Super Robot Taisen S Zero Reload
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Chapter 12 - The Heralds of Judgement
Deep in the darkness of space, as humanity continues fighting their wars amongst themselves or the various invaders holding Earth under siege, something had begun moving before anyone could actually comprehend what was going on... vast, unknowable entities that made it their mission to watch over the continuity and integrity of the universe, and to make sure order is kept. No price is too high to pay for this end. The lives of millions of people are meaningless to these superior minds. As soon as a race is unbalancing the cosmos, they move to counter it and, if necessary, to destroy it. In other words, these creatures might be called the antibodies of the galaxy, reacting to any sort of parasite or cancer...
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Space Century 138. In the midst of the wars it is currently embroiled in, the Earth still continues living as it always has, for the most part. Most people, living far away from the frontlines and having no idea what kind of horrors the rank and file soldiers need to endure, simply go on living their lives as if nothing really happened. They might have heard of all the fighting going on through media, tv and radio, but most people see this war as something far away from them, a reality they will not have to be drawn into... Therefore, even as the battles rage all around them, they try to act as unconcerned as possible, hoping that the problem will end up solving itself.
But now, a new threat is looming over the people of the world... one that no human on this Earth will be able to ignore... A vast army of death machines and mindless destroyers, after a long journey through space, is about to land on Earth, and the battle for survival is about to get that much more desperate...
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A normal day in the outskirts of Tokyo, where a family is about to settle down in their new home...
"Hokuto, where are you? You have to move your own things!" a rather youthful-looking woman in her late thirties, with light brown hair cut in a bowl-shaped style and wearing a long red skirt along with a light blue jacket and home slippers, called to her son as she carried a bunch of small boxes inside, after unloading them from the truck parked right in front of their new living place. There was still quite a bit of work to do, but her son seemed to be nowhere in sight...
"I guess he already went off with Jupiter." her husband, a man with somewhat unruly black hair and looking glasses, who was dressed in a similarly traditional way, with a light grey shirt and long black trousers, answered while he rubbed his own shoulder. "After all, you did tell him to go do some errands for you, right?"
"Oh, geez..." the young woman murmured bitterly, a comical expression of disappointment plastered upon her face. "How is it that he always sneaks off at times like these?"
There was not much her husband could do except blink in confusion. Sometimes, his wife's quirks were too much for even him to understand...
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The discomfort of having to adapt to a new place aside, life was good for 11-year-old Hokuto Kusanagi as he and his faithful dog Jupiter, a beautiful canine covered in long, black-and-white fur, were running up a sloping street, heading to what looked like a large outdoor park, the cheers and laughter of children Hokuto's own age coming from it already. Having just arrived in Tokyo after a long journey, Hokuto was eager to get to know his new living place, and what better moment to do it than now, after having been cramped in the back of a truck for at least three hours? After such a long and boring journey, being able to stretch his legs and get some fresh air was just what the young boy needed.
"Phew... sure beats staying cooped up in that truck, right, Jupiter?" Hokuto said, gently scratching his dog behind one of his ears. Rather small and a little scrawny for his age, Hokuto was dressed in a light blue cardigan over a plain white shirt, with a small dark red necktie, long white trousers and brown shoes, and his brown hair was messy and combed in a myriad of 'spikes' that seemed to jut out at random angles on the front, while they were more neatly combed on the back. All in all, he looked like a normal boy his age... and yet, as he looked around and saw several kids coming and going along the same road he was walking, he couldn't help but feel like he was being an intruder of sorts. After all, he had just come to this town, and he knew nobody... he was hoping he'd get to meet someone who he could relate with, so that he could more easily fit in. Hokuto took a look at the entrance of the park, through which several children were still coming and going. Well, he thought, that could be as good a place as any to start looking for friends... so, after motioning to Jupiter to follow him with a small nod of his head, Hokuto stepped into the park, not suspecting that he was about to move his first steps into an unforgettable adventure...
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"Hey! What was the big idea!"
"You're standing in my place, idiot! Move so I can do my thing!"
"And this is your place... how? Last time I checked, there was no sign saying that this was private property!"
"Oh, really? Well, this just shows how dumb you are! Everybody here knows this place belongs to me!"
A small crowd of children and apprehensive parents had gathered around a scene involving two of the oldest kids in the park, who were now squaring off aggressively in front of each other, neither one willing to leave the other any ground. By taking a good look at the expressions on the improvised audience's faces, this was probably a scene they had gotten used to seeing... and yet, it still seemed to be some sort of great show, at least seeing how many people were there to cheer for either one or the other.
