Umano Underground Slums

The battle at Tokyo tower had dissipated. Okuri was left remarkably confused as to what all had happened. Haruka seemed seriously distraught but wouldn't speak to him. Before he could press the man for any information Sera approached and actually picked Okuri up out of Haruka's arms and began walking away with him. The transition hurt but the moving and breathing in general hurt.

"Sera what are you-" he started as Sera began his way from the scene. As Haruka shrunk in Okuri's view a man approached and appeared to be attacking him. Okuri tried to struggle out of Sera's grip to go help but everything hurt too much to try that. And the boy's grip was much too strong. So the spirit submitted. Admittedly he was impressed Sera could lift him let alone carry him but it didn't seem to be much trouble for him. It was embarrassing that a human could hold him like this but he wasn't exactly in a position to walk himself. He simply surveyed the battlefield as Sera moved through it.

The trip had passed mostly in silence as Okuri thought mostly of the memory that had come to mind while he had been on the verge of death. He was also concerned for Haruka's well being. As they reached the edge of the slums his need to know could no longer be put off.

"Sera what happened out there? Is everyone alright?" he managed to say. Speaking and breathing were still hurting his chest for the movements they caused. This didn't feel like it was going away anytime soon. Chronojet wasn't here to magically fix him up this time around.

"Huh? What the, Darren? What the hell happened?" Noel saw Darren yelling in pain from falling down off a window? This guy tried escaping. "You know it be easier if you would stay put right?" She walked up to him as he attempted to recover from his fall.

This was her chance to find out what happened, it still is a real shame that she couldn't partake in the recent battle. "So mind filling me in on what happened? I also noticed something... a few aren't back here yet..."

Darren winced as he was holding his chest. He heard Noel and smiled as he waved to her. When she arrived to him, he frowned a bit at her question. Oh, that... a lot happened actually..." He took a breath as he knew he had a lot to say. "Tomato Head sent a huge wave of her guys to fight us at the tower. Yuki... Yukino was there too. She was remade by that Tomato with tits to be our enemy. She can also bring back the Reapers we already beat, but they went down again pretty easily... That time guy Chronos appeared as well but he was going to... I guess mess with time so his Gear Chronicles could be on top... Another thing... Yukino wasn't the only one that came back. Tsubasa was there too. Again, on Tomato Head's side. I did all I could but... I think most of the people who didn't come back by now... probably won't be... I'm sorry...

He spoke as if he were blaming himself. He chose to use an unpracticed power and as a result he did almost nothing in terms of turning the outcome. Humanity fought well against tough odds, but he didn't have much, if any, part in that. For all he was, he went down so many times. It was like he got weaker than he was before.

After explaining, Darren's eyes widened as he felt a surge of energy, familiar energy at that. He gave a small sigh and stood up. "No rest for the fighters, it seems," He raised his hand as he knew that he didn't have much energy at his disposal. Fighting right now was probably the last thing he should do unless he could get a boost of energy. He would need to think of something for that when he arrived at his destination.

He was about to summon a unit, but he then lowered his hand. Walking would conserve his strength and that would give him a change to regain his power. He nodded and said, "Feels to me like something's happening again already. I'm gonna head there, Noel." He didn't know if she would join as well or not, all the more reason to fight his hardest. He ran off, going in the direction of the energy. In this case, the park.

Darren got Noel up to speed with what had happened. Unfortunately it wasn't good news. Yukino was with the Reapers, so was... Tsubasa. That can't be... just as if things couldn't get any worse too! Noel thought, that bit of news was very concerning. Fighting meant a guaranteed fight with their leader and with one of her good friends. The resurrection of previously defeated Reapers was concerning as well but the fact that they were taken out rather easily didn't make it that big of a problem. That just means the Resistance can take them out without using too much of their strength. And then there was that fact that others weren't going to come back. If they didn't come back... then that means... Noel didn't want to think of that possibility but if things were as bad as it seemed... No, I'm sure they are alive and just went their separate ways for recovery...

