Disclaimer: I don't own Gatchaman. If I did, I would change nothing.
The Phoenix gave a large grin to the other woman. "That when I found him, Ryu. You may have found the perfect avatar, but I managed to find my soul mate." The flame clad figure gave a grin, despite the red blush covering her cheeks. "Anyways, I found him. He was still a child, but his soul, it was so pure and full of, well, I just can't explain it." She gives another blush at that. "As my presence got close, he gave a confused look and looked around. No one should be able to detect me, maybe a psychic could sense something, but he could feel my presence which no one has been able to do before. Our souls resonated in a way it has never done before and I could feel his desire for freedom."
Another question and this time she shook her head. "No, he wasn't in pain, but of boredom. His father was a fisherman, so he was being raised to take over the family business when he grew older, but he wanted to do something more, something exciting in his life than being a simple fisherman. He has even took part at his school's sumo wrestling club and was doing very well during the competitions simply because it was exciting. He was strong, took out the other boy pretty easily despite him being bigger than him. Anyway, I'm getting a little off topic here. This connection I felt with him was something I have not experienced before. I looked into the time stream again to see what his future held." Another comment at this caused her to blush further.
"Yes, I know. Damage done to the time stream and all that, but I had to know if he would work with my plan, consequences be damned and I'm glad I did do it. He would become a great pilot, both in the sea and in the sky, able to move my physical manifestation in ways no one else can. He had to join the team. I went back to Nambu and gave him the idea to research the area near his village. This did require me to alter a lot of people's minds for this to work. It was a lot of work but I was not taking any chances with this." She was blushing and paused for a moment, but was gestured to continue on with the story.
"Well, Nambu eventually came to the village a week later and was trying to hire someone to take him out to sea to do some research. The men were all busy so I placed the thought in his father to let Ryu take him out. Once they were out at sea, I started to put my plan into action. I had to be careful here, since I needed to perform delicate control to fully ensure Ryu was taken in whilst making sure no one gets too hurt. I used my power to create a whirlpool, enough power to cause a lot of problems but not enough to tip them overboard yet. I made sure to keep the pressure up, letting Ryu guide them to safety to the best of his abilities. I wanted him to demonstrate his improvisational techniques in a watercraft as well as how well he worked under pressure. Once I was sure Nambu had witnessed enough, I had a wave knock the boat over and then had the whirlpool dissipate. This was another risk I carefully maintained, this time to demonstrate his endurance by saving the doctor's life." She paused as another question was asked, before giving resuming her grin. "Ryu's heart is pure, so pure, that he would try to save an animal. To save a human, would be a given. I had no need to convince him to save the Doctor."
She puffed up with pride at that. "Anyway, Ryu saved Nambu and swam the length to a nearby island with the Doctor on a life preserver. I could sense Nambu's approval and impressed feelings to him, so I considered this a successful plan. By the time a rescue craft was sent out when they didn't return back in time, the Doctor was already explaining to him about certain things and had already requested he come with him to try out something as well as . Once they were back on the mainland and safe, Nambu talked to Ryu's father. He was hesitant, but accepted it on the account that he looks after him while he was there." She gave a proud look at this, before blushing again, the flames flaring up a little bit in response.
"I was a little worried that he wouldn't be accepted by the others. I'll admit I forgot to account for that, but he was a perfect fit into the dynamics of the group. The Eagle and Condor already had a small rivalry going on but it was clear the Eagle was the one with the plan. When Ryu joined, he became a follower. He was loyal to the group, friendly and helpful despite the Condors comments. He helped the Swan with the Swallow since he was still a toddler, demonstrating his experience with his own baby brother. He was a good foundation for the team, who already meshed well with one another. Anyone else and it would have been a disaster." She gives a bright smile at the memories, before shaking her head and focussing on the next part of the story.
"The problem came when he started doing some high speed training. After enough flexibility exercises and losing a bit of weight, he was introduced to the high-speed styles the other four members of the team used. Unfortunately, his sumo based body didn't really account for this, and he still can't perform some of the skills the others can perform. Luckily, Nambu came up with an alternative to his slower status on the team by supplementing his weaker speed style with overwhelming strength. Once he was being taught to combine the two, he became a lot more powerful for the team. They found out that with everyone else focussing on the speed part of combat, if something required more strength then he could be called in to help deal with it, like heavy objects or strong opponents that they can't hurt." She pauses here, working out what to say next.
"As it so happened, Nambu wanted him to stay on the God Phoenix as its pilot, so he was mostly safe and away from combat most of the time anyway. I think he didn't like that idea completely since he wanted to join the others but Nambu was insistent he remain on the ship until he was needed, either as a pilot of the muscle. He eventually relented, but he made a deal. He knew that if he was staying on the Phoenix most of the time, then he won't get injured nearly as often. So if it wasn't likely he would be injured, then having a better knowledge of First Aid will allow him to look after the team if they themselves were injured. Nambu accepted this alternative and the next day he was doing a crash course on basic first aid." She paused again, eye lighting up at a sudden thought.
