Chapter 128: The fate of our nation
I feel like I've been lying there for what must have felt like who knows how long, not knowing for sure if I've won or lost in that gigantic fight against all of those bosses, and especially the final one who unlike the others I worry if I've fallen to him. I just wish I knew for sure, I really do, so that then at least I know whether I've won and I'm merely resting, or if I've lost and I'm either resting or I'm dead. I can only assume the worst that I've died by him, that he's gone on to attack Lastation, and its fall is inevitable.
As I think about the idea of our great nation inevitably falling, falling to such misery and staying there, I wonder about whether it's a good thing that I won't be seeing its demise. While it's good that I won't be seeing it, because it would be horrible to see the magnificent buildings there crumble and be destroyed, the screaming, worried, scared people massacred and for there to be smoke and dead bodies all over the place on top of another full of blood and dust, along with my friends and family and for it never to come back, and for the world to decay, to decline and to die, that is an image I cannot bear to see, and while I'm pleased I don't have to see it, it doesn't stop me imagining it.
What makes this worse is that it's such a tragic shame that I will never ever see Noire in all her glory and beauty alive, nor will I see Lastation's beauty and breath taking views and awe inspiring monuments again, which is sad because I would like to have come back there when all this is over to see all of our high tech nation, the people, and what they're doing, as well as to spend time with Noire properly having fun together helping people, trying out her tech, her food, and cosplaying and gaming together. It's too bad I won't even be able to see Noire on her high tech stealth plane and try out her new delicious milkshake, and spend a bit of time before my next mission.
Well, at least I know I made the most of it, with the memories I have of fighting and defeating Neptune, and of spending time with my friends and family and in Lastation having fun there. I did all sorts of things like driving a Bugatti Veyron, being driven around by Noire, seeing the skyscrapers, the fountains, the statues, the bridges, the tunnels, the jungles, forests, and the water. I've tried all sorts of different foods, seen a good sample of Noire's impressive new technology like the atom manipulators, eternal youth, healthcare, her perk a colas along with how environmentally friendly it all is.
In fact I've also met some of Lastation's famous people, along with seeing a taste of Noire's cosplays, seeing all of her fabulous costumes, as well as spending good quality time with her in Jacuzzis, massaging each other, and sleeping and making love together. I'll never forget it and I loved every minute of it, I just wish I could do more of it, because it was so fun and enjoyable seeing all those sights and spending time with those people, doing different things.
I begin to wonder if whether I'll actually get to spend more time on this, or at least it'll happen sometime in the future, because I find myself being able to think different thoughts, and with this I wonder if I am actually dead since with me thinking I have consciousness, I have thoughts and that's what living organisms have. Then again maybe I've been left to die, or just left there so that he can go and attack Lastation, and I will end up living to see the demise after all, which would be ever so tragic and while it might even be slow, I don't know if that's good due to more time making the most of it, or bad because a slow and painful death is worse than a quick and painless one.
The thing is though considering what I've found from Tadakatsu and the type of person he is from what I know of him and what he said, it's doubtful that he'd leave me be, he'd want to finish me off, especially with how much I've frustrated him, and from that conclusion either I'm dead, or I'm unconscious, though more likely unconscious if I am thinking thoughts. It is then I realise that if it's unlikely for me to be dead due to thinking, and it's unlikely for me to be unconscious as he'd finish me off, then there must be another explanation for my state, I must be unconscious and my enemy is dead.
While I couldn't confirm me killing Honda at the final part, there is nothing to suggest that I have failed to kill him; it's been vague as I have lost consciousness rapidly, and it's hard to see if my final shots have in fact killed him. I must have killed him if I'm still here albeit not awake, but having numerous thoughts running through my mind, and here I came to the conclusion that because there was no confirmation I assumed the worst, but then I realise that I have no idea what it's like to be dead, because I've not been dead, and whenever I have been unconscious after the last of my health being gone, I've been revived pretty quickly. It's real tragic how the only way to know is to actually be dead, because then I'd know for sure.
That's what I want to know, have I won or lost but I don't. It's annoying that even now I am still not up, awake and able to see my surroundings and work out my situation, and all because I'm either dead from being finished off, or unconscious due to the immense exhaustion that I had, if that is the case then I wish I could be restored so that I can wake up again, and see for myself if I have in fact won that difficult battle, if not impossible battle.
