Disclaimer: I do not own any of the material appearing in this story. The OC's belong to their respective owners.
While ATMC and Co are at Eldin Volcano
"So, Futaba… how much longer until the network's up and running?" Chiaki asked, still sitting in her hospital bed.
"Just about finished, honestly." Futaba said. "Of course, I will need to do some testing to make sure it properly works before I officially set it up for the whole world to be safe and secure from Egghead."
Chiaki chuckled. "That's good."
Futaba rubbed her chin in thought. "Ya know, I owe this to Fria, honestly. If it wasn't for her, I probably would've given up on this headache. She encouraged me to keep going."
"Fria… she's the current Winter Maiden, isn't she?"
"Yeah, she is." Futaba nodded. "Hmm… ya know, maybe I ought to go pay her a visit. Thank her for having me move forward on this."
Chiaki smiled. "Yeah, you oughta go do that."
Futaba nodded. "Yeah, I'm gonna go do that right now!" She then frowned. "It's too bad Mikan's not releasing you yet."
"I understand why… she's just making absolutely sure that I'm okay." Chiaki closed her eyes with a grimace. "Given… what happened to me before, I don't blame her."
"I don't blame her either." Futaba looked over at BB-8 and Elfilin. "You guys wanna accompany me to Atlas? I'm sure it's a lot less boring than sitting in a hospital room."
"There's nothing good on TV anyway…" Elfilin mumbled.
BB-8 let out a few boops.
"Good point. That show was pretty good. Sure, we'll go with ya!"
Futaba chuckled, closing her laptop and putting it in a bag. "We'll be back soo!"
"I'll be here." Chiaki said, raising her legs up one at a time, bending them a few times and stretching them. "Aaah…" She then looked through her screens and summoned her Switch.
KRACK-BOOOOOM!
Chiaki looked out the window. "Seriously, they're still at it?"
Ibuki walked in. "Yup yup, Nora-chan and Thor-chan are still sparrin'!"
Chiaki shook her head with a chuckle. "I swear, every time I feel miserable, another Marvel character pops in. I feel pretty bad about Elfi in the New World, Doctor Strange shows up. I get the crap beaten out of me by Dimentio, Thor, Love and America show up to cheer me up. The only exception are Deadpool and Cable."
Ibuki gave her a teasing smile. "You oughta feel miserable more often then~!"
Chiaki sweatdropped. "Are you kidding? What are the chances that the next time I feel miserable, someone like Dr. Doom or Galactus shows up instead of a friendly face?"
Ibuki snickered. "Good point."
Chiaki looked into her Switch. "Alright, now what do I wanna-... huh? I missed a Nintendo Direct?"
With Futaba…
Futaba walked out with a hum, noticing Jade watching Nora and Thor going at it. "Who's winning?"
"Hard to say. Both of them are having the time of their lives." Jade said as Nora and Thor clashed with their hammers, all with genuine smiles on their faces as Love had pom poms and cheered her father on.
"You wanna come with me to Atlas?"
Jade turned to her girlfriend, smiling. "Sure! …Wait, Elfilin and BB-8 are coming with you?"
"Chiaki's still not cleared yet, so I thought I'd take 'em out so they're not totally bored out of their minds sitting with the gamer girl."
Jade chuckled. "That's understandable. So what business do you have in Atlas?" She asked as they walked off together.
"I wanna show Fria that the network is almost complete. I owe it to her when she gave me a pick me up."
Jade smiled. "Aww, that's cute."
"Yeah." Futaba found the Warp Pipe and hopped in.
Once at Mantle…
Futaba looked up at Atlas hovering over them. "Honestly, that's a bit disconcerting."
"How so?"
"A floating island sitting above your town? I'd hate to be here if that thing falls."
"It's got plenty of Gravity Dust. Atlas won't fall for… possibly ever. You'd have to be absolutely out of your mind if you think that's coming down."
"...Ever heard of the Titanic?"
"The what now?"
"In my world, there was a ship called the Titanic that was claimed to be "virtually unsinkable". One iceberg did it in on its maiden voyage." She looked up at Atlas. "All it will take is one iceberg to make Atlas fall."
