SZ: *sees faves and reviews for Rising Sun*...
GT: You got quite a few favorites, but I'm happy you got a review.
SZ: Yeah...plus it's from Bigby, so that's a plus. I mean, he always gives such good reviews.
GT: Agreed. I saw the review and, while it isn't as big as often, it's still a great first review for a story.
SZ: Indeed. Plus this story is still kinda starting out, so hopefully we'll see more reviews as it goes on.
GT: *nods*
SZ: Yup, so let's get this show on the road...unless we need the disclaimer this time around, GT.
GT: Nah. We do not own Okami nor Mega Man Star Force. They are owned by Capcom...WHO NEEDS TO MAKE MORE MEGAMAN GAMES, DAMMIT!
SZ: Agreed!...ahem. Sorry about that...beginning the story.
"Mmm...how did this happen?" Sonia muttered, trying to get the clothes Hope loaned to her on as she stood in the bathroom, "I'm as tall as Mrs. Stellar now."
"And I'm all white," Lyra noted, looking at her reflection in the mirror, "At least my radiation is still the same color along with my eyes."
"Well I'm glad you're taking this well," Sonia deadpanned as she got the shirt on.
"This is something that naturally happens to FM-Ians and AM-Ians when they reach a certain threshold," Lyra noted while she looked at her friend/partner, "Though...I know that changes happen with humans, I never expected it to be this fast a change. The last time you changed spent six years."
"I know, a-" Sonai began as she got the pants on, only for them to tear a bit, "..."
"What's wrong?" Lyra asked.
"...I think I'm a bit wider in the hips than Mrs. Stellar," Sonia noted, looking where the rips were as best she could in the bathroom mirror.
"...Should I get Mrs. Stellar for help?"
"Mmm…"
"You're right. It is a stupid question," Lyra sweatdropped as she phased through the wall.
"Come to think of it, I think my chest is a size bigger, too," Sonia admitted to herself, seeing the shirt was a bit higher on her than Hope.
"Where is she…?" Lyra whispered as she looked around the house for Hope, "Mrs. Stellar? Oh, Mrs. Stellar!"
"Lyra?"
"Oh, jeez!" Lyra yelped as she jumped a bit, turning around quickly to see Geo, "Don't do that, Geo!"
"Sorry."
"It's fine...but question. Do you know where your mom is at the moment?" Lyra asked.
"She went out with dad to pick up Dr. Goodall," Geo replied.
"Ahh….drat," Lyra cursed, "I needed her for something important."
"Huh? Something important?" Geo repeated, "Wait...di...did something happen to Sonia?"
"No. It's just...well...the pants ripped," Lyra replied before Omega-Xis materialized.
"I still don't get why you humans wear these 'clothes' even how long I've lived here," Omega-Xis snorted.
"Well it's because unlike most of our kind, humans need clothes to keep their bare bodies covered," Lyra explained with a small frown.
"So...It's armor?"
"Ugh…" Lyra sighed, "Yes, Omega-Xis, it's a special human-only armor that they also try to make for little animals likes dogs and cats."
"Wait, wait, wait. The pants ripped?" Geo asked.
"Yup. It seems her height isn't the only thing that changed," Lyra stated.
"Did she grow a tail like that one FM-Ian that got too cocky in a fight and got shived?" Omega-Xis recalled.
"Wait, what?" Geo looked at Omega-Xis.
"Humans can't grow tails, Omega-Xis," Lyra sighed.
"Well what about those humans in that...what was it called? Oh yeah...that old DBZ manga?"
"First off: Those are called Saiyans. Second off: It's just a manga; meaning none of the stuff in it is real."
"What?! You're kidding me!" Omega-Xis gawked before zipping off.
"Where are you going?" Lyra asked.
"To prove you wrong and stuff in manga is real!" Omega-Xis argued.
"Don't go into the lawnmower again!" Geo called before looking at Lyra, "Well...Maybe you can get one of my dad's shorts to try."
"...Good idea," Lyra admitted as she phased into the ceiling.
Back with Sonia, she was carefully examining herself in the mirror, checking to see what parts of her had changed. She knew she was as tall as Mrs. Stellar since she had been measured by her and her hair was still the same length as she remembered it. She noted her hips did get a bit bigger, enough that her, along with Hope's, pants being too small for her to get on. Grabbing the measuring tape, she began to check herself. After checking her waist, hips, and chest, she noted she was B65-H56-H85.
"Sonia," Lyra partly phased through the door.
"Oh! Lyra," Sonia turned to her, "Did you find her?"
"No," Lyra replied, "But Geo did suggest we try some pants from his father's closet," Lyra replied.
"Oh...good idea," Sonia nodded, "Can you…?"
"They're hanging off the doorknob on the other side," Lyra replied, "I grabbed a few just in case before I came back."
"You're the best, Lyra," Sonia beamed as she moved to the door before a clatter made her look to see she had bumped into her VG Hunter, displaying her BrotherBands with Geo's at the strongest, "...Hey, Lyra?"
"You're thinking about that Mu incident again, aren't you?" Lyra asked.
"..." Sonia nodded.
"Geo said he forgave you for that years ago," Lyra sighed.
"I know, but...but we were the other's first Brother and...and me doing that…"
"You were worried about him," Lyra spoke, "We've talked about this so many times, that it's like I now have a script for all your responses. You made a mistake, yes, one that was really painful to you both both figuratively and literally when it came down to blows. But he still forgave you, Sonia. Look, just get the shorts and I'll wait with Geo in the living room while we keep an eye on the lawnmower in case Omega-Xis tries to use it to prove that manga is real."
"But…"
"I know, but you know what Mr. ''Allergy to Women' is like," Lyra huffed before phasing through the floor.
"...Hai…" Sonia sighed before blinking, "...What did I just say?"
"She really did that to him?" Lyra giggled.
"Yeah," Geo gave a small chuckle, "He's never lived it down especially when mom took pictures of the end result of what she did."
"Heh heh...oh, that must've been hilarious to see," Lyra giggled.
"Heh...I suppose so, yeah," Geo nodded as he turned the TV on.
=In recent news, there have been sightings of a mysterious island appearing around the ocean, and near cities near the coastline= a Wizard themed after a news reporter stated as the upper right part of the screen showed a strange island covered in fog, a question mark on said picture =Nobody knows where this mysterious island came from, but it's said that it changes location every single day; meaning no one has able to land on said island, nor locate it=
"..." Lyra and Geo shared looks.
