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Paradise is Where... Ep 49 Part 1

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Episode 49: Botan: A Sacrifice

"This is such CRAP!" Ronene shouted at the projector in the middle of his classroom.

Tehaha and Yobibi had been thinking the same from the back of the classroom as they watched the invasion of Pekopon, but they'd kept themselves quiet. Tehaha by looking longingly at his binder of stickers and trading cards dedicated to the Keroro platoon, Yobibi by covertly putting on a pair of headphones and sinking down lower in his desk chair.

The teacher immediately shot his head up from the screen he'd been excitedly staring at, and stared at Ronene with the cold, long glare he'd shot Ronene so many times before, "If you'd take a seat and quit making a disruption. What you're seeing is history in the making!"

"What we're seeing is bullshit!" Ronene snapped in return, not bothering to even sit down from the desk chair he'd climbed on top of. The air seemed to be suddenly sucked out of the classroom, as all eyes fell upon him, "What?! So they took a little long with their invasion, so we're sending in someone new and treating them like crap all of a sudden?! Like... Like they're criminals?!"

"Ronene, you're making a scene…" whispered Tehaha from the corner of his mouth, and Ronene whipped his head to the side to glare at Tehaha.

"Oh, what, you're just a fan until stuff gets tough?! One of them's also our friend! Or are you that fair-weather?!"

"That's it—Principal's office, now!" snapped the teacher as he started to stalk down the aisles of students, stomping a warpath for Ronene along the way.

The teacher vanished right before reaching Ronene, and Ronene glanced down to see that the teacher had fallen to the floor—Thanks to a conveniently-placed leg that Yobibi had shot out from underneath his desk without even looking away from the screen.

The teacher rose with a series of grunts and growls, balancing on the back of two students' chairs for support, and he was about to reach out for Ronene once more—Only to have an explosion from the live feed make him completely forget his mission at hand.

"Woah…" Yobibi slowly raised his head from his desk, and his eyes went wide at the sight in front of them.

The group watched on the screen as a small figure zoomed away from the scene of the explosion—A small, pink figure on a hoverboard. Behind her was a red Keronian in a hoverboard, gun drawn and shooting at the lasers from the ship that fired back at them.

It was Tehaha's turn to rise from his desk. "T-They're going for the power cells of the ship! Someone must've deactivated the security from the from the inside!"

"All RIGHT! Go Shrimpy!" Ronene cheered, pumping his fists into the air.

"Office! Now!" growled the principal, but before he could reach out to grab Ronene, Yobibi had yanked Ronene off of his desk, grabbed Tehaha by the hand, and was leading the duo out of the classroom.

"We'll finish watching it from Tehaha's grandma's place!" Yobibi explained as he rushed out of the classroom with the pair, Ronene under one of his arms and Tehaha's wrist in a firm grip. If they hadn't been in a panic, they would have heard the sound of cheers and laughter erupting from the students still inside the room.

"I'm so dead with my dad…" Ronene said to himself with a moan as he covered his face with his hands.

"It's okay, you'll just live in the club house for a little bit!" Yobibi reassured him.



In the dusty alien settlement of Roswell, meanwhile, Porara struck the TV a few times with his fist, but to no avail. The feed from the small box in his sheriff's station was blurry at best.

He'd wheeled the TV over on a small cart usually reserved for coffee service so the few people in the jail cells could also see what was going on. His deputies were all out and helping the understandably concerned residents of the Alien City under Roswell—All save for Deputy Panyo. Per usual, she was at his side, gently resting a hand on the wooden desk chair he was on the edge of.

"Sheriff, are you all right, panyo?"

"…I… I'm just not used to being on the side of a criminal…" Porara muttered in awe of the sight before him and the situation he faced.

He could see her in the distance—Mois. It'd been so long. So long he'd all but come to terms that he'd never be more than a friend, at best. Not easily, either. A lot of it had involved throwing himself in work as he slowly realized that there was a reason that she didn't visit nearly as much as he thought she might have when he moved to Pekopon to… Get a new start. To possibly be closer to her, too. And even if he couldn't be closer to her... He'd still found a life and a career in Pekopon.

"I was so stupid and awkward…" he said to himself with a sigh, his shoulders falling slowly from his spot in front of the TV.

"Sheriff….?"

"They're the reason I came to this rock, Deputy…." Porara explained as he sat back in his chair. He was leaning a bit against her, but either didn't realize it or didn't care. He was still nervous around women, but… This was his deputy. She was different. "This may come as a shock to you, but… I had feelings for one of them."

