Chapter 33: The End of the Battle

"Looks like you are the last one left" Tora mentioned.

"Awww...we were the slowest? Thats sad...gunna have to make up for it and cheer us up!"

"...I feel like I should be concerned".

As the two were chatting like that, the opponent in front of them was on her last breath, having lost a leg and an arm and leaking Trion all over.

It seemed that Tara had gone through a lot of hell fighting these two, but the way they acted right in front of her especially irritated her.

She didn't quite understand that was just how Tora and Sthenos were. They were each rather unique in terms of who they were, and although refered to as a couple, it was in their own, special way.

"No point in giving them any more information about our Triggers" Bahri told Tara over comms. "Come back, we are done here".

"Understood" Tara said, activating her Recall Mode and pulling back to the ship.

"Ah, she ran away".

"Ehhh? Thats no fun!"

"Well...oh wait, I gotta go! Upcoming match!" Tora realized, as he started to run off.


"Looks like everything has been settled" Tatsuki Akuma mentioned, as the last of the Trion Soldiers were defeated. The fact that Takio Agito was still able to take out that Ace Soldier Type on his own without any need for backup, after they had so much trouble with it, left an impression in Tatsuki though, that he needed to train even more. Maybe look into upgrades for his Trigger set, he did have some ideas he wanted to run by Border later.

But that was for another day.

Meanwhile, Takio looked rather impressed, and he called Shinoda.

"Battle taken care of everywhere else?"

"Yeah. The enemies on both sides are retreating".

"Ah, good. By the way, you would have liked this opponent. I think I actually learned of a way to improve my technique while fighting it".

"I see. That is good to know. We will have to practice together some time so I can pick up on it".

Tatsuki felt his heart skip a beat when he heard that Director Agito was actually going to improve his swordsmanship further, and that Shinoda would as well. The strongest Normal Trigger users in Border were about to get even stronger.

Between all the fighting, and hearing that, Tatsuki just collapsed right then and there.

"You okay?" Riku said, poking his cheek.

"Too exhausted. I am going home. Bail Out!"

Too tired to even walk the way there, Tatsuki initiated bail out and flew back to his home, which was also their operating room, in a brilliant spark of light.

"Well, Tatsuki is mentally exhausted, Remi cant cook, we cant trust Itami to cook after the last time, and Ayumi is an even worse cook...guess I better go and make them dinner. Have a good night, Director Agito!"

"Ah, good luck Amagi-kun".


"Looks like its over. The Trion Soldiers are pulling back" Erika mentioned, sighing.

"What is wrong?" Noah asked.

"...we didn't get to fight any humanoid neighbors" Erika mentioned.

"Yeah, we really missed out" Yumi Subaru agreed.

"Ah..." Noah replied. As expected of A-Rank Attacker Captains, they really loved to fight.

"You think we should make sure the town is okay?"

"Why? Both Yuyan and Cody were there" Momo pointed out.

"Fair enough. I mean, they both count as their own Squad for defense duty after all".

"Just like Konami-sempai and Reiji-Sempai, not to mention Jin-sempai and Director Shinoda".

As that was said, a boy holding a pistol jumped across to the battlefield on Grasshopper, landing by them.

"All clear over here?"

"Yeah, all clear over here Sasami-kun" Erika told the young boy. Takeru Sasami, B-Ranked Gunner with Border, currently solo. He had been a part of the mid guard, backing up the Attackers and preventing anyone from flanking them.

"Apparently Kotaro and Shoutaro faced down one of the Neighbors who was a Black Trigger user with a bunch of others and managed to win...although, the way Ryuu reacted when he heard and bolted off is probably a concerning point" Momo mentioned, as Jin showed up. "Oh, Jin. Are you hiding?"

"Hiding?"

"Well, one thing I noticed as Ryuu ran off is that he angrily muttered your name. Ryuu did, who I never saw angry at anyone before".

"Ah...well, unfortunately, the ideal future involved something bad. No one got captured or died, but...Ryuu and Shoutaro are probably going to be very mad at me for some time".

"Yeah, that probably explains the text I just got from Shoutaro just now?"

Jin just stood there, as Momo activated his gauntlets and punched Jin in the guts, sending him flying into a building.

"That was the message".

"...yeah, I deserved that one" Jin admitted. "Just the one?"

