It feels great to finally be back to working on this story. I've enjoyed writing chapters for other works in progress, but this one's pretty special to me, mainly because I really love writing with Edens Zero characters, and I finally get to put them in the Omni Force storyline.
Anyways, back on track, we left off from last time with the crew heading back to Blue Garden to drop off Connor, only to have him come with them on their mission, as he was inspired by their efforts. Thus, the stage is set for our heroes to head to Lendard. But before then, we've got a little reprieve to get to.
Take it away, Xiaomei.
SPACE
After three long years, Shiki and his crew have finally located Ziggy. Their eventual battle draws near. And with the Omni Force's help, things are looking well.
With Connor's assistance in spite of the complications on Blue Garden, the crew was able to escape from the Interstellar Union Army. Though I doubt they'll be able to shake them off forever… Regardless, our heroes' course is set. And they've returned to the Kaede Cosmos in preparation.
From within the starry void in which she dwelled, Xiaomei had her hair tied up in buns on both sides of her head, with strands going down to her shoulders. She was wearing a two-piece, red-and-black-checkered swimsuit, floating in the starry space as if it were water.
Why am I in a swimsuit, you ask? Well… shouldn't I get a chance to relax once in a while? Our heroes are doing the same themselves… Let's take a closer look…
KAEDE COSMOS
DAHLIA
"Wow, this place is amazing!" Rebecca exclaimed as she, Homura, Kleene, Couchpo, Ochaco, Jessica, Rin and Noel walked about the resort park known as Ryuzetsu Land. Despite managing to escape the Interstellar Union Army, the Edens Zero needed repairs, especially from its unideal flight back to the Kaede Cosmos. Thus, the crew settled on the planet Dahlia, which was perfect for fixing up the ship… and spending some quality time together before the battle that lied ahead.
"It's quite a magnificent sight…" Homura concurred with a small smile.
"I suppose…" Rin said, shrugging her shoulders.
"It's good for all of us to be together like this for a change," another voice chimed in, getting their attentions as they turned to see Shirou Emiya there, dressed in black swim trunks, "After all, where's the fun in hanging out alone?" he inquired rhetorically with a smile of his own.
"You're quite right, Shirou," his girlfriend agreed as a little blush appeared upon her cheeks.
"This water park looks fun!" Kleene commented, "What should we do first, Yuno?" she asked of her boyfriend, who stood beside her.
"I… don't really know," he admitted in response, "Maybe we can just try whatever seems best?" he suggested unsurely.
"Perfect!" the Wind Snatch Ether Gear user exclaimed as a reply, hurrying off with him as they held hands. From afar, Kris slouched in a seat by a table with Laguna and Megumi.
"You're going to have to get over it, Jinn," the Tears Lover Ether Gear user commented, only to hear a groan from his friend.
"Ah…" Sister sighed, lying back in her lounge chair while wearing a swimsuit of her own, "It's important to take a break once in a while," she pointed out, peeking her eyes open to catch a glimpse of Luck running by in his own swim trunks, particularly focusing her gaze on his posterior, "After all, you could catch some really great sights…" she mentioned, licking her lips.
"We do have a big battle coming up," Hermit added, seated with Riri at a table.
"Downtime's usual for everybody," the Avenger pointed out.
"Plus, we get to spend time with our friends!" Pino chimed in.
"Aye!" Happy agreed.
"It's so great to be here!" an excited M'gann M'orzz noted as she wandered about the park alongside Devlin, while they were followed by Kenny Tennyson and Jessica, "And it feels nice not to have to put on a crazy disguise for once…" she added aloud. Her boyfriend chuckled, wrapping his left arm around her shoulders.
"Glad you're enjoying it," he commented, making her giggle.
"Still, it kinda feels weird to be on the edge of entering a war, and we're just… doing this…" the Green Lantern admitted, sheepishly scratching her right cheek.
"Yeah…" the Omnitrix bearer agreed as he looked down in thought. His girlfriend glanced over at him in concern.
"Hey… what's up?" she asked of him.
"There's so many people here…" Shiki pointed out, trembling a little, "You think I could be friends with them all?!" he inquired excitedly, right before zipping up to a passing woman, making her yelp in surprise, "Hello, Miss! Do you wanna be my friend?" he requested of her.
"You haven't grown out of that phase yet, huh…?" Rebecca noted aloud as a drop of sweat trickled down her head.
"I think it's cute!" Ochaco chimed in with a bright smile.
"That baby face he had before excused him…" Kris pointed out from afar.
"But now it seems more like a pick-up line…" Laguna commented on.
"I don't get what's so wrong with him wanting to make a few more friends…" Yuji admitted with a tilt of his head as he crossed his arms.
"He certainly has an interesting way of going about it," Noel pointed out, smiling a little. Rebecca was laughing as she wandered about the park, making adjustments to her bikini whenever she needed to for her comfort. A fixed gaze was upon her, being a tanned Connor's.
"Mmm… a feast for the eyes," he remarked with sunglasses over his eyes.
"Yo, old man!" Weisz shouted, "Don't go ogling my crewmates!" he insisted out of frustration.
"Call me captain, if you'd please," Connor retorted. Katsuki approached, noticing but the slightest tremble from the portly man.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Inosuke cackled excitedly as he swam around the pools rapidly, "Check it out!" he called out, "Lord Inosuke's conquering this pitiful lake!" he proclaimed.
"As always, that guy doesn't think for a second…" Rin muttered out.
"By the way…" Connor chimed in, "isn't the Edens Zero equipped with an Ether Drive?" he inquired of Hermit, getting her attention, "It's capable of automatically refining its ammunition…" he pointed out, "Does it really need a repair shop?" he questioned on.
"Ether Drives themselves aren't all-powerful," the Mind of Edens noted in reply, "They need maintenance to make certain they work properly," she told the captain, "Besides…" she continued, letting her eyes sparkle as she grinned, "the poolside's the perfect place to do some coding!" she proclaimed delightedly while typing on her laptop.
"Uh… I'm not so sure about that…" Connor responded as sweat trickled down his head.
"Oh, Hermit…" Sister sighed, "You don't get it at all," she remarked, "The reason you come to a pool…" she continued, holding a leash that was attached to a collar around Mosco, who was in the water with a ball gag in his mouth, swimming the doggy paddle, "is to break in new animals," she said with a smirk.
"Again… I don't believe that's right…" Connor responded, even more bewildered. Katsuki sat down at the table with Riri and Hermit, getting their attentions.
"How many more do you think we're gonna need to get for this fight?" he asked of them.
"Hard to say," the Avenger answered, sipping her glass of iced tea, "After how things went with the Power Stone, I'd figure big man would want the big guns to get sent over with us," she pointed out thoroughly, "But I'm guessing he's trusting we can handle it, provided we got all the manpower we need," she mentioned.
"Hm," Katsuki huffed out.
"I think we should have everyone we can here to help," Hermit insisted, "Whether they've been to this universe or not, we need reinforcements that Ziggy won't see coming," she advised on.
"Right," Riri agreed with a nod.
"Weeee!" Pino exclaimed as the water from the pool picked her up and spouted up, carrying her up a few feet like Happy and a few other guests.
"What are these?!" the android feline wondered aloud excitedly.
"It almost looks like magic…" Yuno noted as he looked on alongside Kleene and Laguna.
"Lagunarino, you're amazing!" the Wind Snatch Ether Gear user complimented to her blue-haired friend.
"No, that's just a water park feature," he confirmed in response, letting his Ether Gear markings marking under his right eye, "If it were me," he continued, raising his right arm, "I'd do this," he said. A massive wave of water suddenly rose up, engulfing Pino, Happy, and other people as they yelped in surprise. Yuno and Kris gasped.
"Ooh, then I'll add my wind, too!" Kleene decided, making a wave of air stream out from herself onto the water.
"Both of you, stop that…" her brother insisted of the pair, while the Golden Dawn captain sighed.
"Happy! Pino!" Jessica cried out from afar, floating up as a green light shrouded her body, "I'll be right back!" she promised, flying over and projecting a sphere-shaped construct to catch anyone caught up in the wave.
"Do these guys just do whatever they want...?" Kenny wondered, watching as his girlfriend carefully set the people down from the sudden wave of water and wind they found themselves engulfed in, including Happy and Pino.
"Guess it's their way of relaxing before a war..." Devlin answered while folding his arms behind his head.
"Still, that's a bit much..." M'gann commented with a nervous grin. Elsewhere in the park, Homura was in a lazy river, running against its current. Taking notice from nearby, Weisz approached alongside Shirou and Rin, crouching down.
"The heck are you doing?" he asked as the Soul Blade Ether Gear user passed by him.
"Obviously, I am running against the current of this lazy river for training!" she responded, continuing to charge along, "It is very intense, which makes it perfect!" she added determinedly.
