#tl ingu

It was a typical sunny day in the park in the middle of Primp.

     “Take that! Here I go, Ringo!” Arle called.

Out here were me, Arle, Carbuncle, and Ringo. So our usual team.

     “All right! Passing to Amitie next!” Ringo said.

We were using a green Puyo as a ball.

     “W-wah…! There! Okay, Arle, here it comes!”

Today’s game is called, “How long can we keep a Puyo from touching the ground without catching it and only using our wrists and fingers to pass?”

     “Ack! I can’t reach it! Carby, please!”

     “Gu-guu~!”

It may seem simple to keep a Puyo from touching the ground, but you’d be surprised! It can really take your full attention!

We kept the rally going for a while, until…

     “Amitie! Over there!”

     “Wah wah wah… EEK—!

In the end, the game came to a close with me stumbling and falling over.

     “You okay, Amitie?!” 

     “Are you hurt?!” 

Arle and Ringo rushed over to me, worried, but I got up with a smile. As a klutz who’s always blundering left and right, I’m already used to falling on my face. A little trip like this is no biggie at all!

But I kinda started feeling like I wanted to do “that thing”…?

     As the other two helped me up, I chirped, “Hey, hey! Let’s do that thingnext!”

Arle and Ringo already knew what I meant. 

     “Oh, yeah, that thing! Alright, let’s go for it, Carby!”

     “Guguguu!” 

Arle and Carbuncle nodded at each other. 

     “Hehehe, that thing it is! Hope you guys are ready to lose!” Ringo happily agreed, winking at us.

     “Yay! Then let’s start!” I threw a finger into the air. “Now! Let’s have a love-filled Puyo battle!”

…Huh?

Arle and Ringo froze in their tracks.

     “Love?” They both tilted their heads to the side in confusion.

What? Did I just say, “love”?

     “Uhm… Ahahahaha! Right, love! I think her way of talking just kinda rubbed off on me…” I blushed, scratching the back of my head with my hand.

     “Oh… Love, huh?”

     “Yes, love!”

So, where exactly did I pick that up from? For some reason, Arle and Ringo didn’t even feel the need to ask me about that. 

Instead…

     “All right! C’mon!”

     “Let’s…?”

     “Have a love-filled Puyo battle!!”

     “Guguguuugu!

Raising our voices all together at once, the three of us began our Puyo match! And Carbuncle bounced around by our side, a super happy smile on its face.

The End

There they were, those white gates, floating against the backdrop of the dark sky. The two giant snakes that had been wound around it a second ago were now sprawled out on the ground below. It didn’t look like they would open their eyes any time soon.

     “Oh, I’ll make sure to return Ouroboros to its original dimension, so I think we’re good to go now~” Ecolo said, floating next to the snakes.

     “Hey, Ecolo. I was wondering… Could we maybe send Ally home tomorrow, or the day after that instead?” I asked nervously.

     “Huh~? Why?”

     “B-b-b-because, this is just so sudden! I don’t want to say goodbye so soon, when we’ve only just become friends!” I spoke my honest mind. “Oh, I know! Couldn’t you just make it so that those doors stay here forever? Then Ally could come and visit us whenever she wants!”

Wouldn’t that just be perfect?!

I was so excited about my idea, but Ecolo just gave me a simple shake of the head. 

     “This kind of dimensional door is re~ally unstable. Even I probably don’t have what it takes to make them last for that long…” Ecolo gave a laugh as if to say, “Sorry, no can do!”

Really…? They were making it sound like we wouldn’t know if, when, or where the gates would appear next once Ally went back home… So did that mean we didn’t even know if we would ever meet her again?

     “And ‘cause it’s so unstable, the gateway could go poof at any moment. So, you know, it’d be better to have her go back as soon as possible. Tomorrow or the day after probably won’t cut it~”

Really, for real?! The shock was coming in for a double-whammy!

So we couldn’t even hang out for a little bit longer or take our time to say goodbyes? Ally had to go back right this instant?!

     “But that’s just…!”

     “I mean, the chances of the gates opening here again were tiny, like once-in-a-miracle tiny. I guess in a way we kinda have to thank Ouroboros for this chance, huh?”

     “Huh? What?”

Sometimes Ecolo says stuff I don’t get at all.

     “Well, don’t sweat the small stuff! Anyway, Ally, you gotta hurry on in.”

