S1199. Summer. Early afternoon.
Some time had passed since I got to witness Professor Russell's surprised Pikachu face the moment she saw a Master Quartz appear in her hand. Let alone any being created by the Epstein Foundation, they haven't even reached such progress yet. And somehow, one appeared right before her. She had every right to be shocked. I hadn't seen the name of the Master Quartz yet or what it can do. I'll check its details out later. For now, that shock was soon replaced by genuine excitement. One that an engineer displays whenever one tries to make something new. I agreed right then and there for Professor Russell to use my Generation III Combat Orbment, and merge it with the new Enigma II device. I'm sorry Mother, but your device won't be lost. All it will do is change its appearance. I didn't think it was possible to use an existing generational device and upgrade it, but color me surprised!
I will be the only one who will have it ready for use for the foreseeable future. As far as the timeline goes, you will see these models appear in around five to six years. I'm jumping ahead by half a decade. The Epstein Foundation has talented people too on top of being ran by Professor Epstein's three disciples, it is very possible they could reverse engineer this prototype, and hopefully a completed product. If they can, it may cause more Combat Orbments to circulate the market at a quicker pace, but it shouldn't really impact technology as a whole. It's the Xiphas, or the Generation VI Combat Orbment, where things really pick up. Now those get integrated with AI compatibility. I can't wait to get my hands on one, but that's like eight to nine years in the future.
For now, I let Professor Russell continue her work while the rest of us freshened up. While she got busy applying the finishing touches to the Enigma II, we all wandered to the dining room to enjoy a nice lunch with Grandmother.
Meanwhile, as we enjoyed lunch, a different scene could be seen taking place right outside of Grancel Castle. Being guided by green-clad soldiers of the Royal Army, three figures soon appeared out from the large, pearly-white gates. The couple of guards still remained on duty as they always do, so when they saw these soldiers step out, they gave them a salute.
Amongst these three figures was none other than Professor Russell. After tinkering away trying to finish the prototype she had created for Naoto, she became dazed, and decided to step outside for some fresh air. A small colored orb could be seen in one of her hands. She still had the Master Quartz, gripped tightly as if it was her most precious treasure. She didn't want to let it go. It all still felt surreal to her. She had no idea how Liberl's Crown Prince got a hold of a completed Master Quartz when she herself hadn't even finished making one. She had ideas and the blueprints, but nothing was set in stone.
Regardless, Professor Russell didn't appear to be alone once she stepped out of Grancel Castle. Accompanying her was her daughter, Tita Russell. Tita had an audience with Liberl's Crown Prince when the two first arrived here in Grancel City, but it looks like that initial shock subsided, and she returned to her usual self. The surprising part now was that Tita didn't seem to be alone. A purple-haired girl with a frilly white and purple dress could be seen next to her.
"His Royal Highness sure is full of surprises. I do not know how he got those blueprints, let alone a finished product. I know I have to deliver the Enigma II later, but I think I'm going to have to sit down for a while...", Professor Russell uttered. Tita frowned after she heard that.
"But Mom, you promised that you will show my new friend and I around Grancel City!", Tita responded, frowning. Apparently, the guest room where Tita was staying, along with Erika, was close to the purple-haired girl's room. Before Erika knew it, Tita had gotten acquainted with this girl. That's right, Tita had become friends with Renne much earlier than when the two were supposed to meet in the games.
Seeing Tita's cute frown, the weariness Erika currently had on her face began to fade away. She smiled, and ruffled Tita's hair.
"Oh Tita, what will I ever do with you? You're just so cute~", Erika teased. No matter the situation Erika found herself in, she always found a way to do a complete one hundred and eighty-degree turn whenever her daughter was present.
"M-Mom, not in front of Renne!", Tita said, complaining. She felt embarrassed with her mother's head pat.
"Oh please, don't mind me. This just shows how close you two are.", Renne said with a smile. The moment Renne said that, Erika's eyes lit up.
"So you totally know where I'm coming from then!", Erika excitedly said. "You made such a nice friend, Tita. Renne, was it? How about I show you some of Tita's pictures? I always keep a lot on hand. She's just a bundle of sunshine!"
