Blake held Yang's hand as she recovered in bed. The welt on her shoulder from where her Gunpla had been stabbed was visible, but overall she was healthy and unharmed. The blonde looked very tired, but considering what Raven had deduced about the special move she used, that was to be expected.

Tai, Summer, Kali, and Ghira were with her in the doctor's office. The hospital was right next to the stadium, so the trip to carry the exhausted team was short. She regained consciousness not long afterwards, in time to see Nora and Ren's fight, and was now resting in bed with everyone breathing collective sighs of relief.

Yang looked at her mothers, Summer wearing a concerned but happy look and Raven still sporting a harsh, lecture-like expression that came naturally to her teaching role at the dojo.

"Guys, I'm fine," Yang reiterated for the fourth time. "I'm just a bit tired, is all."

None of them had really explained why they were so concerned. Yang won the battle, and did it in a super cool way. She figured they'd want to celebrate.

Ghira looked at Tai and Raven sympathetically. "Don't you think it might be beneficial to explain to her what you explained to us?"

Yang's lilac eyes immediately shot to the two next to her. What was this about? "Explain what? Am I sick?"

"No," Tai replied immediately. "You're incredibly healthy. In fact, you're in top shape. Which…is part of the problem. You see…"

He looked at Raven, who crossed her arms and nodded. Taking a deep breath, he sighed, before continuing. "You have a remarkable amount of chi in your system, and when you were assimilated, you channeled it into your Gunpla."

Raven narrowed her eyes. "How did you even manage that?"

The question baffled Yang. She didn't plan things out. She just did them. Nothing she did she had a detailed plan for. "Well, I figured that I could try and use that focusing technique Dad taught me to protect my hands when I was holding back Mina's super beam attack."

She looked down at her palms, which were still pink but not nearly as painful or colored as they had been an hour ago. "I focused my energy to hold it back a little more, but as I did, I noticed that I was actually gathering my energy, so I just…tried it. I thought about shooting it off and it worked. So when I had to do it a second time, I just tried it again, on purpose."

Blake smirked and nuzzled Yang. "Always acting first, thinking second," she mused happily.

Yang smirked and nuzzled her back. "Hey, it was super cool. I say that's a good thing. And we won, so it could have been worse."

Raven looked unimpressed but said nothing. She needed to think of how this would work when Yang came to her dojo for more training.

Kali reached over and stroked Yang's hair. "Well, I for one am grateful that you are alright. I'm sure the rest of us feel the same. We were just very worried when you collapsed."

Yang blushed and smiled. "Thanks…I'm glad I'm okay too." She always felt a little embarrassed when Blake's parents fawned over her.

A very short silence fell over the group, before the door opened. "Yang?" A high pitched voice called from the other side, timidly and quietly, to avoid disturbing her if she had been resting. Ruby peaked in to see if her sister was awake, and when she saw her sitting up and everyone around her, the younger girl came in with Weiss in tow.

"How are you feeling?" Weiss asked.

Yang shrugged. "Okay, I guess. Worn out. These guys seem to know stuff, but they aren't really telling me what's going on."

Tai took a deep breath. "That's because we're still trying to figure it out, ourselves. We have some thoughts, but nothing really solid, yet."

"Details on assimilation are still widely unknown," Raven added. "The effects of it on the human body haven't been fully explored because it's usually very rare to have someone who can make the connection. We don't even know what triggers it, other than a very strong will to fight until you can't fight anymore."

Weiss and Ruby exchanged glances. The worry on Ruby's face was fairly evident. "So, is this something that's going to happen all the time?"

Yang shrugged. "I dunno. It's not like I'm trying to get hurt." She looked at Raven. "You promised to help me learn how to do this. Do you know how to control it?"

Raven shook her head. "In theory, yes, but in practice? I haven't ever been able to assimilate. Not really. I've been trying for a few years now to understand the process. It's one of the reasons I was so grateful that Sekai decided to start training at my dojo as part of his mission to better understand Gunpla Battle and martial arts as a whole. I fear it might have been a waste of his time, but he seems to get something out of it, so I can't write off the experience entirely."

She gave her daughter a hopeful smile. "It might be possible to glean some manner of information from the two of you sparring at some point, either against each other or against myself. But for now, focus on recovering."

Blake kissed Yang's cheek, before glancing at their friends. "So, what are you two doing for the rest of the day?"

Ruby smiled. "Weiss's older sister Winter invited us to hang out. We're going to meet her at G-MUSE to see what she wants."

Weiss shot a cold glare at Ruby. "We are not going to 'hang out,' you dolt," she replied, planting her hands on her hips. "Winter wants to assess us and our combat ability. And she's going out of her way to help, so you should at least be on your best behavior."

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "It sounded like she wants to hang out to me. I mean, you two don't get to see each other very much. Why wouldn't she want to hang out?"

"Because she's a Marine Corps Lieutenant, which makes her very busy." Weiss shook her head and pinched her nose. "The least you can do is show her a little respect when we finally meet up."

Ruby chuckled nervously, not wishing to earn any more ire from her partner. Summer watched with interest; Winter Schnee had always been away, and though she had met Weiss's mother and grandfather, her older sister remained something of a mystery.

"Weiss, why don't you invite Winter to join us for dinner tonight, once you're through at G-MUSE?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. "I'll make a tuna casserole and whatever sides she'd like! I'd be absolutely delighted to meet her."

