Super Robot Wars Alpha Clash: Book 2 A Super Robot Wars Fan Fiction Series by Ryoga316

COPYRIGHT NOTICE:
The following is entirely a fan fiction story of Super Robot Wars and is not in any way related to the actual Super Robot Wars story. Any reference or inference to any other copyrighted work is used for the same purpose. Super Robot Wars and its characters are copyright Banpresto and their respective owners. The original characters used in this fan fiction are copyright Ryoga316. Daiken Crow and Axel Hawkins are property of Rurounin Mao and used with permission. Comments and suggestions are welcomed via e-mail at

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Chapter 1:
"Contact! Invasion at Yokosuka!"

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Part 1

PERSONAL LOG No. 12 (Date: 13th of May, New Western Calendar 187):

Things have gone pretty rough with me. Nearly 24 hours after battling with the combined forces of the Metalbeast Army and the Zeons, everyone head out to their respective destinations. The AEUG went off to rendezvous with the rest of their group in America. Captain Mao and the crew of the White Base Kai left to inspect one of the two Chodenji Machines at the Nanbara Connection, a facility similar to the Saotome Lab and the Photo-Atomic Power Lab. I didn't join with the White Base Kai as I was ordered to bring the Grungust Nishiki to the Japanese DC Branch in Yokosuka for repairs. Yoshiko-san tagged along as she is given the authority to enter and observe the repairs on the blue robot.

We were now heading for the DC building by a transport truck, which is also carrying the Grungust and being heavily guarded with several escorts should we be attacked. As we traveled along, I noticed that several of the stores around the city were closed and the traffic is empty. I find this unusual, as it is a regular business day. I asked Yoshiko-san about it and she answered that the city was emptied out, as there were unconfirmed reports that someone might attack the DC Building. Some say it's the Blue Lotus, but I personally doubt it as my instincts tell me they're too smart to attack the DC Building and steal some of the mechas stationed there. I can't say it's the Zeon/Metalbeast alliance either since they took a heavy beating from the last battle.

I looked back at the buildings within Yokosuka and gave a smirk on my face. Despite the advances in technology and the tragedy it felt over the years, Yokosuka is specifically built to look like what it was before the time of the Space Colonization Project. The people of Yokosuka wanted to live their lives almost the same way as those who lived before them. History is what the people of Yokosuka find the most precious and they wanted it to keep the history of the city alive. And they show their tribute by keeping the city look like they were from the old days (even if most of the buildings are actually replicas). While most of the 'old' buildings are at least 2 stories high, there are a quite a number of them standing taller than the rest.

When we arrived at our destination, I can see the DC Building standing on a small man-made island just beyond the Yokosuka Harbor. It's the tallest building in all of Yokosuka, standing at about 23-24 stories high. It is also the only building in Yokosuka that has the modern look, having an artistic wave-like structure, perhaps built to withstand the forces of nature. To my surprise, we didn't proceed to the bridge leading to the island. Instead, we continued on and ended up at a tunnel just at the southeastern end of Yokosuka. The tunnel leads underneath the ocean and was completely sealed off. Not even a rat would be able to go pass the doors. But upon our arrival, the tunnel slowly gave way, and then we headed down there alone, the escorts leaving us behind. The passage was awfully dark with very dim lighting, but after going down for about a few minutes, I could see a bright light ahead. Beyond the light, I found myself at what appears to be a docking base for giant robots to be stored and repaired. Inside stood a few Gespenst units. But these are different from the ones used by Lieutenants Irmgardt and Daiken. They have a slightly different armor design and they are in different colors (most of them in green and light blue).

As soon as Yoshiko-san and I got off the truck, we were greeted by one of the scientists working for the DC. He's around his 20's or so, but he wears a blue polo shirt with yellow trimmings rather than a full lab-coat and black silk pants. He had long blonde hair, which he tied it up at the back and wears glasses. "Greetings and welcome to DC Base Japan! The name is Omiya. Robert Omiya"
"Yoshiko Yanagida. Chief Mechanic of the White Base Kai"
"Ryoga Kazehino. Grungust Nishiki pilot."

Then suddenly, he zoomed towards me and started shaking my hands vigorously, his face smiling with glee. "Ah! Please to meet you! Please to meet you! I'm so glad that you get to pilot the Grungust well and it reached our expectations! Congratulations!"

Of course, I was caught off guard because of his gestures. He's smiling so much it's like he's just won the jackpot at the national lottery. "Err...thanks"
"Well, we should begin the repairs immediately," he said as he somewhat calms himself down and starts to talk a little more seriously. "Yanagida-san, my associates will assist you in repairing the Grungust"
"Thanks, Robert," she replied.
"Ryoga-kun, please come with me. The president of the DC Branch wishes to have a word with you"
"The president?" I asked.

Could he be the famed Dr. Zoldark?

As Yoshiko-san obtains information on the Grungust Type-2 and how it should be repaired, Robert and I took the elevator leading towards the main building. We then took another elevator and headed for the top floor where the main office is located. We stopped at the two large front doors for a moment as Robert enters several keys onto a panel next to the doors. He then identifies himself and shortly thereafter, the two doors slowly open.

The main office is one incredibly large place. It basically has enough space to make up a dojo for me to practice. The walls of the room are covered with several pictures of castles, knights, forests, and even beasts. It seems the head of the DC has a strong liking to Medieval Culture, even more so when I see the red carpet being covered with several ancient writings.

Then, at the large front desk, sat the head of the DC Building. He wore a long white coat with purple trimmings and there's a long scarlet scarf/tie around his neck (like the one the priests wore at churches). However, the head of the DC seemed younger than I expected. As a matter of fact, he appears to be just a few years older than I am! Also, he appears to be Japanese judging from his short purple hair and small, slant eyes. But if I remember correctly, Dr. Zoldark is from Iceland.

"Welcome," he greeted. "You must be Ryoga Kazehino"
"Yes, I am." I replied. Trying to sound calm and a little noble. "Are you Dr. Zoldark"
"No, I am not," he chuckled. "My name is Shu Shirakawa. I'm the head of this branch. The main headquarters of DC is found in Iceland, which Dr. Zoldark personally directs"
"I see"
"You wish to know as to why you are summoned here, correct"
"Erm...yes"
"You are here first of all so I would like to congratulate you personally on being able to successfully pilot the Grungust Type-2 and master its controls in a short time. I've received all the info from your comrade, Ms. Yanagida and studied it carefully. You are also here because I know you have questions to ask about the Grungust, am I wrong?"

He's right. That's basically what I would like to talk to him about.

"But first, I need to see for myself as to how you are able to pilot the Grungust Type-2 as such..."

Then suddenly, I felt a strange feeling surging through my head. It was the same as when I was piloting the Grungust. Instinctively, I positioned myself in a fighting stance. But the feeling was only for a second, and then it was gone.

"Did you feel that, Kazehino"
That surprised me. How does he know that I felt 'it'? "Do you sense it too"
"No. I was the one who delivered that 'feeling' to you." "What"
"If you indeed are able to sense that, then my theory is confirmed. You are indeed a Psycho-Driver"
"'Psycho-Driver"
"Think of it as having ESP," Robert said to me.
"You mean like that of a NewType"
"Sort of. Both Psycho-Drivers and NewTypes almost share the same abilities. The difference is the other potential abilities a Psycho-Driver possesses that are absent from a NewType"
"What other abilities"
"Like the ability to lift objects, see the future, and in extremely rare cases, convert thought into a form of energy"
"Sounds more like a character I know from a comic book"
"Like you, Kazehino, I too, have the abilities of a Psycho-Driver," Prof. Shirakawa speaks. "But like any other Psycho-Driver, or NewType, the power and potential vary from person to person. What I did to you just now is the maximum capability of my powers. You basically have a much greater power than I am. Rest assured. I'm not your enemy"
"But...how is it that I have this power"
"The Grungust Type-2 has a special device installed that extracts the power of a Psycho-Driver. This device, called the 'T-Link System', scans the human body for any sign of potential ESP powers and extracts them to be converted into data commands for either movement or weaponry. This is essential in order to master the Grungust Type-2"
"At the time of the attack in Hokkaido, the T-Link System in the Grungust Type-2 was activated inadvertently," Robert, explained further. "But because it had no pilot, it scans within its surroundings to seek one with the highest potential of ESP and register it as its main pilot."

