Chapter Text
SZ: We have returned! And this time with another OVA!
GT: We do not have time since today/yesterday is/was April 2nd, 2020.
SZ: Which you know what that day represents if you're a fan of Blazblue….and no it...well kinda international PB&J day(yes that's a legit thing surprisingly), but it's also the bday of one of the best girls in the series.
GT: Yep. So we gotta do this quick to be on time or, at worst, a day late. So blah, blah, blah. We own zip. Go for it, Z0! *grabs SZ and flees*
Z0: Ahahahaha! *flame forms dragon like armor around me* Mwahahahaha! *punches the ground causing the other half of the earth to explode*
"Mmm~" Makoto grunted as she woke up, sitting up in her bed as she stretched a bit while dressed in her sleeping attire, "What a night...heh. But…" she grinned as she looked at a nearby calendar, "Today is the day~ Just gotta grab some clothes and greet the others!"
She hopped out of bed and moved to her closet. Opening it, she looked at her options for the day before grinning as she pulled out an orange and brown top that exposed part of the upper half of her chest and shoulders with a black strap on the top part. Going to the dresser, she opened it before pulling out a pair of black shorts with white trim where the legs came out of while she grabbed a gold bracelet from the jewelry drawer. A few minutes later, Makoto was dressed up in the outfit with the black strap making an 'X' over her chest due to it being clipped in a loop on the back of her neck.
"Alrighty…" Makoto grinned, approaching her bedroom door before opening out, "Good morning, every…" she paused before blinking, seeing...no one in the house, "...one? Uh...guys? Hello~?" she looked around, "Now where the heck is everyone? Ben? Rook? Girls? RB? ...Anyone? ...Maybe Magister Tennyson might know," she muttered as she pulled out her badge from her tail and tapped it.
=Plumbers Hea...Headquarters= Patelliday answered, a yawn coming from him mid-sentence.
"Hi, Officer Patelliday," Makoto greeted, "Everything alright?"
=Fine, fine. Just near the end of a long night shift is all= Patelliday assured.
"Ahh...gotcha," Makoto noted, "Question...have you seen the others by any chance? I just woke up and...well, no one is here."
=Hm? Others? ...Oh! You mean Ben and the others? Well, Ben's off-planet at the moment with Tsubaki and Rook. Small emergency and should be back around lunch= Patelliday noted =Don't wanna go near the labs to see if Kajun's there...I've been hearing things that I'm worried about going near there lately=
"I don't blame you on that," Makoto agreed, "What about Noel, Mai, Jenny, and RB?"
=I believe Noel and Jenny took Robotboy to see his creator on a possible upgrade= he answered =As for Mai…Eh, tracking her comm and it says she's coming to your current residence=
"Ahh thanks," Makoto nodded just as she heard the door, "And that's her right now. Talk to ya later, Patelliday sir, and try and get some rest."
=Can...ahh. Do= he yawned as he cut communications.
"Huh...wonder what Mai was doing?" Makoto pondered as she put her badge away, "...ooh~ I bet I know…"
"...Okay...no one seems to be here…" Mai whispered, peeking into the place as she carefully and quietly snuck in, carrying a few bags, "Guess Makoto…"
"Hey Mai!"
"KYA!" Mai yelped, dropping the bags in the process, "M-Makoto!"
"What ya doing~?" Makoto asked.
"J-just bringing in stuff from the store!" Mai quickly answered, grabbing as many of the bags she dropped as possible.
"You're acting suspicious." Makoto spoke, "What are you hiding?"
"What am I hiding?"
"Hiding something from me?"
"Hiding something from you?"
"Are you?"
"...no. I'm not," Mai answered as she walked to the kitchen, "We needed more groceries, so I decided to pick some up from the store while the others were busy."
"Oh….well I can help i-"
"I can take care of it myself," Mai stated.
"Are you sure you're not hiding something?" Makoto leaned in close to Mai, "Cause your acting weird about some really...very...normal stuff." she leaned forward with each word, "So I ask again...ah…" she took a quick breath, "What are you hiding?"
"I swear I'm not hiding anything…." Mai muttered, nervous from the proximity and breach of personal space.
"Really?" Makoto asked as she backed away.
"Yes really," Mai answered, giving a small sigh, "Look. Why not find something to do...I heard the gym reopened."
"Fine." Makoto walked off. Mai watched Makoto leave the room then waited a few moments till she heard the front door open and close.
"Phew…finally she's gone," Mai sighed as she opened the pantry, only to cry in surprise as Makoto somehow jumped out, "How...you just...what!?"
"I knew it! You're hiding something!"
"Ah!" Mai panicked, running away.
"Oh no you don't!" Makoto shouted as she gave chase, "Get back here!"
'Why'd I have to be left alone with Makoto while the others are busy?!' Mai mentally exclaimed.
"You can't hide from me!" Makoto shouted, jumping after her.
"Oh no...We left Mai without backup!" Noel suddenly panicked.
"But we left her at home with...ohh…" Jenny realized.
"Demo...We can't leave until Professor Moshimo is finished with Robotboy," Noel muttered.
"...I'll go and hurry back," Jenny offered.
"Oh, I hope you can get there in time. Makoto knows how to make Mai talk," Noel noted in worry.
