~08 Fr: Senshi vs. Senshi IV
Flashback: Delta!Earth/Terabithia
July 2026 A.D
National Swimming Complex, Dhaka, Bangladesh
It had been 3 years since the incident but the bonds between Alex and Kyle were much stronger as time passed on. This year was another major swimming tournament half-way between the 2024 and the 2028 Olympics. As usual, Alex remained hidden in the background of people in a cloak-like outfit as he waited for his fiancé to get to the diving block.
The 2024 Olympics took place in Paris, France and the 2028 was set for Los Angeles, California. That year was going to be somewhat nostalgic for Kyle in terms of going back to his home state.
Back in the present, getting around this city was immensely intense as there were so many people living per kilometer. Not to mention the humidity in this area was far worse than the Midwest back in the states. People walk on foot all over the roadways as a few others rode on mopeds and fewer drove with cars.
In contrast to the city, the country air was sweet with various assortments of flora nectar and the music of the land's anthem could be heard with love and peace.
Amar sonar Bangla
Ami tomay bhalobashi,
Ciradin tomar akas, tomar batas, amar prane
Oma amar prane, bajay basi.
Sonar Bangla, Ami tomay bhalobasi.
At the complex, the swimmers for the 100 meters butterfly made their way out. It was the 2nd heat of the preliminary competition.
Unlike most of the arenas, this one was a purely outdoor venue. It wasn't a huge, gigantic arena but it was certainly crowded. Thankfully, Kyle was able to get enough funds for a hotel stay nearby. The swimmers readied themselves on the blocks…
"Take your Marks…"
BEEP!
Kyle makes his dive in, trailing at second. Alex narrowed his eyes at the lead swimmer, but the name wasn't anything familiar or suspicious. However, his mind was taken back 10 years prior when this individual named Maxime Redding was trying to attack his reputation. Despite being somewhat true in a way, a lot of things happened with magic and such.
Even still this Maxime guy wouldn't stop spreading rumors and lies but then one day disappeared without a trace. Despite this, some of the social media would try to come up with conspiracy theories and make accusations whenever any evidence was presented. However, these were all to be false as both Alex and Kyle tried to keep themselves well hidden away from the public.
I'm just glad to be having a second chance of life, he thought, I wonder what happened to that other version of myself? Did he become a swimmer? Or is he a fantasy king?
Kyle makes his turn on the wall and speeds up finally neck to neck. Alex smiled upon this, knowing that his fiancé would certainly make it. At the last strike of the walls, Kyle did manage to make it first in this preliminary race without a problem.
One race down, two to go, Alex grinned silently.
Later in the day, they both reunited just outside the venue as Alex kissed him on the lips, "Great job today."
"Hehe, thank you," Kyle smiled.
"We should get back to the room," Alex said, "For a moment, I felt something off…"
"Are you alright?" Kyle asked.
"Mostly but…just…I guess there's some uncertainty," he shrugged.
"But what about the Sadullapur Flower Gardens?" Kyle reminded him, "Those tickets…?"
"I'll see if I can get them rescheduled," Alex said, "I know they're supposed to be beautiful there. Besides, it was my fault for buying the tickets on the day you were swimming."
"Yeah…that's a bit of a conflict there," Kyle remarked, "Silly."
"So much for trying to be a good future husband," he rolled his eyes.
"Hey, hey, you're doing fabulous," Kyle smiled, his hands cupping at Alex's face.
"I know," he sighed, "I just wish…"
"Oi! Isn't that Kyle!?" one of the people cried out.
"Who is that?!" another person pointed at Alex.
"Is that his boyfriend or husband?! Someone please alert the paparazzi!" a third person cried out.
They both felt frozen in place in fear, worried that someone would try to stop their privacy.
"We better go," Alex said, "I don't want them to know me."
They quickly fled from the scene before realizing that some paparazzi were chasing after them. Photos were being flashed. The two turned to an alley and continued to run in silence as they were using their phones as a GPS to avoid any potential dead ends.
"Dammit!" Kyle growled, "These people know how to take shots and these damn drones!"
At least I'm somewhat hidden, Alex thought, but we're running out of options.
They both got to a clearing of a busy intersection, but the paparazzi weren't far behind. Time was running out to avoid causing a public scene. Finally, a vehicle roared in towards the crowd, forcing them to flee a moment as Alex and Kyle watched the van doors opening. Their eyes widened in shock by the surprise of…
"Get in!" Kosuke said.
With a nod, they both rushed inside the van as they were greeted with Ken (being the driver) and Nicolas. The paparazzi continued to take photos as the van took off to the main streets.
"Y-you guys!?" Kyle gasped, "H-how did you…?"
"We watched your tournament back in the Olympics," Kosuke said, "Remember?"
"Well yeah, but since that little dinner reunion, you guys like disappeared!" Kyle answered.
"Sorry about that," Ken makes a nervous sweat drop.
"Life still goes on," Nicolas shrugged.
"Aren't any of you guys' still swimming?" Alex asked.
"Only on a casual basis," Ken said, "We support the U.S. Masters Swimming."
"Oh, that's cool!" he replied.
"But we haven't really seen your names back in Arizona…" Kyle added.
"We moved out," Nicolas revealed, "I'm in San Diego while Kosuke is up in Seattle, and Ken is at the San Antonio division. We're both unofficially in tournaments but also provide charity events. Neither of us go onto the full-time pros."
Kyle slightly frowned a little but nodded, "I see."
"Hey, it's not that bad," Kosuke said, "We're just happy that at least one of us has made it far enough."
"How about we grab some dinner like old times?" Nicolas asked.
"Um…" Kyle begins but pauses.
"As much as we'd like to take the offer, I'm not quite feeling well myself," Alex said, "Must be the air quality here or something."
"Well that's a bummer," Ken replied.
"I'm sure we'll meet again," Kyle added, "Thank you for saving us."
"Of course," Kosuke answered, "We'll get you both back to the hotel."
After about 20 minutes of getting through, the van finally dropped them off at The Grand Hyatt. The duo thanked their friends before heading back to their room. Once they were secured, Alex sighed and lay down on the bed, feeling emotionally paranoid.
"Okay, what's wrong?" Kyle asked.
"Is it just me or don't you think they're acting a bit weird?" he replied.
"They just happened to be in town," Kyle noted.
"Exactly," Alex answered, "I just…I don't know…"
"What's bothering you?" Kyle looks at him more carefully.
"This is gonna sound a bit much but, I'm worried they might know the truth…about me," he said.
Recalling the wish from three years ago, Kyle frowned slightly, "You think their memories weren't wiped clean?"
"Ever since I met that other version of myself…I am sensing things a bit out of the ordinary," Alex replied, "It's almost as if I have a sixth sense…about people. I know I should give the benefit of the doubt and be fair. However, those Paparazzi tried to stalk us out. For a moment I was worried…"
"Of being caught, huh," Kyle nodded, "I mean…if only those three did remember the truth, let's just say…"
"I got a bad feeling about them," Alex said, "If they remember what happened to me…there's no doubt that it'll be a scandal waiting to be resurfaced. Social media will be having a heyday and be ostracizing us to death."
