Chapter 24 – The Nuisances Tell All
Uni's POV
It's been a full day since the battle with Arfoire that nearly took Noire's life. Thanks to that drooling idiot Ecolo, we were able to return to the Precise Museum quickly enough for Noire's injuries to be treated. And thus, saving her life once more.
With all of that happening, of course, I felt guilty about not being able to help my sister. Or the others, for that matter. I was filled with…a lot of things, really.
Sadness…
Anger…
Fear…
But it was mostly shock that ran through my body. Mainly due to seeing Noire turn into…whatever THAT was. I had no idea what that was at first…
…That is until Lemres came clean about the whole thing.
"…tell me, Uni. Are you aware of what Crystal Shards are?"
"After the events that brought the worlds of Primp Town and Dream Land together, I had asked Ribbon, the guardian of the Crystal, if I could hold on to a few for research reasons. Since then, I've discovered that they can contain strong powers born from the galaxy itself. And should not be played with like a toy."
"Strong powers born from the galaxy itself…" That's what he said…but I'm still baffled as to why didn't it work for me. If it did, I would've been able to help Noire and maybe even beat that damn old hag. Avenge all of Lastation for the unfair demise she gave them all.
Am I really weak? Unreliable, even?
…
…
…
N-No! Stop thinking that, Uni! Now's not the time to be doubting yourself! If I can't use my CPU powers nor galactic ones, then I'll just have to find my own new way to fight.
And thanks to Futaba, I might have already found one…
"Fumi-waza!"
*POW* *POW*
"Sashikomi-ashi!"
*POW* *POW* *POW* *POW*
"Ōten Yori Okiagari!"
*POW* *POW* *POW* *POW* *POW* *POW* *POW* *SLAM*
…
"Taigamae!" I yelled out with a bow.
"Wow, Uni. You're a freaking natural at this." Futaba said to me. "I've never seen anyone become good at Shōrin-ji Kenpō this fast before."
"Thanks, Futaba. You know, I was rather unsure of this Shōrin-ji Kenpō thing when you first told me about it. But now…I might just make this my second hobby."
"Haha…glad to hear that."
"So, you've made Uni into a Kenpō nut like yourself, huh? Nice going, Futaba." Rin said.
"Hey, I am not a Kenpō nut." Futaba said to her. "As you already know, I decided to quit before entering high school. I know when to take breaks."
"Breaks? More like your dad made you quit because you kept breaking everything at home and at the restaurant."
"The same reason as to why he made you get rid of that bamboo stick you had." Feli added.
"Tch! Don't remind me of that! Losing that bamboo stick stung as hard as losing your first love…"
"That's a stupid comparison…" The two girls each gained a sweatdrop.
I then went back to the big ball hanging by a single string we made to practice on. Wanting to get more strikes on it.
"Shime-Waza!"
*POW*
"Kari-Waza!"
*POW* *POW*
"Tobikomi-Ashi!"
*POW* *POW* *POW*
"Zen Tenkan!"
*POW* *POW* *POW* *POW*
Here comes the big one…
"Zankoku Ushiro-Ukemi!"
*POW* *POW* *POW* *POW* *POW*
*SNAP*
"Crap! The ball!" I yelled after the string tied to the ball had completely torn and it was now flying up toward the ceiling.
"Catch it! Catch it!" Rin yelled.
The four of us panicked hard as we frantically rushed to catch the ball before it fell and possibly break something. As we did, however…we ended up losing sight of it due to the bright lights. And we had no idea where it went.
"Crap! Where'd it go?!" Futaba yelled.
"That way, right?!" Rin yelled.
"No, it was that way…I-I think." Feli said.
And just when we were at max panic…
"Ahem…"
"H-Huh?" We all turned around to see Akuma standing behind us. Holding in his teddy bear paw the ball we were frantically looking for.
"I understand that you're bored. But I would appreciate it if you girls did NOT punch and kick medium-sized balls in the museum, KUMA!"
"Sorry, Akuma…" We all said with mild guilt.
