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?

6. Under the Deep Sea

Book 5: The Blaster Master

Chapter 6: Under the Deep Sea

---

Sector 5: The Sea Area

(Play BGM: The Abyssal Seas (Area 5) from Blaster Master Zero OST)

After several minutes of the MAs driving through the link tunnel, they finally arrived at Sector 5: The Sea Area. The group were in awe at the sight of the large sea. There's also a nearby recharge terminal nearby. "Wow. Gotta give credit to the humans who made this place. It's amazing." Ashe remarked.

"Yeah. And we're still underground." Grey agreed.

"I wonder why this kind of area is built?" Gunvolt pondered.

"Probably to reserve, protect and study various marine life." Copen answered.

"So this place is basically a marine facility?" Houki guessed.

"Seems like it."

"Anyway, as much as I want to feel mesmerized about this place, we still have a mission to accomplish." Jason stated.

"I hate to say it, but he's right." Eve said. "So first off, we need to search for this sector's map data. But since the MAs have limited underwater mobility, you guys are going to have to go deep sea diving."

"Well, time to get some fresh air." Volnutt declared as the group got out of the MAs. Volnutt then took a deep breath to smell the air. "Wow... the air smells nice here. It's like we're at a beach."

"Yeah." Ashe nodded. "If this place wasn't crawling with mutants, I'd definitely take a vacation here."

"Anyway, which one of us will go deep sea diving for that map data?" Grey asked the group. "Though I know Ashe and I will go diving using our A-Trans forms."

"I'll be going underwater with you two." Jason answered and pointed at his helmet he's still wearing. "The helmet on my suit has a built-in Receiver System just like SOPHIA. That way, I'll be able to locate signals to what we're looking for, which in this case is the map data. Plus, I wanted to try out my jet boosters underwater."

"I think I'll also go diving." Gunvolt added. "I need to work on underwater combat without my Septima. And since I got an X-Baton and an upgraded Dart Leader, I can do just that."

"Just try not to electrocute us by accident while we're in the water, GV." Ashe said.

"Don't worry, I won't." Gunvolt assured. "Like I said, I can't use my Septima underwater."

"Just making sure."

"As for me, I'll stay here and help install hydro jets onto Houki's IS." Copen said. "Once it's ready, she'll be able to deal with underwater combat. I'll even throw in an oxygen mask for underwater breathing."

"I hope you know what you're doing, Copen. I just got this IS from my sister, remember?" Houki said.

"Relax, Houki. Ix is a talented scientist. He did built me as a battle pod, after all, along with making his own gear." Lola assured.

"I will be honest about one thing though; I'm a bit curious to see the specs of an IS." Copen said.

"I see." Houki noted. "Still though, please be careful with it."

"I will."

"I'll stay here and do a few check-ups on SOPHIA." Eve said. "If you guys were able to find something during your underwater excursion, let me know."

"You got it, Eve." Jason nodded.

"What about you, Volnutt? You coming along with us?" Grey asked.

"I think I'll stay behind this time, in case Copen or Eve need some help with the tune-ups." Volnutt decided.

"Huh. And I thought you were going to try out your jet boosters underwater." Joule said.

"Maybe some other time."

"Okay!" Ashe clasped her hands. "Time to get a move on! A-Trans!" With a quick flash of light, she changed into one of her A-Trans forms. She now donned a light blue armor with the helmet having fins on the side and a large booster resembling a ponytail. She's also wielding a light blue dual-bladed halberd.

"Wow... so this is A-Trans?" Houki said with awe.

"That's right." Ashe nodded, twirling her weapon for a bit. "I'm taking form of MegaMan Model L, the Ice MegaMan, who excels at underwater combat. That, and I can unleash ice techniques with my halberd."

"Amazing..."

"Alright, my turn!" Grey said, running towards the water before leaping high in the air. "A-Trans!" And with a quick flash of light, Grey took form of a large metal deep blue horseshoe crab with details in white and gold along with green lights. His top half is a sturdy round shell, a large ice tail on its back, and its underside has a head and torso, along with three pairs of articulated fins as appendages. "This is Chronoforce the Tridenroid; an ice elemental Falseroid. It also excels in underwater combat and can fire ice needles. It also has the ability to slow down, speed up, and even reverse time, hence his namesake."

"Wow..." Gunvolt remarked with awe. "And you and Ashe fought that thing and won?"

"Yup." L-Ashe nodded. "Though his time powers are a pain in the ass, especially when he reversed time on his ice needles. He was able to scratch us a few times because of that."

"Ouch... That had to hurt." Joule cringed.

"Meh, no big deal. We still kicked his ass and obtained his DNA." L-Ashe shrugged. "Anyway, Jason, GV, hop on Grey's back."

"Mm." The two nodded before jumping onto G-Chronoforce's back.

"Hey, GV!" Copen spoke up, earning his attention. "Use this." He took out a black mask that covers the mouth and threw it to Gunvolt.

"What's this?" Gunvolt asked after catching the mask.

"It's a customized oxygen mask that will help you breathe underwater for an hour. It'll also replenish the oxygen by itself when you're on dry land."

"Ah, thanks for that, Ix." Gunvolt nodded before wearing the mask.

"When did you made that?" Houki asked Copen.

"I made this back at Guardian Base after Shirabe and Bronya told me that there might be more underwater sections on the other sectors. I was planning to make one that can last for two hours, but one hour is more than enough."

"Ah, I see."

"Well, see ya guys later!" L-Ashe said to the others with a two-finger salute and dove into the water before G-Chronoforce submerged into the water with Gunvolt and Jason in tow.

"Hope they'll be okay down there." Houki said.

"They'll be fine." Copen assured. "They have fought underwater before, except for GV since he's starting out with underwater combat with the gear upgrades I gave him back at Guardian Base. Now then, Houki, could you materialize your IS so I can get started with the tune-up?"

"Hai." Houki nodded, raising her accessory on her wrist before it glowed. Soon after, the IS appeared in front of the group.

"Huh, so this is what your IS looks like when you're not wearing it, Houki." Volnutt remarked as the group took a closer look at Akatsubaki.

"Yeah. Honestly, I still can't believe my sister made this for me. I was using a training IS from the academy before I had this."

"If I remember your story earlier, this IS is a 4th-Gen model, correct?" Copen asked, earning a nod from Houki.

"So that means there's models before this one." Lola noted.

"My IS, Akatsubaki, specializes in close range combat." Houki explained. "My weapons are a pair of katanas, each having their own names. My right katana is called Amatsuki, which is used for one-on-one combat. It can also shoot red laser beams not just from my sword, but also from my IS."

"Wow..." Eve spoke with awe. "And what about your left katana?"

"It's called Karaware, which is used against multiple enemies. It also unleashes powerful slash-waves, slashing through multiple enemies at once. You guys already saw that technique when I'm fighting those mutant bees."

"Yep, we remember." Copen replied as he, Volnutt and Eve nodded. "Another thing we saw from that recent battle was your blade bits. I never expected your IS to have those."

"My sister was the one who made my IS, after all." Houki pointed out. "As for how I was able to deploy the blade bits, it's because of the Fold-Out Armor system. It allows the IS to configure itself to a form optimized for various roles, such as attack, defense, and mobility in an instant. The only downside is that it consumes the IS' energy a lot faster, so I have to be careful not to rely on it too much."

"The Fold-Out Armor..." Eve repeated. "So all IS are equipped with that system, or only a select few?"

"The latter. One for Akatsubaki, and the other one for Ichika's white IS, the Byakushiki. Though that one was a 3.5-Gen model, a prototype."

"Byakushiki... So that IS was the reason why Ichika's enrolled to IS Academy, correct?" Copen recalled, earning a nod from Houki.

"You know... being the sole male attending an all-girls academy sounds like a blessing or a curse." Volnutt remarked.

"Definitely the latter, Volnutt." Lola stated. "I don't think you can handle it, even with Roll on your side."

"Yeah... you're probably right." Volnutt sweatdropped. "Uh, no offence by the way, Houki."

"It's okay, I understand." Houki replied.

"Anyway, I better get started with your IS tune-up." Copen declared. "Lola, come and help me out over here."

"Roger that, Ix!" Lola complied, appearing beside him in her Idol Form which surprised Houki.

"E-Eh?! That's you, Lola?!" Houki gasped. "I thought you were an AI!"

"I still am. I gained this form after absorbing Joule's 'Muse' Septima." Lola answered before taking a deep breath. "Wow Volnutt, you're right about the air in this area. It feels nice and clean."

"I know, right?" Volnutt smiled.

Copen materialized a toolkit and some machine parts in front of him using his Zikan Phone. "I'll go and look into the IS' feet." He said before giving some of the tools and parts to Lola. "You go and look onto its back."

"No problem!" Lola saluted, taking some of the tools and parts, went to the back of the IS and opened the control panel while Copen opened the panel on the IS' legs. "So Houki, could you tell us about Byakushiki's combat style?"

"Well, it's mostly a close combat unit with no long range weaponry. It only has a sword called the Yukihiria Nigata, which can become a light blue energy sword thanks to the One-Off Ability system." Houki answered while Copen and Lola began tuning up Akatsubaki.

"One-Off Ability?" Eve repeated.

"An IS' special ability. It's what happens when the IS and its pilot grows the more they fight together, allowing new abilities to be unlocked." Houki explained.

"An IS that can become stronger as time goes by, huh?" Lola mused. "Kind of like the Symphogear system the Attuned use. They can also grow stronger as time goes by."

"Is that so?" Houki asked, earning a nod from Lola and Copen.

"The same rule also applies to the Faust Robes GV and I currently have. But we'll only use them for emergencies. Our current arsenal is enough." Copen stated. "Also, our friend Shirabe is one of the Attuned, but she's in the Guardian Base at the moment."

"I see."

"What about the other IS' your friends are using? Could you tell us more about those?" Eve asked.

