Episode 3 - Picking up the pace
"For today's lesson, we're going to practice operating the basic controls of the IS."
Ephraim kept his calm façade from his position behind his superior, inwardly confused as to why he was here in the first place. Maya glanced at him and sent a reassuring smile, one that he couldn't really reciprocate. While he was Orimura-sensei's assistant and that meant that he should go wherever she went, why was he in an IS Lesson when he didn't pilot an IS in the first place?
As opposed to the neat rows of IS pilots wearing their swimsuit-like pilot suits, he was clad in his purple and gold Orb Union g-suit, complete with the sunburst insignia of the fictional island nation on his left shoulder. Though, the words themselves were gone, leaving what many assumed was just a personal touch of his. He couldn't really fault them, as his choker and cufflinks were sun-themed to begin with.
'Might as well go with the flow then.' The blonde sighed quietly to himself.
"Orimura. Alcott." Chifuyu called out as she crossed her arms. "Give us a demonstration flight."
"Certainly!" The British Representative Candidate answered readily and changed Sailor Moon style in the middle of the class.
"What in the..." The older blonde mumbled as everyone made space for the sudden transformation. "Does it always do...that?" He asked Maya, who nodded at his question.
"Well, not always. Why? Don't your Astrays do the same?" The green-haired teacher answered, frowning a bit as she watched Ichika struggle to summon his IS.
"No? It'll appear in the blink of an eye." He responded with slightly furrowed brows. There was no way he and his friends were going to do something as foolish as take precious seconds in transforming.
"Get a move on. A veteran pilot takes less than a second for activation!" Chifuyu yelled, glancing over her shoulder at the Astray pilot before she touched the communicator in her right ear.
"Guele, is Sahaku's Flight Pack ready for action?" The older Orimura asked their resident mechanic, who was currently in their hangar working on the Red Frame's TPS installation.
Ephraim flinched.
"We did some test runs on it yesterday so it's more or less ready, Orimura-sensei."
"Good."
"Come, Byakushiki!" Ichika held his bracelet up and finally donned his IS. He looked down at his armored hands and smiled widely. "I did it..!"
"Now fly!" Chifuyu ordered with a glare.
"At once!" And the Blue Tears immediately shot up, gracefully taking to the skies akin to that of a soaring eagle.
"Okay...up up and awaAAH!" Ichika leapt up, only to float back before regaining his balance and shooting up into the air, albeit at a slower speed than Cecilia.
The former Brunhilde turned her head to look at her assistant, the rest of the girls following her gaze as the blonde visibly paled and took a step back.
"Now is a perfect time to compare the Astray's flight speed with IS' like the Blue Tears and Byakushiki. Go." She did not even give him a single possibility of making an excuse.
His indifferent façade remained before he broke it with a sigh. Standing straight, he cracked his neck before he was suddenly engulfed in motes of white-gold light. In the next moment, there stood the 7 foot tall Gundam Astray Gold Frame with its new Flight Pack. Blue-white light erupted from the eight high-power thrusters as they rapidly spooled up.
"In a literal blink of an eye!"
"Wow, that was quick!"
The sea-green optics of the Gold Frame flashed and its head tilted up, staring right into the curious eyes of Cecilia Alcott. "Joy..." Ephraim mumbled as he took a great leap, the Flight Pack roaring for the first time outside of testing. The jet wash of his launch scattered dust, but it was thankfully aimed away from the class. Maya shielded her face from the harsh winds it kicked up, but Chifuyu ever stood tall.
Ichika looked behind him when he heard the noise of thrusters, and quickly rolled to the side to avoid a white and gold blur that rocketed past him. "Whoa, it can fly now?" He asked in wonder as the Gold Frame stopped beside the Blue Tears.
"You can fly now?" Cecilia repeated the question as she stared at the Astray, admiring the somewhat decorative construction of the Flight Pack.
"I can fly now." Ephraim affirmed, his usual calm shaken with a hint of nervousness. He wasn't scared that he would fall, no, he was more scared that his public image would suffer if he messed up at any moment. "This is the first time I'll be using the Flight Pack outside of short engine tests in the Hangar."
"Isn't that dangerous?" The younger blonde's eyes widened in concern.
"It is. And given the fact that Davion's inventions have a 50/50 chance of blowing up in his face?" He gave out a short laugh as Ichika came up to them. "How do you think I feel right now?"
"Fly!" Chifuyu yelled from the ground, and the two blondes looked at each other before nodding.
"Try to keep up, Orimura-san." Ephraim smirked underneath the helmet as he and Cecilia soared higher.
"You're slow." His sister's voice rang in his comms. "Strictly spec-wise, the Byakushiki is faster than the Blue Tears and the Gold Frame."
"That may be true but..." The male IS pilot responded with a small groan. "I'm supposed to imagine a pyramid in front of me, aren't I?" He let out a sigh, utterly confused with the terminologies and lessons. "I don't really get it..."
"...Is this really one of the nominees for the class representative?" Cecilia's voice rang out from his right, and he turned to see her descend and match his speed. A clear frown was on her face as she looked up at something higher than them. "He should have the basics down for his IS, at least, at this point."
"Give him a chance, Lady Alcott." The Gold Frame descended at his left, its admittedly Samurai-esque helmet turning towards the two of them as the optics flickered with each word. "Everyone has their own pace on mastering something. He's just not as proficient as you and I in these matters."
"...Thanks?" The Byakushiki pilot smiled uncertainly at the Astray. He didn't know if he was defending him or insulting him...
"No problem." Ephraim responded almost instantly with a faux-cheer in his tone. "My question is: How are you having trouble now of all times when you managed to summon it during our training?" He paused, as if considering his next words. "On second thought, nevermind. It's like this is your first time flying..."
"...But isn't this also your first time?" Cecilia asked with a raised brow, to which the Gold Frame pilot waved off.
"I learn fast. You could say that I..."
The noblewoman's eyes widened before she groaned. "Oh—Don't you dare..!"
"Learn on the fly!" The smug grin was clear in his voice. They could practically feel how proud he felt just saying that.
...
If Ichika didn't have the Byakushiki's claws on, he would have facepalmed.
"...Sahaku." Chifuyu's voice rang out in all of their comms.
"Grhk!" The Astray pilot choked, visibly wobbling in the air for a moment before righting himself. "Y-Yes, Orimura-sensei?"
"Stop monkeying around." She growled at her assistant, while the muffled giggles of Maya leaked through. "You three, do a power dive followed by a rapid stop."
Cecilia blinked before she looked down. "Roger that!" Glancing at the two boys, she smirked lightly. "I'll be going on ahead so don't crash into the ground. I'd hate to pick up the representative mantle because you two were injured." There was no heat in her words, though Ichika still frowned.
With a haughty chuckle, the blonde raised her nose up at them. "Well, ladies first!"
