SZ: Hey guys. We is back..and hopefully will be more active with this story.

GT: Yep. And we have a guest this time. Say hello to OverNerd!

O.N:...*slowly eats chips silently giving the two the stink eye*

SZ: Hey man

Bob the Minion: *holds up a sign reading* let's start already.

SZ: ...ahem. We own nothing aside from original content. Megaman Starforce and Okami belong to Capcom while other series we reference or use belong to their respective companies.

GT: Good. And ON, since you're our guest, I give to you the right to destroy the stage before we head into the chapter.

O.N: no….listen this isn't a usual thing and i told bob to tell you i didn't want to be mention now he has to pay, come here bob!

Bob: *screams and runs into the screen, breaking it*

Vulpecula frowned as she swirled a cup of red-tinted sake as she reclined on a couch. Nearby, Karasu was kneeling to her and awaiting any orders she would give. It had taken three weeks to heal from the injuries she had been delivered. Her eyes narrowed as she kept swirling the sake.

"Milady…."

"Did I say you could speak?" she frowned.

'She must still be upset about the failure...and the other events,' the Karasutengu thought.

'Shit shit, shit shit! She was the real fucking deal! The real deal after all!' Vulpecula cursed in her head, 'How the fuck is that possible?! What's worse is the snow bitch failing me at that crucial moment! 'Family bonds' my ass!' she drank the sake and held the cup out to Karasu, who immediately refilled it for her and she took a sip of it, 'Or could it be that the damn sun wolf did something to her in that moment? Tch. Yeah right. 'Wolves are too 'badass' for using 'dumb illusions.'' Fuckin' Wolf. If I see his ass again, I'll incinerate it.'

"Is this the typical villainy brooding moment?" a male voice asked, spooking the two as they notice someone in the shadows, "Being a sore loser must be hard, huh?"

"Who are you?"

"I'm on your side, I work for Orochi-sama just like you." he informed, "Since Amaterasu-ōmikami has awoken, it looks like he's lost faith in you performing to expectations."

"Tch," Vulpecula scowled.

"It doesn't help you've lost him all those Fudegami his essence managed to corrupt," he added. "Matter of fact...at first, he sent me here to end you."

"!" Vulpecula tensed as Karasu discreetly moved a bit closer to her.

"But I convinced him it would be too old school villainy to kill failures like you. So from now on, I'm your little guardian angel. Besides, perhaps you could be useful in a bedroom."

"You bas…"

"Ahh, but some ground rules first. No more going after Miyuki. All your attention is focused on Amateratsu-sama's human lover. We'll use him to bring out more of her power."

"What?!" Vulpcula snapped, "Are you insane?!"

"Maybe that is a requirement for working for the evil gods, right?" he asked, "I just want to see how much of a reincarnation this girl is. I mean, did she get all the powers or does she lack some? Knowing your enemy is a key….besides, we already have her weakness in sight."

"I am not listening to this anymore. You don't even have anything to convince me and I'm way more powerful then…" Vulpecula started before blinking seeing the figure was gone and now an arm wrapped around her as the male voice whispered right into her right ear.

"Don't get cocky, lowly fox."

"Hayei…" Karasu gasped.

"You are?"

"Ah! Karasu, sir," Karasu replied, bowing, "Vulpecula-sama's servant."

"Karasu, do you want this fox as your lover?" he asked.

"Iie," he replied immediately, "So long as I am her servant, that is all I am content with."

"Tch. Boring... Well, I'll be around for awhile so…" he said before putting a collar made of solid gold on her neck, "Just to remind you, fox, how I see you and to ensure your loyalty. Now let's see what Amaterasu-sama is doing." he smirked while vanishing.

"Oh that insufferable…!" Vulpecula snarled, "I will kill hi…" the collar glowed before tightening on her neck, "GH!" she attempted to change frequencies, only for it to remain on her, "Ghhh!"

"Vulpecula-sama!" Karasu gasped, going over to her until the glow faded and it stopped squeezing.

"Guh...D-Damn it…" Vulpecula gagged, "Th...this collar...damn him...and damn Amateratsu..."

"Ugh…" Geo groaned, his face a bit green as Sonia helped him through the airport with Miyuki and White beside them, "I hate planes…"

"Well, that's another thing off my bucket list!" Issun beamed as he put a circle on a list, "Flying in an airplane."

=Huh...Ya know, I think this is the first ever time you've ever rode in an airplane since I met ya= Omega-Xis noted.

"I can handle amusement park rides that take place in the air and when we rode on that rocket when Magnes was corrupted by Noise into Spade Magnes, but airplanes always make me sick…" Geo mumbled.

"Not a good way to start the trip, ne?" Sonia noted, "Gomen."

"A week of photoshoots at the Mizoori Botanical Gardens in Ameropa," Miyuki giggled, "Oh I just love botanical gardens!"

"I'm just happy to be away from the lab for a bit and being able to do this for you in person instead of on video chats with the clients," White admitted before holding a hand up and stopped them before a few bags fell from the second level, "Careful!"

"Sorry, mister!" a kid's voice called.

"How did you know that would happen?" Sonia asked.

"Mmm-mmm," White shrugged, "I just...did."

=...That's not really an answer= Omega-Xis deadpanned

=Hello pot? Meet kettle= Lyra spoke.

=OI!=

"So what's up with the wig?" White asked, glancing at Sonia, who was wearing a blonde wig with contacts that made her eyes brown.

"You know the show I was on the last few years?" Sonia asked, "Yeah...It's a major hit here in Ameropa and I don't want to attract a crowd. This is Sensei's moment, after all."

"Fair enough, kyu," Miyuki nodded, "And honestly...I know how you feel when it comes to crowds at times."

"Really?"

"Even a model/wrestler like me needs some privacy, kyu," Miyuki shrugged as they exited the airport and White held up his VG Hunter.

"Matter Wave On," White stated, "Revy."

A cube of EM waves appeared on the empty spot before them before changing into a wheelless floating convertible. It was a soft metallic green with silver detailing, a mouth for the grill, and eyes on the front window.

"Yo~! Whatcha need, White?" the Matter Wave car asked.

"1 S Broadway please, Revy," White replied, "We have luggage with us."

"Can do!" Revy replied as the trunk opened, "Just say when all the luggage is in and I'll close it for ya."

"Gotcha," White nodded, turning to do so only to yelp and trip, sending him tumbling into the luggage, "GWAH!"

"Oh dear," Miyuki whispered, quickly leaning down and moved some luggage off of him, "Are you okay, kyu?"

"...I am okay…" White replied, a pair of boxers on his head from his luggage.

=...Oh my= Frost whispered as Miyuki helped White up.

"Ya okay, White?"

"Yeah. Just tripped again," White replied, quickly repacking his opened luggage as Geo and Sonia packed the other luggage into the trunk.

"But...there wasn't anything to trip on," Geo pointed out.

"I thought Aaron told you I can trip on nothing," White noted.

"Oh...right," Geo muttered, "Guess we needed a vacation like this…"

"Considering all that's been going on lately? Agreed," Sonia agreed as Miyuki and White put their bags in and Revy closed it up before they all got in and drove off.

"Hai, and I'll certainly enjoy it after the photoshoot is done, kyu," Miyuki nodded.

=What I wanna know is why we're so dang far outside the city for the airport and not in the city= Omega-Xis noted.

"Price difference," White replied, "The people doing the shoot also paid for travel expenses. Even if you two didn't agree to come, we'd still be using this airport due to the tickets being cheaper."

=...I still don't like how that Stewardess was giving me the stink eye when she said 'no VG Hunters on during the flight'=

"It would cause interference with the flight systems," White replied.

=Don't care. Don't like her=

"May need to distract Baka-Ryu again," Issun noted, earning a nod from White and he handed Geo a chip.

"This one should distract him since he won't be able to win," White noted.

"Excuse you?" Omega-Xis asked, popping out.

"I'm just saying, this game is very frustrating and I'm sure you won't beat it with the best ending," White shrugged.

"Hah? Give it!" Omega-Xis swiped the chip and put it into the VG Hunter before going back in =Alright, you're on!=

"...What did you give him?" Geo asked.

"A very very old game from the late 1990s for a system called the Super Nintendo Entertainment System based on an animated series that ended in 1998 and rebooted in 2020 before PeTs and NetNavis were made," White explained, "It's called...Animaniacs."

"Animaniacs?"

"Yup...and they are zany to the max," White chuckled.

"Omega is in for a lot of headaches, isn't he?"

"If you're good at remembering the patterns, you can beat it in around...an hour at most," Issun shrugged.

=GAH! Oi, you stupid cop! Let go of me!=

"And he got caught by Ralph."

=Okay...I think I lost him...now wh-GAH!=

"And he escaped...and most likely encountered the Warner Brothers and Sister."

"Right," Geo noted, not really getting it but muted his VG Hunter.

"I also have a game you may fancy, Ms. Strumm, since we'll be staying at the hotel for the remainder of the day to avoid crashing due to jet lag," White added, holding up another chip, "The game in question is one based upon different music genres. It's called No Straight Roads or NSR for short."

"Oh?" Sonia blinked at that, her wolf ears perking up if she had them out, "A game based on music?"

"Eeyup."

=And you've piqued her interest= Lyra giggled as Sonia quickly loaded it into her VG Hunter and put on some wireless headphones =She might be at it for a while=

"I'll let her know once we've arrived, kyu," Miyuki informed.

"Right," Geo nodded as he looked out the window, looking out towards the large arch that acted as a symbol for the city until White gave him another chip, "Hm?"

"For you," White replied, "It's an interesting game and the character you play as reminds me of you a bit."

"Really?" Geo nodded, taking the chip and inserting it into his VG Hunter, "Breath of the Wild?"

"A pretty fun and interesting adventure game I'm sure you'll like," White explained, "Plus I think it's something Omega-Xis can enjoy."

"Let's see," Issun snickered as he hopped onto Geo's VG Hunter and unmuted it.

=Oi Geo, what the hell?! I was about to catch those freaky twerps before all of a sudden poof! I'm in the middle of nowhere!= Omega-Xis complained =Lousy one in the hat tried to use my radiation to cook hot dogs!=

"Well Wakko does pack away the snacks," Issun noted, "But got something you could try out aside from their antics since it seems you're having a conniption."

=Why you…= Omega-Xis growled as Geo started up the game =It's dark now?=

"Probably how the game starts up," Geo answered.

=...This game better be fun=

=WHOO! YEAH~! TASTE YOUR OWN LASER, YA LOUSY GUARDIAN!=

"Your shield broke," Geo noted.

=Eh? GAH! You're right!= Omega-Xis freaked =Grah! Why does this game have such easily breakable weapons!?=

"Technically, since it takes place more or less in the wild, the weapons you find will be weak until you can find something more durable and strong," Issun stated.

"Resource management? Huh…" Geo raised a brow in interest, "It's kind of like Battlecards and how they have a recharge period. Only in this, you don't get them back after that period and have to find another...interesting."

=So we use up our resources...and steal them off enemies…= Omega-Xis noted =...Geo, to Hyrule Castle!=

"Absolutely not," Geo replied.

=Aw come on~!=

"Eh, this game was meant to be done in any way a player wants. If they want to fight the final boss immediately, they can…" Issun noted.

=Onwards to the castle!=

"...and have to deal with a massive boss rush of four monsters and then the final boss in two phases with massive HP bars," Issun finished.

=...I still wanna go there! Oh, wait. Rock! Ha! There was another of those wood midgets!=

"..."

"...What are you hiding?" Geo whispered to Issun, who was snickering a bit.

=Haha! Another seed!=

"Probably gonna deal with the dungeons first before I take on the castle," Geo muttered.

=...D'oh fine…but I demand we start with the elephant! I swear I feel something nasty waiting for us in the area around it…= Omega-Xis stated.

