Welcome back to "Space", everyone! After kicking things off with a bit of backstory to what's going on, we're finally about to get moving as the Edens Zero's crew has discovered their path to Ziggy. But what they don't yet realize is that it won't be just him they're after.
And so, let's get back into it!
SPACE
Well, hello again. That was certainly a nice way to kick things off last time. But that said, things are starting to move forward. With the location of Ziggy's droid factory discovered upon the planet Lendard, our heroes are preparing to make their attack plan…
KAEDE COSMOS
EDENS ZERO
"The planet Lendard," Hermit said, gesturing to the holographic visual of the location as she was in the briefing room with the others, "This is where we believe we'll find Ziggy," she noted while letting models of the Edens Zero and Elsie's spaceship appear as well, "We're going to be joining with Elsie's fleet to start the attack," she confirmed, with other icons appearing around the model of the vessel in question.
"We've never faced enemy forces so large…" Rebecca pointed out, seated amongst the others at the table.
"Yeah, it's going to be a pretty intense battle," Hermit stated.
"What about the Omni Force?" Weisz inquired curiously.
"Riri said she's working out the details on who'll be coming," Sister answered, "We're definitely gonna get a good mix of guys who can handle fighting machines and duking it out in space," she mentioned further.
"In which case, we'll get a few from Rebecca's team who can help," Hermit pointed out.
"My…?" the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user started to say, only to blink in realization, "Oh, right," she confirmed with a small smile, "Riri, Jess, and those other guys…" she listed off.
"H-Hold on there, you scallywags!" Connor stammered out, getting everyone's attention.
"Scallywags?" Ochaco repeated in confusion as she tilted her head to the side.
"I told you, I recently escaped from Lendard!" the portly man pointed out to the group as sweat trickled down his face, "I've got no desire to go back to that accursed place!" he added vehemently while holding up his right pointer finger, "As captain, I demand you to turn this ship—!"
"You're not our captain," Sister bluntly interrupted.
"Aye…" Happy muttered in agreement.
"Could've left anytime, old man," Weisz chimed in, "No one's stopping you," he assured
"You can take one of our starfighters," Kleene added as a suggestion.
"The lot of you are heartless!" Connor exclaimed to their confusion, "All of the Kaede Cosmos is under Ziggy's control!" he pointed out, "And I'm a mere fugitive!" he mentioned further, "I would never be able to shake Ziggy's forces in a puny starfighter!" he proclaimed, followed by burbling to Pino again, who copied him.
"Please stop doing that, sir…" Ochaco pleaded with her hands held out to him in a placating manner.
"Weren't you floating out in space without a ship at all?" Laguna questioned of the portly man.
"That was only a bit of good fortune!" he yelled out in response, "In any case, I won't be stopping you from doing what you're doing…" he promised to the group, "But you're not getting me anywhere near Lendard!" he affirmed. The others could tell that as demanding as he was, he was also afraid. And for good reason.
"What's the call, Shiki?" Rebecca inquired of the Satan Gravity Ether Gear user.
"I guess we'll just have to drop him off somewhere on another planet," he concluded with his arms folded over his chest.
"Outside this cosmos, if you'd please," Connor chimed in with his pointer finger raised, "Preferably one as pleasant and safe as one can find," he added, raising his middle finger.
"What a demanding gentleman…" Homura remarked aloud, covering her lips with her left sleeve soon afterward, "Oops…" she uttered sheepishly.
"If we're to go to another cosmos, we'll need to use fast travel," Pino concluded.
"So we'll have to waste the ship's energy to give the old guy what he wants…" Happy grumbled.
"Well… we do have an Ether Drive," Hermit noted, "so the ship's energy will return in time," she assured, though she did seem a bit annoyed.
"Still a waste…" Sister muttered.
"It can't be helped," Shiki affirmed, standing up, "If this guy doesn't want to get involved in our fight, then the least we can do is make sure he's somewhere safe," he decided thoroughly, "So, anyone have a place in mind?" he inquired of his friends. Rebecca gave off a small smile. Her friend was so kind to anyone he met, willing to give them the benefit of a doubt. And so, they would honor Connor's request…
X
SAKURA COSMOS
BLUE GARDEN
While it was a bit out of the way and somewhat of a hassle, the Edens Zero's course was changed to return to the water planet, which was also where Rebecca grew up. In three years, not much had changed. But it was nostalgic as she ventured about the streets alongside her friends, save for Hermit, Sister, Couchpo, and Mosco, who were still aboard the ship as it was recharging.
"Wow, this takes me way back!" the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user proclaimed as she looked about her surroundings.
"Aye!" Happy agreed, "We haven't been here in three years after all!" he pointed out.
"Yeah…" Rebecca replied, "The last time we were on the planet was when…" she started to say, only to blink in realization. A blush appeared upon her face as she smiled.
FLASHBACK
'One chance... One chance...' Rebecca repeated to herself later as she walked around the Shooting Starlight with her shoulder bag over her right shoulder. She exhaled a groan. 'Of course Natalie wouldn't tell me what for...' she grumbled inwardly. As she approached the main hall, she spotted her friends at the end of the staircase, where Shiki had just told them about finding Mother and how their quest was really about to kick off.
"I wanna be best friends with her!" he declared with sparkling eyes, "That's my wish!" he affirmed. Hearing that, Rebecca smiled.
"I'll wish for loads of cash, beautiful ladies, and-"
"I want lots of fish!" Happy exclaimed, interrupting Weisz's wish.
"I wish to become human!" Pino declared.
"I...I would want to see my teacher one last time... if that's alright..." Homura stuttered out. Hearing her friends' wishes, the B-Cuber giggled as she made her way down to them.
"And with all our wishes in our hearts, we'll go beyond the Sakura Cosmos!" she declared, pumping her right fist up.
"Yeah, beyond!" Shiki agreed, mimicking her happily.
"Oh, look," Homura said, getting their attentions as they turned to see everyone from Class 1-A standing up at the top of the stairs to the second level of the guild.
"Hey, Ochaco!" the Satan Gravity Ether Gear user called out, causing her to perk up as she and the others looked to see him waving his right arm from below, "Thanks for all your help!" he yelled with gratitude. The Zero Gravity Quirk user giggled.
"Tsk..." Katsuki scoffed, "I could've taken that alchemy bastard by myself..." he proclaimed as he turned his head away.
"Sure you could've..." Eijiro Kirishima mumbled in response exasperatedly.
"We appreciate your help in all our endeavors," Homura chimed in as she stepped forward, bowing to the student heroes, "Thank you greatly," she added.
"Hey, it's what we do," Kyoka Jiro responded, folding her arms over her chest while grinning.
"We wish the best of luck with your journeys!" Momo Yaoyorozu called out to the group below, "Perhaps we'll join you someday!" she suggested. As everyone who wanted to got to say their goodbyes, Rebecca spotted Izuku. He was giving her his usual soft, yet warm smile. It was the smile she remembered him comforting her with after she was rescued from Guilst.
She wished she knew how to properly thank him for everything. He saved her from Drakken twice. A simple thank you didn't suffice for her, even though it probably would for him. And then she took notice of something. Natalie Dragneel was standing off to the side, glancing away. It was almost as if she was expecting something to happen. The moment the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user figured it out, her eyes widened a little.
'One chance...' she uttered inwardly, dropping her shoulder bag onto the floor.
"Rebecca?" Shiki said upon noticing. All of a sudden, he and the others watched her run up the steps towards the class.
"Where's she going?" Weisz wondered aloud. Izuku blinked in surprise to see her come up to him. She cupped his cheeks with her hands, closing her eyes and leaning her head in to give him a thankful, sweet kiss to his lips.
"WHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA?!" Minoru Mineta and Denki Kaminari exclaimed in disbelief, while almost everyone else widened their eyes in surprise. Natalie shot a glance back, huffing as she folded her arms over her chest. Rebecca then released herself from the One For All inheritor, whose eyes were shaking as his cheeks were a rosy red. Hers were, too. But she still smiled.
"Thank you for everything, Izu," she said warmly in gratitude, "Keep being Plus Ultra for me and everyone else, okay?" she requested of him. He blinked in surprise. But then he smiled.