The Kusanagi did her best to remain calm and not panic. As a Beacon of Light, showing signs of weakness could drop the morale of those who see her in high regard. That was when Darren suddenly got up and began to leave. "Oh hell no you won't. I'm not gonna be left behind! I'm at full strength so you guys are going to need me if something else is going down!" Noel responded to Darren's departure. She wasn't going to be put in the sidelines, her power is needed and is itching to beat down on the Reapers. Their time harassing the world needs to end and is why she followed Darren to what seemed like the direction to the park.

Darren returned to Umano. He had a small smile to his face to see there was another powerful ally assisting them. He needed to be prepared so he wasn't left behind by the strong fighters that were surfacing. He still felt like Noel was stronger than he was and she hadn't gotten to fight these battles yet. She had missed the battle against the hoard of Reapers and Karin's time ran out before having a chance to fight Noel. He had fought in both battles and, while he did better than most could, he was short of victory. He couldn't keep doing that and asking others to finish what he started.

He walked into an empty, one story building in the underground, just short of the HQ. He closed his eyes and said, "Guess this is as good a place as any. What do we need?"

"Wouldn't it be easier to do this at your home, the home you haven't been to in months?"

"With all the fighting happening, I can't go there until its done. Imagine if a battle spilled to that place. My aunt and her home could be destroyed."

"Point taken, but you should at least check in with the people there."

"My family is always busy working or socializing. They don't have time for much else. That's why no one's come looking for me all this time."

Both the Robos remained silent for a moment. There wasn't much place for argument since no one really had been looking for him outside of his family since the Reverse incident and up to now. Then again, he had been reported in Vanguard tournaments and as a member of the Resistance. His acts may have even been televised. Most parents or guardians would try to put a stop to such reckless acts to protect the children they care for, but that had not yet happened.

"Fine, we'll get started here. This can be a place where we'll develop something involving your powers, even give you a recharging area. Star Gate technology at its finest."

"We don't have much time, so let's hurry."

With the combined efforts of all the Dimensional Robos, it wasn't long before the building was fixed up from the inside and looking like a futuristic base of sorts. Darren gave a small whistle of amazement at the scene and said, "This place looks awesome! No time for a tour though..."

He stepped into a stasis pod and it closed automatically. He closed his eyes as the pod as well as his body began to glow. It was recharging his energy and stamina.

Sera held the body of Okuri still in his arms, trying his best to keep his movements still and lacking in any raggedness. Both vessels are very damaged, so the less jostling the better. They needed beds to rest, food to restore themselves. Necessities, but they didn't exactly have a lot of that at the base itself. Stores were still open, but only for a bit longer. Regardless, the Commander's Other Half carefully kept the pup in his arms, hearing him speak briefly. This extinguished Sera's original caution, causing him to briefly stop in his tracks. The blood dried at the corner of his lips made his words feel awkward to speak.

"Alright...?"

Sera blinked, finally glancing down to Okuri. His face remained robotically stoic, perhaps as his own way of coping with the madness. The toxicity of the situation. So many people were lost.

"Haruka's aces were lost as casualties. Thavas and Lambros were deleted after he made a slight lead on Nemesis... she came back."

Sera hesitated for a good few moments, walking forward with Okuri, holding onto the other big loss. Perhaps one of the biggest losses yet, aside from Yukino and Jessie and the rest of the heads taking lead of the army. He sat against a brick wall, leaning himself down next to it. They made it to a barracks.

"We uhm... Well, we also lost B-ba..."

Sera coughed, first on blood upcoming, then a little on his own saliva as he couldn't bring himself to tell Okuri that we not only lost Jessie, one of his best friends, but now that man's brother too. How do you say something like that to somebody?

"Bashiro was, deleted. By Nemesis. By... Yukino. Or at least, under her orders and what everyone believes to be her. Who we were told, is her... anyways."

Sera bit his lip, running his fingers through Okuri's fur without looking back down. He knew that looking at him right now with this kind of news was like the tolling of a bell that won't stop ringing, an eternal spiral of hell that one cannot help but simply fall farther down.

