Hyperdimension Neptunia Rebirth: The Power of Choice

by ZenNoKiseki

Takes place after the events of Tales of Xillia 2 True Ending. Ludger Kresnik went beyond what was expected to protect what was important to him. With his life gone and role ended, he and his brother find themselves reborn in Gamindustri with no recollection of their old lives for some reason. Now, what choice will Ludger make this time? Will he once again create his perfect world?

3. Chapter 2: Chromatus

Oh wow, I just want to say, sorry for not updating this sooner. I was hoping to get this done soon but finals took me a long time to get through. Once that is over, I got working on this right away!

I hope you all enjoy and sorry for the wait.

I strongly suggest this time as you read, to leave a review. You will know why when you reach the end lol

Chapter 2: Chromatus

Part 1

In life, at what point does one realize that they've made the right choice?

The answer is simple: we don't.

Suppose we're offered two distinct choice, each leading to its own path. We make a choice, walk down one path over the other and then we reach a conclusion. The 'result' at the end of the path could be good or bad.

Regardless of the outcome, we'd never know if the other path offered would've produced a better or worse result compared to the first one.

We can make speculation and plan out scenarios in our mind but all those would be hypothetical guesses merely crafted from your own imagination. Unless it actually happened, we'd never know the true end result.

As such, there's no way to compare the two choices and knowing which of either is the best one to make unless you were able to try out both of them for yourself and see where both paths lead you.

Of course, that is impossible.

One can't turn back time and go back to a certain point after making a bad move and choose the other option. That's not how life works.

You make your decision, carry it out, accept the results whether they're good or bad, use that experience as a lesson for the next choice you're about to make.

In short, making a choice is hard when you think about it.

That's why the situation in video games are rather envious. You reach a bad ending then you simply re-load your last save file and try another path.

Truly, it'd be nice if life could be lived just like a game.

However...

"Ludger! I'm tired! I wanna go home already!"

"...You've only walked 5 steps, Neptune..."

We were at the mouth of a cave and after walking in exactly 5 steps, Neptune starts to whine.

The girl's body keeps swaying back and forth right in front of me. Her sloppy posture and lifeless movements gave that impression like she hadn't eaten for weeks.

...Just for the record, she had breakfast about half-an-hour ago.

Neptune turns around and looks at me with tired eyes,

"Hey Ludger, I'm hungry! I'm like, super-duper hungry! I'm so hungry, I could eat tons of food! Whip out the pudding and let's take a break!"

I placed a hand on my hip and gave Neptune a quiet stare.

"I thought the agreement was that I'd make you whatever you want AFTER we finish this job. Besides, I didn't really bring any food with me."

In response to my words, Neptune stares at me with her big round eyes and opens her mouth wide,

"Whaaaaaat? How could you think about going on an adventure without bringing any food? What if we get stuck here for days? Months even? Oh nooooo! We're gonna starve down here! That's the worst kind of death!"

Neptune looks scared. And I mean, really scared...Seriously? I mean, given the job description and difficulty, we should technically be finished by lunch time.

The job I was given today by Histoire started off rather simple: defeat the boss monster of this case.

Apparently, there's been this giant monster that's been roaming around, terrorizing the nearby area, along with some of the towns close by. It seems to have built itself a nest in the depths of this cave. Our job is to exterminate it.

Really, this is just a means to get Neptune to do some actual work. Histoire wanted me to get Neptune out of the house and whip her back into shape. After all, she is the CPU of Planeptune so she needed to work hard if this country had any hopes of surviving at all. This job would've been meaningless unless Neptune came with us.

And when I say 'us', I mean...

"I knew it was a good idea for us to tag along."

A cool voice spoke, followed by a sweet playful one.

"Yep, yep. Ludger doesn't have nearly enough experience to have Nep-Nep obey him just quite yet!"

She makes it sound like I needed to catch monsters, trap them into tiny balls, train them into killing machines and make them fight other monsters for fun if I were to get the experience to handle Neptune.

...That just sounds really messed up so forget it.

Oh right, I suppose introductions are necessary.

There were two girls beside me.

The girl on my left had a calm, cool character about her as she rests a hand on her hip.

She had long, near waist length brunette hair, which was a complete mess as she sits hard on the ground. She had bit of it pulled into a side ponytail held with a fashionable green Leaf like ribbon. Her eyes are the same shade of green as that hair ribbon.

She wore a very big blue jacket that seems to be a few sizes too big for her, considering how trench-coat like it is and due to the fact the sleeves pass her arms. It's worn open, revealing a black and silver tanktop and a pair of shorts with a big belt. Lining up and down her front of the jacket are silver buttons going down the center, silver lining, and red marks inside the arms. If she was to button up the entire outfit it would reach her thighs. She wears short black socks and blue shoes matching her jacket.

Her name is IF. That's I-F, not 'if'. Upon meeting her, I instantly got the impression she was arguably the only sane person I can rely on.

The girl on my right was so cute and innocent that just about any boy would be a sucker to her smile and be filled with the overwhelming instinctive desire to protect her.

This girl's name is Compa. Her weapon is a giant needle. Upon first meeting her, I made a solemn vow to myself to never get so injured in front of her that she would need to use that. Because well...needles hurt. Especially the big ones that were essentially the same length as a long sword.

I met these two girls...just this morning actually.

It's a long story...Actually, no it isn't. I should be able to narrate it in a matter of minutes.

This is how it began.

Part 2

Mornings - You can call it that brief window of peace you get from when you just wake up to when you begin your day.

The time you get to relax really depends on the moment you awake.

If you're an early riser, then the mornings becomes something like a small vacation for you, with a full, well-balanced breakfast waiting for you along the way.

If you're a heavy sleeper on the other hand, expect yourself to be running out that door, hastily cramming your feet into your shoes with a piece of toast loosely pinched in your mouth.

As you get older, you start to better appreciate the peace and quiet you get from an early morning. When you're in for a busy day and when you get home so exhausted that the only desire in your mind is sleep, you appreciate the tranquil nature of a quiet morning as the only moment of rest you can get before reality hits you.

Kids tend to spend their morning, forcing themselves up early to watch their favourite shows like anime. The fact that a lot of the new episodes are mostly played on a Saturday morning is a rather smart tactic to teach kids the lesson of 'Early to bed, early to rise'.

Unfortunately, when you reach your teen years, that lesson is essentially thrown out the window. The practice of staying up until 3 in the morning and sleeping in until 12 is common for teenagers on a weekend. It's rather interesting how kids can be so energetic and yet when they grow up into teens, they become rather lazy. Perhaps it was one of those things that change as a result of puberty?

When you reach adulthood, you begin to fully appreciate them as your moment's break before heading off to work. My brother, Julius is the type who'd either read a newspaper or watch some TV with a nice cup of coffee before heading to work.

As for me, I'm a natural early-riser anyways, with a few exceptions. I need to be, of course. Since I prepare the meals, I naturally need to be up early so that I can prepare breakfast for us.

Rollo would climb up to my bed at times and start scratching my face if I don't get up to make him food so sleeping in really isn't an option for me.

Despite that, I enjoy preparing breakfast. Perhaps because breakfast is the most important meal, but I feel strangely energized, no matter how sleepy I am, once the eggs start frying on the pan.

"Neptune! Hey, Neptune! Wake up!"

This was a particularly morning that I spent at Planeptune's Basillicom. After the usual routine of having breakfast with Julius, I got a call from Histoire because she wanted to ask me about something.

So I went to the Basillicom. I made sure to knock and call but I got no answer, so I just went right in.

When I went inside, I searched around the place a few times for anyone I can find at all.

My search around the building took me to a brightly coloured and decorated room, and after peeking through a small gap on the door, I came across Neptune...

...sleeping on top of her bed in a sloppy manner while hugging her pillow tightly.

My mind came into the conclusion that this was Neptune's room, but more importantly...

...she's still asleep!

This country's people will be crying if they find out that their CPU was so lazy! I mean, who it's almost 10! Who sleeps this late on a weekday!?

I couldn't exactly leave this alone so I tried to call her up.

This is the response I get.

"Hmmm...Hold on...you...little badgerrrrrrrr...Giiive...me back...my pudding..."

So even in her dreams, all she thinks about is food.

Just keep running, little badger in Neptune's dreams. Just keep running.

"Hey, Neptune. You need to get up now."

I try calling her out again. This time, I put in the extra effort by grabbing her shoulder and trying to shake her body up a bit.

"Hey! Neptune!"

"Hmm...Noooooo, don't touch me theeeeeeree...! ...You're so bold!...You pervert..."

"What?"

Oh god, I hope she's still having that dream about the badger...Or maybe not. I don't even want to know what that badger might be doing.

"Hey! Wake up!"

This time, I started shook her violently. I didn't want to be rough with her but I was left with no choice.

I was shaking her so roughly that her head kept bobbing back and forth like it was loosely hanging on her neck. Her droopy looking eyes would not open and with a trail of drool coming from the edge of her lips, she had a sleepy smile while giggling 'hueeeeeeeeh' like a complete idiot.

Don't 'hueh' me, wake up already.

"This isn't going to work..."

Letting my hand off Neptune's shoulder, I started to scratch my head.

What a heavy sleeper. A marching band can walk through here and she still wouldn't wake up. I might need to resort to lighting this whole place with fireworks or something.

This could be a problem. Histoire wanted me to fix this girl's lazy habits and I'm already failing at this on my first day.

I massively underestimated the difficulty of this job.

