"WHAT?!"

Twin cries of protest echoed across the room. Gisela and Falspar nearly threw themselves at Sir Arthur's feet, their voices colliding with each other yet both agreeing on the same thing-

This was a bad idea.

"Sir Arthur, you can't do this! She'll kill me! KILL ME!"

"I can't watch after a couple of noobs! We were supposed to go to Ripple Star on a high class priority mission!"

"Sir Arthur, I'm too young and gorgeous to die!"

"I'll die from exposure to stupidity!"

"WAAAH!I wanna go home!"

"Shut up, you needle-noggined idiot!"

"Enough!" Sir Arthur yelled over their squabbling, both puffs went silent. "Both of you, please calm down! I did not make this decision on a impulse!"

Sir Arthur took a moment to catch his breath, he was not accustomed to raising his voice often.

"Please understand, I have the best of intentions for both sectors. Sector H will get experience from a veteran sector, and Sector S will get the opportunity to pass on their knowledge to the younger recruits. Both of you will benefit from this situation."

"…." No one spoke for a beat.

"Sir Arthur, I think we're missing something here in communication…" Falspar crawled towards him. "She. Is. Going to KILL me!"

"I'm gonna kill ya if you don't shut your da-"

"Enough!" Sir Arthur frowned. "Falspar, no one is killing anybody. I promise, no harm will come to you on behalf of any soldiers present on the mission. If I hear of anyone causing any sort of harm to a sector member, I will see to it they are punished accordingly."

The green puff seemed to relax a hair, slumping to the ground face down with a relieved sigh.

"As for you Gisela, I expect more from you. I do not know what has possessed you to act so hostile towards your own crew members, but I highly suggest that you banish whatever is influencing this behavior." Sir Arthur scolded.

Gisela flushed, then growled. "Whatever."

"Now that that's out of the way…" Sir Arthur cleared his throat again. "Your mission. You will arrive on the planet Aquarius. It's a tropical planet and a popular vacation spot. Well, it used to be only now Demon Beasts have started to appear there frequently."

"So, that's where we come in? To get rid of the infestation?" Jecra asked.

"Exactly, only the problem is the Demon Beasts there are very elusive. Rarely seen, and when they are found, they cause enough mayhem and damage to make up for their disappearances." Sir Arthur explained.

"I get to drive!" Gisela yelled, raising her large gloved hand up.

"Nonononono!" Candeloro protested. "You drive like a maniac!"

"No, I want to drive the ship!" Falspar shouted.

"Why would we let a noob drive?!" Gisela barked.

"Stop calling us noobs!" The puff with the mohawk interjected. "And I'm gonna drive!"

Gisela scoffed at the blonde. "I'M, driving, and you're gonna sit in the cargo hold, noooob!"

"Stop! Stop! Stop!" Sir Arthur yelled, waving his arms. "Candeloro drives!"

He quickly handed the keys to the red haired puff, then scuffled to his office.

"No fair! I wanted to drive!" Falspar whined.

"Falspar, this is a mission. Not a vacation." Meta Knight reminded.

"Well, it's kinda like a vacation." The green puff grinned. "We're going to a tropical planet with some cute girls! …And an ogre." He jerked a gloved thumb towards Gisela.

The black puff snorted out of anger, but was held back from lunging at Falspar by Shenandoah and Letty.

"Compliments will get you nowhere, sweetie." Candeloro winked. "We want to see strength, intelligence, and grace on this mission."

"I assure you, we will do our best to prove ourselves worthy." Dragato bowed respectively.

"Kiss up…" Falspar muttered, only to get a cold glare from the light purple puff in response.

-

(watch?v=UEcKrth0v4Y)

The ride was a long and grueling one.

Candeloro tried to focus on driving with a pouting Gisela in the back. The black puff would growl at Falspar whenever he did something that didn't suit her. The green puff would stick out his tongue or make faces at her in response. He now felt he had no reason to be cautious around her, knowing she was just one step away from getting into trouble with Sir Arthur.

