Hello once again, everyone! Did you miss me? Coming back from my last update on the Fourth of July, I am SuperHeroTimeFan, now with another brand-new chapter for my MegaMan NT Warrior and The Owl House crossover story, Owl House: NT Witch! It really pleases me that my double release got a lot of attention when I did it. There was a lot I had to get for those two chapters, and I am very glad that they turned out the way they did. And as always, I would like to thank Blackmetalzane22 for all the ideas, especially with the fifteenth chapter, as well as Cloud4012 and several others as well for the support you have shown for the story. It all means so much, and I could not have gotten this far without any of you. The additions to the TV Tropes page for this helps too, as well as your appreciation for the art on DeviantArt as well. Now, we return to a canon episode, one that I am really sure you must have been looking forward to seeing unfold. So sit back, and review, rate, and as always, please be sure to enjoy!
Chapter 17: Remembrance and the Renegade
"There are times I worry about how we are handling things, Master ShadeMan."
At the Darkloid Palace, Pandora stood before ShadeMan, who was looking over the status of Leona's now-abandoned mansion. Now, Maverick Hunters and Coven Scouts were both searching every place inside and out as Lilith was heading the entire operation. Swiping the screen away, he turned to Pandora.
"Thesis, please?" ShadeMan asked.
"I don't question your methods, but Lurerre has been growing more volatile with every passing day," Pandora said, showing a screen of Lurerre in her most recent fight. "During that Basilisk attack, she managed to steal the Sigils from St. Epiderm and Glandus, Healing and Construction respectively, and now from Hieronymus Bump, she has gained Abomination Powers," she said before turning to the side, seeing two new Darkloids, one with a navy Bard Sigil for a Crest while the other had a silver Abominations Crest, both hidden in the shadows with only their glowing eyes being visible with their Crests. "While I know you've been busy yourself with gathering these two for your… special task… I find it unwise for us to leave Lurerre unchecked. With all the Sigils she collects to make Dark Chips for herself, she could rival your own power."
"While it is a troubling thought to be sure, she only will act as a decoy for my true plans," ShadeMan replied. "Nevertheless, I shall have other Darkloids survey her for anything she tries. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Pandora."
"I live to serve." Pandora said before digitizing away. As soon as she did, a hologram of Leona, now in her armored form and with Dark Glyphs appearing all around her.
"What news do you bring to me, Saktira?" ShadeMan asked.
"Lilith and her forces have raided my home. Fortunately, thanks to the spies we have within the Palace, Pranara and I were able to pull out and destroy all stashes that could lead to your whereabouts," Saktira reported. "Though I have to give my old colleague credit. She's not an imbecile like the rest of the Covens who fail to see the power you hold."
"Move yourselves to the Titan's collarbone, and await further orders," ShadeMan instructed. "The reward for your loyalty will be at that outpost once you arrive."
"Yes, Master ShadeMan." Saktira said before her hologram disappeared.
"Well now…" ShadeMan said to himself as he pulled up a screen of Lurerre looking over Luz at Hexside, walking to one of her classes with Cero guarding her. "Let's see what will happen next."
At Hexside, Boscha was looking to her Scroll PET. On it was the body of a new NetNavi with bronze armor, a crimson over-shield, a helmet that resembled that of a football player's, spikes protruding from the shoulders, a wrecking ball for the left hand, and a face that was covered by a battle mask over it, though the visible eyes were made out to be bluish-grey, with a third one right beneath the top of the visor.
"StrikeMan…" Boscha said to herself, a warm smile appearing on her face. "You look brilliant."
"When Lurerre attacks again, we'll be ready." StrikeMan said, to which Boscha nodded before her third eye closed. She tried to turn off the screen, but a hand stopped her.
"Wow, you got yourself a Navi! Finally!" Skara exclaimed happily, though not too loud. "I was wondering who had taken Lionel and Enforcer's place as the seventeenth in the NetBattle ranks!"
"Skara, please! Not too loud!" Boscha nervously whispered as she freed herself from Skara's grasp. "I only got him two days ago before your merge was announced. Please, I really want as little people to know about this as possible."
"Why?" Skara asked as Boscha turned herself around. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone got their own Navis at one point before you did."
"Well, I just… I don't want people to see me in a different light because of this," Boscha protested. "Besides, StrikeMan and I have only done a few NetBattles together. "For all anyone who's seen him knows, he's just a Solo NetNavi. When I want others to know that I'm his NetOp, I'll tell them on my own terms."
Skara calmed down from her teasing and looked to Boscha sincerely. "I know we're far from friends again right now," she said. "But I can still tell when you're troubled, and this is one of those moments," she pointed out, getting Boscha to calmly close her locker door. "Have you talked with anyone about what you saw in Lurerre?"
"How would something like that even go?" Boscha asked. "I doubt anyone has ever seen a clone of themselves, much less a clone with all of your sin in them. I know that I haven't been acting like my old self ever since I learned about Lurerre, but… who's to say I'll go back to that? Or even become something worse than what Lurerre already is?"
"I think only you know the answer to that," Skara said before holding out a butterfly-shaped birthday card. "But while I'm on the topic of us no longer being friends… maybe we can rebuild that… if you'll allow yourself the chance. My birthday is Sunday, and I was hoping you could come… even after all that's happened."
Boscha looked to the invitation before slowly taking it. "I… I'll think about it." She said.
"That's good enough for me." Skara said before walking away.
As soon as Skara was gone, Boscha looked to the invitation before looking at herself in the mirror. Briefly seeing the reflection of Lurerre there, she sighed and closed her door for the rest of the school day.
As this was happening, Luz was making her way towards Willow and Gus by the former's locker. As she was about to get closer, someone working on a scaffolding above accidentally knocked their tools down, right in Luz's path.
Cero looked up and turned around, extending her Basilisk tail. Quickly, she knocked the tools to the side, which Luz only took notice of once Amity walked over, both noticing what almost happened once the tools clattered to the ground.
"Luz, you okay?" Willow asked as she and Gus ran over, with Amity reaching her first.
"Yeah, that was a close one," Luz said before turning to Cero, shifting her body so that her tail was hidden once again. "Thanks for the save, Cero."
"As your bodyguard, I have to make sure nothing or no one can hurt you," Cero swore. "You saved my life. It's only right that I return the favor."
"She's really committed to that, huh?" Amity asked.
"Being the new head of security doubled as her being my bodyguard, a position she takes incredibly seriously," Luz replied. "I have no regrets in having her in my company."
"Does she, though?" Hecate asked Azura as the Navis of Luz and her friends watched everything happen from the MagiNet. "She took the magic of every witch and demon from the schools, including Amity. I don't see her changing any time soon."
"Ahem…" GardenMan spoke up. "Remember who I used to be?"
"You didn't see your NetOp almost get the life drained out of her," Hecate remarked. "Cero might be good now, but who knows how long that's going to last."
"Hecate, calm down," Azura said, stepping up and placing her hand on Hecate's shoulder, getting her to look over to her. "Look, I get where you're coming from, I really do. But Cero is someone who cares about her kind, and seeing that Vee was alive gave her some realization," she explained. "She apologized about seventeen times on our way back to the Owl House before we had to calm her down. And she's sworn to protect Luz as her bodyguard no matter what. That's just the kind of devotion that shows how sorry she is, and how much she wants to become better," she said. "And if you can't see the good in someone like her, just as I did at one point, then you're not going to like the way things turn out… for both of you."
Hecate raised an eyebrow at what Azura said. "What did you mean by 'as you once did'?" she asked.
"It's… a painful reminder of who Luz and I once were," Azura said as MirageMan and GardenMan looked to her with concern. "Just… make sure you see the good in Cero. You fail to see it, and you won't be able to live with yourself." She advised before digitizing out.
Soon, Luz and her friends were on their way to their class. As they were, Skara ran over.
"I heard you nearly got hurt," Skara said to Luz. "Principal Bump is going on a tirade at the worker for what happened. You okay?"
"I am, thanks to Cero," Luz said as Cero shyly waved. "She's been protecting me from anything that can harm me."
"She's devoted to being your bodyguard, I see," Skara noted before handing everyone the same flier that she gave to Boscha. "Anyway, thanks to the increase in my family's company, thank you again, Luz," she said to which Luz smiled and nodded before going on. "My dad was able to cater my birthday party for this Sunday, and I couldn't think of not inviting you as my VIPs!"
"Thanks, Skara," Willow said as she looked to her invitation. "I've never been to a party by the rich before. I thought about asking, but ever since… you know… it just didn't sit well with me."