The news of Haruka's main units being lost was shocking. It explained to Okuri a lot of what he had seen upon regaining consciousness. Haruka had lost Thavas and Lambros and the spirit knew he'd had a close bond with the two soldiers of Aqua Force. The man himself hadn't perished though which raised questions as to how Haruka had survived against Nemesis. Perhaps the legion had guarded him from the danger. It seemed like Sera had more to say but he didn't for a while. Okuri was eager for details and tried to prompt him for more. Eventually they came close to one of the barracks and Sera sat down setting Okuri at his side. Everything hurt again as Okuri attempted to find something of a comfortable position to lie down in here.

Sera's silence was finally broken. They had lost others, of course they had. A b, then a b-a. Okuri was registering the name he thought he was attempting to pronounce but every bit of his brain fought the possibility. The rest of the name was interrupted as Sera coughed, it seemed he'd been similarly battered in the battles at the tower. Eventually the fateful words came from his mouth: Bashiro was deleted. The rest of what he said about the Reapers' shell of Hikari never registered as his mind fixated on those three words.

"No..." he started his eyes widened and staring off in the distance at nothing. The whole of Okuri's face seemed to be on the verge of spasming as various twitches showed across his nose and eyes. Bashiro of all people couldn't have been deleted. He was too strong for that to happen. He had to be.

"You're lying..." he said weakly in response not entirely convincing himself. Tears flowed freely now down his face, no matter what he tried he couldn't deny the truth. Flashes of friends across time came to mind. And now those he had met in the Resistance were going the same way. No matter what he did he outlived them all.

"Bashiro can't be-!" he growled out. There was an anger present now. Why he didn't know. Bashiro had told him he couldn't promise anything about surviving the fight but Okuri hadn't ever dreamed he'd fall in the next battle. And suddenly there was the face of the god of the sun in his mind speaking to him his twisted philosophy. "Bashiro has been saved." it seemed to say to him.

"Shut up!" he yelled out loud at the thought of Solis not that Sera could have possibly known. The spirit got to his feet and a surge of pain shot through his body. Everything telling him to stop. And yet his mind knew he had to go back. Bashiro was still alive people just hadn't checked thoroughly. The Brawler was regularly tossed into buildings, perhaps amidst the debris. He stepped forward slipping away from Sera's touch and made it only a few steps before collapsing face first into the ground again. Dirt now mixed with the tears still flowing. Baring his fangs he stood again only fall back to the earth but a moment after. All he could do was scrape at the dirt demanding his tired and battered body to stand but it refused to do so. There were facts he had to face.

The anger and frustration and grief all mingled, the pain of Jessie's and other friend's deaths all revisited for this most recent loss. Okuri let out something of a howl but it was almost a roar. It was overflowing with anguish and sadness, the whole of Umano would hear it. But no matter what noises he made, what thoughts he had, what words he said, he had to simply accept the truth. Lying on his side now mostly unable to move the spirit alternated between howling and attempting to breathe through the crying and sobbing that had taken over. When would this suffering end?

Arriving near the entrance of the slums, Carlos was nearly knocked down from his bicycle by a sudden roar that seemed to come from within the slums. "Woah, are they partying with lions now?" He though, still feeling happy from the recent victory over the Reapers in the form of a newly reformed Karin. Parking in a safe spot, the young man rushed inside.

Passing through a lot of soldiers and members of the Resistance, Carlos found himself lost as he couldn't recognize a familiar face. After wandering for what seemed to be hours, the prayers of the cardfighter seemed to have been heard when he found in the distance two old friends - Sera and Okuri. "Hey! Sera! Okuri!" He started approaching them. "Long time no see! I'm glad to see you're ok!".

"Huh..." However, he noticed something in the air. Something sad. "Hey, Okuri. Where's Bashiro?" He asked the spirit, unable to look at his face. "I haven't seen him in a long time. It feels like years, you know?" He added jokingly, unaware of the current situation. "I have some kind of plan to fight the remaining Drones and I would like you two to join. You can join too, Sera".