This might be too much for a rookie like me to handle.

Should I quit?

Should I let Histoire know that I can't do this?

This seems like an impossible task for me. I should just give up.

I immediately shake my head, trying to get those unpleasant thoughts out of my head.

...No. I can't quit up. I was never raised to be a quitter. And I will never become one.

If I give up, then the job really will become impossible.

If I keep at it, then I at least have a chance for success.

I'll aim for that.

If Julius was in this situation, he'd never give up...I think.

As determination fills my spirit, an idea popped into my head.

When I was younger, there was this game I once played.

It was an RPG that gained a positive reception for its time, and it spanned a few remakes for more modern consoles.

But more importantly, the main character was the type to be a ridiculously heavy sleeper.

To deal with that, the protagonist's little sister would invent a certain method to wake him up...

...While I feel complicated towards mimicking a technique I learned from a video game, I'm more than open to give it a try.

I make a quick run to the kitchen, then I make my way back after grabbing a few tools.

I stand before the sleeping Neptune once again. This time, I came prepared.

A pan in my left hand and a ladle on my right.

I can do this...

"Wake up!"

I strike the ladle against the pan. I can feel a resounding vibration on my hands. The clash produced a sound so loud, I felt my mind shake for a moment.

It was a loud noise that could even wake the dead...

"Uwaaah! We're under attack! Man your stations! Protect the people and the pudding! Especially the pudding!"

The last thing I want to do is put my life on the line for a dessert.

Neptune suddenly springs to life. The trail of drool was still there as she sits up from her bed with her wet pillow sticking to her face.

Her wide open eyes blinked a few times as she looked around. It seems to have taken her a few minutes to realize that she was in her room.

"Oh, so it was a dream...Woo, that was close! And here I thought we were gonna go to war with the Badger people of Badgeria because I accidentally kicked their Prime Minister."

The Badger people aside, did Neptune have a particularly valid reason to kick its leader? Probably not.

"Huh, it actually worked."

At that moment, I realized just how powerful a pan and ladle could be if used correctly.

"Hueh?"

Neptune blinks her heavy eyelids a few times and looks up towards me with sleepy eyes while still hugging her pillow.

"Oh, Ludger, it's you. Is it time for breakfast yet?"

"I don't recall ever being told to make you breakfast."

Neptune lets out a yawn.

"Then, I'd like an omelette! A nice, soft fluffy omelette with everything in it! Oh, except eggplants!"

"I don't recall ever offering to make breakfast either..."

However, if it means she'll wake up, I'll gladly do it.

Also, it seems Neptune hates eggplants. Odd, Julius hates them too.

Part 3

"Alright, food's ready."

I lightly placed the round plate on top of the square breakfast table, right at the center of the decorated placemat.

On top of the dish was a 3-egg omelette stuffed with ham, cheese and some corn. My impression of Neptune was that she was a bit of a child so I cooked her omelette with the preferences of a 10 year old in mind, hence the use of simple ingredients.

I figured Neptune was the big-eater type, so I added some toast and bacon to the side that she can enjoy.

I also took the liberty of filling a glass up with milk set to the side to the top left corner of the placemat.

...I'm enjoying this way too much.

"Ohh~ It smells heavenly~"

Neptune's mouth was drooling like a waterfall as her eyes lit up like stars. With a fork gripped around her right hand and a knife to her left, she looked like she was ready to attack.

I shift my body over from the stove top to the sink. Grabbing a sponge, I turned on the water faucet and started washing some of the pans and dishes I used while I was cooking.

"You should go on ahead and eat, Neptune."

"Huh? Aren't you gonna have any?"

"I already ate back home before I came here so I'm fine. Go ahead and eat, Neptune."

"Alrighty! I will eat this wonderful omelette with love! Time to eat! Thanks for the food, Ludger!"

I can hear the sounds of biting, chewing, and swallowing right over my shoulder. Meanwhile, I continue to wash the dirty dishes and cooking utensils in front of me at a calm pace.

Ahh, this is nice...

Neptune may be a bit loud and annoying, but hearing her say 'Thanks' for my food brought a small smile to my face.

This is a chef's happiness. A happiness that comes from bringing joy to others in the form of well-made, delicious food.

To have people try your food, enjoy it, and watch as all the hard work you placed into your dish bring a nice smile to their faces, is a joy only people who cook can understand.

Even if the dish is a failure and people grimace at the taste of your food, that only serves as motivation to work harder at cooking and improve your dish, until you can one day make them smile.

Yes, to me, cooking is to make other people happy, which in turn will make you happy. In fact, I believe the best way to spread happiness is to cook a nice meal that everyone can enjoy.

Conversely, I find simply cooking for oneself to be...boring.

"Ohh, yum! It feels like my taste buds are having a party in my mouth! The eggs are so rich and fluffy, it practically melts in my mouth!"

I certainly hope so. I put in a lot of effort into beating the eggs and I used cream to give it some texture.

"Ludger, at this rate, my stomach is gonna fall head over heels for you! You'll make a great husband one day!"

The idea of Neptune's stomach falling for me is...unpleasant. On the other hand, I was a bit flustered by the compliment.

"Y-You really think so?"

"Darn tootin'! Your future wife is gonna be the luckiest girl in the whole universe to be able to eat this kind of food every day!"

Crap, hearing all that praise, my cheeks suddenly turn red. I couldn't stop smiling to myself. The sense of pride I have towards my cooking was being stimulated by Neptune's compliments.

At that moment, I thought...Neptune wasn't so bad. She reminded me of a hyperactive kid who'd run around in circles until she passed out.

I finished up the last of the dishes and placed it on the dry rack.

While drying my hands with a cloth, I turn around to see Neptune sitting her chair at the table, patting her stomach with a face full of crumbs with a finished plate right in front of her.

"Ah, that hit the spot! That's gotta be the best omelette I've ever eaten! It's as good as the one Compa makes for me!"

Compa? It must be a friend of hers. More importantly...

"Neptune, don't you cook any of your own meals?"

I asked, raising a brow.

Neptune responds proudly,

"Nope! You see, I'm the type of girl who can set a bowl of cereal on fire!"

"What does that mean?"

"It means I set a bowl of cereal on fire. Oh, you know, just your typical morning, I was pouring some cereal in my bowl, then some milk and then BOOM! Spontaneously combust into flames and all that!"

"Interesting..."

As expected of a CPU, even the simple act of preparing a bowl of cereal would leave top scientists baffled.

...Wait, that's not right. Someone needs to look into this. Either the page on combustion in the chemistry books need to updated or a certain cereal company has some explaining to do. Better investigate the milk while you're at it too.

"So I'm guessing Nepgear prepares your meals then?"

"Yeppers! I can always count on my little sister to make me tons of delicious food. Oh and Compa too. You should meet her. Your cooking is as good as hers. I bet you two could become good friends. *gasp* or even cooking rivals!"

I feel like the genre of this story is going to change if we keep talking...Although, a world where all conflicts are resolved through cooking doesn't sound too bad to me.

"So, Neptune. What exactly do you do when they aren't around?"

Neptune answers simply, as if it was obvious.

"Well, I just go to the convenience store and get myself 10 puddings for lunch and dinner. Oh and you can't forget about dessert!"

"I see..."

...She's like a child. Actually, I think she's a worse than a child. And to think she's the CPU of Planeptune...

...Our country's future is gonna go down the toilet at this rate.

"Huh? That reminds me..."

I take a look around the place. It took me a while but it just occurred to me the only people here are Neptune and I.

"Where's Nepgear? I didn't see her when I came in."

Neptune blinks twice and looks up at me, saying,

"Oh, Nepgear is probably out working right now."

"Working?"

I bent my neck at a slight angle while raising an eyebrow curiously.

"Yeah, Nepgear likes to get up early and do work like hunting down monsters, protecting the people and gathering shares for Planeptune. You know, Goddess work."

...Aren't you the one who's supposed to be doing that work?

It seems Neptune's dignity as an older sibling is non-existent.

Also, I was contemplating whether I should shift my faith from Neptune to Nepgear from here on.

"Hey, Ludger. I'm bored. Do you want to go play video games with me? Vert's lending me this sweet new fighting game that just came out from Lastation."

"Go do work, Neptune."

Neptune gives me a pouty expression. Her face resembled a puffer fish.

"Boo~ You're starting to sound like Histy, Ludger!"

To think that Histoire has been putting up with this kind of behavior for months, even years...

She had to suffer this all alone for so long...

At this very moment, I felt admiration and sympathy for Histoire.

While playing around with these unnecessarily, sappy thoughts, I hear the sound of a door close by snapping open, followed by a pair of unfamiliar voices,

"Hey, Nep! Are you up yet?"

"Silly, Iffy, there's no way Nep-Nep would be up so early! It's not even 2 PM yet!"

"Oh, you're right. What was I saying? Hey, Nep! Wake up!"

There were two unfamiliar girls coming in while casually conversing with one another.

The one that just shouted into the air had long, near waist length brunette hair, which was a complete mess as she sits hard on the ground. She had bit of it pulled into a side ponytail held with a fashionable green Leaf like ribbon. Her eyes are the same shade of green as that hair ribbon.

She wore a very big blue jacket that seems to be a few sizes too big for her, considering how trench-coat like it is and due to the fact the sleeves pass her arms. It's worn open, revealing a black and silver tanktop and a pair of shorts with a big belt. Lining up and down her front of the jacket are silver buttons going down the center, silver lining, and red marks inside the arms. If she was to button up the entire outfit it would reach her thighs. She wears short black socks and blue shoes matching her jacket.