"You may be wondering what bird was assigned to him. With the Eagle, Condor, Swan and Swallow taken, you're probably wondering what kind of theme I was going with. Heh, well this time, Nambu and I had the same line of thinking for Ryu. 'The one who would watch over the flock and take care of them' was what we thought. And there was one type of bird we both thought of, the Owl."
She paused for another moment, before her face adopts a more neutral appearance. "The time came for me to start the next phase of my plan. I delved my spirit and power into the warship Nambu had built. Although I did account for my power being a lot less than usual, I was surprised by exactly how much power I was restricted too. My connection with the team deteriorated almost completely, leaving me with few ways to interact with the. The main way I could connect to them was when they performed the Hinotori technique, a special function of the ship that required all 5 members of the team to be on board to perform. This gestalt form put a lot of pressure on them but that's due to the G-forces that they go under as well as their minds becoming one. The team each had a purpose in this form. The Eagles direction and logic would seek out the enemy and find their weak point. The Condor would drive the passion into my form, bringing more energy to strike down the enemy. The Swan would keep the other two in check as well as temper the Condor's rage. The Swallow kept them focussed on the enemy and helps maintain their innocence in the war. And the Owl, he would guide my wings, taking me to the enemy in a dance of fire and death that will eventually save all of human kind. My connection with the five was strong." She pauses here, before frowning. "But recent events have caused these connections to change recently." She gives a grin when the figure asks how.
"Last year, the organisation made their first public move. They called themselves Galactor and they specialise in using large machines to cause destruction wherever they go. Their aim was to conquer the world and obtain all the resources they needed. I believe the Alien being that arrived on the world 20 years ago is their ultimate leader. Anyway, several months ago they developed some kind of Aurora based ray that supressed human thought and placed an animal's mind over it. I'm not sure how it happened, but the ray affected the Owl, making him think he was a cat. You may or may not be aware of it, but animals have a stronger sense of perception than humans. When Nambu was affected by the ray, the team left Ryu alone for a brief moment. I should have been annoyed about that, but I saw it as my chance. I called to him, letting him know that there was a nice spot to take a nap on the ship. His feline mind followed my call, so predictable. When he arrived on the ship, I started to apply mental pressure, trying to use what power I could to try and return him back to normal. I was partially successful, but my physical form could only handle so much of my power before I damage the ship. He did manage to regain some human consciousness but he still had some cat based thoughts in his head, making it a jumbled mess." Her grin suddenly dropped as she remembered the after effects.
"The team found him again and were hopeful that the effects were temporary when they found him on the ship with some human sentience. Unfortunately, the Eagle and Condor took him back out to sea to try and make him remember what happened before he got changed. I couldn't affect him from such a distance, so all I could do was watch as the cat part of his mind started to take over again." She suddenly frowns momentarily. When the figure asks her if she was alright, she shrugged as if unsure. "The Condor managed to cure him somehow. He got so frustrated with the Owl that he punched him hard. He fell and hit his head on some equipment, zapping his head with electricity. I panicked and I'm fairly certain they panicked too. I was ready to give the Condor a headache he would never forget once he came back to the ship for hurting my Owl. Luckily for him, the electric shock actually helped clear his mind of the cat presence. He told them about the mecha and after they destroyed it, everyone returned to normal." She suddenly looks quite happy.
"I forgave the Condor for that once the after effects became known to me. I'm not sure what happened exactly, human minds are fairly delicate and fragile things, but ever since then I could sense the Owl's thoughts a lot more clearly than before and he could now start hearing mine if I really focus, even out of the Hinotori technique. It was nice change, being able to give out advice or warnings when I focus on our connection. We used it to our advantage every now and then."
She leans back on the bench, watching a bird fly by. She takes a deep breath, before letting it out. She then settles herself forward and puts on a serious face. "And then that event happened…"
A/N: The second part of the fic. This one details the team assembling into one unit to combat the Mighty Galactor. It also provides one of the first actual deviations from the episodes themselves. The episode that was changed was Gatchaman 1: Episode 34 - The Evil Aurora Operation. I always wondered when Ryu started to regain human sentience, despite being a Cat and it fit into my view of the universe. Yes, there is a reason for this. Which would be hinted at in the next chapter. ^^
Again, please critique honestly, I want to know of any mistakes I've made whether it's spelling or grammer mistakes. Since this is, technically my second fic I hope it's slightly better (despite being written at the same time as the previous chapter). Expect the next chapter in a couple of days.
Quick little note, been busy fiddling with the formatting so it should be a bit more presentable now ^^
Update: I got the formatting sorted! Whee!