Day 145

[from Project Sky]

I knock neatly on the front door of the elder's house, and a voice answers from within. "Come in," it says. I presume this to be the voice of the elder. It's an old voice, a voice teeming with wisdom. I open the door and step across the threshold, finding myself in a large open sitting room. There's a fireplace set into one wall, though the fire is not lit right now: it's not cold enough for one to be needed. On the opposite wall are a number of bookshelves, most of which are completely full. If I took the time to peruse the titles, I'd imagine most of them would be quite old, and contain a lot of invaluable information about the world before the Ruin was activated.

The elder is sat at a dining table at the far end of the room, reading a book from the shelf. He must at least eighty years old, even older than our village elder. His eyebrows and thick and bushy, his snow-white beard is long and thick, and his eyes are sunken, like the eyes of a man who has grown weary. As I approach him, he puts down his book and looks up at me.

"A visitor from outside the town, hmm?" he says, his voice slow and deliberate. "May I ask what your business is with me?"

I'm curious as to how he knew I was a visitor from outside Harford, but I decide to get straight down to business. I tell him I'm travelling in search of a way to reverse the effects of the Ruin.

The old man raises his eyebrows a little. "I see," he says. "Is that so?" I see the wrinkled corners of his mouth curl upwards in a smile. "What a noble goal indeed. I myself once thought of trying to undo the damage it caused, but I am far too old to pursue such a goal now. A child like yourself, though… yes, a child like you could do it. Come, my child. Sit with me a while, and I shall share with you all that I have learned about the Ruin."

I nod, and as I sit down at the table, the elder stands up, carrying his book back to the shelves. He slots it neatly back into its place, then runs his fingers gently along the spines of the books, trying to locate a specific tome. I wonder whether he is losing his sight. "Where is it…" he mutters to himself. "Ah, yes, here it is." He pulls a dusty book off of the shelf and returns to the table, sitting opposite me and placing the book open on the table in front of him.

"The Ruin was constructed over 2,000 years ago, by an ancient civilization known as the Daricians. It is said that the Ruin's creator, upon realizing what he had created, immediately sealed it away, so that it may never be used. However, fifty years ago, towards the end of the great war against Alondis, Emperor Javiz and his men discovered the Ruin. Sensing his inevitable defeat, Javiz instructed his men to activate the Ruin, hoping it would repel the on-rushing armies of the Great Alliance. However, he did not realize the true power of the weapon.

"As I'm sure you know, when it was activated, the Ruin proceeded to shatter our entire continent, sending thousands of fragments of land floating hundreds of feet up into the sky. Many thousands were killed. Entire cities were destroyed. The Alondis Empire crumbled in an instant, and Javiz perished along with his men."

The elder turns a page of his book, and turns it around to show me. There's a drawing on a page of a tall, thin black spire, rising hundreds of feet above the surrounding area. "We do not know for certain what the Ruin looks like, or where it is," said the elder. "It was hidden well, and those who discovered it perished when Javiz activated it. Most scholars that I have talked to believe it to be some kind of giant spire, from which a shockwave rippled through the earth and tore it asunder. If that is the case, such a tower would be easy to locate, but I fear that it remains on the surface below us, almost unreachable. In any case, to reach the Ruin you will have to travel to the ruins of the Alondis Empire. Those ruins are highly treacherous, and you would do well to be cautious when in them."

The elder suddenly leans forwards a little. "However," he says, "this is the important part. Consider this: the person who created the Ruin was so fearful that it might be activated, that he hid it away in such a manner that nobody discovered it for two thousand years. I - and many others - believe that such a paranoid man must surely have also built a failsafe into the device, to reverse its effects in case it was ever activated. Once you locate the Ruin, you must activate that failsafe, and the continent will be restored to its original state. We cannot bring back those who died that day, or replace what was lost, but at least that much may be fixed."

The elder leans back in his chair. "I'm sorry that I cannot help you further," he says. "There is simply so much about the Ruin that we do not know. If we knew more about it, perhaps we could have reversed this calamity sooner. But from now on, it is up to you. You must locate the Ruin, reverse its effects, and restore this world to its former glory."

I nod, and tell the elder that I intend to. I thank him for all his help, and prepare to leave. "Wait," says the elder, as I stand up. "Before you leave, might I know your name, young one?" I nod, and tell him my name. "I see," says the elder. "I wish you all the best of luck on your journey."

I thank the elder once more, and take my leave. Elizabeth is still waiting outside for me, holding onto my peagsus' reins. "Did you find what you were looking for?" she asks me.

I nod, and tell her I know now that the Ruin's effects can be reversed. "It can?" says Elizabeth. "How?" I tell her about the failsafe that the elder believes is built into the Ruin. "I see. But you don't know for sure that there is a failsafe, right? What happens if you reach the Ruin and there isn't one, or you don't know how to activate it? Is that the end of it?"

