All rights are reserved to their respective owners. I own nothing in this piece of fiction except story itself.
"We're here." IF announced as the 5 entered the Basilicom of Lastation. It was designed similarly as its Planeptunian, and probably every other nation counterpart interior-wise.
Except its colors wing darker and some shades of black are more present for a professional feel.
Ahead of them, was a person waiting as they stood.
At first glance, it could be mistaken for a guy, but it was actually a girl. She had short silver hair that spiked down with bangs and had cobalt blue eyes that would have an unreadable expression within them right off the bat.
She wore a black suit-like outfit with white and blue accents and the back that went down to her knees having a blue underside. The front had a visible blue matching tie and white undershirt visible, with four circular symbols on the midsection of the suit.
A red badge-like object was also visible on the right side of her chest. Her legwear would consist of some... Business shorts that had some white accents? Her black shoes possessed blue lines and silver circles in the center, as her socks would be knee height and have a white line just below the mouth of the sock.
She stood at 4'11'' with B cup assets.
The group greeted the person when reaching within proximity as they saw her from the door.
"Pardon us." Nepgear greeted.
"Hello." IF drawled.
"Hi there." Compa bubbly bid hello.
"Sup." Nebula raised his hand in greeting.
"Heya." AL nodded with recognition.
"Welcome to Lastation's Basilicom. I am Kei Jinguji, the Oracle for this nation." Kei introduced herself as she addressed the adventurers. "And I already know you have questions for me, Compa, IF, Nebula, and AL of Planeptune." She stated as they had mixed feelings about being known about.
"Huh? How do you know who we are?" Compa asked, as Nebula and AL sported raised brows as IF remained impartial.
"Intelligence gathering is business economics 101. I've gathered intel on all four of you since you've arrived." Kei explained, getting IF to speak next.
"Definitely earned that reputation, haven't we." The Guild Agent pointed out, with some contempt.
"Um, we're here looking for your nation's mascot. Might you have any information on where it may be?" Nepgear asked politely as Kei responded.
"Whether I do or don't is irrelevant. What matters is how much the information is worth to you." She responded to Nepgear.
"But it does... Because we wouldn't-" AL attempted to explain the commonplace concept to Kei but would be stopped by Nebula.
He had a look that said: Let her continue.
The flame user dropped the comeback as he stifled a laugh within a sigh.
"It's worth?" Nepgear questioned confusingly, alongside a silent AL as Kei explained.
"Of course. Exchanging information properly through an agreed-upon value system is key to any business." She explained in a matter-of-fact tone.
"But this isn't a-" AL was interrupted by Nebula once again. The fire user quickly pinched the bridge of his nose not to simultaneously laugh and facepalm at the scenario.
"So basically the law of equivalent exchange." Nebula deduced.
"Precisely." Kei nodded in agreement with the adventurer's correct deduction.
"But we don't have too many Credits," Compa told the Oracle, thinking of it in the terms of an actual business.
"That's quite fine. Money is not necessary. I'd rather exchange the information for a personal favor." Kei alternatively offered.
"What kind of personal favor?" AL squinted his eyes as both he and IF asked, intrigued and skeptical.
"Our nation is developing a very special item. All we need are some crucial materials." She explained. "Perhaps you've heard of these? We need a Treasure Gem and a good chunk of Hematite." The Oracle listed.
"What? You do realize how rare those things are, right?" IF asked the Oracle, surprised at the listed items.
"How rare are we talking?" Nepgear asked.
"You can't find it at any regular vendor. And there's no information to find them either. This is an incredibly one-sided trade." IF pointed out as the group realized the rarity of the items. Well, almost everybody.
"Oh, A Treasure Gem? I believe I had one on me. Found it a few months ago. The only reason I didn't sell it was because I was busy training." Nebula brought up as he would be struck with a memory.
"WHAT?! How the hell did that happen?!" AL yelled out in disbelief. IF seconded AL's current state as Kei, Compa, and Nepgear looked at him in awe.
"If I can pull all the legendary rare units on all those money-grubbing gachas, then I can find some lousy gem that dropped from a monster. And I did because I adventured for years on end. If you picked up every single item that belonged to me, then it would be in my treasure bag. It's in the apartment though, so I'll have to make a detour." Nebula enlightened the group of the semantics as AL decided to let bygones be bygones.
"Alright. But what about the Hematite?" AL asked the adventurer, awaiting an answer.
"Uhm... Beat every monster we see until it drops it? Worked for me." Nebula offered as he shrugged his shoulders.
''Well, guess that's out of the window." The dark-skinned warrior dismissed as the blue-haired adventurer grimaced.
"If it seems that way, then our negotiations have come to a close. Perhaps I misappraised my interest value to you all." Kei said a smug look as she closed her eyes.
"Slimy business weasel..." IF muttered under her breath as she tried to think of something.
"Understood. We'll go find them. If we do that, you'll tell us what you know about your Mascot, right?" Nepgear asked.
"Well, just one more thing. I also need to know what happened three years ago, and what happened during the last rescue attempt." The Oracle brought to the table.
"You even know about the time we went to the Gamindustri Graveyard?!" Compa exclaimed, surprised.
"Circumstantial evidence. Call it a hunch, but being wrong is very unlikely if Nepgear if all people is standing among you." Kei broke it down as she answered Compa.
"You knew about Nepgear this whole time?!" IF shouted, slightly annoyed at the holding back of information.
"Is Noire alright? Why is only Nepgear back?" The Oracle dropped some questions.
"Well-..." Nepgear went to answer but would be cut off by a glance from Nebula, who shook his head.
"Hold that thought, Gear." IF interrupted as she turned to the goddess, then to the Oracle. "Business is about equivalent exchange, isn't that right?" IF reminded the silver-haired woman. "Isn't it an act of 'hypocrisy' to overstep the very rules you set upon us?" IF finished with a growing smirk.
"A valid point. My apologies. Very well, then I would like to ask you to find the Hematite. After that, we can exchange all the information we possess. It's quite the bargain, you know." Kei settled for as AL said something.
"It's not, but fair enough-" He stopped himself as he bit his tongue. Nebula coughed into his fist discreetly sounding out some words.
"You're- cough learning- cough."
Which got AL to grimace back, karma returning to him.
"Let's do that then. Ok, we'll be leaving now." Nepgear told the blue-eyed Oracle as they went to leave the building.
Kei then chastised herself for letting her emotions leak out during a business negotiation, but would then plead for the safety of her goddess.
"Did I err in my diplomacy? It seems that I've lost a bit of my composure." The businesswoman Oracle noticed as she talked to herself.
"Noire, you are fine... Right?" Kei questioned as she looked at the leaving party members as they exited the Basilicom.
The party was back on the streets as Nebula had left to go get the Treasure Gem from the apartment.
AL stayed with the group as they discussed their next course of action.