I would love to be restored back to full health, so that I can see Noire again to see who I fight for, even if it would probably end up being that if I was to awake it would be a case of seeing her and the others, spending a bit of time, having fun doing stuff together to relax like drinking her milk shakes, having lunch and have some fun, before I have to get on with the next mission, and then after that the next mission, and no doubt after that the next mission, though I shouldn't mind for the next mission will involve rescuing Ash and Dawn: two people from Pokémon I admire a lot, who would surely bring morale for the Loweeans, along with Sepia and Black Forest, the real people who Neptune has used as part of her pathetic propaganda effort to vilify us, to legitimise her vile criminal reign, and then after that the next mission will involve stopping their armada from resupplying Pallet Town, the very place we intend to siege, and who's capture and hopefully permanent hold will begin our liberation of Lowee, and I'm sure that Ash will be very happy to see its liberation.
After Pallet Town will then be Viridian City, whose forest to the north we've managed to secure meaning that their only means of supplying it will be through the ships, and I know that capturing those ships will ensure plenty of supplies to us and effective control of the sea, meaning we can then advance not just to Pewter City, but perhaps Cinnabar Island as well, and then work our way through all the cities of Kanto, before we can then move on to other cities, and it'd be nice if eventually we could attempt to take the fight to Sinnoh, the region where Dawn originally came from.
I would look forward to seeing Pokémon province liberated which is where the regions like Sinnoh and Kanto the nearby region are, as I've been a huge fan of Pokémon along with both Ash and Dawn, and to see it restored to its former glory would be wonderful, and perhaps for fun I could start out with a starter Pokémon myself, and go around defeating all the gym leaders, the elite 4 and seeing if I can capture all the Pokémon in the region, as well as to raise them, bond with them and to be with friends who love Pokémon as well.
Although there would be a lot of missions, with each mission on its own perhaps not having much significance, which could make one feel demoralised as it never seems to end, or shows signs of it getting as much as an inch closer to the end, it would be good to know that I'm still back in the fight doing my bit to make the world a better place, and even if it did take such an agonisingly long time this tyranny that the world knows would be temporary not permanent, and Neptune's not Noire's defeat would be inevitable.
It's just such a frustrating shame that instead of that being a reality, it might be wishful thinking, it feels like it is. What a shame to know what's fantasy which feels like our victory, and what's reality which feels like our defeat, oh I just really do wish I knew for sure, and I know I've said it before but it's because I keep thinking about how I wish I knew, it's agony, perhaps as bizarre as it sounds, more agonising than the immense pain I had because at least then I knew what was happening, I knew I was in pain, and yet I knew I was still in the fight, but now I don't, I just wish I knew, I just keep wishing I knew.
It is then that I realise that maybe that is the point, to not know, if not to never know, whether I have succeeded in stopping Tadakatsu or if I have in fact failed. It doesn't stop the fact that it is a shame, that it's mental agony that I do not know and have no means of finding out, and I do begin to wonder whether Neptune is behind this, to indirectly taunt me that I have been worrying about Lastation's fate and after all that I still do not know, but that is if Neptune knows what I've been doing, but would she know? I worry that she might know considering how if I can remember she's supposed to be able to track us via sleep, but then I remember again that it's probably that she only knows when we're sleep, not our location when we do.
With this realisation, I have another one and that is shouldn't I be facing a nightmare right now if I'm not awake and unconscious? After all I've always faced nightmares every time I was asleep since arriving in Lastation and meeting Noire, in fact there's usually multiple ones though oddly enough I get nice memories of my past, though it could be taunting that despite stopping her every time, she always comes back and worst still she is here, doing her vile stuff and yet for a long time there's nothing we can do.
With those thoughts though, maybe it's only when I'm alive and I still don't know if I'm dead, I suppose at least I don't have a nightmare that could result in me failing despite there being a chance of success, and with that failure resulting in the loss of Lastation, and there is also the fact that I can relax and I'm not in pain but the trouble is because of me not knowing for sure, because of what's at stake, I just cannot relax unless it's to recharge my batteries so that I can continue, not with Neptune still at large, not with how much of a threat she is to the world.
I find myself realising that if I was to use any metric, I'm better off awake and fighting because then I know how I'm doing and even if I face a nightmare, at least I'm resisting and I usually win and with that even if it may have no consequence, it does show the rotten purpled haired goddess that once again she has failed to take my mind or my body, and the same can be said for the allies.
Plus which if I'm awake then I can continue to fight the good fight, to see my friends and family and over time to be able to do the things I like to do, and even if I end up finding out that I've lost, then at least I'll know and can make the most of what's left and still fight to our last breath. I'd always prefer to know defeat, than to worry about it even if it's possible that I've won because there's no certainty and with what happened it didn't look likely that I'd win.
