Hope you like the last chapter I wrote. It took so long. This next chapter will epic. Shu and Gai will have a conversation that will bring more understanding between them and one secret will be revealed. On with the show.
Phase 06 - New Arms!: Leukocyte
Everyone at the base saw the sheer amount of power the Leukocyte possessed based on the smoldering crater left behind by the blast. Shibungi spoke to give everyone an explanation of how the Leukocyte worked.
"It's a cluster of quasi-zenith satellites arranged as a constellation directly over the earth. Once it is completed, it will have total coverage over Japan and be able to strike any target at any time. It only has one purpose."
"To exterminate the Japanese people."
Everyone in the room heard Gai's voice, and were relieved by it. The first ones to speak were Tsugumi and Ayase.
"Gai!"
"You're alive. Are you injured? Is Shu okay?"
"Just a few scratches. Shu is fine, however. No damage, just unconscious.
"What about Kyou and the others?"
"They didn't make it."
Everyone gasped as the loss of their teammates, including their youngest one, were gone in a most violent blow.
"Our team were first surrounded by GHQ Inves, followed by someone who demonstrated to possess the same abilities as Shu. Those bastards knew what were attempting to do, and set up a trap to wipe out our chances of reducing their numbers while at the same, doing the same thing to ours."
Shibungi spoke to Gai next.
"Should we then delay and reassess our strategy?'
"No. We have no time to waste. Nothing stops.
xxxxxx
Shu finally woke up in a tent. A small table with pills, a cup of water, and a note was near beside him. When he got up, Shu felt a splitting headache. Shu read the note.
If you are awake between the hours of 12pm to 1pm, come for the main tent. A meeting will be held there to discuss the revised plan to take down GHQ's latest superweapon . I also had some painkillers placed beside you in case you had some damage when the Leukocyte blasted you. I expect you there at the meeting.
Gai.
Shu still felt the headache, and took the painkillers with water. The headache went away, and Shu went outside to go to the tent where the meeting was taking place.
It was a rainy day as Gai's freedom fighters were camped outside near a GHQ facility related to the Leukocyte. Shu asked one of the fighters standing guard where the meeting was taking place. He pointed to Shu the direction of the meeting. Shu got inside, and saw a majority of Gai's fighters sitting down. Shibungi spoke out,
"Ah, Shu. You're awake and alright by the looks of you. Please be in the front row. You will be updated with everything that's been going on along with everybody else here."
Shu then go to the front row, and saw Inori was wrapping up one of Gai's injuries. Shibungi asked him,
"Are you ready, Gai?"
"Yeah."
Gai placed his hand on Inori's hand as a signal that he was alright now. He then started the meeting in which he discusses with the rest of his fighters the now revised plan to take down the Leukocyte.
"I'll get straight to our objective. We're taking down the Leukocyte system. Its control center is located at the Tsukigase dam. We will infiltrate through the ground level entrance, and then terminate the control cores."
Within the mass of fighters, Argo spoke out.
"So how do we do that? Just smash'em up?"
"Kenji."
Kenji Kido was sitting in a desk with a computer terminal near the big screen which Gai was displaying how the revised plan would be operated. He typed a few commands on his terminal to begin the presentation.
"Coming up. Here we have the Leukocyte. It's controlled through an earthbound, state-of-the-art, quantum cryptography system. It's also located 200 meters beneath a dam. Here we have the control system in question."
Kenji displayed a video camera image of the control system. It was a glass orb, with three comet-like objects in a rotational pattern around it, within a larger glass orb within a glass cylinder. It gave out a red glow.
"The cores of the device are housed in a superconductive flow cage. It switches into a hibernation mode in response to physical tampering. Therein lies the rub. You can't manipulate this thing from the outside at all. If you want to signal it to stop, you need to manipulate the core without touching them."
When they heard all that information, Gai's fighters felt that trying to stop this thing was impossible. The only to stop the system was to physically destroy it. But the system goes into a total, impenetrable lockdown at the slightest touch. As such, the whole thing felt like one colossal Catch-22. This was discouraging to hear, let alone imagine. Argo then asked Gai,
"How is this possible?"
"This is where Shu and Kenji fit into the plan. Shu's ability to draw out a void, and Kenji's void ability to manipulate gravity. These are the key to this operation."
Shibungi spoke next.
"However, we lack the manpower if the enemy decides to increase their numbers."
Gai brought out a small green cylinder, which was a form of data core.
"This is the schematic for a new strategy. It raises the projection rate of casualties from five percent to 35 percent, but it can still work. I like all of you to look it over."
Shu spoke up.
"Excuse me. Are you saying that now 1 in 3 people will probably die in this mission."
"Better us than the rest of the country."
"I'm not saying I want that to happen. I just getting my facts straight."
Gai sensed some hostility in Shu's voice.
"If you have a problem, just say it!"
"What can I say?! Yeah, I don't like the fact that many of here are going to die just being part of the mission. But we're also going to die if we do nothing. I know a thing or two about regret. That's what we're facing if we do nothing. I just hate the fact that those are the only choices we have in front of us."