"That'd be a heck of an iceberg." Elfilin said with BB-8 booping in agreement.
"So you're thinking it could come down?"
"If they say "Atlas will be virtually in the air" or something along the lines… it's always arrogance that does everyone in. Let's just hope that won't happen in our lifetimes."
"I hope so." Jade nodded as they walked around while Futaba kept an eye on Atlas.
Atlas is the Titanic. What the iceberg will be… I have no idea. She thought to herself.
"Excuse me!" Jade spoke to a passerby. "Do you know if there's a quick way to get into Atlas that's not by air?"
"I've heard there's such a thing at the post office… it's well known that General Esdeath goes in it all the time when she's bored."
Futaba sweatdropped. Never thought I'd hear Esdeath doing something like that.
"Thanks!" Jade smiled as they walked off together. "Oh, by the way, have I ever showed you I went into another universe?"
"Wait, you universe hopped? Like Ruby?"
"Well, more like Universe "conscripted", but… yeah." Jade showed her pictures. "They call themselves Anastasia, Yoshiko and Parvati on an island near the Mushroom Kingdom. I don't think we have people like them here."
"Whoooooa. Daaaaaamn, that Parvati girl knows how to flaunt it. Wait, Nyx went with you too? Huh!" Futaba chuckled.
"Yeah. We had a fun time there. Oh hey, the post office."
"Perfect!"
The four of them walked/floated/rolled in as they would see mail being shipped off inside the tubes. "Ooooh, that looks fun!" Elfilin said.
"Let's see… how does this work…?" Jade wondered.
"I think if you sit down at the edge and… uh… how do you do it, you lie on your back and-"
"I think you press this button, you should-" Jade pressed the button.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
"Eeek!" Elfilin yelped in surprise.
Jade turned around. "Babe? …Uh oh."
A few minutes later…
Jade hopped out along with Elfilin, where they would notice Futaba sprawled out on her back with swirly eyes. "Hon, you okay?"
"Oooogh… that cafeteria food at the hospital is suddenly not agreeing with me…"
Jade giggled, picking her girlfriend up. "Sorry about that… wait, where's BB-8?"
They heard annoyed booping as they turned to see BB-8 rolling up to them, sopping wet as he opened himself up as water came bursting out along with a few goldfish.
"They have a button for that?" Elfilin wondered.
Futaba came back to her senses with a groan. "Are we in Atlas now…?"
"I believe so."
"Good." Futaba nodded as she stabilized herself. "Let's go."
They walked out and looked around Atlas. "Okay, so where would Fria be at?" Jade wondered.
"I think they have her in Atlas Academy." Futaba said.
"Oh, this is a surprise."
They turned to see Ironwood approaching them. "Futaba, I wasn't expecting to see you come to Atlas."
"Oh hey, dude." Futaba greeted as Ironwood looked down at Elfilin and BB-8.
"I see you have some new friends."
"Yeah. This is Elfilin and BB-8."
"Hiya!"
BB-8 let out a few boops, to which Ironwood raised an eyebrow.
"He says "nice beard"." Futaba translated.
Ironwood chuckled. "Thank you." He turned to Jade, blinking a bit. "Jade?"
"Hey."
Futaba looked at her. "He knows you?"
"My grandpa had a little science experiment presentation at the SDC. He wanted to have Jacques Schnee be an investor, but… something went awry and he blamed it on my grandpa, then insulted me when I was defending him. Luckily Ironwood put him in his place."
"If it helps, I invested behind Jacques' back." Ironwood said. "We have plenty of Gadd Science items in the stores here. Everyone loves them… even if they're a bit kooky."
Jade's eyes sparkled. "So my grandfather did succeed in Atlas after all… that's amazing! Hope I can be as good as my grandfather!"
Ironwood chuckled. "I'm sure you will. You've grown so much since I've last seen you. I take it Futaba's your best friend."
"She's more than that." She wrapped an arm around Futaba's shoulder. "She's my girlfriend."
"Oh…! Well, good for you then." Ironwood smiled.
"Yeah, she rocks." Futaba chuckled.
"So… what brings you to Atlas?"
"Just here for a quick visit. I'm actually done with the network!"
