AKB0048 BATTLESHIP KATYUSHA
Honoka was looking outside, where the battle was supposed to be happening. It was raining really hard. Both ships were currently right above Tokyo, so they were being really careful not to hit any edifice.
"Honoka-san, the enemy's Gundam Frame has launched. Erena-san and Anju-san are already engaging it. Please stand by," reported one of the bridge crew.
"Roger that," Honoka responded before sighing and leaning on her seat.
She was sitting in the cockpit of the Barbatos. She was to be kept in reserve until the enemy Gundam appeared.
"Here's a visual of the fight," the other member informed and showed a holographic screen in front of Honoka's eyes.
Honoka saw a slimmer robot than before. It had also changed its color from green to brown. However, it's huge shield and the boosters on its back betrayed its origins, as it was obvious that the shield was made from the Gusion's back, and the boosters from its lower legs.
"So you'll be my opponent… "Honoka muttered to herself.
"You're clear to launch," the crew signaled.
Honoka sat straight up and handed the controls. She then looked at the picture she taped on one side of the cockpit – one with her and Tsubasa in it – before replying.
"Honoka Kousaka, Gundam Barbatos. Launching!"
Honoka watched as the Gusion destroyed her mace by snapping it in half. It then faced her, holding its axe in one hand and shield in the other.
She unhooked her new weapon, the wrench mace, from its slot in the Barbatos' backpack. Much like the Gusion the Barbatos got upgraded, with better shoulder armor and tougher chest armor, along with new sideskirts to make it more agile.
Without a word, the Gusion attacked, dashing forward while raising its axe. Honoka answered by meeting her opponent's challenge head-on. The wrench mace had a special design where its end is designed like a jaw, much like a T-Rex jaw. Honoka used this to bite the axe right below its head, preventing the Gusion from dealing a hit.
Frustrated, the Gusion slammed it's shield into Honoka, causing her to lose her grip on the axe, which surprisingly wasn't damaged very much.
"That's one tough axe," Honoka muttered. She readied to charge when she saw two new objects approach via her radar.
"Enemy units? Wait, those two are…"
"She's stronger than before. Excellent! I can prove my superiority to her by defeating her!" Ryuko was about to attack when she received a notification from her radar.
"Reinforcements? The blue Jahanams? Did they get those two working already?" Ryuko thought. "Wait, the identification signals are different. Those two…."
Kanata and Mariko arrived to see the Barbatos and Gusion already locked in combat.
"Ryuko!" Kanata shouted.
The Gusion, not dropping its battle stance, turned to the two approaching units.
"Ryuko, it's us! It's Kanata and Ma-Mimori!" Kanata said.
"Ryuko!" Mariko rushed to Ryuko's side, but Ryuko pointed her axe at her defensively.
"Ryuko, why…" Kanata said. "You just disappeared! We didn't know where you went! What happened to you?"
"If it was about what happened before, we would have supported you no matter what," Mariko added. "And that same remains now. It's not too late, Ryuko!" Kanata continued.
"It… it is already too late," Ryuko whispered before engaging the two into battle.
Without warning the Gusion sped towards Kanata and Mariko, attacking with its axe.
"Crap! Wait for me, Mariko, Kanata!" Honoka fired the small guns on the Barbatos' arms, but they didn't do much damage, since they were meant only to distract in close combat.
"Dammnit…" Honoka tried to attack, but Ryuko somehow sensed it and threw the GUsion's huge shield at her, forcing her to evade. At that point Ryuko had already made it to Mariko. Ryuko used the tip of the axe handle, which was sharp, as a stabbing weapon, but Kanata came to Mariko's aid, blocking the attack with her shield.
Ryuko however pushed stronger, and it resulted in the entire arm of Kanata's Jahanam to be ripped off, impaled in Ryuko's axe.
"Kanata!" Mariko said with concern.
"I'm fine," Kanata replied, although Mariko could hear the nervousness in her voice. They clearly were outclassed.
