"Speech"
"Flashback Speech"
'Thoughts'
/Speech over communication tech/
Infinite Stratos: The Iron-Blooded Devil
Chapter 7: Black Rabbit, White Wolf
There was chorus of laughs, comments about 'burns' and a collective "OOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHH!" throughout the stadium.
Tomino: /Shots fired and the fight hasn't even started yet!?/
Yatate: /If he keeps throwing shade, we're gonna need flashlights./
Kobayashi gritted her teeth in anger and charged just as the start bell chimed; Ichika rocketed forward to meet her challenge. In her fury, she forgot about Barbatos' exceptional strength in melee but was quickly reminded when said Gundam batted her away before resuming the charge, this time, at Bodewig. The German girl quickly deployed her AIC, stopping him in his tracks.
"Go for the bigger threat first, a logical tactic; I'll give you that," Laura said.
"Why thank you," Ichika replied, "Nice to know someone understands."
"But to rush in so recklessly, I seem to have misjudged you if you would do something so foolish."
"Did I?"
The girl quirked an eyebrow before she caught movement and backed away just before an object struck where she once was.
'He deployed his tail weapon before coming into range of my barrier, I would've been in trouble had I not seen it at the last minute.'
The blade then dragged across the floor, cutting a shallow trench towards Laura, she countered by drawing her two beam sabers and backhanded the weapon. And just in time as Ichika came in again, this time brandishing a pair of smaller maces in each hand. Laura tried a lunge only for Ichika to bat the limb away before she rounded with her other blade and to be driven to the ground by the other mace redirecting the attack. She followed up with a shot of her railgun to which Ichika tilted his head out of line fire before he returned the favor with a dropkick, the German crossed her arms to brace and block the attack then throw the boy back just before the tail blade came back for another strike; forcing to back away just as the blade hit the ground again. It then dislodged itself before it was reeled back onto the ready position on Barbatos' backpack.
"Now that's more like it," Laura grinned as she and Ichika stared each other down.
Tomino: /What an amazing start to the match!/
Yatate: /That all happened so fast I don't think I caught all of it./
As the two faced off, Kobayashi got up and charged again, her sword drawn.
"Don't you ignore me!"
The sudden appearance of another sword swinging right at her forced Kobayashi to block with her own sword and back away as Houki slid into view.
"He's busy, your opponent is me," she said as she took a stance.
Tomino: /And we got a face-off between Shinonono and Kobayashi/
Izumi growled before glancing at her shield energy:
568
A sizeable chunk was already gone from just one hit by the Barbatos but it looked like he didn't hit her as hard as last time. Regardless, she had to deal with this plebian first.
"My opponent? You? With an Uchigane? Don't make me laugh!" Kobayashi raged as she fired off a missile.
Houki sprinted forward before slicing the projectile in two and then rushed the Japanese rep contender. Said girl swung her sword at the younger of the Shinonono sisters to which she blocked. What followed next were a series of strikes that were either blocked or parried by Houki. As this was going on, Houki took note of her opponent: Kobayashi's attacks were erratic, sloppy. She had no form, wasted energy in attacks, left herself wide open too many times and clearly let her emotions run wild. While this does make her a little difficult to predict, she'll run out of steam before Houki does.
This girl was a worse fighter than she thought, Houki almost felt insulted that this was the top contender to represent her country.
In the Control Room.
"The match is off to quite the start; Orimura and Shinonono are doing well," Maya noted.
"Not surprising. Even if they haven't seen each other in years, those two always worked well together," said Chifuyu.
"I am a little concerned about Kobayahi, she seems a little… unstable today," Maya noted again with a hint of concern.
The elder Orimura silently agreed. Ever since she started at the school, the Kobayashi girl honestly believed she was untouchable because of her mother; but recent events proved the contrary. Now she was fighting to maintain that illusion of invincibility and, given her track record of questionable behavior, it made Chifuyu worried that the girl would do something stupid and/or drastic.
After another wide swing, Houki made her move and disarmed Kobayashi of her sword. This served to further infuriate the girl as she held her shield out before it began to glow and fire a massive energy bolt at the Shinonono girl. The resulting explosion kicked up a large cloud of dust.
