Section Two HQ
The journey back to headquarters was quiet between Miku and Maria, with the former still processing what she had just learned about their adversary hidden in the shadows. However, once they were in HQ, Maria finally broke the ice.
"I understand it's a lot to take in, Miku." Maria stated. "You're probably wondering why we never brought this up to you, either."
"I wasn't in a good headspace before, so there was no reason to tell me this. Not to mention, how in the world would you have brought this up to me before?" Miku asked. "'Hey, Miku! I know you're going through a lot right now, but did I ever mention that myself and our friends are descendants of some dangerous woman who can make us her vessel if she dies'?"
"When you put it like that, I can see your point..." Maria said, scratching the back of her head.
"Besides, my thoughts are more on why Finé, someone who's pretty much been in hiding this whole time, decided to show herself now?" Miku thought.
"It's definitely interesting, that's for sure." Maria agreed. "All I could think was to make sure we didn't get Nehushtan back during the fight, but what was stopping Evelyn from recollecting the armor herself?"
"...Unless she couldn't and she really broke her ties with Evelyn?" Miku thought, making Maria raise an eyebrow. "I mean, think about it. On one hand, she could've done this not only to make her presence known, but also to lead us into believing that their ties were broken. But on the other hand, given how many times we've thwarted her plans, Finé may have outright been so fed up with Evelyn's failed attempts that she saw her as useless."
"Either way, let's take caution with any future run-ins with Evelyn, now that we know what she's capable of." Maria stated. "As for right now, I believe we have other matters to take care of."
"What do you-"
"There you are!"
Entering the command center, Miku and Maria, the former more surprised than the latter, were met by an angered Yumi, and an embarrassed Shiori and Kuriyo behind her.
"Right..." Miku sighed, remembering that Yumi was present at the fight. "Listen, Yumi, I can explai-"
"Oh, Kuriyo and our kouhais have explained more than enough as far as I'm concerned!" Yumi interjected. "But I still have one, burning question to ask you, Miku Kohinata: ...Why did you get to have all the fun without us?!"
The tension in the room vanished as everyone pratfell in response. "This... This whole time... That's all you cared about?" Miku asked, still doubtful that's all she cared about.
"Oh no, I'm still completely pissed off about the fact you left Shiori and I in the dark, and got to hang out with THE Maria Cadenzavna Eve of all people." Yumi plainly stated, Maria holding back a chuckle considering how the past couple months have gone between them. "But you of all people should know how I've dreamed of a life like this. How could you not even try to rope me in? I mean, even Kuriyo was involved!"
"In my defense, I was more a case of wrong place, wrong time." Kuriyo interjected.
"Point still stands." Yumi retorted.
"I believe I can answer that question for Miku-kun." Genjuro answered. "Her choice to not tell anyone about our organization is due to the fact we're supposed to be a top secret one. The only reason why she and Kuriyo-kun were allowed in here was because of her prior visit under our radar."
*AHEM*
"...Save for Ryoko-kun..." Genjuro sighed. "That being said, given the circumstances, I'm left with no other choice than to allow you entry to Section Two, under the promise that you don't. Tell. Anyone. about what you see here. Am I clear?"
"Crystal!" Yumi cheered. "So, when do I start doing cool anime heroine stuff?"
A silence fell around the room, which confused Yumi. "Well... You see, Yumi-chan, we can't exactly give you the same armaments that Miku-chan and the others currently possess..." Ver stated.
"Why not?" Yumi asked.
"Because they're all we've got." Ver plainly stated. "Section Two used to have three other Symphogears, but they've long since been lost to us, and the four we possess now came with myself, Dr. Nastassja, and the ones you refer to as your kouhais and 'THE Maria Cadenzavna Eve'. So I'm afraid-"
"That you've forgotten a key detail in one of our Wielders' tech, good Doctor!" Ryoko interjected. "You do realize Kuriyo-chan's gear isn't just a special spelling of the Gatekeeper of Hades in Greek Mythology for nothing."
"Ah... How could I be so foolish... I assume that means your tests to ensure its use in the field are completed, then?" Ver retorted, getting flustered silence as a result. "Then that's my point still proven."
"Whatever, John." Ryoko scoffed. "The point still stands that we're going to have the technology for it, even if it's not for about a week or so more..."
"I'm fine with that." Yumi added. "I've dreamed of this moment since I was a little girl. If waiting another week or two is needed to do that, then so be it!"
"See, Doctor, this is the power of optimism in play. May be good for your research on how to be a functioning member of society." Ryoko teased, getting a growl from Ver. "That being said, I must make absolutely sure you're aware of what you're getting yourself into, Yumi-chan: This isn't some anime where the hero always comes out on top despite the odds. This is a fight for the survival of humanity in the face of the threat of the Noise. You, and everyone you'll be fighting alongside are the only ones capable of making sure we live to see tomorrow. Can you handle that burden, on top of living a double life as a teenager in high school?"
"Ma'am, as I've said, this has been my dream. No scary talk about the fate of the world will make me chicken out of it." Yumi answered, dead serious. "There is nothing you can throw at me to change that."
Hearing Yumi's confidence, Ryoko smiled sinisterly. "'Nothing', you say?" Saying this, Ryoko grabbed Yumi and Shiori by their shirt sleeves and dragged them off. "Then let's go ahead and run a quick test or two while you're here!"
