Chapter 36 – The Daigekido King's Rage Control
Nepgear's POV
"*moan* Amitie…why are we up so early? The sun's not even out yet."
"Okay, one…the sun's blocked off right now. And two…you agreed to do this, didn't you? You were pretty confident about it last night."
"I know, but…*yawn* to do it this early, though? I was hoping to sleep in for once."
"You sleep in all the time, Neptune." I said. "Oftentimes, you sleep until way past noon."
"*whine* You're not helping, Nepgear~!"
It was now the next morning and Neptune, Amitie, and I were out on the quiet streets of the nearly destroyed Primp currently looking for someone. This "someone" is a person Amitie knows and claims that they can help Neptune with this dilemma she has.
You see…from what we heard from Resta yesterday…
*YESTERDAY…*
"The Aquarius Sapphire? M-My own Zodiac Stone?"
"It'll be the first time that stone's ever been brought out of its sleeping state." Sagey said. "You sure Neptune can handle it?"
"We don't really have a choice." Resta said. "If what MAGES. said is true, then we gotta try it. Even if it comes with risks."
"So, uh…how do I gain access to this Aquarius Sapphire?" Neptune asked.
"Well, as stated before…Aquarius is a Negative Sign that's been passive for centuries. To fully bring it into an active state, you have to let the power be the embodiment of your soul."
…
"Or, in your case…what's left of it."
"Didn't need to be reminded of that, Resta…" Neptune gained an exasperated sweatdrop.
"So, how would she do that exactly?" I asked.
"Well, it would be nice if Neptune didn't go trigger-happy with the powers whenever someone pisses her off. So, the first step would be to control her anger."
"A thing I'm already struggling to do…" Neptune said.
"You'll just have to try harder, Nep." IF said. "Restoring the worlds relies on you making this thing work."
"*sigh* Yeah, yeah. I get it."
Neptune seems really depressed about it. Usually, she's so excited it becomes difficult to calm her down. Maybe the recent events changed her thinking of it all…
…
If that's the case, then I don't really blame her…
"Hey, Neptune. If you need help controlling your anger, I know a guy that could help." Amitie said.
"R-Really? You do?"
"Sure. With how often he switches between calm and pissed beyond compare, you could easily call him the Great Rage King."
"Gr-Great Rage King?" A lot of us asked.
"Yep…I know exactly who you're talking about." Arle said with a sweatdrop.
"If he can't help you, Neptune, then you're totally screwed." Witch added. Also with a sweatdrop.
"So, then why am I so concerned about it?" Neptune asked with a pale look on her face.
*PRESENT DAY*
So, now…we were on our way to meet this "Great Rage King" and explain to him the situation. In hopes that he could help Neptune better control her anger and start gaining access to the Aquarius Sapphire.
…
Plus…if Neptune's soul completely shatters, she could die. So, she's probably doing this to save her own skin. This is a good thing for her to do.
And she decided this all on her own. My older sister is finally starting to act as such. It brings a tear to my eye…
"So, who exactly are we looking for, Amitie?" I asked.
"We're looking for a guy who works at the museum with me. His name's Zoh Daimaoh."
"Zoh Daimaoh? Gee…that's a grand name, if I've ever heard one." Neptune said.
"Yeah, it is. That's because he's originally from Arle's world and over there, he planned to be a king of an entire country. Or something like that."
"A king? Wow, that's pretty cool."
"You know…I never understood how exactly people like Arle and Ringo just ended up here through a Puyo battle of all things." I said. "How does that happen?"
"Well…" Amitie went silent for a bit. "…from what I learned from my teacher Ms. Accord during class one day, the power that comes from Puyo battles can be so grand that it can sometimes fling you to other places. Even to completely different worlds. In the early days, it's said to have been known as a spell called Owanimo."
"Owanimo?"
"It's one of the most difficult spells to perform nowadays. You could even have 4 people battle it out and it still wouldn't activate. The conditions for it are…honestly tedious."
"I see…" Hearing all of that made me really intrigued. To think that enough power from a Puyo battle can possibly send you to a different world…
Owanimo…that's definitely something I gotta conduct an experiment for later. Gotta remember to plan it out later…
"Anyway…Akuma said that Zoh was out on an errand today. He should be around here…Aha! There he is!" Amitie pointed up ahead to a stand currently occupied by two people. One of which was Amitie's friend Witch.
The other was…rather something.
"Ohhohoho! Oh, you're gonna LOVE this one, Zoh! My latest potion…it gives you the ability to talk to pizza!"
