1.1 The Forces That Control You And I: The Last Bastion
The ground shook from the devastating impact as the invader crashed its massive weapon against the metallic arms of the Gate Robot 00, which were locked in a cross to parry the blow. Its feet dug hard into the soil, desperately trying to gain an important foothold.
Shun, inside the robot, heard creaking sounds as he gripped onto the controls. The exostructure of the robot could not handle the blow much longer, he knew. He stepped hard on the accelerator, his Gate of Gales glowing brightly in his eyes.
Suddenly, the Gate Robot found a reserve of energy and pushed the invader back. Surprised, its grip was loosened. Shun broke the parry and opened the Gate energy amplifiers around the robot's hand. A blue Gate opened at the end of the four prongs on both arms. Energy crackled around them and a split second later Shun released them in a blast.
But as usual, the bolts of energy disappeared before they hit their intended target, absorbed by a seemingly invisible barrier.
Shun stepped back in anticipation of another onslaught as the invader recovered.
"I can't even hit him." He muttered, and from the corner of his eye he spied Megumi. "Megumi is protecting the invader! We must break her Gate power!" Shun shouted over the intercom.
Just that moment, the Grim Reaper's grotesque face was visible behind its hood. It opened its mouth and started to power up its sonic beam.
Shun dodged to the left as the powerful beam left a large crater at his previous location. His breath was coming out in ragged gasps, and his heart was beating rapidly. Got to break Megumi's dark Gate, he thought, as he once again dodged the invader's scythe, or I am going to lose this one.
Megumi smiled to herself as another attack by the Gate Robot broke down.
I will show all of them. I will make them regret for not appreciating me.
She looked at Kageyama, who was merely standing erect and watching the battle take place.
You will appreciate my worth too, Kageyama, she muttered to herself.
Ruriko heard Shun words clearly as the two titans clashed again. Shun was visibly tiring, and it would soon that he would be defeated.
Unless something was done.
She raised her head and saw Megumi levitating in mid-air, braids floating upwards due to some mysterious upward draft.
In front of her hand was a dark Gate.
Megumi saw her staring at her, and slowly descended on to the ground.
"Ruriko Ikusawa. The most beautiful, popular, smart girl in school. I will always be second to you. Not for long."
"I don't want to fight you, Megumi. You are my friend, my comrade."
"You lie very convincingly."
Saying that, her dark Gate illuminated even more. "It's time I claim my rightful place. And this time, I will not fail."
Ichiro stood up unsteadily. He had to do something. He noticed that Ruriko was battling Megumi.
He had to do something.
Reiko shouted, clearing his head. "Ichiro! Use the Gate Engine! You have the most power amongst all of us!"
He nodded. Kaoru helped him to activate the machine and he got on to the platform.
Hang in there, Captain.
Subconsciously, as the machine started to hum, he corrected himself.
Hang in there, Shun.
Ruriko readied her bow as she faced off with her greatest enemy, an enemy she did not want to fight at all. Her hands were trembling.
"Let me help you, Ruriko." Feye offered.
"No. This is my fight." She replied.
Megumi smiled darkly. "How pitiful." She remarked.
"Dark Force!" Dark energy balls exited from her negative Gate, making their way at top speed for Ruriko. She loosed her readied arrow, which struck the unholy projectiles, both of which disappearing in a flash of light.
"This is not the Megumi I know. Please, Megumi stop this now."
"Correction. You never knew me well. Wall of Steel!"
A large dark wall appeared in front of Ruriko, which immediately tried to squash her flat. She skilfully evaded the attack and destroyed the barrier with one of her arrows.
Megumi just merely smirked. "You will never try to kill me. You still have a conscience, a heart, and the ability to feel emotion. You still think I am someone you knew someone who isn't your enemy. Fortunately, I do not have that weakness."
"Killing you will be very gratifying." She stated, as she approached the shaking figure of Ruriko.
Shun once again parried the blow, which caused the invader to stumble back a few steps, but it was not long before it tried to strike again.
This time, Shun was ready for him. With a quick body feint homed after hours and hours playing soccer and nutmegging players, he tricked the invader into plunging its scythe into the ground. Caught off-guard, it tried to yank the weapon out, but it was far too deep in.
Shun seeing the opportunity presented to him wrested the controls and the robot leaped high into the air. "Ultra Vacuum Chop!" he exclaimed as he brought the robot's hand down in a chopping action.