"Can this planet blow up already so we don't have to hear him talk about his feelings again?" grumbled one of the prisoners.

"Hey, he hasn't broken out the poetry yet at least," replied another. "...Again."

Panyo tilted her head to the side, and feigned her best surprised gasp, "You, panyo? You don't say!"

"Mm. But… I understand it wasn't meant to be. All the same… It gave me the push I needed to be the success I am today," Porara continued. "….I have to cheer for them based on that principal alone. They helped make me a better person."

And he saw the image of his former Angol crush in the distance from the ship, and his tipped his brown hat a little further over his eyes, "Just… Be safe, Mois-chan…."




"And we have news of a blast from the back end of the ship! It appears as though it's a direct hit to the back from both the outside and the inside!"

The group of Sankaku in the sand-covered village listened in, wide-eyed, from beneath a large tent where they always held their communal meetings. The tent had taken on a new purpose with the arrival of Horokohoro and company, however. A small, battery-operated radio that Kodada had packed along was in the middle of the group, giving out the latest news via an alien radio announcer on a station transmitting from the nearest Alien Alley. Rows of them were leaned forward, listening intently to the latest news in near-silence. At the front of them, along with the visitors, was the new leader of the Sankaku—A young female, Makihomaru. She was gray, and, as with Sankaku, covered in a variety of tattoos, although many of them were covered by the dark blue robes that she wore. She would occasionally look back at her tribe, and while she didn't say anything, Kodada couldn't help but feel the worry ruminating from her.

"According to sources it's… Keronians firing at the Keronian ship! A red one and a pink one, according to reports." The announcer spat out the words as quickly as she could, nearly tripping over them as she frantically updated her audience. "There's a green Keronian on one side, and reports of an Angol also watching from the distance. With this Angol's lack of interference, is it possible that the goodwill between the Angols and Keronians is finally at an end?!"

Kodada squeezed her eyes tightly, and Klaus reached out and placed a hand over hers as they sat in a group with the Sankaku. The Sankaku people said nothing to one another, only exchanged nervous glances.

Finally, a single voice was heard in the crowd—That of a small child, "Are we going to become nomads again?"

"N-No…." Horokohoro stood from his spot and raised his mask from his face. "We're warriors. We're Sankaku. I'm no leader, but…. I'll stay and fight for you."

"You ran from here!" snarled someone in the crowd, and Horokohoro flinched.

Makihomaru was slow to rise from her spot, and turned around to face the tribe, "…Once a Sankaku, always a Sankaku. He was on a journey, and he brought himself back here in a time of need."

Kodada sprang up from her spot and gently placed a hand on his shoulder, "He did leave, but…. He's also right! I…. I remember the Sankaku! Not well, but… I remember them! And they were all fierce warriors! A-And there's a Sankaku fighting for you right now! And… I'm going to go there and fight, too!"

"Kody…" Klaus said quietly, his eyes wide.

Horokohoro looked equally disturbed at this idea, and his normally calm or angry expression was replaced by one of confusion, "Birdy… I… I know I said I'd come here, but… I'm… I'm not doing enough here. I want to go to Japan, to help them."

"….I can't go with you, you know…"

"I-I know…. You need to stay here and take care of them…."

Horokohoro nodded, gulped, and seemingly swallowed his pride as he knelt before Makihomaru, "…Please. Let me guard you."

"Horokohoro, stand…." Makihomaru set a hand gently on the top of his head, and without a sound Horokohoro rose. "….It would be an honor to have you guard us. Everyone, we have to prepare for any impending invasion!"

She turned to her tribe, and they began to disperse from underneath the large tent.

"Please allow me a moment?" Horokohoro asked her, and Makihomaru obliged him, and stepped out of the tent to help the rest of her tribe.

Horokohoro turned to Kodada and exhaled sharply. He placed a hand to her forehead, and whispered a string of words quietly, repeating them over and over.

"Horokohoro, what are you—?"

And Kodada was stunned as he stopped his muttering and embraced her, "…It's a prayer. For your safety as a warrior. Now return so I don't have to seek out vengeance on someone again."

"I… I will. And take care of Klaus for me in the meantime."

"H-Huh?! Kody! You can't—"

"I have to. I'm sorry. I can't… I can't lose you, too." She briefly kissed him, and Horokohoro glanced to the side in order to allow them a bit of privacy while in front of them. She then broke out in a run, not even waiting for the stunned Klaus to answer.