     “A-awgh… Ally, don’t forget about us! Let’s meet again someday, okay?”

As much as it bothered me, there was nothing else I could say at this point! 

But there came Ecolo’s cheery voice again, about to deal me a third shock.

     “Sooo about that. There’s nothing certain when it comes to crossing space-time, so you can’t really make her promise not to forget you…”

Wait, was that really what it came down to?!

     “Look Amitie, you guys might end up forgetting all about Ally as well… That’s just the way it works, so there’s really no one to blame.”

     “H-huh…”

HUUUUUUUH?!

No, no, no! Me, forget Ally?! You’ve got to be kidding me!

We barely had any time together! We barely did anything together! No way, Ally! I don’t want you to go home! I want to see you running about all over the place, yelling about love! I want us to laugh about all sorts of things together!

I felt like if I tried to put all that into words, it would’ve just sounded like a bunch of selfish whining. So I couldn’t say anything — I just stood there, opening and closing my mouth without making a sound, when…

     “It’s all right, Amitie.” Ally put a hand on my shoulder.

Ally was beaming even at a time like this.

    “After all, we have our love,” she said.

     “Love…?”

     “Yes, love.”

My voice came out all nasally and wobbly. But Ally spoke calmly, as if trying to convince and comfort me.

     “We all have shared a deep, deep love for each other. Even if our memories fade, our love will not.”

     “Really…?”

     “Yes, really! Because, as much grief as it brings me to hear you tell me so kindly that you are sad to see me go, it also makes me incredibly happy. That is because I feel the same way you do.”

     “Ally…”

     “This wonderful love has already become a part of me. Therefore! As long as I am me, I will carry this love in me, and it will never, ever disappear!” Ally said, bumping her fist against her chest.

Love… The love that Ally taught me about.

     “Saying goodbye is a lonely thing, but we won’t be lonely, no, not at all—!” Ally shouted.

     “You really are something, Ally,” Arle said.

     “I concur. It really has been an honor to meet you,” Ringo said, standing up straight as if to salute her friend.

Yeah… This was goodbye.

     “So, please, Amitie… Smile for me.”

Right, of course. Ally was right…

     “Yeah!”

I shook my head, flashed her a grin, and nodded. After all, if there’s one thing that I’m proud of, it’s my smile!

     “……”

Ally let out a deep sigh.

     “Amitie…”

Right when she was about to say something, she started floating up into the air.

     “Eek!” 

With her feet off the ground, Ally flailed in a bit of a panic.   

     “Hmm, looks like we’re out of time, huh? Take a look at the gate~”

Hearing that from Ecolo, who had been watching us silently up until that point, we looked to the gate. The once shut doors had opened up a smidge, a white light shining through the gap.

     “Uhm, erm… Thank you so much, for everything!” Ally shouted, slowly drifting to the doors, as if she was being sucked in.

     “Ally—!” I waved my arm as wide as I could.

Please, please, don’t let me forget about all of this! Holding tightly onto that wish in my head, I waved goodbye with all my might.

     “See you—!”

     “Gugugu—!” Arle and Carbuncle called out too.

     “Let’s continue collecting data on love until our paths intersect again!” Ringo said.

     Looking down at us from above, Ally then spoke. “Hehehe… Amitie, you truly are the Great Hero!”

     “M-me?!”

That ended up being our final words to each other. 

Smiling, Ally disappeared into the beam of light coming from the doors.

     “Ah…!”

SLAM! The doors swung shut. And then they slowly began to fade away.

Oh… As I was thinking that, Ouroboros’s form, too, started to melt away into the darkness. 

The light of the stars now returned to the pitch-black sky, twinkling softly. …Ah. We had been so wrapped up in everything that we hadn’t noticed that night had already come.

Ally.

I forgot to tell you, but… You know what I think? I think you’re the Hero.

“They are someone who remains full of love no matter how difficult the situation they face. Someone who seeks out love so persistently, one can say that their heart is brimming with love. That is what it means to be the Great Hero!”

That’s what you said, right? I don’t think there’s anyone, anywhere, that fits that more than you!

As if to tell me that she heard me, I felt a voice coming from beyond the doors. That was the voice that had called Ally before. I’m sure of it!

     “Ssssss sss sss…HAHAHA!”

