Chapter 7: Fenn's Disaster
In a field outside of Neotopia, a Zakurello Gate swirled into existence. Unlike most gates created by the Dark Axis, this one was rather small. Only a child, or a very small person could fit through it. And a very small person did fit through it as he fell onto the grass. It looked very much like a suit of blocky armor. It was a Pawn Leo, one of the magically animated soldiers used by the Dark Axis forces in Lacroa.
Getting up, the Pawn Leo looked around. "Hmm, nobody is here, pawn. All right! Execute the disappearing magic, pawn!"
The Pawn Leo held up a card with a red octagon with magical runes in the center up to his visor-face, and vanished in a puff of smoke. Though he couldn't be seen, anyone been present would see the footprints in the grass he made as he walked, as well as the body print he made when he tripped.
"Ouch!"
Grumbling, the Pawn Leo got up. Looking ahead, he saw his target; the house the Gundam Force hung around.
-z-
"Fenn! Fenn!"
Fenn, floating around the Ray family patio, looked up. He saw Zero standing on the house's chimney.
"Come here!" Zero offered, "This place is really comfortable!"
Growling happily, Fenn went up to join Zero.
In the backyard, Shute and Captain, in citizen mode, examined the Ship of the Golden Crest. Following his victory of Ashuramaru, Bakunetsumaru had invited the Dai-Shogun over, and the Musha Gundam lord had parked his vehicle next to the walkway to Shute's workshop. The sun glinted off of its golden pieces.
"Wow, this looks so cool!" Shute gushed, "I wonder what kind of mecha is in this thing!"
Captain scanned the vessel, but all he could see was a multi-colored glow coating it.
"The exterior is surrounded by an impermeable field," He reported, "Even I cannot scan through it."
Shute frowned. Walking around the Ship, he said, "I wish the Dai-Shogun would let us check it out."
"It contains unidentified matter," Captain cautioned, "Better not touch it."
"Oh, man…" Shute groaned, and looked to his workshop. It now had a sign with a Japanese character in front of the door. "Is he ever gonna come out of there?" That Bakunetsumaru is so unbelievable! Shutting himself in my workshop with the Dai-Shogun without even asking! I'm dying to know what's going in there…
-z-
In the workshop, Bakunetsumaru stared up at the loft. The Dai-Shogun had been sitting there on his knees for quite some time, Ashuramaru's Gunsoul floating next to him. The Lord of Swords' eyes were shut.
Then they opened. "It's done."
"Recite it!" Bakunetsumaru pleaded, "Please!"
The Dai-Shogun looked down at the younger Musha Gundam. "Do you want to hear it, Bakunetsumaru?"
Bakunetsumaru bowed. "Please, Dai-Shogun."
"Then listen to it carefully," and the Dai-Shogun said,
"It distant country
It doth make my stomach growl
Neotopia."
Bakunetsumaru's eyes sparkled. "Oh, what a meaningful poem!" He cried, "I feel as if I am absorbing so much from you, Dai-Shogun!"
"Simpleton!" the Dai-Shogun said sharply. Bakunetsumaru cringed. "I don't seek compliments for such a simple haiku. I only give you food for thought."
Bakunetsumaru quickly bowed his head. "I'm sorry! Forgive me, Dai-Shogun!"
"I'm going to be silent now and meditate."
"Oh, yes sir!" Bakunetsumaru edged towards the door.
"There is one thing I would like to say to you, though."
Bakunetsumaru stopped. "Yes, sir?"
The Dai-Shogun smiled. "I like this place very much. It's quite comfortable."
Bakunetsumaru bowed grandly. "Yes, sir!"
-z-
Right outside the workshop, Shute had placed the wooden sign aside. Giving Captain a wink, he began to tiptoe towards the door.
"Shhh," Shute whispered, "We've got to try not to make any-"
"It was not a mistake to invite him to this place after all!" Bakunetsumaru exclaimed happily, bursting from the workshop. As the force of his abrupt arrival sent Captain flying, he rubbed his chin in thought. "Wait a minute…I understand the haiku now! 'My stomach growls' means, 'Dai-Shogun is hungry!"
