Author: Nadz
Email: vegitto02 at yahoo dot com
Disclaimer:
The title "Nightmare", as well as its storyline, is owned by the author.
All Tekkaman Blade characters are the property of Tatsunoko.
Any original characters are strictly owned by the author of this fan fiction.
This story may not be distributed to anybody without the author's permission due to version control. However, the author does encourage you to welcome your friends to read Nightmare on FanFiction dot net. Much thanks...
Tekkaman Blade III: Nightmare (Second Saga)
Chapter 36 - Choice
The next morning (Day Two)…
Refreshed from a night's sleep, D-boy headed for the training room to continue the program he had started for the two young ladies. He was indeed curious to witness Seline's mood; how was she feeling now that Dead End had been moved to a hidden location? What would Natasha think about it?
"Good to see you both here bright and early," said the man, entering the gymnasium.
Seline returned a plastic look.
"What in the Lord's name…" Lela trailed off as she stood on her porch. The sight that greeted her was most unusual for a Saturday morning. Three boys lay on the ground several feet away, their mouths taped shut and their bodies tied with glistening rope. They uttered not a sound, for they were in slumber.
"What, mummy… oh my," Leizel said, her jaw dropping as she poked her head out the door.
"I guess they won't be stealing eggs anymore," Okita piped up, walking in from the side. He rubbed his hands together to signify a job well done and stretched his tired arms in the face of cool sunlight.
"You… did this for us?" Leizel said bemusedly. The boy felt the blood rush to his cheeks.
"Yeah, they put up a real hard fight, but I guess I got lucky in the end," he exaggerated.
"You're weird," the girl rubbed her nose. "And you're super weird if you stayed here all night."
"W… well I couldn't leave until I delivered the message to Noal. Can I see him now at least?"
Lela gave him a hard look, and she wondered how the boy could be acting so… non-Radam-like.
"He's still asleep," Lela finally answered. "But you can, um, come inside. You must be hungry."
Leizel glanced at her mother in surprise, and Lela retreated inside the house. The lady figured that had the boy been hostile, he would have forced his way into the house during the night. Yet, he chose to sleep outside even though the air was cool. Her sense of hospitality told her that offering him breakfast was the least she could do in return for his catching the egg thieves. Scratching his head, Okita followed.
"There's a washroom down the hallway for you to freshen up," Lela said. "Do you like omelets?"
D-boy was pleased with what he saw. Natasha had shown improvement already; she was beginning to match the speed inherent to a Combatant Tekkaman. Her battle experience was clearly bearing fruit, and with more daily exercise, she would be able to match a Combatant in strength. D-boy wondered why he never had his Space Knight Tekkamen train with Aki, who was also a Combatant Class-Type. They would have fared much better in battle, and Yumi wouldn't have—
Takaya quickly pushed aside that episode and absorbed his mind in the ladies' combat.
Rick eyed their guest suspiciously from across the table. Leizel sat diagonally opposite from the boy, watching as he hungrily shoved a piece of toast into his mouth. Okita raised his eyes and stole a glance at her; it was the first time he noticed her sea green eyes. He quickly looked down at his omelet and picked up his fork and knife. Lela continued to stand by the stove and prepare her fluffy scrambled eggs.
"So, how do you know Noal? Are you a fellow Space Knight?" Lela's brother, Rick, asked.
"No. We're Radam, and I need to tell him about our attack plan."
Rick almost choked on his food. This was vastly different from the time the Space Knights had come for dinner during the first war. He had asked them a similar question about Balzac, who had been staying with them at the time. It took him several moments to deal with this sudden shock.
"But don't worry. You're farmers, so we won't hurt you," Okita swallowed a bite. "I promise."
Several seconds of awkward silence passed. Rick stared at his food, his mind troubled.
"So, Leizel, how's, um, school going?" Okita mustered the courage to speak.
The girl raised an eyebrow.
Lisa Carlo continued to oversee her Primary Body soldiers make preparations. Some were hiding in the rocky, hilly regions of South Africa, and others were enjoying their occupation of a military base they had conquered. Their numbers had certainly thinned since the beginning of the war, but they still retained their faith in Delta. They believed that she was directing them towards a cause and that she made them feel wanted, unlike the humans who had been treating them like scum for the entirety of their lives.
Yet, Beast knew that Delta was merely using them as pawns. Day by day, she felt guiltier for it, but she could only leave it at that. Delta had already issued her a warning; if she crossed the line, she would be in deep trouble. Letting out a sigh, Lisa stood up and spouted more commands to her following.