"Yeah, sorry about all that," Amity said. "You should know that I won't let my parents tell me what I can and can't do anymore, and that you will be treated with the upmost respect from my all the time."
"That immunity you gained from saving the Garden Club helps with making you and your family respected too, Willow." Gus pointed out.
"I'm not sure why Lilith personally, but I know Terra wouldn't," Willow said. "Still, it's a good thing to have, but I'm not letting it go to my head."
"Good for you," Luz said before noticing something about her invitation. "Um, Skara? Is it supposed to be… dripping like this?"
"Whoops. Sorry, I did these by hand. Some of them can molt," Skara said, grabbing the invitation before tossing it aside and pulling out a new one. "Here, have this."
However, the molting invitation landed near two students and two toddlers, the latter looking in excitement while the other two stared with awe.
"Look! An invitation to Skara's party!" one of the toddlers exclaimed. She was about to grab it until a piano suddenly fell on top of it, crushing it. Everyone looked up to see another worker.
"Sorry," the worker apologized. "Been trying to get this out of the Bard Room for weeks. At least we finally got it!"
"For the last time, Ralph, we were not trying to get the piano out of there!"
"You know, babe, you could have told me that before I lifted it up!" Ralph argued before everyone went back to what they were doing.
Watching everything happen from the MagiNet was Lurerre. She twitched her fingers on her Plant Claw as she narrowed her eyes on Luz and the class that she and her friends were making their way towards.
"For all you've done to me… I'll make sure you pay tenfold." Lurerre swore before digitizing out through her magic circle.
"Out of everything I've experienced, this is by far the strangest I've ever learned."
"Really? This is strange for you?" Willow asked with some tweezers in her hand.
Said class was held in a photography classroom. Different students were paired up and pulling photos out of everyone's heads, specifically through their ears, where they were hung up on a clothesline. Each of them showed them at different stages in their lives, their memories.
"Now, remember, Class," the teacher said as he walked around. "Each photo that you pull out is drawn from a specific memory. The stronger the memory, the clearer the photo becomes."
"You've got quite a lot here," Amity said as she looked to Luz's photos pulled from her head. She saw one with Luz sparring with Kim and narrowed her eyes. "Some of them I have questions on, and the others…" she started out, drawing her attention away from that one to see a perspective shot of Luz seeing Azura take out ProtoMan in an arcade NetBattle. "I can't wait to hear more about."
"Trust me, there's a lot that you probably don't know about me." Luz said as the teacher inspected the memories as well.
"Keep in mind that if the photo becomes damaged, then so will your memory. Memories of all kinds are fragile. Treat them with care," the teacher went on as Boscha looked to the photos that Cat took out of her. "Leave these here for now. I would not want to keep you all from your meals."
"How I wish I could erase all that I did," Boscha said to herself, seeing memories of her bullying Willow, as well as a photo that had Penelope using her Oracle powers to harass another student, a beam coming from her mind. "Maybe then…"
"Maybe what?" Cat asked as Amelia peered over.
At that moment, the bell screamed, only to stop and cough. Everyone looked up as a worker went up to give it a few cough drops, allowing for a normal bell to ring.
"It can wait," Boscha said as everyone made their way out. However, before she could make her way around the corner, she felt something and turned around. Looking back to the classroom, she saw Luz's memories on display. "StrikeMan, keep an eye out," she said, aiming her Scroll PET at one of the newly-installed cameras at the corner of the ceiling. "Alert me if something happens here immediately." She ordered before walking off.
In the lunchroom, Gus was looking over a board with pictures of several people on them, some already having been turned into Darkloids like Adegast and Wild Jango. Their profiles were crossed out in red, with the rest still clear.
"What's all this then?" Luz asked as she and Cero came over and sat down next to Amity, with Skara and Willow across from them. "Trying to solve a crime?"
"Unfortunately, this is one problem that crime can't solve," Gus said. "My interview for journalism class is due tomorrow! I'm supposed to choose someone interesting, accomplished, and noteworthy," he emphasized. "People aren't meant to be all those things! Curse your need for perfection, Gus!"
"Or the Darkloids for taking up a lot of our time," MirageMan pointed out. "And us for not having the time to do everything everywhere all at once."
"Wait, George Hansburg?" Luz asked, looking to the only human on the board. "The inventor of the pogo stick? Really?"
"Yeah," Gus replied. "Do you know where I can find him?"
"Yes. Six feet under," Luz replied. "He's been dead for a century!"
"Seriously, how did this whole obsession with pogo sticks start?" Cero asked.
"Well, it's really simple, and I'll explain it so there's no confusion whatsoever," Gus started to explain. "So what happened was…"
Meanwhile, Lurerre peeked around the corner of the hall leading to the photo memory classroom. Once the coast was clear, she AreaStole closer to it until she was at the entrance. She looked to one of the desks and saw Luz's memories hung up. She was about to make her way towards it until she felt something wrapped around her arm. Turning around, she saw Boscha with her Grudgby Wrecker in hand, aimed out with the chain restraining her from moving.
"I knew you'd come here, of all places," Boscha said, narrowing her eyes at Lurerre. "Trying to get back at Luz for foiling you… it's something I would have done."
"We're one in the same, Yong-Jon," Lurerre said, spinning her head around, slightly scaring Boscha as her grip nearly slipped. "But you still don't have what it takes to stop me. With that being said… I'll give you a chance to release me, and I just might let you live."
"Yeah?" Boscha asked, slowly loosening her hold over her Darkloid clone. "Come and prove it."
With that, Boscha pulled Lurerre spinning at her, going for a punch to the head. Lurerre ducked after she stopped spinning and went for an uppercut, only for Boscha to twirl over her and land on the other side, now at the entrance of the classroom door. She quickly reached for the knob and slammed it closed, letting a spell circle take effect afterwards, the door now glowing yellow.
Lurerre snarled and lunged at Boscha, only for her to lunge first and kick her down the hall, where other students noticed her once she fell. As she got back up, she charged at Boscha and performed an axe-kick at her, but she ducked and weaved out of the way before slamming the back of her fist at her head. Lurerre blocked it and twirled her to the wall, where she kicked herself off and countered with a kick of her own. Lurerre backed away and slammed her fist at Boscha, who quickly opened a locker to block the punch. As soon as she closed it, she shook her wrist before getting tackled by Boscha further down the hall, with the students and teachers starting to take cover or watch and even record all of the action now unfold.
"And that's how I came to love pogo sticks," Gus said as Luz, Amity, Cero, Willow and Skara looked to him with confusion. "Any questions?"
"Yeah," Luz said. "What exactly did you mean when you said…?"
Before Luz could go on, they saw Boscha crash into the lunchroom. Everyone gasped at the sight before she kicked herself back up, now taking out a vial. Creating a spell circle, she sent its contents forward, which splattered onto Lurerre as she prepared to shoot with one of her Flask Cannons. As she struggled to get dry, Boscha lit up the stream with fire, creating a small explosion that knocked her back. As she got up, Boscha ran and grabbed her by her helmet before throwing her into the wall, where she finally crashed.
"What's going on?!" Luz exclaimed.
"Your end!" Lurerre snapped, slamming her hand into the ground.
Small quakes started to form, all leading back to the photo memory classroom. Boscha, realizing what was happening, gasped and ran towards the source, with Luz and her friends following after.
"Boscha, wait!" Amity called as she ran on ahead. "What's going on?!"
"She was trying to go after Luz!" Boscha called, surprising Luz herself upon hearing her say her actual name for once. "We have to stop her before it's too late!"
"Hurry!" Willow called out as she surfed on a plant towards the classroom, with Skara riding on some music notes alongside her.
"Try all you want…" Lurerre said as she slowly walked after the group, a sadistic smirk on her face. "Because no matter what you do…"
Soon, the ripple reached the classroom, erupting with an explosion near Luz's memories. Everyone covered their eyes while Luz screamed and staggered into the wall, feeling her head.
"I will have already won."
"Luz!" Amity called out, running over with Cero and Willow to check up on her.
Everyone else stopped and ran immediately to Luz as well. All crowding around her, she slowly opened her eyes, but now they were fully dilated.
"Hi," Luz said with a chuckle, holding her hand out. "I'm Luz. Who are all of you?"
"Don't you know who we are?" Amity asked.
"I… I don't…" Luz replied with concern. "Who are all of you? This isn't Gravesfield," she said before looking to her Progress PET. "Who…?"
"This isn't good," Azura said as Luz looked to her strangely while she looked to an analytical chart. "She doesn't remember anything. Our Synchro Rating is dropping!"
"No…" Boscha said softly.