"Honestly, we're at a resort, not a training ground..." Rin complained, folding her arms over her chest, "Can't you stop training for at least a few hours?" she inquired of Homura.
"And doesn't it bother the other guests?" Weisz questioned on, raising an eyebrow.
"Fret not!" the Soul Blade Ether Gear user assured in reply, "I've reserved the entire river for the time being!" she affirmed.
"The entire river?" Rin repeated with a drop of sweat rolling down the side of her head.
"Goes to show just how dedicated she is to all of this," Shirou commented with a grin. They watched as Homura came back around a second time, ready to do another lap. However, she appeared unsatisfied.
"Weisz, do you think you could make the river flow somewhat faster?!" she called out in question as she passed by.
"You mean modify the water park?!" Rin inquired back in shock.
"Sounds like fun," the Machina Maker Ether Gear user admitted, letting his yellow energy markings appear along his right arm.
"Ah!" the twin-tailed mage gasped in surprise. She watched as Weisz planted his hand down, with the energy lines spreading from the point of contact. All of a sudden, the water of the river began rushing faster, making Homura yelp.
"That good enough for ya, Homura?" the Machina Maker Ether Gear user inquired of his friend, who tried to steel herself.
"This... will be... formidable training...!" she grunted out, attempting to persevere through the now-raging water. And then, her top and sleeves were ripped away. "Eep!" she yelped, following by her undergarments snapping off, "AH!" she shrieked with widened eyes. The others watching gasped. "Stop the water!" she pleaded as a blush streaked across her cheeks, covering her chest with her arms, "No, wait, don't!" she quickly corrected, "If you do that, I'll be fully exposed!" she exclaimed with embarrassment.
"Whoops..." Weisz uttered sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head, "Guess I might've overdid it..." he admitted. Behind him, Rin growled, cracking her knuckles to his fright. In the meantime, Shirou was quick to jump in the water, grabbing each piece of his girlfriend's swimsuit before managing to make his way over to her.
"Gotcha'!" he exclaimed, putting his arms around her chest protectively, "Steiner, stop the water!" he called out.
"Right..." the Machina Maker Ether Gear user responded, now having a beaten-up face thanks to Rin, who huffed. The river's water slowed back to a crawl, though not before Shirou had tied Homura's top back on over her chest, followed by helping fix her undergarment, tying it securely at her waist.
"There, that should be good," he affirmed with a smile.
"Huh..." his girlfriend exhaled with relief, "Thank you, Shirou," she said gratefully, still blushing a little, "Um... you're poking me..." she pointed out, turning away and covering her mouth with her right sleeve.
"Huh?" the mage uttered in confusion, only to blush out of realization, "Oh, sorry!" he apologized, "It's just... uh..." he tried to say.
"I didn't say that I minded..." Homura pointed out to his surprise, "Perhaps... later..." she continued as she glanced back at him with trembling, loving eyes, "you could help me with my... endurance training..." she offered, much to his shock as his eyes widened, "At least... that's what Sister suggested I tell you..." she mentioned, covering her face with embarrassment. Listening from afar, Rin sighed.
"Idiots..." she muttered out.
"MAKE WAY FOR LORD INOSUKE!" Inosuke's voice suddenly bellowed, getting their attentions as they saw the demon slayer swimming rapidly through the lazy river, passing by Shirou and Homura as water splashed over them.
"You're not beating me!" Luck declared as he swam after him, also splashing water onto the couple he passed. They blinked in surprise, smiling a little afterward. Everyone was spending quality time with each other before the battle that lied ahead. However, some battles were necessary to fight outside of the upcoming war…
X
"Hmmm…" Izuku hummed out as he sat beside one of the many pools of the park, having his right hand upon his chin in contemplation. He was muttering aloud somewhat as people passed by, with some girls ogling him for his rugged appearance. However, that didn't concern him as much.
The fact that he was being brought onto this mission, especially when it meant getting the chance to retrieve an Infinity Stone, was something that weighed heavily on him. After the last mission ended up in complete failure, he was hoping for a better result now. But he also had other worries dwelling on him.
"Shiki, look at that!" Ochaco pointed out to her boyfriend as they came across a totem pole-like statue in a section of the park, "We should get some pics to remember our visit!" she insisted of him.
"Yeah, sure!" he agreed, "I'll take the crap out of those pictures!" he vowed with a pump of his fist, "But… uh…" he continued, "I don't have a camera…" he admitted sheepishly. Rebecca approached, letting out a little giggle.
"Don't worry, I've got you covered," she affirmed to the couple, getting their attentions as they saw her hold up her B-Cube. She first took a picture of them standing back-to-back in front of the totem pole, then one of them doing silly faces, followed by them pressing their heads against each other as they grinned. After that, Ochaco cheekily went ahead and planted a kiss onto Shiki's cheek, making him blink in surprise, as did Rebecca.
"Wh…What was that for…?" the Satan Gravity Ether Gear user asked with a stutter. His girlfriend giggled.
"Come on, you can't get all flustered from just a little kiss…" she pointed out in response.
"I-I know that…" Shiki stammered, "It's just… it feels different out in the open like this…" he admitted, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.
"I guess so…" Ochaco agreed, giggling on. Meanwhile, Rebecca looked at the last picture she took of the couple, seeing the kiss the Zero Gravity Quirk user granted her boyfriend. She gave off a smile, but looked solemn… and a bit envious. It felt selfish, but she wanted that kind of relationship like the couple in front of her. She sighed as she turned off her B-Cube.
"Shiki, I'll get you guys the photos later, okay?" she promised of the pair.
"Thanks, Rebecca!" the Satan Gravity Ether Gear user responded gratefully.
"Why don't we go find someplace to eat?" Ochaco suggested.
"Yeah, I'm starving!" her boyfriend admitted as they walked off. The Cat Leaper Ether Gear user watched them go, exhaling a sigh.
"What am I doing…?" she muttered in question to herself.
"It's never gonna happen if you don't do something about it," a voice chimed in, causing her to yelp in surprise as she whipped around to see Katsuki there with his arms folded over his chest.
"O-Oh, Kacchan!" she stuttered out.
"You call me that, too?" the Explosion Quirk user noted, letting out a huff.
"Uh, no, I…" Rebecca stammered, "I mean… would you prefer me calling you… Katsuki or something else?" she inquired unsurely.
"It's fine," Katsuki assured in reply, causing her to sigh out of relief, "Quit getting all mopey just 'cause everyone else seems to have someone," he insisted of her, "You've been with others too, haven't you?" he questioned on.
"Th-That's none of your business!" the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user stuttered as an argument, "I mean… yeah, but…" she confirmed on, blushing a little, "It's just… I'm more reminded of him…" she admitted, looking away in embarrassment.
"Hm," the Explosion Quirk user huffed, "You're definitely the first person I've seen fall for the nerd 'cause he's a hero," he pointed out.
"There's more to it than that!" Rebecca shouted back, "I love Izu because he's kind, thoughtful, sweet, and heroic!" she listed off in confession, only to blink in realization and cover her reddening cheeks.
"And the fact he's not with you sucks, right?" Katsuki assumed. The twin-tailed girl gave off an ashamed look.
"Natalie's a great girl," she noted after a moment, "I got no doubt that she's perfect for someone like Izu," she added, "Strong, dependable, funny…" she listed off, "Things I'm really not…" she mentioned further, "But that's okay," she assured, taking a deep breath, "As long as Izu's happy, so am I," she affirmed. The Explosion Quirk user's expression didn't change. He glanced over to see his rival sitting at the poolside, still in deep contemplation. A sigh left his lips.
"There's something you should know…" he told Rebecca, making her blink in surprise. Just then, the two of them, along with Shiki and Ochaco, overheard a murmuring nearby, with a group of people gathered around a set of tiki huts.
"What's going on?" the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user wondered aloud, walking over with her friends. There was a group of men surrounding someone.
"Hya ha-ha!" one of them cackled.
"Seriously?!" another exclaimed with a laugh.
"She's in a swimsuit," one pointed out, "What, is she trying to scrounge up more views for her dead channel?" he presumed.
"What a loser!" another man mocked as he laughed as well. The individual in question being harassed was none other than Labilia Christy. She was dressed in a two-piece, blue swimsuit. Her hair was now shorter and styled into a bob-cut, keeping her levitating ponytail.
"Who…Who are you people…?" she stuttered in question, trembling a little.
"Hey, is everybody watching?" one of the tattooed men inquired, holding up his B-Cube to record a video of himself and the blue-haired girl, "We finally found Labilia the has-been!" he pointed out as he chuckled.
"Excuse me!" she shouted, "You don't have permission to record me when I'm out here minding my own business!" she pointed out vehemently.
"'You don't have 'na-nah-na-na-hah'', pfft…" a fatter man repeated with a snicker, "She's still pulling that little act?" he inquired as he smirked.