Of the two boys facing off, the one that was being attacked looked like a young martial artist, with his extremely short black hair on a curiously onion-shaped head, his white combat gi, red wristbands and a pair of black-and-white trainers with a red undersole. He had a small band-aid on his left cheek, and he looked quite focused and angry, whereas his opponent was just regarding him with an overconfident smirk, his hands placed behind his head.
The other boy looked just a little older, by no more than one year, and had similarly black hair, though his was longer and more messy, and he was wearing a rather worn-out light blue jacket over a red shirt, along with light blue trousers and black shoes... and most of all, he was carrying himself with a rather inflated opinion of himself, smirking at the boy in the martial art gi. Neither of them seemed to mind the crowd that had gathered around them, and in fact they weren't even sparing the crowd a glance, so engrossed they were in their personal struggle.
"I'm giving you fair warning here, Kappei Jin!" the boy with the shorter hair warned in annoyance. "You caught me in a bad mood, and I'm not interested in picking a fight with you. So you now either leave me alone to train, or I'll make you leave."
The taller boy named Kappei only smirked smugly at this. "Oh, really? Too bad, Ginga Izumo, I'm not interested in leaving you alone either. You still owe me a rematch for all the times you've defeated me!" he answered arrogantly. "So, what are you going to do about it?"
It was right then that Hokuto and Jupiter walked into the park... and the commotion caught Hokuto's attention, pushing him into approaching the small crowd that had gathered around Ginga and Kappei. He took a look at the two boys glaring fiercely at each other, then blinked in confusion and turned to the closest person around... a nice-looking young girl of about twelve, with short and messy blond hair and wearing a red short-sleeved shirt with a white skirt and black shoes, in order to ask her what was going on. "Er... hello! What... what's going on there? Why are those two fighting?"
"Oh, you're a new one here, aren't you?" the girl asked back. "Nothing... this is something that happens a lot. My friend, Kappei, is once again picking a fight with the kid in the white gi... Ginga, the son of a Kempo fighter. I swear... Kappei got beaten so many times I lost count, and yet he still thinks he can take on Ginga."
Hokuto blinked in confusion. "Er... I... I think I understand..." he murmured, before turning his attention once again to the struggle between the two boys. In the end, Kappei got tired of the stalemate and took a step forward, smirking as he threw a right hook at Ginga... but the shorter boy, acting with a speed no one would probably have expected from a boy his age, dodged the blow in an almost nonchalant way, and crouched low on the ground, bringing his leg around in an arc that swept the ground and hit Kappei's right ankle. The taller boy lost his balance and staggered backwards, inelegantly flailing his arms in the air, and let out a yelp of surprise and pain as he ended up sitting on the ground, rubbing his buttocks in a rather embarrassing way as the rest of the kids burst out laughing, and the blonde girl standing alongside Hokuto rolled her eyes in annoyance.
"That's the same thing every time... One would think Kappei would have learned it by now!" she said. Hokuto, for his part, widened his eyes at the display of skill on Ginga's side, as Kappei rubbed his back and glared at his opponent, who had already slipped into a fighting pose, his hands straight in front of himself and his legs evenly spread apart.
"Aaaargh! Alright already!" Kappei angrily hissed before beginning to run away. "I'll leave this time! But next time I'll be the one to defeat you, Ginga! Don't get cocky just because your mom is a martial artist, you hear me?" At that, the taller boy ran away, rubbing his still sore back as most of the children burst into more laughter, and Ginga sighed in exasperation and shook his head at his opponent's stubbornness.
"Yeah... says the guy whose butt I kicked so many times already." he stated, before turning to the rest of the crowd, among which some people were already clapping and cheering. "Well? What's the big deal, you guys? Nothing more to see here! Don't you have your games to play? Leave me alone and let me concentrate on my training, okay?"
Having already had their share of fun for the day, children and parents began going their own way, the crowd of onlookers dissolving in just as little time as when it had formed. The blonde girl sighed and began walking away, going in the same direction Kappei had ran away to, and briefly turned to Hokuto. "Well, I'd better be going. That hardhead Kappei will probably be working up another one of his hare-brained pranks to play on Ginga, and as always, I'm the one who needs to put a stop to this... see you around, okay?"
"Okay." Hokuto said, waving his hand at the girl. "By the way, I didn't even catch your name..."
She blinked once and shook her head, remembering that she hadn't even introduced herself. "Right, silly me... My name is Aki. I guess we'll meet again around here..." she said, before trailing off and waiting for Hokuto to tell her his name.
"My name is Hokuto... and this is my dog, Jupiter!" the chestnut-haired boy answered, scratching Jupiter behind one of his ears. "Okay, Aki, I'll see you around!"
