Previously on the Monado Arc...
Murasaki became furious at Sharla since she overheard the conversation with Brigitte the night before, causing their bond to break deeply. Ruby Face, revealed to be Rose Lavillant, takes advantage of the falling out by attacking with her fellow maids. The aftermath leaves Sharla having to go through Sword Valley alone and fight them and Mumkhar without any help, where she is forced to summon her guardian animal to fend them off and it sends her to the Hidden Machina Village on the Fallen Arm because of the large use of ether. While searching for the source of a sound that has left some of the Machina unnerved, she not only finds the mangled corpses of Dunban, Ashe, Pearl, Marina, and Rose, but three pawns of Zanza and their Pokémon who want to stop antagonizing her and her allies in favor of helping restore Colony 6 back to it's former glory.
Monado Arc Chapter 10: He of the Jade Face
The next day, we were asked to meet with Miqol Kinzoku, the leader of the Machina. Last night we had to find a Piezoelectric Unit so Fiora could fight with us without the need of Face Nemesis and Miqol told us that we have to kill Egil, who was his son, and Brigitte for the sake of the Machina.
"Umm..." Shulk wasn't sure on what to say.
"How are you? Sleep well?" Miqol asked.
"Yes, very well." The mechanic responded. "I wanted to... talk about your son and the Jewel of the Mechonis."
"Have you made up your mind?" The Machina leader said.
"Yes. We agree with you. Egil and Brigitte must be stopped. But we can't act now."
"Oh? Why's that?"
"Before we came here, we heard of plans to form an allied force on Bionis." The heir to the Monado explained. "Any day now they're going to launch an attack on Mechonis. But it's too dangerous. Egil and Brigitte have made a weapon that could kill us all."
"The weapon that Mumkhar was using?" Sae asked. "The one that shoots green fluid?"
"He said it can decompose any being from Bionis." Zellium responded.
Shulk nodded. "We have to go back and warn them. Before it's too late."
"Well, you could always ask us to do it."
We all turned to see Dickson, Kiyo, Miyadera, Murakumo, and Minori behind us along with a dark skinned girl with silver eyes, short silver hair, and wearing white, black, and orange clothing reminiscent of ones used in karate along with sandals that appear to be made from straw rope. Her Pokémon partner was beside her.
"Dickson?!" Shulk shouted in surprise. "What are you and the others doing here?"
"And who's the chick?" Sae asked.
The girl approached us. "I'm Bea Ikusawa, the Ultimate Karate Master. This is my Pokémon, Machamp."
"I can't believe you found us." Shulk said.
"Why?" Kiyo questioned. "This place is directly below Galahad Fortress. If you fell from there, we figured you must've ended up here."
"Well, from where we fell adds up." Zellium said. "Unless you're Sharla."
"Zell!" I shouted out in embarrassment. "That's just because of the large amount of ether it took to summon my guardian animal! How many times to do we have to go over this?"
"We don't have to. You're more powerful since the ability to summon guardian animals was thought to be lost to time." My Pokémon partner snarked. "Only the Machina and Brigitte know it's still possible."
I wasn't really listening to the conversation Miqol had with Dickson but Shulk agreed to letting his adoptive father warn Kallian and the rest of Egil and Brigitte's new weapon as a precautionary measure. Shulk went up to the medical bay to see Fiora before Linada puts the Piezoelectric Unit into her body so she could continue to fight along side us.
I was looking outward towards the water within the village, thinking about what happened between me and Murasaki. Brigitte's clearly doing this to get revenge against the Ultimate Calamity for leaving her for dead all this time and leaving her to fend for herself.
"Haven't made up your mind yet?" I heard Melony's voice ask.
I turned to face her, Nessa, and Allister. "Guys, listen."
"Shulk and Zellium told us about your new goal." Nessa said. "To put an end to this war by confronting Egil and Brigitte head on, am I right?"
"Yeah." I confirmed.
"Well, you're free to do so." Allister said. "Dickson and the rest came here to deliver a message from Kallian. When the allied force attacks Mechonis, you don't need to join the fight. He wants you to take advantage of the havoc and do what you got to do."
"Kallian said that?" I asked. "And the others came here to let me and Shulk know?"