With a triumphant laugh, Bakunetsumaru raced off in search of edibles. Once he was gone, the workshop's door slowly swung back into the doorway. A minute later, Shute slowly fell off of the door, his body stuck in an awkward pose as it hit the floor. As he got up, he heard Captain's boosters firing as the Gundam landed next to him.
"You okay?" Captain asked.
"Yeah," Shute rubbed his head and winced. "Big door." Looking at said door, Shute forgot about the pain. "Here's my chance!"
Cautiously, Shute tiptoed over to the workshop and reached out for the doorknob. Cracking the door open, he looked inside.
"Hello…?" He whispered. When he got no answer, he opened it a bit more. "Hello?"
"What are you doing!" Bakunetsumaru shouted.
Shute jumped and whirled around, shutting the door. "Whoa! I didn't expect you back so soon!"
"You cannot disturb the Dai-Shogun's concentration!" Bakunetsumaru said firmly, "If you have any desire to talk to him, ask me first!"
Shute shook his head. "He's acting like the manager of some big-time actor!"
Captain cocked his head. "So, the Dai-Shogun is an actor?"
Bakunetsumaru had the feeling that he was losing the moment, so he said, "Shute, I have to ask you to do something. I want you to prepare 200 rice balls for the Dai-Shogun immediately!"
"What!" Shute cried, "Two hundred!"
"You made one hundred of them last time, didn't you?" Bakunetsumaru asked.
"Well, that's right, but…" Shute scratched his head before saying, "We don't have a person who can help us."
Bakunetsumaru blanched. "Oh no!"
"Mom can't make that many all by herself, and dad has to watch Nana." Shute explained.
"Oh no!" Bakunetsumaru cried, and began to weep for his big plan.
"But you can help," Shute pointed out, "And Zero can lend a hand!" to Captain he asked, "Can you help too, Captain?"
"Zero is no use!" Bakunetsumaru sighed, "He's not good at making rice balls!" He gasped, "But Captain is!"
Captain's head and hands spun and his fingers flexed. "Two hundred, coming right up!"
Bakunetsumaru began to sweat. "Uh, nice…"
From his spot on the chimney, Zero watched the routine.
"Well, well, how…unsightly," The knight remarked to Fenn, "Right, Fenn?"
Fenn bobbed in the air, his way of nodding. Then, Zero turned suddenly. Fenn looked to where he was looking and the sight caused his eyes to spark.
A cute, young girl, with flowing blonde hair, big, blue eyes, and a parasol was walking up the road to Shute's house. It was Sayla Mass, Shute's friend and neighbor. She walked with the grace and beauty of even the finest aristocrats, but none of the confidence and pomp.
"Princess Sayla!" Zero cried, flying down to her as she entered the front yard. Holding out his hand, the Winged Knight summoned and violet rose.
"Even though it compares to your magnificent beauty," He said grandly, his eyes closed. "Here is a violet Princess Rose."
"Oh, how cute!"
Zero's eyes shot open and he saw that Sayla wasn't even paying attention to him, but to Fenn! She had ignored him entirely and was now cuddling the fluffy spirit, something the little guy seemed to enjoy. Zero froze from shock.
"Well, hello, Sayla." Keiko greeted, walking in on the scene.
"Hello!" Sayla chirped, still holding Fenn in her arms.
Keiko raised an eyebrow at this. "Oh, I see you've already met Fenn."
"Mm-hm," Sayla smiled, "Oh! He's so precious and cute!"
Fenn shivered with delight as Sayla pet him, wagging his tail. He liked this!
"He looks just as shute described him." Sayla giggled.
"Nice Fenn." Keiko said sweetly.
"Fenn…" Sayla sighed.
Fenn purred. He really liked this!
"How cute!" The two ladies gushed before walking around the house.
"Okay, let's get started!" Keiko said.
"Yes, let's!"
Once they were out of sight, Zero came to his senses, having just dealt with the previous trauma by blocking it from memory.
Huh? What's going on? He thought, I feel as if something terrible has happened…
"I am envious." Captain stated.