"Snrt…" Issun snorted a laugh.

"Issun…" Geo whispered.

"Trust me, his reaction will be good when he learns the secondary plot involving going to Vah Rutan," Issun replied before saying aloud, "Ya may wanna get twenty Shock Arrows first."

=Shock Arrows. Got it= Omega-Xis replied as he flew off =Coming for you, ya giant elephant!=

"That should keep him busy," Geo whispered as he looked out the window, "I think we're nearing our stop."

"We are," White confirmed, putting down the book he was reading, "The Embassy Suites by Hilton."

"Right," Miyuki nodded before tapping Sonia's shoulder, "Misora, we're here kyu."

"Hm?" Sonia paused her game as she looked up at her, "Nani?"

"We're here," she repeated.

"Ah," Sonia nodded, "I rather like this game."

=She was really into it= Lyra added as the doors were opened, letting the group step out of the vehicle =Even if she's only beaten the first boss so far...several times=

"What? DJ Subatomic Supernova's music is neat," Sonia argued as they got their suitcases out.

"Thank you for the ride, Revy," White thanked.

"No probs, White!" the Matter Wave car replied before it returned into White's VG Hunter and let them enter into the large concierge and to the front desk where a woman was standing behind, "Good day."

"Good day to you as well. Here to check in or to buy a few nights?"

"Checking in. The name of the suite is under 'Miyuki Nanaya,'" White replied.

"Hmm...Miyuki Nanaya," the woman repeated as she tapped on the computer and nodded, "Alright, you've got two suites. Both two room, two queen beds, nonsmoking. They come with free breakfast, on-site restaurant, complimentary evening reception, and access to the indoor pool and fitness center." she pulled out two cards, "Both rooms are beside each other and Jeeves will handle your luggage."

"Good day, sir," a Wizard designed to resemble a butler greeted as it appeared beside them with a Matter Wave cart, "May I and my companion Lugger take your bags to escort you to your rooms?"

"Of course," Miyuki smiled.

"Very well," Jeeves replied.

"Ready and able," Lugger spoke up as they loaded their luggage onto the Wave Matter cart.

"Please enjoy your stay at the Embassy Suits," the woman smiled as Jeeves escorted them to the elevators.

"We will," Miyuki and Sonia nodded.

"Finally some time to relax," Sonia whispered as she gave a sigh of relief, "But what to do…"

"Well after the photoshoots, we can check out the botanical garden, kyu," Miyuki answered before whispering to Sonia, "Though heads up, there might be certain types of plants that could make you act rather….frisky, kyu."

"...Frisky how?" Sonia quietly, yet cautiously asked.

"Recall when I told you Oina women go into a state of heat at a certain time of month, kyu?" Miyuki asked, earning a nod, "The worst case of that? Spring Heat."

"Spring Heat?"

"Very bad one," Miyuki noted, "We tend to isolate ourselves for a full week to let it get out of our systems...two at the worst."

"...And how do plants…" Sonia began.

"Certain pollen that could affect you and put you into a state of euphoria akin to catnip...Only it drives you into an early Spring Heat…"

"...Any signs just in case I end up smelling said pollen by mistake?"

"When you start to leak for one, kyu."

"Um...Leak?" Sonia blinked.

"From down there," Miyuki noted, making Sonia blush, "You'll also feel like you're burning up and you're barely able to keep control and not wanting to pounce the first guy you see and…"

=Okay, I think we get it= Lyra spoke up quickly.

'I don't get it,' Sonia mentally pouted, 'What's bad about hugging Geo after jumping on him?'

"Oh...sorry. Just trying to warn her is all," Miyuki whispered, "Should've worded it differently, kyu…"

"So what plants should I avoid?" Sonia asked.

"Anise," Miyuki replied, "It's the canine equivalent of catnip to felines."

"Duly noted," Sonia nodded as she shook the blush off, "S-so...what types of photos will you be doing, Miyuki?"

"A few in a new wrestling outfit White-kyun made for me to help me shed myself of my former manager," Miyuki replied, "Then a few in some basic outfits."

"Oh really?"

"Hai...Which, to be honest, is a bit of relief," Miyuki admitted, "Don't get me wrong. I had no problem wearing certain clothes for a promotional image, but there are times I felt the chosen outfits were...questionable...such as the cowkini."

=The what?= Lyra and Frost asked.

"Something for the Choinan New Year Zodiac a few years back when it was the Year of the Cow," Miyuki replied, her cheeks turning pink.

"...oh...oh!" Sonia realized as she began to blush once more, "That...revealing?"

"The covers for the top opened up to reveal th...n-nevermind. I wanna focus on my job and relax afterwards, kyu," Miyuki muttered.

"Right," Sonia nodded, fighting off her blush, 'Just hope the boys didn't hear that…'

=Oi, Geo...This Link kid reminds me of you a lot. For one, ya both don't talk that much= Omega-Xis noted.

"Hey…" Geo frowned.

=What? It's true= Omega-Xis argued =Also another thing..seems you both attract the shy, but extrovert, ones quite a bit=

"Huh?" Geo raised a brow.

=And he also relates in not noticing it= Issun deadpanned.

"Hey…" Geo frowned.

=What? It's true…= Issun and Omega-Xis deadpanned.

"..."

"Your room keys," the worker spoke, handing each of them a plastic card, "Just put it against the small box on the doors and they'll unlock for you to enter. They're also used to access the various activities in the building such as the pool and gym."

"Thank you," White nodded before the worker left, "Alright, best put our luggage in and get something to eat before the jet lag hits us."

"Agreed," Miyuki nodded as she picked her bag up, "Then I'll rest up for a bit before going to the photo shooting in the morning."

"Neat!" Sonia beamed before her stomach growled, "...Eheheh…"

"I can go get some food for us," Geo offered.

"Really? Thanks!" Sonia beamed.

"I'll go assist him then," White offered as the two walked off, "We'll see you girls later." he proceeded to yelp as he tripped and tumbled into a wall, "Ow…"

"Oh dear," Miyuki gasped as she ran over and helped him up, "Are you alright?"

"I'm okay," White assured.

"Mmm...Maybe it's better if I get the food with Geo instead," Miyuki noted.

"Good idea…" White groaned as Miyuki put her bag down.

"Besides, I'm a bit hungry myself so I can help pick out the food," Miyuki added.

"That's good to hear," Geo nodded.

"A big ol' burger for me please! With lots of bacon!" Sonia grinned, her tail popping out to wag as she thought of it.

"That does sound good," White agreed.

"Alright," Miyuki giggled as she and Geo walked off, "I'll make sure to have them put extra bacon on yours, Misora-chan."

"Arigatou!" Sonia beamed.

=Ugh! Lousy Waterblight! I swear, if you don't stop throwing those ice blocks at me, I'm gonna…= Omega-Xis growled.

"Seems you're really getting into it," Geo noted, carrying a takeout bag with his and White's orders and looking between his room card and the numbers on the doors.

=Of course I am! Th-oh no you don't! Arrow in the eye, bitch!=

=Hopefully, White likes the burger you got him= Issun noted =Lots of bacon, though=

"I'm just thinking it's because the cashier misheard us," Geo shrugged as he stopped at a door, "This is it." he put the card to the lock on the door and heard it click to unlock, "Alright." he grabbed the handle and opened the door, his back to the inside as he entered and closed the door, "White, I'm here with the f…"

He froze when he turned around. Sonia paused in the middle of pulling up a pair of pink pajama pants with baby-blue note patterns on them, the only other articles on her a pair of red panties with a heart on the crotch and a frilly red bra with the frills pink. The way she was frozen up had her facing him directly, letting him see the deep cleavage her bra gave and how much they pushed up on her bosom. A blush formed on her cheeks as she quickly shot up fully and covered her chest as Geo spun around with his own face bright red.

"G-g-g-g-g-Geo-kun?!" Sonia yelped, "Nani kore?!"

"S-Sorry!" Geo apologized, focusing on the door and trying to open it only to fumble and then pause, "Wait...if my card opened this room then…"

"...We have the same room…" Sonia realized as her blush grew, "...meaning sensei and White-san…"

"Ahh!" White's voice yelped in surprise.

"KYU?!" Miyuki's voice yelped as well.

=What's going on out there?= Omega-Xis demanded before he came out and blinked twice, "...Huh. Guess we're sharing a room with you instead of White. What's with the frilly stuff, anyway? I think I saw something like it in Hope's cl…"

"Wizard off!" Geo snapped.

"Wh-hey!" Omega-Xis snapped as he was forced back into the device.

"J-Just don't look until I say you can," Sonia ordered, quickly pulling her pajama pants up and grabbing the matching button shirt for it.

"R-Right," Geo agreed, "...W-Well, at least you and White made the same order, so that...um...that's something, right?"

"We did?" Sonia asked as she fumbled with buttoning the shirt in her haste.

"Yeah. A burger with lots of bacon."

"That's good," Sonia noted, finally getting the buttons on right, "Okay, you can turn."

"S-Sorry about that again," Geo apologized, turning around and mentally sighing in relief.

"It's fine," Sonia sighed as she sat down on her bed, "...Maybe we should've checked our cards earlier…"

"We're all a bit tired, so I guess it's understandable," Geo admitted as he put the food on the table in the room.

"...You think sensei and White-san are okay?"

=Given the loud scream? Probably= Omega-Xis snorted.

"And muted," Geo deadpanned, "...Wait a second." he looked at his Star Carrier, the screen showing a dazed Issun, rolling around on the screen's 'floor' with hearts floating off his pink radiation, "...I am so sorry for these two."

"I-It's fine," Sonia assured as Geo pulled out the take out boxes.

"Again, it...it's fine," White assured, blushing while wearing an orange pajama shirt and pants, leaning beside the door to the bathroom where a blushing Miyuki was putting on her pajamas.

"B-But still! I should've knocked to make sure," Miyuki argued, "Ah mou...Why didn't we check the room numbers before we went off?"

"I think that was the jet lag making us not fully check," White replied, 'I can't believe she saw it…'

'Oh my kami above, he's huge!' Miyuki thought before furiously shaking her head of the thoughts, 'Nonononono! Don't think that! Just put your clothes on and have a nice dinner with White-kyun and go sleep in bed...n-not in the same one, though! KYUUUU~! BAD THOUGHTS! BAD! OUT OF THE GUTTER!'

"MiyukI?"

"Oh! H-hai...must've been the jetlag, kyu…" Miyuki muttered before shaking her head as she finished getting dressed, "St-still...I should probably relax...and not be so flustered for the photoshoot later, kyu…"

"True. It's best to just relax, eat your meal, and rest up before we need to leave for it," White agreed.

"Hai...plus I may as well check on what I have to wear for later, kyu…" Miyuki added.

"Understood," White nodded before Miyuki stepped out and made his blush grow larger.

The shapely tall Oina was dressed in a light orange nightgown trimmed in icy-blue frills, her ample chest hugged snugly by the fabric and pushing them up a bit. Faint icy-blue snowflake patterns decorated the fabric with icy-blue straps with an orange middle draped her shoulders.

'...Dear lord above…' White mentally whispered, 'This is payback for her seeing me when I was about to get dressed, isn't it?'

"Thank goodness that you and Sonia ordered the same thing," Miyuki noted as she walked over to the table and pulled out their food, "Care to join me, kyu?"

"U-Um...Y-Yeah," White replied, managing to shake his thoughts off as he moved to join her at the small table, his stomach growling a little before they started eating, "Hmm...It's been a while since I last had a burger made in St. Louis."

"You've been here before?"

"Born, actually," White replied, "Moved from here to Electopia around high school. But I'm glad to see not much has changed since I left from an initial look."

"Oh~ So it must feel nostalgic for you to be back here then," Miyuki noted as she began to take a bite of her burger.