"Why would I want to talk to pizza?"
"Duh. Food have feelings, too. How would you feel if your only purpose in life was to be eaten? You get brought to live fully clothed and all…and then in 30 minutes or less, you get eaten out of existence. Nothing left to prove that you existed except for the box you came in. This potion lets you hear the pizza's point of view! It's absolutely genius! Ohhohoho!"
She just made pizza darker than it was ever meant to be…
"Uh…Amitie." I said to her. "Is that elephant…"
"Yep. That's Zoh. Shocking, huh? Bet you didn't expect to ever see a talking elephant in your lives."
"Well, we've met a talking mouse, a fish with the most stoic face ever, and even a transgender robot. This is somehow nothing new."
"Huh…" Amitie gained a huge sweatdrop.
"So, uh…how is an elephant going to help me control my anger?" Neptune asked.
"Oh, right. Just keep watching. Judging from how this conversation's going, I think you'll get a good example."
We really didn't understand what she was talking about. But if Amitie seems comfortable about this, then we don't really have a choice to refuse. This is her world and all.
"Witch…that has to be the most useless potion I've ever heard."
"What?! How could say it's useless?!" Witch yelled. "You mean you wouldn't want to find out about your food's feelings?!"
"If I wanted to hear food be emotional, I would listen to Nasu Grave's complaining!"
"Hmph! You just don't appreciate the feel of food like me! I bet you just eat everything in sight judging by how big you are!"
"Grr…you've got quite the mouth for such a little child! I THINK I'LL GIVE IT THE PROPER PUNISHMENT IT DESERVES! WHOOOOOOOOH!"
*BOOM*
"H-HE'S ON FIRE!" Neptune and I shouted in absolute fear after seeing the elephant named Zoh engulfing himself in a huge flame.
"Yeah…that's normal." Amitie replied.
"WH-WHAT?!"
O-Okay! This is DEFINITELY new!
"Hey! Misuki! Zoh!" It was at that time Amitie decided to call out and gain the duo's attention. With the flames around Zoh going away in an instant. Almost as if it never happened.
Yep. This is a different world, alright…
"Ami! Just in time!" Witch cheered. "Help me convince Zoh of the importance of understanding your food's emotions! You get it, don't you?!"
"Misuki…you're the absolute LAST person to care about what food thinks. You go through a week's worth of groceries in just three days."
"Th-That's Draco's fault! She comes by and devours everything as if she lives there! I can never have a full fridge because of her!"
"You don't even use your fridge…" Amitie gained a sweatdrop.
"Amitie…welcome back." The elephant named Zoh said. "I heard about what happened from Akuma. It must've been a struggle to get back."
"Yeah…through Space-Time and magic stones. It took a while to figure out everything and what was going on. This is definitely not normal Primp stuff we're dealing with."
"Well, yeah. Obviously, with the sky looking like the end of the world." Witch said. "Hard to believe that part of another world is floating above us right now."
"It does make the atmosphere a bit more eerie." I said.
"It's almost like a Ghost House from the 2D Mario games just engulfed this entire world." Neptune added. "Can you imagine us just walking along minding our own business and a Boo just appears in your face out of nowhere? That would be pretty nepping cool, to be honest."
"Can you just…stop with these "4th wall break" things?" Amitie asked with a huge sweatdrop.
It was more of a reference than a 4th wall break. But whatever…
Hey, wait…aren't these two girls from yesterday?" Witch asked. "Did you bring them over as customers, Ami?!"
"Who would want to buy one of your useless potions?" Mr. Zoh asked.
"Hey!"
"Actually…I was looking for you, Zoh." Amitie said.
"For me?"
"These two are my cousins Neptune and Nepgear. They're from Gamindustri, one of the worlds that are fused with Primp right now."
"Your cousins? So, Melody wasn't joking when she brought this up a few weeks ago. I just tuned her out."
"You're not the first person to do that…" Amitie gained a sweatdrop.
"Well, in any case…it's a pleasure to meet you girls. I am Zoh Daimaoh. Future king from another world. I aspire to create a peaceful and rich country with me as its founder and king! Every time I think about it…I FEEL LIKE I COULD EXPLODE WITH HAPPINESS! WHOOOOOOOOOH!"
*BOOM*
"H-HE'S ON FIRE AGAIN!" Neptune and I shouted in fear.
"Zoh, calm down." Amitie said. "The world's already torn up due to the fusion and we don't need your short fuse to make it worse."