So that explains why I dreamt of the Grungust when Hokkaido was attacked! Of all the people within the convention center, I was the one who had the highest potential! Then suddenly I thought of the head judge who pushed me into the secret door leading to the Grungust Type-2 with the Special Access Card. It may not be something, but now that I thought about it, it seemed it was no accident that I was sent to the Grungust Type-2.

Is it possible that the judges KNEW of my potential?

And what of Lt. Daiken?

"Professor," I asked. "I recall that the Grungust Type-2 only registers to the first man who pilots it. What about Lt. Daiken? He was the first pilot after all"
"It is true that Daiken Crow came in before you as the Grungust's pilot," replied the Professor. "He was chosen as the Grungust Type-2's test pilot because there were no other candidates who had the potential of a Psycho-Driver. At that time, we hardly understood the difference between a NewType and a Psycho-Driver. However, during the first field-test, the Grungust Type-2 went berserk, destroying anything in its path until it shuts down by itself"
"Berserk"
"We are unable to determine what caused it. We thought that because Daiken is a NewType, the T-Link System is unable to register him correctly, resulting in an error of command and weapon functions. However, we find that the Grungust's power was amplified to great levels as a result of that event. After a thorough investigation, we concluded that when certain situations occur, the T-Link System will not only extract, but will also amplify the pilot's Psycho-Driver powers, resulting in the increase of the Grungust's power." "I see...so I guess that when I was fighting that giant Metalbeast back in the Far East Base, I was so determined to protect my friends from harm that somehow it activated my true ability, resulting in my full control of the Grungust"
"You are most observant, Kazehino."

I also made another thought that I decided not to tell the Professor this time. I remembered the scene of a GM being destroyed by Zakus during my fight at the Saotome Lab. I'm guessing that at the time Lt. Daiken was performing the test, the T-Link System somehow brought out perhaps a tragic memory that's too much for him to bear.

"Professor, one more question: do you think I was somehow predetermined to pilot the Grungust Type-2"
"Probably just a coincidence," he answered. Then looked at his computer monitor for a moment.
"I see..." "I just received news that the repairs for the Grungust should not take very long as the damage to it is minimal. However, it will undergo several tests before it becomes fully operational and ready for combat. There's a small shopping arcade at the first floor. Why not you spend some time there for awhile"
"There's a shopping arcade"
"We are in a middle of an island, after all. Go ahead and take your time. I've told the staff down there that you will given VIP treatments, so everything you wish to purchase there is free"
"That is very kind of you, Professor, but that's a little too much for me"
"Heh. For someone like you, you are as noble as a knight is. I respect that. But please, take my offer. There aren't that many people who have the ability of a Psycho-Driver."

'It is wise to accept the kindness of others', said one proverb. I decided to take it and took my leave.

I must admit I was amazed at what I found when I made it to the first floor. Either Dr. Zoldark or Prof. Shirakawa is insanely rich as the shopping arcade carries a ton of stuff. Food, clothing, kitchenware, toys, you name it, they've got it. There's even a video arcade with the latest games inside, which I have no hesitation to get in. They also have the newest version of my favorite arcade game, 'Burning PT' (a game where it almost simulates riding inside a Mobile Suit). And so I sat on the virtual cockpit and started playing to my heart's content. Not having a care in the world. It's been roughly 2 years (perhaps more) since I played this game so the first few tries I got my butt kicked. But as the day goes on, I've adjusted to the new version quickly and began racking high scores. I confess that I was so 'addicted' to the game that I skipped lunch entirely. It was only when someone came to offer me lunch that I stopped.

"You know, you should eat. Playing too much is bad for you," she said to me when she came by. I looked at her for a moment to see who it was and I could not believe my eyes, so much I did not notice my AI opponent has already defeated me.
"Anna-san"
"It's been a while, Ryoga-kun," she smiled. Quickly I got off my seat and gave her a hug. Though it was a little too much. "Ack! Not too hard! I'm not as strong as I was before!"

Anna Kenouichi was my master's personal servant. Half-French, half-Japanese, she was a member of a powerful business family but was stripped of everything after she decides to marry a commoner rather than the suitor her family chose. The family made serious threats to her and her spouse that they made the latter so afraid he chickened out. Losing both her family status and her lover, she tries to attempt suicide when Master Hazama came by and stopped her from doing so. Upon hearing her story, he took her in as one of his students and trained her well. In return, she devoted herself to serving the master. The timing was never better as before the two meet, Master Hazama had a wife who passed away after giving birth to their second child. Since my master spent most of his lifetime in his art, he has very little knowledge of raising children. Anna-san volunteered to look after the children and took care of them well.

When I moved in at the Hazama residence after my parents died in a car accident, I became another of Master Hazama's students. Training under him was harsh and very difficult and oftentimes I cried from the hard training. But Anna-san was there to give me comfort and tend my wounds. She treated me like I was her child and I looked up at her like she was my mother, as do the master's own children. She is also my teacher on other things such as reading, writing, cooking, and others. Whenever my master is away, she takes his place and trains me on the arts. With her, though, the harshness and difficulty were a little less.

When the One-Year War ended, much of the town we lived in is in ruins. I survived and so was Anna-san, but my master didn't, as he died trying to save his children from the explosions and crumbling buildings caused by the fighting between the Zeons and the Federation. Reports say his children are nowhere to be found and were presumed dead. Anna-san knew she wouldn't be able to raise me well because of the loss of money, so she handed me over to the Mitsuki family (who are in good ties with Master Hazama) while she tries to look for work and reestablish herself. I haven't seen her since then...until now.

"What are you doing here, Anna-san"
"I work here, Ryoga-kun"
"You work for the DC"
"Correct. I work as Chief of Safety & Security within this building. Been here since the DC Building was founded. My job is to keep the facility and the workers safe from harm"
"Wow...I can't believe it...it's been 7 years since we last see each other"
"And look how much you've grown! I can't believe it's really you!"

We laughed and later went to the food court where we had lunch. She knew about what happened back in Hokkaido and me being a Grungust pilot. I told her what she thought of it, honestly, and she replied with a question: "Why did you choose to remain a pilot of the Grungust?"

I answered her with a quote: "A female lion protects her cubs from the wrath of other lions and predators. She will fight them at the fullest, even at the cost of her own life, to ensure her cubs survive"
"A lesson Master Hazama taught you well, I assume"
"Even if I decide not to, everyone's lives will be in danger from this new crisis. This is the least I can do so everyone here, including those who I care a lot, are well protected"
"Well, you have answered my question. Now I will answer yours," she said as she sips her cup of tea. "Even though you were adopted by Master Hazama, he still considers you as a member of the family. I cannot accept that you, the only remaining member of the Hazamas, risk your life fighting the enemy like this."

I looked down, disappointed at what she said.

"However, if Master Hazama were in your place, he would do the same"
"Huh?" I replied. "He would"
"It was always his belief that he could protect people using the best of his ability. Even if the price to pay were a heavy one, if it means safety and survival of the other, he would do it. It has been like that for him since Mrs. Hazama passed away..." We both kept quiet for a moment. We both knew that the last thing he did was to save his own children, and yet.
"In any case," she continues. "The master is very proud of you, Ryoga-kun"
"I guess you're right," I said. "If only he were here...he and..."

Before I could finish my speech, the siren echoed around the building. Looks like the reports were true.