Murakumo walked up to us. "T-To be fair, w-we were surprised t-too. Dickson thought h-he was a sissy, b-but he's got g-guts."
"I suppose that the type of person he is." I said.
"S-So what do you p-plan to do?" The manga artist asked. "H-He wanted us to l-let him know."
"We're going to the Mechonis capital." I responded. "Nessa, Allister, Melony, and their Pokémon want to head to Colony 6 to help restore it back to it's former glory, so I want you and the others to take them there before heading back."
"Y-You're going to take d-down Egil and Brigitte?" The brown haired girl theorized.
"I don't know." I admitted. "Me and Shulk can't forgive the Mechon for what they've done. But after the events yesterday and listening to Miqol, we think there might be another way."
"Y-You two are too s-soft." Shulk's adoptive sister muttered.
Nessa, Melony, and Allister left me with Murakumo as I spoke up. "Do you really think that?"
"T-Too right. H-He's the self-proclaimed l-leader of Mechonis and s-she's the J-Jewel of the Mechonis." The manga artist said in response. "W-We heard about what t-they did to the Monado. I-If you face them, i-it might get eaten up. B-But you two have to t-throw everything at them, e-even if there's only a s-slim chance of w-winning. H-Hesitate for one s-second and you're goners."
"We won't let Shulk or Sharla die. Not ever!" Fiora's voice exclaimed.
We turned to see the rest of my allies approach us before I spoke up. "Fiora. Are you OK to be walking around?"
"Yep!" The mech pilot responded.
"You have to hand it to her, Sharla." Zellium said. "That Linada's pretty good. And not just with machines. She's also quite familiar with organic physiology."
"But I'm fine now. I'll be by yours and Shulk's side, fighting to protect you both." The blonde haired girl continued before turning to face Murakumo. "No matter where we go, no matter how difficult it gets, Shulk and Sharla will do the right thing. It doesn't matter how slim our chances, they will always stick to the right path."
"And don't forget, it's because of Shulk and Sharla that we're all here, fighting together." Sae said.
"I think that shows they have strong characters. Am I wrong, Murakumo?" Murasaki asked.
"W-Well, when me and the others t-think about everything you guys have d-done, we can't deny t-that." The manga artist responded.
"Sister, we're going to the Mechonis capital." Shulk said. "About the allied force..."
His adoptive sister then gained a sense of confidence. "Y-Yeah, leave it to u-us. W-We won't let anything happen to the c-colony. T-Those Mechon won't get away with a-anything else."
She left to help Dickson, Kiyo, Miyadera, Minori, Bea, and Machamp get Nessa, Drednaw, Melony, Lapras, Allister, and Gengar to Colony 6 and after being given provisions for several days, me and my allies headed for the village entrance, accompanied by Miqol and Linada.
"Are you going?" The Machina leader asked.
"Yes. Thank you for all your help." Shulk responded.
Miqol laughed. "You might run into someone called Vanea in the capital. Just mention my name and she'll lend a hand."
"Vanea..." Fiora muttered.
"Is she a Machina as well?" I asked.
"She's my daughter." The Machina leader responded. "She won't be far from Egil and Brigitte."
"Hold on. You mean she's Egil's sister?" Sae asked.
"You've got it, lad."
"And you say she'll help us?" Shulk wondered in confusion.
"The girl doesn't want to hurt Egil, but she doesn't like what he's doing especially since Brigitte has returned. She should be a big help to you young 'uns."
"I dunno why she'd help us, but..." The mechanic said. "We'll try and find her when we get there."
The Machina leader laughed once again. "Good luck."
Miqol headed for Junks, but Linada escorted us to the exit from the village once we've made our final preparations.
"Shulk, take this." She said as she handed him a small bit of metal covered with intricate grooves.
"What is it?" The mechanic asked as he took it.
"There's a path leading from the base of Digit 2 to the foot of the Mechonis." The Machina doctor explained. "This is the security key to the door that seals the path. We who live in the village don't have any need for it, but it will be invaluable to you."
"We're in your debt, Linada." I said.
She stared at us. "Shulk, Sharla, Fiora... Take care on your journey."