Everyone talked amongst themselves about how Shu made a good point, but some felt that the plan has to proceed, regardless. Argo stood up and talked to Shu.
"Look, Shu. All of us here feel the same way you feel. But we need to do this because lives are on the line. This is one of those times where you need to shut up and follow orders. Just look around you."
Shu saw how dedicated they were to Gai.
"I am. Which is all the more reason I don't like this. The truth of the matter is this. We're facing this cruel choice because of my screw-up."
He decided to step outside for a while. Shibungi spoke to Gai.
"Gai..."
"The plan stays the same."
xxxxxx
Shu was sitting on a crate under a tree. He was in thought about his decisions so far. At first, he thought he made a choice he could live with. But, with his 'failure' of ensuring the survival of Gai's team back at the military airport, Shu began to have second thoughts. Inori approached him.
"Shu."
"Hey. What do you want? Sorry about what you saw back there. I know I'm supposed to be tougher than this, but I just can't take it. I'm supposed to be stronger than this. Instead, I let Kyou and all the others die because I wasn't good enough when it really counted. I know what I am. The best out of a bad situation. That's all."
"Stop feeling sorry for yourself. I hate that."
"You're right."
Inori stepped a little closer to Shu.
"Listen."
Inori was in front of Shu, and she grabbed his hand.
"There's something I want you to see."
xxxxxx
At the dam, Keido, via video communication, was giving orders to Segai on his role in the Leukocyte operation. Daryl was in the same room along with Rowan, Segai's right-hand man and Daryl's unofficial one.
"Leukocyte three will enter its planned orbit in four hours, thereby completing the cage. You're on standby until we complete the process."
"It's a shame you're not going to have tome to see the operation through. Funeral Parlor will attack in two hours and 17 minutes."
"Do you have an informant amongst their ranks?"
"No. It's just a gut feeling. A theory I'm hoping to test. Little bit of a game."
"This would be the first time I hope your instincts are off the mark, Segai."
"Still, you can't deny what this group is capable of."
"If you're talking about the armored warrior they have in their ranks, don't be. He's not strong enough to withstand the power of the Leukocyte."
"You mean that little trap you ordered me to oversee studying lieutenant Yan's fighting prowess? I saw the fight, and they seemed evenly matched."
"Indeed. I ordered Sagara to develop some new lockseeds for him to use. He agreed, saying that it was time for much needed upgrades. However, some wouldn't be available for this mission."
"Some?"
"He's already completed one. He should be already be there by now."
"I'm touched, boss man. But, you shouldn't be such a worrywart for little ol' me."
Segai, Rowan, and Daryl turned around to see DJ Sagara arrive. Daryl saw one of Sagara's hand in his pocket. Daryl suspected it was a new weapon. Sagara approached the viewscreen to speak with Keido. Keido spoke first.
"Have you completed it?"
"Yes sir, and more."
Sagara reached for his left pocket and took out a lockseed. It was red on top and yellow on the bottom, and had a shape of a mango. It read 'LS-11.' It was the Mango lockseed. Sagara approached Daryl and gave his new lockseed to him.
"Here you go. Something to up your game."
Daryl smiled at the new power that was given to him. He expressed gratitude to Sagara, and it sounded genuine.
"Thank you for this. I won't forget it."
"Just for that, you get something extra."
Sagara reached for his right pocket, and took out another lockseed. Except it was not shaped like a fruit. It did possess the shape of a lock, but the motif was different. It had a wheel with a rosebud on the front. The lettering was small, but it read 'LV-02.' Sagara explained what this meant.
"Do you remember the motorcycle that Gaim sometimes enters with? Well now, you get a bike of your own."
"Aw, NO WAY! SERIOUSLY?!"
"Yeah, man! This is called the Rose Attacker, a Lock Vehicle. Hope you like it."
Daryl looked at the Lock Vehicle with glee, and thought how awesome to be on a motorcycle like a badass. Sagara then spoke.
"I'm done for now. If you need me, I'll be having a walk around the place."
Sagara then left the room.
"Fascinating. Looks like our battle with Funeral Parlor will be taken to a whole new level."
"Keep me posted."
Rowan asked Segai.
"Sir, If I may ask? Why did you say two hours and 17 minutes?"
Daryl responded because he was familiar with Segai's line of tactics.
"Because that's when the sun sets. They'll need the cover of night in order to operate like the way they do. They're a resistance group. Armies like them fight with guerilla tactics. And I imagine, sir, that you must've fought against a few in your line of work."
Segai smiled, liking Daryl's thirst for fighting.
"Correct, lieutenant."
Rowan turned to Daryl.
"Are you sure you up to this? I mean, that lion thing hit you pretty hard."
"What the hell makes you think I'm not up for it?!"
Rowan felt a bit nervous when Daryl snapped him. Daryl then spoke to Segai.
"Speaking of that lion thing, you mind telling me why he hit me in the gut when I obviously didn't give the order?"
"Sorry about that. I gave that order when I was given an update that the Leukocyte was about to be fired."