"Falspar, you shouldn't be tempting Gisela like that." Garlude warned. "You know she has a temper, and I would hate for you to be on the receiving end of it."

"You don't have to worry about me, babe. He smirked. "I'm a man, and a man has no reason to be afraid of a woman. Not even one like her."

"I'll keep that in mind when you're in the headquarters' infirmary." The lavender skinned woman rolled her eyes.

Yamikage, Shenandoah, and Dragato were playing cards with each other, and Nonsurat somehow fell asleep during the long ride in the back seat. Unfortunately for him, he accidentally leaned against Gisela in his slumber. With a loud cry, the aggressive puff nearly threw him across the ship.

"Waah!" Nonsurat yelled during his descent, thankfully not injured by his fall.

And finally, Meta Knight and Jecra were observing the chaos unfold.

"So, how long will it be until we're at Aquarius?" Jecra asked, slightly worried.

"About one more hour." Candeloro answered, trying to focus on driving.

"You think everyone will still be alive in an hour?" The blonde asked.

Candeloro chuckled. "This is actually a pretty tame ride compared to trips with other sectors."

"This is tame?!" Jecra gaped.

Meta Knight's gaze fell to Letty sitting in the corner of the ship. The pink puff ball was seated next to Gisela, the black haired puff was ranting about something while Letty looked like she was trying to pay attention. However, every few moments, the blonde girl's eyes would wander toward him.

"Hey, how long are you gonna stare, little man?" Gisela barked. "Take a picture, it'll last longer!"

"G-Gisela, he wasn't doing anything wrong." Letty tried to interject.

The aggressive puff narrowed her eyes. "Don't tell me you 'like' this little newbie runt…"

"O-Of course not! Why would I?" Letty stammered, quivering a little.

Gisela's gaze didn't change. "See to it that your feelings stay that way. I'll have to fine you if that changes."

Letty shivered, then quietly nodded.

Gisela's tone of voice to her own teammate was far too rough for Meta Knight's tastes. He briefly wondered if this sort of treatment was a normal occurrence between them. Yet, Letty would obediently listen to every word and do exactly as her sector leader instructed, no matter how rude the request. It troubled him somewhat.

Everyone onboard felt a sense of relief when the ship finally landed. Gisela stood in front of the soldiers, she crossed her arms and began to pace in front of them inside the spacecraft.

"Now listen up! Sector S should be at Ripple Star about now. Instead, we're babysitting you noobs. So, everything is gonna go exactly as we say. None of you better step out of line, or else. We have more experience, talent, and strength than all of you guys. So don't slow us down!"

"I don't trust her…" Garlude whispered to Jecra and Meta Knight.

"Now, first thing ya need to do on any mission. Set up camp. Otherwise you'll be sleeping outside. The tents are in the cargo hold. Set em' up and don't screw anything up!"

"So, Gisela. You are going to help, correct?" Candeloro asked, frowning. "Or are you going to dump all of the work on Letty, as per usual?"

"She isn't gonna toughen up if we don't go all out on her. She won't learn." The black puff shook her head.

After observing the tropical planet, it was easy to see why Aqualiss was a popular tourist spot. The weather was beautiful and sunny, a salty refreshing breeze was almost constant. The beach was clean, and the water sparkled from the light of the sun.

Palm trees littered the land around them, some bore coconuts or bananas, and some pineapple plants were also ripe for harvesting. Falspar was right in a way, coming here would make one feel as though they were on a long vacation.

"Falspar…" Dragato frowned under his mask. "I certainly hope that you do not intend to lounge the entire time this mission is taking place…"

Falspar was lying on his back on the sandy beach, his arms stretched out. The puff's mask and armor was lying to the side, and now sported a pair of black sunglasses he had somehow acquired.

"Chill, man. Might as well relax until the Demon Beast shows up." The red haired man waved his hand in a dismissive manner.

"You are only proving to Sector S that we are irresponsible."

"Aw, you're only worried 'cause you wanna have the red haired chick's attention~" Falspar smirked.

"T-That…that is not true by any means!" The ginger haired puff stuttered.