The confidence Weiss had just had disappeared instantly. She looked over to Summer Rose, who wore a welcoming and hopeful smile. Winter typically avoided social get-togethers and relaxing functions, preferring to keep a distance from others. But Weiss found Summer both charming and warm, and it was almost impossible to say no to her.

"I...can certainly ask," she said after a moment, "but I can't promise anything. She's not really someone who likes get-togethers."

Summer chuckled. "Tell her I'm baking cookies tonight, as well."

Ruby's eyes grew nearly three sizes at the mention of her favorite delectable sweet. She gasped excitedly, a broad grin on her face. Yang and Tai both laughed at her reaction. Ruby was too predictable.

Kali turned to Weiss. "Will your mother or grandfather be coming here to watch you compete? I don't think Ghira and I have had the pleasure of speaking to either of them for a while."

Weiss shifted uncomfortably. "I don't know. Maybe. I can ask Klein about it and see if he might be able to convince them."

She loved her grandfather greatly, especially after he was able to rescue her and her mother from the abusive situation they were in while living with her father in California, but he could be a bit much. He was overly generous and doting, which made Weiss feel like she truly couldn't earn anything on her own.

One thing she felt she had to do was to learn not to take handouts, and to get a feeling that the world was more than the ivory tower her father's aggressive business tactics had built for them through the Schnee Trading Company. She suspected that her grandfather would try and spoil her, and the last thing she wanted was that, here in Japan.

Ghira saw her discomfort. More than that, he understood. Some of the environmental issues he disagreed with Jacques Schnee on made him a staunch opponent to his company's practices, and he was a firm and outspoken opposing voice to them. When Blake had told him she was going to school with his daughter, he had instantly taken a dislike to him, but over the last year and a half, had learned that Weiss was just as impacted by the harshness of Jacques as he and his advocacy group was, but on a far more personal level, rather than an environmental one. And she was a sweet girl, if a stubborn and proud one, and she was loyal and supportive of Blake and her friends, which made it even easier to accept her.

"Don't feel pressured, if you don't want to do it," he said, giving Weiss a slight nod. "There will be plenty of time to get together once we are back in the states."

Weiss's crystal blue eyes shone in appreciation, and she nodded. "Okay. Thank you. I will be talking with them soon regardless. And knowing Grandfather's flippant nature, there is a chance he might on a whim come down to see Winter and me, anyway. It's very much like him to do such a thing."

Yang closed her eyes and kissed the top of Blake's head, which prompted the other girl to curl up next to her and hug the blonde close. "So, I think I'm gonna rest for a bit. The doc said I'll be free to go in a few hours, so I'll be able to come to dinner."

She gave them all a slightly embarrassed smile. "Sorry for worrying everyone. Thanks for coming to check on me."

Summer lightly ruffled her hair. "It's no big deal. We're just happy you're okay. Get some rest, okay?"

Tai nodded, echoing the sentiment. "Call us if you need anything."

Slowly, everyone began to file out of the room. Ruby looked a little sad as they left, wishing she had had a little more time to stay with her sister. But, Yang was okay. That alone was worth the short few minutes they had spent there.

And yet, something was missing. She turned to Raven and Summer. "Hey, where's Uncle Qrow?"

The two women gave her a surprised look, before exchanging glances. Qrow had been with them up until they all entered the hospital but disappeared half an hour before Ruby and Weiss had arrived. He had been in the room long enough to see Yang wake up, making sure she was at least alright, but then excused himself.

Raven sighed heavily. "He didn't say where he was going, but he did mention that it was urgent and that he'd be at dinner tonight." She looked away, annoyed. "Took more than a little arm twisting to agree to that, though. Honestly, I wish I knew what was going on inside my brother's aloof head."

Summer chuckled nervously. "Now now, Ray, you know how his job is…"

Raven shot her an agitated look. "His work tends to be his excuse nine times out of ten. But whatever."

Weiss tapped Ruby on the shoulder, then pointed to her watch. "We should probably go. Winter should be at G-MUSE by now."

Ruby nodded. "Right!" She turned back to her parents and Blake's family. "I'll see you all tonight!"

Tai smiled, though a slight look of worry crossed his face. "Be safe, alright?"

"We'll be fine, Dad," Ruby replied, annoyance seeping into her voice. Her father was so overprotective sometimes. It bothered her greatly.

Weiss gave him a small smile. "Don't worry, Mr. Xiao Long. I'm a terrific driver. We'll be fine." She nodded towards the elevator. "Come on, Ruby. Let's not keep my sister waiting."


The trip to G-MUSE was short, but the number of people frequenting the large Gunpla hub was far greater than either of the girls had anticipated.

"It seems pretty busy today," Weiss noted, pulling into a parking space near the entrance. The building was huge and could accommodate a vast crowd, but it still took her by surprise at how many people were there.

The massive full-scale Unicorn Gundam statue standing outside dwarfed the crowd of people around it as they moved to and from the main entrance. Ruby smiled up at it. It reminded her of how amazing the world was, celebrating Gundam with such statues, and it helped her appreciate the time Gunpla Battlers took to make their models look as cool as possible while also being badass.

Kyrus's Unicorn Gundam Chimera came to mind as they walked past the statue. Team White Rose had had the honor of fighting it during its final official tournament run. It was hard to believe they had been the last ones who took on such a powerhouse and won.

