Z0: Alright lets try this again, *puts on Meijin Kawaguchi glasses* Ehem…MOERO GUNPLA! *portal opens as life sized Gundam lands behind me shaking the entire lot to hell* Ah…still not a Barbatos…it's another Strike Freedom…
GT: You really want his Amazing Barbatos one, don'tcha? Can't blame ya since it's not only melee, but also uses laser weapons.
Z0: Also it looks so cool! The Red paint job, the turning that evil bird thing named after an angel into a backpack unit, the drill claw arm mode…
GT: They really needed to expand on Gundam Build Metaverse more than just three episodes! *sees the Reader* Ah…Z0, they're here! Hi, dear Reader! Yes, we have a new tale because there are never enough stories to tell folks!
Z0: Huh? Oh right this one we are actually getting enough down to put out…okay folks head up, we may have gotten off track, back on track, then I blew up the track. Now we got another weird fic from our imaginations.
GT: Yep! One that is really exciting for us! Gundam and Megaman! A perfect combi…and one oddly not explored a lot.
Z0: To be fair we tend to think outside of the box almost all the time…and we deeply interlink the worlds to fit things to our preference. We seemingly can never just half-ass and say: they meet and that's it.
GT: Eeyup. There's gotta be a connection there. Case in point for these two versions of Gundam and Megaman? The digital counterparts to them can connect to other realities. In Battle Network's case? The Undernet and seeing how it allowed Solar Boy Django to appear in it. For Gundam Build? GBN has shown it connects to other worlds and further expanded on in the three part Metaverse special.
Z0: Quick disclaimer and spoiler free rundown: this story is set within the setting of Metaverse…though it leans more towards Divers since…that is honestly most of what we have to go on. This is within a Build show setting: IE Gunpla, fun, less traumatic war political drama stuff which is good on its own, but…probably a little above our skill sets as writers at the moment. For the Megaman part we will for the most part try and follow more of the Game's timeline and events, but if we can work in anime/manga content in, we will. Which game does this take place in? Well lets just say the first few happened and Lan and Megaman are good at what they do by now. Why English name…uh…well it's not like we have a reason why not…it's just…we grew up with…saying Megaman instead of Rockman.
GT: Indeed. We're far more used to the English Dub names for Lan Hikari and Megaman than the Japanese names for Hikari Netto and Rockman. Not without trying, mind you.
Z0: Like a small side note, I think Chaud got the short end of it cause his Japanese name is legit…really cool. But I mean that's like 1 name. The rest are either…barely translated and it works or….well okay some might be silly, but we're keeping Lan and Megaman. We're clever we got ideas. Ah I think our opening notes might be going long, lets just cut it with the Disclaimer; We don't own the rights to either Gundam or Megaman/Rockman, we are just fan fiction writers who do this for fun, and literally are as broke as any average joe, so…please don't sue us…cause you ain't gonna get anything.
GT: Indeed. As such…Let's BEGIN! *puts on the glasses* MOERO GUNPLA! *a Gundam Barbatos lands behind us* …Hey, look, it's a Barbatos this time.
Z0: IT'S MINE! *Lunges at the screen like a rabid wolverine*
Stars shining in space, the eerie silence of the unknown, which…it should be silent. But rather than that…the chaos of battle filled it. Beams flew back and forth, explosions following through. Which…had sound? Wait, no one cares. A shape dashed across space before transforming…it was a Gundam! And it swung around before shooting a bright pink beam from the rifle in its right arm. The beam and resulting explosion illuminated it, revealing it was a dark navy blue with two bladed wings on each shoulder; it was the Gundam Age 2. It transformed in an instant and flew off, moving so fast it was practically just a shooting star in all the chaos. Its pilot moved with such skill, grace, control, all eyes were on it.
Everyone was absorbed…wait…everyone? Did you think this was actual space? No, this is just the simulation within the digital world of Gundam Battle Nexus Online, the VR simulated space which replaced the old format of Gunpla Battle, and this was an event being viewed by all at the Gundam Base in tokyo, an exhibition match of the Top Ranked Divers in Japan. The fighters flew at such amazing speeds, their Gunpla fighting like true Gundam. Many were left in awe at the holographic display of the battle projected around them, it felt as if they were truly there in space watching this battle happen as if real.
To many, this was real, it was happening here and now. Gunpla Battle, as real as can be, the Gunpla these people made. Made real within the digital world of GBN. They were piloting their creations, they were fighting with them from inside a cockpit, letting their Gunpla move as if alive. The majesty of seeing these wonderful works move, fly, and dance through the endless star-specked beyond of space. It was beyond words to those who witnessed this for the first time, and their eyes were glued upon the machine dominating all others, the Champion's Gunpla. He never failed, he won, him and his Gunpla, their love and passion. To many it was just a great display, but to others, this was the day many made up their mind…they were going to join GBN. then one day, they would be able to face the Champion, and maybe…no…to some they vowed to become Champion. One day…one day for sure, they would be as amazing as this person who instilled such dreams and passion into them.
"Tatsuya…Tatsuya," an elderly man with combed back gray hair dressed in a black kimono and hakama spoke to a small boy, probably barely in the double digits in a similar attire, "You went so silent, you were scaring Jiichan."
"Nnn…" the boy nodded, his black hair that was tied into a small ponytail bobbing with his head, "Jiichan, I wanna be like that," he pointed to the Gundam, "Strong."
"Oh…?" he mused, "You want to be the best?"
"Nnn," he nodded with a determined gleam to his gray eyes, "Is that…okay?"
"Hahaha," the elder man chuckled, "If that's what you want, then Jiichan shall always be on your side. Tatsuya, you will become strong one day, the strongest. I'm sure of it, you just need to grow into the role." he smiled, patting the boys shoulders.
"Honto?" he asked excitedly.
"Ah! You're my grandson, despite what your nag of a mother says, you're allowed to become whatever you want. That's why Jiichan didn't tell her where we are~" he smirked with a teasing wink.
"Jiichan…" the boy chuckled sheepishly at that.
"It's my right to do as I please. My role as parent is done!" he laughed, "Now she can see how difficult it is." he then began leading Takuya out of the room, "Then let us take our first step," he ushered his grandson out to the main floor of the Gundam Base, "First, you must build your strong weapon. Find it, Tatsuya, and Jiichan shall help you build it!"
"Honto?" he asked as he stopped at a display of all the Gundams over the years, his eyes focusing on one, "...That one," he pointed to one holding a large mace, "I…I think that's the one."
"Hoh?" his grandfather pondered, "I believe this was from one that recently appeared on television. Gundam…Barbatos."
"Barbatos…" Tatsuya awed, "Yoroshiku Barbatos!"
Seven years Later~
Multiple explosions went off as people cried out in surprise and defeat. One by one, Mobile Suits flew through the air before exploding into purplish smoke before being removed from the air by digital removal. Several grunted as they formed a line and began to fire their weapons. Beam after beam sailed through the air…only to wash over something stomping closer to them. One of these Fighters, piloting a Zaku II, shouted as he rushed in and swung his Heathawk…only for the figure's arm to shoot out of the smoke and grab the arm before crushing it. The arm shot out and ran its clawed manipulator fingers through the chest and out the back of the Zaku II. An explosion went off as the figure walked through it, revealing to all a Gundam Barbatos with its 4th armor configuration, but its white armor painted a dark gray/black color with neon blue accents replacing the gold and glowing green eyes. It swung its other arm, revealing a large dark black kanabo-like weapon it rested on its shoulder.
"Oi…What's with this guy's build? How is it so strong? We've been hitting it with everything…" a Fighter piloting a Turn A Gundam demanded, "It's like he's actually invincible…"
"Ai…" the Barbatos spoke in a man's voice, "The answer to strength in Gunpla Battle always comes down to a simple thing: the one with the most love and passion is the strongest!" the thrusters ignited as the Barbatos rushed and swung its kanabo while passing several enemies, their Gunpla all torn apart by the weapon and exploding within an instant. He spun around and swung his weapon using it to bat away multiple beams fired at him from behind, and right back to their senders, causing them to explode, "HAH!" he swung down striking the ground and causing it to begin to crack apart, forming fissures that made many who didn't react in time fall deep within, "I want more…"
"Everyone hit him with everything!" a Gundam Double X shouted as it aimed its Satellite Cannons and fired them.