"...I think I lost her…" Mai whispered, hiding in an empty building as she cautiously looked around, "Just don't crack, Mai...d-"
"Oh, Mai~"
"GH!" Mai tensed, quickly bringing her spear out as she cautiously looked around, "D...don't freak out Mai...just...pretend you're somewhere else...and not in a place that reminds you of that RE3 game...only replace the dangerous humanoid bioweapon with Makoto…"
"Should I be flattered you think of me as a weapon of mass destruction~?"
"...With hearing akin to Baldi…" Mai muttered, "All I need is a security office with a pair of doors and it'll be a FNaF fangame...or a precursor to it since it won't come out for another year."
"You know I know they say imitation is a form of flattery...but that was a LOT of Flattery," Makoto sighed, appearing right next to Mai suddenly.
"EEK!" Mai freaked, swinging her spear at her.
"Whoa!" Makoto yelped, jumping back, "The heck?!"
"Sorry, sorry! When I have my spear out, my mind goes from flight to fight!" Mai apologized before screaming and pointing behind Makoto.
"?" Makoto spun around, only to see nothing, "...She ran off by distracting me." the sound of a door closing was her answer, "Yep. She fled."
"I get the feeling my girlfriend is causing problems…" Ben spoke up, riding with Rook and Tsubaki.
"It's Makoto. More often than not when she's alone, problems happen for others," Tsubaki noted, looking at her badge displaying a map, "We're approaching."
"Okay. We get in, we get out without casualties," Ben ordered, "Don't get distracted and focus on our objective in this."
"Understood," Rook nodded as he landed the ship, "Still, I must ask. Are you sure you are up for this, Ben?"
"Have to, Rook. Part of the job," Ben replied before turning on the Omnitrix and turned into Brainstorm, "Now, let us be on our way and fulfill this task we have set upon."
"Of course," Tsubaki nodded.
Mai peeked around a set of bookshelves. No sign of Makoto. She looked the other way and no sign of her. She looked behind her and no Makoto. She looked up and saw no sign of her. She gave a muted sigh of relief.
'A library...Makoto hates these places. Too quiet for her and that one librarian that seems to always be in the library whenever she's in it doing that annoying 'sush' noise at her no matter what she does,' Mai thought before pulling out her badge and made a holographic keyboard pop up, '...I'm still going to send a text to Kajun and ask if she can whip up a FNaF 1 security office for me made to keep Makoto away from me until it's time.'.
"Mai?"
"?!" Mai tensed as she quickly turned, "...Jenny?"
"Hiding here because of Makoto's bad luck with these places?" Jenny asked, earning a nod, "Good idea."
"Seriously...Why'd you guys leave me with Makoto? You know how she gets," Mai sighed.
"We forgot Kajun would be busy today in the lab," Jenny replied, sheepishly rubbing the back of her head.
"It was still unfair...I got chased around for a good hour! And she only stopped 'cause a food truck parked down the street!"
"You didn't lead her to Undertown, did you?" Jenny asked.
"Absolutely not," Mai replied, "I was panicking, but not panicking enough to lead her down there."
"Good...so she should still be looking for you...depending on how much money she has and how long that food truck can distract her…" Jenny spoke.
"Thirds!" Makoto cheered as a crowd of people and aliens cheered, watching her scarf down insane amounts of food.
"..." the group of cooks in the food truck shared looks, but still went off cooking more of one-of-everything; they didn't care where she was packing all that food away since she immediately paid the moment the food arrived at the table.
"Honestly, we should make this some sorta challenge," one noted, "We could honestly get on Man VS Food if we did."
"...Keep going and do not stop! In fact...what's our spiciest dish?!" another demanded.
"We have a spice dish?" a third asked.
"...Get the tip jar and go run off for peppers. The spiciest you can find," the second ordered.
"Got it!" the third saluted as he ran off.
"I get the feeling we don't need to worry," Mai spoke, "Also...she has Ben's wallet…"
"I feel a disturbance in my bank account…" Brainstorm muttered.
"Focus on the task at hand. Worry about that later," Tsubaki ordered, peeking around a corner, "There's the location."
"Move in," Brainstorm ordered before the trio quickly moved towards a small building, metal grates on the windows and the door made of steel.
"Shoot!" Mai quietly cursed.
"What's wrong?"
"I dropped the groceries before I could put them into the freezer," Mai replied.
"Darn it. Okay, we'll need to work fast then," Jenny frowned, "I've got Makoto's badge on my scanner; and she's not close to the grocery store. We'll get in, grab new freezer stuff, and get it back home before she can find you."
"We'll have to move fast," Mai spoke, "Back home could be the next place she checks once she's done."
"Then we need to hurry," Jenny stated, "Moment we're in the house, we'll have to set up the defenses until everyone else is back."
"Hai," Mai nodded, "We can't let her find out what's going on."
"Come on...Is that all ya got?!" Makoto laughed, mountains of plates on each side of her, "Come on! Give me the best dish ya got!"
"Of course," the second cook replied, "You've eaten us out of everything except for one single dish: the Truck Special."
"Ooh~That sounds interesting," Makoto grinned as the third chef put a waiver before her with a pen, "Huh?"
