"... F! I..."
IF slowly opened her eyes, finding herself in what looked to be a confusing new world. The first thing she noticed was the thick smoke filling her lungs, followed by something solid pressing down upon her legs. Not too far away, a voice called out through the disoriented air.
"Mi... F!... IF!"
"Lady... L-Lady... Vert?" the dazed battle-hardened veteran asked aloud, recognizing the majestic voice despite her condition. Letting out a grunt of effort, she dragged herself out from beneath a large chunk of burning steel and slowly sat up. "I-I'm over h-here!" Her voice was raspy, and she spoke almost as if she were a croaking frog. "L-Lady Vert, o-over here!"
Fortunately, the goddess heard the faint voice. "IF! Oh, thank Celestia!" the busty CPU cooed, pulling the brunette in for a close hug. "Are you hurt? Can you stand?"
Iffy lightly smiled. "Y-Yeah, I think I'm okay..." She gently pulled away from the goddess and pushed herself to her feet. Her whole body was understandably sore, but she was otherwise fine. "Damn... Wait, where's everyone else!?" Her head quickly darted in several different directions. "Lyree? Nep? Anyone!?"
Vert rubbed the back of her head, also apparently still somewhat dazed. "Chika was the one who found me... I haven't seen anyone else. Finding you was the only thing to cross my mind."
A light rosy tint adorned the brunette's cheeks, but she quickly tossed aside her cliché embarrassment. "T-Thank you... Crap, we need to find 'em! They could be trapped under rubble or something!" She suddenly took out three cell phones from her pockets, sighed in relief, and then turned to run off. However, her search didn't get very far at all.
"There you guys are." A familiar stern voice called out. The two women turned to see Cave and Lyrica, both none the worse for wear. "Everyone's waiting by the wing over there. There's a few... casualties... but all of them were soldiers or recruits. Our friends are alive." Always the bearer of good news; Agathangelos would be prou... Wait, what am I talking about?
"C-Casualties? O-Oh my..." Vert gasped, a strange feeling swelling up in her stomach. Some people... died? Who? Men and women from her land? Innocent lives who risked it all for their nations? To be swept away in one single, confusing instant...
"All that's left of them is their dog tags... We can't find any bodies. The crash must've... er..."
Despite this morbid news, only one thing was on IF's mind. "Lyree!" With a rampant ferocity, she ran over to hug 5pb, her girlfriend. "Yer not hurt, right? If anything ever happened to you, I'd..." The blunette quickly silenced her lover with a soft kiss, more permanent than mere words. Cave and Vert cast their eyes away, but quickly snapped back to the situation at hand.
The SMD warrior, eyes cold as steel, placed her hand on Lyrica's shoulder. "We can save the reunions for later. For now, we must join up with the others. You remember why we're here in the first place, correct?"
Did they? Why are they here? What is going on, huh? Why, I've forgotten after all this time...
It seems IF needed a moment to think as well. She remained silent, then merely nodded her head. "Yeah, of course... C'mon Lyree, let's not hold up the others any longer."
"O-Okay!"
The four girls ran through the smoke and charred steel, the flames crackling through the air. The wreckage of the several airships stretched far and wide, and yet not a single dead body was in sight. That was either really good... or really bad.
"The hell? What's going on?" IF whispered under her breath. This had to be a dream... Seeing the twisted, wrecked steel of what had been functional vehicles a mere few minutes ago seemed almost surreal. It just didn't make any sense...
Beyond one final piece of wreckage stood the rest of the group, equally confused as everyone else (including us). It was Neptune and Noire, fiancees (for you new readers), who first noticed the newcomers.
"Wo-ho-hoah, that was crazy, huh? Feels like my butt tried jumping off..."
The brunette halted her confused thoughts in a heartbeat. "Nep!" Indeed, the ditzy purple-haired CPU was alive and well!
"Yo Iffy! Did yer butt try to jump off too?" Purple Heart nudged Noire in the stomach. "Noiwey's tried jumping on my face! Had to duck for cover."
"N-No! S-Stop saying weird things!... A-And shouldn't we be a bit more sensitive? We still haven't found everyone!"
"I just calls em like I see em, Noire. You should reall- Oof!" Neptune was silenced by a surprise embrace from the battle-hardened veteran. "H-Heya, Iffy..."
"... Glad you're okay, ya little brat... Shit, I was worried..."
Purple Heart lightly rubbed the brunette's back, her usual smile in full form. "Aw, no need to worry 'bout little ole me, Iffy! Main characters survive aircraft crashes all the time!" That's reassuring.
Everyone else who survived the crash crowded around the field. Blanc stood next to Kei, Mina held Histoire, Chika immediately ran over to hug Vert and Cave, that creep Chip (head of S.R.A.T.S.) combed his hair, and the CPUs' new bodyguards reclaimed their positions as guardians.
"Game, Shiro!" Yeah, like that guy. I'll talk about the others if the right moment ever arrives.
Huh... wait a minute? Last time we saw this group, didn't this script make a point of a certain somebody offering to help the CPUs in their struggle? Y'know... HIM?
... *sigh* CFW Brave? Surely you remember? Where the hell is...
