It's finally time to enter the vastness of "Space"! Welcome, everyone! I'm really excited to get going on this story as we head into the end of 2023. After finishing the chapter drafts for "Power", I was really excited about getting into this story. I had mentioned that it had been in development hell for quite a long time.
To explain, this story was initially meant to be a Ben 10/Teen Titans story. But after outlining and other such complications, I was finding myself unsatisfied with the story I was coming up with. So after some careful consideration, I figured that the best way to make this work was to have it take place in the universe of Edens Zero.
I might've mentioned it a couple dozen times, but it's one of my favorite series from the new generation of manga. And it's got my favorite character in it to boot! She's actually going to be one of the main protagonists of this tale, so you can expect some interesting developments from her end.
There's a lot to get through with this 20-chapter story, which is essentially an adaptation/rewrite of one of the series' latest arcs. Fortunately, I have HeroTime-10 ready to help whenever I'm running into trouble. Their help is much appreciated for such a big story lying ahead.
So that's enough banter. It's time to get into this story. Enjoy!
SPACE
Ah, it feels nice to tell a story from one's own universe. Up to now, I've peered into other worlds to see just what challenges await our heroes.
In a starry void, the bare feet of a young woman swung back and forth as she rested upon a chair, having her right fist up against her head. She was a slender young woman with red eyes and black hair with diagonally cut bangs. She had two pairs of longer bangs, each on the front and back of her head, respectively. She wore a red qipao with a cherry blossom pattern that exposed much of her back, and a lily flower on the right side of her head.
To recap all of the events up to now, the Omni Force has been battling against the likes of the Kronos Alliance in order to obtain the six Infinity Stones that were scattered across time and space of this vast multiverse. In their first mission, the Omni Force succeeded in obtaining the Mind Stone. The second, they failed to retrieve the Reality Stone from Salem, though it was shattered for the time being. And their third mission… resulted in the Power Stone falling into the hands of the Kronos Alliance.
The Infinity Stones aren't just entities of existence itself. They're the most dangerous things in the multiverse if in the wrong hands. One such stone has ended up in the wrong hands of a foe that many fear…
UNIVERSE-3177
GRANBELL
Sitting lifelessly amongst his ruined kingdom of dead machines was a tall robot with a demonic motif. He primarily had a silver coating with black around certain parts, such as his forearms, torso, and around his face. He had a somewhat cartoony, skull face, with a pair of circles on each cheek, and wore a gold crown with a dark purple jewel in the middle and two large gold horns protruding from either side. He also wears a tattered, red cape with a demonic crest at the back and gold trimmings with two golden jolly roger skull-shaped shoulder pads. Additionally, his chest had a large opening, where the sharp spikes made it resemble a mouth. His feet and lower legs were rather plain, consisting of simple shapes and a pair of wires from behind the knees to the ankles.
Moss had grown over his body, and his left horn was broken. He was seemingly a shell of his former self, once known as the Demon King. And then, without warning there was a flash of blue light. Falling at his feet and clattering in front of him was a glowing blue stone, coming to a stop. Its shine radiated onto his body. At that very moment, his eyes lit up. He slowly reached his right hand down to grab the stone, holding it in between his fingers.
"Are you sure you're ready to wield that?" a voice inquired, getting his attention as he turned. Approaching him was a bulky android with a silvery metal body, while his red eyes burned into the Demon King.
"What is it?" he questioned back. Ultron huffed.
"Call it the key to life itself," he answered as he approached, "It made you come back from the dead, didn't it?" he presumed. The skull-faced robot stared at the stone in his fingers.
"I can feel it…" he said, "The power of this rock resonating with my own Ether…" he noted aloud, clutching the object in his hand, "And yet, I feel that it could serve a greater purpose…" he continued, managing to stand up.
"And pray tell, what would that be?" Ultron wondered aloud.
"…The extinction of all life… except machines," Ziggy answered, raising his fist to the sky, "That is my vow… to all the noble bots who've fallen because of their selfish creators…" he proclaimed on.
"Hmph," Ultron scoffed, "Then you have much to work on, Demon King," he pointed out, walking up to his side, "I can help with that," he assured.
By some miracle or misfortune, the Space Stone wound up in the possession of Ziggy, known as the Demon King. By allying himself with Ultron, he essentially became a member of the Kronos Alliance. And as such, he's only gone and gained more power.
Luckily, there are those who've vowed to help stop him. His grandson, Shiki Granbell, and his friends aboard the Edens Zero, have been pursuing Ziggy in the wake of his sudden revival and turn to evil. Through hard-fought battles and losses, Shiki and the others, including the Omni Force, have failed to stop their foe. And they have yet to truly realize what they may be up against…
Three years have gone by. And with it, the strength of our heroes has grown. They've gone and liberated planets in the Kaede Cosmos from Ziggy's control with the Omni Force's help. But even so, they have yet to discover a trail to his madness…
Where will it all lead, I wonder? Well, that isn't important right now. For some, there are other challenges they are facing…
X
KAEDE COSMOS
EDENS ZERO
"Thanks for coming to the stream, everyone!" Rebecca Bluegarden exclaimed gratefully into her camera, dressed with a pair of cat ears atop her head. In the three years that had gone by, she had grown a lot as a person, especially with her B-Cube channel. Where once her subscriber count was merely in double digits, she now had 3,100,000.
"We appreciate all the comments!" Happy added as he hopped up into her lap, as she was sitting in her gaming chair in her room.
"We'll see you all later!" she promised, posing as she crooked her hands like a cat and winked, "Meow-wow~!" she squeaked cutely. She then reached over and turned her device off. "Huh…" she exhaled, stretching her arms up, "That was fun!" she remarked happily.
"Aye," her cat agreed.
"You've gotten a lot better at streaming these past few years," a squeaky voice chimed in, getting the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user's attention as she turned to see a heavyset woman behind her with maroon hair braided in pigtails with a bun atop her head.
"Thanks to all your tips!" Rebecca pointed out in response, "You really helped me out, Couchpo," she affirmed with a smile. Her fellow B-Cuber chuckled before taking a bite of a burger she had in hand.
"You two up for some dinner?" she offered, "I'm just about starving…" she admitted as she patted her stomach.
"You're saying that while you're eating…" Happy noted as a drop of sweat rolled down the side of his head. Rebecca looked back at her camera for a moment in thought. She took off her cat ears, undoing her twin-tails.
"Uh, I'll catch up in a bit," she decided, "You two go on ahead," she insisted to their surprise.
"Okay then," Couchpo responded, "But you better come before all the food's gone," she pointed out, heading off through the sliding doors.
"She knows the kitchen never runs out of food, right?" Happy inquired, somewhat concerned.
"That's just Couchpo being who she is," Rebecca assured in reply.
"Hey, Rebecca," her cat said, turning to her, "Are you doing okay?" he asked worriedly, "I know we're coming up on the date of… well…" he continued, only to stop himself as he let his head droop a little out of sadness.
"Happy…" the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user uttered out, "I miss Witch, too," she confessed as she got up from her seat and hugged the android feline, "But I'm sure she's smiling at us from the stars as we keep moving forward," she affirmed.
