When Melanie woke up the next morning, her mind was blank for only a moment before she remembered what happened last night. She had managed to make a bit of headway in this place and somehow get on an equal level with the scientist Dr. Flug.
Melanie was excited. She and Flug could become real friends. They could all hang out with Sadie and 505. Then maybe just maybe they could all be heroes together.
These excited ideas filled Melanie's heads as she got ready, read the Bible, prayed, and ran downstairs for breakfast.
Melanie entered the kitchen and found 505 with...Sadie?
Sure enough, Sadie was standing there next to 505 helping him make waffles. She was wearing more of Melanie's clean clothes, a t-shirt, shorts, and slippers.
Melanie gasped and asked, "What are you doing here? Won't Flug get mad if you're out of your cage?"
"Flug isn't awake yet," said Sadie. "505 and I woke up early. I took a shower, got clean clothes, got ready for the day, and 505 let me come upstairs. He told me how everyone made up last night. That was so sweet."
"Sadie, you don't get the urgency of this," Melanie said. "Flug likes me now, I think, but that doesn't mean he'll be happy to see you out of your cage."
"Well, if Flug has a problem with it, he can take it up with 505," Sadie said.
Just then, they heard a loud "AHEM" coming from the door. Everyone turned around to see Flug.
505 picked up his phone and quickly typed, "Good morning, dad!"
"Why did you two bring Sadie upstairs?" Flug asked directly.
"I didn't bring Sadie upstairs…" Melanie tried to explain.
"I did," 505 typed. "I wanted to make breakfast and I didn't want her to be lonely downstairs while she waited."
"I heard how you, Melanie, and 505 made up after the fight," said Sadie. "And I was bored. So, I decided to help make breakfast for everybody. Isn't it great? We can all be friends now."
"Uh huh," Flug said. "Would you come over here please?"
Reluctantly, Sadie left her post by the counter and walked over to Flug.
"Yes, hopeful new friend?" Sadie asked, levitating off the ground to get closer to Flug's face.
Flug pulled out the chair and asked, "Would you sit in this chair, please?"
"Uh, okay…" Sadie said, hovering down and sitting in the chair Flug set out for her.
Flug pressed a button on his watch and a glowing green ring wrapped around her torso.
"Hey!" Sadie cried. "What is this thing?"
"It's just something to make sure you stay in place so you don't try to escape," Flug explained.
"I wasn't planning on trying to escape," Sadie retorted. "We're friends now, and friends don't put friends in restraints."
"Yeah, Flug, I thought we were cool now," Melanie protested.
"That doesn't mean I can risk it," Flug explained. "I'm still in charge of you two, and if either of you two get away, it's on me. I'll allow you to eat up here, but either you two stay in my sight at all times without trying to run away, or you have to be separated again. Deal?"
"Deal," Melanie said.
Sadie shapeshifted into a mouse to slip out of her restraint and said, "Deal, but I'm not sitting strapped to a chair. I don't like how it feels."
"Fine," Flug said with an eyeroll. "But you need to stay in the chair."
Sadie shapeshifted back into a human, crossed her arms, and said, "Fine."
"You sit down too," Flug said to Melanie.
"What? Why?" Melanie asked.
"Because it'll make my life easier," Flug said, pleading with his eyes. "Please?"
With a sigh, Melanie headed over to a chair next to Sadie and said, "Okay."
Flug sat down next to them and turned on the TV. He then picked up the remote and started flipping through the channels.
Melanie and Sadie looked at each other and then looked at Flug.
"Hey, Flug?" asked Melanie. "How many channels are there?"
"Actually, we get plenty of them around this planet and others," answered Flug.
"So, what are you looking for, Flug?" asked Melanie.
"Looking for the news," Flug explained. "It's what I do every morning."
"You mean you do normal person things?" asked Sadie in sarcastic shock.
"Very funny," Flug said with an eye roll. "But yes, I like to watch the news while I'm eating breakfast to know what's going on in the world of villainy."
Melanie and Sadie looked at each other excitedly and then looked at Flug.
"So, that means you have anime channels," said Melanie excitedly.
"Yes, probably," Flug said with an eyebrow raised.
"Can we watch anime?" Sadie asked. "Please?"
"And why would I let you do that?" Flug replied.
"Because making me happy makes 505 happy!" Melanie answered.
505 cheered in agreement.
"And because we're friends now," Melanie answered.
"Yeah, and we would like to watch anime please," added Sadie.
"Don't anime mostly have stories about heroes?" Flug asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, among other things," said Sadie. "That's what makes them awesome!"
"It sounds like a bunch of nonsense," said Flug.