"While I appreciate the 'heads up', I know that I can beat Gaim. Still, I can be a patient guy. Just tell me when he's here. I wanna finish what I started."
Daryl left the room, with Rowan following him. Segai was alone. He then opened his flip phone, and rapidly tapped the buttons. This indicated a sort of anticipation.
"Come on, come on. I can't hardly wait to see what you have in store for me this time. Please don't let me down. My heart just may break in two if you don't show up, Shu Ouma. Or do you like to be called Kamen Rider Gaim?"
xxxxxx
As it was still raining in the Funeral Parlor camp, Inori was out. She closed her eyes as she felt the raindrops falling on her face. Inside a nearby trailer, Gai was hooked up to his dialysis machine. He heard the doors automatically open. Gai assumed it was Inori and talked like he knew it was her listening to his insecurities. A wall was divided between them like a catholic confession booth with the top of the dividing wall fenced, but open for communication.
"I'm not sure what the hell I'm doing. It's been a long time since I let something get to me like he does. To be honest, it took nearly all my strength not to drop my leader act. You know, I wasn't the only one who survived the Leukocyte attack. Shu thought he failed to stop the Leukocyte attack, and feels that's the reason why Kyou died. In reality, her death is on me. She was alive, but just barely."
xxxxxx
(flashback)
Gai was standing in the fire of the Leukocyte attack, staring down on Kyou. She was laying down, in pain, and was struggling to breathe. With her remaining life, she spoke to Gai.
"Gai. Thank you so much. I'll never forget everything you've done for me. Never forget. Thank you, Gai."
As Gai aimed his gun on Kyou, she cried one tear. With all his strength, Gai pulled the trigger and shot Kyou. Although he did it to end her suffering, Gai did not do this without regret and guilt.
xxxxxx
"She was smiling. She was glad that I was okay. Glad that she was dying instead of me. I couldn't help, but ask myself. 'Am I capable of repaying such a great sacrifice? Shouldn't I be better than this?'"
Shu wanted to speak, but was still digesting this whole side to Gai he and no one else knew. The only one who saw this was Inori. Shu wondered if this was the basis of their relationship. She was Gai's support and the one to know his secrets, and in return he was Inori's connection to the world and her identity in it.
"The truth is, I'm a much weaker man than I led them all to believe. I should've been the first one selected out. The first to die."
Gai held the curtain of the dividing wall, and discovered it was not Inori listening to him, but rather Shu.
"So, you're spying on me, now? Haven't you done enough damage?"
Gai stood up, but was feeling weak from his dialysis session. Shu looked at Gai, and spoke.
"I know what you're thinking. And no, I'm not the kind of person who makes fun of other people when they're down. But I have to admit, I never expected you to be that kind of person."
"What kind of person did you expect I was?"
"Someone's who strong in every sense of the word 24/7. Someone who's the complete opposite of me."
"Sorry, but I'm human. Sometimes I lose confidence, sometimes I use people."
"'Use' is too strong of a word based on what I seen. I say persuade is more appropriate. If life was different than it is right now, you could be one hell of a lawyer."
Gai just laughed at how Shu was acting this way. Instead of showing disappointment at how weak Gai truly was, Shu was displaying understanding with a sense of humor. Shu, on the other hand, was a bit confused as to why Gai was laughing. He was commenting that if life was different than it is right now, Gai could still be an important figure and not suffer like this.
"In all seriousness Gai, what I trying to say is this. I'm unfairly projecting my frustrations on you and everyone else because I am not like any of you. I'm not battle-hardened, and I'm not able to treat death like it's an everyday thing that I'll eventually get used to."
"What makes you think that I treat death like that!? Did you think I could sacrifice them and not feel the weight of their lives on my shoulders? I'm not indifferent to their deaths, Shu. I just know what they're worth."
Shu felt like he could follow Gai. Not just because of his fight against GHQ, but for the kind of person he is.
"You got my help."
Inori was outside waiting for the both of them. As she looked up to the sky, she noticed that it stopped raining.
xxxxxx
It was sunset at the Tsukigase dam. Gai, with binoculars, surveyed the dam from a distance. He saw a couple of Endlaves and some soldiers stationed at the entrance. He received a communiqué from Shibungi.
"We're all set."
"Commence the operation."
Tsugumi received the command and gave the following orders.
"Black Squad, 12 units! Combat has now begun."
Argo received the order and ignited the truck. It popped right out of the ground underneath some camo tarp. A group of fighters ran through the forest near the dam with AK-47s in their arms. They were ready for action. The alarms turned on as they detected some incoming enemy hostiles. The guards were on high alert.
"Enemies incoming!"
"WHERE THE HELL ARE THEY?!"
They were instantly killed behind their backs as a squad of fighters led by Ougumo approached. The truck, driven by Argo, charged in at the entrance of the dam by making a jump, completely taking the GHQ soldiers by surprise, and proceeded to the dam.
xxxxxx
The comm officers were typing away as to alert the rest of the soldiers of the incoming attacks, issued various orders to suppress and eradicate the insurgents, and controlling security systems to hold prevent Funeral Parlor from taking the dam and its contents. Rowan alerted Major Segai. Segai responded,
"Please notify the lieutenant. Send out that Lion Inves with him as well. He'll probably need the backup."