Reversal.
The invader's hand shot out and grabbed the incoming deathblow, jerking the Gate Robot off-balanced. Shun, disorientated, felt the metallic body jerk to a stop in mid air. The invader swung the robot like a child would do to a ragdoll, before releasing it. It impacted loudly against a cliff.
The circuitry popped and crackled as Shun struggled to stay awake. His head was spinning and all he knew that his whole body ached. His vision cleared slightly, only to see the invader fire its sonic beam at the downed and defenceless robot.
The blast blew apart some of the armour concealing the Gate Engine, and Shun instinctively covered the chest area and rolled away. Any damage to the Gate Engine will cause the robot to shut down.
The Gate Robot staggered, standing up straight slowly. Its once shining armour was now dirtied by soil and scratched by debris, its chest compartment was slightly ripped apart. But it still stood tall, erect and defiant.
Not for long, Kageyama thought.
The invader floated to its position and raised its scythe. This time, there would be no running away.
Ichiro watched desperately as he also tried to concentrate on building the power the Gate Engine needed.
As Kaoru watched Ruriko hesitating, refusing to deliver the killing blow on Megumi, he thought to herself, I hope I never get into this situation, where I have to kill someone I care for with my bare hands.
Ichiro, strangely, then felt a sense of calmness befall on him.
He wondered again.
2 Emotion, Ichiro thought, strength....or weakness?
He did not see the power bar reach 95%.
The sound of a sharp blade cutting through titanium alloy rang throughout Shun's ears. He gazed up of his cockpit and saw a bloodied yet gleaming blade protruding from the ceiling.
The invader had plunged its scythe from the robot's head right down to the chest area, where the cockpit was. The invader removed its weapon with surprising ease and used the rear end to send the robot crashing again to the ground, against the same cliff face.
The robot crashed hard. The invader waited.
It did not rise again.
Satisfied, the herald of doom raised its deadly scythe to deliver the killing blow.
"What's the matter?" Megumi said in a mocking voice as she walked towards Ruriko, dark Gate open in front of her.
"Can't bear to hurt me? I knew it." She pointed to the downed Gate Robot. "Your hesitation will cost you the life of those you love."
Ruriko could clearly hear the anguished screams of Shun, imagined or not. She once again loaded her bow with unsteady hands.
"Go ahead. Do it. But I know you can't."
Ruriko closed her eyes as she heard those screams again echoing in her head. Her hands shook even more.
"You can't do it." Megumi repeated.
Suddenly, like a voice of reason in a midst of mangled voices, she could clearly remember what Shun said before he fired his Vacuum Missile at Kageyama during their first meeting with him.
"Evil is evil! I will not hesitate to defeat anyone who doesn't value human life!"
With that, she loosed the arrow.
Shun felt like his whole body had been immersed in a vat of cool liquid. His vision cleared, and he could see clearly that the place was the street outside his home. His feet felt ground and he instinctively made his way towards his home.
To his utmost surprise, the garage door opened, and a tall man wearing dirty overalls walked out, wiping his greasy hands on a piece of white cloth.
Shun's eyes opened with recognition. "Dad!"
But his father did not return the greeting. Instead he stared hard at his son.
"Why are you back?" he asked in a harsh voice.
Shun did not know how to reply.
"You gave up." He said simply.
"I didn't!" Shun retorted hotly.
"Then why are you here? I thought you were always the one who never gave up? Fought till the end? Turns out you are just as bad as I am."
"NO!" Shun clenched his right fist. "I will never give up! Not like you! Not like everybody else! I will not give up!"
The scene swirled once more, and Shun found himself falling into a dark abyss.
The arrow flew straight and true, but a dark barrier blocked its trajectory. It stayed there in mid-air, immobilised.
"I knew it. You didn't have the guts to do something like this. That's what makes you weak."
"No. That's what makes me strong!" Her eyes opened, yellow light shining forth brightly. The arrow immediately broke the barrier and continued its surge forward.
Time stood still.
The arrow struck the negative Gate, shattering it into a million pieces that faded before touching the ground. Megumi was thrown back.
Ichiro saw the shield drop at the last possible moment, before he finally released the energy built up in the cannon.
The energy beam rushed forward like a grey serpent, striking the invader at the chest area, ripping a large hole there. It howled in pain as it lost its grip on the weapon, allowing it to fall to the side harmlessly.
