"Infinite Stratos" belongs to the author Izuru Yumizuru.
Original story belonging to the user and author: Kerlongsj Evert Orlejov.
Story made non-profit, from a couple of fans to other fans.
Annotations:
"Dialogues are shown between quotation marks"
'Clarifications and messages are shown in single quotation marks'
The 3rd person narration is shown in normal letters
Words in italics indicate narration, monologues or thoughts of the character
UNDERLINED WORDS INDICATE LOCATIONS
{Words in Curly brackets and in italics indicate dialogue in a different language}
CRACK! PUNCH! BOOM! They indicate sound effects
Chapter 1: First Meeting
WALLONIA (7 YEARS BEFORE THE START OF THE SERIES)
Gray clouds spread across the sky, forming a vast and seemingly endless dome whose sole purpose seemed to be to deprive the world of light and heat as much as possible. Every few seconds a gust of cold wind announced its presence, striking against the skin of all the beings that inhabited that land. For anyone, the first impression would be that a storm was about to strike, and yet not the smallest drop of rain had descended.
Very few people were aware that a storm was in fact taking place already. And to find it, it was only necessary to look away from the sky and direct it towards the interior of a prison.
Two women, one with black hair and one with pink hair were fighting. But more importantly, they were losing the fight.
Their clothes were dirty and torn in different places. The remaining textile fibers put all their effort to still hold together. The bodies of both women were in a very similar state: dirt, bruises, cuts and abrasions covered almost every corner of their bodies.
Their gasping breaths, sweaty faces, weary stares and the visible swaying their bodies experienced made clear that the 2 would not take long to succumb. At this point, every ounce of their strength seemed to be focused only on keeping them conscious and not allowing them to fight properly.
"Let us go immediately! I am a Japanese citizen!" the black-haired woman screamed in the native language, of which she and her friend had knowledge. The vocal chords in her throat seemed to have been replaced with those of a lioness, and her face harbored an expression of totally comparable fury.
Punch!
One of the guards hit her directly in the face and caused her to fall. The beautiful woman's lips began to bleed. She had tried to evade the attack but her body did not respond in time.
"Tais toi, sallle truit! (Shut up, dirty bitch!)" shouted the jailer with anger and with total lack of regret for the violent action he had committed "You have no rights. Hit her with the tasers"
Two men immediately obeyed his order. From their belts, they both took the taser pistols and pointed it at the black-haired woman's body. Her friend wanted to go help her but her legs refused to obey.
"AAAAAAAHHH!"
The pain was most excruciating. When the metal tips hit her skin it was painful, but nothing compared to the millions of volts that came right after. At the points of contact she could feel her skin burning and breaking down. Electricity tore through her and twisted inside her. From her feet to her head, there was not a single cell in her body that was not experiencing that horrible sensation. Every second was pure agony.
Before long she lost consciousness, which from an objective point of view, was an absolute blessing.
"For now, you can both be here" said the man who had hit her pointing towards a dirty cell. Several of his subordinates took the unconscious woman and also her friend who, no matter how hard she tried, could not free herself from the grip or even resist.
They were thrown violently without the slightest of care, first at the black-haired one and then at the pink-haired one. They locked the door and began to leave that place, without deigning to give them a second look.
The pink haired woman turned in the direction of her captors as they were walking away from her. Her body could barely move, but her respiratory system and muscles were still working. Taking a huge breath, she yelled at her jailers a few words that were not devoid of hatred:
"LET US GO IMMEDIATELY! Don't you know who we are?! I AM TABANE SHINONONO AND SHE IS CHIFUYU ORIMURA"
In fact. They were Chifuyu Orimura and Tabane Shinonono. The first pilot and the brilliant inventor of Infinite Stratos. The famous Mondo Grosso champion and the smartest woman in the world. The strongest woman who ever lived and the Renürion.
And they were both in trouble.
How could both women, amazing on their own and unstoppable once together, end up like this?
From a visit to Great Britain, the 2 flew to Belgium. The reason? Rumors were spreading of what appeared to be a threat to the Infinite Stratos: the Nanite Hackers. From a small clandestine organization 20 years before the revelation of the IS, they were the replacements of the pilots, found mainly in the smaller countries of Europe.
The pilots did not know them very much. Hackers were scattered all over the planet and in a globalized world dependent on digital technology and the internet, they were daily bread. In Europe, they called themselves 'Legal'.
There were also hackers in the Middle East. They were a complete mystery to the IS. They wanted to find information about the Middle East faction of the Legal faction.
That is why Chifuyu was tagged to carry out this dangerous mission. Tabane insisted on accompanying her and her friend agreed. As said before, they were both very strong women, very clever and very skilled. The 2 most powerful beings that currently walked the face of the planet. Combine that with the perfect and unrivaled piloting of the most powerful weapon ever created, with the highest specs and the most powerful next-generation EQs. Anyone would immediately realize that the probability of victory was 100% and up to 1,000,000% if one was allowed the freedom to exaggerate.
Perhaps it was because of the resulting amalgamation of all these factors that both women failed. Confidence went to their heads, completely drowning out their sense of caution and they let their guard down.
Before they even got close to Flanders, both women were victims of a swift and elaborate ambush.
Before they could use their units, they were taken from them shortly after the 2 women were already in prison.
