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Tygriss and Tess struggled slightly as they dragged Arata's limp body towards the nearest wall. It didn't entirely help that his body weighed significantly more than how much it regularly would have weighed due to the fact that his body parts were still practically made of ice, but with him barely conscious, no one was really in the position to complain. Letting out a few grunts, the pair laid him against the wall before letting out sighs of relief. Everyone aside from Tygon was panting heavily, with the two females leaning against the wall for support. After a few minutes, Arata's paw moved over to his Driver. He fumbled around with it for a bit before clumsily pulling out the Memory slotted within. It fell out of his paw and clattered onto the ground next to him, but he didn't bother with it. Instead, he grabbed hold of the Driver itself and, after a few tugs, managed to pry it off of his waist. The silver belt connected to it snaked up into the buckle and disappeared. Once it was done, a small, weak blizzard swirled around him as his body converted back to normal. Once it was done, and the blizzard had petered out, Arata let his paw, and incidentally his Driver, drop to the ground next to him.

"Are you...alright?" Tygriss asked between pants. Arata nodded as best he could.

"Yeah...I'm alright..." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tygon padding his way over to his side. The mechanical beast sat down beside him and looked down upon him, his eyes scanning over his body.

"He has several cracked ribs," he informed the group, "and his face has...moderate to severe burns." A confused expression spread across Tygriss' features.

"I-I'm sorry...but did you say...burns?" she asked him, earning a nod in conformation from him, "But...how? Last I checked, people get burns from fires, and I don't remember seeing any around the battlefield we were in."

"Well..." Tess spoke up awkwardly, "I did sort of...shoot my arrows at him..." An awkward silence settled around the group.

"Well...while that is true," said Tygon, "the burns on Arata's face seem to be from something more consistent. Tess, your bomb arrows come in short bursts. The burns Arata received seemed to come from something more constant. It's as though he was blasted with flames directly to his face..."

"So then..." said Tygriss, "...how did it happen?" Though Arata's gaze was down at his lap, he could feel everyone else's eyes upon him.

What do I even tell them? he thought to himself, If I tell them the truth, it's going to crush them... How would they even react if I told them that they were nothing but characters in a story? Not wanting to take that chance, he kept his gaze down and held his tongue. After a while, he heard Tygriss let out an irritated breath.

"Dammit, just tell us already so that we can find a way to help you," she said to him. Hesitantly, he glanced up and looked into her eyes, which were filled with concern. He turned away, only to end up looking into Tess' eyes, which were also filled with concern.

Arata cringed and tore his eyes away. "It's...better that you don't know..." Tygriss and Tess exchanged confused glances for a moment.

"Okay..." said Tygriss, "Well...why?"

Arata closed his eyes. "It's just how it is." This only further agitated her.

"Honestly?!" she asked in an irritated tone, "That's your answer?! Do you really think we should believe that?!" Arata growled out and shot a glare at her.

"YES!" he exclaimed, "I DO! I REALLY DO!" The two females drew back a little in surprise. Seeing their reactions, Arata softened up a little and turned away. "...Sorry... I didn't...mean to be that harsh..." A tense moment of silence passed between the three of them. After a while, Arata let out a sigh. "It's just...if either of you knew...you'd be...devastated..." He didn't say anything else after that. The two females looked to each other again, unsure of what to make of this.

"Arata," said Tygriss, "who are you? Really... Who are you?"

"I didn't lie to you about my identity," he replied.

"Well then," Tygriss continued, "is there anything you did lie to us about?"

"Nothing I've told you was a lie," Arata replied with a bit more force than he intended.

"Excuse me," Tygon spoke up, "I would like to speak to him now."

Tygriss let out a dismissive sigh and backed up a bit. "Might as well. He's all yours." With a polite bow, the mechanical tiger padded over to his side and sat down.

"I believe I stated once before that the materials making up your equipment were very...different," he tilted his head at the panther, "as though...it came from...another world." He leaned in slightly. "Tell us, does that statement hold any truth?"

Arata bit his lip. He wasn't exactly wrong there. At the very least, he could say that. "Yeah...it's true. I'm from another world..." The rest of the group looked amongst one another.

"Well, I don't see why you needed to hide that," Tygriss quipped, "Besides, anyone could've guessed that from the way you've acted around this place." Arata smiled nervously.

"Heh...I guess you have a point there..." he raised his paw to scratch the back of his head, only to feel a sharp pain that helped him remember just how messed up he was.

"But...how does that explain the burns?" Tess spoke up, bringing back the serious air that had only vanished for a brief moment. All eyes were upon Arata again, forcing him to try and figure out a way that to explain that wouldn't reveal everything.

"The way I was sent here is...different from what you would expect," he finally began, "My body...my real body, is still back at home." Again, the two females exchanged glances. "I...honestly don't know how it works all that well. All I know is that my real body was attacked, hence why I was burned." He closed his eyes for a moment, sighing out once. Then, without warning, he began to struggle up to his feet. "Which is why I can't sit here for any longer!" The females exclaimed and tried to get him to sit back down, but Arata kept struggling. "Just let me go! I have to defeat Mobius as soon as possible!"

With a grunt, Tygriss shoved him back down. With Arata's pains flaring up, there wasn't much he could do to fight back. He sat back down with a muffled thump and glared up at the two of them. "Hey, calm down!" Tygriss said in a firm tone, "We want to defeat him too, but you don't see us rushing in there crippled with fatal wounds!"

"You don't understand!" Arata growled back, "Mobius is the reason I'm here in the first place! So the sooner I can take him out, the sooner I'll return to my own world!"

"Th...that's crazy," said Tess, "...y-You're crazy!"

Arata growled out loudly and shot a glare at her. "MAYBE I AM!" The girls' eyes widened, with both of them drawing back slightly at his outburst. Seeing this, Arata's expressions lightened up a bit, but it was clear that he still wanted to make his point across. "That's why...since that's the case...you two should just let me go... That's why..." Eventually, he couldn't keep himself from faltering, so he turned to the side to avoid eye contact with the two of them. "It's better that you two don't get involved... I should do this myself. I'm crazy after all...possibly dangerous to you three..." No one spoke up for a while after that. With a sigh, Tygriss released him from her hold, allowing him to claw back up to his feet. He held back the urge to cringe, wishing to stay as silent as he could as he began to walk away from the group.

"...W-wait!" Tess suddenly shouted out, making Arata stop in his tracks. As he turned around, he was surprised to see the small folf starting for him. But before she could manage to get very far, Tygriss caught her shoulder.

"Don't you dare," she said to her in a hushed, but firm voice. But Tess would have none of it. She pushed the feline's paw off of her shoulder and rushed over to Arata's side.

"I'll go with you," she said to him with urgency, "If you're going to fight Mobius, then you'll need a guide to his castle." Arata was speechless; he had no idea how to react to that. Thankfully for him, the arrival of Tygriss and Tygon kept him from needing to.

