"Bada-bada-bada-badaBADA!"
Emerald glared at her partner, who chose this moment to break the ever-so-pleasant silent car ride with one of his annoying jazz beatbox moments. His oversized headphones swayed back and forth on his head as he bobbed to the beat, lips pursed and thumbs tapping against his thighs to the beat of whatever song was playing.
He seemed oblivious to the world, humming deeply to the bass line as his eyes closed and he concentrated. "It's time to blow this scene, get everyone and the stuff together. Okay, three, two, one let's jam!"
She sighed as Mercury went into full beatbox mode, ignoring the fact that the other two people in the car could hear him. She smacked him in the chest, catching him off guard. He removed his headphones and shot her a dirty look. "Hey!"
"Could you, like, not scat for three minutes?" She asked with a bit of an edge in her voice.
"What? It's 'Tank!'" Mercury replied as if the name should carry any kind of meaning for Emerald. She didn't appear to have any reaction "You know, from Cowboy Bebop? One of the greatest animes of all time?"
Emerald scoffed. "It's jazz. From an anime from over a hundred years ago. I highly doubt that."
Merc shook his head. "Please. This is the anime fan's 'Bohemian Rhapsody.' You don't just not sing the song when it comes on. It just isn't done. It's like sacrilege to not sing it."
"It doesn't even have lyrics!"
"Of course it does. Here, listen-"
He rewound the song and attempted to put his headphones on her head, but she very quickly blocked him with her forearm, his hands pushing against her. "Hard pass. It'll be a cold day in hell before you get me to sit through that shit."
"You two are acting like children," the driver said, stopping both of them in place with a sharp tone. "Are you really the best Roman had to send with me?"
Mercury leaned back against the car door and shrugged. "Hey, beggars can't be choosers, Adam. You came to us."
"And I'm beginning to regret it." Adam's eyes were hidden behind thick sunglasses, but his head moved ever so slightly, which both Emerald and Merc caught. He was glancing at the back seat at them in the mirror, likely judging them.
"So...why did you want to do this again?" Emerald asked. "Seems a bit stupid, if you ask me."
"Well, that's why nobody asked you," Merc replied with a smug smirk.
"Shut up."
Adam focused on the residential area they were driving through. It was a neighborhood he'd been through hundreds of times, but this time, it felt different. Which, of course, was because it was different.
"We're doing this," he started, explaining slowly with a tone you'd use on a child who was testing your last nerve, "because I want to show up my old teacher before the Battle Royale. This Gunpla I've built should be more than up to the task of taking her on. If I can beat her, then I know I'm ready to take on someone in the actual tournament."
Emerald shrugged and leaned over so she could look at him better. "But couldn't you ask anyone to fight with you?"
"No. This is personal."
He gripped the steering wheel tightly and frowned. The humiliation he had suffered at the hands of his former teacher had been a hard pill to swallow, and it had left him a bitter and angry mess for the last week. Roman Torchwick had approached him with an offer to both join the World Championship with a sponsor, and to use the resources at his disposal to enhance his own Gunpla. And he took it, with the sole purpose of becoming stronger.
They pulled up in front of the destination, and Adam stepped out of the car. The backseats opened, and Emerald stood on the edge of the car door frame, eyeing the building in front of them. "The Branwen Gunpla Doki? This is where you wanted to come?"
"Raven Branwen made a fool out of me," Adam commented, adjusting his sunglasses, "and I intend on repaying the favor."
Mercury smirked and glanced at Emerald, who was still leaning on the top of the car. She gave him a similar look as Adam walked towards the dojo. "Not like it's that hard to do…" he muttered to his partner, who giggled slightly and hopped down out of the car.
A few short moments later, the trio had arrived at the entrance. Adam pushed the doors of the building open. He walked through them as if he owned the place. At one point, he may as well have. He was the Branwen Dojo's star pupil, besides the young upstart who had joined the dojo on a whim and sailed past nearly everyone in it. Adam balled his fists at the thought of Sekai Kamiki; the kid was good, and even Adam had to admit that. But he was brash, impulsive, and tactically ineffective in battle. His own stubbornness carried him to victory almost as much as his martial arts prowess, which-while considerable-could hardly be called masterful.
And on top of this, he had heard that some blonde who was participating in the upcoming tournaments managed to gain a spot at the dojo, and was fighting on par with Sekai! The very fact Raven let some random stranger in, without verification or any sort of advanced payment like she had required others, was absurd.
The dojo's occupants grew quiet as he approached the main training room. He saw Sekai and a cute girl with short white hair face off against the new blonde and someone else that he couldn't see. They were blocked by the blonde and the bright holographic cockpit.
Standing in a fifth spot was Raven herself, positioned between them and looking over the battlefield in the familiar straight built Astray Red Frame she often used with students. The two teams appeared to be practicing maneuvers and not actually sparring, while the other students took notes.
The eyes in the room turned to the doorway as Adam entered. Emerald and Mercury noticed it immediately; shock and fear crossed most of the faces of the others. The looks were genuinely amusing.
"You'd think they've never seen a pariah before," Emerald quipped under her breath to Merc, who chuckled slightly as Adam approached the active battle table.
Adam looked over the group as he slowly approached, shaking his head dismissively. Overall, he couldn't begin to believe what he was seeing. "So, this is what the famous Branwen Dojo has been reduced to? Riffraff?"
He glanced to his left and caught sight of Sekai's teammates from Team Try Fighters scowling at him, but was immediately drawn back to the table when one of the Gunpla, a stock Gundam 00 Qan[T], crashed into the rocky surface of the holographic terrain. "BATTLE ABORTED," the computer announced, and the Plavsky Particles dispersed, the table-turning back into its the normal state.
The blonde's purple eyes clocked onto Adam, anger welled up inside. "Mom, who's this edge lord?"
Adam laughed a little. "Mom? Oh, I can see the resemblance. You must be Yang, the daughter our fearless sensei so happily abandoned ages ago. A pleas-"
He stopped as he looked at Yang, noticing the person behind her cowering. She ducked behind the blonde, her jet black hair barely peeking out from over her shoulder. He stared at her for a long second, before being interrupted by Raven, who began to walk around the table towards him.
"Adam Taurus," she started, her voice low and thick with warning, "I thought I warned you never to step foot in this place again. What are you doing here, disrupting my class, and desecrating my dojo with your presence?"
Adam scoffed. "You make it sound like I'm some sort of nuisance-"
"This is your final warning, Adam." Raven came to a stop on the other side of the table and stopped, arms crossed in front of her. "Leave. Now."
