The Resistance fighters led them away from the city, towards the harbor. Once they reached the pier, the ocean started to rise and glow…

A woman leapt onto the pier, straight from the glowing water. A large woman with frazzled black hair and dark, tanned skin, wearing a lab coat over a muumuu.

“Hey brah! Howzit?”

The lead Resistance fighter swore.

“Dr. Iwalani! What are you doing here?!”

“What you mean? I came to pick you up, brah!”

“It’s way too dangerous! You shouldn’t be out of the base, you’re too important!”

“Eh, but the ocean was like, calling me. You know how it is, brah.”

“No, I don’t! Whatever, let’s just get going before more bots show up.”

“Shoots brah, let’s go!”

Dr. Iwalani raised her hands and the ocean rose once more, glowing turquois. A bubble of water formed in the air, hollow in the center. The Resistance fighters got inside. The lead fighter turned around when the supers moved to follow though.

“Stay here, we’ll send a sub for you.”

“Ah don’t be like that, brah! I can take you all, yeah?”

“No. You’re too important, Dr. Iwalani. We can’t bring strangers if you’re the one taking us, it’s too dangerous.”

“No worries, brah! They like scrap with the Concordat, yeah? And we like, screened them, yeah? They all good, brah!”

The lead fighter groaned and held his head, then heaved a sigh.

“Whatever, come along then.”

The team got into the bubble, which then lowered into the ocean. Dr. Iwalani jumped back into the water and then they were off, zooming straight towards the ocean floor.

Eventually they reached a submarine waiting in the ocean. Dr. Iwalani brought them to an air lock; once they were inside the submarine set off into the deep.

Dr. Iwalani then turned to the group.

“So, what you all like do in New York? Is like, choke kine’ dangerous there, yeah?”

The group turned to each other. Eventually Wonder Knight turned to her and answered.

“...we were looking for someone…important to us.”

Dr. Iwalani nodded at that.

“Makes sense. Never leave ‘ohana behind. You like find them?”

Wonder Knight looked down, gritting his teeth.

“She…didn’t make it.”

Dr. Iwalani frowned and patted the boy’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry. At least you like, safe now, yeah? I tink they be happy for that, yeah?”

Wonder Knight nodded. Dr. Iwalani gave them some space.

The team spent the rest of the ride in silence, glancing out at the ocean beyond.

Soon, they saw it.

At the bottom of the ocean, was an entire city encased in large domes.

“Howzit? I like, designed it myself, yeah?”

The lead fighter groaned.

“Which is exactly why you shouldn’t be here, Dr. Iwalani!”

“Brah, I like, gotta go see the line where the sky meets the sea sometimes, yeah? It like, calls me, you know?”

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

“No, we don’t know! Stay where it’s safe!”

Soon the sub made port and the team exited into the dome. Dr. Iwalani and the lead fighter led them towards a train.

“So like, they pretty excited to meet you, yeah? Normally I like show you the city first but they no like it when I go on Hawaii time, so we, like, go meet them first, yeah?”

“Um, where are we going?”

“To go meet da big kine Resistance leaders, yeah?”

The lead fighter just held his head.

“You know you’re one of those ‘big kine’ leaders, right?”

“That’s why I’m here, brah!”

He just sighed.

Soon, the door to the train opened up…

Aurora Legion gasped, especially Icy Rose who covered her mouth with her hands. Tears welled up in her eyes.

In front of them stood a man.

A handsome, muscular man.

He wore a white lucha libre mask, his eyes outlined with blue wings and a golden beak painted over his nose. He wore cape of white feathers over a set of body armor, with a blue and white bird painted on the center. On his legs were his blue fatigue pants blending into his white boots.

“Icy Falcon…”

“Hello. Have we met?”

Icy Rose froze, her face falling.

“You don’t…know me? I guess…we never met then.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t recall. What was your name, maybe that will jog my memory?”

“...Constanza.”

“Constanza huh? Sorry, I just don’t recall. Nice to meet you though, I’ll make sure to remember you now.”

“...thank you.”

“Come on, we shouldn’t keep the others waiting.”

Arvid pat Icy Rose on the shoulder as Icy Falcon turned to lead them inside. Elise whispered to her.

“Sympathetic Explanation: This unit can explain. Commander Bob was the one who sent Icy Rose the flower that granted her powers. So in this timeline, it is likely that Icy Rose’s alternate never gained powers in the first place.”