"I think it's just paranoia," Kyle rested his hand on his shoulder, "Don't overthink things too much."
"I hope so," Alex sighed, "I moved on from all that…I don't know why people have to fester like this?"
Nightfall
Ken, Kosuke, and Nicolas stood outside of the hotel complex as it was awfully tall and hard to find Alex and Kyle's room. With a nod, they silently transformed into their Senshi forms before making a leap up to the skies.
"We should've killed them when we had the chance," Kosuke growled, "But something kept pushing us back."
"I'm sure it's the power of whatever is placed inside of Alex," Nicolas observed, "It's not the drugs. But something else…"
"Let's get in," Ken narrowed his eyes, "And finish this."
They silently used their magic to get through the door and see the couple sleeping peacefully together. Ken approached the duo and raised his hand, crackling with his own energy attack.
WHOOOSSHHHHH-CLICK
Time suddenly paused as everything was frozen in place as the background was all in violet-blue hues.
"This is the second time you are trying to destroy the future," Suiei Kronos walks in, annoyed, "What is it you are trying to accomplish, Chaos?"
Not hearing any form of an answer, Kronos sighs and once again reverses the memories of the trio, sending them back outside moments earlier. The trio were confused about what happened before Memnon finally arrived on the scene.
"S-Sir?!" Kosuke asked.
"You've done enough," Memnon said, not showing any emotion, "This mission was a success."
"H-Huh?!" the trio looked confused.
"Don't look too surprised," Memnon answered, revealing his Persian Bang Crystal, "I was able to see who intervened with us. Such a powerful entity indeed. However, it appears that my target has still not reclaimed anything from before."
"I guess that means we're dead," Kosuke sighed.
"Dead?" Memnon laughed, "Of course not. You three are far from it. However, let them have their cake for some time. They'll get married eventually and you'll be in their wedding."
"Ooooh, is that when we'll kill them?" Ken asked.
"No," Memnon answered, "Just remain your normal selves and continue to investigate them."
"And what about those necklaces?" Kosuke added.
"Oh, you'll get them, absolutely," Memnon grinned, "This is just to show that you are able to kill them despite not remembering it. Come, I'll show you what happened."
Present Day: Iwamara, Duniya
Four days into the Shadow Guardians' attacks, the sun could barely be seen through high cloud coverage. Some wondered if there was another storm coming in.
Alex woke up with a bit of the night sweat, wondering if his head was still being probed by Memnon. With a sigh of relief, he gets up and heads over to the washroom to brush his teeth. Moments later, he turned to hear a door opening which revealed Anastasia.
"A-Ana?" he asked.
"Morning father," she replied, "You feeling okay?"
"Exhausted, torn…but I guess I'm still alive," he said with a sigh, "Ana. Was I ever…bad?"
"W-what? No, absolutely not!" she answered, "That doesn't mean you were always flawless, anyone will make mistakes. Isn't that what you've taught me?"
"Yeah," he said, shaking his head slightly, "Even still…a lot of guilt from long ago is trying to haunt me again. I was so happy for you to be in my life as my daughter. Those 18 or so years of being a family peacefully…it is truly something I'll never forget."
"Father, I know you'll be able to save everyone," she encourages him, "You might not feel it yet, but that light of hope is within you."
"What would I do to save them all?" he sighed, "I wish I knew that answer."
"You will," she replied, "Anyway, I'll talk with you later, okay?"
"Sure," he smiled sadly as he watched her leave, heading back to the vacant suites.
She's really grown up so beautifully, he thought, I hope we can bring her down the aisle for her wedding…
Once he finished cleaning up, he walked back to the main suite as everyone was preparing breakfast. A small feeling of happiness was there amidst all the grim reality happening.
"Heya there, Sandro-chan," Makoto greeted.
"You doing okay there honey?" Kyle asked.
"Yeah…well, despite all that's happening," he said, "It's hard to maintain composure like this. I don't mean to be lamenting this so much."
"You're not going to face this alone," Rin reassured him, "We'll kick ass and save everyone who we love."
"Thank you," Alex smiled as he watched Rei cooking at the stove making some omelets and pancakes.
His memory flashed back to when Rei made him that breakfast back in Iwatobi, leading him to a small silent tear to wipe off. Haruka was looking at the window with a concerned look on his face.
"What's going on Haru?" Nagisa asked.
"This weather seems ominous…" he muttered, "I doubt it's a natural storm."
"It's no doubt the work of our enemies," Makoto stepped in, "But we need to refuel ourselves if we're going to take them down."
"We should invite the others," Nagisa added, "We'll have enough food for all of us."
Outside, the Macedonia Trio were practicing their combat moves with Aoba, Hiyori, Asahi, and Ikuya. The skies above were getting darker as they continued to train themselves. At one point, Aoba and Asahi's stomach began to growl for food.
"Oh dear…" Asahi blushed.
"Sounds like the monkey needs his banana," Ikuya said.
"W-WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT MEAN!?" he blushed loudly.
"Ikuya…" Hiyori sighed while Kaede sightly smirked.
"Didn't think ya had it in there," Kotetsu remarked.
"When it comes between those two," Hiyori sighed.
"Let's just go in," Aoba agreed, "We could use some food anyway."
They head on in as a lone figure watched from a hidden distance. Once they met up with the others at the main suite, they all shared a various basket of food passed around.
"This omelet is amazing Rei-chan!" Nagisa munched, "I wished I had this sooner!"
"It's the same one I made for Alex a long time ago back in Iwatobi," he winked.
"Haru is still cooking there?" Makoto asked.
"He can't have his omelet without…that," Rin sighed.
"Why did we run out of saba?!" Haruka looks at them.
"Must we get into a debate about that?" Kaede rolled his eyes.
"Haru-chan, I don't think saba mixes well with eggs like that," Nagisa makes a nervous sweat drop.
"This is bringing us back memories…" Asahi felt nostalgic.
"Yeah, like the time when we cooked for Haru since he would only eat saba," Ikuya said.
"Oooh, when was this?" Nagisa asked.
"It was back in middle school," Asahi grinned, "Haruka passed out once on the way back home and after getting the okay from all our folks, we fed him up quite well and stayed there for a few days."
I wish I had a life like they had, Alex thought, in any reality…why did my childhood had to be so rough?
"Anyway, we also had a pillow fight and sort of bent one of those sliding panels…god that look on Haru's face," Asahi narrated out the story still.
"We had definitely a lot of relays back then…Elementary, Middle, and even High School," Makoto thought about the three different teams on his point of view.
Rin smiled as he recalled the same things despite going to Samezuka. Asahi and Ikuya reflected their days in Kazami and Shionezaki respectively.
