#I HAD AN OUTFIT PLAN OPEN TOO. FATES PLEASE PLEASE HAVE SAVED o(-<< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[dragonji]

I FORGOR ABOUT MAINTENANCE .

“yeah tgeecf is my fave book” says guy about to spiral into full on homicidal breakdown while fruitlessly searching his epub for quotes

[petri808]

@kyosohmaofficial​  Happy Holidays!  My ss gift for you :)

Kyoru Christmas Morning Drabble @furubasecretsanta​

Kyo always tells her not to fuss over him.  “Kyo, I want to get you something for Christmas.”  “Just being here with me is the best gift you could ever give.”  But Tohru just didn’t feel right doing nothing.  Christmas was special, and knowing the poor childhood he’d had, she wanted to make sure her husband would always know how much she cared.    

Problem was, she knew if she tried to buy anything expensive, she risked him noticing the odd charge on their bank statement.  What was she to do?  There was a new game he’d started playing on his phone recently with cute looking characters.  Maybe she could work with one of those.  Just a few supplies from the craft store should do the trick.  She often had sewing projects, so it would be easy to hide her real intentions.

Bright and early before the sun had even risen that Christmas morning, Tohru slipped away from their bedroom and prepared for the day.  She had it all planned out.  The tree had been decorated and gifts placed beneath.  Breakfast to be filled with little delicacies.  Rice, Sweet tamagoyaki, red miso broth with butterfish flakes, warabi salad, and mini pork sausages since Kyo loves those so much.  Coffee was also a must, but for such a special occasion, she whipped up a peppermint mocha to top off the meal.

Her gift was tucked in between the others waiting for Kyo to open it, and she was proud of how it had turned out.  The design wasn’t the easiest to pull off, but in the end, it was absolutely adorable!

She hears their bedroom shoji door sliding open and closed, his footsteps shuffling against the wooden hallway floor.  If she knew his routine well, he’d be ready for breakfast in 15 minutes.  Tohru quickly brings all of the dishes to the kotetsu and lays them out.  

“Smells delicious Tohru,” Kyo slips a chaste kiss on his wife cheek.  “Good morning.”

“Good morning Kyo,” she smiles back.  “Breakfast is on the table.  I just need to grab the coffee.”

“Do you need any other help?”

“No, no,” she waves excitedly, “please, I’ll be right out.”

Kyo chuckles and moves into the living room where to the delight of his senses, realizes his wife had outdone herself again.  With the room heater on full blast, it was comfortably toasty.  The food itself was a myriad of delicious scents and had all the trappings of the perfect traditional Japanese breakfast.  Warm, white strings of Christmas lights give the room a cheerful glow, and the colorful tree was bursting with ornaments of all shapes, sizes, and colors.  Many of the pieces collected and placed on display reflect their life both individually and as a couple.

He moves over to the gifts nestled under the tree.  So many of them.  He was still getting used to the outpouring of affection after a lifetime of dismissal.  All of the zodiacs were closer now than before the bond had been broken.  After high school some had scattered, choosing to go away to University, a few like him, settled into domestic life.  Holiday’s became one of the times of the year they would gather at the Sohma compound by choice rather than decree.  Kyo smiles.  While he still couldn’t stand Shigure’s personality, he had to admit, the man had made the right decision on that fateful day so long ago.

“Kyo?”

“Hmm?” he turns to see his wife holding two cups of steaming coffee.  

Tohru smiles, “Come eat before it gets too cold.”

After eating such a hearty meal, Kyo sits back and rubs his stomach, “I won’t be able to move for the rest of the day.”  The food had tasted even better than it looked or smelled.    

His wife giggles, “Today is a day to relax.”  They had no other plans since the Sohma Christmas party had been the day before.  She rises to her feet, “I’ll bring the gifts over.”

Starting with presents given by others, the couple make their way through the pile.  Tohru carefully notes who had given what so that she may send thank you cards later.  The gifts were thoughtful ones, household items, special treats, cute outfits, etc.  The matching ugly sweaters from Shigure made her laugh and the dress sent by Ayame, Kyo forbade her from leaving the house in.  Finally, the last two were gifts for each other.  

Tohru goes first, carefully unwrapping her present.  He’d done such a beautiful job wrapping it up, she wanted to save the paper.  Kyo simply watched, smiling and waiting patiently.

She gasps, “Kyo!  Where did you find this!”  The ornate jewelry box was a replica of one her mother used to have.  “H-how did you?”

“You showed me pictures, and I had a vague memory of seeing it when I knew her.”  He smiles, “a friend with wood carving skills helped to build it.”

“Thank you!” She throws herself into his lap and hugs him fiercely through clouded vision.  “I love it!”

“You’re welcome,” he hugs her back and kisses her forehead.  “My turn.”  Kyo keeps Tohru on his lap, settling his gift on her legs.  He makes short work of the ribbon and wrappings before popping the top off the cardboard box.  A toy?  He pulls the plushie from the box.  “You got me a Shiny Meowth doll?”

“Isn’t it cute!”  Tohru beams.  “You like that Poke game and when I saw this character, it reminded me of you, so I made it.”

A doll?!  He laughs out loud to hide his annoyance over his wife buying him a doll but couldn’t keep the vain in his forehead from popping out.  His voice strains to keep his tone even, “It’s called Pokémon Go!  And he is a favorite character of mine.  Though not sure what I’m gonna do with a stuffed animal.”

“You don’t like it, do you?” Tohru’s voice softens and cracks as tears well up in her eyes.  “I’m sorry, maybe I was just too excited…”

“Idiot!” He chastises himself under his breath.  “I do love it Tohru, I swear!  Don’t cry please.”

“Are you sure, I-I could get you something else.”

“Don’t be silly.  You made this for me and that makes it special!”

“Really?” She sniffles, “I did my best to make it look like the pictures.”

“It’s perfect, looks exactly like Meowith.”  Kyo bundles her closer.  He sits the doll in her lap and wraps his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder.  “We can call it our kid for now,” he chuckles.  “How does that sound?”

“O-Our k-kid?!”  None of this reaction had been what she’d expected.  It was just a cute character from a game.  Just the thought of them having a kid made her swoon with embarrassment.  She loved the idea very much, but was it something they were ready for?  “We can call it our kid if you want to.  I didn’t think you’d consider having kids.”

Spinning his blushing wife around in his lap, Kyo chuckles.  “It’s just a toy, but one day, I’d like to have kids with you, yes.  Don’t you want to have kids?”

“I do,” her meek voice squeaks out.  

He lifts her chin, placing a chaste kiss on her lips.  “You do?”  He places a lingering kiss.  “Soon perhaps?”  Kyo presses further, molding their mouths together and giving her no chance to respond except with a soft sigh.  He peers into her half-lidded eyes full of wanting.  “A little boy or girl would be a blessing.”

“It would.”

