"NDS: Book 12—Neon: Chapter 84: Resolution"
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They did show all of Gundam SEED and MSG on Cartoon Network, but they cancelled MSG after 9/11, and then ran it late at night to just the ending, and as for SEED, they moved it to 1 AM on Saturday morning, which means you have to stay up late Friday night to even see it. They ran through the entire show and it is now in repeats. They did the same thing to Rave Master, and moved that show to 6 AM Sunday morning, which really PO's me because I would never be up at that time, so I have to tape it. Of course, some specialty channel has MSG going now, and YTV just started it awhile back, if that applies to you.
Anyway, with that aside, last night I finished writing the Nomadic Diga: SAND's version of Book 12, so that means I will definitely finish the NDS version here. Now I hope I can get done with the other three books, because Book 13 is a hard one for me to do, being that it is a lot of stand-alone chapters before we get to the real story. Basically it's some more subplot, a funeral, the wedding dress, the ring, some odd news, and then the start of the wedding. So, it sounds boring to write, but hold a lot of character development stuff. Especially for the characters Daisuke and Mizu, who are Jet and Sakura in NDS. Anyway, let's move on with the story and have all our other characters join us.
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Adven and Mizu crawling into a concrete tube used for construction within the gray and cold city of Neon City. Each of them catching their breaths during this peaceful break. Sakura leading Adven into the tube.
"What was with all those robots?" Sakura questioned as a burst of visible air came out.
"Obviously, they're why this town is so empty." He replied. "I wonder—" Adven's head rammed into Sakura's backside as she happened to stop, and as the force knocked her flat on the ground, Adven fell onto her. The two stared at each other for a moment before Adven's face went red and he darted away out of embarrassment. "I'm sorry! It was an accident." He quickly defended himself.
Sakura simply laughed fondly at his actions. "Calm down." She suggested. "It was actually a good accident."
"Huh?" Adven furrowed his brow in confusion.
"It allowed me to stop worrying about Clive." She explained.
"Sakura…Clive, he will be fine. I mean, we both know he's too smart and too strong to easily just be defeated."
"I know," She sighed. "But I won't feel safe until I can hug him once more."
"Listen…I…" Adven's eye quickly spots a light blue mono-eye camera at the end of the tube. "Surging Punch!" He stabs the side of the tube, shattering it apart as he grabbed Sakura with his other hand. The two jumped out in time to not be shot up by the B-Drone's bullets. As they landed though, Adven quickly noted the second B type and three A-Type drones. Sakura, oddly drew an ARM that fired three consecutive rounds with each pull of the trigger. It was odd for her not to fight hand-to-hand, but Adven had little time to wonder why she would use an ARM instead.
She fires her ARM, but finds that no real damage is dealt. "This…reminds me of a story Jet told me about a robot named Dynamo." She stated as the robot's regrouped and the couple backed off. The two closest drones were hit away further by a Surging Punch from Adven who soon came to her side.
"And how did he beat that thing?"
"Emilia cut a wound, and Jet fired into it." She explained as Adven nodded.
"Then let's see if we can do the same." Adven drew the two sai that Sakura would normally wield, and chucked one at the closest B-type drone, stabbing and shattering it's eye. Sakura let off her ARM at the same spot the sai hit, and the head erupted, followed by the body until only a smoking heap was left.
As Adven moved from an A-type's beam sword, he is grazed on the left arm leaving a tear in his coat and a wound on his flesh. The wound did not bleed however due to the nature of the weapon. "Adven!" Sakura called out in worry, but Adven simply rammed the second sai and his arm through the circle on the drone's chest, leaving it to stagger away from him emitting sparks before Sakura fired into the hole and finished it for good. "You okay?" She questioned as they regrouped.
"Yeah, but there's still three more and I'm out two sai. I'll just have to go with my new attacks." Adven leaves her behind to dodge a swipe from another A Drone, and then returns to Sakura to pull her out of the way of the remaining B-Type's gunfire. Letting her go and using the force from jumping off a constriction tube, he flies towards the B Drone through the air. "Surging Blitz!" With a two-handed Surging Punch, Adven finds himself shattering the drone and going through it's remains as he landed. "Three down." He loses his victory grin quickly as he is slashed by one of the remaining two A Drones on his back, and then knocked to the ground by the other. Adven opens his eyes after the pain as he lies on the ground and spots one of the dropped sai. He flings that one at the neck of the one drone that headed towards Sakura, but was left defenseless to the other drone who was about to run him through.
"Devastate!" With that the drone shattered apart before it could even touch Adven, while Sakura had blown the one near her. Adven looked through the smoking drone before him to see Gallows who stood on the rooftop. "I guess the armor to block arcana was too expensive for mass-production." He quipped as he slid down the ladder on the building to meet up with the couple. "I was looking for Emilia, so I went to see Carole, and I seem to found that everyone came here without me. You can guess I was jealous."
"Emilia?" Adven questioned. He had no idea everyone else they knew was here too. It would make for an odd reunion.
"We should get moving." Sakura seriously said.
Gallows pointed his head for an alley nearby. "There is a safe path to what looks like the main building in that direction. So, follow me." The couple nodded and reluctantly followed the Baskar through the alleyways of Neon City.
Within that main building, Hawthorne R & D, were Virginia, who aided the limping and bleeding Samu through the dim hallways, as Pike followed behind. "Listen…Virginia," Samu weakly said. "You should leave here now. It is my job to turn off all power to Neon City."
She vehemently shook her head. "No! How can you ask me that, stupid. I'm going to save you, as soon as this is over. You are a dear friend, and almost like a second uncle to me. I can't just leave you."
Samu coughed. "It's…too…late to save me. This is…the fate…of those with sins. They must die and atone…for them."
"But they shouldn't have to atone for them alone." Virginia dismissed. "They need help, and I plan to help you."
"Listen," Pike spoke up. "She's right about that. You can't do this alone." The group stopped so they could look at one another. "You said that the drones run from another source…so I will go and shut them down. You two can shut down the city and start the self-destruct sequence for Hawthorne." Virginia and Samu nodded. "And, Virginia," She looked to him. "Don't be stupid. Accept reality, and stop talking like a child." With that Pike turned away and began his way down another hall that after seeing a map earlier he knew would lead him to where his goal waited. Virginia and Samu carried on their own path, through the dismal halls of Hawthorne.
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I realized now, that the Samu-Virginia relationship, has no real background, and you have no reason to feel anything for him. I just noticed it now, and it's too late to really offer anything to you to make their relationship mean more. Basically, he is a close family friend from her childhood. It was much easier in the original to have them be connected, because originally Samu was Sakura's brother, so the relationship was already stated and we knew they were close, but with NDS I can't really introduce a man, late in the game, and suddenly have anyone care for them. If I had known about him sooner, I would have been adding little bits about him in the past 83 chapters to make you care for him now, but even if I used flashbacks, and etc. to make you care for him, I just have a feeling they wouldn't work. This is my failure, and I apologize for it.
Next time, more Jet and Emilia team-ups against drones, and Pike meets up with Gallows' group. And on a side note, Book 12 will end with Chapter 92, so if you're keeping track of how much longer we will be in Neon City, that is where the Neon City arc ends.