Chapter 27 – Leads From a SUPER TRENDY Girl
Nepgear's POV
It was the next morning here in Primp Town. Neptune, IF, Compa, and I stayed at our cousin's house while everyone else bunked with the others. It took a good while to find everyone a place to sleep for the night. Since there were so many people.
Right now, all of us had just woken up and were eating breakfast. It was also around this time that Neptune and I saw Melody for the first time in a while. She had just come back from a trip and didn't know why us two and our friends were here. So, we explained to her everything that's happening thus far.
And really, all she had to say was…
"Wow…so, all that happened in the span of three days, huh? That's pretty dope."
I've learned to never expect appropriate reactions from her.
"Honestly, Melody…you could at least be more serious about this." I said.
"Hey, I am being serious. Ami being sucked into a dimensional portal, Neptune having her soul shattered, the worlds looking how they are now…it's already bad enough that I have to deal with Arfoire again. Now, I see how she's connected to all of this."
"Still, though…it's really shocking that you knew Arfoire for that long. When Neptune told us last night, I could hardly believe it."
"I still can't believe Arfoire went to high school." Compa said. "What did she look like back then?"
"Pretty normal compared to how she is now." Melody said while scrolling through her phone. "I think I can pull up a picture of her on the school's website. Where is it…Aha! Here it is!" She then showed us a picture of a young girl with long white hair and blue emotionless eyes. Wearing a school uniform that looked more akin to the ones you see in school anime.
We were having a hard time believing that this was the same person who would later try to destroy Gamindustri several times for no apparent reason. But then we saw the text printed underneath the picture. And were even more shocked.
Arfoire Céleste
Age 18
3rd Year Student
"Woah…she even had a last name?" Amitie asked.
"You know…it's actually kinda creepy seeing her with a normal skin color." Neptune said. "I've been used to her ugly-as-hell purple tone for so long."
"How did she end up like that again?" Compa asked.
"Well, long story short, Compa…it's all Melody's fault."
"Wow. Way to throw me under the bus, Neptune." Melody said.
"What? It's true. Rulue explained everything and even said how you pushed it off as an accident. Which it clearly wasn't."
"But it really was."
"Throwing an acid-filled puyo at someone's face while shouting "Emergency Attack!" is NOT AN ACCIDENT, DAMNIT!" Neptune shouted with complete rage inside her. Slamming the table so hard that she knocked over her drink.
"N-Neptune, please! Calm down!" I said to her.
…
…
…
"*sigh* Whatever. I'm still mad that you basically dumped Arfoire onto us, Melody."
"I said I was sorry." Melody said. "I seriously had no intention to make your lives hell with her."
"Plus, she had no idea where she ended up, Nep." IF said. "So, it's not COMPLETELY her fault."
"Yeah, that's true. From what Rulue told me, that mirror could've taken her anywhere. We were just unlucky."
After what Arfoire's done over the years, I wouldn't just call it "unlucky"…
"Anyway…so, you said you fought her yesterday right, Melody?" IF asked her. "What happened after that?"
"She threw a fit that I beat her and then ran off. Claiming that she'll "get even with me REAL soon!". I don't know where she is now."
"*sigh* Figures…the one time we want her and we can't freaking find her."
"If there's one thing she's good at it's disappearing." I said. "Speaking of which, has anyone seen Uzume?"
"Oh, yeah. She's helping Rivitie and clear out the area of those monsters from your world." Amitie said. "She offered to help since Arly's too busy helping Satan and Ecolo contain the portals around town."
"I see. I guess it's a step-by-step process to get this world back together."
*DING DONG*
"I'll get it." Amitie said as she went to go answer the door. When she came back, it turned out to be Arle, Ringo, Resta, and Uni.
With Ringo and Resta in the middle of a…interesting conversation.
"…And that's how doorbells work, Resta."
"Woah…so, you just press a button and people just let you in their homes? That's crazy!"
"Well, they gotta hear the chime first before they let you in. Usually, one time would do it."
"Woah…"
"Resta…do you seriously not have doorbells in your world?" Arle asked.