"An attack?" I asked.
"Definitely. We've been expecting this to happen," she then places the teacup at the table and gets up. " Quickly now! We need to get going"
"Where to"
"To meet with Prof. Shirakawa!"

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Part 2

We were taken to an undisclosed location hidden beneath the DC Building. Here, the place is like a command center: One huge room with rows of control panels and screens, people holding their communicators talking and chatting several things all at the same time (in other words, all their jabbering just sounds Greek to me). Beneath the corner of the room stands a large balcony where the Professor and Robert are. Under the balcony is the elevator where Anna-san and I then get on to meet them.

"Ah, you came just in time," the Professor said.
"I'm ready," I replied. "I just hope the Grungust is too"
"Err...I'm afraid the Grungust isn't," said Robert. "The Grungust's power has only reached 65. We need more time before it is ready for combat"
"What!?! More time? The city will be destroyed by then"
"Relax, Kazehino," the Professor told me. He was very calm when he said that. In fact, it was as if the danger is nothing to him. "Take a look over there."

He pointed me to the main screen of the room that is showing what appears to be a giant green robot shaped like a train pursuing 4 people. A close-up reveals that one of them is a doctor of sorts judging from the lab coat she is wearing. She also carries an attaché case, to take note. It would also seem that the other 3 are trying their best to protect her. What surprised me more is that the 3 people are very extraordinary as one of them, a monk, grabs the doctor and makes a huge leap in the air, bouncing off from building to building and going ahead. The second one, a rather large man, pulls out a pair of hand-held axes from his sleeves. There were chains attached to the axes. Using them as grappling hooks, he throws one at a great distance to the buildings and swings forward, grabbing the third one, a woman in a china dress, with him.

"Just who are those people?" I asked.
"Special members of the Mutropolis Organization." Anna-san answered. "Mutropolis...?" I then remember the discussion back at the Far East Base saying that the Mutropolis group is like that of the International Police from several decades ago. But I never thought that its members were more than human.
"They're approaching the target area," Anna-san said.
"Good," replied the Professor. "Tell them to get ready"
"Roger that." Anna-san then takes a communicator. "This is Chief Kenouichi. The enemy has approached the target area. Deploy and engage now!"

Looking back at the screen, near the harbor bay, a large submarine-like vessel surfaces from the waters and approaching the bay. The vessel is large enough to fit several Mobile Suits inside, so I'm guessing their strategy is to launch the Mobile Suits once that train-robot thing arrives at the harbor. However, instead of bringing out several Mobile Suits, the vessel released only one.

And it's not even a Mobile Suit either.

The robot the vessel deployed is huge, perhaps several meters taller than the Grungust. It's a blue metal colored robot with some red trims, having a very massive body, and it had the shape and figure like that of an Egyptian Pharaoh, particularly the face. Two gun turrets are mounted on its waists and two large black packs, which are either booster or missile packs, attached to the rear. As it starts to walk along the harbor heading for the city, rumbling noises can be heard with each step suggesting this robot had an enormous amount of weight. As a matter of fact, I can see some of the buildings' windows crashing with each step of the robot.

"What is that thing???" I asked.
"That, is one of the Mutropolis Organization's Super Robots: Giant Robo," Anna-san answered.

Giant Robo...the name fits it so well for a robot with that massive size. Giant Robo then caught up with the train-like robot and blocks its path as the other members of the Mutropolis group made it to the harbor and now heading for the DC Building. Meanwhile, the train-like robot tries to get through by ramming Giant Robo with its drill mounted on the front. The Egyptian-like robot simply grabbed hold of the drill and pushes it away, crashing the robot to the ground.

"Wow," I said to myself. "He did that like it was nothing!" I would've added that its power seemed to exceed that of Getter 3 and Neo Getter 3 combined, but I'd rather kept that to myself.

The train-like robot then transformed itself to equal its size to Giant Robo's. Now it had razor sharp chainsaw-like blades for arms and its face like that of a bird with the drill as its mouth (actually, the green robot looked more like a rip-off of Mockera from the old Gamzilla movies to me). In a desperation attempt, the green robot charges forward hoping to slice Giant Robo in half with its blades, but the latter counters by throwing just one punch and it knocks back the green robot again. It would seem that the conflict is now over, as the green robot stayed motionless, but...

"Professor!" one of the people from the room shouted. "Five more units are approaching the city"
"Do we have visual?" he asks.
"Yes, sir! On screen, now!"

The main screen then gave a visual of the five approaching units. Four of them were the same green robots that Giant Robo took out. The fifth is a black robot that shares almost the same size as Giant Robo, but its body is slightly smaller and resembles a much more human-like figure. Its metallic mouth looks like that of Mazinger Z's and it had a large crescent moon mounted on the forehead. On top of that black robot stood a bearded man donning a white robe and cover like that used by the ancient Arabian warriors. He also wore sunglasses.

"Sir! We're being hailed"
"Open channel"
"On behalf of the Big Fire Organization, I, Cervantes the Bedazzler, am in good faith"
Cervantes The Bedazzler...that's who the man identified himself. "Professor Shirakawa, we know you have the weapon deep within that building! Surrender it to us, as well as the woman and we will leave this city!"

A weapon? What's he talking about? Does he mean the units from the docking area? The Grungust, maybe?

"And just what exactly do you plan to do with it?" Prof. Shirakawa asks.
"That is none of your concern. It is Big Fire's order that the R-0 and Dr. Yasunishi be in our hands"
"And if I refuse"
"Then you leave me with no choice but to take the weapon by force. We are to take it at all costs..." Cervantes then points his finger towards Giant Robo. "...including Giant Robo"
"Why would I surrender my father's creation to you???" A boy's voice shouted. The main screen then zooms in on Giant Robo's face, and, to my surprise, there's a boy hanging from the robot's cheek. He's probably around 11-12 years of age, but it seems as though he was hanging in there ever since Giant Robo was deployed. I'm surprised he didn't fall off from all that. From the way the boy said it, he's most likely the one controlling Giant Robo.
"Daisaku Kusama," Cervantes said. "Have you found the answer to your father's question?"

The boy remained quiet, unable to answer back.

"As I thought. Until now, you are unable to find that answer. Here me well, son of Prof. Kusama! This is not the place for a young man like you to be. Stop this foolishness and give up Giant Robo"
"NO! I won't give up Giant Robo! This is my father's legacy, and I will defeat you along with the rest of Big Fire and restore peace to this world! And I'll do it by myself and Robo!"

Cervantes then crosses his arms and laughs. "Do you honestly think, you can restore peace all by yourself? We are the least of your worries, boy. You have no idea what you're about to get into if you truly decide to go against us"
"My father built this robot in the name of peace...," the boy said as we can see tears coming off his eyes. "And you killed him! I refuse to let Robo become part of your evil plans!" "I pity you for the pain and cruelty you are about to experience," Cervantes said, then turns to face the other robots behind him. "Rising Suns! Go and attack the DC Building! I will face Giant Robo myself - with MY Giant Robo 2!" With that said, the black robot stands ready to fight. Daisaku then hangs tight as his Giant Robo readies itself.
"Sir, Dr. Yasunishi is safe," Anna-san reports. "But we have four enemy units coming straight at this building"
"Then take Kazehino with you and prepare to sortie," the Professor replied.
"Yes, sir." "Is the Grungust ready now?" I asked.
"Afraid not," Robert answered. "But we have no choice. It's the only unit that's capable of tearing through the armor of those green robots"
"Indeed," Shu agrees. "Though Big Fire does not have much of an army, their robots are capable of withstanding a lot of damage before it breaks down"
"C'mon!" Anna-san said to me. "We have to get ready!"

I nodded and off we go.