The other girl next to her has light skin and pink eyes. Her hair is a light cream-pink color and is long and curled. Worn back with a black headband with a C patch on it. She wears a tan-white wool styled tank top with big neck and un-attached sleeves and matching styled boots, but with small ribbons/fuzzy balls at the top. She also wore a red plaid skirt, a black choker with a small heart on it, black-brown kneesocks with light pink heart cut frills, and often carries a black hip purse with a C on it, and heart shaped buttons.

I assumed they were Neptune's friends...

"Oh, hey! It's Iffy and Compa! What brings the two of you here?"

The bubbly looking girl answered first,

"Classes at the Nursing School were cancelled today because our professor got eaten by a monster."

The girl says casually, The calmer girl follows up with,

Things have been quiet over the Guild this morning and I'd start to worry about Planeptune if I don't stop by every now and then to make sure you were actually working."

The girl with the big blue jacket says.

...Wait, is no one going to react to what the girl says?

The calm girl takes one look at Neptune and relaxes her shoulders slightly,

"Yep, I should've figured, Nep. Even at this hour, you're...completely awake!?"

Her expression suddenly shifts to absolute shock without warning. I don't know why but she honestly looked terrified. Her eyes were wide and looked like a pair of glass orbs and I didn't think anyone could look so pale.

The cute girl next to her also looked mortified,

"Is this the end of the world...?"

Their comments were...rather rude if you were to think about it. Although, I get where they're coming from.

Neptune looked offended,

"Hey! I can wake up early when I want to!...I just don't want to, that's all."

At least, she's honest...

Neptune's face soon returns to the bubbly smile she always wears,

"Besides, with Ludger here, there's absolutely no way I'd miss eating breakfast!"

"Ludger...?"

Upon hearing that unfamiliar name, the brown-haired girl shifted her curious eyes from Neptune to myself. The other girl that was with her was looking at me also with the same curious expression.

Crap, I need to introduce myself.

"Umm, it's nice to meet you. I'm Ludger Kresnik. I-I just started working at the Guild."

I bowed my head slightly while feeling slightly embarrassed. Uwoh, suddenly being put on the spot like this, I'm starting to get flustered.

The girl with the leaf-green ribbon eyes me carefully. The focus of her eyes went from the tips of my shoes to the top of my head. The way she was looking at me, I felt like a new recruit being sized up by a veteran military commander.

Then, a small smile broke out on her face.

"So you're a rookie, huh? I'm IF. I've been working for the Guild for a while. I suppose that makes me your senior, huh?"

While she, IF made her introduction, the girl next to her showed me an angelic smile. Holy crap, being given a smile like that would make me hated by all the guys in this world.

" My name is Compa. I'm a student training to be a nurse. It's nice to meet you, Ludger."

She respectfully bows her head after making her introduction.

So that's IF and Compa, huh? Somehow, I'm sort of glad, after meeting Neptune and the others, to have finally met some ordinary humans I can relate to.

...At the very least, I'm hoping these two are just ordinary humans that I can talk to normally with.

It was then I noticed IF looking at me, with a curious look in her eyes.

"Ludger...Kresnik...By any chance, you're not related to Julius Kresnik, are you?"

"Do you know my brother?"

"Oh, so he's your brother. I don't really know Julius on a personal level but I've seen him around a few times. You could say he's almost a celebrity over at the Guild. The girls I know wouldn't stop talking about him."

Yeah, that sounds about right. For as long as I can remember Julius has always been a lady-killer. I remember the days where girls would start crowding in front of our apartment like crazed fangirls because they wanted to see them. The bolder ones would stop by our apartment constantly to give him gifts, come in for a visit, or even confess their love for him.

Each time they give a look of disappointment just from seeing me at the door instead would tear away at my self-esteem little-by-little.

'I'm sorry I'm not as amazing as my brother' is what I felt like saying every time that happened.

Still though, I'm amazed by all the attention Julius gets from girls, I've never seen him show interest in a girl, let alone have a girlfriend.

I'm his little brother, after all. If there were signs that he was into a girl, I would be the first one to know.

And I've yet to see even a single sign.

I think it's because he was always so busy taking care of me and providing for the two of us, that he hasn't had the time for girls.

While thinking to myself, IF seems to be sizing my profile with her eyes. She was pinching her chin and her face looked completely baffled.

"Huh, considering the rumors about the famous Julius Kresnik, I never imagined his little brother would be so...normal."

Compa nods her head quickly with intrigue.

"I thought so too! Upon first glance, I thought Ludger looked completely normal!"

Neptune nods her head proudly in agreement.

"Isn't that what's cool about him though? He's so unremarkably normal!"

Can you all please stop talking now? The inferiority complex I had from my teen years constantly being compared to Julius are coming back up now.

"Oh! And get this! Ludger's cooking is fantastic! It's as good as yours, Compa!"

Neptune adds, making me feel a little bit better about myself.

"Wow, as good as Compa! That's pretty impressive there, Ludger. It looks like even Compa has a rival when it comes to cooking and I didn't think that was possible."

IF looked completely impressed.

Meanwhile, Compa had her head low, with a serious expression on her face. She kept whispering 'Rival...Rival...Rival...Rival...Rival' over and over...

And then, after muttering that word about 10 times, Compa raises her head up and-

-looks at me with starry eyes brimming with energy.

"Alright, Ludger! I decided that I'm not gonna lose to you! In cooking, that is!"

Despite her words, Compa seems rather happy at the sound of that.

I've heard of types who feel happiness when they feel that they've met their equal in battle. I suppose that can apply to cooking though.

The sentiment is mutual of course. I don't feel like losing to Compa or anyone in cooking either. I don't really care much for winning or losing but I do like the idea of challenging myself to make better dishes.

Somehow, I'm starting to feel happy myself now.

I smile and nod my head as I looked Compa straight in the end. I responded to Compa's challenge with a look of competitiveness that mirrored her own.

I accept your challenge. And I won't lose either.

"Alright, now that we're all here, let's have some fun! Compa, Ludger! Whip out the snacks! I'll get the four-player games ready!"

With gusto, Neptune shoots her fist into the air.

"Oh no, you won't, Neptune!"

A new voice enters from above.

Everyone, myself included, raised our head up slightly towards the ceiling.

There, I see Histoire above our heads. And she looked really mad.

"Yikes, Histy! What are you doing here?!"

The one most frightened to see her was of course, Neptune.

You could see the vein on Histoire's head throbbing as she hisses out her words,

"You honestly didn't think I'd be so foolish as to leave you home alone so that you could do whatever you want, did you?"

Histoire lowered herself from above until she was exactly eye level with us. Her facial expression became softer, even apologetic once her attention shifted from Neptune to me.

"I'm really sorry about bothering you when you might be busy. I was busy with a small meeting with the Oracles of the other landmasses so I couldn't be here earlier this morning when you came."

"No, it's fine. I get you might be busy with this kind of stuff, considering your position."

...If anything, the only thing that really baffles me is the lack of responsibility Neptune seems to shoulder despite her position.

Histoire lets out a heavy sigh while dropping her head slightly,

"It pains me to say this but it seems I'll be relying on you more as this goes on..."

"It seems like it but that's what I signed up for, right? So don't worry about it. I need to meet my end of the agreement after all."

I showed Histoire a small smile. But I'd be lying if I said I'd be able to keep on with this attitude all the way to the end.

Histoire started to smile as well. It was a small smile but then again, so was the rest of her.

"You have my thanks."

"..."

"..."

While watching the exchange between us, both IF and Compa simply stared at us for a while without saying anything.

Then after some thinking, a knowing smile appeared on IF's face.

"Ah, so that's what is going on, huh."

IF then looks at me.

"So you're Nep's newest baby sitter, huh?"

"Pretty much."

I gave her an honest answer without thinking much on it, really. Honestly, that's pretty much what the job is to me at this point.

I wake her up in the morning, I make her food...I think the only thing I've yet to do is give her a bath and tell her bedtime stories. And that would just be weird.

"Well, good luck. Nep's laziness is so strong that she even made devoted nannies lose all hope with her."

Her words left a terrifying impression on me. How do I describe this feeling?

Let's just say the urge to run out the door and never come back is strong within me.

"Heeeey, you make it sound like I do nothing but lay around and take naps all day!"

Neptune pouts with a frown on her face. The way she sat with her fingers gripped on the edge of her chair, she really did look like a pouty child.

IF merely states,

"Well, you kinda do..."

"Objection!"

Neptune explodes out of her seat, pointing her finger at IF with a strong, confident posture. There was a strange intensity coming off from that single word she uttered.

It was as if she was releasing the force of her spirit onto others, forcing them to submit to her will.

Everyone knew at that moment, that her next few words were going to be powerful and unbelievably persuasive.

"I do more than just sleep all day! Like if I get hungry, I get up, go to the fridge and eat some pudding!"

Everyone in the room, especially me, stared at Neptune with a blank expression in our eyes.

...Her statement was persuasive and unbelievable alright...

Too bad she's an idiot. She would've made a great lawyer.

IF then looks at me, and her face had a meek smile.

"Like I said, good luck to you..."

"Th-Thanks..."

Is it too late for me to hand in my resignation letter? Or is it too soon?

"Ahem!"

Histoire suddenly clears her throat. The expression on her face looked impatient. You could tell she was trying to restrain herself but no doubt, she's reaching her limit.

