(Disclaimer: I do not own the Gundam franchise. Credits go to Bandai and Sunrise for making this amazing mecha franchise.)

Gundam Build Divers: Division Cross Rays

Prologue: Recruitment

The faint sounds of battle echoed across a dimly lit room.

Multicolored laser beams flashed across the screen as custom Mobile Suits peered into view. Explosions rocked the camera recording the footage before cutting to static. A few beam sabers clashed, sending streaks of plasma out in different directions. Throughout the battle, a massive crowd of colorful Avatars, both humanoid and non-humanoid, roared in admiration. This general theme went on for quite some time before an energized voice begins the narration.

"Building skills, battle techniques, and strategic teamwork all come to a head in this heated battle for glory! Which Force will reign supreme and walk away with the Grand Prize? Are you ready for this? The 4th Division Cross Rays is starting soon!"

A young woman listened patiently on the other side of the screen as even more battle footage played before the video's outro. She looked on passively, straining to read the contest mechanics as they flashed on the screen for a few seconds. As the short promotional video ended, she leans back on her computer chair and stretches her arms. Admittedly, it was quite good for advertising the event, even to one who isn't as enthusiastic in toys and Gunpla Battle.

"I can at least see why they're interested." She opens up another tab on her browser. This time, it was a tech news article detailing the massive Break Decal incident that shook GBN over a year ago. "Making the game more interesting…let's see how this can help us."

The Division Cross Rays was intended to be a more localized version of the Gunpla Force Tournament held worldwide. It was initially meant to shine a spotlight on smaller yet equally skilled Forces operating in the cities. They are divided based on districts, with only one Force serving as the district's official entry to the tournament. Selection battles are held privately, often months before the start of the preliminaries.

The port city of Yokohama was the first champion during the early days of Cross Rays. It is this honor and prestige which the Yokohama Black Sharks wanted to reclaim. Thus, standing in front of a 24/7 convenience store on a cold night, a young girl waited. Her gaze was fixated on her music player, volume turned just high enough to drown out the louder sounds of cars passing by. She lifts her right arm to take a look at the time on her watch. Six-thirty. Arata was probably running late.

"Sorry for the delay." An older male walks up next to her just as the current song finishes. Talk about convenient timing. "Were you waiting long?"

"Around thirty minutes. What happened?" She puts away her music player and earphones back in her pockets. It was rare for her older cousin to arrive late on his appointments.

"Just a slight mishap during the processing. No big deal—it's all sorted out now." Arata glances at his own watch, which he wore on the left instead. "I'm hungry though. Where do you want to eat? I'm paying."

"Anywhere's fine with me."

The two eventually settled on a ramen place that wasn't as busy in the time of night. In a few minutes, the salaried employees would start heading out for the usual after-hours. Thus the girl opted to buy a smaller portion. Nonetheless, the noodles were still piping hot so she decided to get straight to business as her older cousin slurped down his order.

"About taking over the Force in your stead…I'm not quite sure I'm up to it yet."

Arata raises a hand for a bit while he swallows a mouthful of salty pork slices. "I thought you wanted to get back at the Blazing Crashers for sidelining you during the last tournament?"

The girl winced upon mention of the name. "I still do. I'm just not sure if it's the right time."

"Think of it this way; you're bound to face them eventually. Why not use the grand stage to showcase your power now?"

The girl sighed. If only she can be as straightforward as this guy. Still, he does make a good point. "Makes sense, I guess. I'll essentially be a newcomer to the team though. Your other members may not take kindly if you just give the position to me."

"Why not? We're family. I trust you."

Had he said that in a more formal and structured setting, people will surely accuse him of nepotism. The girl grimaced at that possibility. Seeing this, Arata shifts his body to meet her deep blue eyes better.

"Look Iris…when I'm gone, there's only going to be two veteran members left on the Force. Both of them are around the same age and even in the same class as you. The rest will be newcomers. Don't worry about it." He places a hand on her shoulder.

"Who are the other members anyway?" If they were both students at her class, she may have heard a thing or two about them. "I mean, we both know I don't exactly hang around after school."