Shun awoke in the battered cockpit of the Gate Robot 00. Weakly, he gripped the controls once again.
"I will not give up."
Slowly, the Gate Robot stood again.
Rage fuelling him, Shun spotted the invader's weakness in the hole. "Open the Gate!" he shouted, as the battered but still functional Gate Robot thrust its right arm into the air. The Gate amplifiers appeared, and Shun started to power up and finish the invader off.
"Ultra Vacuum Thrust!" The metallic hand ripped right through the body of the invader, as Death himself contorted in pain, before disintegrating into a mass of crystals.
"At long last, all invaders have been destroyed." Miss Ochiai said as she watched the scenes playing out on the screen.
"Negative. As long as someone wishes it, they will return once again, to feed on our desires." Shirei intoned.
He continued. "This is far from the end."
He stared intently at the image of the defeated Megumi.
Megumi clutched at the fading pieces of her Gate, each of them disintegrating upon which. Her mind whirled.
I failed again.
Just like before.
Just like the last time.
She saw the triumphant Ruriko in front of her.
Am I destined to be forever second-best to her?
She heard the soft crunch of footsteps beside her.
"You have failed me again, Megumi." The harsh voice of Reiji Kageyama stated.
She heard him walk away.
"Useless!" he shouted.
Her eyes widened. Even he..does not appreciate my worth.
An image flashed through her mind.
The Fuokoka incident.
The only person who understood her worth is no longer around.
She felt rage course through her.
I hate you all, she thought, looking at first at the Gatekeepers, then Kageyama.
An echo of a heartbeat.
A large green bubble encased itself around Megumi, and slowly, she floated to the air. Her cold eyes looked down from above.
The only way now, for me, is to end it all.
The sky turned dark, and Megumi's bubble of energy boiled and sizzled, as her eyes glowed brightly like beacons. She let out a demonic laugh as a temporal storm began to form around the area.
Ichiro watched in disbelief.
"She's drawing all the energy in her Gates, both negative and positive! When she fires, the energy has the potential to destroy Earth itself!"
Shun heard all these in the control centre of his robot. "We got to stop her!" He reached out his robotic arm to grab her.
A stray bolt of energy struck the hand away, almost ripping it out of its mechanical socket.
Shun gasped as he backed off.
The demonic laughter came again. "How does it feel?"
"None of you ever appreciated me. Never did, never will. A.E.G.I.S and the invaders only wanted my powers to aid their cause. I am nothing but a tool for all of you. But now, I make my own decisions."
Ichiro approached her slowly. "Stop it Megumi! You know that is untrue!"
"Untrue? Ask yourself that question, Michael."
"I was once like you thinking that no one appreciated my worth, that they were all using me like a pawn, and I thought I was better off destroying all of them. But I was wrong. Some people did care for me, did appreciate my worth. Some may not, but for every person who didn't there would be one who will."
"Stop deluding yourself, you know how you feel about the world."
"I believe that all of us can change. Slowly, but still it would happen. I know that nothing is constant, and things may change for the better. That is why I returned to A.E.G.I.S! I returned to understand that people had goodness in their hearts, and all the time it was my fault for not noticing it."
For once, Megumi had no reply, and the temporal storm seemed to lighten up a bit.
"Megumi, please listen. You have a gift, like all of us. You can either help others, or create sadness for them. Initially, I did not think anyone was worth saving, but slowly through interaction, I realised that there were people out there worth protecting. I feel your pain Megumi, I know what you are going through. But there is no need for this, as things will get better. Destroying the very root is not the solution. Happiness is the antithesis of sadness. Without sadness, happiness will not exist, as there would be nothing to compare to. This is part and parcel of life. We must learn to accept it."
Megumi turned to face Ichiro, before raising her right hand to fire a bolt of energy to end Ichiro's life.
It never happened.
Slowly, the temporal storm subsided, and Megumi descended down due to the force of gravity. Ichiro dashed forward to catch her.
In his arms, Megumi's eyes fluttered. "You....saved me."
Ichiro smiled warmly. "You were worth saving."
For the first time in a long time, the darkness in her heart left her.
Ichiro carried Megumi back to the Gatekeepers where Feye, Reiko and Ruriko took care of her. She was unconscious due to her exertions.
Ichiro turned back to face Kageyama.
