December 28 - Day 16
Loud music suddenly began blaring out of the speakers situated all across the ceiling of the entire hall. And almost immediately Tomoyasu felt the urge to complain, in fact he already had his words all piled up and ready to be expelled, but just after a few more seconds of listening, he found himself actually liking the tunes.
The music is arranged in an upbeat tone, and in an orchestra-like way by including the various sounds of various musical instruments. 'Looks like the show's really about to begin…' he thought to himself as he looked around, noticing everyone's attentions now glued onto the still-empty stage, specifically at the spotlight shining upon the middle part of the closed red curtains – which are dangling from all the way down the ceiling.
The music continued, the beat going faster and faster as if it's meant to build up anticipation from the audience amidst the darkness. Before long, the music slowed down again as more spotlights shone upon the stage, as if a professional performer is about to arrive. And soon enough, a rectangular glowing silhouette shined from behind the closed curtains, causing the entire hall to start clapping their hands and cheer.
But unlike the loud clapping Tomoyasu is expecting, this time everyone is just clapping in an orderly and classy fashion, a fitting one for all the millionaires and billionaires all around him. And since everyone is already clapping, both Zero and Garaki included, then it's only natural for him to clap along as well. There's nothing bad about joining the classy crowd.
The clapping eventually died down as the curtains slowly parted away, but immediately stopping just enough to reveal behind it a relatively small-yet-strongly-built brown-skinned person, around only half the size of a regular human. He's not wearing a mask, nor any sort of facial cover, and dressed in a purple-themed tuxedo. But the one thing that stands out with him, alongside his bright neon-colored purple-gold Mohawk, is the presence of a glowing rectangular shield-like panel of light seemingly floating behind him.
"Hey, is that the Ultraviolet guy? The manager?" Tomoyasu whispered to Zero, all while casually ignoring Garaki's complaints about not being able to fully see the person on-stage, as well as his Valkyrie creepily staring at him.
"Yes he is."
Tomoyasu was about to ask if there's anything they need to do, when Ultraviolet suddenly spoke out, his voice echoing loudly through the multiple speakers. "Good morning everyone!"
The crowd began clapping again, but this time now far softer than earlier, as if everyone's now eager to see what's for sale today.
But as for Tomoyasu, he couldn't help but find it a bit odd how there's a huge discrepancy between Ultraviolet's voice and appearance. For such a small person, his voice sounds more fitting to someone who's 20 feet tall and made of nothing but pure muscle. But in the end Tomoyasu just shrugged it off, he is living in Quirked world where anything is possible after all.
"I'm sure most of you people here already know who I am, so I don't really need too much introduction…" Ultraviolet spoke through his mic with a seemingly joking tone, just as numerous floating neon lights went flying out from behind the curtains, one after the other, and began arranging themselves into massive bold letters that spelled out 'ULTRAVIOLET' right above his head. "I mean let's be honest here, I've been doing this for around 6 years already. Do I really even need to introduce myself at this point? Does anyone here not know of me yet? Well technically I'm fully aware there's a lot of you there but – you know what? That's fine. You're not really here to know who I am, you're here to see, and maybe get your hands on, a modern Quirked era main battle tank!"
There's another round of clapping right after he spoke.
"And since everyone's fired up already, let's just cut the entire chase and go straight to the FINISH LINE!"
Loud music began blaring again through the speakers as more and more spotlights turned on, once more focused onto the stage at the same time the curtains on the right side slowly moved off.
Tomoyasu's eyes widened from behind his clown mask after witnessing the behemoth behind the curtain.
It had a boxy robot-like armored torso, devoid of a visible head on top of it, but with two massive quad-linked autocannons attached on its back, facing skywards. And on both the ends of its long metal arms are even more quad-linked autocannons, both encased in enormous pincer-like structures armed with deployable chainsaw-like blades. Meanwhile on its lower half are three pairs of sturdy legs – with the front pair having more chainsaw blades lining it up, the middle pair having extra quad-linked autocannons attached to their sides, and the last pair having shield generators. And finally, the entire thing also has a mechanized-looking tail jutting out on its back end, ending with one massive laser cannon (or so what Ultraviolet said). Overall in appearance it looks like a scorpion – a massive 20-foot tall robotic scorpion. And indeed, it is manufactured by Scorpion, if its red-and-black theme isn't already enough of a dead giveaway.
But what it really is, is a Dreadnought.
Tomoyasu, still absolutely amazed at the sight, then continued his observations, his eyes now going along its multiple pairs of legs. He immediately spotted fleshy bits connecting each of their joints. The same things are also in all its moveable joints on its long arms.
He then nodded in acknowledgement. What he saw are simply how things should be. Despite the robot-like appearance of the Dreadnought on-stage, it's actually just a modified human. All Dreadnoughts, no matter what they take form as, are just human biological constructs (special emphasis on human), which is why they have access to Backforce, and all the unnatural durability feats available to all modern Quirked people. That, alongside their numerous other pre-installed defensive abilities and Quirk Immunity, make them almost nigh-invulnerable to anything.
On the other hand, their offensive arsenal are also not slacking in the invincibility department either. Since they make use of Quirks (they are just artificial human constructs after all), they lack most of the weaknesses conventional military vehicles have in regards to ammunition. All of a Dreadnought's guns and weapons present on it will fire away relentlessly at a target and will simply never run out of firepower nor slow down. They were designed, ever since their first iteration, as the combination of both an unstoppable force and an immovable object. They can, and will, punch through anything and shrug off the most powerful attacks thrown at it, very much like their namesake.
…
Tomoyasu kept observing the massive Scorpion-like Dreadnought, just casually ignoring the fact that Zero is now carrying Garaki on his shoulders. But as he observed, his gaze happened to land back to its numerous installed weaponry. 'There's too many guns on that thing… there's no way I would be able to buy it…' he thought to himself, fully knowing how Dreadnought costs scale depending on number of armaments, as Ultraviolet continued explaining all the offensive and defensive abilities of the particular Dreadnought on-stage (as well as and inviting all who are eager buyers to come check it up-close and personal). And indeed, the starting cost of the Dreadnought alone is already 7 million dollars – that's over 1 billion yen!
He discreetly raised up his armband and tinkered with the attached phone to check his current cash. He couldn't help but shake his head at the sight. He doesn't have enough funds. It simply costs too much, not to mention the price is guaranteed to get even higher once the bidding starts in.
