Chapter 20 – Ram's Chaotic Revival
Nasos' POV
"Geez…where did those girls go? You find them, Donny?"
"Ribbit." Dongurigaeru replied via communicator.
"*sigh* Well, that's just great."
After it was discovered that Ram had gone missing, Blanc left in a fuming rage while Lidelle and Rom went after her…without really giving me a chance to explain why Ram left in the first place.
You see…Ram felt really guilty about yelling at Blanc like that. So, to make it up to her, she decided to go find and beat Arfoire herself. Believing that her defeat would restore Lowee back to its former glory.
I tried to stop her, claiming that it isn't that simple. But she was so determined by the idea that she completely ignored my warnings and ran off.
Now, I know that she and Blanc are sisters. They're both stubborn as hell…
So, now…after everyone had left looking for her…I was out basically looking for all of them. A task that became a huge pain rather quickly.
"*sigh* Geez…who would've thought other-worlders would be this much trouble? It wasn't this chaotic with the princesses around."
…
"Well…aside from Resta's obsession with cake…and Sagey always going trigger-happy with her arrows…and Neva falling asleep at the worst possible moments…and Spille always sneaking off to compete in those Panel de Pon tournaments…and Raum would rather read than do anything else…"
…
…
…
"Okay, come to think about it…nothing has changed." I gained a huge sweatdrop.
"N-Na…sos…"
"Huh? Wh-What was that?" I asked when I suddenly heard my name being called. Although, it is faint.
"N-Na…s-sos…"
Someone's calling for me?
It was then that my Star of Creation started reacting to something nearby. Glowing brightly as it circled around me at first…then headed for a nearby bush. Which was moving on its own rather rapidly.
"Hey. Whoever's in there, you better come out. I'm not afraid to blast you to the depths of space." I said as I prepared my orb for an attack.
But nothing would've prepared me for what horror I was about to witness. Not by a long shot.
"N-Na…s-sos…N-Nasos…N-Nasos! H-Help me! *cough* *cough* *cough*"
"H-Holy crap! Ram?! What the hell happened to you?!" I asked once I saw the little girl come out of the bush in a bloody mess. Cuts, bruises, and blood were littered all over her body as she struggled to stay conscious.
"I-I…f-fought a girl…a-a really evil girl…sh-she destroyed Lowee…I-I wanted…r-revenge…b-but…*cough* *cough* *cough*"
"Aw, damn. Those injuries look horrible." I then turned on my communicator. "Donny! Get over here quick! I've found Ram! Bring the first-aid kit with you!"
"Rib-Ribbit! *puff* *puff* *puff*"
Once Donny arrived with the first-aid kit, I did all I could to cure Ram's injuries. I'm not the best when it comes to this. That's usually Neva's thing. But the fact that she was still living by the time I finished meant I did a pretty decent job.
"Ow…*cough* *cough*"
"Hey, don't move so much. Your injuries aren't completely healed." I said to her.
"Damn…I really screwed up big, Nasos. Blanc's gonna kill me for sure."
"Just tell us what happened, Ram. From the beginning."
"Well…after I left, I didn't really know where to go. So, I kept walking until I spotted an old abandoned castle. And headed towards there. When I got there…I…I…I found her."
"Found who?"
"Th-The girl…Th-The girl who destroyed Lowee. I saw her…b-before we ended up here. I-It was the same girl…fr-from before…"
"The girl who destroyed Lowee? What did she look like?"
"Sh-She…*cough* *cough*…she looked a lot like Lidelle. A scary demented version of her."
"A scary demented Lidelle look-a-like?" I honestly couldn't picture such a person. Even though I've only known Lidelle for a few days.
"Ribbit…R-Ribbit! Ribbit ribbit!"
"Huh? You know who that is, Donny?" I asked him as he was jumping hysterically.
"Ribbit ribbit! Riiibbit rib rib!"
"Ridel Honnari? Lidelle's evil clone?" I went silent for a bit. "I see…if she's responsible for Lowee's demise, then it's pretty clear that she's involved in this whole ordeal with that Arfoire witch."
But just who is the true mastermind of it all? That's the part I can't seem to figure out…
"Sh-She coldheartedly admitted to murdering all of Lowee's citizens. And I was…s-so blinded by rage that I…I-I fought her on my own. Sh-She was…w-way tougher than she looked."
"Geez, Ram…this whole ordeal was a dangerous thing to do. You could've DIED."
