KnightOfZaku: Thanks for the ideas! I've definitely thought about it after you suggested it.
Ryan didn't exactly have a long time to nap, as before long, Alma was practically shoving him out of bed to eat.
"Come on~."
"Why are you so insistent on me coming?" Ryan yawned
"Well…because we're friends aren't we?" Alma looked up at him with puppy eyes, nervously mashing her fingers together.
Ryan dropped his head, Alma won. "Fine. I'll come,"
She smiled, "Alright!"
"Hey, Ryan-Chan!"
"Chan?"
"Yep! That's what I'm calling you!"
Ryan sighed, "Fine, let's just eat."
"Yes! I'm starving!" Alma bounded over to the lunch lady, a kindly old lady, "Hey Mrs. Heindal!" Alma leered over the food,
"The usual Alma? I have it prepared just for you." And the lady pulled out a plate absolutely stacked with meats, sweets, and a small helping of vegetables and fruit.
Ryan gaped as Alma hummed with the food on hand, "She eats all that?" He asked,
"She's a growing girl." Heindal smiled, "Now what can I get for you son?"
"Uh…" Despite being raised by the Sahalin family, it'd been years since he'd eaten anything better than a stale sandwich and some alcohol. So it overwhelmed him to be suddenly reintroduced to the food of the wealthy.
"I'll take those pork ribs, peas, and mash potatoes on the side."
"Right, coming right up." She piled the food on his plate and passed to him, uttering a quick thank you, he went to sit beside Alma.
She began to speak as she was practically shoveling down the food. "So-" She said with "-how were you selected?"
"Always talkative…" Ryan sighed, "Kycilia scouted me out herself."
"Really? Lady Kycilia actually came to you?!" Alma said in amazement, "You must be really incredible then!"
Ryan didn't respond, but looked up to find a light-blue haired girl walk in with a man - presumably a researcher - with a darker shade of blue hair.
Ryan wondered, but looking at them the room seemed to get chillier. Particularly around the man.
"Hey, who are they?" Ryan asked,
"Them?" Alma seemed slightly bothered by them as well, "I don't know the girl, but I know the man is Dr. Chlust Moses. He works on something called the EXAM Project, so we won't see much of him." Ryan wasn't sure, but he could've sworn Alma said "And a good thing too." under her breath.
"Something about him bothers me." Ryan said,
"Yeah…hey, you going to eat that?" Alma asked, pointing at his unfinished plate of ribs.
"Annoying." Ryan said, shifting the plate away from where Alma could snatch it.
"Hey!" Alma tried reaching for it, but Ryan refused to let her have it. "No fair! You're taller and have longer arms!"
"I never even said you can have it." Ryan replied.
Suddenly, a small handbell was rung at the front of the cafeteria, and dozens of children flooded the area, and a very tired-looking Esther Brinkman entered the cafeteria, trying to herd them all together.
"Seven! Quit messing around with the spoons! And Haman, how many times do I have to tell you to quit messing around with the Psycommu Systems! They haven't even been tested yet and you could've been hurt!"
Both children pouted, but replied with: "Yes Ma'am."
Alma smiled while looking at them, "They're fun aren't they." Alma asked him,
Ryan looked up, but didn't respond, he wouldn't have time to anyway as the handbell was rung again. This time, a group of researchers entered, with a man who was presumably Dr. Flanagan, the director of the Institute.
"Now that we're all settled, I'd first like to introduce a new person joining us here at the Institute. Please greet Ryan Sahalin, the Black Knight of Zeon."
At Alma's encouragement, Ryan reluctantly got up to much applause.
"Now, since the Institute's founding some months ago, we've been hard at work to develop a working Psycommu translator."
"Psycommu?" Ryan asked Alma. She shrugged,
"I've heard the word tossed around a few times, but I doubt anyone but the veterans here and the researchers know what it means." She replied
"I'd like to announce that we've successfully completed the first prototype for it. It should be smooth sailing from here." Flanagan raised a glass as many of the older subjects and researchers cheered and clapped.
"We'll also be holding our weekly evaluation tomorrow, it's a team battle outside the colony this time. Now that that's out of the way, enjoy your meal." Flanagan sat down at the staff table, and began to converse with the other researchers.
