(Disclaimer: I do not own the Gundam franchise. Credits goes to Bandai/Sunrise and their staff for making this wonderful mecha franchise.)

Gundam Build Fighters – Cyber Era

Chapter 3 – Taking Off!


Aya's Room

"I see." Yoite hummed as Aya finishes her tale. "He must've been a very good hacker though, to be able to inflict damage to you within the Central Hub while you aren't able to retaliate."

Aya nodded. She deliberately left out the part where she followed the cloaked machine to the Neutral Zones to avoid another scolding though.

"Hmm…the Enforcers should be looking into it by now so just stay put. Here, let me take the Gunpla. I can probably fix it up over the weekend." Yoite offered. Aya graciously accepted and handed him the wrecked SD Gundam.

"In the meantime…" Having thought of something, Yoite vanished from the room for a bit, only to return a few minutes later with a bunch of unbuilt SD Gundams he showed to Aya. "It's the excess I bought from Kanade. Here, why don't you pick one for your next avatar? You already know how to build so I guess it's time for you to choose one you'll want to personalize yourself."

Aya gave the kits a cursory look, trying to pick out a favorite from among them. She even checked out the promotional images on the sides of the box and the runners. Finally, she was able to decide which one she wanted to use.

"This!" Aya picks out an HG Petit'gguy White from the stash.

"Hahaha! Yeah, okay. It's technically an HG but it's still allowed by the system since they're small." Yoite informed her as he got up to leave.

"Yoite?" Aya suddenly called out, surprising Yoite.

"Yes?"

"Can I borrow some tools and paint too?"

"Absolutely." Yoite pats her on the head and heads out to get the supplies and to bring back the tools Aya borrowed. "Do you want me to help out?" He asked though having watched his battle with Kanade and suffered a loss of her own, he could already guess Aya's answer.

"No. I want to build it by myself this time." Aya assured him. If she was to get back at the Gundam that defeated her, she would have to take it down with her own power. Right now, the only thought in her mind is to face that unknown Gunpla again—

And defeat it with her own hands with a model she built herself.


Room 1203

It was evening by the time Aya walked down to the living room to watch some TV. The remainder of the day was spent brushing up on her old modeling skills on the Petit'gguy Yoite gave her. Removing seamlines, opting for paint over stickers, adding in her personal color choices—basically everything she can do to make her current machine stronger than the last one—

Which she still found difficult as the SD Gundam at least had its rifle and saber. Her new 'avatar' lacked what you could call a proper weapon. Clearly, it was meant to look cute rather than intimidating and useful for battle. However, Aya didn't mind this. After all, this was only a trial kit. She didn't exactly intend to use it for battle anyway.

"Heehee~" Still, Aya giggled. Compared to the SD, her current machine just felt a little more complete. Perhaps it was her personal touches such as changing the color of its ribbon to blue and putting more attention to details like nubs and seamlines which drew out that feeling. A little bit of shading also added a new dimension to its look.

Plus, it was cute. Seeing it standing proudly in its completed glory made Aya smile.

"Hey, how was your day?" Her mother greeted her as she came home from work and practically squealed upon seeing Aya's new Gunpla. "It's cute Aya! Did Yoite give it to you too?"

Aya nodded. Her mother inspected the machine from head to toe. "Hmm…I guess your old skills have returned. It looks cuter, but this one feels just a bit sturdier than your last one. Speaking of which, where is it Aya? Let's take a picture of it together with this guy! Your first Gunpla models!"

Aya flinched a bit. She didn't want to admit she broke the first one by picking a fight with some stranger on PLANET.

"Umm…Yoite borrowed it for a while. He said he wanted to—to…ah! He wanted to draw it!" Aya explained with a suspicious smile.

"Is that so? Well okay then. I'll just fix us some dinner."

Aya breathed a sigh of relief when her mother headed to the kitchen. Fortunately, her mother was quick to buy her story.

"Oh, Aya look!" Her mother suddenly called her to the kitchen. "Do you have your Gunpla with you?"

Aya nodded. She was still carrying Petit'gguy in her pocket.

"Can I have it for a bit?" Her mother asked so Aya lent it to her for a while. When her mother gave it back, she appears to have fashioned a tiny blue scarf for it out of some old cloth she apparently found in the kitchen. "There! Now doesn't it just look cuter?"

Aya smiled and nodded. Now her Gunpla feels just a bit more special.

"Why don't you show it to Yoite-kun? I'm sure he'll be impressed now that you're able to build Gunpla by yourself."

"About that—" Aya sits down at a chair in the kitchen to talk to her mother. "Is it okay if I keep doing this hobby?" She asks.

"Of course dear! I for one would prefer it rather than you just sitting in the PC or the TV all day!"

"It might get a little too expensive though."

"I'm alright as long as your grades are fine and you don't splurge your allowance in one go." Her mom assures her.

"Thanks. I was actually thinking of getting a set for my own. It feels a little embarrassing for Yoite considering he gave me two already." Aya recounted. "I saw a battle earlier today and it looked fun."

"Battle? You mean that coliseum where you try to beat other people's robots? Won't your robot be damaged there?"

"They have an option so the model doesn't get damaged. I can stick to practicing in that battle mode while I'm still learning." She assures her mother this time.

"Well, okay. I'll leave you some money for you to buy a model. Will it cost a lot?"

"Hopefully not-I mean, I don't really intend to get the big ones." Aya recalls the size of the Gunpla she fought in the Neutral Zone. She was going to use the same scale as that one.

"Okay."

"Can I also practice Gunpla Battle at the store? They have a system there."

"Just make sure to not stay out too long and to eat on time okay?"

"Got it!"


Castle City – Toy's Town

"So, you're finally upgrading huh?" Yoite asked as he stood beside Aya in front of Kanade's Toy's Town. It was still rather early and the shop was still devoid of customers. From the windows, they could see the girl dusting off the stocks and counters. Aya just nodded as they entered.

