“You’ve saved my people yet again; you truly are heroes!”
Mayor Virilitas held his arms out wide and stepped towards the members of Class G to embrace them in a group hug, but only Reina accepted it while the other five kept their distance.
It was the morning after the airship had landed safely at the port of Chateau Aurum. Everyone on board was escorted to the resort hotel, and as thanks for their heroic deeds, the members of Class G were given free rooms.
Down in the lobby of the hotel, they had been approached by Mayor Virilitas. Surprisingly, he was not accompanied by any scantily-clad women, but rather, a pair of security guards. That put a few of the kids on edge, until the mayor explained. “I’ve worked out an agreement with the resort! You kids are free to spend the next day engaging in whatever activities you’d like, free of charge!”
That drummed up a chorus of surprise, as well as an explosive guitar solo of an excited shriek from Reina.
“Well, there are a few exceptions,” he continued. “You can’t come to the noble party, obviously, and if you’d like to buy any souvenirs or engage in any of the activities more than once, you’ll have to pay for all that.”
“Ah, so we just get, like, a free sample tour around the island,” Zeo said. “Hey, that sounds good to me! It’s a lot more than I was expecting us to be able to try out!”
“Definitely!” Annabelle agreed.
The mayor and security guards began to leave. “Feel free to talk to any of the guards around the island if you have any questions! Enjoy the paradise, my heroic boys and girls!”
Reina threw her arms around Annabelle and Kiria’s waists, tugging them in closer to her as she jumped in place. “Eeeeh! This is so cool! Let’s go check everything out!”
“Okay, okay, relax,” Kiria said, taking a look around the circle. “Anybody have any particular plans or points of interest?”
Unsurprisingly, Cain was the first to break away from the group. “I’ll be attending the nobles gala along with Meifang. I’m going back to my room to get dressed.”
“Awwww, she picked you?” Reina said. “Lucky!”
“I think you’ll fit in quite well, Cain,” Annabelle added with a smile. “Noble parties are a little scary for me, but I think you’ll have a great time, since you’re so confident and mature!”
He quickly turned away, keeping his reddened cheeks from being seen. “I don’t care for parties. I simply intend to meet with Gai Lea.”
“Who?” Tyger asked, before getting a smack to the back of the head from the departing Cain. “Oi!”
Reina turned her head upward to face her best friend. “Hey, Kiria! We’re gonna hang out together, right?!”
“Of course.”
Naturally, Zeo and Annabelle decided to pair up together as well. “Guess you’re stuck with me again, Annabelle,” Zeo said with a chuckle. She didn’t seem to mind, given her linking her arm around his own.
That left Tyger the odd one out. Recognizing this, Kiria extended an offer to have him join up with her and Reina, but he turned them down.
“Nah, I think I’m just gonna walk around by myself.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. Later.”
She watched him leave with a bit of concern, but there wasn’t much time for that when Reina started bouncing up and down, popping into her field of view. “Let’s go get breakfast! I’m starving!”
* * * *
ULTRA PULSE
* * * *
The mayor’s description of the Chateau Aurum resort as “paradise” turned out to be quite on point. Stepping out from the fancy hotel, one’s senses were immediately overloaded with pure calm and relaxation.
The island resort was built in such a way that no matter where one was standing and no matter what direction they were facing, they always had a picturesque view of the landscape — the clean, glittering, bright-blue ocean, the golden sands of the winding beaches, the lush trees deeper into the island.
There were resort-goers all over the place, but somehow, crowdedness never seemed to be a factor. It was as though everyone on the island had some sort of natural inclination to never be in the way of anyone else, while at the same time, never being deprived of whatever activity it was they wanted to engage in.
The resort was even pleasant on the ears. Through the clever use of various Installs, such as Sound, Sky, and Music, the audial atmosphere of the resort was fine-tuned for each individual. If one enjoyed hearing the voices of the other resort-goers, they would. If they preferred peace and quiet, the voices would be gone. Like a mental radio dial, one could shift between the ambient sounds of nature to a peaceful musical performance by acoustic guitars, and to any degree.