"Wait, test? What is she talking about?" Yumi asked, only getting silence from Miku and Kuriyo. "Girls?! GI-"
With that, the door shut behind the Wielders and Section Two staff, knowing what awaited the duo. However, while they were in for some tests, the Wielders were in for a lecture. "With that being settled, it's time to deal with the other issue." Genjuro said, staring at the Wielders who just came back. "Is there anything you'd wish to say, Miku-kun? Maria-kun?"
"My actions during that fight were reckless, I admit, but I did them under sound mind and body for the sake of returning the Nehushtan armor to Section Two." Miku stated, before taking a formal bow. "This will not happen again, Commander."
Hearing her say this, Genjuro's frown turned into a smirk. "...Glad to see that Maria's assistance did the lecture for me." He chuckled. "Speaking of: Maria-kun, that was reckless to go behind the doctors' orders and enter combat when you haven't been cleared for it. While the fact you're unharmed and you had no downsides while fighting, the fact you went against orders remains."
"I'll take whatever punishments await me, but for now, we need to discuss the woman that showed up: Finé." Maria replied, which made Kirika and Shirabe gasp.
"Rest assured, Nastassja already has something in mind for your punishment, Maria-kun, but that will be for the two of you to discuss later." Genjuro stated. "As for Finé, I'm aware of the threat she brings thanks to Doctors Ver and Nastassja, which also means that she's more than likely got several plans in store to deal with whatever we throw at her."
"So in short, we have no plan to deal with her?" Miku asked.
"Not quite, Ms. Kohinata." Nastassja answered. "A plan against Finé can only work if we use her tactics against her. Meaning, all we can do is think about the different ways she could strike again and have double the strategies in place to deal with her."
"So the plan is to out-plan this Finé lady?" Kuriyo asked, getting nods from the Doctors and Commander. "Well, at least it's in capable hands, I guess."
"Still, it's hard to believe she's our opponent..." Shirabe said.
"Just hearing her name gives me the creeps dess..." Kirika added with a shiver.
"Regardless, all we can do is wait until she makes her next move." Genjuro stated. "For now, you five take the rest of the night off. You'll need all the rest you can manage with an opponent as cunning as this."
"Sir, yes, sir!" The five Wielders replied, leaving the command center for the night.
The Next Day
Tokyo
"UGHHHH! Me and my big mouth..." Yumi sighed, dragging her arms as she walked on the sidewalk with Shiori. "When I said nothing could stop me from being a hero, I didn't expect a second, harder version of PE..."
"For someone who wants to be a hero, you sure did not do yourself any favors." Shiori stated.
"You say that like you're not going through the same crap I am!" Yumi retorted. "How in the world are you not as exhausted as me?!"
"Oh, I'm plenty exhausted, but I still did plenty of exercise before all of this happened, you know, as you should to live a healthy life?" Shiori replied.
"Yeah, yeah. I'll just blame my past self for my present self's problems." Yumi sighed. "But hey, now that we've survived our first day of physical training, now we can celebrate with some Okonomiyaki at Flow-"
Before Yumi could finish that sentence, the duo heard electrical sparks coming from a nearby alleyway. Curious, they look for the source, finding flashing lights coming from behind the dumpster. Cautiously, the duo approach the other side of the dumpster, only to be surprised by what they saw.
"A robot?!" Yumi gasped.
"Wait, they look familiar..." Shiori stated. "Isn't that the girl Miku was fighting the other day? Evelyn, I think?"
"...You're right!" Yumi gasped again. "Evelyn's a robot?!"
"C-C-CYBORG!" Evelyn retorted, scaring Yumi and Shiori before quickly fading back into unconsciousness.
"What should we do, Yumi?" Shiori asked. "Do we call Miku and the others and tell them what we found?"
"We should... But I have a better idea..." Yumi said. "Here, you grab one arm, and I'll carry her by the other."
"Where are we taking her?" Shiori asked.
"Somewhere safer." Yumi stated.
Section Two HQ
As Yumi and Shiori went out for food, Miku, Kuriyo, and the other three wielders all trained together, mainly for the sake of preparing themselves for the inevitable fight against this Finé lady and whatever scheme she was working on in the shadows. While there was some worry about Maria's rust from being out of commission for a couple weeks, it was all for naught as she held her own perfectly training with her allies. Those concerns now dealt with, the quartet hit the showers, feeling satisfied from the training for now.
"You weren't kidding when you said you were bored in that hospital, Maria." Miku said. "That being said, how are you still that strong even after having nothing to do?"
"Muscle memory, probably." Maria stated plainly. "Don't forget, Kirika, Shirabe, and I have been at this for years now. There's going to be a lot that we're capable of even when we're not active on the field for a bit."
"That's right... You three have been doing this for years now." Miku said, remembering something she wanted to say yesterday. "Forgive me if this is a touchy subject, but what exactly was it like coming here?"
"What do you mean?" Maria asked.
"Well, you mentioned the whole thing with Finé in your past, but it made me curious: How exactly did you all end up here?" Miku asked.
"Huh... Now that you mention it, Hina, I'm kinda curious, too." Kuriyo added. "Because you snuck in, I was brought along with you as a bargaining chip, and Yumi and Shiori were brought here to keep them out of danger, but we have no idea how Maria and the others got here..."
"It's an... Interesting set of circumstances that brought us here..." Maria stated, before turning to Shirabe and Kirika.