"It's a work of art that inspires the world!" Melanie cried, hitting her fist on the table for emphasis.
"What she said!" Sadie agreed, repeating the motion.
"Please don't bang on the table," Flug said unamused. "And as a man of science, I say villainy can be an art too!"
"Anything can be if you're creative enough, but anime is better," Sadie argued.
"Yeah, there is an anime genre for everything!" Melanie said excitedly. "One anime I just started watching is called Mobile Suit Gundam. It's a futuristic anime where two factions of Earth are at war, and they fly giant robots! People die! There's a lot of political commentary, and it's super dark! And the mechas are so cool!"
"Big deal," Flug said as he rolled his eyes. "I've built robots too."
"Have you ever built a giant mecha robot that can fight other robots in a large space war?" Melanie asked.
"No," Flug replied.
"Exactly," Melanie said proudly. "And don't even get us started on magical girl anime. I mean, have you ever heard of Sailor Moon or Madoka Magica?"
"Sailor Moon?" Flug asked out loud. "I think 505 has said a few things about it."
"It's only one of the most influential animes in all of history," Sadie replied. "You can't tell me you haven't ever watched it."
"I vaguely recall it being on TV when I was little," said Flug.
"See?" asked Melanie. "Who hasn't heard about it?"
"My mum and dad did too," said Sadie. "They watched the horrendous DIC dub. We've watched it in the much more faithful Viz English dub. It's so good that even Lucy loves it, and she watched it in the original Japanese dub back in Japan."
"Uh huh…" Flug said, unsure of how to react to their geekiness.
"It is amazing!" Melanie squealed in joy. "At first, I thought magical girl anime were just sparkles and frilly girly girl nonsense, but then Sadie showed me there was so much more to them than that! They're about friendship and love and being a real hero while being the strongest woman you can possibly be! Then, she introduced me to even more magical girl anime including Madoka Magica which is about girls who are tricked into being magical girls by evil aliens who claim they're doing it to save the universe. It's super-duper dark because of how it affects the girls, but the main character finds a way to fight back even though she has to sacrifice herself!"
"Geez. Spoil the whole anime for him, why don't you?" said Sadie.
"He doesn't care," Melanie said. "It's not like he's going to watch it."
"I appreciate the summary though," Flug said. "Sometimes, what you want requires sacrifice. That can apply to anything to anything. Good or bad."
"Yeah, that's what I've learned," Melanie said with a sigh. "I'll have to give up being close to my family to be a hero."
"You can't be a hero, remember?" Flug reminded her. "Not unless you're a hero who uses evil methods."
"But I don't want to use evil methods," protested Melanie.
"Unfortunately, there isn't much of a choice here," Flug explained.
"Sure, there is," Sadie said. "Melanie can still choose to do good."
"She'll have to choose evil eventually," Flug said sadly. "Black Hat will soon start to punish her more harshly if she doesn't."
"I'll just have to suffer then," Melanie said sadly. "I won't change."
"You won't have that choice, Melanie," said Flug. "Black Hat is not going to stop until he makes you change. He won't give up. The institute won't be any kinder. I know from experience. You have few choices there either."
Melanie's face fell sadly as she laid her head on the table. She lay there silently and stared fearfully into the distance while Sadie patted her hair to comfort her.
Flug looked at the pair and back at 505 who was looking back at him with a plate of waffles in both his hands.
505 looked back just as sadly, not knowing how to make the situation better.
Flug then looked back at the table, looked at the remote, and came up with an idea.
"But you do have a choice now," Flug said, his tone of voice raising with his mood as he slid the remote over to the girls. "Melanie, you and Sadie can choose what we watch with breakfast today."
Momentarily forgetting their sorrows, both girls perked up.
"Really?" Melanie asked.
"Yep," Flug said, sliding the remote over to them. "We have many channels here, even some from other planets and galaxies. Take your pick. I'm going to brew up some coffee."
Flug got up and headed over to the counter to make some coffee as Melanie picked up the remote.
"Look for an anime channel," Sadie requested.
"That's exactly what I'm looking for," Melanie replied as she began flipping through channels.
Flug sighed sadly as he brewed his coffee on the counter.
505 looked over to him and whined to ask if he was okay.
"I don't know, buddy," Flug said. "I'm an evil scientist. I'm used to doing whatever Black Hat says without question. I thought those pesky feelings of guilt disappeared. But now, I'm wondering if we're doing the right thing for Melanie."
"She doesn't like it here," 505 typed.
"I know, but she can't leave," Flug replied.
"Well, I'll try to make it as not miserable as possible," typed 505.