"Hey! Scrub No.1 and Scrub No.2! Don't tell me you want to avenge your loss yesterday, Arakaki?" Kanade greets them as they walked in; Aya immediately taking off for the Gunpla aisles.

"Nah, not really. I'm just tagging along this time. She's the one who wanted to come in today." Yoite refers to Aya who had already started checking box after box, trying to find a Gunpla she wanted.

Her initial plan was simple: Buy a Gunpla, build it and slap as many powerful weapons on it and locate the machine that destroyed her SD and beat it. However, now she didn't seem too sure. Some of the Gunpla seemed to have special abilities and other gimmicks like transformation. From what she was reading, it seems there's more to these robots than just weapons.

"NT-D?" Aya muttered as she checked out an HGUC Unicorn Gundam's box.

"Newtype Destroyer System. It's a mode that unleashes the limiters of the Mobile Suit giving it increased performance." Yoite walks over, explaining the lore of the system. Aya realized that with her rather low knowledge of the series, it would be hard for her to decide on a particular design direction.

"You sure are taking your sweet time there. What's the matter? Need cash? You can ask some from this scrub here!" Noticing her confused look, Kanade walks on over to their side as well.

"I don't know?" Aya muttered. "Now that I'm actually choosing one for myself did I just realize there's so many designs and variations to choose from."

"Well, it's already got over forty years of history behind it. When you consider that, it doesn't really seem too surprising to me." Kanade explained. As they stood around, waiting for Aya to make a decision, the bell chimed and another customer walked in.

"Huh? Fancy seeing you here Arakaki-san." The other customer greeted Yoite.

"Morning Nagisa-chan! You're here early." Likewise, Yoite greeted back.

"Nagisa?" Aya turned to look and true enough, Nagisa was standing by the aisle.

"Seriously? You're here too Aya?" Likewise, Nagisa also seemed surprised at the meeting. "This is what, the second time I've run into you now?"

"Third. At the hospital too." Aya reminded her.

"I see you two have already met." Yoite remarked upon seeing the two girls.

"You know her Arakaki-san?" Nagisa asked.

"Well yeah. Aya here's my cousin from Osaka." Yoite explained.

"I see."

"And Nagisa here is Makinami Nagisa; my underclassman from Suzuran." Yoite introduces Nagisa to Aya this time.

"Not to mention my rival for the title of the fourth Meijin!" Kanade adds in. "And my cousin. Family sticks together around here." Apparently, the three people around her knew each other. Suddenly, Aya felt a little out of place around them which her cousin immediately picks up.

"Hey, don't worry! They're all my friends."

"Yeah, it's not like we bite or something. Unless you're into that of course, hehehe~"

"Shut up Kanade."

"Speaking of which—" Yoite suddenly remembered and turns to the two girls. "Kanade and Nagisa, do you think you can help Aya out here? She wants to try building her own customized Gunpla but—"

"Basically—I have no idea where to start." Aya finishes her cousin's sentence. "I'm not really uhh…familiar with all this."

"Oh? Watching us fight got you hooked huh?" Kanade remarks as a wide grin formed on her face. "Very well! I'm always happy to take another student under my wing!"

"You say that but even you still have a lot to learn yourself Kanade. Like being a bit more humble." Nagisa sighed at the rowdy girl's cockiness.

"It's alright. Even I only learned to build from Kanade-chan here." Yoite added. "They'll be able to teach you better than I can. Right girls? Plus, I'm sure you'll feel better learning from other girls your age. You're all second-year girls right now yeah?"

"Yep!" Kanade beamed.

"Well, I guess I have some free time—" Nagisa steps up to browse the aisle with the beginner. "Let's see…do you have a particular Gundam you want to base your idea on?"

"Huh?" Aya asked, not sure what she meant.

"You know? A base Gunpla?"

"Aya's not that familiar with the Gundam franchise Nagisa so—" Yoite speaks up on her behalf.

"Is that so?"

Aya thought for a moment. "Umm…is there anything you might recommend to someone like me?"

"I don't know. Recommending things isn't as easy as it looks. If you're just starting out then the only thing I can recommend is to pick some of the newer models so you won't have to kill yourself improving its articulations and stability." Nagisa muttered as she went through the other boxes. "Are you just going to build it and stand it on a shelf? Or do you plan on battling with it?"

"She's going to battle of course! After seeing my battle skills, how can she not be inspired to fight? Besides, who still displays Gunpla in this day and age?" Kanade speaks up for her this time. Aya actually appreciated the gesture as that saves the trouble of admitting she only wanted to get back at someone.

"Well, lots of people Kanade. That's why we have the Artistic Gunpla Grand Prix and the Meijin Cup." Nagisa replied, putting an HGUC ZII back in the shelf and turning to Aya. "If you're going to fight then what's your style?"

"Style?"

"Melee or ranged?" Kanade translates.

"I don't know." Aya replied. She recalls being able to use both options in her earlier battle but the fight was over before she can properly assess herself.

"Do you prefer to focus on only one enemy at a time? Or can you engage multiple opponents at the same time?"

"I don't know."

"Are you comfortable with taking attacks head on? Or would you rather get out of the way and dodge?"

"I don't know." At this point, Aya just sighed as the reality of it all sank in. She wasn't really sure of her own abilities so she couldn't exactly expect to jump ahead to attempt a fully customized machine. She'll have to take it slow in the meantime, and find out where her talents lie.

"Boy, you really are a noob huh?" Kanade sighed as she stretched her arms.

"Yeah, I just admitted that."

"Well, no need to be so defensive about it. We all started somewhere too." Nagisa pats her on the shoulder, as if to assure her it's alright. "For now, why don't you pick out something that looks "cool" to you. Then we work our way from there."