"Rebecca…" Happy whimpered.
"Besides, I just wanted to ask the private chat about something else today," the B-Cuber told him, causing him to blink in surprise.
"The private chat? For what?" he asked. Rebecca blushed, smiling a little as she glanced off to the side. Moments later, she turned her camera back on, letting it record. Looking at her monitor, she could see messages filling the screen.
Hey Becca!
long time, no see!
u doing good?
Heard you and your friends liberated Sweeds recently! Awesome!
"Hey guys," the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user greeted, "Been a while since I've been on the private chat, huh?" she presumed, "Bet you're wondering what's got me here today…" she mentioned, blushing cutely.
Is it about the boy you like?
The instant she saw the next comment, Rebecca's blush spread to her whole face. She sighed. Part of her was regretting streaming to the small group of her subscribers she could trust. But at the same time, she felt she needed someone to talk to.
"Yeah… it's about him," she admitted.
Did something happen?
OMG, did he break up w/ his gf?!
take ur shot, Becca!
"No, no!" the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user repeated frantically as she waved her hands, exhaling a sigh, "He's still in his relationship from what I know…" she confirmed.
bummer
I don't understand, what's the issue then?
Yeah, what's going on?
"I'm… still in love with him…" Rebecca confessed, lowering her gaze, "And even though I told him how I felt three years back," she kept going, "those feelings just keep popping up for me every now and again…" she admitted on.
damn, sounds rough
y not fight the other girl 4 him?
prove ur luv!
"Oh, you guys…" the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user muttered with a smile, "Even if I could beat his girlfriend, I wouldn't want to be with him that way…" she pointed out, "It just wouldn't feel right, you know?" she presumed.
I agree. Let's not promote Rebecca to resort to such childish acts.
boo
boo urself
Rebecca giggled at the comments. She was glad to have such a great support group of other B-Cubers she could trust. A ping went off, getting her attention as she curiously looked at the next comment.
Rebecca, don't go losing faith. That boy doesn't realize what a wonderful girl you are. He's missing out if you ask me. And someday, I hope he'll see that. Until then, keep being your amazing, cat-like self on the channel! Meow-wow~!
The Cat Leaper Quirk user smiled at the comment after a moment. She took a deep breath, relaxing herself before reaching for the camera.
"Thanks for the chat, guys," she said gratefully, "I needed it," she affirmed, ending the recording.
X
The Edens Kitchen was bustling as several people were inside by the time Rebecca arrived. Couchpo and Happy waved to her from a booth, enticing her to jog over to meet with them. At one table, Weisz Steiner was sipping on a soda while tinkering with a wristwatch-like device upon the tabletop. Seated beside him was Homura Kogetsu, who contently ate some dango off of a stick. At another table enjoying their dinner were Kris Rutherford, Laguna Husert, and Kleene Rutherford.
"Well, look what the cat dragged in…" a voice remarked, getting the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user's attention as she glanced over to the counter, seeing none other than Sister Ivry there alongside Hermit Mio and E.M. Pino, "Having fun with your streams, Rebecca?" she inquired of the ash blonde-haired young woman, who smiled.
"Yep!" she responded happily.
"To think that just three years ago, your vids were nothing but trash…" the Life of Edens remarked.
"T-Trash…?" Rebecca repeated with a stutter of surprise.
"Oh sorry…" Sister apologized, "You were actually worse than trash back then…" she corrected, making the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user chuckle nervously.
"Snarky as ever, huh?" Couchpo noted.
"That's what makes Sister so ponderously appealing, moscoy," Mosco noted as he approached, getting her attention, "A lashing from her tongue should be considered a great reward," he affirmed on.
"There's no need to be so harsh, though," Hermit chimed in, typing away on a holographic keyboard as several icons were present around her, "She learned a lot from way back then," she pointed out, causing Rebecca to smile. A few moments later, she had gotten herself her dinner: a small salad, a burger with cheese, tomato, ketchup, mustard, and pickles, some fries, and a vanilla and chocolate milkshake. As she went over to sit with her friends in the booth, she took notice of another pair of figures, giving off a little grin. Eating dinner heartily themselves were Shiki Granbell and Ochaco Uraraka. The former had changed the most in three years, now much leaner and taller. His girlfriend was happily chewing on her burger, humming contently at the taste.
"Oh, Rebecca!" the Satan Gravity Ether Gear user called out upon spotting his friend, "How'd the stream go?" he inquired.
"Good!" the ash blonde-haired B-Cuber replied as she walked over to the booth, setting her food tray down, "After passing the three-million mark, I don't know if I can go much higher in subs…" she admitted.
"I'm sure you'll get there, no problem!" Ochaco affirmed confidently as she chewed on her food.
"But in the meantime, we're stuck in a rut," Weisz complained, "Aside from throwing us off with three cores to a planet that control machines," he kept going, "we still don't have a clear idea where Ziggy could be," he pointed out seriously.
"Agreed," Homura concurred as she set down the finished stick she ate her dango off of, "And that Skeleton Army of his is only growing stronger," she mentioned.
"We're planning to contact Elsie to find out if she and her crew have any new leads in our stead," Hermit noted to the group, letting the holographic icons around her disappear, "Of course, things aren't getting easier after the government's declaration of war onto us…" she grumbled on.
"You mean Shiki getting named as one of the Oración Seis Galáctica?" Sister guessed. The whole room went quiet for a moment. "Well, that just means they know we're a group to not be taken lightly, right?" the Life of Edens presumed, folding her arms behind her head.
"I guess that's true," Hermit agreed. Sister chuckled, hopping off of the stool she sat upon before heading over to the Satan Gravity Ether Gear user's table.
"Who would've thought the scrawny little kid who helped bring me back to this ship would end up being such a badass in just three years…" she commented. Shiki cracked a grin.
"I'm doing my best for everyone's sake," he affirmed, clenching his left fist.
"Heh," Sister laughed, leaning closer between him and Ochaco, who was sipping her soda, "Bet Mama's proud, too…" she remarked with a smirk, causing the couple's eyes to widen. The Zero Gravity Quirk user actually spat out her drink, with its contents landing on her boyfriend as he yelped. Everyone looked over in bewilderment.
"S-Sister!" Shiki stammered, wiping his reddening face. Though it paled in comparison to his girlfriend's.
"H-H-How'd you know about that nickname?!" she stuttered in question, evidently panicked and embarrassed as she was burning scarlet all over.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHA!" Sister cackled, falling to the floor as she rolled around laughing, "IT WAS JUST A GUESS!" she exclaimed in between giggles, "Oh my gosh, I can't believe you're into that sorta thing, Shiki!" she yelled. The couple traded embarrassed looks, with Ochaco placing her hands onto her face before finding herself floating away, whimpering all the while. Hermit sighed, glancing back at her fellow Shining Star.
"Doesn't Luck call you Babygirl?" she questioned, causing the whole room to go silent again. Sister completely froze as her face went pale with embarrassment and sheer horror. She immediately got onto her feet and zipped over to the Mind of Edens.
"Hey, I trusted you with that secret…!" she whispered out angrily.