"Yoshiko-san!" I called out as Anna-san and I entered the docking area. "Ryoga!" she greeted back.
"How's the Grungust"
"Well, the bad news is that it's not at 100, but its overall power is at a good 82"
"That should be enough. I'm heading out!" Quickly, I dashed towards the cockpit of the Grungust Type II and close the chest shut. Once the Grungust began to operate and I get the visual of the surrounding area, I received a transmission.
"Ryoga-kun!" It was Robert speaking. "You'll be facing four heavily armored units, so the odds are against you. They're not like the Metalbeasts or the Zeon Mobile Suits you fought earlier. To even out the odds a little, Ms. Kenouichi and her security team will assist you on this mission"
"Anna-san?" I gasped. "Right here, Ryoga-kun!" she suddenly replied as I get a visual of her. She is still wearing her dark blue and yellow security uniform but she wears a yellow helmet along with it.
"You can pilot too"
"Of course, I can! It's part of my job as DC's Chief of Safety & Security!"

I then get a glimpse of her robot as we were taken to the launch bay. It looked a bit like the Gespenst mixed in with the Federation's Guncannon unit except that it's a little more armored. Two 3-way Gattling Guns are mounted on each arm and two large Beam Cannons are attached on the shoulders.

But I don't see the rest of her security team. Before I would ask Anna-san about them, that question is already answered when I received an open transmission: "Ms. Kenouichi. Security has now mounted on the tanks and are in position"
"Very good," Anna-san replied. "I will move forward and attack alongside the Grungust Type II. Remain in your positions at all times until I give further instructions. Shoot upon visual sight and lock-on to the enemy"
"Understood"
"Well, are you ready, Ryoga-kun?" she asked me.
"I am. Are you going to be all right"
"You worry too much," she laughs. "Though my Schutzwald isn't as powerful as your Grungust, it can hold on its own."

The Schutzwald. That's the name of her mech...or whatever it is that's supposed to be spelled. I still don't know German.

"Ok, Ryoga-kun. Here's the battle plan: I will try to keep their distance using the Schutzwald's Twin Cannons. Since there are four of them chances are at least one will pull through. When that happens, you charge in and engage"
"I understand, Anna-san"
"Ok, let's get going! Anna Kenouichi! Schutzwald, take-off"
"Ryoga Kazehino! Grungust Nishiki, GO!"

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Part 3

Our mechs were then catapulted outwards, just like that of the White Base Kai. And before you know it, we were now in the battlefield airborne for a moment. I scouted below the city to see how's it going. The two Giant Robos tested each other's strength as their hands are locked onto each other. The tanks from the DC Security force are placed in strategic locations in which the Rising Suns would attempt to pass. However, two of the Rising Suns decide to crush through the buildings to make way, attempting to scare the tanks off, if not crush them in the rubble. Strangely, though, those two stopped after downing two buildings each. Have no idea why.

In any case, Anna-san was the first to attack. Using the Schutzwald's Twin Cannons, large, but fast, beams of light streak through the buildings and hit one of the green train-like robots. An explosion occurred upon impact. We both landed with visual range of the enemy. When the smoke settled, the Rising Sun that was hit seemed to have taken damage from the blast as it was pushed aback. However, there doesn't seem to be any sign of serious damage to the enemy unit. After taking that hit, the Rising Sun retaliates with a flurry of missiles while the other follows suit, attempting a striking attack with its bladed arms.

"I'll take care of those missiles," I said. "EYE SOLID LASER!"

The command worked and the beams from the Grungust's eyes took out a few missiles. I used the beams repeatedly and quickly to attack the others until all of them are destroyed and not one of them hitting its target. Robert contacted me afterwards. "Try not to use your attacks too much, Ryoga-kun! As powerful as the Grungust may be, it has a limited energy capacity. If it runs out, you're in major trouble! Use your attacks sparingly!"

NOW he tells me. If I'm to do well in this battle, I'll have to reserve my attacks until I really need them.

In any case, the other Rising Sun is about to come close and the Schutzwald's cannons aren't fully ready yet. Instinctively, I moved forward and blocked the bladed attack using the Grungust's arms. The blades then start to spin, attempting to saw its way through. As I stare onto the green robot, I noticed that there is something on top of its head. It was a hooded man sitting among a series of levers. This came to my conclusion that this person is the pilot of the unit.

That would explain the other halting their attempts to ram onto the buildings, I thought. They're so exposed they're sitting ducks from rubble and shrapnel, among other things. But how can I take the enemy out without harming the pilot? The Metalbeasts and the Mechasauruses are AI-controlled robots. This is WAY different!

Being in this situation, I only have a second or less to think it out. Not wanting to take further damage, I reeled the controls back and shoved them forward, allowing the Grungust to push away the blades and getting the Rising Sun slightly off-balance. Now with enough distance, I went for my attack:

"BOOST KNUCKLE!"

I decide to use only one arm and aim at the enemy's neck. Hopefully the impact would keep him off for a while. Just then, my senses started tingling. But before I could react, a second wave of missiles hit me and the smoke from them blinded my vision for a moment. It was followed by loud clash of metal as my body was pushed forward from the force. It was a good thing I was wearing a seat belt. Otherwise, I would crash onto the cockpit door.

That impact came from another Rising Sun, coming at me with a tackle. It then follows through by slapping my Grungust with its arms, causing me to pull back. But thanks for that last impact that ticked me off; as soon as the enemy makes another swing with its right I grabbed the joint of the arm with my left. For my counter, I kneeled down my Grungust so it reaches halfway to he enemy's size, and then went for a Shoulder tackle, hitting the torso. Quickly, I made another attack, using my right elbow and striking it through the Rising Sun's metal chin, enough force to knock it off. Not letting the robot fall on its back to kill the pilot, I wrapped my arm around its neck and drove the head to the ground. The shock is enough to shaken up the pilot and putting him out while keeping his heart beating for another day.

The remaining two Rising Suns, including the one Anna-san knocked off earlier, transformed into their train modes and charged through. One hit the Schutzwald right on the chest while the other zips through me.

"ANNA-SAN!"

"I'm all right! Just go get the other one," she said. But the other Rising Sun is way ahead of me now and is reaching towards the DC Building. Security tried blasting it with their tank cannons but to no avail. They were able to bail out on time as the train crashes right through them. It then comes to a halt and starts to transform back to robot form.
Now's my chance! I rushed as fast as I could and quickly switched the Grungust into G-Hawk Mode, then going at full throttle. As soon as the Rising Sun completes the transformation, I switched back onto the Grungust Type-II and, while airborne, hit the enemy at the back with a kick. The attack allowed the kick to thrust through the Rising Sun's body. I immediately grabbed the pilot with the Grungust's hand and jumped off to safety as his robot exploded.

Turning to Anna-san, she was able to take care of the last Rising Sun. The latter transformed back to robot form and tries to drill again at the torso, but Anna-san counters by firing the Schutzwald's cannons at the green robot. Quickly she gets up as her opponent is staggers back and follows through with a combination attack: Left and right kicks to the head to shake the pilot and finishing with a sweeping Roundhouse kick to send it to the ground head first. She then points the gun in her Schutzwald's forearms on the pilot to make him surrender.

I then watched the two Giant Robos who continue exchanging fists against each other. The black GR2, piloted by Cervantes, lands several punches at once against Daisaku's GR, keeping its large arms up to block the punches, as well as to prevent them from hitting the face, where Daisaku is. The GR2 starts to step back, making some distance. Daisaku tries to follow and go with a punch of his own, but he has fallen right onto Cervantes's trap. The minute the GR readies its punch, the GR2 suddenly throws its own version of the Rocket Punch and hit the right chin of Giant Robo. While it was fortunate that Daisaku was on other cheek, the shock made him hang for dear life. My senses began to tingle and instinctively I prepared myself. When Cervantes launched his second Rocket Punch, I fired off my Boost Knuckle to knock it off course. However, the boy, Daisaku, couldn't hang on and suddenly let go. Fortunately, his Giant Robo managed to catch him and break his fall.