I shake my head, and tell Elizabeth that I'm sure there's a failsafe. If I can't find a way to activate it, I'll just have to keep trying. Her expression grows a little surprised, and perhaps a little impressed. "You really are dedicated to this, aren't you?" she says. I nod, and she smiles. "Well, in that case, I hope that there is a failsafe, and that you find a way to activate it quickly. I do like living up here, just beneath the clouds, but… it would be nice to live back on the surface, like we used to."

I nod in agreement, and Elizabeth hands me my pegasus' reins. "Will you be going now, then?" she asks me. "It's a long way to the ruins of Alondis. Shouldn't you prepare first?" I nod, and tell her I'll be sure to prepare well for the journey ahead. "Okay. Well, in that case, I wish you safe travels," she says. "If you like, you can come back and visit us again once the continent has been restored."

As I mount my pegasus, I nod, and tell her that I will if I can. "Okay. So long, and good luck," she says. I bid Elizabeth farewell, and motion to my pegasus to take off. It duly obliges, soaring forth into the sky once more. As I fly away, I look back and see Elizabeth waving me goodbye. Soon she is little more than a grey dot behind me, and I turn my attention back to the skies in front of me. It's going to be a long journey to Alondis, but I know I can make it.

Day 144

[from Electron]

A short while after Electron had disabled Titus, a helicopter arrived at the scene. Inside it was a special machine that generated a powerful electromagnetic field within the rear passenger bay, keeping Titus immobilized while he was transported to Black Rock. It had been completed over a week ago as part of SHRED's plans to capture Titus, but it could not have been deployed without some means of incapacitating the villain beforehand, otherwise he would have merely dragged the helicopter out of the sky the moment it tried to land. To this end, Electron had been an invaluable help.

As the helicopter landed in front of City Hall, Martin's voice sounded in Electron's earpiece. "Nice job, Electron," he said. "You've helped us take a real menace off the streets. The people of Silverburg can sleep easy now, thanks to you."

"I don't feel like I really did a lot, to be honest," Electron replied, as he started loading the frozen Titus into the back of the helicopter. Even with the help of his electromagnetic abilities, moving the heavy steel figure was hard work.

"You did enough, kid," said Martin. "Fact is, the city's safe. Whether or not you feel like you actually did anything doesn't really matter."

"I guess not," said Electron.

"Besides," said Martin, "it's good that you're not letting this get to your head. There's nothing more dangerous in a superhero than an ego. Believing you're invincible, and immune to failure, is the first step to defeat. You shouldn't dwell on your weaknesses, but don't act like you don't have any, either."

"Gotcha," said Electron. "Okay, thanks for the advice. I'll keep doing my best."

"You better," said Martin. "Alright, I'm outta here. Good luck, Electron."

"Thanks," said Electron.

With Titus now positioned inside the rear of the helicopter, there was a loud whirr and hum as the electromagnetic generators were powered up. Tentatively, Electron took his hand away from Titus, ready to place it back on him at a second's notice should the villain resume moving again. When he remained still, Electron breathed a sigh of relief and stepped back.

Normally, this was the point at which a superhero would make some kind of pithy remark to his vanquished foe, just before he was taken away by the police. Electron did not have the demeanour - nor the wit - to make such a remark, but Titus wasn't prepared to go without taking one last shot at Electron's confidence. "If I ever get out of here, I'm coming after you," he said. "I know I can take you down, and I'm going to make sure I do."

Electron, however, seemed to have grown in confidence, even after such a brief encounter. "I beat you this time," he said. "I can beat you next time, as well."

Titus looked as though he were trying to smirk, but the electromagnetic field would not allow his facial muscles to move that much. "We'll see about that," he said.

 The helicopter's rotors began to spin up, and Electron retreated away to a safe distance as the winds whipped up around him. He watched silently as the helicopter rose up into the sky before flying away, carrying the imprisoned Titus to Black Rock prison. For now, it was all over, and Silverburg was safe, but Electron knew that his work here had only just begun.

Within minutes, the news of Titus' defeat spread throughout the city, and masses of people began to gather at the steps of City Hall to celebrate the capture of Titus. Electron found himself mobbed by a throng of joyous civilians, all of them congratulating him. "You did it! You really did it-!" "I can sleep easy now, thanks to you-" "My brother's shop was raided by Titus. I'm so glad you finally stopped him-" "Can I have your autograph-?" "Can I have your babies-?" "I'm gonna take a selfie with him!" "Wait, isn't he bleeding?" "Give the man some room! You're crushing him!"

Finally the crowd stepped back, but just as Electron thought that he might receive some respite, the reporters moved in. Five different microphones were hastily shoved in Electron's direction, and the flashing of a dozen cameras dazzled him.

"Electron!" cried a reporter. "Why do you think it took so long for SHRED to organize an operation to stop Titus?"

Electron blinked, thrown off by the sudden question. Dealing with reporters had, most regrettably, not been part of his SHRED training regimen. "Uhh, well… I'm not really the person to be asking that to…" he said hesitantly.

