Mediziner's Notes: I think this one has to be one hell of a BIG workload I've made, far more than any of my other uploads if you're not counting the words from my notes. Also this chapter will feature a cut at the very end because it's going to pick straight up from where it was left off rather than the usual endings I put, which of course you'll see in June. June's upload may or may not be the last chapter, we'll see but I can't guarantee if it will be the last chapter or not... But otherwise yeah, I've been going at this for so very... Very long. I can't wait to be done with this. I may or may not throw in an Epilogue, but chances are I might as well probably do that but maybe shorten it down, but who knows? Depends on how I feel about it.
Additionally, this chapter did get REALLY big on writer, which isn't operative anymore yes, but I still have a small amount of the old files left that I can mess around with, which I had no idea that it has a 64kb limit until I got that warning, so I had to slice this in half in another extra writer file. Fortunately they're pieced back together.
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. The remaining chapters are also being beta-read by them, too.
Enjoy!
...
In Hamburg, Surge was becoming very impatient as she paced back and forth in her evidence room. The stern Brave had been occasionally shifting from her evidence board and towards the window, her patience inching towards the edge with each passing second.
"Surge, please. She should be here any moment." Blazer frowned, looking down at his personal stein as he considered to take another sip, but placed it on the table. He was about to say something but only for Surge to completely snap.
"Arrrrgh, where the hell is Radiant Prism!?" She shouted, her voice hitting max volume, causing Blazer to flinch slightly knowing half of the staff in the station would've clearly heard that. While he normally would've stayed put back home in Munich, he chose to make the trip himself to Hamburg where he could properly speak with Radiant Prism himself without the hassle of communications from afar.
"Surge-"
"And why the hell are you here in Hamburg to begin with!?" Surge snapped, turning her focus onto the red and white Brave. "Blazer, you should've stayed back in Munich when your part of the country needs you! I would have made the arrangements and contact you the moment that defective Brave arrived!"
Blazer quickly defended himself stating that he chose to come here because he himself wanted to speak to her in person rather than stay back in his hometown. "Guard is ensuring that the city is well protected, I personally requested some of your teammates to escort me safely so those ordered to monitor us wouldn't try to ambush me." He told her sternly, setting down his personal stein. "As much as I tolerate your... Personality and preferences to how things are run, I am a leader as well, Surge. Don't think that you can boss others around just because Redlight is out of action after who knows what happened. Look, we didn't properly meet Radiant Prism because of... You know who, at the time. Fortunately thanks to the Japanese Division who not only took her in, but have also cleaned out all of the problems that plagued her Super A.I., which disturbed me as I'm still wondering how Gustav was able to do all that... Well, it's only better that we get to meet her properly and she gets to properly meet us as well in a similar manner to how Redlight first met her when she was brought online. But just to remind you, we're all on the same team, defending the same country, Surge. Don't think that your division is the only one left standing because my division is still here helping however we can, too." Surge's anger seemed to only rise steadily, almost ready to explode as she shouted that if Radiant Prism wasn't there in five minutes, she would do something drastic, as to what she would say she'd do, she quickly silenced herself on hearing the doors slide open as Gunslinger entered her evidence room.
"My apologies for interrupting the conversation, but I came to make a report: Radiant Prism's signal has recently disappeared." She told the two.
When Surge didn't make a response, Blazer quickly asked what happened to Radiant Prism's signal and Gunslinger explained that she's not sure, only that she'd been monitoring everyone's signal as per normal but Radiant Prism's was the only one to suddenly disappear. "I requested Horizon to look into the location, but couldn't spot Radiant Prism anywhere, even when I've sent her a picture to know who she's looking for."
"What!?" Blazer was alarmed by this sudden news.
Surge quickly stepped forward, needing to know more detail. "When did her signal disappear, exactly!?"
"Roughly about three-" Gunslinger quickly silenced herself as Surge suddenly screamed her helm off as she had the urge to break something, causing Gunslinger, with the requested assistance of Blazer, to hold her back until she'd calm. Because the two leaders lived apart, Blazer was relatively surprised that Surge's temper often left her breaking some things, clearly needing to find some way to prevent Surge from costing the police force hundreds or even thousands of euros in damage. It would take about fifteen minutes before Surge's anger subsided and simply went limp. "...You two can let go of me now." Surge grumbled, and just as she said that, she shoved both Braves off of her. "Finish, Gunslinger." She ordered sternly as the SIC of the Northern Division explained that her signal disappeared roughly around Bremerhaven about twenty minutes ago from now. Angered, Surge gave her the order to assign everyone on a search for Radiant Prism's whereabouts, regardless of if she was still functioning or not.
"Y-Yes, Surge... I'll get right onto that." Once Gunslinger left, Surge turned to seethe in front of her evidence board. "Idiots, all of them. The Japanese Division and the British Division have both turned Radiant Prism into a brainless moron who couldn't tell from what's friend or foe and she stupidly falls for a goddamn trap so damn easily!" At her words, Blazer could only stand up. "Surge, what are you saying!? The Japanese and British Divisions are to be respected! They're the first of our kind- Well, the Japanese Division are, but the British Division made history in becoming the first foreign Braves outside of Japan!" Blazer at this point had entirely lost his words, unable to process what Surge had just said other than disrespecting the two well known Brave Divisions.
"I don't give a damn about them or their fancy titles, Blazer! They're still all Braves like us that do what we're built for, not a bunch of flawless Braves put on some stupid 'sacred pedestal'. When we find Radiant Prism and haul her stupid ass back to my station, she's going to get a thorough lesson in knowing what's a trap and what's not! For all I care, despite what Redlight said, she. Is. Not. Fixed. She's still broken... BROKEN! This talk about her having a firewall limiting her personalities is absolute-"
"Surge, I think I've heard enough!" Blazer stood from his seat, optics narrowing. "I think for now we should just assist the others in what we can do for the time being."
"My word still stands, Blazer." Surge snorted as she walked towards the doors, pausing to continue. "Regardless of what you say, if you and Redlight believe that she is fixed, she'll have to prove to me as I don't take what's told so easily. I want to see it in action, not be told and be lied to. I'm going to aid in the search with my team, and keep in mind you don't have any authority in my team's territory."
