Chapter 23 – The Mysterious Girl

Nepgear's POV

*EARLIER THAT DAY…*

*DES…TROY! DES…TROYYYYYYY….*

*BOOM*

"*sigh* Geez, that thing wouldn't let up." Amitie said before reverting from her special Light Soul form back to her regular form. With me reverting out of my HDD form. Both of us had to take down the Dia Sniper on our own because it started a Puyo Battle out of nowhere.

How was it able to do such a thing?

"Woah…that was INTENSE!" B-Sha yelled in excitement. "So, that was Puyo Puyo in the flesh, huh?"

"Gotta admit…it looks to be a pretty complicated game. Even for someone like me." IF said. "I'm shocked that you did it so well, Gear."

"Hehhehheh…well, I did have my notes to help me out." I said while rubbing my head in mild embarrassment. "That was my first time actually playing it."

"Well, you did pretty well for your first time, Nepgear." Amitie said. "Both you and Neptune seem to be pros at it after just one match. It's honestly impressive."

"Aw…thanks, Amitie." I took the praise from my cousin to heart.

"Phew…alright, guys. The ritual's all done." Sagey said as she and Dalida joined our conversation. "Thanks for keeping that robot thing busy."

"So, Puyo Puyo works in this world…pretty cool…pfft." Dalida said.

"I know, right?!" I said with a giddy expression. "Maybe after all this is over, we can have our own Puyo Puyo Tournament! Me winning the very first one would be so awesome!"

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Nepgear…" Amitie said with a sweatdrop.

"On a separate note, Am…what was that thing talking about you being this "Light Soul" thing?" IF asked.

"Yeah, and that form you took…it was so freaky." B-Sha added. "Especially the wings."

"*sigh* Well…"Amitie went silent for a bit. "…I'm basically this thing known as the Light Soul. A "guardian" of sorts whose duty is to stop the darkness from committing universal destruction. Or…at least that's what I was told."

"First told?" IF, B-Sha, and Sagey asked.

"You see…" I joined in. "…Amitie told me that her mother made up most of it mainly to hide the fact that she had a pretty cruel twin sister. Basically choosing Amitie over her."

"Woah…pfft." Dalida said.

"Seriously?" IF asked with a disapproving look. "So, your mother forced these powers on you just to hide an evil twin from you? What was she thinking?"

"Yeah…my mom can be very questionable at times." Amitie gained a sweatdrop.

"So, then what were those powers?" B-Sha asked. "Mirror, Water, Plasma…they all sounded familiar."

"Well…that's because they're Copy Abilities. I gained the ability to use them when I went to Dream Land a while back."

"Wh…What?! Y-You went to Dream Land?!" B-Sha yelled in complete shock.

"Is it really that shocking?"

"Well, going to Dream Land isn't exactly an everyday occurrence." Sagey said. "How the hell did you even make that happen?"

"Well, Kirby crash-landed in my backyard…then after a few days, we were able to find a way to get him back home…and then the rest is history."

"Geez…so, this isn't the first time worlds had fused together. Lady Nasos is not gonna like hearing this…"

"Huh?"

"N-Nothing! Just…a-anyway, the portal's all ready to go!"

"Oh, yeah! Now, I can get back home!" Amitie cheered as she rushed over to the star-shaped portal. With the rest of us joining her shortly afterward.

"So, will this thing really let us travel between Gamindustri and Amitie's world?" B-Sha asked Sagey.

"Yep. I got it all worked out. Now, we're able to come 'n go between both worlds as we please. Although, when coming here, we can only go as far as Planeptune at the moment."

"All because of the Sagittarius Topaz, right?" IF asked. "So, in theory…if we find the other three stones, we'll be able to travel to the other nations?"

"It depends if the other princesses are in these other nations. I was lucky enough to even end up here after that fight with Arfoire."

"I see…well, it's something to keep in mind, for now."

"So, we just jump in, right…pfft." Dalida asked.

"Seems like the case." Amitie said. "Man…I can't wait to see everyone in Primp again. I hope they're doing alright."

"Unfortunately…that is something you will never live to experience."

"Huh? Who said…"

"W-Watch out!" I yelled as I used my Beam Saber to slice away a red ball of energy heading our way.

But then we realized that it wasn't a ball of energy. More so…

"*sniff* *sniff* This is blood…pfft." Dalida said.

