Chapter 15: Sparks in the Sky

As much emphasis was placed on the big sports competition that took place later in the Festa, it wasn't as if the activities beforehand didn't include recreational sports. Chief among them was volleyball, the court being set up on the sand pit usually used during physical training. Games were usually played in pairs and Alain and Ersha were having at it with a couple of girls from third squadron.

"Ersha, to you!" Alain skid across the sand and bounced the ball off his arm, sending it skyward.

"Spike it!" Ersha stepped back and tapped the ball right up, Alain dashing up and leaping as high as he could. The opposing pair rushed to the net to try and block, Alain's hand quickly slamming the volleyball at the peak of his jump, sending it streaking past the pair and smashing into the sand.

"Point! Alain and Ersha!" The referee called, Alain high fiving Ersha while some of the Norma watching began to cheer. "Match point for their side!"

"Man, you two make a lethal team." One of the other Norma said as her partner picked up the ball. "It's almost not fair with how tall you both are."

"Well I'm not nearly as fast or able to jump as high as Alain can." Ersha admitted as they took their places. "But being artillery does mean I have a good eye!"

"I'd be more worried about how hard you'd hit it." Alain snarked, Ersha tilting her head at him.

"Don't look away now!" The server called, tossing the ball up and slapping it over, aiming it right to Alain.

"Come on that's too easy." Alain already saw where this was going as he bounced the ball towards Ersha with a hard shove of the arm. Their opponents were hoping to use Ersha's lack of jumping ability against her, as they'd done a couple of times now. 'But a routine is easy to catch!' he thought as he rushed towards the net. Ersha leaped as high as she could, and the other two were already jumping to try and catch her spike. What the two probably weren't counting on-as Alain had warned-was just how hard Ersha's hand came down on the ball.

Rather than bouncing off from their block, the ball was knocked so hard it pushed right through the defense. In the same instant, Ersha was falling back down just as Alain happened to take position behind her. And as the referee called the match, a resounding yelp from both Alain and Ersha was mixed with half cheers for the win and half gasps from the crowd as the dust settled.

"Alain?" Ersha tried to get up, only to feel a sudden snag on her back. Looking down, she realized it was because, somehow, amid the fall Alain's head had suddenly gotten caught in her top, right between her primary plots of land. "Are you okay?!"

"Just peachy." Alain grumbled. "Not that this isn't something I'm not used to."

"Will you be serious!" Ersha whined, pulling Alain's head free as she started fussing over him. "Someone just fell on you. At least be concerned for yourself a bit. I wouldn't want to know I hurt you."

"I appreciate it, but seriously Ersha I'm fine." Alain said, grabbing Ersha's wrists to stop her hands. "Plus now people are staring for other reasons. I can feel the attempts to bore holes into my skull."

"Well y'know some are still steamed Garm got to hog you for two months." The lead of the other team said. "Even if it was under orders."

"Can't help what the Commander does." Alain shrugged, as he stood up to shake her hand. "Good game though. I guess I'll be seeing you girls in the skies at some point."

"Oh we're all eager." The other Norma said as they left. "Enjoy the Festa!"

"You too!" Ersha waved. Taking Alain by the hand, Ersha pulled him away as the crowd moved aside for the next set of teams to move in. "Hogging you, not like we could help it."

"What are you a bit steamed?" Alain teased, matching Ersha's pace as they threaded their fingers. "You know I rotate squads solely because I'm on my own." Alain rolled his eyes as Ersha only hummed in response. "Are you mad or…?"

"No I'm not mad." Alain wasn't quite convinced due to the snippy tone. "I just… almost expected you would have reacted more."

"Eh?" Alain gasped. Then he started laughing, Ersha looking at him with a red face. "Really? Come on Ersha, that's gotta be the oddest thing to be concerned over!"

"I just feel like you're too casual at times is all." Ersha said, Alain still chuckling. "Honestly, maybe you're too used to being around girls at times."

"Don't go getting convinced the stuff in those silly manga we read applies to me." Alain teased. "And why would I react with surprise to getting a face full? I know this chest of yours well enough my appreciation for it beats out a surprise motorboating… not that I think that counted."

"Hehehe, you really need to be careful what you say out loud." Ersha laughed, pecking Alain on the cheek as he snickered. "But I do like that you're so forward. I still remember when I felt awkward about being as tall as I am."

"You were awkward about it, as I recall, up until after our first time." Alain said, Ersha nodding as they stopped at the view area and looked out past the cliffs. "Still, now that we're at the Festa I also can't help but think of how much happened in the past couple of months."

"It has been a lot hasn't it?" Ersha replied. "First Ange arrived, then we lost Zola, Coco, and Miranda. Then out of nowhere the rest of us learn Naomi had only been in a coma the entire time. Honestly, with everything that's been happening I almost feel like something may just be starting. But maybe that's just me being too hopeful, isn't it?"