"It's nice to see that you're all getting along but...aren't you all forgetting something?"

"Oh, you're right, Histy! I completely forgot!"

You could see the '!' above Neptune's head as she looked like she came to a sudden realization.

"We need to get Noire, Blanc and Vert over here! All of us can have a party with Iffy and Compa with us this time!"

Should I be concerned by the fact that she didn't mention Nepgear in that list of people?

"No, that's not it! Work! Neptune, get to work already! At least have one thing done today at least! ( ≧Д≦)"

Histoire explodes with rage...Wait, what was that she said at the end?

IF and Compa seems to be smiling at the development.

"It looks like she's finally snapped."

"Histy's finally breaking out the emoticons. I thought something was missing here."

Those two make it sound like this is something completely natural...Rather, how does someone speak with emoticons? Do they describe each character verbally?

In that case, "=)" would be said as "equal-sign, right circle bracket".

Ugh, that's a mouthful.

"Whaaat? You want me to work, while everyone is here and it's such a nice day outside? That's pure evil, Histy! How could you be so cruel?"

"...(;¬_¬)"

Histoire isn't say anything. But anger was coming off her shoulders in waves. Her eyes then turned to me and she sternly said,

"Ludger, do something about her! （・⊝・)"

I don't think that emoticon matches the tone...Wait, she wants me to do something about this?

Hmm...

I cross my arms for a bit and thought about it deeply.

Question: how do you make a lazy girl with the mind of a 12 year old get off her ass and do something active outside the house?

...The answer was so obvious.

You might as well ask a parent how they get their children to get involved in doing house chores.

"Hey, Neptune..."

I turn my head and faced Neptune. With a firm face, I stare straight into Neptune's eyes to get her attention.

"If we get some work done today, I'll make you anything you want."

Neptune's once-dispassionate eyes suddenly lit up like stars. Her face absolutely brightens with happiness.

"Really? Anything? So I can have custard pudding, chocolate pudding, vanilla pudding and more?"

They're all puddings...

"I'll make you a pudding for dessert but for the main course, please ask for something more balanced."

"Alright, then let's get to work and get it done fast! Then we feast!"

Wow, that was easier than I thought it was.

Histoire was next to me while nodding her head. She looked like she was deep in thought.

"I see...bribing Neptune with a reward for her efforts...Why didn't I think of that? ○|￣|＿"

...Yeah, that was a good question. Why didn't she?

Histoire finally smiled, after which looked like an entire morning of stress.

"Well, you have my thanks, Ludger. Now, it looks like Neptune will finally start doing some work."

Histoire lets out a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, Neptune was jumping around with her hands above her head, happily cheering the names of food,

'Fried Chicken! Hamburgers! Rice Omelettes! Pizza...!"

...I'd better mentally jot all these down for later.

"By the way, Histoire. What exactly does Neptune need to do today?"

I asked and as if she was trying to come up with a long list of things in her mind, Histoire placed a finger on her cheek while thinking about it intently.

"Hmm, well Nepgear is carrying out most of the duties as we speak , but there is this giant monster that resides in a cave somewhere on the outskirts of Planeptune that I don't think she can handle alone. The monster has been making it difficult for people to come in and out of Planeptune. I believe Neptune should be able to handle it in her HDD but..."

"...It's just a question of motivation, right?"

It seems I hit the bulls-eye as Histoire lowers her head and sighs out a weak 'yes'.

"Alright, I get it. I'm not very confident that a normal human like myself can aid a CPU like Neptune into battle but I can at least try to make sure Neptune gets the job bone."

Histoire bows her little head at me in gratitude.

"I'll be counting on you."

While I was talking to Histoire, I noticed IF and Compa in front of me.

"Do you mind if we come along?"

IF was the one who asked, startling me a bit.

"Huh? Well, I don't mind but why?"

I asked simply out of curiosity. IF and Compa answered,

"I'm a little worried for you handling Neptune alone. You're still a little green and I'm afraid you might not have enough experience with handling Neptune."

IF makes it sound like Neptune was a wild animal...

"I'm coming because I don't want to be left out! Plus, it'd be fun to talk to you a bit about cooking!"

Compa says rather honestly. The feeling was mutual on my part as well. I don't know many people who I could freely talk to about cooking so it'll be a great chance for me to learn about new recipes from each other.

"Oh, ok then. I suppose I'll be relying on you guys then."

Nervously, I nod my head while scratching the back of my head.

It was then decided that me, Compa, IF and Neptune would go out to hunt down a monster.

I'm still new to this so I suppose I'll be relying on the more experienced Neptune and IF on this one...Actually, maybe I'll just rely on IF.

Part 4

And that's what brought us here in this cave.

"Alright, time to face the boss of this place!"

Neptune, with every cell in her body releasing a youthful energy, shoots her fist into the air while looking pumped.

...Wait a minute...

"Huh? Wait, we're approaching the boss already!?"

Last I remembered, we were just at the entrance so do I take it that we've already reached all the way into the depths of this cave?

While I was utterly confused with a jaw and a pair of eyes wide open, Compa answers with a cheery smile in response to my arguably stupid looking face.

"Your flashback took a long time, Mr. Ludger. While you were narrating, you were fighting through all the monsters while on Auto-mode."

Wait, how does that even work?! It was then I realized the pair of dual swords that were in my hands. They were definitely mine but...when did I take them out?!

IF shrugs her shoulders and says,

"Well, it's not like the little monsters here are all that tough that you need to think about how to beat them so I suppose it's fair."

She rationalizes it and I suppose it does make sense if you were to apply that to video games.

Like in an RPG where you need to grind for levels. Eventually, it gets so repetitive that you just select 'Attack' all the time without even really thinking about it. I suppose facing through a mob of level 1 monsters while you yourself is level 100 also applies.

But in real life, to fight like that without being completely aware of your actions...Am I really that crazy?

"Umm, guys...?"

Standing just a few feet ahead of us, Neptune looks impatient. She looked like a kid itching to go to the toy store and had no choice but to wait for the parents to keep up with her.

"Can we get going to face the boss already? I wanna go home already and get something to eat, I'm starving."

I suppose if there's anything in this world that would make Neptune focus, it's either food or...well, just about anything that whimsically interests her.

"R-Right!"

"We're coming!"

"On our way!"

Me, IF and Compa gave our respective calls and lightly ran towards Neptune in an effort to catch up to her.

We took a few more steps in and after passing through a long, narrow tunnel, we enter this wide, spacious room at the very deepest part of this cave.

The walls, ground and ceiling all look jagged and the terrain was uneven. But it was an area wide enough for 4 people and 1 giant monster to fight in without restraint.

There, we heard the low growl of a monster craving for fresh meat.

"Grrr..."

The sound sends a chill to my very soul. A sense of danger permeates the air, placing a strange pressure in my lungs as I breathed.

My entire body suddenly becomes tense and heavy. My instincts told me to run but my body just wouldn't respond to it.

My sense of hearing suddenly became sensitive, to the point that the low growling sounds I was hearing was pounding into my brain.

"You look a little nervous there, Ludger."

IF notes with a calm smile on her face.

I nodded, sweating slightly.

"Well, to be honest, this is probably my first time facing a boss monster without Julius' help."

I've fought giant monsters before but the sense of danger I had was always doused by the comfort of having Julius there to protect me when things became too much for me to handle.

Now, there's no such thing. Julius can't protect me this time around nor should I expect him too.

I need to be able to handle these kinds of situations with my own power. If I don't start doing it now, when will I?

I took a deep breath and calmed down, I say to IF.

"I'll be fine. Something like this, won't rattle me."

IF looks at me for a bit but then, wore an approving smile.

"Well then, you're a tough one aren't you, 'Little Bro'."

"...Please don't call me that."

I look on ahead. My eyes and mind were completely focused at the giant monster glaring at us with a predatory gaze.

The monster was an ancient dragon. It was a massive dragon that stood on its hind legs and possessed a scaled body that looked like solid rock. It possessed wings on his back but with a body that wide, it'd be difficult for the dragon to pick itself up. The claws looked like it could tear human flesh like ribbons, the fangs look like it could eat through granite and the dragon was big enough to stomp on one of us under its foot.

"Ooh, this one looks like a toughie!"

Neptune, who stood in front of all of us, eyes the monster with a curious-looking gaze.

Neptune looked like she was stretching her arms for a bit. Her relaxed demeanor made it look like she was about to enter the ring of a martial arts tournament rather than a fight for her life. It was as if in her mind, there was no way she could lose.

"Alright, it looks like it's time for me to transform!"

With a self-assuring smile, Neptune widens her stance, placing her feet just beyond shoulder width. Then, she strikes a cool pose. It was something similar to what the main characters in one of those super hero shows do before the transformation sequence against the main monster of the episode.

A bright flash comes out of her briefly, consuming Neptune's body before it shoots up upwards, forming a tall pillar of light.

The pillar of light pulls up like a curtain and dissipates.

The person now standing at that spot was no longer Neptune, but Purple Heart.

Now armed with small segments of purple themed armor hovering just over the more matured body, and a detached pair of mechanical wings on her back, Purple Heart grips firmly at the tall katana-shaped sword in both her hands and assumed a more formal fighting stance with the tip of her blade pointing towards the dragon.

"Alright, you three sit back. I'll take it from here."

Her tone was deeper and more commanding. Unlike the usual Neptune, I felt a sense of assurance and competence when I heard her order.

"Eh? Are you sure?"

The monster looked really strong so I was a little worried but IF reassured me.