Adam removed his sunglasses and smirked, shaking his head. "No. No, I don't think I will." He began slowly pacing as he spoke. "See, despite what low, idiotic ideas you might have contrived for yourself to explain the fact that you removed me, the fact of the matter is...I have every right to be here as everyone else here does. I paid the price for the classes, I jumped through all your hoops and hurdles, and I even dumbed myself down a notch or two so that I wouldn't show your precious students up. And you removed me because I did what was asked-I practiced fighting in Gunpla Battle with someone."
"You purposefully and willingly engaged in a fight that you knew was explicitly against my rules, Adam," Raven shot back. "You know that my dojo has few rules beyond the simple good sportsmanship and respect. One of those rules is, we do not fight above C grade damage, which you disregarded when you fought Sakura in a one on one fight. She was ten years old, and you left her Gunpla in such a state that it's good for melting into a 3D printer to make new parts, but nothing else."
She sighed, her grip tightening on her forearms. "Perhaps it was arrogance on my part to believe I could somehow curb your destructive nature, but you should have known better than to violate the rules of my dojo."
Yang noticed that Sekai was tensed up, and hand his taped fists balled. "So you're the reason Sakura quit?" he asked aggressively.
Adam pointed at Sekai with his sunglasses. "First of all, Sakura asked me to show her what the World Tournament was going to be like. I thought it'd be fitting to show her world-class talent, so that's what I did. Blaming me for her own mistake is asinine to the nth degree." He then turned to Raven. "Secondly, if these students of yours are serious about taking on world-ranked fighters, then they all need a harsh dose of reality. You think you're doing them any favors by holding their hands while they fight?"
Yang rolled her eyes. "Wow, you really are a piece of work, aren't you? Coming here, bringing a couple of thugs. What do you want, edgelord?"
"What I want, Blondie is to show Raven exactly what I can do." He looked from Yang back to Raven, who remained unimpressed. "I want her to pull out her actual Gunpla-not the straight build Astray she keeps using-and fight me."
Raven narrowed her eyes. "Why?"
Adam slid his sunglasses into the collar of his shirt and opened his arms, inviting her to accept his challenge. "Why not? What do you have to lose?"
"Nothing." Raven shook her head, her expression souring. "And I have nothing to gain, either. I have no use for such a battle. It would be a waste of your time and mine."
"Oh, it wouldn't be a waste of my time." He shot a look behind him at Merc and Emerald. "See, I got a sponsor now. I have someone to fund and represent me for the World Tournament. These two here...call them insurance to protect my benefactor's investment. You don't need to worry about them. And, you do have something to lose by refusing me, too-your reputation." He grinned, seeing the sparkle in her eye. "Refuse me, and I promise I'll run this dojo's name through the mud so hard you won't have a class to teach next year."
"Very ill-prepared of you to announce your plans to your target," Raven shot back. "You are a nineteen-year-old ego-dominated fool, Adam. I'll say this one more time. Leave before I sue you for slander"
Yang stepped forward, eyes locked on him. Her fists were clenched, ready to fight. Adam raised an eyebrow as she addressed him. "Hey, jerkwad, if you wanna go, I'll gladly beat the tar out of you!"
He sneered, shaking his head. "I don't think-" but was cut off by the sight of the person who had been hiding behind the blonde. The black hair, golden eyes, and scared expression were all too familiar. "Blake?"
Yang blinked, and noticed Sekai glance at the girls. She turned around slightly. "You know this guy?"
"Yeah…" Blake admitted sadly. "He's the ex I told you about before…"
Yang was shocked, and then turned back to Adam. He swore he saw red flash in her lilac eyes as she stood, looking as if she was about to charge him. "You're the asshole who abused and manipulated Blake?"
"Abused?" Adam approached her, but was stopped by Raven, who stood between the two. Her eyes now had a dangerous edge, though Adam ignored it. "You have no idea what you're talking about! How dare you! Who do you think you are?"
"Her girlfriend and your worst nightmare."
Adam recoiled slightly. "Ugh. Clearly her taste in partners has devolved."
Yang nearly barreled into him, stopped only by Blake's hand on her shoulder. "What did you just say-"
"Enough!" Raven hollered.
Adam inhaler slowly, never removing eye contact from Blake and Yang. "Fine," he said after a short moment. "I changed my mind. I want to take you two on. Merc, Emerald, and myself, against you two."
"That's not fair!" Sekai rounded the table and came to Yang's side. "You can't just do a three on two match!"
"And who's going to stop me, Kamiki? You?"
"I'll be their third partner," he declared. "Yang and Blake and me versus you three. Unless you're too scared."
Emerald shrugged. "Sure. Why not?"
Raven sighed, realizing this was going nowhere. In all honestly, she didn't want to call the police and had hoped that things would have just fizzled out naturally. She looked at Yang, who in turn looked to Blake. "Well, what do you want to do? I'd rather settle this now, one way or another."
Blake looked terrified. She glanced back at everyone, slowly trying to take deep, relaxing breaths to calm herself. After a moment, she nodded, standing upright.
Yang's hand found hers and she squeezed it, feeling Yang return the gesture. It eased her tension significantly to feel comfort.
The white-haired girl came up to Blake and offered her the use of her Gunpla. "Here. It'll help get you used to the one I gave you."
Adam watched the exchange as Blake hesitantly took the custom 00 Qan[T]. "But, Shia, if I break it, you'll need to fix it by tomorrow."
Shia smiled happily and tilted her head to the side. "Don't worry. I can fix it, no matter how badly its damaged."
Blake grasped the Gunpla and nodded, before turning back to Adam. Her face no longer had a fearful expression. Instead, she had one resolution, focus, and acceptance. She furrowed her brows. "I think we need to settle this, Adam."
"My thoughts, exactly," he replied, before nodding to Mercury and Emerald and approaching the battle table.
"GUNPLA BATTLE COMBAT MODE, START UP! MODEL DAMAGE LEVEL SET TO A! PLEASE SET YOUR GP BASE!"
Blake placed the GP Base Shia gave her onto the table, and all of the others did the same. She couldn't help but smile at the cute little cat ears Shia had added to the 00 Qan[T], which was the very feature Blake had admired about the original version that Shia had given to her. The one that was still drying back in her room after she painted it that morning.
Yang looked over at Sekai; the Gunpla he was using was one she hadn't seen. It looked far more intimidating than the Try Burning. She could almost sense the spirit of battle infused into its design.
"FIELD 12, ISLAND!"
The battle table shimmered as the holographic table transformed. Shia stepped off the raised platform where it stood and stood next to Fumina and Yuuma. She smiled happily as she watched Blake admire her Gunpla.