"Dammit Tess, don't you start either!" she growled at the folf, "You already know how heavily fortified that place is!"

"Need I remind you as well," Tygon added, "that, even with the aid of an entire attack squad, we were unsuccessful in liberating it."

"But we know more about that place than we did then!" Tess countered, "We can do this! We can finally take Mobius down!"

It was getting harder and harder for Tygriss to contain her frustration, evident by the growls that she failed to suppress. "Tess," she began with a firm voice, "please, think about this for a minute. You don't have enough firepower to deal sufficient damage to Mobius, and even with Arata's help, the guy can barely stand as he is!" She wasn't wrong; he was struggling to keep his balance alone. "I know you want to get back at Mobius for what he did, and I know you won't ever be able to live with yourself until you do, but please, please, _please_think clearly about this for a minute."

Tess shook her head defiantly. "No Tygriss, you're not convincing me otherwise. I'm doing this. I'm going with Arata!" The panther shuffled around awkwardly, unsure of how to go about the situation. Though at this point, it didn't matter, as it seemed that the group wasn't exactly waiting for his say in this.

"TESS! LISTEN TO ME DAMMIT!" Tygriss shouted, "Do you even realize how suicidal this plan of yours is?!"

"I'VE BEEN DEAD FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS!" Tess screamed back, shocking Tygriss and Arata. A brief, yet tense moment of silence passed between them. "I've felt..." she continued, her voice trembling, and tears rushing down her face, "...like nothing but a void...ever since my town was demolished..." She clenched her teeth and wiped the tears away from her eyes. "And now that I finally have a chance to avenge it, I've begun to feel...alive again... So please Tygriss... I'm begging you... Just let me go... Let me do this..."

It was Tygriss' turn to cry, no matter how much she fought it. She shook her head to get ahold of herself. "Tess, I-I understand that," she managed to say, "and I want you to be happy again. Honest..." She clenched her eyes closed in another vain attempt to hold back the tears that were spilling from them. "But you SHOULDN'T just recklessly risk your life in trying! Do you even realize how important you are to me?! Do you realize what you mean to me?! T-Tess," she cringed, having difficulty letting this all spill out, "Tess, over the years, you've been the only friend I've managed to make amongst all of this chaos. You've kept me from going insane from not knowing who I am, or where I came from! T-Tess...you..." Her voice faltered again. "Tess, ever since I rescued you from that town...you've felt...like a daughter to me... Like someone I absolutely could not let down. And that's why...that's why..." That was it; the feline couldn't hold it back for any longer. Bursting into tears, she rushed over to Tess and wrapped her arms around her tightly. "That's why I can't bear to let you go like this!" For a good, long moment, the two females just cried their hearts out, hugging each other as tightly as they could. All the while, Arata just stood there awkwardly, twiddling his thumbs.

***

Meanwhile, back with Arata's real body, Valkyrie was carefully listening to what Storytime was relaying. The troopers that were surrounding Arata's body weren't exactly listening and were instead analyzing how much damage he had received. As Valkyrie listened to the story, her grip on Arata's paw tightened. Come on, Arata, she thought to herself, just tell them how you feel...

***

Suddenly, he felt a familiar warmth in his paw once again. He glanced down instinctively before realizing what was going on. _Erika..._he thought to himself. He nodded to himself in understanding, holding his paw to his chest before taking a deep breath. "Hey...Tygriss," he spoke up, catching her attention, "why don't...you just come along with us?" This statement clearly caught the other feline off guard, evident by the fact that she took a noticeable step back in surprise. Still a bit hesitant, Arata continued. "I mean...it's clear that you care for her a lot, and it seems pretty clear that Tess doesn't plan on changing her mind anytime soon. So...maybe it'd be best if you just came along?"

Tygriss stammered a bit before finally managing to come up with understandable words. "But that's still practically SUICIDE! T-Tygon, back me up here!" She turned to the mechanical feral, whose eyes were closed in thought.

"...I've been debating on this myself," he declared, "...I...will say that if we attack Mobius now, he most likely won't expect it, especially since it is so soon after we retreated."

Tygriss' jaw fell slack. "T...Tygon!" she exclaimed, "That's not helping! That's...l-literally the opposite of that!" Tygon made a sound similar to a chuff.

"I am aware of the risks," he went on, "but it is as Arata says. Tess will not be swayed from her decision. So the best course of action would be for you to come along and ensure her safety." He glanced over to Arata. "Besides, in his condition, Arata is far from being able to hold that position himself."

Again, they weren't wrong.

"We've been waiting for a chance like this for a long time now," Tygon went on, "and over that time, we've adapted our equipment in preparation for that moment. With just a little more firepower, we may be able to do this. We have dealt a fair amount of damage to Mobius already. While it is not much, it is damage none the less. And if I have learned anything from adventuring alongside you for these past few years, it is that we should take advantage of every little chance we get. A chance has been presented to us now, Tygriss. So I ask you; what are your orders?"

Tygriss was completely speechless. She still couldn't see how this was the most logical thing to do. What difference did Arata make, especially with the way he was now? But...when was a chance like this ever going to come around again? If they really had damaged Mobius, then this was the perfect chance to strike back. The feline was a risk taker, sure, but there was a line between being courageous, and being stupid. So...where did this lie?

Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt Tess pat her arm to get her attention. "Tygriss?" the folf said to her, "I don't want to lose you either... I want you to be by my side when we take down Mobius for good, and bring an end to his tyranny. So...I'm asking you as a close friend...please...come with us."

Tygriss was still in a state of shock. She could hardly believe what was going on right now. When she pictured the day that they would finally liberate the Monarch's castle, she had envisioned the entire rebellion army charging forward with them at the forefront. Yet here they were, planning an attack now of all times. What made this time so different anyways? She looked amongst the group again, with all eyes on her. Her eyes fell upon Arata. Who really was he? Why had Mobius gone through the trouble of summoning him here? How did he even get here in the first place? She still wasn't entirely sure if it was a good idea to trust him.

She closed her eyes and sighed. She had come to a conclusion.

She opened her eyes and looked to Tess with a smile. "Alright...I'm in." Tess smiled widely and hugged the feline tight.

"Thank you," she said to her.

"You're welcome, hun," she whispered into her ear before looking up and looking to Arata, who was scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "Well Arata, you did it. You somehow managed to convince the two of us to join in on your crazy endeavor." Arata chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "So you better not let us down, otherwise I'm gonna kick your ass."

Arata couldn't help but smirk at that. "I'll do my best not to then." With a smile of her own, Tygriss reached out and offered him her fist. Taking notice of this, Tess turned around and held her own fist next to Tygriss.' Shrugging to himself, Arata walked over to them and bumped his fist against theirs. It was official now.

The mission had begun.

