A young man laid himself on the edge of the landing deck on a dai-gun as it stood still in a desert wasteland. His grass green spikey hair gently rustled in the slow blowing wind. His attire of a short red vest and grey cargo pants felt relaxing in the heat. Perhaps not having a shirt underneath the vest is what kept his body under cool temperatures. Although he often felt ticklish as the wind blew between his toes on his sandals.
The last time he was tickled as such on that day he slowly opened his eyes to the lightly clouded sky. "It's always the same," he said to himself utterly bored.
"Taishi," shouted a voice in the ships intercom largely startling the teen. "Pull yourself out of dreamland and head over to the flight deck! We're moving out!"
"Alright I'm coming," shouted Taishi.
But after he stood up and taking two steps from where he was laying down he heard something far away. He turned around listening to what sounded like an electric engine.
Far from his large mobile home the boy saw a moving cloud of sand like it was made by something fast. Taishi pulled out of his pocket a small black telescope. Looking inside he pressed a button that zoomed in on the source of the noise. It was wide and tall as a barn and was long as the deck Taishi stood on. A levitating vessel mainly colored white with golden trims.
It was much fancier than the elderly vessel he stood on. With scratches all over the powder blue coating. After accepting that he could not see through the black windows he re-pocketed his electronic telescope.
"Taishi," shouted the commanding voice on the intercom again. "Hurry up and get your ass up here!" After twitching Taishi made his way to the flight deck where the rest of the crew was. "Alright listen up you bozos," said the man in charge. He stood in the center of the room calling his crews attention.
He made certain they saw him in his tribal tattoo chest and baldhead. "After days of scavenging, we've finally found everything on our clients list! Now it's time to head on over to their small town, deliver and get paid!"
"Yeah," shouted the crew all excited, except Taishi who was bored and reclining in a chair.
"Onward to Kogeki Town," shouted the captain. With those words, the pilot made their ship begin running with its enormous feet. It turned directions and headed straight for the mountains ahead of it.
Almost coincidentally, they ran past the fancy vehicle Taishi saw earlier. The young feminine passenger inside the far back took notice of the ship as the light from the sunroof turned dark. After it passed and the light returned, she pulled up a holographic screen viewing the back of the ship. "How rude," she said with small aggravation.
"The town is right beyond those mountains," the captain said. "Here we go!" The dai-gun then jumped at the mountains and then hopped to one after another each with a different foot.
But aside from the travel time they were saving the long route would have been more pleasant. The aftershocks in the flight deck left the crew, including Taishi and the captain unsettled. "Hey captain," Taishi shouted with an aggressive tone of voice. "You know we wouldn't have to do this crap if we had a Levi-sphere installed in old Dai-Yunka!"
"What do you think we're saving up for," the captain asked, "A long chair? Although I bet that would come in real handy for when you're slacking off!"
After the captain finished barking, their ship hopped on one last mountain before it used extra strength to land near the village. Taishi followed everyone down to where the crate filled with the requested parts was and hooked it to the back of an ATV. Taishi drove with the large package as the others drove or shared an ATV without extra weight. Taishi followed the others from behind as they drove into the small town. They rode to the small building where the buyer, the town mayor, waited.
While counting the currency to give, an adult woman that was dressed professionally stood next to him with a rather bored face. "Mind if I ask why you need these parts," Taishi asked?
"So we can give it to them," the elderly mayor said.
"Who's them," Taishi's captain asked as he kept his hand out waiting for what he and his crew were owed?
The poise woman subtly said, "The soldiers from Beasterra."
Taishi widened his eyes with shock hearing such a confusing answer. "What," Taishi began to ask? "What do they need this junk for?"
"Haven't the slightest idea sonny," the mayor said. "If we oppose they stick around and make this place their playground. But if we cooperate not only will they leave immediately but also they say they'll spare us when they finally 'start the purge.'"
"And you believe that last part," asked the captain?
"For the time being," the mayor said.
Taishi's face became stern after hearing such weakness. The young man stepped closer to the mayor and asked, "Why? Why don't you guys fight back?"
The mayor smiled faintly as he pocketed the wad of cash he could keep. "Well mainly because we don't have any ganmen," the mayor said as he began handing over the other wad of cash. "Or anything else that would be useful to fight back with." The captain gently took the wad and began counting the bills. "Believe me I hate having to cower in fear but in this world everyone does what it takes to survive.
