He hacked his rapier on the bottom pedestal trying to scratch the exterior.
"Ha...ha..." Rai huffed. He used all his strength damaging the pod. "How tough…is...this thing?"
"Hmm..." Peke pondered. "This seemed rather simple, did it not?"
"We're gonna need something stronger to take it out." Rai turned toward the entrance. "Maybe there's a release valve to open it—"
*FLASH*
The lights turned on as the floor began to split open. He and Peke were now standing on a narrow, steel bridge with the massive engine stretching past the ceiling and into the depths below. Two small shadows were standing by the only exit out of the room.
"Don't panic, Peke. We can take them." Peke lifted Rai in the air and shot them both to the door. Suddenly, a winged figure intercepted them.
BASH!
The two fumbled and fell on a bridge the next level down. The two smaller figures bound them with red chains. The small machine felt her power draining the longer they were tied.
"...Okay, now you can panic." Peke looked to see the three figures standing over their vulnerable state.
"L-L-Lala-sama!?" Peke shrieked. "B-But why?!"
"Check again..." Rai explained. It was Lala and her sisters, but these three had pitch-black skin and clothes with glowing red eyes. The shadow Lala held the green cyber sword to Rai's neck while Shadow Nana and Momo kept a hold of the chains binding them. Rai stood up and gave a serious stare. "...Take me to your leader!"
"..." The three shadows looked at one another.
"...Captain? Overlord? …your dad?" The shadow sisters pulled his body down the hallway.
"They had acquired an escape pod before abandoning the ship," Maul replied.
"I saw them leave in one those small ships…" Yui added. The group began to worry. From a distance, another IS flew down to meet with the group. She was out of breath with the laptop in her hands.
"Mentor!" Laura huffed.
"Laura," Chifuyu responded. "I take you have some news to share with us?"
"Yes, Mentor." Laura caught her breath. "It's…Raimundo…" Everyone listened in. "He's…He's still on the ship!"
"He's what!?"
Moments earlier...
The space pod stayed on course for planet Earth.
"…" Yami rose from her seat. She walked over to the terminal and typed into the keyboard.
[-Coordinates reinstructed-]
[New Route Selected]
"Huh?" Kurumu read the monitor.
"We will arm ourselves with a more suitable means of transportation…" Yami explained. The pod traveled to the gray planet nearby.
"Earth's Moon…" Smutts awed. As the pod circled around its perimeter, a black, sleek spaceship peeked over the surface. Yami directed the pod slowly into the hatch below.
"Yami-chan!" Mikan ran to her friend and hugged her tight.
"Mikan..." Yami replied. Mikan turned to the succubus.
"Kurumu! How did it go?"
"Sorry, Mikan…" Kurumu responded. She walked past the child to the front of the ship. "…but we're not done yet."
"Mau?" Celine wondered. Kurumu tapped on her ring and initiated her IS.
"It's time for a comeback!"
FLASH!
"Shrimp, watch the kids!" She stormed out of the room and returned to the exit chamber. Yami stood behind her as she pulled the lever next to the door. The hatch below opened into outer space.
"We should first formulate a plan of attack…" Yami suggested. "Going in without caution will be reckless."
"Yeah," Kurumu replied. "I have a plan..." Kurumu's IS lifted her in the air. "…Attack!" She took off after the mother ship. Yami quickly looked to the monitor in the hallway.
"...Lunatique." The A.I.'s face appeared on the screen. "Prepare the ship's course for Earth…"
Now
"After all that hard work trying to get away from there!?" Yui cried almost pulling her hair out.
"Why didn't he leave with the others?" Charlotte asked.
"I'm not sure," The 1st bunny brigade explained, "but the last thing he asked was the location of the main engine."
"Main engines?" Lala asked. "Why would he go there?"
"!?" Maul and Smutts flinched.
"Hmm…?" Ms. Mikado shot a cold stare. "…Care to share what you know?" The chill went down their backs. They let out a sigh knowing full-well what was there.
"…The soul," Maul answered.
"Soul…?" Cecilia asked.
"Is he looking for some new shoes?" Saruyama asked.
"…The Soul of the Cosmos." Momo realized as her eyes widened. "Father, did you tell him where the soul was?"
"…" Gid slowly nodded.
"But, they left in one of the escape pods, right?" Nana questioned.
"…He decided to stay before we ejected from the ship," Yami clarified. "…Kurumu left after him…"
"Why would Rai and Kurumu take off like that?" Mikan asked.
"I think I know…" Ichika stepped forward. "…she knew that he wants to finish this on his own."
"!?" Everyone froze.
"Eh!?" Risa jumped. "By himself?"
"…Can he really do it?" Mio asked.
