Chapter Text
“Listen.”
“In the near future, you will encounter all kinds of perils and hardships, but you will also have many wonderful experiences. You’ll meet companions who treat you like family, and embark on surreal adventures with them.”
“At the end of your journey, all that perplexes you will be resolved.”
“This is the future that Elio has foreseen for you. Do you like it?”
“...No,” Slowly, Stelle cracked her eyes open. The artificial lights from the ceiling blinded her. They were so intense. It felt like she had been asleep for a long time… or her eyes were made for darker environments. “I don’t want your future…”
“Eh?”
Stelle blinked in confusion. The voice she heard earlier was mature, sexy, and controlling. This one was soft and innocent. Stelle narrowed her eyes. Instead of the vaguely intimidating older woman, there was a much younger girl with pink hair sitting in front of her. Their faces were inches apart.
She’s cute, Stelle thought.
The girl’s lips curled upwards into an awkward smile. “Uh, hey! You’re awake, that’s good to see.”
Stelle nodded. “Yeah. Soooo, what are you doing so close to my faaaace?”
“Well, I was going to give you CPR,” The girl explained. Her eyes are really pretty. “But, I don’t have to anymore! Since you’re, y’know, awake ‘n’ stuff.”
She nodded at the girl’s explanation. “Well, I’d still like some CPR,” Stelle commented casually, in her usual deadpan voice.
The girl smiled awkwardly and tilted her head. “...But you’re awake?”
“March, she’s flirting with you,” the voice of a boy suddenly cut in. Stelle pouted and looked to the right, where a handsome man in a white and green jacket and black hair stood.
The girl, March, blinked. “W-wait, really!?” Her face turned red, and she scooted away from Stelle, which made her pout even more. “O-oh, wow! I, uhm, that’s so kind of you…?”
“You’re welcome,” Stelle said without skipping a beat. As she stood up and dusted herself off, she added, “Once we’re done here, we can talk more about how adorable you are when you’re flustered.”
March’s ears turned bright red and she tried to suppress a smile. The man just shook his head and muttered, “A real charmer, she is…”
“A-anyways!” March shook her head to get rid of the blush on her face. “Do you have a name? You seem to have lost your nametag.”
“My name’s Stelle,” Stelle said. “You don’t have to tell me yours. I heard it from him, and I’d never forget the name of the angel.” She nodded her head to the man, whose eyes were now half-lidded.
“Great! Still, my name’s March 7th! It’s nice to meet you Stelle!” March offered her hand. Stelle was going to raise it so she could kiss her knuckles, but March just shook it and then pointed to the man. “That grump’s Dan Heng! He’s quiet, but he means well!”
“I am not a grump,” Dan Heng said in a grumpy voice.
“You’ve been frowning ever since we saw her!” March pointed to Stelle, who waved at Dan Heng.
“Because we’re in a serious, life or death situation and we can’t afford to mess around at this moment,” Dan Heng reminded her.
March hissed awkwardly. “Ah, right…”
“Wait, ‘life or death’?” Stelle repeated with some actual emotion in her voice; slight panic.
“Yes. A few hours ago, the Antimatter Legion attacked the station, though we don’t know the exact reason, or why they’re ignoring the planet below,” Dan Heng explained to Stelle.
“And we came here from the Astral Express to help!” March added with a cheerful voice and a thumbs up.
Stelle blinked once, then twice. “Okaaaay, rewind a few seconds. What’s an Antimatter Legion? What space station and planet? What the heck’s an Astral Express?”
Dan Heng frowned. “The Herta Space Station? Owned by Madam Herta of the Genius Society and headed by Lead Research Asta?”
“Those are pretty names,” Stelle commented. March crossed her arms under her chest and pouted.
“So… those names aren’t familiar to you,” Dan Heng frowned. He motioned for her to come closer, and reluctantly Stelle stepped away from March. He raised his hand and ran his hands through her scalp. “Well, I don’t feel any bumps and you’re not bleeding, so this isn’t amnesia induced by head trauma.”
“It’s not?” March asked. She gave Stelle a worried glance which Stelle greatly appreciated. “What’s the last thing you remember?”