"You...You don't think it's another lost civilization like Mu, do you?"
"We both agree that if there are artifacts, we are making sure Omega-Xis do not eat them?"
"Right," Lyra agreed.
"I'm coming down!" Sonia called as she came down the stairs, wearing one of Hope's spare shirts and a pair of blue jean shorts held by a belt, "I'm so glad that I wore that longer belt before we met up with you, Geo."
"..."
"...Geo?" Sonia blinked.
"We, uh, we may be having an issue of sorts," Lyra noted, "The news just said there's an island disappearing and reappearing off the shore of Electopia in random areas."
"...Please tell me it's not another Mu," Sonia begged.
"Maybe Atlantis," Geo tried to joke before noticing Lyra's glare/frown, "...Right, sorry."
"...Think Solo's heard about this by now?" Sonia couldn't help but ask.
"Knowing him, I highly doubt it."
The wind ruffled the ends of a leather jacket as its owner looked out at the sea. Red eyes with tribal tattoos under them narrowed as, for a brief moment, their owner spotted a shoreline a bit away from the cliffline they were on.
=...=
"...It is not Murian," the figure noted, their spiky white hair not bothered by the wind, "It's...older…"
=...=
"I know that should be impossible. Not even Atlantis was born until near the time of the end," the figure looked at a stone VG Hunter on their wrist, "And yet…"
=...=
"I know, Laplace," Solo nodded as he looked out to shore...and the other shore gone, "We need to get onto that island."
"Hmm…" Dr. Goodall adjusted her glasses as she looked at a digital screen displayed before her while Sonia was lying flat on the couch, a Wizard with scanners for lower arms moving back and forth slowly along her body, its scanner arms a few inches over her until they turned off and the Wizard moved back, "Well, Sonia, you're quite healthy. In fact, the results from this scan are much better than your last scan a few weeks ago."
"Scan?" Hope whispered to Kelvin.
"It's to make sure there aren't really any issues with people who Wave Change with alien life forms or Wizards in Ace's case," Kelvin explained.
"Why, I'd say you'd live well past a hundred," Dr. Goodall adjusted her glasses while Sonia sat up, "Now then, Lyra, let's start with you."
"Okay," Lyra nodded as she floated down and the Wizard went to work on scanning her.
"Hmm...Yes, yes, it seems everything is...hello," Dr. Goodall moved her glasses a bit as the Wizard halted its scan, "What have we here? Kelvy, concur with me on this."
Kelvin, ignoring Hope's giggle at his nickname from her, walked over and looked at the screen. Dr. Goodall pointed at something and Kelvin looked at it. He blinked twice before looking at Goodall and back at the thing she was pointing at.
"Lyra, it seems some sort of energy has latched onto your own power, melding itself with it," Kelvin noted, "It's not feeding off of it, but is actually trying to merge with it."
"Merge?" Lyra and Sonia repeated.
"...That light…" Sonia whispered, her eyes widening in realization, "Lyra...you don't think…?"
"That whatever that thing the sphere had latched itself onto us and resulted in…" Lyra paused as she motioned to herself then Sonia, "This? Then yes."
"Thing?" Goodall repeated.
"This weird black and red sphere with this weird markings all over it and had this weird frequency," Omega-Xis snorted.
"It had this box and when we broke it, it let out this bright white light with bits of red light mixed into it," Lyra explained, "Some of the white and red light went into Sonia and I as Lyra Note."
"Hai," Sonia nodded before covering her mouth, "?!"
"Um...Yes, hi?" Hope blinked.
"My, my, my," Dr. Goodall chuckled, "Trying to make a new language are we?"
"I-iie," Sonia stammered before covering her mouth again, an annoyed noise escaping her lips.
"...Wait. I think I heard of that language before in some old videos I found," Omega-Xis spoke up before going into Geo's VG Hunter =Now let's see...I know I stored them in here somewhere…Ah ha! Found one!= a static came out of the VG Hunter before music played.
buttoibiito oodaiko hibikasete oopun/maiodore ukiyobitonosekaiyochakichaki hanabayashi yayakoshibanashi nifutawoshite/Yeah asamade!
"...What did I just hear?" Kelvin pondered.
"It kinda sounds like something a party would play," Sonia noted.
"Oh? What did it sound like to you?" Goodall asked.
"'Make a pounding beat on the big drum open.' 'Dance in this fleeting world.' 'Pure floral accompaniment, put a lid on a complex story.' 'Yeah! Until morning,'" Sonia replied.
"I didn't hear that," Geo admitted.
"Neither did I. I only made out the 'yeah' at the end since it was the only thing that could pass as English," Hope agreed.
"Hmmm...It could be that while Lyra was given power, you might have information, Sonia," Dr. Goodall noted.
"Nani?" Sonia blinked, her eye twitching at another slip of tongue.
"If I'm right about this…" Goodall paced slowly, "Sonia, you now know a Dead Language."
"What's a Dead Language?" Omega-Xis asked once he reappeared.
"A Dead Language is exactly what it says; a language that became unused to the point that no one even knows how to speak or read it," Kelvin noted.
"So if we learn it and use it as code, we get the drop on anyone we want!" Omega-Xis grinned excitedly.
Goodall giggled, "Ah, Meggers is quite the silly one, isn't he?"
"Grr…" Omega-Xis' eye twitched at the nickname.
"So I can speak and understand a language no one else does?" Sonia blinked twice, "...This is when I first talked to Geo all over again, except this time it's not in business or singer to someone who's never heard of the singer."
"Yeah...but now I'm curious about something," Lyra spoke up, catching everyone's attention, "...What was that sphere, and where was it going with that container containing that light?"
"...Huh. The out of tune harp has a point," Omega-Xis admitted, "What the heck was that thing anyway?" he looked at his claws, the tips still a bit burnt, "That black denpa coming off it burnt my claws."
"I'm unsure," Goodall replied, "But if you could give an apt description or Meggers or Lyrical allow us to access their memory waves so we can get an image on it, WAXA could put an APB on it."
"...It does sound like a good idea," Lyra admitted.
"What's there to describe? It's a black sphere with red lines, and black flame-like denpa," Omega-Xis stated bluntly.
"What did the red lines resemble? A chaotic mish-mash? Symbols?" Goodwin asked.
"Uh…"
Lyra sighed, facepalming before floating over, "I don't mind you using my memory wavelength, but focus on just the image of that thing."
"Fair enough," Goodall nodded, "Just lay down again and it will take a few minutes to get the right thing."
