Book 5: The Blaster Master

by Fir100

Gaius and his team travel to the Blaster Master universe in search of the next Gjallarhorn fragment. However, an army of mutants hidden within the underground areas stood in their path. With the help of Jason Frudnick and his Metal Attacker, SOPHIA III, will they be able to complete the mission while also looking for Jason's missing frog named Fred?

5. Into The Waterworks

Book 5: The Blaster Master

Chapter 5: Into the Waterworks

---

Sector 4: Waterworks Area

(Play BGM: The Wretched Waterworks (Area 4) from Blaster Master Zero OST)

After several minutes of the MAs driving through the link tunnel, they finally arrived at Sector 4: The Waterworks Area, consisting of a sewer maze with underground pipes and shallow water, along with more lingering mutants, including the new crawling mutants that looked like jellyfish.

"So this is Sector 4, huh?" Gunvolt said as the group observed the scenery. "Some kind of drainage system?"

"Sure looks like it from our point of view." Ashe commented. "Though why is this sector called the Waterworks Area, when we're clearly inside a sewer?"

"Who knows." Copen replied.

"Hm?" Eve then noticed the Receiver from SOPHIA III reacting a signal. "Hey guys, SOPHIA's picking up Fred's signal."

"Really? Is he here in this sector?" Jason asked.

"One moment." Eve took another look on the Receiver signal. "It seems to be pretty far away from our current location."

"At least we're on the right track." Grey said. "Though a map would be very useful right now."

"Let's go get that map data hiding somewhere in this sector before we plan our next move." Gunvolt stated.

"But remember, we still need to eliminate the mutant guardians hiding in this sector before we move onto the next one." Copen reminded.

"Well then, time to get moving." Volnutt declared as the MAs began moving forward to explore the sector, destroying any mutants along the way.

Soon after, they reached an area with two paths; one on the north and the other being the south. After taking out the mutants and turrets in the room, the group pondered at which route to take. "So which path should we take, guys?" Lola asked the group.

"Maybe we should split up?" Ashe suggested.

"Not a good idea unless we have that map data." Joule replied.

"Wait..." Eve noticed SOPHIA's Receiver signal ringing a bit faster. "The Receiver's signal's ringing a bit faster than before. And it's coming from the north path."

"Then let's head north first." Jason declared before the MAs drove to that direction.

When they arrived though, they saw another area with a recharge terminal along with a large metal door and a large keyhole beside it. "A blocked path." Copen observed. "We'll have to look for a key to open this door."

"That, and the signal's coming from beyond that door." Jason added.

"Looks like we'll have to take the south route and search for that key." Grey deduced.

"I'm gonna bet that a mutant guardian is in possession of that key." Ashe assumed.

"I think you're right." Volnutt agreed. "During my digging expeditions back in my world, I usually find large keys after defeating Guardian Reaverbots that guard very rare Refractors."

"I see." Gunvolt noted. "Anyway, let's find that map data first before we go mutant guardian hunting."

Afterwards, the MAs drove back to the previous area and took the south path in search of a domain entrance that could lead them towards either a map data or a mutant guardian. When they arrive at the next area, they saw a domain entrance on the other side of the large gap. "There's a domain entrance on the other side of that gap." Jason observed.

"Hold on..." Eve checked SOPHIA's Receiver signal for a moment. "Nope. The Receiver didn't detect anything important coming from that domain."

"Dang it." Ashe muttered. "I was hoping this would be a quick and easy search."

"Not everything will be as easy as you hoped, Ashe." Copen stated. "Anyway, let's go down this gap and keep searching for a domain that has a signal."

The MAs jumped down the gap while defeating more mutants and turrets before heading for the next area at the bottom. In the next area, they noticed more mutants and shallow water, along with cracked platforms. "Cracked platforms." Gunvolt observed. "I wonder if our MAs can withstand the weight before it breaks?"

"Only one way to find out, so let's move quickly." Jason replied before driving SOPHIA ahead, leaping onto the crack platform and then jumped onto the other side of the gap. Rairyu quickly soon followed, just barely making it across before the cracked platform fell off and broke into pieces.

Then then reached a large hole with platforms below along with a gap with two paths. The MAs quickly jumped down and used the Hover Packs to reach the other side of the gap where they quickly shot down more mutants waiting below while also evading more mine traps. "Which way now? North or South?" Grey asked.

"Give me a moment." Eve checked SOPHIA's Receiver again and noticed a signal ringing. "I'm getting a signal coming from the north. We might find what we're looking for up ahead."

"Map data or mutant guardian?" Grey asked.

"Let's find out." Eve replied before the MAs drove north.

When they reach the end, MAs quickly took out more flying mutants along with its hive. "A dead end?" Volnutt questioned.

"Not really. I see some platforms leading upwards." Copen replied, noticing said platforms above by observing Rairyu's screen.

"No doubt that the signal's up there, which should lead us to the domain entrance." Lola deduced.

"You know what? You guys can stay here. Grey and I will check that place out." Ashe declared.

"Huh? Shouldn't we use our MAs to reach the domain entrance first?" Eve questioned. "They have Hover Packs installed, remember?"

"True, but the MAs can't fit inside the domains." Ashe pointed out. "Plus, Grey and I can wall climb and air dash, so we can reach there no problem."

"GV and Ix can wall climb and air dash too, you know." Joule mentioned.

"Huh, fancy that." Ashe responded. "Anyway, come on, Grey. Let's go." She got out of the MA before Grey followed soon after.

"We'll be back soon!" Grey said to the others.

"Remember to call us if you find anything!" Jason replied, earning a nod from Grey and Ashe.

The two MegaMen then use their wall climbing skills on the left side of the wall to reach the top where they saw the domain entrance on the other side. Afterwards, they used their air dash to reach the other side and entered the domain with their hand cannons ready.

(BGM End)

---

(Play BGM: Next Level (Underworld 2) from Blaster Master Zero OST)

"Okay, looks like we're here." Model A spoke to the MegaMen. "I wonder what kinds of mutants we'll find here?"

"Probably the same ones the others encountered when they explored the domains on the other sectors." Ashe replied as they looked at the scenery with large pipes.

"Hmm... I guess so."

"Well, let's start searching." Grey said before looking at the water. "And something tells me that the domains in this sector is going to involve a lot of water."

"Considering we're in the sewers, I think so." Ashe replied before the two began heading for the next area.

But before they could enter, they encountered a pair of humanoids in blue and yellow spacesuits with dome helmets that cover their faces. And they're also wielding blasters pointing at the MegaMan.

"Okay, I did not expect humans in spacesuits in this domain." Ashe commented in shock with Grey feeling the same way.

"Then why are they pointing their blasters at us?" Grey asked.

"Wait, guys... Something's off about those two spacemen." Model A spoke up.

"What do you mean?" Ashe asked.

"Give me a moment to check their life-signs." The bolts at the front of Grey and Ashe's helmets began to glow for a bit before vanishing. "...Oh crap, you guys are not gonna like this."

"What is it?" Grey asked, until his eyes widen noticing the spacemen's blasters lighting up. "Look out!"

"?!" Ashe's eyes widen before the two quickly dodged the blaster fire by leaping upwards, countered by shooting down their blasters and then knocked them down with a plunging strike to the heads with their hand cannon, causing the dome helmets to crack a small opening that revealed a small part of their faces. "Ah!" Ashe gasped in shock after looking at the small part of one of the humanoid's face and quickly backed away. "Wh-What the heck did I just saw?!"

"Ashe, what's wrong?" Grey asked as he approached her.

"The faces of those people... they look... mutated...!" Ashe answered, slightly shuddering in shock.

"Mutated?" Grey repeated, before his eyes widen in realization. "Wait... you don't think..."

"I'm afraid so, guys. I've checked their life-signs and... well... they've been fully mutated by those cells." Model A confirmed. "Looks like the mutants attacked those people, and then infected them into mutants. If I were to guess, there were still people searching the underground areas for resources a long time ago."

"Then that means..." Ashe began.

"There's more of those infected mutants besides these two." Grey finished, looking at the fallen spacemen.

"Would be nice if there's a cure for these mutants."

"I'm not really sure, Ashe. By the time those mutant cells fully infect the human body, it's far too late for a cure. The best thing we could do now is to kill them in order to end their suffering."

"I see..." Ashe noted sadly as they looked at the mutated spacemen slowly standing up. "In that case..." She charged up her hand cannons and fired laser shots at the mutants' heads and bodies, killing them instantly as they fell down. "Sorry... but it's the only way to save you guys..."

"Ashe..." Grey whispered.

Ashe shook her head and looked at her partner. "It's okay, Grey. I can't act all gloomy at a time like this. But we can't let those mutants infect the Earth and its people any longer. That meteor has got to go."

"...Yeah, you're right." Grey nodded with a determined look.

"Before we move on, though..." Ashe took out her Zikan Phone and took a photo of the deceased mutant spacemen before putting the phone away. "I'm showing this to the others once we're done with this domain."

"Good idea. I just hope they can handle a reveal like this." Grey replied. "Okay, let's keep moving."

When they entered the next area, they saw several breakable blocks, along with a wave of rushing water that flowed until they reached a drainage on the right. Seconds later, the path became clear and dry. "So this is the gimmick, huh?" Ashe remarked. "Rushing water."

