AN: Hey guys, I'm back for the summer! I had to deal with a lot of things pertaining to college so I hope I can make things up here now with a new idea I've had for a while now. I've been seeing a lot of new anime this years such as Persona 5, Gundam Build Divers, and SAO Alternative. But, my favorite has got to be Darling in the FRANXX and while watching it, I've started to ponder on a possible idea that I wanted to try here.
So, to welcome myself back at Fanfiction, I give you a preview of my latest idea. Now, Showtime!
Disclaimer: I do not own anything here, except OCs.
Darling in the Mobile Suit
A small white vehicle was driving through the red rocky wasteland. The vehicle seemed simple enough with mounted guns on each side, four wheels in the bottom, a flatbed attached to the back, and a cockpit for a driver to manage. This was known as a Mobile Worker.
Inside the Mobile Worker's cockpit, the pilot was dressed up in a dark green coat, a blank tanktop underneath, baggy cargos, and black boots. He was also adorning a gas mask/helmet which was covering his face.
"Target site approaching in 5 minutes." The pilot said.
On top of the Mobile Worker was another person. It was obvious this one was female, due to her physique. She wore a similar outfit, but instead of a dark green coat, she had a red jacket, a revolver holstered on her hip, and her gas mask/helmet had a skull decal painted onto the face.
She was currently cleaning her assault rifle before she noticed something straight ahead. She banged her hand on the canopy.
"Yeah, I see it!" The female said as she and the pilot saw the ruined remains of a city with buildings toppled amongst one another and in the streets. "Your scanners picked up anything?"
"No seismic activity so far." The pilot said as he drove his Mobile Worker into the city slowly. He held the control grips tightly and readied the weapons in case of trouble.
The female then soon banged on the canopy again, getting her partner's attention. She then pointed at what seemed to be the remains of an electronic store.
"This place might have a good haul." She enthusiastically said as the pilot stopped the Mobile Worker.
"Think it might be enough for a good dinner?" The pilot asked as his female partner jumped off the machine and placed her rifle on her back.
"Only one way to check. Watch my six." She said as she went into the desolate store.
The pilot looked around as he sat patiently in his seat. As he did, he contemplated about the ruined city and imagined what it must've looked when it was active. Ever since the emergence of Klaxosaurs, a lot of cities looked like this now.
Humanity didn't have anywhere to go until the mysterious organization/group APE heralded all of humans into fortress-cities known as Plantations. But of course, gathering ALL of what's left of humanity is impossible even for an organization as ambitious as APE.
As a result, those who were left behind or choose not to have APE's watchful eyes on them, live outside the Plantations live as hermits, pirates, or salvagers. Living like this certainly isn't easy especially with the appearance of Klaxosaurs popping out every now and then, but some runners know how to avoid them. The salvager pilot and his partner were only so lucky though.
The pilot kept thinking about all of this, when his thoughts were cut off by a…
THUD!
The pilot looked at his monitors to see his partner tossing random tech into the flatbed.
"There's a like a bunch of tech in there! Might be worth a good amount!" The female said as she went back in and grabbed more tech.
"Good, just take it easy. Some of that stuff might be worth more than you." The pilot calmly said as he refocused on the task at hand.
"Geez, don't need to sound so hurtful." The female said as she placed more stuff into the flat bed.
"I'm just saying that if Kagami finds one piece in two, I'm telling him to take it out of your cut."
"Yeah, yeah, don't get your underwear in a twist…" The female said as she kept going in and coming out with more pieces.
The pilot made a silent chuckle before the Mobile Worker started detecting odd seismic activity. The pilot had a serious expression underneath his helmet as he knew what that meant.
"We have to go! Klaxosaur! Not that far from us!" The pilot warned as he was reading that the seismic activity was close to them. He then opened a side compartment of the Mobile Worker. The female salvager threw the last of the tech in, placed her hand into the compartment, and pulled out a large net.
She threw it over the flatbed and secured it, making sure nothing goes out during the rough trip. She pulled out her assault rifle as she got back on the machine.
"Go! Go! GO!" She said as she banged her hand on the canopy. The pilot immediately backed up and made a K-turn before rushing out of the city. Not that far away, a collapsed skyscraper broke into two along with the ground underneath. Soon a creature emerged from it and the female looked behind to see what it was. "We got a Mohorovic Class!"
The pilot looked through the rear monitor to see the giant black and blue, bipedal monstrosity chasing for them. The female tried shooting her assault rifle and it didn't seem to have much of an effect.
"Why do you do that? You know that doesn't work." The pilot said as he continued driving.
"You want me to ride and fear for my life!? Besides, I don't see you coming up with better ideas!" She argued as she kept firing.
The two were soon at the outskirts of the city. They reached a massive highway road connecting the city to a mountain with a large canyon underneath. The pilot thought about what his partner said until the Mobile Worker made it at the end, onto the mountain and the Klaxosaur wasn't that far behind.
The pilot then had the Mobile Worker face the oncoming monster, much to the female's surprise.
"What are you doing!?"
"You said I didn't have any better ideas. Allow me to prove you wrong." He calmly said as he took control of the machine's guns and turned on the targeting HUD. "Come on…come on…" He repeated as he gripped the triggers on the control grips while the Klaxosaur was not 12 feet away from them. However, when it got 4 feet closer…
BOOM!
The Mobile Worker fired its guns at the bridge, destroyed the surface underneath the beast and having it fall and crash into the large canyon with a loud thud following.
The female stood up as she placed her rifle away. She approached the now-destroyed bridge and looked down as she removed her helmet. It revealed a young teen with light skin, red eyes, and long black hair.
"Think that thing is dead, Riku?"
The canopy opened and Riku emerged from the machine before taking his own helmet off, revealing a teen around the girl's age with light blue eyes and short white hair.
"Nah, things like this can't be killed off that easily." Riku stated as he looked down the canyon where he was sure the monster was still alive. "Though, it's going to take it a while to get back here."
Riku then threw his helmet into the cockpit before following it and closing the canopy.
"Come on Akane, I want to see how much this salvage is worth." Riku said as he started up the Mobile Worker.
"I want to get a good meal! Maybe chicken! If we're lucky, it could be a whole one!" Akane enthusiastically said as the Mobile Worker turned and continued driving through the wasteland.
(A couple hours later)
The white Mobile Worker drove onto a former military airfield which was littered with other Mobile Workers, people, and makeshift establishments which resembled market stalls.
"Good to be back in Raven's Nest." Akane said as Riku piloted his Mobile Worker and parked it in front of the airfield control tower building.
Riku then deactivated the machine and climbed out of the canopy, unplugging a metal capsule that was attached to his back from the seat. He hopped off while Akane undid the net.