"We will." Shulk agreed.
"Linada, thank you for everything." Fiora said.
We made our way out of the village, skirting around the side of Digit 2, and sure enough there was a path stretching out over the ocean toward the Mechonis. We walked forward, and when we came to a bulkhead, Shulk dug out the key Linada had given him and fit it into place.
The door rotated open, and we continued on, heading out over the ocean. But we couldn't help but pause and stare upward, ahead to the Mechonis and behind to the Bionis, connected by the notched sword digging into the one titan's side.
"Bionis and Mechonis." Shulk muttered, glancing between the two.
"It's so different seeing them from this kind of perspective." Fiora admitted.
"We cannot see it from here, but our people are still fighting up there." Melia pointed out.
"It's difficult to believe that two such huge things ever fought each other." The mechanic said as he stared up at the Mechonis' sword stretching overhead.
"I wonder how the Machina felt at the time." Sae remarked.
"It must've felt... horrible." I said.
"Scary too." Fiora added.
"Fear robs us of reason." Murasaki said. "Out of fear we commit terrible atrocities and call them acts of self-preservation."
"Fear gives rise to more fear." Zellium added. "A never-ending circle of hatred."
"Perhaps... that circle can be broken?" Melia suggested.
Shulk stared ahead at the Mechonis. "Fear. It must be what's driving this. What's made Egil and Brigitte act this way."
It didn't take us long with the effect of my Monado Speed outside of battle to run along the metal path, find a path leading into the Mechonis' leg, and we beheld a sight completely unlike anything we had ever seen that we halted.
The place stretched upward, the upper reaches made hazy by distance, and it stretched outward, too. Everything gleamed metallically beneath thousands of electric lights. Massive pistons rose and fell, great gears rotated, and conveyor belts rushed away, all of it accompanied by a metallic hum.
"We're inside the Mechonis." I said.
"Just how I imagined it." Zellium said. "It's all completely mechanical. It's not going to be easy getting up this thing."
"Egil and Brigitte are at the top..." Shulk said, peering upward.
"Yeah, but how do we get there?" Sae asked.
"I'd say we keep moving." Murasaki responded. "Standing here certainly won't get us any closer to Egil and Brigitte."
She stepped onto the conveyor belt, and it whisked her away. The rest of us followed her, I felt my stomach churning as the scene lurched by swiftly, everything blurring. When we reached the end of the conveyor belt, we all stumbled, visions spinning.
"Ugh, I think I'm going to be sick." Zellium groaned as he clutched at his stomach.
"Riki feel same." Riki agreed with swirls in his eyes.
As soon as I recovered, Fiora let out a sharp gasp, catching the others' attention and causing them to recover.
"Fiora? What is it?" Shulk asked, but then he saw the Mechon patrols ahead.
I looked ahead to see various Mechon that are located here on Mechonis Field. A lot like the ones we have faced in the past.
"What do we do? Should we go around them?" Sae asked.
"There's a path down there that should get us past them." I said, pointing to a ramp leading down. "We need all the energy we got when we face Egil and Brigitte."
We successfully evaded the Mechon and all of us seemed to relax a little. I knew that if we keep up like this, then we would most likely fare better against Egil and Brigitte. We continued forward, but Shulk stopped at a red switch, staring at it thoughtfully.
"What's up, Shulk?" Zellium asked.
"Look. It's a switch to activate a lift." The heir to the Monado responded. "If we can get it to work, it should take us up."
"Riki want to ride lift!" Riki exclaimed before walking towards the lift.
"We can't. There's no power going to it." The mechanic pointed out.
"Boring!" The Nopon said in dismay.
"What do we do?" I asked.
"Well, if we could find the main power supply..."
"Alright guys, let's get looking." My Pokémon partner said instantly.
"Yeah. If we can connect the power to the switch, we should be able to use the lift." Shulk said with a nod.
We crossed a pipe, all of us trying not to look down at the huge drop to the purple liquid below. There was an activation panel beneath several orange displays. Shulk studied it for a moment before activating it.
"The lift should work now, right?" Murasaki asked.
"Yeah." Shulk responded.