"Do you think they were simply waiting for someone with your specific powers to come along?"

"Uhh… probably," said Electron.

"Electron! Ashley Garcia, reporting live for SNN. Now that Titus is in custody, what do you plan to do next? Will you rest until the next threat presents itself, or will you continue to watch over the city in the meantime?"

Electron found this to be a much better question. He turned to address Ashley directly, speaking into her dark blue microphone. "Well, to be honest, I hadn't really thought about that," he said. "I'd really just been focusing on this one battle. But… I think the people here will feel safer and more secure if they know that I'm there for them, so I'll probably keep watching over the city, and stopping any crimes that I come across."

"Thank you for your time," said Ashley. "I'm sure we're all looking forward to seeing you in action again."

Electron felt that he would prefer it if he was never needed again, because if he were needed again, that would mean that the city was in danger. But he had a sworn duty to protect the people of this city, and he was going to do his utmost to uphold it. For now, though, there was nothing left for him to do but continue to deal with the constant barrage of questions, while the reality of the situation began to sink in. He wasn't just Aaron Price any more: now he was Electron, and to the people gathered around him, he was a hero.

Day 143

[from Street Racer]

By the time Tristan crossed the finish line on the fourth and final lap, he was at least five seconds ahead of Alyssa in second place. T-Bone was a second further back, and by the time Michael crossed the finish line, the other three drivers had already braked to a standstill, parked at the side of the road, and exited their vehicles.

T-Bone made a beeline straight for Tristan, seemingly impressed. "That was pretty good racing," he said. "I see the hype about you was true, man."

Tristan coolly nodded. "Thanks," he said. I could've gone faster, though, he thought.

Alyssa looked a little less pleased about the result, but congratulated Tristan nonetheless. "If I'm gonna come second, at least it was to you," she said, patting him on the shoulder. "Nice driving."

As Michael finally pulled up nearby, the attention of the other two racers turned to the loser.  "Oh, there you are, man!" said T-Bone, as Michael reluctantly buzzed his window down. "I thought you'd gotten lost or something!"

"I did say I'm new to this-" said Michael defensively.

"Then ya shoulda picked on someone your own size, shouldn't ya, punk?" said T-Bone. "Go on now, run along home to mommy. We ain't got time for losers like you."

Michael obligingly buzzed his window back up and drove off, a sour expression on his face. Tristan did not partake in the smack talk enjoyed by many of Jade City's street racers, nor did he particularly like hearing it. However, the affairs and arguments of the city's other racers were not his concern. He wasn't there to get involved with people's alliances or rivalries. He was only there to race, win, and earn money.

On that note, one of the girls who had been standing at the finish line headed over to Tristan and handed him a wad of cash. "Here you go," she said, smiling. "You earned it."

Tristan quickly rifled through the bills to check that all $4,000 was there. It was. Each racer had put in $1,000 prior to the race, with all the money going to the victor. In street racing, there were no prizes just for turning up; you either won, or went home empty-handed. Tristan did not go home empty-handed very often.

"A'ight, we'd better get outta here before the cops show up," said Alyssa. "You got any plans, Tristan?"

"Not really," said Tristan. "Probably gonna just head home and celebrate." To his right, he could head T-Bone climbing back into his Corvette and revving up the engine.

"You could go up the club with us and celebrate," suggested Alyssa. "With Lien, of course."

"You know I'm not really a clubbing person," said Tristan.

Alyssa sighed. "You're so boring, Tristan," she said. "Come on, live a little. When you're on the edge of death every night, you gotta live a little, ain't ya?"

"I prefer not to think about the death part," said Tristan bluntly.

Alyssa shook her head, smirking. "You're always thinking ahead to that pro career, aren't ya?" she said, amused. "You don't care about the here and now, you're just looking forward to that NASCAR drive, or whatever."

"It's why I'm here, after all," said Tristan. "I don't wanna think that there's a chance I might not get it."

"Well, like it or not, that's the case, Tristan," said Alyssa. "Not everybody makes it outta this scene alive, y' know."

This conversation was abruptly halted by the arrival of Lien, throwing an arm around Tristan's shoulders. "What's up, you guys?" she asked cheerily. "Nice win, Tristan." She give him a quick kiss on the cheek, leaving a faint trace of lip gloss on his skin. "So, shouldn't we be getting out of here?"

"Yeah, we were just discussing where to head off to," said Alyssa. "Tristan wants to go home, I said why not go up the club?"

"If Tristan wants to go home, why not let him?" said Lien. "He can go to the club some other day."

"A'ight, I guess," said Alyssa, before turning to address Tristan directly. "But that's a promise, y'hear me? You're comin' up the club with me someday, and I'mma hold you to that."

"Yeah, okay, sure," said Tristan, shrugging.

"Good," said Alyssa. "So, what about you, Lien? What are you doin' for the rest of the night?"

"I was thinking I might go home with Tristan," said Lien, hugging herself closer against him. "Help him… celebrate."

