2: Call Sign
When Kaiba opened his locker in the morning, he came face to face with a posed 1/144 HG Ghirarga model decked out in black and trimmed with ruby red. Without tearing his gaze away, he dropped his duffel bag before picking up the Gunpla. He turned it over twice. When he pulled one hand away, he was pleased not to spot any smudges on his fingers or on the Gunpla itself. The paint was lacquer— but while the detailing was limited to the trimming, the even and meticulous application of the base coat told Kaiba all he needed to know about the painter's skill.
The locker room door hissed as it slid open and close. With a soft unf, Jounouchi sagged against the row of lockers, cradling a half-full liter bottle of soda in one arm. His uniform jacket was unzipped, revealing a ragged t-shirt underneath with some band's logo. Though bright-eyed, he'd obviously pulled an all-nighter fueled by sugar and caffeine.
"I would have finished it off with topcoat, pearl I think, and another buffing," he brought his free hand up to stifle a yawn. "But you weren't exactly generous with a 24-hour deadline."
The deadline wasn't meant to be fair. Twenty-four hours wasn't enough time for any paint out on the market to begin curing. If Jounouchi had gone ahead and applied a top coat, he would have been left with one hot mess in his hands. It wouldn't have been the first time a builder rushed and cut corners to deliver a compromised product in a misguided attempt to impress Kaiba. For instance, Otogi Ryuuji, another builder currently on the PPSE Works Team, was all flash and little substance. The third Meijin Kawaguchi liked to proclaim that Gunplas were freedom, but Kaiba was of the opinion that you needed to understand your limitations as well.
When he said nothing in return, Jounouchi teased, "You thought I'd completely fail."
Kaiba replied with noncommittal grunt as he passed the Gunpla to Jounouchi. The builder had passed his first test, which not many did. Jounouchi accepted the Ghirarga with an easy smile, bright and unguarded like Yuugi's. When Kaiba stripped off his turtleneck, Jounouchi's gaze momentarily drifted south down the sculpted planes of his torso and lingered on his waist. Kaiba felt a spark of amusement as Jounouchi visibly caught himself and redirected his attention to the Ghirarga.
Fidgeting with the Gunpla, Jounouchi continued, "I included all the Ghirarga's standard armaments— the Beam Buster, beam vulcans and sabers, bits..."
As Kaiba did up his button-down shirt and then his cravat, he half-listened to Jounouchi's rambling. Listing the specs would only get you so far. The best way to learn a Gunpla's true potential was through battle. After pulling on his trenchcoat, he took a moment in the mirror to tidy his hair and comfortably settle himself into the Meijin persona— invincible and unyielding.
Meanwhile, Jounouchi had fallen quiet. Kaiba turned to him and examined him from head to toe. He remained confident about his first impression, but Jounouchi had also demonstrated adaptability and competency.
"It is acceptable," Kaiba said finally.
Jounouchi beamed— as if he knew that was the closest Kaiba had come to complimenting any PPSE employee. "Wanna take it for a test drive?" he asked eagerly.
Kaiba's mind was made up. "Yes, you'll battle my Double-Oh Quanta with it."
-x-x-x-
"Please set your GP base."
Both he and Jounouchi set their devices into their slots when prompted. The PPSE logo flashed across the screen, before loading the data for his 00 Qan[T]. After months, it was still strange to find "Meijin Kawaguchi the 4th" where it once read "Kaiba Seto."
"Beginning Plavsky particle dispersal," droned the battle system. The lights automatically dimmed as the machine fired up, releasing a shower of ethereal blue sparks into the containment field. None of this— Gunpla battles and Kaiba's current position— would be possible without the Plavsky particles. The discovery of the particles thirteen years ago had ushered in a second explosion in the popularity for Gundam plastic models. With the discovery came the ability to animate the models themselves and engage in stunningly realistic mock-battles.
Within Gunpla battles, the fighter and the builder were often one and the same. But occasionally, exceptional fighters partnered with singular builders, who built and maintained their machines for them. Such was the case with the previous Meijin Kawaguchi and Allan Adams, the former chief engineer of the PPSE's own sponsored team. Kaiba doubted Jounouchi would be able to match Adams in skills.
