And we're back to "Space"! Now that I'm currently working on three different stories, this being one of them, it's hard to get updates together, especially when I have a desire to write chapters for one story over another. And this story's definitely one of them.
Leaving off from last time, our heroes took a bit of a break on Dahlia in order to get themselves well-rested enough for the battle ahead. But between Holy allying with them to Labilia joining the group to get cured, things got a bit hectic. And we also found out that Izuku's single… Wonder how Rebecca's gonna take that news…
I'll let Xiaomei take it from here! Enjoy!
SPACE
Welcome back, everyone. We're getting close to the action soon. Now do keep in mind, not everyone joining the Edens Zero crew has yet to enter this story… At least until now.
To quickly recap, Shiki and his friends went to the planet of Dahlia to rest themselves in preparation for the battle on Lendard. While there, however, they encountered Holy, one of the Oración Seis Interestelar. She offered an alliance to Shiki, as her target, Deadend Crow, happened to be allied with Ziggy. Though reluctant at first, Shiki did ultimately accept her offer… with the condition that she would remain aboard the Edens Zero.
In the meantime, Rebecca found herself in her own struggle against Labilia Christy. Discovering that she was giving up her B-Cuber career to having to fight her as a way of atonement, it was quite a surprise. No less surprising than Labilia revealing her terminal illness. But even though she made peace with the future of death that awaited her, Rebecca didn't, bringing her back to the Edens Zero in hopes that Sister would help to cure her.
The selflessness of Rebecca has been a long-lasting trait of hers, only exemplified by the boy she loves, Izuku. And as everyone prepares for the battle ahead, other allies are coming to join the fray. Let's go ahead and see who's here now, shall we?
"I can't believe you didn't call me in to help!" a frustrated Ninny Spangcole yelled to Noel with her hands at her hips, "That sounds like something I could've handled without a problem!" she pointed out.
"You're not on the same squad as me," her fellow piper argued, much to her chagrin. They were standing in the hangar of the Edens Zero, gathered with Hermit, Riri, Rebecca, and Pino.
"Hm," Ninny huffed, "Anyway," she continued, turning to the others, "how many others are we supposed to get for this job?" she inquired of them.
"Honestly, it's going to depend," the Mind of Edens admitted in reply, "Rebecca's squad was the one that set up with contacting the other members they felt could help," she explained.
"And I called you only," Noel confirmed to her fellow witch, causing her to blink in surprise, "You're welcome," she added.
"The hell's that supposed to mean?" her friend questioned back, "By the way, Yuji's here, isn't he?" she grumbled in assumption.
"Yes, he is," Noel answered, "Your point?" she inquired.
"I just don't want you going around worrying about him twenty-four-seven…" Ninny muttered as a reply before walking off alongside her, "He did take care of that stupid curse after all…" she pointed out.
"That doesn't mean he doesn't need someone else to lean on, like me," her fellow witch argued, making her frown. Rebecca giggled.
"They seem like a good pair," she pointed out.
"From what I heard, they're some of the best from their world," Riri mentioned.
"Like I said, we need the best help we can get," Hermit noted, right as a green portal opened in the hangar.
"Who's coming now?" Rebecca asked curiously of Pino.
"According to the MPG readings, this is from Universe-Seven-Five-Five-Seven-Two," she answered, "It is Mister Inosuke's universe!" she pointed out excitedly. Emerging from the rift were Tanjiro Kamado, Nezuko Kamado, and Zenitsu Agatsuma. The former of the trio smiled.
"Rebecca, hello!" he greeted with a wave of his right arm. The Cat Leaper Ether Gear user waved back with a grin of her own, but then took notice of the man's wrinkled and debilitated left arm. Before she could say anything, she was tackled into a hug from Nezuko.
"It's so great to see you again!" she exclaimed, nuzzling into the twin-tailed girl's shoulder, "I never thought we'd get to meet after that class Izuku had us come to!" she admitted as she pulled herself back.
"Oh wow, it's been that long…?" Rebecca inquired out of shock.
"Yeah," Tanjiro confirmed in reply, "As you can tell, a lot's happened," he pointed out, looking at his left arm, "I can't see anything from my right eye, and my left arm's completely useless," he mentioned.
"Tanjiro…" the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user uttered worriedly.
"We're going to be helping with support for his arm," Hermit noted as she stepped forward, "And sight's not really much of a problem since he's well-known for a great sense of smell," she added confidently.
"I appreciate the help," Tanjiro said gratefully as he bowed.
"Wait… then what's your sister doing here?" Riri asked, arching an eyebrow, "Last I heard, she's no longer a demon…" she pointed out.
"Wait, you guys cured her?!" Rebecca inquired in shock.
"Sort of…" Zenitsu responded as he rubbed the back of his head.
"We were told it's called a multiversal effect," Tanjiro chimed in.
"Mm-hmm," his sister said with a nod, "You see, I'm no longer a demon in my universe," she told the others, "But in other universes, I can use my Blood Demon Art as if I were still a demon," she explained further to the others' shock.
"Seriously?!" Rebecca exclaimed.
"Yeah," Nezuko responded as she nodded again. Taking a deep breath, she suddenly grew, gaining a bigger, taller and curvaceous body and had longer hair that reached to her feet. She also grew a short white horn on the right side of her forehead designed with irregular crack pattern, along with vein-like patterns in her forehead near her horn. She had vein-like patterns appearing around her left eye, but her most striking feature was the red and green vine-like pattern that covered her skin, circling around her arms, legs, and chest. "And I don't need to worry about sunlight," she mentioned with a giggle.
"That's… awesome!" the Cat Leaper Ether Gear pointed out happily. However, Zenitsu whined, getting their attentions.
"It's so cruel…!" he moaned, "Nezuko can only live normally in her own world, while every other universe turns her back into a demon…" he pointed out sadly.
"Zenitsu…" Tanjiro grumbled out.
"I still have control of myself, you know," his sister pointed out as she walked over to the Thunder Breathing user, shrinking back to her normal size while losing her horns and markings, "Besides, I want to help," she affirmed with her hands at her hips.
"But what if you get hurt…?" Zenitsu whined in question to his girlfriend.
"Then I guess you'll have to protect her," Tanjiro noted as a response, causing him to perk up as his expression turned serious.
"I will protect you with my life," he declared firmly. Nezuko giggled. Rebecca let a drop of sweat roll down the side of her face.
'Zenitsu hasn't changed a bit…' she noted to herself, 'But…' she continued as she smiled, 'it's so great to see everyone having their own happy endings…' she pointed out inwardly.
"Monjiro! Monitsu!" Inosuke's voice exclaimed, causing everyone to look over to see the boar hide-wearing man charging in, "I've been waiting for you!" he roared, lunging out to tackle his fellow former demon slayers as everyone watched on surprise. They all laughed together, glad to be fighting as a team again.
"So who else is here?" Nezuko inquired curiously.
"Well, we recently got some members of the Black Bulls and others from their world, people from the Justice League, and members of the Avengers," Hermit listed off in reply, "There are a few others, but it's hard to keep track of everybody," she mentioned out of admittance with a shake of her right hand.
"We are only getting those who would like to join together to form strategies for the battle ahead," Pino confirmed on.
"Most of them are already in the cafeteria just hanging out," Rebecca noted to the demon slayers.
"Then that's where we'll go!" Nezuko decided, "Come on, you guys!" she beckoned to her brother and the others, who got back to their feet, following her out of the hangar. Rebecca smiled as they headed off.
"I'm guessing that's almost everyone," Hermit noted, pulling up a holographic screen over her right arm, "We still need whoever's coming from Izuku's world, but that's about it," she added, scrolling through the list of Omni Force members brought aboard the ship, "…Did you hear about how he failed to stop Kronos from taking a stone?" she inquired of the others, getting their attentions.
"Yeah…" Riri responded, "I know it wasn't his fault in the end, but…" she kept going, while Rebecca nervously held her left arm. Earlier, when the Avengers had arrived, consisting of James Rogers, Torunn Thorsdóttir, Henry Pym Jr., Francis Barton, America Chavez, and Azari T'Challa, she had noticed how stern the latter of the group was. It wasn't abnormal for him to be so serious, but he wasn't even trying to be friendly with anyone.
"Another portal is opening," Pino chimed in, getting the group's attention as a rift appeared, "The readings are from Mister Midoriya's world!" she mentioned in confirmation. Emerging from the green portal were Momo Yaoyorozu, Tenya Iida, Tsuyu Asui, Shoto Todoroki, Denki Kaminari, Eijiro Kirishima, Mina Ashido, Kyoka Jiro, Fumikage Tokoyami, Alice Fullbuster, and Natalie Dragneel.