"Or how about we put her in a general-purpose machine first and test her, see where her skills lie, get her a model that compliments her skill and work our way from there?" Kanade suggests a different method.

"Then she'll be buying at least two machines at the end of the day! You're just trying to make profit aren't you?" Nagisa argues.

"What? It's a win-win! I have more profit, she has more options!"

"You fox and your sleazy sales pitch—!"

"At least I can make a profit!"

"Girls, don't fight…" Yoite tries to calm the two down. "How about it Aya?"

Aya pondered over their suggestions a bit. On one hand, Nagisa's idea is very considerate as it takes into account her own preference. However, with almost no knowledge of the franchise, Aya was worried she might pick a model that suits her taste only for her to realize it was a weak machine all along. Kanade's suggestion on the other hand, makes more logical sense aside from the fact that well—it costs a lot more to try out.

"Decisions, decisions…" Aya hummed to herself as she browsed some more. "A general-purpose machine is-?"

"A pretty balanced one, with options for both melee and ranged. The SD Gundam you just built was something similar." Yoite explained for her. "Most units have options for both though so that line is pretty blurred nowadays."

"So something like this?" Aya raises an HGUC Geara Zulu to Yoite.

"Yep. It has a beam axe for close range and a beam submachine gun for ranged."

"It doesn't look too strong though."

"Any Gunpla can be strong Aya. It depends on how well you build it."

"And if you have good battling skills and reflexes." Nagisa added. "Gunpla Battle plays differently than the Gundam anime. What was strong in the shows may just as well be floating targets if you can't use it properly."

"Nagisa's right. So don't worry too much about strong and weak Gunpla for now. Gunpla becomes more powerful the more you add to it."

"Well…take care not to go overboard though as it might just end up messy—like the builds of someone I know." Nagisa points towards Kanade.

"Hey! You making fun of my customs?"

"No."

"Anything can be strong huh?" Aya took Nagisa and Yoite's words to heart as she cycled through the stock again. Finally, a particular unit caught her eye and she reached out to pick it up from the shelf. "This one looks like my SD!"

Nagisa leaned in to get a closer look. It was the HGUC Gundam Ground Type.

"The Gundam Ground Type huh? Not a bad choice I might say. It can't fly though and it's much better off fighting on Earth than in space."

"However, you can of course, customize it to also fight in the air and in space if you want to." Yoite reminded her. "That's the whole point of customizing Gunpla."

"Hmm…Aya gave the Gunpla a closer look, checking out its armaments and features. "Okay, I think I'll take this one."

"Go ahead."

Having decided on the Ground Type, Aya takes it to Kanade on the counter.

"The Gundam Ground Type huh? Didn't seem like you're the type who likes antiques Scrub No.2! You really surprised me!"

Aya wasn't sure if what Kanade said was a compliment or an insult but she nonetheless, ringed up her purchase.

"Thank you for your purchase! Now, follow me to the back!"

"Huh? Why?" Aya was surprised at Kanade's remark.

"Why, we'll build your model of course! You said you wanted to learn right?"

"But I already know how to build it."

"Yeah, but you're also going to check how well you fight and which style suits you best right? Plus, with custom builds, you often have to use other materials aside from what you just got from the box." Kanade explained.

"Kanade's right." Nagisa echoes the rowdy girl's words. "You'll be using polystyrene sheets, putty and maybe even parts from other Gunpla. Custom builds tends to be involve grittier processes outside of painting it nice."

"But for now, let's just finish this model OOB quickly so you can test it out. You'll have a better idea of your Gunpla's range if you built it yourself."

"But who's going to watch the shop then?" Aya reminded them.

"Oh, I'm sure Scrub No.1 is up to the task."

"What? Why me?" Yoite protests.

"Cause' we'll be helping Aya out of course! Now come on!" At Kanade's insistence, the three girls headed inside the backroom where Kanade's workshop and the battle system was.

"Seriously? Hey, Kanade-chan! I don't know how to use the cash register! Help!"


With both Nagisa and Kanade helping out with the build, the model was completed in a little less than an hour, surprising Aya as she worked. Of course, they only built the machine according to the manual though Kanade left out most of the stickers save for the eyes. The result was…not that bad but of course, without panel lines or other details, it looked pretty bland.

Still, Aya was impressed with how fast it took them to finish up.

"Wow! You girls barely looked at the manual too." She complimented both of their abilities.

"Well, when you've been doing this for quite a while, you'll start to see similarities in construction and joint placement across kits." Nagisa informs Aya. "Take the HG All Gundam Project for instance."

"Plus, it's not difficult to just snap things together. Besides, we rushed this build so you can test it out immediately." Kanade added as she made her way over to her battle system to start it up.

"So I'll be fighting with this?" Aya asked, picking up the Ground Type from the table.

"Yep."

"I'm not sure I'm ready to take you guys on though."

"It's just a little test to see where your skills lie. I'll set the damage to C so the models don't get damaged." Kanade assured her while Nagisa got up to pick a random model lying around in Kanade's workshop.

"I'll be your opponent." Nagisa informed her as she brings her chosen machine to the battle system. "Ironically, this machine was your Gundam's opponent in the anime."

"Alright." Aya nodded as she takes up the challenge.

"And, a present from me!" Kanade hands Aya a GP Base. "Remember, you can't fight Gunpla Battle without it."

"Thank you!" Aya thanks Kanade and faces Nagisa.


Gunpla Battle, Combat Mode, Startup!

Model Damage Level, set to C!

Please, set your GP Base!

The two girls then placed their respective GP Bases on the scanner, recognizing their identity and their model's information. The particles then materialized their battlefield, which was composed of lush vegetation and tall, rocky mountain crags.

Field 03: Forest

Please set your Gunpla!

