Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Come in!" a voice answers from the other side of the wooden door. Pushing down the handle with your elbow to avoid spilling the tray of food in your arms, you enter. Inside, Ichigo sits at a worn desk with her back to you. The faint sound of a pencil scratching against paper reaches your ears as she writes.
"There," she sets the pencil down beside the paper, before picking it up and folding it in half. She opens the lower right drawer and allows the folded note to slowly drift down before closing it once more. Only once this is complete does she turn to face you.
"Working hard?" you ask with a slight smile. Ichigo wipes her brow and slumps back in the chair. "You have no idea. I've spent all morning writing instructions for the treatment of our guests." You shoot her a quizzical look. "I thought you said you weren't going to do that because you weren't sure of how to help all of them?" you ask.
Her shoulders drop even further. "I'm not. But if we don't do something then they'll never get better. I just hope that nothing I suggest makes anything worse."
You place the tray on the desk beside her and then cup her cheek. "You're doing the best you can and that's all we can ask. You know more about medicine than anyone else here, even if it's only a little bit."
You rock to the side as she punches your shoulder. "If that was supposed to make me feel better," she says, rolling her eyes, "it didn't." "Then maybe this will," you nod to the tray containing the lunch you had brought her. "It's the last of the deer I shot a while back. Kokoro made a nice stew out of what was left."
Ichigo swivels in her chair and takes up the spoon. "There's more here than I thought there'd be," she says after poking around the bowl, before she glances up at you for an explanation. "Don't look at me," you reply. "I didn't plate it. I only carried it here. Take it up with Futoshi or Kokoro."
"I'm not complaining," Ichigo says before she blows on the soup to cool it. She takes a spoonful and brings it up to her mouth. Her eyes close and the stresses seem to momentarily melt away as she leans back in the chair. "Ohh, that's good," she purrs.
"Glad you like it," you smile as she scarfs down the remainder of the meal. When she's finished, she puts the bowl back on the tray and pulls another sheet of paper out of the desk. In that time, you have nearly nodded off on the desk, so she pokes you with the pencil.
"Hey, what's that for?" you demand, opening an eye. "You're sleeping on my workspace," Ichigo giggles. "Didn't you get enough sleep last night?" You glance up at the ceiling while you think. "About eight hours," you say, gathering the tray and making your way toward the door. "Seems like I can't get enough recently though. I'm always tired. Anyway, I'll let you get back to work."
"How's your head?" she asks before you can leave. "It's alright," you answer. "The headache doesn't seem to want to go away, but I'll manage." Her eyes follow you as you walk across the room. "How about-" her question is interrupted by a low growl emanating from your stomach.
A sliver of concern becomes visible in her expression as she fully faces you. "Have you eaten?" "Yeah," you answer, scratching your neck. "I ate before bringing you your lunch." Her eyebrows furrow. "But then why is your stomach growling?" she presses. "Just because I ate doesn't mean I can't still be hungry," you reply with growing uncertainty. "It's less than we're used to, after all."
As you finish speaking your stomach lets out another growl, this one lasting several seconds.
It was to be expected, of course. Your food from the plantation was never meant to last you indefinitely. That's one of the reasons why the hunting and foraging everyone had learned to do was so important. However, the added burden of ten new parasites to your home from Squads 26 and 56 had accelerated the decline in food supplies exponentially. There wasn't much left, especially when everyone had to share.
"Your head's been hurting since we started running out of supplies, hasn't it?" Ichigo asks, standing from the chair and beginning to walk toward you. "And you said that you're still hungry, even though you just ate."
By the time she reaches you, the expression on her face has turned deadly serious. "You have constant headaches, get hunger pangs after you've already eaten, and have little to no energy after a full night's rest. Something is wrong. Lift your shirt."
"Ichigo, I'm fine," you assure her, turning your back and trying to walk out. A cold object brushes against the skin of your chest as Ichigo fishes her hand under your shirt. Without thinking, you grab her wrist and remove her hand. "Now isn't the time for that," you say with a sly grin.
Ichigo remains unimpressed with your joke. "You're hiding something." You cross your arms at her, moving the tray to one hand. "And what would I have to hide from you?" you ask. "You're my partner, I tell you everything." She puts her hands on her hips and wears an angry expression. "Except whatever it is that's bothering you right now," she shoots back.