"This guy's on a whole other level!" a ZZ fired its High Mega Cannon.
"What kind of builder…what type of fighter…can this guy be?" a Strike Freedom asked while unleashing all its weapons.
The Barbatos looked up at all the beams and raised its weapon before spinning it around, letting it begin to light up, a circuit pattern going up along it to each stud before crackling off as lightning. It held the club weapon in both hands and above its head before stomping the ground making it tremble, a spire of ground rising up and carrying it up into the air before leaping off. With a soft growl that began building into a roar the Black Barbatos swung down with all its might as its Kanabo impacted with all the beams, causing a massive flash of blinding light…followed by an explosion that rocked everything in this battlefield. The colony acting as the battlefield could not contain the energy…as it exploded violently and filled the entire sector of space with smoke and light before dissipating to reveal countless damaged Gunpla that began vanishing one by one.
Several more all stopped to witness this, such a powerful collision of attacks. They all looked to see if there were any survivors. The smoke cleared as the black painted Barbatos floated there, its kanabo crackling…before falling apart, its left shoulder pauldron now gone, and the right half of its V crest snapped off. Its eyes flashed before turning red as what seemed to be lightning sparked off the eyes. It reached its left hand up as its backpack's subarms moved its longsword into place to be grabbed and drawn.
"E-Even still…that one unit won't go down?" a woman in a Justice Gundam with the red repainted pink gasped.
"D-Demon…No…" another in a Zeta Gundam with the blue and red replaced with green and gold stammered in fear, "It's a goddamn devil!"
"Haaa…" the Barbatos growled before its thrusters all ignited and launched it forward; it passed several units…before a shing went off and they all were sliced apart and exploded. The Barbatos swung again, cutting through multiple units in a single sweep.
"GH?! T-Take it down! I don't care how, just take down that devil!" the Zeta Gundam pilot freaked as he began to shoot at the Barbatos.
"Hah!" the Barbatos roared, swinging its sword and cutting through a beam and letting the now split beam shoot down two Mobile suits coming up from behind, "Koi!" he challenged as the Gundam rushed and pierced its longsword through the Zeta's chest, making it go limp before exploding; he then held his arm up and caught a beam saber in its palm, causing sparks to fly. The Barbatos then looked up as more fighting went off above, "There…" the pilot spoke as Barbatos pushed the beam weapon away…and ignited its thrusters at maximum output before flying straight up; he swung and cut through a large asteroid in his path, before pausing to block the swing of a beam scythe, "That…actually hit," he spoke as the eyes began glowing brighter, his other arm swinging out to block a red glowing sword.
The Barbatos grunted, pushing both customized Gunpla away before swinging its sword to deflect their swings from both angles. The Barbatos clashed with the Red Gunpla wielding two large glowing red blades. Their weapons swung with such force a shockwave rippled through the void of space itself. The Barbatos growled and kicked the Red Gunpla away before spinning around to block the swing from the beam scythe from a Pink and Black heavily customized Strike Freedom. The Barbatos deflected the beam scythe away before swinging a punch which it blocked with the shaft of the scythe. With a growl he pushed through and shattered the shaft to land a punch to its chest that knocked the Gundam away. Barbatos then grunted as it was slammed into from behind by a claw manipulator linked to a wire. The Barbatos shouted as he spun around and cut the manipulator as it began charging a beam attack, causing it to explode. The smoke cleared as the two began clashing swords, metal ringing as they swung faster and faster, the Red Gunpla glowing and moving faster and faster as the Barbato's red eyes shone brighter. Both swung so fast they seemed to leave after images of their torsos, making it look like dozens of arms and blades swung and clashed.
"Amazing! Even without Trans Am!" the Red Gunpla cheered.
"Me and Barbatos are more than enough as is!" the Barbatos pilot shouted as he swung and knocked one of the Red gunpla's sword away, "Our Strength is second to none!"
"You…are just the type of meal I've been looking for in this tournament!" he shouted as he grabbed his remaining sword and swung to clash with the Barbatos, "Satisfy my palate further, Rookie!"
"Boku wa…Rookie janai!" Barbatos swung and pushed the Red gundam back, "Boku wa…CHALLENGER!" he swung as their blades clashed causing a bright flash.
"HAHAHAHA! Then Challenge me more!" The Red Gundam swung back as the Barbatos grunted and lost its right shoulder pauldron.
"HAA!" the Barbatos roared and thrust its sword and pierced the large binder on the left arm of the Gundam causing it to explode, "I will challenge everyone…until I reach the very top…for I declare here and now…" he raised his Barbatos's right arm, sword and all into the sky, "No one loves Gunpla Battle more then me! And I proudly raise my fist to the sky to prove it!" He swung and aimed the sword forward.
"You have a big appetite…you're borderline gluttonous…you'll never be satisfied?" the Red Gundam asked the claw of its right binder extended away and grabbed its lost sword and brought it back, "You are like all of us! FIGHT ME 'TILL YOU'VE HAD YOUR FILL!"
"Ikuze, Barbatos…" the pilot spoke as he gripped the controls for his Gunpla, his eyes closed as he took a deep breath, a wire linked to the back of his Avatar as he was clad in a black Ronin-like attire, his long silver hair parting as his eyes opened and flashed just as Barbatos's eyes turned from Red to a deep blend of blue, violet, and green that streamed like wisps of mist. The Barbatos rushed forward as its sword began glowing with golden specs as it clashed with the Red Gunpla filling the space with blinding light.
The Pilot groaned, his eyes opening as his cockpit was bright red. The Barbatos laid upon a smoldering crater in an asteroid, most of its lower body and left arm gone. Its head turned to see its shattered sword before looking ahead at the sea of wrecked Gunpla out there. The Red Gunpla he challenged missed its entire left arm now and its V fin shattered. Barbatos raised its left arm, the manipulator hand now gone and all that was left was a stump that sparked and sputtered, its enemy just floating there…watching.
"We lost…" the young man spoke as he lowered his head, his silver hair covering his face…and a smile soon formed on his face before he burst out laughing, "We still have so far still to go!" he chuckled happily, "I'm frustrated! I'm annoyed! I'm not satisfied yet!" he shouted, "But I'll be back again and again!" he called out over open coms so all would hear him, "Boku wa…Boku wa…Mirai no Champion da!"
A navy blue Gundam with a deep blue cape looked down at the Barbatos as the pilot laughed happily. It nodded simply before flying off.
=This is the Highlight reel from the Open Tournament held only a year ago: the launch of the new Gunpla Metaverse! Successor to Gunpla Battle Nexus Online, this faithful tournament was what decided the Global Rankings! The Champion Kujo Kyoya protected his crown in this very event; but, at the same time, countless new and powerful fighters rose, dethroning many Masters from the old days, while many proved themselves as strong as ever!=
This was the video playing within the public lobby of Gunpla Metaverse. Many awed as replays of iconic battles that determined the ranking of so many players looped endlessly. Within the lobby, a woman looked upon the screens, her nine fox tails swaying about. She wore a modest red bodysuit beneath a black kimono with a space motif to it with her long red hair let free.
"This is…the Gunpla Metaverse," she awed, her fox ears twitching a bit with her tails, while her silver eyes twinkled in excitement, "It's amazing! Ahh~ I just knew saving up my pay for that headset was the right choice! Body rests up nice and easy while I get to enjoy having fun at night!" she paused in her walking before tilting her head while putting a finger to her cheek, "...Does that work right for my body? …" she frowned before gasping upon seeing a Gunpla on display, "Oh! It's life-sized?!" she ran over and looked up at it, seeing it was a modified RX-72 Gundam in the colors of the Zeon Republic, "Oh~! What a…"
"...sad feeling!"
"Hm?" the fox woman looked to see a young child beside her, resembling a humanoid corgi with bright green eyes with shoulder-length messy blue hair held up by a cream and brown bandana in a similar shirt with armor on his left shoulder, and baggy brown shorts with several pockets, "Sad feeling? What's wrong?"
The boy looked at her, his ears drooping with his tail, "They feel sad!"
"Sad?"
"Uhn," the corgi nodded as he looked up at the Gunpla's face, "They're lonely and feel like…mmm…like…"
"...like they want to do that on the screens?" she guessed, pointing at one showcasing an SD RX-72 Gundam fighting a dark-blue, white, and red Sazabi.