"That Oracle really knows how to act like a priss. But I had a pretty sweet comeback, huh?" IF asked for an opinion feel good about what she did back in the Basilicom.
"Cool like a cucumber." AL dropped the comparison.
"A super cool cucumber, Iffy!" Compa added on a couple of adjectives to compliment her friend.
"Still, we need to find some Hematite. Any ideas on where to start looking, IF?" Nepgear asked the Guild Agent.
"If I knew, then it wouldn't be as rare as they were. I heard that some monsters collect rare items." IF brought up as she relayed some info.
"So beat up every monster we see?" AL and Compa deduced, one with a bloodthirsty glint in his eyes, and another with an option weighing tone.
"That makes it sound so savage, but it's the only choice we have." IF decided as the other three present members would go with the plan.
Nebula then returned with the Treasure Gem.
"Sup, guys. Look what I pulled up from the depths of AL's bag." He called for attention as he pulled the gem out of his pocket. It illuminated a bright rainbow of colors depending on the angle light bounced off of it.
"NIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICE!" AL grabbed his bicep as he commented on the gem. "Guess you weren't kidding when you said you had it." He continued as Nebula plastered a smug look on his face.
"It's really pretty...!" Compa would note as she looked at it. It would change color as she changed her perspective
"It kind of looks like a diamond," Nepgear noted as she observed the gem.
"And you had this the whole time?" IF interrogated, skeptical of Nebula as her eyes narrowed.
"Mhm. Wasn't relevant until now, so I told no one. Not that hard to understand, my smooth brain Iffy." Nebula would say as he went for a headpat that was immediately deflected.
SWAT!
"Nope." She spat.
"Dang. Fair enough." He deflated with some laughter in his voice.
With that out of the way, the group would set off to the Endless Zone. How did they know to go to the Endless Zone? Plot development-
In a dungeon that looked like something out of a certain movie with bullet time and people in black sunglasses with all the floating digital numbers in the background and with its futuristic platforms, the group had entered the Endless Zone.
They were fighting and looting monsters for a while, with no luck in sight.
BLAST!!!
PIXELATE!
A blast from AL decimated a random monster.
LEAP!!!
SLAM!
CRASH!
BLAST!!!
PIXELATE!
He leaped from his previous position to axe handle another one into the ground with an audible crash before blasting it with a double energy blast.
"Oh, what joy! We might not be finding anything, but this is one hell of a warm-up!"
ROUNDHOUSE KICK!
"Bakuhatsu!"
BOOM!!!
PIXELATE!
AL roared as he vanished onto the next enemy as Nebula moved by him before roundhouse kicking another monster square in the head as he used a special move as he blasted the enemy into pixelated bits and pieces.
"That's 40, Allister! You're gonna lose your lead!" Nebula reminded as the two were in an intense game of who could slay the most monsters.
After venturing in the dungeon for a bit, they would be having some trouble finding any Hematite, so the boys would pass the time and have an extremely low chance of finding it by killing monsters left, right, and center. Their combined total right now was 93.
"Vulcan Knuckle!"
PIXELATE!
"Bakuhatsu!"
PIXELATE!
"Scorching Schneider!"
PIXELATE!
"Tatsumaki Senpuu Kyaku!"
PIXELATE!
"Overheated Assault!"
PIXELATE!
"Rapid Rapture!"
PIXELATE!
PIXELATE!
PIXELATE!
It was a pixelated massacre.
The girls would have stopped a short while ago to plan out their next move as the boys were invested in their little competition of sorts.
"Nothing at all..." Compa muttered as she would watch the massacre before her as she saw none of the drops that looked anything like Hematite.
"C'mon, Compa. We have to keep looking... They've already taken down all these monsters and not one dropped some of that Hematite she was talking about." IF observed as she looked towards Nepgear.
"I guess running around and fighting without any idea of what to do is getting us nowhere fast." The CPU Candidate sighed before a voice would talk to them from behind.
"What's with the glum faces?" A female voice called out to the feminine trio. She also looks at the destruction before her as she then questioned, "And why are those two going on a monster extermination spree?".
The girl stood around 5'4", had short red hair above her shoulders woth some bangs and a silver headband on top with orange eyes.
Her attire consisted of a white tank top exposing her midriff with a belt fastened near the edge of it, near the hemline under a light blue jacket with pale yellow accents, and a white underside. It would also have big white cuffs and a symbol of a rainbow-colored F with the words 'FALCOM' above it.
She had on a blue and white skirt with white on the sides and blue in the center with some white lines near the edges of the blue, with a brown belt matching the choker on her neck, both with gold buckles and accessories. Her coffee brown thigh-high socks/stockings had a line of pale yellow near the mouth, while her shoes were blue boots with small amounts of white, brown, and yellow on them.
She also had on some coffee brown fingerless gloves on each hand. She would have an approachable demeanor as one arm was on her side.
"Huh? Who are you?" Nepgear questioned?
RUMBLE...!
There was a small tremor afterward.
BAK!...
"Oh, where are my manners? I'm Falcom, your average adventurer, as you can see." Falcom introduced herself as another faint impact could be heard.
"And I have this nasty habit of wanting to meddle in the affairs of trouble folks like you." She let the three know a smile as she was offering her help in a roundabout fashion.
"Wow, another adventurer! Maybe she knows more than Neb-Neb! It couldn't hurt to ask, right Iffy?"
BAKOOM!
Compa directed her question to the Guild Agent. She heard a faint ''Harsh.'' in the background before another explosion would occur.
"It wouldn't. We're fresh out of alternatives." IF weakly smiled with a tired glance.
"We're looking for something called Hematite. Could you help us with that?" Nepgear asked Falcom.
"Hematite... I haven't heard of that one before. Is it some sort of gem or ore?"
BOOM!
PIXELATE!
PIXELATE!
PIXELATE!
PIXELATE!
PIXELATE!
Falcom asked, which would get a faint ''It's basically iron." from the battlefield before yet another explosion would be set off with some mass pixelation.
"Yes," Nepgear informed the redhead adventurer.
"Well if that's the case, I heard about a gem collecting monster in Planeptune. Somewhere in Virtua Forest, I think..." Falcom told the group. "I'd take you there if I could, but I'm a bit busy with some other errands." Falcom unfortunately informed, which got Nepgear to thank her instead.
"No, what you've said is plenty enough. Thank you so much!" Nepgear thanked the traveling adventurer.
"Cool. Your eyes are full of life again, which means my work here is done. Perhaps we'll meet again one day. Good luck!" She bid farewell as she walked away. She never got her question about the commotion answered, but she was already leaving. Just as she left, the duo of dudes returned.
"176" AL counted.
"175- DAMMIT!" Nebula yelled out in outrage as AL cackled.
"How!? How are you beating me by one!" He complained.
"Your mortal coil could not comprehend the answer," AL stated in a foreboding tone.
