Serious Conversation  

"It's my day off, so this ain't happening. Just kidding. But you seem to be learning, which is good."

"Your plan won't succeed."

"Oh?"

"I understand the meaning behind it now. The meaning of the candy for the Pokémon. After killing me, you intended to use their reviving ability to make them obey you, didn't you?"

However, she had already warned them about this. No matter what happened, they were not to listen to anyone trying to exploit them.

Oka's reaction confirmed that she was correct. "Well, it seems your head works just fine."

"Listen. I think we need to cooperate."

"If you follow my lead, that is."

"I have a question to ask."

Shirona had responded to this somewhat suspicious summons in order to dispel an underlying anxiety. Ruminating on the content of her dreams, she lowered her voice slightly.

"Are aliens with 100 points really that powerful?"

Her question seemed to catch Oka off guard. The nonchalant expression he had worn vanished, and he studied Shirona as if probing her.

"You said you've fought it twice before. Was it really that formidable?"

"Yeah. Definitely killed a bunch of us. The one we fought later was stronger. It was almost irrational, you could say."

"Assuming that level of strength..." Shirona's gaze intensified. "With our current forces combined, do you think we can overcome it? With the Pokémon's power added to ours, can we break through?"

Oka's eyes also sharpened as he looked back at her. Tilting his head slightly, he made a pause as if toying with her before blowing smoke in Shirona's direction, causing her to cough.

Watching her sputter, he spoke. "Easily. I could've won by myself. To be honest, having to deal with all your pets at once would be tougher than that thing. But I'd have to kill you first to prevent them from becoming unsettled; otherwise, it'd be impossible."

"I see."

While responding indifferently, Shirona suppressed a slight irregularity in her heartbeat. Oka's words seemed infused with conviction. At the very least, he believed he could win. In that case, were her dreams merely unfounded worries?

No matter how much she considered it, she couldn't arrive at an answer right now. "Since we're at it, I'll ask a lot of questions. There are things I don't understand about your principles of action."

"You sound like a scholar."

"That's right. So, most of you have cleared it once already, right?"

"I already explained that."

"Then why didn't you choose the first option?"

The tip of his cigarette was ground into the ashtray. "By 'liberation,' you mean leaving Gantz, right? I don't understand. Why bother continuing with this?"

"There's no point in seriously considering their motives. You know it too, don't you? They're just enjoying themselves. Treating it as a form of entertainment, continuing it as a game. Acquiring powerful weapons and scoring more points. That's all they think it is."

"What about you?"

Shirona's question was directed at only one person. She already understood the others, like Muroya, to some extent, so there was no point in expecting any deeper meaning from them. But this man was different, she felt. At the very least, she couldn't imagine him continuing through seven clearances merely for stress relief or to kill time.

Oka closed the window. The tip of his cigarette was still burning slightly, but he seemed to have lost the urge to smoke it further.

"I've always hated giving up on things." 

His eyes prompted her to continue.

"Don't you also remember? Once you've participated in an event, don't you want to see its ending? It's the same for me. My goal is to witness the end of this game."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't really understand it myself. But I do have a hypothesis. One is that the aliens will be annihilated. If the enemy is gone, then it's over, right?"

"But that would mean..."

"Yeah, it's a tall order. And it's not just us. The Kanto area and other countries are going through the same thing. This Gantz game has been going on for quite a while. The fact that it still hasn't ended means there's a possibility it will continue for a long time yet. The other possibility is..."

He pointed his fingertip towards the sky visible through the front windshield.

"Clearing the final mission, also called the Catastrophe. The Apocalypse. It seems that time is approaching."

After a brief pause to organize her thoughts, Shirona spoke. "But what exactly are these aliens? They weren't originally from this world, were they?"

"If you take their name literally, they're beings from another star or planet. From outer space. You understand?"

"Yes."

Space, galaxies. Those words didn't hold particularly good memories for her. She thought of the man who had spoken of grand ambitions, and for some reason, a chill ran down her spine.