"Well... we're going to be here for a while so, sure, I'll talk about them." Houki replied. "Let's start with Cecilia and her blue IS; Blue Tears, a 3rd-Gen model. It specializes in long range combat, which is why her weapon is a beam rifle with a scope on it. The defining feature of her IS is because of her interceptor drones, or bits in another term. Those bits hunt down enemies with laser beams, but she has to stay stationary and not use her rifle in order to control her bits properly."

"So she's basically a sitting duck until she stops using those bits?" Volnutt guessed.

"That's right." Houki nodded. "That is until she can master that technique so that she'll be able to use her bits without being stationary."

"So there's still room to improve. That's good to know." Copen noted. "So, who's next?"

"Lingyin Huang, but me and my friends call her Rin. She has a magenta and black IS called the Shenlong, also a 3rd-Gen model and specializes in close range combat like my Akatsubaki. She wields a pair of Chinese swords that can combine into a double sword."

"Does she have any ranged options?" Lola asked.

"Hai." Houki nodded. "A pair of floating sphere impact cannons called the Ryuhou. Though using those in close range could be damaging to Rin and her IS."

"I see." Eve noted. "Who's next?"

"Charlotte Dunois and her orange IS; the Rafale-Revive Custom II, a 2.5-Gen model."

"A customized IS model?" Copen blinked.

"That is one long name for an IS." Volnutt commented.

"Charlotte's IS was quite versatile since she can equip a wide variety of weapons using the Equalizer system. Rifles, sub-machine guns, shotguns... you name it, she'll use it." Houki explained.

"And what's an Equalizer?" Lola asked.

"It's basically like installing parts on expansion slots to improve the IS, such as armor, mobility and weapons."

"Ah, gotcha. Now that I think about it, installing the hydro jets on your IS felt like installing parts on your Equalizer, huh?"

"Huh, you're right. I never did require any Equalizers until you mention that I need to use the IS underwater." Houki noted.

"There's always room for improvement, Houki. Always remember that." Copen stated.

"I understand." Houki nodded. "Anyway, about Charlotte's IS, there's one unique weapon she has on her arsenal, a pile bunker."

"A... pile bunker?" Eve repeated.

"Think of it as a weaponized battering ram, but with explosive rounds."

"Wow, that sounds awesome." Volnutt commented.

"With a weapon like that, it can break through the toughest armor with ease." Copen remarked.

"That's what Charlotte is going with in order to break energy shields from the other IS'." Houki confirmed. "And now we come to Laura's black IS, the Schwarzer Regen, another 3rd-Gen model."

"The Schwarzer Regen..." Lola repeated. "That sounds German to me."

"That's because Laura's from Germany, which is why her IS is named liked that. Houki did mention her during her story, remember?" Copen pointed out.

"...Ah, right. Oops..." Lola sheepishly chuckled, rubbing the back of her head. "Anyway, what does Laura's IS specialize in?"

"It's an all-rounder, capable of both close and long range combat." Houki answered. "It has beam sabers, wire-guided daggers, and a powerful shoulder mounted railgun that fires a projectile at Mach 7."

"Mach 7?!" Eve gasped. "My goodness, that's powerful."

"Must be an artillery type with a railgun like that." Volnutt noted.

"Mhm." Houki nodded. "But the most defining feature of her IS is a powerful negation field called the Active Inertia Canceller, or AIC for short. That field can stop any projectiles and attacks directed at Laura, but she needs complete concentration on her target for the field to be used effectively."

"So the AIC is most effective in one-on-one battles instead of a group." Copen noted, earning a nod from Houki.

"Wow, your friends got some really strong IS' on their side. It's hard to pick a favourite." Lola remarked.

"You're not complaining about Ichika's Byakushiki?" Houki questioned.

"Nope." Lola shook her head. "It may be a prototype, but it did defeat the Silver Gospel, so it probably has room for improvement thanks to the One-Off Ability."

"Lola's right. Even a prototype can be powerful with the right enhancements." Copen agreed. "The same rules applies to the pilot with enough training."

"I see." Houki noted.

"Hm?" Eve's Zikan Phone began to ring which earned everyone's attention before beginning to answer it. "Hello?"

"Oh, hey Eve." Jason voice was heard in an audio call. "I'm calling right now to inform you that we got the map data for Sector 5."

"That's great, Jason!" Eve smiled. "Are you and the others returning?"

"Actually, I'll just transfer the data chip using the Zikan Phones. It'll save us time without losing progress. I'm beginning the transfer process immediately."

"Oh, okay." Eve replied, now noticing the transfer in process on the holo-screen.

"By the way, is the loudspeaker on your Zikan Phone turned on?" Joule asked.

"Y-Yes, it's on. Why is that?"

"Because I want to complain about the domain that has the map data on it. I feel like we ran around a circle just getting to the darn data chip."

"What happened, Joule?" Lola asked.

"You know, we were looking for the map data as usual while dealing with more mutants lurking around. We eventually found the map data and retrieved it, but we also saw a cracked wall in front of us. So Jason blew up that wall with a grenade, and guess what... it revealed to be the entrance to where we first came in! I'm like, 'Are you kidding me right now?!'"

"Huh... well that was unexpected." Copen commented.

"Are you sure, Ix? Because it feels like whoever built this domain must be making a fool out of us!"

"Uhh..." Volnutt scratched his cheek. "On the bright side... at least you don't have to summon a wormhole back to the entrance?"

"...I guess that's true, but I'm still annoyed though. Ugh..." Joule sighed before taking a deep breath.

"Feel better now, Joule?" Gunvolt asked.

"...Okay... I'm calm. I just hope this won't be the only time there's this kind of domain existing in the other sectors."

"Highly unlikely." Copen deadpanned. "So, sounds like it's Jason and Gunvolt exploring the domain?"

"Yeah. Grey and Ashe are waiting outside until we got the map data." Gunvolt confirmed.

"Once the map data is unlocked and a copy is given to us, we'll meet up with them and start looking for the domains with mutant icons on it. Hopefully one of them has the Dive Module." Jason added.

"Please be careful in there, guys." Houki replied. "Once the hydro jets are installed onto my IS, I'll join in and assist."

"That would be great, thanks." Gunvolt replied back.

Eve's Zikan Phone began to ring, signaling that the transfer is complete. "Okay, transfer complete." Eve informed. "I'll head over to SOPHIA to begin downloading the map data before uploading the copies to your Zikan Phone."

"Gotcha. Take your time, Eve." Jason noted.

"Right." Eve replied, ending the call and began heading for SOPHIA. "I'll be back soon!"

"Take your time! No rush!" Lola replied back as Eve entered the MA, closed the cockpit and began downloading the map data onto the MA.

"So Copen, how long will it take for you to finish tuning up Akatsubaki?" Houki asked.

"Almost there..." Copen replied as he continued to tinker with the IS, until he finally finished after a few seconds and closed the panel. "And done."

"I'm done on this side too, Ix!" Lola informed, closing the panel on the IS' back and then returned the tools back to Copen before putting all of the tools back into the toolkit.

"Great." Houki smiled. "So do I get to test it out now?"

"Just one more thing." Copen replied, using his Zikan Phone to store the toolbox back into the phone and then materialized another custom oxygen mask onto his hand. "Use this oxygen mask."

"You made another one?" Houki asked, taking the mask from Copen.

"Well I made some spares in case we run into anymore Dimensional Quake victims that can't stay in the water for too long."

"I see." Houki noted before putting on the mask. "What about you, Volnutt? Do you need one too?"

"Nah, I don't need it, so don't worry about me." Volnutt shook his head. "I can breath underwater just fine without a mask."

"Are you sure?" Houki asked, earning a nod from Volnutt. "If you say so." Afterwards, she touched her IS and began concentrating on it. And after a quick flash of light, she donned her IS once more.

"Go for a quick swim and come back. I'll hear about your comments later on." Copen instructed, earning a nod from Houki before she flew right into the water.

A few minutes later, she flew out of the water and landed in front of the group. "It worked great, Copen!" Houki smiled. "Me and my IS can move freely underwater, and I can still use my katanas without any issue."

"That's great to hear, Houki." Copen smiled back. "Now you're ready for underwater combat. Also, if we ever encounter some of your friends, I'll install the hydro jets onto their IS' as well."

"I'm sure they'll appreciate that. Thank you." Houki nodded and smiled. "So what now?"

"Let's wait for Eve to finish downloading the map data onto the MA before she transfers copies of them to our Zikan Phones and Rairyu." Lola replied.

"But I don't have a Zikan Phone yet."

"I'll build you one when we return to Guardian Base, and in your color." Copen replied.

"Thanks, Copen." Houki smiled before they glanced at SOPHIA, waiting for Eve to finish her task.

(BGM End)

---

"Okay... that should do it." Eve took a deep breath and dusted off her hands. "Map data for Sector 5 is now downloaded and uploaded to the MAs and the Zikan Phones. The others should get their notifications by now. And now... I think I'll sort out some intel and give SOPHIA a quick tune-up before taking a break. Me and the others are gonna be on dry land for a while longer until Jason's team retrieved the Dive Module."

But then she began to think about something that's been bugging her mind. "I keep working like this, but my memory hasn't come back. I'm starting to get impatient with it all. I know the others told me not to force it, but..." She then looked at the console and began typing a few buttons. "Let's check out SOPHIA's database. There might be a clue somewhere. I can somehow operate SOPHIA despite having lost my memory. There's gotta be something here... I know it." Seconds later, she found something on the monitor. A single piece of information that's locked behind some kind of high-grade security. "Is this information all confidential?" She thought. "Looks like I need some sort of authentication, but..."

And when she touched the monitor, SOPHIA's speech interface began to activate.

"CONFIRMING RELEASE OF CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION"

"NOW BEGINNING THE AUTHENTICATION PROCESS"

"NOW AUTHENTICATING BIOMETRICS..."

"SCANNING TARGET..."

"TARGET IDENTIFIED AS ANDROID NORA-2057: EVE"

"AUTHENTICATION COMPLETE"

"NOW BEGINNING ANDROID KEY CODE AUTHENTICATION"

"VERIFYING KEY CODE..."