The pod slowly opened as Darren was restored to his normal energy levels.

His feet steps away from the rejuvenation machine, one and then the other. He felt much better now, like he could fight 20 Reapers on his own. Hopefully he wouldn't need to anytime soon. When he exited, there was what looked to be a Reality Bangle of his own on a table not far from him. He wondered where it came from. Daiyusha would be the one to give an answer.

"We analyzed your body and energy while you were asleep. We believe this should act as a way to inhibit your energy so you only release as much as you need. If we are correct, you won't burn yourself out as quickly anymore."

Darren picked up the Bangle and looked at it. "You said on the way here that there was no time to make a Training area like the one in Umano or at Cero's place. Guess this is the best we can do on short notice... but does it have to be so... noticeable?"

"Sorry, didn't realize accessorizing was your thing," Daikaiser chimed in. "It makes the most sense to model it like the Reality Bangles everyone uses. Its like their symbol of unity. You might as well be a part of the group."

"I still can't help but wonder..." Darren muttered. Even with what Solis said, he still wasn't convinced. After all, he got stabbed hours ago clear through his chest and he was moving around normally and full of energy now. Even if his heart was human, his body and powers were still... different.

"Can't worry about it though. Better check on everyone at the base." That was what he said before he went to HQ. He made sure the place he made wasn't far away so that if something happened, he would be ready. As he walked in, the first thing he heard was someone mentioning a plan to fight Drones. That was suicide if he ever heard it. He fought Solis and couldn't win, even with his strength. Taking on him as well as the others in a raid would never work. Even Darren didn't dare attempt it, even if in his mind he had the best chance of taking down at least some of them.

Something interrupted Okuri's self-loathing. It was the sound of a familiar voice. And who else but Carlos? This might have been a happy meeting under better circumstances. But Carlos asked what was to Okuri a very piercing question. "Where's Bashiro?" came the innocent query. And yet to the spirit it was a dramatic crossroads. Replying to this question forced a decision from him. Did he accept Sera's word as truth or not? In reality there wasn't much of a debate to be had. Sera had no reason to lie to him and had Bashiro survived the fight there'd be a band of men from the slums surrounding him right now.

With an audible growl Okuri forced himself onto his feet to face his friend. The anger was what still dominated his thoughts and feelings. He was angry with so many things. "He's dead Carlos!" he yelled. As it was that was incredibly painful but he didn't care. However his legs did and he once again collapsed to the earth. His face was wet with his own tears and dirtied by the ground and it would only get worse now as he finally accepted what he'd been told.

"Deleted, just like you'll all be soon enough!" he continued yelling despite the stabbing pain in his chest from the two kicks. With how things were going he would probably outlive Carlos too and have to mourn his loss. But he'd had enough of that. He couldn't stand to mourn another person. It had to be his turn to die now surely.

"Just leave already! Run away! Live for as long as you can! Forget about all this!" he barked out clearly not holding it together very well. "Just go..." he finished pathetically as he turned his gaze to the dirt in front of him. How long was it til Carlos died, or Sera or Haruka? Again the face of the sun god was there reminding him it would be their salvation. He couldn't accept it no matter how much the thought repeated itself. As his body wasn't allowing him to walk he determined to drag himself across the dirt in a sort of crawl as if trying to leave Sera and Carlos though he wasn't getting anywhere fast.

Darren clenched his fist as he heard the pathetic display. It was true that many people were dying, but was that a reason to give up? No, to Darren himself, it was a reason to fight harder, to get stronger. He closed his eyes and called out, Do what you want! Run for all its worth! While you hide away, I'll keep fighting!" He took a breath before beginning to walk away with that. Any more and his eyes might flash. He didn't want that happening on its own. Then again, it didn't already. Maybe the inhibitor really did work.

"He's dead Carlos!".

... And that's the end of the happy mood. For every victory, there is a need of thousand tragedies to compensate. It's an empirical truth. An universal rule. A really bad karma. Bashiro, probably the toughest guy Carlos had the pleasure and the privilege to meet, was dead. Hikari, Jessie, Chronos... Now Bashiro. It was simply unbelievable and, at the same time, believable. The reality of the war against creatures from a children card game made you believe crazy stuff.

