Sandstorm!
A few days later after the battle of Aztlan and the start of the Second VIRM-Earth war...
"Why are we awake so soon?" asked Zorome as the squad Jian gathered in the hall of their given quarters.
"I don't know either…" said Goro yawning.
"Seriously," said Mitsuru, "It's just 5 A.M.!"
"And I'm hungry!" said Futoshi scratching his head.
"That's because," said Orion as he entered inside the hall, "you all are going into a training course from today onwards!"
"Yeah, we remember that... wait," said Hiro just realizing what he said, "We are going already? At this time?"
"Even I agree to the point!" said Hatake as he entered the hall wearing a brown colored jumper with its hood on his head and blue jeans, "Can't we at least wake up a little bit later?"
"What's the matter?" asked Miku as she came in the hall hurried while still trying to put her hand through the sleeve of a shirt. All the others followed.
"Well if we go now," said Orion, "we will be able to catch up with the schedule. General mobilization is well underway and there has been a high number of voluntaries joining into our forces. However, because most of them are new green people, they need some sort of "champions" they can look upon to stay inspired and in high morale. That's where you enter, Jian squad. You're exactly the kind of role they need to look upon. One day of training is worth a thousand Franxxs!"
"Oh great," said Hatake, "so, now gold is being replaced by Franxx?"
"Nah, I just made that phrase!" said Orion with a smile, "So, now everyone, get ready! And just take the things you will need for at least 2 weeks since two sets of your uniforms and the corresponding supplies are already inside the ship."
"Alright…" said Hiro with a tired sigh as everyone walked towards their rooms.
"Too bad…" said Hatake looking at them with pity yet smiling on him being lucky, "So, I will get going then!"
"Where are you going?" asked Seraphime.
"You called us here just to say goodbye to squad Jian, right?" asked Hatake looking at Orion who stood there grinning at him.
"Well, I'm happy that the bait worked on you!" said Orion.
"What?!" said Hatake shocked, "Don't tell me…"
"Yes," said Orion with a scary face, "YOU are going too, and the best part is… you will be getting…" he said as Hatake's face turned in to the face of a rat facing a snake, "Physical… training…"
"NO!" shouted Hatake as he tried to run away but Seraphime caught him by his hood making him fall on the ground, "Lies… Deception…" he said trying to escape.
"Why can't you guys do something without acting?" asked Elise.
"I'm too thinking of the same question." Said Seraphime.
"And why are you taking their sides!" said Hatake looking at her.
"I have to go for training no matter what!" said Seraphime as she turned her head as her face turned red, "And, it's better if you go… With me…"
"You lied to me Seraphime…" said Hatake with a sad look.
"No," said Seraphime as she let her hand holding his hood go, "I- I didn't mean to-"
"An opening!" shouted Hatake with a grin as he dashed towards the main door of the room, "Once I escape, I will first find a bed to sleep!" he thought as within seconds Elise grabbed his right leg and smashed him on the wall.
"You are NOT going to sleep again!" said Elise annoyed.
"Damn that hurt!" he shouted as Seraphime held one of his shoulders.
"Hatake…" said Seraphime as her eyes glowed in anger, "How dare you take advantage over my emotions?"
"Seraphime…" said Hatake with a sweat-drop expression, "You see I didn't mean to- Wait!" he shouted as Seraphime got hold of his arm, "Don't, that hurts-" he said as she pinched and twisted his arm. A loud scream followed.
"And this is why I assigned you for physical training Hatake..." thought Orion letting out a sigh.
Meanwhile...
"What are we supposed to take?" asked Hiro confused as he looked at the clothes he bought in the Capital.
"Well, Orion said that it would be very warm and dusty there, so we should probably take some light clothes." said Goro.
"Darling!" said Zero Two as she opened fast the door to the boys' dormitory, "Which one should I take?" she asked holding two swimsuits in both of her hands.
"What's the matter Zero Two-" said Hiro as he soon got shocked by what she was holding, "W-What do you mean?"
"I-It's nothing, Hiro!" said Kofuku as she pulled Zero Two back with her, "You see, Elise told us that there is a lake beside the training camp, so we thought of making preparations for a fun day there too!"
"So that's why the training camp is named 'OASIS'!" said Mitsuru.
"Get your stuff fast!" shouted Orion from the hall, "The ship is ready to depart!"
"Yeah, we are coming!" replied Goro, "Alright I hope that is all there is!" he said as everyone gathered in the hall with their language in their hands, the children gathered there too for a warm goodbye.
"I will miss you daddy!" said Ai, as she hugged Mitsuru.