"What- Wait, Surge-!" The grey and yellow Brave didn't reply as she'd left the room just before Blazer could say anything. Feeling a helmache coming on, Blazer had a brief burst of anger, but calmed quickly. With a heavy, frustrated sigh, Blazer sat back down in a chair as he gave himself a moment to think things out, pinching and rubbing the bridge of his nose idly. Looking up, his optics immediately fell onto the evidence board, sprawled with information on Bruno Ackermann which were all evidence from what the Japanese Division had been sending him, Surge, and Redlight as he slowly got up to examine the current amount of evidence, thinking back to when he had that talk long ago alongside Surge with Redlight about what they'd have to do in case something happens to him. "...Despite what you've said, Redlight, I think all of us could really use your guidance right about now." He muttered to himself. "Especially with Bruno becoming an even more dangerous threat as time goes by... But what I want to know is, where are you, Redlight? Why did you just... Leave Surge and I to fend for ourselves without warning?" Blazer frowned, lowering his helm.
He took another look at the board once more, then decided to leave the room with the intention of joining Surge's team in searching for Radiant Prism.
Meanwhile, in an undisclosed location somewhere in Germany, Radiant Prism was slowly booting back online. The first thing she realised was that her surrounding was dark, far too dark to really see anything but also the fact that she couldn't move as her arms and legs were bound, and she wasn't touching the ground. Needing to see and assess her situation, she activated her built-in night vision, but mysteriously, it wouldn't activate no matter how many times she tried. 'Hm, must've been from when I was struck in the back of my helm, okay then how about we try...' Opting to use her lights, they didn't work either which made her uncomfortable. She tried to break free but the restraints were far too strong.
"So, awake are we?" The familiar voice was enough for Radiant Prism to freeze, narrowing her optics as she tried to look for where the voice came from. "Gustav, show your face this instant!" She snapped. "Don't think that I'm going to cower and grovel on the floor like I did in the past!" there was a moment of silence, until when the lights turned on, causing the aerial to flinch slightly at the sudden change of being in the pitch black dark, to the equivalent to staring directly into a searchlight as the brightness assaulted her optics uncomfortably. Once her optics adapted to the change of light, she quickly spotted Gustav.
"You left Germany in disarray, Radiant Prism. Didn't you know that?" Gustav told the Brave, revealing a large screen showing clips of the destruction. "Because you chose to run away and go as far as leave the country for disobeying that you were to be dismantled for your failure, I'm going to ensure that you pay the price dearly for letting criminals walk all over our cities, left unprotected by you of all people."
"You're wrong, Redlight's division and the other divisions voluntarily kept my part of the territory safe from criminals whenever they could!" Radiant Prism struggled against her bindings. "It wasn't unprotected as you say. Those videos are nothing more than mere simulations you created to try and fool me!"
"Fool you? It seems that capturing you in the process may have jumbled those memory circuits of yours a lot more than I thought. You may have been flawed even further by the hands of the Japanese and the British, but you were still easy to trick. Allow me to replay why you fell for my trick." Bringing a small remote out of his pocket, Gustav pressed a series of buttons that changed the display. At first, what was seen was an actor that she wasn't quite familiar, but what made her tanks churn was the fact that this unknown person flawlessly imitated and even acted like her dear friend. Not only that, but now that she was beginning to remember what happened, she caught a glimpse of the screen change out of the actor who dared to sound like Dieter switch over to what appeared to be a first person of something that was heading towards her from behind while she was in the midst of speaking to the actor mimicking Dieter.
Radiant Prism reluctantly watched as whoever the mysterious criminal was when they knocked her out, one specific line made her uncomfortable.
"Excellent work, now bring her back to me in Dortmund, 'S'."
Gustav would end the recording right then and there, clearly telling Radiant Prism that was clearly more than what was shown. What made it worse was she couldn't see who was holding onto her, pondering if anyone would have seen her lifelessly dangling in mid-air in such a strange manner? She couldn't tell, there were too many questions for what she had seen. "This... This is a new low even for you, Gustav. I have no doubt that actor clearly had no idea that he was being used as a setup!" She balled her servos into fists. "We're both police officers, meant to uphold justice and stop all criminals from harming citizens, but your actions are more harmful than good! Is this how a police officer acts!? Acting like a criminal and even mistreating us Braves as if we were toys!? We're sentient just like humans, we're not things you could just pull an on or off switch like... Tch! Once I get out of these binds, I'm going to see that I arrest you for all sorts of…" Struggling against her bindings once more she snapped once more. "And most of all, what have you done to Redlight!? Both the West and the East sections of the country are under lockdown! First it was my territory, and now Redlight's!"
"All of these questions are irrelevant. What happened is not ours to begin. What matters now is that you're to be shut down, permanently, as all flawed Brave should be." Just before he could perform the execution himself, he paused as he pondered on something else he possessed at his disposal as he found the idea far more better. "It seems I have a far more... Better idea than what I originally planned."
With a snap of his fingers, Radiant Prism could feel her bindings unlatch and release her. Instinctively she attempted to use the thrusters in her legs to slow her fall, but found that she'd been stripped of those, along with her wings as she thudded onto the floor. Shortly after she'd picked herself back up, she heard something land from behind and with her attention drawn away by the sound, Gustav left towards a small door. The small sound of shoes tapping along the floor in slight haste immediately drew her attention back to where Gustav was, catching him having just left the room and shut the reinforced door behind him.
"Wha- Hey!" Running towards the front of where he was and skidding in front of the space as she looked up at the small door he'd entered, glimpsing through the small rectangular window as she tried to break it open in order to get at him, but found that it was strongly reinforced. "Get back here, Gustav! Get back here and I'll see you arrested for what you've done to me and possibly the others!"
When Gustav left, Radiant Prism cursed to herself as she turned to look at Shadowmaru. "Come on, Shadowmaru, we need to stop Gustav before he gets away! You heard what he said, he intends to do something to Braves like us!" She began searching the entire room looking for a way out, not taking any notice that the purple Brave stood in place, only turning around to ensure she was within his sight.
-Your orders are clear, Shadowmaru. Kill her. Kill this flawed creation of mine.- At the given command, Shadowmaru's optics flashed a brief colour of red, and soon blurred out of view, then reappeared in front of Radiant Prism as she moved to re-inspect one place she believed could lead to a way out, only for her to get kicked at high speeds into a wall. "Agghkk-! Shadowmaru, what are you doi- Whoa!" Rotating between dodging and blocking, Radiant Prism was finding herself fighting for her very life as Shadowmaru attacked her without warning, when she quickly dodged and took hold of his wrist to keep her from swinging his sword right onto her, she noticed right away when his optics briefly flashed to a red, telling her all the signs that he was under the control of Gustav.