"Whoops. Sorry about that." Mr. Zoh said said as the fire around him cleared out in an instant.
"S-Such control…" We both said in shock.
"So, if they're not customers, then why'd you bring them here, Ami?" Witch asked. Sounding rather unamused.
"Don't you remember what was said yesterday, Misuki? You were even there yourself."
"Huh?" Witch thought for a moment. "Oh, yeah…THAT. You got your work cut out for you here, Zoh. Ohhohoho!"
"What are you talking about?" Mr. Zoh asked.
"Well, you see, Zoh…" Amitie then began explaining to Mr. Zoh what happened to Neptune's soul and how it ties into what we learned yesterday. And that we could really use his help in making this theory a reality.
"Damn…so, that's the full story?" Witch asked. "I didn't even know souls could get shattered."
"It's definitely new to my ears." Mr. Zoh added.
"Yeah, they can. Apparently." Neptune said. "And so, basically…I want to learn how to control my anger so that, for one, it won't get any worse. And so that I could gain access to this Aquarius Sapphire that I need to have. Amitie mentioned that you're great at controlling your own short temper. So…you mind helping me out, Zoh?"
"I see. Controlling one's anger…" Mr. Zoh thought to himself for a bit. "…it's a tough emotion to manage. Usually takes months to have it even partially under control. But given the situation and urgency to fix it, the simplest way would be the best fit here."
"The simplest? And what might that be?"
"By playing Puyo Puyo, of course."
"Puyo Puyo? Really?"
"Well, it does solve a lot of our problems." Amitie said.
"Well, yeah. I've heard that much…" Neptune gained a sweatdrop. "…but I'm not really sure how it's gonna help with my anger issue."
"It may sound strange…" Mr. Zoh said. "…but there is a ruleset in Puyo Puyo that usually helps in reliving you of any negative emotion. And it does it in a rush, too."
"A rush?" Amitie thought for a bit. "Oh…OH! I get it now! You're talking about Fever ruleset, right?!"
"Indeed I am, Amitie."
"Fever ruleset? What's that?" Neptune asked.
"Ooh~! The Fever ruleset!" I cheered in pure glee. "It's a ruleset in which you have to fill up a special bar by offsetting Garbage Puyo waiting above your board. Once it's filled, you go into a Fever. In such an event, you're given a preset chain and, in the limited amount of time you have, you have to find the "trigger point" that will cause a major chain to go off and attack the opponent. And then you do the same thing but with bigger and more complicated Puyo walls until time runs out. Which then returns you to your original field."
…
…
…
"W-Wow, Nepgear…" Amitie said in shock. "…That's EXACTLY how Fever works."
"How do you know so much about Puyo when you're not even from this world?" Witch asked.
"Ah…well…" I rubbed the back of my head with some embarrassment. "…After it was discovered that we were cousins, I did some research on Puyo Puyo as a whole. All the different rulesets and quirky gimmicks…it was all fascinating to read. My eagerness to play grew the more I studied. So, I was pretty happy to see that the game does work in Gamindustri. Probably because of the worlds fusing…"
"Huh…"
"Sorry about my little sister." Neptune said. "She can be a bit of a geek sometimes…"
"H-Hey!" I grew offended by that claim (even though it's true).
"But will a Fever ruleset Puyo battle really help with my anger problem? It seems like a bit of a stretch."
"Oh, it definitely works!" Witch said. "Do you know how many times we had to calm Ami down from her Light Soul rages and a Puyo battle did the trick? It conks her out every time."
"Why'd you had to use me as an example?" Amitie asked with a huge sweatdrop.
"Give it a try, Neptune." I said. "If it can work for Amitie, then it can possibly work for you."
"Yeah, I guess…" Neptune replied. "…Plus, we don't have any other options and time is pretty nepping limited right now…why not? I'll do it! Let's go all out in Fever mode!"
"Great…then I'll be your opponent." Mr. Zoh said. "Rushing into a Fever Puyo battle…MY EXCITEMENT CANNOT BE CONTAINED MUCH LONGER! IT MUST BE FREED! WHOOOOOOOOOH!"
*BOOM*
"You know, I'm somehow already used to him engulfing in flames like that." I said.
"It grows on you pretty fast…" Amitie and Witch replied with huge sweatdrops.
"So, with all of that stuff said, Let's have ourselves a…"
"…PUYO PUYO BATTLE! WHOOOOOOOOOH!"
