Previously on the Disciple Arc...
Angie had locked herself away from the other disciples ever since she found out about Sorean's death and it took Gonta revealing Brigitte's identity as the Jewel of the Mechonis to get her back on her feet. That night, the maids plan to attack Sharla and her allies on Valak Mountain when they think the Mechon are gone so Ashe can get the chance to separate Sharla from her allies. At the same time, Brigitte realizes that she can become able to defy fate itself and she desires to get revenge against Murasaki for leaving her to die when she entered her crystal slumber so she can end the Killing Titan War and set the world free.
Disciple Arc Chapter 9: Blossoming Feelings
In Valak Mountain the next day, Ashe watched from inside Onyx Face as Face Nemesis landed at the Great Glacier.
"Wake up, everybody!" She shouted to the other Faced Mechon. "It's time get a move on and get ready to attack!"
"You're lucky all of us made it through the night." Rose snarked from inside Ruby Face. "Let's hope these Mechon still work on the battlefield."
"They should be intact from that snowstorm last night." Mei theorized from inside Pearl Face.
"If you're wrong then I'm gonna beat ya 'till you bleed!" Pearl threatened from the same Face Mechon.
The climatologist let out a sound of fear before Marina spoke up from inside Lapis Face. "Pearlie, if we survive the rest of this plan, maybe I should show you what real pain is."
"Alright, it's about time now. Try not to kill each other while we're doin' this." Onyx Face advised as they took off for the Great Glacier.
When they got to the Great Glacier, got out of their Face Mechon, and attacked Sharla and her allies, Ashe stood back further away from the fight itself so she could shoot at them from a safe distance.
No Homs I've encountered has ever shown to be this powerful... She thought to herself as she watched as Mei was killed by one of Sharla's allies.
It's clear that the Girl that Defies her Destiny has the potential to defy fate altogether.
This could spell doom for all of us, including the disciples.
Looks like I'll have to get my hands dirty and call the shots in this plan from here on out.
The gang leader quickly got into Onyx Face, shot at them with her coach gun, and grabbed the first person she could see through the ensuing dust explosion.
Noticing that she managed to grab Sharla, she flew as fast as she could to get to Sword Valley.
Hopefully, she can help Brigitte get the duel she wants.
Might as well give one of the disciples a call.
I got a video call when I went out to the Fountain of Hope. Taking the call, I saw that it was Ashe calling from outside Onyx Face in Sword Valley.
"Hey, Ashe, how's the plan going?" I asked.
"Might've started rough with the deaths of Bede, Kuroreena, Marnie, Grimmsnarl, and now recently Mei, but I've managed to separate Sharla from her precious allies with the other maids on Valak Mountain and I've dropped her off somewhere on Sword Valley." The white haired woman responded. "Didn't see where she landed though, she's probably still alive given that I saw her use Monado Enchant. Apparently, she can use some of the Monado Arts outside of battle with different effects."
I let out a sigh of contempt. "We really do have our work cut out for us, don't we?"
"We sure do." The gang leader snarked. "Anyway, we're at the Heavy Machine Depot in Sword Valley. Metal Face is with us too, Mumkhar Hagane is the pilot's name and he was the Ultimate Clawsman I believe."
"Really? Why go there?"
"If the Girl that Defies her Destiny comes here, which she will, we might have to fight her again and probably send her straight to the Fallen Arm of the Mechonis. She'll be lucky if she ends up in the Machina village."
A scream from nearby caused Ashe to look beside her. Sharla was trying to fight Rose, Pearl, Marina, and Mumkhar on her own.
"You saw that coming from a mile away." I said.
"Yep. This battle will definitely get my blood pumpin'!" Ashe exclaimed as she turned to join the fight. "I'm guessin' her allies will get here as soon as we send her to the Fallen Arm. We might not survive that encounter, but we'll try to take one of her allies down with us. I've heard Allister, Nessa, Melony, and their Pokémon went to the Fallen Arm to see what the Machina have in store. Bea's waitin' for you with her Pokémon at the Ether Plant at Eryth Sea."
"Got it. So this is goodbye then." I muttered.
"Yeah, that's what this all came to. Goodbye, Gonta. It's been an honor to serve you." The white haired girl said before I ended the call and put my phone away.
Why does Bea want to meet me at the Ether Plant? I guess I have to go find out. I thought to myself before setting out for the meeting place at Eryth Sea.
