AN: Hey all, ARC Alpha 12 here, lead writer of RWBY Build Fighters. I know that all of you are waiting for the next chapter. I know it should have been released in November. Let me explain what's been going on the last few months.
In mid October, my mother passed away. When that happened, essentially everything ground to a halt-the video game I was working on was put on the back burner, alongside the fan fiction, while I dealt with the grief and the process of figuring things out in terms of funeral arrangements and taking care of myself, my father, and my sister.
I know that since November of 2022 the production of the chapters has slowed considerably, going from once a month to an average of once every two months (often with it being several months with releases and several months without). Between no longer having a dedicated editor and being busy working 40-50 hours a week midday with very little downtime, the story has been slowing down. I don't like that, but I haven't had the ability to do anything about it.
I DO have good news though: it's not stopping. In fact, I'm in the middle of writing the long awaited Finals of the Doubles Tournament, right now! Since this is the culmination of the halfway point of the story (roughly) and something that's been 4 years in the making, I'm taking a lot of time to really craft this chapter out. I want it to be worth the wait. There are still a couple chapters leading up to that, but I try to keep a 2 to 3 chapter cushion between chapters so that I can pace out releases. Until this last year, that worked, but as I explained, life's been interfering much more than I would like.
I thank you all for your continued support and patience. It truly means the world to me.
Sansoro sat and watched the fight between Teams White Rose and Bumblebee play out on his phone for the seventh time. He was studying everything-the way the Gunpla moved, the build quality, the types of attacks. The different approaches to so many things was absolutely fascinating.
The innovation was incredible, but he couldn't help but watch Weiss specifically. Her Gunpla felt…different. Its movement almost felt like it had magnetic coating on its joints, with such simple and easy movements. The build quality and paint job of her Sinanju was a marvel to behold, and her skills truly complimented the quality of her mobile suit.
It was a stark contrast to her previous battle, and that made him wonder what had changed. Why was the Sinanju so much stronger than her Gyan?
A cup gently clattered against the table top in front of him, and he looked up, attention suddenly brought back to the hear and now. He had forgotten he was sitting in a restaurant, his concentration so laser focused on the video that his food had already been delivered and was beginning to get cold.
His gaze traveled up to the face of the man who was sitting down across from him, and he smiled. "Watts. Hello there."
"Greetings, Sansoro," Watts replied. "What has you so engrossed that you didn't even hear me call your name?"
Sansoro flipped his phone around to show him the video. "Just studying the admirable designs from the last fight." He paused the video and leaned over the table to look at Watts with his characteristic, wide grin. "What are you doing?"
"Looking for you, actually." He watched Sansoro as the teenager withdrew his phone with a note of curiosity on his face.
"Well, here I am." He leaned back and stared at the older man, putting his hands behind his polished bald head. "So, did you figure out how Weiss got such an OP Gunpla so quickly?"
Watts nodded. "I have my theories. Though I suspect it boils down to it being a modification of the rather aptly-named Weiss Sinanju that her grandfather purchased from the G-QUEST team for a rather absurd amount of money."
Sansoro leaned back and looked up in thought. "Huh. I thought the style of that adaptable shield seemed familiar." He glanced back to Watts. "I take it you already worked out the inner workings of this unique Plavsky Particle absorption system three of those mechs used?"
"But of course." Watts shrugged nonchalantly. "It's a rather ingenious system, albeit a rather rudimentary one, considering Hathaway Novah and his rather intricate Geno Breaker kitbash used a flawed but functional version of the same system. I can believe that it wouldn't be difficult to replicate to some degree of success."
Sansoro's grin grew wider, which, like before, unnerved Watts. "That's kind of what I expected from you, seeing as they are your opponents tomorrow."
