Chapter 16
Chapter 16: Summer Holidays
Morgan yawned as she crawled out from under the bed she had shared with Ellen. After the delicious meal at the base, Ellen decided to drive them home for the night. It felt strange for Morgan to ride in a car, but she quickly got used to the seatbelt and the smooth ride. The journey had been incredible; she had been on a train before, but Milchidan’s transportation was centuries ahead of what she knew. The sleek skyscrapers, smooth plastered streets, and countless people with all sorts of intelligent devices still amazed her.
Ellen grumbled as she emerged from the blankets. "Are all shinobi this quick in the morning?" She stretched, her eyes half-closed, then grinned. "Today, I'll show you around before we pick up your custom device. It still needs a name, but it turned out well, didn’t it, Star Gazer?"
The star-shaped device floated up from Ellen’s nightgown, flashing brightly. "Yes, ma'am!"
After a stack of pancakes, Morgan held Ellen’s hand as they made their way into the bustling streets of Cranagan, Milchidan’s main city. Ellen was dressed casually while Morgan took in the sights, feeling a mix of excitement and wonder. At a lively intersection, Nanoha and Yuuno were waiting for them.
“Ellen, Morgan-chan! Good to see you both. Did you sleep well?” Nanoha greeted them warmly, wearing what Morgan would call a "mom outfit."
Morgan smiled. “Yes, I slept great… Oh?” Her gaze fell on a girl standing beside Nanoha. She looked to be around Morgan’s age, with blonde hair and intriguing heterochromatic eyes—one red and the other green.
The girl smiled back. “Nice to meet you! I’m Vivio Takamachi… Nanoha’s daughter.”
Morgan’s eyes widened in surprise. So, Nanoha has a daughter? She quickly bowed. “I’m Morgan LeFay Uzumaki.”
Vivio’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “My mom told me... so you’re a ninja? I mean, a ninja in training, but still! Can you show me some cool moves later? I’m not a ninja, but I do combat magic! I’m a martial arts athlete!”
“Maybe later; I’m not that strong or anything," Morgan replied shyly, looking away and blushing, already feeling the thrill of a sparring session with her new friend.
But first, Nanoha and Ellen had other plans. They took Morgan and Vivio shopping, then to a cinema, and finally to various sights around the city. Morgan could hardly keep up with the pace, and by the end of the day, her mind felt like it might explode from all the excitement. When it was finally time to pick up her device, she was practically buzzing with anticipation.
On the sleek train ride to the device lab, Morgan gazed in awe at the city zipping past outside. Vivio noticed her expression and leaned over. “Do you have trains on your planet?”
Morgan nodded, her eyes still glued to the scenery. “Yes, but we only have a few, and they run on coal, not electricity like yours. We use electricity for our homes and other things, but not for trains… and we don’t have planes either.” She glanced up at a large, bird-shaped aircraft gliding through the sky. “We just have regular birds in the sky!”
Vivio’s eyes widened. “Wow, so it’s a lot different. I’d love to visit your planet someday!”
Morgan smiled back. “I’d love to show you around Konoha. Right now, though, it’s not safe; my planet is still in its war era, and if you visit, you’ll need to come with a disguise….”
“Aw…” Vivio looked down sadly.
“But we can find a way to visit you,” Ellen chimed in, trying to cheer her up.
As the train continued its smooth journey, Morgan and Vivio chatted animatedly. Ellen and Nanoha exchanged glances, glad that they had managed to get Morgan a friend. Upon arriving at a lab-like area, they walked in. After a brief conversation with the receptionist, Morgan held Vivio’s hand as they were greeted by a cheerful lady.
"Oh, so you’re the recipient of our half-year-long creation! Nice to meet you, Morgan LeFay. My name is Shario Finieono, and I’m a Device Meister. I create intelligent devices. Both Ellen and Nanoha asked me to craft one for you." She gestured to a metallic slab featuring a tiny sword with a purple blue crystal shaped like Star Gazer in the middle, floating inside a glass sphere atop the slab woth wings on the side.