"I'm gonna go fetch Kagami. Stay here and guard the goods." Riku said, getting a nod from his partner.
He walked into the building where he's sees other salvagers talking to appraisers regarding the worth of their haul from today. He approached on a desk where a bald older man, with tan wrinkled skin and a full grey beard resided.
"Ah Riku, you and Akane back from your run?" Kagami asked and Riku nodded as a response.
"We had a little trouble with a run-in with a Klaxosaur, but we got away. We're parked outside and Akane is guarding it. Can you check it out?" Riku asked.
"Just lead the way."
Riku nodded, but as he led the older man outside, they heard a…
BANG!
Riku heard it from the direction he left Akane in. He took up the pace with Kagami following right behind him.
"Riku, wait!" The old man said as he and Riku exited the building, only to see Akane with her revolver out and pointed at a couple dirty men. The two males noticed that the barrel was still smoking from a warning shot she fired moments ago.
"Tsk, tsk, don't you lot remember the three laws of this place?" Akane asked. "Law 1: Never steal another salvager's haul."
"B-But, Law 2 dictates that you can't use lethal force!" The man argued while Akane scratched the back of her head while looking at her revolver.
"I suppose that's true, but…" Akane aimed and pull the trigger.
BANG!
"AAAARGGGHHH!" The man yelled in pain as his knee was shot and bleeding. He clutched it as he fell down while his comrades looked shot.
"That wasn't lethal, was it?" Akane asked before looking at the other two scavengers. "Don't you two agree?" She asked as she had the gun pointed at them now.
The two just replied by running away while the wounded scavenger was picked up by the mercenary guards to be taken to the infirmary. Akane reloaded the revolver and holstered it while looking at Riku and Kagami.
"About time you two showed up." Akane remarked while the older man sighed.
"Akane, you know the rules about using deadly force?"
"Did you not hear what I've done just now?"
"POTENTIAL lethal force." Kagami emphasized.
"Come on, those assholes had it coming!" Akane argued while looking at Riku for support.
Riku just shrugged while Kagami just sighed.
"Alright, show me what you guys got." Kagami said as the pair introduced him the flatbed full of tech. Kagami got on the flatbed and started looking through each piece while Riku and Akane noticed a screaming a bloodied salvager being dragged across the airfield on a gurney by a couple of the guards.
"What's that about?" Riku asked Kagami.
"Some of the others weren't as lucky as you youngsters. He is the only surviving member of a salvager party from Point Alpha."
"Point Alpha? That's only a few miles away from here." Akane remarked.
"Every day, the damn beasts get closer to Raven's Nest every day and as you two are aware, we aren't equipped to handle the damn things like APE is." Kagami said as he threw a keyboard away, breaking it upon landing near the teens' feet.
"So, what then? There are a lot of salvagers here. We can't just pack up and leave while looking for a new home." Riku pointed out.
"Well, knowing APE, they'll probably do their best to get rid of the beast, but regarding whether it takes place before it gets too close is the real issue."
"And if they can't?" Akane replied.
"I don't have that long of a lifespan anyways. You kids should be prepared to pack up and leave before things can get worse." Kagami said.
"There's not a lot of other places to go to. And I'd rather not face APE, I doubt they'd allow us to enter their Plantations without swearing loyalty." Riku explained while Kagami finished and looked at the pair.
"So how much can we trade all that in for?" Akane asked eagerly.
"For all this? One dinner's worth of food."
"ONE!?" Akane remarked while Riku just looked plainly surprised.
"Despite the amount you've gotten me, all this tech is severely outdated compared to some of what we have now." Kagami explained.
"Come on, it has to be worth at least two!" Akane argued.
"If you want, I can convert the worth of your loot to money."
"How much would that be?"
"Not with a whole lot. There's also the fact that you'd have to deal with food stalls and…"
"AAAHHHH!" The three looked at the direction of the scream to see a salvager puking his guts out in front of the food stalls.
"I just gave him a free sample." One of the cooks argued when he was looked at by others around the area.
Akane just cringed a bit at the scene while Riku just looked at Kagami.
"We'll just take food." Riku plainly said.
After registering the loot and exchanging it with the old man, Riku drove his Mobile Worker with Akane resting in the empty flatbed with the bag of food next to her. The black-haired girl felt the machine go at a full stop when it parked next to a slightly large shed a bit outside Raven's Nest that was painted with random graffiti.
"We're home." Riku said as he deactivated and got out of his machine while Akane took the bag and the two entered the place. It was messy with random junk on the floor, a bot underneath a makeshift fire place in the center, a small kitchen in the left side, and a bunk bed in far corner of the shed.
The two split their meal and ate before taking off their coats. When Akane removed her coat, it revealed a spiky appendage with a metal top sticking out of her back. Riku removed his coat to reveal the same exact thing, except he had three instead of one.
The sun soon started to set with the two in their bunk beds, with Akane on top and Riku at the bottom. Due to the spiky appendages, they had to cut hole in the center of their hammocks to lie down on their backs.
"Hey Riku?" Akane asked.
"Yeah?"
"What the old man said, about Klaxosaurs getting closer to Raven's Nest, you think they'll actually reach Raven's nest?"
"Don't forget that we had an encounter with a Klaxosaur not too long ago and that we only survived due to luck." Riku replied.
There was a reason why a majority of humanity took up refuge with APE and the organization did have effective methods towards dealing with them, though they are ethically debatable.
"What are we going to do if any of them destroys Raven's Nest or APE has to send their forces here?" Akane asked with a rare tone mixed with fear and concern.
"We'll think of something. We came too far to let our lives be taken." Riku said as Akane looked out the window nearby to see the starry night sky.
"You remember that promise we've made to each other years ago? About how we're going to find that place we both belong and where we would take control of our own lives?" Akane asked.
"Yeah, but this life…this isn't it. But we still have control over it, so that's a start." Riku replied before yawning. He then closed his eyes and turned to sleep on his side. "It's best to get some rest, we have to start finding a new place to salvage tomorrow and that's going to take a while."
"Right." Akane said as she looked back at the ceiling and closed her eyes. "Goodnight, Riku."
"Night." Riku said as the two drifted off into sleep.
(Hours later)
The sky was still night with its dark blanket sprinkled in stars with the two teen salvagers still fast asleep. However, …
BOOM!
The sound of an explosion immediately woke the two up with startled expressions.
"What the hell was that!?" Akane questioned as she jumped out of her hammock.
Riku quickly got out as well and the two got out of their shed to see what they've feared; a Mohorovic-class Klaxosaur attacking Raven's Nest.
"Damn it! Think it's the same one from earlier ago?" Akane asked while Riku shrugged.
"No clue."
The two saw the Mobile Workers trying to fire their guns at the monster, but it didn't seem to have any effect on it.