Watts raised an eyebrow. "Indeed." His eyes searched the lazy, sleep deprived appearance of the boy before him, watching for tells. The teenager was remarkably crafty and cunning, and he could see that Sansoro was doing the same, though in his own way. His eyes kept peering straight at Watts, as if he were trying to invade his mind with his stare, attempting to probe his thoughts, as he waited for the next question. "Tell me. Are you still interested in joining Team Godslayer?"
"That depends on how serious the offer is," he replied. His tone seemed to indicate he had been anticipating that question since Watts first sat down.. "Last time we spoke, you mentioned something about needing a stronger motivation than 'just being on the winning team.' But I have no personal stakes in this, so I'm not sure how your answer would change."
Watts reached into his pocket to retrieve his phone. "That depends on how this goes today. I mentioned that the final decision was up to Salem Autry. So you will be meeting her. Now."
Sansoro's expression changed to genuine surprise, and he slowly straightened himself back into a normal sitting posture.
It was rare for him to be taken by surprise, and yet Watts had done exactly that.
Watts slid his phone to Sansoro, who glanced down to see the regal, neatly-kept visage of Salem on the screen. She smiled gently at him, but felt her eyes, sharper than any hobby knife, as she watched the young man intently.
She was ready to shave off any lie or excuse as quickly as he would shave nub marks off of a model kit. There was no beating around the bush with this woman. Talking circles or disarming comments would not work here. Just from the two second stare they gave each other, he already knew he'd lose the moment she saw any sign of stalling or hesitation.
"Greetings, Sansoro," she said pleasantly, her tone measured and cordial. "Watts has been talking quite highly about your skill as a builder. And, I admit, I myself was impressed by your tactics in your battle, even if your partner did wind up costing you your match."
Sansoro bowed his head respectfully. "Miss Autry. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
The corner of Salem's mouth tilted up slightly in amusement. "The pleasure is mine. I have come to understand that you have expressed interest in joining Team Godslayer. I'd like to know more about why, if you'll be so kind as to indulge me."
"Yes, well, I admit I may not have been entirely honest with Watts." Sansoro flicked a glance up towards Watts, who raised an eyebrow up in curiosity. "You see…I am interested in joining what I think will be the winning team. That much is true. But if I'm to be perfectly honest, I also want to have access to your resources."
He took in a deep breath before continuing. "I'm presently working on a potential idea. A new building technique that my master, Mao Yasaka, developed, but abandoned due to not fully grasping its potential. I want to finish what he started, but my funds are limited and my ability to acquire parts and kits in the quantity I'd need for experimentation is, to be blunt, nonexistent, since I was eliminated from the Doubles tournament."
Watts cocked his head as he listened, his intrigue growing. A new building technique, pioneered but abandoned by the legendary Mao Yasaka. The potential even a failed technique from a Shingyo student could have for the team was immeasurable, as it meant it could be refined or adapted in a multitude of ways that Mao may not have discovered during his initial attempts.
"Do tell," Salem encouraged, but Sansoro shook his head.
"Ah ah ah," he responded, wagging a finger. "That's proprietary information. If I'm not on the team, then I consider you guys rivals, and I'd rather keep this little tip to myself. On the off chance I win a contest or tournament and get some money to splurge on parts and models, I would like to complete this technique on my own."
His gaze flicked up to Watts, eyes locked with a noticeable amount of ambitiousness that Watts admittedly felt until now that Sansoro lacked. "Unless, of course… we can come to an arrangement."
Watts stared Sansoro dead in the eyes, sipping his coffee slowly, before looking down at his phone to judge Salem's expression. The woman seemed to not lose the small smile she wore, but the slight tension in her brow, the increased focus on the young man, it all told him that she suddenly found herself on the back foot. And she didn't like it.
Sansoro shrugged. "Look at it this way-even if my attempts at this new technique fail, you'd have TWO Shingyo Gunpla builders on Godslayer's roster. The possibilities would be endless."
It was almost as if he had read Watts' mind. And, from what he could tell, hearing it out loud was exactly what Salem needed to hear.