"So you're here, pining your hopes on a swimsuit vid because you can't get any more views?" the man recording her presumed, "Hah!" he laughed, "Your career's over!" he affirmed.
"I'm on vacation! Just leave me alone!" Labilia yelled as a retort, "And stop recording, I mean it!" she insisted on.
"Oh, she is mad!" the man taunting her pointed out, cackling on, "If you wanna show us how sexy you can be, why not take it all off?" he suggested deviously to her, causing her to gasp with fright.
"I love it," another of the men commented, licking his lips, "Let's see the lovely Libby strip show!" he insisted.
"Well, go on…" the fat man advised as the B-Cuber trembled, "Do you want us to help?" he questioned, laughing afterwards.
"No… stop…!" Labilia pleaded as she shook with terror. In an instant, both Izuku and Katsuki dashed out in front of her, coming to her defense. The group of men gasped in surprise.
"Who the hell…?" the man recording uttered out, only to suddenly fall to the ground in an instant with his friends in pained shouts.
"Ow…" one of them muttered as they pushed themselves up afterward.
"My body… got heavy all of a sudden…" another of the quartet noted aloud.
"What the hell just happened…?" the man recording wondered, about to pick up his B-Cube. However, a black energy tendril wrapped around it, pulling it away before he could grab it. "H-Hey!" he stammered out, seeing it go over to Izuku.
"You shouldn't be going around harassing people," he advised of the hoodlums as the energy tendril dissipated, while he held the B-Cube in his hand.
"Especially when you've got guys like us watching," his rival mentioned.
"Huh?" the mohawk-haired man uttered as he stood up with his friends, turning to spot Shiki approaching alongside Ochaco and Rebecca.
"We're at a water park, you know," the Satan Gravity Ether Gear user pointed out.
"Yeah, so quit bugging everyone," his twin-tailed friend insisted firmly.
"Otherwise, we're gonna report you," the Zero Gravity Quirk user warned.
"Rebecca… and Shiki…?" Labilia uttered in disbelief, with her eyes shaking.
"Wha… Labilia?!" her fellow B-Cuber exclaimed out of shock upon noticing her.
"What are you doing here?!" they both inquired, pointing at each other.
"Oh yeah, it's that annoying chick from back then…" Katsuki recalled, having had to help put up with her three years ago when he and his comrades were bringing her home from the Belial Gore, "Looks like she mellowed out a bit…" he pointed out curiously.
"Yeah…" Izuku agreed.
"Hey," the mohawk-haired hoodlum chimed in, getting their attentions, "So who's the punk that decided to knock us all over?" he asked, clenching his fists.
"That'd be me," Shiki answered, stepping forward, "You're causing trouble for me and my friends, so leave," he advised of him and the other hoodlums.
"You think you can order us around, dumbass?!" the fat man of the group shouted in question.
"Hey, wait a sec…" one man with a fringe of blonde hair over his eyes said, getting his friends' attentions, "Look who's with them," he pointed out, having taken notice of Rebecca.
"No way, is that really Rebecca?!" another of the group inquired excitedly to her surprise.
"What's a big influencer like her doing here?!" the mohawk-haired man questioned on.
"Whoa, she's so seriously hot!" the fat man exclaimed happily. Izuku appeared to twinge a little with discomfort.
"For goodness' sake…" Ochaco muttered, stepping out in front of the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user, "Either you leave us all alone, or we report you," she warned again, "Don't make this any harder than it needs to be," she advised seriously.
"Oh-ho, this chick's got some backbone to her…" the mohawk-haired man pointed out with a smirk.
"She and Becky are both smokin' hot…" his friend mentioned, "Not like Labilia," he added on, making the blue-haired girl frown sadly, "Let's play with them instead," he suggested of the group, causing both Shiki and Izuku to tense up angrily.
"Ooh, good idea!" the mohawk-haired man agreed in reply.
"But we'll have to take care of those stupid bodyguards of theirs first," the kempt man noted.
"Then we'll get ourselves a Rebecca strip tease!" the fat man proclaimed excitedly.
"Woo, what a time to be alive!" the fringe-haired man yelled out. Shiki and Izuku glared at the quartet, while Ochaco and Rebecca weren't intimidated. The mohawk-haired man was about to step forward, only for Katsuki to get in his way.
"Take one more step…" he began, glaring at him and his friends, "and I'll show you why these scars aren't just for show…" he threatened, causing him to widen his eyes upon noticing the healed wounds along the Explosion Quirk user's body.
"Heh…" he chuckled out, "You think you're something special, huh?" he assumed with a chuckle, "Well, go ahead and prove it…" he insisted, making Katsuki scoff as sparks crackled underneath his palm.
"Now that's enough," a sultry voice insisted, getting the group's attention as they turned to see Holy there, dressed in a crimson swimsuit with two pieces of cloth flowing at the back and another wrapped around her right leg, "It isn't a good idea to start a fight in public like this," she pointed out, "You could get arrested…" she warned as several men behind her were ogling her beauty, much to the annoyance of many women.
"Whoa, another hottie?!" one of the hoodlums exclaimed.
"What a day!" the mohawk-haired hoodlum yelled excitedly.
"Woohoo!" the fat man bellowed with hearts in his eyes as he blushed. Those of the Omni Force looked wary of the woman's sudden appearance. She stepped forward.
"I am Holy of the Interstellar Union Army's Oración Seis Interestelar," she noted to the hoodlums, who widened their eyes in shock, "If you insist on causing more of a scene, you will be arrested," she promised with a smirk.
"Th-The Union Army?!" one of the men stammered out in fright.
"Uh-oh!" another exclaimed, "Let's scram!" he insisted, hurrying off.
"Please excuse us!" the fat man of the group yelled as he ran with his friends.
"An Oración Seis Interestelar…" Rebecca uttered, taking a ready stance alongside Shiki and Ochaco, as they turned to face the woman they deemed a foe.
"Now, now…" she uttered, causing them to blink in surprise, "Don't get all up in arms, my dear Shiki and Rebecca," she advised of them, "The same goes for your otherworld friends," she added, taking notice of Ochaco, Katsuki, and Izuku, "I'm not your enemy," she affirmed.
"Then what the hell are you doing here?" the Explosion Quirk user asked, arching an eyebrow. Holy cracked a small grin, offering her left hand.
"Will you join forces with me?" she requested of Shiki, making him widen his eyes slightly, "We can be friends…" she promised. Everyone was left somewhat shell-shocked by the sudden request. And they didn't realize what would become of it just yet…
X
"Join forces… with the government?" Shiki presumed, quite stunned still by the proposition laid before him and his friends.
"Shiki, it's obviously a trap…" Rebecca pointed out, "Don't let her fool you," she insisted of him.
"Oh, don't be like that…" Holy insisted, "Will you at least hear me out?" she requested, "You want to defeat Ziggy, and so do we," she noted to the group. Just then, there was a loud metal thud heard behind her.
"Funny…" Riri's voice chimed in, "'Cause last I remember, the government was trying to catch Shiki's ass along with ours," she recalled, clad in her Ironheart armor as she aimed her right hand out at the Oración Seis Interestelar member.
"Riri…" Rebecca uttered.
"Couldn't help but overhear that some lady was turning heads left and right," Jessica's voice noted as she floated down alongside M'gann.
"Oh, so these are all your otherworld friends?" Holy presumed, "My, quite the cast, dear Shiki…" she complimented, "Some even look more impressive than others…" she mentioned, glancing over at Izuku and Katsuki specifically, licking her lips in a seductive manner. The Explosion Quirk user scoffed.
"Already got a woman…" he pointed out as he stomped up to her, "and she's a way better flirt than you," he affirmed.
"Oh?" the Oración Seis Interestelar member uttered curiously, "Well, we can't really talk here," she pointed out, turning around and walking away, "Meet me at the rooftop lounge in one hour," she requested, "And don't bring a huge crowd if you can help it," she advised on. The tension was thick as the Omni Force members weren't sure what to make of the situation that befell them. Riri had her helmet's visor come up.
"Huh…" she exhaled, "Sorry," she apologized to her colleagues, "When I figured it was a government official after you guys, I wanted to make sure she didn't try anything funny," she pointed out.
"Thanks, Riri," Rebecca said in gratitude.
"So do we meet the bitch later or what?" Katsuki grumbled in question.
"Easy, Bakugo…" Ochaco insisted, "Like Rebecca said, it could just be a trap…" she pointed out.
"No, I think we should," Shiki insisted to everyone's surprise, "But not everyone should come like she said," he advised further, "Maybe bring Happy, Pino, Homura, and Weisz…" he listed off in suggestion.
"I can hang back with the rest of the team," Jessica affirmed.
"Same here," M'gann chimed in.
"I'll go," Riri decided, letting her armor peel back as retracted fully into the heart-shaped arc reactor at her chest, pulling it off, "Izuku and Katsuki can come," she added to the pair of heroes, who nodded.