"Damn you Gustav, going as far as to capture and use a foreign Brave as some tool!" She cursed aloud, shoving the ninja back and scrambling to narrowly dodge some shuriken coming her way in the blink of an optic. Unfortunately, some managed to get one of her legs, biting back the pain as she could feel fluids were flowing from her leg. 'Damn it, I can't use my agility thanks to Gustav stripping me of not only my wings, but even my leg thrusters! Looks like I'll have no choice but to-' Intending to bring out her dual handguns, Radiant Prism found them missing as well. '...I feared as much. Stripping me of my natural abilities and even my weapons is one thing but to fight another fellow Brave? Tch, I have no idea how I'll be able to defend myself against someone who's armed and even possesses such technology...!'
As the fight continued, Radiant Prism was becoming more desperate as the damage she was receiving overtime, the more she was like prey doing almost anything to get away from being caught and killed by the predator. She'd learned that if she'd gone too far from Shadowmaru, he'd switch out to using his kusarigama to grab her from a distance to then pull her in for the kill. She managed to dodge a few incoming shuriken, and when it seemed like he wasn't making any success, the ninja would then throw a few smoke bombs in clouding her vision. On high alert, Radiant Prism tried to look through the thickening smoke, but couldn't hear much other than Shadowmaru's footsteps seemingly echo from all around her. "Where are you, Shadowmaru!?" She called out. "You're under Gustav's control, I know you can fight off something as simple as that!" Radiant Prism cursed to herself internally as not even detecting his signal would work, as both he and Kagerou were equipped with being able to stay out of anyone's radar with relative ease, even a Brave's own radar system provided they weren't equipped with the same technology as them.
Seeing some quick disturbance of the smoke in the corner of her optics, Radiant Prism managed to dodge an incoming attack as the sword grazed from the left shoulder, across her chest, and nearly missing her hip. "Now, I've got you!" She shouted, quickly swinging her injured leg but only for Shadowmaru to blur out of the way. 'Tch! He's too fast...!' Shifting along the walls, Radiant Prism had to find something to help her knowing that trying to counterattack wouldn't work as his speed was far more superior than hers. She struggled to come up with anything as balancing rational thoughts of how she could stop or even at least slow down Shadowmaru and fighting to survive were mostly clouding her judgement on what to do as she tried to get away. Her overall movement was also starting to deteriorate, due to having lost quite a bit of hydraulic fluid alongside most of the regular fuel. An incoming shuriken striking the wall in front of her caused her to stop, followed by the ball and chain of the kusarigama wrapping around one of her arms, quickly steeling herself as to not allow herself to be pulled forward.
"Shadowmaru, no! Stop! It's me, Radiant Prism! Please, fight for control! Don't let Gustav keep on controlling you like this!" She shouted, hoping she'd get through to the ninja, her hopes diminishing even further when she did not even notice a slight bit of movement that otherwise would tell her that he's trying to fight off what's controlling him. She'd know the Brave wouldn't allow himself to be controlled by something as petty and inferior like an A.I. control system. As the German Brave stepped back slightly, she noticed that a large gash along the wall when she'd dodged one of his attacks earlier had exposed some live wiring gave her an idea, knowing she had one shot to pull it off. 'I didn't want to do this, and I have no idea how powerful the voltage of that wall is, but I'll have to try...' Radiant Prism then began to pull as well, not wanting to allow the ninja to pull her to him, instead she did the opposite. As expected, rather than continue to try and pull her, he allowed this. With one, strong pull, Shadowmaru swiftly pulled out his shorter katana with the intention of plunging the blade into her head, but missed as Radiant Prism ducked at the last second and the katana was now embedded into the wall, straight into the sparking wires. Scrambling to get away the moment Radiant Prism saw sparks flying everywhere, all she could hear was Shadowmaru crying out in agony, telling her that his Super A.I. wasn't removed, but merely just under control in a more simplistic way.
When his yelping ceased and was still gripping onto the katana that still had electricity coursing through the katana and onto the ninja, Radiant Prism knew she had to get him to let go of the katana otherwise risk a nasty power overload onto his Super A.I. and swiftly shoved him to the ground. Fortunately, Shadowmaru's grip slipped off of the hilt of his weapon as she also jolted from coming into contact with Shadowmaru but only for a short moment. 'Ugh, never thought I'd feel how powerful an electric shock of this magnitude would be.' She thought with a groan, putting a servo to her helm as she moved away from the now unconscious ninja for a moment to wait about roughly ten seconds ensuring there were no hidden surprises. When she had confirmed the danger was passed, she returned back to Shadowmaru and began searching him. "Now, if I'm correct, I remember Toudou once mentioned that unlike the others, if Shadowmaru and Kagerou went unconscious for whatever reason, they can regain consciousness much faster than Deckerd and the others... I just need to find whatever is controlling Shadowmaru and remove it before he wakes back up..."
She paused for a moment to then piece something together, taking into account that if Shadowmaru while under the control had allowed himself to get zapped like that, it only proved to her that the simple control A.I. that Gustav used on him was clearly inferior compared to the sleeker performance that a Super A.I. was capable of. It made Radiant Prism shake her helm. After some thorough searching, knowing she was almost out of time, she managed to locate what appeared to be a series of connected computer chips that dotted the inner part of his collar guard. "I'm not surprised that they'd be back here, anywhere else would otherwise crush these during specific movements. I think it should be a matter of..." Carefully using a few digits, Radiant Prism easily snapped each one by running a digit along the inner portion of the collar until all have been destroyed, but quickly jolted backwards when Shadowmaru started coming around, weakly crawling backwards unsure of what to expect if she'd gotten them all or not.
"Nngh... Where am I?" Shadowmaru muttered to himself in Japanese.
"Shadowmaru!" Radiant Prism exclaimed. "You're back to normal, that's good..." Knowing she could relax, Radiant Prism could start to feel the impact of her injuries starting to hurt as the purple ninja approached her at his own pace, his helm feeling like it was split open. "Back to normal? What is this place, and why are you back in Germany?" He asked, clearly puzzled as he tried to recollect what had happened and why Radiant Prism was a mess in her current condition.
"Wait, you don't remember? Not even a shred of what happened before you blacked out?" Radiant Prism replied in Japanese, but quickly switched back to German, knowing she's back home. "I'm going to switch back to German since we are in Germany."