"There is nothing else left. You used her just like you used me. I will not tolerate that."
Ichiro readied his short staff, walking slowly towards the evil figure. "I suffered enough under you. I know how hard is it to return from the dark side. I will not allow you to hurt anyone else."
Kageyama turned around slowly.
Shun, in his Gate Robot, shouted. "You are outnumbered Kageyama! The invaders have all been defeated, Megumi has returned to us."
He smiled darkly. "The strongest man in the world stands alone."
Ichiro felt unnerved by his unruffled response.
He opened his palm above the ground.
"Open the Gate." Kageyama said, sarcasm evident in his voice.
The Jet-Black Robot appeared from the large dark Gate, taking Kageyama into itself. The robot stood at the same height as the Gate Robot, only it had sharp claws on its hands and a pair of wings attached to its back.
"Meet my vessel of darkness." Kageyama stated chillingly.
Ichiro felt a sense of dread go down his spine.
Shun stepped hard on the accelerator and adopted a fighting stance.
Kageyama smiled incredulously. "Do you seriously think your beat-up truck can beat me?"
"I do not give up."
"I forgot your foolish dictum."
"Get out of your stupid robot, Kageyama!" Ichiro hollered from below. "This is between you and me. So stop hiding behind a metallic body and come out here and take me on!"
"Unfortunately for you, by killing everyone of these bugs, I will gain a significant advantage in my eventual battle with you. Patience, Michael."
"Shadow Edge!" The dark energy projectiles ripped through the air. Shun rolled to the left, only to realise that they were not going to hit him anyway.
A trap.
The dark robot rushed forward, plunging its razor-like claws through the robot's abdomen. Shun was electrocuted by the machinery short-circuiting. Kageyama raised the other fist, which now moulded into a large spike. He drove it full force right into the robot's torso.
Right where the cockpit is.
Ruriko dashed forward. "Ukiya-kun!"
Ichiro clenched his fist in anger.
Kageyama pounded the robot's torso, and a compartment opened. He shook it like a child shaking for the last sweet in a jar. The mangled body of Ukiya Shun rolled onto his palm.
"This is all that is left of the great Captain Ukiya Shun. He did indeed fight to the bitter end. The bitter end."
He hurled him at the Gatekeepers. Kaoru jumped and caught him.
Shun was barely alive.
Ruriko rushed to his side. "Shun! Don't die on me! Not now! Not ever!"
He could vaguely hear her voice.
For once, he felt compelled to say what his heart felt.
"Rurippe...Rurippe..I always....knew you loved me."
He smiled faintly.
"I do too."
The light died in his eyes and his head rolled backwards.
Ichiro stood still.
He clenched and unclenched his fist.
"Ukiya-kun! Ukiya-kun! Wake up! Please don't die on me!"
No response.
"He's dead, Ruriko."
"NOO!! He can't be!"
Just then, a blizzard formed again. Yukino descended from the skies once again.
"Yukino! Shun is...is dead!"
"If you believe in something hard enough, miracles can happen." She took Ruriko's hand.
"What do you feel for him?"
"Love."
"Then use your love." She placed her hand on the cold body of Shun.
Ruriko's Gate of Life opened, and slowly, Shun shown signs of life. His eyes fluttered.
"Ukiya Shun! I love you!"
His eyes opened.
"What happened?"
"How can that be possible?" Kageyama shouted angrily.
"It is because they were filled with love and emotion. Emotion is a strength that all humans posses. But you have decided not to feel emotion, thus you are restricted in power." Yukino stated before disappearing.
Angrily, Kageyama stomped forward. "I don't care even you have the power to bring the dead back to life! I am going to destroy you all! With no Gate Robot, you are defenceless!"
"No so fast, Kageyama."
Kageyama swung to see Ichiro point his open palm to the sky. "Open the Gate!"
A large grey Gate opened above him.
"He finally decided to use it."
"Yes."
"He is our only hope now."
"His destiny is about to be fulfilled." Shirei said. "Let the battle be joined."
From the massive Gate summoned the grey Gate Robot 04 appeared, like a mythical angel from the heavens. Ichiro levitated himself and entered the cockpit of the robot. It was operated only on Gate power, unlike Shun's robot, but it was similar in design, only that it had shoulder cannons and was entirely grey in colour. In its hand it held a short staff.
Both robots were ready for battle.
A battle where only one will walk away victorious.