The mall-like Gundam station was full of stands, stacks of kits, and displays all over, and Ruby and Weiss were confronted with it all the moment they walked through the door. Children were hopping from display case to display case, marveling at the numerous finely crafted model kits that the workers at G-MUSE had built.

Weiss smiled lightly at the young ones, imagining them slowly becoming the next generation of Gunpla Battlers. It was always fun to see kids indulge their fantasies.

"So, where's your sister?" Ruby asked, snapping Weiss out of her thoughts. That was a good question. Winter hadn't told them where she would be.

"Hold on. Let me call-"

"Mistress Weiss."

A familiar voice caught her from the side, and both girls turned to see Weiss's butler, Klein, approaching them from one of the shops. He wore his usual warm and friendly smile, though he tilted his head slightly in confusion when he saw their shock.

"Is…there something the matter?" He asked. "I do hope I have not startled you."

"Klein?! What are you doing here?" Weiss blurted out. "Are Grandfather or Mother with you?"

"No, I'm afraid," he replied apologetically. "They will be here in the next day or two, but they insisted that I come ahead of them to meet with you." He raised an eyebrow. "I was under the assumption that Mistress Winter had informed you of my impending arrival."

"Nope," Ruby chimed in. She glanced at Weiss. "Maybe she wanted to keep it a surprise?"

"Well, I'm surprised." Weiss walked over to him and embraced him, hugging her tightly. "It's been only a few days, but it feels like a lifetime. I'm happy to see you, Klein."

"As am I," he replied, returning her hug. After a moment, he released her. "Now come. Your sister awaits you. Follow me."

As they turned and headed towards the shop Klein had come from, Ruby couldn't help but giggle. "He sounds like the gatekeeper to some secret, hidden quest in a video game," she whispered.

Weiss rolled her eyes but smirked. She was right, even if Weiss didn't want to admit it.

As they entered the shop, they noticed winter immediately. Her stiff, military stance and stoic face were unmistakable, her hands clasped behind her back and eyes closed, waiting patiently at ease for their arrival.

She wasn't alone, however. To both Ruby and Weiss's surprise, a tall young man with long blonde hair tied in a ponytail stood with her. He had a relaxed expression, smiling pleasantly at two Gunpla sitting on the battle table.

Ruby's eyes lit up. "Hey Weiss, that's Wilfrid Kijima!" She whispered. "What's he doing here?"

Weiss glanced back at her but said nothing. While surprised to see him, she was not at all surprised at his identity.

"Mistress Winter, your guests have arrived," Klein announced. Winter's eyes snapped open upon hearing his voice, and both she and Wilfrid turned to greet them.

Winter nodded at the newcomers. "Weiss, Miss Rose, welcome."

Ruby chuckled nervously. "Hehe…please, just 'Ruby' is fine. Miss Rose is my mom, so it sounds weird to be called that."

"I believe this is the second time we've met," Wilfrid added. "I apologize that we weren't able to talk much at the dinner."

"Wilfrid." Weiss greeted him with a cold response, which took Ruby by surprise.

"Wait, you know him?"

Winter glanced at the two. "Hmm. I assumed that, when Shia came to the US to study and stayed with your friend, you would have explained."

Weiss closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Wilfrid and Shia are my cousins," she said to Ruby. "In case you didn't notice, the Schnee bloodline tends to be pretty dominant with our white hair and blue eyes, which Shia has. My mother's brother William is their father."

"The white hair skipped a generation with me," Wilfrid said with a shrug.

Ruby stared at her partner in shock, mouth agape. Weiss sighed disgustedly and used her finger to close her partner's mouth. "You're bound to attract flies. Please, don't embarrass me."

Wilfrid smirked. "This wasn't precisely the family reunion we had been expecting, but Winter and I have been talking since the party a few days ago, catching up on things. It's been very enjoyable."

Ruby kept staring at Weiss for a moment, before blurting out, "why didn't you tell me?!"

"Because I know you!" She snapped back. "You would have gone all googly-eyed and started pressing Shia or myself for information and such! So, she and I agreed to just play it off as a happy coincidence, which it would have remained had Winter never mentioned anything."

She turned back to her older sister. "I'm very sorry for my partner's behavior. Ruby is…very enthusiastic about Gunpla Battle and, in particular, the people who play it. I should have warned you, and would have if I had known Wilfrid would be here."

Ruby crossed her arms and pouted. "You don't have to say it like it's a bad thing…"

Both Wilfrid and Winter exchanged glances, before beginning to laugh. Weiss seemed to almost faint in confusion. It felt a bit surreal to see Winter laugh like that, so full of genuine amusement.

"Honestly, I don't mind," Wilfrid replied after a moment. "My quest to become the next Meijin means that fans will naturally be attracted to me to converse about Gunpla, and I welcome them openly."

Winter calmed herself and nodded. "It's actually reassuring to see Wilfrid engage in talk about the sport. I'm still learning, so it's quite educational."

Ruby glanced down at the table. It was off, with just the two Gunpla inhabiting it. She leaned in to take a closer look at both, instantly recognizing one and becoming incredibly curious about the other.