Lyra nodded as she did so, taking a deep breath as she relaxed.
Vulpecula stopped over an empty patch of water, storm clouds rumbling overhead. Despite the advancements over the past several years, people still couldn't really see the wave road without special lenses. Yet, to one born in the world of waves, Vulpecula could make out a crumbling piece of the wave road going beneath the waters. She shot down the old wave road and beneath the waves, following it deep beneath as a light rainfall came upon the waters below.
Further and further she went beneath the salty waters, going deeper and deeper. As she continued, the rainfall above grew stronger as a wind began to pick up. She then noticed something beginning to rise up, resembling a demon's face in shape. She closed her eyes and pressed onwards, shuddering as she went through it, unaware of a miasma-like substance began to soak into her armor, turning it darker in color with each second passing. The storm above only grew worse as she made it to the seafloor of the ocean...and now floated before the decaying remains of what had once been a small island, the houses all over preserved in their damages conditions as if fossilized by the sea itself.
She ignored the houses as she floated down a path, her armor now pitch black with white markings. Faint words could barely be made out on the few damaged signs, yet she could still make out the words. As she exited the village and into a cavern, she was unaware of her body changing, growing larger and longer while the miasma-like substance continued entering her. As she surfaced in an underwater cavern filled with air, she continued her pace on a pair of slender, shapely legs resembling the hind legs of a fox made of her much darker armor. Her denpa-made tail swayed behind her firm shapely buttocks, a sway every so often splitting the tail and making a new one. By the time she reached a shrine, damaged to the point that it seemed to have been a casualty of a fierce battle, nine denpa made tails swayed, the tips pitch black like ink.
"I feel it…" Vulpecula whispered before giggling.
The giggle soon became a small chuckle. The chuckle soon turned into laughter as she wrapped her slender, armor-made arms around her slim, toned waist made of armor plating. The storm above, now a stagnant typhoon, continued to increase in power as the waters below were now a chaotic mess while Vulpecula's laughter soon lost any form of sanity. The waves crashed and rumbled as something beneath seems to begin to rise. Had anyone been witness to it, they would have witnessed chains made of a pitch black and red ink seemed to erupt from the waters, swirling malevolently as they obscured what was emerging.
The storm was gone hours later, the sea where it had been seemingly untouched. Vulpecula emerged from the cavern, gazing out upon the wooden houses unused yet looking brand new. Looking upwards and upon the pitch black sky with a black sun, she gave a small laugh as the miasma-like substance leaked out of her feet and moved down to the village. Roars erupted in conjunction to her laughter, giving a chaotic harmony.
"?!" Solo tensed, suddenly turning around and looking out into the sky, "...Laplace, you felt that right?"
=...=
Solo nodded, "...Something's changed. I don't know what it is, but...it feels...impure."
=...=
"...I'm not going to go to them for help," Solo frowned, "We can handle this ourselves, Laplace."
=...=
"Hmm...interesting…" Goodall noted, looking at the data she got from Lyra's memories as her assistant Wizard went into her VG Hunter, "I'll take these images back to the lab and see if I can get a better picture of what the red lines make up on it and given an APB on it."
"Right," Lyra nodded as she floated back up.
"Oh, and here, Sonia," Goodall gave Sonia another VG Hunter, "To replace the one that melted."
"Argatou! I mean 'Thank you,'" Sonia thanked.
"So now what?" Lyra asked once Goodall left.
"Well...given my body and all…" Sonia spoke up, looking down at her taller, slightly more developed figure, "I could use some new clothes."
"...Shopping~!" Hope nearly sang as Kelvin and Geo scrambled for the stairs, "Kelvin, Geo! We're going out on a shopping trip!"
'Dammit!' both males thought in fear.
"Heh heh...sucks to be you two," Omega-Xis smirked.
"Wizard On," Geo deadpanned and Omega-Xis glowed.
"Good thinking, Geo!" Hope smiled, "We might need another pair of arms!"
"...You are on The LIST!" Omega-Xis hissed.
"Well, considering we're shopping because of me…" Sonia held up a gold card with the words 'Chrys Gold' on it, "I swiped this before I fired him and the guy never canceled it."
"...Marry my son."
"What?"
"Shopping time~!" Hope pulled Sonia out, "Come on, boys! We need some good hands to help carry the bags!"
"...Crap," Geo, Kelvin, and Omega-Xis slumped.
=At least it's sunny so those won't stand out= Lyra noted as Sonia was wearing a pair of sunglasses and a baggy hat.
"Even if I did get taller, my face hasn't really changed," Sonia noted, "So people would still recognize me as, well, me."
"At least security in the mall is decent," Kelvin noted, glancing at a pair of security officers frog-hopping a paparazzi towards the mall's exit.
"No kidding. Can you imagine the field day those vultures would have if they say Sonia like this?" Omega-Xis said, earning a glare from Geo, "...What? It's true."
"Yes, but we're not with Sonia. We're with my cousin 'Misora,'" Hope replied, earning looks from them, "Well, we're both the same height and with the hat and sunglasses, you can't really spot many differences. So saying we're cousins is a good idea."
"That's...actually brilliant," Kelvin blinked twice.
"Of course it is," Hope giggled, "Now come on. We have some shopping to do~!"
"Whoopee…" Omega-Xis deadpanned as the men followed the two girls. He was about to say something before he noticed something poking out from behind the pillar before pulling itself back in, "...What the?"
"Omega-Xis! You coming?!" Geo called out to his partner.
"...Yeah….I'm coming…" Omega-xis replied, suspiciously eyeing the pillar as he followed after Geo.
"Um...why are we sitting down in here?"
"Geo, we are dealing with one thing: women trying on clothes and demanding opinions," Kelvin informed, "You'll need to look at subtle clues in their expressions, body movement, and tone of voice in order to give the right answer. Get it wrong and they'll let you know in a subtle way that, at first, you don't get it, but when you do...it is not good."
"..." Geo just gulped at that.
"And why am I here?" Omega-Xis asked, floating next to Geo.
"You're a fighter. Even if you aren't fully aware of it, you do read things better than the both of us. So consider this a battle of sorts and focus on what I just warned Geo about," Kelvin informed, "Tap Geo's shoulder one for 'yes' and twice for 'no' when they ask yes or no questions."
"Ahh...gotcha," Omega-Xis nodded.
"Okay, We're ready~!" Hope's voice called in a sing-songy tone.