"Raimundo just barely survived getting shot from space!" Houki intervened. "His shield energy is probably at its limit."
"That is why…" Yami looked up at the snow-filled sky. "I'll be joining him in combat."
"I will join you," Laura interrupted. "I must be there to assist him."
"I shall be going as well," Charlotte added.
"Hold on," Ichika spoke, "I'm coming too!"
"If Ichika's going, then so am I!" Houki declared.
"Me too!" Rin inserted.
"As will I!" Cecilia added. Yami turned to her ship.
"Anyone willing to join me, please enter Lunatique," she announced. Before entering the ship, the students turned to their teacher seeing her reaction to their decision.
"..." Chifuyu stared at them with a stern look. "...Don't kill yourselves, got it?"
Throne Room
[Pokémon Platinum: Distortion World]
Swish!
The doors flew open.
Thud!
They threw Rai into the chamber landing on his side.
"...You know I can just walk, right?" Rai retorted. He nudged himself until he was standing. "Alright..." Rai looked around. "Come out and show yourself!" From atop the pedestal of the throne sat a small man with spiky black hair. He only tapped his fingers on the armrest while glaring at the intruder. "...What? You're not gonna say hi or ramble about your plans?"
"..." No response.
"Well, let me break the ice. I'm—"
"I know who you are..." The voice spoke.
"...You do?" The king gripped his armrest tightly. "...Alright, glad to get that out of the way."
"...Why..."
"Well, you kidnapped the princesses and took them hostage."
"...Why..."
"...Because you declared war against Earth...?"
"...Why..."
"…Okay, this is just getting repetitive..." The king stood from his throne.
"...Why does everything I plan accordingly always fall to ruin?" He approached Rai.
"This isn't Burger King; you can't have it your way." Rai looked behind to see the three shadow girls standing at attention. The Shadow Lala held his scythe while Shadow Nana and Momo kept the chains in hand. At the right moment, Rai quickly dashed into Shadow Lala.
BAM!
He rammed her into the wall. The scythe fell to the ground.
"Peke!"
"Right!" Peke's wing extended out and grabbed the scythe.
SLASH!
In one swing, she cut the chains binding them.
"Much better!" Rai held the scythe with a ready swing. He was surrounded by the three shadows. "Alright, your highness, I'll leave it up to you. We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. "The dark manipulator stood before him and morphed his physical form. Rai's watched in shock as the king's face matured as his spiky hair faded to a dark blue. The villain revealed himself in his true form. "...No way..."
"It's him!" Peke trembled. "He's the one who took over King Deviluke's rule!"
"...Cyrus?"
"...Eh?" Peke stuttered. "Y-You know this person!?"
"I thought I did. He was a dead man, last I checked."
"D-DEAD!?"
"What do you expect; he jumped into a black hole!" Cyrus looked down at the boy with cold, stern eyes.
"…It seems fate has brought us here again..." he spoke.
"Yeah, long time no see." Rai looked around to see the shadow princesses on standby. "You started off a new campaign for global domination, I'm guessing."
"As to you: recruiting an army of children looking to overrun my vision for a perfect world..."
"Well, that much about you hasn't changed. But, the whole shape shifting thing is new." Cyrus snickered. He morphed his face into Zastin.
"You could say..." His face changed to Rito. "...it was an improvement..." It then changed to Rai. "...over my weaker form."
"Look, Cyrus. You don't need to prove you're a self-centered asshole. You're doing a great job of that all on your own." Cyrus's eyes lowered.
"ENOUGH!" He ordered. Cyrus shifted back to his original face. "You may not fear me now, but with this power..." His eyes grew dark red. The three shadow princesses sunk into the ground and returned underneath to Cyrus's figure. His bulk grew massive as his muscles expanded. A pair of extra arms grew out from his back and ripped his outfit. "I AM THE MOST POWERFUL BEING IN THE UNIVERSE! I HAVE WHAT I NEED TO BUILD MY EMPIRE...MY WORLD...MY GALAXY!" As Cyrus stretched out his new physiques, a wave of energy pushed Rai back.
"R-Raimundo-dono!" Peke shrieked. "I can sense an abundant amount of energy coming from this Cyrus!"
"I noticed!" Rai answered. "This guy's running on something!" Cyrus brought his front arms together. A swirling blue vortex began forming in between his hands. The glowing mass grew until it became a blue sphere the size of a soccer ball.
"WITNESS THE POWER OF A TRUE DIETY!" His right arm launched the sphere. "FOCUS BLAST!"
WHOOSH!
The ball of energy came rushing at the two with great speed.
"Going up!" Rai commanded. Peke shot his wings from Rai's back.
WHISH!
KA-BOO-OO-OOOOOOOOM!
The attack left a giant crater opening to the floor below. Rai hovered over the terrifying display.