"Mr. Skeptic, I don't think you even have enough cash for that one," Garaki, still being carried by Zero, commented while his eyes are just locked onto the Dreadnought on-stage. "You may have to tap into other accounts or something…"
Tomoyasu just grumbled something incomprehensible in response. But still, the old man is right. And since now that there's not much sense to stick around anymore, seeing as he has more things to do after this, he turned to face Zero beside him. "Zero, get Doc down. We're leaving, I still have some contacts to patch up…" he said, his voice trailing off as he prepared to leave, with a hand already tightly gripped around his Valkyrie's waist. "There's nothing for us here."
Zero did what he's told and quickly put Garaki down. "Not enough funds I presume? Are you not going to wait for the second one?" he asked, immediately making Tomoyasu stop before he could take one step towards the exit. "I'm not saying I recommend buying it, but it would be preferable to see all available options first before leaving."
"Oh they sell two Dreadnoughts at a time now? Interesting…" Garaki muttered, taking one quick glance on the Scorpion Dreadnought (in which Ultraviolet calls as Immortal by name), and noticing how the other side of the stage is, in fact, still covered up as if it's hiding a second one.
"One, two, it doesn't matter. I'm out of usable funds. I'll just go find some alternatives someplace else… or just not use Dreadnoughts altogether…" Tomoyasu grumbled some more as he began to walk away with his Valkyrie. "Unless the second Dreadnought costs 4 million dollars or less, I'm not buying it…" he rolled his eyes at his own sarcasm. "Let's go."
"The second one is a Paragon Mini-Dreadnought. It's price is now heavily reduced to only 1.5 million dollars as a result of no one wanting to purchase it."
Tomoyasu immediately turned around to face Zero. "What did you say-?" he didn't even finish his sentence when he noticed Ultraviolet on-stage now pulling the second half of the curtain, revealing (as with what Zero defined) a rather small Dreadnought. This time, compared to the futuristic robotic giant scorpion beside it, it just looks like a conventional 8-foot tall extremely bulky juggernaut power armor.
But still, his eyes widened at the sight, not minding at all the fact that every single person in the entire building (Ultraviolet included) isn't even giving it the time of day as if it's just nothing but useless scrap. He still has some spare cash and this could be his chance to acquire his own Dreadnought, no matter how unimpressive it may look like at fist glance-
"Four guns… seriously…? Four…? Does that even make any sense?"
Tomoyasu was snapped out by Garaki's sudden comment upon seeing the massive projected image of the mini-Dreadnought's specifications above its head. And indeed, as he saw it himself, it only has 4 guns, which is drastically lower than the Scorpion Dreadnought's 25 (not even counting the additional chainsaws).
"What's even the point of all that? Why would you even get a small Dreadnought? Might as well just get another top-tier Quirk-Linked Valkyrie while you're at it." Garaki shook his head. For once the old man could actually see what's going on (specifically because everyone's now crowding over to the gigantic scorpion Dreadnought). "Mr. Zero, care to enlighten us here? Is there a story behind that mini-Dreadnought over there?"
"It's Paragon's newest Dreadnought product line. The middle ground between the task-capability of a Valkyrie and the firepower of a Dreadnought, with a matching lower comparative cost as well." Zero nodded as he kept standing straight, his gaze just centered on the particular small Dreadnought on-stage. "Unfortunately, people disliked its concept, citing various reasons, from the unreliability of its command systems to its lackluster weapons, but overall the complaints were centered around its theorized inability to go toe-to-toe against full-size Dreadnoughts, which is a standard Dreadnought's supposed secondary function."
"Of course. Once you deploy a 'Nought into the field, you better expect it to be ready against the Dreadnought that's SURE to be deployed against it…" Tomoyasu agreed, keeping his Valkyrie and duffle bag close. "And I don't think even a swarm of those little ones would win against the one Scorpion Immortal over there," he added, fully understanding the innate mechanics of how Dreadnought warfare works: Because they're ridiculously powerful, with no known effective counters as of the current time, the only thing that can reliably fight them (and win) is another Dreadnought. "Using those in the field is just free advertising to the manufacturer of the Dreadnought that made them into target practice. Also you're now toast because you got nothing more against it."
"What a joke!" Garaki giggled, shaking his head. "No wonder no one wants to buy it! What an idiotic concept!"
"Hey Zero, I have another question for you," Tomoyasu cleared his throat afterwards. "Say… if ever someone buys those things… since they're supposed to be intermediates between 'Valks and 'Noughts, do you need to uhm… 'hug' them like what you do with Valkyries? I know regular Dreadnoughts don't need cuddling but what about those?"
"Paragon specifically said you don't need to-"
"That's good enough to me, I'm buying it," Tomoyasu immediately blurted out, much to the surprise of both Garaki and Zero. While yes the small Dreadnought's weapons are very lackluster, and has absolutely no hope against other Dreadnoughts, but the low price is just too alluring. And the best part of all? Japan doesn't even have a Dreadnought of its own! Therefore having one is already a huge advantage in the upcoming civil war. Maybe it could even beat All Might in a one-on-one battle (He's very sure the real Claustro couldn't). He definitely has to get this one-
Tomoyasu suddenly froze, an abrupt thought entering his mind.
'Does Japan have Dreadnoughts…?'
…?
It might sound as a stupid question considering Japan is not the first-world country anymore like it used to be around 200 years ago (and third-world countries just don't bother with acquiring Dreadnoughts for obvious reasons), but still he had to carefully think about it. Using a Dreadnought is like launching a nuke – the one who launched first better be prepared to be on the receiving end of another one, and sure as hell the small Dreadnought won't stand a chance against a full-sized one…
…
He thought some more. The success of the purchase he's about to make depends ENTIRELY on Japan not having a Dreadnought secretly stashed somewhere…
…
He continued thinking, now recalling events and even using his phone for research. But everything just keeps pointing towards the direction that Japan has NO Dreadnoughts. There's not a single time in Japan's history that a Dreadnought is ever part of its military arsenal (which is currently just full of hand-me-down vehicles from other developed nations)…
…
'Should I buy it? What if Japan asks for help from other countries once I unleashed it?' He thought even more as his gaze went back to the small Dreadnought, which is still being ignored on-stage. He continued observing for a few more seconds until something suddenly clicked inside his head. 'The size! The small size! The lack of guns! The overall appearance! It just doesn't look like a Dreadnought at all!' Tomoyasu's eyes widened upon realization that he can technically just 'hide' the Dreadnought as just some person wearing bulky power armor. As long as he doesn't go overboard with it and show its Dreadnought-like capabilities, it can just blend in normally with the rest of his regiment! Fantastic!
It's a good enough plan for him, albeit very risky.
