Epinel/Story

Spoilers!*"Your greatest villain Drake shall warn you, SPOILERS AHEAD!"*The following article or section contain **spoilers!** Viewer discretion is advised.

Overview**Story**VoicelinesGallery

## Behind the Scenes

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Song Ha-rim

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Dominique North

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Maaya Uchida

## Description

Known as the Trickster, Epinel is a master skateboarder. The ponytail made of LED draws a wonderful trajectory of light like a tail lamp whenever she's performing tricks, gathered a lot of young fans. She always has a cynical expression and attitude, but behind the scenes, she is a hard worker who can handle an unimaginable amount of practice.

### Nikke Backstory

A member of Nepenthe who is a master at pulling off skateboarding tricks. She is revered among teenagers because of her distinctly cool and chic demeanor.

## Profile

An athlete of Nepenthe, a "squad" under Tetra Line that promotes the Ark's quality of life by hosting and competing in various sports events. Epinel's skateboarding streams and tutorials have earned her a notable following amongst youths and teenagers. Most who watch her perform only see the lights blazing along her sick tricks, and not any of the work and effort that goes into them.

Despite being an athlete first and a combatant second, Epinel is still given a weapon and combat protocols, leading to some naysayers grumbling about making "expendable soldiers" like Nikkes into a so-called bread and circus act.

## Story

### Character Story

#### Episode 1 - Panic

Night falls and roads are closed off as the Ark holds the 9th Tetra Line Skateboard Festival. The protagonist and Rumani watch as contestant Rena puts on a good showing, but Rumani remains confident Epinel will come out on top. The reasoning is twofold; for one, Epinel's ability to perform literally inhuman tricks has earned her a nine-times unbroken streak as skateboarding champion, and for two, Rena bails a few seconds after Rumani predicts she will.

As Epinel steps up, she calmly answers the pre-round interview, but as she tries to step on her board, she suddenly freezes in place, unmoving. Rumani briefly wonders if Epinel's board isn't working, before bidding the protagonist check on her in case it's actually corruption. He rushes to Epinel, who can still talk just fine, but is unable to move. The tournament is suspended as the protagonist contacts Mary to transport Epinel to the repair center.

#### Episode 2 - Malfunction

At the repair center, Mary finishes her diagnosis. There's no sign of corruption or physical malady, so at this point in time, the cause of Epinel's freeze-up is unknown, but is presumed to be a psychological problem. Mary proposes Epinel be hospitalized for observation while the protagonist accompanies her. He agrees, and visits Epinel in her room. The skater is watching TV, where the news is relaying her malfunction disrupting the event, much to the complaints of a citizen who remarks this sort of thing caused the Pisa Dome explosion 3 years ago, and that non-combat Nikkes are a waste of tax money. Epinel seemingly shrugs off the remarks, but still feels ill at ease, deciding to rest for a time at Mary's behest.

Shortly after Epinel is discharged from the hospital, Rumani contacts the protagonist. Since nothing is physically wrong, the issue has to be mental, like with the aftermath of the Pisa Dome explosion. 3 years ago, people in the Ark were all over Nikke athletes, wanting to push them to the very limits of human performance and beyond. Epinel was made to skate on the rails of the Pisa Dome, 50 meters in the air with no safeguards on objects not designed to hold a skateboard on them. After the incident, the trauma made Epinel unable to so much as touch her favorite skateboard, requiring a memory wipe. It seems that now of all times was the moment for those old memories to resurface, even after Epinel recovered her mind and skateboarding skills. The protagonist is determined to help Epinel however he can, much to Rumani's gratitude.

The next day in front of the repair center, Epinel is watching some kids skateboarding. One of them bails trying to do Epinel's tricks, leading to an argument about yesterday's incident. Epinel looks on, and when prompted, admits she feels like an unproductive good-for-nothing, given how even last night, when she was discharged, she spent six hours in the center's parking lot trying to get back on her board to no avail.

The two watch the skater kids for a while longer, with one of them leaving after needling the other over fouling up Epinel's trick. The boy refuses to give up, and unable to bear seeing repeated mistakes, Epinel walks over to teach the boy.

#### Episode 3 - Second Wind

When the boy sees *the* Epinel speaking to him about how to improve his skateboarding, he's over the moon. Some time passes, and the boy, while quite battered, still walks off on his own feet, determined to master Epinel's tricks. The protagonist approaches Epinel, prompting her to ask if her tricks are beyond the ability of humans. She noticed that every time the boy fumbled off his board, he'd freeze up, or forget the sequence of moves the next time he tried, the memory and pain of falling off making him mentally stop.

Epinel ponders how many times she herself has fallen off her board, making her wonder if those memories were what caused her to freeze at the tournament, making her wonder if she can regain that sense of oneness she gets from skateboarding. She doesn't *want* to get hurt, per say, but she's expected to put on a show that ordinary people can't because she's a Nikke, so she *has* to refine and perform tricks human's can't really reproduce. The protagonist suggests she instead try to make a move that's simpler in execution yet still flashy and shows her style. Epinel is hesitant at first, but decides to go through, bringing the protagonist along to ensure the trick she makes is something actually reproducible by humans.

#### Episode 4 -Teaching a Dog New Tricks

Another morning in the repair center parking lot, and both Epinel and the protagonist are warmed up and ready to try making new tricks. Epinel talks about a move she made to flashily navigate benches and rails, but since she's in no condition to skate, she can only talk through the motions. The protagonist fumbles the trick, leading to a brief discourse on how to simplify the trick while still retaining Epinel's touch to it.

One hour later, and several more bails on the protagonist's part, and Epinel is about ready to throw in the towel. The protagonist encourages her to keep going, and they keep practicing until night falls. Epinel realizes they haven't even named the trick, and asks the protagonist for suggestions. After they name the trick and adjourn practice, the protagonist is messaged by Mustang, Tetra Line's CEO. It turns out the finals delayed by Epinel's malfunction are set to resume in three days, even though Epinel still can't get on a board.

The next day, Epinel has spent five hours staring at her skateboard, unable to get herself on it. After some encouragement, she steels herself and gets on the board, but loses balance a short distance later. Considering this to be progress from not being able to get on at all, Epinel goes through a cycle of getting on the board and almost immediately bailing, only performing her full trick twice before the day is out.

#### Episode 5 - The Rearranged Finals

The day of the finals arrives, and Mustang is in attendance as a special guest. Epinel isn't confident about her odds, given how she could only do their trick twice of all attempts, but the protagonist's encouragement makes strides in reassuring her.

It's Epinel's turn to skate, and she almost immediately bails from her board. The crowd watches in disappointment, but despite it all, Epinel refuses to give up. She gets back on the board, showcases her new trick, and absolutely tears it up out there, to the approving roars of the crowd and Mustang.

After Epinel's round is over, she dismounts her board and rushes the protagonist, leaping into his arms. She's overjoyed to have shown that she can still skate, a cheer that spreads to Rumani and Mary, who watched the whole thing. Mary reminds Epinel to take care of herself, which she accepts since she wants to keep skating for as long as she can. Or at least until she can teach the protagonist how to skate.

Some time later, Epinel is coaching the protagonist in skating, and while he's getting better, he still has a long way to go. Epinel sends the protagonist skating off a ramp, and as the wind buffets his face and sends his heart racing, Epinel promises to be together with him, just as he was there for her.

## References

Notes

References