"What have you done?!" Cero exclaimed as she ran over to Lurerre and pinned her to the wall.
"Nothing you can fix now…" Lurerre spat before digitizing away to free herself.
"I'm calling Eda!" Willow called, dialing onto her Scroll PET.
"Whoa… have I always had these?" Luz asked, looking to her arms before looking to Amity, playing with her ears, causing her to blush red. "So pointy…"
"Luz, please!" Amity said quickly, freeing herself just as fast. "Okay, I imagined her doing that with me, but now's not the time," she said to herself before turning to Boscha. "You… tried to save Luz from Lurerre?"
"I did all I could to try and stop her," Boscha said guiltily. "I owe her this. And I should have done better, I know I—"
"Thank you."
Boscha looked to Amity with surprise, even though the young Blight was close to tears.
"You tried to save her," Amity said. "Even if it didn't work, you still did this. Thank you."
"Will she be okay?" Cero asked, walking back over.
"I've seen this happen before, and all I can say is that she needs immediate attention," Boscha said, turning back to Luz as Willow tried to hold her back from playing with Amity more. "Because if she's not tended to quickly, she might never be the same ever again."
Later on, all of Luz's friends plus Boscha were outside of the school. Viney knelt down to Luz, now unconscious, and placed her hands to the sides of her head.
"Well?" Mattholomule asked before Viney pulled back with a yelp.
"You'd need an Oracle or someone more powerful than me to help heal her," Viney said. "Lurerre's attack really scrambled a lot in there. It's like an inferno that won't stop spreading."
"Any chance we could get the Healing Coven to help?" Cero asked.
"With how divisive the Coven Heads are with what Luz brought to the Demon Realm, I don't think that there's a chance any of them will be willing to help," Willow replied. "Eda hung up the moment I told her what was going on. She should be here any minute."
"Where is she?!"
Everyone turned to see Eda dash in. She ran over to Luz and checked on her, only to get a rather droopy look from her before falling back to sleep.
"Where's that Darkloid?" Eda asked dangerously.
"Turned tail and ran," Skara said. "Please tell me you know a way to help her."
Eda nodded. "Come with me," she said. "No delays!"
From the MagiNet, Lurerre was walking to the front of the Darkloid Palace before she noticed several pixels digitizing around her.
"What? I can't be out on my own?" Lurerre asked before taking out her new sword.
Several HeelNavis appeared and attacked Lurerre, but she spun around and slashed at the two from behind her before blasting three in front of her. More started to swarm in, but she loaded her Flask Cannons and slammed them into the ground, Deleting them all.
"Lurerre, you cur!"
Lurerre snarled and turned around, just barely dodging a blast from Pandora as she flew at her. Spinning back, she slashed down at her, only for her to hold her own blades up.
"You've gone too far this time, my creation!" Pandora spat.
"You'd do the same after all Luz did to you!" Lurerre spat as she and Pandora now started to circle each other while keeping their blades locked. "But to me? Taking my eye, my arm and my chances to rise to the top? That's worth destroying her mind for!"
"What you want doesn't matter to me anymore!" Pandora snapped, slashing Lurerre back before sending out her crystal balls, each of them restraining her before CommandoMan flew over, locking all blasters onto her. "For too long, I've let you flaunt around unchecked. This is the final straw! Attacking Luz Noceda out of spite?! I might have a reason to want to see her die, but what you did was just cruel!"
"Aren't we ALL?!" Lurerre shrieked, spreading her arms out. The result was a giant flaming ripple wave that knocked everyone back, with CommandoMan being knocked out of the sky.
"Enough of this," Pandora said, activating a Dark Chip. As soon as she did, several eyes opened up from the crystal balls, each one locking onto Lurerre once again. "Master ShadeMan has allowed me permission to do this. You are no longer welcome back here, Lurerre! Not after today!"
"You can't do this to me!" Lurerre yelled.
"As we speak, the Owl Lady is working on a way to reverse what you did to Luz," Pandora said. "And since this spells failure for you, your punishment is Deletion!"
"You'd have to stop me from ending Luz first!" Lurerre exclaimed, now glowing yellow before letting out a large fiery explosion.
Everyone covered their eyes before turning back, just as ShadeMan and BubbleMan arrived. Lurerre was now gone from their sights.
"What are your orders for this traitor, blub-blub?" BubbleMan asked.
"Make sure she does not return here alive." ShadeMan ordered.
"Then we'll let that Hexsquad deal with her," Pandora said. "She Deletes them, then you can take the credit in front of the whole Isles. They Delete her, and we can swoop in and take them out. Either way, Lurerre is never welcome back in our ranks."
"Alert every other Darkloid and the Nightmare Battalion," ShadeMan said. "Lurerre is to be killed on sight."
"Surely, now would be the time for you to make your move." CommandoMan suggested.
"Indeed," ShadeMan agreed. "Send out the recording to all of the Isles. We make our next move now."
At the Owl House, Eda was using her magic to scan Luz over. The Latina was rested on the couch, still unconscious, while Azura stood next to the Owl Lady with Luz's friends watching with worriment in their eyes.
"Yeah, her mind is all fried," Eda said, turning back to everyone. "Lurerre knew what she was doing when she attacked Luz's memories. Attacking her at her most vulnerable was the perfect chance for them to try and take her out. It's a coward's tactic that she used."
"You said you knew a way to fix this," Amity said as behind her, Skara felt her Scroll PET vibrate, getting her to take it out. "Please, tell us."
"Uh, guys?" Skara said, getting everyone to look to her as she held her Scroll PET out. "You'd better see this."
Everyone looked to the screen, showing Belos's encounter with ShadeMan during the attack on Terrace Stadium.
"This footage of Emperor Belos attempting to fight ShadeMan three weeks ago was just leaked to all of the Demon Realm," Perry Porter said as it showed ShadeMan blasting Belos back after being hit by sunlight. "No one knows where it came from, but from the audio there, it would seem the Emperor tried to use the known weakness of sunlight against the Darkloid Leader, with little success. He has since denied any interview of his actions during that time, but public opinion on him is dropping because of his lack of knowledge on how to handle the Darkloid threat."
"This must have been where ShadeMan was at the time," Boscha said. "And since Belos didn't say a thing about this to the Isles, ShadeMan must have wanted to let us all know just what happened."
"His play for control," Gus said. "But we can't deal with that right now. We have to save Luz."
"For once, the Darkloids can wait," Eda said. "I can send two people into Luz's mind, where they can repair the damage done to her memories, but only two," she said. "With how my powers are, sending in more could cause more damage."
"Send me," Amity said. "Ever since the Covention, Luz has shown me how to become a better person. I owe her this."
"And me too," Willow offered, stepping up alongside her childhood friend. "I know more about memories than anyone else here. Plus, Luz was the first person to become friends with me, Skara and Gus, and helped set me on a better path. I owe her this too."
"I hope you can bring me in there." Azura said.
"Me too," Hecate said, stepping up. "Luz needs to remember Azura, and with me to provide extra Navi assistance, we'll need a guide through her mind."
"Well, the spell never said anything about Navis, so I can work with this," Eda said before handing Amity a bell. "Ring this once things get dangerous, and I'll pull you out."
"What about the rest of us?" Viney asked.
"If Lurerre retreated, then the other Darkloids might know about what she did, and either they or she will try to make a move," Azura said. "I'm gonna need all of you to be on standby in case either of them comes to attack Luz," she ordered before tossing something to Mattholomule. "You got your rating read after Luz and Skara's companies merged. You know what to do if Skara, Viney and Gus get overwhelmed."
Mattholomule looked to what he was handed, revealed to be a Synchro Chip, and turned back to Azura, nodding. "You got it." He said.
"Let me stay too," Boscha said. "Just… just to help in case they get through."
Azura nodded. "Thank you," she said before she and Hecate digitized into Amity's Scroll PET. "You ready?" she asked Hecate.
"Whenever you are." Hecate replied.
"Hold on," Eda said, creating a spell circle around Amity and Willow, creating a flow of wind across their bodies. "And good luck!" she called afterwards before raising the spell circle, covering the two in a yellow light that eventually took them away.
"Okay, everyone get ready for visitors," Gus instructed as he, Viney, Skara and Mattholomule made their way out. "Cero, keep us posted on what happens."
Cero and Boscha both nodded before the four made their way out. However, none of them knew that there were two sets of eyes that were already watching from the darkness of the shadows near the forest.
Within Luz's mind, Amity and Willow found themselves inside of a black void. They looked around before seeing a light in the distance approaching them. Quickly shielding their eyes, it engulfed them before the darkness around started to fade away.
