)Kid, you feel that?(
)Yeah. But if you're going to ask me what it was-(
)I know what it was,( Elegen sent, cutting him off. )I just never expected him to try anything like that. I think you might have to finish this fight alone, Ryan.(
)I don't know what you're so worried about,( he said, recognizing the apprehension both from the Hyper Zoanoid's use of his name and the fact that he was somehow aware of the Hyper Zoanoid on an almost subconscious level. It probably had something to do with them sharing a brain. )It didn't seem like he could do much of anything to either of us.(
)Yeah, but if I know the Zoalords, the first thing any one of them would do in this kind of a situation like this is report the situation to Dr. Balkus. And the first thing that that old bastard is going to want to do is dissect you so he can find out just how the hell it is you can do what you've been doing. And, I don't know about you, kid, but the last place I want to end up is on one of that sadist's dissection tables.(
)I guess you have a point, Snake-head,( he sighed. )Still, I think we made a pretty good team while we could.(
)Thanks, kid. Means a lot.(
Once he'd regained full control of his body, Ryan took a brief moment to be thankful that he hadn't been out of the Guyver while he and Elegen had been having their little pow-wow. Things would have been a whole hell of a lot worse if that had been the case. Of course, if he hadn't been in the Guyver, then there was a good chance that he wouldn't have been in this fight at all.
)Focus, Ryan!(
)What's it look like I'm doing?!(
Firing the Pressure Cannon, he wasn't all that surprised when the guy – Elegen had said that his name was Fried'rich van Purg'stall, and he was a Zoalord – raised some kind of a barrier. Elegen had given him a rundown on the known powers of Zoalords in general and this guy in particular when he'd come blasting into the room where this guy had been standing. So it wasn't like he was completely unprepared going into this. Still, it would have been nice to have a bit more information than "they can control Zoanoids with their minds, and they're really tough". Still, some was better than nothing in this case. Ryan just hoped it was enough to help him keep his skin intact.
"Ryan Crouger, if you surrender now, I'm certain I could convince the Council to spare your life."
You have got to be shitting me. "Bite me, you prissy, pointy-eared, Schwarzenegger-wannabe! Or better yet, bite this!"
All but throwing a blast from the Pressure Cannon at the gray-haired – but somehow young-looking in spite of all that – man/Zoalord in front of him, he swore softly as ol' Purgy blocked it with his shield again. That thing was really starting to grate on his nerves. Dodging to the left and right as Purgy fired some more of those weird Pressure Cannon-looking blasts at him, the ones that Sho had said were called Gravity Bullets, he found himself wishing for a shield of his own. It would have made life a whole hell of a lot easier for him, that was for sure.
Still, wishes definitely weren't going to help him win this fight, so they weren't something he let himself dwell on. The only things that were going to win this, or at least get him out with his armored skin intact, were his left and right fist, the weapons his Guyver had on it, and his wits. That last one was probably going to end up being the most important: the best weapons in the world wouldn't do diddly squat if you couldn't hit what you were aiming at.
Or if your target had some kind of forcefield that blocked whatever you threw at him.
Just as he saw the guy's shield go down and was about to launch another blast from the Pressure Cannon, Ryan felt Purg'stall's hand slam into his neck.
"I'm sorry, child," he said, and the weird part was that he actually sounded sincere about it. "But I cannot allow you to endanger the operation of this facility."
He had a hand through his freaking throat, but somehow in spite of all that he was still alive.
"I hate to break this to you, pal, but you haven't managed to kill me yet."
Raising his arm with some effort – there was still a hole in his neck, even if it didn't affect him as much as a certain Zoalord probably figured it would – Ryan began charging up the Pressure Cannon. He noticed that ol' Purgy was looking at him funny again, kind of sad and scared and determined all at the same time. He didn't have more than a few seconds to ponder the significance of that particular look before the Zoalord had raised his arm and fired one of those Gravity Bullet things.
That left Ryan to contemplate the truly unpleasant feeling of having his chest blown out through his back. Being knocked back against the wall was pleasant by comparison, something that he didn't have to give much attention to. Unfortunately, that left him with chest out back and that sucked.