"You Junker's should know that all to well."
"True that," the captain said as he finished counting. "It's all here, time to head back."
"Then you better hurry, the mayor said. "They'll be here soon." The captain and the crew began walking away, except for Taishi. He simply stood there silently with frustration for a moment. While they drove back Taishi began to truly see the small town around them.
Each building was nearly in ruins and under reconstruction. 'What's wrong with me,' Taishi asked himself? 'How couldn't I have noticed this on the way in?' Taishi's face became even sterner as he tightened his grip and accelerated his ATV's speed.
Once they returned to Dai-Yunka, Taishi once again spoke up to the captain in the docking bay. "We have to help them," Taishi said. "There's now way I can turn my back on this."
The captain sighed as he scratched the back of his scalp. "Look Taishi it's noble of you for helping those in need. But this is beyond us, especially you. Besides you heard the mayor, they'll be using ganmen. And this big old bucket of bolts barley has any weapons as it does. We wouldn't stand a chance."
Taishi then snickered and slightly raised his arm to reveal a digital watch. "Is that so," Taishi asked?
He then quickly pressed a button on his watch and a single light had turned on. It revealed a giant white face with razor sharp and almost demonic teeth and closed eyes. It had arms and legs attached all covered in black with yellow trims. In its shins, wrists, collar and hips were pitch black holes with red trims.
Taishi then stood in front of the ganmen with his back to it and he continued smirking as he folded his arms facing the captain. "Then maybe it's finally time I take this for a real drive," Taishi said with confidence.
"Oh come on kid," the captain said. "You've barely used that ganmen in combat, in fact you mostly pilot it for walks."
"You come on," yelled Taishi separating his arms and taking a stomp forward. "I've fixed and been tuning this ganmen since I was eight and found it in that scrapyard we work in!"
"So that doesn't mean you can win a fight with it," the captain replied. "And again, you heard the mayor those ganmen coming are part of an army. Even if you manage to beat them they'll catch word and probably send a whole armada on your ass. Do you actually think you can handle that?"
Taishi then stood straight with his head down. "I don't know but you don't either, captain," he raised his voice. "And we'll never know if I never try!"
The captain sighed and said smiling, "Why can't you show this kind of effort with your actual job?" Taishi then began to calm down with confusion as he turned to listen to his commander. The captain turned to the back of the bay and walked away. "You go ahead and be a hero, we'll be rooting for you on the sidelines. That's where we belong at least."
Taishi watched his captain walk away as he began to smile too. Taishi looked to his gunman and said, "Looks like today's the day buddy." He then looked to his watch again and pressed the button that turned the lights off that time. "But I need you to wait here a little while longer. A big debut like this needs a grand entrance."
Taishi hopped on his ATV and drove out at high speed and nearly flew off the deck. After landing he lead a trail of dust as he sped toward the town with his head down and his face stern. Dai-Yunka walked behind one of the mountains it jumped on earlier. "Are you sure we should let him do this," asked one of the other crewmembers?
"We could never stop that little bastard," the captain said, "Especially from doing what's right. Whatever job we're on, he would always stop to help someone out. He'd make us wait for him while he pulled a cat out of a tree. Don't get me started on how long it takes to help an old lady cross the street."
"But this seems like an extreme task for the guy don't you think," asked another crewmember?
"Without a doubt," the captain said. "But…" Taishi was near the town when he noticed something in the distance slowly flying. "This could be interesting."
Far but near another entrance, the long hovering vehicle Taishi saw earlier drove toward the town. Her driver contacted her on a projected screen. His thinning hair revealed the shining dome that was his scalp. And around his lips was a thin grey beard. "Madame," the driver said, "There's a town up ahead, I recommend we stop by to recharge the vehicle and ourselves."
"Sounds good to me," the passenger said.
After the driver exited the vehicle at the station, he plugged the pump into the socket where the vehicles power could charge. The lady then opened her door and began to step out. She stood tall in the light showing her outfit.
She wore a black tank top, decorated with violet and aquamarine flowers. It was rather tight on her small but distracting chest as it was tucked into her white shorts that covered half her thighs. She laid a yellow visor cap on her short light blue hair to block the suns ultraviolet rays.