"Don't worry! We will be back soon…" replied Mitsuru.
"Be a good girl… Okay, Ai?" asked Kokoro.
"Sure!" replied Ai.
"When will you come back!" asked Nozumu as she hugged her father.
"Don't worry, time will pass!" said Goro patting her head.
"Please take good care of them!" said Ichigo looking at Nana and Hachi.
"We will without any fault," said Nana, "Do your best in the training alright?"
"Sure!" said Ichigo with a smile yet with tears in her eyes.
"Too bad we can't take the kids…" said Elise standing near the entrance of the quarters.
"Taking them would be a big risk," said Orion sadly standing beside her, "It's a military training camp after all," he said as his phone rang, "What is it?" he asked over the call.
"Sir, we are running behind schedule, it would be better if they leave now." Replied the personnel on the phone.
"Alright let's go!" he thought of shouting from his mouth but got stuck as he saw the tears in the eyes of the squad since they were not only fighters but also parents now, "Well, I guess we can extend the schedule to another hour…" he said on the phone as he disconnected.
"You shouldn't be so soft-hearted, it's for their own good, you know?" said Elise understanding the situation.
"Well, I know that but…" replied Orion as he looked at them, "Those tears… they always haunt me every time. It always makes me remember that my leadership and decisions cause things like this to happen and sometimes, they don't end well..." he said with a sad expression.
"Hey, as far as I know, all the families of those who didn't return don't blame you for their deaths. They knew that in the state the world is right now, every duty must be answered in order to make sure that their future would be safe. And even if it pained them to never see again their loved ones, they are at least happy to know that their sacrifice is not in vain thanks to your leadership. So keep going strong as you are right now." Elise said compassionately before planting a kiss in Orion's cheek.
"Thanks, Elise. I sometimes think that I need to pay a visit to Dr. Franxx's grave to thank him for creating you..." responded Orion smiling while Elise chuckled. Unknown to both of them, Hatake and Sera heard what Orion said and though together: "It seems I misjudged the doctor/my father. He thought well of the future..."
"Well, it's time to go I guess?" asked Goro keeping a hand on Ichigo's shoulder after spending a few more minutes with the kids.
"You sure you don't stay a bit more?" asked Orion.
"No," replied Ichigo, "we will never be able to leave this way, so it's better if we hurry up!"
"I see…" said Orion, "Alright then, the ship's standing at the main port let's go! Bye, kids! I promise your parents will be back before you know it!"
"Bye uncle Orion!" the children responded as squad Jian hurried into a transport that took them to the main port where a mothership was standing.
"Why do we need such a big ship just to get to the training camp? It's not like we are going to an active sector of the war!" said Zorome looking at the mothership.
"Well," said Orion, "your Franxxs are inside along with weapons, ammo, food, and energy supplies that were going to be sent to the camp, so we thought why not send all of them together!"
"We are ready!" said the crew captain over the intercom.
"Alright," said Orion, "I suppose you all should get going now! And you better take care of them, got it? Careless king!" he said looking at Hatake.
"Alright Hentai-san!" he said walking inside the ship.
"It's President Orion you idiot!" shouted Orion annoyed before moving on "Alright guys, Elise will accompany you on the journey to the OASIS to make sure you arrive safely, after that she will return directly towards the capital."
"You're not coming, mister president?" Mitsuru asked.
"No, I still got a lot of work to do here. Especially considering we are still trying to figure out what is VIRM's next move. Be careful out there, alright? You can also only call me Orion if you want to, no need for the formality." Orion said.
"We have been through worse Orion so rest assured we will at least be fine." Said Kokoro smiling causing Orion to smile too.
"This is KLAP 2548 taking off now!" said the captain as the ship took its course and flew out of the capital through the belt of the dome. Orion stood on the platform waving goodbye to the guys before another transport arrived and he stepped in. It's still dark outside with a dim light of the sunrise that could be seen rising from the east behind the mountains beyond which lied the lifeless plains.
"Wow…" said Hiro as he and Zero Two looked together at the capital; from a far view, the light of the morning was highlighting the beautiful blue and white windows of the buildings and the street lights, sensing the morning light, started to shut off letting way to the warm light of the sun now illuminating the whole translucent glass dome to make it look like a glowing globe.
4 hours later…
"Damn it's hot!" said Hatake taking his coat off as they all sat in the attendance hall of the ship, "Yeah, we are in a desert after all…"
"Hey, I never got to ask," said Goro looking at Hatake's metal plates that were now clearly visible, "Why is it important for you to keep your powers under regulation? I mean the hybrids and Klapiens don't need to."