*BOOM*
Neptune's POV
Within seconds, my Puyo battle with Zoh began without much of an issue. But unlike the previous one I had, this one had the Fever ruleset Nepgear explained earlier. And…well…even though I made it look easy before when I fought against Revati, I'm still a total noob at this game. So, I can only hope that this goes in my favor.
Which, based on how this story's been going so far, I'm not even sure if that's happened yet…
As the puyos began falling, I noticed something different about them. Unlike the last battle where they were all just two puyos stacked together, these were all in different shapes. Some were a single-colored I shape, a single-colored L-shaped, two puyo colors merged together to form a circle, and there were even giant puyos that changed colors with a single swipe.
"Hey…why are the puyos shaped differently?" I asked.
"It's called a Dropset." Amitie replied. "Everyone has their own unique set. So, just roll with it."
"R-Roll with it?!" I gained a worried look on my face. No way did I think that a new Puyo Puyo rule would come with differently-shaped puyos. It definitely makes the game harder than it already was.
…
Not to mention all the rumbling that came from Zoh's side of the field. Dude made the ground shake with every puyo he dropped. How the nep can ANYONE focus on this game with your whole body shaking every few seconds?!
*sigh* I'll just have to make it work somehow…
And with that thought in mind, I began building up a puyo chain much like how I did earlier. Matching colors and stacking walls…I thought I was doing a decent job at this.
Until I looked over at Zoh's board…
"Zo!"
"Here I go!"
"I'll do it!"
"Prepare yourself!"
"Now I'm angry!"
"Now I'm angry!"
"R-R-Raging Cyclone!"
"W-Woah! H-He made a 7-chain THAT fast?!" Nepgear asked in total shock.
"Yeah…despite his size, Zoh's a pretty fast player." Witch said. "You really gotta keep your eyes peeled for fast combo-makers like that. Otherwise, you'll be bodied in 10 seconds flat."
"Ugh! NOW you bring this up?!" I yelled in frustration.
"Hurry up and offset, Neptune!" Nepgear shouted.
"I'm trying, Nepgear! These different puyo shapes are making it harder for me to find…Ah! There's one!" I then shouted in glee once I noticed a yellow-green puyo pair falling closer to my stack. Once that was placed, it started off my chain and...
…
W-Wait a second! What attacks am I going to use?! I still don't have full control of this Aquarius power! So, what do I nepping do?!
I then felt something tucked away in my pocket. When I took it out and saw what it was…
M-My Wooden Sword?! I had it on me this whole time?! And more importantly, how did I not feel it in there?
…
Pr-Probably best not to question it. At least I have something to attack with…
"Hiya!"
*PING*
"Take that!"
*PING*
"Ya ready?!"
*PING*
"Here I come!"
*PING*
"Level up!"
*PING*
"D-Double Zanba!"
*PING*
And with that, I did a huge offset chain against the mountain of Garbage Puyo that floated above me. But even then, it wasn't enough to fully clear them or enter this "Fever mode" thing. And so, once I placed the next puyo pair, what was left over fell onto my board.
"OW!"
And let me tell you…it freaking hurts!
"You're doing great, Neptune!" Nepgear cheered. "Just offset one more time and you'll enter Fever mode! You can do it!"
"Where did she get the stick from?" Witch asked.
"It's probably some 4th wall nonsense. Best not to think about it." Amitie replied with a sweatdrop.
One more, huh? I still don't understand how this "Fever" thing is going to help with my anger…but I've come too far now to just quit.
"Impressive stuff, Neptune." Zoh said to me. "You're quite good for someone who's only played Puyo once."
"Well, I did learn from my cousin. Then again, I've known Amitie for like 2 months and wasn't aware of this game until recently. But I guess it still counts."
"It really shouldn't…" Amitie retorted with a sweatdrop.
"Point is…you can't defeat a protag that easily! Give me your best shot, Zoh~! *giggle*"
"I don't know what that means…but now I'm fueled with fury! If you desire a greater challenge, Neptune…THEN I SHALL GIVE YOU MY GREAT RAGE! WHOOOOOOOOOH!"
*BOOM*
The battle continued for a good while after that. I managed to send some Garbage Puyo over to Zoh's side and gained time on my Fever clock. But I was still one bubble away from achieving it. And with a strong opponent like Zoh, I was worried that I would never reach it.
But…I gotta try! For the sake of 3 different worlds, I gotta nepping try!
"Zo!"
"Here I go!"
"I'll do it!"
"Oh, boy…that looks like another big chain." Amitie said after Zoh had started another Puyo chain.
"Prepare yourself!"