"KEY CODE AUTHENTICATION COMPLETE"

"PERMISSION GRANTED TO ACCESS CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION"

"NOW DISCLOSING INFORMATION"

Eve was in deep and utter shock at what she saw on the monitor, especially the part that she's... actually an android this entire time. "...W-What's going on here...? Why does it know my name, and... what's this about an... android? Am I... an android...?"

Massive amounts of information was displayed before her eyes. And when she continued to read the info, she constantly felt sharp pains on her head. She didn't know what was happening, but she knew what this was. She really should've stopped reading. She know this, and yet, she could not allow herself to look away. She knew that she needed to see this info so that she could return to her real self, to remember everything before she had amnesia. "I... I...! AAAAAAAGGHH!"

---

Everyone outside had their eyes widen in shock the moment Eve screamed. "Eve?!" Copen exclaimed as they quickly approached SOPHIA.

"Eve?! What's going on in there?! Speak to us!" Lola asked with worry, knocking on the cockpit.

"Are you okay?! Did something happen to your head again?!" Volnutt also asked.

"I thought Eve was uploading and transferring the map data! Did she do something else after that?" Houki pondered.

"Most likely." Copen replied before frowning. "Damn it... and we told her not to force it too much or else...!"

"Let me get her out of there!" Houki reached her hand on the cockpit, only for Copen to stop her by grabbing her hand.

"...Don't."

"But-!"

"I know. We all know that we're trying to help her. But..." Copen looked at the cockpit. "I think this is Eve's choice. She wants to know who she really is before she lost her memory. As much as I hate to say it but... the best thing we can do for her now is to watch over her until she's done."

"Are you sure?"

Copen nodded. "We'll stay here and keep watch over Eve until Jason's team returns with the Dive Module."

Houki glanced at the cockpit for a few moments before reluctantly moved her hand away from it as Copen removed his grip on her. "...Very well. For Eve's sake."

"You can go and meet up with the others now that your IS has the hydro jets installed." Lola advised.

Houki shook her head, dispersed her IS and took off her oxygen mask. "No. Change of plans. I'll stay here and protect Eve with you guys until the others come back. If Ichika were here, he'd do the same thing and protect his friends."

"Houki..." Lola whispered before smiling. "If that's your wish, then you can stay."

"Thank you, Lola." Houki smiled back before the group stepped away from SOPHIA.

"So how are we going to tell Jason and the others about this?" Volnutt asked.

"We don't. This will be our own little secret." Copen replied. "We don't want them to worry about Eve. If they did ask about her, I'll tell them that she's taking another nap after tuning up SOPHIA."

"Understood." Volnutt nodded.

"Should we also ask Eve about what she found once she's done?" Houki asked.

"I think it's up to Eve to answer that question. Though it'll probably be on the time when we return to Guardian Base." Copen answered.

"I see..." Houki noted before they glanced at SOPHIA. "Eve... Whatever it is you've found, don't be afraid to tell us. We'll be there to help you, no matter what."

---

Meanwhile with Jason's team, after obtaining the copy of the map of Sector 5 thanks to Eve, the team left the domain and regrouped with Grey and Ashe before looking at the map layout on Jason's Zikan Phone. "Okay. According to the map, we'll have to go deeper in order to reach the mutant guardians hiding in those domains." Jason stated as the map on the holo-screen shows one mutant icon near their location and the other two on the bottom left side of the map.

"Not only that, there's also a LIFE-UP on the surface area. And it's nearby a cave." Gunvolt added, pointing at said icons on the top right side of the map.

"And look over there." Grey pointed at the link tunnel icon on the left side of the map. "This should be the link tunnel leading towards Sector 6."

"And I'm gonna bet Fred or that Gjallarhorn fragment are hiding in that sector." Ashe deduced before looking at the link tunnel's info. "And that sector's called the Glacier Area."

"So our next area is an ice area." Joule noted. "Something tells me that the traction of our MAs are going to have some problems since ice can cause the MA's wheels to be slippery."

"Would be nice if there's such thing as spiked wheels for the MAs to negate that problem, but we'll work with what we've got for now." Gunvolt said.

"Anyway, let's head for the mutant domain near our location. After that, we'll split up to deal with the remaining two." Jason declared, putting away his phone. "GV, Grey, you two will deal with the mutant guardian on the bottom domain while Ashe and I will handle the one above."

"Roger!" The group nodded.

"Okay, let's go!" Gunvolt declared as Grey and Ashe transformed into Chronoforce and MegaMan Model L respectively and head for the next domain with Jason and Gunvolt riding atop G-Chronoforce again.

Several minutes later while clearing out more mutant jellyfish, prawns and divers along with destroying some debris that blocked their path, the team finally arrived at the next domain, stopping right in front of the entrance. "Okay, this is the place." Jason said as he and Gunvolt got off G-Chronoforce before he and Ashe reverted back to Base Form. "GV and I already had our turn, so you two are going next."

"No problem." Ashe complied, twirling her hand cannons. "Alright Grey, let's get moving!"

"Right behind you!" Grey replied as he and Ashe ran inside the domain while Gunvolt and Jason waited outside.

"You know... I just realized something." Joule spoke up.

"What's up?" Gunvolt asked.

"Shouldn't Houki be here by now? She did say that she'll come and assist us once the hydro jets are installed onto Akatsubaki."

"I guess the tune-up process is taking longer than I thought. Though to be fair, it's Copen's first time tuning up an IS." Jason answered.

"Hmm... you do have a point there."

"Oh well." Gunvolt shrugged. "Guess we'll have to move on without her help. Though I do wanted to see her IS in action underwater."

"Maybe some other time, GV." Jason replied.

---

Meanwhile back with the MegaMen, the two continued to venture deep inside the domain while dealing with more mutants, including the humanoid ones, alongside hostile turret drones. They also traversed through more moving platforms on narrow pathways without falling into the water. A few minutes later, they arrived at the recharge platform where the boss room awaits on the left side.

"Well, we're here." Ashe said before sighing. "Still... not even this sector is safe from the mutants."

"Yeah..." Grey nodded sadly. "Those people were only doing their jobs, until the mutants infected them and then took over the sector."

"It can't be helped, guys. What happened, happened already. And killing them is the only way for them to stop their suffering." Model A stated.

"I know, Model A... but I'm still feeling uneasy about it." Ashe replied.

"All the more reason to destroy that meteor before the entire planet and it's people becomes infected." Grey stated.

"Yeah." Ashe nodded. "We have to keep moving forward and put an end to this cycle."

"That's the spirit." Grey smiled. "Now let's get moving!"

After the two used the recharge platform, they ran towards the next room where they saw two large holes in front of the wall, and one hole on each side. "Looks like we're about to deal with another enemy rush. Don't let your guard down, guys!" Model A said as the doors closed behind them.

=WARNING=

THE LAIR OF

AMBUSH ROOM

Soon after, more mutated spacemen came walking out of the holes with their blasters ready and pointing at the MegaMen. "Ugh... I really wish it wasn't these guys..." Ashe groaned.

"No choice, Ashe! It's either us, or them!" Grey replied before firing homing laser shots at the mutants as each laser struck their heads, instantly killing them.

"Yeah... we need to survive and press onward!" Ashe nodded before firing homing lightning shots at another group of mutants.

As time goes by, the two fought off more hordes of mutant spacemen with charged and homing shots while avoiding their blaster shots. And soon after, the last group of mutants arrive, only for them to be obliterated by Grey and Ashe's combined Giga Crush. Afterwards, the room became silent with the entire area being filled with the fallen mutants along with green blood everywhere.

"Model A, any more mutants coming?" Ashe asked before her helmet's bolt began to glow for a moment.

"Nope, that's it. We're in the clear." Model A answered. "But man this place is a mess."

"I'll say." Grey agreed as the two holstered their hand cannons.

"Well then, let's grab that data chip and get out of here. I don't wanna see this kind of sight anymore." Ashe shuddered.

"Mm." Grey nodded as he looked around for the data chip, until he saw a small blue glow on the middle of the room. He approached it, picked it up and then used his Zikan Phone to scan its info.

SHIELD MINE:

A sub-weapon that emits a shield that prevents enemies and projectiles from passing through.

"A shield deployment weapon. Neat." Ashe commented.

"Extra defence is always nice to have." Grey pointed out, before using the phone's Blaster Mode to summon a wormhole behind him. "Okay, time to go."

Grey walked inside the wormhole before Ashe followed behind, but not before giving one more look at the fallen mutated spacemen. "Just hold on for a while longer, guys. Once that meteor is destroyed, you can finally rest peacefully." Ashe thought before walking inside the wormhole.

---

A wormhole appeared in front of the domain entrance which garnered attention from Jason and Gunvolt as they saw Grey and Ashe walking out of it before it vanished behind them.

"Welcome back, you two." Jason greeted the arrivals. "What did you get this time?"

"The Shield Mine for the MAs. It deploys shields that blocks projectiles and enemies." Grey answered.

"So it's a defensive weapon." Gunvolt noted. "Can the MAs still shoot through their own shield?"

"I dunno. Maybe we should try it after we get the Dive Module." Ashe replied.

"Okay then."

"So who did you fight to obtain that chip?" Joule asked.

"A horde of mutated spacemen." Grey answered. "And it was a bloody sight once the horde is finished, with mutant blood everywhere."

"Yeah..." Ashe sighed. "This is what could happen to this planet if that meteor is not destroyed as soon as possible."

"Agreed." Jason replied as he and Gunvolt nodded. "Once we find Fred at Sector 6, we head back to Guardian Base to prepare an assault on Sector 7."

"Right." Gunvolt nodded. "The sooner we find Fred and defeat the remaining mutant guardians, the better. Well, this is where we split up, so you guys know which areas you need to go, right?"

"Jason and I will check on one domain while you and Grey will search the other one. Got it." Ashe recalled.

"We'll try to join you as soon as we finish searching our domain. No promises though." Grey said.