)Kid, you still alive?(
)Kind of a surprise that you are, Snake-head, but yeah, I'm still here. Don't know for how much longer, though… looks like… everything's going gray at the edges…(
He thought Elegen was yelling at him, and then the floor exploded, which was really weird. Even the giant, gaping hole in his chest was starting to hurt less now… that was probably a bad thing… but for some reason… he really couldn't bring himself to care…
XxXxX
When he felt the signals from Crouger's Guyver – signals that were easily interpreted as pain and fear – Agito hesitated for just a moment before deciding to assist the younger boy. Crouger was an annoyance, to be sure, but at this point he was still useful. Still, that begged the question of just what had made him react that way in the first place.
Annoying and impulsive Crouger may well have been, but he was a deadly opponent for even a Hyper Zoanoid to face. The only things that had that had been able to even come close to overwhelming him were the Enzyme IIs, and then only when they were deployed in large packs. It could end up that that was what Crouger was facing that made him so apprehensive.
Of course, the fact that he was most likely walking into a battle between Crouger and several Enzyme IIs was not an idea he liked. Still, there was always the chance that these Enzyme IIs – he had no doubts anymore that that was what was what was causing his compatriot so much concern – had been sent in a large enough group to give the younger Guyver trouble.
Blasting his way through the ceiling, Agito almost stopped in mid-flight when he felt the younger Guyver die. He'd not thought that Crouger would have so much trouble with even so many Enzymes as there had to have been gathered there. As the last floor separating him from Crouger disintegrated – blown apart by a shot from his Pressure Cannon – Agito found the true cause of Crouger's demise.
The Zoalord named Fried'rich van Purg'stall actually had Crouger's body in his arms, cradled like some helpless, oversized infant. Considering the fact that Guyver V's self-defense mode had yet to activate, that Zoalord was probably relatively safe. Still, the fact that he would be fighting in the presence of a Guyver with no living consciousness to control it was not something that he was eager to do.
Still, Chronos could not be allowed to lay their filthy hands on any Guyver. The personal problems that he and Crouger had with one another would not become an excuse for allowing Chronos to learn more about the Guyver than they already knew. Lisker had allowed them to find out far too much. Still, taking Crouger's body back from this Zoalord would probably be something of a challenge, especially given the fact that Guyver V's self-defense mode was very likely to activate if he or Purg'stall made any sudden moves. Which, given the fact that he was going to have to fight the Zoalord for possession of Crouger's body, was an almost-inevitable certainty. Still, there was nothing for it now. He would have to fight this battle, and he would have to win, no matter what kind of obstacle Guyver V ended up presenting to him.
Firing his Pressure Cannon at the Zoalord, Agito was unsurprised when Purg'stall raised his forcefield. The purpose of his attack had been to give himself some breathing room while he contacted the third member of their group.
+Fukamachi, I need your help.+
+What is it, Agito? Is something wrong? What happened to Ryan? I think I felt something from his Guyver.+
+Crouger's dead, Fukamachi,+ he said flatly, knowing that the other Guyver would not have known what the feeling of Crouger dying was. +One of the Zoalords is attempting to claim his body. I need your help to deal with him.+
+I'll be there in a minute, Agito.+
+Good.+
The link with Fukamachi went dormant as Agito turned his attention back to the battle with Purg'stall.
"So, Guyver III, you've come to reclaim the body of your comrade."
"Yes," he said flatly. "And, I suggest you give him back to me before his self-defense mode activates. You'd be at the mercy of the Fifth Guyver, and the self-defense mode has none."
"I would thank you for your concern, if I thought that it were genuine," the Zoalord said, obviously not believing a word he had just said, though whether he believed it or not was immaterial.
Guyver V would kill him in any case, just as Guyver I had killed any and all Zoanoids that had been unfortunate enough to cross his path while the weak will of Sho Fukamachi had been unable to control it. And Crouger, while a great deal stronger than Fukamachi could ever hope to be, was still not as ruthless as an uncontrolled Guyver.
"It's your own affair whether you believe me or not," he said as Guyver V's Control Medal lit up, "but, I would suggest you take what I have said into account."
It almost looked as if Purg'stall was going to say something else when Guyver V fired his Head Beam. Then the silver-haired Zoalord all but threw the moving corpse to the ground. Guyver V, however, quickly rose back to its feet.
"I think I'll leave you to him."
XxXxX
The host was in danger. There was an enemy in front, and the host had been severely damaged. Regeneration was in progress, but this enemy would have to be dealt with or the host could be damaged further. The weapons and speed of the Unit were the only things available to protect the host from further damage or destruction at the hands of this enemy; the Unit would not fail the host.