"Right, I guess this is your first time seeing Nep in combat when she transforms, huh?"

"Nep-Nep is really, really, really strong when she transforms so it'll be alright!"

Knowing this was the same lazy Neptune who couldn't even bother to get out of bed, IF and Compa seems to express full confidence in Neptune's strength.

"I'll admit it, I haven't really shown you the best sides of myself as of recently. Allow me to make it up to you with this. I'll show you the power of a CPU!"

Neptune expresses with full confidence. Her sudden growth in maturity made me ask the question...Who the hell are you? And what have you done with Neptune?

"...Alright then."

Feeling a mixture of relief and disappointment, I put away the twin swords in my hands behind my back.

"We'll let Nep take this thing head-on. If she needs help, well back her up."

"R-Right!"

"Okey-dokey!"

Both me and Compa agreed to IF's strategy. IF seemed like the more experienced one when it comes to fighting in parties so I accepted her command.

"Alright, I suppose you three have figured out your game plan? Then, let's get started and finish this. Then we can have Ludger and Compa cook up a feast when we get home."

Even transformed, Neptune's main priority is food.

Nevertheless, we all agreed with a nod of our heads.

Neptune kicks off the ground and our movements ignited with a brief explosion of speed.

Neptune charged ahead, naturally. Expanding her mechanical wings, her entire body shoots forward like a bullet, gripping her sword with both hands positioned to her side.

"Heeheeheehee..."

I could hear a light giggling laughter coming from Compa.

She seems to be enjoying this.

"Aren't you scared?"

I asked with a tone that was essentially a mix of worry and curiosity.

"Heehee, well I guess I'm a little scared but it's always fun going on adventures with Nep-Nep and Iffy...!"

"Is that so?"

I smiled a little bit at her answer, which was pure and honest in my eyes. When I looked at Compa from behind, I was given the impression of a sweet, kid-hearted child with a deep love for her friends. Every part of her, from her looks to her personality, was so sweet that just looking at her would give you a tooth ache.

So kind.

So selfless.

I suppose with someone like her, it's only natural that Neptune would draw in someone like that.

"Heehee, also it's a lot of fun watching Nep-Nep beat up the monsters!"

When Compa said that, a few drops of the green-blue colored liquid from her syringe shoots out from the needle tip.

Her smile was cute like a baby and her voice was as sweet as honey...but her words were too scary! How could she say such things while smiling!? I take everything I said before back!

It could just be the giant needle in her arms but Compa may actually be the one I should be most wary of!

At this point, I had all but accepted the fact that IF may be the only normal human I can communicate normally with.

I take a glance back to Neptune facing the giant dragon.

Neptune reaches the monster first. She gets the first move.

A strange circle with Neptune's insignia suddenly lights up under the heels of her shoes. Neptune kicks off it like she was standing on solid ground, releasing a sudden explosion of speed. She holds her sword tightly over her head with both hands.

The very instant she and her sword came within striking range, she pulls her sword down and swung downwards with incredible force behind her attack.

"Haaah!"

Her sword was a katana. It was essentially a sword designed for slashing. And Neptune looked like she had swung hard enough to cut through steel.

In response, the dragon raised its arms up to block the attack. The scales of the beast looked as solid as stone and the claws looked like it could tear through rock.

Neptune's sword strikes the monster's hand.

The sword cuts through two of the dragon's claw as if she was slicing through straw.

"Uwoooooh!"

The monster lets out a huge, deafening cry!

It shook the entire cavern.

Me, Compa and IF all pressed our ears with the palm of our hands, doing our best to keep the thunderous roar from pounding into our brains.

Damn, a voice like this would put a fat opera lady to shame..!

The rumbling soon came to a halt.

With its remaining uninjured hand, the dragon raised its arm up over Neptune's head and slashed down with its claws.

As if she had seen it coming, Neptune merely sways her body back, letting the claw just swipe at the empty space in front of her. The claws crash down, smashing the dense rocky terrain.

The ground shook briefly as large slabs of rock was ripped out of the ground from the dragon's claws and sent flying all over.

One large mass was flying towards Neptune. The sheer size of it was as almost as large as she is.

"Hmph!"

Neptune merely stares at the incoming slab of rock like it was a harmless bug. Taking her sword, she slashes diagonally against the piece.

It was a perfect, clean cut. The piece of rock divides into two segments with a flat, smooth surface where Neptune's blade made contact.

The two wedges spread out in a V, crashing down with a brief tremor on impact.

"Here I come!"

Gripping her sword in both hands, she assumes a fighting stance with her sword held towards her neck and the tip of the blade pointed at her foe.

She charges forward, her body crashes through the speed of sound.

"Haah!"

She swings her sword multiple times. Each time she swung, a deep scar would be etched on the surface of the dragon's scales.

The dragon would try to attack with its claws or bite down with its fangs but every attack it tried would miss Neptune's slender body and quick movements.

Neptune's techniques were rather wild and carefree, like she had just picked up a sword and began swinging.

But, her attacks were solid. Her sword carried the experience of countless battles and each one left a deep cut in the monster's body.

She swarms all over the dragon like a fly, striking at every opportunity she had while leaving no openings for the monster to attack.

The dragon seems to be barely doing its best to keep up, mostly swiping at the air while trying to catch Neptune.

"Amazing..."

I let out breathlessly. I remained awed by Neptune's power which was on a whole other level compared to normal humans like myself.

This was the power of the CPU...

"If this were a game then Nep's stats would only receive a small stat boost in HDD; otherwise, it would just break the game."

IF commented and Compa followed up while holding her fists close to her chin while leaning forward with excitement.

"She would also need to take turns throwing attacks between her and the monster which in real life, makes no sense at all!"

The two girls had a point, even if it made no sense to me why they were comparing this to a video game.

It's natural in turn-based RPG's for both sides to take turns attacking and defending, turning the game into a highly advanced form of rock-paper-scissors or chess if you think about it.

I mean, the game would be really boring if it was always your turn and you could just attack all you want, right?

Power-up's also needs to be moderate. If transforming could increase your power by a factor of 10, then that's just completely broken then. That kills the challenge of a game even more.

So if they were to put Neptune in a turn-based RPG, there's absolutely no way they'd give her character the same amount of power as she has right now. That would just make the game hopelessly easy.

"Still, you'd think Nep would've finished it by now at this rate."

IF notes while placing a hand on her hips. Compa then urges strongly,

"It's because she wants to show Ludger her good side!"

"I see."

I nodded my head, while I continued to watch Neptune fight the monster with apparent ease.

True, watching her now completely changes my view on her and I had more confidence in her ability as Planeptune's CPU.

She's still a lazy slacker, but it's clear to me now that she can work hard when she puts her mind to it.

Sorry, I mean, IF she puts her mind to it.

Also, she looked rather cool when she fights while transformed. Now it makes more sense as to why she only takes this form during public events.

"Huh?"

Then, I noticed something while Neptune was facing the monster.

It was brief and faint but I noticed a small gleam coming from a shadowy part of the cave, just a few metres away from where Neptune is. It was a dark as it was hidden behind a jagged rock so I couldn't make out much from here but I saw a small shadow squirming around, with a faint, crimson-coloured flash coming from some strange gem in its hand.

It looked like some kind of crystal. I sense something ominous behind it. There was a sense of malevolence coming from that strange crystal.

Then, as it slowly crawls out from the shadows it hid in, the figure took on the form of a small gray mouse with two white whiskers on each cheek and big red eyes.

With its small body, it started to climb up some of the rocks to gain leverage.

I couldn't see much from here other than that but the way it was moving, it looked like it was creeping up to Neptune while her attention was focused on the monster.

It kept climbing until it was just high enough to be within jumping distance from Neptune and the moment its full body posture was facing Neptune, I knew something was wrong.

"Time to finish this!"

Neptune readied her sword for what looked like what was going to be the killing blow against the Dragon and at the same time, the mouse lets out a quick 'Chuu!' before tossing the red crystal right at Neptune.

"Neptune, behind you!"

I instinctively cried out.

Everyone's attention was briefly on me. Even Neptune paused to spare a glance at me over my shoulder.

Because she was focused on me, she didn't notice the red crystal coming at her.

Damnit, I was too late! I should've acted sooner...!

The red x-shaped crystal slowly flew at Neptune like a throwing star.

It didn't look sharp nor did it flew very fast.

All it did was touch Neptune's back for a moment before falling back down, and the rest, I couldn't believe.

"Wha...?"

Neptune's body bends back, as if she was just shot from behind by a bullet.

Neptune's entire body froze up. The expression she had looked like her heart had just stopped.

Purple Heart's form then began to release a red-light before crumbling apart.

The image of the strong, majestic Purple Heart was LITERALLY breaking apart before my eyes.

She looked like a video game character being broken down into bits of data before vanishing and then-

"Nep!? What just happened!?"

Once that strange red light consuming her entire body fades away, CPU Purple Heart was no longer there. Instead, we only saw the silly Neptune we all know, looking just as confused as everyone else here.

The transformation was suddenly halted in the air and no longer able to fly, Neptune abruptly fell butt first onto the hard, rock floor, quickly yelping out a quick 'Ow!' before she began rubbing her rear.

"Owwww, this wasn't supposed to happen! I was supposed to beat the monster, show Ludger how cool I am and go home for some lunch!"

Me, IF and Compa were just as shocked as she was.

"No way...! Did Nep just lose her transformation!?"

"I didn't know that could happen to a CPU! Was she that hungry?!"

