First update of this year and the 4th update of this story. Thanks for the F-14 Tomcat Lover for helping with the ideas and Vandenbz for the proofread.

Now for non-account reviews:

Guest – Hmmm... that could work well.

J – Will do, sir. Thank you for your tips.

A Random Guy – Thanks. That really means a lot for me. Don't worry, I still working on the rest, but I just don't have enough time lately.

Guest#2 – Still under progress. I'm struggling with the part how I should write the mature content scene or if I should keep it T rated.

Guest#3 – Today, good sir.

Anon Review – That would be too OP. Special weapons will appear but not all of them.

Guest#4 – Yeah I knew. Too bad I don't own PS4 yet. And I really hope that shadowed villain is Sigma Ultron fusion.


Shoukaku's POV

Falling… cold and darkness… those were what she felt now...

This sensation was awfully familiar, almost like what she felt back then during the Battle of the Philippine Sea.

Yes, this sensation… she was sinking again…

But how did that happen? Everything was proceeding normally as they were about to return to the base. Her radar didn't even pick up any incoming attacks or remaining Abyssals.

As her body with her now tattered clothes sank into the depths of the abyss, Shoukaku slowly opened her eyes and she could barely see five figures circling right above her. Even though she couldn't clearly see them from the lack of light and her own blurred vision, she could clearly tell they were her teammates and her sister Zuikaku.

Just when she thought they could be together forever after being reunited again... but it seemed fate had other plans.

Her mind flashed back to the memories of her days at Yokosuka Naval Base. When she first came out from the construction yards, getting used to her humanoid body, meeting the Admiral and Ooyodo for the first time, coordinating with her fellow Aircraft Carriers, tasting human food.

But the most precious of them all was when the fleet had successfully built her sister, Zuikaku. It was almost like a dream came true to see her again after so many years had passed. So many things that they cherished together during the downtime outside of battle, both pleasant and unpleasant such as when they had a bath together, making origami cranes for Nagato who got bedridden for catching a cold back then, having a curry contest with the girls from different divisions although they didn't win in the end, making chocolates for the Admiral and the other girls, including Kaga and Akagi on Valentine's Day.

Oh, the last one, she could never forget that moment. The looks on her sister and Kaga's faces when they tried to give chocolates to each other out of appreciation were priceless. Maybe they were often at each other's throats but they were just too shy to express their mutual feelings.

Like Akagi-san always said, both of them really should be more honest with themselves.

But reality wasn't like a fairy tale where everyone got a good ending. One way or another, life comes to an end somehow, like now...

All those memories would be swept away forever by the coldness of the sea by the time she closed her eyes for the last time.

"Zuikaku… I'm sorry." She mumbled sadly, bubbles slipping out from her mouth and her eye corners. "It looks like I couldn't keep our promise to always be together..."

Shoukaku reached out her hand, hoping to reach her sister even though she knew it was just a desperate attempt as her view slowly blackened, fading away.

"I still wanted more… so much…"

"Akagi-san… Kaga-san… I'm sorry but… please look after her for me… okay?"

And thus, the IJN Shoukaku finally accepted her fate as she let her hand fell to her side before closing her eyes, only this time she wouldn't awake again for eternity…

Or so she thought…

"..."

"..."

"..."

"... it is the one."

…What was that?

"...waste the... for a human?"

"Tell that to... eccentric doctor… human lookalike."

Voices..?! No way…!

"...to the brig. Set... course back to… base..."

There were voices… faint and barely audible but Shoukaku could hear them. But what were they saying? She didn't understand. The language being spoken didn't sound like Japanese at all…

And this hard, cold feeling on her palms, legs, and back… was she leaning against a metallic wall on a metal floor?

But how in the world was that possible? Hadn't she sunk? Falling into the abyss where she'd rejoin her fallen comrades?

With what remaining strength she had, Shoukaku forced her eyelids open.

She finally could comprehend her surroundings when she took in the view before her. The carrier was inside of what appeared to be a very unfamiliar dark room full of metal crates with two doors on each end. But what caught her attention were two figures in metal suits. She couldn't see their faces though because her eyes were only half open.

"Hey look! She awakes." said one figure as he walked towards her.

To her surprise, when said figure kneeled down, the first thing she saw was the face of... a hammerhead shark with a red gleaming nose?

Suddenly, the shark man creature grabbed her cheeks very hard while displaying a smile full of sharp fangs that looked like they could easily tear apart human flesh. Shocked by his action, Shoukaku's eyes shot open in response, finally getting the full view of the shark man and the other armored figure whose face was half hidden by his helmet, an accessory which sported a single camera-like eye and he was clad in purple armor. If there was something else she noticed aside from the strange looking armor they had, both of them had bulky lower arms and legs.

