A/N: Hello everyone! Before this chapter starts, I wanted to get something out of the way... After this chapter gets released, I'm going to be slowing down how often Sympho-Ball gets updated. Before you ask, no it's not because of anything with the series itself. I'm mainly doing this in favor of other fics that I wish to work on more frequently.
What does this mean for Sympho-Ball? Well, Sympho-Ball, until one of my fics on my rotation finishes up, will be worked on when I have time to spare instead of how it has been. (If I'm being honest, this might mean Sympho-Ball will get chapters sooner than every eight to nine weeks, but I wouldn't hold your breath over that).
Sorry to start the chapter off with the news, but I figured it was better to rip the band-aid off now instead of at the end of the chapter.
But, with that out of the way, I hope you all enjoy this chapter!
Last Time on Sympho-Ball
Planning on catching up for lost time, Goku invited Krillin to come watch his cousin and her partner perform at a live concert.
However, just as things seemed like they were going perfectly for everyone, a horde of Noise appeared out of nowhere and began to wreak havoc upon the crowd, forcing Kanade, Tsubasa, Goku, and Krillin to do what they could to eliminate the Noise before the damage could escalate further.
Unfortunately, things would only grow worse as Kanade's Gungnir began to fail, forcing her on the defensive... Gravely injuring a child with a piece of her Symphogear. Knowing she didn't have much power left, Kanade decided to sing her Superb Song... Only for Goku to stop her and destroy the horde himself while Krillin got the child and Kanade to safety.
Thanks to this tragedy, Kanade's Gungnir Symphogear was left irreparable, leaving her powerless... Until Goku intervened, calling in a favor from his old master: The Turtle Hermit, Roshi.
With his help in teaching Kanade (as well as Tsubasa) the Turtle School way of Martial Arts, the Idol now had a path to power that even the Symphogear System alone couldn't achieve!
Two years later, the fruits of her labor are revealed, now.
Two Gungnirs?! Enter Hibiki Tachibana!
Section Two HQ
"Croitzal ronzell Gungnir zizzl"
Chanting her holy words, Kanade was engulfed in a bright orange light, just as she had many times before. However, unlike those times, the light began to spark with electricity and explode outward, covering the room in light and destroying the monitor. "Kanade!" Goku and Tsubasa gasp, bolting out of the observation room and sprinting towards the training room.
Without hesitation, Goku bursts through the training room's door, leaving a Goku-sized hole as the door opens shortly after. As for the cousins, they shielded themselves as the light and lightning were still blazing and raging throughout the room, but soon after, the light dissipated and the lightning died down, allowing them to see the silhouette of Kanade Amou, and looking at her in wordless awe.
Within the middle of the room, Kanade stood proudly, surrounded by a massive red-orange aura that slowly faded to just surround the Gungnir Wielder's form. As for the Wielder's armor, she did not have any. Instead, she wore the clothes she had been wearing before activating the Symphogear, but she had the Gungnir Waveform over her chest.
"This power... It feels incredible!" Goku says, excited by Kanade's power.
"But... Where's your armor, Kanade?" Tsubasa asks.
"Geez... you couldn't have waited... for the door to open before barging in here?" Ryoko sighs, catching her breath as she ran into the training room. Once she caught it, she stopped to see Kanade's form. "It worked! Just as I was hoping it would!"
"But Sakurai-san. She's still in her normal clothes." Tsubasa states. "Shouldn't she be in her Gungnir armor?"
"That may be due in part to Kanade-chan's Gungnir not being completely whole anymore." Ryoko explains. "But if it isn't, then that may mean that the Phonic Ki Drive converts the Gear's armor into greater combat power for the Wielder. Much like how martial artists like Goku get stronger the more power they unleash."
"I see..." Tsubasa says. "So by combining our Gears with the Phonic Ki Drive, the Wielder gains a boost in power at the sacrifice of armor and weaponry."
Ryoko tuts. "I never said you lose your weapons, Tsubasa-chan." She says, waving her finger before pointing it at Kanade. "Kanade-chan, try summoning your Armed Gear as if you were just in your Symphogear normally."
"Gotcha!" Kanade replies, bringing her hands together as if the gauntlets were there. At first, nothing happened, but after a while, a ball of light began to form in Kanade's hands, eventually engulfing up to her elbows. After the light stopped growing, Kanade felt something within the light that seemed like a handle. Instinctively, Kanade grabs the handle and pulls out of the light. As she did this, the light dissipated around her arms, revealing a spear similar to her Symphogear's, but unlike the Symphogear, the spear was completely comprised of energy similar in color to her red-orange aura, with the bladed portion being a lot spikier than the body. "That's new!"
"Amazing!" Goku shouts in surprise.
"Just as I thought." Ryoko says proudly. "Through the Phonic Ki Drive and Symphogear's combination, Kanade is able to conjure the Gungnir Symphogear's spear using her own energy. Of course, there was no doubt that she could do that, but the most interesting thing to me about this is the spearhead. Perhaps, hypothetically, if Ame no Habakiri undergoes this transformation, the blade part of her sword will be surrounded in a similar energy?"
"I mean, it wouldn't hurt to try and find out." Goku replies with a shrug. "You down to try it, Tsubasa?"
"I agree that it would be beneficial to have a back-up activation method should Ame no Habakiri suffer damage similar to Gungnir..." Tsubasa says. "But, my only concern is the lack of armor..."