"Hey, hold it! Where the hell is Brave!?" IF suddenly blurted out, shocking everyone around her. Whew, I wasn't the only confused one...
Histoire cupped her chin. "Brave? All our ships left before he did... I hope he didn't take a wrong turn somewhere. He couldn't fit on any of our crafts, so he agreed to find his own way here." Brave, wrong turn? Somehow I seriously doubt that... Oh well, if the script doesn't give much of a shit, I guess I shouldn't either...
Anyways, Lady White Heart ignored that random interlude and began rubbing her temples, and the boyish oracle looked at her with concern. "... You all right?"
"... No... I'm pissed, dammit! What happened to us?"
Again, there was that fateful question. There had been many, many airships (enough to move entire armies), but every single one had come crashing to the ground. That clearly wasn't some technical malfunction!
The annoying head of this operation, Chip, pat his chest. "Who cares what happened? All I know is a bunch of my agents didn't come out of the wreckage. Oh, if any of them were chicks, I'd... Grr! I say we kick the asses of the first damn people we see!"
Before anyone could either react or nod in agreement, a booming roar bellowed from the mountain range a little ways off in the distance. Vert cocked her head to the side, and squinted her eyes to get a better look. "... O-Oh my!"
"Ooh! What is it, what is it!?" Neptune peppily hopped closer to the busty goddess and also took a better look. "... Holy cannoli! It's like a herd of ants! Don't let 'em get in your shoes..."
Uh oh, that can't be good...
Slowly, each individual person in the crowd directed their attention to the mountains, where indeed, there appeared to be a massive wave of something coming down.
Only it wasn't a group of ants...
It was an army of peasants.
Chip rubbed his chin, then nodded, wearing his trademark smug asshole grin. "Hmmm... Ah yeah, I say we kick those guys' asses!"
...
ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL
FIFTEEN MINUTES EARLIER
That's it, we need some answers right now, dammit!
"Heh heh, the mountains are right over there. In only a matter of minutes, we'll be kicking tons of cultist ass!" the S.R.A.T.S. commander boasted, flexing his arms like a jerk.
Neptune swayed from side to side, growing restless. "Yo, are we there yet?"
"Ugh, please don't do this..." Noire sighed, resting her hand on her forehead. Two of Neptune's new bodyguards, Saturn Shiro and some sweating doofus with a giant egg, nodded for some reason, but didn't say a word.
Cave stared out a nearby window, watching the clouds move past the sun. "Cave, are you all right?" She was snapped out of her trance by the lovely voice of 5pb. "You've been awfully quiet."
IF, sitting beside the pop idol, grunted in agreement.
The warrior was caught off-guard. "I-I'm fine! Do not worry about me..." she replied, trying to avoid Lyrica's stunning eyes. "Just... thinking..."
The atmosphere in the airship was tense as the destination grew near. After several minutes of insufferable silence, Kei Jinguji looked at everyone's bored faces before standing. "... Well, I suppose we should take advantage of this time instead of doing nothing at all... Why don't we review the situation, just to make sure everyone is entirely up to speed?"
Blanc, sitting right next to her, raised a fist in the air. "Exposition would be nice. I doubt Thunder Tits even remembers why we're here."
"Hmph! Tough words, coming from a child."
"What did you just say!?"
Mina and Histoire stood as well. "Please you two, now is not the time," the tome fairy calmly said, floating over to Kei's side. Mina followed suit, opting not to chastise Blanc at the moment.
Chika, realizing her fellow oracles were all standing, frantically leapt up and joined them. "W-Wait for me! I want to deliver exposition too!" Don't we all?
Last (and certainly least), Chip claimed a spot directly in front of them all. "Right! Alright men- and all you fine, fine ladies- let's recap!" He's a lawsuit waiting to happen. "So, basic gist of it is, I'm the one heading this here operation!" With a 'manly' flex, the overcompensating man showed off his well-defined muscles. "My sexy pecs will lead the way forward!" Um, your pecs are not in your arms...
Kei shook her head, shot a quick despairing look towards Blanc, and put her right hand on her hip. "You are not the one in charge... Anyways, for the past year, anti-CPU ralliers have grown in numbers... and strength. Law enforcement seemed to overlook their crimes and general misdeeds, which includes the murder of a Lowee peacekeeper." The short-haired oracle then motioned towards the tome fairy next to her.
"Right... Now, with the firsthand experience of IF and 5pb, and the further help of Avenir's own Jade, we know the identities of the three ringleaders of the rebels: three young men by the names of Adrian, Alex, and Almaz... They started out as wandering magicians under names such as The "A" Brothers and AAA Brothers, but we believe they primarily based their operations in Lastation."
"Bleh," sputtered out Blanc, "how the hell did magicians do all this? Is everyone an idiot?"
Histoire cupped her chin. "These three boys are more than mere magicians..."
"Ooh, ooooh! They're eeeeeevvviiiiilllll magicians!" Neptune hissed, waving her fingers spookily towards Noire.
