SonicANIME2010 here, bringing in another chapter to Sonic: Wind of the Night Sky. This chapter will serve as the filler chapter in between the Sonic 2 and Sonic 3 arc. I plan on focusing on the recovery and some calmer slice of life stuff. As usual, I do not own any of the characters used, they belong to their respective properties
"Say"
'Thought'
"Telepathy"
"Device"
[Dimensional Space]
[Time-Space Administration Headquarters]
[Hospital Ward]
[Time: 1935]
[No BGM]
Slowly stirring from consciousness, Nanoha Takamachi began to regain her bearings. She could feel an odd, groggy feeling as she found herself too fatigued to move. The entire right side of her body, especially her arm and face, felt numb and foreign, and she could only see from her left eye. Struggling, she slowly tried to sit up, but winced as a spell of intense discomfort overcame her and forced her to lay back down.
She could feel and see an IV extending from her left arm and the rhythmic beeping of a heart rate monitor informed the girl that she was in a hospital room. Confused and out of sorts, the girl tried to think back on what happened, but struggled as a splitting headache came over her.
"Guh.." The girl winced, using her left hand to shield her eye from the blinding lights of the hospital ceiling, "Wha-"
"Oh, good!" exclaimed the familiar voice of Shamal as she entered Nanoha's vision, "You're awake, Nanoha-chan!"
"Shamal-san?!" Nanoha, confused, tried and failed again to sit up weakly, "Wh-where am I?"
"The medical facility located in the TSAB headquarters." the medic replied, calmly urging the girl to lay back down, "We were brought here after your accident in space."
"Accident… you mean with the missile?! What happened to me?!" The younger girl grew delirious and confused, as the memories of the incident flooded back to her at once, creating a bad headache, "Why c-can't I feel-."
"Nanoha-chan, please calm yourself. You've been unconscious for the last five days, and a lot has happened." Shamal spoke with a soothing yet firm tone, lightly pushing the girl back into her bed, "I'll do my best to explain, but you need to try and relax. You'll cause your guests to stir and panic as well."
As Shamal spoke, Nanoha felt a soft weight on her left hand. Turning her head, she could see Fate sleeping with her head on the bed next to her leg. Not wanting to disturb her dear friend, she calmed herself down with a few deep breaths. She no longer felt panicked, but she was still confused, especially with the foreign feeling in the right side of her face and arm.
The medic of the Wolkenritter quietly and calmly explained what had happened to her. After Nanoha's fall from space, she was taken to the Bureau's hospital wing for medical treatments. Her funny feeling in her face and arm was due to the surgeons replacing her right forearm and eye with artificial cloned replacements. The surgeries were complete, so all she needed was time to heal and for her body to accept the implant replacements.
Nanoha felt a bout of extreme tiredness and struggled to stay awake to hear more, but Shamal urged her to listen to her body and fall asleep, if she recovered enough, the Bureau would release her tomorrow and they can return home. Her mind at peace for the time being, the young girl drifted off to sleep.
[OP: "Bright Stream" Nana Mizuki, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha THE MOVIE 2nd A's]
Sonic the Hedgehog: Wind of the Night Sky
Chapter 16
Recovery and Recuperation
[Dimensional Space]
[Medical Ward]
[Time: 0955]
[BGM: "Theme of Love" Final Fantasy IV]
After a final checkup on the following day, the Bureau allowed Nanoha to leave and return home on the Arthra with a further follow-up scheduled several months in advance to check on how her replacement hand and eye are acclimating. Shamal, sensing that the girl needed rest for her body to recover from the strain, confined her to the medical ward for the duration of the trip.
Once the girl was awake and lucid, Lindy took the opportunity to meet with her and discuss a few things. Nanoha, feeling a sense of dread, braced herself mentally, and while Fate and Shamal were in the room with her, she would find no support from them.
"How are you feeling, Nanoha-san?" Linky asked, relieved that she was still able to speak with the girl.
"A little better, just weird." The small brunette replied, wincing a little from the light, her right eye was covered in a patch-like shield and her right hand was bandaged and held in a sling, "And tired, but I think they told me I should make a full recovery."
"I'm glad for that..." The admiral spoke, shifting to a serious tone, "You scared everyone… you could have been killed out there."
"I know…" Nanoha gripped the bedsheets with her left hand, wracked with guilt, "I pushed myself too hard. Got too reckless…"
Shamal chose to join in the conversation, advising the girl that the strain she placed on her body could have permanently damaged her Linker Core. She was lucky that the damage was minimal at worst and her core was already projected to make a full recovery by the time they had returned home, but the next time the damage might be permanent, and what would cause her to lose her magic permanently.
"I understand, I'm really sorry…" The girl spoke with discomfort, tightening her grip on the sheets, "I promise I'll do better…"
Neither Shamal nor Lindy could bring themselves to be upset with the girl nor have reason to disbelieve her. They could tell that Nanoha was honest in her words, but they would hold her to that.
Lindy had one last thing to address with Nanoha, and it was how quick she was to sacrifice herself to save others. Honorable it may be, the admiral stressed that she had friends who cared for her, and even if her sacrifice was to save them, she must also remember that those who lived from her sacrifice would still be saddened by her death. As if to emphasize this point, Fate leaned forward and hugged her tight, crying into her shoulder.
"Fate-chan?!" Nanoha was shocked, unable to do anything.
"Nanoha… I almost lost you that day." The blonde said through tears, refusing to let her go, "I wouldn't know what to do if you had died, I would have been so sad… I don't want you to die, at least not before I let you know of my feelings.
"I know this sounds sudden, but I think I've known this for a long time, I just never knew how to say it until that day." Fate stared straight into the brunette's purplish blue eyes, "I… I love you."
"Fate-chan…" The brunette felt the tears drop from her face, "Thank you… I love you too."
Shamal and Lindy sighed at the scene with a warm smile. It felt nice to witness feelings growth and blossom
"While I'm happy that Fate-chan is able to express her feelings." Lindy suddenly spoke with a teasing tone, "I shouldn't have to warn you that you're both nine, and are too young to have a specific talk yet. So please exercise restraint."
"S-sorry!" Both girls broke away, their faces flushed in embarrassment.
Lindy shook her head, smiling as the tension left the room. The woman followed suit, in need of a cup of tea. Shamal remained in the medical bay to keep an eye on Nanoha who, like Fate, was trying to get over her embarrassment.