"Well who knows? I guess all we can hope for is for that something to be good." Alain replied, looking off as his expression changed. 'And it's times like this I wish so badly I could just tell everybody. Keeping them in the dark about this… man I hate it.'

"Heyyy, why are you suddenly looking down?" Ersha grabbed Alain by the face and tugged his cheeks. "It's the Festa! Don't you go looking dour about something now, understood?"

"Heh, sorry. Got lost in thought a bit." Alain chuckled. "Damn if there wasn't a crowd this'd be a good moment to kiss you."

"You're sweet." Ersha mused. "So now, we did a thing I wanted to, your turn to pick something."

"Being honest, I'm just trying to waste time until the sports events start so I can run off." Alain admitted. "You know how Jasmine is each year."

"I mean it is motivational." Ersha said, Alain rolling his eyes. "But come on, pick something! Just because you're spending time with us doesn't mean you don't have to do things you'd want to do."

"Hmm… alright, I got two ideas: Betting on the next round of pig races, or try to get some prizes from the shooting range."

"Both of those are some kind of gamble." Ersha said, Alain snickering. "But are also the kind of risky things you like to do. Alright then, which one?"

"I'll decide with this." Alain reached into his pocket and produced the coin Jasmine had given him back when Ange first got to Arzenal. "Tails for the pigs, Heads for the guns."

"Arzenal doesn't use coins, where did you get that?"

"A keepsake from my dad that Jasmine gave me." Alain explained, Ersha giving a hum. Alain flicked the coin up with his thumb, watching it spin, then clapping down on it once it hit the back of his hand. Moving his palm, it landed on heads. "Shooting range it is! Hehe, that's easier than actually betting on something."

"Now if only you can resist the urge to shoot every target." Ersha teased, poking Alain in the cheek. "You always say you'll go for something specific and then get caught up shooting and hit all the targets."

"Salia still holds the record." Alain stated. "I can't help when my competitive side comes out. Besides we don't even know what this year's prizes are gonna be. Last year it was… what was it?"

"Specialty Perolina goods the stall wasn't selling." Ersa said. "What'll you do if it's the same hmm? I know you're not the biggest fan of Perolina."

"Give whatever it'd be to Vivian, probably. You know how much she loves that weird bear." He then had another thought. "Or maybe to some of the kids. Who's got a birthday coming up?"

"Hmm, a couple of them I think." Ersha said. "If we're talking soon, then it'd be Lena. I can't believe she's already almost twelve. She always talks about how she wants to be like Salia when she's bigger you know?"

"Well then we'll see if the range prizes have anything good she might like." Ersha nodded and the two headed off to the shooting range, which during the Festa was repurposed as another one of the games. While it was perhaps a bit ironic since technically one could construe the fact the firing range game used actual firearms, albeit loaded with chalk rounds, as some kind of training, the fact there were actual prizes involved for hitting certain scores passed the idea right over people's heads. What came as a surprise as the two arrived at the range was who was running it.

"Step on up folks!" Naomi barked. "We've got more limited ones than even the stall earlier today had! Get these prizes while they last!" As she saw them approach, Naomi smirked at Alain, who was giving her a bemused look. "Well well, Alain! What a coincidence! We wind up meeting again before I'm free from work!"

"Weren't you running the other stall?" Alain said. "What are you doing here at the range?"

"Ah well we sort of ran out of stock thanks to Momoka's help, and the girl running this stand before me just ended her shift, so I figured I'd make a little extra. I was wondering when you'd show up anyway, you do the range every year."

"Alain flipped a coin on this one." Ersha said. "It was this or he'd try his luck on the pig races."

"Ah the one thing Alain has bad luck with." Naomi teased, Alain coughing. "You always bet low since you know your luck is bad with that kind of thing. I think the only person who's unluckier than you with gambling is Rosalie!"

"So can I get onto the range to do some prize winning or not?" The obvious attempt to change the subject made both girls snicker. "From what I heard, I'm guessing the prizes are more specialty Pero-lina goods."

"Mostly." Naomi said, Alain raising a brow. "We've also got some special limited items. Y'know how the mall sells models of stock standard Para-mails alongside all those kits from those tv shows and manga?"

"Are you saying there's special versions of those in?" Ersha said, Naomi nodding.

"Indeed! And these ones are extra special, because…" Naomi then reached to the side and pulled a cart out. "These ones have special colorings based on the Top Ten's personal units!"

"Well isn't that just perfect?" Ersha said. "We were just talking about seeing if a prize here would make a good gift for Lena. She does like these models."

"And if we get her Salia's Arquebus, she'd be over the moon." Alain mused. "Alright then! So, what's my target for getting that one?"

"Well, don't wanna make it impossible…" Naomi hummed. "Got it! Simple put, come within twenty points of Salia's perfect record, and the Arquebus Salia Custom is yours!"

"You're getting quite good at this." Ersha laughed, Naomi making a peace sign.