"Shoutaro said that one was enough for you to get the point. Though the fact they asked me to do it should say something" Momo mentioned, as his Trigger did massive damage to anything he punched. And he didn't hold back either. Jin was actually in incredible pain at the moment.

"Is that the only reason you came over here?" Erika asked.

"No. There was another reason..." he said, looking at Takeru. "Takeru-kun, I was wondering if you would be willing to do something?"

"...what is it this time, Jin?" the boy asked. "You should already know yourself from your own Side Effect, but im not exactly a major player. So dont expect any miracles from me".

"You sell yourself short. In any case, I think it would be a good fit for you".

Takeru looked a bit doubtful, as Jin climbed out of the rubble.


"Well, I must say, that was quite the surprise" Curio mentioned, as they had started discussing the mission they had just done. "The enemy was expecting us, they had multiple teams waiting for us, and they displayed much greater competancy then expected. Meeden evolved well".

"Those insignificant brats..." Tara started, but Bahri stopped her.

"They are fellow warriors who tried their hardest, and faced us with strength and cunning. Their victory was not one of luck or chance, but simple superior stratety, positioning, and information gathering, although that last one raises some concern".

"You think the sponsor of this country might have tried to set it up on both sides? Leak the information?"

"No. If that had been the case, our movements would have been countered much more viciously, and they wouldn't have allowed Lezi to get as far as she did".

"Then, somehow they learned of our plans before we had them?"

"A master strategist, or a master predicter, had to be at fault. Things were set up deliberately against us. They counter planned the potential possibilities of our plans once we learned we were coming. They probably knew that someone was coming, but they didn't seem to expect the things our standard model Exo-Suits are even capable of, so I think they did not know who was coming or where they were coming from, just that a group was coming".

"So, someone likely heard about the sponsors plans, and leaked the intel?" Ravlin asked.

"I think the brat that I faced against might have been an information broker. Throughout the fight, he never did anything distinctive, nothing about his fighting style, mannerisms, or word choice indicated his nation of origin, where he trained, or the like. Additionally, he seemed to value information he could gather from me, doing things to provoke further use of my Trigger".

"An information broker? That would explain a lot. He likely told Meeden about our plans" she said, not knowing that instead it was mainly due to Jin's Side Effect. "I also think they have a connection to Cademy, since there was one boy who fought with a Trigger that appeared to be one of their designs".

"Concerning. But, we did at least accomplish something. We assertained the importance of what they have in the vault, we now better know their fighting strength, and we were able to map out their base. We also got a good feel of their fighting force. Claria, you managed your mission right?"

Claria nodded, revealing a vast array of video footage from the fight between Meeden and Galo. "As requested, I made sure to prioritize hacking into the feeds and signals from their Trion Soldiers, and gathered data both about Galo's forces and Meeden's forces on that side. I identified the two that are likely the strongest close quarters combatants, as well as others with great skill. There were also many who could form more complex Trion bullets through fusing them together that I noticed, and I was able to get some intercepts on their communication and learn various names. Much like the young boy Azrala faced, they had two other long ranged combatants who could fight at close range, such as these two, and also I confirmed the abilities of one of their Black Triggers".

"Excelent. I am sure the client will enjoy this information".

By learning all of this, they had succeeded in gaining a large amount of information about Meeden's abilities. Should they have another conflict, things would not go as easily for Meeden.

"Anything else to review?"

"The Black Trigger they had, that was used by that one boy, was able to bypass physical objects and physical trion, but blades made of pure Trion energy it seemed vulnerable to. That is good to keep in mind".

"Then I think that is everything. We will drop you two off, then make our way back to our own nation".


"He okay?" Astra asked Ryuu as she and Shoutaro entered, with various groceries in tow to make something that would help calm him down. After all, the fridge only had takeout, or leftovers of takeout, which was stuff Kotaro enjoyed normally but today, he needed something special.

"He is asleep now" Ryuu mentioned, pointing over to the pulled out couch. Kotaro was squeezing a pillow his arms and legs had wrapped around rather tightly, refusing to let it go. "So make sure to be quiet".

The two of them nodded, and looked over Kotaro.

"In terms of severity, how bad will this be?"

"Well, he isn't crying in his sleep" Ryuu mentioned, as Astra and Shoutaro took off their shoes and stepped into the Operating Room. "But I think that pillow will get its stuffing squeezed out of it from the pressure of him squeezing it. But, at least he is venting".