And alive.
The ground shook from the devastating impact as the invader crashed its massive weapon against the metallic arms of the Gate Robot 00, which were locked in a cross to parry the blow. Its feet dug hard into the soil, desperately trying to gain an important foothold.
Shun, inside the robot, heard creaking sounds as he gripped onto the controls. The exostructure of the robot could not handle the blow much longer, he knew. He stepped hard on the accelerator, his Gate of Gales glowing brightly in his eyes.
Suddenly, the Gate Robot found a reserve of energy and pushed the invader back. Surprised, its grip was loosened. Shun broke the parry and opened the Gate energy amplifiers around the robot's hand. A blue Gate opened at the end of the four prongs on both arms. Energy crackled around them and a split second later Shun released them in a blast.
But as usual, the bolts of energy disappeared before they hit their intended target, absorbed by a seemingly invisible barrier.
Shun stepped back in anticipation of another onslaught as the invader recovered.
"I can't even hit him." He muttered, and from the corner of his eye he spied Megumi. "Megumi is protecting the invader! We must break her Gate power!" Shun shouted over the intercom.
Just that moment, the Grim Reaper's grotesque face was visible behind its hood. It opened its mouth and started to power up its sonic beam.
Shun dodged to the left as the powerful beam left a large crater at his previous location. His breath was coming out in ragged gasps, and his heart was beating rapidly. Got to break Megumi's dark Gate, he thought, as he once again dodged the invader's scythe, or I am going to lose this one.
Megumi smiled to herself as another attack by the Gate Robot broke down.
I will show all of them. I will make them regret for not appreciating me.
She looked at Kageyama, who was merely standing erect and watching the battle take place.
You will appreciate my worth too, Kageyama, she muttered to herself.
Ruriko heard Shun words clearly as the two titans clashed again. Shun was visibly tiring, and it would soon that he would be defeated.
Unless something was done.
She raised her head and saw Megumi levitating in mid-air, braids floating upwards due to some mysterious upward draft.
In front of her hand was a dark Gate.
Megumi saw her staring at her, and slowly descended on to the ground.
"Ruriko Ikusawa. The most beautiful, popular, smart girl in school. I will always be second to you. Not for long."
"I don't want to fight you, Megumi. You are my friend, my comrade."
"You lie very convincingly."
Saying that, her dark Gate illuminated even more. "It's time I claim my rightful place. And this time, I will not fail."
Ichiro stood up unsteadily. He had to do something. He noticed that Ruriko was battling Megumi.
He had to do something.
Reiko shouted, clearing his head. "Ichiro! Use the Gate Engine! You have the most power amongst all of us!"
He nodded. Kaoru helped him to activate the machine and he got on to the platform.
Hang in there, Captain.
Subconsciously, as the machine started to hum, he corrected himself.
Hang in there, Shun.
Ruriko readied her bow as she faced off with her greatest enemy, an enemy she did not want to fight at all. Her hands were trembling.
"Let me help you, Ruriko." Feye offered.
"No. This is my fight." She replied.
Megumi smiled darkly. "How pitiful." She remarked.
"Dark Force!" Dark energy balls exited from her negative Gate, making their way at top speed for Ruriko. She loosed her readied arrow, which struck the unholy projectiles, both of which disappearing in a flash of light.
"This is not the Megumi I know. Please, Megumi stop this now."
"Correction. You never knew me well. Wall of Steel!"
A large dark wall appeared in front of Ruriko, which immediately tried to squash her flat. She skilfully evaded the attack and destroyed the barrier with one of her arrows.
Megumi just merely smirked. "You will never try to kill me. You still have a conscience, a heart, and the ability to feel emotion. You still think I am someone you knew someone who isn't your enemy. Fortunately, I do not have that weakness."
"Killing you will be very gratifying." She stated, as she approached the shaking figure of Ruriko.
Shun once again parried the blow, which caused the invader to stumble back a few steps, but it was not long before it tried to strike again.
This time, Shun was ready for him. With a quick body feint homed after hours and hours playing soccer and nutmegging players, he tricked the invader into plunging its scythe into the ground. Caught off-guard, it tried to yank the weapon out, but it was far too deep in.
Shun seeing the opportunity presented to him wrested the controls and the robot leaped high into the air. "Ultra Vacuum Chop!" he exclaimed as he brought the robot's hand down in a chopping action.
