Opening song: Juicy J - Dope Fiend
The crime rate has significantly increased that was influenced by the outbreak of Titan –M5. Crooks use the advantage of the enhanced drug specifically targeted at IS pilots as a way to bribe them. Some IS pilots blindly accept Titan –M5 for power, but at the cost of betraying their own people. Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department tried their best to stop the pour of Titan –M5, but they got their hands full with Righteousness Union civil war, and Phantom Task making a lot of noise. The civil war broke out because of Liu and Three Dragons' feud that spread like wildfire. Phantom Task blackmailed TMPD with incriminating evidence against them to make Chifuyu weak, but the Brunhilde would not yield that easily. In fact, Chifuyu devised a plan to strike back as she walked out of her office to look for Ichika and Cecilia. The Brunhilde can't do this alone as she needed some sort of distraction or strong muscle for her plan to execute.
"Ichika and Cecilia," said Chifuyu. "May I have a word with you two for a moment?"
"Sure thing, Orimura-sensei," said Ichika, remembering not to call her Chifuyu-nee.
Ichika and Cecilia followed Chifuyu to a hallway as she stopped, and sighed that made her little brother concerned.
"Are you all right?" Cecilia asked Chifuyu. "From your tone, something must have made you unhappy."
"Phantom Task," said Chifuyu, startling Ichika and Cecilia.
"Not them again," said Ichika, slightly clenching his teeth. "Don't these guys leave us alone for once to give us peace and serenity?"
Chifuyu rolled up her sleeves. "Phantom Task hacked TMPD to blackmail me to make me surrender, or they will release confidential information to the public for profit and destruction. I have some friends that work for the police force, and they were affected too."
The Brunhilde did not like to tell the reason behind to bring Ichika and Cecilia out, but it had to be done for them to understand her motive. Ichika and Cecilia frowned at Phantom Task's dark scheme that harmed the public safety.
"I got intel that a silver and blue bus is on Rainbow Bridge belonged to a smuggling ring for Phantom Task. I don't know what they are smuggling specifically, but the one calling the shots is Midari Yumemite, an IS pilot wanted for smuggling and robbery."
Chifuyu downloaded the data to Ichika and Cecilia into their personal IS so they know who to get. The duo can use any approach. Either they use obvious approach to stop them at the cost of drawing unwanted attention. Or use subtle approach that can be slow, but little to no risk.
"I'll also take in part of this mission in order to get information out of Midari. Do be careful because she can be unpredictable if she used an IS on us. Use it only if Midari strike first."
With that being said, Ichika and Cecilia prepared themselves as they walked to the rooftop, deployed their personal IS, and took off like a rocket. On the other hand, Chifuyu wore casual clothing with a dark brown wide brim hat to conceal her identity. Ichika and Cecilia were in the sky, searching for the target while Chifuyu was disguised as an informant for Midari. Once the duo found the target, they took pictures to send it to Chifuyu to confirm the location.
"Orimura-sensei, get ready to board in three minutes," said Ichika via transmitter. "Do be careful when you go inside."
"I'll be fine, Ichika. You tend to worry too much."
Cecilia giggled at Ichika's dumbstruck expression before he shrugged it off. Ichika and Cecilia landed on top of a building to rest as Chifuyu coordinated her undercover officers in position. The location to stop the bus was at a toll bridge, where her fellow officers wait. Even though they can do it without the help of Ichika and Cecilia, Chifuyu can't afford to let this mission go south, especially if Midari went haywire. For now, Ichika and Cecilia can only wait for further orders from Chifuyu.
Ichika and Cecilia went over the plan they devised if Midari try to escape using her IS.
"Cecilia, the target pilots a Rafale-Revive Basic just like Yamada-sensei, and from the information we gathered, it's not modified. Because the armaments are only sniper rifle and grenade launcher, you can easily stop her with your drones."
"I agree, but we have to minimize collateral damage. How will you prevent her from using her weapon?" Cecilia questioned Ichika.
"I will flank to disarm her if Midari tried to use her weapon. That way, she will run once again, and we will chase her down."
"Are you certain that a simple attack will make her vulnerable?"
"We're going to find out, Cecilia."
The English rabbit did not like the blue boy's hare brained plan as she had a better idea.
"As much as I wanted to say yes to go through, but I found a major flaw in your plan."
The blue boy raised his eyebrow. "What do you mean? It's perfectly fine."
"What happens if you miss? There's a high chance Midari will fight back, and that's not what we are here for. We will fly above her before we descend to stop her. The reason being is to make Midari the sense that she is not being followed. If Midari tried to fight, I'll stun her with my optical drones to resolve the situation peacefully."
Ichika thought for a while before he nodded his head. After all, they have to improvise to ensure that they nab their target without firing their own shots. For now, the duo has to wait for Chifuyu's signal to take action.