"Go ahead, Maria." Shirabe replied, knowing that look on Maria's face.
"They deserve to know." Kirika added. "I mean, it's not like that part of our lives was the worst of it dess."
Maria smiled hearing them say this. "I just wanted to make sure." She said, turning back to Kuriyo and Miku. "Like I said, it's an interesting story..."
Flashback
Two years ago
"It was around the time of the Zwei Wing concert incident... We knew about Section Two's ties to the event, or rather, Zwei Wing specifically. I remember seeing Ver talk with someone over the phone the day before we first set foot in the base, and considering the Commander's reaction to seeing us, our arrival wasn't exactly shared to everyone there."
"Genjuro... I know it's only been a few days, but I think we need to consider finding new candidates." Ryoko said to the Commander. "There's a chance that she's-"
"Don't." Genjuro interjected. "I know you're right that Tsubasa might be gone, but I can't give up on her, Ryoko-kun..."
"Even so, we still need Wielders, her status doesn't change that." Ryoko stated.
"All we had was Gungnir and Ame no Habakiri. How exactly are we going to reclaim what's been lost?" Genjuro asked.
"Well... While I don't have a solution for reclaiming Ame no Habakiri, I do have a means to reclaim Gungnir." Ryoko stated, getting Genjuro's full attention. "Come on in, Doctor!"
"We entered the command center, Ryoko was as excited as she normally is, but everyone else looked at us in a mix of shock and confusion. Considering our past involvements with people, their expressions weren't out of the ordinary for us, but it still made the three of us nervous to be there."
"Greetings, Commander Genjuro Kazanari!" Dr. Ver said. "I'm sure Ryoko-san has already informed you of who we are, but I am Dr. John Wayne Vercingetorix, and this lovely lady here with me is none other than Professor Nastassja Sergeyevna Tolstaya!"
"...Ryoko-kun, who are these people?" Genjuro asked, making Ver pratfall in response.
"Ryoko, you did tell him about our arrival, as discussed, yes?" Dr. Ver asked.
Playfully, Ryoko shrugged. "I was going to, but I figured a surprise entrance would've been more your style."
"RYOKO!" Dr. Ver growled.
"Fine, I'll make it up to you by explaining why you're here..." Ryoko sighed. "Genjuro, these are old colleagues of mine, who are also familiar with the Symphogear system."
"What?!" Genjuro gasped. "You're telling me more than just Japan knows about the Symphogears?!"
"Not quite, sir." Ryoko replied. "You see, after Tsubasa's awakening, I knew we'd need more than just her if we hoped to protect Japan efficiently, so I got into contact with some old friends of mine, the doctors you see before you, who also study heretical technology, to find more potential candidates."
"Mom and Dr. Ver told us to follow the lead with that, knowing that if we mentioned America or Finé, it could only cause us trouble."
"Wait, then does the Commander know about your past with her?" Miku asked.
"It did get brought up eventually, much to our dismay by the American government... However, after a lot of paperwork, the Commander was willing to forgive us for leaving that part out, given we had proven we were not here maliciously at that point. As for our first introductions..."
"If that's the case, why were we never informed about this project?" Genjuro asked.
"Well... I was originally hoping to propose the project after the Nehushtan project, that was Kanade and Tsubasa wouldn't be our only line of defense, but the project fell through after some... unforeseen incidents..." Ryoko stated, which made Nastassja and the girls look away in sorrow. "However, given what had happened, I reached out to Dr. Ver, hoping that there was at least one success story from this project, and he came to me with three!"
Hearing this, Genjuro looked over at the Wielder trio, which made them straighten up. "May I ask for your names?" Genjuro asked.
"Maria Cadenzavna Eve, Sir!" Maria replied.
"Shirabe Tsukuyomi, Sir!" Shirabe replied next.
"K-Kirika Akatsuki, Dess! I mean, Sir dess!" Kirika replied last.
Seeing how tense they were, he sighed. "At ease, you three." He said, allowing them to relax, with Kirika being extra with a loud sigh. "So you three are Symphogear Wielders?"
"That's correct, Commander Kazanari." Maria answered.
"Just Genjuro is fine right now, Maria-kun." Genjuro replied.
"Understood, Genjuro-san." Maria said. "As for our Gears, I possess the Gungnir Symphogear, where Shirabe and Kirika possess the Shul Shagana and Igalima Symphogears respectively."
"A second Gungnir? Questions for later." Genjuro thought aloud. "Last question for you three: If you are to join Section Two, can we trust the safety of Japan in your hands?"
"Permission to speak freely?" Maria asked.
"Go ahead." Genjuro replied.
"I firmly believe that myself, Kirika, and Shirabe can handle Japan's safety." Maria stated. "However, am I wrong to assume Japan needs more than protection?"
Genjuro was confused by this question. "What are you getting at, Maria-kun?"
"Zwei Wing served Section Two, correct?" Maria asked, getting a surprised but equally curious nod from the commander. "Forgive me if it's a touchy subject, but won't Japan need a voice to fill that void as well?"
"Maria..." Nastassja said, trying to keep her from going too far.
"Are you suggesting to serve not only as a Wielder, but as an Idol as Tsubasa and Kanade did?" Genjuro asked, a bit of irritation in his voice.
"If you're assuming I'm suggesting this to become their replacement, I assure you I'm only suggesting this as a means to help people who could be suffering from the loss of Zwei Wing." Maria stated. "Do I think I could fill that void left behind by their legacy? No. But, if I can at least be more than just a weapon to protect them from harm, then it's all I need."