"Good thing I have a divine one." Nebula retorted as he pointed to himself with his thumb. AL would laugh as they then faced the girls.
"So you guys decided on what to do as yet?" Nebula asked the girls.
"We're going to Planeptune," Nepgear told them. "A girl named Falcom told us that the gem collecting monster was somewhere in Virtua Forest." The CPU Candidate explained.
"Falcom? Oh. Yeah, she's reliable." Nebula nodded as he wiped some sweat from his brow.
"You two know each other?" IF raised a brow.
"Used to do some adventuring together. Then I decided to visit the rest of the nations and dungeons around Gamindustri while she stayed protecting her village. But that's for later. Let's backtrack to Planeptune, already." Nebula explained as Nepgear and IF lead the party out of the dungeon.
Unbeknownst to them, Underling would have been eavesdropping on their conversation.
...
...
...
"Planeptune, huh? Just wait until you see our secret anti CPU weapon. That forest will be your graveyard when it turns you into dust!" She chuckled. "And CPU guy who sent me flying, I'll personally end him myself." She plotted before laughing.
The depths of Virtua Forest is where the group arrived at. It had futuristic platforms as tree trunks and roots could be seen near or at the pathways. There would also be some green glowing twinkled that emanated from the tree that was completely harmless as the rays of sunlight would peek through the roots of the trees.
They cleared through most of the dungeon, thanks to the group warming up prior in the Endless Zone.
All that would be left between the Hematite and the group was an Ancient Dragon.
GUST!
"GROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAR!!!"
It stood tall as its brown scales were aged, and its wings flapping, creating some blowback as it roared.
"Looks like we have to deal with Mister Scary Dragon Monster over there, huh?" Compa pointed towards.
'Looks like it. It's already seen us, so let's take it out!" IF yelled as she took out her Qatars.
"It probably has the Hematite. We have to defeat it!" Nepgear shouted.
"You ready to slay a dragon, AL?" Nebula asked his buddy with an exciting look.
"Not like I haven't done it already." He responded with a dumb grin before Nebula facepalmed.
"Not that dragon you-"
"GROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAR!!!"
WOOSH!!!
And the monster charged.
STOMP!!!
The five immediately scattered as it stomped where they were prior.
"Scorching Schneider!"
KICK!!!
AL took the initiative with IF this time around as he stalled the dragon with powerful frontal assaults while IF worked at its blindspots. The warrior would deliver a flaming high kick to the dragon's jaw with an SP Skill.
"La Delphinus!"
BURN!!!
The dragon was knocked back into a slice from IF as she used an SP Skill behind it as a pillar of blue flames engulfed the enemy.
"Rapid Rapture!"
BLASTBLASTBLASTBLASTBLASTBLAST BLASTBLASTBLASTBLASTBLASTofT BLASTBLASTBLASTBLASTBLASTBLAST BLASTBLASTBLASTBLASTBLASTBLAST BLASTBLASTBLASTBLASTBLASTBLAST BLASTBLASTBLASTBLASTBLASTBLAST BLASTBLASTBLASTBLASTBLASTBLAST BLASTBLASTBLASTBLASTBLASTBLAST!!!
The dragon was guard broken as it then received an attack from the side of Nebula.
STAGGER!-
"Mirage Dance!"
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!!!
"Slash Wave!"
WAVE!!!
Countless energy attacks were sent the dragon's way as it was be damaged even further by that onslaught. Too bad that Nepgear was right on its other side to punish its staggering with even more attacks.
ENERGIZE!
The dragon would be so busy being attacked from all four cardinal directions, that it wouldn't even realize Compa giving everyone SP Chargers to keep their attacks going.
SQUIRT!
HIT!
"C'mon you guys! He's gonna fall at any second!" She would say before shooting the dragon with her mystery fluid right between the eyes.
"GROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAR!"
The dragon cried in pain as it was being slain faster than being cut by a mythical Wyvernslayer.
"Bakuhatsu!"
"Vulcan Knuckle!"
"La Delphinus!"
"Slash Wave!"
THUD!!!
It was only able to resist the gang-up action for a good 3 minutes before it finally fell with an anticlimactic thud. The attacks ceased after everyone had put their two cents in.
PIXELATE!...
And the Ancient Dragon would be ancient history.
it dropped another Treasure Gem, too.
"Well. I guess we have two now." Nebula commented as he picked up the gem.
"But we still haven't found any Hematite." IF groaned as she folded her arms.
"We better hurry up and find it," Nepgear told the Guild Agent as she would then turn her head to hear a familiar voice.
"Too bad, since you broads and bums ain't goin' nowhere!" Underling yelled out as she appeared.
"Not you again... You're pretty persistent for a low tier underling, y'know that?" IF told the underling, as it was her 3rd time seeing her.
"I feel sorry that you have to come here to get defeated by us all the time, Underling." Compa added on.
"No matter the market, underlings have to handle all the hands-on grunt work, don't they?" Nepgear pointed out.
"They do, NepG. That's why I sent her to the beach to relax. She was feeling... Under the weather." Nebula punned as he could feel a faint 'YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAHHHH!' in the background.
"Please stop." AL told the man as he snickered. "But she needed it because she was under attack by all three of you." AL followed up as the duo laughed.
"Argh! Shut the hell up, all of you! I'm SO sorry for being who I am!" She snapped as AL would mutter a quick. "You should be-" before descending into a fit of chuckles with the CPU god, earning a snarl from Underling.
"Anyway, not like it matters. After today, those stupid gums will never flap again." She foreshadowed.
"Just like how she never flapped when she got sent flying." The pseudo protagonist muttered.
"Shut up! Come out, secret weapon!" Underling yelled.
GLEAM!
Three killer robots hovered down from the air as they menacingly gleamed.
"Finally learned that underlings like you need to work in droves, huh?" IF snarked as she glared at her.
"We can't afford to waste any more time. I'll activate HDD and finish them in one fell swoop!" Nepgear announced, before being followed by Nebula.
"You said it, NepG!" Nebula agreed as he posed to activate HDD.
"Man, you kids are stupid. Did you really think that I wouldn't have prepared for that?" Underling dismissed as the machines emitted a black light that outshined the area for a bit.
DARKEN!!!
When it dimmed, the two deities tried to transform, but to no avail.
"What's the matter, you two?" Compa would ask, concerned.
"I... I can't transform!" Nepgear would say frantically as she tried.
"Crafty little... She sealed our HDD forms with those robots!" Nebula pointed accusingly as she would laugh.
"What?!" AL reeled as he and IF widened their eyes with shock.
"That's right. Let's see ya fight now!" Underling taunted as she cackled some more.
"Crap, this could be bad! Let's get out of here!" IF told the group as Compa would agree.
"You 'betcha!" She agreed as they would look to flee with the group before being stopped by Nebula.
"Oh come on, girls. She's not even that strong-" The CPU moped before he got interrupted.
