TOURNAMENT BRACKET PLACEMENT: FINALS
3RD PLACE MATCH: CECILIA ALCOTT - LINGYIN HUANG vs HOUKI SHINONONO - KANZASHI SARASHIKI
1ST PLACE MATCH: LINCOLN LOUD - LAURA BODEWIG vs ICHIKA ORIMURA - CHARLES DUNOIS
"So, we have some time before our fated final fight," Strong Suit said, "Got any burning words you need to get off your chest?"
"What?" Laura didn't understand that expression.
"Do you have anything you need to say?"
"No...not really," Laura said as Lincoln was settling Cecilia into the impending 3rd-place match.
"This is quite droll!" Cecilia exclaimed, "I don't understand the point of a bronze medal match at all! Why even bother if the winner is already decided?!"
"You ever think about the possibility of Ichika winning and getting to choose his date?" Lincoln asked, "Just think of this as a last chance to impress him."
"That's a little crude," Rin commented, "but whatever works," while her eyes were on Ichika's first childhood friend, "Cud chewing boob lady I'M GONNA-"
"Rin! Hold it! Angry no good!" Lincoln waved his hands in front of her.
"Take it easy nothing!" Rin snapped, "What's she have that I don't?!"
"How about a giant chest that can kill her shoulders?"
"Whaddaya mean..."
"Think of it like this," Lincoln said, "If I was a girl, and I had to do athletics, those things would get in the way," then his hands mirrored a well-endowed chest, "So say I'm doing hurdles, jump PSH ow jump PSH ow jump PSH ow-"
"Haaaahahahahahahahahaaa!" Rin cracked, "I'll admit, you have a point..."
"And you have a nasty method of offending the wrong kind of woman," Cecilia griped.
Suddenly, an announcement came through, "WE WILL NOW BEGIN THE THIRD PLACE PLAYOFFS. ALL PARTICIPATING COMBATANTS PLEASE ASSEMBLE AT THIS TIME."
"Ugh, I dread the thought," Cecilia groaned.
"Hey," Rin quipped while deploying the Shenlong, "Keep up that butthurt attitude and you'll never get a date period."
"How dare you?!" Cecilia lost it, "You could never match my beauty, so don't get inflated by-"
"Ego! Ego! Bring down the ego!" Lincoln flailed.
"*SIGH...* You're right," Cecilia cooled down, "I really ought to control myself."
"Can you control yourself out there, please?!" Rin was hovering a couple feet into the arena, "HK's dragging ass for ours!"
"Yes, yes, I am aware," Cecilia said as she joined Rin on the arena floor.
Lincoln stood on the edge of the launch pad, watching the penultimate fight unfolding before his eyes.
"Well, this is quite unfortunate," Cecilia said to Houki, "To think we would be done in by the shield hero of the year."
BLUE TEARS — READY
"I didn't fight him!" Houki said, "Maybe you're just that incompatible with each other!"
UCHIGANE (SAMURAI) — READY
"Whatever, Numbuh One!" Rin snapped, "Get ready for an epic beat down!"
SHENLONG — READY
Kanzashi shook her head and focused her sights on Rin since she was the talker of the bunch.
UCHIGANE (YUMI) — READY
-FIGHT!-
Strong Suit joined Lincoln on the launch pad's edge, "Yo, bro. What's the down low?"
"Just a spectacle," Lincoln was watching Houki struggle with Cecilia's drones.
"Ooh! Is it story time already?!" Strong Suit clapped.
"Why are you even..." Lincoln narrowed his eyes at Suit's strange attitude change, only to get unnerved by Laura suddenly sitting down beside him, "Uh...why are your feet dangling from where mine are?..."
"Observation," Laura pointed to the holding area across from them, "Look."
Lincoln and Strong Suit peered their eyes past the dust and energy wasted on the arena into the locker rooms, where Ichika and Charles were already planning for the finals, discussing everything they've seen and developing any kind of tactics they could use.
"So, they're making a move on us," Strong Suit quipped, "So kill me."
"No, she's got a point," Lincoln said, "Look at how well they get along with each other. It's like they've been friends for a long time. Maybe that's why they were able to beat Tina and get to the finals."
"Because they're 'friends'?" Laura scoffed.
"No," Lincoln said, "It's because of their synergy. They are able to function as one unit. They knew what they were capable of and can cover for each other's weaknesses while building in their strengths."
"So, What's the point of that?" Laura said, "If I know you can pick yourself up, then how does that translate to the overall effectiveness of the unit?"
Strong Suit squinted, "Did anything we just said sink in that thick skull of yours?"
"It did," Laura blushed again, "Be quiet."
"Ok, then," Strong Suit crossed her arms and gave Laura a smug grin, "How do you plan on winning this tournament?"
"I will engage the bane of Mentor's existence," Laura said, "Loud will make sure that the Frenchman does not interfere."
"That's the only plan I can think of," Lincoln agreed, "Ichika doesn't have any long-range weapons, and Charles's IS is a walking Swiss Army Mech."
"Ironic you say that," Laura said while keeping her eyes on Cecilia's still posture, "The Rafael Revive Ensemble is actually a France-led cooperative effort with several scientists from Switzerland."
"Really? I didn't know that."
"You would if you read beyond what basic information the websites tell us."
"How basic do I have to be?" That line caused a tiny chuckle to erupt from Laura and Lincoln.