Kyo scoops her up in his arms, carrying her towards the bedroom.  Tohru blushes and giggles, knowingly.  He grins and gives her another impassioned kiss.  “Then perhaps we shall create a Christmas miracle…”

[troofless]

Just finished watching a walkthrough of Tales of Zestiria, and I must say it is as HYPE as its opening.

My favourite parts:

Sorey and Mikleo bickering — actually, every sormik scene

I swear 99.9% of Mikleo revolves around Sorey, the other 0.1% is him getting teased by everyone (this could be his biggest writing strength and flaw depending on who you ask)

The opening song. A BANGERRRRRR

The different branching routes you can take in Ladylake. Sell the knife? The pipe? Don’t sell both? Sell the pipe later on to get a cool hat as well? How do you enter the Sacred Blade ceremony? YOU CAN CHOOSE

Mikleo leaving Sorey, in the game: Oh don’t worry, Mikleo will be fine, I trust Mikleo to take care of himself :) :)

In the anime: dkjasfnlD MIKLEO DID WHAT??! LAILAH WE MUST GO AFTER MIKLEO RIGHT AWAY

Tbh the argument ‘arc’ he has with Sorey? One of the best parts of the game.

'Does a frog think of getting rid of snakes?’ ‘OH SO AM I A FROG NOW?’ ‘Your LIABILITY will be waiting in the inn’

When in the manga this slow burn (JUST GET CONTRACTED WITH MIKLEO ALREADY) gets extended to after Sorey contracts with Edna

When Mikleo calls Sorey out on his blindness in a skit THEY NOTICE EVERYTHING ABOUT EACH OTHER OKAY

Yeah also, just thinking about how Sorey’s known Mikleo’s true name for a long time now HNNNRNNHSDGGGGGHHHH

Mikleo using his rod not as a conduit for magic but as a whacking tool. He has a mystic arte Crystal Rod where he throws his rod at the enemy saying NOPE (best...) and a mystic arte Final Player where he uses it like a hammer saying “I’ll crush you! Again! Again and again!!” smacking the enemy into the ground LOLLLL

That One Mystic Arte where Edna rides on her umbrella like it’s a flying broomstick and shoots out earth rocks with a finger gun

Zaveid coming out of nowhere at random times, busting out his persona shooting himself in the head and demanding that they fight him

Rose shaking her hands with Sorey at supersonic speed when Sorey gets her to hear the seraphim and she thinks she’s hearing ghosts

The whole ‘we’re married’ scene when they get to Rolance, and the whole joke of Sergei continuing to think Rose and Sorey are married

Dezel laughing at Lailah’s lame animal jokes in the background

Dezel not being able to see, but that’s okay… because he can read the wind!

Dezel being the walking encyclopaedia for all animals and plants bc he’s been everywhere

Rose wants to catch a butterfly and sell it for money, but Dezel interjects and tells her it’s a ‘shae monyurose’ moth, so Rose gives up on catching it, saying people don’t pay a lot for moths

Another skit where Sorey and Rose want to catch these rabbits to eat, (they’re cute... AND delicious.) Dezel is horrified and chases them away by shouting really loudly (HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT??!!)

Everyone who plays Zestiria complaining about how Alisha isn’t a permanent team member, then having mixed debates about whether the anime saved or broke the story with Alisha-Armatization

ZAVEID RUNNING DOWN A WALL

“My way is to put the hellions back in hell” Zaveid says while doing the Dio pose

WRYYYYYYY

I love how he just appears out of nowhere and gets him to fight you, multiple times, in both Zestiria AND Berseria

Dezel suggesting they could just fly all the way to the top but Sorey and Mikleo go “But we WANT to see the ruins...!”

In the bad ending Heldalf is just like ‘nothin doing… just standing here…’ when the team goes in and slays him

Heldalf: You want to defeat me, right? But if you do, you can’t get the TRUE ending… bitch

Sorey:

I love how Rose and Alisha are uncommon heroines, using lances and twin blades instead of magic (Mikleo takes that one, hah). 

It’s like the writers of Zestiria were like Hmm. How do we explore the dark elements in this game by showing how people in Age of Chaos possess immense malevolence in their hearts and align it to the main story, and then went, Got it. Assassins. (Story of how Shepherd Sorey went gallivanting around with a princess *cough cough redactedbecauseshedoesn’texistinthegame* and an assassin~~)

Mikleo: Zaveid, there is literally NO REASON for us to fight. At all.

Zaveid: You gotta beat this ass first

And I think that is very sexy of him

Apparently if you take Dezel out of your team during the third fight with Zaveid, he will yell at you

Zaveid, T-posing on the ground: oh don’t mind me, just setting death flags for the only other wind seraph in this game so I can fill the XXX-shaped hole in your team later on in the game. Also here, take my glock

Dezel 🤝Eizen

    being the same person

GIVE ME THE HIDDEN DEZEL AND ZAVEID LORE (but Dezel doesn’t appear in Berseria…)

Rose “I just noticed, whenever Mikleo gets angry, it always has something to do with Sorey” after merchants look at Sorey and think he’s a con artist Shepherd, then in a later skit comments that No, that’s not true Mikleo does get angry even when it doesn’t involve Sorey, then Sorey says, Nah, he’s not angry, just overreacting.

When the plot says Sorey and Mikleo were destined to be the Shepherd and Sub Lord all along :o :v :O

THEY ARE FRIGGIN MARRIED OKAY

BOTH OF THEM. FROM THE SAME VILLAGE. BABIES. RED STRING OF FATE AAAAAA

Sorey and Mikleo in a skit talking about how they’re not really affected by their past bc their real family now is Elysia. It’s a really quiet and sweet moment.

Zaveid in a skit doing flower fortune readings bc he’s worried that the group hates him bc he was all FIGHT ME! before, but Lailah cheers him up with her own flower fortune telling (‘Uh, your origami flower only has... one petal Lailah’) saying Zaveid is their friend AWWWW

GIVE ME THE HIDDEN LAILAH AND ZAVEID LOREEEEEE

gdi I know we see more Pacifist!Zaveid in Berseria but I want a sequel nowwwwww

Sorey and Mikleo having a final conversation under the stars

SOREY FILLS IN MIKLEO ON HIS PLAN breaking the trope of not telling his team that he’s going to save the world by disappearing

One of the main messages Zestiria delivers is how one person shouldn’t take all the burden on themselves and how Sorey learns to rely on other people

Like Lailah staying silent bc of her oath and how that pains her

Like Mikleo... forming a pact with Sorey.....

God I love Zestiria for breaking tropes everywhere

Did I mention how Alisha and Rose have such good platonic relationships with Sorey? Yeah and you can take out the romantic hinting and it is still a good relationship? Without any shoehorning of ‘forced het couple’?