"No problem, Grey. Just take it nice and slow or you'll mess up." Jason replied, earning a nod from Grey.

"Okay, time to go. See you guys later!" Gunvolt said with a two-finger salute as Grey and Ashe both transformed into Chronoforce. Gunvolt rode on G-Chronoforce while Jason rode on A-Chronoforce before they went their separate ways.

---

Both teams had to swim through water currents to reach their destinations while also eliminating any mutants swimming around their path. Thanks to the gear upgrades Copen gave to Gunvolt back at Guardian Base, he now has an easier time fighting the mutants without relying on his Septima. Eventually though, Gunvolt and Grey arrived at the domain after climbing up a ladder while navigating through the water currents.

Once the two entered the domain however, the area is already dark. "Okay, I did not expect the area to be dark the moment we step inside." Grey remarked as he looked around the dark area.

"Don't move, or you'll accidently fall off." Joule advised. "GV, lights please?"

"Cover you eyes, Grey." Gunvolt said with his electrified hand raised, prompting Grey to close his eyes. "One Dragonsphere, coming up!" He then launched a Dragonsphere until it exploded a few metres away, causing the entire room to be lit up, revealing the room to have very narrow pathways surrounded by water. "You can open your eyes now."

Grey opened his eyes and saw the revealing area. "Much better." He said before noticing the water in front of him. "Also, thanks for the advice, Joule. I would've fallen into the water if I did move."

"Well someone has to keep an eye on the both of you." Joule smiled.

"Now let's see where we should go." Gunvolt pulled out his Zikan Phone to check the map of the domain. "Okay, the top right area is where we'll find our mutant guardian. Just try not to slip while we're heading for our destination." He put away his phone afterwards.

"Right, let's get moving." Grey replied as the two prepared their weapons and began heading for their destination.

Along the way, they had to deal with more mutants that were stationed in some of the platforms, but it's nothing Gunvolt and Grey couldn't handle as they were destroyed by the former's lightning bolts and the latter's homing lasers. A few minutes later, they arrived at their destination where they saw another recharge platform along with a room up ahead.

"I wonder what kind of mutant guardian we'll see in the next room?" Joule pondered.

"Well me and Ashe already dealt with an enemy rush on one domain, so I'm guessing we'll be fighting a bigger mutant next." Grey deduced.

"In that case, we'd better steel ourselves for a tough fight up ahead." Gunvolt stated as the two went inside the next room after using the recharge platform.

Once inside, they were in an even larger room with a pool of water on their left side while the door behind them closed up. "Huh. That's weird. I could've sworn that we'd see a mutant guardian in this room." Model A commented as the boys looked around the area.

"Hm?" Grey then noticed something at a distance on his right. "Something's over there." He then took a closer look at what it was with Gunvolt following behind.

And when they're about to reach the edge of the room, something large slowly swam towards them. It was a large gurnard with an orange armored face with three green eyes, a slender yellow body with four cyan tails, and a pair of green pectoral fins covered in blue spots. It then revealed its six spiny legs, two on each side.

"Uh... guys? What am I even looking at right now?" Joule asked.

"Is this some kind of fish?" Grey guessed.

"I didn't read much on marine biology, so I think it's a fish?" Gunvolt answered. "Nevertheless, we have to exterminate it."

"Yeah. We didn't come here to become fish food!" Grey replied with a determined look as they prepared their weapons once more.

=WARNING=

THE LAIR OF

=GURNAHIDE=

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

The mutant quickly rushed towards them while firing blue projectiles from the center eye.

"Fire at will!" Gunvolt shouted as he and Grey fired their weapons, with the former unleashing his Flashfield since his shots also tagged the mutant, causing electrocution to the mutant. The mutant was slowly being pushed back due to their assault, but then it launched a spread of pink projectiles at them, making them evade the attack, but also caused it to break their momentum, allowing the mutant to rush forward.

"Is this mutant trying to push us off the edge?!" Grey asked as they kept shooting.

"Sure seems like it! It's like we're playing tug-of-war, but in opposite directions!" Joule answered.

Gunvolt then looked at the legs the mutant was using to move faster. "Not if I cut those legs off first! Grey, cover me while I cut them off!"

"You got it, GV! I got your back!" Grey complied as he continued firing at the mutant with homing and charged shots to push it back.

In response, Gunvolt quickly rushed towards the mutants legs with lightning speed while preparing his X-Baton and electrified it in a shape of a small Luxcalibur. Once he got close, he sliced off the three legs of the mutants on the left side with one quick swing. He then lightning dashed to the other side and sliced off the remaining three legs before rejoining Grey. The mutant roared in pain as it was greatly pushed back due to the loss of its legs. But then it began spreading its fins wide open and fired yellow energy spheres at them, prompting them to dodge.

"I'm guessing those fins are the next ones to go?" Grey asked while the two kept dodging the energy spheres.

"Sure looks like it. I'll take the left while you handle the other!" Gunvolt replied.

"Right!" Grey nodded and began firing at the left fin while Gunvolt fired at the other one along with unleashing his Flashfield to protect themselves which also electrocuted the fin once its tagged by Gunvolt's shots. And with one final charge shot from the two, they destroyed the fins, making the mutants roar in pain once more.

"And now to finish it!" Gunvolt shouted, holstering his weapons and rushed towards the mutant while summoning his Luxcalibur. At the same time, Grey combined his hand cannons together into one large cannon and began charging it while taking aim at the mutant. Gunvolt leaped towards the mutant and plunged his Luxcalibur deep onto its head. "Now, Grey!" He then released his Luxcalibur and performed a high backflip, allowing an opening for Grey.

"You're done!" Grey shouted with his cannon fully charged and fired a powerful blast right onto the planted Luxcalibur, causing a massive electrical explosion that obliterated the mutant to dust while Gunvolt landed beside Grey.

(BGM End)

"And another one bites the dust." Gunvolt concluded as Grey unfused his cannons and holstered them. "Good work, Grey."

"You two, GV." Grey replied as the two shared a fist-bump.

"Hmm..." Joule hummed.

"What's up, Joule?" Gunvolt asked.

"I was just wondering what that fish looked like before it became a mutant. I've never seen a fish like that before."

"Really?" Gunvolt deadpanned. "That's what you're thinking about right now?"

"Hey, I was only curious! Maybe I should read more on marine life during my free time."

"Well, you do you." Gunvolt shrugged.

"Hmm... maybe I should do the same. That fish must be a rare kind." Grey pondered with his hand on his chin.

"Oh great, not you too." Model A groaned.

"Anyway, let's find that data chip and get out of here." Gunvolt stated as they began looking around, until they saw a small yellow glow at the center of the room. "There it is." The two approached the glow and saw a yellow data chip on the ground.

"A yellow one, huh? Must be a new function for Jason's suit." Grey said, picking up the chip and using his Zikan Phone to scan its info.

TURRET:

A sub-weapon that, once deployed, fires bullets in a scattering pattern for a limited time. Makes for a useful decoy or setting up defences and ambush points.

"A turret deployment weapon... this could be useful for Jason." Gunvolt mused before Grey puts away the chip.

"First a shield deployment and now a turret. Must be a coincidence." Grey remarked.

"You think so?" Gunvolt raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe." Grey replied before firing a wormhole behind them using his Zikan Phone Blaster Mode. "And speaking of Jason, time to catch up to him and Ashe."

"Then let's get moving." Gunvolt declared as the two walked into the wormhole before it vanished.

---

Meanwhile with Jason and Ashe, they arrived at their destination which is the domain that housed the mutant guardian. But there's one problem... it was blocked by a westward and downward water current. It was so strong that not even A-Chronoforce can rush through, and it only pushed them back down instead. "Well, so much for going straight for the domain." A-Chronoforce remarked. "Now what?"

"Hold on." Jason took out his Zikan Phone and looked at Sector 5's map once more. "There's another domain nearby on the east. Once we go inside, I'll check the map again and see where we can go from there."

"Alright, then we head east." A-Chronoforce complied, swimming east while Jason put away his phone. Along the way, they had to deal with more underwater mutants along with more water currents, until they finally reached the domain entrance. Once they got close, they went inside the domain after Ashe reverted back to Base Form.

Once inside, Jason took out his Zikan Phone again to look at the map of the domain they are in. "Huh... this just got complicated." Jason remarked upon looking at the map layout.

"Yeah. Looks like there's two exits to the domain this time." Ashe nodded, looking at one exit at the top and another one on the right. "I wonder which one will lead us to the way to the mutant guardian?"

"Well it's hard to tell without the mutant icon appearing, so we're gonna have to wing it. And if we reach a dead end, we'll go back and take the other exit." Jason replied, putting away his phone.

"Fair enough." Ashe shrugged. "Once we reach that path split, I'm flipping my coin to decide where we'll go first. I did that method before back in Sector 4."

"Alright, then let's go." Jason nodded before the two began exploring the domain, carefully navigating through moving platforms without falling off while fending off more mutants lurking around.

In the next area, while they took out more mutants, Ashe saw something large at a distance. "Hm? What is that?" She asked, pointing at what she saw.

"It looked like a giant mutant. And it's already dead." Jason observed.

"Let's take a closer look for a bit." Ashe declared as the two used the moving platforms to reach the area of the dead mutant while clearing out the living ones.

Once they reached the large fallen mutant, they took a closer look at it. It was a large orange mutant crab with dead grey eyes, grey cirri and underside, four legs, two claws, and a yellow backside that was cracked wide open.

"Hmm... looks like another giant mutant crab, but it's another type." Jason observed the dead mutant, recalling the previous crab mutant he and Gunvolt fought in Sector 2.

Ashe knocked on the crab's shell a few times. "Its shell is pretty hard too. Not even bullets or lasers can pierce through something like this. The only thing that's not hard..." She then looked at the crab's backside. "...is right over here. Though I wonder why this one is cracked wide open?"

"I'm not sure why either."