Gazing back at the shark man, she could feel her body trembling in fear as his face got closer to hers while baring his teeth. She was too weak even to scream, let alone move. There was no way she could fight back.

'S-Stop! Stay back..! Stay AWAY..! STAY AWAY FROM ME!'

Shoukaku was terrified, she closed her eyes and looked away, not wanting to see what he was going to do with her. She thought she was about to be eaten alive by this shark man until she heard a chuckle coming from him.

"Heh, scared of us, aren't we?" said the shark faced man who clearly enjoyed her reaction. "Don't worry, girl. We won't do anything to you… yet." He said with a wide grin at the last part which made the silver haired girl wince and shiver from the sight of his teeth. Unfortunately she still didn't understand anything he'd said.

The shark-faced man then stood and turned to address the armored figure.

"Take her to the cell and make sure she stays alive. She's no good to 'Doctor' if she's dead."

"Yes, sir!"

Now it was said figure that walked towards her and before she knew it, Shoukaku felt her body being lifted and carried around on his metal shoulder like a bag. Was she going to be taken somewhere?

It wasn't a long walk until she was brought into a familiar dark corridor which she recognized as a dungeon. She knew it because back in the naval base, there was a facility like this in the underground area used to detain POWs which now functioned as a bunker in case a heavy storm or earthquake happened.

"Now, get inside!"

Suddenly, the armored figure grabbed Shoukaku by her tattered clothes and then threw her inside like a cat. Despite her pained response, the armored figure didn't show any sympathy as he just closed and locked the door, leaving her alone.

The cell itself was empty and there wasn't even a bed there, just a metal floor and walls...

Too confused and weak to command her body anymore, Shoukaku couldn't do anything but give in as she lied down and closed her eyes again, letting exhaustion overcome her…

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Hey... are you okay?"

- Chapter 4: A Rude Awakening -

Hunter Base Medical Bay – Ward

When the silver haired carrier opened her eyes again, she was greeted with a blurry view of a clean white ceiling and a very cushy, comfortable feeling on the back of her head all the way down to her heels. She also felt the familiar warmth wrapped around her body which she recognized: A blanket...

Her consciousness kicked in as she realized where she was: in a bed.

Feeling dizzy from the intense light exposure, Shoukaku groaned and brought both her hands to rub her eyes while shifting her position into leaning on the bed. When she opened her eyes again, the first thing she saw was a thick layer of white blanket.

'A... dream?' She mentally asked herself, blinking once. Her sinking... the scary shark-faced man... all of it was just a bad nightmare?

"So it was just a nightmare... a nightmare..."

A relieved sigh came out of her mouth as she held her chest in an attempt to calm herself, but sadly her relief didn't last long when she realized something: she never slept in a bed; she used a futon.

By reflex, she turned her head, only to find that she was inside what appeared to be a hospital ward; a very alien one. Unlike the one she knew from the Naval Hospital in Yokosuka, the room was filled with strange machines which she guessed to be the medical installations and the floating beds, yes 'floating beds'. At first she thought her eyes were deceiving her, but after she rubbed her eyes again to double-check, the beds really didn't have any legs supporting them from below.

Panicked and confused at the same time, she looked down and noticed that she wasn't in her usual sleeping wear, instead she sported a white gown used by the patients of the hospital. She rolled the sleeves to check if she still had the burns from her supposed 'sinking' and much to her shock: they were still there, albeit they had been patched up.

"My wounds... they were real?!" The carrier exclaimed. A single bead of cold sweat trickled down her cheek before she looked left and right followed by glancing down at her blanket, trying to comprehend her situation. A lot of questions filled her head, most of which she had no idea how to get answers for.

Did she really sink? Was what she saw back then real? The armored figure and the shark-faced man? And how did she end up here and what was this place?

The answer she sought came from the sound of a sliding door which immediately caught her attention.

...

Minutes earlier - Lifesaver's POV

Lifesaver walked out from the maintenance area and he had never felt so tired. Who would have thought that the damage done by these anarchic humans to the security Reploids would be bad enough to shut down their main power unit, forcing him to replace multiple components? Fortunately, their IC's (Integrated Chips) weren't damaged from it as they were a crucial part of a Reploid's personality. Without them, a Reploid would be no less than a mindless robot or 'soulless' as humans would say. But still, to think that they were attacked indiscriminately along with their human partners, just because they simply existed...

Damn terrorists and their radical ideas...

