Chapter 16: What Am I To Do!?: Enter Sailor Pluto, The Sailor Guardian Of Time And Space!
Being that she was still feeling concerned, Uiharu went to see Kiyama and tried to convince her to share information with MAR in an effort to help her students.
However, Therestina had wound up destroying Kiyama's data and refused to let them see either Erii or the children.
And when I mean destroy, I mean she literally and deliberately stepped on the flash drive that held the data on it.
Man, you know it almost seems as though she is the villain in all of this?
When Uiharu wound up telling us about what had happened, we learned that Therestina was in fact Gensei's granddaughter, who was actually the first test subject of his Ability Crystal program.
Realizing we had both been tricked, Misaka and I wound up confronting a battle-suited Therestina at the MAR Base Research Laboratory, but we were unfortunately outmatched. "Okay Therestina...wow...are you serious!?...Man does this hurt!...I really should've watched the anime past episode 3...because this really hurts....a lot!" I thought to myself, as Therestina had activated the labs Capacity Down system, and its sound waves forced me to put my hands to my ears, in a feeble attempt to block them out.
To which she also revealed that she intended to finish Gensei's work.
And as Therestina and MAR wound up leaving with Erii and the children, Misaka and I were thankfully rescued by Kongo, who had been resting nearby, following a previous Poltergeist incident.
Despite Therestina nearly choking Misaka out up against one of the pillars of the outside of the MAR lab building.
When Misaka awakened, in a hospital a little while later, she wound up blaming herself for what had recently transpired.
To which she then got out of her hospital bed, and we then attempted to go off on our own again, in an attempt to go after Therestina, before innocent people wound up getting hurt.
But not before I decided to speak up, in an effort to try and put Misaka at ease.
Seeing as how she seemed to be not in a great way, since she had blamed herself for what had transpired.
"Look Misaka, I know you must feel guilty, but you have to understand that there are some things in life that even the two of us can't fix on our own," I said in a concerned tone, an effort to put her mind at ease.
"Thanks Keiko, that means a lot," Misaka said.
However, just as we were both about to leave the hospital room, and before anything else more, could be said between the two of us, Saten then stood in front of us, and barred our way.
And I wasn't having any of it.
"Out of our way Saten, we need to go after Therestina before she winds up harming innocent people!" I said in a concerned sounding tone of voice.
However, my statement to Saten, may as well have fallen on deaf ears.
This was due to the fact, that not only did she not budge, from where she currently stood, but she then wound up, reminding us both, that we did not have to go and do everything by ourselves.
But, however something good, did result out of this, Saten got Uiharu and Kuroko, to make up with each other. Well, they actually apologized to each other, but I digress.
And on top of that, a little bit later, we then learned Kiyama was chasing after the MAR trailers to their destination.
And, with this new information now acquired, Misaka, me, Kuroko, Uiharu, Saten, Konori, and Kongo then proceeded to head out to save Erii and the other Child Errors, and hopefully get them to come out of their comas.
However, this would wind up being a much harder task, then either me or Misaka, would ever realize.
Now, remember when I mentioned that we had learned that Kiyama was after the MAR trailers? Well, unfortunately for her, she was unaware, that they were decoys, filled with the MAR Troops. Thankfully though, me and Misaka managed to step in and save her. And once this had been accomplished, a thought then went through my mind. "So, now that I think about it a bit more viewers, this sort of doesn't sit right with me...I mean...she was the one who attacked me and Misaka not too long ago...But you know what?...I am willing to look past all of that...I mean after all...Misaka did," I thought to myself, as I turned my eyesight to the left of me, to address the viewers.
Anyway, Kuroko, Kongo, Yomikawa, Tsuzuri, and the Anti-Skills, wound up holding off the rest of the MAR Troops.
While Kiyama, Uiharu and Saten headed towards Kihara's laboratory, whilst me and Misaka defended them from Therestina, who decided to attack us while we were on the highway, with a giant large mech.
Although Therestina's mech was unaffected by our basic attacks, Kuroko wound up helping both of us destroy the mech, by Misaka having me use the mech's own arm as an improvised railgun. "Well, I guess you can pretty much use anything as an improvised railgun...Still though, I much rather prefer the arcade coin...because that is easy to hold...a mech arm meanwhile, isn't," I thought to myself.
This was then followed, by a little bit of an exchange of words, between me and Misaka.
"Well Misaka, are you ready to end this?" I said with a small smile very much present on my face, as I prepared to launch the mech arm back at Therestina, who was still in her large mech.