"Bl-Blood?! Ew! Gross!" B-Sha yelled in disgust. "Who the hell is shooting blood at us?!"

"*giggle* So, you hate the scent of blood? Highly ironic since you will be lying in a pool of it very soon."

We then saw a single girl walking up to us in a rather menacing and sadistic manner. She had long pure white hair and red eyes almost matching the shade of the blood now all over us. She wore a somewhat torn white maiden dress and was completely barefoot. Giving us a clear view of how dirty the bottom of her feet were.

But that wasn't the worst part of this girl. For some reason, that halo floating over her head was giving me bad vibes. My stomach kept getting in tighter knots the more I looked at it.

I-Is this girl…d-dead?

"The Light Soul…after nearly two years, we meet once more. Now, I have a chance…to annihilate your soul and make this revival worthwhile. *giggle*"

"Revival?" Amitie asked. "Wait, who are you? How do you even know me?"

"My name…is Shiro. As to how we know each other…that is not important right now. At this moment, under the orders of the girl named Kurome…I am here to eradicate that portal and anyone who desires to use it."

"So, you're one of Kurome's pawns." IF said. "I'm guessing that robot earlier was your doing, right?"

"Indeed, it was. It was supposed to eradicate you all and erase that portal from existence…but it failed to even lay a scratch on you all. I told Kurome that implementing Puyo Puyo into these robots was a stupid idea…"

"W-Wait, what?! She IMPLEMENTED Puyo Puyo into them?!" I yelled in shock. "H-How does she even know how to play?!"

"*sigh* Most likely from Ridel." Amitie said. "Never thought their bond would grow to the point where Ridel would actually help someone."

"You're kidding…"

"In any case…" The girl named Shiro continued. "…I shall do what that useless robot failed to accomplish before. Destroy the Light Soul and anyone who wishes to side with her. You all shall meet your demise."

"You sound so confident…" Sagey said. "…but aren't you aware that it's 6 against 1? You hardly stand a chance against us."

It was then that Shiro started giggling…and eventually laughing at us in a calm sadistic-like tone.

"Now, how are you gonna do that while not being able to move?"

"Huh? What are you…"

*THUD*

"Ow! What the…?!"

It was then that we noticed that the blood that had splattered us before had hardened up completely around our legs. Making it very much impossible for us to move.

"H-How the hell…blood doesn't dry up this fast!" IF yelled.

"*giggle* My blood is a special kind…formed and manipulated from countless lives for centuries on end. All to benefit my power."

"So, you're just as demented as the others." I said. "You want to destroy our worlds to fulfill your murderous lust for revenge. Is that it?"

"Hmph. I could not care any less what happens to these worlds. My only goal…is to destroy the Light & Dark Souls." Shiro then went silent for a bit. "And maybe…send Dream Land into darkness once more."

"Dr-Dream Land?!" Amitie yelled. "How do you know what that place is?!"

"Tch! Damn…I said too much. No matter…this is where you DIE, anyway."

Shiro then placed her arm out in front of us…and more of her blood began to form from it. getting bigger and bigger until it was about the size of a decent-sized boulder.

"Wh-What do we do?! Sh-She about to kill us!" I began to panic.

"Grr…I would shoot at her…if I wasn't stuck in this damn blood! Grr…" Sagey said.

"H-Hey, Amitie! Can't you use a Copy Ability to get us out of this crap?!" B-Sha asked her.

"I don't know how to break dried blood! I don't even know how to get rid of regular blood!"

"Damn…it!" IF yelled in anger.

"*giggle* Prepare to meet your demise, Light Soul! Bloodbath!"

"Cyanide…"

*BOOM*

"*cough* *cough* Th-The hell…"

"I-It was…deflected?" I asked in the same amount of shock as everyone else.

"That spell…Dalida, how did you…huh?" Amitie tried asking Dalida…only to notice that she was gone.

"Dalida?"

"Up here…pfft."

We all then looked up to see Dalida free from the dried blood. And hanging by the leg of a person none of us (mainly Amitie and me) expected to see here.

"Hahaha…attacking with blood? Seriously…what are ya? Some kind of clichéd goth girl?"

"R…Rivitie?!" Amitie and I yelled in shock.

"Tch. The Dark Soul…so, you make an appearance as well." Shiro said. "Such a nuisance like before."