"I will," he vowed with a nod, "Good luck to you, too," he added in farewell. With a giggle, Rebecca turned around and headed back down the stairs, but not before shooting a smile to Natalie, who took notice as she pouted a little.
END FLASHBACK
'I can't believe I still remember that day…' Rebecca admitted to herself, closing her left hand over her heart.
"Hey, is that… who I think it is?" one person questioned, snapping her away from her thoughts as she noticed an approaching crowd of people.
"It looks like Rebecca…" a woman pointed out.
"For real?!" a skinny man exclaimed with hearts in his eyes.
"Like, in person?!" another girl inquired excitedly.
"Uh…" the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user uttered, seeing the multitude of her fans approach. Instinctively, Happy leapt away. "H-Happy?!" his friend stammered out, only to yelp as she found herself being closed in on.
"Can I have your autograph?!" one woman requested.
"Becky!" a man screamed.
"I watch all your videos!" another pointed out, chasing after her.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!" she shrieked, running for her life.
"Yeah, we haven't been to Blue Garden, let alone the Sakura Cosmos in ages…" Weisz pointed out, only to blink in confusion, "Uh, wait a minute…" he uttered, putting his right hand onto his chin as Shiki and Ochaco came over, "Sakura Cosmos… That means…" he started to realize, remembering the last time the crew needed to locate someone, being Valkyrie Yuna, they went to see a certain someone who knew where she was, "XIAOMEI!" he suddenly exclaimed, causing the couple beside him to flinch in surprise, "Couldn't we have saved a lot of time by going to Mildian and asking her where he is?!" he inferred.
"AAAAAHHHHH!" Shiki screamed in realization.
"Uh…" his girlfriend uttered. Just then, she heard her communicator ping.
"Nope," Hermit's voice answered, catching Shiki and Weisz's attentions as well, seeing a holographic screen with the Mind of Edens appear before them, "We were lucky that Mildian was in the Sakura Cosmos when it was," she pointed out.
"…Huh?" both young men uttered in surprise.
"What do you mean by that?" Ochaco inquired.
"Mildian moves around erratically," Hermit replied, "It could be in the Aoi Cosmos or anywhere else right now," she inferred, "All we do know is that it's in some location where we can't find it for the moment," she pointed out.
"Well, that's too bad…" the Zero Gravity Quirk user admitted.
"At least we know where Ziggy is now," her boyfriend pointed out, making her giggle. Weisz sighed, looking over and spotting Rebecca still running from her rabid fans.
"Geez, talk about a reality check…" he remarked, enticing Shiki and Ochaco to look over to see the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user still trying to flee. All of a sudden, she tripped and fell flat on her stomach.
"Ow…" she muttered out, only to gasp in realization as she glanced back to see her approaching fans, "AAAAAAAAHHHHH!" she shrieked again, thinking that she was about to get trampled. All of a sudden though, something grabbed her, leaping away in an instant.
"Ah, hey!" one of her fans yelled.
"Huh?" she uttered in surprise, looking down to see the crowd far down below.
"Sorry about that!" the voice of the person carrying her called out apologetically, making her blink in shock as she thought she recognized it, "I don't want my friend getting hurt by accident!" he mentioned.
'No way…' Rebecca uttered inwardly, looking up to see who had saved her, 'Is it really…?' she started to ask. Holding onto her was actually Luck Voltia.
"Heya, Rebecca!" he greeted as she blinked with astonishment, "Long time, no see!" he remarked as he grinned widely.
"L-Luck!" she stammered out, blushing a little, "For a second, I thought you were someone else…" she sheepishly admitted to his confusion.
"Hey, give Becky back!" one of the girls below yelled.
"We just wanna get some autographs from her!" a man pointed out, chasing after them. All of a sudden though, a wall made up of green luminosity formed, which he slammed into, while the rest of the crowd yelped in surprise. "What the heck…?" he muttered as he staggered back.
"You looked like you were gonna trample her, ya know," a voice chimed in, getting the fans' attentions. They looked up to see that the wall had originated from a green beam of light emitting from the ring of Jessica Cruz, who was floating up in the air alongside an armored Riri. "She might be famous, but that doesn't mean she wants to get smothered by fans twenty-four-seven," the Green Lantern noted to the crowd.
"Well… yeah, but…" one girl tried to argue.
"Don't worry," the young Avenger chimed in reassuringly, "She knows how much you love her," she affirmed, flying off with Jessica as the wall construct came down. Luck descended to the ground with Rebecca, setting her onto her feet.
"Thanks, Luck," she said gratefully, followed by spotting her airborne colleagues, "Jess! Riri!" she called out, waving to them. They smiled, descending and landing down alongside her.
"You good?" the Green Lantern asked, earning a nod in response from the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user.
"Should've expected that some of our squad would show up…" she noted, "Where's everyone else?" she inquired curiously.
"They're all back on the ship, save for Arthur," Riri answered, "He's apparently on another one of his 'glorious missions'…" she muttered, letting her helmet retract as she rolled her eyes.
"Sounds like him…" Rebecca confirmed with a drop of sweat rolling down the side of her face.
"I wanted to stay and hang out with Ivry for a little while," Luck pointed out, "but she wanted me to leave and see you guys…" he mentioned, looking off to the side with a confused expression, "I got no idea why…" he admitted.
'I can think of a reason or two…' Rebecca noted to herself, imagining Hermit teasing the Life of Edens over her nickname in front of her boyfriend.
"Anyways, it's good to have all you guys here for the attack," the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user pointed out to her colleagues, "I'm sure you'll be more than enough for what's ahead," she affirmed confidently.
"That's the thing," Riri noted to her surprise, "It's not gonna be just us," she confirmed. Meanwhile, Connor was wandering about, sizing up the surroundings of Blue Garden. He was dressed in a dark suit with a light belt and pants, an overcoat draped over his shoulders like a cape, a white peaked cap with a red band and black bill, along with an insignia that resembled a fish pointing upward.
"Mm," he hummed with satisfaction, "This is a good, safe planet," he said as he nodded, "I can live a peaceful life here now," he affirmed.
"Hey," Laguna chimed in as he approached the portly man, getting his attention, "Something's been bothering me…" he pointed out, "Why were you working on Lendard for Ziggy?" he inquired.
"I told you, I didn't know the planet was his…" Connor retorted in response.
"No, I'm asking what a human was doing on a planet that automatically builds robots in the first place," Laguna corrected, "It just doesn't make sense to me…" he admitted as Shiki and Ochaco approached curiously.
"Yeah, that's a good point…" the Zero Gravity Quirk user agreed.
"Well, there are a few jobs that only a human can do," Connor pointed out to the group.
"But… aren't you just a ship's captain?" Shiki inquired, tilting his head to the side in confusion. The portly man pulled off his left glove, revealing to the trio a tattoo that read 'FREEDOM FORCE'. Laguna blinked in surprise.
"Formerly, I was a captain in the Aoi Cosmos' Freedom Force," Connor confirmed.
"You were fighting the empire?!" the Tears Lover Ether Gear user exclaimed.
"Weird, I never heard about a Freedom Force…" Ochaco admitted aloud, "I assumed Oasis was the only rebellion against Nero and the others…" she confessed on.
"Sadly, the Freedom Force was defeated by Nero and his allies," Connor pointed out as he lowered the brim of his hat over his hat over his eyes, "I survived… but I abandoned my ship in doing so before it sunk…" he told the group, "I can't help but wonder…" he continued, "if I had stayed, would I have made much of a difference?" he wondered aloud, "I think I'd be flattering myself if I could…" he admitted ashamedly.
"Mister Connor…" Ochaco uttered.
"An Infinity Stone?" Rebecca said in confusion after listening to Riri, while Kleene and Homura had joined the group.
"Yeah, that's the working theory," the armored Avenger confirmed, "Basically, we think the only reason Ultron's helping Ziggy is so that he can get one of those stones in return," she told the group.
"I remember hearing stories of these Infinity Stones from James and the other Avengers…" Homura recalled, narrowing her eyes, "They sound quite dangerous, even individually," she mentioned.
"Knowing that they were used around sixteen years ago altogether makes stopping Ziggy all the more important," Jessica pointed out.
