AN: Hi guys! ARC Alpha 12 here, just popping in for a short little statement.
Now that we are getting into the meat of the story, I think, with this chapter, people are going to see what kind of setting I'm going for. The Gundam Build Fighters and Build Fighters Try characters are being merged with both original characters and the RWBY cast, as we saw with Takeshi Iori two chapters ago and Sekai's brief appearance last chapter. But it's this chapter that gives you a good look at one of the most important characters in the universe, so sit tight!
And yes, I DO know his dialogue is very cheesy. Anyone who has watched Gundam Build Fighters Try knows this character has a flare for the dramatic. It's canon, so I have to honor that. And I won't lie, it's a heck of a lot of fun to write him.
Anyway, ENJOY!
"BATTLE START!"
Weiss circled Pyrrha, the Gyan Noblesse Oblige, squaring up Tallgeese Leonidas. The arid desert they had selected for their training provided them both with great space and room to move. Both machines were fast and agile, and both fighters favored melee combat.
And for Weiss, this was personal.
Pyrrha was perhaps the sweetest girl she had ever met. The two got along well, and Weiss had, at one point, believed that the two of them were friends.
That changed an hour ago, however, when Pyrrha took the last Nikuman after Weiss had called it. She had already bitten into it before Weiss had finished speaking, and though she had profusely apologized, even going so far as to attempt to split the bun in half for them to share. It was far too late; this was war.
Pyrrha remained planted, massive shield raised and beam saber hanging just over its edge, pointed at Weiss. She was hesitant to do this, but her opponent would not back down, and she never ran from a challenge even if it was over food.
Weiss boosted at her, stabbing with her saber at the Tallgeese. Pyrrha's reinforced shield blocked too much of her body and prevented Weiss from landing any direct hits, but that wasn't her goal.
Pyrrha bit her lip before caution signs popped up on her left and right. "Huh?" She looked around, noticing the white Rose Bits hovering behind her. She pushed Weiss away with her shield, the sub arm on her right side, raising over the edge of the shield to fire and force her opponent to back away just in time for her to spin around. Her shield deflected several beams from each of the bits, watching as they changed position in the air, trying to flank her.
She heard more caution sirens and dashed to the left, just as pin missiles from Weiss's buckler exploded where she had been. She looked around, watching the Rose Bits circle her again, opening fire. She boosted upwards, traveling into the air for a bit before backflipping, so her head was pointed towards the ground. The sub arm swiveled up and fired her beam rifle, taking several shots to scatter the bits before connecting with one of them. She fired again, following up with another shot.
Weiss growled and pulled the remaining two back. She needed to get Pyrrha into melee range…
She twisted her right wrist along the orb in her hand and selected the third weapon slot. With each new click of the orb, she began deploying small hide mines.
Pyrrha landed with a twisting pirouette and immediately dropped into a defensive stance again, sword raised back over her shield. The pink energy beam hummed in her ear.
"Weiss, we don't have to keep doing this," Pyrrha said. "It was just a meat bun."
"It's not about the meat bun," she replied angrily. "It's about the principle! You don't just eat the last bit without asking!" She had the Rose Bits open fire at the ground in front of Pyrrha, before following up with a pin missile barrage from her shield. Pyrrha boosted forward, dodging the beams, and planted her right foot on the ground to pivot to the side, allowing the missiles to pass her harmlessly. She fired her beam rifle again, narrowly missing one of the Rose Bits as it flew out of the way. The beam impacted Weiss's shield, burning some of the anti-beam coating away. She gritted her teeth.
'Just what I would expect from the former European Champion,' Weiss thought to herself. She watched as Pyrrha pushed off of her foot and boosted towards her again, deflecting incoming beams with her shield.
Weiss smirked and boosted backward, narrowly missing a slash from the Tallgeese. She watched as the air around the machine ignited, the hide mines detonating together below her and engulfing the Tallgeese Leonidas in fire and explosions.
Jaune, Ren, Nora, and Ruby sat, watching from the sidelines in shock as the two battled, and as the Tallgeese was smothered, Jaune gasped. "Pyrrha!" he shouted, knowing full well that the hard light cockpits were soundproof, but he couldn't stop himself.