"Shia, you aren't worried about the 00 Shia being damaged?" Fumina ask, confused.
"Blake told me about Adam when I lived with her in America," she explained. "I want to help her defeat him, and she'll need a stronger machine than the one she was practicing to do it." She looked at Fumina, her smile growing slightly. "I can fix it or rebuild it if I need to. This is important."
Yuuma pushed his glasses up on his nose, looking at the field. It was a war zone, complete with artillery shells and beams from a faraway battle flying occasionally into the battlefield. "They're fighting in Orb," he commented on, looking at the holographic, destroyed M1 Astrays and Strike Daggers littering the coastline.
Yang crouched down, excitement overtaking her. "Alright. Blake, Sekai, you ready?"
Blake nodded, her mind focused. Yang knew this wasn't easy for her, but she was proud of her. "Let's do this."
Sekai grinned. "Sekai Kamiki, Kamiki Burning Gundam, let's go!"
Yang and Blake followed him out, landing on the coastline. But their opponents hadn't launched yet.
"So, what's the plan?" Emerald asked Adam. "I'm assuming you have one. Should Merc take the blonde and-"
"No. I'll take Blake and her girlfriend alone," Adam cut in. "It'll take both you and Mercury to fight Sekai."
Merc scoffed. "He's just a kid. How big of a threat could he be?"
"He can fight Wilfrid Kijima, who is set up to become the next Meijin Kawaguchi, on even ground." Adam took position on the catapult, the Mobile Trace system copying his movement as he moved his right hand to the hilt of the blade attached to the back of his beam rifle, which he wore on his hip like a scabbard. "No matter how good you two are, Sekai is world tournament material; you take him together or you fall alone. And I won't pick you up if you fail."
Emerald rolled her eyes. "Charming. Bawoo Mirage, launching!"
Her green and silver Bawoo took off in two separate halves, the top and bottom flyers shooting out side by side and circling each other in the air, perfectly in sync.
Mercury put his earbuds in and pressed play, gripping his control orbs with a confident smirk. "Hey, suits me just fine. Mercury Black, Gundam Vidal Black Thunder, comin' at ya!"
Mercury's Gunpla mixed the armor of the Gundam Vidar and Kiramis Vidar together, with additions mounted to it. The machine was painted in the navy blue, white, and red of the Thunderbolt Sector Full Armor Gundam, and featured a back-mounted cannon and missile pod, and the usual hip-mounted sword sheaths the Vidar used were replaced with high mobility boosters similar to the Gundam Astaroth's. A pair of large, custom shields based on the Kiramis Vidar's shields sat on sub arms that overlooked its shoulders. It carried a double-barrel cannon on the right arm and two smaller shields on each arm for added defense.
Adam waited until the others were past their gate before launching. "Adam Taurus's Gundam Wilting Spallow. Launch!"
The final member of the team was perhaps the most daunting. Its head was elongated, with a white protruding visor mounted on its red helmet, with a dark grey faceplate. Its black V-fin was swept backward and stuck out like horns. The small frame of the Gundam AGE-1 Spallow was mixed with the dangerous looking AGE-1 Razor design, and featuring the shoulders of the AGE-1 Swordia. The entire machine was streamlined, and it easily moved through the air like a bullet, landing gently in the sand like a black and red shadow. It's dual eye-like sensors on its visor, rose motif on his right shoulder, and A on its chest glowed a menacing reddish-pink as he glared at the others.
"Wow, he really went all out with the 'edge lord' schtick," Yang commented, smirking at the fact his Gunpla was proof of her earlier comment.
"I'll take him," Sekai shouted, boosting forward and moving to strike Adam. His fist soared forward but was intercepted by Mercury's right sub arm shield, which didn't budge at all from the impact. Sekai dodged backward as Mercury swept his right foot upward, the Vidar's toe mounted knife swinging up and narrowly missing the Kamiki Burning Gundam's chest. Mercury stood, perfectly stable, as he lowered his foot back to the ground.
"Sorry, kid, can't let you do that."
Sekai landed a few meters back but was struck by a micro missile in the left shoulder. He gritted his teeth and looked behind him as the top flyer of the Bawoo Mirage sailed past him, before dodging a pair of beams from the bottom flyer that made a pass from the right.
Yang turned and opened her shoulder-mounted machine cannons, aiming at the bottom flyer of the Bawoo Mirage. But as she locked onto it and fired, both halves of the machine faded from view, disappearing into the blue sky. "What the hell?"
Fumina gasped in shock. "Invisibility?"
"That Gunpla is using the Mirage Colloid system," Yuuma said, gritting his teeth. "And it can split into two units. They'll be in trouble if they can't counter it."
Blake kept her eyes on Adam, holding her GN Sword V defensively. Yang watched as Mercury prepared another assault, firing the twin rifles at the Kamiki Burning Gundam. Sekai dodged backward and to the side, but was blindsided by a beam shot that blasted the sand from under him, causing him to trip up and land awkwardly on his knee. The Bawoo Mirage reappeared and combined, landing next to Mercury.
"This is too easy," Merc commented, tapping his foot lightly to the beat of the jazz in his ear.
Yang gritted her teeth and boosted to help him, but was caught off guard by a red blur. She heard Blake call out a warning, but was struck hard by a powerful kick that sent her careening into the shallow part of the ocean. She sat up, stunned, seeing Adam's Gunpla standing meters away, between her and Blake.
'So fast!' she thought to herself as she stood.
She got a good look at his weapons now. He indeed had some kind of katana-like hilt mounted to the back of his rifle, which he held by a handhold at the top. She saw no actual grip for the rifle, but that didn't mean anything. She did see a deep pink physical blade mounted to the bottom of the weapon, which told her he could probably swing that thing and use it as a sword to a degree.
"I'm disappointed in your partner, my love," Adam said as he slowly walked between them, his back facing Blake. "She talks big for a loser."
Yang stood up out of the water and growled. "Don't you dare talk to Blake that way, asshole."
Adam shook his head and took a stance traditional of a samurai preparing to quick-draw his sword. Yang balled her fists and began throwing punches into the air at him, each motion firing Shining Shots from her Shining Gundam gauntlets at the Wilting Spallow. Adam responded by drawing his beam saber, making precise slashes into the air to block and destroy each bolt.
As he finished fending off the fifth shot, he spun quickly and clashed with Blake, mounting his hilt back into the beam rifle and catching her sword with the blade edge on the bottom of the weapon. He opened fire with head-mounted machine guns, forcing the 00 Shia to retreat as he sidestepped Yang as she tried to land a blow.