We crossed back over the pipe and stepped onto the lift, riding it to a higher level. Managing to evade the M76/MOIST, we kept going upward. The higher up we went, the more difficult it became to slip past the Mechon, and we were hurrying toward yet another lift, this time on the third floor, when we heard a male voice shout from nearby.
"Brigitte, you damn bastard! You and Egil really have gone out of your way to wipe us all out! These lousy junkbots killed Duraludon, my Pokémon, and I refuse to die with it!"
We turned to see a dark skinned man with a dragon motif in his clothing, who Murasaki identified as Raihan Tsuyoiyaka, the Ultimate Social Media Star, being attacked relentlessly by a group of Mechon. I could see Amorous Arca in the middle of it all along with two M66/TRICKs and two Defensive/ONIONs.
We could only watch in shock and horror as Raihan was shoved to the floor and looked up in pain to see the Unique Monster about to slam it's arm straight into him and shouted in a panic. "Argh! No! PLEASE! STOP!"
I flinched as the Mechon's arm slammed right through his body and he screamed. We didn't have a choice but to fight, but we managed to take them all out. I noticed that Shulk was clearly trying to fight back against the Apocrypha even though using his own power will leave him worse for wear and that concerned me a lot.
Poor Heir to the Monado, he has no idea what you guys are in for despite his rapidly changing abilities.
Huh?! Brigitte, why would you say that?!
I'm only speaking the truth. Besides, me and Egil both know who he really is.
You don't mean..?! It can't be!
"Sharla?" I heard Shulk's voice speak up. "Are you OK?"
"Yeah. Sorry if I'd worried you." I responded.
"No, it's alright." The mechanic responded. "Besides, we've found a path outside the Mechonis up ahead."
We stepped onto the conveyor belt and emerged outside to an impressive view. We've climbed higher than most of us would've guessed as the path we've used earlier was just a narrow line, the Fallen Arm was made hazy by distance, and the Bionis loomed distantly, just a dark silhouette against the endless ocean and the darkening sky.
Murasaki went to the edge and froze, unable to tear her eyes away from the drop below. "Woah, don't look down! Does anyone know where we are? Other than high up?"
Fiora looked around thoughtfully. "Maybe... somewhere around the thigh?"
"The thigh?" The purple haired girl repeated as she crossed her arms. "You mean we're not even halfway there yet?"
"Stop moaning about it. Look. We can make camp over there." Shulk said as he pointed to an alcove nearby. "Let's rest for a while."
All of us settled down in the alcove, grateful to have the chance to rest. After a moment, Riki decided to try to make a somewhat decent meal, and Melia set about helping him, creating an orb of fire that they could use as a heat source. The two ended up creating an improvised soup, certainly nothing fantastic but much more filling than what we had earlier today. Fiora would probably wanted to help, but it doesn't seem like she's used to her new Mechon body just yet.
After we ate, I went ahead to do some maintenance on my rifle. The sighting has been a bit off lately and I needed to fix it before we set off the next day. I've unlocked Monado Armour recently and now I could reduce both physical and ether damage, so I need all of my Monado Arts to be at their best.
I knelt on one knee and strained to remove the barrel, but though I pulled and struggled to detach it, it remained stuck. Mirai made this a lot easier than what I thought it would be. Suddenly, Zellium took the weapon from my grasp and pulled the barrel free in one go.
"Thanks, Zell." I said as my Pokémon partner placed the parts of the rifle in my arms.
"Doing some maintenance?" He asked.
"Yep." I responded with a smile. "The sighting's been a bit off lately."
"You know, Miqol let us have some new parts." Shulk said as he made some small adjustments to Murasaki's shurikens based on how she fared in the previous fights. "I could make you a new rifle if you want."
"Thanks." I said. "But I... I have to keep using this one no matter what."
Zellium turned towards the heir to the Monado and shook his head. "Shulk, don't be clueless! It's more than just a weapon to her now especially with you forcing the Monado to work leaving you a bit worse for wear. Besides, she's the only one besides you that can use Monado Arts and Mirai gave it an upgrade so she can swap between them and her normal Arts whenever the time calls for it."
"Yeah." The mechanic agreed, remembering how I'd hugged the weapon so tenderly after I've had gotten it and how I've used the Monado Arts to my advantage. "I suppose so."