"Kanata, Mariko!" Honoka cried out.
"Please, Honoka-san! We have to handle this ourselves. We weren't able to help Ryuko then, but now…"
"Wait…" Ryuko asked. "Honoka…san?"
As Kanata, Mariko, and Ryuko were fighting, Honoka was thinking about Ryuko, pilot of the Gusion. Why did she sound so familiar? Honoka tried to think. If ever she met her, it was during her 00 days.
However she had no time to think as she saw Kanata's suit getting damaged.
Rushing to help, she was rebuffed by Kanata.
And that's when she remembered. She heard her sing before! And that voice… it could only be…
"Honoka… -san?"
Ryuko couldn't believe it. The one she has been fighting all this time, her enemy, it was Honoka?
"Ryuko! You're Ryuko Kanzaki, aren't you?!" Honoka tried to confirm.
"You remember her, Honoka?" Kanata asked.
Honoka remembered. No, it was more like her memories of her past life returned to her. Ryuko was young and very eager, and she idolized her very much. Honoka often saw her hang out with Kanata and Mariko back then. Now, she has turned into a DES soldier?
"Ryuko-chan… what happened?" Honoka asked.
Ryuko was initially speechless, but she started to talk. "A-after you left… it was hard! I tried by best! I wanted to succeed as you… but the fans don't want it. They didn't want me to succeed! I… I was…" Ryuko explained through sobs before she finally broke into tears.
"So you ended up with DES," Honoka said.
"I didn't want to!" Ryuko shouted. "I didn't want to join them! They're our enemies, after all! But… but they provided me a home. Shelter…. Support…"
"We could have helped you to, dummy!" Kanata tearfully said. "But…"
Ryuko shook her head. "I was too weak… I did not trust in you, my friends..." she glanced at Kanata and Mariko. "I ran away instead of facing my problems head on. But now it's too late for me…"
"It's never too late," Honoka declared.
"What? Don't you see? I've become the enemy! With these hands, I aided in killing people!"
"You still have that idol's aura," Honoka replied. "It is never too late to change."
Honoka held out the Barbatos' hand.
Ryuko was tearful. Is it possible? Me, return?
"Sorry, not happening."
Ryuko heard the voice being broadcasted in her cockpit.
"What's that? Who said that?"
Shimada's face was suddenly displayed on screen. "Hello, girl."
"Shimada! Why, you…."
"I had an inkling that this would happen, so I had a little something extra planned!" Shimada cackled with glee. "Time to use the full potential of the Alaya Vijnana system!"
Suddenly the cockpit started moving. Machinery started covering Ryuko's body.
"What's this!? What's happening?" Ryuko tried to shake off the machines, but she can't.
"Now you are being connected to the machine… the ultimate union between man and machine! Most excellent!" Shimada said. "And you know, just in case…"
A hatch from the top of the cockpit opened, and a helmet with a red visor was lowered and forcibly attached to her.
Ryuko tried to struggle but it was placed onto her without difficulty.
"Oh, stop being a baby," Shimada said. "That here is a little side project I had. I like to call it 'Embody'…"
The helmet activated, shining bright red.
"Ryuko?"
"…Ryuko-chan?"
Ryuko mindlessly attacked, thrusting her axe into Kanata and Mariko before Honoka blocked it with her mace.
DES SHIP GUSION-HANGAR
Eli, Nozomi, and Megumi were at the hangar, waiting for their pick-up. With them is Dr. Shimada, who was being guarded by Hanayo and Rin, while the rest of the second group joined Mayuyu's group to storm the bridge.
"Sae, we're ready here," Megumi said.
"Alright," Sae responded. "I'll be coming to pick you guys up, so you sit tight. Great job, especially to you, Megumi."
Megumi blushed and hoped that none of her teammates noticed.
Of course someone did.
"Well, now we know who's going out on a date when all this over," Nozomi said with a grin.
"Nozomi-san!" Megumi turned to shout as she blushed harder at Nozomi's remark.