"I told you that nothing is bothering me," you answer, setting the tray down on the table by the door. "If that's true, then why'd you stop me from trying to look at your chest?" Ichigo asks coolly. "You wouldn't have any reason to care otherwise." You look down at her. "Maybe it's this thing called 'personal space'? How'd you like it if I tried to touch you without warning?"
Ichigo sighs. "You're right. I'm just being paranoid because of the situation." You kiss the top of her head. "I appreciate that you worry about me, but I'll be alright." You wrap your arms around her and she returns the embrace momentarily before letting go and stepping away.
"You lied!" she seethes. "Ichigo, what are you-" "I thought I'd figured it out," she explains while glaring at you. "Always tired, constant headaches, hungry after eating, and now, you've lost weight. Your starving yourself and giving me the extra, aren't you? That's why I had too much food. How much of that was supposed to be yours? All of it?!"
"I-" your cheek stings as Ichigo slaps you and you fall to the floor, not due to the power of the blow but the surprise. "Why would you do that?" Ichigo asks. Her eyes are red, and she appears to be fighting back tears of frustration between deep breaths.
"It was only half," you whisper. "W-What?" Ichigo gasps. "It was only half of my soup," you repeat quietly. "Well, maybe more depending on how you look at it. I picked out the meat and made sure it was in your bowl, then I poured half of what was left in too. I told the others I was going to eat with you, so they didn't know. My bowl's outside on the floor."
Ichigo slumps to the ground wearing a defeated look. "Why?" "You said I've lost weight, right?" you redirect the question. "You've gained it, haven't you?" She looks at a loss for words. "I-I don't know," she whispers. "A little… six pounds."
You smile and allow your head to rest against the doorframe. "Why do you look so happy?" Ichigo asks with a pleading expression. "Because if you gained weight, that means it's working," you answer without opening your eyes. "When we started running out of food a week ago, I cut my meals in half. You've been eating your share plus at least half of mine at every meal."
"I still don't get why," Ichigo says. "You should know better than any of us," you chuckle. "You're just too upset to see it. I'm not only male, but I'm nearly twice your size. I can afford to lose the weight. Someone like you, who probably doesn't even weigh a hundred pounds, you can't. Because of the extra food, you gained weight instead of losing it. If we actually end up running out of food, that little bit could save your life."
Smack!
Your head rolls from your left to right as Ichigo slaps you again. "You're such an idiot! Do you know what this could do to you? Starvation weakens your immune system and can cause your muscles to break down! We can't afford for anyone to get sick or hurt, and you're intentionally making yourself weaker! And did it ever occur to you that the 'little bit' you've given me could be the end of you instead of saving me?"
"I want to protect you, keep you safe," you tell her, hoping she'll understand. "I didn't ask you to," she shoots back. "Do you think I want to do this by myself? Because if something happens to you that's what I'll be, alone."
You crawl over to her position against the desk. "Hey," you lift her chin. "I'd never leave you alone." "And I won't let you," she agrees. "So, from now on you eat all of your meals, no more starving yourself and giving me half. I want you to be with me forever."
She closes the distance between the two of you and initiates a kiss. Several seconds later you break with a rueful smile. "Deal."
Ichigo returns your smile before standing and dusting herself off, asking, "What are we going to do about our lack of supplies?" You give your reply as you walk toward the door. "I think I might have an idea."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"You're sure this is a good plan?" Argentea questions as she takes a step away from her dock. "Yeah, this sounds like it could go wrong in a lot of ways," Zorome agrees.
"There is absolutely nothing that could go wrong," you assure them. "It's just an S-Planning site. Their defenses are minimal to none because a FranXX squad is always on standby." Chlorophytum answers with a tone that is a balance of curiosity and disbelief. "And you're just hoping that the squad assigned to this site won't be there?"
"Nope," you answer. "I'm positive they'll be there." Argentea gasps and Chlorophytum eyes Delphinium wearily. "Then what exactly is your plan?" Mitsuru asks.
"Simple," Ichigo begins to explain. "When we reach the site, we'll look around to see what exact terrain we'll be dealing with, and if we can use it to our advantage. Once we know that, we'll formulate a plan to distract the squad guarding the extractor. Once we've gotten them out of the way, we'll take what we can carry and run." She pauses and hands the conversation back to you. "Food and fuel are our top priorities," you announce. "But don't skip medicine or anything else we could use if you come across it. Any questions?"