The British noblewoman accelerated before going into a dive at a stable angle. Once she was nearing the ground, she flipped and increased the thruster output of her IS' stabilizers, slowing her down enough to let her land without any problems. Upon landing, she flipped her hair over her shoulder, a smug smirk on her lips. The blonde turned her head ever so slightly to send a teasing glance up at the two boys in the sky.
"She's so good..." The male IS pilot gawked, envying the skill of the blonde.
"That's what being an IS Representative Candidate is." Ephraim huffed as he did a lazy barrel roll around the white IS. "Keyword being: 'Candidate'. The IS Representative tutors them." The Gold Frame's sea-green optics flashed as he turned his head to the Byakushiki pilot. "What does that say about their abilities, hmm?"
"Uh..."
"Heh, see you on the ground, Orimura-san." The Astray gave him one last look before accelerating forward with a flare of his powerful engines.
Unlike Cecilia who dove at a stable angle, the Gold Frame dove at a steep angle.
Reminiscent of an old WW2 German dive bomber, the Astray seemed to pick up more and more speed. Just when he was a few meters away from the ground, Ephraim leveled out, the Flight Pack counteracting the gravity with even more thrust from its engines. Dust flew everywhere as he landed with a heavy thump, the metal feet digging shallow trenches as he slowed to a stop beside the Blue Tears.
Ichika blinked before he took a deep breath. Face set into a determined frown, he hyped himself up.
"Okay...my turn..!"
Both blondes turned to look at the last pilot still flying. They watched as he took a sharp dive, bringing out a condescending titter from the older of the two.
"...He's gonna crash." He hummed, sounding none too concerned. Why would he be? Ichika was a protagonist, and a Harem Protagonist at that. Bastards were dense in both social situations and in the literal sense.
He'd survive.
Cecilia's eyes widened as she took note of the speed and angle of the Byakushiki as it fell. "Does he not know-?!"
"I'm afraid not." The Gold Frame chuckled lightly, both his enhanced hearing and the Astray's audio receptors picking up the panic of the rest of the class.
"He's going too fast!"
"Back up! Back up!"
"Brace for impact!"
Crash!
"Well," Ephraim clapped his hands with a metallic clang. "Let's see how he's doing."
"Ichika!" Houki cried out as she stopped at the edge of the large crater. The thick cloud of dust and debris coming from said crater was quickly blown away by the wind, revealing the white armored IS laying down on its front.
"Orimura-kun, are you alright?!" Maya called out as she stopped beside the swordswoman.
They looked into the crater, watching as the Byakushiki turned back into its Closed form. Ichika struggled to pull his head out of the ground, muffled yells escaping from his lips. Amidst the noise and chaos, the sounds of thrusters going nearer entered the fray.
"Huh, didn't expect it to be this big."
The Gold Frame landed beside them, head slowly swiveling as Ephraim took in the damage. "With the speed he was going and with that mass, it shouldn't be this deep..."
"Because he's denser than a tungsten brick." Chifuyu snarked behind him. "Can you get him up here, Sahaku?"
"Understood, Orimura-sensei."
At her order, the blonde hopped into the crater with a short burst from his Flight Pack. He slid to a stop beside the IS pilot, crouching and then grabbing him by the back of the neck. "Don't make any sudden moves, Orimura-san." His loudspeakers called out, amplifying his voice. "I'll help you out of there."
Ichika gave muffled responses for a few seconds before settling for a thumbs up, relaxing his body afterwards despite the cold metal touching his flesh.
With a simple pull, the ground released the poor boy's head with an audible pop. Ichika took deep breaths as he patted himself down. "Oh God, that hurt..!" He then checked his limbs for any visible damage amidst the throbbing pain of his muscles. "I thought I was gonna die!"
"Come on." The Gold Frame stood back up, the sea-green optics looking down at him with an almost sadistic glint to them. "Orimura-sensei is waiting up there for you."
The IS pilot paled but stood up either way. "Oh...joy..."
"I heard that, you moron! Do you know how much it costs to fill in a hole that size?!"
Ephraim merely chuckled at the fearful squeak.
.
.
.
Later...
"With the Inter-Class Tournament nearing, 1-1 needs to choose a Representative now more than ever." Chifuyu stated at the front of the class. "So far, there has only been three: Orimura, Sahaku, and Murakumo."
It was their last class for the day, with the sun starting to set in the distance. The energy of the classroom was quickly rising, having been mentally fatigued prior to their teacher's announcement.
Cecilia huffed at the mention of the nominees, still somewhat upset that the chosen were either inexperienced or not even IS pilots to begin with. But she gave her word to not interrupt nor interfere, so she could only keep her objections to herself.
"Which one of the three shall be the representative?"
A girl raised her hand. "Ichika-kun!"
Another hand rose. "Sahaku-san!"
And another. "Murakumo-kun already does things for the student council! He should be our representative!"
Ryo turned his head to the girl who said that in confusion. "What? I only delivered some documents to Kaichou, nothing more?"
"Well the 2nd years seem to be talking about how Kaichou seemed to trust you."
"Yeah! Enough that apparently you two went on a date..?"
The class gasped and gawked, and Ephraim had to cover his mouth with his hand to hide the smirk that was rapidly growing. Davion lifted his head, eyes wide as he stared at his friend in slight disbelief.
The green-eyed courier was silent, a stormy haze replacing the bright verdant.
'That woman...!'
The blonde Neo-Type then raised his hand, an expression of noble countenance on his face. "While I am flattered that some of you would nominate me to represent this class during the tournament, I must respectfully bow out from the running."
"Huh?!" The girls who supported him cried out.
The British Representative Candidate looked at him in surprise.
"It would be redundant for me to become the representative, mainly due to us Astray pilots already competing in the tournament." The blonde stood up, looking around the class with soulful purple eyes and placing a hand over his heart as he gave them a sad smile. Hamming things up was always amusing to him, it brought a sense of chaos that only he and his friends could perceive. "I regretfully cannot take on the other duties of a representative, as I am currently dedicating myself fully as Orimura-sensei's assistant in both combat and secretarial duties."
Ryo and Davion stifled their laughter, fully aware of their friend's interest on the intimidating teacher.
Ichika looked at the Astray pilot with respect and pity in his eyes, as he himself knew that his sister was a handful.
The rest of the girls were either touched by his words or disappointed, with Cecilia's stiff shoulders relaxing somewhat at his reasoning.
Chifuyu merely rolled her eyes as the blonde sat down.
"Yeah, I'll have to bow out as well." The green-eyed courier waved from his seat, an apologetic smile on his lips. "I can't really attend meetings when I could be called away for a delivery. That would be counterproductive for both parties."
"W-Wait," Ichika's face began to pale as he realized what was happening. "Then that would leave-!"
"Since the two bowed out, this leaves Orimura as the sole candidate for the Class Representative." The homeroom teacher smirked lightly, sharing the same curl of the lips with her assistant. "Any objections?"
"Hold on..!" He tried to stand up for himself-
"None~!"
"Go, Ichika-kun!"