"Exactly," Riri agreed, "So for now, it'll be our squad going to Lendard with you," she confirmed to the crew members, "We'll get the others involved and ready before the fight," she mentioned.
"Right," Rebecca responded.
"I'm still shocked at how popular you are now, Rebecca," Kleene chimed in, getting the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user's attention, "That crowd was big," she noted with a giggle.
"Aww…" Rebecca uttered, sheepishly rubbing the back of her head as she blushed, "It would've been a lot worse if Couchpo were here with us…" she pointed out.
"Couchpo?" Jessica repeated, raising an eyebrow in confusion.
"She's far too busy obsessing over the food in our kitchen," Homura noted, giggling with her friends. Connor looked on curiously at them, more specifically, the girls.
"…I had a daughter," he told those around him, making them perk up in surprise, "If she were alive, she'd be around the same age as those lasses there…" he added.
"'If she were alive'?" Shiki repeated in confusion.
"Don't tell me…" Ochaco uttered as her eyes slowly widened.
"She left soon after she was born…" Connor confirmed to the couple, "That was what inspired me to leave my ship back then…" he mentioned, trembling a little.
"Oh, Mister Connor…" the Zero Gravity Quirk user said sympathetically. She then saw her boyfriend approach him. He placed his hand onto the former ship captain's shoulder, enticing him to turn around. Needless to say, he was shocked to find the complete mess that was Shiki's saddened face, with tears and snot dripping down.
"I'll be your new daughter…!" he wept out.
"…Huh?" Ochaco uttered with a tilt of her head.
"Huh?! No, wait… I wasn't… What?!" Connor yelped out, quite befuddled and shocked by the young man's sudden change in demeanor after hearing his story.
"Think of me as your new daughter, Dad!" he insisted as he lunged over to hug him, still crying.
"Uh, no thank you…" he responded.
"Oh, Shiki…" Ochaco sighed out, smiling a little.
"It must've been hard for you to have your own daughter pass away soon after her birth…" Pino chimed in sadly upon approaching.
"No, she's not dead from what I know," Connor confirmed as a reply.
"HUH?!" Shiki and Ochaco exclaimed simultaneously out of shock.
"By leaving me, I meant her mother took her away shortly after she was born," the portly man corrected.
"DON'T BE SO CONFUSING!" the Satan Gravity Ether Gear user shouted angrily.
"Good grief…" Laguna grumbled with a sigh.
"Huh…" Ochaco exhaled in exasperation.
"That's why I've been traveling from cosmos to cosmos, looking for my wife and daughter," Connor affirmed to the group, "And now, I'm here," he said.
"Well…" the Zero Gravity Quirk user began as she approached, "if you need our help with finding them after our fight with Ziggy, we won't hesitate!" she promised, "At least, I wouldn't," she corrected, looking back at her boyfriend, who grinned with crossed arms. A little while later, the entire group arrived at the Shooting Starlight, the adventurer's guild.
"WAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" a teary-eyed, yet smiling Clarisse cried happily as she outstretched her arms, "I missed you, Rebecca! Happy!" she called out.
"Clarisse… did you even listen to a thing we just said…?" the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user inquired of her spectacled friend.
"Guess you haven't seen each other for a while…" Riri pointed out.
"Anyways," Happy chimed in, gesturing toward Connor, "we found this guy—"
"Captain," the portly man corrected to his annoyance.
"We found this 'captain'… and need you to take him in for us," the feline-like android requested of the guild's receptionist.
"Well, we can do that… but…" Clarisse started to say.
"Treating a man like a stray kitten, are you?" Connor inferred as he crouched down to Happy's height, glaring at him, "You're a scurvy one, cat!" he remarked.
"Right back at ya…" the feline-like android muttered as a retort.
"Look, he just doesn't wanna get involved in what we're doing next," Jessica chimed in, getting Clarisse's attention, "Once we're done, we can come back, pick him up, and get him to where he'd wanna go," she inferred.
"Please don't go making promises for us, Jess…" Rebecca pleaded to the Green Lantern.
"Haha!" Luck laughed, "That guy seems like fun!" he pointed out.
"Ah, it's good to finally see you all again," a familiar voice greeted, getting their attentions as they looked over to Noah coming.
"Master Noah!" Rebecca exclaimed in surprise, "Wow, I only talked with you just the other day…" she pointed out.
"You!" Shiki shouted.
"Oh dear, Shiki…" the guildmaster said with a smile, "You aren't still angry about that one incident from three years ago, are you?" he inquired.
"You're darn right I am!" the Satan Gravity Ether Gear user shouted back, "You put Rebecca in danger!" he pointed out, "We only won back then thanks to Ochaco and her friends, too!" he mentioned.
"Calm down, Shiki…" his girlfriend insisted as she approached, "It's all in the past, isn't it?" she inferred.
"Well, we are technically members of opposing organizations," Noah pointed out, "so it's only fair for him to hold me accountable," he mentioned, "Speaking of which, you must be Miss Ochaco, yes?" he presumed.
"Right," the Zero Gravity Quirk user replied, "I'm Ochaco Uraraka," she introduced, "It's very to meet you," she greeted as she bowed.
"Likewise," Noah responded, chuckling a little.
"Anyway," Pino chimed in as she approached, getting their attentions, "we've brought Mister Connor…" she pointed out, gesturing over to the portly man as he wandered about the guild. The guildmaster narrowed his eyes curiously.
"You're dropping him off?" he guessed.
"Huh?" Ochaco uttered out of surprise, "How'd you know?" she asked.
"He's got a power that lets him see where a person is and what they'll be doing," Shiki responded with narrowed eyes, "That's how he got Rebecca in trouble…" he muttered on.
"Whoa, that's pretty useful," his girlfriend noted.
"It works as best intended, yes," Noah confirmed, "So I believe now, you're headed to face off with Ziggy, correct?" he presumed.
"Yes, sir," Rebecca replied as she approached alongside Riri and Jessica, "We're heading to Lendard to stop his droid factory," she told him.
"Lendard?" the guildmaster repeated in surprise, "That's quite far," he noted.
"And we still have to get ready," Shiki mentioned, "Our first step should be getting back to the Kaede Cosmos," he advised of the group, "After that, we can get the rest of the team together before the attack," he affirmed on. His colleagues nodded in agreement. Noah smiled, but then blinked. Ochaco noticed the gold lines of energy in his left eye.
"Mister Noah?" she uttered with concern. Suddenly, a green light beneath Shiki's left eye started blinking, getting his attention.
"It's from Hermit," Weisz noted, having received the same transmission as well, along with his crewmates.
"We've got a problem!" she alerted to the group, causing them to slightly widen their eyes, "The Interstellar Union Army knows that we're here!" she confirmed.
"What?!" Kris exclaimed in shock.
"How?" Jessica inquired.
"You…!" Shiki growled toward Noah.
"No, this isn't my doing," he confirmed to the group, "It's Feather from the Oración Seis Interestelar," he told them, "She has the same power I do," he mentioned.
"That's not good…" Ochaco realized.
"So they could track us if we're close enough…" Riri added, putting an armored hand onto her chin.
"The Eye of God, an Ether Gear that allows the user to observe a person's location," Pino explained.
"Wait a sec!" Weisz exclaimed, "Couldn't we have used that to find out where Ziggy was?!" he inquired emphatically.
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Shiki screamed in realization.
"No," Noah responded, "My Ether Gear can't locate mechanical lifeforms," he noted on.
"The Edens Zero is surrounded at the moment!" Hermit warned to her colleagues, "We've got Rin and the others helping fend off the government forces in the bay, but we still can't move!" she pointed out emphatically.
"Well, we could blow 'em all away with the main cannon…" Sister suggested with a smirk, "But I get the feeling you're not gonna want that, Shiki," she realized.
"Yeah, they're not our enemies!" the Satan Gravity Ether Gear user responded, "Don't shoot them!" he insisted.
"We'll return to the ship at once!" Homura promised, "Please withstand their attack until then!" she advised of the Shining Stars.