I don't know why I bothered asking, thought Alyssa. "A'ight, you two go enjoy yourselves, then," she said. "I'll be headin' off now, there's strawberry tequilas with my name on 'em. Peace." Waving goodbye briefly, Alyssa headed back towards her car.

"You shouldn't drink and drive, you know," said Tristan. "Especially not in a car that fast. God knows what'd happen if you hit something."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," said Alyssa, as she climbed into the driver's seat. "You ain't my momma. I'll go easy this time, okay?"

"On the drinks or the driving?" asked Tristan.

"Both, if I can help it," said Alyssa. Closing the suicide door behind her, she buckled up and accelerated off down the street. By now, almost everyone who had gathered for the race had already disappeared, leaving Tristan and Lien all alone at the side of the road.

Lien turned to Tristan and smirked. "Race you to your apartment?" she asked.

Tristan returned the smile. "What do I get if I win?" he asked.

"Don't you ever just race for fun sometimes?" asked Lien.

"Oh, is that what we're racing for?" asked Tristan.

"Well, if you insist…" Lien leaned in and whispered something into Tristan's ear.

"And if I don't win?" asked Tristan.

"Then you get nothing," said Lien.

"Sounds good to me," said Tristan. "We go on the green light, okay?"

Lien nodded and headed back to her own car, an ostentatious pink-and-black Audi TT, while Tristan got back into his beloved Nissan Skyline. The two drivers pulled up at the nearest set of traffic lights and glanced over at each other, grinning as they prepared for battle. The light turned amber, then green, and with a deafening squeal of tires, the two cars roared off into the night.

Day 142

[from Vanishing Point]

There was nothing particularly out-of-the-ordinary about the five-storey office building that the two Shinsuke City Patrol pilots had just pulled up outside of. Nor was there anything particularly out-of-the-ordinary about the IT company based within. However, in order for the City Patrol themselves to be investigating the premises, something had to be seriously amiss, and so as the two men crossed the threshold, the receptionist looked up at them with some concern.

"Good morning," she said, trying to keep the concern out of her voice. "Is there something I can help you gentlemen with?"

"Yes, thank you," said the first man. "We understand you have an employee named Aiko Fujikawa working here?"

"Uhh, let me see…" said the receptionist, consulting her computer for a moment. "Fujikawa, Fujikawa… ah, yes. Miss Fujikawa works up on the third floor."

"Has Miss Fujikawa been coming in to work recently?" asked the first man.

"Let me check…" said the receptionist. "Well, according to our records, Miss Fujikawa has only missed a single day of work in the past month. Why? May I ask what this is about?"

"Aiko Fujikawa has been dead for three weeks," said the second man. "Her body was found last night."

"What?!" exclaimed the receptionist. "But that's impossible! She-"

"We need to talk to the woman claiming to be Miss Fujikawa," said the first man. "You said she works on the third floor, right?"

"Y-yes, that's right," stammered the shocked receptionist. "I'm sorry, I don't understand… are you saying that-"

But the men were already making their way towards the elevator, ignoring the receptionist entirely as they focused on apprehending their target. They knew exactly who the impostor was, and they knew the consequences if she were allowed to roam free. She had to be captured, no matter what.

***

Kiyoko slept in late that morning, recovering from the previous night's endeavours. When she finally woke up, she found that a blanket had been wrapped around her to keep her warm. She stretched, sat up, and rubbed her eyes, before looking around the room to try and locate the others. This did not take long.

"Oh hey, Kiyoko's awake!" said Hanako. She and the others were gathered around Kamui's computer, waiting for her. "Good morning, sleepyhead~!"

"Good morning," said Kiyoko, standing up. "I'm feeling a lot better now."

"I sure hope so," said Kamui. "You were asleep for eleven hours, you know."

"Really?" exclaimed Kiyoko. "Well, uhh… sorry…"

"Sorry?" repeated Kamui, amused. "What's there to be sorry for? It's not your fault if you're exhausted after what happened yesterday."

"I guess not," admitted Kiyoko. "But still…"

"Well, now that you're awake, let's have a look at what you managed to get," said Kamui.

"Of course," said Kiyoko. "I don't know if it'll be enough, but-"

"Well, we'll see in a minute, won't we?" said Cobra. "Come on, let's take a look."

Kiyoko nodded, and took the USB drive out of her pocket, handing it to Kamui. He plugged it into his computer and opened it up. "I see… individual files on each test subject, huh?" he said. "Subjects 1 to 15… well, that confirms our theory. Assuming you guys are Subjects 13 through 15, that means there are twelve more test subjects out there."

"I wonder what's in this files," said Cobra. "Any chance they'll contain any personal information about me or Kiyoko? Something that will bring back more of our memories?"

"I don't know," said Kamui, "but I guess it's worth a shot. You said you were Subject 13, right?"

Cobra nodded. "That's what they called me," she said.