Chlorophytum mutters "doesn't seem like much of a plan to me," after you finish, but before you can respond, Argentea speaks up. "Why aren't Kokoro and Futoshi coming with us?" she asks. "The truth is that Genista would slow us down," you admit. "We're going to need to do this as fast as possible. We can't carry as much without her, but it's worth it for the extra flexibility."
"Do we have enough fuel to make it there and back?" Hiro asks. "We should," Ichigo answers. "But if we fuel the FranXX from the site's reserves after filling the containers we're bringing, there shouldn't be anything to worry about."
Strelitzia walks out of the docking bay and toward the underground base's exit, seeming to have grown bored with the discussion. Without a word, the three remaining FranXX fall in behind her. Though, the questions keep coming. "How did we find the S-Planning site?"
"It was on the map we used to get here," you say as Delphinium steps out from the tunnel connecting the beach and the military base. Your screens vividly show the transformation from the dark tunnel into the morning sunlight. "Facilities like that don't move unless they abandoned it since we left. That seems very unlikely, so we should be able to find what we're looking for."
You wait for further questions to come up as the squad makes their way past the town, but none arise. Using the zoom function on Delphinium's internal monitors, you can make out Futoshi and Kokoro watching you go from the balcony of the manor. Take care guys, you say to yourself. We'll be back before you know it.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The journey to the S-Planning site is quiet. Without Futoshi, Zorome has no one to joke around with and Strelitzia stays far enough ahead of the pack that conversation with her is impossible. Not that you really mind her being this way. Her speed, hyperactive senses, and the ability to sniff out Klaxosaurs from miles away make her the perfect scout.
While you consider the upcoming supply raid, you fail to notice Strelitzia halt her advance and raise a closed fist until Ichigo stops Delphinium for you. This results in a hurried scramble to keep from toppling out of your chair and taking Ichigo with you to the base of the cockpit.
"What is it, Zero Two?" Delphinium asks. Strelitzia turns to face the remainder of the squad, and if it were possible for a FranXX to turn its nose up at something, you're positive she would be doing so now. "We're here," she almost growls. Zorome remains unconvinced. "The map says it's several miles from here." Strelitzia's eyes narrow. "Then the map is wrong," she states flatly. "I've been smelling it for a while. It's bad enough that this must be the place."
"Then where is it?" Mitsuru asks. "Over there," Hiro answers as Strelitzia points toward a nearby ridge. "On the other side." Sensing that team Strelitzia is telling the truth, you take a deep breath before issuing orders.
"From now until we're finished, no more comms," you say, your voice broadcasted by Delphinium's external speakers. "Makes it harder to track us," Chlorophytum murmurs, her own crackling to life. "That's smart." Delphinium grins in response. "Everyone stay put for now," she picks up. "We're going to take a look."
Delphinium slowly inches her way up the ridge until she can just peek over the crest. In the dry basin below, a massive excavator works diligently to remove raw materials for the earth. Several structures surround the dig site in a circular pattern, with members of APE going about their work.
Taking more time to thoroughly look over the camp, you locate the fuel dump that's attached to the side of the building housing the excavator. Based on the size, there could easily be five or six cells containing magma fuel, and if luck was on your side, they'd all be full.
The last thing you check for is the site's defenders. It's no surprise that they were forming a loose circle around the outskirts of the facility. Numbering five in total, the standard model FranXX motionlessly wait for trouble to find them, just as it always does when guarding an S-Planning site.
Satisfied, Delphinium slips back to the group. "It's there," she confirms. "And the defense squad?" Argentea asks hopefully. "They're there as well," you reply, causing her to frown.
"It's a dry basin," Ichigo continues. "Probably a lake at one point. There's no cover, so they'll see us as soon as we come over the ridge." "Then what do we do?" Mitsuru questions.
"They don't have any static defenses like a plantation," you state. "Which means if we can take the defense squad out of the equation, then taking what we want from the site itself will be simple." "And that means?" Hiro presses. "Live bait," you grin.