The air was comfortably warm on the skin, but cool breezes flowed in before it could get too hot. It was simultaneously perfect weather for swimsuits, sunglasses, and straw hats, as well as fancy suits, sundresses, and animal mascot costumes.
“Hanging out all by yourself?” Meifang asked as she approached Tyger from behind. After departing the hotel, he’d taken a walk down to one of the piers, and sat down by himself, looking out over the ocean.
“Yeah. Prefer it that way.”
She took a seat beside him, running her hands through her hair. “Man, that bed was soooo comfy. Like sleeping on a cloud. You kids get a good rest? You sure as hell needed it.”
He nodded. “Yeah. Didn’t even wanna get up, honestly.”
The dull tone of his voice and his spaced-out eyes didn’t go unnoticed. She bumped her elbow up against him. “What’s got you all down? You lonely? Need me to keep you company again?”
“Agh, piss off. I’m fine. Just….thinkin’ and shit.”
“About what? Getting a taste of being a hero?”
That got him to pry his eyes away from the sea and meet her own. “Nah, nothin’ serious like that. Just….makin’ sure I got everything sorted out for when I go back home.”
“Ah, right, you’re from Thunder City, aren’t you?” When he nodded, she continued with, “What’s it like? I’ve heard some crazy, crazy rumors.”
He shrugged. “It’s alright, I guess.”
There it was again. That tint of melancholy sprinkled into his words. Tyger was absolutely terrible at hiding what his true feelings were. He’d always had a poor handle on his emotions, really.
He felt her hand pat his forearm. “Alright, alright, you don’t wanna talk. That’s fine. I’ll leave you alone.”
She pushed herself back up to her feet, stretching her arms high above her head. But before she left, she tousled his hair to hang onto his attention for just a bit longer. “But you shouldn’t be all mopey while you’re in a nice place like this. Go explore the island! Go get some food, play some games, go stare at all the girls in their fancy bikinis!”
“I’m not gonna-”
“Heroes gotta unwind after they put their lives on the line,” she interrupted. “If not just for the sake of fun, they at least have to do it so the people they saved don’t feel guilty.”
“Huh? Guilty?”
She nodded her head. “When people are saved by someone else, a part of them always feels guilty about it. Guilt over not being able to help themselves, or for thinking they were a burden someone else had to take on. And if the hero who saved them is miserable, or hurt, or is otherwise in pain after the saving, that guilt just grows all the stronger.”
Cupping her finger under his chin, she angled his face up to look her in the eyes as she concluded her speech. “Put on a smile, okay? Breaks my heart seeing my hero all depressed. If not for your own sake, then for mine. Heroes love that self-sacrificial stuff, right?”
At that point, all Tyger could really do was turn away in sheepishness, which Meifang took great pleasure in seeing. “Alright, I gotta get to that big fancy party. See you around, Tyger!”
* * * *
ULTRA PULSE
* * * *
“Oh my dragon, this mutton is so yummy!”
With a giggle, Kiria reached over and wiped away a glob of barbecue sauce that had splattered all over Reina’s cheek. “Slow down, Reina. There’s plenty more where that came from.”
“Where should we go first after we’re done eating?”
“Hmm….”
Kiria took a look outside the wall of glass beside them, staring out towards the resort. The wing they were in was quite close to the game area, outfitted with a wide assortment of stalls themed around different prize games. The girls had planned to try out the more active attractions like the water slides and zip lines later in the day, so perhaps starting off with easy-going games would be a nice warm-up.
“We could try out the games,” she answered, turning back to face her best friend, although Reina currently had her own face smushed up against the glass. Kiria sincerely hoped she wasn’t getting any food stains on the window….
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“Okay, cool!” The chameleon girl pried her face away from the window, and Kiria breathed a sigh of relief as it turned out clean. “But don’t get salty when I kick your butt!”
“I don’t think that’s going to happen, Reina.”
“Yuh huh!”
“Nope.”
“Yuh huh!”
“Uh uh.”