I guess Ringo was right about this being a bad idea…
"In any case…new information has been discovered about the current situation, KUMA! I've called everyone into the library to discuss the matter, MA KUMA!"
"Really?" I asked. "Does any of it help us defeat Arfoire or restore Lastation?"
"Possibly…but even I can't be too sure about it, KUMA!"
"I see…"
Something is better than nothing at this point…
We eventually joined the others in the library side of the building. Specifically, Akuma's office. Which was surprisingly spacious despite its single-door entrance. Everyone was there and all…
…But there was one person specifically that I was shocked to see.
"Oh, Uni. There you are."
"N-Noire! Y-You're feeling better?!" I asked in shock.
"Well, not completely. Even after both Arle and K-Sha treated my injuries, I still have this serious head wound." Noire then pointed the bandages wrapped around the top of her head. "It's not going away anytime soon."
"It's not a concussion or anything." Arle said. "But…she will have to sit out and rest for a few days."
"Gu gu gu. Gu gu gu gu."
"Carby…you're over-exaggerating."
Wait, what did he say?
"Are you going to be okay, Noire?" I asked.
"I should be fine…for the most part."
"And even if something happens, I'll be here to take care of you, Noire." K-Sha said. "*giggle* Me taking care of Noire…all on my own…such an erotic dream come true. *lustful giggle*"
"K-Sha…" Noire and I gained a sweatdrop.
"Ahem." Akuma gained our attention. "If you all are done, I shall start detailing this new information I have gathered, KUMA!"
"Right, so…what did you learn?" Ringo asked.
"Well…according to Ecolo, the dimensional barriers that separate our worlds are weakening to the point of being destroyed. This is the result of the worlds of Primp Town, Gamindustri, and Babylon Nebula to be fused together, KUMA!"
"Woah…fused with two different worlds. That's crazy!" Rin said.
"Do we know who caused it?" Feli asked. "I mean, we know Ridel's involved, but…"
"Ridel is indeed one of the culprits, KUMA! Along with the witch named Arfoire and the ringleader being a girl named…Kurome Ankokuboshi, KUMA!"
…
…
…
"Wha…WHAT?!" Noire, K-Sha, and I yelled in complete shock.
"You can't be serious! Kurome is back?!" I yelled.
"You guys know this Kurome girl?" Yu asked.
"Kurome Ankokuboshi is this girl who tried to destroy Gamindustri once before as a demented revenge plot or something like that." Noire explained. "She kidnapped and mind-controlled me and the other nation rulers, manipulated our world's history to where we didn't exist…"
"She even toyed with the feelings and emotions of me and my friends just for the hell of it." K-Sha added. "That girl is nothing but evil."
"Woah…that insane." Arle said.
"Gu gu…"
"Yeah, no kidding…" Feli said. "…But what the hell is with that name? Ankoku…boshi? Is that even Japanese?"
"No way." Rin said. "No Japanese person would have a last name THAT ridiculous."
"She originally didn't have a name." Noire said. "But then Neptune decided to give her one and that was the best she could think of. None of us understood it."
"Well, there's clearly no Japanese logic in this Gamindustri world…" Futaba said.
"So, why do these weakening dimensional barriers result in places like Lastation being crumbled to pieces?"
"Well…" And as Akuma was about to answer…
"It's actually very simple there, Noire. Care to hear it~? *giggle*"
"Ugh. You again?" Noire complained once the wandering moron Ecolo suddenly appeared in the room."
And I don't blame her…
"We're too busy for any of your nonsense, Ecolo." Ringo said.
"Actually…" Akuma said. "…I think it would be best if Ecolo continued from here, KUMA! He is more knowledgeable of the situation than I am at the moment, MA, KUMA!"
"Seriously? Like how?"
"Well, I'll tell ya, Ringie." Ecolo said. "It's Story Time with Uncle Ecolo, folks! *giggle*"
"That sounded so wrong on so many levels…" Ringo gained a huge sweatdrop.
Seriously…how does she put up with this nuisance?
