Ashford Academy - Lelouch's bedroom
"My mother dismissed her guard?" Lelouch asked shocked.
"Yep-yep. Corn said so. Means..." Joseph ended with, leading Lelouch to finish.
"That whoever murdered her was someone she didn't want anyone else to see." Lelouch concluded.
Joseph nodded, knowing that this was a serious matter.
"But who could it be she needed to meet? Schniezel? If so, why the need to keep it a secret? One answers just leads to several more questions!" Lelouch thought as he gritted his teeth in frustration.
"So, how go?"
Lelouch looked up, his thought process broken, and saw that Joseph was looking at him in anticipation.
"Huh?" Lelouch asked confused.
"Fight with Corn. How go?" Joseph asked in an excited manner, he clearly wanted to hear about it.
Lelouch looked down in angry shame.
"I lost..." Lelouch muttered under his breath.
"Lost?" Joseph asked in a surprised tone.
"Yes. It was...eye opening to say the least." Lelouch muttered, still angry at himself for his defeat at the hands of Cornelia.
"What happened?" Joseph asked. While he was glad Cornelia wasn't hurt, he didn't want his brother to lose superhero streak before it even started. "Kallen help?" He asked.
"No. She wasn't there." Lelouch said.
"Why? She sidekick. Always bring sidekick. Superhero 101" Joseph explained.
"Again, she's not my sidekick. She's a subordinate if nothing else." Lelouch explained a bit aggravated.
"Well, use power then." Joseph suggested.
"I couldn't use it without my face being revealed." Lelouch said.
"Uhhh, costume." Joseph said in an obvious tone.
"...I didn't wear it..." Lelouch muttered through gritted teeth.
To which then Joseph bopped Lelouch on the head, leaving Lelouch surprised and confused.
"Rule number uno! Always. Wear. Super. Hero. Cos. Tume!" Joseph emphasized as waved his finger in Lelouch's face, he couldn't believe he had to tell his brother all this stuff. "Psssh, rookies..." Joseph said to C.C. as he rolled his eyes and pointed his thumb at Lelouch, which just annoyed Lelouch even further.
"Indeed, I had to put on the suit myself just to save his ass." C.C. said in a bored tone while laying down on the bed. Lelouch glared at her, he couldn't believe he was actually getting railroaded by these two.
"Jedi Master!" Joseph exclaimed, pointing his fingers at her.
C.C. just rolled her eyes and turned away from them.
"Clearly need help. No worry bro. Got back!" Joseph exclaimed, smacking Lelouch's back, making him groan in pain a bit.
"What do you mean-" Before Lelouch could finish asking his question, Joseph interrupted him, AGAIN.
"Gotta get back, no suspicion from Corn. Next battle, LMK!" Joseph said as he left the room through the window, leaving a very confused Lelouch.
"You do realize-" C.C. tried to get a word in.
"Shut it." Lelouch interrupted, clearly not in the mood to hear any of her snark.
...
Viceroy Office
"Please Cornelia, it'll just be for a couple of days, and I'll have my bodyguard with me the entire time." Euphemia begged her sister from behind the desk.
"Euphemia, you haven't even been acknowledged in Area 11 yet." Cornelia argued.
"Exactly, it'll be nice to have a little vacation while observing the Sakuradite negotiations. This way, I'll have less bother from civilians." Euphemia explained.
"Yes, and it'll just be more dangerous for you too." Cornelia stubbornly said.
"Well, how about I bring Joseph with me as extra protection." Euphemia suggested.
"Absolutely not! That'll just become you babysitting him." Cornelia struck down immediately, not wanting her sister's life in Joseph's hands.
"Come now, sister. You've seen his scars, he's been taking care of himself from all known predators for years." Euphemia argued.
"Maybe so. But he can still be very reckless, getting so many scars was probably a result of that. Speaking of Joseph, where has he gone to anyway?" Cornelia found herself asking.
"HERE!" Joseph shouted from behind her.
"DAH!" Cornelia screamed, falling from her chair and pulling her gun out to point at Joseph, making Euphemia laugh hysterically.
"YOU NEED TO STOP DOING THAT!" Cornelia yelled, putting her gun away.
For the last couple of days, Joseph has been treating Cornelia to some jump scares here and there. Why? He just found it fun to prank his sister every once in awhile.
The guards came bursting in, wondering why the Viceroy screamed. They were ready to shoot Joseph down, because they thought he was some homeless man, when Cornelia quickly ordered their dismissal.
"Where did you even come from?!" Cornelia asked, having calmed down a bit.
"Window." Joseph casually explained, pointing at the open window.
"You did say you wanted some fresh air." Euphemia cheekily said, as she clearly was in on it.
Cornelia glared at the both of them, before getting back in her seat.
"I'm assuming Euphemia told you about this trip she wants to make to the Lake Kawaguchi hotel?" Cornelia asked.
"Yep-per-rooni. I go too?" Joseph asked excitedly.
"No." Cornelia said in a strict tone.
"Come on, please, best behavior, choir mouse!" Joseph begged.
"Yeah, choir mice." Euphemia said.
"You(pointing at Euphemia), stop encouraging him! And you(pointing at Joseph), the answer is still no!" Cornelia said, now aggravated.