IF and Compa's eyes were wide open and their faces suddenly become pale.

The ground then briefly shook when the Dragon that suffered a one-sided beating from Neptune earlier, stomps its massive foot right in front of Neptune. We all jumped briefly by the tremor.

"Grrrrrr..."

The giant Dragon's body was completely covered in scars but his eyes were brimming with rage and its fangs looked like it could not wait to taste blood.

There was no doubt. It wants revenge against Neptune.

"Damnit, Nep! Get out of there!"

"Run away, Nep-Nep!"

IF and Compa cries out desperately.

Neptune's legs squirm for a moment but every time she gets her rear off the ground, it drops back down.

"Huh, it looks like I somehow lost all strength in my body. Oh boy, I'm in trouble, aren't I?"

Neptune muses with the same playful tone.

The gargantuan Dragon raised its hand up over its head. It was the same hand it used to try and attack Neptune earlier. But this time, it looks like it'll get its target this time. The razor sharp claws look like it could tear Neptune's flesh like ribbon.

"...! Neptune!"

"Ludger!"

"Ludger?"

I kick off the ground and began to run at the same time the Dragon's claws start to descend, while ignoring the calls of IF and Compa behind me.

At this point, I should've known it was too late to act and yet my body moved on its own.

Just the sight of Neptune in danger caused my legs to move without thinking.

I didn't think. I couldn't think.

I just simply kept running towards Neptune. My body moved at speeds that I never thought was possible.

That girl may be lazy, stupid and a bit of a pain in the ass but I sure as hell don't want this to happen to her!

I have to make it...! I need to make it...!

I moved faster than the dragon but the distance I need to cover is too great! The Dragon's claws were coming down fast and will reach Neptune in a matter of seconds!

At this rate, I won't-!

No! If I can't make it in time, then I'll just move faster!

And if that's still not enough, I'll go beyond that!

No matter what, I need to make it!

I need to move faster! I need to be stronger!

[Do you want power, Ludger Kresnik...!?]

A voice throbbing from the core of my skull.

The very instant I heard the voice, I felt I was standing in a completely new world.

In this place, everything was the same as before but nothing moved.

Not IF or Compa...

Not Neptune...

Not even the monster...

Not even myself...

I stood in a world of complete stagnation.

It was as if time itself had been frozen, or at least moving at a place so slow that I assumed the world was frozen.

What's going on...?

[Do you desire power, Ludger Kresnik?]

That voice throbbed in my head again.

It felt like I was hearing myself speak and yet I feel like someone else was talking to me also.

It felt like I was talking to another me. A me that I never thought existed.

[You have all the power you could possibly want inside you, but it'll never come out unless you yourself desire it. Now do you want this power?]

Power...Yes, I suppose I do want it, don't I? Just for this moment, I want power.

[Why do you seek power? What do you intend to do when given power?]

It was a difficult question. Something like this could not be answered at the spur of the moment.

Even if I were given all the power in the world, I would have no idea what to do with it.

But...

Even so, I...

Just for this moment, there's someone in trouble I want to protect...!

As I mentally voice those words, I feel a warmth coming from my pocket.

...! My watch...!

The golden pocket watch that's been in my pocket has begun to glow.

I was given this watch as a present from my brother a few years back. To me, it was just an ordinary watch to tell time but it was also a precious gift from my older brother that I cherished dearly.

I cannot explain why it started glowing. I was completely baffled by this phenomena.

And yet, it feels somewhat nostalgic, like it has happened before.

But that shouldn't be possible. This is the first that this has ever happened.

...Right?

My watch, released a blinding, golden light

It was warm and it radiated, just like the sun in the sky…

It shined and it sparkled, like a priceless gem….

The watch gave off an intense radiant heat, but it didn't burn.

It shined so brightly but it didn't blind.

It engulfed the entire area but it only wrapped around me.

Then the golden light engulfs me, taking me to an unknown space, a space that I was somewhat familiar with.

It was an empty world, where there were no grounds to stand on, no air to breathe, and nothing else to speak of. A world completely cut off from normal reality.

All I could see, were golden magic circles that looked more like gears for a clock than anything else.

A ring of those golden time gears began to circle around me, spinning ever so rapidly that my mind couldn't keep up.

My hands began to move on their own. Gripping my watch with both hands, I thrust it outwards, as if trying to command the gears encircling me.

'Come to me'

It felt like that's what I was trying to say.

On command, the golden gears begin to pour into my body one at a time, slamming into me from all angles, empowering me with its strange magic.

It felt incredible but it was so painful. Each gear that phased into my body, I felt an incredible burst of power flowing through my veins. It felt hot and it felt like my nerves were getting pulled and twisted in all sorts of ways.

The power coming into me was like electricity enticing me blood.

It was amazing but at the same time, terrifying.

I was afraid of this power coming in.

I wasn't afraid that it would destroy me. I was afraid that I would lose my mind before it could destroy me. I would lose my sanity and forget about everything and who I am. I would forget about what I want to protect. I'm scared of myself, of this power.

However, I need to overcome that fear.

Because I know that whatever happens, I need this power.

Fear doesn't go away that easily. I wanted to scream out.

-This power of mine. It exists to be used. That fear I have of it will always exist.

-But even so, I have people I want to protect. That's why I can't give up, that's why I'll continue to live with myself, with that fear.

A massive golden gear expands out from my body, appearing right in front of me. This is the collective power of all the gears I had absorbed into my body. It gets absorbed back into my body.

And then, multiple time gears above my head align themselves, forming a spear-like energy composed of pure golden light. It thrusts into my eye, piercing in but I felt no pain from it. Instead-!

"Ah…."

My blood flows back.

My mind is white.

There's no pain.

My skull is about to split open.

My brain feels like it was going to blow up.

My skin felt like it was going to burn right off.

Every blood cell in my body felt like it was on fire.

The sheer, raw power flowing through my body felt like it was going to tear me up before I can use it.

My body gets wrapped by a golden light and then...

[The power you once held, reclaim it once more...!]

[The power of the Chromatus!]

I returned to the real world.

My appearance changed.

My arms now had a black metal-like shell with glowing golden streaks running along the arms. It looked like my arms were now encased in some kind of dense black armor, but that wasn't entirely the case.

My joints were quite flexible and I still retain the sense of touch, like this was skin. Those golden streaks running through my arms emit a soft heat. I could feel that same heat on the lines that were etched onto the side of my cheeks.

I make a glance over to my right hand and the new weapon wrapped around my palm and fingers.

A double-bladed spear with a gold staff and black spearhead.

What was going on? I didn't really understand what was going on.

But, there was no time for me to think about that.

Time resumes in my world and I let out a pained scream.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

It hurts. It really hurts!

The sudden change of my body left an insane pressure that threatened to snap my bones.

My skin felt so hot, it started to burn and it felt like all the blood cells in my body was charged with overwhelming power. The intense pressure raced through my veins constantly, and it felt like my brain would overheat at this rate.

I had to endure.

I choked back my own nausea.

I grit my teeth as I tried to maintain my sanity throughout the pain.

It hurts. Every part of my body was burning with pain.

There was this immense power inside me. It felt like my body would break apart, unable to contain this power.

The dragon that was about to hit Neptune lets out a threatening roar.

In response to that, I...

"Screw off!"

I just let it go.

Gripping the spear in my hand, I simply tossed it at the dragon.

There wasn't time for me to think. Neptune was in danger and I was about to lose my mind, holding in all this power.

So I released it all.

Using all my newfound power in one go, I tossed the spear like a javelin straight at the monster.

The spear I tossed moved like a bolt of lightning.

It was fast. It couldn't be seen with the human eye.

It struck the monster before the monster could've struck Neptune.

And it was destructive like lightning. A single thrust managed to blast off the dragon's claw and leave a big gaping hole in its torso, one large enough that you could jump right through.

"Uwoooooh!"

Before the dragon even realized it, it's life had come to an end.

Its last thought rests with the last attack it tried on Neptune before its arm and body were completely blown off by my strike.

Even now, the dragon will never realize it has died even with its body instantly breaking apart and disintegrating into these polygon-shaped particles.

Soon enough, there was nothing left of the monster.

The battle ended in an instant. It took everyone here, myself included, a full second to realize it was over.

And just like that, the power wrapped around me vanishes as soon as it came. The internal clock in my mind hits zero and the black shell on my body dissipates. My arms return to its original state. I brushed my fingers against the soft flesh of my palms feeling slightly relieved. The spear I had in my arm and was now pinned to the wall also vanished as well.

"Hah...Hah...Hah..."

I felt completely drained. I suddenly felt tired and out of breath, even though I've only had the power for a few seconds.

That was insane. I managed to destroy the monster with one hit. I never realized there was such power inside me before.

What was it?

Where did it come from?

And why did I have this?

Naturally, Neptune, Compa and IF were all staring at me with very big eyes. They all look completely flabbergasted.

"Uwah, Ludger! You can transform too!?"

"N-No way…I didn't think Ludger can transform like Nep-Nep and the others!"

"Check again, Compa. This transformation is completely different from the HDD Nep and the others can use."

There was no doubt their minds were filled with an endless number of questions. Questions that I would like answered as well.

"Oh wow, awesome! So you finally transformed, Ludger! That was so cool!"

Neptune looked rather happy as she looks at me with a bright smile on her face.

I walk up to her and lent her a hand, helping her up so she can stand on her weak legs.

The way she spoke...It was as if she had expected this to happen.

"Neptune, did you knew I have this ability?"

