100% of our power

The four of us followed Higgs into the kitchen, where the other three cats were all sat on the table. Upon seeing us enter, Electron and Charm jumped down and joined Higgs.

“Higgs? Might I ask what this is about?” said Ryou.

Higgs looked once at Electron on their left, then once at Charm on their right. They nodded to both and then began speaking.

“My ladies, there is something I must admit. We four have been hiding something from you,” they said, lowering their head in a sort of bow. “Forgive us, but we did not feel you were yet ready to know. Until now.”

“The bond of guide and magical girl is a sort of… contract, in a way,” said Charm, slowly trotting her way towards Nabiki. “We, the guides, have great power, but cannot engage in combat. So, we lend a small part of our power to you, and you use it in ways we never could.

“But there's anither layer we’ve ne’er telt ye aboot,” said Electron, himself stepping in front of Fujiko. “A further kin o pouer reserved onie for thae we’re sure are ready for it.”

“But there’s a cost. Or, more of a commitment,” said Time, still standing up on the table. “One that you might not like.”

The four of us looked between each other in confusion. This crypticness wasn’t exactly characteristic of any of them. Other than maybe Higgs.

“Rare for you lot to beat around the bush, innit?” said Fuji. “Come on, out with it. What you tryna say?”

There was a moment of silence before anyone continued. It was Higgs that took the lead.

“Each of you have some sort of limitation to your powers, born out of the limited magic we lend to you. This is why Ryou cannot direct her movement when intangible, Ms Denka has limits to the energy she can control, Ms Tokiko’s precognitions are somewhat random, and Ms Aino must maintain eye contact to control a foe. There is but one way to lift these limits: you would need 100% of our power.”

I raised my eyebrow, not entirely certain what they were getting at. But Ryou seemed to be far more in tune with her guide.

“…you magical guides, your magic is a part of your very existence, yes? So to give us all of your power…”

“We would need to give you our whole existence, yes. A merger of sorts.”

All four of us stiffened. Now the indirectness made sense. They weren’t suggesting a power-up. They were suggesting a dual existence.

“To be clear, hon, your thoughts and feelings would be totally your own,” said Charm. “We’d exist inside your heart, not your head. The only influence we’d have over you would be the power you receive.”

“But you’d be gone,” said Nabiki.

The silence was heavy. We knew exactly what it would imply. A tradeoff: gain incredible power, lose the one who gave it to you.

“We would still exist to some extent as part of you. As Ryou said, we and our powers are inseparable,” explained Higgs.

“Yet, you would be intangible. Impossible to interact with in any conceivable way, no?” countered Ryou.

“Yes, that is the case. But we would not be dead, nor unconscious. A passenger in your body, there to give you the strength you need. A benefit to you, no?”

“I cannot accept that.”

Ryou stood completely defiant. Neither she nor Higgs were particularly expressive with emotions, but I knew how deeply she valued Higgs’ guidance. I was hardly surprised she’d object to such a heavy tradeoff.

“You must understand, without access to the full extent of our powers your odds of survival are severely limited.”

“They are limited as is. What point has survival if we are to leave behind the things close to us?”

“Do you forget, my lady, that you have a mission? One you’ve staked your very life on?”

“A future I had wished to see with you.”

“A future that you have dedicated yourself to. With or without me.”

Ryou and Higgs both seemed completely unwilling to move their stance. There was logic to what both of them said, but I had a feeling the logical angle wasn’t what really mattered here. Higgs wanted Ryou to have the best chance of survival. Ryou wanted Higgs to stay at her side. It was an impasse of emotion.

One that was broken by a third party.

“...I’ll do it,” said Fujiko, crouching down and reaching her hand out to Electron.

“Ms Denka?” said Ryou, “surely you realise-”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. I’ve been with Electron for, what, six years now? And despite being a cocky bastard, he’s never led me wrong, always reined me in when I needed it. And o’ course, for that, I wanna keep him around. But I ain’t need it anymore. I need power. The power to see this through to the very end. If the cost of that power is that my best mate is gonna have to disappear for a bit, well… guess I can pay that cost.”

Electron nodded his head and stepped towards Fujiko.

“Aye, good lass. A’ways kent ye had yer heid screwed on richt.” He reached out his paw and took her hand. For a moment, the two of them were bathed in a yellow glow, and the next, Electron was gone.

“...I’ll do it too.”

“Ms Aino? You as well?” Ryou’s usually unwavering voice was tinged with surprise.

“Of course, to not have Charm at my side will pain my heart greatly. She has taken great care of me these years we’ve been together. But our previous fight demonstrated that I remain a liability at times, and I cannot afford to hold anyone back. If I can throw away my limitations, I must do so. For the dream we share.”

“I’ll be with you all the way, darling.”

Nabiki, too, took her guide's paw in hand, and Charm disappeared just as Electron did.

The three of us turned our attention to Ryou, who seemed to be struggling for words. A first for her.

“...Higgs, is this truly what you want?”

“My lady, you and I have worked together for five long years. In that time I have seen you evolve from a rash brawler with no sense of danger to the finest strategist and soldier I have ever known. And I have pushed you further along that path when you’ve needed it. No longer do you need it. You have surpassed my usefulness as a guide. This simply is the final favour I can do for you.”

Ryou stood in silence for several moments. I had learned to read small signs of emotion in her rarely-changing face, but she was cycling through them so quickly that I could call her nothing other than “conflicted.”

Finally, she knelt down and extended her hand.

“Your judgement has been my most reliable weapon these five years. If this is what you believe is best, I will put my trust in it one final time.”

“That, my lady, is all I could truly ask.”

Ryou took Higgs’ paw in hand, and just like that, Higgs was gone too.

Which only left…

“Toki…”

“I know, Time.” Time remained stood on the kitchen table, where I approached and petted her head. “You still need to take on your brother, face to face. I can face Aki as I am now.”

“...thank you…” she closed her eyes and nuzzled her head into my hand. I felt somewhat guilty that I was the only one of the four of us to keep my guide with me, but I also knew it would make the upcoming challenge the hardest one I had ever faced.

But this was it. The final gambit. Our full power against theirs.

We were ready.