Even with their superhuman abilities and power, Chifuyu and Tabane were at the total mercy of their captors. Those men might not be as strong and skilled as them, but their knowledge of martial arts, knowledge of the terrain, knowledge of their enemies, access to weapons and great numbers, gave them a great advantage over both women.
After hours of futile interrogation, they had attempted to escape by taking advantage of the slightest carelessness from any of their captors, only to fail miserably. As a result, the 2 women were again beaten and thrown into this cell.
By chance of fate, it was a cell that they shared with another person.
"Hey, do you mind shut up? I don't give a damn who you are but you better shut up. I want to sleep" He said in his own language. His voice was harsh and tired, and his tone made it clear that he totally lacked the authority to impose his demands so he had to content herself with just conveying them.
Tabane looked up. From under a dirty blanket, a boy appeared. He was just two years younger than them by the most.
"Who are you?" The scientist asked cautiously. He might look like he was barely grown out to be a child, but considering the state both women were in, she wasn't going to risk anything.
The last thing they lacked was having to deal with a real criminal.
The boy stood up and walked towards them.
"That is none of your business. What happened to your friend?" He asked as he casually pointed his finger towards an unconscious Chifuyu, who was breathing slowly and from time to time suffering small spasms.
"Hmph, I don't have to tell you that" Tabane snorted and looked away from him.
The boy sighed deeply.
"Well, you better do it. She needs help and the electric shocks are not that pleasant"
That statement made the scientist turn to see the young man:
"How did you know?"
"Your friend has good lungs, I can see the electric burn mark on her skin and she is not the only one who has received the 'wonderful treatment' of those bastards" The boy replied with a tone that was drowned in the purest sarcasm.
"If you already knew, why did you ask me?" Tabane questioned him again.
"Because I was hoping you would tell me some other important information about the damages she suffered. But I see that I waste my time with you" His tone did not change in the least.
The Japanese woman could feel her blood boiling as a result of that stranger's words. Before she could say anything else, the boy bowed to Chifuyu and laid her on her back. For some reason, he blushed when he saw her face.
"Maybe I can help" This time he spoke with a tone that betrayed complete honesty.
"What are you planning to do to Chi-chan?" The scientist questioned in a clearly threatening voice. Her body was already recovering from all the damage suffered but she still lacked the strength to protect her best friend.
The boy did not answer her. Instead, he placed both hands on the unconscious woman's face with utmost delicacy, covering it almost completely.
It was then that Tabane Shinonono saw something unheard of.
A strange sky-colored energy began to emerge from the stranger's hands and move towards Chifuyu's body. Moving with the grace of water, this energy very soon covered her completely. In just a couple of seconds, Chifuyu seemed to have a sky-colored aura hugging her.
However, this was only the beginning of the show.
Every wound on the black-haired woman quickly began to heal. No matter the class or how severe the damage was, the strange energy found no limits to perform it sublime work. The bruises were faded, the cuts were closed without the scars remaining as a souvenir, and the abrasions were healed by skipping the entire process of generation of the scab and regeneration of the skin.
Chifuyu Orimura's body was now free of all kinds of wounds, her spasms had also been extinguished and her beautiful face was now calm. Except for small traces of dirt and her ripped clothes, anyone would think the woman was taking a little nap.
It was then, the instant his work was done, that the strange celestial energy returned all its way towards the hands of his owner. As quickly as it had covered the body of the Japanese woman from head to toe, the energy left her in the opposite direction, returning to it place of origin.
From the moment the boy touched Chifuyu's face until he was completely healed, only less than 10 seconds had passed.
Tabane Shinonono couldn't believe what she had just witnessed. For lack of a better term, she would define what had happened as a magical healing spell, the kind seen in every role-playing game her home country had a liking for creating. However, she was a woman of science who steadfastly refused to believe in something as ridiculous as magic. For her, everything that people considered supernatural had a perfectly testable scientific explanation.
And this 'spell' was no exception.
"That should be enough" the boy spoke calmly and showing a subtle smile to see his work finished. Tabane detected some signs of fatigue in his tone and his face, giving her to understand that the stranger despite having experience in this kind of healing, somehow left him exhausted either physically or mentally.
"Mmm..." Chifuyu's mind was beginning to return to the realm of consciousness. She opened her eyes and saw the boy sitting next to her head and whose hands were freely touching her face.
"Yo" In a second, the black-haired woman stood up and pushed the boy to the end of the cell. Chifuyu made her right forearm rest on the boy's throat, subduing him "Ow, what's the big idea?" he asked with difficulty due to slight lack of air.
"Who are you?" She asked him in a firm but threatening tone. Then she realized that she was able to move without any problem and that her injuries no longer existed "Did you do something to my body?" she demanded answers.
"I've healed it. Is this how you treat someone who helped you? But yeah, pilots aren't known for common decency."
Hearing his response, Chifuyu let go of the boy who landed on his butt. Despite a bad first impression and being carried away by her combat attempts, she was not so hypocritical as to subdue the person who had helped her.
"I suppose you are one of the so-called Nanite Hackers" was the scientist's comment. She was too shocked at first to understand, but she soon realized that this boy must be exactly the target they were tasked with eliminating.
"Correct" replied the stranger unperturbed, as he caught his breath from the attack and rubbed his neck.
