Ultradimension Neptunia: Big Nep and Smolgear

Chapter 19: The Decision

After lunch, the girls went back to play, with Neptune and Uzume planning on showing them some of their combat techniques (as a demonstration, as they confirmed with Mercury for the kid's safety).

This left Umio and the trapped Croire with Merci.

Merci was watching the kids happily watch Neptune as she showed them some of her sword moves, when she asked, "excuse me, I'm sorry if this seems out of nowhere, but... Uzume... I know she's a goddess, but she seemed to be very familiar with kids she supposedly just met."

"Oh, that..." Umio knew that Uzume didn't want to reveal to everyone about the kids being alternate-dimensional versions of the CPU Candidates just yet, but did that apply to Mercury? After all, she already met the other Neptune and Nepgear. "She met many people while traveling dimensions with your daughter. She probably thought they were familiar to somebody, a few somebodies, that she met during her travels."

"Do you mean... like the Neptune and Nepgear from her home dimension?"

"...Yes," Umio agreed. Seems she caught on.

"I see... She lives an exciting life, doesn't she?"

"You're daughter, too."

"Yeah, don't forget, I'm the one stuck with her," Coire spoke up. "Neptune uses me to travel dimensions."

"So, do you ever run into people who were like someone you met?" Merci asked

"Besides your kids..." Coire mused. "Of course! Why, you should know-"

"Honestly, Coire," Umio interjected, "these are Uzume and Neptune's personal stories. Merci should ask them."

Coire scoffed, while Merci raised her eyebrows. After all, it seemed as if they were keeping something from her.

Back with the kids, Neptune had just displayed her "Raging Rush" Skill, a sword dance with her dual blades.

"Wow! So cool!" the little Uni cheered.

"Yeah, just don't... you know, don't try this at home," Neptune replied. "These techniques are only for professionals to use. Got it?"

Uni nodded profusely. Then she asked, "how doez Uzie fight?"

"Oh, I use my fists," Uzume told her, making a punching motion. "I like to get close and personal when fighting baddies. I also use a megaphone."

"A mwegafone?"

"Yeah, I just shout into it very loudly, attacking with pure sound and leaving the enemies disoriented," Uzume explained, only to find the kids tilting their heads in confusion.

"She makes their ears hurt, and that causes really bad damage," Neptune explained. "...Although, you should be careful where she is aiming her megaphone. Or else she'll leave your ears ringing," she teased her friend.

"Ring-ring! Ring-ring," Ram cheered.

"Yeah, ring-ring!" Rom repeated.

"Oh, come on, it was an accident," Uzume said, quipping back to her friend.

Neptune just laughed. "Well, just don't hurt the little one's ears."

Then Nepgear tapped on Uni's shoulder, and said, "hey, Uni, Uzie is a goddess! It's super cool!"

Uzume sighed, but with a slight smile. But little Uni wasn't convinced.

"She's not a gawddess," she said. "A gawddess is... uh, they can fly!"

"Actually, they can only fly once they transform into their HDD forms," Uzume explained.

"Transform?" Rom questioned.