"I'm so sorry for the delay!" the former of the group apologized, "We had to organize who would be covering for us in our eventual absences," she told those before her and the others as they approached.
"I'm sure this'll be a breeze, Yaomomo…" the Electrification Quirk user affirmed confidently, "And there's the beautiful genius!" he remarked over to Riri, who let out a chuckle as she shook her head.
"Hey Denki," she greeted, allowing him to embrace her in a warm hug before he kissed her cheek. Rebecca looked over in surprise.
"I… didn't know you two were a thing…" she noted with a tilt of her head.
"It was kinda on the down-low…" Riri admitted in reply.
"Bluegarden, it's good to see you again," Tenya chimed in, getting the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user's attention as she saw him approach, "Uraraka and Midoriya informed us of the situation at hand," he noted to her.
"Sounds like Granbell's grandpa's a real piece of work…" Mina mentioned as she slid over.
"And he's teamed up with someone just as dangerous, ribbit…" Tsuyu added, putting her right index finger onto her cheek.
"Guys, don't worry," Rebecca assured, causing them to look over at her in surprise, "With everyone we've got together here, we'll totally stop Ziggy and Crow," she affirmed confidently with her fists clenched, "Besides, Izu's here, too!" she pointed out, "There's no way we're gonna lose!" she declared. The young heroes admired her enthusiasm.
"Bakugo was saying you guys teamed up with one of the government people, right?" Eijiro inquired of the group.
"Aren't they like the bad guys to you in this universe?" Denki inquired worriedly.
"Yes, but this is an exception," Hermit chimed in, "We're allying with Holy to have more forces to go up against Ziggy's army, especially given the likelihood of the Kronos Alliance's involvement," she explained.
"You're referring to Ultron, correct?" Tenya presumed, getting a nod in response from Riri.
"It's gonna be a big fight," she confirmed, "So the more help, the merrier," she mentioned on.
"You must've had to make a deal in order to get this Holy's help…" Momo noted.
"Actually, Miss Holy reached out to us for an alliance," Pino chimed in to the group's surprise.
"We're having her stay on the ship as a precautionary condition," Hermit added, "That way, we'll be aware of her moves if she tries anything," she pointed out.
"It sounds like you've got your work cut out for you…" Alice mentioned.
"It's par for the course," the Mind of Edens remarked in response, shrugging her shoulders. A notification then appeared upon her holographic screen, making her blink in surprise. "Speak of the devil, she's here…" she noted aloud.
"The Holy lady?" Eijiro assumed, receiving a nod from Hermit.
"Pino, Riri, let's go," she advised of her comrades, who both followed her as they headed off.
"See you later, Chargebolt," the armored Avenger remarked to her boyfriend with a wink, making him chuckle as he folded his arms behind his head.
"Huh…" Mina sighed out, "Does everyone have a relationship except for me now?" she complained in question.
"You act like it's a bad thing…" Tsuyu noted aloud.
"Yeah, I'm still single," Rebecca chimed in, "But it's not like I'm pining for something right now…" she mentioned with a giggle.
"Exactly right," Tenya agreed, "Our focus should be on assisting our friends in the battle ahead," he advised of his fellow heroes, who all nodded in agreement. The Cat Leaper Ether Gear user then took notice of Natalie and Kyoka, walking over to them.
"Uh, hey," she greeted awkwardly, holding her hands together behind her back, "It's been a while, huh?" she assumed with a sheepish grin.
"Yeah," the hybrid Fire Dragon Slayer agreed in reply.
"A lot's changed for us," Kyoka pointed out, brushing her hair back at the left side of her head, revealing the scarring there from her missing ear, much to Rebecca's shock, "We're not the same as we were three years ago," she mentioned.
"I wish we could've been of more help…" the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user admitted ashamedly.
"Hey, don't do that," Natalie insisted as she reached her right fist over to bump her shoulder, "You guys did plenty to help us stop those villains back then," she affirmed of the twin-tailed girl, "In fact, you're part of the reason we ended up taking care of Himiko and those Twice doubles she was making," she added with a grin.
"Yeah…" Rebecca responded, letting off a little smile, "Uh, I think Izu's in the kitchen if you're looking for him," she pointed out.
"Cool! We'll say hi!" the hybrid Fire Dragon Slayer decided, "Let's get a move on, everybody!" she insisted of her fellow heroes, heading off. Rebecca watched them go, but then blinked in surprise upon noticing something. Kyoka and Natalie were holding hands, giggling with each other before the former leaned against the latter's shoulder.
'Were those two always that close?' the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user wondered inwardly.
X
Holy had come aboard the Edens Zero, while the rest of those gathered aboard the ship were spread out in different areas. She wandered the halls with a curious smile, being guided by the likes of Hermit as Pino and Riri followed along. Also joining them was Weisz.
"Remind me why you're here again?" the armored Avenger questioned of the Machina Maker Ether Gear user in a whisper.
"I wanna make sure we're keeping a close eye on Holy, since she's technically government…" he replied quietly, "Plus…" he continued, glancing over to the Oración Seis Interestelar member's posterior, "I can't help but have a better look at that fine ass…!" he proclaimed with a blush across his face. Riri sighed.
"You really do have dick for brains…" she grumbled. Holy was wearing a black and red dress that had a cleavage window, a headdress shaped like horns, and a long slit skirt exposing her left leg.
"Well, well…" she uttered as she looked around, "So this is what it's like aboard the Edens Zero…" she noted aloud.
"This will be your room," Hermit pointed out, gesturing towards one of the doors in the hallway, "You're basically free to come and go wherever you like," she mentioned, "But you can't go into the main control room or any of our other major facilities," she advised sternly.
"Yes, ma'am," Holy responded in understanding as her heels clacked against the floor.
"…You're being a little too cool with this…" Riri noted, narrowing her eyes.
"You'll be monitoring me the whole time, won't you?" the Oración Seis Interestelar member presumed back, "Which begs the question," she continued with a blush appearing on her cheeks, "will you be peeking in on me whenever I'm on the toilet or in the bath as well?" she inquired.
"W-We would never do that!" Weisz stammered in claim as his face went red.
"You would…" the armored Avenger grumbled with her arms crossed.
"Per Shiki's orders, we won't watch you any more than necessary," Hermit confirmed to Holy, "He said that as long as you're on this ship, you're one of us," she mentioned with a firm expression.
"And I assure you, I would never betray dear, sweet Shiki," the Oración Seis Interestelar member promised as she smiled back.
'At least… not for now…' she noted inwardly. Down in the Edens Kitchen at one of the booths, Izuku was staring at his food lying upon his tray with a troubled look on his face. Sitting across from him were Katsuki and Shoto.
"It's that bad, huh?" the Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user assumed.
"Panther bastard didn't even bother to say a word to him…" the Explosion Quirk user pointed out additionally with a nod, "Deku, hey," he said, getting his rival's attention.
"Y-Yeah, sorry…" he apologized with a stutter, recalling when he had seen Azari earlier, only to not even get the chance to say hello as he walked by, bumping him aside, "I figured after the last time we talked, he'd at least be settled down…" he muttered in admittance, clenching his fists, "But I guess that was just wishful thinking…" he grumbled out.
"You can't blame yourself for his feelings," Tenya advised, getting his attention as he saw the Engine Quirk user sit down beside him at the booth with his own tray of food, "I understand that T'Challa has the desire to protect the multiverse at any cost…" he noted on.
"But that doesn't mean you have to feel bad over what happened in the end with Steven," Shoto pointed out. Izuku lowered his gaze.
"Yeah… I know…" he affirmed. Elsewhere in the kitchen, Kleene was contently eating alongside Yuno at a table with Kris, Laguna, and Couchpo. The Wind Rage Ether Gear user was sulking, watching his sister giggle as she and her boyfriend ate together.
"You really need to get over it already…" Laguna insisted of him.
"Apparently he's not the only one…" Couchpo noted, pointing toward the tiny, fairy-like woman seated upon the table, sadly watching the couple eat together.
"Yuno…" she whined out.
"So once a plan's in order, we wait 'til the day of the battle?" Kenny assumed, seated at another table with Devlin, Jessica, and M'gann.
"That's what Hermit said," the Green Lantern answered, "The ship doesn't have a lot of rooms, so we can't all stick around here…" she pointed out.
"Jess and I should be sticking around with the rest of the crew, along with everyone else in our squad," Devlin explained.
"Last I checked, not everyone on your squad's here…" Kenny pointed out.
"Yeah, she tends to show up last minute sometimes…" Jessica grumbled. Just then, M'gann perked up.
