AN: ARC Alpha 12 here! Since I wanted a little fun fluff and filler before the final round, I asked a few people close to me what kind of chapter this one should be. Since this isn't one of the story elements I had planned, the quality may be a bit lower than previous chapters, but it was still fun to write, so I hope you enjoy this fan request!

Also, the 4th of October was the 4th anniversary of this fan fiction, and today is the 10th anniversary of the first episode of Gundam Build Fighters! It's crazy to think that ten years ago, I began building Gunpla because of that show, and that it would later inspire me to make this fan fiction. That's just absolutely wild to me!

I know this last 12 months has been inconsistent with releases, but from the bottom of my heart, thank you for continuing to read this. Its because of you all that I'm still writing this silly little thing.


Weiss smiled as she put the finishing touches on her newly rebuilt Gyan Noblesse Oblige. Getting her hands on a Gyan Kreiger for parts had, predictably, proven annoying, but now the Gunpla had been fully rebuilt and fine tuned with the care she had shown her new Sinanju Stalritter.

She wasn't planning on using the Gyan Noblesse Oblige in the tournament finals, but it felt weird not having it with her for exhibition matches. She felt confident it was still competitive, and her adjustments to balance and bigger thruster nozzles should help her offset the newly integrated RG System Kai.

With the finals being pushed back a day to better secure the overall system from additional glitches, it left everyone with a bit of free time on their hands. Winter had hit her up to go shopping with their mother. Ruby was out with Yang and their dad, Blake had chosen to spend time with Shia, and Jaune was…

She looked away, trying to distance herself from those thoughts. She had pushed Jaune away and he wound up with Pyrrha. Regretting her decision wasn't going to change his mind, and she wasn't going to dwell on the "what could have beens" and "what ifs."

Snorting defiantly, she slid her Gyan into its carrying case and clipped it to her belt, before grabbing the locket her grandfather had given her. She texted Winter and let her know she was ready to go, and then waited for her sister to get back to her.

Winter texted back a moment later, telling Weiss to head to the lobby. Weiss took a deep breath. She didn't necessarily hate her mother, but her drinking habits were, to put it bluntly, intolerable. The thought of her mother already having a bottle of wine in her purse made Weiss anxious beyond belief.

Fortunately, that didn't appear to be the case. Winter and Klein were both waiting for her in the lobby. "Is Mother not coming?"

"Mother is in the car with Grandfather," Winter replied. "He insisted on joining us, to spend quality time with his family."

The notion made Weiss smile broadly. Her grandfather was easily one of her favorite people. She had felt a pang of regret for not spending more time with him since his arrival, but today seemed like a good chance to make up for that.

Klein escorted them out to the car and opened the door for them. Weiss bowed respectfully, and he nodded in appreciation. "I am pleased that you seem so relaxed on this trip, Miss Weiss."

"Thank you, Klein." She gave him a genuine smile. "I feel like this trip has been rather helpful to sort some things out."

Of course, she meant more than anyone except for her grandfather could know by that statement, but it was general enough that he didn't pry further as she stepped inside the car.

"Weiss, my dear!" Nikolas grinned widely as his granddaughters sat across from him and their mother. Willow gave Weiss a sadder smile; Weiss returned the same look, sadness and disappointment in her eyes as they looked at each other.

Willow's separation from her husband hadn't been smooth. She was struggling with sobriety, and despite her constant statements to the contrary, she was slipping back into old habits.

Weiss had hoped being away from the US would help, but this trip had come with its own problems and stresses-namely, having to reconnect with the Kijimas, a side of the family Willow was not terribly fond of because of Shia and Wilfrid's father's job as an auditor, who had given her ex husband Jacques so much trouble at times that it led to a host of at-home confrontations between him and Willow.

"I hope tagging along won't be too distracting," Nikolas stated, pulling Weiss's attention away from her mother and her own thoughts.

She shook her head. "Of course not. I'm glad you're here."

Winter smiled slightly at her grandfather and sister. It was rare for her to actually feel at ease when out of her military uniform. She had forgotten how simple things seemed when good spirits and positive energy surrounded her. She felt like she could just be herself for a short while.

Klein drove them through the city, and Willow stared out the window, tired eyes scanning the skyscrapers as they drove. The urban area reminded her of her home in New York, to some extent, but the increased level of tech all around them was incredibly obvious.

"It's fascinating how similar and yet so different Japan is," she remarked. "I could see myself getting used to the city."