[Mess Hall]
[Time: 1215
[BGM: "Kingdom of Baron" Final Fantasy IV]
Vita and Sonic sat together in silence at a table in the mess hall. The iron knight had managed to secure a few sandwiches while the hedgehog brought juice to share. From afar, Signum watched the duo eating in silence, already guessing as to why they had preferred momentary solitude. She had her own thoughts on the matter, but her attention was directed to the approaching admiral before she could formulate them coherently.
"Signum-san." Lindy greeted cordially.
"Admiral Harlaown." replied the Blazing General, matching her tone.
"They're being unusually quiet." The admiral commented in observation as she watched the two. "How long have they been at this?"
"Ever since we got back from the Death Egg. They have been avoinding everyone, especially Takamachi." Signum replied, "Even Mistress Hayate is concerned."
"I see…" the teal green haired woman nodded, "I have no doubt they feel responsible for Nanoha-san's condition."
"Agreed, but I don't think I'll be able to get through to them." sighed Signum with a shake of her head, "Empathy is not a strong suit of mine."
"I'll see what I can do."
Lindy walked into the mess hall and fetched herself a cup of tea with milk before approaching the hedgehog and knight duo. When she got closer, she could hear bits and pieces of their conversation and it confirmed hers and Signum's speculation.
For Sonic, the battle with Eggman was originally his. Nanoha was hurt and nearly killed in stopping the mad scientist. While he had appreciated the help, the cost was nearly too much.
As for Vita, she saw the warning signs regarding Nanoha's strain earlier, even when not obvious. If she was able to stop her, the incident could have been prevented. The guilt wracked her mind like a plague.
"I hope you pardon the interruption." Lindy spoke up as she approached them properly and took a seat with a cup of tea in hand, "But you both seem like you could use the company."
"Huh?!" Both Sonic and Vita were caught off guard and hesitated before ultimately agreeing, "Sure."
"Thank you." The admiral smiled, sipping from her tea and stating her point, "I can tell that something is bothering you both. Am I correct in stating that it concerns Nanoha-san's condition?"
"Guilty as charged," Sonic nodded.
"Same." Vita added through a mumble.
Lindy smiled as she heard the two out properly, despite already knowing hints of their feelings. She felt that it was better for them both to get their feelings off their chest and to be listened to, rather than just hear a lecture.
"Though your reasons differ slightly, you both feel responsible. That it is your fault that Nanoha-san was almost killed." The admiral summarized, "Am I correct?"
Both Sonic and Vita nodded in agreement, but kept silent.
"I will not fault neither of you for your feelings; they are valid and you are no less of a person for having them, but you are not at fault for what happened." Lindy allowed a hint of soft criticism to ebb into her tone, "Also. I must ask, aren't you doing Nanoha-san a disservice?"
The duo felt a shared amount of guilt in response to the Admirals new question. They remained silent and listened as she continued.
"Please consider Nanoha-san's feelings as well… she already feels bad enough, but if two of her friends were beating themselves up over her." the woman sent both of them a pointed look, "She would feel even worse, wouldn't you say?"
Unable to retort, both blue hedgehog and iron knight could only nod and listen.
"Instead of feeling down on yourselves for the past, wouldn't it be better to think about what you can do for the future?" she asked, "What can you do now?"
"We can make sure it doesn't happen again." Vita spoke up first, feeling her resolve grow, "Protect Nanoha, so she doesn't get hurt like this again."
"Bingo! We can protect her." Sonic added, sending a knowing look to the shorter girl, "How about we swear a vow to protect her, here and now?"
"You got it!" came the redheads sharp nod, taking Sonic's hand in hers, "That day… that memory… it will never happen again!"
"Alright!"
Satisfied, the admiral stood up and left the two alone. As she passed by Signum, she could see the gratitude in the general's eyes.
[Engineering]
[Time: 1345]
[BGM: "Typical Melody" Keita Haga - Fate/Grand Order: Cosmos in the Lostbelt]
To her surprise, Alicia found quite the crowd gathered when she arrived at Engineering to check on Raising Heart, Bardiche and Lucky Star. Hayate and Reinforce were studying the Tome of the Night Sky as it was undergoing a routine inspection. Tails, with Amy Rose delegated as the fox kit's chaperone, was peppering Mariel all sorts of technical questions; though the teen device meister appeared unbothered.
"Hello, Alicia-chan." The green haired human greeted the smaller blonde, "What brings you here?"
"I'm here to check on Raising Heart's recovery as well as Bardiche and Lucky Star's maintenance." Alicia replied, "I also was going to make a request for Lucky Star."
"Well, Raising Heart's recovery is on schedule, most of the damage it took was structural, and it's auto-recovery has already fixed most of the serious damage." The device meister reported, gesturing to the cracked red jewel that was Nanoha's device, "Its projected to be fully repaired before we arrive at home."
"That's a relief, Nanoha will be happy to hear it." Alicia let out a small sigh, relieved.
"As for your request, I think I already know what it is." Mary said, shifting her attention to Lucky Star, "And your device has already beaten you to the punch."
"Huh?"
To hear Mary explain it, Lucky Star had formally requested component "CVK-792" during its maintenance. The device had done so after receiving data from Raising Heart and Bardiche.
"CVK-792 is the designation for the Ancient Belkan cartridge system." Amy Limietta said as she entered the room with a glass of hot chocolate,
"Limietta-san." Greeted the engineer, "What brings you here?"
"Admiral Harlaown sent me here to get a status report on the devices in maintenance." The brown haired teen replied before shifting her attention toward Alicia, "You're taking a big risk here. The Cartridge System hasn't been reliably integrated into Mid-Childan devices yet."
"I know…" The smaller blonde nodded, "But that last mission made me realize that I still have a ways to go if I want to protect the people I care for. And I'm willing to do whatever it takes."
"I've been hearing this for a while, and I know Tails was about to ask about this, but I'm also curious." Amy Rose suddenly spoke up, "What is the Cartridge System? Why is this a big thing to ask for?"
Reinforce took the liberty of explaining the cartridge system to the two. The system, invented by the Belkans, allows its user to consume cartridges, small capsules containing magical energy, through their devices as a means of boosting their power. Unfortunately, this system was primarily a feature for the Ancient Belkan magic system and had yet to be fully integrated reliably into the Mid-Childan system without stability concerns.
As Limietta explained, the Cartridge System can place a strain on the user's body. What happened to Nanoha was the result of her failing to acknowledge and properly rest her body. Her magic briefly shorted out because her mana reserves depleted from overuse and she was lucky that the damage was only minor and recoverable. If Alicia was to start using the cartridge system, she must also keep this in mind.
