170Epilogue: Departing for a New Journey
Not long after Da'ath was eradicated and Inori returned, Heath and Ayase's wedding took place and their friends were invited to this celebration of vows. Before their wedding, and keeping their announcement under wraps for several months, Ayase announced her pregnancy and was due to have her and Heath's child in four months.
Outside of the usual Funeral Parlor, Kuhouin Group, and friends circle, Hifumi, Skyler, Otoboshi, and Yukinko came to see Heath and Ayase's marriage. While the Phantom Remnants didn't appear, they witnessed the event through virtual live videos on their phones and screens as virtual invitees.
The wedding happened as scheduled and it was a momentous day for the couple. As they came out dressed in their wedding garb, Heath faced and was taken aback by how beautiful Ayase looked in her white wedding gown. When their eyes met, they felt their hearts beating and hands sweating inside their palms. After a few deep breaths, Heath and Ayase held each other's hands. They nodded together as the priest read them their wedding vows.
"Heath, do you take Shinomiya Ayase to be your lawful wedded wife? One you will bear in sickness and in health?"
Looking passionately into Ayase's loving eyes, Heath firmly nodded. "I do. I will love, honor, and cherish you with all of my heart."
"And Ayase, do you accept Heath to be your wedded husband and caregiver?"
Holding Heath's hands with a strong grip, Ayase smiled and answered without hesitation. "I do. I, too, will love, honor, and cherish you with all of my heart forever."
"Then, by the power vested in me, I pronounce you both husband and wife."
As Heath undid Ayase's veil, they looked deeply into each other's eyes, put on their wedding rings, and kissed, eliciting claps and cheers from their friends and guests. Serving as his best men, Shu and Walter clapped for Heath and Ayase. Serving as Ayase's bridesmaids, Tsugumi, Inori, and Akiko clapped. Tsugumi and Akiko then energetically cheered and hollered joyously for the wedded couple.
"Congratulations, you two. This has been a long time coming," Shu said.
"I'm so happy for you, Aya! Oh my god, I'm such a blubbering mess," Tsugumi teared up over her mascara.
"I promised I wouldn't cry at bro's wedding, but god damn it," Akiko muttered.
"I don't think you should be saying the Lord's name in vain in front of a priest," Walter lectured Akiko, who covered her mouth shut.
"Oh shit, you're right! Sorry, that one slipped out."
Walter chuckled while patting her head. "Relax, I was only teasing. I doubt he heard you mumbling behind that crying."
"Oh, you stupid jerk, Wally!" Akiko lightly jabbed her fists into Walter's chest before falling into his arms. "I wonder if our wedding will be like this."
"Perhaps but it'll take time."
"If it's anything like Heath and Ayase's wedding, then I can wait."
Catching Ayase in a loving embrace, Tsugumi cried on her friend's shoulder. "I'm so happy for you, Aya! I hope you and Heath found a great and relaxing getaway for your honeymoon!"
"Portugal seems like a nice place to visit. We also hope to go to Spain and Germany, too," Ayase revealed about their honeymoon getaway.
As Heath met with his parents, Skyler patted and hugged him.
"You married a hell of a woman, Heath. Looking at her, she reminds me of her mother every time I see her. Take care of her for Hanazawa's sake," Skyler said, referring to his Ayase by her surname.
"Heheh, she's a definite keeper, Heath. Don't ever let her go now that you've tied the knot," Otoboshi winked.
"Make sure you two take care of each other, but I don't have to tell you that," Hifumi remarked, expressing care for her son and his wife.
"Of course, relax. You don't have to worry about us," Heath reassured his family.
"Congratulations, Heath, Ayase," Inori said as she approached them, hugging both of them and wishing the newly wedded couple well.
"I'm glad I was able to see your wedding," Shu said.
"Me, too, Shu," Ayase added as they hugged.
"Thanks for being my best man, Shu. I appreciate it," Heath said.
"It's no problem. Sight or no sight, I promised to be your best man. Now go on and enjoy the honeymoon."
"Thanks, man. You can count on us being there for you and Inori's wedding day in a few months," Heath vowed.
"Trust us when we say that weddings take time to prepare," Ayase said.
"Oh, don't we know it?" Shu responded with a half-hearted laugh. "Believe me, Inori and I are dreading the expenses, but…"
"It will be worth it since we want to be married," Inori chimed in while holding Shu's hands.
With that, Heath took Ayase's hand and walked her down the aisle. When they stepped outside, their friends and guests followed the wedded couple out. Before leaving in a reserved white limousine, Ayase turned and waved her wedding bouquet. Initially teasing to throw it, Ayase then turned her back to everyone else. Ayase finally tossed the bouquet over her head as it flew toward the crowd. A group of women reached out to grab the bouquet with hopes they'll be married. As the women wrestled over the bouquet, it fell into Tsugumi's hands.
"Oh my god, I can't believe it! Is this really a sign?!" Tsugumi cried out while waving the bouquet around. "Thanks, Aya!"
"Aw, man," Akiko groaned. "Next time I catch that bouquet, it's uphill for us, Wally. Just watch."
"I wish you luck then," Walter chuckled ironically.
As everyone gathered near the limo, Heath and Ayase poked their heads through the limo roof. They waved to their friends and guests while their ride drove them away for their honeymoon.
Holding their hands and watching the wedded couple depart, Shu and Inori smiled together.
Not long after their honeymoon, Ayase announced she was pregnant and that her baby would be due soon. She and Heath posted their announcement on their friends' social media, bringing to light Ayase's pregnancy and leaving updates on her status.
One late evening, Ayase's water finally burst and she felt what was the most excruciating physical pain she had ever felt in her life. Not even her fight against Mana was this painful. As the labor pains escalated, she was taken to the nearest medical facility. Heath accompanied her to the hospital while holding her hand, cringing whenever she tightly squeezed his hand and possibly risked a few finger bones in the process.
Upon being taken into an emergency ward, Ayase's contractions were initially mild until they weren't. The contractions became regular, bringing her a great deal of physical pain that took their toll on Ayase's physical well-being. However, as she saw Heath beside her and holding her hand, she didn't falter.
Squeezing her husband's hand tightly, Ayase screamed as labor kicked in. "OH FUCK! IT HURTS! IT FUCKING HURTS! GET IT OUT OF ME!"
"You've got this, Ayase! Push! Push! PUSH!" Heath motivated his wife, who squeezed his hand hard enough to make audible cracks in his fingers.
"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK I'M DOING, IDIOT?! YOU TRY BEING IN MY SHO- OOOH! I CAN FEEL ITS HEAD STICKING OUT OF ME!"
"I see it coming out, too! It's almost over, Ayase! Keep pushing!" Heath yelled out while concealing the pain etched on his face as his wife crushed two of his fingers. "Shit! Shit! SHIT!"
After a few painful contractions, Ayase overcame her labor and birthed her newborn. A nurse held a crying infant, covered with blood and fluids. After the umbilical cord was cut, the infant was cleaned off and handed over to Heath, who cradled his and Ayase's newborn child.
"Congratulations, your child is a boy," the nurse announced. "Have you decided on a name for your beautiful child?"
"We have," Heath nodded as he turned toward Ayase, who smiled knowingly.
"...Kirk… were naming him Kirk," Ayase breathed hard, leaning her head back. When Heath leaned beside her, he placed Kirk in Ayase's arms. Cradling her son lovingly, Ayase nudged her nose against Kirk's and smiled. "Hey there, sweetie. I'm your mommy, Kirk."
"And daddy is right here," Heath added, leaning his head over Kirk. After kissing one another, the couple gazed over their newborn.
Heath and Ayase finally honored the late Hanazawa Ayase's legacy and found the peaceful life they deserved in a rebuilt Japan.
Not long after Ayase gave birth to Kirk, Shu and Inori got married in the same church, resulting in Akiko catching the wedding bouquet to make up for the last time. Needless to say, this baffled Walter, who doubted her chances last time during Heath and Ayase's wedding.
Following their marriage, Shu, who started wearing scientist garb like his father Kurosu, and Inori have considered traveling the world, including Europe with Germany being their first destination, France, and the United Kingdom. On top of wearing a scientist garb, Shu looked ahead to follow in his father's footsteps to see what the future holds for him.