"Understandable." Shadowmaru nodded, also switching to German. "But no, I don't remember. I was conducting an investigation requested by both Surge and Blazer about seeing if I could look into Gustav's information and see if he is still associated with Bruno that could lead to his arrest, but I think... Hm, I think he might've tempered with my memory slightly, which should be impossible for someone like me, given my level of defenses."
"I see... For now, we need to get back to Surge, and Blazer is up in the north with her. Can you... Err, this is embarrassing to ask, but can you still fly?"
Shadowmaru was puzzled at the choice of question, but didn't ask as he noticed right away that her wings were gone. He made a quick thorough scan on the German Brave, noticing that aside from her wings being clearly missing, his scans showing that they weren't ripped off, but rather someone had expertly removed her wings without any hassle, and the standard boosters found in every Brave's feet were also removed. Most importantly, he saw she lacked her handguns. "Hm, so Gustav has rendered you completely vulnerable I see, but the damage-"
"We can talk about that later, yes I'm not all that equipped but right now we need to get out, please?"
"Understood, Radiant Prism."
...
Managing to find a way out and into the open and on their way to Hamburg after evading the A.I. controlled attack drones that chased after them like a swarm of wasps, Radiant Prism was relieved they'd managed to get away far enough that they'd retreat back to where they had emerged from. "Sorry about this, Shadowmaru." She frowned, holding onto one of Shadowmaru's flight cables used to carry a certain amount of cargo to other places. "I would've flown if I could but that damn Gustav had to go and turn me into... I suppose a crippled bird seems to be the best description I can think of. But at least I've managed to prove to him that I'm not a weak-
"Will you now tell me what caused you to take all this damage now that we've left the area? I want to know if Gustav did this to you or not." Radiant Prism frowned that it was possible that the A.I. that Gustav used to control him would've most likely blocked this memory from him. The aerial sighed. "Very well, it was you that did all this damage. You were under Gustav's control, but I have no clue as to how long you were doing his bidding, but maybe Surge's mechanics might be able to shed some light on that." She then noticed the familiar, fancy shape of Surge's station. "Speaking of which, we're already here."
Hovering in front of the entrance to the station, Shadowmaru slowly descended until Radiant Prism's feet touched the ground. Just as she did and let go of the cable she'd been holding onto, Surge and Blazer were already moving in to help Radiant Prism, but not after the former had chosen to swiftly punch Radiant Prism. "Wha- Surge, what are you-"
"That's for leaving Germany like a goddamn coward, you stupid excuse of a leader!" Surge shrieked angrily. "If it weren't for you leaving, our country wouldn't have been falling apart like it is now with the stupid lockdown orders Redlight insisted Blazer and I go into!"
"Surge, that's enough!" Blazer snapped, getting in-between the two females. "What matters is that Radiant Prism is alive and well. Yes, she did suddenly disappear on us without warning, but we'll ask her later after she's fully repaired. Right now, she's in no condition to explain and repairs must come first." At this, Surge could only scoff and turn away, but did inform her mechanics to start repairs immediately on Radiant Prism so she'd be prepared for questioning later. Radiant Prism replied that she intended to, as there was quite a bit of information she needed to share once she'd not only repaired, but restored to full performance. She was then helped into one of the docks by Blazer.
"Oh, and Radiant Prism?" Blazer addressed as the mechanics moved in to begin repairs on the aerial. "Welcome home. Sorry that Surge struck you like that, I didn't think that she... Well... She is unfortunately like that when she's frustrated things aren't going her way, or when- As she refuses to admit, she's really scared. Might be because she's stressed that Redlight had gone radio silent on us, and I suppose you leaving Germany on a whim even though we both know Redlight asked you to fly to Japan for your own safety back then." He turned his attention momentarily to Shadowmaru, who was instructed by another small group of mechanics to a dock that was ready for him. "But with you and Shadowmaru here, maybe we might be able to figure out where Redlight is, but also we have Bruno to deal with I heard."
"Yes, unfortunately he's returned to Germany. His objective..." She could only look away with a frown.
"Hm? What is his objective?" Blazer frowned.
"His objective is to destroy the Brave Police." She replied, causing Blazer to look at her in total disblief. Even some of the mechanics were stunned at what they were hearing. "Not just us, but... But all of us scattered across the globe. Japan's Division, The United Kingdom's Division, even the recent and newly built South Korea's Division, and the upcoming United States' Division plus any other countries that I may not be aware of. He stole data from the Japanese, and very recently, now the Scotland Yard's data. I assume that this is because those two are divisions that hold the original code, Scotland Yard being the first foreign Brave Police division outside of Japan also carries original code closest to where it originally came from... At least that's what I assume since I did do some research about our existence on the side while I was with the Scotland Yard for a short time."
Blazer's expression shifted to a more serious tone. "Radiant Prism, just because Bruno stole data information from them does not mean he's invincible. Sure, he might think he is, but I'll tell you what: This isn't going to stop me from being what I do best as a police officer. We know that Deckerd and his little human buddy stopped the Fahrzeugs who, for the first time in history, committed a crime that spanned across the entire globe." Blazer paused as he was told to move so that they could begin work on Radiant Prism. Blazer did as told, but switched to comms. -Well, I don't know much about the powerful criminal the Scotland Yard fought, but I know it wasn't on an equal scale to that of what Redlight, Surge, and I have gone through, being put under the horrendous control of that giant ship the Fahrzeugs used to control us against our will. That one, you're the only one who never experienced what we went through, likewise with some of my teammates.- Blazer told Radiant Prism.
-But if those two divisions defeated their respective criminals and brought them to justice, then so can we against Bruno Ackermann and to some degree, Gustav Alfonz. We're Brave Police, we protect and keep the peace, stopping criminals left and right when there's trouble.- He further added.
Radiant Prism could only sigh, knowing she'd need to tell Blazer the truth. "Yes, that's true... But..." Radiant Prism looked away, about to say what needed to be said as she tried to bring herself to say it, but began to feel conflicted. While the information about her being a Black Market Super A.I. was a sensitive topic, she knew there was no avoiding it as she wasn't a Super A.I. constructed by the police, but rather by heartless souls that have no regard for the actions of crime they commit. Instead of telling Blazer right away, she then thought about something that Blazer and Surge might have. "Blazer, I have to ask... Where's Bruno's home address? I might want to look into his place, see if there might be any evidence that might shed some light into... Something that's been on my mind for a long time."
