Rebecca and Asuka were staring down Foo. Asuka's determination and rise of Ether pushed her body into an incomplete Overdrive state. It was still a boost of power and precisely what she needed to fight back and save her home. Rebecca was still in her Overdrive as well, looking towards Asuka with a smile. "We'll take back your home, I promise. Are you ready?"
"You know it." Asuka nodded.
"Then let's go!" Rebecca sped towards Foo at high speeds, leading the charge. She leapt into the air, flipped forward, and brought her heel down on Foo's crown with momentum on her side. Foo was capable of blocking her hit with one arm, but he could feel his knees bend slightly due to the momentum aiding Rebecca's attack. The android knew that Asuka was going to follow up and he kept his other hand free because of this.
Asuka's Raijin Tempo increased in speed, the lightning around her body going wild as she was almost unable to control herself. But this was what she needed. She reared her arm back and Foo prepared to block her predictable punch, not planning to fall for the same trick as last time. "Jet Hammer!" Asuka punched the air in front of her, which prompted a potent burst of wind to rocket forward like a bullet, impacting his chest.
"Guh…!" Foo's eyes widened and he hunched over from the surprising impact. It was similar to what he had done to the two women prior, but it was more focused. "Don't tell me…she took my technique…and used it for herself!?"
As Foo hunched over, Rebecca flipped and landed in a crouched position. Asuka came flying in while Foo was distracted from the pain, ducking low with flames surrounding her leg. She performed a leg sweep, knocking Foo off of his feet. "HAH!" Rebecca spun around, her leg colliding with Foo's side to send him spiraling into a building nearby. The combination of the two girls prompted a high five. "Nice one!"
"Hah…" Asuka was panting a bit, but grinning. This was Overdrive? At least, a state close to it. She never knew what it felt like for her Ether to rise to this point. It was just edging over that critical point, enough to tip her over into a state where she felt like she had a chance. "It's not over yet…!"
"I admit, you two have surprised me." Foo emerged from the rubble, harmed and mildly annoyed. The android scowled as black sparks began to radiate off of his palms and legs. The power he was giving off caused the surrounding area to shake, the wind blowing around them wildly. "But I will not be defeated by a pair of amateurs!" He then lunged forward, making his first target Asuka. The android was still the dominate one here, ducking under her punch while slamming his palm into her chin. The impact sent Asuka soaring into the sky.
"Ah!" Asuka cried out, attempting to find her balance in the air, but she had little to no luck.
Foo pursued, striking Asuka numerous times with high speed palm strikes, allowing his power infused with that of the Black Moon Star. "Flurry of Blows!" Each strike hit Asuka hard and it all happened so fast. The final strike was a palm strike to her abdomen, which sent her crashing into the ground. The most she could do was use her wind to slow her momentum down as much as possible, but she still crashed hard.
"Hah!" Rebecca jumped into the air to attack Foo. Foo saw her coming and turned, prepared to intercept, but she surprised him by not attacking, legs opening and her thighs closed around the android's neck for a vice grip. Rebecca used her momentum to spin around and toss Foo on his neck, sending him towards the ground.
Foo spun around for a bit, but he caught himself and landed in a crouched position. Black sparks formed around his feet and he pushed himself back towards the air, faster than Rebecca was prepared for. "Iron Head!" His skull slammed into the B-Cuber's chest, causing her eyes to widen as the impact shook her entire body. He then flipped and slammed an axe kick into her body, which sent her crashing into the street down below, dazed and a little winded. "I'll start with you!" Foo intended to finish Rebecca right then and there, but…
"Full Power Happy Shot!" Happy was still on the field, just out of side! There was a cannon on his back and he took aim, firing a powerful blast of Ether towards Foo. It was easily deflected, but that was the point, because Rebecca was able to gather herself and dodge an attack that would've killed her.
"Thanks, Happy…" Rebecca said with a sigh of relief. But she couldn't relax just yet. Not when she could feel her Ether beginning to run dry from such a long fight.
The moment Foo touched down on the ground, Asuka attacked. She thrust her arm forward, sending a pillar of high pressurized water towards Foo. Foo was able to block this with his hand, holding his ground as he could see Asuka's Overdrive beginning to fade in and out. "Running out of power already? As expected. My power is near limitless thanks to the Black Moon."