Then Ryan noticed something that he found very odd, "Alma, why are we by ourselves?"
"Oh…well…" Alma seemed embarrassed, "I tend to be very awkward to talk to because of my Newtype abilities…I can never seem to read a room and always say the wrong thing…"
"6So you tend to fumble every conversation?" Alma nodded abashedly,
"You know…I thought you'd be a lot…scarier than this." Alma said at last.
Ryan raised an eyebrow, and let her continue.
"When I first heard about you…I thought you'd be…I don't know, some kind of warmongering pirate-like guy. Probably with a few scars, but you're not even that much older than me. You could pass for my older brother."
Ryan looked at the girl, and realized that they were very similar in quite a few ways. Neither was extremely popular, and while Ryan did have a few friends in his early years of secondary school, after Karl Sahalin's death and Erena's abandonment of the family, he never really went out of his way to do such things, in fact, thinking about it, without Alma, he could count his genuine friends on a single hand.
But being around Alma was like being around a ray of sunshine. The girl was so cheery and…well just good to be around.
"You…remind me of someone," Ryan said at last, "Someone who was very precious to me," Ryan stood up, and took his plate before dumping it over the trash can.
"I'm going to sleep to prepare for tomorrow." Ryan said,
Alma nearly went to ask him about it, but was hit by a wave of something she sensed was sadness,, hurt, and regret, and let him go.
'Who hurt you, Ryan Sahalin?' Alma wondered,
Despite lying on the bed for the past thirty minutes, Ryan sighed, reaching for his bag, he dug through it for a moment before pulling out a photo from UC 0074. In it, a smiling Karl Sahalin had his hands around his four children, Ginias and Ryan flanked them, Aina was center, and standing in front of her legs…was Rose Sahalin,
Or by her real name, Rosary Ral Hamon.
'Where are you now…little sister?' Ryan rolled over and looked back up at the ceiling, holding the picture close to his heart.
"I can't believe this." Esther looked over the file with amazement, "He's completely burned through every mobile suit he's ever piloted. Nothing in the current Zeon arsenal can keep up with him."
"I know, that's why I want him in this." Flanagan pointed to a new file marked MS-06N Nezak. Esther flipped through it, the Nezak - a combination of 'Newtype' and 'Zaku' - was a joint development program between Zimmad and Zeonic to develop an MS specifically capable of being able to keep up with Ryan's ever increasing newtype ability.
Another special feature was the BETA (Beta EXAM Testing sAmple) System, a prototype for the EXAM system which removed all limiters on the mobile suit when it was activated, as well as activated an onboard AI which would further increase the reaction speed of the MS.
Aside from an improved OS and new systems, it was armed with a heat katana and a foldable heat hawk, a 120mm Zaku machine gun, a fixed pair of 3-tube missile launchers, and a new 105mm arm machine gun.
"This thing is a monster compared to the Zaku series." Esther said, amazed she looks up,
"It's just what he needs."
The following day…
"The MS-06N Nezak" Ryan looked over it, the commander's horn - rather than being pointed - was a rather flat rectangle, it's head design was reminiscent of a world-war era Stahlhelm. And - much to his pleasure - it was painted in a black and white color scheme.
"I want you to test it in today's exercise." Dr. Lom Flanagan explained.
"Isn't this a bit sudden?" Ryan asked, unsure of himself.
"War is made up of 'sudden'," Flanagan replied, "The truth is you've burned through the Zaku series with incredible ease. Even High Mobility type Zakus can no longer keep up with you, so we designed this. The Nezak will pave the way for the next generation of Zeon mobile suits,"
"I see." Ryan nodded, "Thank you then, Dr. Flanagan, Dr. Brinkman, for this." Ryan bowed in thanks.
Esther flushed red, "It's really no problem…" She smiled, "Just treat it well!"
"Alright! I hope you got enough sleep!" Lt. Commander Dejarden was responsible for the official military training of the Newtypes of the Institute, a Newtype himself, he was a brusque man who seemed all too good at picking up on emotions.
"We'll be breaking you guys up into teams! Boys and girls!"