Meanwhile in the Telethia Laboratory in the High Entia Tomb, Lorithia gazes at the spear inside the green transparent tube. Alvis and Angie walked up to her and the dancer cleared her throat to get her attention.
The researcher turned to face both of them. "They are of surprisingly little use... Those visions."
"Because they couldn't save Father?" Angie asked.
"That was within the margin of fate." Alvis said. "It was not Shulk and Sharla's fault."
"Hmm. So you side with the boy and the girl?" Lorithia asked as she crossed her arms.
The seer shook his head and decided to change the topic. "Did you find anything out?"
"I did. It is most fascinating, this spear. The green fluid alters and destroys the structure of the ether, which is the building block of life on Bionis. It appears to have been created from ether energy drawn from the blood of the Bionis."
"Could that explain the ether flowing through Sword Valley?" Alvis asked.
"I do not think it is the only reason, but it is too early to draw conclusions."
"So is there a countermeasure?" Angie wondered.
"Creating antibodies is a simple matter." The researcher said. "We will be ready."
"That's great news." The dancer muttered in relief.
Lorithia then looked at Alvis in irritation. "Why did you have to include him? You know how he disgusts me, but not as much as Miyadera does."
The seer closed his eyes as he responds. "We must respect our elders. Dickson has known the boy far longer than us."
"Kiyo, Miyadera, Murakumo, and Minori know the boy longer than the rest of us as well." Angie added.
Silence persisted between the three of them. The Allied Force must be formed and be able to get along with Kallian's terms, regardless of how they really got along.
I got to the Ether Plant and saw Bea and Machamp there. The karate master approached me as soon as she saw me.
"So, why did you call me here? This better not be a waste of my goddamn time." I said.
"I... I promise that this isn't a waste of time!" Bea exclaimed as she blushed. "Just listen up, OK? Because... I have... something important to say."
I stayed silent as she continued. "During my stealth mission at Makna Forest, I've noticed several Nopon saying something along the lines of 'does this girl know emotion?' about me. I've always appeared stoic to them, but I just didn't want to show weakness to them. Being focused is part of being the Ultimate Karate Master after all. I do know emotion, and there's one person that made my heart pump against my chest... right in front of me... someone who always made me believe in myself..."
Seeing tears running down her face, I spoke up. "Are you... referring to me as this 'someone'?"
"Y-Yes... I am. I can't stand to keep my feelings bottled up anymore! Listen up, OK?! Because... it takes a lot of courage to say this! I... I love you, Gonta! I love you with all of my heart!"
I was completely blushing now. "Bea... I'm going to be honest here, I've fallen for you as well. So... I love you too."
The karate master was now gripping my shoulders despite the differences in our height, tears still running down her face. "I... I-I don't understand... I should be happy... b-but I... can't stop crying... You're... t-telling me the truth, r-right..?"
I crouched so I could look at her through her silver eyes. "I mean it."
"I-I'm... I'm so glad. P-Promise me... you'll s-stay by my side... m-my love." She pleaded.
"Yeah, I promise." I agreed.
Bea pressed her lips against mine and I returned the kiss soon after in a soft embrace. When we parted, Allister called on my phone and told us that he, Nessa, Melony, and their Pokémon would no longer work for us and that they'll help the people of Colony 6 rebuild their lives. Along with that, the occultist told us that most of Galahad Fortress had collasped and that the maids and Mumkhar had died, taking one of Sharla's allies down with them.
As soon as I ended the call, I turned to face Bea. "I guess you and Machamp want to be disciples now, huh?"
The karate master nodded with confidence. "That's right. You may call us the Disciples of Ferocity!"
With newfound determination in all three of us, we started to make our way to the Imperial Palace.
With what's going to happen next, Bea and Machamp joining the disciples is only the beginning.
The Allied Force will be ready to attack soon, this means war.
Next time on the Monado Arc...
A surprise attack by Ruby Face, now accompanied by three other Faced Mechon on Valak Mountain will leave Sharla separated from her allies, literally and emotionally in Murasaki's case. Forced to go through Sword Valley alone with only her upgraded ether rifle and the gems with her, Sharla has to rely on her knowledge of the Mechon and the guidance from Brigitte to get through to the Mechon stronghold, Galahad Fortress. All of this will also lead to one of her friends dying in the attempt to find her and encountering pawns of Zanza who now want to quit antagonizing her in favor of helping restore Colony 6 to it's former glory.