"Oh, it is! That mask isn't doing anything to hide it! Admit it, you want Candeloro all to yourself. But if you keep bullying me, maybe Candeloro here might learn that tru-OW!"

Dragato had grabbed the puff by his Mohawk with one hand, and his discarded armor with the other. He dragged him inside their tent, then roughly tossed his armor to Falspar.

(watch?v=xAkWuYOMh4g)

"You are going to behave on this mission! Or so help me, I will inform everyone here the true reason why you were required to join the GSA!"

Falspar's face paled. "Y-You wouldn't! How did you find out! You don't even know!"

"Oh, I know about the debt and the bottle rocket." Dragato's voice was dangerously low. "You know a secret about me, I know a secret about you. Shall both stay between us?"

The truth Dragato spoke of was a secret Falspar would rather have never seeing the light of day.

Falspar was raised in a house with three older brothers. Being the baby of the family was difficult, he was constantly ignored in favor of his siblings. He would act out in the hope of getting attention, even if that attention was negative.

The incident happened one summer evening. Beta had made a bottle rocket unlike any other and had trusted it to Falspar until it was time to shoot it the next day. Only the bottle rocket had different plans. The rocket had careened out of control that evening and into the neighbor's property. In a series of unfortunate events, it had caused property damage that was worse than all of Falspar's other hijinks combined and doubled.

Only Falspar didn't shoot the rocket that fateful evening. It was one of his brothers. The green puff immediately was blamed and was given the large dept by his neighbor. His brother never told their parents or neighbor the truth. So here Falspar was, joining the GSA so he could pay off the dept with his pay from the army.

Just how Dragato had come across that story baffled Falspar. The only other people who knew about it were Sir Arthur, and he didn't have any reason to tell. And then there was….

"BETAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-!" Falspar screamed, raising his fists to the sky.

-Somewhere in the GSA HQ Cafeteria-

"What's wrong Beta?" Sir Arthur asked, looking up from his apple pie. "You froze for a moment."

Beta tilted his head in a confused manner. "I thought I heard someone call my name just now.…In a really drawn out scream."

"-AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Falspar panted, before flopping on his back in exhaustion.

"You win for now…" The green puff croaked. "We'll just keep this whole conversation between us. Nobody has to know about the bottle rocket...Nobody has to know you're madly in love with Candeloro."

"I am not 'madly in love' with her!" Dragato protested. "I…my face just feels warm and my chest feels odd whenever she's near…"

"Well, whatever you call it, that doesn't have to get out and neither does my secret. So, we got a deal?" The green puff held out his hand weakly, still drained from his outburst.

Dragato took it. "We have a deal."

-

The preparation of camp was running quite smoothly, much more than some thought it would be. With the additional number of soldiers, it made dividing the work easier. However, some animosity still rung within some in the team.

Though Falspar and Dragato had agreed to keep each other's secrets, distrust still was evident between them. They wouldn't let each other out of their sights, with Nonsurat as their peace maker. Falspar and Dragato were driving each other up the wall, but it really was nothing out of the ordinary. The epic battle of snob V.S. slob.

Yamikage was given the duty of look-out from a high point of the little island they had arrived on. There were no dangers to be seen, one could believe that the island had never come in contact with anything remotely catastrophic in it's entire existence. Yet, Yamikage remained ever watchful.

Meta Knight, Jecra, and Garlude were busy setting up their own tents, getting along quite well. Jecra had apparently learned from his past actions, as he didn't bombard the blue knight with a series of uncomfortable questions.

The trio's attention from their current task was diverted when they overheard a small commotion from the four members of Sector S. Normally it wouldn't be too much of a surprise if one recalled their past encounters and conversations, but it felt different this time.

(watch?v=bPR_te_ODPQ)

"Letty, c'mon. It's not that heavy." Gisela rolled her eyes at the pink puff.

The blonde heaved, trying to unload a heavy crate from the back of the ship. She pulled and tugged on the box, only it refused to budge. She turned to Gisela, she was tapping her foot impatiently, her red eyes focused on Letty.