"Knowing this, are you still willing to go through with it?" Amy Limietta asked the smaller blonde with a serious tone, "The risks are high, and you could get seriously hurt."
"I am." Alicia Testarossa reaffirmed, resolute, "So I can protect the ones I hold dear, I need to get stronger."
"I'll let the admiral know, if she hasn't been made aware of it already." the brown haired teen nodded, turning to face Reinforce, "I assume you'll inform Signum-san?"
"Of course." replied the silver haired woman, "I believe we were going to cover cartridges in our next training."
Her task completed, Amy Limietta started to leave the department, stopping only to trade gossip with the pink hedgehog. Whatever the two talked about went over the little fox kit's head and he could only get a soft look from Reinforce and Hayate in consolation.
Shortly after her gossip session, Limietta left the room, citing that she was due to receive a report from Quint on Earth regarding her task to track down Eggman and the Chaos Emeralds. Apparently, the woman had good news to relay, which gave the information specialist more to report to Lindy.
[Non-Admnistrated Planet #97 "Earth"]
[South Island]
[Chaotix Detective Agency]
[BGM: "The Base" Sonic Adventure 2]
On the coast of South Island was the Chaotix Detective Agency office. Its exterior was that of a rundown modern duplex with a red tile roof. The interior was a grungy formerly-white plaster, cracked in places with the wood trim barely holding everything in place. It was not much, but it was home for the Chaotix.
Vector, Charmy and Espio waited inside the office, the bee and chameleon were on the couch while the crocodile was behind his desk. It was a slow day, but they knew to expect company soon.
"Say, Vector." Charmy asked, lazily turning her head in the general direction of the crocodile's desk, "When is that pretty investigator lady gonna be here?"
"She said she had some quick business to attend to before coming here." Vector replied, "She didn't say what it was specifically, but if my memory's right, she did say that one of her colleagues was injured pretty badly."
"If that colleague is from the city, she probably had to inform their family." Espio speculated, but with caution in his tone, "Out of respect, it's probably best that we don't speculate any further."
As they spoke, Quint had started to approach from the sidewalk with a schooled but somber expression. She had just finished having a talk with the Takamachi family and Nanoha's friends, explaining her absence. The conversation was awkward, painful and emotional, but it had to be done.
Due to the cold weather in the coastal region, the investigator had chosen to wear a non-aggressive pink colored jacket over her blazer uniform. It was a simple choice taken in favor of the climate, but little did she know the effect it would soon have as he knocked on the front door.
After a small audible commotion inside, Vector was the one to open the door, but when he did, he felt the color immediately drain from his face and he stood in shock. A curious reaction, Quint peered behind him and saw the bee and chameleon immediately scramble in preparation, but they were too late to prevent what was to happen.
"AH! PINK!" The crocodile's voice was nearly loud enough to pierce the heavens, "PIIIIIIIIIINK!"
"Chill, Vector! Chill…" Charmy tried her hardest to console him but nearly slipped on her wording, "She's not Tata-"
"Charmy! Speak not that name!" Espio cut the little bee's speech, "That will only worsen things."
Quint, reasonably, was confused and concerned, completely caught off guard by the tall crocodile's sudden outburst. She could feel the tension and stress at a high level.
"Should I come back at another time?" queried the investigator, "I just finished an awkward conversation and have little desire to begin another."
"Give him a minute, this frequently happens" Espio shook his head in exasperation, "He'll get over it in a bit."
Wisely, and because she felt that doing so would create a headache for her, the investigator refrained from asking. If nothing else, the episode added a spot of humor to an otherwise stressful day.
True to Espio's word, the crocodile regained his composure after a minute. It took only a little coaxing from the little bee and a deep breathing exercise.
"Sorry about that, our landlady likes to wear pink too, but she's short and a little dumpy. She looks so friendly too, but those eyes." Vector visibly shuddered, "Those eyes! Do yourself a favor, don't get on the wrong end of her coinpurse."
"Noted." Quint nodded her head, once more choosing not to inquire further and instead focus on the reason for her visit, "Now, I believe we had some things to talk about?"
"Of course," Vector stepped aside to let the woman enter, "Right this way, ma'am."
The human mage was led into the office where a map of the South Island Archipelago was already laid out on the table in the middle of the room. Taking a closer look, Quint observed that the map had three distinct lines and markings drawn in separate colors: red, blue, and green.
The red marker had haphazardly drawn multiple lines culminating in an X on a specific island and a hilarious doodle of the Death Egg was right next to it. The blue marker had neatly drawn a couple of lines and a small emerald shape next to one of the dots. Lastly, the green marker had drawn a messy but coherent circle around the island. While Quint could tell it was obvious who had used which color, she refrained from speaking until the Chaotix's head detective explained the methods.
"Thanks to that trajectory you sent us, Charmy was able to trace your Death Egg thing's fall to this island, known to us as Angel Island." Vector explained briefly, pointing to the island with his gloved finger "It has also been called Floating Island, and Espio believes you'll find your missing emeralds there too."
"What makes you so sure?" Queried the officer, internally analyzing the map.
"It is said that the Floating Island holds the controller that unifies the Chaos Emeralds." Espio briefly explained, "It is only a legend, but so were the Chaos Emeralds themselves, so if the Emeralds have returned, they may return to their controller."
"Have you checked the island thoroughly?" Quint asked.
"Nope!" Charmy immediately answered, "First, it's literally called the Floating Island for a reason. It floats!"
"Second, and much more importantly: The island has a guardian who won't allow anyone to land." The crocodile added grumpily, "A red echidna named Knuckles. We met him a few times and he was very harsh."
"You weren't exactly helping, since the first thing you did was drag him into a D session." the bee said, too smug for the crocodile's liking, "Something about him fitting the perfect archetype for the loner monk."
"Shut up!"
Quint kept herself from giggling at the ongoing antics of the trio before her. She had to admit that they were surprisingly competent despite the penchant for shenanigans. More importantly, she had secured a strong lead on Eggman's whereabouts and could report it to her superiors, however there was one lingering question before she could do so.
"Why did the Death Egg land here of all places?" The investigator queried, "Both of our objectives line up in the same location, and that is a little odd."
"O-ho~! Good question!" Vector chuckled, taking a moment to brainstorm, "Say, wasn't that Egg fellah interested in the Chaos Emeralds?"
"Correct." Quint replied simply.
"In that case…" the crocodile turned his attention to the chameleon. "Espio, you think he might know of that controller emerald?"