Tomoyasu did one quick check of his total funds. "Doc, I'm purchasing it. That thing just looks like a guy in power armor, it can blend very well with the rest of my people," he said, before explaining his whole plan to the old man, even going into detail about how Japan likely doesn't even have its own Dreadnoughts (although making sure Zero is not hearing any of it). "Look, I'm just using Curious's money. It's not like I'm wasting anything."
"I don't know…" Garaki shook his head. "Instead of getting a cheap Dreadnought, why not just get something to better your own digital systems? Or maybe a second high-tier Valkyrie? You bought me scientific supplies, why not also treat yourself with something actually useful in the long run?" the old man added, genuine concern audible in his voice behind his werecow mask. "Purchasing one and just stashing it 'in the basement' just seems a little too wasteful, yes?"
"I already have a fully functioning satellite and other various electronics. I've been planning for around two decades now and everything is all set." Tomoyasu paused a bit, giving a quick glance on the smaller Dreadnought on-stage. "If anything what I need right now is more direct firepower."
"I really don't recommend it."
"What? Is there another terrorist group threatening to descend upon me if I ever buy that thing and disguise it as a normal person wearing power armor?"
"Uhm, no? It's just that I think it's a complete waste of money." Garaki shrugged. "You could buy a whole lot more advanced technology and weaponry for 1.5 million dollars than just some small Dreadnought trophy."
"We don't use firearms, Doc. Using those contradict the essence of Liberation."
"Oh please…" Garaki rolled his eyes, both on Tomoyasu's firearm statement and his eagerness to purchase the small Dreadnought. "Aren't Valkyries and Dreadnoughts just people with firearm-based Quirks built into them? Isn't buying them very much the same thing as guns?"
"The keyword is that they have firearm-based Quirks. It's all about perspective, Doc." Tomoyasu reached over and tapped Zero's back as he took one step closer to the stage, at the same time making sure his Valkyrie and duffle bag are still with him. "Hey, any ideas on the real details of that Mini-Dreadnought? And not just the ones listed on the holo-panel above it?"
"I'm afraid I'm not the right person for that. I recommend just asking Ultraviolet for its full capabilities," Zero replied, immediately following his sentence with instructions on how to get Ultraviolet's attention in order for him to inquire about the capabilities of the mini-Dreadnought.
"Agreed. I'll do that." Tomoyasu nodded as he slowly turned his attention back to the war machine he's fancying. And now with very much everyone being interested far more at the massive scorpion-like Dreadnought on the right side of the stage, the place where they are currently is almost empty, just with a few people left, and even then those few people seem to have their attention only focused towards said scorpion. Literally no one cares about the small Dreadnought to the left.
'All the more better. The less people interested, less auction competition.'
As with Zero's instructions, Tomoyasu walked up to the edge of the stage, towards in front of the small Dreadnought. After a few seconds of observing the people still interested and talking about the far bigger war machine some distance to the right of it, he raised a hand and did a series of hand gestures which, as with Zero said, immediately got Ultraviolet's attention (as well as a few other people, who gave him odd stares as if wondering why would he even bother with such a useless Dreadnought).
"I see you're interested in the Paragon Desolator, I presume?" came Ultraviolet's loud words as he hastily came walking back from the general location of the Scorpion Dreadnought. He eventually positioned himself beside the war machine Tomoyasu is interested at.
But before Tomoyasu could even respond back, Ultraviolet immediately began talking about all the negatives of the 'Desolator' right behind him, especially about its lackluster weaponry, both in quality and amount, as if he, too, is giving him warnings against purchasing it (for some reason). But Tomoyasu couldn't really care less about them, since not only he already has a plan thought out, but also because the four guns don't sound unimpressive to him at all – with two capable of firing out arcs of electricity, while the other two discharge highly-corrosive acid with the capacity to burn holes through both metal and organic matter.
Furthermore, despite just being cheap, the Desolator is still decently shielded against physical damage, on top of the Quirk Immunity all Dreadnoughts have by default. In terms of a war machine, it's still phenomenally powerful, albeit utterly incapable of going against its own kind, which is very much irrelevant to Tomoyasu in the big picture considering it's very likely that it will never even encounter another Dreadnought in Japan considering the country's insane obsession with heroes, among other factors. He'll just make sure to properly conceal it to prevent any further issues.
…
Ultraviolet continued, citing more and more things and tidbits about the Desolator. He's now done with the negatives and now on to the positives (which is still odd for Tomoyasu since salespeople normally go with the other thing first). Apparently, as with Zero told him, the small Dreadnought is indeed far more capable of executing instructions than a standard one, which is just more focused on utter annihilation.
As the Irkalla manager continued, Tomoyasu also began noticing that Ultraviolet seemed far more interested in dealing with him than the numerous other buyers already waiting on the Scorpion Dreadnought, or 'Immortal' by its name. He found it odd, because Ultraviolet initially listed in the negatives first before the positives, but now he seems like he wants the thing offloaded as soon as possible.
But whatever the real reason on the oddities, Tomoyasu doesn't care about them anymore.
"I'm taking it," he spoke out. And naturally, since no one else is interested in purchasing the Desolator, there will be no more long dragged-out auctions to potentially raise the price to ridiculous amounts. He's going to get it at its base price of 1.5 million dollars. As for the actual sale itself, it's very much the same as purchasing real estate, involving a whole bunch of papers requiring to be signed. Tomoyasu didn't waste any more time and just signed them all (but not without reading the fine print of course). Garaki may be against the whole purchase, saying over and over again how much of a massive waste of money it is, but he doesn't care. If he ever needed more money he can just hack into the bank accounts of the other Liberation members not part of his regiment anyways. All is well.
'On the other hand, I COULD hack some other accounts first and then just go back here and purchase an actual full-size Dreadnought later…' Tomoyasu thought a bit as he continued signing some papers. But he eventually just shrugged it off. It will be much harder to conceal a full-sized one anyways. And by way of how his plans normally work through deception, getting a small one would be much better-
"Zero?" Ultraviolet spoke out, his gaze now on the tall white-haired man with a smiley mask just standing behind Garaki all this time. "I recognize that mask anywhere." He chuckled to himself and shook his head. "You're following Dreadnought buyers now? Well that's a new low."
"Actually we're taking him," Tomoyasu spoke out with a bored expression, not even bothering to look at Ultraviolet as he continued signing more papers. "He'll be our souvenir for today's shopping trip."
The short bulky man stopped, as if he couldn't believe what he just heard. But just after a few confused blinks, he then calmly pulled out one last paper from his hidden transforming backpack, and then folded it in a strange-yet-specific manner, before signing it and giving it to Tomoyasu. "Give that to the security guards on the exit. Consider it as a token of my gratitude for getting rid of Mr. Zero," he said in a strange tone, making Tomoyasu confused as to whether he means it or it's just a joke.
