Mediziner's Notes: I think by this point I'm running out of ideas which... Shows badly in this one... I do have ideas but unfortunately these ones are not going to be until roughly around when I reach around chapter 40. My goal for this story is to reach around 48 chapters like the show's episodes. This one mildly sparked from an idea on an aviation show that my Father was watching while I was visiting his place to watch the entire Toonami block. If you don't know what Toonami is, look it up. It's a really great block program that introduced westerners like myself to the anime genre. But anyways, here we go!
This is so poorly executed... I've also struggled due to writing fatigue but I was rushing to get this one done so I wouldn't be late like I was with June where I lacked creativity until the very end of the month so sorry for half-arsing this one. Also I keep getting 'retract' and 'extend' mixed up but I'm not going to bother fixing them in past chapters unless I really feel like it, since I'm really wiped out from writing fatigue... Und yes, I'm still going with the scrapped concept from the Brave DX Art Book where Kagerou was supposed to have a unique jet form and I like to still think it's canon even if it wasn't in the show.
This one ended up being 15 lines extra... Yay?
The Leader Within Cover Art is drawn and commissioned by Erilmadith-Everyoung on DeviantART. You can also find Radiant Prism's full reference there, too.
Enjoy!
...
"That's the third time our suspect got away." Kagerou shook his helm with a sigh, he and Shadowmaru were helping Radiant Prism inside the station due to having no ability to walk after wearing out her thrusters from trying to catch their mysterious criminal but at the cost of injuring herself in the process doing so. When a mechanic asked what happened, Shadowmaru explained that Radiant Prism wore out her thrusters a second time. "Again? Well, alright... Dock her in any of the vacant docks we have and we'll get to work."
"Those stunts they pulled... They're not real stunts..." Radiant Prism sighed, flinching slightly when the ninjas had to get her to stand up straight to get her docked, the mechanics afterwards bringing it down into a laying position so that they could repair her feet easily without anything in the way. "Kagerou, Shadowmaru, I don't think I can risk pulling this off a third time, as important it is to catch that criminal... I won't be in any condition to chase after any criminals if I continue to do something like this." She looked away, somewhat angry with herself that she couldn't even catch the criminal. Even if she took a different approach than the last two times... It angered her that the criminal was able to outmaneuver her. "I doubt a human is piloting it, because you can't simply recover from specific stalls, not unless you're a Brave and the AI systems people use for aviation purposes aren't... The greatest when it comes to recovering from stalls. Anyways, you two had any luck in discovering if there's a human inside?"
"No, it has a scrambler that prevents us from knowing. We would have given you and the others an answer from the beginning about whether or not the jet is piloted or not. Shadowmaru and I didn't want to jump into conclusions fearing we could be wrong." Kagerou explained. "Our role in possessing higher advanced technology that enables us to deal with independent missions while it appears amasing, it also unfortunately weighs heavily on us." Shadowmaru proceeded to explain that giving incorrect information without properly confirming if it's true, false information in their duties is often seen as catastrophic or even depending on the situation, fatal, even if others may not see it that way. "You should be thankful that your creators didn't give you advanced technology. The others may say it could make their jobs easier... It actually does not."
"I understand." Radiant Prism nodded, watching them dock themselves so that the mechanics can give them a checkup. Without moving her body too much, she moved her helm trying to spot the Chief Engineer, but couldn't see him anywhere. 'Strange... It's not like him to disappear from work, he's too professional to do that. Hmm... None of the other mechanics are mentioning that he's sick, but there is notion of a vacation.' She then spotted a mechanic moving by with a cart full of arranged tools, quickly gaining his attention. "Excuse me, apologies for disrupting your work but where is the Chief Engineer?" She asked the mechanic. "I've noticed some familiar mechanics aren't present either..."
"Oh, Chief Toudou left for South Korea with some of the other senior mechanics in the morning hours ago." The news was enough to gain the attention of Shadowmaru and Kagerou, neither of them were informed about this. "He's going to be there for about around a month or more, the country requested a joint-collaboration project with us to have their own team created just like when they left for Europe to create what we now know as the Scotland Yard in the United Kingdom. I can feel the world is becoming more safer with South Korea making this move, and I do hope other countries start to-" He paused on hearing his name being called out. "S-Sorry, I have to get back to work!" He exclaimed nervously, getting back to work. Radiant Prism watched the mechanic get back to work then focused her visuals up at the high ceiling.
'Shadowmaru, Kagerou and I need to find a way to stop that mysterious jet criminal from stealing anymore valuables... If we could just grab hold of it somehow, but... Tch, it's infuriating... I fear even as Aerial Radiance, the result would be the same thing... Hm, I need a plan, maybe if I fly at it from seemingly out of nowhere before it could fly off and pick up speed? Or maybe dive at it from the direction of the sun? No, too obvious-'
"Radiant Prism!" The loud sound made Radiant Prism flinch slightly, seeing Drill Boy approach her eagerly. "What is it Drill Boy? Aren't you supposed to be patrolling with Gunmax? I don't think he'd be happy that you suddenly-"
"I know, I know... But I found something you might be interested in!" Using the small little appendages, Drill Boy reached into his stomach compartment and brought out a small piece of paper, revealing it's an advertisement. "Look at this! I thought you might like this since you spend time around the airport so much, it says something about a lucky school might be picked, maybe Yuuta might get his school picked!" Zooming her visuals on the advertisement, Radiant Prism examined it to see that it was about that a school might be lucky in meeting a famous ace pilot from the United States and one lucky person from one of the school's classes that was chosen would even ride with them. Looking even further, she then turned away. "Drill Boy you should get back on that patrol with Gunmax... Something like that advertisement, there's hundreds of schools across Japan. This is an impossibly low chance that Inspector's school would be chosen and even if it somehow did, his class might not be the ones chosen by this... Ace pilot. Besides, I'm not interested in playing around with people who can perform fancy tricks and stunts."
"Tch! You're no fun at all!" Drill Boy pouted, but perked up deviously as he began to jab at her. "Ah, I got it! You're just too afraid to show off your flying skills, right!?"
"Afraid? No, I just have no interest. Yes I love everything aviation but it doesn't mean I love to show off like an idiot."
