SUPER ROBOT TAISEN S ZERO RELOAD
Chapter 15 - Gravion Takes Flight!
"Well, this IS an odd situation..." Mizuki commented dryly to herself. By now, Kappei and Ginga had gotten into a shouting match, almost ignoring the enemies that were trying to swarm them... and above all, ignoring the massive Zeravire Destroyer that was still giving her and her companions a lot of trouble! A Zeravire drone quickly fell to the G-Shadow's strafing run, and the stealth bomber turned back to fire several blasts at the Destroyer, causing it to halt its assault on the Gran Kaiser and giving Touga some more breathing room.
"Instead of standing there trying to look all badass, you should leave the fighting to the REAL men here!" Kappei was shouting over his comm device, even as Zambot 3 and Dendoh fought off the enemy. No matter how many foes they destroyed, the invaders seemed to have no end to them...
"Oh, and you would be the real man, now?" Ginga fired back. "Because from where I'm standing, you're just one year older than me! At most!"
"Well, I've got more experience than you could ever imagine, so there!" Kappei exclaimed carelessly. In his own cockpit, as frustrated as he was by those two running their mouths, Hokuto couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. What exactly did Kappei mean by that?
"Is that so? Then why don't I see you taking down these freaks?"
"W-What? Give me a freaking break, I'm just getting warmed up..."
"ALRIGHT, YOU GUYS!" Vega's voice cut in, her comm window comically expanding so that she could get Ginga's attention. "I don't know if you've noticed, but the invaders aren't going to just stand there and listen to your childish quibbles! So, I'd suggest you get a grip, and whatever problems you have with each other, you discuss them AFTER you've taken care of these guys!"
"Miss Vega is right, we have greater problems to deal with!" Hokuto answered. Ginga glared at Kappei's comm window and got a nasty glare back, but thankfully dropped the matter and focused back on defeating the incoming enemies. Dendoh jumped away just as an Orbiton fired a volley of missiles, and spun around to rapidly kick the mechanical beast in its midsection, destroying it just as Zambot 3's blade relieved another Orbiton of its head.
Unfortunately, the Zeravire Destroyer would not be so easily taken care of. Eiji, Touga and the girls of Sandman's team were already hard-pressed to even survive against it, and none of their attacks could as much as put a dent on that monstrosity. After landing from a failed attempt to punch the creature, Touga straightened up his Gran Kaiser and had it take a fighting stance, avoiding several shots from the drones and Gulfer units.
"We need to buy ourselves some time and combine into Gravion." Touga said in a matter-of-fact tone.
As the G-Drilled put down one last Mecha Burst Domira, Luna gripped her controls and turned to Eina. "Touga is right! We need that dimwit onboard the G-Attacker to get it right, or we're never going to combine!" she said.
"Hey! I can hear you, Miss Know-It-All, loud and clear!" Eiji protested. "Look, I got in this mess against my will, so the least you could do is cut me some slack! But... fine! Just tell me what I must do, and let's blow this thing to Hell!"
"Do it fast! These things aren't going to wait for us to get our act together!" Mizuki exclaimed. She drew another Zeravire drone's attention and fired a few shots upon it, causing the alien monstrosity to fall and explode. The Destroyer brought it full attention to the Gran Kaiser and fired a blast of burning red energy, which the blue mech barely managed to avoid... and Touga quickly regrouped with the other units, making sure they were all at the right distance...
"Now's our chance." the blue-haired young man stated. "Let's do this!"
With an elegant flourish, Klein Sandman made a gesture with his left arm and raised it in front of himself.
"Soldiers of the Gran Knights!" he exclaimed. "Combine!"
The red orb-like jewel on the Gran Kaiser's chest lit up, emitting a blinding red radiance, and the blue robot stood tall, even as the Zeravire Destroyer pointed what passed for an arm at it and fired several lightning-quick laser blasts. With impeccable timing, Touga managed to have the Gran Kaiser leap away, and it raised its fist in the air, surrounding itself in a purplish energy barrier!
"Combination!" Touga shouted. "ELGOOOOOOOO!"
The purple sphere expanded, catching a few Gulfer Principle Units and blowing them away like leaves in a hurricane; then, it caught the Gran Kaiser's supporting units... and incredibly, they began to fly in formation with the blue mecha! The G-Striker, the G-Driller and the G-Shadow immediately took position... but the G-Attacker began spiralling out of control as Eiji felt himself lose control for a brief but terrifying moment!
"M-my eyes... Aaaargh!" Eiji screamed, his vision becoming hazy for a moment. His control slipped, sending the G-Attacker on a wild cruise that propelled it out of the energy sphere and back into the field of vision of several attackers. A Mecha Burst Domira tried its luck, firing a laser at it, but was only able to shoot a single beam, which missed its target by a wide margin, before it was sliced apart by Zambot 3's blade.
"Zambot Cutter!" Kappei exclaimed, the sharp blade cleaving throwing steel and flesh-like matter, and leaving a smoking carcass in its wake. "Hey, what's that idiot doing there? Wasn't he supposed to combine with his little pals?"
"Give him a break! That must be his first time piloting for him as well!" Hokuto protested.
"He needs to pick up the slack soon! He's going to crash at this rate!" an alarmed Keiko noted as the G-Attacker got dangerously close to the ground...
Eiji grit his teeth and pulled the controls towards him, forcing himself to focus. Just in time, since the G-Attacker arrested its freefall and righted its position, finally gaining some altitude and flying back towards the rest of the squad.
"Phew... at least my eyes are back to normal now." he sighed in relief.
A comm window blinked open to his left, showing the blonde Mizuki. "It's called a blackout. It's a phenomenon where your vision suddenly dims due to sudden acceleration." she explained.
"Now, get a hold of yourself!" Luna exclaimed, her own comm window popping up near Mizuki's. "If you don't have it together, the G-Attacker won't properly move! And we need all of its components to form Gravion! Get a grip and act like a man!"
"Yeah, yeah, I will... when you stop being so bossy!" Eiji grumbled back. His own unease at suddenly being thrust into a cockpit was finally receding, and the young man focused his attention on the monstrous Zeravire Destroyer in front of him. He saw the monster's eyes, or what passed for such, beginning to glow a dangerous crimson...
But it was denied any attack option it had in mind. The G-Shadow, which had disappeared earlier on, dropped its camouflage yet again and shot several laser blasts at the Destroyer's eyes, causing the alien monstrosity to flinch and miss its window of opportunity. The G-Attacker managed to get back in formation with the rest of the team... and the machines were drawn to each other by an invisible force as they started to change shape and combine.
"It's working!" Ginga exclaimed as he moved the Dendoh's right arm to smash apart a Zeravire drone. "Their machines are combining into a new robot!"