"Th-Then I'll come, too," Ochaco decided with a stutter, "If that lady tries anything, I'll be sure to stop her," she promised, punching her left hand.
"Now you oughta' take it easy, Uraraka…" Izuku insisted of her, holding his hands up in a placating manner. He then blinked in remembrance, turning to Labilia. "Miss, are you okay?" he asked of her, causing her to blink in surprise.
"Ah… well, I…" she stammered out.
"Labilia, I'm so sorry you got caught up in all that…" Rebecca apologized as she approached, "There's… a lot of weird stuff going on with us right now…" she pointed out. Her fellow B-Cuber didn't say a word, letting off a sad grin.
"Shiki and his friends come to my rescue once again…" she noted aloud.
"You seem… different…" the Satan Gravity Ether Gear user pointed out.
"So do you…" Labilia remarked in reply, "You look… a lot more grown up now…" she mentioned, "And… you're his girlfriend, right?" she inquired of Ochaco, getting her attention.
"Ah… well…" she stuttered out, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly as she blushed.
"How are you doing, by the way?" Rebecca asked curiously as she stepped in.
"I'm all right," her fellow B-Cuber answered, "You look well yourself…" she noted, smiling a little, "Now… if you'll excuse me…" she said, starting to walk off.
"Labilia, wait!" the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user called out, causing her to stop for a moment, "I know it's… been a while since we've seen each other," she pointed out, "Why don't we catch up over a drink later?" she suggested. The blue-haired girl appeared to tense up slightly.
"I… have nothing to talk to you about…" she responded, walking away to the surprise of her fellow B-Cuber.
"Guess I was wrong…" Shiki realized with crossed arms, "She hasn't changed a bit…" he muttered.
"But… wasn't she like a super rude bully to Rebecca?" his girlfriend inquired, "You'd think that she'd be taunting her or something…" she pointed out.
"Yeah…" the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user agreed, "She didn't say one nasty thing…" she noted, "That's not like her," she affirmed, "I wonder what happened…" she said.
"Tch," Katsuki scoffed, getting the group's attention, "Worry about that later," he insisted, "We need to regroup before this damn meeting with that harlot," he advised seriously.
"Harlot…?" Shiki repeated.
"Rude…" Rebecca muttered. A little while later, everyone had regrouped by the park tables.
"Holy of the Oración Seis Interestelar, huh?" Hermit noted with a hand upon her chin.
"She sure turned my head…" Sister commented cheekily.
"Yeah, pretty much any guy around was looking at her," Luck pointed out with his arms folded behind his head, "Some girls, too," he mentioned.
'Did he not hear what Sister just said?' Rebecca wondered inwardly as a drop of sweat trickled down her head.
"You sure you wanna go through with this meeting?" Kenny inquired of the group, "It could be a trap…" he pointed out.
"So we spring it and beat the bitch's henchmen before they can do anything," Katsuki advised with crossed arms, "Seems simple to me," he added.
"Can you go five seconds without giving someone a trashy nickname?" Weisz grumbled in question, "Anyways, I'm a little on the fence about this meeting myself…" he admitted, "The IUA was hot on our asses when we left Blue Garden, and I doubt they'd wanna waste a chance to catch Shiki and us while we're here…" he told the group seriously, "At the same time…" he continued, blushing a little as he gave off a perverted expression, "I hear this Holy lady's quite the fox!" he exclaimed excitedly, "If she's turning heads, she's gotta be one hell of a looker!" he affirmed on.
"Think with your brain, not your dick, grease monkey," Katsuki muttered.
"HEY!" Weisz shouted, "Don't call me that!" he insisted.
"Okay, how 'bout grease perv?" the Explosion Quirk user suggested bluntly.
"That's worse!" the Machina Maker Ether Gear user yelled.
"Okay, enough!" Riri shouted, slamming her hands down onto the table, causing everyone to stop in surprise, "Look…" she began, "we can't go making a scene like we did at Blue Garden," she advised, "We barely escaped back then," she pointed out.
"And starting a fight here's only going to make things more chaotic…" Shirou chimed in.
"I'd say it's better to hear her out," Laguna admitted, "Even if she's government, the fact that she's willing to ally with us could be good for the fight ahead," he pointed out, "Like you said, we need all the help we can get," he mentioned on.
"How much time until the meeting?" Jessica asked.
"About a half hour from now," Rebecca answered, looking at the time on her B-Cube's holographic screen it projected, "I guess we really don't have a choice in this situation…" she realized, turning off her device.
"We will be accompanying you, Miss Rebecca," Pino promised.
"Yeah," Happy chimed in as he stepped forward.
"And the rest of us'll listen in over comms," Hermit confirmed, typing on her laptop, "Though I bet she'll catch onto us…" she admitted nervously.
"Even if she does, I don't think it's going to matter," Izuku confessed, getting the group's attention.
"Why not?" Rebecca asked.
"Danger Sense didn't go off?" Katsuki assumed, arching an eyebrow. His rival nodded.
"I don't trust her, but…" he continued, "I know for the moment, she's not trying to cause us trouble," he affirmed to the others. Everyone exchanged looks. Then Shiki stood up.
"Alright, let's not sit around," he insisted of his colleagues, walking off.
"Ah, Shiki!" Ochaco called out, heading after him. Pino, Happy, Weisz, Homura and Katsuki followed. Riri tossed her arc reactor over to Sister, who caught it.
"Hold onto that for me," she insisted of the Life of Edens, "Might as well keep the peace while we've still got it," she pointed out, heading off after the others.
"We better get going, too," Izuku advised of Rebecca, enticing her to get up as she grabbed a short-sleeved yellow jacket, putting it on.
"Right," she responded, heading after him as they followed their colleagues. She walked alongside the One For All inheritor, glancing at him curiously. He seemed a lot more rugged than she remembered, especially with how much taller he was compared to three years ago. Granted, she already knew that, having spent time with him in the past year for some… occasions. He took notice of her staring, blinking in surprise.
"What is it?" he asked, snapping her out of her stupor as she blushed, widening her eyes.
"Oh, I, uh…" she stuttered out, "I… was wondering what's going on with Labilia…" she said, quickly shifting the topic to save herself from embarrassment, "She's usually a lot more… uh… haughty…" she recalled.
"Yeah, I remember…" Izuku responded, knowing he had seen videos of the blue-haired girl, where she had pranked Rebecca by spilling soup onto her, and then made one looking into her private life, "But three years is a long time," he pointed out, "I'm sure something's made her change, whether it's because of you or her videos," he added further.
"Hmm…" the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user hummed, glancing over at the crooked right hand of the One For All inheritor curiously. In her head, she imagined herself holding it as they walked along. However, she shook those thoughts away as she walked on, sighing inwardly.
X
Arriving at the rooftop lounge, the group was surprised. It was a lot less packed than the park below, having a few lovely pools and palm trees. Izuku was quick to notice the holographic sign that had 'RESERVED' upon it.
"Looks like that woman booked the lounge for herself," he noted aloud.
"Doesn't seem like there's anyone around, though…" Ochaco commented curiously.
"Who'da thunk we'd find all this up on the roof!" Weisz remarked, sounding impressed.
"It has quite the air of luxury…" Homura added.
"Yeah… not exactly flattering…" Riri muttered.
"Awesome!" Shiki exclaimed.
"If I remember right, only the guests staying in suites have access to this place," Rebecca commented.
"No surprise there, considering who we're dealing with," Katsuki pointed out with his hands stuffed into his pockets.
"Speaking of which, where is she?" Riri asked as she looked around.
"It is about time for our meeting, too…" Pino chimed in. Happy wandered towards one of the pools, only to notice a figure swimming in it.
"Hey, over here!" he called out, getting his colleagues' attentions. They looked over to see none other than Holy splashing up from the water in all her beauty. She brushed her hair back, taking notice of her guests.
"Oh, you're early…" she noted aloud, "Well, I'm so happy you decided to come after all," she affirmed, "You even brought sweet Weisz and dear Homura…" she mentioned.
"Woohoo! What a dish!" Weisz exclaimed excitedly with a blush on his cheeks.
"Knock it off…" Riri grumbled, smacking him upside his head.
"'Dear Homura'…?" the Soul Blade Ether Gear user repeated nervously.
"You are Miss Holy, yes?" Pino inquired.
"Correct," the Oración Seis Interestelar member answered, "That would make you lovely Pino and sweet Happy, right?" she presumed, climbing out of the pool via the ladder, followed by grabbing a towel, "And I notice that the otherworlders are here as well…" she mentioned as she looked over to Izuku, Katsuki, Ochaco, and Riri, "Lucky me," she remarked with a chuckle, "Go ahead and make yourselves comfortable," she advised of the whole group, "I'll finish up food for us," she affirmed.