"... Not far off I guess, but I wouldn't say they're completely 'evil'..." IF trailed, thinking out-loud. All eyes were now on her, causing her to lightly blush. "... The leader is the one named Adrian, and I guess he's been preaching about some goddess named 'Pale Heart.' At the show Lyree and I attended, he actually engaged HDD just like a CPU... It didn't seem like a mere trick, so it's safe to assume these guys are highly dangerous. But... more than that..." She looked down, thinking some more about a certain individual she had to "put down" almost a year ago. "... *sigh* I guess I'm the only one here who knows the truth about 'em, huh? None of you fought Arfoire back at that school, after all..."
"The... truth? Arfoire? School? Have you been hiding something from us?" Chika asked, obviously trying to get a line or two in.
"Yeah... It's, uh, kinda really complicated... B-But the gist of it all is, those guys are... Arfoire's creations, or whatever you wanna call 'em. That whole 'school incident' no one wants to talk about... well, these three were there with us, trying to take our souls via crappy seduction." Upon hearing the brunette's recap, Noire 'humphed!' in annoyance. If I remember correctly, she was the one who knocked Adrian upside the head. "... But, despite all that, I can't really call them 'evil'... They were simply doing what Arfoire created them to do. Hell, one of the guys at the school even tried acting out against her... s-so, maybe there's hope for them yet!"
Chika shook her head. "These brutes are threatening not only my precious Vert, but all of Gamindustri itself! There is no way these freaks have any redeeming qualities whatsoever! And have you forgotten already? Those three villains have a hostage, don't they?"
IF couldn't deny that. Thinking back to what occurred just a few short days ago made the brunette's very skin crawl. "... I know... I can't forgive them for abducting Compa..." She released a soft breath of air. "You're right; we're gonna show no mercy."
"That's the spirit, Miss IF," Vert smiled. "Oh, but if only Nepgear could be here... It just doesn't feel right."
Mina pushed her glasses further up the bridge of her nose. "It was for the best. If this situation gets out-of-hand, the Candidates will be safe in Lowee. Jade is watching over them as we speak."
Blanc shuffled uncomfortably in her seat; anyone with eyes could see she clearly was not at ease with that snotty aristocrat staying in her home. "How does any of that make sense? That asshole is some weak jerk-ass; my sisters could destroy him in their sleep! He can't protect anybody!" 'And he better not touch any of my books. I'll kill him!'
"Jade is sure to have brought extra Avenir forces with him, Blanc. And besides what you may think, we have no reason not to trust him."
"Sure... whatever you say..." Yeah, she wasn't buying it, though probably only because he was a stranger walking around her castle. I don't think she knows anything necessarily bad about him...
... But we do, don't we? Jade is certainly not one to be trusted...
Leanbox's oracle crossed her arms, however. "I'm with the brat, actually. I don't like that guy... Not at all!"
As Blanc cursed Chika to hell, Kei smiled softly to herself. "We must not pass judgement on someone solely because of their gender, ladies. How about this: If Jade was a woman, would you still be distrusting?"
Lady White Heart let out an accidental chuckle. "Heh, got me there... Though, if she took one step in my room while I was gone, she'd still be dead."
The lavish-looking oracle did not share that sentiment. "Of course it wouldn't matter! That creep threatened my darling Vert, I swear it! I'll let no one get away with a crime that severe!"
"Heyuh, are we, like, even saying his name right? Like, 'Jade' can be said in two different ways, and stuff."
"Huh? How else would you say it?"
"Well, y'know."
"You can't just say something like that without a proper follow-up!"
"I kinda see where Nep is coming from. Like, is it supposed to be 'Jahd' or 'Jayd' or whatever?"
"That's mah home-girl right there! The readers might already be confused if it crossed their minds!"
"Readers? Ugh, you never make any sense!"
As the conversation drifted away from the main subject, and Chip snuck away to comb his hair, Vert sighed to herself and looked out the window. Everything looked so small from way up here... If she was down there right now, would she look just as miniscule?
Cave detected that the CPU was feeling off, but she said nothing; she was going through the same kind of ordeal.
... She just hid it better.
Regardless, they were very close to their destination now. Chip put away his comb and mirror and spoke once more. "Alright ladies!... *sigh* And other guys... We have no idea what exactly will greet us when we land, so here's your starting orders: First off, you CPUs are to join up with your designated bodyguards." He nodded towards Saturn Shiro. "I see Purple Heart's are here with us, but you three must meet with the others after we land; they're in the airships behind us." All of a sudden, the man flexed his right arm and kissed his bodacious muscles. "The rest of you are to follow any and all orders from our brilliant- and lovely- oracles. I, meanwhile, shall lead the charge! If any psycho cultists pop out, I'll keep ya ladies safe!"
"Pleasure..." Kei remarked, trading a quick glance with Lady White Heart.
Mina, attentive as she is, noticed the subtle action that flew right over everyone else's head. Without a sound, she walked over to another window and looked up towards the sky. Huh... It was much cloudier than she thought it'd be. Wasn't it supposed to be sunny all day? Damn crappy weather forecasters...
"Mina, it's going to be alright," a small voice squeaked from behind. It was a smiling Histoire, one of the few individuals Lowee's oracle thought considered her a friend... Yeah, she's going through some serious crap much like Vert and Cave. If you're just joining us, I'll give you a hint: it has a lot to do with Blanc and Kei!
