Gundam MS: Episode 10

Inventing the Future

Two figures talked quietly with each other. One, a short girl who looked like an average high school student. The other, a taller boy with a long braid down his back. Both were completely normal, except that the boy was floating several inches off the ground. In front of them were two figures sprawled out on the floor, completely unconscious.

“How long will they stay asleep?” asked the girl impatiently. “They’re no good to us like this.”

“Hee hee,” giggled the boy. “How much you’ve changed since we first met! You’re the perfect evil mastermind now. Do you even care now that it’s because of my influence?”

“Would you ask me that if you thought I did?”

“Of course not. Be patient. Even if they were awake, we couldn’t use them yet anyway.”

“But will they be ready for when we do need them?”

“You have so much left to learn, Hitomi,” sighed the boy. “The effects will wear off in about a day. That’s around the time we need to move anyway.”

“How come they got knocked out like this while we only got a mild headache?”

“Hmmm, an intelligent question for once! It’s because they were in the middle of casting intense magical spells. That left them wide open for the shockwave. Imagine what you felt, only multiplied by a thousand. There’s no physical harm on either of them, just mental shock.”

“This had better work, Duo.”

“And if it doesn’t, what then? You can’t hurt me. Even if you harmed this body, it wouldn’t do much more than annoy me. Demons are beings of pure energy, and this body is just a shell I use to communicate with you humans. I’m not about to tell you how to kill a demon. You can defeat Relena and her friends easily enough without that.”

“Even Ryoko?”

“Yes, even her.”

* * * * * * * * * *

“Ugh, as if one portal wasn’t bad enough!” yelled Vegetta. “I don’t care what your Death told you, I am going back to my world!”

“Wait,” yelled Goku, “the portal might not be safe!”

“Doubtful,” said Ayeka. “Now that it’s stopped contracting, I think it’s stable. I think that, for some reason, the second one is also stable.”

“Alright then, goodbye and bad luck! I am going home!”

Vegetta didn’t move. He stood still, gazing around him angrily.

“Um,” Vegetta said hesitantly, “which one was our portal again?”

“That one,” everyone else said, and pointed towards a portal.

The problem was that they didn’t all point to the same portal. There were almost equal numbers pointing to each portal.

“Great,” said Vegetta. “Looks like we’re stuck here.”

“Why don’t we just go in one of them and come back if it’s the wrong one?” asked Goku.

“HAVEN’T YOU BEEN LISTENING?” screamed Bulma. “The second portal may lead to a Universe where we can’t even survive! It might lead out into space, or over a cliff, or some other icky, nasty, horrible thingy!”

“I was with you up till the end,” said Ayeka.

“Well,” Relena said, “I think we should just wait for Death to come back.”

WHY WAIT?

“WOULD YOU STOP DOING THAT!” screamed Relena, turning around to face Death and his entourage.

“Hee hee!” giggled Misato. “I’m never going to get tired of seeing you jump like that.”

“Hey, I’m back!” said Ryoko happily. “Miss me?”

“No,” replied Vegetta and Ayeka in unison.

“You guys need to focus. Where’s Celena?” asked Ryo Ohki.

“Hey, good question,” said Relena. “I haven’t seen her.”

“Um, she sorta turned into a crazy pyromaniac and flew off to go fight a dragon,” said Goku.

“I’m pretty sure that there are some gaps there I could use filled in,” said Relena. “Mind expanding on it?”

“Strangely enough, Goku has the basic facts about right, although I think the presentation could use some work,” lectured Ayeka. “To tell the truth, I don’t know what happened either. My scanner couldn’t make heads or tails of it. Maybe Death could explain it to us?”

Everyone turned to stare at Death. Unfortunately, his attention was riveted elsewhere. Namely, the combined glares of Ryo Ohki and Ryoko. He was even starting to look a little sheepish.

“You didn’t,” said Ryo Ohki.

“You know it’s not time yet!” said Ryoko.

“There’s only so much distortion this Universe can take!” said Ryo Ohki.

“Dilandou wasn’t supposed to make his first appearance for another month!” said Ryoko.

“And he definitely wasn’t supposed to appear right in front of them!” yelled Ryo Ohki.