"Indeed. Hopefully, the photoshoots will be quick enough to show you around the city," White noted, "The Arch is one of the best places. Underground museum and a fantastic view from the top of it."

"Well it's a good thing I have a guide then, kyu," Miyuki giggled as she took a sip of her drink, "Mmm! This is some good orange soda."

"That's a Jarritos. I think, based off the color, that's their mandarin orange flavor," White noted, sipping his own, "Mine's strawberry."

"...Now I'm even more angry at my ex-manager for keeping me from this stuff, kyu," Miyuki muttered as she took another sip of her drink, her tail popping out and wagging at the taste of the meal and drink.

'Hoo boy…' White mentally gulped before taking a bite of his burger.

"Okay, I can see why White gave you this game," Geo noted as he sat beside Sonia, watching her play the game.

"I'll say," Sonia agreed, her thumbs moving quick and keeping in time with the beat as she returned the pink-colored planet at the massive figure she was fleeing from, "And this is just the first boss! His techno pop is pretty stellar, though his attitude rubs me the wrong way!" her ears and tail popped out and fluffed up in anger, "Those people came to see a concert, not him just talking on a phone and eating a popsicle! The others better be more competent or Imma gonna Wave Change and jump in there to bash them with my guitar like Mayday is!"

"Not gonna use your brush for it?" Omega-Xis asked, playing a card game with Lyra and Issun, the tiniest of them using his hammer to shrink the cards he drew and restored them to normal when he was playing them.

"Huh? No way! This is music! I fight with my guitar and lyrics, not a BattleCard and my brush!" Sonia declared.

"Should've seen that coming," Omega-Xis sweatdropped.

"Says the battle loving dragon mutt," Lyra argued in a deadpanned tone.

"What was that?" Omega-Xis growled.

"Uno!" Issun declared, "And draw four, Lyra-chan!"

"What?!" Lyra gawked, looking at their discard pile, "You gotta be kidding me…"

"Heh heh heh...who's dumb now?" Omega-Xis smirked as he played a Skip before Lyra drew a card and placing down a green, "..."

"What? No green?" Lyra asked.

"I don't think he has one," Issun noted.

"..." Omega-Xis drew...then drew again...and just started to keep drawing, "Oh my god...What is this game?! Oh, you serious?! Give me a green! What are you?!"

"They seem to be having fun," Geo chuckled.

"Yep," Sonia giggled, "Hmm...Wanna do two player against this next fight?"

"Okay," Geo replied.

"Great! You're Zuke, the drummer and sorta healer for the two," Sonia explained, "And it seems the next boss is called Sayu."

"Any tips?"

"Holy shit! Finally!" Omega-Xis cheered, playing a green 9...before Issun played a green Skip and causing it to be his turn again, "...SHIT!"

"...Try not to rage like Omega-Xis," Sonia joked as Omega-Xis started to draw all over again, making his hand bigger and bigger with each card drawn.

"Can do..." Geo chuckled a bit as he connected his VG Hunter to hers as the screen changed, "...Huh...It kinda looks like it's themed after being under the sea."

"Well, the ads they show in-game on the screens did show that she looks like a mermaid," Sonia noted.

"Mermaid?" Issun looked up from his and Lyra's laughter at the screen in time to see the boss appear, "SWEET CHICHIGAMI-SAMA SHE'S A BEAUTY!"

"Paint later, make Omega-Xis draw another green now," Lyra distracted, playing a Wild, "Green."

"FUCK!"

"Ok...controls seem okay so far," Geo muttered as he and Sonia focused on the screen.

"And there's our boss. Oh my goodness, she looks so cute!" Sonia awed.

"And really tall," Geo added, realizing that the tailfin alone was as big as their characters.

"Oh! Look at her eyes! They're hearts!" Sonia awed as the characters talked.

"...Wait, there's a taboo on saying 'real' there?" Geo pondered.

"Well, this game did come out long before NetNavis, even, so I guess it's understandable," Sonia tilted her head.

=Look at her, Zuke! She's! Not! RE~AL~!=

The Mermaid gasped before arguing =But I am real! As real as your love for each other!=

"Wh-wh-what?!" Sonia stammered as she and Geo began blushing.

"S-Say what?!" Geo gawked.

"I think she was referring to…" Issun began.

"No, no. Let them think otherwise," Lyra whispered in amusement.

"...You're enjoying that, aren't you?" Omega-Xis deadpanned.

"Oh like you wouldn't believe," Lyra mused.

"...Least you're focusing on that and not the game at th-" Omega-Xis began before Issun put down a reverse card, "..."

"Heh-heh. Outta green?"

"Yep," Omega-Xis replied...before putting down a red reverse card, "But not outta Reverses."

"Shoot! I don't have a red or a Reverse!" Issun panicked as he drew, "No." he drew again, "No." another, "Shimatta!"

"...Boy...she sure likes to talk a lot about love…" Geo whispered with a blush.

"H-Hai…" Sonia agreed before lyrics began to come from the game, "Oh! Hmm...This is kinda catchy. With how old this game is, I wonder if I could do a jukebox song of this one."

"It does sound rather nice," Geo admitted, "Oh heads up! Enemy incoming!"

"Ah!" Sonia yelped, making Mayday jump over the attack and bash the enemy, "Take that! Ahh...being a musician playing a music-based game is hard. You just wanna listen to the songs, but if you do you're gonna lose!"

"Oh you think that's hard...try playing an old music game called Friday Night Funkin'," Issun stated, causing the two to spit out their drinks just as they were taking a sip.

"F-Friday Night what?!"

"Funkin'. Ya know, the music genre called Funk?" Issun tilted his head before his radiation turned light green, "Oh~You thought I was saying something else, didn't ya~?"

"I-Iie!" Sonia argued, shaking her head.

"You totally did…"

"Mmm~!"

"Oh, you are so easy to tease, Misora-himesama," Issun noted before looking at the screen and collapsed, his radiation pink with hearts floating off him.

"Did...Did she get even bigger?" Geo asked.

"That is a lot of hair," Sonia blinked a few times, "And her trident has a new design to it."

"...Things are gonna get harder from here, aren't they?" Geo asked.

"I think so…Yep! A lot harder! She's got us circled with fish missiles!" Sonia yelped.

"Hoo boy!"

"Make sure you two go to bed at a decent time now," Lyra advised, "Also…" she put her last card on the pile, "I win."

"What/Nani?!" Issun and Omega-Xis gawked before hitting their heads on the table with a groan, both their hands well over twenty cards.

"Should've paid attention~" Lyra teased the two.

"Don't worry, Lyra-chan! We'll get plenty of sleep!" Sonia assured.

=You two didn't get plenty of sleep= Lyra frowned from Sonia's guitar, Geo sporting tiny bags under his eyes as they leaned against a wall of the entry building for the botanical gardens.

"DK West...is evil…" Geo yawned.

"Good songs, but bad gameplay for his fights…" Sonia grumbled, the only one fully awake of the two.

=Ano...Think you could give him a pick-me-up, Misora-Himesama?= Issun asked.

"Hm?"

=Bloom works on humans and animals just as well as on plants, remember?= Issun reminded.

"Oh..right," Sonia muttered as she pulled her brush out, 'drawing' a circle around Geo as some sparkles began to come off him.

"Hmm?" Geo blinked as he was now fully awake, "...Thanks."

"You're welcome!" Sonia beamed as she put it away before White walked over to them.

"Alright, you two can go out and enjoy the gardens. We'll be joining you at the Climatron when the photo-shoot is done," White explained, handing them a pair of paper maps.

"Understood," Geo nodded as he and Sonia took their maps.

=I'm surprised they still do these kinds of maps= Omega-Xis noted.

"All recycled," White explained, "They actually prefer to use these over a digital map for a more 'natural' feel to the gardens."

"Makes sense," Sonia nodded, "During training, Sensei did often suggest having a map on you in case you end up lost with now working electronics."

White nodded, "Well, I need to go talk with the people in charge of this shoot. Enjoy the gardens, you two."

"See you later, White," Geo waved before he and Sonia cringed as White tripped on his foot and tumbled off, "Guy just can't take ten steps without tripping."

=That is some seriously terrible luck…= Omega-Xis cringed.

=Eh. I've seen unluckier= Issun shrugged =Preferably two characters from this game I shared with Acid to get him to stop=

=What was it called?= Lyra asked.

=Danganronpa, a bit of a mystery game where you interact with your fellow classmates, then play a game of who did it=

"...That doesn't sound too bad," Sonia noted.

"...There's a catch isn't there?" Geo asked with a sigh.

=The guilty one gets murdered by a freaky facsimile of a panda=

"EH?!" Sonia gawked at that.

=It has to do with the series theme: a battle between Hope and Despair= Issue added =But you could always focus on the daily events with your fellow classmates. One of the big pulls of this series is its characters…=

=There's a lot of girls, aren't there?= Omega-Xis deadpanned.

=...I am not ashamed of admitting it, but yes...so many best girls…= Issue admitted =There's also an Ultimate Idol and Musician amongst them=

"Ultimate?" Geo and Sonia repeated as they began to walk off.

=A title usually given to those really good at a certain talent=

"May need to check that later, it seems," Sonia noted as they entered the first section...and her tails and ears popped out, "!?"

"Sonia?" Geo pondered.

"It smells so nice here~" Sonia sighed in content as her tail swayed a bit, "The flowers smell so amazing...the calm gentle wind blowing by…"

=Ohh...I'm starting to think coming here was both good and bad for her= Issun noted.

"Issun?" Geo pondered as the tiny Wizard popped out and onto his shoulder.

"This place is a botanical garden, as in a very big piece of nature being kept pristine and natural as possible, right?" Issun gestured to Sonia as she looked around in the Linnean House.

"...yeah….?" Geo replied, still not seeing where Issun was going with this.

"Misora-Himesama is Amaterasu reincarnated, a being of nature herself," Issun continued, "This is more than likely the biggest natural spot she's been in since she started regaining her Brush Techniques from the Fudegami."

=In other words…?=

"She's…" Issun began before a wolf bark made them look in time to see Ammy run off into the larger flower garden outside, "...gonna go full Ammy and run around, forgetting about us in the process."

"Oh…" Geo whispered as it began to dawn on him, "...S-Sonia, wait!"

"After that reincarnated goddess of the sun!" Issun ordered, pointing his sword outwards in the direction she ran off to.

"Ahh!" Geo yelped as he gave chase.

"That's right, Miyuki! Give us a nice big smile and pose for the camera!" the director called out as Miyuki was doing a few poses for the camera man.

"Kyu~!" Miyuki teased, giving a big smile with a wink to the camera while she was outstretching her hands to the camera, as if requesting a hug.

White's face lit up with a blush at how cute she was acting for the photoshoot, making a mental note how much more comfortable she was feeling at this than the first one he'd seen her do. Miyuki's outfit was both fitting for her physical profession and served to flatter her curves. It was primarily an ice-blue in color with a shiny silver detailing and trim. The top of it had no sleeves and exposed her navel area. On her arms were a pair of fabric braces while her shapely, slender legs were covered in a pair of stockings that were fed into a pair of ice-blue boots with silver detailing, soles, and heels. Completing the outfit was a pair of shorts sporting the same coloration and detailing as the rest of the outfit, firm and snug on her shapely rear.

"Seriously doll, I love ya!" the director laughed as the cameraman kept flashing the camera, "The outfit is amazing, and you look amazing! Oh! Give the audience another one of your signature poses, Miyuki!"

"I'm honestly surprised he hasn't been slapped yet," White whispered.

"Eh, Ralph's a pretty good cameraman," another of the invited wrestlers with tanned skin noted, donning a red leotard with black flame designs going up the right half of her figure, black stockings and red heeled wrestling boots, "Plus, he's a married man. John makes some damn good brownies."

"Ah, I see-John?" White pondered.

"Problem with that?"