"What is all this all of a sudden!" Zero cried, jumping. Where did Captain pop up from?
"You and Bakunetsumaru have many of facial expressions," Captain explained, "That makes me envious."
"Is that so…?" Zero asked awkwardly. Just then, Shute walked up.
"I wonder what Sayla came here for." He said.
Zero looked at him in trepidation. "But…she isn't here."
"What?" Shute asked, confused. "She was just here!"
"No…she wasn't!" Zero insisted, a very bad feeling bubbling up in the back of his mind.
Shute decided that some hard evidence was needed, and picked up Sayla's parasol. Zero stared at it, his body shaking, his eyes bulging.
"Remember now?" Shute asked, resting the parasol over his shoulder.
Zero, with the memory of the previous snubbing making a comeback, froze from shock once again.
"How expressive." Captain remarked.
Shute looked at Zero's form, the Knight's face warped from trauma in confusion. He wondered what had happened a few minutes ago to provoke such a reaction. And he wasn't the only one, as Bakunetsumaru popped out of nowhere and began to look Zero over from multiple angles.
"Is that some new magic!" He asked, curious.
Shute looked away from Zero towards his house, deciding that he didn't really want to know what was going on with the Winged Knight.
"I wonder what Sayla's talking about with my mom." Shute commented aloud.
An abrupt beeping pulled Shute away from his thoughts and he saw that Captain's v-fin was flashing.
"What is it," Bakunetsumaru cried, "An enemy!"
Luckily, the alert snapped Zero out of his catatonia. Shivering, he asked, "An enemy?"
"I know who it is," Shute declared, "The Dark Axis!"
The Gundam Force, Shute, Zero and Bakunetsumaru, Neotopia's first line of defense against hostile invasion, tensed themselves as they prepared to receive orders from their leader, the great Captain Gundam.
"Um, no," Captain replied, "It's not."
"What?" The three cried, almost falling over from shock.
Captain's V-fin stopped flashing and he said, "Looks like something that I ordered was just delivered. I'll be back in a while."
"Something that you ordered?" Zero and Bakunetsumaru asked.
"I ordered new equipment," Captain explained, walking off. "You will all be so surprised."
"Surprised?" Bakunetsumaru repeated, eying Captain's departing form with suspicion.
"Huh. He seems to be pretty confident about it." Zero remarked.
"Y'know what?" Shute asked, "It must be some cool new weapon." He nodded. "Yep, that's what I think!"
"Forget about weapons!" Bakunetsumaru burst out, "We have a dire need to produce two hundred rice balls!"
-z-
Pawn Leo, still invisible, shuffled around the walkway to Shute's workshop. Having just arrived, he had no idea why that loud Musha Gundam was yelling about balls, and quite frankly he didn't care.
He then saw the Ship of the Golden Crest, and became quite curious about it. Is that…?
Hopping down from the walkway, Pawn Leo inspected the Ship. Because he was behind it, he didn't see the eyes of the figurehead light up, but he did hear it growl. The Pawn Leo gave a start as the Ship rose and turned around, pointing one of its cannons at him.
Not good! Not good, pawn! Pawn Leo thought, bolting. So far not having fun in this dimension, pawn!
Once the Pawn Leo was far enough, the Ship calmed and lowered itself down. Now that the danger was past, the Pawn Leo saw Shute's workshop. Intrigued, he hopped up onto the walkway and slowly opened the door, making it seem like the wind did it.
Looky, looky, pawn. Pawn Leo thought, inspecting his new surroundings. Up on the loft he could see some armored guy with a fan over his face and a strange glowing ball next to him. That was interesting, but not what he was looking for. Absentmindedly closing the door behind him, the Pawn Leo looked around, seeing Shute's repairbot, some boxes of salvaged machinery, the drawings of Captain Gundam, his computer- and the chest for the Spirit Egg! Abandoning all caution, the Pawn Leo opened it up.
"You!" Dai-Shogun said suddenly, closing his fan at once.