"Gisela, I think it's too heavy!" The blue eyed puff called.

"No it's not! I can lift that box with one hand!" The black puff argued.

"Yes, you can, because you've got the strength of a Grizzo! But that crate is too heavy for her! Even I can't lift that by myself. Or Shenandoah." Candeloro frowned disapprovingly.

"She's got this." Gisela grinned.

Candeloro shook her head and looked at Shenandoah with a pitying look.

Letty did not have this. The pink puff could feel her small arms throb with each attempt of moving the crate that nearly doubled her in size. She gave another tug, feeling the crate move slightly. Letty smiled like a child opening a birthday present, she was making progress.

Her pink arms tried to establish a firm grip on the heavy and large box, then gave another hard tug. It shifted again, and her determination grew. With a grunt, Letty yanked the crate again. It was getting closer to the edge of the cargo hold's door, and closer to Gisela's praise.

Letty giggled, happy that she was doing something right for once. Sweat beaded on her forehead, but she didn't care at the moment. She was so close… with one more yank, the box was on the edge. Just a distance from the ground.

The blue eyed puff pulled once more, but much to her horror the box wobbled. It's balance was weakening, and if it fell, the box would certainly land on her. She desperately tried to shove it back, the crate resisted her weaker force.

She closed her eyes, letting a small squeal escape her vocal. Letty thought that as she closed her eyes, something blue had went past her vision.

The pink puff slowly opened one eye, the crate had not fallen as anticipated. Her blue ovals opened fully, to see that Meta Knight was by her side. He was holding up the crate with both arms, then gently set the box to the side.

"Are you alright?" He asked, his voice surprisingly gentle.

Letty managed to nod, breathless from the effort of trying to force the heavy crate back moments earlier. She felt a sudden pain in her right arm, noticing a small splinter protruding from her smooth pink skin.

"You're hurt…" Meta Knight responded, about to reach for her hand.

"It's alright! I-I've got it." Letty replied quickly, carefully removing the splinter from her palm.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa…WHOA!" Gisela stomped over to the couple of puffs. "Now what do you think you're doing, little man? Trying to corrupt little Letty here?"

"I haven't the slightest clue to what you are implying." The blue knight said.

"Don't play dumb with me, small fry." The black puff stepped closer to him. "Now I'ma say this nice and clear. You stay away from us, we stay away from you. Nobody has to be the hero. Got it, little man?"

"Gisela, stop calling him that…" Letty protested quietly. "He's not that short."

"Whaddya mean?" Gisela snorted. "If he was any shorter, he would be nonexistent!"

Meta Knight felt his eyes turn a pale pink, but he nonetheless tried to remain firm and unwavering against this ox of a woman. He had simply tried to be kind towards a fellow teammate when she was in need. It was as the saying goes, no good deed goes unpunished.

Meta Knight could have thrown a slur against her in response, but he wasn't about to do that. It would only show that he was allowing her to get under his skin, and resulting to mud slinging was petty and dishonorable in his eyes.

"Got nothing to say, blueberry shortcake?" Gisela smirked. "C'mon Letty, we got better things to do."

The black puffball took Letty's hand, then pulled her towards the other ladies of their sector. The blonde turned around, giving him an apologetic look.

"Gisela, what was that?!" Candeloro gaped. "You almost got Letty squashed, and you yelled at the one who decided to help!"

"He's Sir Arthur's pet. That automatically makes him trouble in my eyes." She growled.

"Is this about your 'probation'?" The red haired woman asked, eyes narrowing.

"No, I don't have that much against Sir Arthur. But something about that blueberry…really ticks me off!" The red eyed puff stomped. "I bet he thinks he's a big shot 'cause Sir Arthur chose him as an apprentice. And he's a man. So you gotta watch out, Letty."

Candeloro looked towards Shenandoah, certainly the peace maker of the group could calm their leader.

"Gisela, you must let your anger go for the moment. We are together, on a mission. Teamwork is necessary, and though it may be unpleasant now, just know that it is not for an eternity. This is a high priority mission, because we have been entrusted with their lives."