"Okay!" Aki answered, before turning to the exit of the park where another girl, a slightly overweight 11-year-old with long brown hair done in pigtails, wearing a light purple gilet over a yellow shirt, along with orange shorts and shoes, seemed to be waiting for her. "I'm coming, Michi! Wait for me!"
"Please, hurry up, Aki!" the girl called Michi answered. "You know how Kappei is... he's probably going to cause trouble somewhere else!"
As Aki and Michi began running after Kappei, Hokuto turned his attention back to the boy named Ginga, who was now striking a meditating pose in the midst of the clearing, and seemed to be drawing his breath. A few seconds passed, during which Hokuto and Jupiter stood in silence, observing Ginga in curiosity... and, at a moment's notice, Ginga opened his eyes and began performing a flawless kata, punching the air twice, then bringing his arms around in a spectacular counter, and advancing with a pair of fluid, powerful front kicks. He then hopped forward with another punch, and executed a spectacular-looking overhead kick, landing on his feet and striking another fighting stance, his left fist extended in front of himself. Finally, he exhaled in a deep, drawn out breath, allowing himself to relax. He placed his closed right fist on the palm of his left hand, concentrating a little more, then he went on with his exercise, executing a double spinning kick and then crouching low in a roundhouse sweep...
...only to find himself face to face with a rather angry-looking Jupiter!
A look of embarrassment and fear plastered itself on Ginga's face, while the dog growled at him and barked once! With a panicked scream, Ginga backed away and began climbing the closest tree he could find, comically hanging on for dear life to one of the lowest branches while Hokuto came to convince Jupiter to back down!
"Aieeee! Keep that dog away from me!" Ginga screamed in panic, a rather funny opposite to the fearless countenance he had when staring down that bully barely one minute ago!
"Now, now, Jupiter! That's not a nice thing to do!" Hokuto scolded his dog. Jupiter calmed down, and the chestnut-haired boy glanced up at Ginga, who was still clinging to the branches of the tree and looking at him in a very embarrassed way. The sight was silly enough that, after a few moments spent staring silently at each other, Hokuto covered his mouth with his hand and began chuckling!
"What's so funny, you idiot?" Ginga exclaimed, his anger fuelled by his embarrassment. He finally straightened himself and leapt down the tree, landing on his feet right in front of Hokuto. "And by the way, is that your dog?"
"Hehehee... sorry! Yep, he's my dog!" Hokuto cheerfully answered. "Sorry, he usually doesn't act like that. However, he must have seen your skills in martial arts, and thought you were someone suspicious."
Ginga wrinkled his nose. "What a stupid dog. No manners at all." he said, causing Hokuto to frown a little. "Whoever owns him should keep him on a tight leash and not allow him to get close to people..."
An annoyed Hokuto released his hold on Jupiter's collar, and the dog advanced threateningly on Ginga, who freaked out and speed-climbed back up the tree, to the amusement of the chestnut-haired boy! "You know, you shouldn't say those things right in front of him." Hokuto joked. "Jupiter is a little touchy about that! Heheheheee..."
"Okay! Okay already! I'm sorry!" Ginga exclaimed. "I won't say that again! Now please, call back your dog! Please!"
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"Hmph... what a drag..." Kappei muttered under his breath, kicking a pebble into a nearby stream of water as a means to relieve his nervousness. "I swear, one of these days, I'm going to catch that Ginga off guard, and I'll show him who's the real tough one around here!"
"Really, Kappei... you should give it a rest, you know?" Aki's voice came from behind him, and the black-haired kid rolled his eyes as he turned to her and Michi, who had reached him after a short run. "Ginga is a champion at Kempo, and with his mom as his teacher, it would take you at least ten years to catch up to him."
"Aki's right, Kappei!" Michi answered. "Besides, why do you feel the need to pick a fight with him every time you meet him? Can't you two just get along?"
"Meh. I knew you girls wouldn't understand. This is a man's business!" Kappei answered, trying to keep up appearances. "That Ginga guy needs to know that he's not hot stuff just because he knows a few Kempo moves and fancy kicks! Rest assured, I will find a few to get even with him! And then, we'll see who laughs last!"
Aki sighed. "Here we go again..."
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On the surface of the moon, far away from the territories claimed by the colonies and Giganos Empire...