"I-I know, but…when I saw her…when I saw her face…it reminded me of the torture she brought to all of Lowee. She destroyed our home, killed our people…and she laughed it off like it was no big ****ing deal! It pissed me off so badly! I wanted revenge! I wanted her to pay! I wanted to avenge all of Lowee for the traumatizing shit she put us all through!"
As Ram continued to rage, I started feeling this really bad aura coming from her body. Dark Pink smoke began oozing out of her wounds. And her entire body was shaking.
Smoke coming from her body? With the way her injuries are and the anger she feels right now…I've got a BAD feeling about this…
"Uh…Ram…" I said as I was witnessing this sudden change in her.
"I couldn't take it! I couldn't freaking take it! People like her and Arfoire are destroying our worlds for the hell of it and we can't do anything about it! We're powerless because the people who believe in us are all freaking dead! And it's all HER doing!"
At this point, her body was now glowing the same dark pink color as the smoke leaking out. She was shaking rapidly as her fingers started clawing into the ground. Almost in a violent manner.
Now, her body's glowing? This is REALLY bad! At this rate, if Ram continues like that…
"R-Ram, just calm down! You're making something bad happen!"
"Ribbit!" Donny added.
"Ridel…Ridel Honnari…just thinking of that name fills me with rage! I want her to pay! I WILL make her pay! I won't let her get away with this! I'll…I'll…I'LL KILL HER!"
It was then that Ram had engulfed herself in a dark pink flame to the point where she couldn't be seen at all. Her screams of rage were the only thing you could hear from her…as Donny and I watched in horror of what was going on.
"R-Rib rib! Rib rib! Rib riiiib!"
"Aw, crap! It's happening! Donny, get back! I gotta stop this before it gets any worse!"
"Ribbit?!"
"Just trust me! Get back!"
As Donny backed away from me, I held my Star of Creation in my hand as it glowed brighter than ever before. Which meant that if felt the same threat that I did.
No way…I didn't think it was possible! This Ridel girl managed to pierce through Ram's soul! And now it's starting to shatter with her continuous rage! If I don't stop this…she could actually die!
I then dug from my pocket another one of those Crystal Shard things I got from a special colleague of mine.
I don't know how Lemres knew of this…but this is exactly what he warned me about. Meaning that…this little shard could still save her soul.
"Alright…here goes nothing. Initium!"
With the powers of the Star or Creation and Crystal Shard fused together, I fired a large beam directly at the fire-engulfed Ram. Slowly shrinking it down to where it was no longer existent. And instead stood a lighter pink light around her body. Growing brightly as Ram had finally begun to calm down.
"*pant* *pant* Woah…I-I actually did it. Man, that took a lot of power." I said as I was catching my breath.
"R-Rib ribbit?"
"I…I saved her soul, Donny. I'm not fully sure how, but…I did."
"Rib…"
"*moan* N…Nasos? Dongurigaeru? Wh-What happened?" Ram asked as she was slowly coming to.
"Well…it's a bit hard to explain right now. But I basically saved your life. I hope that you're grateful for this second chan…woah…" I then stopped my scolding once I looked at the young girl. Pretty much going dead silent with shock as I noticed one thing different with her.
And it was a MAJOR change, too.
"What?" Ram asked with a confused look.
"Uh…"
"R-Ribbit ribbit?"
"N-No, Donny. I don't think this is a common result." I answered the acorn frog.
"What it is? Is there something on my face?" Ram continued to look totally confused as Donny and I continued to look at her with huge looks of shock and disbelief.
Blanc is totally gonna kill me for this…
Rom's POV
"Ha!"
"Come at me!"
"Icicle Hit!"
"Hail Storm!"
"Congelatio!"
"Metzelei Schag!"
"Hard Break!"
"*demented giggle*"
"Wanna die?"
"Raffiche!"
"Mulinello!"
"Ciclone!"
"Fulmine!"
"Monocromatico!"
*BOOM*
*BOOM*
*BOOM*
"Geez…it's like they're evenly matched in power. This may be a hard battle for Blanc to win on her own."
"Lidelle, what exactly are they doing?" C-Sha asked Lidelle as we were all watching Blanc and Ridel fighting in a way I've never seen before. Stacking different colored jelly blobs and popping them in order to gain power to attack. It was…rather strange.
…
And also…k-kinda fun-looking.