They traveled for about fifteen minutes, coming to a stop outside of a rather inconspicuous hobby shop near the center of the city. Due to its unassuming appearance, it seemed mostly ignored, despite being in a rather well traveled location.

"What a quaint establishment," Willow mused as she looked at the front of the store. She turned to her father. "I assume this is for Weiss's upcoming final round?"

Nikolas gave her a smile and a shake of his head. "Not specifically. You see, Winter has volunteered to teach me how to play Gunpla, as well!"

Their eyes shifted to the older sister, who crossed her arms and blushed slightly. "I agreed to build him a Gunpla of his choosing and teach him how to operate it. He became inspired by Weiss's new Sinanju."

"Which, by the way, was a marvel." He looked at Weiss and winked. "I'm very happy to see you managed to find a way to make the present I bought for you your own."

Weiss gave him a brilliant, happy smile. She knew that he was the only person fully aware of the nature of how the Sinanju Stalritter was constructed, and that little secret made her feel closer to him than ever.

They entered the shop, and were marveled by how large it appeared inside compared to the outer building. The floor dipped down subtly, expanding outward and slightly underground to a larger area filled with two battle tables, hobby building stations, and a plethora of shelves full of model kits of all kinds.

They explored the shop for a short bit. There weren't many other people inside the store, so it made moving around fairly easy. Weiss was taken aback by the organization of the sections. The store had a little of everything-Gunpla, 30 Minute Missions, Star Trek starships, Star Wars ships and character models, Zoids…

Ideas began spinning in her head as she walked from the ZAFT side of the second aisle to the Zeon side. Each section of shelves for the Gunpla appeared to be separated by faction, which made trying to locate things very easy.

As she turned the corner, her eyes locked on a special box. It took a moment to register what it was, but when she did, she gasped.

An Expo P-Bandai High Grade Gyan Eos with metallic coating. The Gyan Eos kit itself was already P-Bandai, and hard to find. The PPSE Expo metallic coating version? That was nearly impossible.

Her hand reached for it, grasping it just as another hand grabbed the other side.

Weiss blinked, surprised, and looked over to her left. The other hand belonged to another competitor from the Doubles Tournament. Kaoruko Sakai, if she recalled correctly. She recognized her from the Gyan shields she used as ponytail holders and the St. Odessa's School uniform, which featured flare of a Zeon officer's uniform-M'Quve's, specifically, if her knowledge of Zeon outfits served her.

Kaoruko stared back at her, the same surprised expression on her face, which turned to a scowl after a moment. "Oh. It's you."

Weiss seemed taken aback by the confrontational attitude of the girl whom she had never met in person. "Um, excuse me?"

She assumed that, perhaps, Kaoruko had some issue with her because of her family. Most individuals that Weiss had encountered who did hold some sort of animosity towards her usually was because of her father's business.

The grip on Kousaka's side of the box tightened, and Weiss felt her try to pull it away. She responded by doing the same, which only made the other girl scowl more.

"What is your problem?"

"You are!" Kousaka stated. "You don't deserve to have this kit!"

Weiss was growing irritated with this. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

The two girls glared at each other, not noticing the people approaching the commotion. One of them stepped forward, ahead of the rest, and placed his hand on the top of the model kit, surprising both of them out of their mental tug of war. They turned to face the newcomer, who looked at both of them with appraising eyes.

"Hmmm, such prideful youth," he commented.

Weiss tilted her head, but it was Kousaka who spoke up. "Mister Ral!"

"Gyanko," he responded pleasantly. "I'm sorry for interrupting, but I couldn't help but notice that there was a bit of a disagreement here."

Weiss remembered that Ruby had called the girl Gyanko before, and looked over at her in hopes of finally getting some clarity as to why she seemed so aggressive and confrontational.

"It's pretty obvious," Gyanko replied. "Weiss had a beautiful Gunpla for her first two fights, and she replaced it with a Sinanju."

The way the word "Sinanju" left her lips sounded bitter, like it left a bad taste in her mouth. Weiss raised an eyebrow. "That's what this is about?"

"Your Gyan was a marvel," Gyanko stated. "A work of art. I thought it was masterfully built and painted. It actually excited me to see another enthusiast who loved the Gyan."

Her expression hardened. "But then yesterday, you switched to one of the most overrated mobile suits in existence! Granted, your version was at least slightly more interesting, but out of all the Gunpla you could have chose-"

"I chose the Gunpla that best suited my needs," Weiss snapped back. "Besides, don't you use a R-Jarja for your main machine sometimes? How is my Sinanju any worse than that?"