"Nope. That was my first time seeing such a thing. To think that a simple button could let you in a stranger's home…these worlds really are advanced!"
"Advanced…because of a doorbell?"
"And apparently giant robots, cell phones, and futuristic cities just didn't cut it…" Uni said with a sweatdrop.
"Hey, guys. What's up?" Neptune asked.
"Eh, nothing much." Arle said. "Ringo, Resta, and I were on our way here and we happened to run into Uni along the way."
"Huh…"
"So, you're one of these Zodiac Princesses Akuma won't shut up about?" Melody asked Resta. "I hear that you got powers that control the stars in the sky. Pretty badass, I gotta admit."
"Uh…thanks. And you're Amitie's mom, right? I kinda bunked here for a few days before all this stuff happened. Sorry about that." Resta said with a bow.
"Oh, don't worry about it. Ami brings home people from different worlds all the time. The most recent being that stubby pink puffball. What was his name again? Uh…Keeby?"
"It's Kirby, Mom." Amitie said. Sounding slightly irritated.
"Right, right. That guy."
"I see. Well…glad you can look it over."
"So…anything new yet?" Uni asked.
"Not really." IF said. "We still don't know where Arfoire is. And we don't have any leads on the other three co-conspirers, either."
"And neither Sagey and I are picking up any readings of the other stones." Resta added. "So, it's safe to say that it's just us two in this world."
"Until Histoire and Akuma find something, we're pretty much stuck."
"I see…" Uni said with a sad tone. "…and I was hoping we could at least find a way to put Lastation together."
"Lastation? Ooh~! That sounds SUPER trendy!"
"Well, I wouldn't call it trendy, but…w-wait, who just said that?!"
"Call me crazy…but I think this milk carton just talked." Melody said as she grabbed the carton of milk.
"Woah…talking milk! These worlds just keep getting more advanced by the minute!"
"Th-This is NOT advanced!" Arle and Ringo yelled at Resta.
"Whoopsie~! Guess I blew my cover."
The milk carton then began jumping up and down all cartoony-like as if someone was stuck inside of it. Then after a few seconds, it just stopped.
None of us knew what was going on or why this milk carton was acting so strange. But with a curiosity aura flowing all over the room, Amitie decided to just open it and see what was inside.
But as she placed her hand on the top…
"Dadadada Da da da DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
"*shriek* A girl just came out of the milk!" Compa and I shouted in total fear after a pink-haired girl with orange eyes REALLY did come out of the milk carton. She wore a plain black t-shirt and a small grey skirt underneath a pink & brown jacket that…oddly reminds me of chocolate.
…
Also…she had a donut in her hair. Making up a single hair bun. I don't really get that part of her.
But the main thing I noticed was the fact that she had grey wings and a purple halo over her head. Which gives the obvious sign that she's an angel.
Although, I've never seen an angel look like that before…
"Howdy there, everyone! Trend Girl Nina-chan is here to make your day the TRENDIEST of your lives! *giggle*"
"Nina, what the hell?! Why are you in my milk?!" Amitie yelled at the angel girl.
"I was looking for some to go with my donuts. I snuck inside your house to take yours…but…I heard someone coming into the kitchen. So, I hid inside the milk."
Why would you pick THERE to hide…? I mentally said with a sweatdrop.
"And how long was this?"
"Oh, I think it was about…three days."
"WH-WHAT?!" We all shouted in shock.
"So, you've been hiding inside this carton of milk for THREE DAYS?!" Amitie yelled while sounding completely angry.
"Well, that explains why I'm spitting out feathers…" Melody said in disgust as she held up one of the angel's grey feathers.
"Well, it's not like I wanted to. Thanks to you taking so long, my donuts are all soggy! Totally not trendy, Amitie!"
"I DON'T FREAKING…*sigh* Whatever. I'm gonna go wash my mouth off. It reeks of three-day-old soggy donuts…" Amitie then went off to the bathroom on her own. Leaving the rest of us with this REALLY strange girl. Trying to get out of the milk carton.
Primp really is just as abnormal as Gamindustri…
"Ah~! Finally free! My legs feel TOTALLY trendy now! *giggle*"
"So, uh…who is this girl?" IF asked Arle and Ringo.