Pawn Leo looked up from the empty box in shock. Before he could react, the Dai-Shogun's fan struck him in the head, knocking the invisible intruder over. Dai-Shogun caught his fan on the rebound, and glared at the little soldier. Taking the hint, the Pawn Leo scuttled out as fast as his legs could take him. Once he was gone, the Dai-Shogun resumed his meditation. Such a bother!
-z-
Everyone gazed in amazement at the magnificent structure that had been displayed on a cart in Shute's backyard, except for Fenn, who floated around the top. It seemed to go straight to the heavens. It was incredible. It was astonishing.
It was rice balls. Lots and lots of rice balls.
"Wonderful…" Bakunetsumaru breathed.
"Wow, it's a mountain!" Shute cried.
The masterminds behind this marvel, Keiko and Sayla, smiled at the Gundam Force's reactions.
"Tada!" Keiko beamed.
"Please take these rice balls with our compliments." Sayla giggled.
"Thanks!" Shute said, impressed.
"These are for Mr. Bakunetsumaru's mentor, aren't they?" Keiko asked.
"Huh?" Shute stared in confusion as Keiko and Sayla exchanged girlish giggles.
"A big-time samurai movie star!" They squealed.
Oh, that was right. When people saw Bakunetsumaru fighting once, the government of Neotopia had explained it by stating that the action was simply special effects for a movie he was starring in. So naturally, people would think that the Dai-Shogun was another movie-star, too…
"Please ask Mr. Dai-Shogun to enjoy these rice balls!" Keiko said.
Bakunetsumaru looked at Keiko with eyes filled with tears. "Oh, I really appreciate this…"
Keiko smiled at Bakunetsumaru and turned to Shute. "Okay, Shute, now tell us!"
"Tell you what?" Shute asked, confused.
"Oh, don't pretend!" Keiko said, "They're making another great film there, aren't they?"
"Film!" Shute cried, hearing alarms g off in the back of his head.
"That actor in there is playing a leading role, right?" Keiko said, nodding towards the workshop. "Such magnificent costumes…what a handsome guy! Can you get me his autograph?"
"Oh, me too!" Sayla added, popping up.
"You want Dai-Shogun's autograph?" Shute asked, amazed.
"Yes!" The two ladies squealed.
Shute then found himself trying to explain that it wasn't his call to make, while at the same time trying to keep Keiko and Sayla out of his personal space as they asked, cajoled, and tried to sweet-talk for the desired autographs. Fenn, wondering what all of the hubbub was about, floated down over their shoulders and growled. When neither of the ladies acknowledged him, he made an even louder noise. This didn't get their attention either, and Fenn made an angry sound. No one was paying attention to him! Unable to take it, the fluffy little spirit floated over to Zero, crying.
"Fenn," Zero said sternly, "You must learn to share the spotlight."
Meanwhile, Shute managed to get the ladies to calm down.
"I, I had no idea you were so fond of movies, Sayla." He said.
Sayla blushed. "Mmm, to be honest, I am!"
"I'll see what I can do to get you that autograph…" Shute began to say until he was interrupted by Bakunetsumaru.
"I'll get you the Dai-Shogun's autograph, ladies!" He said proudly.
"Oh! Thank you, Mr. Bakunetsumaru!" Sayla gushed, "Thank you, you're my hero!"
Sayla was now inches away from Bakunetsumaru, and the Blazing Samurai was beginning to feel quite embarrassed at the close-contact.
"I am so touched by your generosity," He babbled, his face turning red. "The two of you- that is- well, I'll do anything to repay your kindness…"
"That Bakunetsumaru!" Zero fumed angrily. How dare he get so close to Princess Sayla like that!
Fenn, picking up on Zero's thoughts and glad that they corresponded with his own, floated over and gave the Blushing Samurai a good blast of fire-breath. Once he was done, Fenn gave the rice balls a good roasting as well.
"Oh no!" Shute cried, "The rice balls!"
Zero, with the awkward sense that he was responsible, shook his fist at the spirit.
"Um, Fenn!" He cried, "Please, stop that now!"
But Fenn ignored him. The angry puffball then turned his attention to Shute, seeing him as another obstacle for attention.