"I believe I may have a solution to that!" Bulma says, walking through the broken door. "Sure, you may not have the armor of your relics with this activation method, but that doesn't mean you can't just use a replacement suit of armor, right?"
"What are you implying, Bulma?" Tsubasa asks.
Bulma smirks as she pulls out a capsule from her pocket. "Well, a while back, I stumbled across something in Section Two's archives that I felt could be useful for field agents and Wielders alike. So, with some help from Dr. Sakurai, we created something that would be perfect for situations like this." Saying this, Bulma clicks the top of the capsule and throws it on the floor. Once it hits the floor, it explodes and reveals a white feminine chestplate with yellow shoulder straps. "Tada!"
"A... Chestplate?" Kanade asks in a confused tone. "Where's the rest of the armor?"
"The chestplate IS the armor, Kanade." Bulma says. "When you put it on, the rest of the armor is created, much like how the Symphogear System does it."
"Ooooh... ... ... Yeah no I'm still lost..." Kanade replies, making Bulma facefault.
"Look, just hear me out and put on the chestplate, Kanade." Bulma says. "It may be a bit uncomfortable at first, but it should still fit."
"O... Kay?" Kanade says, still confused, but willing to hear the scientist out. Much like she had said, there was some difficulty getting it on at first, but she was able to get it on soon after. "Huh, lot more comfortable than I expected- WHAT THE-"
Suddenly, another light consumed Kanade. Once it dissipated, she was still wearing the chestplate and the waveform right above it, but as for her normal clothes, they were completely changed. "Woah!" Kanade gasps as she looks at her arms and legs and feels the headset on her head.
"As I was saying, the chestplate creates the rest of the armor." Bulma reiterates, before looking Kanade up and down in confusion. "Although, the gauntlets, headset, and boots were not in the initial tests..."
"That could be a side effect of the Symphogear System, the Phonic Ki Drive, or both if I had to guess." Ryoko adds. "After all, my contribution to this project Bulma-chan was working on was making it compatible with both systems."
"That makes me wonder... Could you revert your transformation, Kanade?" Bulma asks.
"Sure." Kanade says, before a light engulfs her for a short second, making the aura and waveform symbol disappear. Once the transformation was reverted, Kanade's armor was notably a lot more simplistic: instead of having elements of her Gungnir armor, she had her normal shoes on and the undersuit only covered her body, legs, arms, and neck.
"Huh... I guess the Symphogears and PKD do have an effect on it." Bulma says, slightly surprised by the changes. "I'll have to keep that in mind for future upgrades."
"That's cool and all, but how do I take this off?" Kanade asks. "Don't get me wrong, I think it looks cool, but I can't exactly go about life in a jumpsuit and a chestplate."
"Oh that? It should revert back to normal when you pull it off." Bulma casually answers as she pulls off the chestplate to prove it, surprising Kanade as she reverts back into her normal clothes. "See?"
"Little heads up would've been nice..."
Suddenly, an alarm goes off in Section Two headquarters, which everyone knew instantly what that meant. "Noise!"
Quickly, the five members of Section Two hurry to the command center, where it looked as if Genjuro had gotten there not long after them. "What's the situation?" Tsubasa asks.
"Trying to lock on to a signal to triangulate their location." One of the agents answered.
"Be ready to set off as soon as they find it, you three." Genjuro orders.
"Understood!" Goku and Tsubasa reply.
"Heh. They showed their ugly faces at a perfect time." Kanade says, looking at her pendant and PKD device. "Now I can put this bad boy to the test!"
"I wouldn't get too excited about using that ability, Kanade-chan." Ryoko says. "You may be able to transform into it, but that doesn't mean it's 100% reliable in its current state. We still need to run some tests to make sure it doesn't fail during a mission."
"What are you saying? This is a perfect opportunity to test it!" Kanade retorts. "I mean, come on, it's just a horde of Noise. And if push comes to shove, Goku and Tsubasa'll have my back."
"That's-"
"I've isolated the signal!" Aoi reports, interrupting Ryoko before she could rebuke Kanade's retort.
"We're detecting another powerful signal in addition to the Noise!" Sakuya adds, which catches everyone's attention.
"Identify that waveform! Quickly!" Aoi replies.
"A powerful signal besides the Noise?" Bulma thought aloud.
"Could it be an aufwachen waveform?!" Ryoko suggests.
"But that's not possible." Bulma replies. "The only thing that gives off a waveform like that are the Symphogears and the PKD, and all versions of both devices are currently- EXCUSE ME, WHAT?!"
Bulma did a double take at the main monitor in the command center as the signal was identified, and she wasn't the only one who was surprised by what it said.
"GUNGNIR?!"
Everyone was shocked, and that shock only kicked in further when the screen showed the Wielder standing next to a small child on what appeared to be a rooftop in a power plant. "That's definitely a Symphogear, but, how could it possibly be Gungnir?" Genjuro thought aloud.
"It can't be, can it?" Goku asks. "'Cause I mean, Kanade's right... Here?"
The group looked over to where Kanade was standing, seeing no trace that the girl was even there, nor that she was in the command center. "Wait a second... Where's the body armor?" Bulma asks. "It was just here a second ago."
"Don't tell me..." Tsubasa says aloud, knowing exactly what was happening. "She's heading for the Noise!"