"No, no. Just wasn't expecting it after the last photoshoot she was involved with," White admitted as the cameraman finished the shots of Miyuki.

"Oh honey…" Ralph began as he looked over, "The moment I heard what kind of 'Photoshoot' that tacky fat idiot wanted, I just went 'kiss my well-toned ass. I ain't subjecting my girls to your perverted fantasies!'" he looked at Miyuki, "Sorry, hun, for any offense."

"None taken," Miyuki huffed, "I'm glad someone managed to get it through to me what kind of creep he was. At least White's doing a much better job than he ever did. Speaking of. Wh..."

"Towel," White informed, offering it to her.

"Thank you~!" Miyuki beamed, accepting the ice-blue towel to wipe some sweat off.

"Okay, everyone, take 5! There's some brownies on the table made by my oh so precious Johnny bear, and he put his heart and soul into making it for you ladies to enjoy!" Ralph declared as the camera crew began to disperse, "For real, Miyuki darling? You look so...good in that outfit! So much better than your old one."

"Why thank you, Ralph! White made this himself," Miyuki explained.

"Oh? Your new manager is quite the seamster," Ralph complimented before hearing a yelp and a splash, causing everyone to turn to the fountain to see White had fallen into it, "Oh dear."

"I'm o…" White began as he climbed out..before spitting out some water, "Okay….don't remember eating koi...wait. AHH!"

"Is...Is he okay?" another female wrestler asked.

"He is," Miyuki assured, "He just has issues with tripping if he doesn't pay attention to his feet every so often."

"Seriously?" the wrestler in red and black raised a brow, "Wow...talk about shitty luck."

"Karai…" a silver-haired wrestler wearing a white and blue version of the red and black outfit sighed, shaking her head as White managed to get himself out of the water.

"What? I calls it as I see it."

"Oh honestly.." Ralph rolled his eyes before booking at a clipboard, "...Oh! It seems it's young Rising Star Ellie's turn for the photo shoot. Now where is that dear…?"

"R-Right here…" a rather soft voice spoke up.

Shyly approaching was a girl around Sonia and Geo's age with large silver hair that went down to halfway between her feet and knees with a single light-blue highlight that framed the right side of her face. She wore a pink top with no sleeves and exposed her navel like Miyuki's, but it also exposed most of her upper cleavage and trimmed in a mixture of silver and gold. She wore a pair of combination stockings/heeled wrestling boots with gold or silver trim based on the leg. She wore a pair of wrestling short-shorts with a gold and silver skirt coming from where her legs came out of. On her arms were shoulder-length pink gloves with her hands covered in a grey glove with black braces on her lower arms, all trimmed in either gold and then silver or silver and then gold.

"Oh come now; there's no need to be so nervous," Ralph assured her, "You just gotta put as much oomph into the photos as you would in the ring!"

"Oh...r-right…" the girly meekly nodded.

"Alright, people! We're onto the next set of pho-tos~!" Ralph called out to the camera crew in a megaphone, "Oh and someone be a dear and lower the flash a bit? She gets easily startled."

"Who...ack...Is that…?" White coughed as he walked over to Miyuki.

"Not sure," Miyuki replied.

"Ah, she's a new gal that joined when you were in Electopia for that beach photoshoot," the silver-haired woman explained.

"Really?"

"Her name's Ellie Tsukikaze," Karai added, "She goes by Rising Star...pfft. More like Falling Star."

"Karai…"

"What? Not my fault she keeps losing to me."

"Because you get too rough with people...especially the rookies."

"Hey. Just giving them a taste of what to expect in the big leagues, sis."

"I see…" Miyuki noted as she looked over at the shy silverette, "Hmm…"

"Ok...just think of a pose to do...but what…" Ellie whispered to herself, taking a deep breath just as the camera man began to set up the camera.

"Again don't worry, darling. Just put out as much energy as you would in the ring," Ralph assured.

"I-I know, but...well…" Ellie began with a whisper before she noticed Miyuki heading towards her, "Eh?"

"Hi!" Miyuki greeted with a smile, "I'm Miyuki! It's nice to meet you!"

"Miyu...oh! Y-you're one of the people in the top league!" Ellie realized before bowing a bit, "A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Nanaya."

"No need to be so formal," Miyuki giggled a bit, "Just Miyuki will do."

"Oh...o-okay…" Ellie muttered as she stood straight, messing with a lock of her hair for a moment, "Um...d-do you need something?"

"Just wanting to meet a new face is all and to welcome you to wrestling!" Miyuki replied, "I really like your uniform!"

"Oh! Well..th-thank you," Ellie smiled a bit, "I made it myself…"

"Really?"

"Yes...I've had to do it so many times for my brother...and my…" Ellie paused as she looked down sadly, "Boyfriend…"

"...You're competing to make money for him, aren't you?" Miyuki whispered to her.

"?! That's...right," Ellie whispered with wide eyes, "How did…"

"Most of the newcomers that join the FFW usually have a reason; whether it's to make ends meet or paying for someone's operation," Miyuki answered.

"...The latter...is true," Ellie admitted with a sad sigh, "My boyfriend is in a coma, and I'm trying to earn enough for the bills...He still hasn't woken up."

"Oh my!" Miyuki gasped.

"But I'm not gonna give up...I'm praying he'll pull through," Ellie added, "I try my best in the ring...but so far I rarely get a win in…."

"Yeah, because she faces me a-" Karai began before her sister elbowed her in the gut, "Ahh, Aoiro, ya bitch…"

"Not the time for that," the named Aoiro scowled at her sister.

"...So you're just trying to make money for your boyfriend's bills, right?" Miyuki asked, earning a nod from Ellie, "...Hey Ralph, would you mind if I join in this photo shoot?"

"Eh/beg pardon?" Ellie and Ralph blinked at that.

"Yes. I'd like to help my fellow wrestler out with this," Miyuki explained, "It's her first shoot after all, no?"

"Oh? Trying to be a good veteran to the newcomer? Aw, that's so nice!" Ralph chuckled, "Well, that's all up to the little lady."

"...A-Are you sure?" Ellie asked Miyuki, " I mean...th-"

"Oh nonsense. I figure you could use the help," Miyuki argued before whispering, "That and give you some tips for photoshoots and for the ring."

"Oh…" Ellie noted in awe before looking at Ralph, "I'm fine with it, Mr. Ralph!"

"Oh splendid! Oh you two are gonna shine, my little snow stars!" Ralph beamed as the cameraman finished setting the camera up again, "Alright, now I want you both to give me as much flare as possible! Make it so the crowd wants you, but at the same time go 'We're here for you, boys and girls, but we are here to get our fight on'!"

"Okay!" Miyuki beamed.

"O-Okay!" Ellie nodded.

The two sisters said nothing as they and White watched the two doing a few poses for the camera...with Ellie somehow being cute in her poses while trying to mimic and catch up with Miyuki.

"Mmm...where is she?" Geo whispered as he looked around for Ammy.

"Think she's in the big domed place?" Omega-Xis asked, pointing at a large domed area.

"That's the Climatron," Issun noted, looking at the shrunken map in his hands, "Apparently, it's the first geodesic dome to be used as a conservatory. ...It's Geo's first?"

"No, no, no," Geo quickly argued, "It means that all those triangles it's made of make it extremely durable and hard to break."

"Oh~! What's it for?" Issun asked.

"Well, based on the name, it's a place meant to keep the inside of it to a certain type of climate. Probably to keep plants not native to this place thriving year round," Geo guessed.

"ARF!"

"GYAH!" Geo yelped, jumping up and landing in the rectangular pond outside of the Climatron.

"ARF!" Ammy barked, her tail wagging as she panted happily.

"..." Geo poked his head out, a lily pad on his head.

"Oh, I am so glad I landed on you and not in the water like Geo," Issun noted, now on her head, before yelping as she ran off down a path away from the Climatron, "Ah! Matte! Matte!"

"Ahh! Sonia, wait!" Geo called out as he chased after her.

"Nice hat, Geo!" Omega-Xis laughed until the lily pad smacked him in the face, "Oi!"

"Tatsukete! Nature-loving wolf!" Issun called.

"Ahh geez…what do I do?" Geo whispered as he managed to chase her into the Climatron only for her to run between his legs and back out, "Ah! So-Ammy, come back here!"

Ammy barked happily as she gave Geo a chase around several paths. The brunette gasped and panted as he finally collapsed on a bench as Ammy ran around a small circle.

"Sh-She is evil like this…" Geo groaned.

"Or you're just a lazy boy who doesn't hit the gym often enough," Omega-Xis replied.

"Shut up, Mega…" Geo groaned before blinking as he didn't hear her barking, "Oh no…Did she run off?"

"No, she's looking at a little kid over there," Omega-Xis replied, making Geo look to see her walking over to a little girl that was looking at a large path of flowers that weren't in bloom.

"Mmm…I really wanna see the flowers…" the little girl whined, "Why are they always sleepy when I come?"

Ammy tilted her head at that. She looked between the little girl and then at the flowers before her tail wagged. The tip of her tail did a small circle and the little girl gasped when the flowers glowed and began to bloom within seconds.

"Oh wow~!" the little girl awed, "So many colors~!"

"Arf!"

"Oh!" the little girl jumped and turned to Ammy, "Did you do this, Ms. Doggy?"

"She did!" Issun beamed, "Her name's Ammy, short for Amaterasu!"

"Magic doggy?" the little girl awed before hugging Ammy, "Thank you, Ms. Ammy!"

Ammy gave a smile and whine, her tail wagging excitedly from the praise.

"Sweetie, we're going to get food now!" a voice called, earning the girl's attention.

"Okay, mommy! Bye-bye, Ms. Ammy! You are very pretty, especially the red swirlies! Thank you for the pretty flowers!" she beamed before running off.

"Aw, now ain't that adorable?" Issun chuckled, "Feels nice knowing you've gotten praise for a good deed, huh?"

"Arf!" Ammy beamed.

"Sonia!" Geo called before the wolf ran off, "Aw come on!"

"...Huh…" Omega-Xis mumbled, looking around the path they were on, "Strange…some of these spots remind me of some of the towns in Hyrule."

"What?" Geo blinked a few times.

"Yeah, like that over there," Omega-Xis pointed at what looked like a stone lantern, "See? Looks like the ones for the blue flames to light the furnaces."

"That's just a game, Mega," Geo sighed before blinking twice, "...Wait a second…" he knelt down and brushed some dirt on it off, "...This is Japanese writing."

"Hmm?""

"Is this…a garden meant to represent Electopia when it was called Japan?" Geo pondered as he took a picture of it and sent a message to Goodall.

"Probably explains why the crazy wolf gal came this way," Omega-Xis noted.

"...May have to ask Miyuki if she knows anything," Geo whispered as he looked around the area, "Maybe there's something else we're not seeing…"

White presented Miyuki a handkerchief, the Oina woman barely taking it before she sneezed into it, "...Thank you, White."

"That's some reaction speed on your new manager," the other woman noted.

"I'll say, sis. Kinda looked like he already knew she was about ta sneeze," Karai noted, "...Aoiro, ya think he's psychic?"

"Let's not start this up," she sighed.

"I'm serious! How else do you explain that reaction time?!" Karai exclaimed before White pulled out Miyuki's VG Hunter.

"Message for you."

"Thank you, White," Miyuki thanked before it rang.

"SEE?!"

"M-maybe they're just that in sync?" Ellie offered.

"Could very well be," Aoiro agreed.

"...I see," Miyuki whispered, looking at the message sent to her before looking out at Ralph, "Ralph, I need to take a break. Something came up."

"Hm? Sure thing, darling. It's nothing really worryin', is it?"

"No. Small emergency that should be resolved quickly enough," Miyuki assured.

"Ahh. Alrighty. I will see you shortly then," Ralph responded.