"You're not really trying to fool anyone with this, right?" he replied in his usual sarcastic tone as he took the strangely-folded paper. "I don't have time for games, whether it came from the manager of this place or not. I have many more better things to do."
Ultraviolet shook his head. "I'm fully aware of the types of people who purchase Dreadnoughts. I may be virtually unkillable with this Quirk of mine but I'd rather not make myself a target of people like you, or any individual here in this particular building, really. I'm a peaceful guy, just managing this criminal empire and selling weapons of mass destruction… nothing too bad." He then nodded. "I certainly wouldn't hurt a fly."
Tomoyasu finished signing up the papers. "I wouldn't be surprised if you have more Dreadnoughts than any military in the world."
Ultraviolet simply shook his head in a dismissive manner as he pulled out a small handheld scanner – the same one used by the saleslady earlier, from his backpack. "Nice Zorcon Valkyrie you got there, sir," he said, eyeing up the woman-like artificial biological construct standing beside Tomoyasu at the same time checking the condition of the device he's holding. "Now, care to confirm your purchase?"
Tomoyasu didn't even hesitate. He followed through and reached out his arm.
Tomoyasu stood outside the Dreadnought hall, just some distance away, his face all blank, and his mind swirling with various thoughts continuously alternating on different topics so much that in the end everything just felt like one big mental blur. "I can't believe I just got myself a Dreadnought…" he spoke lightly as he tinkered with the phone on his armband and checked the digital receipt. He never really expected to actually get one after Garaki warned him on how expensive they all are, and how they're all equipped with anti-Cloning countermeasures, but despite all that, in the end he still got one. While it's small and far weaker than normal. But the main point is that he still managed to snag one… somehow…
Was he just lucky? Was it because of something else? But whatever it is, it's not important now. What matters is that he got himself a Dreadnought, and a Valkyrie, as well as some Cloning Tanks, and some Biofuel. Everything is just simply going great for him. Immediately shaking his head to clear his thoughts out of the budding excitement of seeing his new toys in action against the 'mighty' heroes of Japan, he then set his sights onwards.
"I think it would be way better if our Dreadnought is walking with us to our plane home…" came Garaki's random comment as he, too, is checking something on the phone of his armband. "Would be a whole lot better..."
Tomoyasu just shook his head dismissively on it, remembering about how he specifically told Ultraviolet that he didn't want his new Dreadnought walking with him outside. He may be wearing a face-concealing mask, but he'd rather not be the center of attention here at Irkalla. It's just too risky. "Oh quit your whining. The big guy's just gonna be delivered along the Cloning Tanks anyway. You'll see him soon enough after we land."
"I'm just saying that it would be a lot nicer if it's actually walking with us…"
Tomoyasu shook his head once again, ignoring Garaki's further words about the concept of a Dreadnought escort. "Doc… for a guy who doesn't want me buying the thing you sure do want it walking with us…" he told Garaki in a heavily sarcastic tone before quickly straightening himself up. "But anyways, now that we got what we came for, including some guy who wants to be a human lab rat…" his voice trailed off as he took a quick glance at Zero who's just standing beside him to his right side. "I say let's head back home-"
He didn't even get to finish his words when the Christmas-themed speakers mounted on the Dreadnought Hall's exterior suddenly blared insanely loud upbeat music – a techno-remixed version from the one used earlier. "WHAT THE-?!" Tomoyasu blurted out in annoyed surprise, involuntarily pulling his newly-bought Valkyrie close to him. He was about to ask Zero what the hell's going on when a bunch of confetti burst out of the entrance of the Dreadnought Hall, as if they're fired out of a specialized cannon.
Said entrance then expanded, by way of wall chunks slowly descending into the ground, as if making way for something big to emerge out of it. And as expected, out came the massive crimson-themed scorpion-like Immortal Dreadnought slowly stepping out, its multiple pairs of segmented legs carefully managing the steps with utmost precision until it's all down on the road. And all that time there's a huge cheering crowd, yelling their lungs out as if what they laid their eyes on is the greatest thing in the known universe.
"Let's just get out of h-" Tomoyasu abruptly stopped, noticing something oddly familiar on the maskless person walking in front of the Immortal and gesturing about as if he's the one who bought the entire thing. "Is that… Wolfram…?" he asked himself as he fully realized that the mystery person is, indeed, that one German villain who supposedly attacked the central tower of I-Island some months ago. He could easily remember that. It was all over the news, and Curious wouldn't even stop talking about it back then. But still, he couldn't help but wonder about it all. As far as he knew, Irkalla takes very good care of the fake city above, so how come Wolfram is just here and seemingly being celebrated?
He turned towards Zero and asked amidst the noise, "isn't he the villain who trashed the Central Tower? How is everyone still cheering for him here? And why doesn't he have a mask on?" The crowd is loud, but luckily for him he can set the return volume of his translator, allowing Zero to effectively understand him through the noise. "What's the story here?"
"Some months ago, an anonymous scientist from the surface city came in here and hired him to pretend to be a villain so he could re-acquire his Quirk-enhancing tech that's somehow found itself locked away in the Central Tower. And then after that everything proceeded as normal. But at the final stages of the fake-villain act, said scientist apparently doesn't have anything to pay for the hiring. You can guess what happens next." Zero nodded as he started following Tomoyasu, who's now guiding the group away from the crowd. "He 'got away with it' because the gear he obtained was soon sold here for a massive sum of cash. What he did beforehand is just ruled out to be just advertising." The tall white-haired man paused a bit. "As for the mask. He doesn't have one because of the new guidelines surrounding Irkalla's mercenaries."
"Mercenaries?" Tomoyasu raised an eyebrow underneath his mask upon hearing the term. "Isn't Wolfram just a small Stratonite cartel boss? He's a mercenary here now?" He asked, a bit annoyed at himself for not keeping up to date in the underground news. "Since when?"
"He's been doubling as a mercenary here for years now. His Stratonite cartel's grown much more as well.," Zero replied calmly with a nod. "Word is, he'll be visiting Japan in the next few months."
"Hmmm…" Tomoyasu just nodded in response as well. "Do you have any ideas on where he'll specifically be? I'd rather not cross the guy whose openly proclaiming he has a Dreadnought. Getting absolutely obliterated by a giant scorpion is not in my to-do list."
"I have not a clue."
"Damn…"
"Hey fellas?" Garaki butted in, waving his hands to get their attention. "What are you two talking about again? Care to tell it to the old man?"