"Alone?!" Goku gasps.
"Hurry after her!" Genjuro orders. "We'll send you the coordinates while you're in the elevator!"
"Understood!" The Kazanari cousins respond as they hurry out of the command center.
Power Plant
Almost instantly after the word "Gungnir" appeared on the monitor, Kanade quickly grabbed the armor and hightailed it to where the mystery Wielder and the Noise where. "If I'm gonna get any answers out of this Gungnir Wielder, then I need to get to them. Fast!" Kanade says to herself as she ran through the streets, jumping in the air to try and find the location of the Wielder as she went. "This would be so much faster if I could just master flight, dammit!"
Frustrations aside, she kept running, until she finally saw the horde of Noise, especially one massive green one that loomed over two figures. "There you are!" Kanade shouts as she holds out her pendant, placing it into the PKD with much less technical issues than before. "Perfect! Now, it's showtime!"
"Croitzal ronzell Gungnir zizzl"
Singing her holy chant, Kanade became engulfed in light once more, but just as it was dissipating, Kanade manifested a spear made purely out of energy and kicked the spear down towards the giant Noise, annihilating it on the spot.
SPEAR∞ORBIT
With the giant Noise gone, Kanade, now in her Gungnir/PDK fusion Gear, landed on the ground and dusted off her hands before letting out a big sigh. "You looked like you could use a hand." Kanade says to the girl in the Symphogear armor, who looked at her in speechless surprise. "Judging by that look on your face, it seems like you've got a lot of questions. Well, while I'd be happy to chat with ya, I gotta deal with these freaks of nature real quick. Keep the kid safe, yeah?"
"Kanade-san?" The girl asked, but before she could receive a reply, Kanade had already dashed off towards the Noise.
"Alright, old friend, let's show 'em what we're made of!" Kanade says aloud to her Symphogear, summoning another spear as she proceeds to rip the horde to shreds without as much as a second of hesitation. She was going so fast that she was practically a blur to the mysterious Wielder. And just like that, as soon as Kanade had arrived, the Noise were nothing but dust in the wind. "HAHA! I've still got it!"
"You really couldn't have waited just a second longer for us?" Tsubasa asks as herself and Goku arrive at the scene.
Kanade shrugs. "What can I say? Two years without Gungnir was long enough to wait for my first time back in the spotlight with it." She says, before being suddenly engulfed in light and reverting her transformation. "Whew... Anyone else... Suddenly feel... Super tired?"
Before anyone could react, Kanade's legs gave in and forced her onto her butt as she began to breathe heavily. "Are you okay, Kanade?" Tsubasa asks.
"Yeah... Yeah, I'm fine." Kanade says, still catching her breath. "I guess... Guess I just... Overdid it a bit... That's all."
"Or, and this is just a theory, you went a little too far with the prototype and it drained your energy dry?" Goku retorts. "Ryoko-san warned you that it wasn't safe to use in its current state, Kanade."
Kanade rolled her eyes at Goku's lecture. "Yeah, yeah. But it's all good, though." She says. "Either way, I was able to wipe out the Noise before anything bad happened to me."
"That's beside the point, Kanade!" Tsubasa refutes. "Just because you're fine now, doesn't mean-"
"Tsubasa-san?!" The girl in the Gungnir armor gasped, catching the trio's attention.
"We should go make sure those two are alright..." Goku says, before heading over to the mysterious wielder and the young girl next to her.
"...We're not done talking about this, Kanade." Tsubasa sighs.
"Then let me end it real quick." Kanade retorts. "I'm sorry that I made you guys worry about me just now, but I still stand by the fact that this test run was necessary to show that this whole side-project was not a waste of time. Should I have been more careful? Yes. Could I have just waited and left with you two? Absolutely. But, at the end of the day, I wasn't about to let this girl get overwhelmed by the Noise because I waited too long to help them, especially since they had to keep that kid safe by herself at the same time."
Tsubasa looked down at Kanade with a serious expression, but quickly changed it to a softer one as she sighed. "I guess I can't blame you for that..." Tsubasa says, holding out her hand to help Kanade up to her feet, holding her partner's arm over her shoulder to support her. "But you're still on your own when Bulma, Sakurai-san, and the Commander lecture you later."
"Hey, it's better than the alternatives." Kanade chuckles, getting a smirk from Tsubasa as a result.
Not long after Kanade dispatched the Noise, Section Two agents flooded the scene, including a very angry Bulma who practically ripped off the armor from Kanade without a second thought. "Do you have any idea how reckless you were just then?!" She shouts. "One, we've only just scratched the surface with the PKD and Symphogear System fusion, so you could've easily passed out while there was still Noise around and died. And two, you took my body armor without my permission!"
"I understand why you're upset with the first part, but why is the second part a note?" Kanade asks.
Bulma growled in frustration. "BECAUSE IT WASN'T MADE WITH YOUR BODY IN MIND!" She shouts as she smacks Kanade with the chestplate.
"OW!"
"As a woman yourself, you should know better than wearing someone else's clothes!" Bulma continues. "You're just lucky the armor adapts to the wearer's body, otherwise it wouldn't have worked on you at all!"
"Hold on, that chestplate was built around your body?" Kanade asks. "Now I can see why you were okay with having me try it on earlier and not Tsubasa."