“This totally ruins the third plot arc!” yelled Ryoko.

Ryo Ohki and Ryoko paused to take a much-needed breath, and Death chose that moment to try and fit in a word edgewise.

IT WAS NECESSARY. HE IS NEEDED NOW. THERE IS NO IRREPARABLE DAMAGE.

The two started up again without even wavering.

“You can’t keep fooling around like this,” said Ryo Ohki.

“I’ll admit that these are extraordinary circumstances,” said Ryoko

“But that’s no excuse!” yelled Ryo Ohki.

“If you keep going like this, we may end up in big, big trouble!” yelled Ryoko.

DON’T WORRY. THIS PLAN ONLY REQUIRES ONE MORE MAJOR ALTERTION.

“What’s that?” both asked in unison, albeit rather skeptically.

Death didn’t answer. Instead, he raised his hand. Space and time ran together like maple syrup, bending to the will of their master. Atoms exploded into showers of elemental particles. Molecules shattered and formed. Planets altered their orbits. Stars died and were born. Time itself ran like water, forward and backward. In the end, after all things had run their course, after they had canceled themselves out, only one thing had changed.

Heero and Sasami walked around the edge of a hill and into sight.

“What’s with all the weirdos?” asked Heero.

“Oh, no,” groaned Ryo Ohki and Ryoko in tandem.

* * * * * * * * * *

While Misato, Death, Ryo Ohki and Ryoko were trying to explain the deeper truths about how this particular world works, the others were involved in a slightly shallower contemplation.

“Are you sure this test will work?” asked Trunks. “If we’re going to use this as a test to see whether Relena is stupider than Goku, which, I must add, I don’t think is possible, then it had better work like it’s supposed to.”

“Of course,” said Ayeka. “With Bulma’s help, it was easy to devise a 300-question test that would accurately show any person’s intelligence factor. It’s more than comprehensive enough for any application. We used the geometric constant for-”

“Whoa, no details,” said Trunks. “I’m just worried that given the attention span of our targets, 300 questions may be a little too much.”

Bulma and Ayeka stared at each other. “Oops,” they said in unison.

Meanwhile, Heero was finally getting through the bickering of his teachers and latching onto the main message.

“Alright,” said Heero, “Let me see if I’ve got this straight. You want to give me a robot morpher and send me through a portal?”

“No no no,” said Misato, “we’re giving you a robot morpher-”

“Magic Wand,” corrected Ryo Ohki.

“-robot morpher for you to use as a guardian for this planet,” finished Misato with barely a pause. “We’re sending Sasami through the portal.”

“You’re sending my sister through?” asked Heero in indignation. “But it might be dangerous!”

“I’d be glad to go!” bubbled Sasami. “I love everything! It’s all so much fun! Wheee! Aren’t I so cute?”

“On the other hand,” considered Heero, “I am getting a little sick of this babysitting gig… especially since my parents aren’t paying me… You’re sure she won’t be in any trouble?”

IF SHE DIES, THE REST OF US WILL SOON FOLLOW. THE ADDITIONAL RISK FOR HER IS MINIMAL.

“From anyone else, I’d be a little skeptical,” said Heero, “but somehow, coming from Death, that doesn’t seem so unbelievable. Alright, let’s do it.”

Over in the other corner…

“Now, that should do it,” said Bulma.

“Yeah, down to fifty questions. Now, you guys have to do your best, or it won’t work!”

“Alright, don’t worry,” said Relena. “I don’t need to cheat to prove my own stupidity! Finally, a test I’m supposed to do bad on! I’ve waited my whole life for this moment.”

“Alright then,” said Ryo Ohki, “everyone gather around. Here’s the plan.” Both groups came together, merging into a cross between a huddle and a classroom. “We’re sending Bulma, Ayeka, and me through the portal to Dragonball, where we can enter the Room of Spirit and Time. There, Bulma and Ayeka can invent a device that allows us to keep our powers when we go across Universes. I’m going with them to make sure they have all the knowledge they need about Universe mechanics. They’ll come back with two of them and give those to Sasami and Gohan, who will go through the other portal. In the meantime, Relena and Goku can take that revised test you made for them. Oh, and I’ve got 50 on Relena.”

