[Crystal Golem TF]
A young girl stood upon a stage. With a single light shining down on it, Right in front of where she stood.
"What's the matter?" A soft, gentle and mature voice rang through her ear. "It's your turn to stand upon the stage. Do you not want to take the leading role?"
The young girl shook her head, her breathing speeding up as she shivered from head to toe. She couldn't move. Not a single step...
"I see. Then I will take that stage for you. Until you think you can handle it." The voice rang out once more, and the sound of heels clicking against the ground echoed out.
The space the light shone down upon was taken up by a beautiful woman clad in an elegant and sprawling red dress. A woman wearing a mask, representing the role that she had taken. Leaving behind the girl that should've taken this place.
But that was fine. She wasn't one for the spotlight. She much preferred to play a supporting role. Or just one where she could fade into the background.
Even if it was her dream to stand upon a stage... Even if that light shining down on her represented what she truly wanted...
---
"Hm? Dreams? What kinda dreams are you talkin' about, Ayumi?"
It was another day, and many of the students at Gyaku Academy were currently enjoying a bit of time to themselves, as lunchtime had rolled around. Which meant that a bunch of the young souls working their way towards adulthood had the chance to express themselves instead of sticking to the program. It was one of the few times where they really got that chance, as studying for adulthood was a lot more difficult than a lot of the youths in the Academy believed.
One such youth was Ayumi, a sweet brunette clad in what she thought was best for a student to wear. Blue jacket with a few white lines to highlight pockets and sleeves, a plaid skirt, black leggings and cute white shoes. She had her hair tied back into a ponytail, and didn't really concern herself too much with fashion and such. She looked how she liked to look. And this way, she didn't stand out too much.
"I mean..." Ayumi muttered as she gently twiddled her thumbs and tried not to make eye contact with her best friend for a bit. "Dreams about what you really want to be in the future. Like... If you had dreams about being a big star. Or rich, or famous, or..." Just talking about her dreams, especially that recurring dream that she had every few nights, where that mysterious figure helped her and kept her from going into the spotlight... It was hard for her to do. Because if she acknowledged it, then... Then she wasn't sure what other people might just think.
Her best friend was a much sportier girl, Maeko. She was a sporty young gal with bright blue eyes and dark blue hair. She wore a white dress shirt with a long red tie, black shorts and white socks that reached all the way down into a pair of sporty blue shoes. Compared to her much more formal friend, she was a lot more outgoing. Which showed in the ways that she had managed to make plenty of friendships, as well as plenty of rivalries and enemies. Though none of her friendships mattered as much as her friendship with Ayumi did.
"Hmmmm..." Maeko thought about it for a moment, tilting her head as she crossed her arms. She really let her childhood friend's dream question bounce around inside her mind, before chuckling a little. "I dunno. I just take things one step at a time. So I don't think too much about the future, and don't really have those kinds of dreams, I guess!" She chuckled and chimed. She wasn't weighed down by the future or her doubts. Always secure and doing her best. "Not that it's bad to have those kinds of dreams, you know! It's just not something I go through!"
Ayumi nodded. Of course she understood it wasn't a bad thing to have these kinds of dreams. She just... She just wasn't sure how people beyond Maeko were going to react to them. Especially if she told her about wanting to stay in the back...
*THWAP*
"Ow!" Maeko cried out as she rubbed the back of her head, before softly chuckling. "What, did I say something that hurt your feelings, Kris? Didn't I say sorry the last time I did that?" The blue-haired cutie said as she turned head over her shoulder to gaze upon the girl that had felt so strongly about her...
The tall blonde standing behind Maeko, who made Ayumi tremble in mild fear due to her dominant stature and status, was dressed in mostly black and dark purple hues that were accentuated by her red skirt and her red heels. Her name was Kris, and she was one of the richest girls at the Academy. Not only that, but she was also one of the most hard working students. That was what her ponytail represented. She pulled her hair up into such a neat style, all so she could focus on what was really important. Especially compared to slacking off like the blue-haired girl in front of her.