Flug smiled under his bag and said, "I will, too."
"Holy crap! Stop channel flipping!" cried Sadie.
Melanie set down the remote as she and her friend squealed with joy.
Flug and 505 turned around to see that the girls had found a channel airing the Sailor Moon anime.
The opening was airing. Flug was familiar with the music though not the lyrics.
"They're airing the Japanese opening," Sadie said excitedly. "That's a good sign."
"Yeah, but will this be in Japanese, Japanese with English subtitles, or in the Viz English dub?" asked Melanie.
"We'll have to find out," said Sadie. "So, keep quiet."
"You're the one who's still talking," Melanie retorted.
"Shut up," Sadie replied sarcastically prompting an eye roll from Melanie.
Both girls waited in silent anticipation for the theme song to finish.
Flug couldn't help but smile under his bag.
Flug had never understood what it was like to have adolescent friendships. At least until he met Cecilia. But he did remember the excitement of waiting for his favorite cartoons to air.
Those were among the memories he had almost forgotten, one of the few where he wasn't miserable.
Not to misunderstand, Flug was not constantly miserable in Black Hat's manor. When Black Hat wasn't chewing him out, the work was satisfying and rewarding.
However, seeing the two girls reminded Flug of when things were much more... simple.
"It's the Viz Media dub!" Sadie cheered.
"Holy crap, yes!" Melanie cheered along with her.
Flug chuckled under his breath and brought the coffee pot and three mugs to the table.
Sadie sighed and said, "It's been a while since I've seen good ol' Meatball Head."
"Mamoru calls Usagi Bun Head," corrected Melanie.
"I know that, Melanie," Sadie said sassily. "But her hair looks more like meatballs to me.
Flug sat at the table with the mugs and coffee pot and asked, "Would you ladies like some coffee?"
"Yes," Melanie said excitedly.
"I prefer tea, but this'll do," added Sadie, pausing the television.
"I should have enough for three cups, but I'll make more if you want," said Flug.
505 checked the cabinet for extra cookies they could have.
"Hey, 505?" asked Sadie. "Is breakfast ready yet? I'm ready for the rashers."
505 nodded. He remembered to write a list of some of Sadie's favorite foods as well.
"Rashers?" asked Flug.
"That's Irish slang for bacon," Melanie explained.
"Bring on the rashers!" Sadie cried out excitedly as she hovered in the air.
"Hey! Stay where I can see you," Flug reminded her.
"You can see her," Melanie retorted.
"I know," Flug reminded them. "It's just my job. Like it or not, I still have to do it."
Just then, to break up the tension, 505 brought in breakfast for everyone.
There were plates of bacon, eggs, waffles, pancakes, chopped-up fruit, and sausage. It was the kind of breakfast that people only dreamed about.
Melanie and Sadie took out their phones and took pictures. The breakfast was beautiful.
"This is amazing," Melanie gushed.
"It's like the special brunch we eat at my gran's house," Sadie gushed. "It's almost immaculate."
505 visibly blushed and typed, "Thank you."
"Wash your hands and sit down, buddy," Flug said. "I'm ready to eat."
"Do you guys feast like this every day?" asked Sadie.
"No, I usually grab something and then get dragged off to be brainwashed for the day," Melanie explained. "It's better now that you're here."
"One, this is a special occasion," Flug said. "We don't get guests very often as you can imagine. And, those were re-education classes, Melanie. We only tried to brainwash you once."
"You say that like it's nothing," Sadie commented.
"Well, the Black Hat manor does not normally welcome guests, and even when we do, we don't normally serve breakfast to guests," explained Flug, willfully dodging Sadie's meaning.
"You know that's not what she's talking about," Melanie pressed.
"I understand," explained Flug. "But my job is my job, and I won't apologize for doing it. Black Hat believes your treatment is necessary, Melanie, so that's all there is to it."
"That's not what you said yesterday," Melanie reminded him. "Yesterday, you said it wasn't your choice."
Flug froze and gave Melanie a pointed look.
"You know, for someone who needs their lessons recorded, you sure have a sharp memory," noted Flug.
"Oh, well…" Melanie stammered.
"She struggles to remember details sometimes," Sadie said, defensively flying over Melanie's head. "That doesn't mean she isn't smart."
"Yes, yes," Flug said while 505 gestured to the remote to break up the awkwardness. "Well, enjoy your show."
"Oh, yeah," Melanie said, picking up the remote and pressing play. "I almost forgot."
"I wonder what episode this is," Sadie said. "From the opening I can tell it's still the first series, but I can't tell which episode…"
The quartet sat and enjoyed their breakfast while the show continued.