"Keiko, you don't need to ask me, just focus on the task at hand," Misaka said in a slightly concerned sounding tone, although with a smile evident on her face as well.
"Right, Misaka, my mistake," I responded back, as I then fired the mechs arm, back at the mech, thus destroying it.
However, a little later on, as Misaka, me, Kuroko, Uiharu, Saten, and Kiyama finally arrived at the underground lab where Erii and the children were being held. Therestina, who had somehow survived, suddenly activated the lab's Capacity Down and attacked us, revealing her plan to use the First Sample from herself, and the children, to force Erii to become a Level 6 Esper, and destroy the city in the process.
"Wow are you serious right now!? Therestina, why can't you just be a good villain, and just die already!?" I said, in a very agitated tone, as I held my head, while pain coursed through it from the sound waves of Capacity Down. It really did seem like all was lost.
However, unbeknownst to all of us, Saten, who was the only one that wasn't affected by Capacity Down, since she was a level 0, and didn't possess any Esper abilities.
Anyway, she then found her way to Capacity Down's control room, and wound up destroying the controls to it, with a baseball bat.
And once me and Misaka, had gotten our bearings, we then readied ourselves to finally defeat Therestina with our railguns.
Well, that was while Therestina, then revealed a weapon, that she had had stashed in her mech suit. She said that its power was equal to or more powerful, then our railguns. "But to tell you the honest truth viewers. Sorry, Keiko here. I don't believe her on that for even a second. Anyway, back to the story.
And as both me and Misaka pulled out our respective arcade tokens from our respective skirt pockets and placed them between our respective two fingers.
I decided that now was as good a time as any, to say some parting words for Therestina.
"So, any last words, how about, I'm sorry for what I did, something along those lines, hmm?" I said with a determined tone very evident on my face, as I started charging electricity into my arm and hand that held my arcade coin, to which Misaka was doing the same.
"Well, its your loss," I said.
To which I then, without turning to Misaka, decided to speak up.
"So Misaka, you ready to end this properly?" I asked as I prepared to flip my arcade coin.
"Keiko, how many times are you going to ask that?!" Misaka responded back, now clearly not very happy with me asking her these unnecessary questions.
"Right, again, my mistake," I said as a bead of sweat found its way down one side of my face.
And with those final exchange of words between us, we flipped our respective coins, and as soon as they came back down again to rest between our two fingers again, we fired, producing our respective railguns.
However, at that exact same moment, Therestina wound up firing the weapon that I had mentioned earlier, and a power struggle then began between both of our railguns, and Therestina's weapon.
Thankfully though, our railguns, wound up overpowering her weapon. But unfortunately, Therestina wasn't wiped out of existence. She just wound up very very injured from our railguns.
And, with Therestina being taken into custody by Anti-Skill a bit later on. And, with the First Sample now in her possession, Kiyama wound up creating the cure and wound up finally awakened Banri and the other children that had gone into comas, to which she gave her thanks to both me and Misaka.
And in the aftermath, the recovering children gave a birthday message to Kiyama via a blimp as Misaka, myself, and everyone else watched.
However, as I looked on at the scene before me, something unexpected happened; The scene around me suddenly began to shift and warp.
"What the heck is going on!?...Wait...why isn't everyone else noticing that this is happening, and why isn't it affecting them either?" I thought to myself, while displaying an expression of total shock and fear.
But, before I could think, or do anything else, the scene around me, then got very bright.
When the brightness around me seized, after a few seconds, I then found myself in a room. "Wait a sec, why does this room look familiar to me? Oh...those are some pretty big looking doors...wait, where have I seen those doors before?" I thought to myself, with a look of deep thought on my face.
However, it was when a familiar female voice, started to speak to me, from across the room, that I then realized exactly where I was.
"I am very sorry to bring you here like this Keiko, but given the current circumstances, I saw no other..." the voice was about to continue when I decided to cut her off. But not before a thought came to mind. "Wait a sec, doesn't that voice, sound way too much like Setsuna Meioh a.k.a Sailor Pluto?!...Well, I am going to have to cut her off from speaking for the moment...well...that sounded rude, even though I am only thinking about it...still...I have to do it," I thought to myself, as I then cut her off mid sentence.