“...Uh, hot older woman telling me about the future some weirdo made for me?” Stelle explained to them with a shrug. “I don’t exactly remember… except for the voice. I’d never forget that voice. ”
“Thank you for your colorful commentary,” Dan Heng sighed.
“So, she’s got no ID, no lab coat, no memory of anything that happened before the attack, and the only thing she can remember is something completely unrelated to everything that’s happened so far,” March summarized quickly. Stelle nodded.
“In essence, she’s a security threat,” Dan Heng simplified.
“I’m a threat to the hearts of women,” Stelle quipped, raising her hand and clenching it over her chest.
March didn’t blush this time. “A real casanova, you are,” she commented, and then turned to Dan Heng. “What if she isn’t? Sure, it’s rare, but it’s not like the Antimatter Legion never takes hostages or kidnaps people.”
Dan Heng’s brows furrowed. “And besides, Asta called us to help as many people on the station as possible. Stelle counts, doesn’t she?” Dan Heng placed a hand on his hip, and his eyes darted between the two girls. March looked determined, while Stelle had a faraway look in her eyes and stared at the wall.
“Alright, fine,” Dan Heng sighed. He turned to Stelle and snapped his fingers to get her attention. “Listen, we’ll take you to Asta–”
Stelle smiled.
“–and maybe she’ll be able to help you,” Dan Heng continued with a frown.
“That’s great! But, where are she?” Stelle asked him.
“In the Master Control Zone. But there’s enemies in the way…” March furrowed her brows as she thought. “Can you fight?”
“If it means protecting you, then yes,” Stelle with a determined look in her eye.
March laughed awkwardly. “Okay, that doesn’t really inspire much confidence, but…” she looked around the small space they were in, and her eyes brightened when she spotted something sticking out of the cardboard boxes. She grabbed it, and pulled it out to reveal a black bat with a golden hilt. “You can use this to fight!”
She tossed the bat over to Stelle, who reached out to grab it. It fumbled out of her grasp and landed on the foot. “Ow!” Stelle hissed, and jumped on one foot while cradling the other with her hands.
March chuckled awkwardly, and Dan Heng’s gaze turned deadpanned.
They both froze when they heard a snarl from behind. The door rattled, then a gold and purple energy blade was stabbed through and started to slice downwards.
“Th-that’s the Antimatter Legion guy, right?” Stelle murmured as she picked up the bat.
“Yuppers,” March sighed. Her and Dan Heng’s hands flashed, producing a green spear and an icy bow. “Just focus on staying alive!”
“We’ll protect you,” Dan Heng added, and got into a fighting stance.
“But I said I’d–!” Stelle yelped as the door was suddenly pulled apart. A body in purple armor twitched in front of them. Its movements were jerky and sudden, almost like it was a corpse that was brought back to life, or being puppeted around.
The head snapped up, and the jaw unhinged, revealing rows of sharp teeth. It shrieked and lunged forwards.
Stelle let out a shriek and fell backwards onto the floor. The monster raised its arm and was about to cut her down, and all she could do was tremble in fear. She raised her arms over her and looked away.
Dan Heng thrust his spear forwards; the shaft went halfway through the monster’s body before stopping at his fist. A wet gurgle left its mouth, and then March finished it off by stabbing an arrow into its. The monster went limp when Dan Heng pulled out his spear, and it fell with thud between Stelle’s leg.
“...what the fuck was that?” Stelle whispered as she shot up to her feet and stepped away from the body as fast as possible, huddling up next to March.
“A Voidranger. One of the Antimatter Legionnaires,” Dan Heng explained. He stabbed it in the back a few more times to make sure it was dead. “If it found us, that must mean there are others nearby.”
“So we need to leave.” March squeezed Stelle’s shoulder. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m…!” Stelle awkwardly, and gave them two thumbs up.
Dan Heng snorted. “This is bad. She’s not flirting badly.”
“Dan Heng!” March frowned at him, and then turned to Stelle. “Don’t worry! We’ll get you to safety!”
“Yes please…” Stelle grabbed her bat from the floor and followed the other two Astral Express members out of the supply closet. “So, uh, where is the Master Zone thingie, by the way?”
