Hello everyone, I'm back! Sorry for the extended delay on this chapter but a certain developer (Treyarch) happened to release a new game recently and it has eaten a large amount of my time. Mix in some delay due to my editor's busy schedule and we end up here. Never fear though, this chapter contains some interesting new details for you to enjoy. Until next time!
The two days back in Mistilteinn following your vacation activities were quiet. Nana had come to collect you the morning after your "training" and had complimented your ability to fend for yourselves. While everyone was glad to prove that they were capable, there was also plenty of begging that you not be forced to make your own meals again. Despite that, though, you all had enjoyed your time at the beach and were disappointed to take your leave.
Today, however, would not be as carefree for you and Ichigo. Now that you had been at Plantation 13 for five days, with the resupply transport due soon, it was time for you and Ichigo to attempt the connection testing once more. As with your previous attempt, the both of you were required to wake up early in the morning to prepare for your trial. Unlike your previous test, this one was truly your final chance.
When you awaken on the morning of the fifth day, it is still dark. From your view of the sky above the dome of Mistilteinn, dark clouds roll through the air and you can hear the distant rumble of thunder. As you change out of your sleepwear, the soft pitter-pat of raindrops register in your ears. Today is likely to be quite dreary.
This unfortunate weather does little for your mood. You can't help but remember four days ago when you and Ichigo had failed miserably during your first connection test. This time will be different. It has to be, you say to yourself. There is another clap of thunder, seeming to punctuate your statement. "Thanks for the reassurance," you grumble to the inanimate racket.
Making your way down the central staircase into the atrium of the house, you find Ichigo waiting for you. "Good morning," she yawns sleepily, somehow managing to have gotten dressed in spite of her fatigue. "Good morning, Ichigo," you reply, stopping beside her. She plays around with her feet, holding both of her hands behind her back. "I thought we could go together," Ichigo remarks, answering the unasked question of why she is waiting. "You don't quite know your way around yet anyway, so..." she awkwardly trails off.
"May I?" you ask, extending your hand. Ichigo blushes slightly and looks away momentarily. Her trembling hand slowly move from behind her and clutches your own, causing you to jump. "The umbrella!" you yelp in surprise, color rising to your cheeks. "I meant, uh, may I have the umbrella? You're not tall enough to cover the both of us with it."
"Right, sorry!" Ichigo shouts, letting go of your hand and turning away. Despite her back being turned, you can see her face has turned a bright crimson. She extends the arm holding the umbrella without turning to face you. You take it from her and walk to the door.
"Ichigo, you coming?" you ask while opening it. She quickly and quietly rushes to your side as you pop open the umbrella. As you look outside, you notice that the previously soft rain has degraded into a rather steady downpour. "Stay close if you don't want to get drenched," you say, before stepping out of the safety the building provides and into the dark and rainy morning.
You and Ichigo walk silently for the first leg of your journey, aside from the gentle bouncing of the rain on the top of the umbrella. You're each too absorbed in your own thoughts to notice, though. Today has gone well enough so far, you tell yourself. If things continue like this, we should have no problems. "It's kind of beautiful, don't you think?" Ichigo asks, interrupting your train of thought.
"What is?" you ask. "Mistilteinn, when it rains," Ichigo answers. "Just listen to it, it's so peaceful." You do as instructed. In the distance, you can just make out the sound of frogs croaking by the lake. As you walk a pair of birds flit in front of you, coming to rest on a nearby tree branch next to one another. They snuggle together in the nest before closing their eyes. Even with the rain, Mistilteinn is still full of life.
"You're right," you agree warmly. "I've always liked it when it rains," Ichigo says, "though the only downside is that Mittens always runs away." You glance inquisitively at her. "Mittens?" you ask. "Yeah, Mittens," Ichigo replies. You continue to give her a questioning look. "Oh," she gasps in surprise. "Mittens is my cat. Well, uh, not my cat actually," she awkwardly stutters. "She's kind of all of our cat, I just like her the most." A hint of a smile touches your face. "What cat?" you continue. "I haven't seen a cat the entire time I've been here." "She's kinda shy," Ichigo says, "but she usually comes to me when I call for her. Would you like to meet her later?" You can't help but notice the large smile on Ichigo's face as she talks about the cat. Mittens must really mean a lot to her.
"I'd like that," you nod just before reaching the elevator out of Mistilteinn. Once you enter, you collapse the umbrella and Ichigo steps away. For some reason, you are sad to see her go. You didn't realize it at the time, but you had subconsciously been enjoying how close to you Ichigo had been during your walk. Now that the umbrella was no longer needed, she had returned to walking a normal distance from you.