"I'm not going to give in!" Asuka exclaimed, yellow eyes burning with determination. She clenched her teeth, the pressure of the water increasing. She funneled electricity into this water, meaning that Foo was stuck defending and being shocked at once. "Everything that Sarisse fought for is on the line! The Blue Bomber isn't here either, so it all falls to me! I'll make sure….THAT WE TAKE BACK OUR HOME! TRI HAMMER!" Asuka added one final element into this attack: wind. This caused the water to burst and explode suddenly, the pressure of it nearly destroying part of Foo's body as he violently tumbled along the ground. "Ah…hah…"
"Was that enough!?" Rebecca asked. Her question was soon answered as Foo stood up, but slowly this time. "Still!?"
"…I have no choice." Foo said as he clapped his hands together. He started to sprint forward, the black sparks growing even wilder around his body. He was aware that his chances in this fight were rapidly diminishing, but his goal wasn't to win. His goal was simple to kill those of the Resistance. That's why, as he drew closer, black light started to seep from his boy.
"W…What's he doing…?" Rebecca questioned, feeling her stomach drop.
"I'll stop it!" Asuka charged forward, but the moment she got close, she realized what was happening.
Foo self-destructed and Asuka took the brunt of that blast. There was no cry of pain, just a deafening silence as Asuka's body hit the ground, limp and lifeless. She was…
"NO!" Rebecca couldn't accept this.
[Rewind: 10 seconds.]
Just after Happy saved Rebecca, she quickly got up and grabbed her companion. "Happy, transform!" Happy nodded and returned to the Happy Blasters state. As this happened, Asuka managed to push back Foo. Rebecca then fired at Foo, but at the ground in front of him to create a cloud of smoke in front of him.
"Rebecca?" Asuka blinked.
"It's now or never! We can't give him the chance to recover!" Rebecca exclaimed. "He's going to self-destruct." Asuka…wasn't going to question how Rebecca knew that, so she just nodded. With the smoke as cover, they moved quickly.
Foo closed his eye, attempting to bat the smoke away with his hand. But when it was clear, he didn't see either of them. "Did they flee!?"
"Not a chance!" The two of them said, closing in from above. They weren't going to give Foo the chance to activate his self-destruct protocol. Instead, they got the jump on the androids with their extended legs. Rebecca and Asuka quite literally tore through Foo's body, rendering the android mostly scrap at that point.
Rebecca glanced at Foo's core, noticing how it was still about to blow up. So she reared her leg back and kicked that core high into the sky, where it exploded violently. "I don't…think so." What a fight that was. But they came out on top. The moment the fight was over, both Rebecca and Asuka fell onto their backs, their bodies returning to normal as they emerged victorious over their adversary.
"We…did it…" Asuka had her eyes closed, panting heavily, but with a smile on her face.
Athena was watching Rebecca's fight specifically. She was still bitter about what happened the other day, how Rebecca was the one to ruin such a carefully laid plane. And now, Rebecca was able to escape a dire situation with knowledge she should not possess. "…How did she know Foo would self destruct? It's almost as if….."
.
.
Cancer assumed he took victory over Jinn with that final bubble burst. The man was knocked down under some rubble and seemingly unconscious. Because of this, Cancer was going to move onto his next target. The moment he turned around, he felt a powerful gust of wind slash at his back, throwing him onto another roof. "Ow!?" When he turned, he saw Jinn standing back up, panting heavily. "You're still alive!?"
"Did you think that was going to be enough to kill me?" Jinn scoffed, feeling offended that Cancer thought he killed him so easily. "It takes a lot more than that to get rid of me." Jinn's body shifted to his Overdrive state and he held his arm out. "Wind God Punch!" His mechanical arm shot forward, using his wind to increase its speed. It was even faster and stronger now that Jinn was making use of his Overdrive.
"Overdrive!?" Cancer gasped before pointing his pincers forward. "That's not going to help you! Bubble Beam!" From his pincers, multiple black bubbles shot out. Each bubble was explosive to the touch and simply aimed to deflect Jinn's arm and rush him. But to his surprise, the wind from Jinn's robotic arm was enough to push the bubbles away. "What!?" And before Cancer could react, the Rocket Punch slammed into his face, sending him flying.