They were so happy, Alex thought, then I took it all away from them…and the fact that I was swimming but wasn't real…no…I-I can't…if I cry now, M-Memnon…h-he'll…
"Sandro?" Kyle looks at him.
"Are you okay?" Rei notices his change of aura.
Alex breathed in and out for a moment, before commenting, "He's trying to get in my head. I need to find Masaki."
"Did the weather clear up yet?" Albert asked.
Haruka turned his head to see the skies still darkening, "I don't think this is a natural storm."
"This can't be…the Shadow Achaemenian are here?!" Makoto gasped.
"It's no doubt they are after our crystals," Rei narrowed his eyes.
Alex got up on his feet, "I won't let them take any more of your lives like this! Memnon has to be stopped at all costs! This has been my entire, most grievous fault!"
"Huh?" Kaede looks at him.
"Prince, don't blame yourself for the past," Kotetsu reminded him.
"No. It's not even about Macedonia…it's about that promise," Alex replied, "I feel like I am the one holding us all back. No matter how much swimming we do, how close we got to our happy day…IT KEEPS SHOVING BACK LIKE A CRUEL TWISTED FATE!"
Kyle finally grabs him from behind to stop his madness, "Sandro! Get a hold of yourself! PLEASE!? DON'T LET MEMNON GET INTO YOUR HEAD! Remember the reason why you swim!"
His eyes widened as time nearly slowed down as his mind was finally showing him some weird location in deep space-time. A large building was in front of him looking majestic and horrific at once.
"W-where am I?" he muttered.
"This is the Rhodinean Cathedral Palace…" Memnon's voice said across the empty space, "The Edge of all the Omniverse…this place will be your grave..."
"Oi!" Rin shouted, bringing Alex back to reality.
"His eyes just now…" Haruka muttered.
Alex's eyes finally snapped as he looked at them, "I…I have a lead on where he is."
"Huh?!" Nagisa and Rei gasped.
"There's only one person who might be willing to help us…" Alex said as he looked out at the window, "Maybe two."
He took out his phone to try to contact his brother. However, there was no internet nor cellular reception at all. The others took out their phones with similar results. With this, the STYLE FIVE approached the window as sure enough the storm was getting worse by the minute.
Trees were being blown or toppled over, power lines fallen, several roofs were falling off from structures. Not to mention the seaside almost appeared…
"Oh no…" Rei breathed.
"This can't be…" Rin gasped.
"We gotta do something quick!" Nagisa cried out.
"Then we have no choice," Asahi said, "We'll head out to confront our enemies. The rest of you stay here."
"NO! You're not going out there alone!" Kotetsu argued.
"If we all go out there the enemy might lure us all one by one," Ikuya replied.
"Oi!" Kaede replied.
"Please protect our prince," Hiyori smiled, "And his partner on our behalf."
Kotetsu clenched his fist as he grunted to himself, W-why? We might not be experienced fighters, but I got a bad feeling this is not gonna end well.
Ikuya could tell the anger and sadness mixed within Kotetsu, knowing that they are both breaststroke swimmers. He approaches him briefly, "We'll swim again, alright?'
"Don't die out there before defeating the enemy," he grunted.
"You had to say it that way?" Albert sighed.
"Leave it to us four," Hiyori said, "Once we stop this storm and such, we'll give you the clear."
They watched Asahi, Ikuya, Aoba, and Hiyori depart like fearless and maybe slightly foolish warriors. However, everyone was all feeling the same thing about this…
"Have faith in them," Kyle turned to Alex.
"Weren't you going to tell us something?" Haruka asked.
"I need to put my head down first for a bit," he said, "This storm is giving me a headache."
"I'll go find some Tylenol," Rei replied, heading to the hallways en route to the clinic area.
"I'll help out!" Nagisa followed him behind.
Alex sat down on the chair and looked at the remaining members, "I apologize for my outburst earlier. It was no excuse to be stressful and then act immaturely."
"You're fine," Rin answered, "I can't imagine how much this has affected you, let alone the rest of us."
"I just don't understand why I can't get a good grip on my powers like I used to," he said, "It's almost as if I am fed with too much power to control. And yet, I'm like…I want to swim. We're supposed to be swimming still on this day."
"Once we save everyone, I am sure the show will go on," Haruka reassured him, "At some point once we catch our break."
"I wonder where Minato and Masaki are at," Alex looks at Kyle, "Hopefully the storm didn't do anything to them."
The other four senshi made it to the lobby area to see the stormy clouds and the high intense winds blowing everything in its path. It was no doubt that this storm was made by their enemies.
With nods to each other, they each cried out their transformation dances.
Asahi shouted out his transformation spell with his right-hand glowing salmon pink nails among the Ribbon Stripped Seal and a metallic key symbol:
"OLYMPUS PHOCIADE CRYSTAL POWERRRRRRRR…"
Ikuya followed likewise with a headset and the Beluga in the background as his nails flashed a clear red-violet color.
"OLYMPUS BELUGA CRYSTAL POWERRRRRRRRR…"
Hiyori cried out his transformation spell, raising his right hand as the symbol of the Polar Bear spirit animal appeared with several maple leaves and snowflakes drifting about. His nails flashed forest green.
"OLYMPUS URSUS CRYSTAL POWERRRRRR…"
Aoba followed suit with the Capybara spirit animal along with leaves of the Bonsai tree. His nails glowed in canary yellow and gray halves.
"SOUFUKAN CAPYBARA CRYSTAL POWERRRRRRR…"
The four each take a corner and shouted together, "MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKKKKEEEE UP!"
Asahi bathed in streams of glowing orange, melon, and purple ombre after releasing his forehead flickered his spirit animal. The streams then exploded with energy, releasing several ribbon seals flying in the background.
Ikuya's forehead glowed in the neon spirit animal symbol, flickering some light energy radiating out. The background turned lavender, white, and sky blue with a horde of beluga whales swimming and making a cry call. His arms then circulated in the pattern of the breaststroke as a small breeze swept through his hair.
Aoba punched his way through the makeshift logs, breaking them into energy bits and transformed it into magical ribbons to make his outfit. Raising both his arms up, the energy became his tri-ribbon streamers that connected at the metallic center piece. At its apex, it etched out his spirit animal.
Several leaves and pinecones swirled around Hiyori's lower side, donning a two-layer skirt in dark emerald and a lighter jade green. A long-length brown, forest green, and lime-yellow set of ribbons appeared, connected to a metallic piece with an etched design of the spirit animal.
Asahi's tri-streamer ribbon set appeared in the colors of salmon, purple, and a light gray, connected by the metallic centerpiece that etched out his spirit animal. He opened his eyes, grabbing his weapon and taking his new battle stance with a smirk on his face.
Ikuya spun around and clapped his hands together, releasing more soundwaves and musical notes as his shoulders were now marked with shoulder pads that were smoother and sleek but had several crystals embedded in them.