"Yes!" he beamed, his ears and tail perking up, before looking at the screen and tilting his head, "What is that?"
"Hm? That's a Gunpla Battle."
"...Gun…pla?"
'Oh you gotta be kidding me. Did some lousy punks who knew a little adorable kiddo like this have them get on here?!' she thought, managing to keep her anger behind a calm face, "Yes. That's what the big robots like this one are called: Gunpla. I'm Alex."
"Mmmm…Rhyme!" the boy beamed before hugging her legs, "Nice to meet you, Alex-nee!"
"It's nice to meet you, too!" Alex giggled, petting the top of his head.
"Gunpla… So these are Gunpla. Nice to meet you, Gunpla!" Rhyme waved to the display.
Alex nodded, "Yep. And they're not the only one. There's a lot more out there!"
"Really?!" Rhyme asked in shock, his ears and tail going straight up to reflect it.
"Yep! I have a lot, so each time I'm going to be here, I'll be with a different one," Alex noted.
"Huh?!"
'Okay, you're doing great, Alex! Just keep the little kiddo calm and try to find who can help with the poor boy,' Alex thought before she felt a tug and looked to see Rhyme tugging on her kimono, "Yes?"
"Can I meet them?" Rhyme asked, his eyes twinkling and giving her a begging expression.
"Gh?! T-Too cute..." Alex whispered, "W-Well…al-alright."
"Yay!" Rhyme cheered as he looked around, "Where are they, Alex-nee?"
"Oh that's easy! They're…" Alex trailed off as she adopted a blank, pondering expression, "...Where do I go to see my Gunpla…?"
"Eh?" Rhyme innocently tilted his head at that, "You don't know?"
"Hey, you rookies!" a man called out, "Need a hand? I think I could be of help~" he smirked, walking towards them with a less than assuring smirk.
"Gh?!" Alex's tails flicked back, 'Gah…That guy's expression is creepy!'
"Mmm…" Rhyme ran behind Alex and peeked out from behind her legs, whispering, "The sad Gunpla…this is the one who made them but won't let them have fun."
"He made it?" Alex blinked as the man grunted, making them turn to see he walked into someone.
The person was tall and clad in what seemed to be samurai armor, a deep blue kimono beneath white armor, with a clear chest plate, with sode-jureshi marked with multiple symbols of iconic Gundam series, white kote with multiple armor plates going up his arms all white and trimmed in gold, his right shoulder spaulder was rounded with two gold horns extending out, however on the left was a large multilayered sode which seemed to float off his shoulder with multiple long feathers dangling off like a cape. Multiple layered haidate dangled around his waist, kept in place by a glowing red rope belt, with black bagy pants underneath that tapered off with the white and gold suneate leading to two white jika-tabi boots. The figure sighed as he turned his white kabuto helmet clad head, which had two sets of three layered short fukigaeshi that pointed out like wings, a large gold crest atop the helmet resembling the V fin of a Gundam, their face hidden behind a dark red menpo that resembled the visage of a Sazabi with a singular glowing eye visible.
"You again…" the samurai spoke in exasperation, "Messing with rookies again?" he asked, picking him up by the hem of his jacket and lifting his feet off the ground, "Don't you have better things to do?" he leaned in as his one visible eye was glowing.
"Ah…" Alex winced, not being able to see it yet she could still feel the intimidating look, "R-Rhyme, maybe we should…"
"The sad Gunpla knows him," Rhyme spoke up, looking up at it, "They're…happy?"
"H-Happy?"
"Look at your Gunpla!" the Samurai suddenly declared, "It's well made. It should be out there battling! How can you lounge around here like this! Gunpla Battle is about passion! Fight till you and your Gunpla are content! What are you a fool!" he shook the man rather violently, "I know…fight me…" he declared as his eye shone brightly, "Fight…me…" he leaned in close.
"NO! Not again! You're a monster!" he panicked, "Please! I'm begging you, Lio! I can't stand to lose points like that again, spare me!" he cried out.
"But your Gunpla is exquisite! You just lack motivation!" Lio declared, "I didn't even bring my heavy loadout, so it will be fair! I just have three weapons!" he declared, "I won't even draw the longsword."
"You say that, but one scratch and you lose it and go all out!" he sobbed comically, "You kids, help me~! This guy is the epitome of Gunpla Baka!"
"Thank you!" Lio laughed, "Now…fight me." he declared simply as his mask's eye flashed with those words.
"IS THAT PRE-PROGRAMED!?"
"...Maybe…" Lio replied simply.
"Bakemono~!"
Rhyme giggled, "Ah, the nice Gunpla is really excited because he gets his way in the end whenever this happens."
'...I swear, I am so lost right now…' Alex thought, a large drop of sweat going down the back of her head.
"Ah new players," Lio finally remembered as he dropped the man on his face…before stomping on him to prevent him escaping, "Yokoso to Gunpla Metaverse!" he declared happily as he bowed to them, "Boku wa Lio! Yoroshiku," he bowed again, "I have been asked to act as a welcome to new players. It's a very rewarding quest for high ranking players." he explained honestly, digging his heel into the man's back.
"I shouldn't be able to feel pain, but it hurts…why!?"
"Disappointment in a human being," Lio bluntly stated.
"Er…r-right. We're both new," Alex replied as Rhyme ran over to look up at Lio, his tail wagging in delight.
"Ne, ne, Lio-nii? The happy Gunpla really wants to battle you," Rhyme noted, "Does that mean you have a Gunpla like Alex-nee?"
"But of course," he leaned down to get a better look at Rhyme, "Are you a Diver from Eldora…or…" he looked him over as his mask's eye began glowing and, suddenly, scanned Rhyme, causing him to giggle as it tickled, "No…Rhyme-kun…you're an EL-Diver?"
"...What's that?" Rhyme tilted his head, Alex copying the child.
"You…were born here, correct?" Lio asked simply, "You awoke here with everyone, and you could feel the emotions of the Gunpla, the emotions we Divers put into them, our love, our passion?" he asked excitedly.
"Uh-huh! There's so many things out here and lots of nice smells and sights!" Rhyme smiled before running over and hugging Alex's leg, "Alex-nee told me about Gunpla!"
"Hoh? You did?" Lio asked as he stood up and looked Alex eye to eyes.
"Uh…Y-Yeah. He didn't know what a Gunpla was," Alex replied, "...Wait. He's not a child that got tricked into coming here when he didn't know anything?"
"Nai…" Lio waved his hand rapidly in front of his mask, "EL-Divers are…Electrical Lifeforms who are born within the complex digital space of what was once GBN and now Gunpla Metaverse," he explained, "I suppose the best way to explain it to you is, imagine he is an AI-like being born into this world from the emotional data of us players. Our passion, our love, everything we feel as we enjoy this world together, comes together and formed…Rhyme-kun!" he happily declared.
"Uhn!" Rhyme held his arms up with stars in his eyes.
"That…That's amazing," Alex awed before Rhyme hugged her leg again, "...Yes?"
"The nice Gunpla says Lio-nii is really smart and they've seen him help a lot of people," Rhyme spoke, "Though…that normally means he doesn't have time for Gunpla Battle."
"Mmm…Well, honestly…" Alex looked at the man still pinned, "Rhyme was really sounding interested in what a Gunpla Battle is. If it's okay with you…can I battle him and the…ahem…'nice' Gunpla?"
"...Great idea!" Lio declared as he picked the man up by his belt.
"Oh come on, I get it! You're strong! What is your Avatar?!"
"The best," he replied before looking at Alex, "You know how to get your Gunpla, right?"
"...Uhm…"
"...You're not in Tutorial Mode, so you should know, right?"
"There's a tutorial?" Alex asked in surprise as Rhyme wondered why he was thinking of a nice goat lady with cinnamon butterscotch pie.
"Hah…Where are you from?" Lio asked, "America, hai?"
"Yep! I'm from the Show-Me State!" Alex replied with a wink, "Best fudge in the world is just an hour or so away from my home!"
"Ah…well I figured as much. America doesn't have any Gundam Bases in most of its states, just in a few big cities like New York…" Lio sighed, "That means most of you folks buy at home sets. Which normally…skips the tutorial mode because they are made with the idea you logged in at a Gundam Base for your tutorial mission and achievement for completing it there."