"Should we do something?" Akane asked and Riku responded by going in the shed and grabbing one of the two gray capsules. He placed it on his back, right where the appendages were. "What are you doing with your interface?"
"I actually like Kagami and a few of the others there. I don't want them to die." Riku replied as he attached plugged an earpiece in the side of the interface and placed it in his ear before turning it on and placing on his helmet. He plugged himself into his Mobile Worker as he activated it.
"Hold on! I'm coming!" Akane said as she grabbed her guns and grabbed the other interface and placed it on her back. She did the same to her earpiece and turned it on before placing on her helmet. She jumped into the flatbed of the Mobile Worker before it moved onto Raven's Nest main airfield.
There, salvagers were scattering to get support or looting whatever stall wasn't totally demolished while Mobile Workers were either fleeing or trying to shoot the beast down. Riku drove his Mobile Worker into hangar 13 where there were plenty of spare Mobile Workers.
"Hurry and get in one." Riku said as Akane jumped off and entered one of them.
"Been a while since I did this." Akane remarked as she activated the Mobile Worker and plugged herself into the seat. She felt a source of adrenaline and cringed a little before regaining control of herself and the machine.
The two then moved their Mobile Workers towards the main fighting area and joined the other machines in trying to fire at the Klaxosaur. All the shots seemed to be doing little to no damage as the Klaxosaur waved across the area with its tail, destroying 3 Mobile Workers and the pilots inside.
While Akane was aiding in the attack, Riku was utilizing the flatbed in his Mobile Worker to transport the injured to the hangar bays nearby. He kept an eye out for Kagami as he made these runs before seeing the old man pinned by debris in the legs.
"Old man!" Riku called as he exited his machine and went towards Kagami. He started lifting and throwing away what pieces of debris he can carry.
"Just go! Take Akane and go! I'm old and you two have your whole lives ahead of you!" Kagami protested as Mobile Workers around them were getting wiped out.
"Stop resisting, it won't help me pulling you out." Riku said plainly as he was too focused on saving the old man. He started to notice that some of the debris pieces were covered in blood; his blood.
Not seeing that much left to pick up, Riku went behind Kagami and gently lifted him by the arms. He then started pulling the older man out of the debris pile, making the latter scream in pain. Riku pulled harder and much to his delight, he was starting to pull Kagami. However, the pleasant feeling did no seem to last as he saw Kagami's legs all bloodied.
"Do you feel alright?" Riku asked.
"I…I can't feel my legs." Kagami replied while it was enough for Riku to know that he's alright. He gently lifted Kagami and placed him in the flatbed before getting back in his Mobile Worker and piloting towards hangar bay 7. In there, they see several injured people with few doctors, or people having somewhat medical experience, aiding them. Riku carefully drove, trying to avoid injuring any of wounded by accident.
He soon spotted a tall middle-aged man with light gray hair, a small goatee, glasses, and a white coat.
"Doc, I've got a patient for you that desperately needs your help." Riku said as he got out of the machine. Henry was the only one in Raven's Nest that actually used to be a doctor. He was part of a city that's controlled by APE, but he left for unknown reasons.
"Let me see him." Henry said as Riku gently pulled Kagami out of the flatbed and carefully place him onto an empty bed.
"I have to join Akane and fight with the resistance." Riku said before Kagami grabbed Riku's arm, getting the teen's attention.
"We don't have those mechs that APE uses, but we have something just as good…" Kagami said, slightly alerting Riku and immediately worrying Henry.
"Kagami, no. No-." Henry started before Riku approached Kagami.
"Just as good?" He had a confused expression underneath his helmet.
"Kagami, you can't possibly be thinking of letting Riku here-!"
"He's the only one here with three Alaya-Vijnana implants. He's over-qualified to take the stress of it!" Kagami argued.
"Even if we can get him onto that machine, it's still missing a cockpit! Not to mention, you have to get Chang's permission!"
"Enough!" Riku shouted, getting their attention. It was obvious he was confused and considering what was going on outside, he didn't have time to watch the two older men bicker. "What are you two talking about?"
Before either of them can say a word, they can all hear a couple of explosions going off outside. Starting to worry about Akane, Riku rushed back into his Mobile Worker and plugged himself in.
"We'll talk about this later." He said as he closed the canopy and moved outside. Upon getting onto the main airfield, he sees that the destruction has gotten worse with some of the hangar bays even being destroyed.
Riku then turned to look at the status of the Klaxosaur and it seemed that, while the guns from the Mobile Workers aren't doing any significant damage, the monster did look worn out.
'Are we getting him?' Riku wondered with a surprised expression before the Klaxosaur jumped up high and landed on the ground, causing an earthquake which threw the Mobile Workers everywhere, including Riku's.
Riku braced for impact as the collision between his Mobile Worker and the hard ground. The collision was enough to knock Riku out.
(The following morning)
Riku stirred in his cockpit before he opened his eyes and found himself still in his cockpit of the Mobile Worker. Riku then checked on the status of his Mobile Worker to see that all power, systems, and functions were still fully operational. He looked at the time to see that it was morning.
Riku sighed in relief as he turned off the systems and took off the helmet. All that was left to do was to check on Akane and the rest. He was about to open the canopy before…Akane did it for him.
"I knew you were alive." Akane said as she was no longer wearing her helmet, earpiece, or Alaya-Vijnana interface, but had her jacket instead.
"Did we win?" Riku asked and as a response, Akane started to wear a worrisome expression.
"It's…complicated." She then offered her hand up. "Come on, you need to see this for yourself."
Riku just stared at her as he took her hand and got out of the cockpit. However, when he did, he was greeted by a sight that he didn't want to see.
"You've got to be kidding me." The white-haired boy remarked as he saw APE troops, a few military vehicles patrolling the area such as APCs and VTOLs, and officials talking to the other salvagers.
"You might need this." Akane said as she took off her belt which held the revolver, its holster, and the ammo pouch for it. Riku calmly took it and placed it on while the two went to what was left of the marketplace to make sure they get lost in the crowd.
(Elsewhere)
BUMP!
The black shaggy-haired, blue-eyed teen Hiro woke up from a small nap on the road. He felt his right shoulder being pressed down from a bit of weight, prompting him to turn to see the pink-haired red-horned Zero Two napping and using his shoulder as a makeshift pillow.
Hiro looked around the rest of the APC they were in to see that the rest of Squad 13 was sleeping, even Ichigo. The only ones that were awake besides him was Nana, Hachi, and the APC driver.
Hiro just waited patiently as he remembered the mission briefing from before they all left the Plantation. Apparently, a source of Magma Energy had been discovered and it's been attracting Klaxosaurs. Nana explained that a great source like that could be used to help power the city underground.