"She's here," she noted, causing everyone to turn to see the doors open. Entering were Hermit, Weisz, Pino, Riri, and Holy.
"This is our mess hall, the Edens Kitchen," the android of the group pointed out to the Oración Seis Interestelar member.
"Something certainly smells good," she noted after a sniff of the air, "I do enjoy cooking myself," she admitted, "Oh, and dear Izuku and Katsuki happen to be here," she realized upon noticing the pair of heroes.
"And you must be Miss Holy then…" Tenya realized, standing up from his seat with Shoto, "My name is Tenya Iida," he introduced, "I'm a friend of Midoriya's from our universe," he mentioned.
"Shoto Todoroki," the Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user chimed in.
"A pleasure to meet you both," the Oración Seis Interestelar member responded, "And if I'm not mistaken, I've seen some of you back at Dahlia…" she added, glancing over to the table where Kenny and the others were.
"Yeah, hi," the Omnitrix bearer greeted, "Ken Tennyson," he introduced, "This is my girlfriend, Jess," he mentioned, putting a hand onto the Green Lantern's shoulder.
"Name's Devlin," the hybrid Osmosian said.
"M'gann, hi," the Martian greeted in introduction, "Sorry about… uh… the last time we met…" she apologized.
"Oh, there's no need for that, sweet M'gann," Holy assured as a response to her surprise.
"So you're a home cook, hm?" Couchpo inquired curiously, "That's an admirable hobby for a beautiful woman," she complimented.
"Looks don't affect a love of cooking…" Laguna bluntly pointed out.
"I happen to have a talent for cooking hot dogs," Kris chimed in, "Maybe I'll let you try mine sometime," he inferred, causing Weisz to panic as his face went red.
"Hey…!" he yelped out.
"That person there is my brother, Kris," Kleene introduced, jumping in on the conversation, "And those two are Miss Couchpo and Lagunarino," she added, gesturing to her friends.
"Oh, I know," Holy assured, "I've done my research on this crew in its entirety," she affirmed, "The only ones I don't know about are the otherworlders, like this young man…" she noted, looking over at Yuno curiously.
"And this is my boyfriend, Yuno!" Kleene introduced happily as she wrapped her arms around the Golden Dawn captain, "He's so kind!" she mentioned as a blush came across her face. Yuno smiled a little as he rubbed her right arm gently with his right hand.
"Hey!" Sylph yelled in annoyance as she floated up, "Quit getting all cuddly and cute with my Yuno!" she insisted angrily with clenched fists. Holy giggled, while Riri and Hermit stared at her in suspicion.
"Shall I let you try my hot dog?" Kris offered to the Oración Seis Interestelar member.
"Not another word outta you, you dumbass perv!" Weisz shouted out.
"You're one to talk…" Katsuki grumbled.
"Let's keep this tour going," Hermit advised, getting Holy's attention, "I wouldn't want to waste more time before we discuss the mission," she mentioned on.
"Yes, of course," the Oración Seis Interestelar member agreed in reply, "I'll be seeing you all again soon, I hope," she remarked as she waved to those in the mess hall, departing along with the others.
"This has gotta be a trap…" Jessica inferred with narrowed eyes.
"Maybe…" her boyfriend responded, "But you heard what Hermit found out about her, right?" he questioned on, "She was a victim of this Deadend Crow guy, and he's basically an ally of the Kronos Alliance based on what we know," he pointed out to her and the others still gathered, "We'll figure things out as they go forward," he assured.
"Right," Izuku agreed, taking on a determined expression. Meanwhile, the touring group arrived at the Dress Factory, where Asta Sutarria, Noelle Silva, Finral Roulacase, Magna Swing, Zora Ideale, Secre Swallowtail, Mimosa Vermillion and Klaus Lunettes were gathered with Luck. The former of the group was inside the manufacturing machine, wearing a black, tight-fitting shirt that covered his shoulders, upper arms, and some of his chest. It was open in the middle and had a gold clover on the right side. Over this, he donned a modified version of his squad's signature robe draped over his left shoulder and attached by a red cord that wrapped around his neck. His headband had three red-colored, four-pointed stars on the front right side and the Black Bull insignia on the left. He also wore a pair of black, high-waisted pants that were tucked into knee-high boots and a large, brown, double-pronged belt, from which hung his grimoire pouch.
"See? Pretty cool, right!" he pointed out to his colleagues.
"Wow!" Mimosa exclaimed as she clapped her hands together.
"And it fixes your previous clothes as well?" Klaus assumed.
"Pretty much," Noelle answered, "I've never used it myself, but it's perfect for making new clothes while repairing your old ones," she pointed out.
"No doubt you probably need it for that Valkyrie Dress of yours— GAH!" Magna yelped as he was knocked aside by a ball of water shot from her wand, falling to the floor flat on his face, "Why…?" he groaned in question.
"Do you really think you weren't asking for it?" Finral inquired back as a drop of sweat rolled down his head.
"Oh hey, it's Riri! And Hermit, too!" Luck pointed out, getting the magic knights' attentions as they turned to see the arriving group. Klaus' nose started bleeding at the sight of Holy, while Finral was quick to turn away, trying to avoid the temptation of approaching the Oración Seis Interestelar member.
"This is the Dress Factory," the Mind of Edens pointed out to her, "It's essentially our wardrobe room, where it can instantly create any outfit you design," she explained.
"Ooh, I love it!" Holy exclaimed as she clapped her hands together, "Also, I see we have a few more guests I need to be introduced to…" she noted curiously upon seeing the magic knights.
"Um, hello…" Mimosa greeted as she stepped forward, "My name's Mimosa Vermillion," she introduced with a polite bow.
"I'm Asta!" Asta chimed in as he pointed to himself, "There's also Noelle, Zora, Magna, and Nero," he listed off additionally, gesturing towards his colleagues.
"Hi…" the Water Magic user greeted nervously, while the masked man scoffed. Secre narrowed her eyes as Holy approached her.
"Your name is Nero?" she questioned curiously.
"My real name is Secre Swallowtail," the Sealing Magic user responded, "Nero is just a nickname my friends gave me…" she mentioned as she glanced away with a little blush on her cheeks. Her comrades chuckled.
"Hey, aren't you two gonna say hi, too?" Luck inquired of both Finral and Klaus.
"I… would rather not cause our new guest distress…" the latter replied as he wiped his bloody nose.
"Y-Yeah…" the former stuttered in agreement, "I'm a married man, after all…" he pointed out, "Can't get tempted by a beautiful woman…" he mentioned, slamming his head against the floor repeatedly, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH! FINESSE!" he screamed out. Holy blinked in surprise.
"Whatever might that be about?" she wondered curiously.
"Huh…" Noelle sighed with exasperation.
"Anyway, you can input the clothing you wish to wear here," Pino noted, having accessed the console beside the machine as the Oración Seis Interestelar member approached, "And then, when you press this button…" she continued, selecting the 'OK' icon before making her way into the machine. In a matter of moments, she was donning a cute white rabbit suit with a red heart on the front.
"Ooh, how cute!" Holy gushed.
"She really does look adorable!" Mimosa noted in agreement.
"Miss Holy, you oughta' try it out!" Weisz insisted with a blush across his cheeks, "For example, go for this outfit!" he advised on. The Oración Seis Interestelar member was quick to make use of the Dress Factory's variety, dressing up as a bunny girl, a maid, and donning a kimono.
"She seems to be making herself right at home…" Secre pointed out as Riri and Hermit approached.
"Don't you think that's part of her game?" Zora presumed with his hands at his hips, "Making us all let our guards down for the perfect moment to strike," he inferred, narrowing his eyes.
"Oh, we know," the armored Avenger responded.
"It's why we're keeping a close eye on her," Hermit affirmed.
"Ooh, do this outfit next!" Weisz begged as he showed Holy a picture of a rather skimpy swimsuit on his phone. However, he found himself stomped to the floor by Noelle.
"KNOCK IT OFF ALREADY!" she insisted, stamping her foot against him repeatedly as he yelled with pain.
"Oh-ho, what fun…" the Oración Seis Interestelar member remarked aloud, "By the way, like I had mentioned earlier…" she began, getting everyone's attention, "I've researched everyone who's been aboard this ship, save for the otherworlders…" she told them, "But I couldn't find a single file on you, little Pino," she admitted to the bot as she crouched down to her eye level.
"Really?" she uttered out of surprise.
"She's the next generation of Shining Stars, created by Ziggy," Hermit said, "An anti-bot android," she mentioned further.
"Anti-bot…" Holy repeated, letting off a grin, "Then you're exactly what we're going to need in this battle," she affirmed.