Sorey calling back to the time he had to close his senses to get Alisha to hear Lailah, tying it back into the main plot!!!! :o GALAXY BRAIN

SOREY PUTTING DEZEL’S HAT ON IN THE STARRY SKY CUTSCENE AND ROSE AND ZAVEID TRYING TO TAKE IT BACK

How the hell is Muse alive and not, like, a hag

Love how the final part is Sorey going “I’ll defeat you with the power of friendship!! And this gun I found”

*flashback to AFOvsAll Might* Sorey: You thought it was over with that punch? I have TWO HANDS!!!!

Ok no lie the final fight was epic

THIS... IS MY EVERYTHING!!!!!!

fsdljfnsdkflsfs;fsf look all the seraphim went into the battle not expecting to live and Sorey went in fully expecting to kill his seraphim friends and prepared to KILL

Compared to the start when Sorey was full-out 'don’t kill hellions Zaveid how could you!!!!’, you can see how the darker themes shine here

What I wouldn’t give for a corrupted!Sorey though, I was expecting it bc of clips I saw on Youtube BUT IT NEVER HAPPENED!!! Lowkey sad tho. Would love an arc where Sorey gets overcome by malevolence and becomes, like a jerk, but as like a morally grey character not fully blown evil (like Jerk Rose ig)

The epilogue with everyone!!! The Lord of the Lands (yeah Uno is very pretty)!!! Lucas!!!! Sergei and Alisha!!! The little drawings in the credits detailing Sorey’s journey!!!! Awwww

Overall a happy ending for Sorey and friends which is GREAT

SMOL SOREY AND MIKLEO EXPLORING RUIN TRAPS AT THE END

oh god I swear they are lowkey married they just don’t mention it to anyone look if you go back and play the whole thing with that in mind NOTHING ABOUT THE PLOT CHANGES

Mikleo my friend you have too many cape thingys on your back PLEASE

The callback to Sorey catching Mikleo though is so cute. In the anime we get the callback to “So this is the world!” htgdgmfgmmmmgfg idk the anime is one hole I don’t want to explore rn

sfaljdfsdlf but yeah though the epilogue was nice and clean and up to reader’s imagination, I wished they expanded more on the epilogue (LET US SEE SOREY..... *fighting back tears*), at least THANKS TO THE ANIME we get to see post-Heldalf Alisha and Rose tho hnggggrrgh

*chanting* D-L-C, didn’t know they had a D-L-C

DLC

ROSALI VIBES jkahdfjksdfs give it all to meeeee

Rose and Alisha catfighting sjdnflsjdfadfhgnfghth THIS IS THE ICONIC ROSALI VIBE I SWEAR

Because of this, this DLC is now elevated to god standards

Edna and Lailah casually talking while Rose and Alisha roll in the background LMAOOOO

Rose must be the most unconventional Shepherd ever and that is GREAT

Bruh is Alisha wearing an abbreviated costume of Mikleo’s

Anyway she’s so cute in her DLC outfit!!!

Alisha ditching keigo is so. Very. Cute.

Alisha and Sorey: :) :D :)))

Alisha and Rose: Bitch. }:(  >:V

Love the girl’s party vibe, and how we get cameos of Zaveid and Mikleo (LET US SEE MORE DEVASTATED MIKLEO PLEASE....) along the way

Sadly no more DLC episodes :( wonder why that got axed, bc fans didn’t like it?

Overall I must say the Zestiria cast is awesome, I really like all the characters and how they are fleshed out very neatly with their own quirks and goals. Edna being god tier with her monotone sarcasm (she is QUEEN....), Zaveid being that dumbass that looks like a stripper (HIM.... baby...), Mikleo being ultimate waifu and how his comedic moments shine with Edna and everyone else when he’s being teased, Sorey being so pure and cute when he geeks out with Mikleo and how his character arc is just such a refreshing take on the hero archetype, Dezel with his stoicness Imma Get Revenge but also his cast knowledge and love for animals, Rose for exploring the side of reality in the malevolence in people’s hearts and her :3 smile and her determination to get things done and how she’s so different from Sorey which only brings out her charm, Lailah with her awful puns and eccentricity and quiet compassion. And uh, Alisha for being the bait-and-switch heroine but a decent character with her own personal goals that are separate from the main character. Sergei and Lucas are also very lovable.

As for the setting, Rolance and Hyland as two kingdoms seem a little small scale compared to lets say if they added one more kingdom, but seeing as this is a 2015 game I think the exploration map is pretty good (then I compare to Xenoblade Chronicles which came out in 2010 and just change the subject). Love the outside game mechanics Giant’s Fist, Wind Stepping and Water Shield (when Mikleo protects Sorey with that!!! And Sorey calls him out by saying he’s been practicing it for a long time... And you recall every time Mikleo asks Dezel and the other older seraphim to teach him stuff so he can get stronger to help Sorey and how 99.9% of his character revolves around Sorey). ‘That spinny mist thing sure gets the job done’ haha. 

Anyway, great game and plot, please go check out if you have time, esp rn since animes and other games coming out will be stalled it is a great time to check out older games aaaaaaa

[sailor-cresselia]

Zi-O 48-1: In which I surrender and watch the raw.

So, it’s been a few days, and I know that the subbers have their own lives and whatnot, but… I can’t safely go on tumblr until I see this, because I follow a lot of Rider blogs, and have the Zi-O tag tracked, and i’ve got friends talking about this…

So I’m caving and watching 48 without subs. It’s been a long while since I’ve had to do this!

Enjoy eleven and a half pages of me being a nerd over a children’s tv show, that I can’t even properly understand.

(EDIT: SHIT SORRY I THOUGHT I”D PUT THE READ MORE IN THERE)

–––– ––––

Actually, first, I watched 47 again, to refresh myself, and noticed something. Not only did Tsukasa do the hand pose from the Zi-O promotional material when he transformed, but so did Daiki as Another Zi-O II.

The main difference is that Daiki used his pointer and middle finger – because he’s the second form.

It’s the little touches.

––––

We pick up exactly where we left off last time – with Tsukuyomi, Sougo, Daiki, and Decade finding htemselves surrounded by mooks and monsters from heisei riders past. Mirror monsters, makamou, masquerade dopants, yummys, dustards, ghouls, inves… so Ryuki, Hibiki, Double, OOO, Fourze, Wizard, and Gaim are gone. The meteors, and skywall say that Kabuto and Build are, too. Adding in the roidmudes we saw with Chase, that makes ten out of eighteen watches broken. I say eighteen because we’ve obviously still got Zi-O, and Decade is literally right there, having reclaimed his watch.

We get Tsukasa repeating – or, rahter, we re-see Tsukasa saying that he’s going to destroy the world… Not right at this moment, though. They should get going.

It looks like Daiki takes off in a different direction from the other three.

––––

Amid the scenes of people running, there’s a ganma mook… and Revol, along with people colappsing, static crackling across their bodies. That’s the Ghost and Ex-Aid watches done for, then.

––––

Geiz and Woz run along a rooftop, but immediately become a book image – we’re going pretty much right into the recap. Now, of course, I don’t speak Japanese, but I can get the gist of what he’s saying. Basically, there’s copious fighting, the time-space continuum is falling apart, and the world is ending because of Swartz.