"And what is that supposed to mean, Kanade?" Tsubasa says in a tone that practically shot daggers at the Gungnir Wielder.
"N-Nothing..."
"That's what I thought." Tsubasa replies with a nod.
Goku chuckles as he watches Kanade get scolded by Bulma and Tsubasa. "Those three are something else, huh?" He says, standing next to the girl in the Gungnir armor.
"Y-Yeah..." The girl replies shyly.
"I guess I should probably introduce myself. The name's Goku!" Goku continues, introducing himself to the girl. "What's your name?"
"I'm... Hibiki Tachibana." Hibiki answers.
"Well, Hibiki, it's nice to meet ya!" Goku says. "Of course, I'm sure you'd agree with me in saying that this isn't exactly the most ideal way of meeting each other for the first time."
"Actually, this is the second time we've met, Goku-san." Hibiki corrects, which makes Goku curious.
"We've met before?" Goku asks.
"Yeah!" Hibiki replies. "This is the second time that you guys have saved me."
Goku was puzzled by this. But before he could reflect on it more, Aoi walked over to the duo with a cup of coffee in her hands. "Here. Drink this." She says, holding the cup towards Hibiki. "It'll warm you up."
"It sure does feel warm. Thank you!" Hibiki replies, taking the cup from Aoi, cooling it off, and taking a sip, which she happily enjoyed. However, as she was enjoying the coffee, she suddenly felt herself becoming engulfed in a bright light, before her armor suddenly vanished, being replaced by a school uniform as she began to fall backwards. Thankfully, Goku was right there and he caught the girl before she could fall. "Thank you, Goku-san!"
"Mommy!" The voice of the young girl that was with Hibiki when the cousins and Kanade arrived cried out as she ran over to her mother.
"Thank goodness you're safe!" The mother said, relieved as she gave her daughter a hug.
"Now that everything is settled here, could you please read this consent form and sign it?" An agent of Section Two asked the mother of the child. "This matter is considered a national secret and accordingly classified. To prevent information leaks, some restrictions will be placed on your freedom of speech and expression will be somewhat limited. Please be aware that passing information regarding this matter to the likes of foreign governments will be grounds for prosecution for treason..."
"Well..." Hibiki chuckles nervously as the agent continued on with their speech to the mother and daughter. "I guess I'll be on my way home, then..."
"I'm afraid that we can't allow that just yet, pal." Kanade interjects, before a ring of agents surround Hibiki and Goku out of nowhere, with Kanade and Tsubasa standing next to Goku.
"Huh?!" Hibiki gasps. "But why?!"
"We have unfinished business with you." Tsubasa answers. "You will accompany us to the second branch of the Disaster Relief Squad."
Suddenly, a pair of special handcuffs were placed on Hibiki's wrists as a man in a black suit with brown hair appeared before her. "I'm terribly sorry about this, but we have to take you into custody."
Lydian
Before Hibiki could even react, she found herself in the back seat of one of the Section Two agents' cars. The entire ride, she was scared stiff, fearing the worst was to come from these mysterious individuals who worked with Zwei Wing. But all that fear turned into confusion the moment the cars began to slow down in front of a very familiar building. "Umm... What are we doing here at the school?" Hibiki asks as she is escorted out of the car and into the building. "Isn't this supposed to be the central wing? Where the teachers live?"
"As much as I'd love to answer your questions, I'm afraid they'll have to wait a moment." Kanade replies. "Trust me, it's for the better."
"O... Okay..." Hibiki sighs as she follows the two idols to who knows where to do who knows what.
Seeing how nervous Hibiki was, Goku decided to give her a reassuring pat on the back. "It's gonna be alright, Hibiki." He says. "I know this hasn't been the greatest first impression, but I can assure you, you're not in any danger or trouble."
Hibiki nods. She was still nervous, but Goku's words did help. Just then, the group arrived at an elevator, where the brown-haired agent put a device over a scanner once they were all inside. With it scanned, the door behind them shut and special metal poles emerged on the sides. "U-Um... Goku? What are those for?" Hibiki asks.
"You might wanna hold on to one of the poles, Hibiki." Goku says while the agent with them helps put her hands over one of the poles.
"Why?" Hibiki asks as she grabs onto the pole. "Is it gonna go FAAAAAAAAAAAST!" Before she could finish her question, the elevator quickly descended downwards. causing Hibiki to grab onto the pole for dear life.
"I guess I probably should've warned you about that. Hehehe..." Goku chuckles as they continue down the elevator shaft.
Section Two HQ
As they descended, the enclosed elevator shaft opened up, surprising Hibiki with all of the special symbols and artistic patterns painted all over. "We're almost to the base." Tsubasa states to Hibiki. "Be warned, this place is not to be taken lightly. You would do best to take this seriously."
Kanade snickers at Tsubasa's serious soldier routine. "You do realize who's gonna be waiting for us at the bottom, right?" Kanade asks. "If I know Boss, this is going to be far from serious."
"Last I recall, we've never run into anyone wielding a Symphogear that was considered lost." Tsubasa retorts. "I doubt that the Commander would take this matter lightly..."
As Tsubasa says this, the elevator door opens to the sound of confetti and the sight of several tables full of food as agents gathered around clapping while Genjuro stood in front of them all with a black top hat. Above him was a sign that read "Welcome! Hibiki Tachibana!"