"Whoa! Whoa!" Shute cried, jumping around the yard, avoiding flames. "Hey! Don't take it out on us! It's not my fault!"
Keiko turned to the stack of burnt food with a disheartened look on her face. "Oh my…"
"They've all turned black…" Sayla said sadly. Behind her, Shute did a fantastic cartwheel away from another blast of fire.
-z-
In Blanc Base, Captain sat down in a chair in Kao Lyn's lab. His helmet had been removed, revealing his main processor. In front of him, Kao Lyn did his usual routine of martial arts and gymnastics.
"Captain! There-there! Blippity blue just a little bit more is perfect! Woo-hoo-hoo! Yabba-dow!" the scientist laughed, as he flipped and punched.
Captain, who had long since become used to these theatrics, said, "Yes. Yes, of course."
Once he was finished, Kao Lyn zipped behind Captain with a screw driver in one hand and a pair of pliers in the other. His yin-yang lens spun.
"Let's get to work!" The old timer declared, "They say the eyes are the windows of the Soul Drive!"
-z-
"Someone do something!" Shute wailed as Fenn chased him around the yard, breathing fire.
"Fenn!" Zero yelled, "You must not behave that way! Stop!"
When Fenn did not show any signs of listening, Zero's eyes hardened.
"You leave me no choice!" The knight said firmly, and raised his hand. "O Mana, come to me!"
The air shimmered as a blue circle of runes appeared over Fenn. From the center of those runes came a square object.
Fenn paused, looking up.
It was a cardboard box, and the little spirit had no time to dwell on this as it fell over him and closed up, sealing him within. The box fell to the grass, rocking gently as Fenn tried to break free. Cautiously, in case more fire would come, Shute crept over to it.
"Stop struggling, you can't get out," Zero told the box, "Now sit in there and think about what you've done."
"You didn't have to go that far." Shute commented.
"No, this is a time-out for Fenn," Zero said sternly before turning to Keiko and Sayla. "Dear lady and Princess Sayla, I am terribly sorry."
"Rice balls!" Bakunetsumaru wailed, unable to tear his eyes away from the burnt balls. "The rice balls!"
But Keiko and Sayla exchanged knowing smiles. They then unveiled their second culinary wonder- a seven-layer cake the size of a child!
"Whoa…" Shute gasped, staring at the massive confection. It was easily half a foot taller than he was!
"Please, take this." Keiko said.
"We made him a cake!" Sayla giggled.
"Ask him if he'd eat this instead." Keiko suggested.
"Yes, please!" Sayla added.
Bakunetsumaru began to cry manly tears. "Oh, thank you again for everything!"
Zero kneeled before Keiko and said, "I apologize for Fenn's behavior."
Keiko simply winked and flashed him a victory sign. No biggie.
The box, meanwhile, was beginning to bounce and rock fiercely as Fenn bang around inside. Judging from the growls, the spirit sounded frantic.
"Do you think his punishment is too harsh?" Shute asked, watching this.
"It may be a little much." Sayla commented.
"Can't we forgive him?" Shute asked Zero.
"No, Shute," Zero said, "We must not spoil him. Fenn is a very important being of Lacroa."
At was at this time that the Pawn Leo, still invisible, crept into the yard. The run-in with Dai-Shogun had made the soldier a bit more cautious, but that caution went out the window when he heard what Zero said.
Very important being? Ooh! Pawn Leo thought, and scuttled past Shute and Zero towards the box.
Shute looked around. He heard something…
Then, the box stopped rocking. To everyone's shock, the box then rose into the air and floated off away, bobbing slightly.
"Fenn?" Zero asked, confused. "Fenn! Where are you going?"
From inside the box the little spirit made noises of anger and confusion. Everyone watched in confusion as the box went out the fence and down the road.
"Something's not right!" Shute said, his eyes narrowing.
"Fenn!" Zero yelled, and flew after the box.
"Zero!" Shute cried.
Bakuentsumaru stepped up. "We should help!"
Shute nodded. "Let's go."
"Okay!"