"Just be careful!" Hermit chimed in, "They probably sent a battalion to the guild, too!" she mentioned in warning. Outside, several soldiers were stationed and ready to receive orders. One of the two leading them was a tall lean man with a toned body that had a tribal necklace tattoo on his chest, and a slicked hair with a crewcut. He wore a long-sleeved short shirt that bared his midriff, and light pants with bandage wrappings and shoes. He also had a left angel wing on his back.
His partner was large burly man with an afro and a small wing tattoo beside his left eye. He donned a black-and-gray armored spacesuit that covered his upper body, and dark pants and shoes. On his back, he had an angel wing on his right side.
"Be ready for anything, men," the former of the pair advised, "Our target is Shiki Granbell of the Oración Seis Galáctica," he pointed out.
"Listen up!" the burlier of the two called out, "There's plenty of civilians in the area," he noted to the soldiers, "Whatever you do, don't get them caught in the crossfire!" he insisted firmly.
"Commander Feather, all units are in place," his partner informed to the white-haired woman beside him. She opened her eyes, with her Ether markings upon them receding.
"They will be emerging from the building soon," she informed to her forces, "When you see them, fire," she instructed.
"Yes, ma'am!" the soldiers responded, taking aim with their rifles. Back inside the guild, members were murmuring worriedly, wondering what the commotion was all about. Shiki grimaced.
"Dang it!" he exclaimed in frustration, "They're after me, aren't they?" he presumed, "If I knew this was gonna happen, I would've gone and protested that stupid title they slapped onto me…" he muttered in admittance.
"And who went on about how it boosted his cred through the cosmoses?" Weisz inquired cheekily.
"That was you, Weisz," Kris bluntly pointed out, making him wince.
"What's the plan?" Jessica asked.
"If it's a fight they're looking for, they'll get one for sure!" Luck affirmed as electricity crackled around him, "I haven't had a good brawl in a while!" he pointed out excitedly.
"No, I don't want anyone else risking getting hurt," Shiki stated as he stepped forward, "I'll lure them away," he decided, "You guys get to the ship while they're distracted!" he insisted on, "I'll be right behind you!" he assured.
"Shiki…" Ochaco uttered worriedly, wondering if he was taking on too much of a challenge. But then, Rebecca stepped forward.
"No," she said to the Satan Gravity Ether Gear user's surprise, "We're a crew," she affirmed with a smile, "We go back to the ship together," she added. Everyone traded looks of determination, with some smiles. Shiki decided to crack his own grin after a moment.
"Okay," he responded, "We're making a run for the ship!" he declared, "But remember, these guys aren't our enemies!" he mentioned to the group, "So don't kill anyone!" he advised on.
"Right!" his colleagues responded. Outside, Feather stared at the guild's entrance curiously.
"I see you all coming out together…" she noted aloud.
X
"Ergh…" Sister growled from the Edens Zero, pacing back and forth aboard the bridge with Hermit and Mosco, "If Shiki wasn't such a softie, we'd blow this planet and get out without a problem…" she muttered.
"He's only being labeled a criminal thanks to the government," the Mind of Edens pointed out as she typed on the holographic keyboards around her station, "If it weren't for that, they wouldn't be out there trying to capture us," she mentioned.
"Speaking of which…" Sister continued as she glanced out the window, letting off a little smirk, "I feel kinda bad for those bozos down there," she admitted. Down in the bay area, several soldiers were already lying upon the floor, groaning in pain. Standing over them were Rin Tohsaka, Noel Niihashi, Megumi Fushiguro, Devlin Levin, and Inosuke Hashibira.
"Ergh…!" the demon slayer growled with frustration, "I could've just cut these jerks down no problem!" he proclaimed, holding up his dual Nichirin Swords.
"We were told not to kill," the witch of the group pointed out, sitting aboard a floating creature with a light blue body, a rounded head, and a flower-like tail, "Although, that isn't exactly easy for most of us," she admitted, brushing her hair back behind her right ear.
"So long as we protect the damn ship, I think it's fine," the jujutsu sorcerer affirmed, cracking his knuckles as he stretched his fingers, "I bet the main force is heading to where Granbell is," he inferred.
"Huh…" the mage of the group sighed in frustration, "Honestly, I would've rather we joined them at the guild and taken care of all their forces in one go," she muttered out.
"Look, it doesn't matter now," the hybrid Osmosian said to his colleagues, placing his right hand up against the Edens Zero, absorbing its metal as it coated his skin, "Riri and the others are at the guild," he confirmed, "They'll get here soon," he assured confidently.
"It'll be nice to see Rebecca again after so long," Noel admitted with a chuckle.
"And I can fight with Kogoma!" Inosuke proclaimed excitedly.
"You mean Homura?" Megumi presumed, while his girlfriend groaned. Back at the Shooting Starlight, the crowd outside murmured nervously as the army approached the building.
"What's going on?" a man asked in concern.
"It's the Interstellar Union Army!" another exclaimed quietly.
"Did something happen at the guild?" a ponytailed woman inquired.
"I guess some big-shot supervillain's in there…" one person assumed.
"And who's the hottie?!" another man asked excitedly upon spotting Feather.
"It's one of the big-shots from the government…!" someone else whispered in shock. Inside the guild itself, Shiki and the others were preparing to depart.
"You're going to be meeting them head on?" Noah inquired out of surprise, "Feather and her forces?" he questioned further.
"That is the way we roll, as Master would say," Pino confirmed in reply.
"It'll all work out," Happy assured, "We're super strong now," he affirmed confidently.
"Feather has practically the same power as I do," the guildmaster pointed out to the group, "In a battle, she can use it to predict her enemy's movements," he mentioned.
"Are you planning on helping us?" Kris inquired of him.
"Considering my position, I can't do that…" he responded.
"Then shut up," Weisz muttered.
"However, I may be able to buy you a bit of time," Noah confirmed to the group.
"No thanks," Shiki responded to his surprise, "It's the thought that counts, but we'll be fine!" he assured confidently, "Come on, guys! Let's make a dash for the ship!" he insisted.
"You say that after refusing a chance to get away easier…" Jessica grumbled, floating up with a greenish light shrouding her body.
"It's the way things go sometimes…" Riri noted, letting her helmet deploy over her head, "So how do you wanna play this, Shiki?" she inquired of the Satan Gravity Ether Gear user as they walked towards the entrance, with the others following.
"See you later, Master Noah!" Rebecca called out to the guildmaster with a wave, "And you too, Mister Connor!" she added to the portly man, who blinked in surprise, shocked by what the group was willing to go through. The doors opened as the soldiers took aim. Out came their targets.
"It's them!" Agie confirmed.
"Here they come…" Sam remarked.
"…Open fire," Feather commanded simply.
"But, there's still civilians in the area!" one of her men pointed out.
"Your bullets won't hit anyone," she assured to his surprise, "I've seen it," she affirmed. With that, her soldiers started firing onto the group.
"They're shooting right off the bat?!" Kleene exclaimed in surprise.
"They could've at least started with a speech first…" Laguna muttered. All of a sudden, a wall constructed of green light formed in front of them, blocking off the ammunition as it exploded harmlessly against it.
"What?! No way!" one soldier exclaimed.
"What the hell was that?!" another inquired. Feather glanced up, spotting Jessica there with her right arm extended out, as her ring projected the green luminosity.
"An otherworlder…" the Oración Seis Interestelar member uttered, narrowing her eyes.
"Hate to kill the mood, but can you move?" the Green Lantern requested, "Some of us aren't gonna get through you easy…" she pointed out.
"Keep firing," Feather advised of her men, causing them to blink in surprise, "While you do, I'll Ether-connect to Team Alpha," she confirmed.
"Right!" one man responded, "FIRE!" he ordered, enticing the soldiers to keep firing. Jessica fortified her constructed wall, letting out a grunt. In the meantime, a whitish energy began shrouding a group of the soldiers, including the two lieutenants.
"I love Ether-connect…" Agie noted with a big grin.
"Indeed," Sam agreed, "With Feather's power temporarily granted to us, we'll be able to see what they're up to before they even do anything," he mentioned thoroughly. Their commander then extended her right arm out.
"Seize them!" she ordered. The firing squad kept shooting, only for a volley of mini-missiles to come their way from Riri. They struck the ground in bursts of smoke, blinding them momentarily as they ceased their fire. None of them realized that Kris was making his way towards them, with his green Ether lines expanding along his arms.