***

Towering giants of ice golems stomped around the large, icy castle, scanning the area they were guarding. Lucky for the group, their eyes weren't so keen on catching sight of smaller, faster objects. Tygon was speeding through the forest, with the three furs hanging on tightly. Arata sat between the two females so as to keep him from falling off, as he was still fairly weak. Everyone had adjusted their clothing to counter the cold, with Arata slipping his hood on, Tess tossing on a thicker poncho, and Tygriss triggering the heating function in her armor. They were all set for their siege on the place. They slipped by the golems quietly, with Tygon's stealth abilities working at their peak. It didn't take them long to reach the castle, stopping at a hidden crack at the side. Everyone carefully dismounted, trying to make as little noise as possible.

"Here it is," Tygon announced, "the opening we had been informed of. Under normal circumstances, this would be the focal point for the rebellion to start from, but seeing as we will be all, it will serve nicely as a way to sneak in."

"So what's our plan of attack?" asked Arata.

"First I'm gonna cause some commotion out in the distance," said Tygriss, "That way there'll be less golems around here in case things go awry inside. Once I'm done, I'll give off a signal for you all to go in. I'll catch up with you as you guys infiltrate."

"Wait, you're going alone?" asked Arata worriedly.

Tygriss smirked, pointing her thumb at Tygon. "Like he'd let me do that. He is my guardian after all." The mechanical tiger nodded at that. "You to be safe, alright? Try not to mess things up while I'm away." Tess giggled a bit before nodding, with Arata following suit. With that out of the way, Tygriss re-mounted Tygon and dashed off in a flash.

"Are you sure you're well enough to fight?" Tess asked Arata.

"I'll...work through the pain," Arata replied.

"Just don't over exert yourself."

"Don't worry, I don't do that very often. ACK!" He cringed as he suddenly felt a flick hit him between the eyes. He stepped back a bit in surprise, earning a confused expression from the folf in front of him. After recovering, Arata straightened back up and cleared his throat. "But...regardless, I'll do my best not to."

***

Back in the real world, Erika sat back down as she grumbled to herself.

***

An explosion suddenly went off in the distance. It caught the attention of everyone, and that included the golems. As they walked off to investigate, Tess heard a small buzz in her ear. "I'm ready, go for it," came Tygriss' voice. Tess whispered her acknowledgement back to her before nodding to Arata. Moving quietly, the two of them entered the opening and scanned the area carefully. The room they were in appeared relatively empty, so they were cleared to go. They moved silently and gradually, not wanting to rush things. This was a delicate mission. If they messed up here, there was no telling if they'd even get_a second chance. As they neared the hallway, they took notice of several icy knights hurrying towards the front of the castle. Whatever Tygriss and Tygon had done had _really gotten their attention. Once the coast was clear again, the two furs were back on the move. They went from corner to corner, moving as silently as they possibly could.

"My gods, you two are slow," a familiar voice sounded from behind them, making them jerk in surprise. They whirled around to see Tygriss and Tygon sneaking up from behind them. Tygriss smirked, waving to them in a coy manner.

"Everyone keep moving," whispered Tygon, who crouched low and began to move forward, "I'm going to scout ahead. I'll be watching over you three from afar." Arata heard faint whirring as Tygon went on the prowl, keeping his body low before he leapt up and disappeared from their sight. Tygriss couldn't help but smile at her guardian's skill at stealth.

"He'll guide us to the throne room as well," she informed Tess and Arata, "Hopefully the map we got is right. With any luck, we'll be knocking that monarch off of his high horse in no time." With the other two nodding enthusiastically, they proceeded onward. Briefly, they moved out of their cover to rush to the next area. However, Tygon's voice of warning came through to Tygriss and Tess through their com links. They stopped and pulled Arata into another hiding spot as they listened to what Tygon had to say.

"There are guards heading your way," he informed them, "Stay low, and keep quiet." They all did as they were told, keeping their bodies as flush up against the icy wall as they could. Soon enough, they caught on to the sound of marching. The sound grew and grew until they came into view, marching down the hall, with the group of furs just out of their line of sight. They didn't move yet, instead preferring to take their time. This was too delicate of a mission. There wasn't any room for error. If they were caught now, it was doubtful that there'd be the possibility of a second chance.

"Go," Tygon's voice suddenly came, cuing the group to get back up and moving. As silently as they could, they hurried down the hall and kept close. Before they could reach the end, Tygon's voice stopped them once more. "There is a small group of guards inside this room," he informed them, "Standby. I'm going to get a number..." As they waited, Tygriss peeked her head inside. From what she saw, it was nothing but a big room in-between hallways, with several ice guards standing about. She quickly retracted her head just before one of them turned her way. She held her paw out behind her, banishing any thoughts of advancing by the others. "There are only three. All visible, none of them hidden away," said Tygon, "Tess, I need you to fire an arrow to distract them. I need all of their attention focused in one place. I'm going to take them out one by one." Following his instructions, Tess loaded a bomb-less arrow into her crossbow and took aim at the opposite hall. The arrow flew across and clattered onto the floor. Immediately, the heads of the ice guards all shot up in attention. They all turned and proceeded forward to investigate.

And that was when Tygon struck.

Whilst the group of furs weren't looking, they wouldn't have been able to see much even if they had been standing right in front of everything. As the last of the guards followed along the others, Tygon shot down in the blink of an eye and lopped off its head. And as it fell to the ground, he caught it in his maw before it could clatter onto the ground. And as the body began to collapse, Tygon's tail shot out and slowed its descent just enough to prevent it from making any noise upon landing atop his body. Moving ever so quietly, he lowered the limp body to the ground and locked his eyes on his next target. Thankfully, neither of the guards had taken notice of their third member's absence, and soon enough, there'd be another one to add to the pile. Silently stalking his prey, Tygon crept closer before jumping up and taking out the next one's head. The last one turned began to turn its head as it noticed something was amiss, but by the time it had turned around, its head was gone too.

The last one crumpled to the floor with a loud clang, one that no one but the group heard. "Go," came Tygon's voice through their com link. With a nod, Tygriss signaled the others to get moving once more. They hurried into the next hall, unable to hear Tygon's footsteps but knowing he wasn't far behind. "We are getting close," he said to them, "Be ready for anything." That was easier said than done, but then again, they weren't exactly left with many other options. As they rushed down the hall, they realized that it didn't connect to any branching hallways, instead leading to one large door. With nothing left in their way, the group rushed down the halls faster. As soon as she reached the door, Tygriss pushed the doors open and the group rushed out into a large open room. As soon as they were out though, the doors slammed shut behind them. The group all exclaimed in surprise as they heard the doors close. Tygriss whirled around and tried to tug at the handles, but the door wouldn't budge. "Face forward!" warned Tygon through the com, "Enemies are approaching!" They turned around and, sure enough, the room was suddenly filled with ice guards. They all marched forward with their spears thrust out, boxing the group in and up against the door. The group acted quickly, with the two females drawing out their weapons and Arata slapping on his Driver. None of the guards advanced, seeming intent on keeping the group backed up against the door.