"Good luck." The Astray pilots chorused, with Davion audibly snickering at the back.
Cecilia merely crossed her arms, huffing to herself.
"Oh, come on!" The male IS groaned in dismay, gripping his hair as he sank back down on his seat.
Pop! Pop!
"Congratulations on getting the position, Orimura-kun!"
"Congratulations!"
Ichika's brow twitched at his seat at the cafeteria table. "Why did no one else step up to position?"
"Because we're already busy." Ephraim responded to his right, arms crossed and eyes closed. "Any more and our grades might get affected from all the stress."
"And I made a promise to let someone else have the representative spot." Cecilia huffed next to the taller blonde as her eyes smoldered with challenge. "But mark my words, I will take that position as soon as the opportunity presents itself! I will have my vengeance!"
'You don't have to go all Eula about it...' The Astray pilot next to her winced inwardly. At that thought, suppressed memories became unbound, those of light blue hair and of the cold regal beauty that belonged to the Spindrift Knight.
They passed by so quickly, so suddenly, that he could only perceive bits and pieces of what seemed to be an entire lifetime worth of memories.
"You took my [...]! I shall have vengeance for this!"
"I didn't know those [...] were yours!"
The blonde's face remained composed, fortunately having had his eyes closed as it hid the faint longing plaguing them. The eyes were the windows of the soul, and he was not going to have anyone in this world have a glimpse to his twisted wreck.
'We came from Teyvat...I think...Ryo was there but Davion...' He pushed down a frown that would have curled his lips, frustration bubbling at the mess of jumbled memories now littering his mind. He couldn't clearly recall exact details of his relationship with the knight, but the general knowledge was there, the feeling of being close. It was like he was looking at an incomplete puzzle, where clusters of memories formed a solid chunk while the rest were scattered, shattered.
This was one of the reasons why he had mixed feelings about their omni-dimensional boss. The Eldritch Being that they found themselves bound to could very well pluck certain memories out of their minds and leave them none the wiser. They could take even 「Concepts」 such as Time from the trio, leaving them entirely unsure just how many years or even days have passed between 'jumps'. It could have been an entire millennia since they've been to Teyvat, with all their close friends and people having passed away without them even knowing.
Or more optimistically, perhaps the world 'paused', just waiting for them to come back so time would resume, like it was a 'Save State' in a video game.
The Dimensional Supervisor was an unpredictable force and he and his friends were not even a mere fraction of the amount of puppets the eldritch being controlled. They gave many boons that allowed them to survive in whatever universe they were thrown into next, but they also, most likely, took just as many without the mortals knowing. It makes one wonder just what exactly the unfathomable presence took from them.
Memories and relationships of people they considered close to heart?
Perhaps powers, like the Visions that they no longer possessed?
Maybe even entire identities...
'...Am I really even 『 Ephraim 』? Or am I just a copy of the real thing..?'
Ryo chuckled from across the blonde Neo-Type, unaware of the latter's inner turmoil. "Something tells me that there'll be complications with that..."
"Hmph!" The noblewoman turned her nose up at him.
"This is gonna be so rad!" One of the 1-1 girls whooped. "We've got all the boys in our class, yeah!"
"Speaking of, where exactly is Guele-san?" Cecilia asked the Gold Frame pilot, who was placing a strawberry-milk lollipop in his mouth. It was a habit of his to help him calm down, needing something to chew on while he organized whatever chaos was in his mind. Chifuyu had also tore into him about his snacking on chocolate cigs. Even if it was just imitation, the fact that it looked like those tobacco sticks was more than enough for her to ban it. So now he could only snack on it while inside their dorm room, forcing him to rely on lollipops when outside.
"He's currently working on upgrades for our suits." Ephraim answered her, his stern disposition somewhat ruined by the fact that the stick was moving about between his lips. "We'll need them for the tournament."
"Oho~?" The British Representative Candidate smirked up at him. "So you'll each have a card hidden in your sleeves then? How unsportsmanlike of you."
"Battle is like a dance." The purple-eyed pilot opened his eyes halfway, a wistful curl on his lips as he held his chin in his hand. "Oftentimes, you must surprise your partner with something new to keep the rhythm fresh and entertaining."
His mind then flashed a memory, one that felt intimate, of the Lawrence woman.
"I must say, [...] with you is always invigorating."
"I'm glad you think so, Lady Knight. This humble [...] tries his best to keep in tip top shape."
"Hah...you're not as humble as you say you are. Tonight, at [...]?"
"Definitely."
"Wow, so cool~!"
Ephraim grimaced, both having forgotten that they had an audience and from having those memories interrupted. The feelings that came with those were precious and to have it abruptly be interrupted was a sin of the highest magnitude for him.
Ryo merely shook his head, smiling mockingly at his friend. "You dig your own grave, my guy." This only rewarded him with a glare from the blonde, which the courier smirked at.
Houki huffed from beside Ichika. "Well, aren't you three popular..."
The male IS pilot looked at her with raised brows. "You really think so?"
This only served to further upset the swordswoman, with her turning away from the clueless boy.
"Why are you in such a bad mood..?" Ichika asked tiredly, brushing the confetti from his hair.
Flash!
Everyone at the table turned to see a 2nd year student, based on the different colored ribbon around her neck, holding a camera amidst the crowd. "Hello! I'm Mayuzumi Kaoruko from the Newspaper Club!" She was a comely brunette, gentle blue eyes hidden behind glasses and with lips curled in a friendly smile towards them.
"Can I get a photo of all of you? Ah, where's Guele-san?" The journalist wondered, looking around for the grey-eyed mechanic.
"Busy." The green-eyed test pilot answered. "He gets into the Zone when he's doing work. Some of you have probably seen him do so in the Engineering Bay."
A few of the girls, those who were pilots yet still didn't have a personal IS, nodded and talked among themselves about the dedication of the mechanic to his craft.
...Which slowly devolved into whispers that spoke about his muscles.
The Neo-Types, with their enhanced senses, only sighed inwardly.
"What's the photo for, exactly?" Ryo raised a brow, somewhat having a sinking feeling in his gut. He's delivered to the Newspaper Club a few times in the past few days, and the amount of gossip that runs through their writers' ears was...
Concerning.
"Well, the first picture will be of the two duelists-"
Ephraim crunched down on his lollipop, jaw tense as he quickly gulped down the candy.
"-and then the next will be of the two pilots in Class 1-1 who have their personal IS',"
The green-eyed gopher looked to his right, where Houki's eyes darkened in resentment.
"And then finally, the rumored test pilots of the Professor's secret project!" Kaoruko smiled brightly before it lessened to a sheepish grin. "Though, since Guele-san isn't here, I might have to hound you three tomorrow for the picture."
Cecilia then huffed, a proud smirk on her face as she stood up. "I may have lost, but I take it with grace! Sir Sahaku has shown me his strength of character, I am not ashamed to have been bested by a gentleman." She put her hands on her hips, chin up and chest out. He was true to his word, after all, that they were no longer enemies after the battle. The taller blonde had been nothing but kind towards her, if a bit snippy at times.