Out from underneath the pile appeared the red snake’s tail, batting away the surrounding Nuisance Puyo. As Ouroboros unearthed itself, we saw that the head of the red snake had pushed the black snake’s body in front of it, using it as a shield as it hid underneath. The black snake had taken the full brunt of our attack, and was perfectly knocked out. But that meant…

     “This is bad… At this rate the revival mechanic is going to kick in again, right…?!” Ringo muttered, breaking out into cold sweat.

Right. It’s all a bust if one half is still around.

     “We admit, your plan had Us a little worried, but…  Ssshahasss… As you can see, even that danger is quite easily diffused.”

     “Using your partner as a shield is just cruel! In what universe is that fine?!”

     “Gugugu, gugu?!”

The red half of Ouroboros sleekly ignored Arle and Carbuncle’s lecture.

     “Now then, shall we awaken my partner…? Ssshahahahasss…!” 

Cackling, it smugly called out to its black half. 

     “Get up, partner. I shall share some of my power with you…”

The black snake slowly stirred, lifting its head… Oh no, it really did recover—! And now those two buddy-buddy snakes were definitely gonna send another paired attack our way! 

…Is what I thought, but—

     “What do you think you’re doing—?!”

The awakened black snake bared its fangs at the red snake, as if it was going to bite it! 

     “Huh?” The red snake looked back blankly.

     “What?” The sight shocked us as well.

     “Uh… Partner? Calm down. What is the matter?”

     “Why did you use me as a shield?!”

     “To ensure that one of Us would remain…”

     “That’s yourrole! You should’ve done it instead!”

     “I-I have no interest in playing the role of the half that gets hurt!”

     “Oh, but forcing meto play it suits you just fine, huh?!”

Ssswish! Ssswoosh!  

Sharp sounds cut through the air, leaking from Ouroboros’ heated mouths.

     “How could you shove my back right into that attack?! The audacity!”

     “What else could I do? If I didn’t do anything, we’d both be taken out!”

     “Like I said, you should’veprotected me! Isn’t that obvious?!”

     “And you don’t see any issue in that reasoning?”

     “The only thing I see is my exasperation!”

     “Y-you’re exasperated?! I’m exasperated with you screeching at me like this!”

Ssswish! Ssswoosh! SWOOOOOSH—!!

Still entwined around the gates, the two snakes started squabbling like little kids! From the ground, we stared at the spectacle with our mouths hanging open.

     “This…feels kinda anticlimactic, doesn’t it, Carby…” Arle looked disappointed.

     “Guguuu…”

     “There goes the whole ‘final boss battle’ atmosphere. Makes you wish they’d take their domestic quarrel elsewhere…” Ringo said.

     “Ouroboros…seems to be lacking in love,” Ally said softly. Then, “Oh!” as if she had realized something.

Ally clasped her hands together next to her face. Her eyes were shining.

     “Everyone, this is our chance! We need to strike Ouroboros with our love once again while it is still arguing with itself!” 

We all snapped back to attention at her words.

     “You’re right, we gotta fire another round of chains. Let’s do it again, Carby!”

     “Gugugu-gugugu!”

     “Operation in process! The return of the miracle of love, coming right up!”

Arle and Ringo looked at each other and nodded. 

     “Yes!” Ally cheered, “Let’s teach Ouroboros a thing about the wondrous power it so lacks and rejects! In other words…”

She threw a hand in the air and winked.

     “Ouroboros, let’s fall in love—!”

We sputtered at hearing that. Falling in love? With Ouroboros? Really, Ally… Ally is just so… Ally is just so Ally!

    “Okay~! I’m on board!” Standing next to Ally, I gave her a knowing look.

Here we go, Ouroboros! You’re gonna take the full blast of our love!

Was I convinced that we could pull off a second Synchro Chain just because it had worked the first time around? No, I had no way to really be sure we could do it again. The first time could’ve been a fluke, and the fact that this move was re~ally hard to pull off hadn’t changed. But even so! We were all grinning.

Puyo! Puyo! Puyon!

     “Ally! Red Puyo over here, please!” I said.

     “Yes! Uhm… There aren’t any around?!” Ally said.

     “Oh! If you need a red Puyo, we’ve got some over here!” Arle said.

     “But do you have any green Puyo in exchange?” Ringo asked.

     “We’ve got tons of green Puyo~! Here, right back at you!” I said, throwing some over.