"Ooh~! We got new cuties here~! Name's Trend Girl Nina-chan~! Trendiest girl in all of Primp!"
"What?"
"Her REAL name is Nina Izomi." Ringo said. "She's a dark angel who attends the Dark Academy located above town."
"And in case you couldn't tell…she's the unpredictable type." Arle added.
"Well, we get that much…" IF said with a sweatdrop.
"Woah…" Nina said as she was staring at the four of us still sitting at the table. "…I never would've thought other-worlders would be so…plain. It's really disappointing, honestly."
"H-Hold up! Who are you calling "plain"?!" Neptune yelled as she stood up from her seat. "I'll have you know that we are the most fashionable group of girls you've ever damn seen! We even had a game that showed off our fashion sense a little."
"Huh? What game was that?" I asked.
"You know…the one where we became idols for six months."
I thought about it for a bit. "Wait…you mean THAT one?"
"Wasn't that game utter garbage?" Uni asked.
"N-No! Like hell it was! Honestly, Uni…you really believe that a game with MY name in the title would be bad?!"
"Well, you aren't exactly the perfect character, Neptune."
"Wh-Wha…Oh, that's just nepping cruel! Right, guys?!"
"Well…no. She's right, Nep." IF said.
"You do have your issues, Sis." I said.
"Sorry, Nep-Nep." Compa said.
"*whine* Freaking traitors!"
"Uh…what the hell are you girls talking about?" Melody asked.
"Apparently, we're not real and all of this is just one big story." Resta said. "I don't really get it, either."
"Huh…"
"Well, none of you still look all that trendy." Nina said before turning to look at Compa. "Well…except for you. You're totally the TRENDIEST girl I've ever seen! *gasp* You could even be my cute and trendy rival!"
"Aw! Thank you!" Compa said with a smile. "My name's Compa. And I think you look pretty cute and trendy too, Nina-chan."
"You're actually calling her Nina-chan?" Ringo asked with a sweatdrop.
"*giggle*Finally! A girl that knows how to be trendy around here! All we got here are a bunch of flat-chested tomboys!"
"*snicker* Flat-chested tomboys…"
"Shut up, Melody!" Neptune, IF, and Arle yelled at her.
No coincidence at all that it was these three who retorted her…
"You're TOTALLY the rival of my dreams, Compa!" Nina cheered. "As a token of our fierce rivalry in trendiest, have a special Friendship Donut!" She then pulled out from…somewhere…a box filled with donuts. With a lot of them looking really gourmet.
"Wowie! These look really good! Thanks, Nina-chan!"
"Aw, what? Can't I get a donut, too?" Neptune asked.
"No way! You're not trendy enough! Grow into a B-cup and I'll think about it!"
"Tch! Wh-Why you little…" Neptune then attempted to lunge at Nina to most likely hurt her. But IF and I managed to hold her back.
So, I guess that's another person Neptune hates around here…
"Bleck…I think I finally got it out." Amitie said as she rejoined us at the table. "What kind of sick freak would use a basil-flavored filling?"
"Ooh~! You must've had the Pineapple Basil donut! That one REALLY packs a trendy zing."
"P-Pineapple Basil? That sounds gross." Arle said.
"No, it's super trendy! Unique donut flavors are all the rave nowadays. Look…I got Bacon Maple Bar, Foie Gras, Lemon Sichuan, Mojito with Candied Mint Leaf…"
"Those really are some unique donut flavors…" Uni said.
"Ooh~! This one looks really good…" Compa said as she had picked out her donut.
"*giggle* I knew you'd pick THAT one, Compa. You really are the trendiest other-worlder here."
"What is that one, Compa?" IF asked.
"Uh…" Compa looked at the nametag that came with the donut. "…Old Dirty Bastard. Weird name for a donut."
…
…
…
"C…Compa…"
It was the first time any of us from Gamindustri had ever heard Compa swear. And it was the most unnerving thing I've ever experienced.
"You guys want a bite?"
"N-No, Compa…" Was all IF was able to say.