Joseph and Euphemia both slumped, but then an idea came to Joseph's head.
"A's after Z, except before B. B's after A, except before C. C's after B, except before D." Joseph started to perform a mantra, and Euphemia, seeing where this was going, decided to join him.
"D's after C, except before E. E's after D, except before F. F's after E, except before G." Joseph and Euphemia happily said together, making a tune out of it.
"ALL RIGHT! Fine, you both can go." Cornelia said in an annoyed but defeated tone.
"Yay!" Joseph said.
"But you both have to do what your bodyguard says, got it!?" Cornelia asked in a strict tone.
"Thank you sister!" Euphemia happily said as she engulfed Cornelia into a hug.
"Best big sis ever!" Joseph exclaimed, also getting in on the hug.
"(Sighs) Go pack." Cornelia said as they both left dancing to a silent tune. Cornelia pinched the bridge of her nose.
"What am I going to do with those two?" Cornelia quietly asked herself.
...
Subway
Shirley stared out of her compartment window in amazement.
"I've never left the Tokyo Settlement before, this is my first time!" Shirley said in excitement.
"I'm sure you wish Lelouch could have come with us, don't you?" Milly teased.
"No, ah..." Shirley nervously said, frazzled and red in the face.
"Don't be so shy. Tonight we can stay up all night talking. Let's tell each other which boys we like from school." Milly teased again with a sly smile on her face.
"Then you'll probably have a lot to talk about, right Ms. President?" Shirley muttered in a deadpan tone.
"Who can say?" Milly cheerfully said.
The train goes through a tunnel and everything becomes darker.
"Ah!" Nina shrieked, scared of the sudden change in light and clutching her hands into fist.
"Nina, it's all right. There are lots of Britannian tourists at Lake Kawaguchi so security's fine. Don't be afraid, it's not the ghettos." Milly gently said to her as she took Nina's hands into hers.
"Yes, but…" Nina said nervously.
"We'll be with you the whole time. We won't leave your side for a second." Milly reassured.
"Thanks." Nina said quietly, feeling a little bit better.
Meanwhile in another compartment
"THIS! IS! NUTS!" Joseph screamed as he felt the fast winds blow on his face from the compartment window.
"Your highness, please! Another train could pass by any second." His bodyguard yelled as she tried to pull him back in, to no avail.
Euphemia just smiled at the shenanigans .
...
Ghettos
Ohgi opens the door and is surprise to see the inside.
"What are you waiting for? Come in. As of now, this place will be our hideout." Zero's mechanical voice said to them as they enter the large vehicle.
"So, you think joining up with us is a good idea?" Ohgi asked him, looking at his surroundings.
"Yes. We're comrades, after all." Zero said.
It was clear for Lelouch that if he was going to continue his rebellion, he would need people who could actually follow orders. And Kallen's group was the best fit.
"Holy cow." Tamaki exclaimed at his surroundings.
"Do you mind if I ask how you came by this?" Ohgi asked.
"I borrowed it from a rather libertine nobleman who indulges my requests." Zero said.
"You asked for it, just like that?" Ohgi asked, a little suspicious.
"Don't worry, no strings attached." Zero reassured.
"It's huge. Check it out, it's got a second story." Sugimaya said in awe.
"On the other hand, no one would expect us in something like this." Kallen commented.
"It's even got a TV." Minami said as he turned the TV on. Revealing a News anchor.
"How are things looking at the scene?" The News anchor asked the reporter.
It's cuts to a news reporter in frontof a building.
"I'm here in front of the Lake Kawaguchi Convention Center Hotel. The hotel-jackers have identified themselves as the Japan Liberation Front." The news reporter said.
"Huh?"
"What's happening?"
The scene on the TV cuts to a bunch of hostages surrounded by JLF members.
"Members of the Sakuradite Allocation Meeting, most notably Chairman James, were taken hostage, as well as several tourists and hotel employees. This footage was taken by the perpetrators. In it, you can clearly see Chairman James, including some students." The news reporter said.
Kallen's eyes settle on a group she recognized.
"From the Student Council." Kallen said in quiet surprise.
"Hm?" Zero slightly turned his head in attention to the TV.
The camera showed Milly, Shirley, and Nina with their hands over their heads. Nina looking more frightened than the others.
...
JLF Headquarters
Todoh watches the news with the members of the Four Holy Swords with focused attention.
"The leader of the group claims to be Lieutenant Colonel Kusakabe of the now defunct Japanese…" The reporter said.
"That imbecile!" Tohdoh exclaimed, smacking his lap.
He told Kusakabe this plan was a bad idea, that it would only make the Britannian military crack down on them even further.
"That fool never listens!" Tohdoh thought to himself angrily.
...
Ghettos
"Sakuradite, an essential component in the manufacture of high-temperature superconductors, is a vital strategic resource that directly affects world security. Area 11 is the largest producer of this material, providing 70% of the world's total supply. Here at the yearly national meeting of sakuradite producers, it will be determined how this resource will be distributed among the world's nations. It's no exaggeration to say that the outcome determines the balance of global power between Britannia and other countries. It is believed that the terrorists are using world interest in the annual gathering to their advantage by carrying out this violent hotel takeover." The news reporter said.
