Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Gundam franchise or anything associated with it. If I did, Gundam X would've gotten more good kits during its initial run.
Chapter 11: With the Light of the Moon to Guide Us
The two Gundams burst at each other, seemingly matched in speed. Levanah's Crossbone EXCELSA took aim with the pair of Murasama Busters, firing off short flurries of beams whenever she could get a lock on her opponent. But the agility of the GX-Falcon in its Mobile Armor mode, coupled with the quick reflexes of its pilot, proved more than capable of avoiding them.
Paulina smirked. "What's wrong, Crossbone Girl? Seems like you're having trouble..." the GX-Falcon swiftly switched to its Mobile Suit mode almost right above Levanah, Beam Machinegun readied alongside the Scattering Beam Cannons from its sides. "...keeping up!" The counter-attack seemed to take Levanah by surprise, barely getting her Gundam's palm-based I-Fields working in time, the few stray shots being absorbed by the Crossbone's cloak.
"Grh... you're good, I'll give you that." Levanah backed off, heading towards the island, still taking shots at the enemy Gunpla whenever she could. To her dismay, in spite of her careful aiming, every single beam fired missed. Switching tactics, Levanah began using her Gundam's Vulcans once the GX-Falcon was close enough, but managed to do little more than scratch the paint. Crap, distance isn't working, but I doubt she'd let me get in any closer... the brunette girl thought to herself, gritting her teeth. And I have no idea what she has in store for the Satellite System... I might have to- before she could finish that thought, warnings flared, prompting her to instinctively activate her Gundam's I-Fields again, barely with enough time to repel a slash by the GX-Falcon's Beam Saber. "Gah!"
"This isn't the time for daydreaming!" Paulina shouted, kicking her opponent in the legs, sending the Crossbone back as she gained distance again, storing her Beam Saber and pulling out the Beam Machinegun again, firing an intense volley. The shots were also blocked by the I-Fields, but Levanah was having visible trouble regaining control, barely managing to land it on its feet. "Putting up a good fight, so far, but I know you can do better." the blue-haired girl grinned, tapping something on her holographic controls. "Let's see if some extra pressure will put you back into focus."
"Extra pr-" Levanah began to repeat, but quickly realized exactly what she meant. Panels on the wings of the enemy Gunpla's backpack opened up, revealing shimmering, vibrant sections. A faint, bluish laser coming from the moon confirmed her suspicions. Levanah adjusted her cap, readying her Gundam to try and rush the opponent, only for another salvo of beams to come her way, forcing her to move back.
"Come on, don't really think I'm going to leave myself open like that, do you?" Paulina gave a little laugh.
"Hah, was kinda hoping!" Levanah chuckled, remembering the battle against Raito a little over a week ago. She backed off, now using the Beam Shields on the arms as opposed to her Gundam's I-Fields, trying to figure out where the beam would most likely come from. "Others I've faced seem to think the enemy's going to just let them charge up their Satellite Cannon."
"Cannon? Hah, that's where you've got things wrong." The deep hum of the Satellite System sending its energy down to the GX-Falcon filled the stadium, causing the crowd's attention to focus on the battle between the two girls. Levanah's eyes widened as she saw the enemy Gunpla begin to glow slightly... and suddenly transform back into its Mobile Armor mode. "Satellite Booster! FIRE!"
In the blink of an eye, the Gundam accelerated towards Levanah's, a vibrant, blinding light coming from its thrusters as the Gunpla itself gave off a haunting glow. Barely managing to dodge out of the way, Levanah could only watch as the trailing thrust behind the GX-Falcon seemed to keep going and going, Paulina's Gunpla continuing to fly past, eradicating most of the jungle, a significant portion of the buildings in a military base, and even melting a part of the mountain away, a landslide following. When she finally stopped, Paulina was a great deal of distance away from her opponent, almost at the edge of the map. She turned back to look at the path of destruction she caused, letting out a low whistle.
In the stands, Levanah's friends, father, and acquaintances were as awestruck as the rest of the audience around them. Belle was the first to speak up, expressing her concerns to Blair quietly, "Th-that was just like that Raito guy's attack, right? From last week?"
