Barret's eyes narrowed as he stared down at the whirlwind of energy that was Yuffie Kisaragi.
"Hold on a minute, kid,"
He rumbled, his gun-arm twitching slightly.
"You just crash through my fence, announce you're a ninja, and then demand our 'shiny treasures'? What kind of scam is this?"
Yuffie, unfazed, simply grinned, a flash of mischief in her eyes.
"No scam, Big Gun Barret! Just a simple request from a very important, very skilled ninja who happens to be on your side!"
She puffed out her chest, making her moogle hood bounce.
"I'm from Wutai! And Wutai sends its best to help out its new... associates!"
Cloudia stepped forward, a thoughtful expression on her face.
"Wutai, you say?"
She mused, looking at Yuffie with a more serious gaze.
"That message we got... it did mention a potential partnership. Are you their 'representative,' then?"
Yuffie clapped her hands together.
"Bingo! Well, sort of. They said I should 'go cause some trouble and see if these Avalanche folks are worth our time.' And trust me, I'm excellent at causing trouble! Especially for Shinra!"
She then bounced over to Arthur, her eyes practically sparkling as she looked at his still faintly glowing eyes.
"So, what about you, mister glowy eyes? Is that a materia? A super rare one? Can I have it?"
Arthur just blinked, a small, amused smile playing on his lips.
"It's not materia, little ninja,"
He said gently.
"Just... me."
Aerith, who had been quietly watching from Arthur's side, subtly tightened her grip on his arm.
She didn't like the way Yuffie was eyeing Arthur, or the way she was so quickly trying to get close to him.
A tiny flicker of jealousy, new and unfamiliar, stirred within her.
Barret, however, was still skeptical.
"Wutai ain't sending some hyperactive kid to represent 'em,"
He scoffed.
"You tryin' to pull one over on us?"
Just then, a small, intricate device on Cloudia's wrist beeped softly.
She glanced at it, her expression changing to one of understanding.
"It's a coded confirmation,"
She said, looking up at Barret.
"From Wutai's known channels. She's legitimate, Barret. Or at least, they sent her."
Barret scowled.
"Legitimate or not, she's a kid who just trashed my alley and wants our stuff!"
"But she's Wutai's kid, Barret,"
Tifa interjected, a practical glint in her eyes.
"And if Wutai is serious about helping us, and they've sent her, then it means they're committing resources. And we need manpower. Badly."
She looked at Yuffie, then back at Barret.
"We can't afford to turn away any help right now, especially if it's from a potential ally as strong as Wutai."
Barret grumbled, running a hand over his spiky hair. He knew Tifa was right.
Arthur's display had been incredible, but even he couldn't fight an entire corporation alone.
Avalanche was small, and they needed every advantage they could get.
Yuffie might look like an annoying kid, but if she truly was a skilled warrior from Wutai, she could be invaluable.
"Fine,"
Barret finally conceded, throwing his hands up in exasperation.
"But you touch one piece of our materia, kid, and you're getting acquainted with my fist!"
Yuffie cheered, jumping up and down.
"Woohoo! The Avalanche dream team just got dreamier!"
She immediately bounded towards Tifa, eager to examine her fighting style, then to Jessie, peppering her with questions about explosives.
Biggs and Wedge just exchanged wide-eyed glances, clearly overwhelmed by the new addition.
With Yuffie reluctantly accepted into the fold, the focus shifted back to the grim reality of their situation. Shinra would be back, and they'd be stronger.
"We need to hit them where it hurts before we get out of here. Wutai also needs some distraction ain't they!"
Barret declared, slamming a fist onto a map spread across the bar.
"Another Mako Reactor. Shut down their energy supply, cripple their operations. That'll keep 'em distracted from Wutai."
"A Mako Reactor is a significant target,"
Cloudia agreed, tracing a finger across the map.
"But also heavily guarded. Especially now, after your display, Arthur. They'll be expecting us."
Arthur nodded, his gaze serious.
"They will. But that also means they'll spread their forces thin, trying to protect every major asset. If we can identify their weakest point, we can strike hard and fast."
He looked at the map, then at the group.
"We need to cause enough chaos to keep them tied up here. Enough for Wutai's main forces to arrive."
"Wutai's main forces?"
Tifa asked, her eyebrows raised.
"The message indicated they'd send a larger contingent once we proved our value,"
Cloudia explained.
"It seems Yuffie is their initial test. If we can cripple another reactor, it will show them we're worth investing in."
The plan began to take shape. They would target Mako Reactor 7.
It was a long shot, but they had Arthur, and now, a hyperactive ninja with a giant shuriken.
Yuffie, meanwhile, was still incredibly curious about Arthur.
She kept trying to sneak peeks at his eyes, convinced they held some kind of incredible power she could "borrow."
One afternoon, she even tried to swipe his hand, thinking his "glowy stuff" might rub off on her.
"Hey!"
Aerith protested, stepping between them with a slight frown.
"Leave him alone, Yuffie. His power isn't a toy."
Yuffie pouted, hands on her hips.
