Oh boy, oh boy. About time we got back into this.
Nepgear and her party were still in Leanbox, about to make their way back to Planeptune, now accompanied by Leanbox's CPU Candidate Excel, as well as 5pb. and Cave. While they were walking about, Nepgear suddenly got a phone call.
"Oh, Histoire's calling me..." Nepgear said in surprise
"Oh? Isn't she your oracle? What does she need?" Excel asked.
"I guess we're going to have to find out." Nepgear replied, before answering her phone. "Hello, this is Nepgear."
"Greetings, Nepgear." Histoire's voice responded from Nepgear's phone. "Where are you right now?"
"Leanbox." Nepgear answered. "We got the mascot's help, and we were about to head back to Planeptune. We also have the CPU Candidate of Leanbox with us too. He's decided to join us on our quest."
"This is so cool! This is kinda like a fantasy game almost, or one of those historical movies!" Excel said quietly, not wanting to interrupt Nepgear and Histoire's conversation, before being shushed by Cave.
"I see. I apologize for asking you to change your plans, but can you take a trip elsewhere first?" Histoire asked before explaining herself. "The island off the west coast of Planeptune is currently under siege by ASIC troops."
"Say what?" Excel asked in surprise, not expecting to be doing this today.
"That tiny island? Why would they attack there?" IF asked, also not expecting this.
"Is there some super-secret facility on it or something?" Red asked.
"You mean like Cave's task force?" Excel asked her in response. "That could actually be really cool! Hey Nepgear, do you guys have a task force in Planeptune?"
"Not that I'm aware of..." Nepgear responded, before going back to Histoire.
"It is merely my assumption, but I believe they plan to build a new base of operations there." Histoire explained. "If they do, it will become a very real threat against Planeptune and our shares."
"Oh no!" Excel exclaimed in horror.
"So typical." Broccoli complained. "How annoying, nyu."
"I have someone dispatched to defend against their attacks, but I would like you to aid her." Histoire continued.
"Understood." Nepgear said. "We're on our way!"
"She's so brave..." Excel said dreamily, as the group headed to their next destination.
The group eventually made it to the island, which looked much like a forest.
"Is this the place?" Excel asked. "Looks a lot like a forest and not an island. Unless it's both a forest AND an island?"
"It could very well be..." Nepgear responded. "Anyway, according to Histoire... there should be a town nearby..."
"Oh, isn't that it?" Red exclaimed, being the first to notice the town. "Look! I see houses and town-y things!"
"You're right." Nepgear agreed. "Let's check it out."
The group headed to the area, revealing the person Histoire dispatched earlier to be none other than Falcom.
"Back for more, are we!?" Falcom said towards the group, mistaking them for bad guys. "Just like before, you'll learn that nobody gets past me!"
"What the goodness?!" Nepgear uttered her famous catchphrase in shock over Falcom's hostility.
"Sorry, but I can't go easy on you. Blame the bad luck on yourselves!" Falcom continued, not realizing they were the good guys yet.
"W-W-W-Wait!" 5pb. said, trying to reason with her to no avail. "I'm so sorry, please forgive me...!"
"No, don't hurt us! We're on your side!" Excel exclaimed in panic, also trying to reason with this girl. "I hate ASIC! I hate them too! I hate them! They destroy nations! Please! This isn't your fault. We'll get you some tea."
"Yes! We're your backup!" Nepgear added, backing Excel up. "Histoire told us to come, so..."
"Histoire, huh?" Falcom responded, before finally getting it. "Ohhhh, wait... You're the girls I met when I was in Lastation..."
"And you're Falcom, right?" IF asked.
"Oops. Egg on my face!" Falcom retorted. "I had no idea you'd be my backup. Caught me totally off-guard, haha!"
Falcom stopped being hostile and convered with them normally, still pointing their sword at the group though.
"So how have your travels been treating you?" She asked. "I hope you girls weren't in a big rush or-"
"Um, Falcom, could you at least not point your sword at us now?" Nepgear shyly asked, cutting Falcom off. Excel was also seen hiding behind Nepgear as she spoke.
"You'll protect me, right, Nepgear!?" He asked.
"Whoops. My bad." Falcom said, putting her sword away. Excel also came out of hiding due to this. "With all the recent battles, it's sort of become a bad habit."
"You were fighting off the enemy all alone, Miss Falcom? Why?" Compa asked.