What Hiro and the rest of his squad didn't know was that the source was a few miles away and that their FRANXXs, the mechs they use to combat the Klaxosaurs, are going to be transported shortly behind them via airlift.
As the APC moved and Hiro regaining his bearings from waking up, he couldn't help but think on how things may be moving too fast for them. First, a few days ago, he and Zero Two had become officially partners in piloting Stelizia for Squad 13 after the young male teen recovered from a tumor on the chest, discovering that ruined city near the beach, and now a mission that didn't involve them protecting their Plantation or another. He was a bit curious regarding the matter of why they couldn't just wait in their FRANXXs.
After waiting for a good 10-20 more minutes, Hiro shifted his body lightly to try and not wake up Zero Two. He looked at Nana and Hachi, who were looking back at him upon seeing his movement.
"I'm not trying to sound impatient, but how much farther are we?" Hiro asked quietly so he didn't wake up the rest of his sleeping squad.
"We're only a few clicks away, 016." Hachi responded in a blank tone of voice as he seemed focused on a data pad.
One of the things about being a Parasite for the Plantations is that they were never really given names by APE, just codes. Hiro's was 016, but he prefers to call himself Hiro and he helped gave the rest of his squad names to help easily identify themselves, save for Zero Two. Though officially, he and the others are referred to by the codes except by a few others like Nana.
Soon after 5 more minutes, the APC stopped and this woke everyone else up.
"We're here." Nana said as she and Hachi were the first ones out of the APC. After yawning and stretching a bit, everyone else got out and to their surprise, they see not only another part of the ruined civilization that humans once lived in, but also humans who still live there. Or at least, it looks like they live here due to their more ragged appearance compared to the APE forces stationed there.
"What's up with this? I thought you said all humans retreated underground." Zorome said, looking at Zero Two as he and the others remembered what she said when they found those ruins near the beach.
"Humanity is a big number. Don't tell me you were honestly expecting ALL of them to be underground." Zero Two said with a slight smirk on her face, slightly annoying the obnoxious Parasite.
"What I want to know is why do we have to be transported outside of our FRANXXs. It would be more effective that way." Goro pointed out, mirroring Hiro's earlier thought, and he did have a point. When they usually go on sorties against Klaxosaurs, they would be in their FRANXXs and the battle would commence by now.
"That's because this time, we're dealing with a human settlement." Nana explained as she approached them. "Unlike before, when you were on previous missions, the human-populated areas would be relatively at a good distance. Here, the population is kept near and at ground zero. We have to negotiate with them to gain their permission to allow us to fight and take their source of Magma Energy to prevent any further attention from Klaxosaurs." She explained.
"And what about all these people? Will we bring them with us to the Plantation?" Kokoro asked with a concerned expression.
"Unfortunately, these people have renounced Papa and APE and will only cooperate to get rid of the Klaxosaur attention. Once you're done with your mission here, we will leave these people to their former business." Nana explained.
"That's kind of sad." Hiro said with a sad expression. The rest of Squad 13 shared the same face, save for Zero Two. They've been fighting for what's left of humanity and to see that they have no choice to abandon these few came with the feeling of bitterness.
They soon heard talking going down and they see Hachi talking to a tan man wearing a red overcoat, having a steel tooth, a balding hairstyle, and a moustache.
"Who is that?" Ichigo asked.
"That's the one in charge of this place. I must go help Hachi negotiate our terms for being here." Nana said as she went off before looking back to the group. "Oh, I almost forgot; until your FRANXXs get here, you all have permission to roam around the area. Just please try to avoid the populated areas, these people can't be trusted." And with that, she left.
As she soon became out of view, Zorome came up with an idea before looking back at the rest of the squad.
"Hey guys, wanna check this place out?" Zorome asked, much to everyone's surprise considering Nana's advisement not to wander off.
"Didn't you hear what Nana just said? We aren't allowed to roam this place freely." Ichigo pointed out in a strict tone of voice.
"Aw come on, we're only gonna be gone for a few minutes. Besides, this is probably our only chance to get to know adults that aren't supposed to be strict or working! When are we ever going to run into another opportunity like that again?" Zorome said. And as the others thought about it, he did bring up a good point.
The adults that they usually talk to are part of APE and they would always seem too busy, harsh, or both. Maybe meeting adults outside of APE can give them new perspective on grown-ups, especially when they risk their lives almost every day to defend them.
"It'll only be for a little bit. We'll be gone and back before anyone even noticed we're gone." Hiro added, starting to get into Zorome's mindset.
Everyone was soon starting to become increasingly curious at the idea, even the seemingly cold Ichigo.
"I suppose…a few minutes wouldn't hurt." Ichigo said and when the APE-affiliated adults weren't looking, Squad 13 quietly took off towards the marketplace.
As they entered the area, they stayed as a group and were quite surprised to see grown-ups living so carefree like they do sometimes. They soon got attracted to some of the wares the salvagers were selling as the teens had never been introduced to the concept of a market. When they're need of certain items, they would just fill out a requisition form. The squad started looking around the various stalls to see what items would be placed up for sale.
For Hiro and Kokoro, they seemed to be attracted to the accessory stall, which was adorned with handmade bracelets, rings, and necklaces. While Kokoro thought of them as pretty, Hiro silently wished he can get something like this for Zero Two to commemorate them being an official Parasite couple.
"I see you two like what I have for show." The woman, who ran the stall, said.
The two teens nodded as the woman scanned them.
"I see you two are from or work for APE, right?" The woman asked, surprising the two.
"What gave that away?" Hiro asked back while the woman laughed, much to the two's confusion.
"You two and those others are about the only clean and neatly dressed people compared to everyone else in this place." The woman explained as the two Parasites looked around and saw her point. "And just for where you two came from, I'm willing to put up a small discount. So, what would you two like?"
While the two didn't understand what the word "discount" meant, but they did have an opinion on the item selection that was there. Hiro took the red braided bracelet and Kokoro took the black braided necklace with green crystal attached to it.
"Great choice. So, how are you to going to pay for it?"
"Pay for it?" Both Hiro and Kokoro asked and seemed confused.
"Yeah, come on, I'm sure you APE folks or whatever make a lot." The woman said as she held out her hand, expecting pay. "Or…you have some stuff on you that's worth just as much."
"Uh…" The two didn't know how to respond until…
"Here." Riku suddenly appeared between them with a bag of food in one arm and dropped some money into the woman's hand.
"Huh?" The rest of the squad noticed and approached the accessory stall.
"Riku, since when did you start paying for others?" The woman asked while Riku kept his calm expression.
"Since when did you start asking questions after getting paid?" The young salvager replied back, making the older woman scoff a bit.
"Yeah, whatever. Enjoy your day." The woman said while Hiro and Kokoro looked confused.