"Hey! Are you ok?" I called out to him.
"Err...yeah! I'm ok!" he replied.
"YOU! How dare you interfere in this battle!!!" Cervantes shouted at me.
"You are going to kill that young boy!" I fired back. "I'm not just going to watch and let you do that"
"You think you can go one-on-one with the great Cervantes?" the GR2 pilot then moved his cape away as his robot takes a stance.

"I wouldn't do that, if I were you! I got one of your men right here!" I raised the Grungust's fist, showing him the hooded Big Fire member I captured. Shortly after that, my senses started to tingle again. This time, that tingle made me turn in time to see giant ripple-like rays coming at me. Quickly, I held my guard up as the rays hit me. Once the rays are gone, I lowered my guard to get a glimpse of the attacker, but before you know it, someone (and I DO mean someone, as in a human being!) just tackled right at me. And even more surprising is that for a guy his size, he has so much force, it pushed me back as if it was a Metalbeast that tackled me. I did get a good look at the person. He had black hair with a mustache and beard and was wearing a black suit along with a device attached to its right eye that's similar to my scanner.

The force from the man's attack knocked me off my feet. And just as quickly he disappears into thin air as I crashed to the ground. I tried to keep the Grungust's hand grip onto the captured BF member, but when I looked at him to see if he was all right, he was gone.

I tried to move the Grungust to get it back on its feet. As I got up, I heard a loud noise to my right, so I turned to see that the mystery man just did the same tactic to Giant Robo to knock it back. He disappears again and just shortly thereafter, he took down the Schutzwald as well.

Now that my Grungust is on its feet, I got a good look at the one that attacked me with those rays. It was a stone-colored robot shaped like that of an owl. On the head, sat the pilots of the fallen Rising Suns and ahead of them are two men in black suits: one was the guy that tackled the others and me and the other is bald and had an unusually long nose. The giant owl robot slowly moves and hovers down next to the black Giant Robo 2.

"I am known as Alberto! Master of the Shockwave!" said the bearded man.
"I am Ivan! Loyal servant to Lord Alberto!" the bald one said and cackled loudly.

Seeing that it's going to be a big battle ahead, especially with that Alberto on their group, I know I'll need a lot of help. Anna-san has gotten up on her feet and moves in close to me. I opened my communications to make contact with her:

"Anna-san! Are you ok"
"I'm a bit shaken, but I'm all right," she replied.

I turned the Grungust's head to look at Daisaku. Giant Robo is lifting him back to its cheek.

"Cervantes!" Daisaku called out. "I'm not going to let you get away! I swear to you me and Giant Robo will defeat you and Big Fire"
"HO! HO! HO! Don't be foolish!" retorts Ivan. "Even with the three of you together, you will never defeat the most powerful organization in the world! Lord Alberto, please give me the opportunity to crush all three of them with my Uranus robot"
"There is no need, Ivan," answered Alberto. "We have what we came for"
"Yes," seconds Cervantes. "We will bid adieu for now. But the next time we meet, I assure you, we will take what is rightfully ours! And Daisaku, you better think real carefully on what you are going into before you take action!" "Ivan!" Alberto shouts. And then suddenly, Ivan's owl-like robot fires its rippled rays from its eyes, but it was aimed at the ground, not us. The beams cut through the ground and the buildings that stood with it crashed down easily, creating huge puffs of smoke to cover our visions. When the smoke finally cleared, both robots are now gone. Only the fallen Rising Suns remain.
"CERVANTES!!!" the boy cried. In his frustration, he lets Giant Robo smash almost anything in sight. "What are you doing!?! You'll wreck the city further!" I said at him. "SHUT UP!" Daisaku retorts as Robo pulls out a punch at me. I quickly blocked it off and put the Grungust's face close to Robo's, eye-to-eye. But mine is glowing. "LISTEN!" I shouted. My own beast was starting to take over. "You can cry all you want, but if you're going to bring down Yokosuka with it, you'll have to deal with me first"
"You know nothing, Mr.! They killed my father and I want to avenge him"
"And you think you can do so by being this reckless? Would you think your old man be proud of you if you let out your anger by destroying the city!?!"

I could see Daisaku's eyes open wide upon hearing that. It seemed to strike him. I then let the glowing eyes of my Grungust fade as I stepped back.

"Look. You're a member of the Mutropolis group, right? So in a nutshell, you're a police officer. If that is the case, then you should behave as one."

Daisaku remains quiet, but he starts to wipe away the tears in his eyes (he is still a child, after all). I let my Grungust give him a nod and a pat on his Robo'' shoulder. My own way of saying "it's ok."

Then, my senses started tingling once more (I think I'll give it a name from this point on. I'll name it 'Psycho Sense', just like the one from the comic book Arachno-man). And it's driving me a little nuts because it was a strong one, as if something of grave danger is coming this way.

"HEADS UP!" Anna-san shouts. Daisaku and I looked up in the sky and, to our surprise, so what appears to be a vortex of some sort. And from that vortex, came out hordes of objects I have never seen before. They're about the same size as most conventional fighter planes, but they have an insect-like figure. Though we are much bigger than they are, they have a larger number: 30 to 3

"What ARE those things???" Daisuke said.
"So they've finally come..." Anna-san replied.
"Are they another enemy?" I said.
"AGX-01. Code name: Bugs"
"Bugs?"

Well, those things do look like insects, so I guess 'Bugs' would suit their names.

As soon as all the Bugs came out, the vortex closes. Immediately, those guys started firing down rippled beams at us. Those beams came down like hard rain. Explosions heard each second, buildings crashing down.

I feel like inside a soda can and someone shaking it vigorously as my Grungust takes hit after hit. I began to feel dizzy from all the shaking, and chances are I'll throw up if I don't act. Putting my Psycho Sense to work, I move the Grungust to an opening where the rays won't hit me for at least a second. When I reached that spot, I looked up at one of the Bugs and, with my Psycho Sense, aimed and fire.

"EYE SOLID LASER!!!"

Direct hit. That got their attention. Enough for Anna-san to fire back with her Schutzwald. She was able to take out 2-3 of them with her barrage of Twin Cannons and Machine Guns. But the others began evading her attacks and countering with their own, taking out her weapons in the progress.

With my Psycho Sense still active, I rushed to the nearest Rising Sun unit and picked it up, then throwing it at the Bugs blasting the Schutzwald. 1 was brought out unfortunately. Daisaku, however, surprised me when his Giant Robo pulled out various gun turrets around its armored shell and firing in the air, keeping the Bugs off while destroying about 3 or so. If they can't get near those two, the Bugs decided to go after me instead. One rammed me at the front, then others followed through, covering me with their own bodies. I got a real good close up at their faces and saw its mouth opening with light starting to shine. Those pests want to blast me at point blank range.

Try as I might to wiggle free, those guys really kept my unit paralyzed. "Clever", I said. "But I doubt you know about this...MAXI BLASTER!"

Quickly the Bugs scatter as the Maxi Blaster burns up one of them. While the beam is still firing, I moved it towards the Bugs in the sky, taking out as many as I can. Mix it with Giant Robo's guns and we managed to take down almost half of their bunch. The others started fleeing away from us and headed straight for the DC building. The security forces started opening fire, but the Bugs dodged them very easily and took them out.

"NO!" I cried loud. Those men perished by these aliens. For that my beast started to react, and my Psycho Sense kept itself up as well. Wanting to take out every last one of those Bugs, I gripped the controls tight as I felt the Grungust Nishiki transform itself to G-Hawk mode. Without hesitation, I burst the G-Hawk to top speed, attempting to ram any Bugs standing in the way.

"SPIRAL ATTACK!"