     “Got it! Thanks, Amitie~!” 

     “Gu-gugu~!”

Last time we had been nervous watching the other team build their chain and trying to match their speed, but this time we were trading Puyo between teams to keep things going much more smoothly.

     “Amitie! I have cleared out the transparent Puyo that were in the way!” 

     “Thanks, Ally! You beat me to it!”

     “Hehehe!”

It was like we could read each other’s minds. Our rhythm and timing were in perfect sync. Ally and I were two different people, but we didn’t feel like two different people at all. Ally understood what I was thinking. I could feel that with every moment that passed, and in a strange way, I understood Ally, too. And with each beat, I thought, Thanks for giving me the chance to meet you, Ally! I love you! 

Could this be the “love” Ally was always going on about? If this is what “falling in love” is like, then it really is a mysterious, yet happy, special feeling all around! 

I glanced up at the dark sky.

     “They’ve started to make another pair of large chains!”

     “Hmph… Let Us put aside Our quarrel for now and use the same defense as before.”

     “Let’s. Then, partner, you’ll be the shield…”

     “Why?! We should decide this impartially! A round of rock-paper-scissors should…”

     “If you’re going to go on about fairness, then you should take your turn! And anyway, We can’t even play rock-paper-scissors, for We do not have hands, so don’t waste your breath on such stupid suggestions!”

     “How dare you—!!”

SWOOOOOSH—!!

Welp. There they went arguing again. If they’d managed to make up that would’ve spelled trouble for us, but it looked like we were still in the clear for now…?

     “Should we stack a few more on?” Arle asked.

     “Come on, to stack or not to stack?!” Ringo pressed.

     “Yeah, let’s stack away!” I answered.

There we go! Look, look! It was amazing! Our newest chains were bigger and better than ever!

     “Then,”

     “Are,”

     “We,”

     “Ready?”

I, Arle, Ringo, and Ally all looked at each other, each speaking in turn. Setting off these monster chains was going to be so awesome! We grinned excitedly, maybe even with a bit of mischief. 

     “Gugugu—!” 

Carbuncle called out, as if to say, “Fire—!” And at that signal, we triggered the chains!

PUYO! PUYO! PUYON!

Color by color, the Puyo popped with a Puyo☆! It was so beautiful, like a colorful avalanche. Even my heart was dancing to a Puyo Puyo☆beat.

     “This is exciting… Gwehehehe! Nyahahahaha!”

     “Now… Here I go! Did you feel that? It’s overflowing… The power of love!”

In high spirits, Ringo and Ally built up our power. Next, Arle. We had to chant at the same time. We were overflowing with love, even more than last time… Now!

    “BA-BA-BA-BAYOOOEN~~~!”

…In that dark sky, I felt like I saw a comet. And whenever I see a comet, a huge number of Nuisance Puyo is bound to follow.

     “It’s coming—!”

     “We are in trouble! This is no time to be quarreling!”

     “Right! Cover me!”

     “Why do you never volunteer?!”

Even now, Ouroboros was still arguing. And then…

     “AH.”

In the split second before the two snakes were buried under the Nuisance Puyo coming down on them, the snakes finally spoke in sync again. But by then it was too late.

WHAM WHAM—!

     “GYAAAAAAAAAAAA—!!!”

This time we had taken them both out for sure. Still trying to use each other as a shield, they were swallowed up by the Nuisance Puyo. I saw it with my own eyes. It was a 100% victory with flying colors!!

     “We did it—!” Ally cheered while hopping up and down.

     “We did it… We really did it!” said Arle.

     “By the midpoint of our battle, all of my reservations about whether we could actually do this or not had long fallen away… This was just way too much fun…” Ringo seemed left in a daze by our smashing success.

     “It’s all clear now! This is love! There is nothing but love right here and now! To have been able to fall in love with you all, I… I’m…so, so happy, you guys—!” Ally was humming with excitement, her fists shaking.

Wow, I’d never seen her that excited before. Maybe it was a little much? Well, I was pretty pumped myself, though. I felt like I could walk on air!

While we were still celebrating, we heard a carefree — yep, just as carefree as always — voice sound out from above us. 

     “Whoa~! Love sure is something~!”

There was Ecolo, two “hands” up in the air in a cheer. 

     “Congrats, congrats~! I didn’t think you guys could actually do it~”

…HUUH?! They didn’t believe in us at all?! W-well, we managed to pull it off in the end, so I guess it’s not a big deal. 