"Really? Huh…Did not know that," Alex admitted, "So I missed the tutorial…" she looked at Rhyme before giggling and petting his head, "Guess that means Rhyme and I are both in the same boat then because I said I'd show him the Gunpla I brought with me today."
"Depending on the model, you just need to imagine your finger pushing on a menu button and…" Lio poked the air, making a holographic screen appear, "All in the wrist." he motioned her to try the same.
"Oh~" Alex awed as she pointed a finger before her, sticking her tongue out to the side to concentrate…before a screen popped up, "Ah! It worked! …Yes! There's a Help Menu on here, too!"
"Shiny~" Rhyme awed as she started skimming through the Help Menu.
"I'll get this guy all set up in his Gunpla," Lio assured, "It'll be Area 1 where you normally have tutorials going on." he looked at Rhyme, "Just hold onto her, alright? Otherwise, she'll teleport and you'll get lost."
"Okay, Lio-nii!" Rhyme nodded before waving at the Gunpla, "See you soon! I hope you have fun with Alex-nee's Gunpla!"
"You can't keep doing this, man! I have rights!" the man shouted.
"With my rank…I revoke them," Lio bluntly declared as he swung his hand and they teleported away in a flash of light.
"...Lio-nii seemed nice!" Rhyme beamed.
'He looked terrifying!' Alex argued mentally while keeping a smile on her face, "Right. W-Well…I think I've read enough to figure this out. Ready to meet the one I brought today?"
"Yes, please!" Rhyme replied.
Alex poked at her screen before the two glowed and vanished to others. To them, the area turned to light for a moment before changing to a large hangar. Alex looked up and smiled, looking upon a large black and gold Gunpla with large black and gold angular wings and a purple visor over its eyes. Rhyme awed, his tail wagging with stars in his eyes.
"Sugei~!" he squealed.
"This is my oldest Gunpla, one of the very first that I ever made," Alex introduced, "As such, I thought it'd be right for him to come first. I…can't really pronounce his actual name right, so I gave him and a lot of my other Gunpla nicknames. So, Rhyme…" she waved a hand to it, "This is Lancelot."
"Ohh~! He says he loves the name you gave him!" Rhyme spoke.
"That's good to hear," she giggled before looking up at it, "I hope you're ready for our maiden battle in this realm, Lancelot. Gramps and Granny are going to be so excited to hear about it when we go to their shop."
"Gramps and Granny?" Rhyme asked, "Who are they?"
"They're the people who run the store that I purchase Gunpla from," she explained, "They insist on being called that because, well, they admit they're older than most folk." she looked up at Lancelot, "So this first battle is gonna be dedicated to them."
"Lancelot feels really happy on doing that," Rhyme spoke for the Gunpla.
Alex nodded, "Then let's go, Lancelot!" she tapped a button on her screen and the two vanished and appeared in a black space that quickly lit up with neon blue designs as a screen appeared, showing the view of Lancelot, alongside two glowing orbs that she grasped, "Nice! Just like when I use the GPD machine at Gramps and Granny's store! Now let's see…"
She twisted her right wrist and options began to be displayed. Outside of the Gunpla, the platform it was on shifted before moving it along a path to stop before a pair of metal doors. On the opposite side of them, panels flipped down from the long spike that poked out of the structure and made a hard-light pathway form. The doors slid open and Lancelot bent down a little, his wings spreading out as the thrusters within began to hum to life.
"Alex and Rhyme! Lancelot!" Alex declared, pushing both her hands forward a bit, "Launching!"
"Mmm…" the man gulped, his Gunpla looking around beside a large lake in the middle of a massive expanse of forest, "M-Maybe it won't be so bad…I mean…this girl's just a rookie. She probably doesn't have anything too bad, r-right?" the Gunpla grabbed the sides of his head, "Gah! Why did I go through with this and not just log out?!"
"Because you know I have the Administration on speed dial and you're currently on your second strike," Lio replied, sitting on top of a tree nearby.
"GAH! Stop doing that!" he panicked.
"No!" Lio declared, "Prepare for combat, they are here," he declared, his mask hissing as the singular eye vanished and part of the face covering slid down allowing the black section to open up and reveal a pair of gray eyes…that bulged when he realized just what Lancelot was, "NANI KORE?!"
"N-No way…" the man squeaked, "Th…That's…That's…"
"The NK-13S Gundam Schwarzritter…" Lio finished.
"Wait…That's how your name gets pronounced?" Alex asked in surprise, "Wow…I am so glad I gave you the nickname 'Lancelot' then, buddy. I'd flub it up so much."
"But how?" Lio gawked, "That model was only distributed for a limited time, and the details of its design and runners are only known by the Legendary Ral who reverse engineered it from the Second Meijin's design after finding the remains of the original!" he gasped all in one breath.
"...He was for sale at Gramps and Granny's shop for twenty five dollars," Alex replied, "I got him because the cover art of his box made him look amazing."
"That Model is worth Millions!" the other Diver shouted.
"...Well that's dumb," Alex noted, crossing Lancelot's arms over his torso, "Lancelot is priceless to me since he's my first Gunpla. A million dollars ain't even a drop in how much he's worth to me."
"ARE YOU ALSO STUPID!?" the man snapped as he looked at her and Lio.
"DID YOU JUST CALL ME STUPID?!" Alex snapped, Lancelot's visor lighting ominously, "Oh-hoh~! You're in trouble now, big boy."
"I think I heard somewhere American girls are much more dangerous than any other…" Lio mused to himself, "I thought it was an exaggeration but…maybe…" he ignored the others as the fight seemed to start now.
Lancelot exploded into a burst of speed. The modified RX-72 yelped, quickly pulling out its shield only for a pitch black beam to rip through it in two, emanating from a pitch black handle in Lancelot's right hand as the left hand had his right wing in it, now a massive sword. With a roar, Lancelot swung it and slammed the flat side into the Gundam, knocking it away several kilometers.
"I should warn you, I am no rookie when it comes to Gunpla Battles! I've spent a long time facing off against all the AI pilots in the GPD system Granny got for their shop!" Alex declared, dismissing the black beam saber while pointing her larger wing/sword at the Gundam, "...Though…I will admit I always kept it at 'C' since I didn't want to destroy the Gunpla Gramps and Granny made for those AI to use. I'm good at assembling them, but repairing is…well…not something I'm good at. The only time the system hiccuped and went to A while I was fighting a ZZ Gundam, I had to retire Tryon-3; but he lives on as a display at the store for kids to look at."
"Oof…That poor Gunpla…" Lio muttered, wincing in sympathy.
"You're this good from fighting AI?!" the Gundam exclaimed, shooting up in disbelief.
"You can fight Love?" Rhyme asked, misunderstanding what 'AI' meant for a moment.
"Nope. You can't fight love; it's too powerful," Alex replied, "But you can fight data of folks from Gundam series! I love fighting the ones from G Gundam the most! Domon Kasshun and Master Asia are amazing opponents and I learned a lot from fighting them! It was kinda like they were actually teaching me come to think of it…" Lancelot shrugged, "Just ask my former coworker who got a little too touchy-feely and wouldn't take 'no' for an answer."
"Nanda kono ko….Newtype ka?" Lio asked no one in particular, "Iie…Coordinator?" he mused as the fight continued, "To learn from the two AIs famous for being the Hellish difficulty to people…Super Robot logic doesn't track well with Real Robot…Could the joke that American gamers like to punish themselves with our hard games be true?"
"DON'T MESS WITH ME!" the Gundam snapped, a rocket launcher pulled out and quickly fired at Lancelot, who cleaved the rocket in two with his sword/wing.
"Don't you mock how hard it was to fight those two!" Alex declared as Lancelot's second wing detached and was caught in his free hand, "Especially when I choose them to try out new Gunpla models to break them in!"
"Is that why Lancelot is shivering?"
"Ah…Yeah, I can feel your pain from the first few times we fought either of them, Lancelot," Alex assured as she had the Gunpla cleave through another missile before they were upon the Gundam and sliced its launcher into four pieces, forcing the Gundam to release it as it exploded while moving quickly away from Lancelot.
"Hmm, such good skills. I'm enticed to play," Lio stopped his hand, "No, not my fight. Be patient, Boku…"
"Ah~ They both sound so happy! Gunpla Battles are amazing!" Rhyme awed, his eyes stars as his tail wagged fast enough to make it look like he was part peacock.