"Why are you here? We think the hackers were the ones who captured us" This time the black-haired woman questioned.
"Yeah, that's why so many of my friends have been killed. Of course, these guys aren't hackers. They're something else"
Chifuyu leaned towards him "Here, I'll help you up" She said offering him her hand.
The stranger took it and stood up again.
"Thank you Chi-chan"
His words made the Japanese frown and look at him in disgust.
"Why are you calling me that way?" She questioned him again with a threatening tone.
"Eh? Your friend called you that when we met" The boy replied without giving it any importance.
Punch!
"Tabane!" Chifuyu hit the rabbit-eared woman on the head. A vein of anger could be seen on her forehead.
"That's cruel, Chi-chan" she replied childishly.
Ignoring her, the black-haired woman turned to the boy "She is Shinonono Tabane and my name is Orimura Chifuyu, but only Chifuyu is fine. You are not allowed to call me otherwise" The last was clearly an order.
"Yes, yes..." replied the boy with a tone devoid of emotions.
"Hey boy" Tabane caught the attention of the stranger and also of her friend "Thank you for helping Chi-chan but would you mind doing the same with me" To accentuate her words, she slightly inclined her head as her face became maximum expression of sweetness and pure innocence. She gave a couple of soft blinks in order to finish it off.
"You do not buy from anyone with that cheap trick" Were the strict words of the stranger. The black-haired woman nodded in agreement with him.
"Hey?! How can you call this pretty face a cheap trick?!" The scientist exclaimed with a clear childish tantrum and comic tears sprang from her eyes.
The boy looked at her indifferently before answering:
"If it is already extremely difficult for men to buy me, then it is even more difficult for women to do it" His face changed to express his annoyance "I will heal you if you shut up and stop exaggerating"
"Good" Tabane said stopping her performance.
The boy proceeded to do the same to Chifuyu but with the only difference being that this time his point of contact with his target was her hands and not her face. Immediately, the celestial energy gushed out from the stranger's limbs until it surrounded Tabane's entire body. The black-haired woman was also focusing her full attention on the process. A result of natural human curiosity and seeing live the method by which the unknown boy was able to cure her.
Being a scientist, the woman with mechanical rabbit ears never missed the momentous opportunity to experiment with whatever caught her attention. It didn't matter if she was the observer or the test subject. In this case, it was the second.
From the moment the celestial energy transferred and touched her fingers, until the moment it was completely covered by it, Tabane mentally registered the sensations and actions that it produced in her person.
A subjective but practical comparison would be the sensation of the finest grains of sand that could be found being poured against her skin. So thin and mobile that they could easily masquerade as a liquid but she detected it almost as a solid. It was strange but very nice and definitely relaxing.
As for her injuries, she saw the relief and function of effective anesthesia almost immediately. Unless the pain, mechanical and thermal receptors were blocked, there was no way that a person would not suffer from the side effects of wounds being healed, either by natural or medical mechanisms, such as pain, itching or sensation of heat. None of those things were present during the unusual process.
Exactly the same as with Chifuyu, all of Tabane's injuries disappeared in an instant. And when the energy finished, it quickly returned to the owner of it who now showed more signs of exhaustion.
It was a pity. Tabane would have liked the process to take longer, for both scientific and personal reasons.
"Thank you" she thanked him duly. The boy shrugged, then put his hands in his pockets. He didn't mind the thanks but he wasn't going to turn it down either. Besides that he had to rest after having applied his healing 2 times in a row.
Both Japanese women took the time to observe him carefully.
He was wearing the orange prisoner's uniform. Even though he was two years younger than Chifuyu or Tabane, he was slightly taller.
His face is what people might call unique. He had greenish-gray eyes, like reptile scales but much brighter, and dark blond hair. He was covered in scars that for some reason suited him well. On his forehead, he had a small one and two on his chin, one a little smaller than the other. The largest was on his right cheek. It was a rotated T, the vertical was a piece of a circle and ended in the smallest that was horizontal in the middle of the first.
"So what are Chifuyu Orimura and Tabane Shinonono doing so far from home? Oh wait, you don't have to tell me. You wanted to investigate the hackers, but you were shut out the air and brought here"
Chifuyu was puzzled "How do you know that?"
"Girl, that's my job. And because you are here, I have found out why you were brought here and why, unlike many of my friends, I am still kicking" The boy stretched his arms and cracked his neck "Well, how about if we help each other out of this garbage dump?"
Chifuyu looked at him suspiciously "How do we know that we can trust you?"
To say that the boy was upset would be an understatement.
"I have healed you and your ridiculous friend. Isn't that proof enough?"
"Hey!" the aforementioned complained. By this point, she too had stood up.
Again, Chifuyu Orimura had to give the stranger a point. In situations like this, it is obvious that no one would help another if he did not seek to gain his trust. And if she was sincere, she wanted to get out of there when before.
"Very well" the woman gave her verdict "Sharing this information with me and saving me is enough for now. Who are you, boy?" she asked crossing her arms.
"I'm not a boy. I'm 15 fucking years old."
"I asked your name, not your age" Chifuyu remarked the obvious ignoring the foul language of the young man.
"If you insist, girl" Chifuyu was irritated with the last word "I am Kerlongsj Orlejov"
"Nicknamed The Strongest Gaul" Tabane finished the sentence with a mischievous smile on her face. Kerlongsj turned to look at her somewhat surprised.