"Ooh~! With that many Garbage, you're bound to lose, Neptune! Ohhohohoho!" Witch said in a teasing manner.
"Now I'm angry!"
"N-Neptune, hurry! Get that last bubble!" Nepgear yelled in a panic.
"I'm trying, damnit! Stupid blue puyo won't show up!"
I kept masing puyo down onto the stack waiting and hoping for a blue one to spawn. I was truly about to give up and accept the mountainous rainfall of Garbage on my head…when there…sitting in the "NEXT" slot…
Th-there it is! A blue puyo! FINALLY!
"R-Raging Stream!"
"Hiya!"
*PING*
With that single offset move, I managed to fill up the whole gauge. All 7 slots filled! And because of that…
Yes…
I did it…
I really did…
I've achieved…
"FEVER!"
After shouting that word with everything I got (for some reason), my board changed to a more dynamic background. And a preset chain of puyos fell onto my new board.
"You did it, Neptune! You entered Fever mode!" Nepgear cheered. "Now find the trigger point and keep setting off chains!"
The chains are just given to me, right? It takes a load off of me…so, I can get used to that!
The first preset chain was…well…set. And I placed a green/red puyo pair at the fair left to set it off.
"Hiya!"
"Take that!"
"Ya ready?!"
"Here I come!"
"Rapid Rush!"
"Woah…she's actually pretty good at this!" Witch said.
After the first chain was cleared, a second one came down. And like Nepgear said, it was bigger than the last one. But I feel like I can handle it, no problem.
"Hiya!"
"Take that!"
"Ya ready?!"
"Here I come!"
"Level up!"
"R-Rapid Rush!"
"Yeah! Another wall cleared!" Amitie cheered.
Now a third puyo wall was in front of me. And this one was definitely bigger than the previous two.
…
But with the next puyo pair coming up, I noticed something…rather interesting.
Wait…if I put that blue puyo there and the red on next to it, I could probably…
"*elephant trunk sound*"
"H-Huh?!"
Before I could finish my thought, I looked to my right to notice that Zoh had also entered Fever. And was quickly catching up to me in levels.
"Zo!"
"Here I go!"
"I'll do it!"
"Prepare yourself!"
"Now I'm angry!"
"Now I'm angry!"
"R-R-Raging Cyclone!"
Grr…that's it! No more thinking! I just gotta this mindlessly!
And so, with that last thought in mind, I placed the two puyos down and started the chain.
"Hiya!"
"Take that!"
"Ya ready?!"
"Here I come!"
"Level up!"
"Level up!"
"M-M-Mega D-Drive!"
*ALL CLEAR*
"A…An "ALL CLEAR"?! Sh-She got an "ALL CLEAR"?!" Nepgear yelled in complete shock.
Hehhehheh…bad idea to doubt my gamer skills, dear sister…
"Alright! Now Neptune gets an extra Fever wall!" Amitie cheered. And right as she said that, another one did appear. But with this one…
W-Woah…i-it's so big! Probably the biggest I've ever seen! And that ain't saying much since it's only my second time playing this game…
With time running out, I stopped admiring how huge the wall was, placed the red/yellow pair down, and began what was definitely the BIGGEST chain I've ever made.
…
So far…
"Hiya!"
"Take that!"
"Ya ready?!"
"Here I come!"
"Zanba!"
"Here I come!"
"Level up!"
"Level up!"
"Level up!"
"Cr-Cr-Cr-Cross Combination!"
*BOOM*
*elephant cry*
Before I noticed what was going on…the match was over. Zoh's board was filled to the top with Garbage Puyo and was no longer able to place more down.
I had won my first Puyo battle!
Woohoo! Total victory!
"*pant* *pant* Wow…what an exciting match! You're a really good Puyo player, Neptune!" Zoh said as he was recovering from his loss.
"Thanks, Zoh. To hear that from a Primp Town native makes me feel somewhat good about my newbie skills."
"Even I gotta admit…you're pretty good, Neptune." Witch said. "To find a way to get an "ALL CLEAR" in that short amount of time is impressive in its own right."
"And I got SO MANY new notes for my research!" Nepgear cheered as she held her notebook tightly in her hands. "This will definitely help me when I play my first Fever battle! *giggle*"
"N-Nepgear…" I gained a huge sweatdrop.
"So, how do you feel, Neptune?" Amitie asked. "Did it make a difference?"
"Hmm…" I went silent for a bit. "…I actually feel…a little calmer. In fact, my mind seems clearer and the burning within my soul extinguished a little. I even feel a bit of…"
*FLASH*
"H-Huh?! Wh-What?!"