"So we don't get sued if you end up in the hospital due to it," he informed.
"Oh-ho~! Ominous!" Makoto smiled, "Ah don't worry! My boyfriend's cash should cover it."
"A brave one, she is," the first muttered from the truck.
"Get the Truck Special," the second ordered as he pulled out a timer and an entire pitcher filled with milk and put them at Makoto's side.
"...And the pitcher is for…?"
"For when you quit, run out of time, or finish," he replied.
"You're lucky, too. This is our first time getting someone that wants the Truck Special," the third noted.
"You manage to finish it? You get a shirt, and half-off on all your dishes," the first added, "And your picture hung on the corkboard that we'll display every day our truck is open."
"Sweet!" Makoto beamed as she placed her hands on the table, "Bring it on then."
"Bring it out," the second ordered.
The first nodded before closing the service side of the truck. The door opened and he stepped out...wearing a hazmat suit. In his glove-covered hands, there was a platter filled with chicken wings with the air around it seeming to ripple from the heat coming off them. Makoto sniffed before her tail and ears shot straight up, tears starting to well in her eyes. The first cook put it before her before quickly backing away and took off his helmet, showing his face covered in sweat.
"You have fifteen minutes to finish this, then five minutes after that not taking a drink of anything," the second informed, setting the timer for fifteen minutes.
"...Well...I asked for it….here goes nothing," Makoto whispered, taking a chicken wing and taking a bite into it, "?!"
"SPICY~!" Makoto's voice screamed.
"Ahh!" Mai yelped a bit in surprise, nearly dropping a tub of ice cream, "...I guess Makoto found something too spicy for her."
"Ooh...May need to swing by HQ for some medical salve for her tongue so she'll have her sense of taste back in time for tonight," Jenny noted, cringing.
"Agreed," Mai nodded as she put the tub into the grocery cart, "Okay...I think that's everything...unless...Jenny. Did we forget anything?"
"Uhm…" Jenny took a moment as she went over a digital copy of a list in her mind, "I think that's...yep. That's everything!" she gave a thumbs up.
"Okay good," Mai sighed in relief, "Then let's hurry to the checkout line, then to HQ to meet with Kajun...and head home before Makoto finds us."
"I think she'll be busy for a while." Jenny muttered.
"...what makes you say that?"
"There's a livestream going on called 'local heroine tries for the Truck Special and is burning hot,'" Jenny answered.
"...Hope Ben doesn't hear that. Might get jealous someone's calling her 'burning hot,'" Mai joked.
"...Jesus. She's still going," one of the chefs whispered, the crowd watching on as Makoto kept eating the wings...despite her face burning red as she sweated bullets of sweat.
"I've heard of being determined, but...wow," the third blinked in awe.
"She's got a minute left before her fifteen minutes are up," the second noted, looking at the timer.
"I…can...do this…" Makoto whispered, holding onto the last of the wings as she heavily panted, "Today...is my...special day...and like h-e-double hockey sticks am I gonna lose!" she declared as she took a bite into it, tearing the meat right off the bone before placing said bones on the plate full of them and swallowed just a few seconds before the timer went off, "Okay...done! Now….five more minutes to go…" her stomach let out a growling sound, "...I can survive five minutes."
"...man. She could give Adam Richman a run for his money," the first chef whispered, "Wait...what peppers did you buy, Gary?"
"Um...The California Reaper...Trinidad Moruga Scorpion...Pot Doughlag...Chocolate 7 Pot...Dorset Naga...Naga Morchi...7 Pot Primo...Trinidad Scorpion Butch T….Komodo Dragon...and the Naga Viper," the third replied.
"...You bought the top 10 hottest chili peppers?" the second asked with wide eyes.
"Hey. She wanted a challenge and you, Stu, wanted me to get the spiciest peppers I could get after asking what was our spiciest dish."
"...You did not just Maliciously Comply," the first forced back a laugh.
"I did, Joe, I did."
"You, uh, you made sure to take the seeds out AKA the spiciest parts of the peppers?" Joe asked.
"Nope. When I made the sauce for those wings, I didn't waste a single thing from the peppers," Gary replied as Makoto seemed to fold in on herself, banging a fist weakly on the table.
"...She's Ben Tennyson's girlfriend, right?" Stu asked, "The one that's been all the talk online lately?"
"I heard this company called ARK System Works wanted to make a fighting game using her and her friends," Joe recalled.
"Cool…Oh, wait..."
"Pull strong...Makoto…" Makoto whispered, literally breathing fire as she gripped her fist.
"...Really glad she signed that paper," Joe muttered.
"...We're still going to pay for her bills if she does need medical attention," Stu ordered.
"I'm still putting this on Reddit," Gary stated.
"Better put it under r/LegalAdvice if we get into trouble for this," Stu frowned.
"Yes, Stu…"
A Tetramand with half her face covered in scar tissue looked up from her polishing a counter. Her good eyes narrowed at the trio that approached.
"...You here for pickup?" she asked.
"Indeed. The code is Bravo-Alpha-Tango," Brainstorm replied.
"...Gotcha," she nodded before reaching under the counter and pulled out a wrapped bundle.
"Tsubaki," Brainstorm spoke.