"How even…? It doesn't matter, genius. I get it" The Gaul did not give it much importance considering that he knew who that woman with pink hair was.
"What is this place?" Chifuyu asked drawing the man's attention, knowing that any information about the area was vitally useful.
"A special prison run by a private organization. The higher-ups knew it, because hackers kept disappearing around this place. I came here a few weeks ago and saw a lot of guys go by, but for some reason, I was saved. Now I know why"
At those last enigmatic words, Chifuyu looked at him with a puzzled look.
"What do you mean?"
Kerlongsj took a deep breath and continued with his explanation:
"They took your units from you, right? They want to use them for mass production, but unlike normal ones, they wanted to do something different that could match personal units using Nanites. Imagine: the strength and speed of an Infinite Stratos with the flexibility and innovation of hackers' weapons" a graceless laugh escaped his lips "2 plus 2 equals pure chaos"
Chifuyu raised an eyebrow. "I thought that the hackers weren't that strong."
Kerlongsj walked to her and they were face to face.
"At first, yes, but now that SOMEONE turned the world upside down" he said with a lot of venom as he looked at Tabane, who ridiculously turned to the side and started whistling "Everything was much faster. I was recruited a year and nine months ago. A demon saved me from an angel. That's what feminists call you, right? "
"What do you mean by that?" asked the black-haired woman.
"It's none of your business, but let's get back to it. Yes, hackers are somehow equivalent to pilots only a lot, but A LOT less childish and whiny"
"Are you talking about me?" The scientist asked with narrowed eyes and a flat voice.
"Tabane, it´s obvious that he talks about you" Was the laconic reply of her friend.
The rare but pleasant interaction the 3 prisoners were having would have made them laugh if the situation weren't so bitter.
"So you say you want us to help each other escape?" the black-haired Japanese woman asked skeptically.
"Yes. We will leave at this very moment"
Chifuyu smiled sarcastically "Oh, do you really think we can just leave like this? We have to find a way to break these bars or preferably open the door without anyone hearing us and then very carefully plan our every move to get out"
Kerlongsj gave the taller woman a bored look. Then he took a few steps toward the door and opened it as if nothing had happened.
"Of course we can. Are you coming?" the Gaul almost laughed loudly when he saw the two women's mouths hit the ground in surprise.
"So could you escape all this time?" asked the pink-haired woman.
"Yes, like three weeks ago"
"So why haven't you done that?" now it was Chifuyu's turn.
"Well, that has an easy explanation. There is a very dear friend of mine in the tower. Escaping without him would literally kill me. Let's make a deal?"
"What do you propose?" Chifuyu continued the conversation.
Before answering, Kerlongsj tightened his face as tightly as steel and sharpened his gaze in the direction of both women, looking at them like a judge who was about to convict a defendant just for existing. The next words that he was going to say would decide everything during the dizzying minutes that their escape would last and he was going to make sure that the 2 women in front of him were very clear that he was serious.
"I help you recover your units and you help me recover my friend. Don't even think about betraying me. If you do, I will blow you up and my mentor will start a total war in which we are very well prepared. Outside of that, you have all the reasons to stay loyal to me"
Chifuyu and Tabane looked at each other and nodded.
"We accept it. Truce?" Chifuyu offered a hand.
"Truce" Kerlongsj took the hand. They left the place.
Kerlongsj showed the way. They found the guards disturbing and the prisoners even more.
He had it engraved perfectly in his memory. They had to sneak in as unnoticed as possible, because all the prisoners were sleeping but some guards were still awake. They found the guards disturbing and the inmates even more so.
"This is a freak show" Chifuyu muttered.
"You don't have to tell me. Don't actually talk" Was the quick and equally low response of the man, who using hand signals indicated for them to stop. Ahead were 2 guards, a woman and a man.
The Gaul and the Japanese woman planned a quick strategy and in a second they put it into action.
Quickly, the 2 jumped towards the guards who tried to stop them but the duo was much faster and more agile. It was good luck that the guards hadn't called their comrades or else they would be in very serious trouble.
They were quickly and mercilessly eliminated. Chifuyu gave her a karate blow to her neck breaking her cervical vertebrae while Kerlongsj pulled his target out breaking the man's neck in a lock.
"Heeeh, this place is so big and interesting" The scientist expressed her opinion mischievously.
Chifuyu turned around "Tabane" she said annoyed.
"We're not on a school trip" Kerlongsj stopped any stupid discussion the two of them might have had to allow them to continue. Guided by the Gaul, the group passed through a thick door made entirely of steel.
And once inside, they could see it.
Monster.
Inside those 4 concrete and metal walls, lived what anyone would define as a huge monster. It had a clearly feline build but of a size that no feline in this world should be able to reach. It hair was wild in texture and as black as the moonless night. The sheer ferocity that its pale yellow eyes exhibited was accompanied by a beastly set of teeth protruding from 2 pairs of huge and sharp fangs. The same could true of the dangerous and deadly claws that existed on the creature's legs, ready to rip the skin and muscle of its next victim.
It could be said that it was a mutant cat that exceeded the size of an adult white rhinoceros. It was nothing like anything more normal. Looking at its 'guests' the monster made a horrible sound rise from its throat. A gruesome mix between a hiss and a guttural growl that sent both women shivering.