"Y-Yes," Pino stuttered in reply, taking on a determined expression, "Shiki is my master now!" she declared firmly, "I am prepared to fight against Ziggy!" she added. The Oración Seis Interestelar member smiled a little in response.
X
"Ah~…" a relaxed Torunn contently sighed as she soaked in the bath of the Edens Spa, sitting beside Homura and Rebecca, "I had not realized how much I had missed this feeling…" she admitted with her eyes closed.
"Yes…" the Soul Blade Ether Gear user agreed, struggling to endure the water's temperature, "It's still formidable training…" she confirmed.
"You really don't like when it's hot, huh?" Tsuyu noted with her hand upon her chin, seated in the water as well with Ochaco and Mina. Scrubbing themselves down with soapy sponges on the stools beside the bath were Momo, Rin, America, Nezuko and Kyoka.
"To think that we have so many of us involved in this upcoming ordeal…" the Creation Quirk user noted, pouring water over herself to rinse away the soap upon her.
"It makes sense, considering who and what's involved," America confirmed, shampooing her hair thoroughly, "Between Ziggy, Ultron, and now this Crow guy…" she listed off, "the fight's gonna be all the tougher," she pointed out.
"Not to mention Ziggy's Skeleton Army getting upgraded," Ochaco mentioned, "We need to get to Lendard and shut down that factory before it's too late," she noted seriously, clenching her right fist.
"Although, we first need to make sure everything's in order," Rin chimed in, getting her attention, "With Holy and her fleet joining our forces along with Elsie's fleet," she kept going, "we have to strategize as to how we'll go about getting onto the planet, getting through enemy lines, and putting an end to that factory," she explained thoroughly.
"For now, let's just relax!" Mina insisted, floating in the water, "Ha…" she sighed out, "I can't believe how much I missed this…" she admitted contently.
"You were only in here the one time, Mina…" Ochaco pointed out. At that moment, the doors opened, getting everyone's attention. They looked to see a toweled Holy entering, followed by the naked forms of Riri and Hermit.
"And this is the Spa of Edens," the android of the trio noted to the Oración Seis Interestelar member.
"Oooh!" she exclaimed excitedly, marveling the area.
"So that's the woman from the government…" Kyoka noted quietly.
"She's pretty…" Nezuko added with a blush across her cheeks.
"So I suppose you're reaching the end of your tour?" Rin assumed of Riri, who sat down on a stool beside her before dousing herself with warm water from a shower head.
"Pretty much," she responded, grabbing a sponge to soap her body, "Though there's a few things we haven't seen yet…" she mentioned in admittance.
"You talk about Ultron at all?" America inquired curiously. Her fellow Avenger didn't answer, looking down in thought.
"The bath heals fatigue, of course," Hermit told Holy, "and it can also activate the Ether in your body," she mentioned further.
"So the best way to go about making friends is to 'bare it all', huh Hermy?" Rebecca presumed with a cheeky grin as she leaned over at the edge of the bath.
"I believe my heart just skipped a beat…" Homura admitted aloud, only to cover her mouth instantly upon saying that, "Oops…" she uttered sheepishly as her face was red.
"The water here sure feels great as usual…" Happy commented as he floated about.
"Yeah, ribbit," Tsuyu croaked in agreement.
"I see we have a few new faces I haven't met yet," Holy noted as she looked around, spotting the other Omni Force members in the spa, "You don't have to introduce yourselves now," she assured of them, "Just know that I'm a friend!" she remarked. Rin and America both gave off unconvinced looks, while the others didn't say a word. "A hot soak while gazing at the Kaede skies…" the Oración Seis Interestelar member pointed out while looking up at the checkered space beyond the skylight, "How very refined," she commented.
"I prefer the view from the Sakura Cosmos," Rebecca admitted, while Holy undid her towel.
"Now that you mention it, are all of you who were born in this universe from the Sakura Cosmos?" she asked curiously.
"Mostly," Hermit answered, dousing herself with a bucket of warm water, "Laguna's from Aoi," she pointed out.
"I'm from the Yukino Cosmos," Holy noted, sitting on a stool and starting to rinse her body with an extendable shower head, "Sakura, Aoi, Kaede, and Yukino…" she listed off, "Do you know what they call all of these cosmoses together?" she inquired of the others.
"The Four Cosmoses… yes?" Homura presumed.
"Yeah, that's what I thought…" Happy agreed as he swam over.
"Yes… but they have another name, too," the Oración Seis Interestelar member pointed out, "Sakura represents spring, Aoi is summer, Kaede is autumn, and Yukino is winter…" she listed off in explanation to the group's surprise, "They're the four seasons, you see," she said, "And some call it…" she continued, "the Grand Shiki Cosmos," she stated, "Because 'Shiki' means 'four seasons'," she added.
"Shiki…?" both Rebecca and Ochaco uttered in surprise, while the others were a little shocked themselves.
"I bet you suppose it's a coincidence…" Holy commented, "In a poetic sort of way, you could say dear Ochaco's made love to all four seasons," she mentioned cheekily. The Zero Gravity Quirk user blushed a bright red at the comment, quickly ducking underwater as bubbles built up above her sunken head.
"Ahahahahaha!" Mina laughed, "Guess Ochaco's not one for jokes like that…" she noted as she struggled to stop giggling. Holy chuckled herself, rinsing off the soap along her body. She then looked over to Riri, who was seated right beside her.
"I could be wrong…" she began, getting the Avenger's attention, "but I have a sinking feeling that there's another reason you're involved in this ordeal," she noted to her, "Not in regards to Ziggy nor Crow," she mentioned. The dark-skinned young woman looked down in thought for a moment, placing her hands upon her knees.
"Ultron," she said, causing the Oración Seis Interestelar member to blink in surprise, "He's an android from my universe working with Ziggy, like Crow is," she told her, "The fact that he's here causing trouble is reason enough for any of us to come here and stop him," she pointed out seriously, "Even if he wasn't here, we'd still fight," she affirmed on.
"So I see…" Holy responded with a grin, "I like you, Riri," she admitted to the Avenger's surprise, "You have a fire in your eyes to snuff out evil like me," she noted.
"Thanks, I guess…" Riri replied unsurely.
"Let's not dwell on such troubling matters until later," the Oración Seis Interestelar member insisted, clapping her hands together, "I'd like to hear more about the men in your lives!" she requested cutely.
"Huh…?" most of the girls uttered in surprise.
"Wh-What?" Rebecca stuttered out, blushing a little.
"Oh come now, I can tell some of you are with dependable men like dear Ochaco there…" Holy noted as she glanced over to the Zero Gravity Quirk user, whose eyes and ears peeked out of the water as she was still blushing in embarrassment, "Why not gush over them?" she offered to the group.
"Heh," Riri chuckled, "Not much to gush about over my man," she admitted, "He's a dumbass, but he's still my guy," she affirmed happily. The Oración Seis Interestelar member smiled, looking over to the others expectantly.
"W-Well… Megumi's always been a supportive person in my life…" Rin confessed with a stutter of embarrassment.
"Zenitsu's really sweet and kind!" Nezuko chimed in.
"My boyfriend is… well…" Momo started to say, sheepishly scratching her cheek, "He's… very skilled…" she confirmed finally, blushing a bright red.
"I don't swing that way," America bluntly admitted, while Kyoka didn't say anything.
"No man in my life for some reason…" Mina grumbled out.
"Me either," Hermit said, "Honestly, relationships are hard when you've got so much to do…" she pointed out while scrubbing herself down with a soapy sponge.
"Francis is charming to me," Torunn noted as she leaned back in the bath, sighing contently, "He's also funny, too," she mentioned.
"I-I like Shirou for his strength and chivalry…" Homura chimed in with a stutter as she blushed.
"That's what I like about Miles, along with how funny he is," Tsuyu added with a smile.
"And what about you, Rebecca?" Holy inquired of the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user, making her blink in surprise, "What's your man like?" she wondered curiously.
"Oh, I…" the ash blonde-haired young woman started to respond, "I… don't have a boyfriend either…" she confirmed sheepishly. Hearing that, Kyoka perked up.
"Really?" the Oración Seis Interestelar member said, "Someone like you not having a man in your life is quite the shock…" she noted curiously.
"Not like I really have the time with what we've been up to over the past three years…" Rebecca responded sheepishly, "And as much as I'd like to…" she continued, only to stop herself as she blushed. However, Holy chuckled.
"I'm sure that special someone'll come someday soon," she affirmed confidently. Meanwhile, Kyoka cracked a grin.
'Guess Midoriya hasn't told her yet…' she realized inwardly.