Ephraim sent a panicked glance at a smug Ryo.
'Is this a flag?!' Nervous purple asked.
'Suffer.' Sadistic green replied.
Momentarily hesitating when everyone turned to look at him, the scarred teen gave out a minute sigh. Taking the lollipop stick from his mouth, he stood up beside the shorter blonde. Straightening his tie and brushing any semblance of dust from his lapels, his purple eyes stared at the 2nd year's with an indifferent light.
"Very well." He rumbled, inwardly wanting to be anywhere other than here.
"Great!" Their upperclassman grinned as she raised the camera. "A shot of you shaking hands would be nice, but feel free to improvise!"
Royal Purple glanced down at Ocean Blue before the Brit smiled as she presented her dainty hand, the back of it facing up.
Ephraim saw the trap.
"You have earned the honor, Sir Sahaku." Cecilia proudly stated, unaware of the mental turmoil within the taller blonde's head.
'Trapped by societal fucking convention...' He snarled inwardly, as he placed a genial smile on his lips.
He could practically feel Ryo's smug grin grow even smugger.
Softly taking her offered hand, he folded his free hand behind him. Leaning down into a slight bow, his lips lightly brushed against her knuckles. His eyes stared right into hers, trying to convey his displeasure at being pushed into a situation such as this.
Trying.
Cecilia couldn't help but blush. The intense gaze of his royal purple eyes, so full of various emotions, bore deep into her soul. Now that she was this close to him, there was that exotic air to his features...
'I must admit, he is quite...handsome...'
Various girls around them screamed or squealed at the sight, gushing about the 'romantic' gesture and then subsequently protesting the action.
Ryo couldn't help the sadistic chuckle from escaping his lips. "Dig. Deeper."
Flash!
"Perfect!"
The Blue Tears pilot cleared her throat, turning away to futilely hide the dusting of pink on her cheeks. "Well then! I expect that you found the picture quite exquisite? You had two models of excellent character, after all."
The upperclassman grinned as she looked at the result. "Yes, yes! It's more than perfect, it's absolutely golden!"
Ephraim's right brow twitched as he straightened from the bow.
"Now," Kaoruko looked down at her camera, quickly switching settings and whatnot. "It's time for the IS pilots of 1-1!"
Ryo sent a glance at Houki once more and she seemed to have broken her chopsticks from how tight her grip was. He wanted to help her out, but given the current situation, he didn't really know what would be the most effective way. Hers was a volatile case that stank of familial issues that he wasn't willing to touch.
Letting Cecilia pass him so she could take the picture with Ichika, Ephraim sat back down.
Bump.
The table jostled lightly and the green eyes of the other Astray pilot widened, biting his lower lip as he hunched slightly. Everyone was too distracted by how Cecilia seemed keen to not smile as she stood next to an exasperated Byakushiki pilot.
Cold, angry purple stared into pained, yet smug green.
"Flag. Raised." Ryo seemed to mouth out, and that tempted the tall blonde to send him another kick to the shins.
Houki suddenly stepped between Cecilia and Ichika with crossed arms and closed eyes.
And that triggered the rest of Class 1-1 to crowd the table, all eager to be in the picture, essentially saving Ryo from suffering another shin-numbing kick.
Flash!
Davion turned his head from the installation of the TPS.
...He was missing something, something good.
Grey eyes looked around his workshop from over his shoulder, noting the open blueprint of an Uchigane on a worktable. Kanzashi had spent some time in the hangar, and they talked shop about what probable upgrades could be given to her IS before she left. It may have devolved into anime recommendations and model kit tips, however...
So far during their talks, Davion had learned that she was quite proficient with a naginata, she preferred fighting in long range with overwhelming firepower, and that she wished for mobility in order to kite her opponent around while she whittled them down before going in for the kill.
...Actually, all three of those were reflected in the Astrays and their pilots.
Ephraim was unbeatable with a polearm, so he could probably ask him for any tips on making a beam naginata weapon that would be perfect for the younger Sarashiki.
He himself could definitely help with her wish for overwhelming firepower. His Blue Frame didn't have all those missiles just to look intimidating, after all.
As for mobility, he could ask Ryo, since he had more experience with the Flight Pack and its performance. Maybe he could devise some sort of booster system for her, one that incorporated the detachable batteries system. Maybe add something like what he was gonna do for the wings of the Flight Packs, where they could be detached and used as chaff grenades when being chased—
Slapping his cheeks, and staining it with hydraulic fluid, he focused back on the task at hand.
"Friends now, Kanzashi later." He mumbled as he inserted a layer of TPS armor underneath the Foam Metal shoulder of the Red Frame. After this, he needed to spec up the Gold Frame. Ephraim had been asking about increasing his performance way beyond the safe levels, damn the consequences for it. The mechanic could only shake his head at his friend's tendency to go fast.
'Well, he is a self-proclaimed Char Clone...'
It was something the blonde had joked when they woke up, only reinforced after their Gundam Jack.
"I'm blonde, look European, and I pilot a gold suit. There's no way I'm calling myself Bajeena, so I'm gonna go with Aznable." Ephraim had talked it about post-hijack, almost insufferably referencing it again and again. At least he hadn't taken to wearing something stupid like what Full Frontal wore.
That was something Davion was thankful for.
.
.
.
The next day...
"Sahaku-san! Good morning!"
The blonde turned, having just put a lollipop in his mouth. Ryo also turned, having heard his friend's name being called in the middle of his songs transitioning into the next one. He set his headphones around his neck as a girl weaved between a small group of students.
She was a redhead with golden eyes, a bright smile on her face as she ran up to them. She wore the standard IS Academy uniform, but had a circular collar rather than the blazer-type collar and had backless black gloves that stopped just shy of her wrists. A blue ribbon was clipped on said collar, signifying her status as a fellow 1st year.
"Emiya-san, a good morning to you too." Ephraim greeted her with a genial smile.
Ryo's eyes bulged out, head snapping to his friend in disbelief and surprise.
The girl stopped before the two, her height at level with Ryo's shoulders. "Have you given thought to what our president has offered you?" She asked with a big smile, somewhat panting as she recovered her breath from all the running.
"Um, excuse me..." Ryo gave her a sheepish smile. "Good morning to you, miss..?"
"Ah!" She let out, bowing once before clearing her throat. "Good morning to you too, Murakumo-san! I am Emiya Haku, Vice President of the Culinary Arts Club. I was just asking if Sahaku-san here has made his decision about Nakiri-buchou's invitation."
"Culinary Arts Club?" The green-eyed student assistant fixed a confused look at his taller friend, who merely shrugged.
"When I was delivering Orimura-sensei her nightly supplies, Nakiri Erina, the President of the club, was there in the office. When the coffee was poured out, her keen nose managed to pinpoint just what brand it was." Ephraim shook his head with a small smile. "She took a sip and...well..."