"It would give the impression that Midari has the right away to win, only to find herself on a losing side," Ichika commented.
"That is correct, my dear," Cecilia boasted of her plan. "We would be really lucky if Midari did not pull out her weapons."
"I'm counting on your improvised plan, Cecilia. I would hate to see this turn from bad to worse, especially dealing with a robber."
The Brunhilde boarded the dilapidated bus to make contact with Midari. It reeked of odor with worn out people sleeping in beds, but Chifuyu brushed it aside. Midari has medium length violet hair, red eyes with a beautiful face. Beneath her beauty was greed, cunning, and dangerous. As the bus cruise down the streets, it was time to get information.
"You wanted to discuss dividing the trade routes, Ms. Yumemite?" Chifuyu asked Midari.
"Yes. Please allow me to show you the outline of my offer. I'm sure you will appreciate of what I have that you can't say no."
Midari took out her brown briefcase, unlocking the codes as she revealed small stacks of paper filled with trade routes scribbled in blue and red ink. The maps were poorly drawn like a kindergartener, but it was done intentionally to give law enforcements a hard time to decipher them. Midari maintained her casual smile while Chifuyu kept her eye on her target. Nabbing her was the objective to cut off the main smuggling ring that will hurt Phantom Task big time.
"Forgive me for picking this place for negotiation with a wanted IS pilot for smuggling," said Midari, scratching her head. "There were too many cops as I had to find a…secluded area."
Chifuyu chuckled slightly, but it was a facade in order to put Midari in a good position. One false move can mean jeopardizing the mission, or hurting innocent civilians if Chifuyu or Midair sprang into action. Little did Chifuyu knew was the passengers are part of Midari's smuggling ring.
Chifuyu threw her with a duh look. "Don't apologize to me, I'm also a lowly life thug that's out to make a living for myself. Continue what you have to offer."
"If we somehow reach an agreement in this matter, I will get you in contact with you soon. As you are already aware, we act as the cover for a secret organization, Phantom Task. I supply what they demand, I get rewards in return. I beg your kind understanding and forgiveness regarding that."
The Brunhilde gave Midari a tangerine. "Midari, can you get to your main point?"
"Oh right," Midari said, eating the snack. "Due to huge presence of police cracking down routes, I propose to give you a route. I realized that holding routes more than what I can carry makes me a target to everyone. What you have to do is deliver the shipment from me, whether if it's IS parts, drugs, firearms, even sensitive information, you name it. You may choose any of them I give out, but I recommend the first one. Very low risk from running into cops and rival factions as you are protected by my guards. The other one is rather unfriendly with coast guards that crack down on smugglers."
To confirm Midari was not bluffing, Chifuyu played along. So far, Chifuyu acquired half of incriminating evidence via audio recorder on her pants.
"I have a counter offer to show you, Midari," Chifuyu said, taking out a USB flash drive.
Midari showed interest, smirking at her potential supplier/Academy professor. "Do show and tell."
"How about I give you this baby that contains data to upgrade your IS, along with your fellow pilots and technicians over the limit without restrictions…In exchange that you tell me all the locations that connect to your routes. For a sweetener, I'll provide you a Valkyrie Trace system by giving me the names of suppliers and workers that relate for you."
This was such a lucrative offer Midari could not take her eyes off of. Greed took the best of her judgment, staring at the hard drive that can make her powerful. If it meant selling some of her people out, Midari would do it in a heartbeat.
"The locations are not written in the maps I gave you, but they are within secluded spots of the underworld and in public streets. You see construction sites, two story offices with A&E signs and light blue executive buildings? Those are fronted to connect my smuggling routes."
That was all what Chifuyu needed to hear from the crooked IS pilot. Midari was more than just an idiot. She fell for the trick of working with an undercover that plotted to counterattack Phantom Task's blackmail. The bus belched huge amount of smoke from the tailpipe as it stopped at a toll bridge. The toll bridge operator coughed from the horrendous gas while the bus driver gave her money.
"Sir, what is wrong with your bus?" The operator questioned.
"The water tank is overheated," said the driver. "Can I get some water from your office?"
The operator nodded her head, calling on her telephone. Midari felt unnerved watching the conversation between the bus driver and operator. She closed her briefcase, tapping Chifuyu to put away her flash drive, sensing something's not good.
"Calling control center…" said the operator.
"Go ahead."
"An overheated bus needs to refill water…"
Midari looked slightly nervous at the operator that made eye contact. She turned to Chifuyu if she knew the answer.
"Something's wrong," said Midari. "Do you think that we…"
Chifuyu shook her head. "I don't think so. The driver said the water tank's overheated."
"Just drive over there," said the operator. "We will refill the water tank."