"Yep! Sad thing is, though, is they gotta end sooner or later," Alex noted, "And that's what we're doing now! And for the record, big boy?" she twisted her right wrist and an option labeled 'SP' was selected before Lancelot's wings/swords attached to one another, forming a massive double-edged sword before the golden edges erupted with energy, "DON'T BE A CREEP! ESPECIALLY WHEN THERE'S AN ADORABLE, FLUFFY KID THERE!"
"Hmm…it has special move data from its multiple past battles in GPD," Lio noted in interest, "Perhaps the warning about American Girls is true as well…" he mused to himself.
"Take this! Special Attack…" Lancelot vanished before appearing behind the Gundam, swinging down as the glow of the blade took on the shape of a dragon's wing, "Black Dragon's Cleaving Wing!" Once the strike was made, Lancelot spun around and the blade snapped in two and reattached to his back; the moment they did, the Gundam split down the middle before both halves exploded violently behind Lancelot, shadowing him in the explosion as his glowing visor shone through the shadows, "...Whoo! That was so cool~! Just like I knew, Lancelot! I knew you being the first one to come here would be the best thing ever!"
Rhyme giggled, "Lancelot-san is embarrassed by being praised."
"Oh~? Well, I guess I'll have to give ya some more then, eh Lancey?"
"Good work!" the two jumped, seeing Lio leap and land right in front of the head unit of Lancelot, "You did amazing for your first battle in Gunpla Metaverse, which was live streamed."
"Wait, what?" Alex asked.
"You know missions are free for all to see," Lio tilted his head, "You can only keep fights private by having them take place within a private Force Nest server."
"Seriously?!" Alex gawked as Lancelot covered his face, forcing Lio to nearly fall off, "Ahhh…I-I'm so embarrassed~! I've never been on a livestream before!"
"Lancelot is embarrassed, too, Alex-nee," Rhyme noted.
"This is an online virtual world that beings live in, you're basically having this entire fight out in the open," Lio pointed out, now standing on Lancelot's head, "You might say this entire field is the Quad of a school…and you just challenged the local delinquent to a fight. Then proceeded to kick their teeth in with impressive skills."
"What's school?" Rhyme asked.
"Something I'll have to sign you up for," Lio stated, "Sarah-san loves meeting the new little ones like you."
"Sarah?" both repeated, Lancelot tilting his head…
"GWAH!"
*SPLOOSH!*
…and causing Lio to fall off into the lake.
"...Uh-oh…" Rhyme summed it up best.
"EL-Divers appear more and more as players join the world of Gunpla Metaverse," Lio explained, seemingly bone dry despite jumping out of a lake, as they went along a moving sidewalk, "As more are born, some literally as babies, or as fully formed beings with no idea who or what they are. The one who was first confirmed as an EL-Diver, Sarah-san of Force Build Divers, and others have made a safe space to teach EL-Divers. What exactly? Simple: proper etiquette for the world, how it works for them specifically, what and how Gunpla work for them, basic concepts of how things work for them but differently for us normal Human or Eldoran Divers!" He listed as Alex and Rhyme were still in awe of how unphased he was by what just happened, "Are you listening?" he asked, snapping his fingers, "There is likely to be a test about this later."
"...What's a test?" Rhyme asked, tilting his head.
"So…as you can see, he's going to EL-Diver Elementary school," Lio said simply while looking at Alex.
"There is just so much to this place I didn't know about," Alex awed before looking down when Rhyme tugged her kimono again, "Yes?"
"Is school scary?" Rhyme asked.
"Not at all," Alex assured, petting his head, "It's meant to be a safe place with yummy lunches."
"Mmm," Lio nodded in agreement, "You'll be able to ask all the questions you want there. You will learn anything you want, and need, 'cause at the moment, Rhyme-kun…you kinda…don't know much."
"Ohh…" Rhyme nodded before tilting his head, "Are the Gunpla going to teach?"
"No, nice people just like you," Lio explained as he crouched down to get to eye level, his mask opening to reveal his real eyes once more, "Kind and wonderful people who are miracles of this world just like you." he began petting his head, "They can explain things to you that I can't because things that are simple for me…are hard to explain in words. You can make all the new friends you want; it will be a new adventure just for you."
"Eh? You're not coming with me?" Rhyme asked, his ears and tail drooping.
"Not for this, I already finished Elementary school, it's…Highschool that I have to deal with. A totally different type of beast," Lio declared with a serious look, "But…" he held his finger up as he formed a little holographic letter envelope, before he pushed it towards Rhyme, "You're my friend now, meaning whenever I log in, we can have fun together, okay?"
"Okay," Rhyme nodded, accepting the envelope before looking up at Alex, "Mmm…?"
"Sorry, but I graduated from school a little while ago," Alex apologized, petting his head, "But it doesn't mean you'll be alone. I'll make sure to check in on you often."
Rhyme whimpered.
"Actually…you may be doing more than that," Lio spoke up, causing them to look at him, "EL-Divers tend to connect to the first person who they interact with, often ending up living with them if they want a Mobile Doll."
"Mobile Doll?" both tilted their heads.
"It's a Gunpla that acts as a real body in the real world for EL-Divers. All of them must eventually be outfitted with one so they can sign off during repairs and updates." Lio explained as he made a holographic screen showing a Gunpla…well…that looked like a robotic doll of a girl, and was kicking all sorts of ass in a battle.
"Oh~!" Rhyme awed.
"So I'll need to get one of these for Rhyme?" Alex asked, realizing what Lio had implied about the child and her.
"Well…make…" Lio explained, "They sell a basic Mobile Doll frame…but…" he held up an image of a very much feminine figure model with adorable features and etcetera meant to be used to form the visage of a female, "Most Male EL-Divers don't want a realistic body, and rather just let their Mobile Doll be a Gundam." he noticed the look of concern on her face, "You're a Straight Builder, aren't you?"
"Straight Builder?" Rhyme asked.
"It means at most she just paints and tunes her Gunpla to pose better and therefore perform better," Lio explained, "You don't do customization, huh?"
"No, I…I just can't do it to them," Alex admitted, "They're all unique and doing that to them is…well…" she rubbed her upper arm while giving a sheepish smile, "Yeah…Straight Builder here."
"Lio-nii, do you customize?" Rhyme asked.
"Not to brag, but I have won a few amateur building contests." he explained, "My own Gunpla is heavily customized to improve on its frame issues, improve its flexibility, and prevent joint looseness. I had to machine custom polycaps though…" he rambled off very technical details that went over the innocent little Rhyme's head, who just nodded to show he was listening.
"So…anything I need to do?" Alex asked once he was done rambling and the moving sidewalk came to an end before a link.
"Just fill out some digital paperwork the Game Master normally hand-delivers when a younger EL-Diver is found," he explained, "To give you a hand in all this, I'll need your real world address, or a PO-Box." he stated, getting her attention a little more at that.
"M-My address?"
"Well how else are you going to get his Mobile Doll?"
"O-Oh. Right," Alex blushed as they entered it and appeared in a modest school lobby.
"Don't worry, I have access to the Gundam Base's 3D printers," Lio explained, "I will send you the runners and instructions for Rhyme's Mobile Doll once I finish the design. All you need to do is assemble it based on my instructions. Then just plug in a Metaverse License to a GPD machine to charge his Mobile Doll," he explained, "Any questions?" he gently put Rhyme's hand down, "No, no, I'm asking her." he explained, earning a silent confirmation from him.
"How long will it take to fill out the paperwork? Will it be safe to use Tamiya products on the Mobile Doll? Will there be check-ins that I'll need to do?" Alex began to question.
"It's all been streamlined. So long as it's safe to use in GPD is all it matters. Don't worry, as long as you take proper care of Rhyme, there's nothing to worry about. He will need to recharge in a GPD machine now and again, but since it's just to give him range of motion, it's once a week," Lio explained, "Without the recharges, his body will just stop moving. He'll be in there and such, but his body will be immobile."
"How do you know all that?" Alex couldn't help but ask.
"We've had lots of time to figure it out," a girl's voice spoke from behind Alex, making her yelp and jump behind Lio, a short girl with long, light-blue hair tied back into a ponytail with a large blue ribbon, clad in a white dress with a blue coat wrapped around her waist and arms, purple stockings and white high-heeled shoes. Floating around her were three Carbuncles that looked at Lio before circling around him.