"Oh my God~!"
A haunted look flashed across his face.
"...Uh, she invited me to join her club so she could judge what dishes I could make." The blonde huffed, the stick between his lips rolling about.
"And that answer is?" Haku prodded, a hopeful grin on her lips.
"...I'll join if you let me have a...'test run'." Ephraim offered, crossing his arms with a small smile. "I don't mean to sound picky, but the places where I worked as a cook were...well, of quality. I don't really want to jump headfirst into a workplace that would belittle me."
"I understand." The redhead nodded with a fond smile. "My twin is the same, always so specific on who enters the kitchen when it's his turn to cook. I'll pass it up to Nakiri-senpai. When will you be able to do that test run?"
"Oh, perhaps tomorrow-"
Ryo tuned out their conversation, his mind in a whirl at the introduction of the girl.
'Emiya? As in 'Shirou Emiya' Emiya? Haku means white, Shiro also means white...What?!'
Green eyes looked over her features in a maddened haze. Her smile was almost a 1-to-1 to that distinct Emiya smile, the one that both Archer and Shirou would sport, and the shade of her hair was as fiery as that of the Fuyuki Fire survivor.
'Redhead with gold eyes...what the fuck..?'
"I'll see you tomorrow then, Sahaku-san! Bye, Murakumo-san!" Haku waved as she ran past them, and Ephraim waved back. He sent an indifferent glance at his shocked friend before he continued walking. "I was surprised too."
'Huh?'
"Wha—wait, hold on! That doesn't explain anything!"
The blonde remained silent, through a smug smirk stretched across his lips.
Ichika sat down on his seat, sighing quietly as the table turned on. Something told him that today was going to be another troublesome day...
A flash of gold caught his eye and he looked over to the door, spotting Ephraim Sahaku walk in with a rather shocked looking Ryo Murakumo following after him.
The blonde nodded at him stiffly, and Ichika returned it with a wave. He was...intense, to put it simply. The Astray pilot was quite a harsh task-master during their training a couple of days prior, accepting nothing less than perfection. He was like his older sister...but a guy.
And more sadistic, it seemed.
"Good morning, Orimira-san." Ephraim greeted as he passed by with Ryo numbly walking to his seat and...simply slouching in it. The brown-eyed pilot could see his lips moving, as if he was mumbling, but the noise of the class was a bit too loud and he was too far to hear anything.
Turning in his seat to ask the tall teen on what was wrong with his friend, he stopped when he saw that Cecilia was striking up a conversation with the other blonde.
"The Inter-Class Tournament is coming up, Sir Sahaku, I trust that you are prepared to give me a good show?" The British Representative Candidate smirked, hands on her hips as she raised her nose haughtily. "Know that I'll be watching you for any signs of weakness, which I shall use to my own advantage the next time we fight."
Ephraim, having just sat down, merely gave a smirk back. "Is that so? I look forward to it, then."
"Davion!" Ryo's harried voice caught his attention, and Ichika looked over to see the normally chill gopher shaking the shoulders of the grey-eyed mechanic wildly. "Dude, you won't believe what just happened-"
The Astray pilot gripped his friend's wrist, stopping his shaking, and fixing him a confused look. "Easy, hold on, I want to ask Ephraim something first. Hey, dude!"
Cecilia looked insulted at their interrupted conversation, but the taller blonde only turned in his seat with a raised brow. "What?"
"Do you know a girl called Alektra Loewenherz? She just invited me to join her 'Think Tank' or something. Called it Arzenal."
Ichika couldn't really see Ephraim's reaction, but based on how his shoulders seemed to stiffen, he probably knew who this 'Alektra' was.
"Loewenherz? The third year?" Cecilia tilted her head, and the four boys turned to her. "She's the IS Representative of Germany. She pilots the Raziya, a Close Combat focused IS which has a 'Speed Mode' where its wings fold in for better acceleration."
"Does she have black hair and purple eyes? A stern disposition?" The older blonde asked, sounding a bit frantic. His tone caused her to blink in confusion.
"Yes, why?"
"Oh, Lords below..." The Gold Frame pilot seemed to sink in his chair, hands pressed against his face as he groaned.
"Do you know her, Sir Sahaku?"
"...In a way-"
"Hey hey, did you hear?"
Ichika turned his head back to the front, where a few girls were talking. It was becoming par for the course that gossip would start up at the most random of times.
"About how the class rep in 1-2 got suddenly switched? Yeah. A transfer student took over, right?"
"A transfer student?" He asked, inserting himself into the conversation. Might as well get information on who he would possibly fight. "When the first month's almost done?"
Mayuri nodded with an excited smile. "Yup! I heard that she's from China."
"Huh," Ichika smiled slightly, the mention of the country making him think back of a certain memory... "I wonder if she's strong."
"Only Class 1 has students that have personal units, so I doubt she's anything special." A girl chuckled from behind him.
"Your information is out of date."
Everyone's heads turned to the new voice coming from the doorway.
A short, twin-tailed girl stood there, a hand on her hip as she smirked confidently. "The new class representative of Class 2 has a personal unit. You're not going to win the match so easily!"
"Rin?" Ichika stood up, with a blooming smile on his lips. "Is that you, Rin?"
The girl, Rin, huffed proudly. "Huang 'Rin' Lingyin, the Representative Candidate of China." She then raised a hand, pointing at the male IS pilot and then at the rest of the room.
"I'm here to declare my challenge to you guys!"
While a few of the girls whispered among themselves, Cecilia crossed her arms with a frown. Fighting another Representative Candidate would be quite...refreshing.
"IS Representative Candidate of China...well, this is certainly new." The Brit mused with calculative eyes, narrowing them ever so slightly as the class began to gossip about the Class 1-2 student. "Sir Sahaku, have you heard anything about her?"
Raising a brow as to why she asked him, he answered nonetheless. "...You didn't hear it from me, but..." He lowered his voice, watching Ichika and Rin talk with a wary gaze. "She's a CQC specialist. Her IS is called the Shenlong, equipped with daos, Chinese curved swords, that can combine into a double-bladed Guandao, or polearm." He paused briefly, hesitating to reveal too much information. That would invite unnecessary questions that he'd hate to go around later down the line. "...Though, I doubt that would be it. Either way, she is a Representative Candidate, so she definitely has her own tricks up her sleeves. Be careful if you happen to fight her, Lady Alcott."
The younger blonde smiled beautifully, satisfied with the information and the perceived upper hand. "Why, thank you for your kind words, Sir Sahaku."
Bonk.
"What was that for?!" Rin turned around, only to quickly pale as she stared back into brown.
Ryo and Davion snickered as they quickly went back to their seats. Ephraim materialized a thermos, much to the surprise of his seatmate as he stood up.
Chifuyu looked down at her with a small frown. "It's already time for homeroom."
"Ch-Chifuyu-san..."
"It's Orimura-sensei." The older Orimura's frown deepened somewhat. "Get back to your class. You're in the way."