Reversal.
The invader's hand shot out and grabbed the incoming deathblow, jerking the Gate Robot off-balanced. Shun, disorientated, felt the metallic body jerk to a stop in mid air. The invader swung the robot like a child would do to a ragdoll, before releasing it. It impacted loudly against a cliff.
The circuitry popped and crackled as Shun struggled to stay awake. His head was spinning and all he knew that his whole body ached. His vision cleared slightly, only to see the invader fire its sonic beam at the downed and defenceless robot.
The blast blew apart some of the armour concealing the Gate Engine, and Shun instinctively covered the chest area and rolled away. Any damage to the Gate Engine will cause the robot to shut down.
The Gate Robot staggered, standing up straight slowly. Its once shining armour was now dirtied by soil and scratched by debris, its chest compartment was slightly ripped apart. But it still stood tall, erect and defiant.
Not for long, Kageyama thought.
The invader floated to its position and raised its scythe. This time, there would be no running away.
Ichiro watched desperately as he also tried to concentrate on building the power the Gate Engine needed.
As Kaoru watched Ruriko hesitating, refusing to deliver the killing blow on Megumi, he thought to herself, I hope I never get into this situation, where I have to kill someone I care for with my bare hands.
Ichiro, strangely, then felt a sense of calmness befall on him.
He wondered again.
2 Emotion, Ichiro thought, strength....or weakness?
He did not see the power bar reach 95%.
The sound of a sharp blade cutting through titanium alloy rang throughout Shun's ears. He gazed up of his cockpit and saw a bloodied yet gleaming blade protruding from the ceiling.
The invader had plunged its scythe from the robot's head right down to the chest area, where the cockpit was. The invader removed its weapon with surprising ease and used the rear end to send the robot crashing again to the ground, against the same cliff face.
The robot crashed hard. The invader waited.
It did not rise again.
Satisfied, the herald of doom raised its deadly scythe to deliver the killing blow.
"What's the matter?" Megumi said in a mocking voice as she walked towards Ruriko, dark Gate open in front of her.
"Can't bear to hurt me? I knew it." She pointed to the downed Gate Robot. "Your hesitation will cost you the life of those you love."
Ruriko could clearly hear the anguished screams of Shun, imagined or not. She once again loaded her bow with unsteady hands.
"Go ahead. Do it. But I know you can't."
Ruriko closed her eyes as she heard those screams again echoing in her head. Her hands shook even more.
"You can't do it." Megumi repeated.
Suddenly, like a voice of reason in a midst of mangled voices, she could clearly remember what Shun said before he fired his Vacuum Missile at Kageyama during their first meeting with him.
"Evil is evil! I will not hesitate to defeat anyone who doesn't value human life!"
With that, she loosed the arrow.
Shun felt like his whole body had been immersed in a vat of cool liquid. His vision cleared, and he could see clearly that the place was the street outside his home. His feet felt ground and he instinctively made his way towards his home.
To his utmost surprise, the garage door opened, and a tall man wearing dirty overalls walked out, wiping his greasy hands on a piece of white cloth.
Shun's eyes opened with recognition. "Dad!"
But his father did not return the greeting. Instead he stared hard at his son.
"Why are you back?" he asked in a harsh voice.
Shun did not know how to reply.
"You gave up." He said simply.
"I didn't!" Shun retorted hotly.
"Then why are you here? I thought you were always the one who never gave up? Fought till the end? Turns out you are just as bad as I am."
"NO!" Shun clenched his right fist. "I will never give up! Not like you! Not like everybody else! I will not give up!"
The scene swirled once more, and Shun found himself falling into a dark abyss.
The arrow flew straight and true, but a dark barrier blocked its trajectory. It stayed there in mid-air, immobilised.
"I knew it. You didn't have the guts to do something like this. That's what makes you weak."
"No. That's what makes me strong!" Her eyes opened, yellow light shining forth brightly. The arrow immediately broke the barrier and continued its surge forward.
Time stood still.
The arrow struck the negative Gate, shattering it into a million pieces that faded before touching the ground. Megumi was thrown back.
Ichiro saw the shield drop at the last possible moment, before he finally released the energy built up in the cannon.
The energy beam rushed forward like a grey serpent, striking the invader at the chest area, ripping a large hole there. It howled in pain as it lost its grip on the weapon, allowing it to fall to the side harmlessly.