"Aw, come on, Flower Girl! I just wanna see how he does that glowy thing! Is it a special materia? Is it a super rare type of Materia that can only be used by someone with rare powers? I bet it's a treasure!"
Arthur chuckled, placing a reassuring hand on Aerith's shoulder.
"It's alright, Aerith. She's just curious."
He looked at Yuffie.
"It's not materia, Yuffie. It's just... me. A part of my true nature."
Yuffie's eyes widened.
"Your true nature?! Ooh, even better! So, you're like, a super-duper ancient weapon person? Or maybe a secret magic user? Tell me all your secrets!"
Aerith, despite Arthur's calm demeanor, felt a strange pang.
She knew Yuffie was just being Yuffie, but seeing her so openly fascinated by Arthur, so eager to get close to him, pricked at something inside her.
She had felt so safe and special with Arthur, and now this whirlwind of a girl was trying to muscle in.
Arthur just smiled, a hint of something deeper in his eyes. He found Aerith's subtle jealousy endearing, a small confirmation of their growing bond.
He squeezed her hand gently, a silent message just for her.
As they finalized their plans for Mako Reactor 7, Shinra's response to the Seventh Heaven incident came swiftly and violently. It was clear they were no longer holding back.
One evening, as the last of the repairs to Seventh Heaven were being finished, the ground began to rumble.
Not just the usual Midgar tremors, but a deep, resonant vibration that spoke of heavy machinery and disciplined forces.
"They're here,"
Arthur stated, his voice calm but firm. The subtle hum of power returned to him, his crimson eyes beginning to glow with a familiar intensity.
Outside, the sounds of marching boots grew louder, accompanied by the whirring of aerial units.
Through the grimy windows, they could see lines of Shinra troopers, clad in heavier armor, accompanied by towering robotic sentinels and even a few agile, canine-like attack bots.
This wasn't a small reconnaissance mission; it was a full-scale assault.
"Alright, everyone!"
Barret roared, leveling his gun-arm.
"Looks like they brought friends! Let's show 'em how we treat uninvited guests!"
Yuffie, far from being scared, was practically vibrating with excitement.
"Ooh, new toys to play with! Come on, shiny Shinra robots, let's dance!"
She drew her massive shuriken, spinning it expertly.
Tifa and Cloudia took their defensive positions, their expressions grim but determined.
Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge prepared their limited explosives and weapons, their faces pale but resolved.
Arthur stepped forward, positioning himself slightly in front of Aerith.
"Stay behind me, Aerith,"
He murmured. His gaze swept over the approaching Shinra forces.
"They're stronger this time. More numerous. But they still don't understand."
As the first Shinra troopers breached the perimeter, unleashing a volley of gunfire, Arthur unleashed his power.
A wave of raw energy erupted from him, not as a focused blast, but as a sweeping, concussive force.
It hit the leading Shinra lines like an invisible hammer, sending soldiers flying backwards, their armor crumpling.
The robotic sentinels, designed to withstand immense force, groaned and sparked, their metallic shells denting and cracking.
It wasn't just physical force; it was something deeper, a distortion of the air itself, a pure manifestation of overwhelming will.
Weapons were wrenched from hands, control panels on the robots exploded, and the ground beneath the Shinra forces buckled.
In moments, the vanguard of Shinra's assault was in disarray. Soldiers lay groaning, some unconscious, others frantically trying to scramble away.
The robotic units twitched and sparked, utterly disabled.
The sheer ease and magnitude of Arthur's power left everyone in Avalanche speechless once more.
Yuffie, for all her bravado, stood with her mouth agape, her shuriken slowly lowering.
"Woah,"
She whispered, her eyes wide.
"He really is super-duper powerful! Forget materia, I want that power!"
Barret let out a whoop of triumph.
"Hah! You see that, Shinra?! That's just a taste! Run back to your pretty little offices and tell your president he can't touch us!"
But this time, the Shinra forces didn't immediately retreat in complete panic.
From further back in their lines, a heavily armored commander, his face grim, barked orders into a communicator.
"Target identified. Extreme threat level. Subject designated 'Omega.' Disengage primary assault. Prepare for specialized countermeasures. Inform Director Heidegger and Professor Hojo immediately. We need Project G units. Now."
The remaining Shinra forces, though shaken, began to withdraw in a more orderly fashion, leaving behind their incapacitated comrades.
It was a tactical retreat, not a panicked rout.
Arthur watched them go, his eyes still glowing. He knew this wasn't over.
They had just acknowledged him as a significant threat.
And Shinra, being Shinra, would respond by sending something far more dangerous than mere troopers and basic robots.
"We need to move fast. Next time my power might not be enough."
Arthur might be strong but he wasn't strong enough to protect everyone.
And as he was about to get back inside the bar.
He saw something…
'Wait a minute… Isn't it supposed to be Cloud… No, Cloudia to see him… No, her?'
Arthur saw a woman with long white hair looking at him. She smirked at him viciously before walking inside the wall of fire.
...
Craze: Fairytail won the vote it seems. There would be no harem member in this world just pure adventure with Rimuru and the other from Tensura.
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Little Spoiler: Asia Agento is here!
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