A random thought crossed in Tomoyasu's mind, telling him to make up a fake joke story he can tell to the Doctor. But in the end he instead just told him the entire thing in truthfulness. There's just no sense in needlessly fooling with his partner-in-crime. "I say we better be extra careful on that one guy who has more firepower than the entire Japanese army…" he muttered to finish off his story as he gave one last glance towards the German villain - who's still parading around with his newly-bought weapon of mass destruction. "Let's get out of here and get back home." He then securely held both his Valkyrie and his duffle bag and walked off after a quick gesture to his two other companions to follow him.
"But Mr. Skeptic, wouldn't you want to buy something else first? Anything cheap you could easily upgrade?" in came the old man's words as he caught up, minding the raised sidewalk and the lamp posts along the way. "We are in Irkalla after all."
"No Doc I don't have any more-" he paused, remembering something that he thought of upgrading earlier. "Well I do need a newer pistol…" he then turned to Zero. "Hey pal, any ideas on where to get the best sidearms? Are some manufacturers here better than others? If so, then who has the best one?"
Zero shook his head. "That entirely depends. Each manufacturer specializes in something. Paragon, Scorpion, Zorcon, all three have variety in their firearms." He paused a bit. "I do recommened checking them out yourself."
Tomoyasu shrugged, finding the suggestion about checking each manufacturer to be needlessly tedious. "Well to be honest I'm just looking for a brand new standard pistol."
"You can just go back to Zorcon?" Garaki suggested, one finger pointing directly at the massive warehouse-like building he's referring to. "We'll just be waiting for you here."
"Good." Tomoyasu turned his attention to the Zorcon building as well as he tightened his grip on his Valkyrie's waist. "This'll only take a moment." He muttered before leaving.
He eventually re-entered the building and, as expected, there are now far more people than it is compared to earlier. He wondered a bit about how come the world could still remain functional with such people buying all sorts of criminal gear, not to mention an entire city supplying them, but he eventually dismissed it. There may be a ton of people, but they're still just a few in the several billion humans currently on the planet as of this current moment.
He eventually spotted something in his peripheral vision that caught his attention. It's a waving hand. Apparently, in some twisted string of coincidence, that same young lady with boyish features is conveniently available once more. But instead of just being annoyed by it, he just pushed through it and went there. "Oh hey it's me again, in case you have forgotten about me…" he said in his usual sarcastic tone upon reaching the counter. "And in case you're also wondering, my 'grandpa' is just outside with Zero. I just have need of another upgrade in my criminal arsenal that's why I'm back here again."
"You want another Valk?" the saleslady asked while spraying alcohol on her hands. "If you buy ten you'd get a 10% discount on them all."
"No." Tomoyasu shook his head. He was about to continue speaking but decided to just cut himself off at the very last moment and instead just reach into his duffle bag and pull out a small grey pistol, placing it on the counter afterwards. "I have decided it's time for me to ditch that old thing for a new one. Got any good pistols in here?"
"Just a pistol? Not replace it with a shotgun or submachine gun or something? Just a pistol?" she asked, her tone sounding legitimately confused as she took another of her desk-bell like projector devices and placed it on the counter beside said pistol. She then pressed the button on top of it, making a holographic display of pistol products appear in front of Tomoyasu. "I mean uh… we also have transforming assault rifles and Backforce-Breaching Rocket Launchers here…"
"A normal pistol would suffice. I'd rather have something that's easy to conceal. Something that won't draw too much attention like a transforming weapon. Something that doesn't shoot heated-up lasers. Something that doesn't have glowing parts. Something that's compatible with the standard 9mm rounds. Something that's conventional enough so that parts are readily available if in the event that it broke…" Tomoyasu continued, listing his preferences for a pistol. "I want it small and compact. Preferrably silenced, and with an effective range of around 60 meters. It would also be nice if it has minimal recoil and a barrel that doesn't heat up easily…" he continued, neverminding the fact that the saleslady is already typing something from a hidden computer under the counter just beyond his view. "Not too high-tech, not too unreliable either. Something that would stay functional even if under-maintained. Something that won't likely be chosen by some seven-legged arachnid as its home…"
"Uhm sir…?" The saleslady snapped him out of his requirements list and gestured towards the holographic screen. Apparently, she's been typing in his preferred specifications as he was rambling earlier. The end result of it all is one product left that fits in every criteria – and that is the same pistol that he wanted to replace in the first place.
…
Only that it's a newer fully-automatic model, with an attachable silencer…
…
The saleslady awkwardly reached from under the counter and placed a seemingly same exact pistol on the counter – just with an attached silencer. "That'll be $1750."
"What the hell…" Tomoyasu didn't even budge, nor even complained about it. In fact he even felt an absurd sense of pride that apparently he had the perfect pistol all along (just without the silencer and the full-auto mechanism), although he couldn't help but also be slightly disappointed that he couldn't get anything better than just a newer model.
"You have a very specific taste in small firearms…" the saleslady muttered.
Tomoyasu simply nodded as he raised his arm, preparing to confirm the purchase. And since the item he bought is just a simple pistol, the whole buying process is very swift. And after just a few tries in the shooting range (and just stashing his old pistol back in his duffle bag), he's done.
"Sir, if you ever need more criminal stuff whatsoever, just remember that I'll always be here!" the saleslady spoke out loud, accompanying it with a few bats of her long eyelashes.
"The chances of me returning here are minimal to zero. A whole lot of things will happen in the next few months…" he replied, with a menacing grin under his creepy clown mask, in which the saleslady just nodded in return. "An entire country will burn down..." he added, before walking away and exiting the building, with his Valkyrie still in tow.
He eventually reached the other two, who are still exactly where he left them. But instead of getting closer to speaking range and telling them to follow him (fully aware the two would just have a hard time hearing him due to how loud the 'Dreadnought parade' still is), he instead just swung his head towards one side. Luckily, he didn't even need to repeat it and the two instantly understood what he meant.
"What did you get?" came Garaki's excited question as he neared. "Is it something futuristic?"
Tomoyasu took a while to respond as he began walking away from the massive cul-de-sac and into a particular bus-stop looking area situated near the main road. "I got myself a newer model of my old pistol with an attachable silencer. I listed all my preferences of a new sidearm and it's the only thing available that matches it all…" his voice trailed off as he neared his destination. "Remember Doc, always try to look plain and normal, preferably even below societal expectations, so your enemies won't think of you much and you can blindside them from an angle they'll never expect." He paused a bit and nodded. "And that's why I would never buy the modern futuristic guns, they're just too… loud… both audibly and visually." He paused a bit once again, clearing his throat afterwards. "Lurking unnoticed is the name of the game."