Standing in front of a vending machine, the Reploid pressed a button which produced a *CLANK* sound, prompting him to crouch down to grab the E-Tank from the receptacle. He opened the can and took a sip to refill his energy a bit before letting out a satisfied breath. He really could use a charging pod to get some rest.

But as a doctor, Lifesaver knew his responsibility and could not just leave his special patient unsupervised, especially since his brothers were out there until she fully recovered. So instead of taking a rest, he walked back into the ward where he'd left the mysterious girl sleeping.

Upon entering the room, the medic was greeted with a sight that made his eyes widen a bit that had he been not careful, the E-Tank in his hand would have slipped and fallen to the floor.

The girl was now awake and she was looking at him with a rather shocked expression on her face upon seeing his arrival.

"Ma'am, you're awake..." said Lifesaver. He quickly put his E-Tank on the nearby stand and walked towards her bed to ask if she was okay before telling X. Unfortunately, before he could say another word, the bedridden girl in front of him did something unexpected...

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

The doctor was startled by her scream. He could see the look on her face; she was terrified. Her eyes were wide while her irises and pupils had shrunk. Was she scared of his presence?

"Ma'am, please calm down. I'm here to help-" Lifesaver tried to calm the girl, trying to convince her that he meant no harm as he approached her bed, however...

"Ma'am? HEY! What are you doing!?"

The silver haired girl suddenly felt an adrenaline rush and jumped up from her bed. Ignoring her current state of her health and wardrobe, she ran past the medic Reploid, shoving him towards the door.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!"

"Ma'am! Get back here!" Lifesaver tried to call her, forgetting that she had just yelled at him in the foreign language known as Japanese, but it was too late, the girl was gone and considering her undiscovered abilities, she could cause a catastrophe around the base if she was on the loose. He had to stop her now!

"Urgh! I'm not an agile model but that doesn't mean I can't go after her!" With a grunt, Lifesaver chased after his escaping patient while taking a mental note to install emergency acceleration systems on his frame and maybe his brothers.

The medic Reploid continued running, using his thermal sensors to track the girl. After locating her position, Lifesaver activated his comm. unit.

"Guards! I need assistance! Stop the female human who is fleeing in section E7, ASAP!"

...

Meanwhile at the Main Hall

In the main hall, many Reploids of both genders, all dressed in various suits of armor, were gathered as if they were having a ceremonial event. The truth was these Reploids were the recently recruited Hunters who had passed the final initiation exam to become B-Class Hunters.

Standing before them were X and Zero with the former giving them a speech about what being a Maverick Hunter. Zero and many senior Hunters from when the Blue Bomber was still a rookie stood behind him. Years, decades, almost a century had passed since the precursor of all Reploids joined the Maverick Hunters. He was almost a completely different person from the perspective of the the veteran Hunters.

Back then, X was so hesitant to pull the trigger and preferred more peaceful solutions. Some might find him quite naïve because of this, often putting himself in dangerous situations that almost got him destroyed. As time progressed with a lot of gain and loss he had experienced from his missions, X had been shaped into what he was now. While he was still the same X inside, he didn't hesitate anymore to pull the trigger and knew whether his enemies were worth being forgiven or not. In fact, there were some adversaries in his past that he preferred destroyed...

"As Maverick Hunters, it's our job to protect innocents from the menace of the Mavericks." X spoke to them, his voice echoing from the amplifier. "However, sometimes we might encounter the anti-robot human group known as the Emerald Spears. While we've given authority by local law enforcement to stop them, we aren't allowed to use lethal force."

"And being a Maverick Hunter doesn't mean you can just go and act like a hero is going to save the day when a Maverick attacks." warned the Blue Bomber. "Watch each other's back and work together as a team even to take down a single enemy. One mistake and you may have to pay with your life or your comrade's..."

Silence filled the hall after X finished, however none of them looked tense or concerned with what he just said. Seeing that none of them said anything in return, the Blue Bomber concluded that they had all understood his speech and glanced at his red partner who gave him a nod in return.

"With this, I congratulate you all for passing the initiation exam. You're now officially B-Rank Hunters!"

The hall was filled with cheers as the new recruits congratulated each other. As if they had forgotten the risks of a Hunter's duty, they started talking about hoping to be put in the same team as X or Zero and wondering if they could get customized equipment. The atmosphere of the hall now was like that of students who had just graduated from high school.

"I can't believe I'm a real Maverick Hunter now!"

"I hope my first mission won't be too dangerous..."

"I wonder if I can get a cool energy sword like Zero's!"

"I thought X and Zero had another member in their team? Uh, what was his name again? Axe? Axel? Axle?"