"Jasmine's a good teacher." Naomi reached behind the counter and pulled out and assault rifle, handing it to Alain along with a magazine. "You definitely know the rules but…"

"Bullseyes are worth two points, any other spot on the target is worth one, and a miss is nothing." Alain rattled off, Naomi nodding as he moved onto the range and loaded the rifle as he crouched. "Just give me the signal."

"Alright. You've got thirty targets, and your prize target is forty points or more!" Naomi reached for a buzzer. "Ready… go!"

The signal blared and Alain let out a breath the moment the first target flipped up and hit the first shot dead center. 'The first ten are always easy.' He thought as he kept firing. The game had three stages: The first being single targets, the second two, and the third a random count of the last ten but shortening how long they stayed up. Salia being the best shot on Arzenal was lent credence by her perfect score at this. But when he was aiming to be precise, Alain was a crack shot in his own right. It was after bulls-eyeing the first ten he felt like he was noticing something in his shooting though.

Years of fighting had certainly honed his ability to register multiple targets without trouble, but while his first two shots of the next round weren't bullseyes, the near instant swap to the next felt faster than usual for him. Alain shrugged the feeling off and kept shooting, hitting four more bullseyes along the way. 'And that'd be 28… need 12 more.' Alain thought, adjusting himself to focus target popped up first, making it easy enough to bullseye. '30.' Three popped up at once, and to Alain's own surprise, he hit all three dead center. '36. Don't get cocky.' Instead he made sure to keep focused, keeping in mind all the times he'd been scolded by Salia during firing practice for getting ahead of himself. Two targets, and again two bullseyes. He braced the butt of the rifle a bit tighter in anticipation. Four targets popped up, and four cracks of the rifle followed. As Naomi rang the buzzer, the rest of the targets flipping up to show their marks, he'd already caught it as Naomi was tallying the score: Of the last four shots, two were bullseyes.

"Let's see… after that it'd be… 46!" Naomi called. "And it was fast too. Was that thanks to extra practice?"

"Maybe?" Alain felt puzzled himself. But, all that really mattered was the fact he'd cleared the goal. "That or I just got lucky with my aim this time. Anyway, that's a full clear right?"

"That it is, so no complaints from me." Naomi stuck the model into a bag, handing it to Ersha. "I'll be sure to tell Salia you were only 14 off the mark, she'll be impressed for sure."

"The day I match her score will be something." Alain wasn't able to hide the cocky smirk on his face. "Anyway, see you after you're done here."

"It's a date." Naomi waved the two off, and Ersha made another turn as they got near the main area.

"I'm going to drop this off in my room for later. Try not to get mixed up in anything before the sports festival starts!"

"Will do." Alain rolled his eyes a bit as Ersha left. As much as he adored her, sometimes her doting nature made him feel a bit down. 'I'm not that much of a troublemaker… as far as I'm concerned.' Then again she did rib him about his streaks for a reason. "But who should I find next hmm? Vivian's probably stuffing her face at the food stalls… where're Rosalie and Chris at?"

"Alain!" He didn't even have to look before someone suddenly barreled into him. Alain was glad he had a steady stance, or else he'd no doubt have toppled over as Rosalie sudden glommed onto him out of nowhere.

"First off, ow!" Alain yelped, grabbing Rosalie as she held tight. "Second, what's with tackling me out of nowhere?"

"I'm depressed right now and I need some comfort." Rosalie whined, Alain averting his eyes as her ample chest pressed up on his torso.

"And why would that be?"

"She made bets on the pig races and lost a ton of money." Chris leaned out from behind Alain, also seemingly out of nowhere. Sometimes she was too quiet for her own good. "She's been moping about it since we left."

"I was robbed!" Rosalie fumed, clenching a fist. "Pork Bone Impact was the good pick! I would've been rolling if he hadn't been sniped like that in the last stretch! Ahh it's so vexing!"

"Rosalie you suck at gambling." Alain deadpanned. "It's every year with you. You bet on those races, go too high, then lose a bunch because your instincts went wrong."

"I thought I had it this year! I'd been doing better on earnings than usual and had cash to spare… so I figured I'd try and bump that number up a bit while I had a chance."

"And this is why you're ranged-support with me and Ersha." Chris sighed. "At least you don't bring that kind of attitude into battle."

"I'll make up for it during the sports festival." Rosalie said. "But anyway, come on Alain! A cute girl is asking you to comfort her after a tragic loss, so do it!"

"I'm not sure how cool I am with being picked out as a convenient ego fix." Alain grumbled. "But fine. Whaddya want?"

"Carry me."

"Excuse me?"

"Carry me like you did the maid." Rosalie insisted.

"I only did that because Momoka passed out from hunger."

"Yeah and it wasn't fair! Why does some random maid get to be princess carried when the rest of us have known you for years?!"

"Because she passed out." He repeated, not that it seemed to matter to Rosalie. "Fine."

"Yay!" Rosalie threw an arm across Alain's shoulders as he lifted her up, clearly relishing it a bit as some of the passing Norma started shooting nasty looks her way. "Hehe, add that to things I can brag about now."