"Wait wait wait… If I'm using outdated equipment, then I need to throw them out ASAP. But apparently if you do the same thing, it's tactical advantage?" Garaki asked in a heavily sarcastic tone. "That's very NON-hypocritical of you, Mr. Skeptic…"
"Exactly. I'm a massive hypocritical bastard," Tomoyasu replied as he finally reached his intended destination. As with its outside appearance, it is indeed a 'bus-stop' of sorts, but instead of being a waiting area for public transport, these are the designated locations where the phones attached to their armbands gain an additional function to call in a levitating taxi for transport. Tomoyasu wasted no time in requesting one in, and almost immediately a symbol appeared in the middle of the screen.
"I sure do hope you don't suddenly end up blathering in a dark room about how everything is your plan…"
"Doc… I'll never be like your pathetic loser of an old boss. I have dreams, ambition, actual goals far more complex than being some random comic book villain. AFO is a thing of the past, and that is where he SHOULD just stay, locked away as time passes around him." Tomoyasu shook his head, feeling absolute disgust on the massive failures of the self-proclaimed Demon Lord of Japan. "If I could punch him in the face, I'd gladly do so."
"You could probably get away with it. I still remember that one time when he gave some Quirks to Wolfram over there and then the guy immediately punted him straight to the stratosphere!" Garaki blurted out a laugh, startling some of the other people waiting in the general area. "What a pathetic joke!"
"…What…? That Wolfram? AFO?"
"Wolfram received a Strength-enhancing Quirk from AFO some time before he attacked the I-Island Central Tower. He literally didn't even waste a single second before delivering the biggest uppercut of the century, sending AFO flying towards the Pacific Ocean." Garaki giggled to himself afterwards. "And of course in usual AFO fashion, the moment he returned he told me that's all part of his plan-"
"So the rumors are true? Wolfram received an extra Quirk?" Zero spoke out in a hushed tone from underneath his mask, but still enough to get the other two's attention. "But why didn't his powers overload him?"
"Uhm… Zero… I'm not sure how well-versed you are in the realm of Quirk genetics but uh… Elementalists like Wolfram are just simply built genetically different." Garaki explained, his tone sounding a bit forced and awkward, like what he's talking about should be common knowledge to anyone by now. "Their internal Quirk capacity far exceeds normal humans. They can receive secondary Quirks better than anyone else. They're also completely unaffected by Quirk-enhancing drugs. And also…"
Tomoyasu just couldn't help but nod as Garaki continued to explain. As much as he doesn't like to admit it, Elementalists as a whole are simply a whole different breed of humans, their Quirks are beyond normal by default and are usually extremely powerful without any serious training. Naturally, as a result, not only they're commonly full of themselves (like Dabi), but they also normally think that everyone else is inferior, which most often than not leads to supremacist behavior, which is the main reason why Japan had to 'pacify' them with the now-extinct 'War Machines' some 50 years ago.
It really is a good thing that Geten is disciplined from an early age, or else he'll most likely end up the same as the Elemental clans he came from.
…
Before long, their ride arrived, as indicated by the strange symbol on the windshield of the Christmas-themed vehicle matching that of the one displayed on Tomoyasu's armband. Without wasting any more time, he gestured for his two companions to enter the vehicle, with him sitting on the back to make space for the Valkyrie beside him.
"Doc, surely you're not going to just randomly jump out of the car, right?" He spoke, half-joking and half-serious, to the old Doctor who immediately sat in front of the car, beside the droid driver. Upon receiving a simple 'nope', he then ordered the robotic driver to take them back to the parking lot. He doesn't need to explain more, droids are already pre-programmed to automatically know some common phrases.
As the car began to drive along, Tomoyasu took the time to check his remaining cash on his armband. Needless to say, after all the purchasing he did with the Cloning tanks and the Dreadnought, what was left is a relatively miniscule amount. It's certainly not enough anymore for any product in the Outer Rim, barring small items like pistols. But still, he got all that he needed (even more than he thought) and all is well. Good.
Today is a very successful day. He already fooled the Liberation army into thinking that Shigaraki did defeat them all and now he's going home with a Dreadnought.
'Hopefully that little issue with Humarise didn't amount to anything serious…' He thought to himself as he relaxed on the backrest of the car, but still keeping a hand on his Valkyrie - that's still staring at him with a blank expression.
"Hey buddy…" Tomoyasu lazily turned his head towards Zero, who's just sitting quietly beside him. "Just to remind you, the old man over there specializes in bringing people back from the dead… just saying…" he muttered, just relying on his translator volume to relay what he said loudly. "You up for that?"
Zero didn't even respond verbally and just nodded.
"So you literally just gave up huh?"
"I only have weeks left to live and I have nothing to lose." Zero slowly turned to face him. "Tell me, how much pain is usually involved in how the Doctor does his experiments?"
Tomoyasu shrugged and just reached over to Garaki and asked him the same question. "Oh uh…" Garaki's voice trailed off, seemingly deep in thought. "Actually I don't' really have an answer to that since my subjects are not technically alive anymore." The Doctor then shrugged as well. "Although I do know the basics of anesthetics. I'm also a normal doctor after all."
Zero once again just responded with a calm nod.
And as for Tomoyasu, he just went back to his relaxed state as he pushed his back onto the comfortable seats. Soon enough they would be back in the mainland and his plans could now further move along…
After a few more minutes, Tomoyasu noticed something up ahead. Almost immediately he couldn't help but automatically roll his eyes upon the sight. It's a massive building, once again a purple Christmas-themed gigantic warehouse-like structure much like the Dreadnought Hall, but instead of a building where people just enter to gaze upon glorious battle-walkers, this time it's a wide structure encompassing the entire road ahead, like it's deliberately designed just to be driven through.
Now if only the roofless taxi could just drive through…
But no, it just had to dump them just a few feet into the megastructure. Apparently, even though Irkalla has brand new rules regarding bulk purchases, Valkyries, and mercenaries, but taxis en route to the parking lots still have to stop here and offload passengers. Now while the entire place is just absolutely harmless, but the sheer amount of colorful stalls and various gift shops littering the place is just simply too ridiculous as for Tomoyasu.
"This is amazing! Christmas-themed Irkalla merch!" came Garaki's excited comment as he walked on ahead, his goggles seemingly fixated on the small items being displayed on the glass counters of the numerous stalls littered about.
Tomoyasu rolled his eyes. As much as the entire sight is annoying for him, people just happen to love this final part of Irkalla… for some reason he couldn't understand…
'Irkalla is a massive criminal city… tourist traps like those shouldn't even be here…'
"Hey Mr. Skeptic, why don't you buy your closest comrades some souvenirs?"