Using her sword, Delphinium begins to draw a diagram onto the ground. "Delphinium and Strelitzia will act as decoys," she explains, pointing to a pair of circles on the far edge of her hastily drawn sketch. She draws lines from X's representing the defense squad to the outer rim of the basin beside the circles. "While we keep them busy..." she begins, while the squares representing Argentea and Chlorophytum are redrawn inside the S-Planning site, "...Argentea and Chlorophytum will take what they can. Our priorities are food, fuel, and medicine."
"What if they try to call the defense squad back?" Chlorophytum asks. "They probably will," you admit. "They won't make it," Strelitzia interjects firmly. "We're not trying to hurt anyone, Zero Two," Delphinium reminds her. "What she means is that we can cut them off," Hiro says. "Because Strelitzia can fly, it's almost impossible to get away from us."
"Then it's settled," you say confidently, closing the meeting. "Give us fifteen minutes to get to the other side of the basin and we'll draw them away. Don't radio unless you absolutely have to." The others nod. "Good luck everyone."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
After a short trek around the basin, Delphinium and Strelitzia ready themselves for the coming trial. It is your solemn hope that the defense squad will be easily distracted, allowing you to lead them far enough from the facility that Argentea and Chlorophytum can get in and out before an alarm could be sounded. Realistically, that's not going to happen. There are too many unknowns for everything to go perfectly to plan, making it almost guaranteed that you'll have to modify it on the fly.
"Hiro, Zero Two," your voice emanates from Delphinium's speakers to grab their attention. "Are you guys ready?" The red and white FranXX nods from her seated position on the ground. In order to make this distraction more believable, Strelitzia would be posing as an injured party. "Remember," Delphinium whispers as she begins to ascend the rise, "we aren't here to hurt anyone. Even if they try to fight us, remain calm. We should be able to win without injuring them."
As Delphinium turns away, Strelitzia sprawls out with her face in the dirt. Her display goes dark, but her grip on the lance remains tight and she doesn't fade from the squad's roster on your HUD.
When you reach the crest of the basin the midday sun is at your back, casting long shadows of the giant machines onto the valley below. Almost immediately, the FranXX monitoring your direction spots you, taking her spear in both hands. In the following minutes the remaining members of the defense squad gather around the one who had pointed you out and stare up at you.
Finally, one steps forward and opens a transmission channel. "You are Squad 13?" it asks. "We are!" Delphinium replies, slightly hysterically. "A member of our squad is wounded a short distance from here. We need help!" The FranXX's expression remains neutral for a moment before she replies. "We will assist you."
The group of FranXX starts up the hill and Delphinium shouts "hurry!" before rushing back to Strelitzia's side. Donning the most concerned look she can muster, she kneels beside the "fallen" FranXX and waits for the unsuspecting help to arrive.
The group of FranXX takes their time to crest the ridge and surveys the area for close to thirty seconds before finally descending to meet with Delphinium.
"There should be five units," the FranXX that had addressed you before states. "Where are the other members of your squad?" You take a moment to adopt a faux tone of your own. "Scattered, dead, we don't know," you reply between a series of forced rapid breathes. "We're just lucky to have made it out alive."
Wearing the same neutral expression as before, the FranXX stands beside Delphinium and huffs. Slowly, she draws her spear. "What are you doing?" Delphinium asks. "Step away from Strelitzia," the cold voice answers, raising the weapon above her head.
Before you realize what's about to happen, Strelitzia's faceplate springs to life. She sweeps her legs, knocking her would-be attacker off balance and rolls to her feet. With a press of a button her lance goes from its dormant state to the Klaxosaur-killing weapon she uses in combat as the air crackles around it.
Likewise, Delphinium distances herself from the group and unsheathes her blades. "What the hell was that?!" you shout. "You are Squad 13," the leader of the defense squad answers in a monotone voice. "Your plantation was destroyed due to your negligence, and you ran away to escape punishment. It is believed you are responsible for the destruction of Plantations 26 and 56 as well. Papa has ordered that you are to be killed on sight."
As the lead FranXX speaks, her squad moves to surround Delphinium and Strelitzia. The red and blue FranXX now stand back-to-back looking out at their opponents. "Do you really think APE blamed all of that on us?" Hiro whispers. "They tried to kill us, Darling," Strelitzia growls, her anger barely contained. "What do you think?"
"We don't have to do this," Delphinium pleads, attempting to placate the other squad. "We left for a better life. You can too, leave Papa and APE behind. Come with us." "We mean nothing to them," you back her up. "Haven't you seen how they willingly throw our lives away to protect themselves?"