"Excellent! Looks like we've got this in the bag!" Vega commented. "Ginga! Hokuto! Try to fend off the attackers while Gravion takes shape! Do not let them attack it!"
"You... you got it, Ms. Vega!" Hokuto answered, casting whatever lingering doubts he might have had aside.
"Tch... if you guys think we're going tolet you have all the spotlight, you need your brains checked!" Kappei answered. "Uchuuta! Keiko! Let's show them that Zambot 3 isn't here to just look pretty!"
Uchuuta groaned in annoyance. "This isn't a contest for who shoots down more monsters, Kappei..."
oooooooooo
"Super! Heavyweight! Combination!"
In the Gran Kaiser's cockpit, Touga placed his closed fist upon a semitransparent sphere on what could be seen as its console. Immediately, the red orb embedded in the Gran Kaiser's chest began emitting a bright light, and the humanoid mecha's hands retreated into its arms and the G-Driller split in two with a faint electric sound! Its two halves were drawn to the Gran Kaiser's arms and affixed themselves upon them, while the flying units changed shape in order to join the Gran Kaiser's legs and torso. In thespan of only a few seconds, all the Gran Knights units had joined together... and the purple energy sphere dissipated to reveal the result of their combination!
It was a massive, majestic looking robot that easily stood over even Dendoh and Zambot 3 in terms of height, covered in bright blue armor on a mostly white main body, and sporting a pair of impressive hooked blades on its legs and a pair of cannons mounted on its forearms. The helmet was an elaborate piece of armor, with golden wing-like extensions spreading from its sides, and its chest armor sported a V-like shape with a flaming decoration that made it look even more fearsome, combined with the steely glance in those emerald green eyes of its and the stoic expression on its face.
"GRAVION!"
Ginga and Hokuto remained speechless for a moment, and even Kappei had to privately admit he was impressed by the magnificence of the combined mecha. If he had to be perfectly honest, even he wasn't sure whether Zambot 3 could compare with that...
Its combination completed, Gravion landed gracefully on a relatively empty part of the city and glared at the Zeravire Destroyer. Even though the alien monstrosity lacked a face or any means to express emotion - if it had any emotion in the first place - it seemed to be more concentrated and wary, as if even it could instinctually sense that this new robot was a threat.
But the Zeravire Destroyer was not made to be afraid. After a couple seconds at most, it began floating towards its new target, ready to bring all of its weapons to bear on Gravion...
oooooooooo
If the reactions of the Zambot 3 and Dendoh pilots were of surprise, most of the people still with Sandman were in complete awe and wonder at the sight of Gravion forming in front of their eyes.
"Have... have you seen that?" one of the guests stammered.
"They... joined into a single machine?" another one managed to utter, still shocked from all the incredible revelations that had happened one after the other. "How... how is that possible?"
"Klein Sandman had a weapon like this one all along?" a third one asked, his voice tinged by more than a mere hint of distrust.
By that point, most of the guests were turning their glances at Klein Sandman for answers, and luckily enough, he was more than willing to explain himself. "What you are seeing with your own eyes, gentlemen, is Earth's trump card in this war." he stated. "It is going to be the sword and the shield that protects Earth. A god born of technology and gravity. The Super Heavyweight God Gravion."
"Gravion..." the third man murmured.
For his part, Azrael said nothing, simply standing in his place and observing carefully...
oooooooooo
From his privileged seat on board the Bandock, Butcher seethed in anger as he saw Gravion take its place on the battlefield. As it set its massive feet on the ground, a tremendous gravity wave was unleashed from its body and trampled the lesser enemy units near it, crushing them like empty tin cans, and Butcher saw one of his Mecha Bursts being reduced into a compressed ball of scrap metal.
"Hmph... so, looks like the Earthlings have what it takes to break my toys." he grumbled, before taking another breath from his hookah, surrounding himself in a cloud of noxious pink mist that lingered around his bloated form for a couple seconds before dissipating. "They really want to annoy me until the very end, huh? Well, no matter... they're only delaying the inevitable! Unless our friends up there are complete incompetents, the Zeravire Destroyer will wipe all of them out!"
Grinning, Butcher laid back in his chair, absent-mindedly wishing he had some popcorn to munch on as he enjoyed the extermination of humanity...
oooooooooo
Gravion and the Zeravire Destroyer were right in front of each other, each of them seemingly sizing up their opponent and getting ready for what was shaping up to be a tremendous battle. All around them, Dendoh and Zambot 3 were continuing their own battle, keeping any invader from getting close, and reducing their numbers even further. Neither of the combatants dared make the first move for several tense moments...
But something had to give sooner or later, and it was the Zeravire monster who lost its patience first. It floated towards its opponent, its crimson orb-like eyes glowing from what Touga might have construed as anger or hatred, and the blade-like extensions on its armsrotated with a chilling metallic noise. Chunks of ground and detritus, caught by some sortof invisible gravitational field surrounding the alien horror, began floating all around it, giving the creature an even more otherworldly feel.
"Here it comes..." Touga whispered to himself. Eina whimpered in fear, while Luna swallowed her saliva in an attempt to calm herself down. That was one of the monsters who had taken her father... but she knew she needed to keep a cool head and not let her anger cloud her judgment.
Eiji, for his part, held a tight grip on his controls. He still couldn't quite believe it had come down to this... as soon as this mess was sorted out, he'd get to the bottom of it and find where the Hell Ayaka was...
An infernal screeching noise signaled that the Zeravire Destroyer was about to launch its attack and called Eiji back to reality. If he would live to sort out this mess, he mentally corrected himself.
The Zeravire Destroyer dashed in and swung one of its blade-like arms, aiming for the relatively unarmored spots on Gravion's neck and midsection. Its impossibly sharp blade hissed, almost angrily, as it flew towards its target...
But Touga acted quickly and brought up the Gravion's arms, catching the blade in its hands with almost impossible accuracy! The Zeravire Destroyer screeched in indignation and tried to pull away, but Touga simply tightened the grip on its opponent and swung Gravion's arms in a fluid clockwise motion, tossing the alien creature away! It landed a great distance away, kicking up a huge cloud of dust, and knocking down some more blocks in the process!
"Well done." Mizuki commented with a nod.
But the Zeravire Destroyer was hardly finished, and it was soon able to float back to an upright position. Its other blade-arm shot forward and up in a lethal vertical slash that managed to graze Gravion's chestplate, leaving a rather nasty gash near its left shoulder. The Zeravire Destroyer extended its other blade arm, trying for a top-down slash... but Touga was able to bring up the Gravion's left arm and parried the blow with a loud metallic noise, before pushing the creature back and landing a tremendous punch of its own to what was probably the creature's "face" - the two red orbs that acted like eyes being the only hint of facial features for this monstrosity.