After announcing her pregnancy, Inori had a daughter named Hanae but not before experiencing her share of labor pain and her pained cries filling the emergency room. Hanae was named after flowers and blessings, which were derived from Inori's name.
After Hanae's birth, Shu and Inori introduced her to Heath, Ayase, and Kirk. Even as infants, Kirk and Hanae bonded, bringing the families even closer.
Additionally, Shu and Inori adopted Sougo the Fafnir rex. Having become domesticated by Shu and his family, Sougo was not just a guardian animal, but an adopted son. Once the theropod grows up, he will have a yet-to-be-established exhibit home in the aforementioned extinct zoo called Maketa Ōkoku, which will display the hybrid dinosaur.
At the same time, Akiko & Walter and Tsugumi & Daryl had thoughts of traveling to China. For Daryl, since his last name is of Chinese origin and his late mother was Chinese, he wanted to visit his home country. For Akiko, she and Heath recalled their dad's thoughts about Shanghai and wanted to see the country's conditions and compare them to Tokyo's pollution. And this was a good excuse for Akiko and Walter to get away from home.
July 4, 2045.
This date marked a special day for Shu and his friends. It was Hare's birthday and if she was still alive, she would've been delighted to be spending the day with her friends. However, with Hare gone, her friends amassed for a special reunion to celebrate her life and selfless sacrifice.
The group arrived in front of Hare's gravestone to pray and reminisce about their late friend. The first ones to arrive were Ayase, Heath, Kirk, Akiko, Walter, Yahiro, Souta, Kanon, Argo, Tsugumi, Daryl, Haruka, Kurachi, Yuko, Ito, Hitomi, Aneko, Yoshitsugu, Subaru, and a woman who accompanied Yoshitsugu. Fyu-Neru appeared with his robotic family. Ayase, Heath, Akiko, and Walter's captain was also present on his soldiers' behalf.
Much to their surprise Shu, Inori, and Hanae hadn't arrived yet.
"He and Inori aren't here yet," Tsugumi, wearing a dark brown dress with a long-sleeved maroon dress shirt underneath, muttered worryingly.
"Man, where's Shu? You'd think he'd be the first one here," Souta worried. Wind brushed against his short-sleeved white dress shirt, gray tie, and black dress pants
"He called and said he might be late, so…" Haruka added before they heard Shu calling out to them.
"Hey! Sorry, we're late, everyone! We're here!" Shu yelled out as the group turned and were relieved to see Shu with Inori and Hanae. Shu is seen garbed in a long-sleeved white dress shirt with a light brown vest over it and dark brown pants.
Accompanying Shu and carrying Hanae, Inori arrived wearing a long-sleeved bright red dress.
"We were beginning to worry you wouldn't make it!" Ayase, garbed in a bright red dress with dark red long sleeves, called out.
"Nah, no way Shu ever misses this day," Yahiro said, wearing his black business suit with a light blue dress shirt and light gray tie.
"It's an important day for us after all," Kanon concurred. She is seen wearing a dark blue dress.
"There's my favorite granddaughter," Haruka said as she approached Inori and gleamed over Hanae.
"We had to stop somewhere to buy flowers for Hare," Inori said. "Shu insisted on getting some."
"Is this everyone?" Shu asked the group.
"Yeah, all present and accounted for," Heath verified.
"Although there is someone new among us," Yoshitsugu addressed. "Everyone, this is my wife Anzhelika. She's a nurse from Ukraine," His wife, who is light-skinned with shoulder-length blonde hair, introduced herself.
"Or, call me Lika. Pleased to meet you," the Ukrainian kindly responded.
"I knew she and big bro Yoshi would hit off!" Subaru enthusiastically said.
"I told you not to call me Yoshi," he sighed.
"It's nice to meet you, Lika," Shu nodded. "What we're doing here is celebrating the life of someone precious to us." He then glanced toward the others. "All if not most of us were her best friends here."
"A few of us barely knew her but we heard kind things about her," Aneko added.
"But, for some of us, she was our dearest friend," Kanon said, standing in front of Hare's gravestone while holding a flower bouquet. "Right, hare? You're probably laughing and giving us your sweetest smiles now."
"Let's always keep Hare in our memories," Yahiro stated while holding Kanon's hand.
"Yeah, and the same can be said for Masaru. We also miss ya, big bro," Subaru sighed sadly but thought fondly of his late brother.
"Likewise, we miss him, too," Yoshitsugu said as he and Aneko embraced their young sibling.
Souta held back tears until his girlfriend Hitomi patted his shoulder.
"It's ok, Souta. Cry as much as you want," Hitomi said.
"We can cry and celebrate for Hare, Souta. It's why we're here," Shu replied.
"Thanks, guys. Oh. Hare, we all miss you," Souta nodded, letting tears swell from his eyes and fall like raindrops.
"She was the bravest one out of us all," Tsugumi said as she prayed.
"And she didn't see as much combat as some of us did. For her to sacrifice herself the way she did, she has all of my love and respect," Ayase muttered as she and Heath bowed their heads.
"Thank you, Hare. We love you," Akiko said in prayer.
After Kanon placed her flowers next to Hare's gravestone, Shu put his flowers down and touched Hare's gravestone. At that moment, he reflected on the happiest memories related to Hare.
"You helped change me as a person, Hare. For better and for worse, but I'd say things worked out better for me. I became a stronger person thanks to you," Shu muttered while tears fell from his eyes.
As Inori knelt beside Shu, she prayed for Hare.
"And guess what, Hare? I think you would've loved Hanae," Shu said as he introduced his daughter to his friend. "Rest easy. Thank you for everything and happy birthday, Tenjou Hare." With that, Shu and the others offered their prayer for Hare. Shu then placed a plate of strawberry and berry cake with two lit candles, and 'Happy Birthday Hare' and hearts inscribed in chocolate frosting in front of her gravestone.
On August 1, 2045, Shu and his friends reunited and explored the rebuilt Odaiba prefecture. Before GHQ's downfall, Odaiba and other surrounding prefectures were demolished when GHQ erected walls that tore through and reduced the old city into shambles. Once Japan's sovereignty was restored, plans were quickly enacted and the demolished prefectures were rebuilt.
Now having been rebuilt from the ground up, the redeveloped Odaiba was nearly finished. Shu and his colleagues decided to explore the areas they were once familiar with in a new light. They explored seven different areas and planned to visit the Maketa Ōkoku, the new preservation housing the once extinct Japanese animals now open to the public, later in the day.
The first place they visited was the Rainbow Bridge around nightfall before heading to Odaiba the next morning. The bridge had become nameless when GHQ and Ward 24 took over, but five years later, its name was restored.
Living up to its name, the Rainbow Bridge became illuminated by brilliant red, white, and green colors every night. Shu, Inori, Hanae, Heath, Ayase, Kirk, Akiko, Walter, Tsugumi, Daryl, Yuko, Ito, Yahiro, Kanon, Souta, Hitomi, Yoshitsugu, Anzhelika, Aneko, and Subaru amassed together as they admired the bridge from afar.
"Did you know the lights are like this because the bridge's lamps use solar energy it obtains during the day?" Kanon asked.
"I think everyone here knows that, Kanon," Yahiro remarked.
"It's beautiful though," Ayase admired the multi-colored lights illuminating the bridge. "Isn't the bridge pretty, Kirk?" She saw the infant asleep in his carriage.
"It's not as pretty as you are, Ayase," Heath said, kissing his wife's left cheek.
"Thanks, you're so kind, sweetie," Ayase responded kindly.
"We should take a group shot with the bridge in the backdrop behind us, Aya!" Tsugumi said as she got everyone together to take a group picture with the rainbow colors brightly illuminating the bridge.
"You should see how the bridge looks from a panorama view. It's very nice," Yuko said.
"Yeah, but a group picture with us and the bridge will be far more memorable. We'll look back on this day for years to come," Shu informed his friends as they concurred and anticipated making memories of their get-together.
By morning, the group headed straight for Palette Town, which the group remembered being a shopping mall and entertainment district. The area was rebuilt with a cleaner and pristine scenery. As they explored Palette Town, they spotted the 115-meter high Daikanrasha.
"Hey, Daryl, let's take a selfie right in front of the Daikanransha!" Tsugumi excitedly cried as she pulled Daryl forward to get them in a picture in front of the world's tallest Ferris wheel.
