Volume 1, Chapter 9: Is It Over?

You are reading the official Taiyou Con light novel, Reset!!! We Tried to Run an Anime Convention… and Broke the Universe!!! Starring Sunny, Ash, Sakura, Leon and the crew as they put on the con — and save the world while they’re at it. Volume 1 is The Invasion Saga! (Note: The events and characters in the Taiyou Con light novel is a fictional story. For real convention event updates, go to our Updates.)

Previously on… Taiyou Con: The Invasion Saga! Sunny and the Sun Squad has prevented the Solis Core from falling into the wrong hands. Now that it’s destroyed, reality and the universe is safe. They can finally plan for Taiyou Con again the following year! But with Evil King Barrel roaming in the cosmos, will they truly be safe?

It had been a few days since the invasion ended.

With the convention center gone, Taiyou Con was postponed until next year, and the Sun Squad relaxed in the convention center courtyard. Their base of operations inside the convention was obviously not usable.

Leon lounged across the edge of a cracked concrete planter, arms behind his head, staring up at the soft blue sky like nothing in the world could bother him. Beside him, Ash leaned back on his elbows, watching Honoka, Luna and Solar running around nearby on the grassy field.

“You know,” Leon muttered, “I could get used to doing absolutely nothing.”

Ash agreed, “Same. We earned it. Not every day you survive a planetary invasion.”

“I’m sad that the convention center building collapsed, but at the same time, it means we get to do nothing.”

“We are probably on clean up duty,” said Ash as he laid completely down. “The entire city is a mess, and you know Sunny will make us help clean it up.”

Footsteps padded across the grass as Honoka skipped over, her black jacket flaring behind her. “Leon! Can I get a laser gun too?”

He laughed without lifting his head. “No can do. It’s a family heirloom. One of a kind. You can’t get it anywhere else!”

Honoka pouted and probed, “how does a futuristic weapon even become a family heirloom? What kind of family do you have?”

Ash tapped the side of his temple. “One from the future, obviously.”

“That makes no sense!” said Honoka, crossing her arms and fuming playfully. “How come I feel like you’re not telling us everything?”

Leon sat up and smiled. Then he looked at Honoka and said, “There is nothing to tell. We are now talking about a laser gun that no longer works. It’s out of juice. I don’t know how to get it to work again, nor do I know how to make a new one.”

That made Ash chuckle. “Well, I guess none of really know who made our awesome weapons either. Anyway, stick with melee weapons. Those take skills to use.”

Sakura wandered over, brushing grass off her skirt.

“Melee weapons are overrated,” she said as she sat down on the planter. “Takes real skill to fight from a distance.”

Ash raised an eyebrow. “And here I thought you just wanted to avoid cardio.”

She stuck her tongue out at him.

Just a few steps away, Sunny and Kenji stood near the quiet remains of the collapsed convention center. The walls were broken, giant pieces of the roof lay in the center, and a lot of debris scattered across the courtyard like it was hit by a giant earthquake.

Kenji looked toward the group and smiled, “They’re in a good mood.”

Sunny nodded, her eyes lingering on her friends for a moment. “It’s because we won. Evil King Barrel is gone… and for the first time in a month, I feel like I can just take a deep breath.”

“A smell of fresh air in the open!” Kenji picked up a piece of debris off the ground and looked at it. “There is no telling if Evil King Barrel will come back though.”

“You think we are worth his time if the Solis Core is destroyed?”

Some clouds were moving across the sky, and their shadows moved along the floor over the convention center rubble. Kenji threw the piece of debris into the concrete mess. It hit one of the metal beams and made a loud noise.

“Nevertheless, it is always good to be prepared,” Kenji said with an air of confidence as he turned to Sunny.

She raised her hand trying once again to summon her sword. Nothing. She sighed, “I still can’t call it. I think my sword was destroyed with the Solis Core.”

Kenji crossed his arms. “Even if you’re sword is destroyed, it doesn’t matter. All of us are a team. And if that cactus king ever comes back, we’ll beat him together.”

Sunny gave a soft smile, “Yeah. We’ve been through so much already. Whatever comes next, we face it as a team.”

“Lunch?” Kenji asked.

Sunny agreed and turned to the group. “Let’s grab some lunch, guys!”