"Then let's have a look," said Kamui. He double-clicked the file labelled "Subject 13", opening it. Sure enough, it was a profile of herself, complete with a photo. Cobra, eager for information, pushed Kamui aside and read the file herself, her face mere inches from the screen.

"'Name: Subject 13'," she began. "'Codename: To be determined'. Darn it… I should've known they wouldn’t have our real names. Anyway… 'Age: 22. Height: 180cm. Weight…'" Cobra suddenly blushed, her eyes widening in shock, and tried to cover up the screen to no avail.

"169 pounds?!"¹ exclaimed Hanako, reading the figure off the screen. "Wow, I didn't realize you were so fat-!"

Cobra's response was to wordlessly reach back and punch Hanako in the face without taking her eyes off the screen, knocking the young girl to the floor. With the other three strongly dissuaded from making any further remarks about her size, Cobra continued reading. "'Current status: Phase 3. Subject 13 appears to exhibit some form of superhuman strength, both physically and mentally, and has so far been resistant to our conditioning techniques.' Conditioning?" she repeated, alarmed. "They were trying to brainwash me?"

"Apparently," said Kamui. "I don't like the sound of that at all."

"Do you remember them trying to brainwash you?" asked Kiyoko.

"Not at all," said Cobra. "I guess I must have blotted it out, like it says in the file."

"Well, we're already learning a lot," said Kamui. "Keep going."

Cobra nodded, and kept reading. "'Dr. Morgan is of the opinion that Subject 13's abilities will be invaluable to the program, but employees are reminded to exercise caution around her at all times and to follow the recommended safety procedures, in order to avoid a repeat of the incident with Obsidian. Refer to Subject 3's profile…'" This last portion seemed to interest Cobra. "Hmm… so perhaps we weren't the first ones to try and escape…"

"How come this Obsidian has her name listed?" asked Kiyoko.

"I don't think that's her real name," said Cobra. "There was a "Codename" section in my profile… I'm guessing they give us each some kind of codename after our conditioning is complete."

"I see," said Kamui. "Well, that told us plenty about Shinsuke, but not much about you yourself, Cobra."

"I'm not sure what I was expecting, honestly," said Cobra. "They don't care about our names, or our histories. We're just tools to them." She shook her head, sighing. "Never mind. It doesn't matter. I'm sure I'll find the answers in time."

"I'm sure you will," said Kamui.

"I hope so…" said Kiyoko.

"Now then," said Kamui, "we have twelve other test subjects to track down. Which one should we look at first?"

"I'd say we try and find this Obsidian, and see if we can talk to her," said Cobra. "If she's rebelled against Shinsuke before, that means there's a good chance she'll be willing to help us."

Kamui nodded. "That makes sense. Alright, let's see what she looks like." Closing Cobra's file, Kamui opened the file named "Subject 3". The profile image depicted a girl with long black hair and scarlet eyes filled with fury. The picture rather unsettled Kiyoko, as well as Hanako, who by now had recovered from her blow to the face.

"She doesn't look too friendly," remarked Kiyoko.

"Not to worry," said Kamui. "As the saying goes, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend²"."

FOOTNOTES:

¹Cobra's weight derives from her height and muscular, athletic physique; muscle weight more than fat, after all. Even so, finding out that you weigh 12 stone can be a bit of a shock for the average Japanese woman.

²This is from Vanishing Point Episode 3, which is entitled "The Enemy Of My Enemy".

Day 141

[from StarLight]

Meanwhile, downtown, Amaya was greatly enjoying her new-found powers as Black Star. "Man, this is a blast!" she exclaimed, looking down upon the twisted wreckage of the several cars she had destroyed. "I didn't think I'd get to do this when the series first started!"

"I didn't think I'd be released by someone who'd have so much fun with the Emblem, nyaa~" said Kage, hovering at her shoulder. "But I have to admit, it's fun to watch you smashing up all these weird doohickeys, nyaa~."

"It sure is~" said Black Star. "Man, I wish I could do this forever!"

"Wouldn't you run out of stuff to smash eventually, nyaa~?" asked Kage.

"I guess so," said Black Star, "but to be honest, I probably would've gotten bored by then. Also, I need to go to school tomorrow, so at some point I'll have to stop and go to bed."

"That's lame, nyaa~" said Kage.

"Yeah, I know," said Black Star, as she levitated a passing SUV off the ground. "But I like school. I get to leave the house for a while and talk to people, like-"

"Stop right there, criminal scum!"

Black Star was so surprised at the sudden shout that she dropped the SUV, causing it to smash back down to the ground, wrecking its suspension and shattering its windows. Turning around, she saw White Star hovering in the air behind her, a serious expression on her face. As the two magical girls stared each other down, they were completely oblivious to each other's secret identities.

"You must be White Star," said Black Star. "I was wondering whether you'd show up."

"Of course I would!" said White Star. "I made a promise to this city that I would protect it, and that means stopping people like you!"