"Wha-" Carlos tried to ask, but the sudden outburst of his friend kept him from finishing his question. Okuri was really close with both Jessie and Bashiro, so it was logical that his reaction would be that violent. It was a good thing that the spirit was apparently injured. Carlos knew that he couldn't resist a full-force attack from him, even though he managed to tackle him and hold him long enough before in different circumstances.

Having expelled all the fury inside him, the weak spirit began to slowly crawl away from Sera and him. "Okuri..." He tried to reach him. The message was loud and clear - Run away from all this, you'll die either way. Carlos... Was considering it. He has a family he loves - A lovely and caring mother, an annoying but supporting older brother and a little sister with a whole life ahead. If this was the end of the world, he would rather spend time with them than fighting with a bunch of strangers. But someone called out that way of thinking.

"While you hide away, I'll keep fighting!".

"... What the hell am I thinking? What kind of coward am I!? That guy, whoever the hell he is, is right! How many times do I have to think about abandoning this fight before I grow a pair of-" He thought. Carlos approached the still crawling Okuri and sat right at his side. "Hey... Wanna talk?".

Darren had apparently been nearby and the idea of running had irritated him greatly. Okuri wasn't intending to run from the battle himself. Yet he wanted those he cared for to run. For them to stay alive as long as possible. He just didn't want to outlive anyone else. If the others had Darren's mindset that clearly wasn't going to be happening. And he knew they would. No one was going to run at this point. They'd rather die fighting than simply let everything end.

Carlos approached him and sat down asking if he wanted to talk. Okuri gave up trying to move away at that point. "No I don't." he replied but it was clear that wasn't entirely true as that wasn't the end of it. "I don't want to outlive another friend." he said clearly referencing his earlier message to run. "It'd have been easier if I'd just watched like I always had." he continued with a sort of chuckle, as if he were mocking himself for his decisions. "I should have known this was all coming." he finished with a forlorn expression settling onto his face.

Darren took a breath as he decided he should use this time to train. The only way to help everyone was to learn the full extent of his abilities and his units. He closed his eyes for a moment. The last time this was the case, he went to Yukino. That wasn't an option now. He was basically training to fight her. Thinking about it, outside of a few people, there wasn't many people he could train or interact with. It was a lonely thought, but he couldn't worry about it.

He went into the training room. It had recorded simulations of fighters that used it. He set up a program and began to fight, taking on one challenger after another randomized as he pushed himself as far as he could this way.

Carlos heard all Okuri needed to say before trying to say anything. He couldn't help but feel bad about the weakened spirit - Having a long lifespan (Or no lifespan at all) allowed him to see all the friends he made in his life die before him, be it for natural causes or not. That must've been something difficult to handle, even at this point. The young man put his hand on top of Okuri's head, trying to comfort him. "Nobody could've known something like this would happen. As I like to say, nothing is written on stone. No one I know has clairvoyant sight or something like that. Not even in Las Vegas".

"And I can't really say anything about outliving a friend. I had a pretty close friend back at home, but he... He made a lot of bad choices" A sudden tear fell from his right eye. "Anyway, don't worry about that" He kept talking, wiping said tear from his face. "You don't want to be the one living in the end while the others die in meaningless ways, and that's something I think we have in common. 'If you can help, just help', or that's what my mother always says when she thinks she can be a poet. And I think Bashiro and Jessie thought the same way. That's why they kept fighting despite the risks. I mean, that's the only reasoning that I think would let a man agree with the idea of his little brother fighting in a war like this. A common and noble goal, bigger than any of us".

"Okuri, being detached sounds like the easy solution for everything but in the end it leads to nothing more than just an empty life full of sadness. Think about all the good friends you made, and all the adventures you had, all the food you ate just because you came here. I think about it every time I go to fight some giant squid or evil deity or killer clown, because I love them so much that I can't just not fight for them. Every memory I made since coming to Japan is a treasure to me. I can't promise you I'll survive this war and we'll go drink some beers to laugh this off. But what I can promise you is that I'll fight at your side. That I'll fight in the name of every soldier we lost, and every soldier that's still standing with us".