"You're in the way," he pointed out, blowing them all off in yells with a burst of wind. They then found themselves caught up in another gust, originating from Kleene.
"Sorry to do this," she apologized in advance, having the wind rip the rifles away from the soldiers' grasp, including those not caught up in her brother's attack. Others tried to fire onto them, but were suddenly confronted by Laguna. He waved his right arm, unleashing a wave of water that washed them away.
"You're kidding…" one soldier muttered as he sweated.
"Don't falter!" another insisted, "The more time we give Alpha, we got a better chance at—!" His words left him as Homura dashed by with a pair of red Ether blades in her hands, slashing apart the soldiers' rifles. They gasped in shock. Meanwhile, Rebecca leapt into the air, with Happy having transformed into a pair of twin blasters beforehand as she caught them. Though upside down, she managed to grin, firing off shots that struck her targets as they fell one after another.
"Whoa, these guys are no joke…" a soldier amongst the Ether-linked team pointed out.
"They're coming for us now," another noted, spotting Weisz heading towards them with his rifle at the ready. Thanks to the power he received from his commander, he had foresight into his target's next move, seeing him move left. "Gotcha'!" he exclaimed, lunging out at the Machina Maker Ether Gear user. However, he made markings form along his arm, causing his rifle to transform. His incoming foe gasped too late, seeing that he turned it into a gauntlet, which he used to smack the soldier down.
"You say something?" he inquired of the groaning man, while the others around were shocked.
"S-Surround him!" another soldier commanded with a stutter. All of a sudden though, Luck zipped in front of him.
"Man, this is kinda boring…" he admitted as his grimoire floated out in front of him, flipping through its pages as his feet and legs were clad in a teal green electricity, "I figured when you guys all started glowing, you'd be a lot stronger…" he pointed out.
"He's gonna move left!" a soldier warned, "Catch him!" he ordered.
"Lightning Magic…" the Black Bull started to chant, zipping off to the left instantaneously, "THUNDER FIEND!" he exclaimed, blitzing through several soldiers as they were sent flying from the impact.
"H-How…?!" another soldier stammered in shock, only to be caught up in a greenish rope of light emitting from Jessica's ring, along with a few other men. She smirked, tossing them aside like ragdolls. Shiki then jumped into the fray, coming down and slamming his palm against the surface of the ground. Several soldiers fell due to the sudden force of gravity, with their weapons leaving their grasp.
"Ochaco!" the Satan Gravity Ether Gear user called out.
"Right!" his girlfriend responded, hurrying forward. She tapped each of the weapons, making them float up into the air.
"Take her down!" one of the men still standing commanded, enticing a few others to lunge out at her. She tapped her fingertips together.
"And release!" she exclaimed. The weapons in the air suddenly fell downward, striking each of the incoming soldiers atop their heads, knocking them out onto the ground. One managed to be lucky enough to avoid getting hit, closing in on the Zero Gravity Quirk user. But she managed to pivot around him, grabbing him by his neck and slamming him hard against the ground.
"How could they be winning…?!" another soldier questioned from afar, "The connect team is…!" he tried to say, trembling in fright. Watching on from afar in shock was Connor. He couldn't believe what he was paying witness to.
"Is something the matter, Mister Connor?" Noah inquired as he approached the portly man, getting his attention.
"Hmm…" he hummed out, tipping the brim of his cap down slightly, "I knew full well that this group of rapscallions was saving the planets that Ziggy invaded…" he noted, "so of course they'd have to be strong…" he added, witnessing Riri come down and elbow another soldier, while Homura slashed another's rifle cleanly in half, "But I had no idea just how strong they were…" he admitted, shaking a little, "They're such wee children compared to me…" he mentioned, while Luck blitzed through another dozen men, "And they've been fighting like this the whole time?" he wondered on as Rebecca kicked aside a soldier, allowing for Happy to transform back to normal while Jessica flew down and constructed chains of green light from her rings, wrapping around and restraining four more men.
"It's because they're young," Noah pointed out to Connor, making him blink in surprise, "They see fewer options for solving problems, and that makes them more sensitive…" he explained further, "Perhaps even more straightforward," he added, "They fight. That's their choice," he affirmed, "To protect their family and prevent the loss of any more family," he mentioned on.
"Family?" the former captain repeated in confusion.
"The crew of their ship," the guildmaster responded, "To them, that is their family," he confirmed, looking on as Ochaco made wires fire off from her wrist gauntlets, wrapping around a few men before she tapped them, making them float up. Her boyfriend leapt into the air after them, easily knocking them out with quick punches. That allowed for the Zero Gravity Quirk user to press her fingertips together, letting them descend safely to the ground.
"Their family…" Connor uttered.
"Those from this universe are all orphans," Noah pointed out, much to the portly man's shock, "Thus the bonds among them are more valuable than anything in their hearts," he told him.
"They're… orphans…" Connor repeated, quite stunned by the knowledge. Meanwhile, Pino charged towards a trio of soldiers.
"Activate EMP!" she exclaimed as a wave of purple energy expanded from her onto the three men. They attempted to fire onto her, only for no bullets to leave their rifles.
"Hey, my gun's locked!" one of them yelped out.
"No, that bot must've jammed it!" another realized. Unfortunately, none of them were aware of Happy getting into position.
"Happy Blaster Solo Mode!" he exclaimed, allowing for a port on his back to open, building a small cannon that aimed for the soldiers, who widened their eyes. They all found themselves getting pelted by the flurry of Ether bullets shot their way from the feline-like android.
"Man, you guys really got some upgrades…" Riri commented, firing off repulsor rays to knock down a few more soldiers. In the meantime, Rebecca charged in, letting the wing-like Ether markings at her legs expand. She roundhouse-kicked away several soldiers with ease, having taken on a new appearance.
She was now wearing a blue leotard with detached sleeves, a dark trim and no footwear. Her hair had become white with a tint of a light blue color, gaining a pair of cat ears on her head, and a cat tail with a ring that sported Ether lines that are shaped like a heart above. She also had light blue Ether markings across her legs and upper arms, and a pair resembling cat whiskers across her face.
"Meow!" she exclaimed, kicking a soldier upside the head.
"Whoa!" Jessica yelped upon noticing.
"So Rebecca got herself Overdrive, huh?" Riri noted, grinning underneath her helmet.
"Haha!" Luck laughed, "It looks cool!" he pointed out.
"I actually got it three years ago," the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user confirmed to her colleagues as she flipped back and kicked another soldier aside, "It's definitely come in handy for times like these!" she pointed out, landing another roundhouse kick to take down three more men.
"No way…" one uttered in disbelief.
"It's a monster cat!" another exclaimed.
"Rude!" Rebecca shouted, offended.
"I don't get it…" Sam muttered from afar with a grimace, "How is the connect team losing to them?!" he inquired.
"We should be able to see all their moves!" Agie added in frustration. Just then, both of them blinked in surprise upon discovering something they foresaw. Purple smoke started filling the air around the area.
"Smoke?" Kris uttered in confusion upon noticing, covering his mouth with his left arm.
"Should we clear it, brother?" Kleene presumed, readying her arms.
"No," another voice chimed in, causing the Rutherford siblings to blink in surprise as they turned to the source, "It's going to be the cover for your escape," he confirmed. The Wind Snatch Ether Gear user smiled brightly with sparkling eyes, while her brother was shocked.
'This smoke…' Rebecca uttered inwardly, wondering where she had seen it before.
"Damn, I can't see anything!" a soldier complained.
"Even with Feather's Eye of Venus, we won't be able to tell who's coming at us!" another added in panic.
"Calm down!" Agie advised seriously, "We're gonna stop 'em before they even think of tryin' to—!"
"DIIEEE!" a voice bellowed as a figure shot out of the smoke, blasting him back in a powerful explosion.
"Agie…?!" Sam gasped out, only to end up punched in the stomach by a figure with spiky pink hair. Both lieutenants fell to the ground in heaps from the attacks.
"Sam! Agie!" one soldier exclaimed in shock.