"Madame Leiko," the driver said, "I do wish you could let me know when you wish to exit the vehicle so that I may open the door for you."
"And I told you, Bruce," the young lady Leiko said pulling out her purse, "That I don't always need you to do that. I can take care of myself most of the time anyway."
"As you say Madame," said Bruce.
"Wait here with the limo, while I grab a snack," she ordered. "You want anything?"
"Two bottles of water if it's not too much trouble miss," Bruce answered.
"No worries," Leiko said. After browsing and picking through the convenience store, Leiko made her way to the cash register. Laying down two bottles of water, a soda, a wrapped hoagie and two bags of chips.
After the cashier brought up the prices and bagged the items, Leiko was about to pull out the cash from her purse. But all of a sudden, a siren was heard throughout the town. The cashier screamed and said, "They're here!" She then ducked behind the counter then whimpered in a feeble position.
"Uh… mam," Leiko asked?
"It'll be over soon, it'll be over soon, it'll be over soon, it'll be over soon," the cashier whispered over and over.
With her eyebrow arched, Leiko simply laid a dollar bill of a high amount on the counter. And she left saying, "Keep the change, you freak show." Outside she saw only her driver and their vehicle outside. The people, the other cars on the streets and sidewalks were gone. The windows in the shops and restaurants were sealed or being sealed with metal covers from the inside.
"This can't be good," Leiko said.
"Indeed Madame," Bruce said looking at a mobile touch screen device. He then had it face her and showed her radar with something large approaching the center of the screen.
As Taishi continued to quickly drive down the mountain, he saw what to any one who saw it for surprising. As the enormous mass slowly flew over the mountain its image became clear.
A Dai-Gun similar to the Dai-Yunka Taishi and his friends traveled in. Except it's metal was free from scratches and was designed far more sinisterly. Plus it was flying.
"Whoa…" Taishi said with a smile growing. "Now that's a Dai-Gun. No stay focused!" Taishi revved up the ATV and sped more quickly toward the town.
In the town, Leiko and Bruce stood atop a building they climbed on with a ladder bolted to it. They looked at the ship through binoculars from her purse and his jacket. "I recognize the craftsmanship miss," Bruce said. "There's no doubt it is from Beasterra."
Leiko then gave a small grin, put away her binoculars and said, "Well, this could be interesting. Come along Bruce, let's see if we can find a better view."
Inside the flight deck of the Dai-Gun, a beastman of muscular build, but with an overweight stomach, sat in a command chair. His hair color was hidden from the rooms' shadows but it was clearly a classical Mohawk. Looking at the view of the town while grinning with tusks sticking out of his mouth he said, "There it is. Kogeki Town. Honestly hope they don't have the parts the Wild King asked for.
"That'll give us a reason to stay for a while longer."
"Commander," said one of the lower beastmen upfront. "The squad is ready for departure."
"Well," the commander asked? "Don't you know what to do by now?"
"Yes sir," said the beastman, "Setting coordinates." The dai-guns upper body moved its arms to the deck below it. "Launch!" And the dai-gun threw three ganmen from its deck into the town and they crash-landed in the area of the Mayors office building.
Thankfully the Levi-Sphere prevented the limo, its driver and passenger from feeling the aftershock. They pulled over and stepped out once Bruce believed they were close enough. They climbed up a ladder bolted to a building to its roof.
After the smoke cleared, the mayor, Leiko and Bruce saw them, three large ganmen rising from their craters. One was designed as a frog, another as a monkey. And the last one up front was designed as a bull. But despite there intimidating appearance, the mayor kept his upset exposure. The three ganmen walked forward until they stopped directly in front of him. "It's all here," the mayor said looking up towards them. "Please, take the crate and leave."
The bull gunman raised his arm and snapped his fingers and the frog gunman stepped forward. It opened its enormous mouth and a tongue shot out like a bullet. But it froze when it was a foot away from the crate. From the tip of the tongue a wide beam scanned the crate from top to bottom. After the scan, the frog pulled back its tongue then turned and nodded to the bull.
"Shame," the bull gunman said. "We were hoping to hang out for a while." Then, as if the beastmans' convenience and fate had intertwined, a clang was heard from one of the ganmen. They turned and looked down to see a young boy with his throwing arm up front. In his other hand was a rock.
"Leave us alone you bullies," the child shouted to them.