With the amount of thinking that I've done, and the conclusions I came to, along with changing them as I think of new thoughts, although perhaps not much time has passed, it does feel like it's been a long time since I've become unconscious at the end of the last chapter, in fact too long, and I worry that if I am actually alive then why have I not woken up after being restored to full health by Noire and the best team there is?
I say this because when this has happened before in previous times I'm revived in a short period of time, this must be the longest, yet why? Is it because of them being busy and so they're delayed or have I been killed and with that I've lost and they wish for me not to see them fall which I can understand and appreciate, for I can remember closing my eyes when I was forced to kill Noire and Uni in my plan to deceive Neptune after they had the perk a colas, for I didn't want to see them dead and only see them alive?
Come on let me wake up, or at least inform me if I've been defeated, I don't want to spend the rest of my days here, not worrying about how I've done, whether I've accomplished my mission and what will happen to my friends and the nation of Lastation as a result. In fact as soon as I've come here I hated this, and though I know it might be the point, could it be that this is the calm before the storm, a period of rest between that big battle against Tadakatsu and his fellow warriors along with the army which ended with me against the warrior himself, and the battle that will come? But what will it consist of, no doubt it'll be worse, and as a matter of fact this must be it as now I am awake.
Interestingly enough I am no longer in the forest, but I'm not in Noire's stealth plane either, so where am I then? It's not anywhere in Lastation that I recognise or in Lowee for that matter, though oddly enough I still recognise the place though my gut tells me that this isn't from Gameindustri but rather from where me and my allies are originally from, though although I have no memories of being there, I do have memories of seeing this place, in fact it's not just the place that's distinctive, but my gut tells me that this place looks like it's from the past perhaps some years before my sibling's time or my time for that matter.
I know this place though but why do I not know where from, hmmm maybe I will soon enough. I am in a shed made of bricks though for some reason there doesn't seem to be much in there at all, there's no lawnmower, no tools except for a hammer, no chairs just a work bench with some wood on there, there is a door and a window, who's views are blocked with wooden fences with trellises and green plants on them, yes this does in fact look more familiar, I think I've watched something like this on television some time ago, but why am in it, what am I doing here? Is this where I'll spend the rest of time or is it one of Neptune's nightmares, but if so what do I have to do to get out. Who else is here?
Maybe my HUD can tell me, and maybe even tell me if I've defeated that nemesis before coming here.
Note: Readers please listen to Black Ops Interrogation Room Theme while reading this:
"The person bit the insect, the sun sets in the east, 1 + 1 equals 3, junk food is good for you,…." A familiar female voice says to me, a voice I recognise as the one from Call of Duty Black ops where they're trying to brain wash the character.
While I find it baffling why she's saying random stuff that isn't correct, I think I may know why, it is then that suddenly my head aches really badly and in such agony, urgh and here's me hoping that with me being here, I can be back at full health and not feel any more pain.
It's bizarre though because I've not been shot or hit since coming here, though my HUD does explain to me why my head hurts me severely and can hear a voice saying incorrect facts, and it says that I've been brainwashed in such a way where it'll affect my intelligence with regards my actions. In other words my brain will hurt me unless I do or say something stupid, but I know I need to do things properly and not to do or say anything stupid, and my HUD confirms this.
My HUD doesn't say anymore only about my brainwashed, though why does it not say any more like what do I ultimately need to do to get out of this nightmare like previous brainwash attempts with regards keeping it at bay? Maybe it could be due to Neptune making it harder for me, it has to be her doing, why would I be physically here, with my HUD providing me information, and my head aching badly?
"Fire beats water, water beats grass, grass beats fire, flying beats electric…" The brainwashing voice says, as my head hurts even more so to the point where focusing is difficult.
OWW doing this is not going to be easy with my head aching, still, at least it's all coming back with regards this place, yes this is meant to be from a program on television, a comedy about a man who some people consider to be stupid, along with clumsy though I think he's misunderstood. In any case I did enjoy it, and found it hilarious it's just unfortunate I can't remember the name of the program or the person.
So this is to be my nightmare is it, for me to play Neptune's fool, and for me to lose my mind as I try to retain my sanity? Well I suppose it's appropriate considering how we always manage to outsmart Neptune, and I think it's clear that she knows how dumb she is, and so her intention is to try and make me stupid in an attempt to even the odds.