Perhaps it was at that moment Renne knew she screwed up. Erika just fired one comment after another, praising Tita's existence as her pride and joy. Renne just stared at Erika doing this.
"R-Really, Mom, stop embarrassing me in front of Renne!", Tita complained, and pouted this time.
Seeing Tita become more and more embarrassed, Erika laughed. In the end, she could only stop what she was doing. In return, her eyes glanced back at Renne. Now that the head pat ended, the three began to walk from the castle. They bid the soldiers who guided them outside farewell. Apart from handing over the finished product of the Enigma II later, Professor Russell had no more business here. Her schedule had opened up for the most part. And in response to that, it did cause Naoto to unequip all of his Quartz. He wasn't sure if these Quartz will be compatible with the Enigma II. Thankfully, he didn't open every single reward box he obtained from doing those Monster Quests over time. He still had some to use, in case a situation like this occurs. It very well may be possible his current Quartz won't be able to function in the Enigma II at all.
That's how the power system gets reset with each story arc. People who played the games would eventually call this a meme, making fun of Trails characters losing all their items when a new story begins.
As the three continued walking, Erika looked at Renne again. "Still I didn't think you would make a friend so quickly like this, Tita. You seem to be related to the Royal Family too, unless you're a guest staying here like Tita and I.", Erika said, wondering if that were the case.
"Sure. Let's go with that.", Renne said, dodging the question.
"Hehe.", Tita giggled. "I didn't think I'd find someone so similar to my age in the castle either. Renne's really smart too!", Tita said, complementing Renne. "She might even be smarter than me, Mom.", Tita continued. Even Erika paused for a moment, not expecting to hear such a compliment.
"Really now? You two seem quite similar in age too. It isn't often for Tita to give out a compliment like that.", Erika mused. "Still, is it alright for you to be walking around like this?", Erika continued to ask. Unlike Tita and Erika, Renne was out here on her own.
"Oh I'm used to doing this already. Besides, Big Brother gave me permission to come and go as I please. I haven't really explored Grancel yet, and considering I've become friends with Tita here, I figured we could kill two birds with one stone and go explore together.", Renne explained.
"Your Big Brother gave you permission?", Erika asked, unsure.
"Uh-huh. You just finished meeting with him. You know, His Royal Highness.", Renne simply answered, acting as if it wasn't a big deal to her. But once Erika heard Renne say that, her eyes turned wide as saucers.
"A-Are you related to His Royal Highness somehow?"", Erika asked.
"Who knows?", Renne replied with a playful smile. After all, she wanted to know that herself. Apart from the obvious of course. Will things lead in a direction where Naoto and Renne become a family, just like how Estelle adopts Renne as her younger sister, and officially becomes a "Bright" in the story? That remains to be unknown at this point in time. Renne's just been going along with the flow, doing whatever she likes to do right now. Being mischievous at times, being too smart for her own good at others, or overall, having fun. This was one of those moments. And with that vague answer, it only caused Erika to become more confused.
"Y-You needn't pressure Renne like that, Mom. We've just met. All you need to know is Renne accepted to be my friend.", Tita said, taking a moment to calm down. Her eyes then glanced toward what was in Erika's hand. "Besides, I couldn't help but notice that little sphere you have in your hand. It looks like an Orbment, but I haven't seen anything like it."
Tita tried to change topics regarding Renne's matter onto what was in Erika's hand. Renne inwardly thanked Tita after seeing it work. It caused Erika to glance her eyes downward.
"Oh, you mean this?", Erika asked, only to put her hand out, and slowly opened it. It revealed a large, single colored Master Quartz with a particular symbol on it. "To be honest, I haven't a clue how His Royal Highness acquired this when we haven't even managed to create one yet. I can see why he wanted to upgrade his Combat Orbment, though. Didn't think it'd turn out this way. What you see here is called a Master Quartz. Not even the head engineers back at headquarters have managed a complete blueprint yet."
"A Quartz that hasn't been developed or released yet!?", Tita excitedly asked. "But what the heck is a Master Quartz?"