"This is a game from our world known as Puyo Puyo. You stack the puyo into groups of four and pop them in order to gain power from them." Lidelle then looked back towards the battle. "I'm…shocked that one is even happening here. Let alone that Blanc is doing rather well for her first time. I didn't even tell her about this."
"Maybe it's because the worlds are fused that makes puyo battles work here." Chu said.
"That could be it…"
"Transforming girls and popping jelly blobs…you other-worlders sure are a mysterious bunch." Neva said.
As for me…I couldn't stop looking at Blanc…and what she had turned into. The blue dragon wings, black claws, and ice-cold mist acting as a barrier…Blanc had changed forms before…but I don't think this is a part of HDD. That was cut off due to Lowee being gone…meaning that we had no shares to gain.
So, for Blanc to turn into this scary new form…i-it's all too confusing to understand. I-I don't get any of it. Ram would usually explain it better for me but…b-but…
"*sniff* Waaaa…"
"Rom? What's wrong?" C-Sha asked me as I had started crying.
"C-Sha, I…*sniff* I-I miss Ram. Sh-She's gone forever and I hate it so much. I-I want Ram back! Waaaa!"
"Rom…"
"She's definitely taking it hard." Lidelle said. "And I don't blame her, either."
"The loss of a dear loved one is always hard to overcome." Neva said.
"Aw…does the little baby want her sissy back? Such a poor little sap." We then heard Lidelle's evil clone Ridel taunting me from the middle of the battlefield. Even as she was still fighting Blanc in the puyo game.
"You're seriously teasing her after doing her sister in? Just how heartless are you?" C-Sha asked.
"*giggle* Oh, come on. I'm not COMPLETELY heartless. I'll give her a free trip to Hell so that she can reunite with her dear little sissy. What do you say, Rom? Wanna die like Ram?"
The sheer thought of Ridel offering to kill me just to see Ram again made me cry even harder.
"Hey, bitch! You leave Rom out of this!" Blanc yelled. "You already took one sister away from me and I won't let you do the same to the other!"
"W-Wait, you're still sane?!" Lidelle asked.
"Of course, I'm still sane! Did you seriously believed that I lost my sanity?!"
"Uh…yeah."
"So did I." Neva said.
"It did look that way, Blanny." C-Sha said.
"We all thought you had completely lost it, Bland." Chu said.
"I'll lose it for sure if you keep calling me Bland, Chu!"
"Huh…so, you still have control of your soul." Ridel said. "A huge difference from how that Nep girl is right now."
"Neptune?! The hell you bring her up for?!"
"Because…before the world-fusing began, Arfoire shattered her soul. She's on a slowly ticking timebomb to her death and there's nothing she can do about it. If only she had gotten a Crystal Shard beforehand like you did, Blanny~. *giggle*"
"No way…can Crystal Shards protect souls? If so…how was I left in the dark about it?" I heard Lidelle whisper to herself.
"Anyway…I've wasted enough time going easy on you. Now, I'll show you just how TRULY powerful a Crystal Shard can be! Nyahahahahahaha!"
With the Crystal Shard still in her hand, Ridel had clenched it tight until it had cracked from the inside. And then we saw a big scary aura surrounding her…the green markings all over her body were glowing so brightly that we could barely see. And the atmosphere grew colder all around…as if the weather suddenly changed.
"H-H-Hey…h-h-how did…th-th-the weather suddenly…ch-ch-change?" C-Sha asked as she easily felt the chills.
"I-I-It's never…g-g-gotten this cold here…b-b-before…" Neva said.
"S-S-So…c-c-cold…*achoo*" Chu said.
"This change in weather…I've got a bad feeling about this…" Lidelle said. She and I were the only ones out of the group that weren't affected by the sudden drop in temperature. I'm not sure how for Lidelle…but for me, it's probably because I'm used to being in the cold. Thanks to it always being freezing in Lowee.
…
Well…back in the past.
"Tch! What are you trying to do now, psycho?!" Blanc yelled. She wasn't affected by the cold, either. Which made me think that she had a chance in defeating this big scary meanie.
But then…
"*sadistic giggle* You wanna know?! Fine by me! I'll gladly show you your true demise! Ghiacciato Elettromagnetismo!"
*BOOM*
*BOOM*
*BOOM*
*BOOM*
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
"Blanc!" We all shouted as Lidelle and I rushed to her aid. She was struck down by what looked like frozen lightning bolts created by Ridel. They struck all over. Destroying roads and buildings even more from when the worlds had fused together.
*BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM*
*BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM*
*BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM*
"Nyahahahahahaha! Feel my power, Lidelle! I'll finally send you to the deepest parts of Hell! And be rid of you once and for all! Nyahahahahahaha!"
"G-G-Guys! W-W-We gotta…g-g-get outta here!" C-Sha yelled as she struggled to come closer to us.
"B-But how?!" I asked. "W-We're trapped by frozen lighting!"
"N-N-Neva said that…h-h-her kingdom is nearby! Ch-Ch-Chu can…t-t-take us there!"
"O-Okay!"
"You guys grab Blanc! I'll fend off Ridel!" Lidelle yelled.
As C-Sha and I each grabbed one side of Blanc and began dragging her towards Neva and Chu, Lidelle did her best to fight off against her evil clone's frozen lighting bolts.
"Vento!"
"Uragano!"
"Tifone!"
"Tuono!"
"Arcobaleno!"
But…none of them worked. They were all deflected by Ridel's frozen thunder. As if they were nothing more than silly string at a party.
"*sadistic giggle* You think your little princess powers are gonna stop me now?! I'll show you REAL power! Temporalesco Elettromagnetismo!"
*BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM*
"GAAAAAAAAAAA!"
"Lidelle!" We screamed as we watched her get struck by five bolts of frozen lightning.
"I-I'm *BZZZT*…st-still *BZZZT*…br-breathing *BZZZT*…" Lidelle barely said while twitching on the ground.
"*sadistic giggle* Two down! The rest of the fused worlds to go! Nyahahahahaha!"
"R-R-Rom! R-R-Run…f-f-for it!"
"R-Right, C-Sha!"
We both used all of our current strength to rush Blanc over to the other two girls…who were surviving well due to Neva having a small barrier around them. At this point, it was all about getting to a safe spot and escaping from this potential death storm.
But then…
"No, you don't!"
*SWIPE*
"GAAAAAAAAAA!"
…Ridel had teleported in front of us and swiped C-Sha…along with a still unconscious Blanc…away with her sharp claws. Mixing the blood that came from her with that of Ram's that was already drying up.
"C-Sha!" I screamed in horror.
"*sadistic giggle*" Ridel then grabbed me by my coat and brought me closer to her scary evil face. I was so scared…terrified even. This was the girl who killed my sister…with no remorse whatsoever…and is trying to kill everyone in three different worlds. All for a means of revenge.
At this point, I couldn't if my body had frozen from fear or the weather was starting to affect me.
"You know, Rom…the more I looked at you, the more I saw your bratty sis. And it pissed me the hell off. You two really are identical, huh?"
"W…W-Waaaa…" I didn't answer and began to cry out of fear.
"Well…no matter. I'm keeping my promise to you about seeing your precious sissy again. Better be grateful~. *sadistic giggle*"
"N-N-No! I-I don't…I-I don't wanna die! S-S-Someone…a-a-anyone…H-H-H…HELP ME!" I screamed one last time. Hoping for some kind of miracle to happen at the last second like how it does for Miss Neptune.
…
Oh, who am I kidding? It's not gonna work for me. I'm not the main protagonist. I'm stuck with this early-aged game over and there's nothing I can do about it.
At least…I'll be able to see Ram again…
"Elettromagneti…"
"Ice Coffin!"
*KREEEEENG*
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAA…"
…
…
…
"Wh…What?" I sat in confusion after Ridel was flown across the sky and landing on the other side of me.
I…Ice Coffin? Th-The only other person I know that can cast that spell is…
"Rom! Hey, Rom! You okay?!"
And then I saw her. Flying down in front of me in what looked like HDD wear. Only it was black & red, devil-like…a-and a little revealing. There was also a weird purple symbol on her stomach.
But none of that mattered when I heard her voice once more. And started into her sky blue eyes.
"R…R…RAM!"
I quickly shot up and hugged my younger twin sister with all the strength I currently had. Letting out more tears now than I ever did before.
"Ram! You're alive! You really are alive! *sniff* I-I MISSED YOU SO MUCH!"
"I missed you too, Rom! But we can hug later! Take care of C-Sha and Blanc and I'll get Lidelle!"
"*sniff* R-Right!"
I rushed over to C-Sha as Ram went over to Lidelle. I then quickly performed some healing magic to help with C-Sha's deep wound.