"It's and honor to die for the adults!" one of the other FranXX shouts, leveling her spear.
"Why?" you ask. "Why serve someone who doesn't care about you or your friends?" The squad leader answers without hesitation. "It is our duty," she answers. "It is also our duty to see that traitors are properly punished." She nods and the squad begins to close in.
Strelitzia leans back and Hiro's voice cracks as he speaks. "Guys, what do we do?" "Try not to hurt them," Delphinium answers. "But defending yourself is your top priority."
Delphinium has barely managed to finished speaking when Strelitzia rockets toward one of the encroaching FranXX. As is only fitting of Zero Two, she rushes to meet her opponents head-on in a speedy showing of offense. She tackles the first to the ground, only to throw it some distance away immediately after. Her momentum from the throw sets her upright, and she flourishes her lance as a warning for the two remaining FranXX.
This leaves Delphinium to deal with the squad leader and the remaining unit. They both fan out, each approaching from a different side to divide Delphinium's attention. "I'm giving you some slack," you tell Ichigo. "Watch the one on the left. I've got the right." By doing so you have effectively given yourself and Ichigo independent control of Delphinium. The FranXX would respond to either of your thoughts or actions, but it also meant that any contradictory moves, such as the two of you trying to go in opposite directions, would cancel out and leave you open.
Delphinium nods as her expression hardens. "I'm telling you, we don't have to do this," she tries once more. The FranXX continue to circle her, this time without even giving her a response. "It's pointless," you say to her. "They've made up their minds. We have to be ready to do whatever it takes to get out of this."
Finally, both of the FranXX come to a halt, a perfect 180 degrees apart on Delphinium's left and right side. There is a low rumble as the boosters on Delphinium's waist come to life. You glance from side to side. "Well, shall we do this?"
The FranXX on the right twitches and you force Delphinium to the ground into a lithe crouch, dodging the harpoon that had been fired at you. You have no time to plan your next move as Ichigo takes the reigns and deflects a jab made by the squad leader coming from the left.
She counters with a slash that you can tell was intentionally wide, but your opponent backs off for a moment regardless. Taking a page from Strelitzia's book, Delphinium rushes the squad leader, assaulting her with a flurry of blows. Each strike is precise, but none are delivered in a manor that allow her to truly injure.
Your opponent must realize this as well, and she begins to push Delphinium back with sweeping strikes. Now out of her swords' reach, Delphinium has no choice but to dodge the thrusts of the spear and wait for an opening.
Meanwhile, you desperately search for the second FranXX. The sound of metal grinding on metal pierces your ears and alarms blare in the cockpit. But above all this noise you hear Ichigo cry out in pain. A diagnostic screen appears in front of you, showing Delphinium has taken damage on her right side. The tip of the spear wielded by the FranXX you lost has now been firmly embedded in her abdomen.
Before you can do anything, an electric shock courses through the line and Delphinium falls to her knees. Ichigo screams in agony as her body is electrocuted and the alarms blare louder still. Red flashing messages inform you of what you already know: the FranXX's internal systems are suffering damage, her armor has been breached, and most importantly, Ichigo is in danger.
The opposing FranXX stop moving and watch as Delphinium slowly sinks to the ground. Her body in front of you trembles uncontrollably, and the face you see on your display is contorted in pain.
A feeling of anger wells up inside you. Ichigo is your partner, not only in the FranXX, but in a very literal sense as well. And they were hurting her. They couldn't be allowed to land another finger on her.
Let… go...
The leader of the defense squad stands over the kneeling form of Delphinium. Her face still expressionless, she raises her spear and prepares to end the unit before her. "By Papa's will be done."
...of my Ichigo!
Shing!
The blade never reaches its target. Instead, an eruption of magma fuel spouts from the base of the FranXX's neck. The head of the FranXX rolls across the broken earth until it comes to a stop at the base of the hill. Its body stands frozen with its spear held high, with the internal systems locked in place.
The remaining FranXX watches in horror as Delphinium drops the magma-soaked blade, takes a step toward them, and falls to her knees again as the display blinks out.
Inside Delphinium your anger begins to fade, and your heart rate begins to relax. And you realize what you've just done. The cockpit is almost completely dark, but you can see Ichigo slump forward. Soft cries escape her lips as you rush to her.