"But-!" The comms came alive, both of them immediately registering it was none other than Gunmax. -Hey, Drill Boy. Get back out here, I'm going to need your optics in the sky. The kid's not going to be happy that you're skipping patrol again.- Just as Drill Boy was about to explain himself, Radiant Prism made herself known. "Don't worry Gunmax, Drill Boy was just about to head back. He just... Wanted to bring my attention to something." She explained just as he tried to shush Radiant Prism.
Knowing he'd been found out, Drill Boy cut the communications on his badge. "You're no fun, Radiant Prism! No fun at all! I was going to head back and you just had to open your mouth!" Drill Boy pulled a childish face towards Radiant Prism, slightly pulling near his optic and making an expression that looked like he stuck his toungue out if he had one, then left muttering to himself angrily until he was gone after taking off. Once he was gone, Radiant Prism felt like she could be getting a headache. She never intended to upset someone even though Deckerd told her not to be phased by Drill Boy's little childish outbursts as that's just a part of his personality. 'I can never understand how a Brave could end up behaving so childish... Maybe the mechanics didn't allow his personality to develop properly or there was some sort of damage to his Super A.I. that rendered him stuck behaving like a juvenile...? Hm, I'll never know... Something like that is too classified for me even though I am Brave Police, yet I am also a foreigner...' Registering the sound of near quiet footsteps, she noticed that the ninjas had finished their checkup and were slowly undocking themselves.
"We're going ahead to try and locate the jet once more, feel free to join us once you're fully repaired." Shadowmaru told Radiant Prism, the German Brave acknowledged and watched as they left the station to resume their search.
Unfortunately Radiant Prism's repairs took longer than expected, they weren't completed until sometime at night that they finished repairs on her legs. The dock had moved back up to it's original vertical position, forcing Radiant Prism to balance herself on her two feet again. "How is it, Radiant Prism? Anything out of place?" One of the mechanics asked. Radiant Prism moved her feet around, applying a little bit of pressure as needed like that of when she stood around or walked, but felt nothing. "Negative, I'm perfectly fine. Thank you." Pleased that everything functioned perfectly, they gave her the all clear that she can go ahead and get back to work or attend to whatever she needs to do. Watching where she stepped, she moved towards the lift and then towards the office once she was the correct floor. Just as she neared the door, she could see the others were starting to file out, most of them clearly tired and getting ready to shut down while some of them expressed that they have to go on patrol. Getting out of their way, she watched them move towards the lift then continued towards her destination. '...I should speak with Redlight, it's been a while since I last spoke with him.' She thought.
"Radiant Prism." Deckerd acknowledged as Radiant Prism saluted. "Sir."
"We heard what happened earlier with Shadowmaru and Kagerou." Power Joe said. "Still hard to believe there's a criminal that's able to outrun you and leave both ninjas empty-handed of any intelligence about them."
"Have you tried going after them in your combined form? Not only do we get more power output but also enables us to fly." Duke asked. "In your case because you can already fly, your flight speed increases far more than the top mach speed you can reach."
Radiant Prism shook her helm. "I never tried, but I don't think I'd want to risk pushing myself past my limits, I don't want to wear the mechanics out by repairing me repeatedly, even though capturing the criminal is top priority. Not only does it hurt that I end up over-speeding and wearing out my thrusters, but it's also taxing that it exhausts me quite extensively making it even more difficult to maintain speed." She explained. "I'd rather not use up so many replacement parts at once in the case everyone else needs them in case they wear or break something. Hm, funny enough... It sort of in a way brings back memories..."
"Memories?" Yuuta repeated bemusedly.
"Yes, when I made the journey from Germany to Japan long ago on advice of Redlight when I escaped death..." She shifted uncomfortably, wings drooping slightly. "I know I haven't given you guys the full details when I was in my... 'Crippled' state so to speak. I was constantly over-speeding, mainly out of fear that Gustav and his followers were still chasing after me even outside of Germany's borders. Redlight gave me plenty of canisters to consume on my way here before I left, but they weren't enough to sustain me if I made short stops so I was forced to keep my trips minimized. If I hadn't done that, I wouldn't have made it which meant that I would have shut down somewhere in the middle east, or even in other places within the Asia region." She paused to think for a moment, then turned her attention to Deckerd. "Sir, do we have a map of the world?"
Deckerd nodded, sifting into his desk's compartment until he found what he was looking for. The map itself was by no means new, having seen use over the years whenever they're unable to access the world map digitally through the computer. Radiant Prism approached and pointed towards Germany, then slid her digit along where she remembered the route she took explaining as she went. "Just around here, I used up my last canister for the final push. Carrying nothing but empty canisters along the way by this point. A few hours later I was right here by then, and at the time I wasn't sure which of the two islands was Japan due to being unable to use my own map as to save on resources. I took a wild guess despite I was low on fuel, and I've made the right choice in guessing. I made an emergency landing right here, around Nagasaki." Radiant Prism pulled away, hesitating as she looked away.
"Again, I must apologise for my actions in the past."
"What do you mean?" Dumpson asked.
"When I landed, I became desperate when I was starving out of my mind... While I was supposed to seek you guys out I was desperate to refuel. I hate myself for doing this but if I didn't have any fuel I would've most likely shut down until either someone saw me, or it would have possibly been too late... I'm not quite sure what happens if a Brave is depleted of fuel."
"Nothing good, that's for certain." Dumpson frowned. "What else is there that you haven't told us?"
"There wasn't much else, it's just the same of telling you guys when you found me that I fled for my life, Redlight directed me to leave and seek the help of Deckerd and his team and I made the painstaking journey all the way here." She paused for a moment, leaning against the the wall crossing her arms. "It's thanks to Drill Boy in particular who found me in time even if I wasn't exactly my best..." Radiant Prism continued, looking over at Drill Boy for a moment but then slowly lowered her helm. "I should have explained this in full detail the moment you guys fixed my crippled condition, but the timing was difficult to bring it up, and my crippled condition made me think I was going to say something unneeded or ask unnecessary questions."
Radiant Prism shook her helm. "The past is the past, we need to look ahead towards the future."