"Hold that thought, citizens!" A valiant voice pierced the area as the person who it came from arrived on the scene.
The voice had originated from a woman that was around 5'2". She possessed medium-length dark blue hair that hung over her black goggles with yellow-orange lenses. Her eyes also were a dark blue as she directed a serious look towards
Underling as she stood with her fists on her sides.
She had on a long bright red scarf around her neck as it went down to her feet as she stood. Her attire consisted of a black spandex jumpsuit that had blue and red lines on the sides of the sleeves, and stopped by her thighs, akin to shorts as it was zipped down revealing some of her midriff and some grey bandaging on her... Beautiful chest?... Oh, what the hay, AAA cup breasts.
Flat was justice after all, and the people present would find out very soon.
There was also a large zipper on the end of her spandex jumpsuit as she had on some big grey gloves with white cuffs and two black buttons on each side. For her footwear, she wore some boots that were the same color scheme as her cloves except for the two black buttons on the top part.
"Who the hell...?" AL would ask as he turned to face the woman, stealing a glance at her rack before looking up at her face. Nebula did a triple take between her face, rack, and back to her face.
"Huh? Who in the hell are you?" Underling would ask as she would look at the girl.
"It is a basic truth that evil is wrong. To foil your plan I will crush ASIC down to the very last man!" She heroically announced.
"Hard to argue with logic as sound as that." AL agreed as he turned to Nebula.
"In a time of crisis, the superheroine makes her grand entrance. The defender of Gamindustri, Nisa, has arrived!"
POSE!
The heroine known as Nisa introduced herself as she did e dramatic pose for emphasis!
"A superheroine? Huh. Pretty neat." Nebula upped his chin in admiration.
"She's really fl-..." AL bit his tongue as a dangerous gaze was sent his way by Nisa as he almost said the dreaded F word in her presence.
He quickly changed the structure of the sentence as the martial artist adapted.
"Flowing with righteousness! Overflowing with JUSTICE!" AL raised a fist in the air as she nodded before turning back to Underling.
"Uh..." Underling was at a loss for words.
"..." Nepgear had no words.
"Who in the hell is this spandex idiot? She's gotta be high as a kite." Underling sweatdropped.
"High on justice! Goddess, I shall lend you my aid!" Nisa gave her aid to their apparent predicament as her eyes were closed with a satisfied smile on her face.
"What? But who are-" Nepgear was cut off.
"Formalities must wait because evil will not. We'll speak after we defeat them!" The heroine stated the matter at hand.
"Who gets to fight Underling this time?" The dark-skinned fighter asked with his fist outstretched. Nebula faced the afro warrior before having a go at rock paper scissors.
''Jankenpon!'' The two would shout.
"Scissors beats paper." AL grinned.
"Yeah, yeah. At least you can transform." Nebula sped through his loser speech as he kicked back into a cross-legged seat. "Burn the proverbial rubber, my friend." Nebula cheered on his friend as AL burst into flames before revealing his Burning Fever state.
ABLAZE!
"This should be... Mildly underwhelming."
STANCE!
AL expected as he walked forward before dropping into a stance.
Nisa wasted no time, however, as she jumped straight into battle.
She raced towards the robot before pulling out an energy blade from her hands as she slashed and sliced at the nearest jammer. Her combo did not disappoint as the robot was destroyed and pixelated after the ordeal.
"Our heroine's got some moves on her, though!"
"Overheated Assault!"
STREAK!
FLARE!
BLAST! BLAST! BLAST! BLAST! BLAST!
AL noticed with a raised brow as he would then dodge a stab from one of the other robots by jumping before lighting his fingers ablaze and swiping down at it. 5 flame streaks were launched and grew before being followed by some flares shortly after.
EXPLOSION!
PIXELATE!
The robot was offed as it soon exploded before pixelating shortly after the SP Skill was used upon it.
"Mirage Dance!"
"Demonic Inferno!"
SLASH SLASH SLASH SLASH... SLASH!!!
VOOM!!!
Nepgear and IF then tag-teamed with Compa behind them, acting as support once more. Nepgear used her Mirage Dance, while IF went with her Demonic Inferno skill as the duo attacked it from both sides.
INJECT!
BOOM!!!
"Yessy!"
The robot was then subjected to Compa stabbing it with her mystery fluid, ignoring the fact that it was a robot, somehow managed to damage it on the basis that liquids and electronics don't mix, taking it out of the fight as it violently exploded.
"Nice job, Compa!" Nepgear cheered.
"Good work, Compa!" IF complimented her friend.
The other two congratulated the nurse on taking down the robot as they looked over to where the other two combatants were situated.
PUNCH!!!
BOOM!!!
SLICESLICESLICESLICESLICESLICE!!!
EXPLOSION!!!
PIXELATE!
Meanwhile, the other two finished off the last robot with a combined attack, a Vulcan Knuckle from AL, and a Dark X-Blade Slash from Nisa, ending the two metallic entities' existence.
"That settles that." AL dusted his hands and reverted. Nisa then cheered at their victory.
"Justice prevails!" She stuck her fist into the air triumphantly.
"..." AL felt something spark within him as he felt obliged to do the same.
"JUSTICE!"
Underling, on the other hand, was looking to escape as her monsters were defeated by the party once again.
"Gah! Defeated by a zipper suit runt and a flaming muscle head! You'll rue this day, you hear me!" Underling shouted out as she ran away.
"Loud and clear."
RAISE!...
REPULSION!
Nebula answered for the group as he then lifted her off the ground blasted her away with Repulsion.
"Daaaaaaamn iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!" Underling yelled as she was pelted from the area for the second time by Nebula.
"You know, you could just restrain her so we can interrogate her, right?" IF told the sitting male.
"I know. It's just more fun to see her blasting off again" He responded, dropping a subtle reference that made AL snicker once.
"Can't argue with that logic," AL admitted as Nebula stood up.
"And why didn't you help us?" Nepgear would ask.
"You guys had it the bag since Nisa and AL stepped in. If I joined, it would be boring and a bit overkill." Nebula explained.
"But you should've! Justice can always use some extra help!" Nisa stated as Nepgear thanked her.
"Thank you for your assistance. You came at a really good time." She expressed her gratitude.
"Please, there's no need to cheer for me. It's a civic duty for a superheroine to help CPUs." Nisa clarified as she looked very pleased with her deeds.
"I don't think we've ever met, right?" Compa asked as she would look at Nisa with some curiosity.
"That is not possible, citizen. We've never met before on this journey." The heroine explained, which would get IF and Nebula to raise a brow.
"This adventure...?" Nebula repeated.
"Forget I said that. I am Nisa, the superheroine that upholds justice across all Gamindustri." The blue-haired heroine of justice explained.
"Oh. I see." Nebula would say as he gave a thumbs up. "So basically me, but Lawful Good." He folded his arms in thought as IF remembered hearing about her before.