"Shall we adopt it, Chi-chan?" Tabane spoke in a tone devoid of all mockery and therefore totally honest.
Punch!
Which earned Chifuyu another reason to hit her friend again.
"Kerlongsj!" The black haired woman yelled towards the Gaul. Her fight-flight instincts were screaming desperately for her to opt for the latter.
"Don't worry about him" The monster calmed down immediately after seeing Kerlongsj "I've become friends with him"
Without the slightest trace of fear, the Gaul approached and caressed the animal who closed his eyes as a sign of pleasure. There was no doubt that she enjoyed it. Such an amazing action ended up surprising both Japanese women again.
"How did you become friends with him?" Chifuyu asked still not believing what her eyes saw.
Kerlongsj smirked when he stopped and turned to see the woman: "Easy enough. When humans are monsters, monsters become friends" The giant cat growled, so the man saw him again "I'm running away, friend. Soon enough. You too can escape. Just give me the time"
And for the third time that day, Chifuyu and Tabane were shocked. The hacker befriended the monsters and was able to communicate with them. The cat seemed to understand.
"See you another time" He finally said before turning to Chifuyu and Tabane "Follow me"
The group advanced again through that room, leaving the huge cat behind. Before long, they ended up in front of another thick metal door, a full-fledged twin sister to the previous one "In this room are your units."
It didn't take long for the two women to put the pieces together. They realized that this giant cat was the equivalent of a 'Watchdog' but with a level of danger and lethality increased to the tenth power.
In the same way, they noticed the remains of corpses that also existed in that room, accompanied by the penetrating smell of blood and flesh. None of them cool enough. The 2 Japanese women were infinitely grateful to have allied themselves with the Gaul or else they would have ended up in the stomach of that monster.
Kerlongsj opened the door with the same ease as the previous one and the group finally entered.
It was a computer and engineering laboratory. Small in size but provided with all the equipment and technology necessary for the exhaustive study and diagnosis of the IS units.
The girls took their units that were arranged right in the middle of an analysis table. Apparently they had arrived just in time before the procedures began.
"Thank you" Chifuyu said as she took the unit and put it on her. In its closed form it was a white bracelet while Tabane's (as one would expect) was an ornament with the image of a rabbit.
"I don't detect any bad influence. Now it's your turn to deal" Kerlongsj demanded of the 2 Japanese.
The black-haired woman nodded "Yes, hurry up" they both displayed their IS.
"What are you planning?" asked the young Orlejov disturbed and his face expressed it fully.
"We are taking the easy route"
CRAAACK!
Chifuyu picked it up and they flew across the roof. The young Hacker barely had time to curse.
WAN! WAN! WAN! WAN! WAN!
The alarms immediately went off.
"Man, you're stupid" said the Gaul with resignation and frustration.
"Shut up!"
Within seconds, the trio members were standing at the top of the building.
The 2 women followed with their gaze towards the point where Kerlongsj was looking.
For the fourth time that day, they got a new surprise.
They saw something that was contained and practically imprisoned in a cage of powerful electric arcs. It was a beautiful coal black bird, similar to a crow but with a smaller beak and white eyes. The cute bird chirped with all his strength both to express his happiness at seeing his friend again and for his desire to get out of that damn place.
"What's that?" Chifuyu asked incredulously.
"That's Jack, my keeper. He is a jackdaw. He helps me control my nanites"
The bird was obviously in pain. Kerlongsj walked to the panel, but as soon as he began to manipulate it, he dropped to his knees.
Worried, Chifuyu leaned towards the "What's wrong, Kerlongsj?"
For some reason, when Chifuyu was so close to him, he made her feel what she could only call 'unstable'.
"I can´t. I have exceeded my limits for having cured you both" The young Orlejov clenched his jaw until his teeth gritted with anger "Fuck, fuck, fuck. I don't want it to end here, just before I succeed" he hit the ground with his fist not caring that he hurt himself.
"Hahaha" a hybrid laugh between mockery and narcissism made an appearance "Well. It's good that I, the super genius Tabane Shinonono, is here to save the day. I can do this without any problem" She gave the monitor a cursory glance before her face changed to a bored grin "But to be honest, this is not worth my time."
"If you can do it, stop wasting time and do it. I need that guy" the young Hacker demanded of the genius.
"Hai, hai, don't worry" she sat down and began to manipulate the digital panel with incredible speed, managing to hack the system in just an instant.
"Jack" Kerlongsj wanted to get up, but even though his will was strong his knees couldn't hold him.
"Let me help you" Chifuyu took the boy by the arm and made him pass over her neck.
She was never going to admit it, but the opportunity to have the young Gaul so close and make physical contact with him was extremely wonderful.
Kerlongsj stretched his free arm towards the bird who without wasting time flew to his friend and landed on his hand. The beautiful black bird rubbed his face against the Hacker's palm as a small but noble show of loyalty and friendship. Then Kerlongsj carried Jack onto his shoulder and, with a flashing light, the Gaul regained his power and was able to stop leaning on the Japanese woman. Jack was flapping his wings with pure joy.
"Yes, good to see you too, little one" He said while stroking the bird "Thank you both" The compliment went to both Japanese women.