"So they made their move." Tamaki commented.
"They're easily the biggest anti-Britannian force in Japan, and now their pride's hurt." Ohgi added on.
"Because of us?" Minami asked.
"Maybe." Was all Ohgi could answer.
"I don't know whether to feel happy or sad about that, because they're all gonna end up dead." Tamaki said with empathy. He may have not liked Britannians but there were still kids in that building.
Lelouch on the other hand, had chosen to remain silent under his Zero mask, calculating on what to do next. But then he hears his phone ring, he takes it out and sees the name of the caller.
"Rivalz?" Lelouch quietly said to himself.
He pushed the mute button. Now wasn't the time.
"I know Rivalz, but…" Was all Lelouch could think until Minami brought forth his attention.
"What's up with that guy? Minami asked with confusion.
"What guy?" Sugimaya asked him.
"The guy staring wide-eyed at the camera." Minami said getting a closer look.
"...Minami, they're all staring at the camera wide-eyed, they're scared out of their wits." Inoue said a bit annoyed at the obviousness.
"Not this guy, look, he's behind some people, but you'll start to notice him." Minami said as he pointed at the screen.
The group, including Zero, went to get a better look at what exactly Minami was seeing that they weren't. And when they finally saw it, both Kallen's and Lelouch's eyes widen at the person they were looking at. Which happened to be a man with a beard, wide eyes, a toothy grin, and who appeared to be wearing, a black overcoat.
One thought flew through Kallen's and Lelouch's head as they watched the screen.
"Oh no..."
"Yeah, you're right. He's looks...happy, excited even." Inoue said with surprise.
"Man, did the guy smoke a joint or something before they were taken hostage?" Tamaki commented, somewhat weirded out by the this guy's behavior.
"He kind of looks like a homeless man, doesn't he?" Yoshida asked.
"I don't know, but I feel like it's not going to do the hostages any wonders if he keeps grinning like that." Ohgi said with unease.
"Hey Kallen, you ok?" Sugimaya asked with concern, snapping Kallen out of her own world.
Kallen didn't realize she looked transfixed at the screen.
"Uh yeah, I'm just trying to decipher what's the hell's going on with this guy." Kallen innocently said.
Lelouch on the hand, was LIVID under that mask of his.
"WHAT ON EARTH IS HE DOING THERE!? HE LITERALLY HAS NO REASON TO BE THERE! ...Unless..."
Lelouch's eyes widen under his mask as another revelation was made to him.
...
Lake Kawaguchi Hotel
Joseph could not believe it...
HE WAS ON TV!
When he saw the soldiers bring in the cameras, his excitement grew 100x times in that moment. He always admired the people he saw on TV, there with all their being, not afraid of who they are and what they're doing.
And now, he got to be part of that!
He was about a to rise up a little more so he could wave at the cameras when he was suddenly pulled down again by Euphemia.
"Joseph, stay low." Euphemia softly but firmly ordered.
"But Eup, on TV!" Joseph cheered, but making sure to do it quietly because Euphemia was doing it too.
"Joseph, we're in a hostage situation, remember?" Euphemia asked in quiet exasperation.
He stared blankly at her for a few moments before realization hits him.
"Oh yeeeaaaaahhh...doh." Joseph said as he finally remembered why they were on the TV in the first place.
"Ah man, I finally get to be on TV and it has to be because I'm being held hostage. Oh well, at least I have Eup and my friends of the student council here with me...
...Oh wait, that's also bad. Darn it, I'm not finding a bright side to this day!" Joseph angrily thought to himself.
Euphemia on her end was just thinking...
"Maybe I should have let Joseph stay back at the palace."
...
Viceroy's Transport
"Wiped out?" Darlton asked.
"It looks as though they've modified a Glasgow into a linear cannon." A soldier said.
"Then there's no way we can break through."
"What do we do now? If we release the political prisoners as they demand-"
"We can't show weakness to terrorists!" Cornelia exclaimed in a strict tone.
"But, Princess Euphemia and Prince Joseph…" Guilford said to her.
"Yes I know." Cornelia said quietly.
"Thus far it appears that none of them have discovered that fact. If they learn that Princess Euphemia is among the hostages, they'll undoubtedly use her as a bargaining chip. She went there just to observe, therefore she isn't registered along with the other guests." Darlton said.
Cornelia noticed something in his statement.
"...Darlton, you didn't make any mention of Joseph." Cornelia said with a bit of venom in her voice.
Darlton just sighed.
"Your highness, you have always known me to be honest with you. And you know I'm right when I say that if the JLF were to discover Joseph, they will not hesitate to kill him. Because they're not going to see a prince, all they're going to see is a moronic bum who somehow got involved in this mess." Darlton told her bluntly.
Cornelia clenched her fist and gritted her teeth, had it been any other soldier, she would have shot him on the spot. But in truth, she knew he was right.
"...Don't ever call him a "bum" or a "moron" again..." Cornelia said with a quiet, venomous tone that made the soldiers stand up straight with a chill down their spine.
However, Darlton managed to stand steadfast. He bowed to her.
"Apologies, your highness." Darlton said quietly.