He stood up and put Murasaki's shurikens back into her hair carefully. She admired the new look of her weapons of choice as she giggled a bit.
"And if something happened to it, I doubt Mirai or Otharon would let her hear the end of it." My Pokémon partner said as he laughed a bit before giving me a grin.
I smiled at the two, thinking back to a memory from prior to finding out the future in our current situation. Gadolt promised me that he wouldn't let anyone else die. However, thirty men were killed when a fortress was attacked by Mechon, he blamed himself. I tried to convince him that their deaths would've had meaning if we won the fight, but he already knew that at least they would've died for something regardless of what happened and that it was either the Mechon or us, swearing to take them down even if he was the last man standing.
Soon enough, all of us set aside their weapons and lay down on the metal surface, which grew colder and colder as the night progressed. In that regard, Fiora was lucky. Her body did not feel the temperature, and she fell asleep quickly. The rest of us struggled to find a comfortable spot. Eventually, all of us nodded off.
Well, except for Riki since I heard a disgruntled little sniff come out from him.
"Oh, it so far!" He exclaimed. "So far from Oka and littlepon! So far from Makna! But Riki fight for all Makna! For all Bionis! That why Riki here!"
I got up and approached the Nopon. "Riki?"
He turned to face me. "Sharla no sleep?"
"Not very well as before." I snarked. "What are you looking at?"
"Bionis." The caregiver responded. "Riki fighting to protect Makna. Riki hear what Mechon did to colonies. Riki hear about Dundun and battle on sword. Riki see what happened to Fiora. So Riki want to be real Heropon and stop any more like that!"
"That's sweet of you, Riki."
"Riki glad Sharla say so."
"You know, Riki, I'm glad you came with us."
"Riki glad, too! Glad to meet new Hom Hom friends!"
I glanced back at the others and my gaze almost immediately locked onto Shulk and Fiora, who were snuggling each other as they slept. I couldn't help but smile.
"Shulk look happy Fiora back." Riki said.
I looked back at the Nopon. "Yeah. Shulk thought he would never get the chance to be with her again. He can still hardly believe that she's here with us now."
"Sharla should get some rest." The Nopon advised.
"You should, too." I said in response.
He walked back toward the others, settling down. "OK, Riki try."
I was able to sleep rather well and woke up the next day to pick up the pieces of my rifle and begin servicing them. I didn't know this weapon as well as Gadolt had, did not have his sure touch when cleaning it and making adjustments, but I managed to get everything back together and ready for battle.
As soon as we finished our breakfast made by Fiora with Zellium's help, Murasaki got up before speaking up. "We should get a move on. We don't have time to hang around."
"Zell, did you sleep well?" I asked.
"Yeah!" My Pokémon partner exclaimed with a smile. "I feel great!"
The purple haired girl looked at the path ahead and where it led. "It looks like we're about to re-enter the Mechonis. Brace yourselves."
"Got it!" Shulk agreed with a nod.
We gathered up our weapons and left the alcove, following the path as it worked it's way up to another opening into the Mechonis.
We continued upward. I was left in a Daze by the glare of the lights, the hundreds of great moving parts, the countless lifts we took, and the many different walkways we traversed.
Eventually, after riding a high-velocity lift that took us up, we reached a huge round door that glinted metallically. As we approached, it rotated open, revealing a massive room that stretched out before them, for once almost completely empty, beneath a ceiling that was partially open to the blue sky, there were only several low barriers, taller than any Machina but appearing small in the vastness of the space.
And there were no Mechon in sight.
We walked forward, but abruptly Fiora groaned and stumbled, her legs no longer able to support her. Shulk caught her as she fell, and all of us clustered around her in concern, Melia kneeling and placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Are you OK?" The mechanic asked as I hurried forward to examine the mech pilot.
"She looks very tired." Melia said, taking in the blonde haired girl's drawn face, the way her chest heaved as she struggled to breathe. "Should she not get some rest?"
Gently, I lifted Fiora's head, turning her face towards me. There was pain in those green eyes that she desperately tried to hide.
"Thank you." She said. "But really, I'm OK."