-Uh, well I think we have the information stored somewhere in the computers... I think.- Blazer paused to ponder. -We could probably check when the mechanics finish your repairs, we could ask the others to give us all the evidence for you to look into. But, mind if I ask why you need this now?-
"I honestly don't know..." Radiant Prism sighed. "Maybe something that might tell or give me some sort of idea on best to deal with him... But I just have a feeling that they contain answers to something even if I don't know what exactly."
"Radiant Prism, Blazer." Shadowmaru addressed. "Once I'm finished, you two mind if I could occupy a desk computer? Considering how long I've been absent, I need to contact Deckerd and the others, they might be concerned that I haven't been getting back to them."
Blazer nodded. "Yeah, we can get you set up once you're all fixed. I better head up and see what Surge is doing, and make sure she isn't breaking something else so you two take it easy for now, alright?" The two acknowledged, watching Blazer leave before speaking to one another as the mechanics worked on them.
A little while later, one mechanic in particular was curious, looking up at Shadowmaru. "So, uh..."
"Shadowmaru."
"According to our analysis, Shadowmaru, aside from the slight scuffles you're received, your systems contained an unusual amount of excess electricity. While we're unsure as to how this happened, the others and I are going to assume that due to not having the permission to investigate the matter further is that we think you might have accidentally walked straight into some powerlines or you might have received quite a shock from dealing with a criminal. But aside from getting the excess energy cleaned out, you might still feel a little bit of surging energy every now and then. Harmless of course, but should go away within a few hours of your systems regulating themselves. As for the memory loss... It looks like whoever did this to you shattered some of your recent memories into fragments and placed strange firewalls around them." This only alarmed both Radiant Prism and Shadowmaru. "But they're not all that powerful so taking them out should allow you to piece them back together to return it back to normal once we get started on that, and I think right now you might be starting to remember fragments if the others have managed to shatter some of those firewalls. In case you two ask, there's absolutely no way that anyone could try to erase parts of the memory without a full reformat, as what Toudou Shunsuke has explained in his Brave Guidebook."
"I know... I had those similar firewalls in the past that restrained parts of my Super A.I. that prevented me from... Well... Properly developing my personality." Radiant Prism spoke up. "If you and the others want to see my memories, I'll allow it."
This time, the Chief Engineer spoke up. "You flew all the way to Germany from the United Kingdom and dealt with a potential threat that got you banged up, and stripped of both your leg thrusters and wings, you've done more than enough and we're not putting you through even more stress by doing a memory sift, Radiant Prism." At his words, the Brave could only nod but look away as too much was on her mind.
A couple of hours have passed and Radiant Prism was clear to go. It was already late at night as the mechanics had to rebuild Radiant Prism's wings due to not having wings built similar to that of an F-14, they had to make the whole thing by scratch for her. Relieved she was back to normal, the first thing Radiant Prism did was relocate herself to the office. However, because this was her first time in Surge's station, she had to look around for where the office was, due to it being different a design than that of Japan's and the United Kingdom's stations, which had a fairly similar design.
"Radiant Prism? It's this way." Called over a small Brave who noticed she was wandering around aimlessly looking for something. Radiant Prism turned her attention towards the small looking Brave and followed him in the direction of where the office was. When she and Waypoint were there, the office was empty, save for Blazer and Shadowmaru talking. Waypoint whispered to Radiant Prism that he has to get back to patrol and quickly left in a hurry. "Radiant Prism, come on in. Actually, your timing here is perfect, I'll just pull these back out..." Blazer reached into a different part of the desk to bring out a set of files as he could hear her approach. "Here we are, this is all of the evidence we've gathered from Bruno's place when we scoped the place top to bottom.
Picking up some of the evidence files, Radiant Prism scanned through them moving from one piece of evidence to another. "The evidence was gathered not too long ago, sometime around when you were on your way back." Blazer explained. "Sadly, it's not in these evidence files- A copy for us Brave to get to look into, there's also a book that contains possible evidence, but we didn't look into it's contents. The book is littered with a few locks, in which we do not possess the keys for. We decided that because you have some sort of inadvertent association... Well, it was better for you to be the first to look into the contents before we do."
"I can pick the lock. I understand Surge's team is busy with their patrol and keeping an optic out for Bruno, it's the least I can do." Shadowmaru told the two as Blazer nodded, contacting the evidence team to bring out Bruno Ackermann's locked book as it was time for Radiant Prism to open and read them. As the person on the other line acknowledged, Blazer then frowned as he took a sip of fuel from his stein. "As curious as I am about the book's contents, I don't feel it's for me. I didn't want to believe it but if there's a secret that he wanted to keep tightly closed off, it's better Radiant Prism sees it first." A few minutes later, a police officer entered the room through the small door, making their announcement that the book is here, and that he'll place it on the table nearby. Once the officer left after doing so, Shadowmaru got up to unlock the book, parts of his digits splitting open to reveal a few small tools as he retracted most of them until the correct tool remained as he picked open all three locks. Bringing out another tool in the shape a human-sized hand connected to the end, Shadowmaru grabbed the book and brought it over for them to read, continuing to use the hand tool to easily open the book with relative ease and without damaging the contents inside.
Radiant Prism peered into the book, her visuals zooming in on the tiny handwriting, slowly beginning to read it out. "I'm Bruno Ackermann, a simple technology tinkerer who specialises in robotics in his own spare time. I am nothing more than just a man who keeps to himself and dabble with possibilities should I manage to get my hands on them. Our country's national police is known to be one of the best around the world, at least back in my youth. I would go on many heists among various criminal organizations as I was behind the curtains an expert hacker..." However, no matter the heists and thefts I've committed along others would be put to shame largely thanks to the ones they call the Fahrzeugs."
"I watched from news media that they destroyed everything from Russia, throughout the Middle East, across Europe as I had to flee underground to avoid the destruction, and even destroying most of the Americas region as the frequency waves their large ship emitted annihilated hundreds, if not thousands of people and billions of euros in damage with the power of their Chieftain robots. How one singular robot could destroy such a large, powerful criminal is beyond anyone's guess, and with them having put an end to this case with relative ease allowed me to shift directions in getting my hands on a Super A.I. myself, not so that I could perform multiple crimes with ease, but instead I find the Brave Police to be a threat. I would always hear about interviews and news media talking praise about the Brave Police, but I believed that considering that we're aware the United Kingdom has their own police force, they have only failed as they were at the mercy of that ship. I believed this would've discouraged the cops from building their own team, but instead... They still built themselves a team, every single one of them in Berlin, Hamburg, and even Munich. Being the expert in robotics and technology, I would seek out the black market and find myself a smuggled Super A.I., even steal one if I had to in my next heist."