"Hehe, must be quite special to receive a Quartz that hasn't even landed on the shipping line yet.", Renne mused, taking a moment to observe a Quartz she hasn't seen before. "Even I don't know what a Master Quartz does. I'd need to get a good look at what you made should I decide on anything concrete. It sounds like you aren't exactly complete with what you want to give Big Brother. Maybe I could give you some input, Professor."
"You?", Erika paused, and did another take at Renne.
"Didn't I tell you, Mom? Renne might be smarter than me! If you're in a snag, we could try to figure it out together.", Tita suggested.
"True. You don't exactly give praises out that often, Tita. Besides, all of this came to be because of that old coot. I haven't heard from him in ages, and the one time he does reach out to me, it's him requesting a favor. Didn't think that favor would come from Liberl's Crown Prince.", Erika said, pondering what exactly Naoto worked on with Professor Schmidt that led to this situation. Naoto considered sending a couple more reward boxes in secret to Professor Russell so she could research them on her own time, but that hadn't happened yet. Sadly, Erika couldn't ponder what to do for long before he heard a condescending voice reach her ears.
"Hmph. This is our first meeting in who knows how long and the first thing that is spoken out of your lips is calling me an old coot? The Russells never seem to change no matter which generation it is.", A stern voice spoke. Before long, two figures approached the three. Her eyes turned wide in shock once again. They came from the direction of the North Block. An aged man who had a full head of white hair and likewise, also dressed in a lab coat that was just like Erika's, came into view. He had a monocle over one of his eyes.
"Y-You!", Erika exclaimed, raising a finger at the man who approached them. "What do you think you're doing here!?"
Of course, the person who showed up who caused Erika to react like that was none other than Professor Schmidt.
"Like I need a Russell to tell me where I can and cannot go.", Professor Schmidt responded, keeping his voice calm. "But to answer your question, I am here on business. I am here to see what you have completed. It is done, yes?"
"That...", Erika uttered, and didn't immediately answer. Well, The Enigma II's prototype is done, but Professor Russell needs to put the finishing touches on it with Naoto's Generation III's model. She also needs to install the Master Quartz that was given to her. Nothing could get past Professor Schmidt, so she could only sigh. "Well, I was going to put the finishing touches on it so it appears as a finished product. Right now the Enigma II is still a prototype."
"I see. It clearly cannot be presented in such a state. Let us continue working on it. I will not take no for an answer.", Professor Schmidt responded. Hearing that caught Professor Russell off guard.
"You...want me to work...with you?", Erika uttered. She acted like she didn't hear that right.
"I don't need to repeat my words twice. This is a request from someone we cannot turn away from. Plus, whatever it is that you hold in your hands has piqued my interest already.", Professor Schmidt answered.
"Mom?", Tita asked, and looked at Erika. Hearing that, Erika felt a hint of embarrassment. "Who is this guy?"
"This man's the collaborator I told you about, to which His Royal Highness put a request out for. I didn't think he'd come all the way here to Grancel City, but this is unknown ground we are treading.", Erika responded, and sighed. "And I say that, but you clearly didn't come alone. Who is this beside you, Professor?"
After Erika said that, she looked at a blue-haired girl beside Professor Schmidt, who seemed to be around the same age as Tita and Renne were. Renne had a mused look in her eyes. She immediately knew who this girl was.
"My disciple candidate, of course. As much as I loathe an introduction, it is only necessary for this occasion. We will be working together for a little while, so hop to it.", Professor Schmidt said, looking at the girl beside him. She nodded, and stepped forward.
"My name is Tio Plato. I did not expect to find you here, Renne. But for the time being, it looks like we will be working together. I'm currently working on the Orbal Network project back at the Foundation.", Tio said, introducing herself. "And I see a new face. I hope we can become friends."
"Teehee, likewise. It is nice to see you in good health, Tio. Here's to a fun and productive collaboration.", Renne said, greeting Tio.
Hearing that, it was Tita's turn to become wide-eyed in shock. She glanced her eyes back and forth between Renne and Tio.
"Y-You know this girl, Renne?", Tita couldn't help but ask.
Just like that, three young geniuses with different backgrounds have unexpectedly gotten acquainted with one another.
Surely nothing will go wrong from this, right?