Captured By Gantz  

"Kill me!"

Unconsciously, that vigor exceeded what Shirona had shown even in the decade she defended the League Champion title. As if all her experience gained up until now and all her emotions were packed into that shout. All the anger from being swept along since falling into this situation was released along with the intense words.

As Oka came back to his senses, he moved his hand. "That's enough! Shut up!"

"So annoying and long-winded! If you're gonna do it then hurry up. You're scared? You can easily kill an alien creature but you can't cut off a woman's neck?"

"Don't get cocky..."

"I'm telling you to do it! I'm not scared. Hurry. Do it!"

Shirona largely inhaled as she opened her eyes wider. She had no intention to escape death's moment. She grasps Oka's eyes. Stabbing at his face with her gaze, she was prepared to be killed. With the intention to drive a wedge deep into her opponent's mentality even a little.

But she couldn't stop the spilling tears. Yet she was still dignified. While murmuring the names of her beloved family over and over in her heart, she awaited that moment.

Further angling the blade's direction, Oka opened his mouth a little. Putting strength into his slender eyes, he tried to move the sword's hilt.

A strange sound rang.

Lines came out going jiji from the sphere.

They stretched out ahead where black shoes appeared. It didn't end there as a foot was also formed. It kept going up. The black suit's lower half with its round protrusions here and there full of holes was created. The abdomen and chest mostly had the skin still exposed as-is. And finally, the face of a long light brown haired man with a blank expression was completed.

"...Huh?"

After spacing out for a short while, Kuwabara looked at Oka and Shirona pressed closely together.

"Am I interrupting something?"

The transfer didn't end. The members who should have been outside appeared one after another in spurts. Lastly George was formed with his eyes closed, making the room feel a little cramped.

Letting tears spill from the corner of her eyes, Shirona absentmindedly forgot she was about to be killed. The momentum from earlier was temporarily completely gone. She was deflated.

Exaggerating, Oka breathed out. As he glanced at the sphere in a roundabout way, the remaining time had stopped at one minute.

Tch.

A high bell rang and that hateful flat voice flowed.

"That's it stupid"

The man with sunglasses and short hair held his head.

"Uwaa, so lame!"

The caricature with somewhat excessive sparkling effects was clearly indicating Shirona. Displayed largely beside that:

"Big sis Shirona

100 points

Sorry

Hope you can forgive me"

She could only understand that her score was displayed. But before she grasped the meaning further than that, Oka sitting beside her collapsed with a thud.

"Really, shitty management."

The points of the other members were announced without any change it seemed. Aside from some noisy reactions, nothing else happened and everyone silently focused on her when it finished.

"What are you doing'?" Muroya continued with a bored face. "You got points so hurry up and open the menu. I want the clear bonus."

"Nooo, I've been caught up to!"

"Nah, this is foul play. Totally being favored."

"Cheat, cheat!"

Amidst the clamor from the sunglasses guys, Shirona walked with a fuzzy sensation. Prompted, she just repeatedly spoke words.

"Gantz, hundred point menu."

The character string that opened wasn't very long but she felt like it took an eternity to finish reading and understanding it all.

"Hundred point menu~

1 Memory erased and released

2 Given a powerful weapon

3 Reproduction from within MEMORY (sparkle sparkle!)"

She covered her mouth.

Release and weapon. There were many eye-catching words. But the first two immediately became unimportant when the third item entered her eyes.

Reproduction.

"Nice going." Oka said nonchalantly as he tapped the sphere's edge with his foot.

"You can probably revive them. Try choosing it."

She really should run straight ahead and shut that cocky mouth up, but now her consciousness was directed at something else. Shirona felt her own heart seeming to burst while somehow trying to produce her voice.

"Option...three."

It changes.

And quite a number of photographs were displayed. Most were of humans. They were all unknown faces but when her gaze reached the very bottom, her whole body shook.

There they were. A photo was there. She didn't know when it was taken. But two faces she had always walked alongside were next to each other. Even if just inside an image, Lucario and Garchomp were looking straight ahead, or so it felt to her.

"Whichever, I can get one back. Make it the dog. I wanna learn Kamehameha wave from it."

"Idiot. The prickly one is obviously stronger. Logically..."

Contrary to the casual peanut gallery voices, Shirona was single-mindedly thinking to herself inside. Which one she should revive first. This time it was probably an exceptional case. She didn't know how long it would take to stockpile another hundred points. And the possibility they would actually be revived was still vague. She might be getting deceived again too. Shouldn't believe it perhaps.

But trying it had value in actuality. If they really came back to her, there was no greater joy.

While watching the photographs, Shirona distorted her face painfully. Those around her were casting suspicious gazes, puzzled by what she was doing as the opened time gradually passed. But she didn't care. She was ceaselessly questioning and answering herself about her responsibility. What she should do. What sin she had committed.

Therefore, she hesitated a little. That would doubtless remain a source of self-loathing later on. Determining to shoulder that as well, Shirona set what she had to do.

Say the name.

Most of the others were surprised. Bewildered over what she was doing.

Formed by Gantz in an instant.

"Mm..."

Seeing the cute woman open her eyes, Shirona let out a sob. Stirred by a blend of emotion and guilt beyond what she could stand. To obtain a definite sense that she had really been reproduced, she clung to Anzu who was still spacing out.

"Wha, what? Um, big sis?"

"I'm sorry. I lied, I'm so sorry..."

These children will protect me.

Shirona certainly said, definitely spoke those words. That was the beginning of sin. After believing them, Anzu was killed still thinking that way by Lucario. Even if he was being manipulated by the aliens, it was irrelevant. She felt obligated. She had to fulfill that here no matter what.

Although quite confused, Anzu was also embracing Shirona. Indulging in that, she only turned her gaze to the sphere.

She told them to wait firmly with her eyes. Having made a declaration of war already, it might be contradictory. But now, she could only cling to that possibility.

She understood she was imprisoned. Imprisoned by Gantz.

But there was an end. She would definitely save her two beloved Pokemon whose face photos she conveyed only with her mouth. She didn't think they would nod or smile back or anything conveniently nice like that. It was fine even if they resented her. She just strongly determined in her heart that she wanted to see their figures again, no matter what. And she finally realized, albeit belatedly, an important problem still remained.

Anzu timidly looked up at the startled Shirona.

"What's wrong?"

***

"Kyu?"

Realizing that he wasn't dead yet, Togekiss felt a surge of relief throughout his body. Tears welled up embarrassingly. However, the realization that his own life was still there slightly delayed his awareness of the approaching beings.

"Kyui~"

As his companions advanced through the considerably collapsed residential area, sometimes fighting and sometimes striving together, Togekiss felt nothing but joy at being able to see them again. Expressing that emotion with his whole body, he headed towards them to embrace them, shedding many tears.

Temporarily forgetting about his trainer completely, he cast a cold gaze towards the Pokémon flying towards him eagerly. Roserade swayed her left blue flower and took a stance. The thorns within contained a slow-acting poison.

In other words, it seemed to mean that she would slowly but surely make them suffer.