A gigantic object was floating ominously in the vastity of space, slowly descending towards the sterile soil of the moon, surrounded by a swarm of mechanical monsters that looked like flies when compared to the size of the colossal monstrosity - it looked like a strange cross between a spinning top and a spaceship, with a pointy end that looked like a gigantic screw, and several tentacle-like appendages hung at its sides, flailing listlessly in the void as the fortress slowly lowered itself to the ground. In a few moments, the pointy end of the top-like spaceship pierced the lunar soil as if it was made in butter, and the fortress planted itself in the moon's surface with a shrieking sound of pierced rock. Then, it slowly stopped, settling on the spot it had picked to start off its dire plans for humanity...
Inside the Rasenjou's darkened main room, the master of the space fortress, a colossal, unnaturally immaculate mechanical entity with a strangely serene face and a sleek body that seemed to have been made in silvered metal, gave a look at the monitors on the walls, which cast an ominous light on the alien inhabitant of the fortress and made it look even more unsettling. With a flat, toneless mechanical voice, the computer-like overlord spoke, addressing a smaller figure bowing down at his presence.
"WE HAVE REACHED OUR DESTINATION." it spoke. "PLANET EARTH. OPERATIONS TO CLEANSE IT WILL BEGIN SHORTLY. I TRUST YOU HAVE ALREADY COMPLETED ALL THE NECESSARY PREPARATIVES, ARTHEA."
"Yes, my master. All has been prepared according to your will." the smaller, man-sized figure answered. He was certainly much smaller than the Rasenjou Master, but for a human being, he was still quite imposing: standing more than six feet tall, he was a bulky and muscular man wrapped in an impressive-looking black cape, with a black bodysuit that showed a well-toned physique, complete with round black shoulder guards, black gauntlets and black-and-red boots, which seemed to be the only concession to a different color aside from two strips of red tissue around the hips. He was wearing a featureless iron mask with just a couple openings for the eyes, and barely an hint of facial features, which only served to make him look more machine-like than ever. A large iron spike jutted out of the forehead of his mask, and he was holding a simple staff in his hands, which he was keeping laid on the ground in a sign of deference towards his master. "The Orbitons are ready to launch an attack as soon as the rest of the units are ready. Do we have any words about our allies?"
"THE GAIZOCK SHOULD BE IN POSITION AS WELL." the Rasenjou Master answered emotionlessly. "AS WELL AS THE ZERAVIRE DRONES. WE WILL BEGIN OUR OPERATIONS AS SOON AS WE RECEIVE WORD FROM THEM."
Arthea, the masked man dressed in black, nodded seriously... and a few moments later, another screen lit up on the walls of the main room, and a shrieky, hysterical laughter echoed inside of it as the static quickly stabilized, showing the image of the one who was communicating with the Rasenjou. It was an hideously ugly creature, about as fat as it was tall, with warty green skin that turned pink on the forearms and hands, and it was wearing an overlarge beige dress with a purple flamelike sign drawn on its overlarge belly, along with a dark, worn-out mantle on its shoulders. An heavy iron chain was hanging around his shoulders, and his face was bloated, with a completely bald head covered in revolting growths, large pointed ears and wide purple lips concealing two rows of filthy yellow teeth, a small red gem embedded in its forehead, and a thin moustache that looked oddly out of place in such an horrid visage. Beady yellow eyes with black pupils glared at Arthea and the Rasenjou Master, expressing a childlike glee.
"HYAAAAHAHAHAAA! You sure took your sweet time, Rasenjou Master!" the foul creature said, his voice sounding like nails on a chalkboard in spite of its corpulent frame. "And here I thought you Gulfer were such sticklers for punctuality! You know I just couldn't wait to start with the glorious slaughter of humans! Hahahahahaaaa!"
Arthea remained bowed and refused to answer to the creature's taunt, while the Rasenjou Master stood in its place, glaring emotionlessly at the newcomer. "WE ARE NOT INTERESTED IN YOUR FOOLISH WORDS, BUTCHER." it answered. "IF YOU ARE HERE, WE ARE TO ASSUME THAT YOUR MECHA BURST UNITS ARE READY FOR DEPLOYMENT. YOU KNOW YOUR SUPERIOR WOULD NOT BE PLEASED IF YOU WERE TO WASTE YOUR TIME."
The creature named Butcher chuckled again, but this time, there was an hint of nervousness in his demeanor. "Heheheee... of course we are ready! We have been biding our time and waiting for the moment when we would make our move... and we aren't going to miss out on the fun, of course!" he answered with sick amusement, rubbing his coarse, oily hands together in a gesture of anticipation.
"THIS IS NOT ABOUT YOUR ENTERTAINMENT." the Rasenjou Master answered. "OUR MISSION IS CLEAR. OUR MASTERS HAVE GIVEN RESPONSIBILITY TO US FOR COMPLETING IT, AND WE NEED TO PERFORM OUR INSTRUCTIONS TO THE BEST OF OUR ABILITIES. IS THAT CLEAR?"