"….Come on, there's much to do." Horokohoro snapped him out of his stare with a growl of orders, and Klaus scrambled to keep up with him, while Kodada readied her ship for departure.

"Okay…. Now don't crash this time…" she whispered to herself as she set her coordinates. "Don'ttttt crash. Who knows what you'll find if you wake up and another few million years have passed?!"




Mora screamed from her spot on the couch as she heard a knocking on the door, and brought the pillow she'd been clutching even closer to herself.

She grabbed one of the sabers Rokiki kept in the umbrella stand (he found its use for just umbrellas pointless) and was cautious in her float towards the door.

She breathed a sigh of relief as she was met with the round, red eye of a black, catlike ear.

Mora opened the door a crack, and allowed for Alisa and her father to pass in.

"Please pardon the intrusion…. We weren't sure where else to go during a time like this…." Nevula admitted as his eye rolled to look towards Mora.

"N-Not a problem at all! I'd… Offer to make you dinner, but…"

"No one feels like doing that much of anything except worrying. I understand."

"Daddy…. We can go out and fight…." said Alisa quietly.

"I have my limits, Alisa. This is Keronian against Keronian. There's a chance of civil war from this. I don't want you harmed…. And I don't want to be able to not defend you…."

"…Fuyuki…."

"I know, Alisa. I know."

Another knock on the door, and the blade in Mora's hand immediately rose again. She was more than a little confused when there was a red phone box on her front porch.

"….That looks nothing like my online order…" she murmured.

"Hop on in!" Haruki called out as he stuck his head out the door, and Mora immediately brightened at the sight of him and burst the door to her own home open wide.

"Wait right here! I have someone for you!"

Haruki heard a door from inside the house, and Nevula quickly pulled one of his arms down to move Alisa aside as an excited puppy turned the corner and ran into Haruki's arms.

"Heyyyy, Rocky! Buddy, what are you doing here?!"

"Rokiki brought him here before things started to…. Get difficult…" Mora's polite smile fell, and Haruki gave a sigh. "He may be afraid of him, but he didn't want him to be harmed..."

"…Hey, come on, don't be like that…. They're gonna kick some ass. Now did Chandi call you?"

"She did… She's still helping gather people and get them to safety."

Alisa's eyes widened at this prospect, "….Daddy. I wish to do that."

"Alisa—"

"Daddy. Please."

"I… All right…" Nevula gave a sigh of defeat. "We're to be careful though, all right?"

"I promise."

"Please come back again! Hopefully when the world's… Not coming to an end…" said Mora with a nervous chuckle as Alisa passed her with her father already taking form into a large pair of wings. "We'll do a dinner, all of us!"

They were gone with a zoom in the sky, and Haruki gave a clearly impressed whistle before ushering Mora inside. "Come on in, he'll kill me if something happens to you…"

Rocky gave a bark, and Haruki chuckled, "Yeah…. Good to see you too, buddy."



When everyone was back and collected, Haruki sat alone in Haruo's old office, at his father's old desk, in his father's old chair.

But he wasn't his father.

Aliens had come in droves to the Grant Initiative headquarters, and Kyoko and he were dashing about madly to find resources to support all of them.

This included Kogoro and Lavie, whom Haruki had made a point to pick up. He couldn't help but snort a laugh as he heard Kogoro's own hearty laugh from downstairs; the box-loving alien was certainly a hit with entertaining the kids. Which was good… Because a lot of them were frightened. And Haruki didn't blame them in the slightest.

He was terrified, but he couldn't show it. He had to stay calm at least. His father was always calm. One way Haruki decided would be the best to retain his calm would be to retreat to Haruo's office—A large, half-moon shaped room with a circular panoramic window on one side, and on the other a wall of paintings of people of all species that Haruki didn't know.

"….Dad, how did you do it?"

Kyoko hadn't cleaned out Haruo's desk yet. Haruki wasn't sure if she was just too busy to do so, or if nostalgia played a factor.

He looked at photos of his mother and father through the years. Some black and white ones, other ones in color. And then some with him as an infant.

His father gradually grew older in each of the photos. He had never noticed his father growing so old until his father had finally passed.

Haruo aged, but Haruki's mother looked the same in every photo, with the kimono and the gentle smile.

Haruki, when he was growing up, equated this to her just having wonderful genes. Now that he knew all he did about the world, and all of its strange inhabitants, he had to wonder what exactly his father's connection was to all of them.