"Food?" the Zero Gravity Quirk user repeated, only to take notice of the stove nearby, with a pan already upon it cooking what looked to be a dish of various seafood. Moments later, Holy was using a pair of tongs to flip the meat in the pan, making it sizzle.
"I'm very sorry," she apologized to her guests, who were seated at a table, "You're here earlier than I expected, so I hadn't finished cooking," she pointed out.
"Oh, don't mind us!" Weisz insisted with a dopey grin on his face, "Man, that is one nice ass…" he added, only to earn a smack to the face from Riri, "OW! WHY?!" he yelled in pain.
"Now I know why Mar'i put you in the doghouse…" the Avenger muttered. Holy glanced back and giggled.
"Don't worry, I appreciate the compliments," she assured. Just then, she noticed Katsuki approach, opening the grill to see the kabobs and ribs cooking inside.
"Hm," he huffed, grabbing the salt and pepper shakers, "You almost forgot to season these," he pointed out, sprinkling them down carefully.
"Seems you have a knack for cooking…" the Oración Seis Interestelar member noted, "I thought you said you had a woman at your side…" she commented curiously.
"We both cook," the Explosion Quirk user retorted, "None of that stupid gender role shit," he muttered on.
"My, you otherworlders sure are fascinating…" Holy pointed out.
"You know, the only people who call us otherworlders are the bad guys…" Riri chimed in, getting her attention, "If you're trying to make a case, you're doing a shit job at it so far…" she mentioned coldly.
"Hey, Riri…" Rebecca uttered quietly, holding her hands out in a placating manner.
"I suppose that's fair," the Oración Seis Interestelar member admitted as a response, "So, let me make this clear first," she said while continuing to cook her dish, "I wasn't in favor of naming sweet Shiki as one of the Oración Seis Galáctica," she told the group, "I wasn't opposed, either," she mentioned to their surprise, "Which is to say, I acknowledge Shiki's strength," she confirmed, "Your powers are on the same level as dear Elsie and the rest of the Galáctica," she noted to the Satan Gravity Ether Gear user. He narrowed his eyes, not sure what to make of the conversation just yet.
"So you wanna defeat Ziggy like us, right?" Ochaco guessed, earning a nod in response from Holy.
"If we are to defeat him, as well as the rest of the Galáctica," she continued, "then clearly working together would be most efficient," she stated.
"But then… why would the Union Army…?" Homura started to ask, only for Holy to chuckle.
"We, the Oración Seis Interestelar, are a special team organized specifically to defeat the Galáctica," she explained to her and the others, "We have no commander, and we are authorized to act on our own, individual judgment," she mentioned on, "You can bring those dishes out now," she advised of Katsuki, enticing him to grab the kabobs and ribs off of the grill while wearing oven mitts.
"I see…" Izuku uttered in realization with his right hand upon his chin, "By your own judgments, you're free to do whatever you think is right to stop the Galáctica," he concluded thoroughly.
"My, you're quite perceptive," Holy complimented as she pulled her pan off of the stove, setting it onto a hotplate to carry over to the table, "What was your name?" she inquired curiously.
"Um, Izuku Midoriya," the One For All inheritor answered with a nervous grin. The Oración Seis Interestelar member giggled.
"I'll be sure to remember it…" she promised with a sly expression, making him blush. Rebecca tensed up slightly, closing her hands into fists over her thighs. "Surely, you all don't believe everyone in the government is evil," Holy noted to the rest of the group, "In that same vein, I don't believe you are evil," she affirmed.
"That's a good point…" Shiki admitted.
"Yeah…" his girlfriend agreed, seeing the Oración Seis Interestelar member set down her dish.
"Please, help yourselves," she insisted, while Katsuki set down the other two trays of food.
"Whoa, this looks great!" Weisz complimented.
"I do wonder if it's safe to eat…" Homura said, only to blink in realization, covering her mouth sheepishly with her right sleeve, "Oops, I said that out loud…" she muttered with embarrassment.
"I do not detect any toxic substances," Pino chimed in after scanning the food. Shiki gulped, hungry but wanting to take this meeting seriously without worrying about his stomach. However, Ochaco immediately went and gorged on some of the fish from the seafood dish.
"Mmm~! It's so good!" she exclaimed happily.
"Fish!" Happy squeaked with delight, nibbling on one of the kabobs.
"Uh, thank you for the food," Rebecca said gratefully, taking a bite of her own, "Whoa, yum!" she yelped out immediately, "This is super good!" she noted.
"Ribs are pretty great, too!" Weisz added as he hungrily tore the meat away with his teeth, "Guess you can cook after all, Dynamighty," he remarked to the Explosion Quirk user.
"That's Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight to you, grease perv!" he shouted back. Holy blinked in surprise.
"His name's Katsuki Bakugo," Ochaco chimed in to get her attention, "And I'm Ochaco Uraraka," she introduced.
"Nice to finally get to know you," the Oración Seis Interestelar member commented, turning to Riri, "And your name?" she inquired of her. She narrowed her eyes for a moment, still suspicious of the purple-haired woman's true intentions.
"Riri Williams," she finally answered. Holy smiled.
"Well, go ahead and eat," she offered, "I'm sorry I didn't make more," she apologized to the group.
"That's fine," Izuku assured as he ate some fish off of a kabob, "We'll have plenty of food to eat from the ship," he pointed out.
"Besides, this is really good!" Rebecca complimented in between bites.
"You're quite a hearty eater, aren't you, Rebecca?" Holy noted curiously to her surprise, "No wonder your friend here seems so interested in you…" she mentioned as she glanced over at Izuku, who blushed.
"Wh-What…?" the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user stammered out. Before she could ask what the Oración Seis Interestelar member meant by her words, she walked over to a bamboo bench and sat down, crossing her right leg over her left as she held her hands together.
"Now then…" she began, "shall we get down to business?" she offered of the group, "I assume dear Hermit, your crew and all your other companions are listening in, yes?" she presumed, much to Pino's shock as her eyes widened. Back at the water park, those gathered by the laptop of the Mind of Edens were listening to the conversation.
"She saw right through us," she noted.
"Should've been expected, honestly," Megumi admitted, with his girlfriend nodding in agreement.
"From what I can tell, she's not acting hostile," M'gann pointed out.
"It could be a trap, though," Devlin chimed in.
"I agree…" Connor concurred, "Also…" he continued, "that's another fine-looking wench," he commented, earning himself a constructed green fist to the face from Jessica, knocking him onto the ground.
"Seriously, can guys not just drool over a girl for five minutes?" she grumbled in question.
"I'd love to invite her to my training room~…" Sister suddenly flirted.
"And girls too, apparently…" Megumi muttered in annoyance.
"She is government," Laguna pointed out.
"But she seems nice," Kleene commented on with a little smile.
"I still have my doubts…" her brother admitted. The others seemed to have varying levels of wariness for the Oración Seis Interestelar member. Back at the rooftop lounge, she kept her hands held together.
"My ultimate goal is to defeat Ziggy like you," she confirmed to the group, "However… I also have another objective," she mentioned, "I'm looking to track down Deadend Crow of the Oración Seis Galáctica…" she kept going, "and kill him with my own hands," she affirmed darkly to the group's surprise.
"Deadend Crow?" Weisz repeated in confusion.
"That's a name we haven't heard of before…" Riri pointed out.
"And you plan to kill him?" Homura inquired, "That's… quite unsettling…" she admitted aloud.
"You want us to help you with that?" Rebecca questioned on.
"I'm not going to help anyone with murder," Shiki declared firmly.
"Of course…" Holy responded, "I didn't mean to be so blunt," she noted to the group, "I can accept simply arresting him," she confessed, "He's likely to get the death penalty anyway," she pointed out.
"So we catch this Crow guy, and you help us with that Ziggy bastard…" Katsuki presumed, narrowing his eyes.
"Sorry, but that's not our problem," the Satan Gravity Ether Gear user decided apologetically, "We're after Ziggy, not Crow," he stated in a firm tone.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Holy retorted to his surprise as he blinked, "For you see…" she kept going, "Crow is on Lendard as we speak," she confirmed, much to everyone's surprise, "He's joined forces with Ziggy," he mentioned.
"Wh-What?!" Ochaco stammered out.
"A Galáctica with Ziggy?" Homura questioned.
"What… does that even mean?" Happy wondered aloud.
"It does not make logical sense…" Pino noted.
"Yeah, Ziggy wants a world with nothing but mechanical lifeforms…" Weisz explained, "He'd never team up with a human," he confirmed on.
"True," Holy responded with a nod, "But Crow is actually an android," she pointed out to his shock.
"Now it makes sense…" Riri realized with narrowed eyes.
"Before Ziggy reawakened, Crow was considered the most dangerous android in the cosmoses," the Oración Seis Interestelar member told the group, "He instigated the Bloody Atmos Day incident, which resulted in over a million casualties," she mentioned to everyone's collective shock.