"Yeah yeah." Alain sighed. 'Why is she aggressive at times like this?' he thought. As they started walking, he felt Chris tug at his hoodie. "Something up?"

"I was wondering if you knew where Hilda was." Chris said. "We haven't seen her all day… I kind of feel like she's avoiding us."

"Uh… no, I actually haven't seen her around at all." Alain replied. "I was kind of curious about that too. It's weird not to see her going around being competitive at this time. She also never misses the sports festival. Maybe she's just taking it easy until then?"

"That might be it." Rosalie said. "Like I said when you asked earlier Chris, she's probably on her period or something. If not, well if she wants to be alone, then just let her. She'll be back to normal by tomorrow."

"Shouldn't you have learned your lesson about betting with the pig?" Alain snarked, Rosalie pouting at him.

"I just feel bad about it you know?" Chris murmured.

"Again, like I said before, when have we ever been able to find out what Hilda's thinking?" Rosalie chimed. "We've known her since we were kids and she's still hard to figure out. Heck I still wonder why she's still hung up on Ange. I mean sure Ange is… Ange but we gotta move on, right?"

"You weren't really thinking that way a few days ago." Alain reminded her.

"Well, I mean… w-we were mostly just following Hilda's lead!" Rosalie stammered. "And I mean she's not as bad as she used to be anymore, so… y'know."

"I'm just messing with you, chill."

"As usual… also where are you grabbing?" Rosalie shifted a bit, Alain moving his hand from having shifted it to her rear.

"Well if you're gonna make me carry you like this for a while, I think it's only fair I get to cop a feel." Alain snickered, Rosalie puffing a cheek.

"If you're going to do something like that at least take me somewhere private."

"Rosalie that might be a bad idea." Chris chimed in, grabbing Alain's jacket again. "Especially since you're talking about entering the sports festival in a couple hours."

"Ah come on we'd be quick about it, right?" Alain had to admit it was a tempting offer, especially as Rosalie shifted to lean up closer to his ear as she spoke. 'Again, why is she aggressive in this situation?' he wondered.

"Tempted as I am…" but common sense was dictating otherwise at the time. "I'm with Chris on this. Would be a bad idea if we did go off and do something quick."

"Well if you agree about it being quick why say no then?!" Rosalie objected, then raising a brow when she was given a dry look from the other two. "What?"

"Considering what I now know about how you are… it wouldn't remain quick." Alain remarked, Rosalie's face flushing. "Also I'm explicitly not doing any of that for now 'cause I'm not aiming to tire anyone out before the sports festival."

"I'd be fine!"

"No you wouldn't." Chris teased. "You were the first one to pass out when we did it the other night, remember?"

"I woke back up didn't I?"

"… why do these kinds of talks keep happening in the open?" Alain muttered. As the girls laughed, his eyes also drifted to Chris. 'Now my thought is the same here… Chris has basically been hiding behind me the entire time but the other night… is sex fiend the right phrase for me to use?' Sometimes it just felt like he didn't really understand how people worked. Or maybe he was just too straightforward. "Anyway, how about some food? I'm hungry again and I'm sure you two wanna get something before the sports festival."

"I've been keeping it kinda light." Rosalie said. "If the first event is the "eating buns in dissolving swimsuits" thing again like last year, I don't wanna be too full."

"Knowing your routines, haven't you already gone to most of the food stalls already?" Chris asked, Alain looking to the side as they started down the path to the beach, Rosalie finally having had her fill as she hopped out of Alain's arms to walk. "You have, haven't you?"

"Yeah but that was like… three hours ago. So, I'm hungry again." And now it was the girls' turn to look confused as Alain lead them into the food stalls. Did all men have appetites like his? They weren't even sure what he did to burn everything off.

"Some food before the action does sound good actually." Rosalie admitted.

"Exactly! There was a ramen stall I wanted to look at anyway."

"Of course, he picks something on the heavy side." Chris sighed. While Alain went about getting his order immediately, the two girls decided to just sit by. "Hey, Alain," Chris mentioned. "I know you don't stick around to watch the sports events… but if you run into Hilda could you at least see if you could get her to watch?"

"No harm in trying." Alain shrugged. "You're being pretty insistent on this."

"It's almost surprising." Rosalie added, flinching when she saw the size Alain's order. "Is everything okay?" though he started eating like it was nothing much at all.

"I'm just a bit worried." Chris sighed. "I know Hilda's hard to read but even I can tell something is bothering her. You two saw it too right? She just doesn't seem to be herself right now."

"You mean how out of it she seemed during drills?" Rosalie asked. "Okay, I admit that did seem kind of weird, right?" Alain didn't answer. "Hello? Earth to Alain!"

"Hm? Oh, sorry." Rosalie and Chris frowned as they crossed their arms. "What?"

"You know something don't you?" Rosalie accused. He did, but Alain didn't know if Hilda had any connection to it.