Genjuro stayed silent for a moment, before smirking. "Very well. If you're willing to be both a Wielder and an Idol, then who am I to say no?" He said, holding out his hand to the trio. "Welcome to the Special Disaster Response Team: Section Two!"
Having heard Maria and co.'s first day as members of Section Two, everyone dried off and got dressed as they continued to talk about it. "So you became an idol to help fill the void left by Zwei Wing's passing..." Miku stated, getting a nod from Maria. "I mean, it makes sense and all, but why?"
"Aside from what I've said, it was also to help cover up just how much paperwork they'd need to keep people quiet about the three of us randomly showing up after Kanade and Tsubasa's disappearance." Maria stated. "After all, having a new Idol rising to fame would be some much needed good news after the passing of legends such as them, even if it came with the gamble of the people not accepting me at first..."
"But thankfully you were blessed with charms that wowed everyone, so there was no worries about that in my eyes dess!" Kirika replied, getting mixed reactions from the other Wielders, except Maria. "What? I looked up a lot of information on Idols when I tried to ask the Commander and Ogawa-san to be her bodyguard. Most of the stuff I found said elegance and a good body were key! Don't make it weird dess!"
"That explains that one week in middle school when you were fighting just to stay awake in class, Kiri-chan." Shirabe sighed. "I honestly thought you had trouble focusing."
"I can do smart things sometimes, too, Shirabe!" Kirika pouted, with an angry "dess" under her breath.
"Regardless... My reasons for becoming an Idol were for the sake of Section Two and the people of Japan. Nothing more, nothing less." Maria stated.
"You're lucky Yumi's not here to hear you say that, Maria." Kuriyo chuckled. "She'd probably hound you with questions like 'But you sound like you're having so much fun singing, how can you only be doing this for everyone but yourself?!'."
Maria cleared her throat at this question. "I will admit, while I stand firmly on my reasons for entering the Idol scene... I-I do find myself getting a little carried away in the moment..."
"...You're around friends, Maria. You can just admit you enjoy singing." Miku said smugly, only making the Gungnir Wielder blush brighter, which made everyone else laugh.
Meanwhile at Flower
*ACHOO*
"Are you alright, Yumi?" Shiori asked.
"Yeah, just think someone was talking about me behind my back." Yumi replied. "Like in-"
"Like in anime, yes..." Shiori sighed.
"You okay, Shiori?" Yumi asked.
"I'm fine, but I still feel like this is a crazy idea..." Shiori pouted, pointing to the unconscious Evelyn, now under a blanket.
"Listen, I know I have some bad ideas from time to time..." Yumi stated.
"You made an elaborate plan to bring Miku here with the intention to spike her food with hot sauce until she confessed where she had been running off to." Shiori said in a deadpan tone.
"I still think it would've worked... BUT! I know that this plan will yield results." Yumi said. "Besides, in the state we found her, it's not like she's gonna wake up like nothing happened."
As Yumi said this, Evelyn's eyes lit up and she sat up on the floor. While Shiori and Yumi screamed, Evelyn took a quick look around the room, before setting her eyes on the duo. "Wait... You're that one angry girl that spied on Miku and I's duel..." She said to Yumi. "Where are we?"
"W-W-We're at Flower." Yumi answered. "We saw you in an alleyway behind a dumpster, so we brought you here to get you some help."
"Despite knowing who I was?" Evelyn asked. "Am I being held here until Miku and the others can apprehend me?"
"I'm going to be completely honest with you: The idea was mentioned, but I figured you needed help, and that you would be more willing to accept it if you didn't see anyone you saw as a threat." Yumi said. "Considering you haven't tried to hit me with those fancy whips you had, I'd say I was right to do so."
"Fancy whips? ...Right, she left before I showed off my cybernetics..." Evelyn thought to herself. "I appreciate your concern, and your strategy to keep me at ease... Considering the past 24 hours, any help is appreciated..."
Yumi and Shiori look at each other in confusion before looking back at Evelyn. "What do you mean by that?" Shiori asked.
"For years, I always thought I knew who I could trust and who I needed to fight, but then Miku Kohinata had to go and grow a conscience." Evelyn said. "Before we started fighting, I knew I ran the risk of not coming out alive, given how brutal she had been, but when she had the chance to finish me off, she spared my life, hell, she even saved me! Now I don't know who I should be fighting for..."
As she said this, tears started to fall from Evelyn's face, which made Yumi and Shiori feel bad for her. With this, Yumi carefully approached Evelyn, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I know you might not see this as helpful, but Miku sparing your life should be proof enough as to who you can trust." Yumi said, making Evelyn look at her in confusion. "Take it from me, being on Miku's bad side can be a fate worse than death. I mean, that girl does not pull punches when she's angry. So the fact she's still willing to hold a hand out for you, that just means she cares about your wellbeing, and she doesn't do that often."
"I mean, she's been getting better about that as of late..." Shiori stated, getting a loud shush from Yumi as a result.
"She actually cares about my wellbeing..." Evelyn restated, the last time Miku fought her replaying in her head.
"You don't really want to fight me, at least not out of malicious intent, do you?"
"You're already struggling to stand. Even if you technically don't have a scratch on you, that doesn't mean you're not exhausted."