"... I know... Thanks, Histoire..."
The tome fairy placed a very gentle hand on her friend's shoulder... but then noticed something off when her eyes gazed out the very same window. "Hm... Those are some dark clouds rolling in. I didn't think a storm was heading this way..."
Dark clouds indeed... Histoire spoke a little louder than she perhaps intended, and soon everyone was looking out the windows.
"Those are, like, uber tornado clouds! Hold on to your britches, ladies!" Yeah, Neptune's got the idea.
Lyrica clutched IF's and Cave's arm tightly. "D-Do you think that's a bad sign? L-Like an omen!?"
The brunette smirked at the idol. "Heh, not likely."
"We're the omen..." Cave said with a dark smirk. How is she creepier when she's trying to be funny?
The dark clouds completely blocked out any sunlight by now. "Oh my... This is going to be one hellish storm!" Vert gasped. Chika immediately cuddled close, snuggling her head against the goddess' ample bosom. Stay classy, Leanbox.
Kei, shaking her head, took a seat next to Blanc. "What do you make of this?" the boyish oracle whispered.
Lady White Heart, detecting that no one was looking, wrapped an arm around her secret girlfriend. "It's nothing to worry about. I mean, who the hell's afraid of a little rai-"
A lone boy stood at the highest point of the mountain, a large book in one hand and a yellow piece of cloth in the other. Storm clouds dissipated from where they had just been mere minutes ago, a remaining slight breeze in the otherwise dry and dead air causing a lock of his hair to skirt across his face. All was silent as he watched small figures emerge from the wrecked airships.
The crowd down below shuffled in anticipation.
"It's... Lord Adrian himself!"
"My lord! What is it you desire!?"
"Shh! He's about to speak!"
With a slow, dramatic motion, the boy took the yellow ribbon and wrapped it around his forehead. "... Come, my children! The tyrannical CPUs have come to silence our pleas for change; for revolution! Those vile wretches wish to snuff out Pale Heart's teachings, until there is nothing left! But... will we lay back and die? Will we let them stomp on our beliefs and further oppress us for years to come?" Adrian raised a triumphant fist high in the air. "No! Their reign ends here and now! Let us show them the power of the people! Take a yellow cloth and wrap it around your forehead to show your loyalty! Show your pride as Yellow Bandanas!"
Raucous applause, and all the peasants below wrapped their own bandanas around themselves just like their messiah already had. They were very clearly willing to die for the brown-haired young man. Too willing...
Adrian motioned with his neck, and three figures walked up beside him: his two brothers Alex and Almaz, and his hated lackey Rei Ryghts. Two nodded hesitantly, while one boy did so nonchalantly, and they quickly ran off in different directions. "Listen to my brothers and myself, and we shall be victorious! Now go! Claim the heads of the CPUs!" Loud cheers, and the boy smirked. He lifted the tome in his hands high, and his troops below instantly began charging. "Forward! The time has come for us to build... a new world! The age of the CPUs has ended; long live the Yellow Bandanas!"
...
Yellow Storm
The army of deluded peasants poured down at an otherworldly pace, brandishing cheap blades most of them clearly had no expertise wielding. Still, hundreds of angry novices with pointy weapons are a clear threat. But more than that...
"Crap, what now? They knew we were coming! Some help Jade was..." IF groaned, taking out her blades from within her long sleeves.
Cave analyzed the fast-approaching enemies. "Simple citizens... How shall we approach this? We can't use deadly force, so our weapons are useless."
The brunette's face reddened at the obvious problem, and she quickly sheathed her knives. "Shit, yeah... What then?"
Not much time now... Come on guys! Ya gotta think of something!
Everyone looked towards Chip and the oracles; the scumbag looked like a horsebird about to be sliced by a raging gun-blade, and the oracles weren't much better off.
No one was pleased, but Noire was especially peeved off. "You mean nobody actually thought of how we'd fight them off!?" she shouted, looking straight at Kei.
The boyish oracle closed her eyes and held up her left hand. "... Well, we oracles are not fighters, so that's up to you warriors to figure out. I thought that was completely obvious... Hm, guess I was wrong." Wow, what an ass! "You all are strong; I suggest you toughen up and neutralize them barehanded. No wrongful deaths... unless the situation escalates, in which case, weapons may be our only chance." Yep, definite asshole. Oh well, it's Kei; is anyone surprised?
"B-Barehanded? Heyo, robo-Kei... we're a turn-based RPG, y'know? How the heck do we fight all these people without our designated weapons? You're speakin' crazy, girl!" Neptune called cautiously, not used to going out of her comfort zone in combat.
The crowd quickly moved in. Seconds left, girls!
It was Chika who surprisingly answered. "Hmph! Simple: screw turn-based! Ditch your bindings and..." The oracle suddenly sprinted towards the crowd. The first set of peasants swung their spears and swords, but the lavish woman ducked with precise expertise. She took hold of one of the spears and, with all her might, spun the attacker into his fellow rebels. Like dominoes, they fell. One remained standing, eyes wide open. Chika's brows furrowed, and she promptly leapt up and planted a roundhouse kick to his stomach. Victorious, she struck a pose with her thumb across her face and smirked. "... unleash hell! Forget the rules, ladies!"