"Houki!" Ichika called out before blocking a strike from Laura.
Yatate: /And Kobayashi shows off her Sun Mirror Cannon!/
Kobayashi sneered before turning her shield towards the deadlocked Barbatos and Schwarzer Regan. She wouldn't get the chance to use it, however, as the crack of a gunshot rang out and a bullet sped out of the dust cloud and right into her shield arm. Surprise and shock filled Kobayashi as she turned back to where her previous opponent was to find her still active and now holding an assault rifle.
Houki allowed a wry grin on lips.
(Flashback)
Houki stared down the sight before taking three shots, missing the bullseye each time.
"Why am I doing this?" she asked, turning to Ichika.
"To help you with shooting better."
She gave the boy a flat look.
"That's not what I meant and you know it. I'm perfectly fine with just a sword."
"But if that is all you use, you limit yourself and make it easy for your opponents to notice your shortcomings in the tournament."
"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked, slightly offended
"If all you focus on is Close Quarters Combat, all a smart opponent would need to do is keep their distance."
"Then I'll simply close that distance."
"Except this isn't kendo, firearms will definitely come into play."
"That didn't stop you."
"Yeah but that was because no one knew what my machine was capable of. Now, they know if I get too close to them, it's game over. They will make damn sure to keep me as far away as possible but I have weapons to compensate for that."
The girl gave a silent grunt in resignation, he won this round.
"Okay, fair point. And since I'll be using an Uchigane, they'll know what I can do."
"They'll have a general idea. And we'll most likely be going against Personal ISs and their specs are much higher than a mass-produced model. So there's a few handicaps you got right there. Have you been in an IS match here?"
"No, I haven't."
"Then that's one thing in your favor."
Houki raised an eyebrow at that statement before another thought crossed her mind.
"Did you ever have these kind of problems?"
"Several times"
He then stared up at the sky as his mind drifted back.
"When Tekkadan first started out, we were heavily outnumbered and outgunned and our enemies knew it. So we had to be smart in how we fought. A lot of times were gambles that paid off but they often involved the enemy underestimating us. Now as this tournament is two-on-two, any personal IS pilots will most likely see your machine as easy pickings. Use that."
"What do you mean?"
"They won't see you as much of a threat and focus more on me. In battle, overlooking even just one enemy can be costly."
With that, Ichika's previous statement about her having a favor already made sense.
"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles' is basically what you're saying, right?"
"Exactly, there may be a few who have pieced together that you trained in kendo but will likely not expect you to pop 'em at a distance."
"In short, be unpredictable."
"Right, let's get back to it."
Ichika then came up behind her, his hands on hers as he guided them to where they needed to be on the weapon.
"Line up your sights, relax and squeeze the trigger; don't pull."
(Flashback end)
Houki then fired off a few more rounds, snapping Kobayashi out of her stupor and back into her rage. She responded by launching all her remaining missiles at her opponent, forcing her back to avoid them. Some detonated when they crashed into each other, sending her to the ground with the shockwave. Kobayashi, having recovered her sword leered down at Houki before readying to deliver the final blow. Houki, however, simply smirked.
"Forgetting someone?" she asked.
Kobayashi looked down at the girl in confusion before cold realization dawned. She didn't even look because she already knew he was there, his huge mace at the ready; nor did she have to wait long before the heavy weapon slammed into her and sending her sliding across the field, face first, before coming to a stop inches from the wall.
Students, teachers and sponsors winced at the sight.
Tomino: /Oh, what a hit, that hurt!/
Yatate: /Kobayashi is out of the match!/
Those from class 1-1 erupted in cheers, waving their banners and praising the duo representing their class. Down near the edge of the stands stood Rin, Cecilia and Charlotte. The latter two were observing the younger Orimura's fighting style.
"He certainly doesn't pull his punches against anyone, though it's a little brutish, if not barbaric," Cecilia noted.
"Maybe, but you can't deny that it's effective," Charlotte added.
As for Rin, she was cheering her old friend on as he and Houki focused their attention on Laura who was now being pushed back into a corner.