Rowan proceeded to do so. Daryl received the order from another location. Before he summoned his driver, the Lion Inves appeared beside him.
"So, you're with me again?"
The Lion Inves nodded yes.
"Same thing as before. I get Gaim, you get the rest. I gotta do this first."
Daryl summoned his Sengoku Driver. He then began his transformation.
"HENSHIN!"
"BANANA!"
A metallic group of bananas appeared over Daryl. He then placed his lockseed on his driver.
"LOCK-ON!"
The driver then played European trumpet music with a techno beat as the banana lockseed was placed. Daryl used the Cutting blade on his driver to flip open his lockseed. The metallic bananas then formed a silver and red latex suit around Daryl's body.
"COME ON! BANANA ARMS! KNIGHT OF SPEAR!"
After that, Daryl activated his lock vehicle. It unraveled and expanded into a motorcycle of his own. Its primary colors were black and red. The front of the motorcycle was that of a rose. This was Daryl's machine, the Rose Attacker. He got on and turned on the ignition. Daryl rode into where the battle was taking place with the Lion Inves gliding right behind him. He saw the one of the Funeral Parlor trucks. Daryl then issued the following order to the Lion Inves.
"Wreck it."
The lion Inves roared and rammed into the truck on its sides. It crushed it and dealt some major damage. Daryl stopped his bike and saw the thing wreck the truck from a distance. He internally remarked on the Inves.
'Wonder where that thing come from? The strength of that thing is unbelievable.'
The Lion Inves tore through the truck like a saw through wood. Its claws glowed and gave a huge energy slash and destroyed the truck. Daryl the spoke out,
"Okay. You got it. We got more hostiles to take out, so look sharp."
Just then, laser beams almost hit the Lion Inves, but it jumped and glided out of the line of fire. Daryl turned his head and saw an old sight. It was Steiner, the new model Endlave that was stolen from him. Daryl, however, discarded any attachment in favor of his new power. As Ayase in Steiner approached Daryl in his Baron armor, Daryl started his bike and charged towards Steiner. Ayase spoke to Daryl.
"I never got to thank you for this sweet ride."
"Keep it. I got something even better than that clunky piece of crap."
As Daryl charged closer to Ayase as she got closer, Daryl flipped the cutting blade on his driver.
"COME ON! BANANA SQUASH!"
An energy banana appeared on Daryl Banaspear, and it almost impacted Ayase and destroyed her Endlave. However, a stray RPG was aimed at Daryl. It did not hit him directly, but the resulting explosion caused Daryl to lose control of his bike and fall rolling down to the ground. Ayase knew who did that.
"Thanks, Ougumo."
The Lion Inves saw where the RPG came from. It jumped high enough to see Ougumo with a missile launcher on his shoulder. It was going to dive to where he was, but Ayase shot laser holes through the Lion Inves. When Ayase finished, she said,
"Bad kitty."
As Ayase left to locate and destroy some more GHQ soldiers and Endlaves, the Lion Inves still had some life in it. It started to regenerate its wounds. Everywhere around the dam, various gunfights were going on. Tsugumi contacted Gai.
"Gai. The diversion's working like a charm. Are you in, yet?"
"Yeah. I got to cut transmission. Say a prayer for us."
Tsugumi clapped her hands together.
"Come back to us in one piece, okay?"
"You got it."
Back where Daryl almost bit the dust, he stood up again with his bike on its sides. He got himself up, recovered his bike, and rode to where the Lion Inves was shot down. When Daryl approached it, he saw that it almost finished regenerating itself from the laser fire. he thought,
'Just what are those things? Where did they come from? And why do they obey us but kill everyone else? I know I'm just a soldier and should just follow my orders. But, what's really going on here? Why do they obey anybody that works for GHQ? Were they created by GHQ? Or is it something else?'
When the Lion Inves finally regenerated, it moved on its own. Daryl thought it was acting on his orders, but received the following communiqué from Rowan on his earpiece.
"Lieutenant Yan, orders from the major. Please relocate to the interior of the dam and remain on standby for further orders."
"What for?"
"He says Gaim will soon be there, and wants for you to take him down."
Hearing Gaim's name was enough for him to follow his orders without question. Daryl then rode his bike to the dam. The Lion Inves gilded after him.
xxxxxx
With an automatic rifle in hand, Gai shot down a GHQ guard with Kenji, Shu in his blue hoodie, and Inori following behind him. Kenji spoke out,
"You're saving your bullets for something special, Shu?"
"I'm kind of focused on running for my life."
"Excuses, excuses. Just kill some people."
When they stopped, Kenji had a grenade in his hand and threw it. It made a huge hole in the entrance of where the cores of Leukocyte were located. Gai spoke out,
"Let's move."