The two doors opened and both walked out. Hope was wearing a red blouse with a pair of black jeans that cut off a few inches above her ankles. Sonia was dressed in a strawberry-red blouse with a pair of gold rings on her wrists and a pair of lime-green shorts.
"What do you think, Kelvin?" Hope asked.
"It looks great on you, dear," Kelvin replied.
"What do you think, Geo?" Sonia asked, not seeing Omega-Xis give a tiny tap.
"It's great, Sonia," Geo replied, earning a smile from her.
"...Great work," Kelvin noted once the girls were back in the booths, "Now a key note; never say the word 'nice' around a girl asking about clothes they're trying. That is one of the worst things to say."
"Huh? But...why?" Geo asked.
"I have no idea, but I said it once one of the first times your mother and I did this and she, well, gave me a cold shoulder for a little bit, often giving only a few words as an answer to questions," Kelvin admitted.
"Ahh…"
"Tch...women…" Omega-Xis muttered, resting his head on his open palm as he 'laid' on his side. He gave a yawn before he noticed something poking out of the pillar outside the store, the EM-Being quickly turning to get a good look at what it was...only for it to disappear behind the pillar once more.
"Omega-Xis, pay attention," Kelvin whispered.
Hope came out first, wearing a slender violet dress with a leaf-green stitching resembling a tree going up the side, a red stitching resembling an apple on a branch on the left breast. Sonia stepped out, wearing a baby-blue blouse with a teal skirt that went down halfway towards her knees.
"How do we look?" Hope asked.
"..." Geo said nothing, blushing slightly as he focused on Sonia.
Omega-Xis 'gently' 'tapped' him.
"Ah! Uh...Y-You look great, Sonia," Geo noted.
Kelvin gave a slow whistle, "I haven't seen you in something that stunning since the day we went to Ratatouille de Amore."
"I couldn't help it," Hope giggled, "It just screamed 'try.'"
"You look beautiful, Mrs. Stellar," Sonia noted.
"Why thank you, Sonia," Hope giggled, "Now come on. Let's get changed and pay for this."
"Hai. I mean, yes," Sonia nodded.
"Um, dad? What are you doing?" Geo asked as the girls were trying on shoes in the store they were outside of.
"Just making a translation list for those slip ups," Kelvin replied, typing on a holographic keyboard, "So far, I've got 'Hai' means 'yes' and 'Iie' means 'no.'"
"Ahh…" Geo nodded.
Omega-Xis didn't pay attention as he kept a close eye out for that mystery figure, eying each of the pillars to see if it'll slip up or not.
"Okay, boys, we're done in there," Hope walked over with Sonia, handing Kelvin a bag with five shoe boxes while Sonia handed Geo one with just three, "Let's keep going!"
=This is rather interesting= Lyra noted =Where to next?=
"Amelia's Secret," Hope replied, Kelvin freezing up and quickly putting a hand on Geo's shoulder.
"Uh...One moment, you two," Kelvin chuckled nervously before pulling Geo, bags and all, behind a pillar, "Geo, this is bad. So very, very bad."
"What do you mean?"
"Amelia's Secret...is an underwear shop," Kelvin stated.
"Wh-w-wh-what?" Geo blushed.
"To go in there will be the epitome of labels," Kelvin informed before inhaling, "...We need to sacrifice Omega-Xis."
"?!" Geo's eyes widened.
"Not as in sacrifice-sacrifice; I mean him going in there with the girls," Kelvin informed, "It'll be only him who gets the label and not us. You were fine being able to go in there when you were younger up to the age of ten, but now? Go in there and you'll be labeled as something no honest man wants to be labeled."
Geo gulped and nodded quickly. He wasn't sure what he meant by labels, but he could tell that whatever had his dad unnerved-a man who even dealt with a giant meteor made of noise for who knows how long-it was not a good thing.
"...What?" Omega-Xis questioned as he floated outside of two stalls, looking at the women staring at him, "...What?! You've never seen a badass like me before?!" the women looked away and moved off, earning a snort from Omega-Xis, 'The women in here are weird. Must be all the pinks and blacks of the walls here.'
"Okay. We're ready," Hope's voice called out before the two came out of their stalls, Sonia's face a bright red, "So did they fit, Sonia?"
"..." Sonia just nodded, trying not to look at the bras in her hands.
"I knew you were a cup bigger than me," Hope giggled.
"She drinks more soda or water or whatever than you?" Omega-Xis asked.
=No, you idiot. She...ugh. Why do I even bother explaining this stuff to you?= Lyra groaned, =Honestly, it's like talking to a brick wall=
"Hey screw you, ya out of tune harp!" Omega-Xis barked.
=Why you…!= Lyra growled =If I wasn't trying to keep Sonia's identity still hidden, I'd…=
She swung a fist in the VG Hunter like a slashing motion. Sparks shot off Omega-Xis as he was knocked back a few feet, partly phasing through a wall. Growling a bit, he looked down to see a faint slash in his torso armor.
"What was that?" Hope asked.
"I….don't know…" Sonia slowly replied as she looked down at her VG Hunter, "Lyra...what...did you do?"
=Hmm? What do you mean?=
"I mean whatever you did sent Omega-Xis flying a few feet," Sonia stated, "As if something punched or slashed him."
=I didn't do anything= Lyra replied with a pout =Honestly, I am not an out-of-tune harp...=
'...The hell was that?' Omega-Xis pondered as he looked at the slowly-healing slice in his armor, 'For a moment...I could've sworn I sensed something...that wasn't denpa when that attack happened.'
"Why do girls go crazy over going to a mall?" Geo pondered as he and Kelvin sat on a bench near the store, the bags around them.
"It's a mystery to every man in the world," Kelvin shrugged, "And when I try to ask your mother, she often asks why I go crazy over a new exhibit at the museum or when there's a new piece of tech for sale."
"I see…" Geo noted.
"Though you're gonna have to get used to this, Geo," Kelvin chuckled, "Especially when you get married." he laughed as Geo sputtered with a blush.
"Geez, dad…" Geo muttered, trying to shake off the blush.
"Aw come on, kiddo," Kelvin chuckled, messing with Geo's hair good naturedly, "All parents have a right to embarrass their kids."
"...I suppose you're right," Geo said as he got up, "I'm gonna go look around for a bit, dad. Call me on the VG Hunter when the girls are done in the store."
"Can do," Kelvin chuckled.