"Sure, sure... crystal clear!" Butcher sneered nastily. "Feh, if it was for you, I could never have my fun... anyway, yes, my Mecha Burst units are all ready to go! We are just waiting for the right time!"
The Rasenjou Master nodded in a barely perceptible way. "THAT IS SATISFACTORY. OPERATIONS SHALL BEGIN SHORTLY. WE EXPECT THE BEST FROM YOU."
"Oh, no doubt about it..." Butcher finally answered, and the comm screen he was on disappeared from the wall, leaving the alien machine and its subordinate in the control room. There was a long, tense moment of silence before Arthea cleared his throat and spoke.
"My master, if I am allowed to speak my mind... I think our alliance with the Gaizock might not be so beneficial." he stated respectfully. "It is clear to me that Butcher does not care about our directives, and all he seeks is to amuse himself. Such an individual might prove detrimental to our mission."
"YOUR CONCERN IS DULY NOTED, ARTHEA." the Rasenjou Master answered. "HOWEVER, OUR MISSION OBJECTIVES REQUIRE THAT WE WORK CLOSELY WITH THE GAIZOCK AND ASSIST THEM IN THEIR OWN OPERATIONS. IN ANY EVENT, SHOULD BUTCHER PROVE HIMSELF TO BE A LIABILITY, HE IS COMPLETELY EXPENDABLE. WE SHOULD NOT CONCERN OURSELVES WITH HIM MORE THAN IS NECESSARY. ON THAT NOTE, ARE ABZOLTO, GURUMEI AND WITTER UP TO DATE WITH THE RECENT DEVELOPMENTS?"
"They are, my master." Arthea answered. "We can say that all pieces of the operation are in place."
"EXCELLENT." the alien machine answered. "WE WILL BEGIN OPERATIONS IN A FEW HOURS. YOU ARE DISMISSED."
Arthea nodded silently, before standing up, saluting respectfully and walking away towards the outer parts of the fortress...
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"So... this is your house? You've just transferred here?" Ginga asked Hokuto, as the two children, along with Jupiter, were walking along the street going to Hokuto's new home. A truck was still parked in front of the house, and some workers were still unloading a few crates and carrying them in the house. Hokuto nodded and motioned for Ginga to come along.
"Yep... we've just arrived early on this afternoon!" Hokuto answered. "I helped with some work, then I took a walk round in order to get familiar with this new place! And by the way, thanks for showing me around!"
Ginga shrugged. "Oh, think nothing of it." he answered nonchalantly. "After all, I needed to thank you for getting that dog of yours out of my hands..."
"Rrrrr..." Jupiter growled at Ginga, causing the black-haired kid to widen his eyes and take a couple steps backwards, and Hokuto to chuckle lightly to himself.
"Oh, about time you came back, Hokuto!" a female voice said jokingly. Hokuto's mom stepped out of the house, waving at her son and his dog. "We're almost done with work here, but we still have a few errands to do for you, once you want! Oh, and by the way... I see you've found a new friend too!"
"Hi, Mom!" Hokuto answered, before looking to Ginga, who was standing close to him in slight embarassment. "Yeah... his name is Ginga Izumo! We made friends a few hours ago, and he showed me around a little so I could get to know this town a little!"
"Really?" Mrs. Kusanagi answered, smiling gently at Ginga. "Well, thank you, Ginga! I'm glad you are my son's friend already... by the way, would you like to stop for dinner?"
"Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Kusanagi..." Ginga answered politey, taking a bow... and stopping halfway as a dreadful feeling came onto him! "Er... sorry, Mrs. Kusanagi... did you just say... stop for dinner at your house?"
"Yes, she did... after all, it's almost seven o'clock in the evening, and dinnertime is getting closer." Hokuto said, taking a look at his wristwatch. Jupiter barked as if in approval... and a few blue lines of fear appeared on Ginga's face, while he widened his eyes in a comical expression of horror and dismay!
"Oh... man... I'm in deep trouble! I completely forgot about the time!" he exclaimed, before hastefully bowing to Hokuto and his mom. "I... I'm sorry I cannot accept your offer! I have to run to my Kempo lesson right now! Oh boy, oh boy... Mom is going to make me do at least fifty pushups if I'm late again! See you around, Hokuto!"
With that, Ginga took off and began running towards his home at top speed, leaving a small cloud of dust in the place where he had been standing... and leaving both Hokuto and his mom to stare at the place in surprised silence.