"Fellow Gran Knights." Sandman's voice was heard from the Gravion's speakers as the mysterious violet-headed billionairie spoke into a hidden microphone in his elegant walking cane. "No matter what happen, be very careful of the critical point of gravitron circulation. Should that critical point be breached, the combination will be forcefully aborted."
"Roger." Touga answered as the Zeravire floated back in an upright position. It then took to the air and descended with its pointy bottom half aiming at Gravion's chest. Touga was not caught off guard, and was able to easily dodge the attack... but the Zeravire Destroyer followed up with unexpected swiftness, and a long whip-like tentacle shot out of its body to wrap itself around Gravion's left leg. It then pulled, attempting to trip the gravity-based robot and drag it to the ground!
"Ugh..." Mizuki grit her teeth and gave as much power as she could to the engines, starting a tense game of tug-o-war against the alien monstrosity, whose eyes lit up again. "Damn... this thing is fearsome! Everyone, let this thing drag us towards it a little!"
"Do you... do you have something in mind, Mizuki?" Eina stammered.
"Could be... just let it think it has us on the ropes." the buxom blonde answered. Touga nodded silently, and Eiji fidgeted nervously, hoping that his unexpected teammates knew what they were doing...
Touga let up just a little bit on the pull and let the Zeravire Destroyer drag Gravion closer. The monster's blades began spinning again, raising a disquieting metallic noise and the creature floated closer and Gravion began to lose its footing. The Zeravire clearly seemed to think it was getting the upper hand again.
"Just a bit more... wait for it..." Mizuki muttered to herself. Finally, she felt the pressure from the Zeravire's grasping tendril weaken, and knew that it was the right moment to act. "Now's the time!"
Touga's deep blue eyes narrowed into slits. With the ease and the skill of a true combat veteran, the blue-haired young man raised Gravion's right arm and caught one of the spinning blades just as the Zeravire Destroyer seemed to be about to strike! Before the alien monstrosity could do anything to escape, Touga tightened the grip on its bladed arm and squeezed tightly, until the extraterrestrial material that composed the limb could hold no more and shattered into a thousand pieces!
The now-maimed Zeravire Destroyer flinched, though it didn't seem to be in actual pain, and relinquished its hold on Gravion, who stumbled away from the monster for just a couple of seconds, and righted itself before it could lose its balance. Even with just one blade-arm now, the Zeravire Destroyer managed to stand upright, and slowly turned back to Gravion, who tossed aside the remains of the destroyed blade and got into a battle stance.
"Mr. Touga, I think the graviton circulation is approaching the critical point!" Eina exclaimed nervously. "If... if we are to stop that Zeravire, we have to do it now!"
"Okay, guys... I think we can deal the final blow!" Luna stated. "Touga! I'm ready whenever you are!"
"Got it, Luna. We will use the Graviton Pressure Punch." the blue-haired young man answered.
With a keening metallic sound, Gravion raised its left arm and clenched its hand into a fist, pointing it directly at the monstrous Zeravire. The extraterrestrial monster flew at high speed towards its opponent, probably intending to ram it with all of its massive bulk...
"Left Driller! Gravity Pressure Punch, standby!" Touga called out.
"Roger!" Luna answered barely one second later. A pair of safety devices emerged from the back of her seat and secured her to it, while outside, the Gravion's legs shot out two pairs of pointed iron rods that embedded themselves in the concrete and held the massive gravity-based robot in position!
oooooooooo
"Awesome! It's going for a Rocket Punch! Just like Mazinger Z!" Ginga exclaimed, switching his attention to Gravion in between the destruction of several Gulfer Principle Units.
Hokuto blinked in surprise. "Huh? Mazinger Z?"
"Yeah! Mazinger Z! What are you staring at with that dumbfound face of yours?" the young Kempo pratictioner answered. "Everyone knows about that! Watch and learn!"
oooooooooo
With a loud sound, several propellers mounted on Gravion's left forearm activated, and the limb shook angrily for a few seconds as Touga carefully took aim on the approaching Zeravire Destroyer. The blue-haired boy, taking advantage of all the knowledge he had gained from those excruciating lessons on the nature of the Zeravire, scanned the unnatural thing in front of Gravion, searching for a weak point.
A pair of crosshair floated on the young man's screen and finally homed in on the monster, right in the place between the Zeravire's baleful red "eyes". Knowing this was their best chance, Touga confirmed the attack, and the crosshairs blinked red for a moment as the attack was prepared.
"Graviton Pressure..." the blue-haired boy began to shout the attack's name...
"...PUUUUUUNCH!" Luna screamed the last part in a high-pitched, determined voice, and the propellers intensified their outputs, causing the Gravion's left forearm to detach itself from the main body and fly at high speed against the monstrous Zeravire!
The monster was caught completely off guard, and by the time Gravion's flying fist shot out, it was already too late for it to do anything! Luna screamed in anger and determination as the punch sped towards its target... and only a split second later, the Graviton Pressure Punch found its mark, striking the Zeravire right between the red orbs that seemed to be its eyes!
There was a tremendous booming sound as the flying fist collided with the Zeravire Destroyer's vital spot. For just a split second, everything seems to slow down to a crawl... and finally, the Zeravire Destroyer emitted a terrifying screeching sound as it was disintegrated! Its unnatural body crumbled into a hail of minuscule black particles and faded away into nothing as the Graviton Pressure Punch made a quick turn around and flew back at Gravion, reattaching itself to the mighty gravity-based robot's arm as if nothing had happened. The last remains of the Zeravire Destroyer fell to the ground in a small heap of white-grey dust, and what little remained of the invasion force, completely losing heart after the destruction of their most powerful trump card, decided to halt their invasion and retreat towards their own bases.
"See? I knew I could do it!" Luna couldn't resist the temptation to gloat a little, of course directed at Eiji... who was staring in disbelief at what he had just witnessed.
"It... it launched its own arm at the enemy? That's messed up..." a wide-eyed Eiji commented.
"Zeravire down! We confirm its destruction." Mizuki stated after giving a quick look at her monitors. "The invasion force is retreating."
"Well, that's reassuring." Touga stated, before taking a look at the external cameras in order to make sure that was the case. Yes, everything had gone smoothly. Tokyo had sustained substantial damage, but luckily, it was basically all damage to objects, and the number of injured among civilians was much less than one might have guessed, "Confirmed retreat of the enemy army. We did it. Good job, everyone!"
The enemy had already left Tokio for the most part, and neither Dendoh nor Zambot 3 was letting up on attacking them. The samurai-like robot shot a pair of red missiles from its leg armor, destroying an Orbiton who had lingered behind, while Dendoh executed a flawless spinning kick on a Mecha Burst, sending it sprawling on the ground and crushing several Zeravire drones.
