Jogress...
Even after the sun had risen up, the fire on the bridge was still raging. Touko was among the mingle of people, directing them while they either put down the fire or helped the injured. It was a miracle no one have died, yet. There was those with serious injuries like her bodyguard and Garshield, but their fate wasn't decided.
Queen offered her help with moving debris and transporting things as well, feeling partly guilty for fighting in an area with much people. Yet again, did she have a choice?
Touko's eyes flicked back to the river where the killing machine had drowned. For a moment, she thought she saw the water rippling in that very same spot. She thought it was her imagination, she wanted strongly to believe it was. But she knew exactly what it was when it rippled and churned once more. That last attack wasn't enough to destroy it.
Queen: " watch out Touko!"
Something shot out of the water, spreading wide its wings before it was clearly visible. The same killing machine was once again hovering above them, though this time with one visor taking down. It was the effect of the last hit she thought.
Suddenly, the robot that was gazing upon them directed its attention somewhere else and a unit came flying its way, smashing it down back to the river.
Through the scattered droplets of water, Touko glimpsed the shining purple and grey armor and the form slightly larger than a usual unit.
Touko: " what... What's that LBX!? It easily knocked it back!"
" Touko!"
The pinkette had her head snap back towards the voice's direction only to see both Jin and Ban approaching her, CCMs in hand.
Ban: " thank God we made it in time."
Touko: " eh!"
She looked back and forth between the new LBX and the two men.
Touko: " you! Don't tell me that LBX is actually yours!"
Jin: " Ban-kun! It's coming back!"
Ban: " ah!"
Sooner, the larger robot flew out of the water again, facing against Exceed. Both units stared down at each, waiting for who would make the first move.
The black unit decided upon it and send off its missiles. Exceed promptly cut through the ones heading its way and those that swerved towards the bridge before leaving them to explode behind him and making for the large robot. It backed as it shot its Laser beams, and charged it energy sphere.
The Laser was nothing to Exceed as he flew through them swiftly and used his two swords to slash at the energy charge, deflecting it away. He used the smoke to approach the enemy and sliced its right wing which fell down to the river.
Seeing him so close, the machine used its tail rifle to shoot at him but Exceed was faster and backed. The machine used the chance to launch its missiles and beams together but they were all intercepted and hardly did much as to slow him down. Exceed picked up speed as he sliced at the left wing, making the larger robot lose the balance it struggled to keep with just one wing and fall off. He zoomed at it in its way downward.
Ban: " Hissatsu Function!"
" Attack Function: Lightning Blade!"
With a single sweep of both blades covered in electricity, the killing machine was split into two like if it had been cut by a lightning strike. The broken robot fell to the river, and didn't come back for good this time.
The people around who sought shelter behind overturned cars or tracks breathed in relief and cheered at the victory of the purple unit.
Touko didn't get her eyes off the LBX still hovering above, slightly stunned by its potential.
Touko: " amazing..."
Exceed turned back to his players, visors shining in a bright green color...
Knight banged his fist furiously on the panel, eventually sending electricity flying of it. It should be replaced later, noted Charis to himself.
Charis: " it's quite rare, to see you lose your cool, Knight."
The snowy haired male took in a deep breath and leaned his head back on his chair. That seemed to calm him down a bit.
Knight: " I'm disappointed."
He stated simply. Charis inspected his expression carefully, it was blank and impossible to read, not even for him.
Charis: " you've worked hard on making those Killer Droids in Omega Dain. "
Knight: " yeah... And to think they were easily defeated... I put all of my heart in them you know."
Charis: " I can tell by your irritation..."
Knight straightened himself and pulled up the last footages send by his two beasts.
Knight: " but I wonder what's that?"
He pulled all the footages of Exceed on the large screen.
Charis: " this... How can an LBX be as completed as this..."
Even Charis could tell that the LBX was nothing near ordinary or normal.
Knight: " what in the world is this LBX?"...
Sakura& Evangeline : " this is curious..."
Otacross turned back to the screen to see the results of the scan.
Jin: " what do you mean?"
Eva restored the balance of her glasses before she looked down at the purple unit.
Evangeline : " Exceed, right. Well, his statics and spec are very... Curious for me. It's like, he was especially made for both of you."
Her words made them even more befuddled.
Ban: " eh?"
Otacross rubbed his beard as he pointed his cane at the hologram screen.
Otacross : " power, speed, and even stamina... He's synchronized with both of your styles deyo~."
Ran leaned her head on the table, devouring the aircraft with her looks.
Ran: " is it a fusion like Sigma Orbis?"
Exceed: " I'm not."
He shot back to which they all blinked.
Hiro: " he finally talked."
Jun'ichiru pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
Jun'ichiru : " what Exceed said is true. He is not a fusion."
The players' eyes clung on to him for more details.
Jun'ichiru : " it's true we can spot some of Odin and Zenon's features, however, even those features are improved. He is more like another whole LBX different from both of them."
Exceed: " in fact, I'm."
Evangeline : " then professor, if it isn't fusion. Then what's it?"
" I see you've finally pulled one."