"I told you, Maeko. I hate you." Kris was very direct with her feelings, as she pushed her fan up against the girl's nose. "You don't think about your future? You realize how badly that can come back to haunt you, don't you? How you can be tied down by your inability to think ahead, and end up as a mere retail worker instead of working a job you actually enjoy?" She scoffed, spreading her fan as she hid her frown behind that elegant accessory that had her family's crest displayed. She was very proud of her status. Especially compared to the other two girls. "You really should leave her, Ayumi. She'll just drag you down."
Ayumi didn't wish to return fire in any way, merely staring down at the table. Kris was... Kris was a very strong girl in many ways. The fact she didn't hold herself back with her opinions about Maeko was definitely one of the ways that she was strong. Yet despite this language, she had also been helping Ayumi. When Ayumi had been struggling with her homework, Kris was there to help her. All because she asked. And... It was kind of weird to see her help her too. Not because the work wasn't immensely helpful, but more because she just... Well, she acted like she was better than Ayumi, and yet she was so thorough that Ayumi had an easy time understanding what she was missing.
"What's so bad about working retail?" Maeko chimed, smiling from ear to ear as she threw her hands behind her head. The aggressive language from the blonde was basically completely ineffective on a girl like her. "Oh, by the way, the cake you made for the class was delicious! That was you, wasn't it? I know you said you had help from your maids, but it had this airy texture that was a lot like the cake you made in class that one time!"
Kris twitched, Ayumi barely able to notice the subtlests of blushes on her cheeks. "To think you would obsess so much about sweets. Maybe you should quit thinking about cakes and focus on your studies!" She shouted, as she stomped away. Fully intent on retreating to the rich girls' tables...
Only for her to turn around at a very inopportune moment, and bump straight into a toned and muscled chest, causing her to nearly fall onto her rear due to the impact. Nearly being the operative word, as somebody just happened to catch her before she fell down and hurt herself.
"Careful where you look, Kris. Wouldn't want a pretty girl like you to hurt yourself."
Kris blushed even more as she looked up at the girl that had caught her. It was a girl with black hair and white streaks woven into that hair. A girl who completely ignored any kind of dress code recommendations and wore a black leather jacket on top of a very short white top, which exposed her abs completely. Combine that with her ripped jeans and her thick shoes, and she looked more like a punk than a student. And yet here she was, helping a girl that seemed like her polar opposite onto her feet.
She was the most popular girl in school. Rio. Strong. Smart. Charismatic. Caring. She was everything at once, and her many fangirls started squealing in pure delight. They always loved seeing their beloved Rio take care of one of the others, even if they felt jealousy too. All of them wanted a piece of Rio, because she was just so damn hot.
"I-I..." Kris muttered, her heart beating harder as she stared at the most popular girl in school, before quickly breaking free from that helpful grip. "I-I'll be going. Thank you, Rio." She muttered, departing as quickly as she could. Not to join the other rich girls, but so she could go... recover...
Rio chuckled a little as she watched the girl run off. Still so insecure about her feelings, eh? Well, she was still young. Just like the girls she had been chatting with. "Hope that Kris didn't give you girls too many problems."
"Nah. She's got a big mouth, but she cares in her own way. There's no way that she could make me feel bad." Maeko chuckled, getting up as she gently punched Rio's abs. "You down for another session later, Rio? I wanna see if I can finally make you fall."
Rio shook her head and gently patted the shorter girl on the head. "Sorry, Maeko. I've got a few errands to run. Besides, you know what your teacher said. No fighting on school grounds." She said, casting a glance at Ayumi for a second while ignoring the pout that worked its way onto Maeko's lips.
Ayumi blushed as she felt Rio's gaze. She... She didn't deserve to be gazed upon like this. She didn't need to be in the center of attention. "I-I'm... Sorry, I'm going to go check on Kris." She muttered, getting up from her chair as she quickly headed after the blonde. Not because she genuinely wanted to check up on her friend, but because she just wanted to get away.
Rio watched as the girl ran off, before nodding softly. "You wanna go after her, Maeko? She's your best friend, isn't she?" She said, lifting her hand off the blue-haired girl's head.
Maeko thought about it for a moment, before nodding. "I guess I oughta. I trust that she won't get hurt or anything, but it also can't hurt to keep an eye on her." She said, grinning as she bumped her fist against Rio's abs again. "One of these days, I will knock you down, Rio!" She cried out, promising to claim a victory before long. Right before breaking into a sprint so she could catch up to her friend... And maybe Kris too.