"Thank you," Miyuki smiled a bit before looking over at Ellie, "Ms. Tsuchikaze?"

"Y-yes?"

"Remember the techniques I shared with you," Miyuki winked to her as she began to walk off.

"R-Right!" Ellie nodded.

"You'll do good," White assured, giving an assuring smile.

"You're not going with her?" Ellie asked.

"Someone has to catch her up to what is going on when she returns," White replied with a shrug.

"Oh…"

"That and I trust her to handle whatever is happening while she trusts me to help here," White spoke with a small smile.

"?" Ellie blinked a bit at the first part, '...What could've pulled her away then if it's that important…?'

"I'm here," Miyuki spoke, walking up to Geo as he was examining another stone lantern.

"Hi. Quick, look at this," Geo spoke.

"Hm?" Miyuki pondered as she knelt down, "...Oh! That's Japanese!"

"Yup…meaning this place as something we're not seeing," Geo responded, "Question is what though…?"

"Hmm…Think we should light 'em?" Omega-Xis asked.

"No," Miyuki shook her head, "These lanterns aren't meant to be lit by us. They're meant to be lit by those who came before us, by the Buddhas, or by the kami."

"...So we need to get Sonia to go back to being a girl and light them?" Omega-Xis asked.

"Hm?"

"She turned into Ammy almost the moment after you two left," Geo explained, "We've been chasing her all over the gardens."

"Oh dear…" Miyuki cringed, "I should've taken her camping to a few places before this trip."

"Huh?" Omega-Xis pondered.

"Outdoor gardens are a bit of a…risky place…for Oina who have only recently achieved the full change," Miyuki explained.

"...Why?" Geo asked cautiously.

"Let's just say pollen…affects us differently"," she replied, "But for an Oina who only recently achieved the full change, they tend to forget their human self for a few hours and end up staying in their animal state for that period." 'And a few other side effects after they acclimate that I'd rather not tell a boy…'

"...So wait. She's gonna be stuck as a wolf for a few hours?" Omega-Xis asked.

"Yes," Miyuki replied, "Well…unless you can snap her out of it with something she likes. It's often something an Oina enjoys as a human that will snap them out of it and remember that they're also human."

"...Something she likes…" Geo whispered as he let that info sink in, "...Like music?"

"Exactly!" Miyuki beamed, "Favorite foods can also be a good trigger." she smiled somberly, "My mother used my favorite meal to remind me when I had this happen when I first learned to change."

"O-Oh! Um…Do you know a-anything she likes?" Frost asked.

"She's crazy for barbecue," Geo replied, "And she seemed to really enjoy the soundtrack for that game White put in her VG Hunter."

"Soka…" Miyuki nodded before her VG Hunter rang, "Hm?" she looked at her email to see one from White with an attachment, "Oh! He just sent me the soundtrack for that game, kyu! I was just about to ask, too."

"...How?" Omega-Xis asked incredulously.

"He is a really good manager," Geo noted, blinking a few times in surprise, "Either that, or good timing."

"Right!" Miyuki nodded, "We'll just play this and hopefully she'll hear it and knock herself back into Sonia!" she put her hands on her hips, "Still…This is rather surprising."

"I did find a broken sign nearby," Omega-Xis noted before hefting up two parts of an old wooden sign.

"It says…'Seiwa-en,'" Miyuki translated.

"Seiwa-en?"

"It means 'garden of pure, clean harmony and peace,'" Miyuki further translated, "It honestly makes sense. This place honestly makes my inner fox want to run about and sleep in every nook and cranny." She turned to Geo, "Now let's hurry and find my wayward student, kyu."

"R-right," Geo nodded as the two began to walk off.

"Wowee! I can't believe how much is here that reminds me of Japan!" Issun awed, looking around the top of Ammy's head at the various flora about the path.

"Arf!"

"I know, right? It's pretty nice here," Issun agreed before spotting something, "Huh? Hey, hey! Go that way, Ammy!"

"Awoo?" Ammy pondered as she followed the path Issun was pointing at with his sword, leading them to a stone lantern resembling a five-tier tower near what appeared to be a jovial 'big boned' man in robes sitting cross-legged with a hand on his lap and one raised.

"Oh! A Buddha!" Issun awed, "And a Lopata Lantern!" Ammy tilted her head, gazing on the lantern and statue, feeling…a connection of sorts, "I'm not surprised you seem really interested in these, Ammy. This lantern's five tiers represent the earth, water, fire, wind, and sky and the Buddha is a key figure in Buddhism, a religion that originally came from India that blended well with the culture of Japan at the time because it spoke of things akin to Shintoism in just the right way." he looked at the Buddha, "I've heard that rubbing a Buddha's belly is meant to bring good fortune." he then looked at the Lopata Lantern, "Ah! One of the rings is missing!"

"Arf?"

"The rings that represent Heaven!" Issun explained as he pointed at the top that sported rings with one broken off, "See? See?! One's missing!" Ammy whined, her ears drooping on noticing it missing, "We gotta find that missing ring pronto!"

Ammy barked in agreement as she prepared to run off, only for her ears to perk up as she heard the sounds of plants rustling a bit. She looked to the side to see someone tending to a nearby flower bed. The person working there was a human woman that looked around her twenties, her dark-purple hair tired up into a ponytail as she had on what looked like a hairband with a pair of brown racoon-like ears on the top of her head. She wore a blue shirt that bled into white at the bottom, white shorts with a red belt, white stockings with a red diamond print on the tops, blue heeled boots that reached midway up her lower legs with gold tips, and a blue jacket. Near her was a baby monkey that was playing on a tree happily.

"Hmm? What's up?" Issun asked before he noticed the woman, "...tanuki?"

"Ah! A wolf?" the girl pondered, stopping from working for a moment to notice the wolf, "And a little lightning bug?"

"Hey, hey, hey! I am no lightning bug! I am the great EM-Wave Artist Issun!" Issun declared, "And this is Amaterasu, or Ammy for short!"

"Ah…hmm…rare to see a wolf all the way out here...with a custom Wizard at that," she muttered.

"Ack! C-Custom!?" Issun gawked, his radiation turning white in surprise, "And I am no spellcaster! I am an artist who draws the legends of Electopia from its olden days using its original art styles!" he shook his head, "A-Anyway, we got separated from our group because Ammy got excited to see this amazing garden!"

"Arf!" Ammy barked in annoyance, her ears flicking.

"Well it's true. You did run off all willy-nilly!" Issun huffed, "...Oh! Hey! Have you seen a stone ring anywhere near here? We're trying to find it to put back on that Lopata Lantern over there!"

"Is that what that weird tower is called?" she asked in surprise.

"It's a lantern! One only spirits are allowed to light!"

"Oh…I see," she muttered, "...Well, if you look in the Lost and Found near the artificial lake, you should be able to find it there."

"Really? Thanks! …Er…um…" Issun blinked a few times before his radiation turned a mixture of orange, pink, and yellow, "Eh-heh…We forgot to ask for your name."

"Ran. Kituna Ran."

"Arigatou, Ran-chan! To the Lost and Found, Ammy!" Issun thanked before Ammy ran off.

Ran smiled for a bit longer…before a small serious frown appeared on her face as she pulled out a forest-green VG Hunter, "Taiko, you saw that, right?"

=I did, nuki…was that really her?=

"Hai..the Taiyo no kami…" Ran whispered, "She's been revived…meaning she's here to help heal the Sakura Tree here."

=Yosha! That's a relief! We can finally reopen the Climatron for folks, nuki! Think she can help with the big gorilla we sealed up, too, nuki?=

"I hope so," Ran noted, the baby monkey looking over at them with a sad look, "Can't believe how many sutras it took to do that, either. And the way it messed with the plants…"

=Especially with the vines. Bad touch, nuki! Very bad touch!=

"This is getting frustrating. Is this how my mother felt when I was in this state, kyu?" Miyuki groaned in exasperation.

"I hope she's o-okay…" Frost noted, floating above Miyuki for a better view.

"What I don't get is why that out of tune harp isn't talking," Omega-Xis frowned, flying above Geo.

"Oh! Well…she may be asleep," Miyuki noted, "When I change into my animal form and Frost isn't out of my VG Hunter, she…well…seems to fall asleep until I change back, kyu."

"I-it's true," Frost added, "...a-and oddly…I'm dreaming of bounding and leaping through snow." she fidgeted with a small smile, "It…It's kinda n-nice."

"Great…So we've lost that option for finding the crazy wolf girl."

"...Do you think you could hear her in your animal state or in that half state?" Geo suggested to Miyuki.

"..." Miyuki facepalmed.

"You forgot?" Omega-Xis chuckled.

"Urusei…" she muttered as she did a quick flip and made her tail and ears pop out, "..." her ears twitched while closing her eyes, "I think…I can hear her rummaging through something…items clattering…a box falling over….the sound of water in the background…" she whispered as she opened her eyes, "She's at the lost and found near the artificial lake, kyu."

"There's a lost and found?" Geo asked.

"I'm picking up Issun complaining about it. Apparently it was designed to be a Japanese tea house before it was converted," Miyuki explained, "...They're over there trying to find a stone ring for a lantern…and glue."

"...why glue?" Omega-Xis asked.

"Mmm…I think…" Miyuki paused as her ears twitched, "It's because a statue they found is missing one, kyu….and I think he thinks glue will make it stick, kyu."

"That sounds like a horrible idea that could go very wrong," Omega-Xis deadpanned, "Ya need duct tape! That fixes everything!"

"..." Miyuki looked at an exasperated Geo.

"It didn't with my telescope from you running the lawnmower into it," Geo reminded.

"...Think there's stone glue?"

"..." both just facepalmed at that.

"I'm starting to agree with Issun on that nickname of his for you," Geo sighed.

"What? …What?"

"Where is it? Where is it?!" Issun hissed as Ammy was currently digging through some boxes

"Arf!" Ammy barked before pulling her head out with a stone ring in her mouth.

"That's the ring!" Issun cheered, "Now we need a way to stick it back on!" he sighed, "What I wouldn't give for knowing the Brush Technique that repairs things."

"Awoo?"

"Restoration," Issun explained, "I heard that the Fudegami that knows it could even restore entire seas of stars in the heavens above." he shook his head before looking around, "Oh! Let's use that glue over there as a temporary fix! We can come back when we find that Fudegami and use Restoration to make it pristine!"

"Arf!" Ammy beamed as Issun hopped off and grabbed the glue before hopping back on her head.

"Onwards to the lantern!"

"Arf!" Ammy barked as she ran off…just as Geo and Miyuki ran into the area.

"Did we just miss her?" Geo pondered.

"Hmm…" Miyuki hummed, ears twitching as she looked around, "...There. She went that way, kyu."

"I am so using this as material later," Omega-Xis growled.

"Complain later…chase now," Geo sighed as he and Miyuki ran off once more.

"Ugh fine…" Omega-xis groaned as he floated after the two, unaware of Ran peeking out at them from a nearby tree.

"Okay, I've got it…ugh…why must glue be so…gluey, huh?" Issun's voice muttered as Geo and Miyuki approached the shrine as they found the EM Being at the top of the tall lantern with Ammy looking up at the tiny artist struggling to keep the ring steady in the glue, "How long ya think we've got before the glue settles, Ammy?"

"Awoo?"

"That long?! Oh, my arms are gonna be sore…" Issun whined, his radiation turning blue.

"Gnat!" Omega-Xis snapped.

"Ah! The Baka-Ryu!" Issun yelped before he nearly let go of the ring, "Don't startle me right now! I'm busy fixing a lantern!"

"Ah! HOld on, Sonia!" Geo spoke, seeing the wolf about to run off again before pulling out a styrofoam container, "Really glad White sent that message earlier." he opened the lid, revealing pulled pork, several ribs, and a turkey leg.

"!?" Ammy froze as her nose twitched at the scent.