Tsubaki nodded. She pulled out a packet and handed it over to the Tetramand. She opened it and pulled out a computer chip. The Tetramand pulled out a small tablet and connected the chip to it, causing the screen to dimly light up. After checking the contents, she nodded and put it away before sliding the bundle over to them, letting Tsubaki pick it up.
"Good luck to you with that. Wasn't pretty in getting it, either," the Tetramand advised before the trio left, "Folks'll be after you."
"Okay….we seem to be in the clear," Rook noted, cautiously looking around as they returned to the ship.
"Just be careful," Tsubaki advised, keeping her shield out as she checked around the area, "People will be after the package, so let's head into the ship and leave."
"Agreed," Brainstorm nodded.
"There it is!" the trio looked to see a group of mud-like aliens...pointing right at the bundle Tsubaki was holding, "Get 'em!"
"Oh no…" Tsubaki groaned.
"Hmm...maybe...no no," Kajun muttered, looking through a few phials within her lab at Plumbers HQ.
"You know, we could be of better help if you told us what you're looking for," Driba noted.
"True...but knowing Makoto, she'd try and get the info out of you and Blukic," Kajun argued.
"...She makes a point," Blukic spoke.
"Can you at least tell us a few components?"
"...It's on the paper near m-" Kajun began before Mai ran in, "...Greetings, Mai."
"First off; you! You left me with her!" Mai snapped, "Second off; I need to restore Makoto's burnt taste buds, then hurry back to the house and meet up with Jenny before Makoto finds me."
"Burnt ta...What did she do?"
"She won a T-Shirt and got her photo on a corkboard."
"...That food challenge at the local food truck?"
"Yup," Mai nodded before she heard a slamming sound.
"KAJUN! ANTIDOTE FOR BURNT TASTE BUDS! NOW!" Makoto's voice exclaimed, "I LITERALLY JUST ATE ALL OF THE WORLD'S SPICIEST PEPPERS, AND MY STOMACH IS A FURNACE!"
"...Well, that saves me the trouble o-I mean, shoot!" Mai yelped as she ran out the other exit just as Makoto ran in...her body a bright red with a pool of sweat forming underneath her...and carrying a bag with a T-Shirt in it with a food truck that was on fire with a chili in sunglasses driving it.
"Milk...antidote...whatever….need...NOW!" Makoto exclaimed in her heavy panting...which ended up breathing some fire into the room.
"This...is extra even for you, Makoto…" Kajun spoke, "Well give me a second. Because of you, my work must be put on hold." she got up, "Here…" she pushed a button as fans lowered from the ceiling and turned on once they faced Makoto, "This should only take me a few...Minutes…"
"H-how long is a few?"
"...Four…"
"Oh thank kami!"
"ty...Forty…." Kajun finished, making Makoto collapse.
"Ahh mou~!" Makoto whined, "...no...I can..persevere...especially for today!"
"Ah, yes. That's right, after the cure...restraints so you don't ruin weeks of plotting," Kajun smiled.
"Ahh...Too hot to care…Stomach now furnace...owies...much owies…"
"..." Blukic held up a stick and poked her tail...before the stick turned to ashes from catching on fire, "Well...She's as hot as a Pyronite."
"From what she said earlier, she did eat ten of Earth's hottest peppers," Driba noted.
"...And Kisaragi sempai had to be busy, too…" Kajun whispered.
"Why do I have to do this, niisan?" Jin asked in an annoyed tone, walking with Ragna around Undertown.
"Because the last time I let you go on patrol alone, you nearly froze a visiting official that was here on vacation!" Ragna replied.
"They shouldn't have talked down to me like that," Jin frowned.
"Ugh...nevermind," Ragna sighed, "Listen, we have something to do for that project and don't need Makoto to find out. Also because Tsubaki asked me to look after you to make sure you don't mess it up."
"...Pot calling the Kettle black, niisan," Jin deadpanned.
"...Shut up…" Ragna grumbled, "Let's just get back to looking for where Pakmar's shop is now…"
"Agreed…."
"Okay...Kajun has her occupied…" Mai sighed in relief, walking back into the house as she had her back against the front door, "No complications for you, Jenny?"
"Nope. Everything's been put away," Jenny replied as she walked out of the kitchen.
"Good. I barely avoided Makoto when she got to the Lab to get treated for her pyrrhic victory."
"Wow...talk about close," Jenny winced.
"Hai…" Mai nodded, "...Wait. Is Noel waiting for you back at where Moshimo is hiding at?"
"...Oh shoot! You're right!" Jenny yelped before running out, "Set up the security system. I'll be back with Noel and Ro! K! Bye! See ya!"
"...Right. And yet again, I've been left alone," Mai cringed before going over to the closet and waved her badge over it, causing it to move back to reveal an elevator.
Mai stepped onto the elevator and it proceeded to take her down while the closet slid back into place. The elevator stopped after a few minutes to reveal a steel door. She waved her badge over it and the door slid up, revealing a chair, a button to close and lock the door, and several monitors displaying the rooms, the front yard, front door, backyard, back door, and garage.
"...I am in an office, watching security cameras with an automatic reinforced door being my only protection from someone scaring me at the moment," Mai noted, "...Yep. I am living FNaF and it's not yet available. Hopefully Ben and the others are doing ok."