However, neither robot could pursue their enemies for too long, and in the end, they had to let up and watch as the enemy left the battlefield. Seeing that everything was over, at least for the time being, Hokuto wiped his forehead and let out a sigh of relief.
"We... we got them, right?" the young boy answered. "They are not going to attack the civilians any longer, are they?"
"Don't worry, young man. We've got them." Touga tried to reassure the chestnut-haired schooler. "By the way, you did an excellent job yourselves. We had no idea that GEAR had recruited such talented pilots."
Hokuto and Ginga looked at each other in slight embarassment, while Kappei rubbed a finger under his nose and smiled arrogantly. Finally, someone who recognized his worth.
"To be fair, we wouldn't have involved such young children if we could have helped it." Vega's voice was heard in Gravion and Zambot 3's main cockpits, and a comm window showing the masked woman's face appeared in front of the pilots. "The fact is, they happened to be nearby when Dendoh awakened, and Dendoh chose them as its pilots."
"Huh? Now, hold on a second..." Luna asked. "How can a robot "select" its own pilots?"
Hokuto cleared his voice. "We aren't exactly sure of it." he answered. "We just happened to be there when Dendoh awakened, and it protected us from one of those machines... and after that, well, apparently we were considered good enough to become its pilots!"
"The robot... chose you? What sort of strange nonsense is this?" Kappei asked from Zambot 3's main cockpit. "We've been training like you wouldn't believe ever since we could walk and talk, and as you can see, we've crushed the opposition!"
"Kappei!" Uchuuta silenced his more reckless companion. "You know we shouldn't talk about such things!"
The younger boy rolled his eyes. "Why not? It's not like we cheated or anything!"
"But our parents and our relatives told us we shouldn't do that, so we don't. Simple as that." Keiko grumbled, finally convincing the belligerent 12-year-old to change his mind and reluctantly withdraw his earlier comment.
"Fine, fine... my bad." Kappei grumbled. "Anyway, how come we've met here on this battlefield, all of us piloting some kind of big-ass robot to fight against these buckets of bolts?" he motioned to the broken remains of several Mecha Bursts and Gulfer battle robots. "It does sound a bit too convenient, if you ask me!"
"He's got a point, you know. It's like everything was planned from the beginning." Luna continued. Eina's glasses glazed over in a gesture of embarassment, while Mizuki wrinkled her nose. Even Vega frowned a little behind her ever-present mask.
Luckily, it seemed that someone was more than willing to explain what was going on. In all of the robots' cockpits, another comm window popped up, showing Raven's masked face. "Events have unfolded in a way we did not fully predict. However, we are more than willing to explain what is going on." he stated. "If you would but join our associates in GEAR's HQ, we will tell you all that there is to know. We thank you for your cooperation in repelling this enemy attack."
"Know that your actions have saved countless lives today." Vega continued, a slight smile forming on her face. Unknown to everyone, her relief was not just because of the defenders' victory...
However, someone was not going to satisfied with that. "Hey, you! The guy with the mask!" Eiji shouted from the G-Attacker's cockpit. "What's with the mysterious attitude, huh? I haven't come here to pilot some mecha! I was only here because I'm looking for my sister! You know something, don't you? She told me that she was going to work with that Klein Sandman guy! You have to know something!"
In front of Eiji's anger, Raven kept an admirably subdued attitude. "As I said, Eiji Shigure... everything you need to know will be explained shortly. Let us meet in GEAR HQ, where we can further discuss the matter." he said, and then closed the comm window before Eiji could say anything more, leaving the young man to grumble in annoyance.
Ginga and Hokuto looked at each other for a moment, before the latter sighed and took his own GEAR Command. "Well, protesting about it isn't going to help." he stated. "I don't know about you, Ginga, but I think we should do what they ask."
"I'm still not sure what's going on... so I guess you have a point here." Ginga sighed as Dendoh powered down, kneeling in order to allow its young pilots to descend. Zambot 3 had already powered down and undone its combination, with Kappei, Uchuuta and Keiko climbing down from their machines.
"Well, what's there to know, honestly?" Kappei answered as he reached Ginga and Hokuto. "These mechanical jerks came here and tried to kill us all. We kicked their butts. When they return, we kick their butts again. The end."
"I don't think that's so simple..." Hokuto said, taking a good look around. The battlefield was littered with the remains of the destroyed enemies and of the buildings and premises that had been demolished in the battle... who knew just how long it would take for all the damage to be fixed...
oooooooooo
"I believe you have seen what you need." Sandman stated, as the guests slowly took their still incredulous eyes off the screens upon which the battle had taken place. Most of them were relieved and thankful that Gravion and the other robots were able to defeat the invaders, and their expressions of joy were evident from where Sandman was standing. However, he was also not surprised to see and hear that several others were not quite as convinced. Indeed, a few of them even expressed anger, outrage or at least suspicion.
"Gravion, huh? That's a powerful weapon... one that seems tailor-made for these invaders." one of them was whispering. "I wonder what's the catch here."
"He's right, you know!" another man protested, this time addressing Sandman directly. "It's quite convenient that you had such a powerful robot concealed, just to spring it into action now! And what's with those other two robots?"
"What are you planning, Klein Sandman?" came another question. "You couldn't possibly have built that Gravion thing without an ulterior motive!"
"And what about those other two robots? What's the deal with them?" another one asked.
In front of such outrage from several of his guests, Sandman calmly raised a hand in order to ask for silence. "Gentlemen, if you please. I shall answer your questions shortly." he answered. "Though I realize that my word might not amount to much to several of you, I can reassure you that my allies and associates are acting out of concern for the future of the human race. The Gran Knights and GEAR are currently cooperating to oppose this extraterrestrial threat."
Luckily, someone seemed to be grateful for Sandman's efforts. "He's right, you know. Those robots stopped the invaders from causing a tragedy." a man exclaimed. "We could stand to at least thank Mr. Sandman for his aid."
"Oh, we are grateful alright. Just not naive." a woman fired back. "Honestly, I have trouble believing that Mr. Sandman is doing all of this out of kindness. There's always some ulterior motive."
"Maybe... but it beats getting flattened by those monsters, doesn't it?" another woman fired back.
"That's an excuse for keeping all those weapons for himself!"
"That's true! Why should we trust Sandman to use those robots correctly? They should be under the control of the Earth Union!"
For a few moments, it seemed that the hall was going to dissolve into petty bickering... at least, until an unexpected hand came up to quell any discussion.
"Please, gentlemen. It wouldn't do to waste time in pointless wrangling." Azrael said, still sporting that sly, disturbing boyish smile of his. "The simple fact of the matter is, at the moment Mr. Sandman and his associates are the only ones possessing a weapon capable of fighting back against those mysterious attackers. Even if Earth Union personnel could get a hold of them, they would not know how to operate them. Therefore, we should give them a bit of leeway, should we not?"