The girls slowly started to open their eyes again, squinting carefully to avoid any blindness. Once Amity and Willow fully opened them, they were now in a large room with a slightly larger screen, but not as large as the room itself, near the top of the ceiling. All around them were seats and smaller monitors, as well as the crest of MegaMan showing on all of them.
"What… where are we?" Willow asked.
"This must be that SciLab place that Luz told us about," Amity said. "She said that her parents worked here in addition to their other jobs. She must have spent so much time here that it became a favorite place for her to be."
"Well, I can understand that," Willow said before Hecate and Azura came out. "Now, where should we start?"
"Let's look around. Maybe there's something here that doesn't belong." Hecate suggested.
"We fix that, and maybe we can get a start on fixing these memories," Azura said before walking out the door, which opened automatically. "Luz and I used to go around this place, so I know where to go. Come on."
Everyone nodded and followed after Azura. As they did, they looked to the different rooms of SciLab, seeing small Dimensional Areas and other research being conducted, but no one there to oversee them.
"You know, I read from books about memories that each witch's mind is like a forest of trees," Willow spoke up. "I think that since the Human Realm is technologically advanced, Luz's mindscape follows different rules."
"That could be the case. She is human, after all," Azura said before coming across a testing room. Leading the others inside, everything around them now shifted to become the Cyberworld, but with pixilated screens all around them. "These must be the memories," she deduced. "Let's get to work."
Amity, Willow and Hecate all nodded before heading to different screens. They each squinted through to see what they held, until Amity came across a particular memory.
"Hey, look here!" Amity called, getting everyone to run to her. "I can see you here, Azura!"
Azura looked to the memory and hovered her MagiBuster over it, now showing Luz, still at the age of thirteen, in her room, looking to the predecessor to the Progress PET, the Advanced PET.
Luz took a deep breath before opening her eyes. "Hello," she said. "My name is Luz Noceda."
"Buenos días, Luz," Azura from the past said. "You can call me your new NetNavi, Azura. Designed by you, the one and only."
"It worked," Luz said with a smile. "Papa, I hope you're watching. We created my first Navi!"
"I'm sorry for your loss, Luz," past Azura said. "While I never knew him, I know that he would be proud of you for what you are doing. I know I am."
"You really mean it?" Luz asked as Amity, Willow, Hecate and Azura looked on with warm smiles.
"Whatever you need, whether it be someone to talk to or anything else, I'll be there," Past Azura replied. "I'll be your BFF, maybe even better."
"Maybe… a sister?" Luz asked.
"Yeah, big sis Azura," past Azura said, getting the real Azura to smile. "We're practically sisters now."
"Sisters…" Azura said before the sides of her helmet lit up. "I… I think that did it… Luz remembers me now, and our Synchro Rating is rising again!"
"Then let's try to find the memories that are damaged and get Luz back to a hundred percent again." Amity said, leading everyone further down the digital path.
Back outside, Gus, Skara, Viney and Mattholomule all stood at the front of the Owl House, keeping a lookout for any Darkloids. As they were, Viney was looking to her Scroll PET for more on ShadeMan attacking Emperor Belos.
"According to what's happened, following the attack, Emperor Belos has continued to grow uneasy with the Darkloids," Viney said. "He refused to elaborate when interviewed by your mom, Gus, but all Lilith could say was that it had to do with a condition that he has, but nothing else beyond that."
"Any word from Lilith herself?" Mattholomule asked.
"Just that she found some people who were allied with the Darkloids when she was at the Titan's Backbone," Gus replied. "She and the Maverick Hunters are looking into them. But from what one of them told me, they were all members of the Nightmare Battalion."
"Oh, that's never good," Skara said. "I hear they wiped out seventy scouts who tried to bring them in. And it was only two of them who did the deed."
"We're gonna have to be careful if they ever cross paths with us," Viney said before hearing movement, getting her to turn her head to the side. "Speak of the devil…"
At that moment, Lurerre came out from thin air, digitizing through her magic circle. However, what got the attention of the four was that it was unstable and was crackling with the colors of each Coven she gained power from recently.
"Don't let your guards down." Gus advised as Skara, Mattholomule and Viney all stood ready.
"Well, it's certainly no surprise that there's already a security detail here," Lurerre remarked as the four stared her down. "Fortunately… I have my own way of evening the odds," she claimed before raising her rock fist, which became covered in Abomination slime. "Arise, my new warriors!" she called out, slamming the fist down as brown and pink magic empowered the strike.
Everyone watched as grey and purple HeelNavis arose, each with cracked Navi Crests on their chests and two different eyes, one brown and the other magenta. Each of them armed themselves with blades or blasters and slowly advanced forward.
"Ready?!" Gus called out, taking out his Synchro Chip.
"READY!" Skara, Viney and Mattholomule all called out, pulling out their own Synchro Chips before whipping their Scroll PETs out as well.
"SYNCHRO CHIP IN! DOWNLOAD!" Gus, Skara, Viney and Mattholomule all called out, placing their Synchro Chips in before thrusting their Scroll PETs outwards. "COMMENCE CROSSFUSION NOW!"
"Revolve On!" Viney called out afterwards, spinning the Navi Mark on her Scroll PET right before blasts were sent at the four.
Gus spread out his arms as several illusions of MirageMan appeared around him. He opened his eyes, getting them each to slam onto his body. His gauntlets slammed over his hands before stepping forward, letting MirageMan's boots appear over his own. Kneeling down, the scabbard of his sword appeared on his back before getting back up, letting two orbs position themselves onto his shoulders, which formed into side plates. He looked up and grinned as MirageMan's Navi Crest flew onto his chest, giving him his mesh bodysuit, before his helmet appeared over his head. Letting the mouth guard appear over his mouth, he took out his sword and aimed it forwards, the blade glowing as his CrossFusion was finished.
Skara flung out her Navi Crest before letting it pass through her. As soon as it did, she let Melody's gauntlets appear over her arms before performing a high double kick, letting her boots appear over her own. Spinning around, her clothes compressed to allow for her black bodysuit to manifest onto her before her Navi Crest flew onto her chest. Eyes closed, she bowed her head down and let Melody's helmet appear over her, followed by her visor appearing over her eyes as she opened them. Spinning once again, she summoned her lute before backflipping, playing a single note from it as her CrossFusion finished.
Viney opened her eyes as two versions of her Navi Crest, one blue and the other brown, flew in front of her. Tearing both apart, she slammed them together so that both halves made a whole with the two colors combined. It flew to her chest, giving her a black bodysuit before gaining an elegant blue coat and brown clawed leg armor. Her Beast-Pulse Blade fell into her hands before she held her head up. Soon, her visor fell over her eyes before letting out a roar, spreading her arms out and slashing her sword out ahead, now fully CrossFused.
Mattholomule looked ahead and slammed his fist into the ground, getting it to shake and rocks to erupt out around him. Spreading out his arms, he gained a black bodysuit before the rocks made their way onto him, giving him blocky spiked fists and heavy leg plating. He closed his eyes as a helmet slowly manifested over his head, covering his hair until forming the plates around the sides of his head. Lifting his head back up, a plate appeared over his mouth before he spun around, punching forward with an uppercut, ending his transformation.
"Whoa!" Mattholomule exclaimed as soon as everyone ended their CrossFusions, now looking at himself. "BlockMan, we did it!"
"We're in this together, Matt!" BlockMan called out before Mattholomule got back into his fighting stance.
"Get them!" Lurerre ordered her new forces as they now ran at the four.
"Let's go!" Gus called out, spinning his Illusion Blade around.
"Don't let any of them into the Owl House!" Skara ordered before she led Viney and Mattholomule into the fight as well.
Back inside of Luz's mind, Amity and Willow started to fix more memories thanks to Azura pointing them out. The former was looking through some of them still intact until she came across one showing Luz in the hallway of her school.
"What's this one?" Amity asked, walking into the monitor screen and entering the memory, something that did not go unnoticed by Hecate.
"Amity?" Hecate called out, making her way after her NetOp.
Amity looked around the memory of the school hallway and came across a locker, causing her to jump in surprise. She waited for something to happen, the teeth of it to open and a mouth to growl at her, but no such thing occurred.
"So, lockers in the Human Realm aren't living. Good to know," Amity said before seeing Luz enter a restroom. "Luz!" she called out, running after her.
Inside of the restroom, Amity saw Luz anxiously tapping her foot as she looked to herself in the mirror.
"No, no, no! What's going on?!" Luz asked herself before rushing to one of the stalls. She came out with some toilet paper and started to undo her belt, causing Amity to slowly turn red, now trying to get herself to turn away.