What better way to try and dumb me down to her level, than to put me in this situation, well I think she'll find that he isn't an idiot, just clumsy, misunderstood and unlucky, and despite her best efforts, I will not play dumb with her, no way, and I'd like to see her try and break my mind like she has done before. I wouldn't be surprised if Neptune is in this, and perhaps has more horrific stuff going on than trying to break me, and even if my HUD doesn't say anything, I know I need to kill her here, if I am to get out of this nightmare.
"Walking is quicker than running, crawling is quicker than walking, a person can move faster backwards than forwards….." Miss brainwash speaks again, sending more aches and pains in my head, as I hold it and yell.
Argh, shut brainwashing, you won't break me. With this realisation perhaps I have defeated Honda, though I'd like to know for sure, and perhaps me completing this nightmare and any ones directly after this will wake me up, and allow me to see Noire properly again, and to carry on with the fight. With regards that front I feel much better because even if it's a nightmare, even if there is the mighty headache, I can at least be resisting, and getting under Neptune's skin when I own her, but I know that there are a few things I need to put in place before I can get out.
First of all I need a weapon if I am to stand a chance against Neptune, which in a place like this isn't so easy to get, though I'll have to see what happens and whether a friend could give me one or two here, though that is if I can find any allies though again I like to think there are some here, it's getting to convince them to join me, since because of me being on my own, I have no certainty as to whether Noire, Uni and the rest of them will be with me or is it just that I'm the only one on that side here.
There is also the matter of where Neptune is and if she's in disguise though something tells me that I'll be encountering her a lot sooner than I think, and I have a feeling that she'll bring in grunts to assist her, and then there's a grasp of how this place works, because although I have a good familiarity with this place, the purple haired witch could have altered the dimensions like my health. Could it be that one shot is enough to kill me, I'll have to assume the worst and take that as a yes?
Finally after knowledge of weapons, allies, enemies and the environment there is the matter of coming up with a strategy to defeat her, though something tells me that I may end up having to think on my feet which I have managed to do before, and I like to think that I can do it again, though since I do not appear to be in danger, I ought to have a look around this place, and see who's here.
Before I can do this though, someone calls out my name:
"Fred!" An irritated unfamiliar female voice calls out.
Hmmm who's Fred? I don't remember that being the name of the character, nor I do I recognise the voice, is it an ally in disguise, an enemy in disguise, or just some NPC in this nightmare? I guess the only way to find out is to poke my head out the door and see who she is, I must be Fred then as far as she is concerned. If only I had my visions to see if she's armed, though at least even if it's far from ideal I have a hammer I could throw, in any case I poke my head out to respond.
I then see her, and she's wearing an old fashioned green dress with flower print on it, and this dress covers her arms and much of her legs and sticks out like a skirt, her hair is short and tied upwards and blonde, and her eyes are blue. To finish off her look she wears green slippers, and she looks quite old, hmmm I find her appearance quite unnerving simply because they're Leanbox colours though I cannot assume she's an enemy from that alone, and that nation led by Vert while tragically are an enemy are only that because of brainwashing and before this they have been good allies of ours.
"Hello there, is there anything the matter?" I reply to her politely.
"Yeah I was wondering if you found it." The female says to me in the same tone.
Found what? It's concerning that I'm supposed to know because of the circumstances and yet because of them I don't.
"Err, found what exactly?" I respond in a similar tone.
"What do you mean found what exactly? You know what exactly, oh can't you just go one day without being silly with me, you are always breaking or losing stuff and that's what you've done again, so I'll ask again where is it?!" The old lady speaks to me with increasing anger.
"I'm serious I don't know what you're talking about." I protest to her.
"The shed door? Have you not noticed the shed door missing, what have you done with it?!" The old witch says to me with much irritation.
Tragically I genuinely I have no idea, but I know I'm supposed to know.
"I dunno, that's why I'm trying to build another door since I genuinely have no idea of where it is." I say to her trying to explain the situation.
"Urgh and you'll no doubt botch that job as usual, come on you must know where it was think, use your non-existent brain." She speaks with much anger and annoyance, along with frustration to me.
I'm not exactly happy with her tone, but my gut tells me that I need to play along, though it is weird that my head hasn't ached in the last few moments but then again to her I am the fool, and I haven't done anything intelligent yet.
"The garden maybe, and I think if I remember correctly it was broken which was why I removed it so I can get a new door." I say to her though I'm finding my head ache quite badly after just saying that.
"Roses are blue, violets are red, we hear with our eyes, we see with our ears." The brainwash voice says to me.
"Yeah it's broken because you broke it, and you have no certainty as to where it is, oh I have half a mind of making you pay for this, get it fixed or else you'll really, really regret breaking that door, in fact it'll be a lot worse than that headache." The old bag warns me sounding angry and trying to intimidate me though it doesn't work.