Sandman nodded, never changing his expression as Azrael walked towards him, and then past him... but then, the blond industrialist stopped close to Sandman and placed a hand on his shoulder in what might have seemed a gesture of friendship and trust, but was actually one of menace.
"But... I'd advise you to be very careful, Mr. Sandman." Azrael murmured in a faux-friendly tone, his smile turning into that of a hunting snake. "That which doesn't bend... might very well break."
The not-so-veiled threat failed to impress Klein Sandman. "Your concern is much appreciated, Mr. Azrael. But I believe it will ultimately be unneeded." he calmly answered. "The Gran Knights and GEAR have things well under control. And we plan on keeping it that way."
Azrael kept smiling, but it was somewhat more strained now. He silently let go of Sandman's shoulder and walked away as an elegantly dressed red-haired maid approached the violet-haired billionaire and whispered something in his ear. Sandman nodded silently and politely excused himself, leaving his guests to discuss further among themselves.
"Now, gentlemen... I would very much like to stay and further discuss any issues you might have. But unfortunately, my presence is required elsewhere." he stated. "Please accept my apologies for this evening's happenings. Feel free to address any grievances to me personally in the coming day. Fare well."
With a polite bow, Sandman and his maids took their leave, slowly climbing a ramp of stairs to an upper floor...
oooooooooo
In the bowels of the gigantic space fortress Rasenjou...
"Unpredicted circumstances have frustrated the assault." a strange metallic creature that seemed to be made of solid quicksilver stated as it, along with two more of its kind, reviewed the phases of the battle. "We have found the missing Gear Fighter. And we have confirmed that Earthlings possess other weapons who can pose athreat to our operations."
"Hmm... impressive. They have shown remarkable power." One of its companions, a bulky golden robot with spikes jutting from several parts of its body, stated in a thundering voice.
"Indeed. However, the Gear Fighter did not possess any Data Weapons." the third creature, an oddly-shaped, gangly reddish robot with a head that was nothing but a smooth orb with a single red eye, added to the conversation. "That having been said..."
The three robotic creatures seemed almost startled as the immense Rasenjou Master simply appeared out of thin air behind them. "YOU SHOULD ALREADY KNOW THAT DATA WEAPONS ACTIVELY RESIST ANY ATTEMPT OF CAPTURE." it exclaimed in its booming yet metallic voice, causing all three underlings to turn in its direction in all haste - indeed, one could have said that they were in awe of him. "DENDOH STILL HAS NOT GOTTEN A HOLD OF THEM. THEREFORE, WE MUST NOT WASTE THIS CHANCE. THE OPERATIONS FOR THE INVASION OF THE EARTH ARE THEREFORE HALTED. RETRIEVAL OF DATA WEAPONS TAKES PRIORITY OVER THAT."
"Acknowledge, my lord. We will immediately send a new group of scouts to flush out the Data Weapons." the silvery creature answered.
Though the neutral expression on the Rasenjou Master's face did not falter, the robotic overlord was not pleased with his underling's answer. Without any warning, the Rasenjou Master glowed faintly and released a powerful jolt of electricity that struck his three underlings, causing them to cry out in surprise and pain. The discharge ended in a couple of seconds, but it was more than effective in driving the point across - the Rasenjou Master utterly disapproved of its underling's idea.
"NEGATIVE. SUBTLETY IS CALLED FOR IN SUCH A SITUATION." the Rasenjou Master exclaimed. "BEFORE WE DECIDE ON OUR NEXT MOVE, SEND OUT YOUR CHIPS TO ASSESS THE SITUATION."
"As you command." the silver creature answered. It extended a tentacle-like tendril, and a miniature copy of itself appeared from within its body, coalescing into a humanoid figurine right in front of it.
The spiky golden robot extended an arm, and again, a miniature copy of itself appeared standing on its palm. "It has been some time since we made use of our Chips for scouting, anyway." it commented.
The strange orb-headed robot seemed more annoyed than anything else as it created yet another miniature copy of itself. "Such a menial task..." it stated, but dared not disobey an order. "It shall be done, my lord. What about our allies?"
"THE ZERAVIRE AND THE GAIZOCK WILL KEEP THE EARTH'S DEFENDERS DISTRACTED, FORCING THEM TO DIVERT THEIR ATTENTION AWAY FROM THE HUNT FOR THE DATA WEAPON." the robotic overlord answered. The miniature figurines of its underlings landed in front of him, looking like a trio of toy soldiers in front of its immense bulk. "NOW GO. SEEK OUT ANY LEAD, EVEN THE MOST INSIGNIFICANT. SEARCH THE ENTIRE PLANET, IN ANY OF ITS PARTS! THESE ARE MY ORDERS. SEE TO IT THAT THEY ARE CARRIED OUT."
The three miniature figurines of the Rasenjou sub-commanders bowed to their master. "It shall be done, master." they all answered in perfect unison. Right after that, three holes opened up under the figurines' feet, and they sank into the floor, disappearing from their master's pitiless gaze.
oooooooooo
Some time later, in a large elevator going into an underground place...
The Zambot 3, Dendoh and Gravion teams had finally arrived in GEAR HQ, joined by Vega and Kirakuni. The masked woman and the aspirant Dendoh pilot were escorting the team inside their headquarters, so that the newcomers - namely, Ginga, Hokuto and Eiji - could be briefed on everything that was going on, and know everything they needed about the situation.
Eiji Shigure groaned in irritation, his hands behind his head as he stood inside the large elevator, waiting for it to get tothe bottom floor. "Is it going to take much longer?" he groaned. "If you guys don't mind, I'd rather be looking for my sister than wasting my time here."
"Hey! We're kind of saving the world from alien invaders here!" Luna protested. "You might want to be a little more respectful, you know?"
"Yeah, well, I'm happy for you guys, but I haven't decided to play hero." the red-headed young man answered. "If you are going to do that, that's your business, but you can't just up and decide to involve me!"
"In case you haven't noticed, wise guy, you are already involved. We all are." Kappei answered with an annoyed groan. Was he really supposed to have this whiner along with him fighting against the Gaizock and the other threats from outer space?
Kirakuni cleared his voice, not wanting the argument to escalate before they were even in front of Commander Shibuya. "Please, gentlemen, there is no need to antagonize each other." he said evenly. "Chief Shibuya and our associate, Mr. Klein Sandman, will be glad to explain everything you need to know. And I'm sure we can find a solution to retrieve your sister as well, Shigure-kun."
"Fine, fine..." Eiji murmured, his arms crossed and his gaze turned away in a pout. Luna groaned and shook her head, while Eina seemed not to know how to deal with the newcomer, Mizuki eyed him with veiled interest... and Touga simply stood there, not saying anything.