"Welcome to the last fortress of humanity, Special Disaster Response Team, Section Two!" Genjuro cheers with open arms, surprising everyone in the elevator.
Once the shock of it all wore off, Kanade leaned over to Tsubasa and smirks. "You were saying?" Kanade teases.
Tsubasa simply rolls her eyes and facepalms. "Let's just get out of the elevator..." She sighs.
"Come on, smile!" Ryoko exclaims as she runs over to Hibiki and holds her phone to take a selfie with her. "Let's take a photo to commemorate the first day of our friendship!"
"You sure that's a good idea to do while she's still in handcuffs?" Kanade asks the doctor.
"Y-Yeah! It would look terrible in a photo album if I had these on!" Hibiki agrees. "Also, how do you people know my name? I've never met any of you before today!"
"Section Two here used to be a secret service type of organization during World War 2." Genjuro explains. "Investigation is our specialty!"
Hibiki was going to believe Genjuro's explanation, but then Ryoko walked up with a bag in her hands and the girl knew exactly what it was. "That's my bag!" Hibiki gasps. "Is this what you mean by investigation being your specialty, looking through my bag without permission?!"
Watching Hibiki panic, Kanade chuckles. "Well, I think it's safe to say things are about to get really interesting around here."
"You can say that again, Kanade." Goku agrees.
As for Tsubasa, she just sighs. "Ogawa-san, if you would."
"On it." The brown-haired agent replies.
At Tsubasa's request, Ogawa took the handcuffs off of Hibiki and placed them on a nearby table. "Thank you for taking those off of me." Hibiki says, rubbing her wrists.
"Not a problem." Ogawa replies. "We should be the ones apologizing to you, if anything."
"Well, now that that's settled, allow me to introduce myself." Genjuro says. "My name is Genjuro Kazanari, I'm the commander here."
"And I'm Ryoko Sakurai, the brains behind this facility." Ryoko adds, introducing herself. "Nice to meet you."
"I-It's nice to meet you, too." Hibiki says, bowing respectfully.
"I'm sure you already know why you're here." Genjuro states. "Long story short: We'd like for you to work with us."
"Work with you? What do you mean by that?" Hibiki asks, before remembering what had just happened before all of this. "Please tell me... What happened to me back there?"
Hearing this, Genjuro turned to Ryoko, the two nod to one another, and Ryoko steps forward. "Before I can answer that, there's two things I need from you: First, you cannot tell anyone about what happened today. Do you promise to not say anything?"
"I promise." Hibiki replies.
"As for the second thing..." Ryoko pulls Hibiki close to her as she wore a mischievous grin. "Could you please take off your clothes?"
"Eh?" Hibiki gasps. "But...
"WHY?!"
Later that evening
Once Hibiki had been sent back to the Lydian dorms, Tsubasa, Kanade, and Goku all sat down at one of the tables in the base. "What a day." Kanade sighs. "First, I manage to get Gungnir back, to an extent, then suddenly, out of nowhere, another Gungnir Wielder shows up!"
"Yeah, that was some interesting timing to say the least." Goku chuckles, before looking over at Tsubasa who was looking at the floor in what seemed like frustration. "Is everything alright, Tsubasa?"
Tsubasa shot her gaze back up from the ground in surprise before quickly recomposing herself. "Yeah, I'm fine..." She says.
Kanade and Goku didn't buy it. "Care to share with the class what's on your mind?" Kanade asks.
Tsubasa sighs. "It's just... Everything about this seems suspicious." She says. "Out of nowhere, this Hibiki Tachibana shows up with a working Gungnir Symphogear and just so happens to know how to activate it. Something about her just doesn't sit right with me."
"Is this because she has Gungnir?" Kanade asks.
"It would be suspicious with any Symphogear relic, including the one that went missing years ago." Tsubasa answers. "But in this case, with it being the Gungnir Symphogear specifically, the relic that we've only just been able to reactivate through alternative methods, it certainly is a factor."
Kanade shrugs. "Eh. I'm willing to say she's alright until the moment she tries to betray us." She says. "By the way, was it just me, or did Hibiki seem to cling to Goku when she got nervous?"
"That may have been because I was talking with her before we took her back to base. You know, just to make sure she was alright." Goku says. "Funnily enough, she said that this was the second time we've saved her."
"'The second time'?" Kanade and Tsubasa ask.
"Yeah! I was just as confused!" Goku chuckles. "I mean, I know we've helped a lot of people in the past and all, but to save someone twice and not recognize them? That's... Wait..." Goku's expression shifted from humorous disbelief to sudden realization as he recalled a specific event that happened two years ago...
"Hey, don't die! Open your eyes! Don't give up on living!"
"Kanade! Are you alright?"
"Goku, get her out of here and to a hospital as fast as you can... I still have one last song in me, and I'm going to use it... Tell Tsubasa I'm sorry, okay?"
"You can save the apologies for when there's a moment actually worth dying for."
"...She got hit by shrapnel and needs immediate medical care. Krillin, can I please ask you to take them out of here to the nearest hospital?"
"That should ensure that the girl doesn't die from her wound."
"No... It couldn't be... Could it?" Goku thought to himself.
"Uh... Goku?" Kanade asks, snapping Goku back to reality. "Care to fill us in on whatever you were thinking about?"
Goku began to chuckle nervously. "Well... It's just..."