"Wait a sec. I've heard of rumors of a psycho fighting evil all over ever since the CPUs got captured." IF brought up.
"Oh? I've become a legend already? I had no idea my deeds had become so famous." Nisa smiled wholesomely at the rumors directed towards her.
"You completely glazed over the psycho bit, I see.'' IF smiled weakly at the apparent ignorance the heroine showed to the somewhat negative rumors
"I must come clean, dear friends. I've felt sad lately. Even though I've kept fighting, evil never stays down." Nisa sighed as she lamented the constant uprising of evildoers.
"But when all hope seemed lost, a beam of righteousness shined on you, a CPU in the midsts of a major crisis!" Nisa's eyes ignited with the fires of justice, cosmetic compared to AL's as she looked towards Nepgear.
"What? Me?" The CPU Candidate asked.
"It's a sign from above, a destined meeting, all in the name of justice. You travel to fight evil, right? Right?" Nisa asked as she looked at the lilac-haired goddess.
"W-Well, that's true but..."
"That's what I thought! Please, please let me tag alongside you on this quest!" Nisa pleaded as she asked over and over.
"I don't see why not." AL shrugged.
"I second that statement." Nebula nodded.
"Evil surrounds the frail goddess and her compatriots! The superheroine sweeps them up in the talk of justice! So cool!" Nisa cheered.
"Um, well, wh-what should I do?" Nepgear asked as she looked at the others.
"I and Nebula have no qualms," AL spoke.
"I guess it's fine. At least she's pretty experienced in battle." IF weighed the options. She came to a positive consensus.
"New friends are always welcome! My grandpa always said 'Making friends means more mouths to feed'." Compa agreed on letting her in.
"Your grandpa sounds cool." Nebula pointed out.
"Thanks." The Nurse-In-Training responded.
"Is that right... It's an honor to join your entourage, frail goddess." Nisa smiled as she nodded at Nepgear, giving her the title.
"Could you not call me a frail goddess, please? I'm not that weak, and I'm not a goddess, just a CPU Candidate." Nepgear reiterated as she shook her head. "Nepgear is fine." She gave an alternative.
"As you wish, o fra- I mean, gotcha! Let's get along Nepgear!" Nisa corrected herself mid-sentence as she curtly nodded at the CPU Candidate.
"Good. Then let's head back Lame- Lastation, and decide what to do from there." AL told the others as the party headed back.
"We still have to get some Hematite. You know anything about it, Nisa?" IF asked.
"I have absolutely no idea!" She honestly responded.
"Far too chirper for such a useless comment." IF sighed in defeat. "Not that I expected anything different." Ahe facepalmed
"Man, Nisa is a vibe. You buggin'." Nebula defended the ignorant heroine and stood there, a smug grin present as he looked up into the sky. AL was getting impatient, however.
"C'mon, it's literally impure iron! Why is Hematite so damn hard to find! We can dig a friggin' hole and find it!" AL was getting frustrated.
"It's rare for a reason. Chill out. It'll come soon enough." Nebula tried to calm down as he put a hand on his friend's shoulder and patted it.
But what are we gonna do? We need that Hematite to get that information..." Nepgear reminded.
"But it's not like someone is just gonna come along and TELL us where it is, is there?!" AL sarcastically asked, only to be answered.
"Pardon me. I overheard your private conversation. You're seeking some Hematite, right?" The person asked. It would be a Lastation guard.
"Why, yes. But who are you, Mister Mysterious Man?" Compa asked the stranger back.
"Town security, ma'am. I remember seeing a deposit of Hematite in a dungeon I visited before." The security guard informed the group.
"Oddly convenient, but ok. Tell us where it is, and we'll go get it." Nebula stated as he watched the guard.
"Hold on there, civilian. You all have to do something for me first." He halted thr conversation as AL narrowed his eyes.
"This is starting to sound familiar..." AL muttered, suspicious of him.
"And he's beginning to sound a lot like Miss Law of Equivalent Exchange. " IF muttered as she grew suspicious alongside him.
"Please! We'll do anything!" Nepgear would say. Nebula and AL sweatdropped at her desperation, but to be honest they were out of options.
"Good. Some monsters are causing a ruckus by Rebeat Resort. Mind teaching them a lesson?" The guard questioned.
"My unit was tasked with hunting it down, but we were way in over our heads, unfortunately." He explained.
"What a simple task! I love it!" Nisa was comfortable with the terms say as AL agreed.
"We'll beat those creatures for you, but please tell us what you know when we come back, alright?" Nepgear reminded the guard.
"You got it." He responded. "We're all counting on you, so good luck." He finished as the group of 6 left.
He then reported to Kei.
"That was close... Some of them were starting to suspect me." The guard told the Oracle Kei would respond as she emerge from a direction.
"A bit shaky in the middle, but you did your job. They were certainly weary near the end but they managed to fall for it. Or maybe they accepted out of desperation." She theorized.
"If you mind me asking, why didn't you just tell them without the wild goose chase?" The guard inquired with the Oracle.
"Going easy on another entity is bad business. But not getting the Hematite would be problematic. Then again, I gave them the same intel I gave her..." Kei said the last bit under her breath as the scene transitioned-
YET AGAIN!
Back at Rebeat Resort, the group would have done more filler battles as they defeated all the monsters, and would be face to face with a talking rat.
KICK!
SHOCKWAVE!
PIXELATE!
"Aaaaaaaaaand we're done." Nebula held onto the first word as he kicked the last monster so hard that a shockwave reverberated from its corpse shortly before it pixelated.
"Talk about overkill..." IF sweatdropped as she had witnessed the destructive capability of Nebula's leg.
"He never skipped leg day, so to speak." AL put the feat into words as he walked next to her.
"Victory! Mission accomplished!" Nisa yelled as she did her signature pose.
"That was quicker than anticipated. Let's go report our success." Nepgear told the group.
Okay-... Huh? What's that lying over there?" Compa asked. The others would turn to look at it as well.
It appeared to be an unconscious mouse person thing. It had two white whiskers on each cheek. The coloring from his shoulder to his hands was black. He had small maroon wings on his back, though he is never seen applying them in any way of flight.
On his chest was a red and yellow broken heart design as he sported a thin, black tail that has something similar to a big, black, broken heart in the end. The coloring from his knees to his feet was light red with two stripes on each side. Man that's one big mouse, about the size of a kid
"Compa, that's an oversized rat." IF identified with some disgust. "It probably has rabies too, so you should leave it alone." Nebula assumed.
"I second that notion." AL agreed.
"No way! The poor thing looks hurt. Hang on, Mister Mouse! Nurse Compa is here to patch you up." Compa felt obligated to help as she went towards the mouse.
"That rat oddly has the same color scheme as Underling." Nebula pointed out.
"That can just be a coincidence, right?" Nepgear asked him.