The monkey ganmen, who received the first rock, gave a wide smile and narrow eyes. "Well," a voice from the smiling gunman said, "at least I can destroy something while we're here." It completely turned its body and pointed the pistols in its tiny hands under its head for a body at the boy.
Leiko grunted and said, "Stupid kid!" She began to head back down until Bruce grabbed her shoulder.
"I'm sorry Ms. Leiko," he said, "but there's no possibility you'll make it in time. Besides we can't risk you being seen."
As the gunman's tiny fingers began to pull the triggers, Leiko shut her eyes trying not to see or imagine the horror. That was when two shots were fired and heard throughout the mountains. Leikos' eyes opened as she ran to see the child, even though it would have been terrifying. But when the smoke cleared from where the guns shot at, there was no gore to be sickened by. "What," Leiko asked?
"Where'd the little brat go," asked the monkey?
"Hey look," said the frog. The other two, along with Leiko and Bruce, turned to see the boy in the arms of a teenaged boy on an ATV. As Taishi held onto the child, he glared at the three gunman. Then as the child quivered in his arm, Taishi said with a small smile, "Hey little guy, that was a real gutsy move back there."
"Really," the boy asked?
"Absolutely," Taishi said with an even wider smile. "Not everyone can stand up to an enemy like you did. But right now you should go find shelter. And don't forget to tell everyone how brave you were today."
Taishi gently released the child on the ground, who made a big open mouth smile and laughed as he ran off around him. Then, with a serious stern, Taishi looked at the three ganmen. As the three monstrous robots made confused sounds, Leiko looked at the new face and asked, "Who the hell is that?"
Bruce said looking at the same character, "Looks like a Junker to me miss."
Taishi then jumped off the ATV and stood straight up on the ground with his arms crossed and said, "Alright you bastards! I've heard about how you use this town for your own amusement! And the little regard you have for these people makes me sick! Now leave and never come back before I take you down!"
A moment after the threatening speech the three ganmen laughed until they finished rolling on the floor. As they laughed, Taishi's eye gently twitched again. Leiko simply gently palmed her face. The three mechas stood back up and the bull one asked, "And how the hell are you goanna, take us down?"
Taishi smiled wide then raised his arm so his watch could be in sight. "With this," he said and pressed a button on the watch. Then back at the Dai-Yunka, the ganmen Taishi was boasting about opened its red iris eyes.
Then the entire bipedal ship began shaking as the gunman ran out the docking bay and jumped off the sky deck high in the air. The captain and the crew in Dai-Yunka's flight deck felt the aftershock of the launch. "I hate it when he does that," said the captain. The ganmen in the town looked to the sky. Leiko and Bruce did as well and they all saw the unidentified flying object.
The activated ganmen immediately shot down head first to Taishi's location. While skydiving, the gunman flipped forward and had the base of its feet face the earth and turned ninety degrees. The gunman impacted the ground on its feet, landing behind Taishi. Taishi then jumped up on the ATV as the gunman opened its mouth and its hatch. Then Taishi jumped high off the ATV and pulled himself in.
"I'm going to rid this town of your sick ways and ugly mugs with this," Taishi said as the hatch closed. "The strength and symbol of my soul! Behold, the strongest ever, my Godenn!" The ganmen formed a fighting stance at the three enemies.
"Godenn," Leiko asked?
"An interesting name for a ganmen," Bruce said silently.
"Sir," began a beastman back in the enemy flight deck. "Should we intervene?"
"Not yet," the commander answered. "We were hoping for some exercise today. Start recording, this'll provide an excellent reminder for those who think they can pull off a rebellion."
"Sir," said the secretary, "I suggest we go inside."
"Ladies first," said the mayor. And they ran inside the town hall without looking back.
"Well if you're goanna take away and replace my target practice," said the voice from the primate gunman. It then began to fire multiple shots at the new gunman. Instead of blocking or dodging however, it ran forward. The bullets proved ineffective as they reflected off of Godenn. And Taishi had his gunman uppercut the mechanical simian in the jaw.
After back flipping in the air a dozen times its large feet ran back to Godenn. "Want more," asked Taishi? "Then here!"
He was about to roundhouse kick the enemy until the leg was wrapped in something strange. "Huh," asked Taishi and found the source of the wrapping. It was the tongue from the frog gunman. "What the hell?"