"They shut down all schools ever since those horrid buggers destroyed one fifty kilometers from here," Lela said grimly. "Over a dozen young souls were… Anyway, I can't stand those filthy creatures."
"They attacked children, did they?" Okita said, his expression growing dark. "Well, I assure you in our new world, that mistake will never be repeated. Children will always be protected from harm."
Lela gave him a curious look before returning focus to her stove. The scrambled eggs were ready.
"They will be well fed and never go hungry. It'll be a better world, not like this one in which fat capitalistic pigs hoard all the wealth and food for themselves while others have to beg for it on the streets."
Leizel's mouth hung open, the morsel on her fork hovering in front of it. Her uncle frowned.
"Yeah, that makes sense," Rick said acidly. "Let's save the children and murder everyone else."
"Rick, stop it," his sister said firmly. "Let's talk about something more… pleasant, shall we?"
Plague had no sympathy for the Primary Bodies. They were considered vermin back when he served in the military, and they were no better now. He didn't care if they were alive or dead; in fact, he had slaughtered a handful himself just to reduce his frustration from not being able to kill Hayato. Yet, it was only a temporary solution, for his irritation would grow again over the next few days. Maybe by that time, he would actually take it out on individuals who weren't on his side – the military soldiers.
"Move it!" he ordered, watching them scurry to gather provisions. 'Too bad I don't have a whip.'
Silence continued to follow as the three sitting down continued their meal. Rick ate very little, his appetite quite diminished. Okita was almost done with the food on his plate. He was thinking of something to say when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. A blond man appeared in the kitchen.
"Okita?" Noal boomed, straightening his body. "What in the blazing hell are you doing here?"
"Please calm down, dear. Have some breakfast," Lela said nervously, wiping her apron.
"You were absent at dinner yesterday, so I've come to deliver a message from Her Majesty," the boy explained, his expression growing more serious. He looked around, debating whether to speak in front of all of these people. He decided against it and led Noal down the end of the hallway into another room.
At this point, Leizel had gotten rather curious as to what this message was. She quietly got up from the table, earning alarmed looks from her mother and uncle. She promised them she'd be okay and tiptoed towards a room adjacent to the kitchen. Cupping her hand around her ear, she crouched near a vent.
"In five days time, we are to begin assaulting the Military Headquarters of each of the Seven Regions," Okita's voice softly echoed through. "Beast is taking Africa, Plague Australia, and Bane North America. Your mission is to gather the Primary Body army and attack the headquarters here in Europe. Your troops have received plenty of rest by now. They should have enough energy for this final attack."
"Five days, huh?" Noal sounded annoyed. "What about Blade and the Space Knights?"
"They've been pretty quiet, and we haven't heard any reports about Blade returning."
By this time, Leizel's eyes had grown wide. The conversation soon ended, and the girl leapt to her feet. She raced back to the table and plopped herself down, trying to maintain a normal expression but quickly realizing that her plate was still quite full. Grabbing her fork, she began stuffing food in her mouth for fear that Okita would notice she hadn't eaten since he got up. It wasn't long before the two returned.
"Well, now that my task is done here, I should get going," Okita said. "If I stay too long, my friends will look for me and then trace me to you. Miss Lela, thank you for breakfast. It was delicious."
The lady gave him a slight nod, and Leizel rose to her feet in order to show him out. Okita laughed nervously and gave her a fleeting glance as she opened the front door. The girl kept her eyes on him, trying to maintain a pleasant expression so that he wouldn't suspect her the least bit.
'She's staring at me,' the boy thought, warmth rushing to his face. 'Yes, she's staring at me!'
"I guess this is it, huh?" Okita said, peering out the door. "It… it was nice meeting you."
"Same here. Come by anytime," she responded hastily without realizing what she was saying.
"S… sure! Well, good-bye," he smiled before jubilantly racing off the porch. The captured boys tied together were now awake, and their eyes widened with terror upon seeing him approach. Okita leapt over the trio and ran into the wheat fields, obscuring himself in their height and holding his yellow crystal.
'Oh my god, what did I just do? I gave him a free pass to visit again,' Leizel thought, gasping as a golden comet shot up from the field and into the sky. 'But… he does look kinda' cute… I think…'
Kajitani Eizan, or Tekkaman Bane, didn't really know what to make of the Primary Bodies. He was born and raised on the Io colonies and thus never had any exposure to them prior to his arrival on Earth. They certainly made good servants by doing labor work, and they had the potential to form a formidable army. He was told that they were an eerie bunch, outcasts to society who wished to rebel.