"I was just thinking." Alain mused. "Hilda got here later than most right? Maybe she saw something that made her remember something about her life before Arzenal." 'Like that Mana message Wyvern intercepted.' He thought. Could Hilda have somehow overhead it as well?

"Why would anyone care about the people outside of Arzenal?" Chris grumbled. "They threw us in here, remember? It's because of them that my… s-sorry, I went off." Alain felt a bit of a twinge as Chris tugged at her bangs. Most Norma were taken to Arzenal as babies, so almost all of them never knew about any family. But, Chris, like Alain, was a rare exception. It was a very well-kept secret that a number of the Norma in Arzenal weren't actually taken to the penal colony but had actually been born there.

Alain still remembered it, more than some others probably did. Back when CROSS was still truly allied with Arzenal. And because of the disaster that had happened over ten years ago, the girls that remained in Arzenal had all summarily lost their parents. Alain and Tusk were in the same position, though while Alain had chosen to stay, and Tusk had sequestered himself to the island, any boys that had been born at the time had also left.

"H-Hey it's alright." Rosalie caught Chris's change in mood. "That was years ago and well… um, let's just focus on the sports events yeah? We can do a lot with a one-million cash prize. If I win I could finally get some of those upgrades I've been wanting for my Glaive!"

"It would be nice." Chris said. She flinched a bit when Alain put a hand to her head, lightly ruffling her hair. "Alain…?"

"It's good you're worried about Hilda." He said. "I'm sure she's just sore about Ange. Once the Festa's done if you don't see her, why not just talk with her and patch things up a bit? You three have been pretty much inseparable since we were kids so you can definitely get through to her."

"Yeah!" Rosalie agreed. "We always stick together. Been that way for years! And hey, Alain, even if you're not watching from the crowd, cheer us on!"

"I dunno, I've got like three others I could cheer for." Alain teased, setting the bowl down as he finally finished. "But we'll see. First thing is making sure I don't get caught before then."

"Not like you ever get caught." Naomi popped out from the side of the stall, Rosalie and Chris flinching. "Hey there!"

"When did you get so sneaky?!" Rosalie yelped.

"I mean it is loud around here." Naomi pointed out. "Also don't mind me much. Alain promised me a date once I was off work, so I'm here to cash in."

"We were about the split off anyway." Chris said. "See you after the sports events."

"And be sure to watch from somewhere!" Alain waved the two off as they got up, spinning the chair around to Naomi as she moved in.

"So, what shall we do hmm?" Naomi said, leaning forward with her arms behind her back as Alain stood up. "Not like I can participate in the sports events myself."

"Well at least I won't be on my own when I split." Alain remarked, Naomi putting an arm around his as they walked off. "Not sure what I'll do anyway… maybe check on Wyvern and take a nap."

"Y'know I'm always curious, what does the big guy do during the Festa? You carry around that terminal so often it's almost odd not having his input."

"Pretty sure he's running a system's check. I think that particle barrier I used when we fought that Virgin was part of that ARISE System. So, he's probably seeing if anything new opened up."

"It's just one mystery after another with him isn't it? He's been here as long as we can remember and there's still a lot we don't know. I'm on Mei's side in that there's no way those particle engines are only there to give double the normal output. Something about them is different."

"Well maybe if we get deeper into whatever files are supposedly locked in that quantum computer we'll find out." The two stopped and took a seat at the edge of the sand, Alain sighing as he dipped his legs into the water. A thought then occurred as Naomi sat next to him and leaned on his shoulder. "So… hey, you'll be fine once you're back in the air, right?"

"Hm?"

"Well… I'm just a bit worried. I don't wanna make it sound weird but… well, I just can't imagine it's a good memory, recalling something that almost killed you."

"Oh come on, you know I'm…" Naomi's attempt to look tough about it faltered. She froze a bit, and Alain didn't resist when she held his arm tighter. "Alright… yeah I'm kind of scared. I want to fly again but… I think about it and I keep remembering what happened before. The big DRAGONs are… way different once they're up in your face."

"I imagined as much." Alain's hand tensed up in the sand for a moment. "It's not like I'm going to tell you not to. But… don't push it. I'm sure none of the others would blame you either. It's not every day a Norma comes back from the dead to fight again."

"Let's just wait for when we get there." Naomi said, standing up. "Besides, it's the Festa! No point spending time being all down about things. It might be a bit hard but… no way I'm staying on the ground while everyone else is up there."

"And I'm glad to hear it. Now…" Alain brushed himself off as he stood. "What does Solo-Wing Pixy feel like doing during the Festa hmm?"

"Haha, haven't heard that name in ages." Naomi grabbed Alain by the hand. "I did want to do a little something. Though we'll have to go somewhere other than the main area. Sound good?"

"Well your tone is implying something." Alain hummed. "Fine by me."

"Then let's go." What Alain didn't see as Naomi pulled him off was the glint her eyes had. They left the beach and entered Arzenal itself, though something in Alain started feeling off once they got to an intersection. "Alrighty. We're here."