"So... What do you say, my dear friend?" He looked at Okuri with an honest smile. "I'll just stay here all day waiting for your answer".

Wandering through the frozen wasteland of imagination, a frosted Umano came into sights. HQ was freezing in the mind of one brave, yet lost lamb. With the way morale looked, it didn't take a snowy world's image to showcase the confusion, despair, silent determined breaths, and more mixed angst and courage for and from war. Aoi wasn't a very good or knowledgeable at what a soldier was, but for these dark times, she felt closer to the army than ever. It drove her to give them a proper, bright future too. Thus, a cheery little gumball entered the district headquarters, her presence and happy greetings bringing up the mood even a tiny bit for the weary Resistance.

Aoi had recently returned to base after leaving Tokyo Tower. Sakuya and Fubuki coming along was up to them, but the reincarnated Seed felt a responsibility to keep some form of hope alive. These people watched their ex-commander tear them apart and more, on top of the knowledge that as long as that super weapon is with them, the Reapers can keep being revived. Even further, key names were lost in that battle, and the current commander looked like utter hell. She didn't even get to see him after the bloodbath yet. A mental note to give him a little light if she can too later. She planned on talking to him anyway, but... Maybe trying to come to him about being a Seed and Militiades' death at the moment is a bad idea.

A heavy sigh escaped the China girl's lips. Life in war kind of sucks. ... Completely sucks, but whatever. Gotta do something. So, she went on to remind people about the songs she sung at her little makeshift concert before, and found herself approaching where more notable faces like Okuri and Carlos' among other familiar names were.

"Ni hao, what's up?" Aoi asked innocently, peeking her head in.

The door to the training area finally opened as Darren emerged from it. He has a slight, purple glow to him, his aura slowly fading, as he slowly stepped away from the sight of his self imposed training. While he battled simulation fighter after simulation fighter, he recalled when he first laid eyes on the new form of Daikaiser.

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Daiyusha had returned, though the Metalborgs were sealed and Daikaiser alone seemed unable to hold off the Reapers. Daiyusha seemed strange. He was in his Ultimate Dimensional Robo form casually. Usually it took the combination of five units to build that form and it could only last for a certain amount of time.

"A side effect of the new body I have. It is the form of the Ultimate Dimensional Robo Daiyusha. My original, Super Dimensional, form was lost due to the Seed. That body was the basis for Metalborg Sin Buster, while Kaizard was used to make Metalborg Uru Buster.

"But aren't they..." Darren said but couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.

"Sin Buster got himself deleted in order to save you, but we both know that doesn't mean he's gone for good. The best way to say it is that Daiyusha's body in that form doesn't exist right now. Uru Buster wasn't deleted so I came back the same as I was before."

"I guess that means you were having the same problem while the Metalborgs were around, Kaiser."

The red hero nodded his head. "Yeah, and I kinda hate how that was fixed, but with the Dimensional Robos back in full power, we're gonna make those creeps pay for it!"

The determination of Daikaiser caused him to glow brightly. As he did, a card appeared in front of his large body. Daiyusha began to glow as well. The flash of light was all but blinding. Luckily no one else was around to see it.

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Darren looked at the unit that came as a result of that moment. True Ultimate Dimensional Robo Great Daikaiser. It was powerful, so much so that Darren didn't yet have control over it. The cracked walls and floors of the training area showed that he definitely was trying, but he still needed an inhibitor to stop himself from pouring too much of his own power into it.

"Still not sure why that happens, but it must have to do with how we move the same when you're in that form."

"Its called the Synchronous Drive. Its a component inside of Kaiser that helps him obtain the access energy needed to maintain his True form."

"So he has to get the energy from me..." He couldn't help but wonder if he could have even awakened this power from his partners if not for the Seed. Maybe it was true that this power wasn't completely his...