"And that was your first mistake," Hermit bluntly commented in reply.
"HUH?!" Sister exclaimed with rage, while most of the others giggled.
"I do hope we'll get to see our friends from the multiverse again soon," Homura admitted, "I feel as if it has too long a time since Shirou and I convened," she pointed out with a small smile.
"That a weird way of saying 'have sex'?" Weisz guessed, causing the Soul Blade Ether Gear user to break out into an embarrassed blush.
"Weisz!" Rebecca shouted from afar.
"Hey, you guys are the lucky ones!" the Machina Maker Ether Gear user yelled, inserting his soda straw into his mouth, "You don't have to deal with someone who won't give you the time of day just because you like looking at other girls…" he grumbled before sipping the rest of his drink.
"It's your own fault, you know," Laguna bluntly noted to his chagrin.
"I'm looking forward to seeing Yuno again!" Kleene pointed out excitedly, while her brother glanced away somewhat sadly.
"We should think about asking for their help," Hermit advised, specifically to Shiki, "There are plenty of guys on the Omni Force who've dealt with facing machines," she pointed out. The Satan Gravity Ether Gear user looked down in thought for a moment.
"Shiki…" his girlfriend uttered out worriedly, having floated back down onto the floor.
"Let's keep going like we planned," he insisted to his friends, "We'll find Ziggy soon, I'm sure of it," he affirmed confidently. Rebecca looked to him and smiled.
X
"So Shiki getting named as one of the Oración Seis Galáctica was recent?" Kleene inquired, scrubbing her naked body with a soapy sponge as she, Couchpo, Sister, Ochaco, Rebecca and Homura were taking a bath in the Edens Spa.
"Yeah, just a few days after we liberated Sweeds," the android answered, pouring a bucket of hot water over herself.
"I don't think he's too worried about it…" Rebecca noted as she leaned up against the side of the bath with her arms.
"Yeah," Ochaco confirmed, having her hair tied up into a bun as she leaned back in the water, looking up at the checkered, starry space overhead.
"Does… that mean Shiki's been acknowledged as a warrior equal to Elsie?" Homura wondered, trying to endure the heat of the bath as her face was red.
"No, that's not what that means!" Kleene yelled, "It means he's being viewed as an enemy to the government now!" she pointed out seriously.
"Well, the government didn't exactly have the greatest impression of him to begin with…" Rebecca noted.
"You're not taking this seriously, Rebecca!" Kleene shouted on.
"Hey, calm down, okay?" Ochaco insisted, holding her hands up a placating manner, "No need to get all high-strung over this…" she affirmed.
"The government…" Homura uttered, frowning as she remembered the kind visage of Seiji Hojo; a soldier who died as a result of associating himself with her. She hadn't known him for very long, yet she knew that he was a kind person at heart. The regret she felt from not being able to protect him lingered for years.
"Rebecca, your B-Cuber channel has footage of Shiki and the rest of us," Kleene noted to the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user, "Your career could be put at risk," she mentioned.
"Ah, I don't mind," the ash blonde-haired girl responded to her surprise, "Whatever anyone else says, Shiki's my friend," she affirmed.
"But that does beg the question," Homura chimed in, "why would the government take such an interest in Shiki's actions?" she wondered aloud.
"Maybe because when Ziggy's forces take over a planet, we liberate it before they do?" Ochaco guessed.
"Making them look bad?" Kleene presumed, "That sounds petty," she pointed out, earning a few giggles out of her friends.
"That can't be the sole reason, I think," Homura admitted, "Shiki's strength is quite real," she noted.
"It's been three years after all," Sister chimed in, putting her right hand up against her head, "And he's only gone and gotten stronger," she added.
"Yeah," Rebecca agreed.
"In that case, I guess there isn't really anything to worry about just yet…" Kleene admitted, rinsing herself off, "We should think about what each of us'll do when we see the others again," she advised, walking over and stepping into the bath to soak herself.
"Oh, yes," Homura concurred, "I was hoping to engage in a sparring match with Shirou within the VR program," she told the others.
"Is that your crazy idea of a date?" Couchpo wondered aloud, causing her to blush. Overhearing her friends gush about their plans with their significant others, Rebecca frowned a little. A part of her wished she had that. But at the same time, there was only one person she wanted that kind of life with.
"Thinking about Deku?" Ochaco guessed, causing her to perk up in surprise.
"Is it really that obvious?" Rebecca inquired back quietly.
"You're the one who confessed to him in the middle of a battlefield," the Zero Gravity Quirk user pointed out, making the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user sheepishly grin.
"We've met up a couple times since then…" she admitted, looking up at the checkered, starry space of the cosmos, "I think even Natalie's started to like me a little…" she mentioned before frowning, "Is it… selfish of me to still be in love with him?" she asked to Ochaco's surprise.
"…You know…" she began, "I was in love with him, too," she confessed, causing Rebecca to blink with shock, "I kept those feelings bottled away, but they'd always come up every now and again," she noted on, "And when I met Shiki, I finally felt like I could move on from those feelings," she mentioned, "So I'm sure you'll find someone to help you move on, too," she assured confidently. Her friend smiled, though she was hesitant. She didn't know anyone like the boy she loved. And she wondered if she would end up finding someone else someday…
X
"You're still in the Kaede Cosmos, Shiki?" Elsie Crimson inquired from a holographic screen projected before the Satan Gravity Ether Gear user, Hermit, Weisz, Pino, Kris, and Laguna. They were on the ship's bridge.
"Ziggy has invaded a lot of the planets in this area," the Mind of Edens pointed out, typing on her keyboard as several icons were visible around her.
"So where are you, Elsie?" Shiki wondered.
"On a planet not too far from you," the Oración Seis Galáctica member answered with a small smile, "My home used to be here…" she confessed.
"What?" the Satan Gravity Ether Gear user said, slightly surprised, "You never told me about that…" he pointed out.
"It can be a story for another time," Elsie affirmed, "We'll stay in touch," she decided, "If one of us manages to locate Ziggy, we'll let the other know," she confirmed on.
"Roger that," Shiki responded before the screen disappeared, ending the communication.
"It's been three years," Kris pointed out.
"We go after Ziggy, liberate whatever planet he's invaded, and then go after him again…" Laguna listed off in remembrance.
"Well, what else are we are gonna do?" Weisz inquired of his colleagues, "We don't have any other clues…" he pointed out. Just then, Shiki felt a buzz coming from his jacket pocket. He reached into it, pulling out his MPG to see that it was glowing a bright green. Hermit noticed.
"I'll run the interface," she decided, typing on the keyboard. Nodding, the Satan Gravity Ether Gear user placed his device on the control panel, with icons appearing underneath it. He then tapped the center of his device, causing a holographic screen to project in front of him and the others on the bridge.
"Hey guys," a gloved Riri Williams greeted with a pair of goggles upon her forehead, "Search for Ziggy still getting you nowhere?" she presumed.
"We're liberating planets at least," Hermit responded.
"You've been running analysis on that bot we sent you, right?" Weisz inquired as he stepped forward.