"No." Tomoyasu started walking on towards the direction of the true exit on the other side of the massive hollow building they're in, fully ignoring the short old man. "Besides, I'm all out of money for such useless junk."
"Okay then. If you won't buy some, then I gues it's up to me now!" Garaki immediately hurried ahead to the nearest stall that sells Christmas-themed keychains and quickly started inspecting and observing on what look best for a souvenir.
"Doc we need to go-"
"Consider this as gratitude from me for buying all my needed Cloning Tanks and Biofuel. It may not even be close to the amount you spent but think of it like some sort of gift with a lot of sentimental value. I'm sure your folks would love to receive some souvenirs from our little trip!"
Tomoyasu facepalmed, a bit too hard than he wanted to. "While I do have to agree that what you said regarding my folks are technically correct… But I'd rather not give anything to my crew. I'd rather have them treat me with respect because of my sheer skill, and not because I'm the one giving them treats. My crew are not dogs, they're capable humans." He said sternly as he kept his Valkyrie close.
"That's okay, you're not going to be the one to give these gifts to them anyway. I do." Garaki spoke out, not even bothering to look at him as he continued to figure out which are the best-looking keychain souvenirs he can buy at the stall in front of him. "To be fair I haven't really done an official introduction to your crew and this would be the perfect thing! I can't wait to see the looks on their faces once they gotten something from the newest member of the team!"
Tomoyasu facepalmed again, but instead of retaliating, he instead just gestured over to Zero. "Hey buddy you stay here with 'Doctor Souvenir' for a while. Me and my Valkyrie over here'll just go 'cash-in' whatever crap Ultraviolet gave me earlier. "He ordered before immediately (and hastily) walking off towards the other end of the huge building, specifically to the unmasked uniformed security guards standing right beside the exit road. But since there's many of them stationed there, he decided to just go to the one on the far right - a large heavily-muscled bull-like person with grayish-blue skin, complete with a bull's head and a nose ring.
"Hey buddy," Tomoyasu spoke out to the large guard, not even feeling a hint of intimidation despite the guard's menacing appearance, as he took out from his duffel bag the strangely folded paper Ultraviolet gave him earlier. "Ultraviolet gave this to me and told me to give this to the guards at the exit, any idea what this is?"
The guard slowly reached out with his hoofed fingers and took the paper before unfolding it. Basing off of what Tomoyasu could see on how the guard easily unfolded the paper without any hitches, it appears that Ultraviolet giving those out is a relatively common thing. "Hmmm…" the guard said in a low tone, following it closely with an incomprehensible grumble. But before he could actually speak out something, he gestured over to Tomoyasu to follow him to the nearest stall (which is yet another gift shop, but this time far larger than the rest), and then gave the now-unfolded paper to the person manning the stall – which is a human-sized bipedal tortoise that seems to be, appearance-wise, over a thousand years old, and wearing a matching tortoise-themed mask.
As for Tomoyasu, he just waited as the tortoise-person slowly read what's inside. After a slow nod as if in acknowledgement, it then 'gracefully' turned around and reached out over a nearby holographic display panel, before pressing the screen in some sort of pattern with its claws. After a few more seconds, a wall panel nearby him went up like a garage door, and from the darkness within came forth a purple-themed D1 Droid, accompanied with a few beeps.
Tomoyasu raised a curious eyebrow upon seeing the machine. It's the tall four-wheeled trapezoidal patrol robot from the surface cities of I-Island, which are not present in Irkalla anymore due to being replaced by the much newer and (supposedly) superior B1 Droids. Is this purple D1 Droid supposed to be his reward or something? Seriously?
"Ever since Ultraviolet's management, he's been giving out these purple droids to customers who 'did a great deed'. What did you do to be given with such a droid anyway?" The bull-person asked as he crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow, his gaze also seemingly interested in the way the purple droid went around the counter to position itself beside Tomoyasu, beeping along the way.
"Uh…" Tomoyasu eyed the mechanical being beside him, noticing an instructions manual just haphazardly taped on its head. "I bought the Paragon Desolator Dreadnought… that's it."
"Hmm… after two months… someone finally bought the damn thing. I salute you sir," the bull-person did one serious salute before walking away to stand back in the spot he originally is earlier.
"Uh…" Tomoyasu turned his attention back to the tortoise, feeling a bit confused. "So do I really get this droid or?"
The tortoise simply responded with a slow nod before walking off to fix his wares. And no matter how much Tomoyasu calls out to him, the old reptilian-looking person simply won't respond anymore.
'Whatever, at least I got something out of the stupid paper instead of just some sick joke…' Tomoyasu thought as he pulled out the instructions manual taped on the droid's head, neverminding the seemingly amazed looks he's getting from nearby people, as if the purple bot really is some kind of trophy. "Okay what do we have here…" he muttered to himself as he tried to find the basics on how to control the droid.
It took him a short while, but he eventually figured it out. Apparently, the D1 droids are loaded with voice-recognition systems, the older version of the one used by the more modern B1 droids, and ordering them around is just as simple as telling them what to do. Additionally, they'll only follow the orders of the person they deem as their owner - in which the droids determine via their facial recognition abilities. As it is, it appears that his creepy clown mask is already registered in it, going by the small screen on its head with a photo of his 'face', taken from just a while ago. And as to how would the droid link to his actual self and not the mask? He decided he'll just check the instructions manual for that later on.
"Okay, follow me," Tomoyasu ordered it while still keeping on hand on his Valkyrie's waist and duffle bag. "You're part of my ever-growing group now…" he said in his usual annoyed tone as he walked off. And as what's said in the instructions manual, the droid is, in fact, just following him right after he said his words, and making more people look in his direction (which he doesn't care one bit).
After a few minutes of walking through the crowded area, he eventually made it back to both Garaki and Zero, who are now both holding bags which are seemingly filled to the brim with keychain souvenirs. "What the hell?" he asked, his wide eyes scanning the bags the two are carrying. "I thought you're just going to buy a handful. What the hell are those bags supposed to be?"
"What's with that purple D1 Droid you got there? Is that the reward from Ultraviolet?" Garaki asked back, not even bothering to answer Tomoyasu's question. "Well that's a neat little surprise! Do you get to keep it?"
"Yes." Tomoyasu slowly nodded as he turned around and gestured for the other two to follow him to the exit. He felt the need to not circle around the simple topic anymore. "This is ours now…" he added, stuffing the instructions manual to his duffle bag shortly afterwards. "Okay let's get a move on."
"I'm surprised you didn't push onwards on asking me more about the 200 keychains I bought."