Ryan shuffled over to the boys team, where he noticed something that seriously disturbed him. "Hang on, aren't we outnumbered like: 3 to 1?"
The boys nodded, "Apparently, women are more apt to become Newtypes…." One - fifteen year old - spoke up
Ryan also picked up a whole defeatist mentality hanging above the group like a cloud.
He sighed, 'This is going to be a long one…'
"Alright, since we can't do the exercise inside Riah, we'll be utilizing this shoal zone outside it." Dejarden told them over the radio, "Rules are simple, you have 2 hours. Destroy all opposition, remember, no fatalities! As such, everything is either paint rounds or on a low power setting. Time starts…now!"
"Sorry Ryan-Chan! But I can't go easy on you!" Alma told him sheepishly,
Ryan said nothing, switching to private comms with his team, he said: "Follow me."
"Sorry, what?" One boy asked, but Ryan didn't respond, diving straight into the shoal zone with his Nezak.
"Do we…?" One boy asked,
"I suppose." Another shrugged, the boys turned and followed him into the shoal zone.
"This is new…" Marion noted,
"So what?!" An arrogant voice came over the radio, "They're just beelining for the shoal zone to run down the time in a dumb cat and mouse game. They don't realize that we can find them due to Psycommu waves!"
"I don't know Angelina…" Alma said hesitantly, "Lalah…what do you think?"
"I…don't know. I think…the boys are confused as well. And the 'Ryan' boy among them left my range too fast."
"Wait. So neither side knows what they're doing?" Alma said, Lalah telepathically nodded yes.
"Well! One way to find out!" Angelina dived into the shoal zone after them,
"Angelina wait-" Marion tried to get her to not rush ahead.
"Great!" Alma muttered, 'This is a bad idea! I just feel it!'
"So…Mister.."
"Just Ryan is fine." He purged one of his Nezaks propellant tanks, grabbing it with a free hand.
"Want to explain what's going on?" One boy said, annoyed at all the secrecy.
"Ever wondered why you keep losing?" Ryan asked,
"H-how do you know we're on a losing streak?"
"Exactly." Ryan said cryptically, "Just, for now, do as I say. All of you, purge one propellant tank each."
They looked at each other, but then shrugged and followed his orders.
"Great. Now set them up behind debris. Clamp them there." Ryan said,
By now, some of the boys began to understand his idea, but we're quickly thrown off again by his next order.
"Alright, now, when I tell you too, prepare to have them fire off with the debris attached."
"We're not blowing them up?" The boy got no response,
"I need two boys with me." Ryan looked at them all,
"I'll go." One stepped forward, "Name's Heinrich Gaujay."
"Guess I'll come as well. I'm Zero."
"Zero?"
"I was raised at the institute as their first subject, I don't remember my real name, so I got the designation Zero."
"I see. Zero, Heinrich, come with me."
The boys followed Ryan in their MS-06R-2 Zaku II High Mobility Types.
Several kilometers later, Ryan halted. "They're coming. And they know we're here."
"Three enemies. Straight ahead, probably to ambush us." Lalah said suddenly,
"What the-? I don't sense any, nor is anything coming up on my sensors-" Angelica began,
"No." Alma's eyes narrowed, "They're here."
Angelica picked them up as well now. "They're behind the debris, blast it apart!" She raised her Zaku Bazooka, with the warhead deactivated and stripped of explosive material, it couldn't explode, but it could still dent and shatter objects that we're weak enough.
The girls all raised their own weapons.
Suddenly, Marion was hit in the mono-eye with a paint round. The computer automatically registered it as the complete destruction of her head, and shut off her main camera.
"My main camera's down!" She yelped,
"They're falling back," Lalah said,
"Oh no they don't!" Angelica rushed after them, Lalah, Marion, Alma, and the other girls following close behind.
"There's Ryan!" A black object hurtled towards them, far too fast to even positively identify, but they knew it was him.
Sure enough, his black Nezak came to an almost perfect stop, 'How does he do that…? The Gs from that should've killed him!' And yet here he was, pulling a move like that in the middle of a training exercise.
"Zero and Heinrich are right behind me. Prepare to launch the tanks!" Ryan ordered,
"Y-yes sir!" The boys slightly unscrewed the bottoms of all their tanks.