The feeling was like a Jet Coaster as in seconds, the G-Hawk caught up with them and ramming them off. I then pulled up to avoid hitting them and kept it up until I can make a full climb. Keeping it that way make me go a full 180 degree angle and within range of the remaining Bugs. Using my Psycho Sense, I took each one out with Eye Solid Lasers and Split Missiles. When the last 3 of the Bugs attempted to ram me, I dodged and converted back to Mecha Mode. Then, with both hands up, I slammed the Bug I dodged to the ground (a technique called the "Hammer Punch"). Spreading the Grungust's arms, I launched the Boost Knuckles to sock at the other two. I was about to finish off the Bug I slammed with an Eye Solid Laser when Prof. Shirakawa told me to stop.

"That thing is still intact. Please do not destroy it," he said.
"Not destroy it!?! Look what that 'thing' has done to this place"
"Be that as it may, that thing needs to be taken in one piece. This is a good time for us to study it more carefully and know who are we dealing with."

Know thyself and know thy enemy. The Chinese Philosopher Sun Tzu said that in a hundred battles, if you know the enemy as well as yourself, victory is always yours. The successful warriors and rulers of the Three Kingdoms period many ages ago adapted this teaching and later on bureaucrats, businessmen, and political parties adapted it. Even my sensei applied this on his teaching as he explained to me that Sun Tzu's words did not just apply to a battle. Life is a battle itself, he said. If you know it well enough, you will surely be able to handle life with little difficulty.

I guess the same applies here.

I halted my attempt at taking out the last Bug as Prof. Shirakawa requested. I looked back and saw most of Yokosuka in shambles after that invasion. Giant Robo and the Schutzwald approached me.

"You two all right?" I asked.
"Yeah, I'm ok. Robo here protected me," Daisaku said.
"My weapons may be out, but I'm ok," said Anna-san

I then looked over at the tanks that were burned. Anna-san noticed me on that one.

"Not to worry. Those tanks were remote controlled. So no one's in there"
"Remote controlled"
"Yes. Units like these were made long before the Space Colonization Project, but there had been some complications and plus they weren't popular. They almost died out completely when the One-Year War began thanks to the Minovsky particles."

I let out a sigh of relief. I'm glad no one lost a life today. Even the enemy retreated with their men intact...

------------

Part 4

Shortly after that fight, we reported back to Prof. Shirakawa at the conference room of the DC Building. Upon entering, I find Robert, Yoshiko-san, and the Mutropolis group inside along with the Professor. Even Daisaku, Giant Robo's 'pilot', was inside. Finally, the woman the Mutropolis group was protecting was in the conference room as well.

"Welcome back, you two," the Professor greeted. "Congratulations on a job well done. Although the city took serious damage, it is better than to have them take over the DC Building. Please understand that in a crisis such as this, some sacrifices had to be made in order to mitigate greater damage"
"Yes sir. We understand what was at stake," Anna-san replied. I kept quiet, still distraught at the destruction Big Fire and those 'Bugs' did to Yokosuka. Both of us then took our seats.
"Now allow me to introduce you to the agents of the Mutropolis Organization," Prof. Shirakawa continues. Then each of the Mutropolis members began their introductions starting with the monk.
"Hey there! The name's Taisou." The monk introduced himself with a salute. That was a little odd to me as a regular monk would clasp his palms together and bow. This one just saluted at me.
"Mine is Tetsugyu, but I'm also known as the 'Black Whirlwind'." Said the large man with a deep and loud voice. "I'm Ginrei. Please to meet you," said the woman in the China dress as she bowed. She is quite a beauty. Long black hair and white, smooth skin, and has a very attractive asset. "I'm...Daisaku...Daisaku Kusama," introduced the young boy. "And my name is Eri Yasunishi," introduced the woman the Mutropolis group were protecting. She had long purple hair that's styled in a way to shorten the length and wears glasses. Even with all that fiasco, she still wears her lab coat. "I'm a researcher for the DC. And I'd like to thank you for your help, as well as to the Experts of Justice"
"Experts of Justice?" I asked.
"That's the title we were given as a special division of the Mutropolis Organization," Ginrei explains. "We protect and serve the innocent and uphold the law against criminals with our special powers"
"You mean like what you did when those giant trains chased you"
"That's right," replied Taisou. "Much of Big Fire's top agents have ESP abilities and we are the ones who can stand up to them with ESP powers of our own"
"So...is Daisaku"
"No. He doesn't possess any ESP abilities. He became a member after obtaining Giant Robo who only responds to his commands"
"So tell me, what is this Big Fire group"
"Big Fire is a powerful criminal organization established around a decade ago," Ginrei explains. "Their objective is the same as Dr. Hell's and the Kyoryu and Youma Empires which is world domination. But unlike those three, Big Fire's numbers are relatively small, but they remain a group to be reckoned with thanks to the Magnificent 10"
"The Magnificent 10"
"They're the most elite members of Big Fire, having tremendous ESP power. You've already encountered three of those members: Cervantes The Bedazzler, Alberto The Shockwave, and Ivan."

I kept quiet for a moment, thinking about that Alberto guy and how he managed to knock me off balance. How will I be able to beat a guy like him? He's surely big trouble if he strikes again...

"I'm sorry if I'm causing any delays," I said to everyone. "Please, Professor, you may begin."

The Professor just smirked and laughed, as if he was amused by my gestures. Well, there are a lot of questions I want to ask, but this isn't my meeting after all.

"Very well, thank you. As you all know, Big Fire came here to take Dr. Yasunishi as well as the secret project of the DC. All that I will tell you regarding these matters is classified information.

Dr. Yasunishi has recently been examining two large figurines that were dug up in China." From the conference table, the Professor puts up a holographic screen for us to see of the figurines. Both appear to be made of pure stone and have been buried for thousands of years. The two are shaped like animals: One a dragon, and the other a tiger.

"They may look like stone statues," the Professor continues. "But her report says that these two statues are emitting a large energy force. Plus there is a detection of metal components found inside, in the exact shape and form as the stone statuettes. So there is a high probability that these things are actually robots."

Robots!?!

"That can't be!" Tetsugyu retorts. "How can machines exist in ancient China!?!" "It is true that such technology could not exist in ancient times," Robert speaks. "However, please take a look at this..."

From the holographic screen, we see some Chinese writings marked on each of the statues. The writings were then taken out and placed on a flat panel for us all to see. Then Robert made a few computations and soon the Chinese writings were translated. It said:

To protect the life and the land Spirit Beasts come forth One from Heaven; One from Earth Defeated the blackened sky and the rotted soil Here they rest amidst time undisturbed Even if the world is at its end Those who seek to awaken them take heed For only the One has sent them

"This is the writing from the stone statutes." Robert said. "It would seem that, on a scientific view, this is one of the lost histories of ancient China"
"Lost history?" asked Anna-san.
"The Dark Ages was the time when for reasons unknown, much of the ancient world's history disappeared. It was theorized that before that time, many civilizations have managed to produce technology so advanced at their time but were forgotten when the age arrived. The Chinese and the Greeks were among the civilizations that said to have produced such technology. But because their history was wiped from the face of this planet, no one can prove the existence of such technology. Those who lived at that time may have been forced to rediscover themselves and their technology and that lasted for ages up to this day. If those two are indeed relics of an advanced civilization prior to the Dark Ages, it would rock the scientific world"
"Furthermore, their technology would serve a great deal for our cause," Dr. Yasunishi added. "This would provide us clues to develop weapons and battle units that can go up against the alien invaders"
"Which explains why Big Fire was after the good Doctor because of her knowledge regarding that information," said Taisou. "With that information on their hands, they would be able to develop powerful robot armies of those things"
"Which is where the Experts of Justice come in," I said.
"Correct," answered Dr. Yasunishi. "There is a chance Big Fire may attempt to hack into our computer systems and gather data on our discovery, so I entered all the information on a typewriter."

A typewriter!?!

"As ancient as those may be, their greatest advantage is they don't run on any electrical power, so no hacker can steal information from them. All I have to do is type it down and store the entire hard copy along with pictures and other material into the attaché case and deliver it here. The Experts of Justice were then sent by the Mutropolis Organization to ensure I deliver it safely and avoid being kidnapped by Big Fire."