"She's always like that," Eli apologized.
"You'll get used to it pretty soon," Rin shrugged.
Suddenly the ship was rocked by an explosion.
"What was that?" Megumi asked.
"Sorry about that," Sae replied. "Some enemies tried to attack us, but it's fine now."
Megumi was about to cut the transmission when Hanayo screamed.
She turned and saw that Shimada had managed to escape.
"Hanayo!" Eli and Nozomi rushed to their friend to make sure she was okay.
"I-I'm fine… sorry," Hanayo said.
Megumi was already contacting the other 00 members aboard the ship. "Attention everyone, Dr. Shimada has escaped…."
BRIDGE
The whole exchange between the MS pilots was heard on the bridge. They had a view of Ryuko in her cockpit as she talked to Kanata, Mariko, and Honoka. Nakajima was sitting in the captain's chair, with Mayuyu pointing a micsaber at him. The other members of the team were similarly positioned. They've taken control of the bridge.
"Ryuko…" Nakajima muttered.
Suddenly they heard Megumi's emergency transmission at the same time as Shimada appeared in Ryuko's screen. All those on the bridge were terrified at what was happening.
Ignoring Mayuyu, Nakajima pushed a button on his console to contact Shimada.
"Shimada, you bastard! What's happening? I didn't approve any of this!"
"Why, this is only the end of all my research, the merging of man and machine! What could be more perfect?" Shimada said.
"SHIMADA!"
"What's happening to her?" Mayuyu asked. "Answer me!"
"Very well, if you insist," Shimada said. "Soon her body will become one with the Mobile Suit. She will be able to move it as if it were her own body. Excellent, isn't it?"
"You sick bastard," Nakajima spat. He tried to contact Ryuko, pressing another button on his control console.
"Ryuko! Ryuko! Answer me!"
Nakajima's cries went unheard as Ryuko continued her attack against Kanata, Mariko and Honoka.
Mariko and Kanata were firing at the same time but Ryuko was able to dodge them all.
"Her reaction speed…" Kanata said.
"It's faster than before!" Mariko exclaimed.
Ryuko attacked Kanata, who was currently weaker because of the damage her suit sustained.
"This time I will protect you!"
Mariko pulled out the axe weapon of the Jahanam and threw it at Ryuko, distracting her long enough for Kanata to get away.
However now Ryuko was after Mariko.
"Are you okay?" Honoka asked Kanata.
"I'm fine, but go help Mariko!"
Honoka nodded and started flying towards the Gusion, but she won't make it.
"No!"
The attack instead hit a Graze, who was holding a shield taken from a defeated Jahanam.
"Did you miss us, perhaps?" Erena said as she pulled out the axe and readied herself for battle.
Anju flew next to Erena, holding a gun also taken from a Jahanam.
"Honoka, we'll distract her. Use that time to defeat her!"
Mariko, Anju, and Erena attacked the Gusion from all sides, but the Gusion was just too fast. The battle-damaged state of their mechs didn't help either.
"Honoka!"
"Umi-chan?" Honoka saw her friend's face displayed on the screen.
"Where are you right now?"
"We've taken over the bridge of the enemy ship. Listen, Honoka. That girl is being mind-controlled right now. You have to break that control over her!"
Honoka nodded. "I got it, Umi-chan! And I know just how."
To get Ryuko's attention, Honoka fired her guns at her.
Ryuko's attention was called to Honoka, and she immediately attacked her instead.
Honoka blocked with her wrench mace.
"It's time for me to demonstrate the power of songs!"
I say
Hey, hey, hey START:DASH
Hey, hey, hey START:DASH
"Is Honoka… singing?" Umi asked.
Kotori smiled at Umi, who nodded her head in reply.
Even newborn baby birds
Will someday soar through the sky
They'll fly with great, strong wings
Don't ever give up
That day will definitely come
"Kotori-chan, Umi-chan!" Honoka was surprised but happy that her friends were singing with her. Soon enough, the others sang along with her.
You can feel it too, can't you?