"Then we'd better get to higher ground before the wave shows up." Grey replied.

"One other thing to note, try to stay on the walls or pipes when the waves arrives. That way, you won't get slammed straight onto those walls or pipes from the force of the waves." Model A advised.

"Thanks for the tip, Model A." Grey replied with Ashe nodding. "Okay, let's get moving before the next wave arrives."

The MegaMen quickly rushed through the obstacles while following the Biometal's advice to stick to the walls and pipes to avoid being slammed by the waves. A few moments later, they reached the end and head for the next area, which has a path split consisting of a north path and an east path, though they noticed the east path have spike traps on it.

"So which path should we take?" Grey asked.

"Hard to choose without that map data." Ashe replied.

"Guess you'll have to rely on your instincts this time. Though I hope both paths will lead to the end of this domain." Model A stated.

"In that case..." Ashe holstered her cannons before pulling out a coin from her pocket. "Heads we go straight, Tails we go right." She threw the coin upwards before catching it and slammed it right onto the back of her palm. And when she moved her hand covering the coin, the results are... "Heads it is then. We go north."

"Okay, then let's go straight." Grey declared as Ashe put away her coin before the two moved north and into the next area.

And what they saw in the next area was several narrow pathways surrounded by deep water along with more mutant spacemen patrolling. They quickly defeated the mutants while carefully crossing the pathways and destroying any breakable rocks that block their path without tripping into the water. When the reached the end, they went inside the next area, clearing out more mutants before moving onto the next area.

And in the next area, they defeated two more patrolling mutants before looking at the scenery, which turned out to be another path split. "I just hope we're not going in circles by choosing the wrong path." Grey said.

"Once again, exploring the domains without the map data makes things harder." Ashe replied.

"Hang on." Model A spoke up. "I'm detecting large amounts of mutant readings coming from the left path. It could be the one we're looking for, or I might be wrong."

"What do you think, Ashe?" Grey asked.

"Hmm..." Ashe pondered with her hand on her chin. "Let's just take the left path anyway. If it leads to a dead end, we'll backtrack." She declared as she head for the left path before Grey went after her.

In the next area, they saw another narrow pathway surrounded by water, with several orange eggs blocking their path. "Okay... what are we looking at right now?" Grey asked.

"Eggs, duh." Ashe deadpanned before locking on the eggs with her hand cannons. "And I definitely do not want to see them hatch considering this sector was taken over by the mutants." She then fired homing lightning shots that cleared out every single egg in the room until there's nothing left before holstering her cannons. "That's better. Come on, let's go." She dusted off her hands and crossing the pathway before Grey followed behind.

When they reached the next room, they saw another area entrance right behind the recharge platform. "A recharge platform." Grey observed. "According to Jason and the others, this means the mutant guardian is just up ahead."

"Well, let's get this over with and get out of here." Ashe replied before they walked towards the next area after using the recharge platform.

Once the two are inside, they saw several open holes around the area as the doors closed behind them. "Multiple mutants are coming from those holes. Looks like a swarm is coming." Model A informed.

"Grey, you take your side while I cover mine." Ashe said as the two prepared their hand cannons again.

"Roger." Grey nodded as the two stood back-to-back and prepared themselves.

"I'll let you guys know when the coast is clear. Until then, knock 'em dead!"

=WARNING=

THE LAIR OF

TADROLL'S SNACK TIME

Soon after, multiple mutant tadpoles with orange bodies and blue tails hopped out of the holes and slowly approached the MegaMen. "Tadpoles?!" Grey exclaimed.

"I get the feeling those eggs from the previous area, hatch into these things." Ashe said. "And I am so glad I chose to shoot them on sight before they hatch, because I definitely don't want those things to touch me!" She then fired charged laser shots at the approaching tadpoles from her side while Grey fired charged shots from his side.

As more mutant tadpoles came leaping out of the holes, Ashe fired her homing lightning shots while Grey fired homing lasers. The battle lasted for at least a few minutes, until the last wave of mutant tadpoles came out of the holes, where they were immediately obliterated by Grey and Ashe's combined Giga Crush. The MegaMen slowly catch their breaths but kept their guard up in case of any more mutants approaching.

(BGM End)

"Hey... Model A...? Is that... the last... of them..." Ashe panted.

"Just a sec..." Model A replied as the bolts on Grey and Ashe's helmets began to glow for a bit before vanishing. "Yep, that's all of them. You can rest easy now, guys."

"Phew..." The MegaMen breathe a sigh of relief before holstering their hand cannons.

"Hm?" Grey then noticed something on the ground and picked it up. "Hey Ashe, I found the data chip. But it's a blue one, not green."

"Blue, huh?" Ashe repeated, taking a closer look at the chip. "Must be a data chip for the MAs." She then took out her Zikan Phone to scan the chip's info. "So, what do we have here?"

MAXIMUM SHOT:

Fires a charged wide beam from the MA's main cannon.

"Another type of charge shot, huh? And this one fires a charged wave beam." Model A commented. "What do you guys think?"

"Could be useful for crowd control." Grey answered.

"But it can't pierce through armor and terrain like the Laser Shot." Ashe pointed out. "Anyway, looks like we're done here since we've defeated those tadpoles and obtained the chip.

"Yeah." Grey nodded. "Too bad it's not the map data, but it's better than nothing."

Ashe nodded back before setting her phone to Blaster Mode, fired a wormhole in behind her and walked inside with Grey following beside her.

---

A wormhole appeared in front of the MAs with Jason and Gunvolt waiting outside, and out came Grey and Ashe before the wormhole vanished behind them. "We're back, you guys!" Ashe greeted.

"Did you find the map data?" Gunvolt asked.

"No." Grey shook his head. "But we did find a blue data chip containing a function for the MAs after defeating the mutant guardians; the Maximum Shot, which fires a charged wave beam." He took out the data chip and gave it to Jason. "Here you go, Jason."

"Thanks." Jason replied. "I'll go and do the usual right away." He then boarded SOPHIA to begin the usual install and copy process.

Gunvolt then noticed the uneasy looks on Grey and Ashe's face. "Is something the matter, you two?"

"I'm okay, but..." Ashe replied. "We saw something messed up inside the domain. I'll show it to you later." She then boarded the Rairyu.

"She took a photo, and well... it's kind of shocking. Trust me." Grey added before going after Ashe.

"...Why do I get the feeling that they saw something horrible inside?" Joule asked.

"It's gotta involve the mutants somehow, but I get the feeling we're not gonna like what Grey and Ashe are about to reveal." Gunvolt replied before boarding the Rairyu.

---

Once the MAs resume their exploration, Ashe showed the photo she took to the group, making them gasp in utter shock at what Ashe and Grey discovered inside the domain; humans that are fully infected by the mutant cells, turning them into mutants themselves. "My god..." Copen muttered in shock.

"So this is what happens when the mutant cells fully infect the human body..." Jason said from Rairyu's comms screen.

"That's... that's horrible..." Eve added.

"I know." Ashe sighed. "We had no choice but to kill them in order to free them. We can't see them suffer any longer."

"I see..." Gunvolt noted. "Well, you did the right thing, you two. At least their souls can rest peacefully."

"Yeah... But it still feels uneasy doing this." Grey remarked.

"Hmm..." Copen pondered, earning everyone's attention.

"Something wrong, Copen?" Grey asked.

"I'm going to need a small sample of the mutant's blood, specifically the human infected ones."

"Are you planning on making a cure?" Volnutt guessed.

"I might as well give it a shot. But I'm gonna need a few helpers with this sort of thing. Maybe I should ask Elfnein and Sucrose."

"Elfnein and Sucrose?" Jason repeated.

"Both of them are alchemists with the latter specializing in bio-alchemy, which is perfect when it comes to making cures. Though I wouldn't mind asking for your help if you want to, Jason."

"I'll be happy to assist, Copen. I don't know much when it comes to biology, but I'm willing to try however I can, the best I can."

"Thanks, Jason." Copen smiled. "Now let's head for the next domain."

"Roger!" The group responded as the MAs moved onwards.

---

After several minutes of traversing through the obstacles while also following the Receiver signal, clearing out more mutants, ceiling turrets and mines, they finally arrived at the area where the signal rang faster. It consisted of a large pool of water and a ladder. That, and the MAs cannot fit through the holes.

"The signal's close by in this area, but we're gonna have to go on foot." Eve informed the group.

"I'll handle it, this time." Copen volunteered, disembarking from Rairyu. "Jason, you're coming too. Time to test out your new hover jets."

"Gotcha." Jason replied, wearing his helmet as he disembarked from SOPHIA before the two climbed up the ladder. "We'll be back in a few minutes!"

"Be careful up there!" Gunvolt replied back.

Once the two reached the top, they saw the entrance of the domain above on the other side of the gap with a ladder hanging below. "You first, Jason." Copen said.

"Mm." Jason nodded, taking a few steps back before sprinting until he jumped forward and activated his hover jets on his legs, letting him hover slowly as he safely reached the ladder. Jason gave a thumbs up to Copen who nodded back in response before Jason climbed up and reached the top. Soon after, Copen did the same method to reach the ladder and climbed up, regrouping with Jason before the two entered the domain.