“Should be a few hallways over there,” March said, drawing an arrow and cautiously looking from one end of the hall to the other. Then she pointed to their right. “There might be enemies in the way, though.”
“I’ll head the other way,” Dan Heng said.
“Do you have to?” Stelle asked with a soft whine.
“Yes. Asta lost contact with the head of security. He was last seen in that area before the security footage was knocked out,” Dan Heng told her gently. “Don’t worry. You’ll have March to protect you.”
March smiled proudly and puffed out her chest. “I’ll shoot down everything before it can even get a good look at your face!” She said while twirling an ice arrow between her fingers.
“...Thanks,” Stelle muttered after a beat. “I guess it’s not so bad to have a cute girl protect me instead.”
“Glad to know you’re feeling better!” March patted Stelle on the shoulder. “Stay safe, Dannie!”
“You two as well. And don’t call me that,” Dan Heng smiled. He twirled his spear into non-existence and began to walk to the other side.
“Alright Stelle! Let’s go!” March waved for Stelle to follow her and took off with an arrow notched in her bow.
“Hey, wait up!” Stelle jogged after her while lugging her new bat over her shoulder.
After some walking, the girl found themselves entering some sort of trophy room. There were many strange objects floating in between pillars; there were shards, a gun with an eye, an old video game cartridge, and even a black-bordered card with a brown vortex back.
“Don’t touch anything,” March reminded Stelle. The gray-haired girl froze and backed away from the floating glass shards.
“What is this place even about?” Stelle asked as they continued walking forwards.
March placed a hand on her chin. “Well, Madam Herta collects lots of strange objects from across the galaxy, and she keeps them here for safekeeping.”
“Really?” Stelle moved in front of another pillar. It held a black sphere of ooze. A red eye blinked into existence, and Stelle flinched. “Not the universe, or even another galaxy? This doesn’t look like something that belongs in the same star system.” The red eye blinked at her.
“Nope,” March reaffirmed, popping the ‘p’. “Though, I wonder what it would be like if the Astral Express could hop to another galaxy. Like a hollowed out planet with a massive cave system! With all sorts of pretty, glowing crystals! Oh, I bet it’d be so pretty!”
“Yeah, I bet,” Stelle said. She backed away from the display cases and started walking next to her. “But none of them would be as pretty as you.” Because of the line’s bland delivery, March exhaled through her and gave Stelle an amused side-eye.
After a few more steps, the pair eventually walked onto an observation deck that overlooked a large, hollow room that only had catwalks, some other viewing areas, and no guardrails whatsoever. “That doesn’t seem very safe,” Stelle murmured. Her golden eyes then darted to the black stone jutting out from one side of the elevator. “What’s that?”
“Fragmentum,” March told her. “It’s like magic space cancer.”
“...Okay. The space cancer isn’t contagious, is it?” Stelle worriedly mumbled.
“As long as we’re not near for too long, you should be fine,” March answered.
“That still sounds concerning,” Stelle muttered. She followed March onto one of railless catwalks. She stopped when March raised her arm and ducked behind one of the potted plants. “What’s up?”
March pointed past the leaves. On one of the viewing stations was another purple-armored monster, but this time it had a cannon in its arms. “More Legionnaires, at that one’s packing some pretty serious firepower.”
“Can’t you just shoot it with your bow?” Stelle asked her.
“I could, but I’d probably get blasted by that thing’s gun,” March said. “Can you distract it for me? Draw its attention so that I don’t get shot?” Stelle hissed uncomfortably. “You have your bat to protect yourself. You could swing at the energy balls it fires.” March suggested.
Stelle frowned at her. “With this?” She asked while pointing at the bat.
“Yeah!” March nodded with a smile.
“...It’s a bat,” Stelle reminded her.
“It’s one of Madam Herta’s curios!” March corrected her.
“...We found it in a supply closet.”
“Yeah, a lot of the more unimportant things go there, like the Infinity-Sided Die.”
“The what?”
“It’s an entire thing,” March brushed off Stelle's question. “Listen, don’t worry about how strong something seems to be. As long as you hit an enemy with something that hurts enough times, you can Break their defenses, got it? And”
“Yeah, uh, I guess…” Stelle took a few deep breaths and slapped her cheeks to hype herself up. “I, uh, can I get a kiss? For good luck, and in case I die? Just on the cheek is fine.”