All of a sudden, Gai, Shu, Inori, and Kenji were under enemy fire. Gai was quick to turn where the enemy shots were fired. He fired a few rounds, and the GHQ troops fell dead. More arrived. Shu saw the increasing amount of GHQ soldiers.
"There's just too many of them."
Inori stepped up to buy Shu more time to complete his mission.
"I'll hold them off while you move in. All right, Gai?"
Gai decided to let Inori do what she needed to do.
"If that's what you want."
Gai, Kenji and Shu went into the corridor where it lead to the Leukocyte core. Shu said to Inori.
"Try to stay alive, okay"
Inori nodded. She only had one pistol her hand, but she took down one GHQ soldier with one shot. She had excellent aim. She only shot down one of the three guards that were close to her Inori issued this warning to the remaining soldiers.
"I don't wanna have to kill you. But I will. So it's your call"
The soldiers wanted to run, but they had orders to take down any Funeral Parlor fighters they encounter. The soldiers charged at Inori.
"This was your choice."
Inori pulled out another pistol she had on her. She fired at the incoming soldiers and killed them all. In the corridor, Gai, Shu, and Kenji eventually got near to where the Leukocyte cores where.
"We're almost there. Shu, extract the void out of Kenji."
Kenji unzipped the top half of his overcoat.
"All right, let's just get this void thing over with. Just make it snappy. This isn't fun for me, you know."
xxxxxx
In the control room, Rowan notified Major Segai that the Leukocyte cores were in imminent danger.
"We've got a breach. It's the core room."
"Notify the Lieutenant. Open the shortcut."
Rowan then contacted Daryl of the situation within the core room. As he was waiting from inside the dam, the wall behind him opened up, and lead a path straight to the core room. He started his bike and rode down the corridor to the core room. Back at main control, Segai issued this 'order' to DJ Sagara in the Tsukigase dam intercom.
"Sagara, please be a dear. Say hello to our guests."
xxxxxx
Shu, with his arms straight out and with Kenji's void in hand, aimed at the Leukocyte core. Gai guided him on how to extract the cores with Kenji's void.
"Aim for the center?"
"That's right. Keep it steady."
Shu pulled the trigger on the Gravity gun, Kenji's void. The cores ceased their rotations. As Shu maintained his stance, Gai was overseeing Funell extracting data from the Leukocyte mainframe. As Gai and Shu proceeded to dismantle the Leukocyte, both of them heard a loud roar. Gai turned his head, and saw a familiar-looking yellow armored warrior and the monster beside him. Shu saw this as well, and put on his hoodie to hide his face. Daryl looked around a bit and saw a familiar blue hoodie. He knew it was Shu, but Daryl knew him as Gaim.
"Surprise, it's nice to finally meet you, Gai. You know, this is the first time I've met somebody famous."
Shu spoke to Gai. "What now?"
"Stay focused on your task."
Daryl spoke next.
"Sorry, but he's mine. You, on the other hand, are going down. Kill him."
The Lion Inves beside him made a giant leap towards Gai. Gai tried to kill it with his rifle, but made a fast side jump to dodge Daryl's spear thrust. The Lion Inves kept on attacking Gai, making no opening for Gai to at least distract the both of them for Shu to continue the mission. All of a sudden, gunshots were fired behind the Lion Inves. It was Inori who fired the shots. Inori spoke to Shu.
"Keep it up. I got this."
Shu kept on his role in the mission. Inori was firing her pistols at the Lion Inves, but the bullets never made a scratch on its hide. While Gai had his and Shu's rifle with him. Daryl swung his spear at Gai, hoping to mortally stab him, but Gai was faster than Daryl's swings. He fired all the bullets of his rifle on Daryl, but it had no effect on him. Daryl chuckle at Gai's defiant actions.
"Try all you want, Gai Tsutsugami. I'm stronger than you at this moment. And I'll keep getting stronger."
Daryl held in his hand the Mango Lockseed, which was given to him by DJ Sagara. Shu saw the new lockseed and asked Daryl a question.
"Where did you get that? Was it someone named DJ Sagara?"
Daryl was curious as to how he knew that name.
"So, you heard of him. How though, is my question."
Shu didn't say anything further. Daryl, however, knew that Gaim knew more about him than what his superiors know about him.
"I'll just tell you this one thing. He's working for us. Says that he's got this lab rat out there that has been using his lockseeds, but the idiot doesn't even know that he's just a glorified test subject for his experiments. In other words Gaim, you're no hero. Just a puppet for one of GHQ's most brilliant minds."
At that moment, Shu felt like he was the idiot Daryl was talking about. Shu thought he had someone felt he could call an ally in his journey. Now he found out that all this time, he was somebody's patsy. Although Shu maintained his stance and focus on ceasing the rotation of the Leukocyte cores, he felt like he wanted to break down in despair and die. Taking advantage of the moment, Daryl took off his banana lockseed from his driver...
"LOCK-OFF."
and activated his new lockseed.
"MANGO!"
A metallic mango appeared over Daryl. He then place the mango lockseed on his driver.
"LOCK-ON!"