Once inside the domain, Jason and Copen were immediately met with more drones and mutant spacemen, which were immediately defeated. Copen glanced at one of the fallen spacemen and approached him. He took off the spaceman's helmet and saw a disgusting green mutated human face which made him frown. "Looking at the state of the infected humans up close feels far different than looking at the photo Ashe took. They're right... this is messed up indeed." Copen said before materializing a syringe with his Zikan Phone. He jammed the syringe onto the infected human's arm and sucked up its blood until it's full before pulling the syringe out.

"Do you want me to get more of their blood?" Jason asked, taking a closer look at the mutant liquid on the syringe.

"No need. This will have to do." Copen replied, storing the syringe back into the Zikan Phone before putting away said phone. "Now let's keep moving."

"Right." Jason nodded before the two head for the next area.

Inside, they saw numerous rocks and tadpole eggs, along with more rushing water. "This must be the obstacles Grey and Ashe saw in the previous domain." Copen observed.

"Remember to stick to the walls and pipes to avoid getting slammed by the rushing water. That's what Model A said to Grey and Ashe." Lola reminded.

"That, and we need to destroy those eggs before those mutant tadpoles hatch." Jason added.

"Okay, let's get this over with." Copen declared as the two prepared their weapons and traversed through the mentioned obstacles.

Eventually, they reached the end of the area, where they saw a way to the next area, along with a crack wall that's blocked by blue rocks. "Which way do we go?" Jason asked.

"Usually I'd take the open path..." Copen glanced at said path, before looking at the cracked wall with the blue rocks. "But I'm curious to see what's behind that wall."

"I wonder if it's a shortcut?" Lola pondered. "Though we need to get rid of those rocks first, except that our weapons can't make a dent on them for some reason. Maybe try an elemental weapon like fire perhaps?"

"Fire, huh?" Jason pondered before switching his rifle ammo to Flame Shot and aimed at the blue rocks. And when he shoot flames onto the rocks, they were destroyed, leaving the path to the cracked wall open. "Well what do you know, it worked." He then destroyed the wall with a grenade, revealing a new path ahead. "Thanks for the tip, Lola."

"Anytime, Jason! Now let's go see what's inside." Lola replied before Jason and Copen went towards the new path.

As time goes by, they traversed through the areas, clearing out more mutant spacemen and hostile drones, until they reached a large area with several more narrow pathways and safe zones surrounded by large pools of water, along with more rushing water. "This is going to take a while." Jason observed the area.

"Well, I'm not going to waste any more time walking all over those pathways for the map data or mutant guardian." Copen said. "Lola, are we close to what we're looking for?"

"One sec..." Lola replied, using her skills when she's originally a battle pod to scan the area. "Okay, we're definitely close. It should be in an area on the far left from your current location."

"Left, huh?" Jason repeated as the two looked to their left and saw an opening to the next area on the left near the end of the area. "Alright, I see it."

"Let's hop straight towards that path by jumping from pathway to pathway. And if you hear any rushing water coming, use the jet boosters to leap and hover above the rushing water until it subsides." Copen advised.

"...I'm surprised I never thought of doing that. Though to be fair, I never had those jet boosters yet to jump over large gaps." Jason admitted. "So again, thanks for the gear upgrades, Copen."

"You're welcome." Copen smiled. "Now let's get moving."

Following Copen's advice, the two quickly head for the path on the left, leaping from pathway to pathway as they go, while avoiding the rushing water by leaping upwards and hovering with their jet boosters until the water subsides. Eventually, they reached the next area, and saw the green map data chip on the end of the area, which is guarded by more drones. "There's the map data we've been looking for, though we need to clear the room first." Copen observed.

"I got just the thing." Jason replied, changing his rifle's ammo to Striker Shot and fired a green lightning orb at one of the drones. Upon impact, all of the drones are destroyed in a chain lightning effect. "And area cleared." He then holstered his rifle and approached the data chip, while Copen was in awe at how versatile Jason's Blaster Rifle is.

"What was that?" Lola asked. "That's something GV would do, except that he needs to tag his targets first before unleashing his Septima at them."

"That's the Striker Shot. Unleashing a chain lightning effect on surrounding targets when the lightning orb struck one target." Copen answered.

"How versatile is that rifle? First a reflector shield, then a flamethrower, and now a chain lightning blast? Whoever made that rifle is seriously talented."

"Hmm..." Copen pondered with his hand on his chin. "If I remember what Jason said when we first met, he got his Blaster Rifle from inside SOPHIA. If that's the case... then maybe it and the MA are from Planet Sophia, just like Rairyu."

"Planet Sophia, huh? Makes me wonder if we could go to that planet someday and meet the folks who created the MAs and that rifle."

"Only if we have a spaceship, or perhaps a mothership for interstellar travel." Copen replied before Jason approached him.

"Something wrong, Copen?" Jason asked.

"Ah, it's nothing." Copen shook his head, snapping out of his thoughts. "Now that we have the map data, let's head back."

"Way ahead of ya." Jason replied, taking out his Zikan Phone Blaster Mode and fired a wormhole behind them before they walked inside.

---

A wormhole appeared in front of the MAs and out came Jason and Copen where they saw Eve and Gunvolt waiting outside before the wormhole vanished. "Got what you're looking for?" Gunvolt asked the two.

"Right over here." Jason showed the green map data chip.

"Great work, you guys." Eve smiled. "How's the jet boosters, Jason?"

"Works like a charm. And I'm so glad for those gear upgrades."

"You're welcome, by the way." Copen smiled. "One other thing, I managed to get a blood sample from that mutated human. I'll be working on a cure, or at least a vaccine, for the mutant virus once the mutant threat is eliminated.

"I hope it goes well, Ix." Eve replied.

"Me too." Copen nodded. "Now let's install that map data to our MAs before heading out."

"Right!" The others replied before heading back inside their respective vehicles.

---

Inside SOPHIA, Eve finished installing the map data of Sector 4 before sending a copy to Rairyu. "Okay. It looks like there's two more mutant guardians to deal with on the lower levels of this sector." Eve observed the map, showing two monster icons on the lower parts of the map. "One is hiding in a domain, and the other is waiting at the end of this sector."

"Seems like another battle using the MAs." Copen deduced from the comms screen as he looked at the map, and then noticed a green hexagon over a domain icon. "That, and there's another LIFE-UP module in another domain."

"Should we continue to stick together, or should we split up?" Joule asked.

"I think we'll split up this time and regroup at the recharge station next to the mutant guardian." Jason answered, pointing at said location on the bottom of the map.

"Is it okay if I handle the mutant hiding in the domain this time?" Volnutt asked. "I was hoping to try out my new gear."

"Alright then, that's fine with us." Jason approved with Eve nodding.

"Then we'll search the item on the other domain." Gunvolt noted.

"Got it. Then it's decided." Volnutt replied with the others nodding in agreement.

"Hm?" But then Eve noticed something blinking on a link tunnel on the upper right of the map.

"Something up, Eve?" Jason asked.

"Come and have a look at this." Eve pointed at the blinking link tunnel. "It looks like something is happening on that tunnel. Several mutant signal readings around it are... joining together?"

"Joining together? What are they planning?" Gunvolt asked.

"Did they find something interesting from that tunnel?" Copen added.

"Is it Fred or the Gjallarhorn fragment?" Volnutt guessed.

"Mostly the former, but... there has to be some kind of meaning to this." Jason answered.

"Hm...? What's going on...? I feel this horrible premonition... like as if I... know something..." Eve thought before she felt pain coming from her head. "Gh?! Ahhh...!"

"Eve! What's wrong?!" Jason asked with worry as all eyes are on Eve as she clutched her head.

"Hey Eve! You okay?!" Ashe also asked with the same expression.

"Hah... Hah..." Eve panted for a moment before calming down and moving her hands away. "I-I'm fine... Sorry about that. Is just that I... remembered something important."

"Does it involve your memories?" Volnutt guessed.

"Something like that." Eve replied. "But it still hurts."

"Try not to force it too much. I know you're trying to get your memories back, but take it one step at a time." Grey advised.

"...I understand. Thanks for the advice, Grey."

"Eve, I'd suggest if you could take a quick rest for a while. Leave everything else to us, okay?" Copen advised.

"I'll do that, thanks. I'll call you when I'm feeling better."

"Good. Rest well." Copen nodded before shutting off the comms screen as the MAs continued to move to their destinations.

"Let us know if you need anything, okay?" Volnutt said to Eve.

"I will, thanks for your concern, Volnutt." Eve smiled before closing her eyes and began to sleep.

"Up until now, the mutants have been just scattered about... but seeing them gathering like that makes me think that something is up." Jason thought with a frown. "They had better not find Fred or that Gjallarhorn fragment soon."

---

As time passes, the MAs ventured deeper into the sector until they split up with the Rairyu heading for the domain with the LIFE-UP while SOPHIA head for the other one with a mutant guardian hiding inside. They also had to shoot down some junk blocking the drainage in order for the water to pass through.

Eventually though, SOPHIA arrived at the destination with the entrance located right above them. One quick hover maneuver and they landed right next to the entrance. "Okay, this is where I get off." Volnutt said, disembarking from the MA.

"I'll take over Eve's operating tasks until she's feeling better." Jason said. "Be careful in there, Volnutt."

"I will." Volnutt nodded before using his Hover Skates to dash right into the entrance.