"No I will not push further anymore on those useless keychains. My plans would still technically continue with or without their presence. Now let's move, we got a lot of better things to do." Tomoyasu said as he kept moving forward through the crowd of people, and eventually to the exit. There's still the bull-person on the far right side, who upon seeing him with his purple droid, discreetly made a saluting gesture, as if whatever he did to make Ultraviolet give him a strange folded paper is indeed a thing very worthy of respect.
Tomoyasu just rolled his eyes underneath his mask in response and instead just quickly turned his attention back to the exit tunnel. After a short while (which could have been faster if it weren't for the crowd of people about), all five (including the purple droid) eventually made it out. The area beyond the exit is drastically different from the entrance they went in. While it's still a wide covered empty space, but it's brightly lit, nicely-painted, very clean, the potted plants scattered about are well watered and tended, and there's not even a single speck of dust hovering around. All in all it fits exactly as the exit of a high-tech city.
Tomoyasu had always wondered how come Irkalla's exit is always well maintained, yet the entrances for both the high-tier and the low-tier customers still retain their gloomy and dusty nature. It just simply doesn't make sense in a business standpoint. He was about to think about it some more when the armband-phones of all three of them beeped and vibrated simultaneously.
Without wasting any time, Tomoyasu guided his two other companions to the nearest wall before he checked on what it is. He instinctively nodded at what he saw. As exactly how he expected Irkalla to do it (as well as what the Zorcon saleslady said earlier), the exit did indeed trigger a signal to his armband-phone, asking him to confirm if he's planning on leaving I-Island altogether so his purchased items can be prepared.
Naturally of course he confirmed the purchases. "Alright people, just stay close. I don't want anyone to just randomly get lost, okay? We're so close to finishing this god-forsaken trip…" Tomoyasu spoke, before re-setting the return volume of his translator-mask up to allow it to do the rest of the work for him. The exit, although well-kept and nice, is still a little too crowded. And by Irkalla's rules, exiting people are required to form a line and use provided levitating taxis to get to their own destination to prevent any unnecessary transport-based mishaps with other exiting customers.
It's a relatively good system, as far as Tomoyasu's concerned, but it's also incredibly slow. The levitating taxis are limited, and with a huge influx of exiting people, the place, needless to say, is very crowded. "This is getting ridiculous… Irkalla should've-" Tomoyasu stopped mid-rant after noticing a strange blue blinking symbol on the smartphone on his armband, it's shaped like the Desolator Dreadnought he purchased earlier. What could it mean-?
?!
Tomoyasu's eyes widened at what he saw at the dark tunnel where the levitating taxis are coming from. It's an elongated levitating vehicle, similar to a limousine, complete with a full white coloration, with two other military-looking non-levitating vehicles (with multiple machine guns strapped on their roofs) driving both in front and the back of it like escorts. But what really caught his attention is the Desolator Dreadnought symbol blinking on the levitating limousine's windshield.
Apparently that is their ride.
"Damn…" is the word he could only say. It is an incredibly classy vehicle. How could he say no to such a thing?
As he began to walk towards it after it stopped on the designated pick-up area, he couldn't help but look back to the crowd of amazed people behind him, feeling absolute superiority over them. He may have not gotten the better Immortal Dreadnought, but seeing this insane special treatment is definitely good. Unexpected, but nice as hell.
"Damn…"
Tomoyasu heard Garaki comment the exact same thing he said earlier. But instead of replying to him, he just continued observing the vehicle. A few seconds later, the door on its back half automatically opened upwards, revealing its posh interior capable of seating four people. It's almost like there's an entire 5-star living room inside of it.
At the same time, some armed guards (accompanied by a few B1 droids) came out of the military vehicles surrounding the levitating limousine to properly guide them to the vehicle. Meanwhile, the purple D1 Droid is taken to the front side of the limo, before being stashed in a hidden compartment there. Why is the droid taken there while everyone else gets to sit on the 5-star mini living room? Tomoyasu doesn't know, but at this point he doesn't even care. He's on top of the world right now.
"So this is how it is if you purchase a Dreadnought huh? Dang we went out with a blast!" he indirectly shouted as he relaxed in his seat, with his duffle bag and Valkyrie right beside him.
"Very sophisticated!" Garaki responded as he, too, got in and sat on the seat in front of Tomoyasu, and immediately taking one sip from the champagne bottle on the small fancy table between them, before quickly moving off to one side to make space for Zero. And after a short while upon the door closing once the last passenger got inside, the vehicle swiftly drove off afterwards to the aircraft parking lot.
"Well that's definitely something…" Tomoyasu muttered, immediately making a cringed expression after noticing that his Valkyrie is still blankly staring at him. "Not bad for a send-off, eh? What do you people think?" he added as he pushed his back further into the seat. "I think I should fix up my Command Center and- no wait nevermind. I'm afraid my productivity levels would take a massive hit. In this upcoming big event, I'd rather not slack on the job. But in the meantime, let's just bask in the-
?!
The phone on his armband suddenly beeped. Apparently, the levitating vehicle just entered a warp portal along the trip and they're now in front of their aircraft. "What…?" Tomoyasu could only say as he looked to his left, towards the window of the vehicle, and seeing Turtleneck already standing outside waiting for them. "That's the entire trip-?" he didn't even get to finish his sentence when the limousine doors opened automatically.
"Well it's nice while it lasted…" He muttered again as he slowly stepped out, immediately noticing some armed guards outside – who then gave him his purple D1 Droid back. "I do suppose you're taking the armbands and translators now?" He then asked them, in which both of them replied with their respective nods. And with that, he (as well as Garaki and Zero) removed their armbands and translator-masks and handed it over.
After some quick exchanges of pleasantries (as well as tweaking the D1 Droid to reconfigure its facial recognition systems to prevent it from following the guards with the mask), the fancy convoy drove off.
"Times like those I wish they didn't go for the shortcut…" Tomoyasu mumbled to himself as he watched the levitating limousine go out of sight. "Oh well…" he then turned to Turtleneck, instantly catching her eyeing up Zero from head to toe before immediately setting her attention to him. "Don't mind our extra passenger, he's just here for a ride." He walked up to the plane's entrance, keeping his Valkyrie with him. "Alright, let's move-"
Turtleneck quickly raised an arm to her head-level, stopping Tomoyasu from proceeding. "Boss. I have received word from Scolopendra."
"What is it?"
"Top 3 Pro Hero Hawks has suddenly appeared in the Gunga Mountain Villa."
?!
Note:
This is originally intended to be two separate chapters, but in the end I just decided to join them in together. The sooner we move out of Irkalla, the better.