X
"And this is the infirmary," Hermit pointed out to Holy as she and Riri had continued on the tour with her after their bath, standing outside the room that the Mind of Edens gestured to, "It's basically Sister's room," she mentioned, about to enter.
"Hey, I'm doing an exam right now!" her fellow android shouted from behind the doors, causing her to stop, "Come back later!" she insisted firmly.
"Huh…" Hermit sighed, "Well, you heard her…" she muttered out, walking off with the armored Avenger and the Oración Seis Interestelar member, with the former trotting up to her android colleague's side, "I'm surprised you brought up Ultron to her," she whispered, getting Riri's attention.
"Better she knows than get suspicious of what we're really after here," she responded quietly, "If she and the government find out about the Space Stone, there's no telling what could happen next…" she added grimly. Back in the infirmary, Sister had her hand upon her chin, while Mosco stood behind her with a tablet in hand. They were inspecting Labilia, who trembled nervously as she was being stared at intently by the Life of Edens. After a tense few moments though, she grinned and laughed.
"Well, I don't know what the name of whatever this damn disease is," she began as she repeatedly slapped her right knee with her hand, "but I'm sure we can work something out!" she affirmed confidently.
"What?" Labilia uttered in confusion.
"In exchange, you'll have to stay on the ship for a while," Sister confirmed, "Long-term, actually…" she mentioned under her breath.
"B-But… wait a minute!" the B-Cuber stammered out, "'Work something out…'?" she repeated, "What do you mean…?" she questioned on.
"You'll get better," the Life of Edens assured in response as she smirked, "Or rather, I'll be the one curing you," she corrected.
"But… that's…" Labilia tried to say, "Every single doctor I've seen has said…" she kept going.
"You ever been looked at by an android doctor?" Sister inquired to her surprise, "All doctors, human or machine, have their own fields of expertise," she pointed out, "On top of that, I can use Ether healing," she mentioned, "With my powers, you can bet your ass I'll cure you," she affirmed finally. The blue-haired B-Cuber teared up, trembling and whimpering with joy. She had a chance to keep living, and it was all thanks to Rebecca convincing her to take that opportunity.
"Really…?" she uttered with a sniffle, somewhat still in disbelief. Sister nodded.
"Be sure to thank Rebecca for bringing you to see me," she advised of her patient, "Speaking of…" she continued as she grinned, "I heard you were quite the bully to our dear little Rebecca…" she commented curiously.
"Uh… I…" Labilia whimpered out, wiping her eyes, "I'm sor—"
"I totally get it!" Sister exclaimed, interrupting her as she wrapped her right arm around her patient's shoulders, "She's got such a masochist vibe!" she noted, much to the blue-haired B-Cuber's surprise.
"Me too!" Mosco exclaimed, "I'm a massive masochist!" he yelled out.
"One time, I got her tied up and naked before whipping that fine ass of hers…" the Life of Edens recalled, blushing at the memory.
"I…I never did… anything that mean…" Labilia stuttered out, "And… I had no idea Rebecca was… into that…" she mentioned on as her own blush grew.
"I am much more massively masochist!" Mosco shouted again. Elsewhere, the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user sneezed cutely as she and the others had just left the bath, about to get dressed.
"You okay?" Kyoka asked.
"Yeah…" the ash blonde-haired young woman responded, rubbing her nose, "Though I just remembered something really embarrassing…" she noted as a blush spread across her cheeks. In the meantime, the tour for Holy had finally ended. She had brought to the briefing room, where Shiki, Pino, Weisz and Connor were gathered. Along with them were Izuku, Katsuki James, and Azari. The former of the group glanced nervously at the latter, who paid him no mind at all.
"Holy, before we get started," Shiki began, standing at the head of the room's table, "I've got one more condition for you," he said.
"Aren't we getting greedy…" she remarked with narrowed eyes, "What is it?" she asked.
"Elsie's gonna be helping us on this mission," the Satan Gravity Ether Gear user pointed out, "So I need you to take care of Justice," he requested.
"Unfortunately, I can't do that," Holy responded to his surprise, "I told you, didn't I?" she questioned rhetorically, "The Oración Seis Interestelar aren't authorized to give each other orders," she said, "But on the other hand, that means our friend Justice can't stop me from joining forces with you and sweet Elsie," she explained further.
"You can't ask the damn bastard to stay out of our way at least?" Katsuki inquired with his arms crossed.
"It would only backfire," Holy retorted in reply, "The second he hears that Elsie's involved, he'll come running," she pointed out.
"Blow me down…" Connor remarked, "What an obsessive young lad…" he noted aloud.
"Huh…" Shiki sighed, "Okay, fine then," he said, "Let's just get this meeting started," he advised of those in the room.
"One moment," Holy chimed in, turning to Connor curiously, "You're Mister Connor, yes?" she presumed of the portly man.
"Hrrmm…" he hummed out, "I wouldn't mind if you'd call me captain…" he muttered under his breath.
"Knock it off…" Riri grumbled in annoyance.
"If I remember correctly, you're a fugitive from Lendard…" the Oración Seis Interestelar member pointed out.
"That I am!" Connor responded as he clenched his right fist tightly, "And what a glorious escape it was!" he mentioned.
"He's gonna brag about it…?" Weisz muttered in question, while Riri sighed.
"So… what were you doing there?" Holy asked of the ship's captain.
"I was working," he answered, crossing his arms.
"As a human on an all-android planet?" the Oración Seis Interestelar member questioned back, "What was your job?" she inquired.
"It was called scanning," he replied, "It was easy work for what they paid me," he mentioned on, "They collected professionals from all sorts of fields, and I was employed there as a helmsman," he told the group, "We were paid to be scanned in order to provide them with copies of our knowledge and skills, to teach it to their bots," he explained further.
"You're talking about the Skeleton Army, right?" Shiki assumed, "Ziggy's bots?" he added in question.
"How disgusting…" Holy commented.
"I-I told you, I didn't know!" Connor shouted out with a stutter, slamming his left fist against the table, "When I found out, I ran!" he affirmed to his colleagues.
"No one's blaming you, sir," Izuku assured as he stepped forward, "The same goes for those other people Ziggy took in," he added firmly.
"Thank you, lad…" the captain said gratefully. Azari huffed. Taking notice, James stepped forward.
"Did you ever see Ziggy while on Lendard?" he asked curiously, "Or Ultron?" he inquired on.
"No…" Connor responded, lowering his gaze, "If I saw anyone, it would be the other humans brought to the planet…" he pointed out.
"You didn't even see Deadend Crow?" Holy questioned, arching an eyebrow. The portly man shook his head, sweating a little.
"We got all our instructions via AI," he confirmed to his colleagues, "I never even saw a single robot…" he mentioned in admittance.
"Guess Ziggy and Ultron were careful not to let the humans know what they were being scanned for…" James realized.
"What do we know about Crow?" Azari asked, finally chiming into the conversation as he looked over to Holy, "From how it sounded, you're thinking there's no way he couldn't have seen him," he pointed out.
"You'd be right," the Oración Seis Interestelar member responded.
"No, that's impossible!" Connor exclaimed, "I told you, I didn't see a single bot on that planet!" he affirmed, "But… during my escape…" he began to recall, trembling a little, "I saw a giant that shivered me timbers…" he remarked, "I assumed it was a weapon of Ziggy's… and I didn't bother turning back…" he mentioned on.
"A giant…?" Izuku repeated. Holy's expression darkened.
"That was Deadend Crow," she confirmed, causing everyone aside from Hermit to perk up in surprise.
"So it's true then," she noted in realization, "He did team up with Ziggy," she concluded.
"No, no, no!" Connor shouted repeatedly, "What I saw was a giant bigger than even this ship itself!" he pointed out, "It had to be some kinda giant battle-bot!" he mentioned on.
"Like a Knight Gear?" James presumed.
"Oh, I suppose I forgot to tell you…" Holy realized, getting the group's attention, "Deadend Crow is also known as the Titan of Eternal Darkness," she told them.
"T-Titan…?" Riri stuttered out, while the Oración Seis Interestelar member nodded.
"At four-hundred-twenty meters tall…" she continued, "he's a living fortress," she confirmed. Those in the room all tensed up with shock. Now they were realizing just what kind of fight they were getting into.
X
LENDARD
Machinery creaked aboard the perpetually moving planet, whirring as it continued working. There was no end in sight for it to stop. Though things seemed perfect, there was a troubling ordeal. Blood was splattered about one area, with many humans lying dead on the ground amidst the wreckage of machinery.