"Ashe, I don't think any of your A-Trans forms can break that crab's shell, except for the backside of course." Model A remarked.

"Makes me wonder if we'll encounter a living mutant crab like this?" Jason pondered.

"If it does, at least we know where it's weak spot is. Though I'll doubt that it'll hold still and let us shoot its backside." Ashe answered.

"If that's the case, then someone needs to distract the crab while the other person aims for its weak spot."

"I think I got an A-Trans form that can go toe-to-toe with that crab." Ashe smirked.

"Heh, Lola made the right call to bring you and Grey along for the ride." Jason smirked back.

"Hehe, yup. She certainly did." Ashe smiled. "Anyway, back to the mission." They began resuming their route to the next room... until they saw a large shadow quickly swimming past them. "...Did you see that?" She blinked after seeing the fast and large moving shadow.

"I did..." Jason nodded with dread. "...and I don't like this feeling one bit. Even worse, that's the same shape as that dead crab we saw, but much bigger."

"...I think we now know who our mutant guardian is." Ashe deduced. "But I did not expect it to swim that fast."

"Yeah. Looks like chasing it down for a distraction or even going for its weak spot is going to be tricky."

"Let's see what we can do when we encounter that guardian. But for now, let's keep moving." Ashe declared as the two resumed their trek through the domain. They also got to see the sights of the shadows of a school of smaller fish, swimming around peacefully, including one group of fish swimming in a circle.

Eventually though, they reached the route split with three entrances, one on each side. There's also more moving platforms to traverse through. "Okay Ashe, time to use that coin of yours." Jason said.

"Already on it." Ashe complied, taking out her coin. "Wait a minute. I forgot that there's a route on our right too."

"I don't think that one is important. When I looked at that area on the map, it's a dead end, so we can ignore the right path."

"Okay then." Ashe noted. "Heads we go west, Tails we go north." She then threw the coin in the air before it fell, prompting her to catch it and slammed it on the back of her palm. Once she removed her hand, the results are... "Tails this time, huh? Guess we're going north."

"North it is, then." Jason nodded as Ashe put away her coin before the two used the moving platforms to reach the north entrance.

Once inside, they saw the domain exit at the center of the room, surrounded by water along with numerous moving platforms. As the two rode on the platforms, they saw more shadows of smaller fish, including a few large ones. There's even shadows of manta rays swimming around, which made the two respond with awe. Luckily there's no mutants in the room, so they're free to enjoy the view of the marine life that's not infected by the mutants. Looking at the marine life gave Ashe and Jason more determined motivation to stop the meteor from creating more mutant cells to infect the planet. Eventually though, they reached the center of the room and went for the exit.

And what's beyond the exit... was actually a route back to the surface and not the one leading towards the mutant guardian. "Wait..." Ashe blinked in confusion. "We're back at the surface? This isn't right."

"One sec." Jason checked the map on his Zikan Phone again. "Yup, that exit lead us back to the surface, right next to a LIFE-UP."

"Wait, LIFE-UP?" Ashe blinked again before looking around, until she saw said power-up at a small island above them, along with a large mutant fish patrolling the area. "Well we found the LIFE-UP, but we need to get past this mutant fish first."

"Maybe one of us will distract it while the other goes after the power-up?"

"Nah. I'll freeze that fish solid instead. A-Trans!" Ashe transformed into MegaMan Model L once more and swam towards the fish, catching its attention. The mutant was about to tackle her, but she countered by charging up her halberd and unleashed an ice dragon with one swing, freezing the fish solid on impact. She then used the frozen mutant as a platform and leaped right onto the island and in front of the LIFE-UP. She retrieved it, dove back into the water, and then shattered the frozen mutant to pieces with a spin slash before rejoining Jason. "And there you go, one LIFE-UP." She then gave the power-up to Jason, who was in awe at how Ashe effortlessly completed her task.

"Uhh... thanks." Jason replied, putting away the power-up. "You did pretty good there."

"Thanks." Ashe smiled, reverting back to Base Form. "I had to practice my A-Trans forms while I was using the Training Room."

"Ah, so that's how."

"Anyway, back to the domain." Ashe declared as the two went back inside the domain.

As the two are using the moving platforms to reach the room they first came it, Jason saw something peculiar. "A cracked wall?" He spoke.

"Huh, how did we not notice that?" Ashe questioned. "Wanna check it out?"

"Worth a shot." Jason replied as the two head for the cracked wall using the moving platforms. Once there, Jason used his grenade to destroy the cracked wall, revealing a new room ahead.

When they entered the room, they were met by more red one-eyed mutants that began shooting at them, but were quickly eliminated by Jason and Ashe. Afterwards, they went to the next room, which revealed to be back at the route split. Not only that, someone else was there.

"Ashe? Jason?"

The two turned to the source of the voice, revealing to be Grey and Gunvolt standing at the entrance where they first came in. "Grey? GV? When did you two get here?" Ashe asked.

"We've just finished with defeating the mutant guardian at the domain we've visited. It was a giant fish, by the way." Gunvolt replied.

"Also, we've found another chip for your suit, Jason. A turret deployment weapon." Grey added.

"I can deploy turrets now? That's pretty sweet." Jason smiled. "Anyway, did you find the mutant guardian yet?"

"Nope, not yet." Ashe shook her head. "We went to this one route earlier, but it lead us back to the surface. On the bright side, we've obtained another LIFE-UP from that route."

"Well at least taking that route is worth it." Gunvolt noted. "So that means, if you two already took that route..."

"Then the route we should be taking..." Jason pointed at the room on the west. "...is right over there."

"Alright, then let's get moving." Grey nodded as they used the moving platforms to regroup to the east entrance and went inside. After that, Grey gave the Turret data chip to Jason who immediately inserted it onto his suit.

=TURRET UNLOCKED=

As the group are walking across a long hallway, they saw a large fish swimming around peacefully... until that peace was shattered when a large crab-like shadow appeared and attacked the fish without warning before swimming away, shocking the group as they then saw blood spreading on the water above them.

"Guys... what the heck is that...?" Joule asked the group.

"Jason, does the shape of that shadow look familiar to you?" Ashe asked.

"Yeah." Jason nodded. "It's the same one we saw just a few rooms earlier."

"You two saw it before?" Gunvolt asked.

"Yup." Ashe confirmed. "That large crab is definitely the mutant guardian we're looking for. We saw a dead one earlier."

"I see." Grey noted.

"Be careful when facing that mutant as we reach the end. That thing is fast and has a very think shell which can block our shots." Jason cautioned.

"But it has a weak spot; the backside. Only problem is that the crab won't hold still and will keep moving to protect his weak spot." Ashe added.

"Noted." Gunvolt replied. "Think you and Grey can chase it down while Jason and I go for the backside?"

"That's the plan." Ashe nodded.

"Hmm... I think Ashe and I have an A-Trans form that's small but fast enough to catch that crab." Grey pondered.

"Are you talking about Hedgeshock the Erinaceroid?" Ashe guessed.

"That's the one." Grey nodded. "Once I catch up to that crab using Hedgeshock, I'll quickly change into Bifrost to distract it while everyone else goes for the backside."

"Oh, now that's a good idea." Ashe smiled.

"How fast is Hedgeshock?" Jason asked.

"Pretty fast considering it rolls a lot when Ashe and I first fought him. And she's a thunder element." Grey answered.

"But that Falseroid is not that hard to deal with once we figured out her attack pattern." Ashe added.

"Hedgeshock..." Gunvolt repeated. "Sounds like a hedgehog now that I think about."

"That's because it is a hedgehog, GV. A pretty small one in fact."

"Anyway, we'd better get moving. Let's not keep our mutant crab waiting." Grey declared before the group pressed onwards towards the next room.

After dealing with more mutant spacemen and hostile turret drones while navigating on the moving platforms, they reached the end where they found the exit to the domain. Afterwards, they were back inside the water once they took the exit. There, they saw another domain right below them, so they swam down and went inside. And what they saw inside was another recharge platform along with the room behind it.

"There it is, guys. Recharge platform definitely equals to one mutant guardian up ahead." Joule observed.

"Here's hoping this mutant has the Dive Module we've been looking for." Gunvolt said.

"I think this mutant might have it. No doubt about it." Jason deduced.

"Well, the others have been waiting on dry land for far too long." Ashe said.

"So it's time to finish this and get out of here." Grey declared with their weapons ready, used the recharge platform and entered the next room.

Once they're inside though, they were surprised that there's another person looking inside the room. "Huh? What's a girl doing in a place like this?" Jason questioned. "She's not infected yet, right?"

Ashe narrowed her eyes to get a better look. "Nope, just normal skin. She's not infected yet... wait..." Her eyes widen when she saw the girl's clothing. "That outfit looks familiar..."

"Hey, you're right!" Gunvolt's eyes also widened when looking at the girl. "That's the same uniform Houki is wearing! Though this skirt is a little shorter."

"Then... this girl is from IS Academy?!" Joule exclaimed.

"Hm?" The girl heard the voices behind them and turned around, earning their attention. The girl has purple eyes with long, straight, and spiky blonde hair tied into a low ponytail, along with wearing the same IS Academy uniform as Houki, but having a shorter skirt, and wearing a pair of red and white sneakers and socks. The girl was surprised that those people arrived and was a bit silent at first, until she began speaking. "Um... Bonjour?" She greeted with a French accent.

"Umm... what?" Grey blinked in confusion.

"I think she said 'Hello' in French." Gunvolt clarified as the group lowered their weapons. "So she's from France, huh?"

Jason cleared his throat before responding to the girl. "Hello there. May I ask why you're alone in a place like this?"

"Uhh..." The girl looked around the scenery in response. "I'm... not actually sure why. I remember being on a beach earlier along with my classmates, until a quake occurred out of nowhere, and then there was a flash of light that blinded everyone. And when I woke up, I ended up here. I know this story seems... unbelievable... but it's the truth."

When the girl mentioned a quake out of nowhere, the group shared serious looks at each other before turning to her. "Lucky for you, we happen to know about that sudden quake." Ashe assured.