A very cheerful voice chimed through the room as a blond male crossed the threshold.
Takuya: " William..."
William: " if fusion is to add power, then Jogress is to multiply them, or something along that line."
He walked over to the table, inspecting the new LBX with ecstatic eyes.
Jun'ichiru : " William-kun, what's Jogress?"
William's face beamed at the rest of them.
William: " Join and Progress."
"Eh!"
Ruri : " Join..."
Evangeline : " ... And progress. It can't be!"
She looked through the data again, and her eyes shot wide as her thoughts were confirmed.
William: " it means to merge LBXs together and improve them based on their players experience, creating a totally new LBX. It can be performed by two or more LBXs."
Ken: " just as you explained back then..."
He faced Ruri who was marveling over the new power they got.
Hikaru: " William-san, is Jogress something any player can pull off."
The blond then shook his head.
William: " it's not that easy."
He faced Ban and Jin who were surprised when the attention shifted to them.
William: " for both LBXs to be able to Jogress, both players should have a deep understanding of each other. They could understand each other's style perfectly and can work together without the need to even communicate."
Jun'ichiru: " so in other words, your understanding of your partner for Jogress should be the same as your understanding of your own self. It's definitely something hard to pull off."
Ran: " to think about it, Hiro, Ban and I were doing almost the same with Sigma Orbis."
Ban: " there was... Something different this time..."
" Eh!?"
All eyes fell on his as he focused on the purple unit.
Ban: " I've fought with all of you before, I know exactly how you move and all but..."
He swapped looks with Jin.
Jin: " ... When I battle with you, instead of just controlling Zenon, I was also controlling Odin. Odin was moving the way I imagined it would do, making it easier for Zenon to fight along side it."
The rest were slightly confused by their words until William placed his hands on both their shoulders.
William: " that's exactly what makes the Jogress possible. You should be able to anticipate your partner's moves as though they were yours."
Twilight : " a deep understanding of each other, huh..."
Kirito: " I see now, that kind of bond doesn't come easily."
Mirai: " Kirito?"
Kirito: " it doesn't come from just standing side by side, it requires standing against each other as well. Doesn't it?"
William smirked at the male before his head bobbed.
William: " true, you got it right."
Gouda: " what is he talking about?"
Sendou pulled out a card.
Sendou: " hermit, upright. It will be revealed in due time."
Hakai-O : " you're not telling us anything important."
Exceed: " anyway..."
He managed to get their attention back to him.
Exceed: " if you're done scanning me."
His green visors shot back at Eva who was startled for a moment.
Evangeline : " oh, right, yeah... We've finished..."
Exceed: " then excuse me."
He glowed a bright white before he split to two familiar units. Odin and Zenon were standing on the table with their damaged bodies, inspecting themselves.
Achilles D9: " you're back!"
Odin: " we're... I guess?"
Zenon: " have we been away in the first place?"
Odin: " I don't know, it was a strange experience."
Asuka: " nee, nee! What did it feel like, becoming one?!"
Zenon: " we were us and we were someone else at the same time."
Odin: " it's really hard to explain."
Muraku: " there seems to be a lot more to this Jogress."
Touko: " but we have to acknowledge its usefulness. While none of us could handle those Killer Droids, Exceed managed to take two of them on his own."
Arata: " he was really amazing! I want to battle him! Pull him once more!"
He said holding up his CCM at Ban and Jin but Eva interjected.
Evangeline : " no! No one is battling until their LBXs are fixed!"
Jennifer and Ryan swapped looks and made an attempt to reach from their LBXs on the table but Evangeline beat them, grasping both into her hands.
Evangeline : " I meant all LBXs."
Jennifer: " well... We can handle them on our own."
Evangeline : " this damage is really serious even Ruri and I together can't fix it let alone you. Prof Yamano said he will be taking care of them."
Jun'ichiru : " don't you worry about your LBXs, I'll be careful with them."
Ryan and Jennifer sweat dropped worriedly at his words.
Ban: " well then dad, we will leave them with you. Sorry guys, I've got to get going."
He said rushing out the meeting room.
Kazu: " he's going there."
Ami: " definitely..."
Ran: " though Rina-san told him she is alright."
Yuuya : " you can't blame him, it's a brother instinct after all."
Touko: " I'm just thankful there weren't much injuries."
Hiro: " it was all thanks to our LBXs."
Ran: " we owe them."
Mirai: " the only injuries you got were Elie, Sayaka and Ruri. Elie has been out since you left the cave due to tiredness. Sayaka's injury wasn't that serious but she needed to be treated. And Ruri..."
She looked back at the girl smiling broadly by her side.
Ken: " I would have appreciated it if you stayed your room like Elie-san and Sayaka."
Ruri: " but I'm fine, even Rina-san said so. It wasn't so much a scratch after all."
Sakura: " Everyone..."
The looked back at the pink unit as she gave them a glare.
Sakura: " if you didn't notice, the professor had already started with fixing the LBXs. Either you help out or give him the peace he needs."
Eventually she ended up kicking out all of them except Ruri who went to help with the maintenance...