"This is my homeland." Falcom responded. "They just happened to attack while I was here visiting friends."
"That's amazing... You protected an entire island by yourself..." 5pb. said in amazement. "You must be a very strong girl..."
"Nepgear's very strong too!" Excel said. "She could totally wipe out all of ASIC by herself if she really wanted too!"
"Hehe... I doubt it'd be that easy." Nepgear said in embarrassment over Excel's praise.
"I never thought about it like that." Falcom said in response to 5pb. "I've only beaten up whatever threatens the things I love. Honestly, if you girls didn't come, it would be only be a matter of time before this place fell."
"What about me?" Excel asked, due to not being a girl.
"Oh, and you too, I guess." Falcom added.
"Meaning there's hope now?" IF asked.
"Yeah." Falcom replied. "I know exactly where that ASIC crew is trying to set up their headquarters. Nip them in the bud, and we'll stop their invasion attempt for good."
"I like simple, nyu." Broccoli said in response.
"Me too. Simple's way easier." Excel agreed.
"Still, I have to protect this town, so would you mind helping me out by hitting the enemy's HQ?" Falcom asked the group.
"Leave that to us." Nepgear replied. "You helped us the last time, so now it's our turn to return the favor."
"So brave!" Excel squeed in response to Nepgear's courage and bravery.
With that, the party journeyed onward, eventually reaching the HQ, where they found Underling...again.
"Ugh! This is really pissing me off." Underling whined. "Why is it taking so long to smash some dinky, backwater village!? Dammit... It's my big chance to lead a group of my own minions, but these guys are total losers!"
Soon enough, Nepgear's party arrived to confront Underling, yet again.
"Wow. You again? This is starting to get old." IF said, most likely speaking for everyone reading this fanfic or who played the original game, and is probably sick and tired of seeing Underling by now.
"I know, right?" Excel said in agreement. "You think she'd know better to mess with Nepgear by now."
"I know that bored, tomboy voice and that girly voice..." Underling said, recognizing IF and Excel's voices. "It's you broads! Quit stalking me!"
"I'm not a girl! I'm a boy!" Excel retorted, offended by Underling's description of her voice.
"Miss Underling, did you get a promotion?" Compa asked. "Wow, congratulations!"
"Aw, that stinks." Red whined. "If she gets promoted, we can't keep calling her Underling."
"But it's her name, so this makes for some nice irony, nyu." Broccoli replied.
"It'd be silly if her underlings called her Underling, wouldn't it?" Nepgear asked. "Captain Underling? Underleader...?"
"Captain Underpants?" Excel quipped. Most of the other girls stared at him, not really getting the joke. "Aw come on, guys, surely that was a good one. What did you think, Nepgear? Was that good?"
"Um... Not really. Sorry..." Nepgear admitted. "That sounds more fitting for the name of a superhero."
"Ooh, that's a good one!" Excel agreed. "You're so smart, Nepgear!"
"Hehe... Thanks!" Nepgear replied sweetly.
"Grrrr... Stop joking, dammit!" Underling said angrily. "You broads know just how to piss me off. Time to face the music!"
After this, Underling summoned her own underlings to aid her, beginning another fight.
"This pattern really needs something new to keep it fresh." IF said. "Let's just get rid of her and her idiot followers."
The girls proceeded to easily beat Underling and her cronies yet again, while Excel took his phone out and seemed to be looking at something. Cave noticed this and addressed him.
"Why are you not fighting, Excel?" She asked.
"I'm looking up how to fight." Excel responded. "I've never fought before, and Vert never let me go out with her on CPU stuff."
"I see." Cave replied. "It is quite possibly for the best anyway. Your sister would not wish for you to receive any harm while we are out here. Besides, these girls seem to have everything taken care of."
The duo watched as Nepgear's party easily defeated Underling and her minions, and Underling once again ran away like a coward.
"Score, we won!" Red cheered, before noticing Underling's disappearance. "Uh, wait... Where'd Underling go?"
"Um, I...I think I saw her running away while we were fighting..." 5pb. responded.
"Dude, that is so typical." Excel said. "Shouldn't she take the hint by now? How many times has Nepgear totally wiped the floor with her?"
"It's really hard to tell. We've had to deal with her so many times, it's been difficult to keep count, nyu." Broccoli answered.
"Maybe her promotion let her add more Skill Points to her agility." IF joked.