"You make a compelling point," she admitted. "One that I had been considering already." She nodded. "Very well, then. I would like you to join me tonight, and discuss a more secure partnership in person. Does this sound agreeable to you?"
"More than agreeable," he replied. "I'm excited to talk more about this face to face."
"Until then, I bid you farewell." Salem ended the call, leaving the two builders alone.
"I suppose congratulations are in order," Watts said. "You are quite the skilled negotiator."
"I feel that congratulations may be a bit premature, but thank you." Sansoro raised his glass of ice water up to Watts in a toast. "To a potential partnership."
Watts raised his coffee up in response. "Indeed."
Hathaway felt the steely gaze of Ironwood on his back as he gently applied paint to the arm of the custom kit he was preparing for him. The captain had insisted on watching and learning from his skills.
Normally Hath would charge for that, but considering the considerable amount of money he had already been given, he considered this a part of the process.
"I gotta wonder what you need such a Gunpla for," Hath mused as he looked through his magnifying glass and ring light. "And one so focused."
He looked over at the captain. "You're planning on using this on Pyrrha Nikos, correct?"
Ironwood shifted uncomfortably. "Yes."
He watched the captain for a moment, before getting back to work. "Any particular reason for targeting Pyrrha specifically?"
The question made Ironwood take a long breath, before sighing. "I'm not the amateur Gunpla fighter the news outlets make me out to be," he admitted. "Pyrrha and I crossed paths in her first North American tournament. During that tournament, I used the stage name "Joseph Steel", due to me being afraid of being discovered and teased at my military base. This was several years ago, mind you.
"Pyrrha and I made it to the final four, which wound up being a battle royale. And Pyrrha…"
He gripped his biceps hard, his face contorted slightly in frustration. "She wound up eliminating all three of us. Easily. In fact, it wasn't even a contest. In less than thirty seconds, she had narrowed it down to her and one of the other fighters. I had been eliminated in less than twenty, after feeling like I had a solid chance.
"I felt demoralized. It was almost like fighting a demigod, with little to no hope of winning or surviving. It was a shocking realization, since I had gone toe-to-toe with the US Champ at the time, Greco Logan, and he also used a variation of the Tallgeese, and he too had been eliminated quickly by Pyrrha."
Hath turned and listened, letting him speak, taking in every word. His motivation was retribution, or at the very least, to validate himself as a fighter. Pyrrha had thoroughly dominated him in the Doubles tournament and managed to fend off a joint assault for quite some time on her own.
He must have been reeling.
"I had thrown the match in the waste bin after that, focusing on my career while also trying to improve my fighting technique in secret, until Commander Fynn and Lieutenant Schnee caught me at a Gunpla bar, and we began discussing techniques and formed a group together.
"When we made it into the Doubles tournament, and I realized Pyrrha was on the other team, I thought that was my chance. Until that fight began, and I realized I was still outclassed. Pyrrha probably didn't recognize me before in our match, but I remembered her, and that Tallgeese of hers."
"So, you made yourself a rival," Hath stated.
"I made myself an obstacle to overcome," he corrected sternly. "Call it a matter of pride, or ego, call it whatever you want. But I personally will not feel fulfilled until I've managed to defeat her."
The sentiment was a curious one, but not one Hathaway felt like dwelling on. He put his tools and the piece he was working on down and reached into the drawer of his desk, retrieving a small Gunpla case. "Then here."
Ironwood stared at him, before taking the case. He turned it over in his hand, confused. "What's this?"
"Your commission. I finished it a few days ago." He nodded at the case. "I was planning on making a few versions of it to let you choose, but I think that one specifically would be exactly what you need."
Ironwood turned the Gunpla back around and stared at it. The kit was a modification of the GM Spartan, with a larger backpack made from redesigning the GM Striker's large thruster pack with side nozzles and the pulse knife of the GM Spartan, rather than its beam saber. The machine had twin beam sabers mounted to the right forearm, using the same gauntlet Ironwood had seen on Hathaway's Gundam EZ-SR designs. Its left arm featured a small, simple plate for a shield, but he could see emitters along the edge. Its head was an antenna-less Slave Wraith, and it had a transparent orange visor over the Gundam face which made it look more like a GM-style head.