Maybe it was a trick of the light, but the look on Jounouchi's face reminded Kaiba of how he had stood in awe of seeing the particles up close for the first time— which seemed absurd, because as a PPSE employee, Jounouchi must have seen them a thousand times before.
Kaiba held his opponent's gaze at the other end of the machine. "Survive the next five minutes, and I'll acknowledge you as my builder."
Jounouchi's surprise was cut off by the walls of the holographic cockpits that sprung up between them.
"Model damage level set to A. Five minute time limit. Field 1: Space. Please set your Gunpla."
Neither of them made any grand announcements as their Gunplas launched onto the field. Their battlefield was littered with space debris, with the leftover remnants of an asteroid mining operation standing 300 kilometers to his left.
The Ghirarga immediately registered on Kaiba's radar, flying straight for his 00 Qan[T]. Kaiba laughed. He reckoned it was a mix of bravado and stupidity that drove Jounouchi to approach him head on. Maybe this would take less time than he first thought. Kaiba hefted his GN sword and fired up his thrusters to intercept.
In seconds, the Ghirarga came into view of his main camera. They were closing the distance between each other fast. The Ghirarga's stats popped up on Kaiba's HUD— all of which reported values greater than what Kaiba originally estimated. If given more than 24 hours, Jounouchi's output would likely be on par to Kaiba's. His assessment of the builder rose by another notch.
Jounouchi's inexperience as a fighter showed. More finely-tuned control skills were needed before he could adequately pilot a Gunpla of that caliber. The builder overshot Kaiba's position, exposing his flank to attack. The Ghirarga practically skidded to a stop before turning around in a series of jerky movements. It was like watching someone make an eight-point turn in an oversized SUV.
Kaiba smirked as he opened his video commline. "Must be sad not to be able to handle a machine you built yourself."
"That's cuz I built it for you, you jerk!"
Kaiba leveled his GN sword at the Ghirarga's torso and charged. The Ghirarga clumsily sidestepped at the last possible second. Kaiba's sword edge caught on the seam of an armor plate on the left shoulder, and with a flick, he sliced it clean off.
Jounouchi cursed loudly over the video comm. The Ghirarga lurched back, placing some much needed distance between itself and the 00 Qan[T]. It raised both arms and unleashed a volley of vulcan fire. Using his GN shield to block the beam attacks, Kaiba pressed forward to continue his attack. The next thrust of his sword met resistance against a particle field stretched thin across the Ghirarga's forearm and skidded off in a spray of sparks.
"That's not the standard electromagnetic shield," Kaiba quipped with a raised eyebrow.
Jounouchi began to visibly sweat from effort. "What use is a shield that only blocks beam weaponry?"
The Ghirarga drew both beam sabers and slashed at the 00 Qan[T], which raised its left arm to parry with its shield binder. The shield buckled a fraction as a warning popped up on Kaiba's HUD— the Plavsky particles coating the metal were thinning. He compensated by boosting the GN drive and increasing his particle emission rate. Kaiba and Jounouchi continued to trade strikes and parry for a bit. What Jounouchi lacked in fine control, he made up for with quick reaction times and surprisingly good instincts. Paired with the Ghirarga's sturdy construction, it turned a number of what would have been direct hits into glancing blows.
But he was also reckless. A more tactical-minded fighter would have maintained distance and used the Ghirarga's mobility and its array of long-ranged attacks to his advantage.
Their weapons glanced off each other again, but Kaiba saw an opening. He cleaved off the Ghirarga's tail with a backhand slice before it could be used against him. Twisting the blade tip back around, he landed a direct blow across the back of the left knee joint. The joint held, but Kaiba could see the [Body Frame Caution] flashing in the background behind Jounouchi through the open video comm.
"Shit!"
"Is that all you got, Jounouchi?" Kaiba laughed, loud and unfettered.
The Ghirarga turned and fled. It was fast, but still no match for Kaiba's 00 Qan[T]. They streaked across the battlefield, leaving tails of Plavsky particles in their wake like two dancing comets. Jounouchi continued to surprise him. Kaiba had thought he'd be able to put the other Gunpla down in under two minutes, but Jounouchi refused to take anything lying down and they were drawing close to the four-minute mark. Switching over to the Bit Control System, he released all six sword bits from his shield and sent them hurtling after the Ghirarga.