"That would be extremely doubtful. Knowledge of these legends is highly limited." Espio replied curt, "My own knowledge is hearsay from my clan. The existence of the emeralds was only thought to have been rumored at best."
"Also, when I was math'ing the Big Metal Ball of Compensation's fall. It didn't change direction." Charmy added, "it was landing on those coordinates regardless, the island was just there."
"Good points Charmy, Espio." Vector leaned back in his chair, "Let me think…"
Espio, Charmy and Quint watched as the lead detective of the Chaotix pulled out a pair of rectangular glasses and placed them on his face. The human woman, for the last time, chose not to question it while the bee and chameleon shook their heads.
"I got it! It's all a coincidence!" The crocodile shouted suddenly in excitement, adjusting the glasses, "After all, once you eliminate the impossible, only one truth prevails!"
"Vector, you got your detective shows mixed up again." Deadpanned Charmy, "This is why you shouldn't binge anime in all nighters."
"Hush, Charmy!" Vector barked, before clearing his throat and appearing presentable, "My point stands. While it seems that everything is lining up, we don't have any evidence to conclude that it is nothing more than it just being a huge coincidence."
"I see… Still this intel will prove vital for my organization's efforts." Quint slowly made her way to the entrance, "Thank you very much for the assistance. I will see to it that you are compensated greatly for your time and resources."
After watching the trio get excited over the promise of payment, the investigator exited the building and made for the TSAB Branch Office. As she left, the woman nearly missed a small pink figure speeding by her in the direction she came from, but as it mattered very little, she paid it no mind.
[Undisclosed Location]
[No BGM]
A lone red figure glanced upwards into the darkness, deep in their thoughts. The only company they had came from the eerie green glow behind them. Not much could be seen of this being besides its red color standing out in the dark. Letting out a sigh, the being felt a burst of emotions and the overwhelming urge to unleash them.
"I am so freaking BORED! Every day, it's the same thing! Wake up, eat breakfast, perform my duty, eat lunch, duty, dinner, duty, then bed and start over!" The being shouted in a pre-teen male voice, "Gods, this is boring! How did my ancestors put up with this?!"
The youth paced aimlessly to and fro, shifting his rant internally. He was bored out of his mind and had little in the way of unloading his frustration.
"The internet has been down for multiple days now. I tried turning the box thingy off and on, but it's still out." the red youth grumbled, "I can't do anything else because no one told me what else to do. They just gave me this dinky little note."
The being held the note in hand, which was just a small yellow sticky with the words "turn it off and then on" written on it, left behind by the installers, who had since long left with no means of contact with them.
"So, now I'm stuck." The red figure groaned, "and I was starting to like D too."
Shaking his head, the red youth paced for a few more rotations before standing next to the green glow. There was little he could do for now.
"At any rate, I'm just so bored now. I hope something interesting happens soon." He shouted into the darkness. "I don't care what it is!"
Suddenly, a loud rumbling echoed far into the distance, getting the red figure's attention. Grumbling to himself, he went to check it out.
[Eyecatch #1: Sonic: Wind of the Night Sky bio card #29: Nanoha]
Name: Nanoha Takamachi
Kanji: 高町なのは (Takamachi Nanoha)
Age: 09
Gender: Female
Height 127 cm
Weight: 27 kg
Color: Cherry blossom pink
System: Mid-Childa
Rank: AAA (Air)
Device: Raising Heart Exelion
[Eyecatch #2: Sonic: Wind of the Night Sky: bio card #30: Fate]
Name: Fate Testarossa Harlaown
Katakana: フェイト・テスタロッサ・ハラオウン (Feito Tesutarossa Haraoun)
Age: 09
Gender: Female
Height: 130 cm
Weight 28 kg
Color: Golden
System: Mid-Childa
Rank: AAA (Air)
Device: Bardiche Assault
Familiar: Arf
[Non-Administrated Planet #97 "Earth"]
[Uminari City, Japan]
[Takamachi Residence]
[BGM: "The Sound of Waves Dancing in the Soul" Tales of Vesperia OST]
After a long, awkward four day flight, the Arthra arrived in Earth's orbit and the group split up. Sonic, Hayate and the Wolkenritter returned to the Yagami residence. Amy Rose and Tails were escorted back to their South Island residence by Quint Nakajima. Lindy, along with Amy Limietta, Fate, Arf and Alicia escorted Nanoha to the young girl's family home to ensure she arrived safe and sound, as well as give a full debriefing to the girl's family.
Unfortunately and much to Lindy's humor, the girl in white was unable to take two steps within her own home before she was hit by Arisa and Suzuka class Nanoha-seeking glomp missiles! The duo had spent every day after school at the Takamachi residence, helping out at the cafe part time and waiting patiently for her arrival.
Though neither Fate nor Alicia could blame the two, they still had to remove them from Nanoha before she could become too much of a blushing mess. Once everything settled down, the rest of the Takamachi family embraced their youngest daughter, finally relieved that she was safely home.
While Momoko and Shiro fixed dinner for the guests, Lindy provided a detailed explanation regarding how Nanoha was injured. Everyone took it hard, but Arisa and Suzuka felt it the most.
"That old creep is gonna pay!" Arisa clenched her fist in rage, "Nobody! And I mean! Nobody! Hurts Nanoha and gets away with it!"
"Arisa-chan, you don't have to go that far." Nanoha tried to calm her best friend down, futilely, "I'm still alive."
"Nanoha-chan, you almost died that day." Suzuka shot her down with a pointed look, her tone as serious as her expression, "Arisa-chan has a right to be upset on your behalf."
"And you! Don't you dare think about throwing your life away like that again!" The angry anglophone tearfully glared at her, "If you had died, I would never have forgiven you."
The blonde's words pierced Nanoha's heart like a dagger, silencing the girl for a moment. She could feel the tears of guilt from that day fall as she raised her right hand towards her right eye. Her replacement parts served as a permanent reminder of the risks she had taken in space and the talk Lindy, Shamal, and especially Fate had with her in the medical ward.
"I'm sorry." Nanoha wiped the tears from her face in her vulnerable state, "I promise that will not happen again."
"Awe, hell. I can't bring myself to stay mad at you." Arisa suddenly grabbed the girl and pulled her into a tight embrace, "You're too damn cute."
"H-huh?!" The brunette felt her face flush red in surprise.
"Arisa-chan, no fair! You started without me! Suzuka lunged forward and joined in the group hug, "I'm joining in here!"