Rin made way for the teacher, eyes watching her as she approached the desk. She raised a brow when the tall blonde left a thermos on top of it, nodding at the teacher before going back to his seat. He was one of the Astray pilots her classmates talked about, the preppy one that always had this condescending smile.
The same one that apparently had beaten the other blonde in the room.
Shaking her head, she stomped one last time. "I'll be back later, so don't run away Ichika!"
.
.
.
Later...
Grey, Purple, and Green watched as Ichika and Rin talked to themselves at a table of their own. At the table next to theirs, Houki, Honne, Mayuri, and Shizune tried their best to not seem like they were eavesdropping.
Tried, being the keyword.
"So, why'd you freak out when I mentioned Alektra, dude?" Davion turned to his blonde friend, who once more flinched. Seeing him flinch obviously meant that something was wrong. And if something was wrong, then something was wrong.
"...Is she with PT?" Ryo narrowed his eyes, leaning forward on the table and glancing around warily. So far, the shadowy group hadn't surfaced to the trio, which was very suspicious, given that the courier himself had attacked one of their bases the year before.
"No no, she's not...hopefully." The blonde rumbled, eyes darting around for any sign of the woman or anyone listening in. "She's just..."
"Just...?"
"Like Emiya." Ephraim whispered, and Ryo had to squeeze Davion's shoulders when he noticed him about to react.
"Emi-..?! Are you-"
"Yes, now quiet down!" Ryo hissed, glancing around nervously before looking back at the purple-eyed pilot. "So, what about her?"
"Cecilia said she pilots the Raziya." The combat assistant mumbled, his right brow twitching. "That's supposed to be her Ragna-mail..."
"A what?"
"Later." Ephraim grit out, feeling suddenly frustrated at all the recent curveballs. "We'll talk about this at a later date. This place is becoming a madhouse with all these new faces..."
"Ahem."
The three looked up to see Cecilia looking down at them expectantly. They seamlessly put on their facades as Ephraim stood, taking her tray as he nodded at the seat across from him. "Please, we would be honored to host you here, Lady Alcott."
Ryo and Davion shared an unamused glance.
The noblewoman smirked as she sat down. "Why, thank you." She turned her head to where Houki was starting to interrogate Rin and Ichika. "Those two seem to know Orimura-san rather well."
Ephraim placed the tray before her, sitting back down as he exchanged a hidden look between his friends. "Well, apparently they are all childhood friends. Though, with Ichika only. Shinonono-san doesn't seem to know Huang-san, it seems."
"...How exactly do you know this?" The younger blonde turned back to him with a raised brow as Ryo and Davion looked at each other with growing smiles.
Ephraim briefly froze.
"...I am Orimura-sensei's assistant. I am privy to all sorts of information."
Cecilia narrowed her eyes at the serene expression on the test pilot's face.
...
"Hmm, that does make sense..." She acquiesced with a small frown before turning to Davion. "You said that Miss Loewenherz invited you to her club?"
"Club?" The grey eyed mechanic raised a brow.
"She calls it Arzenal. A think tank of sorts. It's actually the Engineering Club, but from what I hear, all they do there is compare combat notes."
"Engineering Club?" The excited grin on the mechanic's face was bright. "Well, that's all that it takes to make me sign up!"
"Oh. Well." Cecilia cleared her throat, looking a tad bit off-put at his instant decision. "Speaking of clubs, I am in the Tennis Club. Are any of you perhaps interested in the sport?"
Ryo wiggled his hand. "Sorry, not really."
"I'm more of a football man, myself." Ephraim chuckled slightly, idly checking his nails with a smug smirk.
"Is it that barbaric American sport?" She frowned. As any pure-blooded Brit, she looked down on the American Football, mainly due to it's name alone. Football is Football, not that Rugby knock-off!
"Oh, heavens no." The purple-eyed blonde grinned. "I play the true football. Liked being the Striker on the matches I was invited to."
"Soccer." Ryo smirked.
"Shut!" His friend hissed with a warning glare. The green-eyed courier merely chuckled as Cecilia sighed in relief at his words.
"Though, I am interested in joining the Culinary Arts Club." Ephraim then tapped his chin, a wistful smile on his lips. "I haven't had the chance to cook my own food since arriving here and it's been irking me."
"Oh!" The blue eyes of the blonde shone, having remembered the softness and sweetness of the cake he gave her during their first meeting in Cafe Parissiane. "Then-!" Clearing her throat and regathering her composure to hide the excited grin, she smiled at him sweetly. "I hope you don't mind, but I wish to sample your dishes. Your cake back then was quite delicious. Perhaps we can even exchange dishes to compare our skills!"
Davion snorted, covering his mouth as he restrained the chuckle that was threating to escape.
Ephraim felt...dread for some reason. He glanced at Ryo, who suddenly had a stone-like facade.
He narrowed his eyes.
'...He's hiding something.'
"Sir Sahaku..?"
The blonde focused back on the girl across from him. "Yes?"
"Your answer?"
...There went that dread again...
"I'm still deciding whether or not I'll join but maybe if I find the place acceptable tomorrow, then...sure."
Ryo shook his head slowly, already pitying his friend and his digestive track.
.
.
.
As the sun set, Ichika stood in the center of Arena 3. A few upperclassmen flew above, finishing their own aerial maneuver training while he waited for his instructor to come by.
"Ichika!"
He looked up, eyes widening as an Uchigane landed before him. Houki's determined blue eyes stared back into his confused brown. "I've been granted clearance to use a training IS." She huffed, testing the movement range of the suit. "I'll use this chance to give you some intense training!"
"Ah, wait Houki!" The male pilot waved his hands. "I've already asked Sahaku-san to help me out with flight maneuvers."
The swordswoman grit her teeth, "Well, I'm here now and he's nowhere. Besides, you use an IS and he uses an Astray, there's a difference!"
"Still..."
The hiss of the catapult caught their attention and they turned to see an Astray soar out from a Launch Bay. Its inner frame reflected the sunset light, and it made a graceful turn before landing between them cleanly.
"Sahak-" Ichika smiled, but the Astray raised a hand.
"Orimura-sensei pulled him aside when he was heading over here." The pilot sighed, the sea green optics flashing with each word. "So, he asked me to help you out instead."
Houki blinked in surprise. "...Murakumo-san!?"
"Eh?" The male IS pilot rubbed his eyes, squinting as he properly observed the Astray before them.
Rather than the luster of the Gold Frame, this Astray had a glossy red metal for its inner frame. The flight pack's thrusters still thrummed as the head looked at the two. A decorated katana sheath was at its side, the coloration and detailing rather familiar...
"And besides," The Gundam Astray Red Frame shrugged its shoulders. "I have far more experience with flying than Ephraim. He's just a cheating natural at it."
"A katana..." Houki started, narrowing her eyes as she summoned the Uchigane's blade. "So you must be a swordsman, Murakumo-san."