"I didn't think Compa would be the type of girl to be into old dirty bastards…"
*POW*
"Ow!"
"Shut up, Melody!" Neptune said after hitting Melody in the side.
"Anyway…" Amitie spoke. "…why are you still here, Nina?"
"Huh? Oh! I completely forgot!" Nina said before turning to Uni. "Hey, hey! This "Lastation" place you were talking about…is it SUPER trendy?!"
"Huh? Well…I guess. It's known as the Land of Black Regality after all."
"Regality…I don't know what that is. But it sounds TOTALLY trendy! I wanna go right now! You'll take me, right?!"
"N-No, I can't. It's basically inaccessible right now."
"Inaccessible?"
"Lastation got torn apart due to the worlds fusing." I explained. "And pieces of it are currently floating around Primp. Making it quite difficult to reach there."
"Huh…I guess that explains why school's been canceled all of a sudden." This was when Nina said something that I honestly didn't expect from her. Even though I've only met her just a few minutes ago. "Well, what if I told you that I know how to put these pieces back together? Would you take me then?"
"W-Woah, wait! What?! Y-You know how to fix Lastation?!" Uni yelled in total shock.
"H-Hey, Nina…don't be making false promises to this girl." Ringo said sternly. "She's been through a lot recently."
"You think I'm lying? I'm TOTALLY telling the truth! I swear on my donut collection!"
"You have a donut collection?" Resta asked.
"If there's anything Nina loves more than being trendy, it's donuts." Amitie said. "She even wears one in her hair."
THAT'S the reason?!
"Okay…so, how do we do it?" Ringo asked. Still skeptical about this.
"Well…I don't really know myself. But before you guys showed up, I heard this girl talking about "fixing the world" and whatever a "Zodiac Stone" is. It was kinda creepy…but it also sounded trendy enough to keep listening."
"How did it sound creepy?"
"She kept going "Kukuku…Fuahahahaha!" while talking about it. I'm pretty sure she's a weirdo."
"W-Wait…HER?!" Neptune shouted in shock."I didn't think she would end up here!"
"You know who she is?" Amitie asked.
"Yeah, I know her. And her laughing like that is completely normal. Almost like Iffy when she goes full-on chuunibyou."
"Wh-What?! I-I don't…sh-shut up!" IF yelled with an embarrassed blush.
"Do you know where she went off to?" Neptune then asked Nina.
"Well…her voice was going from my left ear to my right ear. So, she was probably going south."
"So, most likely…Moguru Bay." Arle said. "It's a beach on the south side of town."
"Alrighty, then! Let's head out, people!" Neptune cheered.
"Eh, you girls go on ahead." Melody said. "I'm pretty sure both Akuma and Histoire want me to help find Arfoire. Right when I get back from vacation, too…"
"Quit pouting." Amitie said. "We need all the help we can get if we want to restore the worlds."
"Yeah, yeah. I get it. Just don't do anything crazy. Your Light Soul powers are still unstable even with the 8th ability."
"Yeah…I know."
Come to think about it, we haven't seen much of Amitie's Light Soul powers. I wonder what they're truly like…
World of Magic – Primp Town
"Gee…my second time coming to Primp and it's taken such a beating." I said as we were walking down the near-ruined streets on our way to a beach known as Moguru Bay. "I guess it makes sense that a small town like this can't withstand the force of dimensional fusion."
"Yeah…I guess." Uni replied before going silent for a bit. "H-Hey, Nepgear…can I tell you something?"
"Huh? What's up, Uni? Something bothering you?"
"Well…after thinking about it…I kinda feel stupid for getting excited when Nina said she knew how to fix Lastation. Pretty childish of me, really."
"Was it, though? I mean…I would feel the same way too if Planeptune was in a similar state. It isn't bad to feel for your home."
"I know, but…" Uni went silent for a bit. "…maybe if I was there sooner…and maybe a bit stronger, too…Lastation would still be around. And so many people wouldn't have lost their lives that day."
"Uni…" I said with a sad look of my own.
"Not to mention that it stings hard that you can still use HDD. I can't do it…and this Crystal Shard isn't helping me, either."