Blake floated on her GN particles over to Yang, who was trying not to let her frustration get the better of her. Adam was fast. Faster than she had expected.
"Damn, how do we beat this guy?" Yang asked. "Do you know anything about his Gunpla?"
Blake shook her head. "No. He used an Lord Astray before; this one is different. It's a lot faster."
Adam flicked his left wrist, and the scabbard flipped up into beam rifle mode. The handle he had been holding onto became the rifle grip as the weapon folded up and around his hand, and he aimed and fired at the two of them, forcing them to scatter.
Adam was pleased with their reactions. Neither of them had a good way to lock him down, and so far, he could tell that both of their skills were woefully inadequate. He glanced over at Sekai, watching as Mercury and Emerald seemed to play with the boy. "Don't let him gain the upper hand! Destroy his Gunpla and get over here!"
The Vidar Black Thunder dove at Sekai, trying to land a kick, but it was blocked by the Kamiki Burning's forearm. He boosted backward and reoriented himself as Sekai charged, blocking his fist with his left arm shield and slipping to the side, using his own momentum to upset his balance. Sekai stumbled for a moment, then jumped out of the way as a volley of micro missiles exploded on his last location. The Bawoo Mirage, back in the air and in two pieces again, circled around and recombined, before aiming its beam rifle and firing, forcing him to move again.
"Gotta admit, he's pretty decent," Merc noted as he opened fire with the shoulder cannon. The artillery shell flew at Sekai, who managed to use a palm strike to deflect it to the side. He charged Merc again, who jumped up and avoided his fist, bending backward to dodge the blow before boosting with his right knee thruster and rapidly delivering a heel kick to Sekai's cheek, sending him off balance.
He fell forward onto his hands and knees, looking up as Mercury shot his shoulder cannon again. Sekai pushed up and avoided it, turning as he noticed the Bawoo flying low at him. Emerald ignited a yellow beam saber from under the barrel of her rifle and moved to impale the Kamiki Burning. He twisted, avoiding the saber, and cried out as his fist impacted into the faceplate of the machine. He flinched immediately afterward as another artillery shell impacted next to him, sending him flying as Emerald separated and took back to the sky in two pieces.
Blake watched as Sekai landed in the water, then was immediately struck by the shockwave of an artillery strike from the map, a missed shell from the far off battle in the background slamming into his position and knocking him flat. "We have to help him!"
"We need to help ourselves first!" Yang replied as she rapidly tried to punch Adam, who dodged expertly or blocked the blows with his rifle.
Blake nodded and clicked on her left orb, rotating to the second slot, then third, then fourth, clicking on each as she did. All six of the blade bits in her shield launched and began shooting forward. Adam ducked a haymaker from Yang and shot backward, using his beam saber and sword to deflect incoming attacks from Blake's bits.
Adam gritted his teeth as he skimmed across the beach, dodging into the treeline as three of the bits slashed past him. He was annoyed and surprised by how good of a fighter Blake had become. He flipped his sheath into rifle mode and shot one of the bits out of the sky, jumping over a second and spinning to avoid the third.
He boosted upwards and shot a glance at Merc and Emerald, who were pressing their advantage on Sekai, but the fight was too even, to tell who was winning. He turned and fired on the Kamiki Burning, getting two shots off before Blake's 00 Qan[T] appeared in his view and tried to dive at him, forcing him to retreat.
Warning alarms went off on Sekai's left, and he turned and jumped away from the two incoming bolts, narrowly missing a pair of shots from Emerald. Mercury attempted to approach him from behind, but Sekai noticed the waves beneath him. He closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath, and spun around. "Jigan Haoh School, Soten-Guren Ken!"
His fist ducked under the incoming bladed kick Mercury launched, and he connected straight into the jaw of the Vidar Black Thunder, knocking it into the air. Merc's cockpit shook from the impact, and he grunted as his Gunpla was sent skyward.
As Sekai came back down, landing in the ocean's shallows, his Gunpla began to glow, and a fiery explosion emitted from the exposed sparkling blue parts across its body. Emerald recombined and landed next to the Vidar Black Thunder on the beach, which was slowly getting back to its feet.
"Well...that's something," she commented, as a ring of fire appeared from the back of the Kamiki Burning Gundam.
Mercury snorted dismissively. "Lucky shot."
The black circle with the white "Kami" sign on the Kamiki Burning Gundam began to glow, and a massive beam blast shot forward at the two. Both of them moved in opposite directions to avoid it, with Mercury circling Sekai's left, firing his twin slug rifles to distract him as Emerald dashed forward with her beam saber. Sekai responded by igniting six fireballs from the ring emitting from his backpack, firing them at Mercury, which forced him to halt his attack and block them with the sub-arm-mounted shields.
Sekai reached behind him and grabbed the sheathed longsword mounted on the back of his waist. Flames shot forward as he brought it to bear against Emerald, blocking her beam saber. She attempted to swing her rifle around so its beam bayonet could slash at him, but Sekai grabbed the weapon long before it got within striking range, and fired the shoulder beam a second time. Emerald separated and flew away, forced to abandon her beam rifle to the grip of the Gundam.
"Jigen Haoh School, Senpu Tatsumaki-Geri!" Sekai leaped into the air, spinning about as Emerald attempted to evade him. The Kamiki Burning Gundam began to rotate furiously, creating a high-speed twister in the ocean that sucked the two halves of the Bawoo Mirage in and spun them about uselessly.
Emerald attempted to cloak the two halves of her Gunpla, but the twister made remaining invisible useless. The top half came within striking range, and a swift and powerful kick from the Kamiki Burning sent the top flyer straight into the ocean, disrupting the Mirage Colloid particles, which began to dissolve on contact with the water. The bottom flyer landed in the shallows, suffering similar problems.
The rest of the students and Sekai's teammates watched in awe and excitement as the tables evened out some in Sekai's favor. Yuuma smiled slightly at Sekai's technique. "That might have been the only real way to counter that kind of Gunpla," he said. "It only took him taking a couple of dozen attacks to realize it."
Fumina glanced at Raven, who still wore a sour look on her face. Clearly, the dojo master was not happy with the fact this fight was happening, though she looked less concerned about Sekai and more concerned about Adam.
Mercury watched as Emerald transformed her top half back into robot mode, struggling to move in the wet sand that had sucked her into it. Without her lower half, the Bawoo Mirage was essentially dead in the water, literally. She cursed at her situation, anger welling up inside her. "Damn it! Hold on, Merc!"