Aoba snatched his Soufukan Spiked Warhammer before opening his eyes while keeping a grim-like face as he spun himself around with the hammer. He took his battle stance as the background behind him showed a traditional-Japanese like painting of the water with bonsai trees and a few capybaras swimming.
Hiyori opened his eyes as he donned a pair of gold-stud earrings on both sides, as well as a bracelet to his left wrist. Finally, his upgraded Shimogami Forested Pickaxe with a chained flail and a spiked ball appeared, prompting him to grab it and resume his own battle position. The background behind him showed tundra-like aesthetic colors of nature with ice caps around.
Ikuya finally opened his eyes in a more serious tone facial expression, grabbing the Crystal Penta-Trident and taking his battle pose. The background behind him was dark purple and orchid with hints of white and brick red with a symbol of his spirit animal. Beneath his feet was the symbol of a headset with musical notes flying loosely from the ear pads.
Asahi opened his eyes, grabbing his weapon and taking his new battle stance with a smirk on his face. Two of the spirit animals posed likewise as the background behind him was a blend of orange, magenta, and purple accents of geometric patterns. Beneath his feet, a key-like symbol was seen.
The four landed back on the ground as the storm was still ongoing and intensifying. Hiyori opened his x-ray vision goggles to find where the source of darkness was coming from.
"Can you see where they're at?!" Ikuya asked.
"It's beaming towards the town plaza!" Hiyori answered.
Back Inside…
Alex and Kyle sat down in a separate room as Masaki and Minato continued to teach them on mind shielding. This time it was a different procedure as the latter duo proceeded to use their own gifted abilities against them. Minato's inner abilities from archery and the Tsurune were like penetrating an arrow in both their heads. This psychological ability was striking their minds in some pain.
"FOCUS!" Masaki reminded them, "Remain calm and stoic as possible! The sooner you become that, the lessen the pain will become!"
Alex grunted heavily as his hands were clasped as his head while Kyle was heavy breathing on this mental attack.
"You cannot show any emotion to Memnon nor any of his subjects," Masaki added, "That's why these deaths are affecting you both, especially you Alex."
It's like the time I was heartless during my false Olympic swimming, Alex thought, maybe if I…
However, his mind flashed to the trauma again when he was transforming into that Durabolix-Chiropteran like monster and going after the airplane. He fell to his knees and covered his head with his hands.
"Your memories cannot be neither good nor evil," Masaki added, "You have to devoid all emotion of any kind!"
Devoid emotion, Kyle thought, but how is that possible if…?
Alex looked up towards Minato as his hand was still operating with the magic from his inner power. Not wanting to do this, Alex looks into Minato's eyes with an empty stare, finally pushing him back to their surprise. With this, Alex approaches Minato and calls upon his own power from the Macedonia Dragon Crystal to make a small low-light blast attack, finally breaking the mind invasion.
"Are you alright?!" Alex asked.
"Y-yeah…" Minato said.
"Are you saying that whenever the enemy attacks our minds, we have to just blast them down?" Kyle looks at Masaki.
"You basically have to do whatever it takes to stop them," Masaki answered while ignoring your own pain.
Alex was about to reply when his phone flashed for a moment. Realizing it came from his brother, he turned to Kyle with a nod, "We have to get the others together…those of us remaining at least."
Gou went to an empty room where Isuzu was sitting down alone with photos of her brothers and a candle lit up. It was like living back during the enslavement on the old Earth but only this time…
She rested her hand on Isuzu's shoulder, "Hey, I know you're still in mourning. But we're here for you."
Isuzu said nothing at first, but a lone tear prompted her to wipe her face, "I know…"
"We'll find them," she answered, "Together. For now, the others are calling a meeting. It appears our author friend has found some more insight about our enemies."
The Magic Six, Kyle, Gou, Isuzu, along with the Suizei Quintet and Yamato gathered forth but there was no response from Asahi, Ikuya, Aoba, and Hiyori. Alex's heart was fearing the worst as it was no doubt this plant was still facing the invasion of the Shadow Achaemenian Empire.
Sergi presented them with notes he had written up as well as some photos he scanned from the book. The senshi and the two girls observed and studied them. Kyle's face was crestfallen upon what he saw about…
"Kosuke…Ken…Nicolas…" he muttered, "Why? After all this time? They were trying to kill us long before?!"
"It appears that Memnon had specific instructions on how to attack you and my brother…" Sergi revealed.
"What I don't understand is that…how is Memnon even a Swimming Guardian despite having magic," Alex replied, "He never swam in his life."
"That's where I think those missing pages are about," the younger Marotta brother speculated, "I think he was a swimmer. We just don't know when or what era he was in."
"Well regardless of when he was able to swim, it still doesn't conclude the fact that his attacks aren't just coincidence," Haruka said.
"Correct," Sergi replied, "This whole revenge dates back to our time in Ancient Greece."
"These other guardians, I didn't think we were the only Suiei Senshi," Nagisa was fascinated by this trio, "From the other planets."
"I am sure there are more of them out there," Rei added, "After all…"
"You are correct," Yamato answered.
It's weird to see a version of my brother, Isuzu thought.
Not to mention a version of me was his wife, Gou added to the mental note.
"Well if these guys are only brainwashed, could it be possible to save them?" Makoto asked, "The other false Swimming Guardians were killed off without any chances."
"Yeah, I agree," Kyle said, "Kosuke, Ken, and Nicolas were friends. I'm still hurt by their betrayal but I'm sure we can find a way to help them recover."
"We have helped a lot of people recover from trauma," Rin nodded, "Including ourselves, our friends and more."
"Absolutely," Rei added.
I hope the others are okay, Haruka thought, Asahi, Ikuya, Aoba…Hiyori…
Isuzu was keeping quiet during the conversation as Yamato looked at her, "You don't have to be afraid. The stars within their crystals are still shining."
"As long as that remains even without their bodies, there's always hope for them to return," Hayato said.
"Yeah," she answered, wiping a lone tear from her face.
Kisumi walked into the room with some hot cocoa for his brother as they continued their conversation on the Shadow Achaemenian Empire as well as pinpointing Memnon's potential location.
Gou's phone finally flashed up a text message, much to the others' surprise of the lack of any reception. However, upon reading it…
"I need to step to the side," she excused herself.
"Is everything alright?" Nagisa asked.
"Just…unexpected," she shrugged, heading to a hallway alone.
Aves Castle, Sierra Forest
Waking up in some wooden-like nest of twigs, leaves, and dirt, the Mullerian princess woke up to this uncomfortable position. Being one with the birds was certainly no easy task. Their beds were too earthly unlike her home in Chirottori.
Finally, the Queen walks in the room as she was robust in size with massive, feathery wings that shed occasionally. She had a mouth-like beak hybrid with hazel, piercing eyes.
"T-thank you for offering me some shelter," Stellaluna bowed.
"We're glad to see you well princess," Queen Ava answered, "However, my children need to not venture forth further than the marked territories here."