"A… million…?" Ochaco repeated in disbelief.
"Bastard's got that much influence to start a genocide…" Katsuki concluded with a grimace.
"Searching Bloody Atmos Day…" Pino said, only to widen her eyes at the results that appeared upon her holographic screen projected in front of her, "What…?!" she exclaimed.
"So Crow was the reason behind the mass murder…" Rebecca realized, sweating a little.
"That was the public story," Holy pointed out, "but the truth is worse…" she admitted to the group, "And someone I knew got caught up in it," she recalled on, "Crow's a monster that only thinks of humans as toys," she pointed out, "And that's enough reason for him to join forces with Ziggy," she added, "I will help you defeat Ziggy on Lendard, so long as you help me defeat Crow," she vowed to her potential allies.
"This sounds like a reasonable deal…" Izuku said.
"What say you, Shiki?" Homura asked of the Satan Gravity Ether Gear user.
"I still need some time to think about it," he admitted, standing up to everyone's surprise, "I'll be going back to our ship to talk it over a bit more," he confirmed to the Oración Seis Interestelar member, "Thanks for the food, by the way," he said gratefully with a bow of his head. Holy smiled.
"You're quite welcome," she responded, "And know this…" she continued, "Whether your answer is yes or no, I will not see you as my enemy," she promised, "That goes for precious little Elsie as well," she mentioned, "I'll be looking forward to your response," she remarked to Shiki, whose face remained composed. Moments later, the group left the rooftop lounge.
"Man, what a babe!" Weisz exclaimed, sighing happily as images of Holy were forever ingrained into his mind.
"How long must you gush over her?" Homura wondered aloud.
"Seriously…" Katsuki grumbled.
"Glad to know you're taking this seriously, Shiki," Hermit noted from the holographic screen Pino was projecting for the group as they walked onward, "We're already headed back to the ship to talk things over," she confirmed, "I wanted to learn a little more about Holy myself and how she got involved with the Bloody Atmos Day…" she admitted.
"It kinda sounded like it was personal to her…" Ochaco commented.
"Yeah…" Rebecca agreed.
"In any case, we'll be ready to talk as soon as you get back," the Mind of Edens promised, ending the communication as the holographic screen disappeared.
"I believe in our best interests, we should consider this temporary alliance," Pino advised of the group.
"Better to get help that'll keep the rest of the government out of way," Happy pointed out.
"I don't know about that…" Izuku chimed in, "Miss Holy said that she and the rest of the Oración Seis Interestelar work independently of each other, acting on their own authority…" he noted in remembrance, placing his right hand onto his chin, "They could easily get themselves involved without our knowing," he mentioned further.
"And that could very well be what Holy plans on…" Homura commented further.
"She didn't seem like a bad person, though…" Rebecca pointed out.
"I still can't tell," Shiki admitted, "Everyone in the government makes me think of Justice," he confessed on, having his arms folded over his chest.
"He's top brass for the army, right?" Riri presumed.
"He's also the guy who pummeled Shiki back on Foresta…" Happy recalled.
"Yes, that was quite frightening…" Homura added in remembrance.
"WAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" a woman's voice suddenly shrieked, getting their attentions as they whipped around. Immediately, Izuku had green bio-electricity crackle around him, leaping away.
"Izu!" Rebecca cried out. The One For All inheritor floated overhead before spotting a crowd of murmuring onlookers nearby, standing around a table. He came down, jogging over.
"What happened here?" he asked.
"I-I don't know!" one man stuttered out.
"There were these creeps talking all this dirty stuff around, and we suddenly saw them turn into this!" a woman explained, gesturing to the piles of goop around the table. Izuku tensed up a little, followed by blinking in realization. He reached into the pocket of his swim trunks, pulling out the B-Cube he had taken from the hoodlum earlier. He clicked its button to turn it on, showing off the video of the very man taunting Labilia from before.
"Was this one of the men?" he asked of the crowd.
"Yeah, he was sitting right there!" a man answered in shock.
"Those guys just melted like ice…" another woman chimed in, "I know they were being all creepy, but…" she continued, trembling at the thought of who could have done such a thing. Izuku wondered that himself, turning off the B-Cube. He thought back to when he and the others had first interacted with the hoodlums, followed by Holy's appearance. He clenched his right fist, glancing back with concern.
'What's your endgame here, Miss Holy?' he inquired inwardly. The Oración Seis Interestelar member was contently enjoying a shower, letting the warm water pour down over her naked body.
"I wonder if my spell is working its magic yet," she said curiously, "Let all the filth in the world just melt away…" she remarked, rubbing soap on her skin, letting it rinse away, "I'm looking forward to your response, Shiki…" she noted on with a devious grin.
'Until I get it, I'll go ahead and use your powers for myself!' she decided inwardly.
X
"They melted?" Katsuki inquired of his rival, who just communicated him via MPG, while the others widened their eyes in surprise.
"It doesn't seem like anyone around caused it to happen, either…" the hologram of Izuku pointed out in response, 'I don't wanna make assumptions just yet, but…" he continued.
"You think Holy did it, don't you?" Riri guessed, earning a nod from the One For All inheritor, "Okay…" she uttered as she crossed her arms over her chest, "What's the play here?" she asked of her colleagues.
"If Holy has some kind of power that can do that to people, I don't think we should test her on that…" Rebecca admitted in reply.
"Yeah, I agree…" Ochaco concurred.
"Master?" Pino said inquisitively of Shiki, who sighed.
"It's not right for her to just kill whoever she wants," he pointed out, "But we'll talk more about it later," he decided to the group's surprise, "Those guys were bugging us earlier," he mentioned, "Maybe that was just her way of trying to help us out…" he suggested.
"She did scare them off…" Ochaco recalled.
"Hm," Katsuki huffed, "Deku, we'll meet with you back at the ship," he confirmed to his rival.
"Right, got it," he responded, ending the communication as his hologram disappeared.
"The first thing we should talk about is who else is going to join in for the battle ahead," Homura insisted, "Miss Holy's help will be welcomed, but it may seem unnecessary…" she commented further.
"Overkill might be our best bet when it comes to fighting Ziggy and Crow…" Weisz mentioned. Just then, a figure was approaching the departing group. It was Labilia.
"Um… Rebecca…" she uttered, getting their attentions.
"Labilia…" her fellow B-Cuber said, surprised to see her again after their last meeting.
"I think maybe… I do need a few minutes with you after all…" she admitted to her.
"Sure, of course…" she responded. The blue-haired girl tensed up, which Katsuki noticed.
"I have something very important to say," she noted, "And I absolutely must tell you before I die," she mentioned further, causing Rebecca to blink in surprise… and confusion.
"Before you… die?" she repeated, arching an eyebrow.
"Rebecca…" Happy uttered with concern.
"May I speak with you alone?" Labilia requested of her fellow B-Cuber. She noticed just how anxious she appeared, seemingly wanting to say what was on her mind right at that moment.
"Hey, Rebecca?" Happy said, still a bit wary of the blue-haired girl's intentions.
"It's okay," the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user assured, "You guys head back to the ship," she advised of him and the others, "I'm sure this won't be long," she affirmed confidently.
"Alright then…" Weisz muttered.
"We will see you there," Homura confirmed with a little smile.
"Come on, guys," Shiki advised of Happy and Pino, enticing them to follow him and the others. Riri took a moment before heading off herself, leaving just Katsuki to glance back at the pair of B-Cubers. He huffed as he walked off, but not before activating his MPG again. A while later, Rebecca and Labilia were up at a section of the resort that looked over a good portion of the park.
"So what did you need to say to me…?" the former asked of the latter after an awkward moment of silence, "And what's this about dying?" she inquired on. The blue-haired girl said nothing for a brief second.
"When a B-Cuber says they're going to die, it obviously means they're set to retire," she explained in reply, much to the confusion of the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user, "Surely you've noticed my channel's influence isn't as strong as before," she pointed out.
"Yeah…" Rebecca responded in confirmation, "But it's not so bad that you have to retire… is it…?" she questioned further, quite surprised by her fellow B-Cuber's reasoning.
"Yes, it is," she answered, "To me, stagnation's good as death," she affirmed, "So I want to settle things before I die," she declared, "With you," she added as she looked out into the distance.
"Uh, settle things…?" the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user repeated nervously, "There was never really anything for us to…" she tried to say, only to stop herself, "I mean, I still have nowhere near the number of subs you do," she pointed out in correction.
"But we've had our feuds, haven't we…?" Labilia inquired.
"Well, in the past, but…" Rebecca tried to retort.
"Oh, please…" her fellow B-Cuber muttered out with a smile, "Like you're above all that just because you've gotten a few more subscribers," she noted to the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user's surprise, "Have you forgotten all the things I've done to you?" she questioned of her. A trickle of sweat ran down her head as she recalled each and every time Labilia exploited her.