He turned his attention to Sekai, who put his sword away and dashed at him, fists raised. He buckled down, preparing to defend, raising all four shields in an effort to give him the best cover. Sekai's fist impacted with the left sub arm shield just as Yang came flying backward towards them, skidding to a halt in the sand with Adam on her tail.
Yang ducked under a slash and lashed out, connecting with a cross jab. She pulled her fist back and prepared a body blow with her left hand, but saw Adam swing his scabbard around. She shot her wrist thrusters to the right, skidding to her left into the water as she avoided the blow.
Adam used the momentum of his missed attack to carry him into a defensive block against another sword bit. He knocked it away just as Blake rushed him, her GN Sword slashing up across his torso. He backed up, avoiding the blow as the wind scattered from the swipe.
He landed in the water and resheathed his beam saber, crouching down. He had Blake in front of him and Yang behind, and he knew that he couldn't fight one without the other coming in from his blindside.
His fingers loosened and tightened around the grip of his beam saber, antsy. He waited, watching both of them, flicking his gaze from in front of him to behind.
It was Yang who made the first move, predictably. She charged, closing the gap between them quickly. Three radiator fins deployed from the shoulders of the Wilted Spallow as Yang impacted. But, instead of hitting Adam's Gunpla, the only thing there was a phantom.
Fumina gasped. "Wait! That's the Gundam F91's afterimage!"
Raven grimaced. She could see Adam's moves, and the grip on her sleeves grew more intense as she watched him easily circle to Yang's side.
Surprised, Yang gasped, blinking as she attempted to register what had just happened. Blake saw Adam from a distance and opened fire, trying to draw him away from Yang as she recovered her bearings.
"Yang, move!" she called out, trying to get her attention. Yang looked over at Adam, who was dodging left and right so fast he left a trail of ghosts and a massive wake in the shallows.
"What just happened?"
Adam laughed, deactivating his metal peel-off ability and retracting the radiator fins. "You're too slow, Blondie. I don't know what Blake even sees in you. You're not all that bright to attack an opponent who was obviously waiting for you."
Yang clenched her fists, closing her eyes in an effort to control herself. Adam's taunt, however, had awoken a dragon, and instead, she responded by slamming her fists together in front of her, activating her Berserker mode and assimilating with her Gunpla. The blonde hair from the Nobell Gundam she used for Burning Echelon raised behind her, and her machine began generating an angry red aura.
Adam blinked, but then smirked as an idea came to him. "So, you can assimilate like Kamiki. Good, then you're going to feel every last cut."
He boosted forward, flipping his rifle out and firing as Yang approached. She ducked and wove under the rounds, slowly advancing hop by hop, her fists raised defensively like a boxer. Adam flipped the rifle back into scabbard mode and lashed out with his beam saber, missing Yang as she got in close and nailed him with a left hook. He blocked her body blow with his scabbard before kneeing her in the stomach and firing the Spallow's Needle Gun at point-blank range.
The piercing round hit Yang hard, and she doubled over as Adam backed off in time to dodge a downward slash by Blake. She floated just in front of Yang, who stood back up, a small hole in the midsection of her Gunpla. "Yang, are you alright?"
"I'm going to rip him to pieces," she called out angrily. Blake pushed forward to attack, but Adam dodged, reactivating the afterimage effect to dodge and strike. Blake brought her shield up to defend herself, though the saber cut a deep wound into it. She backed up and clicked on her right orb, circling over to the SP slot, and selecting it.
Her machine began resonating a deep pinkish-red as Trans-Am activated, and she launched her own assault against Adam. The two machines, now evenly matched in speed, briefly took to the sky, swords clashing against each other as Adam attacked Blake and dodged the remaining sword bits that flew at him.
Yang watched as Blake forced him back down towards her, but was kicked out of the sky and hurtled down towards the ground. Adam chased her, increasing his speed and sweeping his beam saber out of its sheath to cut the 00 Shia in half.
At the last second, however, his blade sailed through an afterimage of Blake's own creation, surprising Adam as she quantum teleported behind him. What surprised him, even more, was, once his blade cut through the quantum clone of Blake, the Burning Echelon boosted up and landed a powerful straight punch directly into Adam's face, crunching the visor on the Wilting Spallow on impact. The Spallow recoiled and was sent into the air, where Adam had to quickly recover and regain control just as Blake swept over and tried the same move he had just attempted.
Yang looked over at Sekai, who had managed to push the Vidar Black Thunder back. One sub arm had been ripped away, and the cannon on Mercury's back had been crushed. He was trying to avoid Sekai's assault, but the Kamiki Burning Gundam followed him relentlessly. "Jigan Haoh School, Ryusei Rasen-Ken!" he screamed, his right fist rotating furiously as it ignited into a spinning fire tornado that impacted the torso of the Vidar Black Thunder and blew a hole straight through it. She watched Mercury, in a last-ditch effort to finish him off, fired his small missile pod on his back at point-blank range, riddling the Kamiki Burning Gundam with high explosives that blew its head and left arm clean off and caused it to crash to the ground.
She could hear Sekai in his cockpit, screaming in pain as the effects of assimilation hit him hard with each impact. Both the Vidar and Kamiki Burning came to a rest in a heap, completely inert.
That just left Adam, her, and Blake.
She turned back, her determination renewed, as Adam pressed Blake. She teleported again but was caught off guard as Adam brought his sword around in a full revolving slash while in mid-air, connecting with her own blade and knocking it away. He prepared to bring the blade of his scabbard down on her, but Yang intercepted it and blocked it with her gauntlet.
He kicked her in the face, landing in front of her before boosting forward. She tried to deliver a kick to him as he advanced, but he merely sidestepped it, his afterimages leaving her confused for a moment before she tried again. He dodged a second time, but she caught sight of him on the third attempt and slammed her fist into the side of his scabbard, knocking him backward slightly. He gripped his beam saber, once again mounted into the scabbard, and weaved under another blow before unsheathing it.
Yang backstepped in the nick of time to avoid getting cut in half, but the slash-cut across her chest and removed the tip of one of the V-fin horns on her head. The pain she felt was intense like a curling iron had just fallen across her chest. She screamed in pain as she backed up, tears welling up in her eyes.
Adam pressed his attack again, and Yang tried to counter, throwing a wild right hook out. She watched as Adam sidestepped it, and realized immediately that her arm was in his strike zone. She couldn't retract it in time.
She immediately reached out with her left hand and hit the status indicator on her cockpit that showed the health of her Gunpla. With a single button press, she detached her right arm just as Adam's blade connected with it, sparing the joint of the upper arm and allowing her to escape. She jumped backward, her arm now numb since it no longer had anything to sync up to in the Mobile Trace system.