"Those guys don't look like those others…" another pointed out as the smoke settled around the mysterious figures, revealing them to be Katsuki Bakugo and Yuji Itadori, "Just how many crazy strong freaks are with these guys?!" the soldier inquired emphatically.
"Hmph," the Explosion Quirk user scoffed, "Not our fault you're so weak…" he muttered.
"Sorry, but we're just here to help our friends," the jujutsu sorcerer beside him affirmed.
"Whoa, those guys?" Happy uttered in surprise.
"If I recall, the one with the explosive appearance is Katsuki," Pino pointed out, "And the other one is friends with Mister Megumi," she added in remembrance.
"Kacchan! Itadori!" another voice called out, causing those of the Edens Zero crew and their colleagues to perk up, especially Rebecca, "Let's keep them back for the others to get to the ship!" he advised seriously. The Cat Leaper Quirk user turned her head, widening her eyes to find the figure of Izuku Midoriya dashing past her, dressed in his hero costume as his yellow cape flapped about.
"Izu…!" she gasped out in surprise. The One For All inheritor took a great leap into the air, rearing his right fist back.
"Thirty Percent Detroit Smash…" he began, throwing his clenched extremity down toward the ground, "AIR FORCE!" he bellowed as he unleashed a pressurized blast of air, blowing away the smoke and several of the government soldiers. They scattered about along the ground around Feather, whose eyes narrowed as she saw the freckled hero land down.
"You had to show off, didn't you?" Katsuki muttered to his rival.
"Nice one, Midoriya!" Yuji complimented.
"Oh man… now there's more of them…" a soldier pointed out, backing up slightly out of nervousness.
"What are we gonna do?" another asked. Feather stepped forward.
"Very well," she said, "I'll have to resort to—" All of a sudden, Shiki landed down in front of her.
"Sorry, would you mind getting out of the way?" he requested, much to her shock as her eyes widened.
'He's… not in the location I foresaw…' she noted inwardly, sweating a little, 'There's never been such a large discrepancy before…' she added to herself.
"Well, see ya later!" Shiki remarked, patting her shoulder with his right hand before walking past, going over to join his colleagues.
"Why say 'see you later'?" Weisz inquired of him as he approached.
"Oh, yeah, I don't wanna ever see her again…" he corrected in reply, "Anyways, thanks for the help, Izuku!" he added gratefully to the One For All inheritor, who smiled.
"We helped too, dammit…" Katsuki grumbled.
"Glad to help!" Yuji affirmed, shooting a thumbs up.
"Alright, let's get moving," another voice chimed in, getting their attentions as they looked up. Standing atop a mass of wind with Kris and Kleene was Yuno Grinberryall. "It won't be long before they send reinforcements," he pointed out.
"Right," Izuku agreed with a nod, "Let's get to the ship!" he advised of the group, waving for them to hurry off after him. As Rebecca ran by his side, letting her transformation come undone, she stared at him in wonder. Here he was again, saving her and her friends. And she couldn't help but smile about that.
"Stop!" Feather commanded, attempting to turn around. However, she suddenly found herself immobile as the ground at her feet cracked. She widened her eyes.
'I'm stuck…' she noted inwardly, recalling when Shiki had touched her, 'His gravity…' she continued as she watched the fleeing Oración Seis Galáctica member and his friends, 'I won't let you get away,' she affirmed through her thoughts.
"Deku, I'm surprised you showed up!" Ochaco admitted as she caught the One For All inheritor's attention, "I thought you'd be busy…" she mentioned.
"When word got out about the Infinity Stone theory, I wanted to make sure I was here to help out however I could," Izuku explained in response.
"Yeah, same here," Yuji chimed in.
"You're gonna need as many hands on deck as you can get, morons…" Katsuki chimed as he blasted himself onward, "So be grateful!" he insisted.
'Yeesh…' Weisz muttered inwardly as a drop of sweat rolled down the side of his head.
"Although, our first challenge is going to be getting off the planet safely…" Yuno pointed out.
"What do you mean?" Kleene inquired.
"Our ship's surrounded by Feather's fleet, right?" Kris assumed with crossed arms, earning a nod in response from the Golden Dawn member.
"And not many of us can fight in space," he mentioned.
"We're not trying to fight," Shiki stated firmly, "These guys aren't our enemy," he pointed out, "We'll leave without taking a single life!" he declared. The others gave off determined looks, though some of them appeared unconvinced. They didn't yet realize that fortune was going to smile in their favor…
X
"I told you, we're completely surrounded!" Hermit exclaimed aboard the Edens Zero once the group had returned to gather with them at the bridge.
"Yeah, this doesn't look good at all…" Megumi commented, seeing the holographic visual of the fleet up above the planet's atmosphere.
"If we're going to escape, we'll have take out at least a few ships…" Rin pointed out.
"And it's not like that'll be easy, either," Sister chimed in, "Feather's ships are called the Racer Class, the fastest in the galaxy," she noted, "It'll be hard to lose 'em, especially if we're not trying to fight back," she mentioned seriously.
"Riri and I are equipped to fight in space," Jessica confirmed, "We can hold them off for you," she suggested to the group.
"Two people against a whole fleet without trying to counterattack?" the Life of Edens presumed rhetorically, "Yeah, you're basically asking to die," she remarked coldly.
"Even if we are going to counterattack, we're still outnumbered," Devlin pointed out.
"Exactly," Hermit agreed, "If you wanna outrun the Union's fastest fleet, that's one thing," she noted as she approached Shiki, "but not fighting back is going to get us all killed," she proclaimed.
"I don't wanna kill anyone…" the Satan Gravity Ether Gear user affirmed back.
"Shiki…" Ochaco uttered in concern.
"Is it even possible to outrun such a fleet?" Megumi wondered aloud.
"Who cares!" Inosuke roared, making him and a few others flinch, "Just beat 'em all up!" he insisted, wildly swinging his swords around as he cackled.
"Is there really no way we can escape without fighting…?" Rebecca questioned.
"It's possible for me," a familiar voice chimed in, getting the group's attention. They turned to the entrance to find Connor there with his arms folded over his chest.
"What the heck?" Devlin said, blinking in surprise.
"Who's this fat guy?" Inosuke asked.
"Mister Connor!" Pino exclaimed with delight.
"But… why are you here?" Shiki asked as the portly man walked past him, heading to the captain's chair.
"Call me captain, if you'd please," he requested politely, "I've seen what I needed to from you young lads," he pointed out, "Therefore…" he continued, letting off a grin, "let's escape the Union Army's clutches together!" he insisted to everyone's shock. Moments later, the group gathered around the holographic visual of Blue Garden, with the fleet of government ships marked around the planet.
"As you can tell, Feather's fleet has the space around the planet surrounded," Hermit pointed out.
"It's about thirty ships in total, but they're still the fastest in the army," Sister mentioned, "Getting out's gonna be tough," she added on.
"Hmm…" Connor hummed, narrowing his eyes onto the visual, "I wouldn't call us 'surrounded'," he said, "That looks more like a blockade to me," he noted.
"Sorry to interrupt your little self-important analysis," Weisz chimed in, getting his attention, "but we're only in this mess because someone needed us to come here…" he pointed out in frustration.
"We wouldn't be at Blue Garden, nor used up our fast travel," Kris added.
"If someone hadn't acted like a selfish baby," Laguna remarked on. Connor grimaced.
"Guys, come on!" Ochaco reprimanded.
"It's all in the past," Shiki mentioned.
"NO, IT'S NOT!" Weisz shouted, making the couple and the portly man flinch.
"We are now the popular 'must capture' ship…" Homura remarked rather bluntly.
"Fact of the matter is, I don't trust the guy," the Machina Maker Ether Gear user admitted to his colleagues, "And if Witch were around, I doubt she'd hand over the controls to the ship that easily," he mentioned.
"It's okay," Rebecca chimed in to everyone's surprise, "We can trust him on this," she affirmed.
"What?!" Weisz exclaimed, "But you trusted him the least out of all of us!" he pointed out.
"I know," the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user responded, "Even now, I don't trust his connection to Ziggy," she admitted as she looked over to Connor, who was stunned, "but I do trust his piloting skills," she stated.
"If Rebecca says it's okay, then we can be sure," Happy chimed in.