The feet, however, were the most unusual. They had treads under them, with four smaller booster nozzles in the corners, rather than the typical two larger nozzles in the middle. "What's with this?"
"I modified the Gundam Leopard's feet for this kit," Hathaway explained. "Boosting consumes Plavsky particles as fuel. So, to allow you to quickly traverse the battlefield, I gave you feet that have treads to let you skate along, instead."
The treads actually moved, too, which surprised Ironwood. His mind was already racing with the tactical implications.
"And weapons?"
Hath smirked. "The pulse knife on the backpack is a powerful melee implement that vibrates at extreme speeds. If it comes in contact with plastic, it should tear right through it, ripping it apart thoroughly. You also have two beam sabers, as you see, which can be used as a punching weapon or removed to wield like normal. The shield is a thick plastic,made from the hexagonal plate from a 30 Minute Missions Alto Ground Type kit. It's small to reduce weight, and can activate a beam shield.
"For ranged attacks, you'll have holsters for your twin pistols, as well as a beam shotgun I took from a Kabakali kit I messed with a while ago, and a GM rifle that I added a scope to for ranged combat. The rifle's projectile based, to give you options between your beam pistols and shotgun, or a ranged bullet rifle."
"You have outdone yourself," he admitted with a small, appreciative smile. "I see commissioning you was the right choice."
"You flatter me." Hath turned his chair around and faced him directly. "Considering you were using this to fight Pyrrha, I wanted it to be fast, agile, mobile, and have a variety of combat options."
A variety of options, indeed. It seemed Hathaway watched his battle with Pyrrha earlier and saw how both the Gundam Mars and Ares operated with their various weapons, and adjusted the variety to better suit Ironwood's specific goal and needs.
"There is one last thing," Hath warned. "You may need a bit of practice with this machine first. This Gunpla is significantly more agile than anything you've likely used previously. If you're unprepared, it'll kick you in the teeth."
He waved his hand at a custom Alto Ground Type kit sitting on his desk. Painted a forest green with a brilliant orange visor, Ironwood noted the large vernier boosters attached to its back and the various small control thruster nozzles on its large legs. It held a standard Alto machine gun in one hand and an oversized GM beam spray gun made from the middle section of the Alto Ground Type's Bazooka in the other-a kit that Ironwood was familiar with enough to instantly recognize. Its armor had also been upped with the addition of both plamo strips and option parts.
"I've had some success training someone recently, and they improved significantly with a Gunpla that was a bit overpowered for them when they started. If you'd like, I can do the same with you."
Ironwood snorted slightly in dismissal, but then paused. Brute strength and stubbornness alone wouldn't beat Pyrrha. He needed the skill and precision to do that, as well. And with the variety of presently unfamiliar changes to this machine, dismissing Hathaway's suggestion suddenly felt foolish.
"Alright. Normally I wouldn't take you up on that, but considering how much I've already invested, it makes sense that I get my money's worth."
Hath smiled. "Good choice. I promise, you won't regret it."
Neo and Roman both gave Watts an incredibly confused look as he introduced Sansoro to the two of them, Cinder, and Adam. The entire group couldn't believe that the teenager was standing in their warehouse, as if he was just another one of the crew.
Cinder wore a rather amused look, almost looking as if she had predicted something like this happening. Adam simply looked annoyed, like Sansoro's presence was setting their plans back or jeopardizing the entire operation.
Once Watts was finished telling them what Sansoro's role was, Roman managed to pick his jaw off the ground just long enough to exclaim "Watts, what the fuck?!"
"Easy, there's a minor here," Sansoro commented with a broad grin and lazy stare, purposefully testing their reactions. The act made Cinder chuckle.