Once the elevator finishes its decent, Ichigo guides you through the Plantation's many halls toward the dressing rooms. "I'll wait for you here if I get done first," she tells you before entering the girl's side. You enter the dressing room and quietly make your way to your locker. It opens for you, revealing your parasite suit. Several minutes later, you emerge to find Ichigo leaning against the wall.
"Took you long enough," she kids. "My bad," you smile, placing one of your hands behind your head. "Well, let's get going," Ichigo says as she pushes herself off the wall. "Don't want to keep Nana and Hachi waiting."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Good, you've both arrived," Hachi says as you and Ichigo enter a large room. However, it's not the not the same room as the two of you had went to before. It doesn't contain the practice cockpit, or the internal viewing window. "Sir?" you ask, "why are we meeting in the briefing room when we are supposed to be attempting the connection test this morning?" Hachi looks in the direction of Nana in response. "That is because today you will be doing the test in Delphinium," she answers. "We are?" you say in shock. I didn't think they'd even let us near the FranXX after how badly the last test went.
"Yes," Nana smiles. "Ichigo thought it might be easier for the two of you to connect if we were to use an actual FranXX." You look to your side at Ichigo, who gives you a reassuring smile. You nod and Hachi resumes speaking. "We will be treating the two of you this morning as though you were actually being deployed. You will have two minutes to attempt a connection before you would be deemed unfit for duty and removed from the mission roster. Under normal circumstances this is procedure, so that will be our benchmark for today." Neither you nor Ichigo say a word. "Good," Hachi finishes. "Proceed to Delphinium and we will get the test underway."
You follow Ichigo out of the briefing room and into the hall toward the docking bay. You can feel your heartbeat accelerating as you walk. "Don't worry," Ichigo says as you enter the docking bay and make your way across the platform to your FranXX. "I'll be fine today."
As she finishes speaking, the two of you arrive in front of Delphinium and Ichigo sticks out a closed fist to you. "Right," you smile as you bump her fist with yours, "we've got this."
Ichigo then presses a button on the waistband of her parasite suit. There is a slight hiss as a walkway extends from the platform to Delphinium. At the same time the faceplate of the FranXX slides down, revealing the door to the cockpit. As the two of you approach there is another hiss as the door opens and the pressure inside rushes outward.
Once inside, Ichigo gives you another smile before mounting the pistil's platform. You take a seat in the stamen's chair, and like before the controls on Ichigo's hips spring to life, awaiting your touch to begin.
"Ready to commence testing, commander," you state. "Begin connection on my mark," Hachi orders. As Hachi begins his countdown you take a deep breath, telling yourself, we've got this. "Three, two, one, mark!"
When Hachi finishes the countdown you pull the triggers, activating the parasite connection. Your vision is immediately bathed in black, but thousands of small green orbs quickly appear. The orbs spiral around your focus, leading away from you toward a light that is barely visible at the end of the tunnel. You will yourself to move toward it.
As your consciousness descends, you can feel the pressure of Ichigo's mind against your own. Let me in, you think. Accept me. Suddenly, you begin to move toward the end of the tunnel at a much more rapid pace. As you go, you pass blurred images. Ichigo's memories. Most are gone in an instant, but one in particular lingers for long enough that you can just make out a tall boy with blond hair and glasses smiling at her. He is dressed in a stamen's suit like you and a blue stripe adorns his shoulder, signifying him as her partner. A feeling of happiness radiates from the memory. This must be Goro, you tell yourself.
However, it too disappears quickly as you are whisked away. The radiant light at the end is now nearly within your reach and you show no signs of stopping. If anything, you are still gaining speed. Seconds later you crash into it, bathing your vision in white.
You open your eyes, once again inside Delphinium's cockpit. In front of you the spine of Ichigo's parasite suit is lit up, and on her headdress you can see your paracapacity scores. Both climb rapidly, first 40, then 60, now 85. Finally, the scores come to a rest at 102. The internal screens of Delphinium spring to life, revealing to you the outside world as Ichigo sees it through Delphinium's eyes.
Your heart begins to do cartwheels. We did it! We did it! you scream internally. "Ichigo!" you say aloud. On the left side of the screen, an image of Delphinium's face appears. She looks remarkably like Ichigo, with green eyes and a lock of hair covering the right side of her face. Delphinium smiles. "We did it, (Y/N)!"