"Well… you did give me a lot of grief…" she admitted.
"Then I remembered what that girl with the pink hair said back on Blue Garden…" Labilia recalled to her surprise, "You have real friends compared to me, and I've given them grief, too…" she mentioned. Rebecca tensed up. "Now send that rage back at me," her fellow B-Cuber insisted, taking out her device and turning it on as she took a ready stance.
"Uh, Labilia?" the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user uttered in confusion.
"The camera's rolling…" Labilia pointed out, "my dear Rebecca!" she exclaimed, thrusting her right fist out at the twin-tailed girl, making her step aside in a yelp.
"Wh-Whoa!" she stammered, "When you said 'settle things', you meant a fist fight?!" she inquired in shock.
"A cat fight between bikini-clad babes!" the blue-haired girl exclaimed, "What could be more photogenic?" she questioned rhetorically as she charged in again.
"Where… do you come up with these kinds of things?!" Rebecca questioned as she hopped back to evade another blow.
"Oh, never mind that," Labilia retorted as a response, "Now would you kindly start fighting back, please?" she requested, "I don't want this turning into a bullying video!" she affirmed. The Cat Leaper Ether Gear user sighed.
'I've done a lot of martial arts training in the past three years, along with strengthening my Ether Gear, too,' she noted to herself, 'Any average person isn't gonna stand a chance against me…' she concluded inwardly with confidence, 'I guess I'll play along with Labilia's idea, though…' she decided through her thoughts, taking a ready stance as she readied her right fist, rearing it back, 'I'll throw a few fake blows to please the audience, then I'll lose,' she declared inwardly. She threw her fist out with a grin, only for the blue-haired B-Cuber to dodge it.
"What? You call that a punch?" she inquired to her foe's surprise. All of a sudden, she found herself taking a chop to the face from the side of Labilia's right hand. Her nose started bleeding.
"Huh?" she uttered in shock. She then took a punch to her chest, followed by a kick directly to the side of her head. "Urgh!" she grunted out of pain, falling over onto the grass, "Wha…What just happened…?" she asked, rather discombobulated by the surprising assault.
"Hm," Labilia huffed as she smirked, "I never went public with this because it doesn't mesh well with my influencer status," she pointed out, "But I'm an expert the Dancing Sakura style of karate," she told her opponent.
"Ha-ha, for real…?" she inquired, as she sat up, holding her hands out in surrender, "Okay, you got me," she said, "I surrender…" she confirmed. However, the blue-haired girl didn't take too kindly to her words. She went ahead and grabbed her foe's left wrist, spinning her down onto the ground upon her stomach to pin her there.
"Surely you must be dreaming, Miss Rebecca!" she exclaimed, tightening her grip on her opponent's wrist with both hands.
"OW!" she yelped in pain.
"This fight won't be over until one of us can't move!" Labilia declared.
"Ergh… come on, Labilia…" Rebecca grunted out, "I give up…" she confirmed again, "You win, so stop already…" she insisted on. However, her fellow B-Cuber grinned deviously.
"Once I've finished you…" she began, "I'll find your precious little Hoppy and do the same thing to him…" she vowed. Without warning though, the Cat Leaper Ether Gear pushed back up against her, much to her shock.
"You need to give it a rest, Labilia!" she yelled, shoving her away, "If you so much as lay a finger on Happy, I'll make you regret it!" she threatened.
"Now that's the spirit, my dear Rebecca!" Labilia shouted back with a grin. Getting onto her feet, the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user landed a fierce haymaker onto her fellow B-Cuber, who retaliated with her own before they butted heads fiercely. In the process, the former of the two lost her short-sleeved jacket.
"Seriously…" she grumbled out as her opponent tugged on her bikini, "All you ever do is pick on me and my friends…" she noted, trying to pry Labilia's hands off of her.
"Because it's so much fun!" she proclaimed in response, shoving her foe back down onto the ground, "I just can't help myself!" she added crazily.
"And you've gone about making me a laughing stock for your entire career!" Rebecca shouted back, interlocking her hands with her fellow B-Cuber's.
"A bottom-tier B-Cuber should consider herself lucky to be singled out by such a big star!" she yelled, pulling her right hand back and closing it into a fist in preparation for a punch.
"By scum who can only score views by insulting people!" the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user roared, swinging her right foot up to kick Labilia in the chin, knocking her away.
"I give the public exactly what they want!" she proclaimed on, "Maybe you ought to quit the fake nice act and score some more views!" she suggested, "Or better yet, forget those rejects of yours you call friends!" she shouted on, "Like that boy with the freckles…" she commented, causing Rebecca to tense up angrily.
"Have you ever considered how other people feel?!" she yelled in inquiry, "You make fun of them just because you can…" she growled, "Do you have any idea…" she continued as she got to her feet, rushing at her foe, "how humiliating, how painful, how sad it is to have all those horrible things put on video for whole cosmoses to see?!" she questioned with rage, tackling Labilia to the ground, grabbing her shoulders. They stared at each other for a few tense moments. "What did I ever do to you?!" she asked loudly. Another moment passed. And then, the blue-haired B-Cuber started trembling.
"I'll tell you what you did…" she said, "You started all this…" she whimpered out, much to her rival's surprise as she could see the tears in her eyes, hearing her sniffle, "Seeing your video…" she began as tears rolled down her face, while she covered her eyes with her arms, "is what made me want to become a B-Cuber!" she sobbed out.
"…What?" Rebecca uttered in surprise.
"WAAAAAAAHHHH!" Labilia wailed, "I've always… wanted to tell you that!" she sobbed on, crying even more.
"Whoa, wait a…" her rival tried to say, "Labilia…?" she uttered out of confusion. As the blue-haired girl cried, both she and the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user didn't realize they were being watched by a pair of figures…
X
"Where's Rebecca?" Rin asked from back aboard the Edens Zero, dressed in her regular clothes like everyone else.
"She stayed to chat with that Labilia chick," Weisz answered, "You know, the B-Cuber with the weird ponytail thing?" he emphasized unsurely.
"What would they have to talk about?" Jessica inquired, arching an eyebrow.
"And what about Izuku and Katsuki?" Kenny questioned.
"Huh?" Shiki uttered in surprise, "He's gone, too?" he realized out of surprise.
"I bet he went to look at the crime scene with Deku," his girlfriend assumed.
"What crime scene?" Hermit asked, getting their attentions. Riri stepped forward.
"Let's talk," she insisted. Moments later, the group was gathered in the conference room, with those of the Edens Zero crew at the table, with Shiki seating at the head.
"So Holy killed those guys who were bugging you?" Kenny inquired.
"That's what Izuku thinks," the Satan Gravity Ether Gear user responded, having his arms folded over his chest, "She was the only other person around them aside from us and Labilia," he mentioned.
"And unless Labilia's got some secret power, it makes sense that it'd be done by a top member of the government," Riri added thoroughly.
"So a power that melts people down to goop…" Sister noted.
"How terrifying…" Noel commented.
"Hey, just to check…" Yuji chimed in with his right hand raised, getting the others' attentions, "who's on the fence about the idea of teaming up with this Holy lady?" he inquired of his colleagues.
"Guess I am…" Jessica admitted in reply.
"Same," Megumi said, while Rin nodded.
"Master also brought forth his distrust of the government himself," Pino pointed out.
"And with what just happened earlier, I don't think we should be making a decision right away…" Ochaco added.
"Yeah, but having her on our side is better than not," Weisz noted, "Plus, she's a total babe!" he remarked with a dopey smile, earning himself a smack to the face from Rin, "OW!" he yelped out.
"What if she's expecting us to talk this over until we're all in agreement?" Devlin inferred, causing his girlfriend to look to him in surprise, "She might just be biding her time until reinforcements from the government show up to catch us," he theorized.
"Well, it's good we're having the discussion regardless," Hermit pointed out, "But yeah, I'm a little wary myself…" she admitted, glancing down in thought, "I looked more into Holy and her relation with Crow," she mentioned to the group's surprise, "Apparently, she was one of the few survivors left alive by him and was tormented," she told her colleagues, whose eyes widened, "The government was able to rescue her, but…" she continued, tensing up a little.
"Hey, Hermit…" Weisz said, going over to place a reassuring hand onto her shoulder.
"It's similar to what you had gone through, isn't it?" Homura presumed, earning a nod in response from the Mind of Edens.
"I don't think we should reject Holy's proposal," she advised of the group, "At the same time, we shouldn't lower our guards," she mentioned seriously.
"We'll have a lot of manpower aboard the ship, and more coming," Megumi pointed out.
"My friends are definitely gonna be coming to help," Ochaco affirmed with a pump of her fists.
"Same here!" Luck chimed in as he zipped over, "Asta and the others would totally wanna fight!" he pointed out excitedly.