There are two pages left.

Woz is looking off into the middle distance as he says this.

––––

… I don’t think I really expected that they’d update the OP again, this late in the game, but…

That doesn’t change that it kind of hurts to see Heure and Ora still be there.

––––

At 9-to-5, Tsukasa is being interrogated- I mean, is getting everyone onto the same page.

Ehh… let’s see… Basically, he’s saying that more and more of the other Riders are being… I don’t know, more completely erased? Like, the watches held their stories in stasis, like bookmarks, and now that they’re breaking, parts of those stories are escaping out.

Tsukuyomi mentions the wall and the tower – namely, Fuuto Tower, as opposed to Yggdrasil, which kind of bothers me. See, even if this weren’t all one Rider world, Fuuto Tower would have no reason to not exist. It’s just part of the city. Yggdrasil, on the other hand, was built explicitly to deal with the encroaching Helheim Forest and you know what it’s not that big a deal, because the multipleworlds thing bugs me even more than that.

…Although, since they’re apparently sticking with the outdated “every rider is his own world” method, which has basically never been true, with the exception of Decades ARs, I suppose it could make sense to have both towers appear. Fuuto and Zawame are different cities, and most Rider seasons are set in Tokyo. That would account for the Skywall, as well – it’s from a different world. That’s the best way to show ‘things aren’t where they should be’ - to have landmarks from parallel worlds and different cities all appearing in the same place.

Tsukasa explains that Swartz has been using Sougo for his plans since he (Sougo) was a young boy. He pulled him to that ruined future, and gave him the time powers there. Then he set him on the road to gathering the powers of all the Kamen Riders – thus consolidating them into one complete form. Namely, Grand Zi-O.

…Okay, the multiverse thing still doesn’t pan out, here. If they were all in different worlds, then Sougo couldn’t have met them! They specifically said once, during Shinobi, that the Time Mazines can’t go to different timelines – which would presumably include different realities along with it. So, the people that Sougo met couldn’t have been riders anyway, regardless of his interference.

…Wait. Unless Swartz is actually pulling the assorted AR worlds together – by removing the ���original’ or ‘main’ versions of the Riders, he removes the potential for there to be alternate versions of them. So the Shinji who worked at Atashi Journal, the Wataru who was a small child, high schooler Takumi, and so on… none of them can exist, because the Shinji from Ore Journal, the Wataru who was an adult, dry-cleaner Takumi, and so on were never riders.

I mean, I don’t know if that’s where they’re actually going with this, but it’s a good theory, right?

I can still try to make sense of this, right?!

ANYWAY.

Sougo’s despairing over the fact that all of his fights have been playing right into Swartz’s hand, and I think that Woz is trying to reassure him? I’m not sure – I can’t make out any of what he’s saying there.

Geiz asks what they can do now.

“I already told you. I’m going to destroy the world.” Tsukasa sets down the mug he’s been holding this entire time. “This world is already lost. However… there might still be a way to save it.” He looks pointedly at Sougo.

Sougo pauses, and says that he understands, bringing up the ‘choice’ that Swartz told him about.

“Tsukuyomi’s path, Sougo’s path, or the path to Oma Zi-O.”

…Ah, man, I can’t tell what they’re saying now. I’m not sure what Sougo’s implying that he’s planning, but Tsukasa seems at least somewhat satisfied. The fate of the world counts on this.

––––

There’s a breif shot of the watch stand. It’s empty.

––––

Sougo stands in front of the wall of clocks, looking at them. It’s eerily similar to a shot in the opening… hang on.

Okay, no, he’s in a different outfit. In the opening, when Sougo reaches towards the wall of clocks and spins it backwards, he’s in a mint green shirt and tan pants. Here, he’s in dark green with white-and-black pants. But also? He’s just a little bit taller.

In the opening, he’s dwarfed by the wall, with the counters and everything else seeming to be so much larger than they really are. He’s not the one who’s really in control. The situation is so much bigger than he is.

But now? He fits perfectly. He’s coming into his own, both as a rider and as a person. He’s not holding the image of an idea that is so much more than he is anymore.

Sougo smiles as he looks at the assortment of clocks, saying that it’s time to head out. The acoustic guitar version of Over Quartzer starts to play.

Tsukasa – the only other person present – tells him to wait. There’s… he says something about either how there’s a lot of people involved, or there’s a lot of people counting on this, or that are at risk. Maybe he should be the one to carry out this plan-

Sougo cuts him off. It has to be him. He tells Tsukasa to listen. He’s been ready for this since he put on the belt. Or… maybe… he’s always been destined for this moment.

Tsukasa looks… I don’t know what that is. Surprised? A dull form of surprise or shock, that he wasn’t sure if this young man would actually be willing to pull this off?

Sougo does seem to have one small regret though, in that he doesn’t get to tell his uncle. He picks up a note off the counter.

…Junichiro has terrible handwriting. Holy shit. Like, that’s damn near illegible – I’m lucky that it’s just enough that I can tell he signed it, via using the Rider Wiki having his name. Given the preview from the last episode, I’m assuming he went out to the store? Maybe?

––––

In a plaza, Tsukuyomi is attempting to help people escape the assorted mooks, shooting with her Faiz Phone X and instructing them to run. Woz, meanwhile, is sitting and watching, like an absolute tool. She’s pissed at him, and basically yells that he can help out any time now, thanks!

“Okay, okay, fine…” He gives the single most put upon sigh as he transforms into Ginga Finaly.

––––

Geiz is in a construction area, beating mooks off of people with a literal pipe, until Swartz shows up, apparently taunting him.

Cue Revive Fury versus Another Decade.

––––

Junichiro is screaming as he’s being approached by two Waste Yummys and the Bison Yummy.

Oh, judging by the box with the shops logo, he wasn’t out shopping, he was making a delivery.

“LOOK OUT!”

Zi-O blocks the Yummy, shoving them away from his uncle – notably without saying anything else to Junichiro.

Why is that notable?

Because Junichiro’s next line is “…Eh? Sougo-kun?”

Me, crossing my fingers as Zi-O prepares a finisher: please have known all along please have known all along or at least have caught on at some point please

Zi-O, having finished the monsters off with a Time Break – don’t think I didn’t see those little circles flying off of them as they exploded, Toei, I saw those cell medals there – storms up to his uncle. “Uncle, are you an idiot? Why did you go out at a time like this!?”

“Sougo- that was- just now-”

Zi-O drops his transformation… and Tokiwa Sougo bows low to his uncle, apologizing.

“Uncle… I’m sorry. I wanted to tell you… the truth is, I’m a Kamen Rider.” As he straightens back up, the piano version of Toki no Ouja starts to play. Junichiro is speechless as Sougo continues. “It’s a power that I’ve been using to fight, in order to protect everyone.”

Junichiro doesn’t seem to know what to say, just asking if this is how he’s being a king.