The two girls set their respective models, allowing the machine to scan it and bring it to life as well.

OPERATOR

Builder Name: Kanade Takamine

Fighter Name: Nagisa Makinami

GUNPLA

Scale: 1/144

Class: HG

Model: MS-07B-3

Name: Gouf Custom

Nagisa had chosen the Gouf Custom, Norris Packard's Mobile Suit from the anime The 08th MS Team. It had a massive gatling gun mounted underneath its shield and a large physical sword. Aya felt intimidated just looking at it.

OPERATOR

Builder Name: Aya Saihara

Fighter Name: Aya Saihara

GUNPLA

Scale: 1/144

Class: HG

Model: RX-79 [G]

Name: Gundam Ground Type

And of course, Aya was using a vanilla Gundam Ground Type with no modifications nor additional detailing. Aya flinched upon seeing its low stats on the parameter screen. Still, it was just a little practice exercise. Besides, it didn't seem like Nagisa's machine had any further improvements as well.

Battle Start!

"Ready?" Nagisa's Gouf skids across the launch pad, donning its gatling shield in front as if anticipating a pre-emptive attack.

"Let's go!" On the other hand, Aya launched and immediately took to the trees for cover, as if emulating the same maneuver her cousin did in their earlier fight. Noticing this, Nagisa calmly looked to her guns and scanned the forest floor for any sign of movement.

"There you are!" The Gouf's guns flashed with gunfire, sending a concentrated barrage of bullets roaring through the trees, colliding with what appears to be a huge metallic object concealed by the undergrowth. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be the Ground Type's shield.

The Gundam though, was not hiding behind it.

"What?" Nagisa screens suddenly flashed with an alert as the Ground Type flew out from its side, letting loose a barrage with its machine gun. She halts her attack and focused on defense, boosting backwards while letting her shield take the brunt of the attack.

"Hmm…" From outside, Kanade observed the beginner's aptitude. "She seems to have good reflexes. She's not that bad at using her guns but—" Kanade reserves judgement for now as she opted to observe for a bit longer.

In the meantime, Nagisa had reached a good enough distance to counterattack with her guns, letting them loose. Aya's Ground Type attempted to dodge out of the way but couldn't in time, with some bullets chipping away some of its armor parts.

"Ngh!" Aya groaned as she struggled with the controls trying to get her Ground Type into position again. For some reason, the Gunpla isn't as responsive as she wants it to be, straining and struggling at her sudden shifts in movement.

"Don't feel too bad about this!" In the ensuing confusion, the Gouf had closed in with its metal blade drawn and poised to strike. Aya responded by dropping the submachine gun and drawing her beam saber to parry the attack.

"Nice catch—urk!" Anticipating just a quick parry, Nagisa was a bit shocked when Aya immediately drew the second one with her Gundam's free hand and drove it straight at the Gouf's torso. Her hands immediately shifted the controls a little to the left to dodge, with the saber only grazing a fraction of its torso but it was enough time for the Ground Type to get up again and strike both the Gouf's sword and shield with its beam sabers.

"Come on, faster!" Aya roared as she tries to keep up the barrage despite the lag in controlling her machine. Unfortunately, the Gundam's movement was just a tad bit too slow.

"There!" Taking advantage of the straight built nature of the machine and its relatively low performance, Nagisa managed to exploit an opening by dropping the heavy gun and ramming the Gundam's torso with the shield, sending it crashing down. Taking its sword with both hands, the Gouf rammed the blade down on the Ground Type with its full weight so it wouldn't have the opportunity to counterattack. The Ground Type's chest mounted gun fired but the Gouf ignored the minor damage and went straight on, stabbing the Gundam's torso.

Battle Ended!


"I lost." Aya muttered as the particles ceased dispersing, looking at her snap-built model lying still on the ground.

"If it's any consolation, your machine's just a bit too weak." Nagisa immediately comforts her. "Besides, we only did this to check how well you do and what your preferred style is like."

"Yeah, you were able to give Nagi-chan here a hard time even with that so don't worry!" Kanade echoes the sentiment.

"Of course, it's not as if I fought with all I have either." Nagisa clarified, smiling just a little.

"Yeah, yeah right." Kanade just scoffed.

"So…?" Aya asked, wondering about her assessment.

"Huh, oh yeah. Well—" Kanade sat down, taking what appeared to be a sheet of plastic from a shelf and drawing shapes of some sort on it. "Based on what I watched, you seem to favor melee weapons however, your skills with the rifle ain't that bad—at close or medium ranges. I did notice you trying to force the machine a little too much with your saber technique though. Sorry to break it to you but, the Ground Type ain't exactly the most agile kit in the market."

"So I chose the wrong machine then?"

"Not exactly." After drawing and measuring the shapes, Kanade started cutting them out with a modelling knife. "The Ground Type is still a good base for custom work. I'm sure we can just slap a bunch of scraps on it and it'll be good for your use and your preferred style. So…any requests?"

"Hmm…" Aya thought for a bit, reflecting on their concluded battle. "I want to improve its arms somehow—make it just a bit faster when it comes to wielding the swords. Oh, and I want to be able to fight with it in space—"

Yoite watched the three girls go back and forth with their idea discussion and just smiled. "Well, I suppose they'll be at it until later then." He laughs as he turns his attention back to the register as his two friends shows his younger cousin various tips and tricks on how to accomplish her ideal customizations.


Aya's Room

True to her word, Aya returned home a little before dinnertime, bringing her newest snap-built Gunpla along. The remainder of the time she spent in Kanade's hobby store revolved on using other techniques like kitbashing, using pla-plates and putty and coming up with custom color schemes. Having learned all these tricks, a whole batch of other options were now available to her.

Yet it still hasn't given Aya much to go on. Groaning, she rested her head on her bedside table, wondering how to improve the snap-built Gunpla sitting on it. From the results of her battle, it seems like she shines best when fighting opponents up close. However, against something like a sniper, she'll be put at a severe disadvantage.