"Skill Point distribution aside, the island should be safe now." Nepgear said. "Let's go back and see Falcom."
With that, the party ventured back to the forest area where Falcom was to inform her of their success.
"So you girls really did it?" Falcom asked.
"I doubt they'll try another siege without a lot of planning." IF replied.
"That's great news." Falcom responded in delight. "Thanks for the help."
"No problem." Nepgear said sweetly. "We did what needed to be done."
"I helped too, just so you know." Excel said.
"...No you didn't, nyu." Broccoli admitted.
"Dude, you're embarrassing me in front of Nepgear." Excel whispered to the small girl.
"What will you do now, Miss Falcom?" Compa asked.
"I wonder. Maybe wander around on a new adventure?" Falcom pondered. "Although, this may not be the best time for that. With all the damage ASIC ended up causing, I should stay here and rebuild the town first."
"Okay. Good luck." Nepgear replied. "We'll do our best to keep the bad guys out of your back yard!"
"Sounds good. Thanks again." Falcom said in response to that. "If you need help, you be sure to give me a holler, okay?"
"Will do, capitan!" Excel replied. "Good to meet you! Leanbox loves ya! Holla holla holla, playa!"
With that, the party left Falcom to their next destination, and Excel asked Nepgear where they should go next.
"Soooo... Where to next, Nepgear?" He asked. "Are we going to Planeptune now? I've always wanted to go there, but Vert wouldn't let me."
"Well... We appear to have finished what we came here for." Nepgear replied. "So I think it's time we went back to Planeptune!"
With that, the group went back to Planeptune, and headed to the Basilicom, where Histoire was waiting for them.
"We're home, Histoire." Nepgear said, greeting the tiny oracle.
"Welcome back, all of you." Histoire responded, greeting Nepgear and her group. "That must have been quite the adventure for you."
While Histoire was conversing with a few members of the group, Excel, Red and 5pb. were seen checking out the Basilicom out, with Excel having taken his phone out to take photos.
"Wow, this is Planeptune's Basilicom?" Red asked. "The other ones were nice, but this is definitely the coolest of all."
"I wonder how many people would be able to fit in this giant place if I held a concert here..." 5pb. added.
"I know, right?" Excel said in an excited tone. "This is so cool! I've never even gone outside of Leanbox until now! Probably a good thing Vert isn't here, otherwise she'd probably be mad at me. Then again, she'd probably be super jealous that I'm here hanging out with Nepgear!"
"You three should stop hanging around with your mouths hanging open." Broccoli said, approaching the trio while they were checking the place out. "You look like country bumpkins, nyu."
"Hey come on, this is my first time visiting this place." Excel said in defence. "I'm sightseeing."
While he continued checking the Basilicom out, IF told Histoire what they've been up to.
"Just like you've asked, we've secured the help of all the nations' Mascots." She explained.
"So I can sense." Histoire replied. "Also, with the Shares you have regained, we have been creating a new Sharicite."
"Once that's made..." IF said, realizing something.
"Correct." Histoire said, cutting IF off mid-sentence. "We can once again attempt to rescue the CPUs."
"Yippee-skippee!" Compa cheered.
"We're saving the older CPUs?" Red asked, having stopped checking out the Basilicom and joined in on the conversation. "Dude, I can't wait to see my more mature wifeys...!"
"I might get the chance to perform in front of all four CPUs...!" 5pb. added, having also joined in on the conversation.
"One small step for us, one slightly bigger step toward world peace, nyu." Broccoli added.
"This time, I won't fail..." IF said in a determined tone.
"Wait, we're gonna save the other CPUs?!" Excel asked, finally joining the conversation. "Dude, I'm all for that! I've been missing Vert for too long now! And I really wanna meet the other 3 CPUs too!"
He then turned his attention to Nepgear.
"When are we gonna save them, Nepgear?" He asked. "You're the boss, right? You're calling the shots?"
Nepgear didn't respond right away, having been deep in thought.
"I hope this is enough... I couldn't do anything before... Not even the CPUs could win..." Nepgear said. "I mean, I feel stronger now... But still..."
"What, you mean when you got captured by those ASIC guys?" Excel asked. "Okay sure, that was then. But this is now. Surely, you could kick their ass with ease! I mean, you're Nepgear! You're my hero and everything!"
"Thanks. But... I'm not sure you and I will be able to do this alone." Nepgear admitted to her fellow CPU Candidate. "Not without help..."