"Ahh!" Ben screamed as the Proto-TRUK was hit by a laser, "These guys are determined!"
=Hand it over!= the mud-like aliens demanded fmo their ships as they chased after the trio.
"This is quite troubling. I fear we may have to give it to them," Rook noted.
"Oh heck no!" Ben argued, "We've come this far and we're not giving it up!"
"...Agreed," Tsubaki nodded, holding onto the package, "Rook, activate countermeasures."
"Roger," Rook nodded as he pressed a button, causing the turrets to turn and fire at the pursuing ships.
"Just one day out in space...Can just one day not lead to me ending up in some sort of shootout?" Ben questioned.
"It doesn't happen e…"
"Yes, yes it does. Trip to the moon base? Security system went nuts and shot at me. A trip to the ISS? Aliens invade and shoot at me. Makoto and I going to Venus' orbital resort? Vreedle Bros. invade and shoot at me."
"Venus has what now?" Tsubaki asked before a green flash went off.
"Keep hold on that bundle, Tsubaki Yayoi," Rath growled as he stomped to the back of the ship.
A few moments passed. A few more went by and the firing stopped. Rook and Tsubaki shared looks before the airlock went off and Rath came back in, mud caking on his fur. He sat down and snorted.
"...Di…" Rook began to ask.
"Keep flying back to Earth, Rook Blonco," Rath ordered.
"Understood," Rook gulped as he focused on the space in front of him.
"No! Pakmar will not!" Pakmar snapped, standing behind the counter of a large stall.
"Don't start with me now!" Ragna barked.
"No! If it involves that destructive squirrel, then I will not comply!" Pakmar huffed.
"Pakmar, do you see this?" Ragna questioned, holding up a paper.
"Pakmar does."
"This is the printed receipt for the order I made online yesterday at eleven in the morning," Ragna informed, "It also confirms that it's been paid for. Do I have to call Chadzmuth to sue?"
"?!"
"Or rather…" Ragna paused as he jerked his thumb at Jin, "Would you rather deal with my brother here...who unlike me, hates dealing with nonsense like this and won't hesitate to freeze you?"
"...Pakmar will get it right away!" Pakmar exclaimed as he rushed off.
"Hmm...not bad," Jin noted before frowning, "Though I don't appreciate being used as a weapon."
"Jin, you know me," Ragna muttered as he turned to look at him, "I'm not afraid to hit a jerk with another jerk."
"Hmph. Still don't get what Nanaya did to piss off the shrimp."
"Eh, from what I've been able to figure out without directly asking? She introduced herself as Ben's partner in damage prevention and failed big time each time they met when Ben was around," Ragna shrugged.
"I'm surprised he hasn't destroyed the town from his destructive battles," Jin deadpanned, "...Almost reminds me whenever you'd raid the NOL bases."
"Hey. Those assholes deserved it," Ragna argued, "But at least I don't have a shitty wanted poster anymore."
"True I suppose," Jin muttered.
"Pakmar has returned with package!" Pakmar grunted, pushing in a large box twice Ragna's size on a cart.
"Ah, great," Ragna smirked before reaching out...and easily picking up the package, "Thanks."
"Just do not let crazy iceman near Pakmar...he scares Pakmar," Pakmar gulped, ducking underneath his counter to not look at Jin.
"Crazy...iceman?" Jin repeated with an annoyed frown.
"You are a crazy iceman," Ragna replied as he proceeded to drag Jin out with his free arm.
"..." Jin's eye twitched.
"Alright, you'll end up having a tiny aftertaste of mint for an hour," Driba noted as Makoto poked her-currently-green tongue, "But your taste buds have been fixed to before you ate all that spiciness. Good thing that one thing that's put into records for Plumbers is a monthly genetic update. I'm glad for it."
"No you're not," Blukic replied.
"Yes, I am."
"No, you're not."
"...Well least I'll be able to enjoy my special day still," Makoto muttered as she stood up, "Speaking of...I need to get back to finding Mai a-" she tensed when she was suddenly wrapped in bindings, "...Kajun, please let me go."
"Sorry, but I need you here for a moment," Kajun replied.
"...For what exactly?" Makoto cautiously asked.
"Some testing on some upgrades to your Proto-Gauntlets," Kajun replied.
"?! And my special day is back on track!" Makoto squeed, her tail wagging, "What do they do? What do they do? What do they do?!"
"Elemental add-ons," Kajun replied.
"...I can copy the Elemental Punches from Pokemon?" Makoto asked, "Ooh, I am tingling!"
"Knew you'd like that," Kajun smiled.
"You kidding?! I love it a-wait...what's the catch?"
"Hmm? Oh...no catch at all."
"...Really?"
"None."
"...I'm not hallucinating from too much peppers, am I?"
"No, you are not."
"...Well...in that case…" Makoto began as she grinned widely, "Gimme gimme gimme! I wanna test now!"
'This should keep her busy long enough,' Kajun mentally noted.
"...Oh thank god…" Mai sighed in relief, seeing Jenny land at the front door with Noel, followed by Robotboy in his Super Active Mode before going back to his child form upon landing.