There was a long pause as everyone took in this information. Duke on the other hand needed to bring Radiant Prism's attention to something he'd discussed earlier with Deckerd. "Apologies for changing the subject, Radiant Prism but there is something Deckerd and I want to show you." Duke announced. Confused at this, Radiant Prism wasn't sure what the Second-In-Command meant, noticing Deckerd started inputting some commands into his desk computer, the large screen extended out of the ceiling, displaying what clearly appeared to be a blueprint schematic. "The mechanics showed this to us hours ago while you were going after the criminal with Shadowmaru and Kagerou, they made a concept of a set of unique boosters they'd like to build and attach to you while as Aerial Radiance if you approve of this." Another set of inputs were made and played a short simulation of how they planned to make it work. Radiant Prism took a moment to study the blueprint, the concept was impressive, like that of a few things she'd seen some of the mechanics back at her base did, except...
Radiant Prism looked away. "I must decline. While the concept is very well thought of, I don't like the idea of the risk that it could tear me apart. I also don't really like getting single-use upgrades because what will I do with it afterwards?"
"But-"
"No, if you only get constant upgrades to catch a particular criminal... Not only is it a waste of resources but what are you going to do with it once that criminal is caught? Making something for one sole purpose to catch a criminal is often like you're choosing not to get smart. We're supposed to outwit and catch them, and I will not tear myself apart trying to get them by doing... This!" Radiant Prism sighed. "Look, I'll try and use my combined form to see if I can catch the jet, since I'm much more faster in the combined form than my own speed."
"I see... Then I'll inform the mechanics." Deckerd frowned, in some ways Radiant Prism was right in that the job of a police officer is to outwit the criminals in ways they won't expect and catch them, but some parts he felt that despite her words, she sometimes may need to use the aid of something to help in catching some criminals. Just as he finished sending a quick message, he was addressed once more when Radiant Prism asked that she could have a private conversation with Redlight, explaining that she'd like to contact him once everyone's gone to recharge for the night. At this request, Deckerd nearly accepted right away but took a step back for a moment to think recalling something he received a few days back that made him concerned. He thought about it for a moment, looking between Duke, then the desk both Shadowmaru and Kagerou shared.
'I'll need to inform Shadowmaru privately...' He thought. 'Something from an earlier email doesn't seem right... Warning Radiant Prism won't do us any good, she'll only be defensive and snap at us considering she holds Redlight in high regard.'
"Alright, we're almost done here soon. I need to head back to the Tomonaga residence with Yuuta. Give us a few minutes to look over some proposed plans to stop the criminal and I'd like for you to look at this as well."
...
About an hour in, everyone else had gone to the repair bay to prepare to recharge, Radiant Prism had the office to herself... Almost at least. Yuuta was finishing up something at his desk, multitasking between whatever he was doing and dealing with his homework. She needed to wait just a bit longer, at the same time Deckerd stepped out saying that he needs to discuss something with Shadowmaru in private. She continued to patiently wait, perking slightly when Deckerd returned on hearing the doors open, asking Yuuta if he's ready. "Almost, I just need to... There, done! Okay, just going to turn off my desk computer and I'll be downstairs shortly, okay Deckerd?" The Brave Detective nodded as he left the room, Yuuta was packing his homework back into his bag then got up. "See you tomorrow, Radiant Prism." Nodding at this, Radiant Prism watched as the teenager left, then looked at the screen which simply displayed the Japanese logo since it was left on idle. Moving away from the wall, she made her way over to Deckerd's desk. 'None of the proposed ideas don't look like they're going to work... At least something's telling me that... But I can't shake off that it's methods and targets seem... Familiar, but why?'
Once the input commands were in place to call Redlight, it didn't take long for the black and gold coloured Brave to answer, happily greeting her. "Redlight sir." She saluted. Despite that she didn't need to do that, it was still an instinctive thing for Radiant Prism to do. Redlight could only chuckle at this when she straightened herself, apologising that it's just old habits of hers. She then straightened herself to a more professional manner. "Sorry, sorry... I'm trying to break out of that habit, yet I can't do so... I feel like it's more permanent because of the many times you've helped me... I cannot help but show high regard and respect, you represent the country, you work closely with the Chancellor and-" Redlight held up a servo, causing her to cease. "Radiant Prism, despite what you've said is true of what I am and what I do, I'm nowhere near as grand as you make me to be. To easily explain this, since you've already known Deckerd well enough, but what I'm not quite sure is if you know that Deckerd is far more grand than even I." This was only further serving to confuse Radiant Prism, what was Redlight talking about exactly? She continued to further listen. "Deckerd is known to be the first Brave built before any of us, even before his teammates were brought online. None of us were the first- Neither was I or any of our other fellow Braves.
"That... No, I never knew this..."
"We can touch up on this topic more next time, but I know you're calling me about something?" Radiant Prism nodded and the topic soon changed when they began discussing things related to Gustav and if he and the others made any progress in bringing justice to the crime he committed against her. Just outside the office, Shadowmaru quietly pried the door open slightly. He made sure that they didn't register on his approach but also made sure not to make a single sound when he'd slowly pried the doors open just a slight crack so he could hear Radiant Prism and Redlight. While he had no idea what was being discussed, he had a small assignment to deal with. Extending his lens, he brought his servo closer, extending out a small antenna from a small compartment in the back of his servo. Through the tiny camera at the tip, he observed the conversation primarily focusing on Redlight for a little while waiting to spot whatever might seem off about the Brave. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to be out of place especially when he read Radiant Prism's emotions seemingly appearing normal with a hint of homesickness despite the language barrier, but when he noticed someone stepping into view of the screen. While it was relatively dim with the light focusing on the black and gold eagle, Shadowmaru could spot the person typing a few input commands into the desk, while holding up something that he assumes to be the desk's phone.
'Who is... I can understand for Radiant Prism, but strangely Redlight doesn't seem to notice?' Shadowmaru mused, curious. 'He should be able to detect any nearby lifeforms nearby, even if no one else possesses spy circuitry like Kagerou and I... Hm, I'll need to look into this more deeply and inform Deckerd and the Commissioner if I can travel to Germany. First, I should prepare a note for the others in the case I am able to leave. Now to make a small play to avoid Radiant Prism suspecting I was spying on her.'
Retracting the antenna back into his servo, Shadowmaru stood up and straightened himself needing to look less suspicious to not raise alarm. He took a few steps back, sending a signal to the doors to revert back to normal then entered. Radiant Prism immediately turned as she and Redlght looked at Shadowmaru.