The driver then played European trumpet music with a techno beat before Daryl used the Cutting blade on his driver to flip open his lockseed.
"COME ON! MANGO ARMS! FIGHT OF HAMMER!"
The armor that unraveled was different. The chest portion was red with the bottom part yellow. The shoulder pads were yellow as well. It also came with a small cape. The head portion came with a helmet that had horns facing forwards. The weapon that came with the mango arms was a mace. It was the Mango Punisher, a long-handled mace with a spike tip with the mace looking like a diced mango. Daryl continued to aim for Gaim. Gai continued to shoot at him, but Daryl continued to charge at Shu, ignoring the bullets that bounced off him. Gai was resorted to using a flash bomb that he had with him. Gai pulled the pin and threw it between Shu and Daryl. The resulting flash was so bright that it even blinded the Lion Inves. Inori then took advantage of the confusion, and push the Inves in between Shu and Daryl. Daryl tried to see what was in front of him during the blast. He saw some movement, and thought it was Gaim trying to get away.
"You're not escaping me, Gaim!"
Daryl flipped the Cutting Blade twice on his driver once to take this chance to wipe out Gaim once and for all, not knowing it was the Lion Inves he was going to kill.
"COME ON! MANGO AU LAIT!"
Daryl swings his mace in full circles. He was getting faster in until the energy mace released when Daryl stopped spinning. By the time the flash dissipated, Daryl saw the Lion Inves trapped in his attack before finally exploding. Daryl had effectively killed his only support. Not to mention that some of the energy projectiles cracked the glass cylinders holding the Leukocyte cores. Shu spoke out.
"Oh, crap. Gai, We got a problem!"
Gai saw the busted cores. A large satellite array near the Tsukigase dam gave out a huge electrical surge, causing all telecommunication in Tokyo, from phones to computers to televisions, to black out. Tsugumi alerted Gai of this.
"Bad news, Gai. There's something wrong with Leukocyte one. It's falling down. And at the rate its falling, Leukocyte one will crash with most of its mass intact in the center of Tokyo."
xxxxxx
Back at the control room, Rowan read out the following data on the status of Leukocyte one.
"The altitude control is malfunctioning. It's plummeting to earth!"
Within the dark skies of Tokyo was a red glowing star growing bigger with each passing minute.
xxxxxx
Gai, Inori, and Shu had worried looks on their faces, but Daryl only felt frustration at being kept out of the loop.
"Hey! Anybody wanna fill me in?"
Shu yelled at Daryl in anger at just how he was responsible for what was going to be a massive disaster that would kill countless lives.
"You just caused a satellite to fall to Tokyo! It's going to kill millions of people! AND ITS ALL YOUR FAULT! HOW CAN YOU BE SO STUPID?! YOU JUST DESTROYED WHAT MADE STAY IN SPACE IN THE FIRST PLACE!"
Daryl absorbed the information and summarized it into one simple sentence.
"So, in short, they're all gonna die because of me?"
Silence ruled the mood until Daryl said something audacious.
"Oh well. Sucks to be them."
Shu once again had festering indignation at the inhumanity of his enemies. The rider in front of him just said the people who were going to die for his mistake didn't matter. However, Gai got in front of Shu and whispered to him.
"You'll fight him another day. Right now, we need to stop Leukocyte one. I have another flash bomb on me. Transform and summon your bike. When you do that, I'll create a distraction for you and Inori to escape. I'll get Kenji out of here. We start now."
Shu went ahead with Gai's plan, saving his rage and disgust at Baron another time. Gai nodded Inori to get close to him and Shu. Inori walked to where they were, and stood close to Gai. Shu reached for his pocket for his primary lockseed to get things started. He then began his transformation sequence.
"HENSHIN!"
"ORANGE! "
A metallic orange appeared over him. Shu did his pose and placed his lockseed on his driver.
"LOCK-ON !"
The driver then played the Japanese horagai music with a techno beat before Shu used the Cutting Blade on his driver.
"SOIYA! ORANGE ARMS! HANAMICHI ON STAGE! "
Daryl saw this as Gaim finally wanting to fight. "At last, the fun part's finally here. Come and get some!" As Daryl charged towards Shu, Gai took out another flash grenade and threw it at Daryl. By the time the grenade exploded, Shu activated his lock vehicle and expanded and unraveled into the bike. The explosion gave out another huge flash of light, thus blinding Daryl again. This made him yell out in anger,
"DAMN! NOT AGAIN!"
By the time the flash subsided, everyone was gone. Daryl was alone. This angered him further. He slammed his Mango Punisher into the floor a few times before yelling out,
"I WILL KILL YOU GAIM! I DON'T CARE WHO I HAVE TO HURT TO DO IT! YOU WILL DIE BY MY HANDS!"
xxxxxx
Shu and Inori meet up with Gai carrying an unconscious Kenji on his back near an elevator that reached to the entrance of the center of the satellite array . Shu deactivated his Sakura Hurricane and it changed back into its lock form. They stepped inside the elevator to find Funell waiting for all of them. Inori held Funell near the control panel of the elevator as the robot hacked into it. Gai spoke to Shu.