"Well," said Hatake, "the Federation hybrids are naturally created, and we were created artificially, through cloning or artificial DNA changes, therefore we are half human and half Klapien due to which there are often imbalances in terms of power. Moreover, Klaxo sapien powers are based on the emotional capacity, and we humans are already too much emotional, which makes us go out of control since there is a sudden rise in both emotion influence and power. Hence, if you don't control your power, you create havoc unknowingly…"
"But," said Ikuno, "Sera-chan is a Klapien already, Zero Two was created artificially, and Hiro was turned into a hybrid due to the mixing of Zero Two's blood, but what about you? I mean you told us you were created using some kind of special serum, but it had to have something from a Klaxo sapien to get the DNA and turn you into what you are right now."
"L-Let's not go into that!" said Hatake turning suspicious.
"Wait, if the serum was designed by Dr. Franxx…" said Ichigo.
"No, don't!" said Hatake.
"And the only source of Klaxosaur DNA during that time was Seraphime's hair sample that Dr. Franxx himself took, therefore…" said Ichigo despite Hatake's words, his words only accelerated Ichigo's sentence to complete, "Seraphime is Hatake's mother?!"
"What?!" said Zorome.
"You said it!" said Hatake annoyed, "Though it's good that Orion and Elise weren't here to listen…"
"What was that?" asked Elise over the intercom.
"YOU WERE LISTENING!" screamed Hatake. Elise just shrugged but then winked to him, indicating his secret was safe.
"Come on guys, it's cruel of you all to say that!" said Kofuku, "Hatake had already had his mother before, so technically that isn't possible!"
"Thank you, Kofuku…" thought Hatake looking at her as if he had seen some angel in her.
"Of course, it would mean that Seraphime is Hatake's sister!" said Kofuku as Hatake got stuck upon the thunderclap of those words.
"I-I have a sister complex?" asked Hatake whispering as looked towards Seraphime, despite having blue skin color, her red face of embarrassment was clearly visible.
"I love my brother?" whispered Seraphime shocked.
"Wait, you love him?" asked Zero Two looking at her with a smile, as to tease her.
"N-No, I mean. Well…" said Seraphime startled.
Elise: "Oh, relax Sera. You don't have to worry about incest there. Let me tell you a secret" she said and then whispered to her "Don't tell Hatake but before he arrived at the Federation, Orion tried to get as much Intel as possible about him. And one of the data we found out about him thanks to his blood analysis is that his hybrid DNA has very few strands from yours. Apparently, we think that Dr. Franxx altered it a little for his son."
Sera let out a breath of relief. At least she and Hatake won't be "accidentally" practice incest any time soon.
"We will be landing in about 15 minutes!" said the captain over the comms, "Please make sure you are seated, and that the seatbelts are attached within the next 5 minutes."
"Hm… It's looking better than expected!" said Hatake looking at the training camp; it really looked like an oasis in the middle of the desert indeed, with the golden-colored sand settled around, the falling sunlight making it shine. Nothing could be seen except for sand for hundreds of kilometers which may explain why it had no fencing as to define the border of the camp, probably because even if somebody tried to escape, they would just die of heatstroke and thirst.
Elise: "Alright guys, prepare for the landing. After that, I will return to Aztlan so you will be on your own. Also, is everyone here?
Titus: "Actually, Ikuno went to the bathroom for something. I will go and get her back here."
In the bathroom...
"I hope it isn't visible…" said Ikuno looking at her forehead as she lifted her hair from the front, standing in front of the mirror that was outside the washroom, she could see two small purple-colored spots on her forehead.
"It's started growing already?" asked Titus as he stood beside the girls' bathroom doors.
"It has…" replied Ikuno with a disappointed face.
"You sure you don't want to tell them?" asked Titus, "I mean, they will be heartbroken when they get to know, you know?"
"I will tell them…" said Ikuno, "Just give me some time…."
"Well," said Titus, "I, of course, don't have any right to force you, do I? So, do as you like, but for now, come we are about to land!" he said as all of them took their seats and tightened their seatbelts as the ship landed on the dry dusty landing zone which only had four arms to hold the ship and an extendible staircase to help everyone get down.
"So, you all must the new pilots!" said a voice, in front of them was a Klapien standing beside a modified jeep that had covers and huge tires.
"Yes!" said Zero Two.
"Pixy!" said Elise with a smile as she walked towards him with a smile. He had short red short hair in a tomahawk and green colored skin with only his left horn intact.
"It's been a while, Elise!" replied Pixy.