Gyanko looked almost offended at Weiss's comparison. "My R-Gyagya manages to encapsulate the perfection that is the Gyan without compromising on either looks or performance. I've perfectly modified it to stay true to its inspiration."

Ral listened to the two girls go back and forth, staying silent as they argued. Weiss seemed ready to rebuttal, but he cut her off by pulling up on the Gyan box and easily yanking it out of their distracted grasps. "I see. Gyanko, you seem to have an issue with Weiss's choice in Gunpla, and Weiss seems to take offense to your attitude towards that."

He held the Gunpla box with both hands, looking at both of them. "So, I feel that this may not be something that words alone can solve. Perhaps you two may find understanding on the battlefield, with the prize being the Gyan here."

Weiss and Gyanko looked at each other. The idea had clearly crossed their minds during their confrontation, as each took pride in the Gunpla they had built. "Fine," Weiss declared. "I just finished rebuilding the Gyan Noblesse Oblige today; this'll be a good way to test out these modifications."

Gyanko's smug smile grew larger. "If you think you stand any kind of chance against me and my Gyancelot, then you have another thing coming!"

She turned away from Weiss and headed for the nearby battle table, leaving her opponent even more annoyed and frustrated. Weiss growled slightly, exhaling rather abruptly as she felt a comforting hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see her grandfather and Klein standing next to her, and her mother and sister behind them.

"You have an unusual fire in you today," Nikolas said. "I have to say, it suits you."

Winter walked up to her sister and stood before her. The height difference between the two meant Weiss had to look up at Winter, and as she did so, she took note of the pride and determination in her eyes. "Weiss. Don't let her rile you up. You fight with honor, not just with pride. And she clearly sees you as the inferior duelist. But I've fought your Gyan before. I know how powerful it is. How powerful you are. And you are going to be able to show her that strength, first hand."

Weiss nodded, before turning to Mister Ral. She eyed him, and the Gyan box he held, looking at her goal with a renewed determination.

She took a deep, calming breath, and exhaled again, before heading to meet Gyanko at the battle table.

Nikolas stepped up and stood next to Ral. "I hadn't expected to see you here, old friend."

Ral looked at him. "I love exploring different hobby shops. I just happened to be here in the right place at the right time."

Nikolas smirked. "You haven't changed a bit."

Weiss and Gyanko took off into the battlefield, which wound up being a recreation of the arena that Zeus Gundam and God Gundam fought in during the events of G Gundam. The two Gyans landed on the tiled floor, facing each other with weapons and shields in hand.

Both girls glared at their opponent's Gunpla. Thoughts of the limited edition Gyan danced in their heads, as well as the individual irritation they were feeling at this moment.

Weiss gripped her control orbs tightly. "Overrated…" she muttered through clenched teeth. She wished this battle was between the Sinanju Stalritter and the R-Gyagya right now, but it seemed more fitting that they were both in custom Gyans for this.

She scooted her heels together, before lifting her right foot up to stand on its toe, and raised her rapier up, hilt to her face, blade pointed toward the Gyancelot. Gyanko, in response, dropped down into a defensive stance, her spear arm raised and the spear tip resting on the edge of her shield.

The shield was a significantly higher quality than the rest of the Gunpla; it would take an extreme amount of punishment. In fact, the entire scenario reminded Weiss of her duel with Pyrrha's Tallgeese over a week prior.

Both Gunpla units watched the other intently, the icy blue monoeye of Weiss's meeting the traditional pink of Gyanko's.

Both machines stood poised to strike for several long, deliberate moments, waiting. Gyanko and Weiss refused to make the first move, trying to measure the others' resolve.

Winter looked on with her mother from the sidelines, eyes shifting from one Gunpla to the other. Both were practically lifeless, yet both were brimming with potential energy waiting to be unleashed.

The entire scene escaped Willow, who crossed her arms. "What is she waiting for?" She asked impatiently.

Finally, a twitch. Weiss's lifted foot scooted forward slightly, as if preparing to push off. Gyanko heard this and immediately unleashed a volley of pin missiles from her shield. The attack hurtled towards her, but she waited until the last moment to finally dash to the right. The projectiles exploded against the energy barrier surrounding the ring behind her as she circled Gyanko and rushed forward.

The Gyancelot turned and blocked her thrust with its shield, raising it up to deflect it. Weiss spun on her heel and swung around with her right arm and shield to intercept a stab from Gyanko's spear, before lancing forward with another rapier thrust, which forced Gyanko to back up from to avoid being skewered in the chest. Weiss released a single beam shot from the tip of Myrtnaster, which was unsurprisingly blocked by the incredibly sturdy shield of the Gyancelot.