"The veteran guys are both second years at Actaeon like you. They're pretty nerdy about Gundam and model building in general so expect some resistance to your reign. One is a third year. He's a friend of mine who also plays but has never joined a Force until now. He's a friendly guy. A bit too flirty with the ladies for my taste." Arata chuckled. "I'm sure he'll back away if you told him to."

So far, that's three boys on the team. Perhaps it wasn't too unusual considering Gunpla Battle was still predominantly male. "Anyone else?"

"Well…we managed to ask this girl to be on the team. She says she's still a bit busy but she'll be able to take part when we resume practicing a few days from now on." Arata counted down with his digits as he went on. "Five people. We're at the minimum number of players required to go with the tournament."

At least she wasn't going to be the only girl on the team. Again. "Alright. I'll do it. We can probably have a few practice sessions before proceeding to the qualifiers."

Arata's eyes seemed to light up at her acceptance. He probably knew she would eventually cave in but there was no denying the apparent joy in his face. "Cool. I'll owe you a big one for this, Iris."

Idabashi Models was a small yet homely Gunpla shop and GBN portal. Its selection was limited, at least in terms of quantity, compared to the big shopping malls but it does have its fair share of regulars. Cheapest prices in the block, as the shopkeeper Maya once said. Iris liked the variety of acrylics and enamels it kept in stock. Completed models built and painted properly according to the instructions were behind glass cases complete with LED lights. It was a builder's paradise.

Its close proximity to Actaeon is just icing on the cake for Iris. Arata's Force, the Yokohama Black Sharks, use the shop as their base of operations. Iris took note of some of the nicer models she saw on display; her attention lingering on a Strike Gundam diorama before heading inside the GBN play area.

"Arata-senpai!" A young man was already waiting at the break room when the Force leaders arrived. He was pale and lanky with unkempt black hair and green eyes. Clearly, he did not care much about first impressions. The brown scarf he draped over his uniform added to this overall shifty look. "Is she a new member?"

"Endo Takaya. I think I have seen you around before." Iris recalls the name of the boy in front of her. He was in the same year but in a different section. They've probably collaborated on campus-wide events back then. She steps forward to introduce herself. "Ayamine Iris, from Class 2-A. Nice to meet you."

"Our first formal introduction huh?" He manages a small smile. "Then, I'm Endo Takaya from 2-B. Pleasure's mine."

"You don't really talk to me much, even during the last cultural meet."

"Nothing personal though. I don't talk much in general. I'm usually exhausted when I get to school." He points at the faint dark circles forming underneath his eyes.

"Is Rio around?" Arata asks, scanning the room for the other boy's belongings.

"Downstairs. Trying to make progress on his serial mission again."

"Oh?" The three members decided to head in the sprawling play area to catch a glimpse of the other veteran member. A young man with a brown complexion and darker brown hair was playing on one of the machines. Usually, it is easy to mistake a Diver to be sleeping whenever they play. This one was quite frantic, his agitated expression clearly visible on his face. His hands seemed to yank on the control sticks as if he was in a racing game.

"Oh boy." Arata clicks his tongue and shakes his head. "He's not doing very well is he?"

"I keep offering to help out but he insists he can do it. He's usually exhausted his ammo reserves once he gets to the Gundam Epyon at the end." Takaya shrugs his shoulders.

"AAARGHH!" Rio let out a slight howl as he yanks his hands out of the console. Game over. He hangs his head back on the seat, waiting for the system to take him back to the game lobby.

"Right. Let's leave him there for now. I've got an important announcement to make." Arata ushers the two younger members back in the waiting room. "Starting today, Iris is taking over my position as the leader of the Black Sharks."

Iris gave a slight bow at her cousin's words. She's officially the leader of the Black Sharks now, even if the name didn't exactly appeal to her own taste. She could see Takaya's eyes widen at the announcement.

"Hey! What's the deal?" He protested the former leader's decision. "You're seriously getting a newbie to manage the Force for you?"

"I may be a newcomer to the Force but I have been battling for quite some time now, I'll have you know." Iris keeps a polite but firm tone as she addresses the statement. "You do not have to worry about me slowing you down."