I let Murasaki take care of Fiora before I walked up to where Shulk was. I closed my eyes and concentrated for a bit before opening them in shock and fear. Me and Shulk turned quickly just as Zellium as saying "It's best if we park our-"
"Get down!" We both shouted just as a blast struck the floor ahead of us.
All of us cried out as heat blasted over us, bracing ourselves against the explosion that threatened to knock us all over.
"A Mechon assault!" Sae shouted as she looked around. "Can anyone see them?!"
All of us took out our weapons, looking all around, ears still ringing from the loud blast.
"Another vision?" Zellium said as Shulk activated the Monado while he stood back-to-back with me and the mechanic. "Nice one, you two!"
"No, it wasn't." The blonde haired boy responded.
"Shulk?" Fiora muttered in confusion.
A Mechon flew in through one of the openings in the ceiling, landing on it's feet. It was easily as large as Metal Face, though it's frame was green and it had two golden cannons, one on each shoulder. The Mechon stared down at us with glowing red eyes.
"You did well to evade me." A strong, unrelenting male voice said from it. "Just what you expect from he who wields the Monado and she who defies her fate."
My eyes widened in horrified realization. "That voice!"
"It's a faced Mechon!" Murasaki growled with her shurikens at the ready.
"Is there someone inside?" Sae wondered.
"What do we do, you two?" Zellium asked as he turned to me and Shulk.
"We fight. But don't kill him." The heir to the Monado responded.
"I knew you would say that." My Pokémon partner snarked.
The Mechon stared at us for a moment more before leaping backward, carried by his twin engines, all the way to the other end of the room. Landing, he roared, a roar of creaking, groaning metal.
"I'm afraid you must be exterminated!" He shouted.
I stared ahead, watching as the Mechon readied his cannons and then I realised what was coming.
"Behind one of the barriers, quick!" I shouted, already sprinting toward the nearest one.
The others followed, crouching behind it, and then Sae peered out at the distant Faced Mechon.
"There's enough of these things to provide cover so that we can get close to him." She reported. "Sharla, can you get a clear shot?"
I probably could, but I didn't know if I could actually bring myself to shoot, not with my suspicions about who was piloting the machine.
"I'm not sure." I said.
"Then you guys transform and we make a run for it." Shulk's Pokémon partner advised.
She didn't have to ask twice as we pulled out our Battle Gems with Fiora's being a pearly white and has a small white flower on the top as well as golden wings on the sides while she and Zellium took a few steps back taking cover from the Faced Mechon at the same time.
"Xenoblade Transformation!" The six of us shouted and the transformation began.
Clutching her Battle Gem to her chest, Sharla has her eyes closed as light begins to surround her. The light engulfs her upper chest and around her hips, bursting to reveal a black top that covers her breasts and exposes most of her upper back with gold details on her chest, black wing-like feathers on the top, and thick dark orange string creating details on the back, and a black skirt with white and gold trimming and white lace on one side, black and dark orange feathers on the other, and the back reaching her ankles made of black feathers and gold tendrils. Light went down her left leg and her other leg became engulfed in light when it reached her knees, fading to reveal a black legging with small crystal details imprinted on it and metallic black boots reaching near her knees with gold armor on them as well as gold plating, black lace in the middle that was exposed, and dark orange soles. She crossed her arms in an 'X' formation in the sky as black skin-tight gloves reaching her elbows with an black and gold encryption attached to them and dark orange armor around her fingers formed from water-like light. In a flash of light, a cute little black top hat with black lace, gold ribbon, and crystal details imprinted on it attached to a black headband with crystals on it formed. She opens her eyes and aims her rifle at the 'camera' in a jumping leap, creating her final pose.
Small bolts of dark purple lightning shine in Murasaki's eyes as she spins around with dark purple energy surrounding her. The energy takes the form of chains and surrounds her legs, breaking to reveal dark purple leggings covering most of her legs with black rims and a pair of black shoes. The rest of the dark purple energy covers her body, slowing revealing a long-sleeved black dress with dark grey trimmings that reaches her ankles. She throws her right arm outward and one of of her shurikens goes in that direction, creating her final pose.