“It’s my device?” Morgan asked, her eyes wide. Ellen had promised to get her a custom one, but this still came as a surprise. She had never received a present like this before; both Minato and Kushina had always dismissed her desires for such things. This was the first present in her life. Well, she had received stuffed animals and toys, but that stopped when Kushina and Minato focused on her elder twin siblings.
Removing the barrier, Shario smiled. "It’s time for you to give it a name. Want to set it up?"
Nodding, Morgan looked at the tiny sword as it floated toward her. "I’ve been thinking very hard. The full name would be..."
The device blinked, clacking and tinkering as if it were waiting to be named. "The full name will be Avalon Stargate..." it chimed, settling into Morgan’s hand as she felt its energy vibrating.
She noticed Ellen sniffing emotionally, and Nanoha and Ellen shared a look. It seemed Morgan had taken some inspiration from her and her partner, Star Gazer.
“Avalon Stargate set up!” she exclaimed.
"Yes, my lady, Stand By Ready!" came a strong female voice from her device.
Magical energy enveloped her as she transformed. When the light vanished, she looked down at her barrier jacket. It resembled a blend of mage knight and shinobi attire, and her hair had been tied up in a ponytail. The base of her barrier jacket was a navy blue qipao-style dress with silver armor across her body and a black belt. Underneath, she wore a black tracksuit. Her shoulders were armored, and her hands and feet were reinforced as well. Her gloves were dark blue and black, and her feet were protected by heavy armor boots that reached her knees, adorned with small cylindrical slots designed for cartridges on her hands and boots, just like those she’d seen on Ellen’s and Nanoha’s devices. On her palms were crystals shaped like stars, and on the tops of her boots was an additional pair of dyar crystals. She also wore a helmet-like piece on her head with a dark blue visor concealing her purple eyes which displayed information only visible to her. Running her hand over her shoulder guard, she felt its faint hum as Avalon Stargate glowed brightly in her grasp, transforming into a sword-staff with an elegant crystal at the hilt. "Combat ready. I am ready to serve, my Master!" its voice announced.
Shario clapped her hands, beaming with pride. “A perfect match! It took us months, but we crafted Avalon Stargate to be something truly unique. It’s optimized for both your magical and ninja abilities, Morgan. It comes with various modes: stealth mode, hand-to-hand combat mode, weapon mode, ninjutsu mode, spell mode—heck, even sniping mode! It also has a helmet mode, just like you requested, and many more. It still is empty inside, as you still need to input your data, but it has basic functions like connection to other devices. It can snap pictures, connect you to our mage internet INCORE, and also access the e-book library of the Infinite Library. Heck, it even connects to Milchidan's TV satellites and radio so you can keep in touch.” She tilted her head, studying Morgan as her long brown hair swayed proudly. “How does it feel?”
Morgan looked down at her armored hands and flexed them. She took a stance and punched the air; the shockwave made the hair of all the people in the room flutter, and a warm sense of belonging swelled within her. “Amazing. It feels… like it’s a part of me.” She turned to Ellen and Nanoha, who looked on with teary-eyed smiles. “Thank you, everyone. I… I never thought I’d have something this special.”
Vivio’s eyes sparkled as she stepped forward, reaching out to touch Avalon’s shimmering blade-staff. “It’s so cool! You look amazing, Morgan!” She beamed up at her new friend, her intelligent device in a tiny rabbit costume winking at her. Though it couldn’t talk, it was just as intelligent.
The rest of the day was spent optimizing and testing her device. The two adults and her new friend Vivio treated her to a nice restaurant before having a sleepover at Nanoha’s house. After all, she needed to train with her device, and they wanted to take her on a surprise trip to a nearby planet called Carnaaji, privately owned by a friend of theirs, where they protected endangered animal species and plants.