Gyanko landed and skidded to a halt, digging her heels into the ring floor, before launching herself yet again at Weiss. Her spear strike was easily avoided by the Gyan Noblesse Oblige, who shot to Gyanko's right and swung her rapier like a longsword at her shoulder.

The blow was caught by Gyanko's spear as she turned and slapped the rapier away, allowing Weiss to twist into another pirouette. She spun on her toe and slammed the Gyan Noblesse Oblige's buckler right into the massive shield of the Gyancelot. The impact knocked Gyanko off balance, and she barely had time to plant her left foot back and swing her spear up to intercept a swinging strike from her opponent.

Myrtnaster skidded against the haft of her spear, it's blade not finding a perch along the smooth exterior of Gyanko's weapon. Weiss kicked Gyanko in the chest and boosted backwards, deploying a set of hide mines as she landed.

She watched Gyanko carefully, as the Gyancelot steadied itself and regained its footing. Her mind raced, and she glanced at her left orb. She had her White Rose bits, charged and ready, but she held off on them for now. She suspected she may need them eventually.

Gyanko planted her left foot behind her to push off, and charged, shield raised in front of her. The explosive mines detonated around her, but her shield easily absorbed the damage as she launched herself at Weiss. Her polearm thrusted forward, forcing Weiss to Gyanko's right to avoid the stab.

The Gyancelot swiped horizontally, following its target, forcing Weiss to land on her left foot and boost backwards, defending herself with her buckler. The Noblesse Oblige fired several beam shots from its sword tip at Gyanko, all of which bounced off of her shield as she raised it in defense, followed by her releasing a small volley of pin missiles in her direction.

The missiles erupted around Weiss, knocking her off balance as she touched down again, only to have her footing torn from under her. She stumbled backwards, letting out a surprised gasp as she struggled to regain control.

Gyanko took the distraction as an opportunity to rush her, lashing out with a shield bash that deflected Weiss's buckler upwards, leaving her exposed. Weiss jumped back as the spear tip scraped across the left side of the Noblesse Oblige's face, leaving a long scar across the eye slit of her Gunpla.

The thrust had come so suddenly, Weiss was almost certain she'd lost her head. Her eyes went wide with panic at the narrow miss. She backed away quickly, raising her buckler up to her face to protect it as the pair of machine guns mounted to the Gyancelot's spear attempted to destroy the Noblesse Oblige's head. The bullets pinged harmlessly off of the shield as Weiss retreated.

The Gyancelot planted its staff into the ground, staring at her target defiantly. "Please, this is pathetic," Gyanko taunted. "And here I thought you were going to be far worthier than this."

Weiss snorted and rotated her wrist, glaring at the Gyancelot through her main camera feed. The two were on relatively equal footing, with neither having a decisive advantage at this moment. So Gyanko's obnoxious behavior did nothing but frustrate Weiss further.

"I'm not seeing where you get to talk down to me like that," Weiss snapped back, "but I'll show you exactly why I'm not to be taken lightly."

Gyanko grinned confidently. "Please, try and make this at least a little bit challenging."

The Gyancelot activated its beam mantles from the backs of its shoulders, as well as the beam crest on its head, and raised its spear in the air. Weiss, in turn, responded with her RG System, the metallic blue Sleeves motif across the Gyan Noblesse Oblige shining and runes carved into the blade of Myrtnaster beginning to glow, until the physical blade was encompassed in a icy blue sheath of flames.

Weiss reared her sword arm back and took off, charging head long into the Gyancelot. She shield tackled Gyanko, her buckler slamming against the larger shield of her foe, who remained planted in place and barely budged from the impact.

She then rotated, lashing out with a kick to the back of the knee, which brought the Gyancelot down to one knee as Weiss spun on her toe. Her rapier, emblazoned with power, slashed as she came around in her revolution. The fire concentrated into a crescent beam, which was blocked only by Gyanko's quick turn to the left so her shoulder beam mantle could take the blow as she fell.

Weiss retreated in time to avoid a shield bash, which also scattered hide mines between them. She launched her White Rose bits from her back rack, swarming Gyanko as she landed.

The Gyancelot stood up and turned to the right, blocking a pair of beams from two of the bits trying to flank her. Her shield took a direct hit from a third, and she jumped backwards to avoid a fourth. Gyanko's eyes darted around to try and track their movements, but the small bits were moving too erratically to predict.