Once inside, he saw several narrow pathways surrounded by water with more mutant eggs planted on said pathways, along with rushing water till it reached the drainage to his right. "This is gonna take a while." Volnutt remarked. "But I wonder if the map data we got earlier also contained the map of the domain?" He took out his Zikan Phone and began checking until he found what he's looking for, revealing itself on the holo-screen. "Oh, we do!" He then noticed a monster icon next to a recharge platform icon on the top left of the map. "So that's where the boss mutant is. To my far right." He dispersed the screen and put away his phone. "Time to test out the upgrades Copen gave me."

Using his new jet boosters, Volnutt was able to cut down traveling time, leaping across pathways while shooting down the eggs with his Mega Buster before they hatched. And in case of the rushing water, he hovered above the water as it passed through until it was safe to land, though he still need to shoot down more eggs that respawned thanks to the water.

Several moments later, Volnutt reached his destination as he saw the recharge platform in front with an opening on his right. "This is the place." He said. "The mutant guardian should be close by."

"KYAAA!"

"?!" Volnutt's eyes widen upon hearing a woman's scream, coming from the next room. "Someone's already there?! I'd better hurry before that mutant kills that person!" He quickly used the recharge platform before skating towards the next room as soon as possible.

---

Inside the room of a mutant guardian, there was a large black salamander with yellow markings; four small, three-toed feet; a stubby tail; four red eyes; and large pincer mandibles that extend beyond the main width of the head.

And it was currently using its front legs to pin down the arms of a young woman with dark blue eyes and long dark brown hair with a slightly messy ponytail tied with a red, black and white ribbon. She's also wearing a white and red long sleeved student academy uniform along with a pair of white thigh-high stockings with red borders and long black boots.

"Why is this happening to me?" The woman thought, looking at the salamander staring at her, and licking its lips. "One moment, Ichika and I were at the beach running away from my friends that might've thought he was making a move on me with that kiss, and then that unexpected quake happened, sending me to this unknown place when I woke up. And now this... thing lunged at me out of nowhere, pinning my arms down and is definitely about to eat me... Ichika... everyone... please... save me...!" She closed her eyes out of fear as the salamander opened its mouth.

...Until a charged shot to the salamander's head sent it flying towards a wall and freeing the woman from its grip. "Sorry, but I'm cancelling your mealtime." Volnutt said with smoke coming out of his Mega Buster's nozzle. He then approached the woman who opened her eyes and offered a hand. "Are you okay?"

The woman was stunned that her saviour turned out to be a young boy, wielding an arm cannon. "W-Who are you?"

"MegaMan Volnutt, a passing through Digger. But you can call me Volnutt." He greeted with a smile. "And you are?"

"...Houki. Houki Shinonono." She replied, grabbing his hand and pulled herself up. "Aren't you a little young to be a digger? Also, when do diggers use arm cannons?"

"Yes, and I'm one of the rare Diggers that uses arm cannons thanks to my battlesuit."

"Is it an IS?"

"A what?" Volnutt blinked.

"Infinite Stratos, or IS for short. A special exoskeleton power suit with enhanced combat capabilities." Houki explained.

"Ah, I see. Well, it's not an IS. It's just a normal battesuit that I have for a long time. But it did get some upgrades thanks to my best friend Roll, and more recently, Copen and Jason."

"Your best friend's name is Roll? And who's Copen and Jason?" Houki questioned.

"Long story." Volnutt replied, until they heard the salamander growling again and back on its feet. "You'd better hide. I'll handle this." He stepped forward and aimed his arm cannon at the salamander.

"R-Right. Be careful." Houki nodded before heading for a safe place to hide.

"A mutant salamander, huh? And it has pincer mandibles for some reason. Either way, I better not let my guard down." Volnutt thought as he prepared himself.

=WARNING=

THE LAIR OF

=SPARK SALAMANDER=

(Play BGM: Encounter (Boss 1) from Blaster Master Zero OST)

Volnutt and the salamander sidestepped away from each other waiting for a chance to strike, while Houki observed the fight from a safe distance. The salamander made the first move, launching its long tongue towards Volnutt, who dodged rolled to the side. He was able to dodge the same attack two more times before the salamander went with a different approach by generating electricity from its mandibles.

"Electric mandibles?! Oh boy..." Volnutt thought with caution as the salamander took a few steps back. It then leaped towards Volnutt, who managed to dodge roll to the side and countered with several buster shots, along with a charge shot for good measure, though it managed to evade the charge shot by leaping back to the end of the room before glaring at him once more and stopped generating electricity. The salamander launched its tongue again, prompting Volnutt to dodge roll to the side, until the tongue move towards the same direction as Volnutt, latching it onto his leg and pulling him up and off the ground upside down. "Uh oh, not good!" Volnutt thought with dread before he was slammed repeatedly onto the ground by the salamander's tongue before being flung towards the side wall of the room.

"Volnutt!" Houki exclaimed, watching Volnutt trying to stand up, until his neck got latched by the salamander's tongue and lifted him upwards as he tried to free himself from being strangled.

"Guh...! Gotta break free...!" Volnutt thought as he struggled to free himself, until he saw the salamander generating electricity again. "Oh crud, this is gonna hurt...!" He thought with dread, knowing what the salamander would do next. And then it unleashed its electricity on its tongue as it traveled towards Volnutt, electrocuting him as he grit his teeth in pain.

"?!" Houki gasped in shock at Volnutt being electrocuted, on top of being strangled. And it's only a matter of time until he dies before she's next on the salamander's menu. She look down in guilt, knowing how powerless she is at the moment without any means to save him. "It's like that time Ichika nearly got killed by Silver Gospel..." She thought. "Only this time, I'm not wearing my IS. If I still have it, then I might be able to save Volnutt. But at this rate, he'll... hm?" She then noticed a pair of gold and silver bells wrapped around her left wrist by a red and black ribbon divided by a white line. "Wait... this is...! If I recall what Chifuyu-sensei said on one of her lessons, the IS in Standby Form takes the form of accessories. I never had that until I have Akatsubaki from Tabane-nee. If that's the case then..." Her thoughts were interrupted after hearing Volnutt grunt in pain, trying really hard not to scream. With her mind made up, she became serious as she raised her left arm and focused on it. And in a flash of blue light, a red and black clawed gauntlet appeared on her arm along with a katana, raised it upwards, and unleashed a vertical slash-wave that sliced off the salamander's tongue, freeing Volnutt as he was able to land on his feet. "Volnutt!" Houki exclaimed, quickly approaching him. "Are you okay?"

"Did... did you do that?" Volnutt replied and panted for a bit, before noticing the gauntlet and katana on her arm. "And where did you get that?"

"Yes, it's because of my IS; Akatsubaki. I'm using a fraction of its power right now." Houki replied back.

"So you do have something to protect yourself." Volnutt smiled, removing the sliced tongue latched around his neck.

"Indeed I do." Houki smiled back until they heard the salamander growling and generating electricity again. "Those pincers are going to be a problem for us." She frowned.

"Then we'll have to get rid of that immediately." Volnutt replied. "But we'll need to be quick since that salamander's fast."

"Hmm..." Houki looked around the area for a moment, until she looked at the wall behind them. "I think I have an idea. Let's lean closely to the wall behind us. And before the salamander could ram us..."

"We'll jump away in time and slice off the pincers in a counterattack!" Volnutt finished in realization before smiling. "Great plan, Houki!"

"Mhm." Houki nodded. "Do you have a cutting weapon?"

In response, Volnutt materialized another arm cannon with the Arrogant Fang armed as it begun spinning rapidly with a green energy glow. "This will work nicely."

"Okay, here it comes!" Houki replied as they stepped backwards till they reached the wall while staring at the salamander that's preparing to strike with its electrical mandibles. It then began to run towards them before leaping forward, and just before it could reach them... "Now!" Houki shouted as the two leaped away in opposite sides while the salamander struck the wall instead due to its mandibles. And then they immediately retaliated with Houki slicing off one pincer with Volnutt did the same thing to the other, leaving it roaring in pain and taking several steps back.

"Time to finish it!" Volnutt declared, launching the Arrogant Fang right onto the salamander's face as it drilled through its skull. "Houki, shall we?!" He shouted, aiming at the salamander with the Blazing Ballista armed.

"Yes, let's!" Houki complied before Volnutt fired an explosive fire arrow while she followed up with a vertical slash-wave. The arrow exploded onto the salamander upon impact before the slash-wave sliced off the salamander's entire body in half before exploding, instantly killing it.

(BGM End)

"Yeah! We did it!" Volnutt cheered, reverting his arm cannons to normal hands before giving Houki a high-five.

"Hehe, indeed we did." Houki smiled before looking at her clawed arm and katana. "But we wouldn't have won without my IS' power."

"Mm." Volnutt nodded. "By the way, thanks for getting me out of that mess."

"Well we did save each other from harm, so I guess we're both even." Houki stated as she dispersed her gauntlet and weapon.

"So where did your IS come from anyway?"

"It's built by my sister, Tabane Shinonono, the creator of IS." Houki answered before sighing. "That's all you need to know."

"Something wrong?" Volnutt asked.

"It's... complicated. I'm not keen on revealing my past at the moment."

"...I understand. But if you're willing to talk, I'm all ears."

"Mm." Houki nodded, before they saw something glowing in the middle of the room. "What is that?"