The white and blue Gunpla was clearly Wilfrid's Transient Gundam. A machine based on one of the 00 Gundam series machines, likely Exia or Astraea, it had made an impact last year against Sekai Kamiki and the Try Fighters during the Under 19 Tri Battle Tournament. Its craftsmanship was top-notch, though Ruby expected nothing less since Shia had told her that she actually handled the repairs on her brother's machine except when he specifically asked to do it himself.

She noticed it didn't hold its normal spear. Instead, a simple, plain, gray rapier was in its left hand, which Ruby assumed was from the Kotobukiya Knight Weapon set. Wilfrid appeared to have sanded the edges down to give it a sharper blade, but otherwise, it was completely stock.

He must have just opened a pack up and taken it to practice with Winter, Ruby thought to herself. Letting her practice to fight Weiss, maybe?

She glanced at what she assumed was Winter's machine.!

While the build quality was nowhere near Wilfrid's machine, there was a clear level of care and intricate additions given to it. Its customization was very impressive.

A customized Mercurius that held a large dueling saber in its main hand alongside its Crash Shield, it was painted steel blue and grey, with a brilliant ocean blue sensor on its face. Winter had interestingly customized it with silver Sleeves motifs across its wrists and on the central area on its chest, as well as on the extra knee armor it sported.

Perhaps most interesting, however, was the addition of custom mounts for its ten planet defensor units, allowing the pairs of five to sit side by side rather than fanning out across its back. This was clearly to give the Mercurius space to hold large wings that were remarkably similar to the Wing Gundam Zero Custom's, though the way they were set on the Mercurius, reminded Ruby more of the Tallgeese Flugel's wings.

She smiled at Winter. "That's a cool Mercurius you have. What do you call it?"

Winter gave her a soft smile. "The Mercurius Eisengel. It means 'Ice Angel' in German."

Winter turned to Weiss. Her expression hardened, which Weiss recognized instantly, causing her to turn and pay full attention to her older sister.

"Enough wasting time. Weiss, I have a mission and a message for you, from Grandfather. You and Miss….Ruby both brought your repaired Gunpla, correct?"

Weiss nodded. "Ruby finished hers last night and helped me tune and repair mine. The Gyan Noblesse Oblige didn't require much in the way of actual repairs, since it only lost its shield and didn't take any true damage, but Ruby managed to fix any chips and dents in its armor. It looks good as new."

Wilfrid tilted his head curiously. "Ruby's machine…" His voice trailed off for a moment, before turning to her. "Do you mind if I inspect it?"

Ruby blinked in surprise. "Oh! Uh, no, not at all."

She retrieved Gundam Destiny Scythe from her protective pouch on her belt and handed it to him. His eyes narrowed the instant he held it. It felt…heavy. Its design looked simple, but…

Winter caught his expression. "What is it?"

"This Gunpla. It's…different." He gently, tenderly turned it over in his hands. The detailing was exquisite. The build quality wasn't as good as his or Shia's but was still superb. Its performance in the last battle was no fluke.

He locked onto the silver, glittery piece of plastic that sat between its wings and back weapon mounts, smack dab in the middle of the backpack. His mind instantly thought back to his battle against Sekai and the Try Burning Gundam, which used a similar piece, though it was blue, and turned orange when he assimilated. It reminded him of the purple pieces he had seen on the Denial Gundam, as well, which Sekai fought and apparently was piloted by another practitioner of his Jigen Haoh School of martial arts.

"Ruby. This piece…" he turned the back of Destiny Scythe over to show her. "This is a Plavsky Particle conduction piece, isn't it?"

She nodded. "Yeah. It was originally the only one on Destiny Scythe. It came in handy when I raced the Meijin a few days ago. I had decided to increase the number of them later on in the tournament, but after Destiny Scythe was destroyed in the last battle, I did it earlier."

Wilfrid gave her a confused look, before realizing what she meant. "May I take the backpack off?"

Ruby immediately looked alarmed. "Sure! But…be careful. The new piece is connected to that one. Pull-on the bottom of the pack, then lift it up. It'll disconnect from the attachments that are holding it in place and won't damage the Gunpla."

He nodded and did as instructed. Instantly he saw more of the Plavsky material lining the thruster vents in the wings, but it was what was under the backpack that shocked him most.

The core of the Destiny Scythe was exposed once the backpack was removed. And it was made of the same, glittering plastic. He now understood why the Gunpla felt so heavy. He had assumed this was merely a kitbash, but it was far from it.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," Winter noted. "What is it? That Gunpla is a simple design. Surely there isn't anything there that is that spectacular."

Wilfrid shot her a disapproving look. "That's where you're wrong." He lowered his hands and showed her the back. "It took me a moment, but the Destiny Gundam and Gundam Deathscythe are incompatible under normal circumstances. They may like aesthetically similar in many ways, especially in the torso, but the inner workings of the Gunpla are vastly different."

Winter looked confused. "Different how?"

"The Deathscythe kit uses normal ball and socket shoulder joints, with the ball peg on the shoulder pauldrons that connect to socket poly caps in the torso. The Destiny Revive kit uses reversed ball and socket joints, with the ball joint in the torso and the sockets in the arms. Meaning, to get the Deathscythe shoulders onto the Destiny body, some extensive adjustments need to be made to one, the other, or both."

He nodded to the exposed core. "But the most important thing is this. She turned the entire central portion of Destiny's core piece into a Plavsky Particle piece. Meaning it can more easily sync resonate with the particles in the table, enhancing its mobility and speed."