Sougo… supposes that’s true. But he has to go, so that he can save everyone. He just wanted to tell his uncle first.

Junichiros response? “I can’t do much, I just fix clocks. But you… You’ve got such a responisibility. Go. Have a safe trip.”

I don’t think Sougo expected him to react this well, he probably expected that his uncle would try to stop him, or protest in some way, at least. But really, clearly Sougo hasn’t been paying attention. Junichiro barely batted an eye at the Imajin asking him to fix the Denliner. This isn’t much of a stretch at all.

“I’m headed out.”

Junichiro kind of looks like he’s about to cry as Sougo runs off – tears of worry and of pride.

Sougo runs down the partly ruined street, as his Time Mazine zooms down in the ship mode.

––––

Sougo is in the cockpit of the Time Mazine, which is barely lit by dark blue light.

“One last trip through time…”

He looks at the display, set for 2068.

“Time-space system, activate!”

Time Mazine!

The machine zooms through the time tunnel, off into the future.

––––

Geiz, in a very ruined stairwell, fights a whole slew of mooks as Another Decade watches. He gets knocked down a few flights, and can’t get back up due to all the mooks who are basically on top of him.

Right up until Decade shows up to knock them away.

I can’t tell what they’re saying, but Geiz sounds really surprised that Decade’s still here.

They start fighting their way back upstairs together.

––––

Woz and Tsukuyomi are fighting against another set of mooks, in the same plaza they were in earlier.

Eventually, Woz calls down a bunch of mini planets to destroy the mooks and a Violence Dopant, because of course Ginga can do that. This might as well happen.

A bat-type Roidmude appears, advancing on Tsukuyomi – before Mashin Chaser flys in from nowhere, tackling it down, and quickly dispatching it with the Spider Viral Core’s Tune attack.

He then immediately falls to his knees, clutching at his head, before dropping his transformation. His hand shakes as he wonders why he just saved a human.

Woz, being far too flippant for my robo-lad’s current existential crisis, hops down from the steps. “It’s quite simple, Chase. According to this book, in the original timeline, you, too, were a Kamen Rider.”

“I’m… a Kamen Rider?” Chase looks at his shaking hands, and we get another flashback. (Toei no don’t break my heart like this…)

––––

Chase, in a warehouse, water pouring from a broken pipe. He holds up a shift bike, determined.

Kamen Rider Chaser stands under the pouring water after his first transformation.

––––

Chase roars in denial, slamming his Break Gunner to activate it.

Break up!

Mashin Chaser yells. He’s a GRIM REAPER, damn you!

(Toei, NO! Don’t break my heart like this!)

He brutally starts attacking Woz.

––––

2068, in front of the statue commemorating the first transformation of Tokiwa Sougo.

…Oh, now that’s interesting. The other times we’ve seen this particular statue, the riders weren’t posting at all – they were just standing, looking somewhat down. Right now, though?

Each and every one of them is doing their post-transformation pose.

Interesting.

So’s Sougo’s comment, which I think is ‘The most important person in the world…’

Sougo’s arrived at a point where there’s a smaller fight between the resistance and Oma Zi-O. It’s not that final stand we saw in the first episode, with the copious time mazines – the battlefield isn’t nearly large enough to be that one. But Geiz and Tsukuyomi are both there, both shooting at Oma Zi-O; her with the Faiz Phone X, and him with a machine gun.

People are being injured/killed left and right. Sougo goes to Tsukuyomi, who’s just been knocked down, asking if she’s alright.

He slips a blank ridewatch into her pocket.

I’m not sure what Geiz is yelling at them, but I’m pretty sure it’s something about ‘if you’re not going to fight, then get out of here!’

Tsukuyomi seems to feel the same, telling him to hurry up and run.

His expression stoic, Sougo tells them that they should hurry and get out. He’ll take care of this.

He pulls out his Ziku Driver, and the Zi-O Ridewatch as Tsukuyomi, Geiz, and the handful of resistance members look on.

“HENSHIN!”

As Kamen Rider Zi-O strides forward to face off against his future self, Geiz and Tsukuyomi are stunned. They know that armor and transformation, even though they’ve not yet met him properly in person.

––––

Oma Zi-O and Kamen Rider Zi-O stand across from each other, in that same valley where they’ve fought twice before. Or, where Sougo’s fought him before, and Oma may or may not have been on the current side yet. Time travel, yanno.

Oma says… er, basically that his younger self has no hope of defeating him.

Sougo… he says that that may be true. That this may really be his future.

Even so… he still has to try.

He pulls out his gun – his gun, not his sword – and fires, charging at Oma.

I’ve said before that Sougo almost never uses the gun form, and it’s true. All of his upgrades exclusively gave him a sword. The gun is only ever used for strategic purposes – Sougo doesn’t usually fight at a distance, he’s much more of a close range combatant. This only serves to make the fact that he pulls it out as the gun form all the more unusual.

Each shot is blocked by little mini forcefields that Oma raises for each individual blast, before Sougo is finally close enough to switch into the sword. Each strike is blocked, before Oma shoves him backward with waves of orange and black energy.

Sougo – still in base form Zi-O – lands, and as he pushes himself up…

“Let’s go.”

He pulls out the Trinity watch.

––––

2019

Geiz Revive Fury and Decade versus mooks and Another Decade.

They’ve made it back out into the open, and quickly dispatch the assorted mooks, leaving the two riders and the single villain.

Swartz… ugh, I can’t make it out, but I think he’s saying something about how they can’t stop him, the world’s already finsihed.

Both Geiz and Tsukasa say that’s not true. There’s something about Tsukuyomi in there – either they’re saying that it’s not Swartz’s world to take, it’s hers… or that they’re choosing her. They’re not choosing this world, they’re choosing Tsukuyomi’s.

Or they’re saying nothing of the sort, because I just can’t pick out enough words that I recognize to be sure at all.

Regardless, Swartz screams in rage, and starts wailing on the both of them, before knocking them both down. Aiming for Geiz, he charges his copy of Tsukasa’s rider kick – card images and all. They’re eerily accurate, too. They’ve got the exact Decade logo on them, but they’re black and dark purple, instead of the lighter magenta that Tsukasa would have.

It doesn’t matter, anyway. As Another Decade passes through the last card-

A yellow beam of light shoots from the sky, and warps Geiz away.

––––

Tune! Chaser Cobra!

It doesn’t matter, anyway. As Mashin Chaser’s whip attack reaches Woz’s location-

A green beam of light shoots from the sky, and warps Woz away.

Growling, he turns to Tsukuyomi.

––––

Trinity time!

Sougo, in the Trinity Cockpit, smiles a little as Geiz and Woz appear. “Oh, good, it worked.”

I don’t think they were sure it would.

Woz, appearing as an overlay on his shoulder, says that they’ve made it to 2068.

Geiz, doing likewise, says something about Oma Zi-O.

Sougo, no overlay in sight, says that in any case, it’s time to fight.