"Connection established," Hachi states. "Their numbers are stable," Nana comments, "releasing docking clamps now." There is a loud grinding noise as Delphinium's restraints are removed. Once they are, however, she quickly trips and falls to her knees.
"Sorry!" you shout as Delphinium stands. Once she is back on her feet, Delphinium takes a moment and does some stretches. "Proceed outside and prepare for the second phase of testing," Hachi radios. "Yes sir!" the two of you enthusiastically reply as you make your way out of the docking bay and into the world beyond.
Miraculously, the rain has now stopped and the storm clouds from earlier are nowhere in sight. Instead you are greeted by bright sunlight and, in the distance, a rainbow. "Now, first let's test your reflexes," Hachi begins.
Close to two hours later, Delphinium reenters the docking bay. She proceeds to her docking station between Strelitzia and Argentea. You turn around and step back into the silicon clamps that hold her feet in place. Your arms are similarly restrained. Once properly secured, you sever the parasite connection.
Before you, Ichigo breathes a sigh of relief. "It's been a bit since I've had to stay connected that long," she tiredly states as she slowly begins to stand. You offer her a hand, which she takes. Before she can stop you, you pull her into a tight hug. "Thank you," you whisper, trying to contain the pent-up emotion threatening to cascade out of you. "Because of you, I can stay."
At first, Ichigo was just awkwardly standing there waiting for you to release her, but as you finish speaking she returns your emotion, pulling you closer. "Of course," she whispers, "we're partners, after all."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
After the successful connection trial, you and Ichigo return to Mistilteinn. When you arrive, everyone is waiting in the lounge. As you approach, you can hear the whispers that drift from the room and down into the hallway.
"I saw Delphinium doing laps around the plantation, so they must have connected, right?" Miku asks. "It certainly appears that way," Ikuno responds. "I'm so happy for them!" Kokoro says. You can't see the blonde girl, but you can already tell she is smiling. It was hard to believe that someone could be as nice as Kokoro, always supporting everyone wholeheartedly.
"Morning, everyone," you say to announce your presence as you and Ichigo enter the room. Everyone immediately turns to look at you expectantly. "Man, it's nice that the weather cleared up, isn't it?"
You lean against the door while Ichigo moves to stand near the hearth. Everyone still watches you silently. This silence continues for another minute or so before Zorome has enough. "Well, are you going to tell us how you did or not?!" he shouts.
You laugh and Ichigo giggles, covering her mouth with her hand. "Oh," you reply, feigning surprise. "You wanted us to talk about that?" You fail to contain yourself as a grin breaks out over your face. "It would be nice, yeah," Zorome grumbles. "Didn't you hear Miku?" you tease him. "She already said she saw Delphinium doing laps around the plantation." "Yeah, I heard her, but she isn't always a reliable source," Zorome answers. Miku scoffs beside him, following it up with a smack to her partner's head.
"(Y/N), that's enough," Ichigo says with a smile. She turns to the rest of the room and beams. "We were able to connect." There is a chorus of cheers and congratulations from the room's occupants. "Everything went smoothly, then?" Ikuno asks. "Like a hot knife through butter," you grin.
During your conversation, the front door of the dorm opens. The attention on the two of you allows for no one to hear as two individuals climb the steps and proceed to the lounge. That is, until one of them speaks. "We have received word from HQ," Nana says, causing you to jump at the unexpected voice. Nana and Hachi stand behind you in the doorway you had been leaning against. "As a result of your testing this morning," Hachi says, clearly addressing you, "you have been made an official parasite of Plantation 13 as Delphinium's stamen."
The cheers return once more. Hiro claps you on the back while your other squad members rejoice. Even Ikuno smiles and gives you a nod before Nana resumes speaking. "In order to test your skill, we have been asked to have you participate in a mock battle," the redheaded woman says. "We'll do it!" Zorome shouts, springing to his feet. Funnily, Miku covers her face with her hands and grumbles. You believe her to have said, "not again."
"That won't be necessary," Nana responds, "as an opponent has already been selected for Delphinium." The clamor in the room grinds to a halt. "Then… who?" Ichigo asks. "Strelitzia," Hachi announces. There is a collective gasp as everyone in the room looks at one another in shock.
Strelitzia, the strongest FranXX in existence. Piloting Delphinium feels like second nature to me already, and Ichigo is close to Zero Two in terms of code, but even so… "The battle will be this evening," Hachi continues. "After dinner, teams Delphinium and Strelitzia are to report to the docking bay."