-z-
Out on the country path, Zero watched the mobile box from above. Now that he got a good look at it…
That motion! Aha! He realized, and raised his hand. "Come to me, legendary, sacred, magic Vatras Sword!"
Once he had his sword and shield, Zero sent a gust of wind at the box.
"Appear before me!" He commanded.
The sharp winds hit the Pawn Leo, causing his magic card to fall off as he stumbled. Shute and Bakunetsumaru saw all this from behind, running to catch up.
"That guy's from Lacroa!" Shute exclaimed, recognizing the soldier.
"You shall not escape!" Zero yelled, flying up towards the Pawn Leo.
"I-I can explain!" The Pawn Leo cried frantically, trying to avoid being hit by Zero's sword. He ran backwards as he ducked and dodged. The Winged Knight himself held back, trying not to hit the box and hurt Fenn inside. Fenn, for his part, was being knocked around by all this movement.
"Enough!" Zero shouted, getting angry.
"…Can't we talk about this?" Pawn Leo begged when he heard a loud thud from behind. Looking around, he gave a fearful cry as he saw Captain Gundam, in full defender mode in front of him!
"Thanks for waiting!" Captain stated.
Pawn Leo looked around as the Gundam Force surrounded him, panicking.
"Don't come any closer, pawn!" He squealed.
Shute then had an idea. "Oh yeah, Captain! Show us the new weaponry!"
"Weaponry?" Captain asked.
"Your new equipment!" Shute explained.
Now Captain got it. "All right…" He said, and then…
"Ha!" His eyes became happy! (^^)
"Ooh!" Then they were wincing. ()
"Wha-wha!" Now dizzy. ()
"Grr!" And finally angry. (:)
Everyone went "Huh!"
"Brand-new facial expressions!" Captain announced proudly.
"So you didn't order weapons…" Shute remarked, "Huh…"
Captain's eyes switched to glum. "You don't like them."
"Oh, uh, they're great…" Shute lied, "I guess…"
Captain then looked happy. "I'm glad!"
Pawn Leo was beginning to get a little dizzy from all this. Were they going to fight or not? Zero, on the other hand, had had enough, and snapped his fingers, vanishing the box. Fenn landed in the Pawn Leo's hands, a bit disoriented.
"Huh? This isn't the Spirit Egg, pawn!" Pawn Leo cried, throwing Fenn up and running. "I can't believe it, they tricked me!"
Fenn, confused as to who that guy was, floated in the air.
"Fenn! Are you okay?" Zero cried, and Fenn flew up to the knight, nuzzling him. "Good boy…" Zero then shot the Pawn Leo a dirty look. "Fiend! How dare you scare my precious Fenn! Let's see how you like this!"
And with that, Zero sliced his sword across the air, shooting a crescent-shaped bolt of magical energy at the Pawn Leo. The Pawn Leo, having been struck so forcefully, turned back into the die it was before being enchanted.
"Zero!" Bakunetsumaru said angrily, "I wanted to do that!"
Zero ignored the whining samurai held the shivering spirit close to him. The poor little guy was sobbing over the whole ordeal, having been so terrified.
"Fenn, I'm glad you are safe, little one," the Knight sighed, and held the fluffy spirit away so as to look him in the eyes. "I want you to grow up into someone who's decent, Fenn. When I am hard on you, it means I care!"
The spirit, not really understanding but getting the point, nuzzled against Zero some more.
"Aww…" Shute sighed.
But then something odd happened. There was a sound like a rock sinking into water and Fenn seemed to double in size. Then triple.
"I-I have heard of this!" Zero cried, his eyes bulging as Fenn increased in size again. "There is a spirit that grows exponentially when it feels deep affection!"
By the time Zero finished saying this, Fenn had become so big, now the size of a truck, that the Winged Knight could no longer hold him up and was trapped under him, his feet sticking out like the Wicked Witch of the East.
"Well, I guess Fenn is that spirit!" Shute exclaimed, taking a step back from shock.
While Zero struggled underneath, Fenn let out a throaty "Fenn!" in contentment.
-z-
Dai-Shogun, in the Ship of the Golden Crest, watched Fenn's growth spurt and nodded.