He replaced the backpack carefully and turned it back over to face him. "So the Third Meijin Kawaguchi has faced this Gunpla already…"

Ruby shrugged. "Yeah, but it was just a race. I put together a simple kitbash of the Origin Char's Zaku II and Johnny Ridden's High Mobility Zaku and added a Blaze ZAKU pack from SEED to it. I was gonna let the Char Aznable AI pilot it, but the Meijin walked in and after seeing it, offered to help."

Wilfrid smirked. "Interesting." Handing the Gunpla back to her, he turned to the sisters. "Would you mind it terribly if Ruby and I sat in as you test Weiss?"

Weiss cocked her head to the side. "Test?"

Winter's icy gaze fell on her cousin. "This was intended for both of them."

Wilfrid nodded. "True, but after seeing the upgrades Ruby has done to her Gunpla, you might get better results just testing Weiss, first. This is a bit of a family matter, after all."

"If Destiny Scythe is too advanced and would give me an unfair edge, I could be Weiss's Operator," Ruby suggested. She smiled at Weiss. "I've helped Yang out a couple of times in the past. I think it'd work great."

Winter hadn't taken his eyes off of Wilfrid. "Are you suggesting I am too weak to defeat them?"

Wilfrid shook his head. "You train against Captain Ironwood and Commander Fynn, who-despite people liking to hype them up as being new to Gunpla Battle-actually have participated before in tournaments under pseudo names, as you mentioned before. I believe you have the skill to do it. Your skill is probably on par with both of theirs."

He nodded to Ruby. "But, to flip the famous quote of Char Aznable, the skill of the pilot doesn't always determine the winner of the battle. The features of the mobile suit do play a big role in it, and Ruby's machine would simply be too much for you to handle if you are indeed on equal terms in fighting ability."

Winter thought for a moment before conceding. "I suppose you have a point. I haven't ever faced an opponent with those parts before, and if they are as powerful as you say, it would likely be too much for me to handle." She turned to the teens. "Take your positions."

The combat table started up a moment later. Winter set the damage level to C, to avoid actually damaging Weiss's Gunpla. Ruby took her position behind Weiss, watching the read-outs as the computer read her Gyan Noblesse Oblige.

"Hey, Ruby," Weiss said, "what do you know about the Mercurius?"

"I don't know what Winter has done to hers," Ruby replied, never taking her eyes off the display as she moved her HUD around into a more optimized view for herself, "but the basic one is a close combat machine specializing in defensive screens to get in close. It was fast in Gundam Wing-easily as fast as most of the Gundams, and some say almost a match for the Tallgeese."

"Weapons?"

"By default, it has ten bits called planetary defensors, which project an anti-beam shield wherever a few of them meet. It has a large and very durable shield that also contains a potent, Gyan-style beam saber. A couple of standard Vulcans finish the stock set off. It was meant to be used along with its long-range brother Vayeate, kind of like the Garazzo and Gadessa work together in Gundam 00."

Weiss nodded. "Did you see anything special about hers?"

"Well, those wings look similar to the Wing Zero Custom's set, but they are slightly different. Either way, they could also be used as shields, and with them will probably mean she has a ton of speed and mobility. Don't underestimate her. Other than that, she just has a physical sword, so you have to watch out for her maybe springing the beam saber on you."

Hearing Ruby go almost into a trance, listing things off like she's memorized the entire Gundam franchise and was just reciting stats like a computer program. Yang called it her 'Deku Mode' since she reminded her older sister of Izuku Midoriya from My Hero Academia when she did this.

Winter stretched her neck and extended her hands onto the hardlight orbs before her. "I hope you are prepared, Weiss. I do not intend to go easy on you."

"Don't you think you should focus on yourself?" Weiss replied confidently. Winter seemed mildly surprised by her younger sister's voice. Normally, Weiss seemed to attempt to impress and appease her.

Perhaps she had realized the only way to do that this time was to come at Winter with everything she had.

"Very well. Winter Schnee, Mercurius Eisengel, deploy!"

"Weiss Schnee, Gyan Noblesse Oblige, launch!"

The field was a seemingly endless, barren, rocky desert. The perfect location for two exceptionally fast and agile machines to duel. No rocks to hide behind. No hidden traps. No obstacles. Just the two of them and the harsh sun to shine above them.

Weiss flew forward for a short distance before beginning to descend. She watched as her sister did the same, touching down in front of her, weapons at her side, waiting.

Ruby watched for a second, confused. "Why aren't you attacking?"

"This is more than just a duel," Weiss answered calmly.

Ruby's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I've always looked up to my sister. Winter was better at everything. I've always tried to appease her, and she knows it. It's why she is so critical. I can't help but do it. I basically hero-worship her."

She closed her eyes and continued. "Every time I seek her approval, she calls me a boob and smacks me over the head. She wants me to be my own person, but around her…I don't know how."

A smile crossed her lips as she opened her eyes and looked at her opponent. "But in Gunpla Battle, I'm the better fighter. I'm the one she has to look up to. I've been doing it longer. I taught her how to build, showed her what to do. Here, I'm the superior. And I intend on meeting her head-on, to show her exactly that."

Ruby gently smiled at her partner, before nodding confidently. "Alright, let's kick her butt!"

Winter listened to the discussion. While she hid her emotions with a cold, practiced expression, inside she felt proud. That exchange alone convinced her that Weiss was ready.