"Ah, apologies Miss Radiant Prism, I wasn't made aware that you were speaking with Redlight, I just came back from an investigation the Commissioner sent me to look into after Kagerou and I were unable to locate the jet. Please excuse me, I won't take long but I need to leave something for the others, in case I am able to head out." Shadowmaru explained, moving over to his desk and grabbed a pencil and a sheet of paper.
"Head out...? Are you going out of the country?" Radiant Prism asked.
Shadowmaru didn't look up from his writing. "Unfortunately I can't tell you, it's only between the Commissioner, Kagerou, and myself. But, I will say that I'll be in Europe for the rest of the week looking into something of interest. Deckerd's orders in particular." He gave a moment to review his written note, then put the pencil back in the cup holder and placed the paper down. "I better go, good night Radiant Prism" He then looked over at Redlight, saluting in respect with a brief greet, then excused himself. Deep down, he was pleased that Radiant Prism didn't suspect a thing.
Radiant Prism quietly watched Shadowmaru take his leave and after a few seconds of making sure no one else was coming inside, she turned her attention back to Redlight after a few seconds in case anyone else came in, wanting to speak to him about something but seemed to have lost all words but also seemed a little discouraged, something Redlight could see. "I know it's taking a long time, but I'm doing everything I can to get the others to see that Gustav is behind what he's done... I fear he made a move that made things a bit... Difficult. Where as Blazer and Surge's team took turns in watching over the western side, he recently surprised the country with a full team..."
"A... Full team!? How could this be!? That isn't like him to just..." Radiant Prism was alarmed, if Gustav made a full sized team, she knew right away that he was going to treat them the same way that he treated her. She tried to find her words, but Redlight quickly regained her attention. "I'm doing my best to ensure that they get the best treatment as possible in the same way I've helped you."
"That's not it... Redlight, what I'm worried about is them being crippled like you've seen me since my activation. Fortunately, the Japanese team removed the virus that was causing my silent pain since I'd guess Deckerd told you, but most importantly..." Radiant Prism sighed, rubbing her helm slightly. "What I'm worried is, what if they fail like I did? I don't want anyone to become disposed because they let a criminal get away or defeats them... If he gave them the same treatment I received, they'd willingly step before Gustav and let them take our their Super A.I. and-"
"That won't happen, I can assure you. Since I was made aware of his hideous antics, I've made Surge and Blazer's teams aware of what happened. But for now, you should get some rest considering the time over there. I'm sure the others will need you in top shape to deal with any criminals or natural disasters." Radiant Prism nodded, though still seemed glum as she reached for the button on the desk keyboard to disconnect... Yet she stopped.
"Redlight...?"
"Yes, Radiant Prism?"
"I wanted to ask about one last thing before I hang up." When Redlight asked what did she want to ask him, she gave herself another moment somewhat having suspicions about something related to the one jet she and the ninjas were chasing, then turned to face the golden eagle. "This might sound really random and in some ways, unnecessary but... I just want to make sure about something. None of the criminals I rounded up before I met and confronted the trio have escaped, right? I know it sounds silly but I guess I'm just worried about how the country is doing without me, particularly in my area..."
"No, fortunately no one made any attempts to escape." Redlight shook his helm. "Things have been quiet since after someone or something freed the trio... The prison has seen improvements since then and ensured something like before won't happen again. However, one thing still bothers me as to who was behind all that, nobody could find any leads even with our veteran detectives. Oddly enough they could have broken anyone else out, yet for some reason only the trio were their main target. A close inspection of everyone else's cells don't reveal anything, save for few that were trying to dig their way out... But, I have no doubt that the new team will easily sort things out without requiring my help, or the others' help unless they really need it."
"I see... Sorry, I guess with how I've been stuck in Japan for a long time..." Radiant Prism looked away with a sigh. "Redlight... I don't know how long I have to stay here. The more I'm away from Germany, the more it just makes me miss home even more, yet being barred out of fear that I'll be hunted... Dammit!" Radiant Prism slammed a fist down onto the desk, gritting her teeth as she stared at the ground. Apologising, she was just about to say her goodbyes, but Redlight spoke up.
"I'm sorry, Radiant Prism... I'm doing my best, even I want to see you back home and I'm sure the others do, too." Redlight straightened himself slightly. "If I had made a better choice in protecting you even if it costed my status... As powerless as I may be to the country's government, and most of everything else... I swear that on your return, I won't hesitate a second time to ensure the safety of another if I feel that they are threatened by something. But it won't end there because I don't want to protect just all of our fellow German Braves, but I'd also want to ensure the safety of even foreign Braves because regardless of what country we're from, we're still the same. I should have never given you those-"
"No, orders were orders Redlight. Whatever your orders may be, I will follow them even if it can be hurtful..."
"That's also what I'm afraid of." Redlight replied, his expression shifting to a more serious look. "Another thing I wish for you is to know when you're given an order that could clearly sound dangerous or even unreasonable, there are times where you have to defy orders. Just like when you defied Gustav's order when he wanted you to give up your Super A.I. in an attempt to trick you to 'bring your other teammates online', you sensed that it was a trick meant to take your life away when you were defeated. You could have obeyed, but you chose not to... You did the right thing in getting away and fighting for your life. I promise when that time comes and I've managed to arrest Gustav... I'll be sure to assign you a flight back home, Deckerd did inform me that you were injured on your way here, and I don't intend to let you go through that again... Another mistake of mine but there was no choice nor the time to schedule a flight..."
Radiant Prism silently nodded, saluting once more then cutting the communications.
...
On their way to meet up with the ace pilot, Yuuta found it way too odd that his class had been picked to see one of the greatest ace pilots from the United States, no one had heard about this person and even when he'd ask Radiant Prism, her response being that she had no idea even though she's an aviation enthusiast. 'Hm... Maybe the pilot's on the path of building up his fame and started here...? I don't know much but maybe that could be why-'
"Hey Yuuta, who do you think is gonna get picked to fly with the pilot!?" Masaki grinned. "It's such a rare feeling to experience something you'll probably only experience once in your life!"
"Eh? Well..." Yuuta wasn't sure how to explain it, he's ridden a couple of times in Drill Boy and Shadowmaru's flying forms and only a few rare times with Radiant Prism and Kagerou. "I've... Flown with some of the others before, particularly Drill Boy and Shadowmaru if I excluded some of the others' combined forms when we were looking into some severe cases outside of the country or when I needed to get somewhere that's too far by car."