As a result, he never gave much thought to them as normal people; he assumed that war and anarchy was what they desired. Delta wished to use them, and he had no reason to betray her orders.
"Her Majesty wishes you the best!" he said, eliciting cheers from the amassing Primary Bodies.
Later that day…
Lela at once regretted ever allowing that boy to speak to the man. She had seen it coming…
"You're going already, Mr. Noal?" asked Leizel, looking confusedly at him. "You just came!"
Noal gave her a soft nod and turned towards Lela, who followed him out of the house. The mother raised her hand, wiping the tear from her eye and trying not to cry in front of her daughter. Rick gave the man an annoyed look – how could he leave so suddenly, regardless of whatever Okita told him? Lela continued to look into Noal's scarlet irises. She tried to convince him to stay, but it was no avail.
"Lela, I came here to say good-bye… one last time," he said, stepping toward her. "It's my fate. With what I've done, I can't turn back now. I can only focus on my future… and my purpose…"
"Noal, if you change your mind, know that…" she said. "… You'll always have a home here."
The blonde man nodded for a moment and then lowered his eyes, materializing his crystal.
"I love you, Noal," Lela said, holding back tears as she watched him take off for the sky.
Another session of training ended, and Natasha's face was glowing. She had been doing well that day, and she knew it. True, she was dead tired, but she would resume her private workouts later in the day and be ready for more training tomorrow. Seline too was exhausted; she found herself taking her opponent very seriously this time. Yet, it was clear that these meetings were meant to help Vesna and not her.
"Be more tight on your defense, Natasha," D-boy suggested. "You leave your torso partially open when you lash out with your sword. Turn your body more sideways so that it reveals less to the enemy."
Seline flinched at how D-boy referred to her as "enemy." The trio made their way out of the gym.
"Mr. Aiba, I was wondering if I could see Dead," Seline cut the silence. D-boy shook his head.
"The doctors say that he can't be disturbed by anyone, not even that by that Corpse-Robber guy."
Seline considered pressing him further, but she decided that she would find Dead her own way.
Lela shut herself off in her room, pressing the napkin against her face and struggling to fight back her tears. She kept repeating that Noal was still human, insisting that he had some good left in him. Outside the door, Leizel listened quietly, trying to comprehend her mother's sadness. It was only an hour ago that Rick described to her the history between her mother and Noal. Now she was trying to absorb it.
The girl heard more sniffles from the door, and she could take it no longer. She burst into the room and wrapped her arms around her mother. Lela held her daughter tightly, trying to suppress grief.
"Mum, I know where he will be in five days time," Leizel spoke minutes later, and Lela gave her a inquiring look. "Maybe if you call those Space Knight people, they can bring Mr. Noal back for you."
D-boy waited for Seline to split away and walk down a separate corridor. Natasha continued to follow him, wondering what gears were turning beneath his stoic facade. For several minutes, neither uttered a word. Days ago, she would have found it strange, but now she was used to his aloofness.
"I'm happy with your progress," D-boy spoke suddenly. "Tomorrow, I'll personally join in."
Natasha looked stunned; never did she imagine she would battle the legendary Tekkaman.
"But I should tell you the true reason for all this training," the man said in a more hushed tone, making sure no one else was about. "I'm preparing you for the real battle ahead, when we attack Delta's flagship a week from now. They kidnapped my son, and I'm going to need your help in getting him back."
"Attack… Delta's flagship?" Natasha whispered, her confidence wavering.
"But first we need to find out where it is. If we can capture a Tekkaman, it may show us the way."
At that moment, his com-link beeped; it was an urgent message from Milly. He split off, leaving Natasha to her thoughts. She felt that it was too bold a plan – the three of them sieging Radam's main ship and facing all of their Tekkamen? What would be their chances? The girl took a deep breath, telling herself to have faith in D-boy's leadership. But even with that, they would need all the help they could get.
The girl headed to her room to take a shower, making a note to visit a certain patient afterwards.
"You won't believe this," Milly said after D-boy entered the commanding room. The young lady played the recording of the call she received from Lela, who described the sequence of events that occurred at her house. Soon Leizel began to speak, repeating verbatim the message Okita had delivered to Noal.
"This is some powerful news," D-boy nodded. "It may even help out our attack strategy."
That afternoon…
"Sorry, he's been like this the entire day," Corpse-Robber muttered, his voice betraying his irritation. "Sometimes he'll just stare into space as if he's in another world, and then he'll stare at his hand, saying 'I failed… I failed… I lost it… I failed her' over and over. Ugh, I just can't get through to this kid!"