Wow, I thought to myself. I never thought old-fashioned technology could be handy dandy even in today's world.

"What about what that Alberto guy said saying they want something from the DC Building?" I asked.
"I will answer that for you," Prof. Shirakawa speaks. "This is the second part of the classified information I will tell you:
Those 'things' that you encountered after Big Fire are known as the AGX-01 enemy units. Codename: Bugs. We have acquired a sample of this Bug from one of our top agents. However, we find that only a small portion of this unit is both metal and electronically made. The rest is from an unknown material that we have never seen before."

Looking back at the holographic board, the view changes into a scale model of the Bug. An X-ray examination shows that indeed, very small portions of the Bug are either metallic or electronic. When Robert made a closer view of the unknown material surrounding the insides of the Bug, it was a purple, crystalline substance. Magnified further, the material has the size of a tissue cell.

"We managed to form an image of this and transfer that into computer data. But shortly after obtaining the first Bug, all of this unknown material was disintegrated before we could begin tests. Hopefully, the new Bug that you captured should help us further in our research.
As you know, we are developing new units that will deal with the coming alien threat using the alien technology Dr. Zoldark discovered as well as additional support from the Tesla Reich Labs and Mao Industries. We have already made a number of new mechas but our biggest project of them all is the SRX Project"
"The SRX Project?" said Yoshiko-san.
"Allow me to show you," said Robert and once again we returned our attention to the holographic screen. This time, we get to see a pink-colored robot with the design similar to that of a Mobile Suit (the head being unique of its own, having two flat 'ears' and visor-like eyes. There were also what appeared to be small gun turrets at the robot's 'helmet'). It's equipped with a large rifle on its right hand and fin-like objects attached to the rear. In the demo, we see those fins launched and moving in several directions at instant speeds. Then the robot held its large rifle with both hands and fires. Judging by the size and length of the beam and the recoil, the rifle looks powerful.

Next, we see a heavy armored robot in blue color, firing a series of beams from its rifle (which is smaller than the pink one's). Then from those two hexagon-shaped objects attached to each arm, it fires two disc-like weapons with a chain of sorts attached. The discs emit green light as it zooms forward and back, then the blue robot swings the disc with chain overhead before reeling it back. The design on this robot's head is flat and square-shaped as opposed to the last one. This one had even smaller visors for eyes but it had larger gun turrets on the sides of the head.

Lastly, we see a white jet fighter with blue and pink trimmings zooming around, then suddenly transforms into a robot --- just like the Grungust Nishiki. Its head design is almost the same as the pink robot's except that it had eyes similar to the Gundam's instead of having a visor. A long rifle is equipped on its right hand as it demonstrates its firing range, which is like that of a sniper rifle, yet the weapon can be held with one hand. It then throws the rifle away and brought out twin pistols on its waist, firing rapidly. After holstering those pistols, the robot emits green light from its fist and strikes through, as though it's releasing an aura of its power to the audience. We then get to see all three robots posing together at the end sequence.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! They are the Real Personal Troopers! The core of the SRX Project!" Robert said with an almost gleeful face, as if bragging. "They are R-1 (the jet fighter), R-2 (the heavy armored), and R-3 (the pink one). All these three are created using the Extra Over Technology"
"Extra Over Technology?" asked Daisaku.
"Referring to the technology of the aliens. We call them that or simply 'EOT'. R-1 is a variable balanced fighter type. It can transform to a jet known as the R-Wing and has an assortment of melee and ranged weapons, all using solid ammunition.
R-2 is the Heavy Armored Tronium fighter. It runs under the rare Tronium mineral with radioactive power 10 times higher than Uranium. The result is a power fueled Personal Trooper that can deal a lot of damage while withstanding a lot of punishment. R-3 is the T-Link Control fighter. Like the Grungust Type-II, the R-3 is equipped with a T-Link system for flight control and weaponry, most especially with the fin-like projectiles known as the Strike Shield. The R-3 is the perfect support fighter for mid and long range combat"
"What you see is merely a computer simulation of the R-1, R-2, and R-3 in action," Professor Shirakawa dictates. "But all three of these units have already been built and are undergoing trials on several locations. Success of these trials will result in the SRX Project becoming the ultimate fighting machines to take on the invaders"
"You must've spent a lot just building these...," I said.
"Indeed. But since this is a joint project, actual production costs for these three units were a little less and we have enough to build other units. But even so, we are in direct competition with other manufacturers. Anaheim Electronics is the No. 1 developer of advanced Mobile Suits for the past 5 years. And there are the individual manufacturers coming into the game."

The mass-produced Getters and the Chodenji Machines, among others, no doubt. "An all-out arms race..." I said.
"All to bring down the alien invaders," spoke Anna-san.
"The so-called 'arms race' should be of little concern," the Professor pointed out. "What's more important is if we can save the human race against the aliens. This is our best chance of doing so."

I have to agree. Though I can see some of the people in the room don't see it that way. In any case, the Professor answered my question.

The meeting continued on as the Professor discusses more about the DC's next plan of action after the attacks that all projects and units are to be transferred to another branch, as it is no longer safe in Yokosuka. The recent event is also been reported to Dr. Zoldark, who is at the DC Main Branch in Iceland. Dr. Yasunishi is to be escorted by the Experts of Justice as they head for the Mutron Fortress, the headquarters of the Mutropolis Organization to conduct her research on the Chinese Spirit Beasts there (the Professor has ordered the statues to be transferred to the Mutron Fortress). Yoshiko-san and myself are to tag along as we got news that the White Base Kai is on its way there with a few new friends joining in. We get to stay for the night as the Prof. built guest quarters in the building (this guy thinks of everything!). However, Anna-san wanted to take me out someplace as the two of us have a few more things to catch up.

------------

Part 5

Just northeast of Yokosuka lies a small town that used to have sakuras (Japanese Cherry Blossoms) growing all over the place. However, when the One-Year War erupted, most of this area was destroyed thanks to the conflict between the Federation and the Zeons (in addition to the onslaught of Dr. Hell and the Kyoryu Empire). But despite that and other conflicts that occurred, including the recent one, I still get to see some of the sakuras growing and shedding its leaves, creating a kind of aura that lets one's mind relax and reflect. Even in the late afternoon, I can still see lots of people getting haircuts, playing at a local arcade, buying stuff from an armory store (!?!), chatting and shopping around, among all sorts. I also got to see a hotdog van with the driver in a jumpsuit breakdancing to hip-hop music to attract customers, which worked.

But I wasn't here to check the sites and sounds of the town. By entering the place and going deep inside, there is a mountain pass that will take you to another part of the town where it's a little quieter. Upon entering, you will be greeted by a stone temple, which somehow survived most of the conflicts unscathed. Reason enough for lots of people to visit and pray. Make your way past it and the houses and you will reach a wide, clear field at the top of the mountain pass. The field is large enough for a house to put it, but as I said, the place is clear and you'll see nothing but patches of grass.

A perfect place for a duel to commence.

"Are you ready?" Anna-san asked me. I nodded back as I faced her and take my stance. She is as well. As we poised and stare at one another, the weather somehow changed. Cold wind started to blow over us, making rustling sounds over the bushes. Clouds begin to gather around the sky. Soon, droplets of water started falling and it wasn't long before our clothes started absorbing the water.

While I was wearing casual clothing, Anna-san has her red leather jacket on, which keeps her top from getting wet. However, to my surprise she has taken it off, showing her white tank top. As the water pours down on us, my eyes twitched for just a second when I noticed something...she doesn't have anything underneath her shirt.