Drifting airily to the side of the gates, Ecolo continued.

     “Anyway, it’s about time to open up this door! Here you go, Ally, right this way~”

     “…Eh?”

Oh… Right. I was having so much fun that I totally forgot. Everything we’d done up until now was to help Ally return to the world beyond those gates.

     “Hey there, Ringo~! One Ouroboros coming right up!”

The space next to Ouroboros warped with a swirling fwish. And then, with a bursting pop!Ecolo appeared.

     “That was entirely too abrupt! How about warning us before popping out of the ether, or actually confirming that we’ve finished preparing our solutions before just offloading chaos at our door?!” Ringo said.

     “Ahahahaha! But this way I get to surprise you!” Ecolo was sporting a carefree attitude as always.

     “Arghh, Ecolo—!” Ringo let out a frustrated groan and stomped her foot against the ground. 

     “Let’s not get hung up on that now! You have a battle with Ouroboros to focus on, so break a leg!”

Urgh… Ouroboros… I don’t really even want to look at the thing. Because it’s scary. …Not like I could say that out loud, though!

The red and black snakes were still firmly entwined around those white gates. They lifted their heads and stared in our direction, swaying slightly back and forth. Their tongues flicked in and out. 

     “We were planning to savor the power emanating from these gates…”

     “Yet you continue to interrupt Us. How dare you…”

     “We may have overlooked your insolence once before…”

     “…but now, We shall smite you for testing Our patience!”

The two snakes alternated their speech in those horrible hissing voices. Waah, they really were scary—!

     “Ahahaha~ Ouroboros is kinda fuming because I dragged them through space-time~♪” Ecolo held their sides as they laughed, spinning in circles midair.

H-how can they keep that happy-go-lucky attitude in a situation like this?

     “Uhm, hey, Ecolo…” I said, figuring I might as well ask, “Are you gonna help us?”

I think Ringo once said something about Ecolo being really strong, so if they help us out…

     “Nope!” Ecolo said immediately.

     “Oh come onnn! You could at least do just a lil’ bit!” I pouted.

In response, Ecolo let out ahmmm and raised their fingers…? Or should I say finger-like lumps? Either way, they drummed them against their mouth.

     “Don’t think I’ll be much help here anyway. I’ve kinda got my hands full with keeping this fragment of space-time sealed up tight so Ouroboros can’t run off.”

     “R-really…?” I replied.

     “Yeah, really! It might look like I’m hanging around doing nothing, but I’m working reeeeeally hard! I’m doing a job nobody else can do!” 

     “Oh, wow! That’s incredible!”

     “Ehehe!” Ecolo puffed out their chest.

     “Amitie…” Ringo muttered in a low whisper, “That was your cue to reprimand Ecolo for bragging.”

H-huh? 

     “That’s Amitie for you…” Arle sighed. “Well anyway, we have to make do with our team here, right? Got it…” Switching gears, she called out a command. 

     “Here we go, Carby! Everyone gear up!” Following her lead, everyone’s faces turned serious, and we broke into a run. 

Arle, Ringo, and I have worked together to pull off giant chains a bunch of times before. But this time we had a group of four with Ally, and we had to figure out how to fire a giant Synchro Chain off on top of that. Could we really pull it off…? No, we hadto!

     “The result will be the same no matter how many times you try…”

     “Even if you defeat one of Us, the other will simply revive the fallen.” 

     “And thus, defeating Us is… Hm?”

Ouroboros had been laughing and making fun of us, but both of its heads tilted to the side in confusion once it saw that we had split into two groups. Then both heads exchanged glances.

     “We see… You seem to have come up with a plan,” it hissed.

I was building a chain with Ally, while Arle and Carbuncle were doing the same with Ringo. 

     “You aim to defeat both of Us at once… Is that your scheme?”

They figured us out right away. But who cares! There’s no other way to win anyway, right? I wondered if Ouroboros was getting nervous… I took a quick glance, but they seemed unbothered.

     “Do you truly think you have any hope of success…?”

     “Even if you breathe as one, you will never surpass the connection We have shared since Our very birth…”

It was making fun of us again! Aaack!

Right as I was starting to feel seriously intimidated, Ally’s voice flew over to me.

