The tidal wave loomed over them like a liquid mountain, Ame Onna's sorrow manifesting into a roaring storm ready to swallow everything whole.
Hailey braced her arms in front of her face. "That thing's gonna crush the whole block—!"
But before the wave could fall—
"Stand back, my darling~"
The voice was calm, melodic… and carried the weight of the deep ocean.
From the swirling waters rose Mermaidyn, her fins glowing with sapphire light, eyes glimmering like polished pearls.
Her normally gentle presence now radiated authority—an ancient, royal kind. The rain itself seemed to hesitate as her aura expanded.
Nate blinked, feeling his cheeks heat. "Ah—Mermaidyn… she's, uh… glowing again…"
Whisper floated beside him, whispering dramatically, "She's not glowing, Master Nate—she's ascending!"
Mermaidyn lifted her hand, the sea obeying.
The entire wave froze mid-fall. Raindrops turned into shimmering spheres, hanging in the air as though time itself bowed to her will.
"Do you forget who I once was, little storm?" she said softly, her voice echoing across the battlefield. "When humans feared the sea, they called me Ningyo no Joō — the Mermaid Queen. My songs calmed tempests before your name was whispered."
Ame Onna's watery form trembled, her anger faltering. "T-The Queen of the Ningyo... You're just a myth!"
Mermaidyn smiled sadly. "Perhaps. But myths don't fade — they endure."
She clasped her hands together, and the suspended water began to swirl into a massive ring around her.
Her aura flared brighter, a mixture of divine light and deep-sea blue.
"Ocean's Requiem!"
A beam of spiraling water and light shot upward, dispersing the storm clouds like paper, the oppressive rain transforming into a gentle drizzle. The wave dissolved, droplets falling softly like tears of peace.
When it was done, Mermaidyn landed gracefully beside Nate, her hair flowing as if underwater.
She turned to him, smiling with serene confidence. "Did I do well, my love?"
Nate froze.
The words. The look. The tone.
He could practically hear his heart skip.
He rubbed the back of his neck, trying not to stammer. "Y-Yeah, that was… amazing. Like, ancient ocean goddess amazing."
Hailey snorted. "Pfft, he's blushing again."
Kuroka smirked, flicking her tail. "Nyahaha~ can you blame him? That was one hot tide."
Even Frostina sighed dreamily. "Royalty never loses their shine…"
Fumika smiled faintly as she focused back on Ame Onna, whose tears now mixed with the drizzle — no longer of sorrow, but confusion and fading rage.
Mermaidyn folded her hands gracefully. "The storm can rest now, little rain. The sun awaits you."
Kyubi crossed his arms, tails flicking as he spoke with his usual sharp tone.
"If you can always do that, why didn't you just do it from the start?"
Mermaidyn turned her head slightly, her glow fading as her breathing grew shallow. "Because…" she managed, her voice barely a whisper.
Her body swayed, the aftershock of immense energy draining her completely. Nate reacted instantly, catching her before she hit the ground.
"Because it takes… a lot of energy," she finished weakly, her eyelids fluttering.
Nate held her carefully, kneeling as the rain softened around them. "You did enough. Rest, okay?" he said gently.
She smiled faintly, her fingers brushing his cheek before she closed her eyes. "You always say that… when I overdo it…"
A faint blush crept up Nate's face as Hailey rolled her eyes with a grin. "And there it is — Mermaidyn's dramatic fainting scene number four."
Kuroka, however, wasn't smiling. Her ears twitched, and her eyes narrowed as she spread her hand, feeling the lingering energy around them. "Yeah, laugh it up, but there goes our strongest fighter. She used every drop of her spiritual essence for that one move."
The air shimmered slightly as Kuroka activated Senjutsu, golden energy spiraling around her. "The storm's weakened, but Ame Onna isn't gone yet. She's holding herself together with raw emotion — grief, loneliness…"
Fumika's pendant glowed faintly as Komiger's echo roared behind her. "Then it's on me now. I'm close… I can reach her!"
Hailey nodded, glancing at Nate, who was still holding Mermaidyn. "You stay with her. She saved all of us — now it's our turn to finish this."
Nate looked up, his expression firm. "Just don't hurt her. She's not evil — she's hurting."
Kuroka smirked slightly, her aura flaring like black fire. "Don't worry, boss. I'll keep it gentle… mostly."
As the others stepped forward, the drizzle intensified, turning silver under the dim light. Ame Onna's form wavered — torn between rage and sorrow.
And deep within the storm, her Echo stirred, waiting for someone to listen.
The rain started again—harder this time. The rhythm of droplets pounding the street echoed like a drumline of tension. The storm was alive, growing stronger with every breath Ame Onna took.