March chuckled. “I’ve got something even better,” She teased. Stelle blinked when March leaned forwards.
“Oh my god, it worked…” Stelle whispered. She closed her eyes and leaned forwards… only to be stopped by March’s finger poking above her chest, she looked down to see March snap her fingers.
“Not quite!” March said with a wink. For a moment, Stelle’s vision became slightly distorted, like she was looking through a mirror, before it went back to normal. “I gave you a shield made of my specialized Six-Phased Ice!”
“Okay, I’m going…” She stood up, counted to three, and ran across the catwalk.
The Voidranger noticed her instantly. It snarled, revealing razor sharp like the one, and started blasting its cannon at her. Stelle ducked under the first blast that sailed grazed the right side of her head. The gray hair blackened slightly. “Gah!”
As Stelle ran around like a headless chicken to avoid being shot, March poked her bow out of the cover and fired. First, she hit the Voidranger’s elbow, making the arm holding the cannon go slack. The cannon dropped to the floor, and the Voidranger snarled in her direction.
As she drew another arrow, the Voidranger used its other arm to hoist the cannon over its shoulder. March notched another arrow into her bow, and the two aimed at each other.
Before either could fire, Stelle, with her bat raised over her head, slammed the back of the Voidranger’s head. It stumbled forwards, and March was able to shoot it twice in the chest. Stelle then kicked it over the edge of the deck. The Voidranger fell down and shattered into dark bits when it fell on the floor about a minute later.
March gave Stelle a thumbs up. “See? Told you you’d be fine!” Stelle, meanwhile, had an actual emotion on her normally plastic face–shock.
“Yeah, I never want to do that again,” Stelle muttered.
“Awww, but why? You were so brave back there!~” March goaded, adding a wink for good measure. Stelle perked up slightly.
“Well, I, uh, hm…” Stelle placed a hand over her mouth. “Thanks.”
“Anytime,” March gently bumped her shoulder with Stelle’s.
As they walked towards the elevator, Stelle raised her hand and tapped her finger against her palm. The ice barrier reappeared over her arm briefly. “How did you even manage to do that? You know, the ice barrier?”
“That? It’s just a handy Skill I learned a while back. I got a couple of ‘em,” March explained proudly. “That last one I used, I learned a few days ago. Dan Heng’s been on the Express for a while longer than me, and he’s still learning new Skills.”
Stelle hummed in understanding. “When you say it like that, it sounds like you want me to come with you on the Express.”
“Hah, maybe!” March giggled. They stopped in front of the elevator in the center of the hall. “This should be our ticket out of here!”
On the wall next to the elevator door was a yellow screen. It sparked. “Are you sure it works?”
“Yeah! Madam Herta was no slouch when she designed this station! It’s nearly indestructible!” March tapped the screen a couple of times and fiddled with a few buttons. Then she turned around and told Stelle, “Okay, it doesn’t work!”
“But you just said–” Stelle started.
“The Legion probably broke it or something,” March told her. “Say, are any of your memories coming back? Maybe you were good with tech or something!”
“Hmmmm…” Stelle walked closer to the elevator. She tapped the screen of the console with her bat, which made it spark. “Yeah, I shouldn’t be touching that at all. So now what?”
“I guess we just wait until Dan Heng shows up,” March sighed, which made Stelle wilt slightly. “He runs the Express’ archive room. He probably knows something on how to fix it.”
Speaking of the devil, Dan Heng appeared from the other side of the room, followed by a smaller dark-skinned boy who dragged with him a large sword, and had a faded scar running across the bridge of his nose. “Actually, I don’t know how to fix an elevator. That’s not in the archives,” Dan Heng said.
“Aw, shucks…” March groaned. Then she smiled at the newcomer. “Arlan, you’re okay!”
“Thankfully,” the boy said. “The Legion was about to take me out while I was covering the escape route. If it weren’t for Dan Heng, I would’ve been sliced to ribbons.” Arlan then glanced at Stelle. “Uh, who’s this?”