     “Amitie! Focus on the chain in front of you… Next, place that blue Puyo over here!”

     “I-I got it! Sorry! Uhm, ack…” I tried my best to focus while Ally checked in on the others.

     “Is everything going all right over there?” she asked Arle’s group.

     “I think we’ve got it…” Arle replied. “Put that yellow Puyo over there for me, Carby!”

     “Gu-gugu~!”

Oh, right. It wasn’t just Ally I had to sync with. I had to match the others as well. Though… Huh? How far were we in this chain again? What color Puyo was I supposed to put next to this blue one I just put down…?

     “Yes, panic! What you seek to accomplish is impossible! Ssshahahassss…!”

Aaah! Shut up a bit so I can think, Ouroboros! 

I tried to ignore the horrible hissing noises and the creepy voices coming from its swaying heads, but they still wormed their way into my ears. The panic descended from my head to my chest, clenching around my heart. Every beat of it carried a pang of anxiety that told me I was fighting all alone. 

I knew that I had to stop panicking. I knew that I had to focus on the chain I was building. But I couldn’t shake these feelings! Augh! What do we do if our plan fails because I panicked and messed something up? I could feel myself starting to tear up, when…

     “Itis possible! We will show you it is possible!” Ally’s voice rang out. “In fact, this is a decidedly easy task for us! So, how could we possibly not succeed?!”

Huh? Easy? You’re kidding me, right…? Really?

     “Ally…?” I asked.

     “We will succeed because… We have love on our side—!”

……. 

Lifting my face, I glanced at Ally, who was still stacking Puyo with all her might. Ally wasn’t saying anything out of the ordinary for her, but she looked really keyed up!

     “Ouroboros! You may have warped me here, but this is where your luck runs out!” she declared.

    “ Oh…?” Ouroboros said.

     “I have learned so much about love from the people here! They have taught me the many names of love, and immersed me in love anew!”

     “Love… Ssshahahasss… How pointless.”

     “You may laugh all you wish! But now, you will face the power of our love, and you will have no choice but to reflect upon your misdeeds! Isn’t that right, Amitie?” 

Ally’s voice was unwavering, but there was no smile to be found on her face. It was as if she was trying to convince herself with her own words. Oh. I wasn’t the only one who was afraid… Ally was too. Barely holding on herself, she had called out my name. I had no choice but to trust her… No, I wanted to trust her!

I hear you loud and clear, Ally! I’ve received your “love”!

     “Of course!” I said without missing a beat in stacking Puyo, “The love we share is super unbeatable right now!” 

     “Yes, we are now in love!”

I could hear a difference in Ally’s voice now. It sounded happier.

     “And we’re perfectly synced in love over here too, right, Ringo?” said Arle.

     “Sure, though I wouldn’t opt to phrase it like that myself!” came the response.

So, Arle and Ringo chimed in for some extra reassurance. And then…

Puyo! Puyo! Puyo puyo…

     “We are almost there!” Ally said.

     “We’re just about ready to go!” As I said that, I looked over to Arle and Ringo.

     “Nice timing!” Arle cheered.

     “Gu-gugu~♪”

     “Right, one more move and we’re ready as well!” Ringo said.

W-wow! Our timing really was perfecto~! We did it. This had to be it, right?

     “This is the power of love!” Ally shouted cheerfully.

In other words, time to get started?

     “Ready, go!” we all shouted.

Puyo! Puyo puyo-yo puyo-yo-yo-yo puyo~n!

Puyo! Puyo puyo-yo puyo-yo-yo-yo puyo~n!

The two giant chains popped away, each building power. Arle and I nodded to each other, and…

    “BAYOEEEEEN~!”

We fired off our best spell with our best chains! Our giant chains of love were ready to slam into both heads of Ouroboros at the same time. You could see a giant pile of Nuisance Puyo hovering above them each! We had them…!

     “Hmph… So you managed to match your chains properly.”

     “Very well done. And yet…”

     “You’re still far too naive!”

…Huh? Wh-wh-why was Ouroboros still grinning? Was it really not bothered by this at all?

In a single moment, all of my hype disappeared, replaced by a terrible sinking feeling. But I didn’t even have time to really feel the anxiety, because in the next moment…

WHAAAM—!

WHAAAM—!

The giant pile of Nuisance Puyo fell from above onto Ouroboros… 

Phew, our chains are setting off just as planned, but…

…HUUUH?! You’ve got to be kidding me?!