Before I could finish my sentence, a bright light engulfed my sight and I was now suddenly floating in what looked like outer space. Only it was darker and…had a greater feel of emptiness.
Wait…is this what Space-Time looks like?
"Hi there!"
"GAH! Wh-Where did you come from?!" I yelled in shock after a boy with light green hair suddenly appeared in my face.
"Oh, sorry. Did I scare you? It's been so long since I had visitors here that I got too excited. Princes get bored too, you know."
"You're a prince? Who even are you?"
"Aw, what~?! You don't know who I am?! And here I was watching you 24/7 to see if you really are a good fit for my power! You're a lot denser than you look, Neptune."
"O-Okay, there are like SO many things wrong with what you just said…" I retorted with both a sweatdrop and a faint blush. "…but to back up a bit…what do you mean by "your power"?"
"You mean you STILL don't get it?! Man, humans really got dumber over the years…"
This guy's really starting to piss me off…
"But fine. If it'll really help you understand, I'll tell ya." The boy then floated ahead of me and sat on a throne-like chair (that appeared out of nowhere just like he did) with a cocky smirk on his face. And on his one index finger, he spawned a light-blue trigonal-shaped crystal. Balancing it in such a carefree manner.
"Long story short…my name's Sada. I'm the Aquarius Prince…and the guardian of this gem right here. The Aquarius Sapphire!"
"W-Woah, woah! Are you serious?! YOU'RE the guardian of the Aquarius Sapphire?!"
"Geez, I really gotta repeat myself? You really are terrible in the listening department."
How the hell is THIS jerkwad a freaking prince?
"*agitated sigh* Look, whatever. Can you just tell me why you brought me here?" I asked.
"You're trying to get my stone, right? Use its power to go all "magical girl~! Go, go, go~!" and restore the worlds back…"
"I wouldn't call it "magical girl~! Go, go, go~!"…" I gained a sweatdrop.
"I can't just give my precious source of power to just anyone, you know. I gotta make sure you're REALLY the right person for it."
"I already have part of the Sapphire's power infused with my shattered soul. What other proof do you need?"
"Well…" Sada then disappeared…only to reappear again in front of me with a clipboard, pencil, and wearing a fake mustache and glasses. As if he was some kind of doctor.
I'm gonna hate where this is going to go, aren't I?
"Alright, alright. Let's get this interview underway shall we, Miss Neptune?"
"Uh…interview?" I asked.
"Just answer the questions and the results will determine your eligibility. First up…gender?"
"Female."
"Race?"
"Goddess. One of the few races that don't age. Unfortunately…"
"Height?"
"146cm."
That's 4'09" for you readers using the Imperial system…
"Okay~! Now for weight…"
"I-Isn't that a little personal?" I asked with a small blush.
"What? You embarrassed that you're fat?"
"I-I am NOT fat! I'll have you know that I'm a respectfully light 38kg!"
84lbs, for you Imperial readers again!
"Interesting~." Sada said with a smirk on his face. "Now…let's hear those three sizes."
"Wh-Why the hell do you have to know THAT?!" I yelled with a bigger blush on my face.
"Well, it depends. Do you really want the Sapphire, Neptune?"
"Uh…w-well…"
…
…
…
"*sigh* 73…54…76."
"Ooh~! VERY interesting~! *giggle*"
"*whine* I can't believe I just told a boy my three sizes!" I groaned in agony as I fell to the floor. "Now I can never get married!"
"As if you ever had a chance…"
"Hey! WATCH IT!" I then snarled at Sada in a pissed-off tone.
"Fine, fine." Sada said as he ditched the fake doctor stuff. "That's enough of that stuff. Now the REAL test begins."
"The REAL test? If this is the REAL test, then what the hell were those other questions for-"
*PING*
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!"
Before I could finish the sentence, Sada shoved his hand deep inside my body with so much force. To the point where I could feel him groping my soul as if it was a boob.
Which makes this moment all the more degrading and painful…
"Mmhmm…mmhmm…yep. Seems like there's enough of it." Sada said before pulling his hand back out.
"*pant* *pant* Y-You are now…th-the FOURTH person ever that I really really hate…" I struggled to say as I was regaining my breath.
"Aw~! Fourth?! Who's above me?"
"A-As if I'm telling you!"
"Oh, boo! You're no fun."
"LOOK, DID I PASS THE DAMN TEST OF NOT?!" I shouted with so much rage. My patience for this Aquarius Prince being completely gone at this point.