I asked, slightly confused but Neptune answers, clearly and honestly,

"Nope! But you know, since you're the main character of this story and you're surrounded by girls with super goddess-like powers, I guessed you had something like this tucked away in your sleeve! Otherwise, you'd be a total loser!"

Her bluntness rather annoyed me and her logic was...what can you even call that logic?

"Neptune, you're not at all scared of this power then?"

"Huh? Why would I be?"

It didn't look like Neptune was acting out of consideration of my feelings, she honestly looked clueless.

"Uh, never mind."

I immediately dropped the subject from there on.

Somehow, it made me happy to know at the very least, that Neptune wasn't scared of me.

"Wow, Ludger turned out to be really strong, huh, Iffy?"

"The balance of power in our group's already shifted in half-an-hour."

I looked over my shoulder to see Compa and IF casually walking up to us like nothing happened.

IF even goes on to say,

"Good job, Ludger! You really helped Nep in the nick of time there! Why didn't you tell us you had the ability to transform?"

"Ah well, I never realized I had this power either...Wait a minute, this reaction isn't right. Aren't you worried, about this strange power I seem to have?"

I asked them, slightly fearful.

This strange power inside me was unnatural and even I was afraid of it.

And yet, like Neptune, they still continue to look at me with the same friendly faces.

"Hmm well, I suppose normally, we should be a bit scared of you after seeing that but...you know, at this point, we're kind of used to this kind of stuff."

"Besides, we all know Ludger's a good person so there's nothing to fear!"

Their quick acceptance of this...made me a little happy. And disturbed at the same time. What exactly did these people go through to get used to sights like this?

"So, Ludger, what is that power anyways?"

IF asked.

I answered.

"It's called the 'Chromatus' and...huh?"

Th-This is strange. This is my first time transforming into such a state so why do I know what it's called? Rather, why does my brain know so much about a power I never seen before.

What is going on?

A sharp pain that hits my brain.

"Urk...!"

I clutched my skull with both my hands. My brain kept throbbing painfully in my skull as all these words start coming in.

The Kresnik 's Curse...!

The power to destroy worlds...!

What exactly are these words and what do they mean?

The pain finally dies down. My brain was no longer throbbing.

Calming down, I took a few deep breaths to numb the pain.

"Are you okay?"

IF asked, raising a brow in concern.

I shake my head and reassuringly tell her,

"It's just a little headache. For some reason, I knew what this power was called but I can't remember anything beyond that."

"Oh, I know, this is one of those amnesia thingy's, right?"

Neptune wildly guessed, followed by IF's remark.

"I'm not really sure anyone can forget something so specific with amnesia. If it's just the name then maybe the word just popped into Ludger's head because it sounds cool."

IF makes it sound like I suffer from eighth grade delusions or something.

Chromatus, huh? Regardless, I suppose I'll just have to call the power that for now until I learn more.

That reminds me,

I reached into my pocket, and took out my pocket watch.

It no longer glowed but I stared it intently, sort of hoping something would happen.

"I remember that my watch started to glow just before my power activated. Maybe this is the key behind it."

Everyone gathered their heads to stare down at the watch in a circle. The first one to mention something is IF.

"It looks like an ordinary watch to me. Not that you'd see many pocket watches in this day and age anyways."

She has a point. Nowadays, with advanced clock functions on cell phone and game consoles, you wouldn't expect to see many people wearing a wrist watch, let alone a pocket watch.

"Hey, Ludger. Where did you get this watch anyways?"

Compa was the one who asked,

"It was a birthday gift from my brother. I never asked where I got it."

I suppose I'll ask him when I return home. He might know something.

"Well anyways, whatever it was, it looks like Ludger and his Chromatus or whatever looks like some kind of incredible power we can rely on for now until we learn more about it. More importantly..."

IF shifts her gaze from my watch to Neptune. After that, the topic of the conversation completely changed.

"What happened, Nep? You suddenly turned back into your regular self out of nowhere?"

We all looked at Neptune, who looked just as confused as we all were.

"It was the weirdest thing. I was getting ready for a super awesome finisher and then 'poof', all the power I had just left my body like Noire having no friends."

I don't think the metaphor is necessary...nor does it make sense.

IF raised an eyebrow discerningly,

"The power just left your body? Is this permanent?"

"Hmm, no don't think so. I mean, I feel super tired now but after I get something to eat. I should be fine."

Neptune gave a very...Neptune-like response.

IF crosses her arms and wore a contemplated expression,

"I wonder what happened..."

"Maybe Nep-Nep just got hungry and ran out of energy..."

"Yeah, that is possible..."

IF nods her head, agreeing to Compa's suggestion a bit too easily.

That reminds me.

I scanned the ground with my eyes for a bit.

I wonder if it was still here.

"Ludger, what's wrong?"

IF asks and while I continued to scan the entire area with my eyes, I answered,

"I think I noticed something while Neptune was fighting, I think it should be around here somewhere."

My eyes then caught something gleaming red and I instantly ran after it.

Moving closer until it was right at my feet, I see that same four pointed red crystal from before.

Without really thinking, I just picked it up from the ground, pinching the strange glowing crystal between my fingers.

The girls quickly surround me to look at the strange crystal between my fingers.

"What is this?"

IF was the one who asked.

"I don't really know. I saw a monster throw it at Neptune and after that, she suddenly lost her power. I didn't realize what was going on until it was too late."

"Whatever it is, just looking at it is making me dizzy~"

Neptune keeps wobbling back and forth, her eyes spinning. Eventually, she fell back and would've hit the ground if Compa wasn't there to catch her.

"I got you, Nep-Nep."

"Hey, Ludger, how are you feeling?"

IF asked. I noticed how close she was to me as she was looking at the crystal in my hand intently for a while. Raising her head up, I was instantly met with her big green eyes.

"I feel perfectly fine, actually."

"Yeah, same here. It looks like the crystal only affects Nep-Nep."

"*Gasp*, is it like a CPU's weakness?!"

Compa gasped to which Neptune says while laughing stupidly,

"Don't be silly, Compa~ A CPU's only weakness...is expired pudding."

She says with a slur. I think that only applies to you, Neptune.

"Hmm, maybe we should go back and ask Histoire. She might know something about what this crystal is."

Histoire suggested. I can only nod my head half-heartedly.

"Yeah..."

It was the rational move. Neptune's issue should be our highest priority now. As much as I want to talk to Julius about the watch he gave me and to see if he might know anything about this strange power I have, I can hold that off until we resolved Neptune's issue.

While thinking that to myself, the strange crystal was suddenly taken out of my hand.

IF takes it from me and places the crystal in one of her pockets.

"We can go talk to Histoire and learn more about this crystal. Ludger, I'm guessing you want to go have a talk with your brother right now, right?"

"Huh? How...?"

I was left speechless by IF's words. The girl shows me fearless smile as she says,

"It's pretty obvious. I mean, if it were me going through weird transformations, the first thing I'd wanna do is figure out what's going on. We can get some info out of Histoire to see what she knows. We'll ask about your condition as well to see if she's anything."

"Huh? No it's okay. I mean, I can't just go and leave you all behind."

"It'll be fine. You already did most of the work and defeated the giant monster anyways. All we need to do is bring Nep-Nep home and talk with Histy. With some milk and cookies while we're at it. So you should go and talk with your brother. Your problems are just as important as Nep-Nep's after all!"

Compa was with her usual sunny smile as she looks at me, a dizzy Neptune on her back.

Somehow, I was slightly moved by their words.

I was sort of happy to have met such nice people, despite the insanity they may bring.

I'm gonna feel a little guilty for leaving them like this. I promised to myself to make up to them for this.

"Thanks, you two. I promise I'll make it up to you all for this later with some of my best dishes."

IF and Compa both smiled at me,

"Great, I'll hold you to it then."

"To taste my rival's cooking, it'll be a worthwhile experience."

Compa speaks with a tone akin to that of a kung-fu master.

Crap, I think I might start to enjoy being around these people at this rate.

Part 5

I gave Julius a call with my phone earlier and asked if he had any free time today.

He said that he had time to spare at noon so I asked him if he wanted to meet up with me for lunch.

We decided to meet up at a small cafe we're both familiar with and took a seat at an outdoor table.

The weather is pretty clear today so it was a good time for eating outside. We made our orders really quick and while waiting for it to come, Julius muses,

"It's not every day that you ask me out to lunch like this."

With a small smile that may look slightly teasing, Julius forms a bridge with his hands and rests his face on it.

I nod my head with a small 'Yeah'.

I then ask him,

"Hey, Julius, can I ask you something?"

"Huh? Of course, what's on your mind, Ludger?"

"Umm, it's about the pocket watch you gave my for my birthday. If you don't mind telling me, where did you get it?"

"..."

The atmosphere subtly became tenser.

We were eating at a cafe but it suddenly felt like we were in an interrogation room instead.

For a while, Julius didn't answer and there was a subtle change in his expression. His eyebrows suddenly curved sharply and the expression in his eyes suddenly hid behind the lens of his glasses.

Somehow, I was sensing murderous intent coming from Julius' shoulders.

It wasn't directed at me particularly but this air of hostility made me really nervous.

"...Is there a reason you're asking me this, Ludger?"

His tone tries to be gentle but I feel a painful heaviness behind his words.

He answers my question with another question.

Not good. It felt like I was standing on a mine field and a single wrong step will completely destroy me.