"He didn't vent the first time?"

"For a while, he just stayed silent, suffering from a massive case of shock. This time, he is letting it all out from the start. So I think that he will be okay in the end".

"Thats good. No permenant damage to his psyche?"

"What was there will be fresh in his mind now, but...if we just make sure he properly expresses and confronts his issues, Kotaro is strong. He will recover".

"Alright. That is good to hear" Shoutaro said, preparing some food.

"Its not your fault you know...you had no idea that would happen. You tried your best" Ryuu said, seeing right through Shoutaro's emotions.

"...Ryuu, I thought you were supposed to be the dumb and happy one that is oblivious?" Shoutaro countered, not facing Ryuu.

"Just because you are facing away, doesn't mean I cant tell you are crying" Ryuu replied to the counter. "And, this happens to be an area I am very knowledgable in".

"I suppose I will have to give you that".

Ryuu stood up, and hugged Shoutaro from behind.

"Its okay. We didn't lose anyone, and no one died".

"...I know that already".

Ryuu just hugged him tighter, and repeated himself.

"Its okay. We didn't lose anyone, and no one died".

"I know I know".

Ryuu released Shoutaro, and turned him around, the younger boy looking at him with a smile and face that made it seem like everything would be alright.

"Its okay. We didn't lose anyone, and no one died".

"...but, this is not okay" Shoutaro said.

"But it will be. Just because issues were brought to the surface, doesn't mean things are bad or got worse. It just means that we are showing and expressing them, and letting others know how bad it is for us. It will let others help him, help you, and let you be stronger for it".

And then, Ryuu hugged him again.

"Humans are social creatures. Thats why our baths work so well, it makes us closer and more social. Its why its better to talk with each other, eat with each other, and even sleep with each other. By doing all this in groups, it makes us feel better...and helps us be better".

"...you...you are a real crazy kid, you know that?"

Ryuu just stuck out his tongue.

"All I am is me".

At that point, Shoutaro hugged Ryuu finally, as he started to cry.

"Everything is going to be okay, really?"

"Like I said. Its okay. We didn't lose anyone, and no one died. I was always answering your real question, deep within your heart".

"I guess you are not so oblivious when it matters".

"Its called being a good friend. I excel at it" Ryuu boasted, as the two went over to the bed, and crawled into it, next to Kotaro, with Ryuu holding onto Kotaro, and Shoutaro holding onto them both.

"I will get the lights" Astra said, not making any remarks this whole time. "Good night".

And so, she left to let the three of them sleep.


As the moon rose up to the center of the sky, Momo made his way to a rooftop.

"So, did the two of you learn anything?"

Momo asked that to two boys, one with blonde hair, one with brown hair, though the brown haired one had dog ears and a tail that made it a dead giveaway that he was a Neighbor.

"The strategic mistakes the enemy made, right?" the boy asked.

"That is right, Kio" Momo said, and then looking towards Avaris. "And you? Did you get anything, Avaris?"

"I dont really get why, but they seemed to get a bit emotional and peeved when they saw male combatants...I think?"

"Correct. And Kio?"

"They had good groupings and clusters, and using the other attack as a diversion was inspired. However, they seemed too pre-occupied with keeping it a stealth mission and avoiding increasing aggression by not using flashy explosions. They should have used more large scale offense attacks. Had they done that, the front line would have been in a lot more danger, and I think that they would have been able to pull more forces. That said, Meeden should have used its Black Trigger sooner, and I feel like they also wanted to keep it stealthy".

"Yes, this second invasion, they wanted to keep the general public from knowing it. I dont get it myself, but the higher ups decided that. Well done you two, this should get you some extra credit back at Cademy for sure".

"Ah, thanks! Will you be coming around as an instructor sometimes again this year?"

"Yep! You know it! Thankfully Cademy keeps a close orbit with Meeden, so it should be no hassle at all".

"Yes!"

As they said this, Momo opened a gate for them. "Now you better start heading back. You need to get to sleep soon if you want to make sure you finish all your preparations for the new school year".

"Ah, thanks!" Kio said, giving a bow before running through.

"Thanks again Momo-sensei!" Avaris added, running through as well.

"Ah, I bet its going to be a fun year too" Momo said, with no idea how correct that statement would end up being.