Ren looked on passively, while Nora gritted her teeth, biting into her sweet bread but stopping at that point, unable to take her eyes off the battle. Ruby casually sipped on her soda, silver eyes watching the duel, and taking mental notes on Weiss's machine for future team strategies.
Weiss grinned as the fire and smoke swirled, the last of the hide mines finally exploding. But her expression quickly changed to surprise as a yellow beam shot one of the Rose Bits out of the sky, while a storm of bullets tore through the other one. The Tallgeese boosted upwards, firing its head-mounted Vulcan cannons at Weiss, forcing her to defend herself. It closed the distance and slammed its shield into Weiss's, knocking her out of the air. She landed hard on the ground, her mono eye shifting upwards to focus on Pyrrha, who was circling for another pass.
She landed hard in front of the Gyan, and the two began trading sword and shield blows. The Tallgeese appeared worse for wear but was still far from disabled, and it showed; every movement was as fluid as ever, and Weiss did her best to block and parry each thrust and slash with her own. Weiss had always thought in close quarters; she could take Pyrrha, but now…
She stabbed at Pyrrha, who swiveled away. Tallgeese dodged the blow, but the sword pierced her beam cannon, disabling it. The sub arm threw the weapon behind her as it exploded, and she spun back to attack the Gyan.
A shield bash from Pyrrha knocked the Gunpla skyward, and it landed hard on its back. Its backpack sparked, damaged from the fall, and Weiss started to stand, only to find the Tallgeese hovering above her, beam saber pointed at its chin.
Weiss sighed, disappointed. "I concede," she admitted sadly, summoning the holographic button and pressing it.
"CONCESSION ACCEPTED. BATTLE ENDED."
The table despawned its battlefield, leaving the two Gunpla motionless in the center. Pyrrha smiled hopefully at Weiss. "I hope we can go back to being friends now?" she asked.
Weiss nodded, her expression changing from one of sadness to a hopeful smile. "Yes, of course. I wasn't truly serious anyway. Just angry."
"I'm sorry, Weiss, I-"
"It's just a Nikuman, right?" Weiss interrupted, shrugging it off. "I'll make sure to get the next one."
Ruby scrunched her nose up. "They put out more right after you started fighting," she said, though her words were muffled.
Weiss looked over at her partner and noticed she was holding a meat bun. No. She was EATING a meat bun. "RUBY ROSE!"
Nora grinned, and a spark rose in her eyes. "Here, we go again. I want a turn! Let me at 'em!"
The door to the battle table room at the hobby shop they were at slid open. A tall young man with brown hair and a pleasant smile entered, watching the group of friends. Everyone's eyes turned to him, unsure if he had seen the sign hanging on the door stating the room was in use.
"Sorry to barge in on you all," he said, his English influenced by the subtlest of Japanese accents. "I wanted to see the battle that seemed to be passionately happening here. It seems I missed it."
Ruby nearly dropped her meat bun. Weiss and Pyrrha stared at the man, dumbfounded. Ren immediately identified him, his face slowly morphing into shock.
"M-m-m-m-m-" Ruby stuttered, handing her Nikuman off to Jaune, who appeared so lost.
"Uh, Ruby? Are you okay?" he asked, taking the bun so it wouldn't get all over his special hoodie.
"M-M-M-Meijin Kawaguchi III?!" Ruby blurted out, dumbfounded.
The man Ruby called the Meijin immediately closed the door to the room, knowing that people would be looking for the Meijin in a matter of moments. He already heard excited gasps and footsteps outside, searching for autographs. "Please, you don't need to be so formal with me," he said, a charming smile on his face as he raised his hands to settle Ruby down. "I'm not here on official Gunpla business, just as a hobbyist and Gunpla enthusiast, like yourselves. So call me Tatsuya Yuuki, if you would."
"Of course, Mister Meiji-I mean, Mister Yuuki!" Ruby grinned happily. Yuuki laughed. He liked her spunk.