Cornelia looked onto screen in front of her.
"Euphie, Joseph, please be safe..." Cornelia thought to herself.
...
Ghettos"We need to organize before we fight them again. It's too soon though, we're not ready, but we can't just sit here and do nothing either. Knowing Cornelia, she would have sacrificed the hostages already if it weren't for Euphemia and Joseph being there.
...Perhaps..." An idea sprouted in Lelouch's head as Kallen approached him.
"Zero… what will happen to the hostages?" Kallen asked him a bit nervous
"Eventually, there will be no reason to keep those Britannians alive." Zero told her bluntly.
"Yeah… I'm sure you're right." Kallen said sadly as she thought about her friends...and even Joseph.
It was then Ohgi gave down the stairs with a box. He opened it revealing black uniforms.
"Hey Zero, I found these. Should I hand them out to everyone? I mean as far as gear goes it looks pretty hip but we're just a resistance group so-"
"Wrong! We're not a resistance group, is that clear?" Zero interrupted Ohgi.
"Uh. Well then, what are we?" Ohgi asked surprised.
"What we are, what we're trying to be… are knights for justice!" Zero proclaimed to the group as they looked at him in awe.
...
Outside of Lake Kawaguchi HotelSometime Later
Zero stood toe to toe with Cornelia as she held the gun to his helmet.
"Well well, we meet again, Zero. Are you a member of the Japan Liberation Front? Or perhaps you intend to help us? Regardless, our concerns take priority over yours at the moment. And so for the death of my half-brother Clovis, I shall take my revenge right here." Cornelia said with venom in her voice.
"Cornelia, which would you choose: Clovis, who is dead, or Euphemia, who is alive?
"Ah!" Cornelia eyes widen.
"My suspicion's confirmed. The first task at hand is completed. You haven't changed, dear sister. You've always doted on sweet little Euphemia. That's why you won't take aggressive action, your emotions are getting in the way. I can't lead her on that I know Joseph is in there too, it might look a little too suspicious." Lelouch thought to himself.
"It's within my power to save Euphemia for you." Zero proclaimed.
"What do you mean? I have no idea what you're talking about." Cornelia proclaimed.
"I said that I'm able to rescue her." Zero insisted.
...
Lake Kawaguchi Hotel
"Yep, that guy is definitely not coming back." Joseph thought to himself as he thought back to the guy they took earlier.
He's seen plenty of films and tv shows and been in plenty of situations where he knows the perpetrator always kills a hostage to know they mean business. And this Kusakabe fellow was definitely not the type of guy to let this them go willingly.
"An…Eleven." He heard a small voice say, and that voice happened to belong to Nina.
"What did you say?" One of the JLF soldiers yelled.
"Aah!" Nina shrieked.
"Oh Nina, that's a no-no word!" Joseph thought as he watched the scene unfold.
"Not Elevens! We're Japanese, dammit." The JLF soldier yelled.
"Yes we're aware of that. Just lay off of her." Milly angrily said.
"Then correct her, we're not called Elevens." Another JLF soldier ordered.
"Fine, we'll correct her." Shirley said, also angrily.
"How dare you speak like that to me? You three, come with me to the next room and I'll teach you a real lesson." The first JLF soldier angrily said as he puts his hands on Nina.
Okay, now they were starting to cross the line. You do NOT hurt Joseph's family and friends. And considering the attitudes of these guys, they weren't going to let them leave here alive anyway. At the very least, he could stall until Lelouch or Cornelia made a move. Plus, with eyes on him, they won't notice his sister.
"I said get up now!" The JLF soldier said as he pulled Nina's hair.
"No! Let me go!" Nina cried.
"Do something, do it stupid." Joseph whispered to Euphemia after he cracked his neck.
"What?" Euphemia asked in a confused manner, wondering what he was up to.
Suddenly, Joseph jumped and stood up straight and yelled, "HEIWA!(PEACE!)"
This got everybody's attention as they were now looking at a man who looked like he was homeless. Euphemia was starring wide-eyed at her brother's sudden action, Milly and Shirley were surprised to see that Joseph was here, the JLF soldiers were surprised that they heard a Britannian(at least they think he was a Britannian) speak in Japanese, and Nina was just staring at Joseph in awe.
After a moment of confused silence, a JLF soldier spoke up as he threw Nina to the ground.
"Who the hell are you?!"
"Peace. Joseph Du Britannia, volunteer as tribute!" Joseph exclaimed as he saluted two fingers in the air.
The people around him starred in shock as they couldn't believe their ears, was this really an actual prince in their presence. Euphemia was shaking her head in fear and the girls of the student council couldn't believe their friend was doing this.
The JLF soldiers just looked at him in bemusement as one of them scoffed.
"You're a prince? Right." The JLF soldier said unconvinced.
"True, sir, true! Now, take to leader, or face ALPHABET!" Joseph threatened as he pointed his finger in the air in a dramatic fashion like Zero would.
Now the people were looking at him as if he lost his mind.
"What the hell is this guy on?" Was the recurring thought in their heads.
The JLF soldiers looked at each other and then nodded. Clearly this guy was no threat to them, and no reason to keep unneeded waste.