The bus slowly crawled to a stop to have its water tank refilled, but this was part of the sting operation. Midari looked at the back window to see the operator walking towards her as onlookers to her right watch. Those were not civilians because they were undercover agents waiting to spring their trap. Midari got agitated, walking to the exit while Chifuyu adjusted her hat.
"We have to get off…" said Midari, clenching her right fist.
"What do you mean?" Chifuyu questioned the criminal.
"Go, go!"
Midari opened the door to make her escape, right when she stepped on pavement, a mob of undercover agents were chasing her. Half of them went after the passengers as some of them try to escape.
"This is the police! Stop running!"
Midari ran like a wild horse with Chifuyu and her agents in pursuit. Like a game of leap frog, Midari narrowly avoided being hit by cars. Midari activated Rafale-Revive Basic, ditching her "partner" behind as she flew in a frenzy pace.
"Cecilia, Midari is on the run. Stop her now!" Chifuyu commanded. "Ichika! Bring her towards me."
"Roger that!" Cecilia and Ichika said in unison, taking off to stop Midari. Luckily, they are going against Midari, whose skills are rather below average compared to the combined strengths of Ichika and Cecilia. One strong move can stop Midari at her tracks.
Midari did not pay attention that Cecilia and Ichika flew above her ready to put the brakes on her. If she did not have tunnel vision, Midari should have already known she was being pursued by the first male IS pilot and an English Cadet Representative. As Midari increased her speed, she was stopped by Cecilia and Ichika.
"Stop right there!" Cecilia said, aiming her Blue Pierce at the crook. To her right, Ichika drew his Yukihara as a mean to make her surrender peacefully.
"There's nowhere to run, Midari!" Ichika exclaimed. "Surrender right now, and you will live another day."
Midari sweat profusely staring at the English Representative, knowing how strong she is. "You children have no idea who you're dealing with."
"Children you say? I hope I misheard what you just said."
Though Cecilia hid it herself, she was clearly angry that the low-life criminal called her and Ichika kids. Midari looked left and right to escape from the hands of Cecilia and Ichika. Midari gritted her teeth, aiming her sniper rifle at Cecilia, but the English Representative responded by deploying optical drones. Four drones against a mere sniper rifle was clearly a lose situation as Midari cursed in her mind. Midari took off again, prompting Ichika to charge at her with an overhead attack. The blade sliced Midari's rifle in half, causing her adrenaline to increase by tenfold. Midari was flabbergasted that she lost her weapon in 15 seconds the moment she ran into Cecilia and Ichika.
"I'm not done yet!" Midari proclaimed, deploying her grenade launcher. Cecilia anticipated her attack, and she let loose of her optical drones to disarm her last weapon. Midari's grenade launcher was swiped clean away from her hands, and she was shocked beyond belief. The only option left was to keep running as Midari increased her speed.
"You're not getting away this time!" Ichika said, chasing Midari. The criminal had poor sense of direction because Midari went back to square one, where she took off in the first place. Cecilia fired non-lethal rounds at Midari to distract her, and Ichika struck her back, sending Midari flying out of control. All her controls were non-functional, and Midari skidded against the pavement.
"Give it up," Ichika warned. "You have nowhere to run."
"Fuck you!" Midari shouted, deploying smoke screen at Cecilia and Ichika that attempted to pin her down as she deactivated her IS to run again. Midari's misguided field trip came to an end when Chifuyu, out of nowhere tackled Midari from her left side. Undercover officers help the Brunhilde put the cuffs on the rogue IS pilot trying to break free as Cecilia and Ichika gave a sigh of relief.
Midari's eyes widened in shock that her "partner" was an undercover that arrested her. Chifuyu did not say a word before Midari was taken away. The Brunhilde glanced at the passengers detained by undercover cops as she walked towards Cecilia and Ichika.
"Nice job on stopping Midari without collateral damage," Chifuyu praised Cecilia and Ichika. "I was expecting that Midari would put up a fight, but she was a coward that would fight those that are weaker than her."
"From the moment I saw Midari running away from us, I knew she was scared," said Ichika. "What are you going to do with her now?"
"I will take it from here." Chifuyu walked towards the crime scene before she turned back around. "Be sure to keep an eye out on Liu so he does not fall out of line."
Cecilia nodded her head. "I got it under control, Orimura sensei." Then she gave her usual Ojou-Sama mode, being prideful as usual. "I have something up my sleeves to ensure Liu does not go out of control."
Ichika loomed over to Cecilia, curious of her plans. "What in exactly are you going to use on Liu?"
Cecilia turned on him. "Oh you're going to find out, Ichika dear."
"What? I'm not understanding of your statement."
"Do you always have to be so nosy? Like I said, you will find out soon enough!"
Ichika should have stopped himself, didn't. "If you say so, Cecilia, I won't pester you now."