"It always warms my heart to see people giving their all to Gunpla Battle." He approached the table and inspected both the Gyan and Tallgeese there, taking a special interest in the intricate detailing of the custom Sleeves motif of the Gyan and the careful weathering of the Tallgeese. "And I can tell, just from looking at your Gunpla, that you have given your heart and soul to them. They are fine machines."
"Ah, thank you," Weiss replied, bowing with respect as she accepted the praise and trying to hide the blush on her pale skin. "Gyan Noblesse Oblige is my pride and joy."
He turned to Pyrrha and then to Ruby. "And you are the European Champion from two years ago, Pyrrha Nikos. I admit, your sudden departure from the tournament scene was a bit of a shock to the community. You were quite entertaining to watch."
Pyrrha rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah, it was a shock to me too. When my father took a job in America, I decided to move with him to study abroad. Although I still played Gunpla Battle whenever I can."
Yuuki nodded. "So I've seen. Your elegance in a fight is rivaled only by your humbleness. And speaking of America…."
his eyes turned to the other three and set his gaze on Ruby. "That must make you Ruby Rose, the American Northwest Regional Champion. Your fight for the Regional spot made waves across the Gunpla community. It was impressive, to say the least."
Both Pyrrha and Ruby looked at him with star-struck expressions. 'Yuuki Senpai noticed me!' they both thought together.
"Hey Jaune, you're about to lose your girlfriend." Nora gleefully ribbed him in the side, teasing him with a slightly sadistic grin on her face.
"No, I'm not," Jaune said. "I don't even know who he is. How can I lose Pyrrha to him?"
"And there is the pride before the fall," Ren commented, arms crossed and eyes closed. "Or perhaps it is 'ignorance is bliss?'"
Ruby looked at Jaune, dumbfounded. "YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF THE KING OF GUNPLA?!"
Jaune leaned away from her, surprised. Ruby leaned forward. "Uh, no?"
"He's the only person to win three back to back World Championships, taking home the Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth World Championship with ease, and almost took home the Eleventh. Sei Iori defeated him in the finals!"
Yuuki chuckled modestly, a little embarrassed. "I'd hardly say it was easy. Few have giving challenge me as much as Sei Iori."
"He's also one of the most prestigious builders in the world, and the face of the Plavsky Particle System Engineering, the people behind the creation of the Gunpla Battle Table! He represented PPSE in every tournament, and tours the world promoting Gunpla Battle!"
"I assure you, it's far more tedious than it sounds," Yuuki explained. "Which is why I was hoping you could drop the title for a bit. I want to be a Gunpla builder today, not the Meijin."
Ruby swiveled to look at him. "Is it that tiring?"
"Yes. I've been the Third Meijin Kawaguchi for nearly eight years now. It has plenty of perks, and I do very much enjoy the ability to tour around and watch and inspire future Gunpla Battle Masters, but it is still hard work. I seldom get a chance just to be myself, which was why I came here today, to watch others play and build, not as the Meijin, but as myself. It's important not to let the role completely swallow you up."
Jaune smiled. "Well, I don't see why one more person sitting with us wouldn't hurt. If you don't mind a bit of crazy. I mean, Pyrrha and Weiss were fighting over a meat bun."
Weiss shot Jaune a hard look. "Excuse me?" She said curtly, hands on her hips. How dare he say such blasphemy in front of the Meijin! "'Crazy?' What's that supposed to mean?"
Jaune put his hands up defensively, expecting her to throw her shoe at him. Yuuki laughed, before noticing something Ruby was holding. He walked over to her, looking at the Gunpla in her lap she had been building before eating the Nikuman.
As he got closer, his eyes lit up.
"Miss Rose, is that your Zaku?"
Ruby looked up at him and giggled. "Call me Ruby. Miss Rose is my mom. And yeah! I just built it. Wanna see?"
"Would you mind?"