"Yeah, one sec…" the young Avenger responded, walking out of frame for a moment. Those watching blinked in surprise to find one of the skeletal robots upon a table, with many of its pieces taken off. "Thankfully for us, this guy's not a Terminator," Riri remarked as she approached it.
"A Terminator?" Shiki repeated in confusion, arching an eyebrow.
"Did you figure out anything significant?" Hermit inquired.
"Aside from basic structure and function, not much else," Riri responded with a shake of her head, "But you said they had these guys in huge numbers on all sorts of planets, right?" she questioned.
"Yes," Pino responded, "They act as guards for the cores installed upon the planet, which control the robots like they did on Foresta," she explained further.
"Still boggles my mind that Ziggy could make a whole frickin' army like this in just three years…" Weisz admitted, "I get that they're bots, but still…" he muttered on.
"Not if he had help," Riri chimed in.
"What's that mean?" Laguna inquired.
UNIVERSE-616
AVENGERS MANSION
"The bots themselves are factory-made, but they're all linked to a network under Ziggy's orders," Riri told the group.
"It'd have to be a powerful network to maintain control and order over them all," Hermit pointed out.
"Are you saying someone provided that to Ziggy?" Kris assumed.
"Not just someone," Riri responded, taking off her gloves as she approached the holographic screen displaying her colleagues, "You guys heard about Ultron from James and the others, right?" she inquired.
"Ultron…" Weisz repeated.
"Yeah, he was that robot they took down, right?" Shiki guessed.
"In their universe," Riri corrected in reply.
"Wait, what?" Pino uttered out of surprise as she blinked.
"Ultron exists in other universes, including this one," the young Avenger pointed out as she went back to the table, lifting the skeleton-like face of the robot off before grabbing a screwdriver, "That Ultron happens to be a member of the Kronos Alliance, who last I checked, didn't have any presence in your universe," she mentioned thoroughly.
UNIVERSE-3177
"Kronos…" Shiki uttered out.
"So you're saying Ziggy's gone ahead and joined with Kronos?" Weisz presumed.
"It's a working theory," Riri replied, having just taken out the robot's processor, "These bots aren't special like the ones Ultron has," she pointed out, "No weaponry, no flight capabilities," she listed off, "But if they're working on a network that can be controlled…" she continued, "then you can bet your asses that they're only gonna get tougher," she stated firmly. A moment of silence befell the group.
"Huh…" Hermit sighed, "Thanks for the update, Riri," she said gratefully, "We'll let you know if we need another favor from you," she promised, ending the call as she grabbed Shiki's MPG off of the interface, making the holographic screen disappear. She handed the device back to the Satan Gravity Ether Gear user, who sighed deeply.
"This is bad," Kris said bluntly, "If Ziggy is close to enhancing his Skeleton Army to the point where they'll be even tougher to stop," he continued, "how are we going to be able to put an end to this?" he inquired aloud.
"…I get what you're saying," Shiki affirmed, clenching his fists tightly, "This is gonna go on forever unless something changes," he pointed out, "We have to find some kind of clue… or we'll never reach Ziggy," he concluded in frustration.
"The fact that he's not bothering to leave us a clue…" Weisz chimed in.
"…is exactly what makes him Ziggy," Hermit finished for him. Looking down in thought, Shiki started walking to the doors.
"I need some time to myself for a bit," he confirmed to his friends, "Radio if anything comes up," he advised.
"Copy that…" Hermit replied, while the others looked on, quite surprised by his demeanor.
"He's changed a lot since Aoi," Laguna noted.
"Can you blame him?" Kris inquired back, "He lost more than just an eye back then," he pointed out, "We all lost something," he affirmed on, making everyone in the room give off somber looks. Just then, Hermit noticed an icon ping upon her screen. Elsewhere aboard the ship, Shiki had arrived in the empty throne room. An intricate helmet with 'E4' etched upon it sat atop the large chair.
He remembered the first time he sat in it. Thanks to that, Witch Regret was reactivated and introduced herself to him as one of the Shining Stars. But now, she was gone. The memory of three years ago still lingered.
'I love you,' she had said as her final words, which echoed in the Satan Gravity Ether Gear user's head before seeing her perish. He looked at the helmet.
"Witch…" he uttered, "And you too, Valkyrie…" he added, recalling the one Shining Star he never got to meet because of her own unfortunate demise, "I will protect this ship," he vowed, "I am its sword… and I am its shield," he proclaimed on, "I swear, I will beat Ziggy," he promised firmly, "And I'll take us to Mother, you'll see," he affirmed further. A portion of skin underneath his left eye started blinking green as it beeped, getting his attention. It whirred after a moment.
"Shiki, it's Hermit," the Mind of Edens communicated, "We found ourselves a castaway," she confirmed, "What should we do?" she inquired of him.
"A castaway?" he repeated, "Who?" he asked, starting to walk out of the throne room.
"No idea," Hermit responded, "But it's a human sending out the distress signal," she confirmed on.
"If that's the case, then they're probably not with Ziggy," Shiki presumed as his stride turned into a jog.
"But they could be a part of the government or another organization," the Mind of Edens pointed out.
"Still, it's not right to just leave him out there," the Satan Gravity Ether Gear user retorted, "If he's a refugee, we should at least rescue him," he advised on.
"I'll raise the ship's security level, just in case," Hermit decided in response. Back in the Edens Spa, Rebecca perked up with surprise. She got to her feet, causing Ochaco, Homura and Kleene to look over at her.
"Is… something wrong?" the Zero Gravity Quirk user inquired.
"I've felt something like this before…" the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user noted aloud, hurrying out of the bath.
"Hey, you promised to let me do my mind-numbing torture and pleasure massage on you after your bath!" Sister pointed out as she held a pair of handcuffs and a lit candle.
"I NEVER PROMISED THAT!" Rebecca shouted back, quickly grabbing a towel to wrap herself before heading off.
"Huh…" the Life of Edens sighed with frustration, "Oh well…" she muttered, turning to the girls in the bath, "Guess that means you're taking her place, Ochaco…" she realized with a smirk, causing the Zero Gravity Quirk user to squeak with surprise, "Or should I call you Mama~?" she teased in question, much to her embarrassment as her whole body went red. Elsewhere in the ship's hangar, the group of Shiki, Weisz, Pino, Hermit, Kris, and Laguna had just retrieved the castaway, who was dressed in a spacesuit.
"You have my thanks, lads…" he said gratefully, lying upon his hands and knees before those in front of him, "I thought I'd die a lost man in space…" he admitted, trembling a little.
"What happened to you?" the Satan Gravity Ether Gear user inquired curiously.
"My name is Captain Connor," the man replied, having removed his helmet to reveal that he was a portly elderly man with short, gray hair, thick eyebrows, and a mustache, "As you might've guessed, I'm a ship's captain," he noted to the group.
"For a guy who just got rescued, you're awfully full of yourself…" Weisz commented.
"And I can't actually see that you're a captain…" Hermit pointed out.
"Captain Connor…" Shiki uttered, narrowing his eyes, "Why do I feel like I've heard that name before?" he inquired.
"Answer the question, old man," Kris insisted, "What happened out there?" he inquired. The door to the hangar then opened, with a toweled Rebecca running in. Her eyes widened upon seeing who the castaway was.