"Ehh, you get to experience flight on a daily basis and without needing to spend even a single yen." Kikumaro replied, surprised that Yuuta had been in the air more than what anyone would normally be able to. Masaki then asked Kikumaro if he's excited to ride in a jet if he gets picked, to which the teenager paled. "Uh... No, not really. I'm not comfortable with heights or going so fast... If I get picked I'm going to decline right away since I don't want to get sick... I've got a bit of a sensitive stomach going at such high speeds."
"Really?" Emily perked up at this. "That's a shame..."
As the three talked about the ace pilot, Yuuta stared out the window knowing he and his classmates will be at their destination soon. 'Radiant Prism won't be visiting, I thought she would be since she would like this sort of thing but-' As if he felt like his eyes were playing tricks on him, he saw a jet fly in the direction of the base. 'Eh? She decided to come over...? Ahh I can't ask since I don't want to disrupt the others...' He thought, looking briefly at his jacket pocket where his badge was. 'I'll have to ask her when we arrive.'
Not long after, the bus arrived at it's destination and everyone got off one by one. Yuuta could tell the rest of his class were even more excited than before, talks about the ace pilot increased where some wondered about how many years of training did they undertake, others wondered about his looks and many other things he could hear. He'd even hear some hoping they'd be the luckiest person to experience the speed and agility of a jet especially with a foreigner outside of the country. 'It won't be too much of a loss for me if I don't get picked since I've already experienced that sort of thing.' Thought Yuuta as he looked around. 'Now where is- Ah, there she is!'
"Radiant Pri-!" Yuuta called out to Radiant Prism but paused when he saw her lounging casually on the grass facing away. "...Er." This gave him the feeling that she clearly was not happy to be here, that much he guessed. Remembering he wasn't on the bus anymore, he brought out his comms badge and spoke to her through it. "Erm... Radiant Prism... I thought you didn't want to be here?"
-I don't, but I had no choice because Deckerd ordered that I watch over you and your class while you guys talk with the so-called ace pilot. He wanted to come see it with you but Kagerou decided to pick the wrong time to ask him for help on something which made him request me to come here to watch the whole thing with you in his stead. I'm not happy about it since I don't want others to get the idea that I'm going to play with some ace pilot. I'd be much more happier being at Haneda International Airport watching out for trouble or assisting the others in whatever is asked of me.-
"I see..." Yuuta turned around on hearing his classmates become more excited, immediately spotting Masaki and Emily waving at him to come over. "We'll talk later, I have to join up with the others since the ace pilot is about to show himself. I'll talk with you later!"
From a distance, Radiant Prism peeked over her shoulder, spotting Yuuta's classmates in the corner of her optic starting to move towards one of the hangars where she assumed the ace pilot is... Sitting up, she relocated a tad bit closer but also made sure she wouldn't be in the way of planes taxiing to where they needed to go and likewise with people driving vehicles. She watched and studied, spotting the ace pilot make his appearance. Almost right away, she could overhear the excited classmates start throwing questions and the pilot made a few gestures to slow down, speaking in english. 'Strange... That voice sounds familiar... It clearly doesn't sound American... Hm, a German-American perhaps?' She thought, though internally cursed to herself for becoming curious. 'This is just getting too strange, I normally know quite a few ace pilots but this one in particular... It's not like you can be the greatest pilot in a week... Flying a jet is no walk in the park, let alone even a passenger plane or-' The German Brave paused on seeing the pilot remove his helmet, and the moment their face was revealed, Radiant Prism was on high alert.
'That's... What is he doing here!? Why the hell is that man out of prison!?' Drawing her handguns with the strong need to protect Yuuta and his classmates, she quickly sprinted towards the hangar, skidding to a stop. "You there! Step back from the kids, right now!" She snapped, switching to German as she trained her handguns on the man. "I know who you are, so don't think you have me fooled!"
The others were startled at Radiant Prism's sudden presence and clearly uneasy with how her handguns were drawn and trained on the pilot. "Wh-What are you doing, Radiant Prism!?" He shouted at her. "Put your handguns away, you're scaring the others!" Yuuta managed to exclaim.
"No Inspector, you don't understand, this man is-"
"Calm down everyone! I'm sure we can make some room for this robot to join in seeing that this one looks to be a jet." The ace pilot chuckled as his translator made his appearance, doing his job in translating what he said to the others. "I've heard great things about the Brave Police, perhaps I could make an arrangement for one other person to be part of the show too-"
"Radiant Prism stand down, you're scaring the others. You can't just suddenly pull out your handguns at random people like that! That's dangerous!" Unknown to everyone, the pilot was smirking at seeing Radiant Prism being accused of disturbing the peace and was going as he planned. Nobody knew who he was here, which meant he could freely walk around a free man without any concern to worry about. He needed to wait just a bit longer.
Radiant Prism was alarmed at this, internally cursing to herself that this criminal was taking advantage of his anonymous presence here in Japan, she couldn't just let this go. "Inspector, please consider! You're making a big mistake telling me to-"
"I SAID LEAVE!" Yuuta shouted, losing his patience further dwindling. Radiant Prism hesitated but one long distressed look from Yuuta made her turn away and holster her handguns back into their compartments, she wanted to say something but decided to simply run before Yuuta could shout at her again, making a running start then leapt into the skies, changing form as she flew off. Everyone had their eyes on Yuuta after having to deal with Radiant Prism. Masaki was about to tell his friend that what he said was a bit much but Emily stopped him from saying anything. The teacher however was quick to change the subject, addressing the ace pilot and the translator did his work communicating to get around the language barrier. Yuuta was hurt the whole time and seemed to have lost all interest in the entire trip, most of the conversation around him were nothing more than murmurs to him by this point.
"Yuuta... Yuuta!"
He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder, Kikumaro snapping him back into reality. "Eh? What?"
"You were picked by the ace pilot, he wants to show you the experience of being in a real jet!" Emily giggled. "You're very lucky, even though you've been riding with some of the Brave Police that can fly, I still think it's cool that you're riding in a real jet even if you're not going to control anything."
The blue haired teenager wasn't sure what to make of being picked, he wasn't really expecting it toppled with that he'd been in the air multiple times that it just wasn't really all that exciting many people believed it to be, especially when he had to work. "Alright, I guess I'll experience what it's like." He stepped forward, but paused when he heard his comms badge go off. Yuuta had forgotten to turn it off after rejoining his classmates. He could hear Radiant Prism speaking to the others and becoming even more annoyed, he grabbed his badge and yelled at Radiant Prism to leave the ace pilot alone and everyone else continue as they were, then cut the link and turned off his badge. He'd had enough and he didn't need Radiant Prism causing a scene with the others.