That was that. After that surprising display of ass-kickery, the rest of the party couldn't do anything else but willingly fight handicapped.
Vert looked to Cave and IF, all three nodding as they dashed head-first into the battle. Vert cleanly dodged a sword swipe and managed to lift up the attacker by his shirt. "I deeply apologize for this, but you really shouldn't be acting out in the first place." With those "kind" words confusing the man's ears, the goddess tossed him into a few of the other approaching men.
Cave had no trouble adapting whatsoever, practically toying with the running men as if they were in an old slapstick cartoon. She tightly grasped one villager's head with her strong hand, almost like a bully would, sending a message to everyone intending to fight her. The poor guy flailed his arms and legs, trying to escape the hold, but instead succeeded at bashing a few of his teammates in the face.
IF, likewise, was in no danger. Motivated by the pure desire to save her best friend from the villains' clutches, she moved like never before. By now, Cave had grown bored of toying with the peasants, and tossed the man away, creating yet another domino-effect. This distraction provided the brunette the perfect chance to clear a way to the foot of the mountain. Everyone was busy cowering away from the slowly approaching SMD warrior, so the battle-hardened veteran took the opportunity to unleash a flurry of kicks on the unsuspecting crowd. Within a few seconds, an uncountable mass fell flat onto the earth, stunned.
The first wave had been easily defeated. "Come on! Now's our chance!" Noire shouted, somewhat irked at not getting a chance to shine.
Neptune followed up, prancing from side to side. "Let's go, ladies! Show 'em what eye-candy can do!" If you say so.
The CPUs' entire group sprinted past the exhausted villagers and towards the path leading up the mountain, the S.R.A.T.S commander forcing himself to the front. Here, the Yellow Bandanas were holed up in every nook and cranny, and like a wild beast, devoted followers were the most vicious with their backs against the wall.
They were officially in enemy territory now... The true battle was about to begin.
Back at the summit, Adrian flicked through the pages of the book in his hands, "The Crucial Codes to the Way of Cheats." As he predicted, the CPUs had survived the first assault, though he was admittedly disappointed that his troops couldn't inflict even one slight wound. Nothing lost, however; he sent the most frail of his followers first. His better soldiers were either waiting to spring from caves and attack, or setting up ambushes under the aid of his brothers.
Ah, an ambush... One was awaiting the goddesses just a few more clicks up the mountain. That would certainly send a clear message...
"Hwa?... Hwaa..."
A soft female voice sighed behind the leader of the rebels. The brown-haired young man slowly turned back to his cave, and saw his prisoner slowly stirring awake.
The girl brushed her creamy pink hair out of her eyes and took a groggy look around. "... Hm? Where am I? Iffy? Ge-Ge?"
Adrian sighed, and stomped over to her. "You keep waking up. It's your fault we're even in this situation in the first place!" I... think his logic is twisted there; sure, this girl being kidnapped tipped off IF and the CPUs about the Yellow Bandanas, but... well, they kidnapped her simply because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. "You're lucky I haven't killed you yet."
Well, with an awakening like that, Compa was understandably mortified. "I-I-I-I-I'm sorry! P-Please let me go! Please!" Ooh, my... 'heart' is stinging... I can't watch her like this...
No choice for me, though; with these chains, all I can do is watch...
The villain shook his head. "No can do. Letting you go would be a sign of weakness, and I refuse to stoop to their level. No... You're staying my prisoner, and I will kill every single worm that opposes me with my dignity fully intact! If the CPUs agree to give in to me, or, more likely, once they lay dead on the mountainside, maybe then I'll consider letting you go."
"N-No! P-Please don't hurt anyone! Y-Y-You can hurt me, but you c-can't harm Nep-Nep! I wwwwwwon't let you!"
Hearing the frightened nurse speak out, Adrian's face flared up with pure, unadulterated rage. He reared back his right hand, fist clenched, but another voice halted him. "Don't you dare hurt my darling Compa!"
The boy quickly jerked his head towards the ground to the right, where a small rat stood with determination. "Ugh, you too? I coulda swore that spell would keep them out longer..."
"M-Mister Mouse!" Compa cheered at her fellow prisoner's heroic entrance. Pirachu cracked a cocky smile, folding his tiny arms like he was in complete control.
"You stay away from her, creep! I'm guided by the strongest power of all: the power of love!" A leap! Flying through the air! A tail-whip...! Er... No pain on Adrian's face.
A... leg lift! A kick... Flying through the air... Hitting the cave wall... Silence...
"Well, that was pointless," the brown-haired young man said, swiping his brown pants to remove the creases. "Any other genius outbursts of rebellion?"
Compa cried out, crawling over to the now-unconscious Pirachu. "Mister Mouse, are you okay? Say something!"
Adrian threatened her with a punch yet again. "Silence, damn it! Act out again, and... you're both dead. Understand!?"
The nurse devolved into full-on sobbing. "W-W-W-W-Wh..."