Gyanko shook her head as she dodged beam attack after beam attack, her mantles and shield working overtime to intercept the orbiting bits. She'd faced bits and funnels in the past, and had countered swarms of them in her time as a battler, but these ones were just a bit faster, just a bit more nimble, than ones she was used to, and she didn't know why.

"Grrr…you won't beat me," she muttered, before twisting her wrist over to her special slot on her right orb. Her spear's tip fanned open, revealing the large Zeon symbol that had been folded up. "For the glory of St. Odessa's Academy…for my own pride…you will not beat me!"

With Gyanko distracted, Weiss took the opportunity to fire a single beam at the cluster of hide mines Gyanko had dropped with her last shield bash, detonating them to allow her bits greater movement without risk. She watched as power began to build up around Gyanko's Gunpla. Almost like a storm was being summoned at her location.

She watched as a lightning bolt shot down from the heavens onto the tip of her raised spear, and moved her buckler in front of her as Gyanko pointed it at her. The Rose Bits returned to Weiss's side, positioned directly in front of her, and activated a beam shield between the four of them as the Gyancelot's Divine Wrath attack unleashed itself towards them.

The beam barrier halted the incoming blast, absorbing the ferocious attack that was intended to end the match. Weiss was concerned that the new upgrade may not hold up to the power output of the special, but she was pleased to see that the shield, in fact, survived as the attack subsided a moment later.

Gyanko smiled victoriously, and was about to quip about her superior Gunpla, when she noticed that the Gyan Noblesse Oblige was still standing, sword raised and bits still hovering around it.

In fact, the bits weren't just hovering. They were glowing.

"Wha….how?!" She demanded.

"I warned you not to underestimate me," Weiss shot back. "Now you're going to see why."

She pointed her rapier at the Gyancelot, and it and all four White Rose bits returned fire. The four bits were supercharged with Gyanko's own attack, and the beams the unleashed were each a quarter as powerful as her own Divine Wrath. They merged with each other and Weiss's rapier beam to create a superlaser that threatened to overwhelm her.

Gyanko dropped her spear and withdrew her beam saber, before plunging the emitter into the back of her shield and activating it. The saber's power formed a beam barrier of her own that activated just as the superlaser reached her. The force of the impact caused the Gyancelot to dig its heels in to avoid getting pushed back, and the beam shield fluctuated, but took the full blow without trouble.

When the attack faded, both girls were left both stunned and impressed at each other's defensive abilities. Gyanko had to admit that she underestimated Weiss. There were no excuses for it.

"Alright, I admit it," she said with a hint of amusement and appreciation. "I underestimated you."

She rose up from her crouched stance, shield still facing Weiss, and she disengaged her beam saber. "I see now why you changed your Gunpla. Your Gyan is fantastic, and these new upgrades are amazing, but I'm willing to bet they only came about from you working on your Sinanju, yes?"

Weiss watched her carefully, rapier still pointed her way. "Yeah. Even with these enhancements, there's no way the Noblesse Oblige could compete with the upper tier opponents. I didn't choose the Sinanju as my base model for the new Gunpla. I just had it and ran with it."

Gyanko listened intently, before nodding. She realized, in that moment, that Weiss had recognized her own weaknesses. She had seen that the other contestants were working with superior designs, and adapted.

She wasn't terribly fond of this feeling, of knowing she was wrong. But the way Weiss was sparring with her seemed to light a bit of a fire under her, and her frustrations melted away, turning from resentment to excitement. "Okay. I don't normally apologize, but I guess this time I have to. I'm sorry for the things I've said." She smirked. "Your Gunpla is amazing. That Gyan is something I'd love to show my brothers. They'd love it."

She took a step forward and raised her sword above her shield. "But…this is still a fight. And I still don't plan to lose. I have a lot of respect for that Gyan, but I still am going to have to destroy it."

Weiss was surprised by her change in demeanor, but smiled as well as she refocused herself on Gyanko. "You can try."

Both girls once again waited for a moment, centering themselves, before launching into another wave of attacks. Weiss purposefully left her bits behind. This was a duel now.

Neither girl used their hide bombs or pin missiles, and Weiss never fired a shot from Myrtnaster. This came down to swordplay. It was a test of skill, a test of mettle.

The southpaw fencing style of the Gyan Noblesse Oblige clashed with the traditional knight style of the Gyancelot. The blue flames around Myrtnaster reflected the beam saber, and both girls jockeyed for position before stabbing, slashing, and darting away.