With a page turned, it seemed that the contents next dated to a few months later. Radiant Prism would read out up to the point where Bruno happened to become successful in finding the most completed and least broken Super A.I. and then pieced what was missing back together.
"Recreating parts of what was missing was no easy task, just about all the vital parts of a Super A.I. were there but some of the things that were from poorly made copies missed quite a lot. There were far too many counterfeit Super A.I.s that were worthless pieces of data and not many that were nearly whole. Fortunately with the smuggled information when I've requested one of my moles skilled in robotics and mechanics to join them as a newly recruited mechanic, whom would in turn provide me with plentiful of data to add what was missing in anyway he could without anyone suspecting a thing. The plans I have for my partial recreation will be glorious, and even so will make the public think twice on what they've chosen to do and not heed the warning that is the failure of the Scotland Yard Brave Police."
"Bruno searched Black Markets looking for the most near-functional Super A.I. and... Used a mole to join one of the mechanics to recreate what was missing from my Super A.I.? I... I do not like this... But there's still more information to look into." Radiant Prism sifted through the book's information, asking Shadowmaru to turn the page when she'd finish one part and then the other. She then made a motion to stop and read one particular part that caught her attention.
"No no no NO! My long time work of months, gone to waste! My most perfect creation had been stolen away from me by some foolish desperate idiot who is associated with the police force! My plans of turning my ultimate creation into a being that could wipe out the entire Brave Police around the world cannot, and never will be replaced let alone recreated! I couldn't afford to throw away my most important tools of the trade to retrieve it, but instead I'll get it back by force with careful planning. My own followers have proven highly invaluable in retrieving me things that I need, but now? This one will not be an easy task. We can't go and just take that Super A.I. right then and there-"
Backing up, Radiant Prism couldn't read anymore. There was so much to process and not even Blazer and Shadowmaru had anything to say.
"I'm... I was..." Radiant Prism stammered uncomfortably. "I-I was originally... Go-Going to be r-reconstructed... A-As his-"
Blazer could only sigh, feeling as everything was becoming more and more complicated even when they read through the tiny journal. "While I don't like Gustav at all, one thing still stands regardless of whether you like it or not." He began, confusing Radiant Prism. "Yeah, sure, the guy's all about perfect left and right, he did save you from becoming what Bruno originally planned to make you into." Crossing his arms over his chest, he pondered for a moment on how to continue. After a moment of silence, Shadowmaru finished reading the contents of the journal, then closed the book.
"When I investigated Bruno's residence and gathered what I could, his home was rigged with all sorts of traps, enough to kill a human." Shadowmaru spoke up. "Not entirely all over the house, but the majority of them were heavily concentrated in his basement where he had most of his contents stored, including the things he's stolen over the years. I think I had been knocked out mid-conversation, around when I was giving the address location of the house." Blazer nodded in response, giving him the note that they did catch that and have confiscated everything found in the man's house. "The contents of this, however, I did not have time to open nor was it my top priority. Looking at what's written is just as new to me as it is to the two of you. In what I could remember throughout the years since I was first activated, there have been some cases like this, but nothing as severe as what Bruno has done. Tampering- Let alone rebuilding a counterfeit Super A.I. to near perfection of a real one is clearly one with exceptional skills."
"Indeed..." Blazer nodded. "But we should be glad that our friend here was spared from such a cruel fate. The guy almost made history, but fortunately it's a part of history we denied him."
Their attention was brought to hearing a fist impact the wall, seeing Radiant Prism slumping slightly. "But it doesn't excuse the fact that the government will want my Super A.I. terminated if they found out... The mechanics don't know, and I doubt Toudou and his mechanics knew I'm-" Radiant Prism was suddenly cut off when Blazer's badge went off as the red and white Brave answered.
"Yes? What's the situation?" Blazer answered as another replied on the end, clearly frantic. -Blazer, you're not going to believe this but turn on the T.V. and look at what's going on.-
Puzzled by this, Blazer looked at Radiant Prism as she nodded, going over to one of the vacant desks to change the display screen over to T.V. mode, and the first thing they could see was Redlight making an unusual announcement. "...That's not Redlight." Radiant Prism narrowed her optics. "Well technically it is, but what he's saying right now isn't like him to say such things... I hate to say it but I feared as such. Redlight is under someone's control. To dare think they would defy the first Brave of the country..." Balling her servos into a fist, Radiant Prism stood up. "From that location, it looks like he's around Göttingen." Radiant Prism then ran out of the office, Blazer calling out for her on where she's going but gets no answer.
"Damn it..." Blazer cursed to himself as the sounds of jets taking off in the background made it clear to him that she's gone, reaching for his badge. "Surge, this is Blazer. If you might be seeing this from where you are, Redlight-"
-I'm already on my way, both myself and my teammates.- Came the quick response. -And what are you standing around for!? Get your arse over here and help out!- With the connection cut, Blazer turned his attention to Shadowmaru. "Normally I don't have authority over you despite my rank due to our different divisions, but... Would you be willing to make an exception that I request if you could assist us? An extra pair of servos and firepower would be appreciated."
"Yes, sir! I'll also let you know that while you were occupied with other matters earlier, I believed a bit of assistance might come in handy. I've requested Deckerd to come assist if the Commissioners could allow this, and they approved to come help. I fear we might need all the helping servos we have, and they should arrive about within half an hour currently." He told Blazer as the two of them prepare to head out and make the drive all the way to Göttingen.
...
Struggling to shake off many things from her mind, Radiant Prism continued forward, not going at her usual high speed as she'd normally would when responding to an emergency. Everything that was summarised altogether combined with the journal only seemed to worsen her feelings about the situation she'd have to face once she and the others defeat and arrest Bruno. 'I don't want to die, but if this has to be my last act as Brave Police, then... Tch!' Losing motivation to keep going let alone do anything, Radiant Prism made a landing somewhere in the clearing of a forest, slowly falling to her knees as she stared at the ground. She wouldn't be alone for long, as the sound of thrusters caught her attention as Horizon came to a landing nearby. "What are you doing, Radiant Prism!? Get up, we have to help Redlight break free of whoever is controlling him!"