"Why here?" Alain said, his eyes going wide when Naomi turned and put her hands together.

"Sorry! But, well… I kind of struck a deal and…!" As it suddenly dawned on him, two doors on both sides of the hall burst open and he was grabbed on both sides and a pair of handcuffs was slapped onto him.

"The hell?!" Alain shouted. To his left, Mei shared Naomi's apologetic look, while to his right, Maggy was licking her lips.

"Well… I kinda made a deal with Jasmine. She'd cut a part of my debt off if I made sure you didn't run off."

"You sold me out?!"

"Don't think of it as being sold out." Maggy cooed. "Think of it as being… volunteered to make things more interesting for the girls."

"My ass!" Alain snapped. "Mei why are you helping with this?!"

"Sorry Alain." Mei replied. "Jasmine said she'd give me a discount on some tools I've been saving up for."

"Come ooon!" Alain whined, struggling with the handcuffs.

"Nothing personal." Naomi said as they dragged him off. "I'll let you get back at me later. For now just play a bit nice okay?"

"TRAITOR!"

"And now, the time you've all been waiting for is kicking off! The fight for one million cash!" Jasmine yelled through a megaphone to the Norma gathered in front of her. She always did like this time of year, and especially the sports festival competition that came with it. Of the Norma, some in the crowd had changed into identical blue swimsuits, and for the purposes of the very first game of the event as well. "It's the grand opening of the annual Sports Festival, so you all know what that means! A gauntlet of competitions to decide who wins a total grand prize of one million!"

"Yeah!" Rosalie cheered along with the others. "Time to make up for that pig!"

"Oh, and before we start." Jasmine's smugness as she spoke surprised the competitors. "This year there's also a special prize along with the cash! Bring him out!" Jasmine stood aside as Naomi and Maggy dragged out a now chair bound and gagged Alain. "The heartthrob of Arzenal so many adore, Alain the Ace of Aces! Whoever wins today gets a chance to do whatever they want with him once the Festa ends!" 'Goddamn this woman!' Alain tried to scream his thoughts past the gag as the Norma burst out into loud cheering. "Good to see you girls motivated! No line on up, because… shock, horror! The bun-eating in melting swimsuits contest! Group one, you're up! Ready…" with the resounding shot of a blank gun, the first group of girls charged off into the water like a psyched-up pack of wolves. By now, Alain had struggled enough that the gag over his mouth had fallen off.

"What the hell Jasmine?!" Alain snapped, the older Norma glancing at him. "Roping Naomi into your damned scheme… every frickin' year with you!"

"Well I had to get you this year somehow. And this time I knew just who to get help from." Jasmine looked to Naomi, who coughed into her hand. "You're way to relaxed around some of these girls, especially Naomi. It made it all too easy. Also, since he's here, the deal's kept. Consider that portion of your debt taken care of."

"Again, sorry!" Naomi said, Alain sighing.

"I'm not sorry at all." Maggy said, leaning over Alain's back, making sure to shove his head into her chest. "How about letting me play around with you a bit while the girls compete hmm?"

"Pass." Alain growled, shifting his wrists behind the chair, blinking when he heard a soft click. 'Wait a second… aha! These cuffs are old! The damn things didn't lock properly!'

"Pff, you're no fun. Whatever, so long as you're stuck like this, it's not like you can resist."

"And that would be sexual assault!" Alain snarked. 'Just play along a bit, I'll be out of these things soon enough.' "You really want that one on you Maggy?"

"I mean I don't think I'd mind that much." Alain rolled his eyes to the side, catching Naomi looking away. 'Guess she noticed… whatever.' "Though I do enjoy how these little girls glare. It's such a wonder though is it Jasmine? Offer our boy up and they go practically rabid!"

"I'm more interested in what Garm does." Jasmine mused. "They tend to be quite protective!"

"Very!" Alain affirmed. With a shove of his shoulders that pushed Maggy off of him, he shot off the chair and revealed his free wrists, Jasmine snapping around. "Old cuffs! Looks like your luck is out old lady! Seeya in a few hours!" Quick to seize his chance, Alain jumped from the stage and dashed off into the passage.

"Oh well too bad." Naomi shrugged, Jasmine clicking her tongue. "Soo…"

"This doesn't annul anything." Jasmine said, Naomi sighing. "Damned brat… whatever, I'll get at him once this is done!"

Now that he was free, Alain was running over what to do. It wasn't like there was really any good place he could camp out to watch the sports events from afar when he thought about it. 'Well there is the tarmac, but that won't help much. I could just go to the hangar and check in on Wyvern like I thought first. Or just go to my room and crash for a bit.' He took a round at the first bend, not really thinking of much since he figured the halls would be abandoned. What he didn't expect was to run into someone.

"Hey! Watch it!" As she stumbled back, Hilda glared once she saw it was an equally surprised Alain. "Oh, you."

"Where the heck have you been all day?" Alain asked, Hilda huffing.

"By myself, what of it? I have the right to be alone if I want to."