But that wasn't enough for her younger sister, and she recognized that. Weiss had every intent to come at her with everything she had. And it was Winter's obligation to respond in kind.

She raised her dueling saber and pointed it at the Gyan. "I admire your conviction, dear sister. However, do not think this will go like you believe. I have done more than just increase my building ability since we last met."

Weiss raised her rapier. "For your sake, I certainly hope so!"

Winter inhaled slowly as she looked at her opponent. Weiss fought left-handed; her attack and defensive arcs were reversed compared to what Winter was used to.

Weiss, similarly, sized up Winter. The two of them had trained many times, both using stock Gyan's or Weiss practicing with Rose Gundam against Winter's original Mercurius. However, the two of them had never faced each other head to head before, and the massive wings of the Mercurius Eisengel and the speed it would be capable of intimidated her slightly.

The two sisters stood still for a long time, statues among the desert. It seemed like an eternity passed as their Gunpla stared at each other.

Then, Weiss shifted her foot slightly. The sound acted like a trigger, and Winter exploded forward with a thrust, which Weiss parried and backpedaled.

What speed! Weiss barely had time to respond, bringing her buckler to shield up to stop Winter's crash shield from ramming her as the Mercurius followed through. The Gyan batted the shield away as the beam saber in the middle ignited, almost decapitating her machine.

Weiss boosted backward and landed hard, digging her heels into the ground as Winter swooped up into the air. Her Gunpla's speed and agility were clearly superior, but Weiss had encountered that with Ruby's machine, Pyrrha's, and even Kyrus's, so she remained undeterred.

"Weiss, careful," Ruby warned. She had her eyes on the readouts on the Gyan Noblesse Oblige, trying to maintain optimal power output. "We can't take a lot of those kinds of blows without risking damage."

"Then we have to clip her wings." Weiss deployed her four Rose Bits from her rear skirt armor and raised her sword to the sky. In a barrage of energy, the four bits and her sword began unleashing randomly placed beam attacks to try and intercept the Mercurius Eisengel.

Winter smirked. "Too predictable." She launched four of the planet defensor units from her back, which circled around to her front. Their energy field dissipated the incoming beams, allowing Winter to traverse the barrage with ease.

The Mercurius dive-bombed the Gyan, forcing Weiss to leap out of the way to avoid Winter's sweeping strike. As she dodged, she turned and unloaded a volley of pin missiles from her shield, which passed through the electromagnetic field of the planet defensors.

Winter twisted and angled her shield up to block the attack, but was rocked by explosions that sent her crashing into the ground. Her platform shook. What happened? She looked around frantically to assess the damage, which seemed minor and localized to her back and upper torso.

The pin missiles struck her center mass as she got up. She raised her crash shield to fend off a second volley, and as she did so, another explosion erupted in front of her as her shield moved.

She growled. Hide mines. Of course. Weiss had managed to outplay her this round, distracting her so she could lay a trap, and it cost her both her momentum and some damage in the process. Clever, but not good enough.

Weiss retracted her bits. With the planet defensors, using them was pointless unless she got into a good position.

The Mercurius took off again, rushing the Gyan. Weiss and Winter clashed, rapier and saber deflecting and countering each other while shield bashed shield. Having the weapons and shields mirrored meant they were able to intercept blow after blow with ease and grace. The way their combat styles flowed seamlessly was mesmerizing.

Wilfrid watched the two machines clash. Each stab, swipe, parry, and repost came with weight and confidence, conviction, and respect. He watched as Winter stabbed with the crash shield beam saber, only to have Weiss's buckler shield swoop in and knock it away, which was followed by Weiss lancing out with her rapier and Winter being forced to use her wing to block it.

"Weiss has always been in Winter's shadow," he commented to himself, arms crossed as the duel continued. "It appears she finally has begun to break free from the shackles surrounding her."

He turned to Klein. "Wouldn't you agree?"

Klein looked at him. "Miss Weiss certainly has grown into her own woman since moving away from her father," he admitted. "I believe she is only going to continue to improve. It is truly a wonder to see."

Weiss swept her rapier sideways, forcing Winter to duck. The blade cleaved off the forehead antenna of the Mercurius, which Winter responded to with a thrust that grazed the left side of the Gyan's cross-shaped eye tracking. Despite being on the lowest damage setting, the gouge was plainly visible as both women backed up and resumed a defensive stance.

"Weiss, deploy your bits," Ruby called out.

"What? Why?" What was Ruby thinking? She must have formulated a plan, but the younger Schnee couldn't see it. "She's just going to counter them."

"Do it! It might distract her long enough to get a clean hit in!"

She deployed her bits again, having them travel low across the ground in a fan shape away from her. Winter responded with her planet defensors, positioning three of them on each side of her as Weiss boosted forth and slammed their shields together.

Winter closed her wings in front of her as Weiss tried to stab her right shoulder joint in an attempt to disable her sword arm, before boosting forward and overpowering the Gyan. Weiss disengaged and moved her bits high above Winter, raining down beams that the planet defensors blocked. Missed and redirected energy blasts began to destroy the hard rock of the desert floor while the two high-speed duelists again closed in.

Winter again slammed her shield into Weiss, knocking her backward. Alarms sounded as Weiss staggered, regaining her footing and forcing Winter back with another pin missile volley. She deployed more hide mines, but Winter boosted to the right to bypass them, landing with her wings and planet defensors angled to avoid further attacks from the side or rear.