I gulped back the saliva in my mouth and as a single drop of sweat crawled down my face, I worded my response carefully,

"Well, earlier today, something really weird happened. I wouldn't be surprised but the watch started glowing, and my arms got encased by this weird black armor, I was holding onto this spear that came out of nowhere and I felt a strange power welling inside me."

"I see..."

Julius had a serious response. I was sort of expecting a quick 'Hahaha, that's a funny story!' kind of reaction.

He sees? What exactly does he see?

I'm starting to get scared now.

He may be my brother but my instincts were telling me to run before I get killed.

Getting killed by my older brother. Now that just sounds wrong.

His expression becomes even tenser and the atmosphere becomes even more awkward.

I've never seen my brother this terrifying before. Even the times when he came home from work after a troublesome day, he would only show slight anger that would fade after a good night's sleep.

This was different. His expression was cold and his eyes were hollow and lifeless. He almost looked like a machine in the guise of my older brother. There was no trace of emotion behind that face.

The moment Julius opens his mouth, my whole body suddenly tenses up.

The tone coming from his voice was...surprisingly normal.

"Well, Ludger, I suppose this is only natural since you've been surrounded by girls lately. It looks like you're on your first steps towards becoming a man."

I almost fell with my face hitting the table when he said that,

"What?!"

Skits:

The Chromatus

Neptune: Hey Ludger, about that corn magic thingy.

Ludger: It's Chromatus. Please don't make it sound like a delicious snack.

Neptune: Yeah, yeah, anyways about that thingy, why is it that it only covers your arms?

Ludger: Huh, good question. Maybe it's because I only started using it.

Neptune: Ah, I see. Gotcha so u gotta beat more monsters, gain some experience and stuff like that. Is that it?

Ludger: I guess...

Neptune: Hmm, I wonder what a 100% transformed Ludger will look like...

Ludger: I'll probably be just encased in armor from head-to-foot.

Neptune: Whaatt? That's so boring! I know, it'd be cool if you get insect legs! Or extra arms! Maybe some wings! Or a tail! Or maybe, you'll become some scary looking Cthulhu monster!

Ludger: If that does end up happening, I'll make sure to eat you first.

Nepgear: Demoted to Extra?

Nepgear: *sigh*, I didn't make much of an appearance in this chapter, did I?

Ludger: Oh yeah, you were mentioned for a bit but then it seems like everyone just forgot about you.

Nepgear: I wasn't even spared a scene just to say hi. I was the main character of my own game, you know! And I did a really good job at it...At least, I think I did.

Ludger: You sound a bit unsure there at the end.

Nepgear: I-I know I was a good heroine and I still can be if the author gives me a chance in this fanfiction!...H-He will give me one, right? It seems I haven't had much of a role since this started and I feel like I'm going to be reduced to a punching bag at this rate.

Ludger: (Oh boy, Nepgear's self-esteem is going down faster than Neptune's interest in work. I should say something...)

Ludger: W-Well, this fanfiction just started and we've only got a few chapters in s-so I'm sure you'll get your time in the spotlight sooner or later.

Nepgear: R-Really?

Ludger: Yep! I'm pretty sure the author just wouldn't forget about a character with so much potential like you. Somewhere down the road, there will be an entire chapter devoted to you, I just know it.

Nepgear: Ludger...You're right. I just need to be patient, that's all. I'll have an entire chapter where I will be the main heroine. Thank you, Ludger!...A-And I hope that when it's my turn to shine, you'll be there for me, i-if that's okay.

Ludger: Well, I am the narrator so that's pretty much a given...

Ludger: (Also, I can't really say the author will give Nepgear her own chapter since I don't really know what goes on in his head. And honestly, I don't think I want to know.)

How it all began...

Ludger: Hey, Compa, IF, can you tell me how you two exactly met Neptune?

Compa: Oh, that? Of course! Oh just thinking about it makes me all warm and fuzzy inside! Such wonderful memories.

IF: Speak for yourself. I'm still contemplating whether meeting Nep was the best or worst thing to happen to me in my life.

Ludger: Huh...So, what happened?

IF: Well, Compa, it all started with you, right?

Compa: Yep, it all began when Nep-Nep fell out of the sky and I found her with her head stuck in the ground.

Ludger: ...Is she a carrot?

IF: That would certainly explain a lot.

Compa: Nep-Nep wouldn't wake up for days so I thought she did end up like a vegetable. But Nep-Nep recovered, and ever since then, we became fun friends and went on tons of adventures together!

Ludger: Wow...

IF: It wasn't long that until I bumped into these two. Honestly, I thought they were a bunch of chickens running around with their heads cut off.

Ludger: I can imagine...

IF: Yeah, I figured those two would be kinda hopeless on their own so I tagged along so that they didn't end up doing anything stupid. After that, those two kinda became stuck on me.

Ludger: That sounded like a fun first meeting.

Compa: Well, it wasn't all fun. We did a lot of dangerous stuff too and Nep-Nep had amnesia, and everywhere we looked, everyone was trying to kill us...!

Ludger: Huh?

IF: Yeah, things were pretty crazy back then. Of course, there was nothing we couldn't handle and we came out stronger because of it.

Ludger: Well, it's starting to make sense how you two seemed rather...'used' to all this insanity.

IF: Yep, you could say we're pros when it comes to dealing with Nep. So Ludger, how did you meet her anyways?

Ludger: Well, she tried to attack me over pudding...

IF:...Yeah, sounds about right.

Compa: Yep, that's a 100% Nep-Nep gag!

Ludger: I take back what I said. How you could accept something like that so easily still freaks me out.

Noire and Ludger: Rivals?

Noire: Hmhmhmhmhmhm~

Ludger: You're looking rather happy today, Noire. Did something happen?

Noire: Oh, Ludger! Well actually, it seems a company in Lastation will be releasing a new game where I am the main character!

Ludger: Oh wow, Noire, congratulations. In this world, being starred in your own video game is a pretty big deal.

Noire: I suppose...b-but it's only natural to make a game starring a CPU so it's nothing special for me.

Ludger: Huh, you have a point there. Although most of the games up until now starred either Neptune or Nepgear, right?

Noire: Well, it's only natural since not many people would not know who they are if they weren't given the lead role.

Ludger: I guess. Well, congratulations, Noire on getting your own game.

Noire: There's no need to congratulate me...b-but thanks. If you ask nicely, I COULD ask the developers to design a DLC character based on you...

Vert: Oh? Is that a good idea? Having Ludger as a character might overshadow your popularity, you know?

Ludger: Vert?! When did you get here?!

Noire: What are you talking about, Vert?

Vert: Well, if you must know, Noire, it seems Ludger here is rather popular himself in his own game.

Noire: YOU have a game!?

Ludger: I have a game?!

Noire: Why are you surprised?!

Vert: You do. And it's quite big. Not only was it released on a home console but it came with a collector's edition with tons of goodies, like a collectable figure. It was one of the best purchases I ever made. Worth every cent.

Noire: M-My game's only going to get released on a portable...!

Vert: Not only that but it seems after his debut, Ludger himself has become quite popular, ranking first in the latest popularity poll while competing with almost 15 games worth of characters belonging to the same franchise. That's like over 100 characters. You should be proud, Ludger.

Noire: N-Number 1!? of 100!?

Ludger: I-It's probably just luck. I heard for those things, people can't vote for the same characters once they hit first or second place a lot of times. I'm probably nothing compared to those guys. I mean, people always go crazy for new things so I'll probably be forgotten soon before long as more new things come out so it's no big deal or anything.

Vert: Ufufufu, no need to be modest, Ludger.

Ludger: I-I'm not. I'm just saying it how is, right, Noire?

Noire: You...

Ludger: Huh?

Noire: I don't need sympathy from the enemy!

Ludger: E-Enemy?! Me!?

Noire: Yes! That's right! From here on, Ludger, in the video game industry, we're rivals! You have a collector's edition? Fine, I'll get one too! I won't lose to you!

Ludger: Noir-...She's gone.

Vert: Ufufu, now I can look forward to when Noire releases her game.

Ludger: Vert...You didn't intend for this to happen, did you?

Next Chapter

Neptune: Hi, everyone! Guess what? We're gonna try something new where you, the readers, get to decide the theme of the next chapter!

Ludger: We're seriously doing this?

Neptune: Of course! The fanfiction is called 'The Power of Choice', isn't it? I'd be a misleading title then if we didn't do something like this...!

Neptune: Now the rules behind this are simple! There are two ways this story can go and you, the readers, get to choose what chapter you want to see!

Ludger: That sounds cool but really, you're just making everyone choose which chapter they want to see come out first. I'm pretty sure we'll still end up doing both, but just in different order.

Neptune: Aw, you figured it out. Well, still, the order of the chapters can be pretty important, especially in a fanfiction like this where the release between chapters is SUPER long!

Ludger: I suppose so. What's going to happen then?

Neptune: I'm glad you asked! Now, it seems Ludger's search to learn about his mysterious powers takes him to see Noire in Lastation where he is suddenly caught up in a major crisis. Or he gets a call from Blanc to go all the way to Lowee about a simple job that soon becomes a disaster!

Ludger: Why is it that everywhere I go, something bad happens?

Neptune: I dunno. You're the main character? Bad stuff always happens to the main character. Alright everyone, you, the readers, choose which of the two countries Ludger will go to for the next chapter! Lastation or Lowee?

[Lastation]

[Lowee]

Neptune: Leave your choice in a review before December 27th! The winner goes to the choice with the most votes! Alright, thanks everyone! See you again soon!