"Well... he looks like a nice kid, all things considered." Mrs. Kusanagi said. "A little weird, but nice."
Hokuto blinked... and then chuckled good-naturedly. "Yeah... I completely agree with that!"
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A few hours later, in a majestic suite in one of Shinjuku's tallest buildings, while most of Tokyo seemed to be asleep...
"Well, well... I have to say, Mr. Sandman sure didn't mind the expenses when it comes to organizing a stylish celebration." an elegantly-dressed businessman said, lightly tipping a small glass of champagne as he listened to the sweet music of violins and cellos resonating in the huge room, decorated with rich yet sober furniture one could expect to see in a luxurious Western mansion. The floors were covered in spotless red carpeting, with ornate crystal lamps hanging from the ceiling and irradiating a pleasant, soothing glow all over the room. Several maids were attending to everyone's needs, cleaning up the tables and bringing more beverages and food as soon as others were consumed. It was a special occasion indeed - Klein Sandman, one of the richest people in the world, had organized a reunion between some of the most prominent personalities in all the Earth Union government and among the main names in economy and business... and this was the perfect opportunity for them to try and expand their business, or throw the fundaments for new advantageous alliances. "This reminds me of the summit back in 133, though the food wasn't as good back then."
A few of his colleagues chuckled at the joke, and a tall, elegant man dressed in black formal wear, with bright, somewhat spiky red hair and wearing a dark grey mask with golden borders on the upper part of his face approached the conversation. "I am glad the refreshments are to your liking, Mister." he said in a deep, polite voice. "Master Sandman wishes for his guests to enjoy this occasion to the fullest."
"On that topic, when is Mr. Sandman going to show up?" another man asked. "For one of the richest men in the world, he sure likes to keep a low profile... though I suppose a multi-billionaire like him can afford to be a little eccentric."
"This always mystified me..." another guest intervened. "We live in an era where we are building colonies in space, on Mars and on the Moon, where we have perfected the orbital environments known as PLANT... and yet, Mr. Sandman insists in living in a medieval castle, away from the rest of the world."
The masked man smiled politely. "You may find he's actually a link to the future." he said. "Now, if you will excuse me."
The red-haired masked man politely excused himself from the group of guests, as his eyes, well-hidden by the glass protections in the mask's eye sockets, caught a glimpse of a beautiful dark-haired woman in an elegant purple dress, walking away from the large room into a corridor, apparently looking for something...
The woman left the ballroom behind, and when the music from the orchestra dimmed down, and she was sure nobody had followed her, she hid herself into a small side corridor, disappearing in the darkness. A few minutes later, out of the same corridor came a young man in his late teens with messy red hair, wearing a black sleeveless bodysuit that showed much of his muscular torso, with long dark grey trousers and black shoes, who looked around himself for a few seconds before continuing on his way along the larger corridor, away from the ballroom. Behind him, in the darkness of the smaller corridor, a long-haired black wig and a feminine purple dress, complete with fake breasts, lay forgotten on the floor...
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However, the young man's movements were being closely followed by several well-hidden security cameras, who were now broadcasting all images to a secret room in the bowels of a far away castle, where several girls, most of them dressed as maids, were watching intently. One of them, a pretty 14-year-old girl with long light brown hair tied in a ponytail, wearing a bright red sleeveless top with pink shorts and stockings, a golden hairpin holding her fringes away from her large blue eyes, smiled in amusement.
"So... that's Eiji Shigure, right?" she asked her companion, an extremely big-breasted blond woman in her mid-twenties, mostly dressed in black and purple, her hair tied in a ponytail as well.
The blond woman applied some lipstick and smiled gently at her younger companion. "Yes, he's the one. He looks like a cute boy, doesn't it, Luna?"
The younger girl smiled cunningly. "Yeah, I'll have to give him that." she answered. "But he looks kinda stupid if you ask me. And besides which, he's not my type, Mizuki."
Mizuki giggled, then turned to a group of maids sitting at some consoles, who seemed to be monitoring the space around Tokyo, alert for any possible danger. "Okay, girls... it's time to get ready. Contact our allies at GEAR HQ, and tell them to prep their trump card. A few friends from outer space will visit us soon, and we will have to be ready to greet them as they deserve." she said.
"Right, Miss Mizuki!" one of the maids answered. "We've already set up all connections. We're ready to contact them whenever the need arises!"
Luna nodded and smiled to herself, while still watching the images on the screen in front of her. Upon the screen, the red-haired young man called Eiji was still running towards some unknown destination, and was about to turn a left at a corner, when Luna decided that it was time to step thing up a little.