"….It'd explain why I look like I'm in my twenties still…" Haruki mused to himself as he looked at the photo of himself as a young child at the zoo, a parent holding either of his hands. "….But I guess that I can't ask anyone now, huh? Jeeze…. Well, I've lived as a human this long, why change it!?"

A glint caught Haruki's eye, and he looked back at the TV screen—It was the reason he'd disappeared to the office in the first place, although he'd convinced himself it it was to keep calm. It was to watch the fight… Helplessly.

With the dome in place, the world didn't know the details. They just knew of the strange symbols in the sky. Kyoko was already on an excuse for that. They were thinking fireworks, or another movie being filmed—That was one of the Grant Initiative's favorite excuses. That, and weather balloons.

There'd been another explosion, and another ship had shown up; this one ancient by any alien's standards, from what he could remember Kirere teaching him about alien ships.

"Ugh… Just be okay, kiddo…"

"Mister Suzuyama?" The knock on the door alerted Haruki to the presence of Rita, who was standing in the doorway. She just started to look over at the screen when Haruki quickly turned it off and stood.

"S-Sorry. I need to be out there, right. I know. Sorry."

"…It's all right. You didn't grow up with this chaos, I don't blame you for wanting a breather."

"….So this is normal?"

"Oh, not at all. Roswell as pretty bad, but not nearly as bad as this! ….This is bad…." Rita admitted. "Any updates on them?"

"Another explosion on the ship, and it looks like some backup arrived. I'm choosing to see that as a good sign, but I know that it can go either way," he replied with a wry smile. "…How'd you do this all your life?"

"Oh, I didn't. I ran off soon as I was able to. I'd just had enough with it all. I loved my mother, but legacy blinded her to what was in front of her sometimes, I feel. She wanted to make the world such as good place she sometimes lost focus of the good that was there already."

"Yeah... Heh. I understand that Except I never knew my dad was doing…. All of this. I don't get how he was able to run a huge company and do this."

"He had friends," Rita replied as she began to walk down the row of paintings on the wall. "….He was friendly, and kept in as much contact as he could with all of them. Alien, human… Even cryptids, he managed to befriend all of them."

"Hehe. And I thought he was just a playboy."

Rita turned around and gave a small giggle, "Oh, he was that too! My mother would tell me stories about him having three girlfriends at a time! Always lovely women, too."

Haruki couldn't help but roll his eyes at this, albeit fondly, "I just don't get how I'm supposed to do that too."

"Well, you might… You might not… I mean, look at me. I'm the daughter of a brilliant scientist from another time and an equally brilliant human who built an entire organization from the ground up. And I make movies! Not even really good ones, either! But… I can't be them. And I think that they're okay with that. They know I'm going to be me…. It's what they fought for, after all. Not so I could be as good as them, so I could be whatever I wanted to be! I think that's what everyone fights for on this planet…. Just to be themselves."

"…I guess I should go back down there?"

"Please. There's a weird guy showing off a box collection…" Rita giggled.

Haruki nodded, stood from his father's chair, and glanced at the photos once more.

He wasn't his father… But he could work just as hard at him.

"I'll just have to do things the Bill Dodger way…" said Haruki to himself.



"They've noticed their Time Bender is missing," Botan's eyes flipped, and Lem gave her a dull glare. "They're still putting up a good fight back in the timeline we came from, however."

"I fail to be moved by this…. What are we doing here, anyway?" Lem kicked at a piece of rubble and gave a dissatisfied grunt.

"You'll see."

She shakily rose from where she'd been sitting on the pile of stone in what had been the palace of the Time Benders at one time, and crept over to a set of two large, stone pillars all the while Lem watched her with what she could only assume was a critical eye.

Botan took in a deep breath, and extended her hand that carried her staff with her gem at the end of it. She began to twirl it in gentle motions, and Lem was about to scoff at this when he heard the first buzz of electricity. Then he wisely decided to take a few steps back from the pillars and see what the Time Bender had up her sleeves.

Pink electricity cracked and crackled in-between the pillars, and eventually Lem saw what looked like a small dot in-between the two posts.

It grew larger, and as it did it began to give off a white glow.

It was about the size of Botan when she'd finished, and she flinched in obvious pain as she set her staff back down.

"Well—Come on," she instructed him with a nod after she stepped through.

"…What in the world even is that?"

"It's the world I made for you. Now come see it."
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