"Nope!" She handed the red Zaku to him. It was based on the Gundam: The Origin Char's Zaku II kit, but had Johnny Ridden's Zaku II High Mobility Type R2 legs. The astonishing thing to Yuuki was that the kit had a Blaze Silhouette pack from Gundam SEED Destiny on its back-a pack that shouldn't be compatible with the Origin Zaku kits. Its head was also that of a ZAKU Phantom from SEED Destiny, with a slightly larger than normal neck custom-built to accommodate the ZAKU Phantom Fritz Helm-like design. It also had two spiked shoulder pads, one from Johnny's Zaku II and one from The Origin kit. They were slightly mismatched in details and spike length but were still expertly trimmed, and panel lined. And yet...
"Did you put this together?" Yuuki asked, astonished, eyeing the backpack's connection. The detail and the retooling were all top-notch. The kit had not been painted yet, but that was not surprising, considering the setting. He gently turned it over on his hands. A spark lit in his mind as he examined it.
"Yeah! Just a little bit ago! I used the computer and 3D printer here to create a compatible connector for the Blaze Silhouette to mount onto, so it could work with the Zaku Origin body. The Johnny Ridden shoulder is only temporary until I get another Origin Zaku kit, but overall, I like it! I call it the Blaze Zaku Crimson Comet!"
Yuuki smirked. "You know that they refer to me as the Crimson Comet because I used to use a custom red Zaku called the Zaku Amazing, right?"
Ruby blushed. "Yeah...I might have named it after you… and wasn't it because of the Hi-Nu Gundam Vrabe Amazing that got you that nickname?"
Yuuki nodded flattered. "Well, I'm surprised. You've done your homework. Not many know about that."
"You're a hero of mine; I hope to one day be as good as you are," Ruby admitted. "Plus I saw the interview you did last year. I don't think very many people knew that about you."
He looked the kit over again, noticing the lack of accessories. "I see you don't have weapons for it."
"Yeah, it's not meant for combat," Ruby admitted. "I'm building it to test myself."
Yuuki gave her a puzzled look. "Test what, exactly?"
"I want to test how fast I can go with my REAL Gunpla, the one I'm entering in the Doubles Tournament! I need to see if I need to tune it up or alter any of its design. Mainly it's speed and agility. I was going to use Char Aznable's adaptive AI with the Blaze Zaku Crimson Comet for that, and race it on a predetermined course to test my Gunpla's speed and mobility."
The young girl's plan caught Yuuki off guard. Was she that confident to take on Gundam's infamous "Red Comet" in a race, despite the AI using a machine built for literal blazing speed?
What kind of Gunpla had she built?
"If you don't mind, perhaps I can be of assistance?" he offered, his blood starting to boil with excitement. "I wouldn't mind using your Zaku against your custom machine, instead of letting you face the AI."
Ruby froze dead, unable to process the request. The most famous Gunpla Battler in the world, the face of the sport...wanted to use her simple kitbash?
After a moment of stunned silence, Weiss sighed. "Ruby, he asked you a question."
Yuuki laughed, amused by the young builder's speechlessness. "It's okay if you say no. I won't take offense, and-"
"Please!" Ruby blurted out. "I'd be honored if you used my kitbash to test me! You'd provide easily more of a challenge than the AI, and if you are okay with using my machine in its state right now, I'd love to race you!"
"Alright. Let me just get accustomed to it." He stood up. "Do you mind giving me a moment to test it myself?"
Ruby shook her head. "No! Go ahead! I'll grab my Gunpla and join you shortly!"
She handed him the custom GP Base for the Zaku, and he approached the battle table. The entire room fell silent as Yuuki placed the Zaku and GP Base down, and launched into space.
"I can't believe this," Weiss said under her breath, the electricity in the air making her anxious.
Jaune kept his eye on him. "So, is he really that good?"
Ruby nodded as she grabbed her carrying case from her bag. "Oh yeah," she said with the biggest, happiest grin she could wear.
He twisted and turned his wrists on the orbs, moving them back and forth, making the Blaze Zaku Crimson Comet zip through space with the skill and grace of a dancer. The movements were fluid, sound, and he could see that the machine was more than capable of surpassing its simple snap-fit design. He was already getting ideas, and he grinned, a new Gunpla building itself in his mind, just as the Zaku Amazing, AZ Gundam, Amazing Red Warrior, and so many others had before it.
And it was beautiful.