Geo nodded as he began to walk off, the brunette thinking a bit as he did so. He recalled back to the encounter with that sphere, and the news about that mysterious island appearing in random spots. Could those two be somehow connected? More importantly...would Sonia be able to change back to her normal self, or was this change permanent?
"...Haa….I need to try and get my mind o-" Geo began before he ended up bumping into someone, "Oof! Sorry, I…"
"Geo?"
"...Prez?" Geo blinked, looking up at a familiar blond-haired girl, her hair still in its two drill-like ponytails while she was wearing a white blouse, a red tie, a blue vest, and blue slacks with formal blue shoes, "What're you doing here?"
"I'm out shopping for some stuff, obviously," Luna replied, "What're you doing here?"
"My mom's on a shopping spree," Geo replied, "So my dad and I are here to carry the bags."
"Ahh...I see," Luna noted.
"Yeah...Where are Zack and Bud?"
"Zack's over at the electronics store while Bud…" Luna paused as she pondered a bit, "Not sure really. I haven't seen him around in a while."
"I see…" Geo nodded, 'I guess he's trying to learn how to work with Taurus better.'
"So, I heard an interesting little rumor," Luna noted, eyeing Geo.
"You mean about that island appearing and disappearing lately?" Geo asked.
"Well, yes, there's that, but also about a certain popstar we both know," Luna noted, "Did you hear that her show isn't getting another season?"
"Yeah. The producer thinks that they've managed to get everything they could out of the concept," Geo noted, 'Though, with Sonia's change in height...I don't think they'd be able to make another season without a lot of editing on Sonia's height.'
"Hmm...I suppose that makes sense," Luna shrugged a bit, still eying Geo, "You know...since we're both here…" she leaned in a bit close to him, "You want to hang out a bit?"
"Well…" Geo began before he got a message on his VG Hunter, "...Sorry. My dad just messaged me, saying mom is done in the store and ready to head onto the next."
"Oh...I see," Luna noted, pouting a bit, "...Very well. Guess I'll see you around then."
"Yeah. See you around, Prez," Geo nodded before heading off.
"...Shoot," Luna muttered as she walked the opposite direction, "I thought I could get some time alone with him this time...I guess I'll…" she paused when she felt something run past her, "?" she looked behind her, seeing nothing, "...I could have sworn…" she shook her head.
With that, she resumed walking off, unaware of the shaded imp/monkey-shaped figure hiding behind the pillar, a menacing aura surrounding it.
"Everything go well in there, Mega?" Kelvin asked.
"Yeah. Don't get why those girls were all looking at me, though," Omega-Xis grumbled as Hope and Sonia walked out, carrying small paper bags, "Seriously, it's like I did something wrong, and I didn't even do anything at all!"
=Yet= Lyra quipped, causing Omega-is to growl a bit in annoyance.
"Now where'd Geo go off to?" Hope pondered.
"Right here," Geo replied as he walked over, "Sorry about that. Went to go look around a bit before running into Luna."
"...Soka…" Sonia noted, gritting her teeth a bit inside her mouth as she clenched the paper bags a bit tighter in her arms, before she spotted something, "Hm?"
"What's up?" Kelvin asked as Sonia pointed at a store nearby.
"I'm kind of curious about that shop," Sonia noted.
"Hmm?" Hope blinked as she, Geo, and Kelvin looked at the store Sonia pointed at.
The store seemed rather old despite the building being new. The framing of the storefront was made of wood with various paintings, carvings, even glass creations were on display. At the top of it was the store's name; 'Ponkotan.'
"I've never seen that store before," Hope noted as Sonia walked over to it and looked at one of the stone carvings in the shape of a wolf with flames coming off its shoulders, the stone painted in a white as pure as freshly-fallen snow with the flames in a myriad of colors.
"I see you are curious about that one," a voice chuckled, making Sonia look at the counter to see an elderly man wearing white robes with red swirls on it.
"It's amazing, sir," Sonia noted, "It...it looks like it could come to life at any time."
"I'm glad my craft hasn't lost its touch," the elder chuckled, "The state is based upon a story from my homeland. Would you care to listen to an old man's tale?"
"Y...yes please," Sonia nodded.
The elder chuckled, "Well, it happened a long, long time ago...A tiny hamlet known as Kamiki lay nestled in a grove of proud and beautiful cherry blossoms," he motioned to a hanging scroll nearby, an ink painting depicting a village amongst tall trees with pink-colored ink taking shape of falling cherry blossoms, "Each and every tree around the quiet burg was honored as a god."
"A...A god?"
The elder nodded, glancing to see the other three listening in as well, "In my homeland, we considered many things to have a spirit and even multiple gods of different statures, many having a shrine to each respective god." he looked at the ink painting as one of the candles nearby went out, casting a dark shadow over it, "However, the village was not without its dark secrets. For years, a cave-dwelling beast threatened the village. It's name…" reaching under the counter, the elder pulled out a glass sculpture depicting a fearsome beast resembling a snake with eight heads and eight tails, "...was Yamata-no-Orochi." a shiver went down Sonia's spine, as if the name was related to true fear for some reason, "During each and every annual festival for seven years, a young maiden was offered as a sacrifice to Orochi."
"Why would they do that?" Hope pondered.
"Orochi was no mere beast. With a body like a mountain and eight heads mounted on neck the size of tree trunks, its blood-red eyes were said to curse anyone who gazed into them," the elder explained, everyone noticing that each of the glass Orochi's heads had ruby red eyes in them, "No one dared disobey the horrific beast. When the night of the eighth sacrifice drew near…" he motioned to the statue of the wolf, "A mysterious white wolf appeared outside the village. This wolf, its coat as brilliant as freshly fallen snow, was dubbed as Shiranui. The wolf kept watch of anyone who ventured outside the village, and made a habit of patrolling the streets at night. People assumed the wolf to be a familiar of Orochi."
"What's a familiar?" Sonia pondered.