"It has been, but not time to talk again." Said Elsie, "We need you to train these rusty pilots!"
"Who are you calling rusty?!" said Zorome angered.
"To you, dumbhead!" said Miku as everyone laughed.
"Where's Lara?" she asked.
"Well, you know her." replied Pixy, "Preparing the training ground for the pilots to start fresh!"
"That's just like her…" said Elise disappointed, "I got to go though!"
"Wait, you are staying?" asked Pixy.
"No," replied Elise, "we need to work on the Federation's defenses after all!"
"I see…" said Pixy, "Alright then, come on!" he said as everyone got inside the jeep.
"What's that?" asked Hiro looking at the faraway horizon where the sand looked like huge clouds.
"A sandstorm." replied Pixy, "We get those a lot around here, not a big problem though! Most of the training grounds are underground."
"So," said Kokoro exhausted, "we train no matter what…"
"Don't worry about it! Consider this place as a different version of whatever place you were trained before. It was already here by the time I was a cadet or new pilot, and many fine pilots came out from its chambers." said Pixy as Elise took her leave and the Jeep's engine started and they went off towards the training camp, "We won't exhaust you all too much!"
"I hope so…" said Zero Two with a sigh as the jeep entered the main compound. The compound gave a different feel from that of the Space Elevator, as it was indeed a military camp. It had more camps than buildings on the outside, personnel marching everywhere, with laser cannons being tested and bombs exploding in blast-proof test rooms.
"I see now why Orion didn't want the kids to be here…" said Ichigo looking around as the jeep went inside a huge hangar.
"Alright get down!" said Pixy as everyone got down, "your luggage has been transferred to your quarters already… Since it's not noon yet, you all go and freshen up! Lara will be there to pick you all up!"
"Who's Lara?" asked Kofuku.
"One of the training coaches and my wife! Anyhow, see you all later!" said Pixy as he drove the jeep away.
"But where are the quarters?" asked Zero Two.
"Please follow me!" said one of the cadets there wearing a brown colored military uniform as everyone followed him to a locked building that looked like it had just been cleaned up. The building had 3 floors with two rooms each.
"Not that bad... I guess?" said Goro as he entered the room they were given to. The room contained 2 beds, a wardrobe, a bathroom, and a flower pot kept on the frame of the only window of the room.
"Well, it's only for a week after all!" said Ichigo as she unpacked the clothes.
"Well, the room is fully empty!" said Goro sarcastically as they both laughed.
"Um… this will work out I guess?" asked Hiro as he wiped the sweat upon his face and looked at the room, which could be considered an exact replica of Goro's and Ichigo's room.
"So, I finally get to sleep with you, darling!" whispered Zero Two in Hiro's ear as Hiro jumped back in surprise.
"W-What do you mean?" asked Hiro shocked.
"Nothing, it's just fun to tease u!" she said as she leaned forwards with a smile.
"Squad Jian is required to stand outside their quarters and wait for further orders!" said the speaker near their quarters as the clock hit exactly twelve.
"Training is starting already?" asked Hiro as everyone stood outside their quarters, "And where is Hatake?"
"So, I hope you all will train hard as a squad that holds the rank of "special" should do..." said a girl walking towards them, she had medium brown curly hair with yellow-colored skin and with only her right horn intact, "I'm Master Sergeant Lara, your training coach and the one in charge of this facility!"
"I just hope it isn't going to be that exhausting…" said Kofuku.
"If what they say about you is true then it would be a breeze. Now, come on- Oh right!" said Lara quickly remembering, "Why isn't he here yet?" she said looking at her watch.
"Miss Lara, we found him!" said a voice from behind, there were about four military cadets who were bringing Hatake towards Squad Jian with his hands tied up as he walked towards them with an annoyed face.
"What happened?" asked Seraphime.
"Well, he tried to escape the compound in another ship," said one of the cadets "president Orion had warned us about this so, we were prepared for it!"
"I'm going to take revenge some say for you, Orion…" whispered Hatake.
"Alright take him!" said Lara as the cadets took somewhat dragged him towards the training room, "And you may follow them, Sera-sama! You will be in the library studying the art of war to improve your tactical and strategical wits, and I will NOT take a "No" for an answer!"
"S-Sure…" said Seraphime with a worn-out voice as she followed the cadets.
"Alright then!" she said looking at the rest of the squad members, "Come with me to the training ground we will have physical training first and then put your Franxx skill to test."
About 5 hours later…
"Remember me, why we agreed to do this?" said Ichigo sitting inside Delphinium standing inside a battle arena with Strelizia in front of him. The other Franxxs stood outside the battlefield.