“Yuh huh!”
* * * *
ULTRA PULSE
* * * *
Reina’s face fell into her arms as Kiria clinched victory at the fifth game in a row, with this one being a modified skeeball machine with multiple layers of playing field, and even obstacles like puffs of flame that burned up the ball, or walls that popped up and changed the ball’s trajectory.
Reina had been bummed but ultimately accepting when she’d lost the first game — ringing the bell with a hammer swing — since Kiria was taller and stronger than her, but every game after that involved some type of aiming — ring toss, water guns, shooting cardboard monsters, etc — and she’d still lost them all!
Upon seeing Reina’s reaction, Kiria patted her on the head with a laugh. “It’s okay, Reina. Want me to tell you a secret?”
The chameleon girl’s head shot back up, and all traces of disappointment vanished, replaced by wide-eyed excitement. “A secret?! Yes!”
“The games are rigged,” she said, holding up her cyber arm, peeling the skin away just enough to show off her robo fingers. “I just sort of….un-rigged them for myself.”
“Wow! That’s so cool!”
Kiria laughed. “You’re not mad? I cheated, technically.”
“Nah, that’s okay! They cheated first!”
With a smile, Kiria held up the resort card that stored the collection of points she’d accumulated from winning the various games. “This should be enough for a big prize, right? Go pick something out.”
Reina’s head tilted to the side. “Huh? Why me?”
“Just think of it as a present, from me to you. Pick whichever prize you want.” A huff of air burst from her lungs as Reina coiled her arms around her like a viper.
“Thanks, Kiria! You’re the best!”
Judging by the prize desk attendant’s look of surprise at the point total on the card, Kiria took that as the final point of proof as to the illegitimacy of the resort games. Part of her wanted to call attention to that fact, but she didn’t want to ruin the good vibe of her and Reina’s day together. Besides, she doubted anything would actually change, anyway.
With the points they had available, Reina could pick out just about anything she wanted, other than the outlandish prizes like a new car, a lifetime supply of hot dogs, and, ugh, a “date with a mystery celebrity!”, whose silhouette looked suspiciously like a sleazy city mayor.
Reina took almost no time selecting her prize, pointing a finger at a fancy necklace adorned with emeralds and rubies. Her pick caught Kiria by surprise; she’d expected the girl to plead for the hot dogs, or perhaps settle for the giant gummy bear; she never would have expected Reina to go with the necklace. “Are you sure, Reina?” she asked.
The girl nodded her head with enthusiasm, holding her hands out as the attendant dropped the necklace into them. “Uh huh! Isn’t it pretty?!”
“Yes, it’s really fancy, honestly.”
Kiria gasped as Reina ripped the necklace apart.
“Reina, what are you-?!”
The chameleon girl held out one half of the broken necklace. “Here ya go, Kiria! This is your half!”
“What….?”
Giggling, Reina pointed at the gemstones lining the necklace. “See how there’s green ones and red ones? My hair and tail are green, and your hair is red!”
That’s adorable, Kiria thought to herself, though her face still broadcasted her concern. “But why did you break it….?”
“So we can both have one! Well, I guess they have to be bracelets now instead of necklaces, but isn’t it cool that we can match?!”
That logic was certainly in line with who Reina was as a person. Sincere, heartfelt, sweet, cute, a bit strange, and probably not the best way to go about things.
But Kiria accepted it wholeheartedly, wrapping the nec- er, bracelet around her wrist. Although, it appeared that due to Reina breaking the clasps, there wasn’t actually a way to close the chain….
Reina turned to the prize desk attendant. “Excuse me! Do you have tape?”
* * * *
ULTRA PULSE
* * * *
As he stepped out from his hotel room, Cain gave himself a once-over to make sure everything was in place and in hand.
Hair slicked back? Check.
Suit clean and clear? Check.
ULTRA Power Level Manual in hand, ready to be autographed by the venerable Gai Lea? Check.
“Oh my dragon, are you bringing the book, too?”