"Urgh…Maybe some of Kanade's parts can help me come up with something." She reached for the Ground Type's Box. Kanade had fabricated her some dress up armor components and a few scrap parts as something of a bonus though she had to pay a small fee for them.

"Hmm…what did this Gundam do in the story anyway?" Aya suddenly thought as she went to her PC to read up her model's role in the context of its story. "Hmm…used in anti-Zeon operations on Earth—that doesn't give me much to go on at all. The model number though—"

She was rather intrigued by the model number, wondering if it meant the machine came as a series. Perhaps she can look for clues in the machine's succession? Glancing back at her model, she then browsed the next machine in its line by changing 79 to 80.

"RX-80PR Pale Rider huh?" Aya reads out the result that appeared on her search. Compared to her machine, it looked better armed and armored, along with what appears to be space capabilities.

"Hmm…"


Castle City – Toy's Town

"Good morning…" Aya groggily greets Kanade as she entered the shop. As per their agreement, Kanade suggested she teach her while the school term hasn't started yet to make the most of their remaining vacation time in the shop.

"Morning! Scrub No.1 not around today?" Kanade greets back, making her way over to the tired-looking girl. "What's the matter? Why do you look like you've been wailing all night?"

"Well—I read up some of my model's lore and came up with an idea. I spent all night working on it." Aya sighed as she sat on a stool and took out her model's box from the bag, opening it to show the unfinished model.

Aya's Gunpla looked very different from its earlier incarnation. The shoulder armor had been redesigned to accommodate some of the thrusters given by Kanade while the torso had been improved with added plating and by replacing the chest mounted cannon with a pair of smaller Vulcans near the shoulders. The legs also had armor and thruster parts installed at the sides and back, in order to add to the machine's maneuverability.

"This looks a lot like a Pale Rider with the Gundam's head." It was the only words Kanade can use to describe the modification. "Had I known you'd be taking this direction, I would've suggested you just get the Pale Rider kit itself. Of course, we don't actually carry the Premium stuff haha!"

Aya groaned. "And to think I stayed up all night for that…"

"Relax! Your customized machine would perform slightly better than if you just bought that kit and snap-built it—" Kanade picks up the incomplete machine for a closer look and immediately, certain armor sections and some of the thrusters fell off. "—if its new parts were attached properly—why are you using double-sided tape to tack the parts on, may I ask?"

"I didn't want to risk the glue melting the plastic without asking you first…"

"Haaah? Oh well, no matter. Let's just go to the back and let me show you how it's done…" Likewise, Kanade just sighed and ushered the beginner to the back room. Immediately, Aya noticed the unusual quiet inside the shop.

"Uhh…Nagisa's not around today?" She asked, wondering about Nagisa.

"Yeah. Heard she had something to do at home so it's just you and me today." Kanade replied as she sat down, breaking the model apart into separate sections for easy modification. Aya takes a seat next to her and watched, sometimes applying the technique she saw to her own piece in an attempt to achieve the same result.

"There! You'll want to give the glue enough time to cure before playing with it. Otherwise it might come off easily. Same thing with paint—ah! You already built other, non-Gunpla models before right? It's basically the same thing." Kanade explained.

"Yep. Didn't really customize those things before though." Aya recalled as she clasps together two parts in a small vice to help with its adhesion. "Back then, I always thought just building it and painting it nicely is the end of the overall process."

"Well, we're fighters so we really get gritty and dirty with our models. However, if simply building it and painting it nicely is what makes you enjoy it then I don't see why not. You don't have to force yourself to modify it if you don't want to."

"I guess. Still—I want to do it."

"Which is why you came to me isn't it?" Kanade asks in a rhetorical tone. "You know, I don't really like saying this cause my ego's big as a freakin' elephant but, if you really want to take it a next level then you should try asking other modelers for tips too."

"Why? Are there other people better than you?"

"Hell nah! I'm the best there is, yep!" Kanade boasted, pausing her work for a bit. "But of course, it can't hurt to listen to other's ideas too. Especially now that you're just starting out—no, let me correct that. There isn't really a pinnacle when it comes to this hobby. Everyone's constantly trying to improve themselves."

"Even you?"

Kanade nodded. "Not just me. Nagisa, Yoite—we're all learning from each other every time. I was the one who taught Yoite about Gunpla yet he was the one who taught me other shit like not layering lacquer over acrylic haha!"

"Y-You didn't know that?"

"Yeah and if it wasn't for your cousin, I never would've found out!" Kanade informed her.

The two girls continued working, trying to bring Aya's little concept into a tangible form. Scribing, sanding, puttying—Aya applied all these with Kanade guiding her every step of the way. Just a little past lunchtime, the primer had dried enough to allow paint application and the two resumed their work there.

"Gotta hand it to you Scrub No.2. You've got good and steady hands." Kanade compliments Aya just as she was coloring the eyes manually by hand.

"Well, I'm not really a newbie when it comes to painting."

"Speaking of which, do you have a color scheme in mind?" Kanade suddenly asks. "I mean, given the reflected world of this model kit and your background, I'd think you'll be opting for a military-esque camo feel to it. However, nothing wrong with giving it a very stylized look I suppose. So, what would it be?"

"I haven't really decided yet." Aya suddenly realized. She'd been too busy with the modifications she forgot about deciding on the model's color.

"Well, you can skip it altogether I suppose though it won't exactly win any beauty contests with just primer alone." Kanade grinned. "Of course, if you're building it purely for battle, then it's a different story."

"Well, I—"

"Hey, anyone here?" A voice suddenly called out from the other side of the counter.