"She has a weird way of showing it... But this girl's not wrong, I guess..." Evelyn thought, before hearing an alert go off in her head, which made her expression change drastically.
"What's wrong?" Shiori asked, noticing Evelyn's shock.
"We need to get out of here. Now!" Evelyn shouted, getting out from under her sheets. However, quickly noticing Shiori and Yumi's flustered expressions, the Cyborg realized something was wrong, quickly covering herself back up. "Where are my clothes?!"
"W-Well, when we found you, your clothes were beyond repair..." Shiori stated. "We were going to get you some new ones when you were settled in, but-"
Before Shiori could finish, sirens went off, alerting the duo to the danger Evelyn was already aware of. "Noise?!"
"Looks like there's no time for clothes shopping..." Evelyn said. "Look, I promise I'll pay you back later, but do you have any spare change of clothes I could borrow?"
Hesitantly, Yumi sighed as she reached into her bag, pulling out her school swimsuit. "This is all I've got. Sorry..."
Taking the swimsuit, Evelyn blushed. "It's better than running around town naked, I suppose..." She sighed. "Can I have some privacy?"
"R-Right!" Yumi and Shiori said, leaving the room.
With Evelyn now dressed, the trio and the owner of Flower stepped outside, seeing the crowd of people evacuating the area. "So this is what the evacuations are like..." Evelyn said to herself, knowing of the alarms, but never seeing their results in person. Seeing the fear in everyone's eyes, Evelyn grit her teeth as she went against the flow of people running. "Follow the crowd, you three! There's something I need to do!"
"Evelyn! Wait!" Yumi called out, but her cry fell on deaf ears.
"Let her go, Yumi!" Shiori said. "She can handle herself, but we need to get to the shelter!"
Wishing she had the means to follow Evelyn, Yumi tsked, but nodded. "She better not ruin my swimsuit!"
Section Two
While the alarms went off in the city, more alarms went off in Section Two, which caused all of the Wielders to rush to the command center. "What's the situation?" Maria asked.
"We've detected a lot of Noise. There's a chance they're in relation to that swarm we detected earlier." Genjuro said. "I'll need two of you to oversee the evacuation while the others deal with the Noise."
"We'll head right over, sir!" Maria replied.
"Not you, Maria-kun." Genjuro said. "I still need the all clear from the doctors before I can officially put you back in the field."
Maria wanted to argue over this call, but Miku's hand on her shoulder stopped her. "We've got this, Maria."
"...I know..." Maria agreed. "I just wish I wasn't benched because the doctors are hesitant to let me back in..."
"I don't think me calling you in for backup did you any favors in that regard..." Kuriyo sighed.
"I would've done it even without your warning, Kuriyo." Maria stated. "Now you four need to get going!"
"Right!"
Tokyo
Back in the streets, Evelyn made sure there was no one but Noise around, seeing the destruction they had caused. "I knew our plan would come with a cost, but now, I don't understand why I was willing to follow it if she was willing to toss me aside..." Evelyn said to herself, taking a deep breath before clenching her fists. "Guess all I can do now is right my wrongs!"
Saying this, Evelyn became engulfed in a bright light, activating her cybernetic battle suit which attracted the Noise. "I think we all know why you're here, don't we?" Evelyn taunted the Noise closing in on her as the accents on her battle suit turned purple. "Then how about we get to the fun part!"
"Rei Shénshòujìng rei zizzl"
(Kaban no Kakushigoto begins to play)
Suddenly, a barrage of lasers rained down on the Noise near Evelyn, eviscerating them as Miku and Kuriyo landed next to her. While the Wielders and Cyborg were taken aback running into each other like this, the shock lasted for less than a second. "Before you say anything, I'm not the one behind this horde of Noise." Evelyn said.
"Being at the center of a group of them kinda gave that away." Miku replied. "What I do have to ask then is, why are you here?"
"Long story short: Your friends found me in an alleyway." Evelyn answered. "They should be on their way to one of the shelters."
"Then we better clear out the horde to make sure they're okay!" Kuriyo stated, flying off to fight the Noise.
Miku was going to join her, but Evelyn stopped her. "Can we talk quickly? Alone?" She asked.
While hesitant given their history, Miku could tell Evelyn needed to talk. Seeing this, Miku quickly turned off comms. "What?"
"I need to speak with Section Two's commander privately." Evelyn stated. "I have some information that could prove useful to stop Finé."
"If that's the case, then why not come back to base with us?" Miku asked.
"I can't." Evelyn stated. "I need you to trust me, but there's a very specific reason that I can't share publicly."
Miku was now more suspicious of Evelyn's plan. "So you can't tell me, but you need to speak with the Commander... How do I know this isn't some trick for Finé?"
"Finé's already tricked me enough. It's time I started making up for falling for those tricks for this long." Evelyn answered, pulling out a special device from her leg. "Just give this to the Commander privately. He'll know what to do, I hope."
Still hesitant, Miku took the device. "If you do anything to the Commander, remember that five Wielders won't be the only ones after you."
"I've got nothing to gain taking him hostage or killing him, Miku. Please just trust me on this." Evelyn begged as she ran off to deal with some of the Noise. "And tell him to bring some extra clothes!"
"Extra clothes?" Miku thought aloud as she placed the device in her pocket and turned her comms back on. "Never mind that... I need to help deal with the Noise."