"I ain't got a clue on what your crazy ass is talking about…but you better back off if you know what's good for you."

"Cyanide isn't a good chemical on the skin, you know…pfft." Dalida added.

"You truly believe that I will let a mere liquid slow me down? I shall make you regret interfering with…"

"Don't push your luck, Shiro."

"Th-That voice…it's…" I said.

"It's Kurome. I know that demented emo voice all too well." B-Sha said.

"What are you saying? You expect me to flee when I have both Souls in my sights?"

"You know damn well that your revival is incomplete. One wrong move and you'll be back in Hell once more. Return immediately."

"Tch…damnit. And I was so close…" Shiro then looked back at us with an annoyed and angered look on her face. "Do not think this is over. Souls of Light and Dark…I WILL eradicate you. And watch all dreams consume into darkness."

This was the last thing she said before warping out of the abandoned building. Leaving us relived that it was over…but highly confused as to why it happened.

What WAS that all about? Shiro being revived…and knowing Amitie and Rivitie…and what was that part Dream Land, all of a sudden?

*internal moan* I'm getting a bad feeling about all of this…


Neptune's POV

"So, that's what happened. Kinda insane, really."

"Yeah, no kidding." Amitie said. "We've would've died by blood if it weren't for Rivitie showing up when she did."

"*sigh* And to no one's surprise, I had to come save you from the brink of death once again." Rivitie said in an annoyed tone. "You really are carefree with your life, Sis."

"Hehhehheh…sorry, Sis."

"So, even with all of that, you guys were able to get the portals working?" Jarne asked.

"Yep." Sagey replied with a confident smile. "From this point onward, we are able to traverse between Planeptune and Primp Town. All thanks to my Sagittarius Topaz. Hahahaha!"

"Nobody likes a gloater, Sagey." Resta said with a sweatdrop.

"I am glad you were able to accomplish this, Miss Sagey." Histy said. "Still…the sudden appearance of this Shiro girl does draw concern. Especially the part about being "revived"."

"She said that she knew Rivitie and me from somewhere." Amitie said. "But I've never seen her before in my life."

"Me neither." Rivitie added. "I figured she was just spouting nonsense."

"I don't know…she looked pretty serious about it." Nepgear said.

"Well, if she's working with the other me, then her history can't be any good." Uzume said. "She's just another psycho villain."

"But that makes four of them now, right?" Compa asked. "How are going to stop them all?"

"Well, we'll just have to take it one step at a time." Iffy said. "First thing's first…let's head over to Primp Town and see what the situation is like over there."

"So, you guys really are tagging along, huh?" Amitie asked. "It wasn't just all talk?"

"Wasn't that obvious from the start, Am? We were all together on this the moment you and Resta came to our world."

"I know, but…I feel like it's my fault for dragging you guys into this mess by falling from the sky. If only we've beaten Ridel quicker…"

"Why would it be your fault?"

"Huh?" We all then looked at Resta.

"Resta, what do you mean?" Nepgear asked.

"I mean…if we were to put blame on someone, it would definitely be us."

"Resta's got a point." Sagey said. "I mean…we were rather careless and cocky back when we fought Arfoire. And we ended up losing our Zodiac Stones and even made Resta flee from her kingdom."

"If we would've taken the fight more seriously, the worlds wouldn't be fused right now, Neptune's soul would be still intact, and none of this would be happening. So, yeah…the guilt is highly on us Zodiac Princesses."

"Guys…" Amitie said as the whole room went silent.

"Well, that's a load of shit."

"N-Neptune!" Nepgear yelled with a blushed face.

"Damn, Neptune…I didn't know you can get vulgar." Rivitie said.

"Pretty sure it's a new trait from my soul being shattered…" I mumbled to myself. "Anyway…what I said is true. You guys blaming yourselves is so freaking stupid."

"But it's true, Neptune." Sagey said. "Think about it…it was MY Topaz that shattered your soul."

"Yeah, it was. But you weren't the person that did it to me."

"But…"

"The only people I blame for all of this are Kurome, Ridel, Arfoire, and whoever the hell this Shiro girl is. And they'll all receive their proper ass-kicking once I get my fucking hands on them! Those inhumane demented little…"

"Nep…" Iffy said to me.