"Remain calm," came Tygon again, his whereabouts unknown, "I will remain hidden from sight. I will strike when the op--" He was cut off as a loud clang sounded out from above. A split second later, Tygon's metal form dropped to the floor with a loud thud, crushing the ground beneath him.

"Tygon!" exclaimed Tygriss. Tygon scrambled back up to his feet and backed away from the guards, standing alongside the group. The guards suddenly began to inch closer, forcing the group to back up even further and making them squeeze against each other uncomfortably. The group remained tense as they stood there at spear point. None of the guards moved from where they stood, and the group did likewise. A few seconds later, Tess caught sight of two guards walking up a large set of stairs that she hadn't initially taken notice of. Once they were at the top, they reached a large, grand double door. Completely in synch, the two of them pushed on either door and parted it, opening it as they stepped inside. As they disappeared from view, something else stepped into view. More specifically...

Someone.

Stepping into view and starting his descend down the stairs was a lynx dressed in a fancy, gold trimmed robe. His clothing was decorated with numerous crystal shards, with crystal earrings hanging from his large ears, crystals attached to the frills at the end of his sleeves, and the biggest one of all hanging from his neck by a string. Though Arata didn't recognize him, the way he walked, the way he held his chin up high, that egotistical smile spread across his muzzle as he looked down upon them in amusement...it all reminded him of two people he knew, and only one of them was here in this world.

Mobius.

"Welcome! Welcome," said Mobius, raising his arms up and gesturing to the four of them, "I'm glad you all made it. I hope you're all nice and comfortable here, because you won't be leaving any time soon..." The guards suddenly stomped the ground with a foot, making the group jump in surprise. Tygriss, Tess, and Tygon all took on stances, preparing for whatever was going to happen. However, none of them were prepared for what actually happened. With a sigh, Arata walked out from the group and approached the guards. At first, the guards looked ready to skewer him then and there, but Mobius' paw went up, and they parted the way, allowing Arata to walk past. All the while, Tygriss and Tess shouted at him in shock and confusion. But Arata ignored them and only continued to walk forward. Once he walked passed the last guard, he stopped at the bottom of the steps and glared up at Mobius.

"Stop this," growled Arata, "Stop this charade." The lynx chuffed lightly and folded his arms, smiling at him coyly. "You either surrender to us now, or _fall_to us later."

This time, Mobius laughed. "Oh, is that a threat? A prediction?"

"No," said Arata, "a promise."

Mobius laughed harder. Harshly even. "I find it hard to believe that I'd surrender to a bunch of characters that I created." Arata's heart skipped a beat, and he fought every fiber in his being to not turn around and look back at the group.

"Wh...what did he say?" sounded Tygriss' voice, "...Arata...Arata, what did he mean by that?" Raising a brow and smiling, Mobius clasped his paws behind his back and looked over to the group.

"What do I mean by that you ask?" he said, "Why...exactly that! You three are merely characters I created for the sa--"

"STOP!" Arata cut him off, his heart racing in his chest. He felt himself begin to turn to face them, but he caught himself before he was able to. Unfortunately, he had spoken up too late. Behind him, he heard the two females whispering to each other in confusion.

"Y...you're LYING!" growled Tess, "You're just trying to confuse us! That's all!" Mobius chuffed again, smiling widely enough to show off his pearl white teeth.

"Am I?" he chimed, laughing in amusement, "How about I prove myself so you know I'm the real deal then, huh? For example..." He raised his paw and pointed a finger at Tygriss. "How about I tell you all exactly what happened to Tygriss? Both before...and after she woke up in that temple?" This time, it was Tygriss' heart that skipped a beat. How had he known about that? She didn't even recognize this fur, and Mobius rule hadn't come about when that happened. Arata shouted and shouted, trying to get him to shut up, but the lynx continued on all the same. "One day, this poor little feline woke up in a strange room, having no memories of her own."

Tygriss' eyes widened, and her breaths suddenly became shallower. Her composure faltered for only a moment before she regained it. "S...so what? Y-you could've just found that out from one of our allies. I don't exactly keep it much of a secret after all..." She was lying. He knew it. Of course he knew it. He didn't need to prove himself to her. To any of them, really. But regardless, he went on.

"When she woke up, she came across the strange, cybernetic tiger she would come to know as Tygon." Tygriss began to grow even tenser, making Mobius' smile widen. "And the strangest part was the fact that it claimed to be her guardian." This caused Tygriss' demeanor to waver even further. Still, he continued. "And even more peculiar was the fact that he claimed to only respond to a fur of a tiger descent, something that hadn't been seen in the area for quite some time."

Tygriss' heart nearly stopped. "...How did you..." she whispered under her breath. Still, Mobius went on.

"That, my dear friends, is how she began her journey. So now I ask: Would you like to know what those lost memories of yours are?" This time, Arata was unable to hold himself back from looking over to her. By the time he realized what he was doing, he was already looking Tygriss in the eyes. She looked back at him, her muzzle hanging open. It was clear that she wasn't sure if she wanted him to go on or not. Regardless of either choice, the monarch went on. "Long ago, you were nothing but an orphan living on the streets. And many years later, just like Tess, you lost your home to one of the many crusades lead by the all-powerful Mobius." Tygriss' heart pounded as memories began to flood back into her head. Her breaths slowly shallowed, and her paws began to tremble. But still, Mobius went on. "And as you fought back, you came upon a building. The one where you would eventually come across Tygon." A wide grin spread across his muzzle. "But that wasn't all_you would find. Oh no... For you see, soon afterwards, you would find out that you were the _only living descent of your species left in this world."

Tygriss' heart nearly came to a stop. As soon as the words left his muzzle, the rest of her remaining memories struck her like a rockslide. Everything returned to her. The pain, the grief, the torment, the loneliness, it was overwhelming. She began to hyperventilate, her legs gave out on her, she fell to her knees, she covered her ears with her paws, she screamed out in agony.

She. Was. Broken.

The sounds of her screaming was joined by the sounds of Mobius' nearly maniacal laughter. Tess only stared at Tygriss in disbelief as the once proud, iron willed warrior she had been fighting alongside for so many years kneeled broken and screaming before her. Had the monarch been telling the truth? Were those really her memories? Were they really just characters of his creation?! These thoughts raced through Tess' head, making her all the more uneasy.

"Dammit Mobius!" roared Arata, pulling Tess away from her thoughts, "You didn't need to go that far!"

"Oh, but I think I did need to go that far," Mobius replied with a smile, glancing over to Tess, "Besides, we haven't even gotten to her story yet. How about I tell you all what her last words were with her parents before they died?"