Gisela shook her head at the yellow puff. "Still woulda rather been on Ripple Star…"

Letty softly cleared her throat. "Umm…Gisela, could I go play in the ocean for a while?"

"What are ya? A kid? This is a mission!" The black puff scoffed.

But one look at Letty's bright eyes made her reconsider for a moment. This pink puff reminded her far too much of what she was like before…

"…Fine." She sighed. "Go splash around in the water like a toddler if ya want. You did almost get the crate out of the cargo hold, so I guess you were close. But only for a little while! I want you back here in two hours!"

"Yay! Thank you Gisela-tan!" Letty smiled, beaming like a small child before racing towards the water.

"Aww! So cute!" Candeloro held her hands to her face. "She's never called me 'Candeloro-tan'…"

"Cute'll get ya killed." Gisela grunted. "I wish she would buck up and act like a natural warrior for once. Get that killer instinct…like me."

"Oh, she won't ever be as much of a killer as you." The red haired puff giggled.

"Dang right."

-

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The sun soon dipped below the ocean, bringing with it a blanket of indigo and a flock of brightly glistening stars. The nights on this island were just as beautiful as the days, as every star seemed to reflect of off the ocean's surface in pristine beauty.

Letty had dried off in her tent with the other girls, sharing her experience with them.

"I was swimming around, and the water was so clear I could see things at the bottom! But then I felt something touch my foot! It was so startling, what could it have been, Candeloro?!"

"Maaaybe, it was a fish?" The red haired puff suggested with a small smirk.

"Oh…um…heh heh… it could have been um, a fish…silly me…" Letty chuckled nervously, feeling her cheeks heat up in embarrassment.

"You're just so cute, Letty!" The orange puff grabbed her. "Call me Candeloro-tan, too! It's not fair to call Gisela that, but not me too!"

"A-Alright, Candeloro-tan…" Letty stuttered, cheeks growing a vibrant red.

Meanwhile, another conversation was taking place in Meta Knight's tent.

"She said what?!" Garlude questioned, outraged. "I'm tired of that woman thinking she has any power over us! And what does she mean, 'corrupting'?! If she wants that poor girl to turn into her, then I think that's the true definition of corruption!"

"Garlude, calm down…" Jecra said quietly, Garlude was frightening when she was angry. "She's only with us for a little while…and Sir Arthur said that if Gisela caused any trouble, he would deal with it."

"You're right…" She sighed. "But Meta Knight, she had no right to treat you that way. Especially when you were doing something she should have done herself; taking care of her teammate."

"I do not mind." Meta Knight replied. "Tolerance is part of being a soldier."

"You've got guts, Meta Knight. Lady or not, I wouldn't mess with someone with a magic spear." Jecra shook. "I heard that thing has been responsible for the death of over two hundred Demon Beasts. Imagine what it could do to a person!"

"Jecra, don't be so overdramatic." The woman waved her hand. "So, Meta Knight…you and Letty seem to get along quite well."

Garlude giggled. Even with the mask on his blue face, she could sense his genuine confusion. Jecra hid his grin with his hand at seeing the knight tilt his head like a young Waddle Dee.

"Hmm, what do you mean by that?" He asked, not quite understanding the teasing implication from Garlude.

"Ah, never mind." Garlude changed the subject. "Meta Knight, don't you want to take off that armor? Isn't it uncomfortable?"

"No, I will be on guard duty when Yamikage returns from his shift." The blue knight answered.

"At least take off that mask. You would feel better, I'm sure." The woman persuaded.

"Absolutely not. This mask is not to leave my face." The Star Warrior said in a stern voice.

"So you mean you're going to wear that mask, even when you're asleep?" Garlude joked, chuckling.

"Actually, he does sleep in full armor." Jecra clarified, much to his companion's shock.

"Y-You can't be serious. You never take off that mask?" The warioress gaped. "What sort of secret do you have under it?"

"That is my business, and mine alone." Came his somewhat hasty comeback.

Garlude assumed that he must have had some sort of scar, or feature he thought was embarrassing. She wouldn't pressure him to remove the piece of metal that covered his face, but curiosity was brimming from within.