But Laura soon realized who else was watching and shut herself off a second later, "Ahem...hhh...we know what the enemy is capable of. And I will assume they know our strengths and weaknesses as well."
"Are you sure you're not just acting on your grudge against Ichika?" Lincoln asked.
"It's exactly why you think," Laura answered, "and I do not intend to lose this fight."
"Ok, I see where this is going," Lincoln said, "This is the first time we fought side by side."
"Ooh, a plan!" Strong Suit piqued, "What'cha thinking?"
"I saw Charles pull out a dagger," Lincoln thought, "I was thinking about using you the same way. Like, when he has me locked in on of his offensive maneuvers, you could come out with a sneak attack. Then we don't let up."
"Oh, I get it," Strong Suit said, "but how do you know when to draw him in?"
"I will have to limit my use of the AIC as well," Laura said, "They probably know about its weakness, so whenever I use it is when they will come after me."
"And I'll have to come after them," Lincoln added.
"And knowing his impulses...perhaps we shouldn't take action right at the beginning."
"Huh?"
"I mean, wait for them to make the first move."
Strong Suit giggled, "Oh, I got'cha, heheheheheheh..."
Just then, they saw Cecilia and Rin perform a double KO. Rin had to retreat to regain her foooting against Kanzashi. A few seconds later, she was about to be shot by Kanzashi's arrow, when one of Cecilia's drones deflected that arrow.
Rin fired her Ryuhou nonstop, separating Houki and Kanzashi. Right at that instant, she moved in close to Houki protected by the four drones, all firing at Houki in unison and immobilizing her until Rin closed ranks and deal the final blow, slamming her scimitars and the drones' energy shots into her.
UCHIGANE (SAMURAI) — SHIELD 0 (EMPTY)
Kanzashi got Rin with a surprise attack, but Cecilia fired her rifle to stop Kanzashi. Rin then chucked a couple drones at her and swung her staff upward to destroy the bow, then downward to destroy her wing units. Then, the final combo: Rin upward slashed Kanzashi into the remaining drones' excessive rapid fire, which only stopped when Rin slammed her staff downward and brought Kanzashi's knees against the floor.
UCHIGANE (YUMI) — SHIELD 0 (EMPTY)
"THE MATCH IS CONCLUDED. THE WINNER IS CECILIA ALCOTT AND LINGYIN HUANG."
"Boo-yah!" Rin cheered, "How'd you like them apples?!" And the crowd cheered along with her.
"Such an unbecoming display of bravado," Cecilia took her drones back, "You do realize that I had to bail you out of trouble with several no-scope shots."
"Who's the one that got you out of that two-for-one deal from halfway across the store?!" Rin got in her face, and the two growled.
Five seconds later, they were laughing.
Kanzashi didn't understand their laughter, "Are they gloating?"
"No," Houki said, "They're...enjoying themselves..."
In fact they were enjoying themselves so much, that they couldn't stop giggling, not even when they offered to help their fallen opponents off the ground.
Rin in particular, "Hihihi...Uh...Sorry, Houki..."
"Rin?" Houki was a little creeped out, "What's gotten into you?..."
"Oh, just all the bickering that was proven useless," Rin yanked her out of the Uchigane, "Lemme tell you, there's plenty of hot air, haha!"
"Uh...ok?" Houki allowed her to be carried to where Ichika was, "Um, thanks."
"Hey, don't sweat it," Rin withdrew her IS when Cecilia landed Kanzashi near the locker room.
"Hey, guys!" Ichika greeted everyone, "How is everything holding... out..." he paused when Kanzashi passed by and gave him a nasty, hateful eye. Once she was out of sight, he exhaled, "HOY...does anyone know what her deal is?..."
"It's not another set of circumstances out of your control, is it?" Cecilia asked.
"Oh, the thoughts we could think," Rin pointed to Houki, who was already angry about another potential girl interaction kept secret from her.
"So, what's it to you?!" Houki snapped.
"Houki," Ichika approached her, "I never knew her until the Academy."
"Says you!" Houki shouted, "How would I know you didn't have an affair behind my back?!"
"Because I was raised by Chifuyu, the sternest older sister I ever knew. She would sooner paddle a board over seeing me with someone else," Ichika managed to somehow scare almost everyone in his vicinity.
Thankfully, Charles stopped him from divulging any more strange stories, "Ahem, this is neither the place nor the time for this discussion." He(she) pointed them to holding area 2-3, where Laura was demonstrating to Lincoln a jumping maneuver that could prove useful in the upcoming battle.
"Is it just me," Rin blurted, "or did she finally manage to tame him?"
"It's the other way around," Charles said, "I believe that this was what he meant."
"Meant What?"
"Know thy enemy, except switch 'enemy' with 'ally'. That was what he wanted all along."
The girls went "HA?!"
But Ichika was smiling, "I expected as much."
"That means all four of us are on equal footing," Charles muttered.
Houki didn't give that any thought since she figured it didn't affect her or Ichika directly, and believed that the boys would win regardless. However, Rin and Cecilia took grave offense to that, for different reasons. Rin was worried that Laura and Lincoln actually stood a chance of winning the tournament, thus ruining any chance of a possible date with Ichika.
But Cecilia felt utterly betrayed.
Rin walked beside the blonde noblewoman, "Hey, What was that you said about doing it for his and his sakes?"
"I take back all of it," Cecilia walked right up to both boys and patted their shoulders, "Now, listen up, both of you!"