"The nimbleness," he said out loud, "the agility, the speed and precision...yes, I feel it. This is truly a phenomenal machine!"
The others watched in awe. Jaune's mouth hung open. "Comment fait-il ça? (How is he doing that?)"
"His control isn't just refined; it's nearly perfect," Weiss noted. "Even with a quickly built kitbash…"
"Ruby Rose," Yuuki said, bringing the Zaku to a stop and slicking his hair back. "I regret that I can't face you like I wanted to. But this mobile suit, as imperfect as it may be, has lit a fire in me that I can't simply ignore. I can feel your passion through this Gunpla. Your spirit resides in it, as hot as any sun. So, I won't be facing you as Tatsuya Yuuki, but as Meijin Kawaguchi III!"
Pyrrha and Ruby both squealed in excitement. Jaune rolled his eyes. "A bit overly dramatic, I think…"
"Perhaps," Ren admitted, "but it's his way of challenging Ruby to bring her best. Now, she's going to need to match his commitment. And judging by her reaction, I doubt she will disappoint him."
Ruby ran up and stood on the holographic pad, which immediately registered her and formed a cockpit. She placed her GP Base and her Gunpla, grinning as she saw it standing before her for the first time.
The TV monitors above the table focused on the new addition, and everyone looked on in amazement.
Even the Meijin took notice, glancing over and admiring the machine. "That's…."
The Gunpla was based around the Destiny Gundam but have had parts replaced. The main body was that of the Gundam Deathscythe, as were the legs. The shoulders were not the same as Deathscythe's, as they had unique curves that streamlined the pieces, but the overall aesthetics were visible, and one could easily see the inspiration behind them as being from the Gundam Wingsuit.
The wings of Destiny were fit with a similar converter piece that Ruby had used for the Zaku. The overall design looked so similar to the basic Destiny Gundam, painted in black, white, and two shades of red, that at first glance, one would see it as a simple redesign. But when observed on the big screen, the details she had put into it popped like they deserved to be recognized.
The Meijin also noticed there were clear, sparkly pieces on the backpack and shoulders, replacing some of the armor with a unique Plavsky Particle-resonating plastic that he'd seen on only a select few other Gunpla. He grinned.
"The quality of your Gunpla is top-notch," he said. "I dare say it could be Gunpla Grand Prix-level worthy."
"Thanks! I've been hoping to enter at some point to compete against other builders, but traveling overseas is expensive." Ruby grabbed hold of the orbs in front of her. "Ruby Rose, Gundam Destiny Scythe, let's goooooo!"
The Gundam crouched and rocketed forward, flying towards the Zaku and putting its feet out to stop itself as it closed in.
The Meijin clicked onto the right orb and twisted his wrist upwards to select the option for a race. "COMBAT MODE SET TO RACE," the table announced. "FIELD CHANGE."
The space around the two Gunpla warped and flashed, before reappearing before them. Still in space, but now a field of sparking shoal zone made of destroyed warships, mobile suits, and a space colony.
"The Thunderbolt Sector?" Ruby examined the area. The Thunderbolt Sector was notoriously difficult to maneuver, as the massive amount of debris and spontaneous lightning shocks branching between the pieces moved into the zone exceptionally difficult. Most machines needed anti-beam coating or a series of shields mounted to moving sub arms to protect themselves from the hazards, and even then, it was still a risky endeavor to fly through there.
Neither the Blaze Zaku Crimson Comet or the Gundam Destiny Scythe had such defensive systems. They'd have to fly and do their best to navigate the shoal zone, flying waypoint to waypoint at top speed, avoiding the obstacles in their way as they went.
"A fittingly challenging spot to race." The Meijin looked over at the video display at his right. "When you're ready, I will start the countdown."
"Ready!"
The countdown flashed on the screen for both of them, and as it hit one, both machines began to charge their thrusters. At zero, a signal sounded, and both Gunpla jettisoned forward at incredible speeds.