Finally, the elevator stopped with a beeping sound, and its doors slid open, allowing everyone to get a good look at the innermost part of GEAR HQ: a large control room filled with complex-looking interfaces and glowing screens, with several operators working at their seats, and a strange-looking spherical device, filled with colored spyglasses, looming over the entire place. Ginga and Hokuto were the first ones to step out as Kirakuni and Vega politely motioned for them to dismount.
"Welcome to GEAR HQ, everyone." Kirakuni ventured. "This is where many of the efforts to protect the Earth from invaders, both from outside and from within, take place. Please, feel free to look around."
"I... I must say, this place is quite interesting." Eina commented. "To be honest... even though we've been working along with GEAR for such a long time, I've never been inside their HQ."
"Well... it is rather impressive, I'll admit." Even Eiji was forced to admit that he rather liked the place. However, his curiosity took a plunge when he saw three people approaching the group with a slow, careful gait.
Director Shibuya, the leader of GEAR HQ, was in the middle, clearly as the head of the trio. He was a rather rotund middle-aged man with curly, shoulder-long brown hair, wearing a light grey military uniform with golden stripes on his shoulders and sleeves, underwhich a spotless white shirt and a dark grey necktie could be seen. On the left side of his chest stood a pin representing his military rank - which seemed to be rather high. Despite this, he radiated an air of friendliness as he took a good look at the reunited pilots.
On his left side, Klein Sandman bowed his head slightly in a greeting gesture, which Touga, Mizuki, Luna and Eina were quick to reciprocate. While on the right, Hikozaemon nodded in approval when his grandson Kappei grinned at him, clearly proud of his first successful outing in Zambot 3. Uchuuta and Keiko seemed more subdued, but the old man could sense that they too were glad to have protected the planet and the people.
"Director Shibuya. As per orders, I have brought here Ginga Izumo, Hokuto Kusanagi and the rest of our pilots." Kirakuni exclaimed as he did a military salute.
Shibuya salted as well. "An excellent job." he praised his subordinate, before giving his guests, especially Ginga and Hokuto, his full attention. "Welcome to GEAR Headquarters, everyone. I am General Director Shibuya, and hereare my subordinates..." he pointed to two people who trailed right behind him, a pretty young woman with flowing burgundy hair and a sweet countenance; and a mild-looking middle-aged man with sparse grey hair and glasses, dressed in a white labcoat over his GEAR uniform. "Our communication officer, Ms. Aiko Senoo, and our scientific advisor, Dr. Inoue."
"Pleased to meet you." Aiko answered, waving and giving a smile. Inoue simply nodded courteously.
"Allow us to explain what's happening." Hikozaemon went on. "GEAR is an organization backed by Mr. Sandman's financial clique, whose objective is to defend Earth from any sort of invaders. Currently, the threat we face is composed of a dangerous alliance between the Gaizock, the Gulfer and the Zeravire."
"Gulfer? Zeravire? It's all Greek to me!" Ginga protested. "What do these guys want from us, anyway?"
"And what does Ayaka's disappearence have to do with all of this?" Eiji demanded. "I haven't come here to fight your wars!"
Sandman raised a hand in a pacifying gesture, never losing his unflappable demeanor. "All will be explained in due time, Eiji Shigure." he said. "As for young Ginga's question, which I am sure all of you share... the Gulfer, the Zeravire and the Gaizock are races of mechanical beings that have waged war against several sentient races in the universe, all with the objective of exterminating them. Right now, they have selected Earth as their next target. The battle you have sustained against them was only a first skirmish."
"Luckily, their arrival on Earth was not unpredicted." Vega went on, speaking for the first time in a while. "In preparation for the coming invasion, GEAR kept Dendoh in reserve, ready to activate it at the right moment. Truth be told, Mr. Kirakuni here and myself were supposed to be the pilots. But it appears that Dendoh chose you as its pilots."
"You still have your GEAR Commanders, right?" Kirakuni asked. Looking a little perplexed, both Ginga and Hokuto produced the strange handhelds that allowed them tocontrol Dendoh, and showed them to the GEAR personnel. "Only people who can make GEAR Commanders react to each other can pilot Dendoh."
"And the brighter their reaction is, the greater the power Dendoh can unleash." Vega continued. "Now, try bringing your GEAR Commanders in contact."
"Okay..." Hokuto answered, and motioned for Ginga to do as Vega said. The two boys touched their GEAR Commanders to each other... and much to their amazement, the screen began emitting dazzling rays of colored light, shining brighter than a torchlight! Ginga and Hokuto quickly separated their devices, but by then, the point Vega was trying to make was obvious.
"Really impressive." Dr. Inoue commented, taking a good look at the GEAR Commanders. "When you boys brought them in contact, the power unleashed was close to the maximum. Which means... that you truly are the pilots chosen by Dendoh."
Unseen by everyone except Sandman, Vega fidgeted nervously.
"That may be so... but why were we chosen?" Hokuto asked. "I mean, I'm just a normal Japanese schoolboy. I don't think I have any exceptional skill, or anything like that, so..."
"Yeah, they don't look that strong, or that smart, either!" Kappei taunted them, his hands behind his head. Both Hokuto and Ginga glared at him, and Keiko rebuked her cousin by elbowing him in the arm.
"Kappei! That was uncalled for!" she repriminded him.
Kappei looked undaunted. "So what? I'm just saying what I think!"
"I think you want another beating, pal!" Ginga turned on the main Zambot 3 pilot. "You're still a glutton for punishment after I kicked your butt this morning, huh?"
"You just got lucky there, hotshot!" Kappei fired back.
The calm and collected look on Vega's face faltered, and a vein popped up on the masked woman's head as she clenched her fist in a comical expression of rage. Hokuto tried to get between the quarreling Ginga and Kappei, who were still glaring daggers at each other and shouting...
"ALRIGHT! THAT WILL BE ENOUGH!" Vega shouted all of a sudden, causing everyone to leap in the air from the suddenness of it! Ginga and Kappei quickly stopped their quarrel, looking at the masked woman in awe... and Hikozaemon sighed in relief. As quickly as she lost it, Vega regained her cool and cleared her voice before answering Hokuto's question. "We... don't really know what factored into Dendoh's decision." A brief moment of hesitation crept in her voice. "The only thing we know is, your power will be needed to defend the Earth, and possibly the entire universe from this dreadful alliance."
"And let me guess... even Gravion and Zambot 3 were kept in reserve for this, right?" Eiji asked suddenly. His tone was that of a person who was not going to take any delay, and he was keeping a scathing gaze affixed on the ever-collected Sandman.