"Shit! I forgot to mind the store. Wait here a little." Kanade informed Aya as she goes out for a while. Realizing that she has nothing better to do outside of waiting for some of the paint to dry, Aya decides to follow her nonetheless.

Outside, Kanade was assisting a guy who had come in with two girls beside him. He seemed rather cocky with the way he dressed and acted around Kanade who was only assisting them. Curious to see how it'll turn out, Aya moves in closer to listen.

"Listen, I'm just looking for a specific Gundam model but, your store doesn't seem to have it." The guy informs Kanade with a rather cocky smirk.

"Well, we're not exactly a big shop but we still have a good selection. Why don't you just tell me the name of the machine and I'll see if we have any in the back?" Kanade suggested, gesturing to the back room.

"Nah, you probably wouldn't know about it—it is pretty rare after all." Nonetheless, the guy seemed to brush off Kanade's attempts to help them out.

"Well, I won't be able to find out if you don't tell me what it is you're looking for exactly."

"Like I said, you probably don't know it." The guy nonetheless brushes it off. "Look, you're probably just slaving away for minimum wage and you don't really care what you're selling here so don't worry. I won't trouble you, right?" He turns to the girls who just giggled.

"This guy's being unreasonably difficult…" Aya thought as she pretended to just overhear their conversation while she walked towards them.

"Oh yeah? Try me." Still, Kanade refused to give up.

"Oh, very well then. I'm looking for that red thing you know? The Destroy Mode?" The guy finally relented though he kept his smirk all the while. "The one for the 00 Raiser."

Upon hearing that though, Kanade suddenly burst into laughter, surprising even Aya. She immediately composed herself to explain.

"Well, Destroy Mode's for Unicorn or the Banshee. But not for the 00 Raiser haha!"

Hearing this, the guy's face suddenly turned beet red as the two girls started laughing at him. Not wanting to be done in, he railed at Kanade further.

"No! 00 Raiser's got a Destroy Mode too! It turns red! Sheesh, this is exactly what I was talking about, you don't know what it is you're selling." The boy tried to catch himself but only succeeded in making Kanade laugh harder.

"No it doesn't! It's called TRANS-AM! Anyway, that's what you're looking for right? I think I've—"

"No! I'm pretty sure it's called Destroy Mode!"

"Like I said—"

"Oh, so you're just going to embarrass me? What kind of service is this?" The guy complained as the two girls tried to stifle their laughs though they did take the guy's side.

"Yeah! You know, we should report you to the manager and get you fired!" One of the girls piped up.

"Haaah?" Kanade was visibly surprised at the girl's words. Aya tried to stifle her laughter but failed, catching the attention of the rude guy.

"And what are you laughing at?! You think you're some kind of smart-ass too?! I know more about this merch than you do so don't go around laughing at me!" The guy flared up, adding more to his reddened face from the prior embarrassment, as he confronted Aya. He espied the GP Base she just got, sitting loosely on her jacket's pocket. "You got a GP Base huh? So you battle?"

Aya nodded. She was just about to explain she's just started but the guy immediately cuts her off.

"Why don't you see my skill before laughing at me then? Come on!" He challenged, arms spread out wide.

"Well it can't be helped. You can use the back room if you want to Aya. But—" Kanade suggested though she was also aware of Aya's lack of experience. "This guy may not know his Zakus and Goufs but I'd reckon he at least fights well. Guess I'll have to help out a bit—"

"In that case—" Hearing Kanade's suggestion, the two girls also stepped up. "Let's just make it a team battle then. Three of us against the two of you. I suppose it's fair since you girls are the 'experts' am I right?"

Aya and Kanade looked at each other and just nodded, regardless of the unfair condition. "Alright. Let me get my machine started in the back." Kanade gestures to the backroom with a cheeky grin.

"I should warn you though. I'm quite strong." The guy just smirks.


Gunpla Battle, Combat Mode, Startup!

Model Damage Level, set to C!

Please, set your GP Base!

"Can I pull this off?" Aya wondered as she set her GP Base on the machine. Her Gunpla, currently incomplete and lacking a couple more weapons only had the Ground Type's original machine gun and beam sabers. The shield was still unfinished.

"Don't worry! I can take on all three of them just fine!" Kanade boasts as she takes out her Gunpla. Looking on it, Aya observed it was different from the one she used to beat Yoite the last time.

Field 07: Ruins

Glancing at the battlefield, the particles revealed the image of an ancient stone ruin set deep into the jungle. Aya wondered if the setting was based from a scenario from the Gundam anime or from something which actually existed. The crags and rocks all seemed to have weird inscriptions on them. Mayan probably.

Please set your Gunpla!

Left with no other choice, Aya sets her new, customized Gundam Ground Type. Upon scanning, her GP Base suddenly notified her of something so she glanced down at it. Apparently, the machine had recognized the customizations she had done on it and was now presenting her with a prompt to alter her model's identification. Seeing that she hadn't completely made up her mind just yet, she just enters in a simple name to differentiate it from its base model.

OPERATOR

Builder Name: Aya Saihara

Fighter Name: Aya Saihara

GUNPLA

Scale: 1/144

Class: HG + Scratch

Model: RX-79 [A]

Name: Custom Gundam

Having set both her model and her GP Base, Aya glances up at Kanade who had also set her model in.

OPERATOR

Builder Name: Kanade Takamine

Fighter Name: Kanade Takamine

GUNPLA

Scale: 1/144

Class: HG + Scratch

Model: GAT-X131CW

Name: Clockwork Calamity Gundam

Kanade sets in a modified version of the Calamity Gundam from Gundam SEED. It differentiated itself by sporting a weathered, metallic finish with various rivet and bolt details and exposed ornamental piston details, giving it a clockpunk robot feel. It's Schlag Beam Cannons were replaced with custom smoothbore cannons while its Plasma Sabot Bazooka was replaced with a massive beam rifle.