"Not denying that. But Chris has been kind of worried."

"So what? It's just the dumb Festa. It's boring anyway." Hilda leaned on a hip, Alain folding his arms. 'I'd have half a mind to mention her swimsuit, but she's clearly in a mood.' Though he had to admit the lacy frill along it's black edges was far from unpleasant to look at. "Whatever. I don't really care. So long."

"Hold it." Alain stopped Hilda by grabbing her wrist, the red head glaring back. "Look, cut it out maybe a little bit? You've been moodier than usual. Even I'm starting to wonder what's up when you get like that."

"And why would you care?" Hilda pulled her arm free. "Just buzz off and leave me alone. Not like any of you have been on my side lately anyway."

"And why is that?" Alain countered. "I've just been trying to keep things from getting too bad with everybody. You're the one who's been keeping it up."

"Again, why shouldn't I? You know how Ange is! So what if she's not being as much of a total bitch. You know she doesn't respect any of us."

"I didn't ask why Ange is a problem." Alain stated. "I asked why you feel like keeping things up. Not even you would hold a grudge for this long for no reason."

"Don't go talking like you actually know anything about me!" Hilda snapped. "Sheesh, why would you even care?"

"Because I care about a lot of people here. I wouldn't be here if I didn't." Hilda rolled her eyes. "Look, nobody's ever going to know anything if you don't talk about it. If you're not in the mood right now, then fine. But come on, at least try and not make your friends worry about you." Hilda remained silent. "You don't have to, but… why not go watch the events? I'm sure it'd cheer Chris right up, and Rosalie would probably just try harder than she usually does. You've been with them for years after all. I know the other day was kind of a snarl, but what are friends for if not for helping each other out?"

"I might think about it." Hilda turned sharply and headed off, Alain sighing as he rubbed the back of his head. 'Rosalie's right, she is hard to figure out. Something's bothering her but I just can't figure out what… well now I'm just unmotivated, nap it is.' Alain went back to the path he was taking until he wound up back at his room. He was ready to crash for a while, but as soon as he dropped onto the bed, a soft ringing from underneath caught his ear.

"What the heck…?" Reaching under his bed, Alain found the CROSS communicator after a bit of fiddling around. His eyes widened as he opened it and saw the communications code on the screen. "No way… Heartbreak?!" He was quick to answer once he saw that. "Hello?"

"Hey there kid, been a while." Leon greeted.

"How the heck did you…"

"I remembered the time stuff with the Festa happens. Also the stories the boys told about how you run off every year. How is Jasmine anyway? Boss would be interested in hearing from her." Despite the friendly tone, Alain knew Leon enough. "Ahehe… you know damn well I'm not calling just to have a friendly chat, aren't you?"

"Of course not. You're not exactly the type for small talk, Heartbreak." Alain leaned back on the wall, glancing out of the window. "I'm guessing Tusk got into contact with you guys… so what'd he tell ya?"

"Well, for one, that Villkiss is back in action."

"Of course he did." If there was one thing Alain knew, it was Tusk being unable to keep a secret if he was pressured enough. Or teased about something. Knowing the Garuda Team, Alain presumed the latter. "I would've told Sky Eye and Bandog last time we talked but… you know how Jill is. She wants nothing to do with you guys."

"So it is true… and I'm assuming the pilot is that Angelise girl. How much does she know?"

"Basically nothing. Jill won't tell her a thing until she gets in line. Ange is a bit of a problem child. But… she's a hell of a pilot. She also knows the song."

"For real?"

"Yeah. She sings it every now and again during sorties."

"So then she just might… dammit Alektra, why are you so stubborn?" Alain shrugged as Leon grumbled. "I understand wanting to sort out a problematic pilot, but where is she going to get by keeping secrets? If the girl can use Villkiss then just fill her in on things dammit."

"Even if she did I'm not sure Jill would be interested in talking to CROSS." Alain said. "If she knew we were having this talk I'd probably wind up in the infirmary."

"I get it. Just knowing who the Villkiss Rider is is more than enough. Plus, with Tusk back in the field it's even better than we could ask for. You do still owe us for that request you made about that girl." Alain flinched, and Leon's chuckle revealed he knew he'd gotten Alain. "You can make up for it next time you're on the mainland. Enjoy the rest of the Festa kid, I'll yank your ear then. Give Jasmine mine and Boss's regards next chance you get… and tell her we'll wait for their word."

"Will do. But… before you go, do you think anything is gonna happen? That Embryo could make a move?" Leon was silent for a moment at Alain's question. Of course he would be. "I know it's been ten years since Libertus… I still remember… I remember everything that happened at Farbanti. I can't forget. Jill can't forget… what if he does?"

"I'm not sure how I can answer that." Leon said, Alain grinding his teeth. "Embryo's been quiet since then. He likely still thinks there's no chance of another uprising so long as Villkiss remains unknown. If he does… then we have to do everything we can this time. None of us who survived that day have forgotten either. For now… don't do anything rash. I'd suggest you focus on helping that Ange girl… maybe even tell her what Jill won't if you get a chance."