"If I were to guess, it must be a data chip after defeating that salamander." Volnutt answered as the two approached the blue chip. "Now let's see what it is." He picked up the chip and took out his Zikan Phone to examine its info.

SPARK TACKLE:

A sub-weapon that unleashes an electrified high-speed tackle attack in the direction SOPHIA is facing. Can also be used as a mid-air dash.

"So it's the same ability as that salamander we've defeated. What are the odds." Volnutt commented as he put away the chip.

"SOPHIA?" Houki repeated.

"It's the name on a special battletank called the Metal Attacker, or MA for short. SOPHIA's owned by Jason Frudnick by the way, and he's waiting outside this domain." Volnutt answered before firing a wormhole beside them using the Zikan Phone Blaster Mode. "Come on, let's go."

"Is that... a wormhole?" Houki asked, looking at said wormhole.

"Yup, and it'll lead us back at the entrance. Don't worry, it's safe." Volnutt assured before walking inside.

"...If you say so." Houki replied before going after him.

---

Soon after, Volnutt and Houki appeared in front of SOPHIA via wormhole before it vanished behind them. "And there it is; SOPHIA III." Volnutt said as Houki is in awe looking at the MA. "It may not look much, but it's got a lot of hidden functions such as hovering."

"This tank can hover?" Houki asked, earning a nod from Volnutt. "Amazing... did Jason build this tank?"

"Not really. He found it in a cave while searching for a frog. Long story." Volnutt replied before they saw Jason disembarking from the MA without his helmet. "Ah, Jason!" He took out a blue data chip from his pocket. "Found another blue chip for the MA. It's called the Spark Tackle; allowing the MA to perform an electrified tackled attack that can even be used in mid-air."

"Wow. GV's gonna love it once he hears about this." Jason remarked, taking the chip from Volnutt.

"Because he's a lightning adept?" Volnutt guessed.

"Bingo." Jason confirmed, before noticing the woman beside him. "And who is this?"

"Houki Shinonono, a student from IS Academy." She greeted with a bow. "So you're Jason Frudnick? The owner of SOPHIA?"

"That's me." He nodded. "I'm guessing Volnutt mentioned about it earlier. So what's IS Academy?"

"It's a private boarding academy where students all over the globe enroll to learn how to pilot the Infinite Stratos, or IS for short." Houki explained. "IS is an exoskeleton power suit with enhanced combat capabilities."

"I saw her use a fraction of the IS' power in a form of a gauntlet and a sword. And she's pretty good at it too." Volnutt mentioned.

"Well I was skilled in kendo. I even won a national kendo tournament in Japan."

"Wait... Japan?" Jason repeated. "You're from Earth, aren't you?"

"Um... yeah. Why?"

"Well..." Jason rubbed the back of his head. "You're in another version of Earth, my Earth technically, because there's no IS Academy here."

"Wait, what?!" Houki exclaimed.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to ask you about something, Houki." Volnutt spoke up. "Before you arrived here, what happened to you?"

"Well... let's see..." Houki pondered with her arms crossed. "I remember being at the beach, searching for my friend Ichika Orimura. Once I found him, we were having a conversation, until minutes later, some of my classmates noticed the scene and chased us... while they're using their IS."

"Hah?!" Jason and Volnutt gawked.

"S-Sorry, they have jealousy issues." Houki apologized while hiding a small blush. "A-Anyway, during the chase, an unknown quake occurred from out of nowhere, and everything became white. The next thing I knew when I woke up..." She turned to the domain entrance. "...I was inside this domain, and in my IS uniform strangely. I was wearing my swimsuit while I was at the beach."

"I see. And while you're trying to process what was happening, that mutant salamander ambushed you before you could even react." Volnutt deduced, earning a nod from Houki. "Good thing I managed to save you in time."

"And I appreciate the rescue, Volnutt." Houki smiled, before blinking for a bit. "Wait, mutant? Is that why that salamander is huge?" She asked, earning a nod from Volnutt.

"A strange quake, huh?" Jason repeated with his hand on his chin. "Looks like you and your friends were stuck by the Dimensional Quakes. And it warped you to my world."

"Dimensional Quakes? Is that what they're called?" Houki asked, earning a nod from Jason and Volnutt. "I see... Then that means me and my friends were separated because of that quake."

"Then come with us. We'll help you look for your missing friends. It couldn't hurt to have a few helping hands." Jason offered with a hand.

"So what do you say, Houki? Wanna join us?" Volnutt added.

Houki pondered for a moment, before accepting with a nod and shook Jason's hand. "Very well, I accept. At least it's better than searching alone in this unknown world."

"Good to have you on the team." Jason smiled as the two lowered their hands.

"Oh, hey guys! You're still here?" Grey's voice was heard which earned the group's attention as Rairyu arrived, hovering onto their location before landing beside SOPHIA.

"Well that was quick." Jason replied. "Did you get the LIFE-UP module?"

"Yup! GV and Copen went to the domain while Grey and I stayed inside the MA." Ashe confirmed as Gunvolt and Copen disembarked from the MA and approached the group.

"The domain was quite small compared to the other ones, so we're able to get the module quickly." Gunvolt said, taking out the LIFE-UP module from his pocket and gave it to Jason.

"We were planning to head for the mutant guardian at the bottom level until we noticed SOPHIA's signal nearby. So we decided to see how your progress is going." Copen added.

"Well I've just finished. Defeated a mutant salamander and obtained the Spark Tackle data chip for the MAs." Volnutt informed.

"Spark Tackle?" Gunvolt repeated. "So the MAs can now tackle enemies with electricity?"

"Mhm." Volnutt nodded. "And it can even be used mid-air."

"Now that sounds useful, not to mention awesome." Gunvolt grinned.

"Hm?" Copen noticed the newcomer. "And who is this?"

"Her name is Houki Shinonono. She's from another version of Earth, until a Dimensional Quake warped her to this world." Jason answered. "Volnutt found her in the domain he was exploring."

"Another Dimensional Quake victim, huh?" Copen noted.

"Correct, unfortunately." Houki replied sadly. "But it's not just me that was warped; Ichika, Cecilia, Linying, Charlotte and Laura were hit by that quake too."

"So those are the names of your IS Academy classmates?" Volnutt guessed, earning a nod from Houki. "Then the jealous ones who were chasing you and Ichika are..." That earned another nod from her. "O...kay then..." He sweatdropped.

"(Wait, jealous? Chased?)" Joule mentally questioned.

"I... see..." Gunvolt noted with a sweatdrop. "A-Anyway, don't worry, we'll help you find your friends."

"I know. That's why I decided to join you guys. Hope you don't mind." Houki assured with a smile.

"Glad to hear it. That's fine with us." Gunvolt smiled back. "By the way, the name's Gunvolt. But you can call me GV."

"And my name is Copen Kamizono, a scientist. Also, what is IS Academy?"

"A private boarding academy where students learn how to pilot Infinite Stratos, or IS for short. An IS is an exoskeleton power suit with enhanced combat capabilities." Houki explained.

"She saved my butt after I saved her from that mutant salamander, and she's only using a fraction of her IS' powers." Volnutt said.

"A fraction of it?" Copen raised his eyebrow. "I wonder what its full power will look like."

"I'll use it as an emergency, so I'll conserve power for now." Houki answered, showing her accessory on her left wrist. "Right now my IS, the Akatsubaki, is in Standby Form by taking a form of a normal accessory."

"(Huh, sounds a bit similar to the Relics the Attuned use in the form of pendants.)" Lola thought.

"Interesting." Copen mused. "Anyway, we'd better get moving. There's one more mutant guardian that needs to be exterminated. And it might be holding the key to that door leading towards Sector 5."

"Alright, let's go." Jason declared as they went back to their respective MAs.

"By the way Houki, you're boarding SOPHIA with me, Jason and Eve." Volnutt said. "Oh, but don't wake Eve at the moment, she's taking a nap."

"I understand." Houki nodded before she and Volnutt boarded SOPHIA before the two MAs drove towards the location of the last mutant guardian.

---

During the trip towards the location while clearing out more mutants along with installing the new functions onto the MAs, the group gave proper introductions about themselves to Houki before explaining about Gjallarhorn, the Neo Time Jackers, the formation of Team XDR, the existence of the multiverse, and their current mission on Jason's world. "Whoa... so that's how those Dimensional Quakes existed, not to mention how Team XDR is formed along with the existence of the multiverse." Houki commented in disbelief from inside SOPHIA.

"Yup. And one of the fragments is hidden in this world." Gunvolt replied from a comms screen. "According to the Receiver signal scanning on the link tunnel towards Sector 5, the mutants are grouping together in search of something hidden in that sector."

"We're not sure if it's either Fred or the Gjallarhorn fragment, but we need to get there immediately before the mutants do." Jason added.

"I see." Houki noted. "Then let's defeat that mutant, grab the key and head for Sector 5 as soon as possible. Though I wonder if Ichika and the others are warped to this world too."

"We won't know until we find out for ourselves." Volnutt replied. "After all, they did find me in Sector 3 and Samus in Sector 1."

"Then there's still hope. I wonder how many sectors are there in the underground areas?"

"So far, around seven sectors. We haven't explored Sector 5, 6 and 7 yet." Copen answered.

"Ah, forgot to ask about something." Lola realized. "I wonder what area Sector 5 looks like?"