"It was a pleasure" Chifuyu said with complete honesty. However, soon his face turned into a grimace "But now we have to deal with the guards"
As both pilots had already recovered their IS units, their chances of victory increased considerably. However, based on the Gaul's words, if they were really dealing with people who had managed to hunt down and kill Hackers, theorized as the only people with the ability to compete and fight against the IS pilots, then they would not be exempt from serious difficulties.
Neither Chifuyu nor Tabane liked to admit it, but there was still the possibility that both of them would be defeated.
"Leave that to me" Kerlongsj spoke as he touched the monitor.
In an instant, the strange celestial energy that had healed them both was transferred onto the screen that glowed exactly that same color. The energy found its way through all fiber optic cables, electrical and by any other means, even concrete itself. It was a show of celestial lights which illuminated the entire floor, then the entire tower and finally the entire building.
Through the cameras located in the room, the members of the trio could see that the prisoners and the guards alike received the impact of that energy on their bodies. In just a fraction of a second, these exploded as if a small but powerful bomb had lodged in its guts and subsequently detonated.
It was a great bloodbath. Countless walls and floors throughout the facility were painted with a deep crimson liquid and it was all solely the work of one boy and his bird.
Hackers are to be feared. It was the thoughts of Chifuyu, who was using every ounce of her will and self-control so as not to be horrified at the sight.
"I suggest it is better to get out of here" Tabane said in a state very similar to her friend.
"Yes, where is the door?" those words were from Chifuyu.
With a smile, the Gaul replied "Doors are for ladybugs" Kerlongsj raised his arm and emitted another wave of celestial energy with which he made a huge hole in the wall.
"Aren't you going to free your friend... cat... giant thing?" Tabane questioned young Orlejov.
"Already did. During my attack I also destroyed the doors of his cell and all those that lead to the exit. He is smart and will know how to escape here"
"Aren't you worried that when he escapes he will kill other people to feed himself and survive?" That question was from Chifuyu. She wasn´t so unconscious as to let a carnivorous monster go out into the world and kill people just by following his instincts.
And judging by the size of that beast, the members of an average family would only serve as a snack.
"Do not worry. I said that she is a monster but also that she is clever. She will know how to stay away from humans and will only hunt animals to eat them. Her color will allow him to go unnoticed and perhaps in the future we will see each other again"
Both women were not quite sure how accurate the Gaul's words would be regarding the giant feline, but they had no choice but to accept them. If he could befriend him, then there were little or no arguments they could use to convince him otherwise.
The 3 finally got out of that prison. The two women thanks to their mechanized suits and while Kerlongsj used his Nanites to create a floating skateboard. They flew far enough from the prison before stopping.
"What are we going to do now? Kill each other?" Kerlongsj said as he turned to the two.
The young Hacker was aware that both of them had come to this place to look for it and very surely to eliminate it.
It was a fairly simple deduction: There was no reason to send the 2 most powerful women in the world on the same mission if it were not to guarantee the complete success of this one. And considering that Hackers were a potential danger to the currently declared most powerful weapon in the world, eliminating Kerlongsj was not only a valid but totally acceptable option.
They were different in any way one could imagine, but they saved each other's lives just now.
"I don't want to kill you Kerlongsj" The black-haired woman said flatly.
"Me neither, Chifuyu" The Gaul replied in the same way.
After that, an awkward silence began. Kerlongsj broke it when he pointed to the direction where the pilots were.
"If you fly in that direction, you will fly south and arrive in France. I am going north. I am glad to have met you, Chifuyu. I hope we can meet in better condition."
A new smile crossed the face of the beautiful black-haired woman.
"I hope so too. Sayonara and good luck Kerlongsj Orlejov"
"Saluut, Chifuyu Orimura and Tabane Shinonono"
After that farewell, the young Hacker flew north. Both Japanese women stared at him until they lost sight of him.
It was in that instant, that the blanket of gray clouds had finally cleared, giving way to the beautiful and bright rays of the star king that were very well received by both women as a divine and relaxing massage that their bodies truly needed.
"What are we going to tell the guys above?" the pink-haired woman asked the black-haired woman.
"That the mission was a success" Chifuyu said many times more relaxed "We found the Hacker and eliminated him. This counts as an elimination if you think about it"
"I don't know. I think you're just delaying the inevitable, Chi-chan"
"Perhaps. But I hope that Kerlongsj is not going to do something that warrants us having to see each other as enemies again"
"I did not mean that. You are in love with him, right? "Tabane said as she made a funny face.
"What?!" Chifuyu exclaimed very surprised, very angry and with a very marked blush on her face "Of course not! We better go home so you can stop talking nonsense!"
"Really? And what about those moments in which your movements changed when you were close to him? Or how without problems you helped him 2 times to stand up and put his arm on your shoulder so that he remained upright? Ah, but don't despair! I think he feels the same towards you because the first time he looked at you he was quite blushing. Kyaaa! I already want to see how it turns out between the two! You can thank me whenever you want Chi-chan!"
Crack!
The absolute defense system was in charge of protecting the pilot from all life-threatening damage. However, minor to severe injuries could still occur depending on various factors such as the type of attack received, the amount of attacks or the area of impact.
From the above said, Tabane silently prayed that Kerlongsj would return immediately and again use his strange powers to heal her.