"I'll try." Alain gave a breath to relax himself. "Alright… over and out. Talk to you another time."

"Yeah. Over and out." Alain closed the communicator and set it aside as he flopped onto his bed. He closed his eyes, images of flames flashing through his mind. The bodies torn pieces, some of them somehow phased into the rubble around them. In front of him a downed Wyvern, stumbling out of its cockpit was his parents… and in the sky above, a machine with crimson armor, hovering over the carnage around it like an angel of destruction. 'Next time I swear, when I see that thing again, I'm taking it down.'

'Maybe taking a nap after remembering something like that was a bad idea.' Alain pinched his nose as he was making his way back towards the beach. By now the sun was starting to dip over the horizon, painting the sky a dark purple. Alain's attempt at a nap hadn't really been helpful thanks to the memory that had been dragged up, so he was hoping getting back around some other people would help cool him off.

"We have this years winner!" Alain picked up his pace a bit as Jasmine's call echoed down the hallway. 'Might as well actually see who won.' He thought. "Who would have thought? The darkest of dark horses! Chris of Garm Squadron!"

"Ehh?" As he made his way through the crowd, Alain's eyes widened as he spotted Chris proudly standing atop the stage, brandishing the prize placard with a more serious look than he'd seen her with outside of trashing him at video games. "Chris won? What and how?"

"You missed one hell of a show." Alain turned when he heard Salia, who was approaching with Ersha and Vivian. "She just suddenly blazed ahead of everybody. Quite the grand and intricate plan for our Ghost."

"It was an amazing comeback." Ersha agreed.

"Fly like a butterfly, and sting like a butterfly!" Vivian cheered.

"It's "float like a butterfly, and sting like a bee" Vivian." Alain corrected, ruffling the younger girl's hair.

"So, how did you end up getting caught?" Ersha asked, Alain looking to the side as his face clenched. "You're normally so slippery."

"That would be my fault." Naomi strolled up, Alain not being able to stop a glare from coming to his face. "I said I was sorry! I couldn't pass up an extra cut on the debt! Like I said you can get back at me however you want!"

"I'm not that mad. Kinda drained myself of that earlier." Alain sighed, ignoring the questioning looks he got. "I'm just glad I'm back in time for…" Alain was cut off by a loud whistling, everyone turning as the following boom came with the colored sparks of fireworks painting the sky. More and more followed, filling the sky with brief flashes of colors and making patterns from stars to swirls as they rang through the air. "It's almost funny… as much as I like fireworks, whenever I see them, I always think about how we fly higher than they can go." The booming of the fireworks meant his comment went unheard, but something else did come to mind.

"You know, we fly higher than these fireworks?" A memory from so long ago he was almost sure it'd be lost to the recesses of time. A Festa just like that day, but so long ago. A much younger Alain looking away from the fireworks and down at his father, carrying the boy on his shoulders as the sky boomed. "Everytime Wyvern and I go out there, we're able to go higher than these brilliant sparks. From down here, it seems pretty impressive doesn't it?"

"Dad, if fireworks went that high then we'd never be able to see them!" Alain had complained, his father laughing. "But… that is cool. You think I could go that high one day in a Para-mail of my own?"

"I kind of wish you won't have to."

"Ehh? Why not! Flying seems fun! You and Mom always look excited to go out there!"

"I just hope it because right now, if you did I don't like what it would mean." Alain did know what it meant for the ones who flew out each day, what it was they fought. He had taken the same lessons as all the girls after all. But, he wasn't sure why his father didn't want him to do the same. "I'm just staring off at a far off future I can't guess anything about. Right now, all of our hopes for that are pinned on Alektra… I hate to put that kind of burden on a girl her age."

"But Alektra's super tough and she can fly Villkiss!"

"That she is. But… I always thought that kids should just get to be kids." His father reached up and ruffled Alain's hair. "Do you know why people like fireworks? It's because they only last for a short time. We humans ironically adore the things that never last forever. So be sure to hold tight to those brief moments alright? And… if the worst happens, and you do have to start fighting… treasure them and the people you hold close even more. And maybe… fly higher and higher, past anyone else and into that dark blue yonder your foolish father loves."

"I'd just bring everyone with me." Alain's blunt response caught the man off guard. "It'd be no fun if I went by myself. Me, you, Mom, Tusk, Alektra, Leon, Naomi, Salia, Ersha, Rosalie, Chris… If I'm gonna do something like that, then I want to bring everyone up there with me!"

"Then do just that. Fly off with everyone into unknown skies."

"How did I forget something like that?" Alain rubbed his eyes off, looking around at the girls of Garm Squadron as they watched the fireworks with eyes lit with joy. Alain then reached an arm up, closing his fingers over a sparking blue firework as it went off. 'Further and higher right Dad? Look off to that far off future… this time I'll make sure we reach it. I'll make sure we get to the unknown skies where we're finally free.'