Trinity charges at Oma Zi-O, wielding Zi-O II’s sword.

––––

2019

Kamen Rider Decade dusts off his hands as he stands up. Time for Decade Versus Decade.

Swartz almost laughs at that. You think he’s only got Decade’s powers?

He freezes Tsukasa in time. His own power is even stronger. As he advances on the frozen Tsukasa, he’s frozen, himself.

Kamen Rider Diend strolls up, one hand outstretched. “Oh, you mean the power you gave little ol’ me?”

Decade’s fight music starts to play as Daiki straight up whacks Another Decade with his gun, breaking both magenta men out of their paused states.

As they stand next to each other, Tsukasa has to be rolling his eyes under that helmet. “Took you long enough.”

“Let’s go, Tsukasa.”

Kamen Riders Decade and Diend – Kadoya Tsukasa and Kaitou Daiki – attack Another Decade in unison.

––––

2068

KING GIRI GIRI SLASH!

Trinity slams his slash attack down on Oma, but said overlord just pushes the energy to the side. They rush him, bringing the sword itself down on him, and when he blocks it with his crossed arms, a ring of dustclouds explode around the combatants.

Trinity forces the sword down, before abruptly yanking if off of where he’d been pressing it against Oma, using the loss of that resistance to throw Oma Zi-O off balance, and pointing the tip of the sword at his torso. Under the helmet, Sougo at minimum is grinning.

Trinity Time Break-Burst-Explosion!

A beam of attack power pushes out from the sword, blasting Oma Zi-O back into the cliffside, where he leaves a massive impact crater before falling to the ground.

He asks where his younger self found this sort of power.

Sougo’s answer? It’s not his power. It’s his friends power.

In the cockpit, we see the three standing side by side, their sections of the faceplate behind them, but they aren’t in a circle around the clock, or in divided screens. They’re all on one visual plane.

According to Sougo, and my very limited understanding of what’s being said, because I don’t recognize most of this… there’s more than one path to take. He’s not taking the one that leads to Oma Zi-O. He’s taking the one that he’ll make with his friends.

Oma Zi-O seems to find that interesting, and says that Sougo’s… what, fighting for his friends sake?

And I’m not sure what just happened, but Geiz doesn’t know what Oma’s talking about either, and Woz tells Sougo to be careful…

Right before the Trinity transformation ends, leaving only Sougo standing in front of Oma Zi-O.

Just Sougo, without any armor.

He’s not even wearing his belt.

He also doesn’t look surprised, or concerned. Just angry.

––––

2019

Woz reappears right where he left from, in his civilian attire, and looking confused. Tsukuyomi is nowhere to be seen.

––––

Geiz appears right where he left from, in his civilian attire, and looking both confused and frustrated. Decade and Diend are still fighting Another Decade, and getting kicked around a fair bit, before Swartz scoffs, and says that Tsukuyomi is his to… uh, I think kill is the word here.

He dimension-walls himself out of there, and Geiz curses.

––––

2068

Tokiwa Sougo stands across the field from Oma Zi-O.

“Now what? You’ve sent your friends away, and what for?”

There’s no background music, just the sound of the wind.

Sougo stays calm. “That’s because I’m not here to fight you. But… I’m still going to defeat you.” He starts to walk forward. “Tell me, what is the power of Oma Zi-O?”

Oma Zi-O looks a bit to the side. “It’s the power to destroy space and time.” The orchestral version of Toki no Ouja starts playing. I can’t quite make out the next part of Oma’s answer, unfortunately. Something about Swartz’s granting him time powers, and his own powers over space, and those combining. I think.

Sougo responds that the two of them – himself and Oma – aren’t the same.

Oma… agrees. I think, and says that he looks forward to seeing the world Sougo will make, before sending him back in time.

A muscle twitched in Sougo’s otherwise expressionless face – the ghost of a smirk trying to make it’s way through.

Oma Zi-O looks up, a note of resignation in his voice. “That’s it, then.” He makes a small noise, almost like a laugh… and says something about… I think it’s that ‘this is what he can do to help.’

He raises one hand to the sky, firing motes of golden light out.

––––

As the other members of the resistance continue retreating, Geiz and Tsukuyomi stop. I’m not sure what they’re saying, but it’s something about how that guy was strange, that he must have had some sort of plan.

Motes of golden light pass over them, and a pink light comes from Tsukuyomi’s pocket, seeming to shock her physically to make sure she notices.

The ridewatch Sougo had slipped her glows white, but quickly fades… and it’s still blank.

… the one that kept making its way to Sougo in episode one stayed blank for a long time, too, right up until he showed the resolve to fight.

––––

2019

Tsukuyomi reaches a different plaza, still running from Mashin Chaser. She begs him to stop, she knows he has a human heart!

He just yells that he doesn’t have a heart, he’s a Roidmude- but he freezes up. He can’t move. It’s not the time powers in action – it’s that he’s seized up. Like one part of his programming is stopping him from moving, from lowering his arm and pressing the trigger. There’s a very deliberate shot of his hand holding the break gunner, finger raised.

Swartz – as Another Decade – comes up. “That’s enough. She’s mine… Finally, little sister…” He goes to attack her, but-

Chase stops him, rushing up and grabbing his arm, shoving him back. He may not be human, may not have a human heart, but. But the human heart is the most beautiful thing there is!

He goes on the offensive – against Swartz.

But Chase tends to get sloppy when he fights with his emotions running high. It’s simple enough for Swartz to redirect his straight charge with a pair of dimension walls, placing Chase behind him and charge-kicking the Roidmude in the back, sending him staggering. I can’t tell what Swartz says, but it’s definitely an insult to Chase – as a Kamen Rider.

Chase staggers backward, his transformation breaking. He starts to fall to the ground, but Geiz catches him…

(Toei… no…  don’t… don’t break my heart like this…)

Purple arcs of electricity cross Chase’s body as Geiz holds him.

“You… were right. I really am… a Kamen Rider…”

Geiz’s face is partly hidden in his collar. “You’re more than that – you’re a friend.”

Geiz – who only met Chase today, who probably only knew him as a hero from what Gou may or may not have said during Over Quartzer, and from his actions right now – is telling Chase that they’re friends.

“That’s… nice. That even now… I’ve made another human friend…”

(Toei. No. Don’t. Don’t break my heart like this.)

Chase glows a light purple, and dissolves into motes of purple light, leaving his core floating, before it, too, dissolves.

(I, a Drive fangirl, and particularly a Chase fangirl, am going to have to bury my face in a pillow when I’m done here.)

Geiz can’t talk. He’s too stunned by what just happened – he’s trying not to cry, I think.

Swartz advances on Tsukuyomi. Now that that little distraction’s over with, it’s time for her to die.

She backs up, terrified. Time feels like it slows down. Not, like, the type in this show where it actually does, just the muted, echoing effect of a single moment.

“TSUKUYOMI!” Sougo runs towards the scene. “THE WATCH!”