"Amity!" Hecate exclaimed, grabbing her NetOp and fully turning her away. "You had to come into a memory like this?!"
"It's not what you think!" Amity protested as Luz's shorts fell a bit, getting her to now reach for her undergarments, causing Hecate to pull her out of the lavatory.
"Enough of that!" Hecate said quickly as Azura watched on, shivering from what had happened from that day.
"Ohh, not her period…" Azura said with embarrassment.
"Um, Azura?" Hecate asked, getting the attention of Luz's NetNavi. "Not that I'm intruding on that moment, but… was Luz alright?"
"That's what I was saying!" Amity exclaimed. "Before Miss Eda and Miss Lilith went to the Backbone, Luz was anxious like what I saw, but not too much. She didn't feel better until after Eda came back from the Human Realm with something for her. What's going on?"
Immediately, Azura's face started to go red, just as Willow came and curiously opened the door, only to instantly slam it and come out with a flushed face of embarrassment.
"I really hope you have time for a talk on human female puberty…" Azura said, causing all three girls to go red in the face.
Back outside, Skara was punching away several of Lurerre's HeelNavis before running up to one about to leap down and stab her. Pulling her leg back, she delivered a powerful knee jab to his chest before landing and slamming her fist down, sending the other HeelNavis scattering.
Viney cartwheeled forward out of the way of several HeelNavis with swords, kicking their blades away. As soon as she was upright again, she slid along the ground, knocking more off of their feet, before eventually launching herself up at two more, sending them into Deletion with a powerful uppercut.
Gus slashed away several more HeelNavis near the Owl House, shattering each of their blades before one of them attempted to shoot him from behind. Immediately, Hooty launched himself towards his chest, impaling him, before tossing the body at several more.
"Thanks, Hooty!" Gus called out before charging forward, slashing through all nine downed HeelNavis at once.
Mattholomule, on the other hand, was pounding away at a dozen more HeelNavis on his end, each one crumbling into pebbles as he slammed away at them. Raising up his foot as several more surrounded him, he yelled and stomped down, creating a seismic wave that Deleted them all within an instant.
"Beast-Pulse Blade!" Viney called out as she clawed forward towards more HeelNavis, sending out a sonic energy slash. "Release the scars!" she called, slashing forward with her sword this time and impaling them, each one draining them of their strength until they pixilated away into Deletion.
"Let's see what we can do here, BlockMan!" Mattholomule called out, kicking a rock into the air. He punched it forward before slamming his fists together. "GreatStone!" he called out, enlarging the rock to create a large boulder before extending his hand, creating a chain of rocks that grabbed it, which he used to spin around the new GreatStone, taking out more HeelNavis all around him.
"We don't sing this franchise," Skara said, holding out her Lyra String as more HeelNavis prepared to attack her. "But don't worry. I'll make this next hit your requiem!" she quipped before shredding several notes on her harp, sending out sound waves that sent all of the HeelNavis flying.
"My turn!" Gus called, jumping into the air. As he pulled out his sword again, several clones of him appeared out of smoke around the HeelNavis. "Omni Illusion Slash!" he called out, dashing through each of them as his strikes became more powerful than the last. After fifteen more sword strikes, he reappeared above the HeelNavis and slashed down until he landed on the ground, where all his clones landed as well before the HeelNavis all exploded.
"Nice one, Gus!" Skara complimented as she, Viney and Mattholomule all gathered together with Gus.
"Thanks," Gus said before turning to the side, where Lurerre levitated down, having been watching the whole battle from a safe distance. "Now for you!"
"We can take her!" Viney proclaimed, swinging her sword down.
Lurerre chuckled as she reached behind her. "You can all try, but things have changed ever since I took on more power," she remarked, now pulling out her sword, which now had dark energy surrounding it until it had turned into a sword with a more sinister appearance. "I call on my sword of the darkness. This is your end!"
"Okay, now what?" Mattholomule asked as he, Viney, Skara and Gus all got back into fighting stances.
"Now… you fall!" Lurerre yelled, charging forward just as the four readied their own weapons for another round.
Inside of the Owl House, Boscha watched outside as Gus locked his sword with Lurerre before Viney tried to attack her from behind, only for a plant limb to sprout itself out and block the attack. As Skara tried to jump in for an overhead slash, Boscha winced the moment that Lurerre sent a blast of acidic potions at her before sighing with relief once Mattholomule launched both of his fists to catch her.
"Thank goodness," Boscha said to herself before turning back to Cero, Eda and King watching over Luz. "Any progress?"
"She's still out," Cero said before turning to Eda. "You're sure they can find a way to fix her?" she asked.
"Luz always told me to have faith even when there's no hope," Eda said. "So that's what I'm doing. Having faith in Willow and Boots, and hoping for the best."
All of a sudden, Boscha noticed Luz's PET pinging next to her. Picking it up, she saw a keypad show up, each of the numbers blinking.
"What's that?" Cero asked, looking to the PET screen before hearing a tapping. She, Eda and Boscha all turned to see Luz, still unconscious, tapping her finger on King's head, trying to look around for the source until he felt what was happening on his head.
"What?" King asked, feeling Luz's hand, unintentionally moving it and causing her to tap his neck. "What is happening?"
Boscha said nothing and looked to the PET. Gently pulling King out of the way, she patted him comfortingly before putting the PET where her finger was tapping, moving to dial a number code in.
At that moment, a screen popped up holographically, surprising Boscha enough to cause her to fall back before a recording of Luz appeared on the screen.
"Code 1987 activated," the recording of Luz said. "To those watching this, then something has happened to me. Ever since I came to the Demon Realm, I was introduced to all of the dangers that could happen. In this specific event, something has happened to my memories, and I am comatose with someone trying to outright kill me," she said, causing Eda and Boscha's eyes to go wide while Cero just looked to them with confusion. "To my comatose self; Rock And Roll. Remember… Rock and Roll."
The words continued to repeat themselves until the recording grew softer. However, the real Luz soon started to mutter.
"1987… Rock and Roll… Rock and Roll…"
Inside of Luz's mind, Amity was using her Abomination goo to stitch together another memory, this one of a training room with Luz in the center, her opponent obscured by the fractures done by the damage.
"Almost got it…" Willow said as she used her Plant Magic to put the final pieces back into place just as Azura and Hecate came back from another memory. "And done!" she said before the memory repaired itself, now showing Luz's opponent to be Kim Possible. "Wait, Luz told me about this human… said to be the youngest and strongest fighter of the Human Realm."
"That's her," Azura said as Willow and Amity walked towards the NetNavis to watch the memory unfold. "Kim Possible."
"I have… questions about that name." Amity admitted as she narrowed her eyes.
"Well, that was the name she was born with, and she became an international teen hero with her friend, Ron Stoppable," Azura said. "Not buying that they're 'just friends', though. I think he makes a perfect boyfriend for her," she commented. "Anyways, Kim is known as Kim Possible because everyone says she can do anything. With Ron, those two have saved the world at least seventeen times already, and are publicly-known NetSaviors, keepers of the peace for the human and cyber worlds. Her arch-nemesis is Dr. Drakken and Shego, the former a protégé of Dr. Regal and the latter a CrossFused assassin, but they took time out from saving the world to help train Luz to prepare for CrossFusion," she explained. "This is just one of their many sparring sessions together before she eventually won… five times in a row much later on."
In the memory, Luz sent two jabs at Kim, but she dodged them and sent forth two high kicks at her, which she blocked. As she circled around her, the two trying to figure out what move one or the other would make next, she sent forth two swings before quickly following with a low sweep kick, only for Kim to sweep her leg under hers and knock her down.
"You're getting better, Luz," Kim said, holding out her hand to Luz, now helping her up. She let out a sigh as she looked to her PET, which was still an Advanced PET at this point. "I know you can do this eventually. Just keep doing what you do, and we can have our next rematch again."
"Thanks, Kim," Luz said as Amity narrowed her eyes again. "I know I can beat you next time."
"I know you will," Kim said. "Wanna come with me and Ron for some Bueno Nacho?" she offered. "I'm sure you must've worked up an appetite."
"A meal with you, Kim Possible, is something I can never turn down." Luz said with a smile before she and Kim walked out of the room.
"Wow, she's good," Willow said. "I can see why Luz is just as good now when I think about it."
"She was lucky this time…" Amity muttered, getting Hecate to glare at her.
"Why are you acting so bitter all of a sudden?" Willow teased. "Feeling jealous?"