Her friend Chifuyu Orimura had hit her so hard that she had even broken her skull.
Parody: A very special bird.
The 2 women followed with their gaze towards the point where Kerlongsj was looking.
For the fourth time that day, they got a new surprise.
They saw something that was contained and practically imprisoned in an iron cage that expanded from the inside out, doing everything possible to keep its occupant. It was a garish yellow bird with huge brown legs and both eyes closed clearly indicating that it was sleeping. He possessed a physical complexion that bordered on madness.
That thing… it was literally obese. They did not know if it was because of the feathers, the fat, the bones, or a combination of all of the above, but the fact was that it was a gigantic bird, almost twice as tall as Orlejov, and reverently fat.
"What's that?" Chifuyu asked incredulously.
"...cobo"
The black-haired woman turned to look at her friend. The hybrid gesture between bewilderment and madness on her face would be something worth photographing.
"What did you say Tabane? Do you know what that thing is?"
Raising her hand very slowly and pointing just as slowly towards the cage, the scientist took up her words:
"That over there... is a Chocobo" Tabane was having severe difficulty pronouncing her own words and countless times more difficult to believe in that.
Many had told her over the years that she was crazy, and if it had not been for Chifuyu also seeing the unlikely bird, she would have thrown herself headfirst into a psychiatric clinic.
"What the hell is a Chocobo?!" the black-haired woman asked in exasperation.
"It shows that you never played Final Fantasy" was the Kerlongsj's reply.
"Final what?!"
"A series of video games, Chi-chan" Tabane began to explain as calmly as she could, trying not to lose her mind "I played them as a child in my spare time. That over there is a Chocobo, one of the famous mascots from the games. It is a flightless bird"
"But of course! How can it fly with all the weight it carries from the neck down?!" Chifuyu said with colossal sarcasm.
"Hey, she is my friend. Give her more respect. Also, no Chocobo flies no matter how trained or light they are" Kerlongsj defended the beloved bird from her.
Chifuyu turned to face him "Do you expect us to take this bird from here?!"
"Of course. That was the part of the deal"
"Hey, I understand that you say that she is your friend but you said that without her you literally die. Would you mind explaining?" Chifuyu frankly hoped for a good explanation for this last part. The way she saw it, feeding this bird was a death sentence in itself. The Japanese was pretty sure that she could feed an entire platoon with just the rice, corn, seeds or whatever else the ridiculous bird would swallow in one day.
Kerlongsj looked at her in utter bewilderment before replying:
"Of course without her I literally die... without her, how I sustain myself?! Chocobo eggs are nutritious and abundant, and with their feathers I can make all kinds of products. Because since a certain scientist invented some ridiculous and dangerous suits that can only be piloted by women, men cannot get a damn job with a decent fucking pay"
"Now it's all my fault!" exclaimed the woman with rabbit ears annoyed.
"Of course yes!" the Gaul replied just as annoyed.
"But how did you manage to bring a...?!"
"ENOUGH!" Chifuyu dropped them both. She put a hand on her forehead trying to soothe a huge headache "We just have to get the bird out of here and we close the deal, right?"
"That's right" the Hacker said dryly.
"Well. Let's do it" said the black-haired Japanese wishing to end this as soon as possible.
"First use your IS suits to break the cage" was the order of the young Orlejov.
With extreme ease, both women destroyed all the bars that kept the Chocobo locked up. They couldn't help but think that if they had given it a couple of extra meals, the animal would have totally freed itself just by bursting the cage because of its enormous size. The 2 Japanese found themselves feeling pity for the metal bars and for the backs of the captors who had to put that bird inside the cage.
"And now, how do we get her with us? Rolling?" the scientist scoffed "Your friend isn't even awake"
The Hacker put on a smile before replying "Now start phase 2"
"Phase 2?"
Without giving them a second glance, Kerlongsj used his Nanites to build a tool much like a fishing pole. From one of his clothing pockets, he pulled out a strange vegetable and proceeded to insert it into the hook on the rod. Calmly, he proceeded to hold it close to the giant bird's face.
"Chofuyu! Look what I brought you!"
CHOFUYU?!
The Orimura woman's face was so red with shame and anger that it looked like melting metal. The huge desire to strangle the Gaul in front of her born in her inner.
Scientist Shinonono also had a completely red face, but it was from holding back the unhinged desire to burst out laughing. A single laugh that came out of her mouth and she knew very well that her friend would rip her head off.
"KWEK"
An abysmal sound took over the environment. As deep as the catacombs and as huge as a mountain.
"KWEK KWEK"
Twin sounds began to accompany him. The women had to look up only to be greeted by a pair of crazy blue eyes.
"That is, Chofuyu" said the Hacker with a soft smile "Do you want your vegetables?"
"KWEK! KWEK! KWEEEEEK!"
Chifuyu Orimura and Tabane Shinonono wanted to go back to their cell.
.
.
.
BOOM!
TRACK!
CRACK!
CRUSH!
A cacophony of destruction that had not been heard in those lands since the Eighty Years' War was quickly taking over that prison.
From top to bottom and side to side, a gigantic and sturdy yellow mass of feathers did their best to catch their delicious greens that were right in front of their noses but couldn't capture.