"I really don't see the big deal with taking a picture in front of this thing," Daryl scoffed. "I've seen it many times." After taking their selfie, Tsugumi tugged him at his right arm.
"Ah, but have you ever ridden it?"
"Well, I…"
"No, then? Then, let's go!"
"Hold on! I didn't say…!" But, Daryl was quickly pulled away by his hacker girlfriend, who showed him the way into the Daikanransha.
"Man, those two are something, aren't they?" Walter remarked.
"You want to go inside?" Akiko asked him.
"Hmm, it looks too high."
"C'mon, Wally! You mean to say you've been on the combat field for a long time and been in near-death experiences, but going inside a Ferris wheel is drawing the line?!"
"I… I… might have some fear of heights."
"Let's conquer those fears then," Akiko chuckled as convinced and walked Walter into riding the Daikanransha. "If you get scared, just hold my hand, Wally."
"Haha, I was being cute. I don't have acrophobia."
"I can't believe this was demolished not too long ago," Souta scanned the rebuilt complex.
"Tell me about it, Souta. It looks better than before and much cleaner," Hitomi added.
"I like it this way better, too. When I look out from my favorite sitting spot, my mind is at peace seeing Odaiba," Shu said, watching Inori showing Hanae the large Ferris wheel. "It's even better sharing that experience with Inori and Hanae."
As the group continued exploring the rebuilt Odaiba, they visited the reopened Mega Web, the local car theme park. They went to the Toyota City Showcase where the group saw vehicle displayers. Ayase and Heath showed Kirk various cars. Tsugumi, Daryl, Akiko, and Walter entered and played in some mini car driving. Yahiro, Kanon, Souta, Hitomi, Yuko, Ito, Yoshitsugu, Anzhelika, Aneko, and Subaru went to see a car show.
"I wonder if Kirk will be a sports car kind of guy when he grows up?" Heath wondered.
"Why? Because his daddy likes sports cars?" Ayase openly teased her husband.
"Well, they're nice to look at. It's not like I want one."
"Who knows? Then again, he might like race cars," Ayase said, lifting Kirk in the air while making overly goofy faces, eliciting giggles from the infant. "See? He agrees with his mommy! Race cars are much cooler."
"Because his mommy lives for speed," Heath scoffed as he then smiled at his wife and son, realizing he's now a loving father and husband.
"Where to now?" Ayase asked Heath.
After the car show, the group visited the Mori Building Digital Art Museum. Enamored by the digital art displays, Tsugumi showed Daryl around the exhibits. Shu, Inori, Heath, and Ayase took group pictures together with the exhibits. The group then entered darkened rooms as colorful neon lights spread over and covered the interior walls. They also witnessed a digital light show and art displays lit by colorful lights. They even witnessed multi-colored light bulbs and lanterns illuminating the darkened spaces.
"Aren't they pretty, Wally?" Akiko asked him.
"More like beautiful," Walter replied, finding himself entranced by the illuminating light show.
"Isn't it just pretty? I told you coming here would be worth it, Daryl!" Tsugumi said, admiring the bright colors beaming from the illuminating lights.
Giving a restful smile, Daryl nodded. "You know where to pick the best places."
After visiting the art museum, the group headed off to see the famous Fuji Television headquarters. They took one big group picture with the television station behind them.
"This building was one of the renowned places that had to be rebuilt," Yahiro remarked.
"It looks better than the old one," Kanon said while pointing out the television building's newer exterior.
After leaving the Fuji Television Station, the group visited Mirarikan, which was established by Japan's Science and Technology Agency. They were greeted by the museum's star attraction, Asimo the Honda robot, and explored the exhibits.
"Man, they really brought Asimo back!" Souta was taken aback by the modified museum robot.
"According to this statement, they ceased Asimo productions back in July 2018," Yuko scanned a display about Asimo's museum history.
"I'd say that's long enough for a comeback," Walter said.
"Hey, Wally! Check this out!" Akiko called out, waving her boyfriend over toward a giant data screen based on seismometers across their country. "This tells us all about the recent earthquake activity all over Japan."
"Huh."
"You don't sound impressed," Akiko scoffed as she pinched his arm.
"Ow, it's not that I'm unimpressed, but it's obvious what it is. See? It recorded that quake we had in Tokyo a couple of days ago."
As Ayase and Heath walked in front of a meteorite display, they spotted a concealed rock core.
"Read this, Heath. This is said to be a section of a rock from a meteorite."
"Not just any meteorite, but the one that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs."
"It was taken from the K-T boundary," Shu interjected as he and Inori approached them.
"What's the K-T boundary?" Ayase queried.
"That's short for the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary. It's the thin band of rock containing iridium that signifies the end of the Cretaceous and the end of the dinosaurs. At least, the original dinosaurs," Shu explained.
"Speaking of dinosaurs, don't forget we're all going to Maketa Ōkoku," Inori reminded her husband.
"Of course, it's going to be an exciting way to end the day. Haruka will be there to meet us."
"Right, we're looking forward to seeing this zoo," Heath genuinely smiled.
"Hey, there's the Geo-Cosmos we haven't seen yet. Come on," Ayase said as they headed straight for a high-resolution globe display, which offered real-time global weather patterns, and oceanic temperatures.
After leaving the Miraikan, the group visited and took a group picture in front of the Statue of Liberty replica.
"I feel like I'm back in New York," remarked Souta, recalling their overseas vacation.
"Now, I really want to go back there," Kanon added.
"Same. There were some places we completely missed out," Akiko concurred.
"Aw, well, Some of us can make our own trips there," Tsugumi nonchalantly said while holding Daryl's hand. "Right?"
"Yeah, but China first," Daryl said.
"Alright, what's our next stop?" Yuko asked Shu.
Afterward, the group arrived at Divercity Tokyo Plaza and explored the shopping mall area. A small group consisting of Akiko, Walter, Tsugumi, Daryl, Souta, Hitomi, Yahiro, and Kanon rode the hexaRide, a VR ride attraction. Yuko and Ito visited a music hall called Zepp Divercity. Akiko's group then met up with Shu, Inori, Ayase, Heath, and their kids in an amusement center called Round One, which offered bowling alleys, arcades, and karaoke.
"Hahah! Strike! Aya and I scored the highest points! Beat that!" Tsugumi boasted while striking a victory pose and high-fiving Ayase.
"You were doing pretty well until you weren't. Nice try for the first time teaming up, you two," Ayase said, trying to cheer up Heath and Daryl.
"That's because he held me back," Daryl scoffed.
"What?! Bullshit!" Heath growled.
"Now, now, bro. Let Wally and I show you how it's done," Akiko added as she and Walter tried their luck against Shu and Inori.
"These arcade machines are quite complicated," Ito remarked while trying to figure out his controls.
"Oh, that's the button to jump. It's pretty simple once you get it down," Yuko showed him through arcade control basics.
"I'll take on the winner!" Souta chimed in.
"And I'll just sit back and watch you play," Hitomi said, clapping for Souta.
Once the bowling match ended, Shu and Inori won their game.
"You almost had us, you two," Shu gave a sportsman handshake to Akiko and Walter.
"That was fun. So, is it zoo time?" Akiko asked.
"It sure is. Thankfully, it closes later tonight so we still have time," Shu stated.
"Well then, next stop Maketa Ōkoku," Ayase nodded.
Once the group had their fun at the Divercity Tokyo Plaza, they finally arrived at the last place to visit before sunset. They entered the front where Haruka greeted and escorted them into the prehistoric park. Located in the center of Odaiba, Maketa Ōkoku became the heart of the rebuilt Odaiba and where Ward 24 used to stand before being destroyed in the final battle. It recently opened to the public and housed strictly formerly extinct Japanese animals, which were created and cloned by scientists and former GHQ members.
"So, what does Maketa Ōkoku mean?" Heath asked Haruka.
"It translates to 'Lost Kingdom', and as you know we're standing on what used to be GHQ's lost kingdom," Haruka elaborated.
"I can't believe this is the ground where we fought against GHQ," Heath recalled the final battle five years ago.
"This zoo has added and combined modern and biological aspects. It's meant to be a perfect blend of the past and the future," Haruka went on "This zoo was specifically designed to house extinct Japanese wildlife."