Lincoln and Charles gulped.
"You two must win this tournament at lol costs!" Cecilia commanded, "You must give it everything you've got, and you must fight for the rest of us who couldn't go the distance!"
Rin caught on to Cecilia's pep talk and joined in, "That's right! And we'll be supporting you from the sidelines, watching and cheering you on!"
"Uh, ok," Ichika already had a plan to win, but he just ran with the spur of moment, "We won't fail you."
"We'll do our best to surpass your expectations, Chancelier," Charles gave a French salute.
Houki was standing by when everyone else hyped up the pep, and she wanted to offer some words of encouragement as well, "Ichika."
"Hm?"
But she couldn't really find the right words to truly convey her feelings. So... "...don't die," Houki said, "Don't you dare die!"
"Hey, have some faith, Houki," Ichika tapped her elbow.
Which got the attention of the others, who were all staring intently at Houki. But she didn't pay any attention to them; her eyes and ears were on Ichika's next words.
"Don't stop believing," he said, "Hold onto that, and have faith. You do that, and I'll win."
Houki nodded. Rin and Cecilia looked on with a hint of envy, as if Ichika had already decided on who his date was.
Ichika walked to Charles's side, "Well, this is it."
"Yes it is," Charles responded, "Shall we?"
The instant the two bumped fists, they were enveloped in a brilliant light. When the light subsided, they were fully deployed on the arena floor, looking up at their opponents who were contacting eyes with them trying to psyche them out.
"We've done all we can," Lincoln said, "Now, we have to go the distance."
"Indeed," Laura didn't waste any time on them, and she deployed simultaneously with him. For a brief second everything was completely white, but soon after...
"...nnn...YEEP?!?!"
...everything was completely dark.
"Uh...ok...where the heck are we?!" Lincoln freaked a little.
Strong Suit shuffled her feet a little, "Feels like a concrete building tunnel thing, almost like an old disaster shelter."
"Oh no..." Lincoln rubbed his eyes, "I've seen this before..."
"Seen huh?"
"It's called the IS subspace, in that senior-level textbook. Only a tiny handful of people can wander around freely in here."
"Should I know that?" Strong Suit squinted.
Laura interrupted them coldly, "Sie beide, passen Sie auf," and opened a couple hidden chambers in the floor, "Der Feind erwartet uns."
Lincoln peered over her shoulder and gasped. Somehow, their ISs were compartmentalized and stored under the surface without losing their luster, "Am I just dimension hopping now?..."
"Es ist keine Zeit zum Reden," Laura reprimanded him, "Sich fertig machen."
"OK OK," Lincoln pouted, "Ich habe dich das erste Mal gehört."
"Dann tu es," Laura attached one of her wing units to the railgun and joined it with her other unit to hover above her.
"Hey," Strong Suit whispered while Lincoln was putting in his body armor, "You think this is all in her head?"
"Probably," Lincoln said, "but we just have to walk behind her. I'm willing to bet that this blackness is all she seen."
"Eugh...just think of the monsters that lurked in this place...Wait, did she kill them all by herself?!"
"Not all of them," Lincoln finished with his gear and readied his wing shield, "There's still a couple more waiting outside." Laura had finished with her headgear and was finalizing her IS's settings when he walked to her side, "Sind Sie bereit?"
"Ja," Laura nodded and led them toward the mysterious light at the end of the tunnel.
Lincoln noticed Laura's facial expressions change; the closer they got to the light, the softer her demeanor became. "Was ist falsch?" He asked, to no answer.
All he got was another question, "Will he fight as well?"
Lincoln knew who she meant, "I know he will."
Strong Suit heard him, but she knew better than to believe it at face value. The "I know he will" was really a truncated version of "I know he will win". She was present when Ichika saw her dumbbell pass through the AIC. She knew Lincoln was too invested in his other two friends to not brief them on everything he knew about the Schwarzer Regen.
"Hauhhh...That baggage ain't gonna filter itself, I suppose..." Strong Suit fizzled out of existence until she was called to battle.
It wasn't long before they approached the end of the tunnel. Lincoln took one last look at Laura before the light fully engulfed him. Nothing much had changed, except the placement of her left hand. It was just for a split second, but he clearly saw that it was pointed directly at his belt, as if it was reaching out for something to grab. He tried to take her hand, but as soon as the light fully engulfed them, it was gone. There was nothing for him to take.
When the light subsided, Lincoln found himself on the arena floor, directly below the screaming crowds chanting for his downfall:
"KICK HIM TO THE CURB!"
"Finally, some much deserved payback!"
"Make it him wish he'd never talk again!"
"THIS IS WHAT YOU GET!"
Lincoln pouted, then looked in front of him. Laura was standing at attention, locking down her main target with just her eyes, while Ichika was only a few feet away from Charles staring them both in the soul.
"To think I would face you in the final match," Laura said, "Now, I don't have to starve myself any longer."
SCHWARZER REGEN — READY
"Yeah, that's how I feel..." Ichika responded, "...like Christmas with more violence."
BYAKUSHIKI — READY
Lincoln looked under Ichika's arms and saw Charles already preparing to draw weapons, "Definitely feels like we're wrapping something up, don't it?"
SAVVY SUITE — READY
"It's comforting," Charles smiled, "this sense of finality."