With that being said, Cecilia and Ichika flew back to the Academy, where the blue boy went to the public bath. Cecilia saw Charlotte and Laura sparring at the Academy. They showed exceptional fighting skills, trading with sparks flying from metal bashing. Once Charlotte and Laura finished their training, the duo went over to Cecilia.
"What brings you here, Cecilia?" The French girl questioned.
"Ichika and I just finished assisting Operation Exodus. We still have our task to babysit Liu. I have a plan to make it work."
Laura deactivated Schwarzer Regen, tilting her head in confusion. "Explain your plan as I'm all ears to hear it."
"What if we team up against Liu to train him of fighting multiple opponents? I don't think he has experienced fighting more than one opponent. That ought to keep him busy for a while."
Charlotte and Laura got hooked from the English rabbit's plan as they have a conversation of how to execute it.
Time: 3:57PM - NTT Medical Center Tokyo
The general hospital was busy as usual with doctors and nurses working hard to keep the patients alive and healthy. This was not an ordinary busy day, especially with over dozens of people squatting against the hallway in cuffs. Undercover officers dealt with them individually while Chifuyu supervised a woman in a room. She was squatting with a bowl underneath, trying to take a dump. The woman tried her best before she sobbed, and Chifuyu gave her a tissue to show empathy.
The reason she had to take a dump was they smuggled drugs inside of their bodies to beat security checkpoint. After all, they were part of Midari's pawns that did her dirty work. Chifuyu patted the sobbing passenger's shoulder to ease off the tension as the woman was forcefully recruited to do Midari's work. Perhaps, she will be cleared of her charges to start over.
On the other room, Midari was on a bed with a tube stuck into her butt, emptying out the drugs she smuggled. Doctors observed Midari's x-ray photos while Chifuyu folded her arms.
"Take a look at Midari," the doctor said. "Among all those arrested, she has the largest quantity of drugs in her body."
"Doctor," said Chifuyu. "According to your estimation, how much pods did Midari carry?"
"Roughly about 20 pods, Chifuyu."
"Is Midari okay from her dump?"
"The drug pods found in her colons are intact. There are no signs of cracks, but look at this. The edges of the pods inside the colon…have displayed some shiny spots. They should be air crescent signs. We have to treat her first to avoid a rupture."
Chifuyu cleaned up the drug pods Midari just emptied out as she encountered her clearly pissed off. Midari carried a bowl to empty out more contents ordered by the officers. Midari had the right to be mad at her so-called partner that sold her out to the cops. Little did Midari know was Chifuyu knew it all.
"You motherfucker!" Midari growled. "You betrayed me!"
Chifuyu was not going to put up with her flippant attitude as the Brunhilde responded with a headbutt that knocked Midari against the wall. The crook kneeled in pain, unable to nurse the bruise on her forehead as she is still handcuffed.
"You're an IS pilot turned rogue for robbery, drug and arms trafficking. I did not betray you; I busted you."
The crook still did not understand. "You betrayed me! You want me dead!"
The Brunhilde turned her back to work with the doctors as Midari impulsively tried to assault her. Officers subdued her again before Chifuyu turned around.
"Did you not know you will tell us everything to Phantom Task? You're lucky we're not in China as they have zero tolerance on drugs. You would be executed for smuggling narcotics in their motherland."
Midari took offense, trying to break free from the hands of the officers. "Shithead! I'll kill you!"
Chifuyu had enough of babysitting Midari that won't shut up for one second. The Brunhilde slammed Midari, glaring at her briefly that shook the criminal before she threw her to another room, along with her bowl.
"Go shit yourself!" Chifuyu berated Midari.
With her work done, Chifuyu walked past Midari's detained workers as she send a text message back to Squall. The Brunhilde's intention was not to wave a white flag to surrender.
I got your message to surrender. Unfortunately, your client got carried away of being invincible, and she is arrested by the cops. I suggest you stop the blackmail, or I will seal off all of your operations. You don't believe me? Just wait until you step outside, cops have the whole place on lockdown. They already raided half of your activities. – The Brunhilde
One click of the button, the message went back to Phantom Task, and Chifuyu was almost satisfied to counterattack Phantom Task's blackmail. However, this does not mean a guarantee victory as Phantom Task still has the evidence to turn Japan upside down. If they dare to release it, Chifuyu will shut off their operations to cripple their income sources. Either way, the outcomes will not be peaceful, forcing both sides into a stalemate.
Time: 5:09PM – Gym
Back at IS Academy, classmates work out while Rin and Liu were at the dance studio doing intensive cardio and core workout. Sweat dripped from their bodies as they did burpees. Rin appeared fine, but Liu gasped for air.
"Come on, Liu!" Rin shouted. "You can't handle today's easy workout?"
"Yeah I can keep up," said Liu, trying to keep up the pace. "It's just that I hate doing this!"
"No excuses, you need to work on getting cut because you're too heavy."