Roman pointed his cane at the youth. "You! Quiet. The grown-ups are talking."
He turned back to Watts, planting the top of his cane hard onto the warehouse floor. "Do you fancy yourself a gambling man, Arthur?" He leaned on his cane and stared the man dead in the eye. "Because you just put a bet down on something that has a gigantic margin for error. Does Salem even know about this?"
"Miss Autry is the one who approved of it," Watts replied. "Sansoro is a member of the Shingyo School of Gunpla Building, and-"
"Yes, yes, absolute phenoms at building toys, yada yada. I'm well aware of all that jazz." He shot Sansoro a harsh, disapproving look. "Didn't stop him OR his partner from losing and costing me five thousand dollars in the first round, did it?"
"Sometimes when you gamble, you lose," Sansoro remarked, looking away from Torchwick and shrugging lightly.
Roman seethed. "Ooo, I really am not liking you, kid."
"Torchwick, I think you fail to comprehend exactly the benefit of having Sansoro's skills at our disposal," Watts shot back. "Think of the fundamental boons his experience and skills could bring to Godslayer."
"I say we let him try," Cinder chimed in, a smug smirk etched across her face as she crossed her arms and looked at Roman. "After all, what would be the harm in that?"
Sansoro looked around. The equipment, from the large computer and 3D printer to the battle table, all looked like a mix of top of the line and cobbled together, but in a way that he suspected actually put normal functioning facilities outside the PPSE itself to shame. The various grunts operating around the area seemed shady, but nothing that really concerned him.
He looked back at Cinder. He noted her piercing yellow eyes, which seemed to be looking at him with barely restrained interest. Whether that interest was because his presence irritated Torchwick, his value to the team, or something else entirely, was still unknown. "What's your role in this?"
Cinder and him both sensed Roman's rising irritation at being ignored, which only made her smile more. "Me? I suppose you could call me Godslayer's ace in the hole. Cinder Fall. It's a pleasure."
"Oh, I see." His gaze then shifted to Adam. "And what about you?"
Adam snorted, but said nothing, crossing his arms and looking over the tinted glasses to glare at Sansoro. The man clearly wasn't a particularly friendly individual, but that didn't deter Sansoro.
"Adam here…he's insurance, so to speak," Cinder explained. "Roman is sponsoring him to participate in the battle royale. He won several unofficial tournaments and studied at a rather well known Gunpla dojo here in Japan. His skills are quite impressive."
Roman gritted his teeth. "Let's just tell the new guy all our secrets, while we're at it!" he exclaimed.
Sansoro tilted his head slightly as he thought for a moment. "You seem like you like control in a fight. And he seems like a typical edge lord, based on the black and red and broodiness. Let me guess…you use a bit based Gunpla, maybe Kshatryia? And he uses Astray Red Inverse."
Adam growled in agitation, but Cinder cut him off before he could say anything. "Close, actually. I have a custom HG version of the Qubeley Damned, and he uses the Age-1 Spallow, though I do think the Astray Red Frame may have been an inspiration."
Sansoro stroked his chin. "You must be the one the Bertigo is meant for."
"Okay, that's enough," Roman interjected, stepping between the two. "I think we've entertained this twerp long enough, don't you? Why don't you just escort him out and send him on his merry way."
"Miss Autry has given him permission to operate here," Watts argued. "With his skills-"
"I don't give a damn about his skills, Watts." Roman retrieved a cigar from his pocket and clipped the tip off, lighting it and taking a long drag to calm his frustration. "I care about liabilities. You really think bringing a kid into the fold is going to be a great idea, huh? You think this entire thing is just going to work out?"
"Well, I haven't called the cops on you yet," Sansoro interjected. All eyes turned to him as he took his hands out his pockets and shrugged. "Anyone who pays attention to the roulette would notice that the entire system's been rigged from the start. I'm guessing Arthur had something to do with that, which I must say is impressive.