Tearing through the Noise, Kuriyo followed a group to a part of the city that was still under construction, dispatching them effortlessly. "Good. Their numbers are definitely fewer than when we got here." Kuriyo stated. "Not too much longer until-"
"GAH!"
"Yumi?!" Kuriyo gasped, hearing a familiar scream as some rubble fell nearby. Worried, Kuriyo investigated the sound, finding what she hoped she wouldn't: Yumi, Shiori, and the woman from Flower in a crater. Without hesitation, Kuriyo jumped into the crater, tending to her friends. "Girls!"
"Keep your voice down, Kuriyo." Shiori whispered, pointing up in the air, to a giant Noise surveying the area.
"Great..." Kuriyo said to herself, letting out a quiet sigh. "I can deal with them, but not without one of these three getting hurt... Unless..."
Getting an idea, Kuriyo reached for her Gear pendant, taking off the inactive Gear fragments and handing them to Yumi and Shiori. "Trust me on this, okay?"
"Not like we have any other options..." Yumi answered.
"Right..." Kuriyo chuckled nervously. "Alright. Here goes..."
"Duplicate activation! Gungnir! Ichaival!"
Hearing her shout this, the giant Noise roared, preparing to strike at the group. However, just as it was about to strike, a set of bright yellow and red lights stopped it.
Meanwhile...
Back at Section Two HQ, the Aufwachen Waveform alert went off, surprising everyone, especially since Maria was in the room. "A new waveform?" Nastassja asked.
Not too much longer, the results came up from the scan...
Gungnir
Ichaival
"Gungnir and Ichaival?!" Genjuro gasped. "Where are the waveforms coming from?!"
"Checking now." Aoi replied, typing away before the waveform's coordinates were located. "They're in the city block that's still under construction. Kuriyo-chan is within the same area."
"Don't tell me..." Ryoko said, knowing exactly what was going down. "Start a timer for five minutes! Now!"
(More than Friends, Less than Heroes begins to play)
When the lights around Yumi and Shiori faded, they sported suits of armor similar in design to Kuriyo's, the major differences being their red and yellow accents respectively instead of Kuriyo's blue. On top of that, Yumi was now wielding a large red bow while Shiori was holding a large yellow spear.
"Woah! This feels amazing!" Yumi cheered, laughing as she checked out her new armor. "Not to mention, I look amazing, too!"
"Wait, is this the thing Ryoko-san was talking about the other day?" Shiori asked. "I thought it still needed testing."
"It does... But I didn't really have much of a choice given the circumstances." Kuriyo stated. "But for now, let's deal with this guy! Follow my lead!"
"Right!" Yumi and Shiori replied, the latter following Kuriyo as she charged at the Noise while the former drew back her bowstring, aiming at the Noise and firing as the other two's weapons struck into the Noise, demolishing it in an instant.
"HAHAHAHA! I'VE WAITED MY WHOLE LIFE FOR THIS!" Yumi screamed in excitement.
"I'm glad I could help fulfill your dream and all, Yumi, but could you help us and get her out of the crater?" Kuriyo asked, pointing to the unconscious Flower lady.
"Oh, right..." Yumi said, scratching the back of her head for letting the power excite her too much. Expecting to have some difficulty lifting her, Yumi put down the bow to pick her up, only to find that the lady felt light in her arms. "Woah! I've got super strength?!"
"Perks of the Gear. Now hurry up!" Kuriyo replied.
"Calm down! I'm coming." Yumi said with an eye roll as she leapt up to where the others were, dropping off the Flower lady before going back for her bow. "Now then, let's make some noise and defeat some Noise!"
Yumi charged off into the fray, with Shiori following after her, to make sure she didn't do anything reckless. However, as Kuriyo was about to join her, she suddenly heard a voice over her communicator. "Oh, Kuriyo-chan~. Care to explain what's going on out there?" Ryoko asked.
While taken aback by Ryoko's question, Kuriyo quickly composed herself. "My options were limited, Ryoko-san." She stated. "Had I tried to fight off the Noise in my area, most outcomes would've resulted in damage to either Yumi, Shiori, or the lady that was with them."
"And what if they are still in those forms after five minutes pass?" Ryoko asked, stunning Kuriyo into silence. "Look, I'm not mad you went ahead and did a test run on the field. In fact, probably the best way to test the effectiveness of the Duplicate Activation modes. Just do what you can to ensure they don't die. I'll be there to perform a check up once the coast is clear of Noise."
"10-4, Ryoko-san." Kuriyo said, hanging up the call now in a worried state.
While Kuriyo was rushing things to make sure the others wouldn't face any negative effects of the Duplicate Activation's prototype, things went rather smoothly. Yumi was cocky but effective with her shots, Shiori was precise with her strikes, and Kuriyo was as swift as she could manage.
After a couple minutes, the Noise in the area were all dealt with, making Kuriyo breathe a sigh of relief. "Well. That went better than I expected." Kuriyo sighed.
"What did you expect?" Yumi said confidently. "I waited long enough for this, only fitting I did what I could to show you up."
"Now, now, Yumi. Kuriyo's had a lot more time with this than us. We shouldn't be acting like her betters." Shiori replied.
"Thank you, Shiori." Kuriyo said. "Now then, I better deactivate your Gears before something happens to you. This is still in a prototype state, after all."