After they finished burpees, the duo had quick breaks in between exercises before they get back to it. Liu clearly did not enjoy this training session because the moment he started, Liu already crapped out in less than three minutes. Rin pushed him to the limit that Liu puked as he was not used to the backbreaking exercises. Puking was not an excuse for Liu to stop as he soldiered on.
Rin was accustomed to it, but Liu was not as she made him do it to strengthen his physique. After all, there was more than just weight training for Liu to be physically strong. No matter how hard training was, Liu did not complain to not get Rin on her bad side. What made Liu not to run his mouth off was Houki's training that disciplined him. Liu ran out of energy, though Rin was also tired in the process.
Rin and Liu work out for 35 minutes before they take a longer break to replenish their energies. Liu sat down as Rin gave him a bottle of water.
"This reminded me of Houki's rough training," said Liu, drinking water. "On a scale of 1 through 10, it's over 9000."
"If you thought that was bad enough," said Rin, adjusting her twintails. "You should watch her training with Ichika because she does not go easy."
"I guess that's how Ichika became popular with the ladies," said Liu. "Yet, the bluenette is dense as a black hole that the girls are in love with him."
Rin slightly chuckled. "Not quite because he's the first boy to pilot an IS in an all-girls IS Academy. Yet, I'm baffled that you have the ability to pilot an IS that was reverse engineered."
"Even though Tabane was behind this, she deliberately did it so she does not clean up her mess."
Liu could not stop thinking of Tabane's carefree attitude that did not bother her, even though she was technically at fault for reverse engineering an IS only women can pilot. Then again, Tabane does what she likes best to be a happy go round pink rabbit.
"Rin, you're not the only one that knows me."
Rin piped up, "What is it that you're trying to say?"
Liu scoffed and said, "When Houki trained me, she found out my identity that I'm a Righteousness Union."
Rin said, "I would not be surprised, considering that Houki's intelligence is top notch to decipher and analyze the details of you. She did not reveal this to the public?"
"Houki kept this a secret too. As long as no one else knows this, everything will be okay."
With that being said, Rin and Liu resume to exercise. Despite the rigorous workout Rin put up, Liu fought through as part of his training to defeat Three Dragons. They work out for 1 hour, 30 minutes as they call it day for now.
"Cecilia, Charlotte, and Laura called you in for IS training," Rin said. "They said it's useful to train with them for you to learn about fighting multiple opponents."
Liu sighed. "I might as well get with the program as they are putting their effort to help my training."
Time: 7:13PM – Stadium
Liu arrived at the intended destination, the Stadium where Charlotte, Cecilia, and Laura were supposed to be at. The problem was the trio were not here, and the dragon had no idea he was about to get a rude awakening. Cecilia partial deployed her optical drones, firing non-lethal rounds at Liu that he narrowly avoided.
"What the-?!"
Liu partial deployed Heavenly Emperor to deflect the projectiles, utilizing Kendo techniques he learned from Houki. Liu was not clear from danger because Charlotte activated Garm, and fired at Liu. The dragon rolled over just in time as Laura charged in with her beam sabers to trade blows. Liu focused on fighting Laura that he was a vulnerable target for Cecilia and Charlotte. Cecilia took aim, and shot Liu's left bicep, paralyzing him. Laura went for an overhead slash as Liu leaned back, but Charlotte fired near his feet. Liu lost his balance before Laura delivered a roundhouse kick to his face. Her foot connected his left temple so strong that Liu face planted to the ground.
"Ugh…" Liu groaned, getting up to his feet. "What kind of greeting was that supposed to be?"
"That was to see if you have good reflexes," said Laura. "It seems that you got tossed around like a pinball, and we did not even use our full strength."
"In other words," said Charlotte. "You need to be familiar dealing with multiple foes if you encounter one someday."
"Don't worry, you will get used to this training."
Back in his days, Liu had a few share fighting a mob, but fighting with an IS was a different playing field. The trio knew that this training would be suitable to work on Liu's weakness of fighting more than one opponent. When they attack Liu without warning, it was to test his anticipation.
The girls and Liu withdrew their IS weapons to stretch before they start Liu's second training. Had it not been for Rin's workout session, Liu would have run out of energy from the girls' attacks.
"You're so accustomed fighting one opponent that you leave yourself wide open," Laura commented.
"Am I really a walking target?" said Liu.
Charlotte said, "Yes, based on how Cecilia and I scored direct hits on you while you were fighting Laura."
"Ah." Liu scratched his head, a ruminative habit he had adopted not too long ago.
"Once you complete this training, you will do much better than today," Cecilia commented. "After all, you're not the only one that's learning from us."
The English Representative turned at Ichika stretching. "Ichika dear! Did you enjoy the pre-show? You will soon jump in to experience it all. I still have plenty of time to train you more to keep up with me."