"In order to test your new abilities and those of Strelizia," said Lara sitting inside her Franxx named Alricausia, "we believe that the only way would be with a sparring session between yourselves. After all, the rest of your teammates will also have them."
"Wait what?" asked Miku sitting inside Argentea.
"You heard me!" replied Lara, "I will not repeat myself! So, get into your positions you two!" she said as Strelizia and Delphinium moved towards their places
" Very well." Said Lara, "Strelizia, you will receive all of Delphinium's attacks and try to block them all with your shield or your lance BUT you CANNOT retaliate. As for you Delphinium, I want you to give all of your efforts into your attacks, let us see what is your potential!"
Eventually, Strelizia got into a defensive stance followed closely by Delphinium.
"Come on Ichigo! We will be fine so don't try to hold back!" said Zero Two from Strelizia.
"Don't worry!" replied Ichigo, "We know that very much!"
"I'm actually surprised that command can give us the luxury of staying in our Franxxs to witness this battle when it could be more practical to let us wait outside..." said Kofuku sitting looking at them from inside Freiturnier.
"Well, that's actually not the whole truth." Said Titus, "Your franxx have been given a new energy core that is still in its experimental phase and considering how your franxxs are very special then..."
"So we are supposed to act as lab rats?" asked Ikuno.
"Easy there partner," said Titus looking at her annoyed expression, "we had it tested in many simulators to make sure it was safe enough for the pilots. All it needs is practical testing! There's nothing to fear except for a few mechanical failures..."
"Well, it is calm to hear that it isn't that dangerous." said Kokoro.
"Not that I want to mess up with some sort of secret gadget but think that we could take a look at those new power cores Titus?" asked Hatake over the intercom.
"No hay problema Hatake!" said Titus.
"Now where the hell did you learn Spanish from?" asked Hatake.
"Orion taught me!" said Titus, "You done training by the way?" he asked.
"Yeah, thanks to Orion these guys even know that I got health regeneration capabilities…" said Hatake, "And thanks to that they made me workout till I couldn't get up anymore, and now lying on my bed…"
"Oh, and how's Seraphime?" asked Hiro.
"Well, she studied too much, she is in the same room fainted… Sleeping in the other bed!" replied Hatake.
"A boy and a girl in the same room huh? Don't do any mistakes!" said Echhino over the intercom.
"Echhino?" asked Hatake, "What are you doing here?"
"Nah, Orion decided to upgrade the defense systems, so he made Elise link up all the radio comms to one channel so that it's easy to monitor, and I'm in charge of keeping an eye on comms!"
"Oh great…." Said Hatake exhausted, "Well that won't be a good idea…" he thought looking at her asleep, "but I can't even move a finger… Ah, damn u Orion!"
"Alright, we wasted enough time! Begin!" shouted Lara as Delphinium went straight for a thrust which Strelizia easily blocked, then proceeded to slash in all directions using her two swords. Strelizia held her ground.
"Impressive... Delphinium has good attack speed along with some unpredictable patterns. And it looks like Strelizia isn't very affected by it..." said Pixy who was sitting on the stamen seat.
"Don't get too impressed just now, we're barely starting and they haven't unlocked their first abilities..." said Lara
A 'Ping' sound was heard and both Delphinium and Strelizia stopped for a moment...
"Speaking of that..." said Lara.
"Emm... miss Lara, what does the notification 'Quantum Core unlocked' mean?" asked Ichigo looking at her computer screen.
"That's supposed to be the newly implemented system that your Franxx have. Every Franxx of unique design like yours or mine has one." Said Lara, "The concept is that, the more experience you have with your Franxx, the more powerful it becomes." She said as a diagram popped up in screens of all of the team, "this one shows the skills of Alricausia" continued Lara, "As you can see, thanks to these cores, the Federation pilots have an advantage over VIRM units, since these abilities help stretch the power of their Franxx to their limits." She said as the diagrams now showed a diagram of all Delphinium's and Strelizia's skills, which were all locked with a few exceptions, "As you can see, the only skills you two have right now are your initial passives, which also evolve along the core making their effects more powerful. In order to unlock the rest, you need to obtain experience which can be easily obtained in battles or training exercises like this one..."
"Cool!" said Zorome.
"Just for the record," said Lara, "remember to always read all details about your abilities since their uniqueness can be helpful in certain situations and knowing them as the back of your hand can be the key between victory and death. Alright, continue with the training!"
A few hours later...
The training session they received was centered among unlocking the squad's cores which they fortunately did. Now, they were preparing for the last part of the training...
"Phew! That was actually a good workout!" said Miku.