"They are spirits or animals that are summoned and bonded with, performing tasks at their caller's command or give them assistance in menial things," the elder explained, "One villager took it upon himself to face the fearsome Shirani." he motioned to another hanging scroll, depicting a young man with a broadsword on his back, a pair of handles on it, "His name was Izanagi, or 'Nagi' to those close to him, and he attempted many times to challenge the wolf, but each attempt was thwarted by Shiranui's swift movements. Before long, the night of the accursed festival began." a miniature white-plumed arrow was pulled out by the elder, embedded into a miniature wooden hut where a sculpture of a beautiful maiden was emerging, "A white-plumed arrow herald the coming sacrifice. Piercing the sky, the arrow sunk its shaft squarely into the home of Izanami, the village's most beautiful maiden. Izanagi, who harbored a secret love for Izanami, became enraged by this sign. Determined to put an end to Orochi once and for all, Izanagi traveled to the beast's cave in place of his beloved with eight large barrels of sake." the elder picked up a statue from a shelf behind him and presented it, revealing it to be Izanagi wearing the robes of Izanami, "He was known for the saying 'A smart falcon hides its claws from view.' Disguised as her, he was able to get Orochi drunk from the sake, a wine made from rice," he turned the statue around, revealing the other side of it to be Izanagi wearing a fearsome white and gold armor, before he motioned to another hanging scroll, depicting a darkened cavern shrine of sorts, "The Moon Cave, a place as dark as evil itself, served as Orochi's home and where they did battle. Izanagi leapt with incredible grace, swinging his blade valiantly. On and on he sliced, well into the moonless night."
For a brief moment, the flames of all the candles there made a small burst of flames, exposing briefly a hanging scroll depicting Izanagi doing battle with Orochi in different stages. Yet throughout each one, there was nary a scratch on Orochi.
"Yet Orochi's hide was as tough as steel, Izanagi leaving nary a scratch upon the monster," the elder went on, earning their attention to see a glass Orochi looking down upon a statue of Izanagi on one knee with his sword stabbed into the ground, "At long last, Izanagi, his energy spent from the intense battle, dropped to his knees, fatigued and gasping for breath. He knew he was staring death in the face. It was then that the wolf appeared." the elder put another statue of Shiranui on the table, this one depicting him glaring upwards, snarling and ready to attack, "As if to protect Izanagi, it stood its ground before Orochi." the candles blew out around the counter, yet the statue of Shiranui in its fighting stance was still as visible as if it were in pure daylight, "In the darkness of the cave, the wolf's coat shone brilliantly. Alas, it was Shiranui, the wolf that dwelled outside the village. Baring its fearsome claws, Shiranui leapt towards Orochi. Orochi reared its terrifying heads, readying its fang for battle. The two beasts struggled wildly, thrashing in the darkness."
Hope gasped as some of the flames burst once more, the hanging scroll above now depicting Orochi and Shiranui doing battle. Many depicted Shiranui performing things of unbelievable power, vines ensnaring Orochi as the eight-headed serpent released black flames upon the wolf, lightning storming from the sky, flames of nearby lights and water of puddles about attempting to strike down the monster.
"Mysterious and terrifying, the spectacle continued. Shiranui summoned gusts of divine wind to counter Orochi's flames. As Orochi closed in on Shiranui, sharpened claws glistening, a tree would emerge from the ground, shielding Shiranui from harm. Shiranui fought gallantly to gain the upper hand. However...Orochi, protected by a mystical power, was not easily bested." the elder relit the candles, revealing the statue of Shiranui replaced with one sporting various injuries, crimson paint depicting the blood, "Shiranui, covered in gashes, majestic coat dyed crimson, stood exhausted before the mighty Orochi. But before Orochi could deliver the final blow...Shiranui raised its head to the sky and let out a howl. The mighty howl made from the last of its strength parted the dark clouds above, revealing the moon to all." a wind blew and they looked up to see a glowing moon-shaped paper lantern had become alit, "The light from above glinted off Izanagi's sword as a beacon of hope. Guided by his sword, Izanagi, who had been taking shelter in the shadows, stood proudly to face his adversary. Channeling all his strength into his scarred and battered arms, Izanagi leapt ferociously towards Orochi, sword held high. The golden sword danced in his hands like a puppet on string, easily slicing through seven of the eight heads and many of its tails, one of which released a second sword at the exact time his golden sword finally snapped from an attack by Orochi's last head. Orochi went for a fatal blow, but Izanagi was quick and grabbed the new blade, Kusanagi, and used it to slice the final head off." everyone looked at the elder's counter to see a glass statue of Orochi, depicting its headless body in a puddle of red glass, "Orochi's broken body collapsed in a lake of its own blood. In that instant, the curse that plagued the villagers was lifted. As the battle subsided, the sun shone once again in the sky. Unfortunately…"
Sonia stared as the elder motioned to a hanging scroll. On it depicted Izanagi kneeling down before a dying Shiranui.
"...Shiranui had succumbed to the powerful venom of Orochi and struggled to breathe," the elder sadly went on, "Scooping the brave wolf into his arms, Izanagi returned to Kamiki. When they reached the village, Shiranui was no longer moving. The village elder gently stroked the wolf's head, Shiranui letting out a hoarse and pitiful bark in response...then closed its eyes and drifted off as if into slumber." Hope and Sonia wiped their eyes of tears, "Peace had at last returned to Kamiki Village. In honor of Shiranui's heroic exploits, the villagers…" he pulled out a carving of a small shrine depicted towards Shiranui, "...erected a shrine and placed a statue of the wolf within it. Izanagi's broken sword was christened Tsukuyomi and placed inside the Mood Cave once it had been repaired, stabbed into the ground in the center of it to seal away Orochi's spirit. The villagers all looked forward to an age of endless peace…" he smiled at his listeners, "And that is the end of the tale of why my homeland makes these statues of Shiranui, as a way to know Shiranui is still out there, watching over us in spirit."
"Thank you for telling us this," Sonia slipped into her new tongue before covering her mouth and clearing her throat, "I-I mean, thank you for telling us the story, sir."
"It isn't a problem," the elder chuckled before pulling out a pair of ornate boxes and slid them to Geo and Sonia, "Take these for free as my thanks for listening to an old man's tale."
"Wh-What? But we couldn't…" Geo began.
"I insist you do," the elder assured, "These will do no good being stuck in this old place."
"...demo, a...are you really sure?" Sonia asked, slipping a bit into her new tongue once more.
"I'm quite sure, my dear," the elder replied, "I feel that you will need them more than an old man like myself."
"..Eh?" Sonia blinked at that as the elder walked back into the store. She then looked down at the ornate box in her hand, 'What did he mean by that?'
"May the Fudegami and kami above guide you both in life, Hoshikawa Subaru, Hibiki Misora," the elder chuckled, "And arigatou for listing to this Jii-chan's tale of his youth."
"What?" the four looked up to see just a plain wall where the store had been.
"What the...where did…?" Hope whispered as she looked around.
"I could've sworn…" Kelvin muttered.