Ruby checked the path; the course that the computer had laid out was straight through the shoal zone. She swung her hard light orbs back and forth, testing the reaction time of the Destiny Scythe in flight. "Hmm, it drifts to the left a bit…"
She noticed the Meijin, just ahead of her. His Zaku wasn't too far away, certainly within an easily closed distance. She grinned as the predicted navigational warnings began popping up, small bits of debris hitting their Gunpla as they entered the ravaged field.
She activated her beam shield on her left arm and let it take the brunt of an impact from a large chunk of metal, which bounced off the shield harmlessly. She watched the Zaku boost up and over a larger piece, the engine of a Salamis cruiser, while she dipped below it. The first checkpoint appeared before them as a holographic ring, which both cleared, and abruptly changed course to the left to head for the next point.
The two zipped through the destroyed colony's midsection and around a derelict Musai cruiser as they cleared the second and third checkpoints, dodging lightning strikes and chunks of metal as they went. The Zaku broke through a fractured piece of glass, causing the light from another lightning bolt to glitter in space as a dazzling light show that Ruby flew threw, coming up even with the Meijin on their way to the next checkpoint, which appeared to their right.
They zipped ninety degrees and dodged a floating hunk of a Zanzibar battleship. Ruby circled a Magellan-class warship that had a massive hole blasted through it, where the smaller Zaku flew through the length of the hole and appeared slightly ahead of her on the other side.
"I must say, the handling of this machine under pressure is surprising me," the Meijin said on her right, a display with his face popping up as she made a course correction. "Even after testing it, it still impresses me such a simple, incomplete kitbash has this much quality behind it." He glanced back at the Destiny Scythe. "And your Tournament Gunpla is a true work of art."
"Oh, well, I appreciate-" Ruby started to say but was cut off when a warning siren blared in her ear. She spun Destiny Scythe to the left and raised both beam shields just as one of the Thunderbolt Sector's famous massive electrical discharges came from the colony, bouncing around the field's various pieces of debris, before heading straight for her. She tanked the brunt of the blow with her beam shields, but the immense discharge knocked her sideways and sent her spinning into a chunk of a Musai's hull, bouncing off of it hard and spinning away, disabled.
The Meijin stopped and turned around as she hit the chunk of a starship. Watching as she struggled to regain control, he paused, but only for a moment. Her course sent her into deep space, and he could see that she was attempting to restart her Gundam, but had no luck.
"Come on...come one…" Ruby said under her breath, moving the orbs back and forth and clicking on them to try and get some response from Destiny Scythe. She pushed the orbs forward and down, and the machine started powering back up, slowly, it's systems rebooting after the strike. Her view screen appeared first, spinning as the Gunpla headed away from the track, and the preprogrammed map popped up a few seconds later, showing her that she had been knocked far off course.
Her HUD was tinted a warning yellow, indicating critical damage, and she looked over the extent the bolt had done. Her beam shields were offline, and her elbows were damaged. Otherwise, her Gunpla appeared to be fine, and after a few testing sweeps, she deemed it still flyable.
Jaune sighed as he watched. "Dieu merci (thank goodness)... I was worried there."
Weiss shook her head. "This is Ruby we're talking about. Of course, she's fine." She said the words with confidence, but the look on her face spoke volumes. She knew how a loss to the Meijin without fully showing off her abilities would hit her friend hard.
Ruby re-oriented herself with the course and looked ahead. The Meijin has started once again and already had two more checkpoints cleared. Ruby furrowed her brows. "Not on my watch," she muttered, determination seeping from her.
She double-clicked her orbs, and a request to activate her special mode, which the computer called SEED Factor was launched. She hit the button and leaned back with her orbs.
The Gunpla's wings opened up to full extension, and a brilliant, silvery light began shining from both the wings and the eyes of the Destiny Scythe. The Plavsky Particle pieces on her backpack and shoulders began spewing stored particles, creating an ethereal silver glow around the machine to add to the brilliant silver-tinged Wings of Light Destiny Gundam was known for. The calves also opened slightly, revealing an extra thruster on each, which ignited as she boosted forward. Her speed was incredible, and she quickly began moving erratically through the debris, dodging the larger pieces with such precision it seemed almost impossible to track. The wings of the machine folded fully back behind the Destiny Scythe and catapulted it further and faster, condensing the thrust directly behind her in a way that made her essentially become a ball of white in the black sky, trailing silver particles behind her.