"Ugh, freakin' pathetic..." Annoyed, the boy walked back outside and took in a large breath of air. "..."
He had threatened to kill the young girl... but, deep down, he knew he couldn't... Why couldn't he kill her?
... If he was struggling with this, how'd he expect to succeed at finishing off the goddesses?
... No, he couldn't lose his conviction now! What would all his supporters say? What about everyone still living horrible lives thanks to these tyrannical women?
...
What about Isara? How could he ever forgive himself for letting that poor little girl down?
Once more, Adrian turned back to the magic cheat code tome and flicked through some more pages...
"Where the hell are the rest of these guys? Pretty boring rebellion..." Blanc groaned, annoyed at not being able to hold her signature hammer. "Come on... Do something!"
Mina walked up to the CPU's side. "I know you are anxious, Blanc, but minimal confrontations is what we are going for. Control yourself!"
"Ugh, you're not my mom!"
A few feet behind, Kei was smirking to herself before Noire spoke up. "Hey, Kei... So, what's the plan when we catch these leader creeps? Do we imprison them?"
The boyish oracle hid all emotion from her face... y'know, the norm. "These rebels have clear intent to harm us... In fact, if magic is indeed a factor on their side, it is also fair to assume that they were responsible for several deaths already with whatever crashed our ships. Imprisonment may not be enough."
"So we're... gonna kill them?"
Kei stopped. "... I'm looking to avoid it just as much as you, but we must be realistic here. It may be the only way. It's better to take a full measure than a half measure."
It was Lyrica who peculiarly responded next. "But... what example would we be setting? I'm not saying I agree with these guys, but... this whole thing is about the CPUs apparently neglecting the people's needs! If we just kill them for speaking up, are we... solving anything?"
A fair point, and Lady Black Heart nodded. "Y-Yeah, I agree. We can't kill them, no matter what! T-That's an order!"
"What the hell d'you care?" Blanc cut in, punching the air to vent. "Kill 'em or not, these freaks will never NOT hate us. Once a sucker, always a sucker."
Kei cupped her chin with her hand, still looking forward. "... Again, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, we must be on our guard; the enemy could be anyw-"
A startling rumble overtook the entire mountainside, and an explosion blared from the cliffside directly above the group. "Hello ladies!"
At once, all eyes were directed upwards. "Yowzas! Aidrey, is that you? Wait... No, this one looks more emo." Hm, so Neptune does remember what these boys looked like... Why does she act like a major dunce, then? Is her memory just astounding, while the rest of her mind... er, isn't?
The brown-haired young man, apathy in his eyes, cracked a manic smirk. "Hmm... Wait, something's missing... Where the bloody 'ell is Nepgear!?" Ah, so it is Alex... You remember: the easily-angered one who spoke in an indescribable accent?
At hearing this foreboding boy speak Nepgear's name, Cave instinctively reached for her weapon. "You won't find her."
"Tis a shame... Oh well, I'd have to kill her if she rejected me anyways." The irritable brother snapped his fingers, and a mysterious glowing orb appeared in his left hand. "You guys don't stand a chance. I'd turn back now and let us be... Otherwise, some of you may be seriously hurt."
"You really think you can take all of us? It's you guys who don't stand a chance! But... if you hand over Compa, maybe we'll go easy on you!" IF boasted, restraining the urge to throw her blades at the familiar boy's face.
He simply shook his head in the most demeaning fashion. "Heh... Sorry, but the boss won't allow that. Even I don't understand what goes on in his head... but I'm smart enough not to question it. Still, one thing before I smoke ya guys: how'd you find us so easily? I know dear little Rei spilled the beans about us, but that doesn't explain you finding this mountain this fast."
Lady Green Heart crossed her arms and smiled; as soon as she made herself known, Alex's eye twitched. "We had a little help from a boy you tried to pull onto your side. Remember Jade, from Avenir? He told us all about how you three threatened him to support you... He's been tracking your movements ever since!" The CPU's brows furrowed, and she looked the young man directly in the face. "Stop this barbaric rebellion at once! We shall always be three steps ahead of you, no matter what!"
"J-Jade told you that?" Alex felt a strange sensation overtake him. Jade... actually betrayed them? And more than that... He sided with Lady Vert?
Wasn't Jade's entire life devoted on getting revenge on Vert? The two could never be allies...
... No, none of this made sense at all! They were lying! They had to be!
Right before the situation exploded, Mina detected something strange about Alex's reaction to hearing Jade's name, but she kept to herself. Probably banking it somewhere it the good ol' memory reserves...
The situation was now taking a serious turn. "Y-Y-You... You FLAMING IDIOTS! Take THIS!" Rage returning to the apathetic boy's heart, he waved his hand that was holding the orb created by Adrian's mystical tome. Further rumbles shook the earth, threatening to toss everyone off the mountain pass.
"W-Woah... What's happenin'!?" Neptune shouted, falling on her back. Noire and IF raced to pick her up, but they, too, collapsed.
One by one, everyone was knocked off their feet... Yes, even the iron Cave lost her footing!
Oh, but that was just the beginning.