Alicia, Fate and Arf, unwilling to be left out, joined in the combined group hug, creating an adorable cuddle pile. Amy Limietta and the rest of the adults could only smile at the antics, relieved that despite the dramatic moment earlier, things settled down to normal.
"Dinner is ready!" Momoko Takamachi called out soon after, "Would anyone like to help set the table?"
"I'll help!" Nanoha was the first to volunteer, but she found herself unable to move, trapped in the cuddle pile of girls, "Or… not?"
"Nope!" Alicia countered her claim boldly, "You're not going anywhere."
"Right!" Arisa confirmed the claim, "Suzuka-chan and I need to cuddle you."
"Sorry, Nanoha" Fate added, "They deserve this one."
"Mou, not you too Fate!"
With the youngest Takamachi indisposed, the task for setting the table fell to Kyouya and Amy Limietta. Dinner itself was a peaceful affair with most of the business topics already dealt with. It was times like this that reminded everyone of the Bureau what they were working for.
[South Island Archipelago]
[South Island]
[Green Hill Zone]
[Time: 0830]
[BGM: "Green Hill Zone" Sonic the Hedgehog (Genesis)]
On the tropical coast of South Island was Green Hill Zone. This region featured lush green vegetation, crystal clear blue water that funneled from the ocean into a large lake, palm trees and soil that had a checkered texture. It was a beautiful place, like one would find on a calendar..
The area also served as the official training ground for the Project 97 squad. Quint and Reinforce chose this location on a recommendation for Sonic due to the previous location, a park in Uminari City, almost getting discovered by a few non-magical civilians passing by.
While the zone was mostly clear of the robots due to Sonic's initial campaign, the ones that remained were left in a default patrol mode. They posed little threat, but served as perfect target practice for the mages in training.
For the first training session since returning from the TSAB orbital headquarters, the Bureau arranged for the arrival of two new instructors, the Liese twins. They were asked to assist in the instruction because of their extensive knowledge in magic and melee combat. Their resume included the combat training of Lindy's son, Chrono, though Sonic knew them as the weird twins that attacked him on the night he first witnessed magic.
It was no surprise that, due to their history, the atmosphere was awkward between the blue hedgehog and the twins, especially since Lotte kept glaring at him at every opportunity. Despite the tension, the twins managed to maintain professionalism as the training began.
As there were newcomers to the training, Quint, the Liese twins and Reinforce felt it appropriate to give a brief explanation of the different magic systems. Officially, there were two major systems that are recognized: the Midchildan and Ancient Belkan system. These systems are identified by the shape of their Magic Circle, which is the visual representation of a magic user calculating and casting a spell.
The Midchildan system, practiced by Nanoha, Fate, Alicia and many TSAB personnel, is the more dominant force, and it focuses primarily on long range attacks such as bombardments and shooting spells. Aria chose this moment to demonstrate by casting a basic Round Shield spell to show the Midchildan circular shaped glyph.
The Ancient Belkan system, used by the Wolkenritter, Hayate and Reinforce, was thought to have been lost due to time as there are very few who still practice it. Except for direct descendents of the Belka, the only party that still uses the system are members of the Saint Church, a religious organization allied to the TSAB. This style of magic can be seen as the opposite of the Midchildan as instead of long-range attacks, its focus is on anti-personnel melee attacks. Reinforce demonstrated with the Panzerschild, the Belkan counterpart Aria's spell.
Lastly, Quint went over the system that she had practiced, the Modern Belka. This was a new system that combined the modern Midchildan system and the Ancient Belkan. Fundamentally, it functioned as a more specialized style focused on combat. Users of this system would use magic to enhance their physical weapons and abilities. It was especially effective at close-range melee situations, but weak to long range attacks.
Sonic, Tails and Amy Rose had a significant amount of information to process. With all of the mathematical terminology, the fox kit hypothesized that the mages must be performing multiple equations in their heads whenever they practice a spell and Sonic was not far behind him in that mindset. Amy was less concerned about math and was more curious about the different styles.
"So, basically, one group blasts things and the other smashes stuff." Amy Rose summarized plainly. As she thought more of it, a nagging question formed in her mind, "How come Hayate is an Ancient Belkan user but primarily uses long range blasts?"
"Well…" Hayate started to explain but paused as she felt a wave of guilt. Sheepishly, she scratched her head and sent a pleading look at Reinforce, "I'm a special case…"
Reinforce took the unspoken que and offered a better explanation. Due to her merging with the completed Tome of the Night Sky, Hayate had access to a Rare Skill known as "Use of Collection". It allows her to use both Mid-Childan and Ancient Belkan spells at their full power. The spells themselves were drawn from mages whose Linker Cores the book had absorbed.
Consequently, because Hayate's Linker Core merged with the Tome itself, it also increased her magical reserves to the point where she would have too much energy to manage at once effectively. It was decided that the mistress should focus primarily on long-range combat and support spells until she could get a better handle on her powers. This also accounted for her issues with aiming her spells, which was also to be a point of focus in the coming days.
"Wow." Sonic let out a whistle, impressed. While he knew part of it from his experience living with her, he was unaware of the full scope of Hayate's powers until now. Rubbing his chin, the hedgehog sent a pointed look in Reinforce's direction, "And because you're the Master Program, you have those skills too."
"Correct." Reinforce nodded with a warm smile in return, "You catch on pretty quick."
"Heh heh." The hedgehog chuckled in a display of humility.
"At any rate." Quint clapped her hands to draw all attention back to herself, "I believe we've taken up enough of everyone's time with instruction. Let's begin training! Everyone to your designated positions."
Acknowledging the woman's orders, everyone broke off into their designated groups for training. Alicia grouped with Nanoha and Fate to work alongside Signum and Vita, to go over the proper use of the Cartridge System, in light of the recent mission. Hayate met with Reinforce to work on her physical therapy, long range casting and aiming, using the robots in Green Hill for target practice. Sonic, Tails, Amy Rose worked with Arf, Zafira and Quint in close quarter combat training.
It was midway through his melee practice with Arf when Sonic was approached by the Liese twins. Lotte was leading the charge with a burning fire in her eye and her sister, ever the peacekeeper, was roped into joining her. The hedgehog could almost feel the headache forming, but decided to hear them out.
"Oi!" The shorter haired cat girl, Lotte, spoke up when she was close. Her expression showing her impatience, "Blue boy! I want a word!"
"I feel like I'm going to regret this, but can I..." Sonic let out a sigh, eyeing the duo warily. "Help you?"
"I am going to apologize in advance." Aria, sincere in her tone, spoke as she bowed her head.