"But why her? Why not me or Rio? We've been around for much longer." Nonetheless, Takaya was still reeling. His shoulders were tense as he kept his strong gaze at her cousin.

"Well, she's the real deal though. An Ace rank player with an average of one hundred and fifty destruction points. We both have a lot of catching up to do on our individual accounts." The tense atmosphere was interrupted by Rio's arrival, calming the other boy down somewhat. He dressed a lot neater and a bit more grounded as well.

"Takanashi-san." Iris calls him out by his last name. "Glad to see a familiar face."

"Ayamine-san." Rio nodded, addressing her the same way. "I looked up the records earlier. Very impressive."

"You can hear us earlier huh?"

"The sounds die out while respawning you know?" Rio grinned. "I can hear you guys very clearly. And for the record, I only lost because I didn't think the Wing Zero would turn on me in the middle of the battle."

"Fair enough." Iris noted. He probably does not deal well with unexpected surprises at higher difficulties in the game.

"Ace rank huh? Points are meaningless though. Exploiting low-level players, accumulating them over a long period of taking on easy missions. It's a system with its fair share of loopholes." Takaya blurted out as if he was merely talking to himself.

Iris shot him an accusing look. "So you're saying that I'm just faking my achievements? Is that it?"

"I wasn't referring to anyone in particular. Just pointing out facts." There was a slight sarcasm in Takaya's tone. Classic defense. She's seen it all before.

"How about a battle then? Surely you won't back off from a low-level Ace like me?" Iris squares up to the lankier male.

"You're the one picking a fight here. But sure." Likewise, Takaya turns to meet her head-on. "I don't mind a fight here and now."

"May I remind you that you do not have your Gunpla with you?" Rio places a hand on Takaya's shoulder. "Stop being reckless."

"You as well, Iris." Arata on the other hand, was on his younger cousin's side. "You didn't bring yours."

"I'll borrow a model from Maya-san. I'm sure she won't mind."

"Very well." Takaya smiles though his brows remained furrowed. "I'll use a stock build as well. I don't want any excuses."

How condescending. Iris turns to head back outside, muttering a few, fighting words.

"You'll regret this challenge."

"Heh! We'll see." Likewise, Takaya follows suit, leaving Rio and Arata alone in the break room.

"I didn't realize Endo-kun's been eyeing the position. Did you know about this?" Arata asked the more level-headed old member.

"Yeah. He's been getting into duels left and right with me and other members for that reason. He's that serious."

"Is he?" Arata turns to the machines. He starts booting a second one up to have it ready when they get back. "That's fine. I'm sure he'll find out that Iris is no pushover in this game soon enough."

Free Battle Mode

GBN generates a virtual environment for missions and battles to take place in. In this case, a sprawling urban metropolis was laid out for the two combatants. Towering skyscrapers lined the city streets, limiting maneuverability for bulkier machines. Still, they do provide plenty of cover. The two opposing machines materialized, landing on opposite positions at the edges of the virtual city.

"Quite elaborate for a quick one-on-one battle." Iris' eyes darted back and forth between the main camera display and the minimap on her radar. Her Avatar was a human female patterned after her image. She wore a blue-green long-sleeved jacket with black shoulder pads and trims. Underneath, she had a black short skirt on top of black leggings covering her legs, and brown hunting boots. A shiny metal sabre fastened on her waist broke up the dark-colored monotony of her outfit; a reward for a mission completed not too long ago.

The Gunpla she had chosen was the Aile Strike Gundam; a high mobility G Project Mobile Suit. Despite the wings and thrusters equipped on her Striker Pack, her machine cannot achieve true atmospheric flight. She'll have to fly low on the city level, using the buildings as cover.

Still, it was manageable. Iris gripped the controls tightly as she waited for the countdown to finish. Despite being a stock build, the model moved fluidly according to her commands. It was based on the modern High Grade project; the builder devoting a lot of time and effort for the perfect out-of-box presentation. Now to see its performance in live battle…

3, 2, 1…BATTLE START!