Liu slightly shuddered, but Laura and Charlotte were not amused at Cecilia's charm to impress Ichika. The bluenette was speechless as Cecilia got too flirtatious with him until Laura dragged Cecilia away from him by her ear.
"I'm astonished that you have not come up with a new technique," Laura lamented, pulling Cecilia's earlobe.
"I get the feeling that Cecilia is a desperate need for male companionship to get Ichika that grew worse as she failed to gain it," said Liu.
"I heard that!" Cecilia said.
"Is this what Cecilia meant by revealing her plan to me?" Ichika questioned.
Ichika snickered from Liu's remark before Chifuyu appeared. The Brunhilde was also not impressed at Cecilia trying to woo Ichika.
Chifuyu frowned. "Ichika, there's no need for you to hang around. You still have homework to do. Brock, quit horsing around, and get back to work."
Charlotte, Laura, and Liu were amused at Chifuyu scolding Cecilia, especially when she intentionally called her Brock. After the Brunhilde left, they activated their personal IS to commence training.
"I'll explain what this training is about," said Cecilia, adjusting her BITS. "You will fight three of us to see how you deal with more than one opponent. If you run out of energy shields, you lose. Even if you defeat one of us, and you can't continue, you lose too. You may use any tactics you have. Is that clear?"
Liu nodded his head. "I'm ready whenever you ladies are."
Cecilia and Charlotte deployed their guns while Laura activated her beam sabers. Liu called forth his Venom Slug and Heavenly Emperor on his hands.
"We're not going easy on you," said Laura, cracking her knuckles. "I hope you know what you're doing."
Cecilia and Charlotte flew up to distract Liu with their firearms as he fought Laura. The dragon fired his Venom Slug at Cecilia and Charlotte before he engaged in a sword fight with Laura. The German rabbit attacked ferociously while Liu blocked her strikes, dodging Cecilia's BITS and Charlotte's firearms simultaneously. Laura utilized her 6 wire-guided daggers that whipped Liu. She was not done yet as Laura constricted Liu's left arm with her cables, and Charlotte let loose of her Vent. Five .55 cal rounds scored direct hits on Liu, damaging his energy shield.
"I'm afraid you will not make it in three minutes, Liu," said Laura, charging her Purizushi.
The railgun slowly glow bright orange aimed at Liu while Cecilia aimed her missile pods. Liu was caught in the wires, and one hit from the railgun will drop his energy shield dangerously low. Before Laura can shoot Liu point blank, the dragon dashed with Heavenly Emperor, and slashed Laura in the face that staggered her backwards. Cecilia let loose her missiles that chased Liu, prompting him to fly up and fired his Venom Slug. Cecilia and Liu exchanged gunfire, flying in different directions as Charlotte covered fire to assist Cecilia.
Laura was fine, and she let loose her Purizushi with a deafening boom. Cecilia tried to score hits with her missiles as Liu evaded her projectiles. In response, Liu fired a large crescent beam slash from Heavenly Emperor. The English Representative evaded the dark beam before Liu opened fire that pelted Cecilia, slightly damaging her energy shield.
Cecilia gained enough distance to fire her Blue Pierce that shot Liu in the chest. Charlotte backed off, holding her Vent and fired. Liu zigzagged like a shark cutting through water. Liu thought he had the advantage to turn the tables, but Charlotte used Rapid Switch. She was already wielding Rain of Saturday in less than one second.
"Did you forget that I have Rapid Switch?" said Charlotte, firing her heavy shotgun. "Never always assume you have victory immediately."
Liu could not dodge in time as he took a shot to the rib cage, dropping his energy shield significantly. Charlotte deployed Shield Pierce to stab Liu as the latter swung back. Sparks flied from metal bashing against each other while Cecilia fired her optical drones. Liu shot multiple laser beams in a concentrated pattern at Charlotte before he deflected projectiles from the optical drones.
"I have had it with these motherfucking drones on this motherfucking training!" Liu exclaimed, getting away from the drones chasing him. Laura continued firing as Liu opened fire, and the former activated AIC, blocking his incoming attack easily.
Liu attempted to burst Laura's AIC, but tried as he might, it would not crack. The optical drones accidentally weakened her AIC as it's not designed to withstand multiple foes. Liu found an opening to hack and slash Laura, damaging her energy shield further. Liu stopped to catch a breath from the girls' combined teamwork while Cecilia and Charlotte aimed their weapons at the dragon.
When Liu was back on his feet, he took off like a rocket at Laura.
"Oh no you don't," Laura said, releasing her wired daggers again. Liu was not going to fall for it, so he flew her around in a frantic pace. The wire daggers tried to bind him, but by the time Liu was clear, it wrapped themselves around Laura, where she least expect it. Tied in her own weapon like a cocoon, Laura struggled to break free while Liu charged towards Cecilia, firing his Venom Slug.