"Did something happened here to this kingdom?" she asked.
At first the queen didn't answer but with the dire situation of the rest of the planet, she turned her attention back.
"My husband, King Ornith, was the greatest master of our species," she revealed, "His vision was like none other of us birds. His existence was the reason why we were able to venture out of this forest and even fly at night.
"Until one evening…his brother, Prince Strigi, betrayed him by luring his own crowd to hunt him and take his power and our abilities."
"What happened to Strigi?" Stellaluna asked.
"He and his owl clan were exiled, one of them was said to have fled to the north after realizing what Strigi planned to do to overthrow us. They were never seen again since," she shrugged, "One of my children inherits his power but until one of them can master it…they cannot leave this domain."
"What about the Greatest Light?" the Mullerian princess asked, "Maybe there is a way to help your people…"
"We birds already know what's bound to happen to us," Ava cut her in, "Either way, we do not have the capability to fight back."
Iwamara
Asahi, Aoba, Ikuya, and Hiyori tracked down the attackers as Suiei Gliese Hydra and Suiei Gliese Libra were back-to-back with their arms raised upwards to the dark, funneling cloud above.
"It's them!" Hiyori gasped.
The twins turned to see the four with sneering looks on their faces.
"Sounds like we finally got your attention," Gliese Hydra said, "I am the Guardian of Hydra Star System, Suiei Gliese Hydra!"
"And I am the twin of my sibling, Guardian of the Libra Star System, Suiei Gliese Libra!" the other senshi introduced himself.
"The four of you will make perfect decorations for our master King Memnon!" Hydra added, "Those stars inside your heart crystals are nothing but fuel sources to our great empire!"
The four grunted and readied themselves as Libra readied his fists and shouted, "SHADOWWWW, ACHAEMENIANNNNN, HYDROLYSIS!"
Several mini vortices spun out, trying to throw them off balance, but they dove and dodged the attacks. Ikuya takes aim at his Crystal Penta-Trident and fires with energy-based blasts.
Suiei Gliese Libra closes his eyes and trails Aoba and Asahi, aiming his own attack at them with his metallic rod, "SHADOOWWWWW, ACHAEMENIAANNNNNNNN HAILSTORMMMMM!"
An explosion of ice and hail were unleashed, striking Aoba down as he grunted in pain from the attack. Asahi growled and readied his own counterattack on the Laser Harpoon, "PHOCIADE, ELECTRICCCCCC, LASERRRRR!"
Beams of UV light were fired from the weapon, striking the hail attack into shards. Hiyori turned barely in time to clash Suiei Hydra as the latter gripped on his Shimogami Forested Pickaxe. Moments later, Hiyori realized that his weapon was starting to get hot to the touch. The pressure from Hydra's power was certainly agony.
"With this you all will become another prize!" Hydra laughed as Hiyori was about to lose his grip.
"HIYORI!" Ikuya cried out as he charged over but Libra unleashed a funnel to keep him trapped within. Aoba was barely getting his head out of the ground when…
A beam of purple, blue, green, and pink lights flashed in the nearby distance as Haruka, Makoto, Rei, and Nagisa swooped in side by side as they readied their individual attacks…
"DOLPHIN, FREESTYLLEEEEE, ECHOLOCATIIOONNNN!" Haruka shouted as he plucked on the Kantele strings with water and musical-like notes being unleashed.
"ORCA, STAMPEDIINNNGGG, RIFFFFTTT!" Makoto chanted as he spun with his talisman on his forehead, unleashing several water-shaped orcas.
"PENGUIN, ICCCCYYYYY, BITEEEEEEE!" Nagisa added his spell as the book flashed to life with icicles and water-shaped angry penguins.
"BUTTERFLY, SILENNNNTTTTT, PATHWAAAYYY!" Rei contributes his own attack by unleashing a horde of invisible butterflies in a clear-transparent pattern.
The four individual attacks released Ikuya from the vortex as the two corrupted senshi jumped back to see their foes increasing in numbers.
"OLYMPUS, IWATOBIIIIIII, MEDLEEEEYYYYY!" the four combined their powers after their foes as four strings of their respective lights spun together with a white-spheroid attack. The powers struck the dog tag necklaces of the evil twins. Moments later, the storm finally stopped.
"D-Did we get them?!" Alex gasped as he and Rin arrived as the twins slumped to the ground. Rin takes his x-ray vision on them to confirm as the two senshi discussed earlier from Sergi.
"No doubt about it," Rin said, "Let's hurry and get them to safety!"
Makoto, Haruka, Rei, and Nagisa went to check on the other four as they were relieved for the rescue.
"Thanks so much Haru!" Ikuya sighed with relief, hugging him and Makoto along with Asahi.
"We're so grateful for you both to be here," Aashi smiled.
"Yeah," Haruka added, "At least with those two we can…"
FLASH, BA-BLEEP
Everyone turned to their horror as Asahi and Ikuya's bodies were flashed of their heart crystals emerging out. They were instantly turned to golden dust before ashes.
"IKUYAAAAAAAA!" Hiyori roared in sheer agony.
"ASA-CHAN!? IKU-CHAN?!" Nagisa screamed.
A ghostly figure of a lone warrior appeared with an echoing laughter filling the brief tranquil area with a shrill of cold.
Makoto's eyes were all blank like Haru's as they both collapsed down upon this. Memnon disappeared along with the two other defeated twins as he dissolved their bodies likewise. Taking the four crystals, he gives Alex a cold shoulder malicious grin before vanishing.
I-Ikuya, Haruka's mind flashed back to their swimming days at the Iwatobi Middle School.
A-Asahi, Makoto's mind echoed back likewise.
"That son of a bitch!" Hiyori grips his fist, "We need to get back!"
Alpha!Earth:
The Final Stroke – Part 1
Tokyo, Japan (Post-Sydney)
Makoto and Haruka sat down at the apartment as the latter shared his experience in Sydney with Makoto. Despite not winning any of the medals, Haruka was truly thankful in making that scene a reality.
"I want to keep on going," Haruka looks at him, "It's certainly only the beginning."
Rin and Sousuke sat down at a coffee shop as the former also expressed his parallel feelings despite not making far like Haruka. However, knowing that Sousuke was making his return to the swimming world definitely would be a great push and motivator.
"I guess I wasn't prepared on my heart and my strength the way Haruka was," Rin said, "That race especially with Kinjou and Volandel…I couldn't imagine what I'd feel if I was in that segment."
"But didn't he just leave after that?" Sousuke asked.
"It was strange yeah," Rin said, "Haruka was even a bit off."
"You always have so many friends…and family."
"E-eh?" Rin muttered as he heard that strange voice.
"Rin?" Sousuke looks at him, "Are you alright?"
Back at the apartment, Haruka also heard that weird voice as Makoto grew concerned about the sudden change in the atmosphere.
"Will you keep that promise? Will that future finally happen?"