“Eh?”

“THE ONE I GAVE YOU!”

Confused, she reaches into her pocket, and pulls out a blank ridewatch – that very shortly isn’t blank anymore.

It’s white, with a mask, and the year ‘2068’ written on it.

Woz comes in from the other side, still at a distance. “Go! Tsukuyomi!” He throws her something.

Tsukuyomi catches a Ziku Driver.

Sougo nods, certain. Geiz looks confused as all get out. Woz looks like he’s hoping this will actually work.

She puts on the belt, and raises the watch, turning it.

“Tsukuyomi!”

Techno standby music plays as she places the watch in the driver, and spins it.

“Henshin!”

A gorgeous transformation sequence later…

Clad in a black undersuit, with white armor and gold accents, with a cresent moon-shaped visor, and a gold-trimmed cape and side-skirt…

Kamen Rider Tsukuyomi makes her appearance.

––––

The closing screen is Geiz Revive at the bottom, Trinity at the top…

And Tsukuyomi in the center.

––––

The preview for the final episode… and it’s a battle theme playing, not Over Quartzer.

Grand Zi-O versus Another Decade.

A brief flash of Kamen Rider Tsukuyomi.

A splitscreen shot. Kamen Riders Grand Zi-O, Double CycloneJokerXtreme, Wizard Infinity Form, OOO Tajador, and Gaim Pineapple Arms are on the top.

On the bottom… okay, so, I have no idea who most of these villains are. There’s Gamedeus in the center, and Evolt to the far end, but the others? Not a clue.

Over top of that, and the two groups starting to fight, we hear Sougo practically growling, saying ‘I have the power of all the Riders.’

Flashes of Tsukuyomi and Woz, as themselves, looking concerned. At this point, they add in a subtitle disclaimer saying that Zi-O is fiction. (Thank you, Google translate for my phone, which allows me to hold it up to a screen and get an idea of what’s written.)

A quick shot of Oma Zi-O on his throne, his face obscured – and text implying that we’re going to get to see his face!

Someone – either Oma Zi-O or Swartz, because they sound really similar when Swartz is Another Decade – saying something about… I don’t know, that this is his battle? I think?

But that’s played over the previous two sequences, and a sequence of Sougo, openly weeping, holding a very injured Geiz, who’s going limp.

Then, Sougo standing, furious… and then him activating the belt that Oma Zi-O wears.

In a defeated voice, “I’ll become Oma Zi-O…” and then, in that same growl as earlier, “HENSHIN.”

The final shots are two angles of Oma Zi-O. In armor. And in the present day.

–––– ––––

(deep inhale)

(sharp exhale)

AAAAAAAAAAAAA!

[umbrahighpriestofgiratina]

Rude Awakening Chapter 3

Against my better judgement, this chapter involves a musical number.