'Why did he call us 'Hoshikawa Subaru' and 'Hibiki Misora?'' Geo pondered before Omega-Xis appeared, looking out at a pillar with a growl, "Omega-Xis?"
"We're being watched…" Omega-Xis growled, readying his claws, "And it's not human."
The four humans turned to the pillar before Omega-Xis rocketed at the pillar, with a roar. A black blur shot out of behind the pillar, avoiding the attempted slash by Omega-Xis's claws. The blur bounced around a bit before landing behind the group, giving a raspy growl as it stood up. The blur turned out to be a strange creature resembling a monkey-like creature, whose flabby skin and muscle was a crimson color. The creature had bare hands and feet, tipped with vicious-looking claws. On its body was a red vest with noticeable shoulder-pads; on the creature's wrists, the skin there actually sagged and extended to become the fluttering "sleeves" of the creature, at first mistaken as the long sleeves of a robe underneath the vest. On its head, the creature had single horn; on its face was a paper mask a unique pattern resembling a box.
"ロ(ro)?" Sonia read the paper.
"Row?" Omega-Xis repeated, "It looks like a box to me."
"No. It...It's a word," Sonia replied, "See the bottom of the image? How the bottom sides extend a bit down more? It's the word 'ro.'"
"Seriously? You're giving me a lesson r-" Omega-Xis began before tensing, immediately getting in front of the group as he blocked a slash from the creature, which was now wielding a large red and green shamisen, the ends of the larger portion of it sharpened into a blade, "Gh?!"
The creature screeched out as it jumped back and grabbed the pillar, holding its weapon as it glared at the group, mainly Sonia. Spinning around its shamisen, it began to play with one of its feet and a wave of dark energy pulsed off it.
"...What's it…?" Geo began before more blurs shot out from nearby pillars and landed near the one the red creature was on, the blurs turning out to be a green variant of the creature, wearing a tattered green outfit with fluttering sleeves and an extendable wooden flute with a paper over its face with a symbol resembling a T with the top curving upwards like a curve.
"イ(i)?" Sonia read.
"No. That's a 'T,' not an 'E,'" Omega-Xis corrected before one of the green creatures pulled out a paddle...and a human skull, "GH?!"
The creature tossed the skull into the air and slapped it with the paddle, sending it at them. Kelvin tackled Hope out of the way and the skull hit the blank wall behind them. The skull glinted momentarily before exploding.
"...The hell kind of Wave Viruses are these?!" Omega-Xis exclaimed before he shook it off, "Doesn't matter. It just means I got new punching bags to beat up. Geo!"
"Right! Transcode 003! Mega Man! On! The! Air!" Geo declared before Megaman took his place.
=Sonia, we should help too= Lyra spoke up.
"Right! Transcode 004! Lyra Note! On! The! Air!" Sonia declared.
In a swirl of denpa, Lyra Note took her place, though the blues on her body had turned the same color of white as Lyra had become. She twirled Lyra around before readying herself for a fight as Kelvin and Hope ran off to find shelter from the fight. The red creature screeched before it began to play some fighting music on its two-stringed instrument. The green creatures screeched as they charged at Megaman and Lyra Note, wooden flutes and paddles at the ready. One sent another exploding skull at the two, but Megaman quickly shot them in the air, letting them blow up in the air. When the dust cloud settled, one of the green creatures inhaled before blowing hard into the wooden flute, causing it to shoot forward at Megaman.
"Whoa!" Megaman yelped as he rolled out of teh way, causing the bamboo flute to embed itself in the wall before retracting back to the green creature, a fairly deep hole now in the wall, "..."
"Okay, we are not underestimating these things," Lyra noted.
"Shock Note!" Lyra Note called, creating two white speakers that fired out notes that slammed into two of the creatures, causing them to tumble back.
The two creatures quickly shook it off as they shot back up, the other two tossing multiple skulls at them before they were batted away by their paddles at Megaman and Lyra Note.
"Predation! Mad Vulcan 3!" Megaman called as his arm turned into a three-barreled gun.
"Predation! Mad Vulcan 2!" Lyra Note called.
The two proceeded to open fire on the incoming skulls, a faster barrage coming out of Megaman's guns. The skulls exploded into dust from each shot fired, but among the skulls that were shot, a red skull was seen. Once that one was shot, it created a fairly large explosion, engulfing the entire area in smoke as bits of the upper level walkways were destroyed by the explosion. Their left arms reverted to normal and the two readied themselves for whatever came.
"Okay...these things are smarter than we thought," Lyra Note noted.
"Yeah..b-" Megaman began before he spotted something large heading towards Lyra Note, "Look out!"
"Eh?" Lyra Note blinked before Megaman pushed her out of the way, and just in time as the red creature's instrument slammed into him, "GEO!"
"Gah!" Megaman grunted as the red creature slammed its instrument in his face, sending him crashing into the ruined wall.
"Ugh...What kind of guitar is that thing?" Omega-Xis groaned as he appeared beside Megaman, shaking his head to clear it.
"Shamisen," Lyra corrected before a small clatter made Lyra Note look down to see the box she had been given had been dropped in the sudden movement of Megaman pushing her away from the attack, the top opened to reveal a bamboo paintbrush with the brush of it made of a pure white material, the tip of it in ink, "A brush?"
Lyra Note picked it up, "Why would a…" a frenzied roar made her turn to see the green creatures all jumping at her, "AH!"
She blinked before her eyes widened. The area had turned sepia in color...almost as if everything was made from a single sheet of paper. Before her, the creatures that had been jumping at her had become frozen in the air.
"N...Nanikore?" Lyra Note pondered.
"Sonia, the brush!" Lyra gasped.
Lyra note looked at her hand to see the brush was glowing. She looked at the creatures before looking back at the brush.
"D...Did this cause them to stop?" Lyra Note pondered before moving out of the way and put the brush away.
The color returned and the green creatures all missed Lyra Note by a long shot and ended up colliding with the red creature in a pile up.
" !$!#!" one of the green creatures snapped at another, only for that one to smack it upside the head...which resulted in it smacking the other back...and it pretty much evolved into a slapfest for all the green creatures.
"Grr… ! %&# !" the red creature snapped as it threw the greens ones off, the red one shaking its fist at them and snapped at them in its language, pointing an accusing finger at Lyra Note.
"Uh oh," Lyra and Lyra Note blinked twice.
"Wing Blade!"