Adam came at her again but had to dodge as Blake rushed him, one of her sword bits in hand. She swung it like she had her sword, forcing Adam to retreat. "Yang, are you alright?"
Between the numbness in her arm and the blazing pain on her chest, Yang knew she was far from alright. "I'll be fine. Don't worry about me."
Blake turned just as Adam blitzed her, knocking her backward and away from Yang. She was forced on the defensive, doing her best to stave off the sudden aggressive attack pressed against her.
Yang could only watch in dismay while kneeling on the sands. Adam had sliced the connection piece to Burning Echelon's arm. She couldn't use it now, and that left her with few good options. If only-
A slight glint caught the corner of her eye, and Yang turned to see one of the holographic M1 Astrays, half-destroyed on the edge of the forest area. Its left side was melted beyond repair, but the right side, including the arm, was more or less intact. What's more, as she approached it, Yang realized the Astray was a holographic variation of the Gunpla kit, and, in a stroke of luck, had the same connection port as the Duel Gundam arm she used.
She watched as Adam and Blake locked blades, the high output beam saber of the Wilting Spallow beginning to slowly cut through 00 Shia's sword bit Blake was still using.
Yang quickly detached the arm from the Astray and attached it to the Burning Echelon. Her hand returned to normal, feeling instantly renewed and without the numbness from before. All of that was good, but without her right gauntlet, Yang knew she was outgunned by Adam.
She searched around for some kind of weapon, and spotted the GN Sword V that Adam had knocked away from Blake. She rushed to grab it, picking it up and inspecting it quickly. No real damage; Shia was truly skilled with her craft.
Blake's cry caught her attention, and she turned to see that Adam had cleaved through the sword bit. Blake teleported behind him and tried to stab him with a beam saber she retrieved from the back of her hips, but Adam deflected it with ease.
Yang fired the GN Sword, using its gun mode to drive Adam off before throwing it to Blake. She caught it, but realized too late that her time in Trans-Am had been depleted, and the 00 Shia collapsed to its hands and knees. Adam rushed Yang and kicked her away, his shin connecting with her head, and sent her flying sideways, dazed. He panted, the toll of the fight being exacted upon him, before turning to Blake.
He approached her, the tip of his beam saber under her chin. "I admit...you surprised me. I had no idea you could have gotten this powerful. But it ends now."
He raised his right hand, blade grasped firmly in his grip, preparing to strike. Blake closed her eyes, glad she couldn't feel the damage he would inflict, but a sickening metallic thud resonated where he had once stood. She opened her eyes to see the Burning Echelon, Berserker mode still active, with its new M1 Astray fist landing cleanly against the Wilting Spallow's face. Adam went flying straight into a tree, his Gunpla crashing through its trunk and landing hard on the ground.
He looked up gingerly, seeing Yang standing next to Blake, new fist balled as she fell back into a fight stance. He was slow to his feet, hands empty now-he had dropped his weapons during the impact and now stood, defenseless.
"Give it up, Adam!" Blake pleaded. She was weary, saddened, and she didn't have the fight left in her to continue this. "Please! We don't want to do this!"
Adam was silent for a moment. His eyes flicked to one opponent, then the other, thinking.
He glanced to his right and saw his beam saber hilt. It was out of immediate reach, but if he could just get to it…
Fuel was low, and he couldn't rely on his little afterimage trick again after the power he had used during the fight. Blake was out of GN particles for now but was recharging, and Yang was panting, tired and wounded. There wasn't much fight left in any of them. All of their cockpits flared an angry red from their critical conditions.
Adam tensed up, which caused both women to react, tensing with him. His scabbard was much closer. A quick jump to the side and he could easily grab it.
Deciding it was a better option, he pushed off and moved to his left, tucking and rolling as he grabbed the weapon. He flicked his wrist and folded it into rifle mode, firing at Blake as she tried to catch him. The bolt pierced the 00 Shia's left side just above the front hip skirt, penetrating through the Gunpla and forcing her to staggering drop her GN Sword. He moved it back to its scabbard mode and turned to address Yang, who was closing in fast. He raised the weapon above his head as he boosted up, bringing it down like a giant cleaver, blade down right on her.
He expected to sheer straight through her, but instead he was surprised as her temporary arm caught the blow and pulled, bringing him into a left body blow that was amplified by the boosters on the back of her remaining gauntlet and the Shining Shot she fired at point-blank range. The impact sent Adam flying backward, crashing into the ground, as Yang panted harder. She winced in pain as a red mark formed on her palm from where the blade had dug into the Astray's hand, and she tossed the bladed scabbard away as her Berserker mode faded.
Adam slowly stood up, his machine groaning in protest. The Wilting Spallow was shaking, the strain of the battle wearing it down. He gripped his control orbs firmly to force the Gundam back to its feet.
Yang spotted his beam saber hilt lying near her, and saw that he had seen the GN Sword bear Blake, who was having trouble getting back to her feet as well. "Blake!" she called out, alerting her partner to the threat as Adam started running for her weapon. She decided to end this now, and ran at Adam's beam saber, picking it up as Blake got up and used what little GN particles she had regenerated to fly at her lost sword.
Adam reached for the blade, as did Blake, but the 00 Shia proved to be the faster of the two, and she grabbed the weapon and thrust upwards. The blue blade pierced the abdomen of the Wilting Spallow, just as the red katana-like beam saber of Adam's own blade struck him from behind as Yang buried it grip-deep into his chest.
He came to a stop, looking down at the brilliant red energy blade and the blue GN Sword impaling his suit. Weapon less, mortally damaged, and now out of energy, the Gundam Wilting Spallow collapsed onto the floor of the forest just outside the beach. Yang and Blake boosted away with some of the little power remaining as the Gunpla detonated, landing on the sands again.
Blake collapsed, sobbing as relief overtook her, but the battle still was going on, meaning one of their opponents was still alive.
Yang looked around, spotting the top half of the Bawoo Mirage, which had crawled its way towards its bottom half and was almost in place to recombine. Yang walked over to it as Emerald struggled in the soft, wet sand. The shadow of the Burning Echelon loomed over her as her money moved backward to see Yang, blotting out the sun. She reached back, her left hand glowing with angry intent, before she drove the flaming yellow fist straight into the back of the Bawoo, melting through its armor and destroying its core, shutting it down without a word.
"BATTLE OVER!"
The hologram faded, and with it, the M1 Astray arm. Yang looked across the table at the three opponents. Mercury had a look of frustration on his face, Emerald one of shock. But Adam, his face was seething hatred. His blue eyes shined with rage, and Yang met his gaze with solid, rebellious defiance.