'Why is she going crazy about this ace pilot so much!? Whatever she's accusing him of, it's not true because he's an honest man who's passion is nothing more than flying high in the skies! That idiot...' Yuuta grumbled in his thoughts, getting some help settled into what he realised was back seat. 'Ah, right... I'm sitting in the... What was it called again that- Ah! It's the Radar... Officer's... Seat? This is a real jet so I'm not sitting up front like- No! No no no no, you're here to have fun! ...Or as fun as it gets since I've flown before...' He thought, buckling in. He didn't really register the pilot climbing into his seat, but did take notice of the cockpit closing shut. Meanwhile, Yuuta's class were relocated to a place where they could watch the jet take off and fly around while the pilot maneuvered the jet into position for take off. "So kid, how are you liking the feel of being in a real jet?" The pilot asked, earning a confused look from Yuuta. "Well, I hope you're going to enjoy this. Not many civilians get to experience a rush of excitement that comes from flying in a jet."
'I don't know what this guy is saying, I don't speak English.' Yuuta thought nervously. He remembered a word from his English class and nervous, he slowly nodded. "Uh, yes... No English..."
"That's okay, just sit back and enjoy the ride." The pilot replied. Yuuta could hear him speak to someone on the other side of the call, knowing it was to ask for clearance to take off and everything else. Funny enough, the whole thing made him think back to when he used to fly his RC plane quite often, smiling at the thought. He was soon addressed, being told to hold on despite not understanding what he was saying. When the jet started to pick up speed, Yuuta was taken aback by this. The takeoff speed was far more faster than what he was used to when he took planes to countries that requested the aid of the Brave Police, or if he flew while seated within Drill Boy or Shadowmaru's interiors. Once they were airborne, all Yuuta could see outside of the plane was nothing but the clear, blue skies.
"So fast...!" Yuuta managed to say. As they're flying fast, he didn't really register that someone else was nearby, but did hear the pilot mumble about something. They flew around, performing a few simple slow aileron rolls but the pilot never did anything too crazy. Yuuta was sure that his classmates back on the ground were amased at the speed and agility the jet possessed but couldn't see where they are from here. Not too long into the flight, Yuuta noticed something from the right side of the cockpit.
"Radiant Prism!?" He exclaimed in surprise, soon getting mad that she was still hanging around, he brought out his comms badge to tell her to return back to her duties... But instead of receiving a reply, he was only met with static. "Eh!? I can't..."
"You think this was only a fun ride, kid? I know exactly who you are... Heh, with you on board neither Radiant Prism or the Japanese Brave Police can do a damn let alone shoot me! I finally have where I want them!" The ace pilot laughed, switching over to German. "I will regain my pride as the best ace pilot in the world! I won't be mocked a second time even if it destroys me!"
Outside, Radiant Prism tried to contact Yuuta, but just like the teenager she also received static on her end. "Damn you and your scrambler!" Radiant Prism cursed angrily, instinctively sounding off her sirens knowing that the foreign sound would alert the Brave Police. She saw the criminal start flying off but she wasn't to lose sight of him, not this time... However she noticed something flying overhead and what stunned her was that it matched the exact shape of what she, Shadowmaru, and Kagerou were chasing back then. "Damn it, I need to stop it!" She attempted to whistle for her support vehicle, but to no avail. Fortunately for her, Super Build Tiger had flown to their location. "Radiant Prism, what's going on- Is that boss in that jet!?" He was stunned to see that Yuuta was inside, trying to call out to them. "We can't shoot the criminal, I can't risk losing Inspector... Super Build Tiger, hurry and destroy that shell, I think interrupting should do it but hurry before it encases the criminal! If it does, it will get away." At being unable to deal with the criminal, Super Build Tiger cursed, but did as told and took out his riot gun and fired, but the shot only bounced off. "Damn, how about this then!?" Flying towards one of the halves of the shell, he rammed himself into it as hard as he could, sending it out of it's task.
"No, my shield! Tch... No matter, Things won't be easy the last time we fought, Radiant Prism! I have made some upgrades since we last fought, and now I'm far more superior in the sky than before! Not even your little allies will stop me! This will be payback for tarnishing my pride as the best ace pilot around! No one can best me, no one! Not even a robot!"
"Land, water, air, you're still no match for the Brave Police regardless of our number!" Radiant Prism snapped. She had to think of a plan, but wasn't sure what she could think of. Immediately, both Radiant Prism and Super Build Tiger avoided an incoming spray of bullets. "Damn it, if he hadn't have the Inspector as his hostage, we would've been able to deal with this already! If only he'd listen to me he wouldn't have-"
"What!?" Super Build Tiger turned to look at Radiant Prism somewhat, still keeping his optics mainly focused on their target. "How could you let Boss walk into a trap like that!? Deckerd assigned you to protect him!"
"I tried to warn him that the ace pilot that picked him to fly alongside him in that jet is actually a criminal from Germany masquerading as some big shot ace pilot from America but he didn't believe me..." Radiant Prism explained, dodging another incoming spray of bullets as Super Build Tiger was left on the defence, shielding his face. "Nobody in Japan is aware of his crimes back in Germany and it angers me that he dared to use this knowledge against me... If we can somehow cripple that jet without the risk of destroying it, we can get the Inspector out and arrest the criminal."
"How are we going to do that? Do you have any ideas?" Super Build Tiger asked.
"No... I have nothing- WHOA!" Sensing another incoming attack, Radiant Prism reacted while Super Build Tiger strengthened his defence, yelping when he'd gotten hit again. "HAH! The slower they are, the easier to take down! DIE!" Becoming even more aggressive, the criminal started to fly in all sorts of directions around Super Build Tiger, shooting at him from all directions and showing off his incredible speed. Super Build Tiger grunted as he continued to cover his face, not wanting to risk any of his optics getting shot out. Being far sturdier than his other teammates, most of the bullets ricocheted off while parts of him were clearly damaged. "Damn it, he's far too fast for me to do anything! Radiant Prism, do something!" He cried out.