"Let me check for a minute." Grey replied, checking the link tunnel info on the map. "There we go. It's Sector 5: The Sea Area."

"...Son of a bitch." Gunvolt cursed at the name. "Seriously? More water?"

"What's wrong, GV? You can't swim?" Houki asked.

"I can swim, but the problem is that I can't use my lightning Septima underwater or I'll short myself out."

"Oh." Houki noted before asking Jason. "And what about the MAs? Can they also swim?"

"..." Houki's question felt like a slap to the face to Jason in realization.

"It can't swim either, huh?"

"Unfortunately, no. Ugh... this is gonna suck." Jason facepalmed. "We really need that aqua module."

"Maybe we'll find it in Sector 5?" Joule pondered.

"Maybe. Only problem is that we'll have to do a lot of swimming to search for the damn thing."

"Don't worry, Jason. Grey and I have two A-Trans forms that can easily traverse through underwater areas." Ashe assured.

"And one of those forms has the ability to slow down and reverse time." Grey added.

"Wait, seriously?!" Lola exclaimed.

"I take it you don't have that kind of Ex-Weapon yet?" Ashe asked with a smug grin.

"Uh... no."

"The ability to reverse and slow down time? How strong are these people...?" Houki thought. "At least I'm on their side. I might have a chance to find Ichika and the others if I keep fighting alongside them."

"Oh yeah, speaking of underwater..." Copen spoke up. "Jason, Volnutt, remember those jet boosters? They can also act as water jets so you'll be able to swim and maneuver easily, along with granting more speed."

"I see. Thanks for the info, Copen." Jason replied as he and Volnutt nodded.

"Hm?" Houki looked at the map screen. "I think we're very close to our target, guys."

"Well there should be a recharge terminal before the next room, so let's use that first." Gunvolt declared as they soon reached said terminal and began using them one MA at a time.

"Mmph..."

"?" Everyone noticed the one making the noise on SOPHIA's back seat, which turned out to be Eve finally waking up.

"Hey, Eve." Jason greeted. "Feeling better right now?"

"Yeah... I am." Eve nodded while rubbing her eyes. "Sorry for making you worry about earlier, everyone."

"It's fine, no need to worry about it." Volnutt replied. "You'll get your memories back eventually. Just take it one step at a time."

"I understand." Eve noted, before noticing the newcomer next to Volnutt. "Hm? Who is this?"

"Houki Shinonono. Another victim of the Dimensional Quakes." Jason answered. "She's from another version of Earth."

"Nice to meet you, Eve." Houki smiled.

"Same to you too, Houki." Eve smiled back. "But why is your last name Shinonono?"

"Don't question it too much, Eve. Some japanese have their last names like that." Copen advised. "Also, good to see you feeling alright."

"Yeah, thanks for your concern, Copen." Eve smiled. "So, where are we now?"

"We're about to take the fight to the mutant guardian hiding in the next room. And it might be in possession of the key to the door leading towards Sector 5." Gunvolt informed.

"I see." Eve noted. "Then let's not keep it waiting, shall we?"

The MAs immediately drove towards the next area, until they saw the mutant guardian on the other side of the area while the door behind them closed. It was a giant mutant frog with a bumpy, orange dorsal side with brown spots, and has a blue ventral side and legs. It has two green compound eyes, two orange antennae, and three blue tails with orange tips.

"...I think I know what those mutant tadpoles will grow into eventually, because that, looks disgusting." Ashe remarked with her eyebrow twitching.

"Why do I have a strange feeling that this is what Fred would look like if he was turned into a mutant?" Grey asked.

"I hope not, because... Eww... that thing looks nasty... and slimy too..." Eve shuddered.

"I think it's even worse than the mutant salamander earlier." Houki added, feeling the same way.

"Uh, guys? Totally get what you're saying here, but we need to focus." Jason stated.

"He's right." Gunvolt agreed. "We've got a mutant to exterminate."

"Get ready everyone, 'cause here it comes!" Volnutt warned as the frog began to croak loudly.

=WARNING=

THE LAIR OF

"THE EARTH-SHATTERING TYRANT"

=RIBBIROLL=

(Play BGM: The Mutant's Lair (Boss 2) from Blaster Master Zero OST)

The frog immediately leaped towards the MAs, prompting them to evade by moving forward and away from its landing spot before returning fire with Warhead and Homing Missiles along with Crusher Shots. The frog then turned around and launched its tongue at the MAs, prompting them to dodge by hovering upwards until the tongue retracted.

"Ugh, again with the tongue..." Houki shuddered as the MAs landed on the ground.

"Well, frogs are known to have long tongues, so this should've been obvious." Copen stated.

"It's not making me feel better since it's planning to eat us..."

"...Okay, good point there."

The frog then began to spit out bubbles towards the MAs. "Bubbles? Really?" Ashe questioned. "How's that going to hurt us?"

"I don't know, but I'm not touching it to find out! Especially if it's from a mutant!" Joule answered before the bubbles were destroyed my the MAs' main cannons along with scoring some hits on the frog.

In response, the frog leaped high into the air before slamming the ground hard, causing large debris to fall from above. "Incoming!" Lola shouted, prompting the MAs to evade the falling debris. And when the debris crashed onto the ground, it released several mutant bees that begun attacked with its stingers.

"Tch, not these bees again!" Jason complained.

"Jason, focus on the bees! We'll handle the frog!" Gunvolt said.

"Roger!" Jason complied, using the MA's Warhead and Homing Missiles onto the bees, while Rairyu continued the assault on the frog with Crusher Shots and charged Laser Shots while dodging its tongue.

But then the frog extended its vocal sack, which caused Rairyu's shots to be blocked. "It's blocking our shots?!" Copen exclaimed.

Then the frog leaped towards the bees and began eating the bees with its long tongue, causing the frog to regain its stamina. "It's eating the bees?" Volnutt questioned.

"Crap! The frog is trying to heal by eating them!" Gunvolt realized.

"...Maybe I need to learn some biology." Houki thought, until she saw the frog's blue portions to turn red which made her gasp. "Look out! Something's not right here!"

"What?" The group responded, looking at the frog crouching before it leaped high into the air again. The MAs quickly drove away from the frog's landing spot as it performed a belly flop instead, causing rocks to fly out from the ground, along with more falling debris coming from the ceiling. They immediately dodge the flying rocks by hovering above them along with avoiding the falling debris, until they notice the frog performing another leaping belly flop, prompting them to hover forward to evade it before it could land onto them.

"Okay, note to self, watch out for enemies that can change color, which screams bad news for us." Lola noted as the MAs landed after avoiding more flying rocks and falling debris.

"Uhh... guys?" Joule spoke up, until they noticed more mutant bees flying around after spawning from the falling debris and preparing their stingers.

"T-That's a lot of bees..." Volnutt gulped nervously.

"Hey, guys! Look at the frog!" Grey spoke up, turning their attention to the frog that changed back to its normal colors.

"Looks like it's back to normal, unless it tries to eat those bees again." Eve observed.

"This is gonna take forever until we stop that frog from eating them." Ashe stated.

"...In that case..." Houki began. "Jason, I'm getting out."

"What?!" Jason, Eve and Volnutt exclaimed.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Houki assured, opening SOPHIA's cockpit and jumping out with her left wrist raised. "Come forth, Akatsubaki!"

The bells on Houki's wrist began to ring before her entire body is enveloped with light. And one the light dispersed, she now donned her IS; Akatsubaki. It's a red and white angular armored frame with gold trims along with wings on her back, and a pair of white and red sheathed katanas on her waist. The only part that's not armored is Houki's body who's now wearing a white one-piece swimsuit with a black neckline. She's also wearing some kind of white and red metal headpiece.

The group were in awe at Houki's transformation as she gripped her katana handles. "So this is Infinite Stratos..." Copen mused.

"This is her IS' true form? Whoa..." Volnutt added with awe.

"I'll distract the bees while you guys deal with that frog!" Houki shouted.

"R-Right!" The group replied, shaking off their state of shock before rushing towards the frog and fired their main cannons.

Houki then flew towards the bees as they began to fire their stingers. But then she retaliated by unleashing a large slash-wave with her left katana in one quick swing, slicing off the bees and its stingers before exploding. She then unleashed another slash-wave on another group of bees before they could launch its stingers.

Meanwhile, the MAs continued their assault on the frog as it began hopping around. It then began to launch its tongue at the MAs, only for them to dodge it by hovering, until the tongue redirected its direction onto Rairyu, wrapped its body around and slammed it to the ground. "Tch...!" Gunvolt muttered as the Rairyu went on reverse to prevent it from being eaten by the frog, who then began to launch bubbles at the MA.

Luckily, the bubbles were shot down by SOPHIA's main cannon. "Hang in there, GV! I'll get you out of there!" Jason shouted.

But then, Gunvolt had an idea when he looked at the frog latching Rairyu on its main screen. "Copen, excuse me for a minute."

"Wait, what are you doing?" Copen asked as Gunvolt opened the cockpit and energized his hand.

"Making it pay for its mistake." Gunvolt replied, unleashing his lightning onto the frog's tongue as it traveled all the way to the frog and electrocuting him.

"Oh! Nice one, GV!" Joule cheered. "That'll teach it not to lay its tongue on us!"