"Tie him up right now!" she advised immediately as she hurried over, "He's the enemy!" she affirmed.
"Rebecca…" Laguna uttered in surprise.
"I met him in World Twenty-Nine!" the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user pointed out to her friends, "You should all recognize his voice and face from when we went to Granbell!" she mentioned on, causing Connor to arch an eyebrow in confusion.
"Hold on, what?" Weisz said with a tilt of his head.
"I've never met this guy in my life…" Shiki noted.
"Me either…" Kris confirmed.
"Neither have I," Pino added. Rebecca grimaced.
"Come on, you should!" she exclaimed, "He's the captain of the Edens One!" she emphatically noted, "He was with Ziggy when we went to Granbell, piloting his ship for him!" she added further.
"Now wait just a moment, young lady…" Connor chimed in, holding his right hand out, "Edens One?" he said, "Whatever is that?" he inquired on.
"Don't pretend you don't know!" the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user shouted back, "You work for Ziggy!" she affirmed angrily.
"Yes, it's true that I worked at that dreaded droid factory of his!" Connor confirmed in response to her surprise, "But it wasn't until recently that I discovered it belonged to Ziggy!" he admitted to the group, "As soon as I found out about the cruel and vicious robots they were making, I hightailed it out of there!" he exclaimed, "That's when I wound up going adrift in this vast space…" he added.
"Wait a sec…" Weisz uttered.
"Ziggy's droid factory…?" Hermit repeated, blinking in surprise.
"We have our clue!" Pino realized.
"No, he's lying!" Rebecca proclaimed to her friends, "Guys!" she yelled on.
"We found it," Shiki said, letting off a grin as the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user looked over to him, "We've found a path that'll take us to Ziggy," he declared with a determined expression.
"Shiki…" Rebecca uttered. Why didn't anyone believe her? She knew that Connor was Ziggy's pilot. And in the previous universe, he was a pilot who went adrift that she and her friends picked up, only to have seemingly lost him when they jumped. So many questions were ringing through her head. And she wasn't sure if they could be answered…
X
Shall I give you a quick backstory? Rebecca Bluegarden's Ether Gear, Cat Leaper, is one that bends a crucial law of nature: time. With this power, she can reverse time to prevent certain events, such as Shiki's demise in what was known as World 29. That event is an anomaly in of itself, as she wound back time for a whole month to return to a moment where she could save her friends.
But in doing so, certain things changed. Connor, who was a castaway in World 29 picked up by those aboard the Edens Zero, was a captain of the Edens One in World 30. And now, he's seemingly a castaway tied to Ziggy… but wants nothing to do with him… Just what is going on, I wonder?
"You recognize him?" Sister inquired of Ochaco, who was dressed in casual clothes. They were in the Edens Kitchen, watching a famished Connor down food at a table alongside Shiki, Weisz, Homura, and Pino.
"I remember Deku telling me about him…" the Zero Gravity Quirk user replied, rubbing the back of her head, "He said that Mister Connor helped you get to a planet faster before what happened with Drakken Joe," she explained.
"Hmm…" Hermit hummed out, "I wonder if it's an effect of you being from another universe," she inferred, "You and your classmates remembered what Rebecca had gone through in World Twenty-Nine, at least from what she explained to us," she pointed out in recollection.
"Sounds confusing as hell…" Sister muttered.
"So from what you're tellin' me…" Connor began as he chewed on some takoyaki, "you all have been liberatin' the planets that Ziggy's gone and taken over?" he inquired of the group.
"Yeah," Shiki responded, slurping down some noodles, "We're fighting to stop him," he affirmed.
"I had no idea a rebellion against him existed…" Connor admitted, trembling a little, "And such a wee group of young lads at that…" he mentioned.
"Okay, spill," Weisz insisted, "Tell us where we can find that robot factory," he demanded of the castaway while chewing his own food.
"Weisz, calm down a little…" Ochaco advised, holding her hands out to him in a placating manner.
"Don't worry, I'm happy to answer," Connor affirmed to her surprise, wiping his lips with a napkin, "But I do hope you're not planning on going there yourselves," he added seriously, "It's a very dangerous place…" he pointed out grimly.
"We're well aware of the danger," Homura retorted to his shock, "We've been fighting for three whole years after all," she mentioned.
"If the factory's where Ziggy's producing all those skeleton bots, it's bound to have a clue to finding him, too," Sister chimed in thoroughly.
"And that's exactly what we've been looking for these past three years," Hermit confirmed, crossing her arms over her chest.
"If we don't defeat Ziggy, peace won't ever come back to the cosmoses," Pino mentioned while sipping her drink of energy gel. Needless to say, Connor was shocked by the passion of the group, so willing to fight a battle that he already thought was a lost cause. He lowered his head for a moment.
"It's a living factory there…" he noted, "The very planet itself produces soldiers automatically," he mentioned further, "It's known as the Perpetual Motion Machine, Lendard," he told the group.
"Lendard…" Ochaco repeated as a brief silence fell amongst the group. Shiki then stood up.
"Hermit, let's go call Riri," he advised, "We found our path forward," he affirmed.
"Right," the Mind of Edens replied, heading off with him. Meanwhile, Rebecca was in her room, still troubled from the events that had transpired. First, no one recognized Connor. And now, her friends were treating him kindly in spite of her warnings. Something wasn't right. And there was only one person she could contact on the matter.
"It's good to see you again, Rebecca," a smiling Noah Glenfield greeted upon the screen of a laptop in front of her and Happy, "I watch your videos from time to time," he pointed out.
"Master Noah, what number world are we in right now?" the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user inquired immediately to his surprise.
"You're not beating around the bush…" he remarked, putting his gloved right hand onto his chin, "But that is a good question…" he said, "I believe… the circumstances have changed a bit…" he pointed out, much to Rebecca's confusion as she blinked, "I've done some research since we last talked…" he mentioned, "In terms of the numbering system you're familiar with…" he continued, "we're now in World Four-Hundred-Sixteen," he confirmed.
"Four-Hundred-Sixteen?! What?!" Happy exclaimed in disbelief.
"Think of it as the number of occurrences in which you've done a simple time leap," Noah clarified to Rebecca, "A 'Reverse', as you call it," he emphasized.
"I… used it that many times…?" the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user inquired, quite frightened by the implications.
"It's your weapon, Rebecca," the guildmaster pointed out in response, "You need it to fight," he affirmed on, "I predict that the number of uses will continue increasing," he added, "You don't need to worry about that count, however," he advised to the ash blonde-haired young woman's surprise, "I determined that there are two types of changes that result in a new world number," he told her, "The first is the Reverse, the ninety-second time leap that you used subconsciously as child, and then consciously on Sun Jewel," he explained.
"Yeah, that's right…" Rebecca confirmed.
"This causes virtually no change to the world overall," Noah noted, "It may cause tremendous changes for yourself and those around you…" he inferred, "but history eventually corrects and converges towards its predetermined future," he told her, "In other words, the greater future does not change," he clarified in conclusion.
"Well, that's good…" Happy said.