After asking rhetorically, the monkey kicked Godenn in the face and used its hand like feet to grab hold of the top of its head. After stumbling on one foot, Taishi struggled to Keep Godenn standing. "Damn it," shouted Taishi. The pilot of the frog began to pull back on its tongue and Godenn along with it.
As he was being dragged, Taishi tried to reach the monkey to pull it off. But the gunman humorously jumped up and down on Godenn. The impacts made it difficult for Taishi to use the controls. The monkeys' pilot laughed as it continued jumping on Godenn's. "Knock it off you bastards," Taishi shouted.
And Godenn's leg with the tongue wrapped around it was lifted straight to the sky, pulling the frog a smidge. Then Godenn slammed its foot back on the ground, shaking almost everything. Shifting weight into the planted leg, it began to rise back up and Taishi planted its other foot shaking almost everything again. While Taishi had his ganmen stand back up, the monkey on Godenn's face began loosing balance as it lost hold of its guns. Godenn pulled back both arms, tightened its fists and slammed them into the monkey squishing its outer frame.
"Oh my," said Bruce.
With the main body completely crushed with fist marks imprinted at the sides it released Godenn. And then Godenn grabbed hold of the ganmen in mid fall and threw it straight at the frog. The frog saw the defeated ganmen being thrown at it. But to prevent damage, it deflected the projectile mecha-monkey. "All right that does it," the frog said. "Full reverse!"
And Godenn was on its back again being dragged by the leg towards the frog at a more accelerated pace. "Oh come on this again," Taishi asked with agitation?
"Oh," the frog began to retort, "you'd like something different would you?" The pilot stopped the retraction of the tongue, but not before pulling Godenn into the air with a rapid spin. Suddenly, standing in the middle of Kogeki Town was a pink tornado with a black and white tip with a hint of gold.
Back on the flight deck dai-gun the frog mech came from, the beastmen inside were laughing at the sight of the battle. "Classic," the commander said still laughing.
There was a different reaction to the fight however aboard the Dai-Yunka. The captain and his remaining crew looked at the screen that projected the fight with looks of shame and disgust. "So after he dies," said one of the crew members, "are we going to pretend that we never knew him?"
The captain answered, "Yeah we'll probably skip the viewing and attend his burial from a distance. Maybe sneak into the wake to grab some free grub."
Inside Godenn, Taishi struggled against the velocity to hold onto the controls. "Damn it," Taishi said. Suddenly a screen popped up and displayed Godenn grabbed leg with a red background. From what he could tell, Godenn's knee was coming apart. "Crap, already?"
It was true, Godenn had sparks flying out of its knee, soon it would break off and Taishi and Godenn will be sent flying. "Come on Godenn," Taishi said. We can do this!" Taishi roared as he had Godenn bend its leg and pull up to face the frog below. Sparks stopped flying from the knee as it was instantly engulfed by a swirling green flame that quickly dispersed.
"You punks think I'll allow myself to be beaten by being thrown around like a sack of garbage," Taishi shouted? From the opposite side of the damaging leg, he pulled back Godenn's arm. After tightening a fist, Godenn's pilot shouted to the heavens, "Just who the hell do you think I am?"
Godenn then punched the air towards the frog and from the hole in its wrist; a drill emerged and shot straight at the frog ganmen. This new weapon continued toward its target to no end, as it seemed to have an unlimited extension. "What the," the frog's pilot began, but was interrupted when the drill made impact. Godenn's weapon had gone directly inside the ganmens mouth, without, somehow, killing the pilot. Losing its grip on the controls, the tongue finally released Godenn's leg.
"What the hell," the frogs' pilot asked? Losing its grip on the controls, the tongue finally released Godenn's leg. In an instant, the tornado ceased spinning, allowing the audience to see more.
"What is that," Leiko asked as she fixed her hair from the turbine wind ignoring the hat she lost.
Bruce pulled out and looked at his binoculars again to further examine the long pole like weapon. He had noticed two lines that were swirling around it from the tip to its hole. "Hmm… It appears to be a…"
And in the control module, Taishi gave out another great battle cry, "Godenn, spin on!" And the weapon began to spin at a rapid speed instantaneously.
"I knew it," Bruce said.
"Impossible," shouted the commander on the beastman dai-gun. "Is that…?"