“I dunno,” Stelle answered with a shrug, which made Arlan frown. “The last thing I remember is–”
“Something unimportant,” March said, slapping her hand over Stelle’s. Stelle smiled when she smelled the flowery scent of the lotion March wore. “But she’s a good person!”
Arlan looked at Dan Heng. “She’s alright.”
“High praise coming from Dan Heng,” March commented to Stelle.
“Really? Well, what’s high praise coming from you, then?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” March teased with a wink. Stelle’s heart skipped a beat.
“Okay then…” Arlan sighed. “So, the elevators were taken offline by Asta once the evacuations were complete, to keep the Legionnaires from entering the Control Zone. That means we’re going to need an emergency encryption key to turn them on.”
“Do you have it?” Dan Heng asked him.
Arlan hissed awkwardly. “Uh, no actually… The original plan was that I would head back up with everyone else once I got them to safety. And with communications down, I can’t ask Lady Asta to reactivate them.”
“So… we’re stuck here, then?” Stelle mumbled.
“Not yet,” Arlan offered her a smile to reassure her. “...If I remember correctly, there should be a spare key in the Seclusion Zone.”
“The Seclusion Zone?” March shuddered. “Isn’t that place basically run down and crawling with dangerous monsters? It’s basically a Dungeon!”
“...Yeah, that’s why Madam Herta placed it there,” Arlan said in a deadpan voice. “The Antimatter Legion might also be there as well, if they’re trying to find a way to get up to the Master Control Zone.”
“Which means we’re going to have to fight our way through them, huh…?” Stelle shivered slightly.
“Are you scared?” Dan Heng asked her. “It’s perfectly natural if you are.”
“No, I’m… well, yes I am,” Stelle admitted with a sigh. “But all of you, March especially, are basically the reason I’m alive right now, so…” With a shrug she continued, “Might as well return the favor, right?”
“Really? I mean, I like the enthusiasm, but it’s not like we’re expecting anything when–!” March’s voice pewtered out when Stelle took her hand and held in gingerly.
“No, March,” Stelle mumbled. She was trying to sound romantic, but the intent didn’t translate well because of her unemotive voice. “It’s the least I can do to help you. I want to protect you, just like you protected me.”
While March blinked inOff to the side, Arlan looked away awkwardly. “Is she…”
“Yes, she really is this bad at flirting,” Dan Heng answered.
“Uh, well… At least I don’t believe she’s an enemy anymore,” Arlan joked halfheartedly. “Let’s just head to the Seclusion Zone now. There’s a one-way elevator to it close by; I’ll lead the way.”
“On it!” March chirped, and followed him and Dan Heng.
Stelle reached out a hand towards her. “Ah, hey, wait up!” She jogged after the others.
“Hmm…”
In some far off corner of the galaxy, a goat’s skull ignited. It was not attached to anything, but instead floated on top of the headless body of an orchestral conductor. “The bond between parent and child is not so easily broken, Stellaron Hunters…”
STELLE (Lv. 60)
HP - 600
ATK - 120
DEF - 90
SPD - 5
MAX Energy - 75
Passive Effect - Stardust Ace:
When Stelle performs an action, its damage is increased by the amount times it has been used in a row (max. 5)
Basic ATK - Batting Swing:
Stelle raises her bat over her shoulder and swings sideways, dealing Light Physical DMG. If this attack Breaks enemy, Stelle’s ATK increases by 12%, and the attack target’s DEF decreases by 5% until the end of the next turn.
Skills:
Atom Ball
Stelle takes a deep breath and waits. Twice this turn, when an enemy attacks an ally; the attack target is changed to Stelle. After damage calculation, Stelle uses her Basic ATK on the attacking enemy. Priority: +1.
Ball Crusher
Stelle draws her bat back as far as she can, then swings at the enemy as hard as she can, dealing Medium Physical DMG. The attack target has the Priority of the Action they use next turn reduced by 1. Priority: -1
Daisy Cutter
Stelle first hits the enemy with the tip of her bat, then whirls around for an additional swing. The first strike deals Medium Physical DMG to the attack target, and the second strike deals Minor Physical DMG to the attack target and adjacent enemies. If this attack Breaks an enemy: that enemy is Stunned for an additional turn.