Kuriyo was about to deactivate the duo's gears, but before she could, they were ambushed by more Noise. "Looks like that's gonna have to wait, Kuriyo." Yumi said, readying her bow to fight. "Back for more? Let me show you why that won't wo-"
Before she could finish her sentence, Yumi and Shiori were both engulfed in light as two lights shot back to Kuriyo. When the lights dissipated on the duo, they were in their normal clothes. "What?!" Yumi gasped. "Kuriyo, what the hell?!"
"I didn't do that!" Kuriyo replied, before the Noise's approach forced her to jump in front of her friends. "Just stay behind me!"
"Ri- AUGH!" Shiori screamed, falling to the ground and writhing in pain.
"Shior-YOUCH!" Yumi screamed, doing the same as her friend.
"Yumi! Shiori!" Kuriyo gasped, dealing with the Noise that closed in on them. With no other options, Shiori taps into her communicator. "Can anyone read me?! I need backup ASAP!"
"We just finished up with the evacuation." Shirabe stated.
"We're on our way to you now dess!" Kirika added.
"Hurry!" Kuriyo pleaded, fear and exhaustion making her stumble between attacks. Eventually, the Noise spread her so far thin that I left Yumi and Shiori open to a surprise attack from behind, one that Kuriyo wouldn't be able to reach them in time to stop. "NOOOOOOOO!"
"I WON'T LET YOU!"
Suddenly, a purple flash of light came out of nowhere, wiping out the approaching Noise, and with it, knocking Yumi and Shiori into the air. As if on instinct, Kuriyo leapt to catch them, gently placing them on the ground and letting out a sigh as the purple flash eliminated the remaining Noise. While still shaken by the whole ordeal, Kuriyo smiled as the purple flash finally became a visible human being, and a familiar one at that.
"Thanks for making me experience a near heart attack, Hina..." Kuriyo said in a slightly agitated, but sarcastically, tone.
"I would've been here sooner, but I had to deal with the Noise on the other side of town." Miku replied. "If anything, thank Ryoko-san for telling me what was going on."
"I'll be sure to thank her later, after Dr. Ver and Dr. Nastassja lecture me on my risky play..." Kuriyo chuckled faintly, looking over at Yumi and Shiori, who've gone from writhing in pain to simply being unconscious. "Ryoko-san said she was on her way. We should get these two to her."
"I'll take Yumi if you can take Shiori." Miku said, getting a nod from Kuriyo.
"We're here!" Shirabe shouted.
"I'll show you not to mess with our senpais... Dess?" Kirika said, confused when she saw Miku and Kuriyo with no noise around. "Are we too late?"
"Just a little, but it's okay." Miku answered, giving Kirika a thumbs up. "If anything, care to help us by carrying these two for us?"
"It's the least we can do." Shirabe replied, taking Shiori from Kuriyo, as Kirika took Yumi from Miku.
As the Zababa duo picked up the girls, they both started to stir, weakly opening their eyes. "Did... Did we win?" Yumi asked.
"Considering you're still alive? Yes." Miku answered. "You feeling alright?"
"I feel like I was hit by a truck, and not in the way that'd lead me into an Isekai before I could feel it..." Yumi groaned.
"I'll take that as a 'sort of'." Miku said. "Just hold tight, okay? We'll get you back to HQ to feel better."
"Do you four usually feel this drained after your missions?" Shiori asked. "I feel like I'm going to pass out just having my eyes open..."
"That may be a side-effect from the Duplicate module..." Kuriyo said. "Next time, it should be in a state that won't make you feel as drained as you do."
"Ugh... I know I asked for this whole Anime hero gig, but now I actually understand the downsides of it..." Yumi groaned, jumping out of Kirika's arms as a burst of energy overcame her. "But that just means I need to start taking the doctor's training seriously! Mark my words, I will become 110% better than I am right now!" After this, she felt the moment of adrenaline pass, causing her to collapse again.
"I expected that to happen..." Shirabe sighed.
"All things considered, I'm surprised she had enough energy to even stand dess." Kirika replied, picking up Yumi again.
"Let's get them to Ryoko-san." Miku said, getting nods from everyone as they ran off.
With the Noise dealt with, the Wielders met up with Genjuro and Ryoko, the latter of which came running to the scene with paramedics to pick up Yumi and Shiori. "Kirika-chan! Shirabe-chan! Bring them here!" Ryoko requested, the Zababa duo doing so without hesitation, reverting their transformations shortly after placing them inside.
"We'll come with you, Ryoko-san!" Shirabe said.
"Good. Saves me the time to ask." Ryoko replied, shutting the ambulance doors as she did, the others outside hearing a loud "DRIVE!" from inside before it took off.
"They should be fine now that they're with Ryoko-kun." Genjuro stated as he approached the remaining Wielders, his expression getting serious when he looked at Kuriyo. "That was a dangerous stunt you pulled back there, Kuriyo-kun."
"I know, Commander... But I stand firm on the fact that the risk I took was calculated to avoid the least injuries in the situation I was placed in. Yumi and Shiori would agree with me if asked." Kuriyo replied. "I know Ryoko-san will probably let it slide, but I'm prepared for whatever lecture awaits me when I see Dr. Ver and Dr. Nastassja again."
Hearing Kuriyo say this, Genjuro's expression softened. "As long as you're aware of what awaits you at HQ, then my work is done." He said. "That aside, all of you did an excellent job out here today. Head on home and rest up. I can handle things from here."