"You can spare me that Setsuna. I already know that you are the sailor guardian of time and space. And usually, when someone is summoned to meet you face to face like this, I can only assume that it is due to something of grave importance. So Setsuna, what is it you want from someone like me, and why didn't you ask Misaka about this rather then me?" I asked, sounding confused, and yet also intrigued. As I wound up referring to the Sailor Guardian of time and space by her civilian name rather then her senshi name, as Sailor Pluto, then came into view, from the other side of the room. "Well, so this is what the famous Sailor Pluto looks like in person...you know...the anime really doesn't do someone like her enough justice...I really hope, that she isn't too upset, about Pluto being demoted to being a dwarf planet...actually...you know what...let me just make a mental note...to never even mention that to her...like ever...because the last thing that I want...is to have someone like Pluto...bring her wrath down on me," I thought to myself, as a bead of sweat, made its presence known, on one side of my face.
"Look Keiko, there are a great many things you don't understand, and yet, now that I have gotten a better look at you, you seem to remind me of someone," Sailor Pluto said, with a bit of intrigue present, in her tone of voice.
"Oh really, what things don't I...wait...who do I remind you of? And furthermore, am I to assume that they are not of your world as I am of Misaka's?" I asked, now sounding much more intrigued.
It was at this point, that a look of shock found, its way across Sailor Pluto's face, which then subsided seconds later.
"Ah, it looks like wisdom doesn't always come with age, does it Setsuna?" I said with a look of calm on my face. "Okay, well that was a corny thing to say...wait a sec...if this person is in fact another version of me...then I might as well ask her about it," I thought to myself. But, I also decided to ask Setsuna, as well as judge her expression, that she gave in response, to see if I was indeed, right about my suspicion, or not.
"This person, who you say that I remind you of, have they by any chance, had a run in, with a person on your team?...And judging by your previous shocked expression, I can only assume, that it was with someone, of great importance, perhaps Sailor Moon?" I asked, whilst pressing further.
However, Setsuna, at this point now displayed, a look of frustration, as she was now, clearly not at all amused, with me asking such a question.
But it was at this point, that wanting to avoid any sort of issue, perhaps Pluto possibly bringing her wrath down on me, if something wasn't said. I decided to do a little damage control. "Okay...well I certainly wasn't expecting Sailor Pluto to respond like that...well...time to try and put her at ease," I thought to myself, as I then spoke up, while doing my absolute best, to try and put Sailor Pluto, at ease.
"Look, I know I am being rough on you a little bit with these questions, but you have to understand where I am coming from here. I understand that you mean well Setsuna. But the fact of the matter is, your timeline went askew, when Sailor Moon, wound up crossing paths, with the person, that you said, that I reminded you of. Because if I had to make a bet, he or she, knows way more, about you and the senshi, then you might think they do. And, they probably knew about that info, long before they crossed paths, with Sailor Moon," I said in a very comforting tone.
Thankfully, it was at this point, that the frustration, wound up leaving Pluto's face, and her kind expression once again returned.
"Just be prepared Keiko, for I fear that a dark evil is close to returning once again. And for all of our sake, you and Misaka, had best ready yourselves. Because you and I, may be meeting each other again, a lot sooner then you may think," Pluto said, as she then clutched her garnet rod tightly.
"Message received loud and clear, oh and Pluto?" I asked.
"What is it Keiko?" Pluto replied.
"Please don't hesitate, to pay me a visit, once in a while, there is still so much, that I would like to learn, about your world, including what went on in your guy's past. And perhaps, I would like to learn, a little bit more from you, about this other person, that you said that I remind you of," I said, with a small smile finding its way onto my face.
It was at this point that a blush then found its way onto Pluto's face.
"Well...I certainly wasn't expecting Sailor Pluto to blush...I am not exactly sure how to respond to something like that," I thought to myself, as a bead of sweat, once again appeared, on one side, of my face.
And with that final thought, the scene around me, once again, got very bright.
And when the light subsided, after a few seconds, I once again, found myself, back with everyone else. And no one had even noticed, that I had ever left.
"Well, I certainly wasn't expecting, to get a visit, from the famous Sailor Pluto...I wonder what this great evil was that she was talking about...wait...she couldn't mean...okay...let's not jump to conclusions here...but still...it would make a lot of sense, if 'it' is going to be returning...oh good god no...not to mention that 'she', would wind up returning as well...hard to believe, that she went so far, as to kill 9 of the senshi, all because she wanted their star seeds...actually...you know what...let me just push this to the side...because right now...all I am doing...is just speculating...Well viewers, not exactly...but more on that in the next chapter," I thought to myself, while I briefly turned my head, and eyesight, to the right of me, to briefly address the viewers.
And yet, though I didn't know it at the time. That what had just happened with Sailor Pluto, had now set the stage, for a convergence, that no one, would ever have foreseen. And also, Pluto now had suspicions, for a certain someone, who had been mentioned, during our conversation. And she was now going to do her best, to either confirm or deny those suspicions.