The beats of the beginning
O Tomorrow, change!
Transform into hope!
Transform, illuminated by that brilliant light
START!
Honoka attacked the Gusion, Opening the wrench mace, but instead of biting the mace Ryuko responded by blocking with her left arm instead. Honoka ripped out that arm in response. Ryuko used that time to attack, stabbing the Barbatos and hitting the right shoulder armor, ripping it off.
Being closed in by sorrow
And just crying - That isn't you
With your blazing heart, you can definitely clear the way to the future
Being closed in by sorrow
And just crying is boring
I'm sure (I'm sure)
Your (dream's) power (right now)
Can set things in motion
I believe in you, so START!
Not fazed, Honoka attacked again, this time succeeding to grab the axe. With only one arm, Ryuko has having more difficulty shaking Honoka off, as the sub-arms on the Gusion's back were too short to reach Honoka.
"Come back to us, Ryuko-chan! Remember why you became an idol!" Honoka said.
"We are idols, and we aim to bring smiles to our audience! Isn't that right, Ryuko-chan!?"
Ryuko could hear their voices.
She can't understand them, though.
"…. We aim to bring smiles to our audience!"
Honoka-san?
Yes, that's right… we aim to bring smiles to our audience. But for me, someone with too much blood on her hands…
But she remembered Honoka's words earlier. It is never too late.
Ryuko opened her eyes and slowly started to gain control her own body.
"Enough! I… I will become and idol! I will become someone Honoka-san will be proud of!"
With force she removed the Embody helmet from her head.
Yuuko was watching all this from afar, amazed.
"That's my Senpai, alright!"
She was joined by Acchan and Chieri, who deployed to take up Erena and Anju's place when they left to fight Ryuko earlier.
"Amazing," Acchan said.
"So this is her power…" Chieri added.
"It's not over!"
Shimada's voice could be heard again.
"I've broken free of your machine, Shimada!" Ryuko said. "What now?"
"The Gusion is rigged with explosives, my dear. And soon it will explode, killing you all!"
A timer started to count down on the Gusion's display screen.
DES SHIP GUSION
"Damn it!" Shimada had started running towards the hangar in an attempt to escape. "I have to get out of here! There can be other opportunities, other test subjects. But first I must live!"
"You're not going anywhere." Yuuka stepped out from the shadows and pointed a micsaber at him.
"You're coming with us."
Behind him Orine also appeared, armed with a micsaber.
"You girls can't stop me!" Shimada pushed away Yuuka and started running away.
"After him!" Yuuka chased after Shimada.
Shimada had already reached the hangar and was moving past mobile suits, looking for a smaller vehicle.
At that point though, another explosion happened, from the battle outside. It affected the restraints that were keeping one of the suits standing up. Without support, the suit started falling.
Shimada, paralyzed with fear, could do nothing as he was crushed under its weight.
"It's no use, I can't stop it!" Ryuko said, typing furiously in an attempt to stop the bomb.
"There's no choice. I have to take the suit above, in the sky, where no one will be harmed by the explosion."
"But Ryuko, you—!" Kanata said.
"There is no other way!" Ryuko shouted. "This is the only way for me to atone."
A tear dropped down her cheek.
"Looks like I won't get a second chance, after all…"
Suddenly the Barbatos flew right in front of the Gusion, and the two were close enough that when the Barbatos' cockpit suddenly opened Ryuko was able to see Honoka inside. To her surprise, Honoka climbed out of the cockpit.
Curious, she opened her own cockpit.
"Honoka-san!"
"Get out, Ryuko-chan," Honoka ordered.
"Wha-what? Get out?" Ryuko stuttered, surprised.
"I'll pilot this thing," Honoka announced all of a sudden.
"But Honoka-san, this suit was made specifically for my control! You won't be able to move it!" Ryuko countered.
"Clearly you underestimate me," Honoka replied, smiling at Ryuko.
"No! I refuse to do it!" Ryuko insisted.