"W-Wait, what? Crystal Shard? How do you have one?"
"Lemres took a few for himself to research them." Uni then took out the Crystal Shard currently around her neck. "He's letting us borrow one each until we get HDD back. But…it started working for Noire and hasn't done a thing for me. I just don't get it."
"Well, maybe it take some time. I mean, it is an object from a different world and all."
"Yeah, I guess…" Uni then continued to stare at the crystal again. "But still…what Lemres told me about this thing. How they contain strong powers born from the galaxy itself and shouldn't be used as a toy. It's kinda scary to think of what would happen if it DOES start working for me. And so, these doubts still keep flowing in my mind."
"Yeah, I can understand you there."
"Hey, you two! Try to keep up!"
"C-Coming!" I replied to IF after she called out to us. "Well, maybe we can take to Lemres about it later. I'm rather curious myself as to how a Crystal Shard works. Since Amitie has one herself."
"Wait, why does Amitie have one?"
…
"It's…a long story." I said with a huge sweatdrop.
Neptune's POV
Soon after leaving Amitie's house, we arrived at Moguru Bay. And much like the rest of Primp, it got hit hard thanks to the worlds fusing. Deep giant holes were all over the place, trees were knocked down, and even part of it was flooded with water.
Honestly, it wasn't as bad as the damage Rebeat Resort took. But it was still an eyesore to look at.
"Get real…the beach is in ruins." Amitie said.
"Yeah, no kidding." Ringo said. "It looks like a tsunami hit this place."
"I really feel bad for all the little fishes…" Compa said. "…having their home completely destroyed like this."
"Speaking of fishes…I can only imagine one of them throwing a huge fit right about now." Arle said.
"What do you mean, Arle?"
"Well…"
"FIIIIIIIIIIIIISH!"
"Welp, there he is."
Just up ahead, we saw a small group of three standing on one of the beach's few safe spots. One was a girl with red puffy-like twin-tail hair and pointy ears, one was a literal dragon, and the last one was…a-a red fish with arms and legs?!
I-It's like that dream I had about Umio actually true!
"Aw, clammit! This is some bullcarp! My home is all ruined!"
"I know you're upset and all…but please calm down. You might attract more of those monsters."
"As if I give a carp! If those landlubbers do come back here, I'll give them SHELL to pay, baby!"
"*sigh* There's just no calming him down. Shall we go look around some more?"
"Gao!"
"A fish with arms and legs…that has to be the most bizarre thing I've ever seen." Iffy said.
"You're really not the first person to say that, IF…" Arle said with a sweatdrop. "Hey! Suketoudara! Chico!"
"Oh? Arle!" Said the girl once we grabbed their attention.
"FIIIIIIIIIIIISH! Arle! Look what these shellfish jerks did to the beach!" The fish yelled out in a hysterical fit. "There ain't no room fer me to strut my stylish dance moves!"
"Stylish dance moves?" Some of us asked.
"Calm down." Arle said. "I get what you're trying to say. But there's actually more to the story than that."
"Huh? There's more?"
"Would that explain what happened to the sky, as well?" The girl asked.
"Yeah, pretty much. So, you see…"
*ONE EXPLANATION LATER…*
"…And that's basically what's going on."
"Woah…" The fish said. "…can't say fer shore that I understand most of that. But I gotta admit, it's some messed-up carp."
"Soul shattering and dimensional fusion…I didn't think such things were possible." The girl added. "No wonder the spirits have been angry as of late."
"So, now we're trying to stop those responsible and fix the worlds to how they were originally." Amitie said. "With all of us here, my cousins Neptune & Nepgear and their friends, and Resta & and the other Zodiac Princesses."
"I see. Well, it's nice to meet you all. I'm Chico. A shrine maiden in-training."
"Name's Suketoudara! The King of Dance!" The fish man joined in. "I reel in excitement all over with my awaving dance moves! Ha!" He then proceeded to do multiple dance moves to prove his point.
"He sure is…uh…hyper." Nepgear said.
"Yeah…that's the best way to describe him." Ringo said with a sweatdrop.