"Emergency, emergency," a voice over the intercom announced, "Collapse of the scanning facility confirmed," it stated, "Ninety collaborators dead. One missing," it added, "I repeat…" it continued, replaying the same messaging. Looming over the area was a giant musclebound machine with a few lines going down his metallic face, mint green hair, and red eyes with green sclera. His neck had three bolts on each side and he wore a fur collar with a gargantuant wheel on his back. He looked down at the damage curiously, grinning at the sight of the dead humans. Elsewhere on the planet, Ziggy was standing at a landing bay, as Wizard approached from behind.
"Lord Ziggy, we've run into a problem," he confirmed of his liege, "Crow's killed the humans from the scanning facility," he told him. The Satan Gravity Ether Gear user let out an exasperated sigh.
"Oh bother…" he muttered out, "That beast was bound to go out of control…" he noted, lowering his head, "What about the scanning?" he inquired.
"The data collection was near completion," Wizard confirmed, "Ultron is working to supply us with the rest, so there shouldn't be a problem," he mentioned on.
"Very well, then…" Ziggy said, holding his left hand out before creating a portal that he disappeared into. He then reappeared beside the giant android, causing him to perk up in surprise upon noticing.
"Yo, Ziggy!" he greeted as he turned to see him there, "Didn't know you kept human pets around," he noted with a grin, "I squashed 'em," he admitted. The Demon King hardly seemed amused.
"The humans you so carelessly stomped on were all highly skilled in their respective fields," he pointed out seriously, "I had them brought here as collaborators, so I could obtain their various abilities," he explained on.
"But you were gonna kill 'em anyway, right?" Crow assumed in response. Ziggy floated out in front of him.
"Even so, I'm not amused at all," he confirmed, "You broke my things," he noted with crossed arms, making the Oración Seis Galáctica member tense up, "Do you understand me, Crow?" he questioned of his colleague. He merely nodded.
"When are you actually gonna fill me up with enough humans, huh?" he questioned of the Demon King, "A hundred's not gonna cut it…" he pointed out.
"When this battle is over, you can have the Kaede Cosmos in its entirety," Ziggy affirmed in response, "Then you can devour all the humans you want, until they go extinct," he added, "But first…" he continued.
"Yeah, I know," Crow said, "You want me to sink that 'Edens Zero' ship, right?" he guessed.
"The Zero is every bit as powerful as the One," the Demon King noted, "With the One busy elsewhere, it's why I need your help," he mentioned on.
"Why can't you use the Edens One anyway?" the Oración Seis Galáctica member asked curiously.
"I'm currently using all of its processing power for a certain calculation," Ziggy answered, as a ship that resembled the Edens Zero but with a fish theme dwelled within the planet's depths. Its figurehead resembled a dunkleosteus with an open maw and eyeholes with glowing ports that looked like eyes. Additionally, there was a pair of fin-like protrusions on both sides. On the left side of the ship, the words 'EDENS ONE' were inscribed on a plaque. Many wires and cables were attached it as it was processing all sorts of information. Its user grinned. "The calculation to locate Mother," he said. Elsewhere upon Lendard, Ultron hummed with frustration with a cable plugged into the back of his head, absorbing and analyzing data upon the holographic monitors before him. Approaching from behind were Killer and Clown. The latter of the two Dark Stars chuckled.
"Someone seems a little impatient…" he pointed out, making the bulky android growl.
"It's obvious as to why," Killer noted, "Complain all you want about having to wait," he remarked to Ultron, "You're not going to get the stone any faster," he told him.
"Huh…" he sighed, "Do you even know what it is?" he inquired of his allies, causing them to glance to each other in confusion, "It's not just something that can grant you power," he pointed out, "It's something… that was part of existence itself," he affirmed on.
"So we've heard…" Clown commented.
"You said that you and your group had two of them," Killer recalled as he walked up to Ultron's side, "How many do your enemies have?" he inquired curiously.
"Just one," the bulky android answered, only to perk up, "There, it's done," he confirmed, unplugging himself as he yanked the cable out of his head, "You can tell Ziggy that his Skeleton Army's now at full power," he told the Dark Stars as he walked away, "And make sure he fulfills his end of the bargain when this is over," he added seriously. Elsewhere in the Kaede Cosmos, the Edens Zero flew about the checkered space, passing several planets on its course. Inside the ship's mess hall, Rebecca was contently eating her spaghetti while having Labilia sitting across from her. She seemed flabbergasted because of what she had just heard.
"Mother?" she said, "You're seriously going to try to find Mother?!" she inquired emphatically.
"When this battle's over, yeah," her fellow B-Cuber answered in between bites, while Happy was contently munching a fish upon their table, "Funny enough, you're the reason we set off to go look for her in the first place," she mentioned.
"W-Wait, battle?!" Labilia stammered in shock, "You barely held your own against me in a fist fight!" she pointed out.
"I was holding back a little…" Rebecca admitted to her surprise, "And besides, I'm more of a gunner," she added as she took another bite of her spaghetti, "If it comes down to it, I can use Ether Gear, too," she mentioned further.
"Ether Gear?!" the blue-haired B-Cuber exclaimed out of disbelief, "When did you learn to use an Ether Gear…?" she wondered aloud.
"You heard her, Labilia," Couchpo's voice chimed in, getting her attention as she turned to see the heavyset woman approach, "We're going into battle…" she pointed out, "so you might wanna disembark for a while," she advised of the blue-haired young woman.
"Then what are you doing here, Miss Couchpo?" she questioned back.
"I'm here to protect this kitchen," the heavyset woman answered as she gestured to herself, "These days, I'm known as the Stomach of Edens," she remarked proudly. Labilia blinked in surprise before glancing down in thought. She clenched her fists over her knees.
"I'm ready for the worst, too…" she admitted, "I was expecting to die soon anyway…" she mentioned, "But now, I want to stay…" she confirmed, "With my dear Rebecca, that is!" she corrected as she lunged over to embrace her fellow B-Cuber, who blushed a little.
"Labilia…" she uttered in exasperation, though she smiled. However, Happy didn't seem that amused. And Labilia noticed.
"Happy…" she said, letting go of Rebecca and standing up, "I haven't even apologized to you for everything yet," she realized, lowering her head in shame, "I'm sorry for—"
"Rebecca told me," the android feline confirmed, interjecting the blue-haired B-Cuber as she looked to him in surprise, "And if she wants to be your friend, then I'm your friend, too," he decided with a smile. Labilia smiled back. She was happy to be accepted. Just then, the doors opened.
"Phoo!" Natalie's voice exclaimed as she entered, getting everyone's attention, "Nothing like a good match, a soak, and now some food!" she listed off, dressed in nothing but a pink towel as she entered with Alice to follow.
"We could've at least gotten ourselves changed first…" her rival pointed out in exasperation, "Oh, Rebecca!" she greeted upon spotting the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user.
"So that's why you two weren't in the bath with us earlier…" she realized, imagining the pair of Fairy Tail wizards sparring with each other. She wondered just how the ship hadn't been severely damaged from such an event. Natalie then leaned against the table.
"Can't believe it's been three years since we last met up on this ship…" she admitted, looking out the window to the checkered space, "Wish we came here more often…" she added, "Could've helped you find Ziggy sooner," she inferred with a cheeky grin.
"You would say that…" Rebecca noted as she rolled her eyes. Both she and the hybrid Dragon Slayer giggled. The latter then took notice of Labilia, who tensed up a little as she turned away. She recalled the last time they had met, knowing how bad of a person she used to be.
"Ochaco told me what happened with you and Rebecca," Natalie pointed out as she approached, "Tougher than you thought she'd be, huh?" she assumed to the blue-haired B-Cuber's surprise.
"There's a little more to it than that…" the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user noted.
"Huh…" Alice exhaled, "I'm going to go get changed before eating anything," she decided, heading off. Rebecca smiled, looking over at Natalie.
"So…" she began, getting her attention, "how's things with Izu?" she inquired curiously.
"Great!" she answered, "Hero work's never been better for the both of us," she pointed out, "With the League of Villains gone, we've got a lot more time on our hands to do other things around the multiverse," she mentioned thoroughly.
"Oh, cool…" Rebecca responded.
"Anyways, I probably should get changed…" the hybrid Dragon Slayer decided, "Be back in a bit!" she promised as she jogged off out of the mess hall. The Cat Leaper Ether Gear user watched her go, letting out a sigh. She was about to take another bite of her food until she noticed the judging looks of Happy, Labilia, and Couchpo.
"Wh-What?" she stuttered in question.
"That was just painful," her android cat commented, making her gasp in surprise.