"Alright, I won't pry." The woman nodded, then smiled.

Meta Knight offered no response, seeming to be lost in his own thoughts. A moment later, Yamikage arrived in the tent at the end of his shift, signifying it was the blue knight's turn.

"Did you see anything, Yamikage?" Jecra asked.

"Nothing resembling a Demon Beast." Yamikage answered. "I saw a few ripples in the waves, but it was a shark. It turned around and left. That was earlier. It must be elsewhere on Aquarius for the time being."

"Or it's nocturnal." The blonde man suggested. "Good luck out there Meta Knight, first sign of something suspicious, you wake the rest of us up."

The blue puff simply nodded in acknowledgement before leaving the tent.

"He's always so serious!" Jecra complained. "Can't he loosen up a little?"

"I believe it is a refreshing change." Yamikage added. "One can only stand noise for so long before silence is desired."

"Falspar and Dragato?" Garlude asked.

The ninja shook his head up and down once.

"They've been at each other's throats all day, like both of them have some sort of secret with each other they don't want to get out." The purple skinned woman sighed. "They've been more obnoxious than usual."

"As long as they don't set anything on fire, I'm fine with whatever." Jecra said, lying back on his futon. "Falspar's a fun guy, and Dragato is actually a pretty polite and smart guy. But put em' together…"

"And they're insufferable." Garlude finished.

-

Meta Knight walked along the sandy beach, patrolling the island the team resided on. The blue knight felt relieved he had a moment to himself, as the hustle and bustle of the day had hardly given him any time to think.

Not that he had any personal grudge against anyone here. He was finding himself opening up just a little, much to his own surprise. He found Jecra was far less annoying than from their first encounter, and even had grown some admiration for the blonde.

Jecra was not dim, he had some brilliant suggestions every now and then. And he was doing something many wouldn't dream of doing, and that was joining the army in the first place. Meta Knight had to admit, it was a bit impossible to hate Jecra when it seemed he didn't have a mean bone in his body.

Meta Knight stopped in his tracks when he heard small fotsteps ahead of him. He unsheathed his sword, and cautiously approached the noise. On edge, he pulled back a few tropical shrubs in the direction the footsteps had originated.

The puff saw a silhouette in the distance standing in front of the beach's waters. As he stepped closer, he could make out distinguishable features, pink skin and blonde hair.

(watch?v=lwSdwbf05Xg)

Meta Knight accidently stepped on a seashell beneath his feet, breaking it and creating a loud resounding crunch. Letty quickly turned around with a small squeal, then quickly covered her mouth with her small pink arms.

He noticed that he still had his sword in his hand, he quickly sheathed it feeling somewhat guilty for startling the girl like that. Letty relaxed a little, but said nothing. She turned her back to him, looking out at the waves and the crescent moon in the sky surrounded by stars.

The blue Star Warrior stepped closer to her. "What are you doing here? It's late, should you not be asleep at this hour?"

Letty shook her head. "I…I can't sleep…"

Her voice sounded small and weak, as though she had been crying. Her eyes were a bit puffy, and her blue eyes glistened slightly in the little light provided. She must have noticed his observant eye, because she wiped at her own eyes quickly and prepared a small smile.

"Is something not allowing you rest? Perhaps troubling your mind?" Meta Knight asked.

He was never excellent as comforting others. Interacting with others was probably his weakest point, but it would be low to just leave the girl here alone. Especially with a Demon Beast out and about. So despite how awkward it would be, the blue knight sat down about a foot's distance next to her.

"No, of course not. What would make you think that?" Letty gave a little unconvincing laugh.

The pink puff stared into his yellow eyes, feeling a shiver go up her spine. His eyes were pupiless as well, something she had only truly payed attention to until now. Gisela had similar eyes. Only instead of a golden yellow, they were a fiery red. The color of rage and fury.

Meta Knight stayed silent, not convinced by her lie.