"Ha!?" The blue hedgehog was taken aback in confusion.
"We have some unfinished business, rodent." Lotte said with an almost feral grin as she cracked her knuckles, "Remember our first encounter? The one where you beat us to a pulp without warning?"
"For the record, that was in self defense." Sonic's right eye began twitching, he already knew what was coming next, "You attacked me first!"
"We are fully aware of this, but Lotte's ego was bruised that night, and she won't let it go until we have a rematch." Aria provided a valid counterpoint, "So, if you would please indulge us."
The growing confrontation garnered attention from everyone else, drawing a crowd to surround the hedgehog and cat girls. After hearing out the situation, Quint agreed that a training spar between Sonic and the Liese twins would be the ideal resolution.
"Alright, alright, I get it, don't need to gang up on me." The blue hedgehog sighed as he rubbed his forehead, "I'll fight you two, just to get it out of your system."
"Yes!" Lotte had a feral grin, "It's payback time!"
"Your compliance is greatly appreciated." Aria added.
The training group moved to a wide open clearing in Green Hill, coincidentally where Sonic recalled his very first fight with Eggman. Quint set the basic rules for the match: no killing blows, wins are only via knockout or if the other side concedes.
Both sides settled into their fighting stances. Sonic raised his fists and bounced his feet in place while Aria and Lotte leaned back with one hand idle and the other resting on their hips.
"Ready!" Quint shouted, "Go!"
-Rival: Sonic the Hedgehog vs Liese-
[BGM: "High-speed Action" Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's OST]
-Standby, ready-
-Phase 1-
-Engage-
Sonic struck first using a quickly charged stationary Spin Dash to crash into the twins. His aim was to take the girls off guard and keep them off balance with his speed. With her quick reflexes, Lotte was able to intercept him with a Round Shield to cover her defensive stance, allowing for her sister to withdraw from melee range and prepare spells to bombard him with.
"Try to hold him off!" Aria requested of her sister via telepathy,"If I can get a bind on him, we'll be able to take him out pretty quick."
"I'll try but hurry!" Lotte replied, grunting under the pressure of the spikey ball, "His spikes are sharp enough to pierce magical defenses. I can't hold him back for too long!"
The twins had plotted their strategy prior to the battle. Lotte would keep the blue hedgehog distracted and intercept his melee attacks with her close combat expertise while Aria would blast the hedgehog with a variance of shooting spells to wear him out. Once Aria could get him within a binding spell, that would allow the twins to hit him with their combination finisher.
Unfortunately, their tactics were less effective than they had hoped because of one glaring factor they had underestimated: the hedgehog's speed and unpredictability. The blue blur was able to swiftly rush in and out of Lotte's melee range with a sporadic hit-and-run pattern while also dodging Aria's bullet volleys. Additionally, because of Sonic's speed, he was able to initiate his spin-dash in the air and home in on the ranged-focus twin, disrupting her flight.
Watching from afar, the rest of the group analyzed the match so far. From the untrained eye, the advantage seemed to be in Sonic's favor as he kept the twins off balance. However, the experienced mages and knights had a slightly different take.
"Wow, he's really kicking their butts." Amy Rose commented in awe.
"I would not be so quick to say that." Signum noted, watching as Sonic's last attack hit a barrier that Lotte had cast, "His opponents are swift with their defenses."
"Indeed, Sonic is not dealing any direct damage to the two." Quint nodded, agreeing with Signum's assesment, "His spin attack can break through their barriers, but only with continuous pressure."
"And he can't stay in one spot for long because Aria-san could trigger a binding trap." Nanoha added, "I think that's what they're trying to do."
After pushing back the last spin attack, Lotte suddenly shifted tactics and unleashed a point-blank Blaze Cannon spell. The jet of fire went through an afterimage of Sonic as he used his Strike Dash, a running start, to flash step away from the blast. Maintaining his momentum, the hedgehog charged directly into the shorter-haired twin.
"An opening!" Lotte called out to her sister telepathically as she used a Round Shield to intercept and push back against Sonic, "Now Aria!"
"Got it!" Aria replied as she initiated her next move, "Let's see him break out of the Hoop Bind!"
The magically focused twin unleashed a series of binds onto the preoccupied hedgehog. Their gambit worked to near perfection as multiple blue rings appeared and immobilized the hedgehog. Futilely struggling, Sonic found himself unable to move his arms or curl into his spin form.
"Hm." The blue hedgehog calmly tested the binding strength, but made no other frantic motions, "Not bad."
"I got him, Lotte." Aria called to her sister, readying her spells for the second phase of their combination attack, "Let's go all out!"
"Alright, Aria!" Lotte grinned, cracking her knuckles again, "Let's!"
Before the twins could begin their assault, Sonic subtly flexed his wrists and clenched his fists. From afar, Nanoha could swear that she caught a glimpse of something golden in his gloved hands. She chose not to comment and instead continue watching.
With the hedgehog held in place, Aria fired off a barrage of Stinger Snipe bullets. The magic rounds arched and landed direct hits all over his body. A total of six bullets impacted the hedgehog's prone form. To finish, Lotte teleported herself high into the sky and soared down, her feet glowing from magical energy, ready to unleash a final kick.
"Mirage…" Lotte and Aria called out, "Assault!"
On the last word, Lotte slammed her foot into the middle of Sonic's body, creating an explosion that sent the hedgehog into the checkered soil. The force of the impact left a huge burst of smoke and dust that obscured the vision.
The twins regrouped in the air and clapped their hands to knock off the dust as they inspected the damage. They were unable to confirm whether their quarry was unconscious with the limited visibility, but Lotte still allowed herself to grin with pride, her payback secured.
"Amazing!" Fate exclaimed in awe, "To think these two trained Chrono-nii-san."
"They fight like a coordinated unit too." Alicia added, "I think we can learn a lot from them."
"Uh, I think I should point out that Sonic-kun fought Chrono-kun during an exhibition match after Christmas." Nanoha, though hesitant, voiced a cautionary note, "And the way that fight ended…"
"Will not differ from this one." Signum added in a neutral tone, she had also observed the hedgehog's actions prior to the attack.
"Is he going to be okay?" Tails asked in concern, "That looked like it hurt."
"He'll be fine." Vita replied with a grumpy expression, "Oi, he's overdoing it here."
Suddenly, the dust and smoke dissipated in a violent flush of wind, revealing a standing Sonic. The hedgehog's body was bruised and bloody in multiple areas, but he stood strong with a confident grin on his muzzle. Both of his hands each emanated a golden yellow glow as his body exuded a light-blue aura.