=Mai, we're home= Jenny called from the radio =And still no sight of Makoto=
"Good. You're all clear to enter," Mai replied, pushing a button and causing the front door to open to let them in.
=Ohh...Where Mai?= Robotboy asked, looking around.
"Security office," Mai replied, "There's a reinforced door so Makoto can't break it down without trouble and effort."
=Oh...I see= Robotboy noted as he and the girls walked in =But...why keep Makoto out?=
=Remember that special day we talked about? The same one Noel had back on the same day as Christmas?= Jenny asked.
=Oh! Robotboy get now…=
"That's good, Ro," Mai noted, "I'll stay down here a bit longer before coming on up."
=Hai. In the meantime, I'll make the cake a…= Noel began.
=Oh...Um...I already ordered a cake, Noel= Jenny noted before opening her stomach and revealed a freezer with an ice cream cake shaped like a 3D acorn and the size of Robotboy =Turns out that my late friend Brad's great-grandson runs a bakery in Tremorton, so I went there to request one=
=Oh….mou~= Noel slumped =I was starting to improve, too…=
=There, there, Noel= Robotboy patted her leg in assurance.
"...I wanted to have a slice of Noel cake…" Mai muttered.
"...Okay. The coast seems to be clear," Ben whispered as the Proto-TRUK landed back in Bellewood.
"...Just to be sure," Tsubaki paused as she pulled out a walkie talkie, "Lucky Girl, this is Camillia. Anyone suspicious from your end? Over."
=Lucky Girl here. Nothing suspicious at the moment, over=
"Good. You and...ugh...Road Warrior keep us informed if anyone speaks of taking the package from us, over."
=Hey, it's an awesome name= another voice argued on the line.
"Dude, you got that after we watched a movie marathon the other night," Ben argued.
=Says the one who called himself 'Big Green 10'=
"What? It's a cool name," Ben defended.
=Girls, girls, you're both pretty=
"Hey!= said boys groaned.
=Just remember to focus on the mission...especially you 'Big Green 10'=
"I am," Ben defended, "Just...make sure 'she' doesn't see what's going on."
=She's currently with Science Butterfly in her Flower Field with the pair of argumentative Frogs= Road Warrior informed.
"...Now I'm slightly worried," Ben admitted.
"BOOYAH!" Makoto's voice shouted as a flaming energy fist slammed into a robotic dummy, incinerating it, "Hahahahaha! This is so great, Kajun!"
"Yes. Now try not to swap between too many at once," she spoke, "Give it time to adapt to new settings."
"Huh? Why?"
"Because it will overload and a third of you will be electrocuted, a third incinerated, and a third frozen in ice," Driba replied.
"In short...Don't break it." Kajun smirked, "Making that work at all took a lot of difficult research and effort I put aside all for you. So I don't want to see those gloves on my desk again 'till their next tune up."
"You got it!" Makoto assured, "Still, one of the best gifts ever~!"
"Only thanks I need is you not breaking them in a month's time." Kajun smiled simply.
"Can do!" Makoto mock saluted with a wink.
"...I give it a week," Driba noted.
"Two weeks," Blukic replied.
"Hey...Come on, guys. Don't be such stinkers."
"Oh, we're not. We're being nice given your track record," Driba replied.
"I am not that bad," Makoto argued.
"..." the trio shared looks before Blukic pulled out a remote and pushed it, causing the nearby screen to play several clips of Makoto coming in with time stamps...all within days of one another, all showing a sheepish Makoto holding up the wrecked gauntlets.
"...Not my fault I don't hold back my punches," Makoto muttered, crossing her arms as she puffed her cheeks up.
"Which is why we added extra springs and padding into them with this upgrade," Kajun assured.
"Cool!" Makoto smiled, "Well..I am off! Need to...uh...shoot. I forgot what I was doing before," Makoto muttered, tilting her head for a moment, "...Oh That's right! Finding Mai and getting her to spill the beans!"
"Hmm...I'd suggest checking Mr. Baumann's store," Kajun advised, "If not there, then she may be at home."
"Thanks!" Makoto beamed as she ran out.
"...Well, I'll be clocking out and returning home," Kajun noted after a few minutes.
"Hope she enjoys it," Blukic noted.
"Oh, I'm sure," Kajun replied as she picked up a small box and walked out, "Thank you for the assistance with this, even if I had to be vague to avoid spoiling it."
"Not a problem," Driba assured.
"Hey! We got the 'package'!" Ragna shouted, standing outside the house with Jin.
=Hold. I need to check if Makoto is around= Mai answered.
"Is this really necessary?" Jin asked.
"Ahahahaha!" Ragna laughed, "Oh...oh shit. You're being serious despite knowing her in military school...Let me laugh harder. AHAHAHAHAH!"
"I was always away from school during March and April due to duties in the NOL," Jin argued.
=Yes, yes it is necessary, Jin= Mai deadpanned as the door opened =And no Makoto in the area. And it worries me that Ragna knows more about how Makoto is like on this day than you=
"...What's that supposed to mean?" Jin raised a brow.
"No arguments today," Ragna ordered, dragging Jin in before the door closed.