"Konpachiro and Monitsu are coming, too!" Inosuke declared with his arms raised.
"Doesn't that seem like overkill…?" Megumi muttered in question.
"Better more than less," Riri remarked, "We'll be getting the Avengers involved," she mentioned to the group's surprise, "We can't waste a single person in this fight," she affirmed, clenching her fists tightly.
"Okay, then it's settled," Shiki confirmed, standing up from his seat, "I'll get in touch with Holy after we've left the planet," he decided.
"We still gotta wait for Rebecca…" Happy pointed out.
"Deku and Bakugo, too…" Ochaco mentioned, glancing off to the side for a moment, "I wonder what's taking them so long…" she said. Back in Ryuzetsu Land, Labilia had finally calmed down, sitting upon a grassy hill alongside her fellow B-Cuber. Her legs were tucked in as she held her arms together under them.
"When I was a little girl… I was really sick…" she confessed to the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user, "I spent a lot of time lying in a hospital bed…" she added, "Then one day, I happened to turn on a B-Cube and saw you in a video," she told her rival.
"Really?" she inquired, earning a nod in response from the blue-haired girl.
"Honestly… there was nothing to really like about the video…" she admitted, causing Rebecca to wince, "and the number of views was in the single digits," she mentioned as her rival flinched with embarrassment, "It made me think… why were you even doing that?" she wondered aloud, reflecting on when she had first seen the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user on a video, "But, well…" she continued, "seeing that girl, the same age as me, trying so hard…" she kept going as she smiled, "It stole my heart," she confessed, "And I realized… I wanted to be like her," she concluded.
"…Huh?" Rebecca uttered, seemingly unconvinced.
"I… was lucky," Labilia noted, "Even I was surprised at how successful of a B-Cuber I became," she admitted on, "I was trying to be like you, but I was suddenly miles ahead of you," she mentioned further, making her rival give off somewhat of an exasperated look, thinking that she was bragging, "But then… I started being a bad person…" she said, "All that time, I had been expecting you to live up to my ideals," she told the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user, "You were my inspiration, so why were you so bottom-tier? Why couldn't you make good videos?" she listed off in question, "How could wear that silly smile when no one even likes you…?" she inquired on, "Before long, those feelings of admiration and irritation came together in the worst possible way…" she noted, "I couldn't bring myself to open up to you," she kept going, "and before I knew it, this… was us…" she finished with a small smile. Rebecca didn't say a word, but did grant her rival a sympathetic expression. "I told you I wanted to talk, remember?" she questioned of her, "I wanted to let you get it all out," she said, "Let you hit me as much as you deserved. And then apologize," she mentioned further, "It was my own way of absolving myself," she admitted on, "But… I don't think I've really earned your forgiveness," she confessed finally. The Cat Leaper Ether Gear user let out a little chuckle.
"Wow…" she uttered, "You really don't know how to open up…" she realized.
"That's why we ended up like this…" Labilia noted as she looked up for a moment.
"Still, I can't believe it…" Rebecca admitted, "My video is what inspired you," she pointed out.
"Yeah, your cat impersonation video," her rival confirmed, much to her embarrassment as she blushed.
"I guess… I'm sorry, too," she apologized, "I couldn't live up to your expectations…" she noted.
"Oh, no, you're fine!" Labilia quickly assured, "I wasn't being fair at all…" she pointed out with a shake of her head. Rebecca smiled.
"So… you were sick as a kid?" she inquired of the blue-haired girl, making her perk up slightly, "But you're okay now, right?" she assumed. A moment of silence passed as her fellow B-Cuber glanced ahead.
"…It's incurable," she confirmed, causing Rebecca to blink, thinking she misheard her, "I don't have much time left," she admitted with a little smile. The Cat Leaper Ether Gear user's eyes were widened in disbelief. "But… I'm glad I got to see you one last time…" her rival admitted, standing up from the grass, "Because now, I have no more regrets…" she confessed on.
"B-But…" Rebecca stuttered out.
"Thank you, my dear Rebecca," Labilia said gratefully, "I'm sorry for everything," she apologized again, walking away. Immediately, the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user got to her feet.
"Wait!" she called out, "You can see Sister!" she suggested desperately, "She's on our ship! The best doctor there is!" she affirmed on.
"I appreciate the offer," the blue-haired girl said, not turning back to face her, "But… I made peace with this long ago…" she confirmed, trembling a little.
"You can't give up!" Rebecca insisted.
"I've seen all the best doctors possible in the cosmoses," Labilia pointed out, "None of them could find a cure…" she mentioned sadly.
"That doesn't matter!" the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user shouted, "Sister might be able to help you!" she proclaimed. Her friend trembled and started to tear up.
"I don't… want to get my hopes up anymore…" she whimpered out.
"But I do!" Rebecca exclaimed as she ran up to her, "Please! Let me take you to Sister!" she begged, embracing Labilia from behind as they both let their tears fall, "W-We've only just taken the first step!" she stuttered out, "I want us to walk together… as friends…" she affirmed with a smile.
"Friends…" the blue-haired girl repeated. Watching the scene unfold from atop the hill were both Izuku and Katsuki. The latter of the two glanced over to his rival.
"Get why I wanted you to see this?" he inquired of him, getting a nod in response.
"I'm glad you did," he confessed.
"That ditz is so stupid…" Katsuki grumbled, "Forgiving that chick even after everything she did and wanting to be friends with her…" he muttered on.
"It reminds you of me, huh?" Izuku assumed, making the Explosion Quirk user scoff, "No, Rebecca was like this, even before she got to know the kind of person I am," he pointed out, "A hero doesn't hold grudges, even against people from their past," he said, "That's what makes her so strong," he noted, "To not have those grudges," he added with a smile.
"Hm," his rival huffed, "So, are you gonna tell her about you and Salamander?" he inquired of him, causing him to look over in surprise, "She's head over heels in love with you, it's obvious," he pointed out with his arms folded over his chest. The One For All inheritor blushed a little, turning back to look at the pair of B-Cubers.
"No… not yet…" he decided, "Not until after this mission's done," he affirmed seriously.
"Then it'll be your fault if she finds out before then," Katsuki pointed out, making his rival nervously chuckle. He looked back at Rebecca, remembering all they had been through as companions, with her being the one person who always managed to surprise him with her strength of character and trust. She was the heart of the Edens Zero crew. And that was what he loved most about her.
X
Once everyone was back aboard the ship, it left Dahlia. A few hours afterward, Shiki, Pino, and Riri were in the meeting room alone, having gotten in contact with Holy. Needless to say, the Oración Seis Interestelar member was a little surprised to be hearing from the Satan Gravity Ether Gear user so soon.
"This is Shiki, on the Demon King battleship Edens Zero," he confirmed to her.
"And this is Holy, on the Interstellar Union Army's battleship Midnight," she responded, "I see you've brought sweet Riri into the picture as well," she pointed out curiously, "So, have you made up your mind already on my offer?" she inquired.
"Before we answer, we wanna know about something that happened back on Dahlia," Riri said to her surprise. She then projected an image of the piles of melted goop found back at the water park. The Oración Seis Interestelar member blinked in surprise.
"I see you took notice of my parting gift for you and your friends…" she commented.
"Parting gift?" Pino repeated in confusion.
"I tend to loathe those who would stoop to harassing a woman or plot to do vile things to others…" Holy told the trio, "So I enacted my authority and took care of them before they could even do anything," she explained, "I hope that doesn't upset you too much, dear Shiki," she mentioned to the Satan Gravity Ether Gear user, "They were bothering you and your friends," she pointed out.
"Master…" Pino uttered.
"We've decided that we're gonna let you join us," Shiki confirmed to the Oración Seis Interestelar member, "But on one condition," he added, "Until our battle on Lendard's over…" he kept going, "you're staying on the Edens Zero," he stated firmly.
"I see…" Holy responded.
'So they want to keep me under watch…' she noted to herself, 'That's clever of you, dear Shiki…' she admitted inwardly, 'Though I doubt you thought of that yourself…' she added through her thoughts.
"If you can't agree to that, deal's off," Riri affirmed.
"Yeah," Shiki agreed, "We'll beat Ziggy, but we won't have anything to do with Crow," he told the Oración Seis Interestelar member.
"…Very well," she replied, "I accept your terms," she decided with a smile, "I'm looking forward to working with you, great Demon King," she commented before their communication ended.
You may think that this alliance may lead to Shiki's downfall. But you'll soon see by accepting the help of an ally, they can become a friend. Will it be enough to stop Ziggy and those upon Lendard? We shall see…
END
And that's another chapter done! In record time, too! I'm really glad to be back on the other stories, especially this one. This was a chapter I was a little nervous about adapting, but it turned out pretty good!
We'll be back to this story and beyond in a couple weeks! See you all later!