In Iwatobi, Nagisa, Rei, and Gou glanced at the sunset taking place at the coastline. It was certainly a blood-red colored skies with a fiery ball of uncertainty gleaming over.
"Agggh, Haru-chan didn't get a medal!" Nagisa pouted.
"But at least he got some prize money," Rei reassured him, "That lone is a great feat."
They kept on walking, but Gou's mind was still somewhat elsewhere. Rei noticed this unusual silence from her.
"Something wrong, Gou-san?" Rei asked.
"It's dangerous to be staring at that," Nagisa tried to pull her away.
"That sunset…I feel like…" she muttered.
BLING-DING
A strange crystal-like object fell in front of the trio. With a hesitant look, Gou picks it up and gives it to Rei. It almost looked like an elongated octahedron.
"That came out of nowhere…?" Nagisa tilted his head.
WHOOOSH-ZLIP-CLING-CLING
Haruka, Makoto, Rin, Sousuke, and the trio each felt an intense pain in their abdomen and their chests as the world around them suddenly felt distorted and warped.
W-what is this pain, Makoto's mind scream.
Dammit, what the hell is going on, Rin's mind cried out.
Outside of Tokyo Bay, Suiei Kronos arrived barely in time to see the entire area beginning to warp and twist in some nightmarish hue choking around. It was getting worse and worse by the moment as that darkness was enveloping the entire planet at a rapid rate.
Dammit Chaos, Kronos growled to himsellf, if I reset this area…Apollo will resume their threat on Camelot! But if I don't…this entire world and its storyline will BE DESTROYED!
He raised up the Theisas Staff, shouting, "TIME…I COMMAND THEE, REFORM!"
A great sphere of white light erupts, finally dispelling the warping and resetting time by a couple of minutes to allow the timeline to resume normally, erasing the memories of this supernatural moment.
Camelot
However, by doing so, the barrier blocking Suiei Chaos/Apollo finally crumbled apart as the warrior of darkness took a few moments to breathe. Thankfully it was enough time for the Mahotsukai to evacuate from the immediate area and get out of the capital in order to avoid potential destruction against such an unstoppable foe.
"What a pity, I have no one to torture with," Suiei Chaos muttered, "I guess I should just go to the Great Paradise and torture them there."
Rhodinean Cathedral Palace
"That little…" Memnon growled as he smacked the orb to turn off the recent events, "Not that it matters. Apollo should be able to resume destroying Camelot. With that, it will send a ripple effect to the rest of all the existing matter."
He opens his other fist with the four crystals from earlier. Two of them were able to be healed by Alex's power but he seized the chance to kill them off with Asahi and Ikuya.
"Master Memnon of Rhodes," Suiei Kepler Cygnus arrives in the chamber with a kneel.
"I have told you before to not enter this room," Memnon said.
"There has been an interesting development happening," the senshi replied.
"What is it?" Memnon asked.
Iwamara Swim World
Fleeing back to the swimming base, the Magic Six, Kyle, Aoba, and Hiyori breathed a sigh of relief. However, their bodies were on full alert after seeing Asahi and Ikuya being killed off instantly and their crystals taken.
"A-Asahi…I-Ikuya…" Makoto started to tremble before finally whimpering a silent cry.
"M-Mako-chan…" Nagisa wanted to reach to him, but Rei held him back.
Haruka kept silent and stoic, but his heart was definitely in tears with Makoto's. The fact that these deaths were happening even faster was certainly leading to The Final Reckoning. He looked at Rei for a moment as the megane kept quiet likewise.
"I wish this was all a nightmare," Alex said.
"Don't we all?" Rin asked, trying not to think about his Samezuka members.
"What about those other guardians? They haven't been much help aside from evacuating Neo Sportsbrooke," Kyle chimed in.
"We've been holding this fort for you guys here thank you very much," Kazuki grumbled as they walked in.
"We sensed it, two more?" Yamato asked.
"Yes," Alex lowered his head, "They took Asahi and Ikuya."
"Wait, where's Kae-chan, Ko-chan, Al-chan?" Nagisa realizes.
"They're resting up this time. We're taking shifts," Takuya said.
"Your majesty, if you don't mind us asking," Rei replied, "How exactly did you knew about us and getting to this world?"
"We explained to Natsuya and Nao but basically we knew to come here thanks to the great power from Neo King Julius now onto him," Yamato revealed.
"We saw that in the books," Rin said.
"But that still doesn't answer the question on how exactly you got here. What did the Macedonia Dragon Crystal…or rather the then-Solar Crystal of Destiny did?" Rei looks at the prince.
"I was sworn to keep secrecy," Yamato said, "But we met a friend…whose great power could cut through the deepest of time and space to reach to this world."
"There is more than one universe," Toru added.
"Okay, we kinda get that memo a while ago," Rei said.
"But have you had any idea how vast the Omniverse really is?" Shouta questioned them.
"The Rhodinean Cathedral Palace…" Alex muttered.
"What did you say?" Kazuki looks at him.
"I saw Memnon in a dream…he said that the Rhodinean Cathedral Palace is located at the edge of this so-called Omniverse," he revealed.
"Interesting," Rei rested his fist beneath his chin.
"So, all that exists does have a boundary?" Nagisa asked.
"I don't think that's what he meant," Rin said.
"This edge might not even be a literal edge," Yamato speculated, "For the Omniverse holds all. There are no limits."
Haruka finally brought Makoto back into the conversation as the latter was still breathing in and out on the distress. Moments later, the Macedonia trio arrived as they heard the commotion.
"Aren't you guys asleep?" Nagisa asked.
"We heard what happened," Albert said as Kotetsu kept quiet.
"So it's really down to us, huh?" Kaede twitches his brow a little while not wanting to give into emotion.
"Sandro, I think it's best that maybe we get some rest too," Kyle said.
"Count me in," Makoto agreed.
Before they could do so, Alex's brooch went off again as his visions were now showing his family back at the house…his eyes widened to his horror and near standstill, but he couldn't let this happen now.
Why are they back there, Alex thought, did something happen at the restaurant?
"Go," Yamato looks at Alex, "We'll keep this place guarded and watch over your three friends."
He looks at the Macedonia trio with a nod as Kotetsu also replied with his own nod remark.
Marotta Family Home
Sergi watched the recent deaths taking place as well as the current happenings in this mysterious Rhodinean Palace when he heard a soft wind. Getting up, he walked over into the hallways but didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. However, upon arriving at the living space…
"MOM?! DAD!? E-EVERYONE?!" he gasped to see them paralyzed with dark magic and tied up in a circle.
Two guardian figures appeared from the shadows with their malicious dog tag necklaces on. The one certainly almost looked like it had some canine features while the second was a bit more humanoid mixed with alienated goop like those from sci-fi movies.
"Did you honestly think that running away back to this ghastly little home would save you, author?" Suiei Alpha Canis sneered as the younger Marotta brother held onto the book tightly.