Once Houki finished off the last of the bees with one more slash-wave, she noticed Gunvolt unleashing his lightning onto the frog's tongue. "Amazing... so this is GV's power..." She thought with awe, before the frog finally retracted its tongue, releasing its grip on Rairyu before Gunvolt closed the cockpit. But then the frog shifted its attention onto SOPHIA and was about to launch its tongue again. "Not this time!" She frowned before sheathing her katana and flew towards SOPHIA to intercept the attack. When the frog launched its tongue, Houki quickly stopped in front of SOPHIA with her hand on her right katana's grip. And when it got close, she quickly sliced off the tongue with one swift motion, making it cry it pain. "Not done yet!" She yelled before flying towards the frog and lunged both of her katanas right onto its eyes, disabling its sense of sight.

"Whoa, look at her go!" Ashe remarked as they were in awe at Houki's actions.

"She took out the frog's tongue and its eyes. Now it won't be able to see and attack us." Grey said.

"The frog can still hop though!" Volnutt noticed the frog trying to shake off Houki. "Houki! You need to stop that frog from moving so we can go in for the kill!"

"Hai! I know just the thing!" Houki complied. "Blade bits, purge!" Her IS' back wings opened up which revealed pink energy blades, purged out of the IS and flew upwards before plunging right onto the frog's back. The bits' thrusters ignited, keeping up the pressure in order for the frog to stay on the ground.

"Her IS has blade bits?!" Lola gawked. "Who the heck made that thing?!"

"Apparently it's made by her sister, Tabane Shinonono, who's also the creator of IS." Volnutt answered.

"So her sister's the one who invented Infinite Stratos, huh?" Copen mused.

"Anyway, Houki gave us an opening, so we better make it count before she loses her grip!" Jason stated. "I'm preparing the Maximum Shot!" He then changed the main cannon type from Laser Shot to Maximum Shot.

"GV, we'd better do the same." Joule advised.

"...Actually, I have a better idea." Gunvolt replied after a bit of pondering. "Remember the Spark Tackle we got earlier?"

"You're gonna use it to finish the frog off?"

"Yep, but with a little boost with my Septima." Gunvolt smirked.

"Wait, you can do that?" Copen questioned.

"Well it's my first time trying something like this, so you better hope it works!" Gunvolt answered, using his Septima to generate electricity all over Rairyu.

"Uh... GV? What are you doing?" Eve asked as she, Jason and Volnutt noticed the electrified MA.

"Don't mind me! Just focus on taking the shot!" Gunvolt replied as Rairyu revved up its engines.

"Very well!" Jason replied back before taking aim at the frog being held up by Houki and her blade bits. "Fire!"

SOPHIA then fired a powerful wave shot, prompting Rairyu to boost right towards the wave while being enveloped with electricity before the front of the MA materialized a large azure electrical blade that's the same shape as Gunvolt's Luxcalibur. "Oversurge, Azure Striker! Maximum Spark Calibur!" Gunvolt shouted as he drove his MA in high speeds.

"?!" Houki was able to hear the sounds of the MA approaching, prompting her to pull her katanas out of the frog's eyes before she and her blade bits flew upwards, just in time for Rairyu to crash right onto the frog. And with one final boost, the MA smashed through the frog and stopped a few metres behind it, leaving behind the lightning sword that was planted right onto the frog's chest.

Gunvolt briefly opened the cockpit, stood up from his seat and glanced at the frog while he raised his electrified hand. "Burst!" He clenched his hand, causing the sword to detonate into a large electrical explosion that obliterated the mutant frog to dust.

(BGM End)

"Well..." Gunvolt dusted off his hands. "That takes care of that."

"Huh. Looks like your idea worked." Copen said to the Azure Striker.

"Like I said, it's because of the Spark Tackle function. That's why I wanted to try and amplify its power even more. Though it does cost more energy to be wasted."

"I see." Copen noted. "Though we should really be thanking Houki for getting us out of this mess, along with giving us the opening we need to defeat that frog." They turned to Houki, landing in front of the group. "Your IS is quite impressive, Houki."

"Not to mention how skilled you are with swords." Ashe added. "If Tsubasa and Mei saw this, they'd be impressed."

"Thanks, guys." Houki smiled, dispersing her IS and back in her uniform. "I did what I had to do to help. You guys were in a pinch, so I had to do something."

"And you certainly did." Grey nodded. "You'll definitely fit well with our team."

"Glad to hear it." Houki smiled.

"Hey guys!" Jason spoke up as SOPHIA approached the group. "We've obtained the key leading towards Sector 5 from the center of this room after we defeated that frog."

"Though we're going to have to backtrack all the way back to the upper levels of this sector." Eve added.

"Ugh..." Ashe groaned in annoyance. "This is gonna take a while."

"Well it can't be helped." Grey shrugged.

"Houki, how about you tell us about your world as we backtrack?" Copen asked.

"Sure, I don't mind." Houki replied as she began boarding SOPHIA before the two MAs closed their cockpits. Afterwards, the MAs began their trip back to the upper levels of Sector 4 while Houki told the group about her world along with her adventures within IS Academy.

---

EDF HQ, Commander's Office

"And that's what happened so far." Gaius finished explaining about Gjallarhorn, Team XDR, the Neo Time Jackers, the existence of the multiverse, and the reason why they arrived in Jason's version of Earth.

The reactions coming from the group are a mix of shock and speechless. "Hmm... so the shattering of Gjallarhorn was the reason for those Dimensional Quakes... And I thought it was because of the destruction of the Cross-Gate." Gilliam thought.

"I never thought the shattering of Gjallarhorn could cause those Dimensional Quakes to appear. And there's also the existence of the multiverse." Cecilia remarked.

"So the Neo Time Jackers were planning to steal that dangerous relic, until that unknown third faction halted their plans by breaking the relic apart." Reynold said. "I can't tell if it's reckless to do something like that or not."

"Well... it's like you're trying to pick either a nuclear missile or a hundred rockets to destroy your enemies." Gaius said. "Which is the more viable option?"

"Huh?" Prairie blinked.

"It's just an example."

"Hmm..." Mitsuba pondered with her hand on her chin. "When you put it that way, I think a nuclear missile is the more viable option."

"Good answer." Gaius nodded. "If the Time Jackers stole the whole relic, the situation will be a lot worse than the Dimensional Quakes and we'd be powerless to stop it."

"I see." Gilliam noted. "That explains why the third faction chose to shatter the relic apart and scatter the fragments, to give us a fighting chance to stop the Time Jackers and recover the fragments."

"Exactly."

"Now you know how important our mission is at the moment, which is why Team XDR requested an alliance with the EDF." Prairie said to Mitsuba and offered a hand. "So please, Mitsuba Greyvalley, will you accept our proposal?"

Mitsuba pondered at Prairie's proposal, recalling the explanation from her and Gaius. The EDF will get involved with the conflict one way or another, so perhaps by working together with Team XDR, they might have a better chance of survival. With her mind made up, she shook Prairie's hand with a smile. "Very well, I'll accept your alliance."

"Thank you for accepting, Mitsuba." Prairie smiled back before releasing their handshake.

"Any objections, Reynold?" Mitsuba asked.

"To be honest, we're not sure how to deal with the Dimensional Quakes ourselves, so it's best to learn from the ones who are prepared to solve those problems." Reynold replied. "That said, I have no objections with this alliance."

"Thank you, Reynold." Mitsuba nodded.

"And that leaves the two of you." Gaius said as all eyes are turned to Gilliam and Cecilia. "So, you two wanna join the Rebellion?"

"Of course." Gilliam accepted with a nod. "I'm used to dealing with dimensional threats."

"All I wanted is to get back home with everyone, especially dear Ichika. But after what you've told me about the Time Jackers, I'm concerned that they might try to find my world, learn about Infinite Stratos, and then use them against us." Cecilia said. "IS are not supposed to be used for military conflicts."

"Well those guys are definitely not afraid to break those rules in search for multiversal conquest." Gaius stated.

"I guess that's true." Cecilia agreed. "Very well, Blue Tears and I will gladly join the Rebellion. And hopefully we'll find my friends in the future."

"Gilliam, Cecilia, good to have you with us." Prairie smiled, earning a nod from them.

"Now with that out of the way, how is Jason Frudnick doing so far?" Mitsuba asked. "The EDF guard told me about your encounter with Jason during your underground expedition."

"Currently he and a small team from the Rebellion are exploring Sector 4: The Waterworks Area." Gaius informed. "But I think they should be done liberating that sector from the mutants and are proceeding towards Sector 5."

"I see." Reynold noted. "Last time, he was part of the EDF Academy with me and Mistuba. That is until he's given his own lab to search for ways to revive the ecosystem."

"Well he did find a breakthrough after discovering a creature named Fred, but it escaped sometime later into the underground areas, which is why Jason is searching there." Prairie said. "Unfortunately those areas are crawling with mutants which were spawned because of a crashed meteor many years ago."

"A meteor..." Mitsuba pondered. "I think I remember an old report about that while humanity is busy restoring the lost ecosystem because of the ice age. Are you saying that the meteor housed those mutants?"

"Correct." Gaius confirmed. "It contained numerous amount of mutant cells that kept growing over the years. And if we don't destroy that meteor soon..."

"Then this entire planet, along with its people, will be lost to the mutants..." Reynold finished with the group's eyes widened in horror.

"Do you know where the meteor is located at the moment?" Gilliam asked.