Shun awoke in the battered cockpit of the Gate Robot 00. Weakly, he gripped the controls once again.
"I will not give up."
Slowly, the Gate Robot stood again.
Rage fuelling him, Shun spotted the invader's weakness in the hole. "Open the Gate!" he shouted, as the battered but still functional Gate Robot thrust its right arm into the air. The Gate amplifiers appeared, and Shun started to power up and finish the invader off.
"Ultra Vacuum Thrust!" The metallic hand ripped right through the body of the invader, as Death himself contorted in pain, before disintegrating into a mass of crystals.
"At long last, all invaders have been destroyed." Miss Ochiai said as she watched the scenes playing out on the screen.
"Negative. As long as someone wishes it, they will return once again, to feed on our desires." Shirei intoned.
He continued. "This is far from the end."
He stared intently at the image of the defeated Megumi.
Megumi clutched at the fading pieces of her Gate, each of them disintegrating upon which. Her mind whirled.
I failed again.
Just like before.
Just like the last time.
She saw the triumphant Ruriko in front of her.
Am I destined to be forever second-best to her?
She heard the soft crunch of footsteps beside her.
"You have failed me again, Megumi." The harsh voice of Reiji Kageyama stated.
She heard him walk away.
"Useless!" he shouted.
Her eyes widened. Even he..does not appreciate my worth.
An image flashed through her mind.
The Fuokoka incident.
The only person who understood her worth is no longer around.
She felt rage course through her.
I hate you all, she thought, looking at first at the Gatekeepers, then Kageyama.
An echo of a heartbeat.
A large green bubble encased itself around Megumi, and slowly, she floated to the air. Her cold eyes looked down from above.
The only way now, for me, is to end it all.
The sky turned dark, and Megumi's bubble of energy boiled and sizzled, as her eyes glowed brightly like beacons. She let out a demonic laugh as a temporal storm began to form around the area.
Ichiro watched in disbelief.
"She's drawing all the energy in her Gates, both negative and positive! When she fires, the energy has the potential to destroy Earth itself!"
Shun heard all these in the control centre of his robot. "We got to stop her!" He reached out his robotic arm to grab her.
A stray bolt of energy struck the hand away, almost ripping it out of its mechanical socket.
Shun gasped as he backed off.
The demonic laughter came again. "How does it feel?"
"None of you ever appreciated me. Never did, never will. A.E.G.I.S and the invaders only wanted my powers to aid their cause. I am nothing but a tool for all of you. But now, I make my own decisions."
Ichiro approached her slowly. "Stop it Megumi! You know that is untrue!"
"Untrue? Ask yourself that question, Michael."
"I was once like you thinking that no one appreciated my worth, that they were all using me like a pawn, and I thought I was better off destroying all of them. But I was wrong. Some people did care for me, did appreciate my worth. Some may not, but for every person who didn't there would be one who will."
"Stop deluding yourself, you know how you feel about the world."
"I believe that all of us can change. Slowly, but still it would happen. I know that nothing is constant, and things may change for the better. That is why I returned to A.E.G.I.S! I returned to understand that people had goodness in their hearts, and all the time it was my fault for not noticing it."
For once, Megumi had no reply, and the temporal storm seemed to lighten up a bit.
"Megumi, please listen. You have a gift, like all of us. You can either help others, or create sadness for them. Initially, I did not think anyone was worth saving, but slowly through interaction, I realised that there were people out there worth protecting. I feel your pain Megumi, I know what you are going through. But there is no need for this, as things will get better. Destroying the very root is not the solution. Happiness is the antithesis of sadness. Without sadness, happiness will not exist, as there would be nothing to compare to. This is part and parcel of life. We must learn to accept it."
Megumi turned to face Ichiro, before raising her right hand to fire a bolt of energy to end Ichiro's life.
It never happened.
Slowly, the temporal storm subsided, and Megumi descended down due to the force of gravity. Ichiro dashed forward to catch her.
In his arms, Megumi's eyes fluttered. "You....saved me."
Ichiro smiled warmly. "You were worth saving."
For the first time in a long time, the darkness in her heart left her.
Ichiro carried Megumi back to the Gatekeepers where Feye, Reiko and Ruriko took care of her. She was unconscious due to her exertions.
Ichiro turned back to face Kageyama.
"There is nothing else left. You used her just like you used me. I will not tolerate that."