Tess' heart pounded hard. Trying to save face, she snarled and shouted, "YOU COULD NEVER KNOW SUCH A THING!"

"Oh...but I think I could," Mobius replied with a maniacal grin.

"STOP!" Arata screamed back. But again, his words went unacknowledged by the lynx.

"There they lay," he began, "Tess' parents, lying in pools of their own blood. Her mother looked up to her... She could see the life fading from her mother's eyes..." It suddenly became much harder for Tess to breathe. How did he know? How did he know who was the first to look up at her? "'My dear Tessa...' she gasped, her own blood spilling from her lips, 'don't be afraid... Mommy loves you...'" Tess' shoulders heaved with every breath. How could he know?! How could he know her full name?! HOW COULD HE KNOW THE EXACT WORDS HER MOTHER HAD SAID TO HER?! "'Momma, please...' Tess sobbed, squeezing her mother's paw tightly between her own, 'Please don't leave me...' Her mother smiled weakly, her pupils beginning to gray out. 'You...are...our greatest...achievement...' Then, her head fell back... She was dead."

Tess screamed in terror. She pressed her paws down on her ears, trying to block out the voices in her head. The memories had come back. The horrible...vivid images that she had suppressed for so long were all coming back to her at once. Mobius had relayed the moment word for word without missing a single detail. She collapsed to the floor, curling up into a ball and rocking herself back and forth. Tears streamed down her eyes. Her tail twitched horribly behind her. Her crossbow lay uselessly beside her on the floor.

Now she was broken too.

Arata growled lowly, cursing under his breath. Looking down upon him, Mobius laughed. "So then, Zero," he taunted, holding his paws out to him, "How sure are you of your victory now?" The panther grimaced, glancing back at the two mentally broken females behind him.

Baring his teeth, he turned away and glared at Mobius. "One way...or another," he spat, "you...are GOING...to lose..." Again, the lynx laughed.

"Honestly, you're making it harder and harder for me to take you seriously," he commented, "So how do you expect to beat me in the condition you're in now? Last I checked, the recovery room in your facility doesn't even exist in this world."

Arata reached into his jacket and slipped out his Memory. He was nervous, but he didn't want to show him that. "I...don't need it," he replied, "because...Tess and Tygriss are gonna back me up." Hearing that, Mobius couldn't help but break into a fit of laughter.

"Oh that's just rich," he laughed, reaching up and gripping onto the crystal attached to his necklace, "You're being too optimistic for your own good."

"Well...maybe I am," Arata replied, looking back at the two females, who by this point had fallen silent, "but there's one thing that I know for sure. And that's the fact that they aren't in your control anymore. Now that we're here, they aren't your puppets to control, and you have no control over their fates either. They're...free..." He turned back to Mobius, who merely chuffed at him from the statement. "And once they realize what that means, and accept what they are, they'll come to my aid. So...until that happens..." He thrust his paw out and slotted the Memory into his Driver. "...I'll fight you...one on one..."

A confident, amused smirk spread across Mobius' muzzle. He raised his free paw and gestured to the icy monsters lumbering over Arata and the group. "You are all too stay back. If those three try to do anything, which I doubt will happen by the way, then you are all to keep them at bay." His smirk spread into a hungry, shark-like grin. "It'll be as the black cat said; we'll be fighting one on one..." He tore the crystal off of his necklace. He raised it closer to his head, gripping it tightly and causing several hairline cracks to spread up and down the small rock. Arata crossed his right arm over his chest and let his left paw hover over his Driver, staring Mobius right in the eyes.

"HENSHIN!!!" Arata cried out before thrusting his paw forward.

>>< FREEZE!!! ><<

At the same time, Mobius crushed the crystal in his paw, causing it to crumble through his fingers as a wild blizzard burst and swirled around the two of them. For a moment, no one could see anything through the snow. But with one loud, thunderous clap, the blizzard burst away to reveal the two armored warriors standing on opposite ends of the stairway. Arata balled his paw into a fist, resting a foot on the first step. Mobius only continued to stare down at him, casually clasping his hands together behind his back.

"MobiUUSSS!!!" Arata growled out as he charged up the stairs. The monarch didn't even bother to hurry, instead electing to just leisurely walk down the stairway. As soon as Arata was in range, he kicked the Rider square in the head, knocking him over and sending him tumbling down the stairs. As the sounds of his grunts of pain, and the loud thumps of his body echoed through the room, Mobius couldn't help but let out an amused laugh, continuing his leisurely walk down the stairs. Arata let out a sharp grunt as he landed on the floor, groaning as he slowly picked himself off of the ground. He really couldn't blame anyone but himself for that. Even in the heat of the moment, it wasn't the brightest idea to attack someone from the_bottom_ of the stairs. As Mobius reached the bottom of the stairs, Arata charged forward once more. However, before he could reach the monarch, a wall of ice spikes shot up from the floor and struck him in the chest. Sparks flew off of his body as he was thrown back, landing back on the ground with another grunt. As he clawed back to his feet, the spikes sunk back into the floor and allowed Mobius to continue his casual walk towards him.

"Really though," the monarch said to him, "how did you expect to win against me with stupid decisions like that?" Arata growled and took on a stance, deciding to wait on him before making the next move. Mobius closed in on him and threw a punch at him. The Rider parried the punch away, and then the next. However, upon Mobius' next swing, he was met with another set of ice spikes to his chest. He was thrown into the air, landing amongst the various ice monsters crowding the large room. The monsters roughly threw him back into the fight, allowing a free strike from Mobius to his chest before he managed to land. Mobius laughed again as he walked towards Arata, sounding more sinister this time around than the last. Grabbing him by the crest of his helmet, the monarch violently pulled Arata up and looked him in the eyes. Wordlessly, he struck him in the gut several times, eliciting multiple grunts of pain from him before hitting him hard enough to send him flying back. Arata hit the ground hard and skidded a few feet.

"Tell me, Zero," Mobius went on, dusting his hands off as he closed in on Arata again, "why is it that you're so willing to recklessly throw your life away? How stupid do you have to be to go through such lengths for the sake of some fictional characters?" Arata groaned as he picked himself off of the ground, his legs trembling beneath him. Before he was able to right himself, Mobius struck him back down and stomped on him with the heel of his boot. "You needlessly risk yourself for some lost cause... Who are you trying to look good for, huh?! You think you can make a difference?! I've ALREADY decided their fates!"

Arata's foot shot out, and Mobius was kicked off of him. With a grunt of effort, he clawed back up to his feet. "Well things are different now!" he managed to shout back, clutching his side, "Now, your 'fate' doesn't apply here! Now that we've stepped in, they're allowed to make their OWN choices now! And that means that they control their OWN destiny!" With another grunt of effort, Arata straightened up. "They aren't your play things ANYMORE!" He cried out as he was struck again, flying back and slamming into the nearest wall. A loud thump echoed through the room as his body hit the floor. Mobius chuffed in amusement and approached him slowly, like a predator closing in on its prey.