"Anyway…from what Akuma was saying, when two or more worlds collide and share the same space, their dimensional barriers grow SUPER unstable and begin to shatter. Causing server earthquakes and natural disasters…and eventually, the collided worlds will crumble apart piece by piece. With the chance of some pieces from each world surviving…at about 9%.
"Damn…9%?" Yu said.
"So, only 9% of Lastation is floating above us right now?" K-Sha asked. "*sigh* Now, I truly believe that I was just lucky."
"If you think that's bad, then wait till you hear phase 2! *giggle*"
"Ph-Phase 2? There's a phase 2?" Noire asked.
"What happens in phase 2?" I asked.
"Well…phase 2 involves the dimensional barriers being completely destroyed. And if that were to happen…"
"If that were to happen…" We all repeated.
"…it's basically your typical end-of-world scenario. The worlds will fully collide and disintegrate into nothing…killing us all and wiping out any existence of life in the process…you know, the usual."
"Th-That ain't typical at all!" Arle yelled.
"Gu gu gu! Gu gu gu!"
"S-So, they really do plan on killing us all?!" Ringo yelled. "J-Just what is their problem?!"
"Hey, wait…if I die from all this, would I become a ghost again?" Yu asked.
"Yu…you're missing the point." Rei said.
"Meow." With an added meow from Kat.
"So, yeah…that's the whole ordeal of it all." Ecolo said. "Pretty insane, right~? *giggle*"
"Hmm…I still feel like there's some stuff missing." Lemres said after staying quiet this whole time.
"Hm? Like what, Candy Boy?"
Candy Boy? I gained a mental sweatdrop.
"For starters…how do you have so much information on this?"
"Oh, that. Well, that's because I knew all of this was going to happen."
…
…
…
"Wh…WHAT?!" We all yelled in complete shock (and for some, anger).
"A-Are you serious?! You KNEW?! And didn't say anything?!" Ringo yelled.
"Ecolo…this is just low. Even for you, KUMA!" Akuma said.
"Oh, calm down. The reason why I didn't say anything is because we were preparing for it the best that we can."
"Uh…"we"?" Rin asked.
"Who else knew about this?" Lemres asked.
"Well…there's me, Rivitie, Arly, Cheri…"
"What?! Cheri, you knew?!" Ringo yelled at her clone.
"Knew what?"
"That the worlds were going to fuse together like this!"
…
…
…
…
…
"Oh, yeah. Guess I forgot. Sorry." Was all Cheri said after a long awkward silence.
"*sigh* Cheri, I swear…you are something else." Ringo said with a facepalm.
"It's hard to believe that they're nearly the same person…" Noire whispered to Arle.
"Yeah…people often say that." Arle said with a sweatdrop.
"So, is there anyone else, Ecolo?" Ringo asked him.
"Well, there's me, Rivitie, Arly, Cheri…and Satan standing by the door over there."
"What?"
"*sigh* Why must you always ruin my chance of making a grand entrance?" Said a guy with long green hair and horns protruding from his head.
Wh-Where did he come from?!
"Aw, geez…as if one nuisance wasn't bad enough." Arle said in an exasperated tone.
"Come now, Arle. Should you really be saying such things about your dear fiancé?"
"F…Fiancé?!" Noire, K-Sha, and I yelled in shock.
"A-Arle…are you getting MARRIED?!" K-Sha asked.
"No, K-Sha. Satan just says crap like that all the time. Even though I keep telling him to stop."
"Oh, Arle…still childishly embarrassed, as always. But don't you worry…once all this other-worldly mess clears up, we'll be able to have our special honeymoon under the starry night sky! Hahahahahahaha!"
"See?"
"I-I see…" Was all K-Sha said.
"What a douche…" Futaba, Rin, and I whispered to ourselves.
"So, you were in on this plan Ecolo was talking about?" Lemres asked this Satan guy.
"Yes, I was. To be honest, I've been keeping an eye on the three worlds once Ridel ran off with that Kurome girl. With her having the ability to traverse through dimensions, I figured that she would do something to involve both worlds in a chaotic way."