"Ayie-ee-eeeee!" Peke shrieked.
"Come on, Peke," Rai assured her. "Stay on target!"
"R-Right!" Rai flew in at Cyrus. With his muscular physic, Cyrus ripped out the throne and chucked it at the oncoming hero.
Whoosh!
Rai rolled to his left.
BASH!
The throne skid across the flooring.
Tap! Tap!
The D-dials and sword handle landed next to the crater. Rai brought his scythe out and dove straight in.
"Argh!" He caught Cyrus's left leg with the blade.
Swish!
Cyrus fell forward, but stopped himself with his extra arms.
"You think that will be enough to stop me…?" he warned. His back arms morphed into long, sleek vines. In a flash, they shot out at the two. Rai came back around and he flew in at Cyrus.
"Alright…" Rai lowered his gaze. He soared higher as the first vine grazed his underside and ducked as the second one shot above him.
"Grrr…" Cyrus bit down harder. He summoned his front arms as they transformed into shadow-like claws. They reached out to grab Rai.
"Peke, when I say now, split…"
"Eh!?" Peke panicked. The Shadow Claws were about to engulf them.
"NOW!"
*FLASH!*
Rai tossed his scythe to Peke while separating.
WHOOSH!
The claws missed their prey. Peke flew higher while Rai dove in on Cyrus. Rai tightened his grip and pulled back his right arm.
"Let's see how you like this!" He yelled. His arm became coated in flames. "FIRE FIST!"
"WHAT!?" Cyrus yelled.
PUNCH!
PUNCH!
PUNCH!
In a triple-take, Rai bashed his burning blow right onto Cyrus's torso. With the impact, Cyrus was forced back with his feet dragging halfway across the room. Rai landed with Peke floating right behind.
"I-I-Incredible!" Peke gasped in amazement. "How did you...?" Rai brought up his arm. His partially-deployed IS arm was coated in a hot blaze.
"He's not the only one that got an upgrade…" he said. Rai took his scythe returning it to his cellphone. Cyrus brought his arms forward.
"So, it appears you have also gained new powers…" Cyrus picked up the sword handle on the ground.
Ffffkrrrrshhzzzwooooom…woom…woooom...
The cybernetic blade shot out. Cyrus ran in with rage.
"THAT WON'T BE ENOUGH TO SAVE YOU!" He prepared his two left arms for a wide swing.
"Raimundo-dono!" Peke cried.
"Let's go!" Rai yelled. He crossed his arms. "Lucha Libre!"
*FLASH!*
In a quick change, Rai had his IS ready. His shoulder guards ejected out against Cyrus. The fight for the galaxy had begun.
The small campfire gave off an alluring light. The two boys threw some firewood to keep it lit throughout the night.
"So, yeah," Zack clarified. "We start back up tomorrow, keep training a few more weeks, and head back to your girlfriend's house."
"You mean keep beating on me until I get better..." Joseph clarified. Zack pondered for a moment.
"...Yeah, pretty much." Joseph sighed. He threw another lumber on the fire.
"...So, what's your story."
"Hmm?"
"You know, like how you ended up here."
"Ahh, finally getting to the questions." Zack tossed the apple near the fire. "There's not much to me, Bro-J. Just a guy from NYC who ended up here."
"Yeah, but how though?" Zack thought for a moment.
"Hmm…now that you mention it, I had passed out before it happened."
"From what?"
"…" Zack paused. "….before the fall."
"…you mean…you…"
"…I'm not sure…one minute I'm running from security at the Chrysler Building after I snuck in to grab food from some convention. Next thing I knew, I was surrounded on the rooftop ready to jump. I thought I could climb down the side of the building, but I lost my footing." Zack stared into the flames. "When I opened my eyes…I woke up here. I thought I died and was in heaven, but after a while I realized I survived."
"…How long ago was this…?"
"….I don't know. Days turned to weeks, months passed and then years." Zack turned to him. "Since then, I've just been moving from town to town; getting by with jobs here and there. If there's one thing I learned, it's that here: hardly anyone ever ages depending on where you are."
"…Years…" Joseph whispered. "How did you survive for all this time?"
"Just like how I did back home. You pick up on a few tricks when you're live on the streets."
"What about your family and friends."
Crack!
The wood crackled and tumbled deeper into the flames.
"…A few friends, but never really had one. I was on my own just getting by with quick jobs and good people willing to look after me." Zack smiled. "Looks like there were some good people here too seeing as they take in a stray teen." He stretched himself. "How about you, Bro-J? Got anyone back home waiting?" Joseph hugged his legs as he lowered his face into his knees.
"…Yume is my only home now." Zack stared back at Joseph to hear his tale.
-To Be Continued in Part 2-