"So…does that mean we can keep these?" Kokoro asked, referring to the bracelet and necklace.
"Yeah, I just bought those for you." Riku said as he then tried walking away, but…
"Uh thanks, um…"
"Riku." Riku replied.
"Thanks, Riku. But why would you do something like that for me and Kokoro here?" Hiro replied as the rest of the squad wondered the same thing, especially Ichigo since she didn't trust strangers associating themselves with Hiro. Heck, she still doesn't fully trust Zero Two now.
"Maybe I felt like being nice." Riku plainly stated before he tried leaving again, but when he did, the squad noticed his Alaya-Vijnana implants and most of them seemed shocked though Zero Two seemed to be slightly surprised.
"What the heck is that!?" Miku asked, trying her best not to freak out and cause a scene.
"What? These?" Riku asked as he stopped and looked back at his implants. "Having these implants is pretty standard for salvagers like me when it comes to operating machinery."
"Salvagers? Implants?" Zorome wondered and Riku just sighed.
"Look, I'm really busy and I doubt you APE forces have the time for it." Riku explained as he tried making his way back to his shed.
"That guy seems…really off." Futoshi remarked and almost everyone agreed.
"Seems shifty." Ikuno remarked and Ichigo nodded in agreement.
"I don't like it." Ichigo added. There was just something about him that she didn't trust. From the looks of it, he was in a bit of a rush to leave and judging by how the way he talked and acted, it sounded like he was trying to avoid them because they were part of APE and for that specific reason. She wanted to know why, given how APE did shelter most of humanity. "I want to get an answer."
"But what about Nana? We already left for longer than we already have." Ikuno pointed out and she did have a point. It felt like that they've been here for a really long time.
"Then I'll just go by myself. It shouldn't take that long." Ichigo said. "If Nana asks, just tell her I went to use the restroom or something."
As Ichigo left, Hiro grabbed her wrist which slightly surprised.
"Not without me. It's too dangerous to go alone." Hiro said and Zero Two stepped up as a response to what her partner just said.
"And wherever Darling goes, I go too!" Zero Two added as she held Hiro's hand while Ichigo looked slightly annoyed.
"Fine, come on before we lose him." Ichigo said as the three subtly followed Riku as the rest of Squad 13 went back to where they originally dropped off with Nana and Hachi. As they followed, the blue-haired girl noticed that the young teen was moving deep within crowds when they were around APE forces. It was as if he was intentionally trying to avoid them.
(With Riku)
Riku was whistling as he carried the bag of groceries back as he continued walking, his Mobile Worker raced past him and stopped before cockpit opened, revealing Akane to be the pilot.
"You got the thing patched up?" Riku said. Since this morning from waking up in the machine, while the internal systems were fine, the exterior had some damage that needed to be repaired. Luckily, Akane had some skills at being a mechanic as well as being friendly with the actual mechanic in Raven's Nest.
"Yup, and with some actual armor plating to boot! That way, even if a Klaxosaur does end up tearing its way towards us, we'll feel some small measure of defense!" Akane said cheerfully and Riku lightly chuckled. Akane was always so cheerful when it comes to modifications she has made; regardless how small it might be. "Oh, by the way, you know you're being followed, right?"
"I knew that a while ago." Riku said blankly as he turned back to see some pink hair sticking out from behind a few of the barrels. "Come on out, I know you guys have been there."
And with that, the three Parasites emerged from their hiding spot while Ichigo approached Riku.
"What? I told you guys to leave me alone and I've noticed how most of you took that advice to heart." Riku said as he noticed that most of Squad 13 weren't there with the three.
"And I want to know what's your problem with us." Ichigo said as she approached Riku.
"I don't have a problem with you guys," Riku then looked at Hiro. "I did buy you and that girl the bracelet and necklace from earlier ago."
Zero Two looked slightly surprised at Hiro.
"You got a bracelet?" She asked.
"Yeah…" He chuckled a bit nervously before taking it out of his pocket. "I wanted to give this to you later, Zero Two. Just to commemorate us being together for more than three missions now."
Zero Two smiled widely as she gladly took it from Hiro.
"Why Darling, that is so sweet of you!" She said as she placed it on tightened it.
Hiro smiled while Ichigo just glared at them before looking back at Riku.
"Okay, so maybe you don't hate us. But, it's clear that you're trying to avoid APE. Why? We're trying to help you and your people against threats." Ichigo pointed out.
"You and your forces are only here for the Magma Energy. That's the only thing that would attract a Klaxosaur. These people, including myself and Akane here, have been here for years with no interference from APE. Had someone not discovered and exploited the spot, you would've left us alone. Now if you excuse me, we want to eat lunch."
Riku then went into the shed as Akane unplugged herself from the machine and took off her interface, revealing her implant.
"Please tell me you got us something good!" Akane hoped as she followed while the others followed inside, still wanting to finish the conversation.
"That isn't true!" Hiro said as Riku was patiently taking food out of the bag and placing them onto the table. "I'm sure if APE discovered your settlement sooner, we can move your people to the Plantations!"
"Then how come your people aren't doing that now?" Riku asked, immediately stopping Hiro in his tracks. Ichigo couldn't come up with a rebuttal while Zero Two was just looking around the shed.
"Beat it, the only way APE can care is if we swear loyalty to Papa and the rest of those masked weirdos." Akane remarked and obviously, this did strike a chord with Hiro and Ichigo.
"And is that so bad? From what I understand, the city is beautiful and-." Hiro replied while Akane tried to suppress a laugh.
"Being in a gilded underground cage while doing what some masked freaks tell you what to do isn't that bad? I like you, boy. You make me laugh." Akane said as she started laid plates down.
Meanwhile Zero Two stared at the implants before the two salvagers noticed.
"What?"
"Those implants in your backs…they're APE technology, aren't they?" Zero Two asked, surprising the other two Parasites.
"No way, APE uses that kind of stuff!?" Hiro asked.
"Years ago, they did. Not anymore." Riku explained as he looked back at his implants. "The Alaya-Vijnana interface uses special nanomachines to create a pseudo-brain lobe that governs spatial awareness. Through that, it connects to an external device, making a system where the brain can directly process machine data. It's how we can use the Mobile Workers with little to no training."
"The implants can only be attached via a high-risk surgery." Akane added as she looked her implant before pointing at Riku. "Riku here has three to work with for better efficiency."
"You say that APE and their Plantations are a joke. But how can you say that when you have those things in you!?" Ichigo retorted as she couldn't imagine a surgery to have something like that installed in the body while Riku and Akane stayed calm.
"Because we chose to get them." He replied, emphasizing the word "chose".
Ichigo seemed irritated while Hiro seems trying to be trying hard to find some justification for APE's inactivity towards them.