"No!" Amity quickly refused. "She's just… way too friendly around Luz. If I were her next opponent, I bet I could beat her just as easily."
"Didn't you hear Azura?" Hecate scolded, getting Amity's eyes to widen at the tone she was using. "She's a friend to Kim. And she's got someone who could very well be her boyfriend."
"Then again, there's Josh Mankey, but I think he and Tara make a better couple," Azura said. "Still, Amity. If it weren't for Kim training her every now and then, she wouldn't have the body you see today."
"Um… her body…?" Amity asked, trying to prevent her face from turning red.
"Every workout, every sparring session. Heck, even bringing her along on missions, they all helped Luz to build up her body more and more," Azura said. "At first, she had what she called 'weak nerd arms', but those went away each time Kim helped her. That training course we went through was based on one that Kim goes through at the NetSavior headquarters too. Luz beat all of her records on each part of the course, even outdoing her speed on the salmon ladder."
"So, Kim Possible helped Luz get that shape?" Amity asked, looking to Luz and Kim playfully chatting as they went out of the base. Narrowing her eyes at her one more time, she turned away. "I still have my reservations, but if we ever meet, Kim Possible… I'll be sure to thank you." She said to herself softly.
All of a sudden, everything around the four started to shift around. Amity, Willow, Hecate and Azura all looked around before everything started to change from light to dark and back again.
"What's going on?" Hecate asked.
"I don't know," Azura replied. "I've only ever CrossFused with Luz. I've never been inside of her, let alone her mind!"
"A week has passed since the rampage of Dr. Regal…"
Willow turned and narrowed her eyes, trying to find the source of what was playing. Making her way to a distorted memory, she led everyone in, where they saw Luz, still at thirteen, watching a news report on Dr. Regal's Dark CrossFused Rampage of Earth.
"What's this one?" Willow asked.
"Luz… never told me about this memory…" Azura said before taking a look at Luz, seeing hatred in her eyes as she saw the clones of Dr. Regal CrossFused with LaserMan attacking different areas of the Planet. "What didn't you tell me, Luz?"
"While Lan and MegaMan dealt with the real Dr. Regal in DenTech City, others took on his clones across the world," Ribitta said in the newscast as two screens of New York showed themselves. One of them had a red dragon, blue dragon and pink dragon flying at a clone while the other showed several living gargoyles attacking another. "The famed Gargoyles from Manhattan defended their area of the Big Apple while we were treated to what appeared to be dragons taking down another."
"The Human Realm had other heroes?" Amity asked.
"Meanwhile, Heatherfield was defended by WITCH, who had recently come out to the public as the defenders of Heatherfield following their retaliation against Dr. Regal," Ribitta went on as another screen showed five winged girls in either pink or blue attire flying at another clone and firing elemental attacks at him. "Hawaii was also defended, as were Wizville, Bartlesville, Middleburg, Echo Creek, and even Gravity Falls, all from the threat of Dr. Regal. But to this day, his body was never recovered from his fall at SciLab."
"You gave your word, Regal," Luz said as Amity and Azura looked on in worriment. "Now you have mine… that if you ever return, I will end you."
"Luz?" Amity asked with concern as she saw the fire in her eyes. "What… what haven't you told us?"
"You weren't supposed to see this."
"Huh?" Azura asked, turning around. When she did, she gasped at what she saw, getting everyone else to turn as well.
Approaching the quartet was a figure with the face of the Soul of Darkness engulfing them. Black and blue glowing lines appeared across the body, eventually lighting up to reveal a version of Luz Noceda, only with paler skin, and with a familiar purple monocle over her right eye.
"Wait… you're…" Amity started out.
"Someone who watches over these deepest darkest memories of Luz," the alternate version of Luz replied. "Call me her inner self, or to make things easier… Dark Luz."
"You've been watching over us all this time, haven't you?" Hecate asked.
"That's what I do," Inner Luz replied. "Not just these memories, but all of them. I watch over all."
"Then why show up just now?" Willow asked.
Inner Luz sighed. "Rock and Roll," she said, confusing the quartet. "Luz knew that something like this would happen to her. As in, something happening to her memories. She always told this to herself because of a bond she saw with MegaMan and Roll. But it also goes back to remind her of some of her darkest memories… memories that she doesn't want to remember as much as any of her other ones."
"Please, we need to help Luz," Amity said. "If you know a way to help us restore her memories, tell us."
Inner Luz looked back up, holding out her hand. "Fine," she said. "But don't say I didn't warn you."
"Si, Camila. Luz and I are on our way back now."
Amity, Willow, Azura and Hecate turned back again, now finding themselves in an airport. However, none of it looked anywhere like Gravesfield where they had mostly been. Instead, it looked to be humid outside, a racetrack was nearby, and there were vehicles that resembled buses but with a touch of a jeep as well to them.
"Now where are we?" Willow asked.
"The Tagbilaran Airport," Amity said, getting everyone to look to her. "Luz told me some stuff about herself whenever we would hang out. She's part Filipina, some other place in the Human Realm, and was here when she was almost two," she explained. "All she said was that she and her dad were there for a short visit to her Lola, but had to leave to catch the… plain, I think it was called?"
"Then what?" Azura asked.
"She just stopped there," Amity replied before seeing two people making their way to a gate. "Wait, that's them!"
"I booked the first flight back to America. We'll be there tomorrow," Manolo Noceda said to the old Plug-In PET, while carrying Luz in his arms. He felt her head and gasped. "Oh, you've got a fever," he said. "Can't let you travel like this. I've got to find a doctor," he said to himself before looking to the man behind him as Amity, Azura, Willow and Hecate looked on in curiosity. "You can go ahead and take my spot. I need to go."
"Thank you." The man said before Manolo left. However, when he turned to wave to the baby Luz, Azura gasped to see it was a younger version of Dr. Regal.
"Who was that?" Hecate asked.
"Wily was the man who started the revolution against the Cyber World and Humanity," Azura explained. "While he's well-known, the man that Manny just gave his plane spot to… was Dr. Regal."
"Regal?" Amity asked. "The one who killed Luz's father?"
"I never knew this part of what happened," Azura confessed. "She… never told me more about this day."
"Something tells me the next memories we see won't be as pretty as what we've seen so far." Willow said before everything shifted around them again.
"Now when…?" Amity asked before seeing they were now in a foyer. Walking to the table, she looked to a newspaper and saw the date. "This was eleven years after what we saw… the year Luz's dad died."
"She talked about how Lan and MegaMan took Dr. Regal and LaserMan down on this year," Willow said. "But… you don't think…?"
"As fun as it is to imagine Luz looking so cute at a young age, we have to remember we're being shown these memories for a reason," Amity said before seeing Luz at thirteen years old again, now working on something for her Advanced PET. "Oh… she started to make her Slash and Shot Grips at this age?"
"Yeah, she was a smart kid," Azura said. "But as for this day, I can't remember what had—"
The doorbell rang, causing Luz to look up. "I've got it!" she called out, walking to the door. Opening it, she saw none other than Dr. Regal standing there. "Um… hi? Can I help you?"
Dr. Regal looked to Luz and smiled. "I see you're all better now, child." He said.
"Do I know you?" Luz asked.
"Luz."
Luz turned to see her father approaching before immediately getting in between her and Dr. Regal.
"James and Yuichiro said you came back," Manolo said, looking to Dr. Regal as he started to walk in. "What do you want, Regal?"
"All those years ever since I set foot on that plane," Dr. Regal said, looking around. "While you were basking with your wife on the ground, I was falling from the sky and drifting along the ocean."
"That plane crash surprised me as much as it did you," Manolo said, causing Azura's eyes to go wide. "I didn't know it would happen. I could have given my place to anyone in that line back then, but you were the one behind me. I had nothing to do with what happened. But yet… you survived."
"I lost my friends and my brother to ISIS by the time I came back," Dr. Regal seethed, seeing a photo of Luz's parents' marriage. "Two years I bathed in Bohol, and twelve years I spent near death from that plane crash. Fourteen years of my life, stolen away," he went on. "You might not have been the one who caused that crash, but you set my near demise into motion that day."
Manolo narrowed his eyes as he motioned for Luz to go to her room. "If you want to try something with me, you're wasting your time," he said sternly. "I don't regret showing generosity that day. While I am sorry for what had happened… I don't regret giving up my place for a stranger."
"Well then, Señor Noceda, for that, I give you my word…"
"Manny, what's going on?" a younger Camila Noceda asked, walking down. "Luz just went to her room saying that there was…" she started out before seeing Dr. Regal. "Who's this?"