"...It's in my name." Ryo chuckled derisively as he faced her. "You really want to do this? Technically I'm delivering a flight lesson to Orimura over there." The sea green optics flashed dangerously as he reached for a white handle on the small of his back. "And I always finish my deliveries."
"Houki, stop!" Ichika summoned his Byakushiki, flying in between the two. "Look, I know you want to train my sword arm, but right now I want to learn how to fly properly! Chifuyu-nee told me that I wasn't accessing the full speed of my IS, so I wanted to see if I could somehow increase it with flight maneuvers."
The younger Shinonono kept her glare, the grip on her sword audibly tightening before she turned away with a click of her tongue. "Fine! But I'll be sticking close so I can also see your progress."
Ryo shook his head slightly, muttering to himself. "Fucking tsunderes..." He flew up a few meters above the two, the jet wash of the Flight Pack blowing dust away. "Come on, let's get your training started. I have a cup of Jamaican Blue Mountain waiting for me once this is all over."
The two IS pilots flew up to his level, and he distanced himself. The engines of the Flight Pack spewed more and more of its blue flames. "Alright, I think Ephraim said that the best way to train your agility and speed is to dodge."
"...Huh?" Both Houki and Ichika blinked.
The Red Frame pulled out one of its beam sabers, the pink blade igniting as it rocketed towards the Byakushiki.
"DODGE!"
Purple eyes stared at the tablet in confusion.
"Wait, we'll be filmed?" The Gold Frame pilot looked up at his superior with a skeptical tone.
Chifuyu set her mug down, having emptied whatever coffee remained inside. "At the request of Tabane, she wants us to record you three during your battles. She's going to use that footage to finally unveil 'Project: Astray' to the world."
"Isn't that risky?" Ephraim set the tablet down on her desk. "The world governments are going to hound us for our tech, most likely using underhanded tactics, the moment they see our performance."
The elder Orimura merely poured herself an Old Fashioned. "It has to come sooner or later. As you three are formally enrolled in the IS Academy, you're granted diplomatic immunity. You have my permission to expose any failed attempts, in fact I even encourage it. The IS Academy will handle the fallout in your stead, we're used to things like this. They may still give you offers of maintaining your Astrays through official channels, but we both know it's a thinly veiled attempt to study your suits."
The blonde snorted with a smirk, crossing his arms as he shook his head. "As if Davion would let their grubby little hands all over the Frames." He touched his bare neck, somewhat missing the golden choker that hid his scars. He's gotten used to the weight and presence of the metal. "Speaking of which, any upgrades done to our Astrays will remain confidential, right?"
The teacher downed her cocktail, taking off her blazer before leaning back in her office chair. "Depends on you three. Since Tabane didn't really stipulate that you give her any reports on upgrades, you have a pretty decent loophole and freedom to customize your suits however you want." She poured herself more of the Old Fashioned, her speech becoming a tiny bit slurred.
Ephraim glanced at the thermos and then at the window. "That won't really stop her from just forcing us to divulge our secrets. We do owe her three favors."
"She's selfish." Chifuyu waved his concern away. "She won't let the world know your secrets. Not before her, at least."
"And that's what worries me, Orimura-sensei." The blonde sighed, unfolding his arms and tracing the burn scars around his wrists. "She's...very irresponsible." He looked at her, noting the reddened cheeks and raised brow. "I'm scared of what she could do with the knowledge about our suits."
"Oh, quit your bellyaching." The homeroom teacher grumbled as she took a deep drought of the thermos. "She won't even know what to do with your suits. That's just how she is."
'We both know what kind of monster she is but you hold on to that vain hope that she's 'different'.' He bitterly thought, withholding a scowl from forming on his lips. Sighing, he fixed his tie and turned around. "Very well. Have a good night then, Orimura-sensei."
"Mm."
Collapsing on his knees, Ichika turned Byakushiki back into its bracelet form. His whole body ached, and he probably pulled a few muscles. He groaned in between his pants, weakly looking up at the sounds of those dreaded thrusters.
The Astray Red Frame landed in front of him, and in a show of white-gold motes of light, was replaced with a smiling Ryo. "Well, I guess that was decent."
"Decent?" Houki landed beside him, brows raised in disbelief. "You practically nipped at his heels each pass!"
"Well, I did say to dodge."
"You did that while you were right on his ass!"
"And he managed to dodge each swipe, albeit barely." The green-eyed courier shrugged as he turned around. His uniform was spotless, having no sign of sweat or grime despite having hounded the other male pilot relentlessly for what seemed like hours. "See you later."
Ichika groaned quietly. "Man, my arms burn..."
"Have a hot bath for that! Works wonders in the morning!" Ryo called out, waving a hand behind him as he disappeared into the darkness of the Arena halls.
"Ugh, seriously, who does he think he is?" Houki fumed as she extended the Uchigane's claws to help him up. The brown-eyed pilot grasped the claw, somewhat leaning into the palm as he recovered his breath. "He sure was fast though. I didn't think he would be able to parry your strikes, Houki."
The swordswoman paused, glancing at the hand that held the sword previously. "...Yeah. I could tell that he was skilled with the blade."
"...More than you?"
A vein throbbed on her temple.
"No! Now you better shut up or I'll leave you out here!"
.
.
.
"Well, I got good news and bad news."
Davion stopped what he was doing and pulled his head out of the chest cavity of the Blue Frame. "...What's the bad news?"
The purple-eyed pilot scowled as he crossed his arms, the cufflinks shining in the artificial lighting of the hangar. "We're going to be filmed during the Inter-Class tournament at the behest of the Rabbit."
Ryo looked down at his cup of coffee that he was just about to take a sip out of, somewhat cursing the blonde for his timing. Setting it down on the table he was sitting on, he leaned back on his hands. "So she now wants our combat data, huh?" He scoffed, a mocking smile on his lips.
"That and she wants to use the videos as part of some publicity stunt about her 'Project: Astray'."
Bang!
Davion stared at his friend in dismay, the wrench now on the ground at his feet. "No way."
"Yes way." Ephraim stressed, his expression turning from calm to irritated in the span of a few seconds. "So we best expect more unwanted attention from the monkeys in the government."
"And the good news?" The Red Frame's pilot asked, a scowl also on his face. The less they dealt with politics, the better. There was a reason why they didn't approach the US or Japan for diplomatic immunity. There was always that one official who thinks that they could gain further power by exploiting their most recent boons.
The blonde gave them that signature smug smirk of his. "We get to strut our stuff, of course."
His friends stared at him with deadpan eyes, not sharing his enthusiasm for showing off.
"Of course you're the one that's gonna be happy about it." Ryo grumbled, running a hand through his hair. "You're such a glory hog, man."
Ephraim only kept the smirk, not even trying to deny the insult.
"I better finish the TPS on my suit then." Davion huffed with a small smile, stealing a glance at the blank space where a camera had been. That had been a harsh wakeup, he would admit. "Never know when something unexpected could occur."