"So, where are the dinosaurs?!" Hitomi called out.
"Easy now, Hitomi. You're being rude," Souta tried to calm his energetic girlfriend.
"Don't worry. You'll be seeing them, including our main star attraction Sougo," Haruka chuckled. "Shu, Inori, I'm glad you're here. And you, too, Hanae." After patting Hanae's head, she walked away. "Enjoy your visit, kids. I have to tend to Murphy."
"Thank you, Haruka," Shu waved off to her.
Outside of the entrance and an innovation center, Maketa Ōkoku has three-themed areas in the zoo. The center of the zoo that connects the three areas, including the entrance and innovation center, is Sougo's exhibit called Sougo's Kingdom.
The three other areas were identified: the Land of Behemoths, an area with all of the outdoor exhibits consisting of grasslands, prairies, and fields; Leviathan's Aquarium, which has both an indoor and outdoor aquarium; and the Jungles of Ziz, which makes up a massive biodome.
The three areas also have their own unique insignias to properly identify them.
The Land of Behemoths has a Behemoth character named Timaeus and has a tapir-like head and trunk as well as woolly rhinoceros horns on its forehead, white woolly rhinoceros body fur, and a Paraceratherium body structure. Timaeus has light gray skin under its body fur. Whenever guests get up close to Timaeus's insignia, Timaeus would let out low grunts and loud bellows.
The Leviathan character is named Critias and has a moray eel-like appearance as well as amalgamated features of an oarfish, anglerfish, and a sea serpent. Critias has a white and coral body, coral antenna fins, and an oarfish's back fins. As someone would approach Critias's insignia, Critias gave hiss-like snarls & bellows and watery gurgling snorts.
The Ziz character is named Hermocrates. Its head has a hoatzin's colored visage with the colors/head & head feathers combined with condor features. It has a tail resembling an Onagadori chicken's tail. Hermocrates's feathers are white and have an Argentavis body structure. When a guest walked up to Hermocrates's insignia, Hermocrates let out loud screeches and squawks.
The Land of Behemoths, Leviathan's Aquarium, and the Jungles of Ziz each consisted of 6 different species.
The Land of Behemoths comprised Kamuysaurus, Yamatosaurus, Albalophosaurus, Tambatitanis, Behemotops, and Palaeoloxodon naumanni.
Leviathan's Aquarium consisted of Futabasaurus, Japanese sea lions, Hokkaidornis, Ainoceras, Brygmophyseter, and Orcinus paleorca.
Jungles of Ziz comprised Hokkaido wolves, Honshū wolves, Paralitherizinosaurus, Toyotamaphimeia, Fukuipteryx, and Japanese river otters.
Being the park's biggest attraction, Sougo the Fafnir rex has his own independent and exclusive exhibit that connects the three main habitat areas. Sougo is also the only hybrid dinosaur on public display due to the high costs it takes to clone a hybrid animal.
Shu and his friends split up into smaller groups to get the most out of their Maketa Ōkoku experience.
Besides Sougo, Maketa Ōkoku and the rebuilt Odaiba had another popular attraction: a fictitious cute mascot magical cat girl named Fides, who is named after the goddess of trust and good faith from Roman mythology. Despite appearing humanoid, Fides has the DNA of Proailurus, the ancestor of all cats, and a Tsushima leopard cat, but she only has the ears and tail of the two cat species.
When Shu and his group noticed Fides, they saw a hologram of the yellow-and-brown haired Fides garbed in a light brown, dark brown spotted, and striped magical girl dress. She has a fair complexion.
"Greetings, guests and meowsters to Maketa Ōkoku! We hope you enjoy your stay! There's a lot to do here, so you shouldn't be bored!" Fides announced, spreading positive energy and levity to the guests with her upbeat personality. As she twirled around, Fides faced Shu and his friends. "Welcome, welcome!"
"Hello, so can you show us where we can go?" Shu asked her.
"Certainly! And my three friends here can help guide you!" Fides replied as three holograms of Timaeus, Critias, and Hermocrates appeared behind her. Hermocrates is seen in the middle, Timaeus on the right, and Critias on the left. "You'll want to take these routes and follow my three friends toward the three areas of your choosing."
As Fides showed them a digitized map of Maketa Ōkoku, they were shown the three designated areas. Timaeus's insignia appeared on the Land of Behemoths. Critias's insignia appeared in the area around Leviathan's Aquarium. Finally, Hermocrates's insignia verified the Jungles of Ziz.
"Does that help?" Fides queried.
"Yes, now we know where to go. Thank you," Shu replied.
"It's our pleasure. Enjoy your stay in Maketa Ōkoku!" Fides cheerily said as she greeted other guests.
"Did Haruka design that Fides character?" Ayase curiously asked Shu.
"Probably. Anyway, since we know where to go, let's choose which exhibits we want to visit," Shu said. And with that, the large group split up into smaller parties and scoured the zoo.
Within the Land of Behemoths, guests lined up and marveled at the giants on exhibit. The huge exhibit housed a herd of Kamuysaurus, a Japanese hadrosaur with green, dull yellow, and gray scales as well as neural spines inclined to the front of its back. The alpha male of the Kamuysaurus herd is named Chūai.
The same exhibit also has a herd of Yamatosaurus, another hadrosaur species with some having distinguishing orange scales with brown stripes on their backs and others having green scales and yellow stripes. The alpha female of this group is named Jingū.
Both groups of hadrosaurs let out deep low and loud hooting calls through the nasal sacs in their duck-like bills. Their calls were so distinct that some gave haunting and powerfully resonant cries.
A group of Albalophosaurus, a small and hornless ceratopsian species, are gathered in a group. Haruka is seen taking care of their side of the exhibit. She approached a fully grown Albalophosaurus and patted its beaked snout as a kind smile spread across her face.
"How are you feeling today, Murphy?" Haruka addressed the ceratopsian, which she has helped raise, and watched him grow since his hatching during the presentation she gave at Tennouzu High. Murphy responded with coos and high-pitched squawks. "I'm glad to hear, my old friend. Listen, Shu and his friends are coming to see you. So, be on your best behavior."
Murphy responded in kind with a squawk.
Within the same exhibit are also three Tambatitanis, a Japanese titanosaur species with a largely dark brown and gray scaled body. Named after the city of Tamba in Japan, these long-necked giants are seen roaming in the background. One male was seen with noticeable air sacs on his long neck. This one is named Kanmu, who lets out calm grunts and deep bellows. Their footsteps were equally as loud as they grazed through trees.
Ayase, Heath, and Kirk arrived to see the shared exhibit of the Kamuysaurus, Yamatosaurus, Albalophosaurus, and three Tambatitanis.
"It's amazing how quickly these things have grown. Based on what Haruka told us, they've only hatched during these past five years," Heath said with astonishment at the dinosaur growth spurts.
"They are clones. She did say their growth would be quicker than their natural counterparts," Ayase answered.
"Wow, you remembered all that?"
Ayase chuckled. "Not word for word, but Haruka made sure some of us knew what to explain." As she, Heath, and Kirk spotted Haruka inside the exhibit with Murphy, they waved to her.
"All of this is just surreal. They even went all out trying to match what their habitats might've looked like. To think we were fighting cloned dinosaurs sent to kill us not too long ago."
"And now we have our own dino-birds to ride. Pretty quaint, huh?" She winked.
"It sure is. Hey, Kirk, do you see the dinosaurs? They're big, aren't they?" Heath whispered to his son, who eyed them with curiosity.
"I think we might be raising a dinosaur connoisseur, but that's our son. And I love you both," Ayase laughed as she and Heath then quietly observed the dinosaur exhibit.
Dinosaurs weren't the only prehistoric animals on public display. Also in the Land of Behemoths, large prehistoric mammals were featured. One exhibit housed a group of Behemotops, large semi-aquatic hippo-like beasts with rough gray skin and elephant-like teeth and jaws. With no living relatives, they're from an extinct group called desmostylians. Named after the Biblical monster Behemoth, this animal is said to be the first of its kind and its fossils were found on Hokkaido Island. One of the scientists that helped realize the extinct zoo arrived to check in on the Behemotops.