"Alright then, we'll take you to our leader. This way." One of the JLF soldiers said in a playful tone with an evil smile as he gestured towards the door.
"Coolio!" Joseph exclaimed as he marched his way to the door. Euphemia couldn't let this happen.
"Wait-" Euphemia didn't get to finish as her mouth was covered and was pulled down by her bodyguard.
"He's stalling them right now. The Viceroy will make her move soon." The bodyguard whispered to her.
Euphemia didn't like it but she knew her brother did this to protect her and those girls.
"Joseph..." Euphemia thought as tears started to leak from her eyes.
He turned around and gave the crowd two thumbs up and a big smile. But it was particular directed at Milly, Shirley and Nina.
He left with Milly and Shirley looking at him dumbfounded while Nina just stared at him with a small blush on her face.
"...Prince Joseph..." Nina thought to herself.
...
If there was one thing that always made Joseph feel bored, it was people who took things too seriously. Seriously, the two guys in the elevator were so grumpy and didn't even talk.
Talk about Debbie downers.
So to pass the time, he decided to whistle a tune from an old tv show he heard back when he was kid.
That went on for a about ten seconds until one of the soldiers said. "Shut up."
Well geez, if he wasn't allowed to whistle, what the hell was he supposed to do.
"Mr. Grumpy Pants..." Joseph muttered.
"I said 'Shut up'!" The soldier yelled, whacking the butt of his gun to Joseph's head. As that happened, a thought occurred in Joseph's head.
"You know, these guys definitely have no intention of keeping me alive, and my sister and friends aren't out of danger yet. Let's see, adrenaline pumping, lungs breathing, eyes focused. Yep, no more nice guy..."
Half a second later, Joseph whipped his head back into the JLF soldier's head, slamming him into the wall.
...
"You have no intention of joining me?" Zero asked, not surprised at all.
"Remove that mask and reveal your real face to us. It's disrespectful not to." Kusakabe ordered.
"I understand, but before I do, I'd like to ask you something. What exactly do you hope to accomplish by this action?" Zero asked.
"Gain attention. I want this country and the world to know that the Japanese aren't dead yet." Kusakabe explained.
"How stale. You people are obsolete, there's no saving you." Zero said in a harsh tone.
"What? Why you arrogant…" A JLF Soldier said angrily.
"Explain what you mean by that, Zero." Kusakabe asked, his patience running thin.
However, before the discussion could continue, they started to hear some noise coming from outside the room.
It sounded like fighting, and gunfire.
"What the hell?" Was all that was going through Lelouch's mind.
...
Outside of Lake Kawaguchi Hotel
"As soon as the Lancelot is in position, we'll commence the plan, Viceroy." Darlton told her.
"Good." Was Cornelia said.
CRASH!*
"The Hell?!" Cornelia exclaimed as she and her soldiers looked up to see someone screaming and falling from a broken window of the building.
That someone landed with a splat, PASSED the gates of the hotel and the Britannian soldiers looked to see who it was.
"Your highness! It's a member of the JLF!" The soldier exclaimed to Cornelia.
This made Cornelia, her knights and soldiers look in surprise. The spectators were making their own theories.
"Did Zero do that?" A civilian asked.
"Whoa, didn't know he was that powerful." Another civilian said.
"Impossible, no one could throw anyone that far!" Another civilian said.
"Get that Lancelot fired up now!" Cornelia ordered.
"Yes, your highness!" A soldier yelled.
"What on Earth is going on in there!" Cornelia thought in subtle panic.
...
Lake Kawaguchi Hotel
The groans and grunts got closer and closer to the room Lelouch and Kusakabe were in. Kusakabe unsheathed his sword, getting ready for battle.
"Zero, was this your doing?!" Kusakabe asked with anger.
Before he could answer, a JLF soldier came crashing through the wall of the room. He groaned in very deep pain. Everyone looked up to see someone enter through the hole in the wall.
Revealing to be Joseph with a gash on his head, bleeding over his right eye.
Lelouch was shocked to say the least.
Joseph looked around for a moment until he set his eyes on Lelouch.
"Hey! Captain Zero! Didn't see." Joseph exclaimed as he wiped blood away from his eye. "Eeck, messy." He said causally as he waved his fingers around trying to get the blood off his fingers.
Before Lelouch could say anything, he heard Kusakabe yell a warrior's scream and swing his sword at Joseph.
"Joe!" Lelouch thought frantically as he was about to shoot Kusakabe.
However, Joseph was about to catch his sword with ease, stopping Kusakabe in his tracks.
A second later, Joseph pushed the other end of the sword into Kusakabe's head, Literally making him "hit himself" repeatedly.
"Why you!" A JLF soldier said as he another soldier took their guns and aimed them at Joseph.
Joseph saw this and swiftly moved Kusakabe in front of him, which shield him from the bullets, Kusakabe taking them in the chest instead.
The soldiers quickly stopped their fire when they realized what happened.
"Lord Kusakabe!" A soldier yelled.
Joseph then threw Kusakabe at one of the soldiers, knocking him down. He charged towards the other soldier before he had anytime to do anything, Joseph grabbed his hands while he was still holding the gun. Making the soldier shoot the other soldier on the ground, and then making shoot himself in the kneecaps, leaving him to drop to the ground in pain.