RAFAEL REVIVE CUSTOM II — READY
The entire stadium was on edge. The pilots in the pit, the international leaders who gathered to witness history, the many students who were cheering for the right man to win, and the instructor who oversaw both their growths were standing by. As the countdown began, the only noise was coming from the buzzer. Right before the clarion call, Laura and Ichika gave one last declaration,
"I WILL CRUSH YOU!"
-FIGHT!-
Ichika made the first move and blasted off towards Laura, "RRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-" but Laura unleashed her AIC and locked him in place.
The girls in the holding area were groaning.
"Just as I expected," Rin said.
"AIC..." Cecilia shook her head, "and I thought he understood it by now."
While the rest of the stadium held their breath, Lincoln took it as the signal to move in immediately, since he knew Charles would try to bail Ichika out. He also thought they would gang up on him when least expected since he always kept his allies close to him, so he put his plan into motion.
All the while, Laura was taunting Ichika, "A preemptive attack right after the match begins? You're so predictable."
"Thanks so much," Ichika joked, "I'm so glad that you're able to read my-"
SAVVY SUITE — SHIELD 85/100%
STRONG SUIT — SHIELD 15%
BOBOBOBOBOOM!
Ichika was suddenly hit with a pair of aces. Charles tried to rise above him for a sneak attack, but he got hit by triple 3s and a 45-lb free-weight.
By none other than Lincoln. He leaped over Laura and threw those cards, and quickly brought his shins and forearms to the ground before Laura fired her railgun directly at the opposite pair.
BYAKUSHIKI — SHIELD 78/100%
RAFAEL REVIVE CUSTOM II — SHIELD 75/100%
Ichika and Charles skidded backwards a few feet, but recovered shortly after.
Lincoln flung himself towards Charles and threw as many cards as he could at him, "Caught you dialoguing!" He chased Charles all across the arena trying to hit him, but he was unable to prevent him from performing the rapid switch to double assault rifles.
Ichika tried to pin down Lincoln, but he saw another 45-lb flying at him and swatted it away, "Nngh...wha...you're joking!"
"No, we ain't!" Strong Suit shouted while clinging to the Schwarzer Regen's left wing unit.
Laura revealed her twin arm sabers and rushed to Ichika, forcing him to hold position and engage on the ground.
Charles was locked in a firefight with Lincoln, which he didn't think was possible. No matter where he went, those cards always followed him, and he thought to use the constant stream of projectiles to catch Laura off guard. So, he continued to fire at Lincoln and lead him right to Laura, knowing that Ichika would try to set himself up to lure her into a trap.
The only problem was Strong Suit, "I see rain!"
Laura heard her and froze Ichika, waiting for Charles to get close enough for Strong Suit to chuck another dumbbell at him. But he got close enough to where Suit was able to throw a 100-lber right at Charles's face. Lincoln swerved left away from Laura, giving her a free potshot at Ichika.
BYAKUSHIKI — SHIELD 50/100%
RAFAEL REVIVE CUSTOM II — SHIELD 62/100%
SAVVY SUITE — SHIELD 74/100%
SCHWARZER REGEN — SHIELD 100%
This caused the entire stadium to scream.
Though, not as loudly as Houki, "WHAT WAS THAT?! WHAT IN THE HELL WAS THAT?!"
Rin was slightly less freaked out, "How would I know?! That was so cool and so damn aggravating at the same time!"
"No, it's neither," Cecilia stopped them and explained everything, "It was an extremely calculated mental play. All four knew each other's weaknesses and strengths, so they're making plays that could exploit any holes in their defenses."
"Ok, but if that's the case, then shouldn't they be equal?!" Rin asked, "Then how come Ichika's already taken two rockets to the face?!"
"It's her," Cecilia pointed to the girl latched onto Laura's left wing unit.
And Houki recognized that short ponytail, "That's Strong Suit...but how did she get over there?!"
"He deployed her there when he hopped over the Schwarzer Regen," Cecilia said, "My guess is that he's going to keep her there for the duration of the battle, as a surprise counter just in case they try to surround her."
She was proven correctly, as the girls saw. Charles shake Lincoln off and take aim at Laura, only for another dumbbell to throw his aim off.
"Why that lousy German cow!" Rin snapped, "Isn't there anything they can do to get her off?!"
"No," Cecilia answered, "As someone with firsthand experience with the Full House Gang, a direct assault would be fruitless. Most likely, this will come down to misdirection."
"What? Misdirection?" Houki repeated, "You mean, make them bump into each other?"
"Not just that..." Cecilia murmured.
Strong Suit had just finished warding off another attempted assault from the Revive, but Laura was prevented from firing her railgun due to several stray shots hitting her and Ichika. A risky move on Charles's part, but well worth it because Ichika was able to get two hits in before being forced to flee Laura's CQC range.
SCHWARZER REGEN — SHIELD 82/100%
BYAKUSHIKI — SHIELD 41/100%
"They're getting crafty," Strong Suit nudged.
"Do we change up our game plan, then?!" Lincoln screamed while avoiding a rapid-fire machine gun spray.
"No, we need to confuse them," Laura said, "Switch targets now."
"Understood!" Lincoln suddenly stopped attacking and used his wings as a makeshift parachute, slowing down just enough to gain footing and kick his way back to Laura.
"Huh? Ah!" Charles noticed the lack of cards and caught Lincoln fleeing his skirmish to gang up on Ichika. He rounded the wall and flung back to his teammate with even greater speed, "Oh no you don't!"