"Sure you will." Rio joked as she watched the girl run off, sighing as the crowd of onlookers started to fill her ears once more. Well, she should give them a bit of love too. They had been so starved while she paid attention to the others...
And besides, they were going to be nice and quiet soon enough.
---
"...What are you doing, Ayumi..?"
Ayumi muttered to herself as she leaned up against a wall. She had run really hard. But why had she run away? Why didn't she just stay? It's not like she was actually in the spotlight... It's not like being noticed by Rio was actually cause for concern. And yet... And yet...
She just couldn't stop herself from running. She didn't... She couldn't really explain it in any way. She just didn't want to be noticed. And having everyone look at her, even if it was just because Rio took notice of her... It was too much. It was far, far too much. She didn't want that kind of attention...
...Well, now that she had run away, she should probably try and help Kris, shouldn't she? She was really embarrassed when she ran away. So... Maybe she needed support for once. It wouldn't be too bad to offer her support. Since she had helped her a lot before...
"W-What are you!? What in the world are you!?"
Ayumi's eyes widened as she heard Kris screaming. And her body froze. She... What was going on..? She felt this intense energy washing over her. This intense energy that was making her heart hurt so badly. It kept her from moving. Kept her in place, as she saw something shambling around the corner...
The first thing she saw was Kris, who was trying her best to back away. What was she backing away from? A big humanoid made of crystal. A humanoid whose crystalline body kept shifting in shape and size. One arm, one leg, one limb in general always deforming into a much spikier and much more dangerous appendage. All while a single 'eye' kept on swirling on its otherwise static face, especially as it drew clover...
Kris was shivering as she backed away. This pressure inside her was telling her to stop moving. But... But she couldn't do that. As long as she could back away, she would. She... She wasn't going to be caught by this thing..!
The crystalline entity kept on shambling towards the blonde. Reaching out towards her with its big pointed arm, or taking massive steps with its deformed leg. It wanted her. It needed her. It... it...
It stopped. And it released some sort of noise. A noise that Kris couldn't understand. A noise that nobody should be able to understand.
"Pretty... Pretty!"
And yet, Ayumi did. In fact, she swore she could notice a wicked and extra cracked smile form on the strange creature's face. All while a familiar voice cried out about pretty things. And then the creature turned towards her instead. Which just made the pressure growing inside her grow even stronger...
Kris felt a slight bit of relief as the creature turned away from her. The slightest, right before another dose of fear filled her heart. Because it was now focusing on Ayumi. A girl that had no way of defending herself against a threat like this..!
"AYUMI!" The blonde cried out, the crystalline monster doing nothing to acknowledge her cries. Just focusing on the girl that was up ahead. "AYUMI! GET OUT OF HERE!" She didn't know what the monster did. She didn't know what it was going to do. But one thing was certain. She didn't want that girl to be hurt either.
Ayumi could hear Kris crying out towards her. She knew that she should run. And yet... And yet she just couldn't move... She just couldn't. There was something about that voice that drew her towards it. Making her slowly stare straight into that single eye...
"Pretty..!" The creature cried out again as it came closer to Ayumi. All while its arm solidified once it reached a bigger size once again. It was like getting close to Ayumi had helped it stabilize. And with that one hand, it slowly pushed a finger underneath that girl's chin. All so she could examine her... "Pretty Crystal...!"
Pretty... Pretty just like... A crystal... Being called pretty wouldn't usually do anything to Ayumi. In fact, it shouldn't be doing anything. And yet, being called pretty by her... Being held like this... Ah... Ahh....
Slowly but surely, the crystal from that hand started to spread across Ayumi. Locking her expression into a blissful smile as she took on the same crystalline look as the big monster. Her body was a lot less unstable however. Her crystal was smoother, prettier... Just like the monster told her. She was Pretty Crystal... And...
She needed to find.. other... Pretty Crystals... Yes... Even though the crystal hadn't finished spreading across her body, her mind and her heart were as one. She needed to help this big thing find the Pretty Crystals..!
"LET GO OF MY AYUMI!"