Everyone spread out instinctively. Nate's eyes flicked toward Fumika, who was kneeling with her pendant glowing faintly.
"Why can't you reach her echo yet?" he shouted over the roaring wind.
Fumika gritted her teeth, water dripping from her hair as she held the glowing Yokai Pendant tighter. "I don't know! The rain's distorting the link—it's like her emotions are drowning the signal! I need her pinned down!"
Nate immediately looked to Hare Onna, who stood firm despite the downpour, sunlight flickering faintly behind her parasol.
"Hare Onna! Try to bring out the sun! Insomnia—try to put her to sleep!"
Hare Onna nodded, determination shining in her warm golden eyes. "I'll try, Nate-kun… but no promises. Her rain is powerful—it's not just weather, it's grief made real."
Insomnia floated higher, her eyes glowing faintly violet. "Then I'll lull her sorrow into dreams."
Hailey smirked, flipping her soaked hair back. "Alright, you heard the man! Statiking—charge her up, but don't fry her! We're weakening, not killing!"
Statiking clenched his fists, electricity surging across his body. "Got it! Thunder Crash coming up!" Bolts of lightning split the sky, crackling around Ame Onna's watery barrier.
"Kyubi, Damona, Reuknight, Usapyon—keep the pressure on!" Hailey barked out orders, her combat instincts sharp as ever.
"Roger that!" Kyubi replied with a grin, fire flaring from his tails as he clashed with swirling torrents. Damona unleashed a pulse of dark energy, slicing through water constructs. Reuknight's blade gleamed, cutting through waves like silk. Usapyon fired precision blasts from his blaster cannon, adding rhythm to the chaos.
Meanwhile, Fumika looked at Komiger, who hesitated beside her, his spectral flames dim under the rain.
"Komiger, leave my side—help them hold her off!"
Komiger frowned, concern flickering across his spectral face. "But, Fumika—if the Echo pushes back—"
She shook her head, water dripping from her chin, eyes burning with quiet resolve. "I'll be fine. I have Frostina with me."
Frostina materialized beside her, the frost spirit placing a reassuring hand on Fumika's shoulder. "Let's cool her emotions. Together."
Fumika smiled faintly. "Yeah… together."
As Frostina raised her arms, frost spiraled outward, freezing raindrops midair. The battlefield split—half sun, half storm, locked in struggle.
And at the center, Ame Onna screamed—a sound like thunder cracking open grief itself.
The storm reached its peak. The wind howled like a wounded beast, the sky torn between light and shadow.
Fumika's pendant pulsed violently, reacting to the clashing energies. "I can feel her now… she's not angry," she whispered, her voice trembling as tears mixed with rain. "She's… heartbroken."
Inside the tempest, Ame Onna's figure blurred—her human form flickering beneath layers of dark water.
"Why… why do they always leave me?
I just wanted… someone to stay…"
Her own thoughts echoed through the storm, reaching Fumika's mind like faint whispers carried by the wind.
Fumika's eyes widened. "It's not malice—it's grief! She's lost in it!"
Nate clenched his fists. "Then let's reach her before it consumes her!"
Hailey, already drenched, smirked as lightning arced down her arms. "You heard the boss! Let's save her the Hailey way—hard and bright!"
Statiking roared, electricity surging through his gauntlets. "Thunder Break!" Bolts slammed into the rainclouds above, dispersing chunks of the storm.
Hare Onna followed suit, her parasol spinning as beams of sunlight pierced through the thunderheads. Each golden ray burned away a piece of darkness, revealing brief glimpses of Ame Onna's face—beautiful but twisted by sorrow.
Insomnia floated behind her, eyes glowing violet as waves of calm rippled outward. "Sleep… let your tears rest…"
Frostina joined, freezing the waves that tried to rise again. "Cool down, spirit of sorrow. Let your pain still."
But Ame Onna resisted, her voice trembling, "You can't… stop the rain… my heart will always—"
"Then let us share it!" Fumika shouted, channeling the full force of her pendant. Komiger's spectral flames surged around her, forming a golden barrier that pierced the rain.
A wave of energy exploded outward as Fumika reached through the Echo Link. Memories flashed—Ame Onna in ancient Japan, crying under a bridge, watching the man she loved leave with another woman. The sorrow was centuries old… and still bleeding.
Nate grit his teeth, stepping forward through the rain. "You've cried long enough…" he said softly, eyes glowing faintly from Spirit Bond energy. "Let us carry the pain for you now."
Hare Onna's sunlight and Forstina's frost intertwined, forming a dazzling prism of color above them. The storm shattered, water exploding upward before falling as gentle rain.