Kaiba was done playing around.
The Ghirarga's silhouette suddenly morphed, sprouting new sharp angles around from its back, arms, and knees. The steady green glow of the newly exposed appendages cast shadows over the Gunpla that made it look even more dragon-like than before. Jounouchi had activated the machine's X-Transmitter. The space around the Ghirarga hummed as over a dozen glowing orbs materialized. The Ghirarga's bits rocketed forward to the Gunpla's defense, and while they weren't strong enough to destroy the 00 Qan[T]'s bits, they packed enough of a punch to knock each one out of its designated flight path.
The Ghirarga pivoted mid-flight, the piece in its chest glowing green as the Beam Buster charged. What Kaiba hadn't expected was the two additional diffuse beam cannons revealed by the the Gunpla's upturned palms. Getting hit by all three would do more than scratch the 00 Qan[T]'s paint job.
"Take that!" Jounouchi screamed as he unleashed all three attacks.
Kaiba couldn't believe Jounouchi had driven him to this point. "Trans-Am!"
The 00 Qan[T] dodged out of the path of the incoming energy beam, but it was closer than Kaiba would like to admit. The combined beam fire collided with the asteroid mine behind them, blowing it apart. A wave of turbulence from the explosion rocked the 00 Qan[T] until Kaiba re-stabilized its flight. Recalling the sword bits, they slotted onto the GN sword, configuring the weapon into its buster rifle setting. He took aim at head of the charging Ghirarga— energy and particles gathered at the tip of his weapon.
Kaiba only needed to land this one shot. He squeezed the trigger.
Both Gunplas went suddenly limp.
"Over the time limit. Battle ended."
As the containment field collapsed, the Gunplas plummeted from mid-air and hit the surface of the simulator with hollow thuds. For a moment that seemed to drag, Kaiba and Jounouchi stared at their prone models.
"Fuck yeah!" Jounouchi declared as he pumped both fists into the air. "Oh my god. I can't believe that just happened. Wait till I tell Yuugi!"
"You're lucky you can build, because you aren't worth damn as a fighter." Kaiba sneered.
Jounouchi stopped in the middle of his celebratory dance and darted over to Kaiba's side of the console. His previous good humor was nowhere to be found, replaced by a somber expression that seemed out of place on Jounouchi's good-natured face. Determination set his amber eyes ablaze. "Five minutes, you said it yourself. You're not going to go back on your word, are you, Meijin?"
"No," he said. What he wouldn't say was that Jounouchi had near-impressed him. "Welcome to the Works Team."
The serious look on Jounouchi's face cracked into a broad smile. "So what's your name?"
"You know my name," Kaiba snapped irritably. That was a record— less than a minute and he was already beginning to regret his decision.
Jounouchi leaned forward to peek up at Kaiba's face. "No," he drawled. "Meijin Kawaguchi is your title. I'd like to know your name name."
Kaiba crossed his arms over his chest and glared. Meijins didn't have names. They willingly gave those up when they inherited the title. That was how it had always been, and surely Jounouchi knew that as a PPSE employee.
"Come on," coaxed Jounouchi. "I could ask Yuugi, but I rather hear it straight from your mouth."
"Why is that so important to you?"
"It's your name, so of course, it's important! It's what your parents gave you. It's a part of who you are!"
The obvious sincerity of his words threw Kaiba off. Before he could stop himself, an introduction rolled off his tongue. "My name is Kaiba Seto. I look forward to working with you."
The builder bowed with another smile and a wink. "And I'm Jounouchi Katsuya, please take care of me."
This is an already COMPLETED novella-length fic. A new chapter will be posted every Wednesday until completion. There are a total 23 parts and one epilogue.
I tried my best to give an introduction to certain concepts for those of you who are unfamiliar with Gundam Build Fighters. If there's anything you'd like clarification on, please feel free to PM me here on or send me an ask on my tumblr as alectoperdita.
If you're interested in checking out Gundam Build Fighters, it's a great, fun show. All 25 episodes are available youtube on the GundamInfo channel, officially subbed and released by Sunrise itself. You won't regret it!