"Heh!" Angelica scoffed, "They led us right to their friends! All suits, prepare for combat!" She drew a Heat Hawk. Alma pulled out a Heat Sword, Marion grabbed a 120mm Machine gun loaded with paint rounds. Lalah pulled out a bazooka as the other girls prepared their own assortment of weapons, from sniper rifles to heavy machine guns.
As the girls rushed ahead, Lalah suddenly screamed out: "Wait no!" Causing the group to pause in indecision.
Something that cost them the match.
In that exact second, dozens of tons of metal debris hurtled down at them, powered by the propellant tanks that the boys had attached earlier. Their Newtype senses were overwhelmed by the sheer amount of objects approaching them, they could only dodge so many before they were hit and the tank subsequently exploded, either destroying, incapacitating, or heavily damaging the girls mobile suits.
"W-we've been had!" Alma cried out as a 6-ton piece of metal exploded, sending shrapnel into her suits arms, jamming her left and severely hampering her right.
"D-damn you!" Angelica yelled, rushing at Ryan with her heat hawk.
Suddenly, in a fluid, almost trans-human motion, he deftly sliced off all four of her mobile suit's limbs in a single second. The Nezak's mono-eye faded back to purple from very briefly activating its BETA System.
"W-what…?" Angelica wondered "How did you…?"
"All of your mobile suits have been eliminated." Ryan sheathed his sword before jetting off, leaving Angelica to wonder in shock at how she'd been beaten…
"Ryan! You're amazing! The Red Comet sucks ass compared to you!" A boy simply designated Eight proclaimed.
"No wonder they call you the Black Knight! Did you see the way he dismembered Angelica's Zaku?" Heinrich stated
"You mean didn't see?" Zero chuckled
Ryan sighed, "You guys flatter me…"
They pulled into the colony, using a specially built entrance to access the Flanagan Institute's hangar.
The boys surrounded Ryan cheering and clapping him on the back while cheering about how great he was.
"Seriously though. Launching and detonating debris with our propellant? Completely brilliant!"
The girls finally came in, towing several of their comrades, all of their Zakus we're covered in scratches and paint marks. When they got out of their mobile suits, they looked somber and beaten. Many hung their heads in shame, unused to losing to the boys.
To (literally) add insult to injury, the boys began to hoot and jeer at them. A few of the more prideful girls tried to bite back.
"Alright! That's enough! Form up!" Dejarden ordered, "So, who can tell me what the girls did wrong today?"
One boy immediately answered, "Angelica got cocky, and instantly followed us into the thicker areas of the shoal zone."
"Angelica immediately fell for the bait set by Ryan, Heinrich, and Zero."
"Angelica failed to coordinate with her team."
"Angelica failed to utilize her senses enough."
This triade continued on for about a minute, with the already beaten Angelica looking more and more crestfallen and embarrassed as it went on.
"Angelica didn't listen-"
"Alright!" She screamed, "I get it! I fucked up! And I cost us the match!" Turning around, she hid her tears as she left the hangar.
The hall fell silent, her embarrassment and self-hatred filling the air even though she was long gone.
The post-battle evaluation ended shortly after that. Ryan left the hangar when he heard sniffling.
He sighed, and walked over, where Angelica had her face buried in her knees. He knew she knew that he was there, but she simply turned the other way.
"Come to laugh at me?" She asked,
Ryan just handed her a tissue, "Here."
Angelica looked at it with disdain, "I don't need your pity." but still took it
"Because you're already getting enough from yourself?" Ryan asked, Angelica gaped. Surprised at the harsh words.
"You screwed up." Ryan leaned against the wall, "You got blasted for it. It happens." Ryan looked up, "I know a guy who used to be made fun of all the time for who he was. We called him a 'spoiled prince' back in the ZNDA." Ryan chuckled, "Spoiled was the last thing he was. Ended up graduating in the Top 5 when all was said and done. We sure ate our words."
"I don't think you're just here to reminisce about your academy days." Angelica said sarcastically.
Ryan turned serious again, "I'm not. I'm telling you to get off your ass." Ryan left it at that, walking away, leaving Angelica with an unused tissue in her hands.