"Yeah, but that Babylon Nebula place really threw us off-guard." Ecolo added. "We didn't think they would use those Zodiac Stone things to tear up the worlds. So…we had to keep the secret a little longer."
"Hmm…that does make some sense, KUMA!" Akuma said.
Zodiac Stones…those same things Amitie told us about. And one was used to shatter Neptune's soul. So, they have a bigger role in this than I originally thought…makes me regret not staying with the others and learning more about them…
"Well…I'm not surprised that you knew about this, Satan. But you still could've given us a heads up or something." Arle said.
"My deepest apologies, Arle. Normally, I wouldn't keep any secrets from you. But this time…the desire to keep my tomboyish fiancé from experiencing the same fate that befell the land of Lastation was my top priority! Such as the heroic act of the Advent Primp, Satan-sama! Hahahahahahaha!"
"Heroic, my ass!"
"Gu gu gu gu gu!" Carbuncle yelled alongside Arle.
"Did he really have to bring that up?" Noire said with a sad-like tone.
"Look, Satan." Ringo said. "We're grateful that you told us all of this…but what are you really here for?"
"What else, Ringo? I, the strong, strapping, madcapping monarch of Hell, am here to lend a hand to…"
"HELL! NO!" Arle yelled.
"Nice pun." Rei said.
"Meow." Kat meowed.
"Rei, I don't think that was a pun." Yu said with a sweatdrop.
"This is a very serious and tense event we're all going through and we DON'T need your immature nonsense screwing us over!"
"Is that so, Arle? You don't need my help?"
"I'm SO damn sure! Right, Carby?!"
"Gu!" Carbuncle responded.
Satan then began chuckling to himself as he grew a small smirk on his face.
"Even if it included bringing Amitie back home?"
"Wh-What?"
"She called me not too long ago. She and a few others have Space-Time portals working in Planeptune. And are looking for a place to safely come out to. So, she asked me to take a portal from outside and manipulate its physics here. Connecting the two worlds together. Isn't that great?"
"A-Are you serious? You can bring Am back?" Ringo asked.
"Indeed."
"And Jarne?!" Yu asked.
"Indeed."
"And even the Scorpio Princess Resta, KUMA!" Akuma asked.
"That, as well."
"Wait, you didn't mention Lidelle." Feli said.
"Unfortunately, bringing her back is going to take a little more effort. Where she is right now is a bit out of reach for my powers."
"I see…"
"Portals from Planeptune, huh?" Noire said to me. "That could mean that Neptune and the others will come here, too. And as much as I don't like to rely on her, we'll need all the help we can get in order to restore Lastation."
"Yeah…that's true, Noire." Was all I replied.
I still haven't told Noire what happened to Neptune. So, once she comes through, it's going to be a tough explanation…
"So, with that said…everyone stand back, please. This is going to be big…" Satan said with yet another confident smirk on his face.
As the rest of us took his warning, he had an open palm out in front and aimed for the dead center of the room. Then, as his right hand gained a dark aura…
"Cataclysm!"
*BOOM*
…
"Woah…" We all said once we saw the portal appear in the middle of the room.
"Okay, Amitie. The portal's up and running. You can all traverse through safely."
"Thanks, Satan!" We heard a voice coming from inside the portal.
"N-No way…"
"Th-That voice…" Ringo and Arle both said in shock.
By then, the portal began to pulse rapidly and glow a bright light. The others in Planeptune were now traveling through Space and Time to come here. And for one person I know…she's actually coming back home.
So, this is it. Residents from all three worlds are coming together. Hopefully, to put an end to this nightmare from Hell…
Author's Note: A slow recovery day at the museum/library turns into a whirlpool of a confession as Ecolo (and partially Satan) explain how they knew about the events that unfolded. And why they, along with Rivitie, Arly, and (oddly enough) Cheri kept it a secret from everyone.
So, this was originally supposed to be part of the last chapter. But it just made it too long. So, I had to split it. Thus, explains this ultra-rare double upload! Don't expect this to happen again.
Thanks for reading. Later.