Another Land of Behemoth exhibit housed four Palaeoloxodon naumanni, a species of straight-tusked gray-skinned elephants. Also known as Naumann's elephants, they're slightly smaller than Asian elephants. After caring for Murphy, Haruka checked in with the four Japanese elephants and massaged them with hose water.
"There, there, I've got you, guys," Haruka kindly whispered to the Naumann's elephants. They responded with low grunts and one gave an excited trumpet-like roar.
At the Leviathan's Aquarium, the crowds were in awe at the variety of the six different marine species. The most popular of the marine animals is the Futabasaurus, a plesiosaur whose fossils were discovered in Fukushima. One outdoor exhibit housed four Futabasaurus. Their eerie sirens and bellows were heard while swimming and diving underwater. One poked its head out to glimpse over the park's guests.
Elsewhere in the aquarium section, Souta and Hitomi visited the Japanese sea lion exhibit. Although not a prehistoric animal, the Japanese sea lion is one of the few recent species driven to extinction by overhunting and one of the first species to be successfully cloned. One outdoor exhibit housed a group of Japanese sea lions, which consisted of two dark gray males and three lighter gray females. One of them is named Kagerō.
"Aww, aren't they cute, Souta?" Hitomi said as she heard them bark-like howls. "They sound just like doggies do!"
"So, they're sea pups then," Souta chortled. "Say, Hitomi. I'm glad we're getting to spend time together."
"Me, too. I've had a lot of fun today," Souta said while holding Hitomi's hand.
"You think they'll let us feed the seals?"
"They're sea lions and I doubt they'll let us."
"But, they don't have manes?"
Souta half-chuckled. "They sure don't."
An indoor exhibit displayed a group of Hokkaidornis, a species of prehistoric flightless seabirds. Covered with black feathers, the marine birds resembled gannets with penguin-like features. This flock let out a chorus of squawks and high-pitched hoots.
Another indoor exhibit housed a group of Ainoceras, formerly extinct ammonite shellfish. Their shells are notably coiled. Guests watched them floating and swimming inside their aquatic exhibit.
Another indoor exhibit housed a pod of Brygmophyseter, a larger species of toothed whale also known as the biting sperm whale. Although related to the modern sperm whale, these large marine mammals had enamel-coated teeth in both jaws. They had 12 teeth in each jaw. They also have elongated snouts and broad, flat-topped brow ridges. They were seen swimming inside their aquarium exhibit as visitors marveled at their majestic sizes and high-pitched echos and clicks. One of the scientists who helped build the zoo came to observe the once-extinct sperm whale.
Another prehistoric whale species was housed in an outdoor exhibit. In this exhibit is a pod of Orcinus paleorca, a once-extinct orca species from the Pleistocene. They nearly resembled modern orcas and even made the same echoing sounds underwater.
In the Jungles of Ziz, guests came to see the six different formerly extinct species that represented the forests. The most popular animals in this biodome were the Hokkaido and Honshū wolf exhibits.
One exhibit housed a pack of Hokkaido wolves, a species of Japanese wolf that went extinct in the 20th century. This wolf species was one of two wolf species that once lived on the Japanese archipelago and was from the same family as the modern gray wolf. also linked to and revered by the Ainu culture. The Ainu viewed them as the deity Horkew Kamuy, 'the howling god', in which the first part of the name was given to the first successfully cloned Hokkaido wolf. And it was the very same cloned Hokkaido wolf adopted by Akane and Joaquin. One of these wolves is a male cub named Ame. When one of the adult wolves howled, Ame tried a howl but only managed to yelp and whine.
Another neighboring exhibit housed a pack of Honshū wolves. This wolf was once the last species of Pleistocene wolf, which survived into modern times until the early 20th century when it was exterminated due to policies enacted during the Meiji Restoration that involved poisoning and hunting the animals. Like the Hokkaido wolf, the Honshū wolf was one of the first modern species to be cloned and revived. One of these wolves is a female cub named Yuki. They also made similar wolf sounds as the Hokkaido wolves.
Upon arriving to visit the wolves, Akiko and Walter were taken in by the wolves' beautiful howls and appearances. Akiko became adored by Ame and Yuki.
"Oh my god, they're so cute! I wish I could just hold them!" Akiko squealed delightfully.
"They might bite."
"They're not rabid, Wally. They'd make sure of that."
"But, their families might not like you picking them up."
When Akiko approached the Hokkaido wolf exhibit, she placed her hand on the glass between her and Ame. She saw Ame reach out and put his tiny paw on the glass.
"He acknowledged me! See?! What do you think of that, Wally?!" Akiko openly boasted. She then saw Walter doing the same with Yuki. "Hey, quit copying me, Wally."
"You can't have all the fun, Akiko."
"It's amazing how they not only revived wolves but the dinos, too. I mean, dinos had their chance and died out because of some space rock, but these wolves were killed off by people. The wolves were dealt a bigger unfair hand if you ask me."
"As opposed to that giant space rock?"
"Yeah, because these wolves could still be around if not for stupid greedy people. Plus, these guys remind me of Horkew. I wonder how Horkew is holding up."
"I'm sure Akane and her husband are taking good care of him, Akiko."
"Anyway, I'm just glad these beautiful animals are being given a second chance and hopefully people can respect them more," Akiko stated.
"You and me both, Akiko," Walter said as he and Akiko held each other's hands and kissed.
Elsewhere in the Jungles of Ziz, one exhibit housed a group of Paralitherizinosaurus, tall, bipedal therizinosaurs covered with cinnamon-brown feathers and a white feathered underbelly. Adorning its head is a black slightly feathered crown with two white ornamental plumes going down the back of its neck. It also sported long limbs armed with three long, sharp claws used to tear the bark off trees. One of them is a male named Aosagibi, which is named from Japanese folklore about a black-crowned night heron that turned into a yokai.
Listening to their audibly loud grunts and snorts, Yahiro and Kanon witnessed and became astonished by the Paralitherizinosaurus.
"Wow, look at the claws on those things. I wouldn't want to get caught between them!" Kanon shuddered at the therizinosaurs' sharp claws.
"Me either, but don't worry we'll be fine," Yahiro said.
"It's amazing how Haruka and her team managed to revive these things. It's surreal. It shouldn't have been possible in our lifetime."
"This wouldn't have happened with GHQ's technology. That's one of the few good things they brought to the world: their innovative technology. Thankfully, it's being put into good use for medical research and scientific breakthroughs. If GHQ hadn't been so greedy and there weren't horrible side effects, my brother Jun would have still been alive and here with…"
Kanon hugged Yahiro. "I know. It's ok to remember and cry."
He smiled and hugged her back. "Thanks, Kanon."
In another area, one exhibit housed a group of Toyotamaphimeia, giant gharial-like crocodiles from the Pleistocene, and seen resting near a manmade lake and a flowing river. Most of them had 1-meter long heads and a total length of 7.7 meters long. They made various crocodilian sounds, including growling and hissing. One of the females is named Toyotama-hime.
In a different section of the biodome, one aviary housed a flock of Fukuipteryx, pigeon-sized feathered dinosaurs. These had the features of a modern bird, including the lack of a long tail, but maintained some non-avian dinosaur features. One of the Fukuipteryx is an alpha male named Nigel. The Fukuipteryx each have distinguishing colored feathers, making up a variety of alluring colors that captivated visitors. The Fukuipteryx made distinct vocalizations, including chirps and low crackles, that weren't much different than a bird.
Most of the Fukuipteryx have gray-like black body feathers except on the wings and tail. Some of their crowns have a shining green iridescent. Their rump has more beautiful amethyst and turquoise when reflected by light. Their wings have dark turquoise green fused with deep blue. Their upper tails appeared to have bright green colors. Fringed from their breast to their belly are deep green and violet iridescent. There were even a few with mostly dark green heads, light brown saturated with olive green and black feathers covering the rump, and violet suffused with black tail feathers. There were two with mostly sky blue body feathers, turquoise green suffused with black wing and tail feathers, and bright amethyst rump feathers.
The French scientist from Eastern France, who assisted with Haruka's conference five years ago in Tennouzu High, checked in on the Fukuipteryx aviary. He identified Nigel, who was one of the Fukuipteryx with the amethyst and turquoise rump and green iridescent crowns. He fed Nigel some meal worms and seeds.