"Oh~" Rhyme awed before giggling as they started to nuzzle against him.
"Ah! W-Who are you, miss?" Alex asked, peeking from behind Lio.
"Sarah-san," Lio bowed, "I've brought you someone new, and…rather different," he motioned to Rhyme.
"This one is a first, an Eldoran EL-Diver," she mused happily, walking up to Rhyme, "I'm Sarah, what's your name?"
"Rhyme!" Rhyme beamed, the Carbuncles sitting on his shoulders and head, "They're really nice, Onee-chan!"
"Yes, and they sense you are also very nice," Sarah smiled, "You must have so many questions. I can't wait to answer them for you," she turned to Alex, "You're the one bonded to this child, I take it?"
"Well yeah," Alex replied.
"Alex-nee is really nice and Lancelot says that she loves all her Gunpla a whole lot!" Rhyme beamed.
"Lancelot?"
"She's a Straight Builder…and 'Lancelot' is the NK-13S Gundam Schwarzritter."
"The one used by the second Meijin Kawaguchi?"
"Hai," Lio nodded.
"Riku-kun and Ko-1-kun would probably love to see this Lancelot," Sarah smiled, "It might give them a shock," she giggled at the thought.
"Do you feel a little better coming here, Rhyme?" Alex asked, kneeling down to the EL-Diver.
"I like this place," Rhyme smiled, his tail swaying gently, "It feels warm and nice, and Onee-chan and her fluffy friends are very nice, too!"
"You were lucky to meet such nice people, Rhyme-chan," Sarah smiled, "Sometimes there can be some mean folks, but I think we EL-Divers always find the best person for us. And Lio-kun always looks out for us. He makes sure to bring anyone he finds to us,"
"It's nothing, really. EL-Divers are born of our love of Gunpla, it's only natural for us to look out for you," Lio declared, "It's the least I could do. It's thanks to you and your friends, Sarah-san, that I have this world in the first place." he bowed to Sarah once more.
"I forget you're also a good child as well," Sarah mused happily, "Game Master-san should be here soon with the files you'll need to fill out, Alex-san. Oh! D-Don't be surprised by how he looks, though. People always seem to be surprised when they do meet him the first time."
"Surprised?"
"The Game Master has a very unique Avatar," Lio explained with a knowing chuckle, "Any chance we'll be seeing Ms. Tori as well?"
Sarah shook her head, "She has a cold at the moment, so she's not able to get on without getting a migraine."
"Mystery?" the duo asked, tilting their heads with one of the carbuncles having climbed onto Alex's shoulder.
"Mmm…" Sarah giggled at their shared reaction, "You're both already so synchronized. It's so cute."
"Ms. Tori is the woman who designed the original GBN and overhauled it to Gunpla Metaverse," Lio explained, "Ms. Tori and the Game Master are the two most important people around. They control the updates, bug patches, and rules of this entire world. They are the biggest powers in the Metaverse."
"Oh, I see. I guess they're like the creators of it all," Alex noted.
"Just don't go start calling us gods, kami, or whatever you believe in, alright?" a voice chuckled, causing the two to jump and spin around.
"Ah!" Alex gasped, seeing it was an aquamarine SD Gundam with an orange attachment to its back, "G-GunDiver?!"
"Sugei~!" Rhyme awed, stars in his eyes as his tail wagged excitedly, "He's as big as Alex-nee!"
"Oh? Rhyme-Kun, do you like that design?" Lio asked, crouching down to his level, "Do you want a Gunpla like that?"
"I can?!" Rhyme gasped, looking back at the chuckling figure, "Uhn!"
"Ah, a fan of SD Gundam, are we?" he asked.
"Of course! It and G Gundam were my very first shows!" Alex replied, "Zero was always my favorite in terms of design while Captain himself was my favorite one!" she giggled, "Especially when he got a 'big upgrade' to display emotions. Everyone's reactions to it were priceless!"
"Soka," he chuckled, "Diver Name: Alex, it's a pleasure to meet you. I am the Game Master, head of the Administration of Gunpla Nexus. It's a pleasure to meet you." he looked over at Rhyme, who was still looking at him in awe, "As well as our newest EL-Diver. One of the first to resemble an Eldoran at that."
"Uhm…What's this 'Eldoran' thing you keep talking about, sir?" Alex asked.
"We…don't make it public…but…Eldorans are aliens we've made contact with," The Game Master explained…and waited for the realization to hit her.
"Oh, I see…You've made con-WHAT?!" Alex freaked before her body flickered for a moment.
"Alex-nee?" Rhyme asked in concern before it flickered again and she sheepishly rubbed the back of her head.
"Sorry, sorry. Fell out of bed from the shock that got through to my body," Alex explained.
"It's almost always while they are in Bed or in a chair, isn't it?" Sarah asked.
"The new model Diver Gear allows the body to enter a state of REM sleep, so they can play while resting," the Game Master nodded simply, "I can't fault them for it. I can work and sleep at the same time…truly wonderful."
"For me, I use it so I can have fun here," Alex noted, "I tend to be busy during the day at my day job, so night's my only time to enjoy things like this."
"It was mostly intended to give people time to play, so even time zone differences don't impede crossplay across countries such as your own location," The Game Master nodded.
"It's the middle of the day for me…" Lio muttered, looking at his personal clock.
"Game Master-san, the paperwork?" Sarah reminded.
"Ah, yes," the Game Master nodded before waving a hand and Alex's screen popped up on its own, showing several PDF files, "You'll need to read through these and sign at the bottom."
"Ooh…so many words…" Rhyme awed.
"Rhyme-chan, can you read?" Sarah asked.
"Mmm," he smiled, his tail swaying happily.
"For one so young, he's adapted word to rapid translation," The Game Master noted, "Though, thankfully, he's not a baby."
"How is the recent one?" Sarah asked.
"Johanna has gone on record that she wants to take apart my avatar and stick it on other Gunpla," he admitted, scratching his cheek in worry for his Avatar's frame.
"EL-Divers are…always a surprise," Lio chuckled, "I'm still shocked they can even be babies…"
"All it took was it happening once," Sarah mused, "Though, thankfully, Rhyme-chan is a good bit more mature then some…at least, in that he can read and speak."
"Nom," They all looked to see him gnawing on the railing of a flight of stairs, "Rrrr…nom."
"Ah! R-Rhyme!" Alex panicked before scooping him up, "Please don't eat that…"
"Could it be…his Eldoran data…accidentally picked up…Puppy data?" Lio asked slowly.
"It…It could be," Game Master replied, a drop of sweat going down the side of his head.
"Kawaii~" Sarah awed with stars in her eyes while clasping her hands together, "Cho Kawaii~"
"Please don't encourage him to do that," Game Master begged, "We'll be flooded with complaints of people chewing on things they shouldn't en masse!"
"I suppose this…will be something to think about as Eldoran Data EL-Divers are born more and more…" Lio muttered, "Maybe we can ask some Eldorans for help…they know more about their own anatomy and growth rates, afterall…"
"I do think Maiya is on today with Kazami," Game Master noted, making a screen pop up, "I'll be quick to send a message to talk to them about the matter and send them to you all about this." a popup appeared on Alex's screen, "Use this address to send the signed paperwork once you've filled it out."
"Oh! Th-Thank you, sir," Alex thanked, 'Hello paperwork, my old friend…I've come to barter with you again…'
"I'll leave you all to it, then," the Game Master nodded, "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to check on a hiccup that popped up in the system."
"Hiccup?" Sarah asked.
"I'm unsure what it is, but it was detected earlier this morning," he looked to Lio, "That is Morning for us in Japan, meaning late at night for you in America, Alex."
"It's fine, it's fine…" Alex mumbled, already going through the files, "What in the…Why does it even want to know my BMI…?"
"I…do not know…" Game Master admitted, "I think that was the part Ms. Tori put in…"
"I don't think she heard you," Sarah noted, realizing Alex was fully focused on filling in the paperwork, "She must have to do things like this at her job. I wonder what she does…"
"That will be learned from the background check just like the others who house an EL-Diver get," Game Master replied before leaving to check on the hiccup.
"Oh, now this one has got to be a trick question! They don't even specify what kind of swallow. Is it African or European?"
"She's going to be at this for a while," Lio sighed as Rhyme walked over, "I'm going to stick around to keep an eye on this one," he put his hand on Rhyme's head and began messing with his fur, "I fear what he might get curious of if left alone…or what he might bite to satiate that curiosity."