"Grr…"
"Okay...Mr. Baumann didn't know…" Makoto muttered as she left the store, "Hmm...where could Mai have gone? In fact...why's everyone so busy today? ...I didn't do something to anger them, did I?" she mused, "Nah, that's impossible...I'm delightful. Still...is th-" she blinked when she spotted a familiar car drive by, "...was that Kevin and Gwen?" she took a long second to think of why they'd be here, "Oho...I have a new target."
"I think she took the bait," Kevin whispered, looking at the side mirror to see Makoto starting to follow after them.
"Just make sure she stays away from the house until we get the signal," Gwen whispered back.
"Oh relax. She's not gonna lose interest with nothing else to do." Kevin replied.
"I know...which is what worries me," Gwen admitted.
"Oh please. Like she c-"Kevin began, looking at the rearview mirror before blinking, "...where did she go?"
"Hello~" Makoto greeted, lowering her head to see him as she stood on top of the car.
"?!"
"So...what brings you two love-birds back home like this?" Makoto asked with a sweet smile on her face.
"..." Kevin just blinked before stepping on the gas, making Makoto yelp as she nearly lost her footing.
"Kevin!" Gwen hissed.
"I panicked!" he complained.
"Oh-ho...just you wait 'till I get a chance. If you thought I was still mad at you for dumping your crazed Ex on my boyfriend, just wait 'till you see how mad I am now." Makoto spoke, making Kevin yelp as he drove faster, "Also nice try! Been practicing on my boyfriend's overboard and been improving on balance!"
"Gwen, some help here please!?" Kevin hissed.
"..." Gwen took a moment to think, she unclicked her seat belt, opened the door, covered herself in a barrier of mana to protect herself as she jumped out.
"Traitor!" Kevin cried.
"Well...talk about unlucky y-woah!" Makoto yelped when she was suddenly pulled off by a tendrel of Mana.
"...Nevermind. Thanks babe!" Kevin called out.
"You so owe me for this, Kevin," Gwen whispered, dismissing the tendril as Makoto shot up.
"You think this is enough to stop me, Gwen Tennyson?" she pouted, "I'll never stop!"
"Yeah, you're Ben's girlfriend alright…" Gwen sighed, "So...Kevin happened to come across a video involving you and some chicken wings..."
"I am never doing that ever again!" Makoto declared, "The T-Shirt is awesome, though."
"I'm starting to think you and Ben are soulmates…" Gwen whispered to herself, "But why would you...and how are you not dead? Isn't one of your traits an enhanced sense of taste?"
"Eh. I braved through it, then immediately went to Kajun for some salve for my tongue," Makoto shrugged, before showing her still green tongue for emphasis, "Will be tasting mint a bit longer, but that will not deter me from today!"
"Well, been wondering just what you can really do," Gwen noted, "Care for a small spar?"
"Eh sure," Makoto shrugged, tapping her charm as she gained her armor and gauntlets, "Wanted to try the new upgrades Kajun made for me in battle anyways."
"Upgrades?" Gwen repeated before Makoto's gauntlets ignited in flames, "...Oh, you have to be ki…"
"...dding me," Mai groaned, banging her head on the desk, "Kevin, why are you here?"
=Gwen's handling Makoto and we agreed that if one of us had to do solo-distraction because of being too tenacious, the other would get here immediately= Kevin replied, a large box in his arms with Zed behind him, wagging her tail.
"Ugh…" Mai sighed before pushing the door open button, "Get in and get things set up then."
=Can do= Kevin gave a thumbs up.
"Ah...Why is today so hard...It shouldn't have to be a military operation...but yet...it always is," Mai groaned.
=On the bright side, with Kevin bringing the last of it, we'll be ready in five minutes= Ben noted in the living room.
"...True I guess," Mai muttered, "Just hope Gwen can keep her distracted long enough."
=When I decided to stop holding back once, Gwen's barrier took Way Big to break. Makoto's punches shouldn't be a problem= Ben shrugged.
"I hope you're right…"
"Yep...Totally Ben's Soulmate!" Gwen complained, running down the street as things exploded behind her.
"Come on, Gwen! I haven't even tried the other features yet!" Makoto called out, chasing after her with her gauntlets now coated in electricity.
"It's like dealing with a ten-year old Ben on a sugar rush...again," Gwen whispered, quickly duckign underneath an electric energy fist before putting a hand on the ground, "Captionem Terram."
"Cap-what now?" Makoto asked before yelping when the ground opened up into a trap hole that covered itself the moment she under where the hole's opening was, "Gah!"
"That should keep her busy," Gwen whispered before pulling her badge out, "How goes it over there?"
=Good timing. We were about to call you= Noel replied =We're all set up, so start luring her back home please!=
"Understood," Gwen nodded before the ground behind her exploded in a mix of fire, ice, and electricity, "?!"
"Oh ho! Nice...try!" Makoto grunted as she climbed out, bits of her armor missing as she cracked her neck, "I ain't getting trapped that easily." she quickly pulled out two chips from both gauntlets and sighed in relief when the gauntlets didn't do anything except start giving off a cold air, "Phew. Didn't break 'em when using all three."
"Alright, I'm calling it," Gwen sighed, "I know where Mai is."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Where?"
"Back at the house," Gwen replied.