The engagement pushed their martial skills to the limit. Gyanko and Weiss both had sweat pouring down their faces as they collided, blades crossing or bouncing off of shields before resuming their dance of death.

And yet, the air around the fight had changed. The opening portion of battle had been filled with animosity, but now there was something akin to mutual respect and even admiration between the two. Both fighters were keeping pace with the others, and now that it had de-escelated, it was clear that they both were having fun.

Gyanko slashed down with her saber, knocking Weiss's buckler down and out of her hands, before striking her Gunpla with a pointed elbow to the face. The Noblesse Oblige stumbled, before ducking under a swipe from her sword and delivering a high kick that caught the edge of Gyanko's shield with her toe and ripped it out of her grasp, sending it flying backwards.

Both girls backed up, now shieldless, sabers pointed at each other. They panted slightly, the movement taking a lot out of them, but both were smiling, more than content with how this was going.

They didn't say anything else, as they launched into another flurry of blows, dodging and parrying everything the other threw at them.

Gyanko thrusted forward, forcing Weiss to side step and spin around to the Gyancelot's left. Once she stopped, an idea occurred to Weiss.

She swung her rapier up, catching the end portion of the left external fuel tank on the Gyancelot's back with her blazing blade. The sword cut through it, causing a detonation that released the stored Plavsky Particles into the surrounding area and staggered Gyanko, who stumbled forward in surprise.

She gasped and turned around, witnessing the Gyan Noblesse Oblige now completely surrounded by the released particles, which were being funneled into her chest intake vents. The glowing Sleeves motif around her body lit up brighter, and her ice blue monoeye swiveled to the left, peering out the scar Gyanko had given her on the left side of her Gunpla's face.

Gyanko deactivated her beam mantles to conserve power, now knowing she was at a disadvantage. She remembered hearing about how Ruby and Yang's Gunpla could absorb Plavsky Particles to create near endless energy; now, it appeared she was facing that system directly. Sekai had fought Yang before, so she had no idea what kind of power output such a system could give a Gunpla.

She shuddered at the thought, as Weiss twirled her rapier up, arm bent and sword parallel with her face once more. Gyanko dug her heels into the tiles of the arena floor, most of which were shattered from the duel, and raised her sword in response.

Weiss exhaled slowly, calming herself, before charging with great speed towards the Gyancelot. She feigned a forward strike, dodging to Gyanko's right and stabbing straight at her target. Gyanko reactivated her right beam mantle to catch the blade, stopping its impact cold, before turning and slashing at Weiss.

The beam saber the Gyancelot used was lower in intensity on the sides, and more potent on the tip. Weiss raised her right arm and blocked the blow, the armor around her bicep warping and melting slightly. However, since the blade was not designed for slashing, the weapon didn't cut through, which Weiss expected. She back stepped two paces, before lashing out again.

Gyanko deflected the strike, using her saber to knock Weiss's wide. Her left fist landed a hard blow in the Noblesse Oblige's face, denting the armor around the eye slit. Weiss stepped back once, then reached out with her right hand and grabbed the Gyancelot by the wrist. She pulled it off balance, maintaining her grip, and drove the tip of her blade through the elbow joint, severing the limb from Gyanko's Gunpla.

Gyanko pulled away once the arm was removed, and raised her sword again to stop another stab from Weiss. The two swords pushed against one another, before Gyanko crouched slightly and pushed back, forcing Weiss to land. She then knocked Weiss's sword wide once more, before delivering a knee to the midsection of the Noblesse Oblige.

The Gunpla hunched over from the attack, allowing Gyanko to deliver an unchallenged kick to the chest that knocked it on its back. Weiss's cockpit rumbled dramatically as she toppled, watching as Gyanko charged her and leapt into the air.

She leaned to the side as the beam saber impaled her right clavicle, sending alarms blaring and turning her cockpit HUD red. Weiss responded in kind with a thrust to the side of the Gyancelot, delivering a devastating blow through Gyanko's torso and midsection. The blue fire melted and fused the armor there, preventing her from standing upright once more.

The critical damage to the Gunpla meant that Weiss's sword was embedded in her torso. She pulled away, ripping the Rapier from Weiss's hand, and landed several meters away, assessing the damage.

With one arm, she couldn't pull Myrtnaster from her torso. The blade was firmly wedged in her Gunpla, preventing her from moving or turning her body in any direction. She dropped her beam saber and began trying to wrench the weapon from her, like the sword in the stone. Only, the stone was her own body.