"I trust him, too," Pino added.
"If this works and we get out of here, we might as well give him a fair chance," Megumi said.
"Hey, it's your call here," Riri told Rebecca, making her smile.
"Then if you don't mind now, I'll handle this," Connor declared, "Because I certainly don't want to be the kind of adult that betrays the trust of young ones like yourselves," he told the group.
"Thanks," Shiki said gratefully, while Ochaco smiled.
"Still, we're probably going to need to take extra defensive measures for the ship," Izuku inferred, "especially if we're not counterattacking," he added.
"On it," Jessica responded, floating up as a green aura shrouded her body, "Riri?" she called out to the armored Avenger.
"Right behind you," she responded, flying after her.
"Wait a minute, this guy just ran away from Lendard," Weisz pointed out, glancing over to Connor as he walked over, taking his seat in the captain's chair, "And that's exactly where we're heading," he mentioned, "So what changed your mind?" he asked of the portly man.
"Would it sound odd if I were to say that… seeing the lot of you fight back captured my heart?" he inquired back to the Machina Maker Ether Gear user's surprise.
'Yes… that is the truth…' he noted to himself, adjusting his cap.
"Well, I guess we're doing this," Hermit realized, putting her left hand up to her ear, "Riri, Jessica," she communicated, "You copy?" she asked.
"Loud and clear, Hermit," the armored Avenger responded over the communication line. Both she and the Green Lantern were standing upon the ship from the outside.
"We're gonna be taking off shortly," the Mind of Edens confirmed, "Be ready for launch!" she advised. Back in the bridge, the others took their places at the bridge, whether they sat in chairs or remained standing. The ship hovered off of the docking bay platform before the hatch opened. It rocketed off into the stars, breaking through the planet's atmosphere. Riri and Jessica stood firmly aboard the vessel, which slowed slightly after it entered space.
"Alright, 'Mister Captain'," Sister said from the bridge, "what now?" she questioned, "We can't fast travel yet," she pointed out, looking at the energy readings on the monitors.
"And we're not breaking through without sinking at least a few of those ships," Devlin added seriously.
"But that's against your leader's wishes," Connor pointed out.
"Yeah, I don't wanna fire at anyone who's not our enemy," Shiki confirmed.
"Don't fret, lad," the portly man advised, "I'm of the same mind," he affirmed, taking on a determined expression, "Lasses!" his voice echoed over the loudspeakers, getting Riri and Jessica's attentions, "Be sure to hold on tight!" he advised.
"Yeah, got it!" the armored Avenger replied. Meanwhile, the armada looming before the group was preparing.
"The Edens Zero's approaching our fleet at a speed of fifty Ether knots," one of the operators at the bridge of the lead carrier confirmed to his captain.
"They'll soon be in our firing range," another mentioned.
"Good," the captain responded, having a pointed nose and sharp blonde eyebrows to go with his mohawk, "Commence warning fire," he instructed. Immediately, several of the ships launched blasts of energy towards the Edens Zero.
"Does this ship have any shields?!" Connor immediately asked.
"Activating Protect Matrix!" Hermit confirmed, tapping a few icons upon a holographic screen. A spherical barrier appeared around the ship, made up of hexagonal panels. The shots struck it, exploding upon impact harmlessly.
"Shields are up!" Riri confirmed from outside.
"Couldn't we just fly through now that we're protected?" Yuji inquired as he raised his right hand.
"We can't move with the Protect Matrix up," Sister responded, causing him to slouch with frustration.
"Hmm…" Connor hummed, tapping holographic keys and reading the coding material on the above monitor, "Magnificent," he complimented. Hermit took notice and gasped.
"Hey!" she shouted, "Nobody gave you permission to look at the source code!" she pointed out in frustration.
"It's necessary for me to become one with the ship, Miss," the portly man retorted to her surprise, "Jess, was it?" he echoed into the communication line.
"Uh, yeah?" the Green Lantern responded from outside the ship, holding onto it with Riri, "What's up?" she asked.
"Make sure you hold on tight now," Connor advised over the loudspeakers, "It's going to be a bumpy ride…" he confirmed.
"Copy that," Jessica replied, constructing green clamps at her feet that kept her latched to the ship. Riri was able to make the feet of her armor shape into clamps as well, keeping herself in place. Inside the bridge, the captain took hold of the throttle.
"Now watch this," he said, thrusting it forward. All of a sudden, the Edens Zero rocketed forward instantaneously. Those aboard the leading carrier gasped in surprise.
"Edens Zero approaching fast!" one of the operators exclaimed, "They're gaining speed!" he warned.
"Are they gonna ram us?!" another wondered aloud.
"Quickly, deploy the shields!" the captain ordered. However, the vessel suddenly flew right past them. Everyone was shocked, even those aboard the ship.
"Whoa…" Ochaco uttered, absolutely astonished.
"We flew past that siege?!" Rin exclaimed as she looked back in disbelief.
"How did we go so fast…?" Rebecca wondered aloud.
"The ship speed…" Kleene said, "It spiked for at least a second…" she noted in shock.
"Connor, what the hell did you do?!" Hermit asked of the portly man in the captain's chair, sweating a little.
"I took all eight of this ship's Ether turbines to full throttle," he answered with a grin, "Oh-ho, this is a fine ship…" he mentioned as he chuckled.
"Amazing…" Izuku uttered out.
"Wait, all eight?!" Sister exclaimed angrily, "That's impossible!" she shouted.
"It can't even be controlled at that speed!" Hermit added emphatically.
"Oh, but I can," Connor affirmed, "You lasses all right out there?" he inquired of Jessica and Riri over the loudspeakers.
"Yeah, we're good," the armored Avenger answered, glancing back to see the armada turning about face, zooming after them, "But we're not out of the woods yet…" she pointed out.
"Be ready to shield us from their fire," the captain advised, typing on the holographic keyboard before him, "This is where the real flight begins…" he declared. A few of the speeding carriers started firing onto the Edens Zero. Turning around, Riri and Jessica launched rays of blue and green light respectively, countering their foes' attacks. However, they were closing in.
"Feather's armada is flying at incredible speeds!" Pino pointed out, looking up at the visual of their approaching foes.
"They'll be on our tail in no time!" Happy added worriedly.
"Dammit, they're even faster than I thought!" Sister cursed, "And with all eight of our turbines at full throttle, we're basically at the fastest we can go!" she mentioned.
"Riri and Jess are making sure they don't hit us for now, but…" Rebecca noted, grimacing as she clenched her fists.
"No," Connor said, getting her attention along with those of the others, "This ship… it can go even faster," he proclaimed, "Disconnect the horizontal stabilizers!" he commanded, "We won't be needing no orthocenters, either!" she mentioned in instruction, "Multiply operation results and connect to boosters!" he ordered on.
"No, wait!" Hermit yelled, "If you do that, then…!" she started to warn, but it was too late.
"Compile!" the captain exclaimed. All of a sudden, the ship started going incredibly fast, zooming ahead. Inside, everyone started tumbling about.
"Whoa!" Yuji yelped, only for Noel to catch him and let him sit backseat upon her Broombuggy, "Thanks, Noel…" he said in gratitude to his girlfriend, who smiled. Yuno was quick to catch Kleene in his arms, using his wind to levitate above the floor. He also caught Kris and Laguna with the swirling air.
"Thanks for that…" the latter said gratefully, while the former huffed.
"Whoa-ho!" Luck laughed, tumbling over and holding onto Ivry as she yelped in surprise, "Man, this is way fast!" he exclaimed excitedly.
"Yeah, I had no idea we could do this…" Shiki pointed out, sounding quite impressed as Rebecca held onto his coattails for dear life.
"Well, that's what happens when you go and turn off the ship's horizontality mechanism…" Weisz grumbled, tumbling back to find himself caught by Katsuki, making him flinch with fright.
"Just float or grab onto something!" the Explosion Quirk user advised. Megumi took hold of Inosuke, while Rin had already taken a seat and buckled herself. Happy and Pino found themselves caught by Devlin, who held them close as he braced himself up against the wall. Ochaco was floating about like her boyfriend, and Homura managed to grab hold of a railing to keep herself from tumbling. All of a sudden, Rebecca lost her grip on the Satan Gravity Ether Gear user, about to tumble into the window as she screamed.