"Dang..." Strong Suit noticed that the Revive's speed had suddenly quadrupled and jumped off Laura's unit to intercept Charles, "Back!"
"Huh?" Lincoln looked behind him and saw Charles with an unusually large needle, "EEK!" He drew his shield just in time to block Charles's sudden attack, but he wasn't prepared for the aftermath. He was utterly blown away. His body was like a boulder being catapulted across the desert. He missed Laura, but his shield was knocked off his hand and found its way to Ichika's leg. Lincoln himself buried his hands and feet in the dirt and clawed his way to a halt, but he saw Charles approaching too fast for him to react to, until Strong Suit emerged from his back and clocked the orange IS in the head. The hit threw Charles off balance and allowed Lincoln to catch the giant pointy thing, but it wasn't enough to ward off all its force, as he was still blown sky high.
RAFAEL REVIVE CUSTOM II — SHIELD 43/100%
SAVVY SUITE — SHIELD 33/100%
Lincoln kept rolling until he threw his arms back to stop himself, "How did-" he was cut short by a shotgun shell barely missing his face. He saw Charles engaging Strong Suit and dropped down to help her, but he was suddenly blindsided by a combat knife.
"An IB?!" Lincoln stammered, "That wasn't in the data!"
"That's right!" Charles screamed, "Because I've never used it before!"
"You mean you just now learned how to do that-" BONK "-AY!" Lincoln was hit again with Charles's rush attack, and was only spared the rest of the punishment by Strong Suit and her empty barbell.
"Now That's on you!" Strong suit said while fending off Charles's guns, "Never trust your eyes!"
Throughout all this, Laura caught every moment of it. She kept her railgun aimed at Lincoln while fending off Ichika until he tried for another rush attack to her blind spot. But this time, she chose to charge her railgun instead of block the Yukihira. She took damage, but the hit gave her just enough space to fire her railgun. Lincoln heard it go off and let in a hit from Charles's knife to get him away from the impact zone.
SCHWARZER REGEN — SHIELD 66/100%
BYAKUSHIKI — SHIELD 37/100%
Charles didn't see the incoming projectile until it was too late. He managed to put up his shield in time, but he was still pushed far away from Lincoln. He couldn't stop him from regrouping with Laura or reclaiming his shield.
Ichika was about to rush into Laura again, but his Reiraku Byakuya was suddenly blocked by Lincoln's shield. Laura used this small diversion to fire at Ichika, but he was able to narrowly avoid the bullet and backed away. Charles once again used the Ignition Boost to catch up to Laura, but he was interrupted by Laura's wire daggers and Strong Suit's kettlebell tosses. Laura pushed Lincoln forward to move him out of Charles's way and bash his shield on Ichika.
"Yeezus!..." Strong Suit panted while trying to run after the chaos, "Did anybody follow that?!..."
STRONG SUIT — SHIELD 5/15% (WARNING)
SAVVY SUITE — SHIELD 18/100% (WARNING)
RAFAEL REVIVE CUSTOM II — SHIELD 22/100%
BYAKUSHIKI — SHIELD 34/100%
SCHWARZER REGEN — SHIELD 66/100%
"I did," Rin said, "They're at a complete stalemate."
"How can you tell?" Houki asked.
"I can tell by their facial expressions," Rin kept her eyes on the fight, "All the boys have exhausted every single plan they could think of, except her..."
"Good god!" Houki was shocked, "Was that his plan this whole time?!" Then she saw Lincoln putting massive pressure on Ichika by continuously invading his personal space, almost as if he wanted to get in his grill, "Oh man, he's distracting him..."
"Of course," Cecilia realized their power play, "They only need one person to survive to claim victory...that stupid German cow."
Laura was stuck with the headache of Charles's newly implemented Ignition Boost moveset, although she had already deduced when he would use it. She had already dealt with four failed attempts to counter Charles before she got him; she launched her wires at him and drew her saber the instant she saw him trigger the IB, then threw her arm saber right at the spot she saw him trigger it, and she got his neck.
RAFAEL REVIVE CUSTOM II — SHIELD 11/100% (WARNING)
Soon after, Laura twirled around and aimed her gun at Lincoln, who grabbed the sword as soon as it slammed into his shield. Ichika panicked and was forced to IB the both of them out of the railgun's line of fire. Lincoln quickly released his hold and flung his shield at Charles, who was busy with Laura and Strong Suit. Charles dodged the shield, then switched to the machine gun and unleashed his fury on the field. Lincoln responded by throwing ten cards at the Revive, one of which found its way to Charles's leg, then avoiding Ichika's sudden sword strikes.
Strong Suit was having difficulty pinning Charles down until Lincoln arrived and pelted him with as many cards as possible. She waited until one card struck his arm to ride another card to his gut, "Now!"
"Go for it!" Lincoln rushed upwards and landed a solid combo, followed by Strong Suit's fully loaded barbell staff bringing Charles to the ground. But the moment Lincoln and Strong Suit came down on the Revive, three hits were scored: Strong Suit was shanked, Charles was flattened, and Lincoln was (for lack of a better word) penetrated by the pile bunker.
STRONG SUIT — SHIELD 0 (EMPTY)
RAFAEL REVIVE CUSTOM II — SHIELD 0 (EMPTY)
SAVVY SUITE — SHIELD 0 (37/137% - LOSE)
"Uhhhh..." Lincoln groaned, "Feels like a need went into my-" he stopped as soon as he saw who he was on top of.