"*sigh* Sorry…" I then took some time to calm down before my soul got any worse. "Look, what I mean is…yeah, the situation we're all in right now sucks as all hell. But blaming ourselves for being careless isn't gonna do a damn thing. Our homes are at stake and the only way to save them is for all of us to work together on this."

"Nepsy's right." Uzume said. "We've all gotta rely on each other big and fight until the very end."

The trio still looked unsure about the whole idea. Mainly Amitie, who basically started this whole guilt trip thing.

I can kinda get where she's coming from…but…

"Hey…Amitie. You remember what you said when you first came here?"

"What I said?" Amitie looked confused.

"You know…how you said that you'll try your best to help me out. Because we're family. Right now, I'm basically returning the favor…by helping my cousin save her world from total destruction. Family helping family."

"Neptune…" Amitie went silent for a bit while trying to hold back her tears. "…Alright. You've convinced me. Let's go save our worlds!"

"Hahaha! That's the cousin I know! Let's go all the way with this!"

"Yeah!"

"Our sisters can have very questionable emotional shifts, huh?" Rivitie asked Nepgear.

"Yeah…pretty much." Nepgear said with a sweatdrop.

"So, what about you, Resta? Still feeling the blame?" Jarne asked her.

"Well…if Amitie's feeling better about it, then I guess I can feel the same way."

"Yeah, me too." Sagey added. "Hopefully, the others will feel the same way, too."

"So, how do we go back?" Rulue asked. "Do we have to use the one Dalida came out of? Cause I'm not a fan of blood, dried or not."

"Fortunately, Miss Rulue…that won't be necessary." Histy said. "I've managed to copy the coordinates of one of the portals Miss Sagey had given to me. So, you all will be able to traverse to Primp Town from her in the Basilicom."

"Alright! I'm so stoked!" Amitie cheered.

"Man…I hope Yu's doing alright. I bet she's worried about me." Jarne said.

"I can get back to more chucking…pfft." Dalida said.

"Finally! I can go back home!" Rulue said. "With all that's going on, I'm worried that Darling Satan is struggling out there. I must get to his side at once!"

"Uh…who's this "Darling Satan" guy?" I whispered to Amitie.

"He's…a guy we know."

Well, that doesn't answer much…

After Histy entered the coordinates, a star-shaped portal appeared dead smack in the middle of the Basilicom. Its galaxy-likeness was just as cool-looking as it did two months ago. Back when I first met Amitie, Rivitie, and Melody.

It's strange how I'm already getting nostalgic over this…

"You know, now that I think about it…where in Primp is this portal going to spit us out?" Nepgear asked.

"Primp isn't that big." Amitie said. "So, wherever we end up, it'll just be a walking distance."

"Yeah, no. That's a bad idea." Rivitie said.

"Huh? Why?"

"Because monsters from this world have started appearing in Primp. Me and some of the others have been fighting them off for a good while."

"W-Wait, what?! Monsters from here are in Primp?!" Nepgear yelled in shock.

"It is most likely due to the fact that the worlds are fused together." Umio said. "It might be the same for Resta and Sagey's world, as well."

"*sigh* That would explain the robot invasion that day…" Resta said.

"So, if you really want to return to Primp, think of a place where we can safely arrive there." Rivitie said. "Otherwise, we'll be screwed."

"Get really real…" Amitie mumbled to herself as she tried thinking of a place for us to go. "…Well, I can't think of a place…but I know someone who can help out."

"Really? Who?" I asked.

"He's a friend of mine…kinda." Amitie then took out her phone. "If anyone can manipulate dimensional portals it's him."

"Manipulate dimensional portals?" Rivitie asked before thinking it over. Gaining a rather exasperated look on her face. "*sigh* I think I know who you're about to call."

"Right you are, Sis." Amitie said as she grew the same look.

Why do I have a bad feeling about this?

Author's Note: After taking down the Dia Sniper and eventually the mysterious girl Shiro, Amitie and friends finally have a way to return to Primp. Now, she has the chance to see how the fusing worlds have affected her home.

There was going to be a full-on battle with the Dia Sniper…but it became difficult really fast with the moves and such. And it would've made the chapter longer than it needed to. So, it had to be scrapped.

This will be the last chapter to be set in Gamindustri for a while. As from the next chapter onward, it'll be set in Primp Town as a new arc in the story. There also will be some chapters with Liddle and Blanc…but not that many.

Thanks for reading. Later.