What I saw next made my head spin.

It was almost twilight. The setting sun gradually turned orange, brushing Primp’s cobblestone roads faintly with its color. Ally bounced happily along the path. 

     “I feel filled to the brim with love!” she exclaimed.

     “R-really?” I asked.

     “Yes! Listening to everyone’s stories of love has filled my heart!”

     “I see…”    

It was good Ally felt that way, but… To be honest, each new perspective on love just made me more confused. That conversation we had with Klug, Sig, and Maguro that had made my face go hot for some reason… The kind love Lidelle and the acorn frogs shared… The fierce competition between the onion pixies… And the stuff Ecolo told me when we were alone. When we asked Risukuma, he basically told us that everything was love… Meanwhile, Raffina claimed that she loved herself. And if she says so, that must also be a kind of love. Then there was Rulue’s powerful love for Satan, which totally leapt out to me as “Love” with a capital L! …And even Schezo. Though he denied being in love with Arle, he’s been friends with her for so long. Doesn’t that count as some kind of love too?

Hm… So what in the world is love, exactly? Would I ever be able to confidently point to something and declare, “This is the love Ally’s looking for!”…? And would I be able to experience that love with her, in the same way? 

Actually, come to think of it, we were only asking around about love because we needed a way to set off two chains at the same time to beat Ouroboros. Maybe we should have just dropped the love thing and practiced chaining Puyo instead?

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t notice that Ally was staring at me very closely. 

     “Great Hero…?”

     “Eek!”

     “Is there something amiss?”

     “Not really… A-and anyway! I told you before, I’m not any Great Hero!”

Was the fact that I was having doubts about this whole thing plastered across my face? I got flustered and started waving my hands around. 

Oh, I’d forgotten all about that until just now, but Ally was still mistaking me for the Great Hero, huh. 

     “Ah!” Ally said, “Please excuse me… I just…”

     “Huh? Did you suddenly remember something?”

     “I’ve refrained from addressing you as the Great Hero since you told me not to refer to you in this way, but…” Ally curled her fingers into tight fists. “You have always been the Great Hero in my heart, Amitie!” 

…What?

     “…Uh, why? I’m no good at studying like Klug is, and I don’t work as hard as Raffina, and it’s not like I can make big chains like Rulue or Schezo…”

Sorry, Ally. I really gave you the wrong idea. But I’m sure that I’m not the one you should be calling the Great Hero. 

Just when I started to wonder whether I had disappointed her, Ally stared straight into my eyes and spoke in a confident voice.

    “No, I am sure that you are the Great Hero, Amitie.”

     I laughed awkwardly and tried to wave away her words. “There you go again. But I’m telling you, you’ve got the wrong person…”

     “Truthfully speaking, I do not care if it is a misunderstanding on my part.”

…Huh. What did that mean? Did she really not care if she was right or wrong about this?

As I gawked at her, Ally continued.

     “Not only did you try to rescue me, you’ve been working tirelessly to help me ever since. Watching you has been inspiring, and that alone makes you my personal Great Hero, Amitie!”

     “……”

     “If I may be honest, I was extremely disheartened at first. I had lost my memories in a foreign land, and Ouroboros was tormenting me for some inexplicable reason…”

     “Y-yeah,” I said, nodding my head up and down. 

That made sense. While she never once complained, Ally must’ve been hurting deep inside. 

     “However!” she said, “Now I feel simply full of love!”

     “You sure are amazing to be able to get back on your feet so quick…” I said, impressed. But Ally shook her head.

     “No, you are the one who is amazing, Amitie! You rescued me and never let me lose heart! And you have so many wonderful friends!”

     “But I… I didn’t…do any…”

Sure, maybe I had a ton of amazing friends, but that wasn’t because I did anything special, right?

But while I was thinking that, Ally shook her head again.

     “Of course you did! These are all miracles you’ve brought about yourself!”

     “How can you be so sure of that?”

     “I feel lighter simply by being by your side. If you make people happy just by being around, it is only natural that you would attract many friends!”

     “Hwuh…”

Ally… I. I… 

What can I even say back to a compliment that makes me as super-happy as this one?!

As I kept opening and closing my mouth, unable to get any words out, Ally clenched her hands tightly and leaned forward. 