"Nom?" Rhyme tilted his head.
"No nom," Alex quickly replied on pure reflex, filing in a part, "At least that one was easy…"
"Hahaha! If you want to sink your teeth into something, how about actual food?" Lio offered, "You can chew that to your heart's content and it's yummy."
"We can get you anything you'd like to try," Sarah added, "Alex-san, would you like anything to eat?"
"Ah, get me anything that doesn't have pickles or hard-boiled eggs or tomato slices and I'm good…" Alex muttered, waving at them while focused on the screen, "Okay, annual income…"
"She's not moving," Lio assured as he picked up Rhyme and moved him up towards his shoulders, his helmet vanishing in a flash of light to allow his long silver hair to fall to his shoulders, letting him safely put Rhyme on his shoulders and revealing his face, "Didn't expect such a specific list, I guess burgers are out, and no eggs means no deluxe ramen bowls…hmm…Pizza!"
"Pizza?" Rhyme asked, "What's that?"
"Culinary Mastery," Lio smiled.
"It's really good," Sarah added.
"Oh~"
The Game Master mused as he appeared in a server that wasn't often filled with players. It was considered the furthest end of the world of Gunpla Metaverse, that is if such a thing can have an observable distance. He stopped at what looked like an alley, which led to a dead end. He looked around a few times before his eyes lit up and scanned the area.
"This is the reported location of the bug…but there is nothing like the portal to Eldora…it just registers the internet beyond…a hole in the outer firewalls to keep out hackers." he pondered, "No…no damage, just a thin point. Perhaps I will need to adjust a patch." he sighed, "At least I'll have something to do in the morning. I should contact Ms. Tori as well. Ill or not, she'll want to know about this," he began typing a message with a holographic screen, he then stopped as one of his workers sent him a message with an image, "What's this…a boy in blue armor…a Diver? Perhaps an EL-Diver?" he pondered, "Spotted at the same time as the bug report?" he leaned in to see the blurry image, "...Note to self, improve the camera function for people with less than stellar internet connection…this will take time to adjust." he waved his screen away, "I will have to put Elite Divers on the lookout," he pulled up a list and hit select all, "Be my eyes and ears, Elite Warriors of Gunpla Metaverse, let us defend our world together," he pushed send, "Hopefully, it isn't a correlation, but still…"
"Met!"
"Hm?" the Game Master looked to see a strange creature resembling a black sphere with big eyes, yellow feet, a pickaxe, and a large yellow construction helmet with a green band wrapped around it and a green 'plus' on the center of it.
"Met! Met-me-met~!" it hummed happily as it marched towards a part of the area resembling a broken street before it began to heft up its pickaxe and swung down hard, breaking the ground…and causing a small glitch to form for a brief moment, "Met~!" the ground shone for a moment before the creature was bounced up in the air as the ground repaired itself, "Met?!" it fell down only for a hard-light cube to encapsulate it, "Met?! Me~t!"
"The Virus Quarantine system?" the Game Master asked in shock as he approached the cube as the creature kept trying to break it open, "Is this creature…a virus?" he brought up a screen, "Alia, I'm sending you something that triggered the VQ system. I need an in-depth examination of it immediately."
"Gate and I will be right on it, sir," a voice responded from the screen before the cage, including its now-panicking occupant, vanished in a glowing blue data swirl, "Anything else?"
"Get a White Base or a Gundamusai set up here," Game Master ordered, "I want a rotating voluntary task force at it keeping an eye out for anything like what you were just sent appearing in this area."
"Sir?"
"Call it…a feeling," Game Master replied, narrowing his eyes as he looked at where the strange creature had been, "As if Lalah Sune herself was giving me a warning."
-linebreak-
"Hah…Finally done…" Alex sighed, sitting down on a couch in the lobby, the screen showing confirmation on the files being sent, "I'm really glad this is a virtual realm, otherwise I'd be in big danger of developing carpal tunnel syndrome in my wrist from this and my day job." one of her tails reached out and tapped the screen before her Gunpla in its usual size appeared in her hands, letting her look over the digital duplicate of her oldest Gunpla, "It's amazing how accurate this is when it copies Gunpla that are scanned. It even caught the tiny little goof when I sneezed during the sanding on your left leg, Lancey."
"Hm? Is that the Gundam Schwartzritter?"
"Hm?" Alex looked up to see a girl around her Avatar's age with shoulder-length dirty blonde hair, blue eyes, and wearing a black and white bodysuit with metallic cat ears on her head and a tail, "Yeah, but I call him Lancelot since I'm not good at pronouncing that."
"So you're the one who smacked that idiot around," she noted as she sat down beside her and looked at the Gunpla, "Oh~ This is really well assembled. You used a Tamiya glue product to melt chopped up pieces of the runners to 'weld' the pieces together and then sanded them down, right?"
"Of course! No seems whatsoever on my buddies," Alex replied, patting her chest a little with her free fist, "I'm pants at customization, but I do my best to make up for it with being well detailed on making sure everything is intact and properly assembled for maximum effectiveness!" she sheepishly rubbed the back of her head, "Of course…it took me a while before I figured that one out…and that I needed to use a glass container."
"The plastic one melted."
"Yeah," Alex slumped before the female giggled and Alex smiled at her, "I'm Alex."
"Fumina," she replied, accepting the offered handshake, "Considering where you are, you must have found an EL-Diver, hm?"
"Yeah, I've known him for, what, an hour? Maybe two? But I can't help but want to keep him safe, you know?"
Fumina giggled, "Oh, I know it all too well. Sekai-kun and I have one that likes to live with one of us every other week. I swear, she's more like him than he'd like to admit."
"Is it hard to take care of them?"
"There's a stipend you'll receive that will be enough to purchase a small GPD system for them to recharge their Mobile Doll with and the bills to add on to your home or to purchase a home big enough for it will be paid out for it," Fumina replied, "But as for caring for them? They're all unique in their own ways. You'll figure it out as you go. The first smart thing was being there for them and bringing them here."
"Oh, well that was more so thanks to someone we met," Alex admitted.
"Someone else?" Fumina blinked.
"Alex-nee! We brought pizza!" Rhyme called out as he walked over with Lio who donned his kabuto once more, mask and all.
"It's New York style," Lio replied simply, "Can't beat classic pepperoni. Ah, sorry 'bout Sarah. She had to do some files for the students."
"Oh nice!" Alex grinned as Rhyme pounced and nestled himself against the fox woman, "This is Rhyme."
"Aw~ He looks adorable," Fumina noted, "And nice to see you again as well, Lio-san."
"Fumina-san," he nodded as his mask opened to reveal his normal eyes, "It's always nice to meet you again, Senpai." he bowed his head.
"Senpai?" Rhyme tilted his head.
"It's a term of respect for those who are slightly older than you, be it in school or in similar fields of work or interest," Lio explained, "Senpai has been at it longer than I have and was part of Team Try Fighters."
"Try Fighters?" Rhyme and Alex repeated.
"Ah, that was from my highschool says," Fumina noted in fond remembrance, "Nowadays, I'm an official reporter for Gundam Metaverse, making sure everyone's up to date with everything going on."
"Reporter?" the duo blinked for different reasons, one not knowing what that was, the other wondering how that worked.
"This is a very social media inspired world," Fumina explained, "People can make entire channels for content and gain sponsorships for their content. Even working with the Administration for certain things."
"Monetize," Lio rubbed his fingers together as a cha-ching sound effect could be heard.
"I…I see…" Alex blinked several times.
"Nom?" Rhyme asked, mishearing 'monetize.'
"No nom," Alex quickly responded.
"Aw~" Rhyme pouted, earning a giggle from Fumina.
"So this is the little EL-Diver you're going to be raising? He's rather kawaii," Fumina noted.
"He's an adorable little fellow." Lio nodded as he laid the boxes of pizza down and pulled out a slice to offer to Rhyme, "Here ya go."
"Ohh~" Rhyme awed.
"Okay, that? That you can 'nom,' okay?" Alex pointed at the slice.
"Yay!" Rhyme cheered as he accepted the slice and bit it, "Nom! ?! Umei~!"
"Hm?" Alex pondered as she picked up a slice and bit it, "?! Oh wow! That is really good!"