"Shu, the pen. The transmitter pen GHQ gave you. Give it to me."
"I don't have it."
"What?"
"I threw it away. Inori saw me do it."
Gai spoke to Inori.
"Is that true?"
Inori nodded yes. Gai was slightly furious at Shu.
"Why would you do that?"
As the elevator doors open, another voice spoke out. One Inori and Shu were familiar with.
"Because this boy knows commitment."
Everyone in the elevator heard and saw DJ Sagara standing in front of them. Shu was still in his Gaim armor. He wielded his Musou Saber and charged at Sagara, only for him to pass through Sagara and slamming into a wall. Gai saw that it was a hologram. The illusion was then turned off, and revealed Sagara was at the side of them. Gai, carrying Kenji on his back, and Inori faced him with Inori aiming her gun at Sagara. Funell, meanwhile, wheeled to the entrance that lead to the center of the satellite array. Gai non-verbally signaled Inori to follow Funell. The control panel was too high for Funell to reach. Inori carried it for it to reach the panel, break it open, and hack into it to break the encryption system. Sagara, maintaining his calm and playful demeanor, spoke to Gai.
"What's the matter, Gai? I thought you'd appreciate something like loyalty."
Gai looked at Sagara with a serious look. Shu stood up and spoke in an angry tone.
"What the hell!? You said you didn't work for GHQ, and then suddenly I discover that you treated me like a lab rat behind my back!"
"Yeah. Sorry about that. True, I am working with GHQ, but for reasons neither side knows."
This infuriated and confused Shu even more. Gai placed his hand on Shu's shoulders to calm him down. Gai then spoke to Sagara.
"You're the one that helped Shu escape?
"Correct. I was also the one who persuaded him to throw away that pen Segai gave him, in an indirect manner. Speaking of the pen, you had no idea what it really was?"
Sagara said, turning his attention to Shu. Shu spoke out, feeling frustrated being left in the dark.
"I remember it was a transmitter that would alert GHQ of my location. I thought that Segai person would receive the signal, and send in soldiers to where I am."
"Yes on the first part, no on the second part."
Gai took part of the conversation.
"It's not a beacon to GHQ. It signals the Leukocyte to fire on your location. It was programmed to fire when you pressed the buttons."
Shu was shocked at that piece of information. GHQ was ready and willing to sacrifice his life to eliminate their enemies. Shu now felt that his choice was the right one. Gai spoke further.
"It's not that I don't appreciate the decision you made to be one of us. However, if we had that pen, we could have used it to line up the firing satellite with the one that's falling right now. That way, we could destroy it before it hits the ground."
Shu felt like now the situation was also his fault as well as Baron's.
"You couldn't see this coming, Shu. GHQ likes to keep projects like this in the dark from the public."
"Just like I keep them in dark."
Sagara said. Gai assumed that Sagara had something up his sleeve.
"What are you talking about?"
"This."
Sagara had both his hands behind his back all this time. He brought them out front and revealed that he had something in both of them. On his right hand was a black object with a silver lock hole. It was square on the outside, and circular on the inside. On his left hand was a blue, semi-transparent lockseed. It had a lemon design, and it read 'ELS-01.'
"This is a new type of lockseed I'm making right now. Granted, this is a prototype. Other times I gave you lockseeds, Shu, you were a lab rat. Now, I'm giving you a choice. Take this, and you just might save the city. How about it, kid?"
Shu looked at what Sagara had to offer. At first he hesitated, thinking that this might lead to further entrapments that will only force him to make further deals with GHQ until he passed the point of now return. On the other hand, there was a massive artificial object hurtling towards Tokyo with a fall that will destroy it with a force stronger than a nuclear bomb. Shu was still thinking about Sagara's offer. Gai spoke to Sagara about a deal.
"If we take this, I want something in return."
"Name it."
"I want all information GHQ gather on Shu Ouma to be erased."
"Done."
Gai talked to Shu.
"Take it, Shu. If what he is offering can help save the city, then go for it."
Shu saw that he was being outvoted, and for good reason. Shu then took what Sagara had in his hands. Sagara explained what the items in his hands were.
"This black square-like object is called the Genesis Core. It works in conjunction with your void. When you give the mental command, the faceplate on your driver dissipates so you can slide along your main lockseed slot. It's basically an extra lockseed slot, but it can only use these kinds of lockseeds."
Sagara then handed Shu the blue lockseed to Shu.
"This is the Lemon Lockseed. You notice that this one is different from the ones you have so far. The reason why is because it's an Energy Lockseed. Use that together with your Orange Lockseed, and you unlock a whole new power. Something that no one has ever seen."
Shu looked at the energy lockseed as another sign of change. Even though he wanted to change, he wondered where that change would lead him. Would it lead him to being the kind of person he imagined himself to be? Or would he deviate from his ideal path and become something less than what he imagined? Or maybe he could become more than he imagined. He needed to see more of what the world around is really like to have a better picture of what kind of man he would be within that world. Right now, Shu was being presented the power to save lives on a metropolitan scale, and had to act on the offer in front of him.