     “It is a fact! I was on the brink of tears earlier, but your presence reassured me. As long as I am with you, I am certain that there is nothing to fear. So that’s why you, Amitie, are…”

     “THE GREAT HERO—!!”

     “Gugugugu-gu—!”

…Huuuh?! Behind us, Arle and Ringo had matched their calls to Ally’s. Even Ally was surprised, and she quickly turned around.

     “Well, you know, we kinda knew what Ally was going to say next,” Arle said.

    “Heheh! It had the highest probability of occurring!” Ringo added.

     “Arle… Ringo…” Ally stared at them, lost for words.

     “It’s funny, we only just met you, and sure, it was a shock when you did show up, but now it already feels like you’re one of our best friends! Kinda, sorta… Hmmm, does that make sense?” Arle wondered out loud. Both her and Carbuncle tilted their heads to the side. 

     “Guguguugu, gugugugu?” 

     Ringo nodded. “Transmission successfully received! Though not much time has elapsed since we met, it almost feels as though we’ve already been friends for ages…” 

     “Yeah, that! That’s exactly what I mean!”

     Ringo continued, “Evidently, we know each other well enough that Arle and I could predict what you would say next. …Actually, that fact is rather surprising to me, too.”

Could we have met Ally before, somehow…? I mean, Ally can play Puyo and even has her own spells. Maybe we Puyo battled each other before…?

…Nah, there’s no way! I’d never forget someone like Ally! Her catchphrases and personality pack too much of a punch to ever forget.

     “Why is it that speaking about this…makes me feel even more love within me?” Ally said in a tender voice, putting a hand over her heart. “I feel at ease when I am with you all, and I am enjoying myself… It makes me wonder if maybe things could just stay as they are right now, forever.”

     “Huh? Forever?”

Ally with us…forever? Why not? That sounds great! Or so I was about to say, when—

     “But no, this cannot go on. I can hear a voice that has been calling me all this time.”

     “Huh…?”

     “A voice calls me from within those gates, even now while we cannot see them. ‘Save us, Great Hero. Hurry…’ it says.”

     “O-oh, really…”

Then I guess we really can’t stay together forever after all. 

Just as the mood was about to dip a little too much, Ally struck her familiar, energetic pose and spoke in a bright voice. 

     “Therefore! I shall defeat Ouroboros by your side, Amitie!”

     “Sure, if you think I’m good enough…” I said, “B-but I’m still not a Great Hero or anything!”

Arle and Ringo looked at me and grinned.

     “C’mon, Amitie, why don’t you just be the Great Hero already?” said Arle.

     “There’s nothing wrong with accepting her conclusion now, is there?” And now Ringo joined in.

     “Quit making fun of me, guys—!” 

But right when I said that…

     “If you’re a hero to Ally, then it’s technically not wrong to call you a hero period, right?” 

     “Besides, Ally already agreed to discontinue the formalities, so the problem is solved, right?”

When they said that, they exchanged glances and giggled as if to agree with each other.  

Arghhh… I keep telling you guys, you’ve got the wrong girl here…

…Though. Talking about this gave me an idea about who exactly Ally’s “Great Hero” could be. I decided to ask her some questions to see if I was onto something.

     “So, hey… Ally. Putting me aside, what makes someone a Great Hero?”

     “A heart overflowing with love, of course!” came her immediate reply.

     “A heart overflowing with love…?”

     “They are someone who remains full of love no matter how difficult the situation they face. Someone who seeks out love so persistently, one can say that their heart is brimming with love. That is what it means to be the Great Hero!”

…Yep. Ally would probably be bothered if I voiced what I was thinking, so I kept it to myself. But you know, Ally… I know someone who fits what you describe the “Great Hero” like to a tee, and it’s not me…

Just as I thought that, the sky went dark. Wait a sec, is it night already?! 

Hang on, that couldn’t be it. This was something else, something I’d seen before!

     Arle stopped in her tracks and let out a nervous whisper. “…Looks like they’re here.” 

     “Gugugu…”

    Ringo had stopped walking as well, and was looking up at the sky. “Urgh, that was fast… We haven’t even primed ourselves for the situation yet, have we?” 

     “…Ah. The time has come…” Ally sounded a bit gloomy.

The sky was submerged in darkness. And then, just like before, it appeared, suspended in the sky. The large white gates and the two snakes winding around them like shackles… Ouroboros!