"I wasn't sure at first if I was just paranoid or if something was going on, but the way the lottery system was behaving seemed just a little suspicious. Of course, the luck of the draw could easily explain some of it, but if you really looked at it, there were a lot of inconsistencies going on with the entire thing. Minor things-hiccups in the visuals, the delay of the roulette table, stuff like that-but there were so many that I'm surprised nobody really caught on earlier."
He then looked at Watts. "Then there was Messiah firing. That shouldn't have happened. Even with environmental hazards on, the major super weapons like the Gryps Laser, Requiem, or Messiah are by default deactivated for tournaments. A lot of people probably don't know that, and those that do probably think it's a computer glitch, even after the whole thing with Nils Yajima and Ruby Rose's mother, but that certainly did not escape my notice."
The entire room was stunned into silence, which only made Sansoro more bold. "I can guess that this entire operation is off the grid. Probably on personal generators, heavy encryption, and possibly some kind of shield against spyware, drone surveillance, and stuff?"
Roman seethed as Sansoro spoke. This was too much. He reached behind him and pulled a small pistol out, pointing it straight at Sansoro. "That's it. That's enough of this!"
"Torchwick what are you doing?!" Watts' mouth was agape. What did he think this would accomplish?
Cinder scowled. "You can't be serious. Roman."
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Sansoro didn't even blink as he grinned at the situation. "I have several people waiting to hear back from me. I told them I was going to meet with a possible business associate. And the entire time we were driving here, I was sharing my location with them. They are awfully worried, which, I suppose thanks to this is justified, and if I don't check in with them in an hour, they'll post my last known location-just outside this warehouse, if I'm right and you do have shielding to block most signals not authorized by you is true, to the police."
He lowered his head but kept meeting Roman's gaze, which made the look on his face go from weird and unnerving to downright psychotic. "I suspect they'd be rather interested in this entire operation."
Watts looked at Roman, sporting Cinder's curiosity and Adam's panic alongside Roman's mixture of fear and anger. Clearly, they all had underestimated Sansoro.
"Unlike what most people believe, I'm not some dopey and aloof teenager. I don't take risks. So me coming here meant that I was going to have all my bases covered. And with this much equipment, I doubt even a day's head start would be enough to fully evacuate and clean all this evidence up.
"I should also mention that my friends would also be keeping tabs on me at all times. This isn't a one-time deal. I would need to regularly call and report to them at the same time every day, or else they'd have the police notified."
He closed his eyes. "Fortunately for you, I'm more interested in just conducting my research on Gunpla techniques. I could care less what you all do. Rob the PPSE for all I care, as long as I have access to your resources."
Roman's hand remained pointed at Sansoro, his mind racing. Trying to restart the Gunpla Mafia part of his operation would be a massive undertaking-not to mention he'd be crossing Salem, who had enough resources to make his life a living hell if he didn't fulfill his end of the bargain.
He took his finger off the trigger as he felt his arm being lowered by small hands. Neo was at his side, pushing his arm down earnestly. She was clearly worried about some of the same things, alongside the idea that they could get caught.
There was too much at stake, and this kid had outplayed him. And he hated it, but Watts' decision had now tied his hands.
Cinder chuckled. "I must say, everything seems to be playing out exactly like you must have anticipated. I'm incredibly impressed, Sansoro."
Roman exhaled slowly, before putting his gun away. He turned to Watts. "If this entire thing goes to shit, it's on you."
Watts' face wore a look of regret and concern, clearly miscalculating exactly how cunning Sansoro truly was. He nodded to Roman. "I understand."
Fed up with the kid, Roman stormed away, Neo hot on his heels. With the mob boss now removed from the situation, Sansoro turned to Watts, who was still recovering from what had just happened. Unlike most of the others, Sansoro appeared fine, as if he had expected that very interaction. He looked up at Watts and grinned. "So. Let's get started."