What was really noticeable was the shield. It was round, looking more like a large buckler rather than the original anti-beam shield's kite-like design. Aya figures there's a gimmick hidden in that weapon but for what it is, she didn't know yet.

"I hope you didn't forget to set the damage level to C. I don't want to damage your models." The guy boasted as his machine stood by with the girl's machines, waiting to launch. Their side had a weathered GM Striker and a black Bertigo piloted by the two girls respectively. The guy on the other hand, was piloting a black Impulse Gundam with the Chaos Gundam's backpack mounted.

Battle Start!

"Let's go!" Kanade roared as her machine deployed from the launch pad.

"Taking off!" Aya follows suit and her machine leaves the launch pad and dives directly behind one of the jagged rocks dotting the landscape. As soon as she landed, she spots a new window frame on her screen, showing Kanade's control module.

"It's important to talk with your teammates in team fights so keep this open scrub. Oh, and don't worry about the guys on the other side. They can't hear us here. Well, we can't hear them either but we don't need to know their plans." Kanade explains.

"Speaking of plans—" Aya asked as her machine silently moved around the forest floor, taking care not to get spotted. "—do we have any?"

"Hmm…" Kanade thought for a moment. "None! Just go in and wipe them out before they wipe us out!"

"Seriously?!" Aya panicked upon hearing that, just as her alert flared on the left, indicating the presence of an enemy. Her machine turned to the side and out came the GM Striker, its Twin Beam Spear drawn and aimed at Aya's Gundam. She retaliates by firing a volley from her machine gun but the enemy just shrugs off the damage with its armor.

"Snap-fit and weak guns won't work—!" With a single swipe, the GM Striker disarms Aya's machine gun, knocking it out of the Gundam's hand. Aya disengages and backs off, firing distractive shots with her Vulcans which barely had any effect. "You're mine!" Realizing the custom Gundam's weapons were useless against it, the GM Striker grew confident and charged in.

Bam! Boom!

Just as she closed in though, two high-caliber shells flew towards them, sending debris flying from the impact. Aya's machine managed to get away in time and so did the GM Striker though it lost its spear in the ensuing attack. The GM Striker's pilot glanced at the direction of the shots and met face to face with Kanade's Calamity Gundam.

"Hope you're not forgetting about me now!" Kanade roared as her machine fired another volley, effectively separating the GM Striker from its enemy.

"Of course not! Hey!" The GM Striker's pilot yelled to her side and out from the sky, both the Bertigo and the Impulse descended with their weapons drawn, aiming for the Calamity. Kanade immediately adjusted her position to fire the large beam rifle but its more agile opponents merely avoided the attack.

"Let her have it!" The man's Impulse fired its beam rifle while the Bertigo unleashed its bits to barrage the Calamity with concentrated fire. Kanade managed to get her shield up in time and immediately retreated to the forest.

"Don't let her get away!"

"Got it!" Seeing this, the GM Striker moved in to pursue the Calamity instead but just as it changed direction, Aya's Gundam popped out from behind and tackled the GM, using its added thrusters to propel it at greater speeds.

"Damn it! I've had enough of you!" The GM Striker draws out its beam saber and Aya responded by taking out her own, engaging the GM in melee combat.

On the other hand, Kanade's Calamity quietly moved around the forest, keeping its head low to avoid early visual detection.

"Vantage point exploited already? Damn, this is just not my lucky day…" She sighed as she headed for another set of ruins to take cover in. Unfortunately, she had to pass a clearing before that and just as her Gundam stepped out from the forest cover, the Bertigo reappears along with its bits.

"I knew you'd be heading to this place!" The Bertigo's controller roared as the bits fired off at once.

"So you were staking it out huh? In that case—" Kanade immediately made her Calamity hover upwards, charging the Scylla energy cannon. "Eat this!" With a large roar, the Gundam fires the massive beam cannon from its abdomen, aiming it at the Bertigo. The black machine narrowly dodged the attack but over half its bits were destroyed.

"Hey!" The Bertigo's pilot called out and from the opposite side, the Impulse Gundam flew out, unleashing a flurry of missiles at the Calamity. Kanade intercepted these using its beam rifle and smoothbores but a couple still made it through, destroying the Calamity's beam rifle though the rest were blocked by the shield.

"Not bad! Guess I have to—" Kanade immediately moves to another weapon slot and selected the hidden armament in her shield. The Calamity's shield rotated to reveal a tri-missile pod hidden within. "Eat this!"

"What—?" Caught off guard by the gimmick, the Impulse tried to intercept the missiles but was unable to do so in time, and one was able to land, destroying one of its Mobile Pods, throwing it off balance and sending it crashing to the forest.

"Hah!" Kanade's Calamity landed on the ground, followed immediately by the Bertigo which had its beam sabers drawn.

"Try this then!" The Bertigo's beam sabers slashed downwards and Kanade intercepted it with the shield, using sheer bulk and power to knock the opponent away but the Bertigo responded by adding the second beam saber to it.

"Try again!"

"You see, the thing with numbers is—" Hearing the Impulse's fighter, Kanade turned to see the machine emerge from the forest with its beam rifle, aimed at the Calamity's back. "One of us will always be in your blind spot!"

"Shit!" Kanade thought as panic sets in as the Impulse poised to strike. She tried to push the Bertigo away and get out but it was proving a bit difficult to do so. There was no way of guarding against two attacks at once with only one shield.

"And so what if one is always in the blind spot? Then just shoot in the blind spot." Suddenly, another voice called out to Kanade's communications window just as another machine appeared on radar.

"What the—" Before Kanade could process what was going on, a beam rifle shot fired at the Impulse, destroying both its arm and its rifle in the process.

"Where did that—?!" The guy turned around and just across it stood a red Zaku II, built with the Origins Zaku II as base. It sported a dusty cloak and had various black skull decals on it. It also sported a backpack that carried the shields of the Zaku Phantom painted in a similar color scheme.