"Hope so." He responded.
After Compa treated the rat, it would regain consciousness as it began to float. It would open its eyes to reveal red irises as its tail spang up with life.
"WHERE AM I-I mean, Ch-Chu...?" The mouse squeaked as it regained its bearings.
"Are you alright, Mister Mouse?" Compa asked as she got closer.
GONG!
An audible gong was heard as the mouse's heart was pierced by an arrow of love. Hearts would form in its eyes as it stared back at Compa.
"What's wrong?" She would ask as the rat stared at her lovingly.
"C-Chu! Er...Um, Could I get your name...?" The mouse asked shyly, stuttering in between lines.
"Talk about lovestruck." AL snorted, amused.
"This sounds like the beginning of a cringy middle school romance." Nebula added.
"Hit the nail on the head, didn't 'cha." AL snickered with a faint smile.
"Indeed I did." Nebula responded.
"No problem. It's Compa. Nice to meet you, Mister Mouse." Compa introduced herself.
"Compa... Compa, hm? Mmmmmm... Chuu!..." The flying mouse moaned and her name as it twirled away.
"Hey, where are you going?!" The Nurse-In-Training asked the mouse.
"That mouse was talking... Right? I wasn't hallucinating or anything, was I?" Nepgear asked, unsure of what she just witnessed.
"NepG, when in Gamindustri, think about this. Nothing that makes any sense is normal until stated otherwise specifically. Remember that, and you'll never be confused a day in your immortal life." Nebula soundly explained.
"Ain't that the truth. You ready now, Compa? Let's go." IF agreed as they looked to leave.
While leaving, AL dropped one more tidbit.
"Paired with the fact that it sounded like it was about to cream, I don't know what I was expecting with that mouse," AL admitted before he and Nebula burst into laughter.
"O veteran warrior! We have defeated the monster!" Nisa called the guard as he looked a little disheartened from the remark.
"Hey! I'm only in my twenties and I've barely fought." He tried to defend his image. But it would fall on deaf ears.
"Just gimme the information already!" Nisa told the guard, with comical circles in her eyes and a dumb smile plastered on her face. "It's your turn to scratch our backs!" She continued.
"Alright, I guess... I saw some Hematite while I was in Septent Resort. I believe those Tae Kwon Cats like to collect gems like those."
''It's an ore-'' AL hastily corrected.
"Ores, like those." The guard corrected.
"Septent Resort, right? Thanks for the info." Nepgear answered.
"No problem." The guard answered as the group left for the resort.
SPIN KICK!
PIXELATE!
"You ever see any fish come out of the water here?" AL asked as he spin kicked a Fish Zombie in the face.
"Have you?" Nebula questioned back.
SLAM!
CRASH!
PIXELATE!
"Point." He stated before grabbing its tail and slamming it audible ground with an audible crash.
"Wanna see one?" He'd grin.
"With pleasure." Nebula responded.
THROW!
WOOSH!
SONIC BOOM!!!
SPLASH!
"YEET!" AL yelled as he threw the fish into the horizon as it broke the sound barrier, before proceeding to land a ways away in the water.
It then jumped out of the water sporadically as it frantically swam back to finish the fight.
"Ha. Hope he's not a freshwater fish." Nebula chuckled.
"He's dead anyway, so what's the worst that can happen." AL shrugged with a grin before laughing along with Nebula.
"That's enough you two. We should be nearing where the guy said the cat monsters should be." IF alerted, snapping them back to the situation at hand.
"Yes, ma'am!" They would comically salute, before descending into snickers once more.
"Come on, you two... Wait. Over there, that's where they are!" IF would point as Nepgear then spoke after.
"If we can take their Hematite, then we can get the information we need!" Nepgear hyped. "Okay..." She continued.
Until she was interrupted.
"Hold it right there!" Uni's voice rang out, her gun aimed at the group.
Nepgear turned around and saw her friend once again.
"Uni?!" She asked, surprised and delighted.
"Ack! Nepgear?!" The CPU Candidate of Lastation squeaked, confused and startled.
"What the heck are you doing here?" She asked with an apprehensive tone.
"Yay, it's Uni! You're looking for Hematite, too?" She asked her CPU Candidate friend.
"Well... I, uh, duh! But what do you think you're doing here?!" She sent a question back to Nepgear.
"I'm so happy you're doing well. I mean, we left off on such a sour note and all..." Nepgear trailed off, becoming sad as she ended the sentence.
"Did Miss Kei send you to get some Hematite, too? Let's team up and beat all the mean cat monsters."
"D-Don't get ahead of yourself! I... I have something to say to you, Nepgear..." Uni tried to stop the train of thought, but Nepgear wasn't be listening.
"I'm only gonna say this once in your lifetime, so your better be paying attention!" She continued.
"I-"
"Yippee! I'm so happy that you're here. Now I know we can get the Hematite without any trouble!" The purple CPU Candidate went on as she cheered.
"Hey, listen to me! Grr..." Uni tried to get Nepgear's attention. But it fell on dear ears. Then Uni snapped.
"Ugh! Screw it! You'll never get your Hematite and live to tell the tale, Nepgear!" She yelled.
"Huh? Why are you being a bully, Uni? You're not still mad, are you?" Nepgear asked, unaware of the obvious reason.
"Shut up, you dolt! I said you won't get it, so you won't get it!" Uni would affirm.
"Well... fine! If I can't have it, neither can you!" Nepgear responded as she challenged the Lastation CPU Candidate.
"You're mad at me now?! Give me a break!" Uni yelled out before hearing a faint 'Yare Yare Da.' In the background. "Let's see who gets to keep it after all." Uni challenged.
"Hey, c'mon citizens, can't we just site evil already?" Nisa asked, observing thr two bicker with a sad tone.
"Let 'em bitch for a while longer. We don't need this resentment to steep while we fight the monster horde." The Guild Agent facepalmed.
"Uhm, IF?" Compa alerted the brunette, shocked at the scene before her.
"Yeah, Compa?" IF tuned to her friend.
"There is no monster horde." Nebula answered as his foot was atop a pile of Hematite.
"Not even a single monster."
BOUNCE!
BOUNCE!
BOUNCE!
AL followed up as he kicked some of the Hematite like a soccer ball, balancing the ore as it bounced off of his foot.
"What happened?!" IF asked as she would look confused and shocked.
"Justice strikes again!" Nisa shouted out with a shocked face.
"We beat them all. You guys were so focused on Nepgear and Uni bickering like a married couple that you didn't even have time to notice us wiping out the Tae Kwon Cat population."
KICK!
JUMP!
SOMERSAULT!
SNATCH!
LAND!
AL explained as he kicked up some Hematite ore right into the air as he then jumped, somersaulted, and snatched it before showing it to IF as he landed.
A familiar melody played as the words 'STYLISH!' appeared above his head before they dissipated.