His mind stopped when he looked up and saw Aoi. She seemed better than before, but he couldn't help but worry about her. She had been a wreak for a while and things weren't getting much better lately, not for her at least. He walked up to her and gave a wave, hoping to speak to her about what had been happening until now.

"Been a while, Aoi," he said to her as he walked up behind her. You're looking better... is everything alright?"

"Ugh.. my head hurts..."

For him, the simple act of waking up came as a shocking surprise. Even within the shadowy depths of his dreams, he always kept his eyes tightly closed, and so he'd never see the exit from his mind appear. He would hear voices in the distance but sounded as if consumed by the surrounding darkness.

"Right. Last thing I did was fight..."her"...and I lost, blacking out." There was, however, the sound of something beyond price being shattered: his resolve, if not, himself. He didn't understand any of it and it felt as though his head was being ripped apart. Jellal rose and walked around the slums. His loss, something he's never been good at handling with in the first place, kept him silent, avoiding contact or anything. He couldn't even bear to look at his deck for it reminded him of how useless he felt.

-gurgle gurgle- However, he wasn't feeling that badly enough to ignore his stomach. Deciding he should grab some food, Jellal continued walking while placing his hand gently over his stomach to quiet the growls. He turned the corner to see a familiar face.

"Isn't that Aoi?" he said to himself, while trying to recall the young girl whom he talked to before regarding his old memories and Aqua Force and such. Jellal thought it'd be best not to engage in conversation with her, at least in the state that he is in. He tried to slip by her before she could notice with his stomach howling like a wolf in a full moon.

Aoi radiating an aura of bubbly joy turned to see Darren, waving and greeting the justice wielding hero. There was a strong affinity between the two, surely. Dimension Police is justice, and Aqua Force is justice. Such is righteousness. Holy morality. Defenders of the weak except the part where Aqua Force ruled the world once which isn't something superheroes actually do but Aoi didn't have to talk about that part. ... Or think about it. Like her breasts-- oh great now they hurt again. She stood up straight after her racing thoughts led to her back hurting, hiding the pain and baring with it to talk to her friends. "Hihi!" The bubble spoke with a smile.

"Oh." The gumball noticed Jellal in the distance. "Mast- err... Jellal! Hey! Hello! Hi! Hey! Listen! Come over here and let's all talk!" The girl waved and shouted at someone who was clearly trying to slip out and avoid them (or her, beyond her knowledge).

Darren smiled as he saw Aoi's bubbly personality. It seemed he was mistaken to worry about her. She appeared to be alright. Even if it was a front, being strong enough to smile in a situation like their was a lot more than most could say. It made him want to forget about his own troubles for a little while.

He crossed his arms as he looked at her. It wasn't hard to tell her mind was racing, but not about anything too heavy. Something seemed a little different about her, her aura. It was more... unique than before. Originally it was similar to all of the reincarnated Seeds, but now there was something special about it. Actually, it reminded him of his own aura. Were they that similar? That would probably be answered with time.

"I was just training for a bit," he said to her with a smile. "I was reminded today how fun it can be to fight against strong rivals. Hopefully we can end all the bad stuff and get back to those times so we can all fight one another as friends like it should be."

Carlos placed a hand on Okuri's head which initially was met with a deep growl. He didn't want to be touched or comforted. But Carlos began speaking shortly thereafter so he did him the favor of listening at least before snapping at him. Initially he spoke obvious things. Claiming nobody could have seen the results of these fights coming. But the spirit didn't feel that was true. With his wealth of experience he could make all sorts of statements about how human events would progress and usually be somewhere close to correct. His attention was caught as the man mentioned a friend back home but decided against further comment.

While ready to shrug this whole attempt at comforting him off and tell the human he couldn't possibly understand his attention was caught. "If you can help, just help". It did sound a lot like what the brothers had done with their fights in the war. It's what had even motivated him to fight himself. He had felt capable of helping and chose to do so. Carlos then told him to think of all the memories he had because of coming here. That was what made everything painful. Being detached was easier but perhaps he was right in that it was less fulfilling. But where Okuri thought of these things and feared losing them Carlos thought of them and it motivated him to fight. There was a promise not to live but to fight together. The spirit put his head down to the ground and lied on his side contemplating what was being explained to him.