"Ah, speaking of...how's the Gold Frame? You done with my request?"
"If you explode, it's on you. You asked for it in the first place."
The courier's eyes widened slightly, snapping his fingers as he remembered something. "Oh yeah, your birthday's on the Tournament day, right Davion?"
Smirking, the mechanic puffed his chest out. "Yep! Turning one year closer to legal so I can finally get my Driver's License. None of that stupid Student's License anymore, whoop whoop!"
"What would you want as a gift?" Ephraim crossed his arms, a fond smile on his lips. There was always this sense of responsibility he had over the two younger men, over this brotherhood that they shared. Not of blood, but of hardship and support. He wouldn't admit it outright to the other two, with men being men, but he would do everything in his capabilities just to keep them safe.
The grey-eyed teen turned to him with a grin.
"A victory sure would be nice."
.
.
.
The day of the Inter-Class Tournament...
Purple eyes watched the sole figure within the arena.
"The Shenlong..." Ephraim rumbled, crossing his arms and propping his chin on his fingers. "A 3rd Generation Close Combat specialist with two dao's that can form into a double-headed guandao." Narrowing his eyes at the large shoulder devices, the Neo-Type huffed quietly. "And those are the Ryuhou."
"The 'Ryuhou'?" Cecilia asked, having sat down next to him. "That means Dragon Cannon, yes?"
The older blonde nodded, face set in a mask of indifference. "If I remember from..." He paused briefly, almost blurting out 'from the anime'. "...from what I've read up on her, it gathers space itself in order to compress it into a linear shockwave-like projectile."
"Space itself?" The Brit raised a brow in disbelief. "As in the molecules around her and such?"
"Yes." The Gold Frame pilot nodded as he frowned. "Not sure what the speed of such a projectile is, but it would be utterly deadly to an opponent without an energy shield. Like an Astray."
"Oh yes, speaking of..." Cecilia looked down at her phone, more specifically at the schedule sent to all of the students. "When exactly are the Astray's fights?"
"We were introduced as 'Gatekeepers' for the next brackets." Ephraim sighed, crossing his legs as he leaned back in his seat. "So whoever wins this set will go on to fight Davion and I, and then whoever passes that will have to fight Ryo."
"Where are they anyway?"
"...Ryo's on a delivery and Davion's at one of the Launch Bays in Arena 4."
"Why is he there?" Cecilia raised the other dainty brow.
"He's a sim...er...friends, with Sarashiki-san. The younger one, from Class 1-4." The purple-eyed blonde cleared his throat, pointedly not looking at the British pilot after his verbal fumble.
"Hey hey, you'll do just fine..."
Kanzashi stopped her pacing in front of her Uchigane. "The match before me is between people with personal IS." She hissed bitterly, her lips drawn into a scowl. "And one of them is the pilot that my own government prioritized over me. Their Representative Candidate."
The grey-eyed mechanic sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as he recognized her bubbling anger. "Your opponent also has a mass-produced unit-"
"And that makes it any better, Guele-san!?" The bluenette snapped, stomping the floor harshly. "The opening act is a grand showcase of unique engineering and the following matches are between mass produced models! It's an embarrassment!" She crouched down, burying her face in her arms. "Why?!"
"Hey, come on..." Davion pushed himself off the wall he was leaning against, striding over to the shorter girl with just a few steps. "I promised to help you, didn't I?"
Kanzashi didn't look up, her shoulders shaking with restrained sobs as anger, shame, and embarrassment mixed within the bluenette.
Crouching down next to her, the Astray pilot gingerly placed a hand on her back. "You helped me adjust to the change of mechanics concerning the Astrays and IS, Sarashiki-san. You were the one who gave me an in with Arzenal. Hell, you even helped with some homework when you didn't have to. I owe you a lot. And I'll pay those back by helping you customize that Uchigane like never before. Like I promised."
Teary red eyes peered up at him from behind crossed arms. "Y-You will..?"
Davion grinned, thumbing his nose. "Hell yeah, I will. We'll turn that run of the mill Uchigane into a machine that far surpasses anything the Japanese government will make. I'll turn that second gen into a third-NO!" He pulled his hand away from her, standing up as he pounded a fist into his palm. "I'll freaking turn that thing into a 4th Gen!"
The mechanic looked down at her with passion burning in his eyes. "I promise that I'll turn that scrap heap into a mount worthy of you, Sarashiki-san. But I won't be able to do it alone." He extended a gloved hand to her, the determined frown he had softened into a reassuring smile. "So I'll need you to guide me. I get carried away easily, so you'll have to rein me in."
Kanzashi looked up at him with wide, awed eyes. Her heart skipped a beat at the sheer heat in his words, and she wordlessly took his hand.
"Both contestants, you may commence the match."
Green eyes looked over at the Arenas and a sigh left his lips. Turning his gaze into the skies, Ryo took his pen from his front pocket.
Click!
The writing implement extended, turning into the Gerbera Straight.
"Now then, wonder what the ripples caused..."
AN:
Alright, I found a plot hole (?) concerning how the girls were gossiping about which class had students with personal IS units and whatnot. The problem is that Kanzashi (which I assume is the one they are talking about when they mentioned Class 4) doesn't have a personal unit until Season 2 (or Volume 7 in the LN), which was the Uchigane Nishiki. Logically, in Season 1, she still has an ordinary Uchigane that switched out the sword for a naginata. Unless her having said weapon counts as it becoming her 'personal' unit and not just out of preference, because I doubt every girl that uses an Uchigane would be proficient with a sword. So to try and fill that plot hole, I changed it up from 'personal IS units' to 'IS Representative Candidates', which makes a bit more sense.
[Edit: 5/25/22] With the addition of Tina Hamilton into the roster, I've changed it back to the anime transcript. From 'IS Representative Candidates' back to 'Personal IS Units'. You can obviously tell that I haven't taken into consideration the blonde back when I wrote this chapter.
Also dropped a bunch of references and some characters that are distinctly not Gundam or IS-related. There's also a few Ace Combat references sprinkled throughout the whole fic here and there. This isn't going to turn into a mega x-over, don't worry. They're just there to liven the Academy life a bit more, since the worldbuilding of Infinite Stratos is...kinda lacking.
If I did intend for this to be a mega crossover, then damn, it would reach Super Robot Wars level of craziness. But I'm not skilled enough to write something that can only be properly depicted as a game.
...Fuck Embryo, though. That perv can eat dirt.
As for the Football line, know that I do not have any enmity towards the American sport. It's just something a prideful Brit like Cecilia could possibly say.
Hopefully, the mention of Genshin Impact won't throw any of you off. If it confused you, then...I partly accomplished my goal. The trio are Outworlders, they've been to places prior to Infinite Stratos, it's just a matter if they remember anything of said place/universe. They may reference certain universes and the like, but would they remember or even know that they've been in that specific universe? Well, who knows?
Certainty not them.
This is Cipher, signing off.