And as their fight continued to rage on, Tygriss merely stared at the ground, resting on her knees and her hair hiding away her eyes. Just beside her, Tess was still in a frantic state of mind. She muttered things in rapid succession under her breath, and the feline had no intention of trying to decipher what it was she was trying to say.

"...Tygon?" Tygriss whispered, Tygon's sensitive ears allowing him to catch it, "are you still...functional?" She heard the soft clicks of his metallic parts just behind her.

"Always," he whispered back, "What do you need?"

Tygriss didn't respond for a moment. Once she did, it took her all of her will power to not allow her voice to tremble. "...I need you...to start the final program..."

A silence passed between them before Tygon replied. "...Are you absolutely sure?" Tygriss only nodded in response. "...Understood... Now...just give me the verbal command...and it will start..."

Her willpower was once again pushed to its limits as she fought the urge to cry. After gathering herself back up, she opened her mouth and said, "Tygon...I command you to start the final program..." She heard soft whirring behind her.

"Command acknowledged," said Tygon, "I am now beginning preparations." Tygriss nodded as she slowly rose to her feet, picking up her staff from the ground. The ice monsters around them took notice and turned their attention to her, adopting battle stances.

Tess' ears perked up and she looked over to her, snapping out of her panicked state. "W-what are you doing?" she questioned, concern and fear written all over her face. Tygriss didn't respond, instead raising her bow staff over her head. She slammed the bottom end of it down onto the ground with a loud clang, triggering the heating function within the device. The monsters all backed away slightly, tightening their formation around them. She didn't care about them anymore. And being honest with herself, she couldn't really find herself to care about much else anymore. She cared about Tess, she cared about Tygon, and hell, she even cared a little about Arata as well. But one thing that stuck in her mind was what she cared about the most right now, one thing that ignited a fire of rage within herself. A fire that COULD NOT be ignored. One thing she wanted now more than ever before...

Mobius' downfall.

"Arata!" Tygriss shouted out, catching the attention of both armored warriors. Without another word, she hurled her staff towards the two of them, the ice monsters around her scrambling away from the staff's path. Immediately catching on, Arata struck Mobius as far back as he could manage and rushed towards the staff. Albeit a bit clumsily, he caught it out of the air with both of his paws. Spinning with the momentum, he swung out with it and struck Mobius hard, sending sparks flying as his armor reacted negatively to the sudden heat. Letting out a battle roar, Arata followed up with several more strikes. Eventually, the monarch staggered away from him, allowing the Rider to begin his retaliation. As they fought, Tygriss watched in tense anticipation, her paws tightly clenched as she waited for Tygon to complete his preparations. Arata struck Mobius again, cringing as he felt the heat radiating from the staff begin to affect him as well. As a result, he began to feel weaker, and the staff itself felt hot to the touch, even through his gloves. Noticing him falter, Mobius lunged forward and struck him in the gut. Arata huffed out and stumbled back, still keeping a solid grip on the weapon. Mobius laughed as he straightened.

"Hmph, thought so," he scoffed, "Even you don't have that much tolerance to heat." He rushed forward and kicked his midsection hard. Arata grunted in pain and dropped the staff, allowing it to clatter to the ground and slowly sink into the icy ground beneath it. Arata tried to reach for it, but Mobius wouldn't have any of it. He struck at him mercilessly, knocking him back several steps with every blow he made. "OrrRRAAA!!!" he snarled as he delivered a devastating uppercut to Arata's chin, knocking him up into the air and sending him flying back. As he landed with a hard thud, Mobius whipped his arm in the direction of the staff, causing a cluster of ice spikes to shoot up from the ground and cage the heating weapon off from everyone. With that done, he clasped his hands behind his back and casually approached the struggling Arata. "Good effort, Zero," Mobius sighed, "but ultimately, a fruitless endeavor. Now it's time to send you back home..." Arata growled as he tried to stand, but Mobius soon closed in on him and hoisted him up by the neck. "Farewell, you wannabe hero..."

A ring sounded out from Tygon. "READY!" he shouted at Tygriss, alerting everyone.

"START THE PROGRAM!!!" Tygriss shouted back. A bright light erupted from the mechanical tiger's body, blinding everyone in the room momentarily. This stunned the monarch and caused him to lose his grip on Arata's neck. By the time his vision returned to him, he was blasted away by an intense heat. He slammed against a nearby wall and collapsed to his knees. Slowly, he raised his head and looked past the clouds of steam rising from his armor, and his gaze fell upon Tygriss, no longer blocked off by the ice monsters.

For the ones in her way had been melted away.

And with them out of the way, Mobius had the perfect view to see what had become of Tygriss. Laid overtop her normal armor were segments of Tygon, almost appearing as though the tiger himself had been melded on top of her. Secured to her paws were halves of Tygon's head, which now functioned as dual blasters. And intense heat emanated from those blasters, as well as from the rest of her body. Tess stared at her dear friend in awe, her jaw hanging slack. Mobius looked up to her eyes and saw an intense fire burn from within them. Her determination, her desire for his downfall, he could see it all through her look alone.

"...Huh..." he huffed, "...somehow I completely forgot about that..." He shook his head and scrambled back to his feet, tossing his arms out towards the remaining ice monsters. "All of you! Stop standing there and ATTACK!" The monsters obeyed his command and closed in on the two morphs. But Tygriss blasted them back with her cannons and fended them away from them.

"TESS!" Tygriss shouted, firing another shot at a nearby monster, "Go and help Arata!" Tess hesitated, seemingly frozen to her spot. Tygriss growled and shot her a look. "NOW!"

"R-right!" said Tess, snapping out of it. Quickly getting back to her feet, the folfess rushed past the monsters whilst Tygriss kept them away from her. As she approached Mobius and aimed him down with her crossbow, the monarch rushed over to Arata and grabbed onto him, hiding behind him like a shield.

"Not so fast!" he growled, "I know your aim isn't that perfect, so if you wanna shoot me, then you'll have to--ACK!" Tess didn't bother listening to the rest of what he had to say, instead firing off a flash bomb to temporarily blind him once again. As he staggered and stepped back, Tess ignited an arrow and let it fly into him, blowing him back and making him release Arata. Now free from his grasp, Arata whirled around and struck him hard in the gut, making him double over and back away. As he did, Arata's balance wavered before he caught himself. He then rushed over to Tess' side, where Tygriss eventually joined them as well. With everyone together again, they went back to back, taking on battle stances.

"Are you alright, Arata?" Tess asked him.

"I'll manage," he quickly answered, eyeing the monsters and Mobius.

"Sorry for faltering there," said Tygriss, narrowing her eyes at the monarch, "I promise, that's never happening again." Mobius clawed back to his feet and roared out in fury.

