Operation Revolution - ARMS

Corner of a noodle house

Sneaking in the back door, Min Min was relieved to see her family's restaurant filled with noisy people. Firstly, it meant their business was doing well, secondly, it meant she could talk with her past self while her parents and other employees were distracted by customers.

"Hey," came a quiet voice to her left. It was her.

Min Min took off her coat and hung it under the one her past self had before crouching down a little to the small, well hidden corner of the restaurant, perfect for two people.

"My memories are changing," she said, after sitting down, "I remember this now."

"Of course you do," she replied with a light serene smile.

"Does Mother and Father know I've returned?"

"No, as far as they're concerned, I'm their only daughter in this timeline."

They sat in silence for around twenty seconds, looking around. The feeling of actually experiencing your memories forming was very surreal.

"You ever thought," Min Min turned to her past self, initiating the conversation, "that you'd hate Ninjara to the day he dies?"

Min Min jerked her head back to the question, her face creasing.

"I'm not sure. Why?"

"Because I'm telling you," she replied, face gradually falling, "that if this timeline wasn't altered, that's exactly what you would do."

"What?"

"I was wrong. I was a stupid, immature child. I thought he sabotaged our bet at Spring Stadium for me to embarrass myself at the bar, but he didn't. I hated him then, of course, and I wanted revenge, so I didn't cherish my time with him. And, before I knew it..."

Min Min could feel tears coming to her eyes. She couldn't say the words or she'd actually start crying and draw attention.

Min Min's eyes continued locking on her future self, slightly surprised. She had never thought of herself as the emotional kind, but she seemed like she'd been holding onto them for a long time. She'd never been good at communicating, so it made her always keep her feelings to herself.

It also made Min Min think how distressing it might be, leaving a harrowing future and all the people she knew to come back and perform such a significant task with such a huge risk.

She knew barely anything about her counterpart in front of her, but her counterpart knew a lot about herself.

Min Min nodded to show understanding but asked one more question to make sure.

"How did Ninjara die?"

Min Min instantly regretted revealing this to her past self. She was supposed to alter the timeline as vaguely as possible, and letting someone know too much about their future was not helping that. She was glad she hadn't actually said it out loud yet.

"He doesn't," she said.

She could see herself visibly confused, "but what were you saying about..."

"I'm just telling you to not make the mistake I did," she replied, trying to act natural.

She nodded again.

They sat in silence for a while before Min Min started the conversation again.

"I've told the others about the heist I planned, though it's not really a heist..."

"What is it?"

"After a long time, we've decided to not actually break in ARMS Labs, so it technically isn't a heist, but to mess with the energy transmitters on our ARMS instead."