"I'm not sure, but considering the mutants that spawned at the underground areas, it could be somewhere deep inside." Gaius answered. "...Unless..."

"Unless what?" Cecilia asked.

"Sector 7: The Planetary Depths Area, which is basically near the core of this planet. Maybe we might find that meteor there."

"The Earth's core... of course..." Gilliam noted. "What better way to infect the planet in one move by infecting the planet's core."

"If that's the case, then we now know where the source of our mutant problems are." Mitsuba said.

"Should me mobilize our EDF troops to deal with the matter?" Reynold asked.

"No. We can't risk losing too much of your people." Gaius replied. "No doubt they would place numerous traps and powerful mutants there, especially the mutant guardians. So, our best option is to go for a covert approach with a small strike team and infiltrate the sector until we find that meteor."

"We also need to increase our base defences in case of a mutant invasion." Prairie added. "Once Jason and his team liberated Sector 5 and 6 from the mutants, the remnants will definitely retreat back to Sector 7 to increase their defences."

"In other words, a last stand." Cecilia deduced, earning a nod from Prairie.

"Very well." Mitsuba noted. "Then we'll leave the mutants to the Rebellion. But if you need assistance, let us know."

"Thank you, Mitsuba." Gaius replied as he and Prairie nodded.

"Is it alright if we could establish a comms link with your base of operations?" Reynold offered.

"We would, but we're a bit worried that the mutants will track down our signals, allowing them to find ours or this base." Prairie replied.

"Not to worry, our communication towers are equipped with jamming systems to disturb any hostile signals." Mitsuba assured.

"Oh, how convenient." Prairie smiled. "In that case, may I use your console for a moment?"

"Go right ahead." Mitsuba replied and stepped aside, allowing Prairie to approach the console and began establishing a communication link with the Guardian Base.

"I'm surprised that I never thought of installing jamming systems to our mobile bases." Gaius admitted. "That would save us trouble from being detected by hostiles."

"You know, my Gespenst Type-RV is also equipped with a Hyper Jammer which can assist with evading enemy attacks." Gilliam mentioned.

"Oohh... nice." Gaius grinned. "Maybe I should add the Hyper Jammer to my Time Mazine for more evasion."

"Hmph, it's all up to you, Gaius." Gilliam smirked. "But it's highly recommended in my opinion."

Gaius nodded in agreement before turning to the IS student. "What about you, Cecilia? Ever thought of giving your IS some upgrades?"

"Well... I never even thought about upgrading Blue Tears. Its current loadout should suffice." Cecilia answered.

"I see. But it can't hurt to add some improvements to make your IS even better than before. There's always room for improvement after all." Gaius pointed out, with Gilliam nodding in agreement.

"Hmm..." Cecilia pondered for a bit before nodding. "Very well, I'll give it some thought later on."

"Anyway, since the process to establish the comms link will take a while, perhaps you would like a tour around the EDF base?" Mitsuba suggested. "I'll allow Reynold to be your guide."

"Well I was curious to see what the EDF has to offer so... sure, I don't mind." Gaius accepted.

"I'll go along with Gaius." Gilliam also accepted.

"Hmm... a tour around the EDF base sounds nice, but can we at least have something to eat first?" Cecilia asked.

"No problem, Cecilia. I'll guide you to our cafeteria." Reynold replied.

"Thank you."

"I'll call you when we're done, okay?" Prairie said to Gaius.

"You got it." Gaius replied with a thumbs up. "See you later!"

"Follow me, you three." Reynold then escorted Gaius, Gilliam and Cecilia out of the room while Mitsuba and Prairie stayed behind to resume establishing the comms link.

---

Sector 4: The Waterworks Area

As the MAs are nearing the location of the locked door leading towards Sector 5, Houki just finished telling her stories about her world to the group. Their reactions were a mix of shock and awe, however, Copen felt a bit iffy about Tabane's actions which cause the world to change.

"Copen? Are you feeling alright?" Houki asked.

"Feeling a bit triggered about your sister's decision on limiting the usage of the IS to only women, which also caused the global power balance to shift towards the women." Copen answered. "Seriously, what is your sister thinking?"

"Also, sorry to hear about you being pulled out of the kendo tournament because of the introduction of the IS being held on the same day. Talk about bad timing." Gunvolt added.

"And being under government protection doesn't help either, not to mention being separated from Ichika. I never expected the two of you to be childhood friends." Joule also added.

"Yeah..." Houki sighed. "This is why I don't like to talk about my sister that much."

"I see." Jason noted. "Though to be fair, if the IS wasn't invented, then those 1200 or more missiles would've razed Japan to the ground. Worse case scenario, you or Ichika would've died from that."

"That, and you wouldn't have gotten your very own IS from your sister." Volnutt added.

"Hmm... I guess you're right." Houki replied.

"Still, what happened, happened already. All you can do now is move on." Eve stated.

"That incident with the Silver Gospel though... Man, that was a difficult fight for you and your friends." Ashe commented. "And it happened on your gacking birthday, no less! Now that I mention it, that's also the same day when you and your friends were struck by that Dimensional Quake later that night."

"But at least you guys won, and you're able to learn your mistakes when it comes to which one is important." Grey added.

"Yeah. I'll be sure to remember to use the IS to protect the weak and the innocent." Houki replied. "That's what Ichika would've wanted."

"Good to know, Houki." Volnutt smiled. "Anyway, I know it's a bit rude for me to ask but, how old are you right now?"

"Sixteen. Oh, and it's okay, Volnutt. You asked nicely."

"Careful, MegaMan. You don't want to make Roll jealous." Lola teased.

"L-Lola! That's not what I meant!" Volnutt blushed while everyone else laughed at his response, except for Copen who facepalmed.

"Lola, leave the Digger alone." Copen sighed.

"Oh, come on, Ix. Let me have my fun." Lola pouted.

"Ah, we're finally here." Eve informed the group as the MAs arrived at the locked door.

"Houki, would you like to do the honors?" Jason offered.

"With pleasure." Houki complied, disembarking from SOPHIA with the key in hand and approached the keyhole. She inserted the key and gave it a 360 spin, causing the door to open... which revealed to have another blocked door along with a ladder. "Eh?! Another door?!" Houki gawked.

"Seriously?! Why is there another door there?!" Ashe questioned in annoyance.

"Wait... there's also a ladder there." Grey noticed said ladder leading upwards. "There might be another keyhole somewhere above."

"Then I'd better finish this quickly." Copen declared, disembarking from Rairyu and approached Houki. "Houki, the key please?"

"Hai." Houki nodded, pulling the key out of the keyhole and gave it to Copen. "Be careful up there."

"Don't worry, it won't take long. Just return to SOPHIA for now." Copen replied before he began climbing up the ladder while Houki returned to SOPHIA. One minute later, the door opened up, revealing the link tunnel on the other side of the pool of water. Copen then hovered back to ground level and waved at the MAs. "Okay, you guys can pass through now!" He shouted, prompting the MAs to hover towards Copen's location over the pool of water before he boarded Rairyu. Afterwards, the MAs drove inside the link tunnel, traveling towards the next sector.

"So the second keyhole was on the higher level?" Houki asked.

"Yup. And across a very long gap. But my Bullit Dash allowed me to reach that keyhole no problem." Copen answered.

"Though there were a few sneaky mutants that needed to be destroyed before going for the keyhole." Lola added.

"Now then... how are we going to traverse through Sector 5 without the aqua module?" Gunvolt pondered.

"Maybe our best bet is to find the map data first. Then we can figure out what to do next." Jason replied.

"Gotcha."

"Ah, Houki? I wonder if your IS can also traverse through underwater?" Eve asked.

"To be honest, I'm not really sure." Houki replied. "The IS teachers never did taught us about underwater combat yet. We're more used to aerial and ground combat."

"I see." Copen noted. "Would you like me to help?"

"You can do that?"

"Well it's my first time tuning up an IS, so please bare with me on this. But if possible, I'll be able to install aqua jets for underwater movement."

"Then I'll leave Akatsubaki in your care, Copen."

"I'll do what I can, Houki. Good thing I still have plenty of spare parts stored within my Zikan Phone."

---

Chapter 5: Into the Waterworks

END

(Houki Shinonono, Cecilia Alcott, Gilliam Yeager and the EDF has joined Xross Drive Rebellion)

---

Author's Note: Man, that took a while finishing this chapter. Had to study a bit about Infinite Stratos while writing this chapter, not to mention playing the Nintendo Switch and the recent Genshin event. Anyway, Houki joined Team XDR, the EDF officially formed an alliance with the Rebellion in addition of Cecilia and Gilliam joining the team, and Eve beginning to remember some of her lost memories. And speaking of Houki and her IS friends, they're from the very end of Infinite Stratos Season 1, so they didn't encounter Phantom Task or Tatenashi and Kanzashi yet. As for Gilliam, his story takes place some time after the end of Super Robot Wars OG: The Moon Dwellers, which is why the destruction of the Cross-Gate is mentioned.

Anyway, up next is Sector 5: The Sea Area, AKA, the most annoying area in Blaster Master Zero when you didn't have the Dive Module yet. As least in this version, things will be a bit easier thanks to the A-Trans and the jet boosters also acting as water jets, though the MAs will probably have to stay on dry land until the Dive Module is installed.

Until then, stay safe and see you next chapter!