"A drill," Leiko asked in shock?
The drill the arm held out, toward the mechanical amphibian was then pulling down Godenn. While being pulled in, Godenn pulled its spare arm behind its back. "Grah," Taishi cried. Within range Godenn slammed his fist on the top of the enemy ganmen. Godenn then stood up dynamically while finishing to retract the long drill.
Godenn then bent down grabbed and lifted the crushed ganmen to the sky and threw it at the smashed monkey. Taishi had his ganmen run at full speed and jump with as much force. It rose to the sky until the audience saw it as the tiniest dot in the sky. Once more Godenn was skydiving, but with a pilot aiming at the downed enemies. Its hands interlocked with a fierce grip and were pulled above the head.
While falling in that posture, Taishi roared out a battle cry heard all throughout the mountains. He almost maxed out the speakers in the dai-guns watching. The beastmen took notice and began to panic. But their struggling was pointless as Godenn slammed down its joined fist. The attack clearly hit a serious vital point causing both ganmen to explode, incasing the victor.
But Godenn easily walked out of the flames non-charred. "Okay that was kind of cool," Leiko said.
Taishi took a long and relaxing exhales as he began working up a sweat. "How dare you make a fool out of us," shouted the bull ganmen pilot. Taishi tried to see the last enemy, but it was too late. The last Ganmen planted its feet on Godenn's back as a double kick. And it continued to ramble on while continuing to land blow after blow on the downed wannabe hero.
"Do you have any idea how disrespectful you're being? To us, our commander, our general, our king?" The last hit made Godenn roll backwards ridiculously. But before property damage could be impacted, Taishi had Godenn grab hold of the ground. He planted its feet as it continued slowing down until it stopped when the tip of Godenn's heel touched the wall of a building.
"Whew," said Taishi, relieved that he did not make anyone loose his or her home or business. "Huh," he asked when he heard footsteps nearing him. Seeing the bull ganmen that was knocking him around, he growled and began his own charge.
Taishi gave yet another battle cry, and emerging from the holes above Godenn's face were three long drills. These drills however, did have a size limit. After they finished rising to the sky, the drills shot down towards the bull. They impaled its back foot before it could take another running step. The last two punctured its hands.
With one last roar from its pilot, Godenn jumped as high as a house at the bull while pulling its arm back and made a fist. Godenn unleashed a punch shooting straight through the ganmens' teeth and back. The beastman inside was knocked out of his mecha and was sent across the town square. Godenn took the dead ganmen off its arm. And Taishi said, "To hell with your Wild King."
"Okay," began the Captain back on the Dai-Yunka, "that was badass."
The beastman was frozen with fear, defeated and without a ganmen or any backup. All he could do was stare at the enemy ganmen approach him one step at a time. When Godenn had finished walking, it bent over and reached out. The beastman was more afraid than ever as it tried to run away. But it was no use, as he was in the enormous palms of Godenn.
"Hey there little fella," Taishi mocked. "I think it's time for you to go home." He then had Godenn gently wrap its fingers around the beastman without crushing him. "And tell whoever's in charge up there, that they have to deal with me before this town." Godenn spread its legs, wound up it arm for the pitch and threw the beastman back to the Dai-Gun in the sky.
Screaming all the way, the thrown beastman face planted on the flight decks windshield for the commander to see. "Commander," the defeated beastman said with a stutter, "I… I have a message from…"
Before he could finish delivering, a gunshot was heard as the glass was made a hole in it while the disgrace fell after impact. "Message received," the commander said holding the small shotgun with smoke rising from the barrel. As he began to store the execution weapon away, he began to issue an order. "Prepare my…"
And he noticed a change in the lighting and saw that it was sunset. The commander growled with frustration. "Very well," he said quietly. "Turn the ship around and land somewhere close that keeps us out of sight. I'll resolve this issue tomorrow."
As he looked at the back of the ship flying further away, Taishi was taking long and slow breaths as the exhaustion took its toll. "Not a bad first day," he said with a smile, "Huh buddy?" Suddenly his exhaustion was forgotten when he heard a sound outside and it felt rather familiar to him. He opened the hatch and stepped into the light. And it was as he thought, it was a small crowd of the towns' civilians clapping and cheering.