Shulk's eyes glow blue before he closes them as his body is engulfed in red liquid-like light. It fades away from the feet up to reveal dark red and silver armor with several details encrypted onto it. A horned dark red headpiece formed on his head from the remaining light. Gripping onto the Monado, he slashes at the 'camera', creating his final pose.
A small light shines in Fiora's eyes before she closes them as white smooth-looking Mechon armor attached themselves to her body. Soon after, black armor parts attached themselves to various part of her body mainly at her hands, lower body, and neck. A mint green color came to life on the jewels at her feet, legs, hips, under her breasts, and shoulderblades. White and black armor cover her chin up to her ears and mint green jewels with thick black rims attach themselves to the back of her head. A gold headpiece with a horn attached to the armor at the top of her head and white drones with the insides black and golden rings around mint green gemstones attach themselves onto her back piece-by-piece. A gold chain appears under her chest piece in a flash of light and she opens her eyes before pointing one of her twin blades at the 'camera', creating her final pose.
Holding her Battle Gem to the sky, Melia did some ballet moves as light resembling an aurora spun around her. Starting at her chest and to her hips, the aurora slowly revealed a black, purple and gold armored dress with most of her midriff exposed, a black choker around her neck attached to it, and white and gold talons on her upper back and either side of her skirt. The water she seems to dance on flows up her legs and forms white laced stockings reaching a little above her knees and a pair of black, purple, and gold knee-high boots with silver plating at her ankles and gold soles. As Melia finished her dance, the remaining aurora forms a mainly purple and gold headpiece on top of her head, black and gold cuffs around where her elbows are, and a pair of black and gold fingerless wrist-length gloves. Gripping her staff tightly, she spins it before holding it behind her back while she looks at the 'camera', creating her final pose.
Riki's Battle Gem glows in a blazing aura while he looks at it in confusion until it flies out of his wings in the form of a dragon, catching him off-guard in surprise. The dragon's dust-like breath engulfed him and when he opened his eyes to see what happened, he saw that the dragon's breath has materialized into black and silver armor on most of his body with a red demonic face with silver eyes and a tail like a dragon's, black crescent moon-like markings near his eyes, and a cute mini dragon on his back like a backpack. The dragon goes into him from behind and in what seems like a instant, forming black dragon-like wings over his wings and a helmet appearing like a dragon's head with grey and red hair, red eyes, and a red mouth. He pointed his biter at the 'camera' in a jumping charge, creating his final pose.
Once we were transformed, we dived behind the next barrier, and then we darted for the next. But smaller Mechon units came now, attacking us. With an angry cry, Shulk cleaved through several of them and Murasaki cut down another two, not even pausing in her dash for the next barrier, unaware of how exposed she was.
Sae quickly dove into her, causing her to fall on her front. The purple haired girl felt the heat of the blast pass over her and Shulk's Pokémon partner ducked as low as she could as the blast passed over them.
"Sae! Murasaki!" Melia called out in concern and Zellium rushed over, helping them up.
"Are you alright?" Fiora asked as we huddled against a barrier.
"We're fine. Nothing's broken or sprained." Murasaki responded.
Riki glanced out of the barrier for a moment. "Almost to Mechon!"
"Final run, guys!" Shulk shouted before running out from behind the barrier.
We charged toward the Faced Mechon, staring down at us and as he aimed one of his cannons, Shulk ran forward and slashed at the nearest leg. He faltered with an angry cry and then Murasaki charged forward, driving one of her shurikens into the Mechon. Melia flung lightning at him, Riki smashed his weapon against the metal frame, Fiora activated her drones and fired, and Zellium leapt up and launched a Pyro Ball at one arm while Sae attacked him relentlessly with her tendril.
I aimed my rifle, my finger on the trigger and a blue aura surrounding it. I had a clear shot.
But I couldn't bring myself to do it.
The others continued to fight, but the Mechon smashed them away, and then he aimed his cannons directly at us.
Taking a deep breath, I fired Monado Buster at him.
It struck one of the cannons, distracting the Faced Mechon long enough for Fiora to activate her drones and attack. He fell on all fours, clearly hurt, and before anyone could stop me, I swung my rifle onto my back and rushed forward.
"Sharla!" Zellium cried out as he reached out to me.