The green creatures screeched as a white blur shot by, splitting their lower halves from their upper ones. Their bodies flew into an empty square meant for new flowers for the mall and became a pile of severed bodies. They glowed before they melded into the dirt, filling it with fresh flowers of different colors and species. The red creature moved back when the blur came at it. It landed away from the blur, only to see the strings of its shamisen had been cut. It growled before vanishing in a swirl of shadows.
Megaman grunted as he began to get up when a black-gloved hand was held to him. Looking up, Megaman saw the armored face of a familiar ally.
"A-Ace," Megaman groaned as he took the hand and was helped up by Acid Ace.
"Good thing for you two I was nearby when the commotion happened," Acid Ace noted before the three canceled their wave changes, "Mind telling me what those things were about?" he glanced over at Sonia, who was quickly putting her hat and sunglasses back on, "Seems you got a growth spurt since our last meeting, Sonia. Cool."
"Actually...it's...a rather long story," Sonia replied, "Plus...well, we actually don't know what those creatures were."
The red creature hissed as it appeared around the island Vulpecula was last seen, the ruined town looking a lot different as the red creature looked around for something. Or rather...someone. It ran along the path and made its way to the entrance of the cave, where Vulpecula was looking over the town.
"Did you do it?"
" #!$! !" the red creature explained in its tongue, causing Vulpecula to frown a bit.
"An interloper got in your way? Explain."
" !$!$! $!$($^ !" the red creature further explained, making a few motions to make it act a bit similar to Megaman and Lyra Note before it pulled out its instrument, pointing to the cut off strings.
"Why didn't you use a distraction to put on new strings?" she frowned.
"$S$% $^ !"
"...Ugh. Show me who these interlopers are."
The red creature nodded quickly as it quickly drew into the ground, trying its best to make a picture of Megaman, Lyra Note, Acid Ace, and Omega-Xis.
"...Omega-Xis…" she breathed as she snatched the one of the poorly drawn AM-Ian, "..."
"...?" the red creature tilted its head, wondering if its mistress was gonna spare him or not..but also confused as to why she only grabbed the picture of that armored wolf/dragon.
"Leave and go restring your Shamisen," Vulpecula ordered as she returned to the cave, hugging the picture close, "When you do, take some more and return to the mainland."
"! !$!" the red creature saluted before running off.
Once it was gone, Vulpecula giggled like a girl in a schoolground, hugging the picture.
She whispered to herself, "Oh, to think that fates would entwine us once again...my love."
"So this sphere and its box were what caused Sonia to have a growth spurt and bleached Lyra?" Ace pondered as Acid floated beside him.
"Yes, Ace," Geo nodded.
"I see…" Ace noted, holding his chin in thought, "And how long ago did you first come across this sphere?"
"This morning, if I recall."
"Weird...because around that time, that whole 'disappearing-reappearing island' rumor started," Ace stated, "In fact, a lot of rumors have been going around lately this past week."
"Eh?"
"They say last night, a lot of stars in the night sky started disappearing," Ace explained.
=Or to be specific, the ones that make up constellations= Acid added.
"I saw that happening," Geo noted, "The Draco constellation completely vanished right before my eyes when I had looked at the sky at Vista Point last night."
"I see..." Ace noted, "That sphere...this mystery island...the stars disappearing...this can't be a coincidence."
=It is highly unlike they could just be separate incidents= Acid agreed before Ace's VG Hunter went off =Message from Dr. Goodall. It seems to be what Geo, Omega-Xis, Lyra, and Sonia have just explained along with the copy of the image Lyra provided of the sphere=
"Good...bring the image up. I want a close look at this sphere for myself," Ace said.
=Loading= Acid replied before a three dimensional image of the sphere was displayed =She was able to make this from the image data; a complete three-dimensional image of the sphere=
"Hmm...what kind of image are these lines making…?" Ace muttered as he took a look at the sphere.
"It's kinda weird to look at now that I'm seeing it again," Omega-Xis admitted, "I'll still pummel it, though."
"Do you always resort to violence?" Lyra muttered.
"No...I just have a game plan. Pummel first, then ask questions."
"..."
"...What? It works," Omega-Xis huffed.
"...Ugh," Lyra sighed in annoyance.
"Oh come on. You know it. Remember Omnicron Delta-Phi?" Omega-Xis reminded, "Me pummeling that guy got us the access codes."
"Yet you suffered a hole in the gut and ended up with Aquar…"
"Lyra."
Lyra covered her mouth as Omega-Xis just kept an even glare on her before he vanished into the VG Hunter.
"...What was that about?" Geo curiously asked, Ace still examining the image of the sphere.
"It's...not my past to talk about," Lyra replied, looking down before hiding in Sonia's VG Hunter.
"...Eh?" the two teens blinked in confusion at that.
"Hmm…" Ace muttered as he stood up, Acid dismissing the image, "I think I might have to head back to HQ to examine this thing better."
=We'll be sure to inform you of what we uncover= Acid informed.
"Okay," Geo nodded.
"Oh and Geo?"
"Yes?"
"...Do your best to keep your hormones in check around Sonia, especially in her current condition," Ace joked as he walked away, leaving a sputtering and blushing Geo and a confused Sonia.
=Was that really necessary, Ace?= Acid asked from the VG Hunter.
"Hey. I haven't seen the kids in a while," Ace countered, "And you have to admit that they're a cute couple."
=Much like you and Tia?=
"What?! A-Acid!"
=Entering sleep mode=
"Oh no you don't. Y-!" Ace began before his VG Hunter turned off, "...Dang it, Acid."
SZ: And with that, chapter 2 is done. I'm really excited on continuing this story. Even though it still has a few faves and one review so far, I'm still bent on working on this story.
GT: Agreed. This is a good story so far. I wonder what Vulpecula's connection to Omega-Xis is and who was Lyra talking about that got Omega-Xis mad at her?
SZ: Good question...guess we'll find out later on as the story goes on.
GT: Indeed. But until then, I am GammaTron…
SZ: And i'm Seanzilla115, and we bid you all a good d-*hears an explosion*I...what was that?
GT: I'm not sure.
Minion: *pokes head in before whispering me something*
SZ: Ahh….that was the internet that exploded. Reason...the reveal of the Nintendo Switch.
GT: Oh yeah...Apparently, it only has a 3 hour battery life when disconnected.
SZ: Yeah...and you can play it on the go, so it's both a console, a handheld, and a tablet.
GT: Nice. Still...just three hours?
SZ:...yeah...that kinda sucks.…
GT: ...well…*bows* We bid you all adieu. So Read and Review.
SZ: Ja ne, and have a good day everyone.