As the announcement rang out, Iris' Strike took off, dashing towards the city center. She can already hear the proximity warning ringing out as an approaching heat signature manifested as a bright dot on her sensors. A green beam fired in her direction and she immediately positions her shield to avoid catastrophic damage.

"Great idea keeping low and using the terrain for cover!" Takaya yelled out as beam shots fired from his direction. Iris' Gundam immediately dives lower, taking care to raise her shield in order to defend herself from any lucky hits.

Takaya yelled out as he cycles through another shot from his beam rifle; his machine dashing fast on the sky. It was the Force Impulse Gundam, a Second Stage ZAFT Mobile Suit analogous to the Strike. The two machines were similar enough in design and armament but the Impulse had one massive advantage over its Earth Alliance opponent: the machine can fly.

This capability is troublesome for Iris. She dived deeper into the city center, trying to avoid attacks coming from above her machine. Luckily, her opponent did not seem interested in descending down to match her up close. It was a wise move. Takaya was exploiting every advantage he had over her.

"What are our options?" Iris immediately cycles through her mind. Going on the defensive was not going to win her the battle. She could theoretically close in using the full power of the Aile Striker but that would wipe out most of her suit's energy. She continues to back away, returning fire with her own beam rifle and Vulcan guns. Stock builds aren't known to possess Phase Shift anyway.

"Come on! Is that all an Ace rank player can do?" Takaya fires another shot which Iris deflects with her shields. The constant yelling and taunting were getting annoying.

"Why don't you get down here and see for yourself?" Iris snaps back, the Strike leaping out to take a well-placed shot against the Impulse's arm. Takaya maneuvered out of the way to avoid fatal damage but the beam had grazed his machine's shoulder. The Impulse takes aim and fires. Iris shuts off the thrusters, allowing the Strike to free-fall away from the blast and into the cover of a condominium.

The Impulse backs away for a bit, ascending higher into the sky, possibly to assess the damage and the current situation. Almost three minutes have passed since the start of their encounter.

Iris needed to finish the battle now. She positions the Strike in a corner surrounded by buildings on three sides. For her already hampered machine, this position was disadvantageous. Yet she was betting that Takaya knows this as well.

The Impulse soon peered into her main camera's view. "Good shot!" He raises his rifle to aim at the cornered Strike Gundam. His tone was now excited rather than arrogant. He was enjoying the battle. Or perhaps he was savoring the thought of his victory? Either way, the Impulse Gundam prepared to fire.

Iris had been banking on this. She did not try to dodge. Her Strike just gripped its shield close to the body as she took aim with her own rifle. Both machines fired; green beams soaring towards their respective rifles. But the earlier shoulder damage caused Takaya's aim to be slightly off. His shot only managed to take out the scope of the Strike's rifle. On the other hand, Iris' shot found true and completely disintegrated the Impulse's powerful ranged armament. "Gotcha!"

"Not yet!" Takaya roars in defiance. He draws out his beam saber and charges, positioning his shield in front of him like an iron knight atop a charging warhorse.

Thinking fast, Iris directs full power to the Aile Striker. The Gundam staggers away, evading the lounging attack by scaling the surrounding buildings upward. The boosters burned brighter than normal. She was using way too much energy to force her machine to the air.

Again, the Impulse notices this. It took flight as well, remaining steady on its course while consuming less power than the Strike. Still, Takaya kept his shield steady; his opponent still had her rifle after all.

But he was too reckless. His Gundam was now confined in the same limited space as Iris'. Planting a firm foot on the towering skyscraper, Iris halts her ascent and purges the Aile Striker, letting it free-fall directly on Takaya's Impulse. Taking aim with her rifle, she proceeded to let loose shot after shot, igniting the remaining power cells in the Striker Pack, causing it to explode violently, sending smoke and metal debris scattering in different directions.

KABOOOM!

"No way…" Takaya sat in shock as his cockpit lights turned from blue directly into red indicating heavy damage. The Impulse falls down; its right arm mangled and its shield splintered and cracked in multiple areas. He could see the Strike Gundam descend, Armor Schneider in hand and aimed directly at his machine's cockpit.