"That it was..." the boy nodded slightly. "It seems she modified the Satellite Cannon into something more... well, I'd say 'unique' best describes it. It seems she's still dependant on the moon being out to receive the energy transmission, but somehow... I think she didn't actually intend to hit Levanah."
"S-she's showing off?!" the blonde girl exclaimed.
"Not quite." Mike spoke up. "I think she's trying to make sure my girl's taking this fight seriously. Probably trying to see if she can beat her at her best."
"COME ON DAAAAD!" Katie was shouting next to them, almost unaware of Levanah's match given how focused she was on her father's. Kristopher was facing off against a man using a slightly customized Jahannam Space Type, though curiously lacking in weapons and instead resorting to pure brawling, at one point even throwing a large boulder at the Wild Titus.
"W-well... can't say I was expecting that." Levanah looked on in a bit of awe, aware of how she couldn't take such an attack without suffering massive amounts of damage. She looked down at her controls, tapping on a button and looking down at one of her options. She hesitated, taking a deep breath. ...no, not yet. She selected another item, the X-shaped thrusters on the Gundam clamping down and GN Drive firing up, bursting towards her enemy, I-fields up again to block any incoming attacks.
"Still at it, huh? Glad to see! Didn't want my victory to be too easy." Paulina wasn't discouraged, her Gundam readying its Beam Saber. Once about a meter away from her opponent, Levanah switched out her armaments, the two Murasama Busters clamped down on the side armor and exchanging them for the Beam Zanber and flintlock-shaped Buster Gun. The sabers clashed, the stronger-than-average saber from the GX resisting the attempt to dig through it by the Beam Zanber, and the shield section, comprised primarily of the G-Falcon armor, knocked away an attempt to shoot directly into its chest. Both backed off slightly, but Paulina noticed out of the corners of her eyes the two blades of the Murasama Busters coming from either side of her, making frantic attempts to dodge.
"Nice dodge, but don't think for a minute you'll make it out of this unscathed!" the brunette shouted to the younger girl, her Gundam giving a quick spin, scraping some of the armor off the leg of her opponent with one of the Murasama Busters, now noticeably locked onto the claw-shaped skirt armor, a variant on the standard Crossbone's Scissor Anchors. Both pilots emptied their Vulcans at each other, their Gunpla gaining only superficial damage from the assaults as they tried to lock onto each other again.
"H-heh... I have to admit, Crossbone Girl, you're good. Damn good." Paulina said, taking a breather, Levanah doing the same, each trying to read the other, keeping watch for any sudden movements.
"Haa.. hah, flirting will get you nowhere." the older girl chuckled.
"W-wait, wha-?"
"Already have a girlfriend." The thrusters on the Crossbone Excelsa fired up as the two Murasama Busters clamped down together, combining into a single weapon. The Scissor Anchors retracted as Levanah switched out the weapons in her Gunpla's hands for the larger sword, the beams on it activating again, now combining into one gigantic Beam Saber, as tall as its holder. She turned her Gundam to its side, bracing the weapon in both hands, tip pointed at her opponent. As she had done this, Paulina's Gundam was already receiving another transmission from the Satellite System. Each fighter only had seconds to react, Levanah's Crossbone EXCELSA dashing forward, blade ready to stab her opponent, as Paulina's GX-Falcon transforms again into its Mobile Armor mode. Levanah had her Gundam swing with all its might... and Paulina dodged. Instead of flying towards her opponent, she dashed upwards, the giant beam of thrust colliding with the Murasama's Beam Saber. The titanic clash of power erupted in an explosion, throwing the Crossbone back.
"Gyyaaahhh!" Levanah's Gunpla crashed into the scenery, landing with such force that it left a mark on the mountain and broke one of the back thrusters. Warnings flared around her, indicating both the damage and continued danger. She quickly raised her Gunpla's Beam Shield, predicting incoming Beam Machinegun fire from her opponent. Due to the distance she was from her opponent, most of the shots either missed or were tanked by the Beam Shield. She... she saw that coming... Levanah thought to herself, gritting her teeth. She knew the right moment to dodge, with just enough time for me to get caught in that blast... if I had been half a second too late... The older girl let out an audible gulp. "Ha... ha ha... well crap."