"Alright, alright. Geez, you're short-tempered…*clears throat* Congratulations, Neptune! You have passed all requirements for Zodiac Stone ownership! Now…just say this chant and the Aquarius Sapphire…and the power of Aquarius as a whole…will be yours to control!"
"Yes! Finally! So, what's the chant?!"
"Well…it's…" Sada then whispered the somewhat familiar chant into my ear and soon after gave me the Aquarius Sapphire to hold. It was so shiny that it almost blinded me. Definitely the most beautiful gem I've ever seen.
Alright…now for the chant!
"To the gates of heaven, my soul shall fly…
I send it screaming across the sky.
It shall endure a pleasant rebirth…
And slowly it'll gain such substantial girth.
Sapphire of Aquarius, listen to me…
Give me power! So mote it be!"
And then once I clenched the Sapphire in my hand…
"Ekchusis!"
…I felt a tremendous amount of power flowing within my body. Clearing my mind and fusing with my shattered soul. All of it felt SO NEPPING GOOD! It was all an instant reminder of when I started feeling the powers of Sagittarius and Scorpio before! It just all felt SOOOOOO good!
"Have fun with my power, Neptune. I'm expecting really great results. *chuckle*"
This was the last thing I heard Sada say before everything turned white again. And I wasn't able to see or hear him anymore.
I won't let you down…you asshole of a prince.
"Neptune…NEPTUNE!"
"H-Huh?! Wh-Wha…?" I suddenly heard Nepgear's voice. And then my sight came back revealing her right up in my face.
"Geez, Sis…I know you like to take naps but to just fall asleep in the middle of the road is just plain ridiculous."
"She's learning from Dalida." Amitie said. "That girl falls asleep in the most random of places."
"I am not…" I then went silent for a bit. "…wait…I was asleep?"
"Uh…yeah. Knocked out cold on the pavement."
"I wanted to draw a little mustache and stuff on your face. But Ami wouldn't let me." Witch added.
"Really now?" I gained an agitated sweatdrop.
"Why did you just fall asleep like that, Neptune?" Nepgear asked. "And where did you get that outfit?"
"What out…fit…" I then looked at myself to realize that my clothes did change. It was similar to my old-style parka dress. Only it looked more…futuristic? I guess? I mean, the hood was WAY bigger than it ever was before. And my D-pad hairclips turned into purple LED circler ones.
…
It looks cool. So, I'm not complaining.
"Huh…" Was all I replied with. "…W-Wait a minute! You guys…really didn't see that just now? Any of that?"
"What are you talking about?"
"The bright flash, the green-haired boy asking me embarrassing questions, me grabbing the Aquarius Sapphire?"
"Y-You have the Aquarius Sapphire?!" Nepgear and Amitie yelled in shock once I said that last part.
They really didn't see a thing...
…
…Now that I think about it, that's honestly a huge relief. If Nepgear witnessed me telling a boy my three sizes, she would've been PISSED.
"Uh…yeah, I got it. See?" I then pulled the light-blue trigonal-shaped crystal from my pocket that now belonged to me. It was still as bright as when I saw it the first time. Luckily, it didn't blind me this time.
"Get real…so, that's what it looks like." Amitie said in amazement.
"The power to control the constellations in the sky…stored away in this one gem." Zoh said.
"It's tinier than I thought." Witch said. "That little stone really has astrological power?"
"I've witnessed three of these things execute such insane power. Pretty sure this one will do the same."
"Really? Then prove it. Get one of those landmasses out of the sky like that MAGES. nut said before."
"Fine. If it'll satisfy your doubts on this whole thing. Plus, I do need to test it out before actually using this thing in a battle."
With the Sapphire in one hand, I raised my other hand in an open palm at a random piece of Gamindustri landmass. Charging up energy from deep within my soul.
"Aquarii!"
A light-blue aura then spewed from my hand and wrapped around the landmass. It shifted and misshaped a little…and then it started to disappear. Shrinking and shrinking in size until it was no longer seen by any of our eyes.
It was like…it was never there at all…
"Woah…"
"Where'd it go?" Amitie asked.
"Uh-huh…r-really, it's there?! Okay…thank you!" Nepgear then ended the phone call that she was suddenly on. "That piece that disappeared…a friend of mine in Gamindustri said that a piece of Lastation was put back into place! MAGES.' theory actually worked!"
"Woah…" I said as I looked at the Aquarius Sapphire still in my hand. "…So, with this gem, I can really put Gamindustri back together! It's like I'm really God!"