Both Hunters chuckled lightly at the joyful sight and left the podium since their part was over. They would soon be followed by the A-class Hunters who would take them under their guidance and command as part of their team. As they walked through the hallway, X started to speak first.

"The number of new recruits we got this time is definitely increasing compared to the last time."

"Heh, they did quite well in the simulation exams, but let's see how they handle the real thing." Zero said, crossing his arms before he turned to X. "Remember that retired freshman who cried over his chipped paint job?"

X rolled his optics at that unpleasant memory. It was true that while the new recruits had shown their skills in field tests and exams, that didn't mean all of them were strong willed enough to handle the real thing. It had been recorded that a few recruited Hunters had retired in only a few days or weeks after being assigned on their first missions because of trivial things like what Zero said, and that was only one of the cases.

"You got a point there."

As they walked, the blonde Hunter noticed the pathway they were taking led to the medical wing instead of the command center. Zero could already tell where they or more specifically X wanted to go.

"Hey X, are you going to visit that girl?" asked Zero.

The Blue Bomber gave him a nod in reply. "Yeah. You want to come along?"

The blonde swordsman Hunter shook his head lightly, stopping in his tracks.

"Nah, I think I'll pass." And with that, Zero turned around and waved a goodbye as he walked in the opposite direction. "I'll see you in the command center. We still have our patrol later."

"Got it." with a thumbs-up, X continued towards his destination. But, upon arriving there, the blue Hunter saw Lifesaver with a few male and female Reploids whom he recognized as the base guards from their armor design. He noted that some of them appeared to be lightly damaged as if there had been some kind of scuffle at some point when he wasn't around.

"I'm sorry that you had to endure all of that because of her. But please understand that she's suffering extreme mental trauma and isn't in her right mind." Lifesaver lowered his head in an apologetic manner.

"Don't worry about that, doc. I still can use my right arm to fix my left." The female guard replied, waving her right arm to reassure him she was fine. "Besides, nobody got hurt or badly damaged in the end, that's all that matters."

"Yeah, this is nothing compared to when we tried to restrain that mercenary Maverick." The male guard also added, rubbing his chin which appeared to have a dent on it. "And... with a bit of tinkering, my lower jaw's shape should be back to normal."

"I see. You may return back to your post then."

Nodding, the guards left towards where X had come from, giving said Hunter a salute as well while addressing his rank. However, as they walked away, X managed to overhear one of them...

"Darn, that girl really gave me a wallop. Is she really a human?"

'What...?'

"Lifesaver." X called him, making the medic Reploid turn to him.

"Oh, X." replied Lifesaver who then approached the Hunter. "I'm guessing that you're here to check on that girl?"

"Yeah." he nodded, "But first of all, what happened?"

With a sigh, Lifesaver motioned X to follow him. "Maybe it's better if I explain inside, X."

But when X and Lifesaver entered the ward, the former was greeted with a sight that made his optic eyes widen in shock. The silver haired girl lay in her bed, restrained with her limbs cuffed to the sides of the bed like a mental hospital patient.

"Lifesaver! What did you do to her?!" X angrily demanded an answer as he approached her bed before glaring at the doctor.

"X, please calm down!" Lifesaver's voice was calm but stern as he tried to explain. "That girl suddenly freaked out when she saw me come in, and when she managed to run away I had to call the guards to stop her."

X's eyes went wide from this as he recalled the state of the guards when he saw them and what one of them said earlier. "You mean, they got injured like that because..."

"Yes, when they tried to subdue her, it turned out she actually possessed enough physical strength to fight back and inflict minor damages to a few of them." Lifesaver ended his explanation with a shake of his head. "I had no choice but to administer a sedative and strap her down so she won't cause a ruckus when she awakes again."

The Blue Bomber glanced at the girl and looked back at Lifesaver. Although he seemed to calm down a bit, X was still upset by the doctor's method.

"But, wasn't there a more humane way to do it? This'll only make her mental trauma worse than before. She could think that we're being hostile to her."

"I know that. That's why we need to talk this over." replied Lifesaver. "I need you and a human to accompany her until she awakes. It would be even better if that person understands Japanese as well."

X understood that since Lifesaver had probably heard her say... or rather shout Japanese lines when she freaked out, however he also wondered why he would need another person to be her companion as well.

"I understand. But why do you need a human?"

"X, remember when I told you that this girl might be suffering from PTSD?" X grimaced when Lifesaver said that as he looked at the sleeping form of the girl and continued: "I think the reason why she was like that when she saw me had something to do with my appearance which triggered bad memories that involved the Mavericks who imprisoned her."