"What's that?" Issun asked.

"Barbecue from Pappy's Smokehouse. Best ribs in Ameropa," Miyuki explained.

"ARF!" Ammy barked before pouncing at Geo.

"Bwah!" Geo yelped as Sonia landed on him with her wolf ears and tail out and started to eat.

"Umei~! This is the best I've ever had~!" Sonia moaned, her tail wagging like mad, as Lyra popped out of her guitar.

"Huh?! Whuzza?! What's going on?! What happened to the giant field of flowers I was relaxing in?!" Lyra asked, looking around in bewilderment.

"Misora-chan, look at who you're sitting on," Miyuki sighed.

"Hm?" Sonia paused in her barbecue eating, "Who?" she looked down and blushed, realizing his head was between her legs while sitting on him, "Ah!" she jumped up, letting him take in a deep breath of air, "G-Gomen nassai, Geo-kun!"

"I…It's fine…" Geo whispered…despite his face covered in a heavy blush as he forced himself up.

"Wait, what's going on? Where are we?" Lyra asked, "The last thing I remember was Sonia starting to hop in place in that brick house area…" she looked at the lantern, "Issun, what are you doing?"

"Keeping this ring in place while the glue dries!" Issun replied, "It needs to be put back on here for the spirits to properly commune and light the fire in it!"

"Eh? All that…happened?" Sonia blinked.

"Hai. Pollen…has an effect on Oina women, Misora-chan, kyu," Miyuki explained, "I forgot to warn you about it and this all happened. Gomen nassai, kyu."

"Oh…it's fine, but…why do I feel there's something more to it than being stuck in my animal state?" Sonia pondered.

"...well…" Miyuki paused, using one of her tails to shield herself as she whispered to Sonia, "Pollen also has certain effects on our…bodies and mental state."

"...eh?"

"Certain kinds of pollen can cause us to go into an early heat and create a chemical reaction that, well…" Miyuki continued to whisper, "...make us bigger in the chest and…well…produce milk."

"?!" Sonia's face lit up in a heavy blush at that, "...m….milk? Like…"

"Hai…" Miyuki nodded, blushing a little as well.

"Ne, ne! Geo, Geo! Can you fire on the glue to make it harden faster?" Issun asked, "Hurry please! I'm slipping!"

"Ahh! R-right right!" Geo replied, rushing up to the lantern as he reached for something, "...wait. I don't have a lighter!"

"Ahem," Omega-Xis cleared his throat as he pointed at Geo's BattleCard container and then at himself.

"I'm getting a bad feeling all of a sudden…" Issun gulped, his radiation turning white.

"Oh, right!" Geo opened his container and looked through it before tossing one to Omega-Xis, "Here you go, Omega-Xis."

"Thank you," Omega-Xus muttered, popping the BattleCard into his mouth before spitting a small fireball into the lantern, "There…it's lit. Now what?"

"..." a soot-covered Issun coughed out a puff of smoke before falling off, landing on Frost's head.

"Hm? Oh, this looks neat," Sonia noted, still nibbling on her barbecue while looking at the lantern.

"Did you forget what I already told you…?" Issun groaned, "It's a Lopata Lantern…" a light began to shine from above, "...Hm?"

"You gotta be kidding me…All the way here?!" Omega-Xis gawked as they looked up to see a constellation in the sky above.

"I think two stars are missing," Geo noted.

"Oh! I can fix that!" Sonia gasped, reaching for her brush as she 'filled in' the two dots that were missing.

The two dots glowed before turning into stars, completing the constellation and made it resemble a '1.' From it, a monkey similar to Sakigami appeared from it. Instead of a sho in its hands, this one held a golden flute with a golden flower on the end. The monkey spread his arms out above it before it crouched down and performed several flips high in the air before falling down…only to collide with Omega-Xis and knocking his head off once more. The dazed monkey tumbled along the floor before them as it transformed into the mountainous landscape of the Fudegami. Nearby, a transparent image of Sakigami was sitting…and trying to not look at the other one in embarrassment. He started to play, causing the new Fudegami to shake out of its daze and jump up into the air and began to play while hopping in place.

"Ah…Amaterasu. Origin of all that is good and mother to us all…Long have I hidden among the nature in this piece of Nihon within this lantern, following after Tsutagami who fled to this land for reasons I do not understand," the monkey explained, none of them understanding how it could talk and play at the same time, "But now the time has come for I, Hasugami, proud member of the Hanagami trio of flora gods, to reveal myself!"

"Yeah, that's nice and all…but what are ya gonna do about my head ya knocked off, dammit?!" Omega-Xis snapped as his body patted the ground as it tried to find its head.

"Ahh…that…" the monkey muttered, fumbling with his flute for a moment in embarrassment as his brother gave him an annoyed look behind his instrument, "You should be more careful where you fly, strange blue dragon."

"Oh you little…!" Omega-Xis growled before Lyra slapped his head off the mountaintop, "YOU OUT OF TUNE HAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRP!"

"Sorry for him. Please continue, Hasugami-sama," Lyra assured.

"Um…R-Right," Hasugami replied before turning to Sonia and bowing, "May my power of Water Lily be of assistance to you in not only this era, but in saving Tsutagami from himself while on your grave quest in this current life."

As he played, his body collapsed into the kanji for 'Hasu' (Lotus) while the transparent Sakigami faded away. The Kanji flew around before going into Sonia. The area rippled before changing back into the Botanical Gardens. Nearby, Omega-Xis's body fished out his head from the pond…with a koi fish trying to eat one of his head spikes.

"Oh, this is one of the more unusual Brushstroke Techniques," Issun noted, hopping around in excitement, "With Hasugami-sama's Water Lilly, you can create giant lily pads on any watery surface! You can use them to cross any body of water!"

"Eh? But…I have Lyra-chan for that when we become Lyra Note," Sonia noted, titling her head.

"Yes, but what happens if Lyra-chan is unable to assist?" Issun asked before they heard a splash.

"EMILY!"

"?!" the trio of humans turned to see the little girl from earlier splashing frantically in the lake well on the other side, her mother on a higher hill.

"H-Help!" the little girl screamed.

"Oh! That's the little girl you helped earlier by making those plants bloom with Bloom!" Issun exclaimed, "Oh! This is a perfect opportunity!"

"...Issun, think your words carefully," Sonia warned, her tail and ears twitching in annoyance.

"What I mean is that Misora-tenshisama needs to make a circle over her!" Issun explained.

"...You better be right," Sonia frowned, holding her brush up once more as she drew a circle over the little girl, causing a giant lily pad to suddenly appear as she rested on top of it, "?!"

"Ah!" Emily gasped as her mother ran down the hill, "Huh? Wh-What's going on?"

"Emily!" her mother called.

"Mommy!" Emily reached out to her as she was scooped up.

"Oh thank goodness, you're alright!" her mother exclaimed in relief, "But…where did this lily pad come from?"

"...Oh! It must have been Ms. Ammy!" Emily beamed.

"Ms. Ammy?" The white dog you were talking about that you said made all those flowers bloom earlier?"

"Uh-huh! She probably made the big thingy!" Emily beamed as she looked around, "Ms. Ammy! If you can hear me, thank you!" she then sneezed.

"Ah! We need to get you out of those…come on, sweetie," he mother sighed as she quickly walked back up and away.

"Huh…It's weird…" Sonia noted, putting a hand to her chest, her red markings softly glowing, "When she thanked me…it felt…warm."

"Kami receive power from the praise they receive," Issun noted, "You're probably feeling the Praise from that little girl."

"Really?"

"Hai. Kami receive praise from the people that believe in them," Issun explained, "It's where they draw their power from: the belief in the people. As we help more folks, you'll more than likely receive a ton of Praise and grow even stronger, Misora-tenshisama!"

"Ohh~"

"Easier said th-" Miyuki began before her ears perked up, "?! ...Geo, Misora…"

"What's up?" Geo asked as Frost helped Omega-Xis staple his head back to his neck.

"I felt it just now…." Miyuki whispered with a frown, her ears folding back a bit, "A strong sense of darkness…it must be another corrupted Fudegami, kyu."

"Ah! It might be the last member of the Hanagami he warned us about!" Issun realized with worry, "He must have been corrupted while keeping his brothers safe from it!"

"Why is it that we can't go even a few days without this nonsense?!" Omega-Xis growled, "I swear if this one knocks my block off, I'm knocking theirs off and smashing it with a sledgehammer!"

"Stand ready," Miyuki stated as she prepared her VG Hunter.

"...I feel it that way," Sonia noted, pointing at a direction.

"That's where that Climathingy is!" Omega-Xis noted.

"We should probably check it out then," Geo suggested.

"Yep. This is where it's coming from!" Blizzard Kyuubi confirmed as they phased through a wall before pausing, seeing the inside in shades of grey with pitch black spots all over…with several people as statues.

"A Guardian Sapling all the way here?" Issun pondered.

"Seems like it," Lyra noted, "Miyuki, Frost, be careful of the water here. In places like this, it's pure poison."

=P-Poison?!= Frost gasped.

"I know it best," Megaman admitted, rubbing his behind from the phantom burns.

"Now I get why we weren't allowed in here today for some shots," Blizzard Kyuubi noted, looking around, "It's as if…there's no life in here at all…"

"Don't worry, Miyuki-chan! All we gotta do is get to the Guardian Sapling!" Issun beamed, staying on Megaman's head, "Then Misora-Tenshisama can use Bloom on it and change everything back to normal!"

"Granted we beat the big bad possibly guarding it," Omega-Xis pointed out, "...which is possibly that last monkey…"

"I've read that Tsutagami's Brush Technique is the second-strongest of the Hanagami," Issun noted, "Bloom is the strongest and Water Lily is considered the weakest but I don't buy it since anything could have potential that people don't normally see."

"What's Tsutagami's?" Lyra asked.

"I believe it's called Vine," Issun replied before the girls suddenly shivered.

"What was that feeling just now?" Lyra whispered.

"I swear when he said that, my behind clenched, kyu," Blizzard Kyuubi cringed softly.

"Hai, hai," Lyra Note agreed.

"Are you two okay?" Megaman asked, concern in his tone.

"Yes/no….no/yes….maybe?!" the two replied in both confusion and worry.

"...um…okay?"

"I keep telling you girls are weird," Omega-Xis muttered.

"Nani?" the girls growled.

"Ook?" Everyone looked down to see the baby monkey, "Eek?"

"A baby monkey?" Megaman pondered as it climbed up onto him.

"Uh…Translation, Wolf Girl?" Omega-Xis asked as the baby monkey chittered.

"Ano…They're missing their dad and thought they came here," Lyra Note explained.

"This isn't a good place to be right now, little guy," Megaman advised before the baby slapped him on the head, "Ow!"

"She," Lyra Note corrected him.

"Sorry…" Megaman muttered, rubbing the back of his head a bit, "..but listen, little girl. This isn't a good place to be right now…"

"G̶̡̧̡͞R̵̡Ŗ̷̶̶͝R̡͘̕R̴̶͘͞͡Ą͜Ą͜͝͏͏A̢҉́A͟͢A̵҉͠A̶̡̡͜W̛͝W̴̴̡͜W̨̢̨̛̛W̶̡̧͡͏W̴͘R̷̨҉̸R̶͘҉̛͜R̢̡͞͞͡R̸̨͢R̸̢̛͝͞G̵̀͘͠҉G͏̸̴҉̛G̨͠G̴͝҉͝͝Ḩ͘̕͜҉!̵͘͠͏-͜͢͢҉!̧̧͟͟͞-̵̛́͟͠!̨͠-҉!͏̸̨́͟"

"Eep!" The baby monkey chirped as it jumped off and ran off down the path.

"Ah mou…It mistook that roar for her daddy!" Lyra Note facepalmed before running after the baby, "Matte! Matte!"