Blake had begun to stand back up, tears in her eyes. She gave Yang and Sekai an appreciative look, and the younger boy grinned at her, before flipping his eyes to the opponents.
Adam circled the table and claimed what was left of his Gunpla, which was mostly in ruins now. He gazed upon it, his thoughts complicated. Emerald and Mercury did the same with theirs, exchanging glances as they watched him.
He finally turned and stared at Blake, snarling. "This isn't over," he said simply, before turning and walking out of the dojo without another word. His teammates followed him out, leaving the room quiet for a moment.
Shia, Fumina, and Yuuma approached Sekai. "Are you alright?" Fumina asked, concerned. She knew how much damage he could take from assimilation, and was just glad he was only scuffed up and not fully unconscious.
He nodded and gave her a thumb's up. "Yup! Just fine!"
Yang pulled Blake into a hug as she began to shake. She felt the will to defy Adam drain from her the moment the hug surrounded her, and she began to cling to Yang for dear life. Shia put a reassuring hand on her shoulder and Yang gave her a grateful nod. Raven could only watch, wondering what damage that man had inflicted on the poor girl.
Yang approaches her, a look of concern mixed with a renewed determination in her eyes. "Rav-mom, I need a favor. I need an Astray arm."
Raven gave her a quizzical look. "But why?"
"I need Ruby to help me build a new arm using it. One that will help me remember this fight. Yang looked down at the badly damaged Burning Echelon in her hands, "Adam was powerful. If Blake hadn't been here, It would have been a lot worse."
She glanced up at her mother again. "And I want to take something into a fight to remind me of my time here."
Raven pauses for a second, before smiling, feeling honored at her consideration. "I think I can manage that."
—
"What do you mean, you lost?!"
Roman paced in their penthouse, cane lightly tapping on the carpet as he walked, frustration mounting as he processed the accounts of what Emerald had just told him. Mercury was leaning against a wall, aggravated, avoiding eye contact with his boss. Adam hadn't said a word since they arrived. He simply turned the head of his destroyed Gunpla around between his fingertips, fidgeting with it as he thought about the fight.
Roman flipped his cane and turned to Adam, and raised his gaze up with the hook of the cane. "Care to enlighten me? I'm sponsoring you for the Battle Royals right before the main tournament. Is this what I have to show for it? You can't even beat a pair of amateurs?"
He pointed at the two he had sent with Adam. "THEY I can excuse. Sekai Kamiki has beaten some of the best and brightest up and comers in the world. I get he could take them out. But you? I'm paying good money and putting my operation on the line for you! Am I going to regret this?"
Adam looked him in the eyes with a harsh retort on his tongue, but kept quiet as a new figure entered the room behind Roman. "Don't be too hard on the boy, Roman," a seductive voice said. Emerald perked up immediately, standing up with joy on her face, "Cinder!"
Mercury rolled his eyes. "Ugh, get a room..."
Roman stood up straight and turned to address the newcomer. "Your little outfit requires my operation to work. Do you think the Gunpla Mafia just hands out donations to anyone wanting to take over the sport? It's not that easy, toots, and I do have investors to please."
Cinder smirked at his snarkiness, approaching him with a slow, graceful walk. "Please. Miss Salem already pegged these two, this Team Bumblebee, as a potentially dangerous duo. All of the teams sponsored by Ozpin are. It's why she's taken special precautions so he can't interfere with Team Godslayer's design."
She turned to Adam, regarding him with a fond smile. "Besides, he played his part well and helped us gather intel on the two of them. Our little mole in the Branwen Dojo recorded the entire fight. Plus, he wrecked both Shia Kijima's Gunpla, as well as Yang Xiao Long's, and Mercury did heavy damage to Sekai's Kamiki Burning Gundam. Those are three of the strongest in the tournament. If Adam can do that much damage in a two on one fight, then there's little doubt he's proved his worth."
Roman sighed and puffed on his cigar. "I suppose you have a point. And Neo should be coming back soon with the recording of Coco Adel versus that Penny girl from Canada."
"Exactly. Knowledge is more potent than any weapon in a Gunpla Battle. We have ourselves an opportunity to weaken them all right out of the gate. So fret not, Roman.
Cinder's smile grew more sly as her amber eye's glowed a dangerous glint. "All is as it should be…"
SEKAI KAMIKI'S GUNPLA
Kamiki Burning Gundam
Sekai's current primary Gunpla, the Kamiki Burning Gundam is a combination of his skills as a fighter and his desire to perfect the ultimate design for his needs. Created by his own hand (under the tutelage and watchful eye of Shia Kijima), the Kamiki Burning Gundam improves upon everything the Try Burning Gundam could do and takes it to the next level.
Shia managed to masterfully replicate the RG core system of the Try Burning Gundam, which was a creation of the Build Burning Gundam's builder, Sei Iori, who pioneered it with his Star Build Strike Gundam. Using the Try Burning as the foundation, she helped Sekai hone his building skills to be close to hers and Sekai's teammate Yuuma, and he used elements from a variety of machines to help create the perfect martial arts masterpiece Gunpla.
The Kamiki Burning Gundam is simple in its premise but complex in execution. It features very limited ranged abilities, the most prominent being a disguised beam cannon on the left shoulder where the black circle with the "Kami" sign resides. While assimilated, a raging circular pattern of fire appears from his back, and with it, Sekai can fire up to six fireballs. Other than this, the only weapon the Gunpla has is a katana-like longsword that can emit fire for potent, plastic-melting strikes, and Sekai's own Jigen Haoh School of Martial Arts.
ADAM TAURUS
Age: 19
Hometown: Orlando, Florida
Height: 6'3"
Eyes: blue
Hair: Red
Adam is a harsh and arrogant individual. One look from him and most can tell that he has high aspirations for himself, and does not like failure. Coming from a poverty-stricken family and clawing his way through society to a reputable status, he believes that he is entitled to compensation for the hardships he has endured, and will try and take that which is not freely given.
He and Blake shared a rocky relationship for several years. Originally enamored by his good looks and confidence, Blake found herself manipulated and used by him. She finally ended the relationship when he struck her for hanging out with someone without telling him; he thought it was another man, but it was actually Yang, who had been giving her the support she needed to leave him.
Adam is exceptionally skilled in Gunpla Battle and favors high-speed engagements. He tends to shred enemies quickly when they misjudge his movements and actions and is exceptionally lethal in a one on one fight.