"Ichigo!" you kneel and lift her chin. "Ichigo, are you alright?! What hurts? How do I help?" She looks into your eyes, revealing something you hadn't expected. Ichigo isn't crying tears of pain. She cries tears of remorse.
"W-We… we..." she blubbers, struggling to speak as her body trembles. "W-We killed th-them." She clings to you and sobs. "Why did we k-kill them?!"
You had no good reason. You wanted to tell yourself that if there was one thing in this world that you had to protect, it was her. They were going to kill you both without a second thought. So, you'd done what anyone acting on instinct would do: you had killed them first.
"They were going to kill you," you whisper. "I don't care!" she shouts, slamming her fists onto your chest as she clings to you. "We didn't have to kill them. We could have done something else! There had to be another way!"
There is a loud crash and the two of you are thrown against the wall. "Guys, where are you?" Hiro's muffled shout barely can be heard over the battle going on outside. "Darling, focus!" Strelitzia snarls. Her comment is followed by another crash, which shakes you both.
"Ichigo," you say, trying to get her to look at you. "Ichigo," you repeat, but she only burrows further into your chest. The emergency power kicks on and Delphinium's internal monitors illuminate the room. She must be lying on her back because all you can see is the sky above.
Suddenly, a shadow looms over you. The FranXX it belongs to enters the frame of your screen and lifts its spear above her head, ready to deliver the final blow. Before she can, a flash of red and white darts across the screen, taking the FranXX with it. Another loud crash follows.
"Ichigo, love," you force her to look at you. "Come back to me. Come back to the sound of my voice. Our friends need us, and I can't do this on my own."
Ichigo goes stiff as a board. She looks up at you with large emerald eyes. "You… you love me?" You blink. "Yes, of course I love you," you answer, glancing from monitor to monitor for threats. "...I love you too," she whispers.
"That's good," you feverishly answer, the joy in your heart dulled only by the battle raging around you. "But we can discuss that later." You pull Ichigo to her feet and drag her to platform. "You said you love me," Ichigo dreamily whispers. "Yes, Ichigo, I did. I also said that our friends are in danger, and, by the way, so are we!"
"You should kiss me," she says as you help her into position. "We don't have time for that, love," you tell her as you take a seat. "Get ready, we're going to have to fight our way out of this."
You pull the triggers extending from Ichigo's waist and initiate your connection. The lights on the spine of her parasite suit glow as they race toward her headdress. The connection establishes and the dials signifying your capacity scores redline, shooting up immediately and stopping on 120. On the console to your right, the words 'Overdrive Active' flash in large block letters, followed by 'Delphinium Hierax'.
Delphinium's eyes snap open, but something feels off to Ichigo. Her connection to Delphinium, and to you, always feels the same way every time you connected. This time, though, it was very similar but not quite right. It's only when she notices that Delphinium is hovering just above the ground that she realizes something about her has changed.
Slots on the lower sides of her forearms have opened to reveal additional micro thrusters, and the large boosters in her heel have been augmented by additional smaller ones. Along the back of her legs, two larger units have appeared below her calves. In addition, the boosters that lined her waist have grown in size while growing more streamlined.
"We can fly…" she whispers in amazement to herself.
However, she has no time to marvel at this discovery as one of the FranXX of the defense squad breaks away from Strelitzia and charges her. With her weapons out of reach, Delphinium has no choice but to use these newfound modifications to defeat her opponent.
The FranXX rushes her, but you both have a plan. Delphinium can feel the added power that the thrusters in her legs and heels have given her, and when the unit is close enough that it can no longer change course, she makes her move.
Firing every thruster she has available to her, Delphinium jumps over the incoming attack, starting a somersault in the air. As she reaches the peak of her jump, she raises one arm to add a twist to the somersault. When she stops flipping, she's facing the back of the other FranXX. The boosters in her right foot fire, and she spins around horizontally to build momentum into a rocket-powered roundhouse kick that slams into the back of the FranXX's head with a resounding crack.
The FranXX stumbles forward, a result of its momentum, and falls to the ground in a heap. Delphinium "lands" from her stunt in a wide crouch with one hand extended to the ground, but finds herself still floating just off the surface. In the aftermath of your newfound abilities, you whisper out loud the only thing that comes to your mind.
"Cool."