Another exhibit housed a group of Japanese river otters. Appearance-wise, they weren't much different than other living river otters and have thick, lush dark brown fur and webbed feet. One of them is named Kawauso, which was named after its Japanese name and based on folklore where otters were depicted as tricksters like foxes and tanuki.
Standing close to one another, Tsugumi and Daryl observed the river otters. As Tsugumi gleaned over the river otters, she seized Daryl's arm in a vice grip.
"I want one!"
"You want an otter?"
"Yes, because they're so cute and precious! How about we take Kawauso?"
"No way. These are wild animals, Tsugumi. How would you even take care of it?"
"Using my research skills."
Daryl scoffed. "They're not going to let you take the otter with us."
"No fair. Oh well, just a selfie with them will do. This is going into our memory files!" Tsugumi said as she took a selfie with Daryl with the otters in the background.
As the main attraction and ruler of Maketa Ōkoku, Sougo the Fafnir rex was given his own enclosure that has a forest, a small canyon, and a lake as a cumulative tribute to the three main areas of the zoo.
Shu, Inori, and Hanae came to see Sougo. Upon seeing Sougo, Shu placed his hands on the glass as his smile broadened. He heard a loud bellow coming from the main attraction, which had visitors taking pictures of Sougo.
"I can't believe it's really you, Sougo. You've become such a big boy since I last saw you," Shu keenly watched the fully grown Fafnir rex, whose colors differentiated from the original Fafnir rex and Cain's dark gray, white, and olive green colors, and Abel's pale-scaled colors. Sougo has a maroon underbelly, light gray stripes, and a garnet-scaled body. Sougo's lips fully cover his teeth much like a real T. rex, alongside having the head and body structure of a real T. rex. His T. rex hands are non-pronated.
Shaking his head, Sougo let out a bellow-like snarl and methodically paced across his kingdom.
As Shu and the visitors watched him roaming his land domain, they also witnessed Sougo swimming in the water and using his hind legs to swim across his lake. Then, the crowd, including Shu, Inori, and Hanae, witnessed Sougo using his tadpole-like tail to swim proficiently and quickly across the lake. After swimming and getting on land, Sougo walked on top of the small canyon. Rearing his head forward, Sougo let out a loud bellow-like roar.
The reason Sougo became Maketa Ōkoku's main attraction was due to the Siegceratops concept being scrapped by scientists. The park required only one hybrid dinosaur for public display. Once Sougo's growth accelerated, he met all the quotas required to be Maketa Ōkoku's only hybrid dinosaur attraction. Moreover, it would've been too costly and complicated to handle balancing costs to handle and maintain two hybrid dinosaurs in this extinct zoo.
"That's my Sougo. The king of Maketa Ōkoku," Shu proudly smiled over his favorite dinosaur.
"Remind me. Is it true you first named him Sougo?"
"I did when he first hatched. So, I'm like his dad."
Inori smiled and nodded. "I like it. Now, you have two kids to be proud of."
"Yeah, but Hanae will always be our angel," Shu said, kissing Hanae's forehead. He then received a text message from Ayase. "Ayase's asking if we're going anywhere else after this?"
"It's up to you. Do you want to go somewhere else?"
"Yeah, but how about just the three of us? It's nothing personal against the others but let's end this day with just us," Shu suggested.
"If that's what you want."
With that, Shu, Inori, and Hanae left Sougo's exhibit. On their way out, they spotted an illustration of the ceratopsian hybrid as a wall decoration. It was the Siegceratops initially planned to be the park's animal ambassador, who was to be named Kouta. Another illustration depicted Sougo and Kouta in a fierce and competitive stand-off. On a wall, a fictitious history of their rivalry was written next to the illustration.
"Farewell, Sougo. Take care," Shu said as he departed with his wife and child.
After exploring the three areas and seeing most of the attractions, several of Shu's friends visited the innovation center that displayed holograms of various extinct animals through a holoscape device, which produced the holograms of these aforementioned creatures.
Ayase, Heath, Kirk, Akiko, Walter, Tsugumi, Daryl, Souta, Hitomi, Yahiro, Kanon, Yuko, Ito, Aneko, Yoshitsugu, Anzhelika, and Subaru were taken aback by the animal holograms.
Out of the ones Ayase, Heath, Kirk, Akiko, Walter, Souta, Hitomi, Yahiro, and Kanon saw included a small reddish-brown Juratyrant tyrannosaur, a light brown red sail-backed sphenacodon synapsid named Ctenospondylus, an ash gray-scaled moderate-necked Ledumahadi sauropod, a tiny membrane-winged bat-like dinosaur named Yi qi, a marine predatory arthropod with two frontal appendages named Amplectobelua, a large winged mantis-like Gigatitan, a horned archosaur named Shringasaurus, and a saber-toothed Xenosmilus cat.
Tsugumi, Daryl, Yuko, Ito, Aneko, Yoshitsugu, Anzhelika, and Subaru interacted with holograms of a small brown-feathered coelurosaur theropod named Tanycolagreus, a stegosaur with long and narrow spikes named Adratiklit, a horned giraffe-like Sivatherium, a small elephant shrew-like Leptictidium, a pale gray-skinned dolphin-like whale with a swordfish-like nose named Eurhinodelphis, a massive Ursus maritimus tyrannus polar bear, a ground hornhill named Bucorvus brailloni, and a giant gray-furred, dark-faced lemur named Archaeoindris.
During the interactions with the holograms, Ayase and Heath saw a random tourist interacting with the Ursus maritimus tyrannus hologram. The tourist is a young girl roughly 10-13 years old, who is half-Japanese and part-Inuit. She is seen wearing an arctic blue t-shirt of a woolly Pachyrhinosaurus and Nanuqsaurus fighting.
After finishing up their interactions with the holograms, the group headed into the gift shop. They saw zoo shop accessories, including some noticeable calendars, which showed extinct animals matching the Western Zodiacs.
"Yo, check these out! They have them based on the Zodiacs!" Souta exuberantly pointed out.
"So, cool! We should get a few!" Hitomi nodded.
"You want one, Yuko?" Ito queried.
"I'll take them all. One of each," Yuko bluntly said.
Representing Aries is a recently extinct sheep breed called Tautersheep. An armored teal jawless Pteraspis fish represents Pisces. A frontal, binocular-eyed goat-like antelope named Myotragus represents Capricorn. Representing Gemini were two marine reptiles: a blue ichthyosaur relative named Eretmorhipis & a sea green-scaled placodont named Atopodentatus. An extinct black horse breed called the Old English Black represents Sagittarius. Representing Leo is the recently extinct dark-maned Barbary lion. Representing Scorpio is a pale clay Carboniferous scorpion named Pulmonoscorpius. An extinct brown horseshoe crab named Mesolimulus represents Cancer. An extinct shoebill-like bird named Goliathia represents Libra. A taupe-skinned Steller's sea cow represents Aquarius. Representing the Taurus is a black-furred extinct cattle named auroch. A herbivorous beast with a unique T-shaped protrusion from its crown named Xenokeryx represents Virgo. Ophiuchus is represented by an extinct giant Australian olive green snake named Yurlunggur.
The group scoured the shop for other souvenirs and shop accessories, which consisted of but were not limited to green t-shirts with an iguanodont named a dark green Iguanacolossus in the middle. There were kites shaped like the Aquilolamna sharks, which already have arms like gliders, and caps shaped like the head of a Palaelodus flamingo. The group also spotted hoodies with their hoods shaped like heads and upper mouths of an Archosaurus. The ladies glanced over pretty yellow earrings shaped Hippocampus slovenicus seahorses.
"I can't believe they've got nice-looking earrings this cheap! That's practically a steal!" Tsugumi picked out an earring pair. "Hey, you want to buy me one, Daryl sweetie?"
Daryl shrugged. "Sure, they'll look on you I suppose."
"Yay! How do these look on me, Aya?"
"They look nice and cute on you," Ayase complimented on her new earrings.
"And they're even cheaper since we've been grandfathered with memberships thanks to Haruka's connections," Walter elaborated.
"Lucky us, huh?" Akiko said, putting on a flamingo cap on Walter's head. "Smile, Wally!" She snapped an embarrassing photo of Walter wearing the flamingo cap.