"And with these new skills," said Zorome, "we will soon rock our way to the top!"
"From where did you learn that phrase?" asked Goro
"At the arcade, Miku and I went," replied Zorome, "they had some cool references there!"
"Cut the chatter and listen everyone!" said Lara, "As far as it goes, this training has been only focused on unlocking your cores. But now the real training begins! Everyone! Assume battle stances, you're fighting one more foe!"
"Really? Whom?" asked Kofuku.
"Us!" replied Pixy, "Give your best in this fight and we will analyze the level of your teamwork!
"Great!" replied Zorome, "Then let's start with us drawing first punch!"
"Wait! Zorome!" said Hiro. Argentea was already going for Alricausia very fast with her fist ready... only for Alricausia to dodge too easily and made her trip by putting her feet in front of her. The impact was hard...
"They told you to wait, knucklehead!" said Miku painfully.
"Ok! Just shut it!" said Zorome angered as his expression changed to a worried one when he saw Alricausia aim one of her lasers towards them, "Oh-oh..."
Fortunately, help arrived in the form of Genista and Strelizia forcing Alricausia's aim off while Freiturnier helped recover Argentea with Chlorophytum and Delphinium giving cover. Eventually, they managed to put Argentea back in her feet just as Alricausia managed to get off Strelizia and Genista from her. Genista fired a smoke-shell which allowed them time to regroup.
"Zorome!" said Ichigo annoyed "How many times do we have to tell you to not run off like that?!"
"Sorry," said Zorome, "got very excited..."
"It still hurts you know..." said Miku.
"Got you covered there Miku..." said Kofuku
Freiturnier suddenly aimed her left hand at Argentea and a green beam connected to her. Miku suddenly felt relieved from the pain...
"Ah... thank you Kofuku!" said Miku, "How did you manage that?"
"One of the new features of medical Franxx!" said Titus, "They can now actively heal both the mechas and their pilots!"
They were suddenly interrupted by Alricausia passing through the smokescreen and barely missing the group who managed to avoid at the last second.
"Listen everyone!" said Goro, "We are easy prey if just keep stopping like this, we need to improvise now!"
"I'm with you," said Hiro, "Zero Two and I will take Alricausia head-on!"
"Alright! Ikuno, Kokoro!" said Ichigo, "You two support from far! Don't let her get close to you! The rest will..."
However, they were suddenly surprised to see Alricausia coming back for them REAL fast. This time, luck ran out...
"GOTCHA!" shouted Lara.
They were all suddenly launched over to the ground thanks to her war-hammer and then, she proceeded to dominate every single one of them...
"Is this something that Orion would allow?" asked Seraphime, as she woked up looking at the same screen Hatake was looking at.
"Whatever makes them take on the seriousness of this war…" said Hatake, "and I think he is preparing them for something more than that... By the way, are you fine now?"
"Well something is for sure... they are going to feel it tomorrow..." said Seraphime, "And yeah… I feel good after resting now!"
"What made you faint anyways?" asked Hatake.
"Well," replied Seraphime, "I'm always tensed, you know? About the people, therefore I want to full fill my duties to the fullest, even if that means studying till the very end!"
"Hm… The motive of all this is to improve your strategy by reading books on previous wars? Want to play a game on something like that?"
"What game?" asked Seraphime interested.
"Chess!" said Hatake as he tried to get up, "I'm sorry can you bring me my trolly? I can't move my body!" he said with a sweat-drop expression.
Later, at the mess hall...
The mood of the squad was a mix of depression, anger, and pain that the rest of the people still dining there could feel the tension in the air. They all could still remember Lara's words after they ended the "sparring"...
"I'm disappointed already and we're just starting the courses. Do you want to know what was your mistake out there? It was the fact that you all don't react fast enough. Now, it makes complete sense to make a plan as a squad. But VIRM acts like a group mind, meaning that by the time you already have one, they will be already proceeding with theirs so you need to make yours at a similar speed, sometimes even when you're already fighting! We will cover that at least during the rest of the training course and I expect you to keep up with your "special" talents everyone praises around. Dismissed!"
"Aaagh!" said Miku frustrated, "Couldn't she at least go easy on us?!"
"I swear they didn't even take us seriously!" said Zorome with the same reaction.
"What happened to Sera-chan, by the way?" asked Ichigo looking at Seraphime who sat with her food in front of her with a blank mind.
"Um… Well," replied Hatake looking at her, "She played chess with me and lost 4 matches continuously…"
"You should have at least let her win once!" said Ichigo, "You really are an idiot!"