A scream echoed through her ears, and she just barely noticed Maeko flying right past her. With a single fist outstretched, the blue-haired girl attempted to free her friend. She wasn't going to let some weird monster turn her into a big pretty crystal! Even if she was really pretty!
But the punch didn't do anything. The crystal monster didn't even crack. The only thing that happened was that it turned its attention towards Maeko instead. In fact, it barely even registered the anger that poured from the feisty girl. It just registered her as another Pretty Crystal. "Pretty..!"
Not that Maeko could understand what it said. The only thing that Maeko registered at the moment was the pain pounding through her hand, as she quickly jumped back and clutched her hand. "D-Damnit, that hurt! Is... Oh, god, it's broken!" Just holding her hand was painful. But she did what she could to try and save her friend. "Damnit..!" She felt powerless. It was one thing to be there for Ayumi whenever she needed her, but it was another to try and then fail, despite everything..!
Kris watched as Maeko held her hand, and her heart sank. She... She should do something. But if she... If she tried something, then she would just bring the monster's attention back towards her. And with Ayumi being transformed into a pretty looking crystal like this... Damnit... Damnit, if only she could swallow her fear..!
No amount of courage was going to help them here. If they couldn't break that crystal, then there was nothing that they could do. All they could do was stand there and watch, as the two crystals slowly approached Maeko...
"Guess those readings I picked up weren't all bogus!"
Maeko and Kris blinked as they heard a strange voice cry out, and watched as a mysterious individual just walked onto the scene. They kinda recognized her as... The Academy's Chief Janitor? She wore the uniform and everything, but she also wore this strange eyepatch that made her look extremely dorky. Something that Kris had rolled her eyes at in the past, and something that Maeko had thought was really cool.
Though there was something extremely weird about her. She never used her left arm to do anything. It always seemed to hang at her side, and yet she was able to do all the necessary tasks without much issue. She was a real impressive woman, since even the lack of full body control didn't seem to slow her down.
"Hey! Call for help! There's no way that we can beat this thing! Maybe the police can!" Maeko cried out, gritting her teeth as she struggled to support her hand. It hurt. It hurt a whole lot...
"Help? But help is already here." The Chief Janitor said with a grin on her face. "Hmmm... I really shouldn't be showing you kids this. But I'll make a special exception. You both want to see her saved, don't you?"
Neither Maeko nor Kris knew what the woman was talking about, but they could agree on that much. They didn't want to see their friend in pain, or see her transformed like this. So they nodded in unison, which was more than enough for the strange lady.
"You see that?" She said to nobody in particular, before chuckling. "It's fine. The higher ups can chew me out later. Right now, I have a Paradox to undo!" She concluded, as she tightly clenched her fist...
"Paradox Crack, Open!"
Before punching the air in front of her, causing the world around her, the monster, its victim and the two other girls to crack. The cracks allowed the world to shatter, revealing a crystalline background, one that matched the monster that was currently causing them torment.
"W-What?!" Kris cried out in shock as she looked around. It was like the school had vanished, and they found themselves inside of a crystalline world. The fact they were still able to stand was just as shocking. Her poor heart couldn't take it...
Maeko, by comparison, was super stoked. This was just like the shows she loved to watch! The ones with all those cool heroes! Was the janitor one? She definitely sounded and seemed like one!
Especially now that her janitor uniform had disappeared. In that uniform's place was a blue and white uniform, colors not far from the kind of uniform that Ayumi wore. On her shoulder was an emblem, a hexagon with a single slice currently filled out. The mysterious heroine wore a black glove, and wore black leggings that led down to a pair of massive steel boots. To complete her own look, she had long flowing turquoise hair, and her much dorkier eyepatch had become one made of steel.
But none of her changes stood out maybe as much as the massive container that was clinging to her left arm. It was even bigger than her arm should be, and it seemed to brim with a certain kind of energy. A kind of energy that made the crystalline monster start to react...
"Not... Not pretty! Bad! Baaaaad!" The monster cried out, and Ayumi reacted in turn. There was a threat against pretty things. Prompting the converted girl to turn around, facing the mysterious woman...
"Alright. I don't plan on giving you girls a long show, so you better not miss it!" The mystery woman said, as she grabbed ahold of the massive container clinging to her left arm. All while her eyepatch began to glow as well. "Paradox Buster, Parallel Access granted! All Paradox Limiters Released!"