"KILL THEM!" he roared, "KILL THEM ALL!!! THE WHOLE LOT OF THEM!!!" Once again, the monsters acknowledged his command and charged forward. The three morphs all faced forward and began to fight back.

"I'm taking your advice, Arata!" Tygriss shouted over the commotion as she blasted away the monsters, "I'm going to continue to move forward and take control of my OWN life!" She thrust her arms out and fired off two shots at once, demolishing the icy creatures before they could reach her.

"Me too!" Tess shouted as she fired off arrow after arrow, "If I'm going to be playing some part of a story, then I'm going to end it by following my OWN will! And I'll use that will to take Mobius, or whoever the hell has taken his place, ONCE AND FOR ALL!" She fired off a bomb arrow that destroyed several ice monsters at once, sending shards of ice flying everywhere.

With the two of them fighting on with such passion, Arata couldn't help but feel re-energized. No one wanted to give up the fight, no one wanted to give in. They were giving it everything they had, despite knowing that it truly would all be in vain. And it just made him want to fight that much harder.

"What the hell is going ON?!" Mobius roared in fury, "Why have you all started FIGHTING AGAIN?! IT MAKES NO SENSE!!!" The last of the monsters burst into clouds of ice, leaving the trio standing alongside each other. Mobius roared out again before thrusting his arms out, causing large spikes of ice to shoot up from the ground. The spikes forced the morphs to back up against each other before they were completely boxed in, restricting their movement. With them kept in place, Mobius raised his arms to try and summon forth another army of ice guards. However, to his dismay, he found that he was far too drained to summon any.

In a sudden flash of light, the spikes were blasted away and the trio was freed. Running out of their "cage," they charged at Mobius with a loud battle cry. Acting out of haste, he whipped his arm upwards and a huge wall of ice jutted out from the ground and blocked the group's way. However, a large gaping hole was immediately blown through it by Tygriss, catching the monarch off guard as they closed the space between them. Taking the lead, Arata struck Mobius with a strong punch. As he staggered back, Tygriss blasted at him with one of her cannons. Mobius rolled to the side to evade, but Tess acted swiftly and fired at the spot he landed, knocking him back with the blast of her bomb arrow. As he tried to recover, Arata moved in again and attacked him, making him stumble backwards. In desperate need of space, Mobius raised his arms and summoned an ice barrier around himself for protection. But the barrier was quickly shattered by Tygriss' cannons, leaving him vulnerable once more. The heavily armored feline rushed Mobius, forcing him to shield himself before managing to counter and repel her. However, as he backed away, he walked right into Arata who struck him again and sent him stumbling forward.

Right into Tygriss.

He cried out as he was blasted into the air by her cannons and landed with a loud thump. As he raised his head off of the ground, he caught the sight of Tess lining up a shot. He acted quickly and whipped his arm out, summoning another protective barrier. Tess fired her arrow, and the resulting explosion forced Mobius back and staggered him. With this opening, Arata charged and attacked again. Mobius fended him off and repelled him, giving him the chance to throw his arms out and cause a large wall of ice to shoot out between Tygriss and Tess. With them separated, Mobius turned back and swiped his arm in Arata's direction. The Rider was caught off guard as his feet were suddenly trapped in a block of ice. With a roar, Mobius rushed towards Tygriss, who immediately aimed her cannons at him and fired.

But being such a distance away made it difficult to land a shot on him, as it gave him just enough time to predict the blast's path and evade accordingly. He eventually closed in on her, and they engaged in vigorous hand to hand combat. Each punch and swipe they threw was thrown with incredible strength, with neither of the combatants holding anything back. However, whilst Tygriss was intent on landing as many hits as possible, Mobius focused on a particular section of her armor. A small, glowing core attached to the front of where Tygon had bonded to the feline. He blocked and parried her arms again and again, waiting for just the right moment, and for her arms to be in just the right positions.

Suddenly, he found his opportunity, with Tygriss' arms batted out to her sides. Clenching his fist, he landed a firm ice punch square in the chest, shattering the core immediately upon impact. As Tygriss coughed out and flew back from the blow, the segments of Tygon's attachments fell away and scattered across the icy floor. She slammed into a wall, and whatever was left of Tygon's armor flew off of her own. She groaned and lay there dazed, her vision slightly blurred but gradually returning to her. As it cleared, a feeling of dread began to wash over her. She could immediately tell that something was off, for she didn't feel as heavy as she had been a few moments ago. Her vision cleared, and the sight of Tygon's pieces scattered across the floor made her heart drop.

"T...Tygon?" she gasped, her voice trembling along with the rest of her body. She bared her teeth and glared at Mobius. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?!" Mobius huffed and cracked his knuckles.

"I created you both," he began, "and therefore, I'd know the weakness to your little system. Sorry, girl, but Tygon as you once knew him is dead." The statement stabbed into Tygriss like a burning knife, breaking her heart and shattering it into a million pieces. Her jaw fell open and her eyes went wide. She stared at the head pieces she still had clenched in her paws, the once glowing eyes now dull and lifeless. She didn't want to believe it was so, but the truth was undeniable.

He was gone.

Suddenly, the wall of ice separating her and Tess was blown apart, and soon the folf was by her side. "Are you alright?!" she cried out at her, firing several arrows at Mobius and fending him back. Tygriss didn't respond, only continuing to stare at Tygon's head blankly. Noticing this, Tess growled lowly and continued to fire at the monarch. Not too long after, Arata came running out and attacked Mobius as well, engaging him in hand to hand combat and keeping him occupied. Unable to think of a way to help out Tygriss, Tess bared her teeth and ran out to support Arata from the side, firing arrows at Mobius whenever she had a clear shot.

"...T...riss..." Tygriss' ear twitched. She shot glances left and right. She could've sworn she had heard Tygon's voice. "...ygi..." There it was again, this time followed by static. Was she going mad? Confused, she glanced down at Tygon's head. And much to her surprise, she saw a faint glow coming from his eyes. "Ty...riss," said Tygon, his voice distorted by static, and barely audible through what she guessed were speakers, "C...you h...me?"

It took Tygriss everything she had to not burst into tears then and there. With tears of happiness rolling down her eyes, she spoke softly, "Yes Tygon, I hear you."

"I anticipated something like this happening," he explained, much clearer to her now, "So as I was loading the program, I set this up as a failsafe for my AI."

Tygriss smiled widely and wiped several tears away from her eyes. "Thank gods, you're alive. I thought I had lost you..."