"I know, right? Amazing flavor and texture…and no calories, fats, or anything else since it's all virtual," Fumina noted with a grin.
"And no allergies," Lio added.
"Huh?" Alex paused in getting a second as Rhyme was on his third.
"The Metaverse isn't just for folks to connect…it also gives people who have…er…disabilities outside of it a chance to be a normal person in here," Fumina explained.
"It can let people walk who have lost their ability to do so in the real world, give a Voice to those who can't speak, and even allow people to eat things they normally could not and fully taste it," Lio grinned, "Here, everyone can be an equal in daily life!"
"Amazing/Sugei~!" both newcomers awed.
"So what brings ya here anyway, Senpai? I thought your tyke was with the 'Papa' of you two," Lio teased.
"H-Hey!" Fumina yelped, blushing at that, "It…It's not like that, okay?"
"I learned one thing from Ral-san, it is fun note. Only I'm more vocal; he had his itchy sense."
"Itchy?" Rhyme pondered, looking up at Alex.
"I have no idea, so let's just smile and nod and eat our food," Alex whispered back.
"Uhn," Rhyme nodded before smiling, nodding at the two, and then ate another slice, "Nom!"
"Mou…you're such a cheeky one," Fumina muttered, "You are as crazy as Sekai or Meijin…"
"I take that as a fine complement." Lio nodded, "So…got it all done?"
"Yep. And I sent them straight away," Alex replied before tapping her cheek, "...Hey, does he have to attend today?"
"Hm? No, normally the first day is learning to read and write," Lio replied, "Since Rhyme can do that, it's basically a free day for him. Why?"
"Well…I have a few Gunpla, so I thought I'd quickly switch Lancelot for one of the ones I think he might like for his Mobile Doll as a base," Alex explained.
"That sounds like a great idea," Fumina nodded, "We're not sure what his tastes will be, and most male EL-Divers just ask for a regular Gunpla."
"Rather than what inspired the term Mobile Doll, besides Wing Gundam, I mean the ones that literally look like a doll," Lio added.
"I know why don't you show him some, Lio-kun? You have a vast collection, don't you?" Fumina smiled.
"Well a limited collection, I only have the ones I've built in my dorm at the moment, my full collection is at my family's Home…" Lio muttered.
"How many is that?" Alex asked, referring to the ones in his dorm.
"108…" Lio explained.
"Wow," Alex blinked a few times, "I don't think I have that many yet. Still, I'll be right back." she looked down at Rhyme, "Rhyme, I'll be right back, ok? I'm going to be picking some other Gunpla I've made."
"Oh? More of Alex-nee's Gunpla?" Rhyme asked in excitement.
"If you change it to display mode you can put multiple in the scan, but only one will be selectable for piloting," Lio explained quickly, "It's how Pro-Builders scan their entire dioramas for display."
"Oh, that's great!" Alex beamed before making her screen pop up and tapped it before she logged out.
"Ah!" Rhyme yelped, nearly falling off the couch in surprise, "She vanished?!"
"She'll be right back, remember?" Fumina assured, petting the EL-Diver's head.
"You'll figure it out more with time here." Lio stated, "It's not something we regular Divers can properly explain." he sheepishly admitted, "Don't worry, I'll wait with you 'till Alex returns, okay?"
"Mmmm…Okay," Rhyme nodded, his tail wagging a little, before looking at Fumina, "Oh, Onee-san, do you have a Gunpla, too?"
"Yep."
"Oh~What is it?"
"You're looking at her," Fumina winked.
"Huh?" Rhyme tilted his head.
"She's using a Gunpla based on her own image to be able to do interviews in areas Gunpla Battles tend to break out in," Lio explained, "Apparently, the concept of Gundam Girls…grew popular after someone made them functional…" he muttered.
"Yeah…someone…" Fumina agreed, keeping her smile as her right eye twitched in agitation.
"Hm?" Rhyme tilted his head again.
"Don't be like other boys when you get older, Rhyme-chan," Fumina warned, "Just…don't."
"Mmm…Okie," Rhyme nodded as he took another pizza slice and bit it, "Nom!"
"Don't worry, I don't fully understand either," Lio assured.
"That's because you are a Gunpla Baka, true and proud. You'll never be a normal boy, Lio-kun," Fumina sighed, "Also you go to a school all about Gunpla, you'd never notice if some poor girl liked you."
"Liked?" Lio and Rhyme tilted their heads.
"I'm likable right, Rhyme-kun?" Lio asked.
"Uh-huh!" Rhyme nodded, "Gunpla Onee-chan is silly. Lio-Nii is very nice!"
"G-Gunpla Onee-chan?" Fumina muttered in surprise.
"That I am," Lio nodded before pausing for a moment, "Ah…Does she know how to make links to places in Metaverse for fast travel?"
"Fast Travel?" Rhyme asked.
"Sorry, Rhyme-kun, another thing you'll learn later," Lio replied, "Just nom on the pizza."
"Okie!" Rhyme beamed as he grabbed another pizza slice, "Nom!" he bit down…before his ears and tail shot up as he broke out in a sweat, "ATSUI~!"
"Ah…He took my jalapeno pizza," Lio winced.
"Hoo…I should've read a bit more of the help menu…" Alex groaned, standing atop the moving sidewalk to head back to the academy link, "Still…I hope the ones I picked will have something Rhyme will love to have as a base for his Mobile Doll." she looked around to pass the time before gasping, "Is that…?" she got off the moving sidewalk and ran down the street, quickly skidding to a halt before a God Gundam on display, holding a damaged Master Gundam within a body of water in the setting sun, "Ohh~! I remember this moment from the show…" she shook her head, "It's so sad what good intentions from one person and the immense jealousy of another lead to so much death and destruction."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Alex turned and blinked a few times. Looking at her with a hint of confusion was a young boy, roughly around eleven or twelve. The boy wore a navy-blue bodysuit with light blue lines going up the sides of it. Regular blue gloves and boots with dark-blue soles and little rectangles on all four pieces covered his hands and feet. On his back looked like an armored backpack of sorts with fur metal 'pipes' sticking out of it while gold guards covered his shoulders. His cobalt-blue hair peeked out from underneath a rounded helmet in three different shades of blue separated by two light-blue bars wrapping around it and having two yellow rectangles in the middle of it, his hair peeking out of the back in four spikes. His eyes, a vivid brilliant emerald green in color, were looking at her in honest confusion and also curiosity. Yet, what had her attention was the unusual emblem on the sides of his helmet and torso. It was a pair of red blocks split by a black diagonal line all nestled within a gold ring of sorts.
"I'm sorry, that was rude to just ask like that, I just…don't know what you mean by that. Why is this scene so sad? I mean…it feels sad, like the White Robot couldn't save the Black Robot," the boy noted, looking back at the display and missing the slowly widening eyes of Alex.
'DID I JUST FIND ANOTHER ONE IN BARELY THREE HOURS?!' Alex thought in shock.
GT: Oh~ You didn't expect this kinda cliffhanger at the end, no?
Z0: We gotcha! Now you have to tune in for the next chapter, more surprises, more action, More twists! *gets whispered to by an intern* I know surprise and twist mean the same thing you fool! *punches Intern making them Ring out like this were Smash Bros.* We got an entire intro arc before we delve into the important shit so just stay tuned folks. We want to ease into the deep stuff, this will be a lot of fun though.
GT: Indeed. After all…this is primarily the Gundam Build universe, known by many as 'Gundam Valhalla.' Despite some dark aspects like the Gunpla Mafia in Build Fighters and other things, they're normally put to the side for the lighter and more amazing stuff like character interactions and awesome Gunpla action!
Z0: In short all the awesome designs of Gundam, Gundam Action, amazing animation for Gundams, and more GUNDAMS! *Turns to see Masked Rivals of the franchise saying that at the same time as me* Hey you guys scram! You got your own places to be! Go on get, you don't have to go home but you can't stay here.
GT: And for Battle Network fan, don't worry. Stuff will be going off soon enough with it than just Megaman himself being there. *winks at the readers* Until then, please Read and Review!
Z0; Don't worry folks, this is totally gonna be part of a multi-chapter upload type deal. We got this really planned out. So just let us cook, stay out of my kitchen and you'll enjoy what we present. Now…seriously get the hell out of my kitchen I have to cook dinner. *throws chefs knife at the screen making it split in two*