“What on earth do you want with money?” asked Ryoko. “It’s not like you use it for anything.”

“I know, but it’s mostly just to annoy her,” responded Ryo Ohki.

“Oh, good point,” said Ryoko. “I’ve got 50 on Relena too.”

“Hey! Quit that!” yelled Relena. “It’s one thing when I insult myself, but when you guys do it it’s just mean!”

“Hey, aren’t we forgetting something here?” asked Gohan. “The Room of Spirit and Time was destroyed! It can’t be entered anymore!”

“Well, technically yes,” said Misato. “However, you forget that the Room spontaneously regenerates every 1000 years, which would be right… about… now.”

“It does?” asked Gohan.

“It does now,” said Misato smugly.

“Hey, but they won’t have any materials to make inventions there,” said Trunks. “They’ll only have what they bring with them.”

“Oh, not true!” said Misato. “The Room will generate anything the occupants need for their endeavor. If they’re only there to train, then it only makes food. But if they’re there to invent, then it makes parts too.”

“It does?” asked Trunks.

Misato sighed. “It does now. How long will it take you guys to figure this stuff out? I control reality. Good lord, you’re dense.”

CAN WE GET ON WITH THIS ALREADY? THE CORRECT PORTAL IS OVER THERE, said Death, pointing to one of the portals. NOW GET GOING. I WANT TO SEE WHO WINS THIS TEST.

“Hrmph, of course you do,” grumbled Misato.

* * * * * * * * * *

“This sucks,” said Misato. “Commander Ikari would be away at a time like this. He spends more time elsewhere then he does here. Ritsuko, any progress?”

“Sorry, but no. We’re using all three Magi, but for some reason we can’t figure out anything. Apparently none of the mechanical instruments can even tell that anything happened. The only ones who sensed anything seem to be the living.”

“Yeah, but it was all the living. Every damn person on Earth. I don’t like this. Find the pilots and keep them on standby in the Evas.” Misato turned away, and began to leave, muttering under her breath. “No, I don’t like this at all.”

* * * * * * * * * *

“HA HA HA HA HA HA! I win! I’m stupider!” It was probably an odd thing to celebrate about, but Relena had a tendency to grab onto any source of stability she could.

“See, I told you that you shouldn’t have bet on me,” said Goku. “I’m not a complete idiot. I’m smarter!”

“Yeah, by one freaking question, Damnit,” said Goten.

“You want to tell them, or should I?” asked Misato.

GO AHEAD. I WOULDN’T WANT TO SPOIL YOUR FUN.

“Alright then. Hey guys, listen up! I’m afraid the test wasn’t really very accurate.”

“Why not?” asked Relena. “I won! It’s perfectly accurate!”

“Of course you won. That’s why it isn’t accurate. The test was administered in this Universe, and here, one of the major laws is that no one is stupider than you. In my Universe, the same is true for Goku. In order for the test to be correct, it has to be administered in a neutral Universe, with no laws regarding intelligence for either of you.”

“Great. You mean I have to take this stupid test again?” whined Relena

THANKFULLY, NO. Relena perked up a bit. HOWEVER, YOU WILL HAVE TO TAKE A DIFFERENT TEST. Relena looked depressed again.

“You guys hate me, don’t you?” she said.

“Hey guys, we’re back! You finish the test thingy yet?” called out Bulma.

“Yeah mom, but the results were invalid,” said Trunks. “You see, there’s this reality difference and-”

“Hee hee,” giggled Bulma, “isn’t my son so cute when he tries to be smart?”

“Damnit mom, I’m practically in College now! Would you leave me the hell alone? Besides, I don’t see you flying around saving the world, do I?”

“Did you guys make the device yet?” said Sasami, managing the very difficult feat of enthusiastically bubbling while asking a question. “I wanna go to another world! It’ll be fun! Yay!”

“And I want to get rid of her,” said Heero. “She might be my sister, but she grates on my nerves like hell.”

“You know swearing is only going to get censored,” said Ryoko. “Why bother in the first place?”