"Rebecca!" he and his girlfriend cried out. Luckily, Izuku protruded a set of black energy tendrils with teal outlines from the orange sights of his gloves, swinging over to catch the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user as they slammed against the wall. She perked up in surprise to find him there, holding her gently.
"Uh, hey…" he greeted with a sheepish grin. She blushed.
"H-Hi…" she stuttered back, only to blink in realization, "Oh crap!" she yelped, "Riri and Jess!" she exclaimed, "They're—!"
"Fine!" the armored Avenger's voice assured, catching her attention as she glanced over to spot her and the Green Lantern flying into the bridge.
"Holy shit, how'd you get out of there?!" Weisz inquired out of shock.
"Glad you lasses caught onto my warning," Connor remarked to the two girls, "I wish we didn't need to cut it so close…" he admitted.
"No worries," Riri responded, letting her helmet retract, "Anyways, they're still on our tail," she pointed out to the group's shock.
"Even after how fast we've been flying?!" Megumi exclaimed in disbelief.
"Then our only choice is to fight…" his girlfriend realized.
"No, lass," Connor said, causing her to blink in surprise, "It doesn't matter how fast they are now," he noted, "They'll never catch up after us," he affirmed confidently.
"What?" Devlin uttered in confusion, "How do you figure?" he inquired.
"I'm the one at the helm," the captain answered confidently. The ship then veered to the right, heading towards a field of debris.
"H…Hey, you're kidding, right?!" one of the operators aboard the lead carrier stuttered out in disbelief.
"They wouldn't…" another claimed, only to be proven wrong as he saw the ship keep going toward the debris field.
"They would!" one more exclaimed.
"They're actually flying through a debris field?! At that speed?!" another operator inquired emphatically.
"That's suicide!" one soldier shouted.
"W…Well, what do we do?!" someone else stammered in question.
"We can't follow them, obviously!" another man pointed out.
"Just grazing one of those asteroids at that speed would cause any ship serious damage!" the captain proclaimed. However, the Edens Zero was easily maneuvering itself around the asteroids… at the expense of those inside struggling to not tumble about wildly.
"Are you for real…?" Sister questioned, quite stunned by how things were going for her and her crew.
"This guy's amazing!" Luck exclaimed while holding onto her still.
"Heh," Connor chuckled, letting off a grin, "They won't be following us now," he assured.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Hermit angrily shouted in response, "Do you have any idea how dangerous this is?!" she questioned in frustration. Just then, she heard beeping. She looked down at her monitor and widened her eyes. While the armada had ceased their pursuit, there was one ship that hadn't. It was a small starfighter with large angelic wings. And piloting it through the debris field was none other than Feather, whose eyes shined brightly as her Ether Gear's energy reverberated. Her ship was closing in.
"Crap, it's Feather!" Weisz exclaimed.
"She's even following through the debris field at this speed?!" Rebecca inquired out of shock.
"We have to do something!" Rin insisted firmly. Connor glanced back.
"Fire," he ordered simply to everyone's surprise.
"No! Don't shoot!" Shiki shouted in response.
"No, lad!" the captain retorted, "I meant the asteroids!" he corrected.
"Right, got it!" Hermit responded, typing commands from her section upon the holographic keyboards. Several projectiles were unleashed from the Edens Zero, striking the asteroids and blasting them apart into pieces, making dust clouds billow about. From her starfighter, Feather narrowed her eyes.
"Trying to obscure my sight won't work," she affirmed, looking to her right to see her target soaring off, "My Eye of Venus tells me exactly where you—!" Without warning, some of the debris flew towards her, forcing her to barrel roll the ship to evade it. She grimaced, realizing that blasting the asteroids was meant to obstruct her path, not veil it.
"Fast travel is fully charged!" Pino confirmed aboard the ship's bridge.
"Off we go then!" Connor exclaimed, hitting the icon upon the holographic screen, "We're making way for the Kaede Cosmos!" he declared as the vessel rocketed off instantaneously, leaving no trace of its presence. As the functionalities of the ship were then returned to normal, everyone got back onto their feet, sighing with relief. Rebecca took notice of the fact that Izuku was standing right in front of her, looking up at him in surprise.
"Are… you okay, Rebecca?" he asked of her. She tensed up, blushing a little.
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine…" she assured with a stutter, fidgeting as she nervously pivoted her left foot back and forth against the floor. Looking on from afar, Katsuki narrowed his eyes.
"That was amazing!" Luck exclaimed as he ran over to Connor with Inosuke.
"Yeah, do it again!" the demon slayer insisted excitedly.
"No," Hermit firmly said in annoyance.
"He might be completely reckless," Rebecca chimed in, "but Mister Connor's really something!" she complimented.
"No, no, no…" Weisz said repeatedly, "We wouldn't have gotten in that mess if it weren't for that dude…" he muttered bluntly.
"And now there was no point in going to Blue Garden at all," Kris mentioned, causing the captain to wince.
"No, there was a point," Shiki affirmed as he came down with Ochaco, "We found a captain for our ship," he noted, letting off a grin.
"And now, we're ready to take on Ziggy!" his girlfriend proclaimed.
"Obviously after we get a few more extra hands from the Omni Force," Riri chimed in as a correction, "Guess you guys aren't the only ones they're thinking of sending," she added to the group of Izuku, Katsuki, Yuji, and Yuno.
"Yeah," the former responded with a nod, "With an Infinity Stone involved, this is all the more serious…" he pointed out, "So we'll be bringing the best of the best we can with us," he affirmed, clenching his fists.
"Seems like it'll be a cinch with all of us so far," Jessica pointed out.
"But considering what we're fighting for and what we'll be up against, we need all the help we can get," Megumi told the group.
"We'll be ready," Shiki assured. Meanwhile, Feather righted her starfighter, sighing with frustration. She looked to where the Edens Zero had fled, narrowing her eyes.
"My, my," a sultry voice suddenly chimed in over her radio, getting her attention, "They went ahead and slipped through your fingers, didn't they?" she presumed, much to the Eye of Venus Ether Gear user's chagrin, "I think it's time we trade places, little Feather," she insisted to her surprise.
"What?" she said. Sitting naked in a soapy bathtub elsewhere was Holy, who had a holographic screen projecting her fellow Oración Seis Interestelar member.
"Dear Shiki and his friends are heading to Lendard in the Kaede Cosmos," she pointed out to her colleague.
"Where did you get that information…?" Feather inquired, narrowing her eyes. Holy chuckled.
"It's my turn now," she declared, "I'll launch an immaculate military operation," she vowed determinedly.
As Shiki and his friends have brushed the Union Army today, they'll meet again soon. But while they're preparing for their battle upon Lendard, some things there aren't as pleasant as one would expect…
X
LENDARD
"What is the delay with the stone?" the voice of Eon inquired to Ultron, being projected upon his MPG as a red hologram in an isolated area.
"I told you, Ziggy promised that he'd give it to me the moment his mission was complete," the bulky android affirmed in response, "What reason would I have to lie to you about something like this?" he questioned back.
"I understand your conviction over this matter, but why didn't you obtain the stone yourself in the first place?!" the time-walker shouted as an ask.
"I'd be flattened the moment I try anything," Ultron retorted, "With that stone in hand, he's more powerful than anyone in this universe," he affirmed on, "And once he's done with what he wants…" he continued, "that stone will be ours," he promised. He and Eon stared at each other for a solid few seconds. And then, the latter of the two sighed.
"See to it that it's done soon," he insisted, "We can't wait," he added seriously, ending the communication as his hologram disappeared. With a scoff, Ultron picked up his MPG. He cracked a smirk, walking out to see the millions of robots for the Skeleton Army marching about.
"No more strings…" he remarked, chuckling all the while.
END
And that's two chapters out of the way! I have to say, I'm pretty proud of myself for getting this story off the ground running so quickly. Already, I'm set for things to keep going.
But I've got a schedule to follow, too. And that schedule includes the upcoming final arc of "The Challenge of a Lifetime"! You can expect a preview this Friday! See you all later! And thanks so much for reading!