Icy Rose stumbled over her feet.

“Wait, what did you just say?!”

But Elise just kept walking.

Icy Rose was left staring, her mouth repeatedly opening and closing until Arvid called out to her.

----------------------------------------

Icy Falcon led them to a large double door. He pushed it open and walked inside. The group rounded the corner and looked inside.

Aurora Legion froze all at once. Wonder Knight muttered under his breath.

“You’ve got to be kidding me…”

Inside was a conference room, with a holographic display of the world. Several people stood around a table, with assistants running around behind them. But there was one man in particular who caught Aurora Legion’s eye.

A man in black robes…

With a necklace of teeth and claws and a headdress carved from a saurian skull…

His face hidden by a mask of bone and teeth…

In his hands a bone staff, tipped with a round piece of amber…

“Greetings, you brave defenders of freedom, you who have refused to forget the glories of the past! I’m sure you are wondering who I am. Fear not, for I will enlighten you. I am the Necrosaurus, and I am the founder of the Resistance! The protector of all the free and the brave, all who seek to restore the beauty of the past!”

“They already know, sir. It’s common knowledge at this point so they’d obviously expect to find you at the heart of the Resistance’s main base.”

“Shut up, Carl! Way to ruin my dramatic introduction!”

Nemesis shuffled past the frozen Aurora Legion. Wonder Knight glanced repeatedly between them and the Necrosaurus. Icy Falcon and Dr. Iwalani took up positions besides the supervillain, along with another man who the team recognized as Admiral Faulkner.

Wonder Knight opened his mouth.

He closed it again.

He opened it again.

He closed it again.

The Necrosaurus tilted his head.

“Um, kid, you ok there?”

Wonder Knight opened his mouth once more, then heaved a sigh and shook his head.

“N-Nothing, it’s fine. It’s just…a bit of a shock to…meet you in person.”

The Necrosaurus grinned and crossed his arms.

“Fear not, young one! I know I am quite intimidating, but as long as you are on the side of freedom and justice, you are welcome here!”

“R-Right…thanks.”

Wonder Knight tapped his stunned teammates and they made their way inside.

Admiral Faulker glanced over and heaved a sigh.

“I see you went out again, Dr. Iwalani.”

“Yeah brah! I like, wanted to see the ocean! And like, these ones are important, yeah? So I tink we like send someone important to get them, yeah?”

“Dr. Iwalani, what did I tell you?”

“Um, like, don’t go out, brah?”

“I said don’t go out without me! Why do you get to be the only one who gets to go outside?!”

“Whoops, sorry brah, I like, forgot.”

Admiral Faulkner just heaved a sigh.

“Whatever. Well, we’re just waiting for the ninja rep and we’re good to start.”

There was a puff of smoke.

“Ah, right on time.”

“Hello everyone, what’s going on…”

A kunoichi appeared in the room, but immediately went silent once she looked around the room.

She immediately flickered over to Nemesis.

She rose trembling hands to a certain boy’s face, speaking in a quiet, shaky voice.

“Kiyosuke?”

Kiyosuke’s eyes widened.

And then the kunoichi grabbed Kiyosuke in a hug, tears streaming down her face.

“Kiyosuke! I thought I lost you! I…I…”

Kiyosuke’s eyes were open as wide as they could go. His whole body trembled.

“...Mom?”

“Kiyosuke!”

“Mom!”

He returned her embrace and both of them started bawling.

Everyone else in the room glanced around at each other. Admiral Faulkner held his head.

“Wait…weren’t her kids dead…just what is going on here?!”

“I think I can help with that.”

Everyone turned at the young voice. A young and…still growing girl walked into the room. The Necrosaurus held his head.

“Roxanne, you’re not supposed to leave your chamber!”

She just tilted her head.

“It will go much easier if I'm here, though?”

“You’re maybe the most important person in the entire Resistance, we can’t risk you!”

“It’s fine, they aren’t with the Concordat.”

“That doesn’t mean they aren’t dangerous!”

She just pointed at the Amano family reunion.

“I think they’re fine, though?”

The Necrosaurus just heaved a sigh.

“Well, whatever, you’re here then. You might as well explain. Why do you need to be here?”

She looked over at Nemesis and Aurora Legion and winked.

“Because you need me to confirm that they’re from a different timeline.”

“Wait WHAT?!”

She looked over to the Resistance leaders, a serious look on her face.

“A timeline where the Day of Sorrow never happened.”