Cecilia let her optical drones do the work, and Liu swung his dark sword, forcing Cecilia to double back. Her optical drones rendered useless from Cecilia moving around as she fired her Blue Pierce. Once Cecilia was far enough, Liu turned at Charlotte, returning fire. Charlotte deflected them with her Shield Pierce, dashing at Liu for a melee combat. They hack and slash at a vivid pace, trying to score a direct hit. Charlotte shield bashed Liu, but he responded with a stronger blow that dazed Charlotte.
"I'm not out yet, boy!" Laura shouted, free of her restraints.
The German rabbit fired her Purizushi as Liu recklessly dive bombed, firing his Venom Slug. Laura activated AIC to negate his attack as she tried to stab Liu with her beam saber. Unfortunately for Laura, Liu parried her strike before he delivered few swift blows that knocked Laura out.
By the time Cecilia and Charlotte regain their composures, they saw Liu holding the unconscious Laura as a human shield.
"What are you going to do now?" Liu questioned Cecilia and Charlotte.
Before Charlotte opened fired her Vent, Liu fired Purizushi at the girls. Cecilia and Charlotte were separated before Liu used his immense strength to hurl Laura at Charlotte. By the time she caught Laura; Liu pursued the English rabbit. Cecilia deployed optical drones to end it. Somehow, Liu grabbed ahold of an optical drone, and he destroyed her drones.
Cecilia could not believe that her own weapons destroyed each other before Liu threw it like a javelin. Cecilia got smacked from her own optical drone as Liu went for an overhead slash. Cecilia activated Interceptor to fend off his strikes. Cecilia's time came to an end when Liu disarmed her melee weapon, and he stabbed Cecilia with a forceful blow, damaging her energy shield to zero.
Cecilia fell lifelessly to the ground before Liu fired his Venom Slug at Charlotte eluding his bullets. The duo chased each other, exchanging gunfire to score a hit. Even though Charlotte damaged Liu, he ultimately came on top from his Venom Slug that knocked her out.
Liu managed to hold off Cecilia, Charlotte, and Laura, despite the overwhelming advantages the girls had. Liu was far from over completing his training as they took a break to recover their energy shields. Liu slowly picked up their fighting styles as he knows how to fight them all at once. Day after day, Liu showed some progress that earned the girls' respect that their training paid Liu well. After all, Liu must know how to anticipate the unpredictable, and be aware of his surroundings.
"Too slow," said Charlotte, deploying Shield Pierce. "This could have concluded your training with a good note."
The French girl parried Liu's attack before she smacked him in the stomach, and down goes the dragon. Even though Liu defeated Cecilia, Laura wore out Liu to allow Charlotte deliver her finishing move. They deactivated their personal IS to call it a day as Liu patched himself up.
"Your Rapid Switch is indeed your strongest technique," Liu said.
They were relaxing in the cafeteria with classmates waiting in line to get cheesecake, mont blanc, and cream puffs. Liu saw the line that stretched down to the hallway, but he did not bother to get sweets. Cecilia, Charlotte, and Laura helped themselves with pastries they got from the cafeteria while Liu drank protein shake.
Ever since Liu started his training, he was on a strict diet thanks to Rin to ensure he ate the right nutrition. The mouthwatering pastries did not help Liu to fix his diet while the girls eat. Instead, Liu ate pasta with steamed broccoli and lemon chicken sauce.
"I found a way to win Ichika's heart," said Laura, folding her arms.
Every time Laura has an idea, it's a spell for disaster thanks to Clarissa Harfouch, Lieutenant of Schwarzer Hase.
"Oh no…" Charlotte groaned, preparing for the worst.
"I sought advice from Lieutenant Clarissa. The answer is women seek kisses as memories, and men seek boobs!"
Liu remain unfazed given of his Triad nature, yet he thinks only to himself of what men and women really want as memories. While the dragon ate his food, Liu inadvertently thought of Laura's statement that made him slip into a dream with Rin by his side at a grassy field.
"Lingyin, I like the sweet and sour pork you made for me," said Liu. "I understood promise that you said before."
Rin fidgeted, playing her twintails. "You mean that if I became an excellent cook-"
"I would become your boyfriend," Liu finished her sentence. "I don't mean that you make me free meals every day."
Rin was amazed that Liu figured out the sweet and sour pork promise right away. While Rin was in bliss, Liu stroked her chin.
"While the food you made is top notch, nothing is more exquisite than your body."
"Liu, I'm happy that you found the meaning of my promise, I'm ready to be all yours…"
This was what Liu's thought of men and women really want as memories. Just as they were about to proceed to the next stage, Liu quickly snapped back to reality, brushing it off to prevent indecent thoughts about Rin.