"Ruby, how are we looking?" Weiss asked.

Ruby quickly looked over her display. "Don't worry, we're good! That last blow was superficial."

"Good. Time to end this!"

Winter smiled while trying to catch her breath, pride welling up in her at her sister's confidence. "I should have expected both of you to be competent opponents. This is more fun than I was expecting."

Weiss panted lightly, taking the downtime to try and reset. "You've gotten so much better, Winter! I thought for sure this would be an easy fight, but I came at you like I did Kyrus and you responded in kind. I'm impressed!"

"You would have demanded nothing less," the older Schnee replied. "I couldn't simply back down after your rousing declaration."

She raised her saber up near her head, alongside her shield, and ignited her beam saber. "Now, let us finish this."

Weiss twirled Myrtnaster around before raising it up near her face and took a stance to let her easily launch forward. "Come on, then!"

The thrusters on the Gyan Noblesse Oblige began revving up, while opposite it, the Mercurius Eisengel spread its wings. The two machines, poised to strike, waited until the last moment, as they had to begin this duel.

And when that moment came, the explosive force charging the two of them erupted, sending both of them on a collision course for the other.

Weiss charged her blade with beam energy, causing it to emit a pink blade of destruction.

Winter's beam saber was angled low, her main saber angled high, both ready to pierce her foe with lethal precision.

The two clashed near the center just as a loud voice bellowed over the battlefield.

"OVER THE TIME LIMIT!"

The Gyan and Mercurius froze in place, hovering above the ground, as the dust disappeared around them. They both fell to the table and toppled, off-balance in their poses. Neither had scored a killing blow.

Everyone stared at the Gunpla, Weiss, and Winter stunned as their cockpit dissolved around them and they were standing face to face across from each other.

Ruby blinked. "What happened?"

Winter sighed and cleared her throat, regaining her composure and standing upright. "I had set the time limit to five minutes. It appears we have reached that limit, though I hadn't expected to so soon."

"So…it's a draw?" Weiss asked disappointment setting into her voice.

Winter shook her head. "No. You won. Look."

Weiss looked down and saw her rapier was embedded in the Mercurius's small eye sensor. A perfect bullseye. Winter had missed with the main saber when Weiss made her thrust, and the beam saber had deactivated before making contact with Weiss's body, meaning Weiss had the only registered hit of the two.

Winter nodded approvingly. "Congratulations, sister. I stand defeated."

Weiss took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. It felt a little hollow, but Winter was correct. She had won.

"Brilliantly done, Miss Weiss!" Klein cried out in joy. He gave her a small nod, and Weiss could see the pride and happiness in his eyes and the small upturn in his mustache.

"I agree," Wilfrid chimed in. "It made me wish I was in the fight, as well."

Winter shot a sideways glance and a small smirk at him, hand on her hip. "Please. Even with the two of us, I doubt we could have defeated you."

Her eyes flicked over to Klein. "Klein, the package."

"Of course, Miss Winter." Klein moved to the side, where a suitcase sat near a chair. Weiss and Ruby hadn't even noticed the black case, and their curiosity rose as Klein approached Winter.

She took the case, then turned to Weiss. "A present, from Grandfather."

Weiss's look suddenly became cross. She looked at the case as Winter opened it. Inside, a white Sinanju with red markings and a customized shield made of various swords sat next to a locket that had a snowflake etched on the surface. In the center of the snowflake was a brilliant, sparkling cyan jewel, the only tiny gem on the locket.

Weiss had never seen anything like it. The craftsmanship of the Sinanju was sublime, but she couldn't take her eyes off of the gem.

"Allow me to present to you the Weiss Sinanju," Winter proclaimed. "Grandfather wished to give you a good luck present for your battles in the future. It's admittedly a little on the nose with the name, but I'm told it came from a special event that, to date, almost nobody has beaten."

"Yeah! I recognize this!" Ruby popped up and ogled the Gunpla. "This came from the G-Quest attraction! There are rumors that it was built by the Meijin himself, and was using an AI that's based on data on a bunch of world-class Gunpla fighters, and defeated a ton of challenges, including Yuuma Kousaka from the Try Fighters and Menato Sakai from Team Shingyo!"

"I don't want it," Weiss proclaimed, shocking everyone. "Tell Grandfather to thank you, but I'll do this my way."

Winter looked at her, surprised. "I don't understand. I thought-"

"If I take this Gunpla, and win with it…it wouldn't really be my win. I didn't build it, craft it, or tune it. I didn't cut myself trying to detail it. I didn't ruin a perfectly good shirt while painting it. It wouldn't be my Gunpla."

Winter nodded. "I suppose I did not think of it like that. Very well. I'll tell Grandfather."

Wilfrid nodded. "I certainly can understand those feelings. Sometimes, the parts feel like they work best when you yourself poured your skills into them."

Winter began to shut the case, but Ruby stopped her. "Wait!" She turned to her partner with a hopeful look in her eyes. "I get it. The Weiss Sinanju is a powerful Gunpla, but it's not your Gunpla. But…"

Weiss saw the look in Ruby's eyes. She recognized it well. The younger girl had an idea. "What if we made it your Gunpla?"