"Sonic!" Hayate called out happily.
'Two rings.' Reinforce thought to herself in reflection, 'That's the same amount he had to use in the fight against NachtWal.'
To say that the twins were shocked was an understatement. Both girls found their mouths agape and could only utter a few words as they painfully recalled the night of their first defeat. The hedgehog's bright blue glow was the same then as it was here.
"Y-you're kidding…" Aria gulped as she recognized that glow, "Lotte! We need to prepare our defenses."
"Aria, I don't think…" Lotte paused, her cheeks slightly red as the hedgehog's will and determination reminded her of a certain enforcer she loved to tease. She pushed those feelings aside for a moment in favor of the impending doom, "That's going to matter."
"My turn, girls!" Sonic chimed musically as his grin widened to show his fangs, "Here we go~!"
The blue blur launched into the air with an explosive burst of energy. As he curled into his spin form, he soared through the air, shattering the sound barrier and leaving sonic booms in his wake. Lotte, in preparation, readied her strongest barrier while Aria fired off volley after volley of magic bullets in an attempt to stall the impending hedgehog. Unfortunately, their attempts were futile as the bullets were blown away by the shockwaves emanating from the air and the barrier was pierced instantly.
With tremendous speed, Sonic collided into the twins with enough force to drive them into the ground. Both girls left an imprint on the checkered soil and were left dizzy. Fortunately, the hedgehog held back, so they were both conscious enough to hold up a white flag.
"That is a forfeit." Quint declared, "The winner of this match is Sonic."
-Down!-
-Sonic win!-
[Jingle: "Level Complete" Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Genesis)]
Sonic celebrated his victory with a cool standing pose with one hand on his hip and the other swaying with a pointed finger. The pose lasted for a few moments before he winced and broke posture under the pressure from his wounds. To make sure that neither side had any major injuries, Quint skated over and used Physical Heal on Sonic before doing the same with the Twins.
Fortunately, the worst that either side had suffered was simply healed over and the environment was mostly unblemished from the battle. Once the twins had recovered, Lotte had pouted for a few minutes before Aria finished consoling her. Tentatively, Sonic approached them to make sure the conflict was finished. The twins had recovered and were standing at this point. Aria had a schooled expression while Lotte was a different story.
"Alright, so I fought you two fair and square this time. Just like you asked." The hedgehog addressed the two from a safe distance, "Happy now?"
"I believe Lotte's grudge has been settled." Aria nodded, "It's honestly admirable how capable you are as a fighter even without magic."
[BGM: "Boar Piglets theme" Fate/Grand Order OST]
"Yup, we don't need to fight, but now…" Lotte suddenly grinned a fanged cat-like grin as her tail swayed excitedly as she approached the hedgehog like an animal in heat. She let out a purr that could only spell trouble, "Now, I want you."
"Uh…" Sonic immediately took several steps back with a weak chuckle and his eyes blinking rapidly, "I think I need an adult."
With a mischievously chaotic grin befitting her status as a cat, Lotte lunged forward towards the hedgehog. She was immediately intercepted by an annoyed hammer-wielding Vita with Amy Rose right behind her wielding her own hammer.
"Oi!" The short red knight barked, her hindsight would later have her question why she was doing this, but it mattered little, "Hands off the blue boy!"
"Yeah!" added the pink hedgehog, her hammer held high as if she was about to swing, "Hands off!"
"You're one to talk, Pinky." deadpanned Vita with a look back at her pink acquaintance.
Using the hammer-wielding girls' intervention as a distraction, Sonic walked away with his innocence relatively intact and approached Arf to continue their practice. Fate was still concerned and approached Nanoha for advice on how to proceed.
"Um, Nanoha?" The taller blonde asked the reddish auburn haired girl, "Should we do anything?"
"I don't think we should." replied Nanoha with a hesitant shake of her head, "It would be rude."
"You are not incorrect." Spoke Signum from behind the two, much to their shock and guilt, "A wise warrior chooses their battles."
Meanwhile, Alicia and Hayate grouped up and discussed the interesting development. Both girls shared a knowing look and grin as they both began plotting mischievously. Few words were spoken, but their feelings were clear.
Reinforce, Signum, and even Sonic paused and shivered as they felt a foreboding feeling. When Hayate gets into one of her moods, it could only mean trouble.
[Uminari City]
[Shopping District]
[Time: 1330]
[BGM: "Play Time" Tales of Vesperia OST]
Because Alicia needed a cell phone from Earth to keep with her cover story, Arisa and Suzuka wanted to make a shopping spree trip out of it and invited Fate, Nanoha, Hayate, Sonic, Tails and Amy Rose to join them. The group of girls plus hedgehogs and fox gathered at the bus stop as Hayate still needed to keep her wheelchair ready, despite making strides of progress with her walker. Everyone knew it was only a short matter of time before her paralysis was fully healed.
The first stop was the cell carrier store for Alicia's new phone. It was a modest outlet, neatly organized with model phones lined along the walls and counters. Two female clerks, both in matching business casual attire, stood near the cash register, turning to face the group when they entered.
"Welcome!" The one behind the register said, "Feel free to browse."
"If you need assistance, please let me know." said the second one beside her, "I'll answer any questions you may have."
Alicia, with assistance from Nanoha, Arisa and Suzuka, looked over the phones available on display. Flip phones, tablets, brick smartphones, there were many to choose from with the only difference being in the form factor and system the phone used.
For Alicia, being a Midchildan who was used to the more advanced technology on her home world, the comparatively primitive technology on Earth gave her a sense of culture shock. On Mid, most civilians, even non-magicals used device terminals for communication. These terminals could make video or audio calls with virtual holographic with screens that had some variant degrees of interaction.
"Hmm…" the smaller blonde pursed her lips as she looked over the selection, "This is harder than I thought it would be."
"Yeah, it can be, with all of the available options." Suzuka nodded, "I think it would be best to consider what you would use a phone for."
"Lindy-Mama said I need one for blending in." Alicia hummed to herself, "I don't think I need one that's too complex. I can use Lucky Star if I wanna play any games or make calls."
"Yeah, but…" Arisa leveled a stare at the girl with a smirk, "You'll get alot of weird looks if you start playing bullet hells from a blue metal triangle."
Other than a giggle, Alicia offered no other comment and continued browsing. Some of the models with a cute mascot aesthetic had appealed to her personality and she gravitated towards them. She picked out a few to look at further before turning to face her sister.