The battle was over.

WINNER: AILE STRIKE GUNDAM

"So now you believe me?" Rio was the first to approach Takaya when the two combatants returned to the game's lobby. They had logged on with their respective Avatars in order to watch the battle up close.

Iris wasn't as ecstatic about this particular win. Victory felt good but ultimately, nothing was proven. Settling things with a duel gets exhausting really fast when it comes to games like this. She checks out her teammate's Avatars instead. It's amusing to see how people choose to present themselves in the game's world after all.

Arata was a human male in a typical leather biker outfit. He was always about that aesthetic, even outside GBN. Wanted to become a rider as well. Rio was some kind of half-beast. A wolf perhaps, judging by the ears. He had a bushy tail and a muzzle though it did nothing to reduce the sound of his voice as he reprimands the other member. Takaya was another human in a fictional military uniform. His garb did not resemble any of the factions from the various Gundam series.

"I owe you an apology." Her male adversary approached her Avatar. "I let my emotions take control earlier. I'm sorry." He bows his head.

Iris takes a small step back. First time anyone's apologized to her. Not sure what to do, she extends a hand to him as a friendly gesture. "I guess I got too emotional myself. Let's just put it behind us and move on."

Hearing this, Takaya raises his head and takes her hand in a firm shake. However, his eyes appeared to be distant. Pondering. It makes one question if he's really keen on putting this confrontation behind him.

"Ahem. As I was saying earlier—Iris, you are now the leader of the Yokohama Black Sharks." Arata turns to the other two boys. "I trust there are no more issues."

"No problem here." Rio nods.

"Same." Takaya echoes his friend's sentiments.

"Hey, can I make a small request?" Now that they acknowledge her as a proper part of the team, it was probably the right time to bring up her inquiry. "Could we maybe…change the Force name?"

Surprisingly, Rio was the first to protest; his wolf ears perking up. "What? Why?"

"I'm not feeling it too much."

"Why not? That way, if Golden Jaws changes theirs, we'll have definite proof that they're ripping off our style!" Takaya chuckles. At least they agree with the change.

"Eh, but Black Sharks is already a cool name!"

Iris can almost see Rio's Avatar pouting despite the mask he kept on. There were the wolf ears and now, the team name. The guy really loves his animals.

Arata just shrugged. "New management calls for a new name I guess. Do you have something in mind?"

Iris pauses for a bit to ponder on a new name. She wanted to use something she liked. Something that spoke to her personally. "I'm thinking…Amaryllis. Yokohama Amaryllis."

"Heh. Sure, that sounds good." Arata wraps his arms around the two boys' shoulders. "From now on, you guys are the Yokohama Amaryllis!"

"No complaints from me." Takaya sighed.

"I still think Sharks is a better name." It was obvious who that one was.

Iris turns back to the lobby. A bunch of other players has now gathered around the recording screens to watch their recent battle. One Avatar stood out to her in particular. She was a human dressed as a standard fantasy white mage. She had the fresh-faced look of a player getting into the game for the first time; her eyes staring intently at Iris' recent battle as her face showed traces of a smile forming.

"I'm glad you enjoyed that little show. Honestly." Iris also manages a smile. She was sure their new Force would have many more adventures and battles on the way to the big stage.

Author's Notes:

Well, back with a new story. I got too busy with work so all my current fics were put on hold. Still, Build Divers has given me some inspiration on a new idea so I wanted to write it down while it is still fresh. I'll be working on this first before I pick up Cyber Era whose original files on my local drive got wiped out because of a PC error. Lost Eden is still alive as well.

Anyway, I'm going to attempt a return to the old "tournament" format for a bit since that's the idea that's been kicking in my head. I was watching a lot of Muv Luv Alternative TE as well so I'll be drawing heavy inspiration from that anime. The faction naming thing was inspired by Hypnosis Mic. I only listened to a few stuff though so I'm not like a fan or something...yet. XD

Well, that's all for this introductory chapter. Chapter 1 officially starts later so I hope you guys enjoy! Signing off!