"Thank you. Before you go, I have one question. Why are you helping me? I mean, you admit to actually working for GHQ, and yet you just agreed to a deal to Gai Tsutsugami, leader of a resistance cell that is sworn to destroyed the organization you work for. Why do all this?"
"You're jumping the gun a little bit if you think I like working for GHQ. I'm being honest when I say this. I just want to watch over you. Both now and in the future. I'm curious to see if the future belongs to you. Or maybe you."
Sagara said as he pointed to Gai.
"Or maybe that Baron guy. The point is, I wanna see where your struggles will lead you."
Little wisps of light surrounded DJ Sagara before he disappeared right before their eyes in a flash of light.
"Okay, just so we're clear: I was not the only one who saw that, right?"
Gai silently nodded. Funell made a sound that signaled that he broke through the encryption and unlocking the door to the main array.
xxxxxx
Gai, and Shu made to the center of the array. Argo, who was within the area fighting off GHQ soldiers, saw them. He wondered what was Gai doing.
"Why is Gai outside? What the hell happened to the plan?"
Ayase, fighting off enemy Endlaves, spoke to Argo.
I have no idea, but we have to make sure he's covered."
Inori was standing on a balcony above Shu and Gai. Kenji was still unconscious and laying down on the concrete floor. Gai spoke to Shu.
"Now or never, Shu."
"Right."
Shu what Gai meant. He took out his Genesis Core. The faceplate on his driver dissipated, like Sagara said. Shu then slid the core sideways onto his driver. It was a perfect fit. He then activated his energy lockseed.
"LEMON ENERGY!"
The lemon lockseed then played a techno tune as it was activated. The Orange folded shut and unlocked on its own when that happened. Gai saw and thought,
'Is that how it works? Just how much DJ Sagara knows about voids?'
Shu then placed the lemon lockseed on the core and locked both of them.
"LOCK-ON!"
The driver then played the Japanese horagai music with a techno beat before Shu used the Cutting Blade on his driver.
"SOIYA! MIX!"
As Shu's orange armor folded back to a metallic orange, a metallic lemon was above him and the orange. The metallic fruit collided and fused together to create a new type of armor.
"ORANGE ARMS! HANAMICHI ON STAGE! JIMBER LEMON! HA HA!"
The kind of armor that formed around Shu was a samurai's tabard (a type of short coat). It was black and yellow with a floral design on the center sides. The weapon that Shu held on his right hand was a bow-like weapon. It was predominantly red with some blue on its side. The front of the bow was bladed, so that the weapon could double both as a long-range and short-range weapon. This was Gaim newest form, the Jimber forms. The weapon of that form was the Sonic Arrow. Gai was impressed by what he was seeing. He then looked to the sky and saw Leukocyte one getting closer. He contacted Tsugumi.
"Tsugumi, how much time is left?"
"Got it. You hear that Shu? It's come down to this. You can either stand back and let the world die, or you can take its place."
"I chose neither."
Shu took off the lemon lockseed and placed it on the Sonic Arrow.
"LOCK-ON!"
Shu then flipped the Cutting Blade on his driver once.
"SOIYA! ORANGE SQUASH!"
An alternating row of orange and lemon slices formed as Shu pointed his Sonic Arrow at the sky and pulled as far as he could as energy surged on the front of his bow. Shu knew his target was the satellite falling down towards earth. The weapon responded to his will and went higher until the satellite was in range of the weapon itself. Before Shu could fire, an enemy Endlave got near Gai and Shu and was ready to fire on them. Ayase, however, was near to where they were and open fire on the Endlave that was about to kill Gai and Shu.
"No you don't!"
The enemy Endlave fell like an oversized scrap metal. Tsugumi contacted Shu in his earpiece.
"There! Do it now!"
Moment before Shu released the energy blast, he mentally said to himself,
'This is for all of us. All our power combined. This is OUR STAGE!'
Shu yelled as he finally released the energy blast of his Sonic Arrow.
"LEMON ENERGY!"
The energy blast formed into an energy arrow, traveling fast through the alternating row of orange and lemon slices before tearing through Leukocyte one and utterly destroyed it. The incoming glowing light in the dark sky of Tokyo was gone. What came in the night sky of Japan afterwards were northern lights. Inori saw them as beautiful and saw how strong Shu had become. She saw Gai smiling with joy. Gai spoke to Shu.
"Why you'd do it, Shu? Be one of us?"
"It's like I told Inori. I wanted to change. Now you're stuck with me. Deal with it."
Shu extended his hand to Gai as a gesture of cooperation. Gai took it.
xxxxxx
At GHQ Headquarters, Keido saw nothing but static on his monitors. A young, white-haired boy stood behind him and spoke.
"Thank you, Shuuichirou. Cocytus trembled with your efforts. It won't be long before she awakens. She'll rise from her slumber, seeking her beloved king."
Chapter done. School for me is starting next week. As such, I will have less time to work on my story. I will still work on them. Please do not forget to review. Later!