"I take it you've endured this before?" Charles asked nervously.
Lincoln rolled off him, "Oof!" Then, he lost his IS, "Yeah, not proud of it..."
"Ha ha, I see," Charles sat up after his IS was withdrawn.
"YAAWWWNNNN...the dirt feels so comfortable..." Strong Suit unsettled those two with the knife going right through her butt, and out her pelvic area, "I'm gonna turn in for the night..."
"N'AVEZ-VOUS PAS DE HONTE, FEMME?!" Charles covered his eyes.
"Uh, sure..." Lincoln looked away, "You do that..." and the two waited until she fizzled out of existence to take a collective sigh of relief.
But the rest of the stadium were more than relieved. When they saw the Suite disappear, the students reacted with great jubilee:
"That's what you get, you dumb cracker!"
"Finally! Finally, we did it!"
"I can't wait to run it in his face!"
"What are we gonna do to him?! Payback is imminent!"
"Let that be a lesson to always keep your mouth shut!"
"Wait, hold up! Who's that with him?!"
"Why would that matter-omigod, That's Charles!"
"Was he eliminated too?!"
Then, they saw who was left to fight. Or rather, they saw Ichika get stuck in Laura's AIC and get blasted all the way across the floor.
BYAKUSHIKI — SHIELD 10/100% (CRITICAL)
SCHWARZER REGEN — SHIELD 44/100%
Then the stands were filled with nothing but despair:
"LAURA'S GOING TO WIN?!"
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
"WE'VE ALL BEEN HAD!"
"IT'S OVER! THE CHANCE TO WIN IS GONE!"
"TO WIN A DATE...WAAAAAAAAA!"
"I HATE YOU! I HATE ALL OF YOU!"
"I'M REALLY GONNA DO SO MUCH TO YOU, LOUD!"
"LET'S SEW HIS EVERY OPENING SHUT!"
"Wow, they really hate rebels," Charles whistled.
"They don't want a boyfriend; they want a manslave," Lincoln sighed.
"Really, now?" Charles asked a question that burnt his mind since Laura arrived, "And what would you do if they were to tease you endlessly, to the point of making you uncomfortable?"
Endless teasing, he could relate with, but he knew that that could escalate into being used as a bargaining chip without his consent...as witnessed earlier, "I'd force them to put me in prison."
"How did I expect you to say that?..." Charles muttered, then turned his head to the ongoing fight for first, "So, how do figure he could make a comeback?"
"The AIC requires absolute attention," Lincoln said, "All he has to do is break it."
And Ichika has already figured out how: turn off his Yukihira Niigata and hide it just before Laura launches her AIC, then turn it back on inside her blind spot. He just needed the right moment, and he needed it fast because-
BOOM! BOOM!
"Whoa!"
Laura was within victory's grasp, "Pathetic." She let loose another railgun shot that was barely avoided, "Something like that will make the name Orimura shed tears!"
The shots kept coming. Laura kept closing in on him every so slowly. Ichika knew he couldn't keep it up any longer.
Laura didn't care in The slightest, "You claim to be the Mentor's younger brother, but you're so unsightly, you're degrading the word Mentor as well!"
And there was his chance. Ichika reverted back to his normal blade and flung himself at Laura with all his might, still gripping his blade. He was able to dodge the railgun bombardment but when he got in close-
"YOH!" Laura trapped him in the AIC for the last time.
"Aggh! No!" Rin and Houki freaked out.
"Is this checkmate?!" Cecilia shouted.
Laura held him for just a second, but it seemed like forever. It was enough to let him feel the prolonged moment of despair. Then she seemingly crushed whatever hope he had by catching a blade falling behind her, "Is this your final play?"
"Yes it is!" Ichika screamed, because that catch of the blade...that one moment where her concentration weakened just enough for him to move again...that moment when she caught the blade that her AIC was suddenly brought down...that was all he needed. As soon as she caught the blade, he powered up a short-range Ignition Boost and broke through her barrier. He collided into her, causing her to recoil and hand the blade back to him. Laura tried to shake him off, but it was already too late. By the time she wrapped her wire daggers around them,
"HAI-YAH!"
POW-ZZZTZTZTZZZZZZ-
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" The Reiraku Byakuya got her. Ichika had thrust the blue energy sword into her side, and kicked her back with an intense force she felt only once before. Ichika followed up with two more slashed that not only destroyed her railgun and sabers, but it also sent her slamming into the wall, disorienting her badly.
BYAKUSHIKI — SHIELD 4/100% (CRITICAL)
SCHWARZER REGEN — SHIELD 2/100% (CRITICAL)
"Yep," Lincoln whispered, "He broke it."
"That's it!" Charles cheered.
Rin and Cecilia went wild. Houki staggered backward as if she had a heart attack from the breakneck anticipation of the end. And the rest of the stadium was lost in a frenzied celebration as Ichika's leftover momentum carried him all the way to the other side of the stadium, bringing him mere moments away from victory.
Lincoln himself was feeling a bit somber, but overall satisfied. He may have to take another loss, but so would she. He was hoping that this would humble her a little and open her up to other sources of strength she could rebuild upon, as Ichika winning would mean a massive victory for friendship and trust, something Laura had yet to fully grasp. But just when the final blow was about to land...
No! I can't lose!
"Huh?" Lincoln heard a desperate whimper.
There's no way I can lose!