"Alright, Eiji Shigure, the game begins." she said, before pressing a button on a keyboard in front of herself. "Tag, you're it."
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A sound of alarm startled Eiji Shigure just as the young man was about to enter another room, and he quickly turned around, biting back a curse. Several armed guards, led by a red-haired woman in a maid's costume, were running towards him, ordering him to stay put.
"Halt! You are trespassing in a forbidden area!" the woman exclaimed. "Give yourself up quietly and follow us!"
"Damn..." Eiji muttered to himself, starting to run in the opposite direction and entering the first room he could find. With a start, the young man closed the elegant door in levigated wood behind him and turned around...
...only to realize that he had entered a female dressing room, at that moment filled with young girls in various states of undress!
There was an awkward, horrified silence as Eiji blushed and began backing away, moving his hands in front of himself in order to assuage the girls. "Er... I... I'm terribly sorry, ladies... I... can explain things, if you'll just let me..."
There was an ear-shattering scream, and Eiji found himself having to dodge a veritable hail of brooms, shoes, pieces of soap and other random objects that were being thrown in his general direction! Wincing when he was hit in the forehead by one such object, Eiji quickly went back through the door, only to find the other guards hot on his trail as well... and he was forced to start running again, this time with a lot more angry people on his tail!
"Stop it, you intruder!"
"He's a peeping tom! Everybody get him!"
"Ugh... why does this have to happen to me, dammit?" Eiji exclaimed, trying to run away from the angry mob that seemed to be all too eager to have his head! He followed the corridor through several twists and turns in the beautiful manor, until he was sure he had lost his way, and his pursuers were still right behind him, a few metres away. Finally, just when he was beginning to get tired and his pursuers were gaining ground, the red-haired young man saw a possible escape - an opening in the wall right in front of him just as he was running towards a fork. It looked like some kind of emergency slide, or a chute of sorts... Eiji wasn't sure which, but as long as it would allow him to get away from that angry mob, it was all the same to him! With surprising adroitness, Eiji arrived at the entrance of the chute and dropped down it, disappearing in the level below...
oooooooooo
"I'm afraid we lost him..."
"So what do we do now? Master Sandman won't be pleased with this..."
At the castle, one of the maid shook her head disconsolately when the onscreen images all turned to static, and Eiji's position disappeared from their radars. Luna sweat-dropped, and Mizuki sighed angrily and slammed a hand on the desk in front of her, still maintaining that sugary sweet smile she had had a few moments before! Only this time, it was plain clear just how pissed off she was...
"That boy... he's proving to be a nuisance, isn't he?" Mizuki said with a forced smile, causing Luna to giggle awkwardly and scratch her cheek in embarrassment. They were about to stand up and do something to make up for that unanticipated development, but as soon as they did so, another alarm sounded, and one of the maids, a pretty girl with blue hair done in twin-tails, turned to them, showing the screen in front of her that sported a large, glowing signal of incoming transmission.
"Miss Mizuki, Luna! We have a transmission from GEAR HQ! It's an emergency!" the maid exclaimed hastily. "We're afraid the enemy must have moved before we anticipated!"
Mizuki grit her teeth. "Dammit, this is just what we didn't need!" she exclaimed. "Patch it through!"
"Right away!" the operator answered. She pressed a few buttons, and the comm screen opened up, showing the face of a pretty young woman with red-brown hair, wearing a white-and-blue military uniform typical of personnel belonging to GEAR, an organization dedicated to Earth defence that had been in close contact with Sandman and his network for a long time. She looked very worried, and both Mizuki and Luna feared that their suppositions were true... "Miss Aiko, this is Sandman Manor, the Gran Knights HQ! Can you hear us?"
"Loud and clear!" Aiko answered. "We have a bad situation here. Several Gulfer units have entered the atmosphere and are approaching Tokyo as we speak. We have located a few Gaizock Mecha Burst units as well, and the presence of a Zeravire has also been confirmed. The invasion is underway."
"Damn... just what we didn't need!" Mizuki cursed.
"We still don't have enough pilots to form Gravion..." Luna explained. "What about Dendoh? Don't you already have a pilot ready? Can't you send him to try and buy some time?"
Aiko winced in discomfort. "Actually, there's a small problem about that..."
oooooooooo
"Oh boy... I can't believe it..." Susumu Kirakuni, a young man with messy black hair and the standard GEAR uniform, as well as the designated pilot for GEAR's ultimate weapon Dendoh, blinked in distress looking at the huge traffic jam he was stuck in. The queue of cars, trucks and similar vehicles seemed to stretch to infinity, and there was no chance he could get to Shinjuku in time... especially not now that the enemy had already started attacking! "Just when they need me the most, I get in this mess of cars! I wish I could just fly out of here now..."