"I understand how your bubbles work now." Jinn said as his rocket fist returned and he reattached it. "The air in them makes them impossible for me to pop from the outside, as they can expand at will. But…at the end of the day, these are still bubbles, and bubbles are at the mercy of even the slightest breeze. I've been approaching you all wrong, and now that I know this…I intend to end this fight in a single strike."
Cancer snarled towards Jinn. The audacity of this non android! "You think that's going to be enough to claim victory over me? I've been bolstered by the Black Moon Star!" He started to spin around, black bubbles forming around him like a miniature tornado. "So I'll crush you where you stand and be done with it!"
"Does the Black Moon have some kind of effect where everyone on it gets drunk with power?" Jinn questioned to himself. Granted, the immense increase in power from a mere fragment was nothing to sneeze at. But everyone he'd seen who made contact with such power gained an inflated ego as a result. No matter, Jinn was going to put an end to this right here and now. A single strike was all he needed, and wind started swirl around his body.
"Bubble Storm!" Cancer threw the tornado of bubbles towards Jinn. Each of these individual bubbles held more than enough explosive power to completely destroy a person and wipe them off the map.
Jinn coated himself in Ether and rushed forward. With the wind around him, the incoming Bubble Storm was simply no match. Despite their own force, the bubbles were all forced away from Jinn due to their nonexistent weight. This cleared the path for Jinn to slip past Cancer, landing in a crouched position as his Overdrive wore off. "Wind God Sky-Rending Slash!" Multiple torrents of winds shredded through Cancer before he had the chance to react.
"NOOOOOO!" Cancer screamed as his body was torn apart by Jinn's wind. Ultimately he was unable to hold his ground and he was completely torn to pieces. His core landed on the rooftop, fizzling as its power was fading in and out. Eventually, the power of the Black Moon Star within it completely faded.
Jinn took a heavy breath before turning around. His mechanical joints were a bit stiff after that and he could feel the recoil, but he was able to emerge victorious in the end. "Hah…"
.
.
Apollo Flame held a mini sun over his head, staring down Shiki with a wicked smile. "I'll destroy this entire city and you along with it!" Apollo said with a laugh. The black sun grew larger and larger, now taking the attention of everyone within the city.
"Holy…" Omega was staring at the black sun that was constantly growing larger. The heat from it was sweltering and his form was starting to fizzle a bit. "Hey, you can stop that thing, right? You better be able to!"
Shiki had plenty of questions for Omega, but they could wait as there was a threat in front of him. Shiki clenched his hand into a fist and nodded. "Yeah, I can stop that." He said with no hesitation in his voice whatsoever. Despite how hot it was, he stared down Apollo Flame.
"Everything you've fought for will be burned to ashes! SUN BURST!" Apollo Flame roared as he leapt into the air, behind the black sun he created. The blast radius of the impending explosion was going to be massive, but this android didn't care. He was simply doing as he was instructed: destroying the Resistance. That's exactly what he was about to do. The sun began to fall towards Shiki with the intention of completely destroying him and everything around it.
"I won't let you." Shiki said while pushing off into the sky, rearing his arm back. An intense field of gravity formed around his fist. "They've fought so long, so hard, and I'm not going to let their efforts be for nothing! Magimech Attack: METEOR BREAKER!" Shiki flew forward while thrusting his fist outward. His fist clashed with the Sun Burst and there was a fierce struggle for a few seconds, before Shiki completely punched through the Sun Burst. The dark flames dispersed instantly and the skies were cleared.
"Wh-!?" Apollo Flame's eyes widened as Shiki completely overpowered his strongest attack. Before he could react, the Demon King slammed his fist into his chest, using gravity to change their flight path to the ground. They were falling and fast. "H-How did you!?"
"Sorry to break it to you, but you're not as strong as the other guy I fought with the Black Moon's power. I only needed half of my power to deal with you." Shiki delivered this news casually, just before the two of them crashed into the ground. Apollo Flame was a broken heap on the ground. Shiki didn't kill him, but with how damaged he was, there was no chance he would be getting up anytime soon, even with repairs.