"Burn in hell, you lying witches! Bloody die already!" One final yell, and Alex teleported himself out of view. The whole mountain seemed to be coming down, and large rocks fell towards our heroines.
"Watch out, ladies!" At once, everyone in the party leapt away, flying backwards down the path. A massive boulder smashed down where they all once stood, embedding itself into the earth. Now, the way forward entirely blocked off, the rumbling suddenly stopped. Huh... well, that was lackluster.
"Is it... Is it over?" 5pb. asked, taking her arms away from her head. Indeed, nothing too catastrophic happened... What kind of shitty magic was that?
A voice echoed out, seemingly shattering the heavens. "They're cornered! Attack! Leave none of those gobshites standing!"
Neptune and Noire exchanged a worried look. "Heh, uh oh."
Screams louder than the earthquake seconds prior filled the air. From every nook and cranny, as predicted, a swarm of angry villagers poured out, their yellow bandanas giving off the visage of a yellow ocean. Relentlessly, they jumped down and ran up to the trapped party.
Blanc growled and instantly engaged HDD. "Screw this! They're not pulling any punches; why should we!?" Mallet in hand, she dashed down to meet them. "Get that shit out-of-the-way! I'll hold these freaks off!"
The other three CPUs followed suit and transformed as well, though they kept their weapons sheathed. I don't think unarmed combat will help you out, ladies, but what do I know?
The bodyguards shrugged and also joined the women they were supposed to be protecting... More on that later.
For now, the rest of the group had to deal with the daunting task of removing the massive boulder completely blocking their path.
Cave reached for her Necromancer's Wrath; if she could use those 'scissors' to blow up the very clouds in the sky, she figured a rock was child's play... Wait, what are her weapons exactly!? Looking to IF, Chika, and Lyrica (who all duly nodded), she steadied her aim...
"Hold it!"
Everyone turned to find the one responsible for disrupting the SMD Warrior's imminent rock ass-kicking. Kei sighed. "Yes!? What is it?" She was, of course, speaking directly to Chip, who still believed he was in charge of this whole operation.
The leader of S.R.A.T.S. moved towards the boulder, the crowd moving to the side to make a clear path for him. The cocky asshole cracked his knuckles and put on the biggest smirk he could muster.
So far today, nearly everyone had done something outstanding, or heroic, or anything at all really... Everyone except him, he thought. Well, that changed now! No more Mr. Nice Guy... Chip of S.R.A.T.S. was prepared to make a splash grander than anything else today! He was prepared to make history!
"Move aside guys... I got this." With one more hopefully-badass head nod, Chip struck a martial arts pose and... began pushing on the boulder with all his might!? The hell?
"W-What is he doing?" Histoire gasped, cocking her small head to the side in pure confusion.
"He's... No, that makes no sense," Mina replied, taking off her glasses to wipe them off with her sleeve.
The man dug into the large stone sphere with his hands, almost appearing to be centering his entire mass in his shoulder muscles. After a few seconds of that, his hand positioning changed; was he now trying to lift the boulder like a heavy box?
"He's... gonna hurt himself..." the brunette mumbled, rubbing the back of her head.
Cave shook her head, and Lyrica couldn't help but chuckle.
"Hya! Hya! Grrrruh... Hyuh!" Back to his pushing pose, Chip curled his right hand into a fist and began wailing on poor Mr. Boulder with a flurry of hard hook punches. Guess I can't say the guy's in bad shape...
"H-Holy shit..." Kei let out a profanity, unable to hide her shock. Chika was cupping her chin with her left hand, almost as if rethinking her entire outlook on life itself...
The boulder was beginning to crack under the pressure. Dang, not much more now!
"Grrrrrrrrrrrrr... Hah!" With one last potent uppercut, the S.R.A.T.S. commander succeeded at blasting the massive rock out of the ground! Heavily cracked in several places, it rolled up the mountain pass, where the walkway was much less narrow.
Cave's eye began twitching. "He did it..."
"Y-Yes, he did..." Lyrica began, wavelengths in her eyes. However, her eyes quickly widened in an emotion other than shock. "... W-Wait! T-The rock...!"
Chip was utterly thrilled at his complete and utter victory. "Hell yeah! I'm the man! Eat your heart out, ladies! Rock on! Woo!"
Lyrica looked to IF, who looked to Cave, who looked to Chika, who looked to Histoire, who looked to Mina, who looked to Kei... and at once, they all screamed: "Look out!"
The S.R.A.T.S. commander was too busy striking several stupid poses to notice the group scream. "Oh yeah, I came... I saw... I kicked your granite ass! You should know your role, Rock! Heh, know your ro- Oh my God!"
As gravity would mandate, a heavy object can't be expected to just roll uphill without stopping... After a few short seconds, the injured boulder rolled back down, intent on revenge.
Chip had just enough time to hold up his iron fists before the rock reached him. With a large crash, the man disappeared beneath the rolling stone. However, no one could deny the S.R.A.T.S. commander's strength; after getting its revenge, the rock finally gave way to its mortal wounds and smashed into many, many pieces.
"..." A collective silence fell upon the party. Where Chip had stood seconds before, there was now only a tattered red shirt and a peculiar pile of dust.