Hanging on a wall is an artwork of Shinjuku Gyo-en National Garden filled with people and two extinct Japanese animals. One depicted the Ryukyu dwarf deer, once endemic to the Ryukyu Islands. The other depicted the Ryukyu wood pigeon, known for once being endemic to the Laurel forests on the Okinawan archipelago.
While scouring through the shop, something caught Ayase's eye when she passed by an extinct-themed 3D jigsaw puzzle. With a closer inspection, she recognized the Australian landscape on the cover, instantly bringing back memories of her time spent in Australia with her late mother. The Australian landscape cover featured several extinct species with their names, including a long-necked titanosaur named Australotitan, a spear-mouthed pterosaur named Thapunngaka shawi, the giant kangaroo Procoptodon, the massive wombat-like marsupial Diprotodon, the yellow-furred and black-striped Tasmanian tiger, and a giant koala.
"Hey, you think Kirk would like this, Heath?" Ayase asked her husband.
"Hmm, maybe. He's too young for that now but I think he'll be interested in playing with this in a few years," Heath said. "You want the puzzle because it symbolizes something meaningful to you?"
Nodding, Ayase walked over to the clerk and purchased the puzzle. "It reminds me of when mom was still alive. I'd want Kirk to know about his grandma."
"Yeah, I get it. That's good."
"I'm ready to go," Ayase said.
"Hey, Aya. Are you heading out?" Tsugumi approached Ayase while playing with and making goofy faces at Kirk.
"We're just going to be outside the shop. We're not leaving yet."
Tsugumi noticed the puzzle and smiled. "Is that for Kirk?"
"Yeah, when he gets older."
"I see. Hey, you take care now, little Kirk. I hope you'll see your auntie Tsugumi sometime," the former hacker patted the child's head.
As Ayase, Heath, and Kirk walked out of the building, they found a resting spot and sat under a tree's shading. Akiko and Walter joined them as soon as they left the shop.
"I'm pooped to move," Heath deeply exhaled.
"Make sure and stay hydrated, old man," Ayase teased and handed him a water bottle. Just then, she heard her cell phone ring once and she glanced over Shu's text to her. "Oh, Shu, Inori, and Hanae are heading out."
"Wait, they're leaving on their own?" Heath asked.
"That's what Shu texted me. I understand wanting alone time with family. We should do the same," Ayase suggested as she cradled Kirk to sleep.
"Yeah, I guess you're right."
"If you three need alone time, then Wally and I can keep looking around the park," Akiko said. "We still haven't seen Sougo!"
"Very well, let's go see the big guy," Walter nodded.
As he sat down next to Ayase and Kirk, Heath let out a deep breath.
"What a day."
"Yeah, but I had a fun time and it was even better being with you and Kirk," Ayase added as she and Heath kissed.
After a long day spent with their friends exploring the rebuilt Odaiba and Maketa Ōkoku, Shu, Inori, and Hanae went to Shu's favorite spot on a bench. The sunset painted a beautiful view of Odaiba for them to admire. As Shu and Inori sat on the bench, the latter picked Hanae out of her carriage and held their child. As Inori hummed one of her songs to Hanae, she and Shu watched the sunset and the rebuilt Tokyo, including a white rebuilt Tokyo Tower, which replaced the old one destroyed during Loop 7's exodus.
"It's beautiful, isn't it, Inori?" Shu asked, turning over to his wife, who briefly stopped humming and veered her red eyes toward him.
Gazing into his brown eyes, Inori genuinely smiled in response. "It is, but not as beautiful as our precious Hanae."
"You're right. Hanae is our precious light. I'm glad she'll grow up in a peaceful time," Shu leaned over and stroked his daughter's soft face.
"Me, too."
"And despite all we've been through and the people we've lost, it wasn't all for nothing. They gave their lives so we'd be here to see this peace and freedom. Let's never forget them and take this peace for granted. All we can do now is move forward to a new journey and watch our kids grow."
"Including our Hanae," Inori said.
"Even her, our blessed flower," Shu added as he and Inori leaned on each other with Hanae sleeping. The couple hummed one of Inori's songs together as a small wind blew pale pink petals above them.
A/N: And with that, Akane no Guilty Crown is done.
This was long for an epilogue but we wanted to get as much out of Ayase and Heath's story, including their marriage and their son's birth. Moreover, I wanted to give the other GC characters (i.e. Tsugumi, Souta, Yahiro, Kanon) dialogue and small bits since they were neglected in favor of Shu, Ayase, Inori, Heath, Akiko, Gai, Walter, Arisa, and Mana. This story was always going to focus on Ayase, Shu, Heath, Akiko, and Inori, but I wanted to throw a bone to the other characters for this final chapter and give Tsugumi more interactions with Ayase (including calling herself 'auntie Tsugumi' for Kirk and she's one of the final onscreen characters, too).
Moreover, the Persona 5 characters were guest characters and meant to help make stakes bigger than in GC's canon and they're one of the main reasons I truthfully agreed to write AnGC. If the P5 cast weren't involved in some way, I wouldn't have bothered writing this. So, to those taken aback or somehow bothered with the unexpected and slight crossover, sorry. Even with their involvement in this story, I never felt they never took away from Shu, Ayase, Heath, Akiko, and Inori's importance. For Heath and Akiko, I feel it enhanced them being related to a Persona 5 confidant and gave the Thieves incentive to help Funeral Parlor defeat GHQ and avenge their friends.
Hare's birthday celebration was bittersweet and showed us that her friends will always keep her in their memories.
The Maketa Ōkoku is the culmination of Haruka's vision to restore lost species and show that science when used right (and not for greed & warfare) can bring goodwill & community to humanity. Sougo as a mascot has shown that a monster like him can be seen as an ambassador instead of being engineered into a bio-weapon (like the original Fafnir rex and Cain & Abel). Life found a way to make itself better after a decade-long totalitarian power.
Interestingly, we're releasing this chapter right when dinosaur-related mediums such as Jurassic World: Dominion and Prehistoric Planet (the recent BBC series) have been out, but it was never intended that way. This chapter was supposed to be out in early May but was delayed and there's an explanation for that holdup.
For the record, pardon the month and a half long delay between the previous chapter and this one. I have to be frank about my health conditions since the last update. Shortly before and after the last AnGC update, I suffered a health scare in the middle of work one morning where I nearly fainted. I was fearing the worst. Thankfully no heart problems. Instead, I had endured a panic attack. This stemmed from the personal issues that greatly affected my anxiety. While I've dealt with stress and anxiety throughout most of my life, this greatly affected my mental health. That was roughly the same time I was writing a long outline that revealed spoilers for my final YuYuGiDigiMoon fanfic and wrote a long-ass commentary about it (which I posted in the Shin-YuYuGiDigiMoon story), which included me calling out and butting heads with someone. We've resolved our differences now and are on better terms, but the pushback did affect my mental health and I hate being on bad terms with people. Writing that outline/commentary exhausted me so much that it took its toll on me. On 4/30, these circumstances led to another panic attack (one worse than the other). I also work as a substitute in special needs classes, and I had overworked myself helping to manage classrooms. Then, I started having self-doubts and had no energy to write anything. Because of that, I took a mental break and delayed the final chapter until I was mentally and physically capable of writing again. During that time, I started drawing again (which I had been putting off for a long time in favor of writing) and relied on relaxation exercises & techniques for stress relief. My advice to anyone from the younger generation reading this story and A/N: don't try to take on too many responsibilities and overwork yourself if you're not capable. Understand your limits, develop self-care, and cut off any negative influences. Self-care will come a long way for your mental and physical health. It's ok to take breaks and cut off unhealthy stressors (be it people, things, and habits). It's not selfish to think about yourself under these circumstances. I'll be taking this advice to heart. And seeking a therapist is also a viable option if you need the help, and I speak from experience when I talked to therapists when I was younger. I also hope Allfather-Ford reads this and plans things better to work around my conditions so this never happens again, but I trust you will, my friend.