"A man I met in Bohol when Luz came down with a fever," Manolo replied as Amity noticed the younger Luz secretly watching everything at the top of the stairs. "He was just being a good guest and making his way out."
Dr. Regal narrowed his eyes. "As I was saying, you will have my word…" he said, making his way to the door. "That when I put my plan into motion, and if you are in my way… whatever happens to you will not be an accident." He swore before walking out.
"This… this is what you meant earlier, wasn't it?" Hecate asked shakily to Azura, who looked just as shaken by what had transpired. "If I continued to neglect Cero like how I had been… would I have become like Regal?"
"I didn't know about any of this," Azura said as Inner Luz started to walk over, forming something in her hand. "Luz never told me. All she said was that part that I told you. Never the specifics."
"What was he talking about?" Amity asked. "What plane crash?"
Azura clenched her fist. "Fifteen years ago, a plane was hit by an unknown object, sending it and everyone crashing into the sea," she started. "For the longest time, there were said to be no survivors, until they revealed themselves as two individuals. One was named Ms. Yuri, and the other was…"
"Dr. Regal," Amity finished up. "That was the plane that Luz's dad missed. In another timeline, he would have been on that thing when it was hit."
"And Regal blamed my father for what happened to him ever since."
Everyone turned to see Inner Luz, now wielding a handheld version of a Dark NeoVariableSword in her hand. As she appeared, the setting around them changed again, this time showing her father driving them out of DenTech City as Dr. Regal now began his rampage.
"I see you, Noceda," Dr. Regal said, his voice speaking through LaserMan. "Remember my promise. Your end is now!"
Amity, Willow, Azura and Hecate all gasped as Dr. Regal used LaserMan's Cross Laser to shoot at the road. Amity was about to run to Luz as she was thrown by Manny to a bench, but the memory ended, now leaving them in a void space.
"Why didn't you ever tell anyone about all this?" Azura asked concernedly. "Why keep it to yourself, sis?"
"You didn't see what he almost gave me before Dad intervened," Inner Luz said, swinging her sword out. Everyone ducked out of the way of the Sonic Boom as it brought them back to when Luz met Dr. Regal again, showing he was taking out a Dark Chip. "He didn't say anything, but I could see the power he wielded in that thing. And part of me wanted to take it."
"Why would you?" Willow asked.
"I was weak back then, and looking back, I could have used that power to take Dr. Regal down before he rampaged across the Earth," Inner Luz said. "All because I was weak. We only got stronger after Dad died. I tell no one about this because it shows how weak I once was. How foolish I was to think that nothing could break me. How all that power—"
"Wouldn't have made a difference in the end, I'm sure you know," Amity said, walking up. "What do you plan to do with this?"
"I was gonna get rid of it for good…" Inner Luz started out before turning to Amity, her monocle slowly fading. "But go on with what you were saying."
Amity sighed. "Just like you never told anyone about this, there's something I never told you," she said, holding her hand out and causing the memory to change. No longer were they in the old Noceda household, but now in Amity's room, but with older décor. The door opened, showing Amity in a shadow and watching the silhouettes of her mother and father scolding her. "Willow, you didn't know this either… now it's time you did."
Willow stepped up nervously. "What is it?" she asked.
"On my birthday, that day when I broke things off with you… it was because my mother ordered me to do it," Amity explained. "She didn't see you as a strong witch, and didn't care that you were my friend."
"We Blights only associate ourselves with a select few. The strongest, Amity," the past version of Odalia said. "You have better friends here to choose from. Cut all ties with that Park girl, or else…"
"She threatened to use her influence to make your life miserable," Amity said. "Told me that she knew people in high places, like the Nightmare Battalion, who could turn every one of your days into hell. I didn't want that, so I forced you out to protect you. And it hurt me to do it."
"All this time… I thought it was because of your power," Willow said. "Now… it's because you hardly had any."
"There will always be weakness in all of us," Amity said before turning to Inner Luz. "Take it from someone who knows. If you get rid of these memories to make you stronger, will you still be the same person we've all come to love… I mean, appreciate?" she asked, a slight blush almost appearing on her face.
Inner Luz stood there, at a loss for words. She looked to her sword and then back to the memory, now fading to show her last day with her father when Dr. Regal made his move against the planet.
"No… I can't stoop to that level," Inner Luz said, tossing the sword into the abyss. As she did, her skin returned to its normal color while her monocle completely disappeared, now resembling her normal self, the Dark Aura around her now starting to fade away. As she was slowly returning to normal, a new Glyph suddenly appeared on all of the damaged memories, which were repairing themselves as well. "It's best that I remember… the good and the bad."
Azura looked to Inner Luz with a proud smile before taking note of the new Glyph. It seemed to be more simplistic than the Light, Fire and Ice Glyphs, showing a rounded horseshoe shape within the magic circle, with a triangle in between. Curiously, she pressed one of them, and it zipped right inside of her, storing itself with the rest of the saved Glyphs.
"Thank you." Inner Luz said, smiling to everyone, Amity longer than the others.
Amity smiled back before hugging Inner Luz, causing the other three to grin, before Inner Luz hugged back.
"You'll get another when you wake up." Amity promised before taking out the bell.
Inner Luz smiled once more before Amity shook the bell, engulfing her, Willow, Hecate and Azura in a bright light, just as everything else now became fully repaired.
Back in the Owl House, Boscha watched the fight against Lurerre continue, which was now one-sided. Lurerre was slashing back everyone who came at her, and using her plant arm to sprout roots that kept anyone else at bay. Soon, she spun around, unleashing a yellow energy wave that knocked Gus, Skara, Viney and Mattholomule to the ground.
"We gotta do something!" Boscha said to herself before noticing the light. "They did it!"
"Yeah, but it'll take time for Luz to fully recover," Cero said, kneeling down and feeling Luz's forehead. "With her out and Amity and Willow on their way out, Gus and the others will be on their own."
Boscha clenched her fist as she looked to the fight again, now seeing Lurerre disarm Gus of his Illusion Blade before knocking him down.
"I don't know about you, Boscha," StrikeMan said as Boscha clenched her fist tighter. "But I'm not about to just watch as they fall to that knockoff of you."
"Me neither!" Boscha exclaimed, just as another bright light started to shine behind her. Turning around, she let out a gasp before the light came closer to her.
"I won't be merciful this time!" Lurerre snarled as she advanced on the fallen quartet, aiming her sword out.
"Yeah? Well we're not giving up as easily as you think!" Mattholomule remarked, sending forth a punch, which Lurerre countered with her stone fist before knocking him down again.
"Well, that was pathetic," Lurerre said, raising her sword up. "Any last words?"
"Just one!"
"What?!" Lurerre exclaimed, looking up as Gus, Mattholomule, Skara and Viney did as well.
"HI-YAH!"
The MagiBuster was thrown right at Lurerre, forcing her to fly back before it could impale her. However, Boscha appeared riding on top of it before jumping down with a battle cry, kicking her backwards.
"Boscha?!" Skara asked, getting up to see the triclops land, with Azura appearing next to her.
"What about Luz?" Viney asked.
"Recovering, thanks to Willow and Amity," Azura said as she looked back inside, where Amity and Willow were by Luz's side, holding her hands as Eda helped her to slowly recover. "You failed, Lurerre," she proclaimed, turning to Lurerre with Boscha. "Luz lives, now and forever!"
"Insolent pests!" Lurerre snarled, running forward with her blade glowing as she prepared to attack.
"I'm not afraid of you," Boscha said, looking Lurerre in the eye before she brought her sword down onto her. "I won't be that same person!"
Everyone gasped as Lurerre's blade stopped. Lurerre herself gasped as she saw Boscha now holding it firmly, forcing it back again.
"I WILL NEVER BE THAT MONSTER AGAIN!" Boscha proclaimed, throwing Lurerre into the bushes behind her.
"Let's do it, Boscha!" StrikeMan called.
Boscha nodded and held out her Scroll PET, while in her other hand she held a new Synchro Chip.
"Go for it!" Azura said as everyone else watched with shock.
"Synchro Chip In! Download!" Boscha called out, placing the Synchro Chip in. As soon as she did, she and StrikeMan started to synchronize with each other.
"CROSSFUSE AND GO!" Boscha and StrikeMan called out together, letting the light spread around them.
"No…!" Lurerre said quietly in barely-contained fury.