"Really?!" The girl gasped. "You mean... you believe my story?!"

"Of course! You see, it's because of..." Ashe began to explain... until her eyes widen in shock when a large shadow appeared right behind the girl. "Get out of there, now!"

"Eh?!" The girl blinked, until she felt something large behind her, making her turn around and gasp in horror at what she saw. It was the large mutant crab Jason and Ashe saw earlier, but it's very much alive with a red and orange shell, three green eyes, purple cirri, and an exposed yellow backside that's not cracked. She wanted to move, but her body was trembling with fear. As she was about to scream, Gunvolt quickly bolted in front of the girl with a lightning flash-step and unleashed his Flashfield in time to block the oncoming claw attack from the crab. The girl was speechless at her saviour, unleashing a lightning shield to protect her. "W-Who are you...?"

"Just a passing through Azure Striker!" Gunvolt replied as he kept blocking more claw strikes with his Flashfield. "Don't move! I'll protect you!"

"Guys! A little help please?!" Joule requested.

"On it! A-Trans!" Grey complied, transforming into Buckfire, leaped into the air and performed a burning dive-kick, knocking the crab back a few steps away. This allowed Gunvolt to disperse his Flashfield, grabbed the girl's hand and escorted her to the group while G-Buckfire landed beside them and reverted back to Base Form.

"Thanks, Grey!" Gunvolt said.

"Anytime!" Grey replied before the group stared at the crab, shaking off the force of the attack. "Though I think I made him a bit mad after that kick to the face. But geez... that shell is hard to break."

"Tch... so not even that was enough to break it." Ashe frowned. "Guess we'll have to aim for the backside to deal some real damage."

"Umm... I appreciate the rescue but..." The girl spoke before pointing at the mutant. "...What is that?!"

"First off; that is a giant mutant crab, and we're in its domain. And second; we need to kill it because it has something important that we need to retrieve." Jason answered as the group raised their weapons.

"I think it's better if you hide and let us handle this." Gunvolt advised to the girl. "...unless you have something to protect yourself."

"Something to protect myself..." The girl silently repeated before searching her uniform, until she found something hiding underneath it and hanging around her neck; an odd-shaped orange pendant. "I think I can summon my IS with this! But I'm not sure it will heed my call from where I am right now."

"So her IS' Standby Mode is a form of a necklace, huh? Kinda like GV, Copen, and the Attuned." Ashe thought while looking at the girl's pendant. "Well you won't know until you try it first. Just go for it!"

"O-Okay!" The girl nodded before concentrating on her necklace with her eyes closed and gripping her pendant tightly. "Rafale-Revive... if you can hear me, then please, lend me your strength!" Her necklace suddenly began to glow until she's enveloped in a bright light which slightly blinded everyone, including the crab mutant. And when the light faded, the group saw the girl already wearing her orange and black framed IS with a shield on her left arm, along with a six-barreled pile bunker on her left front wrist. She's also wearing a one-piece swimsuit with orange edges, along with stockings that cut off at the feet. She's also wearing a pair of orange and yellow-tinted googles on her head, along with white light-armored chestplate and shoulder plates. The group were in awe at the appearance of the girl's IS.

"Wow, that's a pretty neat looking IS." Ashe thought, until she saw what was on the girl's left wrist. "Wait. Is that a gacking pile bunker?! Now that is hardcore!"

The girl began to smile when she looked at her IS. "(It's good to see you here, Rafele-Revive...)" She whispered before facing the group with a determined look. "I'm ready to assist with disposing that mutant!"

Grey smiled at her response. "Good to have you join us, umm... What is your name, by the way?"

"Ah, right. My name. I am Charlotte Dunois, IS Representative Candidate of France for IS Academy. And this is my IS; Rafale-Revive Custom II."

"A customized model? Interesting..." Jason thought with amusement. "I'm Jason Frudnick, and these are my friends; Gunvolt, Grey and Ashe. Nice to meet you, Charlotte."

"Charlotte Dunois...? Isn't that one of Houki's classmates?" Joule silently pondered.

"Mm." Charlotte nodded to Jason before the group faced the mutant crab who began clamping its claws. "Now then, any ideas on how to deal with that mutant?"

"Grey will distract the mutant from the front while the rest of us will split up and reach its backside where its weak spot is located." Gunvolt summarized.

"One other thing, try not to get detected or it'll aim for you instead." Grey added.

"So it's weak point is its backside, and don't get detected. Understood!" Charlotte noted before materializing her assault rifles which surprised the group.

"Okay... did not expect her to pack that much heat on her arsenal." Ashe thought.

"Now then... En garde, you disgusting creature!" Charlotte declared as the crab began to roar.

=WARNING=

THE LAIR OF

"THE ABYSSAL PREDATOR"

=HARD SHELL=

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

The mutant crab immediately spew numerous amounts of bubbles which formed a large wall. In response, the group fired at the wall until it was cleared, but then saw the crab quickly crawling to the left. "As expected, it's trying to protect its weak spot." Jason muttered.

"Grey, you're up!" Gunvolt ordered.

"A-Trans!" Grey quickly transformed into Hedgeshock in a quick flash. It has a small body with details in brown and orange, as well as cyan lights. It also had a number of metallic spikes on its head and back, while its arms and feet have the appearance of electric plugs. G-Hedgeshock then rolled into a ball with his spikes out and quickly rolled after the crab to chase it down.

"D-Did he just transform into a robotic hedgehog?!" Charlotte exclaimed in surprise.

"Okay guys, split up!" Ashe ordered.

"R-Right!' Charlotte complied and shook off her state of shock before the group went their separate ways.

G-Hedgeshock eventually caught up with the crab, who began to spray more bubbles on sight, but were rendered useless thanks to G-Hedgeshock's spikes. He then performed an electro rolling attack on the crab, who blocked it with its claws and flung him upwards. But then he used A-Trans into Bifrost and crashed on top of the crab before leaping away. He opened up his large icy jaws and began to chomp on the crab, only for it to block it with its claws again.

But this what G-Bifrost was counting on, as Gunvolt, Jason, Ashe and Charlotte just arrived behind the crab with its backside on their sights. "Make it count!" Jason shouted as the four fired their weapons at its backside, spewing green blood with each hit.

"I think it's working!" Charlotte said while firing her rifles.

The crab roared in pain when it felt its backside being attacked, prompting it to knock back G-Bifrost with one hard claw strike before turning around while changing its eyes to blue. The crab saw the group as it let out an angry roar, making their faces pale. "I think this is the part where we should run." Ashe stated.

"Fine by me!" Gunvolt replied as the group ran away from the crab who quickly began rushing at them with its eyes changing to yellow.

The group then stopped when they reached a wall before turning to the crab who's about to catch up to them.

"W-What now?!" Charlotte asked in panic.

Gunvolt look to his sides before advising the group, "Get ready to move to the sides on my signal!" And when the crab began charging at them... "Now!" The four dashed to the sides on time (Gunvolt and Jason to the left, Ashe and Charlotte to the right) as the crab crashed onto the wall instead, stunning it on impact.

"Don't let it see you! Hide!" Jason shouted to the group before they split up again to avoid detection from the crab.

"I better make this count!" Grey shouted, now changed into Hedgeshock once more, rolling right onto the crab's backside as his electro spikes ripped through. The crab, now no longer stunned, roared in pain once more, causing G-Hedgeshock to leap away from the crab as it begun turning around with blue eyes. "Come and catch me!" G-Hedgeshock taunted the crab before rolling away, causing the crab to chase after him with yellow eyes.

While the crab is chasing G-Hedgeshock in a fit of rage, it failed to notice a chain line up ahead. And when G-Hedgeshock rolled past the line, the chain was raised and the crab tripped on it, causing it to crash onto a wall. And then more chains appeared below the crab and entangled it before the chains generated electricity which shocked the crab in pain. G-Hedgeshock changed back to Base Form as the others regrouped, except for Gunvolt who was a few steps beside the crab and hiding behind a pillar while using his Septima.

"Good job distracting it, Grey!" Ashe praised.

"No problem." Grey replied. "But I didn't notice the chain."

"That was just GV planning to trip the crab while it's focused on you. And then using Voltaic Chains to halt its movements and causing damage." Jason explained. "And as for us..." He and the others aimed their weapons at the crab's backside. "...let's blow its backside wide open!"

"Roger!" Charlotte complied, firing her rifles at the weak spot, while Jason, Grey and Ashe fired a combined charge shot, with the latter two combining their hand cannons to form one large cannon before firing together.

After all of the attacks landed, they saw a small crack on the crab mutant's backside. "I think one more shot should do the trick!" Grey observed.

"Then allow me to deliver the final blow!" Charlotte complied as she dashed ahead, throwing away her assault rifles and armed her pile bunker on her left arm. And when she got close to the crab with the chains ceased generating electricity, she slammed the bunker right onto the crack and fired five shots at it, with each shot letting out an explosive impact. After the 5th shot, she reeled back her bunker arm and armed the last bullet round. "Au revoir!" And with one final thrust, she fired the last shot, causing the mutant crab to explode into a million pieces, leaving nothing but a charred corpse on the ground. She also noticed a small blue glow on the ground afterwards and retrieved it. "A... data chip?"

"Woo! Good going there, Charlotte! Your pile bunker is awesome!" Ashe cheered as the group and Gunvolt approached her while holstering their weapons.

(BGM End)

"I agree." Gunvolt nodded. "It's a pretty impressive weapon for breaking through armor."

"Not only that, it looks like you found the data chip too." Grey added as the group noticed the chip on Charlotte's hand.

"You all know what this is?" Charlotte asked.

"Just give the chip to me. I'll read its info." Jason requested.

"Very well." Charlotte complied, giving the chip to Jason who began using his helmet's visor to scan its info. After that, she dispersed her IS.

DIVE GEAR:

Allows the MA to move freely underwater.

"Finally! After all this time!" Ashe exclaimed with relief.