"I KNEW IT!" Makoto exclaimed, "Onwards to home! I will find out what secret Mai's got!"
"Just don't scar her or anything."
"Nah~ I won't do that," Makoto laughed, dismissing her armor as she ran off, "See ya!"
"...Might as well follow after her. Make sure nothing happens along the way," Gwen whispered as she followed after the squirrel girl.
"Mai! You got some 'splaining to...do?" Makoto blinked as she ran back into the house...only to see the place completely dark, "Eh? Aw great...Did someone blow a fuse again?" she looked around, "Okay...I know you might not be able to see me...but I know you can hear me, Mai...unless you're in some kind of panic room in which case...I'm sorry for freaking you out so much." she pouted after a moment, "Alright...If a fuse did get blown and she's in a panic room, she might be stuck." she felt the wall for a switch and felt it, "Huh...Just switched off." she flicked it and the lights came on with…
"SURPRISE!"
"GYAH!" Makoto yelped, spinning around to see everyone with the room decorated in shades of the colors of acorns.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" everyone cheered.
"...Wait...th...I…" Makoto sputtered as Gwen walked in behind her, "...Oh, you guys~!"
"Sorry about the crazy chase today. It was my job to keep you out of the house all day," Mai apologized, 'Well, not really, but it's the best way to not spoil the party.'
"And mine and Kevin's job was to keep and eye on you, and to distract you if you lost track of Mai," Gwen added.
"I was afraid you'd ring my neck," Kevin admitted.
"...Eh. I probably would," Makoto shrugged, "But you're one of my BF's best buds, so I would've let it slide."
"Phew."
"Sides, I'm sure Gwen has read you the riot axe more than enough for all that you pulled, and you'll certainly never, ever do anything like that again." Makoto smiled.
"Indeed I did...and no he won't." Gwen smiled with her as Kevin began sweating.
"Right," Kevin agreed before Zed made a few chuffing noises, "Et tu, Zed?"
"Heh heh," Makoto chuckled at that, "Still..can't believe you guys kept this a secret from me!"
"Knowing you, you'd find out about it in an instant," Kajun pointed out.
"We needed to keep you distracted long enough for everyone to get things together. We kinda lucked out when you found that food truck," Mai added, "You gave us a huge window of time, along with your emergency medical visit to HQ."
"Hey. I was hungry," Makoto shrugged, "Though I will not be accepting any spicy food challenges for a LONG while."
"Spicy food challenge?" Ben raised a brow.
"It's a long story…" Makoto explained.
"...Fair enough," Ben shrugged.
"Party start now?" Robotboy asked, poking out from behind a chair.
"Yup. Time to start the party!" Jenny replied.
"Why do I have to be here…?" Jin groaned.
"Because you've never been to a Birthday Party for Makoto," Tsubaki replied.
"Because I was always busy with work," Jin retorted before Ragna put a hand on his head.
"Just stop and enjoy something for a change," Ragna sighed.
"Before all that, I do have something to give Makoto first," Ben noted as he held up a gift box.
"Oh?" Makoto asked.
"For the last few weeks, Ben has called in many favors to find this," Rook explained.
"It was why we went to space and had to go to a planet that was made to be a massive Flea Market," Tsubaki added.
"Eh? Wh-what is it?" Makoto asked, becoming more and more curious about it.
"Well, open it," Ben offered, letting her take the box.
Makoto only blinked as she slowly opened the box, her eyes widening at what was inside. Reaching in, she pulled out a wrapped up bundle. She unfolded it, revealing a decorative ornate box that was primarily a soft brown with red and gold detailings. Tilting her head, she opened it and a small figure of Ben rose up and spun around as a soft melody played. Makoto raised a brow at Ben.
"Before you say anything, give it Noel real quick," Ben spoke.
"Okay?" Makoto replied, closing it and giving it to Noel, who opened it...revealing Makoto dancing instead of Ben, "Hah?!"
"It's a special box that was made in the Andromeda Galaxy a hundred years ago," Ben explained, "It reads the holder's mind to make the little dancer inside change to whoever the holder is thinking the most about at the time."
"We almost died," Rook added.
"Yeah we did…" Ben chuckled.
"...Oh that's so sweet~" Noel whispered with a small smile, handing it back to Makoto.
"Do...you like it, Makoto?" Ben cautiously asked.
"Like it?" Makoto repeated, small tears forming on her face as a soft smile grew, "I love it…I absolutely love it, Ben-kun."
"Phew...glad y-" Ben began before Makoto pulled him over with her tail, sharing a kiss with him.
"Aw…" many of the girls replied to the act of affection.
"I'm going to be ill…" Jin muttered, earning a dope slap from Ragna.
"Alrighty! Let's party!" Makoto cheered once the kiss ended.
SZ: And a really sweet ending to end this OVA.
GT: Yep. Hope you all enjoyed this.
Z0: We worked fast...speaking of fast, I have the rest of the world to destroy.
GT: I'm gone. *vanishes in a puff of smoke to the next story*
SZ: Oh geez….uh...read and review folks!
Z0: *jumps into the air while covered in blue fire* RAGE! *dives down and into the ground demolishing the last half of earth* And now...to play Doom for some catharsis.