Chapter 3: Meet and Greet On the outskirts of Yilissitol, the four disguised Legendaries followed the four members of the Shepherds they had met into a decently sized set of barracks. ~So, there are more of them than these four?~ said Dialga. ~A bunch, and we still have to make sure we make a good impression on them too before we're fully clear,~ said Palkia. ~I promise Wuzzles won't eat anyone now he's gotten his snack,~ said Giratina. The bear in question roared. Hoopa winced and edged backwards, almost colliding with Lissa. ~I'd still keep a tight leash on that thing.~ Thankfully, Wuzzles was stowed away in a stable before the four of them were led inside; upon reaching the interior they discovered they indeed had an ensemble before them. People of various shapes and sizes, all performing various tasks like polishing weapons and armor and sorting spellbooks, not in immediate rush for war, but constant readiness for trouble. Palkia was barely able to contain another fangirl squeal until she unleashed it upon her companions telepathically, much to their annoyance. ~Aaaaaaaa! They're all here! Well, most of them - a few don't show up until later, but still, this is so exciting!~ ~So do we introduce ourselves or wha-~ Hoopa started to say. ~I've got that,~ said Palkia. ~Kinda.~ She scooched over to Robin and tapped him on the shoulder. "Er, your name is Robin, yes?" Robin turned to her and nodded. "Yes it is!" "Um, could you introduce us to everybody? There's a lot." "Hmmm... Alright. But Chrom should probably start that off." Chrom nodded and turned to the busy Shepherds. "Everybody! We have some new recruits!" The others all raised their heads and looked toward Chrom as he gestured to the disguised Legendaries in turn. "These are Quentin, Valentia, Howard, and Bartimaeus of Cincinnati! They're looking forward to meeting you all!" The other Shepherds stared and muttered amidst each other quizzically. ~I don't believe they like us...~ said Dialga. ~We oughta fix that,~ said Giratina. ~Easy guys, we haven't made the rounds yet...~ said Palkia. The four were led over by Chrom over to a woman in a witch-like outfit. "This here is Miriel, one of our mages..." Miriel gazed the new arrivals up and down analytically. "You Cincinnatians will be useful for cultural research at the very least..." They moved over to what appeared to be a demure blonde woman in priestess gear. "And this is Libra, another healer..." Giratina wiggled his eyebrows. "Hey gorgeo-" "I'm a man," said Libra, immediately cutting Giratina off. "Oh," said Giratina. ~Right.~ He looked at Libra from another angle. "...Still pretty ho-" "Gi- Er, Howard, what did I tell you?" said Palkia. Giratina immediately fell silent. Libra simply raised an eyebrow in response. Awkwardly, Chrom shuffled over to a teenage boy in villager clothes and a pot on his head. "Er, and this is Donnel!" Donnel looked at the group nervously. "My folks always warned me about strange people like these..." Palkia smiled. "Don't worry, Donnel! You've got nothing to fea-" She noticed a presence approaching her. "Bonjour, madamosel-" Without another word she backhanded the offending blue-haired man in aristocratic clothing, knocking him to the floor. Chrom frowned. "Virion, what did I tell you?" Virion groaned. "In my defense... I did not expect her to react so strongly..." Robin, having been watching the whole affair nervously, finally chipped in. "Er, that's Virion, our main archer. He's... working on his manners." ~I always liked that guy's style,~ said Giratina. ~That's because you're not too far off.~ said Palkia. ~Hopefully my species won't attract much undue attention,~ said Dialga. He then realized he was being closely scrutinized by a female of what appeared to be the same lapine kind of person he was. ~...And you know what they say about tempting fate.~ "Who are you?" the vaguely rabbit-like woman asked him. "How are you even here?" "Oh, that's Panne," said Robin. "You'd think she'd be more pleased to see you, her species is... nearly extinct... "Almost completely extinct, save for me. And I'm not sure to get my hopes up convincing myself this... Quentin is truly another survivor." "It's a long story; fittingly it also involves temporal shenanigans," said Dialga. Panne's nose twitched. "I have sharp ears, like yours. I still know the voice of someone who's bending the truth." "Um..." said Robin. "Alright, alright! We'll do the rest of the introductions later! Let's get you all to your rooms, Chrom, Lissa, Frederick, you take Quentin, Howard and Bartimaeus, respectively, I'll take Valentina, keep an an eye on them..." Frederick and Lissa grumbled and Chrom looked between everyone with concern as the disguised Legendaries were led off; however, once everyone else was out of eyeshot Giratina opened a pocket dimension, jumped inside, closed it, then created another opening he pulled Hoopa into before closing it again. <Hey!> said Hoopa after he and Giratina had re-attained their natural forms. <What are you doing?!> Giratina shook his head. <Face it Hoops, these guys don't like us. Not even the guys we impressed with sis' plan are Pecha-y with us anymore. We gotta show 'em our stuff again.> Hoopa put his mitt-hands on his hips. <Well why'd you bring just me along for that?> <First. You're the only one who never pissed anyone off, dude.> Hoopa blinked and grinned. <...Wait, really? For that long? That's a new record!> Giratina nodded. <Second. You got a ukulele in your Stash?> Hoopa nodded back. <Several. Why?> Giratina smirked. <My plan involves getting musical. Among other things.> Hoopa grimaced. <Please tell me the whole thing so I know it isn't more Bunnelby-brained than that Panne lady.> ----------- Palkia followed Robin into the deeper parts of the barracks. It's just a setback, she thought. We'll win them over eventually, just... Suddenly, not looking where she was going, she tripped and gave a yell as she landed on her back. Feeling something digging into her leg, she looked and saw it had been entangled in rusty chains. And that was when memories of what had been the root reason for this "vacation" rushed to her mind. ------------ The Red Chain. It bound them both, digging into their otherwise sturdy bodies with crimson links all over, each crimson link resembling the wheel on Arceus' back, the spines delving into their skin, causing immense agony. She wanted to reach out to Dialga, help him, but her will was not her own. She, the deity of space, was bound by these puppet string chains to the mortal human man standing before her, as was her brother. Helpless, she watched as the man started to use their power to create a new universe, one built in his image, to his whims. She tried to roar in agony, but her actions, and Dialga's, were not her own. It was over. Untill a shadow pooled and someone familiar lunged from it. <D I R T Y S I B L I N G T O R T U R E R> ----- Palkia screamed, and desperately tried to shake the chains off. "Valentia!" said Robin. "Here, I'll get those off!" He quickly untangled her leg from the chains, Palkia immediately getting to her feet and shuddering. "Th-Thank you... It's just that..." Robin frowned. "Were you someone's slave? A prisoner? What happened?" Palkia paused a long while before replying. "I... I was enslaved by someone, yes... As was Quentin... Howard saved us..." Robin rubbed his chin. "No wonder you all have been acting fidgety..." He gave her a reassuring smile. "Well, please, don't worry. You'll be safe with us. I certainly have been, as have many others." Palkia paused again, then nodded. "Thank you..." Robin started heading off to get her to a room. Palkia gazed not with fangirlish glee but more subdued respect after. He really is a good person to his good troops... Not just that, a friend... When she attempted to follow, however, the both of them heard raucous cheering from the mess hall. -------- The Sheperds had gathered here to get ready for dinner. "Will those new guys be showing up?" said Donnel. "I certainly hope not, " said Miriel. "They don't seem too astute." "Perhaps we can get Kellam to-" Virion started to say. He looked around. "Where is he any-" He did a double take and sighed. "He's right behind me, I bet." "Actually," said Libra, "he's atop your shoulders." Virion immediately noticed a thickly built, sturdily armored man right there and collapsed from the weight. "Sorry," said Kellam, "Those new guys had me jumpy." "You're forgiven," said Virion with a groan. "Say, ain't that two of them over there?" said Donnel. Everyone looked to see a human Giratina sitting at the head of the table with a ukelele and wearing a sombrero, a human Hoopa and Wuzzles the bear on either side of him. "Hello, ladies and gents! Howard, Bartimaeus, and Wuzzles here, with a song and one hell of a treat!" Giratina started playing the ukelele with surprising proficiency. So one day I felt my job was a bore, And headed to the messed-up land of Orre, The populace was in absolute despair, I had to help or risk being square "We need food!" they all haplessly cried, So I was then a total bro and complied I whipped them all up one hell of a dish, One sure to more than grant such a wish They loved them and called them food of the gods I decided to call them burritos just 'cause. "Sir, in order to back up your claims you ought to show us these "burritos" yourself," said Miriel. "Just a minute, lady!" said Hoopa. "Several orders, coming right up!" He pulled out some ingredients from one of his hoops that Giratina started preparing while continuing the song. First the tortilla, soft and tender and flat Your stale crunchy loaves just can't top that Get some rice, stuff it together nice and tight Then you pile it with beans and meats just right Stuff it with corn, stuff it with cheese, Stuff it with anything you damn well please, Wrap it all together, and day or night You'll find that this little bundle's a delight. Giratina made several burritos and handed them out with Hoopa and Wuzzles' help to the Sheperds, who took large bites out of the ones they received. "Hmm... This is actually quite appetizing." said Libra. "Golly, this almost beats my ma's cooking!" said Donnel. "This is a meal I can notice!" said Kellam. "This burrito is magnifique!" said Virion. "Preach it, Kalosian dude! You all rock!" said Giratina. Virion blinked. "Kalosian?" He is ignored as Giratina was raised on a platform with lights, strumming his ukelele like an electric guitar with Hoopa and Wuzzles in burrito suits as backup dancers. Burritos can cure any disease, And smite evil with the greatest of ease! Your old medieval delicacies are so yesterday, Especially if you've got guacamol-ay! So go ahead and take a seat-o And enjoy your delicious, nutritious burrito! The Sheperds cheered as Hoopa and Wuzzles passed them all an extra round of burritos; soon after, Robin, Palkia, Dialga, Chrom, Fredrick, and Lissa rushed in on the scene. "What in the name of the gods...?" said Fredrick. "I'm not sure if this is a better or worse mess!" said Lissa. "Everyone seems happy at least..." said Chrom. Two people emerged from the crowd holding burritos, a short, crimson-haired woman in similarly red armor, and a taller, green-haired young man in matching green armor. "These burritos are gonna be great for meals!" said the green-haired man. "I wonder if these Cincinnatians know any other recipes..." "We do," said Dialga flatly. "Then you guys are keepers!" said the crimson-haired woman. Chrom turned to Dialga and Palkia, shrugged, and smiled sheepishly. "Well then. Welcome aboard for real." Robin smiled reassuringly and extended a hand toward Palkia. "Glad to have you." Palkia smiled back and shook Robin's hand... ...Only to feel a distinct, disturbing feeling of corruption seep up her arm. She resisted the urge to shudder and broke the handshake with Robin as naturally as she could, double-checking to see- yes, it was that hand. She shook her head, gave a nervous smile, and looked on at the proceedings. She'd played this game. Literally. She knew the Sheperds - especially Robin, he was strong - would clean up that particular problem by themselves. ***