She looked up to see Weiss standing up. The hole that had almost taken the entire right shoulder of the Gyan Noblesse Oblige off had begun to cool, but Weiss still had most of her full motion. She looked to her right. Her buckler sat, discarded, nearly twenty meters away.

The Noblesse Oblige boosted to it, reaching down with her left arm and picking the shield up. Gyanko began to panic, looking around for her own shield. She found it almost forty meters from her-far too far for her to grab it to defend herself. She tugged at Myrtnaster in vain to get the sword free, but to no avail.

Weiss touched down and knelt, flipping the buckler over and drawing a hidden beam saber blade from the back storage rack. It was a Sinanju beam saber, or one very similar, and when she ignited it, a thin blue blade of energy sprung forth. She faced Gyanko and aimed her weapon at her, just as she had before.

Gyanko abandoned the prospect of freeing Myrtnaster, and bent down to retrieve her own saber. She was still kneeling when Weiss's weapon slashed at her, forcing her to raise her sword up defensively to intercept the slash. Sparks flew as the beams battled to overwhelm each other.

With the sabers clashing, Weiss took the opportunity to try and end the fight. With her damaged right arm, she reached out and took hold of Myrtnaster's hilt, reigniting the blue flames. She pulled the weapon free from the Gyancelot, nearly cutting the machine in half as she did so, but in the process wound up damaging her shoulder so severely the section exploded violently, taking a large section of the Gyan Noblesse Oblige's torso with it.

The right arm dropped as both Gunpla reeled from the explosion and damage, landing next to each other in piles of molten plastic. A sense of curiosity and surprise washed over both girls, as reality set in once the smoke cleared.

It was a draw.

The Gyan Noblesse Oblige was missing almost half its right side of the torso, and its face had been scorched. The Gyancelot had a wide, deep slash through its gut, barely avoiding a cut that would have cleaved the Gunpla in two. Neither machine could continue.

The table dematerialized, leaving the two to stare, dumbfounded, at what had just happened. And then, after a moment to process, laugh.

Their laughter filled the area, confusing the group of spectators that had gathered around to see the duel. In the midst of the fight, both women had forgotten exactly why the had started the fight in the first place.

Mister Ral looked both of them over with a kind, happy smile. "This wasn't exactly the outcome either of you wanted," he said, "but I think it was the best outcome to come from this."

"Which is a good thing," Nikolas added, before turning to Klein, who had two boxes in his hand.

Weiss's laughter subsided a bit, and she turned to her grandfather. "What do you mean?"

Nikolas handed both girls a box each-identical copies of the limited edition Gyan. "It just so happens that, in the middle of this, I had Klein ask the shop keeper if he had another on hand. When he said he did, I purchased both. Considering the spectacle you both just put on, I think you both earned it."

Gyanko blinked in shock, before taking the Gunpla from Nikolas. "Th…thank you! Thank you so much!"

She turned to Weiss. "I'm sorry. I really shouldn't have said all those things. I got a little carried away. You absolutely are an incredible duelist."

Weiss smiled in response. "I could say the same thing. I haven't had a good one-on-one, sword-only duel in a long time. This was incredible."

Gyanko nodded, before her arrogant grin returned. "Next time, though, it'll be different. My R-Gyagya will total your Sinanju in five seconds, flat. I know all about your gimmicks, and they won't work on me when we next meet."

Weiss's pride refused to let her back down, and she returned the look Gyanko gave her. "We'll just have to see about that, now won't we?"

Winter and Klein exchanged smirks. The two knew that Weiss would never let such a challenge go unanswered. But Willow seemed less interested in that, and more in her father.

"You had something to do with this, didn't you?" she asked bluntly, keeping her voice down. "You brought us here for a reason. Was this part of a plan of some sort?"

"Hardly," Nikolas chuckled. "I'm not so nefarious or omnipotent that I can see the future or put things in motion that wouldn't happen otherwise. I just saw an opportunity in this, and decided to see if there was a way to make something good come of it."

He nodded towards Weiss. "Your daughter chose a path separate from Winter and your husband, or even you and I. And she's made herself world famous now, because of it." He gave Willow a warm smile. "And she's happy. For the first time since you moved up to Oregon with me. It's a wonderful thing to see, isn't it?"

Willow glanced at Weiss. Her gaze held a sort of judgemental disapproval in it at first, but as she watched Weiss fight and now talk with her opponent, she couldn't help but agree. "I suppose…you're correct, Father."