"And what's the second type of change?" Rebecca asked.
"The second type comes from Cat Leaper, which you used in the fight against Drakken," the guildmaster answered, "This ability doesn't just move you through time," he pointed out, "it also transports you to another world parallel to the previous one," he mentioned, "Let's refer to these as universes," he advised.
"Universes…" Happy repeated.
"Uh, hold on a sec," Rebecca chimed in, "That's gonna be kinda confusing since… well…" she started to say, holding up her MPG.
"Oh, I forgot!" Noah exclaimed in realization, laughing a little, "Sorry about that," he apologized, "Let's instead call them timelines," he insisted, "The world in which poor Shiki died can be referred to as Timeline One," he declared, "The world in which you beat Drakken is Timeline Two," he continued.
"And now…?" the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user uttered nervously.
"Now we're in the world where you beat Poseidon Nero, Timeline Three," the guildmaster confirmed to her shock.
"Whoa, wait a minute…" she said, trying to process the information, "When… did we make a jump to Timeline Three?" she inquired curiously.
"You weren't aware it happened?" Noah questioned back, placing his hand onto his chin again, "It was three years ago, sometime before Nero Sixty-Six's destruction," he pointed out, "I was certain that you and your friends were able to escape…" he mentioned.
"But… I have no memory of doing that…" Rebecca confirmed in response, quite shaken by the details.
"That is strange," the guildmaster noted, "According to my Eye of God, there was a moment when the locations of a great many people suddenly changed," he explained, "much like what happened when you and your friends had faced Drakken," he mentioned on, "In any case, we are most certainly in Timeline Three," he confirmed.
"And you know the future of a world before we move away from it, right?" Rebecca assumed.
"Technically, no," Noah replied, "I can only predict a world's based on the positions of its inhabitants," he told the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user, who tensed up as she clenched her fists over her legs.
"If… we stayed in the last timeline…" she began, "what would've happened to us…?" she asked.
"Most likely, you would've all perished," the guildmaster answered honestly, "You, Shiki, and all of your friends," he listed off additionally, making the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user lower her head sadly.
"I wonder when the change happened…" Happy said curiously. Rebecca felt the same. The only instance she could think of was when as the group was attempting to depart from Nero 66 before its eventual destruction, Ziggy had appeared as a projection aboard the Edens Zero.
'You made the wrong choice…' he had said. The Cat Leaper Ether Gear user trembled at the memory, as what had happened afterwards resulted in her and her friends' survival… thanks to the sacrifice of Witch Regret.
'We didn't make the wrong choice…' she affirmed of herself, 'But I was so sure there was a way we could save Witch…' she confessed inwardly.
"Do you need a moment, Rebecca?" Noah inquired out of concern, getting her attention, "I know this must be quite a lot to process…" he noted.
"No, it's fine," she quickly reassured, taking a breath to calm herself down, "Now… about Mister Connor…" she continued.
"Ah, yes," the guildmaster said, "The man whose role changed between Timelines One and Two," he pointed out.
"In Timeline One, we rescued him when he was drifting through the cosmos after a shipwreck," Rebecca noted, "In Timeline Two, he was the captain of Ziggy's ship," she kept going, "And now in this timeline, he was drifting through the Kaede Cosmos after escaping from what he said was Ziggy's robot factory," she finished thoroughly.
"There isn't anything particularly strange about that," Noah confirmed to her surprise, "Like you've probably deduced from your travels in the multiverse, there are an infinite amount of possibilities," he explained to her, "And in these timelines, if a world were to change, the histories of its people can change from what they once were," he mentioned further. Rebecca's eyes shook with horror. "Rest assured, you shouldn't bear any blame for these events," the guildmaster told her, "In the case of your jump between Timelines Two and Three, your theory from back when we spoke last in person may hold true," he confirmed.
"My… theory?" the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user repeated in confusion, only to blink in remembrance as she recalled the time she sat down with Noah in his office after her and her friends' victory over Drakken, discussing what had happened to Connor, who mysteriously had disappeared from everyone's memories, "That's right…" she uttered, putting a hand onto her chin, "The other user for Cat Leaper…" she noted, "Do you know who it is?" she inquired, "Or why they would change the timeline?" she questioned.
"That I can't answer, unfortunately," Noah responded, shaking his head, "But I'll look into it as much as I can," he promised, "Safe travels, Rebecca," he advised in farewell, waving before the call was ended.
"Huh…" the twin-tailed girl sighed, leaning back in her seat.
"Rebecca…" Happy uttered worriedly. The Cat Leaper Ether Gear user was thinking back to the time when she was held captive by Drakken, who wanted the power she wielded for himself in Timeline One. He would've succeeded, had it not been for Izuku Midoriya.
FLASHBACK
"You think I'll just let you kill me?!" he roared angrily, "Even if what you said is true..." he continued, taking a ready stance as the bio-electricity around him crackled even more wildly, "there are still people for me to save!" he exclaimed in declaration.
"Izu..." Rebecca uttered out again, completely stunned. Drakken grit his teeth.
"You think you can play hero, kid?!" he wondered aloud, letting his Ether Gear markings extend along his hands, "Well, you can't save her and beat me..." he remarked menacingly. Izuku didn't flinch.
"Izu... please!" Rebecca begged with tears dripping out of her eyes. The One For All inheritor understood exactly what she was going through. He'd seen something like it before. And it pissed him off.
"Rebecca, I'll save you... by beating him!" he declared fiercely before lunging out at Drakken.
END FLASHBACK
And in Timeline Two, he again was part of the reason that the Oración Seis Galáctica member was bested.
FLASHBACK
"I'd rather finish you all right here, but I don't have the time..." Drakken muttered as he stepped forward, making the floor solid while continuing his approach to Rebecca, leaving everyone else trapped in the tar he transmuted, "So I'll just be taking her," he stated, reaching his right hand out to her.
"N-No..." she stammered out in fright; her body still sunk into black substance.
"You stay away from Rebecca!" Shiki shouted angrily, but he too was stuck in the tar. Everyone in the room was. The memories that haunted Rebecca were coming back. She saw Shiki's death. Would she see something worse?
'Please... please...!' she begged inwardly, praying for some kind of miracle to occur. The last miracle was Izuku and his friends coming to save her life and others of the Edens Zero. And now... The door burst open in a burst of smoke. Everyone widened their eyes.
"What was that?!" Sibir exclaimed in surprise.
"SAINT LOUIS..." a familiar voice started to echo, causing Rebecca to widen her eyes in surprise. Jolting out from the cloud of smoke was none other than Izuku, who gnashed his teeth together angrily as he swung his right leg out at Drakken. "SMAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he roared, striking him fiercely in the face with his iron-soled foot.
"GAH...!" he gasped out, with saliva flying from his mouth before being sent hurdling over everyone, "What the...?!" he grunted out. Suddenly, another figure appeared above him. It was Katsuki Bakugo.
"GO TO HELL!" he bellowed, blasting him back with a powerful explosion from his palms. The Alchemy Ether Gear user slammed hard into the wall, making a large indentation upon his impact.
"The nerd boy and that explosion guy?!" Weisz exclaimed in shock.