"I wouldn't think about it, Radiant Prism! You try anything and I'll ensure the boy gets what's coming to him!" Cackled the criminal.
Radiant Prism cursed to herself as she ceased moving, she couldn't dare think about Yuuta being harmed even slightly and yelped when she was shot from all sorts of directions, going on the defence herself despite more and more wounds littered her body. She then saw a beam of light grazing the criminal's jet enough to cause him to move away. Her optics following where the beam came from, she spotted J-Decker and the rest of the crew. "Super Build Tiger, the others are here!" She called out.
"Sorry for the wait, Super Build Tiger, Radiant Prism!" J-Decker called out, followed by Gunmax Armour asking if the jet is the target of interest, which is revealed to them that it's the same jet that she, Kagerou, and Shadowmaru were chasing the previous times. "But wait, don't shoot! The Inspector is inside!" She made sure to say just as she saw Gunmax Armour train his shotgun.
"What!? Boss is in there!?" Duke Fire exclaimed.
"Yes, he tricked the Inspector to experience flight with him under the masquerade of an American ace pilot." She explained, flinching slightly when she had to move out of the way when the criminal made his attack. "Nngh... He had the others fooled and used the people of Japan's lack of knowledge that he's a criminal... I can't even combine because of the criminal's scrambler... It's the reason I used my sirens to alert everyone."
As Radiant Prism updated the others, Kagerou observed the criminal from a distance. Aside from his quick speed, he could see that the others won't be able to even attempt to grab the criminal... Not even Radiant Prism who was struggling as is thanks to her wounds. 'The scrambler doesn't effect me as much as it effects the others, but it's powerful enough that I can't counter it... The Germans are well known for their impressive technology. However, I'll need to see if we can slow it down just for a moment to use my newly installed EMP systems... If Shadowmaru were here, this plan would take less time but we don't have a choice, we need to save Boss.' He then approached, informing the others he has a plan, but had to ask Radiant Prism a question. "Before I explain the plan, does he speak Japanese?"
"I know he speaks English aside from speaking primarily German, but I doubt he speaks Japanese... What's the plan?"
"Coordinate with the others and slow down the criminal as much as you can. Once he's slowed down enough to leave himself open, I'll use my newly installed EMP wires, don't worry this will only affect vehicles, not the people inside. I think the cables are strong enough to withstand it's weight once it stalls so we can extract both Boss and the criminal."
"Understood!" Radiant Prism acknowledged, then addressed the rest of the team. "Everyone, get ready!"
Everyone moved into position, helping Radiant Prism fly in front of the criminal when she gave the signal and found themselves somewhat boxing the criminal in. While the combiners were fast and in some ways could keep up, they couldn't quite match up exactly to the criminal's agility. Gunmax Armour was forced to sit out of the action after he'd receive a nasty spray of oncoming bullets, informing the others that he's not going to risk getting torn apart and there was no way he could catch up like the others could.
He hated to do this, but had no choice.
Despite her severe wounds, Radiant Prism chased the criminal into the other Braves a few times by flying close from certain directions knowing he wouldn't dare crash into her. doing what she can to ensure he doesn't escape or run off with Yuuta. The criminal however quickly picked up on what she and the others were trying to do and ended up descending upwards, only for a sudden surprise attack as wires wrapped around his vehicle mode from seemingly out of nowhere. "What the!? Someone used the sun as camouflage... Pah! Your means of camouflage won't stop me! These can't stop- What the!?" When he tried to fly off with intentions of pulling whoever caught him off guard, he felt his speed descend and suddenly found himself losing power to his jet as it began to point downwards but not diving... But dangled vertically pointing downwards. "I should have known, EMP wires! Hmph, Enjoy your short-lived victory for I'll-!" The criminal yelped when the jet slightly, Radiant Prism grabbed hold of it. with a free servo, she gripped the cockpit glass and squeezed it until the glass shattered. "Inspector, climb out!"
"Oh no you don't!" Snapped the pilot, bringing out his handgun.
Yuuta yelped when the criminal tried to shoot at him, forcing Radiant Prism to use her free servo to shield the teenager from getting shot. "Hurry up!" She shouted, hearing Yuuta unbuckling his seat belt, the teenager climbed up onto the edge, flinching slightly as he accidentally placed his hand on the sharp bits of the cockpit glass. Yuuta paled as he looked down and became nervous at how high they were. Radiant Prism saw this and simply looked Yuuta in the eyes. "Trust me, trust me and I promise you won't get hurt." Building up the courage, Yuuta shut his eyes as he jumped off while covering his face as he screamed. Fortunately, he felt himself being caught, opening his eyes to Gunmax Armour who had rejoined the others to catch him before he could fall too fast.
"Good luck, you'll all need it to defeat that criminal!" Called out Gunmax Armour as he descended back to the ground.
"Damn you, Brave Police! Have a taste of this!" Pulling out a grenade, the criminal pulled the pin and threw it at Radiant Prism's face, exploding on impact as Radiant Prism flinched back with a grunt, sent back slightly from the explosion as she let go. "Don't think I'll allow myself to be taken so easily, even if your friends may have dented my tough armour, I can still use them to my advantage! No more playing around like idiots! Let me show you all that I cannot be caught nor beaten! The skies are mine alone!"
The large outer pieces of armour flew back up to the criminal's location, encasing him and the entire jet together followed by the unusually shaped outer shell of the jet shifting parts until it resembled a mecha with striking, sleek features. The mecha blurred seemingly out of existence, putting everyone on edge before appearing behind Super Build Tiger, striking him back down to the ground, then targeted Duke Fire next, being sent into J-Decker. "How do you like that, Brave Police!? I'll see each and every one of you all destroyed!" Watching the event unfold from on the ground, Yuuta nervously tried to tell the others to try and fight back, but as they kept on trying to do so, they kept getting slammed by the criminal coming at them with great, impressive speed. Radiant Prism and Kagerou were no match for the criminal's speed which lead Kagerou to identify that they're dealing with a bio-machine.