From what Lelouch calculated, all of this was done in a matter of between 10-15 seconds.
When it was all over, with the one soldier still groaning out in pain from his shot kneecaps, Joseph just blew a whistle of breath and then looked back at Lelouch with his dopey smile.
"Crazy rush, right?" Joseph asked, wiping more blood from his eye in a casual manner.
Lelouch didn't say anything, not that he knew what to say at the sudden events that just happened.
"Uh..." Was all he could mutter, and for once, he was glad Joseph interrupted him.
"Wait, Eup and friends still in danger, find more bad guys, laters." Joseph said as he saluted a goodbye, leaving in the direction he came.
And Lelouch was able to tell by that because when he peeked his head out of the hole Joseph made, he discovered there were a row of beaten soldiers, some dead, some groaning in pain, all down the hall Joseph came from.
"I am now really glad Joseph is aware I'm Zero..." Lelouch thought in both awe and fear.
...
Tunnel area of Lake Kawaguchi Hotel
The Lancelot's shield are able to dispel the bullets.
"Yes. It can take this level of destructive force." Suzaku said, determined.
The JLF pilots manning the cannon see the Lancelot coming right at them on their radar.
"That thing broke through salvo number five. I can't believe it." The JLF pilot said frantically from the front.
"Just don't panic. Deploy the quad-link free-fire armgun, batteries too. We'll shield this final defense with our lives." The JLF pilot from the back ordered.
More turrets activate from their cannon.
"Ms. Cecile, it's time for me to use the VARIS." Suzaku said.
"No, you could get killed!" Cecile said, scared for Suzaku's life.
"There's no room for me to evade, I'll risk getting blasted to take the first shot." Suzaku told her.
The Lanclot brings out the VARIS, a blaster-looking type weapon and fires.
...
Lake Kawaguchi Hotel
"What if we run into more terrorists?" An orange-haired girl asked with a bit of fear in her voice.
"Don't worry, we'll make sure you get out of this alive." Ohgi told them, his visor on to protect his identity.
He, along with the others were guiding the hostages to the back of the hotel to the lifeboats that Zero had set up. Kallen chose to stand behind the group of hostages, and for some reason had her hair tied up in a bun.
When he asked why, she yelled, "JUST CAUSE!" before marching away in a mood. Confusing Ohgi and the others to a certain degree.
Suddenly a pink-haired girl approached him.
"Please sir, they took my brother earlier. You have to go find him!" The pink-haired girl said softly but firmly.
"We'll do our best to look for him, but for now, let's get you-" Before Ohgi could finish, he was interrupted by Tamaki.
"Whoa! What the hell?!" Tamaki yelled.
Ohgi turned around and his eyes widen when he saw a bunch of soldiers on the ground, groaning in pain. Zero's group and the hostages were dumbfounded to say the least.
"Did you guys do this?" A blonde-haired girl asked, who was holding a very frightened green-haired girl with glasses.
"N-no, we haven't even been-" Ohgi didn't get to finish his statement as he saw a JLF soldier, who looked to be a teenager, be pushed into the wall in front of him.
He and Tamaki brought up their guns ready to fire, but then saw some man with a beard and black overcoat on approach the JLF soldier. He also appeared to have a gash over his right eye. Ohgi eyes widen when he realized something.
"That's the homeless-looking guy who was grinning at the camera like a crazy person from earlier!" Ohgi thought to himself surprised.
The bearded man grabbed the soldier and did something Ohgi didn't expect.
He bent him down and pulled his pants down revealing his bare butt.
And then the bearded man did something Ohgi REALLY wasn't expecting.
He started spanking the soldier, as if he was an unruly child and the bearded man was the strict teacher. The soldier yelped out in pain with each smack on the butt.
To say that Ohgi and the groups were flabbergasted was an understatement.
"DON'T! PLAY! WITH! TERROR! WRISTS!" The bearded man yelled with each spank before sending the soldier away with one more spank and yelling to him "GO HOME TO MOTHER!"
The JLF soldier then ran away crying in terror.
The group was silent, as they were trying to figure out what just happened.
The bearded man turned around to look at them.
"Hmmm. All black, eye masks, Zero's group!?" The bearded man asked in anticipation.
"...W-who..." Was Ohgi could sputter out from the events he just witnessed.
"Joseph!" The pink-haired girl yelled as she moved pass Ohgi and hugged the bearded man, who hugged her back.
"Hey Eup!" The bearded man apparently named Joseph said happily. The girl whose name was Eup looked at his wound with worry and fear.
"What happened?!" Eup asked with concern.
"Gun butt." Joseph said in a casual manner as if it was no big deal, making Ohgi more confused than ever.
"Does anyone have a med-pack on them?!" Eup asked, scared for, who Ohgi was guessing, was her brother that she asked about earlier.
He reached out into his coat and took out a small box with a small red cross on it.
"Here. There should be some gauze and tape in there." Ohgi said, handing it to her.
"Thank you." Eup said with a small, but grateful smile. And then proceeded to put a patch over the gash on the Joseph's head.
Tamaki looked around at the JLF men sprawled about, he turned and look at Joseph.