He was frankly disappointed when her voice didn't come out as he knocked on the door. He opened it and was met by the sight of his sister laid down on her bed, sleeping soundly.
Her face was no more red and she seemed more at ease than the previous night. He strolled over to her and placed down his palm on her forehead, the fever seemed to have calmed down at last.
He heaved a breath and sat by her side, taking in her sleeping face. Her time was running shorter. She needed to get through the operation sooner. And he needed to make sure she wasn't to tire herself anymore.
Taking her hand in his, his face was washed over by guilt.
Ban: " I'll do my best to protect you, sis."
A knock made him snap and rear his head back to the door as a blonde peeked from behind it, smiling softly at him.
Ban: " Lilyan..."
With all the commotion, he hardly was able to talk to her.
Ban: " ... I'm sorry... I-"
Lilyan cut him off with a shake of her head.
Lilyan: " it's alright, you already have plenty on your plate. Just seeing you safe and sound was enough for me."
Her focus shifted to the sleeping girl.
Lilyan: " how is Elie-san?"
Ban: " she needs some rest and she will be fine."
Lilyan head bobbed before she looked back at the male.
Lilyan: " Ban-kun, we're leaving soon."
Ban pouted slightly as he looked at her eyes.
Ban: " it's about Goliath and the Innovators' lab right."
She nodded slowly.
Unicorn: " William said that he had deleted all of his data from there. But with Leviathan he can't be too sure. So we're heading to make sure none of his data are found. Kousuke and the others will head to Goliath to try and get it back."
Ban heaved a breath.
Ban: " with Goliath, they can create war weapons as much as they want. I wish I could go with you..."
His hand balled into a fist but relaxed when a soft one was placed on it. Lilyan stared into his eyes with a gentle smile.
Lilyan : " it's alright, Ban-kun. Both you and Odin need to rest. Plus, Elie-san needs you by her side."
Ban: " but..."
Lilyan : " don't you worry about me."
Unicorn: '' I'll be protecting Lilyan, so rest assured there."
Lilyan: " just, don't be harsh on yourself. You've done what you can and more for Elie-san, for all of us. For now, just rest."
She pecked his cheek and gave him a smile. Ban finally gave in and smiled back.
Ban: " better take care."
Lilyan: " will do."...
Jennifer: " we're doomed."
She said for the hundredth time, shutting the door of the empty maintenance room behind her. Ryan walked to the bench and slumped down.
Ryan: " we really are. Uncle won't let go of us before we spit the truth."
Jennifer: " and grandpa won't let us escape with the same lie of ' original designs'."
Ryan: " what are the odds that he wouldn't notice?"
Jennifer: " don't ever dream of it."
Ryan: " pretty low I see."
He sweat dropped.
Jennifer: " not to mention Sayaka-san."
Ryan: " oh man, not her too! She is the second person after uncle and Mito-sensei whom I would rather not to cross!"
Jennifer: " well, we did a great job making them all suspicious of us."
Ryan sulked in his seat.
Ryan: " you're right. We're doomed."...
By the time darkness had fallen upon the city, each team was stationed nearby its target.
Currently, Kousuke, Evangeline, Kirito and Mirai along with their LBXs were watching from afar the building of Goliath.
Evangeline : " Why just the four of us? The other team had more members."
Kousuke: " my own company, I choose who is going."
He snorted before he faced the blunette.
Kousuke: " I've brought you for a reason, don't you dare hinder us."
Mirai's eyebrow twitched up and down at his words.
Strike: " hey! She is as serious about this as you're!"
Kousuke: " I'm just reminding her."
He shrugged carelessly.
Mirai: " Kirito, Eva, I'm surprised you could stand him."
Her hands were in fists as though she was waiting for a chance to strangle him.
Kirito: " took us sometimes."
He finished the last gulos of coke and threw the bottle behind him, surprisingly landing it in the trash can perfectly.
Kirito: " bull's eye."
He smirked without even bothering rearing his head to check if it actually landed in.
Twilight : " how could you drink in a time like this?"
Kirito: " I didn't get my Coke's boost today, and I can't go without it."
Evangeline : " will you ever grow out of your habit."
Kirito: " not anytime soon."
Lucifer: " can we please start thinking of a plan to get in."
Evangeline placed a finger on her cheek as she recalled something.
Evangeline : " if I remember correctly, Mano-san said we could get in through the trash shute. But the trouble is that it's too high."
Fenrir: " we can go through and try to open a way for you."
Kousuke: " no one is going through that thing. It's not beautiful."
He was folding his arms in front of him while staring at Goliath's building.
Lucifer: " have any better idea, Kousuke?"
The sides of his lips pulled back into a smirk.
Kousuke: " don't forget that Goliath is mine. I know more about it than what Leviathan or that Knight brat could proclaim to know."
He strolled down into the shadows with a gesture to the others to follow him. They swapped uneasy looks at that.
Mirai: " are we sure?"
Evangeline : " well, it's Kousuke. So let's trust him... That sounded ironic didn't it?"
Kirito: " yep. But I have to agree."
Mirai: " well, if you say so."
And they followed after the blond male...