"Before we go, Commander, there's something I need to quickly talk with you about..." Miku stated, pulling out the device Evelyn gave her earlier. "Kuriyo and I ran into Evelyn again, and she said that she has information about Finé that she needs you to hear alone. She gave me this and told me to hand it to you."
Genjuro took the device from Miku, just as confused as she was. "And how certain are you that this isn't a trap?" He asked.
"Aside from how desperate she sounded, I doubt someone with a trick up their sleeve would ask for a change of clothes alongside this meeting." Miku replied. "Of course, I still have my reservations on trusting her, but part of me also thinks Evelyn's telling the truth."
Hearing this, Genjuro looked at the device again, thinking for a moment, before eventually nodding. "Well, then I guess we have no other choice but to hear her out." He said, putting away the device as he processed the other half of what Miku told him. "...I'm sorry did you say she asked for a change of clothes?"
Abandoned Apartments
After getting home with the device Miku gave him, Genjuro was able to discover that it was a tracking device that gave Evelyn's exact coordinates. The Commander waited until the following morning to fully uncover where these coordinates were, letting Headquarters know he was going to be out for a bit before heading over to them with a small satchel.
He was still hesitant to trust what the Cyborg could be up to, but Genjuro was still willing to hope Evelyn was being genuine in her request, much like Miku was, so he continued into the abandoned complex.
Genjuro thoroughly checked the abandoned building that Evelyn's coordinates indicated, until he eventually stumbled on the Cyborg making needed self-repairs... Which also answered the question of why she requested clothes as he saw the swimsuit discarded to one side of the room, making him back out of the doorway to give Evelyn some privacy.
Once out of her eyesight, Genjuro cleared his throat. "Evelyn-kun?"
The sounds of sparks stopped as Evelyn heard him ask this, which was followed by footsteps as Evelyn approached the doorway, leaning out into the hallway to see the commander with a satchel. "Are those the clothes I requested?"
"Yes." Genjuro answered, holding out the satchel within arm's reach of Evelyn, who took it without hesitation and dashed behind the wall.
A couple minutes later, Evelyn stepped back out into the doorway, this time fully dressed in the black shirt and pants with a white jacket that Genjuro had brought her, handing him back the satchel as she appeared. "I put the girl's, Yumi I believe, swimsuit back in the bag. Please return it to her when you get the chance."
"Understood." Genjuro replied. "Now then, I believe you said you had some information you wished to share about Finé?"
"I do." Evelyn answered. "I can't stick around long in case she's looking for me, so please come in and sit down. There is much I need to say."
"And this isn't some ploy for Finé's benefit, correct?" Genjuro asked.
"As I told Miku, Finé betrayed me. As far as I'm concerned, she can rot in hell now." Evelyn said coldly, gesturing for the Commander to enter the abandoned apartment. "Now let us hurry. I'd like to get as much as I can off my chest before it's too late..."
A/N: And with that, we end the chapter!
As y'all saw, this chapter debuted the Duplicate Activations for the Kerberos System, or rather, its prototype! Realistically speaking, anyone familiar with XDU saw this coming a mile away, but I'm still happy I got to show it off.
Since I already went over the specifics of the Kerberos System a couple chapters back, I'll just jump to the other elephant in the room: Yumi's reaction to learning about Section Two.
I know a good amount of people might compare her reaction to OG timeline Yumi's panicked reaction, but in fairness, she learned it under a rather traumatic circumstance compared to GS Yumi, so I'd be willing to bet Primeverse Yumi would be jealous of Hibiki if she learned about it in a similar scenario that Primeverse Miku learned about Hibiki's secret life.
As for why Shiori didn't have much of a reaction? Between relief, in a way, of seeing her other friends weren't doing anything criminally insane and finally getting Yumi to take off her metaphorical tinfoil cap, I feel like she'd just be willing to go along with everything, if it meant she wouldn't get in trouble with Section Two. Shiori mainly goes along with everything afterwards because she knows Yumi would bug her about it otherwise.
With that duo's introduction to Section Two dealt with, now onto the other introduction gone over in this chapter: F.I.S.'s
Obviously, Ryoko would've had a part to play in their introduction, but I feel like she'd still be as playful with it as she is currently, given she knew Section Two would have no choice but to let them in. As for why? Well, I'll save that for a later confrontation... :)
That aside, I firmly believe, if put in this situation in canon, Maria would still be the one to volunteer herself as an Idol for Section Two the way Kanade and Tsubasa were, both for her own enjoyment, but also for her cover-up in that of giving the world a way to cope with the loss of Zwei Wing. Granted, with coming into the spotlight after a tragic loss, Maria would have an uphill battle to try and gain the public's favor. Granted, she managed to seemingly come from nowhere to be the top Idol in America canonically, so I imagine the fight would go in her favor rather quickly.
Lastly, Evelyn's change of heart. Much like Chris of canon, Finé's betrayal would cause Evelyn to question what she's been fighting for. However, unlike Chris, she wouldn't have regrets for what she had done under Finé. Everything she had done was for the same reasons Finé wanted, and as far as she's concerned, Finé didn't have to manipulate Evelyn the same way she did with Chris. So rather than repentance, Evelyn's fighting Finé more out of spite if anything.
But with that, I think that's a good place to end this chapter. Thank you all again for reading this chapter! Stay tuned to my socials for Updates, Memes, and other content. But for now, I shall see you all in the next one!