"Thanks, Rom." C-Sha said. "Hehheh…who would've thought we would all be saved by Ram of all people? It's something you don't see every day."
"True…but I'm just glad she didn't really die."
"Heh…I can share that thought, Rom."
"So can *BZZZT*…I *BZZZT*" Lidelle said as she joined us. Being held up by Ram.
"You guys okay?" Chu asked as she and Neva made their way towards us.
"The storm managed to stop once Ridel was knocked over. So, we were able to come across safely." Neva added.
"Yeah, I'm *BZZZT*…fine. Ridel didn't get me so *BZZZT*…fatally."
"And I'm doing somewhat better. Thanks to Rom's healing." C-Sha added.
"Well, that's good at least. Bland's still out of it, though."
"Bland?" Ram asked in confusion.
"I'll *BZZZT* explain *BZZZT* later *BZZZT*." Lidelle said.
"*groan* How the hell…I thought I…freaking killed your bratty ass!" Ridel said as she was struggling to rise back up.
"Yeah, about that…" Ram said. "…maybe you oughta check first if the person you're trying to kill is actually dead. A good villain would at least know THAT."
"Tch! Make fun of me…? Th-This time…I'll make you suffer. R…Ra…Raffiche!"
"Still wanna go? Fine then. I'll play with you real quick." Ram then gathered the remaining puyos left from when Blanc was playing and started stacking them rapidly. She made it seemed so easy…despite it being her first time ever seeing the game.
Does transforming make you aware of Puyo Puyo?
"You ready?"
"Let's go!"
"Flame Storm!"
"Thunder Rush!"
"Darkness Arrow!"
"Comet Shower!"
"Icecalibur!"
*BOOM*
"GAAAAAAAA…"
"Wow…Ram, you can play Puyo Puyo?" I asked in amazement after what I just saw.
"*giggle* I owe it to Dongurigaeru for giving me a quick lesson."
"Wow…"
"Alright. Now, let's get out of here. Nasos!"
"I'm on it! Initium!"
And with that, we were all teleported out of the ruined city and away from Ridel. On our way to Neva's kingdom to hopefully heal Blanc of her injuries.
Though, none of this would have been possible if it wasn't for Ram. She really saved us all.
…
But…what happened to her…that made her look like how she is now?
I wonder…
Ridel's POV
"*cough* *cough* D-Damnit…I-I lost to a stupid kid…AGAIN!"
"You seem to have a knack for losing to children. Are they a secret weakness for you?"
"Oh, shut the hell up! You damn smartass!" I shouted as I turned to face Kurome standing behind me. Along with a pure white-haired girl only wearing some kind of white maiden dress. Completely barefoot down there.
"You sure recovered quickly…"
"Gah! I was so close! So FREAKING close! Lidelle was just mere seconds from meeting her demise! But that damn CPU got in the way! Now, I see why you hate them so much!"
"Glad you feel my pain, dear friend. But don't you worry…the three of us will destroy our enemies once and for all."
"Three?" I then looked at the girl again. "And just who is this girl?"
"Oh, right. Ridel…this is Shiro. The person I revived using the Pisces Amethyst."
"Seriously? But she looks like a regular-ass girl. How the hell is she gonna help us?"
Kurome didn't answer right away and instead began giggling at my confused face. It pissed me off, sure. But what stopped me from punching her was…
"Look closely, Ridel. Doesn't Shiro remind you of someone?"
"Remind me?" I then took another look at Shiro…this time a good long one into her red eyes…and it instantly hit me.
"Wait…aren't you…"
"*giggle* It is a pleasure to finally meet you…Ridel Honnari."
Author's Note: Ram gains a new HDD form in the nick of time to save her sisters and friends from near-fatal attacks. But with the revival of the mysterious girl Shiro, Kurome and Ridel are only just beginning their plan of triple world annihilation.
Ram's new HDD form is actually her Chaos White Sister design from NepNepConnect: Chaos Chanpuru. A free-to-play card battling game on the PS Vita featuring 5 different series from Compile Heart. So, it was basically a crossover. From what LITTLE info I found about it…it only lasted a little over a year. So, it was probably a really bad game. Such a shame, too. The plot seems interesting, at least.
Next chapter is back to Gamindustri after a 6-chapter gap. Basically the aftermath of the group's escape from Rebeat Resort.
Thanks for reading. Later.