Weiss looked at her skeptically. "What do you mean?" She asked warily.

"Take the Sinanju and let's customize it. Or use it as an inspiration and build something new. Your grandpa bought this for you; don't turn it away, even if you don't plan on using it to fight."

Weiss thought for a bit. Use it as inspiration…

Inspiration…

After a moment, she reached out and took the case. "Ruby, find me a Sinanju Stein. Narrative Version, preferably. And a Sazabi. I'll need its funnel rack and a few pieces."

Ruby stood there, stunned for a moment at the shift in Weiss's voice. "Okay!" She cried out, saluting her like a soldier to her commander. She darted off down one of the aisles, on the hunt for the requested items.

Winter smiled. "I see you've come up with an idea." She nodded to the case. "One last thing, before you begin crafting your next masterpiece. The locket-it can't be opened by any tool except the very specific one Grandfather had, which he lost. Trying anything else will break the locket."

Weiss nodded. "Well, it's still a pretty pendant."

"He also mentioned that it holds the key to understanding an important truth. When you are ready to know it, ask it with all the honesty in your heart, and it will show you."

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Winter shrugged. "I can't say for sure. But you'll understand when the time is right, as long as you are honest about your desire to learn it."

Weiss nodded, but clearly wore a skeptical expression. Winter couldn't blame her; her grandfather was rather cryptic about the message, but she relayed it exactly as he had told her to say it.

Wilfrid, too, looked confused. As Weiss walked away to join Ruby, he glanced at Winter. "So, what is this 'truth'?"

"Once Weiss learns it, I can tell you," Winter responded. "Until then, I'm afraid I can't say a word."


WILFRID'S GUNPLA

Transient Gundam

The Gunpla Wilfrid Kijima used to fight, alongside his sister Shia and their partner Saga Adou as Team Celestial Spear, the Transient Gundam is a pure white machine designed off of the base elements of one of the Gundams used by Celestial Being in the anime Gundam 00 (though it's impossible to truly tell which machine it was built from, it is believed to be a heavily modified Gundam Exia).

Transient Gundam is a close combat specialist. Using its GN Drive, which emits customized blue particles instead of the typical light green ones, it can glide across the battlefield, floating, dodging, and weaving with ease. Its normal armament consists of one or two identical spears called GN Partizans, which can be used as bits, alongside beam sabers and GN beam Vulcans in its wrists. The spears can fire beam attacks, allowing Transient Gundam to operate without a traditional rifle or other ranged weapons.

Thanks to its customized GN Drive, it can also enter a state similar to the standard Trans-Am mode seen on other Gundam 00 machines, though it's been fine-tuned to amplify speed and offense while not affecting other systems. This mode, the Transient Burst, does not seem to carry the same limitations the normal Trans-Am mode has, though Wilfrid has never needed to expend the entire duration of the mode to win a fight, so it's true limits are known only to him and a select few others.


WINTER'S GUNPLA

Mercurius Eisengel

A variant of the Mercurius that Winter has customized with Neo Zeon Sleeves motifs, the Mercurius Eisengel is a swift and deadly hit-and-run dueling machine. Equipped with two large wings similar (but not fully identical) to the Wing Gundam Zero Customs, Winter has prioritized speed and agility over range versatility, in an effort to take advantage of her machine's close quarters design.

She has kept the Mercurius crash shield, which holds its original beam saber weapon, but has opted to ditch the small beam gun it used entirely. Instead, she wields a dueling saber in her main hand, which has been sharpened to a degree that it can easily cut through enemy armor. The blade can be heated if needed to aid in its cutting potential, though doing so draws valuable power from Winter's machine, and so she typically avoids using this function.

The machine keeps its ten planet defensor units in racks of five, sitting along the back of the machine between the wings. These mobile units can use electromagnetic fields to create a barrier to nullify beam attacks, though continuous usage can and will deplete their power, forcing them to return for recharge. Between these, the crash shield, and the massive wings, Winter has a powerful set of defensive options to close the gap quickly and effectively for melee combat.


WEISS'S GIFT

Weiss Sinanju

Created for the G-Quest event as the boss of a raid, the Weiss Sinanju is a deadly upgrade to the already-lethal Sinanju seen in Gundam Unicorn. With no beam weapons to speak of, the Weiss Sinanju's reactor is unburdened by almost no power drawn from its weapons, allowing it to operate at maximum performance at all times.

The Gunpla uses a special shield that is actually made up of several different weapons. Called the Mond Schwert, or "Moon Sword" in German, the shield can split into a shield and massive sword (the Vollmond form, or "Full Moon") or a pair of equally sized blades for a pure offensive attack style ("Halbmond", or "Half Moon"). These blades can be heated, drawing a small amount of power from the machine to cleave armor like butter. Its only ranged weapons are twin 60mm Vulcans on its forehead.

The most terrifying aspect of the Weiss Sinanju, however, is that, much like the Unicorn Gundam, it has exposed psycho-frame pieces. These parts, which appear on the vents of the machine, are a dull red when inactive but will shine when activated, enhancing the already-terrifying speed of the Sinanju to new, extraordinary limits. This essentially acts as a version of Newtype Destroyer mode (NT-D) and is easily the most dangerous weapon the Weiss Sinanju has, allowing it to skirt across the battlefield and outpace foes at blinding speeds, often ending fights in the first or second hits for those unprepared for its onslaught.