"Yes, sir," you, Hiro, and Ichigo reply in unison. Hachi nods and then he and Nana make their way out of the lounge. It was almost lunch when you and Ichigo had returned, and so moments after their departure the clock strikes noon. Everyone then proceeds to the dining room.
After lunch while doing some of your chores, you have a chance to talk with Hiro. "Did you know that they were going to have us fight if Ichigo and I connected?" you ask. "No," Hiro replies as he scrubs the window. "I had no idea. I was just as surprised as you." You scrunch up the corner of your mouth. "Zero Two seemed excited when we told her at lunch," you add. "Yeah," Hiro agrees. "She usually is if it means she'll be fighting something."
"Will it be as one-sided as everyone thinks?" you question Hiro as you dip your sponge back into the soapy water. "I don't think so," Hiro answers. "You said you've got some experience fighting Klaxosaurs, and that you've been in lots of mock battles." Your head tilts slightly of its own volition. "True," you agree simply. "Besides," Hiro says with a smile, "you've got Ichigo. She's incredibly strong in her own right and no one works harder for something they want than her."
"I believe that," you reply. "So, may the best man win." Hiro shakes your hand and genuinely smiles. "May the best man win," he agrees. With the conversation finished, the two of you return to your work of scrubbing the windows. In your case, you now have the mental burden of figuring out how to possibly defeat Strelitzia.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
That evening, dinner seemed to be a little more lively than usual. Everyone seemed to be celebrating your appointment to the squad. You, however, couldn't keep from thinking about your impending fight with Strelitzia. Zorome and Miku said she was really fast, you remind yourself as you take a bite. Kokoro said she is strong, and Ikuno mentioned that her fighting style is often unorthodox. That means I'll need to look out for things others wouldn't consider. You sigh. We need to win this. It would prove my ability to the others and show that Ichigo is back to normal again.
"If you don't eat now you'll regret it later," Futoshi's voice brings you back to reality. "Well, it wouldn't be that bad," you reply. "I mean, could just steal some of your snacks after all." Futoshi doesn't seem to comprehend what you said for a second before realizing his mistake. "You wouldn't," he gasps. "Oh calm down, fatty," Zorome jabs at his friend. "It wouldn't hurt you any." Futoshi reddens, becoming more flustered by the second. "Don't call me that!" he shouts as the rest of you laugh.
At the girls table, they are talking amongst themselves and appear to be having a good time. One of the things you had noticed when you arrived several days ago was that while there were separate tables for boys and girls, those rules didn't seem to apply to Zero Two. In fact, none of the rules seemed to really apply to Zero Two. That only further reaffirms Ikuno's comment that things with her were sometimes unorthodox.
You feel a weight on your shoulder and turn to Hiro, who stands beside Zero Two. "It's about time," he says. "We're going to head down to the docking bay." The dark-haired boy extends his hand and says, "good luck." You reach out and shake your own with him. "Thank you, Hiro. Good luck to you as well."
With your exchange finished, Zero Two takes Hiro's hand and they walk out of the dining room. Moments later, Ichigo stands and approaches you. Without a word, you fall in step beside her and the two begin your journey to the mock battle.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Half an hour later, you stand in front of Delphinium as you wait for Ichigo. You take a moment to admire the FranXX. Her swords are very unique, as you had learned earlier when the two of you had tested them against some targets. And Delphinium was somehow even more agile than you had originally expected. While you weren't quite used to her yet, you don't think it will be long before you can easily outmaneuver basically any opponent.
"Hey," Ichigo says as she approaches. When you turn to face her, she wears a very different expression than the cheerful one you had left her with. She almost looks solemn, as her lips are pursed and the glow in her emerald eyes has faded.
"This is going to be tough," she continues as she stops by your side. "Strelitzia is easily the strongest FranXX in Squad 13. I don't know why they picked her, but they're definitely trying to test us." There is a slight bit of latent hostility in her voice, but you don't know whether it is directed at the FranXX, its pistil, or its stamen. Or all three.
"It's alright," you reply, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We just need to do our best. We're already partners, so this is just to gauge us." If only I believed that. "I hope you're right," Ichigo says as she touches the button on her waist and the path to Delphinium's cockpit slides out to meet her open faceplate.
A minute or two later, Delphinium's face springs to life. The FranXX steps forward and flexes her fingers, checking each digit. "Everything good?" you ask. "Seems alright," Delphinium replies. "Well then," you say, "let's get this underway."
Delphinium proceeds to the weapons rack and withdraws a training baton from it before heading out of the open door of the docking bay. It takes you several minutes to round the plantation to the location selected for the mock battle. It was just a flat piece of land with several lights set up to denote the edges of the arena.