Natasha took Hayato's hand and tried again to look him in the eyes. The boy avoided her gaze.
"Hayato, like I said, we really need your help now. Please snap out of it," she said gently, but he gave no reaction. "You've got to tell us what happened, because what you're doing now isn't helping anyone, especially yourself. If you tell us how you lost the crystal, we'd be able to do something about it."
"I lost it… I failed…" he repeated, and Natasha let out a sigh of frustration. "I'm useless… I…"
"No, you aren't," she said firmly. "There're a lot of things you can still do to avenge her."
Hayato flinched but remained silent. Natasha grabbed his chin and turned his face towards her.
"Yeah, you can make them pay, so stop whining," she nodded. "You're also a pilot, remember?"
"I…" he started, seeing her glare. "… Wanted to avenge her myself… with my own power."
"Sorry, but you can't beat these guys alone," she countered, lowering her tone. "Radam are so successful this time because they work as a team. The only way we can hit back is if we do the same."
"We were a team, but D-boy—"
"Blame Radam, not D-san. And don't think you're the only one affected. We all feel her loss, and so does he. He's trying his best to find a way to defeat them, so let's give him all the support we can."
Hayato narrowed his eyes, his fists tightening with ire. Her words were getting through.
"Come on, how 'bout it? Look at all the Primary Bodies being manipulated. Didn't you join the Space Knights to help them? Now's your chance to avenge her and carry out that wish at the same time."
The young man remained silent, loosening his grip. Taking in a breath, he began to speak.
The flight over had been full of contemplation. While he was supposed to gather his army of Primary Bodies, he couldn't help but think of what Natasha had told him earlier. She said that he too was betraying those poor souls by using them, thus making him no better than her father. In short, she had called him a hypocrite, and that angered him greatly. He was not ready to live with such a label.
That is why upon his arrival, Noal told the resting Primary Bodies to disband and go home.
"I will handle the raid on the European Headquarters alone," he declared. "You are free to leave."
This earned cries of protest from the crowd.
"Till now, you've led us toward a cause!" one man yelled. "Do you expect us to turn back when justice is right around the corner? The justice we deserve against our oppressors?"
"After all this, how can we possibly return to our homes?" a woman cried out. "We were shunned there before, and we'd be hated even more now. No, we will stick with Her Majesty until the very end!"
The Primary Bodies roared in approval, thus sealing their fate. Noal reluctantly acquiesced.
Natasha walked out of Hayato's room, her mind numb from hearing his story. His stealing Yumi's body was strange enough, but keeping it frozen was just plain bizarre. Natasha stopped herself in the passageway, taking a few deep breaths before heading forward. She needed to report this to D-boy.
That night…
Fixing his collar, the young man opened the door to his room and headed out. Part of him was frustrated, for he still lacked full faith in D-boy and had no option but to be dependent on him. The other part of him was actually relieved – losing his crystal had been a colossal weight on his head, but talking about it seemed to life a huge weight off his chest. It meant that others were willing to help him.
Walking through the complex, Hayato reached the room to which he had been summoned.
"D-boy…" he whispered, seeing the man stand in the middle of the floor. "Wait, this is…"
"The transformation chamber, where David, Natasha, and… Yumi… were converted."
Hayato briefly narrowed his eyes at the sound of her name, but he chose against saying anything accusatory. He had been in that room only once, and it looked no different. The floor was tessellated with blue tiles, and three tall glass chambers rested against the opposite wall. Why was he asked to come here?
"Since you permitted it, Natasha told me everything," D-boy said. "After much thought, I decided it's only right to tell you about these options and let you choose. But let me ask you first – suppose there was a way you could get your powers back, but it cost a heavy price… would you be willing to do it?"
"My powers back? " the youth repeated with disbelief. "Of course! You… really can do that?"
"Yes, it is possible to regenerate a Tekkaman crystal. In fact, the procedure was carried out on me a long time ago," D-boy admitted. "But… from what you told Natasha, your case is more complicated."
Hayato darkened his features, remembering that he was a rejected Tekkaman with limited time.
"If we successfully restore your crystal, you'll keep using it to fight. But your body's rejection of Tek-System will ultimately catch up with you and cause your organs to fail," D-boy said grimly. "In other words, you'll be able to fight, but your eventual death will be a certainty. The other option is for you to forget about your Tekkaman powers and focus on your piloting skills. You can still fight them that way."