A bright red light shone from within the container, as it broke off and revealed... A stump. There was nothing in there. Nothing but the woman's stump. And yet, it wasn't hard to tell that there was more to it. It definitely seemed like there was something there. Something that just wasn't visible...
The mysterious woman's eyepatch had disappeared. Replaced with a red visor, and her eye finally being exposed. An eye that was deep black with red-orange jitters trying to flow free from that eye. The same jitters and glitches that started to pour forth from her stump..!
"PHANTOM INSTALL!"
In an instant, all of that energy that had been pouring from her arm coalesced into one massive arm. It was nowhere near stable, as it kept on glitching. But it was a powerful looking arm made up of the same glitchy energy that rushed from her arm. A glitchy arm that seemingly tried to break free from the woman, only for the woman to grab ahold of it and slam it back against her stump before it had a chance to truly break free.
The sight was overwhelming for both of the girls. But Ayumi, who was converted, felt a different sensation as she saw it. It was like... It was like she was seeing two of the enemy, laid on top of each other. And one was trying to get free...
"As wild as ever, there's a reason you're locked up..!" The woman said, before grinning a little as the arm stabilized. "Good girl. Now..!" She shouted, as she dashed towards the crystalline monster, just to close the gap enough.
The monster tried to get away. But it just couldn't. It was too slow. And the Pretty Crystal didn't try to stop the woman either, just standing there and watching the arm come closer and closer...!
"PARADOX BREAKER!"
The mystery woman shouted as she came to an abrupt stop, skidding as she threw her hand forward. The massive arm launched at breakneck speeds as it slammed straight into the crystalline monster. But it didn't punch it. No, it grabbed it and used the momentum to stun it. All so it could squeeze tightly around it...
And crack the crystal so thoroughly that it started to sink into itself, the hand completely engulfing the girl. And once it slowly opened once again, there was a girl that was familiar to the trio. A girl who dressed in a very pretty gem-covered dress... To think that somebody like that could turn into a monster like this...
"Haaah... P-Parallel Repair!" The woman cried out once again, as the arm split apart from her... And was used to repair the space around them, returning them to the reality that they were meant to be in. In the school hall, with the gem girl lying peacefully on the floor, and Ayumi....
Ayumi still covered in crystal. And yet she didn't really seem hostile anymore. If anything, she just looked at herself. Not really showing any emotion beyond the blissful smile that had been etched into her face...
"What... What's going on..!?" Kris cried out as she stomped towards the would-be Janitor, who now looked as she always had. "What was that!? WHAT WAS ANY OF THAT?! EXPLAIN! NOW!" There were very few times where Kris lost her cool completely. this was one of those times...
Maeko came closer, stars in her eyes. "I didn't know you were so cool, Miss Janitor! But, uh, you can do something about Ayumi, right?" As impressed as she had been with that entire show, she also didn't want her friend to be stuck as half a crystal. She really wanted her to be safe.
The 'Chief Janitor' tapped her chin briefly, before chuckling a little. "Well, there's not that much I can say while we're here. So, let's start with the obvious." She chimed, as she patted each girl on the shoulder. Maeko, Kris and Ayumi, even if the last was still a crystal. "I am Bermuda. A Paradox Buster. And as for everything else..."
A shock ran through the three girls, connecting their hands to one another through some strange kind of glitchy handcuffs.
"I'll tell you while you're detained back at base. Sorry, girls, Standard protocol."
Two screams and a vaguely displeased noise echoed out through the school, as their lives were forever changed...
---
"So, they had been lurking here too? Shit. That's not good at all..."
Rio muttered as she put her hand over her chest. She had felt all of that happen. The Paradox being broken. This world's very fabric being torn asunder to prevent it from being hurt further by the Paradox's existence...
With that Paradox Buster here... Well, things were going to get a lot more interesting from now on. And a whole lot more difficult as well...
She just had to hope that her cover wouldn't be blown. If those bastards found out that she was here, then... No. She had to focus. They wouldn't realize as long as she didn't bring attention to herself.
Best to just prepare another Paradox, and see if that wouldn't distract them...