"I'm glad you think so." He walked up to Weiss, before putting his hand on her shoulder. "A splendid display, my dear. And Kousaka, was it? Come! Let me treat you all to lunch. Ral, as well! I want to talk more about this sport! Regale me with your exploits in past battles, please!"

"Grandfather!" Weiss called out in protest. "What the-"

"I'd love to," Gyanko answered abruptly. "After a fight like that, I'm starving!"

Ral nodded and waved his hand at Nikolas. "I appreciate the offer, but I need to follow up on something. Perhaps another time."

Nikolas nodded. "I'll hold you to that, Ral. Now, ladies, Klein, let us go sample something delicious!"


Weiss and Gyanko had chosen to sit in the booth behind Nikolas and the others. They had already begun repairing their machines, though both of them seemed to be replaying the battle in their mind as they handled the maintenance of their Gunpla.

Weiss looked up at Gyanko after reapplying the glittering Sleeves motif to her Gyan's chest, and pressing the black plate into place. "So, why'd you choose the R-Jarja for the basis of your other Gunpla?"

Gyanko looked up at her for a moment, and paused. "I suppose it's because I saw the Gyan in it," she answered. "It had the appearance of a noble knight, and with only a few cosmetic changes and some new paint, it perfectly captured the same feeling, but on a much grander scale."

"What about the Gyan Storm from Gundam SEED Freedom?"

Gyanko paused for a moment as she took a bite of her ramen, before dismissing the idea with a wave of her hand. "I prefer UC mobile suits," she said, her mouth partially full. She swallowed before continuing. "SEED has a lot of interesting and cool designs, but some of them just feel a bit extra. Like the Gyan Storm."

A thought occurred to her, and she looked up at the ceiling. "Although, its shield would be an interesting gimmick. Having two of those on the R-Gyagya would be interesting…"

Weiss could see the wheels in her head turning, and smiled. Something about the younger girl reminded her of herself, in a way. Especially with her dedication to the Gyan look. It reminded her of her own love of the Sleeves motif on the Neo Zeon mobile suits, and how it made the machines look more regal and noble.

Gyanko glanced down at her watch, before panicking. "Oh, shoot, I was supposed to meet Sekai today!" She quickly drank her ramen broth, before reaching over and gathering her new Gunpla and the parts to her Gyancelot. "I'm sorry to eat and run, but I gotta go!"

Weiss shook her head. "No worries! We'll see each other again, I'm sure. Have fun."

Gyanko bowed respectfully to her, and to Nikolas for lunch, before darting out of the diner. Nikolas watched her until she had left the door, then turned back to Willow. With her back turned to her daughter, Willow could only hear the happiness and fun in her voice. But the sound of joy had certainly made her realize exactly how wrong she'd been about Gunpla and its importance to Weiss.

She caught her father staring, and sighed, sipping her tea. "Fine. I get the point."

"No, but you will," Nikolas replied confidently. "Especially after tomorrow's fight. Trust me, and more importantly, trust Weiss."

Winter didn't interject. Instead, she sat quietly, regarding her mother coldly. She was almost disappointed in the lack of conviction she was showing on just telling Weiss how proud she was of her and her skills.

She set her tea cup down. She thought about turning and trying to talk with Weiss, but she hesitated. In doing so, Weiss stood up and approached the table.

"I'm headed off," she told them. "I have a few tweaks to make on the Sinanju before tomorrow."

"Will my friends be helping again?" Nikolas asked, hinting at her previous experience that helped her design the Sinanju Stalritter in the first place.

She nodded, holding the bag with her Master Grade Gunpla in one hand and clutching the locket she had with the other. "If they'll agree to it, yes."

Nikolas's eyes darted to Willow, who was rubbing her cup's sides nervously. He noted her silence, disappointed that she wasn't yet ready to open up to Weiss just yet, but said nothing. "Well, then I hope they lead you on the right path. Go on."

Weiss smiled and nodded, before heading out herself, back towards the nearby hotel.

Nikolas looked back at Willow. "When will you talk to her?"

Willow shook her head sadly, ashamed of the fear she felt. "I don't know."

The lackluster response made Winter look at her grandfather, but both of them sat in silence for a moment. Whatever Nikolas was feeling, he didn't show it. He simply ate his food, and when the time came, summoned Klein to return them to the hotel, with Winter parting with them to go on an errand.

The entire situation left Nikolas worried about his family. He could only hope that things would improve as time went on.