"Go ahead without me, Horizon. Blazer and Surge's teams can take care of it. I need to... Be alone with my thoughts, I'm in no condition to-"
"Radiant Prism, regardless of whatever's going on in your mind right now, that doesn't excuse the fact you're Brave Police! We need everyone's help, not just the team I'm a part of, or Blazer's team! You're acting as if you're not even part of our-"
"It's not that, I just... Look, long story short, Blazer, Shadowmaru, and I found out that there was a... Dark secret about my past. I'm a counterfeit that Gustav stole from Bruno years ago... Not a real Brave Police unit like you and the others. You and I both know the government would want all counterfeit Super A.I. to be destroyed! And I... I just don't know, I'm scared of having my life taken away! I want to live, do what I was altered to do..."
Horizon wasn't sure how to take in this information, but overhearing her glider's communications going off, she then went over to help Radiant Prism back up. "Maybe there might be some other way. Once we get Redlight freed and other things dealt, then we'll all see about vouching for you to stay. I mean if you've made it this far with the help of both the Japanese Division and the Scotland Yard Division, you clearly have earned your proof of that you are like us, regardless of your not-so-great start in life since you were brought online.
"Now come on, get up! We need to go and help!" It seemed like Horizon's words fell on deaf audios, but not wanting to give up, she gave Radiant Prism a harsh shake. "Listen to me here, Radiant Prism, are you going to give up now just because of some little information that's bringing you down!?" Radiant Prism was about to say something but Horizon cut her off. "While I don't know if Redlight knew about your background, but he gave you that chance long ago when you weren't... Being allowed to develop your personality to the fullest, but he still made time to visit you even though he knew he couldn't leave his designated territory but he's the type of guy who never likes to leave anyone without proper communication! He helped you escape from being captured and dismantled and you got away, spent time with those in Japan helping them out and learning what it means to be Brave Police!"
"How do you know all about this...?"
"Knowing Redlight, he always updated us with your progress anytime he received said updates. And Surge sometimes brought it up when he'd send her and Blazer updates on your progress. Even if you were gone from the country for a long time, he always considered all of the Braves from both his team, my team, Blazer's team, and you included even though you don't have any teammates of your own yet. But can we please go help Redlight? What's important is stopping Bruno from forcing him to do things he'd never do, and it still haunts him when he did things under the Fahrzeug's control!"
"I..." Radiant Prism sighed as she still felt uneasy about it, but then narrowed her optics as she looked at Horizon. "I'll... Do what I can to help, but... No, let's go. See you at the location." Horizon nodded and let go, moving back to let Radiant Prism take off then quickly ran towards her jet powered glider.
On arriving in Göttingen, Radiant Prism changed out of her jet form as she could see where Redlight stood on top of one of the buildings continuing to demand for Radiant Prism to be handed over to him. Gritting her teeth, she flew ahead to go and confront the Brave, but only for something to suddenly wrap around her arms and legs, pulling her back down to the ground as she struggled to break free. "You've roamed free for the last time, Radiant Prism." Gustav shouted, continuing to use his machine to pull Radiant Prism closer to the ground, but only for a voice to call out and address him.
"You've meddled for the last time, Gustav. You may have stolen from me, but now I'm going to take back what's rightfully mine!" In the background, Redlight kicked off from the building he stood on as it caved under the force of how he'd smashed a portion of it in. Ascending into the skies, Redlight changed into his eagle form as his combiner came into view, flying towards it as it unfolded into the combiner form and merging with it. Bruno then laughed as he gave the order to Red Streamline to destroy Gustav as the optics flashed red, then divebombed towards his target.
Feeling the tentacles of the machine uncoil themselves, Radiant Prism quickly broke free just before the combiner smashed straight into the machine with relative ease as it erupted into a violent explosion. 'Bruno just... He killed...' Radiant Prism couldn't take her optics off of what she just saw. She attempted to scan for if Gustav was still alive, but flinched when she realised that her scanning systems were jammed. 'Tch, I can't tell. But the situation just got a whole lot more hectic from here on out. Worst, I don't even have a combiner since having sacrificed it in favour of helping the others back in Japan. What can I do...?' She thought, balling her servos into a fist knowing there was no way she could damage Red Streamline with her pistols. She then pulled out her badge letting others know despite the signal probably wouldn't get through but still made the effort. Putting her badge away after that was done, Radiant Prism changed into her jet form, engaging the large combiner.
Bruno's voice could be heard, instructing Red Streamline to capture Radiant Prism, but not to destroy her. This gave Radiant Prism clear warnings that he was controlling Redlight, using him against her. Dodging every attempt he made to try and grab her, she would aileron roll out of some attempts while using her gatling gun to spray away his servo even if momentarily. Even if she managed to find moments where she could open fire, they did nothing and not even when she'd punch or kick with the assist of her built up speed, they weren't doing anything but stun him for a few seconds. "Redlight, please- Aagghhhkkk!" Radiant Prism tried to get through to Redlight, but had been smacked away into the ground, decimating a large chunk of an area from sliding across the ground from where she impacted as trees and other foliage were destroyed in the path. Spitting a bit of fuel that lingered in her mouth, Radiant Prism slowly got back up, but flinched when she felt a bit of pain against her back.
"Redlight-"
"Radiant Prism! Call for your combiner!" Looking up at who addressed her, the immediate sight of Fire J-Decker surprised her momentarily. "Fire J-Decker? No, I can't. My combiner was destroyed in that one fight, I don't-"
"I can't understand what you're saying, but just call for it, Radiant Prism!" Yuuta could be heard saying next. "Trust us when we say call for your combiner- Wha, look out Fire J-Decker!" As if reacting in an instant, Fire J-Decker quickly dodged the incoming Red Streamline as the black and red-orange Brave looped around for another incoming attack.
Hesitating, Radiant Prism did as told, whistling for her combiner. The sound of loud engines and a familiar aircraft flying overhead were enough to tell her that it had indeed been repaired and could be used again. "Mr. Toudou and the others managed to fix it just a couple of hours ago, put it to good use Radiant Prism!" Called out Yuuta just as Radiant Prism moved into position to combine. Just as she did so, Bruno was quick to send Red Streamline straight after her. "Don't think I'm letting you- What in the!?" What he could see was Red Streamline had been stopped with the combo of both Shadowmaru, Kagerou, and Royal Flush also lending a helping servo.
