"A-a-ah! Numby! You... why do you look so happy? You wouldn't even budge when I tried to dance with you before..."
Topaz reached out her arms, then retracted them to her chest, an expression of disbelief on her face as she watched Stelle singing and dancing with Numby... Why, how could this be...
"Pu-ooh~"
Numby slid up and down in Stelle's arms, its short, dark legs tracing dance steps in the air in coordination with her. A Punklorde-style rendition of the 'Dangerous Party' dance was being performed flawlessly by the duo of one human and one beast.
Seeing how happy Numby looked, Topaz suddenly felt a hollow ache in her heart...
"Eh? You actually started dancing? I don't remember you ever learning how to dance?" March 7th scratched her head, thoroughly confused as she watched Stelle and Numby go wild.
"Uh... maybe this is a case of the atmosphere reaching a point where one must dance? But there's no atmosphere to speak of here..." Himeko subconsciously rubbed her smooth arms, already feeling second-hand embarrassment for Stelle.
"Was she... always like this on your previous Trailblazing journeys?" Himeko posed the fatal question to the silent Dan Heng.
"Mm... She has actually toned it down a lot..." Dan Heng stroked his chin, thought carefully for a moment, and finally came to his conclusion.
Recalling Stelle's past deeds... dancing with a Warp Trotter now seemed... relatively normal? It was certainly better than rummaging through trash cans in public and then doing all sorts of... Hiss... Could the reason for her current unhinged state be Wende's absence?
Dan Heng felt as if he had stumbled upon some incredible truth.
"Sigh... I guess I'll be the one to bring her back... but why does Numby look so happy too?"
March tilted her head, then glanced at Topaz behind her, who looked like she was about to start crying. Deciding to drop the subject, she quickly moved to Stelle's side and whispered something in her ear.
"You lost your 50/50."
"!!!"
"Ah! Numby!"
"Oof!!!"
Hearing those words, Stelle reacted as if she'd been triggered. Her hands jolted, and she flung the still-gleefully-dancing Numby through the air. Fortunately, Topaz reacted in time, catching the poor creature, which was still too stunned to remember it could fly.
"Honestly, if you want to dance, I can dance with you. Please don't learn her unhinged habits, okay..." Topaz buried her face in the soft fur on Numby's back, gently comforting it.
"My pity! My...! Oh, wait, what just happened?"
Snapping out of her frenzied state, Stelle held her forehead, looking blankly at Topaz who was still soothing Numby.
"Sigh, you went wild again," March said with a helpless shake of her head, explaining to the now-lucid Stelle in a near-sigh.
"If only Wende were here. One of his lightning needles and you'd be back to normal in an instant."
March recalled the time Wende had stuck lightning needles all over Stelle's back like a mage with a Gatling gun, forcibly halting her chaotic antics. She suddenly found herself missing him, even though they had only been apart for a single morning...
"Is... that so?" Stelle rubbed her throbbing head. She did seem to recall dancing just now, didn't she?
"March... prepare for battle."
Dan Heng, who had been reminiscing about Stelle's "glorious past," suddenly sensed something. His expression turned grim as he spoke to March 7th. Cloud-Piercer materialized in his hand, its sharp tip aimed at a distant figure.
"Abnormal behavior detected. No identity information found. Suspected scavengers. Requesting clearance for elimination."
A man in a dark blue trench coat and red sunglasses had appeared behind them at some point, muttering into a headset.
"Inquire about their purpose. Ascertain their identity."
"Roger."
The man nodded, then revealed four coins in his hand.
"Hey? Do those coins look familiar to you?" March nudged the still-dazed Stelle with her elbow, pointing at the coins in the man's hand.
"Huh? Coins?" Stelle raised her head in a daze. Seeing the gleaming coins in the distant man's hand, her pupils constricted.
"Aren't those Aether Coins?" Stelle exclaimed in surprise.
"Yeah, is he trying to invite us to an Aetherium Wars match?" March asked, puzzled.
"No, that's not a battle invitation from an Aetherium Wars player. This planet can't even connect to the Aetherium Wars servers anymore. I can't even do my dailies," Topaz said, shaking her head as she eyed the Aether Coins in the man's hand thoughtfully.
"Although I've heard many rumors about Punklorde's hackers, this is the first time I've seen someone use a game mechanic as a method of attack." Topaz remarked with a hint of wonder.
"Hmph, you may not have long hair, but you're quite knowledgeable. Judging by your clothes... you must be from the Corporation, right? In that case..."
The man waved his hand, and the four coins shot out. Through Aether Editing, four "Aether Spirits" materialized and slowly rose from the ground, their gazes fixed on the Trailblazing crew with clear hostility.
"Speak. What do you want, coming to Punklorde now?"
---o---
"WTF! The in-game trainers can actually summon Pokémon!? Are all the hackers on Punklorde this wild!?"
Sister Guoguo stared at the scene in shock, then pulled out her own four "Aether Spirits."
"Go! Kafka, Topaz, Himeko, and God-Wende!"
As the screen shattered, an utterly absurd team appeared before the viewers in the livestream.
[I know we've seen it before, but it's still so ridiculous.]
[Honestly, this team comp is genius. Not only is it viable, but it has two different attack methods, and most importantly, every aspect of Godfather's kit is usable in it!]
[Isn't this the legendary DoT + follow-up attack team?]
[It's maxed out! Everything is maxed out!]
[Dammit! The hype is clogging the toilet!]
"Go! My birth mom, adoptive mom, godfather, waifu, and pet team! In short! The Household Registry Team!"
Sister Guoguo shouted the embarrassing name with supreme confidence.