"Oooh! Are you thinking what I think you're thinking?" Excel asked in an eager tone.
"I think I am..." Nepgear answered, before turning to the rest of their team. "Um... Please wait a moment!"
"What is it, Ge-Ge?" Compa asked.
"Aww, we were getting so hyped up. What gives?" Red complained.
"I think Nepgear's got an idea on how we can make sure our sisters will be rescued." Excel answered.
"Um, the other CPU Candidates..." Nepgear added. "Maybe we should have them come with us, too..."
"YES!" Excel cheered in excitement. "Yes, yes, yes! So much yes! I am ALL for that, Nepgear! That's such a smart idea! I can't wait to-"
"Contain yourself, Excel." Histoire said, interrupting Excel's excited rambling before turning to Nepgear. "Was that not already part of the original plan?"
"They all refused." IF replied. "It'd be a waste of calories to traipse all over trying to get them to agree now."
"But I joined willingly." Excel added. "Granted, I asked if I could come with you, but doesn't that count?"
"Well, yeah, but you're the only other CPU Candidate who willingly agreed to help us." IF responded. "Besides you, the other CPU Candidates have had no interest in helping us at all."
"I guess, but..." Nepgear responded, before being interrupted by the ringing of one of IF's cell phones.
"Oh, hold on. It's one of my phones. "Intelligence Bureau Cutie" is calling me." IF said, before answering her phone. "Hey, what's up?"
"Intelligence Bureau Cutie?" Excel asked quietly, not wanting to interrupt her conversation. "Is she a part of some special task force like Cave?"
"Yep! Iffy's a super duper secret super spy for the Guild!" Compa cheerfully replied, also quietly.
"Cool!" Excel responded. "Good thing I played a lot of spy games back in Leanbox like 0011..."
"Huh? You're kidding!" IF said to her contact. "Okay. Okay, sounds good. You be careful, too. Bye."
"What is it, Iffy? You look like a sourpuss right now." Compa asked in a concerned tone.
"Of course I do. ASIC activity in Lowee exploded." IF explained. "Over 90 percent of their Shares were stolen away."
"That many!?" Histoire responded in shock. "Absurd... What could have happened there?"
"She didn't have that much intel." IF answered. "It really must've happened out of the blue."
"Do you know if Rom and Ram are okay?" Nepgear asked, concerned for the twin's safety.
"Yeah, they're not hurt, are they?" Excel also asked, also worried for the twins' safety. "I really hope nothing bad's happened to them! I've only got to meet them once!"
"Weren't you two listening? The Guild hardly has any info yet." IF retorted.
"I cannot be certain, but if so many Shares were taken, the CPUs will present some serious side effects." Histoire said.
"Oh, no..." Said a concerned Nepgear. She seemed fearful for the twins' wellbeing.
"Ahh! No! Not Rom and Ram!" Screamed Excel, screaming like a little girl out of fear of something very bad potentially happening to two actual little girls.
"This must take priority, despite it being a different nation." Histoire explained. "It may impact our overall strategy."
"So you want us to go to Lowee and save Rom and Ram?" Excel asked. "Because I would very much like to do that please! I don't wanna see my idols in danger!"
"That is correct." Histoire answered. "Creating the Sharicite will take some time, so I ask that you all go and investigate the incident."
"Okay, we will..." Nepgear agreed. "I just hope those two are okay..."
"Me too, Nepgear." Excel added. "I really wanna see Rom and Ram again, and if they need saving, I say we go skedaddle over there and help out our fellow CPUs."
"You seem very eager to save them..." IF commented.
"Well, yeah! Who wouldn't wanna try and rescue their heroes from impending doom?" Excel retorted.
"I'm glad you're so willing to rescue them, Excel." Nepgear said, smiling. "I'm sure Rom and Ram would be grateful for your help. And I hope that they'll help us too after we rescue them..."
"Thank you, Nepgear!" Excel replied. "And yeah, I hope they'll join up with us too! I mean, you already have me, so why not get all the CPU Candidates on board? That could be so awesome! Ooh, maybe they'll give me autographs too!"
Nepgear giggled over Excel's enthusiasm, as the team headed to Lowee.
And we have another chapter in the bag at long last! I really need to get back into this. Anwyays, next chapter will involve the team saving Rom and Ram, and finally recruiting them to their ranks! Oh, and CFW Trick will be there to