"To think a human had anything left to teach me." he said after a deep sigh and a pathetic laugh to himself. "I had every intention of fighting to the last but I'd hoped you all would leave so that I could die in your places. Let you suffer the pain of losing me rather than experience it one more time myself. Not a very fair idea looking at it." he continued. The tears on the spirit's face continued to stream down as he pondered everything. He could still fight, after recovering some of course. But as Haruka had told the resistance, if there was anything he could do to give even one person a shot at a brighter future it would all be worth it. That one person he could help would be worth the pain of losing Jessie and Bashiro and whoever else the war might claim before its end.

"I'll fight with you Carlos." he concluded accepting the man's speech at least with his heart if not his head. A weak smile formed on his face. Everything still hurt physically and emotionally but maybe, just maybe he'd be alright. As if to signal this the sounds of an excited young girl soon came in earshot. Aoi had returned and seemed to be alright given the battle. Okuri hadn't kept good track of her in it all and had missed the details of Militiades' death or how she had been encased in ice for a time. He managed to stand up one more time at Carlos' side and turn around to greet the girl.

"I'm glad to see you're alright." he managed to say in response to her initial greeting before dropping to the ground again. He'd have to stop that soon and actually rest his body wasn't having any of this.

Jellal looked up to see Aoi calling him over, noticing that he was trying to slip by. He waved softly and walked over towards her and Darren.

"Uhh...hello." he said to both quietly, avoiding eye contact. His stomach was still growling but he ignored it, surprisingly, and was had his full attention on the situation. He wasn't sure what to do, what to say, how to act. He was lost, similarly to his fight with his former friend and rival. He continued to stare at the walls but mostly at the ground.

"Having a good time is important!" The gumball spoke with her usual level of pep in response to Darren's desire for everything to go back to normal. ... She wouldn't be here in the future to enjoy the times where everyone can fight each other normally as friends. But everyone else will be around, that's enough. Okuri seemed to be in better spirits, considering she heard... less than pleasant sobbing from the distance from him, but some words from Carlos when she got here. Oh, but no, Jellal isn't even looking at her. He seems distracted by what is probably serious and tear-inducing thoughts. No, no, don't let Master Jellal be upset. "Hey, Mas- er, gah. Jellal, here." Aoi stretched out a hand with a medicine gumball, offering it to her mentor in another timeline. "It'll help you feel better AND it's tasty! What's bothering you? Also, it's good to see you're doing well too, Okuri! But don't get up, you look like you're really feelin' it!"

Maelstrom's specter nodded in approval of her emotional resolve, she and the Tear Dragon's spirit still in the snowy domain.

Carlos didn't expect good acceptance of his motivational speech. Ever since the spirit growled at him after he put his hand on his head, he thought the whole deal was as good as over. After all, it was his first time doing something like that. But the final reaction was different, and it was all that mattered. "I'll fight with you Carlos" ... So good. The deal was closed with an exchange of weak, but honest smiles. "I didn't know dogs could smile so brightly. You learn something new every day, eh?" He joked. "Thank you, my friend. It's an honor to be able to fight at your side".

Suddenly, a familiar voice rang through his ears. "Wait, is that... Aoi?" He though. It was, in fact, the Chinese Champion in person. "Hey! Aoi! Good to see you safe and sound!" He joined Okuri in welcoming the young girl. The spirit wasn't completely recovered, as he fell as soon as it stood up to greet their common friend. "Woah! Easy there, Okuri" He said, concerned with the well-being of his friend. "Don't push yourself too hard. I'm pretty sure you went through hell back there at the tower".

When he turned back to see Aoi again, he found her talking with other people. "Huh. I suppose that was fast". Not a single familiar face among them, but maybe he met them somewhere before. "Heh, Okuri. Can you believe that? It feels like she's ignoring us" He said jokingly.