I ignored him, halting in front of the Faced Mechon. "Gadolt! It's you, isn't it? Please answer me! Let me see you!"
I heard something open on the Mechon and a man rose from it's back, standing on top of the machine. Part of his chest was still intact, along with the majority of his right arm, but the arm was darkened and had several metal implants, and the lower portion of his torso was hollow. For a moment, he simply stood there, his body made of green and gold metal, his strong-jawed face turned to the side.
Even with the underside of his jaw made from metal, even with the strip of metal burrowing in his skull at his temple and running back through his close-cropped blond hair, I would've known that face anywhere.
He lifted his head slightly, and then he looked down at all of us, revealing the glowing red eye glaring out from his right eye socket.
I let out a light gasp. "Gadolt!" Feeling tears pricking at my eyes, I buried my face into my hands. "I knew you were alive."
"How? He's alive?!" Murasaki said in shock.
"Is that... Sharla's boyfriend?" Shulk asked.
"The destruction of the Monado." Gadolt said, raising his metallic left hand and pointing it at the mechanic. "That is the will of Lord Egil and the Mechonis' jewel, Brigitte."
"Gadolt?" I cried out. What has Egil and Brigitte done to him?!
"What do you mean, 'Lord'?" Shulk asked. "What's Egil and Brigitte done to you?"
"What's wrong, Gadolt?!" I asked, taking stumbling step forward and trying to reach out to him. "Why would you say that?! Speak to me, Gadolt!"
He stared down at me with his mismatched eyes as he continued. "This world is in disarray. I must eliminate the cause of this disorder and restore the world to it's original form. That is my duty. Nay, the will of the world! Now the time has come." As he continued, he raised his right hand, and the Faced Mechon stood before hovering overhead. "The time to restore order!"
I swore I heard Egil and Brigitte's voices speak in unison with him when he said that. One of the cannons pointed down and blue light built at the weapon.
"Gadolt! STOP!" I screamed as I aimed my rifle, his rifle, watching as his arm drew back a little, in preparation for the signal that would lead to certain death.
But I couldn't make myself fire, not that my suspicions had now been confirmed. I gasped, tears in my eyes, lowering the weapon, and his arm went down.
"Gadolt..." I breathed helplessly.
"Sharla!" Zellium shouted as he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me back.
Everything seemed to move in slow motion as I stared up at Gadolt, watched the blast shoot down toward us. The golden yellow aura from before started coming off my body again and surrounded me and my Pokémon partner. He looked at the aura confused before his eyes widened as he saw my guardian animal, which appeared like a golden yellow wolf with glowing white eyes, fly around us and the others at the same time that Fiora's eyes shone red just as the blast struck and I blacked out.
In the Meyneth Shrine within Agniratha, Egil and Brigitte stood there, their Faced Mechon standing behind them, it's tail undulating slowly. The Machina studied the holographic displays before him for a moment before dismissing them.
"Lady Meyneth." He said. "It is not far off now. A world in which there is no need for fear."
Brigitte looked at him with a smirk. "The hour draws near. Our will shall be done."
"First, there is the matter of the Monado." The leader of the Mechonis continued. "Our victory can only be assured if we destroy the Monado before it's too late."
The engineer closed her eyes for a bit before opening them again with a jolt. "We sense your existence. We know you are alive."
The two of them looked ahead at the openings that showed the distant Bionis.
"Zanza." Egil muttered with a hard gaze in his red eyes. "The hour is upon us. Your time has come."
Light welled around the Machina and the Jewel of the Mechonis, and the many red eyes of the Mechonis flared.
Next time on the Disciple Arc...
The Second Battle of Sword Valley has begun and everyone involved has to give the war everything they got against the Mechon forces coming at them. However, it becomes clear that the Mechon aren't going all out for unknown reasons as if there was something wrong going on. Alvis realizes that something might happen to Sharla and her allies and brings Gonta, Bea, Machamp, Tsumugi, Ajia, Gita, Angie, Kokichi, and Mirai to the Fallen Arm in order to warn some friends of his about the danger and take action as soon as possible. It's almost time for the secret to be revealed and for Zanza to reawaken once more.