The Zaku's eye swiveled to the right, and the Meijin locked onto Ruby. He grinned as he watched her boost forward, jink and juke left and right without barely any negative impact to her speed. She began to close the gap on him quickly, and he nodded. "Yes, that's it, Ruby Rose. Show me your skills. Rage on!"
He pushed the Zaku even harder as Ruby caught up to him, and the Destiny Scythe was beginning to overtake him rapidly. He noticed that the Zaku also had a special mode and selected it. Like Ruby, it activated the ability of SEED Factor and caused his machine to release a brilliant amount of silver Plavsky Particles. His Gunpla shot forward at even greater speeds, and Ruby pushed Destiny Scythe in return, catching up to him and racing neck and neck against him to each checkpoint.
The two collided, locked side by side for a short time, before separating and dodging a chunk of debris. They raced the lightning coming after them, dodging the bolt and clearing another checkpoint, and then another.
Ruby roared in exertion as the orbs in her hands became more difficult to push forward, with her suit at nearly its limit. The Meijin, too, was having trouble, realizing that the Zaku could not go any faster with its current state. He watched as the Destiny Scythe cleared the shoal zone, then inch further and further into the lead, both of them dodging a bolt of electricity.
The Destiny Scythe proved the superior machine, as was expected, as soon it was meters ahead of the Zaku. Ruby crossed the line a full three seconds before the Blaze Zaku Crimson Comet.
"RACE COMPLETED. EVENT ENDED."
Both the Meijin and Ruby slowed and came to a stop, hovering before each other. Ruby was hollering in excitement, panting and dancing in her holographic cockpit, right up until it disappeared around her. She paused mid-butt wiggle and spun around, standing at attention before her idol, her face as red as her hoodie. The Meijin laughed and shook his head, running his hand through his hair, pushing it back in place.
"Very good," he said proudly. "Both of your Gunpla have remarkable amounts to love behind them."
Ruby grinned. The praise. The test. The excitement of being in his presence, it practically spilled from her. "Thanks! And thank you for helping me!"
He nodded before looking at the Zaku. "May I ask you a question?"
"Huh? Oh, sure!"
He picked the Gunpla up from the table. "If I reimbursed you for the money you spent to make this, may I buy it from you?"
Ruby blinked, confused. "Huh?" He...wanted to buy her Gunpla from her? It was so rough and incomplete. What could he want with something so shoddy?
"Piloting this machine-made me miss my Zaku Amazing, and gave me an idea for a new machine that I want to build. But I would like to look at this incomplete Gunpla to use as the basis of my new one." He gazed at it affectionately, before looking at her. "May I buy it from you?"
Ruby's mouth hung open, unsure as to what to say. Weiss raised an eyebrow. "Ruby. He's asking you a question again."
She sighed happily before shaking her head. "I don't want you to pay for it. I was probably only ever going to use it once, and then put it away. If you can give the Blaze Zaku Crimson Comet a place in the world, and make it famous, please-just take it. And make the best machine you can with it. That's payment enough."
She did grab the Destiny Scythe and hand it to him. "But, could you sign Destiny Scythe's wings? I'll make a brand new backpack and cherish your autograph forever!"
He laughed. "I can do that. After such a wonderful afternoon, that's the least I could do."
He exited the room shortly afterward and found a tall blonde woman in sunglasses standing outside the door. She looked at him. "You seem happy. Did you find what you were looking for?"
Yuuki shook his head. "No. But I found something else." He looked at the Zaku in his hand. "And I need to get to the PPSE to start building."
The woman smirked. "I see...I haven't seen you this fired up since you built the Amazing Red Warrior."
"You know I hate getting stuck behind one Gunpla," he admitted. "And now, I think I finally have a true successor to Amazing Red Warrior." He glanced up at her with a smile. "Perhaps one to surpass Lunagazer, Miss Kawaguchi."
"Bold claim. I can't wait to see it. Well, let's go, then." She pushed off the wall. "You can try, Meijin. Not like I'd make it that easy."