"But aren't you a goddess?" Amitie asked.
"W-Well, yeah, but…th-this is on an entirely different scale."
Plus, I'm quitting the goddess life once all of this is over…
"We better go inform the others what's happened." Nepgear said.
"Right!" I cheered. "I'm pretty sure Noire would be so happy to hear that…"
*RUMBLE*
"Huh?"
*RUMBLE*
"Zoh, quit shaking the ground! You're gonna break it even more!" Witch yelled at him.
"That's not me! I'm not even moving!"
*RUMBLE*
*RUMBLE*
"Uh…guys. What's THAT?" Nepgear asked as she pointed up ahead. There, we saw a small tear just floating in midair. And it quickly got bigger the longer it stayed there.
"Is that…a rip in Space-Time?" Amitie asked.
"Those things are usually rare." Zoh said. "Unless it's Ecolo screwing around again."
"If it were Ecolo, he would've shown up by now. So, this is…"
*RUMBLE*
*RUMBLE*
*RUMBLE*
*RUMBLE*
*RUMBLE*
"N-Now it's REALLY getting bigger…" Nepgear said as the rip was pulsing at a rapid pace.
"Hold on!" I said as I placed the Sapphire in front of me. "I'm gonna see if I can…"
*BOOM*
"WAAAAAAAAA!"
Before I could finish my sentence, the rip had burst open and turned into a Space-Time portal. The same one that appeared back in Planeptune that led us here to Primp.
…
Only…there were a few differences with this one.
For one…unlike the ones back home, which had a blue void inside them, this one had a purple one. So, that clearly meant that it was created by a different Zodiac Stone.
…
Also…this one was spewing out water. Like…TONS of it.
"Wh-What's with this water?! Where is it even coming from?!" I yelled as we all continued to be drenched in water.
"Big Wave!"
*SPLASH*
"*cough* *cough* *cough* Ugh…damnit! My clothes are freaking soaked!"
"Yeah…mine, too. But at least we made it out of that situation in time."
"*sigh* Looks like that fish prince really isn't as much of a bratty asshole as I originally perceived him as."
"He has his good merits…although, they are pretty rare on their own rights."
…
…
…
"L…Lidelle!" Amitie shouted in a cheerful shock.
"A-Amitie! You survived that dark portal, too!" Said a girl with tiny horns hidden within her green hair.
"Feli, Jarne, and Resta made it, too. We just ended up in different locations."
"I see…"
Lidelle?
…
O-Oh, yeah! I remember! I met both her and Feli a couple of days ago. Before all of this "world fusing" mess began…
"Neptune and Nepgear? I wasn't expecting to see you two here."
"Hey, Blanc!" I cheered to my short-tempered CPU friend. "Glad to see that you survived the collapsed of Gamindustri!"
"Why do you sound so cheerful about that?"
"Oh, trust me. I'm not. My sanity is slowly depleting due to my soul being shattered and all I can think now is exacting bloody-murder styled revenge against the people who caused it. I'm basically a ticking time bomb."
"Sounds like you had it worse than me…" Blanc said with a sweatdrop.
"Anyway…where did you guys come from? That portal was purple and filled with water…"
"Oh, right." Lidelle said. "We can tell you…but it matters if that THING got left behind or not."
"That THING?" We all asked.
"Uh…Lidelle…" Blanc said as she pointed up to the sky. And we we all looked up, we saw it. Flying across the landmass-filled sky.
"Crap! It did make it here!" Lidelle yelled.
"What? You mean that normal-looking butterfly?" Witch asked.
"*sniff* *sniff* No…that butterfly is not normal." Zoh said as his trunk was moving all over the place. "I sense a ton of energy coming from it. A lot of it is universal and…filled to the brim with *sniff* *sniff*…Judgement."
"Judgement?"
"Guys." Lidelle said with a sorrowful yet serious look on her face. "This is going to sound odd, but…we gotta start preparing for the GREATEST battle of our lives."
"Th…The GREATEST?" All of us asked with chills down our spines.
What the hell are we dealing with now?
Author's Note: Finding a way to ease her anger and gaining full control of the Aquarius Sapphire in one day…it felt like things for Neptune were finally going her way again. Until Lidelle and Blanc show up from a different portal…warning them of a "butterfly filled with Judgement".
Fun fact: This was a chapter that was pushed back several times. I would at least try to work on it…only to go with some other idea for a chapter and leave this on behind. Which, kinda makes sense. Considering how long it ended up being.
Thanks for reading. Later.