Someone should really help Laura with those indecent advices she received from her manga enthusiast.
Cecilia slammed her hands on the table while Charlotte was disgusted by Laura's nonsense crap she spouted.
"What kind of advice was that supposed to be!?" Cecilia exclaimed. "That was pure filth coming out of your wretched mouth!"
"Nonsense," Laura retorted. "Clarissa's advices never let me down. She told me it's the way to attract Ichika by-"
"No!" Charlotte covered her friend's mouth to muffle her dirty words. "Please fire your Lieutenant that gave you terrible inaccurate advices that believed everything in shojo manga."
While Cecilia was outraged at Laura being spoon fed from her boss, Liu drank his protein shake like it did not bother him. Liu could not help but chuckle at Cecilia and Charlotte zipping Laura's mouth shut to prevent her from spewing bad advices. The pastries just sold out, much to the dismay of Honne that wasted time deciding whether to get it or not due to the fact that she abstain sweets for a week.
The classmates were either hanging out with friends, studying over the weekend, or shop for the entire day. All seemed peaceful inside the Academy, but not in the underworld that stirred up a lot of heat lately. Cops put their foot down to crack down several operations ran by Phantom Task and rival Triad factions with numerous arrests made. Thanks to Phantom Task that tried to blackmail Chifuyu, the law enforcement responded by playing their own game to make it even.
Time: 8:43AM – Underworld
"Squall, I'm ready to fulfill your orders," said Three Dragons, walking with Shen next to him. The duo were ordered by Squall to raid an IS lab to steal IS parts and one IS core.
Three Dragons could not wait to test out his new toys Tabane gave him. Three Dragons did not have the ability to pilot an IS, so Tabane created IS weaponry compatible for him to fight against IS pilots. Three Dragons and Shen reached towards the IS lab, where technicians, scientists and pilots were testing out their inventions.
Without warning, Shen deployed Dread Gauntlet to kick the door down that it flew across the room, nearly decapitating a worker. The scorpion fired her dual gatling guns towards the ceiling with earsplitting sound. Shen aimed her guns at the terrified workers to show dominance. While Shen controlled the crowd, Three Dragons activated Moon Blade, a Guandao that has a menacing heavy blade with irregular serrations. On the end of the polearm was a spike to catch an opponent's weapon, or to strike. Three Dragons' hands and forearms protruded navy blue armor to protect him.
Three IS pilots tried to activate their personal IS, but Three Dragons was not going to allow that to happen. On his right arm came Oblivion, a .81 cal cannon (Author's Note: Look up Shockwave from DOTM) that reached down to his ankles. Three Dragons pointed his cannon at the pilots that made them rethink their actions, especially when the barrel charged light blue with a whirring sound.
"Down! Everybody down!" Three Dragons shouted.
To make his point across, Three Dragons fired his Oblivion at the wall that shook the ground like an earthquake. The light blue projectile left nothing in its trace as it did not leave ashes, marks, or even rounds. It just exterminates. The hostages quivered in fear from the devastating weapon Three Dragons used. The Righteousness Union associate took his time to loot IS parts composed of weapons, defense systems and packages. Last but not least came to an IS core Three Dragons stole for Phantom Task's next scheme. With the loot in his duffel bag, the objective was complete.
The duo raided the IS lab in less than one minute, leaving the workers still terrified, even though they left the area. Three Dragons and Shen returned to base without trouble, revealing their loot to Squall. Kaori and Madoka were present as Squall nodded her head, inspecting the IS parts she intended to upgrade Madoka, Shen, and Kaori.
Squall adjusted her red dress. "Shen, deploy Dread Gauntlet for me please. Kaori and M, you do the same thing."
The Phoenix, scorpion, and Madoka activated their personal IS while Squall inspected them. By the time Squall finished, she clasped her hands.
"Thanks to Three Dragons and Shen's effort," Squall said. "You three will receive some upgrades to give you a better fighting advantage. Shen, you will receive railguns to replace your missile pods. Kaori, small gatling guns will be placed on your shoulders. It has a high-rate of fire, but has little power against IS; however, the gatling gun can damage lightly armored areas. Lastly, your fire manipulation has been tuned to produce greater power, including blue fire."
The leader turned to Madoka. "As for you, a hyper sensor package has been installed to respond speeds over 550km/hr."
The trio followed Squall to test out their new toys while Three Dragons grabbed a Titan –M5 laying on the table. Even though it was designed for IS pilots, Three Dragons and Squall tested the enhanced drug to increase his strength even more. After several trials and errors, the drug was finally complete as Three Dragons injected himself with the Titan –M5.
The dragon clenched his left fist that glowed light blue all over his veins to the entire body. Three Dragons felt the power surging through his body, feeling twice as strong before his eyes flashed blue briefly. Three Dragons was definitely ready to wreak havoc.