However, before any of them can say anything, Ichigo got an alert on her communications device. She pulled it out to see that it was from Ikuno. After reading the message, she looked at Hiro and Zero Two.
"We have to get going. The briefing is now about to begin." Ichigo said and the other two nodded before they left the shed. Before Ichigo can leave, she looked back at Riku with a determined expression on her face. "I'll show you…"
"Hm?"
"I'll show you that there's a reason to believe in APE forces like you. Starting with taking out that Klaxosaur." Ichigo said with a defiant face and tone of voice to match it.
Riku and Akane studied her facial expression while Akane just chuckled as a result.
"She has spirit. I like her." Akane said.
"Alright, maybe I'll consider changing my mind if I see something worthwhile in you guys." Riku said before Ichigo stuck her arm out.
"I suppose it's a deal then." She said while Riku stared at her arm while looking at his own hand. He seemed a bit hesitant, getting Ichigo's attention. "What is it? Don't want to touch the hand of an APE Parasite?"
"It's not that." Riku explained before showing his hand which was a lot dirtier than it appeared to be. "My hand is dirty. Didn't want to want to be messy." He plainly while Ichigo looked slightly surprised before taking her arm back. She then started to leave the shed.
As Riku went to the sink to wash his hands, Akane started eating the food.
"I didn't want to mention this in front of the Parasites, but Chang wants us and the rest of the salvagers to occupy any available Mobile Worker and guard the perimeter of Raven's Nest. He announced it to the Mobile Worker bay when I was getting yours repaired" Akane explained while Riku went back to the table to eat his fair share.
"Why? The Parasites will be fighting the Klaxosaurs." Riku pointed as he began eating.
"Chang explained to us that they'll be fighting in the outskirts of the settlement. He wants a form of insurance. Most likely an excuse to save his own ass." Akane explained as she continued eating.
"I don't mind." Riku said, slightly surprising Akane before she smiled.
"That's right, you don't care what you have to do as long as it protects our future." Akane said with a slightly soft smile.
Riku nodded as he finished a piece of his food.
"Just tell me what I need to do next."
(A couple hours later)
Squad 13's FRANXXs were already airdropped with their Parasite pairs already in them and activated. Their objective was to hold off the Klaxosaurs while APE extracts all the Magma Energy from the vein and move it to a safe spot. They've already been extracting for a few good minutes.
"So far, so good…" Hiro said as he gripped the controls attached to Zero Two's suit.
Just then they started to feel some small earthquakes as they then noticed that something was coming.
"Looks like we have company." Ichigo said through Delphinium as Goro stood on guard as did everyone else.
After a couple minutes, they soon saw the Mohorovic Class Klaxosaur appear from the horizon.
"Alright, there it is like the locals said it would be." Zorome said as he got ready for battle…before two more Mohorovic Class Klaxosaurs appeared much to everyone's surprise.
"And it brought friends…" Miku added through Argentea while she and the others readied their weapons.
"Alright everyone, their cores are deep within their mouths. They also use them to fire a charged beam so don't let them hang their mouths open for longer than they have to." Ichigo reminded while Hiro and Zero Two, in Strelitzia, charged forward at one at a high speed via its thrusters.
"Darling!"
"Right!" Hiro said as he had Strelitzia took out its lance and proceed to strike it, getting blue blood to gush out. The force, however, wasn't enough to expose the core. The Klaxosaur roared as it tried charging at the white mech.
"This one is feisty, I like that!" Zero Two said confidently as Strelitzia charged forward at the charging Klaxosaur before it slid underneath and cutting it by the belly, letting out more blue blood.
It groaned in slight pain as Strelitzia emerged from the tail. It was about to look back before its head was met with a big explosion, causing even more pain in the body. It looked to see where it came from and saw Genista pointing its large cannon at it.
"Take this!" Futoshi said as he and Kokoro had Genista fire another round at the monster, making it groan in pain once again. Strelitzia got on its back and tried to stay on while trying to move to the top of the head so it can stab it in the core.
Meanwhile, one of the remaining two, charged next before Delphinium and Argentea intercepted it with both FRANXXs slashing each side of it.
"Come on! Come on! That all you got!" Zorome proclaimed as he had Argentea plunge its Night Claws into the side of its stomach, making it let out a scream before trying to shake it off.
Ichigo and Goro were trying to look for an opening while they noticed the third and final Klaxosaur wandering on its way towards Raven's Nest.
"It's heading for the settlement!" Goro remarked.
"Ikuno, Mitsuru, you assist Zorome and Miku! We'll take care of the straggler!" Ichigo ordered.
"Right!" Both Mitsuru and Ikuno said as the Chlorophytum traded places with Delphinium and resumed attack while the latter went towards Raven's Nest in pursuit.
(At Raven's Nest)
Outside of the settlement, there Mobile Workers patrolling the area in the scenario that one of the Klaxosaurs happen to drop by. Meanwhile Riku and Akane were sticking the upper half of their bodies from the canopies of their Mobile Workers. Next to them, was a recovering Kagami in a wheelchair.
"What chance do we have in taking out one of those things if Mobile Workers can only wear that thing down?" Akane wondered. "We could've just evacuated."
"Chang will go through far lengths to protect his own investments such as the settlement. He's already pissed about giving up the Magma Energy vein." Kagami explained, remembering how bitter Chang became after negotiations between Hachi and Nana.
Riku just looked at the two before they felt some vibrations on the ground before looking to see one of the Klaxosaurs and the Delphinium fighting. The blue and white FRANXX slashed at the beast before the latter roared in rage before it smacked the mech with its tail. The impact of the collision threw Delphinium into a fuel depot.
Delphinium tried to stand up, but before it could, the Klaxosaur headbutted it through several gas tanks before igniting one and causing a major chain explosion.
Everyone looked anxious at the explosion while the Klaxosaur emerged with barely a scratch on it. Meanwhile, the Delphinium had a bunch of scratches on it along with a blank face. Inside the cockpit, Ichigo passed out from all the stress and pain she felt in that one explosion while Goro was trying to wake her up.
The rest of the salvagers all looked pretty anxious as they prepared their Mobile Workers to open fire and the Klaxosaur charged at them.
(With the rest of Squad 13)
Strelitzia and Genista were occupied with one of the other two Klaxosaur while Argentea and Chlorophytum were dealing with the other. They soon had a comm link alert going off in their cockpits.
"Delphinium is down and the Klaxosaur is currently ravaging the settlement! They need reinforcements!" Nana said from their mobile command vehicle.
"We have to help them!" Hiro said, remembering Riku's words towards APE's inactivity. He tried directing Stelitzia towards the direction which led to Raven's Nest but was stopped by the Klaxosaur they were currently engaging. "Get out of the way!"