"They must've come to help us!" Shiki realized as he smiled brightly.
"Uraraka! Sero!" Izuku called out.
"Right!" the Zero Gravity Quirk user responded as she flew out from the dust with a line of tape wrapped around her torso. She floated over and tapped everyone sunk in the tar with her fingertips, making them all float up out of it. As she tapped Shiki, she widened her eyes with disbelief.
"Gravity Girl..." he uttered out in surprise upon seeing her reaction.
"We're floating?!" Sibir exclaimed in surprise.
"Mos-floating!" Mosco squeaked out gleefully.
"That's Miss Ochaco's power!" Pino pointed out, glad that she and her friends had been freed.
"Todoroki! Alice! Now!" Izuku yelled loudly. All of a sudden, a wave of ice started to freeze up the tar-ridden floor. Just as Drakken landed back on the floor upon his feet, the ice caught him and pinned him up against the wall as he grimaced.
"What... the hell?!" he grunted out with clenched teeth. As the dust settled, it revealed Shoto Todoroki and Alice Fullbuster standing there, both exhaling cold breaths of air after their combined ice wave.
"And release!" Ochaco exclaimed, pressing her fingertips together. Everyone floating fell towards the frozen floor, landing on their feet safely except for Mosco, who landed on his face.
"Mos-oww..." he groaned out.
"Gravity Girl..." Shiki uttered out, catching Ochaco's attention as she turned to face him.
"Shiki..." she said with shaking eyes. She then managed to let out a smile as her eyes watered. "You're really alive...!" she noted happily. The Satan's Gravity Ether Gear user blinked in surprise. She knew about his death from Rebecca's past, too?
"Humph!" Katsuki scoffed with a smirk as he wiped at his nose with his thumb, "That bastard was nothing..." he grumbled out.
"Don't get cocky, Kacchan," Izuku advised sternly, "He wasn't easy for me to take down the last time..." he admitted as some beads of sweat trickled down his face.
"Don't give me orders!" his rival shouted back. Meanwhile, the remainder of the dust cleared to reveal Hanta Sero standing alongside Shoto and Alice, snapping off the line of tape coming from his right elbow.
"Looks like we got him," he pointed out, "I'm gonna go back and help the others!" he yelled, hurrying off.
"Got it!" Izuku responded, flashing him a thumbs-up, "Thanks, Sero!" he called out in gratitude.
"Others?" Weisz repeated in confusion.
"We brought the whole damn class, pretty boy," Katsuki replied, "Deku thought you space losers needed the help against those Element Four freaks and everyone else," he pointed out to him.
"It looks the Shining Stars took care of the work though," Izuku chimed in as he grinned, "I'm glad that things went your way this time," he added. Hearing that, Drakken perked up in confusion.
"Izu..." Rebecca uttered out, catching his attention as he turned to see her there. He gave her a soft smile.
"Are you okay, Rebecca?" he asked her. She lightly gasped. And her eyes welled up with tears. Shiki looked on in astonishment, hearing her whimper as tears flowed down her cheeks. But she smiled.
"You really came..." she noted, stepping forward before running over and embracing Izuku tightly, "Thank you, Izu!" she exclaimed in gratitude, crying happily into his shoulder. He smiled, gently hugging her back.
"There's no need to worry now," he promised, "You're all safe," he assured sweetly. Rebecca giggled happily, pulling herself away for a moment to wipe her eyes.
END FLASHBACK
Thinking back to those memories of the person she loved saving her life, giving her the chance to make things right in the end, Rebecca managed to smile. She got up from her seat on the couch. Happy looked at her and blinked.
"What's got you so happy now, Rebecca?" he wondered curiously with a tilt of his head.
"I'm sure this time… we're all gonna have a happy ending," she affirmed confidently.
"Aye!" her android cat agreed, sharing a giggle with her.
X
Later, in the Edens Kitchen, Rebecca watched Connor with a careful eye. It wasn't that she didn't believe his words about Ziggy's factory, but rather her being wary of the risk he posed to her and her friends. That, and…
"Phbrtbrtbrblbrbl…" he burbled out, blowing a raspberry to Pino.
"Burble, burble, burble…" she repeated, trying to copy him.
"Hey, don't go teaching Pino weird crap!" Weisz shouted angrily.
"He also taught me something called the F-word," the little android confirmed.
"DON'T SAY IT!" Weisz demanded. Rebecca placed her right hand against her cheek, continuing to stare at Connor with intrigue. Even if he wasn't allied with Ziggy, why was he working at his droid factory? What purpose did he serve?
"He doesn't seem like a bad guy to me," Shiki admitted, coming over to sit down at the table with the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user.
"I know," Rebecca responded as Ochaco came over to sit with them, "At least… he was a good person in Timeline One," she noted, only to remember how the portly man had been quite the nuisance to those aboard the Edens Zero on various occasions, including invading the Edens Spa when she and Homura were bathing one time, "Maybe not that good…" she corrected as a drop of sweat rolled down the side of her head.
"Wait… Timeline One?" Shiki repeated in confusion.
"Oh, it's a new name for worlds like World Thirty or… whatever…" Rebecca half-heartedly responded. The Satan Gravity Ether Gear user looked at her with concern, seeing her troubled expression. He then put a hand onto her shoulder.
"I'm keeping a close eye on the guy," he affirmed to her, causing her to look over at him in surprise, "I know you're a bit nervous, so I'm making sure he's not gonna try anything," he mentioned reassuringly. The Cat Leaper Ether Gear user smiled.
"Thanks, Shiki," she said gratefully.
"So anyway, did you guys get in touch with Riri and the others about Lendard?" Ochaco inquired.
"Yeah," her boyfriend answered, "She said she was gonna head over to Omni Force Tower next and tell them about the situation, since the Kronos Alliance is getting involved," he pointed out.
"That means we'll get ourselves a big team together soon," the Zero Gravity Quirk user realized, "If we're gonna stop Ziggy, that means we're gonna need all the help we can get from our friends," she added with a grin.
"Yeah," Shiki and Rebecca agreed, sharing a smile as well. Elsewhere in the infirmary, Sister and Hermit had just gotten in contact with Elsie again, as she was upon a projected holographic screen. They just informed her of the new information they discovered
"The planet Lendard, hm…?" she said.
"You know it?" the Life of Edens inquired, arching an eyebrow as the Oración Seis Galáctica member sounded familiar with the planet.
"I told you that I was born in Kaede, didn't I?" she questioned back rhetorically, "Lendard was always an industrial planet, but I heard it stopped operations several years ago…" she explained to the Shining Stars.
"Likely because Ziggy took it over and turned it into his Skeleton Army factory," Hermit inferred in response.
"Don't forgot about that Ultron guy," Sister mentioned.
"Ultron?" Elsie repeated out of confusion.
"He's an android from another universe who's allied himself with Ziggy," Hermit told her, "We've been in contact with our comrades from the multiverse to find out what they're planning together," she explained on.
"I see…" the Oración Seis Galáctica member responded, "All right, my crew and I will head there," she decided after a moment, "We'll tear that factory down piece by piece," she declared firmly.