The group slowly stood up while Sakura cupped her hands and yelled toward the field, “Luna! Solar! Get over here! Food time!”

Solar and Luna were chasing each other around the open grass, laughing like kids on summer break.

As they all began walking into the parking lot, Sunny paused. A strange light caught her eye. It was subtle at first—just a brightness in the corner of her vision.

But it grew rapidly.

The sky intensified from the normal blue color to a completely white light. The air shimmered a bit, adding to the overall brightness. Everything was getting so bright that it was hard to see anything. Sunny no longer heard her friends’ voices, and her vision flooded with pure white. She had to shut her eyes completely.

In an instant, a voice cut through the silence. “Sunny! What are you doing? We’re going to be late for school.”

Sunny opened her eyes, and everything was back to normal. The light faded, and a girl stood beside her, dressed in a sleek school uniform with a white top, gold trim and a slightly dark red skirt. She shot Sunny a weird look.

Sunny looked at the person in front of her. “Who… who are you?”

The girl scoffed, “Are you serious?”

Before Sunny could say anything, another voice chimed in from the left, “Come on, let’s go already!”

It was another girl, dressed in the same uniform, grabbing Sunny’s hand and tugging her forward. Sunny looked around in a daze. She was walking through the parking lot of the Mesa Convention Center, but it was clean and pristine. No cracks, no battle damage and no debris. And it looked… slightly different. She turned around and saw the Mesa Convention Center building. It was rebuilt and repainted. Again, the design was slightly different as well.

As they walked forward, Sunny’s thoughts raced. What is going on here?

The girl dragging Sunny along pointed toward the street where the cars were zooming by. “We still have to get the melon bread before class starts! It’s only served once a week, and I’ve been craving it all week!”

As they reached the street, Sunny looked around, and something caught her eye. In downtown Mesa, a giant gate and towering wall now stood tall sticking out of the skyline. Behind it rose a city built into a hillside, its silhouette lined with futuristic buildings and castle-like towers.

Sunny stopped in her tracks.

“What happened to downtown Mesa?” she asked aloud. “Why is that there?”

The first girl raised an eyebrow. “That’s part of downtown Mesa. That’s what makes downtown so amazing.”

The second girl looked at it proudly and said, “That’s Taiyou Con Academy— the crown jewel of this city.”

Sunny stared at the two girls for a moment and finally managed to ask, “Taiyou Con Academy…?”

The girl to her right responded, “Yeah, our school!”

Sunny looked down. She was wearing the same uniform they were wearing.

Did reality reset? But how? And how come I still remember?

They kept walking, and Sunny scanned the crowd of students heading into the gates. So many unfamiliar faces… yet something felt strangely familiar. It seemed downtown Mesa was no longer the quiet place it once was. It was huge and busy. The school was only a small part of downtown even though it took up so much space in the area.

“Do you know of Ash,” Sunny said to the girls, “or Kenji?”

The girls laughed.

“You mean Ash and Kenji, who are part of the Elite 12?” said one of them. “Everyone knows them.”

The other explained, “Ash is in our homeroom. He’s a little intense, though. He’s like the good looking, smart and athletic kid that all the girls want to date.”

Both girls looked at Sunny with a mix of curiosity and suspicion.

The taller one suddenly asked, “Are you playing a prank on us?”

Sunny paused and tried to process what she had just heard. Elite 12? Homeroom? That sounds like an anime or Kdrama plot.

Her instincts to play along kicked in, and she took off running ahead, kicking up dust as her boots hit the pavement. She darted forward about fifteen feet and spun around with a grin.

“Gotcha! That melon bread is totally going to be ours! Come on!” Sunny motioned her hand for the girls to follow her as she started walking toward the school.

The two girls burst out laughing and chased after her. As Sunny reached the towering academy gates, her heart pounded from the truth settling in. A new reality has been created.

The Solis Core was destroyed… and yet, here I am awakened after the reset. I must get to Ash and then find everyone else.

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CODED MESSAGE: Sunny, her friends & Taiyou Con Academy will return in Volume 2: The Controversy Game

Thanks for reading the Taiyou Con mascot light novel series — a fictional story for fans!! For real convention event updates, guest announcements and more, go to our Updates.

Go back to Chapter 8.