"That is indeed the case, young Eiji Shigure." the purple-haired billionairie answered. "In order to control the machines that compose Gravion, one needs to possess an enzyme which I dubbed G-Factor. Think of it as your body's ability to adapt to the changes in gravity. And both you and your sister Ayaka possess the G-Factor."
"And it was a very interesting discovery, if I may say so myself." Inoue stated.
The young man's eyes widened in a mixture of anger and surprise. Was that guy taking him for a fool, telling him such outlandish tales? "Me and Ayaka? We both have the G-Factor? Stop bullshitting me!" he exclaimed.
"It is true, else you would not have been able to control the G-Attacker." Sandman explained, casting an intense glance on Eiji. "To get you to come, we invited you to the party, using a fake letter from your sister. I understand that this method was quite reprehensible, and I apologize for it. But I doubted you would have believed me if I just told you what was going on."
"To be fair, all we wanted was to check your aptitude for piloting." Luna continued. "We had no idea our enemies would have chosen that precise moment to attack."
"Oh, so now you're hoping that I join your little band and be a good, obedient little pilot, huh?" Eiji answered angrily. "Well, fuck that! If you know where Ayaka is, then have her come here so that I can ask her myself!"
Sandman and the rest of his team stood in silence for a while, but it was Shibuya who continued the conversation. "Unfortunately... Ayaka Shigure went missing during a training session with the G-Attacker." he said, casting his glance to the floor.
"She disappeared, and we've been unable to find her." Mizuki went on with a wistful sigh. "We're all pretty worried about her, too. But all our efforts to find her have been fruitless. That is why we need your aid to fight against the Zeravire and the rest of the invaders."
"Oh, really? Well, you've been wasting your time! This shit doesn't concern me!" Eiji fired back. Ginga and Kappei both stared at him in disapproval, but the red-haired young man was not going to be deterred so easily. "If you think I'm going to fight your battles, you're dead wrong! Find someone else to use as cannon fodder!"
"Please, Eiji Shigure, calm down." Shibuya intervened. "Your resentment is understandable, but I'm afraid that the current situation concerns everyone. If the Gulfer and the Gaizock have their way, Earth will be wiped out like so many planets that already fell to their onslaught."
"I'm sure you can find another pilot with this G-Thing!" Eiji angrily protested, crossing his arms. "Sorry, guys, I'm outta here!"
"Come on, pal! You can't just palm us off like that!" Uchuuta tried to reason with the older boy.
"Without a G-Factor, the machine won't function properly." Vega tried to convince Eiji. "You're the only one who can do it at the moment."
Eiji frowned angrily, firmly set on not letting them take advantage of him. "If you insist, then bring out Ayaka! Then I'll pilot that thing, not before!"
"As you prefer." Touga answered, still smiling as if what Eiji had said was no big deal. "In that case, I guess we should let you go. Cowards can't be of any use, can they?"
That managed to hit a sensitive spot, and Eiji turned to the blue-haired boy, finding himself facing that annoying smile. "Hey! What did you call me, prettyboy?"
"He called you a coward. And he's right, you know!" Luna taunted, a mischievous smile dancing on her lips.
"He's scared. And who can blame him?" Touga went on. "Let him go. I can follow up and fight even if he's not around."
"Hey, hold on a moment!" Eiji angrily protested. "I'm not scared at all!"
"You don't have to pretend, you know." the blue-haired young man continued, every word seemingly thought out for the express reason of pissing off Eiji. "Unlike us, you're weak. So don't push yourself and calmly stay here."
"Weak?" Eiji angrily repeated. He was burning with the desire to grab that prettyboy up there and punch him right in the kisser! "Okay, that does it! I'm gonna wipe that stupid smile off your face!"
"Ugh... here they go..." Keiko grumbled as Eiji dashed as Touga and swung his right fist at him... only for the blue-haired young man to nimbly dodge, without showing a single hint of alarm. Eiji's punch missed its mark, and the excessive power he put into his attack caused the red-headed young man to topple forward and end up sprawled on the ground!
"Eiji!" Hokuto exclaimed in concern.
"See? For certain, having a coward on our side would only drag our feet." Touga commented as an enraged and shamed Eiji began getting up.
Luna smirked mischievously. "That's right, we should leave behind the coward who makes excuses and wants to run away while the lives of countless people are in danger, and childen much younger than him are willing to fight."
"Hey, hold on a second!" Hokuto protested. "We... we still haven't decided whether or not we will fight!"
"Well, I decided that I will fight." Ginga answered quickly. When Hokuto looked at him in shock and surprise, the black-haired boy looked at his GEAR Commander for a moment, and then went on. "I mean, we did manage to defeat them before, right? We do have a chance! I don't have the foggiest idea why Dendoh chose us as its pilots, but that's just how it is. And doesn't that mean that we are capable?"
"Wh-What are you saying?" Hokuto exclaimed. "Do you really think we have a chance against those monsters from outer space?"
"Why not? We'll never know if we don't try!" Ginga exclaimed confidently. "If you are a scaredy cat, you can go home and cry! But I'm staying!"
Kappei smirked at that. "Well, call me crazy or whatever, but for once, I agree with Ginga here!" he stated. "I don't know much of Dendoh, but my cousins and I have been chosen and trained to pilot Zambot 3 ever since we were kids, and that means we have the skills to do so! If Dendoh chose you two, then it must have seen something in you!"
"Yes, Kappei has it right." Vega admitted, exchanging a glance with old Hikozaemon, who nodded in approval. "The simple fact of the matter is, the Gaizock and their allies represent a tremendous danger to all living beings in the universe. And opposing them is no idle choice, Ginga. It will be a dangerous task, and a great responsibility has been cast on your shoulders."
"The fact remains, that you are the ones to make the final decision." Sandman concluded. Eiji grumbled something and glared at the floor, while Hokuto sighed and tried to think about it. As much as he tried to deny it, he understood that without Dendoh, the Earth's ability to repel the invaders would be greatly hampered. And how many people would die before the Gulfer and the other enemies were repelled? Assuming they could be repelled at all without Dendoh...
For several seconds, Hokuto seemed to struggle with his decision. Finally, he grabbed his own GEAR Commander and stood in front of Chief Shibuya and the others.
"Very well then. I'll do it." Hokuto stated.
Vega smiled a little, her eyes growing tender and concerned behind her mask. She knew Hokuto would ultimately do the right thing... but that would give her a whole other slew of concerns. Still, if this was the price to pay for the safety of the Earth...
"Well, that means all the others are accounted for." Hikozaemon stated, eyeing Kappei and his cousins. The main pilot of Zambot 3 put his hands on his hips and nodded, while Uchuuta and Keiko give the old man some solemn signs of assent. Sandman, for his part, sent the three young pilots a sideways glance of sympathy. He couldn't say that he liked how those children had been trained, but considering the menace all now faced, he knew he had to tolerate the lesser evil.