Lincoln turned behind him to ask Charles, "Did you hear someth-Uh?!"
I can't...
And once again, the world around him became dark and empty. And once again again, he found himself without an IS.
"Uh...ok?..." Lincoln stood up, "...Is it that time again?..." He waited a good ten seconds. No one showed up. "Ok, it's not a recurring theme," and he got annoyed, "It's a recurring joke! A really bad one!"
Then, a piercing voice... "Herr General, specimen C-0037 has stabilized."
"Who the-holyyy..." Lincoln suddenly found himself in a laboratory of sorts. Several scientists were found on many tablets and computers, all connected to a containment unit. Upon closer inspection, it was revealed what was inside: a person. A baby.
"Holy...completely man made?" Lincoln wondered, "who could-"
"Herr General," a soldier came back to the tallest figure in the room, "there is already a code 0037 in the Norwegian base."
"I see..." the figure nodded, "we will have to give this one a different name." He dismisses the soldier and turned back to the tube,placing his hand on the soon-to-be-born child. "You will bring great pride to the Germans," the figure whispered, "You will lead the world in military might." Then, he took a voice recorder and made a note, "DNA specimen C-0037 is currently stabilized; alternative name must be used. Her new code name will be...Laura Bodewig."
Lincoln banged his head on a counter, "La...THAT'S SUPPOSED TO BE LAURA?!" He snapped before hearing some sort of steady gunfire outside, "Are we being attacked?!" He grabbed a nearby helmet and ran outside, into a small mountain range, where the building was replaced with training dummies and gun range posters, "Whoa...ok...I'm definitely seeing someone's life-" PWING! "HIT THE DIRT!"
Lincoln hid beneath the grass, out of the firing line of multiple gunshots that somehow hit the heads of every single dummy. Lincoln poked his head up to see what fired at them. This time he saw a younger version of Laura aiming a sniper rifle at their range, accompanied by several high-ranking officials in the army.
"Confirmed, 20 headshots in 7 seconds," someone said.
"That is satisfactory," the commanding officer said, "Bodewig, fire again, this time at their shoulders."
An emotionless young Laura simply responded, "Jawohl," and reloaded her semi.
"This is some child soldier bull crap," Lincoln commented, "How on earth did they-"
Laura finished reloading.
"EEP!" He scurried away from the bullets and into the next life event, "If this is some kind of anti war propaganda going on, then they're doing a horrible job!" He shouted while running, "Subtlety can go a long way, you know!" He froze when he heard a whooshing noise from above. He tilted his head upward and saw a fighter jet being piloted by Laura zooming towards their location. He was able to take cover in a nearby ditch and before rockets exploded mere inches away.
"CAN SOMETHING MAKE SENSE PLEASE?!" Lincoln screamed. When the dust settled, he popped his head up and checked for any other surprises. "I think we're clear," he said as he propped himself out of the ditch, and into a fenced field, where he just saw Laura take on six men twice as tall and three times as muscular...and win without a scratch.
"Laura Bodewig," her commanding officer said, "You have a mission."
"Ja," Laura followed him into a tent.
"What I wouldn't give to have half the skill at that age..." Lincoln commented.
And suddenly, he was back in the laboratory, this time overseeing the arrival of Germany's first IS, along with Laura and her commander.
"Thus far, you have had the best performance of any soldier in history," her commander said, "Now you will train in the dedicated IS unit."
"Ja," was all she said.
"Oh no," Lincoln remembered his conversation with her about the past, "It's a downhill ride from here..." BOOM! "Ah!"
His location was hit with a powerful energy beam. He ducked down and saw several more shots being fired from a hill far away, but almost none of them were hitting any of the giant concrete structures.
"It's no good," a Sargent said, "Her compatibility's not high enough."
Laura gritted her teeth underneath her expressionless stature.
"Fine, fine," someone accompanying the lead scientist said, "We will give her Odin's eye...but you know the risks."
"Ja...That is fine," Laura said.
"Odin's eye?" Lincoln repeated, "As in the-wait, nonononono-" he ran up the hill, only to hit an invisible wall. All it took was him blinking his eyes to be brought to a surgical room, where he saw tons of needles and lasers going into the left eye of a motionless and very clearly awake Laura. He would have tried to break her out were it not for a few monitors in his view, and her emotional state. She saw what they did to her, but she couldn't feel any of it thanks to a pre-surgery injection. But he certainly felt it to a degree.
"How goes the operation, doctor?" The commander asked.
"No changes whatsoever," the doctor responded, "Her body is unwilling to accommodate for the required changes. It will only accept the eye as a regular eye."
"Damn...and we were so close..." the commander cursed, "finish what is required for implementation. I want her back on the table next month."
"It will be done."
"You mean, she had more operations than this?!" Lincoln rubbed his eye to relieve some of the horror he just witnessed, but that relief was short lived when the lab came crashing down. Suddenly, he was in a pile of rubble, and an IS-armed Laura was at its epicenter. She was blasting away at a certain target in the sky, but she couldn't hit it at all. She had better luck with the ground targets, but only because she could grab them and...end them without much effort.
"Jeezus!" Lincoln flinched.
That got her attention. She glared at him, her left eye glimmering too brightly as if it was malfunctioning. She tried to blast him off, but she missed. Then she tried two wire daggers, but he was able to dodge them and run away. He didn't get very far, though, as he was easily stomped.