Ichiro readied his short staff, walking slowly towards the evil figure. "I suffered enough under you. I know how hard is it to return from the dark side. I will not allow you to hurt anyone else."
Kageyama turned around slowly.
Shun, in his Gate Robot, shouted. "You are outnumbered Kageyama! The invaders have all been defeated, Megumi has returned to us."
He smiled darkly. "The strongest man in the world stands alone."
Ichiro felt unnerved by his unruffled response.
He opened his palm above the ground.
"Open the Gate." Kageyama said, sarcasm evident in his voice.
The Jet-Black Robot appeared from the large dark Gate, taking Kageyama into itself. The robot stood at the same height as the Gate Robot, only it had sharp claws on its hands and a pair of wings attached to its back.
"Meet my vessel of darkness." Kageyama stated chillingly.
Ichiro felt a sense of dread go down his spine.
Shun stepped hard on the accelerator and adopted a fighting stance.
Kageyama smiled incredulously. "Do you seriously think your beat-up truck can beat me?"
"I do not give up."
"I forgot your foolish dictum."
"Get out of your stupid robot, Kageyama!" Ichiro hollered from below. "This is between you and me. So stop hiding behind a metallic body and come out here and take me on!"
"Unfortunately for you, by killing everyone of these bugs, I will gain a significant advantage in my eventual battle with you. Patience, Michael."
"Shadow Edge!" The dark energy projectiles ripped through the air. Shun rolled to the left, only to realise that they were not going to hit him anyway.
A trap.
The dark robot rushed forward, plunging its razor-like claws through the robot's abdomen. Shun was electrocuted by the machinery short-circuiting. Kageyama raised the other fist, which now moulded into a large spike. He drove it full force right into the robot's torso.
Right where the cockpit is.
Ruriko dashed forward. "Ukiya-kun!"
Ichiro clenched his fist in anger.
Kageyama pounded the robot's torso, and a compartment opened. He shook it like a child shaking for the last sweet in a jar. The mangled body of Ukiya Shun rolled onto his palm.
"This is all that is left of the great Captain Ukiya Shun. He did indeed fight to the bitter end. The bitter end."
He hurled him at the Gatekeepers. Kaoru jumped and caught him.
Shun was barely alive.
Ruriko rushed to his side. "Shun! Don't die on me! Not now! Not ever!"
He could vaguely hear her voice.
For once, he felt compelled to say what his heart felt.
"Rurippe...Rurippe..I always....knew you loved me."
He smiled faintly.
"I do too."
The light died in his eyes and his head rolled backwards.
Ichiro stood still.
He clenched and unclenched his fist.
"Ukiya-kun! Ukiya-kun! Wake up! Please don't die on me!"
No response.
"He's dead, Ruriko."
"NOO!! He can't be!"
Just then, a blizzard formed again. Yukino descended from the skies once again.
"Yukino! Shun is...is dead!"
"If you believe in something hard enough, miracles can happen." She took Ruriko's hand.
"What do you feel for him?"
"Love."
"Then use your love." She placed her hand on the cold body of Shun.
Ruriko's Gate of Life opened, and slowly, Shun shown signs of life. His eyes fluttered.
"Ukiya Shun! I love you!"
His eyes opened.
"What happened?"
"How can that be possible?" Kageyama shouted angrily.
"It is because they were filled with love and emotion. Emotion is a strength that all humans posses. But you have decided not to feel emotion, thus you are restricted in power." Yukino stated before disappearing.
Angrily, Kageyama stomped forward. "I don't care even you have the power to bring the dead back to life! I am going to destroy you all! With no Gate Robot, you are defenceless!"
"No so fast, Kageyama."
Kageyama swung to see Ichiro point his open palm to the sky. "Open the Gate!"
A large grey Gate opened above him.
"He finally decided to use it."
"Yes."
"He is our only hope now."
"His destiny is about to be fulfilled." Shirei said. "Let the battle be joined."
From the massive Gate summoned the grey Gate Robot 04 appeared, like a mythical angel from the heavens. Ichiro levitated himself and entered the cockpit of the robot. It was operated only on Gate power, unlike Shun's robot, but it was similar in design, only that it had shoulder cannons and was entirely grey in colour. In its hand it held a short staff.
Both robots were ready for battle.
A battle where only one will walk away victorious.
And alive.