"S-So…this….is the power of the Demon King…." Apollo said before his eyes closed. The power of the Black Moon Star faded from his core.
"Whew…" Shiki took a deep breath and returned to normal. Echo City was a mess due to the collateral damage, but everyone was able mitigate the damage as much as possible. The A Team completed their mission and took back the city. "That was the last one. So…" He turned to Omega. "Who are you? …Wanna be friends?" He extended his hand out.
"You're crazy." Omega scoffed before floating towards Sarisse's house. Shiki followed curiously not stepping inside, but watching as Omega grabbed a picture of some kind. "Good, it's still here."
"You didn't answer my question!" Shiki pointed to Omega accusingly. As this happened, Tristan, Jinn, Rebecca, Asuka, Lowell, and Casey all arrived at the same location. "Who are you?"
Omega noticed the others coming in. This was…actually perfect. "I'm part of the Blue Bomber."
"What!?" Asuka's eyes widened and she rushed over to Omega. "But the Blue Bomber is dead…! He died in the defensive battle the other day, that's what Geno told us."
"Yeah…" Tristan nodded. "We haven't seen him since…so we had no choice to believe that claim."
"Is that what he told you?" Omega glanced away and let out an aggravated sigh. "Well, that's only half right."
"Wait, hold on…" Rebecca shook her head. "You said you were 'part' of the Blue Bomber…" When she took a careful look at him, parts of Omega's appearance did resemble the Blue Bomber's.
"The Blue Bomber is a two person job." Omega said. "And right now, the other half of the Blue Bomber decided to throw in the towel after what happened to Sarisse. He's lost the will to fight and completely abandoned everything."
"…So he's still alive." Casey took this into consideration.
When putting the pieces together, the identity of the Blue Bomber was obvious to some. They didn't have proof, but… "So who is it?!" Shiki and Asuka asked at the same time. They didn't get it. Everyone just groaned. Hermit was the only one who actually knew and had proof to go along with it.
"More importantly…you?" Lowell pointed at Omega.
"I'm Omega-X. I'm an FM alien." Omega introduced himself.
"An FM alien?" Happy tilted his head.
"An FM alien is a living radio wave." Tristan explained. "They come in various types. AM and FM."
"That's right." Omega nodded, arms crossed with a smug grin. "FM Aliens are capable of plenty of things under the right circumstances and the right environments. We can take Ether in the atmosphere and apply it to our own to transform into something completely different. Or in some cases, we can merge with humans to become something greater. In this case, I am half of the Blue Bomber. I'm here because I'm effectively stuck."
"Since you're a radio wave, I suppose the lack of transmission doesn't allow you to escape?" Rebecca asked.
"That's right." Omega nodded. "So it's in my best interest to help the Resistance, that's why I've been with the Blue Bomber for the past few months. He fell for the demoralization trap just like the rest of you, only he can't crawl his way out of it with pretty words and promises."
"I see…" Shiki said. "So, what is the other half of the Blue Bomber to you? "Is he your friend and partner?"
"After the argument we had, I doubt we're either right now." Omega seemed a bit…distant at that question. "So if he won't continue the fight, I will."
"If he's your friend, you should talk to him!" Rebecca exclaimed. "He needs to be reminded that he's not alone. That you'll be with him no matter what. All friends get into arguments, and sometimes people just want time to themselves, but nobody should be alone." Rebecca knew those feelings too well. When she almost lost Happy when she was younger; when Shiki was killed in Universe 1, and she lost that Homura and Weisz…that loneliness was crushing.
"…" Omega didn't respond.
"…What of the B team?" Jinn finally asked. "We encountered minor setbacks, but they should be done with their operation soon. Or perhaps they've already succeeded."
"Right…the Golden Knight gear never showed up." Lowell stroked his chin in thought. "We timed it so it would go after them first. If it were here, it would be in our way, but it wasn't. So does that mean…"
They were tasked with disabling the Golden Knight Gear. And as they spoke of the Devil, it appeared before them. The Golden Knight Gear landed in front of them with a mighty crash. All eyes were on the suit of Knight Gear that was here when it shouldn't be, the tension in the air rising immediately. It only had one thing to say:
"What do you think?"