"Well guys, I think that's the lesson Orion wants us to learn..." Titus said.
Everyone looked at him confused. "What do you mean Titus?" Ikuno asked.
"Guys, I have been present at the first Federation-VIRM war. Needless to say, even with our advantages over them, it was as horrible as all wars are. At that time, I had to work as a medic in field headquarters and what I witnessed there has taught me that VIRM won't give any chances to those who take wars lightly..." Titus responded, getting a little shaken. The rest of the squad saw this and started to feel uncomfortable...
"How bad was it?" Asked Ikuno.
"I have seen many pilots return back to base horrified of the battles and some of them had very serious wounds." Said Titus with a sigh, "Some presented heavy hemorrhage, amputations in external body parts, loss of organs, you name it. It was clear there that VIRM would try anything to literally exterminate us." Everyone was shocked to hear that, as Titus continued "That's why the training is hard now. Seeing that soon all of the Federation forces are going back into that hell, they need you to be aware that the battles we're going to face now WILL be different to the ones you faced before."
"It's hard to win… isn't it?" asked Zero Two looking down.
"Well," said Hatake with a serious tone, "just remember one thing, I'm a king and we are all in this together! If someone dies on the battlefield, it will have to be me first! Although…" he said with a wry expression, "I don't feel like dying anymore because there are finally people who I can live for... I will protect everyone… I swear!" he said as everyone looked at him with a shocked seeing him act like that, "No, well I mean…" he said feeling embarrassed at everyone's reaction.
"Don't worry!" said Titus keeping his hand on Hatake's shoulders, "We got your back and so does the Federation!"
"Where's Naomi, by the way?" asked Kokoro.
"Yeah," said Ikuno, "I didn't see her after she left for her training."
"She's still training?" asked Hatake, "I told her not to stress it!"
"What do you mean?" asked Hiro.
"Well," said Hatake, "Phoenix was going in combat barehanded all this time, right? But actually, that Franxx is made for high-speed attacks and assassinating escaping targets. I saw Naomi handle Phoenix quite well, so, I decided to make her a permanent pilot for Phoenix once its weapon system was finished. That's what she was practicing on!"
"She has been practicing this long?" asked Ichigo.
"Yeah," said Hatake, "I will get her!"
"Nah," said Titus, "you stay, I will go!"
"Thanks, Titus!" said Hatake as Titus took his leave.
"I hope that was enough…" said Naomi looking at the time as she came out of Phoenix which was standing in another practice battle area, "I think I can train for one more hour…" she though taking a sip from the water bottle.
"Jesus! You really were practicing!" said Titus as he entered.
"Yeah…" said Naomi, "I finally got some responsibility too, you know?" she said looking at Phoenix with a smile.
"What do you mean?" asked Titus confused.
"Well," said Naomi, "I had a chance to work with Hiro before Zero Two came in out squad, sadly though… I didn't realize Hiro was anything special and I always blamed him for not being able to pair up with me. B-But now, I want to stand up-" she said as she felt light dizziness, "I want to stand up to him…" she said as she fainted, Titus caught him by her hand.
"That doesn't mean you need to kill yourself Naomi…" said Titus looking at her before taking her and going for help...
A few hours later...
"Where am I?" asked Naomi as she got up to find herself in the medical bed.
"How could you be so careless?!" said Hatake sitting on a chair beside her in an angry tone.
"I'm sorry…" said Naomi with a smile, "I fainted, didn't I?" she asked.
"Because u didn't eat anything!" said Hatake, "I thought at least you will be able to take care of yourself since you are grown up enough… But looks like I did a mistake believing your words!"
"Ah, come on!" said Naomi with a smile, "I can still train!" she said as she tried to get up.
"Don't!" said Hatake as he pressed her head back onto her bed, "You have trained enough… At least rest a bit! What good would it be if you train all this time and you are unable to even get inside your Franxx during battle… Anyhow," he said getting up from the chair, "I'm going, you can take some rest or meet everyone who is outside-" he said as the whole Squad Jian rushed inside.
"Naomi!" said Kofuku as she hugged Naomi crying, "I was so worried!"
While Naomi was being lectured by her friends, Hatake spoke with Lara...
"Doctor says, she will be okay if she gets proper rest," said Lara as she stood beside Hatake standing on a balcony the gave a nice view of the whole camp.
"I know that… I even know that I'm not supposed to be worried about them, but I'm the king, right? Careless and useless maybe, but yet, I'm the king… So, even for once... I care about them, no matter what, so, I just…" said Hatake.