It was holding a beam sniper rifle and a large axe was holstered on its back.

"Late as usual aren't we? Damn you Nagisa!" Kanade yelled out but Nagisa, the Zaku II's controller just smiled.

"Sorry."

"Hey, who said you can interfere?!" The Impulse's controller yelled angrily as it directed its attention to the red Zaku. Beam saber drawn, it charged at it, even while it was missing its other hand.

"Family is family. Besides, now the match is even. Although—" Seeing this, Nagisa's Zaku drops its sniper and draws out the massive beam axe which is similar to the one used by the Slash Zaku Phantom. "It doesn't seem like it's staying that way for long."

"Bitch!"

The two Mobile Suits charged at each other though the superior reach of Nagisa's weapon ensured that it was the Impulse which was cleaved first before it could even come a hair's breadth of her Zaku. The Impulse was now officially down for the count.

"Yeah, great going cuz!" Kanade cheered upon seeing Nagisa beat the guy's Gunpla.

"And where do you think you're looking at?" The Bertigo's fighter yelled angrily as she pushed on further, almost pushing the heavier Calamity back. "I've still got the advantage against you up close!"

To her surprise though, the shield rotated another time before locking in place. "Think again, tough gal!" As Kanade yelled, a beam saber deployed from the shield and with the Bertigo busy wailing at the shield, she was able to slip the weapon past the Bertigo's arms, severing the black mobile suit diagonally as the Calamity sliced upwards, effectively ending the battle.

"Guess you didn't expect that huh?" Kanade boasted as the Calamity's beam saber deactivated just as Nagisa's Zaku ran up to her.

"Aya!" Nagisa reminded.

"Ah, right. Shit!"

Back with Aya's battle, she had been putting up a good fight so far though she was beginning to see that her opponent's no amateur in close quarters. The GM Striker was able to block and parry most of her attacks and pretty soon, she found herself pushed back.

"Had I gone against her without the modifications, I would've already lost for sure…" Aya realized but still. Despite finding the opponent to be quite difficult, the difference in her machine's performance was highly noticeable. There was no more lag in the joints and the Gunpla was now moving in sync with her sudden shifts in maneuvering and attacking.

"Tiring out now? I guess in the end, you're just a rookie!" With a strong thrust, the GM overpowers Aya's custom Gundam and disarms it of its beam saber. It immediately followed up with a kick and sent Aya's machine flying backwards to the ruins.

"Now!" Immediately, Aya got the new leg thrusters to work, allowing her to re-orient her machine's position back to normal just as the GM Striker charged on.

"Not a bad recovery but—!" The GM Striker leaps up for a powerful vertical slash but—

"Not yet!" Aya's Gundam immediately grabs the GM Striker's beam spear and thrusted upwards, catching the GM Striker off guard and ,using its superior length, slams it on the ground.

"Ngh!"

"And to finish—!" Aya immediately tries to go for the kill with the spear but the GM Striker recovered quickly enough to take hold of the spear with both hands, locking both of them in place as it tried to take back its original weapon.

"Aya!" Nagisa screamed from the forest, causing Aya to turn around. As she did, Nagisa throws her the spare beam axe she kept. Aya lets go of the spear with her left hand and used it to catch the weapon. The GM Striker managed to use it this as an opening to reclaim its weapon but Aya's new axe swept downwards, cleaving the GM Striker just as it backed away.

Battle Ended!


"Damn! We lost?" The guy stood stupefied, unable to process the fact he had lost. Compared to him, the two girls seemed a bit more relaxed and cool with their defeat.

"I won…" Aya on the other hand, couldn't believe she had just won. While a large part of her victory was owed to Nagisa and Kanade's help, she did take on the GM Striker by herself and was able to fight head-to-head with it.

"That was a close call." Nagisa takes a deep breath as she collects her Gunpla. "Good thing I made it in time."

"Hah! I could've pushed all three of them back by myself just fine!" Kanade crosses her arms and turns away from her cousin.

"Heh! I doubt it."

While the rest collected their Gunplas, Kanade goes up to one of the large boxes in the storeroom. She takes out an HG box from it and walks up to the guy to show him. It was the HG 00 Raiser TRANS-AM version.

"Was this what you were looking for sir?" Kanade asked, flashing him a very wide smile.

"Huh? Uh…yeah, I guess…" The man sheepishly admits while the girls just chuckled.

"Can you kindly read out the name just so we're clear on this?" Kanade added, trying to rub it in a little more. The man just sighed.

"00 Raiser TRANS-AM. Yeah."

"So will you be getting this kit sir?"

"Huh? Oh, uh—yeah. I guess."

Kanade's smile grew bigger. "Alright. Kindly follow me to the counter~"

Kanade leads the three people out of the room, leaving only Nagisa and Aya in the back room. Nagisa walked over to the young girl to check what has become of her original Gundam model overnight.

"Heh, nice work~ I can see a bit of Pale Rider there." Nagisa compliments the build. Aya felt a little proud hearing her little creation being complimented.

"Thanks~"

"No color scheme yet?" Nagisa asked, wondering at the all-white and grey color scheme which looked just like primer. Mostly because it was.

"No, not yet." Aya sighed. "I don't really have a particular color scheme in mind."

Hearing that, Nagisa just smiled as she sat down next to the young girl. "Hey, do you want me to tell you a trick to making your machine go three times faster?"

Aya of course, nodded.


Author's Note:

Long chapter! Chapter 3 is completed! Two simultaneous battles is really taxing. Hope it was satisfactory to you readers! Custom builds would start appearing soon so I hope you look forward to it. I'll try drafting a specs sheet for the custom machines to be compiled later on.

And with that, I'll see you guys in the next chapter!