"Which means... you're the only one who hasn't yet accepted, Eiji Shigure." the old man continued, eyeing the red-headed youngster who was picking himself up, grumbling under his breath. "So... what do you say? Are you going to help us?"
Eiji glared at Hikozaemon and then at Sandman, still feeling resentment over how they were basically driving him into a forced choice. Then again, he really wanted to know what had happened to Ayaka, and he had to admit, he wasn't too comfortable with the idea of leaving everything in the others' hands... especially those children.
It was also a point of personal honor, if he had to be honest. If two schoolboys like Ginga and Hokuto were willing to give this an honest try... then how could he justify to himself staying back and not even trying? Call Eiji Shigure a stubborn fool, call him arrogant, but never call Eiji Shigure a coward.
"Fine. But only as long as I can find out what happened to my sister." he finally answered, much to Touga's satisfaction. "I've got to show this prettyboy here that I'm no coward!"
"That's fine by me." Touga stated, still smiling. Was he really that oblivious, or was he doing this on purpose to annoy the hell out of Eiji? "I look forward to working with you then!"
"Wanna bet he gets cold feet on the first day?" Luna taunted with a small smirk on her face.
Eiji turned to her, trying to intimidate her with his glare, without much success. "Oh, really? Don't bet on that, Ms. Know-It-All! I might have a few surprises in store for you!"
Shibuya sighed as Eiji and Luna turned to bickering between each other. At least, everyone was there and accounted for. Hopefully, they wouldn't throttle each other before the Gulfer and their allies were dealt with...
ooooooooooo
Finally, the time had come to return home.
The districts that had been hit the most by the attack of the Gulfer, the Gaizock and the Zeravire were still in turmoil, and the authorities were having their hands full dealing with the large number of people that had been left homeless by the assault. However, thanks to the intervention of Dendoh, Zambot 3 and Gravion, the casualties had been kept to a minimum, and the loss in human lives could have been much worse. As Ginga and Hokuto were walking back home, the atmosphere that was surrounding them was one of shock and incredulity, but also of wary hope and willingness not to give up.
Luckily, the two children's houses had not taken ny real damage, and as they got closer, Ginga and Hokuto were greeted by a relieved bark from Jupiter, Hokuto's white-and-black dog. Ginga had to admit that he never thought he'd welcome that sound, but after risking his life and beating back an alien invasion, it made him feel like he was getting back to a safe place.
"Jupiter! I'm so glad you're okay... are Mom and Dad okay, too?" Hokuto asked as he greeted the large dog and gently rubbed him on the head. Jupiter barked again, as if giving a yes, and Hokuto gently rubbed him on the head. "Good boy. Yeah, I'm okay, and my friends, too. Things got pretty crazy... and I'm sure you wouldn't believe it even if I told you."
"Well... that's it for today, I guess." Ginga commented, suddenly feeling tired and worn-out. "I'd suggest you relax and get ready should anything happen. You never know when they will need our help..."
"Yeah... we need to be in good shape at least, " Hokuto answered, still not completely convinced. "Oh well... in any case, I'll see you tomorrow. Stay safe, okay?"
"Later."
The two boys said goodbye to each other and walked back into their own houses... with Hokuto being grabbed in a bear hug by both his worried parents!
"Hokuto! Good heavens, where on Earth were you? We were worried sick about you!" Mr. Kusanagi exclaimed with palpable relief. "We lost you in the chaos, and when everything was done with, we were told to wait for you here... but we were about to go look for you anyway! We're so happy you're home!"
"What happened, dear? How did you get out of that mess?" Orie Kusanagi asked, gently ruffling her son's hair. Jupiter barked twice, as if to emphasize the point.
Suddenly feeling relieved and happy to be still alive, even after braving those overwhelming odds, Hokuto hugged his parents back with all of his strength, as if he was afraid of being forcibly ripped away from them. "I'm not really sure myself... One of those mechanical monsters shot something that exploded near me... and then I found myself separated from you. Then... then a policeman took me away from there, and after making sure I was okay, well... he broght me and the boy next door back here, when everything had settled." He felt a pang of guilt at lying to his parents, but he doubted they would ever believe him if he told them that he and the "boy next door" had been piloting a giant robot and helped defeat the invaders...
"That must have been scary, dear..." Orie exclaimed, still hugging her son for all she was worth. "It's okay now... those Mecha Burst are gone!"
Hokuto nodded and smiled... but then, a stray thought hit him.
How did his mom know how those mechanical monsters were called?
oooooooooo
With a deep sigh, Ginga shut the door behind him as he set out to take a breather at last...
"AND WHERE EXACTLY DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING, YOUNG MAN?"
The young martial artist cringed comically and glanced at the doorframe on the otherside of his living room... just in time to see the only thing he could say he truly feared - Midori Izumo standing there, her hands on her hips and an anime vein popping up on her forehead, obviously not pleased with how he had disappeared and was now popping up again! His younger sister Otome was standing near, hugging one of her plushies and staring at her older brother with relief... but that was a secondary concern, compared to facing his mom's wrath! Her noticeable height, her long black hair and her athletic frame, the result of many years spent practicing martial arts... and especially her wide shiny forehead certainly didn't make her look any less formidable!
"Uh... er... hi, mom..." he said meekly.
"Don't you 'hi mom' me, Ginga!" Midori practically marched to Ginga and loomed over him. "Do you have ANY idea of how dangerous it was out there, with those mechanical monsters running around? Otome and I were afraid something would happen to you! Why I ought to put you through one of my very special 'training from Hell' programs to teach you a lesson..."
Suddenly, Midori's rage abated, and she sighed in relief, knelt down to Ginga's level and hugged him. "But I'm gonna let it slide. Just this once, mind you. I'm just glad you're safe, you big fool." she said, her tone now a lot calmer and warmer.
Going from intimidated to embarassed and flabbergasted, Ginga blinked in confusion, and looked down at Otome walking up to him, her trademark pigtails bobbing slightly as she approached.
"Mom and Otome were really sad, big brother Ginga." she said, referring to herself in the third person. "Please don't do it again."
Ginga sighed and extended a hand to ruffle Otome's hair. Sadly, he knew he couldn't make such a promise... but at least, he could reassure her that everything would be okay.
"Don't worry about that, Otome. Your big brother will be fine."
TO BE CONTINUED...
ooooooooooo
Author's Note: No, I have not died. Real life happened, and lack of inspiration. I can only hope that this chapter was satisfying.
Next chapter, we will finally meet the characters from Daitarn 3 and Martian Successor Nadesico - the TV series, not that crummy edgelord excuse for a movie.
And I will make sure it is just as good, or even better, than this one!
See you soon! :)