[POS Industries]

And then the world was saved..... somehow. Raiden now (somehow) returned to his old self, the NPFers returned to their realm and moved on to go their seperate ways. Having nowhere to go for the time being, Pedro O'Sullivan returned with Phoenix to the Isparalian for a bit, now aglow with the strong desire to help everyone he could for the next few hours or so until the Heart ring's effect wore off. But oh so much good he could do in those few hours!

"I'm going to give it all away," he announced happily to the occupants of the ship's bridge.

"Eh," Phoenix said confusedly, sitting in her captain's chair, "Give what away, exactly?"

"The money! Every red cent! I'm going to feed the hungry and clothe the naked and all that sort of thing! Wish me luck!" And with that, he rushed off the bridge to retrieve his fortune from the dimensional pocket in which he had stored it so that bastards like Pyros, Arhra, or the whole lot of the rest of them couldn't take it or destroy it to screw him over in the end like they all want to, the bastards.

Phoenix simply looked over at Raven and shrugged as they set course to wherever the hell it is they were going, "I give him ten minutes before he changes his mind and buys out Apple just for shits and giggles."

Eight minutes later, POS arrived in the small office that he had occupied shortly before leaving for Gaia all those couple hours ago. Brings back memories, doesn't it? Anyway, as he activated the terminal in hopes of retrieving the duffel bag full of millions of dollars, a voice chimed in from seemingly nowhere at all.

"Pe-chan?" Rei called to him happily.

"Oh, hello Rei," Pedro responded with equal merry, "What can I do for you?"

"Well," the Relatively Empathic Interface continued, "You asked me to play a recorded message back to you as soon as you came back to this office. So, I'm going to just go ahead and do that now. Want me to make popcorn?"

Pedro paused for a moment, trying to recall exactly what was on the message just as his own image appeared on the large monitor behind him. "Hello me," the past POS greeted his future incarnation cheerfully, "Meet the real me, and my requisite Megadeth reference!"

And it all suddenly came back to him.

"Now," the recording continued, "I realize that, having used the Negative Heart Crusher attack, you have found yourself in quite a predicament. As I'm sure you're aware, you have been affected by our ring's power and thus have an overwhelming need to do the right thing. Given this, logic dictates that your first order of business is to give away all your money. Sure, if you did that there might not be a hungry naked person for miles, but for how long. Food digests, clothes get worn out, and next thing you know the poor are back where they started.

"So here's my offer: Give away a fraction of it, perhaps ten percent. The other ninety percent will be more than enough for us to restart POS Industries in its former glory, perhaps far greater than that, even. We then dedicate a share of the profits to charitable causes and the money keeps flowing to those who need it for as long as we're in business. It's really the smart way to go, considering the long term."

The recorded Pedro's pleasant demeanor didn't change, but for a small glint in his eye as he continued. "I can assure you," he smiled, "that you won't regret this, especially if you just sit back for the next few hours and let me handle it when I return to my old self again. After all, I'm sure that you recall what we were like just days ago, when we were broke. I'm sure you can still see the faces of all the people we hurt, hear their screams. That was us having to survive, friend. Do you want to go back to that? We don't have to, you know, because there is no self-sacrifice here. Give away that money, throw us back into poverty, and I will do everything I have to in order to get by. Not only that, but I'll go further just to spite you. It doesn't bother me, but deep down I know it will bother you, just as I'm sure it's bothering you now.

"There is no self-sacrifice for us, Pedro. Only the sacrifice of others. If you don't do exactly as I say, their blood will be on your hands, one way or another." The recorded POS leaned back in his chair, satisfied. "I'm sure you'll do the right thing. See you soon."

As the recording ended, Pedro simply sat silent and unmoving, and remained that way for the next several hours.

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EPILOGUE!
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POS Industries International, a model of corporate success unlike anything the world had ever seen. Utilizing the private financial gains of Pedro O'Sullivan, a successful partnership with PhoenixCorp, and the backing of a silent (though godly) partner, POS Industries had risen from the ashes to attain a government contract with the NPF to rebuild its capital city after the devastation of the Raiden/Gaian conflict. PhoenixCorp's resources and technology had allowed for the construction of far stronger confines for the Kurosen, and a nigh infinite flow of labor from Gaia had hastened its construction. There were various accusations that the Gaians were being used as slave labor, but most of the citizens of NPF didn't seem to care, unsurpisingly.

As for Gaia itself, rumor has it that the entire place is now a parking lot for the Denny's across the street, though no one from NPF has bothered to go there and find out for themselves, regardless of their delicious Grand Slam breakfast combos.

As for POS Industries, the company branched out rather quickly into every field imaginable and now, in one way or another, ultimately owns over half of NPF City now. With the exception of the occasional photo op, Pedro O'Sullivan is rarely seen outside his office, high atop the POS Industries head office building on the far edge of town.

Those who have seen him, however, note that he usually spends most of the day wallowing in his opulence and cackling maniacally.