Black Star snorted. "You? Stop me?" she said. "You could barely stop that fifty-foot sea monster! What makes you think you can stop me?"

"The fact that I'm the protagonist!" said White Star. "And the protagonist always wins!"

Black Star scowled. Now she's taking attention away from my best friend!, she thought to herself. Sanae's supposed to be the protagonist, not this idiot! I'll put her back in her place for sure! "Well, we'll see about that," said Black Star. "Prepare yourself, White Star! You're about to face the wrath of Black Star!"

"Bring it on!" said White Star, adopting a combat stance. "In the name of the moon-"

"I thought you said you couldn't use that one," said Kousen.

"Oh, right, yeah," said White Star. "Darn."

"Use your line from yesterday!" called out Hitomi, who was eagerly watching on below. "The one about the light of justice!"

"The light of justice…? Oh yeah, I remember now!" said White Star. "Hey, you're right, that does make a pretty good pre-battle one-liner! Thanks, Hito- uhh, I mean, thank you, random heterochromatic citizen!"

"You're welcome, White Star!" said Hitomi.

"Alright then!" said White Star, adopting her combat pose once more. "Time to let the light of just- OOF!"

Black Star had grown bored of waiting for White Star to come out with a catchphrase, and so struck her with a bolt of energy, knocking her backwards. "Oww! Hey, you're not supposed to attack while I'm talking!" said White Star.

Black Star's response was merely to grin and start firing more bolts of energy. "And how come you're not calling your attacks?" asked White Star, as she flew around in circles trying to dodge. "I thought you had to do that to get it to work!"

"I am calling them," said Black Star. "I'm just muttering the spells so quietly that you can't hear them. If you don't know what I'm about to do, then you can't-"

"Star Shower!" White Star interrupted by firing a stream of star-shaped projectiles at Black Star, striking her and sending her flying back.

"Now who's attacking while the other person is talking?!" Black Star complained.

"If you're gonna ignore the conventions of magical girl battles, then so am I!" said White Star. "It's not like this series follows anime conventions anyway!"

"Did someone say anime convention?" said a fat otaku who suddenly appeared beneath the two girls, dressed in a ninja outfit and carrying a body pillow.

"Go away, you filthy neckbeard!" shouted White Star and Black Star in unison.

"Awww," moaned the man, before running off, his arms trailing behind him.

"Alright, fine," said Black Star, readying her wand. "The gloves are off!"

"You're not wearing gloves," White Star pointed out.

"Exactly!" said Black Star. "Fire Storm!"

White Star grinned, and shouted, "Fire Hose!", summoning a large jet of water from the tip of her wand. She had expected a jet of flame to burst out of Black Star's wand, only to be quenched by the fire. She had not expected a large flurry of snowflakes to engulf her, freezing the water solid and chilling her to the bone. Shivering uncontrollably, she was unable to move as Black Star pointed her wand at her once more.

"Weren't expecting that, were you?" declared the villainous magical girl. "Now, to finish you off! Dark Laser!"

A black pulse shot out of the end of Black Star's wand, heading straight for White Star, but in the instant before it hit her, White Star managed to shout through chattering teeth: "F-F-F-Flame Shield!" A fiery sphere engulfed her just in time; the black pulse smashed straight into the solid flames and exploded harmlessly. At the same time, the flames surrounding White Star began to warm her up, counteracting the effects of Black Star's misleadingly-named Fire Storm attack. By the time the flames dissipated, White Star was back to normal, and ready to keep fighting.

Black Star couldn't help smiling. "I have to admit, I underestimated you," she said. "I've been throwing every trick I can think of at you, and you're just shrugging them off."

"Well, if those are all the tricks you can think of, you're obviously not a very good magician," said White Star with a grin. However, internally she was starting to panic. I really underestimated her as well, she thought. I know Kousen warned me she'd be tough-

That's right, I did, thought Kousen in response.

-but I didn't think she'd be this tough, or this hard to deal with! I can barely get an attack in! White Star's grip tightened on her wand, her resolve hardening. There's only one thing for it, she thought. I'm going to have to use my ultimate attack-

"Are you gone with your internal monologue yet?" asked Black Star impatiently.

"Pretty much, yeah," said White Star.

"Good, said Black Star, "because this ends now!"

"Agreed!" said White Star, resuming her combat stance.

"I'll show you my ultimate attack, that I came up with just now and totally isn't a copy of yours!" said Black Star, readying her own wand. "Black Star…"

"White Star…"

"BEAM!!!" Both girls fired their ultimate attacks simultaneously, sending out two immense beams of energy, one snow-white and one pitch-black. The two beams collided in mid-air, clashing in a burst of energy. Sparks crackled and flew as the two girls focused their entire beings, each trying to overwhelm the other's beam and finally claim the ultimate victory.