"Don't forget we're here, too!" Called out Royal Flush as he used all of his strength to keep the German combiner contained long enough for Radiant Prism to combine into Aerial Radiance. After the German Brave successfully combined with her new and improved support, Aerial Radiance was very surprised at the appearance of the Scotland Yard's combiner. "Royal Flush? I thought... You-"
"I had a backup body. The others and I agreed that because Bruno had committed several crimes back in the United Kingdom, we agreed it was best to assist you and the rest of your team in dealing with Bruno." The British combiner replied, speaking in English, quickly switching to Japanese as he continued. "I'm sure Fire J-Decker and Yuuta also share the same sentiments as we do."
"Yes, he's caused a stir back in Japan, too." Replied Yuuta. Not long after, the others witnessed as Red Streamline broke free, grabbing and throwing off Royal Flush who quickly recovered and blurred right next to Fire J-Decker. It wouldn't be long before Surge and Blazer soon arrived in their respective forms. "Alright, everyone, we need to first help free Redlight- Err, I mean Red Streamline from Bruno's control." Radiant Prism explained through private comms. "He's using something that's controlling him but I can't find the source anywhere on his body if there are any so we'll need to work together to find the source of what's controlling him while being careful not to damage him too much, and then deal with Bruno once and for all!"
-Understood!- Acknowledged the five combiners and both Shadowmaru and Kagerou.
"You fools won't be doing anything to stop me, but you're even bigger fools that you're willingly sparing me the trouble of hunting all of you down once I've destroyed the Brave Police! Behold, my most powerful creation!" All sounded silent from around them, but then objects started appearing from seemingly out of nowhere, previously cloaked to keep out of sight were now revealing themselves as they merged into an even larger machine unlike any they've seen. While it did not even come close to the size like that of the ship used by the Fahrzeugs, it was still massive in size compared to any and all existing Brave units. "This day will mark the end of the Brave Police! What started as a long time project populated by Japan will soon come to an end as a failure the moment when the public realise that it's technology and data is then used against all that will try to stop me!"
"Tch, like that thing is supposed to scare any of us!" Echo Spark scoffed. "We'll still defeat you all the same, like every criminal we've defeated, Bruno!" She snapped, sprinting towards the machine with her electrical whip at the ready. "I'll personally see you beaten down to the core until you're begging for mercy!"
"Wait, Echo Spark don't just rush out recklessly!" Shouted Aerial Radiance as the criminal could be heard bellowing with laughter, mocking Echo Spark as the machine unfolded partially, revealing the fox-like head of a creature as it's optics glowed a bright red just as Red Streamline did the same, charging at high speeds towards Echo Spark as she was seen pinned to the ground fighting for her life. Not needing to stall, the other combiners took action in however they could help. The eyes of the machine glowed once more on detecting threats that were nearing it, as Fire J-Decker and Royal Flush flew towards the machine in question but were left shielding themselves from the sudden firepower raining on them. In another part of the battle, both Aerial Radiance and Blazing Tornado struggled with the fight against the controlled Red Streamline, clearly telling them that this was an advanced type of A.I. even though it was still to some degree, too basic to be even classified as it's own Super A.I.
Those red optics where the green optics of the mighty combiner were originally, told them enough that it showed no sympathy, no life, it was merely a simple thing being fed orders.
Red Streamline's focus turned from Echo Spark and onto Aerial Radiance, now she was the one fighting for her life as it began to mimic the voice of Gustav, intending to bring her down with the fact that she's a counterfeit, which was causing Radiant Prism to falter as she cursed to herself. -Keep him held while Shadowmaru and I do what we can to see about freeing Red Streamline, Aerial Radiance! Same goes for both Blazing Tornado and Echo Spark, because as advanced as this is, it will take some time before we make even a chink in the defence big enough to help him break free of the control Bruno has on him!- Kagerou could be heard saying over the comms as they got to work doing just that. Aerial Radiance, Echo Spark, and Blazing Tornado used all their might to keep Red Streamline still and steady to allow the two ninjas to get to work, while both Royal Flush and Fire J-Decker were working together to try and find a way around the machine, but were having no luck as each attempt in trying to damage the machine only caused them to retreat from the heavy firepower.
Jack could be heard shouting reminders that he doesn't have the strongest armour to keep them protected from constant firepower. While he can keep them from getting too banged up, he warned that Royal Flush was, once again, not equipped with the same build specs as Chess Master. Pushing that aside, Royal Flush made a report that he overheard the others are trying to free Red Streamline. "We still need to weaken that machine, if we can't do something about it, we're good as done." Fire J-Decker frowned. "Royal Flush, do you have any ideas?"
"Your guess is as good as mine." Replied Royal Flush. "I've never dealt with anything this... Big."
"There has to be something we can do about that machine controlling Red Streamline... The others are counting on one another to see Bruno beaten!" Yuuta frowned. "If I'm going to guess, either something in the body or maybe even the eyes of the head might be what's mainly controlling him."
"The only problem is reaching our target or get close enough without sustaining too much damage." Replied the large black, white, and red combiner as he peeked from cover, but quickly ducked when the machine opened fire. The red glow they immediately saw on the ground told them that it was making another move. -Fire J-Decker, Royal Flush! Look out!- Confused for a moment, they quickly did as told while quickly moving to avoid the next attack. Red Streamline had managed to break free from the others and went on a full attack against them. One of them quipped that Bruno was most likely seeing them as the major threats that needed to be eliminated. "Tch, it looks like we're the main targets from here on out! Shadowmaru, Kagerou, how's progress on helping Red Streamline come back to his senses!?" Royal Flush called out, needing to concentrate when the attention of the controlled combiner switched between him and Fire J-Decker.
-We lost concentration the moment Red Streamline broke free. He needs to be held down in place for us to work as this is a delicate process considering the level of difficulty this is giving us!- Kagerou called out. -Fire J-Decker, can you hold Red Streamline in place so that we can resume our work?-
"I'll try!" Fire J-Decker called out, turning his attention to Red Streamline as his attention shifted towards him again, quickly managing to use all of his output to overpower and overwhelm Red Streamline with his sheer power alone, managing to bring the black and red-orange combiner to heel but had to hold him down as he still put up a fight in trying to free himself, which was becoming more and more aggressive due to the ninjas were trying their best to wrestle control from the combiner.