"I'm sorry I have to do this," Honoka said. She punched Ryuko in the stomach, thus knocking her out. Afterwards she started to disconnect Ryuko from the cockpit when she saw that Ryuko was connected to the cockpit. Hoping that nothing goes wrong, Honoka undid the connection by pulling out the cord.
Honoka checked Ryuko's pulse and was relieved that she was still alive.
She then carried her to the cockpit of the Barbatos, and threw her inside.
"Kanata, Mariko. Take care of Ryuko-chan for me," Honoka ordered as she adjusted to the controls inside the Rebake.
"Honoka, wait—" Mariko tried to stop Honoka.
Honoka closed the cockpit and started to try to get the Gusion to work.
As Ryuko said, it seems the cockpit was modified so only Ryuko could ride it. Still, this was a Gundam Frame….
I feel that we have a chance
Yes... let's push forward!
I don't want to regret it later, our future lies right ahead
"Move for me. Move for me, GUNDAM!"
Let's go! Do! I do! I live!
Yes, Do! I do! I live!
Let's go, let's go! Hi!
The Gundam's eyes lit up as it responded to Honoka's control.
"Alright, let's do this!" Honoka shouted with a light of determination in her eyes.
Look ahead, look up, don't wait for anything
Let's go now, let's go quickly, we can go anywhere
The sun's shining and beckoning the future
Now come, you come too, forge ahead to tomorrow
My passionate heart (Was overflowing with emotions)
I embraced it and ran (It was painful)
Everyone, come with me (I want to move my body more)
And make sure I know what I'm capable of
The Rebake started flying high into the sky. The Barbatos started falling. Kanata and Mariko rushed towards the falling suit, catching it. At that point the autopilot kicked in, stabilizing it.
Looking inside the cockpit, Mariko saw the injured Ryuko inside.
"Ryuko! She's safe!"
"But that means…" Kanata looked towards the skies.
"Honoka, what are you doing? Honoka!" Umi was shouting at Honoka now. They had a clear view of the cockpit, showing Honoka piloting the Gusion.
"Impossible… that cockpit was custom made! How…" Nakajima said in disbelief.
"Honoka-chan! Please don't leave us!" Kotori cried.
"I'm sorry. But this is something I have to do," Honoka replied.
"You're leaving us again?" Nico shouted.
"Nico-chan…" Maki tried to restrain Nico, but Nico shrugged her off.
"You better come back, Honoka! Muse isn't Muse without you!"
"Honoka-chan…" Rin wasn't able to say much as she comforted Hanayo, who was crying hard.
"Honoka…" Eli was speechless as well.
Nozomi only nodded. "Do what you have to do."
"I'm truly happy to have met all of you," Honoka said. "Even after all we've been through, you still chose to stand by me, and that makes me truly happy. I thank you all."
Honoka cleared some tears from her eyes before talking again.
"I hope we meet again someday. Faito dayo!"
Honoka cut off the transmission, leaving the display screen blank.
Yuuko had rushed to help Kanata and Mariko handle the Barbatos.
Kanata and entered the cockpit to confirm if Ryuko is okay.
Yuuko, meanwhile, just stared up in the sky. "Honoka-senpai…."
"Ryuko-chan? Ryuko-chan!"
Ryuko woke up in Kanata's arms.
She tried to move but can't, she was too hurt. She remembered what happened. Honoka knocked her out and replaced her as the Gusion's pilot. Which means…
Ryuko forced herself outside the Barbatos' cockpit to get a view outside.
"Ryuko, don't move! You're hurt!" Kanata said.
Ryuko was just in time to see a flash of light above the sky.
"You sacrificed your life for me… Honoka-san?"
Ryuko cried, comforted by Kanata and Mariko.
Honoka climbed up into the sky, where the explosion can harm no one.
Now it was just a matter of waiting for the inevitable.
Did I do the right thing, Tsubasa-san?
Honoka closed her eyes as the explosions started.
I'm finally going to where you are… Tsubasa-san…