"Yeah, I'm with Happy on this one," Couchpo agreed, "You really went and dropped the ball on that one…" she remarked bluntly, much to the ash blonde-haired B-Cuber's shock.
"Izu…" Labilia uttered, "He's the guy with the messy green hair you're always talking about on your private streams, right?" she presumed, causing her friend to blush a bright red with embarrassment, "You were really trying too hard to not look desperate, huh?" she guessed on. Rebecca sighed.
"Come on, you guys…" she complained.
"You're gonna have to either make a move to try and win him over or forget about it," Couchpo advised with her hands at her hips.
"Aye," Happy agreed.
"You know I can't try to break him and Natalie up!" Rebecca exclaimed as her face remained scarlet, "As much as I love Izu…" she continued, "I wouldn't wanna ruin something so great between him and her…" she admitted, letting out a sigh.
"Rebecca…" Happy uttered worriedly. Just then, the intercom went off.
"All members of the Edens Zero crew and Omni Force captains, please report to the briefing room," Hermit's voice echoed.
"Guess it's time for the strategy meeting," the android feline realized, hopping down from the table.
"Yeah," Rebecca said, standing up from her seat, "Sorry, but I gotta go," she apologized to her fellow B-Cubers, heading off.
X
"Okay, are we all here and accounted for?" Hermit asked of those gathered in the briefing room. Shiki, Rebecca, Ochaco, Happy, Pino, Weisz, Homura, Sister, Mosco, Connor, Kris, Kleene, Laguna, Izuku, James, Riri, Kenny, Katsuki, Azari and Holy were present. "I'll start the briefing for our strategy to invade Lendard," the Mind of Edens confirmed.
"Wait," a familiar voice from a nearby holographic screen said, getting the group's attention. It was Elsie, whose gaze was fixed on Holy. "She's with the Interstellar Union Army," she pointed out coldly, "Can we really trust her?" she asked, narrowing her lone eye.
"Please?" the Oración Seis Interestelar member requested cheekily in response, "Let's just forget about dear Justice for now," she advised, "Ziggy has a powerful army," she noted, "Even with your fleet and the Edens Zero combined, they still have the numerical advantage," she added thoroughly.
"And Ultron's forces are gonna be there, too," Riri chimed in.
"But… if you were to add my Midnight fleet to yours…" Holy continued.
"Fine," Elsie replied, "If Shiki trusts you, then I'll do the same," she promised.
"Go ahead and get us started, Hermit," the Satan Gravity Ether Gear user advised of the Mind of Edens.
"Right," she responded, "Tomorrow, our ship will be entering Lendard's defense zone," she confirmed to the group as the table projected a holographic display of planet with markings around it, "We can expect to run into tens of thousands of unmanned starfighters, remotely controlled by Ziggy and Ultron," she told them, "We'll be getting help from Elsie and Holy's fleets to break through their ranks," she mentioned further.
"I'll be issuing commands from the Edens Zero, as promised," the Oración Seis Interestelar member chimed in.
"While the enemy is distracted, the Edens Zero and Elsie's flagship will head to Lendard's surface," Hermit continued, "Once there, we'll split into three teams," she said, "The first team will consist mostly of our multiversal friends to deal with the likes of the Skeleton Army, along with Ultron and his forces," she explained, "We'll have that group be led by Izuku," she confirmed.
"We won't let you down," the One For All inheritor vowed firmly.
"The second team'll be made up of fliers along with manned starfighters, in order to face off against Crow," the Mind of Edens kept going. Elsie widened her lone eye in shock.
"We'll be fighting against Crow, too?!" she questioned emphatically.
"You see?" Holy said with a smirk, "The more people you have on your side, the better," she remarked.
"Cut the banter," Azari chimed in seriously to their surprise, "Who's leading that team?" he inquired.
"Jinn will take the lead," Hermit answered, "Having Kleene, Laguna, America, Henry and Yuno will help, too," she listed off in mention, "We'll have plenty of people aboard the ship to act as reinforcements when we need them," she affirmed on.
"And I'll be helping with the breakthrough to the planet," Riri added, "Jess and Kenny, too," she mentioned further, as the Omnitrix bearer nodded.
"Ziggy's going to give us enough trouble on his own…" Elsie pointed out with her arms folded underneath her armored chest, "Can't we just ignore Crow?" she questioned of the group.
"Holy only agreed to help us if we'd help her beat him," Shiki told her in response.
"Either way, he's enormous," Kris pointed out, "If we ignore him, he'll come and interfere anyway," he mentioned to his colleagues, "Better to keep him occupied than that," he advised, earning nods of agreement from his colleagues.
"And Holy's Midnight fleet'll give us a lot of firepower," Weisz added.
"We'll need that in order to get through Lendard's defense zone," Pino confirmed.
"So what's the third team's job?" Katsuki asked of Hermit after a brief moment.
"The core subjugation team will be deployed to engage against Ziggy," she told her colleagues, "They can expect to be in close combat with some of his forces before Izuku's team can corral them all," she pointed out, "Not to mention, the Dark Stars," she added, "There's no doubt they'll be key combatants against us," she stated firmly.
"So what are we to do against them?" Homura asked.
"For the team, it'll be you, Shiki, Rebecca, Weisz, Happy, and Pino," Hermit responded, "I've also decided to put four of the Omni Force members with you as backup," she mentioned, "Shoto Todoroki, Rin Tohsaka, Azari T'Challa, and Inosuke Hashibira," she listed off, "Considering who's available from Rebecca's team, I want most of them on the front lines fighting against the Skeleton Army," she confirmed.
"That's okay with me," the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user assured.
"So their team's going to be in direct conflict with Ziggy…" Laguna realized.
"But what does 'core subjugation' mean?" Kleene asked curiously.
"If we can sneak into the planet's main server, we can destroy Lendard itself, right?" Sister inquired rhetorically as she smirked.
"But this is Ziggy we're talking about," Hermit pointed out, "He'd never let us do something like that," she affirmed, "So what we're planning instead at the core is to send out a signal," she told the group.
"A signal?" Ochaco repeated as she blinked in confusion.
"We have a secret weapon," the Mind of Edens confirmed, sliding her right pointer finger across a lock icon to unlock it with the sound of a beep, "We're going to summon a Chronophage," she declared, much to everyone's shock, especially Shiki's, "Either by chance or some miracle…" she continued, "there's going to be a Chronophage heading towards the sector of the planet," she noted as a visual of the time-eating entity appeared on the holographic map.
"A Chronophage…" Elsie uttered, "The cosmic plague that devours a planet's time," she said, narrowing her lone eye.
"You're saying a Chronophage is coming to Lendard?!" Happy exclaimed in question.
"No," Pino chimed in, getting his attention as she was looking at her own holographic screen, "According to my estimates, it will only pass nearby," she confirmed.
"Which is why we're going to lure it into Lendard," Hermit stated with a grin.
"That's true…" Laguna said, "Not even Ziggy could come back from getting eaten by a Chronophage…" he pointed out.
"But luring it?" James questioned, "How can you do that?" he inquired on.
"I looked at all the planets that have been hit by Chronophages in the past and found something they all had in common," Hermit explained to the group in response, "Chronophages go to planets where someone's acted against the natural stream of time," she told them, "Norma had Rebecca coming and going with her Leaper power," she pointed out, causing the young woman in question to perk up in surprise, "And she was on Guilst, too," she mentioned.
"M-Me…?" the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user stammered out.
"Hey, what are you saying?" Izuku asked as he stepped forward worriedly.
"There are other examples…" Hermit said, "Like when an outsider to the normal flow of time, such as Weisz, leaves a planet and goes to another one," she continued explaining, "Chronophage attacks soon followed," she finished.
"But…But that means…" Rebecca began, trembling a little, "Norma was eaten by a Chronophage because of…" she started to realize, getting overcome with a great sense of guilt.
"Rebecca…" Izuku uttered worriedly.
"It's not your fault, Rebecca!" Happy affirmed immediately, "If it was, then a Chronophage would've attacked Blue Garden, too!" he pointed out.
"Right," Hermit agreed, "They don't go to every planet that Rebecca's visited," she noted, "But… it does mean that she might be able to summon one," she told the group.
"Isn't 'might' a bit of a risk?" Azari questioned, "I don't think we can take those with what's at stake," he pointed out, shooting a glare over to Izuku, who blinked in surprise.
"But… I…" Rebecca uttered out, unsure of what to say.
"Hey, don't worry about it!" Weisz insisted, getting her attention, "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you!" he noted to her, "You didn't do a damn thing wrong!" he assured.