Strelitzia is already waiting when you arrive, and beside the plantation are the tiny figures of Nana, Hachi, and the remaining members of Squad 13. Delphinium takes a position on the opposite side of the arena as Strelitzia, who grins wickedly. They said she loves to fight, you say to yourself, but that doesn't make it any less unnerving.
"The rules are simple," Hachi radios. "Stay within the bounds or you will be disqualified. Otherwise, the first FranXX to desynchronize will be declared the loser." Delphinium and Strelitzia both nod their understanding. "Begin!"
The word has barely left Hachi's mouth before Strelitzia acts on impulse. She immediately charges Delphinium and begins to throw rapid strikes with her baton. Having less experience with a baton, which is more similar to a sword when fighting than you would like, you allow Ichigo to take the lead when parrying Strelitzia's blows.
While Ichigo focuses on protecting you, you try to find some kind of pattern in Strelitzia's movement. There seems to not be one. Strelitzia attacks in a way that is almost animal, hitting then withdrawing, only to swing again after. "I can't get any kind of read on her," you groan as Delphinium ducks and the training baton passes over. "You won't," Delphinium growls. "She never makes sense."
"Aw, isn't that nice," Strelitzia says in a sweet voice. The red and white FranXX then does something that catches you off guard. She draws her arm back behind her head and throws the baton at Delphinium. You barely have time to react and swat it aside, but this turns out to be exactly what Strelitzia had wanted. The moment that you are distracted, Strelitzia charges again. But this time, she jumps into the air and kicks Delphinium in the midsection.
As a result, Delphinium is sent to the ground. "You're right," you mumble as Delphinium slowly stands. Strelitzia is now holding both of the batons, one in each hand and slowly walking toward you, the grin still wide as ever. Suddenly, though, you get an idea. "Ichigo," you ask, "the thrusters on Delphinium's waist, can we use them?" She cocks her head to one side. "Yeah, why?" she replies. "I've got an idea," you answer.
There is a soft rumbling as the thrusters begin to come to life. Strelitzia continues to slowly approach, dragging the head of each baton through the earth. You look downwards and begin to time her steps. Lift, one… two… down. Lift, one… two… down. Alright, wait for it, Strelitzia's right foot twitches, signifying the beginning of her next step. "Now!" you shout as Delphinium fires the thrusters at full burn.
You had been leaning forward in your seat before the jets had engaged, so when the thrusters fire you are thrown back against the chair. Delphinium rockets across the field toward Strelitzia, who appears shocked. Thanks to your beautiful timing, Strelitzia is still mid-step when you reach her, leaving her completely off balance and unable to defend herself.
That means that she has no choice but to take the punch Delphinium delivers entirely to her jaw. This is followed up by a rocket-powered kick to the staggering FranXX's midsection. As a result, Strelitzia tumbles to the side. She loses her grip on the batons, with both weapons skittering outside the bounds of the arena.
Strelitzia, in a display of pure flexibility, begins a backbend before using it to spring herself back to her feet. Her expression has changed, you notice. Instead of the smile she had previously, her face now dons a mischievous grin. It almost appears as if she is saying, "good, you aren't holding back."
She then adopts a pose that reminds you of the martial arts you had read about in books. Her right hand hovers just before her jaw, and her footing appears to be in such a manner that she can take a blow, absorb it into her legs, then dish out the pain back to her assailant. Delphinium adopts a similar pose and slowly approaches until the FranXX are only a hundred feet from one another.
Both stand still for a moment before you notice a slight twitch in Strelitzia's right foot. She springs forward and begins to assault you with rapid blows. You can tell from your mental connection that Ichigo is completely unfamiliar with this style of fighting and is doing her best to keep up. You can also tell that she is quickly falling behind. You, however, recognize every move Strelitzia is making and counter each with ease. The thing is, you have no idea why.
This continues for a good two minutes before finally, one side gains the upper hand. You see an opening and reach for Strelitzia's throat after deflecting a jab. You manage to grab hold and try to use it as leverage, tightening Delphinium's grip. Unfortunately, FranXX don't need to breathe like humans. Strelitzia is able to fire the boosters in her feet and does a spinning backflip, kneeing Delphinium squarely in the jaw as she becomes inverted.