"Haa... hah... w-what's wrong, Crossbone Girl?" Paulina was panting as well, a wide, dorky grin across her face.
"Y-you're actually a better pilot than I am. You have the reaction times of... I don't know, a Newtype or something." Levanah began to laugh. The Beam Saber of the Murasama deactivated as the Crossbone gripped both sections of the weapon's cross-guard with each hand. Better make this count...
"Haah... heh heh, thanks... haa... Crossbone Girl... but this isn't some anime, and I'm no Newtype." the blue-haired girl wiped some sweat from her brow and took a deep breath, aware of what her opponent was going to do. "No, I'm nothing but a girl with her sights set on the World Championships." She transformed her Gunpla into its Mobile Armor mode again, zig-zagging in an attempt to buy time for another Satellite System uplink, taking pot shots whenever she seemed to have a clear shot, Levanah letting the cloak take what damage it could while tanking them with the Beam Shields, using them in short bursts as to not damage her weapon. Both girls became silent, carefully trying to plan their next move.
At the other Gunpla Battle Field, Kristopher had just secured his victory, his Wild Titus with its fist planted in the chest of the enemy Jahannam, a curious golden glow coming from both machines that lasted until the holograms dispersed. The crowd started cheering wildly as he shouted triumphantly. But his attention soon turned to the other battle going on, scratching the back of his head. "Still going at it, huh? Well, looks like they're having fun at least." He then turned his attention up to his niece, and noticed she was remaining still, eyes fixed on Levanah, gently biting her lower lip. Even the "members" of her Gunpla Band remained still, fixed in place as they hovered around her. Kristopher chuckled. "Hah, well well, seems someone is a bit... distracted."
Levanah kept trying to get a lock. She knew this would have only one real chance of succeeding. Just needed the right moment. Paulina kept flying unpredictably, edging closer and closer as she bought time for herself. Finally, the Satellite System was ready, and Paulina transformed her Gunpla back into its Mobile Suit mode. At the sight of the laser link connecting with the GX-Falcon, the older girl prepared to fire, but before she pulled the trigger the enemy Gunpla dashed up. Instead of evading with the same zig-zagging method from before, Paulina was instead moving towards the energy transmission, accelerating and decelerating at random.
"This is it!" The younger girl shouted as she made a sudden stop. The GX-Falcon pointed its thrusters at the Crossbone. Right as they were about to fire, Paulina finally noticed that Levanah changed her tactics at the last minute; a large beam came crashing down on the GX-Falcon from above, following the path of the targeting laser. Unable to dodge, the beam tore the Gunpla in two, a loud, closing explosion signaling the end of the two's intense match.
[BATTLE ENDED]
"L-ladies and gentlemen, Levanah Morgan and..." Haley turned her attention back to her uncle's already-finish match. "...Kristopher Tigre move on to the semi-finals tomorrow! But before we forget, a big round of applause to all four of these fighters for their amazing performance!" The audience cheered, Haley herself clapping as she looked at Levanah with a smile that looked like it was going from ear to ear. The brunette couldn't help but smile in return, blushing a little as she looked up at her. She seemed to be looking for longer than she realized, as Paulina elbowed her in the arm, presenting Levanah's Crossbone EXCELSA to her.
"Well, looks like that commend was more than just talk." the blue-haired girl said with a snicker.
"A-ahah, w-well, I ah..." the older girl stuttered, clumsily taking her Crossbone. "Of course not. I... she... a-anyway, ahem." she coughed and tried to regain composure. "Nice battle."
"Damn nice, but next time around I'll be the one who wins." the younger girl gave a smirk that could easily have come from the character she was mimicking, placing both hands behind her head, Gunpla gripped in one of them. "I already came pretty close this time around, and seemed like you were all out of tricks to pull."
"Not... quite." Levanah gave a sly, cocky smirk. "Still a couple I was saving just in case."
"Oho?" Paulina raised an eyebrow. "Still holding back, even when I could have easily fried you?"