"You're from the Shadow Achaemenian Empire, aren't you?" Sergi narrowed his eyes.
"My, aren't we quite more confident in ourselves than the last time of your existence," Suiei Sirius Beta grinned.
"I don't care how much knowledge you know about me and the past. Let both of my parents and the girls go," Sergi ordered them, "They have nothing to do with this."
"Nothing?!" the two laughed, "Haven't you forgotten?"
"It was them who brought your existence back…to a subliminal existence in the first place," Canis chuckled, "Fate was so sorry for the two of you brats and picked such ordinary weaklings to reincarnate both you and your self-conceited brother!"
"Don't you DARE talk about my brother like that!" Sergi shouted, "Besides, you two…were supposed to be legitimate saviors to your star systems! It's those of you who forget!"
"Legitimate, huh?" Canis looks at him, "You don't get it. We upstaged our planetary guardians, Suiei Rigil Kentaurus from Planet Terraus and Suiei Gaia Ya of Planet Zo!"
"But why?!" Sergi asked, "Why would you betray your planetary systems like that?!"
"JUST SHUT UP!" Sirius shouted back, "IT'S PEOPLE LIKE YOU THAT CAUSE WARS AND CONFLICTS!"
W-what in the hell is he talking about, Sergi thought.
"I suppose we better get right into the chase," Canis replied, "You, author, have the ability to change the fate of others thanks to the power of the ink that runs in your veins."
"No. No. NO!" he barked back, "Changing the outcome with a stroke of my power will…"
"We know that," Canis rolled his eyes, "Your heart darkens, you die, blah, blah, and blah."
"But what if we told you that there was another way?" Sirius offered, "To preserve your little puny life from committing such an atrocity. After all, deep down, you know the will of Chaos and Cosmos and how the nature of the Omniverse works."
"Come with us, to Memnon, and he will gladly spare your life and perhaps these parents if you comply exactly," Canis hissed.
Memories of the past flashed in Sergi's head despite rereading that moment of history in the book. However, those missing pages…could Memnon really have them?
The door blasted open as well as several windows shattering as the Magic Six arrived with Kyle.
"I smell more crystals," Canis sniffed out the senshi standing before him.
"It'll be more amusing the fact that he's here…" Sirius points to Alex.
"That's true…we'll certainly make our master proud," Canis agreed.
"Leave my family, ALONE!" Alex readies his Solar Astro Destiny Tiare at the duo.
"The hell we will once you brother ends up giving us a favorable outcome…that Chaos will be the ultimate victor of this Final Reckoning," Canis snarled.
"Working with darkness is like playing with fire," Rei answered, "In due time, Chaos will double cross you both."
"LIKE HELL YOU KNOW US?!" Sirius shouted, readying his fists.
At the back of the house, Hiyori and Aoba snuck through and concentrated on their powers to put a watery choker on the two corrupted senshi. Cali, on the other hand, was hiding behind the couch before deciding to take the plunge as she leaped on Canis and sunk her teeth in on his leg. Behind her, Gen 1.0 Cali was also there in spirit form as she also struck a bite on the other senshi's leg.
"UAHHHHHH!" he cried out, "GET THIS BITCH OFF!"
"DAMMIT, THIS STUPID CAT!" Sirius growled.
Both of the Cali's escaped just as the duo started to choke for air as Nagisa makes his attack by unleashing chains to hold them in place while Rei unleashed butterflies to blind their vision temporarily. Alex fired light energy beams to release the darkness on their feet.
"Pootsie," the mother hugs her oldest son.
"Thank you for saving us," the father greeted.
"Cali you're awesome," Alex looks at her briefly as she meowed.
"Papa!" Anastasia hugged him as the other girls got on their footing.
"GO!" Haruka shouted.
"We need to get back to the bar!" Alex said to his parents.
"The bar was invaded, we had to run back over," the father revealed.
"More like that winged beast brought us back over with two arms," the mother said.
"What the hell happened?!" Alex turned to Sergi.
"We'll explain everything once we get to the temple," he replied.
Once the family fled from the scene, the senshi also evacuated while catching up with them. The house behind them exploded with lightning bolts raging all out. Several of the bolts were…
"SANDRO WATCH OUT!" Nagisa and Makoto screamed.
Alex gasped as he unfurled his wings while raising his staff to create a powerful shield from the attack. Both the parents, the girls, and Sergi turned to see their beloved holding back all he could from this horrific nightmare. The ground also shook with tremors affecting the nearby radius.
Dammit, where is Artemis, Alex thought, what happened to Dodecadron?! Did they attack the bar too?!
The bolts also struck down the senshi as they all grunted in various screams. Alex tried to focus on his power while shielding the mind invasion of Memnon.
Focus, he thought, I have to protect everyone!
"Pootsie…" the mother whispered.
"Brother…don't give up," Sergi prayed quietly.
"How foolish…" Suiei Alpha Canis snarled, using his artificial appendage tail to stab the ground and unleash a poison pathway towards Alex while increasing the voltage attack in order to break the barrier.
"Sandro don't lose focus!" the father cried out.
He looked at the trio in front of them as memories of his family life with them from the Old Earth to Terabithia were flashing in his head. It was mostly depressing ones, but he looked into his heart for the happier memories.
I'm sorry for being such a bad and rough son, and irresponsible father, to all of you, he thought, I…I know my choices have nearly cost my life numerous times…I just want to go back to swimming and being happy with everyone!
The images in his head showed the darker times when he and his brother would argue frequently, the girlfriend and the "police incident", the fleeing from Cleveland to Phoenix after using his own swimming as a means to an end. More so, his ego causing him to be isolated from the rest of the family with rare occasional phone calls with cries from them, begging to return home.
His face finally tears up a little as the barrier was starting to weaken. The parents, girls, and Sergi gasped as they quickly hugged him for emotional support. Cali quickly transformed into her human self, adding her support to the group. Their combined family love helped him to keep his composure against the attacks.
"Pootsie," the mother whispered, "Your existence…your smile…is more than enough."
"Remember what your family used to call you, the Smiling Baby," the father added.
"I couldn't ask for a better brother than you," Sergi replied.
"The same with us…we could never ask for another father like you and Kyle," Anastasia added.
I have lost so many of our guardians, Alex thought, I won't let Memnon take away my family! They're right! I am not who I was before! I am…Ultra Suiei Marotta, the future Neo King Alexander!
Memories of happiness finally flooded in from his heart, from reestablishing his love for the family, to his marriage to Kyle, and adopting the girls along with his biological daughter. Saving Atlantis and Olympia Magna from the Black Sun and reuniting with the swimming guardians…
That's right, he smiled to himself, the future will happen, I know it will!
"Dammit!" Canis growled, trying to increase his electrical and poison attacks, "That seemingly pathetic light…it's even stronger than it was before a moment ago! How did he obtain such power?!"