"Ah! There you three are!" Ryoko interjects, walking over to the three in the headquarters. "I had a feeling you were still here. Although, you and Tsubasa-chan should probably head back to the school dorms soon, Kanade-chan."
"We were just talking about the new Gungnir Wielder for a second." Kanade says. "That, and how crazy her timing was."
"You got that right about crazy timings." Ryoko agrees. "But on the topic of Gungnir, thanks to your gung-ho test run, I may need a couple days to work out the kinks that presented themselves when you used the PKD-Gear at maximum capacity."
"'PKD-Gear'?" Goku asks.
"Just a little nickname Bulma and I came up with for the Phonic Ki Drive and Symphogear fusion." Ryoko says. "That aside, I'm glad you went against my wishes and used it, because now we know exactly what to fix and change to make it work just like its old Symphogear self!"
Kanade smirks proudly. "What can I say? I'm a natural at making things work out by winging it!"
"And nearly getting yourself killed because of it..." Tsubasa and Goku mumble.
"Speaking of your 'winging it', Genjuro-kun wanted me to tell you that you are temporarily suspended from combat operations until your PKD-Gear is fully functional." Ryoko states. "So for about a week or two."
"WHAT?!" Kanade gasps. "But that's not fair!"
"You should consider yourself lucky, Kanade-chan." Ryoko says. "Genji originally had your suspension set to a month, plus you would've been doing the janitor's job for half of that time off."
Kanade immediately sat down hearing this. "On second thought, one to two weeks ain't that bad..." She says.
"That's better~" Ryoko teases. "Now then, you two should head back to the dorms before it's too late."
"That sounds like a perfect idea!" Kanade says, still nervous as she drags Tsubasa, surprising her in the process. "Goodnight, everyone!"
"Kanade, wait!" Tsubasa pleads.
Meanwhile, Goku and Ryoko chuckle as they watch Kanade run. "Was Dad really going to punish Kanade with Janitor duties?" Goku asks.
"Nah. I just wanted to mess with her because I knew she was going to react like that to the punishment." Ryoko chuckles. "His other suggestion was just to be Bulma's assistant during the one to two weeks, but I figured she would do it anyway while you and Tsubasa were busy on missions. Well, you, Tsubasa, and Hibiki, now."
"By the way, about Hibiki, I have a question." Goku says.
"What's on your mind?" Ryoko asks.
"Earlier tonight, she said that Tsubasa, Kanade, and I saved her life once before. I don't remember saving a Hibiki Tachibana before." Goku states. "But then I thought about that incident with the Noise two years ago, at that Zwei Wing concert where we lost the Nehushtan Armor."
"What are you trying to say?" Ryoko asks.
"That day, there was one survivor who was seriously injured, and that was the same day that Kanade's Gear broke." Goku says. "I guess what I'm asking is: Is Hibiki that same girl, and are her Gungnir and Kanade's Gungnir one and the same?"
Ryoko thought on Goku's theory. "Well, that certainly would explain a lot." She says. "I haven't gone over the data I received from Hibiki-chan's medical examination just yet, but once I do, I'm sure it'll answer a lot of questions you and the others have on her. But, until then, we'll just have to wait and see."
"I see..." Goku replies with a nod. "Well, in that case, I better get out of your hair so you can go over her medical exam. Goodnight, Ryoko-san!"
"Goodnight, Goku."
The next day
The next day, after classes had concluded at Lydian, Kanade and Tsubasa took Hibiki back down to Section Two's HQ and gathered in the medical room with Goku, Ryoko, Genjuro, Aoi, and Sakuya. "Alright, it's time to reveal the results of yesterday's medical examination!" Ryoko cheers as the monitor in the room shows scans of Hibiki, as well as various other screens of data. "While there are some signs of shock from your first transformation, there are no notable anomalies with your body."
"Nothing notable?" Hibiki asks while she rubs her wrists after once again being freed from her cuffs.
"Right... I guess that isn't exactly what you wanted to hear about, is it?" Ryoko replies.
"Please tell me about that power I had last night!" Hibiki pleads.
With this, Genjuro glances over at Tsubasa, which the Wielder knew exactly what was needed from her as she pulled out her relic. "Ame no Habakiri. It's the first relic, which is weld by Tsubasa." Genjuro states. "The third relic, Gungnir, is weld by Kanade, as well as yourself."
"Relics?" Hibiki asks. "And what do you mean by 'first' and 'third'? What happened to the second?"
"It's... Complicated." Ryoko answers. "Second relic aside, these are products of heretical technology, documented in legends from around the world. Most of these relics are found in old ruins of civilizations long past, but along with those civilizations, the relics have suffered major irreparable damage. While there are some that are still fully intact today, they're pretty rare to come across."
"Ame no Habakiri are two examples of these relics, however, they only wield a fraction of their former power." Genjuro adds.
"Aside from artificial methods, there is only one true way to draw out that tiny fraction of power the relic still has: A waveform that vibrates with a special frequency." Ryoko continues.
"A waveform that vibrates with a special frequency..." Hibiki repeats, trying to understand what the scientist was saying.
"In other words, songs." Genjuro says in a way that Hibiki could understand. "The relics are activated through the power of songs."
"Songs?" Hibiki thought aloud, before remembering what had happened when she was transformed. "That's right... When I used that power, I could feel a song in my heart."