Dead Red
Stelle grips the handle of her bat tightly, and causes her energy to flare up. This attack becomes an enhanced version of the last Action Stelle. If she used her Ultimate last turn, she uses an even more powerful version of her Basic ATK instead.
ULTIMATE - Home Run Hitter:
Cost: 40 Energy, 2 SP
Stelle’s bat cracks open, which allows her to wield its true power. During the Main Phase, Stelle can target three enemies for an attack; during the Battle Phase this turn, Stelle uses an enhanced version of her Basic ATK that deals Heavy DMG three times in a row, with each attack dealing more damage than the last.
DAN HENG (Lv. 60)
HP - 355
ATK - 200
DEF - 30
SPD - 7
MAX ENERGY - 40
Passive Effect - Hidden Dragon:
When Dan Heng targets a Broken enemy for an attack, his ATK increases by 10%, and his SPD increases by 2 during the Battle Phase only.
Basic ATK - Cloudlancer Art: North Wind
Dan Heng attacks the enemy with a flurry of stabs, dealing Minor Wind DMG.
Skills:
Cloudlancer Art: Torrent
Dan Heng twirls his spear and attacks with a powerful thrust, dealing Medium Wind DMG.
Cloudlancer Art: Condensation
Dan Heng begins to meditate. The Priority of all Dan Heng’s Actions becomes 2 until the end of the next turn.
Cloudlancer Art: Coral Reap
Dan Heng tosses his spear at the enemy, and on the following turn, he rips it out. The first strike deals Light Wind DMG, while the second strike deals Heavy Wind DMG. If this Skill’s Priority is higher than normal, both attacks occur in the same turn.
Cloudlancer Art: Rushing Waterfall
Dan Heng waits for his opponent to make a move. Once this turn, if an enemy attacks, Dan Heng strikes first and deals Heavy Wind DMG. If this attack Breaks an enemy, they are Broken for an additional turn.
ULTIMATE - Dragonstone Hurricane
Cost: 40 Energy, 3 SP
With swift and precise movements, Dan Heng stabs through the enemy with his spear before they can make a move. If an enemy is Broken by this attack, they lose 2 SPD for two turns after they recover.
MARCH 7th (LV. 60)
HP - 550
ATK - 90
DEF - 45
SPD - 6
Max Energy - 30
Passive Effect - Purifying Ice
When March applies a shield onto an Ally, it removes 1 debuff from them. Shielded Allies have their ATK increased by 7%.
Basic ATK - Frigid Arrow
March fires an ice arrow at the enemy, dealing Light Ice DMG.
Skills:
Glacial Wall
March creates a shield of ice to protect one of her allies. This shield’s HP is equal to 75% of March’s combined DEF and HP, and damage calculation is performed with her DEF instead of the attack target’s.
Flash Freeze
March wills her ice to become even colder. All shields recover 23% of their original HP, also if an enemy attacks an ally whose shield was enhanced by this effect, they lose 9% of their ATK and 2 SPD.
Beautiful Snapshot
March fires an Ice Arrow, dealing Medium Ice DMG, and then the shards of the arrow are absorbed by a random allies shield. That shield recovers HP equal to 17% of the attacked enemy’s DEF.
Adorable Snowman
March creates a snowstorm around her, and uses it to Summon a snowman that looks like Pom-Pom to the allies’ side of the field; its HP is equal to 90% of all allies’ combined DEF. During the Standby Phase, the snowman gives all allies a shield that has HP equal to 40% of the snowman’s original HP, or if they already have a shield, it recovers HP equal to 19% of the snowman’s original HP.
ULTIMATE - Frozen Joyous Memory
Cost - 10 Energy, 3 SP
March uses her ice to increase the HP of her allies by 24% of their own HP, and then takes her out her camera and takes a picture of the field. At the end of the turn, if an Ally’s HP is lower than the HP they had at the start of the turn, that Ally’s HP is changed to match the HP they had when the picture was taken and their DEF increases by 12% until the end of the next turn. This effect can apply once per ally, also, this Ultimate cannot be activated if there is an Ally whose HP can be reverted by this effect. Priority +2