"Weisz…" the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user said. She looked to the others, most of whom had their gazes upon her expectantly. One who didn't… was Izuku. He was genuinely concerned about her. And while she appreciated that, she didn't want to feel she was helpless and guilt-ridden. She steeled herself.
"What do you want me to do?" she asked.
"Hey!" Shiki exclaimed, "I don't want Rebecca risking her life for—!"
"It won't just be her," Hermit affirmed, interjecting him, "If we're going to carry this plan out, all of us are gonna be walking hand-in-hand with danger," she told him and the others, "Once the Chronophage has been summoned, we'll need to leave the planet immediately," she explained further, "But… we'll be able to have Lendard destroyed, along with Ziggy," she confirmed. Riri then stepped forward, letting out a sigh.
"The Chronophage won't be in the sector for very long," she pointed out to the group, "While it's there, Rebecca will activate her Ether Gear at the planet's core," she told them, "Her Ether waves'll act as a signal to guide the Chronophage to Lendard," she stated as the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user clenched her fists determinedly, "It's called Operation Starbiter," the armored Avenger said.
X
"You're the bait?!" Jessica exclaimed in question from the Edens Kitchen, having just learned the plan of how the assault on Lendard was going to be conducted from Rebecca and Riri, gathered with Rin, Noel, Megumi, Devlin, Inosuke, and Luck.
"That's how Hermy phrased it," the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user responded, staring down despondently at the floor.
"Does she really think that your powers are what can attract a Chronophage to the planet?" Rin inquired, "I've never heard of that happening before, even when you used your Ether Gear for the first time..." she recalled, putting her hand onto her chin.
"And you haven't seen a Chronophage since Guilst, right?" Luck questioned on.
"This sounds pretty farfetched..." Megumi noted with narrowed eyes, while Inosuke was gorging on food beside him as crumbs were flying everywhere, "Suppose the plan does work and a Chronophage shows up," he inferred, "How are we going to escape in time?" he inquired of the group.
"That's a good point..." Rin agreed, "But then again, I can see why we would want to take such drastic measures," she admitted on, "Based on everything we've learned about Ziggy, Deadend Crow, and Ultron…" she listed off, "we'd want them to be taken care of with the best methods possible," she pointed out.
"Ziggy especially," Noel chimed in, "He's already made Kaede his playground alongside Crow," she noted.
"And even though you guys have been liberating all these planets in this cosmos, he's still got a strong hold on it," Jessica mentioned. There was a silence amongst the Omni Force members as they pondered their situation a bit more. Though it was interrupted by the sound of Inosuke continuing to chow down.
"Hey, could you keep it down...?" Megumi growled in question, "We're trying to talk about something important here..." he added firmly.
"You should just do it!" the Demon Slayer shouted as bits of food were flying out from his mouth. Everyone blinked in surprise. "If they think you can do it, you should!" he insisted, "You're—!" Megumi clapping his hand over his mouth silenced him.
"Would you just shut up already?!" he yelled angrily, "Just sit and eat if that's all your here for!" he shouted on.
"You shut up, weird hair!" Inosuke roared back.
"Ahahahaha!" Luck laughed, "We've got some fun teammates, huh?" he noted, evidently amused.
"Huh..." Jessica sighed in exasperation.
"So... what did Shiki say about the plan?" Devlin inquired to Rebecca, who rested her arms upon the table.
"...He's considering it," she answered after a moment, causing some of her teammates to blink in surprise, "I mean, he sounded like he didn't wanna put me at risk at first, but…" she continued, exhaling a sigh.
"Seriously?" Noel said.
"I would've assumed he'd still shoot it down the moment he knew you were going to be put in harm's way..." Rin admitted, quite shocked.
"He's taking my feelings about all this into account, too," the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user affirmed to her colleagues, "And yeah... I am really anxious about all this..." she confessed on, balling her hands into fists.
"Rebecca..." Jessica uttered worriedly. Meanwhile, Riri was staring out the window into the starry, checkered space of the cosmos with her arms folded over her chest. She closed her eyes for a moment before turning to face her teammates.
"I was just as shocked when Hermit told me the plan ahead of time," she admitted to the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user, "But you and I both know it's a risk we need to take to stop Ziggy," she pointed out firmly.
"And what about the Space Stone?" Megumi asked, "How are we going to get it if Ziggy's eaten by the Chronophage?" he wondered on.
"That's a good question…" Noel said, narrowing her eyes in thought, "We'll have to fight him in order to retrieve it," she pointed out.
"That's part of the plan," Riri confirmed to her teammates' surprise, "It's just a hunch, but Hermit and I got the feeling that Elsie's gonna go gung-ho and try to stop Ziggy herself," she told them, "So we're sending in a small team to back her up," she confirmed, "And you're one of 'em, Meg," she mentioned to the jujutsu sorcerer, making him blink in surprise, "There's another thing we need to consider," she pointed out, causing everyone to perk up.
"And what's that?" Rin questioned.
"Ultron," Riri answered simply, causing everyone to blink in surprise, "I've been thinking about what Elsie said happened to Ziggy when he woke up on Granbell," she told the group, "Honestly, it seems completely backwards that Ziggy's now the bad guy after all this time," she noted as she walked over.
"Are you saying that this Ultron's taken control of Ziggy and using him against his will?" Megumi guessed.
"Or might just be manipulating him," Devlin inferred on, "I thought Ultron was destroyed, though..." he pointed out.
"In the universe Torunn and her friends are from, yeah," Riri confirmed, getting his attention, "But there's the potential for one from another," she noted grimly, narrowing her eyes.
"And we know for sure that it's him?" Noel guessed, earning a nod in response from the armored Avenger.
"Omni Force has been getting reports of small android armies showing up in other universes," she noted, making everyone widen their eyes, "They were easily dealt with, but they shared similarities to those skeleton bots Ziggy's been making," she told her colleagues, "So either Ziggy's got an AI program on par with Ultron's to work on such a scale..." she started to infer.
"Or Ultron himself is controlling the armies going to other universes," Megumi finished for her, "This means we're up against technically an army all controlled by one android..." he concluded.
"Three, rather…" his girlfriend corrected, "It seems as if Ziggy's able to act of his own volition without Ultron, and Crow's obviously a problem…" she mentioned thoroughly.
"We can just scrap 'em all!" Inosuke proclaimed.
"I thought I told you to shut it!" the jujutsu sorcerer shouted. As everyone conversed over the situation before them, Rebecca stared down at her clenched fists. From the day she left Granbell with Shiki, she always felt that she was needing to be rescued. She had gotten herself kidnapped, tortured, and almost killed on several occasions.
Yet she barely ever managed to save herself because she was too weak. Now was her chance to do something only she could... and save the multiverse from the wrath of three villainous androids. She stood up from her seat, getting the attentions of her comrades.
"I'll do it," she declared to their surprise.
"Hey, Rebecca—"
"It's not a matter of whether or not I'm okay with doing it," she affirmed, interjecting Devlin, "If I don't try, plenty of other planets are gonna get overrun by Ziggy and Ultron's armies, and we're not gonna be able to save them forever," she noted seriously, "Besides..." she continued, thinking back to the people she admired as heroes in her life, "it's time that I did my part and saved everyone for a change," she stated with a smile. Hearing that, Rin exhaled a laugh.
"Good grief..." she muttered out, "Midoriya's gotten you enamored with heroes after all, hasn't he?" she assumed as she folded her arms over her chest.
"I guess so..." the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user admitted in reply as she blushed.
"Alright! Let's do it!" Inosuke yelled, standing up as he let his boar's hide come down over his head.
"Yeah!" Luck agreed excitedly.
"Huh..." Megumi sighed, "I don't suppose our actual team leader is going to join in on the fun?" he inquired, looking over to Riri. She huffed with a grin.
"She'll show up," she assured, "She just likes to be fashionably late," she mentioned.
"That's true," Noel concurred.
"So we're all good to get in on the plan, huh?" Jessica assumed, "Well, who else is coming along?" she inquired on. In the meantime, Rebecca looked out toward the checkered space ahead of the Edens Zero on its path to Lendard. She was going to do whatever it took to save her friends and help stop Ziggy's plans for universal domination. That was what a hero like the person she admired would do.
Time changes perspectives. But Rebecca's desire to be stronger hasn't changed after all this time. If she can be of help to her friends in this ordeal, then that's more than enough for her. She won't stand by, nor will she waver.
The battle draws near. And as such… so does the turmoil that follows. Until next time, everyone.
END
Woof. What a chapter to get through. I thought it would take a bit longer, but it was actually pretty crazy how quickly I got this done. Up next is the start of the war, which I hope I'll be able to do justice.
Thanks for reading, everybody!