"That'd be helpful," Sister remarked.
"If we're able to stop the production line, we can really weaken Ziggy's forces," Hermit proclaimed on.
"No," Elsie said, getting their attentions, "That's where we'll find him," she stated as she took on a serious expression, "That's where we'll find Ziggy," she affirmed.
UNIVERSE-57
OMNI FORCE TOWER
"The Kronos Alliance is helping this Ziggy in his plan to wipe out the human race in his universe?" Ben Tennyson inquired of Riri, sitting in the conference room at the roundtable with Sunset Shimmer, Trafalgar Law, Erza Scarlet, Gaara Xiao Long, and Ruby Rose.
"Pretty much the gist," the young Avenger responded, donning her Ironheart armor, save for her helmet, "After getting a look at one of the recent bots Shiki and those guys salvaged, they share a lot of similarities to Ultron's drones, save for anything flashy like flight capabilities or weaponry," she explained.
"And now they've discovered where they're being manufactured, right?" Sunset asked, earning a nod in reply from Riri.
"We're gonna be putting a team together," she confirmed, "A big one," she added for emphasis, "I think it's gonna be all hands on deck for this fight," she mentioned further.
"Whoa, wait a sec…" Ruby chimed in, getting everyone's attention, "I get the urgency to stop this Ziggy guy, especially since Kronos is involved," she pointed out, "But… why are they involved?" she questioned curiously.
"Same goals in that universe?" Law presumed.
"No, Ruby's got a point," Sunset noted, "Kronos wouldn't just help Ziggy wipe out the human race in Three-One-Seven-Seven if it meant not getting anything in return," she pointed out.
"You saying what I think you are?" Ben inquired.
"It's a theory, but it makes sense," the Equestrian Magic user responded with a shrug, "I think there's an Infinity Stone involved in this," she inferred to everyone's surprise.
"So in that case, we need to send as much manpower as possible," Gaara presumed.
"Hold on, everyone," Erza advised, "If Kronos learns about how much of a force we're sending to them, they'll likely have a counterattack in place," she pointed out worriedly.
"No worries," Riri chimed in, "I'm gonna be going over with a few friends to catch up with Shiki and those guys pretty soon," she confirmed to the group, "We'll go over strategy and get things all set for when we strike," she told the Omni Force squadron leaders.
"…Okay then," Ben responded, standing up from his seat, "We'll leave it to you, Ironheart," he confirmed. The young Avenger cracked a grin, bowing her head before turning and heading off.
"Well, that's some big news…" Ruby admitted, exhaling to calm herself, "After that whole thing with Steven and the Power Stone, I'm glad we found another so soon," she noted.
"It's only an assumption that Ziggy has a stone," Gaara chimed in, "And aside from that, it's in Kronos' hands," he mentioned grimly.
"What stone could be in his possession, anyway?" Erza inquired curiously.
"Probably something that would benefit him," Sunset answered, putting her right hand onto her chin, "Based on how the other stones worked…" she continued, "my best guess is the Space Stone," she concluded.
"Then we don't have any time to lose," Ben realized, standing up from his seat, "Get in touch with the rookies and let them know that there's potentially an Infinity Stone in Three-One-Seven-Seven," he advised of his colleagues, "This time, we'll be ready to get it," he vowed.
"Yeah…" the Equestrian Magic user agreed, clenching her fists unconsciously.
X
UNIVERSE-3177
LENDARD
Floating over the industrialized planet, Ultron grinned at the sight of the many drones being manufactured below, with another after another efficiently coming together. Hundreds were turning into thousands. Thousands into millions.
"Ultron," a voice called out, getting his attention. Standing on the edge of a castle-like, stone structure was an android with the appearance of a slim young man with long, green hair and his eyes are always shut. His attire consisted of a typical wizard's cloak with a white coat draped over his shoulders, and a type of battle armor underneath. "We've finally implemented the weaponry in the Skeleton Army thanks to your specifications," he pointed out, seeing his fellow android come down, landing beside him.
"It was all worth it in the end," he remarked, "This planet creates life in perpetuity, giving you an infinite amount of soldiers against all other life in this universe," he mentioned, holding his hands together behind his back.
"Indeed," Wizard agreed. Three other figures were present, standing on the same structure with them. One was an effeminate android with long curly brown hair, yellow eyes, and had a red clown nose and lipstick. Covering his face was a mask with blue curved diamonds where his eyes, a blue upside triangle on the forehead, and lines that line up with his mouth, giving the impression of a wider smile. He had several seams running across his neck and arms, his hands were segmented around each finger and were connected to a ball-joint by the wrist. He wore an elegant blue coat with a gold center, puffy sleeves that have red stripes, underneath is a cravet and a flowy white collar. His pants matched his sleeves, being puffy and had red-and-blue stripes, below were white socks and a pair of dark pointed-tip shoes.
"What a glorious sight," he noted with a smile, "More children come every minute," he added excitedly. Next to him was a machine that was large and imposing, appearing as a heavily armored knight with large pauldrons and a face shaped like that of a lion's with dark wavy hair, much like a mane.
"One day, this planet may produce machines even stronger than us," he inferred. Beside him was an android that resembled a young man of short height with two-toned, striped hair, dark markings around his eyes with stitches around his right eye, which each had four dots in a diamond formation instead of pupils. He wore a dark cloak with intricate, flower-shaped symbols on either side and a hood with an asymmetrical zig-zag pattern.
"So, which planet are we attacking next?" he asked curiously.
"We aren't attacking any planet," another voice confirmed. Approaching Ultron and the Dark Stars was none other than Ziggy, whose appearance had changed in the three years since his revival. His horns pointed more upward and have black markings connected from the top of his head. His skull face was now more realistic, losing the circles from before, as his crown lost the jewel, and in its place was a mark that somewhat resembled that of the Edens Zero's. The opening of his chest had changed shaped and appears to be housing an orb. His hands were now covered with a black coating and wears a double studded belt around his waist. His lower legs had become more detailed, now more like a human's and donned a pair of black boots. "Shiki is coming," he noted to his colleagues.
"The boy?" Wizard said in surprise.
"Gravity attracts gravity, hm?" Clown remarked.
"How do you know for certain?" Brigandine wondered aloud.
"His future pulls him here," Ziggy answered, "And we will stay here to fight him," he declared on.
"Bit of a risk you're taking, Ziggy," Ultron commented, "Even with the strength of your army, your quartet of enhanced soldiers, yourself, and our help…" he listed off, approaching the Demon King, "are you certain you'll win?" he inquired. Ziggy chuckled.
"I will… with this," he affirmed as a blue glow emanated from the orb in his chest, "We're settling this fight," he stated, looking out towards the horizon as his massive army of robot soldiers stood below him, "Come, Shiki," he challenged, "See if you can stop me," he proposed in a menacing tone.
END
And that ends the first chapter of what's bound to be a fun story! Between getting to delve further into the Edens Zero arc I'm adapting and what'll follow, it's gonna be interesting. Plus, getting to write with some of my favorite characters here really amps things up!
Hope you all enjoyed this start to the story! Up next, we'll be diving into some action!