The man had indeed made a splash alright...
Down the pathway, the CPUs noticed the obstacle had been removed, and moved to regroup. Just in time, too, for seemingly thousands of peasants continued to pour out of every crevice on the mountain.
IF and Cave exchanged yet another glance, then turned to the rest of their friends. "... W-Well, what are we waiting for? Run like hell!"
And the storm was fully underway...
Meanwhile, in the nation of Lowee...
An elegant boy sniffed a white pillow and sighed contentedly. "Ah... Lady White Heart's scent! Imagining her warm body touches this bed every night... My word! To think that I'd ever step foot in the hallowed halls of her very home!"
This pervert was Jade, the boy-turned-aristocrat who had been taken in by Avenir after his sister had been horrifically... er, well, you remember, right? He's also the one who helped fund the Yellow Bandana Rebellion in the first place, and the one who holds a very strong hatred for Lady Green Heart.
... And right now, he was staying in Blanc's room, helping the very CPUs he yearned to destroy.
Two girls watched from the slightly-open doorway. "Er... Blanc's gonna kill him."
"Y-Yeah... What's he doing?"
Nepgear turned in confusion towards her girlfriend, Uni, who simply shrugged. "Just another pervert. Geez, how many does Gamindustri have?"
The two candidates ceased their voyeurism and journeyed back to what would constitute as the living room of the Basilicom. There, two children were resting their heads.
The pink-clad child leaned her head towards her sister. "C'mon Rom, Mina and Blanc aren't here! We can run around all we want!"
"I don't wanna... I'm tired."
"You're no fun. Only a wimp would be *yawn* tired..."
Nepgear chuckled to herself and gently rubbed the twins' hair. Rom smiled in her half-asleep state, and Ram grunted in feigned annoyance.
Uni flopped down on another chair and sighed. "Still can't believe they dumped us here. Didn't even let me say hi to Brave..."
Yep, for those who need a reminder, the CPU Candidates were barred from helping out with the rebellion. The reasoning? Insurance, I guess. Let's say that something horrible happens, and everyone at that mountain... well, ends up like Chip. What would happen to Gamindustri if all the CPUs were killed off? The Candidates would have to take over, of course! By hiding them in Lowee's Basilicom, surrounded by a massive new, supposedly dragon-proof wall, they were clearly safe from any potential harm (in case this rebellion stretched farther than expected).
Since he was obviously on the good side, Jade was put in charge of watching over the girls, along with a few hundred Avenir-funded troops. What could possibly go wrong?!
Anyways, it seems Uni is destined to sulk over this for a while. Let's go check in with the aristocrat once again...
By now, the boy had put down the pillow and pulled out his phone. "... Hey, old man, we touched down about 30 minutes ago. All the candidates are here."
A gruff voice spoke from the other end of the line. "Good... What is the next step of the plan, then?" It was Singe, the aristocrat's adoptive 'father.'
"I'm supposed to wait for a sign, hopefully before the rebellion ends. From there, I join back up with those bitches and become the hero."
"Ah, I see... A sign from your sister?"
"... Yeah. Listen, I don't understand it myself, but why wouldn't I do what she says?"
"I'm not judging you, Jade... Just... be careful, okay? Make sure you fully understand what you're doing. If this doesn't succeed, then-"
"It WILL succeed, old man! It has to..." The aristocrat wiped his forehead with a handkerchief and spoke again. "... Anywho, how's that contraption coming along? Will it be ready soon? I'm predicting a week or two, I'll need it."
"... Er, yes! The machine is coming along fine... But, you do know I specialize in artificial intelligence, right? What use is a robot that can only operate under human control? A machine can be made to be perfect; humankind is laden with failure."
"Trust me... I know what I'm doing. Just get that done quick, okay?"
"... Yes, Jade. As you wish." And with that, the phone clicked off.
The brown-haired boy put his phone away and briefly looked around the room. He picked up a frame displaying a photo of Blanc with the oracle of Lastation. "Soon... everything will be right, Cerise. Those CPUs will die... For you, sis, I'll even kill dearest White Heart if she refuses to see things my way. Now please, guide me! Lead me to victory!" But nothing answered him.
It wasn't time yet...
Hm? Still going? Ah, okay, almost done...
An airship quietly approached the wintry land of Lowee... Another craft? Who could this be? Whoever it was, it appeared to be preparing to land just outside the capital's borders. Suspicious...
Either way, below, a massive figure followed the slowing ship. Hm... it's clearly not a human... No, it can't be!
"Just where are you headed? To the Candidates?"
That's... Brave!? W-What the hell!? Isn't he supposed to be at the mountain range? Why is he in Lowee? What, did he really take a wrong turn!?
... Is it just me, or has Brave been a "plot twist" like a hundred times in this saga? Guess we'll find out what this means next time.
... And wait, isn't there another ship that's heading off to the rebellion? You know... a ship transporting three particular ladies?
Next time... Next time...
SHARES:
Planeptune- 10%
Lastation- 15%
Lowee- 22%
Leanbox- 19%
(Yellow Bandanas)- 34%
NEXT TIME: The Yellow Storm rages on...