Cain’s eyes narrowed as he turned to face Meifang, who was approaching from down the hall. She was similarly dressed up, clad in a designer dress seemingly designed to draw attention to her muscular legs. Or maybe they were just so big and strong, one’s eyeballs felt threatened they would be beat up if they didn’t give them the attention they wanted. “Of course I am. I’ll be discussing the art of combat with Gai Lea, and this is the premiere textbook on the topic. It’s a good talking point.”
Meifang shrugged. No point barking up that tree. “You clean up pretty nice, I have to say.”
Cain scoffed, mostly to hide his happiness at hearing that compliment. “Don’t bother hitting on me. I’m not one of those fools who are easily distracted by women.”
“Like Tyger?”
“Yes, like Ty-” Cain paused. “Wait….You and Tyger….?”
She shrugged again, grinning. “Maybe.”
“Wh-why the hell would you do that?!” He nearly dropped his book in his sudden surprise. “You’re one of the Five Heroes, you can’t-!”
Meifang held her hands up. “Whoa, whoa, calm down, kid.” She nodded her head back further down the hall, motioning towards the elevator. “Let’s go before we’re late.”
They walked to the elevator in silence, and it wasn’t until it began moving downward that Cain broke that silence. “Seriously. Why him?”
“Oh, are you jealous?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re past your prime.”
“Wow. Ouch.” She playfully flicked him on the side of the head, knowing what he said was borne from wounded pride and teenage awkwardness more than actual spite. “What’s the big deal? I mean, he is pretty young, but he’s not too young.”
Cain scowled. “You’re one of th-”
Her sigh cut him off prematurely. “Hey, listen. That ‘Five Heroes’ thing happened thirteen years ago. I’m not a hero anymore. I’m just a lady who likes to kick people for money. That’s all.”
She could tell he hadn’t been satisfied with that explanation; it was apparent to her that when Cain held someone or something in high regard, changing his mind on that never came easy.
“When you like someone, you gotta just go for it,” she continued. “People don’t stick around in your life for very long, but regret sure does.”
“Regret?”
With a smile, she patted him on the shoulder. “You might not be distracted by girls right now, but trust me: sooner or later you’re gonna fall for someone, and if you don’t go for it, you’re gonna regret it. Possibly for the rest of your life.”
The elevator opened up, but Cain hesitated for a brief moment before following Meifang out.
Regret.
As his mind picked apart each and every word she’d uttered, his eyes flickered over to the hallway wall, just as he passed by a mirror.
That shadowy black figure loomed over his shoulder in the reflection, but was gone the instant he blinked.
* * * *
ULTRA PULSE
* * * *
“Wow, look at all these cute little stuffed animals!”
Annabelle squeezed her palms against her cheeks as her eyes panned across the wall of one of the resort gift shops she and Zeo had gone into. Shelf after shelf of high-quality plushies in a myriad of colors based on a myriad of critters.
Taking a step forward to read the price tag, Zeo whistled before saying, “Pretty pricey.” He then turned to face his companion. “Which one would you like? I can only buy you one, though….”
“Oh, no, no, no, you don’t have to do that, Zeo! I was just-!”
She went silent, face burning up as he patted the top of her head with that charming smile of his. “Nah, I insist. Think of it as a thank-you for helping me take down Gael.”
“Oh, of course! I….I’m just glad I was able to help you….You’re the one who’s always saving me, after all.”
She almost melted into a puddle as Zeo took hold of her hand, holding it up to his face. “How’s your hand, by the way? It’s not burned or anything, is it?”
“N-no! I’m okay!”
“That’s good….”
When their eyes met, they both fell silent, trapped in their own little world for a time.
That is, until a wayward child bumped into them on his way to grabbing a stuffed penguin from the shelf.
“So….” Zeo said, shaking himself free of the trance. “Which one did you want?”
Annabelle ended up choosing a giant pink bunny, which she held tightly in her arms as they walked out the front door of the store.
An evening orange had been painted onto the sky, bathing the entire resort in its warm glow.
“It’s so beautiful here….” Annabelle noted.