"Hey Brit! You do this?" Tamaki asked suspiciously but also surprise.
Joseph looked at him with a dopey smile.
"Yah-huh." Was all he said, surprising his sister, the other hostages, and the rest of Zero's group, especially Kallen.
"Who on earth is thisguy?!" Ohgi thought to himself.
"Joe, are you okay?" The blonde-hair girl asked, slowly approaching the siblings.
"A-ok, Milly!" Joseph said with glee.
"Milly? I had a feeling that was you. Thank you so much for looking after Joseph when you did. We're very happy to have him back in our lives." Eup told Milly sweetly.
"It was no problem at all." Milly smiled back.
"Eup. Other friends, Shirley and Nina." Joseph said pointing at the orange haired girl and green haired girl. "Shirley and Nina, little sis Eup." Joseph said pointing at his confused sister.
"Uh, nice to meet you." Shirley said with a nervous smile.
"H-hello." Nina said with a small blush on her face, looking at Joseph.
Before anymore could be said, Tamaki decided to cut in.
"Hey! How about we save this little chat after we get out of here?!"
...
Outside of the Lake Kawaguchi Hotel
The Lancelot rises from the ocean after Suzaku took out the cannon. He uses the VARIS to then blow up the pillars supporting the hotel, causing it to start crumpling.
"Good. Now the Viceroy will be able to commence her move and-" Before Suzaku could finish that thought, the building blows up.
"EUPHIE! JOSEPH!" Cornelia yelled from her end.
"NOOOO! My friends!" The Lancelot charges towards the building, but it didn't matter, the building already crumbled.
...
News Van
"What about the cameras in Van 3?" Diethard asked.
"I told you, Zero took the Van-" A technician said before Diethard cut him off.
"Well then, let's hope we pick up a signal from them. What are you doing, Zero? Wasn't that part of your plan… to show us something?" Diethard said to himself in thought as he looked at the fuzzy screen, waiting in anticipation.
...
Lake Kawaguchi Hotel
Suzaku sat in silence, looking at the burnt rubble and smoke around him. First the invasion, then his father, now this.
"I couldn't rescue them...they're dead...I failed. Not again!" Suzaku exclaimed in anger as he slammed his hand down on the control panel. Tears starting to sprout from his eyes.
But then he noticed something coming out from the smoke. It looked like some sort of ship.
...
Area 11
All over Area 11, screens popped up with the image of Zero, stopping people in their tracks to see what was happening.
"My dear Britannians, have no fear. All of the hostages from the hotel are safe and sound. I, Zero, return them to you unharmed." Zero proclaimed, as the screen revealed the hostages indeed alive and well on lifeboats.
...
Outside of Lake Kawaguchi Hotel
"T-they're fine..." Suzaku stuttered in relief, wiping the tears from his eyes.
Cornelia on her end, was fuming.
"Of all the brazen audacity… If we attack you those people will quickly become your hostages, won't they?" Cornelia scowled.
But then she felt relief when she saw Euphemia and Joseph on a lifeboat.
"Euphemia, Joseph...
Suddenly, spot lights came on, revealing a trio of men and women wearing black and visors as they stood by Zero.
"People! Fear us, or rally behind us as you see fit. We, are the Black Knights." Zero proclaimed.
Cecile and Lloyd watch the broadcast from their convoy.
"Black Knights?" Cecile asked.
"Ironic, isn't it? The terrorists referring to themselves as knights." Lloyd commented in amusement.
"We of the Black Knights stand with all those who have no weapons to wield. Regardless of whether they be Elevens, or Britannians. The Japan Liberation Front cowardly took innocent Britannian civilians hostage, and they mercilessly executed them. It was a wanton and meaningless act, therefore they have been punished." Zero continued.
From inside Diethard's news van, he was talking with his producer.
"You heard me right, I said let it run. Liable? I'll be the one responsible for this." Diethard yelled.
"Just as former Viceroy Clovis was punished for ordering the slaughter of countless unarmed Elevens, we could not stand by and allow such cruelty to be carried out, and so we made him pay for his actions. I will not repudiate battle on a fair and level field, but neither will I tolerate a one-sided massacre of the weak by the strong. The only ones who should kill, are those who are prepared to be killed! Wherever oppressors abuse their power by attacking those who are powerless, we shall appear again. No matter how mighty, how formidable our foe may be. Those of you with power, fear us. Those of you without it, rally behind us. We, the Black Knights, shall be the ones who stand in judgment of this world." Zero concluded his speech, with everyone starring at him in awe.
...
Lifeboats
Joseph could not believe what was happening, what he was witnessing!
His brother just created a superhero team! And they even had a badass name, The Black Knights! The levels of awesomeness have just skyrocketed through the roof in Joseph's mind.
"You're doing a real-life comic book movie here Lelouch!However, like any superhero, he needs support. And unlike most superheroes, he probably won't get it out of the blue. Therefore, I must show my seal of approval! I know what I must do!" Joseph thought as an idea struck inside his head.
Suddenly, he stood up in fast motion and started clapping his hands.
"YEAH! ENCORE, ENCORE! GO CAPTAIN ZERO! WOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Joseph cheered from the lifeboat, capturing everybody's attention who was close enough to hear.