"I need... Someone... To distract the criminal so I can combine..." Radiant Prism said, clearly on edge as her optics were damaged from the grenade. Because her vision was partially destroyed, she failed to brace herself for the oncoming strike at an incredible force that sent her kilometers away. Once she'd recover, she realised that this was her chance to call for her support, but immediately heard the sound of loud jets and braced once again when she felt a swift kick from behind, causing her wings to be crushed. "Yes... YES! This ends once and for all! With you out of the picture, it will show that I'm the best of them all! I'll be sure to tear apart your friends next, Radiant Prism! The Silhouette Man also sends his regards after you've defeated those before me!" Hearing this, Radiant Prism quickly whistled for her support vehicle just before she was hit again with another attack. 'Damn it, I can't see very well... One of my optics is destroyed while the other... I can't see all that well...'
"Whistling for your teammates? How primitive... No matter, You'll be destroyed soon enou- Agghk!" A few shots were fired as the criminal retreated. The Aerial Striker arrived almost instantly. Quickly taking the advantage as it protected her from the criminal, she quickly flew in the direction towards the skies as the support vehicle itself also lined up with her, combining with it and becoming Aerial Radiance.
"What!? You...!"
"You're not the only one who has made upgrades, criminal" Aerial Radiance said, bringing out her ranged weapon. "I warn you only once, cease and desist! I won't warn you again."
"You'll have to catch me, first! It shall be a duel to the death, whoever remains standing is the true ace in the skies!" The criminal suddenly blurred out of sight, but when he attempted to go for an attack from behind, Aerial Radiance quickly reacted with a swinging kick, forcing the criminal to dodge. "What!? How can you-"
"I'm far more faster and agile than before. You won't be able to pull the same trick on me!" Aerial Radiance narrowed her optics. "However, I'm not going to be the only one you'll need to worry about." In a quick movement, Aerial Radiance gunned her thrusters, switching her ranged weapon for her melee weapon. She didn't go on the attack right away, needing to find and limit the source of the criminal's speed. The limited he was, the more of an advantage would not only benefit her, but for J-Decker's team to repay him in full for the dirty tricks and especially for attempting to use the Inspector as a hostage. While this was a criminal she dealt with and that she would've dealt with alone, this wasn't her home... She believed it to be dishonourable if only she took the criminal down on her own. 'Now where would his weakness be... Looking at this design, the finishing blow would have to go to Duke Fire, or Fire J-Decker if they chose to combine due to the bio-machine's weakness to excessive heat. Thanks to him, my vision hasn't really improved while in this form... Things start to blur every now and then whenever my damaged optics start acting out...' She thought, hitting her helm slightly when her vision blurred. A little into the fight, Aerial Radiance was able to find out the source of his speed, and just as she was able to hit the target when in range, the criminal immediately avoided her attack.
'That's it!' Aerial Radiance went for another attack, quickly following in sync with the criminal, intending to bring the combat knife right into the stomach of the mecha, but ended up slashing across the hip and into the leg which she missed her target, but managed to slow the target down. Seeing how he struggled to move fast, Aerial Radiance pointed her knife towards the criminal when he asked how did she know that he was going to move. "In truth, I didn't. I chose to match my speed in sync with yours, took a wild guess as to where you would move, then struck... I intended to disable your speed entirely, but while I haven't done that entirely... I've rendered you vulnerable to not just me..." She paused to glance behind her. "But my friends." She privately commed J-Decker and the others to take over, explaining that even in her combined form, she won't be any further use in a fight, explaining that her vision is starting to blurr and wouldn't clear up temporarily like before. The moment she descended, J-Decker and the others confronted the criminal.
Angered and refusing to go down without a fight, the criminal lashed out, using every single artillery his mecha had to offer. Sensing something incredibly wrong with the criminal, Duke Fire warned the others that they have to extract the criminal right away, as his life readings were becoming erratic and he can't say what's causing it due to being unable to penetrate any further due to the mecha preventing him from fully doing so. Kagerou calculated the best option for a clean cut to avoid hitting the criminal directly, and thanks to the scrambler being inoperative from earlier, he proceeds to then informs Duke Fire and J-Decker not to strike the chest, as that's where the criminal is contained. With his police baton at the ready, J-Decker called for Duke Fire to help him and the two went on the attack. Despite trying to fight back and keep them at bay, it took only one wrong move that allowed Super Build Tiger to grip both of his mecha's legs allowing the other two combiners to cut through the mecha with their respective weapons. J-Decker then dug his digits into the holes left by their weapons to pry the tough armour open to allow Duke Fire to extract the criminal and moved away before the bio-machine exploded. "You are under arrest for not only the list of crimes you've committed back in Germany, but also for escaping prison, assuming a false identity, and using hostages as shields!" J-Decker said sternly.
"I'll take the criminal to the emergency section of the prison island, his health is deteriorating at an alarming rate far worse than before." Duke Fire said urgently as J-Decker nodded, watching the red coloured combiner leave.
A couple of hours later, the Brave Police had just been relocated to their human bodies so they could still move around while the mechanics fixed their bodies. Just as Deckerd was brought back online into his human-sized body, Kagerou had just pulled into the garage with Yuuta in tow, the teenager having just finished school. Climbing out, he then asked the others where Radiant Prism was, and soon enough she stepped forth. "Sir." She saluted, remaining composed. Despite that he could see she wasn't phased from his earlier outburst, he owed her an apology regardless. "Radiant Prism, please accept my apologies." He said, bowing respectfully. "I should have listened to you when you said that the guy was a criminal, but... Instead I lost my temper and patience which was something I shouldn't have done. I should have heeded your warning but I felt torn between duties, and my personal life." Straightening himself, Yuuta sighed. "The next time you try to warn me about something, I'll make sure to slow down and listen. Will you forgive me?"
"I wasn't angry with you in the slightest, Inspector." Replied Radiant Prism. "I was hurt, yes, but I couldn't run away even if you told me to leave. These were orders I dared not follow, and I know the others cherish you dearly, and I didn't want anything to happen to you, even if I'm just a foreigner." Straightening into a salute, Radiant Prism smiled. "Inspector, I know you'll make a fine police officer when that time comes when you're able to officially become one once you reach the age to do so. No officer is perfect and we will make small mistakes every now and then, but they can be forgiven. Brave or human." Her attention then turned to Deckerd with a serious expression. "Sir, I greatly apologise but I need to speak with Redlight again..."
"What is it?" The Brave Detective asked, seeing the hesitance and somewhat hurt look on Radiant Prism's face.
"I think... I've been lied to... I feel hurt, confused, betrayed... I don't know how I can really describe my feelings, but I know I need to confront Redlight about why he lied to me."