And on the way, this mass was leaving a disaster worthy of a war. Furniture and property destroyed, innocent and guilty people injured and killed. Absolute chaos reigned between the walls of the entire place and no one was left without receiving at least a piece of it.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"
Not even the 2 most powerful women in the world. They along with Kerlongsj were sitting on the back of the Chocobo, in the order of Kerlongsj first, then Chifuyu and Tabane last. They went as passengers while the Gaul led the huge bird to the exit.
Or at least he was trying.
"How did we let this happen?!" the black-haired woman asked totally scared as she clung to the feathers of this beast that turned out to be millions of times worse than that monstrous cat.
"I don't know Chi-chan! We tried to escape but suddenly we ended up on him and our ISs deactivated!" Tabane was also a victim of fear. Each shake of the bird was a real torment, it gave her brain no opportunity to calculate or reason how such a fat creature could move so agile and fast.
"Relax. We're almost out of here" young Orlejov yelled, leading the Chocobo towards the exit.
Right where there was a fully closed heavy iron double door.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
CRAAAAAACK!
The bird was able to easily destroy the thick inches that made up the prison doors. And she still had the energy to run at the same constant, fast speed to continue her attempt to get the vegetable.
"If we go in this direction, we will go south and arrive in France. After the disgusting food they gave me at that shitty place, I'm starving for anything. I settle for a croissant and a cup of coffee. What do you say? Shall we continue together until after we eat?" said the Gaul, ignoring the faces of despair of both women.
"But then we never want to see you or this thing again!" Chifuyu exclaimed in genuine dread.
"A croissant and coffee sound adequate Chi-chan. And by the time we get there I'm going to have an empty stomach" Tabane's face turned green.
And so, the group made up of 2 IS pilots, a Hacker Nanite and an incredibly fat Chocobo went straight to France to eat delicious croissants and coffee.
As had already been expressed before, Tabane Shinonono was a woman of science. For her everything had a logical, scientific and verifiable explanation.
However, even she had to admit that there were supernatural mysteries in this world that science could not only couldn´t explain but should not attempt to explain, in the interests of preserving the physical and mental health of all those who study and follow it as if it were a religion.
For this reason, Tabane Shinonono never investigated the causes of why there was a Chocobo in this world, she never investigated the secret of how it was able to move so fast despite being so fat and why shit the French National Police never tried to stop them when they entered like a savages on a giant chicken in their territory.
SUPER IMPORTANT INFORMATION!
Hello everyone, here is the author VIRUS-GO bringing an old but renewed fanfic and new news.
Let me explain the meaning of the above:
Last year I had the pleasure of communicating and becoming friends with user Kerlongsj Evert Orlejov. I asked for his opinion and ideas for a future Infinite Stratos crossover fanfic that I have a lot planned but unfortunately, my professional career would not allow me to publish yet.
In fact, today, July 7, 2021, my Medical Internship begins. It will be one year of extensive and exhausting clinical work that will leave me very little time to write my main story "Zero´s Wrath" or any other that I have in mind. Maybe I can write some One/Two/Three-shot(s) of some other works of fiction in a much simpler format, but from there to continue writing the chapters as I did before... impossible.
It so happened that at one point Kerlongsj sent me a draft of a future chapter of his fanfic "IS and Sekirei Brave new world" and I did "modify" it to my own writing style for him to see.
I never imagined that this would result in Kerlongsj being dazzled by my style and literally giving me complete permission to rewrite any of his stories.
To which, of course, I accepted.
My reasons for doing so are 2: the enormous pleasure I have in writing and the need to have an easy-to-publish story to indicate to my readers that I was still active even though I am now at the Internship.
So, I want to make the following points clear:
This fanfic will be a Remake of the Crossed Paths fanfic. The same story, characters and characteristic elements will be preserved (perhaps adding new ones). Only now it will be written using MY writing style and not that of the original author.
The original fanfic is already complete. I invite you to go to Kerlongsj's profile and read it if you don't want to wait for me to publish all the chapters of this new version. In passing to leave some reviews to Kerlongsj, although I would also appreciate if you leave some to me.
Because I only have to "modify" a story that is already written and finished (something hellishly easier than writing a story almost from scratch, as is the case with almost all fanfics) the publication time between chapters will not be as long but not so short either. As the objective is for this fanfiction to "prove" that I am still active on despite being at the Internship, the publication will serve as a substitute for the time limit that I have imposed on my story "Zero´s Wrath": 2 months without count the month that I published the specific chapter, but it could be less time.
Kerlongsj Evert Orlejov has given me permission to use his story but I have in no way taken possession of it. In fact, no chapter can be published unless he gives me the go-ahead. Yes, I want to make various modifications and additions (especially parodies) but NOTHING, is going to happen without his approval. Notice the above in case any reader would like to recommend that I add specific elements, new OCs, etc. to the history.
Well, that was all I wanted to say. I hope to see everyone in the next update of "Crossed Paths 2.0" and perhaps in the one of "Zero´s Wrath". Wish me the best of luck in my Internship and I wish you the best of luck in any of your projects; be fanfics, school, work and life.
And Kerlongsj, if you are reading this note, a thousand thanks for allowing me to rewrite and publish your story. A thousand thanks for the advice and recommendations you have given me.
And a million thanks for becoming my friend.
END OF SUPER IMPORTANT INFORMATION!