To say that this was unexpected was an understatement. Zero and the Black Knights looked at him but tried to keep an emotionless composure as not to ruin their image. The rescued hostages were trying to figure out what to make of these events. One of them took out their phone that they hid from the JLF soldiers and started to record Joseph on their live stream for their social media.
"Joe, what are you doing?" Euphemia asked as she stood up in complete confusion by her brother's actions. Joseph just looked at her like it should have been an obvious answer.
"Uhhhh, cheering, duuuuhhh!" Joseph said with a faux moron tone, to which he then went back to cheering.
"YEAH! SHOW THEM CAPTAIN ZERO! SHOW WHO'S WHO AND WHAT'S WHAT OF HORSE!" Joseph continued on, making everyone even more confused than before.
"Ok, seriously. What is up with this guy!" Tamaki asked in a whisper with gritted teeth.
Kallen on her part, while her identity was being hidden, could not help but feel red with embarrassment.
Zero on the other hand, was fuming inside his helmet.
"For the Love of God, Joseph, please shut up!" Lelouch thought.
...
Outside of Lake Kawaguchi Hotel
Cornelia brought down the binoculars from her eyes as she thought she might break a couple of blood vessels if she kept watching.
"What. Is. He. DOING!" Cornelia screamed in anger.
"I believe he's cheering for Zero, your high-" A subordinate tried to answer her question, but was then hit with the binoculars she was using.
...
Lifeboats
"HORSE KNOCKS DOWN! GET UP AND EAT HORSE! HEAR ME ZERO!? EAT THE HORSE! EAT THAT HORSE! EAT THAT HORSE!" Joseph started to chant, everyone was starting to wonder if that smoke had some hallucinogenics in them, because there was no way what they were seeing right now was real.
Nina on her part, was staring at Joseph in awe. Here he was, willing to sacrifice his life for her and her friends, willing to be himself even if it might give him backlash later. Nina couldn't help but think how brave he was, and while she was scared of Elevens and this Captain Zero fellow, she would not let Joseph go through this alone.
So then she herself stood up and started chanting "EAT THAT HORSE!" Surprising Milly and Shirley.
"Nina?" Shirley asked, not sure what was going on anymore.
Nina just gave her a look that said, "Forgive me." and went back to chanting.
Joseph saw she was doing this and gave her a thumbs up, not realizing it made her heart flutter.
...
The spectators who were watching from a distance were witnessing this man's cheering, but were having a hard time understanding what he was saying.
That is until someone looked at their phones and saw the live video that was happening on the person's social media. Other people noticed this and looked at their phones to watch the video, fascinated by this man's obsession with horses and eating them.
"What is this guy even talking about?" One person asked.
"I don't know, but he's hilarious!"
"Look at the description, its saying that the guy is a prince!"
"Seriously?! That, I find hard to believe."
"I don't know whether or not he's a prince. But I think I can definitely buy what he's selling. EAT THAT HORSE! EAT THAT HORSE!..." One person started to chant.
After a few moments, another person joined in the chanting.
And then another.
And then another.
Until finally, while not everyone, a good amount of people were chanting "EAT THAT HORSE!"
The ones not chanting, that including Cornelia and her group, along with the Black Knights were staring at these sudden turn of events in bewilderment.
Lelouch was just thinking, "Oh dear God..."
...
TheLancelot
Suzaku stared at the scene with Joseph's chanting with wide eyes and a cocked eyebrow.
"Well this is surprising to say the least." Suzaku said, just happy that everyone was all right.
From the convoy Cecile and Lloyd were in, Lloyd was laughing his ass off and Cecile was just looking at the screen in wonderment.
"Lloyd...what just happened?" Cecile asked quietly.
"A start of a cultural phenomenon I'm sure." Lloyd happily said as he wiped as tear from his eye.
...
Viceroy's Transport
"CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!" Cornelia shouted at this WTF moment, she was starting wonder if she was even sane anymore.
...
Lifeboats
Some people on the lifeboats, including the person recording, were chanting as well. And Joseph chanted with them as he swung his arms around like he was the composer of an orchestra or the frontman of a rock band, he was truly in the moment.
Euphemia looked at the scene before with first surprise, then confusion, then bewilderment, and then finally acceptance as she chuckled and shook her head. Because she knew what was happening right now was the magic of one Joseph Du Britannia.
Joseph on his part looked back at the ship Zero was on and gave a thumbs up to the Black Knights, specifically Zero without people realizing it.
Lelouch's eye just twitched as he fearfully thought to himself.
"I'm going to rue this day for the rest of my life, aren't I?" To be Continued...ANNNNNNNNND DONE! Sorry that chapter took so long, the holidays and other projects took priority. Well, it seems Joseph has just started a new cultural trend without even realizing it...or maybe he does. Anyway, the "EAT THAT HORSE!" chant was inspired by a DBZ Abridged episode when Goku was talking to Vegeta about falling off a horse and then eating it, I just thought it was so funny and I wanted to make it something relevant to this. As for how people suddenly latched on to it, that was more inspired by real life of how people make trends of random things on social media and how memes grow a life of their own, something that will be explored more in the next chapter. I hope you enjoyed it, comment and tell me what you think.