Down below, a massive crowd had already gathered to watch the fight, and now they all stared in awe at the titanic tussle being played out above them. Hitomi watched on anxiously, silently cheering on White Star, as were most of the other spectators. I have to win this for them, thought White Star, her gaze remaining focused on the opposing magical girl. I have to…

Day 140

[from Pokémon xTreme]

UNKNOWN LOCATION, SEAFOAM ISLANDS

TWO DAYS LATER

"It is ready."

The hooded girl glanced up at the man standing before her, taking note of the proud expression on his face. His name was Dr. Christmas, a geneticist who specialized in Pokémon. Though his experiments had made him an outcast in the scientific community, he had found himself a home here in this icy cave.

If the girl was pleased with Dr. Christmas' achievement, she did not show it. The face beneath the white hood remained as neutral and inexpressive as always. "May I see it?" she asked.

"Of course," said Dr. Christmas. He held out a strange Poké Ball, that was white all over with ice-blue snowflake markings on the top half. The hooded girl took hold of it, examined it blankly for a moment, then pressed the button on the top, releasing the Pokémon within.

From out of the strange Poké Ball burst a Pokémon that resembled a Pikachu, but was quite clearly not an ordinary one. Its normally golden-yellow fur was snow-white, and the brown and black markings on its body were instead a pale blue, matching the colour of the markings on the Poké Ball it had been summoned from. The electric sacs on its cheeks, usually red, were a vivid electric blue, and freezing to the touch. It looked up at Dr. Christmas curiously, then smiled in recognition and said, "Pika!"

Dr. Christmas knelt down and gently petted the Pikachu. It was freezing to the touch, but the geneticist did not seem to mind. "Cute, isn't it?" he said.

"Cuteness is not the issue," said the girl bluntly. "Will it do the job?"

"Oh, of course," said Dr. Christmas. "While I was splicing in the genes to change its typing, I was sure to give its power a nice healthy boost. Pikachill here will kick any normal Pikachu into the dust."

The hooded girl nodded, apparently satisfied. "Good work, Dr. Christmas," she said. "We'll take it from here."

"Of course," said Dr. Christmas. As he turned and started to leave, he started muttering to himself. "I wonder which Pokémon I should enhance next…"

"Something stronger would be nice," said the hooded girl, glancing down at Pikachill. It's definitely not much, she thought, but it's a start. Our plans are underway. It's only a matter of time now…

***

MEANWHILE

VIRIDIAN FOREST

An unexpected heavy downpour had put an end to Brandon and Taylor's plans to go hunting for Pokémon the previous day, but today the sun was shining, and so they headed into Viridian Forest. Taylor was eager to catch her first Pokémon, but there were other things on her mind as well.

"So, what am I aiming for?" she asked Brandon. "Like… at what point will you decide that I'm good enough?"

"Well, it depends how highly you wanna aim," said Brandon. "Ideally, you'll wanna head for the Masters Tournaments, but I'm not sure whether you'll be good enough to reach that level."

"Me neither, to be honest," admitted Taylor. The Masters Tournaments were the four biggest and most prestigious Pokémon tournaments in the world: the Indigo Masters, the Johto Masters, the Unova Masters, and the Kalos Masters. They attracted worldwide audiences of millions, and the winners took home cash prizes in excess of ₽100 million. Only the world's best Pokémon trainers were able to enter them, and only the best of the best were able to win them. Taylor felt certain that she could never reach that level. "So, what else is there for me to aim for?"

"Well, obviously, there's the regional Gym Challenge," said Brandon. "If you do wanna aim for the Masters, then you'll need to do that anyway, because collecting all eight of your region's Gym Badges is the requirement for Pokémon Master status. Only Pokémon Masters are allowed to take part in Masters Tournaments."

"So I'll wanna beat the Gyms, then," said Taylor. "Okay, that'll be my aim for now. There's a gym in Viridian City, isn't there?"

"There is," said Brandon, "but traditionally that's the last one you face. The first one most people take on is in Pewter City, which is on the other side of Viridian Forest."

"What kind of Pokémon does the Gym Leader there use?" asked Taylor.

Brandon smiled. "Man, you're already thinking like a proper trainer," he remarked. "The Gym Leader over at Pewter is Graham Jones. He uses Bug-types and Poison-types. Ideally, you'll want a Flying-type Pokémon to counter him. Luckily, you can find Pidgeys here in Viridian Forest."

Taylor nodded. "Okay," she said. "Sounds like a plan. Now then, Pidgeys, Pidgeys… where are they…?" 

Day 139

[from Striker Man]

"Well, this is going to make retrieving the treasure a whole lot more difficult," remarked Striker Man, looking up at the ghostly figure hovering above them.

"The treasure?" repeated Faruk, amused. "Ha! You can take it! Riches will mean nothing once I rule this world once more!"

"Wait, really?" said Striker Man. "You don't care about all this treasure?"

"Of course not!" said Faruk. "Who needs gold and diamonds when you rule the whole world? I just had these trinkets put in my tomb in order to lure adventurers like you here, so that one day I would finally be released to- are you listening?"