"Ne, Fate? You picked out a phone here a few months ago too, right?" She asked her taller sister, "What did you go for?"
"W-well, um…" Fate found her cheeks heat up in a bright red color as she twiddled her fingers before pulling out her phone, "The same as Nanoha's."
On cue, Nanoha brought her phone to show Alicia. It was a pink flip phone that was the same model and shape as Fate's, with the only difference being that the blondes was yellow. The twin-tail haired girl held hers next to the other with a grin.
"Look, Fate-chan, we match!" Nanoha said with a smile, "Cute, ne?"
"Y-yeah." Fate found herself smiling, her face was lightly flushed.
The atmosphere between the two girls felt soft, bright and cute, forcing Amy Rose to exercise all of her willpower from gushing over the scene. She kept the romance manga comparison to herself for the moment and figured she could get more details later.
"Hey, now. You two can flirt later." Arisa barked, briefly breaking up the mood, "Focus on our mission!"
"Sorry!" Fate and Nanoha apologized, sporting matching blushes.
The idea of picking the same model as the two had briefly appealed to Alicia, if only to tease them, but the girl swiftly decided against it. As much as she enjoyed playing with the two, she also wanted to enjoy a sense of individuality.
Instead, she settled on a light blue flip phone that had the decal of a mountain cat on the front, including the ears. The phone's design gave her a feeling of nostalgia as she remembered the mountain cat that she and her mother had prior to the accident.
"Rynith." Alicia smiled, allowing a tear to fall from her face to her palm.
"Oh! It does kinda look like her." Fate said with a matching smile, briefly reminiscing in not just her shared memories with Alicia, but also when Rynith trained her, "If you want to pick that one, it's okay."
Nodding, Alicia took the phone to the front desk and completed the purchase. For logistical purposes, she was added to the phone plan that Lindy had previously set up for Fate. With their business at the shop concluded, the group moved on.
The next and final stop for the collective was a clothing outlet for multiple reasons. Alicia and Fate were curious about Earth fashion. Amy Rose desperately wanted to overhaul her wardrobe as it had only one outfit. Hayate wanted to see what outfits she could gather for future cosplay projects. Nanoha, Arisa and Suzuka refused to turn down an opportunity to shop. As they followed, Sonic and Tails suddenly had a foreboding feeling of unknown origin.
Fortunately, because Uminari was the closest port to South Island, most clothes shops, including this one, included outfits tailored to fit any island animal. Because of this. Amy Rose was quickly able to get herself measured for new outfits. The same also was said for Sonic and Tails.
Speaking of the two boys, their dark feeling soon bore fruit as Hayate and Amy, with a matching glint in their eyes and grins, dragged both of them into a different section. Sonic could only sigh as he saw it coming and made sure to reassure his little fox brother of his safety.
After a bit of browsing, most of the humans gathered quite the load. Alicia walked away with a pink short dress with hearts printed on the skirt, among a few other outfits with a cute aesthetic. Fate gravitated towards black and darker colors in her outfit choices with a more cool aesthetic to offset her sister. Nanoha found a few basic and frilly outfits in white and pink that she appreciated. Arisa and Suzuka found a few notable red-orange and purple respectively.
As for the boys, Hayate had displayed a keen eye for fashion and knew almost right away what color and aesthetic fit both of them. For Sonic, she found a pink sweater and blue shorts ensemble with yellow decals on the chest and thigh, blue shoes to match and capped off with a pink ballcap. Sonic immediately took a liking to it because it looked cool and matched, and the pink played excellently with his cobalt fur. For Tails, Hayate picked out a dark red hoodie and matching shorts, the fox's yellow fur had complimented the reds of the outfit excellently.
Amy Rose also found herself gravitating towards the red color and found a few low cut flared dresses and go-go boots, Hayate immediately approved since her pink fur played off the red for contrast. The pink hedgehog grinned and bonded with the brown haired human further, their interests and tastes overlapped.
With Hayate herself, her clothing style was mostly simple, sweaters for the cooler climate, flared skirts and stockings. She made a note to come back during the spring to get more shorter-sleeved outfits to prepare for the warmer weather.
As a treat, Arisa offered to pay for everyone's outfits; it had been too long since she was able to spend time with the rest of her friends and was aiming to make the most of it. Once all of the purchases were made, the group left the shopping mall and were picked up by Suzuka's limo, which took them to her house where they would spend the rest of the day.
[Residential: Tsukimura Mansion]
[Time: 1545]
[BGM: "Play Time" Tales of Vesperia OST]
At Suzuka's house, Nanoha briefly had to endure a long hug from Suzuka's sister, Shinobu, who was also her brother's girlfriend. The tall teen had heard briefly from Nanoha's brother regarding the incident and her injury and was relieved to find that she was safe.
The maids served tea and sweets for the kids while they played on one of the consoles. The first game played was a side scroller fighter, but it became quickly apparent that Nanoha was in her element and Arisa immediately changed to a kart racing game to even the odds and remove the fighting genius's advantage. Sonic enjoyed a few races before he let Tails take over for him. The little twin-tailed fox, despite being the youngest, was actually just as dominant in racing games as Nanoha was in fighting games.
"This is hax!" Arisa said with an abrupt pout, her arms folded as she handed her controller to Amy Rose, "Fox boy's been beating us at every race since he started."
"I probably should have mentioned that." The pink hedgehog giggled, "I never could beat him in those games either."
"Would you like to change games again?" Nanoha asked, giggling a little.
"And watch you cream me in fighting games again?" The dirty blonde grinned, "I don't think so!"
Fate, Alicia and Hayate giggled as they watched the gaming rivalry between Nanoha, Arisa and Suzuka. It was clear that despite the heated dialogue, there was no malice or hard feelings. All three were having fun with each other and it was a blast to see.
For Tails, the fox went from a bullied shy kid to a welcome addition into the friendship group. He could honestly say he was having the best time of his life and was thankful for Sonic, Amy and the other girls for helping him get out of his shell.
With school the next day, everyone soon departed the manor with bright spirits, full stomachs and a reinvigorated spirit of competition for the next gaming tea party. The day soon came to a close on a fun, but peaceful note. For the battle worn, especially Nanoha, who had been through so much within the last week, she needed the rest.
Still, as the forces of good rested, so too were the forces of evil. Little did anyone know of the coming storm and the trials that waited for them ahead.
[Ending: "Hikaru Michi (The Shining Road)" Aya Hiroshige]
[End of Chapter 16]
Author's notes: Next chapter might take a bit longer as I still have to work on some of the specifics for the next arc.