And little by little, the whole village joined the crowd and applauded his victory. Even the mayor and his lady assistant took front row for appreciation. Instead of clapping however, he was signaling the young pilot to come over. Taishi hopped down from Godenn and walked towards the mayor. "Thank you my boy," said the mayor as he shook his hand.
"Oh well I…" Taishi began to say. He looked above the mayor to see the people had stopped cheering and were smiling gratefully. He then slightly looked up to see the retreating Dai-Gun and realized what he needed to say. "Don't thank me yet! They'll be back tomorrow for payback!
"And if I'm going to stand a better chance to defend your town, I'm goanna need your guys' help." This made the townsfolk act more concerned and worried, even the mayor. "I don't need much. All I need is someone to help me piece that ganmen over there back together and a willing volunteer for its new pilot. For now though, making it work again will be our first priority."
"I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, all I know is that it'll be different than today. And I won't be able to do it alone, so will you help me help you?"
There was no straight answer, only mumbling among the crowd. From where he was standing, it seemed that he might have had to take on tomorrow's battle. Until…
"I'm in!" They all turned to the direction of the feminine voice. They all had yet to learn her name, but Leiko stood tall with Bruce behind her and having a face of determination. There was murmuring in the crowd again. "I'm not from around here, but I can't stand you people allowing terrorists to walk all over you!"
Everyone was awestruck by the strangers' confrontation; even Taishi did nothing but stare at her. "And come on," she continued. "There was a third grader earlier that showed more courage than any of us did today!" Then making his way through the crowd was that little boy that threw rocks at the ganmen.
"Yeah," the kid shouted! "I'm not afraid to fight those jerks! So why are you sissy's?" After those words, although most stayed concerned, some of the men in the crowd became ashamed.
That was when it was the mayors' turn to speak up. "Well, you all heard the youngsters! Get that pile of scrap working again! Where's a blasted mechanic when you need one?"
"Right here Mr. Mayor," said someone coming out of the crowd. It was a group of men wearing matching coveralls with individual nametags. And one by one more mechanics wearing different sets of coveralls and nametags appeared from the crowd.
And Taishi finally smiled, knowing that he had everyone's support. "Alright then," he shouted! "Pick up any parts you can find from that ganmen! Then round up your tow trucks to take it to the nearest garage, doesn't matter if it's the best or not!" And all the mechanics in town scrambled around the battlefield.
As they looked for parts as ordered, Taishi felt someone tugging on his pants. He looked to see it was the boy he saved. "Do you," the boy began saying but hesitated. "Do you think I can…" and he looked to the bull ganmen.
Realizing what the boy was asking, Taishi said sympathetically, "Sorry kid, but bravery doesn't mean your ready to help out like that."
"I figured," the kid said bowing his head.
"Besides," said another voice out of the blue, "it takes a real man to pilot a mecha like that!"
Taishi turned to see the volunteer, and was surprised to recognize the shinning bald scalp. "Captain," Taishi said. "You're staying?"
"Well after seeing what you can do," the captain began to answer as he walked up to Taishi, "the sidelines got boring real quick. But while we're taking care of business like this, forget about all that 'captain' nonsense. Or did you forget that the name's Kinji?"
Taishi then grew a grin and said, "As if I could forget my own boss!" They high fived and fiercely held hand on contact. "Hey wait… the name's…" Taishi then realized there was a name he did not know.
Meanwhile, Leiko and Bruce were discussing their own situation. "Are you certain it's wise to stay Madame," asked Bruce?
"Wise, no," answered Leiko. "But I can't turn my back on this. Let's go back to the limo Bruce. It's more than comfortable enough for us to sleep in."
"As you wish Madame," Bruce said rather upset.
They began walking away until someone shouted, "Wait!" They turned around to see it was the hero of the day running to them. When he was close enough he said, "Thank you. I would've lost their trust if it weren't for you."
She gave a gentle smile and replied, "No problem. And don't worry I'll stick around to help you out in an even bigger way."
"I look forward to it," Taishi said. They were beginning to turn around when he still needed information. "Wait," they stopped and looked at him. "I never got your name."
She smiled more brightly, faced him fully and said, "Leiko, my name is Leiko."
"Leiko," Taishi repeated, "that's a nice name. I'm Taishi."
That was when she walked toward him and held her hand out. "Well Taishi, I'm looking forward to tomorrow."
He accepted her handshake and said, "Same here, Leiko."