"When the relic is activated by the power of songs, it converts itself into pure energy, before then reconstructing itself as a suit of armor suited for its Wielder." Ryoko explains. "This anti-Noise armor that you and Tsubasa wear is what we call a Symphogear."
"But the relics don't activate from something as simple as humming a random tune!" Tsubasa adds abruptly, causing a deafening silence over the group.
Following this silence, Genjuro returns to the topic at hand as he gets up from his chair and walks over to Hibiki. "We call the few people who can activate the relics and wear the Symphogears 'candidates'." He says. "Among those candidates are Tsubasa, Kanade, and yourself."
"Well? Does that help you understand the power that's awakened in you a little better?" Ryoko asks. "If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask!"
"Well..."
"Yes, Hibiki-chan?"
"I... Still have no idea about anything you just said..." Hibiki says, making everyone in the room sigh in disappointment.
"Why am I not surprised?" Aoi asks.
"I'm with you there..." Sakuya adds.
"I suppose I did use some big words in that explanation." Ryoko replies. "For now, all you need to remember is that the creator of Sakurai Theory, which is responsible for crafting the Symphogears from relic fragments, is yours truly."
"Okay..." Hibiki says with a nod. "But, I don't have a relic of my own. So why can I-"
Before Hibiki could finish her question, Ryoko put up an x-ray scan of Hibiki's body on the monitor. Aside from what should be in her body, there were tiny shards floating around next to her heart. "Do you know what this is?" Genjuro asks.
"Yeah!" Hibiki exclaims. "That's from when I got seriously hurt two years ago! I was at the stadium during a Zwei Wing concert."
Hearing this, Kanade and Tsubasa looked at Hibiki with a mixture of confusion and concern. "Did she just say what I think she said?" Kanade whispers to Tsubasa.
"I believe so..." Tsubasa replies, equally as concerned.
"Several tiny fragments embedded into your body, too dangerously close to your heart to surgically remove." Ryoko states. "According to our research, these fragments belong to that of the third relic, Gungnir, which Kanade wields. Think of it as an accidental present of sorts, if you will."
Hearing those words, Kanade turned pale, staring at Hibiki with wide eyes as her heart sank in her chest. "Oh my god..." Kanade mutters under her breath. "I... I need to go." Without another word, Kanade ran out of the room, surprising everyone that Kanade reacted this way to the information presented.
"I should go make sure Kanade's alright." Goku says.
"I'm coming with you." Tsubasa interjects. "If I may, Commander?"
"Go ahead." Genjuro answers.
"Please excuse us." Tsubasa replies.
Rushing out of the medical room, Goku and Tsubasa quickly look for Kanade, finding her standing dejectedly next to one of the vending machines in the hallway. "Kanade? Are you alright?" Goku asks.
"What do you think, Goku?" Kanade retorts. "Every part of me wanted so badly to believe your theory, that Hibiki just so happened to have a second copy of Gungnir, leaving the only mystery to be where she got it. But she didn't receive it from some stranger, she got it thanks to a near-death experience that was my fault!"
"Hey, calm down, Kanade." Goku says, seeing the girl's self-inflicted rage flare up. "None of us could've prepared for what happened at that concert, much less your Gungnir impaling Hibiki. There's no reason to beat yourself up over this."
"But that's exactly why I am, because she only got those fragments inside of her thanks me needing that stupid LiNKER stuff!" Kanade replies, punching the vending machine in front of her as tears forced their way past her face. "If I had not run out of juice that day, Hibiki would've been fine, and Gungnir would be fully intact..."
"Kanade..." Tsubasa says, saddened by Kanade's distress.
"It's funny when I think about it..." Kanade continues, looking at her hands in hysterics. "Maybe, in another life, none of this would've happened if Tori survived instead of me. Hell, maybe that whole tragedy could've been avoided."
"Kanade, that's enough!" Tsubasa shouts, pulling the Gungnir Wielder in for a hug as she too begins to tear up. "I can't stand seeing you act like this. You act like a world where you didn't exist would be one for the better, but the truth is, it would be much worse."
"Tsubasa?"
"When you attempted to perform your Superb Song that day, I was scared. Scared that I would lose you." Tsubasa continues. "I may not have been given the opportunity to meet your family, and I'm sure they were good people, but I'm living in a world where I got to meet you, Kanade. That's the world I could never hope to get rid of."
"Tsubasa's right, Kanade." Goku adds. "While I have had the chance to meet your sister, I didn't get the opportunity to know her as you did. But regardless of that, from what little of her I did get to know, I'm sure I can speak for her in saying that she would hate a world without you in it."
"Goku..."
"And I know this may sound heartless, but you can't let one mistake on your part weigh you down." Goku continues. "The important thing is that Hibiki is still alive and well, meaning you have more than enough time to make up for that one bad outcome."
"Please, Kanade, never consider yourself as a burden for your mistakes." Tsubasa pleads. "Because without you in my life, I don't want to imagine the kind of person I would have become."
"...Thanks, you guys..." Kanade sniffles as she wipes the tears from her eyes. "And here I thought I was always gonna be the one cheering up Tsubasa."
"Hey, nobody is without their moments of weakness. Hehehe." Goku chuckles. Suddenly, the trio heard footsteps heading in their direction, which made the Zwei Wing duo quickly wipe away their tears so as to not make anyone worry about them. "Oh, hello Hibiki! What's up?"