"Looks like Kobayashi really was all talk."
An unfamiliar voice caught Rin's attention, she traced the origin to a group of girls she somewhat recognized as the school's Hall Moniter Guild; most notably the ones that had their asses handed to them by Ichika. They were all glaring down at their 'leader' in a condescending way.
"Seriously, she couldn't even beat someone in an Uchigane?"
"And what was that big talk about a secret weapon?"
That last part made Rin uneasy, her instincts were telling her to inform the teachers. She didn't ignore them and walked away to do just that.
"Where are you going?" Cecilia asked.
"To see Ms. Orimura, I got a bad feeling Kobayashi is gonna pull another stunt and it's not gonna be pretty."
The two blondes shared a glance before following the Chinese Rep.
As if she heard the smack talk from her soon-to-be former guild members, Kobayashi seethed.
"No one finishes this fight but me!"
Laura was beginning to grow nervous as her two opponents used a combination of hit-and-run tactics along with sacrifice-and-attack. She had always strived to be the best, believing she didn't need anyone else's help and time and again, she proved it true. But now that mind set had hit the limit as her mentor's younger brother and his teammate were displaying impressive teamwork and tactics, when one would be caught by her cancelling barrier, the other would exploit the opening and counterattack. By now, it was all too clear that one or both of them was aware of her ultimate defense's Achilles' heel, the AIC's area of effect was a narrow cone and she could only focus on one enemy at a time; not something you use haphazardly in a team battle. And even if it was one-on-one, the younger Orimura's Gundam proved to be the worst kind of opponent for the Schwarzer Regan due to it being able to attack from two directions at once.
Speaking of the boy, she couldn't help but note that he and his sister were practically polar opposites: where the Brunhilde had the grace and finesse of a warrior goddess, her brother had the power and brutality of a demon. A prime example of yin and yang, different yet complementary to each other. When she first learned about him, she was enraged at what she believed to be a weak link in her idol but that rage was chipped away as the boy, no, the man showed his strength. Strength that earned her respect little by little in such a short amount of time, strength that proved he was worthy to stand by her mentor, strength that was now overpowering hers.
Laura glanced at her shield counter, showing that it was dangerously low and her two opponents were readying another stream of attacks. Possible plan after plan filled her mind but none seemed viable in this situation, she was going to lose this battle and yet, she felt at peace. Her mentor always mentioned that there will always be someone better, a 'bigger fish in the sea' she said, and when she meet that bigger fish; she could strive to become even better than what she was before. Laura was not too proud to admit to herself that Ichika Orimura was that better fighter she had been looking for. And she could take this loss with dignity and walk away with new experience and wisdom.
Then a notice popped up in the HUD.
[VT SYSTEM ENGAGED]
"Wait, what?" she asked in surprise before her world exploded in pain.
Just as Rin, Cecilia and Charlotte came running into the control room, the alarms began to blare. Everyone watched in horror as Laura's IS broke down into a dark sludge before enveloping her and began to assume a new shape.
"Maya, lock down the arena and scramble the faculty," Chifuyu ordered, prompting the bespectacled woman to go to work on the terminal. However…
"I can't!"
"What?"
"I can't activate the barriers, we've been locked out of the system!"
Tomino: /Ladies and Gentlemen, there appears to be an issue with Bodewig's IS./
Yatate: /Please, make your way to the exits in an orderly fashion while the IS academy instructors get the situation under control./
Ichika glanced around as panic filled the arena stands as students and visitors made for nearby exits and yet the protective shutters did not close nor did the doors open for the audience to evacuate. The mass that was Laura's IS finished taking on its new shape, one that greatly resembled Chifuyu and her personal IS back in her heyday, including a facsimile of her sword, Yukihira.
Kobayashi grinned, this will show them. This will show them all that no one opposes her without consequences; that she decides who is on top.
Several teachers came zipping out onto the field, surrounding the transformed machine. Said IS took this as provocation and attacked the nearest enemy. This made the other faculty members move in for the attack but were soundly defeated one by one. Ichika was about to intervene before he was stopped by the comms popping up.