"OK, I'll fix it but I need some tools, like a screwdriver and some screws, along with a pencil and a ruler." I say to her calmly.
OWWWW! Argh the pain of my head. Argh it hurts so badly it's difficult not to think, GAH!
"Winter is hot, summer is cold, autumn follows winter, leaves go blue in autumn." Miss brainwash says to me repeatedly.
"Well at least you know the tools, it's just I don't see why you need to ask for them? And what are you doing holding your head, are you trying to get out of doing that job?" The old lady says to me in her annoyed tone.
"Because there only seems to be a hammer, unless the rest of the tools are kept elsewhere, and no I'm not I'm perfectly fine actually." I explain to her.
"Only seems to be a hammer? Look that's your responsibility, see it's you who does the DIY chores, and the fact that you only have a hammer I really do not know, you don't seem to be properly equipped like my ex-husband was, in fact you're not properly equipped for anything." The old lady says to me in the same tone.
"Not properly equipped, what just because I don't have all the tools, even though I know what tools to use and how to fix the door?" I respond to her.
"Fix it? You broke it. It's just not good enough Fred, that you break a door, you don't have the tools to fix it, and that's just the door, this is just not good enough Fred." She replies to me, her body language telling me how much she would like to slap me or worse, but instead she storms off back inside.
Ah that confrontation certainly takes me back to what I remember from that program, with how frustrated she was, and all he wanted to do is help. I imagine for some people that DIY is not as easy as it looks, and for him offering to try and fix what he's done by accident, is what makes him very likeable. The thing is that confrontation I had is different to what I remember, though it's because I tried to sound as smart as possible, where as he perhaps doesn't have as much knowledge as I do.
With this flashback if I will I then recognise the character being a significant relation to my character but who I can't remember, and her name I can't remember either it's weird what things I can remember and what things I can't remember, when it comes to certain things, I've had that since I've met Noire in Gameindustri for the first time, and tragically I'm no closer to finding out why though my gut tells me that Neptune may have something to do with this.
It's too bad that I am unable to fix the door not without the necessary tools which she doesn't have and has no desire to help me with, and I have neither the money nor the knowledge of places I can get them from, at least right now, though my gut tells me that fixing this door has nothing to do with my mission whatsoever, not even a side mission to overcome this literally stupid brainwashing of mine.
Suddenly my HUD tells me that I need to get ready for the interview which will happen soon today, ah I remember the character getting ready for an interview in the program, though I know that this will be different, in fact my gut tells me that Neptune must be there interviewing me, this concerns me deeply and I see this because she'll be armed and she'll have guards with her, whereas it's only me and I don't have a weapon and I still have no idea where I can get my hands on one, and my only hope is that between now and then, something changes be it having allies or weapons or better still both.
I know though that I have to go to the interview and attend on time, for if I don't it shows stupidity and the brainwashing could take over me, but even though I am deeply concerned that I could end up walking to a trap with nothing but my wits which I fear may not be a match against their numbers and weapons, my immediate concern is the old lady for she is now back in the house, and my gut tells me that she has no doubt a sawn off shotgun, and could kill me when I enter, but then again there is the chance that I could manage to prevent her, and take the weapon off of her and use the hammer to help me in this, and I can then use her gun for the interview, it's a long shot but any gun is better than no gun.
"White absorbs all light, black reflects all light, black is a colour on the rainbow, white is the largest0 colour on the rainbow." The voice says again, my pain hurts me really bad once again.
Oh I hope this doesn't hinder my mission or even my interaction with other people here.
I know that it's unlikely that I could get the weapon off her, for that would depend on where she is, which because of no visions, I have no means of finding out, but I know that it's better to go in the house, even if it won't be easy as my head ache seems to be much worse than before this nightmare where I was fighting those enemies, but I quickly realise that I have defeated enemies when I've been in pain before, in fact I was close to exhaustion and in severe pain just before, and I have still managed to defeat all of those enemies, though the thing is that unlike before I am unarmed now unless the hammer counts as a weapon.
Never the less I just have to do the best I can, like I always have after all it's got me here, and here is very far from where I've started and I will succeed, and I will outsmart Neptune and her stupid plan and I'll defeat her in this nightmare. All I can do is to see what happens, and use my wits to take me to victory, come on pathetic CPeww what else are you trying to do here, or is it more lousy brainwashing, since unlike you I have a brain and a mighty one at that, just like my friends and family who even if I don't know if I've succeeded against Honda, I still fight for, and I'll always fight for them.