Ironwood lit up. "Really?" He asked, trying to contain his excitement.
"Yeah! I just need to do some stress testing first and add in some personal firewalls before I officially launch the sucker."
"That's great!"
"I owe it to Fria who encouraged me to keep going. Is she available?"
Ironwood frowned. "...Oh. Well… you're gonna have to come with me."
Futaba felt a pit in her stomach. "What…?"
"I'll tell you more when we're in the academy."
A few minutes later…
Ironwood walked down the halls along with the four, Futaba turning her head to see Ryu chatting with the Ace Ops along with Guile and Chun-Li. Is that where Ryu's been all this time? Futaba wondered.
Ironwood stopped walking. "You're aware of the latest apocalyptic event, correct?"
"The Star Rift?" Jade asked.
"Yes. The very same."
"We stopped that from all worlds colliding. We made damn sure of it." Futaba said.
Ironwood nodded. "Indeed. However, that didn't come without some consequences. Some space radiation from a world seeped through the portal and made its way to Atlas. We had to lock down Atlas and Mantle for a while, making sure no one else knew about it so there'd be no world wide panic. We had it contained but made sure everyone was cleaned after that. That said… we couldn't get it all out in time. The radiation took a few lives, made the strongest and healthiest people in this place feel weak within seconds. And Fria? She's still alive… but it did a number on her health."
Elfilin's eyes widened. "Oh my gosh… I… oh no…"
Ironwood turned to Elfilin. "Something the matter?"
"Now… don't get too upset about this, but… that was his other half." Jade said and proceeded to explain what went down.
Ironwood grimaced and then knelt down, ruffling Elfilin's head. "Don't worry about a thing. That part of you is in the past. What matters more is that you continue to be a happy little… mouse thing."
Elfilin smiled, immediately hugging Ironwood. "Thank you!"
Ironwood chuckled. "You're welcome."
"Is she… still poisoned?" Futaba asked, as Jade gently took her hand.
"We got the radiation out of her, but she could go any day now. Esdeath's preparing to become the new Winter Maiden. I'm not sure if she'll be able to recognize you, as it also did a number on her memory."
"Well, there's no point in not trying. I'm still gonna speak with her."
"I doubt you will be successful, but it is worth a try." Ironwood said as they walked into Fria's room.
BGM: Alleycat (Persona 5)
"Fria? You have a visitor." Ironwood said.
Fria opened her eyes, turning her head to see Futaba approach. "Who… are you?"
"It's me, Fria… Futaba. Remember?"
"Futaba… that name rings a bell." She said, closing her eyes. "Somehow, that makes me feel nostalgic. Like I'm with an old friend."
Futaba gently took her hand. "Yes, it's me…"
Fria looked at her. "How peculiar. Your hair used to be all orange. Now it's turning black. Did you dye your hair?"
"No. I've stopped dying my hair to the point that it's growing back to the way it was. Black's my natural hair color."
"Well, I must say… you look better being a black haired individual… Fu… Fu… Fuschia?"
"Futaba." Futaba gently said as she pulled out her laptop. "Remember when you encouraged me to keep going and repair the network when I was at the point of giving up?"
"Hmm… I do not recall such a thi-... wait, yes, I remember speaking to someone about that. You have to forgive me, my memory isn't what it used to be."
"It's okay." Futaba giggled as she opened up her laptop and showed Fria. "See? It's all fixed. I owe it to a friend who came to help out."
"Who are these little creatures running across the screen?"
"Pokemon." Futaba pointed to each one. "Eevee, Flareon, Jolteon, Vaporeon, Espeon, Umbreon, Leafeon, Glaceon and Sylveon." She said as the Eevee turned toward the screen and waved its paw happily.
"Eevaaaai!"
"He's saying hi."
Fria softly giggled. "Hello to you too, little one!"
Futaba smiled, trying her best not to get emotional. "Yeah. And I owe it to you to helping me move forward with this."
"You're welcome… Fuschia. No… wait… Fruity? Fruitorola? Apologies…" Fria smiled. "How much do you have left?"
"I just need to do some stress testing and adding in some firewalls, then I'm launching this bad boy."