Ame Onna gasped—her dark form fading to her true self, pale blue skin and kind eyes filled with tears. "I… I just wanted… to be remembered…"
Fumika's pendant dimmed, and she smiled softly. "You will be. Always."
A gentle warmth spread through the area as the rain softened to a drizzle. The fight was over—not with victory, but with understanding.
Nate looked at Fumika, Hailey, and Kunou. "Good job, everyone."
Hailey exhaled, stretching her sore arms. "That's one emotional workout I'm not doing again."
Kunou smiled faintly, tails flicking beneath her illusion. "You always say that, but we both know you'd do it anyway."
Nate chuckled softly—then blinked, realizing he was still holding Mermaidyn in his arms. She looked up at him, cheeks pink, and Nate turned just as red.
Whisper sighed dramatically. "Ah, young love and supernatural disasters… such is life with seers."
Nate put Marmaidyn down, who was healing by taking the energy from Nate.
Nate went to Ame Onna, as he saw the dark energy left her, as she went back to her true self.
She was back to being a radiant woman with serene grace. Her flowing kimono shimmered with blue and green hues like water under sunlight, her paper umbrella blooming like a lotus in the rain. Her dark hair was adorned with hydrangeas and jade ornaments, and her eyes held the calm of a thousand gentle showers.
Ame Onna looked up as she saw Nate. "Nate Kun... What are you doing here".
Nate looked at her as he spoke. "Wait you don't remember"
She hold her head, she grabbed her umbrella as she spoke. "No, all I remember I was bringing rain in Kyoto, and then something came over me".
Nate steadied her by the shoulder, his touch glowing faintly with Spirit Bond energy to keep her balanced. "Yeah… you went out of control. But it wasn't your fault."
Ame Onna blinked in confusion, her fingers brushing the edge of her kimono as if trying to confirm her own form. "Out of control? I… don't understand."
Mermaidyn, still sitting nearby and slowly regaining her strength, spoke softly, "It wasn't natural. That darkness wasn't Yokai energy—it felt… foreign, corrupted."
Hailey crossed her arms, brow furrowed. "You're saying something infected her?"
Fumika nodded. "That's what it felt like through the Echo Link. It wasn't just sadness—it was something amplifying it."
Ame Onna's gaze dropped, eyes shimmering like raindrops on glass. "Something whispered to me… telling me my tears were meaningless, that no one would remember the rain."
Nate's eyes darkened slightly. "That's no normal Yokai influence." He looked toward his Watch, its lens glowing faintly with static. "This isn't the first time something like this has happened lately."
Whisper floated closer, holding his tablet up with a worried expression. "Indeed! If Yokai of Ame Onna's caliber can be overtaken by a force like that… we may have a serious imbalance on our hands!"
Kuroka flicked her tail, eyes narrowing. "Nyhaa~ imbalance, huh? Maybe it's connected to what Lady Yasaka warned us about—distortions between realms."
Hailey cracked her knuckles. "Well, whatever it is, if it tries something like that again, I'll just punch it back into balance."
Everyone sweatdropped a little at her confident grin.
Ame Onna, though still weak, smiled softly at them all. "You've all grown so strong… especially you, Nate-kun. You're becoming the kind of person even the rain can't wash away."
That last line made Nate blush faintly as he rubbed his neck. "Eheh… thanks. But I'm just trying to help people, like Mom taught me."
Kunou tugged at his sleeve, smiling warmly. "And you did."
Mermaidyn, watching quietly, gave a gentle smirk. "He's a good one, isn't he?"
Hailey smirked. "Don't boost his ego more, Mermaidyn. He's already got the 'hero glow' going."
Nate rolled his eyes. "You're never gonna let me live that down, are you?"
"Not a chance," Hailey replied with a grin.
Ame Onna stood slowly, using her umbrella for balance. "I'll return to Kyoto for now. The rains there are gentle again. But… if that darkness returns…"
Nate gave a small nod, his expression turning serious. "We'll be ready."
The rain finally stopped, sunlight spilling through the clouds. For a brief moment, everyone stood in silence, watching the drops glisten like jewels on the street.
Hailey stretched her arms. "Okay, emotional drama over—arcade time, round two?"
Fumika sighed with a smile. "You never change, Hailey."
Whisper floated behind them dramatically. "And so, once again, balance has been restored… at least for now!"
Nate watched the clearing sky for a moment longer, his hand brushing the watch on his wrist. If something could twist a kind spirit like Ame Onna… what's coming next?
As they began walking back toward town, a faint shimmer appeared in the clouds—something like a fracture in the sky, almost invisible, pulsing faintly before vanishing.
The storm was over.
But the next one was already forming.
To be continued
Hope people like this ch and give me power stones and enjoy