“Because it makes me feel better. Who cares if anyone can hear me?”

“Ooooooh, it does?” asked Relena. “Let me try: Shit! Damn! Hell! You know, I think it actually works. Cool! I mean, crap!”

“I hate to break up this bonding session, but we had better get this damn show on the proverbial road,” interrupted Ryo Ohki. “Ayeka, give them the devices.”

“Okay. We made two of them, just the number needed. But be careful with these things, they’re very fragile. If you damage yours, you won’t be able to use it, and you’ll revert to a normal human.”

“I don’t think normal can be applied to someone like Sasami,” said Ryoko. “Now I know why you leapt at the chance to get away from her, rabbit.”

“NO ONE CALLS ME A RABBIT!”

“What a cute little bunny Ryo Ohki is!” Sasami bubbled, again. She probably never stopped bubbling except when she was asleep, and even then she managed to breathe in a bubbly fashion. “Wheeeeee! Everything is happy! I’m going through the portal! Bye bye!”

Seeing as how Ryoko was busy keeping a hold on a slathering-mad Ryo Ohki, Misato stepped in to continue the brief. “Before you go, use your morpher, remember? And Gohan, try out your device a little before you go through, just to make sure it works. Now, when you get there, you’ll have to get the attention of their Death, so just do something big. He’ll probably be hostile. DO NOT TRY TO FIGHT HIM! Instead, just say one word: ‘Digimon.’ That should be all you need.”

“Uh alright,” said Gohan. “Say Digimon to him. And if it doesn’t work, kick his ass, right?”

YOU WON’T BE ABLE TO KILL HIM, OR EVEN DAMAGE HIM.

“The power of justice and the human heart will win every time! I know this to be true,” said Gohan confidently.

“Don’t bother trying,” said Misato. “The most we can hope for is for him to say the word before attacking. I know these people. They really don’t have a sense of self-preservation.”

AT LEAST I WILL NOT BE SUCH A GREAT LOSS IF THEY ARE KILLED.

“Yeah. Your one especially.”

I DO NOT MAKE ALL THE RULES. THESE STORIES MUST HAVE ONE LIKE HER, IF ONLY TO MAKE THE OTHERS SLIGHTLY MORE TOLERABLE IN COMPARISON.

“Too true, my friend. Well, this is it. Put on your devices, and get ready!”

Gohan and Sasami clipped the devices the two braniancs had made onto their clothes while Ayeka tried to fit in some explanation edgewise. Each device looked like an oval about six inches long and two wide, with many sci-fi type decorations and colored lines over it. “You see, each device creates a small, dimensional barrier around your bodies, segregating you from whatever reality is outside. Since, inside the barrier, the most prevalent reality is from you and your Universe, that is the reality which governs you. You didn’t understand a word I just said, did you?”

Various forms of “no” came out of the assembled crowd.

“Yes,” said Bulma.

“You helped me make the thing! Of course you understand!”

“Jeez, no need to be uppity about it,” responded Bulma.

Ayeka sighed. “Oh, just get on with it. Bye, go, leave.”

“Alright then,” said Gohan. “Time to get this show on the road.” Slowly, he floated into the air, a look of happiness on his face. Crossing his arms, he erupted into Super Saiyan 2. “Ha! My power is back! It works!”

“Of course!” said Bulma. “I helped make it, you know!”

“My turn!” yelled Sasami. “Pink Sugar Wing Gundam Transformation!” The requisite (pink) light shone out of her, and when it left, Sasami was in a tiny, child-sized, and very pink Wing Gundam. “This is gonna be such fun! Let’s go! Whee!”

Floating back down to the ground, Gohan turned to face the portal, while Sasami walked up next to him. “Remember the attack names I told you!” yelled out Ryoko.

“Ha, Don’t worry!” bubbled Sasami. “Let’s go have some fun!”

Confidently, Gohan and Sasami walked through the portal, not caring what awaited them.

What does await our heroes (or at least annoying main characters)? Will they be able to face the menaces that lie beyond, or will they succumb? To find out, tune in next week (or, more realistically, next month) for episode 11, “More Boring Plot!” You won’t want to miss this! Honestly! Really!