Striker Man was not listening. Instead, he was greedily stuffing as much gold into his arms as he could carry. "Something about world domination, whatever, don't care," said Striker Man. "You did bring a bag for all this gold, didn't you, Genius?"

"It's The Genius," said The Genius, opening her suitcase to retrieve a large burlap sack. "And sincerely, I am perturbed by the abrupt manifestation of this maleficent apparition."

"I don't see any Disney villains anywhere," said Striker Man, looking over his shoulder.

"No, I mean, should we not be concerned about that floating figure talking about taking over the world?" asked The Genius.

"Who cares?" said Striker Man. "We're rich!"

"You are mindful that this work requires some level of narrative conflict, are you not?" asked The Genius. "Stuporwoman, are you eating the treasure?!"

"It tastes like Switzerland," said Stuporwoman, before burping up a six of diamonds that now had six actual diamonds embedded in it.

"I thought narrative conflict meant arguing with the narrator," said Striker Man. No, Striker Man, it doesn't. "Yeah, like that," said Striker Man. No, Striker Man, you can't make a plot around arguing with the narrator. "But-" Yes, I know, Looney Tunes already did it, but- "Wait, how did you know what I was going to say?" Because I'm the narrator. "I thought you were making it up as you went along?"

"Who is he talking to?" asked Faruk, as me and Striker Man continued to argue.

"Striker Man and I," corrected Striker Man, just before a portion of the ceiling collapsed on him. "Hey, you did that on purpose!"

"Ignore him," said The Genius. "He and my other colleague both have serious cognitive deficiencies." She waved a hand at Stuporwoman, who was gnawing on a particularly large ruby and seemed confused as to why she couldn't bite it in half.

"Serious cognitive what?" repeated Faruk.

"Basically, they're both idiots," said The Genius.

"I see," said Faruk. "So, are you three going to oppose my new world order, or not?"

"We will oppose," said The Genius.

"Really, I'm not that fussed," said Striker Man.

"Will there be squirrels in the new world order?" asked Stuporwoman.

"Of course not," said Faruk. "There is no place in my new world order for mere lower life forms."

"Then I propose!" said Stuporwoman.

"Oppose," corrected The Genius.

"No," said Stuporwoman, looking confused. "I wanna fight him, not marry him."

"Well, I guess I'm outvoted, then," said Striker Man. "Fighting it is. We're still stealing the treasure, though, right?"

"Of course," said The Genius.

"In that case," said Faruk, "you will all perish here!"

Faruk raised his hand, and began to fire purple bolts of energy at the three adventurers. Of course, none of them hit, because there wouldn't be a story if they all just suddenly died. Taking advantage of this, Striker Man began shovelling as much treasure as he possibly could into the sack. "We'd better get out of here quickly," he said. "We can always come back for the rest later."

"Excellent idea," said The Genius. "Let us depart for now, and recrudesce subsequently."

"I thought we were leaving and coming back later?" said Striker Man.

"We are!" said The Genius! "Come on, Stuporwoman, stop eating. You will get a stomach ache."

 "No I won't," said Stuporwoman, before swallowing an entire gold bar.

***

"Ohhh… stomach hurts…"

As the trio sprinted back out of the pyramid, Striker Man carrying a heaving sack of treasure on his shoulder, Stuporwoman suddenly doubled over, clutching her abdomen.

"I told you not to eat all that treasure!" said The Genius.

"How can she even get stomach ache when we don't have stomachs?" asked Striker Man.

"That doesn't matter now," said The Genius. "We must egress post-haste. Fortunately, I came prepared as always." Reaching into her briefcase, The Genius pulled out a helicopter - yes, an actual full-sized helicopter - and set it down on the ground. The three clambered inside, shutting the door just as an energy bolt from Faruk ricocheted off the hull. The evil spirit had now caught up with them.

"Do you know how to fly this thing, The Genius?" asked Striker Man.

"Of course I do!" said The Genius. "Would I have brought a helicopter unless I knew how to fly one?"

The helicopter's rotors began to spin, gradually picking up speed until the machine lifted off from the ground. Faruk, who had never seen such a contraption before, merely looked on in surprise, allowing the trio to fly away unscathed. "Phew, that was close," said Striker Man. "Now then, how much money do you think all this treasure is worth?"

"I thought we were prioritizing the defeat of that evil pharaoh?" asked The Genius.

"I know, I'm just asking," said Striker Man.

"I think it's thiiiis many!" said Stuporwoman, holding her arms a little way apart.

"That's not much," said Striker Man. "Also, aren't you still sick?"

"Oh yeah," said Stuporwoman, before clutching her abdomen and moaning.

"I think first we should get her to a hospital, to get those jewels out of her," said The Genius. "Then we should plan some kind of counterattack."

"Sure, but can we do that later?" asked Striker Man. "The writer's hands are starting to hurt. What a wimp." And then the helicopter blew up. "Wait, what?" Just kidding.