"Why the hell would I do that? If the rejection will kill me anyway, I'd rather go as a Tekkaman."
"No, you wouldn't die in the second option because we had developed a technology that can erase many of the effects of Tek-System rejection," D-boy confessed. "We built it as a safety mechanism prior to converting David, Natasha, or Yumi. If any of them had been rejected, it would have been used to save their lives. And now, I can use it on you, but it would strip you of your transformation abilities forever."
"… You're asking me to choose between the worse of the two," the boy said exasperatedly.
"Believe me, I know how tough that choice can be. However, nobody but you should make it."
"I appreciate that, D-boy… giving me free will and allowing me to choose my fate."
"I would never take that freedom away from you, whether you're a Space Knight or not," D-boy assured him. "Take some time to think about this, and come back with your decision. I will abide by it."
Hayato studied the man's face and nodded before turning around and heading out the doors.
Building up his courage, Okita treaded up the pathway past the wheat fields. He could see her in the distance near the barn, moving some items back and forth. She soon saw him approach and waved; his heart leapt. Okita quickened his pace up the path, keeping one of his arms behind his back.
She ambled down towards him, her blond hair shining with the light from the sun. Okita lost himself in her sea green eyes again as they stood apart, his face warm. The girl gave him a big smile.
"What's that you've got behind your back?" she asked, tilting her head curiously to the side.
"They're… for you," he looked down at the ground as he revealed his hand, and the flowers in it.
"Oh!" she exclaimed with delight, grabbing them by the stems. "You brought them for me? I…"
"… Love them!" a different voice interrupted – a deeper, darker voice.
Okita jerked his head up in shock, seeing the grisly form of Honda grinning down at him.
"They're so beautiful, just like you," the man sighed, closing his eyes and sniffing the petals.
Okita screamed as he forced his eyes open and snapped upright in his bed. He shut his eyes tightly and opened his palms, pressing against the sides of his head as he shook it wildly from side to side.
"Get out of my head, you bastard!" he cried, tears streaming down. "Get out, get out, GET OUT!"
The next morning (Day Three)…
She had gotten up earlier than usual. Perhaps it was the excitement flowing in her blood, or maybe it was the confidence oozing through her veins. It didn't matter – Natasha felt great. The day's training session wouldn't start for another two hours, and she decided to talk a brisk walk on the beach.
To her surprise, she found someone sitting on the sand near the shore. As she approached, she realized that it was Hayato. Natasha froze, recalling his twisted and disturbing account from yesterday. It made her want to avoid him for a while, and she debated whether she should simply return to her room.
'But for him to be out here this early, there might be something on his mind,' she thought as she mustered courage and approached him. "What possessed you to come out here at the break of dawn?"
"N… Natasha," he said, surprised. "Just had to think a bit… I have to make a big decision today."
"Yeah, we all have to do that some time," she said, plopping down next to him. "What's yours?"
Hayato sighed, staring at the waves washing up the shore as he described what D-boy told him.
"I see," Natasha said glumly. "This is tough. I don't know if I can even help you on this one."
"I don't know, maybe you can," he shrugged, pausing. "You remember that conversation we had a few days ago – about our reasons for joining the Space Knights? You never really told me yours…"
"You think that'll help you decide?" she asked, and he nodded. "I normally don't reveal personal details to others, but I'll make an exception this time since yours is a special case. I've actually been thinking about that topic for that past few days, and I've come to terms with my reasons for joining."
Natasha looked out at the ocean, feeling a cool breeze ruffle her hair as she gathered her thoughts.
"One reason was indeed avoiding my father, and another involved my feelings of self-worth. But more significant was the guilt I felt for what my father had done to the Primary Bodies. These were my main factors for joining, and true, they were enveloped in bitterness. I've come to accept that," she said, observing a seagull dive towards the water. "But they're not my reasons to fight on and stay loyal to D-san and the Space Knights. What carries me now is doing the right thing – living my life and using my strength to protect who I can, just as Yumi and our other fallen friends strove to do. This is for their memory."
"I wish I had that outlook, but I can't seem to see past revenge," Hayato sighed. "Maybe it would have been better had I died instantly after rejection, 'cause now I'm just a slave to my own brutal thoughts. Living for revenge is pushing me towards regaining my powers. But you… you want to live for life itself."
"And so did Yumi, if you remember. What option do you think she'd want you to pick?"
"… She'd want me to be a pilot," Hayato admitted, lowering his eyes. "But I can't bring myself to do that. Maybe I'll figure out a happy medium between the two choices that would work."