505 and the girls watched completely engrossed in the story while Flug watched and allowed himself to be washed over with nostalgia. Sure, some names were different, and the voice acting was more bearable. But so much of it felt so familiar and just as enjoyable as it did back then.
Just then, the girl with the short blue hair came on the screen. She was always his favorite because she was the smart one with ambition.
"I never understood why the series wasn't about her," Flug said out loud.
"Bauw?" 505 asked.
"What did you say?" Sadie asked.
Flug paused in terror as the other two girls paused the show and turned around.
"I heard him," said Melanie excitedly. "He was wondering why Ami wasn't the main character. He's a fan just like we are."
"It's about all of them," said Sadie. "Sailor Moon is just the main character."
"But why?" Flug asked. "Ami is the smart one who figures things out. She's driven and determined. Serena is a crybaby. The show should have been about her."
"Her name is Usagi," corrected Melanie. "And she's a good character. She grows so much and becomes so brave. She's super relatable too because she's clumsy and over-emotional but she tries her best anyways. Her love for other people is also what helps her friends grow as people."
"But Ami is the smartest girl in her class," Flug protested. "She studies hard and teaches 'Usagi' how to study. She wants to be a doctor and works hard and uses her intelligence to help the team. She wastes her talents on them. She should have joined Queen Beryl and become a powerful supervillain."
Melanie and Sadie gave each other knowing looks, smirked, and looked back at Flug.
"What?" Flug asked.
"You had a crush on Ami growing up, didn't you, lad?" asked Sadie.
"I did not!" Flug said defensively. "Can't an intelligent person like myself just acknowledge another person's intelligence?"
"You can, but that has to mean you like intelligent women, right?" asked Melanie.
"Of course, I work with plenty of highly intelligent women within the organization," Flug began to explain. "Some of whom work under me as scientists within the Black Hat Organization Science…"
"So, you're saying you have a type?" interrupted Sadie.
"What?" Flug asked.
"He totally has a type," Melanie said to Sadie.
"What does that even mean?" asked Flug.
"It means you're into smart girls," Sadie teased.
"Well, I do enjoy the company of someone who isn't a dolt," Flug explained.
"And Flug's totally a tsundere!" cried Sadie.
"What does that even mean?" Flug asked.
"It's an anime word," 505 typed. "It means you're someone who hides his feelings of love by being super aggressive and angry."
"I am not!" cried Flug.
"Nah," Melanie teased. "You're one of the smart, snarky ones."
"I am not!" Flug said. "You can't be serious! I'll have you two know that I am not interested in any kind of romance. I find such emotions to be disgusting and a waste of time."
"Aw, come on!" Sadie protested. "You have to have felt something for someone at least once!"
"Well, I haven't," Flug lied.
"Oh, so you're asexual and aromantic?" Melanie asked.
"Yes," Flug lied.
"Oh, to each their own," Sadie said, about to turn to another subject until…
"What a load of bull!"
A tongue suddenly shot out towards the plate of waffles and a few waffles off the top.
Everyone looked up to see Demencia on the ceiling.
"Flug is totally lying," sneered Demencia. "He talks to that scientist lady Penumbra all the time for hours at a time! And when he kissed Miss Heed for her livestream to break her potion's spell on everybody, he totally enjoyed it!"
Melanie and Sadie looked at each other excitedly and proceeded to loudly squeal in excitement.
"DEMENCIA!" Flug screamed in frustration. "Why would you tell them that?!"
"Because you were lying to them about something stupid, nerd," Demencia teased, cackling wildly as she crawled away on the ceiling.
"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, you're the one who defeated Miss Heed?" Sadie asked.
"You like Penumbra? Are you two dating online?" Melanie fired without taking time to breathe. "Wait? Isn't she in a relationship with Sunblast? Are you jealous?"
"Did you know Miss Heed from a long time ago?" Sadie asked.
"Is she your ex-girlfriend?" Melanie asked. "There's so much I have to know…"
The girls hit Flug with question after question until the chatter was indecipherable.
The evil scientist finally held his hands over his ears, stood up, and cried out in frustration, "ENOUGH! You two need to stop harassing me right now! I'm not in any relationship and I don't ever plan to be! Now, you two need to eat your breakfasts and watch your show so that we can move on with our day! Alright?"
Both girls nodded. 505 nodded too even though he wasn't the one bugging Flug.
"Good," Flug said, sitting back in his chair. "Now, let's eat and watch our program."
With that, the group ate silently while watching the full Sailor Moon episode. As they ate, the girls looked at each other mischievously, thinking the same thing.