The blue eyed puff desperately tried to change the subject. "…Gisela doesn't like you…"

"Of all the things to say!" She internally smacked her own forehead. "Stupid, stupid, stupid! You can't do anything right, Letty!"

"I am well aware of that." He responded, not seeming irritated by her statement. "I am not certain what I did to earn her disapproval."

"I-It's not really anything you've done…" Letty sighed. "But…please don't hold a grudge against her. She really means well! She just wants me to be more like her…"

"She…treats you very roughly." The blue puff said quietly. "What occurred this morning seemed far too difficult and cruel for someone of your stature."

The blonde stared at him sadly. "So you think I'm a weakling too?"

She gave him a hopeless heartbroken glance, her blue eyes beginning to look moist. But before Meta Knight could respond, the pink puff continued.

"I know…I know that I'm not like the others in Sector S. They're…they're strong and graceful…and I'm…I'm so weak. I'm just dragging them down. And I know that Candeloro and Shenandoah try to make me feel better by being nice to me…but it just makes me feel worse! Like I don't deserve it…"

She sniffled, but no tears fell. "Gisela will take me to the armory. She'll hand me a weapon and take me to the training room. And I'll try to practice, but I'm not any good! Then I can just feel the embarrassment…and Gisela just won't give up! Most of the weapons are too heavy…and I make myself look like a complete idiot!"

"There lies the problem." Meta Knight stopped her. "Gisela is expecting you to immediately be proficient as a warrior, something that nearly no one is capable of. If you were to choose one weapon you admired, then practice, you might become a more capable warrior than you expect. Do not give up so quickly."

His words shocked her, her mouth slightly ajar. "D-Do you really think so? I-I guess I can't argue. I can't give up just yet…and I can't really disagree with Sir Arthur's apprentice, can I?"

"I am no different than any other soldier here. Please do not treat me as though I am anything above the rest."

Letty giggled, her curls bouncing as she did so. "You really are too modest. You defeated a Demon Beast on your first mission. I…I haven't even been that close to one. And Sir Arthur holds you in such high regard. He has to have a reason for that."

The blonde averted her eyes, a small blush dusting her cheeks. "I…um…I never properly thanked you for saving me from that crate, so…thank you."

Meta Knight was about to respond when the two suddenly heard a loud splash in the water. The blue knight assumed that it might have been Falspar on a night swim, but his theory was soon proven false when he saw a shark's head poking from the water.

Letty shivered with fright, scooting closer to the blue knight.

"It's just a shark. Probably the same one Yamikage spotted earlier. Even if it was hostile, it cannot climb onto land." He assured the frightened puff.

"B-But S-Sir M-Meta Knight…regular sharks don't have six eyes…right?"

The shark-like creature screeched and growled, slowly crawling onto land with it's eel-like body. It glared at Letty, it's rows and rows of teeth showing.

The pink puff gasped, blue eyes wide with fear. "D-D-D-DEMON BEAST!"

The warriors at camp were awoken from their slumber, hearing the blonde's cry. Gisela swung up from her futon, quickly attaching her skull resembling mask and stepped outside of the tent in one quick movement. She raised her hand into the air, red light forming above her hand, then materializing into her legendary spear Gungnir.

The red eyed puff licked her lips hungrily. "Oh, yes…"

Author's Note: So, I ended up being wrong. It turns out, this flashback will take two chapters. So that means The After Story's 50th chapter will be a flashback. I hope this next chapter is as epic as it seems from the cliffhanger here.

Some things I wanted to point out. Falspar's reason for being in the GSA is a headcanon of mine. I pictured him being in a family with a few older brothers, with him as the youngest. It also explains his behavior, wanting attention from others to lack what he didn't get from his family. Maybe that's why he got the mohawk?

I've gotten quite a few comments and reviews noting how Letty looks similar to a certain pink puffball we know. And others have pointed out that Letty seems to be pretty fond of Meta Knight. So readers, what direction do you think this is going in?

Next chapter, Sector S gets to show exactly why they're a high rank team, and Sector H gets to shine for them. They're going to have to work together to defeat that Demon Beast.

Until then, Leer Justice out.