ADAM'S GUNPLA
Gundam Wilting Spallow
Designed using the Gundam AGE-1 Spallow as a basis, and using custom made parts reminiscent of the AGE-1 Razor and Swordia, the Wilting Spallow is an extreme speed, high mobility mobile suit meant to end fights in one clean strike. To aid this, he has created a specialized focusing mask that covers the eyes of the Gunpla. He was forced to streamline the V-fin, slicking it back like what one would find on an Astray or Windam, to allow it to attach to the face.
Adam uses a high output beam saber whose blade focuses on a katana shape when active. This weapon, which is his main method of attack, is refined enough to even cut through other beam savers, slash through-beam shots, and pierce energy shields if stabbed directly into it.
His main ranged weapon is a specialized beam rifle that folds over the hand of the Gunpla to form a large scabbard-like device. Due to the strain, the beam saber puts on his Gunpla's energy levels, he conserves power by constantly keeping it deactivated and docked with the back end of the beam rifle, drawing it swiftly to deal extensive damage while maintaining optimal energy levels. The scabbard also features a physical blade made out of the AGE-1 Spallow's sword blade, allowing him to swing it to defend attacks or cut into enemy Gunpla if need be.
Besides these main weapons, the Wilting Spallow also features the knee-mounted needle guns found on the standard AGE-1 Spallow and Vulcan machine guns on its head. It's most deadly feature, however, is the high-speed metal peeling afterimage effect normally associated with the Gundam F91, which allows him to use his amazing speed to create intangible copies of himself to confuse opponents and give him an even greater speed boost. Like the Gundam F91, three radiator fins are stored in the shoulders of the Wilting Spallow to aid in this.
ROMAN TORCHWICK
Age: 34
Hometown: Manhattan, New York
Height: 6'2"
Hair: fiery orange
Eyes: green
A con man turned business mogul turned underworld kingpin, Roman Torchwick is a genius at the art of the deal and is both smart and sly with his arrangements. He went from small-time crook to criminal overlord in a meteoric rise to power through subtle manipulations of various organizations and maintains a tight and firm grip on several key aspects of various black market and criminal activities.
One such area is the Gunpla Mafia. Disorganized after the arrest of their previous leader and founder, Mikio Mashita, Roman led many former agents back to the fold with promises he managed to make good on early on. Proving his commitment, he was nearly unanimously appointed leader of the revived group, who has become active as of last year once again.
Despite his disinterest in Gunpla in general, Roman sees a tidy profit on cornering a powerful market and has allied himself with Salem Autry in hopes he can gain spoils from aiding in her plan.
MERCURY BLACK
Age: 24
Hometown: Reno, Nevada
Height: 6'1"
Hair: Grey
Eyes: Dark Grey
Arrogant, antagonistic, and seemingly lazy and laid back, Mercury is a rather skilled but immature guard dog for Roman Torchwick, the current head of the resurgent Gunpla Mafia. Used mainly as an enforcer both in and out of Gunpla Battle, Merc favors a straightforward approach and enjoys engaging in fights he knows he has a good chance of winning at, finding delight in torturing foes.
He fancies himself a skilled pilot and models both his Gunpla and his obsession with fighting to jazz after Io Fleming of Gundam Thunderbolt, seeing him as something of an idol.
GUNPLA
Gundam Vidar Black Thunder
A hybrid of the Gundam Vidar and Kiramis Vidar, with several customized armor pieces and a unique backpack, the Vidar Black Thunder is a fast and agile machine loaded with heavy defensive properties and a series of powerful weapons. While Mercury has limited himself in close combat to relying on the flip-out knives mounted on the Vidar's feet, he is an expert in martial arts and has learned to use his agility to his advantage with devastating kicks. Replacing the hip-mounted scabbards that would normally resupply the Vidar's rapiers with thrusters not dissimilar to the Gundam Astaroth's, he has no other melee weapons aside from his feet.
For range, however, he has several options. A pair of Vidar rifles are mounted to the shield on his right arm, similar to the Gundam Thunderbolt's twin beam rifle, and he has a potent artillery cannon and eight-pack missile pod on his back. He kept the Kiramis Vidar's back sub arms with custom made larger shields, with a pair of shields on each of its main arms. These four shields help cover Mercury so he can lash out with a flurry of kicks. Each shield is covered in heavy anti-beam coating for added resistance, and are made with extra layers of plastic to reinforce their structure, making them impressively impervious to even the most powerful kinetic strikes.
EMERALD SUSTRAI
Age: 23
Born: Agra, India
Raised: Miami, Florida
Height: 5'6"
Eyes: Red
Hair: black (Dyed green)
Typically seen as a serious and easily annoyed counterpart to the far more laid back Mercury, Emerald is one of Roman Torchwick's main enforcers. She worked her way into his good graces first by stealing from him, then by proving herself to him that she was valuable once he had caught her. She finds a particular bit of pride in managing to pull a fast one on her boss.
A skilled pickpocket and convincing liar, Emerald is more at home duping victims than participating in Gunpla battles. However, with the Gunpla Mafia being one of several schemes Roman runs, she has become a rather adept master of deception even in the field of battle. While Mercury prefers more direct methods in life, Emerald toys with people like a cat toy with its prey and finds it fulfilling to lure them into her trap in any number of ways. She's not easily thrown off her game and will do whatever is needed to succeed once she has her mark.
EMERALD'S GUNPLA
Bawoo Mirage
Favoring the crafty separation and dual strike attacks of using the top and bottom flyers (Bawoo Attacker and Bawoo Nutter, respectively) of the Bawoo, Emerald has customized her machine to act as a perfect aerial support mech to Mercury. Equipped with the Mirage Colloid system found on the Blitz Gundam of Gundam SEED, Emerald can cloak one or both halves of the Bawoo Mirage to double team opponents, distracting them and weakening their defenses while Mercury closes in for the kill. However, Mirage Colloid particles disintegrate in water or other liquids.
While the Bawoo Mirage's armaments are, for the most part, standard, Emerald has mounted a beam saber into the rifle in much the same way the Zeta Gundam has one on his beam rifle. Using it like a bayonet affords her reach and extra options in close range combat. She has also modified the machine to transform its top half even when not connected to the bottom flyer, letting her grab things or throw out a beam saber attack while the bottom flyer circles around for another pass. It's armed with a pair of beam sabers, a beam rifle with a beam saber bayonet, two four-tube grenade launchers, six missiles, a pit of Vulcans in its chest, and a pair of beam cannons on the lower half that were used while flying in a separated form. Emerald does have both the standard five-barrel mega partial cannon shield and a standard shield with micro missiles she can choose from, depending on the foe.