"Yeah, I hope you do," wished Natasha. "Just know that whatever you decide, I'll respect it."
"Thanks, Natasha… I really appreciate it," he said, looking a bit nervous. "Thanks for all the help yesterday; you knocked some sense into me. And, um… sorry for all the nasty things I said before."
"No problem, don't worry about it," she chuckled. "It's not like I never snapped at anyone."
The boy grinned.
Milly sat back, listening to the responses. She had sent messages on behalf of the Space Knights to the Generals of the North American, European, Australian, and African Region Militaries, warning them of the impending attacks on their Headquarters. They coldly stated that they would not budge; rather, they would concentrate their forces to protect their base. Maintaining control over a Headquarters was also symbolically important, for Headquarters represented the Region's center of government as long as the Region was under martial law. Abandoning it would represent surrendering the Region to Radam.
"Headquarters is our best stronghold," one General wrote. "We're not going to give it up."
"Jeez, why are they being so unfriendly? Only one of them thanked us for the heads up."
"Probably because they feel we haven't done enough to stop the enemy," suggested Neilus, pouring Milly some coffee. "And most are still quite sore about the loss of Xyla, the supposed trump card. In fact, those two agents from the military called again, claiming they've gotten more support for the dismantlement of the Space Knights. I told them we couldn't help them since D-boy still wasn't around."
"Good call," she smiled. "D-boy shouldn't have to deal with that kind of bull-crap during a war."
General Henri Duque of the European Region Military was appreciative of the warning. He didn't fully blame the Space Knights for the loss of Xyla, for he felt that there were other sinister factors at play. He had written his concerns to the former President of the old United Government, who replied:
"Dear Henri, I have long known you to be a man of respect and strong stature. As such, I will trust that your worries are not unfounded, even if they are undoubtedly disturbing. If it is true that certain individuals are hindering those who are battling the enemy, we must address this issue in the most serious manner. To discus this matter further in detail, I am ready to meet with you in seven days time. I wish I could arrive earlier, but my illness will prevent me from traveling over the next week. I pray that you stay in good health until we meet, and I wish the best for your men. Regards, George Aybud."
Duque let out a sigh, wondering whether he should have troubled the sick man in the first place.
That afternoon…
"I've come to a decision that would take the best from both options," said Hayato, facing D-boy in the Command Room. "Regenerate my crystal so that I can fight now. When the war is over, I won't need my powers anymore; you can put me through the safety device then. I'd be happy being a pilot again."
"That's still very risky," answered D-boy after some thought. "First of all, we don't know how long the war will last, and your organ failure could hit you any time. More importantly, the longer you wait following your rejection from the pod, the lower the probability the safety mechanism will work on you."
The boy turned silent for a few moments, considering the consequences. D-boy too was tense.
'Now I understand what Freeman was going through when I debated undergoing the Blastor upgrade,' the man thought. 'He must have been deeply concerned, but he still left the choice up to me. If I didn't survive, he would have felt completely responsible. Like him, I would feel responsible if anything goes wrong with Hayato. But I need to give Hayato the freedom to decide. It wouldn't be right otherwise.'
"Then I'll take my chances," declared Hayato, breaking the silence. "Besides, it's already been a couple of weeks since I got rejected. If I'm going to fight, I'll do it as a Tekkaman."
"So be it," Takaya lowered his eyes, reminding himself of his promise to accept the boy's choice.
Hayato stood still in the box-like chamber, pressing his hands against the class. He was so excited; he was being given another chance to pay back the enemy for what they'd done. Although he still blamed D-boy for allowing her to perish, he couldn't help but feel a little appreciate towards the man now.
As he lost himself in thought, the warm fluid began to enter the chamber. It felt soothing and relaxed his feet with its viscosity. He would have to undergo this procedure for six hours a day over the next two days simply to obtain the crystal. During this time, the computer system would analyze his body structure and the layout of Tek-System hidden within. Using this data, it would send signals to his Tek-System and induce it to generate a new crystal in the subspace region past his left chest. He would then be able to summon the crystal. However, he wouldn't be able to transform immediately. His body would need one day to adjust to the item. That was okay, nevertheless – he planned to occupy time by exercising rigorously and increasing his stamina so that he wouldn't weaken in battle so rapidly after transforming.
By now, the fluid had reached his chin and would soon pass over his head. Hayato closed his eyes and allowed himself to submerge in the green syrup-like fluid, eager for the process to commence.
'Just wait and see, Beast,' his lips curled into an unkind smile. 'I'm going to get you.'