"So that's the reason you've been continuing this fight all along."

"Yeah."

"But is that really the case?"

"Huh?"

She met his gaze directly. "Is that truly the only reason you've been continuing?"

"You doubting me? Unfortunately, I don't have any more interesting stories than that. This is it."

Oka was skilled at concealing his emotions. But in response to her latest question, his gaze seemed to shift slightly. Shirona made a mental note of it. This man's words shouldn't be taken at face value.

"I see. Then I'll ask some other questions."

"Hang on now. You're really taking your time here. I've got work tomorrow. Make it quick."

"You mentioned earlier that the same thing is happening in other places, too, like in the Kanto area. Is it similar over there as well? Are there many people who have cleared it?"

"Well, about that..." A wry laugh tinged with derision escaped his lips. "It's not looking too good. From the indirect information we've received, the Tokyo team in particular seems to be in shambles."

Tokyo. The capital of Japan. The central city of this country. One could imagine it as the place where the fiercest gather. However, according to Oka, that wasn't the case.

"Apparently, they've suffered consecutive complete annihilations. Sometimes, no one survives for two rounds in a row. Since people with no prior context are gathered each time, you can imagine the survival rate."

"That much..."

"There were some capable individuals a little while ago, but even they died. As the aliens grow stronger, luck starts to play a role. There's nothing you can do about that."

"I see. I understand. One last question."

"Finally."

Shirona continued with a serious expression. "Between the shaggy and the sleek hairstyle, which is the real you?"

"Beats me. Just go home already."

***

She couldn't say she felt completely at ease. But she had no choice but to steel her resolve.

An instinctive sense warned her. A prickling sensation at the nape of her neck. It happened right as she was checking her phone for what must have been the hundredth time. Having proven that charging was possible, she had been wandering the area to test if any signal could be picked up. Tired from that, she returned to the front of Anzu's apartment.

Anzu happened to be coming out at that moment. Upon spotting Shirona, she led her into the back alley.

"For real? It's going to happen soon?"

"Probably. Have you put that on properly?"

It was likely the minimum requirement - being equipped with the suit. Otherwise, survival would be difficult.

Anzu traced the area from her waist to her chest with one hand.

"This thing is a bit loose."

"But it's our lifeline."

"Sis, you were right; those foreigners do get huge, huh?"

"Who knows..."

Anzu was more talkative than usual, her voice pitched higher. After gently stroking her shoulder, she crouched down on the spot.

"It'll be fine. I'm here with the Pokémon. This time, it'll be easy. But just in case, hold on to this weapon."

"I'm nervous..."

"Let's do our best."

As expected, the transfer began from the tips of their feet. Shirona kept a firm grip on Anzu and the Poké Balls. Even as the scenery before her eyes shifted, she didn't let go.

It seemed they were among the last to arrive. The other participants had already gathered in the room. Regardless of the various gazes directed at them, this time, Shirona could face them with confidence.

"How about twenty-thousand?"

"You want to be incapacitated again?"

Brushing off Kuwabara, who shamelessly ogled her chest line, she stood in front of the black sphere.

Music began to play.

It appeared the existing members would start first. In the round Shirona had initially participated in, new people were always added. But this time was different.

Shirona realized she still hadn't put her phone away. In combat, it would be a burden. She considered leaving it in a corner of the room. As a last-ditch effort, she turned her phone on, though she had little expectation.

Her breath caught.

The "No Service" indicator that had been constantly displayed was gone, replaced by a single bar of signal strength. She had been unsuccessful no matter where else she had tried. So this fact came as a significant shock.

However, what happened next was even more shocking. Shirona nearly dropped the phone that should have been so important. More intense than the prospect of finally being able to make contact was something displayed on the black sphere.

She recognized the images of what was referred to as aliens.

Text and audio announced their names. 

"Dialga and Palkia."

In the end, no matter how prepared, no matter how resolved. Her numbed mind understood that the inevitable would happen regardless.