The medic Reploid paused briefly. "You said that she was barely conscious when you found her, so this girl probably would feel more composed with a familiar face which is you, X. However, in a place full of Reploids like me, other than you, I fear that she would feel more scared and insecure here after what happened earlier. That's why I suggest that you bring at least one human to accompany her."

The Hunter agreed and lowered his head, closing his eyes with his finger under his chin as he searched through the contacts from his databanks. It only took seconds until he responded.

"I think I know someone who understands Japanese." X said as he touched his comm. link to make a call. "I'm calling her now."

...

Arcadia High-School – Student Medical Center

A young woman sitting in her office was reading a magazine about herbs and medicines. Being of Asian descent, she possessed long black hair with green matching earrings on her ears and black eyes behind her frameless glasses. Like a typical school nurse, she wore a white lab coat with a long collar, a dark pink turtleneck shirt with a white necklace and a green pendant, black short skirt, brown stocking and black high heels.

On her lab coat was a name tag with her name written as: 'M. Kyoko.'

Normally at this hour, school was already over and most students had already gone home, but some remained in the library or engaged in extracurricular activities.

Heaving out a sigh in boredom, the nurse named Kyoko was about to flip to another page when her cellphone rang. But when she looked at the caller's name, she was a bit taken aback. It was a certain Maverick Hunter whom she occasionally met outside the school and the same one who walked her back home one time when she got tipsy from having a hard party with her colleagues: X.

Wondering what the blue robot possibly wanted from her, she answered the call but X's voice spoke first.

"Good evening, Miss Minazuki. It's me, X."

"X, I told you there's no need to be formal with me. Just call me Kyoko." A nervous laugh could be heard from the other end as Kyoko giggled in amusement.

"So, is there anything I can help you with? I do hope it's not those brats again..."

"It isn't, ma'am. I just want to ask something because I need your help at Hunter HQ. " The nurse's eyebrow arched slightly in interest. What kind of help did the Maverick Hunter need from her?

"And what is it?"

"Do you understand Japanese?" There was a moment of silence, as if the nurse almost didn't believe the question he asked. "Hello?"

"Oh, yeah, I do. In fact I still use it when talking to my parents and some of my relatives." Kyoko replied, finally snapping back to reality before she changed her language into Japanese to prove it. "But why? I thought Reploids are multilingual."

"We... currently have a really weird case on our hands and we need a human who speaks Japanese." X replied back in Japanese. "Can you come here to give us a hand?"

"Hold on a second..." pausing their conversation, the woman took out her schedule pad from the medicine drawers and then browsed through it before giving her reply in English. "I don't have any important business today, so I think I can."

"Then I'll send you a transport to pick you up from your school. Thank you for your cooperation, Miss Minazuki."

"It's better than sitting here all day." Kyoko replied with a light chuckle. "I'll have to pack up first then. I'll see you there, X."

After hearing a goodbye from the Blue Bomber, the nurse ended her call. She quickly started organizing the documents on her desk and then putting her belongings inside her handbag. After being done packing up, Kyoko turned off the light and locked the door.

'I wonder what the Maverick Hunters could possibly want with me and my understanding Japanese...' Kyoko thought as she walked downstairs, greeting any student who still remained there or school staff she passed by.

When she reached the school gate, Kyoko patiently waited for the transport issued from Maverick Hunter HQ which would pick her up. However after waiting a few minutes, she didn't see any form of vehicle coming down the road. She even began reconsidering calling a cab nearby... until a gust of wind blew her long black hair back which caused her to stumble back a bit.

"What the...?" She trailed off; her voice was a bit distorted from an engine noise similar to a helicopter from above followed by a huge shadow it formed on the ground.

Up above her, Kyoko saw a bee-shaped helicopter, the air transport Mechaniloid Bee Blader, descending as it tried to find a good spot for landing. A Maverick Hunter insignia could be seen on its abdomen. Immediately the woman got the idea of what kind of transport that would pick her up as she dusted off her clothes and muttered.

"I was hoping he'd send me something more normal like a car or maybe a taxi..."


For those who are familiar or ever played Rival Schools, yes, this Kyoko is the same one from the game but she's not canon. Think of it like in universe cameo since she's also a Capcom character. I know you probably wonder why I also included her in Rise of the Unicorn chapter 5. To be honest, I don't know any school nurse character aside her.

And this has been on my mind lately, but do you think I should rewrite the White Devil of SEED? Because I think giving Amuro in Hi-Nu Gundam is too OP in SEED universe where he can just crubstomp everything. I'm thinking of giving him back his RX-78 in Hajime Katoki version or...

Perhaps I should replace him with Io Flemming from Gundam Thunderbolt?

Or do you have your own suggestions and ideas? Please tell me if you have.