"That's new." He observed as he then looked back down to the face of an IF in disbelief.
"Well, now that we have what we need, I say we pick up the items and dash before Uni catches wind of what we're gonna do-" Nebula would be stopped by Uni.
"Oh no, you don't!" She shouted before she turned her gaze towards Nebula. "You guys aren't going anywhere unless this problem resolves itself!"
PILLAR!
TRANSFORM!
Uni stopped them before looking back at Nepgear as she transformed into Black Sister.
"Sheesh. Talk about uptight. I wonder if she has any friends." AL asked under his breath.
"Let's have a duel, Nepgear. If I win, the Hematite goes with me." Uni told the girl her terms as she gave Nepgear a determined glare. "I need to defeat you fair and square, Nepgear." She finished.
"I see. I accept your challenge."
PILLAR!
TRANSFORM!
Nepgear accepted before transforming into Purple Sister.
"What are you saying, Ge-Ge?" Compa asked the CPU Candidate.
"Let them duel! This is serious! Whose justice is more just!" Nisa cheered.
"I wonder who.'' Nebula thought.
"Y'know, I think it's Uni's-" AL sarcastically guessed.
"Stop the cap." Nebula snorted.
"OK, ok." The afro warrior ceased.
"Thanks for understanding. Don't you dare go easy on me! I won't forgive you if you do." Black Sister told Nepgear.
"I have no intention of holding back. I can't... And I will not lose!" Purple Sister strongly responded.
"How do you think we should start this battle off for them?" Nebula asked his friend.
"IT'S TIME FOR A SHAOLIN SHOWDOWN!" AL yelled.
"Wait, no. Wrong series." Nebula denied in between laughs.
"IT'S TIME TO D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-DUEL!" AL managed to replicate without sounded equipment as some Egyptian music would cue in the back.
"Wrong series, again." Nebula shook his head as his hair was styled like a certain card-dueling protagonist. for the meme.
"ARE YOU READY?!" AL obnoxiously shouted. There would be a short pause as the girls would steel their weapons.
"For justice!" Nisa yelled valiantly.
"You can do it Ge-Ge!" Compa cheered.
"Oh, brother." IF wouldn't support either side.
"LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!"
DASH!
Nebula finished the announcement out as the goddesses charged.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
LEAP!
SLASH!
Purple Sister dashed forward, dodging some blasts from Black Sister, and when she had reached upon her, Black Sister gained some distance by leaping back right before being slashed by Purple Sister.
ZIG!
BLAST!
ZAG!
BLAST!
ZIG!
BLAST!
ZAG!
BLAST!
Purple Sister then advanced further as she moved side to side, dodging more blasts and even deflecting one of them with her sword as she approached.
"Paralysis Shot!"
BANG!
BZZZZT!!!
Purple Sister was then be hit with a Paralysis Shot at point-blank, sending her skidding back.
"Kyaaaa!" The CPU Candidate yelled in pain as she was now under thr effects of the shot.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
SLAM!
THUD!
THWACK!
BIFF!
LEAP!
BANG!!!
Once paralyzed, Black Sister would hone in on her opponent, shooting at the stunned Purple Sister while she was immobile. She continued to do so until she closed the distance and slammed her gunblade on her a few times before gaining some distance as she fired a powerful shot that sent the purple CPU Candidate flying.
"Argh!" Purple Sister cried out in pain as she was sent tumbling.
CHEER!
The CPU Candidate was sent into the air as she slowly regained her ability to move. She then shook off the paralysis after a bit and use her Defensive Cheer, increasing her endurance as she engaged her opponent once again.
ZOOM!
"Here I come!" She yelled from above as she dived.
BANG!
"Eat this!" Black Sister would shout back as she fired her Venom Shot.
IMPACT!
The round was a dead ringer but did less to damage and more to stagger Purple Sister as she approached.
"Mirage Dance!"
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!!!
She then closed the gap between herself and Black Sister's grill and used her SP Skill.
"Aaaugh!" The Lastation CPU Candidate yelled out in pain as she was repeatedly slashed.
"Slash Wave!"
BOOM!!!
Black Sister was knocked back as Nepgear would continue her assault while her opponent was sent back.
EVADE!
WOOSH!
BOOM!!!
A powerful wave of energy approached Black Sister as she quickly moved out of the wave as it missed.
BOOM!
SPLASH!
BOOM!
SPLASH!
BOOM!
SPLASH!
BOOM!
SPLASH!
She then fired back at Purple Sister as the target would dodge the powerful rounds in tandem. They would dramatically explode in the ocean behind her as she barely dodged them.
ASCEND!!!
BANG!
BOOM!
PEW!
BANG!
Purple Sister would then try a different tactic. She flew straight up, making Black Sister aim more upwards as she fired at the ascending CPU Candidate.
FLY-
DESCEND!
DIVE!!!
And before Black Sister knew it, she would make a sharp aerial U-turn as she rapidly descended towards Black Sister as her gun was aimed up in an awkward position.
BOOM!
DODGE!
ZAG!!!
A-AIM!
VANISH!!!
"Got you!...?!" She shouted out as she tried to take aim, but would be doing so in vain as Purple Sister would zig to the side, making Black Sister miss her shot, before zagging to the side as Black Sister would then have to rearrange her aim as Purple Sister veered closer like a speed demon.
REAPPEAR!
"Slash Wave!"
WAVE!!!
"What?!" Black Sister would yell as Purple Sister would use her skill once more.
Venom Shot!"
BANG!!!
CLASH!!!
The attack returned once again as Black Sister would have to choose between challenging the attack and dodging. She took a gamble as she would use her Venom Shot to attempt to overpower the attack.
CLASH!!!
CLASH!!!
CLASH!!!-
SLICE!
The two attacks clashed, but not before the sheer power of the Slash Wave cut through the Venom Shot like butter after a few seconds of contact.
DISSIPATE!
CRASH!!!
"Kyaaaaah!"
It then zoomed towards a shocked Black Sister before hitting her directly.
Black Sister screamed in pain before being knocked away.
TUMBLE!
ROLL!
SKID!!!...
REVERT!
She tried to get up but fell back down, and t back into her human form.
"Damnit... I lost... I'm still not strong enough..." She muttered as she would then herself up with her gun as she walked to Nepgear, limping.
Meanwhile, Nepgear was celebrating.
"Yay! I win!" Nepgear shouted as she cheered, returning to her friends.
"You have triumphed, Nepgear!" Nisa congratulated as she gave a smile.
"I-I only let you win this time. H-Hmph. But that's not gonna happen again. You get me?" Uni warned as AL rolled his eyes, being reminded of the attitude Gris showcased
'Is this a running thing with Lastationites?' The afro warrior internally asked himself as he then congratulated Nepgear.
"The fight was short, but it was sweet. Nice job, Nepgear." AL told the CPU Candidate, his signature best buddy more focused on the girl beating herself up over a loss than the one who just got her Hematite.