This rattles you inside the cockpit as you try to maintain your connection to Ichigo after the unexpected, and very solid, blow. As Delphinium steps back, Strelitzia executes her coup de grâce, kicking the blue FranXX squarely in the temple. This proves to be too much for you as you let go of the controls. Delphinium slowly crumples to the ground, her display inactive.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
After the mock battle is concluded, you return to Mistilteinn with the rest of Squad 13. It is still early evening at this point, with the sun having just begun to set. You are somewhat dreading your next conversation with Ichigo. It's entirely my fault we lost, you tell yourself. If I hadn't tried to choke Strelitzia, we would've maintained our edge. Speaking of that edge, how did I even know the way to counter Zero Two's moves? I've never practiced martial arts a day in my life, and yet we didn't struggle with them at all.
Your thoughts are suddenly interrupted by a voice. "There you are!" Ichigo says excitedly. "Oh, uh, hey Ichigo," you reply placing a hand behind your head. "Listen, about earlier-" Ichigo doesn't appear to be listening to you as she grabs you by the arm and begins to drag you toward the back door of the house. "Come on, stop dragging your feet!" Ichigo whines, clearly having missed what you were saying previously.
"Where are we going?" you ask. "You'll see in just a second," she replies as you exit the building. "There," she proudly announces. You scan the courtyard. The benches that line the outside are empty and no one is in the grassy area between the vertical portions of the U-shaped house.
"Uh, Ichigo," you say in confusion, "what am I supposed to be seeing?" You turn to your right, but she is no longer standing beside you. "Who's a good kitty?" you hear her ask. Sitting directly before you on the stone steps is your partner, playing with a small bundle of fur.
"You are, yes you are," Ichigo gushes as she pets the cat. At this time, your conversation from earlier in the day returns to you. Oh it's Mittens, the cat. She said she wanted me to meet him, her, it… ? you trail off.
You take a seat beside Ichigo. "So, this is the Mittens I've heard so much about," you say with a smile. "Isn't she adorable?" Ichigo asks as the cat snuggles up in her arms. Why the cat is named Mittens becomes clear to you in this moment. While the cat itself is mostly black, each of her paws is white halfway up her front and hind legs, giving the appearance that she is wearing mittens.
You take a seat beside Ichigo and she offers you the kitten. You accept and begin petting the exceptionally soft cat. "I know you're disappointed about earlier," Ichigo says quietly, "but you don't need to be." You turn away from the kitten to look at her. "Why shouldn't I be?" you ask. "We were holding our own until I screwed up. I should've known that move wouldn't work on a machine." You return your dejected gaze back to the playful animal in your arms.
"That is the closest anyone has ever fought Strelitzia since she arrived," Ichigo answers. "I don't think we would have made it as far as we did if it wasn't for your quick thinking." Your eyes are riveted on Mittens. "Still lost though," you grumble. "Hey," Ichigo says sternly, but when you meet her gaze it is warm, not at all disapproving. "You think you have to prove yourself to everyone, but you don't. You're my partner now, and I think you'll be great. You showed me today just how skilled you are. I had no idea how to counter Strelitzia's moves, but you recognized them and held her back." "I don't know how-" you begin. "That doesn't matter," Ichigo interrupts. "What does is that I believe in you, so try believing in yourself. And don't be afraid to lean on me if you need to. We're partners for a reason." With that, Ichigo gives you another warm smile. Her head tilts slightly to one side, resulting in her bangs blocking part of her face. Her hand is even thrown up in a peace sign.
You smile. "Remember that partner I told you I thought I'd be getting?" you ask. "The one that would do anything she could to help me and be the kindest girl in the world?" You notice Ichigo draw a sharp breath. "Looks like I got her."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Interesting," Dr. Franxx says to himself as he views the footage. "Delphinium managed to fight Strelitzia to a draw until the last moment," Hachi says on the other end of the line. "It was only when she attempted to choke Strelitzia that she lost her momentum."
"An excellent strategy were they fighting a human opponent," the doctor muses, "however, it is indeed quite worthless against a machine, as I'm sure they realize. I am pleased to see Delphinium's progress, though. (Y/N) is performing just as I had anticipated, maybe even a little better. He may redeem his entire batch by himself if this continues." The scientist's face twists into an amused grin. "I told you that the boy would be enough to get Code 015 back on her feet, did I not?"
Hachi visually groans. "Yes, Doctor, you did." The doctor leans backwards further into his chair. "Now that they have forged a relationship, it is time we begin implementing the next stage," Dr. Franxx says while scratching his chin. "Then perhaps you'd like to explain the next steps to us," Hachi replies. "I believe it is time," the old man agrees. "Fetch Nana, and I will reveal all."