"Don't worry about that. I know that feeling too. Being a trainer puts you into a similar position, you know? You never know which one of the students you train will either return as a prodigy, as a survivor or as a corpse." said Lara, " You can only teach them that much before they have to do that journey by themselves, and sometimes it is what you teach what keeps them away from death sometimes. But you need to learn to trust them and to take this as an opportunity: even expert pilots like the ACES have yet to learn many things. Also, don't consider yourself a useless king, you just started that job and the Klapiens have already forgotten how it was after millenniums of hibernation. So you still got a chance to prove yourself, both as a leader and as a warrior. Also, if you want me to, I can always tell Pixy to keep an eye on her in her training sessions. He has a lot of free time after all..." She said with a smile while retiring from the balcony.
"Thanks! I would appreciate that!" said Hatake, looking at the sunset.
Two weeks later.
After long, painful sessions of training with the "Demon Lady of the Round Table", Jian Squad have managed to at least knew the basics of the different battle styles their roles perform best, the many skills that their Franxx had, along with new knowledge in logistics, survival, and strategy. Today, it was their last day before returning tomorrow to Aztlan and as a way to celebrate their "graduation" they were all going to spend the day on the lake!
"Oi get ready fast!" said Zorome as he wore his trunks.
"Wait up, will you?" asked Goro as everyone got ready to swim in the lake near the camp.
"Alright!" said Hatake as all the boys stood outside their quarters, "Let's go then!"
"What about the girls?" asked Goro.
"Oh, well they said they all will be coming later!" said Hatake as Pixy's jeep came there.
"You guys ready?" asked Pixy, "Lara said she would bring the girls!"
"Alright then!" said Goro as he kept bags in the back of the jeep, "let's go!" he said as everyone got up and after about 15 minutes they could see it, the lake that that shined because of the sun that right above their head, the sand was warm with a few coconut trees around it, the lake actually gave a feel of being on a seashore rather than on a lake.
"HELL YEAH!" shouted Zorome as he jumped into the water making it splash all over the other boys.
"How dare you?" shouted Futoshi as he jumped over him.
"When will others come though?" asked Mitsuru.
"Worried about your wife already?" asked Pixy in a teasing manner.
"N-Not at all!" said Mitsuru embarrassed.
"Then come on!" said Pixy as he pulled Mitsuru into the water. Titus and Hatake had drinks, and Goro was unpacking a grill.
"What's the matter?" asked Goro looking at Hiro who was standing beside him looking at all of them with tears in eyes.
"Nothing…" said Hiro wiping his tears, "It just reminds of the old days…"
"Yeah, it does…" said Goro looking at them with a smile.
"Hey I got sand in my eyes!" said Zorome, "I need a towel to wipe my eye!" he said as he got out of the beach and looked for the towel blinded, "Hey did we bring sponges?" asked Zorome as his hands landed on something soft and squishy, "damn where is the towel!" he said as someone gave a towel in his hands.
"Ah, thanks!" said Zorome as he wiped his eyes and was finally able to see. Everyone looked at him with shocked as Miku stood in front of him with her face totally turned red. Zorome didn't understand anything until he looked at where his other hand was, "M-Miku!" he shouted as he jumped back as Miku ran away in embarrassment.
"Darling!" said Zero Two as she came near Hiro.
"Y-Yeah?" asked Hiro shocked looking at her wearing a crimson-colored bikini. She pulled him towards the water with her, it was evening already, the sand had turned red due to the setting sun. Everyone else followed them, while Zorome apologized to Miku.
"Well, it looks like everyone is having fun…" said Hatake looking at them as all of the squad played in the water in the light of dusk.
"Um…" said Seraphime as she pulled Hatake's shirt from the back, "What do you think?"
"What do you mean-" said Hatake as he turned back to find Seraphime wearing a sapphire-colored bikini, he said nothing else but showed a thumbs up as he used his other hand to hide the blood coming out of his nose.
"They look so happy, don't they?" asked Lara taking a sip from her beer can as she sat on a chair near the lake with Pixy.
"Yeah, wars are so cruel and time-consuming I can't remember the last time we had a moment like this…" he said looking at the sky.
"True indeed-" said Lara as a warning siren was suddenly heard from the camp, "What's happening!?" she asked over the intercom.
"Incoming air raid! Coming from the northwest!" replied the personnel.
"What?!" asked Lara shocked.
-end of chapter-
PS: Alright, now before you ask me, I'm very, very sorry for being this late on the chapter's submission (You ca blame Minecraft for that :P), I hope you all are just doing fine inside your houses. So, anyway I will try to submit chapters faster from now on, maybe 2 per week!