"Good, good," He said, "Then I shall be leaving!"
The Ship of the Golden Crest, carrying Dai-Shogun and the Gunsoul, floated up into the heavens, carried by celestial light, and vanished in a golden flash.
-z-
Back on the ground, Entengo galloped up to the Gundam Force, some sort of small box in his mouth.
"What happened, Entengo?" Bakunetsumaru asked.
Entengo neighed somewhat, and motioned for Bakunetsmaru to take the box. It was a small object, smaller than the palm of his hand. Bakunetsumaru took it and examined it, noting the phoenix crest on the front.
"This is the emblem of the Dai-Shogun!" Bakunetsumaru cried, and Entengo whinnied. "What? The Dai-Shogun left this with you saying I must keep it safe?"
Entengo neighed, which was horse for "That's right!" As Bakunetsumaru mulled this new development over, he heard the Dai-Shogun's voice echo down through the sky.
"Bakunetsumaru!"
Bakunetsumaru looked up. "Dai-Shogun!"
"I am bequeathing this to you! Keep it with you always. Someday it would prove useful."
"Yes, master!" Bakunetsumaru said, bowing.
"I bid you farewell!"
Bakunetsumaru, forgetting protocol, began to wave. "Thank you very much! Please guide my friend's Gunsoul to Ark!"
As the sky shimmered slightly, Shute turned to Bakunetsumaru and asked, "So the Dai-Shogun just left us?"
"Yes, Shute, that is correct," Bakunetsumaru answered, "No one can detain the Dai-Shogun!"
Shute looked sadly to the sky, disappointed. "I wanted to ask him so many things…it's not fair."
There was a click, and Shute turned and saw that Bakunetsumaru had opened up Dai-Shogun's gift. Looking inside, Bakunetsumaru asked, "Is this…" He held it out. "…A toothpick?"
"Toothpick?" Shute repeated.
"It is a tool to pick the food out of your teeth…" Bakunetsumaru muttered, trying to figure it out. "But, why?" Of all things, why a toothpick?
But for Shute, the real question was, "A Musha Gundam has teeth!"
Meanwhile, underneath the several tons of fur that was Fenn, Zero struggled.
"Erm, Shute? Captain? Hello?" He cried, his voice muffled.
-z-
"Who wants tea?" Keiko asked as she and Sayla brought trays out, while Shute's father Mark played with his baby sister Nana.
Keiko then noticed that the spread was lacking something.
"Huh? What happened to the cake?" She asked, confused.
Sayla saw two pieces of paper on the table and upon further inspection, said, "We don't have any cake. But we do have autographs!"
Indeed, the papers had a small picture of Dai-Shogun tucked away in the bottom right corner, with the majority of space taken up by the Dai-Shogun's full title, Dai-Shogun Perfect Virtue, painted in Japanese characters.
"Oh, wow!" Sayla gushed as she and Keiko examined them, "They're signed by Mr. Dai-Shogun!"
"Oh, hey! Look at that!"
-z-
Lacroa.
Once a beautiful, thriving kingdom, now it was a wasteland, its plants and people turned to stone, its waters dirty.
Above the ruined Lacroa Castle, the Magnamusai hovered around the kingdom, with the Zakurello Gate towed in from behind.
In one room of the castle, the Commander's shadow appeared on a mirror. In front of the mirror stood a sinister-looking knight in dirty grey armor.
"Tallgeese!"
"Yes, Commander?" The knight replied in a bored manner.
"The time has come," The commander said, "Put the new plan into action immediately."
Tallgeese, Knight of the Tempest, chuckled evilly. "Yes, Commander, it will be my pleasure. They will gaze upon my magnificence and despair."
"Do not fail the Dark Axis again, Tallgeese!" The Commander warned before his image faded away from the mirror.
Tallgeese's eyes glinted. This time I will be joined by two new minions of the Dark Axis! Behold! Mercurius and Vayeate!
Out from the shadows stepped two mobile knights, one in red armor and the other in blue.
"Get ready to be defeated, Zero the Winged Knight!"
And the evil knight's terrible laughter echoed throughout the castle…