Though, again, not really, as he tripped over a small rug and found himself in an office, overhearing a heated exchange between the commander, "What was that, Bodewig?! This was supposed to be a covert IS operation! Why did you beat everyone in your sight within an inch of their lives?!"
And Laura, "But I was following orders! I sent the core to Harfouch before I distracted the enemy-"
"STILLE!" The commander did not want to hear any excuses. Laura kept her mouth shut for the moment, until the commander went off on a tangent, "First your IS compatibility was a D, now your body is unable to even control a simple implant!" He slammed a red stamp on her paper, "This project is a failure. You are removed from the infantry."
Laura spoke back, "With all due respect, I cannot comply with the-"
"Odin's Eye has clearly made you far to violent!" The commander shouted, "Until we find a way to control it, you are on standby!"
"Oh my god..." Lincoln gasped, "She was sidelined for their mistake..." As Laura left, so did he. He walked into a hallway with a bunch of windows that saw her instructing new recruits on basic combat, standing by as an aide to a higher-ranking soldier, and taking over janitorial duties. All throughout these experiences, she always heard mention of how she was a horrible pilot to begin with and how that implant did whatever the others thought; some believed it to have been just a better looking eye, others thought it turned her into a ruthless trigger happy killer, and some thought it made her performance worse. But this was certain: they all looked down on her. She may have been looked to, even envied, but as soon as she was declared useless in combat, she was virtually thrown away, only she was an illegal project that could never be shown to the world. She was just a flesh doll. A punching bag.
That was just the middle of the hallway. Lincoln couldn't bear to see any more and ran the rest of the way. He kept his eyes only on the exit. It was a long run, but he finally burst through the doors and into yet another dark space. He was already tired of stumbling upon event after event that he wanted this one to end. But when he looked up, the first thing he saw was a slightly younger version of Chifuyu. He felt compelled to stand up, but he wanted to see how this scenario played out, as he was aware that this was a major turning point in Laura's life.
"Do you know why you're here?" Chifuyu asked across the hall.
Lincoln turned around and saw Laura. She stood in awe at the Brunhilde, but she was slightly dejected, almost unworthy to be in the presence of the strongest woman in the world.
That was, until Chifuyu's next words, "I have one year to get you back on your feet. I expect nothing less than every ounce of energy from you."
He followed the two out to an open field. First, he found them in a small room where Chifuyu trainee Laura one-on-one. Then he wandered into an airfield where she was monitoring Laura on her accuracy in shooting down moving and still targets in the air and on ground. Then he found himself in a grassland where Chifuyu was drilling a dozen pilots, with Laura at the front. He didn't see an army truck scoop him into the bed. He was bumped all over the cargo area until he managed to plant himself on his knees, after which he got a clear view of Laura leading a team of IS pilots into a covert assignment in the forest and coming out with one precious material, and zero casualties.
Lincoln was whisked away to the general's mansion, where he saw Chifuyu and Laura walking past the enormous rows of flowers. He got off and walked in her direction, then kept a distance close enough to listen to their conversation.
"I hear you've defeated Harfouch in an IS sparring match," Chifuyu complemented, "Starting tomorrow, you will command the Black Hare unit."
"I am all the more excited to display my prowess," Laura at this age was wearing a jovial expression, something that wasn't seen by any of the soldiers (or so Lincoln assumed).
"Careful where you direct that," Chifuyu said, "Strength comes in many shapes and sizes. You never know how you would mold yours until it's too late."
"But I want to become as strong as you are, Mentor," Laura popped the question, "What is it that makes you strong?"
Lincoln stopped and jumped into the bushes, right when Chifuyu stopped and looked down.
Laura saw for the first time a softer, more tender side of Chifuyu that no one ever saw. Certainly one that Laura didn't want to see. A side that directly contrasted the strong, dignified, and confident side that Laura had come to know and admire...
But the final straw came from Chifuyu's own mouth, "I do it for my younger brother."
Lincoln slapped himself with a thorny rose, "Ok, and there it is." He poked his head out at the right time. Everything he needed to know was written on Laura's face.
To say that Laura's world came crashing down would be an understatement. After, the Brunhilde, the mentor, the very thing she aspired to be, the one person who brought her from the depths of despair to the peak of her strength, the peak of her joy, had just revealed where her strength comes from... and in her mind, it didn't come from within. It came from someone else. Someone younger. Someone weaker. Someone that was biologically unable to wield the most powerful weapon in the world.
Lincoln creeped his way to the younger Laura to avoid making a sound. But it didn't matter because as soon as he touched her shoulder, he was back in the void. He did a double double take. Then, he sighed, "Come on...where's the part where I have to say what the takeaway is?..."
That is why I cannot forgive him.
"And the creepy omnipresent voiceovers...great..." Lincoln groaned.
That is why I cannot approve of a male who could make my instructor that way...I want power.
"Oh no..." Lincoln had a bad feeling.
Wünschst du es dir? Möchten Sie mehr Leistung erhalten?
"Bad feeling confirmed..." Lincoln ran into the darkness hoping to find a way out. But the the floor lit up an ominous cloud of blue and gray shades, letting him know that there was only one way out, "Uh...no, no, don't do it!"
Gib mir diese Kraft. Gib mir unübertroffene Kraft!
At that point, a massive tidal wave of viscous fluid erupted out of the floor and swept Lincoln away. He was carried high above the surface before violently sinking into the unknown sludge, "Gib mir eine verdammte Pause!"