He followed her after she hurriedly limped away.
"Is this what you really wanted to do, Ge-Ge?" Compa asked Nepgear.
"I'm... Not too sure... Uni?" That was her response. She looked for her friend, but she would be nowhere to be found.
"Well, looks like the gunner girl bit the bullet, right... Neb?" AL questioned as his friend was gone as well.
Uni would be limping away, thinking about the fight a ways away.
"She's strong, even when fighting by herself. But she has so many friends to help her, too..." Uni told herself as she would then begin to break down as tears would form in her eyes.
"And what do I have... Just look at me... I'm... I'm..." She would struggle to finish as she would repeat the same word.
"Pretty fast for someone who's limping." Nebula finished for her as he was beside her with a raised brow.
"Ack!" Uni was startled as she staggered back. "What are you doing here?! Aren't you one of Nepgear's friends?" She demanded, defensive of his arrival.
"The name's Nebula. And I am one of her friends. At least I perceive myself to be." He introduced himself.
"Then what are you doing here. Shouldn't you be celebrating with all her other friends?" Uni questioned as she wiped the tears that totally weren't forming from her eyes to try and strike a more intimidating glare.
"You can't scare me away when you're on the verge of crying, Uni." Nebula pointed out as the Candidate then tried to deny it.
"I'm not gonna cry!" She would yell at him. This would only get the male to raise a brow as she then further denied it. "I-It's not like I gonna go cry in my room later or anything!" She stuttered.
This only got Nebula to snort.
"And why are you laughing at me!" Uni demanded as she looked at him angrily. "Is this funny to you?!" She asked aggressively with some hurt in her voice.
"No. I'm just laughing at the fact that you'd rather go cry alone than just suck it up and tell Nepgear you're sorry." Nebula started to explain.
"What do you know about us, anyway!? I don't wanna hear it from someone like you!" Uni sniffled as she barked at the fellow CPU.
"Oh, really now? I can tell that you're hurting from getting your ass handed to you just now. And it's definitely in more ways than one." A dull look stared her down.
"A-And what else? Don't tell me that's all you think this is about...!" Her eyes still narrowed, her upset emotions slowly as she looked away with the model tsun upturn as her eyes were closed.
"Fine then. I know you're probably really upset that Noire wasn't the one who returned and Nepgear was. I get that. And you were also probably really lonely for the past 3 years, and the only people you interacted with that were the closest to being a family member were Kei and the Lastation Basilicom staff." Nebula started, getting a teary eye to open as he continued, unbeknownst that he had spoken a sore truth.
"But the point is that Nepgear is here now. And she's trying to free her sister, your sister, and basically save all of Gamindustri. And you attacking her for being free is not gonna bring your sister back any faster, if at all." A tone of urgency that blended into a more soft display came from the man's words as Uni found the tolerance to look him in the eyes.
"And to put it into even more perspective, Noire didn't leave you behind because you would be a burden or that you didn't have the sufficient skills albeit a very valid reason." Nebula paused as Uni then asked the question.
"T-Then why did she leave me, huh?! If you know so much about it, then tell me!" Uni snapped, tears threatening to fall down her face.
"Because I think it was because she knew how much weaker I was than her!" She yelled.
"She left you because she knew the danger." Nebula told her. This kept Uni quiet as she looked at him, perplexed as she repeated his words.
"The d-danger?" She asked, wobbly in her tone. She then listened to his explanation.
"The person that all four CPUs went to fight. Her name was CFW Magic. They had all been defeated by her in one. Fell. Swoop. Even I challenged her when I arrived at the Gamindustri Graveyard to save them with Nepgear, and still barely escaped with my life." He explained in a foreboding fashion as he then turned around and took off his vest to show Uni the scar he received from her.
"See?" He proclaimed.
Uni stood there, shocked and in disbelief at the wound that marred his back, running from below his left shoulder to next to his right hip. The was deep as well, as it was a darker shade than his light skin color as the CPU Candidate gazed upon the grievous scar.
"I... I didn't know." She admitted, for once. Past assumptions quickly evaporated as some definitive accounts for what happened and the level of fatal danger of the graveyard was shown to her.
"You couldn't have." Nebula deduced as he put back on his vest.
TURN!
"That's why I'm not mad at you." He turned around.
Guilt slowly seeped into her mind as she realized her folly of speaking to Nepgear like how she did, ignorant of the inner workings of the Gamindustri Graveyard.
"I... I'm... I-I'm so s-" She was cut off.
"So I'll say this. You don't have to go and apologize now. I won't force you. But I do want you to think about the additional information that I've just given you. I rather you did not tell Kei about this since this was the agreed info we would trade, and knowing her she'd just make us do something else to get our information, so do me a solid?" He asked with a genuine smile.
"...I'll think about it." Was her simple response.
DIG...
PRESENT!
He dug in his pocket and take out a Healing Pod.
"You're... Giving this to me?" Uni asked carefully as she looked at the item.
"Think of it as a little incentive. And besides, making you limp home at this point would be plain cruel." Nebula explained as he turned and walk back to his friends.
But not before raising his hand and saying one more thing.
"See ya later, Uni. And one more thing not to tell Kei until we tell her ourselves." He looked back with a smug grin.
"What is it?" She questioned with a raised brow.
"Noire is alive." He dropped the bomb as he turned back and walked to his friends. "You could have guessed that from my earlier statements, but just if you didn't catch on." He beamed.
The black-haired CPU Candidate eyes widened with shock as she heard the news that she desperately wanted to hear
"What?! Really! H-Hey, wait-!"
VANISH!
Uni led to Nebula to know more about her condition, but he then vanished, leaving her there alone.
...
...
...
"Noire is alive, huh..." Uni repeated as she let the tears fall from her face.
"...Thank you, Nebula."
PILLAR!
TRANSFORM!
FLY!
She softly thanked before she used the Healing Pod, transformed, flew away.
A/N:
Heya there, reader!
If you're seeing this, this is a rewrite of the chapter, just to correct some repetition, fix some spelling errors, and improve the spelling quality, especially in the earlier chapters.
So remember, italics and bold is going for gold.
Enter Nisa! I was really torn between going for the Mk2 route with her and the Re;Birth 2 route with RED, and even wrote some more chapters with RED as the new character, but ultimately decided to go with Nisa because the flat is justice- I mean, because she's pretty underused, so why not include her?
And on a different note, Uni knows the state of Noire early! I decided on this route because it was kind of bogus that she didn't go and apologize to Nepgear despite her Tsun ways, but instead of forcing her to, I just made Nebula give her some incentive to do so and cheer her up a bit as he did. Pretty pog if I do say so myself.
And our local businesswoman Oracle Kei makes an appearance! Maybe I'll keep her around for future installments of this fanfic in Victory and VII?
Arrivederci.
Read and Review!