"I'd like to think that it simply wasn't the proper time to use it."
"Hah, of course." Paulina rolled her eyes. "Come on, not like it's a big secret with that GN Drive you have on the back of your Crossbone what you'd be capable of."
"I'll say this: it's something more than just Trans-Am."
"Oho? Well now you have me intrigued, Miss Morgan."
Levanah began walking away, turning her head back as she kept talking to the other girl. "Stick around tomorrow and I bet you'll see it in action." She then glanced up at Kristopher, also walking away from the court. "In fact, something tells me you'll definitely see it."
The other pair of matches came and went, with the results of the matchups being fairly predictable. One match had a red and pink Great Zeong face off with a Full Burst Psycho Gundam, and while intense it ended with the more heroic-looking Psycho Gundam claiming victory. Jen Mul's Phoenix Gundam Voyager matched up against a modified Unicorn Gundam Phenex, with extra shields added onto the back to give the impression of them being more wing-like. In spite putting up a good fight against her, Jen managed to claim victory once more, her Gunpla dancing circles around the other while sustaining little damage in return.
In spite of her victory, Jen and her cohorts were still somewhat troubled. They did their best to keep others from noticing, but knew they would have to confront their benefactors about a number of things. The three walked off in thought as the crowds were still cheering their names, plotting how to best go about tackling their dilemma.
"I mean, if they didn't take anything that would endanger people's livelihood..." McNeil spoke up, trying to reassure the other two.
"And if they did? There would be a significant amount of trouble once people begin to hear about the incident, enough that it could jeopardize our goals." Russ stated flatly, with it being abundantly apparent even through his calm demeanor that he was not exactly comfortable with how their predicament was playing out.
"The most likely thing they took was data on the Plavsky Particles, that much we can figure out." Jen injected. "But even just that will cause problems... Hrnh..."
"Something else is troubling you, Captain?" Russ inquired.
"We are running out of options, but it... rubs me the wrong way, what the implication here is. They don't fully trust us." she rubbed her chin, frowning. "And would resort to using... more drastic measures, to win."
"We're trying to save the world though, right? Plavsky technology is a breakthrough that will be capable of so much more than these Gunpla Battles." McNeil turned his head, looking at the cheering crowds. "Not to say it isn't a fun little sport. But think of the medical applications alone."
"Are you saying the ends justify the means, then?" the woman almost snapped at him, her voice taking on a serious tone.
"I believe that what he is trying to say, is that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few." Russ answered for him. "I understand that this is not a light issue, but we have to plan our next move carefully."
"Hm... Yajima's squandering of their potential won't go away with simple talks. I guess we will have to think on our feet once we ask them directly."
The closing ceremony for the day began. The crowds were still mostly full, with the remaining fighters having taken a place among them. Haley addressed her audience. "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for coming to this wonderful first day of the American Gunpla Battle Championships! But we're not done just yet, as tomorrow we'll have our semi-finals and then the final round, with the ultimate victor getting an all-expenses paid trip to Japan as an entrant in the 9th Gunpla Battle World Championships! As I close us out, first I'd like to thank you all for coming here and being a wonderful audience!"
She looked around the crowds, finally spying Levanah among her friends. Waiting until she made sure they made eye contact, she winked, and finally began playing the last song of the day, a variation on Gundam SEED Stargazer's "STARGAZER Hoshi no Tabira" with a heavier rock influence, and a strangely more upbeat tone that still managed to work with the song's lyrics.
"Not exactly being subtle with it, are you?" Levanah joked under her breath.
"You say something, kiddo?" her dad asked.
"Heh, nah. Just thinking aloud."
"Oh, right, some good news, Jodi sent me a text a couple minutes ago, she's already on her way home. No new flights for a while, so she'll be able to come with tomorrow." Mike spoke with a bit of a knowing grin as he saw his daughter's face become a mixture of joy and dread. "Don't worry, I'll make sure she doesn't embarrass you around Haley. At least, not too much."
"You say that like it's something you can control." the girl commented, causing her father to laugh. She gave a sigh and continued listening to Haley's song, thinking about what tomorrow would bring.