Boscha held up her arms, causing her Navi Crest to fly up before passing through her from above. Thrusting her arms down, she gained a black bodysuit, before fire spread across her. Holding out her right arm, a wrecking ball flung out from a cannon hand before pumping her left fist, gaining a shield over her gauntlet, one that resembled a golden stag beetle with a blue hexagon shape in the center of its horns. Stomping forward, she then gained spiked boots and her Navi Crest on her chest. Over her head, StrikeMan's helmet manifested itself, creating a gladiatorial look for her before her hair came out from the back of her helmet. Holding her shield close, she spun around and aimed out her wrecking ball, her CrossFusion complete.
"My turn!" Azura called out, sending out the new Glyph. "Healing Saber Style! Activate!"
Azura closed her eyes as two teal rings spun around her. Her MagiBuster disappeared, now replaced with a blade that had the new Healing Glyph on the guard. A cape appeared over her left shoulder before it extended into a tailcoat covering her legs. Looking up, she then gained a pauldron over her right shoulder and the Healing Glyph over her forehead. Spreading out her arms, the rings dispersed.
Azura and Boscha looked up, the former swinging her left arm to the side, where Boscha blocked her arm with her right, both unflinching.
"You messed with Luz…" Azura started out as Boscha spun around, the two high-fiving each other.
"And you've messed with me…" Boscha went on before spinning around again.
"TODAY YOU PAY!"
"I've had enough!" Lurerre snarled again, this time sounding more unhinged before charging forth.
"Grudgby Striker!" Boscha called out, aiming her wrecking ball hand out.
The wrecking ball soon gained an eye just as Boscha sent it out, now turning into a Grudgby Ball. It lit on fire and knocked Lurerre to the side before she summoned several more of her special HeelNavis to even the odds.
"I got her," Azura said as she turned to Boscha. "Take care of these guys."
"You got it!" Boscha replied before leaping over the HeelNavis just as Azura flew at Lurerre, slamming her sword against her.
"Bring it!" Lurerre yelled, slashing at Azura, who clashed back with her new sword.
"This team won't help you, Lurerre!" Boscha called out, just as one of them leaped at her. She held out her Grudgby Striker arm again, letting the ball retract back inside. Shooting a different blast this time, she shot the HeelNavi, turning him into a ball, which she dribbled before tossing it into the air. "Game time!" she called, swatting the ball with her shield at the rest of the HeelNavis, knocking some of them down before the ball returned. Twirling forward, she kicked it again, knocking more of them down. Looking to the returning ball fly high towards her, she crossed her legs and leapt up, performing an upside-down kick at the others, sending them all scattering.
Lurerre screeched as she tried to slash at Azura, but she held up her cape to block the attacks before slashing back. As she did, Lurerre loaded up one of her Flask Cannons before firing at her, sending her spinning back. She fired again, this time creating Illusions of herself to multiply the attack, but Azura simply flung her tailcoat out, absorbing the blasts, before her sword lit up.
"Ooh, this is new," Azura said, looking to the glow right as Lurerre sent her stone fist at her. However, instead of knocking her back, it rebounded away, causing the sword to glow brighter. "I get it now…"
"Smidge Shield!" Boscha called out, holding her shield out. As she did, it flashed and blinded the remaining HeelNavis before she leapt right at them. Punching off of one of their chests, she let out her Grudgby Striker before hitting the rest of them, repeating the process until she was in the air. "Glider Mode!" she yelled, sending the Smidge Shield forth and landing on it, now gliding at the last two HeelNavis and bashing them before making her way to Lurerre. "Vulcan!" she called out, causing the Vulcan blaster to appear from the shield and mow Lurerre down.
Lurerre yelled as she turned, deflecting each shot sent at her. As she did, she redirected them at Azura, who simply stood there before turning back to Boscha.
"Hit me with your best shot, then load up a Program Advance!" Azura called out.
"You got it!" Boscha called out before flipping forward, letting her shield attach to her Grudgby Striker. "Winning Blaze!" she called out, hitting Lurerre twice before the last one hit Azura.
"Program Advance!"
"HeatShot, Heat-V, and HeatSide: HeatSpread!" Boscha called out, now gaining a fiery left blaster. Putting both arm cannons together, she fired.
"Recovery Gain!" Azura called out, causing the attacks that hit her to absorb into her blade. Now glowing more brightly, she swung it out. "Healing Retaliator!" she yelled, sending forth several large sonic slashes.
Lurerre looked to both blasts sent at her and fired at them with her Grand Flask Cannon. It did no good, as it was easily overpowered before hitting her, knocking her over the edge and towards the Boiling Sea.
Boscha soon landed next to Azura as they looked to Lurerre. However, instead of a terrified look on her face, she simply grinned before she hit the jagged rocks at the bottom, disappearing in a blue explosion.
"That wasn't a log-out," Boscha noticed. "And if it were an illusion, then I owe Gus, Zoe and Paris an apology. That was a strong one."
"We can worry about that later," Azura said as she turned back to the others, now slowly recovering. "The others need help, and with this new Glyph, I can get them back up and running in no time."
True to her word, Azura was able to use the Healing Saber Style to heal Gus, Skara, Mattholomule and Viney back to full strength once they were back inside the Owl House. As they were stretching and looking themselves over, Luz started to wake up.
"She's back, everyone!" Cero called out.
"Luz!" Amity called, immediately hugging the Latina, much to her surprise, before Azura reverted back to her normal form to join in on the hug. "Thank goodness… you needed this."
"Yes, you do," Azura said as Hecate watched while looking over to Cero. "What we saw with your suppressed memories of Dr. Regal… I can't imagine what you must have been dealing with each day."
Luz looked to Amity and Azura before hugging back. "I shouldn't have kept it to myself all that time," she admitted. "I thought that trying to forget about it would help me move forward… guess that when you fixed it all, I saw what I was doing was wrong."
"Boots and Willow told me all about what you went through back then when they were watching over you," Eda said, getting Luz to look to her mentor. "And let me tell you, that Regal deserved what happened to him on that plane, and he deserved what Lan did to him. But if you ever need to talk to any of us about what else had happened that day, we'll be there."
Luz started to tear up before pulling Eda into the hug with a yelp, just as King, Hooty, Gus, Skara and Viney joined in. Mattholomule was about to as well, but got an awkward look on his face before lightly joining in.
Boscha blushed before walking over. "I know I had said and done things in the past that no one can just forget," she said. "But when I saw Lurerre, I started to think long and hard about who I really want to be," she said as Luz, Amity and Willow looked to her. "And I've decided… that I will no longer be the person that became Lurerre. Trying to save you in her first go was my way of showing that… and finally coming out to save the others solidified it. Whatever it's worth… I'll be there for you too."
Willow sent Boscha a slight smile, to which she responded, before using a vine to pull her into the group hug.
"Thank you all so much!" Luz exclaimed happily, eventually getting everyone to smile.
Hecate smiled as well before clearing her throat at Cero, getting her attention. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry," she humbly apologized. "Ever since you attacked the schools, I was skeptical about you, especially after Amity got caught in your rampage. I didn't buy that you were good… until I saw that memory Azura told me about," she said. "Just know that now, after seeing you turn over a new leaf the moment you learned about Vee… that I deeply apologize for how I viewed you."
Cero smiled. "I understand," she said, holding her hand out. "It's not easy to trust, but maybe we can build on that, and start anew," she said. "Cero, bodyguard to Luz Noceda and head of security at Luzura Incorporated."
Hecate returned the smile and shook Cero's hand. "Hecate, NetNavi to Amity Blight." She said.
"I look forward to seeing what the future holds."
At the Emperor's Palace, Belos watched as the report of his encounter with ShadeMan played again. Dismissing the broadcast, he sunk his claws into his throne.
"Don't think you'll get away with this, Darkloid." Emperor Belos declared, much to the unease of Kikimora and the Golden Guard.
At another location, Lurerre came out from the shadows, looking to what had transpired. Seeing her other self fall, she then saw ShadeMan appear on several screens.
"To the entire Demon Realm, know that I, ShadeMan, am now not to be taken lightly after what has been revealed to you. There may now be a bounty on my head, but I place one on the head of the traitor… Lurerre. Five-hundred snails to those who bring me her head on a stick. Consider me on your side as your friend… for now."
"Ah well," Lurerre said, turning around to see several pods filled with unconscious clones. "Try all you want, but as I always say…" she went on as different Sigils appeared on each body. "Always more where that came from."
Author's Notes: Well, I hope you all like this brand-new chapter. It took me quite a while to figure out, but rest assured, I made sure the wait was worth it in the end. Next chapter will be an original, and then we get to a special event. Please be sure to review, rate, and as always, if you can, Private Message me for anything on the story, so long as it's positive. For now, this is SuperHeroTimeFan signing off. Have a great week, everyone! See you soon!