"I'm glad you got it done. That… makes me so happy for some reason."
Futaba smiled. "Yeah… it makes me happy too." She said, failing to hide a tear running down her cheek.
"Are you okay?"
"Huh? Yeah, I am… why?"
"That tear says otherwise." Fria gently dried it. "You have a gift that should be cherished, Fuchsia. Don't let anyone say otherwise."
Futaba nodded. "Yeah…" She then gave her a hug as Fria looked surprised, but at the same time, the hug felt warm and familiar. She hugged Futaba back in gratitude.
"I'll miss you…" Futaba said quietly as she pulled away.
"Do you mind if I took your picture? I'd like to have you by my bedside to remember you always."
A wave of emotion hit Futaba like a truck, as she had to swallow her emotion. "Y-yes… sure." She nodded as Fria pulled out a camera and took a picture of Futaba. She then handed it to Ironwood.
"Make sure you get this framed, Jennifer."
Jennifer? That's a new one… Ironwood thought. "Of course."
"Who are your friends by the way?"
"O-oh. This is my girlfriend, Jade Gadd. And this is Elfilin and BB-8."
"Hiya!"
BB-8 let out a few friendly boops.
"Pleased to meet you." Fria smiled. "Your friends will always be with you, Fuschia. I hope you remember that."
"Yeah…" Futaba nodded as she turned around. "S-See you later…" She said as she walked off.
"Futaba…" Jade walked after her as Elfilin and BB-8 followed right as a nurse came in.
"Alright, Fria. Time for your medicatio-... huh?" The nurse looked at her readings.
"Something wrong?" Ironwood asked.
"I think seeing those visitors lifted her spirits or something. Apparently, she now has a few more weeks left to live compared to a few days."
Ironwood turned to Futaba walking away and chuckling. "I suppose meeting an old friend will extend someone's life…"
Futaba took several more steps before her legs grew heavy as she collapsed, softly sobbing as Jade immediately knelt down next to her. "It hurt to see her like that, didn't it?"
"She was healthy as can be last I saw her and now… now she has days left from her deteriorating health…"
Elfilin looked at her sadly. "Futaba, I… I am so sorry… I-"
"Don't… don't worry about it. I'm not blaming you for this." Futaba sniffed, leaning on Jade's shoulder. "Just… please… please be there for me when she passes…"
"Of course." Elfilin nodded as BB-8 booped. Jade nodded, kissing her on the head and held her there for a few moments until Futaba stood back up, wiping her eyes.
"She wouldn't want me to cry my eyes out for her…" Futaba said. "Come on… let's go finish this network… for Fria."
End BGM
Meanwhile, back at the Mushroom Kingdom Hospital…
Chiaki's eyes sparkled with wonder. "This Direct is amazing! Mario RPG is getting a remake, Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon is getting a remake… a new Peach game, a Splatfest all about ice cream, Sonic's getting a new 2D adventure, all these third parties… Petey, Wiggler and Kamek are in Mario Kart 8. Aaaah! And Daisy's a playable character in this new Super Mario Wonder game! Can this get any better!"
Wait for it~ Ibuki grinned.
Chiaki immediately saw Mario hitting a ? block with an apple falling off. "Is that… an apple? What would-"
"Wowie Zowie!"
"WHAT THE HECK?!" Chiaki yelled in surprise, seeing Mario turn into an elephant.
"That Goomba looks so serene-"
SLAP!
"Well then!"
"...PFFFFFFT!" Chiaki burst out laughing. "Oh my gosh, Mario turns into an elephant! That's hilarious!" She cackled with laughter, wiping a tear from her eye. "Ooooh goodness, I needed that."
"You seem to be in high spirits~" Haru walked in with some tea in her hands. "Got a new zero to death combo in Smash?"
"Oh no, it's even better than that." Chiaki giggled.
"Oh?"
"Have you heard about Super Mario Bros Wonder?"
Ibuki: She knew it! She KNEW Chiaki-chan would love Elephant Mario-chan!
Deadpool: Just wait until she figures out the rest of the cast turning into elephants...
Poor Futaba, though... this Gaiden was suggested by Jacob.