"Oh no…" Blizzard Kyubi whispered as she and Megaman chased after her, "Get some BattleCards ready…I feel as if we're gonna need them, kyu."

"Stock up on the Fire Element! If these monkeys are all using plants for their fancy painting shit, it probably means they're extra weak to fire!" Omega-Xis grinned in excitement.

"Got it!" Megaman nodded, 'Though I better keep some Water Element Cards ready just in case…' he thought as the two ran into what looked like a large dome…unaware that said dome was made of intertwining vines with various dark purple flowers growing off them.

"I…is that…music?" Frost pondered, hearing the faint sounds of drums rumbling going off, as Megaman and Blizzard Kyubi caught up to Lyra Note.

"Does sound like it. Pretty wild beat," Lyra Note agreed, holding the baby monkey.

"...it's near," Miyuki whispered, her eyes narrowing as she summoned a katana of ice, "Get ready, kyu…"

The two nodded as the cautiously began to approach the source of the music, Megaman having his Buster on standby while Lyra Note kept her own weapon at the ready.

"Do ya have ta bring the monkey?" Omega-Xis deadpanned.

"She'd just run towards it anyway," Lyra replied.

"We're just making sure she doesn't get harmed once we find her a safe spot," Lyra Note added.

"Mmm…"

They turned a corner and came upon the source of the drumming. It was a massive black gorilla with a purple back and markings. It had a massive clump of vines and leaves on its wrists, ankles, and head, making it look like it was wearing bands and had long hair. Chipped layered armor covered its torso, knees, and shoulders with a purple and black flame pattern. It was bashing away on a multi piece drum kit that seemed to be made of small trees, seemingly not paying any attention to the group approaching. Lyra Note grimaced as her markings began to glow.

"Yeah, that's our corrupted Fudegami," Lyra Note said.

"It doesn't seem to notice us at the moment," Megaman added.

"Those vines make me feel nervous for some reason, kyu…" Blizzard Kyubi whispered.

"Same here," Lyra Note quietly agreed before looking at the ape, "...Is it wrong that I want to record his playing?"

"Sonia…" Lyra whispered in annoyance.

"What? I'm a musician. If I hear a tune I like, I get curious," Lyra Note quietly pouted.

"Oh brother…" Omega-Xis groaned before the gorilla stopped playing, "..."

"..." the trio stood ready as they each prepared their respective weapons, the gorilla slowly turning around to glare at them.

It continued to stare at them for a moment…before it began to give off a loud roar, banging its sticks together as it wildly began to hit its drums like a mad beast, causing multiple vines to grow out of the ground and head towards the trio.

"Eek!" the girls yelped as if on pure instinct.

"BattleCard Predation: FireSword!" Megaman shouted, quickly replacing Omega-Xis's head with the Fire-type sword and sliced through the oncoming vines.

The corrupted Fudegami hissed out in a bit of pain from its vines being cut…only to growl out as it banged its drums faster and faster, the vines coming from it growing out and banging on more drums, causing tons of more vines to shoot out of the ground.

"Ice Craft: Wall!" Blizzard Kyubi quickly shouted as she slammed her hand on the floor, creating a wall of ice that blocked the incoming vines, "Not good…all that did was make it angry…"

"I'm afraid to even use one of my custom summon cards," Lyra Note admitted, '...Mostly because I'm sure the girls I do summon would immediately go back upon seeing those vines…'

"What's wrong with you two?!" Omega-Xis demanded, "We've beaten up a giant water snake, a giant toad, exploding pigs, and lots of other things, but a big monkey covered in leaves is spooking ya?!"

"...It's the vines, isn't it?" Megaman guessed, earning silence from the two, "..."

"Seriously?! You're scared of vines?!"

"...Oh, I think I get why," Issun realized.

"You do?" both males asked, looking up at the tiniest member of the team.

"Yep. Surprised Subaru hasn't noticed the genre before with all the space stuff he's got," Issun noted.

"Huh? What's space have to do with vines?" Megaman asked.

"...Oh you poor innocent boy…" Issun shook his head before a large fist punched through the ice, "Right! Fighting corrupted Fudegami now, introduce Subaru to hentai later!"

"Hen-what?!" Omega-Xis snapped.

"Ice Craft: Lancer!" Blizzard Kyubi quickly shouted, her tails sticking straight as they began firing off a series of ice spears from the tips as they collided with the corrupted Fudegami's fist, forcing it back into the hole it made before drums began to go off and vines erupted from the hole, causing cracks to form from the pressure they were applying before grabbing the two girls, "Ah!"

"Eek!" Lyra Note yelped, the monkey barely jumping off and landing on Megaman's head before the vines snagged the wolf girl.

"..." Issun's radiation turned pink as the two girls were entangled in the vines, binding their arms behind their backs while wrapping around their chests, hips, and legs.

"...wait. Is that wh-?!" Omega-Xis began in anger before Megaman was pushed back by a wall of Vines and entrapped in a small sphere of them, "Grah! I hate plants now! Gonna pull double duty on the lawnmower when we get back home!"

"GH…come on…!" Megaman grunted, trying to force the vines off him as they prevented him from seeing the gorilla or the girls.

"What do we do? What do we do?!" Issun panicked, his radiation orange and navy blue.

"With all that drumming, it feels like there's a ton of Noise forming," Omega-Xis noted before biting a vine that tried to wrap around his mouth, "If that stupid Ace Program was working, we could Noise Change to Taurus Noise or Wolf Noise to burn and shred this shit into mulch!"

"Eep?" the baby monkey chirped, tilting her head.

"I'm as lost as you are, little lady," Issun admitted.

"It's a program in us that isn't fully working right now," Megaman explained, "Hasn't since we destroyed Meteor G two years back. The Noise filtration is working, but nothing else."

"Ook…"

"I'd even take…that damn Saurian power back if it was still here…!" Omega-Xis grunted.

"Eep?"

"Saurian? Like the Tribe from the Murians?" Issun asked.

"YES!" Omega-Xis snapped.

"Hey, hey, hey! I was just translating for the little lady with us!" Issun defended before yelping and poking a smaller vine with his sword, "I am not a girl and she is too young for your tastes, evil things!"

"Well I'm sorry, but I am trying to get these stupid vines off, so Geo can go help the girls from whatever sick fantasies that oversized King Kong reject is doing to them!" Omega-Xis snapped, "And don't argue, gnat…It finally clicked on what you were talking about with the damn vines!"

"I'm still lost on that," Megaman admitted.

"Eep…" the monkey whined as she closed her eyes while relaxing on the blue bomber's head.

"Hm?" Issun pondered as the baby monkey started to lightly pat on Megaman's head, "...Is she…drumming?"

"Oh great, now the big monkey is getting the baby monkey doing it," Omega-Xis grumbled before tensing, "...What…"

=Noise Levels at 157%...160%...=

"?!" Megaman's eyes widened, none of the trio noticing the faint red markings shining on the baby monkey as it patted, "Omega-Xis…"

"Oh so now it wants to work! Stupid…!"

"KYA!" the two girls on the outside cried out.

"Nevermind! Change time now!"

=Noise Levels at 200%. Access Celestial Server?=

"Yes! YES!" Magaman and Omega-Xis responded.

"This is uncomfortable on so many levels!" Lyra cringed.

"H-How do you think I feel~?!" Lyra Note demanded, forcing back a moan as the vines squeezed.

"A-Ahh~! Wh-What is this feeling~?!" Frost whined with a moan.

"Mmm~" Blizzard Kyuubi whimpered as the corrupted Fudegami began to change the beat of his drums, causing several dozen vines to coalesce into a large hammer, the vines littered in thorns making the flat sides of the hammer.

Unaware to it, the dome of vines nearby were starting to sport clusters of strange crimson energy. The clusters seeped through the vines as the hammer reeled back. The Fudegami sneered, about to play the final notes, when…

"FINALIZE!"

….The vine-made dome exploded outwards to expose a sphere of crimson spiraling with pulse of power rippling off it. The gorilla turned into time to see it disperse, revealing Megaman hover several feet in the air. His once blue armor had dulled in a dark grey/black, outlined with streams of green light that pulsated lightly. Thin black 'wings' extended out from his back before they pulsed and let loose large jagged wings of crimson light.

"?! Th…that's…" Lyra Note began, immediately recognizing the form Megaman took.

"BLACK ACE!" Megaman declared.

The corrupted Fudegami roared, playing a new beat on his drums. The vines dropped Lyra Note and Blizzard Kyuubi as all of them coalesced into a massive upper body of a gorilla that towered over them all and shot out at Megaman, grabbing it in a massive palm littered in thorny vines and held it high above him, squeezing tightly. A moment passed before the entire hand was shredded by a pair of plain Sword BattleCards replacing Megaman's hands. The vine gorilla swung its other fist at Megaman only for the EM Wave being to vanish, making it 'blink' before it roared out as parts of its body were cut up with its arm falling to the ground.

"?! Such power…" Blizzard Kyuubi whispered, one of her tails covering her chest as the vines ended up tearing the top armor of her outfit a bit.

Megaman appeared before the behemoth and held his hands out, "Meteor Light Barrage!"

Dozens of meteors made of a white light appeared and slammed down upon the behemoth, tearing chunks out with each impact. Megaman reeled his left arm back.

"Atomic Blazer!" he roared and swung it out like a punch before a massive beam of spiraling flames barreled into the beast and tearing/burning it asunder to expose the corrupted Fudegami looking at Megaman with wide eyes of shock, "Tomomeda!"

"?! Japanese?" Blizzard Kyubi pondered in surprise as Megaman swung his left hand out at the Fudegami as it tried to jump away…only to be sucked into a sphere of darkness that was pulling in all the shredded vines and ashes into it as well.

"Black End…" Megaman began, summoning another sword on his right arm made of the crimson energy as he got into a drawing stance…only to vanish within a moment as he suddenly appeared behind the sphere of darkness, "Galaxy…"

A crimson line formed diagonally on the sphere. It stopped for a moment before letting out a massive explosion of light mixed with the agonized screeces of the gorilla within. The light died down, revealing nothing but a crater perfectly carved into the ground in the shape of a half sphere. Megaman panted as his form flickered back to normal before collapsing to his knees.

"Geo-kun!" Lyra Note yelped as she ran over and caught the brunette as his Wave Change canceled, his head resting on her chest, while Omega-Xis laid flat on his back by them with a dazed Issun and baby monkey on his chest.

"...That was subarashi!" Issun shouted after a moment.

"Used up a lot….but worth it…" Omega-Xis sighed a bit as he laid there, "Also…pretty sure that was a one time thing…which sucks…but again, worth it…"

Issun pulled out a scroll and brush and quickly went to work. Within moments, he finished and tapped it with his mallet, causing the scroll to enlarge and be caught by one of Blizzard Kyuubi's tails. The painting was that of a sumi-e of Black Ace slicing down upon the vine gorilla giant, the crimson sword and wings seemingly made of crimson flames.

"I call it The Black Ace of the Gardens."

"Sugei, Issun-san!" The fox awed before a familiar light began to shine above, making them look up at the sky to see another Constellation with several of the stars crimson.

Lyra Note pulled out her brush and proceeded to use Power Slash to cut the crimson stars before poking a dot where they had been. As the constellation shined, the baby monkey jumped…and split into two. From high above, the purified Tsutagami proudly held his pair of cymbals before throwing them like discs. He jumped from high above and the transparent images of his brothers appeared upon the mountain of the Fudegami. The two baby monkeys turned pure white as red swirls formed on their chests with two going around their waists to end above their rears and belly buttons. Tsutagami spun around several times in the air before landing upon his feet between the two baby monkies as they donned tiny pink hats and held their hands up in the air. Tsutagami reeled back before performing a kabuki pose with his brothers…before one cymbal landed perfectly in his paw. The other disc didn't follow, making them sweat and look up. Tsutagami yelped before running off as a blur to catch the other cumbal…five mountains away. The group developed a sweatdrop as a tiny drum on a stick with red ribbons ending in red metal balls landed in one baby monkey's hands while the other fumbled around with a blue horned with a flared end, nearly tripping a few times before she caught it as a sheepish Tsutagami returned with his other cymbal, trying to ignore his brothers and their deadpan looks. The sweatdrops grew when all five posed in a kabuki manner, acting as if none of that nonsense just went on.