"Let me, Darling!" Zero Two said as Strelitzia pulled readied Queen's Pike and rushed at the monster at full speed via thrusters.
(With Riku and Akane)
The Klaxosaur was showing no remorse as it stomped on a handful of Mobile Workers, swatted more away with its tail, and opened its mouth to fire a laser at more of the machines and Raven's Nest.
"At this rate, we're going to lose everyone!" Akane said as she looked understandably frustrated at the whole situation while Riku looked anxious and balled his fists before looking back at Kagami.
"Old man."
"Hm?"
"You said that we don't have those mechs that APE uses, but something just as good, right?" Riku asked, slightly surprising Kagami and Akane. However, the former quickly recomposed himself and nodded.
"Follow me and bring your Mobile Worker." Kagami said as he wheeled himself to Hangar 8 which was the utility hangar.
Riku nodded before looking at Akane.
"Keep that thing distracted. I'll be back."
The girl nodded while Riku piloted his Mobile Worker to follow Kagami. The two went in and took a large elevator inside. As the elevator was starting to move down, Riku got out the canopy and looked at Kagami.
"So, what is this thing you talked about?"
"It was around the same time period as the Alaya-Vijnana implants were introduced. APE thought that if pilots can interface with simple labor machines like Mobile Workers, then why not machines to combat the Klaxosaurs? This is a machine from a model series that was developed before the FRANXXs."
The elevator stopped and opened, where Riku saw a mech that he hasn't seen before in his life.
The giant mech is eighteen meters high and is a humanoid robot. It's mostly silver, it doesn't show much of a male or female appearance while looking slim too. Its head looks human and covered in metal that's shaped into a helmet with yellow V-shaped headpiece, complete with a face with green eyes and a red jaw. The robot's silver appearance is armored and it has three symbols, one on each kneecap and another on the lower half of the chest, while the upper half is blue. On the left forearm is a giant gauntlet, but there's nothing on the right.
"A Gundam Frame." Kagami pointed as the Gundam was on its knees and had several wires plugged into it.
"I never heard of something machines like this before."
"That's because the Alaya-Vijnana surgery is very high-risk…as I'm sure you're aware of." Kagami said, while looking at Riku's implants. "And Gundam Frames have a high amount of data feedback to process, a user may end up brain dead if not synched properly."
Riku nodded as he started to put all the pieces together.
"So, that's why you think I'll be able to synch with the Gundam. Because of my additional implants, though where did Chang get this Frame?"
"After the FRANXXs have proven to be a superiority, APE sold the Gundams for resources, but stripped them of their cockpits. Chang won this one at a black-market auction and used it as a power source for Raven's Nest."
"So, this is the source of power in this place? You sure that's a good idea for me to take it now?" Riku asked.
"We don't have a lot of options here, especially with that giant beast outside. We have backup generators anyways. I've already messaged the engineering crew here and they agree to integrate the cockpit and Alaya-Vijana system of your Mobile Worker into the Gundam."
"Just like that?"
"They were actually really eager to see the machine in action. Even you'd have to admit that it's a damn shame for a machine like this to wither away as a battery." Kagami explained as Riku drove up the crew, unhooked himself from the Mobile Worker, and allow the crew to do their work.
"How long will this take?" Riku asked one of the engineers.
"Shouldn't take that long." They answered.
"Riku?" Riku turned and saw Henry with a surprised expression.
"Doc? What are you doing here?"
"Chang wanted essential personnel here for safety. What are you doing her-No, no…don't tell me that you're actually going to pilot it." Henry said with a fearful expression as he noticed Kagami with him and the engineering crew working on the Gundam and Mobile Worker.
"We don't have a choice. The FRANXX fighting the Klaxosaur is out of commission, the others are too busy, and the Mobile Workers are lucky to even tickle it." Kagami explained as he wheeled himself to Henry.
"But this can severely damage his cerebral nerves! He can end up paralyzed or brain dead!"
"It's fine." Riku said blankly, surprising Henry.
"What?"
"It's fine. If this means I can kill that thing along with saving everyone and Akane, I'm game." Riku explained.
"I, uh…nothing will convince you to abandon this machine, huh?"
Just then the place shook as a sign of the Klaxosaur's rampage.
"Does that answer your question?" Riku replied back as Henry just sighed in defeat as a response to that.
"Just…be careful." The medical officer said, making Riku nod. After a few more minutes, the chief engineer looked down at the group from the Gundam's cage.
"We're ready!"
Riku nodded as he climbed up to the cockpit area while Henry and Kagami followed, with Henry pushing Kagami up the stairs. Riku stared at the newly installed chair and plugged himself in.
"How does that feel?" The chief engineer asked.
"Feels alright." He then moved towards the console, revealing the tethering cable connected to his interface and the chair's Alaya-Vijnana connector.
"I'm going to start it up now." The chief engineer said as he turned on the console. The console lit up and started a booting sequence, revealing this machine to be, "ASW-G-08 Gundam Frame Type BARBATOS".
Riku then glared at the number "08", but he was a bit confused at what the word "Barbatos". But before he can ask, he felt an extensive shock in his body due to the machine's data feedback. His body jolted and he started receiving a nosebleed from the mental stress via link.
"Damn it, I knew this was a bad idea!" Henry said while Kagami was shocked, seeing the plan fall apart. "Unhook him immediately!"
Just then, Riku regained his composure and wiped the blood off his face.
"I'm fine!" Riku exclaimed as the boot sequence completed itself and the teen started fiddling with the basic settings.
"You sure?" Kagami asked, getting a nod from the pilot.
"Yeah, let's do this." Riku said as he sat back in his chair while the cockpit closed. He gripped the controls as the insides of the cockpit lit up. "Let's go…Barbatos." He said, understanding that Barbatos is the name of this Gundam.
Everyone backed up as the wires flew off the machine as it stood for the first time in years.
"Beginning retinal projection…" Riku announced as a light scanned his face and he soon started seeing what the Gundam was as its own eyes lit up with life.
(Back at the surface)
BOOM!
The Klaxosaur was still on a murderous rampage and has destroyed a good chunk of Raven's Nest. It also has taken out over half of the remaining Mobile Workers while Delphinium was still offline with Goro still having no luck in waking up Ichigo.
Akane was currently participating in one of the last lines of defense as they were scattered, still trying to take down the Klaxosaur.
Currently, it has wrapped a Mobile Worker in its tail and is growling at the those who are facing it.
"No! No! NO!" The pilot begged before he and his Mobile Worker was crushed within the tail, causing an explosion.
Just then, the Klaxosaur stomped on the ground with one leg, causing an earthquake which flew all the remaining Mobile Workers in the air before they crashed hard on the ground. Akane groaned in slight pain as she tried moving her Mobile Worker, only to find that the wheels have been destroyed upon landing. Seeing no other option, the black-haired girl tried climbing out of the canopy to see herself face to face with the monster.