"Yeah." Grey nodded. "Now the MAs can finally move underwater."

"With this, we'll be able to reach Sector 6." Jason stated. "I just hope we can make it there in time before the mutants are finished with... whatever they're doing in there. They'd better not find Fred or the Gjallarhorn fragment before we do."

Gunvolt noticed the confused look on Charlotte's face with white comical eyes, which made him sweatdrop. "Too much info there, Charlotte?"

"O-Oui... MAs? Sector 6? Mutants? Gjallarhorn? You generating electricity? W-What is going on here? Am I dreaming?"

"Hate to break it to you, but this is no dream. It's as real as it can be. That Dimensional Quake must've hit you hard."

"Dimensional Quake?" Charlotte repeated, shaking off her state of confusion, and then gasped in realization. "Ah, of course! That sudden quake from before! You happen to know about it?"

"We do, but it's a very long story." Ashe replied. "But let's get out of here first and reach the surface where our other friends are waiting."

"There's more besides the four of you?" Charlotte asked, earning a nod from the group.

"Ah, one more thing, Charlotte. Can you hold your breath underwater?" Grey asked, which made Ashe, Gunvolt and Jason's eyes widen in realization, before slapping their own foreheads.

"You just had to mention that, huh?" Ashe deadpanned.

"Sorry."

"Um... for a short amount of time." Charlotte answered to Grey. "Why do you ask?"

"Well..." Grey rubbed the back of his helmet. "We're in an underwater domain. And you're going to be swimming a lot the moment we leave."

"Huh?!"

"I think I need to call Copen and see if he has a spare oxygen mask." Gunvolt took out his Zikan Phone and began contacting his ally.

"Please do." Jason insisted. "And while you're at it, transfer the Dive Gear chip to him so he'll give it to Eve who will install it onto the MAs."

"The Shield Mine, too." Ashe added with a raised finger.

"Gotcha." Gunvolt replied, taking the two data chips from Jason.

"This is Copen, I got your call." Copen contacted via voice call. "Everything okay down there?"

"We're good, Ix." Gunvolt replied. "We've found the Dive Gear and we're about to head for the surface... but we have a bit of a problem."

"Problem? What do you mean?"

"We found another Dimensional Quake victim on the domain we're currently in. You wouldn't happen have a spare oxygen mask, do you?"

"Another victim, huh? Well, lucky for you, I do have more masks. I take it you want to give one of them to the person you saved?"

"That's the plan. And while you're transferring that, I'll also transfer the Dive Gear and Shield Mine data chips to you so that Eve can install them onto the MAs."

"Understood. Though we're gonna have to wait for Eve for a moment. She's taking a nap after finishing the tune-ups for the MAs."

"I see." Jason noted. "Keep an eye on her while we head for the surface, okay?"

"You have my word, Jason." Copen assured, while hiding the real reason of Eve's current state.

"Okay, I'm beginning the transfer." Gunvolt stored the data chips into his phone before beginning the transfer process.

"So, what's the name of the victim you've saved?"

"Her name is Charlotte Dunois, a French Cadet from IS Academy." Ashe answered.

"WHAT?! Charlotte's with you now?!" Houki exclaimed in shock upon hearing a familiar name, which also caused Charlotte to gasp in shock upon hearing a familiar voice.

"Houki?! Is that you over there?!" Charlotte gasped and approached Gunvolt's phone.

"Yes, it's me! Thank goodness you're alright!"

"Same to you too!" Charlotte smiled. "I met some people earlier who saved me from a large mutant crab."

"Ah, I'm with them. They saved me from a mutant salamander back in Sector 4. Ugh... it was disgusting thanks to that large tongue."

"A mutant salamander?!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"Did they tell you on how you ended up here?"

"They did. Something about a Dimensional Quake."

"I see. Listen to me, the situation is a lot more serious than I thought after hearing their explanation. You, our classmates and Ichika if we happen to find them, needs to know about this."

"I see. But can you try to at least explain to me clearly on what has been happening lately?"

"I'll try my best. GV, Jason, can you give me a hand with the explanations?"

"Got it./No problem." Gunvolt and Jason nodded.

"Let's talk back at the recharge platform in the previous room. We'll be safe there." Grey suggested.

"Good idea." Jason replied. "Follow us, Charlotte."

"Right behind you." Charlotte nodded as she followed the group back to the previous room.

---

Once there, Houki and the group told Charlotte everything about the events that occurred so far and what the MAs stands for, along with introducing Joule and Model A to her, while Gunvolt continued to look at the transfer progress on his phone. The shattering of Gjallarhorn which caused the Dimensional Quakes, the Neo Time Jackers, the existence of the multiverse, the formation of Team XDR, and their current mission in Jason's version of Earth.

"That's all I have to explain." Houki finished. "Did you get all of that, Charlotte?"

"I... I think so." Charlotte replied while having a state of shock at what she'd learnt from the group. "Still, I can't believe there are other versions of Earth, along with the existence of other worlds."

"I know. I can't believe it either. But Jason did say that his Earth didn't have any IS or IS Academy, only the EDF."

"Not to mention that Dimensional Quake warped me, Grey, and the Guardians away from our own world." Ashe mentioned. "If we don't retrieve those fragments in time, things will become very unstable."

"I see." Charlotte noted.

"That's why I chose to join the team, hoping that we'd find Ichika and our classmates, along with a way to return back to our world. And who knows... maybe a fragment might've landed in our world, too."

"You really think so?"

"It's a possibility. Not only that, we can't let the Time Jackers get a hold of the IS technology, or it could spell trouble for all of us."

"...Very well then. In that case, I'll gladly join the Rebellion. The Neo Time Jackers will pay for what they did." Charlotte declared.

"Thanks, Charlotte. I'm glad to hear it from you."

"Good to have you with us, Charlotte. Welcome to the team!" Ashe smiled with the group sharing the same expression.

"I look forward to working with all of you." Charlotte bowed and smiled back.

"Okay, the transfers are complete." Gunvolt informed. "The data chips are now with Copen and we now have a spare oxygen mask for you to use, Charlotte." With a few button presses, the oxygen mask materialized onto his hand. "Here you go."

"Merci, Gunvolt." Charlotte smiled, taking the mask and began wearing it.

"I'm ending the call now. Looking forward to meeting you, Charlotte." Copen said.

"See you back at the surface, guys." Houki added before ending the call, prompting Gunvolt to put away his phone.

"Now then, shall we all head for the surface where Houki and our friends awaits?" Charlotte said.

"That's the plan." Gunvolt nodded. "Also, you can call me GV if you want."

"I see. In that case, you can call me Charl. Ichika was the one who gave me that nickname."

"Charl, huh? That's a pretty nice nickname." Ashe remarked as they began heading for the exit.

"Fufu, oui, it is." Charlotte smiled.

---

"Looks like we were lucky enough to find one of your friends hiding in this world, Houki." Copen said with the Dive Gear and Shield Mine data chips in hand.

"Yeah, thank goodness." Houki smiled and sighed with relief.

"Maybe we'll find one or more of your friends hiding in Sector 6." Volnutt said.

"Here's hoping. But first we need to wait for Eve to come out so Copen can give the chips to her."

"Not only that, Ix needs to install those hydro jets onto Charlotte's IS so she can move underwater freely." Lola added.

"Mm. That too. It's good to know that her IS arrived along with her during the quake." Houki replied, until they heard SOPHIA's cockpit opening up and noticed Eve disembarking it and approached the group. "Ah, Eve! Welcome back!"

"Sorry I took too long in there." Eve apologized. "Did I miss anything?"

"Plenty." Copen answered, showing the data chips to Eve. "Jason and his team found the Dive Gear and Shield Mine data chips for the MAs and transferred them to me using his Zikan Phone. So I think it's safe to say that Sector 5 is completely liberated from the mutants."

"Not only that, they've also found Charlotte, one of my classmates from IS Academy." Houki added.

"That's great news!" Eve smiled. "I take it that you want me to install those chips onto the MAs now?"

"If you want to." Copen replied. "But you might be feeling tired at the moment after that tune-up."

"Oh... right. I had to take a nap after performing those tune-ups." Eve answered, with a small lie. "Now that I have my rest, I'm ready to get back to work."

"Think you can install those chips before Jason and his team comes back?" Lola asked.

"Only one way to find out." Eve replied, taking the chips from Copen and returned to SOPHIA. "It won't take long! I promise!"

"Okay! We'll wait for you as usual!" Volnutt replied back.

While Eve was approaching the MA, she had a small sad look on her face. "Sorry guys... but I can't tell you what I've discovered earlier. At least, not until we find Fred at Sector 6. But when that time comes... I'll tell you who I am, along with my mission on Earth."

"...Are you guys sure that we should keep quiet about the scream from earlier?" Houki asked the group once Eve boarded the MA.

"Like I said, it's for Eve's sake." Copen stated. "She'll tell us once she's ready. I don't want to stress her out."

"Yeah, I guess you have a point there."

"Though if I were to guess... it'll probably be after we liberated Sector 6 along with finding Fred, or when we return to Guardian Base." Lola assumed.

"Speaking of Sector 6..." Volnutt took out his Zikan Phone. "We never did find out what that sector contains." He then scanned the info of the link tunnel on Sector 5's map. "Ah, there we go. It's called the Glacier Area... Darn it, I don't have my Spike Shoes anymore. That would've been useful to prevent slipping on ice."

"At least our suits have hovering abilities to negate that problem... except for the MAs since they don't have spiked tires either. So we need to be extra careful when driving on the ice." Copen said.

"And I'm guessing IS Academy never had arctic combat training before, Houki?" Lola asked.

"Nope." Houki shook her head. "But the IS' can hover, so we don't need to worry about that problem."

"Fair enough." Lola noted before stretching her arms. "For now though, let's wait for Jason's team to come back. And once Charlotte's IS is outfitted with hydro jets, we're heading straight for Sector 6."

"Mm." Copen nodded. "I just hope we can make it in time."