"Um…Excellent presentation?" Geo asked before Sakigami made a circle with his finger before Geo, causing him to glow green for a moment before shooting up, "Oh! Uh…Th-Thank you, Sakigami."

"It is us who must thank you, young warrior," Sakigami replied before the five began to play a harmonic melody, the greenery around them seemingly growing and nurturing in the tune.

"You have saved our brother Tsutagami from his corruption by Orochi's second defeat," Hasugami stated, "And protected my nieces while they hid in a single form."

"We are the daughters of Sakigami and Tsutagami," both replied, the tiny drum monkey by Sakigami and the horn player by Tsutagami, "The two of us praise you, brave warrior who fights with the stars above."

"You two were the ones who got the Ace Program working again, weren't you?" Geo asked, earning nods from them, "Thank you for that. I don't think we would've won if you hadn't."

"Also explains why the Server was called the Celestial Server," Omega-Xis added before one of Tsutagami's cymbals slipped from his grip and bopped him, knocking his head off, "...I am going to get you for this, Gorilla Man."

"My apologies, brave star dragon. Froze for a moment on recalling how fierce you two were in your attack," Tsutagami apologized before looking to Lyra Note, "Oh Amaterasu, mother to us all and origin of all that is good…I, Tsutagami, the last in the triumvirate of Hanagami flora gods, have humbly awaited your reincarnation for the last few centuries. I came to this land across the great oceans to keep away from my brothers and daughter and niece so that they would be safe from my corruption from Orochi's defeat, having taken in it all to keep them safe. May the fresh spring growth bloom from your snow white form. Bring new life to the land that suffers under evil and connect that which was lost back to the land it came from. Vine shall aid in how it can with your newfound abilities."

"Onii-sama! We, the Hanagami no Ko, gift to you our Bloom and Vine to help Grandmother Amaterasu in these times of danger. Help give spring to the winter of discontent that comes to the entire world," the two monkey girls beamed.

With that, all three began to turn into spheres of light as the two transparent Fudegami vanished, the kanji for 'Vine' within two of the three spheres while one had the kanji for 'Bloom' within. They floated around before one 'Vine' went into Lyra Note as the other two went into Omega-Xis. The area rippled, turning back into the interior of the Climatron.

*Ba-BUMP!*

"?! O-Oh no…" Lyra Note groaned.

"Sonia?" Megaman asked in concern before she flipped and Ammy took her place, a baby-blue mirror shaped like Lyra on her back and letting out flames the same color as Lyra's hovering off her back.

Ammy whimpered as the others swore they heard bones snapping coming from her. Their eyes widened as her body elongated a bit, going from the size of a puppy barely reaching Geo's knees if on her hind legs to roughly three quarters of Geo's height if she stood on her hind legs. Her shoulders shuddered before tufts of fur popped out, taking of the appearance of tiny little wings, as more red markings began to appear on her body. The wolf panted as she leaned against Geo, giving a whimper.

"Huh…No heat this time," Omega-Xis noted.

"Tell us that then…" Lyra groaned from the mirror, "I feel like when I accepted Gemini's dare to go around a sun back on Planet FM…"

"..."

"...what?"

"Pfft…not much. How's your reflection looking?" Omega-Xis snickered.

"My…my wh-" :Lyra began before ti dawned on her, "...I'm a mirror, aren't' I?"

"Yep. You look ridiculous," Omega-Xis stated before Ammy twisted her neck, causing the mirror to smack Omega-Xis in the face, sending his head flying through a hole in the black smoky patch near them, "GAH! BITCH! …Found the sap thingy!"

Ammy's ears perked up upon hearing that, prompting her to follow the source of the voice as she began to walk towards the hole the best she could.

"There a floating plant here, too," Omega-Xis continued, "This world has weird plants. It's flying on its own."

"Oh! That's a Konohana Blossom! They're plants said to be made by Konohanasakuya-hime herself for Kami to traverse quickly!" Issun noted, jumping onto Ammy, "How about trying Vine to get to it? Just draw a line from it to you!"

Ammmy just nodded as she approached the hole, looking down it to faintly see what looked like a floating peach-pink plant, actually hovering on its oen leaves. The world went sepia around her as a line was drawn from it to her, the world turning back to color as a vine suddenly pulled her towards the plant.

"?!"

"Mmmph!" Omega-Xis muffled out from under the wolf.

"Whoa! What a rush!" Issun awed.

Ammy quickly shook her head, getting the feeling of shock off her a bit as she looked ahead, seeing a small Guardian Sapling resting in the dirt.

"Not bad, Mega," Lyra noted, "Now to make it bloom."

"Arf!" Ammy barked before walking up to it, leaving Omega-Xis stuck in the ground.

"...I hate those mice…I really utterly despise mice now…" Omega-Xis seethed as Ammy spun her tail and the Sapling bloomed.

"I've seen this four times now…and it just doesn't stop being amazing," Geo admitted as they watched the Climatron interior transform before their eyes as plants returned and the stone people reverted to normal.

"It's truly amazing how the health of a single tree can cause all this," Miyuki noted as she dropped her Wave Change.

"Ugh…wha…what's going on?" A worker pondered.

"Are you alright?" Geo asked.

"H-Huh…? Oh! Aren't you the guy who saved the world from that giant Noise meteor a few years back?"

"Yeah. But more importantly is that all of you were frozen," Geo noted as Ammy jumped out of the hole, "It's thanks to her that you guys got unfrozen."

"A wolf?" Another worker pondered.

"Behold! The great and mighty Amaterasu!" Issun declared, "She likes to be called Ammy and loves barbecue!"

"Arf!" Ammy barked, tail wagging like nuts at the mention of that.

As people were being debriefed and calmed down, Ran looked out from the bridge above the path down at them. Her gaze lingered on Ammy as she was enjoying the light head pat Geo was giving her.

"Okay, so tomorrow we'll be taking photos in the Climatron but are not allowed to touch the plants on this list with pictures," White noted as the four walked toward their rooms, Ammy still in her wolf form and hiding on a covered cart, "Why is Ms. Strumm still in her wolf form?"

"I think she wants to be in a safe place first," Geo replied, a few bags of Pappy's on his arms.

"Understandable, kyu," Miyuki nodded, "It was an…interesting battle to say the least…and considering how she changed in her current form after getting her next 'gift'...chances are her human appearance has changed as well."

"Which is why we got all that Barbecue. It will help her calm down since there isn't a coconut tree here," Lyra spoke as Ammy peeked her head out to sniff at a bag, "Back into the cart!"

"Mmm~" Ammy whined a bit as she looked up at Geo, her ears folded back as she gave him a pleading look.

"W-We're almost there, Sonia," Geo assured, patting her head.

"Arf!" Ammy pouted as she pulled her head back in.

"I don't think it will be too bad, Sonia. It could just be more markings like the heart one," Geo assured.

"Mmm~"

"It'll be fine," Miyuki assured as they stopped near their rooms, "I'll be there to give you some assurance, kyu…"

"Good idea…less boys the better so she won't be so nervous," Lyra added.

"Says the mirror," Omega-Xis quipped.

"They say if you break a mirror-via smashing or if you're ugly and look into it-, you'll get seven years bad luck~"

"!?...n…no you don't."

"Alright," Geo nodded, using his card to open the door and gave the bags aside from one to Miyuki, "Just call if you need something."

"Hai, kyu," Miyuki nodded, holding onto the bags as she brought out her tail and closed the door, "Okay, Misora….you can change now."

Ammy gave a small gulp before she did a quick flip in the air, changing back into Sonia as she landed on her feet. However…much like one of the previous times, her body ended up changing once more. Miyuki blinked several times as the sounds of fabric ripping and tearing along with a soft 'ping' from a bra's hooks snapping filled her ears.

"Well…h-how bad is it?" Sonia cautiously asked, keeping her eyes shut as she waited for the news from her master.

"...Wow…" Miyuki gawked, looking up just a little.

"Guess their technique being all bundled as Greensprout wasn't just for what they do with plants," Lyra spoke, sporting the tiny tufts of wing-like fur on her arms where they met her body.

"...what do you mean…?" Sonia cautiously asked as she slowly opened her eyes…and took notice of her body, "?!"

Tall was what she first noticed. She was actually a good head taller than Miyuki now. The second came when she glanced at the full body mirror nearby. Her hips had widened with a red swirl on her right hip. Long, slender legs bled into a rotund bottom that seemed to bounce when she moved. Her hair had grown out, shooting down to just above her ample behind with two long locks framing her face. Finally, she looked down and gulped. Her breasts had gone from a nice B to a whopping M. She placed a hand on one and gasped in a mix of shock and pleasure. They had gotten far more sensitive, evident by how her darkened nipples were starting to stiffen.

"What in the world…?" Sonia whispered.

"Oh my…This is quite the change…" Miyuki whispered, holding her chin in thought as she looked Sonia over, "It seems your body has become a bit more sensitive with the change…we're just lucky you already got most of the pollen out of your system…"

"...why…?"

"...well…recall when I explained how certain Oina women go into heat once they're at the proper age, kyu?" Miyuki asked, earning a slow nod form Sonia, "...well…I don't know if you recall, but pollen has an effect on us and can often drive us into what I mentioned before as…a Spring Heat, kyu."

"...sp…spring heat?" Sonia repeated, "...Ano…what…exactly makes it different from a regular heat, s-sensei?"

"For one, your body becomes much more sensitive," Miyuki explained, "As in that earlier touch would've had you on your knees in how much pleasure it would release and leave a mess on the floor and your legs."

"..." Sonia's face immediately lit up into a blush upon hearing that, "Eh?"

"Another…well when we go into heat normally, we often rarely produce milk...but not as much," Miyuki continued, "Spring Heat however…it causes a certain change in your breasts….up to the point you'll start leaking out milk, kyu."

"L-leak?!" Sonia exclaimed as her blushed increase.

"...W-Were you ever given The Talk?" Miyuki asked.

"What talk?"

"...I'm not doing this sober," Miyuki muttered before her VG Hunter rang, "Yes?"

=Don't get drunk. You have a shooting tomorrow and a demonstration match= White advised before hanging up.

"Shoot….and I don't have any nip either…" Miyuki muttered before noticing the look Sonia gave her, "...I mean cat nip."

"O-wait…eh?"

"What? Foxes can get calm with catnip, kyu," Miyuki explained, "...just need to make sure we don't sniff too much…"

"Oh…"

"Hai…seriously though, you never had the talk, kyu?"

"No….what talk?"

'...Chrys Gold is so lucky he's dead right now, kyu…' Miyuki thought in annoyance before sighing, "Right. Get comfy and have your BBQ at your side. This…is gonna suck for us both."

"?" Sonia just blinked at that out of confusion…and slight innocence.

SZ: First…sorry for the LONG delay folks. Life caught up with us….again. Second…hoo…Sonia is in for quite a talk…

GT: Yep. Expect her to be a blushing wreck around Geo.

SZ: Very much so. Also…that's another Fudegami power obtained.

GT: Technically two, but still. That is why she didn't change when she got Bloom. She needed the complete set.

SZ: MMm hmm..only a few more powers to go…also who is this Ran woman really?

GT: Not sure. Maybe we'll learn later. Until then, please read and review.

SZ: And hope you enjoyed this chapter. Catch you all next time.