"You never did," Tygon replied, "and you never will. The two of us are inseparable from each other. We have a bond like no one else shares." Tygriss nodded firmly in agreement. Tygon paused for a moment. "Tygriss...there is...one thing Mobius failed to mention..." Tygriss tilted her head in confusion. What else was there to say? What was there to leave out? "Yes...I responded to you and awoke due to your tiger heritage...but I did not do it myself..." Another pause, this one longer than the last. For a moment, Tygriss was worried that he had shut down. But then, he spoke. "Tygriss, long ago, you instilled a part of yourself onto me that allowed me to wake. And it has been the only reason I have been functional for this long..."

Tygriss looked down at Tygon in concern. "Tygon...what do you mean?"

Another pause. "Tygriss...this very well may be the last time we speak with each other...so I feel that now is the time I return to you...what you gave to me..." Tygriss was growing increasingly worried, but she felt compelled to hear him out. If it truly was what he was intent on doing, then she wanted to at least hear him out. "Tygriss...today...you and I become one...once again... Tygriss...I shall now return your wild spirit...back to you!" At that, Tygon's head began to glow brightly. It felt extremely hot to the touch, but Tygriss had no intentions on letting it go. Tygon's eyes grayed out, but she had a feeling that it wouldn't matter to him anymore. The last of her memories had flooded back into her, and she knew what was going to happen next. Closing her eyes, she reached up with a free paw and began to discard her armor. She wouldn't need it, not after becoming herself.

Her true self.

A fiery aura burst to life from Tygon's head, and it quickly swirled around and engulfed Tygriss' whole body. She felt a hot tingle wash over her, telling her that process had been complete. It was all up to her now. Closing her eyes, she willed her body to change shape. She felt her limbs rearrange themselves, and she felt her body contort in on itself. She felt herself bend over, going from two feet to four. And as the last of the changes and adjustments went underway, she opened her eyes. She was complete. No longer was she the bi-pedal tiger-morph the other two morphs knew. Standing in her place was a strong, large, proud tiger. No armor, no weapons but the claws on her paws, and the teeth in her maw. She was a tiger, a wild tiger, and she was proud of it.

Opening her maw, she let out a thundering, triumphant roar that shook the entire room. This immediately caught the attention of the fighting trio, making their heads turn towards her. All of them stared at her with shock and bewilderment.

"Tygriss?!" exclaimed Tess, "Is that you?!" The tiger didn't give her a response. Instead, she charged past her and Arata to leap upon Mobius and maul him with her claws and teeth. The monarch cried out in surprise and pain as he was attacked, frantically punching and kicking at her to try and get her off. But she was relentless, absolutely refusing to let up. Tears were made, and his armor cracked in her jaws. Her front paws tore at his torso, and her hind paws tore at his legs. Though it only lasted for a few moments, it felt like an eternity to the monarch. Once she hopped off, she shot a look at Arata and Tess. Though she couldn't speak to them directly, the look she gave them was enough to get her message across.

Now.

Whipping his cloak out to his side, Arata pried his Memory out from his belt and slammed it into the slot at his side.

>>< FREEZE: MAXIMUM DRIVE!!! ><<

Arata crossed his arms as a blue, icy aura began to emanate from his right foot. He slowly spread his arms out to his sides as a blizzard began to swirl around him. Noticing this, Mobius clawed back to his feet and made a break run for the stairs. However, before he was able to get very far, Tess fired off a special arrow that burst into bolas. The bolas quickly wrapped around Mobius and weighted him down, causing him to stumble and fall onto the stairs themselves. Taking this as his chance, Arata allowed his body to disperse into a wild blizzard before quickly reforming his body high in the air. "Frozen..." he began, slapping the button at his side and causing his body to shoot through the air towards Mobius, "BREAKER!!!"

Arata kicked his foot out, unleashing all of the built up power in his foot onto Mobius, impacting him with a devastating force that caused the stairs beneath him to cave in. Mobius let out one final cry before his body shattered, bursting into a cloud of snow that engulfed the entire room. As the snow settled and faded, Arata hopped down from the stairs and landed in a crouch. Panting, he looked up towards Tess and Tygriss, the former letting out cheers of happiness and the latter letting out a triumphant roar. Arata couldn't help but smile to himself internally. He wasn't sure what would happen to the two of them from here on out, but he knew that they could, at the very least, celebrate this victory. Their victory, brought about by their own will.

***

Slowly, gradually, Arata felt his vision return to him. He tried to blink, only to realize that he was still in his Rider form. As his vision cleared, he realized that he was staring up at the roof of the warehouse. At that point, he took notice of the fact that he was lying in someone's arms. It wasn't long before the alleged person loomed into view. As he more or less expected, he found himself looking into the eyes of Erika's Rider form. "...Hey," he said weakly, chuckling a little. Upon hearing him, Erika held him in a tight hug.

"Hey," she replied, her voice trembling slightly as she failed to mask her emotions from him, "Welcome back." Soon after, he heard the voices of all of the other troopers all around him, each of whom welcoming him back as well. Arata sat up and stretched before returning their welcomes with gratitude. Paws were shaken, more hugs were given, everyone in general was just happy for him to be back. Suddenly, everyone fell silent at once. They all felt like they had forgotten something...

Almost in perfect synch, everyone turned their heads to the side in time to see the Dopant, Storytime, tiptoeing his way towards the exit. He froze as he realized that all of the noise coming from the group had ceased. He turned around to meet the gazes of everyone else. For a moment, they all just stared at each other, almost as if both sides were trying to figure out what to do. Then, almost as sudden as they had stopped, everyone scrambled to their feet and chased the Dopant as he rushed out of the warehouse.

***

Sometime after everything had gotten sorted out, and Storytime was taken care of, Arata found himself relaxing in the Amnesia facility lounge room. He laid on his back with a book in his paws, reading it quietly with his tail swishing at his side. A snow leopard walked into the room whilst humming a tune to herself, only to stop as she took notice of the book in Arata's paws.

"A book?" she said questioningly, catching the panther's attention, "I thought you hated reading."

"Oh, hey Erika," he greeted her, settling back into a comfortable position and returning his attention to the book, "I still do, but this was the book I was thrown into, so..."

Erika blinked once before shooting him a bewildered expression. "Wh-wha-well WHY are you reading it then?!" The panther shrugged.

"I dunno, I'm still kinda curious about what happens to Tess and Tygriss. Besides this book is more or less a fanfiction of me, so I'm a bit more compelled to read it."

Erika's eyes went half-lidded. After a moment, she walked past him and swiped the book from his paws. Arata exclaimed in surprise and got off of the couch he was laying on, chasing after Erika as she giggled and ran around the room, evading him as he tried to grab at her.

"C-come on! At least let me finish!" he shouted at her as he continued to chase her around the room.

"Nu-uh-uh!" she exclaimed back mischievously as she opened the book herself, "Not until I'm done with it~" She continued to evade him as she read the book aloud.

"A-at least save the page I was on!" he shouted again, still trying to catch her but to no avail. Erika only continued to laugh as she went on, continuing to play keep away until she reached the end of the book.

END