Through this experimental fanfic, I've delved into a full-on character studies arc that fleshes out Ayase, Heath, and Akiko's characters and backstories, and somehow ties the P5 characters, Hifumi, and Skyler to the aforementioned three. I've also implemented first-person POVs in some crucial flashbacks. Unlike Akane no Mai which helped me work with revisions/final drafts and Shin-YuYuGiDigiMoon which celebrated the legacy of my fanfic 'career' (if you can call it that honestly), Akane no Guilty Crown focused on the unknown and the future that is yet to come with my novel-writing career. AnGC has partly helped me find my writing voice. I've been treating this more like a manuscript for a Guilty Crown novel than a full-on AU fanfic. I feel like it'd be disingenuous to stop writing this fic since I feel like I owe Allfather-Ford this after all he's done for me.
All There in the Manual - Epilogue Chapter
-2045 marks the 100th anniversary of the end of World War II.
-Ouma Hanae is based on an OC daughter of Shu/Inori in GuiltyKingOumaShu's fanfics. Hanae is named with the Kanji of "flower" (Hana) and "blessing" (e).
-Kirk's name also means church. This connects him to being Hifumi's grandson and the legacy of Hifumi spending time in the Kanda church back in her teenage years.
-Maketa Ōkoku means Lost Kingdom in Japanese, looking back at the past real-life experiences of fanfictions, it's a loose tribute and full circle of when Kanius and Allfather-Ford did Guilty Crown: The Lost Kingdoms (a Guilty Crown, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, and YuYuGiDigiMoon/YYGDM-01 mega crossover AU retelling) (written before Jurassic World and Shinnen:New Year) with Allfather-Ford being the author and Kanius did co-write scenes back in 2014. That AU crossover fic (and being restricted by YYGDM-01's canon rules) had extinct animals/dinosaurs as spirit partners, and the difference here in the close to canon/stand-alone Akane no Guilty Crown (written post Shinnen:New Year and the Jurassic World trilogy (technically, AnGC was uploaded after Fallen Kingdom and before Dominion, but AnGC's completion is set after Dominion premiered)) finally allows real-life scientific accuracy of extinct animals/dinosaurs (including helping the hybrid designs).
-The Fukuipteryx's feather colors of each different appearance are based on the extinct Bonin wood pigeon.
-The Paralitherizinosaurus's feather colors are based on the extinct Bonin nankeen night heron.
-The name of Ayase/Heath/Akiko/Walter's captain is Reuben Dreymon. His first name is based on voice actor Reuben Langdon (who voices Dante himself), and the last name is based on actor Alexander Dreymon (alongside the captain's appearance/hair color/skin tone looks similar to him). His facial structure/motion capture is based on Dante's, and his hairstyle (but not facial hair/beard) is based on Maxmillian Howard (Astral Chain). It is revealed that in his younger years, Reuben attended PAX East back in 2022 where he cosplayed as Dante (Devil May Cry). Being the final cosplay revealed (and a bookend to Haruka and Kurachi's cosplays mentioned in Chapter VIII's All There in the Manual A/N as the first cosplays, followed by the photos of AnimeJapan, Shibuya Crossing's Halloween, and New York Comic Con), somewhat supports the series fauxnale's end with a jackpot bang. Why Dante was chosen such as his red attire, besides the Divine Comedy references of Guilty Crown: it relates to the red theme of 'Akane' (both Akane no Mai and Akane no Guilty Crown) and inspired many works since the first Devil May Cry's release back in 2001 (and had a 10th anniversary in 2011 when Guilty Crown premiered in that year). Shall Never Surrender indeed.
-In reflecting Shu & Inori (Akane no Guilty Crown)'s personality inspirations, they're inspired by Endo Arato & Lacia (Beatless).
-In reflecting on developments of the Jones siblings' character creations since their debut back in Chapter I:
–Heath's appearance and hairstyle are inspired by the Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation Dx2 male protagonist.
–Akiko's appearance and hairstyle are inspired by the Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation Dx2 female protagonist.
–Fictional character inspirations of Heath's personality are Yuito Sumeragi (Scarlet Nexus), Amano Yukiteru (Future Diary), Jack Darby (Transformers: Prime), and Taylor Travis (Pacific Rim: The Black).
–Fictional character inspirations of Akiko's personality are Dot (Animaniacs), Dot (A Bug's Life), Miko Nakadai (Transformers: Prime), and Hayley Travis (Pacific Rim: The Black).
-In looking back on Skyler (AnGC, Heath & Akiko's father)'s presence with him and his wife (Hifumi (AnGC, Heath & Akiko's mother)) seen in their son's wedding: Skyler (both AnGC and AnM)'s hairstyle and Caucasian skin tone is based on the Male Protagonist (Code Vein, canon default look), in case some readers (and new ones) visualize the appearance better when he first appeared in Chapter VIII. To remind that Skyler is an OC and not a self-insert. Hifumi (AnGC)'s involvement loosely relates to (and is independent of) her Akane no Mai version who is a main perspective female protagonist in that dimension, only that Hifumi (AnGC) is different (such as her eyes are sharper unlike her canon/AnM version retaining the same eye design) as a stern mother in a dystopian setting before reconciling with her daughter and the others. It's reflecting on why Akane no Mai (and Kanius's involvement in the Persona franchise and Code Vein overall, including its early drafts Persona Vein/Urban Legends)'s inspiration and legacy conceptualized Akane no Guilty Crown as an offshoot reality in the first place, from the relationship between Togo Hifumi and Skyler Jones in a Persona 5/Code Vein crossover (AnM) to their children involved in main roles in a Guilty Crown reboot (AnGC). With two families (Togo-Jones and Hanazawa-Shinomiya) come together with Heath and Ayase's marriage.
-Of some people reading Akane no Mai wondering about imagining what Hifumi/Skyler (AnM)'s children are like: their names, appearances, abilities, voices, birth dates, and personality/mannerisms are completely one-hundred percent different/separate from AnGC's offshoot reality versions as Guilty Crown OCs. These children (AnM) as imagined are better connected/faithful to the Persona franchise as proper authentic Persona OCs in the main series universe, and their Persona abilities (even a chance of having Persona's Ascendancy) are stronger than Heath/Akiko's Voids. While Heath/Akiko feel like western animation siblings, these AnM versions as imagined feel like actual Japanese/Persona characters.
Complete Animal Roster of Maketa Ōkoku:
Sougo's Kingdom:
Sougo the Fafnir rex
Land of Behemoths:
Kamuysaurus japonicus
Yamatosaurus izanagii
Albalophosaurus yamaguchiorum
Tambatitanis amicitiae
Behemotops katsuiei
Naumann's elephants (Palaeoloxodon naumanni)
Leviathan's Aquarium:
Futabasaurus suzukii
Japanese sea lions (Zalophus japonicus)
Hokkaidornis abashiriensis
Ainoceras kamuy
Brygmophyseter shigensis
Orcinus paleorca
Jungles of Ziz:
Hokkaido wolves (Canis lupus hattai)
Honshū wolves (Canis lupus hodophilax)
Paralitherizinosaurus japonicus
Toyotamaphimeia machikanensis
Fukuipteryx prima
Japanese river otters (Lutra nippon)
Now, if I were to assess my enjoyment of writing this story: I'd give it an 8 out of 10. As I largely enjoyed writing this fic and stayed committed to it, there were a few annoying nuisances through the writing process and resisting urges to quit due to real-life events. And for a while, I stopped reading reviews to help with my mental health and remain focused on writing. A few criticisms from readers did put me off from writing, especially for the chapters I put time and commitment to, but I didn't quit. I continued forward and used those critical marks to better myself and this story. Overall, my experience was challenging but also rewarding. This story has already spawned fanart and they've all been wonderful!
Yeah, it's over. Other than AnGC's Supplementary Material, which will be updated irregularly, this is it for AnGC. To those who've taken the time to read this story and leave reviews (and even those who might've dropped out and/or want to pick it back up later), thank you. Just because this story is over though, doesn't mean it won't be new to someone out there. Even as small as the GC community is, I know one will find this story. And Ford is committed to showing this story to a YouTuber and a few content creators.
With that, I'll take all the lessons from this story's drafting and writing process and apply them to my own published stories.
My closing statement? Simple, it was a pleasure writing this story and I can look back on it as an interesting experience. It was a nice distraction from what I'm used to writing (mega crossovers, superhero fiction, Digimon, Sailor Moon, and DBZ-style fics).
And with that, I'm done here. Hope you'll enjoy what we put together here while I'm off on my writing journey.
Later, readers.