Unfortunately, the traffic jam was not about to get resolved anytime soon... and worse yet, as Kirakuni looked up, he saw something approaching from the darkened night sky, like a bunch of shooting stars that flashed in the dark for a moment... and then swerved and dove down upon the huge metropolis, revealing themselves for what they were! A bunch of strange-looking red robots, resembling some sort of monstrous bugs with pointed legs, pincer-like claws and a bird-like face ending in a steel spike, were sweeping down upon Tokyo, and had begun attacking without any warning. Kirakuni frowned, recognizing the model upon sight. They were a group of Orbiton Machine Beasts, the basic units of the Gulfer army... and that meant that the rest of them weren't too far behind!
"This is really bad... if I can't reach HQ in time, those things will destroy Tokyo!" Kirakuni told himself. After some quick thinking, the GEAR pilot abandoned his car and began running towards his destination, doing a crazy slalom among the cars. "I'm afraid this is the only way I can get there in time... wait for me, guys, I'm on my way!"
oooooooooo
In Hokuto's new home, the young boy and his family had been woken up by the sounds of an alarm resonating throughout Tokyo, and he was startled and shocked to see the Orbitons flying high above his house, like a swarm of angry red hornets...
"What? What... what are those things?" he mouthed, his terrified eyes affixed upon the Machine Beasts that were soaring overhead...
A little farther away, the Izumo family, composed of Ginga, his mother and his little sister Otome were equally surprised and frightened by the sudden appearance of the mechanical monsters. The little girl was holding on for dear life to her tall, imposing-looking mom, who was doing a good job concealing her own fear in order to keep her children's spirits as high as possible.
"Mom... I'm scared!" Otome cried, hugging her mom for all she was worth.
Mrs. Izumo held her youngest child close, casting a glance from time to time to the flying robotic monsters. "Don't worry, Otome... we'll get out of this, you can bet on this! Gin, stay close! You don't want to get lost in the crowd, there will be hell in the streets in a few minutes!"
"Yes, Mom!" Ginga said, wondering if Hokuto and his family were going to be safe. He had to admit, much to his chagrin, that he was kinda worried about Kappei as well...
And Kappei Jin, looking out of a windows in his small apartment, couldn't believe his own eyes.
"What... what the Hell are those things? Why are they here? Dammit... this is bad! Somebody needs to do something... but what?"
oooooooooo
With an ear-splitting shriek, the paved roads came apart as a pair of horrific robotic monsters rose from the underground - a couple of Mecha Burst units, the weapons of human extermination created by the Gaizock! Both of them were humanoid in appearance, covered in a thick armor and sporting the head of an eagle with blank, glowing eyes... but instead of a pair of arms, numerous steel tentacles, each ending in a razor-sharp pincer, departed from the creatures' shoulders. Emitting hideous screams of rage, the monsters immediately went to work, demolishing all that happened to be close to them, and sending cars and pieces of concrete flying all around! In the span of a few minutes, the streets of Tokyo were turning into a living hell!
And in Butcher's throne room, the abominable creature was watching the whole horrific scene from the comfort of his seat, leisurely smoking from an hooka placed beside him. He breathed out a cloud of foul-smelling smoke from his bloated lips and burst out into a terrible laugh, inciting his Mecha Burst units into greater and greater violence. "HAHAHAHAHAAAA! Yes, that's it! Show these puny humans just how powerless they are! Drown them in their own blood! Kill them slowly and painfully! I want to delight myself with their tortured screams as they die! HAHAHAHAHAAA!"
As the Mecha Bursts began rampaging through the streets of Tokyo, and the Gulfer units descended on the city like an horde of angry locusts, with the defenders of the Earth scrambling to try and oppose them, only one thing was crystal clear - humanity was about to get to the top of the list of endangered species.
The war for the extermination of humanity had begun...
oooooooooo
TO BE CONTINUED...
Author's Note: And with that, I managed to catch up with what I had written in the previous edition of this fanfiction! I will do my very best to try and update it more regularily... and especially to give you many more exciting moments with the heroes of my childhood and beyond!
The combined forces of the Gulfer (from Gear Fighter Dendoh), the Gaizock (from Zambot 3) and the Zeravire (from Gravion Zwei) are attacking Earth. Can three Super Robots stem this invasion and save millions of people from a terrible doom? We'll soon see, in the next chapter of Super Robot Wars S Zero!
See you soon, and Happy New Year!