“Yeah….It’s gonna be kinda sad to leave, huh?”
The two went quiet again. The knowledge that their time together was coming to an end soon weighed on them both. Neither of them were very good at communicating their feelings even without any pressure, so they were especially helpless with it.
“You’re, uh,” Zeo finally said, attempting to break through the awkward silence that had befallen them, “heading back home to Losaria after, right? With Kiria?”
“Y-yes….”
“Maybe I should drop by and visit sometime? I mean, if your parents are cool with it, of course.”
The very idea seemed to reignite the candle of Annabelle’s mood, prompting her ears to perk up as high as they could. “O-of course! I’m sure they’d let you come over! And I’d love for you to visit!”
As soon as the words left her mouth, the elven girl regretted saying them. It wasn’t that she meant them — she absolutely did. No, the issue was that she was giving in to her crush again. She’d meant to use the ultrapulse trip, and more specifically the time with Zeo, to see him one last time before moving on with her life, yet here she was, jumping at the opportunity to prolong it.
But before she could attempt to take her words back, Zeo’s happy smile distracted her. “Awesome! I’m gonna be pretty busy at the Battle Academy, but maybe during a school break I could try and find some time to head out there?”
You have to say no, she told herself. You have to say no. You can’t be with Zeo, you’re engaged already.
“That would be wonderful, Zeo!”
Why is it so hard to fight against happiness, even when you know that happiness is temporary? That it’s just going to lead you to pain when the reality of the inevitable follow-up rears its head? Even when we know that we should fight it, when we know it’s just going to hurt us more in the end, why can’t we?
Perhaps it’s because happiness is so distracting, so consuming of all the mind’s attention, leaving room for nothing else. It’s difficult to think straight, to think realistically, when you’re in the midst of overwhelming happiness, like when you’re playing around with an adorable puppy, or you’re rewarded with a promotion at work and can finally buy that dream house you wanted, or when the boy you’ve had a crush on for ten years leans in and kisses you.
* * * *
ULTRA PULSE
* * * *
The six members of Class G gathered together on the other side of the ultrapulse mountains outside of the trade city of Radecross on the final day of their little vacation, luggage packed and in hand.
None of them were taking the same methods of transportation back home, so they weren’t able to do a proper cheesy group send-off. The best they could manage was to wait around for a few minutes at the same benches as when they’d first arrived, until it was time for some of them to get going.
“So we’re definitely doing this again, right?” Zeo asked.
“Hell yeah we are!” Reina exclaimed, pumping her fist high into the sky. “Let’s conquer every single ultrapulse!”
“Oh, wow,” said Tyger. “Completely forgot that’s why we even came out here.”
Kiria let out a sigh. “Yes, well….hopefully the next one isn’t so crazy.”
“You’ll have to wait awhile,” Cain stated. “I’ll be studying at Gai Lea’s dojo; I won’t have time to waste playing around in ultrapulses.”
Tyger smirked. “That’s cool. We can just go without you.”
“Quiet.”
“Well, let’s just keep in touch and make sure we can coordinate our schedules!” said Zeo. “It might be awhile before we all see each other again, but I’m sure it’ll be even more amazing than this one!”
Annabelle smiled. “Definitely!”
Zeo glanced down at his phone before slinging his bag over his shoulder. “Well, looks like I’m all outta time. Got a long walk to my station from here.”
The boys both offered him simple head nods, and Kiria gave a polite “Goodbye”, but Reina wasn’t down for a weak departure like that.
The chameleon girl began to push and pull everyone together into a big group hug, although it was a little messy, as they were all caught by surprise and didn’t have time to release their hold on their suitcases and duffel bags, making for an awkward hug, but it was the thought that counted.
And with that, the six members of Class G ended their ultrapulse exploration trip, bringing an end to their eventful ten-year reunion. They each went their separate ways, returning to their previous lives and stories. They would certainly reunite once more in the future, and ideally at a sooner interval than ten years, but as for when that would be, none of them could say.
But they were all definitely looking forward to it.
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