/Orimura, get back to the pit now!/ his sister's voice came over the comms.
"What's going on?"
/No time, get yourself and Shinonono back to the pit right now! Let the instructors handle this./
"Ichika, let's go," Houki urged her old childhood friend as she moved back on her teacher's orders.
Ichika glanced back at the battle in front of him as another teacher got knocked to the ground as more faculty members joined up on the field. Though reluctant, he was about to follow Houki before a notice came up on his HUD.
[ANALYSIS COMPLETE. PARAMETERS MET.]
The hell did that mean, what parameters? He'd have to check the log after he got back to the pit. However, as he tried to step back, the machine refused to move. He then heard the sound of the Ahab Reactors revving up, something Houki did not fail to notice.
"Ichika, what are you doing?"
"It's not me, Barbatos just froze up."
He then felt a jolt through the AV system, causing him to wince.
/Orimura, stand down and fall back/ Chifuyu's voice came over the comm.
"I'm not doing this, it's doing it on its own. But it hasn't done this since…"
He thought back to a time when the mobile suit acted like this before…back on Mars…
Back in the Control Room.
/Chifuyu, what exactly are we dealing with here?/
"You will refer to me as-" she began to chastise him.
/What. IS. That thing?/ Ichika cut her off.
His tone made it clear he was in soldier mode and had no time for formalities. She would have to reprimand him later.
"All signs point to it being a Valkyrie Trace System, a device that was developed to mimic past Mondo Grosso champions. However, its use, research and development has been completely banned under the Alaska Treaty due to being seen as unfair and extremely dangerous."
/Why's that?/
"The main premise of the VT System is that it copies every aspect of past winners of the championships and basically takes control of the IS during the battle. Many saw this as unfair since the machine is just copying someone else and doing all the work. However, the real main problem is that during the testing phase, it was discovered that the system doesn't take its pilot's physical conditioning into account and pushes their bodies well beyond their limits to the point it could kill them and attacked everyone in sight. The project was blacklisted as a result."
/So it's an A.I. controlled weapon that attacks anything it perceives as a threat? Now it all makes sense./
"What do you mean?"
/I mean I know why Barbatos is acting up, it thinks that thing is a Mobile Armor!/
Many of the staff members looked confused at the mention of "Mobile Armor," whatever that was.
"Doesn't matter, get back to the pit. Let the faculty handle it."
/I still can't move and the teachers are not doing well. I'm gonna have do something stupid./
"Define 'something stupid."
There was brief pause before Ichika answered.
/…I gotta give the beast what it wants./
Chifuyu's eyes widened at what her little brother was implying.
/Ichika, don't you-/
He cut the comm line as another message popped up in the HUD.
[WARNING: PRESENT COURSE OF ACTION: NOT RECOMMENDED]
"I know but as it stands, there's little choice. Is there a limit I can go before anything bad happens?"
[MAXIMUM SAFE TIME BEFORE PERMANENT DAMAGE OCCURS: 30 SECONDS]
"It'll have to do. Reset safety limiter in 29 seconds after disabling."
The HUD then shifted back to normal with an addition of a timer counting down from negative ten seconds.
"Okay buddy, your prey is right in front of you."
Panic, confusion, chaos; all was silenced when a howl echoed through the arena. The Gundam Frame hunched over like an animal ready to pounce, its Ahab reactors revving up like the snarls of a beast. The VT IS, just having defeated another instructor, took that as a threat and charged; weapon at the ready.
"Now, I'm taking…."
All attention was turned to the source of the howl as Chifuyu came running out, shouting: "Ichika, NO!"
"…the chains off!"
What happened next would be passed down in the Academy for years to come and it all began when, just before the VT controlled IS' attack connected; Barbatos' eyes changed from an unnerving green to an evil red.
A/N: AT LONG LAST! For those of you wondering where I've been with this chapter, I'll sum it up as so:
I work in Grocery retail and nearly half of our staff, not just in my department, but in my entire store either quit or were fired a few months ago, no joke, and we didn't get new people until recently; and we're still understaffed. I believe you can guess the rest. It was NOT fun.