"I'll fight!" Hibiki says proudly. "I know I'm very new to all of this, but I'll do everything I can to help!"
"You sure about this, Hibiki?" Goku asks. "I mean, I'm sure Dad and Ryoko-san have given you the whole talk about what we do here, but at the end of the day, none of us will judge if you want to go back to a normal life."
"I know this power I have was not one I chose to have, but even so, if you're all using this same power to help people who need it most, then I want to do it too!" Hibiki replies, before holding her hand out to the trio. "Besides, I'd be happy to fight alongside you all!"
There was silence amongst the group, but eventually, Kanade was the one to break the silence by shaking Hibiki's hand. "If this is what you wanna do, even with what this means for your life as you know it, then I look forward to working with you as well!" Kanade says. "Let's show the Noise just how devastating two Gungnir Wielders can be!"
As Kanade welcomed Hibiki to Section Two, the Kazanari cousins looked on in a mix of concern and pride. "I'd say things are about to get very interesting now that Hibiki's here with us." Goku states. "Wouldn't you agree, Tsubasa?"
Tsubasa sighs in response. "I think you and I have a differing stance on how 'interesting' things will be..." She says. "Let's just hope that she won't be a hindrance."
"Come now, Tsubasa. There's no need to judge her before she starts." Goku replies. "Sure, she may be new to all of this, and it may slow us down for the moment, but I'm sure that, if she dedicates herself to being a Wielder like you and Kanade have, then she'll be just as strong as us in no time! And who knows? Maybe she'll be even stronger than us with the right training!"
Tsubasa shrugs. "If you say so."
Later that night...
The rest of the night was quiet for the people of Section Two, which was a relief, because it meant Hibiki was able to be properly introduced and shown around the base before heading to their homes for the night. However, later that night, in a mysterious mansion hidden in a forest, a woman with long blonde hair and a special choice in clothing (in the sense of having very little on) watched footage from the power plant the night Hibiki awakened into her version of Gungnir. "Intriguing, isn't she?" The woman asks a girl with long lavender twintails and a red dress.
"I guess." The girl replies. "But I don't remember her having that weird chestplate or a laser spear or whatever that is."
"Not the redhead." The woman chides. "I'm talking about the younger one with the light-brown hair."
"Her?" The girl asks, appalled by the woman's interest in Hibiki over Kanade. "But she looks so pathetic compared to the other one."
"But that's just it. Despite how pathetic she looks, she still managed to effortlessly activate a Symphogear relic, and with such a small piece of it." The woman states, waving a folder full of documents in front of the girl. "Someone like that, even if they appear to be weak and pathetic, is worth studying further."
"...Yeah, I'm still lost..." The girl says. "What're you trying to say?"
"It will be a while before this can be done, but when I tell you to, I want you to kidnap that girl and bring her here." The woman says.
"And what do I do if the others try to stop me?" The girl asks.
"I don't think they should be a problem for you to handle." The woman says. "Besides, you have two choices on how to fight them. I think I already know which you'd prefer to use, no?"
The girl scoffs. "As if you had to even say it."
"Then it's settled." The woman states. "And, Chris, do not fail, or else."
Chris winces at the woman's final words, knowing what would happen if she failed her. "Y... Yes, ma'am."
Next time on Sympho-Ball
Hey! It's me, Goku!
Honestly, I feel bad for Hibiki... I know she's trying her best out there, but her lack of any battle experience is very apparent.
If she's going to stand a chance out there when the going gets tough, then she'll need a good teacher.
Hmm... Maybe Roshi will see me with a student sooner than I thought...
Next time on "Sympho-Ball":
Hibiki Tachibana's Rough Beginnings! A New Threat appears?!
Don't miss it!
A/N: And with that, we end the chapter!
Now, since I already went over the upload schedule change, I'll just get straight to talking about the changes in the story, as well as the new PKD-Gear stuff:
First off, the PKD-Gear fusion itself. I went through several different ideas for designs on a hypothetical armor for the Gear itself, but honestly, I wasn't really a fan of how the different ideas came out. This was mainly because I felt that, with how it was originally planned to work, it would just feel more like a special XDU collab Symphogear armor, and while there's nothing wrong with that idea, it was just something I didn't want at the end of the day.
So why did I go with what I did? Simple: I felt that making the Gear's power being directly converted into something along the lines of a power boost to both the user and their weapons was more in line with a Dragon Ball crossover.
On top of this, it gave me a perfect way to utilize the armor that Goku came to earth with since this story uses the DBS Broly version of Planet Vegeta's demise. As for why the jumpsuit is part of the armor? In a world where suits of armor could be created through song, alongside other methods, I feel that self-fitting jumpsuits would also be possible (And perfectly in line with something that Bulma could create).
Lastly, the change to the end of this chapter. While Tsubasa still doesn't hold Hibiki in the best of regards as a Wielder, I felt that, thanks to having both Goku and Kanade in her life, she wouldn't treat her the same way she does in the original. Granted, she still doesn't hold Hibiki in the best of regards as a Wielder, but she doesn't actively try to ignore her.
But anyways, thank you for reading this chapter. Feel free to leave a comment or review and I'll be sure to take a look at it as soon as I can. I shall see you all in the next one!