"And…this is Dragon." Chico continued. Introducing the giant dragon next to her. "He's my pet and we pretty much do everything together. Right, Dragon?"
"Gao!"
"You have a pet DRAGON?!" I yelled in complete excitement. "That is like SO awesome sauce!"
"Yeah, but…Dragon the Dragon?" Uni asked. "It sounds just as weird as Rei naming his cat Kat."
"Well, Dragon's always had that name." Chico said. "He even told me that himself."
"Gao!" Dragon added.
"W-Wait, huh?"
"Chico's the only person that can understand what Dragon says." Arle explained. "Much like me and Carby."
"Huh. That's…interesting."
"So, what would bring you guys all the way here?" Chico asked.
"We're looking for someone from our world that may have ended up here." Iffy explained. "She's a girl with blue hair, black hat, white mage uniform…"
"Talks like a demented derp and TOTALLY NOT trendy."
"What?" Both girl and fish asked in confusion.
"Nina, shut up." Amitie said to her.
"…She may have a way to restore the worlds back." Iffy continued. "You guys seen her around?"
"Hmm…whale, now that I think about it, I may have seen that lil' bluefin earlier." Suketoudara said.
"You have?"
"Shortly after the beach ended up like this, I saw her clamming about weird magic stuff and whatever the shell "Doc P." is. She honestly gave me an eerie eelin'. So, I flapped my fins elsewhere."
"SHE looked scary?" Nepgear and Uni whispered to themselves.
"You know…I think we passed by her just before running into Suketoudara." Chico said. "She definitely had this weird creepy aura around her. So, I stayed away myself."
"So, neither of you know where she went off from here?" Iffy asked.
"Gao!"
"Huh? Do you know, Dragon?" Chico asked her pet dragon.
"Gao! Gaa~o~ao! Gao gao!"
"It looked like she looking for something? And Witch was with her?"
"Gao gao gao!"
"Something called a Zodiac Stone…that does sound mysterious."
"A Zodiac Stone?" Resta asked. "Why would she be looking for one?"
"It probably has something to do with restoring the crumbled parts of the worlds." Uni said. "We gotta go after her."
"Is that really a good idea, though? I mean…after what's happened thus far, I can't really trust anyone who's after the Zodiac Stones. Whatever their intentions may be."
"Come on, Resta. Please? This may really help in restoring our worlds back. I want Lastation back just as much as you want your kingdom."
"Yeah, but…"
"And besides…if Witch is with this girl, it could only lead to more trouble." Arle added.
"I'm not sure what to say about that…" Resta gained a sweatdrop.
"At least hear her out, Resta." I said. "Knowing her, her hobbies are kinda creepy. But they aren't evil in the slightest."
…
…
…
"*sigh* Fine…I can at least do that." Resta said after thinking it over. "But if I don't like where it's going, I'm backing out immediately. Got it?"
"Fine by me! You have my word as a goddess!"
Well…soon-to-be-former goddess. But I'll keep that a secret for now…
"Last I saw her, she was swimmin' onto the deep ends of the beach." Suketoudara said. "If y'all are still hookin' fer her, I suggest diving on that a way."
"Thanks for the help, guys. We really needed it." Arle said.
"TOTALLY!" Nina yelled out. "So, as a token of our appreciation, have a super delicious and totally trendy donut! I've even kept them warm!"
"Hey, hey, hey! Just the thing to ease the anglerxiety!"
"I actually can't have anything sweet…" Chico said. "…but I'm sure you want one right, Dragon?"
"Gaa-o~!"
"So, the fishman and the dragon get donuts but I don't?" I mumbled in a pissed-off tone.
"Let it go, Neptune." Nepgear and Amitie said to me.
Author's Note: Writing fish puns is hard. Somehow harder than writing the actual chapter.
Anyway…I said that I was going to do these short interaction chapters after the last one. But I decided to push that idea back a little. It's still happening…just after the Primp act is done. It'll make more sense in the end.
And yes, Old Dirty Bastard is a real donut. It's in Portland, Oregon…though I don't live there. So, I can't say if it tastes good or not.
Thanks for reading. Later.