"Mistake!" she said and attacks me with a jump kick. She did so fast there was no time to dodge it. My instinctive move was to parry the attack with both hands to force her down to the ground, then follow through with a back kick. She blocked it, so I follow through again with a fan kick. She bent back to avoid the second kick, but I was about to go for another follow through. As soon as my foot landed on the ground, I shifted my weight and used both palms forward to push her away. But her hands grabbed onto my wrists to keep them from going further. She was grinning at me after seeing how close my palms were to hit her chest. She then pushed my arms to the side as she hit me in the stomach with her foot. Afterwards, she executes a jump and raised her foot high and strikes it down on my back, sending me to the now moist soil.
"Down already, Ryoga-kun?" she taunted. "That's a big shame. You've already forgotten the first rule of combat: Never get distracted when you are focusing."

She's right. Not having any underwear to let me see her insides thanks to the rain was a distraction for me for a second. She did that completely on purpose! I then got up and shook my head before getting back to my stance. This time, I'm not going to let her 'wet look' distract me.

She now attacks again with a straight. I blocked it. Before I could grab her wrist, she launches another straight and I blocked that one as well. But this time, she was able to grab my arm. I try to shake her off by kicking her sides but she was ready for that by blocking it with her own leg. She reeled me in and next up she pushed me back hard with a kick to the gut.

"Am I that too engaging to you?" she said as I kneeled on one knee, holding my gut. "Maybe if I 'expose' myself a little more then maybe you can finally hit me with those slippery hands of yours."

That was just total mockery! The beast in me started to accumulate as I began rushing in towards her, I went for a punch-kick-punch-kick combo, with the last being a jump kick to the face, but she blocked the first three and back steps the fourth. I then went for a jumping reverse shin kick. She ducks. I go for the punch-kick combo again but this time she counters with a back kick after parrying mine. I went down one knee and she attempts to strike me with a kick to the temple. I blocked the attack. She tries a roundhouse kick but she wasn't prepared by my low sweep kick. She went down to the ground. By the time she got up, her tank top is now drenched in soil stain.

"What's the matter?" I asked. "Angry that I stained your clothes?"

Anna-san giggled a bit, knowing that was my comeback line from the insult she gave me. She now went for a tornado kick, which was a jumping fan kick followed by a standing roundhouse. I missed the fan kick, but got hit on the roundhouse, which gave her a chance to follow through with a series of punches to the body, and then another tornado kick. The force from the second tornado kick made my body spin as I fall but it let my beast rise and I quickly recover by being on all fours. I retaliated with a double back kick to keep her in the distance as I roll myself to my feet. She tries to rush in to keep me down but it was too late. As soon as I'm up I went to another kick to the face. She blocks it with both arms. I then go for a jump kick to her stomach. The hit made her bent forward, which was lucky for her as I was executing a roundhouse while in mid-air, resulting in a miss. But I follow through with a very forceful back kick once I land. She blocked it, but it had enough force to push her back.

Now things get dead serious. Anna-san goes for a rushing flurry of punches. The fists fly so fast there's no room for a counterattack. I blocked and parried every punch coming at me. But unless I do something, I'll go down for sure. When she launches another punch, which was her right, I parried it from the outside with my own right and let my body turn, allowing me to sidestep away from her punches and ending up at her back. I wrapped my free arm over her head and my leg between hers, going for a modified Russian Leg Sweep and about to slam her to the ground.

I didn't.

I then released her hold and let her go, to her surprise.

"That move..." Anna-san said. "That wasn't from our dojo! Where did you learn it"
"Ryoma-san taught me," I replied.
"Ryoma? You mean Ryoma Nagare, the Getter-1 pilot?"

I then told her of the time Daiken and Ryoma trained me to get my focus back in order to activate the Grungust's weapons.

"Why?" Anna-san asked me. "Why didn't you go for it"
"If I did, there's a strong chance I might break your neck. Even though this is a duel, I won't let myself to incapacitate you like that. Doesn't matter if you DO break my neck, but I won't break yours"
"That kind of attitude can be used against you, you know," she snorts. "Like what I'll do to you right now!" She goes for a jump kick, which I parried, but she follows through with a mid-air roundhouse and a mid-air back kick. I ducked the second but got hit on the third. She now goes for another punch at me but I went down and used my own legs to toss her overhead. She managed to land on her feet as I got up and started my own fists of flurry. She tries to attempt the same counter move I did but when she parried from the outside, I kneeled and go for a shoulder tackle, hitting her in the gut so I can lift her body upwards and slam her down. I almost got blind by that move as my face was slapped against her chest and the dirt from her shirt was hitting my eyes. But I got the job done and she falls on her back. I was on top and lightning struck as I went for a punch. The lighting caused a flash of light for a split second and when it disappeared, all that Anna-san could see is my fist being just a breath away from her.
"If I really want to, I'd strike it down right away. But as much as I can I won't do it." I said to her. Afterwards I got up and offered her my hand. She smiled and took my hand as I help her up.
"Well, looks like you have beaten me for sure," she said. "I'm glad. The Master is sure proud of how far you've come. At long last, his legacy will live on in you."

I smiled at the compliment. Really, I have no idea what to say to her about that because I didn't think I've reached that particular level of mastery. Just as the duel is over, so is the rain shower.

"So, why say we head for my home? I have something to give you over there"
"All right. But don't you think anyone is going to notice how dirty we both are"
"I wouldn't mind," she giggles. "We can just say we played a rough sport on this field"
"This field..." I said as I looked around for the last time, then staring what appears to be a stone monument standing at the edge. A name is engraved at the stone written in kanji:

Hazama

Both of us looked at that stone and bowed.

By morning, I was all set and ready for my escort mission with the Experts of Justice. We will approach Mutropolis Base by sea as there is no aircraft that's big enough, nor strong enough to carry Giant Robo's weight (which is said to be in hundreds of tons). Everybody's in the ship while I stayed a little longer to say my good-byes to Anna-san.

"I'm sure going to miss you," I said. "We've only been together for just a day and now we have to part ways again"
"We all have our jobs to do," she replied. "I'll be all right. If not then I wouldn't be in this position in the DC, right"
"Hehe. Well, guess you're right."

She giggles and then gently holds my head, then softly kisses my forehead. A way of saying good luck. I responded with a hug.

"Go now. You don't want your friends to be angry at you for being late"
"Hehe. All right. Take care, Anna-san"
"You too, Ryoga-kun. Have a safe journey."

We smiled and waved as I grabbed my things and went inside the ship. I looked back to see her for the last time as the ship begins its voyage to the Mutropolis base.

When I headed for my quarters, I placed the bag that I was carrying over the bed and opened it up, revealing a white Gi with several writings at the back along with a black belt, a bandana, and a pair of gloves. All of these belong to my master. As part of the tradition, anyone who has reached the level of master is to receive the same garment as his mentor. Anna-san kept it well until the time someone would master the Hazama-style Martial Arts. Honestly, I don't deserve the garment as there is someone I know who is better than I am. Nevertheless, I now have them in my possession and I intend to put them on as I entered a large, empty room within the ship that's perfect for my practice.

"Well now, you're doing pretty good!" Taisou said to me. The rest of the Experts of Justice, as well as Yoshiko-san, were there as well.
"How long have you too been watching?" I asked.
"Oh, from the start. I see you now have Hazama's Gi"
"Hazama's Gi!?! You mean THE Hazama!?!" Tetsugyu said in surprise.
"You know Daigoro Hazama, Taisou-san?" I asked.
"Daigoro Hazama is a very famous man, Ryoga. And now that you wore his Gi, it's clear that you are now the master of the Hazama Arts"
"Is that what it meant, Taisou?" Daisaku asks.
"In the old days. Anyway, how about if I spar with you"
"Are you serious?" I replied.
"Don't worry! I won't use any of my magic tricks on you. I can be just as good in plain hand-to-hand combat. Besides, I really want to test out how good the Hazama-style really is for myself. Also, it'll be good training for both us. So it's win-win situation as you can see."

My first combat as a Hazama master already. Fun.

End of Chapter 1