---

After several minutes later, Jason's team arrived back on the surface and regrouped with the others, with Charlotte immediately running towards Houki and hugged her.

"Thank goodness you're alright, Houki!" Charlotte smiled while hugging her friend.

"It's good to see you too, Charlotte." Houki smiled back before the two broke off the hug. "Did the mutant guardian hurt you in there?"

"Non." Charlotte shook her head and glanced at Gunvolt while she took off her mask. "GV was able to save me in time."

"I helped too, you know." Grey raised his finger.

"Ah, of course. How can I forget."

"Thanks for saving her life, you two." Houki smiled at the saviours.

"Anytime." Gunvolt smiled back as he and Grey nodded.

"We were having a conversation with her when we first found her, until I saw a giant mutant crab right behind her." Ashe said.

"Another giant mutant crab?" Copen raised his eyebrow.

"That's right." Jason confirmed, taking off his helmet. "But this one is trickier than the one in Sector 2."

"Its shell is hard enough to block most of our attacks." Grey said. "The only weak spot is its backside."

"And I was the one who delivered the finishing blow." Charlotte added.

"Good to know your IS is still with you during the quake." Houki smiled. "Akatsubaki is also still with me."

"Does this mean our friends' IS' are also with them during that quake?" Charlotte pondered with her hand on her chin.

"It's likely possible."

"Anyway, Houki told me about you, Charlotte Dunois. Allow me to introduce myself." Copen spoke up. "I'm Copen Kamizono, a scientist. And this is my partner, Lola, and my teammate, MegaMan Volnutt. But just call him Volnutt."

"Hi there!/Nice to meet you, Charlotte." Lola and Volnutt greeted with the former waving.

"Bonjour. It's nice to meet you." Charlotte greeted back with a bow.

"Bon... jour?" Volnutt tilted his head in confusion.

"It means 'Hello' in French." Gunvolt clarified.

"Ah, right. Got it."

"Now then, could you bring out your IS for a while, Charlotte? Copen needs to install the hydro jets for underwater movement." Houki requested. "He already finished installing them into mine."

"He did?!" Charlotte gasped. "Did it work?"

"Yup! Worked like a charm!" Lola confirmed. "He did build a lot of gadgets in his life, so he's no stranger to checking out new tech."

"I was able to learn the ins and outs of Infinite Stratos thanks to Houki." Copen said before sighing. "Though I'm still iffy about the IS being only used by women which caused the global power balance to shift. I really don't know what Tabane is thinking with that mindset. Maybe someday, I'll build an IS without that ridiculous restriction."

"You think you can do that?" Charlotte asked.

"I'm willing to try something new that peaked my interest." Copen smirked. "Now then, summon your IS so I can get to work on those hydro jets. You'll be needing them for underwater travel when we head for Sector 6."

"Understood." Charlotte complied, summoning her orange IS in front of the group.

Lola whistled when she looked at the IS. "So that's the Rafale-Revive Custom II... Looks pretty good up close." She then noticed the pile bunker on the left arm. "Ah, there's the pile bunker Houki mentioned. "Gotta admit, Charlotte, this is a really cool melee weapon for armor breaking."

"Hehe, merci, Lola." Charlotte smiled.

"Who made your IS, by the way?" Volnutt asked, while Copen materialized the toolkit and some spare parts using his Zikan Phone.

"The Dunois Industry, the largest IS-production and development corporation in France." Charlotte answered, which made the group's eyes widen in surprise.

"Dunois... Industry?!" Lola exclaimed. "Does that mean...?!"

"Oui." Charlotte nodded. "My family's industry. And I'm a part of it."

"Okay... I did not know about that." Volnutt commented.

"Sorry, I think I may have left out that small detail there." Houki apologized, rubbing the back of her head.

"So the moment you have your own IS, they enrolled you to IS Academy, right?" Grey guessed as Copen checked the orange IS' legs while Lola did the same to its back, tools and parts in hand.

"That is correct." Charlotte replied. "Sorry everyone, only Ichika knows the real reason why I was enrolled to IS Academy. I can't tell you my secret just yet."

"Huh, that's pretty neat that your family owns an IS-production and development corporation." Ashe remarked with her hands on her hips. "Does this mean there's mass productions of the Rafale-Revive?"

"How did you figure that last part out?"

"Your IS is called the Rafale-Revive Custom II, a modified version. So I figured there's a mass-produced version of that IS." Ashe explained.

"Ah, I guess you're right." Charlotte replied.

"I think I remember seeing Maya Yamada, our assistant homeroom teacher, using a mass-produced version of that IS during one of the training classes." Houki recalled. "She was able to beat both Rin and Cecilia in a two-on-one match."

"Whoa! She's that good?" Gunvolt exclaimed in surprise.

"Well she is a teacher at IS Academy, so of course she has more experience than the students." Copen pointed out while he and Lola continued the IS tune-up. "What does Maya specialize in?"

"She's a very experienced sharpshooter, even rivaling Cecilia." Houki answered.

"So she's a ranged type fighter." Lola deduced, earning a nod from Houki.

Suddenly, the group heard Eve arriving after she disembarked from SOPHIA. "Okay, I finished installing the Dive Gear and the Shield Mine data chips onto the MAs. We can leave at anytime."

"Thanks for the heads-up, Eve." Jason noted.

"Ah, Jason and the others! Welcome back." Eve greeted after noticing their presence.

"Sorry we took a while down there, but we're able to liberate this sector from the mutants." Gunvolt informed.

"I know. Copen told me the news. Great work, guys." Eve smiled before noticing the newcomer. "And you must be Charlotte Dunois, right?"

"Oui. That is correct." Charlotte confirmed. "And you are Eve, right? Jason told me about you."

"That's right." Eve nodded. "Nice to meet you, Charlotte."

"You guys can call her Charl for her nickname if you want." Joule spoke up.

"Charl, huh?" Lola repeated before smiling. "Now that's a pretty cute nickname."

"M-Merci." Charlotte replied, while hiding a small blush. "A-Anyway Copen, how long will it take for the tune-up to be completed?"

"It won't take too long." Copen answered. "Just need to do some final adjustments and..." He put down his tools. "Done."

"Finished on this side too!" Lola added as she and Copen closed the IS panels. "You should be Ret-2-Go, Charl!" She informed while returning the tools to Copen before he stored them and the toolkit back into his Zikan Phone.

"Ret-2-Go?" Houki and Charlotte blinked in confusion.

"It's short term for Ready to Go. One of our friends taught us that."

"Oh...!" The two noted.

"Alright everyone, let's hurry to Sector 6! Time is of the essence!" Jason declared as the group head back inside the MAs.

"Charlotte, we'll use our IS' to dive underwater." Houki instructed while donning Akatsubaki and wearing the oxygen mask. "We'll follow behind the two MAs."

"Roger that, Houki." Charlotte replied as she touched her orange IS before it began to glow. When the light vanished, she donned her IS and began wearing the oxygen mask once more.

"Remember to stay close to us, girls!" Gunvolt reminded as the MAs jumped right into the water before the IS girls went after them. There, they saw the MAs' tires turning sideways and changing the rims to hydro jet propellers, causing the vehicles to move freely underwater.

"Amazing..." Charlotte commented with awe. "I've never seen battletanks with the ability to move underwater like that."

"I know." Houki agreed. "I couldn't believe it either, including their ability to jump and hover. Whoever made those tanks must be really skilled. Anyway, we'd better not fall behind."

"Right!" Charlotte nodded as the two quickly followed behind the MAs using their newly installed hydro jets.

"How's your IS' movements underwater, Charlotte?"

"It feels great! It doesn't feel slow at all. Copen and Lola really did a great job with the tune-ups. I think those two might be qualified to become IS engineers."

"I think so too. They might install the hydro jets onto our friends' IS' as well."

"I'm sure they'll love that idea." Charlotte smiled. "Speaking of which, did Jason and the others find any of our friends yet before they found us?"

"No luck so far, I'm afraid." Houki replied. "But maybe we'll find one of them within Sector 6, or maybe Sector 7. Word of warning, Sector 6 an ice area, so try not to slip."

"An ice area? I've never been in winter combat before."

"Well, neither did I. So we're going to have to learn it by ourselves."

As the group traveled towards the route leading to the link tunnel, with Eve also installing the LIFE-UP Ashe found earlier onto the MAs and Jason's suit, they had to traverse through more water currents along with more spikes, mutant divers, jellyfish, and hostile turrets. Several minutes later, they arrived at the area with the link tunnel, along with another recharge terminal that's placed in the water for some reason. After Houki, Charlotte and the MAs leaped onto dry land, they began heading inside the link tunnel.

"I just hope we didn't stay in Sector 5 for too long." Jason said. "Eve, can you check on the mutant signals again, just in case?"

"One moment." Eve replied, checking SOPHIA's Receiver. "No changes yet. And I can still detect Fred's signal. If we hurry, we can still make it."

"Then let's not waste time and push ahead!" Gunvolt declared. "Houki, Charlotte, get your boosters ready, we're kicking things up a notch!"

"Roger!" The IS girls complied as their IS' and the MAs ignited their boosters and dashed straight ahead, hoping to reach the next sector in time.

---

Chapter 6: The Deep Sea

END

(Charlotte Dunois has joined Xross Drive Rebellion)

---

Author's Note: And another chapter completed. We're getting really close to the endgame now that Sector 5 is cleared. Only 6 more chapters left in this Book.

So far, Eve finally regained her memories after looking at SOPHIA's secret files, and the team found the Dive Gear to allow underwater movement for the MAs. In addition, they also found Charlotte Dunois, one of Houki's friends, and thanks to Copen, hydro jets are installed onto the IS' which allows underwater movement, plus some special oxygen masks for underwater breathing. Oh, and don't worry about Cecilia, she'll reunite with them during the 2nd interlude chapter after the next chapter, which is the Glacier Area. Not as bad as the Sea Area, but the ice physics can be a pain in the ass.

Well, that's all for now. Stay safe and see you next chapter!