It looked down at her and looked like it was about to kill her. Akane looked shocked for a moment before giving a wide smile. Soon Ichigo woke up as Delphinium's face came back. As the white and blue FRANXX stood up, the two pilots noticed the Klaxosaur in front of Akane.
"No!" Ichigo exclaimed as the Delphinium tried to charge.
"No…I can't die here. You wouldn't let me die like this." Akane muttered as the Klaxosaur jumped in the air and was prepared to stomp on her. "Right, Riku!?"
(Play Gundam Iron Blooded Orphanst OST – Battle)
Just then ground burst open, revealing Gundam Barbatos in mid-swing with a giant two-handed mace. When it was in reach, Barbatos swung the mace, hitting and pinning it down on its side. Delphinium stopped in surprise as Akane just smiled as she and Riku replayed a certain memory in their heads.
(Years ago)
"What should we do next…012?" A much younger and smaller Riku asked as he was sitting on the ground with a pistol in his hand.
A similar looking Akane stared at him as they were in a forest with a dead APE security guard in front of them. The two kids were wearing outfits akin to two-piece patient outfits.
"It's obvious, isn't it 008?" Akane asked, surprising Riku. "We're leaving…"
"Where to?"
"A better place. One where you and I can make our own futures…"
(Present)
Riku smiled as the nosebleed came back.
"Yeah…we're going. Together." Riku said as Barbatos stood up with mace in hand. Of course, this allowed the Klaxosaur to stand up and try to recover, though it now had a crater-sized wound in the side of it face. "I suppose this thing is a bit heavy, but it should do for now."
Barbatos then looked back at Akane, who just climbed out of her Mobile Worker.
"Akane, get yourself to safety. Things are only going to get messy." Riku said through the Gundam's external speaker, surprising everyone except Akane given that she did know he was going to get something to help even the odds.
"Right!" Akane said as she ran from her Mobile Worker while Ichigo's eyes widened as she recognized that voice.
"Is that Riku piloting that thing?" A shocked Ichigo asked as Barbatos charged on its thrusters and whacked the Klaxosaur multiple times while she and Goro will still shock at the sight of a mech, that isn't a FRANXX, standing up to a Klaxosaur.
(With Nana and Hachi)
The two caretakers were just as equally shocked to the see not only Barbatos's appearance, but to see it taking care of the Klaxosaur with ease through Delphinium's surveillance cams.
"Get Dr. FRANXX on the line." Hachi ordered, after regaining his composure. Dr. FRANXX is a member of APE and, obviously, the inventor of the FRANXXs. If anyone would know about machines capable of killing, it would be him.
Soon another monitor displayed an old man, sporting grey hair and a mustache. However, half of his face and lower jaw were mechanical.
"What is it?" Dr. FRANXX asked with a slightly disappointing tone in his voice. When he had heard of Squad 13's mission, he wanted to join as he rarely been in settlements outside of the plantations, but he was under orders from Papa and the rest of the Sages to conduct some minor experiments.
"What can you tell us about this?" Hachi asked as he sent a video link from Delphinium's cameras.
"Why that's…I haven't seen something like this in years…"
"You know this machine then?" Nana asked, finally regaining her composure as well.
"It's definitely not a FRANXX. This is a Gundam Frame! The one time I have to be stuck here…" The professor grumbled while Hachi cleared his throat.
"What exactly is a Gundam Frame?" Hachi asked, trying his best to be patient with the old man.
"They're a line of mechs right before my FRANXXs came into fruition. I'll admit that these machines do get the job done, but the synch rate was so low and the rate of potential stress on the pilot was so high that the line had to be discontinued and my FRANXXs had to come into play." He explained while noticing something in the feed. It was the image of Akane retreating and finding a good place to hide.
The old man felt a sense of familiarity and zoomed in on her and started running facial recognition software. After the software found a match, his expression turned from curious to intrigued.
"Well…that explains how they were able to activate the Gundam." He remarked, surprising both caretakers.
"What do you mean?" Nana asked.
"Listen closely…"
(With the battle)
The Klaxosaur flew back before landing on the ground and saw Barbatos rushing at him via thrusters. The beast responded by charging back and it actually won the charge as it rammed the Gundam through multiple hangars.
"This is really starting to get irritating." Riku said, wincing a bit as his nosebleed came back since he could feel a bit of the pain that his Gundam is feeling. "It's time I finish this quickly."
Barbatos then implanted its two legs firmly on the ground as it dropped its mace to lay both hands on the Klaxosaur as best as it can. It then struggled to spin the Klaxosaur around before letting it go, making it flew a bit before crashing on its side.
Before it can get up, it saw Barbatos up in the air with the mace in mid-swing. It completed the swing upon landed, with the weapon dug into its head right where the monster's core was. A few seconds passed before it exploded into a big cloud of blue blood.
As it rained blue blood and guts, Riku sees the shattered core embedded onto the mace.
(End Song)
"Did it…" Riku smiled as his nosebleed got worse and he passed out from the mental exhaustion, causing Barbatos's lights in its eyes to fade and go slightly limp.
Akane, sensing something is wrong, tried to approach Barbatos to call Riku but…
"Freeze! Don't move!" Akane stopped in her tracks and turned to see Hachi and APE troops.
"What'd I do?" Akane asked innocently, as she raised her arms up as guns were pointed at her.
"Don't play coy. We know who you are…012." Hachi explained, causing Akane's eyes to widen and adopt a shocked facial expression. "We will be taking you into questioning…along with 008 and we're taking the Gundam as well." He said as he looked up at the inactive Gundam Barbatos before approaching the black-haired girl and handcuffing her.
Ichigo and Goro were still in shock with what happened before two similar explosions occurred in the distance, indicating that the rest of Squad 13 succeeded in killing the other two Klaxosaurs.
"Ichigo, Goro, we're on our way to you guys!" Hiro said over the comms as the rest of the FRANXXs went to Raven's Nest. "We saw a Klaxosaur explosion nearby! Did you guys get it down?"
"…not exactly." Ichigo responded, getting out of shock as she and her blonde partner saw Akane being escorted into an APC at gunpoint while aircrafts were being called in to airlift Barbatos.
AN: So that's my latest idea and man, does it feel good to be back! I thought of showing off a new idea to help me out of the old cobwebs since summer is right around the corner! I can't promise that my updates will be as frequent as before since I do have a summer class to attend to as well as summer job hunting, but I'll do what I can.
Anyways, please review or send PMs for questions, comments, or concerns. Don't be afraid to review this chapter, send questions, or look at my other fics. Alright, I'm done; goodnight.