Sirius turned to prepare his killing and removing the crystals from the rest of these swimming guardians. It was all in a matter of time…
Suddenly, A lone opening in the skies could be seen as a powerful bird-like figure swooped down with a loud cawing. At first Alex thought it was Kyle unleashing his phoenix from back in Hollywood Heights, but this power was immensely different.
The bird opened its beak and roared out sonic cries to throw back the two corrupted senshi. It also released the other guardians from the lightning bolts that held them in pace. With the power of Alex's crystal, they were well back on their feet and ready to fight back against the duo.
Makoto quickly chanted a healing spell to erase the poison that was heading towards the Marotta family. The Magic Six along with Kyle, Hiyori, and Aoba surrounded the duo in hopes to keep them contained as possible.
"This ends now!" Rin snarled.
"Your reign with Memnon ends today!" Kyle added.
Annoyed, the two corrupted senshi got up, turned, and fired their blasts at Alex and Kyle in hopes to get the strongest crystals for Memnon. Seconds later, an explosion of energy erupts in front of them as both Hiyori and Aoba each took the hit.
Everyone gasped to see their bodies starting to crumble away with their heart crystals floating. Their crystals floated over to the two senshi as they grabbed it and disappeared from view. Aoba and Hiyori smiled sadly before dissolving away completely from the scene.
"H-Hiyo-chan…" Nagisa's eyes widened.
"Aoba…" Rin muttered.
"I-I can't…" Alex trembled at the shock of this.
"T-they sacrificed for us," Kyle breathed.
Angered, Haruka stabbed his Crystalized Dolphin Razor Sword to the ground. Rei lowered his head in silence while Nagisa spilled another silent tear on this loss.
"We're running thin of our team," Rin clutched his fist over his heart.
"But what was that bird earlier?" Makoto asked.
Before their eyes, the bird landed on the ground before transfiguring into a feminine person dressed in a medieval-like fashion with a modern twist of designs. Her hair was solar blonde with faint blue eyes. Her presence was mysterious yet a sense of ancient power vesting through her existence.
"T-that woman…" Alex muttered as he sensed such vast different power but yet familiar.
"I have received word from my husband and one of my children after these dark forces attacked earlier," Pandora looks at the swimming guardians, "However my presence here is only limited."
"A-Artemis…Apollo…you must be the mother?!" Makoto gasped.
Pandora smiled, "It's an honor to finally meet you, Magic Six of the Parallel Universe."
"Seems like Artemis filled you on everything," Rin said.
"We never met you before," Haruka added.
"I apologize for the lack of introduction, but my name is Pandora LeFay, the former successor to Cosmos and former ruler of the Mullerians of the past era," she greeted, "And also a former Dark One of Chaos."
The senshi took a slight step back upon the last part but Artemis appears and adds, "Do not fear. She has been freed from that strife a long time ago."
"Artemis, what happened back at the bar?" Alex asked.
"Those two senshi that you fought, they destroyed the place, and my father brought your folks over to the family house before reaching out to mother here," he revealed.
"We have a lot to discuss about," Rei said, "If you are the mother of both Artemis and Apollo…"
"There is a lot that has gone before here," she revealed, "But alas time is not on our side. Chaos has outdone itself to a larger mass and extent beyond the Dark Ones."
Alex turned to his parents, the girls, and his brother, "We need to get you guys in a safer place first."
"Sandro, don't overdo yourself, alright?" Sergi asked.
"I'm sorry about this whole thing," Alex replied, "Memnon…the Olympics…"
"Whatever happened back then is in the past," the father answered, "I know you will overcome it."
"I know," he looks at them, "But I nearly lost you guys."
"And even if we were, we know you'll find us," the mother reassured him, "You have the power."
"It's like you said to your friends," Anastasia, "The promise you made."
"That promise isn't just for them," he answered, "It's for all of us. The future."
Rhodinean Cathedral Palace
Memnon stood alone in the main open aired hall with several of the crystals floating around aimlessly. The crystals included the souls of the Takagami Senshi, Natsuya, Nao, the Samezuka Trio, and now Aoba, Hiyori, Ikuya, and Asahi. The collection was certainly growing as the anticipation of completion grew stronger.
On the steps nearby were a set of the torn pages from the book that revealed his stories from Greece to Terabithia to his conquest of selective planets he chose to usurp the power. Nearby was also a massive screen that held all the data of the Omniverse with selective tiles of where he strategically conquered.
"Toulouse, Thiene, Saitama, Terraus, Zo, such planets with great power but the people were so weak and depending on their heroes," Memnon sighed, "And what a joke it was for Suizei to suffer a second time of destruction."
He reflected briefly on the first five planets where the three of them were captured and brainwashed one by one, stripping their original senshi identities. They were then thrown into the Wall where they were granted the power of darkness from Chaos and occasionally sent to other planets to destroy and take any 'Sport Crystals'.
"Any sport with magic has a crystal…but such power is favored more upon those of the will of water…swimming," Memnon growled to himself.
Memnon looked at several other universes that held their own stories of varying sports…from basketball and volleyball to ice skating, to water polo, archery, and even considered attacking Olympia Magna. However, Chaos forbade him from attacking there as Dodecadron would be in charge. That plan ultimately failed but lessons were learned from it.
Eventually, the conquest continued as he then killed Kosuke, Nicolas, and Ken before reviving them into his other set of henchmen. From there, they also gained Alpha Canis and Sirius Beta as those two realized they were no match for combat, so they willingly betrayed their homelands by killing their guardians in favor.
Two more guardians also betrayed their planets and became the personal guards for Memnon, Suiei Gliese Scorpius from Piaui and Suiei Kepler Cygnus from Ophiuchus. Unlike the others, these two along with a set of other personal guards were to remain here in this domain.
"Still no matter," Memnon said, "The rest of the guardians of Duniya will be killed off, along with those escapees from Suizei. Then, he will come to me."
"Master Memnon, I present thee, Alpha and Sirius," Gliese Scorpius bowed before walking off to the side.
Memnon turned to the duo, "I told you to kill off any of his guardians, not my prize."
"Sir how much longer are you going to wait on this?" asked Alpha Canis.
"I said…DO NOT KILL MY PRIZE!" he snapped, "I GAVE YOU THE POWER TO KILL THE OTHER GUARDIANS AS INTENDED."
"M-Master Memnon, please…" Sirius Beta gasped, "We just wanted to help expedite this!"
"The only thing that will be expedited is YOUR DEATH!" Memnon growled, pointing his finger up at them, "Trash like you…ARE NOT MEANT TO BE STARS!"
His finger glows red and orange as both Alpha and Sirius screamed before being burnt and then turned to ashes as their dog tags fell before crumbling.
"What a waste," Memnon grumbled, walking away from the scene. He summoned the Persian Bang Crystal in his hand, staring at its majestic, destructive capabilities within.
"What only Chaos and I know…the real reason why that Chaosmos Crystal became disabled…"